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Significant interest in waste-cement recycling has been stimulated because of the high contents of calcium and silicon in waste cement. The reactivity of calcium and silicon in the raw material is one of the important factors for the hydrothermal synthesis of xonotlite. Therefore, the effect of the reactivity of calcium and silicon in the waste cement on the hydrothermal synthesis of xonotlite was studied in this paper. Portland cement that was hydrated for 6 months, with the aim of simulating the waste cement, was used for the first time as the calcium and silicon source in the hydrothermal synthesis of xonotlite. As calcination would raise the reactivity of the hydrated cement, the effect of calcination of the Portland hydrated cement on the hydrothermal synthesis of xonotlite was investigated. The hydrated cement was calcined at 900 °C, and the hydrothermal synthesis was carried out at 220 °C for different times. The phases of the hydrothermal products were analyzed by XRD and TG-DSC, and it was noted that the calcination of hydrated cement affected the formation rate of xonotlite. The content of xonotlite increased from 18% (synthesized with hydrated cement without calcination) to 74% (synthesized from hydrated cement with calcination at 900 °C) during a reaction time of 24 h. Furthermore, the micromorphologies of xonotlite using calcined and hydrated cement were compared and discussed from the perspective of the reactivity of the starting materials.

While sinomenine plays a crucial anticancer role in a variety of cancers, its function and molecular mechanism in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma remains unexplored. To this end, we explored the effect of sinomenine on cell viability, colony formation rate, cell apoptosis rate, and migration and invasion and wound healing in A431 and SCL-1 cells representing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The results show that sinomenine inhibited cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma viability, clone formation, migration and invasion, induced cell apoptosis by inactivating AKT/mTOR pathway. These data may likely to provide a novel candidate for treating patients diagnosed with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

The polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles were prepared by the aqueous phase oxidation, and doxorubicin (DOX) was applied on surface of PDA under appropriate temperature and Pondus Hydrogenii (pH) conditions. The human umbilical vein-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUV-MSCs) were sub-cultured, and then destroyed by lysing and freeze-thaw to obtain the stem cell membrane (SSM) fragments, which were squeezed using the polycarbonate porous membrane and then wrapped in the surfaces of the PDA nanoparticles by means of water bath ultrasound. In this way, the biomimetic nano medicine was synthesized. In the experiment, the DOX release amount of the nanomedicine under different conditions was analyzed. Under the precondition that the concentration of the drug was changed, and it was used to explore proliferation activity of human esophageal cancer cell (Eca-109). Mice with sclerosed skin caused by scleredema were selected as the test subjects to observe the inhibitory effect of the prepared drugs on its fibrosis. In addition, 90 cases of neonatal scleredema were selected and grouped to verify the improvement effect of nano-medicine injection on their symptoms. The results relaved that average particle size (APS) of synthesized drug was 77.6±8.5 nm, and the drug loading of DOX loaded on the surface of PDA was 18.4%. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) displayed that surface of prepared drug was structured with cell membrane, and the release of DOX was correlated with the pH of the drug solution. Under the condition of a certain DOX concentration, the prepared nano-drug could kill the Eca-109 cells strongly (P < 0.05). In the sclerosing phase, the skin thickness and collagen index of the mice could be reduced by injecting different doses of the drug solutions (P < 0.05), while the content of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/platelet-derived growth factor A-chain (PDGFA) was decreased (P < 0.05). The severity score of newborn children was greatly reduced after drug injection treatment; and the temperature recovery time, sclerosis disappearance time, and hospitalization time were shortened to a great extent (P < 0.05).

