Bacterial genome size and gene functional diversity negatively correlate with taxonomic diversity along a pH gradient.

Bacterial gene repertoires reflect adaptive strategies, contribute to ecosystem functioning and are limited by genome size. However, gene functional diversity does not necessarily correlate with taxonomic diversity because average genome size may vary by community. Here, we analyse gene functional diversity (by shotgun metagenomics) and taxonomic diversity (by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) to investigate soil bacterial communities along a natural pH gradient in 12 tropical, subtropical, and temperate forests. We find that bacterial average genome size and gene functional diversity decrease, whereas taxonomic diversity increases, as soil pH rises from acid to neutral; as a result, bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity are negatively correlated. The gene repertoire of acid-adapted oligotrophs is enriched in functions of signal transduction, cell motility, secretion system, and degradation of complex compounds, while that of neutral pH-adapted copiotrophs is enriched in functions of energy metabolism and membrane transport. Our results indicate that a mismatch between taxonomic and functional diversity can arise when environmental factors (such as pH) select for adaptive strategies that affect genome size distributions.

Case report: Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord due to nitrous oxide abuse.

Background: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an increasingly popular recreational drug. N2O irreversibly disturbs the metabolism of vitamin B12, resulting in a functional deficiency. Vitamin B12 is vital for myelin synthesis and its deficiency primarily produces neurological complications. Inhaling N2O is more common and neurological complications are more evident than before. Case presentation: We report a young man who developed progressive limb numbness and unsteady walking after N2O abuse. The dominant diagnosis was subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord (SCD). The patient was admitted to the hospital and given adenosylcobalamin treatment, but his symptoms progressed significantly from before and he developed acute cognitive impairment. After methylprednisolone combined with vitamin B12 treatment, symptoms significantly improved. Conclusion: Clinicians need to understand the presentation and treatment of SCD caused by N2O abuse. When symptoms progress despite conventional vitamin B12 therapy, the combination of methylprednisolone and vitamin B12 may be considered.

Efficacy and safety of pramipexole in Parkinson's disease with anxiety or depression: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the efficacy and safety of pramipexole in Parkinson's disease with anxiety or depression by analyzing the randomized clinical trials (RCTs). METHODS: National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Library of EMBASE, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang database were retrieved to conduct a meta-analysis. We performed sensitivity analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of pramipexole in Parkinson's disease with anxiety or depression. RESULTS: In our study, the results showed that the efficiency was significantly improved in patients with Parkinson's disease of the experimental group (fixed effect model, SMD = 3.45, 95% CI = [2.50, 4.76]). The HAMD score of experimental group was lower than that of control group. Moreover, adverse events of experimental group were lower than that of control group. CONCLUSIONS: The research demonstrated that pramipexole may improve the efficacy and HAMD score of Parkinson's disease with anxiety or depression. Due to the limited number of included studies, more RCTs are needed to investigate the effect of pramipexole in Parkinson's disease with anxiety or depression.

Long non-coding RNA NORAD protects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury induced brain damage, cell apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation by regulating miR-30a-5p/YWHAG.

LncRNAs are identified as critical regulators in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI). In this current work, SH-SY5Y cells suffered from oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) were applied to analyze the biological role of lncRNA NORAD and underlying molecular mechanism in CIRI in vitro. Levels of lncRNA NORAD, miR-30a-5p and YWHAG were measured using RT-qPCR. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the binding sites of lncRNA NORAD to miR-30a-5p and miR-30a-5p to YWHAG. Luciferase reporter assay verified the binding relationships among lncRNA NORAD, miR-30a-5p and YWHAG. Additionally, cell viability was determined using CCK-8 assay, and cell apoptosis was assessed using TUNEL staining and western blot analysis. Moreover, the levels of ROS, MDA, LDH and SOD as well as IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6 were assessed via application of the corresponding assay kits. Decreased cell viability and temporarily increased lncRNA NORAD level were observed in SH-SY5Y cells after OGD/R. It was demonstrated that lncRNA NORAD regulated YWHAG expression by sponging miR-30a-5p. Upregulation of lncRNA NORAD contributed to the enhancement of cell viability, the inhibition of cell apoptosis as well as the alleviation of oxidative stress and inflammation in OGD/R-injured SH-SY5Y cells, which were reversed upon elevation of miR-30a-5p. In contrast, downregulation of lncRNA NORAD reduced cell viability, promoted cell apoptosis as well as aggravated oxidative stress and inflammation under OGD/R challenge, and the functions of lncRNA NORAD knockdown in OGD/R injury were abolished by upregulation of YWHAG. Taken together, lncRNA NORAD exerted protective effects against OGD/R-induced neural injury by sponging miR-30a-5p to upregulate YWHAG expression.

