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Medicago ruthenica is an important perennial forage with multiple characteristics of resistance. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of M. ruthenica 'Taihang', which is 124, 254 bp in length. A total of 108 genes were identified, including 74 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 27 chloroplast genomes showed that M. ruthenica 'Taihang' has a close relationship with M. ruthenica from Qinghai Province, China. The data are useful in better understanding the genetic diversity and stress resistance of Medicago and contribute to the phylogenetic study of Trifolieae.

The concentrations of 12 dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (dl-PCBs) were determined from 37 soil samples collected from the modern Yellow River Delta (China) in March 2006. The PCB concentrations were determined by dual capillary GC-ECD. The total dl-PCBs concentrations were in the range of 108.7 to 2153 ng/kg with an average of 800.5 ng/kg. The toxic equivalency (TEQ) in this area varies from 2.3 × 10− 5 to 9.5 × 10− 5 ng-TEQ/kg, so the delta is slightly polluted by PCBs. PCB118, the main congener, accounted for 46.7% of the total dl-PCB. More than 60% dl-PCBs were penta-PCBs. The spatial distribution of the dl-PCBs is discussed in detail. The distribution of the PCBs suggests that water runoff is the main source of the total contaminant burden in the delta, and that atmospheric precipitation plays an important role.

To investigate alterations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, the Notch/Jagged signaling pathway, and hepatocyte proliferation, and their correlation in rats subjected to partial hepatectomy.Blood and liver tissues were sampled immediately (0), 5, 15, 30, 60, 180, 360, and 720 min, and 1, 2, 4, and 7 days after partial (70%) hepatectomy to measure plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Notch-1 and Jagged-1 protein, and mRNA in liver tissue.Systemic levels of IL-6 significantly correlated with the expression of PCNA in hepatocytes (p0.05) after partial (70%) hepatectomy. The increased expression of Notch-1 protein was located in the sinusoidal endothelium, while Jagged-1 protein was predominantly located in bile duct cells. Expression of both proteins was increased around the portal vein. mRNA expression of Notch-1 decreased between 6 h and 2 days after partial hepatectomy, while Jagged-1 increased between 3 and 6 h, decreased between 12 h and 2 days, and normalized on day 4 after hepatectomy.Partial hepatectomy-induced hepatocyte proliferation was accompanied by an increase in systemic levels of IL-6, a pro-inflammatory response that plays a part in the proliferative process. The Notch/Jagged signaling pathways are activated and probably represent important contributors to the regenerative process following hepatectomy including both hepatocyte proliferation and bile duct formation and growth.