Successful secukinumab treatment of generalized pustular psoriasis.

Generalized pustular psoriasis is a rare variant of psoriasis. Evidence recommending generalized pustular psoriasis treatment with secukinumab is limited. This report aims to evaluate the use of secukinumab in two patients with generalized pustular psoriasis. The standard treatment regimen for secukinumab was as follows: 300mg subcutaneously once weekly in weeks 0-4, followed by 300mg every four weeks. The efficacy was evaluated by analyzing the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI). One patient had generalized pustular psoriasis, which had developed from palmoplantar pustulosis over 12 years. The second patient was an adolescent with recurrent generalized pustular psoriasis. The first patient achieved PASI-75 response by week 3 and both PASI-90 and a DLQI score of 0 were observed by week 8. The second patient achieved PASI-75 response by week 4 and complete clinical resolution, except for nail changes, and a DLQI of 0 by week 8, without any adverse events.

Evaluation of the Risk Prediction Tools for Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Wuhan, China: A Single-Centered, Retrospective, Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of National Early Warning Score, National Early Warning Score 2, Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, Confusion, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, Age 65 score, and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment on predicting in-hospital death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. DESIGN: A retrospective, observational study. SETTING: Single center, West Campus of Wuhan Union hospital-a temporary center to manage critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019. PATIENTS: A total of 673 consecutive adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 between January 30, 2020, and March 14, 2020. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data on demography, comorbidities, vital signs, mental status, oxygen saturation, and use of supplemental oxygen at admission to the ward were collected from medical records and used to score National Early Warning Score, National Early Warning Score 2, Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, Confusion, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, Age 65 score, and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment. Total number of patients was 673 (51% male) and median (interquartile range) age was 61 years (50-69 yr). One-hundred twenty-one patients died (18%). For predicting in-hospital death, the area under the receiver operating characteristics (95% CI) for National Early Warning Score, National Early Warning Score 2, Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, Confusion, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, Age 65 score, and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment were 0.882 (0.847-0.916), 0.880 (0.845-0.914), 0.839 (0.800-0.879), 0.766 (0.718-0.814), and 0.694 (0.641-0.746), respectively. Among the parameters of National Early Warning Score, the oxygen saturation score was found to be the most significant predictor of in-hospital death. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (95% CI) for oxygen saturation score was 0.875 (0.834-0.916). CONCLUSIONS: In this single-center study, the discrimination of National Early Warning Score/National Early Warning Score 2 for predicting mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 admitted to the ward was found to be superior to Rapid Emergency Medicine Score, Confusion, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, Age 65 score, and quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment. Peripheral oxygen saturation could independently predict in-hospital death in these patients. Further validation of our finding in multiple settings is needed to determine its applicability for coronavirus disease 2019.

[Relationship of population quality and nitrogen fertilizer utilization characteristics of direct seeding rice under water-nitrogen interaction]. / æ°´æ°®äº’ä½œä¸‹ç›´æ’­ç¨»ç¾¤ä½“è´¨é‡ä¸Žæ°®ç´ åˆ©ç”¨ç‰¹å¾çš„å ³ç³».

Understanding population quality and nitrogen utilization characteristics of direct seeding rice under water-nitrogen interaction could provide theoretical and practical basis for high yield and ample production of direct seeding rice. Hybrid rice F You 498 was used as the material. Three irrigation methods were set in this study: flooding irrigation (W1), dry-wet alternate irrigation (W2) and drying irrigation (W3), with different ratio of base fertilizer: tiller fertilizer: panicle fertilizer at 5:3:2 (N1), 3:3:4 (N2), 3:1:6 (N3), respectively. No nitrogen application (N0) was set as the control. We investigated the effects of water-nitrogen interaction on population quality and nitrogen utilization characteristics of direct seeding rice, with the aim to clarify the relationship between population quality construction, nitrogen utilization characteristics and yield of direct seeding rice. The results showed that irrigation and N rate significantly interacted to affect dry matter accumulation, rice harvest index, heading high-efficiency leaf (the upper three leaves) dry weight, light transmittance rate at maturity stage, total nitrogen accumulation (TNA), apparent nitrogen use efficiency (ANE), nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP), nitrogen physiology efficiency, and rice yield. Taking population quality, yield and N fertilizer utilization characteristics into consideration, suitable panicle N-fertilizer under each irrigation mode was 20%-40% (N1-N2). Panicle N-fertilizer reached 60% (N3) and W3 treatment would significantly reduce population quality, yield, nitrogen agronomy efficiency (NAE), NPFP of direct seeding rice. Yield and nitrogen utilization characteristics of direct seeding rice were significantly correlated with effective panicles, dry matter accumulation at maturity stage, other leaf (except the upper three leaves) dry weight reduction, total leaf dry weight reduction, and middle part and basel part light-receiving rate under water-nitrogen interaction. The dry-wet alternative (W2) treatment could increase the rate of production til-lers, dry matter accumulation, rice harvest index, TNA, NAE and rice yield. W2 combined with N2 could improve population quality of direct seeding rice and realized the coordination and unification of high yield and efficient utilization of nitrogen, which is the best combination in this experiment.

