Spectral modulation of high-order harmonics in relativistic laser-solid interaction

Spectral modulation of high-order harmonics generated in relativistic laser-solid interaction is investigated. Numerical simulations show that the modulation depends on surface plasma density profile, resulting in spectral envelope modulation and regular and irregular harmonic splitting. The mathematical and physical connections between the spectral modulation of high-order harmonics and the temporal modification of attosecond pulse train are explained. Based on these understandings, we propose a possible method to produce isolated attosecond pulses by tailoring surface the plasma profile.

Effects of provisioning on the activity budget and foraging strategies of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China

Provisioning can significantly affect the ranging patterns, foraging strategies, and time budget of wild primates. In this study, we document for the first time, the effects of provisioning on the activity budget and foraging effort in an Asian colobine. Over 3-years, we used an instantaneous scanning method at 10-min intervals to collect data on the activity budget of a semiprovisioned breeding band (SPB) of black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) (42-70 individuals) at Xiangguqing (Tacheng), Yunnan, China. We then compared the effects of provisioning in our study band with published data on a sympatric wild nonprovisioned breeding band (NPB) of R. bieti (ca. 360 monkeys) at the same field site. The SPB spent 25.6% of their daytime feeding, 17.1% traveling, 46.9% resting, and 10.3% socializing. In comparison, the NPB devoted more time to feeding (34.9%) and socializing (14.1%), less time to resting (31.3%), and was characterized by a greater foraging effort (1.74 versus 0.96, foraging effort = (feeding + traveling)/resting; see Methods). There was no difference between bands in the proportion of their activity budget devoted to traveling (15.7% vs. 17.1%). In addition, the SPB exhibited a more consistent activity budget and foraging effort across all seasons of the year compared to the NPB. These findings suggest that the distribution, availability, and productivity of naturally occurring feeding sites is a major determinant of the behavioral strategies and activity budget of R. bieti. Finally, a comparison of our results with data on six nonprovisioned R. bieti bands indicates that caution must be raised in meta-analyses or intraspecific comparisons of primate behavioral ecology that contain data generated from both provisioned and nonprovisioned groups.

Comparison of mNGS and conventional culture in non-organ transplant critically ill patients supported by ECMO: a single-center study

Objectives

Infection is one of the important causes of death in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. At present, there are few articles focused on the detailed analysis of pathogenic microorganisms detected in different therapy periods of critically ill patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Methods

From October 2020 to October 2022, ECMO-assisted patients who underwent multiple times of both metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) test and conventional culture were enrolled continuously in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The baseline data, laboratory test results, and pathogenic microorganisms detected by mNGS and traditional culture in different time periods were recorded and analyzed.

Results

In the present study, 62 patients were included finally. According to whether the patients survived at discharge, they were divided into the survivor group (n = 24) and the non-survivor group (n = 38). Then, according to the different types of ECMO support, they were divided into the veno-venous ECMO (VV ECMO) group (n = 43) and the veno-arterial ECMO (VA ECMO) group (n = 19). The summit period of specimens of traditional culture and mNGS detection of ECMO patients was 7 days after admission, and the largest number of specimens of surviving patients appeared after ECMO withdrawal. The total number of traditional culture specimens was 1,249, the positive rate was 30.4% (380/1,249), and the positive rate of mNGS was 79.6% (82/103). A total of 28 kinds of pathogenic microorganisms were cultured from conventional culture, and 58 kinds of pathogenic microorganisms were detected by mNGS, including Mycobacterium, Rickettsia, and Chlamydia psittaci. In conventional culture, the most frequent Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, and fungi were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Corynebacterium striatum, and Candida glabrata, and those with the highest frequency of occurrence in mNGS detection were Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterococcus faecium, and Aspergillus flavus.

Conclusions

Throughout the whole treatment process, different kinds of suspicious biological specimens of high-infection-risk ICU patients supported by ECMO should undergo both mNGS detection and traditional culture early and repeatedly.

[Comparison of clinical features in antepartum and postpartum HELLP syndrome]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and pregnancy outcomes in antepartum and postpartum hemolysis, elevated live enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome(HELLP syndrome). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to collect maternal and neonatal information of pre-eclampsia complicated with HELLP syndrome in Peking University First Hospital during the ten years from April 2009 to March 2019. A total of 83 pregnant women were included according to the Tennessee Classification System. They were then allocated into two groups based on the onset time of HELLP syndrome: antepartum HELLP syndrome group (n=70) and postpartum HELLP syndrome group (n=13). The clinical features, symptoms, laboratory biomarkers, and pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: Among the 83 pregnant women with HELLP syndrome, 70 occurred prenatally (84%, 70/83) and 13 occurred postpartum (16%, 13/83). The twin or triplet pregnancy rate in the postpartum HELLP syndrome group was significantly higher than that in the antepartum HELLP syndrome group [6/13 vs 6% (4/70), P=0.001]. The gestational weeks for HELLP onset and delivery in the postpartum HELLP syndrome group were significantly later than those in the antepartum HELLP syndrome group [(35.8±3.0) vs (31.5±5.2) weeks, P=0.025; (36.7±2.3) vs (32.2±5.0) weeks, P=0.002]. The incidence of early-onset pre-eclampsia in the antepartum HELLP syndrome group was significant higher than that in the postpartum HELLP syndrome group [64% (45/70) vs 2/13, P=0.002]. The quantitative of 24-hour proteinuria was significant higher in the antepartum HELLP syndrome group than that in the postpartum HELLP syndrome group [(4.8±5.1) vs (1.8±1.6) g, P=0.002]. But there were no statistical significances in the comparison of other laboratory test indexes (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in clinical symptoms, severe maternal complications, transfusion or adverse maternal outcomes (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Antepartum and postpartum HELLP syndrome have similar clinical symptoms and laboratory characteristics. Both antepartum and postpartum HELLP syndrome could lead to severe maternal complications, which should be paid special attention in clinical practice, especially to the postpartum HELLP syndrome.

Analysis of influencing factors for prognosis of patients with ventricular septal perforation: A single-center retrospective study

Background

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a type of cardiac rupture, usually complicated by acute myocardial infarction (AMI), with a high mortality rate and often poor prognosis. The aim of our study was to investigate the factors influencing the long-term prognosis of patients with VSR from different aspects, comparing the evaluation performance of the Gensini score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and European Heart Surgery Risk Assessment System II (EuroSCORE II) score systems.

Methods

This study retrospectively enrolled 188 patients with VSR between Dec 9, 2011 and Nov 21, 2021at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. All patients were followed up until Jan 27, 2022 for clinical data, angiographic characteristics, echocardiogram outcomes, intraoperative, postoperative characteristics and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (30-day mortality, cardiac readmission). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to explore the predictors of long-term mortality.