Background THY1 (CD90) is a heavily N-glycosylated, glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored cell surface protein, which has been implicated in several cancers. But, the specific mechanism and function of the THY1 gene remains unclear in gastric cancer (GC). Methods To investigate the function of THY1 in GC and illustrate the potential mechanism, TCGA and FIREBROWSE were used to detect the THY1expression. GEPIA2 and Kaplan-Meier Plotter showed significant correlation among THY1 mRNA level, TNM stage and survival probability of GC patients. Results THY1 was up-regulated apparently in GC in contrast to normal tissues and linked to TNM stage. GC patients with higher THY1 expression displayed lower overall survival (OS), first progression (FP) and post-progression survival (PPS). In vitro experiments showed that knockdown of THY1 suppressed proliferation, migration while increased autophagy level in GC cells. Immune factors may interact with THY1mRNA in GC and THY1 was found significantly linked with Tregs. Conclusions Our findings indicate that higher THY1 level is link to poor prognosis of GC patients. THY1may as well be used as a marker molecule for evaluating the tumor microenvironment status of GC patients and a target for immunotherapy.

Background: Information regarding the localization of gastrointestinal perforation is crucial for the following surgical procedure. This study was to determine the key indicators and develop a prediction model for the localization in neonates with gastrointestinal perforation.Methods: A nomogram to predict the location of neonatal gastrointestinal perforation was developed using a cohort of patients who underwent surgery between July 2009 and May 2021. Baseline variables were analyzed using logistics regression and nomogram developed using significant predictors. The predictive performance of the nomogram was assessed by the concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The nomogram was further validated in an integrated external cohort.Results: We investigated the data of 201 patients, of which 65 (32.3%) were confirmed with upper gastrointestinal perforation by surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following as independent predictors: preterm [OR: 5.014 (1.492–18.922)], time of onset [OR: 0.705 (0.582–0.829)], preoperative hemoglobin [OR:1.017 (1.001–1.033)], bloody stool: No [OR: 4.860 (1.270–23.588)], shock [OR: 5.790 (1.683–22.455)] and sepsis: No [OR 3.044 (1.124–8.581)]. Furthermore, the nomogram was effective in predicting the perforation site, with an AUC of 0.876 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.830–0.923]. Internal validation showed that the average AUC was 0.861. Additionally, the model achieved satisfactory discrimination (AUC, 0.900; 95% CI, 0.826–0.974) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test, P = 0.4802) in external validation.Conclusions: The nomogram based on the six factors revealed good discrimination and calibration, suggesting good clinical utility. The nomogram could help surgeons predict the location of gastrointestinal perforation before surgery to make a surgical plan.

