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As important components of marine organic matters especially of organic nitrogen, amino acids play an important role in organic matter cycles owing to their lability. The concentration, composition, and distribution of amino acids have been widely used to indicate the degradation state of organic matters in particulates and sediments of marine. Here, the distribution, influencing factors of amino acids and their role in indicating degradation of organic matters were systematically summarized. Gly, Glu, Ala, and Asp were the major components of amino acids in marine particulates and sediments. The contents of amino acids in the particles and sediments showed a decreasing tendency from the coastal waters to the open sea, and adecreased with the water depth. The lower value of %AA-C/TOC, %AA-N/TN and degradation index (DI) based on changes in the composition of amino acids indicated the higher degradation degrees of organic matters. The reactivity index (RI) and ratios of D-AA and L-AA (D/L) based on non-protein amino acids and D-AA were used to indicate the degradation of organic matter according to the bacterial transformation of amino acids, in which RI value closer to 0, higher D/L, and lower ratios of protein amino acids to non-protein amino acids (Asp/β-Ala and Glu/γ-Aba) indicated the higher degree of degradation in organic matters. The migration and transformation of amino acid were mainly affected by dissolved oxygen, nutrient concentrations, sources of organic matter, depositional environments and microbial activities. Further studies should focus on the synergistic effects of particles and sediments, and also the effects and the specific regulatory roles of microorganisms on amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jellyfish bloom has been increasing in Chinese seas and decomposition after jellyfish bloom has great influences on marine ecological environment. We conducted the incubation of Nemopilema nomurai decomposing to evaluate its effect on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus recycling of water column by simulated experiments. The results showed that the processes of jellyfish decomposing represented a fast release of biogenic elements, and the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus reached the maximum at the beginning of jellyfish decomposing. The release of biogenic elements from jellyfish decomposition was dominated by dissolved matter, which had a much higher level than particulate matter. The highest net release rates of dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic carbon reached (103.77±12.60) and (1.52±0.37) mg·kg-1·h-1, respectively. The dissolved nitrogen was dominated by NH4+-N during the whole incubation time, accounting for 69.6%-91.6% of total dissolved nitrogen, whereas the dissolved phosphorus was dominated by dissolved organic phosphorus during the initial stage of decomposition, being 63.9%-86.7% of total dissolved phosphorus and dominated by PO43--P during the late stage of decomposition, being 50.4%-60.2%. On the contrary, the particulate nitrogen was mainly in particulate organic nitrogen, accounting for (88.6±6.9)% of total particulate nitrogen, whereas the particulate phosphorus was mainly in particulate inorganic phosphorus, accounting for (73.9±10.5)% of total particulate phosphorus. In addition, jellyfish decomposition decreased the C/N and increased the N/P of water column. These indicated that jellyfish decomposition could result in relative high carbon and nitrogen loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal salt marsh has higher potential of carbon sequestration, playing an important role in mitigating global warming, while coastal saline soil is the largest organic carbon pool in the coast- al salt marsh carbon budget. To study the carbon deposition and burial in this soil is of significance for clearly understanding the carbon budget of coastal salt marsh. This paper summarized the re- search progress on the deposition and burial of organic carbon in coastal salt marsh from the aspects of the sources of coastal salt marsh soil organic carbon, soil organic carbon storage and deposition rate, burial mechanisms of soil organic carbon, and the relationships between the carbon sequestra- tion in coastal salt marsh and the global climate change. Some suggestions for the future related re- searches were put forward: 1) to further study the underlying factors that control the variability of carbon storage in coastal salt marsh, 2) to standardize the methods for measuring the carbon storage and the deposition and burial rates of organic carbon in coastal salt marsh, 3) to quantify the lateral exchange of carbon flux between coastal salt marsh and adjacent ecosystems under the effects of tide, and 4) to approach whether the effects of global warming and the increased productivity could compensate for the increase of the organic carbon decomposition rate resulted from sediment respira- tion. To make clear the driving factors determining the variability of carbon sequestration rate and how the organic carbon storage is affected by climate change and anthropogenic activities would be helpful to improve the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal salt marshes in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino sugars (AS) are one of the important biochemical components in the natural organic matter pool. Clarifying the sources and transformations of AS would facilitate our understan-ding of the microbial regulation of organic matter. As an emerging technology, compound-specific isotope analysis of amino sugars (CSIA-AS) provides more detailed dynamic information of indivi-dual AS in natural environment. Here, we systematically summarized the determination methods of CSIA-AS and gave an overview on innovative applications in the cycling of AS. CSIA-AS can be performed by gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and ion chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IC-IRMS). Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, but reliable results can be achieved after calibration. The mean residence time of AS is relatively low in soil organic matter, and the bacterial-derived muramic acid possesses a higher minera-lization rate than glucosamine, galactosamine, and mannosamine. The source and metabolic transformation of AS are affected by the substrate, which is related to the specific response of microbial community to different carbon and nitrogen sources. The promotion of CSIA-AS technology requires further optimization of method and integration with other approaches such as microbial screening to decipher the source, transformation, fate and regulatory mechanisms of organic matter.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes for cancer-related death among women worldwide. Coptidis Rhizoma has antibacterial,anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor and other pharmacological activities,but whether exercise could synergistically promote the role of RC in the treatment of breast cancer has not been reported. In this experiment,the effects and mechanism of total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma combined with exercise on the tumor growth of orthotopically transplanted 4 T1 breast cancer were systemically studied in mice. Balb/C mice transplanted with 4 T1 cells in situ were used as models. The total alkaloids of RC(145 mg·kg-1·d-1) alone or in combination with exercise(10 m·min-1,30 min/time,5 times/week) were given for 28 days,and then the changes in body weight and tumor volume,tumor weight,interleukin-1β(IL-1β),serum estradiol(E2) content,and expression levels of estrogen receptor α(ERα),cell cycle related proteins CDK4,CDK6,cyclin D1,CDK2,and cyclin E in tumor tissues. The results showed that total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma could significantly inhibit the growth of 4 T1 breast cancer in mice(P< 0. 01),and exercise significantly promoted the anti-tumor activity of total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma(P<0. 01),and reduced E2 and IL-1β levels in mice. Western blot and flow cytometry showed that the total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma combined with exercise could down-regulate the protein expression levels of ERα,CDK4,CDK6,cyclin D1,CDK2 and cyclin E in cancer cells,block the transformation of G1/S in 4 T1 cell cycle,and inhibit DNA synthesis in breast cancer cells. The total alkaloids of Coptidis Rhizoma combined with exercise showed synergistic effect in inhibition of tumor growth in mice with orthotopically transplanted 4 T1 breast cancer.