Assembly processes lead to divergent soil fungal communities within and among 12 forest ecosystems along a latitudinal gradient.

Latitudinal gradients provide opportunities to better understand soil fungal community assembly and its relationship with vegetation, climate, soil and ecosystem function. Understanding the mechanisms underlying community assembly is essential for predicting compositional responses to changing environments. We quantified the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in structuring soil fungal communities using patterns of community dissimilarity observed within and between 12 natural forests and related these to environmental variation within and among sites. The results revealed that whole fungal communities and communities of arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi consistently exhibited divergent patterns but with less divergence for ectomycorrhizal fungi at most sites. Within those forests, no clear relationships were observed between the degree of divergence within fungal and plant communities. When comparing communities at larger spatial scales, among the 12 forests, we observed distinct separation in all three fungal groups among tropical, subtropical and temperate climatic zones. Soil fungal ß-diversity patterns between forests were also greater when comparing forests exhibiting high environmental heterogeneity. Taken together, although large-scale community turnover could be attributed to specific environmental drivers, the differences among fungal communities in soils within forests was high even at local scales.

Long noncoding RNA SNHG1 protects brain microvascular endothelial cells against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced injury by sponging miR-298 and upregulating SIK1 expression.

OBJECTIVES: Growing evidence shows that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in the progression of multiple diseases, including ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to explore the function and underlying mechanism of lncRNAs small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) in ischemic stroke. RESULTS: SNHG1 and salt-induced kinase 1 (SIK1) were upregulated in oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced bEnd3 cells. SNHG1 downregulation promoted OGD/R-induced injury through decreasing cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis, which was reversed by upregulating SIK1 or downregulating miR-298. Moreover, SIK1 interference had similar functions with SNHG1 knockdown in OGD/R-treated bEnd3 cells. In addition, miR-298 was a direct target of SNHG1 and could specifically bind to SIK1. Furthermore, SNHG1 functioned as a molecular sponge of miR-298 to regulate SIK1 expression. CONCLUSION: SNHG1 knockdown enhanced OGD/R-induced injury in bEnd3 cells by regulating miR-298/SIK1 axis, which might provide promising therapeutic target for treatment of ischemic stroke.

Role of interleukin-15 in cardiovascular diseases.

Interleukin (IL)-15 is a recently identified cytokine, which belongs to the interleukin-2(IL-2) family, and plays an important role in innate and adaptive immunoreaction. Given the fact that the structure of IL-15 is partially similar to IL-2, they share some common biological effects, including immunoregulation. IL-2 was proven to protect cardiac function in mouse myocardial infarction models. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) dominate the cause of mortality worldwide. Besides atherosclerosis, inflammation is also widely involved in the pathogenesis of many CVDs including hypertension, heart failure (HF) and aneurysm. IL-15, as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is up-regulated in some cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis. The current understanding of IL-15, including its signal pathway and cellular function, was described. Furthermore, IL-15 has a protective effect in myocardial infarction and myocarditis by decreasing cardiomyocyte death and improving heart function. The inhibited effect of IL-15 in ductus arteriosus (DA) should be focused on. IL-15 promoted atherogenesis. IL-15 may be a good target in treatment of cardiovascular diabetology. Finally, future research direction of IL-15 deserves attention. Since IL-15 plays several roles in CVDs, understanding the role of the IL-15/IL-15R system may provide a scientific basis for the development of new approaches that use IL-15 for the treatment of CVDs.

