Light plays a critical role in the accumulation of chlorogenic acid in Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz.

Light has important effects on plant metabolism. However, the relationship between the chlorogenic acid (CGA) content and light in plants remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of shading treatment on gene expression and CGA content in Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz. (LM), a widely used medicinal plant. A total of 1891 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in flower buds and 819 in leaves in response to light in shading treatment compared to the control sample by RNA-Seq. After shading treatment, the content of CGA in LM leaves decreased significantly by 1.78-fold, the carotenoid content increased, and the soluble sugar and starch contents significantly decreased. WGCNA and the expression of related genes verified by qRT‒PCR revealed that CGA synthesis pathway enzyme genes form a co-expression network with genes for carbohydrate synthesis, photosynthesis, light signalling elements, and transcription factor genes (TFs) that affect the accumulation of CGA. Through a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system and CGA assay in Nicotiana benthamiana (NB), we determined that downregulation of NbHY5 expression decreased the CGA content in NB leaves. In this study, we found that light provides energy and material for the accumulation of CGA in LM, and light affects the expression of CGA accumulation-related genes. Our results show that different light intensities have multiple effects on leaves and flower buds in LM and are able to coregulate LmHY5 expression and CGA synthesis.

Identification of reliable reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the Rhus chinensis Mill. leaf response to temperature changes.

Rhus chinensis Mill. (RCM) is the host plant of Galla chinensis, which is valued in traditional medicine. Environmental temperature directly determines the probability of gallnut formation and RCM growth. At present, there is no experiment to systematically analyse the stability of internal reference gene (RG) expression in RCM. In this experiment, leaves that did not form gallnuts were used as the control group, while leaves that formed gallnuts were used as the experimental group. First, we conducted transcriptome experiments on RCM leaves to obtain 45 103 differential genes and functional enrichment annotations between the two groups. On this basis, this experiment established a transcriptional gene change model of leaves in the process of gallnut formation after being bitten by aphids, and RCM reference candidate genes were screened from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data. This study is based on RCM transcriptome data and evaluates the stability of 11 potential reference genes under cold stress (4 °C) and heat stress (34 °C), using three statistical algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper). The results show that GAPDH1 + PP2A2/UBQ are stable reference genes under heat stress, while GAPDH1 + ACT are the most stable under cold stress. This study is the first to screen candidate reference genes in RCM and could help guide future molecular studies in this genus.

Neolignans and Diarylheptanoids with Anti-Inflammatory Activity from the Rhizomes of Alpinia zerumbet.

The dried leaves and rhizomes of Alpinia zerumbet have been traditionally used as food and medicine. Anti-inflammatory activity-guided phytochemical investigation into the rhizomes of A. zerumbet led to the isolation of 17 compounds including 10 neolignans (1-10, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, and 5 are new compounds) and seven diarylheptanoids (11-17) in which 1-3 were three pairs of enantiomers. 4 was only one enantiomer and 5 was a racemic mixture. Compounds 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b incorporated an 8',9'-dinorneolignan skeleton, which was rare in the lignan family. The planar structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive analyses of spectroscopic data. The relative and absolute configurations were determined by the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT)-based electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation method. The 95% ethanol extract and ethyl acetate extract of A. zerumbet were found to show anti-inflammatory activity against croton oil-induced ear edema in mice with inhibition rates of 20.0 and 47.6% at a dose of 80 mg/kg, respectively. Bioassays showed that compounds 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and 12 moderately inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells with IC50 values of 3.62, 7.63, 6.51, 5.60, and 8.33 µM, respectively.

Risk of early-onset dementia among persons with tinnitus: a retrospective case-control study.

