Understanding electro-catalysis by using density functional theory

DFT calculations are indispensable for understanding the electro-catalysis through explanation of the experimental phenomena, prediction of experimental results, and guiding of the experimental investigation.

[The relationship between the key nasal symptoms and the level of histamineand leukotriene D4 in serum and nasal secretions in allergic rhinitis]

Objective:To investigate the relationship between main nasal symptoms and the levels of histamine and leukotriene D4(LTD4) in serum and nasal secretions in allergic rhinitis(AR),and provide a preliminary guidance for individualized treatment in AR.Method:One hundred and eight cases of AR were divided into two groups,i.e.sneezing group and nasal congestion group,according to 2014 clinical guidelines for allergic rhinitis from January 2014 to June 2015.The levels of histamine and LTD4 in serum and nasal secretions were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and the relationship was explored between the clinical main nasal symptoms score and the levels of histamine and LTD4.Result:The scores of sneezing(5.58±2.59)for AR were obviously related to the levels of histamine in serum(8.39±4.07)ng/ml and nasal secretion(5.06±2.47)ng/ml,(r=0.79,0.78,all P<0.05).The scores of nasal congestion(5.34±2.36) for AR were also related to the levels of LTD4 in serum(0.356±0.155 ng/ml) and nasal secretion(0.215±0.092)ng/ml,(r=0.74,0.72,all P<0.05).And the levels of histamine(8.39±4.07)ng/ml and LTD4(0.356±0.155) ng/ml in serum for AR patients were positively correlated with the levels in nasal secretions(r=0.99,P<0.01;r=0.98,P<0.01).Conclusion:In AR patients,the high levels of histamine and LTD4 in serum and nasal secretions are closely related to the sneezing symptoms and nasal obstruction symptoms,respectively.

[Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type: a clinical analysis]

Objective:To explore the clinical diagnosis and treatment characteristics and clinical factors of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type and provide the basis for clinical individual therapy and experience.Method:The 25 cases personal data of ENKTL received from December in 2009 to July in 2016 by our department including clinical manifestation, the serum EBV-DNA detection, imaging examination, Ann-Arbor staging, histological grade, treatment, and prognosis, etc. were retrospectively analyzed. All of the patients were pathological diagnosis and received standard, specification and system treatment. Single factor survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test, and multivariate analysis was carried out using Coxproportional hazard model in the risk assessment about the factors affecting the prognosis of clinical.Result:Of the 25 patients, 15 cases(60%) were in stage ⅠE-ⅡE, which 1 year and 3 years (overall survival) OS were 100%, 100% respectively and 10 cases(40%) were in stage ⅢE-ⅣE, which 1 year and 3 years OS were respectively 40.0%, 26.7%. It had significant statistical difference (P= 0.000). Radiotherapy alone in 3 cases which 1 year and 3 years OS were respectively 100%, 100%;Chemotherapy alone in 6 cases, which 1 year and 3 years OS were 53.6% and 53.6%, respectively; 16 cases of comprehensive treatment combined radiation and chemotherapy which 1 year and 3 years OS are 84.6% and 84.6% respectively. There were significant difference between three kinds of treatment model (P= 0.027), and chemotherapy alone had the worst prognosis. Further multivariate analysis using Coxproportional hazard model showed that the course of the disease, B symptoms, EBV-DNA copy number positive, treatment mode closely associated with the prognosis (P were 0.006, 0.003, 0.010, 0.040 respectively).Conclusion:Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type invasive is strong, the overall prognosis is poor. For early Ann Arbor staging, low risk and limited to the nasal cavity cases, radiotherapy alone curative effect is better. While for strong attack range or terminal patients, chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy is the first selection. In addition, this result shows that Ann Arbor staging, treatment pattern, the course of the disease, B symptoms, EBV-DNA copy number positive are independent prognostic factors.

Effect of Magnetic Field Strength on Plastic Scintillation Detector Response

Purpose

To characterize the response of plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) to high-energy photon radiation as a function of magnetic field strength.

