Impact of Diagnosis-Related Groups on Inpatient Quality of Health Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of Diagnosis-related group (DRG) based payment on inpatient quality of care. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science from their inception to December 30, 2022. Included studies reported associations between DRGs-based payment and length of stay (LOS), re-admission within 30 days and mortality. Two reviewers screened the studies independently, extracted data of interest and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies. Stata 13.0 was used in the meta-analysis. A total of 29 studies with 36 214 219 enrolled patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed that DRG-based payment was effective in LOS decrease (pooled effect: SMD = -0.25, 95% CI = -0.37 to -0.12, Z = 3.81, P < .001), but showed no significant overall effect in re-admission within 30 days (RR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.62-1.01, Z = 1.89, P = .058) and mortality (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.72-1.15, Z = 0.82, P = .411). DRG-based payment demonstrated statistically significant superiority over cost-based payment in terms of LOS reduction. However, owing to limitations in the quantity and quality of the included studies, an adequately powered study is necessary to consolidate these findings.

How do inpatients' costs, length of stay, and quality of care vary across age groups after a new case-based payment reform in China? An interrupted time series analysis.

CONTEXT: A patient classification-based payment system called diagnosis-intervention packet (DIP) was piloted in a large city in southeast China in 2018. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the impact of DIP payment reform on total costs, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments, length of stay (LOS), and quality of care in hospitalised patients of different age. METHODS: An interrupted time series model was employed to examine the monthly trend changes of outcome variables before and after the DIP reform in adult patients, who were stratified into a younger (18-64 years) and an older group (≥ 65 years), further stratified into young-old (65-79 years) and oldest-old (≥ 80 years) groups. RESULTS: The adjusted monthly trend of costs per case significantly increased in the older adults (0.5%, P = 0.002) and oldest-old group (0.6%, P = 0.015). The adjusted monthly trend of average LOS decreased in the younger and young-old groups (monthly slope change: -0.058 days, P = 0.035; -0.025 days, P = 0.024, respectively), and increased in the oldest-old group (monthly slope change: 0.107 days, P = 0.030) significantly. The changes of adjusted monthly trends of in-hospital mortality rate were not significant in all age groups. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the DIP payment reform associated with increase in total costs per case in the older and oldest-old groups, and reduction in LOS in the younger and young-old groups without deteriorating quality of care.

[Annual Nitrogen Removal Efficiency and Change in Abundance of Nitrogen Cycling Microorganisms in Swine Wastewater Treated by Crop Straw Materials].

Based on previous research, using straw material to treat swine wastewater can effectively reduce the concentration of nitrogen (N); however, the annual N-removal efficiency and change in the abundance of N-cycling functional genes remain unclear. In this study, four treatments (wheat straw, rice straw, corn stalk, and CK) were set up, with the aim of studying the annual N-removal efficiency and change in the abundance of functional genes. Our results showed that:① the total nitrogen (TN) removal and NH4+-N removal efficiency were the best in the first six months and were significantly reduced in the following six months. In addition, the TN removal and NH4+-N efficiency in straw and wheat straw were better than those in corn straw. The TN-removal efficiency in straw and wheat straw were 32.81%±11.34% and 32.99%±9.60%, respectively. The NH4+-N removal efficiency in straw and wheat straw were 35.3%±13.23% and 34.97%±12.00%, respectively. ② The abundance of N-cycling functional genes significantly increased by the addition of straw materials, compared with that of the CK (P<0.05). The average abundances of nirK, nirS, and hzsB were 6.45×109 copies·L-1, 6.18×109 copies·L-1, and 2.31×109 copies·L-1, respectively. The average abundances of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were 6.12×1010 copies·L-1 and 4.93×109 copies·L-1, respectively. The average hzsB gene abundance was 2.31×109 copies·L-1. The average abundance of 16S rRNA in the treatment was 8.90×1010 copies·L-1. The abundances of hzsB and nirS genes in the straw and wheat straw were higher than those in the other treatment, indicating that the activities of anaerobic ammonia oxidation and denitrifying microorganisms were significantly increased by the addition of straw and wheat straw (P<0.05). In addition, the abundance of AOA and AOB genes were increased in wheat straw, suggesting that wheat straw could promote nitrification. The results provided data supporting the molecular mechanism of nitrogen removal in swine wastewater treatment with straw materials.

