[Study on the construction and quality evaluation of courses for ideological and political education in the course of oral histology and pathology]

To give full play to the important role of courses for ideological and political education in moral cultivation, teaching group in the course of oral histology and pathology in Zhejiang University systematically studied the teaching model of which ideological and political education integrated into the course of oral histology and pathology, and put forward a quality evaluation index system of the course. This paper emphatically introduces the general framework of the course, as well as the experience and practices in the aspects of resource mining, teaching design, curriculum evaluation, etc. The quality of the course was evaluated by using the system, which showed that the grade of the course was AAA (excellent) and 95.5% (275/288) students agreed to integrate ideological and political content into the course. The teaching group believes that the integration of the ideological and political content in the course reflects the complementary effect of "teaching" and "educating", and the ideological and political quality as well as the professional level of the teachers are the primary factor to determine the quality of the course. This paper aims at providing a reliable reference for promoting the construction of courses for ideological and political education in the area of oral medical education.

Study of soil microorganisms modified wheat straw and biochar for reducing cadmium leaching potential and bioavailability

The application of crops straw and biochar in trace metals remediation from the contaminated environment attracted more and more attention during the past decade. Although there has been some review work on the mechanism of trace metals stabilization by crops straw, the effects and mechanisms of interaction among soil indigenous-microbes and crops-straw for trace metal adsorption and stabilization is still unclear. In this study, the dynamic effects along with potential mechanisms of wheat-straw (WS), wheat-straw biochar (WBC) and biologically modified wheat-straw (BMWS) were conducted to investigate the adsorption, leaching behaviour, chemical fractions and bioavailability of cadmium (Cd). The results showed that the biosorption capacity (q_e) was most elevated in the BMWS treatment (14.42 mg g^-1) as compared to WBC (6.28 mg g^-1) and WS (4.20 mg g^-1). The application of BMWS, WBC and WS at the rate of 3% significantly reduced Cd concentration in leachate to 53, 45 and 21% respectively, as compared to control. The addition of BMWS reduced the exchangeable Cd fraction resulted an increase in organic matter and carbonate bound Cd fraction in the soil. The DTPA extractable Cd was significantly decreased by 31.2 and 28.6% with the application of BMWS and WBC at 3% w/w respectively as compared to control. The research results may provide a novel perceptive for the development of functional materials and strategies for eco-friendly and sustainable trace metal remediation in contaminated soil and water by combination of straw and soil-indigenous microorganisms.

Rhizosphere iron and manganese-oxidizing bacteria stimulate root iron plaque formation and regulate Cd uptake of rice plants (Oryza sativa L.)

Iron plaque is the amorphous and/or crystalline layer of Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides formed on the root surface of wetland plants. It could adsorb and co-precipitate metal(loid)s at the rhizosphere, thus modulating the uptake and accumulation of metal elements in plants. In this study, the Fe(II)/Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria Burkholderia sp. D416 (D416) and Pseudomonas sp. YGL (YGL) were isolated from Cd-contaminated rice field, both hydroponic experiment and pot experiment were performed to assess the impact of bacterial inoculation on iron plaque formation, elemental content of the plaque, plant dry mass, antioxidant enzyme activity and Cd content in rice plants. The results revealed that inoculation with D416, YGL, and D416+YGL stimulated iron plaque formation on the root surface of the hydroponic rice. The content of C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Fe and Ca in the root plaque were affected by the bacterial inoculation and varied among different plant growth stages. The pot experiment indicated that inoculation with D416 increased the root dry biomass by 58.89%, and the combined inoculation of D416 and YGL increased the dry biomass of root, shoot and grain by 16.89%, 21.66% and 23.26%, respectively. Importantly, YGL inoculation decreased the Cd translocation from root to shoot and from glume to brown rice grain by 50.00% and 50.27%, respectively, and the Cd content in shoot and brown rice grain were decreased by 20.00% and 34.48%, respectively. Taken together, the elemental content of the iron plaque and Cd content in rice plants varied among different plant growth stages and when plants were inoculated with different bacterial strains. YGL dramatically reduced the Cd content in brown rice grain, thus it could potentially be used to reduce Cd content in rice crop grown in Cd-contaminated soils.

