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The carbon use efficiency (CUE) of soil microorganisms is a critical parameter for the first step of organic carbon (C) transformation by and incorporation into microbial biomass and shapes C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. As C and nitrogen (N) cycles interact closely and N availability affects microbial metabolism, N addition to soil may shift the microbial CUE. We conducted a meta-analysis (100 data pairs) to generalize information about the microbial CUE response to N addition in soil based on the two most common CUE estimation approaches: (i) 13C-labelled substrate addition (13C-substrate) and (ii) 18O-labelled water addition (18O-H2O).The mean microbial CUE in soils across all biomes and approaches was 0.37. The effects of N addition on CUE, however, were depended on the approach: CUE decreased by 12% if measured by the 13C-substrate approach, while CUE increased by 11% if measured by the 18O-H2O approach. These differences in the microbial CUE response depending on the estimation approach are explained by the divergent reactions of microbial growth to N addition: N addition decreases the 13C incorporation into microbial biomass (this parameter is in the numerator by CUE calculation based on the 13C-substrate approach). In contrast, N addition slightly increases (although statistically insignificant) the microbial growth rate (in the numerator of the CUE calculation when assessed by the 18O-H2O approach), significantly raising the CUE. We explained these N addition effects based on CUE regulation mechanisms at the metabolic, cell, community, and ecosystem levels. Consequently, the differences in the microbial responses (microbial growth, respiration, C incorporation, community composition, and dormant or active states) between the 13C-substrate and 18O-H2O approaches need to be considered. Thus, these two CUE estimation approaches should be compared to understand microbially mediated C and nutrient dynamics under increasing anthropogenic N input and other global change effects.ReferenceHu J, Huang C, Zhou S, Kuzyakov Y 2022. Nitrogen deposition affects microbial carbon use efficiency: Meta-analysis of similarities and differences in 18O and 13C approaches. Global Change Biology 28 (16), 4977-4988. http://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.1622

Background and purpose: This meta-analysis assesses the surgical outcomes between robot-assisted minimally-invasive McKeown esophagectomy and conventional one. Method: This meta-analysis searched the Web of Science, PUBMED, and EMBASE from the database’s inception to January 2022. Altogether, 1073 records were identified in the literature search. Studies that evaluated the outcomes between robot-assisted minimally-invasive McKeown esophagectomy and conventional one among postoperative patients with oesophageal neoplasms were included. The assessed outcomes involved complications and clinical outcomes. In addition, heterogeneity was analyzed, and evidence quality was evaluated. Result: Evidence indicated that RAMIE (minimally-invasive esophagectomy assisted with robot) decreased incidences of lung complications and hospital stay as well as increased harvested lymph nodes. Conclusions: There was currently little evidence from randomized studies depicting that robot surgery manifested a clear overall advantage, but there was growing evidence regarding the clinical benefits of robot-assisted minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy over conventional one.

Soil mesofauna plays an important role in decomposing organic matter, recycling nutrients, and increasing nutrient availability. The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition and reduced precipitation on the litter-dwelling mesofaunal community and how this process affects litter decomposition remain poorly understood. Herein, a two-year simulated N deposition and throughfall reduction experiment was carried out in a natural evergreen broad-leaved subtropical forest to examine the effects of N deposition and reduced precipitation on soil mesofauna during litter decomposition. Four treatments were established: control (CK), N deposition (N), reduced precipitation (RP), and combined N deposition and reduced precipitation (N + RP). We collected and identified 19,782 individuals of mesofauna in litterbags during the whole experiment. Mites (Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida) and Collembola comprised almost 90% of the total number of individuals collected and dominated the soil mesofauna in our study. Our results revealed the negative effects of N deposition on the density of Oribatida mites and Collembola and the total density of soil mesofauna. Reduced precipitation significantly increased the density of Collembola and Oribatida mites and the total density of mesofauna and marginally significantly increased the density of Mesostigmata mites but decreased the diversity of mesofauna. The interaction effects of N deposition and reduced precipitation significantly affected the density of Prostigmata mites, Oribatida mites, Collembola, and the diversity of mesofauna. N deposition combined with reduced precipitation significantly inhibited litter decomposition, whereas no significant interaction effects were observed. Furthermore, correlation analysis indicated that litter mass loss was significantly positively correlated with the density of Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida, as well as the diversity of mesofauna. Overall, during the two-year decomposition process, our results suggest that N deposition and reduced precipitation interactively affected mesofaunal diversity and that N deposition adversely affected the mesofaunal community, while reduced precipitation increased the density of some groups but decreased mesofaunal diversity, consequently cascading on the decomposition of leaf litter.

