Relationship between net primary productivity and stand age in typical plantation forests in China.

Plantation forests play an important role in carbon sink in terrestrial ecosystems. Based on tree rings of five main plantation tree species (Robinia pseudoacacia, Quercus variabilis, Cunninghamia lanceolata, Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, and Pinus tabuliformis) at 25 sites in China, we calculated the average annual NPP of standard trees in each study area by the biomass equations and extended to the stand scale. The relationships between NPP and stand age were fitted by the InTEC and Law models. The results showed that NPP of R. pseu-doacacia, C. lanceolata, and P. tabuliformis plantations increased to a peak and then leveling off with stand age, while that of Q. variabilis and P. sylvestris var. mongolica plantations reached a peak and then showed a decreasing trend. The inflection points of NPP-stand age curve for different planatations was 11 years for P. sylvestris var. mongolica, 14 years for C. lanceolata, 16 years for P. tabuliformis, and 20 years for R. pseudoacacia. The NPP peak was 6.65, 7.58, 4.70 and 2.59 t·hm-2·a-1, respectively. Both the InTEC and Law NPP-stand age models had high fitting accuracy at a large scale, with the lowest R2 of 0.95 and RMSE of 0.55 t·hm-2·a-1 for the P. sylvestris var. mongolica InTEC model and the highest R2 of 0.99 and RMSE of 0.26 t·hm-2·a-1 for the C. lanceolata InTEC model. The construction of NPP-stand age relationship for major plantations in China provided mechanistic support for the estimation of carbon sinks in plantations at long time scales and provided a reference for the diversification of afforestation tree species selection.

Spatial-temporal variations of forest and grassland phenology in the Yellow River Basin during 2000-2018.

The study of vegetation phenology is of great significance for understanding global climate change. The Yellow River basin has a wide spatial range and a complex ecological environment. The phenological characteristics of forest and grassland need further clarification. Based on the MODIS-EVI data from 2000 to 2018, we extracted the phenology of forest and grassland in the Yellow River basin using piecewise logistic and double logistic phenological models with the corresponding curvature change extremum method and derivative method, respectively. The temporal and spatial variations of phenological parameters were analyzed. The start of growing season (SOS) was at 90-165 day of year (DOY), and gradually delayed from southeast to northwest. The increase of 100 m elevation delayed SOS 0.94 d, and the SOS of forest was earlier than that of grassland. The end of growing season (EOS) was at 270-315 DOY, which delayed from west to southeast. For every 100 m increase in altitude, the EOS advanced 0.63 d, with EOS of forest being later than that of grassland. The length of growing season (LOS) was 110-230 d, which shortened gradually from southeast to northwest. The LOS of forest was larger than that of grassland. During the study, SOS showed an advance trend from 2000 to 2018 with a rate of 4.1 d·(10 a)-1, and the proportion of spatial advance area was 73.2%. There was an obvious advance in the central part of the basin. EOS generally showed a significant postponement trend with a rate of 2.3 d·(10 a)-1, and the proportion of spatially delayed area was 63.4%, the phenological advance and delay of forest was less stronger than that of grassland. LOS showed a significant prolongation trend with a rate of 6.4 d·(10 a)-1, and the proportion of spatial extension was 71.8%. The piecewise Logistic and double Logistic phenological models and the corresponding curvature extremum method and derivative method were suitable for the extraction of natural vegetation in the Yellow River Basin. The overall LOS of forest and grassland showed a prolonging trend, which was shortened with the increases of altitude. The LOS of forest was longer than that of grassland in the study area.

Temperature sensitivity of leaf flushing in 12 common woody species in eastern China.

Leaf phenology is one of the most reliable indicators of global warming in temperate regions because it is highly sensitive to temperatures. Temperature sensitivity (ST) is defined as the values of changed days of leaf flushing date (LUD) per degree increase in temperatures. Climate warming substantially advanced LUD in the temperate region, but its effect on ST of LUD is still not clear. We used spring phenological records of 12 woody plants in eastern China in the years of 1983-2014 to explore temporal and spatial changes of LUD and ST. Furthermore, we compared the difference of ST and preseason temperatures in two periods (1983-1997 and 2000-2014), and explored the main factors regulating ST. The results showed that the average LUD significantly advanced (-2.7 days per decade). The mean LUD over the period 1983-2014 was in day of the year (DOY) 87 ± 7 across sites and species for the early leaf flushing species (EFS), and mean DOY 102 ± 5 for the late leaf flushing species (LFS). LUD was earlier in low latitude than that in high latitude. ST of Armeniaca vulgaris was the most sensitive to temperature across all sites (-3.66 d °C-1), while Firmiana simplex was the most insensitive (-2.37 d °C-1). LUD of EFS was more sensitive to temperature warming than that of LFS. At the same site, LUD of EFS would advance more obviously than that of LFS under global warming. For all species, ST decreased significantly with shorter preseason length and warmer temperatures at the preseason end. Our results had demonstrated a strong relationship between ST and the preseason length (mean temperature at the preseason end).

