A novel COL4A5 splicing mutation causes alport syndrome in a Chinese family.

BACKGROUND: Alport syndrome (AS) is characterised by haematuria, proteinuria, a gradual decline in kidney function, hearing loss, and eye abnormalities. The disease is caused by mutations in COL4An (n = 3, 4, 5) that encodes 3-5 chains of type IV collagen in the glomerular basement membrane. AS has three genetic models: X-linked, autosomal recessive, and autosomal dominant. The most common type of AS is X-linked AS, which is caused by COL4A5. METHODS: We enrolled children with renal insufficiency and a family history of kidney disorders. The proband was identified using whole-exome sequencing. Sanger sequencing was performed to verify the mutation site. Minigene technology was used to analyse the influence of mutant genes on pre-mRNA shearing, and the Iterative Threading ASSEmbly Refinement (I-TASSER) server was used to analyse the protein structure changes. RESULTS: The proband, together with her mother and younger brother, displayed microscopic haematuria and proteinuria, Pathological examination revealed mesangial hyperplasia and sclerosis. A novel mutation (NM_000495.5 c.4298-8G > A) in the intron of the COL4A5 gene in the proband was discovered, which was also present in the proband's mother, brother, and grandmother. In vitro minigene expression experiments verified that the c.4298-8G > A mutation caused abnormal splicing, leading to the retention of six base pairs at the end of intron 46. The I-TASSER software predicted that the mutation affected the hydrogen-bonding structure of COL4A5 and the electrostatic potential on the surface of the protein molecules. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the patient's clinical history and genetic traits, we conclude that the mutation at the splicing site c.4298-8G > A of the COL4A5 gene is highly probable to be the underlying cause within this particular family. This discovery expands the genetic spectrum and deepens our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying AS.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting pulmonary infection in patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs.

Objective: Pulmonary infection (PI), a severe complication of immunosuppressive therapy, affects patients' prognosis. As part of this study, we aimed to construct a pulmonary infection prediction (PIP) model and validate it in patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs (ISDs). Methods: Totally, 7,977 patients being treated with ISDs were randomised 7:3 to the developing (n = 5,583) versus validation datasets (n = 2,394). Our predictive nomogram was established using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate COX regression analyses. With the use of the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve, the prediction performance of the final model was evaluated. Results: Among the patients taking immunosuppressive medication, PI was observed in 548 (6.9%). The median time of PI occurrence after immunosuppressive therapy was 123.0 (interquartile range: 63.0, 436.0) days. Thirteen statistically significant independent predictors (sex, age, hypertension, DM, malignant tumour, use of biologics, use of CNIs, use of methylprednisolone at 500 mg, use of methylprednisolone at 40 mg, use of methylprednisolone at 40 mg total dose, use of oral glucocorticoids, albumin level, and haemoglobin level) were screened using the LASSO algorithm and multivariate COX regression analysis. The PIP model built on these features performed reasonably well, with the developing C-index of 0.87 (sensitivity: 85.4%; specificity: 81.0%) and validation C-indices of 0.837, 0.829, 0.832 and 0.830 for predicting 90-, 180-, 270- and 360-day PI probability, respectively. The decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curves displayed excellent clinical utility and calibration performance of the nomogram. Conclusion: The PIP model presented herein could aid in the prediction of PI risk in individual patients who receive immunosuppressive treatment and help personalise clinical decision-making.

Qishen Yiqi Dripping Pill Protects Diabetic Nephropathy by Inhibiting the PI3K-AKT Signaling Pathways in Rats.

This study aimed to explore the potential mechanisms of Qishen Yiqi dripping pill (QYDP) against diabetic nephropathy (DN) through network pharmacology and animal experiments. The components and targets of QYDP and DN-related targets were retrieved from public databases. A total of 116 compounds and 160 targets of QYDP anti-DN were obtained. The top 10 hub targets including AKT1, TNF, ALB, INS, PPARG, IL-6, IL-1B, VEGF-A, JUN, and MAPK3 were screened by Cytoscape software. Then, the key targets of QYDP were enriched in 1815 Gene Ontology (GO) entries (P < 0.01) and 159 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genomes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways (P < 0.01), mainly including the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. In animal experiments, the results of an ELISA assay showed that QYDP could regulate the expression levels of kidney function-related indexes and reduce the expression of inflammatory factors. qRT-PCR and western blot results showed that QYDP regulated the expression of hub genes. In conclusion, this study shows that QYDP could treat DN by antioxidative and antiinflammatory activity and inhibiting the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

A sustainable nanocellulose-based superabsorbent from kapok fiber with advanced oil absorption and recyclability.

