LINC00839 Promotes the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Sponging miR-1236-3p

In this paper, LINC00839 expression in gastric cancer (GC) was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. The function of LINC00839 in GC was detected by loss of function assays. Luciferase assays was performed to confirm the interaction between LINC00839 and miR-1236-3p. Then we investigated the regulatory effect of LINC00839 on miR-1236-3p. The results confirmed that the expression level of LINC00839 in GC was significantly up-regulated. LINC00839 could promote GC cell proliferation, mobility, and invasion. The detection of luciferase reporter gene confirmed that LINC000839 could bind to the binding site of miR-1236-3p. Our findings suggest that LINC00839 promotes GC progression through sponging miR-1236-3p.

Strong anisotropic nodal lines in the TiBe family

Using first-principles calculations and k·p model analysis, we find that Dirac nodal lines (DNLs) exist in low energy band structures of real materials of the body-centered cubic TiBe family.

[A clinical analysis of 123 cases of primary empty sella]

Objective: This study was conducted to analyze the clinical characteristics and pituitary function of patients with primary empty sella (PES). Methods: The clinical data from 123 hospitalized adult patients with PES from January 2010 to May 2016 were retrospectively studied. Results: (1) The average age of the 123 (male 43, female 80) PES patients was (59.2±13.6) years (ranging 24-92 years), among whom 61% patients were in the age group between 50-69 years. (2) The symptoms of the patients included fatigue (56.1%), headache (34.1%), nausea and vomiting (17.9%), gonadal dysfunction (17.1%), visual disturbance (5.7%) and hypopituitarism crisis (3.3%). (3) Hypopituitarism was found in 66 of the 123 patients. Among them, 36.6%, 31.7% and 17.1% were central hypoadrenalism, hypogonadism, and hypothyroidism, respectively.The percentage of hypopituitarism in complete PES was significantly higher than that in partial PES (P<0.05). (4) Sixteen patients were concomitant with other autoimmune diseases including 11 patients with Graves' disease and 2 with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal adenoma. Conclusions: The incidence of hypopituitarism in PES was 53.7%, in which the pituitary-adrenal axis hypofunction was more common. An overall evaluation of the pituitary function was essential for the patients who had headache and fatigue, or with suspected PES. The patients with hypopituitarism should be given hormone replacement therapy in time and followed up afterword.

Sulfur/bamboo charcoal composites cathode for lithium–sulfur batteries

Herein, sulfur/bamboo charcoal (S/BC) composites with a sulfur content of 57.7 wt% were prepared by melt–diffusion method as cathode materials for Li–S batteries.

Survival analysis approach to insect life table analysis and hypothesis testing: with particular reference to Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko)) populations

The goal of this paper is to examine and demonstrate that survival analysis, which has been a de facto standard in biomedical research since the 1990s but has not been widely adopted in entomology yet, should possess similar potential in entomological research. The following three objectives are set to achieve this goal: (i) addressing a fundamental issue - censoring or incomplete observations; (ii) demonstrating the application of survival analysis to analyze insect life tables; and (iii) applying survival analysis for hypothesis testing. The data used to demonstrate the applications is from our laboratory experiments, which recorded the development, survival and reproduction of 1800 Russian wheat aphids (Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), RWA) under 25 treatments of temperature and plant-growth stage. With regard to the first two objectives, besides examining the near ubiquitous existence of censoring in insect population research, we constructed and analyzed life tables of 1800 RWA individuals with survival analysis. We further demonstrate that there could be very significant differences in life table parameters, such as median development times with and without considering censoring. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recognition in entomology that censoring, which is hardly avoidable, can cause significant systematical bias (ranging between 4-25%; table 1) in insect development data analysis. As for the third objective, the study shows that four statistics from survival analysis can be applied to testing the effects of covariates, such as temperature and plant-growth stage, on development and survival of the Russian wheat aphid. The advantages of survival analysis include the handling of censored observations, survival probabilities in the form of rigorous survivor function vs. simple survival rates, dynamic modeling of covariates effects on development and survival with a unified model structure, etc. The methods demonstrated in this article should also be useful for entomological research beyond insect demography, such as bioassay, assessment of natural enemies, the studies of insect behaviors, etc.

