Plant Pharmacophylogeny: Review and Future Directions / 中国结合医学杂志

Medicinal plants have provided numerous medicinal active ingredients for thousands of years and these ingredients have been used in Chinese medicine (CM) and traditional pharmacologies worldwide. Recently, the exploitation and utilisation of medicinal plant resources has increased significantly. The results of the studies have led to the identification of many active components, such as steroidal alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, and glycosides, in various medicinal plants with different evolutionary levels. Moreover, research on the chemical classification, molecular phylogeny, and pharmacological activity of medicinal plants is increasing in popularity. Pharmacophylogeny is an interdisciplinary topic that studies the correlation between plant phylogeny, chemical composition, and curative effects (pharmacological activity and the traditional curative effect) of medicinal plants. In addition, it provides the basic tools to enable research and development of CM resources. This literature review, based on the genetic relationship between phytogroup and species, highlights the formation process, research content, applications, and future directions of pharmacophylogeny.

Immune Mechanism, Gene Module, and Molecular Subtype Identification of Astragalus Membranaceus in the Treatment of Dilated Cardiomyopathy: An Integrated Bioinformatics Study.

Astragalus membranaceus has complex components as a natural drug and has multilevel, multitarget, and multichannel effects on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the immune mechanism, gene module, and molecular subtype of astragalus membranaceus in the treatment of DCM are still not revealed. Microarray information of GSE84796 was downloaded from the GEO database, including RNA sequencing data of seven normal cardiac tissues and ten DCM cardiac tissues. A total of 4029 DCM differentially expressed genes were obtained, including 1855 upregulated genes and 2174 downregulated genes. GO/KEGG/GSEA analysis suggested that the activation of T cells and B cells was the primary cause of DCM. WGCNA was used to obtain blue module genes. The blue module genes are primarily ADCY7, BANK1, CD1E, CD19, CD38, CD300LF, CLEC4E, FLT3, GPR18, HCAR3, IRF4, LAMP3, MRC1, SYK, and TLR8, which successfully divided DCM into three molecular subtypes. Based on the CIBERSORT algorithm, the immune infiltration profile of DCM was analyzed. Many immune cell subtypes, including the abovementioned immune cells, showed different levels of increased infiltration in the myocardial tissue of DCM. However, this infiltration pattern was not obviously correlated with clinical characteristics, such as age, EF, and sex. Based on network pharmacology and ClueGO, 20 active components of Astragalus membranaceus and 40 components of DMCTGS were obtained from TCMSP. Through analysis of the immune regulatory network, we found that Astragalus membranaceus effectively regulates the activation of immune cells, such as B cells and T cells, cytokine secretion, and other processes and can intervene in DCM at multiple components, targets, and levels. The above mechanisms were verified by molecular docking results, which confirmed that AKT1, VEGFA, MMP9, and RELA are promising potential targets of DCM.

A Review on Phytochemicals of the Genus Maytenus and Their Bioactive Studies.

The genus Maytenus is a member of the Celastraceae family, of which several species have long been used in traditional medicine. Between 1976 and 2021, nearly 270 new compounds have been isolated and elucidated from the genus Maytenus. Among these, maytansine and its homologues are extremely rare in nature. Owing to its unique skeleton and remarkable bioactivities, maytansine has attracted many synthetic endeavors in order to construct its core structure. In this paper, the current status of the past 45 years of research on Maytenus, with respect to its chemical and biological activities are discussed. The chemical research includes its structural classification into triterpenoids, sesquiterpenes and alkaloids, along with several chemical synthesis methods of maytansine or maytansine fragments. The biological activity research includes activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as HIV inhibition, which can provide a theoretical basis for the better development and utilization of the Maytenus.

Platycodon grandiflorum extract attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via TLR4/NF-κBp65 pathway in rats.

The traditional Chinese medicine Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) is often used for the treatment of a number of chronic inflammatory diseases. In Chinese veterinary clinic, PG is always extracted by decoction and taken orally, however, the molecular mechanism of PG extract (PE) to reduce LPS-induced inflammation, especially acute lung injury (ALI) in vivo, are not known. Thus, we have studied the anti-inflammatory effects of PE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury via TLR4/NF-κBp65 pathway in rat. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, LPS group, LPS±PE low dose group and LPS±PE high dose group. All rats were given corresponding PE solution or the same amount of normal saline by intragastric administration for 7 days. On the 7th day, 1 h after the last administration, 500 µg of LPS were introduced intratracheally to establish ALI rat model, and the same volume of normal saline was given to control group. The results showed that PE reduced the levels of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators including IL-6, PGE2, and TNF-α, alleviated the lung injury histologically, and down-regulated LPS-induced mRNA and protein levels of TLR4/NF-κBp65 in lung tissue. This study demonstrated that PE has the anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced ALI in rats through TLR4/NF-κBp65 signaling pathway, indicating that PE is an effective suppressor for anti-inflammatory activities.

