Design, synthesis and evaluation of EZH2-based PROTACs targeting PRC2 complex in lymphoma.

EZH2 is a member of PcG and can induce the occurrence of cancer when it is highly expressed. As an EZH2 inhibitor, Tazemetostat (EPZ6438) can inhibit the methylation catalytic activity of EZH2. However, many studies have shown that inhibition of EZH2 alone does not efficiently block tumor development. Therefore, in this study, proteolytic targeting chimera technology was employed to enhance the antiproliferative potency of EPZ6438 by degrading the oncogenic activity of EZH2. Several PROTACs have been synthesized by combining EPZ6438 with four E3 ligase ligands based on VHL, CRBN, MDM2, and cIAP E3 ligase systems. In our study, compound E-3P-MDM2 is the most active PROTAC molecule. It degraded EZH2 of the SU-DHL-6 cells in a concentration and dose-dependent manner and also degraded both EED and SUZ12 protein without affecting their mRNA levels, then significantly inhibited the expression of H3K27me3. The in vitro antiproliferative activity of E-3P-MDM2 was much stronger than that of EPZ6438.

The impact of global dimming on crop yields is determined by the source-sink imbalance of carbon during grain filling.

Global dimming reduces incident global radiation but increases the fraction of diffuse radiation, and thus affects crop yields; however, the underlying mechanisms of such an effect have not been revealed. We hypothesized that crop source-sink imbalance of either carbon (C) or nitrogen (N) during grain filling is a key factor underlying the effect of global dimming on yields. We presented a practical framework to assess both C and N source-sink relationships, using data of biomass and N accumulation from periodical sampling conducted in field experiments for wheat and rice from 2013 to 2016. We found a fertilization effect of the increased diffuse radiation fraction under global dimming, which alleviated the negative impact of decreased global radiation on source supply and sink growth, but the source supply and sink growth were still decreased by dimming, for both C and N. In wheat, the C source supply decreased more than the C sink demand, and as a result, crops remobilized more pre-heading C reserves, in response to dimming. However, these responses were converse in rice, which presumably stemmed from the more increment in radiation use efficiency and the more limited sink size in rice than wheat. The global dimming affected source supply and sink growth of C more significantly than that of N. Therefore, yields in both crops were dependent more on the source-sink imbalance of C than that of N during grain filling. Our revealed source-sink relationships, and their differences and similarities between wheat and rice, provide a basis for designing strategies to alleviate the impact of global dimming on crop productivity.

Serum and Tissue Levels of Advanced Glycation End Products and Risk of Mortality in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The relation of tissue and circulating advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the association of serum AGEs (CML) and tissue AGEs estimated by skin autofluorescence (SAF) with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and examine the possible modifiers for the association in HD patients with by far the largest sample size in any similar studies. METHODS: A total of 1,634 HD patients were included from the China Cooperative Study on Dialysis (CCSD), a multicenter prospective cohort study. The primary and secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and CVD mortality, respectively. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 5.2 years. Overall, there was a positive relation of baseline SAF levels with the risk of all-cause mortality (per 1 AU increment, adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12, 1.50) and CVD mortality (per 1 AU increment, adjusted HR, 1.36; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.62). Moreover, a stronger positive association between baseline SAF (per 1 AU increment) and all-cause mortality was found in participants with shorter dialysis vintage, or lower C-reactive protein levels (Both p interactions <0.05). Nevertheless, there was no significant association between serum CML and the risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing long-term HD, baseline SAF, but not serum CML, was significantly associated with the risk of all-cause and CVD death.