Creating a low-cost, highly efficient, and recyclable superabsorbent for spilled-oil cleanup is of great significance but remains a big challenge. Herein, we report a facile strategy to produce economic, environmentally friendly, and reusable foam from agricultural waste kapok fibers. These kapok-derived cellulose nanofibrils foams (KNFs) demonstrate a hierarchically porous structure at micro-level with ultra-low density (2.7 mg·cm-3). The superhydrophobic KNFs (150.5°) show outstanding oil absorption (126.8-320.4 g·g-1) and oil-water separation performance. Notably, a facile approach is designed to reuse KNFs easily by a homemade oil release system. The release behavior of the KNFs is quantitatively analyzed and confirmed by the Rigter-Peppas model, indicating that the oil release followed the Fickian diffusion. The KNFs exhibit desirable reusability, and can be recycled for at least 50 times while keeping excellent oil absorption, and release performance. These advantages prove that the KNF is a desirable substitute for spilled-oil treatment.

Using polypropylene needle punch nonwoven sorbents as the interceptor for oil in static and dynamic water experiments.

This work was to determine the impact of pore size and thickness of sorbents besides the influence of oil properties on the performance of sorbents used as an interceptor barrier for oils in Static and dynamic water experiments. polypropylene needle punch sorbents were used. SEM test showed the porous structure of sorbents. Oil sorption test investigated that with sorbents had same thickness N1 absorbed oil 8.89 g/g of soybean oil and 7.15 g/g of motor oil. Meanwhile, sorbents with the same pore size, N6 absorbed oil 6.11 g/g of soybean oil and 5.13 g/g of motor oil. All sorbents showed a retention rate of over 75% after 24 h of dripping. Dynamic oil spreading revealed that smaller pore size and higher thickness exhibited higher height wicking. The static performance experiment showed motor oil and soybean oil started to leak at 38 and 32 min for N1, then prolonged with reducing pore size with intercepting efficiency around 70% after 600 min for motor oil and 540 min for soybean oil. In comparison, The motor oil and soybean oil started to leak at 49 and 40 min for N4 and then prolonged with increased thickness with intercepting efficiency around 70% after 480 min for motor oil and 360 min for soybean oil. Under the dynamic experiment, oils spilled quicker with initial leakage of sorbents N3 and N6 at rate flow 55.65 ml/s for motor oil and soybean oil were (41 min, 36 min) and (50 min, 41 min) while intercepting efficiency was (99%, 98.40%) and (99.33%, 98.40%).

Polypropylene/Lignin/POSS Nanocomposites: Thermal and Wettability Properties, Application in Water Remediation.

Compositing is an interesting strategy that has always been employed to introduce or enhance desired functionalities in material systems. In this paper, sponges containing polypropylene, lignin, and octavinyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OV-POSS) were successfully prepared via an easy and elegant strategy called thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). To fully explore the behaviour of different components of prepared sponges, properties were characterized by a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared measurement (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, wettability properties toward an organic liquid and oil were investigated. The FTIR analysis confirmed the chemical modification of the components. TGA and DSC measurements revealed thermal stability was much better with an increase in OV-POSS content. OV-POSS modified sponges exhibited ultra-hydrophobicity and high oleophilicity with water contact angles of more than 125°. The SEM revealed that POSS molecules acted as a support for reduced surface roughness. Moreover, OV-POSS-based blend sponges showed higher sorption capacities compared with other blend sponges without OV-POSS. The new blend sponges demonstrated a potential for use as sorbent engineering materials in water remediation.

High-Performance Structural Supercapacitors Based on Aligned Discontinuous Carbon Fiber Electrodes and Solid Polymer Electrolytes.