Higher rates of poor cognitive performance are known to prevail among persons with tinnitus in all age groups. However, no study has explored the association between tinnitus and early-onset dementia. We hypothesize that tinnitus may precede or occur concurrently with subclinical or early onset dementia in adults younger than 65 years of age. This case-control study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, identifying 1308 patients with early-onset dementia (dementia diagnosed before 65 years of age) and 1308 matched controls. We used multivariable logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for prior tinnitus among patients with dementia versus controls. Among total 2616 sample participants, the prevalence of prior tinnitus was 18%, 21.5% among cases and 14.5% among controls (p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression showed and adjusted OR for prior tinnitus of 1.6 for cases versus controls (95% CI: 1.3 ~ 2.0). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and medical co-morbidities, patients with early-onset dementia had a 67% higher likelihood of having prior tinnitus (OR = 1.628; 95% CI = 1.321-2.006). Our findings showed that pre-existing tinnitus was associated with a 68% increased risk of developing early-onset dementia among young and middle-aged adults. The results call for greater awareness of tinnitus as a potential harbinger of future dementia in this population.

[Assessment of Potential Risk of Diffuse Pollution in Haihe River Basin Based Using DPeRS Model].

Considering the Haihe River Basin as an example, the DPeRS model was used to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and pollution sources of the diffuse pollution by remote sensing pixel scale. Combined with the evaluation standard of surface water quality, a potential risk grading method for diffuse pollution was constructed to assess the potential risk of diffuse pollution in Haihe River Basin. The results showed that, in 2016, the diffuse discharge loads of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were 429.2, 25.7, 288.3, and 1017.0 kg ·km-2, respectively, with the amount of river entry being 2.5×104 ton, 1597.2 ton, 1.7×104 ton, and 6.6×104 ton in Haihe River Basin, respectively. Farmland runoff is the most important source of diffuse pollution of TN, TP and NH4+-N in the Haihe River Basin. For COD index, urban life is the primary type of pollution, followed by livestock. The diffuse pollution is relatively severe in the central and southern areas of Haihe River Basin, and this area is also a high-risk concentrated distribution area of diffuse pollution in the basin. The distribution of high-risk areas of nitrogen-phosphorus diffuse pollution are relatively concentrated, and the chemical oxygen demand is relatively scattered. More than 36% of the Haihe River Basin has a nitrogen-phosphorus diffuse pollution risk, and 2.94% of the area has a chemical oxygen demand diffuse pollution risk.

Increased risk of tinnitus following a trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis: a one-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus due to hyperactivity across neuronal ensembles along the auditory pathway is reported. We hypothesized that trigeminal neuralgia patients may subsequently suffer from tinnitus. Using nationwide, population-based data and a retrospective cohort study design, we investigated the risk of tinnitus within 1 year following trigeminal neuralgia. METHODS: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset, a claims database, to identify all patients diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia from January 2001 to December 2014, 12,587 patients. From the remaining patients, we identified 12,587 comparison patients without trigeminal neuralgia by propensity score matching, using sex, age, monthly income, geographic region, residential urbanization level, and tinnitus-relevant comorbidities (hyperlipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, cervical spondylosis, temporomandibular joint disorders and injury to head and neck and index year). All study patients (n = 25,174) were tracked for a one-year period to identify those with a subsequent diagnosis of tinnitus over 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Among total 25,174 sample patients, the incidence of tinnitus was 18.21 per 100 person-years (95% CI = 17.66 ~ 18.77), the rate being 23.57 (95% CI = 22.68 ~ 24.49) among patients with trigeminal neuralgia and 13.17 (95% CI = 12.53 ~ 13.84) among comparison patients. Furthermore, the adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratio for tinnitus in the trigeminal neuralgia group was 1.68 (95% CI = 1.58 ~ 1.80) relative to the comparison cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significantly increased risk of tinnitus within 1 year of trigeminal neuralgia diagnosis compared to those without the diagnosis. Further studies in other countries and ethnicities are needed to explore the relationship between trigeminal neuralgia and subsequent tinnitus.

Novel nortriterpenoids with new skeletons and limonoids from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa and their bioactivities.

