Effect of ginger and P6 acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized controlled study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of ginger with P6 acupressure in preventing and treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in cancer patients.

METHOD

A total of 172 participants were randomly divided into the control, ginger, acupressure, and joint groups, who were hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February and September 2022. The baseline characteristics, nausea, vomiting, and retching, benefit finding, functional living index-emesis, treatment satisfaction, and adverse reaction, were used in data collection.

RESULTS

No significant difference was found in benefit finding and adverse reactions among the four groups (P > 0.05). Ginger significantly improved delayed CINV and function living index-nausea (P < 0.05) but had no significant effect on acute CINV, retching, and delayed vomiting, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction (P>0.05). Acute nausea and retching, delayed nausea, vomiting, and retching, functional living index-emesis, and treatment satisfaction were effectively improved in the acupressure and joint groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Ginger with P6 acupressure may contribute to improving CINV in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation based on MEDICODE

BACKGROUND

The participation of providers and patients in medical communication is the core element of shared decision making. Furthermore, web-based pharmaceutical care consultation is increasingly necessary, welcomed and popular.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation, so as to form the promotion strategy for both parties' participation.

METHODS

Data of pharmacist-patient encounters was obtained from the online platform 'Good Doctor Website' from March 31, 2012 to June 22, 2019. MEDICODE was employed to analyze the participation of pharmacists and patients in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation using dialogue ratio, the preponderance of initiative, and dialogical roles (information provider, listener, instigator and participant).

RESULTS

This study included 121 pharmacist-patient encounters which discussed 382 specifically named medications. On average, 3.75 specific themes were discussed per medication. Among the 29 specific themes observed, 16 were initiated primarily by patients and 13 by pharmacists, 22 were primarily monologue, 6 were primarily dialogue, and 1 was a combination of the two. Pharmacists and patients were information providers or listeners in most content theme categories, such as possible main effect, possible adverse effect, instructions, warnings, adherence, designation, and observed adverse effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmacists and patients exchanged less drug-related information in web-based pharmaceutical care consultation. The exchange had more patient-dominated behaviors and more of a monologue. Furthermore, pharmacists and patients were mainly information providers or listeners in communication. The participation of both parties was insufficient.

Maternal heart rate variability patterns associated with maternal hypotension and non-reassuring fetal heart rate patterns following initiation of combined spinal-epidural labor analgesia: a prospective observational trial

BACKGROUND

We evaluated whether baseline maternal heart rate variability (HRV), including the Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI), is associated with maternal hypotension and fetal heart rate (FHR) abnormalities following combined spinal-epidural (CSE) labor analgesia.

METHODS

Laboring women were enrolled in this prospective observational study. The primary endpoint was maternal hypotension. The secondary endpoint was FHR abnormalities within 30 min following CSE analgesia initiated with intrathecal plain bupivacaine 1.0 mg and fentanyl 20 µg. The maternal ANI, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and FHR tracings were recorded 15 min before and 30 min after CSE. Parturients were grouped based on presence of hypotension and FHR abnormalities. Patient demographics and HRV metrics were compared. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed for the prediction of hypotension and FHR abnormalities.

RESULTS

No significant intergroup differences were detected in patient characteristics. Several baseline HRV metrics and ANI differed significantly between the normotensive (n = 50) and hypotensive (n = 31) groups and between parturients showing FHR abnormalities (n = 19) and those showing reassuring FHR traces (n = 62). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for predicting hypotension of the baseline low-frequency (LF)/high-frequency (HF) ratio was 0.677 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.80), and that of the ANI was 0.858 (95% CI 0.78 to 0.94). For predicting non-reassuring FHR patterns, the AUC of the LF/HF ratio was 0.77 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.89), and that of the ANI was 0.833 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The ANI can predict the propensity for maternal hypotension and non-reassuring FHR patterns following CSE.

Endoscopic treatment for calcific tendinitis of the gluteus medius: A case report and review

Tendon calcification is a common disease, with the shoulder rotator cuff being the most common site. However, calcific tendinitis of the gluteus medius has rarely been reported. This study reports the case of a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with calcific tendinitis of the gluteus medius and experiencing right lateral hip pain with no apparent trigger. After unsuccessful conservative treatment, hip endoscopy was performed on this patient, allowing for a clear view of a “toothpaste-like” lesion in the gluteus medius tendon. A shaver was used to remove the lesion. After 8 weeks and 14 months of follow-up, the patient could return to regular daily and social activities. This study shows that endoscopic surgery can lead to effective, rapid recovery and minimally invasive clinical outcomes in patients with tendon calcification near the hip joint.