As important components of marine organic matters especially of organic nitrogen, amino acids play an important role in organic matter cycles owing to their lability. The concentration, composition, and distribution of amino acids have been widely used to indicate the degradation state of organic matters in particulates and sediments of marine. Here, the distribution, influencing factors of amino acids and their role in indicating degradation of organic matters were systematically summarized. Gly, Glu, Ala, and Asp were the major components of amino acids in marine particulates and sediments. The contents of amino acids in the particles and sediments showed a decreasing tendency from the coastal waters to the open sea, and adecreased with the water depth. The lower value of %AA-C/TOC, %AA-N/TN and degradation index (DI) based on changes in the composition of amino acids indicated the higher degradation degrees of organic matters. The reactivity index (RI) and ratios of D-AA and L-AA (D/L) based on non-protein amino acids and D-AA were used to indicate the degradation of organic matter according to the bacterial transformation of amino acids, in which RI value closer to 0, higher D/L, and lower ratios of protein amino acids to non-protein amino acids (Asp/β-Ala and Glu/γ-Aba) indicated the higher degree of degradation in organic matters. The migration and transformation of amino acid were mainly affected by dissolved oxygen, nutrient concentrations, sources of organic matter, depositional environments and microbial activities. Further studies should focus on the synergistic effects of particles and sediments, and also the effects and the specific regulatory roles of microorganisms on amino acids.

Hydrocarbons emitted by human activities probably constitute the largest class of contaminants that are present in coastal areas, because of widespread use of fossil fuels for power generation and logistics, and accidental spillages. The chemical composition of hydrocarbon mixtures found in the marine environment allowed the identification of relative contributions of different natural and anthropogenic sources. Identification of these hydrocarbons, especially n -alkanes, could act as tracers for the possible sources. To evaluate n -alkanes concentrations with emphasis on source analysis, surface water without visible oil was collected from the cruise in April 2016. Determination and quantification were performed by solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Various molecular diagnostic parameters were used to assess the contribution of different sources and origin of n -alkanes in surface seawater of Jiaozhou Bay. Concentrations of total dissolved n -alkanes(C 11 -C 37 ) were between 1.756-39.09 μg·L -1 with a high carbon number predominance profile without odd-even carbon number preference. The n -alkane concentrations varied spatially depending on the distance away from main input sources and the ability of water exchange. It was at a higher concentration in the northeast and west coastal areas, as well as the mouth of Jiaozhou Bay. And concentrations were relatively lower in the inner area and outside of Jiaozhou Bay. In the sea area with strong water exchange, concentrations of total n -alkanes were around 2.196 μg·L -1 , which could be considered as the environmental background level of n -alkanes in Jiaozhou Bay. Those n -alkanes were dominated with C 24 , with a slightly odd carbon number preference in low carbon n -alkanes and an even carbon number preference in high carbon n -alkanes. The values of CPI for the whole range of n -alkanes series, low carbon n -alkanes, and high carbon n -alkanes were 0.949, 1.026, and 0.980, respectively. Diagnostic indices and curves indicated that the dominant inputs of those n -alkanes were from marine biogenic input such as algae and marine bacteria. The concentration profiles of n -alkanes in other areas were characterized by no odd-even predominance in the range of C 21 -C 33 with peaks center at C 24 which were indicative of anthropic contributions as emission sources. N -alkanes dominating with anthropic sources comprised a high proportion(83.7%) of total n -alkanes. Activities of harbors and ships were the main contributors of Jiaozhou Bay n -alkanes. Physical processes, such as evaporation and dilution, were the principal weathering mechanisms. Because of its sufficient environmental capacity, Jiaozhou Bay was still moderately contaminated with petroleum.

