Assessment of the combined vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves in Shandong Province in summer from 2000 to 2018.

Droughts and heat waves exhibit synergistic effects and are among the world's most costly disasters. To explore the spatiotemporal differences and formation mechanisms of the combined vulnerability to droughts and heat waves in Shandong Province over the past 20 years, a vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD) model with three dimensions-exposure, sensitivity, and adaptability-was constructed to assess and compare the combined vulnerability to high-temperature and drought events, considering economic and social conditions. The results showed that (1) over the past 20 years, heat waves and droughts have increased in Shandong Province. The number of high-temperature events significantly increased in the west and decreased along the eastern coast, and drought change was characterized by an increase in the south and a decrease in the north. (2) The combined exposure to summer droughts and heat waves in Shandong Province showed a significant increasing trend (P < 0.05) at a rate of approximately 0.072/10a; the combined sensitivity significantly decreased (P < 0.05) at a rate of approximately 0.137/10a, and the combined adaptability continued to increase at a rate of approximately 0.481/10a. (3) The combined vulnerability to summer droughts and heat waves in the western inland area of Shandong Province was high and gradually decreased toward the southeastern coast. The overall decrease trend was nonsignificant with a decrease of approximately 0.126/10a, and the decline rate decreased from northwest to southeast, in which Laiwu, Yantai, Jinan, and Zibo cities exhibited a significant decreasing trend (P < 0.05). Although the compound vulnerability of Shandong Province has decreased insignificantly, the frequency of combined drought and heat wave events has increased, and the combined vulnerability will increase in the future.

Decreasing trends of mean and extreme snowfall in High Mountain Asia.

Intense warming profoundly alters precipitation phase patterns and intensity in High Mountain Asia (HMA). While snowfall climatology and precipitation extremes have been studied, there is a lack of understanding of snowfall extremes within HMA. Here, we investigate the spatial and temporal variability of non-extreme and extreme snowfall in hydrological years 1979-2020 using multi-source meteorological data, compare weather systems during extreme and non-extreme snowfall events, and identify key circulation factors that influence fluctuations in mean annual snowfall and extreme snowfall. The snowfall amount (-0.13 d/mm), days (-0.56 d/a), and fraction (-0.0012) were significantly reduced in HMA, with a shorter snowfall season (-0.52 d/a). Some extreme snowfall metrics (maximum 1-day snowfall and maximum 3-day snowfall) were insensitive to climate change, whereas the maximum consecutive snowfall days (-0.007 d/a), snowfall amount (-0.0023 mm/a), heavy snowfall days (S95pD; 0.0087 d/a), and extremely heavy snowfall days (S99pD; -0.1019 d/a) showed significant decreases. Synthetic analyses show that extreme snowfall events were more likely to occur within a narrow temperature range (-5 °C to 3 °C) with higher relative humidity and precipitation compared to non-extreme events. A stepwise regression method was used to determine that the fluctuation in the average annual snowfall was closely related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, whereas the variation in extreme snowfall was mainly influenced by the Southern Oscillation Index. Our research provides a reference for assessing the potential impacts of climate change on a regional scale for risk management and disaster adaptation.

Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Approach for Third Ventriculostomy in the Management of Obstructive Hydrocephalus.

ABSTRACT: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is a safe and effective method for the management of obstructive hydrocephalus. Traditional approach is a transfrontal trajectory through the foramen of Monro to access and open the third ventricle floor. Though endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach (EETA) for pituitary and skull base tumors has become increasingly popular, no published literature has explored its utility in performing an ETV. Here, the authors reported a successful ETV for obstructive hydrocephalus through the EETA. A 57-year-old male presenting with progressive headache and gait disturbance for 3 months was diagnosed with obstructive hydrocephalus. Brain MRI revealed an obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow at the cerebral aqueduct and supratentorial hydrocephalus, accompanied with dilatation and downward herniation of the third ventricle floor. Considering the displacement of the third ventricle floor and the indication for surgery, an ETV was successfully performed through the EETA. No postoperative complication was observed. Both radiological and clinical evaluation postoperatively confirmed ETV success with decreased ventricular size, increased CSF flow across the floor of the third ventricle, and improved clinical signs. EETA is a feasible approach for ETV in selected cases of obstructive hydrocephalus. This approach provides a short trajectory to directly visualize and open the Liliequist's membrane and the displaced floor of the third ventricle, while minimizes damage to normal brain tissue. Skull base repair with nasoseptal flap ensures the success rate by preventing postoperative CSF leak and infection.

Recent fall Eurasian cooling linked to North Pacific sea surface temperatures and a strengthening Siberian high.

