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We established a mixed-effects model incorporating climatic factors for the base diameter and length of the primary branches of Larix kaempferi using stepwise regression, based on climatic data from a total of 40 standard plots located in Xiaolongshan, Gansu Province, Changlinggang Forest Farm in Jianshi County, Hubei Province, and Dagujia Forest Farm in Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province, as well as the data from 120 L. kaempferi sample trees. Additionally, we created prediction charts for the fixed effects portion of the optimal mixed model to determine the relationship between climatic factors and base diameter and branch length, to explore the differential response of L. kaempferi branches to climatic variables. The results showed that the base diameter mixing model with annual mean temperature and water vapor deficit and the branch length mixing model with annual mean temperature had the best fitting effect, with R 2 of 0.6152 and 0.6823, respectively. Based on the fixed effects prediction chart of the mixed model, the overall basal diameter showed an increasing trend with the increases of relative branch depth. The average basal diameter size was in an order of young-aged plantation

Objectives: To summarize the clinical characteristics and genetic variations in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) primarily presenting with pseudo-Bartter syndrome (CF-PBS), with the aim to enhance understanding of this disorder., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of three children who were diagnosed with CF-PBS in Hunan Children's Hospital from January 2018 to August 2023, and a literature review was performed., Results: All three children had the onset of the disease in infancy. Tests after admission showed hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypochloremia, and metabolic alkalosis, and genetic testing showed the presence of compound heterozygous mutation in the CFTR gene. All three children were diagnosed with CF. Literature review obtained 33 Chinese children with CF-PBS, with an age of onset of 1-36 months and an age of diagnosis of 3-144 months. Among these children, there were 29 children with recurrent respiratory infection or persistent pneumonia (88%), 26 with malnutrition (79%), 23 with developmental retardation (70%), and 18 with pancreatitis or extrapancreatic insufficiency (55%). Genetic testing showed that c.2909G>A was the most common mutation site of the CFTR gene, with a frequency of allelic variation of 23% (15/66)., Conclusions: CF may have no typical respiratory symptoms in the early stage. The possibility of CF-PBS should be considered for infants with recurrent hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypochloremia, and metabolic alkalosis, especially those with malnutrition and developmental retardation. CFTR genetic testing should be performed as soon as possible to help with the diagnosis of CF.

A study was conducted on rural women of childbearing age aged 20-49 who underwent the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project (NFPHEP)in Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2019. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus and its differences among various socio-demographic characteristics. Among the 1 511 203 study subjects, the negative rate of IgG antibodies against the rubella virus was 24.36%. Only 2.64% of the population had received rubella virus vaccine. The negative rate of IgG antibodies among rural childbearing-age women in the preconception period in Yunnan Province decreased with age and educational level ( P t rend <0.001). The negative rate of IgG antibodies in ethnic minority women of childbearing age in the preconception period (25.19%) was higher than that of Han women (23.88%). Among the 22 ethnic groups with over 1 000 participants, the negative rates of IgG antibodies in women of childbearing age from the Blang (32.85%), Bouyei (31.03%), Zhuang (31.01%), and Miao (30.70%) ethnic groups were higher than those of women from other ethnic groups. Among the 16 states (cities) in Yunnan Province, the negative rate of IgG antibodies in pregnant women of childbearing age in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (38.06%) and Lincang City (32.63%) was higher than that in other states (cities). The negative rate of serum IgG antibodies in women who reported having received rubella virus vaccine (18.60%) was lower than that in other non-vaccinated populations (24.52%). The proportion of rural women of childbearing age in Yunnan Province who were susceptible to the rubella virus before pregnancy was still high. It is necessary to promote rubella vaccination among people susceptible to rubella, especially pregnant women, to prevent rubella virus infection and reduce the incidence rate and disease burden of rubella people.

To study the pollution characteristics and sources of 16 PAHs in PM 2.5 in Lanzhou, PM 2.5 samples were collected in four seasons. GC-MS was employed to analyze the concentration of PAHs. Positive matrix factorization(PMF), trajectory cluster, and potential source contribution function(PSCF) were used to identify the sources of PAHs. The results indicated that the average concentration of PAHs in PM 2.5 in Lanzhou decreased in the order of winter[(118±16.2) ng·m -3 ]>autumn[(50.8±21.6) ng·m -3 ]>spring[(22.2±8.87) ng·m -3 ]>summer[(4.65±1.32) ng·m -3 ]. The results of correlation analysis showed that PM 2.5 and TPAHs in Lanzhou had an extremely significant negative correlation with temperature; an extremely significant positive correlation with atmospheric pressure; and a poor correlation with wind direction, wind speed, and relative humidity. The proportion of PAHs with 4-5 rings was much higher than that of those with 6 rings and 2-3 rings, with similar results across the four seasons. Source apportionment results illustrated that the contribution of industrial emissions and biomass and natural gas combustion were dominant in spring and summer seasons. Industrial emissions and coal combustion were dominant in autumn and winter, respectively. The vehicle emissions had no significant change across the four seasons. Trajectory cluster and PSCF analyses showed that the airflow coming from Mongolia, northeast Xinjiang, and Qinghai had important effects on the ambient air quality in Lanzhou.

Objective: To study the effect of unexpected follicular development in artificial cycles on the clinical outcomes in frozen thawed embryo transfer based on propensity score matching(PSM). Methods: The retrospective cohort study analyzed the clinical data of 7 064 cycles (5 716 patients) of artificial cycle frozen-thawed embryo transfer (AC-FET) in the Reproduction Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. The clinical data were divided into three groups according to the degree of follicular development in AC-FET: no follicular growth group (group A, 6 349 cycles), small follicular growth group (group B, 248 cycles), and large follicular growth group (group C, 467 cycles). Differences in clinical outcomes between the small follicle growth group (Group B) and the large follicle growth group (Group C) were compared with the no follicle growth group (Group A) after PSM and logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors at baseline. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors related to the unanticipated follicular development in AC-FET. Results: Age [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] was [31.0 (28.0, 36.0)] years in Group A, [34.5 (30.0, 40.0)] years in Group B, and [36.0 (31.0, 41.0)] years in Group C. After adjusting for confounders, the differences between Groups A and B in clinical pregnancy rate ( P =0.169), live birth rate ( P =0.318), early abortion rate ( P =0.470), and miscarriage rate ( P =0.783) were not statistically significant. The differences in clinical pregnancy rate ( P =0.743), live birth rate ( P =0.486) and miscarriage rate ( P =0.080) between Groups A and C were not statistically significant, while early miscarriage rate ( P =0.034) differences were statistically significant. The age, BMI, basal AFC, AMH and starting dose of estrogen were correlates of the emergence of non-expected small follicles in Groups B and A. The adjusted OR ( AOR ) values (95% CI ) were 1.03 (1.01-1.06), 0.93 (0.90-0.98), 0.97 (0.95-0.99), 0.96 (0.95-0.97), and 0.59 (0.45-0.77), all P <0.05. Age, basal AFC, AMH and starting dose of estrogen were the associated factors of the appearance of non-expected large follicles in Groups C and A. The AOR values (95% CI ) were 1.03 (1.01-1.05), 0.93 (0.91-0.95), 0.96 (0.95-0.97), and 0.52 (0.42-0.64), all P <0.05. Conclusions: In AC-FET, the clinical outcome of small follicular growth is similar to that of unfollicular growth; Compared with the growth without follicles, the growth and development of large follicles can reduce the early abortion rate; Patients with older age, less AFC, lower AMH, and lower initial dose of estrogen could be more likely to have unanticipated follicular development during endometrial preparation.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with intravenous leiomyoma (IVL), and to explore the expression characteristics and diagnostic value of angiogenesis related molecules in IVL. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 40 patients with IVL at Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University from January 2013 to April 2021 were reviewed. Log-rank test was performed to compare the difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates among patients with different clinicopathological characteristics. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on 10 angiogenesis related molecules to analyze their expression characteristics in IVL. The sensitivity and specificity of molecules with high expression rates in the diagnosis of IVL were calculated, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted and the area under ROC (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the diagnostic value. Results: Median age of the 40 patients was 47 (43, 50) years. The clinical manifestations of IVL were atypical with the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative ultrasound was 12.5% (5/40), CT and/or MRI was 26.7% (8/30), and intraoperative frozen section was 30.0% (12/40). The overall recurrence rate of IVL was 10.0% (4/40). The Log-rank test showed that the cumulative recurrence-free survival rate of IVL patients with previous cesarean section (40.9%) was lower than that of those without cesarean section (96.4%) ( P <0.05); and their median RFS time was shorter than those without cesarean section (16.4 months vs 22.2 months). The overall positive rates of adrenomedullin (ADM), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3) and angiogenin receptor tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (TIE1) were 65.0% (26/40), 75.0% (30/40), 57.5% (23/40) and 50.0% (20/40), respectively. FGFR1 expression intensity and positive rate were higher in tumors with a maximum diameter greater than 5 cm than in tumors with a maximum diameter smaller than 5 cm ( P <0.05). The AUC of FGFR1 combined with ADM, VEGFR3, and TIE1 was 0.876 (95% CI : 0.788-0.964, P <0.001). Conclusions: There was no typical clinical manifestation of IVL. A history of the previous cesarean section indicated a lower cumulative recurrence-free survival rate and shorter recurrence interval. It was hard to diagnose IVL by sonography, radiography, or frozen section pathology. FGFR1, ADM, VEGFR3, and TIE1 were all highly expressed in IVL, and the efficacy of the combination of the four molecules in diagnosing IVL was higher than that of imaging and classical vascular endothelial markers, which are expected to be promising molecular diagnostic markers.