[Short-term Mechanism of Warming-induced Stability for Organic Carbon in the Karst Plateau Soil].

Elucidating the mechanisms of warming-induced stability for soil organic C is one of the keys for evaluating the tendency of soil C sources/sinks in projected global warming models. Organic C densities in soil, and soil physical and biochemical fractions, under different warming scenarios in the Karst Plateau were investigated following a 4-yr continuous warming using infrared radiators, via density fractionation and acid hydrolysis. Six treatments were arranged: no warming (ambient temp, CK); symmetric warming (ambient+2.0℃ full year); and lowly, moderately, highly, and extremely asymmetric warming (ambient+2.5℃/1.5℃, 3.0℃/1.0℃, 3.5℃/0.5℃, and 4.0℃/0℃ in winter-spring/summer-autumn seasons, respectively; LAW, MAW, HAW, and EAW). The moderately asymmetric warming was highly similar to a multi-year warming scenario in the study region. The results showed there were no significant differences in soil organic C densities in the surface layer (0-15 cm) among the warming treatments, with a range of 1.95 kg·m-2 to 2.02 kg·m-2, which is insignificantly different to the CK (1.94 kg·m-2). There were no significant differences in the C density of light and heavy fractions, and the recalcitrant heavy-fraction among the warming treatments, and between the warming and no warming treatments. The average recalcitrant C density of the light fraction in the warming treatments was 1.18 times higher than the CK, with a significantly higher recalcitrant C density of the light fraction in the symmetric warming, and lowly and moderately asymmetric warming treatments, compared to that of the CK. The recalcitrant C density and recalcitrant C index of the light fraction showed a tendency to decrease as the asymmetry of warming increased under the five warming scenarios. Warming had negligible effects on the organic C density in soil, and soil physical and biochemical fractions in the subsurface layer (15-30 cm). The results revealed that in the short-term, warming may increase the recalcitrance of non-protected C in the Karst Plateau soil. This is not necessarily an over- or underestimation of the effects of global warming on soil organic C density and the capacity of soil to protect C when subjected to symmetric warming, but may potentially overestimate the recalcitrance of organic C in the non-protected fraction of the surface layer (0-15 cm).

[Effects of Seasonal Asymmetric Warming on Soil CO2 Release in Karst Region].

Seasonal asymmetric warming is one of the distinguishing features of global warming. However, if this feature is not considered in studying the effects of global changes on terrestrial ecosystems, it might probably cause misunderstanding of these studies. The releasing features of soil CO2 in Karst regions under various warming scenarios were simulated following a four-year continuous warming period using infrared radiators. A total of six treatments was arranged:no warming (ambient temp, CK); symmetric warming (ambient plus 2.0℃ full year, SW); and, lowly, moderately, highly, and extremely asymmetric warming (ambient plus 2.5℃/1.5℃, 3.0℃/1.0℃, 3.5℃/0.5℃, and 4.0℃/0℃ in the winter-spring/summer-autumn seasons, respectively, LAW, MAW, HAW, and EAW). The results showed that compared to CK, soil CO2 efflux in all the warming plots significantly increased by 0.26 µmol·(m2·s)-1, or 17.41%. In the winter-spring seasons, soil CO2 efflux in the warming treatments increased by 0.23 µmol·(m2·s)-1. The Q10 values ranged from 1.53 to 3.24 with an average of 2.23 under the scenario of warming up by 2.0℃. The warming-induced contribution of CO2 efflux in the summer-autumn seasons (80%) was obviously higher than that in the winter-spring seasons (20%) in the SW treatment, whereas the mean contribution in the summer-autumn seasons (46%) was closer to that in the winter-spring seasons (54%) in the asymmetric warming treatments. Both soil CO2 efflux and Q10 showed a tendency towards decrease with the increase in the asymmetry of warming under the five warming scenarios. The soil CO2 efflux in the SW treatment was significantly (P<0.05) higher than those in the MAW, HAW, and EAW treatments. The Q10 values in the summer-autumn seasons was larger than those in the winter-spring seasons under each warming treatment or across all warming treatments, which was probably related to soil water content, soil microbe, dissolved inorganic carbon, and vegetation growth. The results revealed that it may potentially overestimate the effects of global warming on soil CO2 releasing subject to symmetric warming.

