Growth and wood/bark properties of Abies faxoniana seedlings as affected by elevated CO2.

Growth and wood and bark properties of Abies faxoniana seedlings after one year's exposure to elevated CO2 concentration (ambient + 350 (+/- 25) micromol/mol) under two planting densities (28 or 84 plants/m(2)) were investigated in closed-top chambers. Tree height, stem diameter and cross-sectional area, and total biomass were enhanced under elevated CO2 concentration, and reduced under high planting density. Most traits of stem bark were improved under elevated CO2 concentration and reduced under high planting density. Stem wood production was significantly increased in volume under elevated CO2 concentration under both densities, and the stem wood density decreased under elevated CO2 concentration and increased under high planting density. These results suggest that the response of stem wood and bark to elevated CO2 concentration is density dependent. This may be of great importance in a future CO2 enriched world in natural forests where plant density varies considerably. The results also show that the bark/wood ratio in diameter, stem cross-sectional area and dry weight are not proportionally affected by elevated CO2 concentration under the two contrasting planting densities. This indicates that the response magnitude of stem bark and stem wood to elevated CO2 concentration are different but their response directions are the same.

Upregulation of miR-345-5p suppresses cell growth of lung adenocarcinoma by regulating ras homolog family member A (RhoA) and Rho/Rho associated protein kinase (Rho/ROCK) pathway / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Microribose nucleic acids (miRNAs) are implicated in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. MicroRNA-345-5p (miR-345-5p) is a recently identified anti-oncogene in some human cancers, but its functional role and possible molecular mechanism in lung adenocarcinoma remain unknown. This study aimed to identify the biological function and underlying mechanism of miR-345-5p in lung adenocarcinoma cells.@*METHODS@#In this study, lung adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent tissues were collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between April 2016 and February 2017. The expression of miR-345-5p and ras homolog family member A (RhoA) in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549, H1650, PC-9, and H441) was detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Functional assays including colony formation, flow cytometry analysis, wound healing, and transwell assays were performed to assess the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells. In addition, RNA pulldown and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to evaluate the relationship between miR-345-5p and RhoA. Difference between the two groups was analyzed with Student's t test, while that among multiple groups was analyzed with one-way analysis of variance.@*RESULTS@#MiR-345-5p expression displayed lower level in lung adenocarcinoma tissues (0.241 ± 0.095 vs.1.000 ± 0.233, t = 19.247, P < 0.001) and cell lines (F = 56.992, P < 0.001) than control tissues and cells. Functional experiments demonstrated that upregulation of miR-345-5p inhibited the malignant phenotypes of lung adenocarcinoma cells via suppressing cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and facilitating cell apoptosis. Additionally, RhoA was verified to be the downstream target of miR-345-5p. Expression of RhoA was downregulated by overexpression of miR-345-5p in PC-9 (0.321 ± 0.047 vs. 1.000 ± 0.127, t = 8.536, P < 0.001) and H1650 (0.398 ± 0.054 vs. 1.000 ± 0.156, t = 4.429, P = 0.011) cells. Rescue assays revealed that overexpression of RhoA rescued the suppressive effects of miR-345-5p upregulation on proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Further, miR-345-5p was found to regulate the Rho/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway by downregulation of RhoA in lung adenocarcinoma cells.@*CONCLUSIONS@#MiR-345-5p plays a tumor suppressor role in lung adenocarcinoma cells by downregulating RhoA to inactivate the Rho/ROCK pathway.

[Effects of drought stress, high temperature and elevated CO2 concentration on the growth of winter wheat].

The impacts of climate change on the grain yield, photosynthesis, and water conditions of winter wheat were assessed based on an experiment, in which wheat plants were subjected to ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations, ambient and elevated temperatures, and low and high water conditions independently and in combination. The CO2 enrichment alone had no effect on the photosynthesis of winter wheat, whereas higher temperature and drought significantly decreased the photosynthetic rate. Water conditions in flag leaves were not significantly changed at the elevated CO2 concentration or elevated temperature. However, drought stress decreased the relative water content in flag leaves, and the combination of elevated temperature and drought reduced the water potential in flag leaves. The combination of elevated CO2 concentration, elevated temperature, and drought significantly reduced the photosynthetic rate and water conditions, and led to a 41.4% decrease in grain yield. The elevated CO2 concentration alone increased the grain yield by 21.2%, whereas the elevated temperature decreased the grain yield by 12.3%. The grain yield was not affected by the combination of elevated CO2 concentration and temperature, but the grain yield was significantly decreased by the drought stress if combined with any of the climate scenarios applied in this study. These findings suggested that maintaining high soil water content might be a vital means of reducing the potential harm caused by the climate change.

Reproductive Outcome of Transcervical Uterine Incision in Unicornuate Uterus / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The pregnancy outcome of the unicornuate uterus is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, cervical incompetence, and a number of obstetric complications. However, at present, there is no accepted treatment method for women with unicornuate uterus, other than expectant measures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive outcome of transcervical uterine incision (TCUI) in patients with unicornuate uterus.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-three patients with unicornuate uterus presented to our tertiary center for infertility or miscarriage. All 33 patients underwent TCUI and were followed up for 10-52 months. The pregnancy outcomes ( first-trimester miscarriage, second-trimester miscarriage, preterm, term, intrauterine death, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth) before and after TCUI were compared by t- test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 31 patients who attempted to conceive after TCUI, twenty conceived including one termination of pregnancy, one second-trimester miscarriage, one ectopic pregnancy, five preterm deliveries, 11 term delivery, and one ongoing pregnancy. There were 16 live births in total. There was significant reduction in the first-trimester miscarriage rate (t = 4.890; P< 0.001), increase in term delivery (t = -3.288; P = 0.002), and live birth rates (t = -4.073; P< 0.001) after TCUI.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TCUI appeared to improve the pregnancy outcome in women with unicornuate uterus presenting with infertility or miscarriage.</p>