Lung Cancer Risk Attributable to Active Smoking in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: No consensus exists on the relative risk ( RR) of lung cancer (LC) attributable to active smoking in China. This study aimed to evaluate the unified RR of LC attributable to active smoking among the Chinese population. Methods: A systematic literature search of seven databases was conducted to identify studies reporting active smoking among smokers versus nonsmokers in China. Primary articles on LC providing risk estimates with their 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) for "ever" "former" or "current" smokers from China were selected. Meta-analysis was used to estimate the pooled RR of active smoking. Results: Forty-four unique studies were included. Compared with that of nonsmokers, the pooled RR (95% CI) for "ever" "former" and "current" smokers were 3.26 (2.79-3.82), 2.95 (1.71-5.08), and 5.16 (2.58-10.34) among men, 3.18 (2.78-3.63), 2.70 (2.08-3.51), and 4.27 (3.61-5.06) among women, and 2.71 (2.12-3.46), 2.66 (2.45-2.88), and 4.21 (3.25-5.45) in both sexes combined, respectively. Conclusion: The RR of LC has remained relatively stable (range, 2-6) over the past four decades in China. Early quitting of smoking could reduce the RR to some extent; however, completely refraining from smoking is the best way to avoid its adverse effects.

Matted Lymph Nodes on MRI in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Prognostic Factor and Potential Indication for Induction Chemotherapy Benefits.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node characteristics markedly affect nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognosis. Matted node (MN), an important characteristic for lymph node, lacks explored MRI-based prognostic implications. PURPOSE: Investigate MRI-determined MNs' prognostic value in NPC, including 5-year overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and its role in induction chemotherapy (IC). STUDY TYPE: Retrospective cohort survival study. POPULATION: Seven hundred ninety-two patients with non-metastatic NPC (female: 27.3%, >45-year old: 50.1%) confirmed by biopsy. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 5-T/3.0-T, T1-, T2- and post-contrast T1-weighted fast spin echo sequences acquired. ASSESSMENT: MNs were defined as ≥3 nodes abutting with intervening fat plane replaced by extracapsular nodal spread (ENS). Patients were observed every 3 months for 2 years and every 6 months for 5 years using MRI. Follow-up extended from treatment initiation to death or final follow-up. MNs were evaluated by three radiologists with inter-reader reliability calculated. A 1:1 matched-pair method compared survival differences between MN-positive patients with or without IC. Primary endpoints (OS, DMFS, LRFS, PFS) were calculated from therapy initiation to respective event. STATISTICAL TESTS: Kappa values assessed inter-reader reliability. Correlation between MN, ENS, and LNN was studied through Spearman's correlation coefficient. Clinical characteristics were calculated via Fisher's exact, Chi-squared, and Student's t-test. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests analyzed all time-to-event data. Confounding factors were included in Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to identify independent prognostic factors. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: MNs incidence was 24.6%. MNs independently associated with decreased 5-year OS, DMFS, and PFS; not LRFS (P = 0.252). MN-positive patients gained significant survival benefit from IC in 5-year OS (88.4% vs. 66.0%) and PFS (76.4% vs. 53.5%), but not DMFS (83.1% vs. 69.9%, P = 0.145) or LRFS (89.9% vs. 77.8%, P = 0.140). DATA CONCLUSION: MNs may independently stratify NPC risk and offer survival benefit from IC. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Determination of the 50% and 95% Effective Dose of Remimazolam Combined with Propofol for Intravenous Sedation During Day-Surgery Hysteroscopy.

