The Effect of Sulfuric Acid Treatment on Hard Seeds of \u3cem\u3eMelilotoides ruthenica\u3c/em\u3e

Melilotoides ruthenica is a perennial legume, and is characterized by cold resistence, drought resistence and high protein content (Luo 1993). It is used for hay and as a pasture plant, but because a high percentage of the seed are hard-seeded to allow reliable germination, seedling production is hindered (Du et al. 2007). The objective of this research was to study the effect of sulfuric acid treatment on hard-seeds of M. ruthenica and determine the optimal treatment concentration and treatment time

Immunomodulatory effect of Bifidobacterium breve on experimental allergic rhinitis in BALB/c mice

Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve) may have a beneficial effect on allergic rhinitis (AR). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microbial induction of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and adjustment of Th1 and Th2 responses by B. breve are associated with protection against allergic inflammation, and to identify a dose-response association in a murine AR model. Ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c mice were orally treated with different doses of B. breve [10(10), 10(9), 10(7) and 10(5) colony forming units (CFU)]. Following nasal challenge with OVA, sneeze frequency, serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and cytokine concentrations [interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, IL-13 and interferon-gamma], splenic percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD)4+CD25+ Tregs, and morphology of the nasal mucosa were examined. Oral treatment with live B. breve at doses of 10(7) CFU or higher alleviated nasal mucosal injury and suppressed sneezing upon repeated administration over a 6-week period. Furthermore, treatment with B. breve at these higher doses reduced the concentrations of serum OVA-specific IgE, IL-4 and IL-10, and increased the splenic percentage of CD4+CD25+ Tregs in rhinitic mice compared with those who did not receive probiotics. In contrast, treatment with B. breve at a lower dose did not indicate any effect on sneezing frequency or mucosal morphology in this animal model, even though the splenic percentage of CD4+CD25+ Tregs increased and the concentrations of serum OVA-specific IgE and IL-10 declined. B. breve exerts its anti-allergic effects by inhibiting type 2 helper T cell immune responses and enhancing CD4+CD25+ Treg activity. Sneezing was also reduced at a dose of 10(7) CFU or higher. The current study investigated the role of B. breve and aided in identifying the optimal dose of B. breve administration in the treatment of AR

A synthetic analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from manure amended agricultural soils in China

Application of manure has been recommended as an effective strategy to mitigate climate change. However, the magnitude of greenhouse gases emission derived by application of manure to agricultural soils across environmental conditions still remains unclear. Here, we synthesized data from 379 observations in China and quantified the responses of soil nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions to manure (Org-M) in comparison to chemical fertilizers (Min-F) or non-fertilizers (Non-F). The results showed that N2O, CO2 and CH4 emissions were significantly affected by Org-M compared to Min-F (percentage change: −3, +15 and +60%, P <0.05) and Non-F (percentage change: +289, +84 and +83%, P<0.05), respectively. However, at the same amount of total N input, Org-M decreased soil N2O emission by 13% and CH4 emission by 12%, and increased soil CO2 emission by 26% relative to Min-F in upland soils. For paddy soils, N2O, CO2 and CH4 emissions differed by −3%, −36% and +84% between Org-M and Min-F (i.e., Org-M minus Min-F). Thus, practices such as application of manure instead of chemical fertilizer and decreasing nitrogen input rate need to be highly considered and optimized under different soils and climate conditions to mitigate GHGs emission in China

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Additive hazards regression with case-cohort sampled current status data

summary:In a case-cohort design, covariate histories are measured only on cases and a subcohort that is randomly selected from the entire cohort. This design has been widely used in large epidemiologic studies, especially when the exposures of interest are expensive to assemble for all the subjects. In this paper, we propose statistical procedures for analyzing case-cohort sampled current status data under the additive hazards model. Asymptotical properties of the proposed estimator are described and we suggest a resampling method to estimate the variances. Simulation studies show that the proposed method works well for finite sample sizes, and one data set is analyzed for illustrative purposes

Additional file 4 of Analysis of controlling genes for tiller growth of Psathyrostachys juncea based on transcriptome sequencing technology

Additional file 4