microRNA Prognostic Signature for Postoperative Success of Metastatic Orthopedic Cancers: Implications for Precision Microsurgery.

The importance of miRNA prognostic signature in cancer, particular cancer metastasis is increasingly being realized. Bone metastasis from several primary human cancers can be managed in clinics by surgical intervention but the prognostic impact of miRNA signature on post-surgery outcome of patients is unknown. This study evaluated a miRNA signature for post-operative outcome of patients with bone metastatic disease. First, the miRNAs, miR-135, miR-203, miR-10b, miR-194, miR-886, and miR-124 were evaluated in bone metastatic tissues, relative to adjacent control tissue. The cohorts of samples (n = 44) consisted of bone metastatic cancer patients with primary lung (n = 18) or breast cancer (n = 26). miR-203 was significantly down-regulated while miR-10b was significantly up-regulated in bone metastasis. Additionally, miR-135 was significantly differentially expressed in the primary lung cancer patients while miR-194 in primary breast cancer patients. The low miR-203- high miR-10b expression was designated high risk group and, compared to the low risk group (high miR-203-low miR-10b expression). Patients with the signature high risk fared significantly better with surgical intervention, in terms of survival at 12 months time point (40% survival with surgery vs. 10% survival without surgery), as revealed by retrospective analysis of patient data. This work reveals potential utilization of miRNA expression levels in not only the general prognosis of cancer metastasis but also the prognosis of surgical intervention with implication for better stratification of patients.

[Spatial Distribution and Pollution Evaluation of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in Sediments of Zhushan Bay at Taihu Lake].

To reveal the distribution characteristics of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediments of Zhushan Bay at Taihu Lake, sedimentary columns were collected and sliced by 2 cm vertically from ten sampling points in three sections of Zhushan Bay. The content of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined for each slice to reveal their horizontal and vertical distribution. The results showed that:spatially, the content of TN, TP, and TOC increased in the surface sediments of Zhushan Bay from the open lake area to the bay, and inside the bay these indexes were significantly higher than in the open lake area (P<0.01). The content of TN, TP, and TOC in the surface sediments in the bay (section A) were 1.53 mg·g-1, 1.55 mg·g-1, and 11.31 mg·g-1, respectively, while in the surface sediments near the open lake (section C) they were only 0.75 mg·g-1, 0.57 mg·g-1, and 6.70 mg·g-1, respectively. Vertically, a feature of surficial enrichment was shown, and the contents of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in all three sections showed a decreasing trend with increase of depth. The contents of TN, TP and TOC in the surface sediments are 2-3 times, 2-5 times, and 2-3 times those in the bottom sediments, respectively. Generally, the average TP content in the sediment of Zhushan Bay is 0.93 mg·g-1, suggesting an apparent heavy pollution, while the average TN content is 1.11 mg·g-1 as slight pollution. According to the organic nitrogen index and comprehensive pollution index, the northern part of Zhushan Bay is suffering from heavy pollution, where the organic pollution is relatively strong. The TP pollution index is between 1.03 and 3.87, indicating heavy pollution in Zhushan Bay.

The enhanced effect of supplemented lighting on nutrient removal by an aquatic vegetables (lettuce) purification system from rural domestic sewage.

Aquatic plant treatment system (APTS) is a widely used sewage purification technique; however, it requires a large area of land due to its long hydraulic retention time. In order to improve the economic value of APTS in the treatment of rural sewage, an aquatic vegetables (lettuce) purification system strengthened with a set of supplemented lighting was evaluated. The effect of supplemented lighting of blue and red light on lettuce growth and sewage purification was studied by batch experiments. The results showed that the lettuce growth and the removal rates of pollutants were enhanced by supplemented lighting, of which red light is superior to blue light, and the increase of red light intensity further promoted the growth of lettuce and the removal rate of pollutants. Supplementary light is a suitable method which could improve the purification effect of APTS in most weather conditions especially in countries where day-night light patterns change substantially between winter and summer. The results would be useful for the APTS design for treating rural domestic sewage.

[Effect of Nutrient Loadings on the Regulation of Water Nitrogen and Phosphorus by Vallisneria natans and Its Photosynthetic Fluorescence Characteristics].

