The influence of extensive green roofs on rainwater runoff quality: a field-scale study in southwest China.

Green roofs of young age (≤ 5 years old) have boomed in China since the Sponge City Construction initiative was implemented. To use green roofs for better urban stormwater management, it is necessary to investigate the runoff quality of field-scale young green roofs as well as to examine common plant-media combination in green roof projects of China. The influence of two Sedum-vegetated extensive green roofs of different designs at the early stage of operation on runoff water quality was investigated by a field-scale study in Chengdu, southwest China. The water quality parameters of pH, suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN) of rainwater (that is, input water for roofs), runoff from the two green roofs, and runoff from a conventional concrete control roof were compared. The results indicate that both green roofs mainly act as pollutant sources with greater concentrations of SS, COD, and TP when compared with rainwater quality. When compared with runoff quality from the control roof, greater TP concentrations in runoff from one green roof with commercially available substrate were observed. Attention should be paid to TP leaching in runoff for retrofitted green roofs with imported commercial substrates in that region. Adoption of pre-cultivated S. lineare mats of low fertility and localized soils may reduce nutrient leaching in green roof runoff. A nitrogen-rich substrate is not recommended for a plant community of a single species. Investigation of the effect of green roofs on water quality involving various pollutants in the long run is recommended.

Baicalin inhibits the TGF-ß1/p-Smad3 pathway to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition-induced metastasis in breast cancer.

TGF-ß1 is an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-inducing factor that is critical in tumor progression. However, whether the effect of TGF-ß1 on breast cancer is through the EMT pathway remains to be determined, and drug development based on this mechanism needs to be improved. Results of this study showed that TGF-ß1 dysregulation significantly correlated with the expression levels of EMT-associated markers and transcriptional factors. Exogenous expression of TGF-ß1 promoted breast cancer cell metastasis and EMT progression. In addition, direct binding of baicalin to TGF-ß1 caused its inactivation, which subsequently blocked signal transduction and inhibited breast cancer cell metastasis. In vivo experiment results further invalidated the inhibitory effect of baicalin on TGF-ß1-induced tumor metastasis. These results suggest that baicalin, an active ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine, exhibits a potential therapeutic effect on breast cancer metastasis by regulating TGF-ß1-dependent EMT progression.

[Distribution characteristics of common syndrome types and syndrome elements extracted by experts' experience in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the distribution characteristics of common syndrome types and syndrome elements of menopause syndrome in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women on the basis of standardized syndrome differentiation extracted by experts' experiences. METHODS: A total of 1 582 outpatients with menopause syndrome who met with the diagnosis and inclusion criteria in seven grade 3 hospitals from October 2006 to June 2007 were included. A clinical epidemiological survey in the patients was carried out. The syndrome elements of disease location and characteristics were extracted and analyzed statistically by standardizing the syndrome differentiation of experts' experience in traditional Chinese medicine. RESULTS: There were 105 syndrome types after initial standardization, and the common syndrome types were kidney yin deficiency, deficiency of liver and kidney yin, stagnation of liver qi, and deficiency of both kidney yin and yang. Six syndrome elements of the disease location were extracted, among which the common elements were kidney, liver, spleen and heart. Seventeen syndrome elements of the disease characteristics were extracted, among which the common elements were yin deficiency, qi stagnation, qi deficiency, yang deficiency and deficiency. Syndrome types of stagnation of liver qi, deficiency of spleen and kidney, and qi stagnation were more frequently diagnosed during perimenopausal period, while the syndrome type of kidney yin deficiency was more frequently diagnosed during postmenopausal period, and the kidney was the main disease location. The distribution characteristics of the other syndrome types and elements were similar during the two periods. CONCLUSION: The syndrome type distribution in women with menopause syndrome is complex, while the syndrome element distribution is simple. Generally, the syndrome type and syndrome element distributions during perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods are similar, but there are significant differences in some syndrome types and syndrome elements between the two periods. All of these can give support for revealing the distribution rule of the common syndrome types and syndrome elements and give a theoretical basis for clinical treatment of menopause syndrome.

Investigation of the emotional network in depression after stroke: A study of multivariate Granger causality analysis of fMRI data.

