Search

Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization of high value horticultural crops is a common problem that not only increases the cost to farmers, but also negatively affects crop growth and the environment. A three-year field experiment was conducted in an intensive kiwifruit orchard in Shaanxi Province, China to compare the effects of reduced N fertilization applied as urea (U), and controlled release urea (CRU) on the N nutrition of kiwi vines, fruit yield and quality, and nitrate-N accumulation in the soil profile. The three treatments included a conventional N application rate (CF-U, 900 kg N ha−1 yr−1 as urea), two reduced N fertilization treatments where the amount of N fertilizer applied as U and CRU was reduced by 25% in 2013 and 2014, and by 45% in 2015. The 25 and 45% reduced N treatments had no adverse effects on the N concentrations in leaves and pruning branches and the fruit yield and quality of kiwi vines. However, they significantly enhanced the partial factor productivity of applied N (PFPN) and the economic benefits, and reduced nitrate accumulation in the 0–200 cm soil profile. The same benefits of reduced N fertilization were observed for both the U and CRU treatments, but the CRU treatment had the added benefit of decreasing the loss of nitrate through leaching. We concluded that the current level of N fertilization in kiwi orchards is very excessive, and reducing the N fertilizer rate by 25–45% could not only guarantee fruit yield, but also reduce N accumulation and loss.

Objective: To construct a glycolysis-related prognostic model to predict individualized survival in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: Clinical data for patients with GBM, including expression levels of glycolysis-related genes (GRGs), were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were then carried out and protein-protein interactions were investigated. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on the GRGs to identify the best prognosis-related genes. We then established and verified a novel prognostic model, based on the expression of differentially expressed GRGs that were significantly associated with overall survival in GBM patients. Results: ALDH3B1, CHPF, FBP1, ISG20 and STC1 were chosen to establish the prognostic risk score model. Patients with high risk scores had significantly poorer overall survival than patients with low risk scores. Conclusion: The glycolysis-related model has significant value in performing individualized survival predictions for GBM patients and could suggest better treatment options for GBM patients. Our results may help to elucidate GBM pathogenesis and contribute to clinical decision-making and individualized treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 32-year-old male with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) disease who had two heterozygous mutations in the PANK2 gene presented with dystonic storm. The MRI T2WI showed the "eye of the tiger" sign, which combined the abnormal low signal in the globus pallidus due to accumulation of iron and the longitudinal strip of high signal due to gliosis. The patient underwent bilateral globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation (GPi-DBS) implantation surgery under general anesthesia with marked improvement. Genetic test showed c.1550T>G and c.377G>C heterozygous mutations in the PANK2 gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a PKAN patient with the novel mutations in the PANK2 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]