Exogenous salicylic acid regulates cell wall polysaccharides synthesis and pectin methylation to reduce Cd accumulation of tomato

Cadmium (Cd) is harmful to plant growth and can be easily transferred from soil to plants. Plant cell wall plays important role in preventing Cd from entering cells. Salicylic acid (SA) mediated defense response increases plant resistance to heavy metals. In this study, all tomato seedlings were pre-treated with 100 μM SA for 3 d, then seedlings were used to analyze the role of SA in regulating plant cell wall resistance to Cd stress. The results showed that exogenous SA significantly reduced Cd accumulation in tomato plants and changed Cd distribution. By analyzing the cell wall composition, it was found cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin were induced by SA. Interestingly, the content of Cd in pectin decreased by SA pretreatment, however it was increased in cellulose. Gene expression analysis showed SA up-regulated the expression level of lignin and cellulose synthase genes, but down-regulated the expression of pectin methylesterase related genes. In addition, SA down-regulated the activity of pectin methylesterase. These results indicated that SA pretreatment up-regulated cell wall polysaccharide synthesis and related gene expression to thicken the cell wall and block Cd from passing through. Furthermore, SA decreased pectin methylesterase activity and content to reduce cell wall Cd accumulation and change the Cd partition ratio.

Construction of a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing Babesia gibsoni thrombospondin-related anonymous protein and evaluation of its immunogenicity in mice

Previously, we have identified a gene encoding thrombospondin-related anonymous protein of Babesia gibsoni (BgTRAP), and have shown that the antisera raised against recombinant BgTRAP expressed in Escherichia coli inhibited the growth of parasites. In the present study, a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the BgTRAP (VV/BgTRAP) was constructed. A specific band with a molecular mass of 80 kDa, which is similar to that of native BgTRAP on the merozoites of B. gibsoni, was detected in the supernatant of VV/ BgTRAP-infected RK13 cells. Mice inoculated with VV/BgTRAP produced a specific antiBgTRAP response. The antiserum against VV/BgTRAP showed reactivity against the native BgTRAP on parasites. These results indicated that the recombinant vaccinia virus expressing BgTRAP might be a vaccine candidate against canine B. gibsoni infection.

Treatment of Chronic Anterior Shoulder Dislocation by Coracoid Osteotomy with or without Bristow-Latarjet Procedure

Objective

To investigate the clinical efficacy and outcomes of the coracoid osteotomy with or without Bristow–Latarjet procedures in the treatment of chronic anterior shoulder dislocation (CASD).

Methods

Between January 2013 and January 2019, 20 shoulders of 18 patients who were diagnosed with chronic anterior dislocation and underwent open reduction in our trauma center were retrospectively studied. Open coracoid osteotomy with Bristow–Latarjet procedures were performed on 16 shoulders and open coracoid osteotomy without Bristow–Latarjet procedures were performed on four shoulders. Open coracoid osteotomy with or without Bristow–Latarjet procedures were chosen on the basis of the stability of the shoulder after reduction. Outcomes were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively with the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating scale, and the range of motion (ROM) for shoulder activity.

Results

There were three males and 15 females with an average age of 60.94 ± 2.69 years. The time between dislocation and treatment ranged from 21 to 240 days with an average of 73.3 ± 14.4 days. All patients were available for a mean follow‐up of 15.2 ± 4.3 months. No procedure‐related death or incision‐related superficial or deep tissue infection was identified in all cases. No iatrogenic neurovascular injuries or fractures were found in this study. At the time of 12 months follow‐up, the range of motion and the shoulder functional evaluation (VAS [P < 0.001], ASES [P < 0.001], and UCLA score [P < 0.001]) in patients who underwent Bristow–Latarjet procedures were significantly improved. Subluxation after surgical procedure was found and confirmed in one patient and this patient refused to undergo revision surgery. According to the Samilson and Prieto classification system, 16 shoulders were assessed as grade 0, three shoulders were grade 1, one shoulder was grade 2.

Conclusions

Coracoid osteotomy with or without Bristow–Latarjet procedure yielded an acceptable clinical result in this study. This method has the advantages of enlarging the exposure of surgical field, assisting reduction of shoulder, and convenient conversion to Bristow–Latarjet procedure. It is an efficient and reliable method for treatment of chronic anterior shoulder dislocation.

A 69‐year‐old woman diagnosed with right chronic anterior shoulder dislocation with large Hill–Sachs lesion. The latarjet procedure with remplissage technique was applied for this patient.

Prospects and applications of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria to mitigate soil metal contamination: A review

The rapid increase in world population has generated the issues of hunger, poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. To meet the challenge of increased food production of better quality, the farmers were compelled to use more chemical fertilizers, especially in developing countries. The higher use of chemical fertilizers interrupts the food chain through eutrophication, the polluting air and soil by incorporating metals. Trace metals have a deleterious effect on soil microbial and plant growth. To minimize metal toxicity and maximize the production of food, there are different approaches that can lead to lessen the use of chemical fertilizers. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are capable to enhance the plant growth and can remediate metal contaminated soils. PGPR has the ability to improve food production with diverse attributes e.g. producing siderophores that promote rhizosphere trace metal sequestration and production of organic and inorganic acids thus affecting trace metal bioavailability and plant induced systemic tolerance (IST) to limit the crop metal accumulation. In this review paper, we have discussed the biological approach which is environmentally friendly and cost-effective mean for metal polluted soils and gives some new insights for safety use of PGPR in trace metal contaminated fields.

