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Global land use patterns and increasing pressures on water resources demand creative urban stormwater management. Strategies encouraging infiltration can enhance groundwater recharge and water quality. Urban subsoils are often relatively impermeable, and the construction of many stormwater detention best management practices (D-BMPs) exacerbates this condition. Root paths can act as conduits for water, but this function has not been demonstrated for stormwater BMPs where standing water and dense subsoils create a unique environment. We examined whether tree roots can penetrate compacted subsoils and increase infiltration rates in the context of a novel infiltration BMP (I-BMP). Black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.) and red maple (Acer rubrum L.) trees, and an unplanted control, were installed in cylindrical planting sleeves surrounded by clay loam soil at two compaction levels (bulk density = 1.3 or 1.6 g cm(-3)) in irrigated containers. Roots of both species penetrated the more compacted soil, increasing infiltration rates by an average of 153%. Similarly, green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) trees were grown in CUSoil (Amereq Corp., New York) separated from compacted clay loam subsoil (1.6 g cm(-3)) by a geotextile. A drain hole at mid depth in the CUSoil layer mimicked the overflow drain in a stormwater I-BMP thus allowing water to pool above the subsoil. Roots penetrated the geotextile and subsoil and increased average infiltration rate 27-fold compared to unplanted controls. Although high water tables may limit tree rooting depth, some species may be effective tools for increasing water infiltration and enhancing groundwater recharge in this and other I-BMPs (e.g., raingardens and bioswales).

BackgroundCurrent treatment guidelines for immune-mediated diarrhea and colitis (IMDC) recommend steroids as first-line therapy, followed by selective immunosuppressive therapy (SIT) (infliximab or vedolizumab) for refractory cases. We aimed to compare the efficacy of these two SITs and their impact on cancer outcomes.MethodsWe performed a two-center, retrospective observational cohort study of patients with IMDC who received SITs following steroids from 2016 to 2020. Patients’ demographic, clinical, and overall survival data were collected and analyzed.ResultsA total of 184 patients (62 vedolizumab, 94 infliximab, 28 combined sequentially) were included. The efficacy of achieving clinical remission of IMDC was similar (89% vs 88%, p=0.79) between the two groups. Compared with the infliximab group, the vedolizumab group had a shorter steroid exposure (35 vs 50 days, p<0.001), fewer hospitalizations (16% vs 28%, p=0.005), and a shorter hospital stay (median 10.5 vs 13.5 days, p=0.043), but a longer time to clinical response (17.5 vs 13 days, p=0.012). Longer durations of immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment (OR 1.01, p=0.004) and steroid use (OR 1.02, p=0.043), and infliximab use alone (OR 2.51, p=0.039) were associated with higher IMDC recurrence. Furthermore, ≥3 doses of SIT (p=0.011), and fewer steroid tapering attempts (p=0.012) were associated with favorable overall survival.ConclusionsTreatment with vedolizumab as compared with infliximab for IMDC led to comparable IMDC response rates, shorter duration of steroid use, fewer hospitalizations, and lower IMDC recurrence, though with slightly longer time to IMDC response. Higher number of SIT doses was associated with better survival outcome, while more steroid exposure resulted in worse patient outcomes.

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Recent interest in the use of wood substrates in horticulture crop production has justified the need for determining fertilizer requirements in these substrates compared with traditional pine bark (PB) and peatmoss substrates. The objective was to determine the response of japanese holly (Ilex crenata Thunb. ‘Compacta’) and azalea (Rhododendron obtusum Planck. ‘Delaware Valley’) grown in a pine tree substrate (PTS) (trade name WoodGro™) or milled PB to fertilizer rate. Pine tree substrate is produced from freshly harvested loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda L.) that are delimbed, chipped, and ground in a hammer mill to a desired particle size. Japanese holly plants were grown in 2.8-L containers in the fall of 2005 and again in the spring of 2007 with the addition of azalea. Plants grown in PTS or PB were fertilized by incorporating Osmocote Plus fertilizer (15N–3.9P–10K) at rates of 3.5, 5.9, 8.3 or 10.6 kg·m−3 for japanese holly and 1.2, 3.5, 5.9, or 8.3 kg·m−3 for azalea. After 3 months, shoot dry weights were determined for japanese holly and azalea. Japanese holly root dry weights were determined for both experiments, and substrate CO2 efflux (μmol CO2 m−2·s−1) was measured on the treatments at the end of the experiment using a LI-6400 soil CO2 flux chamber. In 2005, japanese holly shoot dry weights of PTS-grown plants were comparable to plants grown in PB at the 8.3 kg·m−3 fertility rate, and shoot dry weights of PTS-grown plants were higher than PB at the 10.6 kg·m−3 rate. In 2007, japanese holly and azalea shoot dry weights of PTS-grown plants were comparable to PB plants at the 5.9 kg·m−3 fertilizer rate. Both japanese holly and azalea achieved shoot growth in PTS comparable to shoot growth in PB with ≈2.4 kg·m−3 additional fertilizer for PTS. Substrate CO2 efflux rates were higher in PTS compared with PB indicating higher microbial activity, thereby increasing the potential for nutrient immobilization in PTS.