Multi-spatial scale effects of multidimensional landscape pattern on stream water nitrogen pollution in a subtropical agricultural watershed.

Multidimensional (coupled land use, soil properties, and topography) landscape effects on stream water nitrogen (N) are complex and scale-dependent. However, studies that identify critical buffer zones that explain large variations in riverine N, and estimate specific thresholds of multidimensional landscape patterns at the class level, result in a sudden changes in riverine N pollution, are still limited. Here, a new multidimensional landscape metric that combined land use, soil properties, and topography effects was applied to various riparian buffer zones and sub-watershed scales, and their relationships to riverine N levels were investigated. We used stream water ammonium-N, nitrate-N, and total-N concentrations datasets, from 2010 to 2017, in the nine subtropical sub-watersheds in China. The results of model selection and model averaging in ordinary least squares regressions, indicated that the riparian buffer zone with widths of 400 m, had more pronounced influence on water NH4-N and TN levels than at other scales. Within the 400 m buffer zone, the key landscape metrics for NH4-N, NO3-N and TN concentrations in stream water were different, and explained up to 43.35%-76.55% (adjusted R2) of the total variation in river N levels. When ENN_MNClass17 below 39-56 m, PDClass8 above 4.63-6.55 n/km2, PLANDClass27 above 23-29%, and CONTIG_MNClass42 below 0.35-0.37% within the 400 m buffer zone, riverine NH4-N and TN would be abruptly increased. This study provided practical ideas for regulation regarding landscape management linked to watershed structure, and identified reference thresholds for multidimensional landscape metrics, which should help reduce riverine N pollution in subtropical China.

Influence path identification of topography, soil, hydrology and landscape on phosphorus buffering capacity in typical agricultural catchments in central subtropical China.

The catchment phosphorus buffering capacity (PBF) determines the pressure-state-response relationship between anthropogenic P inputs and aquatic ecosystems at a catchment scale, and is affected by biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological catchment characteristics. However, the complex relationship between these catchment characteristic factors and their impact pathways on PBF remains ambiguous, leading to large uncertainty in balancing agricultural productivity and water conservation via improving BF through management practices. In this study, the short-term buffering index, calculated from net anthropogenic P input and riverine P exports, was used to quantify the spatiotemporal variations in PBF in source agricultural catchments in the Dongting Lake basin. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to investigate the relationship between the PBF and the catchment characteristics. The results indicate that catchment PBF was directly determined by soil properties and hydrological conditions, while landscape patterns significantly mediated the effects of topography on soil and hydrology. Considering the pathway preferences of the model, landscape patterns could be the priority for characterizing and regulating PBF. According to a change-point analysis, the probability of PBF weakening increases dramatically when the proportion of farmland (Farm%) > 24.6%, degree of patch interspersion (Contagion index) < 64.5%, and Perimeter-Area Ratio Distribution (PARA) > 348.7. These findings provide new insights into catchment buffering mechanisms and can be used to promote the simultaneous achievement of agricultural production and environmental conservation goals.