Results

The median age of 188 VSR patients was 66.2 ± 9.1 years and 97 (51.6%) were males, and there were 103 (54.8%) patients in the medication group, 34 (18.1%) patients in the percutaneous transcatheter closure (TCC) group, and 51 (27.1%) patients in the surgical repair group. The average follow-up time was 857.4 days. The long-term mortality of the medically managed group, the percutaneous TCC group, and the surgical repair group was 94.2, 32.4, and 35.3%, respectively. Whether combined with cardiogenic shock (OR 0.023, 95% CI 0.001–0.054, P = 0.019), NT-pro BNP level (OR 0.027, 95% CI 0.002–0.34, P = 0.005), EuroSCORE II (OR 0.530, 95% CI 0.305–0.918, P = 0.024) and therapy group (OR 3.518, 95% CI 1.079–11.463, P = 0.037) were independently associated with long-term mortality in patients with VSR, and this seems to be independent of the therapy group. The mortality rate of surgical repair after 2 weeks of VSR was much lower than within 2 weeks (P = 0.025). The cut-off point of EuroSCORE II was determined to be 14, and there were statistically significant differences between the EuroSCORE II < 14 group and EuroSCORE II≥14 group (HR = 0.2596, 95%CI: 0.1800–0.3744, Logrank P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Patients with AMI combined with VSR have a poor prognosis if not treated surgically, surgical repair after 2 weeks of VSR is a better time. In addition, EuroSCORE II can be used as a scoring system to assess the prognosis of patients with VSR.

Experimental Demonstration of Efficient Harmonic Generation via Surface Plasma Compression with Lasers

The efficiency of high-order harmonic generation from a relativistic laser interacting with solid targets depends greatly on surface plasma distribution. The usual method of enhancing efficiency involves tuning the plasma scale length carefully by improving the laser contrast. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that efficient harmonics can be achieved directly by compressing large-scale surface plasma via the radiation pressure of a circularly polarized normally incident prepulse. The harmonic generation efficiency obtained by this method is comparable to that obtained with optimized plasma scale length by high-contrast lasers. Our scheme does not rely on high-contrast lasers and is robust and easy to implement. Thus, it may pave a way for the development of intense extreme ultraviolet sources and future applications with high repetition rates.

Smart near infrared-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels for therapeutics and diagnostics

Nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels are emerging biomaterials that possess desirable and defined properties and functions for therapeutics and diagnostics. Particularly, nanoparticles (NPs) are employed as stimulus-transducers in NC hydrogels to facilitate the treatment process by providing controllable structural change and payload release under internal and external simulations. Among the various external stimuli, near-infrared (NIR) light has attracted considerable interest due to its minimal photo-damage, deep tissue penetration, low auto-fluorescence in living systems, facile on/off switch, easy remote and spatiotemporal control. In this study, we discuss four types of transducing nanomaterials used in NIR-responsive NC hydrogels, including metal-based nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials, polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs), and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). This review provides an overview of the current progress in NIR-responsive NC hydrogels, focusing on their preparation, properties, applications, and future prospects.

Identification and characterization of circRNAs in maize seedlings under deficient nitrogen

Here, deep sequencing results of the maize transcriptome in leaves and roots were compared under high-nitrogen (HN) and low-nitrogen (LN) conditions to identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed non-coding RNA with widely regulatory potency that has been identified in animals and plants. However, the understanding of circRNAs involved in responsive nitrogen deficiency remains to be elucidated. A total of 24 and 22 DECs were obtained from the leaves and roots, respectively. Ten circRNAs were validated by divergent and convergent primers, and 6 DECs showed the same expression tendency validated by reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR. Integrating the identified differentially expressed miRNAs, 34 circRNAs could act as miRNA decoys, which might play important roles in multiple biological processes, including organonitrogen compound biosynthesis and regulation of the metabolic process. A total of 51 circRNA-parent genes located in the genome-wide association study identified loci were assessed between HN and LN conditions and were associated with root growth and development. In summary, our results provide valuable information regarding further study of maize circRNAs under nitrogen deficiency and provide new insights into screening of candidate genes as well as the improvement of maize regarding nitrogen deficiency resistance. CircRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression networks were constructed to explore the circRNAs that participated in biological development and nitrogen metabolism.

Type-1 Na+/H+ exchanger is a prognostic factor and associate with immune infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma

AIMS

SLC9A1 plays an important role in the growth, differentiation and glycolysis of tumor cells. The present study aimed to elucidate the correlation between SLC9A1 and tumor immune infiltration.

MAIN METHODS

Expression level of SLC9A1 gene in tumors was identified in GEPIA. The correlation between SLC9A1 and survival in various types of cancers was analyzed by the PrognoScan. SLC9A1 immune infiltration levels and clinical correlation analysis was generated via TIMER and TIMER2.0. KEGG enrichment analysis of SLC9A1 expression was evaluated via STRING.

KEY FINDINGS

We found that, in cancers such as liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), the expression of SLC9A1 was significantly higher in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues, and was significantly associated with poor prognosis. Further analysis showed that SLC9A1 expression in LIHC was significantly positively correlated with immune cell infiltration, and the correlation was the highest for LIHC among 40 cancers. The expression of SLC9A1 is significantly correlated with the immune marker set of most immune cells in LIHC. Furthermore, we found that the expression level of TGF-β (TGFB1) in Tregs showed the highest correlation with the expression of SLC9A1 in LIHC.

SIGNIFICANCE

The increased expression of SLC9A1 is positively correlated with the prognosis of cancer and the level of immune infiltration. Therefore, SLC9A1 is an important prognostic factor for immunotherapy against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Accurate diagnosis of colorectal cancer based on histopathology images using artificial intelligence

BACKGROUND

Accurate and robust pathological image analysis for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis is time-consuming and knowledge-intensive, but is essential for CRC patients' treatment. The current heavy workload of pathologists in clinics/hospitals may easily lead to unconscious misdiagnosis of CRC based on daily image analyses.

METHODS

Based on a state-of-the-art transfer-learned deep convolutional neural network in artificial intelligence (AI), we proposed a novel patch aggregation strategy for clinic CRC diagnosis using weakly labeled pathological whole-slide image (WSI) patches. This approach was trained and validated using an unprecedented and enormously large number of 170,099 patches, > 14,680 WSIs, from > 9631 subjects that covered diverse and representative clinical cases from multi-independent-sources across China, the USA, and Germany.

RESULTS

Our innovative AI tool consistently and nearly perfectly agreed with (average Kappa statistic 0.896) and even often better than most of the experienced expert pathologists when tested in diagnosing CRC WSIs from multicenters. The average area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of AI was greater than that of the pathologists (0.988 vs 0.970) and achieved the best performance among the application of other AI methods to CRC diagnosis. Our AI-generated heatmap highlights the image regions of cancer tissue/cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This first-ever generalizable AI system can handle large amounts of WSIs consistently and robustly without potential bias due to fatigue commonly experienced by clinical pathologists. It will drastically alleviate the heavy clinical burden of daily pathology diagnosis and improve the treatment for CRC patients. This tool is generalizable to other cancer diagnosis based on image recognition.