Materials and Methods

PSDs were placed inside a plastic phantom held at the center point between 2 magnets and irradiated using a 6-MV photon beam from a linear accelerator. The magnetic field was varied from 0 T to 1.5 T by 0.3-T increments. The light emission and stem-effect-corrected response as a function of magnetic field strength were obtained for both a commercial PSD (Exradin W1, Standard Imaging) and an in-house hyperspectral PSD. Spectral signatures were obtained for the in-house PSD, and light emission from a bare fiber was also measured.

Results

Light emission increased as magnetic field strength increased for all detectors tested. The tested PSDs exhibited an increase in light intensity of 10% to 20%, mostly owing to the increase in Cerenkov light produced within and transmitted along the optical fiber. When corrected for stem effects, the increase in PSD response went down to 2.4% for both detectors. This most likely represents the change in the inherent dose deposition within the phantom.

Conclusion

PSDs with a suitable stem-effect removal approach were less dependent on magnetic field strength and had better water equivalence than did ion chambers tested in previous studies. PSDs therefore show great promise for use in both quality assurance and in-vivo dosimetry applications in a magnetic field environment.

Genetic epidemiology of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus circulating in China in 2012-2017 based on spike gene

A porcine epidemic diarrhoea outbreak first occurred in southern China at the end of 2010 and afterwards the disease spread throughout the country. Spike gene is divergent and important for understanding the genetic relations of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus field strains, the epidemiological status of the virus and vaccine development. In this study, S1 regions of spike gene of 1,235 selected strains collected from 2012 to 2017 in China were clustered along with 25 references of spike sequences mainly from China. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that these sequences of S1 regions were genetically more diverse with time. In all strains, G1a, G1b, G2a and G2b clusters accounted for 1.9%, 9.6%, 32.2% and 56.3%, respectively, namely G2a and G2b were the two most prevalent clusters in China. Furthermore, we made a more detailed classification for G2 group based on phylogenetic tree, in which G2a was divided into two subgroups, and G2b was separated into four subgroups.

Different dosages of mifepristone versus enantone to treat uterine fibroids: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 10 mg and 25 mg mifepristone per day compared with 3.75 mg enantone in treating uterine fibroids.

METHODS

This is a Multicenter randomized controlled trial. A total of 501 subjects with symptomatic uterine fibroids were enrolled and randomized into the group of 10mg, 25mg mifepristone and 3.75 enantone (with 307, 102 and 92 subjects respectively), with 458 subjects completed the treatment. Three months of daily therapy with oral mifepristone (at a dose of either 10 mg or 25 mg) or once-monthly subcutaneous injections of enantone (at a dose of 3.75 mg) were used. Change in volume of the largest uterine fibroid was the primary efficacy variable, and secondary efficacy variables included changes in anemia and relevant symptom. Safety evaluation included the analyses of adverse events, laboratory values, and relevant endometrial changes.

RESULTS

After three months of treatment, the mean volume of the largest leiomyoma was significantly reduced by mifepristone 10 mg or 25 mg or enantone 3.75 mg (40.27%, 42.59% and 44.49% respectively) (P < 0.0001). Percentage change from baseline in largest leiomyoma volume was not statistically significant among the three groups (P = 0.1057). Most of the patients in all groups experienced amenorrhea after the treatment. There were also significant elevations in red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit (P < 0.0001), and significant reductions in prevalence of dysmenorrhea, pelvic pressure, non-menstrual abdominal pain (P < 0.0001) in each group, while no significant difference among the three groups.All study medications are well-tolerated, and no serious adverse event was reported. Treatment-related adverse event rate was significantly lower in mifepristone 10 mg group, compared to Enantone 3.75 mg group (13.59% vs. 32.58%, P = 0.0002). In both mifepristone groups, estradiol levels were maintained in the premenopausal range, whereas patients in the enantone group had a significant reduction to postmenopausal levels (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

10mg is as effective as 25mg mifepristone and 3.75 mg enantone with minimal drug-related side effects, and may provide an alternative for clinical application, especially for patient who are in perimenopause with uterine fibroids.

