Study on the effect of four kinds of raw materials in hypertonic dehydration cell model

It aims to investigate the protective effects of sodium hyaluronate,panthenol,Portulaca oleracea L.and Calendula officinalis L.on hyperosmotic dehydration-induced injury of human immortalized keratinocytes(HaCaT).The safety mass concentrations of four raw materials were screened by detecting cell viability,and the secretion of hyaluronic acid(HA)was determined using the ELISA method.The expression of HaCaT barrier function related genes(OVOL1,EREG,TGM1,TGM2,IVL,IRF6,THBS1,CASP14)was detected at the mRNA level to explore the regulatory effect of four raw materials on these genes.The results demonstrate that pretreatment with the four kinds of raw materials could increase the cell viability after hyperosmotic dehydration,promote the secretion of HA,and improve the expression of barrier function related genes after hyperosmotic dehydration,among which panthenol and Calendula officinalis L.are better.The results show that the four raw materials have a certain protective effect on the hyperosmotic dehydration cell model,which provides data support for its application in cosmetics.

The Protective Role of Xanthophyll Cycle in Resurrection Angiosperm Boea hygrometrica During Dehydration and Rehydration

The protective role of xanthophyll cycle in resurrection angiosperm Boea hygrometrica (Bunge) R.Br. was investigated by analysis of the changes of chlorophyll fluorescence and xanthophyll cycle components in response to dehydration and rehydration in detached leaves under very weak light condition (3 mumol photons.m(-2).s(-1)) and in the dark. With declines in the values of PSII photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), PSII actual quantum yield (Phi(PSII)), photochemical quenching (qP) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) during dehydration, zeaxanthin significantly increased in control Boea leaves under very weak light condition, while no zeaxanthin accumulation was detected in Boea leaves treated with dithiothreitol (DTT) and Boea leaves in the dark, and after 3 d rehydration, the parameters Fv/Fm, Phi(PSII), qP and NPQ showed full recovery in control Boea leaves under very weak light condition, but the parameters only underwent partial recovery in Boea leaves treated with DTT and Boea leaves in the dark, suggesting that the recovery of photosystem II (PSII) photochemical activities in Boea leaves was obviously affected by treatments with DTT and darkness, therefore, zeaxanthin may play an important protective role in desiccated Boea leaves even under very weak light conditions.

Anti-tumor Effect and Protective Effect on Chemotherapeutic Damage of Water Soluble Extracts from Hedyotis diffusa

Bai-Hua-She-She-Cao Hedyotis diffusa Willd. (Ru-biaceae) is a medicinal herbwidely distributed in northeast Asian countries. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effectof 'clearing away heat and toxic material, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis'.It is a well known Chinese folk-medicine used for the treatment of appendicitis, sore throat, mumps,acne, sebo-rheic dermatitis and various kinds of tumors, such as tumors of digestive tract,carcinoma of liver. It was reported that the MeOH extract of H. diffusa demonstrated a significantantitumor activity and ursolic acid succeeded in being isolated from the MeOH extract as an activecomponent . Shan BN, et al suggested that the direct aqueous extract of H. diffusa hadimmuno-modulating activity and antitumor activity in vitro through stimulating the immune system tokill or engulf tumor cells. But regarding anti-tumor activity in vivo of water soluble extracts fromH. diffusa, no detail was reported. Therefore, we prepared water soluble extracts (H_1 and H_2)from H. diffusa and evaluated their anti-tumor property in vivo experiments as well as protectiveeffect on chemo-therapeutic damage.

大绿豆

大绿豆(Phaseolus aureua Roxb Var.)又名四季绿豆、印尼绿豆,从印尼传入我国。1988年,鲁山水保站从浙江金华农校牧草研究所引进优质大绿豆,种植于土层只有十几厘米厚的风化片麻岩丘陵区获得成功。试验表明,它具有抗旱、耐涝、耐瘠、适应性广、再生力强、高产、优质等特点,既是饲肥兼优的豆科绿肥牧草,也是保持水土的优良植物之一。

The Suitability of Using Leaf Area Index to Quantify Soil Loss under Vegetation Cover

Soil erosion by water under forest cover is a serious problem in southern China.A comparative study was carried out on the use of leaf area index(LAI) and vegetation fractional coverage(VFC) in quantifying soil loss under vegetation cover.Five types of vegetation with varied LAI and VFC under field conditions were exposed to two rainfall rates(40 mm h-1 and 54 mm h-1) using a portable rainfall simulator.Runoff rate,sediment concentration and soil loss rate were measured at relatively runoff stable state.Significant negative exponential relationship(p < 0.05,R2 = 0.83) and linear relationship(p < 0.05,R2 = 0.84) were obtained between LAI and sediment concentration,while no significant relationship existed between VFC and sediment concentration.The mechanism by which vegetation canopy prevents soil loss was by reducing rainfall kinetic energy and sediment concentration.LAI could better quantify such a role than VFC.However,neither LAI nor VFC could explain runoff rate or soil loss rate.Caution must be taken when using LAI to quantify the role of certain vegetation in soil and water conservation.