This paper presents an investigation of the potential to use aligned discontinuous carbon fiber dry prepregs as electrodes in structural supercapacitors (SSCs). The high fiber-matrix interfacial bonding of the structural composite was achieved by adopting a solid polymer electrolyte, consisting of poly(vinylidene), lithium triflate, and epoxy. Processing of the SSC was carried out via dip-coating of the polymer electrolyte and then cured using a vacuum bag. The electrochemical performance of the SSCs was measured before and after mechanical loading. The microstructures of the SSCs as-fabricated and damaged under flexural loading were identified by µ-CT imaging. An SSC with a specific capacitance of 0.128 mF/cm2 (11.62 mF/g), a flexural strength of 47.49 MPa, and a flexural modulus of 8.48 GPa has been achieved, demonstrating significant improvements in mechanical properties over those of SSCs based on woven carbon fiber fabric-based electrodes. The mechanical behavior of the supercapacitors was evaluated by both quasi-static and cyclic flexural loading tests. The excellent electrochemical stability of the supercapacitors was validated by a capacitance retention of above 96% under galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling tests. The knowledge gained in this work will benefit future research in the optimization of SSC performance.

Quantifying respiratory tract deposition of airborne graphene nanoplatelets: The impact of plate-like shape and folded structure.

The booming development of commercial products containing graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) triggers growing concerns over their release into the air. Precise prediction of human respiratory system deposition of airborne GNPs, especially in alveolar region, is very important for inhalation exposure assessment. In this study, the pulmonary deposition of airborne GNPs was predicted by the multiple-path particle dosimetry (MPPD) model with consideration of GNPs plate-like shape and folded structure effect. Different equivalent diameters of GNPs were derived and utilized to describe different deposition mechanisms in the MPPD model. Both of small GNPs (geometric lateral size dg < 0.1 µm) and large GNPs (dg > 10 µm) had high deposition fractions in human respiratory system. The total deposition fractions for 0.1 and 30 µm GNPs were 41.6% and 75.6%, respectively. Most of the small GNPs deposited in the alveolar region, while the large GNPs deposited in the head airways. The aerodynamic diameter of GNPs was much smaller than the geometric lateral dimension due to the nanoscale thickness. For GNPs with geometric lateral size of 30 µm, the aerodynamic diameter was 2.98 µm. The small aerodynamic diameter of plate-like GNPs enabled deposition in the alveolar region, and folded GNPs had higher alveolar deposition than planar GNPs. Heavy breathing led to higher GNPs deposition fraction in head airways and lower deposition fractions in the alveolar region than resting breathing.

Ultralight, hydrophobic, sustainable, cost-effective and floating kapok/microfibrillated cellulose aerogels as speedy and recyclable oil superabsorbents.

Cellulose aerogels achieve excellent absorption of waste oil and organic pollutant, which has received lots of attention recently. It is still a big challenge to obtain aerogels with both high cost-effectiveness and advanced oil absorption performance, since it is a time-consuming, and environmentally unfriendly process to obtain cellulose, compared with direct usage of natural fibers. In this manuscript, we develop highly porous and hydrophobic kapok/microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) aerogels with a dual-scale hierarchically porous structure at micro-level as cost-effective, sustainable, and floating superabsorbents via simple vacuum freeze-drying and surface modification. Kapok, a natural hollow fiber, has been recently considered as a new sustainable resource for oil cleanup. By partially replacing MFC with chopped kapok fibers in MFC aerogels (MMAs), the resultant kapok/MFC aerogels (KCAs) exhibit ultralow density (5.1 mg/cm-3), ultrahigh porosity (99.58%) and hydrophobicity (140.1°) leading to advanced oil sorption (130.1 g/g) that is 25.3% higher than that of MMAs. In addition, these KCAs can rapidly and selectively absorb waste oil from oil-water mixture with ultrahigh absorption ability of 104-190.1 g/g, which is comparable to other environmentally unfriendly and high-cost aerogels. Furthermore, the KCAs own excellent reusability and sustainability. These benefits enable the KCAs a suitable alternative to clean oil spills.

Evaluation of polypropylene melt blown nonwoven as the interceptor for oil.