The relationship of α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase with 1-year outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage: A retrospective study

Background and aims

Cardiac enzymes are recognized as a valuable tool for predicting the prognosis of various cardiovascular diseases. The prognostic value of alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH) in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) was ambiguous and not evaluated.

Methods

Two hundred and thirteen Chinese patients with ICH participated in the study from December 2018 to December 2019. Laboratory routine tests and cardiac enzymes, including α-HBDH level, were examined and analyzed. All the patients were classified into two groups by the median value of α-HBDH: B1 <175.90 and B2 ≥175.90 U/L. The clinical outcomes included functional outcome (according to modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3), all-cause death, and recurrent cerebro-cardiovascular events 1 year after discharge. Associations between the α-HBDH and the outcomes were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Univariate survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.

Results

Of the 213 patients, 117 had α-HBDH ≥175.90 U/L. Eighty-two patients had poor functional outcomes (mRS≥3). During the 1-year follow-up, a total of 20 patients died, and 15 of them had α-HBDH ≥175.90 U/L during the follow-up time. Moreover, 24 recurrent events were recorded. After adjusting confounding factors, α-HBDH (≥175.90) remained an indicator of poor outcome (mRS 3-6), all-cause death, and recurrent cerebro-cardiovascular events. The ORs for B2 vs. B1 were 4.78 (95% CI: 2.60 to 8.78, P = 0.001), 2.63 (95% CI: 0.80 to 8.59, P = 0.11), and 2.40 (95% CI: 0.82 to 7.02, P = 0.11) for poor functional outcomes with mRS ≥ 3, all-cause death, and recurrent cerebro-cardiovascular events, respectively.

Conclusion

Increased α-HBDH at admission was independently related to poor functional outcome and all-cause mortality in patients with ICH at 1-year follow-up.

Toxic effect of fracturing flow-back fluid on Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia, and specific industry microorganisms Aspergillus niger and S. cerevisiae

Previous studies have shown that the soil microbial population and soil enzyme activity are seriously affected by fracturing flow-back fluid (FFBF) from the shale gas mining process. However, the toxic effect of FFBF on specific bacteria, fungi, and plankton has not been systematically confirmed in detail. In this paper, a toxic effect evaluation of FFBF was conducted using the representative toxicity test organisms Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia, Aspergillus niger, and S. cerevisiae, indicating that FFBF can significantly decrease the survival rate of these species. The results also showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the concentration of some inorganic toxicity factors and the survival rate when Daphnia was used as the test organism, indicating that the toxicity degree order for these inorganic toxicity factors is Ba²⁺ > Li⁺ > As³⁺ > Cl^- > Cu²⁺ > Rb²⁺ > Ga²⁺ > V²⁺ > Na⁺. In addition, other toxic factors, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were also determined, and the order of toxic effects with a negative correlation to the Daphnia survival rate was confirmed. These results showed that the biological toxicity of FFBF was caused not only by inorganic toxicity factors such as heavy metals but also by organic compounds such as PAHs. The results not only provide a significant reference value for the systematic assessment of biological toxicity by FFBF, but they also have great significance for developing approaches to appropriate FFBF treatment.

Rhein inhibits endometriosis by targeting microRNA-135

Endometriosis is a serious human gynecological disorder of women of reproductive age. The present study was designed to explore the therapeutic implications of rhein in the management of endometriosis. The results showed that rhein significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the proliferation of endometrial stroma cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Besides, the rhein treated endometrial stroma cells showed significantly (p<0.05) lower migration and invasion, in vitro. Transwell and wound healing assays showed that rhein also suppressed the migration and invasion of the endometrial stroma cells. Rhein was shown to target miR-135 at the molecular level to exert its anti-proliferative effects against the human endometrial stroma cells. Conversely, overexpression of miR-135 could nullify the anti-proliferative effects of rhein. Taken together, the findings of the present study highlight the therapeutic utility of rhein against human endometriosis. However, more in vivo studies are required.