Protective effects of electroacupuncture on acetylsalicylic acid-induced acute gastritis in rats

AIM: To investigate the protective effects of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment on acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)-induced ulceration in rats. METHODS: We randomly divided 72 rats into three groups including control (administered with distilled water), ASA group (administered 100 mg/kg ASA) and EA group (administered EA + 100 mg/kg ASA). Each rat was fasted for 18 to 24 h before experimentation, and lesion scores, gastric acidity, cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2 mRNA levels, and total nitric oxide (NO) concentration were measured. RESULTS: The lesion scores of the EA group were significantly lower than those of the ASA group. Gastric acidity of the ASA and EA groups was reduced compared to the control group. COX-1 and -2 mRNA levels were significantly increased in the EA group as compared to the control and ASA groups, and NO levels were also significantly increased in the EA group as compared to the ASA group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that EA-mediated protection against ASA-induced ulceration in rats may occur via gastric defense components.

Potential Role of Feldspathic Sandstone as a Natural Water Retaining Agent in Mu Us Sandy Land,Northwest China

This paper analyzed the water-retention mechanism of feldspathic sandstone （fine-（〈 1 mm diam.） and gravel-sized （2-3 cm diam.） in Mu Us Sandy Land, Northwest China. The objective of this study is to study the effect of feldspathic sandstone amendment on water retention in sandy land. The results showed that as the proportion of fine feldspathic sandstone in the sandy land soil increased, the soil texture changed from sand to silt loam, the capillary po- rosity gradually increased from 26.3% to 44.9%, and the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity decreased from 7.10 ram/rain to 0.07 mm/min. Feldspathic sandstone gravel formed micro-reservoirs in the sandy land soil, playing the role of a ＇water absorbent＇ and ＇water retaining agent＇ in sandy land. Amendment with feldspathic sandstone can increase water retention in the arable layer of sandy land by 67%. This study provides a theoretical basis for the amelioration of sandy land on a large scale. It can be concluded that amendment with feldspathic sandstone can improve the physical properties of sandy land soil and increase soil water retention.

Aqueous suspension of anise “Pimpinella anisum” protects rats against chemically induced gastric ulcers

AIM： To substantiate the claims of Unani and Arabian traditional medicine practitioners on the gastroprotective potential effect of a popular spice anise, ＂Pimpinella anisum L.＂ on experimentally-induced gastric ulceration and secretion in rats. METHODS： Acute gastric ulceration in rats was produced by various noxious chemicals including 80% ethanol, 0.2 mol/L NaOH, 25% NaCI and indomethacin. Anti-secretory studies were undertaken using pylorusligated Shay rat technique. Levels of gastric non-protein sulfhydryls （NP-SH） and wall mucus were estimated and gastric tissue was also examined histologically. Anise aqueous suspension was used in two doses （250 and 500 mg/kg body weight） in all experiments. RESULTS： Anise significantly inhibited gastric mu- cosal damage induced by necrotizing agents and indomethacin. The anti-ulcer effect was further confirmed histologically. In pylorus-ligated Shay rats, anise suspension significantly reduced the basal gastric acid secretion, acidity and completely inhibited the rumenal ulceration. On the other hand, the suspension significantly replenished ethanol-induced depleted levels of gastric mucosal NP-SH and gastric wall mucus concentration. CONCLUSION： Anise aqueous suspension possesses significant cytoprotective and anti-ulcer activities against experimentallynduced gastric lesions. The anti-ulcer effect of anise is possibly prostaglandin-mediated and/orthrough its anti-secretory and antioxidative properties.

Mechanisms and assessment of water eutrophication

Water eutrophication has become a worldwide environmental problem in recent years,and understanding the mechanisms of water eutrophication will help for prevention and remediation of water eutrophication.In this paper,recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of water eutrophication,assessment and evaluation criteria,and the influencing factors were reviewed.Water eutrophication in lakes,reservoirs,estuaries and rivers is widespread all over the world and the severity is increasing,especially in the developing countries like China.The assessment of water eutrophication has been advanced from simple individual parameters like total phosphorus,total nitrogen,etc.,to comprehensive indexes like total nutrient status index.The major influencing factors on water eutrophication include nutrient enrichment,hydrodynamics,environmental factors such as temperature,salinity,carbon dioxide,element balance,etc.,and microbial and biodiversity.The occurrence of water eutrophication is actually a complex function of all the possible influencing factors.The mechanisms of algal blooming are not fully understood and need to be further investigated.