[Vegetation biomass allocation and its spatial distribution after 20 years ecological restoration in a dry-hot valley in Yuanmou, Yunnan Province of Southwest China].

By using layering harvest method, a comparative study was conducted on the biomass allocation and its spatial distribution of 20-year-old Eucalyptus camaldulensis plantation, Leucaena leucocephala plantation, and E. camaldulensis-L. leucocephala plantation in Yuanmou dry-hot valley of Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The stand biomass in the mixed E. camaldulensis-L. leucocephala plantation (82.99 t x hm(-2)) was between that of monoculture E. camaldulensis plantation (60.64 t x hm(-2)) and L. leucocephala plantation (127.79 t x hm(-2)). The individual tree biomass of E. camaldulensis in the mixed plantation (44.32 kg) was 49.8% higher than that in monoculture plantation (29.58 kg). The branch and leaf biomass of L. leucocephala (25.4%) in monoculture plantation was larger than that of E. camaldulensis (8.9%) in monoculture plantation, and the aboveground biomass distribution ratio (78.0%) of L. leucocephala (25.4%) was also higher than that of E. camaldulensis (73.4%). The roots of L. leucocephala in both monoculture and mixed plantations were mainly distributed in 0-40 cm soil layer, while those of E. camaldulensis in monoculture and mixed plantations were mainly found in 0-80 cm and 0-60 cm, respectively. The proportion of biomass allocated to roots including medium roots, small roots, and fine roots of L. leucocephala in mixed plantation was higher than that in monoculture plantation, but it was contrary for E. camaldulensis. It was suggested that introducing L. leucocephala in E. camaldulensis plantation promoted the growth of E. camaldulensis, especially for its aboveground biomass, and increased the amount of lateral roots in 0-20 cm soil layer, which had significance in soil and water conservation in the study area.

[Relationship between changes of herbaceous plants and Oncomelania hupensis snail distribution under walnut forest of inhibition of snails in mountainous regions of Yunnan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the changes of herbaceous plants and Oncomelania hupensis snail distribution under the walnut forest of inhibition of snails in mountainous regions of Yunnan Province. METHODS: The experimental field was established at Sanying Village of Eryuan County, Yunnan Province, where the "Flourishing Forest and Controlling Snails Project" was implemented. The different stand ages (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 years)of walnut forest in experimental groups were selected based on the method of space replacing time, and the non-stocked land was served as a control group. The growth of forest, change of snails, number, biomass, overcast, height of the herbaceous plant and the soil moisture were investigated. RESULTS: The crown closure of 6-year-old walnut forest of inhibition of snails was 0.65. There were 11 species of herbaceous plant belonging to 11 genera, 6 families in 10-year-old forest and its crown closure was 0.77. Compared with the control group, the numbers of families, genera, and species of the 10-year-old forest were decreased by 64.71%, 69.44%, and 77.08%, and the biomass, overcast, and height of it decreased by 12.63%, 19%, and 22.18%, respectively. The soil moisture content (0-20 cm) monthly changes were increased obviously with the increase of stand age. There were no snails besides the control group and 2-year-old walnut forest. Compare with the control group, the occurrence rate of frames with living snails in the 2-year-old walnut forest was decreased by 50%, which was 1.25%. The density of living snails was decreased by 60.16%. CONCLUSIONS: The construction of walnut forest of inhibition of snails in mountainous regions of Yunnan Province are suitable for controlling the growth of herbaceous plants and altering the environment of snails. If the coalescence intercropped with crops is carried out, it is not only beneficial to the construction of good ecological environment, but also improves the utilization efficiencies of land, light, and thermal resource, and the income of peasants.