Winter Eurasian cooling after the mid-1990s has been verified by numerous studies, although in recent decades, the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have been rapidly warming globally. Because the cooling is not uniform at different spatial and temporal scales, over time, this change may not truly reflect the nature of climate fluctuations. Here, by using three types of data (reanalysis, weather station, and remote sensing image data) to assess variations in Eurasian seasonal cooling, we examine the causes of these changes. During a 30-year climatology (1989-2018), we show that a significant (P < 0.05) abrupt change in the autumn Eurasian air temperature trend occurred in 2003. Our results suggest that from 2004-2018, the autumn Eurasian temperature reveals a significant cooling trend (P < 0.05). We demonstrate that the autumn cooling in Eurasia is likely influenced by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Siberian high (SH). Since 2004, the strengthening of the PDO and SH explains approximately 54% and 18% of the autumn cooling in Eurasia, respectively. We also find that the cooling in autumn is stronger than that in winter.

Quantitative assessment of the ecological effects of land use/cover change in the arid region of Northwest China.

In light of ongoing changes in how humans interact with the environment, it is of great importance to quantitatively assess the impact of land use and cover change (LUCC) on ecosystems. Using a variety of methods, we analyzed land-use patterns and ecosystem service values (ESV) in 1990, 2000, and 2010; normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from 1982 to 2010 in the arid region of Northwest China; and quantitatively assessed the effects of LUCC on changes in NDVI and ESV. The results indicate the following: (1) From 1990 to 2010, the rate of increase in the amount of cropland and urban land was highest at 19.13% and 18.25%, respectively, followed by the rate for water cover (5.10%) and forest land (3.55%), while grassland experienced a reduction of 2.25%. (2) From 1990 to 2010, the total ESV increased by 1.82%. Changes in the amount of water cover and cropland were responsible for an increase in ESV of 1.42% and 1.10%, respectively, while the change in the amount of grassland was responsible for a decrease of 1.09%. Based on this, it seems likely that climate variability is a substantial cause of change in ESV. (3) From 1982 to 2010, NDVI showed an overall increase, first increasing significantly between 1982 and 2002 and then decreasing somewhat from 2002 to 2010. From 1990 to 2010, the contribution rate of LUCC to change in total NDVI was 26.74%, indicating that the contribution rate of climate variability to NDVI change was up to 73.26%. Therefore, over those 20 years, climate warming and humidification had an important impact on the development of ecosystems in the arid region of Northwest China.

[Analysis of prognostic factors for survival in elderly patients with glioma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prognostic factors for survival in elderly patients with glioma.
 Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of prognostic factors for elderly patients with glioma, who were treated by the same attending doctor during June 2014 and June 2016, to investigate the correlations of the age, dimension of pathology, histological grade, extent of resection, adjuvant therapy, preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, postoperative KPS score, molecular markers [isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH-1), O6-methylguanine DNA-transferase (MGMT), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Ki-67] with the prognosis.
 Results: A total of 45 patients were included in the study. The median overall survival (OS) was 11 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6 months. Univariate analysis revealed that the age, gender, dimension of pathology, histological grade and preoperative KPS score had no significant correlation with survival (P>0.05). The gross total resection, higher postoperative KPS score, adjuvant therapy, lower Ki-67 index were significantly correlated with survival. The expressions of MGMT and EGFR were significant factors for survival. High postoperative KPS score (P=0.019), adjuvant therapy (P=0.024), and the expression of MGMT (P=0.026) were independent predictors for increased median OS in a multivariate regression model.
 Conclusion: The extent of resection, adjuvant therapy, postoperative KPS score and molecular markers are the influential factors for survival. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Improvement of health related quality of life in patients with recurrent glioma treated with bevacizumab plus daily temozolomide as the salvage therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Bevacizumab (BEV) plus daily temozolomide (TMZ) as a salvage therapy have been recommended to recurrent glioma. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of the combined regimen on health related quality of life (HRQL) and treatment response in patients with recurrent glioma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with recurrent glioma were treated with BEV (5-10 mg/kg, i.v. every 2 weeks) plus daily TMZ (daily, 50 mg/m2). The treatment response was evaluated via the RANO criteria. HRQL were measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire core 30 (QLQ-C30) and Brain Module (QLQ-BN20). RESULTS: Twenty patients received a total of 85 cycles of BEV with a median number of 4 cycles (range: 2-10). No patients showed complete response (CR) to treatment. Twelve patients had partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) in 5 patients with, and 3 patients showed progressive disease (PD). In the functioning domains of QLQ-C30, physical functioning, cognitive functioning and emotional functioning significantly improved after the second cycle of BEV compared to baseline, with the mean score of 45.0 vs. 64.0 (p = 0.020), 55.8 vs. 71.7 (p = 0.020) and 48.3 vs. 67.5 (p = 0.015), respectively. In the symptom scales, the scores of pain and nausea/vomiting significantly decreased compared to baseline from the mean score of 39.1 to 20.0 (p = 0.020) and 29.2 to 16.7 (p = 0.049), respectively. Score of global health status also increased from 47.5 to 63.3 (p = 0.001). As determined with the QLQ-BN20, motor dysfunction (43.3 vs. 25.0, p = 0.021), weakness of legs (36.7 vs. 18.3, p = 0.049), headache (38.3 vs. 20.0, p = 0.040), and drowsiness (50.0 vs. 30.0, p = 0.026) after the second cycle of BEV also significantly improved compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: BEV plus daily TMZ as a salvage therapy improved HRQL in patients with recurrent glioma.