Twelve biochar types were derived from animal manure (cow manure, chicken manure, and pig manure) and crop straw (wheat straw, rice straw, and corn straw) at different temperatures (300℃/700℃ and 300℃/500℃) for Cd 2+ in a solution system in the present study. A scanning electron microscope, Fourier infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, and CHN analyzer were applied to analyze the physical and chemical properties, surface structure, and elemental composition of the biochar. The adsorption capacity and related mechanism of biochar for Cd 2+ in an aqueous solution was studied. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of cow manure, chicken manure, and pig manure biochar for Cd 2+ increased from 83.40, 19.65, and 96.74 mg·g -1 to 106.54, 268.89, and 164.53 mg·g -1 , respectively, with the increase in pyrolysis temperature. With the increase in pyrolysis temperature, the pore structure of biochar became more abundant, oxygen-containing functional groups increased, and the aromatic structure appeared. Quantitative analyses revealed that ion exchange accounted for 12%-52%, chemical precipitation accounted for 27%-79%, complexation accounted for 1%-8%, and cation-π accounted for 1%-28% of the total adsorption capacity of Cd 2+ . With the increase in pyrolysis temperature, the proportion of cation-π interaction increased from 1%-13% to 8%-30%, but the proportion of chemical precipitation and ion exchange were still very high (70%-93%). Therefore, ion exchange and chemical precipitation could be the main mechanisms of agricultural waste biochar adsorption for Cd 2+ .

Objective: To overview the methodological quality, report quality and evidence quality of the systematic review (SR) of acupuncture for vascular cognitive impairment ( VCI )., Methods: The SRs regarding acupuncture for VCI were searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang and VIP databases. The retrieval period was from the establishment of the database to September 24, 2020. The report quality, methodological quality and evidence quality of the included SRs were evaluated by PRISMA statement, the AMSTAR 2 tool and the GRADE system., Results: A total of 22 SRs were included, including 102 outcome indexes. The methodological quality was generally low, with low scores on items 2, 5, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 16. The report quality was good, with scores ranging from 19 points to 24.5 points. The problems of report quality were mainly reflected in the aspects of structural abstract, program and registration, other analysis and funding sources. The level of outcome indexes of SRs was mostly low or very low, and the main leading factor was limitation, followed by inconsistency and inaccuracy., Conclusion: Acupuncture for VCI is supported by low quality evidence of evidence-based medicine, but the methodological quality and evidence body quality of relevant SRs are poor, and the standardization is needed to be improved.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is one of the main methods recommended by international guidelines for preventing HIV infection, and increasing attention has been paid to it in China. In 2019, emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF) was approved by the US FDA as the second PrEP option besides emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (F/TDF). This article reviews the latest international guideline recommendations on PrEP, and the relevant clinical study data, discusses the considerations and challenges in implementing PrEP in the context of clinical practice in China, and provides suggestions for improving the awareness, accessibility, affordability and adherence of PrEP.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from 900 MHz cellphone frequency with testicular oxidative damage and its influence on the Prdx2 protein expression in the rat testis, and to explore the mechanism of Guilingji Capsules (GC) alleviating oxidative damage to the testis tissue., Methods: Fifty healthy SD male rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, sham-EMR, 4-h EMR, 8-h EMR, 4-h EMR+GC and 8-h EMR+GC and exposed to 900 MHz EMR (370 μW/cm2) for 0, 4 or 8 hours daily for 15 successive days. The rats of the latter two groups were treated intragastrically with GC suspension and those of the first three groups with pure water after exposure to EMR each day. After 15 days of exposure and treatment, all the rats were sacrificed and their testis tissue collected for observation of the histomorphological and ultrastructural changes by HE staining and transmission electron microscopy, measurement of the levels of serum glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) with thiobarbiuric acid and determination of the Prdx2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry and Western blot., Results: Compared with the rats in the sham-EMR group, those in the 4-h and 8-h EMR groups showed different degrees of histomorphological and ultrastructural changes in the testis tissue, significantly decreased levels of GSH (［80.62 ± 10.99］ vs ［69.58 ± 4.18］ and ［66.17 ± 8.45］ mg/L, P < 0.05) and SOD (［172.29 ± 10.98］ vs ［158.92 ± 6.46］ and ［148.91 ± 8.60］ U/ml, P < 0.05) and increased level of MDA (［7.51 ± 1.73］ vs ［9.84 ± 1.03］ and ［11.22 ± 2.13］ umol/ml, P < 0.05), even more significantly in the 8-h than in the 4-h EMR group (P < 0.05). In comparison with the sham-EMR group, the expression of the Prdx2 protein was markedly downregulated in the 4-h and 8-h EMR groups (0.56 ± 0.03 vs 0.49 ± 0.03, 0.21 ± 0.01, P < 0.05), but again upregulated in the 4-h and 8-h EMR+GC groups (0.55±0.03 and 0.37±0.04) (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Electromagnetic radiation from cellphones can cause ultrastructural damage to the testis tissue of male rats, while Guilingji Capsules can alleviate it, presumably by upregulating the Prdx2 protein expression in the testis tissue and reducing testicular oxidative damage.

To examine the suitability of Myzus persicae , Lipaphis erysimi , Semiaphis heraclei and Aphis gossypii to propagation of Harmonia axyridis population, we studied the development and reproduction of this ladybird by constructing two-sex life table in the laboratory with those four aphid species as diet. The results showed that the immature duration of H. axyridis decreased in an order of L. erysimi (18.18 d), A. gossypii (17.48 d), S. heraclei (16.23 d), and M. persicae (15.77 d). The survival rates of preadult period were S. heraclei (88.3%), M. persicae (86.7%), L. ery-simi (55.0%), and A. gossypii (55.0%). The fecundity of those species were S. heraclei (1750.5), M. persicae (1441.5), A. gossypii (1006.3), and L. erysimi (965.2). The longevity of adult ladybird were S. heraclei (78.8 d), M. persicae (63.1 d), A. gossypii (54.3 d), and L. erysimi (48.4 d). The intrinsic rate of increase ( r m ) of H. axyridis population decreased in an order of M. persicae (0.19), S. heraclei (0.18), L. erysimi (0.14), and A. gossypii (0.14). The net reproduction rates ( R 0 ) were S. heraclei (895.83), M. persicae (600.62), L. erysimi (273.47), and A. gossypii (268.33). Among those four aphid species, S. heraclei and M. persicae were more suitable for the propagation of H. axyridis population.

Objective: To explore the practice patterns and the related factors of oral antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) treatment in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and to evaluate the compliance of AAD application to atrial fibrillation management guidelines. Methods: From August 2011 to August 2016, medical records from 18 014 patients with AF were analyzed based on data from the Chinese Atrial Fibrillation Registry trial. Patients were divided into AAD group (7 788 cases, 43.23%) and non-AAD group (10 226 cases, 56.77%) according to whether AAD was used at baseline or at the time of first use during follow-up. Amiodarone (4 129 cases, 53.02%) and propafenone (3 211 cases, 41.23%) were the mostly prescribed AAD and subgroup analysis was performed accordingly. Medical records were analyzed by random forest regression to evaluate the use of AAD and related factors in patients with AF, and the rationality of AAD was analyzed according to the guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation. Result: A total of 18 014 patients were included in this study, of which 60.48% (10 895/18 014) were male patients, 22.65% (4 081/18 014) were elderly patients(≥75 years old), there were 7 788 patients (43.23%) in AAD group, and 10 226 patients(56.77%) in non-AAD group. Compared with the non-AAD group, the elderly patients (≥75 years old, 13.74%(1 070/7 788) vs. 29.44%(3 011/10 226)), persistent AF (28.95% (2 250/7 788) 45.80% (4 683/10 226)), heart failure(8.29% (646/7 788) vs. 21.95% (2 245/10 226)), stroke and (or) TIA(12.15% (946/7 788) vs. 19.95% (2 040/10 226)), renal dysfunction(16.36%(1 274/7 788) vs. 29.37% (3 003/10 226)), and high thromboembolism risk(60.17% (4 748/7 788) vs. 76.40% (7 813/10 226)) were less prevalent in the AAD subgroup ( P <0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that patients in tertiary hospitals ( OR =3.72, 95% CI 3.17-4.37) were more likely to use AAD, elderly patients (≥75 years old, OR =0.47, 95% CI 0.39-0.55), persistent atrial fibrillation ( OR =0.66, 95% CI 0.60-0.72), and patients with heart failure ( OR =0.54, 95% CI 0.47-0.63), stroke and (or) TIA ( OR =0.77, 95% CI 0.68-0.87), renal dysfunction ( OR =0.75, 95% CI 0.59-0.95) and high thromboembolism risk( OR =0.7, 95% CI 0.58-0.84) were more likely not to use AAD( P <0.05). In the AAD group, amiodarone and propafenone were the most commonly used AAD, accounting for 53.02% (4 129/7 788) and 41.23% (3 211/7 788), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with persistent atrial fibrillation ( OR =4.57, 95% CI 3.94-5.29) and coronary heart disease ( OR =4.14, 95% CI 3.03-5.64), heart failure ( OR =2.07, 95% CI 1.48-2.89), non-ischemic cardiomyopathy ( OR =4.84, 95% CI 2.41-9.73) were more likely to use amiodarone, and those with normal left ventricular ejection fraction ( OR =0.31, 95% CI 0.15-0.65) and low thromboembolism risk ( OR =0.78, 95% CI 0.63-0.97) were more likely to use propafenone ( P <0.001). The overall incidence of AAD treatment, which was not indicated by the guidelines was 6.5% (480/7 340); 5.1% (212/4 129) in the amiodarone group and 8.3% (268/3 211) in the propafenone group, respectively. Compared with the rational AAD use group, the proportion of irrational drug use was higher in the elderly (≥75 years old) (20.4% (98/480) vs. 12.9% (887/6 860)), patients of high thromboembolism risk (77.1% (379/480) vs. 59.0% (4 047/6 860)), and in non-tertiary hospitals (7.1% (34/480) vs. 3.3% (299/6 860)), but lower in men(50.8% (244/480) vs. 64.5% (4 427/6 860)), P <0.001. Conclusions: The patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, who were treated with AAD, were mostly patients with fewer complications, and the patients who were treated with amiodarone were mostly patients with persistent atrial fibrillation, patients were more likely to complicate with organic heart disease. The incidence of AAD that do not comply with the guidelines was low, and it was more common in non-tertiary hospitals and the elder patients with high thromboembolism risk.