Effect of diffuse fraction on gross primary productivity and light use efficiency in a warm-temperate mixed plantation.

Diffuse radiation (I f) is one of important variables determining photosynthetic rate and carbon uptake of forest ecosystems. However, the responses of gross primary productivity (GPP) and light use efficiency (LUE) to diffuse fraction (DF) are still poorly understood. We used a 6-year dataset of carbon flux at a warm-temperate mixed plantation site in North China to explore the impacts of DF on GPP and LUE. During 2011-2017, ecosystem apparent quantum yield (α) and photosynthesis at photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of 1800 µmol m-2 s-1 (P 1800) on cloudy days were 63% and 17% higher than on clear days, respectively. Under lower vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (T a) conditions, canopy photosynthesis was significantly higher on cloudy skies than on clear skies. On half-hourly scale, increased DF enhanced α and P 1800. Daily GPP peaked at a median DF (=0.5), while daily LUE significantly increased with DF (p<0.01). Both GPP and LUE were mainly controlled directly by DF and PAR. DF had an indirect effect on LUE and GPP mainly through PAR. At high DF levels (>0.5), the increase in LUE did not make GPP enhancement. The direct effect of DF on GPP and LUE under lower T a and VPD was more sensitive than under higher T a and VPD. When DF was incorporated into the Michaelis-Menten model, it performed well in the GPP estimation, and the determination coefficient increased by 32.61% and the root mean square error decreased by 25.74%. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating DF into carbon sequestration estimation in North China.

Complement system-related genes in stomach adenocarcinoma: Prognostic signature, immune landscape, and drug resistance.

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, and its survival predictors are critical for precision medicine but have not been fully investigated. The complement system is a complex multistep cascade at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity, which augments the function of antibodies and phagocytes. This study aimed to construct and validate a CSRG signature based on TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) STAD dataset and revalidated it in an external GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) STAD cohort. Subsequently, we assessed the association of risk levels with the stromal and immune cell infiltration level in STAD using the ESTIMATE, single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA), and Microenvironment Cell Populations-counter (MCP-counter) algorithm. It was found that the CSRG signature, based on three genes (SERPINE1, PROC, and CFHR3), was significantly and independently associated with the OS in TCGA STAD patients (p < 0.001). Subsequently, we found that the high-risk STAD harbors more immune cell infiltration than the low-risk group, and the ESTIMATE results indicated that there exists a more stromal component in the tumor microenvironment of the high-risk groups. Compared to the low-risk group, the high-risk STAD patients had higher expressions of marker genes for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and showed higher sensitivity to the chemotherapy agents (rapamycin, nilotinib, 5-fluorouracil, axitinib, DMOG, and JNK inhibitor VIII). The prognostic value of the CSRGs was further validated by nomogram plots, which revealed that it was superior to tumor TNM and pathologic stage. Finally, the three expression levels were evaluated in GES-1, HGC27, and AGS cells by qRT-PCR.

Multiple Mechanisms of Shenqi Pill in Treating Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking.

Background: Shenqi pill (SQP), a traditional Chinese prescription, has proven to be effective in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, its bioactive ingredients and underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Aim: We aimed to predict the active compounds, potential targets, and molecular mechanisms of SQP anti-NAFLD by applying network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. Methods: Active ingredients and related targets of SQP were obtained from the TCMSP database. Potential targets of NAFLD were acquired from OMIM and GeneCards databases. The STRING database and Cytoscape software analyzed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and core targets of overlapping genes between SQP and NAFLD. GO enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed in the DAVID database. Finally, molecular docking was employed to find possible binding conformations of macromolecular targets. Results: 15 anti-NAFLD bioactive ingredients and 99 anti-NAFLD potential targets of SQP were determined using Network pharmacology. Quercetin, kaempferol, stigmasterol, diosgenin, and tetrahydroalstonine were the major active ingredients and AKT1, TNF, MAPK8, IL-6, and VEGFA were the key target proteins against NAFLD. The KEGG analysis suggested that the main pathways included PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, HIF-1 signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway. Molecular docking predicted that quercetin, kaempferol, stigmasterol, diosgenin, and tetrahydroalstonine could bind with AKT1, TNF, and MAPK8. Conclusion: This study successfully predicts the active compounds, potential targets, and signaling pathways of SQP against NAFLD. Moreover, this study contributed to the application and development of SQP.

