Abstract Background Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.) is a hardy perennial weed currently threatening many agroecosystems and orchard ecosystems in China. It can be spread farther by seed with a long dormancy. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal changes in germinability, dormancy and viability of field bindweed seeds in the unique arid environment in northwest China. Methods Seeds were subject to burial at various depths in the field, outdoor and indoor storage, or dry- and wet-cold stratification (5 C) treatments for 12 months. Seed germinability was tested at monthly intervals. Results No seed at 0- or 1-cm burial depths germinated in situ. Seeds buried at 3-20 cm started to germinate after 4 months, with steady increase in germination in situ over the next 7-month burial period. Some ungerminated seeds under field conditions released dormancy and could germinate ex situ under optimal laboratory conditions. The rapid dormancy release occurred under outdoor storage conditions and 13%–30% seed germinated ex situ. However, seeds from the indoor storage maintained a high level of dormancy with germination less than 12%. The dry/cold stratification was more effective in breaking seed dormancy than the wet/cold treatment. Most of the seeds (> 87%) retained their viability during the 12-month period. Conclusions Low temperature could partially break seed dormancy of field bindweed. The optimal emergence depth was 3–5 cm and the best time to control this weed species was from April to October. In view of the high seed viability, late season weed control is necessary to stop seedset.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with behavioral problems in children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia. METHODS: Random sampling is utilized to obtain a sample of 90 patients. The behavioral problems of the patients are detected by Achenbach Children's Behavior Scale. Parental emotional problems are investigated by the Self-Rating Depression Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that the detection rate of behavioral problems in children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is 53.3% (48/90). Among these behavioral problems, an abnormal rate is higher in the four dimensions: thinking, violation of discipline, social interaction, and aggression. The anxiety and depression scores of caregivers are statistically higher in the abnormal group than in the normal group. The results of the multivariate analysis show that the anxiety degree of the parents had a significant impact on the behavior of the children. CONCLUSIONS: Children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia are facing the issues of high rates of behavioral problems. Parents of children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia had higher levels of anxiety and depression than parents of normal children. The anxiety and depressive state of mind of parents or caregivers had a significant impact on the behavior of children with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia.

Abstract Circulating miRNAs presenting in plasma in a stable manner have been demonstrated their potential role as a promising biomarkers in many human diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, melanoma and ovarian carcinoma. However, few circulating miRNAs could be used for breast ductal cancer diagnosis. Here, we identified miR-1273g-3p as a biomarker for detecting breast ductal cancer. We detected miR-1273g-3p levels in the plasma of 39 sporadic breast ductal cancer patients and 40 healthy donors by Stem-loop Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed the plasma miR-1273g-3p level were significantly up-regulated in breast ductal cancer patients compared with healthy donors (p=0.0139). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve also revealed the significantly diagnostic ability of miR-1273g-3p in patients (p=0.0414). In addition, the plasma level of miR-1273g-3p was closely related to IIIB-IIIC TNM stage. We also confirmed the higher expression level of miR-1273g-3p in breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 (4.872±0.537) than normal breast cells (Hs 578Bst). Taken together, miR-1273g-3p could represent as a potential biomarker for early breast ductal cancer diagnosis.

Neste trabalho descreve-se a preparação de seis corantes cianina dimetina trinucleares com núcleos de piridina, obtidos a partir da condensação de iodeto de trimetilpiridínio com aldeídos aromáticos heterocíclicos. As propriedades de absorção e fluorescência dos corantes foram estudadas em solventes com polaridades diferentes. O deslocamento hipsocrômico dos máximos de absorção dos corantes foi observado com o aumento da polaridade do solvente. Foram estudadas as propriedades fluorescentes dos corantes em solução e na presença de DNA. Foi observado um aumento significativo do rendimento quântico de fluorescência na presença de DNA para quatro corantes.. Em particular, um dos corantes emite fluorescência fraca no tampão Tris-HCl, apresentando contudo fluorescência intensa na presença de DNA.

The preparation of six trinucleus dimethine cyanine dyes with pyridine nucleus obtained by the condensation of trimethylpyridinium iodides with heterocyclic aromatic aldehyde was described. The absorption and fluorescence properties of the dyes were studied in different polarity solvents. Blue shift of the maxima absorption of the dyes was observed with the increase of solvents polarity. The fluorescence properties of the dyes in solution and in presence of DNA were studied. Significant enhancement of the fluorescent quantum yield was observed in four dyes in the presence of DNA. Specially, one of six dyes emitted weak fluorescence in Tris-HCl buffer, but displayed bright fluorescence in the presence of DNA.

In the present study, we investigated the application of 13 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D13S317, D7S820, TH01, D16S539, CSFIPO, VWA, D8S1179, TPOX, FGA, D3S1358, D21S11, D18S51 and D5S818) routinely used in forensic analysis, for delineating population relationships among seven human populations representing the two major geographic groups, namely the southern and northern Chinese. The resulting single topology revealed pronounced geographic and population partitioning, consistent with the differences in geographic location, languages and eating habits. These findings suggest that forensic STR loci might be particularly powerful tools in providing the necessary fine resolution for reconstructing recent human evolutionary history.