Two novel nortriterpenoids together with 7 known compounds were isolated from the fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compound 1 is the first example of triterpenoid with a 27 (17 â†’ 12)-abeo-five-ring skeleton. In turn, compound 2 possesses a unique C/D/E linear fused ring system and a methyl on C-21. Plausible biogenetic pathway for the new compounds 1 and 2 are also proposed. Compound 1 exhibited significantly antitumor activity against A549 and LoVo cells with IC50 values of 2.0 µM and 1.9 µM, respectively. Colony formation inhibition, cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis of compound 1 were also evaluated. Compound 2, 6, 7 and 9 showed potent neuroprotective activities against serum-deprivation induced P12 cell damage.

[Effects of harvest residue treatments on soil phosphorus fractions and availability in a young Chinese fir plantation]. / é‡‡ä¼å‰©ä½™ç‰©çš„å¤„ç†æ–¹å¼å¯¹æ‰æœ¨å¹¼æž—åœŸå£¤ç£·ç»„åˆ†åŠå ¶æœ‰æ•ˆæ€§çš„å½±å“.

Forest harvesting changes the quantity and quality of organic matter inputs into soil, and thus would alter soil nutrient content and availability. Phosphorus (P) is a key element affecting plant growth. The effects of harvest residue treatments on soil P fractions and availability had not yet been evaluated. In this study, harvest residue retainment (RR), residue removal (R) and residue burning (RB) treatments were manipulated after clear-cutting in a mature Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation at the Sanming Forest Ecosystem and Global Change Research Station in Fujian, China. This study focused on the dynamics of soil P fractions and their driving factors in the 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers after 4-year residue treatments. The results showed that, in RR treatment, the contents of easily-available P, moderately-available P and non-available P at the 0-10 cm soil layer were all significantly higher than those in R treatment, while the contents of moderately-available P and non-available P at the 10-20 cm soil layer was significantly higher than those in RB treatments. The ratios of soil organic carbon (C) to organic P (C:Po) in both layers were over 200 for all the three treatments, with ratios in RR treatment being significantly lower than those in RB and R treatments, indicating that RR could alleviate P limitation in this ecosystem. Moreover, results of the redundancy analysis showed that changes in P fractions were mainly affected by dissolved organic C, free Fe and noncrystalline amorphous Fe. The results suggested that soil organic P and available P were mainly from the decomposition of plant residues, which supported continuous P supply for plant growth. RR could enhance soil P content, thereby improve soil P availability and mitigate P limitation in Chinese fir plantation.

Cardioprotective effect of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation on perioperative elderly patients with coronary heart disease: a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative autonomic nervous system function and serum biomarkers in the elderly. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 122 American Society of Anesthesiologists class II or III patients with coronary heart disease undergoing spinal surgery were randomly divided into two groups: TEAS (received TEAS at Neiguan [PC6] and Ximen [PC4] for 30 minutes before anesthesia induction until the end of surgery) and control (received electrode plate at the same acupuncture points without any electrical stimulation). Serum was isolated for the measurement of concentration of high-sensitive troponin T (hs-cTnT), CRP, and CK. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) including: total power (TP), low-frequency (LF) power, high-frequency (HF) power, and LF/HF ratio were used to assess autonomic nervous system function. The primary outcome was to evaluate whether TEAS changed the postoperative serum hs-cTnT. The secondary outcomes were to observe the effects of TEAS on HRV, circulating CK and CRP after surgery. RESULTS: Hs-cTnT, CRP, and CK concentrations were significantly higher on first, third and fifth day after surgery than those before anesthesia induction in both groups. Hs-cTnT concentration was significantly lower on the first and third day after surgery in TEAS group than in control group. Compared with 1 day before surgery, TP, LF, and HF decreased significantly and HR, LF/HF increased significantly on first, third, and fifth day after surgery in control group. Compared with control group, HR was significantly lower on the first, third, and fifth day after surgery, LF/HF decreased and TP, LF, HF were significantly higher on the first day after surgery in TEAS group. CONCLUSION: TEAS at PC6 and PC4 could reduce postoperative serum hs-cTnT concentration and change HRV index to improve autonomic nervous system activity.