The present study aims to evaluate PolyPropylene meltblown nonwoven sorbents as interceptor barrier for oils (motor oil - soybean oil). Experiments carried out in oil-water bath under both static and dynamic conditions. Among tested sorbents, sorbent P3 with porosity 85.93% show high sorption capacity. In which it achieves the highest absorption values 13.13 and 11.91 g/g for motor oil and soybean oil, respectively. Followed by sorbent P2 with porosity 88.30% and sorbent P1 with porosity 91.46%. Besides, results show that sorbent P1 registered the highest oil retention rate followed by sorbent P2 and sorbent P3, respectively. The SEM observation indicates that pore size and porosity play a significant role in deciding oil sorption and retention. At static condition, oil interception performance was evaluated. oil begins to break through the interceptor barrier in sorbent P3 at 29 min for motor oil with intercepting efficiency 98.00% and at 22 min for soybean oil with intercepting efficiency 96.57%. As the thickness of the interceptor barrier increases the time for initial leakage prolonged. After oil leakage, steady oil spillage took place. The typical oil leaking rate was divided into three phases in which oils leaks sharply increased rate, decrease rate and finally gently. Under dynamic conditions, quickly oil leakage happens compared to a static condition. With water flow rate 166 ml/s, the initial oil leakage for sorbent P3 shortens at 16 min for motor oil and 7 min for soybean oil, with Interception efficiencies at 93.42% and 90.00%, respectively.

Polypropylene/lignin blend monoliths used as sorbent in oil spill cleanup.

With increasing industrial development, frequent oil spillages in water; therefore, it is imperative and challenging to develop absorbents materials that are eco-efficiency, cost-effective, and pollution prevention. In this study, sorbents obtained from Lignin incorporated with Polypropylene in different levels loading 0, 10, 20 % wt using thermally induced phase separation Technique (TIPS). The Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths were fabricated and compared in terms of morphological, thermal, and wetting characterizations. The successfully blending of different lignin concentrations with preserved the chemical structure of the polymer was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Thermogravimetric tests displayed that the existence of Lignin has changed the onset temperature (Tonset) of the blending sorbents, decreasing as the loading of Lignin is increased. The contact angle measurement showed a decrease in the hydrophobicity of sorbents with increasing lignin loading, Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths showed better absorption toward oils (soybean - engine) as compared to Polypropylene itself. PP10L showed an improvement in the oil sorption capacity around 2 times compared to the Polypropylene. These excellent features make Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths more competitive promising candidates than commercial absorbent.

Cyclic filtration behavior of structured cattail fiber assembly for oils removal from wastewater.

Structured cattail fiber assembly was reported as the filter for removing oils from runoff. The oil-wetted filter was recovered by rotational centrifugation and reused in the next filtration. The cyclic filtration behavior of the assembly was characterized by oil removal efficiency, oil sorption capacity, influence of packing density and number of filtration cycles. The efficiency of liquid removal and oil recovery from the centrifuged filter were also investigated. Cattail filters showed an excellent oil cyclic filtration performance which was found to have a close relationship with the inner structural characteristic of the fibers. The filters removed vegetable oil and diesel completely from runoff in the initial 40-90 min and 30-60 min in the first cycle, respectively, after which the oils broke through the filter's body and 29.4-71.4 L and 21.0-46.2 L of clean water were collected. The time of breakthrough was decreased with decreasing cattail's packing density. The wetted filters which absorbed up to 693.11 g (14.81 g/g) of vegetable oil and 497.02 g (10.62 g/g) of diesel took separately 7 min and 30 s to be recovered. Seventy-five to ninety percent of liquids were removed and 70-93% of oils were re-collected.

Highly efficient and recyclable depth filtrating system using structured kapok filters for oil removal and recovery from wastewater.

A depth filtrating system with rotatable and taper-shaped filter column was reported to highly remove and recover oil from wastewater. In the work, structure filters made of kapok fibers were prepared by air-laying-bonding method. The oil removed from wastewater was then recovered from the oil-loaded filter by rotating the filter column, and the resulted filter was reused. The filtrating system demonstrated extremely high oil/water separation in which oil was completely retained by the filter at the first 20-100min while water passed through the filter's body with a flow rate of 560mL/min using 11,500-13,150mg/L vegetable oil or diesel polluted water. A total of 47.6-176.4L clean water was collected after four cycles of filtration and centrifugation. The separating process depended on filter's structure (packing density) and properties of model oils. The wetted filters which absorbed up to 795.6g (32.31g/g) of oils were centrifuged to recover 80-91% of the oils. The sorption capacity appeared to become constant until 4 cycles of filtration after an apparent drop of 1-6g/g in the second cycle, because of unrecoverable residual oil (2-5g/g). The decrease of flow rates was favorable to filtration of low viscous oil.

