Biochar-amended coastal wetland soil enhances growth of Suaeda salsa and alters rhizosphere soil nutrients and microbial communities.

Biochar has the potential to improve soil properties and increase plant productivity. However, due to the different types of soil, plants, and environmental factors, the impact of biochar is likely to vary. We explored the impacts of biochar prepared from an invasive plant Spartina alterniflora on plant performance and soil characteristics in a simulated coastal wetland ecosystem. We investigated the impact of three application ratios (control, 1%, and 5%; weight ratio) of biochar on the germination and growth of a native plant Suaeda salsa, the nutrient content and microbial community characteristics of the rhizosphere soil under three flooding treatments (no flooding, episodic flooding, and continuous flooding). Biochar application had no impact on seed germination of S. salsa, but promoted its seedling growth (biomass, height, root length) and nitrogen content. Biochar application also enhanced soil nutrient content and affected soil microbial community characteristics. Seed germination and seedling growth of S. salsa were sensitive to flooding and were the best under episodic flooding. Notably, flooding inhibited the impact of biochar on S. salsa and rhizosphere soil. In conclusion, biochar can positively affect the growth of S. salsa and improve the quality of rhizosphere soil, especially under no flooding. Our findings highlight the possibility of applying biochar for the restoration of S. salsa in coastal wetlands.

Effect of acupuncture on intestinal flora and TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues in rats with stress gastric ulcer / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) on intestinal flora and Toll-like receptors-4 (TLR4) in brain and intestinal tissue in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU), and to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture for SGU.@*METHODS@#Thirty-one male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (@*RESULTS@#Compared with the blank group, the gastric mucosal damage index was significantly increased in the model group (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) could alleviate SGU in rats, and its mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora, promoting the disorder of intestinal flora to normal, and reducing the overexpression of TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues.

Effect of acupuncture on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36) on intestinal flora in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU) , and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture promoting SGU recovery.@*METHODS@#Thirty-one SPF SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (7 rats), a model control group (8 rats), an acupuncture group (8 rats) and a medication group (8 rats). The rats in the model group, acupuncture group and medication group were selected to applied the improved restraint water-immersion stress method to establish the SGU model. After modeling, the rats in the control group and model group were fixed and restrained for 20 min every day for a total of 5 days; the rats in the acupuncture group were intervented with acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day, 20 min each time, and twisting needle for 30 s every 5 min for a total of 5 days; the rats in the medication group were gavaged by solution of omeprazole enteric-coated tablet (200 mg/mL), 2 mL for each rat, once a day. Guth method was used to calculate the gastric mucosal damage index (GMDI), HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of gastric mucosa, and 16SrDNA identification was used to detect the structural abundance of intestinal flora.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the GMDI of rats in the model group was increased (<0.01), the gastric mucosal pathological changes were significant, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all decreased (<0.05), the diversity index Simpson was increased (<0.05). Compared with the model group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group and medication group was reduced (<0.01, <0.05), the gastric mucosal damage degree was reduced, and the intestinal flora richness index Chao1, Observed species and diversity index Shannon were all increased (<0.05) and the diversity index Simpson decreased (<0.05). Compared with the medication group, the GMDI of rats in the acupuncture group was reduced (<0.01), the recovery of gastric mucosal injury was better than that of the medication group.@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture can effectively improve gastric mucosal injury of SGU, and the mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora and promoting the correction of the disordered intestinal flora.

Inhibiting Hypoxia and Chemotherapy-Induced Cancer Cell Metastasis under a Valid Therapeutic Effect by an Assistance of Biomimetic Oxygen Delivery.

Tumor metastasis is the most dangerous stage in tumorigenesis and its evolution, which causes about 80% clinical death. However, common therapies including chemotherapy may increase the risk of tumor metastasis while killing cancer cells. Tumor metastasis is closely related to many factors in the tumor microenvironment, especially hypoxia. As one of the characteristics of a malignant tumor microenvironment, hypoxia plays an important role in the growth, metabolism, and metastasis of tumors. Upregulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) would stimulate the metastasis and migration of cancer cells. In this study, we developed an artificial oxygen carrier system, a hemoglobin-loaded liposome (Hb@lipo), which was capable of effectively delivering oxygen to tumor. The way of providing oxygen not only alleviated tumor hypoxia but also downregulated the expression of HIF, which is conducive to reducing tumor malignancy. Alleviating the tumor hypoxic microenvironment alone is not enough to inhibit tumor metastasis; thus, we prepared the liposome containing a chemotherapeutic agent cabazitaxel (CBZ@lipo). Our data indicated that the combination therapy of Hb@lipo and CBZ@lipo can efficiently kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth. At the same time, it can effectively entrap cancer cells in tumor sites by relieving the hypoxic microenvironment of tumors and reduce the metastasis of cancer cells during and after the chemotherapy. Our research may provide a clinical cancer chemotherapy reference that reduces the risk of cancer cell metastasis while inhibiting tumor growth.