As a typical semi-closed bay, Jiaozhou Bay, is remarkably affected by human activities. Biogenic elements transported into the oceans by the atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic particles can lead to profound impacts on the ecosystem of Jiaozhou Bay. In this paper, the researches of atmospheric dry and wet depositions in the Jiaozhou Bay were systematically summarized from the following three aspects: study methods, variation characteristics of the fluxes and their influencing factors and the ecological effects of atmospheric deposition. The concentrations and fluxes of nitrogen species in atmospheric dry and wet depositions were very high in the Jiaozhou Bay compared with other bays, estuaries and marginal seas around the world. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was the main component of the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and the dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) accounted for 22%-31% of TDN. However, the concentrations and fluxes of phosphate and silicate species were very low. The atmospheric deposition fluxes of (NO 3 - -N+NO 2 - -N) were slightly higher than terrestrial inputs, while the fluxes of NH 4 + -N, PO 4 3- -P and SiO 3 2- -Si were very low compared with terrestrial inputs. The concentration of total suspended particulates (TSP) in the air, the intensity of the emission sources, precipitation amount and meteorological conditions are the major factors influencing the atmospheric depositions of biogenic elements, which can increase the primary productivity, change the structure of nutrients and the structure of phytoplankton communities in surface seawater and further promote the succession of phytoplankton dominant species from diatom to dinoflagellate in the Jiaozhou Bay. On that basis, the future research should be focused on constructing the monitoring network for atmospheric dry and wet depositions, accurately quantifying the deposition rates of aerosol particles of different forms and sizes, recognizing the ecological effects and biogeochemical mechanisms of atmospheric depositions of biogenic elements and discriminating the mechanisms, fluxes and influencing factors of atmospheric deposition biogenic elements via indirect approaches such as overland runoff, sheetflood and permeation etc. It is significant for illuminating the effects of anthropogenic activities on the coastal waters as well as understanding the bio-geochemical processes of biogenic elements in marginal seas by elucidating atmospheric depositions of biogenic elements in the Jiaozhou Bay.

The radionuclides contents in the surface sediments and sediment cores were determined by gamma spectrometry method. The distribution of radionuclides and its indication to material sources, human activities and other sedimentary environmental evolution events were discussed and the sedimentation rate was estimated. The results showed that the average activity concentrations of 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K in the surface sediment were (54.4±11.7), (57.9±9.7), (28.6±4.3) and (542±21) Bq·kg -1 , respectively. Regional differences of radioactivity level reflected the material sources and influences of human activities on the sediment characteristics. According to the vertical distribution of excess 210 Pb, the sedimentation rate of high tidal areas was estimated at 0.23 cm·a -1 . In the sediment core, the variable coefficients of 238 U, 232 Th and 226 Ra contents were high. According to the vertical profiles of 238 U, 226 Ra and 238 U/ 226 Ra ratio, the process of sedimentation could be divided into four periods: period of slow deposition, period of dramatic change in sedimentary environment caused by great migration of the Yellow River channels, period of stable deposition after the Yellow River ran into one single channel, and period of alternate degradation and growth under the influence of human activities. The vertical variation of radionuclides in the sediment core could serve as an effective environmental indicator since it could record the environmental evolution processes of the coastal wetland.

Abstract: Jellyfish bloom has been increasing in Chinese seas and decomposition after jellyfish bloom has great influences on marine ecological environment. We conducted the incubation of Nemopilema nomurai decomposing to evaluate its effect on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus recycling of water column by simulated experiments. The results showed that the processes of jellyfish decomposing represented a fast release of biogenic elements, and the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus reached the maximum at the beginning of jellyfish decomposing. The release of biogenic elements from jellyfish decomposition was dominated by dissolved matter, which had a much higher level than particulate matter. The highest net release rates of dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic carbon reached (103.77 ± 12.60) and (1.52 ± 0.37) mg · kg⁻¹ · h⁻¹, respectively. The dissolved nitrogen was dominated by NH₄⁺-N during the whole incubation time, accounting for 69.6%-91.6% of total dissolved nitrogen, whereas the dissolved phosphorus was dominated by dissolved organic phosphorus during the initial stage of decomposition, being 63.9%-86.7% of total dissolved phosphorus and dominated by PO₄³⁻-P during the late stage of decomposition, being 50.4%-60.2%. On the contrary, the particulate nitrogen was mainly in particulate organic nitrogen, accounting for (88.6 ± 6.9) % of total particulate nitrogen, whereas the particulate phosphorus was mainly in particulate. inorganic phosphorus, accounting for (73.9 ±10.5) % of total particulate phosphorus. In addition, jellyfish decomposition decreased the C/N and increased the N/P of water column. These indicated that jellyfish decomposition could result in relative high carbon and nitrogen loads.

This work was mainly studied the effects of the four alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma on the mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro and preliminarily discussed the regulating mechanisms. The effect of alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma on the vitality of macrophages was measured by the MTT assay. The effect of alkaloids on the phagocytosis of macrophages was determined by neutral red trial and respiratory burst activity was tested by NBT. The expressions of respiratory-burst-associated genes influenced by alkaloids were detected by qRT-PCR. The conformation change of membrane protein in macrophages by the impact of alkaloids was studied by fluorospectro-photometer. Results showed that the four alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma could increase the phagocytosis of macrophages in different level and berberine had the best effect. Berberine, coptisine and palmatine had up-regulation effects on respiratory burst activity of mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated by PMA and regulatory activity on the mRNA expression of PKC, p40phox or p47phox, whereas the epiberberine had no significant influence on respiratory burst. Moreover, alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma could change the conformation of membrane protein and the berberine showed the strongest activity. The results suggested that the four alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma might activate macrophages through changing the conformation of membrane protein of macrophages and then enhanced the phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity of macrophages. Furthermore, the regulatory mechanism of alkaloids on the respiratory burst activity of macrophages may be also related to the expression level of PKC, p40phox and p47phox.