[Effect of agroforestry model on inhibition of Oncomelania snails in plateau mountainous area of Yunnan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of agroforestry models on the inhibition of Oncomelania snails in the plateau mountainous area of Yunnan Province. METHODS: The experimental field was established at Sanying Village of Eryuan County, Yunnan Province, where the "Flourishing Forest and Controlling Snails Project" was implemented. Different drought crops (alfalfa, vegetables, broad bean, garlic, lettuce, celery, green onions, and wheat) were intercropped under walnut forest in experimental groups, and the crops were not intercropped under walnut forest in a control group. The growth of forest, the change of snails and short-term income of residents were investigated. RESULTS: Agroforestry models promoted the forestry growth and effectively inhibited the growth of snails. There was a little snail in one of the experimental group that forest was intercropped with alfalfa (the occurrence rate of frames with living snails was 3.33%, the average density of living snails was 0.004/0.1 m2, and the declining rates were both 50.00%). The snails were not found in other intercropped models. The income of residents in the experimental groups increased (900-6 800 Yuan per year) compared with that in the control group. CONCLUSION: The model of walnut forest intercropped with crops not only has the obvious effect on inhibition of snails, but also has good economic and ecological benefits in the plateau mountainous area of Yunnan Province.

[Role of nitric oxide in pathogenesis of cold nerve injury].

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of cold nerve injury and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: Cold nerve injury model was established in rat's sciatic nerve. Consistent and intermittent cooling of 4 degrees C for 2 hours were respectively applied to the sciatic nerves. Nerve samples were taken at different time points: immediately post-cooling and 4 h, 1 d & 3 d post-cooling. The group of aminoguanidine (AG) intervention was also established. Then NO levels in the nerves and blood serum were detected. Induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in ganglion was determined by immunohistochemistry. Morphology of cooled sciatic nerves in the AG groups (consistent & intermittent cooling AG groups) and control groups (1 d time point of consistent & intermittent cooling groups) was observed by light microscope and electron microscope. RESULTS: At the time points of immediacy, 4 h, 3 d in the consistent cooling groups and the time points of immediacy, 4 h, 1 d in the intermittent cooling groups, different incremental degrees of NO levels in the cooled nerves (0.146 +/- 0.047), (0.216 +/- 0.048), (0.137 +/- 0.035), (0.154 +/- 0.027), (0.260 +/- 0.027), (0.218 +/- 0.042) micromol/g as compared with those of controls (0.098 +/- 0.022), (0.158 +/- 0.030), (0.085 +/- 0.020), (0.127 +/- 0.016), (0.72 +/- 0.027), (0.174 +/- 0.026) micromol/g, P < 0.01, P < 0.05). And NO levels in the cooled nerves at the time points of 4 h, 1 d, 3 d in the intermittent cooling groups were higher than those in the consistent cooling groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). NO levels in blood serum at the time points of immediacy and 1 d in the intermittent cooling groups (4.98 +/- 1.33) micromol/L, (4.02 +/- 0.68) micromol/L were higher than those in the consistent cooling groups (2.47 +/- 0.36) micromol/L, (3.00 +/- 0.67) micromol/L, P < 0.01). Both in consistent cooling and intermittent cooling groups, different incremental degrees of areas and integrated optical density (IOD) of iNOS positive staining in ganglions were found in cooled side as compared with the control side at different time points (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P > 0.05), while those at the time point of immediacy in the intermittent cooling groups (131 686 +/- 24 549) , (4.1 +/- 0.13) x 10(9) were higher than those in the consistent cooling groups (78 558 +/- 34 849), (2.1 +/- 0.93) x 10(9), P < 0.05. NO level of cooled nerves in the intermittent cooling AG group (0.178 +/- 0.030) micromol/g was lower than those at the time point of 1 d in intermittent cooling groups (0.218 +/- 0.042) micromol/g, P < 0.05). Also a reduction of NO levels of blood serum, areas and IOD of iNOS positive staining was found in the AG groups as compared with the control groups (P < 0.05) while the reduction was more significantly found in the intermittent cooling AG group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Through light microscope and electron microscope, more severe pathological injury of cooled nerve was seen in the intermittent cooling group as compared with 1d time point of the consistent cooling groups, and a marked reduction of pathological injury was found when AG was administered. It was also more significant in the intermittent cooling AG group. CONCLUSION: NO plays a causative role in the pathogenesis of cold nerve injury, especially in intermittent cold nerve injury. The expression of iNOS is the main source of NO. Production of free radicals and the resulting toxic injury may be its main mechanism.