Submerged macrophytes are an important component of aquatic ecosystems. During the growing period, submerged macrophytes can absorb nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients to reduce pollution loadings. Shoots of submerged macrophytes can also promote the adhesion of suspended substances in water, reducing the turbidity. The release of nutrients in sediments can be suppressed by its root system, and the resuspension of sediments caused by disturbance of winds and waves can also be resisted. The role of submerged macrophytes in ecological restoration of eutrophic lakes has attracted widespread attention. In 1960, the submerged plants Vallisneria natans and Potamogeton malaianus had been the dominant species in East Taihu. However after 2002, Nymphoides peltatum, Elodea nattalii, P. malaianus, etc. have gradually taken over the dominant roles along with significant elevations of nitrogen and phosphorus levels. Nutrients in water are not the only key factors causing eutrophication of water bodies; the nutrient source for submerged plant growth affect both the purification efficiency and the photosynthetic characteristics of submerged macrophytes. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations can inhibit the photosynthetic physiological activities of submerged macrophytes, affecting the succession of aquatic vegetation. In addition, under high nutrient conditions, the competition from periphytic algae and planktonic algae may also directly poison submerged macrophytes, leading to its degradation and disappearance. Systematic studies on the regulation and photosynthetic fluorescence response mechanism of submerged macrophytes to varied nutrient loadings are helpful in revealing their relationships. The seedlings of submerged macrophyte V. natans were transplanted in a laboratory mesocosm to study the effect of nutrient loadings on its regulation of water nitrogen and phosphorus. Three nitrogen and phosphorus loadings from low, medium, and high levels derived from nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate were setup as the aquatic medium for the plant growth. Twelve harvests were carried out to determine the evolution of nutrient removal performance of V. natans. Its photosynthetic fluorescence characteristics were measured by a pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometer (Diving-PAM). Results showed that the nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption abilities of V. natans were gradually enhanced with the increase of nutrient concentrations in the range of TN ≤ 12 mg·L-1 and TP ≤ 1.0 mg·L-1. In the treatment of high nutrient concentrations (TN=12 mg·L-1 and TP=1.0 mg·L-1), the removal rates of nitrogen and phosphorus reached more than 95%. V. natans preferentially absorbed ammonium nitrogen when its concentration was high. The medium nutrient concentrations (TN:8-12 mg·L-1 and TP:0.6-1.0 mg·L-1) did not significantly affect the Fv/Fm ratio of leaves. However, the low nutrient concentrations (TN=3 mg·L-1 and TP=0.3 mg·L-1) could improve the Fv/Fm ratio of leaves and were beneficial for the growth of V. natans. The inhibition of photosynthetic activity and light tolerance were enhanced with the increase in nutrient concentrations. The photosynthetic activity of V. natans gradually recovered with no significant changes in the capacity for light harvesting, when the nutrient concentrations gradually decreased in the water. Our results indicate that the high nitrogen and phosphorus loadings indeed hamper the photosynthetic capacity, which may subsequently restrain the maintenance of the dominance of V. natans in the submerged macrophyte communities.

NaCl impact on Kosteletzkya pentacarpos seedlings simultaneously exposed to cadmium and zinc toxicities.

Data regarding NaCl impact on halophyte plant species exposed to a polymetallic contamination remain scarce. Seedlings of the salt marsh species Kosteletzkya pentacarpos were simultaneously exposed to cadmium (10 µM) and zinc (100 µM) in the absence or presence of 50 mM NaCl. Heavy metal exposure reduced plant growth and increased Cd and Zn concentrations in all organs. Cd and Zn accumulation reduced net photosynthesis in relation to stomatal closure, decreased in chlorophyll concentration and alteration in chlorophyll fluorescence-related parameters. Salinity reduced Cd and Zn bioaccumulation and translocation, with a higher impact on Cd than Zn. It mitigated the deleterious impact of heavy metals on photosynthetic parameters. NaCl reduced the heavy metal-induced oxidative stress assessed by malondialdehyde, carbonyl, and H2O2 concentration. Subcellular distribution revealed that Cd mainly accumulated in the cell walls, but NaCl increased it in the cytosol fraction in the leaf and in the metal-rich granule fraction in the roots. It had no impact on Zn subcellular distribution. The additional NaCl contributed to a higher sequestration of Cd on phytochelatins and stimulated glutathione synthesis. The positive impact of NaCl on K. pentacarpos response to polymetallic pollution made this species a promising candidate for revegetation of heavy metal-contaminated salt areas.

Oxygen microprofiles within the sediment-water interface studied by optode and its implication for aeration of polluted urban rivers.