In this study, the characteristics of external anal sphincter electromyography (EAS-EMG) in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) were analyzed, and its value in the diagnosis of MSA was discussed. The data of 23 patients with MSA who underwent EAS-EMG examination between January 2019 and December 2021 were selected to analyze examination data such as the average duration of motor unit potentials (MUPs), average amplitude, satellite potentials, and the percentage of polyphasic waves, and to explore the correlation between the results of EAS-EMG and autonomic dysfunction in patients with MSA based on their data characteristics. The results of data analysis showed that the most common symptoms in 23 patients with MSA were urination and defecation disorders, sleep disorders, and unsteady walking, the most common signs were increased muscle tone, postural hypotension, and ataxia, and the most common autonomic dysfunction was rectal and bladder dysfunction, orthostatic hypotension, and sexual dysfunction. The average duration of MUPs was 11.6 (10.1-13.9) ms, the average amplitude was 885 (683-1198) μV, and the percentage of polyphasic waves was 26.2 (12.5-50.0)%. Patients with satellite potentials had longer disease duration. There were no significant differences in parameters between different types of autonomic dysfunction. The results suggested that abnormal changes in EAS-EMG may indicate an impaired autonomic function in patients with MSA, and this conclusion may not limit to patients with urination and defecation disorders.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the effect of dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker on the prognosis for moderate-severe pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome in hypertension patients. DESIGN: A retrospective, observational, multicenter cohort study. SETTING: A total of 307 patients without propensity score matching and 186 adult inpatients with propensity score matching diagnosed with hypertension and moderate-severe pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome in five teaching hospitals in Jiangsu province, China, from December 2015 to December 2020 were enrolled. PATIENTS: A total of 307 patients without propensity score matching and 186 patients with propensity score matching diagnosed with hypertension and moderate-severe pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome were included in the final analysis. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Demographic characteristics and clinical characteristics were recorded. The propensity score matching method was used to eliminate the difference between group with dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker and group without dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We used univariate and multivariate regression analyses for both patients with or without propensity score matching to assess the effect of these variables on mortality. In the subset of 186 patients with propensity score matching, in-hospital mortality was 53.2%. Inpatient mortality was significantly higher in patients treated with dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker than in those not treated with dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker of patients without propensity score matching (65.4% vs 40.4%; p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis for patients without propensity score matching showed that dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (hazard ratio, 1.954; 95% CI, 1.415–2.699), lactate dehydrogenase greater than or equal to 600 U/L (hazard ratio, 3.809; 95% CI, 2.106–4.531), and lactate greater than or equal to 2 mmol/L (hazard ratio, 1.454; 95% CI, 1.041–2.029) were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Based on univariate analysis for patients with propensity score matching, dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (hazard ratio, 2.021; 95% CI, 1.333–3.064), lactate dehydrogenase greater than or equal to 600 U/L (hazard ratio, 4.379; 95% CI, 2.642–7.257), and lactate greater than or equal to 2 mmol/L (hazard ratio, 2.461; 95% CI, 1.534–3.951) were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. In contrast, patients not treated with dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker had a significant survival advantage over those treated with dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker in both patients without or with propensity score matching (p < 0.001; p = 0.001 by Kaplan-Meier analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, lactate dehydrogenase greater than or equal to 600 U/L, and lactate greater than or equal to 2 mmol/L at admission were independent risk factors for patients with hypertension and moderate-severe pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Although various treatment methods have been investigated to reduce spasticity and intoeing gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP), methods to concurrently reduce an intoeing gait and associated ankle/knee stiffness and spasticity according to a child’s specific needs are lacking. This study aimed to develop a training program to improve walking function and transverse-plane (pivoting) neuromuscular control and reduce spasticity and intoeing gait deviations. Eight children with diplegic CP and intoeing gait participated in this 6-week combined robotic ankle and/or knee intelligent stretching and pivoting neuromuscular control training program (Subject-specific Stretching and Pivoting Off-axis Neuromuscular control Training, [SS-POINT]). The effects of SS-POINT were evaluated using neuromechanical, functional, and clinical outcome measures and compared to those for eight children with CP and intoeing gait who participated in pivoting neuromuscular control training (POINT) alone in a previous study. $\textit {Results}$ : After the SS-POINT program, subjects with CP showed reduced knee stiffness and intoeing angle, and improvements in both joint and leg functions in terms of ankle and knee active range of motion, ankle dorsiflexor strength, proprioception, walking speed, balance, and minimum pivoting angle. Furthermore, improvements in proprioceptive acuity and minimum pivoting angle after the SS-POINT were greater than those after the POINT. $\textit {Conclusion}$ : The SS-POINT approach can be used as a subject-specific training program for improving leg and walking functions and reducing intoeing during gait. $\textit {Significance}$ : This approach can serve as an individualized intervention at the joint and walking levels to maximize intervention effects by adjusting training targets, sequences, and intensities to meet the individual needs of children with CP.

Background: The absence of pollinators may prevent sexual reproduction and affect the distribution and persistence of individual plant populations, but the role of pollinators in shaping the patterns of distributions of plant species or populations has not been well studied. Aims: Here, we tested the hypothesis that failure of sexual reproduction due to the absence of pollinators may contribute to the disjunct distribution of Iris ensata. Methods: We assessed floral traits and pollinator visitation frequencies in three native and two ex situ populations. We also conducted controlled pollination experiments and examined progeny performance to estimate pollen limitation (PL) and inbreeding depression. Results: Hand-pollinations indicated that I. ensata was a partially self-compatible outcrosser. Sexual reproduction in our study region depended on Bombus trifasciatus. We observed inbreeding depression for seed set and germination, but not for seedling survival. Native populations had higher frequencies of pollinator visitation and lower pollen-limitation of seed set than ex situ populations. Among populations, the magnitude of PL was negatively related to pollinator visitation rate (P = 0.04). Conclusions: Pollinator limitation and inbreeding depression may both restrict the southern distribution of I. ensata, preventing its northward expansion, thus explaining the disjunct distribution of I. ensata in East Asia.

