Structurally Preserved Liquidambar Infructescences, Associated Pollen, and Leaves from the Late Oligocene of the Nanning Basin, South China

Liquidambar L. is a significant constituent of the Cenozoic flora in the Northern Hemisphere. Currently, this genus exhibits a discontinuous distribution across Asia and North America, with the center of diversity being in southeastern Asia. This study presents the first occurrence of Liquidambar in the Oligocene of South China. Fossil sweetgum infructescences, associated pollen, and leaves have been found in the Nanning Basin, Guangxi. A new species, Liquidambar nanningensis sp. nov., is described based on the morphological and anatomical characteristics of three-dimensionally preserved infructescences. The Liquidambar fossils from the Nanning Basin show a combination of features indicative of the former genera of Altingiaceae, Altingia, Liquidambar s. str., and Semiliquidambar. The new occurrence expands the taxonomic and morphological diversity of the Paleogene Liquidambar species in South China.

[Clinical application of combination of different types of free perforator flaps in the repair of complex wounds in extremities]

Objective: To investigate the clinical application effects of combination of different types of free perforator flaps in the repair of complex wounds in extremities. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2018 to June 2022, 11 patients with complex wounds in extremities who met the inclusion criteria was admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, including 8 males and 3 females, aged 28 to 55 years. The wounds in the upper extremities in 4 cases and in the lower extremities in 7 cases were repaired with different combination of free perforator flaps. After debridement, the wound area was 7.0 cm×6.0 cm-28.0 cm×12.0 cm. A combination of different types of perforator flaps were applied, including the perforator tri-leaf flap of the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery in 6 cases, the descending branch of lateral femoral circumflex artery combined with oblique branch perforating branch flap in 2 cases, the lobulated flap of the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery combined with the contralateral medial plantar artery perforator flap in 2 cases, and the bilateral perforator flap of the descending branch of lateral femoral circumflex artery combined with great toe nail flap in 1 case, with the size of a single flap ranged from 2.0 cm×2.0 cm-25.0 cm×6.0 cm. The donor site was repaired by direct suture, skin grafting, or flap transplantation. During free flap transplantation, the flap was cut and split according to the distribution of perforators, and end-to-end or end-to-side anastomosis was performed between the donor area and the recipient area. After surgery, the survival of transplanted flap in the primary recipient site, the occurrence of vascular crisis, the wound healing in the flap donor site, and the survival of transplanted skin or flap in the flap donor site were observed. During follow-up, the blood supply, appearance and texture of the transplanted flap in the primary recipient site were observed; and at the same time, the weight bearing of the plantar receiving area, the presence of sliding, ulcers, and sinus tracts of the flap, and the appearance and function of the hand were observed; the complications in the donor area were observed. Results: After surgery, one patient's transplanted flap in the primary recipient site had vascular crisis but survived after exploration+vein graft bridging; partial necrosis occurred in one lobe of anterolateral thigh lobulated flap transplanted to the primary recipient site in one patient and recovered after dressing change+skin grafting, and the different types of perforator flap transplanted to the primary recipient site in the other 9 patients all survived. After surgery, the wound with direct suture at the donor site healed well, and the skin or flap transplanted to the donor area survived well. During 3-24 months of follow-up, the blood supply, appearance, and texture of the transplanted flap at the primary recipient site were good. In two patients, the anterolateral thigh flap combined with the medial plantar flap were used to repair plantar defects. The plantar receiving area was able to bear weight, and the texture of the flaps in the recipient area was close to the normal plantar skin, without flap sliding, ulcer, or sinus tract formation. In one patient, bilateral anterolateral thigh flap combined with great toe nail flap were used to repair hand combined with soft forearm defect, and the appearance and function of hand, especially thumb were good. Only linear scar was left in the donor site without other obvious complications. Conclusions: The combination of different types of perforator flaps is a reliable clinical method to repair complex wounds in extremities with high safety, good efficacy, and less complications.