To investigate the practicability of establishing zebrafish lipid-lowering drug screening model and the effect of berberine (BBR) on hyperlipidemic zebrafish. Three-month-old zebrafishes were fed with 4% cholesterol for 0, 2, 4, 8, 14, 20, 25, 30 days, and the level of total cholesterol in serum was measured. Zebrafish were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the high cholesterol diet group, the 0.01% simvastatin-treated group, the 0.1% berberine-treated group and the 0.2% berberine-treated group. The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in serum were measured; the expression of hepatic HMGCR, LDLR and CYP7A1a mRNA expressions were detected by real time PCR. Oil red O staining was performed to observe the changes in fat content in the liver. According to the result, the level of serum TC in the 4% cholesterol diet group significantly was higher than that of the normal control group in a time-dependent manner and reached a stable level at the 20th day. The BBR group showed significant decreases in the levels of TC, TG and LDL-c, HMGCR mRNA expression and fat content and increases in LDLR and CYP7A1a mRNA. The hyperlipidemia zebrafish model was successfully established by feeding with 4% cholesterol for 20 days. The findings lay a foundation for further screenings on lipid-lowering drugs.

To explore the antibacterial activity and mechanism of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on Aeromonas hydrophila, and determine the effect of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on minimum inhibitory concentrations, permeability and fluidity of cell membrane, conformation of membrane proteins and virulence factors of A. hydrophila. The results showed that both total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma had antibacterial activities on A. hydrophila, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 62.5 and 125 mg · L(-1), respectively. Total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma could increase the fluidity of membrane, change the conformation of membrane porteins and increase the permeability of bacteria membrane by 24.52% and 19.66%, respectively. Besides, total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma significantly decreased the hemolysis of exotoxin and the mRNA expressions of aerA and hlyA (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), the secretion of endotoxin and the mRNA expression of LpxC (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The results suggested that the antibacterial activity of total alkaloids and berberine from Coptidis Rhizoma on A. hydrophila may be related to the bacteria membrane injury. They inhibited the bacterial growth by increasing membrane lipid fluidity and changing conformation of membrane proteins, and reduced the secretion of virulence factors of A. hydrophila to weaken the pathogenicity.

To study the effect of cholesterol and 25-OH-cholesterol on cholesterol metabolism in HepG2 cells and the effect of coptisine (Cop) extracted from Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) in reducing and regulating cholesterol. In this study, TC, TG, LDL-c and HDL-c were measured by biochemical analysis; mRNA and protein expressions of LDLR, HMGCR and CYP7A1 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. According to the results, cholesterol and 25-OH-cholesterol inducing could decrease in mRNA and protein expressions of LDLR and CYP7A1, so as to increase TC and LDL-c contents. However, Cop could up-regulate mRNA and protein expressions of LDLR and CYP7A1 and down-regulate that of HMGCR, so as to reduce TC and LDL-c levels. These findings suggested that Cop has potential pharmacological activity for reducing cholesterol, and may reduce cholesterol by regulating mRNA and protein expressions of key genes involved in cholesterol metabolism, such as LDLR, CYP7A1 and HMGCR. This study laid a firm theoretical foundation for developing new natural drugs with the cholesterol-lowering activity.

The concentrations of berberine (BBR) and 8-cetylberberine (8-BBR-C16) in rat plasma and tissue were determined by RP-HPLC. Both the plasma pharmacokinetics characteristic and tissue distribution differences of BBR and 8-BBR-C16 were compared to provide experimental data for the mechanism research and further drug development. After the oral administrations of BBR and 8-BBR-C16 at the dose of 80 mg x kg(-1) for rats, the pharmacokinetics result showed that compared with BBR, the C(max) and AUC(0-t), of 8-BBR-C16 increased by 2.8 times and 12.9 times respectively, t1/2 extended from 3.61 h to 11.90 h. The tissue distribution result showed that compared with BBR, the concentration of 8-BBR-C16 in various organizations increased and the retention time extended remarkably. The maximum concentration was achieved in lung and the highest concentration in it was 3 731.82 ng x g(-1). After being derived, the C(max) in plasma and bioavailability of 8-BBR-C16 increased remarkably and the circulation time in vivo extended. The drug concentration in tissue increased remarkably, and the distribution ratio changed too, with strong targeting selection in lung.

To study the effects of alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma on low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mRNA expression and antihyperlipedemic levels. The LDLR mRNA expression were detected by real time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) in serum were measured at the first and last examination. The results show that, after the drug treatment, compared with the model group, each drug group showed a lipid-lowering effect. Especially, coptisine, palmatine, jatrorrhinze were significantly reduced TC, TG, LDL-c (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and increased HDL-c (P < 0.01). In addition, they also increased mRNA expression of the LDLR in liver and HepG2 cells. The results showed that alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma can regulate lipid metabolism disorder, and coptisine have the best lipid-lowering effect.

