The Elabela-APJ axis attenuates sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction by reducing pyroptosis by balancing the formation and degradation of autophagosomes.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening severe inflammatory reaction caused by the host's dysregulated response to infection. Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) has been confirmed to occur in 50 % of patients with septic shock. Currently, the pathophysiological mechanism of SIMD is complex, and there is no targeted treatment.

[Community stability for spruce-fir forest at different succession stages in Changbai Mountains, Northeast China].

Based on the analysis of three forest communities (polar-birch secondary forest, spruce-fir mixed forest, spruce-fir near pristine forest) in Changbai Mountains, a total of 22 factors of 5 indices, including the population regeneration, soil fertility (soil moisture and soli nutrient), woodland productivity and species diversity that reflected community characteristics were used to evaluate the stability of forest community succession at different stages by calculating subordinate function values of a model based on fuzzy mathematics. The results that the indices of population regeneration, soli nutrient, woodland productivity and species diversity were the highest in the spruce-fir mixed forest, and the indices of soil moisture were the highest in the spruce-fir near-pristine forest. The stability of three forest communities was in order of natural spruce-fir mixed forest > spruce-fir near pristine forest > polar-birch secondary forest.

Quantification of plasma hTERT DNA in hepatocellular carcinoma patients by quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction.

Purpose: To investigate the levels of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) DNA in the plasma of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to evaluate the diagnostic value and correlation of hTERT DNA with clinical parameters in HCC.

Methods: A real-time quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) system was designed and evaluated. Plasma samples were collected from 60 HCC patients, 21 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 29 healthy controls.

[Study on the disposal process for removing heavy metal ions from wastewater by composite biosorbent of nano Fe3O4/Sphaerotilus natans].

Composite biosorbent nano Fe3O4/Sphaerotilus natans was prepared when nano Fe3O4 was used as carrier, then the composite biosorbent characterized by infrared instrument and investigated on adsorbing heavy metal ions from wastewater. Infrared spectrum analysis shows that--CONH--and--OH are principal activated groups of composite biosorbent. The experiment of adsorption shows that biomass concentration and flow velocity are main influencing factors.

[Advances in the Study on Marker Genes in transgenic Plants.].

Plant transgenic engineering is becoming more and more important in the world. The safety of selectable marker genes in the transgenic plants has been noticed widely. The new advances of selectable markers in transgenic plants were reviewed in this paper in three aspects.