Induction of Salivary Gland-Like Tissue by Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells In Vitro.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the in vitro induction of salivary gland-like tissue by ips cells in an interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) overexpression and parotid conditioned medium environment. METHODS: Urine-derived ips cells were isolated, identified, transfected with IRF6 and cultured in parotid conditioned medium to induce ips cells into salivary gland differentiation, morphological changes of ips cells were observed, CCK-8 was used to determine the cell proliferation efficiency and transcriptome sequencing was used to detect the expression of genes related to parotid gland formation. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence staining showed that the isolated ips cells were positive for NANOG, SSEA4 and OCT4 and had embryonic-like stem cell characteristics; CCK-8 showed that there was no statistical difference in the proliferation efficiency between the IRF6+ induced group and the simple induced group after induction of ips cells into salivary glands. The results of transcriptome sequencing showed that there were a total of 643 differentially expressed genes, including 365 up-regulated genes and 278 down-regulated genes in the IRF6+ induced group compared to the blank control group, and the salivary gland related genes HAPLN1, CCL2, MSX2, ANXA1, CYP11A1, HES1 and LUM were all highly expressed in the IRF6+ induced group. CONCLUSION: IRF6 promotes salivary gland differentiation in urine-derived iPSCs, and its mechanism of promoting differentiation may be that IRF6 upregulates the expression of HAPLN1, CCL2, MSX2, ANXA1, CYP11A1, HES1 and LUM to promote epithelial differentiation.

Landscape patterns of catchment and land-use regulate legacy phosphorus releases in subtropical mixed agricultural and woodland catchments.

Landscape composition and configuration determine the exchange of matter and energy among different landscape patches and may affect riverine phosphorus (P) exports derived from watershed legacy sources. However, a lack of understanding of landscape pattern effects on legacy P releases has yielded large uncertainties in mitigating watershed water quality using management practices or landscape planning. This study revealed the significance of legacy effect in the headwater catchments through the time-lag response of the long-term trend of river P exports to the change of net anthropogenic P input (NAPI). By constructing empirical statistical models that incorporated NAPI, hydroclimatic, terrain factors, soil chemical properties, and land use variables, the sources of annual riverine total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) exports were divided into current annual NAPI input and legacy sources inputs. The model estimations indicated that the contribution of legacy sources to riverine TP exports was 0.33-1.12 kg ha-1 yr-1 (50.7-82.8%), which was significantly higher than the contribution to DIP exports (0.18-0.49 kg ha-1 yr-1, 42.4-81.4%) in 2012-2017. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and variance partitioning analysis (VPA) methods were used to quantify the relative contribution of landscape patterns, soil P content, and terrain factors to legacy P releases. Results revealed that the relative contribution of the landscape composition and configuration to the total variations of legacy P releases was greater than that of the soil P and terrain factors. For different land use patches, a large area of woodland with a high aggregation degree and a large area of ponds with multiple net structures may significantly alleviate legacy P releases. In contrast, the legacy P releases were significantly positively associated with highly aggregated agricultural, tea plantation, and residential patches. This study provides theoretical support for strategies aiming to control legacy P from the perspective of landscape planning.

Influenza a virus NS1 resembles a TRAF3-interacting motif to target the RNA sensing-TRAF3-type I IFN axis and impair antiviral innate immunity.

