B cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). High levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF) are detected in autoimmune diseases. BAFF and BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) are expressed in B and T cells of RA synovium. The study was undertaken to identify the NF-κB signal pathway involved in the induction of BAFF-R in human B cells. Immunohistochemical staining of NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, BAFF, and BAFF-R was performed on sections of synovium from severe and mild RA and osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from control and RA patients and B cells were isolated from controls. BAFF-R was analyzed by flow cytometry, realtime PCR and confocal staining after treatment with NF-κB inhibitors. NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, BAFF, and BAFF-R were highly expressed in severe RA synovium relative to mild RA synovium or OA synovium. BAFF-R expression was reduced by NF-κB inhibitors in PBMCs and B cells from normal controls. We also showed reduction in expression of BAFF-R via inhibition of the NF-κB pathway in PBMCs of RA patients. BAFF/BAFF-R signaling is an important mechanism of pathogenesis in RA and that BAFF-R reduction by NF-κB blocking therapy is another choice for controlling B cells in autoimmune diseases such as RA.

Numerous concerns have been raised in China over the issues of limited arable land resources and food security in China. Especially, the record levels of soil pollution and the conversion of the arable land become the serious threat to the nation's capacity to produce adequate levels of staple cereal crops for Chinese people. Most of arable land, only 15% of the country, mainly concentrated on the central eastern coast and along the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys which had the highest sediment deposit among the lands in China. An agricultural land in China was classified into four categories including arable land. The survey of spatial distribution and types of land use by in China established by remote sensing data and conventional aerial photography showed main land use features and the spatial pattern and processes of land use change for 15 regions covering China. The agricultural land area in 2015 was increased by 64.9% from that in 1960 while the changes of the arable land area ranged from decrease of 6.6% in 1980 to increase of 20.2% in 1990. Conclusively, we assume that Chinese government may have to figure out the practically adequate arable land area to produce safe food for people in China, bearing in mind of 135 million ha that is a minimum threshold to ensure adequate food production.

Introduction: Midlife climacteric women with metabolic syndrome are at high risk for experiencing a complex array of symptoms. The aim of this scoping review was to identify the prevalence, types, and clustering of symptoms in midlife climacteric women with metabolic syndrome and to compare them to symptoms of midlife climacteric women without metabolic syndrome. Methods: A three-step search method was used according to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Eligibility criteria of participants, concept, context, and types of evidence were selected in alignment with the review questions. Seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertation & Theses, OpenGrey) were searched using search terms with no language or date restrictions. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, data charting, and data synthesis were conducted by two independent researchers based on the eligibility criteria. Results: The search yielded 3813 studies after removing duplicates with 48 full-text papers assessed for eligibility. A total of eight studies were reviewed and analyzed which reported the prevalence and types of symptoms individually or grouped based on each body system. Midlife climacteric women with metabolic syndrome experience a wide prevalence of individual and grouped urogenital, vasomotor, psychological, sleep, and somatic symptoms. Mental exhaustion had the highest prevalence (84.4%) among the individual symptoms, and urogenital symptoms had the highest prevalence (81.3%) among the grouped symptoms. There were mixed findings on symptoms between midlife climacteric women with metabolic syndrome and without metabolic syndrome. No studies focused on symptom clusters. Conclusion: Our findings will serve as a knowledge basis for understanding symptoms experienced by midlife climacteric women with metabolic syndrome. This new knowledge can assist clinicians in effectively assessing and managing their symptoms in clinical settings and inform future development of targeted symptom management interventions.

This investigation was conducted to provide the control methods of N and P by observing the distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus in arable and forest stands along the boundary of upstream Daechung Reservoir in which water quality properties caused by N and P from land uses was not extensively studied. To do this, we selected three different soil zone such as arable (paddy and upland), orchard, and forest stands including pine and larch of which inputs of N and P have been known to be different due to their foliage properties. Soil samples were collected from surface and subsurface to measure soil physical and chemical properties. The results showed that the soil textures of investigation sites are loamy sand and sandy loam and the stone ratio of both forest stand are approximately 38.7%. The organic matter content in both forest stands was above 5.6% while that of the paddy and upland are less than 3%. Soil pHs are strongly acidic except for orchard of which it is above 5.7 but less than 6.64. However, pHs of all the sites slightly increased from May to October. The amount of NO3and NH4 + as water soluble phase is less than that of exchangeable phase in paddy while that of NO3and NH4 + as exchangeable phase is greater than that of water soluble phase in upland and the forest stands of pine and larch. For the proportions of phosphorus remained as water soluble-and exchangeable phase depending on the total P, the proportion of water soluble in paddy and pine stand was greater than 10% while those of exchangeable P are less than 10% in upland, orchard, and larch stands. From these results based on the amount and the proportion of N and P in soil, we could assume that N and P from the both pine and larch stands may contribute the deterioration of water quality of Daechung Reservoir.