Effect and Safety of Tongyan Spray () on Hyoid Motion in Patients with Dysphagia after Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects and safety of Tongyan Spray () on the range and time of hyoid motion in patients with ischemic post-stroke dysphagia. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with ischemic post-stroke dysphagia were selected and randomly assigned to a treatment group (36 cases) and a control group (36 cases) by a random number table from January 2013 to October 2014. All patients swallowed 4 kinds of barium meals with different traits respectively, and each patient underwent video fluoroscopy (VF) examination twice. In the treatment group, Tongyan Spray was sprayed to the pharynx on both sides and the middle part once respectively. The spray was applied 30 min before the second examination. Purified water at room temperature was used as placebo in the control group. The changes in the range and time of hyoid motion in both groups were observed before and after treatment. RESULTS: Six patients dropped out in each group, and 60 patients completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Significant improvement was observed in the range of superior hyoid excursion distance and the time of hyoid motion in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). There were no obvious adverse reactions observed in oral mucosa in both groups during the whole study. CONCLUSION: Tongyan Spray was an effective and safe medicine for improving swallowing function in patients with ischemic post-stroke dysphagia.

Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Applications of Radix Astragali / 中国结合医学杂志

Radix Astragali (RA), a traditional Chinese medicine from the dried root of Astragalus species, is widely distributed throughout the temperate regions of the world. The major bioactive constituents of RA are triterpene glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids, and these compounds mostly exert pharmacological activities on the cardiovascular, immune, respiratory, and hepatic systems. This review summarizes the recent studies on RA and provides a comprehensive summary regarding the status of resources, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, clinical application, and patent release of RA. We hope this review can provide a guidance for further development of therapeutic agents from RA.

Observation of therapeutic effect on coronavirus disease 2019 with insomnia in treatment with / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical therapeutic effect on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with insomnia between the combined treatment of @*METHODS@#A total of 90 patients with COVID-19 accompanied with insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (45 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (45 cases). In the observation group, @*RESULTS@#After treatment, the scores of every item and the total scores in PSQI were all reduced as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (@*CONCLUSION@#The combined treatment of

[A correlation research on Chinese medical syndromes of chronic heart failure and various complications].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between various complications of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and Chinese medical syndromes, thus indicating distribution laws of Chinese medical syndromes in various complications of CHF patients. METHODS: Chinese medical syndrome typing was performed in 630 CHF patients by cross-sectional study of the demographic data, history of present diseases, related information on Chinese medical four diagnostic methods, and the distribution of complications. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlation of various complications of CHF patients and Chinese medical syndromes. RESULTS: In this study, recruited were common complications such as hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, hyperlipemia, and cerebral vascular accident, and so on. Main syndromes were sequenced as qi deficiency syndrome, blood stasis syndrome, water retention syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, phlegm turbid syndrome, yang deficiency syndrome. Results of Logistic regression analysis indicated that correlation existed between common complications and Chinese medical syndromes. In CHF complicated hypertension patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with hypertension (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated diabetes patients, Logistic regression analysis showed phlegm turbid syndrome and water retention syndrome were positively correlated with diabetes (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated arrhythmia patients, there was no statistical difference in the distribution of each syndrome (P > 0.05). In CHF complicated hyperlipemia patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and water retention syndrome were negatively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.05), while blood stasis syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, and phlegm turbid syndrome were positively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.01). In CHF complicated cerebral vascular accident patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with cerebral vascular accident (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There existed certain correlations between complications of CHF and the distribution of main Chinese medical syndromes. It could be used as guidance for treating CHF and its various complications by Chinese medicine and pharmacy.