Epiphytic ferns have been found to flourish after angiosperms dominated forest communities, and they play important roles in rainforest canopies. How do epiphytic ferns adapt to tropical rainforest canopy habitats? At present, we know little about the molecular mechanism underlying this adaptation. Asplenium nidus is a well-known epiphytic fern that is closely related to the terrestrial species Asplenium komarovii. Here, RNA-seq and comparative transcriptomic analyses were performed to explore the underlying basis of the adaptation of A. nidus to extreme environments. A total of 44.04 and 44.57 Mb clean reads were obtained from A. nidus and A. komarovii, respectively, and they were assembled into 89,741 and 77,912 unigenes. Functional annotation showed that 52,305 (58.28% of the total genes for A. nidus) and 45,938 (58.96% of the total genes for A. komarovii) unigenes were annotated in public databases. Genes involved in stress responses and photosynthesis were found to have undergone positive selection in A. nidus. Compared to A. komarovii, transcription factors related to stress response, leaf development, and root development were found to be considerably expanded in A. nidus, especially in the ANR1 subclade of MADS-box family genes which played roles in lateral root development. This study improves our understanding of the adaptation of A. nidus to epiphytic habitats by forming unique strategies.

The composition and abundance of legumes affect the economic value and ecological sustainability of natural grasslands. We collected data on species richness and aboveground biomass of legumes and their percentages of the total community at 78 field sites in Chinese natural grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau (alpine steppe and alpine meadow) and in Inner Mongolia (meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe), and analyzed the association between these attributes with community, climate, and soil factors. At least one legume species occurred in 89.7% of the sites studied; the genera Astragalus, Oxytropis, and Medicago were dominant among the 12 legume genera recorded. Generally, within 1 m2 of grassland, only one legume species was present with an aboveground biomass of 1.1 g; this accounted for 9.1% of community species richness and 1.7% of total aboveground biomass. In comparison with many other types of grassland around the world, both the legume aboveground biomass and its percentage of the total were low in Chinese grasslands, especially in Inner Mongolia. The low biomass of legumes in grassland might be attributable to the low growing-season temperature on the Tibetan Plateau, while in Inner Mongolia, low precipitation combined with high temperatures during the growing season may be the main reason. Although legumes in Chinese grasslands have substantial potential for nitrogen fixation and contain a variety of forage species, their ecological and economic value has been limited by their low biomass. Suggestions to enhance legume biomass in Chinese grasslands are provided.

Aims Within-community variation accounts for a remarkable proportion of the variation in leaf functional traits. Plant height may be used to explain within-community variances of leaf traits because different microenvironments, especially light intensity, may occur at differ ent heights. This study determines whether or not leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents as well as leaf mass per area (LMA) are interspecifically correlated with the adult height of forest woody species. We also discuss these relationships with respect to community structure and functions of the ecosystem. Methods A total of 136 dicotyledonous woody species from 6 natural forests (3 evergreen and 3 deciduous ones) in East China (latitude: 18°44′ – 45°25′ N, longitude: 108°50′–128°05′ E) were investigated. For each of the 157 species–site combinations, 6 traits were measured: plant adult height relative to the forest canopy (H R), leaf N and P contents per unit area (N area and P area), N and P contents per unit dry mass (N mass and Pmass) and LMA. The total variances of each leaf trait across sites were partitioned in a hierarchical manner. The relationships between leaf traits and H R within forest communities were then analyzed using both standardized major axis regression and Felsenstein’s phylogenetic independent contrasts. Relationships between evergreen and deciduous forests were compared by linear mixed models. Important Findings HR is a robust predictor of leaf N area, Parea and LMA, explaining 36.7, 39.4 and 12.0% of their total variations across forests, respectively. Leaf Narea, Parea and LMA increased with H R in all of the studied forests, with slopes that were steeper in evergreen forests than in deciduous ones. Leaf N mass and Pmass showed no significant relationship with H R generally. The increase in leaf Narea, Parea and LMA with HR across species is assumed to maximize community photosynthesis and may favor species with larger H R.

