Mutant p21ras in vinyl chloride exposed workers

The production of mutations in cellular oncogenes such as ras is involved in the development of many human cancers. These mutations result in the expression of mutant forms of the encoded p21 protein which can potentially serve as a biomarker for this carcinogenic process. Workers exposed to vinyl chloride (VC) who are at risk for the development of the sentinel neoplasm angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL) represent a model population for the study of such a mutant p21ras biomarker, since VC is known to cause a specific ras mutation in ASL. In order to determine the relationship between VC exposure and this biomarker, serum samples from a cohort of 225 French VC workers and 111 age-sex-race-smoking-drinking matched unexposed controls were examined for the presence of mutant p21ras by immunoblotting with a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for the mutant protein. Stratifying the exposed workers by degree of VC exposure in estimated ppm-years by quartiles yielded a statistically significant trend for increasing odds ratio for sero-positivity of the p21ras biomarker with increasing exposure. These results suggest that this serum biomarker is related to VC exposure and may be an early indicator of carcinogenic risk in exposed individuals.     

鄂西南后河自然保护区植物区系研究

后河自然保护区共人维管植物１４１６种,尿属５６８属１６０科。其中蕨类、拟蕨类４１种２８属２０科;裸子植物１８种１１属６科;被子植物１３５７种５２９属１３４科。在科、属、种不同水平上对后河自然保护区植物区系特点进行了较深入的统计和分析。结果显示了该区系的丰富性。复杂性。古老、遗、原始性、温带成分的集中性,古特珍稀危植物群落繁荣的特殊性等特点。因此有理由认为后河植物区系对湖北乃至华中植物区系具有典型的     

Contrasting climate signals across a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) tree-ring network in the Middle Volga (European Russia)

Since the late-19th century, the Middle Volga has played a major role in the supplying grains and other agricultural products to European Russia. The study area is located in the south of sub-boreal forest in the north and in the forest-steppe in the south. Due to large seasonal differences in rainfall, agriculture in the region, especially in its southern part, strongly depends on hydroclimate variability. According to climate model forecasts, the frequency and intensity of droughts in the Middle Volga are expected to increase due to ongoing warming. Here we introduce 16 new Scots pine tree ring width (TRW) chronologies (Pinus sylvestris L.) from the region and use a dendroclimatological approach to determine what climatic factors drive radial growth. Our analysis revealed contrasting climate signals across the network of sites with chronologies from the north showing weak correlation with May temperature and precipitation (r = −0.27 and r = 0.28, respectively), while the southern sites demonstrated stronger relationships with climate in the first half of the vegetation season (May to July temperature, r = −0.26 to −0.43; May and July precipitation, r = 0.29–0.35). The northern sites did not demonstrate a strong growth response to the self-calibrated Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI) whereas the southern group was more drought sensitive had a strong drought response and positively correlates with scPDSI for the period from previous July to the current October (r = 0.27–0.56). Based on this strong relationship between southern TRW and scPDSI we reconstruct June-September scPDSI using the most sensitive sites (T04S, T06S, T08S) for the period from 1830 to 2014. The model explains 31% of variance. Our reconstruction shows droughts in 19th century: in 1831–33, 1851, 1853, 1859, 1863–65, 1880, 1891–92, 1897–98 and in 20–21th centuries: in 1906, 1921, 1936, 1939, 1967, 1975, 1996, 2010.     