Acute kidney injury among hospitalized children with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Few studies to date have analyzed the epidemiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with cancer in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence, risk profile and outcomes of AKI in Chinese children hospitalized with cancer. METHODS: This multi-center study analyzed Chinese children hospitalized with cancer in 2013-2015. Electronic hospital and laboratory databases were screened to select pediatric patients with malignancy who had at least two Scr results within any 7-day window during their first 30 days of hospitalization. AKI events were identified and staged according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. The incidence of and risk factors for AKI were analyzed, as were mortality rate, incidence of kidney recovery, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Of the 9828 children with cancer, 1657 (16.9%) experienced AKI events, including 549 (5.6%) community-acquired (CA-AKI) and 1108 (11.3%) hospital-acquired AKI (HA-AKI) events. The three types of cancer with the highest incidence of AKI were urinary system cancer (25.8%), hepatic cancer (19.4%), and retroperitoneal malignancies (19.1%). The risk factor profiles of CA-AKI and HA-AKI events differed, with many HA-AKI events due to treatment with nephrotoxic agents. In-hospital death rates were 5.4% (90 of 1657) in children with and 0.9% (74 of 8171) in children without AKI events. AKI events were also associated with longer hospitalization and higher daily costs. CONCLUSIONS: AKI events are common among Chinese children hospitalized for cancer and are associated with adverse in-hospital outcomes.

Combining renal cell arrest and damage biomarkers to predict progressive AKI in patient with sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is the most common trigger for AKI and up to 40% of mild or moderate septic AKI would progress to more severe AKI, which is associated with significantly increased risk for death and later CKD/ESRD. Early identifying high risk patients for AKI progression is a major challenge in patients with septic AKI. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study which enrolled adult patients with sepsis and initially developed stage 1 or 2 AKI in the intensive care unit from January 2014 to March 2018. AKI was diagnosed and staged according to 2012 KDIGO-AKI guidelines. Renal cell arrest biomarkers (urinary TIMP2*IGFBP7, u[TIMP-2]*[IGFBP7]) and renal damage biomarkers (urinary KIM-1[uKIM-1] and urinary IL-18 [uIL-18]) were measured at time of AKI clinical diagnosis, and the performance of biomarkers for predicting septic AKI progression alone or in combination were evaluated. The primary outcome was AKI progression defined as worsening of AKI stage. The secondary outcome was AKI progression with subsequent death during hospitalization. RESULTS: Among 433 screened patients, 149 patients with sepsis and stage 1 or 2 AKI were included, in which 63 patients developed progressive AKI and 49 patients subsequently died during hospitalization. u[TIMP-2]*[IGFBP7], uKIM-1 and uIL-18 independently predicted the progression of septic AKI in which u[TIMP-2]*[IGFBP7] showed the greatest AUC (0.745; 95%CI, 0.667-0.823) as compared to uKIM-1 (AUC 0.719; 95%CI 0.638-0.800) and uIL-18 (AUC 0.619; 95%CI 0.525-0.731). Combination of u[TIMP-2]*[IGFBP7] with uKIM-1 improved the performance of predicting septic AKI progression with AUC of 0.752. u[TIMP-2]*[IGFBP7], alone or combined with uKIM-1/uIL-18, improved the risk reclassification over the clinical risk factor model alone both for the primary and secondary outcomes, as evidenced by significant category-free net reclassification index. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of renal cell arrest and damage biomarkers enhanced the prediction of AKI progression in patients with sepsis and improved risk reclassification over the clinical risk factors.

The acclimation of leaf photosynthesis of wheat and rice to seasonal temperature changes in T-FACE environments.

Crops show considerable capacity to adjust their photosynthetic characteristics to seasonal changes in temperature. However, how photosynthesis acclimates to changes in seasonal temperature under future climate conditions has not been revealed. We measured leaf photosynthesis (An ) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under four combinations of two levels of CO2 (ambient and enriched up to 500 µmol/mol) and two levels of canopy temperature (ambient and increased by 1.5-2.0°C) in temperature by free-air CO2 enrichment (T-FACE) systems. Parameters of a biochemical C3 -photosynthesis model and of a stomatal conductance (gs ) model were estimated for the four conditions and for several crop stages. Some biochemical parameters related to electron transport and most gs parameters showed acclimation to seasonal growth temperature in both crops. The acclimation response did not differ much between wheat and rice, nor among the four treatments of the T-FACE systems, when the difference in the seasonal growth temperature was accounted for. The relationships between biochemical parameters and leaf nitrogen content were consistent across leaf ranks, developmental stages, and treatment conditions. The acclimation had a strong impact on gs model parameters: when parameter values of a particular stage were used, the model failed to correctly estimate gs values of other stages. Further analysis using the coupled gs -biochemical photosynthesis model showed that ignoring the acclimation effect did not result in critical errors in estimating leaf photosynthesis under future climate, as long as parameter values were measured or derived from data obtained before flowering.

