The Inhibiting Effects of High-Dose Biochar Application on Soil Microbial Metagenomics and Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Production.

Biochar is usually considered as an organic improver which can improve soil and increase crop yields. However, the unrestricted application of biochar to normal-fertility farmland will cause chemical stress on crops and affect agricultural production. At present, the effects and mechanisms of high-dose applications of biochar on rice (Oryza sativa L.) production and soil biological characteristics have not been fully studied. In this greenhouse pot experiment, combined with soil microbial metagenomics, three treatments in triplicates were conducted to explore the responses of rice production, soil chemical properties, and soil biological properties to high-dose applications of biochar (5%, w/w) prepared using peanut waste (peanut hulls and straw). The results show that peanut hulls, with a loose texture and pore structure, are a raw material with stronger effects for preparing biochar than peanut straw in terms of its physical structure. In a rice monoculture system, high-dose applications of biochar (5%, w/w) can slightly increase the grains per spike, while significantly inhibiting the spike number per pot and the percentage of setting. High-dose applications of biochar also have significant negative effects on the diversity and stability of soil bacterial and archaeal communities. Moreover, the microbial metabolism and nutrient cycling processes are also significantly affected by changing the soil carbon/nitrogen ratio. This study discusses the response mechanisms of rice production and soil biology to high-dose biochar applications, and complements the understanding of irrational biochar application on agricultural production and land sustainability.

Lumen diameter is associated with the patency after percutaneous angioplasty of arteriovenous fistulas.

AIM: To assess the value of lumen diameter after percutaneous angioplasty (PTA) to predict functional dialysis use (FDU) of arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of all patients who underwent first PTA because of AVF stenosis between March 2019 and March 2021. The outcome was FDU of AVF at 6 months follow up. Independent factors of FDU were identified using multivariate regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to investigate the predictive ability of lumen diameter for FDU. RESULTS: A total 68 patients were included into this study and the AVF of 53 cases (77.9%) were good for FDU after 6 months. The AVF age was younger in failure group than that in success group (16.1 ± 9.1 months vs 28.3 ± 20.0 months, p = 0.026). Compared with failure group, the post-PTA minimum luminal diameter (MLD) was bigger in success group (4.5 [4.0-4.5 mm] vs 5.5 mm [4.5-5.5 mm], p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the gain of lumen diameter in success group was also bigger than that in failure group (2.5 mm [2.0-3.0 mm] in failure group vs 3.0 mm [2.75-3.5 mm] in success group, p = 0.012). The residual stenosis was higher in failure group than that in success group (30% [10%-40%] vs 10% [0%-20%], p = 0.003). Logistic regression showed that AVF age and post-PTA MLD were independent predictors of FDU. ROC analysis showed that the gain of lumen diameter, post-PTA MLD and improvement of stenosis were comparable to predict FDU. For post-PTA MLD, the area under ROC curve was 0.804 (95% CI, 0.681-0.927, p < 0.001). The best cutoff is 4.75 mm, with the sensitivity and specificity was 71.7% and 80.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: AVF age and post-PTA MLD were independently predictors for FDU of AVF after PTA. To get the best performance, a minimum vein diameter of 4.75 mm should be obtained after angioplasty.

Our experience of symptomatic and asymptomatic popliteal venous aneurysm.

This report describes 7 cases of popliteal venous aneurysm, including 2 cases with tachypnea, 3 cases discovered during investigation for chronic venous disease, and 2 cases presenting with pain and mass in the popliteal fossa. Successful treatment was achieved by surgery or conservative treatment. Based on the treatments for popliteal venous aneurysm, surgical repair is primarily used in symptomatic patients; however, conservative treatment or a regular clinical and duplex ultrasound follow-up is recommended for asymptomatic patients.

Prognostic role of long non-coding RNA XIST expression in patients with solid tumors: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aberrant expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) X inactivate-specific transcript (XIST) has been demonstrated to be involved in the tumourigenesis and the development of various cancers. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic role of lncRNA XIST expression in solid tumors. METHODS: The databases of PubMed, EMBase, Web of Science, Cochrane library (up to Dec 31, 2017) were searched for the related studies and identified 15 eligible studies containing 1209 patients to include in the meta-analysis. Hazards ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to estimate the association between lncRNA XIST expression and survival of cancer patients from Asian. RESULTS: The result showed that higher lncRNA XIST expression in cancer tissue was related to a worse overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.07-2.23). In subgroup analysis, it revealed that lncRNA XIST overexpression was significantly associated with worse OS in digestive system tumors (HR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.11-2.51, p = 0.031). In addition, the association between high lncRNA XIST expression and poor OS was also statistically significant in other subgroups, including multivariate analysis (HR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.28-4.46, p = 0.006, random-effect), patients' number was greater than 65 (HR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.24-2.47, p = 0.001, random-effect), and reported in text (HR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.49-4.18, p = 0.000, random-effect). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of lncRNA XIST could be regarded as a poor prognostic biomarker for solid tumors, which might shed new light on epigenetic diagnostics and therapeutics in tumors.

[Population development characteristics of rice crop cultivated on aerobic soil with mulching].

Field experiments were carried out to study the population development characteristics of rice crop cultivated both on aerobic and waterlogged soil conditions. The results showed that the whole growth duration of rice growing on aerobic soil was one week longer than that on waterlogged soil. Shorter and narrower leaves and smaller LAI of rice population were found on aerobic soil than on waterlogged soil, which resulted in a decreased photosynthesis, smaller amount and lighter weight of rice grains on aerobic soil, compared with those on waterlogged soil. Among the aerobic treatments, more tillers, lower percentage of filled grains and shorter duration of grain forming were found on soils covered with plastic film than on soils covered with semi-decomposed straw or without mulching. The rice grain yield was decreased in the order of waterlogged soil > aerobic soil covered with plastic film > aerobic soil covered with semi-decomposed straw > aerobic soil without mulching.