Predictive value of the apolipoprotein B/A1 ratio in intracerebral hemorrhage outcomes

Background and Aims

The apolipoprotein B (apoB)/apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) ratio is a key indicator in predicting future cardiovascular outcomes. However, it is still unclear whether the ratio of apoB/apoA1 is a better predictor of the outcomes after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationships between the ratio of apoB/apoA1 and functional outcomes, all‐cause mortality, and stroke recurrence in ICH patients.

Methods

Two hundred and sixteen Chinese ICH patients participated in this study from December 2018 to December 2019. Laboratory routine tests including hematology analysis, coagulation tests, and lipid levels were examined. The clinical outcomes included functional outcomes evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale score (mRS), all‐cause death, and stroke recurrence 1 year after discharge. Associations between the apoB/apoA1 ratio and the outcomes were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Based on multivariate analysis, we constructed a nomogram. Univariate survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan–Meier method and log‐rank test. All the patients were classified into two groups by the median value of the apoB/apoA1 ratio: B1 < 0.8 and B2 ≥ 0.8.

Results

Of the 216 patients, 107 had an apoB/apoA1 ratio ≥ 0.8. Eighty‐five patients had poor functional outcomes (mRS ≥ 3), and 32 patients had severe functional outcomes (mRS ≥ 4). During the 1‐year follow‐up, a total of 18 patients died, and 13 patients had apoB/apoA1 ratio levels ≥0.8 during the 1‐year follow‐up period. Moreover, 16 recurrent strokes were recorded. Adjustments for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, body mass index, lipid levels, and hematoma site and volume showed that a high apoB/apoA1 ratio was significantly related to adverse functional outcomes and all‐cause mortality. The ORs for B2 versus B1 were 3.76 (95% CI: 1.37 to 10.40, p = 0.010), 22.74 (95% CI: 1.08 to 474.65, p = 0.044), and 7.23 (95% CI: 1.28 to 40.88, p = 0.025) for poor functional outcomes with mRS ≥ 3, mRS ≥ 4, and all‐cause mortality, respectively.

Conclusion

An increased apoB/apoA1 ratio at admission was independently related to poor functional outcome and all‐cause mortality in ICH patients at the 1‐year follow‐up.

LncRNA-SNX17 Promotes HTR-8/SVneo Proliferation and Invasion Through miR-517a/IGF-1 in the Placenta of Diabetic Macrosomia

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has become a worldwide problem in recent years. Macrosomia, a primary consequence of GDM, has short-term and life-long consequences in the offspring of mothers with GDM. Our previous study showed that miR-517a was dysregulated in placenta and plasma of fetal growth restriction through inhibiting invasion of trophoblast and might be closely related with the regulation of birth weight by the placenta. To further investigate the mechanism of miR-517a, we conducted genome-wide microarray profile of lncRNAs. lncRNA-SNX17 was found to be significantly upregulated in the placenta of diabetic macrosomia by qRT-PCR, and the expression of miR-517a and IGF-1 were measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Interestingly, significant inverse correlations of the miR-517a with both lncRNA-SNX17 and IGF-1 expression were revealed in the placenta of diabetic macrosomia. Bioinformatic prediction also revealed that both lncRNA-SNX17 and IGF-1 possessed binding sites for miR-517a, which were then confirmed by luciferase report assay. LncRNA-SNX17 overexpression reduced the expression of miR-517a and increased the IGF-1 expression in HTR-8/SVneo human trophoblast cell line and thus enhanced the proliferation of HTR-8/SVneo. The enhancement of HTR-8/SVneo proliferation by lncRNA-SXN17 could be nullified by co-transfection of miR-517a mimics. The data suggested that lncRNA-SNX17 might promote the trophoblast proliferation through miR-517a/IGF-1 pathway and might play a role in the placentation of diabetic macrosomia.

Effect of curcumin on the viability of SKOV3 cells and its probable mechanism of action

Purpose: To study the influence of curcumin on the survival of SKOV3 cells and the potential molecular mechanism of action. Methods: SKOV3 cell proliferation was measured using MTT assay. Gene expression levels were assayed using QRT-PCR assay, while protein expression was determined with western blotting. Results: Cell viability was reduced by curcumin at doses of 20, 40 and 80 μM (p < 0.05) in a dose-based fashion. Protein expression levels of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 were upregulated by curcumin, while Bcl-2 protein level was downregulated (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that curcumin inhibits cell proliferation by promoting the protein expressions of pro-apoptotic genes (Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9) while suppressing Bcl-2 protein level. Therefore, curcumin might be a novel alternative therapy for ovarian cancer.