Sedum plumbizincicola is a Cd and Zn hyperaccumulator, widely used for the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil. Bacillus megaterium , a phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, can promote plant growth and improve the bioavailability of heavy metals in soil, and thus has a strengthening effect on the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil. Here, a pot experiment was carried out with S. plumbizincicola as a hyperaccumulator to investigate the effects of different inoculation amounts (10-60 mL) of B. megaterium on the phytoremediation efficiency of Cd-contaminated farmland soils. The results showed that inoculation of B. megaterium increased soil available Cd content by 15.0%-45.0% compared with the CK. Biomass of shoots and roots of S. plumbizincicola increased by 8.7%-66.7% and 13.6%-81.8%, respectively. Shoot Cd concentration was significantly increased by the application of B. megaterium by 29.2%-60.4%. Under the conditions of S. plumbizincicola inoculated with B. megaterium , Cd removal rate of soil reached 26.7%-42.9%. In conclusion, application of B. megaterium in phytoremediation significantly enhanced the Cd removal efficiency and increased plant biomass, which promoted Cd remediation efficiency.

Objective: To investigate multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) by immunomagnetic bead screening from Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stromal cells(WJ-MSCs), and explore transplantation of Muse cell for safety and effectivensess of sub acute cord injury in rats., Methods: Donated Wharton's Jelly-mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSCs) were successfully derived from a human umbilical cord by a series of procedures namely physical isolation of Wharton's Jelly from cord membrane, collagenase and trypsin treatment and density gradient centrifugation. Magnetic activated cell sorting was performed to specifically select SSEA3+ Muse cells, and flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry were used to identify further. In vivo, spinal cord contusion injury model in rats was induced by NYU-III impactor, and were randomly divided and equally into four groups, namely group A (sham), group B (control), group C (Non-Muse cells transplantation) and group D (Muse cells transplantation). Laminectomy was conducted in group A but no spinal cord contusion injury. Laminectomy and cord injury were performed in group B, C and D, 10 g trip rod was freely falling down from 12.5 mm. Two weeks later, group B, C and D were received PBS injection, Non-Muse cells transplantation and Muse cells transplantation respectively, four-point injection were performed in each cord with totally 4×10⁵ cells. BBB scores were evaluated on 1 day, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 week after injury. Four weeks after cell transplantation, the rats were sacrificed, and immunohistochemistry were carried out to observe survival, migration and differentiation of the injected cells., Results: The expression of CD105, CD90 and CD73 were over 99.5% in the derived WJ-MSCs population, but CD45 and CD14 were lower than 0.5%, positive rate of SSEA3+ was 1.46% under flow cytometer, However, after MACS sorting, the percentage of 92.0% Muse cells expressed SSEA3 and CD105, and immunohistochemistry results of SSEA3 showed typically membrane morphology with special processes. In vivo, BBB scores was 21 in group A at different time points. One-way ANOVA and LSD analysis showed that BBB scores in group C and D were significantly higher than that in group B ( P =0.004, 0.002), but there was no significantly difference between group C and D. Further intra-group paired t test showed that BBB score was significantly higher at 4 weeks than that 3 weeks in group C ( P =0.005). However, in group D, BBB scores were significantly higher at 4 and 6 week than those at 3 and 5 weeks, P values were 0.005 and 0.016 respectively. Immunohistochemistry results showed that both Muse cells and Non-Muse cells could survive for 4 weeks in rats and they migrated from the four-point injection to injury site. But there showed more Muse cells survival than Non-Muse cells in the cord., Conclusions: Immunomagnetic bead screening is efficient to select large number of purified SSEA3+ Muse cells. Muse cells could survive and target-migrate in injured cord to improve BBB scores continuously. Muse cells are a novel kind of seed cells in the spinal cord injury treatment., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© 2019 by the China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Press.)

Objective: To determine the early recognizable factors related to patients with fulminant myocarditis. Methods: Medical records from 60 adult patients who were diagnosed with acute viral myocarditis from January 2003 to September 2016 in our hospital were retrospectively reviewed, and divided into the fulminant group ( n= 9) and the non-fulminant group ( n= 51). Clinical presentations, biochemical markers, electrocardiography and echocardiography features on admission were analyzed. Results: Prevalence of syncope (33.3%(3/9) vs. 2.0% (1/51), P= 0.009) and fatigue (77.8% (7/9) vs. 21.6% (11/51) , P= 0.002) was significantly higher, while the duration from flu-like syndromes to chest discomfort was shorter ((2.0±1.8) days vs. (4.5±3.5) days, P= 0.041) in the fulminant group than that in the non-fulminant group. Systolic blood pressare (SBP) ((94±14) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) vs. (117±12)mmHg, P= 0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction((49±12)% vs. (60±13)%, P= 0.016) were significantly lower, while heart rate ((99±20)bpm vs. (84±19)bpm, P= 0.040) and NT-proBNP concentration ((7 962 (1 470, 23 849) ng/L vs. 1 771 (45, 2 380) ng/L, P= 0.000) were significantly higher in the fulminant group than those in the non-fulminant group. PR interval was longer (199 (140, 416) ms vs. 156 (112, 204) ms, P= 0.021), QRS complex was wider ((127±14)ms vs. (95±13)ms, t=- 6.647, P< 0.001) in the fulminant group than those in the non-fulminant group. Prolonged QRS duration≥120 ms was more often in fulminant group (77.8%(7/9) vs. 5.9%(3/51), P= 0.000). Multivariate analysis revealed that PR interval (adjusted odd ratio 1.044, 95% CI 1.005-1.084, P= 0.025) and QRS complex width (adjusted odd ratio 1.252, 95% CI 1.045-1.501, P= 0.015) were the independent risk factors significantly associated with fulminant myocarditis. Conclusions: The risk of a fulminant course of acute myocarditis is higher in patients with elevated NT-proBNP, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and conduction disturbances at admission. Prolonged PR interval and widened QRS complex on admission are independent risk factors for developing fulminant myocarditis in adult patients with acute viral myocarditis.

In order to make clear the suitability of eggs of Plutella xylostella as foodstuff of Orius minutus and the predatory and control ability of the bug to P. xylostella, the influence of praying on eggs of P. xylostella on development and reproduction of O. minutus was studied indoors with Myzus persicae as reference. The predation functional response was included to evaluate the control ability of O. minutus to P. xylostella. The results showed that O. minutus could finish its generation and reproduce offspring when fed on eggs of P. xylostella. The developmental durations of nymphal bugs (♀: 12.3 d, ♂: 12.2 d), the length of body of adult bugs [♀: (2.13±0.01) mm, ♂: (1.91±0.00) mm], the width of body of adult bugs [♀: (0.87±0.01) mm, ♂: (0.71±0.01) mm], the fecundity per female (12.7±1.1), the pre-oviposition period [(5.1±0.6) d] and the oviposition period [(3.7±0.4) d] all had no significant difference from those of treatment group of M. persicae; the longevity of adult bugs [♀: (10.7±1.4) d, ♂: (9.1±1.3) d] was longer than that of treatment group of M. persicae [♀: (8.5±0.5) d, ♂: (6.4±0.3) d]; the survival rate of nymphal bugs [(65.0±6.8)%] was lower than that of treatment group of M. persicae [(80.0±8.2)%], and the percentage of females was low. The predation functional responses of O. minutus to P. xylostella were all in accord with Holling2 equation. The largest amounts of caught per day (N max ) of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th instar nymphal bugs to eggs of P. xylostella were 7.5, 16.3, 23.3, 29.1 and 38.7, respectively; the N max of the female and male adult to eggs of P. xylostella was 39.0 and 26.9, respectively; the N max of the 5th instar nymph to lower instar larva of P. xylostella was 41.3; and the N max of the female and male adult to lower instar larva of P. xylostella was 40.8 and 23.9, respectively. Single female and male pray eggs of P. xylostella up to (711.3±58.1) and (535.4±30.6), lower instar larvae of P. xylostella up to (371.9±52.0) and (253.9±32.3) during their whole lifetime, respectively. O. minutus could be reared with eggs of P. xylostella, and O. minutus has a good ability to control P. xylostella.