A correlation research on Chinese medical syndromes of chronic heart failure and various complications / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the correlation between various complications of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and Chinese medical syndromes, thus indicating distribution laws of Chinese medical syndromes in various complications of CHF patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Chinese medical syndrome typing was performed in 630 CHF patients by cross-sectional study of the demographic data, history of present diseases, related information on Chinese medical four diagnostic methods, and the distribution of complications. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlation of various complications of CHF patients and Chinese medical syndromes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In this study, recruited were common complications such as hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, hyperlipemia, and cerebral vascular accident, and so on. Main syndromes were sequenced as qi deficiency syndrome, blood stasis syndrome, water retention syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, phlegm turbid syndrome, yang deficiency syndrome. Results of Logistic regression analysis indicated that correlation existed between common complications and Chinese medical syndromes. In CHF complicated hypertension patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with hypertension (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated diabetes patients, Logistic regression analysis showed phlegm turbid syndrome and water retention syndrome were positively correlated with diabetes (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated arrhythmia patients, there was no statistical difference in the distribution of each syndrome (P > 0.05). In CHF complicated hyperlipemia patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and water retention syndrome were negatively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.05), while blood stasis syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, and phlegm turbid syndrome were positively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.01). In CHF complicated cerebral vascular accident patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with cerebral vascular accident (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There existed certain correlations between complications of CHF and the distribution of main Chinese medical syndromes. It could be used as guidance for treating CHF and its various complications by Chinese medicine and pharmacy.</p>

Change of hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension after therapy with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change of the hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of the patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) syndrome. METHODS: A total of 200 patients with PIH were divided into mild, moderate and severe group, and 50 healthy pregnancy patients served as the control group. The serum sVCAM-1 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hs-CRP were detected by immunity transmission turbidity, and NT-proBNP levels were determined by the colloidal gold method. Patients were treated with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine and the contrastive analysis was performed before and after treatment. And the pathological changes in placental of PIH patients were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining at the same time. RESULTS: The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of patients in the mild, moderate and severe PIH group were significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels in the severe group were significantly higher than the mild group and the moderate group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP of the moderate group were significantly higher than the mild group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP expression levels and the degree of the PIH. The expression of hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of the moderate and the severe group were significantly decreased (P<0.05). The number of placental villi and interstitial blood vessel in the moderate and severe PIH group were significantly less than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The increased levels of serum hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP may be involved in the process of vascular endothelial cell injury of the PIH, and the hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP can be used as the auxiliary index for diagnosis of PIH and determination of PIH severity.

[Treatment of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease patients of Gan-Shen deficiency syndrome by guling pa'an granule: a multi-center double-blinded randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic efficacy of guiling pa'an granule (GPG) in treating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients of Gan-Shen deficiency syndrome (GSDS). METHODS: A multi-center,third party-central online, network randomized, double-blinded, double-dummy, and placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted. Totally 121 patients with confirmed diagnosis of PD by Western medicine and of GSDS by syndrome typing were assigned to the control group and the treatment group. Under the premise of the same treatment baseline, the placebo and GPG at the same dose was respectively administered to patients in the control group and the treatment group. The therapeutic course was 6 months for all. The changes of 8 non-motor symptoms (including witless expression, seborrhea, sialorrhea, cognitive impairment, constipation, hyperhidrosis, insomnia and dreaminess, and psychosis) were observed in the two groups, when compared with the baseline. RESULTS: Satisfactory effectiveness in the 8 non-motor symptoms of PD patients were obtained in the treatment group (P<0.01). Besides, less adverse reactions occurred. CONCLUSION: GPG could improve the non-motor symptoms of PD patients.

Treatment of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease patients of Gan-Shen deficiency syndrome by guling pa'an granule: a multi-center double-blinded randomized controlled trial / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic efficacy of guiling pa'an granule (GPG) in treating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients of Gan-Shen deficiency syndrome (GSDS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A multi-center,third party-central online, network randomized, double-blinded, double-dummy, and placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted. Totally 121 patients with confirmed diagnosis of PD by Western medicine and of GSDS by syndrome typing were assigned to the control group and the treatment group. Under the premise of the same treatment baseline, the placebo and GPG at the same dose was respectively administered to patients in the control group and the treatment group. The therapeutic course was 6 months for all. The changes of 8 non-motor symptoms (including witless expression, seborrhea, sialorrhea, cognitive impairment, constipation, hyperhidrosis, insomnia and dreaminess, and psychosis) were observed in the two groups, when compared with the baseline.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Satisfactory effectiveness in the 8 non-motor symptoms of PD patients were obtained in the treatment group (P<0.01). Besides, less adverse reactions occurred.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>GPG could improve the non-motor symptoms of PD patients.</p>