BACKGROUND: Influenza A virus (IAV) evolves strategies to counteract the host antiviral defense for establishing infection. The influenza A virus (IAV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a key viral factor shown to counteract type I IFN antiviral response mainly through targeting RIG-I signaling. Growing evidence suggests that viral RNA sensors RIG-I, TLR3, and TLR7 function to detect IAV RNA in different cell types to induce type I IFN antiviral response to IAV infection. Yet, it remains unclear if IAV NS1 can exploit a common mechanism to counteract these RNA sensing pathways to type I IFN production at once, then promoting viral propagation in the host. METHODS: Luciferase reporter assays were conducted to determine the effect of NS1 and its mutants on the RIG-I and TLR3 pathways to the activation of the IFN-ß and NF-κB promoters. Coimmunoprecipitation and confocal microscopic analyses were used to the interaction and colocalization between NS1 and TRAF3. Ubiquitination assays were performed to study the effect of NS1 and its mutants on TRAF3 ubiquitination. A recombinant mutant virus carrying NS1 E152A/E153A mutations was generated by reverse genetics for biochemical, ex vivo, and in vivo analyses to explore the importance of NS1 E152/E153 residues in targeting the RNA sensing-TRAF3-type I IFN axis and IAV pathogenicity. RESULTS: Here we report that NS1 subverts the RIG-I, TLR3, and TLR7 pathways to type I IFN production through targeting TRAF3 E3 ubiquitin ligase. NS1 harbors a conserved FTEE motif (a.a. 150-153), in which the E152/E153 residues are critical for binding TRAF3 to block TRAF3 ubiquitination and type I IFN production by these RNA sensing pathways. A recombinant mutant virus carrying NS1 E152A/E153A mutations induces higher type I IFN production ex vivo and in vivo, and exhibits the attenuated phenotype in infected mice, indicating the importance of E152/E153 residues in IAV pathogenicity. CONCLUSIONS: Together our work uncovers a novel mechanism of IAV NS1-mediated immune evasion to promote viral infection through targeting the RNA sensing-TRAF3-type I IFN axis.

From landscape perspective to determine joint effect of land use, soil, and topography on seasonal stream water quality in subtropical agricultural catchments.

Understanding the relationship between integrated landscape patterns (coupled land use, soil properties, and topography) and stream water quality in different seasons promotes appropriate landscape planning. However, this relationship is unclear. Here, water quality nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels and the integrated landscape patterns were investigated in ten Chinese subtropical catchments during 2010-2017, using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regressions method and redundancy analysis (RDA). The results suggested that stream water N and P levels were significantly higher in the fallow season than in the rice-growing season (p < 0.05). The N and P levels in the rice-growing season were elevated with the increasing area proportions of tea fields in Ultisols on the medium slope (16.06-28.02°), and larger isolation, diversity, and geometric complexity of landscape patches, but decreased with the increasing area proportions of forests in Ultisols on the steep slope (28.02-80.30°) and interspersion of landscape patches. Stream water N and P levels were more likely influenced by landscape configuration in the rainy rice-growing season, mainly due to the rapid velocities and high quantities of surface flow strengthening landscape configuration effects on the N and P migration and exchange. In the fallow season, the N and P levels were heightened with the increasing area proportions of tea fields, residential areas, and paddy fields in Ultisols on the relative flat (0-16.06°) and medium slopes, and larger isolation of landscape, and could be greatly reduced if the area proportions of forests in Ultisols on the steep slope is increased. The N and P levels were more likely determined by landscape composition in the dry fallow season, associated with the slow and poor subsurface and underground hydrological flows. Therefore, the results promoted reasonable landscape management in different seasons and suitable soil and topography conditions for improving stream water quality.