Quantifying the effects of LUCCs on local temperatures, precipitation, and wind using the WRF model.

Land use/cover changes (LUCCs) are an important cause of regional climate changes, but the contribution of LUCCs to regional climate changes is not clear. In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and statistical methods were used to investigate changes in meteorologic variables in January, April, July, and October 2013 due to local LUCCs from 1990 to 2010 in southern Shandong province, China. The results indicate that the WRF model simulates temperatures in the region well, with high correlation coefficients (0.86-0.97, p < 0.001) between the modeled and measured values. The model simulates precipitation less well, with correlation coefficients of 0.41-0.91, but they are all at statistically significant levels, with p < 0.05. During the 20-year period, the LUCCs in the study area consisted mainly of conversions from dry land to urbanized land (747.3 km2) and bare/sparse vegetation (132.4 km2). The LUCCs caused a 0.16 °C temperature increase in January and October and 0.01 and 0.18 °C temperature decreases in April and July, respectively. The range of temperature changes over mixed forest and water bodies due to the LUCCs was wide (0.39-1.31 °C) and was narrower over deciduous broadleaf forest and wetland (0.01 to 0.06 °C). The LUCCs did not change the precipitation greatly in January, April, and October but did affect the precipitation in July substantially, causing a decrease of 23.71 mm. The LUCCs did not affect wind speed and direction substantially during these four months: average wind speeds increased by 0.02 and 0.01 m/s in January and October, respectively, and decreased by 0.02 and 0.05 m/s in April and July, respectively. Overall, The LUCCs affected spring temperatures the least and summer precipitation the most.

Quercetin nanoparticles induced autophagy and apoptosis through AKT/ERK/Caspase-3 signaling pathway in human neuroglioma cells: In vitro and in vivo.

Neuroglioma is a complex neuroglial tumor involving dysregulation of many biological pathways at multiple levels. Quercetin is a potent cancer therapeutic agent presented in fruit and vegetables, preventing tumor proliferation, and is a well known cancer therapeutic agent and autophagy mediator. Recent studies showed that drug delivery by nanoparticles have enhanced efficacy with reduced side effects. In this regard, gold-quercetin into poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles was examined. In the present study, quercetin nanoparticle induced cell autophagy and apoptosis in human neuroglioma cell was investigated. Quercetin nanoparticle administrated to animals displayed suppressed role in tumor growth. The cell viability was deterined through CCK8 assay. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to observe the formation of autophagosome. The cell apoptosis was assessed by annexin V-PI staining. The protein expression of cell autophagy regulators and tumor suppressors were analyzed via western blot and RT-PCR. Treatment of human neuroglioma cell with quercetin nanoparticle induced cell death in a dose-and time-dependent manner. The flow cytometry results showed that the proportion of the apoptosis cells had gained after quercetin nanoparticle treatment compared to untreatment group. Moreover, the expression of activated PI3K/AKT and Bcl-2 were down-regulated upon quercetin nanoparticle treatment in human neuroglioma cells. The expression level of LC3 and ERK as well as cytoplasm p53, cleaved Caspase-3 and PARP was positively correlated with the concentration of quercetin nanoparticle. In addition, p-mTOR and GAIP were obviously down-regulated by quercetin nanoparticle treatment in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicated that quercetin nanoparticle could induce autophagy and apoptosis in human neuroglioma cells, the underlying molecular mechanisms, at least partly, through activation LC3/ERK/Caspase-3 and suppression AKT/mTOR signaling.

The nonlinear variation of drought and its relation to atmospheric circulation in Shandong Province, East China.