The fertilization effect of global dimming on crop yields is not attributed to an improved light interception.

Global dimming, a decadal decrease in incident global radiation, is often accompanied with an increase in the diffuse radiation fraction, and, therefore, the impact of global dimming on crop production is hard to predict. A popular approach to quantify this impact is the statistical analysis of historical climate and crop data, or use of dynamic crop simulation modelling approach. Here, we show that statistical analysis of historical data did not provide plausible values for the effect of diffuse radiation versus direct radiation on rice or wheat yield. In contrast, our field experimental study of 3 years demonstrated a fertilization effect of increased diffuse radiation fraction, which partly offset yield losses caused by decreased global radiation, in both crops. The fertilization effect was not attributed to any improved canopy light interception but mainly to the increased radiation use efficiency (RUE). The increased RUE was explained not only by the saturating shape of photosynthetic light response curves but also by plant acclimation to dimming that gradually increased leaf nitrogen concentration. Crop harvest index slightly decreased under dimming, thereby discounting the fertilization effect on crop yields. These results challenge existing modelling paradigms, which assume that the fertilization effect on crop yields is mainly attributed to an improved light interception. Further studies on the physiological mechanism of plant acclimation are required to better quantify the global dimming impact on agroecosystem productivity under future climate change.

Do all leaf photosynthesis parameters of rice acclimate to elevated CO2 , elevated temperature, and their combination, in FACE environments?

Leaf photosynthesis of crops acclimates to elevated CO2 and temperature, but studies quantifying responses of leaf photosynthetic parameters to combined CO2 and temperature increases under field conditions are scarce. We measured leaf photosynthesis of rice cultivars Changyou 5 and Nanjing 9108 grown in two free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems, respectively, installed in paddy fields. Each FACE system had four combinations of two levels of CO2 (ambient and enriched) and two levels of canopy temperature (no warming and warmed by 1.0-2.0°C). Parameters of the C3 photosynthesis model of Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry (the FvCB model), and of a stomatal conductance (gs ) model were estimated for the four conditions. Most photosynthetic parameters acclimated to elevated CO2 , elevated temperature, and their combination. The combination of elevated CO2 and temperature changed the functional relationships between biochemical parameters and leaf nitrogen content for Changyou 5. The gs model significantly underestimated gs under the combination of elevated CO2 and temperature by 19% for Changyou 5 and by 10% for Nanjing 9108 if no acclimation was assumed. However, our further analysis applying the coupled gs -FvCB model to an independent, previously published FACE experiment showed that including such an acclimation response of gs hardly improved prediction of leaf photosynthesis under the four combinations of CO2 and temperature. Therefore, the typical procedure that crop models using the FvCB and gs models are parameterized from plants grown under current ambient conditions may not result in critical errors in projecting productivity of paddy rice under future global change.

Urinary angiotensinogen predicts progressive chronic kidney disease after an episode of experimental acute kidney injury.

One of the major obstacles to prevent AKI-CKD transition is the lack of effective methods to follow and predict the ongoing kidney injury after an AKI episode. In the present study, we test the utility of urinary angiotensinogen (UAGT) for dynamically evaluating renal structural changes and predicting AKI-CKD progression by using both mild and severe bilateral renal ischemia/reperfusion injury mice. UAGT returns to pre-ischemic levels 14 days after mild AKI followed by kidney architecture restoration, whereas sustained increase in UAGT accompanies by ongoing renal fibrosis after severe AKI. UAGT at day 14-42 correlates with renal fibrosis 84 days after AKI. For predicting fibrosis at day 84, the area under receiver operating characteristics curve of UAGT at day 14 is 0.81. Persistent elevation in UAGT correlates with sustained activation of intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during AKI-CKD transition. Abrogating RAS activation post AKI markedly reduced renal fibrosis, with early RAS intervention (from 14 days after IRI) more beneficial than late intervention (from 42 days after IRI) in alleviating fibrosis. Importantly, UAGT decreases after RAS intervention, and its level at day 14-28 correlates with the extent of renal fibrosis at day 42 post RAS blockade. A pilot study conducted in patients with acute tubular necrosis finds that compared with those recovered, patients with AKI-CKD progression exhibits elevated UAGT during the 3-month follow-up after biopsy. Our study suggests that UAGT enables the dynamical monitoring of renal structural recovery after an AKI episode and may serve as an early predictor for AKI-CKD progression and treatment response.