The role of carotid stenosis ultrasound scale in the prediction of ischemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION: To improve the accuracy of ultrasound techniques for the assessment of carotid stenosis, we designed a novel carotid artery stenosis ultrasound scale (CASUS), and evaluated its accuracy, reliability, and its value in predicting the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in a prospective study. METHODS: A total of 750 patients with first-time ischemic stroke and hospitalized within 24 h were enrolled in the study. Using color Doppler ultrasound (CDUS), the degree of stenosis and blood flow (BF) in bilateral internal carotid arteries (ICA) and the V1-V3 segment of vertebral arteries (VA) was assessed. Cubic simulation curves for BF and global blood flow (GBF) over the stenosis score (SS), total stenosis score (TSS), and radiological imaging- total stenosis score (RI-TSS) were fitted and compared. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves using TSS, RI-TSS, or GBF to predict various ischemic stroke endpoints were also analyzed and compared. RESULTS: There was a linear relationship between SS and BF both ICA and VA (R2 were 0.734 and 0.783, respectively, both P < 0.05). Both TSS and RI-TSS with GBF showed an inverse "S" curve relationship (R2 was 0.839 and 0.843, all P < 0.05). The AUC values of TSS-based and RI-TSS-based predictions of each endpoint were all greater than 0.7 (all P < 0.05), but the differences of the AUC values between TSS, RI-TSS, and GBF were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The novel CASUS can better reflect the level of cerebral reperfusion in patients with ischemic stroke and can better predict the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Late Quaternary climate change explains soil fungal community composition rather than fungal richness in forest ecosystems.

The dramatic climate fluctuations of the late Quaternary have influenced the diversity and composition of macroorganism communities, but how they structure belowground microbial communities is less well known. Fungi constitute an important component of soil microorganism communities. They play an important role in biodiversity maintenance, community assembly, and ecosystem functioning, and differ from many macroorganisms in many traits. Here, we examined soil fungal communities in Chinese temperate, subtropical, and tropic forests using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the fungal ITS1 region. The relative effect of late Quaternary climate change and contemporary environment (plant, soil, current climate, and geographic distance) on the soil fungal community was analyzed. The richness of the total fungal community, along with saprotrophic, ectomycorrhizal (EM), and pathogenic fungal communities, was influenced primarily by the contemporary environment (plant and/or soil) but not by late Quaternary climate change. Late Quaternary climate change acted in concert with the contemporary environment to shape total, saprotrophic, EM, and pathogenic fungal community compositions and with a stronger effect in temperate forest than in tropic-subtropical forest ecosystems. Some contemporary environmental factors influencing total, saprotrophic, EM, and pathogenic fungal communities in temperate and tropic-subtropical forests were different. We demonstrate that late Quaternary climate change can help to explain current soil fungal community composition and argue that climatic legacies can help to predict soil fungal responses to climate change.

Host plant phylogeny and geographic distance strongly structure Betulaceae-associated ectomycorrhizal fungal communities in Chinese secondary forest ecosystems.

Environmental filtering and dispersal limitation are two of the primary drivers of community assembly in ecosystems, but their effects on ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal communities associated with wide ranges of Betulaceae taxa at a large scale are poorly documented. In this study, we examined EM fungal communities associated with 23 species from four genera (Alnus, Betula, Carpinus and Corylus) of Betulaceae in Chinese secondary forest ecosystems, using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the ITS2 region. Effects of host plant phylogeny, soil, climate and geographic distance on EM fungal community were explored. In total, we distinguished 1738 EM fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% sequence similarity level. The EM fungal communities of Alnus had significantly lower OTU richness than those associated with the other three plant genera. The EM fungal OTU richness was significantly affected by geographic distance, host plant phylogeny, soil and climate. The EM fungal community composition was significantly influenced by host plant phylogeny (12.1% of variation explained in EM fungal community), geographic distance (7.7%), soil (4.6%) and climate (1.1%). This finding highlights that environmental filtering linked to host plant phylogeny and dispersal limitation strongly influence EM fungal communities associated with Betulaceae plants in Chinese secondary forest ecosystems.

Community Assembly of Endophytic Fungi in Ectomycorrhizae of Betulaceae Plants at a Regional Scale.

