Preparation and properties of a novel covalently bonded energetic boron powder and its composite

Promoting the ignition of boron powders in propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics has been a promising research direction. In this paper, a new strategy for covalently bonded energetic boron powders was designed. Specifically, 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATZ) were used as grafting molecules, and then acidification, carbamation and ureylene addition were performed serially on the surface of the boron particles. The reaction conditions were optimized using infrared (IR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). At lower temperatures, the addition of carbamation or ureylene can improve the yield and stability of isocyanate and urea groups. The chemical composition, microstructure and surface properties of the boron powders were analyzed with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and contact angle (CA) analysis, respectively. The covalent bonding type was confirmed by the typical peaks at 155.7 and 157.5 ppm in the ¹³C NMR spectra of the intermediate isocyanate-grafting boron powders (TB) and target product triazole-grafting boron powders (TTB). The static water contact angles on the surfaces of TB and TTB were 148.3° and 37.0°, respectively. Influences of surface modification of boron powders on the rheological properties of boron/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) composites were investigated. Moreover, the prepared samples were characterized by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to investigate the thermal stability and reaction activity, and the results showed that this grafting strategy could significantly reduce the critical reaction temperature of B/KNO₃. Consequently, it is anticipated that the modified boron powders can potentially be used in propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics with high impulses.

Promoting the ignition of boron powders in propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics has been a promising research direction.

[Operative treatment of delayed acetabular fractures through combined anterior and Kocher-Langenbeck approaches]

Objective: To discuss the clinical outcomes of treating delayed acetabular fractures by combined anterior and posterior approach. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 31 delayed acetabular fractures from February 2012 to February 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, including 18 males and 13 females with age of 48.5 years(23 to 67 years) .The injury to the operation time was 35.9 days(22 to 183 days). Of these 31 cases, there were 6 cases of transverse and posterior wall fracture, 8 cases with anterior column+ posterior half transverse fracture, 12 cases with double column fracture and 5 cases of "T" type fracture according to Letournel-Judet classification.All fractures were treated combined anterior and Kocher-Langenbeck approaches, including 13 cases of ilioinguinal approach+ Kocher-Langenbeck(K-L approach), 4 cases of extensile acetabular approach, 7 cases of stoppa approach + K-L approach and 7 cases of side rectus femoris approach.Correlation was analyzed by Pearson correlation regression testing. Results: Follow up to August 2017, all patients were followed up with 36.0 months(from 6 to 55 months). As calculated, the restorational effect was positively with result of the X-ray film and the clinical effect(r=0.823, 0.856; both P<0.05). The evaluation was conducted with Matta's reduction criteria: there were 11 cases classified as anatomic reduction(35.5%), 13 cases as satisfactory reduction(41.9%), and 7 cases as unsatisfactory reduction(22.6%). Excellent and good rate was 77.4%. Functional reductions were categorized by the standard of Matta hip score: 8 excellent cases(25.8%), 11 good cases(35.5%), 8 fail cases(25.8%), and 4 poor cases(12.9%). Conclusion: The treatment of delayed acetabular fracture by combined anterior and posterior approach can fully exposure the anterior and posterior acetabular fcloumns, which is beneficial to the release and fixation of the old acetabular fractures.

Thermal and mechanical reinforcement of a novel paraffin-based hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder containing a three-dimension (3D) diurea-paraffin wax (DU-PW) for prevention of PW leakage

Leakage of paraffin wax (PW) is a major concern in the development of polymer bonded explosive (PBX) systems because it relates to the amount of PW that can be used as a desensitizer or a fuel, which, in turn, affects the mechanical performance and tolerance of PBX in high-temperature environments. Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binders significantly contribute desirable polymer features to PBX. Thus, a three-dimension (3D) high-temperature non-flowing diurea-paraffin wax (DU-PW) composite was synthesized and creatively employed to a HTPB binder. DU-PW/PW/HTPB composites with different contents of the 3D DU-PW phase change material (PCM) were prepared through a cast molding process. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results demonstrate that these composites can show high phase-change enthalpies and good thermal reliability. As observed from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs, adding DU-PW can clearly reduce the number of holes caused by the leaked PW on the fracture surface of DU-PW/HTPB. Moreover, the addition of DU-PW can remarkably reduce the leakage of PW and improve the thermal stability as well as mechanical properties of the PW-based HTPB. These observations present the potential of utilizing form-stable PCM (FSPCM) to solve the problem of PW leakage in PBX systems.