Microbial Community, Newly Sequestered Soil Organic Carbon, and δ15N Variations Driven by Tree Roots.

Rhizosphere microbes in forests are key elements of the carbon sequestration of terrestrial ecosystems. To date, little is known about how the diversity and species interactions of the active rhizomicrobial community change during soil carbon sequestration and what interactions drive these changes. In this study, we used a combination of DNA and stable isotope method to explore correlations between the composition of microbial communities, N transformation, and the sequestration de novo of carbon in soils around Pinus tabuliformis and Quercus variabilis roots in North China. Rhizosphere soils from degraded lands, primary stage land (tree roots had colonized in degraded soil for 1 year), and nature forest were sampled for analyses. The results showed that microbial communities and newly sequestered soil organic carbon (SOC) contents changed with different tree species, environments, and successive stages. The fungal unweighted and weighted UniFrac distances could better show the different microbial species structures and differences in successive stages. Newly sequestered SOC was positively correlated with the bacterial order Rhizobiales (in P. tabuliformis forests), the fungal order Russulales (in Q. variabilis forests), and δ15N. Consequently, the bacterial order Rhizobiales acted as an important taxa for P. tabuliformis root-driven carbon sequestration, and the fungal order Russulales acted as an important taxa for Q. variabilis root-driven carbon sequestration. The two plant species allocated root exudates to different portion of their root systems, which in turn altered microbial community composition and function. The δ15N of soil organic matter could be an important indicator to estimate root-driven carbon sequestration.

Brønsted-Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of 3-Alkoxy and 3-Sulfamido Indanones via a Tandem Cyclization.

Brønsted-acid-catalyzed allylic substitution reactions of the in situ generated 3-hydroxy indanones with alcohols and sulfamides were investigated, which provided a facile route for the synthesis of a large variety of 3-alkoxy and 3-sulfamido indanones. The key intermediates, 3-hydroxy indanones, were obtained through the intramolecular Meyer-Schuster rearrangement of o-propargyl alcohol benzaldehydes. The resulting 3-benzyloxy indanone could be selectively modified by allylic sulfonamidation and reduction reactions.

How to evaluate the adequacy of staging for nodal-negative epithelial ovarian cancer? Use of nodal staging score.

OBJECTIVE: No guideline has been provided to assess the minimal number of lymph nodes (LNs) that should be dissected for accurate staging in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The aim of the study was to develop a nodal staging score (NSS) as an index to assess whether a pathologic (p)N0 EOC patient is indeed free of a nodal disease. METHODS: A total of 16,361 EOC patients staged I-III between 2004 and 2013 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result database. With a ß-binomial model, NSS was calculated to assess the probability of true-negative findings of LN status. RESULTS: With an increased number of LNs examined, the probability of missing a nodal disease decreased and varied among different pT stages. Given 1 LN examined, an NSS of 93.76% calculated could ensure a high adequacy of nodal-negative classification for pT1N0 EOC patients. For pT2N0 patients, 5 LNs examined could guarantee an NSS of 90% for adequate staging. Likewise, 11 and 29 LNs examined in pT3N0 patients could maintain NSS at the level of 80% and 90%, respectively. Our study suggested the optimal number of LNs that could be examined and stratified by the pT stages for EOC patients based on this statistical model derived from large pathologic data of clinical surgery patients. CONCLUSION: NSS, as an auxiliary tool, not only could assist the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging more precisely, but also would provide a statistical basis for postoperative evaluation for further clinical decision-making.

Light use efficiency of a warm-temperate mixed plantation in north China.