A new modelling approach to insect reproduction with same-shape reproduction distribution and rate summation: with particular reference to Russian wheat aphid

Same-shape distribution model and rate summation approach are widely used to describe the insect developmental process. In this approach, by integrating a nonlinear deterministic developmental rate model and a probabilistic same-shape distribution model, the proportion of the cohort completing development is quantified as a function of accumulating developmental rates, which themselves are temperature dependent. This method is considered to be more accurate in modelling insect phenology because it can address a well-known biological fact, individual variability, that insect individual developmental rates respond to temperature differently, and because rate-summation essentially simulates developmental rates under variable temperatures instead of constant temperatures. By comparing insect development and reproduction with respect to their responses to temperatures, we argue for the extension of the same-shape and rate-summation approaches to modelling insect reproduction process under variable temperatures. We justify our arguments by the fact that individual variation universally exists in almost all biological characteristics, and the phenomenon that insect development and reproduction respond to temperature very similarly, which is supported by some endocrinological evidences reported in literature. In addition, the approach for testing the applicability of the original same-shape developmental modelling, experimentally verifying the sameness of the same-shape curves or that the shape of the curves is invariant with respect to the temperature regimes, equally applies to our extended version for reproduction modelling. We successfully tested the extension and its applicability with our experimental data of 1800 Russian wheat aphids' (RWA) (Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko)) reproduction under various temperature and plant growth stage regimes. We also extended Taylor's (1981) nonlinear model for insect development to describe RWA mean (median) nymphal production under different temperatures and barley plant growth stages. Three same-shape distribution models, Weibull distribution, Stinner's model and logistic model, are used to construct the same-shape reproduction distribution models for RWA. The extensions performed in this paper contribute a new modelling approach for predicting insect reproduction under field variable temperatures and plant growth stages. The prediction model can be parameterized with data from typical laboratory demography experiments and further integrated into simulation models for insect population dynamics. Finally, we discussed why the sameness test of the same-shape distribution curves is sufficient in validating the approach and proposed a strategy for dealing with exceptional cases where the sameness test fails.

Congenital lumbosacral limb duplication: a case report

We report a case of congenital lumbosacral limb duplication at the pelvis, lower limb, and foot of a 4-year-old boy. The patient presented with a supernumerary lower limb joined at the lumbosacral region by a bony connection. A pseudo-navel and a pseudo-penis were found on the supernumerary limb and foot duplication was noted at the end. Radiography and a 3-dimensional computed-tomography reconstruction revealed duplication of an inversely oriented pelvis dorsal to the normal pelvis, semi-vertebrae in T7 to T9, thoracolumbar scoliosis, lumbosacral vertebral dysplasia, and dislocation of the left hip. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a tethered spinal cord and an adipoma in the sacral canal. Motor conduction velocity was reduced in the left peroneal nerve. Surgery to remove the supernumerary limb was successfully performed. The patient recovered well and further surgery is planned for functional reconstruction of the left lower limb.

[Bone and joint revision surgery after limb salvage procedure of malignant bone tumor]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the indications for revision surgery after limb salvage procedure of malignant bone tumor and summarize the experiences in revision surgery.

METHODS

From January 1994 to December 1997, 8 cases were re-operated after primary limb salvage procedure. The average survival period with no-tumor occurrence was 8 years. The common causes for the revision were traumatic osteoarthritis, fracture, and bone resorption. The main difficulties in revision were soft tissue contracture and limb discrepancy from limb shortening.

RESULTS

In this study, there was total hip replacement in 1 case, large segmental allograft for reconstruction of distal femur in 3 cases, total knee replacement upon composite of previously transplanted allograft in 3 cases, removing of intramedullary nail and re-internally fixed with intramedullary nail in 1 cases. The isotopic bone scan before the revision showed active bone metabolism in all 4 transplanted segmental allograft. The pathologic study of the transplanted allograft after revision confirmed new bone formation in allograft. The revision procedure reduced the pain, and improved the limb function.

CONCLUSION

The main causes of revision surgery after limb salvage procedure of malignant bone tumor are fracture of transplanted allograft segment or devitalized tumor segment, and poor function of the affected joint. Constrained knee prostheses with rotating hinges or semi-constrained ball-axis resurfacing knee prostheses improve the function of knee joint postoperatively.