Study on structure and wetting characteristic of cattail fibers as natural materials for oil sorption.

Cattail fiber is considered as one of the biomasses for oil sorption purposes. In this work, the unique structure and wetting characteristic, as well as the basic mechanisms governing oil uptake of cattail fibers were investigated. Cattail fibers grow in tufts with down-like structure consisting of root, stem, seed and several fibers. A single cattail fiber was bamboo-shaped exhibiting 4-dimensional open spaces with fineness varying between 10 and 17.5 µm, average length at 7.9 ± 1.2 mm. The skeleton of the fiber consists of lignocellulose coated by a hydrophobic wax coating with 45.41% of crystallinity. The exceptional chemical, physical and microstructural properties enable the cattail fiber to be highly hydrophobic and oleophilic. The water droplets could stand on the fibers' surfaces with the contact angles more than 130°, while oil droplets disappear quickly from the fibers' surfaces within several seconds. When used as the sorbent for oil, cattail fibers were found to absorb about 12 g of oil per gram of fibers and retained over 88% of absorbed oil even after 24 h dripping. The unique structure of cattail fibers played an important role in oil sorption. The result proposed that cattail fibers are a promising natural source for the production of oil absorbents.

Highly porous oil sorbent based on hollow fibers as the interceptor for oil on static and running water.

Highly porous fibrous assembly made by kapok and hollow PET fibers was prepared by the air-laying-bonding method, and used as the interceptor for oils on static and running water. SEM showed that the vast majority of kapok and PET fibers in the assembly was intact and retained their hollow lumens, with the assembly's porosity high to 98.03%. Oil sorption tests exhibited that kapok/PET assembly could absorb 63.00g/g of vegetable oil and 58.50g/g of used motor oil, with high oil retention after 24h dripping. In static condition of oil interception, the two oils started to leak at around 20min for 10-mm thick kapok/PET wall. The time for that was prolonged with increasing the thickness of kapok/PET wall. After oil breakthrough, continuous oil leaking took place. The typical leakage was divided into three stages in which oils leaked separately in sharply increased rate, reduced rate and finally gently. In running condition, oils leaked in markedly quicker way than that in static condition, with initial leakage of oils shortened to less 6min when the water ran at 60.35ml/s. The leakage of oils was considerably accelerated with increasing running rates.

Adsorption and adhesiveness of kapok fiber to different oils.

Adsorption and adhesiveness of single kapok to various oils, such as diesel, vegetable oil, used motor oil and motor oil were quantitatively evaluated by size and adhesive energy distribution of adsorbed oil droplets on fiber via drop-on-fiber micro-sorption experiments based on Carroll's theory of droplet morphology. Meanwhile, another micro polyester fiber was investigated as comparison. It was found that kapok fibers exihibited low surface energy of 40.64 mN/m with highly hydrophobicity and oil wettability. It had high water contact angle up to 151°, adsorbing four oils with average droplet size varying from emulsified state(0.1-25 µm) to dispersed state (25-100 µm). The average adhesive energies of kapok to four oils were 3.78×10(-11)-9.40×10(-11) J, with the highest for vegetable oil. Compared with kapok, polyester fiber adsorbed a large number of smaller oil droplets with their average size within emulsified state for its large specific surface area contributed by micro-fine of the fiber, but showed bad adhesiveness to retain the adsorbed oils with average droplet adhesive energy among 1.49×10(-11)-2.27×10(-11)J due to its relative higher surface energy of 59.15 mN/m. It is more suitable to be used as filter for secondary fine filtration under low inflow rate.

Sorption kinetics and mechanism of various oils into kapok assembly.

