Turfgrass intercropping prevents non-point source pollution in sweet pepper production.

Greenhouse vegetable production is one of the major non-point source (NPS) pollution due to its high fertilizer input and low nutrient use efficiency. Excessive salt and nutrient accumulation in the topsoil is responsible for the NPS pollution in greenhouse vegetable production. This study was designed to investigate the effects of turfgrass intercropping on NPS pollution in greenhouse sweet pepper production. The results showed that the pollution discharges via both surface runoff and leaching were significantly reduced by turfgrass intercropping. The reduction of pollution was associated with the capacity of turfgrass species in the absorption and accumulation of salts and nitrate. Paspalum vaginatum with preferential accumulations of nitrate and salts performed best results in the alleviation of soil salinity and NPS pollution. Paspalum vaginatum-intercropping decreased 51.2% of nitrate and 23.9% of electrical conductivity in the soil, 71.8% of total nitrogen, 54.9% of ammonia-nitrogen, 67.0% of nitrate-nitrogen, 68.8% of total phosphorus, 68.2% of phosphates, and 73.2% of potassium in the surface runoff, and 64.1% of total nitrogen, 53.4% of ammonia-nitrogen, 67.0% of nitrate-nitrogen, 44.3% of total phosphorus, 54.8% of phosphates, and 32.9% of potassium in the leachate. These results indicated that Paspalum vaginatum-intercropping could be a clean and sustainable solution to prevent NPS pollution in greenhouse vegetable production.

Improvement cues of lesion absorption using the adjuvant therapy of traditional Chinese medicine Qinbudan tablet for retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis with standard anti-tuberculosis regimen.

BACKGROUND: China is the second highest pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) burden country worldwide. However, retreatment of PTB has often developed resistance to at least one of the four first-line anti-TB drugs. The cure rate (approximately 50.0-73.3%) and management of retreatment of PTB in China needs to be improved. Qinbudan decoction has been widely used to treat PTB in China since the 1960s. Previously clinical studies have shown that the Qinbudan tablet (QBDT) promoted sputum-culture negative conversion and lesion absorption. However, powerful evidence from a randomized controlled clinical trial is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of QBDT as an adjunct therapy for retreatment of PTB. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in China. People diagnosed with PTB were enrolled who received previous anti-TB treatment from April 2011 to March 2013. The treatment group received an anti-TB regimen and QBDT, and the control group was administered an anti-TB regimen plus placebo. Anti-TB treatment options included isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin for 2 months (2HRZES), followed by isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol for 6 months (6HRE), daily for 8 months. Primary outcome was sputum-culture conversion using the MGIT 960 liquid medium method. Secondary outcomes included lung lesion absorption and cavity closure. Adverse events and reactions were observed after treatment. A structured questionnaire was used to record demographic information and clinical symptoms of all subjects. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 25.0 software in the full analysis set (FAS) population. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-one cases of retreatment PTB were randomly divided into two groups: the placebo group (88 cases) and the QBDT group (93 cases). A total of 166 patients completed the trial and 15 patients lost to follow-up. The culture conversion rate of the QBDT group and placebo group did not show a noticeable improvement by using the covariate sites to correct the rate differences (79.6% vs 69.3%; rate difference = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 0.02-0.23; F = 2.48, P = 0.12) after treatment. A significant 16.6% increase in lesion absorption was observed in the QBDT group when compared with the placebo group (67.7% vs 51.1%; rate difference = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.02-0.31; χ2 = 5.56, P = 0.02). The intervention and placebo group did not differ in terms of cavity closure (25.5% vs 21.1%; rate difference = 0.04, 95% CI: - 0.21-0.12; χ2 = 0.27, P = 0.60). Two patients who received chemotherapy and combined QBDT reported pruritus/nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: No significant improvement in culture conversion was observed for retreatment PTB with traditional Chinese medicine plus standard anti-TB regimen. However, QBDT as an adjunct therapy significantly promoted lesion absorption, thereby reducing lung injury due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02313610.

Isolation and purification of a polysaccharide from the caterpillar medicinal mushroom Cordyceps militaris (Ascomycetes) fruit bodies and its immunomodulation of RAW 264.7 macrophages.

A novel polysaccharide (CP2-S) was purified from Cordyceps militaris fruit bodies by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow and Sephacryl S-400 high-resolution chromatography. The polysaccharide had a molecular weight of 5.938 × 10(6) g/mol and was mainly composed of glucose. CP2-S had carbohydrate content estimated to be 100% using the phenol-sulfuric acid method. Immunostimulating experiments in vitro indicated that CP2-S could stimulate nitric oxide production, phagocytosis, respiratory burst activity, and secretion of interleukin-1ß and interleukin-2 of macrophages, suggesting that this water-soluble polysaccharide from the fruit body of C. militaris is a natural immunostimulating polysaccharide with potential for further application.

[Protective effects of da chai hu granules (DCHKL) against alloxan (AXN)-induced rat pancreatic islets damage].