坡度对农田土壤动物群落结构及多样性的影响

为了研究坡度对土壤动物群落的影响,于2010年3月和9月分别对川中丘陵区坡度为5°、15°、25°的3种农田土壤动物进行了调查。共采集土壤动物11657只,隶属4门11纲21目,弹尾目、蜱螨目、颤蚓目和线虫为优势类群。土壤动物群落的类群数在3月随坡度增加无显著变化(P>0.05),9月则呈波动性上升(P<0.01)。群落密度在3月随坡度增加而显著下降(P<0.01),9月的变化趋势则相反(P<0.05)。群落多样性指数在3、9两月均随坡度增加呈显著波动性变化(P<0.05)。坡度对弹尾目、蜱螨目和线虫等主要类群的密度影响显著(P<0.05),并具季节差异。主成分分析(PCA)结果表明坡度对农田土壤动物的群落结构有明显影响,Sorenson和Morisita-Horn相似性系数进一步表明坡度在3月份主要影响土壤动物群落的类群组成,在9月主要影响优势类群的密度。研究结果表明坡度对土壤动物的群落结构、多样性及主要类群的密度有显著影响,并存在季节差异。     

A robust six-miRNA prognostic signature for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a major health problem worldwide. We aimed to identify a robust microRNA (miRNA)-based signature for predicting HNSCC prognosis. The miRNA expression profiles of HNSCC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The TCGA HNSCC cohort was randomly divided into the discovery and validation cohort. A miRNA-based prognostic signature was built up based on TGCA discovery cohort, and then further validated. The downstream targets of prognostic miRNAs were subjected to functional enrichment analyses. The role of miR-1229-3p, a prognosis-related miRNA, in tumorigenesis of HNSCC was further evaluated. A total of 305 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs were found between HNSCC samples and normal tissues. A six-miRNA prognostic signature was constructed, which exhibited a strong association with overall survival (OS) in the TCGA discovery cohort. In addition, these findings were successfully confirmed in TCGA validation cohort and our own independent cohort. The miRNA-based signature was demonstrated as an independent prognostic indicator for HNSCC. A risk signature-based nomogram model was constructed and showed good performance for predicting the OS for HNSCC. The functional analyses revealed that the downstream targets of these prognostic miRNAs were closely linked to cancer progression. Mechanistically, in vitro analysis revealed that miR-1229-3p played a tumor promoting role in HNSCC. In conclusion, our study has developed a robust miRNA-based signature for predicting the prognosis of HNSCC with high accuracy, which will contribute to improve the therapeutic outcome.     

Changes in colorectal cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: Interrupted time-series analysis using the National Database of Japan

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced us to accept changes in our usual diagnostic procedures and treatments for colorectal cancer. This study aimed to determine the impact of the pandemic on colorectal cancer treatment in Japan.MethodsThe number of colorectal surgeries, stoma constructions, stent placements or long tube insertions, and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapies were determined each month using sampling datasets from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan. The observation periods before and during the pandemic were January 2015 to January 2020 and April 2020 to January 2021, respectively. An interrupted time-series analysis was used to estimate the changes in the number of procedures during the pandemic.ResultsThe number of endoscopic surgeries for colon cancer significantly decreased in April and July 2020 and for rectal cancer in April 2020. Additionally, the number of laparoscopic and open surgeries for colon cancer significantly decreased in July 2020 and October 2020, respectively. The number of stoma constructions and stent placements or long tube insertions did not increase during the observation period. Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer significantly increased in April 2020 but levels returned shortly thereafter. These results suggest that the recommendations to overcome the pandemic proposed by expert committees, including the replacement of laparoscopic surgery with open surgery, stoma construction to avoid anastomotic leak, and replacement of surgery on the ileus with stent placement, were not widely implemented in Japan. However, as an exception, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer was performed as an alternative treatment to delay surgery in small quantities.ConclusionA declining number of surgeries raises concerns about cancer stage progression; however, we found no evidence to suggest cancer progression from the trajectory of the number of stoma constructions and stent placements. In Japan, even during the pandemic, conventional treatments were performed.     