Responses of wheat and rice to factorial combinations of ambient and elevated CO2 and temperature in FACE experiments.

Elevated CO2 and temperature strongly affect crop production, but understanding of the crop response to combined CO2 and temperature increases under field conditions is still limited while data are scarce. We grew wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rice (Oryza sativa L.) under two levels of CO2 (ambient and enriched up to 500 µmol mol(-1) ) and two levels of canopy temperature (ambient and increased by 1.5-2.0 °C) in free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems and carried out a detailed growth and yield component analysis during two growing seasons for both crops. An increase in CO2 resulted in higher grain yield, whereas an increase in temperature reduced grain yield, in both crops. An increase in CO2 was unable to compensate for the negative impact of an increase in temperature on biomass and yield of wheat and rice. Yields of wheat and rice were decreased by 10-12% and 17-35%, respectively, under the combination of elevated CO2 and temperature. The number of filled grains per unit area was the most important yield component accounting for the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature in wheat and rice. Our data showed complex treatment effects on the interplay between preheading duration, nitrogen uptake, tillering, leaf area index, and radiation-use efficiency, and thus on yield components and yield. Nitrogen uptake before heading was crucial in minimizing yield loss due to climate change in both crops. For rice, however, a breeding strategy to increase grain number per m(2) and % filled grains (or to reduce spikelet sterility) at high temperature is also required to prevent yield reduction under conditions of global change.

Establishment and optimization of a regionally applicable maize gene-flow model.

Because of the rapid development of transgenic maize, the potential effect of transgene flow on seed purity has become a major concern in public and scientific communities. Setting a proper isolation distance in field experiments and seed production is a possible solution to meet seed-quality standards and ensure adventitious contamination of products is below a specific threshold. By using a Gaussian plume model as basis and data recorded by meteorological stations as input, we have established a simple regionally applicable maize gene-flow model for prediction of the maximum threshold distances (MTD) at which gene-flow frequency is equal to or lower than a threshold value of 1 or 0.1 % (MTD1%, MTD0.1%). After optimization of the model variables, simulated outcrossing rate was a good fit to data obtained from field experiments (y = 1.156x, R (2) = 0.8913, n = 30, P < P 0.01). In the process of model calibration, it was found that only 15.82 % of the total amount of the pollen released by each plant participated in the dispersal process. The variable "a" for genetic pollen competitiveness between donor and recipient was introduced into our model, for the "Zinuo18" and "Su608" used, "a" was 17.47. Finally, the model was successfully used in the spring maize-growing region of Northeast China. The range of MTD1% and MTD0.1% in this region varied from 10 m to 49 m and from 17 m to 125 m, respectively.

Mitochondria targeted biomimetic platform for chemo/photodynamic combination therapy against osteosarcoma.

Clinical treatment for osteosarcoma (OS) is still lacking effective means, and no significant progress in OS treatment have been made in recent years. Single chemotherapy has serious side effects and can produce drug resistance easily, resulting poor therapeutic effect. As a modern and non-invasive treatment form, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is widely used to treat diverse cancers. Chemotherapy in combination with PDT is a particularly efficient antitumor method that could overcome the defects of monotherapies. Since mitochondria is a key subcellular organelle involved in cell apoptosis regulation, targeting tumor cells mitochondria for drug delivery has become an important entry point for anti-tumor therapy. Herein, we rationally designed a core-shell structured biomimetic nanoplatform, i.e., D@SLNP@OSM-IR780, to achieve tumor homologous targeting and mitochondria targeted drug release for chemotherapy combined with PDT against OS. Upon 808 nm laser irradiation, D@SLNP@OSM-IR780 exhibited excellent photo-cytotoxicity in vitro. The excellent targeting effect of D@SLNP@OSM-IR780 in tumor tissues produced a tumor inhibition rate of 98.9% in vivo. We further indicated that synergistic chemo-photodynamic effect induced by D@SLNP@OSM-IR780 could activate mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway, along with host immune response and potential photothermal effect. On the whole, D@SLNP@OSM-IR780 is revealed to be a promising platform for OS targeted combination therapeutics.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Fruit Quality Formation in Actinidia eriantha Benth.