The protective effects of Da Chai Hu Granules (DCHKL) on islet cells which were incubated with 4 mmol x L(-1) alloxan (AXN) were studied. The viability of islet cells were measured with MTT. Insulin released into medium and in islets was detected by radioimmunoassay. Cell apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry. The expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic gene Bax in islet cells were measured with RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). Serum containing DCHKL can promote the activity of islet cells significantly (P < 0.01). Basal insulin secretion and high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion increased significantly (P < 0.01). Serum containing DCHKL can inhibit apoptosis of islet cells, the ratio of apoptosis was decreased. Serum containing DCHKL increased expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and decreased expression of Bax mRNA. DCHKL can significantly promote proliferation of islet cells and increase the amount of basal secretion of pancreatic islet cells and high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The expression of Bcl-2 increased significantly. The expression of Bax decreased significantly. DCHKL have a protective effect on the islet cells.

Differential metabolic responses of perennial grass Cynodon transvaalensis×Cynodon dactylon (C4) and Poa Pratensis (C3) to heat stress.

Differential metabolic responses to heat stress may be associated with variations in heat tolerance between cool-season (C3) and warm-season (C4) perennial grass species. The main objective of this study was to identify metabolites associated with differential heat tolerance between C4 bermudagrass and C3 Kentucky bluegrass by performing metabolite profile analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Plants of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa Pratensis'Midnight') and hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon transvaalensis x Cynodon dactylon'Tifdwarf') were grown under optimum temperature conditions (20/15 °C for Kentucky bluegrass and 30/25 °C for bermudagrass) or heat stress (35/30 °C for Kentucky bluegrass and 45/40 °C for bermudagrass). Physiological responses to heat stress were evaluated by visual rating of grass quality, measuring photochemical efficiency (variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence) and electrolyte leakage. All of these parameters indicated that bermudagrass exhibited better heat tolerance than Kentucky bluegrass. The metabolite analysis of leaf polar extracts revealed 36 heat-responsive metabolites identified in both grass species, mainly consisting of organic acids, amino acids, sugars and sugar alcohols. Most metabolites showed higher accumulation in bermudagrass compared with Kentucky bluegrass, especially following long-term (18 days) heat stress. The differentially accumulated metabolites included seven sugars (sucrose, fructose, galactose, floridoside, melibiose, maltose and xylose), a sugar alcohol (inositol), six organic acids (malic acid, citric acid, threonic acid, galacturonic acid, isocitric acid and methyl malonic acid) and nine amino acids (Asn, Ala, Val, Thr, γ-aminobutyric acid, IIe, Gly, Lys and Met). The differential accumulation of those metabolites could be associated with the differential heat tolerance between C3 Kentucky bluegrass and C4 bermudagrass.

Differential accumulation of dehydrins in response to water stress for hybrid and common bermudagrass genotypes differing in drought tolerance.

Expression of dehydrin proteins may be induced or enhanced by environmental stresses that lead to cell dehydration. The objective of the this study was to investigate genetic variation in dehydrin protein accumulation in response to drought stress of whole-plants or dehydration of detached leaves and to identify dehydrins differentially expressed in bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) genotypes differing in drought tolerance. Plants of four hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodondactylon L. xCynodontransvaalensis L.) ('Tifway', 'Tifdwarf', 'Tifeagle', 'Kan1') and four common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) ('C299', 'Sportbermuda', 'H10', and 'H19') genotypes were subjected to 14d of drought stress and detached leaves of two genotypes were exposed to dehydration in growth chambers. Turf quality and leaf relative water content (RWC) decreased while electrolyte leakage (EL) increased during whole-plant drought stress for all genotypes, with more pronounced changes in each parameter for 'C299' and 'Tifeagle' than those for other genotypes ('Tifway', 'Kan 1', 'Sportbermuda', 'H10', and H19'), suggesting that the former two genotypes were more sensitive to drought stress than the other genotypes. During dehydration of detached leaves, relative water loss rate (RWL) was significantly lower in drought-tolerant 'Tifway' than in drought-sensitive 'C299'. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that no dehydrin polypeptides were detected in all genotypes under well-watered conditions. A 24-kDa polypeptide was detected in 'C299' at 6 d of drought, but not in the other genotypes. The dehydrin polypeptides of about 14-74kDa accumulated at 10d of drought stress and in a range of RWL for detached leaves, and two dehydrins (31 and 40kDa) exhibited differential accumulation in the drought-sensitive 'C299' and tolerant 'Tifway', as demonstrated by the whole-plant drought responses. The 31-kDa dehydrin polypeptide was present only in 'Tifway' and 'H19' at 10d of drought stress, and accumulated with the increasing RWL in detached leaves of 'Tifway'. The expression level of 40-kDa dehydrin polypeptides was greater in 'Tifway'' than in 'C299' at the same level of water deficit (from 10% to 65% RWL). These results indicated that the accumulation of 31- and 40-kDa dehydrins may contribute to drought or dehydration tolerance in warm-season bermudagrass.