Late Oligocene fossil acorns and nuts of Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis from the Nanning Basin, Guangxi, South China

Quercus is the largest genus within the Fagaceae and has a rich fossil record. Most of the fossil material is attributed to the subgenus Quercus based on leaves, pollen or rarely acorns and nuts. Fossil records of Q. section Cyclobalanopsis characterized by ring-cupped acorns are relatively few and especially those described based on nuts are scant. In this study, we described four new species of Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis based on mummified acorns and nuts: Q. paleodisciformis X.Y. Liu et J.H. Jin sp. nov., Q. paleohui X.Y. Liu et J.H. Jin sp. nov., Q. nanningensis X.Y. Liu et J.H. Jin sp. nov. and Q. yongningensis X.Y. Liu et J.H. Jin sp. nov. These species closely resemble the extant species Q. disciformis, Q. hui, Q. kerrii, and Q. dinghuensis. The occurrence of Q. section Cyclobalanopsis in the Oligocene stratum of Guangxi, South China, suggests that the section has diversified within its extant distribution center since the Oligocene. By combining records from other areas, we propose that the section first appeared in the middle Eocene of East Asia (Sino-Japan), has diversified in situ with a few elements scattering into West Asia and southern Europe since the Oligocene and Pliocene, respectively, and finally became restricted in East Asia since the Pleistocene. This indicates that the section originated and diversified in East Asia, before spreading into West Asia no later than the Oligocene and into southern Europe by the Pliocene. Subsequently it disappeared from South Europe and West Asia due to the appearance of the (summer dry) Mediterranean climate and widespread cooling during the Pleistocene.

Fertile Woodwardia from the middle Eocene of South China and its implications for palaeogeography and palaeoclimate

The genus Woodwardia, which together with the genera Anchistea and Lorinseria comprise the subfamily Woodwardioideae of Blechnaceae, has a disjunct distribution across Central and North America, Europe and the temperate to tropical areas of Asia. Fossil records of Woodwardia occur throughout the Paleogene and Neogene of North America, Europe and Asia. However, well-preserved fertile pinna fossils of this genus have not yet been reported in South China. In this paper, a new species, W. changchangensis Naugolnykh et Song, sp. nov. is described from the middle Eocene of the Changchang Basin, Hainan Island, South China. Macromorphological and micromorphological features of the fertile pinna show a straight pinna rachis, alternate, subtriangular pinnules, acute pinnule apices, almost entire or slightly undulate pinnule margins, long-ovoid sori, stalked sporangia and spores with wing-like folds on the surface, which are characterised in detail. Overall, the present fossil is most similar to the extant species Woodwardia japonica, which mostly grows in warm and moist environments. The discovery of this new species from the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island indicates that this genus has been distributed in the low-latitude tropical regions of South China from as early as the middle Eocene. Based on this find, and previous studies of other ferns from the same site, we infer that the climate of the Palaeo-Hainan landscape during deposition of the Changchang Formation was warm and humid, similar to conditions prevailing today across this region.

Mummified Seed Cones of Pinus prehwangshanensis sp. nov. (Subgenus Pinus, Pinaceae) From the Upper Pleistocene of Guangdong, South China: Taxonomical Significance and Implication for Phytogeography and Ecology

Anatomical characters of Cenozoic pine seed cones are known mainly from North American fossils, while data on cone anatomy of Cenozoic species from Asia remain scarce. To date, only one seed cone of Pinus from the Miocene of eastern China has been studied using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). A new fossil-species, Pinus prehwangshanensis sp. nov., of mummified seed cones from the upper Pleistocene of South China is described using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT. The new fossil-species combines a mosaic of seed cone morphological and anatomical characters observed in the group of closely related East Asian extant species of subgenus Pinus, section Pinus, subsection Pinus, comprising Pinus taiwanensis, Pinus hwangshanensis, Pinus luchuensis, Pinus thunbergii, and Pinus densiflora. The data obtained indicate that the characteristic anatomical features of this group were formed no later than the end of the Pleistocene. Based on the external seed cone morphology, the East Asian pine fossils confirm the existence of floristic exchange between continental Asia and the Japan archipelago prior to the formation of the Sea of Japan and later, in the middle Miocene to the late Pliocene, when the connection between the Japanese islands and Eurasian continent became re-established. Pollen grains associated with the new fossil-species are similar to those of some extant pine species related to P. thunbergii. A taxonomic and ecological analysis of the Pleistocene plant taxa from the Maoming Basin suggests that the regional climate was a humid subtropical monsoon with hot wet summers and cool dry winters, similar to the present-day climate of northeastern Vietnam.

