Study on adherent precursors from human cord blood

AIM: To confirm the existence of the endothelial progenitor cells in human cord blood and to study its differentiation and development process. METHODS: The mononuclear cells in human cord blood were isolated using lymphocyte separation solution. Then the mononuclear cells were cltured in MCDB131 containing 20% fetal bovine serum. The effects of 5 μmol/L dexamethasone, the extract from bovine brain, insulin and hypoxanine on the proliferation and differentiation of the adherent cells were observed. The morphology of the adherent cells were examined twice daily by inverted phase contrast microscope. CD34 and CD14 expression were determined by FACS. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the expression of factor Ⅷ. RESULTS: The proliferative endothelial progenitor cells existed within the CD34^-adherent mononuclear cells of human cord blood. Dexamethasone and hypoxanine decreased the number of spindle-shaped cells and caudated cells. Bovine brain extract, insulin and FCS enhanced the number of spindle-shaped cells and caudated cells. CONCLUSION: The existence of endothelial progenitor cells within the CD34 - adherent monouclear cells of the human cord blood was observed and these cells were able to differentiate into endothelial-like cells in vitro.     

The ex vivo expansion characteristic of endothelial progenitor cells

AIM: To explore the ex vivo expansion characteristics of the endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). METHODS: CD34⁺ cells were selected from umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (MNC) by MiniMACS system, expanded at the same conditions as that for total MNC, coincubation of CD34⁺ and CD34^- from the same donation for EPCs. In addition, we tested the effect of vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and passage on cell differentiation, expansion kinetics and apoptosis. EPCs were determined and quantified by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Coculture of CD34⁺ and CD34^-,total MNC led to a significant increase in the expansion of CD34⁺ cells compared with CD34 enrichment (P＜0.05). There was a trend toward decreased apoptosis in cultures when early passage was performed once the linear cord like structures appeared. There was no significant effect on apoptosis between with VEGF and without VEGF group (P＞0.05). These differentiated EPCs were stained positive for CD34⁺, von Willebrand factor (vWF), KDR, CD31 and incorporate acetylated low-density lipoprotein (LDL). CD34⁺ and AC133⁺cells accounted for 68.2%±6.3% (n=6) and 57.2%±9.8% (n=6) of attaching (AT) cells at day 7 of culture, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Coculture of CD34⁺ and CD34^- or culture of MNC enhances ex vivo expansion of EPCs. Early passage decreases apoptosis rate, VEGF has no significant effect on ex vivo expansion of EPCs.     

The molecular mechanism of inhibition of murine Lewis lung carcinoma metastasis by weimaining in vivo

AIM: To investigate the anti-metastasis effect of weimaining, extracted from fragopyrum cymosum meissn, a Chinese medicine, on murine Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL). METHODS: The anti-metastasis effect of weimaining in vivo was detected in the grafting lung metastasis model of murine Lewis lung carcinoma. The effects of the drug on the expression of CD34 and E-cadherin were investigated by immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR. RESULTS: Weimaining effectively inhibited the lung metastasis of 3LL at a concentration of 250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, significantly suppressed the expression of CD34 and increased the expression levels of E-cadherin protein and mRNA in 3LL cells. CONCLUSIONS: Weimaining inhibits the metastasis of murine Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) in vivo via increasing the expression of E-cadherin and decreasing microvessel density of tumor tissue.     

137Cs和210Pbex双核素示踪"三北"防护林区退耕前后坡地土壤侵蚀变化

为查明"三北"防护林建设前后农耕地和退耕地土壤保持效益变化，利用137Cs和210Pbex双核素示踪技术，选择了防护林建设较为成功的张家口坝上地区（风力侵蚀区）作为典型区，研究了农耕地以及退耕地土壤137Cs和210Pbex的剖面变化规律及其示踪的土壤侵蚀变化。结果表明：1）由于耕作的混匀作用，农耕地土壤剖面中137Cs和210Pbex均呈均匀态分布；退耕地土壤剖面中137Cs和210Pbex则表现为表层（0～5cm）浓度最高、下层（5～25cm）浓度均相对较低且分布相对均匀的形态，这表明退耕后坡地土壤137Cs和210Pbex剖面形态均会发生一定变化，退耕驱动土壤137Cs和210Pbex剖面变化导致运用土壤核素估算侵蚀模型在该区域难以适用；2）基于土壤137Cs和210Pbex剖面变化规律，利用210Pbex质量平衡方程，提出了退耕地土壤210Pbex土壤侵蚀估算模型；3）利用137Cs比例模型估算退耕地土壤侵蚀速率为27.94±11.92 (t/hm2·a)，农耕地侵蚀速率为29.11±14.42 (t/hm2·a)，而利用修正后的210Pbex转换模型估算得到"三北"防护林区退耕地造林前平均侵蚀速率为82.16±14.36 (t/hm2·a)，造林后平均侵蚀速率为-41.28±33.91 (t/hm2·a)；农耕地造林前平均侵蚀速率为68.55±22.11 (t/hm2·a)，造林后平均侵蚀速率-8.52±47.32 (t/hm2·a)。这表明137Cs示踪技术主要表征了1963年以来该区坡地土壤侵蚀和沉积的平均结果，而210Pbex示踪技术则可以较好地示踪防护林建成前后的土壤侵蚀变化。此外，研究结果也表明，相比于"三北"防护林建成之前，建成之后该区农耕地和退耕地的土壤侵蚀速率均呈显著下降趋势，且均由前期的风沙侵蚀转变成了风沙沉积。     

