Interspecific Transition Among Caragana microphylla, C. davazamcii and C. korshinskii Along Geographic Gradient. Ⅱ. Characteristics of Photosynthesis and Water Metabolism

The characteristics of photosynthesis and water metabolism of Caragana microphylla Lam.,C. davazamcii Sancz. and C. korshinskii Kom. populations in different sites (117.6o-105.7o E, 44.6o-38.8o N)were studied. (1) From the east to the west, the responses of the three species to photosyntheticallyavailable radiation (PAR) in net photosynthesis rate increased, the relative humidity of the air whichcorresponded to the occurrence of maximum photosynthesis rate decreased, and the corresponding airtemperature increased. Along the same gradient, the before-noon superiority of the photosynthesis be-came evident, and the photosynthesis rate and the light use efficiency (LUE ) increased, while the transp-iration rate decreased, thus the water use efficiency (WUE ) increased notably, and the leaf water contentdecreased gradually. From the east to the west, the plants took a water-saving strategy step by step withhigher photosynthesis rate and lower transpiration rate. These physiological changes in the plants wereadaptable to the conditions of light, temperature and humidity in the habitat of the plants, and might be thebiological foundation for the geographical transition among C. microphylla , C. davazamcii and C. korshinskii.(2) The adaptation of photosynthetic system of C. microphylla , C. davazamcii and C. korshinskii to PAR, airhumidity and temperature exhibited the interspecific continuity, which was consistent with theenvironmental gradient. In different species and different sites, the diurnal changes of net photosynthesisrate, the daily cumulative value of net photosynthesis, the diurnal changes of transpiration rate, the dailycumulative value of transpiration, the water use efficiency and the diurnal changes of leaf water contentvaried with longitudinal descent (from the east to the west). The characteristics of photosynthesis andwater metabolism indicated that the geographical transition among C. microphylla , C. davazamcii and C.korshinskii was in gradual change, and these three species formed a geographical cline.

Effects of Yue-Bi-Tang on water metabolism in severe acute pancreatitis rats with acute lung-kidney injury

BACKGROUND The complications acute lung injury and acute kidney injury caused by severe inflammation are the main reasons of high mortality of severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).These two complications can both lead to water metabolism and acid-base balance disorders,which could act as additional critical factors affecting the disease trend.Aquaporins(AQPs),which can regulate the transmembrane water transport,have been proved to participate in the pathophysiological process of SAP and the associated complications,such as acute lung injury and acute kidney injury.Thus,exploring herbs that can effectively regulate the expression of AQP in SAP could benefit the prognosis of this disease.AIM To determine whether Yue-Bi-Tang(YBT)can regulate the water metabolism in rats with severe acute pancreatitis via regulating the expression of aquaporins.METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups,sham operation group(SOG),model group(MG),and treatment group(TG).SAP was induced with 3.5%sodium taurocholate in the MG and TG.Rats in the TG were administered with YBT while SOG and MG rats were given the same volume of saline.Blood and tissue samples were harvested to detect serum inflammatory cytokines,histopathological changes,malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase in the lung,and protein and mRNA expression of kidney injury molecule-1,α-smooth muscle actin,and vimentin in the kidney,and AQP1 and 4 in the lung,pancreas,and kidney.RESULTS The serum interleukin-10,tumor necrosis factorα,and creatinine levels were higher in the MG than in the SOG.Tumor necrosis factorαlevel in the TG was lower than that in the MG.Malondialdehyde level in lung tissues was higher than in the SOG.The pathological scores and edema scores of the pancreas,lung,and kidney tissues in the MG were all higher than those in the SOG and TG.The protein expression of AQP4 in lung tissues and AQP1 in kidney tissues in the MG were higher than those in the SOG and TG.The expression of vimentin was significantly higher in the MG than in the SOG.The expression of AQP1 mRNA in the lung and kidney,and AQP4 mRNA in the kidney was up-regulated in the MG compared to the SOG.CONCLUSION YBT might regulate water metabolism to reduce lung and kidney edema of SAP rats via decreasing AQP expression,and alleviate the tissue inflammatory injury.

Water metabolism from lung,spleen and kidney

Water and liquid are the material basis of human metabolism.Traditional Chinese medicine believes that water and liquid metabolism is a very complex process that requires the synergy of the internal organs,but mainly the physiological functions of the lungs,spleen and kidneys.If the function or structure of the spleen,lungs,kidneys,or triple-burner is abnormal,it is easy to cause abnormalities in the body's water metabolism,which in turn leads to the production of pathological products such as damp phlegm.