Objective: To investigate the effect of different parts, harvesting time and processing technologies on alkaloids content of Coptis chinensis adventitious root., Methods: The content of alkaloids were analyzed by HPLC., Results: The content of total alkaloids in adventitious root harvested in different time was ranged from 2.5% to 2.9%, in which that of berberine and coptisine were the highest, reaching to 1%, and that of palmatine was only 0.1%. It suggested there was no significant difference of total alkaloids at different harvesting time. Nevertheless, the difference of the alkaloids content from different parts was much significant. The content of total alkaloid of adventitious root near to rhizome was about 4%, 2 times higher than that away from rhizome (only 2%). In addition, different processing technologies would affect alkaloids content obviously. There was hardly loss of alkaloids when the fresh adventitious root was washed with water, but it would decrease alkaloids content when the dried adventitious root was washed., Conclusion: Medicine value of Coptis chinensis adventitious root near to rhizome is higher than that away from rhizome. And fresh Coptis chinensis adventitious root can be washed with water.

Occurrence level, geochemical distribution of dissolved bismuth and its coupling relationship to eco-environment were investigated in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea to explore the source and influencing factors. The results showed that the concentration of dissolved bismuth was within the range of 0-0. 029 microg x L(-1) at the surface and 0.001-0.189 microg x L(-1) at the bottom, with the averages of 0.008 and 0.016 microg x L(-1), respectively. Horizontally, low value of dissolved bismuth exhibited the bidirectional extension feature, indicating that it could trace the path of Changjiang Diluted Water. High value of dissolved bismuth was observed where the Subei Costal Current and Yellow Sea Warm Current flowed and the Changjiang Diluted Water and Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Current met, suggesting that it was controlled by the cycle of current system. Vertically, the coastal water was fully mixed by water convection and eddy mixing, and was divided from the stratified water by strong tidal front, which blocked the transport of dissolved bismuth to the open sea. Thus, the concentration in front area was significantly higher than that in the open sea. Diurnal variation of dissolved bismuth was related to the hydrodynamic conditions (tide, suspension and thermocline) instead of the environmental factors (temperature and salinity). Positive relationship to SPM (suspended particulate matter) clarified that bismuth was prone to release from solid phase to liquid phase. Furthermore, conditions with temperature ranging 22-27 degrees C, salinity ranging 28-31 and pH ranging 7.9-8.1 were shown to be optimal for the release process.

Coastal salt marsh has higher potential of carbon sequestration, playing an important role in mitigating global warming, while coastal saline soil is the largest organic carbon pool in the coastal salt marsh carbon budget. To study the carbon deposition and burial in this soil is of significance for clearly understanding the carbon budget of coastal salt marsh. This paper summarized the research progress on the deposition and burial of organic carbon in coastal salt marsh from the aspects of the sources of coastal salt marsh soil organic carbon, soil organic carbon storage and deposition rate, burial mechanisms of soil organic carbon, and the relationships between the carbon sequestration in coastal salt marsh and the global climate change. Some suggestions for the future related researches were put forward: 1) to further study the underlying factors that control the variability of carbon storage in coastal salt marsh, 2) to standardize the methods for measuring the carbon storage and the deposition and burial rates of organic carbon in coastal salt marsh, 3) to quantify the lateral exchange of carbon flux between coastal salt marsh and adjacent ecosystems under the effects of tide, and 4) to approach whether the effects of global warming and the increased productivity could compensate for the increase of the organic carbon decomposition rate resulted from sediment respiration. To make clear the driving factors determining the variability of carbon sequestration rate and how the organic carbon storage is affected by climate change and anthropogenic activities would be helpful to improve the carbon sequestration capacity of coastal salt marshes in China.

The contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Hg in surface sediment from 14 sampling sites in the Huanghe estuary during July-August, 2011 were measured to investigate environmental geochemical characteristics of heavy metals related to multiple factors. The distribution, relationship with fine fraction and TOC, and sediment quality assessment concerning heavy metals were analyzed. The results showed that average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Hg in the Huanghe estuary were (16.5 +/- 2.7), (16.0 +/- 3.4), (21.0 +/- 3.3), (17.4 +/- 3.1), (6.5 +/- 1.2), (0.0444 +/- 0.0307) mg x kg(-1), respectively, which were lower than those in other typical areas along the coast of China. The distribution of metals displayed higher profiles in south than that in north of the Huanghe estuary, with a trend of increase seaward, especially for stations in southwest of the Laizhou bay. The insignificant correlation among metals indicated the complex sources of heavy metals in flood season. Pearson correlation was also conducted between metal contents and percentage of fine particulates and TOC, which was also insignificant, suggesting heavy metal concentration and distribution in the study region were also controlled by other factors except grain size and TOC. There was a good correlation between clay fraction and TOC (r = 0.724, P < 0.05), indicating TOC tends to accumulate in clay. Compared with variety of background values and an internationally used consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (CBSQGs) for saltwater ecosystem, heavy metals in surface sediments from the Huanghe estuary implied a low probability of toxic effect, despite a sharp contamination trend pertaining to Hg and Pb since 1980s.