有机酸对液培玉米吸收137Cs和90Sr的影响

利用液培方法研究胡敏酸钠等有机酸盐作用下玉米幼苗对放射性核元素137Cs和90Sr的吸收速率。研究结果表明:利用有机酸盐可以降低玉米幼苗对放射性核元素的吸收速率。1低活度放射性核素水平下,对照(不加有机酸盐)的玉米幼苗中发现了97%放射性核元素137Cs,而高活度放射性核素水平中为61%;有机酸盐不同程度地降低了玉米幼苗中放射性核元素137Cs的量。在低活度水平中四苯硼钠降低137Cs的量最多, 玉米仅吸收12%,而酒石酸钾钠处理中玉米吸收量最高,为45.5%。对137Cs的吸收率,在胡敏酸钠处理中为23.9%, EDTA-Na处理中为41.3%;在高活度放射性核素水平中吸收率的顺序为四苯硼钠11%,胡敏酸钠26%,酒石酸钾钠28.7%,EDTA-Na 37%。2低活度水平下,对照中放射性核元素90Sr的56%被玉米幼苗吸收,而高活度水平中达61%。有机酸盐在低活度水平中降低放射性核元素90Sr的顺序为胡敏酸钠 23.9%,EDTA-Na 26%,酒石酸钾钠28%和四苯硼钠36%;在高活度水平中为四苯硼钠11%,EDTA-Na 24%,胡敏酸钠26%,酒石酸钾钠 31%。3低活度和高活度水平中,四苯硼钠和胡敏酸钠降低玉米幼苗体内的放射性核元素性质为最佳。4所有有机酸盐处理与对照之间的差异都达到极显著水平。     

Soil Redistribution investigations by combined use of soil 137Cs and selected chemical properties

Abstract

To improve the methods of application of phosphorus or supply of soil P to Azolla (A. microphylld), basal application, split application, inoculation of P-enriched Azolla, and soil disturbance were compared. Soil disturbance did not increase the floodwater P content. Phosphorus was applied to inoculum production plots to enrich Azolla with P. Thus, phosphorus-enriched Azolla could multiply 5–7 times after inoculation until it became P deficient. Trials on the methods of enrichment of Azolla with P showed that the best method was to broadcast twice 4.33 kg P (10 kg P₂O₅/ha) at 2-day intervals and to harvest Azolla 3 days after P application. Addition of P once or twice 2 weeks after the inoculation of P-enriched Azolla further increased the biomass production. Efficiency of P application was analyzed in terms of N gain in relation to the amount of P applied. This ratio in the P-enriched Azolla treatment was higher than the economically sound ratio -5-, and higher than or equal to that in the standard split application.     

Impacts of soil erosion on organic carbon and nutrient dynamics in an alpine grassland soil

The impact of soil erosion on the nutrient dynamics in alpine grassland soils is still an essential problem. Selecting a grass-covered hillslope in eastern Tibet Plateau, the cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) technique was used to determine the impacts of soil erosion on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK). The ¹³⁷Cs data revealed that there were distinct soil redistribution patterns in different hillslope positions because of the influences of slope runoff, plant coverage and grazing activity. For the upper slope, soil erosion first decreased downward, followed by soil deposition in its lower part. In contrast, for middle and toe slopes, there was an increasing soil erosion along a downslope transect. Across the lower slope, soil erosion showed an irregular variation. Influenced by the selective transport of water erosion, SOC, TN and TP storage decreased with increasing soil erosion in upper, middle and toe slopes. In contrast, SOC, TN and TP storage varied little with soil erosion in the lower slope. On the whole hillslope, TK storage also varied little with soil erosion due to the large amount of potassium elements derived from soil parent materials. Particularly noteworthy was the greatest storage of SOC, TN and TP in the lower slope where most obvious net soil erosion occurred, which is closely related to the humus accumulation combined with gravel separation as well as weathering and pedogenesis of parent rocks induced by soil freeze-thaw.     

龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀对有机碳迁移的影响

坡耕地土壤再分布对土壤有机碳(SOC,soil organic carbon)迁移的作用机制研究已成为土壤侵蚀学研究的热点,然而目前极少有研究关注地震后生态脆弱的龙门山地震带坡耕地土壤侵蚀机理及其导致的土壤有机碳再分布规律。该研究选择龙门山地震带内(都江堰市)一块陡坡耕地和一个梯田系列,采用137Cs法和野外调查,对比分析强震导致田埂垮塌和未受损情况下坡耕地土壤侵蚀空间变化特征和有机碳运移变化机理。结果表明,该区黄棕壤有效137Cs背景值为1 473 Bq/m2;坡度较小的坡式梯田内部上坡表现为侵蚀,下坡表现为沉积,同时,上部梯田的侵蚀速率高于下部梯田,但整个梯田系列净侵蚀量非常小,这表明梯田之间由于缺乏田埂的保护,水力也起着侵蚀、搬运上坡梯田土壤的作用,但是整个坡式梯田系列可以起到较好的保土作用,同时,坡式梯田内部主要以耕作侵蚀为主,是造成梯田上部坡位土壤流失严重的主要原因;陡坡耕地的地形为复合坡,由于田埂垮塌导致其土壤侵蚀速率显著高于坡式梯田系列,在整个坡面上,除了坡顶土壤侵蚀速率高之外,下坡坡度变大(曲率较大)的部位土壤侵蚀速率也非常高,同时,土壤沉积也发生在2个坡位(中下坡坡度较缓的部位和坡脚部位);在梯田系列和陡坡耕地上,SOC与土壤137Cs的空间变化规律较为一致。研究结果表明,在龙门山地震带,质量较好的石埂梯田仍然发挥着较好的土壤保持效果,同时,耕作侵蚀是该区坡耕地上一种重要的土壤侵蚀形式,在制定相应的土壤保持措施时,必须充分考虑耕作侵蚀的作用,才能有效地控制土壤侵蚀,此外,该研究结果还表明采用137Cs核素示踪技术可以比较科学地解释该区域的土壤侵蚀速率和SOC的空间变异规律。     

盆栽条件下三种植物对污染土壤中放射性铯的吸收试验

温室盆栽条件下,在134Cs污染土壤中移栽酸模、戟叶酸模和向日葵3种植物,对其地上部放射性铯积累量的动态变化进行了研究。结果表明,向日葵地上部生物量显著高于酸模和戟叶酸模;处理50d时,向日葵地上部134Cs比活度在3种植物中达到最高,而在处理70d时,酸模地上部134Cs的比活度达到最高;处理70d时,酸模、戟叶酸模和向日葵对134Cs的富集系数均大于1,分别达到1.5、1.4和1.3,且前2种植物继续保持快速上升的趋势。3种植物对铯污染土壤具有一定的忍耐性,并具有较强的从土壤向植物转移铯的能力;在本实验期内（70d）向日葵对土壤中放射性铯的剔除能力最强,而酸模和戟叶酸模则具有更强的铯转移能力。因此,3种植物在对放射性铯污染的土壤进行植物修复时具有一定的应用价值;同时,对于放射性铯和重金属复合污染的土壤也具有修复潜力。     

环境放射性核素137Cs和210Pbex的田间原位测定研究

原位现场γ谱仪具有快速准确监测土壤中环境放射性核素137Cs和210Pbex的潜力,可以解决传统环境放射性核素示踪土壤侵蚀在选择参考点和测定时间过长问题。本研究应用现场γ谱仪(ISOCS,In-situObject Counting System),对内蒙古锡林浩特草原土壤中137Cs和210Pbex的含量进行了田间原位(不采样)测定,并与室内γ谱仪测定结果进行了比对。结果显示:现场γ谱仪的探头离地面1m,采用90度准直器,测量时间保证3600s以上时,测定的土壤中137Cs面积浓度与室内测定结果一致,二者的平均偏差为8%,表明现场γ谱仪测定具有较高精度,是快速评价土壤侵蚀速率的有效技术;210Pbex的原位测定结果显著高于室内测定结果,可能由于测定时间较短所致。初步研究结果表明:原位测定具有时间短、精度高的优点,可以克服传统采样造成的空间变异误差。