The metastasis status and tumor burden-associated CA125 level combined with the CD4/CD8 ratio predicts the prognosis of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: A new scoring system

INTRODUCTION

Although CA125 and the tumor immune response have been reported to be associated with pancreatic cancer, their prognostic value for advanced pancreatic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy remain uncertain. We thus studied the prognostic value of the combination of the CA125 level with the CD4/CD8 ratio.

METHODS

After excluding patients who were lost to follow-up or for whom complete clinical data were missing, 369 participants were ultimately examined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox hazards model, and Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank tests were used for the comparison of survival rates.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that a high CA125 level and a high CD4/CD8 ratio were independent prognostic factors (CA125 ≥ 35 U/ml, Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.90, p < 0.001; CD4/CD8 ≥ 1.8, HR = 1.37, p = 0.004). Moreover, after combining the CA125 level and CD4/CD8 ratio to form a new scoring system, the HR was substantially elevated (CA125 ≥ 35 U/ml and CD4/CD8 ≥ 1.8, score 2, HR = 2.76, 95% confidence interval: 2.04 to 3.74, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A new scoring system based on the combination of the CA125 level with the CD4/CD8 ratio could further predict the prognosis of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

[Expression of Oct4 and Sox2 and their clinical significance in tongue squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate Oct4 and Sox2 protein expression in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and the relationships between the expressions of Oct4 and Sox2 and clinical pathological characteristics and survival of patients. Methods: The paraffin imbedded tissue specimens of 51 patients with histologically confirmed TSCC were included. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the protein expression of Oct4 and Sox2 in 51 TSCC tissue samples. The protein expression levels of Oct4 and Sox2 and their relationships with both clinicopathological features and survival of patients with TSCC were evaluated. Results: In 51 TSCC cases,positive expressions of Oct4 and Sox2 were mainly located in the nucleus of tumor cells. The expression of Oct4 was strongly positive in 27 cases (53%), weakly positive in 16 (31%) and negative in 8 (16%), whereas that of Sox2 was strongly positive in 25 cases (49%), weakly positive in 22 (43%) and negative in 4 (8%). Oct4 and Sox2 expression levels were significantly correlated with the histological grade of TSCC (P=0.004, P=0.006, respectively), not correlated with age, gender, T stage, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption status (P>0.05), but Oct4 expression level was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.001). Sox2 expression level was not associated with lymph node metastasis (P>0.05). The expression of Sox2 was significantly correlated with Oct4 (P<0.001). Oct4 and Sox2 expression was associated with poor overall survival of patients with TSCC (P=0.001, P=0.002, respectively), cases with higher Oct4 and Sox2 expression had the poorest overall survival (P<0.001). Sox2 expression and lymph node metastasis were independent prognostic factors of overall survival in patients with TSCC (P=0.02, P=0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Sox2 had independent prognostic effects on overall survival, suggesting that Sox2 expression may be an usefull indicator for predicting the prognosis of patients with TSCC.

Tanshinone IIA ameliorates chronic arthritis in mice by modulating neutrophil activities

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune inflammatory disease mediated by the influx of immune cells into the synovial joint space. As Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, we used the adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) murine model of RA to investigate the impact of TIIA on RA and immune cell activation. The anti-arthritic activity of TIIA was investigated in an adjuvant-induced arthritis model of RA in mice. Myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase expression levels were assessed in ankle joints by immunohistochemistry analysis. Immune cell infiltration was evaluated in air pouch experiments. Proinflammatory cytokines expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were assessed by immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Treatment with TIIA alleviated cartilage erosion and neutrophil infiltration in the ankle joints of AA mice and reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression levels in sera. TIIA suppressed interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α expression and release in neutrophils and promoted neutrophil apoptosis. TIIA also inhibited the NET formation of neutrophils. Our findings demonstrated that TIIA can ameliorate RA effectively by targeting neutrophils, indicating that TIIA may act as a potential therapeutic for RA.