Objective: To investigate the effects of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells(HUCMSC) on the leukemic cell line HL-60 and acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line Jurkat as well as the role of CXCL12/CXCR4., Methods: HL-60 cells and Jurkat cells were co-cultured with human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cell (HUCMSC), and the model was treated with G-CSF, AMD3100 and their combination. The cell viability and cell cycle were measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), the apoptosis and the cell-cycle analysis were assessed by flow cytometry with the Annexin V/PI double staining. The expression of surface CXCR4 protein and total CXCR4 protein of leukemic cells were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot respectively., Results: HUCMSC could decrease the viability of HL-60 cells and Jurkat cells, as well as the percentage of apoptotic cells, they could also increase the number of G 0 /G 1 cells, while G-CSF and AMD3100 could reduce the proliferation of HL-60 cells and Jurkat cells in HUCMSC co-culture model, destructed the anti-apoptotic effect of HUCMSC on HL-60 cells and Jurkat cells, and the combination of 2 drugs resulted in a synergistic effect. The G-CSF could reduce the expression of surface CXCR4 protein and total CXCR4 protein in leukemic cells, while AMD3100 could only decrease the expression of surface CXCR4 protein of leukemia cell membrane, having no effect on the expression of CXCR4 protein in cytoplasm., Conclusion: Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells can inhibit the proliferation and apoptosis of acute leukemia cells and increase the number of G 0 /G 1 phase cells in leukemic cells. The AMD3100 can decrease the expression of surface CXCR4 protein in leukemia cells, G-CSF can decrease expression of total CXCR4 protein as well as membrane CXCR4 protein. Both of them can block the CXCL12/CXCR4 signal axis, weakening the relationship between leukemia cells and microenvironment. And on the basic of HUCMSC influenced leukemia cells' growth and proliferation, the cell viability will be weakened, its apoptosis will be promoted, and the percentage of G 0 /G 1 phase cells in leukemia cells will be decreased.

Objective: To investigate the association between APOB gene R532W polymorphism and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients without lipid-lowering treatment and to analyze the interactions between the variation of R532W and different risk factors of CHD. Methods: CHD and non-CHD were diagnosed according to coronary artery angiography (CAG) and/or coronary computed tomography angiogram (CTA) results, as well as clinical features. Blood samples from 771 CHD patients and 772 age- and sex-matched non-CHD controls, who never accepted any lipid-lowering treatments, were collected. R532W was genotyped by HumanExome BeadChip at BGI and strict quality control was made. Firstly, the association between R532W polymorphism and the risk of CHD in 3 genetic models (GA+ AA vs.GG, AA vs. GG+ GA, AA vs. GA vs. GG) after adjusting confounding factors was explored. Then, the interactions between the variation of this loci and risk factors related to CHD were investigated. Results: (1) Total cholesterol (TC) levels were significantly lower in AA genotype than in GA genotype in the total cohort and non-CHD controls, but was similar among the 3 genotypes in CHD patients. (2) R532W GG, GA and AA distribution was 80.7%, 18.2% and 1.2% in CHD patients, and 74.6%, 23.8% and 1.6% in non-CHD controls ( P <0.05). (3) R532 polymorphism was related to the incidence of CHD in the dominant model, and A-allele carriers were related to about 35% reduced risk of CHD ( OR =0.653, 95% CI 0.502-0.849, P =0.001) after adjusting for confounding factors. (4) R532W polymorphism had positive interactions with hypertension (1.452) and smoke (1.077), while negative interaction with diabetes (0.553) in the occurrence of CHD. Conclusions: APOB gene R532W polymorphism is related to TC levels in Chinese north Han population. A-allele carries of R532W loci is linked with reduced risk of CHD in the absence of lipid-lowering treatment. R532W polymorphism has a positive additive interaction with hypertension and smoke, while a negative additive interaction with diabetes mellitus in the occurrence of CHD.

Objective: To investigate the effects of climb ladder and aerobic treadmill exercise on learning memory ability in diabetic rats and explore its possible mechanisms., Methods: Forty male rats were randomly divided into normal control group (NC), diabetic control group (DC), diabetic loading ladder group (DL) and diabetic aerobic treadmill group (DA), diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ. In the evening, the DL group were trained three cycle (10 times/cycle) with weight-bearing climbing ladder, 2 min intervals, 6 days/week, lasted for six weeks. The DA group was trained on a motor-driven treadmill at a speed of 20 m/min (0 incline), 30 min/day, 6 days/week, lasted for six weeks. Morris water maze was used to detect the learning and memory ability of rats after modeling success and after exercise intervention. After the last water maze test, the rats were killed to obtain the hippocampus. RT-QPCR was used to detect the gene expressions of brain derived neurophic factor (BDNF), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB)., Results: Compared with NC group, the expressions of BDNF and CREB gene in hippocampus of DC group and the learning and memory ability were significantly decreased. Compared with DC group, the expression of BDNF and CREB in hippocampus of DL and DA rats was significantly up-regulated and the learning ability was significantly increased. The TrkB gene of hippocampus in DL rats was significantly up-regulated and the spatial memory ability was significantly improved. Compared with the DA group, the TRKB and CREB genes in the hippocampus of DL group were significantly up-regulated., Conclusions: Aerobic treadmill exercise and weight-bearing ladder exercise have a positive effect on the learning ability of diabetic rats, while the weight-bearing ladder exercise improves the memory ability of diabetic rats better than aerobic exercise. These effects may be related to the up-regulation of BDNF/TrkB/CREB signaling pathway.

A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated with alternating anaerobic/oxic (An/O) condition to investigate the nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of EBPR with DO=1 mg·L -1 and the phosphorus recovery effect at extracting side stream ratio of 0, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 anaerobic phosphorus supernatant. The removal efficiency of NH 4 + -N was found to be relatively stable during all experimental stages but effluent COD of the system during later period remained as high as 81.3 mg·L -1 . In the absence of side stream, the average phosphorus removal efficiency was 89.4% and increased to 98.5% and 99.0% when the side stream ratio was 1/4 and 1/3, respectively. However, the phosphorus removal performance began to fluctuate with side stream ratio of 1/2 and the lowest phosphorus removal rate was 65.4%. During each experimental stage, only one day effluent TP failed to meet the national wastewater discharge standard A with side stream ratio of 1/3 in the initial period. Besides, 93.3% of effluent TP which could meet the national standard with side stream ratio of 1/3 was far better than 45.5% of that with side stream ratio of 1/2. Nevertheless, the phosphorus recovery rate improved with the increase of side stream ratio. It was also observed that the TN removal rate dramatically decreased to 50.9% when the side stream ratio increased to 1/2. Consequently, a side stream ratio of 1/3 was found to be the optimal condition in the whole experimental stage, and EBPR system under low dissolved oxygen condition combined with phosphorus recovery through extracting side stream could greatly improve the economic and environmental benefits.

Objective: To investigate the current status of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) use in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation(AF) and assess the safety of AADs in this patient cohort. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2013, a total of 4 008 AF patients treated with AADs was enrolled in this study and patients were followed up for 24 months. Detailed information of prescribed drug, the causes of drug discontinuation and side effects were recorded. Results: Amiodarone was prescribed to 64.3%(2 579 cases) and propafenone to 31.1%(1 247 cases) of the enrolled patients, only 148 patients(3.7%) were treated with sotalol and 34 patients (0.8%) were treated with moracizine. The prevalence of heart failure (4.0%(102/2 579) vs. 1.4%(17/1 247, P <0.001), coronary heart disease (13.5% (348/2 579) vs. 7.4%(93/1 247), P <0.001) and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (3.1%(78/2 579) vs. 0.7%(9/1 247), P <0.001) was significantly higher in patients treated with amiodarone than in the patients treated with propafenone. During the follow-up period, the discontinuation rate of amiodarone, propafenone, sotalol and moracizine was 28.8%(743/2 579), 25.1%(313/1 247), 14.2%(21/148) and 32.4%(11/34) respectively. The reasons of discontinuing amiodarone were: follow physicians' decision (75.7%, 563 cases), no effect (3.0%, 22 cases), side effects (4.3%, 32 cases) and patients' own decision (17.0%, 126 cases). The side effects of amiodarone included thyroid dysfunction (56.3%, 18 cases), bradycardia (12.5%, 4 cases), interstitial pneumonitis/pulmonary interstitial fibrosis (6.2%, 2 cases) and others (gastrointestinal symptom, rash, hepatic dysfunction, etc.). Conclusions: Amiodarone and propafenone are the most common AADs used in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation. The prescription of AADs is essentially in accordance to the guideline of AF treatment. However, the discontinuation rates of AADs are high in Chinese AF patients. Lacking of better AADs is still a major problem in AF pharmacotherapy. Clinical Trial Registry Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-OCH-13003729.