Placental development research: breakthrough and prospect / 中华围产医学杂志

Successful pregnancy and delivery of a healthy offspring largely rely on a well-developed placenta. Defects in placental development may lead to various pregnancy complications. However, placenta has been one of the least understood organs. The mechanism of its development and function, as well as the molecular association between placental disorders and pregnancy complications remain unclear, thus become the least known area in the exploration of pregnancy and life. Along with the advances in modern techniques, the understanding of the placenta has been deepened from tissue structure to cellular and molecular level, and gradually toward the omics and systematic biology. In recent years, a number of groundbreaking achievements have been made in the field of placental development, which were summarized in this article. Some relevant international funding programs and future prospects in this area were also discussed.

Placental development research: breakthrough and prospect / 中华围产医学杂志

Successful pregnancy and delivery of a healthy offspring largely rely on a well-developed placenta. Defects in placental development may lead to various pregnancy complications. However, placenta has been one of the least understood organs. The mechanism of its development and function, as well as the molecular association between placental disorders and pregnancy complications remain unclear, thus become the least known area in the exploration of pregnancy and life. Along with the advances in modern techniques, the understanding of the placenta has been deepened from tissue structure to cellular and molecular level, and gradually toward the omics and systematic biology. In recent years, a number of groundbreaking achievements have been made in the field of placental development, which were summarized in this article. Some relevant international funding programs and future prospects in this area were also discussed.

Predicting factors for lateral lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma / 中国综合临床

Objective To determine the predictive factors for lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Methods From January 2002 to December 2009,77 patients with PTMC were treated by modified radical neck dissection. We analyzed the association between lateral LNM and clinical factors, US features, hematological parameters and pathologic features of PTMC. Results The rate of lateral LNM was 39% in 77 PTMCs (30/77). We found a statistically significant association between lateral LNM and age, pathologic features ( extrathyroid invasion and central LNM), higher platelet counts and US features of PTMC (upper pole location,contacting area of the tumor with the capsule of throid gland > 25% of the perimeter of the tumor) in univariate analysis (statistic values were 2.425,6. 392,12. 584,2. 143,8.755 and 6.89,respectively,Ps< 0.05). Age,pathologic features (central LNM) and US features of PTMC (upper pole location) were found to be independent predictive factors for lateral LNM in multivariate analysis ( OR and 95%C/ was 0.942(0.889 -0.998) ,4. 396( 1. 241 - 15. 573) and 4.436( 1. 194 - 16. 482) ,P was 0. 042, 0.022 and 0.026,respectively). Conclusion In patients with PTMC,independent factors in predicting lateral LNM were age, US features of PTMC ( upper pole location) and pathologic features (central LNM ). These patients should receive relatively aggressive initial treatments and vigilant follow-up.

Research progress in the relationship of autocrine motility factor,autocrine motility factor receptor and the nervous system / 中国药理学通报

Autocrine motility factor (AMF) plays an important role in the stimulation of the migration and motility of cells, especially the generation, migration and angiogenesis of tumor. Recently, it has been found that AMF has three isoforms, ATX-t, ATX-m and PD-I alpha. The PD-I alpha isoform is specifically expressed in the brain, which plays extensive functions in nervous system, such as regulating neural development and differentiation, promoting neurotrauma repair, inducing neuropathic pain, even contributing neurodegeneration under some circumstances. This indicates the close relationship of AMF/AMFR and the pathophysiology of the nervous system. This paper mainly reviews the function of AMF and AMFR and its possible mechanism in the nervous system.

THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ROLLING PATENCY TEST / 解放军医学杂志

Immediate patency assessment of a completed microvascular anastomosis is considered an essential step in a microsurgical procedure. The most frequently used patency test is the milking patency test, which is too traumatic for use in clinical microsurgery. An atraumatic patency test remains to be devised. According to the principle of mechanics that rolling friction is smaller than sliding friction, we designed the so-called rolling patency test. The femoral arteries of Wistar rats were used in the experimental study to make a comparison between the two patency tests. The result showed that intact endothelial cells covered more than 90% of the inner wall of the artery in the rolling patency test, but less than 25% in the milking patency test. The study suggests that the rolling patency test is a reliable and atraumatic immediate patency test for use in clinical microsurgery.