Light use efficiency (LUE) is one of the important parameters on calculating terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP). Based on 5-year (2006-2010) carbon flux and climatic variable data of a mixed plantation in north China, the seasonal and interannual variation of LUE was investigated and the biophysical controls were examined. Our results show that LUE had a distinct seasonal course, and peaked in the vigorous growing season with a value of 0.92-1.27 g C MJ-1. During the period of 2006-2010, annual mean LUE ranged between 0.54 and 0.62 g C MJ-1, and it was linearly correlated with annual GPP. In the growing season, LUE was significantly linked with the water availability variables (including monthly mean vapor pressure deficit (VPD), precipitation, evaporative fraction (EF), and the ratio of precipitation to evapotranspiration (P/ET)) and canopy conductance (g c). However, EF was a better estimator of LUE compared with other biophysical variables. LUE decreased with an increase of the clearness index (CI), indicating that LUE was higher under cloudy sky conditions than that under sunny sky conditions in the mixed plantation.

Environmental controls of evapotranspiration in a mixed plantation in North China.

The mixed plantation plays an important role in the water cycle in the hilly area of North China. To evaluate the effect of afforestation on the water balance in this region, the temporal variation of evapotranspiration (ET) and environmental controls were investigated based on the eddy flux measurement of water vapor in a 31-year-old mixed plantation from 2006 to 2010. During 5 years, annual ET ranged from 513 to 680 mm, with an average of 579 mm. Growing season ET accounted for 72-82 % of annual ET during the 5-year period and its interannual variation was determined by the number of rainy days. In the non-growing and growing seasons, monthly ET was primarily dependent on monthly mean soil water content and monthly mean net radiation, respectively. Annual mean Priestley-Taylor coefficient (α) was 0.64, and the decoupling factor (Ω) was 0.48. High values of α and Ω implied that ET was energy limited in the growing seasons of 2006-2010. The mean annual ratio of ET to precipitation (ET/P) was 1.10. The density of the mixed plantation was around 50 % higher than the optimal value determined by local water capacity, leading to a large ET/P ratio. The dense plantation needs to be thinned to prevent excessive water loss in the hilly area of North China.

Treatment of experimental non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by targeting α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated inflammatory responses in mice.

Non­alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common types of liver disease, affecting up to 30% of the general population worldwide. Non­alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a severe form of NAFLD without any effective therapies available. The present study showed that activation of α7­nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) may be a novel potential strategy for NASH therapy. Treatment with the α7 nAChR agonist nicotine for three weeks obviously attenuated hepatic steatosis in a high-fat diet­induced mouse model of NASH. Investigation of the underlying mechanism showed that nicotine reduced the secretion of the pro­inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6 in vitro and in vivo. Inflammation is an integral part of NASH and is the most prevalent form of hepatic pathology found in the general population; therefore, the effect of α7 nAChR activation against NASH may be ascribed to its anti­inflammatory effects. In addition, the present study showed that nicotine­stimulated α7 nAChR activation led to a significant downregulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NK­κB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). It therefore appeared that activation of α7 nAChR suppressed the production of pro­inflammatory cytokines through NK­κB and ERK pathways. In conclusion, the present study indicated that targeting α7 nAChR may represent a novel treatment strategy for NASH.

The impact of precipitation regimes on forest fires in Yunnan Province, southwest China.

The amount, frequency, and duration of precipitation have important impact on the occurrence and severity of forest fires. To fully understand the effects of precipitation regimes on forest fires, a drought index was developed with number of consecutive dry days (daily precipitation less than 2 mm) and total precipitation, and the relationships of drought and precipitation with fire activities were investigated over two periods (i.e., 1982-1988 and 1989-2008) in five ecoregions of Yunnan Province. The results showed that precipitation regime had a significant relationship with fire activities during the two periods. However, the influence of the drought on fire activities varied by ecoregions, with more impacts in drier ecoregions IV-V and less impacts in the more humid ecoregions I-III. The drought was more closely related to fire activities than precipitation during the two study periods, especially in the drier ecoregions, indicating that the frequency and the duration of precipitation had significant influences on forest fires in the drier areas. Drought appears to offer a better explanation than total precipitation on temporal changes in fire regimes across the five ecoregions in Yunnan. Our findings have significant implications for forecasting the local fire dangers under the future climate change.

Effects of pig manure containing copper and zinc on microbial community assessed via phospholipids in soils.