[The adhesion separation operation with CO₂ laser combined withtriamcinolone acetonide vocal cord submucosal injection for the treatment to vocal cord adhesion]

Objective:To investigate the effect of adhesion separation operation with CO₂ laser via prop-up laryngoscope combine with triamcinolone acetonide submucosal injection via electrolaryngoscope to vocal cords adhesion.Method:Sixteen cases of vocal cord adhesion patients(2 cases of children,14 cases of adult) were enrolled in the study. Fourteen patients had the history of surgery(Reinke edema,vocal polyp,pediatric laryngeal papilloma,laryngeal cancer),2 cases were diagnosed as laryngeal tuberculosis. Adhesion separation operation and triamcinolone acetonide submucosal injection(once a week,three weeks) were conducted. All patients were examined with electronic laryngoscope every month for six monthes.Result:Fourteen patients had good triangle shape of glottis vocalis and good sound voice. One cases of laryngeal cancer and 1 cases of laryngeal tuberculosis patients still had adhesion in the anterior commissure of the vocal cords,but with the improvement in breathing and pronunciation.Conclusion:Adhesion separation operation with CO₂ laser via prop-up laryngoscope combine with triamcinolone acetonide submucosal injection via electrolaryngoscope were effective for treatment to vocal cord adhesion,whichimprove the patient's breathing and voice with little trauma and few complications.

Uncovering the spatial heterogeneity of Ediacaran carbon cycling

Records of the Ediacaran carbon cycle (635-541 million years ago) include the Shuram excursion (SE), the largest negative carbonate carbon isotope excursion in Earth history (down to -12‰). The nature of this excursion remains enigmatic given the difficulties of interpreting a perceived extreme global decrease in the δ¹³ C of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. Here, we present carbonate and organic carbon isotope (δ¹³ C_carb and δ¹³ C_org ) records from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation along a proximal-to-distal transect across the Yangtze Platform of South China as a test of the spatial variation of the SE. Contrary to expectations, our results show that the magnitude and morphology of this excursion and its relationship with coexisting δ¹³ C_org are highly heterogeneous across the platform. Integrated geochemical, mineralogical, petrographic, and stratigraphic evidence indicates that the SE is a primary marine signature. Data compilations demonstrate that the SE was also accompanied globally by parallel negative shifts of δ³⁴ S of carbonate-associated sulfate (CAS) and increased ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio and coastal CAS concentration, suggesting elevated continental weathering and coastal marine sulfate concentration during the SE. In light of these observations, we propose a heterogeneous oxidation model to explain the high spatial heterogeneity of the SE and coexisting δ¹³ C_org records of the Doushantuo, with likely relevance to the SE in other regions. In this model, we infer continued marine redox stratification through the SE but with increased availability of oxidants (e.g., O₂ and sulfate) limited to marginal near-surface marine environments. Oxidation of limited spatiotemporal extent provides a mechanism to drive heterogeneous oxidation of subsurface reduced carbon mostly in shelf areas. Regardless of the mechanism driving the SE, future models must consider the evidence for spatial heterogeneity in δ¹³ C presented in this study.

[The specificity and limitations of sacroiliac joint magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis in patients with chronic low back pain]