Effects of EDTA and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on plant growth and heavy metal uptake of hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii Hance

Phytoremediation is a cost-effective and environment-friendly strategy for decontaminating heavy-metal-contaminated soil. However, the practical use of phytoremediation is constrained by the low biomass of plants and low bioavailability of heavy metals in soil. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the metal chelator ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and EDTA in combination with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Burkholderia sp. D54 or Burkholderia sp. D416) on the growth and metal uptake of the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii Hance. According to the results, EDTA application decreased shoot and root biomass by 50% and 43%, respectively. The soil respiration and Cd, Pb, Zn uptake were depressed, while the photosynthetic rate, glutathione and phytochelatin (PC) contents were increased by EDTA application. Interestingly, Burkholderia sp. D54 and Burkholderia sp. D416 inoculation significantly relieved the inhibitory effects of EDTA on plant growth and soil respiration. Compared with the control, EDTA + D416 treatment increased the Cd concentration in shoots and decreased the Pb concentration in shoots and roots, but did not change the Zn concentration in S. alfredii plants. Furthermore, EDTA, EDTA + D54 and EDTA + D416 application increased the cysteine and PC contents in S. alfredii (p < 0.05); among all tested PCs, the most abundant species was PC2, and compared with the control, the PC2 content was increased by 371.0%, 1158.6% and 815.6%, respectively. These results will provide some insights into the practical use of EDTA and PGPR in the phytoremediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil by S. alfredii.

Retracted: Downregulation of microRNA-367 promotes osteoblasts growth and proliferation of mice during fracture by activating the PANX3-mediated Wnt/β-catenin pathway

A majority of people suffering from bone fractures fail to heal and develop a nonunion, which is a challenging orthopedic complication requiring complex and expensive treatment. Previous data showed the inhibition of some microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) can enhance fracture healing. The objective of the present study is to explore effects of miR-367 on the osteoblasts growth and proliferation of mouse during fracture via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by targeting PANX3. Primarily, the femur fracture model was successfully established in 66 (C57BL/6) 6-week-old male mice. To verify whether miR-367 target PANX3, we used the target prediction program and performed luciferase activity determination. Subsequently, to figure out the underlying regulatory roles of miR-367 in fracture, osteoblasts were elucidated by treatment with miR-367 mimic, miR-367 inhibitor, or siRNA against PANX3 to determine the expression of miR-367, siPANX3, β-catenin, and Wnt5b as well as cell proliferation and apoptosis. The results demonstrated that PANX3 was verified as a target gene of miR-367. MiR-367 was found to highly expressed but PANX3, β-catenin, and Wnt5b were observed poorly expressed in fracture mice. downregulated miR-367 increased the mRNA and protein expression of PANX3, β-catenin, and Wnt5b, increased cell growth, proliferation, and migration, while decreased cell apoptosis in osteoblasts. Altogether, our study demonstrates that the downregulation of miR-367 may promote osteoblasts growth and proliferation in fracture through the activation of the PANX3-dependent Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Effects of salicylic acid, Epi-brassinolide and calcium on stress alleviation and Cd accumulation in tomato plants

Salicylic acid (SA), Epi-brassinolide (EBL) and calcium (Ca) play crucial roles in plant development and mediate plant response to biotic and abiotic stress. This study was aimed to investigate the possible mediatory role of SA, EBL, Ca or their combination in protecting tomato plants from cadmium (Cd) toxicity. According to the results, Cd stress resulted in a significant reduction of plant dry mass, photosynthetic pigment content as well as photosynthetic rate. Exogenous application of SA decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level by 39.27% and increased catalase (CAT) activity by 81.17%. SA and EBL treatment significantly increased chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b) content, photosynthetic rate (Pn) as well as water use efficiency (WUE). SA+EBL (1:1)/Ca+SA+EBL (1:1:1) treatment obviously alleviated Cd-induced growth inhibition, the dry mass of different tomato organs were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Especially in Ca+SA+EBL treated plants, the dry mass of roots, stems and leaves increased by 141.18%, 128.57% and 118.52%, respectively. Besides, SA+EBL and Ca+SA+EBL treatments reduced the MDA level, but increased photosynthetic pigment concentration and photosynthetic efficiency. CAT activity was increased by 62.92% in Ca+SA+EBL treated plants, the WUE was increased by 557.76% in SA+EBL pretreated plants. Moreover, exogenous application of SA, SA+EBL and Ca+SA+EBL significantly decreased Cd accumulation in tomato organs (p < 0.05) compared with Cd-stressed plants. Taken together, our results indicated that exogenous application of SA, EBL and Ca individually or in combination could alleviate Cd toxicity in tomato plants, although the extent varies.