[Research progress in clinical prognosis of apical overfilling of root canal obturation]

Root canal obturation is conducted by using filling materials to tightly seal the root canal system after the procedure of preparation in order to control infection and promote periapical healing. The quality of root canal obturation is one of the essential factors affecting the prognosis of root canal treatment. Qualified root canal filling is defined as a homogeneous radiographic apical filling within the cemento-dentine junction with neither overfilling nor underfilling. This review elucidates the long-term outcome of root canal overfilling and its causes, the influence of apical overfilling on adjacent structures and the prevention and management of overfilling, so as to help the clinicians achieving a better outcome of root canal treatment and obtaining an optimal long-term prognosis.

Description a new species of the genus Orphnebius Motschulsky, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from Xizang, China

A new species of the genus Orphnebius Motschulsky: Orphnebius lilizheni sp. nov. is described from Xizang, China. All specimens examined in this study were collected from the nest of an ant species Myrmica sp. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). The adults and larvae of the new species are described, figured and compared with its congeners.

[Health status and healthcare service utilization among children born to women with maternal syphilis in Shanghai]

Objective: To assess the health status and health service utilization of children born to syphilis infected mothers during pregnancy, in order to prevent mother-to-child transmission of syphilis to the newborns. Methods: Women with maternal syphilis were studied by trained researchers via phone calls, in Shanghai during 2014-2015. Data related to demographics, status of infection and health care, utilization by both mothers and their children were collected through specifically designed questionnaires. Non-parametric tests including chi-square were used to assess the health status and health service utilization of children born to mothers with different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: A total of 495 children born to mothers with maternal syphilis were recruited from 1 000 syphilis infected parturient women. A total of 61 out of the 495 children were diagnosed as having congenital syphilis (57 children were diagnosed at birth and another 4 were diagnosed during the follow-up period). Children born to women who received syphilis treatment during pregnancy were at lower risk on congenital syphilis (χ(2)=7.214, P=0.027). 37.8% of the children were reported to have had different illnesses in the past three months, mainly involving upper respiratory infections (32.3%) or diarrhea (3.6%). Children diagnosed with congenital syphilis showed a higher prevalence of different kinds of diseases, compared to those without congenital syphilis (47.5% vs. 36.6%). 81.6% of the children had received regular child health care services. Subjects with the following factors as: being immigrant, with lower education, unemployed, unmarried and multipara, were related to the less use of regular child healthcare services. Only 39.7% of the parents would inform the care-takers about the risk of congenital syphilis infection of their own children at the child health care centers. Mothers with residency of Shanghai, having higher education level and employed, were less willing to inform doctors about the risk of congenital syphilis infection of their children. Conclusions: Loss to follow-up among children born to syphilis infected pregnant women remained a serious problem. Few parents would be willing to inform the healthcare takers that their children are at risk of syphilis, when receiving child health care services at the centers. It was necessary to integrate the congenital syphilis follow-up programs into the routine child care services so as to timely diagnose and treat the patients with congenital syphilis.

Antifungal Activity and Physicochemical Properties of a Novel Antimicrobial Protein AMP-17 from Musca domestica

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are cationic small peptide chains that have good antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. AMP-17 is a recombinant insect AMP obtained by a prokaryotic expression system. However, the full antifungal activity, physicochemical characteristics, and cytotoxicity of AMP-17 were previously unknown. AMP-17 was shown to have good antifungal activity against five pathogenic fungi, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 9.375-18.75 μg/ml, and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC) of 18.75-37.5 μg/ml. Notably, the antifungal activity of AMP-17 against Cryptococcus neoformans was superior to that of other Candida spp. In addition, the hemolytic rate of AMP-17 was only 1.47%, even at the high concentration of 16× MIC. AMP-17 was insensitive to temperature and high salt ion concentration, with temperatures of 98°C and -80°C, and NaCl and MgCl₂ concentrations of 50-200 mmol/l, having no significant effect on antifungal activity. However, AMP-17 was sensitive to proteases, trypsin, pepsin, and proteinase K. The elucidation of antifungal activity, physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity of AMP-17 provided an experimental basis for its safety evaluation and application, as well as indicated that AMP-17 might be a promising drug.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are cationic small peptide chains that have good antimicrobial activity against a variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. AMP-17 is a recombinant insect AMP obtained by a prokaryotic expression system. However, the full antifungal activity, physicochemical characteristics, and cytotoxicity of AMP-17 were previously unknown. AMP-17 was shown to have good antifungal activity against five pathogenic fungi, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 9.375–18.75 μg/ml, and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC) of 18.75–37.5 μg/ml. Notably, the antifungal activity of AMP-17 against Cryptococcus neoformans was superior to that of other Candida spp. In addition, the hemolytic rate of AMP-17 was only 1.47%, even at the high concentration of 16× MIC. AMP-17 was insensitive to temperature and high salt ion concentration, with temperatures of 98°C and –80°C, and NaCl and MgCl₂ concentrations of 50–200 mmol/l, having no significant effect on antifungal activity. However, AMP-17 was sensitive to proteases, trypsin, pepsin, and proteinase K. The elucidation of antifungal activity, physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity of AMP-17 provided an experimental basis for its safety evaluation and application, as well as indicated that AMP-17 might be a promising drug.

High-quality high-order harmonic generation through preplasma truncation

By introducing preplasma truncation to cases with an initial preplasma scale length larger than 0.2λ, the efficiency of high-order harmonics generated from relativistic laser-solid interactions can be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude and the angular spread can be confined into near-diffraction-limited divergence. Numerical simulations show that density truncation results in more compact oscillation of the surface electron sheet and the curvature of the reflection surface for the driving laser is greatly reduced. This leads to an overall improvement in the harmonic beam quality. More importantly, density truncation makes the harmonic generation weakly dependent on the preplasma scale length, which provides a way to relax the extremely high requirement on the temporal contrast of the driving laser pulse. A feasible scheme to realize the required preplasma truncation is also proposed and demonstrated by numerical simulations.