Danzhi Jiangtang Capsule Mediates NIT-1 Insulinoma Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis by GLP-1/Akt Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of Danzhi Jiangtang Capsule (DJC) on the proliferation and apoptosis functions of NIT-1 pancreatic ß-cells exposed to high-glucose load through GLP-1 activated Akt/ FoxO1 signaling pathway. METHODS: Cellular apoptosis of NIT-1 pancreatic ß-cells was induced by culturing in medium with 33.3mmol/L high glucose (HG). Then low-dose DJC (HG +LD), high-dose DJC (HG +HD), high-dose DJC+ GLP-1 inhibition (HG +HD +GI), and high-dose DJC+AKT inhibition (HG +HD+AI) were added, respectively. Cellular proliferation was accessed by cell counting kit (CCK-8) and cellular apoptosis was measured by Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The protein levels of phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (p-PI3K), phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), phosphorylated Forkhead box protein O1 (p-FoxO1), and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blotting. The mRNA expression of pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), CyclinD1, Bcl-2, and insulin was tested by Q-PCR. RESULTS: Comparing to HG group, (HG+HD) group showed a significantly increased cellular proliferation. The apoptosis of NIT-1 cells also was obviously reduced, with downregulated cleaved caspase-3 protein level and upregulated PDX-1, CyclinD1, and Bcl-2 mRNA levels (P<0.05). Additionally, (HG+HD) group manifested increased insulin mRNA expression; the protein levels of p-PI3K and p-AKT were markedly increased and p-FoxO1 was decreased. All of the above therapeutic effects by DJC intervention had been reversed by GLP-1 inhibition in (HG+HD+GI) group or AKT inhibition in (HG+HD+AI) group. CONCLUSION: DJC was able to attenuate the toxicity of high-glucose load in NIT-1 pancreatic ß-cells, ascribed to the improvement of cellular proliferation and apoptosis by GLP-1/Akt signaling pathway. This study could supply a new mechanism of DJC effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment.

N,N-dimethylformamide induces cellulase production in the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei.

BACKGROUND: The filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei produces cellulase enzymes that are widely studied for lignocellulose bioconversion to biofuel. N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) is a versatile organic solvent used in large quantities in industries. RESULTS: In this study, we serendipitously found that biologically relevant concentrations of extracellular DMF-induced cellulase production in the T. reesei hyper-cellulolytic mutant Rut-C30 and wild-type strain QM6a. Next, by transcriptome analysis, we determined that plc-e encoding phospholipase C was activated by DMF and revealed that cytosolic Ca2+ plays a vital role in the response of T. reesei to DMF. Using EGTA (a putative extracellular Ca2+ chelator) and LaCl3 (a plasma membrane Ca2+ channel blocker), we demonstrated that DMF induced a cytosolic Ca2+ burst via extracellular Ca2+ and Ca2+ channels in T. reesei, and that the cytosolic Ca2+ burst induced by DMF-mediated overexpression of cellulase through calcium signaling. Deletion of crz1 confirmed that calcium signaling plays a dominant role in DMF-induced cellulase production. Additionally, 0.5-2% DMF increases the permeability of T. reesei mycelia for cellulase release. Simultaneous supplementation with 1% DMF and 10 mM Mn2+ to T. reesei Rut-C30 increased cellulase activity approximately fourfold compared to that without treatment and was also more than that observed in response to either treatment alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that DMF-induced cellulase production via calcium signaling and permeabilization. Our results also provide insight into the role of calcium signaling in enzyme production for enhanced cellulase production and the development of novel inducers of cellulase.