Objective: To evaluate the specificity and limitations of sacroiliac joint magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA)in patients with chronic low back pain. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 390 patients with chronic low back pain in Department of Rheumatology, the PLA General Hospital from January 2013 to December 2015, including clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations and MRI data of sacroiliac joints. Results: There were 238 men and 152 women recruited. A total of 326 cases were diagnosed as axial SpA, including 216 men and 110 women with mean age (27.10±8.64) years and mean duration (7.64±3.50) months. Among these 326 patients, 243 (74.5%) were HLA-B₂₇ positive. The other 64 patients were considered as diagnoses rather than SpA (non-SpA), consisting of 22 men and 42 women with mean age (31.29±7.76) years and mean duration (5.75±2.90)months. Non-SpA group had 10 (15.6%) patients with HLA-B₂₇ positive. There were 68.1% and 65.0% SpA patients showing bone marrow edema and bone erosion of sacroiliac joint in MRI imaging respectively. Although there were 25.0% non-SpA patients with bone marrow edema and 7.8% with bone erosion in MRI of sacroiliac joint, the scores of bone marrow edema 0.00(0.00, 0.75) and bone erosion [0.00(0.00, 0.00)] were significantly lower compared with those in axial SpA group [bone marrow edema scores 2.00(0.00, 4.00), bone erosion scores 1.00(0.00, 3.00); P<0.05]. The scores of fat infiltration [1.00(0.00, 4.25), 1.00(0.00, 4.00)] and bone sclerosis [0.00(0.00, 1.00), 0.00(0.00, 1.75)] were not statistically different between two groups. Diagnostic sensitivity of bone marrow edema and bone erosion for axial SpA were 56.4% and 64.1% respectively, specificity were 93.8% and 92.2% respectively. The positive predictive value of bone marrow edema and bone erosion for axial SpA were 9.09 and 8.21, negative predictive value were 0.46 and 0.38.Diagnositic sensitivity of fatty infiltration and bone sclerosis for axial SpA group were 29.1% and 57.7%, specificity were 64.1% and 46.9%.The positive predictive value of fatty infiltration and bone sclerosis for axial SpA were 0.81 and 1.08, negative predictive value were 1.10 and 0.90. Conclusion: Sacroiliac joint MRI is a valuable method to diagnose axial SpA in patients with chronic low back pain. Yet it still has some limitations. Clinical presentations and spinal MRI would be helpful in some patients.

Analysis of rectal injuries resulting from laparoscopic peritoneal vaginoplasty (Luohu operation)

OBJECTIVE

To explore the causes of rectal injuries during laparoscopic peritoneal vaginoplasty (Luohu operation) and assess measures that can be taken to increase safety of the operation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data of patients with rectal injuries that occurred during Luohu vaginoplasty were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

Three hundred and six patients received Luohu vaginoplasty. Rectal injuries occurred in 13 patients (4.2%). All patients recovered after intraoperative repair or postoperative rectovaginal fistula repair, performed within three to six months. Full display of the anatomical structures at the bottom of the pelvic cavity and successful construction of the vaginal tunnel are the two most important requirements for reducing the risk of rectal injury in laparoscopic vaginoplasty. In repair of fistulae postoperatively, it is important that resection of tissues or scars around the fistulae be avoided in order to reduce the chance of a injuries caused by diverting colostomy or colostomy closure.

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic vaginoplasty is a generally safe procedure, but rectal injury can occur. Retaining the tissues or scars around the rectovaginal fistula can be successfully repaired, either when they are recognized during the operation or within a few months postoperatively.

Antihyperglycemic and Antioxidant Activity of Fructus hordei Germinatus Extract on Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats

Purpose: To explore the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects of Fructus Hordei Germinatus extract (FHGE) in diabetic rats.Methods: The aqueous extract of FHG was obtained by steeping the dried Fructus Hordei Germinatus in water at 60oC three times, each for 1 h before first drying in an oven and then freeze-drying the last extract thus obtained. Antihyperglycemic effect was measured by blood glucose and plasma insulin levels. Oxidative stress was evaluated in liver and kidney by antioxidant markers, viz, lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), while blood serum levels of creatinine and urea were also determined in both diabetic control and treated rats.Results: Compared with diabetic rats, oral administration of FHGE at a concentration of 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg daily for 45 days showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose (p < 0.05) and increased insulin (p < 0.05) level,. Furthermore, it significantly reduced biochemical parameters (serum creatinine and serum urea, p < 0.05)). The treatment also resulted in significant increase in GSH, GPx (p < 0.05), SOD and CAT (p < 0.05), as well as decreased LPO (p < 0.05) level in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats.Conclusion: The results suggest that FHGE may effectively normalize the impaired antioxidant status in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in a dose-dependent manner. FHGE has a protective effect against lipid peroxidation by scavenging free radicals and is thus capable of reducing the risk of diabetic complications.Keywords: Fructus hordei Germinatus, Diabetic, Antihyperglycemic, Lipid peroxidation, Antioxidant, Fasting blood glucose, Creatinine, Urea