Actinidia chinensis Planch. is a fruit tree originating from China that is abundant in the wild. Actinidia eriantha Benth. is a type of A. chinensis that has emerged in recent years. The shape of A. eriantha is an elongated oval, and the skin is covered with dense, non-shedding milk-white hairs. The mature fruit has flesh that is bright green in colour, and the fruit has a strong flavour and a grass-like smell. It is appreciated for its rich nutrient content and unique flavour. Vitamin C, sugar, and organic acids are key factors in the quality and flavour composition of A. eriantha but have not yet been systematically analysed. Therefore, we sequenced the transcriptome of A. eriantha at three developmental stages and labelled them S1, S2, and S3, and comparisons of S1 vs. S2, S1 vs. S3, and S2 vs. S3 revealed 1218, 4019, and 3759 upregulated differentially expressed genes and 1823, 3415, and 2226 downregulated differentially expressed genes, respectively. Furthermore, the upregulated differentially expressed genes included 213 core genes, and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that they were enriched in hormones, sugars, organic acids, and many organic metabolic pathways. The downregulated differentially expressed genes included 207 core genes, which were enriched in the light signalling pathway. We further constructed the metabolic pathways of sugars, organic acids, and vitamin C in A. eriantha and identified the genes involved in vitamin C, sugar, and organic acid synthesis in A. eriantha fruits at different stages. During fruit development, the vitamin C content decreased, the carbohydrate compound content increased, and the organic acid content decreased. The gene expression patterns were closely related to the accumulation patterns of vitamin C, sugars, and organic acids in A. eriantha. The above results lay the foundation for the accumulation of vitamin C, sugars, and organic acids in A. eriantha and for understanding flavour formation in A. eriantha.

Urinary Matrix Metalloproteinase-7 and Prediction of AKI Progression Post Cardiac Surgery.

AIMS: Early detection of patients at high risk for progressive acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery remains a major challenge. We aim to evaluate the utility of urinary matrix metalloproteinase-7 (uMMP-7) and other reported biomarkers for predicting AKI progression during postoperative hospital stay. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study in 121 adult patients with stage 1 or 2 AKI after cardiac surgery. uMMP-7 and other well-reported biomarkers (uIL-18, uNGAL, and UACR) were measured at time of AKI clinical diagnosis. The primary outcome is the progression of AKI after cardiac surgery, defined as worsening of AKI stage (stage 1 to either stage 2 or stage 3 or from stage 2 to stage 3). RESULTS: A level of uMMP-7 > 7.8 µg/g Cr at time of AKI diagnosis conveyed an 8-fold risk of AKI progression as compared to those with uMMP-7 < 2.7 µg/g after adjusting for clinical risk factors. The performance of uMMP-7 for predicting progressive AKI was good with an AUC of 0.80. The combination of uMMP-7 and IL-18 produces the greatest AUC for predicting progressive AKI. Addition of uMMP-7 to the clinical risk factor model significantly improved risk reclassification for AKI progression. CONCLUSIONS: uMMP-7, measured at time of AKI clinical diagnosis, is a novel biomarker for predicting the progression of AKI after cardiac surgery. Adding uMMP-7 to the clinical risk factor model may be used as a noninvasive approach to identify a subpopulation that is at high risk for progressive AKI after cardiac surgery.

Urinary Angiotensinogen Predicts Renal Disease Activity in Lupus Nephritis.