Change of hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension after therapy with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the change of the hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of the patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) syndrome.@*METHODS@#A total of 200 patients with PIH were divided into mild, moderate and severe group, and 50 healthy pregnancy patients served as the control group. The serum sVCAM-1 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hs-CRP were detected by immunity transmission turbidity, and NT-proBNP levels were determined by the colloidal gold method. Patients were treated with magnesium sulfate and nifedipine and the contrastive analysis was performed before and after treatment. And the pathological changes in placental of PIH patients were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining at the same time.@*RESULTS@#The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of patients in the mild, moderate and severe PIH group were significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels in the severe group were significantly higher than the mild group and the moderate group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP of the moderate group were significantly higher than the mild group (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP expression levels and the degree of the PIH. The expression of hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP levels of the moderate and the severe group were significantly decreased (P<0.05). The number of placental villi and interstitial blood vessel in the moderate and severe PIH group were significantly less than the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The increased levels of serum hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP may be involved in the process of vascular endothelial cell injury of the PIH, and the hs-CRP, sVCAM-1, NT-proBNP can be used as the auxiliary index for diagnosis of PIH and determination of PIH severity.

Clinical study on tongyan spray for post-stroke dysphagia patients: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effectiveness and safety of Tongyan spray composed of Chinese medicine for post-stroke dysphagia patients. METHOD: One hundred and twenty-two post-stroke dysphagia patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group (61 cases) and the control group (61 cases). Basic treatment was given to both groups, with Tongyan spray additionally used in oropharynx for the treatment group, and the placebo used for the control group. After 28-day treatment, the clinical effect and safety were evaluated according to the standard swallowing assessment (SSA) scale. RESULTS: One patient dropped out in each group, and 120 patients reached the final analysis of the study. The total effective rate for the treatment group was 71.7% (43/60), higher than 46.7% (28/60) in the control group (P<0.05), and the improvement on SSA scores of the two groups were significantly different after treatment (P<0.05). For grade 1 dysphagia patients (completely depending on nasogastric tube), the effective rate of the treatment group was 40.9% (9/22), and 12.5% (2/16) of the control group, without significant difference (P>0.05), while the improvement of SSA score was significantly different between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05). For grade 2-3 dysphagia patients (oral and nasogastric tube feeding), the total effective rate of the treatment group was 89.5% (34/38), higher than 59.1% (26/44) in the control group (P<0.05), and also the improvement on SSA scores was significantly different between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Tongyan spray was an effective and safe method for post-stroke dysphagia patients.

Clinical study on tongyan spray for post-stroke dysphagia patients: a randomized controlled trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effectiveness and safety of Tongyan spray composed of Chinese medicine for post-stroke dysphagia patients.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>One hundred and twenty-two post-stroke dysphagia patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group (61 cases) and the control group (61 cases). Basic treatment was given to both groups, with Tongyan spray additionally used in oropharynx for the treatment group, and the placebo used for the control group. After 28-day treatment, the clinical effect and safety were evaluated according to the standard swallowing assessment (SSA) scale.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One patient dropped out in each group, and 120 patients reached the final analysis of the study. The total effective rate for the treatment group was 71.7% (43/60), higher than 46.7% (28/60) in the control group (P<0.05), and the improvement on SSA scores of the two groups were significantly different after treatment (P<0.05). For grade 1 dysphagia patients (completely depending on nasogastric tube), the effective rate of the treatment group was 40.9% (9/22), and 12.5% (2/16) of the control group, without significant difference (P>0.05), while the improvement of SSA score was significantly different between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05). For grade 2-3 dysphagia patients (oral and nasogastric tube feeding), the total effective rate of the treatment group was 89.5% (34/38), higher than 59.1% (26/44) in the control group (P<0.05), and also the improvement on SSA scores was significantly different between the two groups after treatment (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Tongyan spray was an effective and safe method for post-stroke dysphagia patients.</p>

[Study on the effect of total phosphor removing by constructed submerged hydrophyte bed for urban landscape river].

A kind of modularized and air adjustable constructed submerged plant bed (CSPB) was used to restore the eutrophic water. This CSPB helps hydrophytes to grow up under poor conditions, like frequently changed water depth, blurred water transparency, algae bloom and duckweed rampant in summer, which are not suitable for growing water plants naturally. The experiments in Waihuan River of Tianjin show that total phosphor (TP) reduces 30%-40% in growing season and 7%-20% in winter when the detention time is 5.48 days. The variation between the concentration of TP and the detention time follows the first-order kinetic equation, the correlation coefficients (R2) is above 0.9. The attenuation coefficients k of the kinetic equation changes with the water temperature. When the water temperature is quite low or quite high, the value of k is not significantly changed with the temperature of water. While when the temperature is in a moderate range, an increase of water temperature leads to a rapid increase of k value.