Copy number variations of HLA-I and activation of NKp30 pathway determine the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells

Nude mice are important in vivo model for characterization of cell malignancy behavior; however, many cancer cells fail to form tumors in it. Understanding this defective mechanism may provide novel insights into tumorigenesis and how tumor cells escape innate immunity. Whole-genome sequencing was conducted on two gastric cancer (GC) cells, BGC823 and AGS, which do and do not form tumors in nude mice, to identify their genomic differences relevant to natural killer (NK) cells. We found that the tumorigenic capacity of human GC cell lines was dependent on the recruitment and activation of NK cells in xenograft tumors. We used whole-genome sequence (WGS) on GC cell lines to identify potential genes controlling susceptibility to NK-mediated killing. The tumorigenic cell line BGC823 expressed high levels of HLA-I because of copy gain and was resistant to NK cell killing. In contrast, another cell line AGS expressing low levels of HLA-I with activated NKp30/MAPK/IL-12 (interleukin-12) or IL-2 (interleukin-2) pathway was susceptible to NK lysis. Treatment of tumor bearing mice with systemic administration of IL-12 in combination with intratumor injection of anti-HLA-I antibody significantly increased NK cell recruitment into xenograft tumors, which became sensitive to NK killing, resulting in reduced tumor progression. In human GC specimens, decreased HLA-I expression and increased NK cells surrounding tumor cells were correlated with decreased metastasis potential and better prognosis of patients. Our results provide a mechanistic basis for GC cells to escape NK lysis and a promising prospect of NK immunotherapy for GC cells.

Robot Path Planning Based on Improved A* Algorithm

Due to the characteristic that A* algorithm takes a long time when traversing an OPEN table and a CLOSED table, an improved method is proposed that is a new way of array storing in an OPEN table and a CLOSED table. Compared to the original A* algorithm, the way of array storing accesses the array elements by locating the number ranks each time you visit a specified element, which can be done by only one operation. The original A* algorithm requires the traverse of multiple nodes in order to find a specified element. The experimental results show that the comparison of the improved A* algorithm with the original A* algorithm shows that the operating efficiency is improved by more than 40%. Based on the improved A* algorithm the method preserves the advantages of the original A* algorithm, improving the operating efficiency of A* algorithm.

Adiposity and blood pressure among 55 000 relatively lean rural adults in southwest of China

Obesity is a strong determinant of blood pressure. Uncertainty remains, however, about which indices of adiposity most strongly predict blood pressure, particularly among those who were relatively lean, such as those from rural China. We analyzed cross-sectional data on 55 687 (38.3% men) participants aged 30–79 years who were enrolled into the China Kadoorie Biobank from a rural county in southwest of China during 2004–2008. Measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were related to blood pressure in multivariable linear regression analyses. The overall mean values of BMI, WC, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 23.3 kg m⁻², 78.0 cm, 129.2 mm Hg and 77.2 mm Hg, respectively. There was a strongly positive, and apparently linear, relationship of BMI and WC with blood pressure, with 1 s.d. higher BMI associated with 4.3/2.3 mm Hg higher SBP/DBP and 1 s.d. WC associated with 3.8/2.1 mm Hg (P<0.0001). Additional adjustment for WC only slightly attenuated the association of BMI with blood pressure, whereas additional adjustment for BMI almost completely eliminated the association of WC with blood pressure. Our findings suggest that in relatively lean Chinese adults, general adiposity is more strongly assciated with blood pressure than central adiposity.