Protection of ultrastructure in chilling-stressed banana leaves by salicylic acid

Objective： Chilling tolerance of salicylic acid （SA） in banana seedlings （Musa acuminata cv., Williams 8818） was investigated by changes in ultrastructure in this study. Methods： Light and electron microscope observation. Results： Pretreatment with 0.5 mmol/L SA under normal growth conditions （30/22 ℃） by foliar spray and root irrigation resulted in many changes in ultrastructure of banana cells, such as cells separation from palisade parenchymas, the appearance of crevices in cell walls, the swelling of grana and stromal thylakoids, and a reduction in the number of starch granules. These results implied that SA treatment at 30/22 ℃ could be a type of stress. During 3 d of exposure to 7 ℃ chilling stress under low light, however, cell ultrastructure of SA-pretreated banana seedlings showed less deterioration than those of control seedlings （distilled water-pretreated）. Conclusion： SA could provide some protection for cell structure of chilling-stressed banana seedling.

Groundwater protection from cadmium contamination by permeable reactive barrier in Qian'an of Jilin,China

This research studies the reliability of an activated carbon permeable reactive barrier in removing cadmium from a contaminated shallow aquifer.Laboratory tests have been performed to characterize the equilibrium and kinetic adsorption properties of the activated carbon in cadmium-containing aqueous solutions.A 2D numerical model has been used to describe pollutant transport within a groundwater and the pollutant adsorption on the permeable reactive barrier(PRB).In particular,it has been considered the case of a PAB used to protect a lake or downstream from Cd(II)contaminated groundwater.Numerical results show that the PAB can achieve a long-term efficiency by preventing lake or downstream pollution for several months.

Effects of soil and water conservation and its interactions with soil properties on soil productivity

The effects of soil and water conservation （SWC） on soil properties are well documented. However, definitive and quantitative information of SWC and its interactions with soil properties on soil productivity is lacking for hilly red soil region of southern China. Experiments were conducted in the hilly red soil region of southern China for seven years in three rtmoffplots, each of which represented different SWC forest-grass measures. Principal component analysis and multiple regression techniques were used to relate the aboveground biomass （representing soil productivity） to soil properties. Based on the final regression equations, soil organic carbon content （Sot） is significantly correlated with soil productivity under the condition of forest-grass measures, whereas pH value and cation exchange capacity （Cee） are the main factors for soil productivity without SWC. Therefore, SWC plays an important role in sequestering Soc and improving soil productivity.

Corn Leaf Water Retention as Affected by OrganicFertilizations and Effective Microbes Applications

Effects of organic fertilizers and effective microbes on leaf water retention of sweet corn (Zea mays L. cv.Honey-Bantam) were studied. Sweet corns were grown with organic or chemical fertilizers with or without effective microbes (EM). A water retention curve was obtained by drying the excised leaves under a light of 500 μmol (m2·s)-1. The curve shows two distinct phases. The initial steep slope indicates the water loss speed by stomatal transpiration (Est) and the gentle slope of the second phase indicates water loss speed by cuticular transpiration (Ecu). Both Est and Ecu were lower for leaves of plants grown with organic materials than for those with chemical fertilizers. Addition of EM to both organic and chemical fertilizers decreased Est but showed no effect on Ecu. The water retention ability of the excised leaves was proportional to photosynthetic maintenance ability under soil water deficit conditions as well as the solute concentration in leaves. The results suggested that organic fertilization and EM application increased water stress resistance both under in situ conditions and in excised leaves of sweet corn plants.

Influence of Ozone Injection on Corrosion Behavior of Steel in Water Ballast Tank

Ozone is the principal active substances and usually employed in ballast water management systems. In the present study, the corrosion protective effect of ozone was conducted by immersion test and electrochemical techniques. It was found that corrosion protective effect was revealed in the range of 2.0 to 2.7 ppm of ozone concentration in seawater. The ratio of the rust area of specimen became 20% in that concentration region. The rusted area is strongly influenced by the ozone concentration and the flow rate determined by FEM （finite element method）. Ozone has a good influence for ballast tanks, i.e., ozone can delay the rust of ballast tanks, provided that the suitable concentration of ozone is selected. In this case, ozone may stop the corrosion at the defects, if a part of the paint in ballast tank is peeled off. However, ozone may also promote the corrosion of steel when the ozone concentration is very high, e.g., 10 ppm. Attention should be paid to the ozone concentration, if we use ozone as an active substance for ballast water management systems.