Dynamics of Microbial Community Structure, Function and Assembly Mechanism with Increasing Stand Age of Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) Plantations in Houtian Sandy Area, South China.

Establishing slash pine plantations is the primary method for restoring sandification land in the Houtian area of South China. However, the microbial variation pattern with increasing stand age remains unclear. In this study, we investigated microbial community structure and function in bare sandy land and four stand age gradients, exploring ecological processes that determine their assembly. We did not observe a significant increase in the absolute abundance of bacteria or fungi with stand age. Bacterial communities were dominated by Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria; the relative abundance of Chloroflexi significantly declined while Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria significantly increased with stand age. Fungal communities showed succession at the genus level, with Pisolithus most abundant in soils of younger stands (1- and 6-year-old). Turnover of fungal communities was primarily driven by stochastic processes; both deterministic and stochastic processes influenced the assembly of bacterial communities, with the relative importance of stochastic processes gradually increasing with stand age. Bacterial and fungal communities showed the strongest correlation with the diameter at breast height, followed by soil available phosphorus and water content. Notably, there was a significant increase in the relative abundance of functional groups involved in nitrogen fixation and uptake as stand age increased. Overall, this study highlights the important effects of slash pine stand age on microbial communities in sandy lands and suggests attention to the nitrogen and phosphorus requirements of slash pine plantations in the later stages of sandy management.

Laparoscopic VS. Open splenectomy and oesophagogastric devascularisation for liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We compared laparoscopic splenectomy combined with oesophagogastric devascularisation vs. open splenectomy combined with oesophagogastric devascularisation in patients with portal hypertension secondary to liver cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 192 patients diagnosed with portal hypertension and severe gastroesophageal varices at our hospital between January 2002 and December 2018; 62 patients underwent laparoscopic splenectomy combined with oesophagogastric devascularisation (laparoscopic group), and 130 patients underwent the open procedure (open group). The results and outcomes were compared retrospectively. RESULTS: The median blood loss was significantly less in the laparoscopic group than in the open group (180 vs. 380 mL, P < 0.001). The length of hospitalisation was shorter (6 vs. 11 days, P < 0.001) and the complication rate was lower in the laparoscopic group (P < 0.001). The general complication rates were 23.8% and 4.8% (P < 0.001), and the surgical complication rates were 56.1% and 24.2% (P < 0.001) in the open and laparoscopic groups, respectively. During a postoperative follow-up period of 10-60 months, the incidence of oesophagogastric variceal rebleeding showed no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic splenectomy combined with oesophagogastric devascularisation is technically feasible and safe in selected patients. Compared with the open group, the laparoscopic group showed a less volume of blood loss, shorter length of hospitalisation, and fewer postoperative complications but similar long-term outcomes.

[Construction of Tn5 transposon insertion mutants of Ralstonia solanacearum isolated from Pogostemon cablin].

Ralstonia solanacearum strain PRS-84 used in this study was isolated from diseased Pogostemon cablin plants in our previous study.The competent cells of R.solanacearum strain PRS-84 were transformed by electroporation with Tn5 transposon and then were plated on TTC agar plates containing kanamycin to select for kanamycin-resistant colonies.The detection of kanamycin-resistant gene in kanamycin-resistant colonies was performed by PCR.Further,the flanking fragments of Tn5 transposon insertion site in the mutants were amplified by inverse PCR,and the flanking fragments were sequenced and analyzed.The results indicated that the kanamycin-resistant colonies were obtained in the transformation experiment of R.solanacearum strain PRS-84 by electroporation with Tn5 transposon.A specific band of approximately 700 bp was amplified by PCR from kanamycin-resistant colonies.The flanking sequences of Tn5 transposon insertion site in the transformants were obtained by inverse PCR.After sequencing and sequence analysis of Tn5 transposon insertion site in mutants,we preliminarily speculated that the Tn5 transposon inserted in the typ A gene,rec O gene and gid A gene in three mutants,respectively.A random mutagenesis system of R.solanacearum strain PRS-84 by electroporation with Tn5 transposon has been established,and the Tn5 insertion mutants have been obtained.This study might facilitate the creation of mutant library and the discovery of the virulence gene of R.solanacearum isolated from P.cablin.

Laparoscopic hepatectomy versus open hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in 157 patients: A case controlled study with propensity score matching at two Chinese centres.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcomes and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) versus open hepatectomy (OH) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) between well-matched patient groups. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data from 1535 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent liver resection between January 2002 and December 2016 at two Chinese centres. Propensity score matching of patients in a ratio of 1:1 was conducted and 157 patients were matched. RESULTS: The median blood loss (150 vs 380 ml, P < 0.001) was significantly less with LH. The laparoscopic group had shorter hospital stay (6 vs 10 days, P < 0.001) and less complication rate (6.4% vs 24.2%,P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in overall survival and disease-free survival between LH and OH. There were no significant differences in perioperative and long-term outcomes. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic hepatectomy is technically feasible and safe in selected patients. LH showed similar long-term outcomes, associated with less blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and fewer postoperative complications in selected patients with HCC compared with OH.

Treatment choice by patients with obstructive sleep apnea: data from two centers in China.