Objective: To optimize the processing technology of Coptidis Rhizoma and study the effects of different adjuvants on alkaloids during processing., Methods: The moistening time of adjuvants (A), processing temperature (B) and processing time (C) were investigated by using the single factor test method and L9 (3(4)) orthogonal experiment design with the contents of four alkaloids as indexes., Results: The sequence of importance of the factors that affect the wine processed Coptidis Rhizoma (WC) was C > B > A, turmeric processed Coptidis Rhizoma (TC) and dogwood processed Coptidis Rhizoma (DC) was B > A > C., Conclusion: The optimal processing technology of WC, TC and DC are drying for 4 h at 130 degrees C after moistening for 90 min, drying for 3 h at 100 degrees C after moistening for 60 min and drying for 2 h at 160 degrees C after moistening for 90 min, respectively.

At present, chemical approaches are the main tools adopted to assess the contaminated sediments along China's coast. However, with the crucial progress of weight of evidence (WOE) approach in both logic and practice, this approach is getting available to be applied in the sediment quality assessment of our coastal ecosystem. By incorporating the levels of evidences such as sediment chemistry, toxicity and benthic community ecology, WOE forms an integrated approach to assess the potential adverse biological effects of environmental stressors mainly toxic substances by reconciling the information from multiple relevant lines of evidences and by weighing the data quality, study design, and other factors, being the sole means currently available to characterize the actual sediment quality and to reach an environmental decision. This paper reviewed the history of sediment quality assessment and the progress of WOE research in coastal sediment, summarized the variety of WOE definitions and interpretive techniques with reliability analysis, and discussed the limitations of WOE in theory and practice. Several improvement suggestions were proposed associated with the prospects of WOE research to advance the coastal sediment quality assessment in China.

Objective: To extract lectins from Trichosanthes kirilowi and study their hypoglycemic activity., Methods: The optimal extraction process included the following parameters were conformed by optimization analysis,lectins extracted from Trichosanthes kirilowi was achieved by ammonium sulfate precipitation; The agglutinate activity was determined by using the agglutination test with 5% human blood cells. Human hepatocarcinoma cell HepG2 and the alloxan-induced diabetic mice model were used to assess hypoglycemic activity of Lectin in Trichosanthes kirilowi., Results: The agglutination indexes of lectins extraction buffer were 32; The cell and mice tests indicated that the lectins exhibited hypoglycemic activity in the 70% saturation., Conclusion: The optimum extraction technology is as follows: extraction with PBS, the material-water ratio is 1:30, the extraction time is 24 h, while the concentration of sodium chloride is 0 mol/L and pH is 7.2. Precipitate lectins by ammonium sulfate in the 70% saturation, centrifugal speed is 10 000 tracted from Trichosanthes kirilowi exposes proper hypoglycemic activity.

The geochemical characteristics of eight heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) in two sediment cores from Bohai Bay, North China, were studied. Sediment samples were collected from 27 stations in spring 2008. A sequential extractions, procedure was used to gain their fractionation information. Five operationally defined fractions were obtained by this protocol, i. e. exchangeable (L1), bound to carbonates (L2), bound to Fe/Mn-oxides (L3), bound to organic matter and sulphides (LA), and residual fraction (R5). Combined with ecological risk in total contents and fraction, a series of results and viewpoints with regard to distribution characteristics of heavy metals were presented, as well as ecological risk and controlling factors. Heavy metals in sediments were mainly concentrated in the middle region with fine particle. The distributions of V, Ni, Cu, Pb, Co, Cd were mainly controlled by nature source, while Zn and Cr can be easily impacted by environment or human input. Coming from atmospheric deposition and riverine, Pb was different with other heavy metals. Sequential extractions suggested that V, Zn, Cr were mainly composed with residual fractions, while Co, Ni, Cu were dominated by labile fractions. The percentage of labile Co increased from inner to outside, labile Ni reached maximum at station A3, labile Cu and Pb concentrated in the middle of Bohai Bay, while Cu achieved maximum at station D1 near Yellow River. Labile heavy metals were enriched near the estuary of Haihe River. The order of enrichment factors (EF) of heavy metals was Pb > Cd > Zn > Cr > V > Co > Cu > Ni. And the EF of Pb, Cd and Zn were above 1, suggesting that they could be polluted by exterior input, while the sediment quality was relatively good in general. The ratios of labile and residual fraction showed that V and Cr were clean, Zn was partly in slightly polluted, Co was mostly slightly polluted, Cu was from clean to moderately polluted, Ni was polluted from slightly to heavy, and Pb was polluted heaviest in all heavy metal. In conclusion, V, Cr and Co were clean, Cu and Zn may be polluted, while Pb was polluted heaviest.