Learning Human Actions by Combining Global Dynamics and Local Appearance

In this paper, we address the problem of human action recognition through combining global temporal dynamics and local visual spatio-temporal appearance features. For this purpose, in the global temporal dimension, we propose to model the motion dynamics with robust linear dynamical systems (LDSs) and use the model parameters as motion descriptors. Since LDSs live in a non-Euclidean space and the descriptors are in non-vector form, we propose a shift invariant subspace angles based distance to measure the similarity between LDSs. In the local visual dimension, we construct curved spatio-temporal cuboids along the trajectories of densely sampled feature points and describe them using histograms of oriented gradients (HOG). The distance between motion sequences is computed with the Chi-Squared histogram distance in the bag-of-words framework. Finally we perform classification using the maximum margin distance learning method by combining the global dynamic distances and the local visual distances. We evaluate our approach for action recognition on five short clips data sets, namely Weizmann, KTH, UCF sports, Hollywood2 and UCF50, as well as three long continuous data sets, namely VIRAT, ADL and CRIM13. We show competitive results as compared with current state-of-the-art methods.

Dynamic layer rearrangement during growth of layered oxide films by molecular beam epitaxy

The A(n+1)B(n)O(3n+1) Ruddlesden-Popper homologous series offers a wide variety of functionalities including dielectric, ferroelectric, magnetic and catalytic properties. Unfortunately, the synthesis of such layered oxides has been a major challenge owing to the occurrence of growth defects that result in poor materials behaviour in the higher-order members. To understand the fundamental physics of layered oxide growth, we have developed an oxide molecular beam epitaxy system with in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering capability. We present results demonstrating that layered oxide films can dynamically rearrange during growth, leading to structures that are highly unexpected on the basis of the intended layer sequencing. Theoretical calculations indicate that rearrangement can occur in many layered oxide systems and suggest a general approach that may be essential for the construction of metastable Ruddlesden-Popper phases. We demonstrate the utility of the new-found growth strategy by performing the first atomically controlled synthesis of single-crystalline La3Ni2O7.

Associations of blood glucose and prevalent diabetes with risk of cardiovascular disease in 500 000 adult Chinese: the China Kadoorie Biobank

AIMS

To examine the relationship of self-reported diabetes, and of random blood glucose levels among individuals without known diabetes, with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Chinese adults.

METHODS

We examined cross-sectional data from the China Kadoorie Biobank of 0.5 million people aged 30-79 years recruited from 10 diverse regions of China in the period 2004-2008. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios of prevalent cardiovascular disease associated with self-reported diabetes, and with measured random blood glucose levels among participants with no history of diabetes, adjusting simultaneously for age, sex, area, education, smoking, alcohol, blood pressure and physical activity.

RESULTS

A total of 3.2% of participants had self-reported diabetes (men 2.9%; women 3.3%) and 2.8% had screen-detected diabetes (men 2.6%; women 2.8%), i.e. they had no self-reported history of diabetes but a blood glucose level suggestive of a diagnosis of diabetes. Compared with individuals without a history of diabetes, the odds ratios associated with self-reported diabetes were 2.18 (95% CI 2.06-2.30) and 1.88 (95% CI 1.75-2.01) for prevalent ischaemic heart disease and stroke/transient ischaemic attack, respectively. Among participants without self-reported diabetes there was a positive association between random blood glucose and ischaemic heart disease and stroke/transient ischaemic attack prevalence (P for trend <0.0001). Below the diabetic threshold (<11.1 mmol/l) each additional 1 mmol/l of random blood glucose was associated with 4% (95% CI 2-5%) and 5% (95% CI 3-7%) higher odds of prevalent ischaemic heart disease and stroke/transient ischaemic attack, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In this adult Chinese population, self-reported diabetes was associated with a doubling of the odds of prevalent cardiovascular disease. Below the threshold for diabetes there was still a modest, positive association between random blood glucose and prevalent cardiovascular disease.

Analysis of the association of COL2A1 and IGF-1 with mandibular prognathism in a Chinese population

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we performed a case-control association analysis to determine whether the candidate genes COL2A1 and IGF-1 are susceptibility genes for mandibular prognathism (MP).

METHODS

Eleven and five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in COL2A1 and IGF-1, respectively, were selected and genotyped in 211 cases and 224 controls. The individual SNPs and the relevant haplotypes were analyzed and tested for an association with MP, to identify genes potentially associated with MP.