OBJECTIVE To clarify the effects of TNFSF4 (rs3850641) polymorphisms on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. METHOD Published literature from Pubmed, Embase, ISI Wed of Knowledge, Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases were retrieved. All studies evaluating the association between TNFSF4 (rs3850641) polymorphisms and CHD risk were included. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated employing random-effects models irrespective of between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS A total of 9 eligible studies was included in this meta-analysis. Overall analysis showed that the rs3850641 G allele was not associated with CHD, compared with the A allele, with OR of 1.10 (95% CI, 0.96-1.27; p = 0.174). Genotypic analysis showed that there was no significant association between the GG, GA, GG + GA, and CHD, compared with participants with AA, with ORs of 1.23 (95% CI, 0.75-2.03; p = 0.409), 1.04 (95% CI, 0.84-1.29; p = 0.705), and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.85-1.34; p = 0.589), respectively. On the other hand, in the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, source of controls, genotyping methods, or matching criteria, there was still no statistically significant association between TNFSF4 (rs3850641) polymorphisms and CHD risk. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis reveals that TNFSF4 (rs3850641) polymorphisms is not associated with CHD risk.

Primary objective: To evaluate the effects of estradiol-pre-treated neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from rat hippocampi post-ischemic neurological recovery and neuronal survival, migration and differentiation in rats with cerebral ischemia.Research design: A controlled laboratory study in animal model.Methods and procedure: NSCs were cultured with (CE) or without (CN) 17β-estradiol (E2) and transplanted into the lateral ventricles of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). A MCAO model alone group and treatment control group served as controls.Main outcome and results: Transplantation recipients (CN and CE groups) had ameliorated neurological deficits, less severe morphological changes and reduced total infarct volume, while there were no significant differences in these outcomes or in nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression between the CN and CE groups at all time points. On day 1 post-transplantation, the CE group exhibited significantly higher neuron-specific enolase expressio...

A wavelet method to the solution for a class of space–time fractional convection-diffusion equation with variable coefficients is proposed, by which combining Haar wavelet and operational matrix together and dispersing the coefficients efficaciously. The original problem is translated into Sylvester equation and computation became convenient. The numerical example shows that the method is effective.

We re-analyzed two large published databases on leaf traits of plant species from seven different biomes, and determined the scaling relationship between leaf metabolism rate (mass-based photosynthesis capacity, A(mass), and mass-based dark respiration, Rd(mass)) and specific leaf area (SLA) across biomes, using a standardized major axis (SMA) method. Overall pooled data produced a scaling exponent of 1.33 for the relationship between A(mass) and SLA, significantly larger than 1.0; and 1.04 between Rd(mass) and SLA. The scaling exponent of the relationship between A(mass) and SLA ranged between 1.23 (in tropical forest) and 1.66 (in alpine biome), and it was significantly larger in alpine (1.66) and grass/meadow (1.52) biomes than in tropical forest (1.23) and wetland (1.27). The exponent of the relationship between Rd(mass) and SLA, however, was much smaller in wetland (1.05) than in temperate forest (1.29) and tropical rainforest (1.65). In general, the predicated universal scaling relationship that the mass-based metabolism rate should be proportional to surface area in organisms is not applicable at the leaf-level in plants. Rather, the large slope difference of the relationship between leaf metabolism rate and SLA found among biomes indicates that the strength of the selective forces driving the scaling relationship is different among the biomes. The result basically suggests the importance of increasing SLA to plant carbon gain in stressful environments and to carbon loss in favorable habitats, and therefore has an important implication for survival strategies of plants in different biomes.