Two sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated with alternating anaerobic/oxic (An/O) for 127 days to study the phosphorus removal efficiency and process performance of the EBPR under different dissolved oxygen gradient. For the reactor (R 1 ) in which DO was not controlled and measured as high as 6 mg·L -1 during the aerobic stage, a stable phosphorus removal performance was achieved in the former 65 days during the operational period. The phosphorus removal efficiency was greater than 95.9% and the total phosphorus in effluent was less than 0.5 mg·L -1 . However, the phosphorus removal performance subsequently deteriorated after 65 days and completely broke up until 97 day due to long-term excessive aeration. Throughout the operational period,only 39.4% of effluent TP met the national wastewater discharge standard A. For the test reactor (R 2 ) in which DO was controlled at the levels of 2, 1, 0.5, 0.2, 0.1 mg·L -1 during the aerobic stage, respectively, the phosphorus removal performance showed a slight fluctuation at the beginning of each stage but rapidly increased to a stable state. According to the statistics, 94.6% of effluent TP in reactor R 2 could meet the national wastewater discharge standard A throughout the operational period. In only 6 days out of the 127 days, effluent TP failed to meet the national standard and the process performance was far better than that of R 1 . The specific phosphate uptake rate under DO=2 mg·L -1 was found to be nearly the maximum, but it was greatly influenced by the low DO. In addition, limited filamentous bulking resulted from low organic matter degradation rate under extra-low DO level (0.1 mg·L -1 ) was observed. Nevertheless, 100% of effluent TP during this stage could meet the national standard. As a result, the phosphorus removal in micro-aerobic EBPR system for saving energy was feasible.

Grain hardness is an important quality parameter of wheat which has great influence on the classification, usage and composition research of wheat. To achieve rapid and accurate detection of wheat hardness, radial basis function (RBF) neural network model was built to predict the hardness of unknown samples on the basis of analyzing the absorptive characteristics of the composition of wheat grain in infrared, besides, the effects of different spectral pretreatment methods on the predictive accuracy of models were emphatically analyzed. 111 wheat samples were collected from major wheat-producing areas in China; then, spectral data were obtained by scanning samples. Mahalanobis distance method was used to identify and eliminated abnormal spectra. The optimized method of sample set partitioning based on joint X-Y distance (SPXY) was used to divide sample set with the number of calibration set samples being 84 and prediction set samples being 24. Successive projections algorithm (SPA) was employed to extract 47 spectral features from 262. SPA, first derivatives, second derivatives, standard normal variety (SNV) and their combinations were applied to preprocess spectral data, and the interplay of different prediction methods was analyzed to find the optimal prediction combination. Radial basis function (RBF) was built with preprocessed spectral data of calibration set being as inputs and the corresponding hardness data determined via hardness index (HI) method being as outputs. Results showed that the model got the best prediction accuracy when using the combination of SNV and SPA to preprocess spectral data, with the discriminant coefficient (R2), standard error of prediction (SEP) and ratio of performance to standard deviate (RPD) being 0.844, 3.983 and 2.529, respectively, which indicated that the RBF neural network model built based on visible-near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR) could accurately predict wheat hardness, having the advantages of easy, fast and nondestructive compared with the traditional method. It provides a more convenient and practical method for estimating wheat hardness.

Ethanol concentration quantitative analysis of ethanol-water solution can be realized by measuring the ratio of Raman characteristic peak heights. The content of ethanol can be determined by linear relation between relative intensity ratio and ethanol concentration. However, this analytical method only applies to the ethanol solution at low concentration. Concerning this issue, relative intensity of characteristic peak of ethanol (asymmetric stretching vibration of CH2 2 924.0 cm-1) and peak background of water (3 350 cm-1) at different ethanol concentration is experimentally measured by using a self-developed laser Raman ethanol content detection system. According to the relationship between relative ratio of characteristic peak heights and ethanol concentration, the nonlinear regression analysis methods are proposed to apply in the measurement of ethanol concentration in a wide range. Adjacent region average method is utilized to remove mutational random noise in Raman spectra of ethanol solution. Combined with multi-point interpolation processing, the baseline of Raman spectra can be calibrated. The influences of mutational random noise and the strong fluorescence background can be effectively eliminated with baseline correction and normalization methods. Polynomial and exponential mathematical models are adopted for nonlinear regression analyses by the relation between ratio of characteristic peak heights and concentration of ethanol solution. The analysis results show that the correlation coefficient of linear fitting and nonlinear fitting is about 0.991 and higher than 0.997 respectively. The linear analytical method can be effectively applied when ethanol concentration range is 15%～60%. The nonlinear analytical method has higher measurement accuracy in a wider ethanol concentration range of 3%～97%. Nonlinear mathematical model will provide theoretical basis for analysis of ethanol concentration, which can be applied in laser Raman ethanol content detection system to calculate the relatively accurate ethanol concentration of ethanol-water solution. Rapid, real-time and accurate quantitative analysis of wide concentration range ethanol solution, which has mutational random noise and strong fluorescence background interference, can be achieved by these analytical methods.

Objective: To explore material bases and neurobiological mechanisms of "Shen storing will" by observing learning and memory capacities and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor expressions in Shen deficiency constitution (SDC) rats., Methods: Totally 40 SD rats were randomly divided into the model group, the Zuogui Pill (ZP) group, the Yougui Pill (YP) group, the blank control group (consisting of normal pregnant rats), 10 in each group. SDC young rat model (inherent deficiency and postnatal malnutrition) was prepared by the classic way of "cat scaring rat". Medication started when they were scared by cat. Rats in the ZP group and the YP group were administered by gastrogavage with ZP suspension 0.1875 g/mL and YP suspension 0.0938 g/mL respectively. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to rats in the blank control group and the model group by gastrogavage. All medication was given once per day, 5 days in a week for 2 consecutive months. Learning and memory capacities were detected by Morris water maze test. Expressions of NMDA receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were detected by immunohistochemical method., Results: Compared with the blank control group, the latency period, total distance in Morris water maze test were longer in the model group (P < 0.05). All the aforesaid indices all decreased in the ZP group and the YP group, with statistical difference when compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The protein expressions of NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were lower in the model group than in the blank control group (P < 0.05). But when compared with the model group, they were obviously higher in the ZP group and the YP group (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: SDC rats had degenerated learning and memory capacities and lowered NMDA receptor expressions. ZP and YP could up-regulate learning and memory capacities and NMDA receptor expressions, thereby improving deterioration of brain functions in SDC rats.

Objective: To study the expression of nNOS and ultrastructural changes in the penile tissue of rats with prolactinoma-induced erectile dysfunction (ED)., Methods: We established the model of prolactinoma in 20 male Westar rats by peritoneal injection of diethylstilbestrol (DES) and treated the control rats with normal saline (n = 10) or sterilized arachis oil (n = 10). After 8 weeks, we performed the apomorphine test and measured the weight of the pituitary gland and the levels of serum prolactin (PRL) and testosterone (T) to confirm the successful construction of the prolactinoma-induced ED model. Then we determined the expression of nNOS in the penile tissue by immunohistochemistry and examined the ultrastructural changes of the penile cavernosum under the transmission electron microscope., Results: The prolactinoma-induced ED model was successfully established in 15 rats. The weight of the pituitary gland was significantly increased in the rats treated with DES as compared with the normal saline and sterilized arachis oil controls ([46.7 ± 15.5] vs [11.7 ± 2.4] and [12.4 ± 2.3] mg, both P < 0.05). The level of serum PRL was markedly higher while that of T remarkably lower in the former than in the latter two groups ([1,744.9 ± 304.5] vs [11.5 ± 2.4] and [10.6 ± 1.9] ng/ml, both P < 0.0l; [1.54 ± 0.46] vs [3.11 ± 1.08] and [3.04 ± 1.11] ng/ml, both P < 0.05). The rate of penile erection was significantly reduced in the prolactinoma-induced ED model rats in comparison with the normal saline and arachis oil controls (16.7% vs 100% and 87.5%, both P < 0.05), and so was the expression of nNOS in the penile tissue (0.024 ± 0.011 vs 0.066 ± 0.019 and 0.058 ± 0.021, both P < 0.05). Transmission electron microscopy manifested significant ultrastructural changes in the endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the cavernous tissue in the prolactinoma-induced ED models., Conclusion: The ultrastructural changes of the penile cavernous tissue and the reduced expression of nNOS in penile tissue may be the most important mechanisms of prolactinoma-induced ED in rats.