[Analysis of psychological status and relevant factors of patients with esophageal and gastric cardia precancerous lesions in Linzhou of Henan]

Objective: To explore the psychological status and related factors in patients with precancerous of esophageal and gastric cardia in Linzhou of Henan. Methods: Clinical psycho-rating scale of Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS, score ≥50 points with symptoms of anxiety) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS, score ≥53 points with the symptoms of depression) were applied to survey life events and psychological status of subjects who aged 40-69 years old and participated in"The Early diagnosis and Early Treatment"program in Linzhou cancer hospital from July 2015 to Jan 2016. Patients with lower intraepithelial neoplasia or high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia were selected as precancerous lesions (n=118), and patients with normal grade were selected as healthy controls (n=210). Compare the differences of the scores between the two groups, and the logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of precancerous lesions and psychological status of the study subjects. Results: Precancerous lesions included esophageal (72 cases), gastric cardia (40 cases), esophageal and cardia dual source (6 cases); Precancerous lesions and healthy controls aged (57.17±7.71) and (53.12±7.99) years old, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The anxiety and depression scale showed that the scores of SAS and SDS scores in the precancerous lesions were (37.18±10.01), (40.44±8.37) points, and (34.02±6.63), (38.49±8.73) points in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.002, 0.032). While the social support total score (38.26±5.26), and subjective support score (24.08±3.83) and objective support score (7.50±1.89) in control group were all higher than those of precancerous group (36.80±6.18, 23.01±3.93, 6.93±1.57), and the difference were statistically significant (P=0.024, 0.016, 0.004). In addition, the Logistic analysis showed that subjects with low objective social support, subjective social support and anxiety symptoms were more likely to develop precancerous lesions, and the OR were 0.81, 0.72 and 1.05, respectively (P=0.028, 0.005, 0.009). Conclusion: Social support, anxiety and depression status may be related to the occurrence and development of esophageal and gastric cardia precancerous lesions.

[Effects of budesonide aerosol inhalation on the immunological functions of peripheral dendritic cells in patients with allergic rhinitis]

Objective: To investigate the immunologic functional changes of peripheral dendritic cells (DC) in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) during the treatment by budesonide aerosol inhalation.Method:25 patients with moderate to severe persistent AR were concluded in current study, and they were given budesonide aerosol inhalation for 8 weeks. AR related nasal symptom scores and indices, peripheral DC counts and percentages as well as their activation before and 4 weeks, 8 weeks after treatment were determined.Result:There were significant decrease in nasal symptom scores, eosinophils, AR specific IgE antibodies after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. The overall clinical efficiency reached 88% at the end of the treatment. Peripheral DC counts and DC/PBMC decreased in comparison with the levels of pre-treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the levels before treatment, DC activation markers CD86 and CD80 reduced to various extent, while glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) positive cells gradually elevated (P<0.05). In the DC secreted IL-10 decreased against the treatment duration, while IFN-γ from DC conditioned T cells statistically increased after treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion:Budesonide suppressed DC activation and maturation, which might redirect DC-involved Th2 response, in turn alleviating the AR symptoms.

[A preliminary research on the exosome influenced by virus infection in the renal transplantation recipients]

Objective: Virus infection is a common complication of transplantation.With the research and application of exosome is becoming more popular, this study focused on whether the virus particles and nucleic acids exist in the exosomes extracted from the plasma of recipients with virus infection after renal transplantation. Methods: A total of 10 independent transplantation recipients at Institute of Organ Transplantation, 309th Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army from January 2015 to July 2017 were studied in this study.5 cases of positive or suspected positive in granulocytes HCMV pp65 antigen detection and positive in plasma HCMV DNA test, and the other 5 cases of positive results in plasma BK DNA test were adopted.Exosomes were extracted from the collected plasma samples with SBI kit.Electron microscopy and nanoparticles tracing analyzer (NTA) were used for exosome analysis.Quantitative real-time PCR method was used to inspect and compare virus DNA copies number in plasma, exosome and effluent. Results: Typical exosome-like vesicle structure was observed.NTA put forward the sample concentration data from 1.2 to 4.5×10(12) particles/ml, and the particle diameters were 30-200 nm.In the qRT-PCR assays, the viral DNA quantitative results of exosome samples are lower but on the same magnitude compared with that of the plasma, and sharply decreased in effluent. Conclusions: Virus DNAs in exosome samples of recipients with viral infection after transplantation were detected in great quantities.This not only hints the spread of the virus may take advantage of the biological formation process of exosomes, but also warns that the limitation of the existing way to extract exosmes from virus infected population may be a bottleneck in research.

[The clinical significance of Delphian lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical significance of Delphian lymph node (DLN) metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Method: A total of 505 cases with PTC confirmed pathologically in our hospital between January 2015 and December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. 208 patients with DLN assessed separately by histopathologic examination who underwent primary surgery for PTC were included for the following analysis. Results: In 208 patients, the detection rate of DLN was 63.0% and the metastasis rate of DLN was 21.4%. DLN metastasis was correlated with PTC multifocality (P=0.038), tumor size over 1cm (P=0.001), BRAF^V600E mutation (P=0.017) and central neck node metastasis (P<0.001). Tumor size over 1cm (95%CI 1.308-9.909, OR=3.600, P=0.013) and the number of node with central neck metastasis (95%CI 1.313-2.163, OR=1.685, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for DLN metastasis. The presence of DLN metastasis was associated with an 8.8-fold higher frequency of central neck node metastasis compared to cases without DLN metastasis. Among patients with DLN metastases, central lymph node metastasis was more common in the cases with lateral neck node metastases compared to those without lateral neck node metastases (6.5±3.0 vs 1.5±0.7, P=0.009), and 5 of the 6 patients also presented with PTC multifocality and BRAF^V600E mutation. Conclusion: DLN metastasis implies a higher possibility of central neck lymph node metastasis. DLN should be assessed during operation to provide information for neck dissection, post-operative administration and follow-up strategy.

The clinicopathological significance of RUNX3 hypermethylation and mRNA expression in human breast cancer, a meta-analysis

Aberrant promoter methylation of RUNX3 has been reported in several tumors including human breast cancer (BC). However, the association between RUNX3 hypermethylation and incidence of BC remains elusive. In this study, a detailed literature search was performed in Medline and Google Scholar for related research publications. Analysis of pooled data were executed. Odds ratios with corresponding confidence intervals were determined and summarized, respectively. Finally, 13 studies were identified for the meta-analysis. Analysis of the pooled data showed that RUNX3 hypermethylation was significantly higher in both ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) than in normal breast tissues. In addition, RUNX3 methylation was significantly higher in IDC than in benign tumor. However, RUNX3 methylation was not significantly higher in IDC than in ductal carcinoma in situ. We also determined that RUNX3 hypermethylation was significantly higher in ER positive BC than in ER negative BC. In addition, high RUNX3 mRNA expression was found to be correlated with better overall survival and relapse-free survival for all BC patients. Our results strongly support that RUNX3 hypermethylation may play an important role in BC incidence. RUNX3 methylation is a valuable early biomarker for the diagnosis of BC. Further large-scale studies will provide more insight into the role of RUNX3 hypermethylation in the carcinogenesis and clinical diagnosis of BC patients.