Withaferin A downregulates COX-2/NF-κB signaling and modulates MMP-2/9 in experimental endometriosis

Purpose: To study the effect of withaferin A on an experimentally-induced endometriosis (EM) model. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were induced EM by implantation of autologous endometrium. Rats in the treatment group were administered withaferin A orally for 30 days. A separate group of rats that was administered gestrinone (GTN) served as positive control. Results: Withaferin A treatment reduced the spherical volume of the ecto-uterine tissue was following five weeks after implantation. Histological analysis revealed regression of the lesions and restoration of normal architecture. Withaferin A effectively down-regulated the expressions and activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 2 and 9 in the ectopic endometrium. The activities of MMPs-2 and 9 significantly (p<0.05) decreased from 1.79- and 1.65-fold to 1.08- and 1.1-fold, respectively. The EM- induced up-regulation of NF-κB/COX-2 signaling was down-regulated by withaferin A. The levels of Cox-2 decreased significantly (p < 0.05) from 198 % in EM control rats to 122.7 % in 150 mg withaferin A treated EM-induced rats. The increased levels of major inflammatory mediators nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α, Interleukins (IL) - IL-1β and IL-6, markedly (p < 0.05) were reduced by withaferin A treatment, when compared to EM control group. Conclusion: Withaferin A effectively suppresses the proliferation of lesions and modulates the immune responses-associated expressions of COX-2, NF-κB and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), viz, MMP- 2 and MMP-9

An ML-Based Classification Scheme for Analyzing the Social Network Reviews of Yemeni People

The social network allows individuals to create public and semi-public web-based profiles to communicate with other users in the network and online interaction sources. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., are prime examples of the social network, which enable people to express their ideas, suggestions, views, and opinions about a particular product, service, political entity, and affairs. This research introduces an Machine Learning-based (ML-based) classification scheme for analyzing the social network reviews of Yemeni people using data mining techniques. A constructed dataset consisting of 2000 MSA and Yemeni dialects records used for training and testing purposes along with a test dataset consisting of 300 Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Yemeni dialects records used to demonstrate the capacity of our scheme. Four supervised machine learning algorithms were applied and a comparison was made of performance algorithms based on Accuracy, Recall, Precision and F-measure. The results show that the Support Vector Machine algorithm outperformed the others in terms of Accuracy on both training and testing datasets with 90.65% and 90.00, respectively. It is further noted that the accuracy of the selected algorithms was influenced by noisy and sarcastic opinions.

Evaluation of the Z-score accuracy of noninvasive prenatal testing for fetal trisomies 13, 18 and 21 at a single center

OBJECTIVE

To assess the correlation between Z-scores of positive noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) results and the positive predictive value (PPV) of NIPT.

METHODS

Pregnancies with positive NIPT results at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre between July 2017 and May 2020 were included in this study. Fetal karyotyping or microarray analysis was provided to patients with abnormal NIPT results for confirmatory testing. Logistic regression analyses was applied to study the relationship between the Z scores and the PPV performance. The optimal cutoff values for indicating fetal common trisomies were obtained based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and then the PPV were calculated in pregnancies with positive NIPT results at Z-score greater than or equal to cutoff value and in patients with a Z-score between 3 and cutoff value respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 214 pregnancies with positive NIPT results for fetal common trisomies were validated by invasive prenatal diagnosis and follow up in this study. Of these, NIPT indicated trisomy 13 in 25 cases, trisomy 18 in 54 cases and trisomy 21 in 135 patients. Logistic regression analyses showed a significant association (p < 0.05) between the Z-scores and true positive results for T21 and T18. For T13, the significant association was not observed (p > 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cutoff Z-score for indicating fetal trisomies 13, 18, and 21 were 6.889, 7.574 and 6.612 respectively, and the corresponding area under curve were 0.706, 0.916, and 0.954. In this cohort with abnormal NIPT results, the cutoff values revealed a sensitivity of 96.8% and a specificity of 90% for indicating trisomies 21, and a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 92.6% for trisomies 18. However, probably due to the sample size, the sensitivity and specificity for indicating trisomy 13 were lower (85.7% and 61.1%) than that for trisomies 21 and 18. The PPVs in pregnancies with positive NIPT results at Z-score greater than or equal to cutoff value were 99.18% (121/122) for trisomy 21, 92.31% (24/26) for trisomy 18 and 46.15% (6/13) for trisomy 13. In patients with a Z-score between 3 and cutoff Z-score, the PPV of NIPT for trisomies 21, 18, and 13 were 30.77% (4/13), 10.71% (3/28), and 8.33% (1/12) respectively. Moreover, by classifying Z scores as 3 ≤ Z < 5, 5 ≤ Z < 10, and Z ≥ 10, the majority of Z scores were above 10 with a PPV of 99% for T21 and just 5.2% were between 3 and 5 with a PPV of 14.3%. In contrast for T18, over a third of tests had Z scores between 3 and 5. The PPV in this group is just over 5%.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results show that the PPV performance of NIPT for fetal trisomies 13, 18, and 21 are closely associated with Z-score. The higher the Z-score, the greater the likelihood that the aneuploidy result is correct. Our experience in evaluating the Z-score accuracy of NIPT in this study could be of use in similar work.