To investigate the relationship between the structures of methylhesperetin-7-alkyl ether analogues and their anti-inflammatory activities, nine new compounds, methyl-hesperetin (2), methylhesperetin-7-ethyl ether (3), 7-n-butyl ether (4), 7-n-hexyl ether (5), 7-n-octyl ether (6), 7-n-decyl ether (7), 7-n-dodecyl ether (8), 7-n-tetradecyl ether (9) and 7-n-hexadecyl ether (10), were synthesized with the lead compound of methylhesperidin (1). Their structures were confirmed by UV, 1H NMR, MS and HR-MS spectral data. The in vivo antiinflammatory activities of these compounds were tested on mouse paw edema induced by Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) and mouse capillary permeability induced by acetic acid with po dose of 300 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1). The result indicated that the anti-inflammatory activities of the synthetic compounds increased firstly and then decreased with the elongating of the length of alkyl chain. After 25-day oral administration of compounds 6, 7 and 8, the inhibitory rates on mouse paw edema of adjuvant arthritis (AA) were 31.9%, 38.5%, 39.1%, respectively. They showed the concentrations of COX-2 in serum of AA mice respectively were 79.3, 75.4, 73.9 ng x L(-1) and the concentrations of PGE2 were in correspondence with 275.4, 258.9, 242.6 ng x L(-1). The inhibitory rates of compounds 6 and 7 on mouse capillary permeability induced by acetic acid were, respectively, 42.4% and 41.5% after 5-day oral administration. Compared with the lead compound of methylhesperidin, the anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 6, 7 and 8 were increased and showed an effective inhibition on the symptom of adjuvant arthritis and capillary permeability in mice.

The effects of typical organic pollutants (ethanol, acetone, ON, OP) on pH and marine carbon dioxide system were investigated in laboratory simulated experiments. The results indicated that the growth of biological carbon fixed system was promoted by ethanol and acetone of low concentration (< 0.5 mmol x L(-1)) (t = 7 d). So pH increased while DIC, HCO3(-) and p(CO2) significantly decreased compared to the controls (p <0.01). The concentrations of ethanol and acetone which resulted in the maximum decrease of carbon dioxide parameters were 0.25 mmol x L(-1) and 0.1 mmol x L(-1), respectively. When the infusion of organic pollutants were higher than the "critical concentration", the carbon dioxide parameters increased and pH decreased compared to the controls with the decrease of carbon fixation strength of alga. As for ON and OP groups, when they were in the range of experimental concentration, decreasing trends of inorganic carbon in sea water were always found. The concentration changes of DIC (DeltaDIC) under the press of the four typical organic pollutants were significantly negatively correlated with the changes of dry weight of alga (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) and the coefficient parameters were -0.902, -0.945, -0.898 and -0.918, respectively (t = 7 d). The main controlling factor to the variation of carbon dioxided system was the adaption of biological carbon fixed system to different concentration and kind of organic pollutants.

An efficient method to produce cordycepin by solid culture using Cordyceps militaris was investigated in this study. Firstly, the changes of cordycepin during various growing periods of solid culture using 5 strains of C. militaris were detected, the best strain and optimal growing period for cordycepin production were determined. Then, by experiments of quadratic rotation-orthogonal combination design and orthogonal design, the medium composition and growth conditions for high yield of cordycepin were optimized. With the optimized method to produce cordycepin, the content of cordycepin in the medium was increased to 0.60%, which was nearly 2 times higher than the highest yield reported.

Objective: To evaluate the expression of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB in the kidney tissues of diabetic rats and the effects of valsartan, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and their combined application on the renal TRAIL and NF-kappaB expression., Methods: Eighty uninephrectomized male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: normal control (NC) group (n = 28), undergoing intraperitoneal injection of citric acid buffer, and diabetes mellitus (DM) group, undergoing intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) to establish DM models. The 52 DM rats were randomly divided into 7 equal subgroups: DM without treatment for 4 weeks (DM4), DM without treatment for 8 weeks (DM8) DM without treatment for 12 weeks (DM12) , and DM without treatment for 16 weeks (DM16), valsartan treatment (DM + V), MMF treatment (DM + M), and combined treatment (DM + V + M). The treatment subgroups were treated for 8 weeks immediately after the diabetic models ere established. Twenty-four hour urine was collected to measure the amount of protein 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after the induction of DM respectively. The rats were sacrificed. Blood samples were collected from the abdominal aorta to detect the blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (sCr), albumin, and glucose. The kidneys were taken out. Hypertrophy index (left kidney weight/body weight) was determined. Quantitative real time RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of TRAIL and NF-kappaB mRNA. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of TRAIL and NF-kappaB., Results: 1) The 24 h urine protein levels and hypertrophy indexes of all DM subgroups were significantly higher than those of the NC groups (all P <0.05). 24 h urine protein and hypertrophy index increased gradually and peaked in the l2th week; blood albumin gradually decreased since the 8th week(P <0.01), and BUN and sCr began to decrease only since the 16th week (both P <0.01). Compared with the DM 8 subgroup, the hypertrophy index and 24 h urine protein of the different treatment subgroups, especially the DM + V + M subgroup, were significantly lower (all P <0.05). 2) Quantitative real time RT-PCR showed that compared with the NC group, the TRAIL expression levels of the DM subgroups were significantly lower before the 12th week after induction of DM model (all P < 0.01), and then significantly higher in the 16th week (all P < 0.01). The TRAIL expression of the treatment groups, especially that of the DM + M subgroup, were significantly higher than that of the DM8 group (all P <0.05). Compared with the NC group, the NF-kappaB expression levels of the DM subgroups were significantly higher time-dependently (all P <0.01). Compared with the DM8 group, the NF-kappaB expression levels of the treatment subgroups, especially that of the DM + V + M subgroup were significantly lower (all P <0.05). 3) The expression of TRAIL was mainly located in the convoluted tubule of kidney, and no TRAIL protein expression was detected in the glomeruli or renal vasculature. The levels of NF-kappaB protein expression, shown in glomeruli and convoluted tubules, of all DM subgroups were all higher than that of the NC group. The NF-kappaB protein expression level of the DM + V + M subgroup was significantly lower. The number of NF-kappaB positive cells was significantly related to the mononuclear macrophage infiltration , kidney function, and structural lesion., Conclusion: An important monitoring factor in the autoimmune system, TRAIL closely participates in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, possibly controlled by NF-kappaB. In the early stage combination of valsartan and MMF may upregulate the expression of TRAIL, thus protecting the kidney function.