Aims: A noninvasive indicator of renal histological lesions and disease activity in lupus nephritis (LN) is needed for timely and targeted treatment before overt renal injury. Here, we tested the utility of urinary angiotensinogen (UAGT) to predict renal disease activity in LN. Results: A prospective, three-stage study was performed in patients with LN. In stage I, UAGT was measured in 140 newly diagnosed LN patients. UAGT significantly increased in LN patients, correlating well with kidney angiotensinogen expression and histological activity. Patients with LN class IV exhibited the highest UAGT compared with other histopathological classes of LN. For identifying LN class IV, a particularly aggressive type of LN, UAGT outperformed the conventional clinical measures and improved their performance. In stage II, UAGT was monitored in 61 subjects from stage I for up to 12 months. UAGT decreased after induction therapy and remained low in patients with LN remission during follow-up. For predicting therapy success at month 12, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of UAGT reduction at month 4 was 0.83, outperforming that of 24-h proteinuria. In stage III, UAGT was monitored in 12 LN patients before, during, and after the onset of renal flares. An elevation in UAGT predicted recurrence of LN, and a decline in UAGT after a renal flare heralded the remission of disease before conventional clinical measures. Innovation and Conclusion: UAGT in LN is a promising indicator for dynamic surveillance of renal disease activity and prediction of renal flares. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 31, 1289-1301.

Can the Responses of Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance to Water and Nitrogen Stress Combinations Be Modeled Using a Single Set of Parameters?

Accurately predicting photosynthesis in response to water and nitrogen stress is the first step toward predicting crop growth, yield and many quality traits under fluctuating environmental conditions. While mechanistic models are capable of predicting photosynthesis under fluctuating environmental conditions, simplifying the parameterization procedure is important toward a wide range of model applications. In this study, the biochemical photosynthesis model of Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry (the FvCB model) and the stomatal conductance model of Ball, Woodrow and Berry which was revised by Leuning and Yin (the BWB-Leuning-Yin model) were parameterized for Lilium (L. auratum × speciosum "Sorbonne") grown under different water and nitrogen conditions. Linear relationships were found between biochemical parameters of the FvCB model and leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area (Na), and between mesophyll conductance and Na under different water and nitrogen conditions. By incorporating these Na-dependent linear relationships, the FvCB model was able to predict the net photosynthetic rate (An) in response to all water and nitrogen conditions. In contrast, stomatal conductance (gs) can be accurately predicted if parameters in the BWB-Leuning-Yin model were adjusted specifically to water conditions; otherwise gs was underestimated by 9% under well-watered conditions and was overestimated by 13% under water-deficit conditions. However, the 13% overestimation of gs under water-deficit conditions led to only 9% overestimation of An by the coupled FvCB and BWB-Leuning-Yin model whereas the 9% underestimation of gs under well-watered conditions affected little the prediction of An. Our results indicate that to accurately predict An and gs under different water and nitrogen conditions, only a few parameters in the BWB-Leuning-Yin model need to be adjusted according to water conditions whereas all other parameters are either conservative or can be adjusted according to their linear relationships with Na. Our study exemplifies a simplified procedure of parameterizing the coupled FvCB and gs model that is widely used for various modeling purposes.

The effect of increased atmospheric temperature and CO2 concentration during crop growth on the chemical composition and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of wheat straw.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of increased atmospheric temperature and CO2 concentration during crop growth on the chemical composition and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of wheat straw. The field experiment was carried out from November 2012 to June 2013 at Changshu (31°32'93″N, 120°41'88″E) agro-ecological experimental station. A total of three treatments were set. The concentration of CO2 was increased to 500 µmol/mol in the first treatment (CO2 group). The temperature was increased by 2 °C in the second treatment (TEM group) and the concentration of CO2 and temperature were both increased in the third treatment (CO2 + TEM group). The mean temperature and concentration of CO2 in control group were 10.5 °C and 413 µmol/mol. At harvesting, the wheat straws were collected and analyzed for chemical composition and in vitro digestibility. Results showed that dry matter was significantly increased in all three treatments. Ether extracts and neutral detergent fiber were significantly increased in TEM and CO2 + TEM groups. Crude protein was significantly decreased in CO2 + TEM group. In vitro digestibility analysis of wheat straw revealed that gas production was significantly decreased in CO2 and CO2 + TEM groups. Methane production was significantly decreased in TEM and CO2 + TEM groups. Ammonia nitrogen and microbial crude protein were significantly decreased in all three treatments. Total volatile fatty acids were significantly decreased in CO2 and CO2 + TEM groups. In conclusion, the chemical composition of the wheat straw was affected by temperature and CO2 and the in vitro digestibility of wheat straw was reduced, especially in the combined treatment of temperature and CO2.

