[Abstract unavailable

and Technology) for his assistance in statistical analysis. We also very grateful to many members of the frontline medical staff for their selfless dedication and heroic dedication in the face of this outbreak, despite the potential threat to their own lives and the lives of their families.

China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and the agricultural sector in China is responsible for 17-20% of annual emissions and 62% of total freshwater use. Groundwater abstraction in China has increased rapidly from 10 km 3 yr −1 in the 1950s to more than 100 km 3 yr −1 in the 2000s, such that roughly 70% of the irrigated area in northern China is now groundwater-fed. Pumping of water for irrigation is one of the most energy consuming on-farm processes; however, to date this source of GHG emissions in China and elsewhere has been relatively neglected. We derive the first detailed estimate of GHG emissions from groundwater pumping for irrigation in China, using extensive village survey data from 11 provinces, broadly representative of the situation during the mid-2000s. The 11 provinces cover roughly half of China's irrigated cropland and we upscale to the national level using government statistics for the remaining 20 provinces. Our results show emissions of 33.1 MtCO 2 e, just over half a per cent of the national total. Groundwater abstraction represents an important source of GHG emissions that has been rapidly increasing and which at present is largely unregulated. Water scarcity in China is already driving policies to improve water conservation. These results suggest that significant potential exists to promote the co-benefits of water and energy saving in order to meet national planning targets.

Background/Aims: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are known to home to sites of tumor microenvironments where they participate in the formation of the tumor microenvironment and to interplay with tumor cells. However, the potential functional effects of MSCs on tumor cell growth are controversial. Here, we, from the view of bone marrow MSC-derived exosomes, study the molecular mechanism of MSCs on the growth of human osteosarcoma and human gastric cancer cells. Methods: MSCs derived from human bone marrow (hBMSCs) were isolated and cultured in complete DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10% exosome-depleted fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin-streptomycin, cell culture supernatants containing exosomes were harvested and exosome purification was performed by ultracentrifugation. Osteosarcoma (MG63) and gastric cancer (SGC7901) cells, respectively, were treated with hBMSC-derived exosomes in the presence or absence of a small molecule inhibitor of Hedgehog pathway. Cell viability was measured by transwell invasion assay, scratch migration assay and CCK-8 test. The expression of the signaling molecules Smoothened, Patched-1, Gli1 and the ligand Shh were tested by western blot and RT-PCR. Results: In this study, we found that hBMSC-derived exosomes promoted MG63 and SGC7901 cell growth through the activation of Hedgehog signaling pathway. Inhibition of Hedgehog signaling pathway significantly suppressed the process of hBMSC-derived exosomes on tumor growth. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated the new roles of hedgehog signaling pathway in the hBMSCs-derived exosomes induced tumor progression.

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Matrine has potent antitumor activities in HepG2 cells and may be used as a novel effective reagent in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Macrophages constitute a major component of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. M2 macrophages have been reported to promote tumor progression through promoting tumor angiogenesis and metastasis and regulating T-cell function. Here, we identified a protumorigenic subset of macrophages that constitutively expressed programmed cell death 1 (PD1) and accumulated in advanced-stage gastric cancer (GC). These PD1+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) exhibited an M2-like surface profile, with a significant increase in the expression of CD206, IL-10, and CCL1, and a clear decrease in the expression of MHC class II, CD64, and IL-12 and the ability to phagocytose ovalbumin. Moreover, PD1+ TAMs can suppress CD8+ T-cell function and this immunosuppressive activity can effectively be enhanced upon triggering PD1 signal. GC-derived exosomes effectively educated monocytes to differentiate into PD1+ TAMs with M2 phenotypic and functional characteristics. Together, our results are the first to show that GC-derived exosomes can effectively induce PD1+ TAM generation, and these cells can produce a large number of IL-10, impair CD8+ T-cell function, and thereby create conditions that promote GC progression. Thus, methods in which immunotherapy is combined with targeting PD1+ TAMs and tumor-derived exosomes should be used to restore immune function in GC patients.

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