Effect of sulfur and sulfur-iron modified biochar on cadmium availability and transfer in the soil-rice system.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in paddy soils has aroused global concern. Sulfur modified biochar (BC) could combine the benefits of BC and S for Cd remediation. However, no information is available on the impact of sulfur modified biochar on Cd phytoavailability in paddy soils. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sulfur modified biochar (S-BC) and sulfur and iron (Fe) modified biochar (S-Fe BC) on Cd mobility and Cd transfer in the soil-rice system. The application of S-BC and S-Fe BC effectively reduced pore water Cd in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere pore water throughout the rice growth stages. S-BC and S-Fe BC addition increased the total chlorophyll content, as well as the root, shoot and grain biomasses of rice. Furthermore, S-BC and S-Fe BC amendments greatly increase the formation of Fe plaque on rice root surface, thus decreasing Cd accumulation in different rice tissues. In particular, S-Fe BC supplementation significantly reduced the Cd concentration in rice grains to 0.018 mg kg-1 in Cd-contaminated soil, which was lower than the China National standard for food contamination limit (0.2 mg kg-1 Cd). Sequential extraction results showed that S-BC and S-Fe BC can promote the transfer of exchangeable Cd to Fe-Mn oxide, organic and residual bound forms which reduce Cd in paddy soils. Thus, the amendment of S-Fe BC to Cd-contaminated paddy soil is an effective strategy to decrease Cd accumulation in rice grains and thereby protect public health.

Blocking CDK1/PDK1/ß-Catenin signaling by CDK1 inhibitor RO3306 increased the efficacy of sorafenib treatment by targeting cancer stem cells in a preclinical model of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Rationale: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignant solid tumor wherein CDK1/PDK1/ß-Catenin is activated, suggesting that inhibition of this pathway may have therapeutic potential. Methods: CDK1 overexpression and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. HCC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models were treated with RO3306 (4 mg/kg) or sorafenib (30 mg/kg), alone or in combination. The relevant signaling of CDK1/PDK1/ß-Catenin was measured by western blot. Silencing of CDK1 with shRNA and corresponding inhibitors was performed for mechanism and functional studies. Results: We found that CDK1 was frequently augmented in up to 46% (18/39) of HCC tissues, which was significantly associated with poor overall survival (p=0.008). CDK1 inhibitor RO3306 in combination with sorafenib treatment significantly decreased tumor growth in PDX tumor models. Furthermore, the combinatorial treatment could overcome sorafenib resistance in the HCC case #10 PDX model. Western blot results demonstrated the combined administration resulted in synergistic down-regulation of CDK1, PDK1 and ß-Catenin as well as concurrent decreases of pluripotency proteins Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog. Decreased CDK1/PDK1/ß-Catenin was associated with suppression of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, a low dose of RO3306 and sorafenib combination could inhibit 97H CSC growth via decreasing the S phase and promoting cells to enter into a Sub-G1 phase. Mechanistic and functional studies silencing CDK1 with shRNA and RO3306 combined with sorafenib abolished oncogenic function via downregulating CDK1, with downstream PDK1 and ß-Catenin inactivation. Conclusion: Anti-CDK1 treatment can boost sorafenib antitumor responses in PDX tumor models, providing a rational combined treatment to increase sorafenib efficacy in the clinic.

Toward Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine: Status Quo, Opportunities and Challenges.

How to test the treatments of Chinese medicine (CM) and make them more widely accepted by practitioners of Western medicine and the international healthcare community is a major concern for practitioners and researchers of CM. For centuries, various approaches have been used to identify and measure the efficacy and safety of CM. However, the high-quality evidence related to CM that produced in China is still rare. Over the recent years, evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been increasingly applied to CM, strengthening its theoretical basis. This paper reviews the past and present state of CM, analyzes the status quo, challenges and opportunities of basic research, clinical trials, systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines and clinical pathways and evidence-based education developed or conducted in China, pointing out how EBM can help to make CM more widely used and recognized worldwide.

Ocular Cubosome Drug Delivery System for Timolol Maleate: Preparation, Characterization, Cytotoxicity, Ex Vivo, and In Vivo Evaluation.

