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The Relative Pollen Productivities (RPPs) of common steppe species are estimated using Extended R-value (ERV) model based on pollen analysis and vegetation survey of 30 surface soil samples from typical steppe area of northern China. Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae are the dominant pollen types in pollen assemblages, reflecting the typical steppe communities well. The five dominant pollen types and six common types (Thalictrum, Iridaceae, Potentilla, Ephedra, Brassicaceae, and Ulmus) have strong wind transport abilities; the estimated Relevant Source Area of Pollen (RSAP) is ca. 1000 m when the sediment basin radius is set at 0.5 m. Ulmus, Artemisia, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Thalictrum have relative high RPPs; Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Potentilla, and Ephedra pollen have moderate RPPs; Asteraceae and Iridaceae have low RPPs. The reliability test of RPPs revealed that most of the RPPs are reliable in past vegetation reconstruction. However, the RPPs of Asteraceae and Iridaceae are obviously underestimated, and those of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Ephedra are either slightly underestimated or slightly overestimated, suggesting that those RPPs should be considered with caution. These RPPs were applied to estimating plant abundances for two fossil pollen spectra (from the Lake Bayanchagan and Lake Haoluku) covering the Holocene in typical steppe area, using the "Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites" (REVEALS) model. The RPPs-based vegetation reconstruction revealed that meadow-steppe dominated by Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia plants flourished in this area before 6500-5600 cal yr BP, and then was replaced by present typical steppe.
Background: Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. There is little attention given to hepatic impairment in the adults with scrub typhus. This study investigated the incidence and the prognostic implications of hepatic impairment in patients with scrub typhus.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 143 adult patients with scrub typhus who were admitted between January 1999 and December 2010 in Guangdong province, China. The patients were divided into three groups, e.g., normal, mild, and moderate to severe groups based on the elevated serum ALT and/or total bilirubin levels. Furthermore, clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patient groups were compared.
Results: 109 patients (76.2%) had abnormal liver function. Among the patients with hepatic impairment 45 cases (31.4%), 54 cases (37.8%), and 10 cases (7.0%) had mild, moderate, and severe hepatic damage, respectively. The moderate to severe hepatic impairment group had higher levels of serum creatinine compared with that of normal hepatic function. The incidence of new onset of renal dysfunction - defined as peak serum creatinine >= 176 mu mol/L during hospital stay with no evidence of renal disease prior hospitalization - was 0% in the mild hepatic impairment group, 8.9% in the moderate hepatic impairment group, and 21.9% in the severe hepatic impairment group, (p = 0.005 for trend). Additionally, the patients with hepatic impairment (n = 109) had higher incidences of episodes of thrombocytopenia (45.9% vs. 8.82%, p < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (50.5% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001), new onset of renal dysfunction (16.5% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.011), and electrocardiogram abnormality (28.4% vs. 8.82%, p = 0.019) than the patients without hepatic impairment.
Conclusions: The degree of hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction.
Background: Recent studies show that preterm birth is associated with hypertension in later life. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during pregnancy influences fetal growth and development. In the current study, we investigated the impact of fetal as well as maternal angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] and angiotensin II (Ang II) plasma concentrations on the risk of preterm birth.
Methods: Three hundred and nine pregnant women were prospectively included into the study. The pregnant women were divided into two groups, for example, preterm birth of lower than 37 gestational weeks (n = 17) and full-term birth of 37 gestational weeks or more (n = 292). Maternal and neonatal plasma Ang (1-7) and Ang II concentrations were analyzed at birth from maternal venous blood and umbilical cord blood, respectively. Risk factors for premature birth were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis.
Results: Fetal and maternal plasma Ang (1-7) concentrations in the preterm group were lower than those of the term group fetal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 486.15 +/- 337.34 ng/l and fetal Ang (1-7) term birth: 833.84 +/- 698.12 ng/l and maternal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 399.86 +/- 218.93 ng/l; maternal Ang (1-7) term birth: 710.34 +/- 598.22 ng/l. Multiple logistic regression analysis considering confounding factors revealed that preeclampsia (P < 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (P = 0.001), lower concentration of maternal Ang (1-7) (P = 0.013) and fetal plasma Ang (1-7) (P = 0.032) were independently associated with preterm birth. We could furthermore demonstrate that the maternal Ang (1-7)/Ang II ratio is independently associated with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, factors causing preterm birth.
Conclusions: Lower concentrations of maternal and fetal Ang (1-7) are independently associated with preterm birth - a risk factor of hypertension in later life.