[Study on HPLC-characteristic chromatogram for evaluation of quality of Scutellaria Extract and influencing factors of preparations]

This work was carried out to establish and validate the specific characteristic chromatography of Scutellaria Extract and evaluate the quality of commercial Scutellaria Extract and optimize production process parameters. Scutellaria Extract and formulation samples collected from different manufacturers were analyzed using HPLC-characteristic chromatogram. The HPLC characteristic peaks were considered to be the index for the parameters optimization in preparations of Scutellaria Extract. The chemical pattern recognization was applied for the analysis of characteristic peak data. The established characteristic fingerprint method possessed a good precision, repeatability, and stability. Ten common characteristic peaks were determined and identified in the specific chromatogram of 31 batches of Scutellaria Extract and 4 batches of formulation. The process parameters influenced the characteristic peaks area significantly. The similarity analysis results showed that after removing baicalin peak, the similarity of the characteristic chromatography of 9 samples were less than 0.90, indicating that the quality of commercial Scutellaria Extract was inconsistent. Non-parametric test result showed that the relative peaks area of the number 4, 6, 7 characteristic peaks had significant differences(P&lt;0.05), indicating the differences of the Scutellaria Extract quality were mainly reflected in the characteristic peaks 4, 6 and 7(norwogonin-7-O-glucuronide, oroxylin A-7-O-glucuronide, wogonoside, respectively). The cluster analysis accurately classified 31 extract samples and 4 formulation samples into five categories based on 10 characteristic peaks. The quality of Scutellaria Extracts was comprehensively evaluated and ranked by PCA. The result showed that the higher content of baicalin, the score value of quality(F value) was lower, and the quality of the Scutellaria Extract should be evaluated by multi-components instead of a single baicalin component. The optimized characteristic peaks method is stable and reliable. It is advantageous for the extract and formulations integrative quality control by combining the chemical pattern recognization.

Association of follicle stimulating hormone receptor promoter with ovarian response in IVF-ET patients

BACKGROUND

Poor ovarian response phenomenon has been observed in some of the in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer patients. Some investigations found that follicle stimulating hormone receptor ( FSHR ) gene plays a role in the process, but no direct evidence shows the correlation between genotypes of FSHR and ovarian response.

OBJECTIVE

Exploring the molecular mechanism behind the mutation of FSH R promoter association with ovarian granulosa cells and poor ovarian response.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross sectional study was performed using 158 women undergoing the controlled short program ovarian stimulation for IVF treatment. The 263 bp DNA fragments before the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor 5' initiation site were sequenced in the patients under IVF cycle, 70 of which had poor ovarian response and 88 showed normal ovarian responses.

RESULTS

With a mutation rate of 40%, 63 in 158 cases showed a 29(th) site G→A point mutation; among the mutated cases, the mutation rate of the poor ovarian responders was significantly higher than the normal group (60% versus 23.9%; χ2=21.450, p<0.001). Besides, the variability was also obvious in antral follicle count, and ovum pick-ups. The estradiol peak values and the number of mature eggs between the two groups had significant difference. However, there was no obvious variability (t=0.457, p=0.324) in the basic FSH values between the two groups (normal group, 7.2±2.3 U/L; mutation group, 7.1±2.0 U/L).

