The Taxonomic Status of Spermophilus in the Plague Area of Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

This study was conducted to define the taxonomic status of Spermophilus in the plague area of Dingbian County in Shaanxi Province, China, through the two-factor variance analysis of morphological characteristics, DNA barcoding, and chromosome karyotype analysis. The Spermophilus samples collected from Dingbian and Zhengxiang Baiqi Counties exhibited significant differences in their morphological measurements. All Spermophilus samples form two distinct branches in neighbor-joining (NJ) tree. One branch included the Spermophilus samples collected from Inner Mongolia, and the other branch included samples collected from the plague foci of Shaanxi Province and the Ningxia Region. The Spermophilus samples collected from Dingbian County had a chromosome number of 2n = 38 in 84.40% of all their cells. The Spermophilus species collected from the plague area of Dingbian County was categorized as Spermophilus alashanicus (S.alashamicus). The findings reported in this study are epidemiologically significant for monitoring plague in this region of west-central China.

Effect of adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste on intestinal flora of diarrhea infants and its action characteristics / 中国中药杂志

The applicator therapy is a unique method to treat infant diarrhea in traditional Chinese medicines and widely applied in clinical practice. Currently, many researchers have proved the rationality of the therapy based on the traditional Chinese medicine mechanism and on the data from clinical practice, but its action mechanism is uncertain at present. In this study, with the assistance of pediatric practitioners, the automated ribosomal intergenic-spacer analysis (ARISA) was adopted to study the effect of the adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste on intestinal flora of diarrhea infants, in which Dingguier umbilical paste served as the adjuvant therapy in oral traditional Chinese medicines and fecal samples of infants with different diarrhea symptoms were collected and used as the study materials. The results showed that the adjuvant therapy had a significant effect on the shift of intestinal flora, which was associated with the decrease in the similarity difference to the normal control group and the increase in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared with the normal control group. Additionally, adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste also showed long action duration and increased OTUs number. These results indicated that Dingguier umbilical paste has the effect in restoring the micro-ecosystem of unbalanced intestinal bacteria. Intestinal flora may be one of major targets for the applicator therapy for the infant diarrhea, but not for the single oral traditional Chinese medicine for infant diarrhea.

[Regeneration characteristics and related affecting factors of Pinus tabulaeformis secondary forests in Qinling Mountains].

The study with sampling plot method showed that in Pinus tabulaeformis secondary forests in Qinling Mountains, there were 36 tree species in regeneration layer, occupying 51.4% of the total. The dominant species were Quercus glandulifera, Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, and Corylus heterophylla. The seedling bank was abundant, and with lower height class and age class. The main regeneration type was seedling, showing the forest being at its middle succession period. Stand density had significant effects on sapling and seedling densities (P<0.01). The sapling and seedling densities increased when the stand density increased from 580 trees x hm(-2) up to 1500 trees x hm(-2), but decreased with the further increase of stand density. Slope aspect also had significant effects on the seedling and sapling densities (P<0.05). The sapling density decreased gradually when the slope aspect changed from SW10 degrees to SW40 degrees, but increased with the slope aspect changed to shady slope (NE10 degrees). The forest regeneration characteristics differed at different slope positions, with the sapling and seedling densities being relatively higher in flat stand. From foot to top, the seedling density decreased, while the sapling density increased. The sapling density increased from the altitude 1159 m up to 1449 m but decreased from 1449 m up to 1658 m, while the seedling density all along had an increasing trend from lower altitude to higher altitude. It was suggested that the medium stand density on shady slope had the best natural regeneration. To rationally regulate stand density could be an effective way to accelerate the regeneration process of P. tabulaeformis forest.

Ecology survey of Microtus fortis in natural foci of plague in Dingbian town Shaanxi province in 2010 / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To investigate the constitution,density changes and carrier rate about Yersinia pestis of rodents in plague foci,and to provide the scientific evidence for plague prevention.Methods According to the program of national monitoring plague,two survey procedures,namely quadrat of single-ha for 24 h and 5 m mouse jam,were used to monitor the host animals; culture and identification of Yersinia pestis in liver or spleen of the experimental animals was carried out by using self-made medium in the north of Beiyuanzi village in Dingbian town Shaanxi province.Results One hundred twelve rodents were captured using the first procedures and the rodent average density was 8.62 ind./hm2 and six species of rodents were found namely Meriones unguiculatus ( 100 individuals),Microtusfortis(5 individuals),Ochotona daurica(3 individuals),Meriones meridianus (2 individuals),Mus musculus Linnaeus (1 individual) and Cricetulus barabensis (1 individual).One hundred seventy-three field mouses were captured using the second procedures including Mus musculus Linnaeus (136 individuals),Cricetulus barabensis (36 individuals),and Microtus fortis ( 1 individual ).Among them,Microtus fortis was found in the salt marshes in the southern edge of Ordos Plateau steppe in plague area of Dingbian county.Yersinia pestis was not identified in all animals.Conclusions Microtus fortis is found in natural foci of plague in Shaanxi province for the first time,and a new geographic region was found.Its epidemiological significance needs further study.