Benefits, costs, and livelihood implications of a regional payment for ecosystem service program.

Despite broad interest in using payment for ecosystem services to promote changes in the use of natural capital, there are few expost assessments of impacts of payment for ecosystem services programs on ecosystem service provision, program cost, and changes in livelihoods resulting from program participation. In this paper, we evaluate the Paddy Land-to-Dry Land (PLDL) program in Beijing, China, and associated changes in service providers' livelihood activities. The PLDL is a land use conversion program that aims to protect water quality and quantity for the only surface water reservoir that serves Beijing, China's capital city with nearly 20 million residents. Our analysis integrates hydrologic data with household survey data and shows that the PLDL generates benefits of improved water quantity and quality that exceed the costs of reduced agricultural output. The PLDL has an overall benefit-cost ratio of 1.5, and both downstream beneficiaries and upstream providers gain from the program. Household data show that changes in livelihood activities may offset some of the desired effects of the program through increased expenditures on agricultural fertilizers. Overall, however, reductions in fertilizer leaching from land use change dominate so that the program still has a positive net impact on water quality. This program is a successful example of water users paying upstream landholders to improve water quantity and quality through land use change. Program evaluation also highlights the importance of considering behavioral changes by program participants.

Curcumin Synergizes with Cisplatin to Inhibit Colon Cancer through Targeting the MicroRNA-137-Glutaminase Axis.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent malignancies world-wide. Currently, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are clinically applied as common approaches for CRC patients. Cisplatin is one of the most frequently used chemotherapy drugs for diverse cancers. Although chemotherapeutic strategies have improved the prognosis and survival of cancer patients, development of cisplatin resistance has led to cancer recurrence. Curcumin, isolated from turmeric, has been used as an effective anti-cancer agent. However, the molecular mechanisms for curcumin-mediated cisplatin sensitivity of CRC have not been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin treatment on cisplatin-resistant CRC cells. METHODS: Expression levels of miRNAs and mRNAs were determined by qRT-PCR. Protein expression levels were detected by Western blotting. Cell responses to curcumin treatments were evaluated by MTT assay, Clonogenic assay and Annexin V apoptosis assay. The glutamine metabolism of colon cancer cells was assessed by glutamine uptake and glutaminase (GLS) activity. The binding of miR-137 on 3' UTR of GLS was validated by Western blotting and luciferase assay. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that curcumin significantly synergized with cisplatin (combination index <1) to suppress proliferation of colon cancer cells compared with curcumin or cisplatin alone. Moreover, from the established cisplatin-resistant cell line (HT-29), glutamine metabolism was remarkedly elevated in cisplatin-resistant CRC cells that displayed a glutamine addictive phenotype. Furthermore, curcumin treatments attenuated glutamine metabolism in colon cancer cells. Under low glutamine supply, colon cancer cells showed less sensitivity to curcumin. Using a microRNA (miRNA) microArray assay, miR-137, a tumor suppressor in colon cancer, was significantly induced by curcumin treatments in CRC cells. Bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase assay illustrated miR-137 directly targeted the 3' UTR of GLS mRNA. Rescue experiments demonstrated that miR-137-induced cisplatin sensitization was through targeting of GLS. Finally, curcumin treatment overcame cisplatin resistance through miR-137-mediated glutamine inhibition. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these results indicate that curcumin could be clinically applied as an anti-chemoresistance approach against CRC by modulating miR-137-inhibited glutamine metabolism.

Regional differences and the driving mechanism of relationships between rural household livelihood and ecosystem services:A case study in upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir, China.

It is of great significance to link ecosystem and rural household welfare, with the aim to develop different strategies of rural household livelihood management and regional sustainable deve-lopment. Based on 1754 questionnaires of rural households in Beijing and Hebei within the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir, we analyzed the relationships between rural household welfare (defined by total income per rural household) and ecosystem reliance (expressed by an index of dependence on ecosystem services) by statistical and econometric methods. The relationships between rural household welfare and ecosystem reliance could be classified into four types, but with significant differences between Beijing and Hebei within the watershed. The rural household type of high welfare and low dependence had the highest proportion (33.9%) in Beijing. The average annual income and livelihood capitals of rural households in Beijing was significantly higher than that of Hebei Province. In Hebei Province, the dominant type was low welfare and high dependency (39.1%) that was the least popular one. The quality of human capital quality, social capital, and financial capital, which were crucial to human well-being, were significantly lower than that of Beijing households. The income of rural households in Hebei mainly depended on agricultural production (41.2%), which led to higher land utilization intensity. The natural resource and human capital quality significantly influenced rural household livelihood in Hebei. Maintaining suitable family size and age structure, improving education and skill levels, and strengthening payment for ecosystem services within low welfare households would be the key to form a good relationship between ecosystems and household welfare (the type of high welfare and low dependency).

5-(4-Hy-droxy-3-meth-oxy-benz-yl)-1,3-thia-zolidine-2,4-dione monohydrate.

In the title compound, C(11)H(11)NO(4)S·H(2)O, the five-membered thia-zolidine ring is nearly planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.010 (2) Å. The dihedral angle between the thia-zolidine and benzene rings is 49.16 (9)°. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding is present in the crystal structure.

Telithromycin versus clarithromycin for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics, such as macrolides, is complicating the management of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Telithromycin, a ketolide antimicrobial structurally related to macrolides, is approved for the treatment of community-acquired RTIs, and shows lower pathogen resistance rates. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of telithromycin with clarithromycin, a macrolide routinely used as therapy for RTIs. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of relevant randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) identified in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI and VIP databases. The primary efficacy outcome was clinical treatment success assessed at the test-of-cure time in the per-protocol population, and the primary safety outcome was drug related adverse effects. RESULTS: Seven RCTs, involving 2845 patients with RTIs, were included in the meta-analysis. Oral telithromycin and clarithromycin showed a similar clinical treatment success in modified intention to treat and per-protocol population (cure and improvement) (odds ratios (ORs): 0.84, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.64 - 1.11 and OR: 1.14, 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85, respectively). Similar findings were obtained for secondary efficacy outcomes: clinical treatment success at a late post-therapy visit (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.57 - 1.48) and microbiological treatment success at the test-of-cure time (OR: 1.14; 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85). The safety outcome analysis indicated telithromycin had a similar risk of drug-related adverse effect and serious adverse effect with clarithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that oral telithromycin and clarithromycin have similar treatment efficacy and adverse effect. The advantages of lower antimicrobial resistance rates, once-daily short-duration dosing and reported lower health-care costs make oral telithromycin a useful option for the empiric management of mild-to-moderate RTIs.