Pig manure (PM) is widely used as an organic fertilizer to increase yields of crops. Excessive application of compost containing relatively great concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) can change soil quality. To clarify the effects of different rates of application and to determine the optimal rate of fertilization, PM containing 1,115 mg Cu kg(-1), dry mass (dm) and 1,497 mg Zn kg(-1), dm was applied to alkaline soil at rates of 0, 11, 22, 44, 88, and 222 g PM kg(-1), dm. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were used to assess soil microbial community composition. Application of PM resulted in greater concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), NH4 (+)-N, NO3 (-)-N, total carbon (TC), soil organic matter (SOM) but lesser pH values. Soils with application rates of 88-222 g PM kg(-1), dm had concentrations of total and EDTA-extractable Cu and Zn significantly greater than those in soil without PM, and concentrations of T-Cu and T-Zn in these amended soils exceeded maximum limits set by standards in china. Except in the soil with a rate of 11 g PM kg(-1), dm, total bacterial and fungal PLFAs were directly proportional to rate of application of PM. Biomasses of bacteria and fungi were significantly greater in soils with application rates of 44-222 g PM kg(-1), dm than in the soil without PM. SOM, TC and EDTA-Zn had the most direct influence on soil microbial communities. To improve fertility of soils and maintain quality of soil, rate of application should be 22-44 g PM kg(-1) dm, soil containing Cu and Zn.

Biophysical controls on light response of net CO2 exchange in a winter wheat field in the North China Plain.

To investigate the impacts of biophysical factors on light response of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), CO2 flux was measured using the eddy covariance technique in a winter wheat field in the North China Plain from 2003 to 2006. A rectangular hyperbolic function was used to describe NEE light response. Maximum photosynthetic capacity (P max) was 46.6 ± 4.0 µmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) and initial light use efficiency (α) 0.059 ± 0.006 µmol µmol(-1) in April-May, two or three times as high as those in March. Stepwise multiple linear regressions showed that P max increased with the increase in leaf area index (LAI), canopy conductance (g c) and air temperature (T a) but declined with increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD) (P<0.001). The factors influencing P max were sorted as LAI, g c, T a and VPD. α was proportional to ln(LAI), g c, T a and VPD (P<0.001). The effects of LAI, g c and T a on α were larger than that of VPD. When T a>25°C or VPD>1.1-1.3 kPa, NEE residual increased with the increase in T a and VPD (P<0.001), indicating that temperature and water stress occurred. When g c was more than 14 mm s(-1) in March and May and 26 mm s(-1) in April, the NEE residuals decline disappeared, or even turned into an increase in g c (P<0.01), implying shifts from stomatal limitation to non-stomatal limitation on NEE. Although the differences between sunny and cloudy sky conditions were unremarkable for light response parameters, simulated net CO2 uptake under the same radiation intensity averaged 18% higher in cloudy days than in sunny days during the year 2003-2006. It is necessary to include these effects in relevant carbon cycle models to improve our estimation of carbon balance at regional and global scales.

Altered fecal microbiota composition associated with food allergy in infants.

Increasing evidence suggests that perturbations in the intestinal microbiota composition of infants are implicated in the pathogenesis of food allergy (FA), while the actual structure and composition of the intestinal microbiota in human beings with FA remain unclear. Microbial diversity and composition were analyzed with parallel barcoded 454 pyrosequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene hypervariable V1-V3 regions in the feces of 34 infants with FA (17 IgE mediated and 17 non-IgE mediated) and 45 healthy controls. Here, we showed that several key FA-associated bacterial phylotypes, but not the overall microbiota diversity, significantly changed in infancy fecal microbiota with FA and were associated with the development of FA. The proportion of abundant Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria phyla were significantly reduced, while the Firmicutes phylum was highly enriched in the FA group (P < 0.05). Abundant Clostridiaceae 1 organisms were prevalent in infants with FA at the family level (P = 0.016). FA-enriched phylotypes negatively correlated with interleukin-10, for example, the genera Enterococcus and Staphylococcus. Despite profound interindividual variability, levels of 20 predominant genera were significantly different between the FA and healthy control groups (P < 0.05). Infants with IgE-mediated FA had increased levels of Clostridium sensu stricto and Anaerobacter and decreased levels of Bacteroides and Clostridium XVIII (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between Clostridium sensu stricto and serum-specific IgE (R = 0.655, P < 0.001). The specific microbiota signature could distinguish infants with IgE-mediated FA from non-IgE-mediated ones. Detailed microbiota analysis of a well-characterized cohort of infants with FA showed that dysbiosis of fecal microbiota with several FA-associated key phylotypes may play a pathogenic role in FA.

