Effects of seed size and bract of on germination and seedling growth under drought stress.

Drought is a crucial factor affecting seed germination and seedling growth of desert plants. In the study, we examined the effects of seed size (large, small) and bract (without bracts, with bracts) on seed germination and seedling growth of , a perennial super xerophyte semi-shrub, under different drought levels (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g·L PEG6000). The results showed that drought stress significantly inhibited seed germination and reduced shoot length of seedlings.

Analysis of the risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy in over-aged patients receiving coronary intervention.

Contrast-induced nephropathy has been the common cause of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury in the elderly patients. This study aimed to analyze the risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy in over-aged patients undergoing coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention. A total of 470 over-aged patients (≥80 years old) were judged as the contrast-induced nephropathy group ( n = 46) and non-contrast-induced nephropathy group ( n = 424) according to the postoperative 48-h serum creatinine levels.