OBJECTIVE: Depression after stroke (DAS) is a serious complication of stroke that significantly restricts rehabilitation. Brain imaging technology is an important method for studying the emotional network of DAS. However, few studies have focused on dynamic interactions within the network. The aim of this study was to investigate the emotional network of frontal lobe DAS using the multivariate Granger causality analysis (GCA) method, a technique that can estimate the association among the brain areas to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from DAS and no depression after stroke (NDAS). METHOD: Thirty-six first-time ischemic right frontal lobe stroke patients underwent resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans. The clinical assessment scale used for screening subjects was as follows: the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-24), the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Barthel Index (BI). The multivariate GCA method was used to analyze fMRI data collected from DAS and NDAS. RESULTS: The results showed positive regulations in the order from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the amygdala (AMYG) to the thalamus, and when the interaction order is opposite, the moderating effect is negative. The thalamus could predict the negative activity of the insular (IC) via the ACC. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could predict the activity of the ACC via the temporal pole (TP). CONCLUSION: This study found a VMPFC-ACC-AMYG-thalamus emotional circuit to explain the network between different brain regions associated with DAS. The DLPFC and TP play an important role in the emotional regulation of DAS, and the function of the IC is regulated negatively by the thalamus. These findings advance the neural theory of DAS, which is based on the functional relationship between different brain areas.

[Effect of Penqiangyan Granule on the immune function of patients with chronic pelvic inflammatory disease of blood-stasis and Shen-deficiency syndrome type].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Penqiangyan Granule (PG) on the immunity of patients with chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) of blood stasis and Shen-deficiency syndrome (BSSDS) type. METHODS: Sixty patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the treatment group treated with PG and the control group with Penyanjing Granule, 30 cases in each group. The treatment course was 4 weeks for both groups. The clinical efficacy, plasma levels of CD4 and CD8, and the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the total effective rate in the treatment group and the control group was 96.7% and 63.3% respectively with significant difference between groups (P < 0.05); in the treatment group the plasma CD4, CD4/CD8 and serum IL-2 increased obviously, while the plasma CD8 and serum TNF-alpha decreased markedly (P < 0.05), all were significantly different with those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PG can improve the immune function and alleviate inflammation in CPID patients of BSSDS type.

Efficacy of olopatadine hydrochloride 0.1%, emedastine difumarate 0.05%, and loteprednol etabonate 0.5% for Chinese children with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis: a randomized vehicle-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Allergic conjunctivitis (AC) is a disease of various agents that affects the physical and mental health of children. Although the most effective therapy has not been found so far, it is essential to explore the considerable therapeutic method. We compared the clinical efficacy of olopatadine, emedastine, loteprednol etabonate (LE), and vehicle for treating seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC) in Chinese children. METHODS: Eighty cases of 160 eyes aged from 5 to 10 years with SAC were available and those subjects were randomly distributed into 4 groups. Both their eyes received olopatadine hydrochloride 0.1% twice a day, emedastine difumarate 0.05% twice a day, or LE 0.5% 4 times a day, respectively, whereas those of the control group received artificial tears (AT) 0.5% 3 times a day. This study was conducted successfully and the observations were collected before treatment and on day 8 (±1 day) and day 15 (±2 days) afterward. The principal measurement of efficacy was focused on the signs and symptoms of the subjects, evaluated before and after treatment, in addition to visual acuity (VA) and fundus oculi. RESULTS: On day 8 (±1 day) and day 15 (±2 days), all the antiallergic agents were found to be more effective than vehicle (p < 0.05) in terms of all the symptoms and signs. However, there was no statistical significance (p ≥ 0.05) shown among the treatment groups. There were no evident changes in VA and no clinically significant changes were observed in fundus oculi. CONCLUSION: After the treatment, the efficacy presented a similar distribution among the trial groups.