Glaucoma is an ocular disease featuring increased intraocular pressure (IOP) and its primary treatment strategy is to lower IOP by medication. Current ocular drug delivery in treating glaucoma is confronting a variety of challenges, such as low corneal permeability and bioavailability due to the unique anatomical structure of the human eye. To tackle these challenges, a cubosome drug delivery system for glaucoma treatment was constructed for timolol maleate (TM) in this study. The TM cubosomes (liquid crystalline nanoparticles) were prepared using glycerol monooleate and poloxamer 407 via high-pressure homogenization. These constructed nanoparticles appeared spherical using transmission electron microscopy and had an average particle size of 142 nm, zeta potential of -6.27 mV, and over 85% encapsulation efficiency. Moreover, using polarized light microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), it was shown that the TM cubosomes have cubic liquid crystalline D-type (Pn3m) structure, which provides good physicochemical stability and high encapsulation efficiency. Ex vivo corneal permeability experiments showed that the total amount of TM cubosomes penetrated was higher than the commercially available eye drops. In addition, in vivo studies revealed that TM cubosomes reduced the IOP in rabbits from 27.8∼39.7 to 21.4∼32.6 mmHg after 1-week administration and had a longer retention time and better lower-IOP effect than the commercial TM eye drops. Furthermore, neither cytotoxicity nor histological impairment in the rabbit corneas was observed. This study suggests that cubosomes are capable of increasing the corneal permeability and bioavailability of TM and have great potential for ocular disease treatment.

Use of Vancomycin-Impregnated Calcium Sulfate in the Treatment of Osteomyelitis of the Jaw.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the effect of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate in the treatment of osteomyelitis of the jaw. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients who were diagnosed with osteomyelitis of the jaw underwent treatment with vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate since July 2014 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, China Medical University (Shenyang, China). All patients underwent debridement of nonviable bone and implantation of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate. The wounds were covered with an acellular dermal matrix and sutured. RESULTS: Ten patients had satisfactory wound healing. However, 2 cases of maxillary central osteomyelitis had delayed wound healing. The wounds healed after the surgical site was resutured under local anesthesia. At 3 months, the panoramic radiograph showed that most implants had been reabsorbed and replaced by new bone formation. All patients in this study had no recurrence of infection at 6 to 18 months (mean, 10.8 months) of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The use of vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate in the surgical debridement site for chronic osteomyelitis of the jaw has shown encouraging results. In addition, calcium sulfate can promote the formation of new bone to a certain extent.

Chinese herbal compound combined with electrical pulse for cervical spondylosis in a rat model: microcirculation improvement and the underlying mechanism / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Wulong Dan, a clinical prescription designed by Professor Zang Kun-tang, has been used to treat ischemic encephalopathies including cerebral infarction, transient ischemic attack, convalescent stage of cerebral hemorrhage and cervical spondylosis, showing overt curative efficacy and safety.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of Chinese herbal compound combined with electrical pulse on hemorrheology and the underlying mechanism.METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into normal, treatment and model groups (n=8 per group). The models of cervical spondylosis induced by unbalanced dynamic and static forces were established in the rats in the latter two groups. At 3 days after modeling, the rats in the treatment group received Chinese herbal compound combined with electrical pulse: a damp-dry cotton cloth after immersed in Chinese herbal was put on the rat neck which was then covered with two electrode plates and fixed for electrical pulse therapy, 20 minutes daily, 20 days a course. The model group was given no treatment. The whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were detected using blood viscosity tester; the maximum erythrocyte deformation index was detected by erythrocyte detector; the hematocrit was detected using high speed centrifugation.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the normal group, the whole blood viscosity at shear rates of 1, 5, 30 and 150 s-1 was significantly increased in the model group, and the whole blood viscosity in the model group was significantly higher than that in the treatment group (P < 0.01-0.05). Compared with the normal and treatment groups,the plasma viscosity was significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01). There was significantly elevated erythrocyte aggregation in the model and treatment groups compared with the normal group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the erythrocyte aggregation between model and treatment groups. The hematocrit in the treatment group was significantly improved compared with the model group, but it was still significantly higher than that in the normal group. The order of platelet aggregation rate was as follows: the model group > treatment group > normal group (P < 0.01). These results suggest that Chinese herbal compound combined with electrical pulse can significantly improve microcirculation by aggregating red blood cells and depolymerizing palates in a rat model of cervical spondylosis.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Osteopetrosis Complicated by Osteomyelitis of the Mandible.

