SummaryThe coast of Bohai Bay, north-western Yellow Sea, is critical for waterbirds migrating along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway. Between 1994 and 2010, a total of 450 km 2 of offshore area, including 218 km 2 of intertidal flats (one third of the original tidal area in the bay), has been reclaimed along the bay for two industrial projects. This has caused the northward migrants to become concentrated in an ever smaller remaining area, our core study site. The spring peak numbers of two Red Knot subspecies in the East Asia-Australasian Flyway, Calidris canutus piersmai and C. c. rogersi, in this so far little affected area increased from 13% in 2007 to 62% in 2010 of the global populations; the spring peak numbers of Curlew Sandpiper C. ferruginea increased from 3% in 2007 to 23% in 2010 of the flyway population. The decline in the extent of intertidal mudflats also affected Relict Gulls Larus relictus, listed by IUCN as 'Vulnerable'; during normal winters 56% of the global population moved from the wintering habitats that were removed in Tianjin to the relatively intact areas around Tangshan. Densities of wintering Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata, and spring-staging Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus and Sanderling Calidris alba have also increased in the remaining areas. With the proposed continuation of land reclamation in Bohai Bay, we predict waterbird densities in the remaining areas to increase to a point of collapse. To evaluate the future of these fragile, shared international resources, it is vital to promote an immediate conservation action plan for the remaining coastal wetlands in this region, and continued population monitoring to determine the effects of this action.

The receptor-tyrosine-kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) is a transmembrane protein belongs to receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. This study aimed to examine the expression of ROR1 in human ovarian cancer and investigate the relationship between its expression and the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. In this present study, one-step quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (15 ovarian cancer samples of high FIGO stage, 15 ovarian cancer samples of low FIGO stage and nine normal ovary tissue samples) and immunohistochemistry by tissue microarrays (100 ovarian cancer samples and 50 normal ovary samples) were performed to characterize expression of the ROR1 gene in ovarian cancer. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were executed to evaluate the prognosis of ovarian cancer. The results of qPCR and IHC analysis showed that the expression of ROR1 in ovarian cancer was significantly higher than that in normal ovary tissues (all p < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that ROR1 protein expression was one of the independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival and overall survival (both p < 0.05). The data suggest that ROR1 expression is correlated with malignant attributes of ovarian cancer and it may serve as a novel prognostic marker in ovarian cancer.

Objective: Myoclonus was considered as one conundrum in etomidate induction, which led to multiple risks during clinical anesthesia. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of pretreatment with remifentanil to different pharmacological approaches on reducing etomidate-induced myoclonus. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from the inception to October 2018. Randomized controlled trials comparing remifentanil versus other pharmacological approaches in reducing etomidate-induced myoclonus were eligible to be analyzed. Results: Overall, 13 trials with 1,392 patients met with the inclusion criteria. 1) Pretreatment with remifentanil could reduce the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus compared to placebo and fentanyl; few differences were found between the use of remifentanil and the use of midazolam: (incidence of myoclonus: 5.56% with remifentanil vs 71.65% with saline, RR=0.08, with 95% CI [0.05, 0.12], P <0.0001; 3.80% with remifentanil vs 13.33% with fentanyl, RR with 95% 0.31 [0.11, 0.86], P =0.02; 46.00% with remifentanil vs 55.45% with midazolam, RR=0.82, with 95% CI [0.64, 1.06], P =0.13). 2) Compared with placebo, pretreatment with remifentanil could reduce the incidence of mild, moderate, and severe myoclonus; compared with midazolam, patients receiving remifentanil experienced lower occurrence of severe myoclonus; compared with fentanyl, pretreatment with remifentanil associated with significant low occurrence of moderate and severe myoclonus. 3) The outcomes also indicated that pretreatment with remifentanil could prevent excessive hemodynamic changes after endotracheal intubation compared to fentanyl. Conclusions: Pretreatment with remifentanil could be considered as one operative option to reduce both incidence and severity of etomidate-induced myoclonus. Compared with fentanyl, it also provides efficacy in preventing excessive hemodynamic changes after endotracheal intubation. However, the best treatment and the proper prophylactic dosage calls for more high quality evidence with large sample size.

ObjectiveOne conundrum that frequently occurs during clinical anesthesia is etomidate-induced myoclonus, which results in multiple risks. The aim of the study was to evaluate systematically the effect of pretreatment with lidocaine on preventing etomidate-induced myoclonus.Materials and methodsThe literature search was performed from the inception to April 2018 in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All randomized controlled trials that used lidocaine to prevent etomidate-induced myoclonus were enrolled. The primary outcome included the incidence and severity of etomidate-induced myoclonus. The data were combined to calculate the risk ratio and relevant 95% CI. A meta-analysis was performed following the guidelines of the Cochrane Reviewer’s Handbook and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses statement.ResultsA total of eight studies were enrolled, and the existing evidence indicated that 1) pretreatment with lidocaine can reduce the incidence of etomidate-induced myoclonus (the incidence of myoclonus: 37.6% in lidocaine vs 73.6% in saline, risk ratio =0.46, with 95% CI [0.34, 0.63], P<0.0001); 2) the pretreatment with lidocaine can reduce the incidence of mild, moderate, and severe myoclonus; 3) a dose of pretreatment with lidocaine cannot significantly decrease the duration of myoclonus compared to placebo; 4) the administration of lidocaine produced no effect on the stable hemodynamic parameters and no more additional adverse effects.ConclusionPretreatment with lidocaine could be served as one effective approach to decrease both the incidence and the severity of etomidate-induced myoclonus, with limited influence on the hemodynamic stability of patients. However, to confirm precise safety and efficacy of such intervention, more high-quality evidence is necessary.

