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Background/Aims: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnosis effect of serum protein factors and microRNAs for children suffering from viral myocarditis (VMC). Methods: The expression levels of serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in both VMC and control groups were examined by using the Elisa Kit. The expression levels of miR-1 and miR-146b were measured through RT-PCR. Subsequently, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn based on the diagnostic results of VMC. Moreover, the Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to unveil the association between the indicator expression levels and the ultrasonic cardiogram results, including the left ventricular fractional shortening (FS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). Results: It is found that the expression levels between the VMC and control group portrait significant differences with respect to cTnI, IL-18, TNF-α, miR-1 and mIR-146b (P < 0.05). The diagnostic thresholds for cTnI, IL-18, TNF-α were 160.00 ng/L, 2.26 ng/L and 1.14ng/L, respectively. The diagnostic thresholds for miR-1 and miR-146b were 0.75 and 1.27, respectively. Results from the Spearman correlation analysis showed that levels of the miR-1 were negatively correlated with FS and EF, while levels of the cTnI, IL-18, TNF-α and miR-146b were positively correlated with FS and EF. Conclusions: The expression levels of the TNF-α, IL-18 and cTnI and the expression levels of the miR-1 and miR-146b could be used to predict VMC among children and this approach may reinforce the diagnosis of VMC in clinical practices.

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Knowledge about the long-term influences of climate change on the amount of potential carbon (C) sequestration in forest ecosystems, including age-related dynamics, remains unclear. This study used two similar age-sequences of black locust forests (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) in the semi-arid and semi-humid zones of China’s Loess Plateau to assess the variation in C stocks and age-related dynamics. Our results demonstrated that black locust forests of the semi-humid zone stored significantly more C than did forests in the semi-arid zone, across the chronosequence (p < 0.001). The C carrying capacity of the plantations was measured at 166.4 Mg C ha−1 (1 Mg = 106 g) in the semi-humid zone, while the semi-arid zone had a capacity of only 79.4 Mg C ha−1. Soil organic C (SOC) increased continuously with stand age in the semi-arid zone (R2 = 0.84, p = 0.010). However, in the semi-humid zone, SOC declined sharply by 47.8% after the initial stage (5 to 10 y). The C stock in trees increased continuously with stand age in the semi-humid zone (R2 = 0.83, p = 0.011), yet in the semi-arid zone, it decreased dramatically from 43.0 Mg C ha−1 to 28.4 Mg C ha−1 during the old forest stage (38 to 56 y). The shift from being a net C sink to a net C source occurred at the initial stage in the semi-humid zone versus at the old forest stage in the semi-arid zone after reforestation. Surprisingly, with the exception of the initial and later stages (55 y), the patterns of C allocation among trees, soils, understory and litter were not statistically different between the two climate zones. Our results suggest that climate factors can alter the potential amount and age-related dynamics of forest C sequestration.

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Establishment of mixed-forests has gained increasing attention as a way to optimize forest production, to improve ecological benefits and as a safety net for impacts of future climate uncertainties. However, practical knowledge about which species and what proportion of them should be mixed is still lacking. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim of identify suitable species for mixture with Acacia cincinnata. The mixture tested in the present study was A. cincinnata + Eucalyptus robusta (6:4), A. cincinnata + Acacia mangium (3:1) and monospecifc plantation of A. cincinnata established in 2014. After 7 years of growth, we analyzed the effects of species mixture on growth of tree species, understory vegetation and soil physico-chemical properties as well as bacterial community structure and diversity. The results showed that species mixture had no significant effect on growth characteristics, such as diameter and singletree volume of A. cincinnata. However, mixed-species planting increased the total stocking volume compered to monospecific plantation of A. cincinnata. Furthermore, stand mixture significantly increased species diversity, biomass and nutrient stocks in the understory vegetation. The soil of mixed stand of A. cincinnata and A. mangium had the highest C and N contents, whereas the soil of pure A. cincinnata stand had the highest P content. The diversity of soil bacterial community were the highest in the mixed stand of A. cincinnata and E- robusta, followed by pure A. cincinnata stand and A. cincinnata + A. mangium stand. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria was higher in soils of mixed stands. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Firmicutes was high in the soil of A. cincinnata + A. mangium while the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia was high in A. cincinnata + E. robusta stand. As a whole, the study demonstrated that establishing mixed-species plantation enhance the diversity and composition of understory vegetation, soil physico-chemical and soils bacterial community; thereby increasing biodiversity, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration in the biomass and soil. From the viewpoints of forest productivity and ecological benefits, it is advisable to establish a mixed plantation of A. cincinnata and A- mangium in southern China. As a whole, our work revealed that the sustainability of mixed-species plantation relies on the interactions between soil attributes, vegetation, and bacterial community.

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