Objective Investigate the influence of the perioperative waiting time on postoperative survival of patients with esophageal cancer.Methods We enrolled 299 patients with stageⅠ~Ⅲ esophageal cancer from the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Subei People’s Hospital from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015. The method of multivariate analysis is the COX regression analysis to model the effect of the perioperative waiting time on OS rate. The nonparametric tests (K-W test) and Spearman were used to analyze factors influencing the perioperative waiting time.Results The median duration of the follow-up for patients in this study is 74 months (IQR 69-79 months). The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates of patients with perioperative waiting time less than 10 days were 92.30% vs 77.40% vs 67.20%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 93.80% vs 67.20% vs 54.70% , with the waiting time more than 10 days. The result showed that Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), clinical stage , lymph node metastasis, operation time and perioperative waiting time were the independent factors for postoperative survival of esophageal cancer patients (PConclusions The perioperative waiting time can affect the survival of patients with esophageal cancer after surgery.

The carbon use efficiency (CUE) of soil microorganisms is a critical parameter for the first step of organic carbon (C) transformation by and incorporation into microbial biomass and shapes C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. As C and nitrogen (N) cycles interact closely and N availability affects microbial metabolism, N addition to soil may shift the microbial CUE. We conducted a meta-analysis (100 data pairs) to generalize information about the microbial CUE response to N addition in soil based on the two most common CUE estimation approaches: (i)

Litter decomposition is a vital link between material circulation and energy flow in forest ecosystems and is intensely affected by global change factors, such as increased nitrogen (N) deposition and altered precipitation regimes. As essential nutrients, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) play crucial roles in plant energy metabolism, photosynthesis, and membrane transport of plants, and the major source of these nutrients is litter decomposition. However, the dynamics of Ca, Mg, and Mn during decomposition have been largely ignored. Thus, to better understand Ca, Mg, and Mn dynamics during leaf litter decomposition in the scenario of increasing N deposition and decreasing precipitation, we carried out a two-year field litterbag experiment in a natural evergreen broad-leaved forest in the central area of the rainy area of Western China. Two levels of N deposition (ambient N deposition and 150 kg·N·ha−1·y−1) and precipitation reduction (no throughfall reduction and 10% throughfall reduction) were set, i.e., control (Ctr: without nitrogen deposition or throughfall reduction), N deposition (N, 150 kg·N·ha−1·y−1), throughfall reduction (T, 10% throughfall reduction), and N deposition and throughfall reduction (NT, 150 kg·N·ha−1·y−1 and 10% throughfall reduction). We found that leaf litter Ca concentration increased in the early decomposition stage and then decreased, while Mg and Mn concentrations generally decreased during the whole period of decomposition. The amount of Ca showed an accumulation pattern, while Mg and Mn generally showed a release pattern. N deposition and throughfall reduction affected the Ca, Mg, and Mn dynamics, varying with different decomposition stages, i.e., N deposition significantly affected the concentration and amount of Ca, regardless of the decomposition stages, while throughfall reduction significantly affected the Ca concentration in the whole and early decomposition stages. N deposition significantly affected the concentration and amount of Mg in the whole and early decomposition stages, while throughfall reduction had no significant effects. Throughfall reduction significantly affected the concentration and amount of Mn in the whole and late decomposition stages, while N deposition had no significant effects. Ca concentration generally showed a significant positive linear relationship with mass loss in the early decomposition stage, Mg concentration showed a significant positive linear relationship with mass loss in the Ctr and N treatments in the early and late decomposition stages, Mn generally showed a significant negative linear relationship with mass loss, regardless of the decomposition stage. Overall, the results suggest that Ca accumulation is more likely affected by N deposition, while Mg and Mn releases are more likely affected by N deposition combined with throughfall reduction, particularly in the early decomposition stage.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) control biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, N and P addition effects on litter decomposition, especially biological pathways in subtropical forests, remain unclear. Here, a two-year field litterbag experiment was employed in a subtropical forest in southwestern China to examine N and P addition effects on litter biological decomposition with nine treatments: low and high N- and P-only addition (LN, HN, LP, and HP), NP coaddition (LNLP, LNHP, HNLP, and HNHP), and a control (CK). The results showed that the decomposition coefficient (k) was higher in NP coaddition treatments (P0.05), and lower in N- and P-only addition treatments than in CK (P0.05). The highest k was observed with LNLP (P0.05). The N- and P-only addition treatments decreased the losses of litter mass, lignin, cellulose, and condensed tannins, litter microbial biomass carbon (MBC), litter cellulase, and soil pH (P0.05). The NP coaddition treatments increased the losses of litter mass, lignin, and cellulose, MBC concentration, litter invertase, urease, cellulase, and catalase activities, soil arthropod diversity (S) in litterbags, and soil pH (P0.05). Litter acid phosphatase activity and N:P ratio were lower in N-only addition treatments but higher in P-only addition and NP coaddition treatments than in CK (P0.05). Structural equation model showed that litter MBC, S, cellulase, acid phosphatase, and polyphenol oxidase contributed to the loss of litter mass (P0.05). The litter N:P ratio was negatively logarithmically correlated with mass loss (P0.01). In conclusion, the negative effect of N addition on litter decomposition was reversed when P was added by increasing decomposed litter soil arthropod diversity, MBC concentration, and invertase and cellulase activities. Finally, the results highlighted the important role of the N:P ratio in litter decomposition.