The geochemical characteristics of nitrogen forms in different grain size sediments of Jiaozhou Bay were investigated employing the sequential extraction technique. Results showed that the transferable nitrogen in Jiaozhou Bay sediments can be divided into four forms, ion exchangeable form (IEF-N), weak acid extractable form (WAEF-N), strong alkaline extractable form (SAEF-N) and strong oxidant extractable form (SOEF-N). The percentages of nitrogen forms for transferable nitrogen in different grain size sediments were different. Generally, for all grain size sediments, the SOEF-N was the primary form accounted for 35.38%, 44.38% and 58.69% of transferable nitrogen for fine, medium and coarse sediments. And for medium and coarse grain size sediment, SAEF-N was the dominant inorganic nitrogen accounted for 26.31% and 25.85%, respectively. And for fine-grained sediments, IEF-N was the primary inorganic nitrogen accounted for 27.67% of transferable nitrogen. The correlation analysis showed that generally, nitrogen was positive correlated with fine and medium grain size but negative correlated with coarse sediments. In addition, nitrogen in different grain size sediments had also positive correlations with phytoplankton abundance, chlorophyll-a and NO3- concentrations of overlying water. The results showed that sediments had great influences on element concentrations of overlying water, and on the other side, it also illustrated that sedimentary nitrogen was an excellent indicator of hypereutrophication and had essential environmental significance.

The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus forms in different grain size sediments, the influencing factors as well as the bioavailability of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay were investigated employing the sequential extraction method. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus was the dominant form of total phosphorus and organic phosphorus was only the minor part. The detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus was the largest part of total phosphorus. The grain size, organic carbon, temperature, pH and etc. are the main controlling factors of phosphorus in sediments. Except for Ca-P, most of other phosphorus forms contents increased as the grain size decreased. The bioavailability research showed that the bioavailable phosphorus was mainly the exchangeable phosphorus, phosphorus bound to Al and Fe and organic phosphorus. Moreover, the potential bioavailable phosphorus proportion in total phosphorus increased as the grain size decreased. The bioavailable phosphorus in different grain size sediments has positive correlationship with phytoplankton abundance and phosphate in overlying water.

Phosphorus is a key biogenic element and plays an essential role in global biogeochemical cycles. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus as well as the controlling factors and the environmental marker function in Jiaozhou Bay sediments were presented. The different forms of sedimentary phosphorus were studied in three sediment cores, which are forms of inorganic phosphorus, exchangeable phosphorus, phosphorus bound to Al-Fe, and calcium, occluded phosphorus as well as total phosphorus and organic phosphorus, respectively. The vertical profiles of various forms of phosphorus in response to 210Pb chronological studies of sediment cores were investigated in order to reveal sedimentary environment changes. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus was the dominant form of total phosphorus and organic phosphorus was only the minor part. The detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus was the largest part of total phosphorus. The concentrations and burial fluxes of phosphorus were controlled by source and environmental factors including pH, salinity, temperature and grain size of sediments etc. Moreover, the analysis of OC/OP ratios suggested that the terrestrial inputs were the dominant source of Jiaozhou Bay sediments. The sedimentation fluxes of phosphorus increased in the past two decades, as a result, the pollution was still serious from the 1980 to 2000. But the state has greatly improved since 2000. The Fe-P, Al-P and Oc-P have close relationships with the degree of pollution and may act as good indicators for environment pollution in Jiaozhou Bay.

Objective: To explore the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza on renal morphology and renal function of rats with streptozotocin diabetes., Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups, which were normal control group, untreated group and Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group. Diabetic nephropathy was induced in rats of the last two groups by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin after unilateral nephrectomy. Then the rats in the normal control and untreated groups were fed with normal saline while those in the Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group were fed Salvia miltiorrhiza preparation for 8 weeks. The glomerular volume (VG), kidney-to-body weight ratio (KW/BW), urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) were observed. The expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin (FN) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the end of the experiment., Results: UAER, Ccr, VG and KW/BW ratio were significantly higher in the untreated group than those in the normal control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in the untreated group were also significantly higher as compared with those in the normal control group (P<0.05). UAER, Ccr, VG, KW/BW ratio and the levels of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in the Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group were obviously lower than those in the untreated group (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Salvia miltiorrhiza can protect rats with streptozotocin diabetes from diabetic nephropathy by suppressing the over-expressions of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in renal cortex.

Based on part of a known partial cDNA sequence of a disease resistance gene homolog, KR3-1, obtained by screening a cDNA library from soybean, 5'-RACE-PCR was carried out with gene specific primers and universal primers. After the nested PCR reaction,an amplified fragment of 447 bp in length which overlapped the known KR3-1 sequence by 129 bp was obtained subsequently. Thus, a 5' cDNA end of KR3 was successfully cloned.