Previous studies have suggested that galectin-3 is an important mediator of cardiac fibrosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of galectin-3 in identifying early left ventricular remodeling (LVRM) in patients with hypertension. A total of 107 patients with hypertension and 108 controls were enrolled in this study. The levels of galectin-3 were significantly greater in hypertension patients with LVRM compared with those without LVRM. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that body mass index and galectin-3 were independent predictors of LVRM in the hypertension group. Only left ventricular mass was independently correlated with serum galectin-3 levels in patients with hypertension. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed an area under the curve for galectin-3 of 0.698 (P<.001), with an optimal cutoff of 9.43 ng/mL. Therefore, galectin-3 is independently correlated with LVRM and can be regarded as a valuable biomarker of early cardiac remodeling of hypertension.

No abstract

The objective of this research was to study the differences in the enrichment and transport capacity of heavy metal chromium in farmland soil by different maize cultivars, and it is of great significance to screen out the maize varieties that meet the food safety standards and repair the heavy metal chromium in farmland soil. To complete the experiment, under the conditions of field experiments, 72 maize cultivars were selected to study the growth of maize in chromium-polluted arable land and the differences in Cr accumulation and transshipment of different maize cultivars. From the experiment, we found that among 72 maize varieties, 49 of them, accounting for 68.06% of the total, had kernel chromium content lower than the China kernel limit standard value of 1.0 mg kg−1. There were significant differences in Cr content in the kernels, stems, leaves and roots of all cultivars, with Cr content in root > stems > kernels. The contents of Cr in roots and stems and kernels were 4.06–93.09 mg kg−1 and 5.54–24.13 mg kg−1 and 0.46–2.61 mg kg−1, respectively, and the coefficients of variation were 51.21%, 36.36% and 46.11%. By cluster analysis, maize varieties were divided into five groups according to kernel chromium content, and the maize varieties were also divided into three categories according to the content of chromium in stem and leaf. At the same time, we found that the low accumulation of kernel, high accumulation of stem and leaf, seven varieties: Nongyu662, HongyuNO.9, Wankenyu125, Shuxinyu228, Kewei702, Liyu16, JinchengNo.6. The enrichment coefficients (BCF) of each maize cultivar ranged from 0.026 to 0.194, the transport coefficients TF (kernel/stem) and TF (stem/root) were between 0.028 and 0.064, and 0.064 and 0.864, and the enrichment coefficient and transport coefficient were less than 1. In the end, according to the comprehensive evaluation of the maize growth status, kernel Cr content, enrichment coefficient, transport coefficient and other indicators, it is believed that Nongyu662, HongyuNo.9, Wankenyu125, ShuXinYu228, Weike702, Liyu16, and JinchengNo.6 could be promoted as Cr maize cultivars with low kernel and high stem–leaf accumulation; also, planting these seven varieties can achieve the goal of restoring the heavy metal chromium in farmland soil while ensuring maize food security.

Cultivated land quality is an essential agricultural resource and production element. To increase cultivated land quality in a targeted way, it is crucial to understand the features of regional elements that constrain its quality. In order to diagnose the restriction factors affecting the improvement of cultivated land quality grades and conduct a quantitative analysis of the regional cultivated land quality improvement restriction factors, the restriction index model was used in this study to analyze the distribution characteristics of cultivated land quality grades in East Anhui, China. The results show that there are six main restriction factors of cultivated land quality in the study area, which are effective soil layer thickness, soil organic matter, soil acidity and alkalinity, plough layer texture, irrigation capacity, drainage capacity, and obstacle factors, among which the main restriction factors of the first to third grades are soil organic matter, soil acidity and alkalinity, and the main restriction factors of the fourth to seventh grades are soil organic matter, and soil acidity and alkalinity. The main restriction factors of the soil organic matter, effective soil layer thickness, and obstacle factors are the key restriction factors in the ninth to tenth classes.