[Effect of dexmedetomidine infusion on postoperative recovery for patients undergoing major spinal surgery during propofol anesthesia]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of intraoperative dexmedetomidine (DEX) infusion during propofol intravenous anesthesia on postoperative recovery after major spinal surgery.

METHODS

Sixty patients aged 18 to 65 (American Society of Anesthesiologists, ASA I-II), scheduled for spinal surgery from January 2014 to May 2014 were randomized into two groups. The DEX group (n=30) received 0.5 μg/kg of DEX ten minutes before anesthesic induction, followed by an infusion of DEX at 0.2 μg/(kg×h) intraoperatively and the control group (n=30) was given identical amounts of normal saline. At the end of surgery, the patients of both groups received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with morphine 0.5 mg/h (1 mg demand dose and 8 min lockout). Heart rate and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were continually monitored during operation and in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The propofol and sufentanil consumptions during operation and the morphine consumption 48 h after surgery were recorded. The time for recovery and extubation were recorded. The followed-up evaluations were performed to assess Ramsay scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores as well as side effects in PACU and 48 h after surgery.

RESULTS

Heart rate of DEX group was lower than that of control group after intubation and extubation and in PACU 10 min (P<0.05). MAP was lower in DEX group than that in control group after extubation and in PACU (P<0.05). Compared with control group, the propofol consumption during anesthesic induction, the sufentanil consumption during operation and the cumulative consumption of morphine 2 h and 6 h after surgery were decreased (P<0.05). There were no differences between the two groups as to the time for recovery or extubation. Compared with control group, the VAS pain scores were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in DEX group were significantly decreased (P<0.05) 48 h after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative infusion of DEX improved quality of recovery, provided good analgesia, and decreased morphine use and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting after major spinal surgery.

Correlation of serum albumin with the clinical features and prognosis of preterm neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical significance of serum albumin (ALB) levels in the early evaluation and prognosis of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The authors collected and retrospectively analyzed complete clinical records of preterm infants admitted to the NICU from July 2012 to March 2013. The cases were divided into three groups according to their ALB levels: ≥ 30 g/L, 25-30 g/L, and ≤ 25 g/L.

RESULTS

The mean gestational age in the ≤ 25 g/L ALB group was significantly higher than that in the ≥ 30 g/L ALB group [(33.41 ± 2.15) weeks] (p < 0.05). The prealbumin, blood platelet, and blood urea nitrogen in the ≤ 25 g/L ALB group were significantly lower than those in the ≥ 30 g/L ALB group (p < 0.05). In addition, serum lactate in the ≤ 25 g/L ALB group was significantly higher than that in the ≥ 30 g/L ALB group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Serum ALB level increased with increasing gestational age. Lower ALB levels were associated with more perinatal complications, damage to multiple organs, more severe cases, and mechanical ventilation, which resulted in longer hospital stays and poorer prognoses.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of novel 1-(4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethanone-containing 1-methylindol derivatives as potential tubulin assembling inhibitors

A series of novel compounds (6a–6v) containing 1-methylindol and 1-(4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethanone skeleton were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potential anticancer agents.

Sex- and afferent-specific differences in histamine receptor expression in vagal afferents of rats: A potential mechanism for sexual dimorphism in prevalence and severity of asthma

The incidence of asthma is more common in boys than in girls during the childhood, and more common in premenopausal female than age-matched males. Our previous study demonstrated a gender difference in histamine-mediated neuroexcitability in nodose ganglia neurons (NGNs), highlighting a possibility of histamine-mediated gender difference in asthma via visceral afferent function. In the present study, we aimed to explore the gender difference in expression profiles of histamine receptors (HRs) in nodose ganglia (NG) and individual identified NGNs to provide deeper insights into the mechanisms involved in sexual dimorphism of asthma. Western-blot and SYBR green RT-PCR showed that H2R and H3R were highly expressed in NG of females compared with males and downregulated in ovariectomized females. H1R was equally expressed in NG of both sexes and not altered by ovariectomy. Furthermore, this highly expressive H2R and H3R were distributed in both myelinated and unmyelinated NGNs isolated from adult female rats by immunofluorescence and single-cell RT-PCR. H3R widely distributed in all tested neuron subtypes and its expression did not show significant difference among neuron subtypes. H2R was widely and highly expressed in low-threshold and sex-specific subpopulation of myelinated Ah-types compared with myelinated A- and unmyelinated C-type NGNs. Unexpectedly, weak expression of H1R was detected in both myelinated and unmyelinated NGNs by immunofluorescence, which was further confirmed by single-cell RT-PCR. Our results suggest that the sexual dimorphism in the expression of H2R and H3R in vagal afferents very likely contributes, at least partially, to the gender difference in prevalence and severity of asthma.

Genome-wide identification, classification, and analysis of heat shock transcription factor family in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa pekinensis)

Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) is one of the most important vegetable crops grown worldwide, and various methods exist for selection, propagation, and cultivation. The entire Chinese cabbage genome has been sequenced, and the heat shock transcription factor family (Hsfs) has been found to play a central role in plant growth and development and in the response to biotic and abiotic stress conditions, particularly in acquired thermotolerance. We analyzed heat tolerance mechanisms in Chinese cabbage. In this study, 30 Hsfs were identified from the Chinese cabbage genome database. The classification, phylogenetic reconstruction, chromosome distribution, conserved motifs, expression analysis, and interaction networks of the Hsfs were predicted and analyzed. Thirty BrHsfs were classified into 3 major classes (class A, B, and C) according to their structural characteristics and phylogenetic comparisons, and class A was further subdivided into 8 subclasses. Distribution mapping results showed that Hsf genes were located on 10 Chinese cabbage chromosomes. The expression profile indicated that Hsfs play differential roles in 5 organs in Chinese cabbage, and likely participate in the development of underground parts and regulation of reproductive growth. An orthologous gene interaction network was constructed, and included MBF1C, ROF1, TBP2, CDC2, and HSP70 5 genes, which are closely related to heat stress. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complexity of Hsfs in Chinese cabbage and provide a basis for further functional gene research.

Grape seed proanthocyanidins extracts promote apolipoprotein A-I mRNA expression in HepG2 cells under experimental sugar and high-sugar conditions

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we investigated the effect of grape seed proanthocyanidins extracts (GSPE), which have been proved to have anti-oxidative and anti-aging functions, on the expression of apoA-L at mRNA level of HepG2 cells in vitro under the experimental conditions of high-sugar and sugar.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cell viability was measured by sulforhodamine B (SRB). The apoA-I mRNA expression was assayed by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Firstly, HepG2 cells were incubated in 10% inactivated newborn calf serum in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM). Next, cells were incubated with high-sugar and sugar serum-free medium, and added different concentration of GSPE (2.5, 5 and 10 microg/ml) for more than 24 hours, and thereafter, investigated whether GSPE can promote more apoA-I expression in HepG2 cells under the experimental conditions of high-sugar and sugar.