Dynamic simulation of urban water metabolism under water environmental carrying capacity restrictions

A revised concept for urban water metabolism （UWM） is presented in this study to address the inadequacies in current research on UWM and the problems associated with the traditional urban water metabolic process. Feedback loops can be analyzed to increase the water environmental carrying capacity （WECC） of the new urban water metabolism system （UWMS） over that of a traditional UWMS. An analysis of the feedback loops of an UWMS was used to construct a system dynamics （SD） model for the system under a WECC restriction. Water metabolic processes were simulated for different scenarios using the Tongzhou District in Beijing as an example. The results for the newly developed UWM case showed that a water environment of Tongzhou District could support a population of 1.1926 × 106, an irrigation area of 375.521 km2, a livestock of 0.7732 × 106, and an industrial value added of ￥193.14 × 109 （i.e. about US$28.285 × 109） in 2020. A sensitivity analysis showed that the WECC could be improved to some extent by constructing new sewage treatment facilities or by expanding the current sewage treatment facilities, using reclaimed water and improving the water circulation system.

Blood Pressure Associated with Arsenic Methylation and Arsenic Metabolism Caused by Chronic Exposure to Arsenic in Tube Well Water

Objective The effects of arsenic exposure from drinking water, arsenic metabolism, and arsenic methylation on blood pressure（BP） were observed in this study. Methods The BP and arsenic species of 560 participants were determined. Logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the odds ratios of BP associated with arsenic metabolites and arsenic methylation capability. Results BP was positively associated with cumulative arsenic exposure（CAE）. Subjects with abnormal diastolic blood pressure（DBP）, systolic blood pressure（SBP）, and pulse pressure（PP） usually had higher urinary i As（inorganic arsenic）, MMA（monomethylated arsenic）, DMA（dimethylated arsenic）, and TAs（total arsenic） than subjects with normal DBP, SBP, and PP. The i As%, MMA%, and DMA% differed slightly between subjects with abnormal BP and those with normal BP. The PMI and SMI were slightly higher in subjects with abnormal PP than in those with normal PP. Conclusion Our findings suggest that higher CAE may elevate BP. Males may have a higher risk of abnormal DBP, whereas females have a higher risk of abnormal SBP and PP. Higher urinary i As may increase the risk of abnormal BP. Lower PMI may elevate the BP. However, higher SMI may increase the DBP and SBP, and lower SMI may elevate the PP.

Distribution pattern of Caragana species under the influence of climate gradient in the Inner Mongolia region, China

There is a strong climate gradient in the Inner Mongolia region, China, with solar radiation and air temperature increasing but precipitation decreasing gradually from the northeast to the southwest. Sixteen Cara- gana species exist in the Inner Mongolia region. These Caragana species exhibit a distribution pattern across moisture zones and form a geographical replacement series. In order to examine the mechanisms responsible for Caragana species distribution pattern, we selected 12 Caragana species that exhibit a distinct distribution pattern across multiple moisture zones in the Inner Mongolia region, and determined the relationships between the leaf ecological and physiological traits of these Caragana species and the aridity index and solar radiation. Along with the climatic drought gradient and the solar radiation intensification from the northeast to the southwest, leaf eco- logical characteristics of Caragana species changed drastically, i.e. the leaf shape gradually turned from flat into tegular or tubbish; the leaf hair became denser, longer and lighter in color; the leaf area, leaf biomass and specific leaf area （SLA） decreased significantly; the leaf thickness and the ratio of leaf thickness to leaf area increased sig- nificantly; and the leaf chlorophyll content decreased significantly. As the climatic drought stress increased, osmotic potentials of the main osmotic adjustment substances and the cytoplasmic ion concentration of Caragana species increased significantly. Meanwhile, the total and free water contents and water potential of leaves decreased sig- nificantly; the ratio of bound to free water increased significantly; the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate reduced significantly; and the water use efficiency （WUE） increased significantly. In addition, with the intensification of climatic drought stress, peroxidase （POD） and superoxide dismutase （SOD） activities in leaves increased significantly. As a result, the malondialdehyde （MDA） content increased while the oxygen free radical content decreased. Our results showed that most of the leaf ecological and physiological traits of the 12 Caragana species varied in accordance with the climatic drought gradient in the Inner Mongolia region, which reflected the adaptation of the Caragana species to the local climate conditions. With relatively more active metabolism and faster growth, the Caragana species in the northeast had strong competitive abilities; on the other hand, with stronger resistance to climatic drought stress, the Caragana species in the southwest could survive in harsh environments. Based on our results, we con- cluded that both the environmental gradients and the adaptive responses of Caragana species to their environments played important roles in the formation of the Caragana species distribution pattern across the Inner Mongolia region.