Osteogenic capacity and cytotherapeutic potential of periodontal ligament cells for periodontal regeneration in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: The periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) contain heterogeneous cell populations and possess stem-cell-like properties. PDLCs have attracted considerable attention as an option for periodontal regeneration. However, the osteogenic differentiation of PDLCs remains obscure owing to variable osteo-inductive methods and whether PDLCs could be directly used for periodontal regeneration without stem cell enrichment is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to clarify the osteogenic differentiation capacity of PDLCs and test PDLCs as an alternative to stem cells for periodontal regeneration. METHODS: We tested the performance of human PDLCs in osteo-inductive culture and transplantation in vivo while taking human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as positive control. Proliferation of PDLCs and hMSCs in osteo-inductive condition were examined by MTT assay and colony formation assay. The osteogenic differentiations of PDLCs and hMSCs were assessed by Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity measurement, von Kossa staining, Alizarin red S staining and quantitative RT-PCR of osteogenic marker gene including RUNX2, ALP, OCN, Col I, BSP, OPN. We transplanted osteo-inductive PDLCs and hMSCs with hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP) scaffolds to immunodeficient mice to explore their biological behaviors in vivo by histological staining and immunohistochemical evaluation. RESULTS: After 14 days of osteo-induction, PDLCs exhibited significantly higher proliferation rate but lower colony-forming ability comparing with hMSCs. PDLCs demonstrated lower ALP activity and generated fewer mineralized nodules than hMSCs. PDLCs showed overall up-regulated expression of RUNX2, ALP, OCN, Col I, BSP, OPN after osteo-induction. Col I level of PDLCs in osteo-inductive group was significantly higher while RUNX2, ALP, OCN were lower than that of hMSCs. Massive fiber bundles were produced linking or circling the scaffold while the bone-like structures were limited in the PDLCs-loaded HA/TCP samples. The fiber bundles displayed strong positive Col I, but weak OCN and OPN staining. The in vivo results were consistent with the in vitro data, which confirmed strong collagen forming ability and considerable osteogenic potential of PDLCs. CONCLUSION: It is encouraging to find that PDLCs exhibit higher proliferation, stronger collagen fiber formation capacity, but lower osteogenic differentiation ability in comparison with hMSCs. This characteristic is essential for the successful periodontal reconstruction which is based on the synchronization of fiber formation and bone deposition. Moreover, PDLCs have advantages such as good accessibility, abundant source, vigorous proliferation and evident osteogenic differentiation capacity when triggered properly. They can independently form PDL-like structure in vivo without specific stem cell enrichment procedure. The application of PDLCs may offer a novel cytotherapeutic option for future clinical periodontal reconstruction.

Effect of different induction therapies on the clinical outcomes of ABO-incompatible living donor kidney transplantation recipients / 中华器官移植杂志

Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of low-dose rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG ) vs basiliximab as induction therapy in recipients of ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation (ABOi-KT) .Methods Retrospective analysis was conducted for e the clinical data of 40 ABOi-KT recipients between March 2017 and March 2019 .17 recipients of them received induction therapy with basiliximab (basiliximab group) while another 23 recipients received low-dose rATG (rATG group ,rATG 25 mg/d × 3 d) .During a median follow-up period of 282 days , the data of serum creatinine and eGFR at 1 week and 1 month ,graft survival rate and complication rate of two groups were compared .Results No significant difference existed in age ,gender ,dialytic modality/ duration , blood groups of recipients , HLA mis-match , blood group antibody titers , dose of rituximab ,blood groups of donors or donor age ( P > 0 .05 ) . The times of double filtration plasmapheresis in Basiliximab group were more (P< 0 .05) .No significant difference existed in serum creatinine and eGFR at 1 week or 1 month ( P > 0 .05 ) . No significant difference existed in graft survival rate . No significant difference existed in rate of acute rejection ,parvovirus B19 infection , urinary tract infection or hematoma .Conclusions Low-dose of rATG is as effective as basiliximab for ABOi-KT recipients .And rATG does not increase the rate of infection .

Response of regional agricultural soil phosphorus status to net anthropogenic phosphorus input (NAPI) determined by soil pH value and organic matter content in subtropical China.

Exploring the relationship between net anthropogenic phosphorus input (NAPI) and soil available P (SAP) content could inform applied issues related to environmental quality and agronomic productivity and increase our knowledge of element biogeochemical cycles. Here, the NAPI was estimated and the SAP content determined in eight counties in subtropical China from 1980 to 2010. It is suggested that the NAPI ranging 318-924 km-2 yr-1 in 1980 had increased substantially to 865-3601 km-2 yr-1 in 2010 across the eight counties, in which the P fertilizer application was estimated to represent the largest individual source of NAPI, accounting for an average of 36.1-74.6% of the NAPI. The NAPI in agricultural land (NAPIa) was the largest component of the NAPI, and 60.7-77.1% of the NAPIa accumulated in the upper 20 cm layer of agricultural soils, which significantly increased soil total-P (TP) and SAP contents. The increases in SAP, resulting from 10,000 kg P km-2 of the NAPIa (IOPNAPI), were estimated to be 1.61-4.36 mg P kg-1 in the counties. Both the correlation and variation partitioning analyses (VPAs) suggested that the soil pH and organic matter content (SOM) were the most important factors influencing the variations of IOPNAPI (determination coefficient: 72.5%). Therefore, the contribution of soil pH and SOM should be considered in enriching soil SAP levels and implementing optimal P management strategies to improving the agronomic effectiveness of P fertilization and further reduce the environmental risk of P loss in subtropical region.