Eucalypt plantations expand rapidly out of their natural distribution zones, thus inducing a concern on their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We compare the understory plant diversity of 46 plots of eucalypt plantations, including early and later stages in rotation, with that of 21 plots of contrast vegetation, including other types of plantations and secondary shrub grassland, in Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, South China. Although the overall plant diversity did not change significantly in eucalypt plantations relative to the contrast vegetation, the community structures changed dramatically. The Asteraceae family, which is the most important source of destructive invasive plant species in China, is ranked 3rd (7.42%) and 7th (3.14%) in species importance in the early and later stages in eucalypt plantations, respectively. Nevertheless, Asteraceae is ranked 15th (1.73%) in other types of plantations and 21st (0.94%) in secondary shrub grassland. Significant increases in the richness and frequency of invasive species were also observed in eucalypt plantations. Among the 20 invasive species recorded in the eucalypt plantations, 9 species were destructive invasive species and 7 of these species belonged to Asteraceae. This study highlights an enhanced plant invasion risk in eucalypt plantations in South China, particularly by Asteraceae.

To determine the effect of leaf traits on leaf emergence phenology, timing of leaf emergence, leaf expansion rate, durations of leaf emergence and expansion, leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf size were investigated for 48 woody species from 25 families in two closed Chinese white oak (Quercus fabri) forests of eastern China. Cross-species regression and phylogenetic regression were employed to examine the relationship between leaf phenology and leaf traits. Leaf area, LMA, and leaf expansion rate were found to be significantly greater in canopy trees than in understory shrubs in the oak forests. However, there was no significant difference in timing of leaf emergence and durations of leaf emergence and expansion between canopy and understory species. The large-LMA species leafed out earlier than the species with small LMA. The small-leaved species leafed out earlier than the species with large leaves, but the large-leaved species were greater in leaf expansion rate than their counterparts. Leaf expansion rate was positively correlated with leaf area and timing of leaf emergence, but no significant relationship was found between leaf size and leaf expansion period. These results suggest that large- and small-leaved species possibly employed different strategies to minimize herbivory damage, i.e. early leafing to avoid defoliator damage in small-leaved species and fast expanding and thereby shortening vulnerable time to herbivores in large-leaved species. It could be inferred that the species with small leaves and large-LMA leafed out early in the oak forests, thereby permitting less energy loss than their counterparts under the influence of frost in early spring. In general, early leaf emergence is of significance for high LMA species to increase carbon gain in temperate broad-leaved forests, but it is not related to plant height. Leaf size and leaf expansion period are not necessarily correlated.

center dot Background and Aims The leaf size-twig size spectrum is one of the leading dimensions of plant ecological variation, and now it is under development. The purpose of this study was to test whether the relationship between leaf size and twig size is isometric or allometric, and to examine the relationship between plant allometric growth and life history strategies in the spectrum. center dot Methods Leaf and stem characters-including leaf and stem mass, total leaf area, individual leaf area, stem cross-sectional area, leaf number and stem length-at the twig level for 59 woody species were investigated along an altitudinal gradient on Changbaishan Mountain in the temperate zone of China. The environmental gradient ranges from temperate broad-leaved mixed forest at low altitude, to conifer forest at middle altitude, and to sub-alpine birch forest at high altitude. The scaling relationships between stem cross-sectional area and stem mass, stem mass and leaf mass, and leaf mass and leaf area at the twig level were simultaneously determined. center dot Key Results Twig cross-sectional area was found to have invariant allometric scaling relationships with the stem mass, leaf mass, total leaf area and individual leaf area, all with common slopes being significantly larger than 1, for three altitudinal-zoned vegetation types under investigation. However, leaf mass was found to be isometrically related to stem mass and leaf area along the environmental gradient. Based on the predictions of previous models, the exponent value of the relationship between twig cross-sectional area and total leaf area can be inferred to be 1.5, which falls between the confidence intervals of the relationship at each altitude, and between the confidence intervals of the common slope value (1.17-1.56) of this study. This invariant scaling relationship is assumed to result from the fractural network and/or developmental constraints of plants. The allometric constants (y-intercepts) of the relationships between the stem cross-sectional area and leaf area (both total leaf area and individual leaf area) were found to decrease significantly along the altitudinal gradient. This suggests that the species would support less leaf area at a given twig cross-sectional area with increasing environmental stress. center dot Conclusions This study demonstrated that plants respond to the environmental gradient by changing the y-intercepts of the relationship between leaf size-twig size, while keeping the exponent value of the allometric relationship as an invariant constant. The allometric growth in the twig size-leaf size spectrum is related to many other components of plant life history strategy, including the well established life history trade-off between efficiency and safety in the hydraulic transport of water.