Osteopetrosis represents a heterogeneous group of rare, hereditary bone disorders with variable clinical features, and an increase in bone density. Osteomyelitis of the jaws is a significant complication of osteopetrosis. In this article, a reported patient with osteopetrosis complicated by osteomyelitis of the mandible was examined. The patient was treated with intravenous antibiotic therapy, debridement of necrotic bone and hyperbaric oxygen therapy; in addition, the authors attempted to implant the calcium sulfate and vancomycin to reconstruct the bone defect. The patient demonstrated satisfactory healing, and no recurrence of osteomyelitis was observed during the 6-month follow-up period. The treatment of osteopetrosis complicated by osteomyelitis of the mandible is difficult. The treatment of osteopetrosis complicated by osteomyelitis is controversial. The authors recommend the following sequential treatment of osteopetrosis complicated by osteomyelitis of the mandible: systemic antibiotic therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy before and after surgery; debridement of the necrotic bone; sufficient periosteal coverage and adequate soft tissue to cover the wound; implantation with calcium sulfate and vancomycin to reconstruct the bone defect as much as possible, which may be helpful in treating the disease.

Physiological Responses of Two Epiphytic Bryophytes to Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur Addition in a Subtropical Montane Cloud Forest.

Atmospheric depositions pose significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not well understood, and few studies have considered the combined effects and interactions of multiple pollutants. This in situ study explored the physiological responses of two epiphytic bryophytes to combined addition of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. We investigated the electrical conductivity (EC), total chlorophyll concentration (Chl), nutrient stoichiometry and chlorophyll fluorescence signals in a subtropical montane cloud forest in south-west China. The results showed that enhanced fertilizer additions imposed detrimental effects on bryophytes, and the combined enrichment of simulated fertilization exerted limited synergistic effects in their natural environments. On the whole, EC, Chl, the effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) and photochemical quenching (qP) were the more reliable indicators of increased artificial fertilization. However, conclusions on nutrient stoichiometry should be drawn cautiously concerning the saturation uptake and nutrient interactions in bryophytes. Finally, we discuss the limitations of prevailing fertilization experiments and emphasize the importance of long-term data available for future investigations.

Natural plant colonization improves the physical condition of bauxite residue over time.

Freshly stacked bauxite residue in Central China has little vegetative growth probably as a result of its poor physical condition and chemical properties which deter plant establishment. Over the last 20 years, spontaneous plant colonization on the deposits has revealed that natural weathering processes may improve bauxite residue to the extent that it can support vegetation. Bauxite residue samples were collected from a chronosequence and analyzed to determine the effect of natural processes over time. The freshly stacked residue showed considerable physical degradation, having a high bulk density, low porosity, and poor aggregate stability. Through natural processes over a 20-year period, the texture changed from a silty loam to a sandy loam, porosity was enhanced (43.88 to 58.24 %), while improvements in both aggregate stability (43.32 to 93.20 %) and structural stability (1.33 to 5.46 %) of the stacked residue were observed. Plant growth had a positive effect on pH, exchangeable sodium percentage, soil organic carbon, water-stable aggregation, and structural stability, probably due to the presence of plant roots and associated microbial activity. It was concluded that natural processes of regeneration, stabilization, and attenuation have improved the hostile physical environment of bauxite residue allowing plant establishment to take place.