RESULTS

In the analysis of individual SNPs, the SNP rs1793953 in the COL2A1 gene showed a possible association with MP with regard to allelic frequency and genotypic distribution (p = 0.031; p = 0.025, respectively) in the 211 cases and 224 controls. The A allele of rs1793953 was associated with a significantly decreased risk of MP (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58-0.97). Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis revealed that MP was not associated with haplotypes that included the rs1793953 alleles. IGF-1 gene did not show the association with MP.

CONCLUSION

An association between polymorphism in the COL2A1 gene and MP was observed. The results suggested that the COL2A1 gene could be a new susceptibility gene for use in the study of genetic risk factors for MP.

Forty-eight-week retrospective study of telbivudine and lamivudine treatment in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine 600 mg/day compared with lamivudine 100 mg/day for 48 weeks of treatment in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis. Data were reviewed retrospectively from 165 hepatitis B-related cirrhotic patients (55 compensated patients and 110 decompensated) who received antiviral therapy with telbivudine or lamivudine. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss and seroconversion, histological improvement and various adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. Baseline characteristics were comparable. ALT levels declined but showed no significant difference in treatment with telbivudine or lamivudine (P > 0.05). Reduction in serum HBV DNA levels was evident by week 4 in compensated HBV-related cirrhosis patients (telbivudine, 2.34 log10 copies/mL; lamivudine, 2.07 log10 copies/mL; P = 0.02) and persisted by week 8. Patients administrated with telbivudine had slightly greater HBeAg loss and seroconversion than patients with lamivudine, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Accumulative HBeAg loss was seen at week 48 (25.0% vs 25.0% and 13.3% vs 10.0% for telbivudine vs lamivudine in compensated and decompensated cirrhotic groups, respectively), as well as HBeAg seroconversion (15.0% vs 8.3% and 8.9% vs 6.7%). Mean Knodell Histologic Activity Index scores decreased in both compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients (3.92 vs 3.64, 3.85 vs 3.73, for telbivudine vs lamivudine). Telbivudine and lamivudine were both well tolerated with minor AEs. The results of this study support telbivudine as an effective therapy for patients with both compensated and decompensated HBV-related cirrhosis.

SU-E-T-407: Freedom from Conventional: Application of RapidArc for SBRT Lung Treatments

PURPOSE

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been applied in treating early stage small lung lesions, delivering hypofractionated doses in a conformai manner. Studies have shown that SBRT has similar outcomes compared with surgery. Conventionally, SBRT lung treatments rely on utilization of multiple small, conformai, static fields in coplanar and non- coplanar arrangements. With the advent of RapidArc, it is important to evaluate the differences in dosimetry and delivery of conformai SBRT lung treatments for both conventional static field and VMAT techniques.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 12 patients at our institution who have received SBRT for primary lung lesions was used to evaluate the application of RapidArc for such cases. Originally treated plans utilized eight to ten conformai static coplanar and non-coplanar fields. RapidArc plans were generated in Eclipse using single and multiple arc setups.

RESULTS

As an ntensity-modulated modality, RapidArc provides greater freedom as compared to conventional static field delivery, as one can achieve dose uniformity throughout the PTV or replicate the dosimetry synonymous with conventional SBRT. RapidArc is capable of reproducing the high conformality achieved by conventional SBRT; dual arc plans, delivering uniform dose distributions, yielded an average CI100% of 1.11 and D2cm maximum of 63% of the prescribed dose, compared to 1.33 and 77% (p- values of .002 and .005, respectively) for conventional SBRT. Application of a short, non-coplanar arc, in conjunction with dual coplanar arcs, improved sparing of OARs in direct proximity of the PTV at the expense of treatment time. RapidArc allows for faster treatment delivery; conventional SBRT delivery averages 13.7 minutes at our institution, whereas coplanar dual arcs are estimated to average treatment durations of 4.2 minutes.

CONCLUSIONS

RapidArc is capable of generating conformai dose distributions and sparing of OARs, allows greater freedom in plan optimization, and reduces treatment time significantly.