Stand-density management and fertilization practices are the main two factors affecting bamboo-shoot yield. However, the appropriate density and fertilization rates are still unclear for improving the bamboo-shoot yield and its economic benefits, especially for a high economic value bamboo-shoot forest. To fill this gap, we conducted a two-year split-plot design experiment in a Chimonobambusa pachystachys shoot forest. The main plots were assigned to five density rates, 40,000, 50,000, 60,000, 70,000, and 100,000 culms ha−1, and the subplots were assigned to four fertilization rates (nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium = 23:3:15): 0, 820, 1640, and 2460 kg ha−1 a−1. Results showed that the bamboo-shoot yield increased first and then decreased with stand density, while it increased with fertilization rates. Density management and fertilization regulate bamboo-shoot yield by changing the soil’s Olsen P, available nitrogen, organic matter, and available potassium contents. The maximum bamboo-shoot yield was 9315.92 kg ha−1, which appeared in the density of 60,000 culms ha−1 and the fertilization of 2460 kg ha−1 a−1. However, the maximum bamboo-shoot net profit was 135,242.63 CNY ha−1, which appeared at the density of 60,000 culms ha−1 and the fertilization of 1640 kg ha−1 a−1. The economic-benefit analysis shows that density management achieves a net-profit growth comparable to fertilizer application at a much lower cost. The study results provide a basis for the scientific management of C. pachystachys shoot forests and bamboo farmers to improve their income.

Background and Aims Human activities-mediated input of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to ecosystem may significantly affect soil hydrolyzing enzyme activities (Hy-EAs). However, the mechanisms underlying the responses of soil Hy-EAs to change in N and P availability remains unclear. Methods Here, a two-year field N and P addition experiment was conducted in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest to elucidate the effects of N addition, P addition, and NP co-additions on soil Hy-EAs and biochemistry properties. Results The invertase, cellulase, and acid phosphatase activities were increased in N treatment but reduced in P treatment. The urease activity was reduced in N treatment but did not alter in P treatment. NP treatment significantly increased the invertase and cellulase activities. Furthermore, the cellulase activity was positively correlated with soil organic carbon concentration. The acid phosphatase activity was negatively correlated with microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total P, and available P concentrations. Whereas the urease activity was not strongly dependent on total N concentrations, but positively correlated with soil pH and MBC. These Hy-EAs were significantly correlated with C-to-P and N-to-P ratios, while no significantly correlation with C-to-N ratio. Conclusions Overall, our results indicated that N and P addition significantly affected the soil C-, N-, and P-hydrolyzing enzyme activities. With ongoing imbalanced N and P input in our studied subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, N addition may exacerbate the limitation of soil C and P availability, while the exogenous P addition may improve the soil C and P availability.

Oxidative damage of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells is involved in the pathogenesis age related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential protective effect of a purified green tea polysaccharide (GTWP) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19 cells). Human ARPE-19 cells were treated with 1 h of 500 μM H2O2 before incubation with GTWP for 24 h. Pretreatment of GTWP decreased H2O2-induced cell death and cell apoptosis, and efficiently suppressed the intracellular ROS production and malondialdehyde (MDA) generation induced by H2O2 treatment. Moreover, a loss of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH) activities were restored to normal level in H2O2-induced ARPE-19 cells upon GTWP (100 μg/ml) exposure. Also, the tendency of increased protein expression of Bax and cleaved-caspsae-3, as well as decrease of Bcl-2 protein in ARPE-19 cells challenged with H2O2 was changed to individual opposite way, thus inhibiting the apoptotic cell death. Our results demonstrated that GTWP protected RPE cells against oxidative injury through activation of anti-apoptotic and endogenous antioxidant enzymes signaling pathway, suggesting GTWP has attractive therapeutic potential to AMD.

Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer of the immature retina. This study designed to see the function of the lncRNA ANRIL in retinoblastoma Y79 cells. ANRIL, miR-99a and c-Myc expression in Y79 cells was altered by transfection and then trypan blue, transwell assay and flow cytometry were carried out to evaluate the changes of cell phenotype. The connection between ANRIL, miR-99a and c-Myc was measured by luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation analysis. As a result, ANRIL expression was highly expressed in human retinoblastoma tissue as relative to the adjacent noncancerous tissues. ANRIL suppression inhibited Y79 cells viability, migration, invasion, while promoted apoptosis. ANRIL negatively regulated miR-99a by binding to miR-99a. Silence of miR-99a reversed the ANRIL-knockdown effects on Y79 cells. miR-99a overexpression suppressed Y79 cell viability, migration, invasion, and enhanced apoptosis through downregulating c-Myc. Meanwhile, we found that miR-99a inhibited JAK/STAT and PI3K/AKT pathways. To conclude, it seems that ANRIL suppression inhibits cell growth and metastasis in retinoblastoma Y79 cells by regulating miR-99a and c-Myc.