Because synonymy treatment traditionally relies on morphological judgments, it usually causes many problems in species delimitation and in the biodiversity catalogue. For example, Diplopterygium simulans, which belongs to the Gleicheniaceae family, has been considered to be synonymous with D. glaucum or D. giganteum based mainly on the morphology of its pinna rachis and blade. In the absence of molecular evidence, these revisions remain doubtful. DNA barcoding, which is considered to be a powerful method for species-level identification, was employed to assess the genetic distance among 9 members of the Diplopterygium genus. The results indicate that D. simulans is an independent species rather than a synonymy of D. glaucum or D. giganteum. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis uncovered the sisterhood of D. simulans and D. cantonense, which is supported by their geographical distributions and morphological traits. Incorrect synonymy treatment is prevalent in the characterization of biological diversity, and our study proposes a convenient and effective method for validating synonym treatments and discovering cryptic species.

To observe the effects of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on the inflammatory response and vascular injury in rat after electric burn.A homemade regulator and transformer apparatus was used to reproduce the model of electric burn (0.5 cm×0.5 cm in size) with depth from full-thickness to full-thickness skin plus muscle and bone on the middle of the inside of right hind limb in 60 Wistar rats. The open wounds were covered with 20 g/L sulfadiazine silver paste immediately after injury. The wound condition was observed every day. The injured rats were divided into group LMWH and control group (C) according to the random number table, with 30 rats in each group. Rats in group LMWH were given subcutaneous injection of LMWH (1 U/g) in abdominal wall, 2 times a day. No other treatment was given in rats in group C. On post burn day (PBD) 3, 5, and 10, 10 rats respectively of two groups were sacrificed. The damaged tissue of wound and that around the wound (1.0 cm×0.5 cm in size) were excised, and heart blood was obtained. The pathological changes and thrombosis in damaged tissue were observed with HE, Masson, and aldehyde fuchsin staining, and the thrombosis rate was calculated. Serum contents of TNF-α and endothelin-1 were determined with ELISA. The mRNA expression of TNF-α in damaged tissue was detected with RT-PCR. Data were processed with Levene homogeneity test, analysis of variance of factorial design, LSD- t test, SNK- q test, and Friedman M nonparametric test.(1) The injured limb of rats was obviously swollen after electric burn, which reached deeply to the muscle and bone. Compared with those of group C, the swelling of rats subsided slightly faster and the inflammatory response was lighter in group LMWH at each time point. (2) The necrosis of damaged tissue and profuse infiltration of inflammatory cells were observed. Dilatation of blood vessels, congestion and thrombosis, and swelling, necrosis, and desquamation of vascular endothelial cells were observed in the damaged tissue. Damaged blood vessel wall, ruptured elastic fiber, loss of internal elastic membrane, and other pathological changes were observed in the damaged tissue of rats in the two groups. Above lesions were improved gradually along with the passage of time, and the improvement was more obvious in rats of group LMWH compared with that of group C on PBD 5 and 10. (3) The thrombosis rates of rats in group LMWH were obviously lower than those of rats in group C (F = 4.921, P0.05). The thrombosis rates of rats in group LMWH on PBD 3 and 10 were respectively (0.07 ± 0.11)% and (0.03 ± 0.05)%, which were significantly lower than those of rats in group C [(0.16 ± 0.15)% and (0.13 ± 0.18)%, with t values respectively 2.17 and 2.07, P values below 0.05]. In group LMWH, the thrombosis rate of rats on PBD 10 was obviously lower than that on PBD 3 (t = 3.61, P0.05). (4) The serum contents of TNF-α and endothelin-1 of rats in group LMWH were significantly lower than those of rats in group C (F = 47.161, χ(2) = 81.46, P values below 0.01). In group LMWH, TNF-α contents were respectively (71 ± 24), (74 ± 14), (72 ± 20) pg/mL, and endothelin-1 contents were respectively (20.9 ± 3.2), (19.8 ± 5.2), (18.6 ± 1.1) ng/mL on PBD 3, 5, and 10, and they were significantly lower than those of rats in group C [(195 ± 148), (96 ± 20), (159 ± 46) pg/mL and (38.8 ± 15.4), (27.9 ± 3.6), (25.6 ± 7.6) ng/mL, with t values from 3.81 to 8.05, q values from 4.41 to 7.85, P0.05 or P0.01]. (5) The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α in damaged tissue of rats in group LMWH were significantly lower than those of rats in group C (F = 199.113, P0.01). The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α of rats in group LMWH were respectively 0.93 ± 0.10, 1.15 ± 0.12, 1.21 ± 0.11 on PBD 3, 5, and 10, and they were significantly lower than those of group C (1.68 ± 0.15, 1.43 ± 0.12, 1.50 ± 0.13, with t values from 3.75 to 6.12, P0.05 or P0.01). In group LMWH, the mRNA expression level of TNF-α of rats on PBD 10 was obviously higher than that on PBD 3 (t = 3.61, P0.05).LMWH intervention can ameliorate vascular injury and inflammatory response of electrically burned wounds in rats, and it decreases thrombosis rate in the vessels of injured limb.