[Prediction and preventive strategies for recurrence after surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma]

Many advances have been achieved in the clinical and basic studies on metastasis and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) over the past 20 years. The achievements mainly include the following aspects: (1) a group of molecules related to metastasis and recurrence including osteopontin have been identified, and multi-molecular predictive models for metastasis have been established and optimized; (2) it has been found that the imbalance of immune response in tumor microenvironment is important in promoting metastasis and can be used to predict metastasis and recurrence; (3) it has been found and confirmed that interferon can prevent postoperative recurrence, and patients with a lower miR-26a expression level can achieve greater benefits; (4) the breakthroughs in liquid biopsy and immunotherapy bring a promising future for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of HCC metastasis and recurrence. However, these predictive models still need to be validated by multi-center studies, and the effects of adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization and targeted therapy with sorafenib still need further evaluation.

Investigation of the association between interleukin-10 polymorphisms and risk of acute pancreatitis in a Chinese population

We conducted a case-control study to investigate the possible association between three common single nucleotide polymorphisms in interleukin-10 (IL-10) and the development of acute pancreatitis in a Chinese population. Between January 2013 and December 2014, 255 patients with acute pancreatitis and 255 control subjects were recruited for the study. Genotyping of IL-10 rs1800896, rs1800871, and rs1800872 was performed using polymerase chain reaction coupled with restriction fragment length polymorphism. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that the AA genotype of IL-10 rs1800896 was correlated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis in a codominant model (OR = 2.44, 95%CI = 1.28-4.77). In a dominant model, we found that the GA+AA genotype of IL-10 rs1800896 was associated with an elevated risk of acute pancreatitis (OR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.05-2.18). In a recessive model, the AA genotype of IL-10 rs1800896 was correlated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis (OR = 1.98, 95%CI = 1.06-3.77). In conclusion, IL-10 rs1800896 was correlated with an increased risk of acute pancreatitis in codominant, dominant, and recessive models.

Spatial distribution of polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins in Arabidopsis and their expression induced by Stemphylium solani infection

Disease-induced polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are the major defense proteins which play an important role in resistance to infection of pathogens. To date, the AtPGIP expression in Arabidopsis induced by Stemphylium solani (S. solani) was not described. Here the distribution of AtPGIPs and their expression induced by S. solani infection in Arabidopsis was reported. Notably, immunofluorescence localization showed that the AtPGIPs were distributed in leaves, petioles, stems and roots of 5 week old Arabidopsis, but they were mainly localized in epidermis, vascular bundles and vascular cylinder. Further studies indicated that the transcription level of AtPGIP1 and AtPGIP2 was both up-regulated in response to infection with S. solani which caused hypersensitive cell death, but the transcription level of AtPGIP2 was less induced than AtPGIP1. Consistently, the bulk AtPGIPs of Arabidopsis showed a higher activity in leaves infected by S. solani. Taken together, our preliminary results showed that AtPGIPs were spatially distributed and AtPGIP expression might take part in resistance to infection of S. solani. This study might highlight the potential importance of AtPGIPs and plant disease resistance.

Chemical composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial activities of the essential oils of Thymus marschallianus Will. and Thymus proximus Serg

Chemical composition and antioxidant, antimicrobial activities of the essential oils from Thymus marschallianus Will. and Thymus proximus Serg. growing in the wild in Xinjiang were studied. Samples were collected from the aerial parts of the plants with simultaneous distillation-extraction apparatus. The yields ranged between 1.22%+/- 0.01 and 0.16%+/- 0.01 (weight/dry weight), respectively, 53 and 60 kinds of volatiles, representing 99.6% and 99.7% of the essential oils, respectively, were identified in extracts from T. marschallianus and T. proximus by GC/MS analysis. The main components were Thymol (28.0% to 32.9%), p-Cymene (7.7% to 25.4%), and gamma-Terpinene (18.0% to 22.4%). Antioxidant activities of the oils were evaluated using metal chelating, reductive potential, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radical, and modified thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay. Antimicrobial activities of the oils were investigated on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, yeast, Rhizopus, and Penicillium. The inhibition zones (IZ) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were 5.0 to 35.7 mm in diameter and 1.81 to 4.52 microL/mL, respectively.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Due to the economical impacts of spoiled foods and the consumer's concerns over the safety of foods, a lot of attention has been paid to naturally derived compounds. Fresh and dried Thymus species as well as their processed products have been widely used as flavorings since ancient times; however, during the last few decades, they also have become a subject for a search of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Biological activities of Thymus essential oils depend on their chemical composition, which is determined by the genotype and influenced by environmental conditions. Recent studies have showed that Thymus species have strong antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. To the best of our knowledge, the properties of Thymus species growing wild in the Xinjiang have not been reported before.