Sonic hedgehog through Gli2 and Gli3 is required for the proper development of placental labyrinth

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) functions as a conserved morphogen in the development of various organs in metazoans ranging from Drosophila to humans. Here, we have investigated the potential roles and underlying mechanisms of Shh signaling in murine placentation. Immunostaining revealed the abundant expression of the main components of Shh pathway in both the trophectoderm of blastocysts and developing placentas. Disruption of Shh led to impaired vascularogenesis of yolk sac, less branching and malformation of placental labyrinth, thereby leading to a robust decrease in capacity of transplacental passages. Moreover, placenta-specific gene incorporation by lentiviral transduction of mouse blastocysts and blastocyst transplantation robustly knocked down the expression of Gli3 and Gli2 in placenta but not in embryos. Finally, Gli3 knockdown in Shh^−/− placentas partially rescued the defects of both yolk sac and placental labyrinth, and robustly restored the capacity of transplacental passages. Gli2 knockdown in Shh^+/− placentas affected neither the capacity of tranplacental passages nor the vascularogenesis of yolk sac, however, it partially phenocopied the labyrinthine defects of Shh^−/− placentas. Taken together, these results uncover that both Shh/Gli2 and Shh/Gli3 signals are required for proper development of murine placentas and are possibly essential for pregnant maintenance.

Ovarian-adrenal cross-talk in polycystic ovary syndrome: evidence from wedge resection

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the ovary influences adrenal androgen secretion in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

DESIGN

Six PCOS-affected patients with clomiphene resistance and gonadotrophin hyperresponsivity, and six controls with regular ovulatory cycles, matched for age and body mass index.

METHODS

Bilateral ovarian wedge resection was performed to induce ovulation surgically for these refractory women with PCOS. The adrenal androgen secretions were evaluated in PCOS patients before and again 6 months after this surgery, and in the controls, using an ACTH stimulation test (0.25mg synthetic ACTH(1-24)).

RESULTS

Biochemically, basal levels and the maximum net increases (Delta) of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and androstenedione, Delta17-OHP/Delta progesterone and Delta androstenedione/Delta17-OHP ratios in response to exogenous ACTH were significantly higher in PCOS patients before operation than those of controls. This purely ovarian surgery in women with PCOS was found to significantly reduce their basal androstenedione, testosterone and LH levels, insulin/glucose ratio, and post-corticotrophic Delta17-OHP, Delta androstenedione, Delta17-OHP/Delta progesterone and Delta androstenedione/Delta17-OHP, without obvious changes in FSH, oestradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, Delta dehydroepiandrosterone, Delta dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, Delta aldosterone and Delta cortisol values.

CONCLUSIONS

Ovarian hyperandrogenicity from polycystic ovary may contribute to the enhanced adrenal P450c17alpha activity and subsequent Delta(4) androgen reserve revealed by the pharmacological corticotrophin stimulation in our special PCOS cases.

[An investigation on genotypes of hepatitis C virus in Anhui province]

To study the distribution of HCV genotypes in Anhui province, anti-HCV positive serum samples were collected from 371 hepatitis C patients, 60 patients under haemodialysis and 100 blood donors. HCVRNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Based on the results of PCR positivity, HCV genotyping was investigated by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results showed that among hepatitis C patients 143 (75.66%) were HCV type II infection, 25 (13.23%) were HCV type III and 12(6.35%) were type II/III co-infection. HCV type I and IV infection appeared in one of each (0.53%). HCV genotype could not be determined in 7 patients because of low HCVRNA titers. These results indicated that HCV II infection was the dominant genotype in Anhui Province. Geographically, HCV type II infection was higher in the southern areas. The patterns of genotype distribution in the southern and northern areas were significant different (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between HCV genotypes in relation to the history of blood transfusion.

Wedge resection to improve insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome: a study among Chinese women

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relation between androgen excess and insulin resistance in nonobese Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

DESIGN

A prospective, controlled study.

SETTING

School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University.

SUBJECTS

There were three groups: Group 1 (n = 15) comprised nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome; Group 2 comprised 12 of these 15 women in whom bilateral wedge resection had been performed six months to one year before enrolling in the study. Group 3 was a control group comprised of 15 normally menstruating women of similar age and body mass index.

METHODS

An oral glucose (100 g) tolerance test was performed in all women in each group. The areas under the response curve of serum glucose, insulin, C-peptide (C-P), insulin/glucose (I/G) and C-P/insulin (C/I) were calculated by trapezoid rule.