Background HCN1 channels have been identified as targets of ketamine to produce hypnosis. Volatile anesthetics also inhibit HCN1 channels. However, the effects of HCN1 channels on volatile anesthetics in vivo is still elusive. This study uses global and conditional HCN1 knockout mice to evaluate how HCN1 channels affect the actions of volatile anesthetics. Methods Minimum alveolar concentrations (MAC) of isoflurane and sevoflurane that induced immobility (MAC of immobility) and/or hypnosis (MAC of hypnosis) were determined in wild-type (WT) mice, global HCN1 channel knockout mice (HCN1−/−), floxed HCN1 channel gene (HCN1f/f) mice and forebrain-selective HCN1 channel knockout (HCN1f/f: cre) mice. Immobility of mice was defined as no purposeful reactions to tail-clamping stimulus and hypnosis was defined as loss of righting reflex (LORR). The amnestic effects of isoflurane and sevoflurane were evaluated by fear-potentiated startle in these four strains of mice. Results All MAC values were expressed as mean ± SEM. For MAC of immobility of isoflurane, no significant difference was found among wild-type, HCN1−/−, HCN1f/f and HCN1f/f: cre mice (all ~1.24-1.29% isoflurane). For both HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice, the MAC of hypnosis for isoflurane (each ~1.05% isoflurane) were significantly increased over their nonknockout controls: HCN1−/− vs. wild-type (0.86±0.03%, P<0.001) and HCN1f/f: cre vs. HCN1f/f mice (0.84±0.03%, P<0.001); no significant difference was found between HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice. For MAC of immobility of sevoflurane, no significant difference was found among wild-type, HCN1−/−, HCN1f/f and HCN1f/f: cre mice (all ~2.6-2.7% sevoflurane). For both HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice, the MAC of hypnosis for sevoflurane (each ~1.90% sevoflurane) was significantly increased over their nonknockout controls: HCN1−/− vs. wild-type (1.58±0.05%, P<0.001) and HCN1f/f: cre vs. HCN1f/f mice (1.56±0.05%, P<0.001). No significant difference was found between HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice. By fear-potentiated startle experiments, amnestic effects of isoflurane and sevoflurane were significantly attenuated in HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice (both P<0.002 vs. wild-type or HCN1f/f mice). No significant difference was found between HCN1−/− and HCN1f/f: cre mice. Conclusions Forebrain HCN1 channels contribute to hypnotic and amnestic effects of volatile anesthetics, but HCN1 channels are not involved in the immobilizing actions of volatile anesthetics.

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Because their breeding and wintering areas are in remote locations, little is known about the biology of Black‐necked Cranes (Grus nigricollis), including their migratory behavior. Using satellite telemetry, we monitored the migration of Black‐necked Cranes (N= 6) in China to determine migration routes and the location of stopover sites. From 2005 to 2007, four cranes were tracked during two spring migrations and one fall migration, one was tracked during one spring and one fall migration, and one was tracked during one spring migration. On average, the cranes made seven flights over a 5‐d period to migrate 651 km to breeding areas in the spring. In the fall, birds averaged six flights in 5 d to migrate 694 km. The routes traveled by cranes during spring and autumn migration were similar. Both the migration distances and duration of migration are the shortest reported for any crane species to date. Most stopover sites were in areas along rivers and close to wetlands in the Daliang Mountains and the Ruoergai Plateau. Conservation measures are needed to reduce habitat loss (wetland and pasture) in the Daliang Mountains and establish a reserve for stopover sites in the Ruoergai marshes, such as Longriba and Bai River in Hongyuan County.

Poyang Lake is a very important wintering place for cranes in China and East Asia. Two crane surveys were conducted at Poyang Lake during the 2011/2012 winter, the first on 18-19 December 2011 and the second on 18-19 February 2012. The survey covered the entire Poyang Lake basin, as well as two main lakes in Jiujiang (Saicheng Hu and Chi Hu), i.e., a total of 85 sub-lakes were surveyed. Both surveys recorded four species of cranes. The first survey on 18-19 December 2011 recorded 4577 Siberian Cranes (Grus leucogeranus), mostly in Bang Hu, Sha Hu and Dahu Chi, 302 Hooded Cranes (G. monacha), 885 White-naped Cranes (G. vipio) and 8408 Eurasian Cranes (G. grus), for the most part in the center of the lake basin. The second survey on 18-19 February 2012 recorded 3335 Siberian Cranes (mostly in Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve (PLNR) and its surrounding areas), 110 Hooded Cranes (largely in PLNR and its surrounding areas), 283 White-naped Cranes (86% in Bang Hu) and 2205 Eurasian Cranes (particularly in Duchang and Nanjishan NNR). The number of Siberian Cranes enumerated in December was 1000 more than the second count in February 2012. It is not possible to rule out double counting due to the close proximity of the main sites of the Siberian Cranes. During winters from 1998 to 2009, the average of the highest counts each winter was 3091, ranging from 2345 in 1996 to 4004 in 2002. By comparison with counts taken at other times, we therefore estimate a wintering population of Siberian Cranes of ~3800-4000 at Poyang Lake. Additional evidence will be needed to raise the world population estimate. Our more recent surveys indicate a continuing decline in the number of White-naped Cranes and an increase in Eurasian Cranes.