[A simulation model for predicting the dry matter allocation in cut lily plants under effects of substrate water potential].

Dry matter allocation and translocation is the base of the formation of appearance quality of ornamental plants, and strongly affected by water supply. Taking cut lily cultivar 'Sorbonne' as test material, a culture experiment of different planting dates and water supply levels was conducted in a multi-span greenhouse in Nanjing from March 2009 to January 2010 to quantitatively analyze the seasonal changes of the dry matter allocation and translocation in 'Sorbonne' plants and the effects of substrate water potential on the dry matter allocation indices for different organs (flower, stem, leaf, bulb, and root), aimed to define the critical substrate water potential for the normal growth of the cultivar, and establish a simulation model for predicting the dry matter allocation in cut lily plants under effects of substrate water potential. The model established in this study gave a good prediction on the dry mass of plant organs, with the coefficient of determination and the relative root mean square error between the simulated and measured values of the cultivar' s flower dry mass, stem dry mass, leaf dry mass, bulb dry mass, and root dry mass being 0.96 and 19.2%, 0.95 and 12.4%, 0.86 and 19.4%, 0.95 and 12.2%, and 0.85 and 31.7%, respectively. The critical water potential for the water management of cut lily could be -15 kPa.

Accumulation of tissue advanced glycation end products correlated with glucose exposure dose and associated with cardiovascular morbidity in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVES: Accumulation of tissue advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is a marker of cumulative glycemic and/or oxidative stress. Cutaneous AGEs levels measured by skin autofluorescence correlate well with cardiovascular outcomes in diabetes and hemodialysis (HD) patients. The present study aimed to compare tissue AGEs levels with peritoneal dialysis (PD) and HD patients and to evaluate the relationship between skin autofluorescence and cardiovascular morbidity in patients on PD. METHODS: A total of 2388 maintenance dialysis patients (613 PD and 1775 HD) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Skin autofluorescence was measured non-invasively with an autofluorescence reader. Cardiovascular morbidity was defined as clinically diagnosed ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke or peripheral vascular disease from initiation of dialysis. RESULTS: More than 90% of patients on both PD and HD had met current dialysis adequacy targets. Compared to HD group, PD patients receiving conventional glucose-containing dialyzate had significantly higher skin autofluorescence values in each category of age and dialysis duration, irrespective of the presence or absence of diabetes. In PD patients, skin autofluorescence values were strongly correlated with the duration of PD and glucose exposure dose and independently associated with cardiovascular morbidity. Multivariate analysis revealed that glucose exposure dose and skin autofluorescence were the strongest risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity in PD patients after adjustment by age, gender, and other classic- or uremic-related risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Accumulation of tissue AGEs provides a potential link between PD exposure of metabolic stress and progression of cardiovascular disease in patients on PD.

[Transpiration of Brassica chinensis L. in a plastic greenhouse covered with insect-proof nets in lower reaches of Yangtze River: a simulation study].

With the climate data inside and outside a plastic greenhouse as driving variables, and the greenhouse structure, insect-proof net material, and characteristic breadth and leaf area index of Brassica chinensis L. as parameters; a canopy transpiration model for greenhouse B. chinensis was established, based on Penmam-Monteith transpiration model. This established model was validated by the experimental data of independent samples in a single greenhouse. The results showed that in lower reaches of Yangtze River, the vent discharge coefficient (Cd) of greenhouse covered with 20-, 25-, and 28- mesh insect-proof nets was 0.771, 0.758 and 0.736, and the wind pressure coefficient (Cw) was 0.33, 0.37, and 0.39, respectively. The determination coefficient (R2) between the predicted and measured canopy transpiration rate for the sunny, cloudy, and overcast days in summer was 0.95, 0.91, and 0.94, root mean squared error (RMSE) was 0.018, 0.014, and 0.015 g x m(-2) x s(-1), and relative prediction error (RE) was 14.27%, 18.05%, and 15.80%, respectively, suggesting that this model could better predict the transpiration rate of B. chinensis in the plastic greenhouse covered with insect-proof nets in lower reaches of Yangtze River.