To reveal the detailed vertical oxygen distribution at the sediment-water interface (SWI) and its relation with the oxygen consumption processes during and after aeration of polluted urban rivers, experimental systems constructed with collected sediment and in situ overlying water from a polluted urban river were aerated above or beneath the sediment-water interface 12 h a day for 15 days and left nonaerated for the following 10 days. The results showed that aeration of water or sediment both increased dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in the SWI, characterized by shifts in a "decrease-increase-decrease" manner during around 3 h for the aeration of water treatment (AW) and 6 h for the aeration of sediment treatment (AS). The oxygen penetration depth for AS experiments was between 0.66 and 4.16 mm with an average of 1.79 mm, significantly higher than that for AW experiments; however, the oxygen dissipation constant (mm-1) measuring the decay rate of DO near the SWI was greater for the AW experiments than the AS experiments. During the 10-day nonaeration period, the accumulation of nitrate in both the overlying water and sediment was greatly increased concomitantly with the higher oxygenation in AS experiments. From the nitrogen removal viewpoint, these results suggest that the SWI needs moderate oxygenation which enables nitrate and nitrite to be removed by denitrification rather than to be totally nitrified and accumulate as would result from the conventional practice by singly elevating DO concentrations.

Spatial patterns and origins of heavy metals in Sheyang River catchment in Jiangsu, China based on geographically weighted regression.

Multivariate statistical analyses combined with geographically weighted regression (GWR) were used to identify spatial variations of heavy metals in sediments and to examine relationships between metal pollution and land use practices in watersheds, including urban land, agriculture land, forest and water bodies. Seven metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Mn and Fe) of sediments were measured at 31 sampling sites in Sheyang River. Most metals were under a certain degree enrichment based on the enrichment factors. Cluster analysis grouped all sites into four statistically significant cluster, severely contaminated areas were concentrated in areas with intensive human activities. Correlation analysis and PCA indicated Cu, Zn and Pb were derived from anthropogenic activities, while the sources of Cr and Ni were complicated. However, Fe and Mn originated from natural sources. According to results of GWR, there are stronger association between metal pollution with urban land than agricultural land and forest. Moreover, the relationships between land use and metal concentration were affected by the urbanization level of watersheds. Agricultural land had a weak associated with heavy metal pollution and the relationships might be stronger in less-urbanized. This study provided useful information for the assessment and management of heavy metal hazards in studied area.

[Deposition Characteristics of Suspended Solids and the Response of Dissolved Nutrients in Spring in the Western Lakeside of Taihu Lake].

To reveal the spatiotemporal characteristics of nutrients in the deposition process of suspended solids in lakeside zone,in situ deposition tests were performed in the western lakeside of Taihu Lake,and the contents of TP,TN,NH4+-N and NO3--N were measured and analyzed.The results showed that the deposition fluxes in the western lakeside of Taihu Lake ranked as follows:artificial reed areas >non-vegetation nearshore areas >natural reed areas >non-vegetation offshore areas,with their average values of (1383.40±925.60),(1208.67±743.50),(278.72±142.53),(245.58±154.25) g·(m2·d)-1,respectively.From the 6th day,the deposition volume steadily increased,with the deposition rate larger than the decomposition rate.Through the 15-day continuous in situ observation,the content of TP in nearshore zone was 2-3 folds larger than that of offshore zone,and the content of NH4+-N was significantly different from that of NO3--N in the settlement bottle (P<0.01).The deposition volume was significantly and positively correlated to both TN and NH4+-N contents in the water column (P<0.01,n=42),suggesting that the TN and NH4+-N contents in the overlying water increased with the deposition fluxes.The correlation coefficient between TN and NH4+-N was 0.84,implicating that the increase of deposition flux may accelerate the mutual transformation between different forms of nitrogen.These findings should be taken into account in the current control of black blooms and nutrient management in Taihu Lake.

Submerged macrophytes shape the abundance and diversity of bacterial denitrifiers in bacterioplankton and epiphyton in the Shallow Fresh Lake Taihu, China.

nirK and nirS genes are important functional genes involved in the denitrification pathway. Recent studies about these two denitrifying genes are focusing on sediment and wastewater microbe. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the abundance and diversity of denitrifiers in the epiphyton of submerged macrophytes Potamogeton malaianus and Ceratophyllum demersum as well as in bacterioplankton in the shallow fresh lake Taihu, China. Results showed that nirK and nirS genes had significant different niches in epiphyton and bacterioplankton. Bacterioplankton showed greater abundance of nirK gene in terms of copy numbers and lower abundance of nirS gene. Significant difference in the abundance of nirK and nirS genes also existed between the epiphyton from different submerged macrophytes. Similar community diversity yet different community abundance was observed between epiphytic bacteria and bacterioplankton. No apparent seasonal variation was found either in epiphytic bacteria or bacterioplankton; however, environmental parameters seemed to have direct relevancy with nirK and nirS genes. Our study suggested that submerged macrophytes have greater influence than seasonal parameters in shaping the presence and abundance of bacterial denitrifiers. Further investigation needs to focus on the potential contact and relative contribution between denitrifiers and environmental factors.