Clinical application of fast locator in proximal femoral nail antirotation for treating femoral intertrochanter fractures / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical application of fast locator in proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) for treating femoral intertrochanter fractures.Methods A retrospective case series study was conducted on the clinical data of 188 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures who were treated with closed reduction and PFNA from October 2010 to October 2014.There were 86 males and 102 females,with an average age of 69.5 years (range,55-96 years).Before operation,the patients were divided into two groups according to their will.Group A (98 cases) used the self-made locator to identify the entry point,and Group B (90 cases) used the routine incision operation.The operative preparation time,operation time,fluoroscopy frequency,incision length of major nail,intraoperative blood loss,Harris scores of hip joint function at 4 months after operation,and complications were recorded and compared between the two groups.Results Group A had a longer operative preparation time than Group B[(10.6 ±2.4) minutes vs.(2.5 ±0.9) minutes].However,the operation time [(26.0 ±5.5) minutes vs.(56.6 ± 9.4) minutes],total operation time [(36.6 ± 6.6) minutes vs.(59.6 ± 9.9) minutes],fluoroscopy frequency [(18.9 ± 5.1) times vs.(31.2 ± 9.1) times],blood loss [(50.5 ± 3.7) ml vs.(220.5 ± 2.7) ml] and incision length of major nail [(2.5 ± O.7) cm vs.(5.5 ± 1.7) cm] in Group A were all less than those in Group B (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference in the excellent and good rate of Harris score at 4 months after operation between the two groups (97％ vs.97％) (P ＞0.05).Postoperative incision infection,hypostatic pneumonia,and deep vein thrombosis occurred in some patients.No significant difference in the incidence rates of complications in two groups (14％ vs.10％) was found (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Femoral nail needle point locator can quickly identify the entry point,improve the nail placement accuracy and reduce surgical trauma as well as shorten operation time,and hence is worthy of clinical application in the treatment of femoral intertrochanteric fractures.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from human mesenchymal stem cells of parotid gland origin.

The technology to reprogram human somatic cells to pluripotent state allows the generation of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and holds a great promise for regenerative medicine and autologous transplantation. Here we, for the first time, identified mesenchymal stem cells isolated from parotid gland (hPMSCs) as a suitable candidate for iPSC production. In the present study, hPMSCs were isolated from parotid gland specimens in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. The mesenchymal stem cell properties of cultured hPMSCs were confirmed by expression of surface markers and induced differentiation into osteogenic, chondrogenic and adipogenic cell lineages. hPMSCs were then reprogrammed to pluripotent cells by episomal vector-mediated transduction of reprogramming factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, c-MYC, LIN28 and TP53 shRNA). The resulting hPMSC-iPSCs showed similar characteristics as human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with regard to morphology, pluripotent markers, global gene expression, and methylation status of pluripotent cell-specific genes OCT4 and NANOG. These hPMSC-iPSCs were able to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicate that hPMSCs could be an alternative cell source for generation of iPSCs and have the potential to be used in cell-based regenerative medicine.