Considerable attention has recently been devoted to the linear trend of drought at the decadal to inter-decadal time scale; however, the nonlinear variation of drought at multi-decadal scales and its relation to atmospheric circulation need to be further studied. The linear and nonlinear variations of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) in Shandong from 1900 to 2012 and its relations to the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Siberian high (SH) and Southern Oscillation (SO) phase changes from multi-scale are detected using linear regression, the Mann-Kendall test, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and the Pearson correlation analysis method. The results indicate that the PDSI shows no statistically significant linear change trend from 1900 to 2012; however, before (after) the late 1950s, PDSI shows a significant upward (downward) trend (P < 0.01) with a linear rate of 0.28/decade (-0.48/decade). From 1900 to 2012, the PDSI also exhibits a nonlinear variation trend at the inter-annual scale (quasi-3 and quasi-7-year), inter-decadal scale (quasi-14-year) and multi-decadal scale (quasi-46 and quasi-65-year). The variance contribution rate of components from the inter-annual scale is the largest, reaching 38.7%, and that from the inter-decadal scale and multi-decadal scale are 18.9% and 19.0%, respectively, indicating that the inter-annual change exerts a huge influence on the overall PDSI change. The results also imply that the effect of the four atmospheric circulations (PDO, ENSO, SH, SO) on PDSI at the multi-decadal variability scale are more important than that at the other scales. Consequently, we state that PDSI variation at the inter-annual scale has more instability, while that at the inter-decadal and multi-decadal scale is more strongly influenced by natural factors.

Prognostic significance of CD147 in patients with glioblastoma.

CD147, also known as extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer, is a widely distributed cell surface glycoprotein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily. CD147 has been proved to be enriched on the surface of many tumor cells, promoting tumor growth, invasion and metastasis by its stimulation effect on adjacent fibroblasts to produce matrix metalloproteinases. In this study, we aimed to explore the expression pattern of CD147 in glioblastoma (GBM) and investigate whether it could be used to assess subsequent prognosis of patients. For that, we recruited a total of 206 patients with pathologically confirmed GBM and 36 normal control brain tissue specimens. The expression of CD147 in GBM and normal tissues was investigated by immunohistochemistry assay. Genetic factors including MGMT and IDH1 mutation were also investigated to justify the prognostic significance of CD147. Results showed that CD147 expression was increased in GBM compared with that in normal tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that increased CD147 expression was associated with poor overall survival of patients with GBM. Moreover, Cox's proportional hazards model revealed that CD147 expression was an independent and significant prognostic marker of overall survival in GBM patients. These results proved that CD147 expression was relatively abundant in GBM and can be potentially used to predict prognosis and treatment response in GBM patients.

[Phosphorus characteristics in rhizosphere soil of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Pinus massoniana and their mixed plantations].

In 2007-2010, a comparative study was conducted on the phosphorus characteristics in the rhizosphere soil of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Pinus massoniana and C. lanceolata-P. massoniana mixed plantations in a forest farm in Nanping City of Fujian Province, East China. In the rhizosphere soil of pure C. lanceolata and P. massoniana plantations, the content of available P was higher than that in non-rhizosphere soil. As compared with non-rhizosphere soil, the rhizophere soil in the three plantations had lower pH and O-P content but higher Al-P and Fe-P contents, and its P adsorption capacity was lower while the P desorption rate and desorbed P were in adverse. In the rhizophere soil of pure P. massoniana plantation, the contents of available P, Fe-P, and Al-P, their desorption rates, and desorption capacity were higher, but the O-P content and the adsorbed P were lower, as compared with those in the rhizophere soil of pure C. lanceolata plantation. In the mixed plantation, the P activation in rhizophere soil was further improved, being more obvious under C. lanceolata, which suggested that mixed plantation of C. lanceolata and P. massoniana could promote the phosphorus nutrition of C. lanceolata.

[The response characteristics of TM image reflectance to the arid region of soil moisture].

The response characteristics of TM image to the soil moisture in the Tarim River are the research object. Selected the image spectrum (R), spectrum reciprocal (1/R), the logarithm of reciprocal spectrum lg(1/R) and removal normalized difference vegetation index (R(c)) of four spectral index were selected to establish the soil moisture content prediction model, the variance test was used to validate the model significance, the model accuracy level was divided by the posterior variance examination. The results showed that: the model accuracy of the logarithm of reciprocal spectrum lg(1/R) prediction of soil moisture is the highest, and achieved a good level for the monitoring of soil moisture content (0 - 30 cm). The model accuracy of the spectral (R) and spectral reciprocal (1/R) prediction of soil moisture is lower than logarithm of reciprocal spectrum with only the individual layers (0-30, 0-50 cm, etc.) reaching the qualified level or narrouly qualified level. The model accuracy of the removal normalized difference vegetation index (R(c)) prediction of soil moisture is the lowest. Besides, the best prediction depth of every model is the depth of 0-30 cm, and if the soil depth is too deep or too shallow, the prediction accuracy will decrease.