The interaction between aboveground and belowground biotic communities drives community assembly of plants and soil microbiota. As an important component of belowground microorganisms, root-associated fungi play pivotal roles in biodiversity maintenance and community assembly of host plants. The Betulaceae plants form ectomycorrhizae with soil fungi and widely distribute in various ecosystems. However, the community assembly of endophytic fungi in ectomycorrhizae is less investigated at a large spatial scale. Here, we examined the endophytic fungal communities in ectomycorrhizae of 22 species in four genera belonging to Betulaceae in Chinese forest ecosystems, using Illumina Miseq sequencing of internal transcribed spacer 2 amplicons. The relative contribution of host phylogeny, climate and soil (environmental filtering) and geographic distance (dispersal limitation) on endophytic fungal community was disentangled. In total, 2,106 endophytic fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained at a 97% sequence similarity level, dominated by Leotiomycetes, Agaricomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. The endophytic fungal OTU richness was significantly related with host phylogeny, geographic distance, soil and climate. The endophytic fungal community composition was significantly affected by host phylogeny (19.5% of variation explained in fungal community), geographic distance (11.2%), soil (6.1%), and climate (1.4%). This finding suggests that environmental filtering by plant and abiotic variables coupled with dispersal limitation linked to geographic distance determines endophytic fungal community assembly in ectomycorrhizae of Betulaceae plants, with host phylogeny being a stronger determinant than other predictor variables at the regional scale.

Host Phylogeny Is a Major Determinant of Fagaceae-Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Community Assembly at a Regional Scale.

Environmental filtering (niche process) and dispersal limitation (neutral process) are two of the primary forces driving community assembly in ecosystems, but how these processes affect the Fagaceae-associated ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal community at regional scales is so far poorly documented. We examined the EM fungal communities of 61 plant species in six genera belonging to the Fagaceae distributed across Chinese forest ecosystems (geographic distance up to ∼3,757 km) using Illumina Miseq sequencing of ITS2 sequences. The relative effects of environmental filtering (e.g., host plant phylogeny, soil and climate) and dispersal limitation (e.g., spatial distance) on the EM fungal community were distinguished using multiple models. In total, 2,706 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of EM fungi, corresponding to 54 fungal lineages, were recovered at a 97% sequence similarity level. The EM fungal OTU richness was significantly affected by soil pH and nutrients and by host phylogeny. The EM fungal community composition was significantly influenced by combinations of host phylogeny, spatial distance, soil and climate. Furthermore, host phylogeny had the greatest effect on EM fungal community. The study suggests that the assembly of the EM fungal community is governed by both environmental filtering and dispersal limitation, with host effect being the most important determinant at the regional scale.

Antihypertensive Therapy in the Acute Phase of Lacunar Infarcts.

BACKGROUND The optimal medical regimen for managing hypertension during acute phase of lacunar infarcts has not yet been clarified in real world setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate blood pressure lowering regimens on neurological progression and clinical outcomes during the acute phase of lacunar infarcts. MATERIAL AND METHODS For this study, 411 patients with first-episode lacunar infarcts and hypertension within 24 hours of symptom onset were included. All patients received antihypertension therapies, with different regimens, as well as routine medication during first 7 days after onset. There were 6 proposed antihypertensive treatments: calcium channel blockers (CCB), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), ß-blocker (ß-B), and diuretic drug (DD) alone or in combination. Neurological progression was defined as worsening by ≥1 point in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for motor function. The outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS): favorable outcome (mRS of 0-1) or unfavorable outcome (mRS 2-5). RESULTS Logistic regression analysis showed that combination therapy with CCB, ACEI/ARB, and ß-B exhibited the lowest risk of deterioration (OR=0.48, P=0.019) and unfavorable outcomes (OR=0.50, P=0.022). Similarly, combination therapy with CCB, ACEI/ARB, and DD exhibited lower risk of deterioration (OR=0.63, P=0.033) and unfavorable outcome (OR=0.77, P=0.042) at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Rational blood pressure lowering was beneficial to the functional outcomes of patients during acute phase of lacunar infarcts, and combination therapy was better than mono-drug therapy.