CONCLUSION

The activity of FSHR promoter is significantly affected by the 29(th) site G→A mutation that will weaken promoter activity and result in poor response to FSH.

Attitude of medical students towards occupational safety and health: a multi-national study

BACKGROUND

Work-related diseases contribute immensely to the global burden of diseases. Better understanding of attitudes of health care workers towards occupational safety and health (OSH) is important for planning.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the attitude of medical students towards OSH around the globe.

METHODS

A questionnaire assessing the attitude towards OSH was administered to medical and paramedical students of 21 Medical Universities across the globe. In the current study 1895 students, aged 18-36 years, from 17 countries were included. After having performed a principal components analysis, the associations of interest between the identified components and other socio demographic characteristics were assessed by multivariate linear regression.

RESULTS

Principal component analysis revealed 3 components. Students from lower and lower-middle-income countries had a more positive attitude towards OSH, but the importance of OSH was still rated higher by students from upper-income countries. Although students from Asian and African continents showed high interest for OSH, European and South-Central American students comparatively rated importance of OSH to be higher. Paramedical students had more positive attitude towards OSH than medical students.

CONCLUSION

The attitude of students from lower-income and lower-middle-income towards importance of OSH is negative. This attitude could be changed by recommending modifications to OSH courses that reflect the importance of OSH. Since paramedical students showed more interest in OSH than medical students, modifications in existing health care system with major role of paramedics in OSH service delivery is recommended.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Coregonus autumnalis

The complete mitochondrial genome of Coregonus autumnalis is determined in this study. The mitogenome is 16,736 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and a D-loop region. The overall base composition of the H-strand is 26.73% A, 29.44% C, 18.14% for G and 25.69% for T. The G+C content is 47.58%. In this article, the mitochondrial genome sequencing for Coregonus autumnalis is carried out for the first time.

Transcriptome profiling of the cancer and adjacent nontumor tissues from cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients by RNA sequencing

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the world. The discovery of vital diagnostic and therapeutic markers against cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) would broaden our understanding on the molecular basis of CSCC. In this study, we thoroughly analyzed the transcriptome of CSCC and matched adjacent nontumor (ATN) tissue. RNA sequencing was performed to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of three pairs of CSCC and ATN tissues. Functional enrichment analysis was used to uncover the biological functions of DEGs. Protein interaction network was carried out to reveal interaction of DEGs. Quantitative real-time PCR was conducted to validate the expression of DEGs. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the relationship between clinicopathological parameters of CSCC and DEGs. There were a total of 347 significantly common DEGs in the three paired examples, including 104 consistent upregulated and 148 consistent downregulated DEGs. The 347 DEGs were categorized into 73 functional categories by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis suggested six significantly signal pathways. The protein interaction network uncovered three important DEGs, including retinol dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12), ubiquitin D (UBD), and serum amyloid A1 (SAA1). We found that RDH12 expression was decreased in 74.5 % of CSCC tissues. RDH12 expression was negatively associated with tumor size and depth of cervical invasion. The UBD was overexpressed in 61.7 % of CSCC tissues and was positively related with tumor size and lymphatic metastasis. The SAA1 protein was overexpressed in 57.4 % of CSCC tissues and was positively related with clinicopathological parameters of tumor size, lymphatic metastasis, and depth of cervical invasion. The RDH12, UBD, and SAA1 genes might participate in the progression of CSCC.

Pulmonary MALT lymphoma: A case report and review of the literature

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is an extranodal low-grade B-cell lymphoma. Pulmonary MALT lymphoma is considered to originate from bronchial MALT and is also referred to as bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Pulmonary MALT lymphoma is a rare disease, but it is the most frequent subset of primary pulmonary lymphoma. The median age at diagnosis of pulmonary MALT lymphoma is 50–60 years, with only few patients aged <30 years. This is the case report of a 19-year-old patient with pulmonary MALT lymphoma presenting with a multiple pulmonary consolidation pattern on computed tomography scans, who underwent successful chemotherapeutic treatment with a chlorambucil-based regimen.