Leaves and fine roots are among the most important and dynamic components of terrestrial ecosystems. To what extent plants synchronize their resource capture strategies above- and belowground remains uncertain. Existing results of trait relationships between leaf and root showed great inconsistency, which may be partly due to the differences in abiotic environmental conditions such as climate and soil. Moreover, there is currently little evidence on whether and how the stringent environments of high-altitude alpine ecosystems alter the coordination between above- and belowground. Here we measured six sets of analogous traits for both leaves and fine roots of 139 species collected from Tibetan alpine grassland and Mongolian temperate grassland. N, P and N:P ratio of leaves and fine roots were positively correlated, independent of biogeographic regions, phylogenetic affiliation or climate. In contrast, leaves and fine roots seem to regulate morphological traits more independently. The specific leaf area (SLA)–specific root length (SRL) correlation shifted from negative at sites under low temperature to positive at warmer sites. The cold climate of alpine regions may impose different constraints on shoots and roots, selecting simultaneously for high SLA leaves for rapid C assimilation during the short growing season, but low SRL roots with high physical robustness to withstand soil freezing. In addition, there might be more community heterogeneity in cold soils, resulting in multidirectional strategies of root in resource acquisition. Thus our results demonstrated that alpine climate alters the relationships between leaf and root morphological but not chemical traits.

To evaluate the effects of estradiol-pre-treated neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from rat hippocampi post-ischemic neurological recovery and neuronal survival, migration and differentiation in rats with cerebral ischemia.A controlled laboratory study in animal model.NSCs were cultured with (CE) or without (CN) 17β-estradiol (E2) and transplanted into the lateral ventricles of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). A MCAO model alone group and treatment control group served as controls.Transplantation recipients (CN and CE groups) had ameliorated neurological deficits, less severe morphological changes and reduced total infarct volume, while there were no significant differences in these outcomes or in nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression between the CN and CE groups at all time points. On day 1 post-transplantation, the CE group exhibited significantly higher neuron-specific enolase expression compared to all other groups, but there were no significant differences between the CE group and CN groups on days 4 and 7 post-transplantation.The results indicated no measurable improvements of E2 pre-treatment NSCs in neuronal survival, migration or neurological recovery. The findings provide pre-clinical support for the use of NSC transplantation in ischemic injury.