[Diagnosis and surgical reconstruction results for 14 cases of patients with congenital ossicular chain malformation]

Objective:To investigate the diagnosis of common congenital ossicular chain malformation and the efficacy of ossicular chain reconstruction. Method:Fourteen cases with 15 ears of congenital ossicular chain malformation were included, consisting of 10 cases unilateral conductive hearing loss(10 ears), 1 case bilateral conductive hearing loss (2 ears) and 3 cases unilateral mixed hearing loss with significant conductive hearing loss(3 ears). Tympanoplasty was proceed on all 15 ears, 1 ear was proceed by loosen the cartilage fixation of ossicular chain and tympanic cavity wall. Fourteen ears were proceed with ossicular chain reconstruction, including 3 ears with TORP,10 ears with PORP and 1 ear with artificial stapes operation. The efficacy was measured by comparing the values of air bone gap(ABG) before and after the operation. Result:The average ABG of pre-operation was 39.9 dB, the ABG for 3 week and 6 to 8 months after operation were 22.3 dB and 19.6 dB, which were 17.6 dB and 20.3 dB improve respectively(t=22.10, P<0.01 and t=12.813，P<0.01). Conclusion:Operation is the first choice for those conductive hearing loss causing by simple congenital ossicular chain malformation, relevant ossicular chain reconstruction due to particular situation of the surgery can significantly improve hearing.

Cloning and expression of cold-inducible RNA binding protein in domestic yak (Bos grunniens)

Cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRP) is over-expressed during cold and many other stresses, and could regulate the adaptation to hypothermia. In the present investigation, the objective was to determine the expression of CIRP in adult yak heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, ovary, testis and skin by relative quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry from mRNA and protein levels. The CIRP open reading frame encoding was cloned from the domestic yak brain. Results of RT-PCR and Western blot showed the high expression level of CIRP in the heart, kidney, brain, testis and skin, and the lower expression level of CIRP in the lung. Immunohistochemical staining showed CIRP was expressed in the nucleus of neuronal cells, spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and epidermal cells, and in the cytoplasm of the residual tissues. These observations may provide new data to understand and further study the important role of CIRP protein in the plateau adaptation of the domestic yak on long-term evolution.

Association and meta-analysis of HLA and non-obstructive azoospermia in the Han Chinese population

The exact aetiology and pathogenesis of most non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) are still unknown. The previous two genomewide association studies (GWASs) have identified three different loci within the HLA region for NOA in the Han Chinese population, including rs3129878, rs498422 and rs7194. To further validate the risk of three GWAS-linked loci for NOA, we conducted a case-control study of these three risk loci in an independent Han Chinese male population, with 603 NOA patients and 610 controls. Furthermore, we also performed a meta-analysis of five studies on these three NOA-risk loci. The case-control study strongly suggested a significant association between loci rs3129878, rs498422 and rs7194 and NOA (P = 6.75 × 10^-21 (OR = 2.2586), P = 0.0060 (OR = 1.4013) and P = 0.0128 (OR = 1.2626) respectively). Our meta-analyses also supported the susceptibility of these three risk loci to NOA (P < 0.01). The risk variants within the HLA region potentially have a strong effect on males at risk of NOA, and may serve as diagnostic markers for male infertility. However, considering genetic difference between different populations, future validating studies in larger independent samples and animal experiments are suggested.

Design of Hydrogen Storage Alloys/Nanoporous Metals Hybrid Electrodes for Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries

Nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries have demonstrated key technology advantages for applications in new-energy vehicles, which play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the world's dependence on fossil fuels. However, the poor high-rate dischargeability of the negative electrode materials-hydrogen storage alloys (HSAs) limits applications of Ni-MH batteries in high-power fields due to large polarization. Here we design a hybrid electrode by integrating HSAs with a current collector of three-dimensional bicontinuous nanoporous Ni. The electrode shows enhanced high-rate dischargeability with the capacity retention rate reaching 44.6% at a discharge current density of 3000 mA g(-1), which is 2.4 times that of bare HSAs (18.8%). Such a unique hybrid architecture not only enhances charge transfer between nanoporous Ni and HSAs, but also facilitates rapid diffusion of hydrogen atoms in HSAs. The developed HSAs/nanoporous metals hybrid structures exhibit great potential to be candidates as electrodes in high-performance Ni-MH batteries towards applications in new-energy vehicles.

