[Effectiveness of snail control by immersion of molluscicides through tide diversion in marshlands: a field evaluation].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of snail control between immersion of molluscicides through tide diversion and mollusciciding by spraying in marshland areas. METHODS: Immersion of 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide through tide diversion and spraying 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide alone were employed for snail control in two neighboring snail-breeding marshlands, and snails were surveyed before and after mollusciciding. The mortality of snails and the density of living snails were estimated. RESULTS: The density of living snails reduced by 72.19% and 100.00% 1 and 2 years after immersion of 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide through tide diversion, and 5.93% and 18.15% 1 and 2 years after spraying 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide alone. CONCLUSIONS: Immersion of 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide through tide diversion is significantly superior to spraying 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide along for snail control, and implementation of immersion of 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide through tide diversion for more than 2 successive years may achieve a higher snail control efficiency.

Active vitamin D3, 1,25-(OH)2D3, protects against macrovasculopathy in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To investigate the protective effect of the active form of vitamin D3, 1,25-(OH)2D3, on macrovasculopathy in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, T2DM group, and treatment group. The T2DM model was established after 6 weeks by administering an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg). 1,25-(OH)2D3 was administered by gavage to rats in the treatment group, and an equal volume of peanut oil was administered to rats in the T2DM group. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) cholesterols were measured in all rats. The morphology of the thoracic aorta was examined, and the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), endothelin (ET), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), CD54, and CD106 in the thoracic aorta was determined by immunohistochemistry. The expression of FPG, TG, TC, and LDL-C in rats from the T2DM and treatment groups was significantly elevated compared with rats from the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with that in control group, the expression of TNF-α, ET, eNOS, and CD106 was significantly upregulated in the T2DM group and the treatment group, while the expression of CD54 was increased only in the T2DM group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the levels of TNF-α, CD54, and CD106 in rats from the treatment group were lower than those in the T2DM group (P < 0.05). These data suggest that 1,25-(OH)2D3 may protect the macrovessels from injury in T2DM rats by inhibiting the expression of TNF-α, CD54, and CD106.