RESULTS

In this experiment, HepG2 cells were incubated with high-sugar and sugar serum-free medium, and HepG2 cells incubated with high-sugar medium produced less apoA-I at mRNA level. The difference was significant (p < 0.05). When HepG2 cells were incubated with GSPE at concentration of 20 microg/ml or above for about 4 hours, cell viability measured by SRB was lower than 50%. However, cell viability of HepG2 cells incubated with GSPE at concentration of 10 microg/ml or below was higher than 70%. Therefore, we chose the HepG2 cells incubated with GSPE concentration of 2.5, 5, 10 microg/ml to observe the effect of GSPE on the mRNA expression of apoA-I. After incubated with GSPE, the apoA-I expression of HepG2 cells were significantly elevated at mRNA level compared to that of high sugar control (p < 0.05). Moreover, this action of GSPE showed dose dependent, and the dose of 2.5 microg/ml was optimal.

CONCLUSIONS

GSPE (concentration of higher than 20 microg/ml) could inhibit HepG2 cell survival, and in HepG2 cells, endogenous apoA-I was significantly suppressed following 24h of exposure to high concentrations of glucose. Meanwhile GSPE could promote expression of apoA-L dose dependently at mRNA level when its concentration was lower than 10 microg/ml.

Comparison of performance of partial least squares regression, secured principal component regression, and modified secured principal component regression for determination of human serum albumin, gamma-globulin and glucose in buffer solutions and in vivo blood glucose quantification by near-infrared spectroscopy

The performances of three multivariate analysis methods--partial least squares (PLS) regression, secured principal component regression (sPCR) and modified secured principal component regression (msPCR)--are compared and tested for the determination of human serum albumin (HSA), gamma-globulin, and glucose in phosphate buffer solutions and blood glucose quantification by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Results from the application of PLS, sPCR and msPCR are presented, showing that the three methods can determine the concentrations of HSA, gamma-globulin and glucose in phosphate buffer solutions almost equally well provided that the prediction samples contain the same spectral information as the calibration samples. On the other hand, when some potential spectral features appear in new measurements, sPCR and msPCR outperform PLS significantly. The reason for this is that such spectral features are not included during calibration, which leads to a degradation in PLS prediction performance, while sPCR and msPCR can improve their predictions for the concentrations of the analytes by removing the uncalibrated features from the original spectra. This point is demonstrated by successfully applying sPCR and msPCR to in vivo blood glucose measurements. This work therefore shows that sPCR and msPCR may provide possible alternatives to PLS in cases where some uncalibrated spectral features are present in measurements used for concentration prediction.

Alternative moving window factor analysis for comparison analysis between complex chromatographic data

In this investigation, a novel chemometric method is developed for the analysis of five possible relationships of components or spectral features between two correlative but different hyphenated chromatographic systems. It is very helpful for comparison study of components present in different complex systems in both chemistry and systems biology. The proposed method, named alternative moving window factor analysis (AMWFA), could be utilized to determine the number of common components between different samples and then to identify their corresponding spectra half-automatically. AMWFA can alternatively be employed to mind for the selective information hiding in anyone of the two compared data X and Y, and to self-verify the resolution results by changing the extracted target matrices in analysis. From the results of comparison of simulated hyphenated chromatographic data, volatile chemical components in drug pair rhizoma ligustici chuanxiong-radix paeoniae rubra (RLC-RPR) and its single herbal medicines, and analysis of Angelica oral solution and its plasma sample after oral intake to rabbit, powerful ability of the proposed method is shown.

Modified secured principal component regression for detection of unexpected chromatographic features in herbal fingerprints

Secured principal component regression is modified for the qualitative analysis of chromatographic fingerprint data sets of herbal samples with residual concentrations. After chromatographic shift-correction and autoscaling are performed on the data, this modified secured principal component regression (msPCR) can detect unexpected chromatographic features in various herbal fingerprints. The successful application of msPCR to two real herbal medicines of Erigeron breviscapus from different geographical origins and Ginkgo biloba from various sources or vendors demonstrates that the proposed method can detect reasonably unexpected features differing from the regulars or not being modeled. From a chemical point of view, the causes have also been explained to corroborate the results. Moreover, it presents a viable approach for the qualitative evaluation of diverse herbal objects with a regular class of chromatographic fingerprints.

Moving window cross validation: a new cross validation method for the selection of a rational number of components in a partial least squares calibration model

A new cross validation method called moving window cross validation (MWCV) is proposed in this study, as a novel method for selecting the rational number of components for building an efficient calibration model in analytical chemistry. This method works with an innovative pattern to split a validation set by a number of given windows that move synchronously along proper subsets of all the samples. Calculations for the mean value of all mean squares error in cross validations (MSECVs) for all splitting forms are made for different numbers of components, and then the optimal number of components for the model can be selected. Performance of MWCV is compared with that of two cross validation methods, leave-one-out cross validation (LOOCV) and Monte Carlo cross validation (MCCV), for partial least squares (PLS) models developed on one simulated data set and two real near-infrared (NIR) spectral data sets. The results reveal that MWCV can avoid a tendency to over-fit the data. Selection of the optimal number of components can be easily made by MWCV because it yields a global minimum in root MSECV at the optimal number of components. Changes in the window size and window number of MWCV do not greatly influence the selection of the number of components. MWCV is demonstrated to be an effective, simple and accurate cross validation method.

LC-DAD-APCI-MS-based screening and analysis of the absorption and metabolite components in plasma from a rabbit administered an oral solution of danggui

A valid chromatographic fingerprint method using liquid chromatography-diode array detection-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry in negative mode (LC-DAD-APCI-MS) is proposed for studying the absorption and metabolites of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Angelica sinensis (danggui) in rabbit plasma, after the rabbit is administered with danggui oral solution (DOS). More than thirty-two common components were detected in both DOS and rabbit plasma, which shows that the components in the DOS were absorbed into the body of the rabbit. Of these, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H, Z-6,7-epoxyligustilide, 3-butylidene-7-hydroxyphthalide, Z-ligustilide, Z-butylidenephthalide, Diels-Alder dimers of ligustilide, linolenic acid, linoleic acid and falcarindiol were tentatively identified from their MS, UV spectra and retention behavior by comparing the results with the published literature. At least ten components were found in rabbit plasma but not in DOS, indicating that these components must be metabolites of some of the components in the original extract. The results prove that the proposed method can be used to rapidly analyze multiple constituents in TCMs, and to screen for bioactive compounds by comparing and contrasting the chromatographic fingerprints of DOS and plasma samples.

