Hydrology and water quality shape macroinvertebrate patterns and facilitate non-native species dispersals in an inter-basin water transfer system.

Understanding biotic assemblage variations resulting from water diversions and other pressures is critical for aquatic ecosystem conservation, but hampered by limited research. Mechanisms driving macroinvertebrate assemblages were determined across five lakes along China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project, an over 900-km water transfer system connecting four river basins. We assessed macroinvertebrate patterns from 59 sites in relation to water quality, climatic, spatial, and hydrologic factors.

Climate, hydrology, and human disturbance drive long-term (1988-2018) macrophyte patterns in water diversion lakes.

Macrophytes are affected by many natural and human stressors globally but their long-term responses to these multiple stressors are not often quantified. We employed remote sensing and statistical tools to analyze datasets from both short-term (2017-2018) field investigations to explore seasonal patterns, and long-term (1988-2018) Landsat remote-sensing images to detect annual patterns of macrophyte distributions and study their responses to changes in climate, hydrology, and anthropogenic activities in a chain of water diversion lakes in eastern China. We found: 1) biomass and species richness of macrophytes peaked in summer with dominant species of submerged macrophytes Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton pectinatus, and Potamogeton maackianus and floating macrophytes Trapa bispinosa, and non-native species Cabomba caroliniana spread in midstream Luoma Lake and Nansi Lake in summer, while Potamogeton crispus was dominant in all the lakes in spring; 2) water physicochemical parameters (chloride and water depth), lake characteristics (area and water storage), climate factors (air temperature and precipitation), and anthropogenic activities (commercial fishery and urban development) were significantly correlated to the seasonal distribution of macrophytes; 3) long-term data showed a significantly negative correlation between coverage of floating macrophytes and precipitation where the wettest year of 2003 had the lowest coverage of floating macrophytes; and 4) climate (air temperature) and hydrology (water level) were positively correlated with total macrophyte coverage, but human disturbance indexed by the gross domestic product was negatively driving long-term coverage of macrophytes.

Spatial and temporal patterns of heavy metals and potential human impacts in Central Yangtze lakes, China.

Lakes in the central Yangtze River basin have experienced increasing levels of human disturbance during the past several decades, yet large-scale environmental patterns in these lakes and their driving factors remain unclear. Herein we examined spatial and temporal patterns of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and seven other heavy metals from 16 lakes experiencing a gradient of human disturbance. These lakes were divided among six groups: suburban reservoirs (SR), suburban high-aquaculture lakes (SH), suburban low-aquaculture lakes (SL), suburban no-aquaculture lakes (SN), urban aquaculture lakes (UA) and urban no-aquaculture lakes (UN).

Longitudinal pattern of resource utilization by aquatic consumers along a disturbed subtropical urban river: Estimating the relative contribution of resources with stable isotope analysis.

The utilization of food resources by aquatic consumers reflects the structure and functioning of river food webs. In lotic water systems, where food availability and predator-prey relationships vary with gradient changes in physical conditions, understanding diet assimilation by local communities is important for ecosystem conservation. In the subtropical Liuxi River, southern China, the relative contribution of basal resources to the diet assimilation of functional feeding groups (FFGs) was determined by stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope analyses.

A holistic assessment of water quality condition and spatiotemporal patterns in impounded lakes along the eastern route of China's South-to-North water diversion project.

Water quality is one of the key determinants for assessing effectiveness and success of water diversions, but rarely studied at a spatial scale that crosses large river basins. Multiple statistical methods and the water quality index (WQI) were used to assess overall condition and detect spatiotemporal patterns of water quality in a series of impounded lakes along the Eastern Route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project. Principal components analysis and analysis of variances identified three groups with distinct water quality characteristics: upstream Gaoyou Lake and Hongze Lake showing relatively higher nutrients, turbidity, and total suspended solids; downstream Dongping lake and Donghu Lake showing higher conductivity, total hardness, and chloride; and Luoma Lake and Nansi Lake intermediate between the two former groups.

Patterns of fish communities and water quality in impounded lakes of China's south-to-north water diversion project.

Understanding the ecological impacts of large-scale hydraulic projects is critical for maintaining ecosystem health while meeting human water needs. It is, however, currently hindered by a lack of direct evidence on ecological impacts associated with this type of project particularly on water quality and fish communities. Here, we characterized patterns and variations of fish communities and water quality in five impounded lakes of the Chinese South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), with the aim of better understanding potential ecological impacts of inter-basin water transfers.

Eutrophication and heavy metal pollution patterns in the water suppling lakes of China's south-to-north water diversion project.

This study used non-supervised machine learning self-organizing maps (SOM) in conjunction with traditional multivariate statistical techniques (e.g., hierarchical cluster analysis, principle component analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis) to investigate spatio-temporal patterns of eutrophication and heavy metal pollution in the water supplying lakes (i.

[Inhibition effect on Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806 as well as separation and identification of algicidal substances isolated from Salvinia natans (L.) All].

Objective: To study the inhibition effect of Salvinia natans ( L. ) All. on harmful algae.

[Inhibition effect of aquaculture water of Salvinia natans (L.) All. on Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806].

Objective: To study the inhibiting effect of aquaculture water of Salvinia natans (L.) All. on Microcystis aeruginosa and the mechanism.