Protective effect of Acanthopanax gracilistylus-extracted Acankoreanogenin A on mice with fulminant hepatitis.

The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in both acute (IL-1ß and TNF-α) and chronic [high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1)] phases, is thought to play important roles in the development of fulminant hepatitis (FH). Triterpenoid Acankoreanogenin A (AA) which is extracted from the leaves of the Acanthopanax gracilistylus W.W. Smith (AGS) has shown its inhibiting effect on TNF-α, IL-1ß and HMGB1 release in vitro in our preliminary experiments. In present study, we investigated the effect of AA on mice with fulminant hepatitis in vivo. Fulminant hepatitis mice model was established by intraperitoneally injecting galactosamine (GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The levels of serum of TNF-α, IL-1ß, ALT, AST and HMGB1 from AA-treated mice were measured at different time points. Our results demonstrated that pre-treatment of mice with AA markedly reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, HMGB1, ALT and AST with the improvement in histological features. And the survival rate from AA-treated fulminant hepatitis mice was increased. Furthermore, delayed administration of AA after peak occurrence of the early pro-inflammatory cytokines still endowed significant protection against GalN/LPS-induced lethality. The post-treatment of AA could significantly attenuate the release of HMGB1, but not the TNF-α and IL-1ß. These results indicate that AA inhibits the systemic release of pro-inflammatory cytokine HMGB1, and dose-dependently rescue the mice from lethal GalN/LPS-induced fulminant hepatitis, which suggests this component as a candidate therapy for fulminant hepatitis.

[Effect of intermittent artificial aeration on nitrogen and phosphorus removal in subsurface vertical-flow constructed wetlands].

Shale and T. latifolia were used as subsurface vertical-flow constructed wetland substrate and vegetation for eutrophic Jin River water treatment, and investigate the effect of intermittent aeration on nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In this study, hydraulic loading rate was equal to 800 mm/d, and ratio of air and water was 5:1. During the entire running period, maximal monthly mean ammonia-nitrogen (NH4+ -N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) removal rates were observed in August 2006. In contrast to the non-aerated wetland, aeration enhanced ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus removal: 10.1%, 4.7%, 10.2% and 8.8% for aeration in the middle, and 25.1%, 10.0%, 7.7% and 7.4% for aeration at the bottom of the substrate, respectively. However, aeration failed to improve the nitrate-nitrogen removal. During the whole experimental period, monthly mean NO3(-) -N removal rates were much lower for aerated constructed wetlands (regarding aeration in the middle and at the bottom) than those for non-aerated system. After finishing the experiment, aboveground plant biomass (stems and leaves) of T. latifolia was harvested, and its weight and nutrient content (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) were measured. Analysis of aboveground plant biomass indicated that intermittent aeration restrained the increase in biomass but stimulated assimilation of nitrogen and phosphorus into stems and leaves. Additional total nitrogen removal of 11.6 g x m(-2) and 12.6 g x m(-2) by aboveground T. latifolia biomass for intermittent artificial aeration in the middle and at the bottom of the wetland substrate, respectively, was observed.

[Optimization of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands by using polypropylene pellet as part of substrate].

Constructed wetlands experiments were conducted by using shale and Typha latifolia L. as vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland substrate and plant for eutrophic Jin River water treatment, and part of shale with polypropylene pellet was replaced to investigate its effect on nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In this study, hydraulic loading rate was equal to 800 mm/d, theoretic residence time was equal to 12 h. During the entire running period, maximal monthly mean ammonia-nitrogen (NH(4+) -N), total nitrogen (TN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and total phosphorus (TP) removal rates were observed in August 2006. In contrast to the full shale used wetland, polypropylene pellet enhanced ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus removal by 13.38%, 8.9%, 9.29% and 8.25% respectively. After finishing the experiment, aboveground plant biomass (stems and leaves) of Typha latifolia L. was harvested, and its weight and nutrient content (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) were measured. Analysis of aboveground plant biomass indicated that polypropylene pellet restrained the increase in biomass but stimulated assimilation of nitrogen and phosphorus into stems and leaves. The subsequent harvesting of the plants resulted in the additional removal of total nitrogen and phosphorus of about 29.382 g x m(-2) and 13.469 g x m(-2), respectively.