The Effect of the Degree of Astigmatism on Optical Quality in Children.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of the degree of astigmatism on optical quality in children. The important objective evaluation parameters we focus on include the RMS of the high-order aberrations, MTF, and PSF. METHODS: The children, age ranging from 7 to 10 years old, underwent an optometry examination. Fifty-nine children who met the inclusion criteria were divided into three groups: A (1.0 D ≤ astigmatism < 2.0 D), B (2.0 D ≤ astigmatism < 3.0 D), and C (3.0 D ≤ astigmatism < 4.0 D). The OPD-SCAN-III aberrometer was used to measure PSF, MTF, and other optical parameters. Total higher-order aberrations, total coma aberrations, total spherical aberrations, and total trefoil aberrations corresponding to the RMS value, the AR value of MTF, and the SR value of PSF with a 4 mm pupil diameter were assessed. RESULTS: RMS-HO, RMS-T.Coma, RMS-T.Tre, and RMS-T.Sph in the three groups were significantly increased with increasing the degree of astigmatism, while there were no significant differences in RMS-T.Sph between the groups. The AR value and the SR value decreased with increasing degree of astigmatism, and there were significant differences in the AR value and the SR value. CONCLUSION: Astigmatism has a significant influence on the higher-order aberrations, MTF, and PSF in the children. The effect of astigmatism value on the optical quality is mainly reflected in the change in these three parameters.

Genetic analysis of an elite super-hybrid rice parent using high-density SNP markers.

BACKGROUND: With an increasing world population and a gradual decline in the amount of arable land, food security remains a global challenge. Continued increases in rice yield will be required to break through the barriers to grain output. In order to transition from hybrid rice to super-hybrid rice, breeding demands cannot be addressed through traditional heterosis. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate high yield loci from other rice genetic groups and to scientifically utilize intersubspecific heterosis in breeding lines. In this study, 781 lines from a segregating F2 population constructed by crossing the indica variety, "Giant Spike Rice" R1128 as trait donor with the japonica cultivar 'Nipponbare', were re-sequenced using high-throughout multiplexed shotgun genotyping (MSG) technology. In combination with high-density single nucleotide polymorphisms, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genetic effect analysis were performed for five yield factors (spikelet number per panicle, primary branches per panicle, secondary branches per panicle, plant height, and panicle length) to explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the formation of the giant panicle of R1128. Also, they were preformed to locate new high-yielding rice genetic intervals, providing data for super-high-yielding rice breeding. RESULTS: QTL mapping and genetic effect analysis for five yield factors in the population gave the following results: 49 QTLs for the five yield factors were distributed on 11 of 12 chromosomes. The super-hybrid line R1128 carries multiple major genes for good traits, including Sd1 for plant height, Hd1 and Ehd1 for heading date, Gn1a for spikelet number and IPA1 for ideal plant shape. These genes accounted for 44.3%, 21.9%, 6.2%, 12.9% and 10.6% of the phenotypic variation in the individual traits. Six novel QTLs, qph1-2, qph9-1, qpl12-1, qgn3-1, qgn11-1and qsbn11-1 are reported here for the first time. CONCLUSIONS: High-throughout sequencing technology makes it convenient to study rice genomics and makes the QTL/gene mapping direct, efficient, and more reliable. The genetic regions discovered in this study will be valuable for breeding in rice varieties because of the diverse genetic backgrounds of the rice.

Up-regulation of Fas/FasL activation contribute to the apoptosis enhancement of RU486 by Gong-Qing Decoction, a traditional Chinese prescription.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To elucidate the mechanisms of Gong Qing Decoction(GQD) on human trephocytes and decidual cells in vivo based upon the effective practice of alleviating uterine bleeding in RU486 medical abortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 90 intrauterine pregnancy women within 7 weeks, presenting for elective termination of pregnancy, were divided into the GQD-RU486 group, the RU486 group and the vacuum aspiration group. Duration of uterine bleeding was recorded and volume of uterine bleeding was measured by the method of alkaline hematin photometric. Ultramicrostructure of trephocytes and decidual cells were observed with transmission electron microscope (TEM), and apoptosis rate (AR) was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. At the same time, immunohistochemical staining was performed and integral optical density was analyzed to evaluate the protein expression of Fas, FasL, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 in both trephocytes and decidual cells preliminarily. RESULTS: In comparison with the RU486 group and the vacuum aspiration group, both the duration and volume of uterine bleeding decreased significantly in the GQD-RU486 group. At the same time, both trephocytes and decidual cells in the GQD-RU486 group showed typical character of apoptotic ultramicrostructure and displayed up-regulated apoptosis rate. Synchronously, the integral optical density showed increased protein expression of Fas, FasL, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 in both trephocytes and decidual cells in the GQD-RU486 group compared with other groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that GQD can alleviate uterine bleeding effectively in RU486 medical abortion by way of apoptosis induction. The apoptosis enhancement of RU486 by GQD may be attributable to the activation of Fas and FasL.