An alternating anaerobic/oxic ( An/O) sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was employed to investigate the long-term inhibitory effect of free nitrous acid (FNA) on aerobic phosphorus uptake performance and variation of phosphorus uptake properties of the sludge by adding nitrite. The reactor was started up under the condition of 21-23 degrees C. The results showed that FNA had no impact on phosphate release and uptake capacities of the sludge. However, the specific phosphate release/uptake rates was found to be higher. As FNA concentration (measure by HNO2-N) was lower than 0.53 x 10(-3) mg x L(-1), phosphorus removal efficiency of the system was higher than 96.9%. When the FNA concentration was increased to 0.99 x 10(-3) mg x L(-1), 1.46 x 10(-3) mg x L(-1) and 1.94 x 10(-3) mg x L(-1), the phosphorus removal performance deteriorated rapidly. The phosphorus removal efficiency was recovered to 64.42%, 67.33% and 44.14% after 50, 12 and 30 days, respectively, which implied the deterioration of phosphorus removal performance caused by FNA inhibition could be recovered and long-term acclimation could shorten the recovery process. Notably, increasing nitrite consumption appeared during aerobic phase with the concentration of FNA below 1.46 x 10(-3) mg x L(-1). It was also observed that the phosphorus uptake properties of the sludge varied after long-term inhibition. Nitrate and nitrite type anoxic phosphorus uptake capacity was increased by 3.35 and 3.86 times, respectively, suggesting long-term dosing FNA may facilitate the denitrifying of polyphosphate in organisms utilizing nitrite as electron acceptor. Moreover, long-term acclimation favored sludge settling.

Objective: To evaluate the application of immunohistochemistry and fluorescence staining method in the detection of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) on paraffin section of renal biopsy tissue,and to find an accurate and fast method for the detection of PLA2R in renal tissue., Methods: The PLA2R of 193 cases were detected by immunohistochemical staining,and the antigen was repaired by the method of high pressure cooker (HPC) hot repair plus trypsin repair. The 193 samples including 139 cases of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), 15 cases of membranous lupus nephritis, 8 cases of hepatitis B virus associated membranous nephropathy, 18 cases of IgA nephropathy, and 13 cases of minimal change diseases. To compare the dyeing effects, 22 paraffin sections of renal biopsy tissue of IMN cases with positive PLA2R were stained by using 4 different., Methods: of antigen repairing,which included HPC hot repair, HPC hot repair plus trypsin repair, water bath heat repair, and water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair. To compare the dyeing effects, 15 paraffin sections of renal biopsy tissue of IMN cases with positive PLA2R were stained by using 3 different., Methods: of antigen repairing,which included water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair, protease K digestion repair, and pepsin digestion repair., Results: In 193 cases, the positive rate of PLA2R in IMN cases was 90.6% (126/139), and the other 54 patients without IMN were negative. Twenty-two IMN patients were positive for PLA2R by using the HPC heat repair plus trypsin repaire or the water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair;while only a few cases of 22 IMN cases were positive by using the HPC hot repair alone or water bath heat repair alone. Fifteen IMN patients were positive for PLA2R by using water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair,protease K digestion repair,and pepsin digestion repair, but the distribution of positive deposits and the background were different., Conclusions: PLA2R immunohistochemical staining can effectively identify IMN and secondary MN. For immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining, the preferred method of antigen repair is water bath heat repair plus trypsin repair.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and complications of Triple-Endobutton plates in treating Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocation., Methods: From January 2011 to January 2013,45 patients with Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocation were treated with Triple-Endobutton plates. There were 35 males and 10 females with an average age of 30.5 (ranged from 19 to 60) years old. At the final follow-up, VAS, DASH, Constant-Murley criterion were used to evaluate shoulder function., Results: All patients were followed up from 15 to 36 months. No neurovascular injury, wound infection and stress fractures were found,but 3 patients had a re-dislocation. At the final follow-up,the mean VAS score was decreased from (5.7±1.6) preoperatively to postoperative (0.2±0.1); DASH score was significantly decreased from (19.6±4.3) preoperatively to (0.3±0.1) postoperatively; Constant-Murley score was improved from (34.4±4.3) before operation to (94.8± 3.5) after operation., Conclusion: Clinical outcomes of treating Tossy type III acromioclavicular joint dislocation with Triple-Endobutton plates is satisfactory. However, re-dislocation is still the most common complication. Careful perioperative management is an important factor in preventing re-dislocation.

Hyperkalemia may induce serious cardiac arrhythmia, with possible life-threatening effects. It may cause cardiac pacemaker (PMK) malfunctioning due to a reduction of the electronegativity of the resting myocardial potential. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman who had a previous history of chronic heart failure, chronic renal failure and DDI pacemaker. She was admitted for disturbance of consciousness. During hospitalization, she was observed for extreme hypotension, acute hyperkalemia, ventricular escape rhythm, associated with failure of pacemaker capture and sensing. She was treated with calcium chloride injection, followed by insulin/glucose and sodium bicarbonate infusions; the electrocardiogram recordings showed an correction of the PMK malfunctioning and serial improvement of the intraventricular conduction. This case supports that hyperkalemia should be closely monitored in the chronic heart failure patients combined with chronic renal failure.

Objective: To analyze the features of drowning victims with psychiatric disorders to support further investigation on such cases., Methods: One hundred and five archives of drowning victims with psychiatric disorders from January 2010 to June 2014 in Harbor Public Security Subbureau, Shanghai Public Security Bureau were reviewed. The decedents' general information, autopsy findings, case investigation data and disease histories were statistically analyzed., Results: Of the 105 cases, 104 were suicides. Most decedents were poorly educated. Most suicides occurred in warm climate, and the corpses were usually found within 2 days. Most decedents had no suicide history and notes, but had abnormal mental or behavior changes before suicide. Depression, depression status and schizophrenia were the main types of psychiatric disorders, and only 9 decedents had received regular therapies before their deaths., Conclusion: Mental disorder is a high risk factor in the drowning victims. Guardians should be aware of psychotic abnormal behaviors, especially during warm climate seasons.

As one of the most important and wide distribution community type among terrestrial ecosystems, grassland ecosystem plays a critical role in the global carbon cycles and climate regulation. China has extremely rich grassland resources, which have a huge carbon sequestration potential and are an important part of the global carbon cycle. Drying and rewetting is a common natural phenomenon in soil, which might accelerate soil carbon mineralization process, increase soil respiration and exert profound influence on microbial activity and community structure. Under the background of the global change, the changes in rainfall capacity, strength and frequency would inevitably affect soil drying and wetting cycles, and thus change the microbial activity and community structure as well as soil respiration, and then exert important influence on global carbon budget. In this paper, related references in recent ten years were reviewed. The source of soil released, the trend of soil respiration over time and the relationship between soil respiration and microbial biomass, microbial activity and microbial community structure during the processes of dry-rewetting cycle were analyzed and summarized, in order to better understand the microbial response mechanism for drying and rewetting effecting on soil respiration in grassland ecosystem, and provide a certain theoretical basis for more accurate evaluation and prediction of future global carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems and climate change.

Evidence shows that aging is closely related to mitochondrial decay and redox imbalance. With aging, both mitochondrial content and protein synthesis declined and free radicals, the by-products of mitochondrial metabolism and their oxidation to lipids, proteins and nuclear acids increased. The age-related declines in mitochondrial function and redox imbalance affect physical function, induce insulin resistance and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, thus, play a major role in regulation of life span. Therefore, mitochondrion may be the most important determinant of life span. Increasing evidence demonstrates that long-term aerobic exercise could prevent age-related diseases and improve life quality of aged people. Exercise may possibly stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and phase II antioxidant defense system to regulate mitochondrial function and balance of redox system. Therefore, regular aerobic exercise may prevent age-related diseases, increase life quality and prolong life span through regulation of mitochondrial function and redox balance.

Based on a field manipulative nitrogen (N) addition experiment, the effects of atmospheric N deposition level change on the contents, inter-annual variation and profile distribution of soil total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were investigated from May, 2008 to October, 2011 in a temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia of China, and the relationship between TOC and DOC was also discussed. The treatments in the manipulative experiment included N additions at rates of 0, 5, 10, and 20 g x (m2 x a)(-1), representing the control (CK), low N (LN), medium N (MN), and high N (HN) treatment, respectively. The results indicated that the concentrations of soil TOC and DOC decreased progressively with soil depth in all cases except for the DOC at 10-20 cm depth in individual years. The increase of N input in typical steppe did not change the vertical distribution of soil TOC and DOC, but reduced the vertical variation of TOC and increased the vertical variation of DOC in the surface soil horizon. In addition, the contents of soil TOC and DOC at 0- 10 cm and 10- 20 cm soil layers changed insignificantly after the continuous increase in anthropogenic N input for four years. The soil organic C density of 0-20 cm soil layer for different N treatment levels varied between 3.9 kg x m(-2) and 5.6 kg x m(-2), and the soil organic C densities of fertilized treatments in the first two years were similar to or slightly lower than those of CK, while in the following two years, the increase in N deposition gradually played a positive role in increasing soil organic C density, but the differences in soil TOC and DOC contents between CK and fertilized plots were not significant (P > 0.05). The ratio of soil DOC to TOC (DOC/TOC) varied from 0.32% to 1.09%. The increase in N deposition generally lowered the proportion of DOC in soil TOC, which was conducive to the accumulation of soil organic C. The change of soil DOC was positively correlated with that of TOC (P < 0.01). The temporal variations of soil DOC in different N treatments were all far greater than those of TOC, and the soil DOC was the important sensitive indicator for predicting and evaluating the response of soil C pool to the change in atmospheric N deposition in the temperate grassland ecosystem.