Multicomponent spectral correlative chromatography applied to complex herbal medicines

In this study, a novel chemometric algorithm is presented to facilitate the comparison of relevant chemical components from different herbal samples. This so-called multicomponent spectral correlative chromatography (MSCC) is developed to detect and decide whether two chromatographic clusters are correlated spectrally with each other. The target chromatographic cluster is first partitioned from one herbal spectrochromatogram obtained by hyphenated chromatography. Then, a projection operator is constructed with the principal spectral features extracted from the target to judge the presence or absence of a spectral correlative chromatographic cluster within another herbal spectrochromatogram. For this judgment, congruence coefficient between the original spectral vector and its projected residual is proposed to eliminate the influences from background and noises, especially heteroscedastic noises in the original data. The performance of the MSCC algorithm is demonstrated on both simulated data and real data, and its advantages and disadvantages are also discussed in some detail.

Spectral correlative chromatography and its application to analysis of chromatographic fingerprints of herbal medicines

A signal-processing method known as spectral correlative chromatography (SCC) for two-dimensional data obtained from hyphenated chromatography is developed and applied to chemical chromatographic fingerprint data sets of herbal medicine under specific experimental conditions. The method can judge the presence or absence of a spectral correlative peak among the spectrochromatograms. A local least squares regression model (LLS) is constructed in a piecewise manner to correct the shifts of retention time of some peaks of interest in the chromatograms of various test samples. The results compare favorably with those obtained by a two-point calibrated algorithm. It is shown that performing SCC and LLS on the piecewise clusters of various chromatographic fingerprints is more helpful in practice in revealing their common nature and for characterizing the chemical constituents. This approach holds great potential for facilitating quality control of herbal medicines.

Application of combined approach to analyze the constituents of essential oil from Dong quai

A combined approach of sub-window factor analysis and spectral correlative chromatography has been employed to analyze the constituents of essential oils of Dong quai. Essential oils are the main pharmacological active individuals of Dong quai. Some constituents in the main root of Dong quai have been identified by GC-MS with the help of sub-window factor analysis resolving two-dimensional original data into mass spectra and chromatograms. Correlative constituents in another part of the root fiber have been recognized by spectral correlative chromatography. Seventy six of 97 separated constituents in the essential oil of main root were identified and quantified, accounting for about 91.36% of the total content. Sixty seven correlative components in the essential oil of root fiber were recognized. The result proves that the combined approach is powerful enough for the analysis of complex herbal samples.

Patch clamp electrophysiology in nodose ganglia of adult rat

The patch clamp technique is widely utilized for studying the electrophysiological properties of enzymatically isolated sensory neurons. Unfortunately, dissociation of the ganglion severs the afferent fibers. As a result, isolated neurons can only be broadly categorized according to somatic action potential waveforms, ion channel subtypes, chemical sensitivities and cell diameter. Such restricted classifications contrast with the continuum of conduction velocities (CVs), discharge patterns, sensory modalities and functional properties of visceral and spinal afferents. Previous reports of patch clamp recordings using intact ganglion have been limited to young animal preparations. This raises concerns regarding postnatal development and impedes the use of chronic models of disease or injury, which often necessitate the use of a more mature animal preparation. Here, we present a methodology for preparing nodose ganglion from adult rat (250-400 g) for study using the patch clamp technique. Successful whole cell recordings were obtained from approximately 50% of the cells selected for study, the majority of which had intact afferent fibers. Measures of somatic discharge and afferent fiber CV at both room and physiological temperatures were consistent with investigations using sharp microelectrodes. Voltage clamp recordings of whole cell Na(+), Ca(2+) and K(+) ion channel currents were comparable to those obtained using isolated neuron preparations. The ability to classify voltage- and ligand-gated ion channel type with afferent fiber CV in an adult preparation adds a valuable new dimension to cellular investigations of the diverse functional and chemical properties of the peripheral afferent nervous system.

A longitudinal study on quality of life after gynecologic cancer treatment

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to describe the pattern of quality of life (QOL) over time and to assess the impact of age, symptoms, disease parameters, and treatment on the overall QOL.

METHODS

A longitudinal study on patients with newly diagnosed gynecologic cancer using individual patients as their own control was performed. The 33-item EORTC QLQ-C30(+3) was used as the QOL measure. Patients were assessed before treatment, after completion of treatment, and at 6, 12, and 24 months. Spearman's correlation analyses were performed. A mixed effect model was fitted to the data. Bonferroni pairwise comparisons were used to analyze the different variables.

RESULTS

One hundred forty-four women completed the study. Overall QOL improved after the completion of treatment but remained the same throughout the 2 years after treatment. The individual patient's QOL before treatment was insignificant while the impact of treatment on the individual patient was significant in determining QOL after treatment. There was a strong correlation for all time points in most factors, indicating that the global health status, functional scales, and symptom scales exhibit a dependent change over time. Relief in symptoms was associated with improvements in functional scales. The scores on overall QOL were lower for younger patients and for patients treated with chemotherapy than for patients treated with surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies for supportive care need to focus on symptom management. Psychosocial interventions, to be effective, should include all patients and should aim to reduce the impact of treatment on the individual patient.

[Studies on original plant of traditional Chinese drug "bai zhi" (radix Angelicae Dahuricae) and its closely related wild plants. I. Morphological and anatomical studies on "bai zhi" and closely related wild plants]

OBJECTIVE

To supplement morphological and anatomical data for confirming the original plant of traditional Chinese drug "Bai Zhi" (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae).

METHOD

Morphologocal observation and anatomical study were made on 4 cultivated breeds and closely related wild plants of "Bai Zhi".

RESULT

According to morphological and anatomical characteristics discovered in this paper, 7 samples noted above could be divided into 3 groups: 1. 4 breeds ("Chuan Bai Zhi", "Hang Bai Zhi", "Qi Bai Zhi" and "Yu Bai Zhi") and Angelica dahurica var. formosana; 2. A. dahurica; 3. A. porphyrocaulis.

CONCLUSION

In the morphological and anatomical point of view, A. dahurica var. formosana is closer to traditional Chinese drug "Bai Zhi" than others.

[Regulative effects of bailong and Hexamethylene bisacetamide on growth and phenotype of human gastric cancer cells in cell cycle]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate and compare the common effect of Bailong, a Chinese herbal preparation, and Hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), a western cell differentiation inducer, on growth regulation and phenotype of human gastric cancer (MGC80-3) cells in different phases of cell cycle.

METHODS

Synchronized MGC80-3 cells in monolayer cultures with nitrous oxide under high pressure were double blocked with overdosage of TdR in the 4 cellular phases (G1, S, G2 and M), and then collected and treated with Bailong and 5 mmol/L HMBA respectively.

RESULTS

Both medicines could suppress the cell proliferation, soft agar cloning growth and microfilament assembling of different phases of cells, the effect on cells of G1 phase was the most significant one.