Homeobox B7 promotes the osteogenic differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells by activating RUNX2 and transcript of BSP.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a reliable cell source for tissue regeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the directed differentiation of MSCs remain unclear; thus, their use is limited. Here, we investigate HOXB7 function in the osteogenic differentiation potentials of MSCs using stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs) and bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs). The HOXB7 gene is highly expressed in BMSCs compared with dental tissue-derived MSCs. We found that, in vitro, over-expression of HOXB7 in SCAPs enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization. HOXB7 over-expression affected the mRNA expression of osteonectin (ON), collagen alpha-2(I) chain (COL1A2), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and osteocalcin (OCN), led to the expression of the key transcription factor, runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and promoted SCAP osteogenic differentiation in vitro. The knock-down of HOXB7 inhibited ALP activity, mineralization, and the expression of ON, BSP, COL1A2, OCN, and RUNX2 in BMSCs in vitro. In addition, transplant experiments in nude mice confirmed that SCAP osteogenesis was triggered when HOXB7 was activated. Furthermore, Over-expression of HOXB7 significantly increased the levels of HOXB7 associated with the BSP promoter by ChIP assays. Taken together, these results indicate that HOXB7 enhances SCAP osteogenic differentiation by up-regulating RUNX2 and directly activating transcript of BSP. Thus, the activation of HOXB7 signaling might improve tissue regeneration mediated by MSCs. These results provide insight into the mechanism underlying the directed differentiation of MSCs.

TMDL for phosphorus and contributing factors in subtropical watersheds of southern China.

Water eutrophication, particularly that caused by phosphorus runoff, is of major concern in China due to the serious threats it poses to watershed environments. We investigated one forested and nine agricultural watersheds with areas of 9-5212 ha in a hilly region of Hunan Province in a subtropical region of southern China from 2010 to 2012 to study total phosphorus (TP) loads and contributing factors. The annual TP loads varied from 35.7 to 222.1 kg P km(-2) year(-1) among the different watersheds, with the rainy season of spring and summer accounting for 56.3-82.0% of TP loss. The highest total maximum daily load (TMDL, 0.5 kg P km(-2) day(-1)) and existing exported daily TP loads (DTPL, 1.8 kg P km(-2) day(-1)) were observed under high flow and moist flow conditions in the ten watersheds. However, the target daily reduction ratios for the DTPLs to reach the water quality standard of 0.05 mg P L(-1) varied little with flow condition in the stream but depended on the type of watershed, i.e., <50, <80, and 80-90% for forested, agricultural, and livestock-dominated watersheds, respectively. Gray relational analysis (GRA) suggested that livestock density was the most important factor for watershed TP load under various hydrologic conditions, while livestock density (LD), soil available phosphorous (SAP), cropland percentage, and mean shape index (SHMN) were notable factors for daily reduction rate (DRR) under high and moist flow conditions. Therefore, to protect the local watershed environments, watershed management approaches that include the regulation of livestock production are recommended as the most effective means of reducing P loads at the watershed scale in subtropical areas of southern China.

Characteristics of nitrogen loading and its influencing factors in several typical agricultural watersheds of subtropical China.

Increasingly, the characteristics of nitrogen (N) loading have been recognized to be critical for the maintenance and restoration of water quality in agricultural watersheds, in response to the spread of water eutrophication. This paper estimates N loading and investigates its influencing factors in ten small watersheds variously dominated by forest and agricultural land use types in the subtropics of China, over an observation period of 23-29 months. The results indicate that the average concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), NH4 (+)-N, and NO3 (-)-N were 0.83, 0.07, and 0.46 mg N L(-1) in the forest watersheds and 1.49-5.16, 0.21-3.23, and 0.99-1.30 mg N L(-1) in the agricultural watersheds, respectively. Such concentrations exceed the national criteria for nutrient pollution in surface waters considerably, suggesting severe stream pollution in the studied agricultural watersheds. The average annual TN loadings (ANL) were estimated to be 1,640.8 kg N km(-2) year(-1) in the agricultural watersheds, 63.3-86.1 % of which was composed of dissolved inorganic N (DIN; comprising NO3 (-)-N and NH4 (+)-N). The watershed with intensive livestock production (i.e., the maximum livestock density of 2.66 animal units (AU) ha(-1)) exhibited the highest ANL (2,928.7 kg N km(-2) year(-1)) related to N loss with effluent discharge. The results of correlation and principle component analysis suggest that livestock production was the dominant influencing factor for the TN and NH4 (+)-N loadings and that the percentages of cropland in watersheds can significantly increase the NO3 (-)-N loading in agricultural watersheds. Therefore, to restore and maintain water quality, animal production regulations and more careful planning of land use are necessary in the agricultural watersheds of subtropical China.