The biogeochemical cycle of sulfur can directly affect the speciation transformation of heavy metals in soils and their accumulation in plants. The toxicity of heavy metals in plants can be alleviated by their complexation with sulfur compounds like phytochelatins or metallothiones, consisting of the major mechanisms of phytodetoxification. Sulfur deficiency is becoming one of the limiting factors that influence Chinese agricultural production. Although the applications of sulfur fertilizer in soil have received much attention in recent years, the interaction mechanism of heavy metal with sulfur metabolism has not been studied extensively. In this paper, we reviewed current research advance on the impact of sulfur on the speciation transformation of soil heavy metals and their accumulation in plants, discussed the effect of sulfur on the detoxification mechanism of heavy metal in plants and provided further research prospective in this field.

Objective: To investigate the value of nuchal translucency(NT) thickening in the fetal chromosome abnormality screening., Methods: The 14 881 pregnant women received NT measurement in 11-13(+)6 weeks at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from January 2010 to August 2012. The 118 fetuses whose NT ≥ 2.5 mm were recruited.One hundred and eight (91.5%, 108/118) of them accepted invasive procedure and karyotype analysis., Results: (1) Chromosome karyotype analysis: 113 singleton pregnancies (95.8%) and 5 twin pregnancies (4.2%) whose NT thickened from 2.5 mm to 11.0 mm were advised karyotype analysis. The 108 pregnant women accepted karyotype analysis. Among them, 88 had normal chromosome karyotype, and 20 had chromosome abnormalities. The detection rate was 18.5% (20/108).(2) The sensitivity, specificity, false positive rate, false negative rate, total consistent rate, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of prenatal screening of chromosome abnormalities for NT ≥ 2.5 mm were 44%, 99%, 1%, 56%, 99%, 19% and 100%, respectively.(3) Among the 88 fetuses who had normal karyotype, 72 (82%) had isolated thickened NT, while 16 (18%) had fetal structural malformation or intrauterine demise.(4) Among the 10 pregnant women who did not accept fetal karyotype analysis, 8 terminated pregnancy because of fetal structural malformation, and the other 2 fetuses died in uterus.(5) All of the 5 twin pregnancies were dichorionic twins, and one of the twins had thickened NT. Among the 5 twin pregnancies, one fetus was trisomy 21 and others had normal karyotype.3 twin pregnancies who had normal chromosomes gave live birth. And the other had a gastroschisis and exstrophy deformity fetuse. This fetuse died in uterus and remaining fetuse had full-term live birth.(6) 35 (29.7%) pregnant women received second trimester Down's syndrome serum screening.One was high risk and was proved a trisomy 21 pregnancy. Thirty-four were low risk and had normal chromosome karyotype., Conclusion: NT thickening may indicate fetal chromosome abnormalities or other structural malformations. It is a useful prenatal screening indicator.

Objective: To investigate Chinese medical features of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with pulmonary infection., Methods: Using cluster analysis method, Chinese medical syndromes of 196 AIDS patients with pulmonary infection were analyzed. The distribution features of each syndrome type were analyzed according to the severity and CD4+ numerical analysis., Results: Basic Chinese medical syndrome types could be summed up as three kinds: exterior invasion of wind heat and phlegm heat obstructing Fei syndrome (61 cases, 31.1%), Fei-Pi deficiency and Fei stagnation of phlegm syndrome (64 cases, 32.7%), Fei-Shen deficiency and yin deficiency induced inner heat syndrome (71 cases, 36.2%). There was statistical difference in the severity degree and the distribution of CD4 among the three syndrome types (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: AIDS patients with pulmonary infection involve Fei, Shen, and Pi. The pathogenic factors were related to "wind", "heat", "phlegm", and "xu". The Chinese medical syndrome distribution was closely correlated with patients' immunity.

Objective: To investigate the role of the host-encoded silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) on hepatocytes' lipid metabolism under conditions of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and assess its potential effects on virus replication in vitro., Methods: The Huh-7.5 human hepatocyte cell line was used as the control group and Huh-7.5 cells stably expressing the HCV replicon (Huh7.5-HCV) were used as the experimental group. Effects of interferon (IFN) treatment and activation of SIRT1 by resveratrol were also observed. The mRNA and protein expression levels of SIRT1 were detected by real time (q)PCR and western blotting. Effects on SIRT1 protein activity were tested by measuring the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)/beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced (NADH) by flow cytometry and chromatometry, and the levels of triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and fatty acid beta oxidation rate by enzymatic analysis and liquid scintillation counting. Effects on mRNA expression of SIRT1 downstream lipid-metabolism genes were measured by qPCR., Results: The Huh7.5-HCV cells had a significantly higher level of ROS (3.8+/-0.5 vs. Huh-7.5: 1.0+/-0.2; t = 12.736, P less than 0.01) but significantly lower levels of NAD+/NADH (0.03+/-0.01 vs. 0.12+/-0.03; t = 6.971, P less than 0.01), SIRT1 activity (0.3+/-0.1 vs. 1.0+/-0.2, 0.9+/-0.2, F = 6.766, P less than 0.01), SIRT1 mRNA (0.4+/-0.1 vs. 1.0+/-0.3, 0.9+/-0.2, F = 5.864, P less than 0.01), and SIRT1 protein (0.3+/-0.1 vs. 0.8+/-0.2, 0.9+/-0.2, F = 5.419, P less than 0.01). The lower levels of SIRT1 in Huh7.5-HCV cells accompanied decreased phosphorylation of the forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), which not only up-regulated the downstream genes of SREBP-1c, FAS, ACC, SREBP-2, HMGR and HMGS (which increased fatty acid synthesis) but also down-regulated the downstream genes of PPAR and CPT1A genes (which decreased fatty acid beta oxidation). IFN treatment restored all of the aforementioned changes. Resveratrol-induced SIRT activation improved the perturbations in lipid metabolism pathways, as evidenced by an increase in fatty acid beta oxidation and a decrease in TG and TC synthesis, as well as inhibited HCV replication., Conclusion: HCV may decrease the NAD+/NADH ratio in hepatocytes, leading to a down-regulation of SIRT1 activity and expression and perturbing the downstream expression profile of lipid metabolism-related factors, ultimately causing lipid metabolism disorders and establishing a permissive intracellular environment for HCV replication.

Objective: To compare effects of integrated treatment traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine (TCM-WM) and simple western medicine on TCM clincal symptoms in the patient of AIDS with pulmonary inflammation., Method: A multicenter randomized controlled trials of 164 subjects evaluated the effects of clinical symptoms of AIDS with pulmonary inflammation of TWO regimens: the TCM-WM group (n = 111) and western medicine treatment group (n = 53), while incidence of TCM symptoms in different time points in two groups were analyzed., Result: Twenty eight days after treatment, the cured and markedly effective rate of TCM symptoms in the TCM-WM group significantly exceeding that in the western medicine treatment group (cured and markedly effective rate significant efficiency 44.55% vs 20.00%), while the incidence rate for the TCM symptoms of fever and headache in the TCM-WM group was significantly lower than that in western medicine group., Conclusion: The integrated treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine helps to alleviate the TCM clinical symptoms of AIDS with pulmonary inflammation.

Objective: To observe the effect and safety of Xiaozhi particles, integrated taohong Siwu tang and Erchen tang and Xuezhikang capsule in treating hyperlipidaemia (HLP) associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)., Method: In the multi-centered, randomized controlled clinical study, 180 hyperlipidaemia associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy cases were divided into the treatment group treated by Xiaozhi particles, integrated Taohong Siwu tang and Erchen tang, and the control group treated by Xuezhikang capsule. The treatment course was 12 weeks. The total cholesterol (Tch), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein(HDL) were observed., Result: After 12 weeks, compared with Xuezhikang capsule, the change difference of Tch, LDL, HDL in the Chinese traditional medicine formula groups of patients is significant (P < 0.05), the change of the TG has no significant difference. The effect of Tch, LDL in Xuezhikang capsule groups is better than in traditional Chinese medicine formula group,but the effect of HDL in traditional Chinese medicine formula group is better than in Xuezhikang capsule groups., Conclusion: Integrated Taohong Siwu tang and Erchen tang, Xiaozhi particles and Xuezhikang capsule can be used to control the hyperlipidaemia associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy as one of the main Chinese native medicine preparation.