The increase in the nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) ratio with rising N deposition is changing the biodiversity and function of terrestrial ecosystems at an unprecedented speed. However, the specific effects of P addition and its interaction with N on soil arthropods during litter decomposition in forests are unclear. A two-year experiment was carried out in western China to examine the effects of N and P addition on soil arthropods during litter decomposition. We applied a factorial design in a litterbag experiment combining two levels of low and high N and P alone addition (LN, HN, LP, and HP) and their coaddition (LNLP, LNHP, HNLP, and HNHP), including a no-addition control treatment (CK). The results show that soil pH, litter microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil arthropod group number (G), individual number (I), diversity index (S), and richness index (M) were lower in the LN and HN treatments than in CK. Compared with CK, the LP and HP treatments reduced I but did not alter G, S, and M. The MBC, soil pH, and G, I, S, and M were higher and the cellulose and lignin concentrations and soil arthropod dominance index values were lower in the LNLP, LNHP, HNLP, and HNHP treatments than in CK. The positive effects of the LNLP, LNHP, HNLP, and HNHP treatments on the soil arthropods were related to the increased MBC and soil pH and decreased cellulose and lignin concentrations and litter N/P ratio. The litter N/P ratio was inversely related to the soil arthropod diversity. In conclusion, the negative effect of N addition on soil arthropod diversity during litter decomposition was reversed when P was added by shifting the MBC, cellulose and lignin concentrations, soil pH, and litter N/P ratio. Thus, increased P availability under rising N deposition scenarios may enhance soil arthropod diversity in this forest.

Acid deposition from the emission of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) has become an important factor affecting the soil nutrient balance and biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The average levels of N and S deposition in the rainy area of southwestern China from 2008 to 2010 were 9.5 g N m−2 y−1 and 19.3 g S m−2 y−1, respectively. External additions of N and S fertilizers combined with high levels of acid deposition may affect the soil ecological stoichiometry in the region’s widely distributed subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. Therefore, we investigated the responses of the soil stoichiometric ratios and enzyme activities to added N (+N), added S (+S), added N and S (+NS), and a control (Ctr) in the 0–20 cm layer in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in the rainy area of southwestern China from April 2013 to April 2015. The results showed that the soil total N (TN) concentration and N/P ratio were higher and the soil organic C (SOC) concentration and C/N ratio were lower in the fertilization treatments than the Ctr, although N and S additions did not significantly alter the soil total P (TP) concentration. The +N, +S, and +NS treatments increased the soil acid phosphatase activity and reduced the soil invertase, cellulase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase activities. The +N and +NS treatments increased the soil urease activity and reduced soil peroxidase activity. The +S treatment reduced the soil urease activity and did not alter soil peroxidase activity. N and S additions had synergistic decreasing effects on the SOC concentration, C/N ratio, and soil cellulose and catalase activities. Moreover, structural equation models identified that N and S additions regulated the SOC, TN, and TP concentrations via shifting the activities of soil enzymes and the pathways differed between N addition and S addition. In conclusion, N and S additions decreased the SOC concentration, C/N ratio, and most soil C-cycle enzyme activities and increased the TN concentration, N/P ratio, and soil acid phosphatase activity. All these results indicated that external N and S additions combined with acid deposition increased soil N concentrations and exacerbated soil C and P limitations in this forest.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Anaeromicrobium sediminis DY2726D, isolated from a west Pacific Ocean sediment sample. The genome comprises 4,710,590 bp in 56 contigs, with a G+C content of 31.2%. A total of 3,811 protein-coding sequences were predicted. The genome annotation revealed that DY2726D may represent a marine type of Clostridiaceae .

Carotid artery stenosis is a notable cause of ocular ischemic disease. To analyze the ocular ischemic diseases caused by carotid artery stenosis and to seek effective treatment, a retrospective review of 182 patients with carotid artery stenosis was performed. These patients were administered medical treatment, carotid artery stenting (CAS) or carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and the curative effects of the three different treatments were compared. The results demonstrated that all three treatments helped to improve the disease. Both carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting were more effective than medical treatment (P0.05). In conclusion, timely diagnosis and suitable treatment for ocular ischemic diseases caused by carotid artery stenosis are necessary due to the complicated clinical manifestation. This study suggested that carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting are effective techniques that may relieve this disease.