[Research advances in plant selenium nutrition and its mechanism].

The amount of selenium in soil environment significantly influences the selenium nutrition of plants. In this paper, the absorption, accumulation and translocation of Se in plants was discussed, and the toxicity of selenium and its effect on crop yield and quality was summarized. The advances in related researches were also introduced.

[Research advances in soil persistence characteristics of toxins released by transgenic bt crops and their relationships with soil properties].

With the popularization and application of transgenic Bt crops, and increasing attention has been paid to their potential impact on ecological environment and other aspects. And, as the development of detecting techniques for Bt toxin protein and soil were made by oversea researchers. This paper reviewed the current situation of the studies on the insecticidal characteristics and detecting methods of toxin proteins released by transgenic Bt crops, the potentical risk of their field release, the impact of soil mineral, organic matter and organo-mineral complex on the persistence of purified Bt toxins, and the behavior of Bt toxins in rhizospheric soil.

[Response of N transformation related soil enzyme activities to inhibitor applications].

With an aerobic incubation test, this paper studied the response of soil urease, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and hydroxylamine reductase to urease inhibitor hydroquinone (HQ) applied in combination with nitrification inhibitor encapsulated calcium carbide (HQ + ECC) or dicyandiamide (HQ + DCD). The results showed that HQ + DCD could inhibit urease activity and increase activities of nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and hydroxylamine reductase significantly in comparison with CK, HQ and HQ + ECC. Under the condition of our test, there existed a significant relationship between soil urease, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, and hydroxylamine reductase activities and soil NH4+ and NO3- contents, NH3 volatilization and N2O emission rate, and regression analysis indicated that there were significantly positive relationships between soil urease, nitrite reductase and hydroxylamine reductase activities.

[Effect of elevated atmospheric CO2 on soil urease and phosphatase activities].

The response of soil urease and phosphatase activities at different rice growth stages to free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) was studied. The results showed that comparing with the ambient atmospheric CO2 concentration (370 mumol.mol-1), FACE (570 mumol.

Reduced microvascular and myocardial damage in patients with acute myocardial infarction and preinfarction angina.

Background: After acute myocardial infarction, the presence of ischemic preconditioning as a result of preinfarction angina has a protective role, limiting necrosis extent and guaranteeing greater myocardial functional recovery. The relationship between preinfarction angina, microvascular reflow, and myocardial function is poorly known. We hypothesized that after acute myocardial infarction patients with preinfarction angina have both microvascular integrity and myocardial function preservation.

Post-infarction microvascular integrity predicts myocardial viability and left ventricular remodeling after primary coronary angioplasty. A study performed with intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Background: After acute myocardial infarction the preservation of the microvasculature is a pre-requisite for myocardial viability, limited ventricular remodeling and a better prognosis. Intracoronary myocardial contrast echocardiography after acute myocardial infarction can detect the extent of microvascular damage. We hypothesized that intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography after acute myocardial infarction treated with primary coronary angioplasty can predict the contractile reserve at low-dose dobutamine echocardiography, myocardial functional recovery and left ventricular remodeling.

Detection of coronary restenosis after coronary angioplasty by contrast-enhanced transthoracic echocardiographic Doppler assessment of coronary flow velocity reserve.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the diagnostic potential of contrast-enhanced transthoracic echocardiography (CE-TTE) during adenosine infusion, a noninvasive method for evaluating coronary flow reserve (CFR), in detecting restenosis after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).

Background: Restenosis is the most important limitation of PTCA, and CFR can be impaired in patients with angiographically documented significant coronary stenosis.

Methods: We performed 6 +/- 2 months of follow-up of 53 patients after successful elective PTCA in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD).

Mycobacterial infection inhibits established allergic inflammatory responses via alteration of cytokine production and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression.

Our previous studies, as well as those of others, have demonstrated that local or systemic Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infection can inhibit de novo allergen-induced asthma-like reactions, but the effect of this infection on established allergic responses is unknown. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the effect of mycobacterial infection on established allergy in a murine model of asthma-like reaction. Mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) in alum followed by infection with BCG and subsequent intranasal challenge with the same allergen.

Relationship between cytokine mRNA expression and organ damage following cecal ligation and puncture.

Aim: To investigate the role of cytokine gene expression in organ damage at different tissue sites during sepsis.

Methods: Male NIH mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or sham operation (Sham). Pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNFalpha, IL-1beta and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) gene expression in the liver and lung tissue were assessed by RT-PCR.