RESULTS

When fasting the three groups had similar levels of glucose, insulin, C-P, I/G and C/I. During the oral glucose tolerance test women of Group 1 had a significantly higher mean serum area of the curve of glucose, insulin, C-P and I/G levels and lower C/I values, compared with the other two groups. Women of Group 2 and those in the control group showed similar levels of these indices during the oral glucose tolerance test.

CONCLUSIONS

Androgen excess in women with polycystic ovary syndrome may be responsible for a defect in peripheral insulin sensitivity and hepatic extraction which could be reversed by removing excessive androgens with wedge resection.

Responses of somatostatin, beta-endorphin and dynorphin A to a glucose load in two groups of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

To investigate the relationship between elevated LH, hyperinsulinemia and neuropeptides in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), we measured the endogenous levels of insulin, somatostatin (SS), beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and dynorphin A (Dyn A) before and after a glucose load in three groups: group 1 (LH/ FSH > or = 3, n = 30); group 2 (LH/FSH < 3, n = 25), and controls (n = 15). In the basal state, significantly negative correlations were found between LH and SS (r = -0.51, p < 0.05) in group 1 and between LH and beta-EP (r = -0.49, p < 0.05) in group 2. After a glucose load, PCOS women had greater beta-EP and Dyn A responses in group 1 and impaired SS response in group 2 as compared with the control. The data suggest endogenously lower SS, higher beta-EP and Dyn A may contribute to the elevation of LH and insulin secretions in PCOS.

Psychological performance of accident-prone automobile drivers in China: a case-control study

To evaluate the role of neurobehavioural factors in the aetiology of recurrent automobile accidents, we administered the Revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-R), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and choice and simple reaction time tests to 31 accident-prone automobile drivers. These drivers who had caused three or more traffic accidents during the years 1980-1984, were selected from records of 2723 traffic accidents registered by Hefei Traffic Police Department during the years 1980-1984. The same tests were administered to an equal number of sex- and age-matched control drivers who had no reported involvement in automobile accidents. None of the subjects had suffered from any neuropsychiatric illness or head injury. Comparisons between the two groups indicated that for accident-prone drivers scores on picture completion and block design subtests of the WAIS-R were significantly lowered (p less than 0.05); scores for neurosis extrovert behaviour and psychosis (EPQ) were significantly higher (p less than 0.05); and the number of errors in the choice reaction time test was significantly higher (p less than 0.01). It is suggested that accident-prone drivers have lower psychological performance, poorer judgement and a higher tendency than safe drivers to be neurotic, extrovert and psychotic.

Relationship of menopausal status and sex hormones to serum lipids and blood pressure

Arterial blood pressure and serum lipids were measured in 598 Chinese women aged 40-54 years. Menopausal or post-menopausal women had higher means of serum cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol, and had higher prevalence of hypertension, hypotension, hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia than premenopausal counterparts. There were no differences in means of systolic and diastolic pressures among pre-menopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal women. Fat Synergic Index was first used in this study instead of Quetelex Index, and it was found that Fat Synergic Index is the strongest factor which affects serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in multiple linear regression analyses. The role of oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone in three serum-lipid multiple regression models are different, but they are similar in systolic and diastolic blood pressure regression models. Conditional logistic regression analysis found that progesterone is a protective factor only and testosterone is one of the risk factors for hypertension.

A reusable perfusion supporting tissue-mimicking material for ultrasound hyperthermia phantoms

A new ultrasonically and thermodynamically tissue-mimicking material is reported. The material is well suited for use in phantoms for testing ultrasound hyperthermia systems or related predictive models. Controlled convective heat transfer effects, mimicking to some extent perfusive heat transfer in tissues, can be instituted in the material with appropriate fluid sources and sinks. The material consists of closely packed agar spheres varying in diameters from 0.3-3.6 mm. The interstitial space between spheres is filled with 10% n-propanol solution. The material has two practical advantages over the solid-gel-type tissue-mimicking materials. The first advantage is that it allows rapid return of a hyperthermia phantom to thermal equilibrium following a heating test by rapid circulation of the perfusion fluid. The second advantage is that the material is in a "liquid" form. It can be easily siphoned in and out of phantom containers of any geometric shape for different purposes without change in its physical properties. Methods for measuring ultrasonic and thermodynamic properties of the material and the results of the measurements are reported. The physical parameters measured are the intensity attenuation and absorption coefficients, the ultrasonic speed, the thermal conductivity, specific-heat capacity and the mass density. Temperature measurements in a hyperthermia phantom made of the material are also reported.