The Influence Mechanism of Vegetation Type on the Characteristics of nirS-Type Denitrifying Microbial Communities in Qinghai Lake Wetlands.

Soil denitrification is an important process in the emission of N2O, an atmospheric greenhouse gas. Environmental factors of different vegetation types are largely heterogeneous, which may directly or indirectly affect N2O fluxes. Through high-throughput sequencing of the nitrite reductase gene nirS, this study investigated the influence of vegetation type on the structure and diversity of denitrifying microbial communities in Qinghai Lake wetlands, China. The results showed that among the four vegetation types in the Qinghai Lake wetlands, Carex rigescens (CR) had the highest species richness index, and Leymus secalinus (LS) had the lowest species richness index. Species evenness followed the opposite trend. Proteobacteria were the main denitrifying bacterial phylum in the wetland soil of Qinghai Lake. There were 40 differential bacterial flora at different levels in the four vegetation types, most of which belonged to Proteobacteria. Magnetospirillum is a bacterium that differed significantly across the four vegetation types, and it was one of the main denitrifying taxa based on relative abundance in the LS vegetation type. Soil pH was the most important regulating factor of nirS-type denitrifying microbial community in Qinghai Lake wetland. In summary, the succession of vegetation types in the Qinghai Lake Wetlands changes the soil microenvironment and significantly affects the community structure and diversity of the denitrifying microbial communities. The large-area growth of CR might even increase the emission of nitrous oxide. This study can serve as a reference for further exploration of the N2O emission mechanism in the unique habitats of alpine wetlands.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene family in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Adverse environmental conditions, such as salinity, cold, drought, heavy metals, and pathogens affect the yield and quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza, a well-known medicinal plant used for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), a key enzyme of antioxidant system in plants, plays a vital role in protecting plants against various biotic and abiotic stresses via scavenging the reactive oxygen species produced by organisms. However, little is known about the SOD gene family in S. miltiorrhiza. In this study, eight SOD genes, including three Cu/Zn-SODs, two Fe-SODs and three Mn-SODs, were identified in the S. miltiorrhiza genome. Their gene structures, promoters, protein features, phylogenetic relationships, and expression profiles were comprehensively investigated. Gene structure analysis implied that most SmSODs have different introns/exons distrbution patterns. Many cis-elements related to different stress responses or plant hormones were found in the promoter of each SmSOD. Expression profile analysis indicated that SmSODs exhibited diverse responses to cold, salt, drought, heavy metal, and plant hormones. Additionally, 31 types of TFs regulating SmSODs were predicted and analyzed. These findings provided valuable information for further researches on the functions and applications of SmSODs in S. miltiorrhiza growth and adaptation to stress.

[Quantification and comparison of fatty acid between white peanuts and red peanuts].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference of fatty acid content and types between red peanuts and white peanuts. METHODS: After being hydrolyzed, extracted, and methyl-esterificated, fatty acid in the sample were separated with the chromatographic column HP-88( 100 m × 0. 25 mm × 0. 20 µm) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry( GC-MS) method. Meanwhile, t-test and rank sum test will be carried on to analyze the determination results of fatty acid in both red and white peanuts growing in Shenzhen, Qingyuan and other four areas. RESULTS: The standard curves of fatty acid methyl ester hold good linearity( R~2> 0. 9980) in 0. 2- 10 mg / L, with the recovery between 92. 3% and 118. 8% and relative standard deviation( RSD) between 1. 64% and 7. 70%. Those two peanuts contained 21 fatty acids, such as oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and behenic acid. The total fat content in peanuts were between 42. 5% and 50. 6%. After statistical analysis, the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The method can quickly and sensitively detect fatty acids inpeanuts. Same species and similar content of the fatty acids are in these two peanuts particularly.

Efficacy and safety of parecoxib/phloroglucinol combination therapy versus parecoxib monotherapy for acute renal colic: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

To investigate whether the addition of phloroglucinol to parecoxib could improve the efficacy in patients with acute renal colic. Patients of acute renal colic were randomly allocated to receive intravenous Parecoxib 40 mg plus placebo or Parecoxib 40 mg plus phloroglucinol 80 mg, respectively. Pain intensity was recorded using a visual analog scale (VAS) before drug administration and 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 min after treatment start. The primary outcome was the mean pain intensity difference (PID) at each checkpoint and the effectiveness of drugs (≥ 50 % decrease in VAS score at the end checkpoint). The need for rescue analgesics and the incidence of adverse effects were considered as secondary outcome of the study. Among 236 patients enrolled in the study, 119 patients received intravenous parecoxib plus placebo and 114 patients received intravenous parecoxib plus phloroglucinol, the remaining 3 patients given up treatment. Baseline demographics were similar between two groups. There are significant differences in the PID at 15 and 30 min between two groups (P15 min = 0.011, P30 min = 0.013). Rescue analgesics were required by 17 patients (14.3 %) receiving parecoxib, 7 patients (6.1 %) receiving parecoxib plus phloroglucinol (P = 0.041). There were no differences in PID at other checkpoints between two groups, as well as in the incidence of adverse events and the drug effectiveness. Parecoxib in combination with phloroglucinol for acute renal colic has a faster action, also reduces the demand of rescue analgesics.

A report of 918 cases of circumcision with the Shang Ring: comparison between children and adults.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical outcome and surgical complications in circumcision using the Shang Ring between children and adults. METHODS: Circumcision using the Shang Ring was performed on 702 adults and 216 children. Comparative analysis on indices including operative time, healing time, postoperative edema, postoperative bleeding, postoperative pain, and postoperative infection was conducted. RESULTS: When the ring was removed after surgery, the pain was tolerable in the adult group, but more substantial in the child group. The optimal time for removing the ring was 2 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSION: Special attention to the pain management is needed when using the Shang Ring to treat redundant foreskin or phimosis in children. The timing of the ring removal is critical to avoiding complications. Surgeons' knowledge in urology is also critical to the clinical outcome.

Facilitation of Ih channels by P2Y1 receptors activation in Mesencephalic trigeminal neurons.

P2Y(1) receptors, a subset of G-protein coupled receptors, have been shown to participate in sensory transduction in the periphery nervous system. However, little is known about their sensory function in the central nervous system. Here, by using immunohistochemistry, we showed that P2Y(1) receptors are predominantly localized in the somata of Mesencephalic trigeminal neurons (Mes V neurons), the primary sensory neurons in brainstem. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recording revealed that ADP-beta-S, a P2Y receptor agonist, enhanced the activity of hyperpolarization-activated cation channels (Ih channels) in Mes V neurons and that the activity-enhancing effect of ADP-beta-S could be blocked by a specific P2Y(1) receptor antagonist, MRS 2179. Taken together, these results suggested a possible role of P2Y(1) receptors in the information transduction of central sensory neurons through regulating Ih channel activities.

Reinvestigation of the effect of orexin A on catecholamine release from adrenal chromaffin cells.

Orexins have been shown to be implicated in the regulation of adrenal medulla functions. However, there are still inconsistent investigations on the effects of orexins on catecholamine release from chromaffin cells in varying species. In the present study, using the carbon-fiber amperometry, we investigated whether orexin A would stimulate catecholamine release from rat and mouse adrenal chromffin cells. Puff application of orexin A dose-dependently induced amperometric currents in the cultured rat chromaffin cells, which was completely blocked by the selective OX1R antagonist SB-334867 or by the removal of extracellular calcium. Likewise, in the mouse adrenal medulla slices, orexin A also induced catecholamine release mainly through the activation of OX1R. These results gain insight into our understanding of the pharmacological relevance of orexin system in modulating neuroendocrine functions.