CONCLUSION

Bailong and HMBA had significant common characteristics in inducing cell differentiation of MGC80-3 cells in different phases of cell cycle.

Expression of epidermal growth factor in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma

This study used an immunohistochemical technique to assess the expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in 40 specimens of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), 7 specimens of labial glands adjacent to mucocele, and 5 specimens of normal submandibular glands. In normal submandibular glands, immunohistochemically detectable EGF was demonstrated in all ductal segments, including intercalated, striated, and excretory duct cells. No EGF positive staining was found in acinar compartments. including serous and mucous acinar cells. In degenerated labial glands adjacent to mucocele, no EGF staining was detected in the remaining acinar and ductal cells. In salivary ACCs, positive EGF immunostaining was observed in one of the 5 (20%) ACCs with a solid pattern and in 13 of the 35 (37.1%) ACCs with a tubular-cribriform pattern. The overall EGF expression rate in 40 salivary ACCs was 35%. Positive EGF staining was predominantly found in tubular structures in the tubular ACCs and in duct-like structures in large cribriform patterns or in the stroma of the cribriform ACCs. There was no significant correlation between EGF expression in salivary ACCs and any of the clinicopathological parameters including patient age and sex, cancer location, TNM status, clinical stage, histologic type, perivascular or perineural invasion, focal necrosis of tumor, and cellular atypia. We conclude that the duct segments of the normal submandibular gland are the sites of EGF synthesis and secretion. In degenerated labial glands adjacent to mucocele, EGF synthesis is completely inhibited. Furthermore, EGF is mainly biosynthesized in cells forming tubular or duct-like structures in tubular or cribriform salivary ACCs, and EGF may play a biologic role, particularly as a mitogen in salivary ACC growth.

[Study on common character of regulative molecular mechanism of Chinese drug bailong and hexamethylen bisacetamide in human cancer cell cycle and their oncogene and tumor suppressor gene expression]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the common regulative effects of the Chinese drug Bailong and hexamethylen bisacetamide (HMBA) on expressions of oncogenes (c-H-ras and c-myc), and tumor suppressor genes (Rb, p53 and p21) of MGC80-3 in human cancer cell cycle.

METHODS

Adopting RNA Northern Blot to survey the levels of gene expressions of MGC80-3 different phases cells treated with Bailong and HMBA respectively.

RESULTS

In different phases of MGC80-3 cells treated with Bailong and differentiation inducer HMBA, expressions of oncogenes c-H-ras and c-myc were inhibited by over 50.0%, messenger kinase subspecies PKC-alpha gene is similar with the expression inhibition of oncogenes, except effect of Bailong on the G2 phase in cell cycle. Effect of Bailong differs greatly from HMBA in the expression of tumor suppression genes. The expression of Rb and p21 in cells treated by HMBA did not increase but were inhibited by 39.5% and 33.3% respectively in G1 phase. The level of Rb gene expression was decreased, too by 3.0% in S phase. Comparison with HMBA the expression of Rb and p21 genes were increased after treatment by Bailong in all cell cycle. But the effect of Bailong on the expression of p53 gene which was increased obviously by 125.0%-233.4% in majority phase of MGC80-3 cells is similar to HMBA.

CONCLUSION

(1) The effect of Bailong on the regulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor gene is similar to HMBA but the effect of Bailong is better than that of HMBA. (2) Molecular mechanism of the Bailong or HMBA on the proliferative inhibition and differentiation of MGC80-3 related to regulation of the Bailong and HMBA on the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cell cycle of MGC80-3.

Psychosocial adjustment in gynecologic cancer survivors: a longitudinal study on risk factors for maladjustment

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to describe the change in psychosocial state over time and to identify risk factors for maladjustment in gynecologic cancer survivors. Awareness of these issues is important for planning supportive care services for cancer patients.

METHODS

A longitudinal prospective study of patients with newly diagnosed gynecologic cancer using individual patients as their own control was performed. Patients were interviewed after confirmation of the diagnosis and were reassessed at 6 and 18 months after completion of treatment and with no evidence of recurrent disease. Psychological adjustment was measured by self-rating on self-esteem, outlook on life, self-role, and femininity. Neuroticism and anxiety were assessed using a neuroticism score and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. Depressive symptoms were questioned directly. Social adjustment was assessed by changes in working capacity or work status, leisure activity, marital relationship, and sexual activity.

RESULTS

Seventy-four women participated. Adjustment problems did not occur in the majority of patients. Psychosocial adjustment was different for patients receiving different types of treatments. Improvement in feminism (P = 0.050) and neuroticism (P = 0.010) was observed for patients receiving chemotherapy and deterioration was observed in patients treated with surgery. Deterioration in neuroticism was associated with lower education level (P = 0.032). With religious belief, there was better family support and more significant improvement in social activity (P = 0.038).

CONCLUSION

Most patients adapted well. Patients at risk for psychosocial maladjustment include those who are treated surgically, less educated, and without religious belief.

[Application of molecular markers-assisted selection of wx genes in breeding the waxy wheat]

Chinese Spring and its null-tetrasomic lines were used to identify the specific bands of STS-marker and microsatellites (SSR) marker of wx genes. Twelve varieties and five waxy wheat lines were screened with these two markers, and the results are in agreement with those from Wx subunits SDS-PAGE. A F2 segregating population from cross Jiangsu Baihuomai x Kanto 107 was also detected by molecular markers, not only eight wx genotypes were developed while three genotypes did not exist in the nature, but also the first batch of waxy wheat lines were bred. The Jiangsu Bainuomai improvement population was screened, and six 7D momosomic plants with wx-D1b were obtained, which could provide materials for waxy wheat breeding. Application molecular markers of wx genes will improve the selection procedure for the waxy wheat and good noodle-quality wheat.

The profile of bone mineral density in chinese women: its changes and significance in a longitudinal study

Bone mineral density (BMD) has been shown to be different in different ethnic groups. When lifestyle and diet evolve, there is a possibility of a change in the normal reference BMD values within an ethnic group over a period of time. As the osteoporotic risk uses the T-score as the bench mark, it is pertinent to evaluate whether such changes do occur. Two measurements, 5 years apart, of the BMD of the spine and the hip were made in a cohort of Chinese women in Hong Kong. A kernel function smoothing method, a nonparametric statistical method, was employed to present the BMD data. The greatest rate of bone loss was found to occur between 50 and 59 years of age, but this rate of loss was reduced from age 60 onwards. The BMD values obtained in these two measurements were different from the previous studies in the same population and were found to be higher at the lumbar spine and neck of femur in women over 65 years of age. Even within the cohort, there seemed to be a reduction in the BMD values of the hip in a span of 5 years, although the differences were statistically insignificant. These studies suggest that BMD values could change in a population for a variety of possible reasons. Hence, the reference BMD values might need to be evaluated at regular intervals for the T-score to be meaningful.