Effects of Blood Pressure in the Early Phase of Ischemic Stroke and Stroke Subtype on Poststroke Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Blood pressure (BP) control in the early phase of stroke is controversial to reduce the risk of poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). This study was to investigate the impact of BP levels in the early phase of ischemic stroke and stroke subtype on PSCI. METHODS: Seven hundred and ninety-six patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. Cognitive function was assessed after stroke onset using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Patients were divided into quintiles according to systolic BP and diastolic BP levels in the early phase. Subtype analyses were according to Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification (infarct cause) and Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project classification (infarct location). RESULTS: After adjusting for multiple variables, the quintiles with the lowest systolic BP (Q1, 102-127 mm Hg) and with the highest systolic BP (Q5, 171-215 mm Hg) were associated with increased PSCI risk (odds ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.64-2.28; P=0.007 in Q1; odds ratio, 2.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.74-2.90; P<0.001 in Q5) at 3 months as compared with the middle quintile (Q3, 143-158 mm Hg). Similar association was found in diastolic BP quintiles. The analysis of cerebral infarction subtype demonstrated that both large artery atherosclerosis and total anterior circulation infarct were associated with increased risk of PSCI at 3 months after adjusting for multiple variables (large artery atherosclerosis: odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.90; P=0.031; total anterior circulation infarct: odds ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-2.15; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower or higher BP in the early phase of ischemic stroke was correlated with increased PSCI risk at 3 months. Maintaining systolic/diastolic BP in the levels of 143 to 158/93 to 102 mm Hg might be beneficial to reduce the occurrence of PSCI. Moreover, large artery atherosclerosis subtype and total anterior circulation infarct subtype were correlated with increased PSCI risk at 3 months. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.chictr.org. Unique identifier: ChiCTR-TRC-14004804.

Community-based stroke system of care improves patient outcomes in Chinese rural areas.

BACKGROUND: Building effective and efficient stroke care systems is a key step in improving prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this stroke system of care on stroke management during a 2-year follow-up. METHODS: A stroke system of care was developed from November 2009 to November 2010 in three townships in Ganyu County. Additional three matched townships were invited as controls. We first investigated the stroke incidence of these populations. Subsequently, this stroke system of care and an educational campaign in the three intervention townships were implemented and the effectiveness of the system was evaluated in the next 2 years. RESULTS: At postintervention, more patients in the intervention communities obtained stroke knowledge and then the proportion of patients with stroke who were admitted within 3 hours of onset markedly increased in 2012 (12.0% vs 8.1%, p=0.044) and in 2013 (15.2% vs 9.7%, p=0.008) compared with those in the control communities. In the intervention communities, this proportion of patients with acute ischaemic stroke who received thrombolytic treatment was markedly raised from 2.1% in 2012 to 3.0% in 2013. More importantly, the fatality rate substantially decreased in 2013 in the intervention communities compared with that in the control communities (6.1% vs 9.7%, p=0.032). Similarly, the disability rate significantly decreased in 2013 (45.3% vs 51.5%, p=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: The community-based stroke system of care was effective and practical for optimising stroke treatments and improving patient outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-RCH-13003408, Post-results.

Midterm Blood Pressure Variability Is Associated with Poststroke Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between blood pressure variability (BPV) and poststroke cognitive impairment (PSCI). METHODS: Seven-hundred ninety-six patients with acute ischemic stroke were included in this study. Midterm BPV was evaluated by calculating the SD and coefficient of variation (CV, 100 × SD/mean) of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure during the 7 days after stroke onset. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at admission and at all follow-up visits. Patients with MoCA scores <26 were considered to have PSCI. RESULTS: The incidence of PSCI reached its peak (72%) 3 months after stroke onset and decreased to 30.3% at 12 months poststroke. After adjusting for covariables, the increase in the prevalence of PSCI at 3 months was independently associated with increases in the CV of blood pressure during the 7 days after stroke [odds ratios and 95% CI for patients in the second to fifth quintiles of SBP CV were 2.28 (1.18, 4.39), 2.33 (1.18, 4.62), 2.69 (1.31, 5.53), and 4.76 (1.95, 11.67), respectively]. Sub-analysis of the MoCA scores revealed that the patients had impairments in visuoperceptual abilities and executive functions, as well as in naming and delayed recall (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Midterm BPV during the early phase of acute ischemic stroke is independently associated with PSCI, especially in the visuoperceptual, executive, and delayed recall domains. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR-TRC-14004804.

