Exploring the ecological security evaluation of water resources in the Yangtze River Basin under the background of ecological sustainable development.

The Yangtze River (hereafter referred to as the YZR), the largest river in China, is of paramount importance for ensuring water resource security. The Yangtze River Basin (hereafter referred to as the YRB) is one of the most densely populated areas in China, and complex human activities have a significant impact on the ecological security of water resources. Therefore, this paper employs theories related to ecological population evolution and the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model to construct an indicator system for the ecological security of water resources in the YRB. The report evaluates the ecological security status of water resources in each province of the YRB from 2010 to 2019, clarifies the development trend of its water resource ecological security, and proposes corresponding strategies for regional ecological security and coordinated economic development. According to the results of the ecological population evolution competition model, the overall indicator of the ecological security of water resources in the YRB continues to improve, with the safety level increasing annually. Maintaining sound management of water resources in the YRB is crucial for sustainable socioeconomic development. To further promote the ecological security of water resources in the YRB and the coordinated development of the regional economy, this paper proposes policy suggestions such as promoting the continuous advancement of sustainable development projects, actively adjusting industrial structure, continuously enhancing public environmental awareness, and actively participating in international ecological construction and seeking cooperation among multiple departments.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Toll-like receptor genes are associated with the prognosis of gastric cancer and are not associated with Helicobacter pylori infection.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate the recognition of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and initiate the innate immune response to infection. Genetic polymorphisms of TLRs play important roles in gastric carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR genes and H. pylori infection in the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). A total of 756 GC patients were included in this study. Nine SNPs (TLR2: rs3804100, rs7696323, and rs10116253; TLR4: rs10983755, rs11536878, rs1927914, and rs7873784; TLR5: rs5744174; and TLR9: rs187084) in TLR genes were genotyped by MassARRAY assay. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression were employed to conduct the associations between SNPs in TLRs and the survival of GC. Multivariate Cox regression indicated that patients with the TLR2 rs3804100 TT genotype exhibited worse survival than those with the CC + CT genotype (HR = 1.262, 95% CI: 1.006-1.582). No significant interaction between rs3804100 and H. pylori infection was observed for the prognosis of GC. Our results suggested that the TLR2 rs3804100 polymorphism may be a potential prognostic biomarker for GC independent of the H. pylori infection-related pathway.

Procaine is a specific DNA methylation inhibitor with anti-tumor effect for human gastric cancer.

DNA hypermethylation and the silencing of tumor suppressor genes caused by DNA hypermethylation is considered as a molecular hallmark of many kinds of cancers. Procaine, a local anesthetic, has been shown as a potential DNA methylation inhibitor in some types of cancers. However, the influence of procaine on DNA methylation regulation as well as the biological function in gastric cancer is still unknown. We report here that procaine represses the DNA-methylation level and promotes the proliferation arrest and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. Global DNA methylation measurement demonstrates that procaine significantly reduces the global DNA methylation level. Analyses of the DNMTs expression and activity show procaine represses the activity, but not the expression, of DNMT1/DNMT3A. Further evidence on specific genes shows that procaine reduces the DNA methylation level in the promoter regions of CDKN2A and RARß genes through abrogating the binding of DNMT1/DNMT3A toward these regions. This repression would not be reversed by the overexpression of DNMT1/DNMT3A. Moreover, RT-qPCR and luciferase report assays demonstrate that procaine leads to the upregulation of CDKN2A and RARß due to the activation of the promoter of these genes. In the end, we test the function of procaine toward gastric cancer cells and find that procaine has the growth inhibitory and apoptosis inducement effect toward gastric cancer cells. Collectively, our data not only uncovers the regulation mechanisms of procaine to DNA methylation but also suggests an anti-tumor potential of procaine specific to the gastric carcinoma and provides a new therapeutic strategy for gastric carcinoma.

Which is better to multiple rib fractures, surgical treatment or conservative treatment?

To compare the surgery and conservative treatment of multiple fractured ribs, we designed a randomized controlled trial in the single center of thoracic surgery ward. After admission condition assessment (general clinical evaluation, operation condition assessment, the digital method of pain assessment), the selected multiple fractured rib patients were told to choose surgery or conservative treatment, according to the patient will undergo surgery or conservative treatment. In the acute phase, compared with conservative treatment, patients with mechanical ventilation in time (mechanical ventilation time MV) (3.7 ± 1.4 vs. 9.5 ± 4.3), ICU stay time (8.2 ± 4.3 vs. 14.6 ± 3.2), total hospitalization days (15.3 ± 6.4 vs. 26.5 ± 6.9), the incidence of pneumonia (6.7% vs. 19.1%), mortality (1.3% vs. 5.3%) and pain score on patients (3.3 vs. 5.8) of surgical treatment group were significant lower (P < 0.05). The number of tracheostomy in surgical patients with conservative treatment (4 vs. 7) was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). In chronic phase, the surgical patients compared with patients with conservative treatment in the chest wall pain (2.9 ± 1.2 vs. 5.6 ± 1.7), chest wall tension (13.3% vs. 57.3%), dyspnea (5.3% vs. 22.4%) and chest wall deformity rate (4% vs. 93.5%) were lower significantly (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the surgical treatment of multiple fractured ribs could ease the acute chest pain, reduce the mechanical ventilation time and incidence of pneumonia, shorten the hospitalization days and total hospitalization days in the ICU and alleviate the forward chest wall discomfort. The speedy recovery and long-term quality of patients' life had improved significantly.

[Effects of seeding-box total fertilization on rice yield and nitrogen loss].

By using seeding-box total fertilization technology, a two-year field plot experiment was conducted to study the effects of applying medium rate of controlled-release urea fertilizer (MN, 80 kg N x hm(-2)), high rate of controlled-release urea fertilizer (HN, 120 kg N x hm(-2)), and conventional urea fertilizer (FP, 300 kg N x hm(-2)) on rice yield and nitrogen loss. As compared with FP, HN did not decrease rice yield significantly, and MN and HN increased the two-year average nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by 26.2% and 20.7%, respectively (the NUE in treatment FP was 33.2%). In treatment FP, the total N concentration in surface water peaked after 1-3 days of urea application; while in treatments MN and HN, the total N concentration in surfate water peaked after 7-9 days of urea application, and was significantly lower than that in treatment FP throughout the rice growth period. The nitrogen leaching loss in treatment FP mainly occurred at tillering stage, while that in treatments MN and HN delayed to tillering-flowering stage. In all treatments, the NO3(-)-N loss accounted for 59.7% - 64.2% of the total N loss. HN decreased the total N leaching loss by 51.8%, as compared with FP.