[Clinical analysis of two cases with diffuse pulmonary lymphatic disease]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical characteristics and diagnosis of 2 cases with diffuse pulmonary lymphatic disease.

METHOD

Clinical manifestations of the children were retrospectively analyzed. Two patients were both from Beijing Children Hospital in 2013 and 2014.Diffuse pulmonary lymphatic disease was diagnosed by pathology of pleura in case 1 and by lymphoscintigraphy in case 2.

RESULT

The first patient was a male aged 10-year-5-month who presented with a history of pleural effusion for 2 years. Examination revealed chylothorax and pericardial effusion. After pleural decortications and ligation of thoracic duct was performed, he still had recurrent chylothorax. Pathology of pleura revealed lymphangioma. Physical examination showed diminished breath sound and heart sounds. A bronchoscope revealed too much white viscous secretions. Thorax ultrasound revealed lymphangioma in bilateral lower thoracic cavity and post inferior mediastinum. Chest computed tomography showed diffuse thickening of the interlobular septa and bronchovascular bundle in both lungs, many punctate calcification in the lower field. Abdomen ultrasound revealed a small quantity seroperitoneum. Lymphoscintigraphy revealed radioactivity enhancement in bilateral thoracic cavity. The second patient was a female aged 6 years and 9 months, who presented with a history of recurrent cough for 2 years and 9 months. Physical examination showed normal result. Pulmonary function showed mixed ventilation function disturbance. A bronchoscopy showed extensive viscous secretions. Mediastinum, heart and abdomen were normal on ultrasound. Chest computed tomography showed diffuse thickening of the interlobular septa and bronchovascular bundle in both lungs and bilateral pleural thickening. Lymphoscintigraphy revealed diffuse lymphangiectasis in both lungs. Both patients received a diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary lymphatic disease. Case 1 who had died was diagnosed with diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis. Case 2 had no exacerbation after 9 months' treatment with prednisone.

CONCLUSION

Diffuse pulmonary lymphatic disease might present with cough and shortness of breath and result in diffuse interstitial disease with thickening of the interlobular septa, refractory chylothorax, multiple lymphangioma in mediastinum, pericardial effusion and seroperitoneum. It could be diagnosed by pleura or lung tissue pathology and lymphoscintigraphy.

Contact force-guided catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials

Contact force (CF) sensing technology allows real-time monitoring during catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the effect of CF sensing technology on procedural parameters and clinical outcomes still needs clarification. Because of the inconsistent results thus far in this area, we performed a meta-analysis to determine whether CF sensing technology can improve procedural parameters and clinical outcomes for the treatment of AF. Studies examining the benefits of CF sensing technology were identified in English-language articles by searching the MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases (inception to May 2015). Ten randomized, controlled trials involving 1834 patients (1263 males, 571 females) were included in the meta-analysis (681 in the CF group, 1153 in the control group). Overall, the ablation time was significantly decreased by 7.34 min (95%CI=-12.21 to -2.46; P=0.003, Z test) in the CF group compared with the control group. CF sensing technology was associated with significantly improved freedom from AF after 12 months (OR=1.55, 95%CI=1.20 to 1.99; P=0.0007) and complications were significantly lower in the CF group than in the control group (OR=0.50, 95%CI=0.29 to 0.87; P=0.01). However, fluoroscopy time analysis showed no significantly decreased trend associated with CF-guided catheter ablation (weighted mean difference: -2.59; 95%CI=-9.06 to 3.88; P=0.43). The present meta-analysis shows improvement in ablation time and freedom from AF after 12 months in AF patients treated with CF-guided catheter ablation. However, CF-guided catheter ablation does not decrease fluoroscopy time.