Mid-Term Blood Pressure Variability Is Associated With Clinical Outcome After Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between mid-term blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) within 7 days of onset and the prognosis in acute stroke patients. METHODS: Total 873 acute ischemic stroke patients were included in this study. Mid-term BPV was evaluated through the calculations of coefficient of variation (CV) of the systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) within 7 days of onset. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the recovery situations of neurological function at 3 months, the primary outcome (symptomatic recurrent stroke) and the secondary outcomes (recurrent stroke, all-cause mortality, and the composite of cardiovascular events) within 12 months. RESULTS: Among 873 patients with ischemic stroke, 83 died, 125 developed recurrent stroke, and 212 developed cardiovascular events during 12 months' follow-up. At 3 months, systolic or diastolic BPV (within 7 days of onset) was associated with the recovery situations of neurological function in three models (all P < 0.05). Both higher CV of SBP and CV of DBP were significantly correlated with the increased risk of recurrent stroke (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-4.18, P = 0.005 for CV of SBP; HR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.29-4.19, P = 0.005 for CV of DBP) and composite cardiovascular events (HR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.41-3.48, P = 0.001 for CV of SBP; HR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.41-3.47, P = 0.001 for CV of DBP) during 12 months' follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: After acute ischemic stroke, high systolic or diastolic BPV within 7 days of onset was associated with the recovery situations of neurological function at 3 months, and recurrent stroke and composite cardiovascular events within 12 months. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn. Unique identifier: ChiCTR-TRC-14004804.

Relationships between soil fungal and woody plant assemblages differ between ridge and valley habitats in a subtropical mountain forest.

Elucidating interactions of above-ground and below-ground communities in different habitat types is essential for understanding biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem functioning. Using 454 pyrosequencing of ITS2 sequences we examined the relationship between subtropical mountain forest soil fungal communities, abiotic conditions, and plant communities using correlation and partial models. Ridge and valley habitats with differing fungal communities were delineated. Total, saprotrophic and pathogenic fungal richness were significantly correlated with plant species richness and/or soil nutrients and moisture in the ridge habitat, but with habitat convexity or basal area of Castanopsis eyrei in the valley habitat. Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal richness was significantly correlated with basal area of C. eyrei and total EM plants in the ridge and valley habitats, respectively. Total, saprotrophic, pathogenic and EM fungal compositions were significantly correlated with plant species composition and geographic distance in the ridge habitat, but with various combinations of plant species composition, plant species richness, soil C : N ratio and pH or no variables in the valley habitat. Our findings suggest that mechanisms influencing soil fungal diversity and community composition differ between ridge and valley habitats, and relationships between fungal and woody plant assemblages depend on habitat types in the subtropical forest ecosystem.

A Reasonable Blood Pressure Level for Good Clinical Outcome After the Acute Phase of Ischemic Stroke.

Blood pressure (BP) levels are closely associated with clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke, but current research data cannot yet determine what level of reasonable BP should be maintained in clinical practice. The authors conducted a prospective registered clinical trial and enrolled 873 patients admitted for the first episode of acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours from symptom onset and with normal neurological function before stroke. Analysis results showed that the highest probability of good neurological recovery was associated with the lowest risk of neurological deterioration and poor functional outcome at systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) levels of 140 mm Hg to 159 mm Hg and DBP 90 mm Hg to 99 mm Hg, respectively, whereas patients with extreme hypotension (SBP <100 mm Hg /DBP <70 mm Hg) and hypertension (SBP ≥200 mm Hg /DBP ≥120 mm Hg) were associated with poor neurological recovery. Both higher and lower BP levels in the acute phase of ischemic stroke were unfavorable to neurological functional recovery (adjusted odds ratio, 1.948/1.913 and 2.129/2.022, respectively, with SBP 120-139 mm Hg as a reference). In addition, BP maintained at SBP 140 mm Hg to 159 mm Hg and DBP 90 mm Hg to 99 mm Hg within 7 days after stroke may be beneficial to neurological functional recovery.