[Impact of rice agriculture on nitrogen and phosphorus exports in streams in hilly red soil earth region of central subtropics].

The research selected the Tuojia catchment and Jianshan catchment in Changsha County, Hunan Province, to comparatively study the effects of rice agriculture on the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and exports in streams in the typical agricultural catchments of the hilly red soil earth region. The monitoring of 16 months suggested that, there was a moderate stream nutrient pollution in both Tuojia and Jianshan catchments, especially for nitrogen pollution. Comparing the two catchments, the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher and the water quality was worse in the Tuojia catchment than that in the Jianshan catchment. From the nutrient composition of view, ammonia nitrogen was the main species of total nitrogen in the Tuojia catchment (accounting for 58.5% of total nitrogen), while it was nitrate nitrogen in the Jianshan catchment (accounting for 76. 1% of total nitrogen). The proportion of dissolved phosphorus in total phosphorus was 47. 1% in the Tuojia catchment, higher than the proportion of 37.5% in the Jianshan catchment. From temporal variations of nutrient dynamics of view, concentrations of all forms of nitrogen were higher during January to February and in July, respectively, and total phosphorus and dissolved phosphorus were higher during May to June and during October to December. Since the stream discharge in the catchments concentrated during the rice growing period from April to October, the higher nutrient concentrations during the period suggested potential risks of nitrogen and phosphorus losses. The total nitrogen mass flux was 1.67 kg x (hm2 x month)(-1) and TP was 0.06 kg x (hm2 x month)(-1) in the Tuojia catchment, which were greater than the 0.44 kg x (hm2 x month)(-1) and 0.02 kg x (hm2 x month)(-1) in the Jianshan catchment. Given the similar climate, geomorphology, soil type and cultivation patterns but the different area proportion of rice agriculture between two catchments, results suggested that, under the traditional crop management in hilly red soil earth region of central subtropics, the higher area proportion of rice agriculture has the potential to degrade stream aquatic environment.

Study on phosphorus loadings in ten natural and agricultural watersheds in subtropical region of China.

Water eutrophication in subtropical regions of southern China threatens watershed health and is of major concern. However, annual phosphorus (P) loading and its dominant causes are still unclear, especially at the watershed scale. In this study, we investigated dynamic P loadings and associated factors (e.g., land use, livestock production, and runoff depth) in ten watersheds that varied in area from 9 to 5,212 ha in a hilly area of Hunan Province, China. A flowmeter was installed at the outlet of each watershed, and total P (TP) and soluble P (SP) concentrations were monitored periodically from June 2010 to October 2012. The results showed that annual P loadings (APLs) in the ten watersheds ranged from 22.8 to 247.8 kg P/km(2) and that P loss primarily occurred from April to June of each year during the main rainfall season in the study area. In addition, the average eutrophication (>0.05 mg P/L) ratio for stream waters was 86.7 % during the study period, which was indicative of a potentially serious condition for the local water environments. Annual P loadings were linearly related to livestock density (LD; R = 0.92, p < 0.01), whereas the eutrophication ratio of stream water was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with LD (R = 0.61), percentage cropland (R = 0.71), and percentage forest cover (R = -0.68). Thus, it is concluded that the control of livestock production has the greatest potential for reducing P loadings in watersheds in this subtropical area. This will be beneficial to the amelioration and protection of local environment.