Gas Sensing Performance of Multiple-shell Hollow Silver and Hematite Composite Microspheres

In this report, multiple-shell hollow silver and hematite composite microsphere has been prepared by using carbonaceous saccharide microsphere as template. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The core size and shell thickness of hollow spheres obtained can be manipulated by changing the concentration of metal salt. The unique multiple-shell hollow silver and hematite composite microspheres may be potentially used as gas-sensor materials for detecting various toxic gases.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjc.v12i0.163 Mongolian Journal of Chemistry Vol.12 2011: 7-15

Facile synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of Sm(OH)3 nanorods

Samarium hydroxide (Sm(OH)₃) nanorods with enhanced photocatalytic activity to degrade RhB were prepared by a facile precipitation method.

Implementation of ERP in Human Resource Management

In 1999, Peter Drucker said: “A new Information Revolution is well under way. It is not a revolution in technology, machinery, techniques, software or speed. It is a revolution in concepts.” As a result of information technology (IT) innovation and reorganization, enterprise resource planning (ERP) was proposed by the Gartner Group in the early 1990s. It is a successor to manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) and attempts to unify all departmental systems together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database so that the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other (Koch, 2002). Over 60% of the U.S Fortune 500 had adopted ERP by 2000 (Kumar, & Hillegersberg, 2000; Siau, 2004), and it was projected that organizations’ total spending on ERP adoptions was an estimated $72.63 billion in 2002 (Al-Marshari, 2002). Many scholars have recognized the importance of people in organizations, and this viewpoint is the central focus of the human resource management (HRM) perspective (Pfeffer, 1995). In this perspective, HRM has the potential to be one of the key components of overall enterprise strategy. Additionally, HRM may provide significant competitive advantage opportunities when they are used to create a unique (i.e., difficult to imitate) organizational culture that institutionalizes organizational competencies throughout the organization (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). Typically, an ERP system supports HRM, operation and logistics, finance, and sales and marketing functions (Davenport, 1998) (see Figure 1). But the early development stage of ERP in enterprises was all along with the center of production and sales course. Until recently, research has empirically supported the positive relationship between corporate financial performance and HRM function, and managers have also realized that HRM can deliver organizational excellence and competitive advantage for enterprises (Boudreau & Ramstad, 1997; Huselid, 1995; Wright, McMahan, Snell, & Gerhart, 2001). The HRM module was introduced into ERP, forming a highly integrated and efficient resource system with the other function modules of ERP. However, there are still many HRM-related problems that may result in the failure of ERP projects arising. So, there have been regular appeals to scholars for more research about the implementation of ERP systems in the HRM perspective in the last few years (Barrett & Mayson, 2006). This article introduces the functions of an HRM module in ERP systems from the fields of human resource planning, recruitment management, training management, time management, performance management, compensation management, and business trip arrangement. Then it analyzes five HRM-related problems that may block the enterprises from implementing ERP successfully, and it provides reasonable recommendations. Finally, the article discusses future trends and suggests emerging research opportunities within the domain of the topic.

High-resolution X-ray microdiffraction analysis of NaOH-treated dentin

Various kinds of basic chemicals interact with dentin directly in different clinical conditions. However, owing to the lack of appropriate models and technology, it is still not known how the mineral components of dentin react to these chemicals. The technology of high-resolution X-ray microdiffraction, in combination with scanning electron microscopy, has been applied to study the microstructure and minor crystallographic changes in a longitudinal dentin section before and after chemical treatment. Phase analysis was performed; the crystal sizes at two dentin sections were calculated from the reflections (002) and (211), and the crystal orientations of reflections (222), (213) and (002) were compared before and after treatment. The results show an inhomogeneity of the microstructure in dentin between the coronal and the root regions and that they react differently to basic treatment. In particular, NaOH treatment causes a change in crystal sizes and disorder.

Comparison of EC and BC and evaluation of dust aerosol contribution to light absorption in Xi'an, China

The concentrations of EC, BC and dust aerosols were determined for atmospheric samples collected from an observation station in Xi'an, China. The results show that the averaged correlation coefficient between EC and BC was founded to be 0.72 with 0.81 (n = 49) in autumn, 0.70 (n = 112) in winter and 0.69 (n = 57) in spring, respectively. Absorption coefficients of dust aerosol were estimated to be 2.7 m(2) g(-1) in autumn and 4.4 m(2) g(-1) in winter. The comparison of absorption coefficients of dust aerosol with those of BC implies that BC is the principal light-absorbing aerosol over Xi'an atmosphere. By combining thermal analysis of elemental carbon and dust contents in the aerosol samples, however, the fraction of dust absorption to total light absorption is estimated to be 19% in autumn and 31% in winter, respectively.