BACKGROUND: Standard management has been recommended for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by several guidelines, but patient choice in the practical setting is unclear. METHODS: A survey nested in two prospective cohort studies of OSA (enrollment: 2001-2010) in China. The last interview was conducted between July 2014 and May 2015, using a comprehensive 10-point questionnaire administered in a face-to-face or telephone interview, and assessed (I) whether the participant had received any OSA treatment; (II) why he or she had decided for or against treatment; (III) what treatment was received; (IV) whether the participant used continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or OA daily; and (V) the perceived efficacy of therapy. RESULTS: A total of 4,097 subjects with a mean age of 45 years [37-55] responded to this survey, with a response rate of 79.4% (4,097/5,160); 2,779 subjects (67.8%) did not receive any treatment: 1,485 (53.4%) believed that their condition was not serious, despite severe OSA in 53.7% of the patients. A multivariate regression showed that the decision to receive treatment was associated with: age between 45-59 years [odds ratio (OR) 0.805, 95% CI: 0.691-0.936; P<0.001], female gender (OR 0.492, 95% CI: 0.383-0.631; P<0.001), severe OSA (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.01-3.64; P<0.001), hypertension (OR 1.414, 95% CI: 1.209-1.654; P<0.001) and diabetes (OR 1.760, 95% CI: 1.043-2.972; P=0.034). In subjects receiving treatment (n=1,318), 50.9% reported negative perceptions about the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two thirds of Chinese patients choose not to receive treatment after OSA diagnosis, and nearly half are negative about their treatments for OSA. This requires clinical attention, and warrants further study in different geographic settings.

Induction of defense-related enzymes in patchouli inoculated with virulent Ralstonia solanacearum

Background: Defense-related anti-oxidative response is a vital defense mechanism of plants against pathogen invasion. Ralstonia solanacearum is an important phytopathogen. Bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum is the most destructive disease and causes severe losses in patchouli, an important aromatic and medicinal plant in Southeast Asia. The present study evaluated the defense response of patchouli inoculated with virulent R. solanacearum. Results: Results showed that the basic enzymatic activities differed not only between the leaves and stems but also between the upper and lower parts of the same organ of patchouli. POD, SOD, PPO, and PAL enzymatic activities were significantly elevated in leaves and stems from patchouli inoculated with R. solanacearum compared to those in control. The variation magnitude and rate of POD, PPO, and PAL activities were more obvious than those of SOD in patchouli inoculated with R. solanacearum. PAGE isoenzymatic analysis showed that there were one new POD band and two new SOD bands elicited, and at least two isoformic POD bands and two SOD bands were observably intensified compared to the corresponding control. Conclusion: Our results suggest that not only defense-related enzymatic activities were elevated but also the new isoenzymatic isoforms were induced in patchouli inoculated with R. solanacearum.

[Application of a self-made steel wire guide in the treatment of avulsion fractures of tibial posterior cruciate ligament].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of a self-made guiding needle of steel wire in guiding the wire through the tibial tunnel for the treatment of avulsion fractures of tibial posterior cruciate ligament with open reduction and wire fixation. METHODS: From February 2011 to June 2014, a total of 22 patients with avulsion fractures of tibial posterior cruciate ligament underwent surgical treatments were analyzed, including 14 males and 8 females with an average age of 35.6 years old (ranged, 17 to 63 years old). According to Meyers classification, 9 patients were classified as type II, 13 patients were classified as type III. All the patients underwent open reduction and wire fixation with medial knee "L" shape approach. A wire guiding needle was used to guide the wire through the tibial tunnel during operation. RESULTS: With the assistance of wire guidance needles, wires passed through the tibial tunnel rapidly during the operation in all the 22 patients. All the patients were followed up, X-ray imagings 6 months after operation showed the fractures healed well. The average follow-up time in all patients was 6 months (ranged, 6 to 12 months). The averaged Lysholm knee score in 22 knee was 92.7 +/- 3.4. All patients' posterior drawer test were negative. CONCLUSION: Self-made wire guiding needle can simplify the operation procedures in which the wires pass through the tibial tunnel, shorten the operation time, reduce the surgical trauma and complications, and be worthy of clinical application.

[Synthesis and catalytic-isomerization performance of Al-MCM-41 mesoporous sieves].

Al-MCM-41 mesoporous sieves were synthesized at the ambient temperature by using TEOS as silica source, Al(NO)3 x 9H2O as Al source, and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide as templating agent. The framework and surface structures of the synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, N2-adsorption/desorption isotherms, FTIR and SEM etc. The results showed that the samples were the typical Al-MCM-41 mesoporous sieves with the higher ordered-degree and specific surface area (up to 816 m2 x g(-1)) and the narrower pore diameter distribution. Controlling the highest value of Al/Si with the range of 0.06-0.13, and taking temperature programmed calcination would be beneficial to the formation of the highly ordered Al-MCM-41 mesoporous sieves. The evaluating results showed that the synthesized Al-MCM-41 molecular sieves have a higher catalytic activity for isomerization of endo-tetrahydrodicyclo-pentadiene (endo-TCD) into exo-tetrahydrodicyclo-pentadiene (exo-TCD) and adamantane.