一株功能型益生菌对肉鸡生产性能的影响

实验选用3日龄AA肉鸡14 000只,随机分成2组,实验组口服功能型微生态制剂,空白对照组不饲喂任何微生态制剂,全程跟踪监测。结果表明,肉鸡在口服功能型益生菌制剂后表现出三大特点:(1)肉鸡生长加快,鸡群整齐度与均匀度有所改善,出栏平均重提高9.5%;(2)肠道环境有所改善,饲料利用率提高,实验组比对照组料肉比降低2.16%;(3)实验组鸡群可提前3~5 d出栏。     

桂西北典型喀斯特区生态服务价值的环境响应及其空间尺度特征

Study on ecosystem service values (ESVs) is the bridge of understanding ecosystem and economic decision-making. To investigate the response of ESVs to ambient environment and their spatial scales is an urgent work in the process of ecological restoration and sustainable development in southwest China. Based on the previous research results, the remote images, and weather data of 31 years (1975-2005), the response of ESVs to ambient environment and their spatial scales in a typical karst area of northwest Guangxi, China were evaluated with the method of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) in this paper. The results showed that ESVs had obvious variations with changes in elevation, rocky types and soil types, and had corresponding characteristics of spatial scales. The ESVs in middle and low elevation areas were higher, but they decreased due to human activities such as deforestation. The ESVs in peak-cluster depression areas were lower, and they would increase as influenced by policies such as returning farmland to forestland. The ESVs were influenced by rocky types, showing lower values but an increasing trend in the typical karst regions while higher values but a decreasing trend in non-karst regions. The average ESVs in the west part of the study region, which is not only the main nature reserve for rare wildlife species in Guangxi, but also one of the best preserved natural vegetation regions in China, were more than 15,000 RMB Yuan ha-1,. Comparatively, the ESVs were less than 10,000 Yuan ha-1 in the middle part of the region attributed to low vegetation coverage, serious peak-cluster depression and karst rocky desertification. After about 20 years, that is from 1985 to 2005, the ecosystem conditions had been improved and the ESVs had increased in the middle and eastern part of this study region. On the contrary, in most western part, which was dominated by subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, they had been worsened, and the balance values of ESVs were negative. As for the relationships of ESVs with rocky types and soil types, lime soil and red soil were the two main soil types that contributed to ESVs (The total contribution was above 60%, and it is 63.77%,64.37%,64.56%,64.91% respectively in the four years of 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2005.). The variance contribution of intrinsic mode function (IMF) and trend (R) showed that there were obvious special sales for ESVs in this study area, and the main spatial scales were about 2.7 km, 5.5 km, and 11.6 km. The variance contribution ratio was 12.29%, 11.26%, 11.49% respectively, and the trend (R) was high (17.74%). In conclusion, this study indicated that ecosystem conditions in the typical karst area were improved owing to the application of rocky desertification control policies, such as ecological migration and returning farmland to forestland. Besides, the main spatial scales of ESVs in the study area were the interactions of terrain, physiognomy, land use / land cover and human activities.     

Rare, threatened and alien species in the gastropod communities in the clay pit ponds in relation to the environmental factors (The Ciechanowska Upland, Central Poland)

The objectives of the present survey were to formulate a zoocenological analysis of the gastropod communities in clay pit ponds, as well as to determine the relationships between the gastropods and their environments, and to evaluate the water habitats in terms of their ecological-conservation value. The physical and chemical parameters of water, gastropod species and macrophytes occurring in the ponds indicate mesotrophic conditions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reveals a correlation between gastropod density and nitrates, a correlation between gastropod density and alkalinity, and additionally shows a correlation between gastropod density and chlorides. The pond surface area, nitrates, chlorides concentrate, alkalinity, and substratum have all affected these gastropod communities. The occurrence of the first permanent population of Ferrissia clessiniana (Jickeli, 1882) was recorded in Poland. Valvata naticina Menke 1845 has become a critically rare species (CR) due to the pollution of water environments. Five other species, e.g. Anisus vorticulus (Troschel, 1834) and Planorbis carinatus O.F. Müller, 1774 are recorded on the Polish Red List of Species. The clay pit ponds of the Ciechanowska Upland, because of their distinctive environmental features, provide a refuge where a number of rare, threatened and alien gastropod species live.