[Joint actions of Myriophyllum verticillatum L and its rhizospheric microorganisms on Microcystis aeruginosa and the mathematical model analysis].

Objective: To study the inhibition effect on blue-green algae of higher aquatic plants with their rhizosphere microorganisms and its mathematical model.

Methods: The inhibitory effects of sterile and containing bacterium Myriophyllum verticillatum L root extracts on Microcystis aeruginosa were studied respectively, and the difference-differential equation of algal growth and partial functional differential equation were established according to the algal inhibiting effect.

Results: (1) The sterile and containing bacterium Myriophyllum verticillatum L root extracts showed at some degree inhibitory effects on M.

Increased IL-22 level in allergic rhinitis significantly correlates with clinical severity.

Background: IL-22 regulates various processes and has been linked to diverse effects. However, the importance of IL-22 in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) remains poorly understood. This study sought to evaluate the levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and their association with clinical severity ofN AR.

[Inhibition effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Microcystis aeruginosa].

Objective: To research the inhibitory effect of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Microcystis aeruginosa.

Methods: M.

Interleukin-17A promotes MUC5AC expression and goblet cell hyperplasia in nasal polyps via the Act1-mediated pathway.

Background: Recent studies demonstrated that nasal polyps (NP) patients in China and other Asian regions possessed distinct Th17-dominant inflammation and enhanced tissue remodeling. However, the mechanism underlying these observations is not fully understood. This study sought to evaluate the association of interleukin (IL)-17A with MUC5AC expression and goblet cell hyperplasia in Chinese NP patients and to characterize the signaling pathway underlying IL-17A-induced MUC5AC expression in vitro.

The antimicrobial protein short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1) is differentially modulated in eosinophilic and noneosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a highly heterogeneous disease with aberrant host defense responses. However, whether innate immunity is similarly impaired in patients with eosinophilic and those with noneosinophilic CRSwNP remains unclear.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the expression and possible modulation of short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1), an innate immune molecule, in the 2 CRSwNP subsets.

A hospital-based survey on the prevalence of bronchial asthma in patients with allergic rhinitis in southern China.

Background: The prevalence of bronchial asthma (BA) and the underlying risk factors in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in China are largely unknown. Thus, this study is designed to assess the BA comorbidity in AR patients in two cities (Guangzhou and Zhuhai) of southern China and to determine the risk factors of BA in these AR patients.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional, hospital-based survey in two modernized cities in southern China.

Suppression of TIM-1 predicates clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis in children.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with house-dust mite (HDM) extract and to examine the change of biomarkers (TIM-1, IL-5 and IL-10) after 6-month SLIT in children with allergic rhinitis (AR).

Methods: One hundred and sixteen HDM-sensitized children with persistent AR were enrolled to assess the clinical efficacy of SLIT by determining the individual nasal symptom score (INSS) and total nasal symptom scores (TNSS) after 6-month SLIT. Moreover, the mRNA expression of TIM-1, IL-5 and IL-10 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was examined in 16 well-controlled and 12 uncontrolled AR patients using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Sensitivity of MUC5AC to topical corticosteroid is negatively associated with interleukin-17A in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Background: Although Interleukin (IL)-17A has been suggested to play a role in corticosteroid hyporesponsiveness, whether IL-17A is able to affect the sensitivity of MUC5AC to intranasal corticosteroid treatment in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) is unclear.

Methods: Twenty patients with moderate to severe AR were enrolled in this study and the expression of MUC5AC, IL-17A, and glucocorticoid receptor beta (GR beta) was detected using immunochemical staining and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before and after treatment with fluticasone propionate (FP) nasal spray for 4 weeks, respectively. In addition, the effects of FP on IL-13- and IL-17A-induced MUC5AC and GR beta were also evaluated in the primarily cultured human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) in vitro.

Increased neutrophilia in nasal polyps reduces the response to oral corticosteroid therapy.

Background: Nasal polyps (NPs) are characterized by eosinophilic inflammation, which is generally considered sensitive to corticosteroid treatment.

Objectives: We evaluated levels of neutrophilia in NPs and investigated whether increased neutrophilia in polyp tissue affected the response to corticosteroid treatment.

Methods: We studied 3 independent cross-sectional groups of patients with NPs.

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease in China: a cohort investigation and literature review.

Background: Although the prevalence of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) in western populations is high, AERD is rather rare in China, and few related studies have been published to date.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort investigation on the incidence of AERD in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in southern China. A literature search of the China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database was conducted to obtain an overview of the incidence of AERD in the Chinese population, and previous studies on the incidence of AERD were reviewed.

Suppression of connexin 26 is related to protease-activated receptor 2-mediated pathway in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Background: Connexin (Cx) 26 plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of tight junctions. However, the expression and modulation of Cx26 in allergic rhinitis (AR) has not been well understood.

Methods: We detected the expression of Cx26 in house-dust mite (HDM)-sensitized AR patients and investigated the Cx26 production and modulation in primary human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) and BEAS-2B cells after treatment with the allergen Der p 1 from Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.

Septoplasty and decongestant improve distribution of nasal spray.

This study prospectively examined the intranasal distribution of nasal spray after nasal septal correction and decongestant administration. A cohort of 20 patients was assessed for the distribution of nasal spray before and after nasal septum surgery. Sprays were dyed and administered one puff per nostril when patients hold their head up in an upright position.