This study was aimed to investigate the correlation between HLA gene distribution and allele frequency of the patients with leukemia. PCR-SSP technique was used to detect the HLA genotype of 2994 umbilical cord blood units from healthy newborns (as control), the detecting result of which was compared with HLA genotypes of 1246 patients with leukemia searched in our cord blood bank. The differences between two groups were compared and analyzed. The results indicated that as compared with the control group, the allele frequencies of HLA-B*56 (0.56%), B*70 (0.24%) obviously increased (RR = 2.2546, 6.2598, χ(2) = 5, 5.98, P < 0.05), while the allele frequencies of HLA-A*03 (3.45%), A*30 (4.86%), B*13 (8.75%), B44* (3.25%), B61* (5.70%), DRB1*07 (8.23%), DRB1*15 (14.21%) obviously decreased in patients with leukemia (RR = 0.5889, 0.7187, 0.7359, 0.5713, 0.7127, 0.6242, 0.7976, χ(2) = 19.23, 9.82, 14.33, 20.48, 11.99, 33.21, 11.56, P < 0.01). It is concluded that HLA-B*56, B*70 alleles seem to be characterized by the genetic susceptibility to leukemia and may be served as risk markers for leukemia occurrence, while the HLA-A*03, A*30, B*13, B*44, B*61, DRB1*07, DRB1*15 can be considered as genetic indicators for resistance of leukemia.

Objective: To study the effect of Shengjingsan on spermatogenic function following testicular torsion/detorsion in rats and its action mechanism., Methods: Forty SD male rats were equally randomized to groups A (sham operation), B (control), C (low-dose Shengjingsan), D (medium-dose Shengjingsan) and E (high-dose Shengjingsan). The model of testicular torsion was established by 720 degrees clockwise torsion of the left testis for 4 hours. An hour before operation, the rats of group B received daily gavage of normal saline at 1 ml per kg per d, while those in groups C, D and E that of Shengjingsan at 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 g per kg per d, all for 35 days. Then all the rats were sacrificed for measuring the semen parameters by CASA and detecting the expression of the CatSper1 gene in the sperm by RT-PCR., Results: Compared with group A, Sperm concentration, the percentage of grade a + b sperm, sperm vitality and CatSper1 expression were significantly lower in group B ([15.30 +/- 6.30] %, [44.42 +/- 6.36] %, [21.00 +/- 6.14] x 10(6)/ml and 1.12 +/- 0.50) than in A ([51.30 +/- 6.60]%, [69.01 +/- 7.20]%, [40.53 +/- 7.01] x 10(6)/ml and 2.04 +/- 0.77) (P < 0.01). Compared with group B, the four parameters were increased remarkably in groups D ([51.63 +/- 3.20] %, [72.09 +/- 2.20]%, [55.30 +/- 5.90] x10(6)/ml and 2.11 +/- 0.20) andE ([55.93 +/- 3.17]%, [73.01 +/- 2.11]%, [58.33 + 4.90] x 10(6)/ml and 2.31 +/- 0.17) (P < 0.01), but not significantly in C ([18.02 +/- 0.23]%, [48.04 +/- 7.01]%, [22.87 +/- 2.10] x 10(6)/ml and 1.19 +/- 0.51) (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Shengjingsan can improve sperm parameters following testicular torsion/ detorsion in male rats by regulating their spermatogenic function and improving the expression of CatSper1 in the sperm.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between serum total bilirubin coincident with congestive heart failure (CHF) exacerbation and subsequent long-term mortality in patients with CHF., Methods: The study population consisted of 140 consecutive patients admitted for CHF exacerbation with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 45%. They were divided into 2 groups according to whether death attacked or not in the following 28.5 months. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate independent predictors of death from clinical parameters on admission or within 24 hours., Results: Serum TBil and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels on admission were independent predictors of subsequent death after hospital discharge. According to increasing textiles of TBil stratified by the level of 12.8 and 18.2 mmol/L, the patients were divided into 3 groups: lower-level group (TBil ≤ 12.8 mmol/L), moderate-level group(TBil > 12.8 ∼ 18.2 mmol/L) and higher-level group (TBil > 18.2 mmol/L), with the death rates after 28.5 months of 12.2%, 17.9% and 38.9%, respectively(P = 0.002). Meanwhile, the pulse pressure decreased to (55.5 ± 17.3) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa), (48.9 ± 13.1) mm Hg and (46.1 ± 13.7) mm Hg, respectively (P = 0.008). TBil on admission had significant correlation with echocardiography-measured left ventricular endo-diastolic diameter (r = 0.34, P = 0.000) and right ventricular diastolic diameter (r = 0.23, P = 0.011)., Conclusions: Increased TBil coincident with cardiac decompensation predicts a worse long-term death of CHF, presumably through the potential liability to both decompensated RV function and lower cardiac output syndrome occurred simultaneously when HF deteriorates.

Objective: To explore the relationship between quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) parameters and fractional flow reserve (FFR) for identifying ideal angiographic parameters predictive of myocardial ischemia., Methods: The study included 121 lesions with QCA and FFR data from 106 patients [mean age: (63 ± 10) years]. The lesions were grouped into FFR > 0.75 group and FFR ≤ 0.75 group. Assessed parameters by QCA included percentage diameter stenosis, minimum luminal diameter (MLD), percentage area stenosis, minimum luminal area (MLA), reference vessel diameter (RVD) and lesion length (LL). Correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between QCA parameters and FFR value, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine parameters predictive of FFR ≤ 0.75., Results: LL was significantly higher [(14.8 ± 7.9) mm vs. (10.7 ± 5.4) mm, P = 0.024] while MLD [(1.47 ± 0.31) mm vs. (1.82 ± 0.51) mm, P = 0.028], RVD [(2.30 ± 0.50) mm vs. (2.81 ± 0.64) mm, P = 0.036], and MLA [(2.30 ± 1.50) mm(2) vs. (3.60 ± 2.30) mm(2), P = 0.038] were significantly lower in FFR ≤ 0.75 group than in FFR > 0.75 group. LL (r = -0.209, P = 0.040) was negatively correlated with FFR, and MLD (r = 0.414, P = 0.040), RVD (r = 0.303, P = 0.000) and MLA (r = 0.315, P = 0.002) were positively correlated with FFR. ROC analysis showed that MLD ≥ 1.6 mm was the best cut-off value to predict FFR > 0.75 with sensitivity 63%, specificity 82%, and positive predictive value 96%., Conclusions: QCA derived anatomic parameters of intermediate coronary lesions correlate to FFR value in some extent. MLD ≥ 1.6 mm is the best cut-off value to predict FFR > 0.75 in patients with intermediate coronary lesions.

NAC transcription factors belong to a unique class of transcription factors in plants. The common characteristics of the NAC proteins are the presence of a conserved NAC domain, comprising of about 150 amino acids in N-terminals and a highly variable transcriptional regulation region in C-terminals. Extensive studies have revealed that NAC transcription factors not only play important roles in plant growth and development, but also have functions in regulation of responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this minireview, we summarized the functions and mechanisms of the NAC transcriptional factors in plant abiotic and biotic stress responses. We also discussed future directions towards understanding the biological functions of the members of the NAC transcriptional factors in plants.

The present paper reports a novel method for the determination of silicon content in straw fibrous material black liquor based on alpha-Si--Mo heteropoly acid spectrophotometry. The selected conditions were as follows: detection wavelength 360 nm, pH 4.0, and reaction time 10 min. It was found that the acidic soluble lignin in the sample liquor was the major interference species in the silicon content determination. The interference of acidic soluble lignin can be eliminated by hydrogen peroxide-nitric acid digestion method. The present method is not only simple, rapid, stable and less interferential, but also of good measurement precision and accuracy, with the relative standard deviations of 0.9%, and recoveries of 99.0%-102%. It is suitable for use in high silicon content of black liquor routine rapid analyses.

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological and immunohistochemical features of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN)., Methods: According to the 2004 modified terminology of International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Diseases (ISSVD), the cases were diagnosed as VIN from patients who had performed vulvar biopsy in Beijing Wuzhou Women's Hospital from February 2009 to December 2011, which were reclassified as usual VIN and differentiated VIN. The clinical and pathological studies were conducted respectively. MaxVision immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of Ki-67, p16 and p53 proteins., Results: There were 20 cases of VIN in 237 patients, and the incidence of VIN was 8.4% in all of contemporary vulvar biopsy. In 17 cases of usual VIN, mean age was 29.6 years, the lesion typically presented with atypical cells involving almost all layers of the epithelium, which was equivalent to the high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia of cervix. Immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 and p16 was strongly positive in usual VIN. High risk human papillomavirus (HPV) detection was also positive. The incidence of differentiated VIN was less than usual VIN, and there were only 3 cases in this study. In differentiated VIN, patients aged over 50 years, with mean of 53.7 years, and the lesion most commonly presented with lichen sclerosis background. There were epithelial thickening and extending, and parakeratosis, and atypia was strictly confined to the basal and parabasal layers of the epithelium where the cells enlarged with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, presented with prominent nucleoli, increased cellularity and abnormal keratinization. In differentiated VIN, p53 was strongly positive, Ki-67 and p16 immunohistochemical expression was confined to the basal layer only., Conclusions: VIN is a precursor of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. The modified terminology of ISSVD classifies VIN as high-grade lesions. Definitive pathological diagnosis of VIN plays an important role in its timely treatment and the prevention of vulvar carcinoma.