Sorption rates of kapok fibers on different oils, such as diesel, cooking oil, used motor oil, and motor oil, were quantitatively evaluated by using a wicking method. Kapok fibers absorbing different oils exhibited large differences in terms sorption coefficients. Microscopic observations of oil wetting on a single kapok showed that the four oils had varying wettability and adhesiveness to kapok, but that all of them penetrated into kapok lumens quickly because of the fiber's low surface energy, which was 40.64 mN/m, and extreme hydrophobicity, with a water contact angle up to 151°. After treatment with chloroform, there were slight changes in oil absorbencies to kapok, but the sorption coefficients for the four oils increased markedly. SEM demonstrated that chloroform treatments caused the smooth surface of the kapok fibers to become highly roughened, with densely vertical grooves that provided more available surface and a larger driving force for oil sorption through the fiber assembly.

Tacrolimus versus intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide therapy in Chinese adults with steroid-resistant idiopathic minimal change nephropathy: a multicenter, open-label, nonrandomized cohort trial.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of steroid-resistant minimal change nephropathy (SR-MCN) in adults remains a challenge to nephrologists. Although immunosuppressants such as cyclophosphamide (CTX), chlorambucil, and cyclosporin A have been used in these patients, their use has been limited by low remission rates and severe adverse effects. Alternative immunosuppressive treatments for SR-MCN are therefore needed. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of tacrolimus (TAC) with that of intravenous (IV) pulse CTX therapy in the management of SR-MCN and to assess the tolerability of those treatments. METHODS: This was a nonrandomized, case-matched trial in Chinese adults with SR-MCN. Patients were self-assigned to either: (1) combination therapy with prednisone and oral TAC; or (2) combination therapy with prednisone and IV CTX. TAC was initiated at 0.05 mg/kg/d and was adjusted to maintain a trough blood level of 5 to 10 ng/mL for 1 year. CTX was initiated at 1 g/1.73 m(2) for a total dosage of 10 g/1.73 m(2) over 1 year. In both groups, oral prednisone was initiated at 0.5 mg/kg/d for 3 months but was tapered off to complete cessation by 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients were enrolled (21 in the TAC group; 16 in the CTX group), of whom 33 (19 in the TAC group; 14 in the CTX group) completed the study. There were no significant difference in baseline demographic characteristics between the two treatment groups (The TAC group-mean age at onset, 28.8 [11.3]; mean age at trial, 29.6 [11.0]; male, 63.16%; The CTX group-mean age at onset, 34.4 [12.7]; mean age at trial, 35.9 [12.7]; male, 57.14%). The remission rates were 57.9%, 73.7%, and 78.9% in the TAC group and 14.3%, 42.9%, and 50.0% in the CTX group after 2, 4, and 6 months, respectively. The remission rate at 2 months was significantly higher in the TAC group than in the CTX group (P < 0.05). The remission rates during the 1-year therapy and the 1-year follow-up were higher in the TAC group than in the CTX group (Kaplan-Meier curve, log-rank test, P < 0.001). For patients who achieved remission, the mean (SD) time needed for remission was 48.7 (36.0) days in the TAC group and 85.3 (40.6) days in the CTX group (P < 0.05). During the 1-year therapy and 1-year follow-up periods, 6 of the 15 TAC-treated patients and 1 of the 7 CTX-treated patients relapsed (P = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TAC therapy was effective compared with IV pulse CTX therapy in treating this select group of Chinese adults with SR-MCN. Both agents were well tolerated although TAC seemed to induce remission more rapidly than IV pulse CTX therapy. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: study number ACTR 00362050.

[A new assessment method for the quality of ecological monitoring data: taking CERN's tree growth dataset as a case].

This paper presented a new and simple assessment method for the quality of ecological monitoring data. This method theorized the associations between the data reliability as an ordinal variable with different number of classes and the data sources such as natural main ecological processes, secondary ecological processes, and extraneous and exotic processes, and offered a new data quality index to estimate the quality of the whole dataset by using the reasonableness ratio of observations. The assessment results provided the reliability class of each dataset, good explanations for outlier (or error data) flagging decisions, and quality value of the whole dataset. The method was applied to assess two tree growth datasets from Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), and the results demonstrated that the new data quality index could quantitatively evaluate the quality of the tree growth datasets. The new method would facilitate the development of corresponding software.