[Temporal and spatial variation of water nutrient level after exogenous nutrient input].

In order to study the spatial and temporal variations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) nutrition in artificial wetlands after a single exogenous nutrient input, 6 mosaic communities of 7 plant species were set up in a cement channel in the greenhouse. After the addition of N and P nutritional solutions, the concentrations of dissolved total nitrogen (DTN), dissolved total phosphorous (DTP), ammonia nitrogen (NH4(+)-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3(-) -N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO2(-) -N) in the surface, middle, and bottom layers of the bulk water were determined regularly within 22 days. The results show that: (1) the water depth and measuring date have significant effects on nutritional contents while the type of plant communities have no such an influence; (2) the diffusion of nutrient from surface to the middle water layers is relatively slow, which costs 6 days under the current experimental condition; (3) in the bottom water layer, nutritional concentrations had no significant changes except for NO2-N, thus the exogenous nutrient input mainly affects the nutrient contents of surface and middle-level bulk water; (4) DTP and NH4(+) -N contents gradually decline to similar levels that before the nutritional input event until the end of experimental period, though DTN and NO3(-) -N content decrease much more slowly; (5) the fact that NO2(-) -N contents rise in water layers of all depths demonstrates that nitrification and denitrification in the process of N circulation are enhanced. It is concluded that exogenous nutrient inputs not only harm aquatic ecosystems but also directly threat human health.

Antioxidant enzyme activities and hormonal status in response to Cd stress in the wetland halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica under saline conditions.

Salt marshes constitute major sinks for heavy metal accumulation but the precise impact of salinity on heavy metal toxicity for halophyte plant species remains largely unknown. Young seedlings of Kosteletzkya virginica were exposed during 3 weeks in nutrient solution to Cd 5 µM in the presence or absence of 50 mM NaCl. Cadmium (Cd) reduced growth and shoot water content and had major detrimental effect on maximum quantum efficiency (F(v) /F(m) ), effective quantum yield of photosystem II (Y(II)) and electron transport rates (ETRs). Cd induced an oxidative stress in relation to an increase in O(2) (•-) and H(2) O(2) concentration and lead to a decrease in endogenous glutathione (GSH) and α-tocopherol in the leaves. Cd not only increased leaf zeatin and zeatin riboside concentration but also increased the senescing compounds 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and abscisic acid (ABA). Salinity reduced Cd accumulation already after 1 week of stress but was unable to restore shoot growth and thus did not induce any dilution effect. Salinity delayed the Cd-induced leaf senescence: NaCl reduced the deleterious impact of Cd on photosynthesis apparatus through an improvement of F(v) /F(m) , Y(II) and ETR. Salt reduced oxidative stress in Cd-treated plants through an increase in GSH, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid synthesis and an increase in glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) activity. Additional salt reduced ACC and ABA accumulation in Cd+NaCl-treated leaves comparing to Cd alone. It is concluded that salinity affords efficient protection against Cd to the halophyte species K. virginica, in relation to an improved management of oxidative stress and hormonal status.

Mucilage and polysaccharides in the halophyte plant species Kosteletzkya virginica: localization and composition in relation to salt stress.

Mucilage is thought to play a role in salinity tolerance in certain halophytic species by regulating water ascent and ion transport. The localization and composition of mucilage in the halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica was therefore investigated. Plants were grown in a hydroponic system in the presence or absence of 100mM NaCl and regularly harvested for growth parameter assessment and mucilage analysis with the gas liquid chromatography method. NaCl treatment stimulated shoot growth and biomass accumulation, had little effect on shoot and root water content, and reduced leaf water potential (Psi(w)), osmotic potential (Psi(s)) as well as stomatal conductance (g(s)). Mucilage increased in shoot, stems and roots in response to salt stress. Furthermore, changes were also observed in neutral monosaccharide components. Levels of rhamnose and uronic acid increased with salinity. Staining with a 0.5% alcian blue solution revealed the presence of mucopolyssacharides in xylem vessels and salt-induced mucilaginous precipitates on the leaf abaxial surface. Determination of ion concentrations showed that a significant increase of Na(+) and a decrease of K(+) and Ca(2+) simultaneously occurred in tissues and in mucilage under salt stress. Considering the high proportion of rhamnose and uronic acid in stem mucilage, we suggest that the pectic polysaccharide could be involved in Na(+) fixation, though only a minor fraction of accumulated sodium appeared to be firmly bound to mucilage.