Associations between vaginal pathogenic community and bacterial vaginosis in Chinese reproductive-age women.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common urogenital infections among women of reproductive age that represents shifts in microbiota from Lactobacillus spp. to diverse anaerobes. The aim of our study was to evalute the diagnostic values of Gardnerella, Atopobium, Eggerthella, Megasphaera typeI, Leptotrichia/Sneathia and Prevotella, defined as a vaginal pathogenic community for BV and their associations with vaginal pH and Nugent scores. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We investigated the vaginal pathogenic bacteria and Lactobacillus spp. with species-specific real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in 50 BV-positive and 50 BV-negative Chinese women of reproductive age. Relative to BV-negative subjects, a siginificant decline in Lactobacillus and an obvious increase in bacteria in the vaginal pathogenic community were observed in BV-postive subjects (P<0.05). With the exception of Megasphaera typeI, other vaginal pathogenic bacteria were highly predictable for BV with a better sensitivity and specificity. The vaginal pathogenic community was positively associated with vaginal pH and Nugent scores, while Lactobacillus spp., such as L. iners and L. crispatus was negatively associated with them (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data implied that the prevalance of vaginal pathogenic bacteria as well as the depletion of Lactobacillus was highly accurate for BV diagnosis. Vaginal microbiota shifts, especially the overgrowth of the vaginal pathogenic community, showed well diagnostic values in predicting BV. Postive correlations between those vaginal pathogenic bacteria and vaginal pH, Nugent score indicated the vaginal pathogenic community rather than a single vaginal microorganism, was participated in the onset of BV directly.

Human intestinal lumen and mucosa-associated microbiota in patients with colorectal cancer.

Recent reports have suggested the involvement of gut microbiota in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). We utilized pyrosequencing based analysis of 16S rRNA genes to determine the overall structure of microbiota in patients with colorectal cancer and healthy controls; we investigated microbiota of the intestinal lumen, the cancerous tissue and matched noncancerous normal tissue. Moreover, we investigated the mucosa-adherent microbial composition using rectal swab samples because the structure of the tissue-adherent bacterial community is potentially altered following bowel cleansing. Our findings indicated that the microbial structure of the intestinal lumen and cancerous tissue differed significantly. Phylotypes that enhance energy harvest from diets or perform metabolic exchange with the host were more abundant in the lumen. There were more abundant Firmicutes and less abundant Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria in lumen. The overall microbial structures of cancerous tissue and noncancerous tissue were similar; however the tumor microbiota exhibited lower diversity. The structures of the intestinal lumen microbiota and mucosa-adherent microbiota were different in CRC patients compared to matched microbiota in healthy individuals. Lactobacillales was enriched in cancerous tissue, whereas Faecalibacterium was reduced. In the mucosa-adherent microbiota, Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, and Blautia were reduced in CRC patients, whereas Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Peptostreptococcus, and Mogibacterium were enriched. In the lumen, predominant phylotypes related to metabolic disorders or metabolic exchange with the host, Erysipelotrichaceae, Prevotellaceae, and Coriobacteriaceae were increased in cancer patients. Coupled with previous reports, these results suggest that the intestinal microbiota is associated with CRC risk and that intestinal lumen microflora potentially influence CRC risk via cometabolism or metabolic exchange with the host. However, mucosa-associated microbiota potentially affects CRC risk primarily through direct interaction with the host.

Watershed-scale assessment of arsenic and metal contamination in the surface soils surrounding Miyun Reservoir, Beijing, China.

Concentrations of As and selected metals were determined in surface soils of the Miyun Reservoir watershed of Beijing, China. The degree to which concentrations of As and metals exceeded the corresponding background concentration of soils was: Cr>Cu>Zn>As>Ni with no apparent anthropogenic contamination with Cd and Pb. Based on the results of a combination of multivariate statistics and geostatistical analysis, greater concentrations of Cr and Ni in soils were determined to be primarily from iron ore mining near where the Chaohe River enters the northeast portion of the reservoir. Agricultural activities were responsible for the observed elevated concentrations of Cu and Zn in soils. Relatively great concentrations of As were found in soils near the upstream regions of the Baihe River in Chicheng County where small gold mining activities have taken place. The greatest potential for adverse effects of Cr and Cu occurred along the eastern shore of Miyun Reservoir.