Purpose: Remimazolam has demonstrated the potential as a valuable medication for procedural sedation. However, there were some shortcomings for higher doses of remimazolam during hysteroscopy in spite of less frequent adverse events. The aim of this study was to find the 50% and 95% effective dose (ED50 and ED95) of remimazolam when combined with propofol for intravenous sedation during day-surgery hysteroscopy. Patients and Methods: Patients were randomly assigned evenly (20 per group) to one of five different dosage of remimazolam: group A (0.05mg/kg), group B (0.075mg/kg), group C (0.1mg/kg), group D (0.125mg/kg) or group E (0.15mg/kg). Intravenous injection of sufentanil 0.1µg/kg was administered before sedative medication. Intravenous anesthesia was commenced with remimazolam. Subsequently, propofol was administered at 1mg/kg and maintained at 6mg/kg/h. Success was defined when the patient did not move during cervical dilation, had sufficient sedation as judged by SE <60 and no requirement for rescue doses. The success rate, induce and average dosage of propofol, the induction time, total surgery time, recovery time, and adverse events were recorded. Estimate of ED50 and ED95 with 95% confidence interval (CI) was performed by probit regression. Results: The mean (95% CI) values for ED50 and ED95 of remimazolam in patients were 0.09 (0.08-0.11) mg/kg and 0.21 (0.16-0.35) mg/kg, respectively. There was no difference in the induction time, total surgery time, and recovery time among groups. No serious adverse events occurred in all patients. Conclusion: The dose-response effects of remimazolam were evaluated for intravenous sedation during hysteroscopy. A combination of remimazolam and propofol was recommended to produce stabler sedation, reduce the total dosage and have less effect on cardiovascular and respiratory depression.

Insights into the Electrochemical Production of Hydrogen Peroxide over Single-Atom Co-N-C Catalysts with the Introduction of Carbon Vacancy Defect near the Co-N4 Site.

With the introduction of carbon divacancy, trivacancy, and tetravacancy defects near the Co-N4 site, we have explored the 2e- ORR activity at the Co-N4 site from the perspective of spatial structure and the atomic orbital by DFT calculations. We demonstrate the hybridization strength between Co 3dyz (3dxz) and O 2py (2px) orbitals is the origin of 2e- ORR activity at the Co-N4 site and the hybridization strength relates to the height of the Co 3d projected orbital in the Z direction. The bond length (LCo-O, LO-O), the charge transfer from the Co site to the *OOH adsorbate (ΔQCo-O), the d-band center of the Co site (εd), and the ICOHP value between Co 3d and O 2p orbitals as descriptors can well predict the 2e- ORR activity at the Co-N4 site. This work provides original insights into the 2e- ORR activity over the single-atom Co-N-C catalysts.

The Association between Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke and Disease in the Chinese Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To analyze the association between exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) and 23 diseases, categorized into four classifications, among the Chinese population. Methods: We searched the literature up to June 30, 2021, and eligible studies were identified according to the PECOS format: Participants and Competitors (Chinese population), Exposure (SHS), Outcomes (Disease or Death), and Study design (Case-control or Cohort). Results: In total, 53 studies were selected. The odds ratio (OR) for all types of cancer was 1.79 (1.56-2.05), and for individual cancers was 1.92 (1.42-2.59) for lung cancer, 1.57 (1.40-1.76) for breast cancer, 1.52 (1.12-2.05) for bladder cancer, and 1.37 (1.08-1.73) for liver cancer. The OR for circulatory system diseases was 1.92 (1.29-2.85), with a value of 2.29 (1.26-4.159) for stroke. The OR of respiratory system diseases was 1.76 (1.13-2.74), with a value of 1.82 (1.07-3.11) for childhood asthma. The original ORs were also shown for other diseases. Subgroup analyses were performed for lung and breast cancer. The ORs varied according to time period and were significant during exposure in the household; For lung cancer, the OR was significant in women. Conclusion: The effect of SHS exposure in China was similar to that in Western countries, but its definition and characterization require further clarification. Studies on the association between SHS exposure and certain diseases with high incidence rates are insufficient.

Theoretical Evaluation of Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction Reaction on Graphdiyne-Supported Transition Metal Single-Atom Catalysts.

The electrochemical reaction can be applied as a powerful method to eliminate the pollution of nitrate (NO3 -) and as a feasible synthesis to enable the conversion of nitrate into ammonia (NH3) at room temperature. Herein, density functional theory calculations are applied to comprehensively analyze the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) on graphdiyne-supported transition metal single-atom catalysts (TM@GDY SACs) for the first time. It can be found that the vanadium-anchored graphdiyne (V@GDY) displays the lowest limiting potential of -0.63 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode among the investigated systems in this work. Notably, the competing hydrogen evolution reaction is relatively restrained due to the comparatively weak adsorption of the H proton on the TM@GDY SACs. Moreover, higher energy intake is needed to overcome the energy barrier during the formation of byproducts (NO2, NO, N2O, and N2) on V@GDY without applying extra electrode potential, showing the selectivity of NH3 in the NO3RR process. The ab initio molecular dynamics simulation denotes that the V@GDY possesses excellent structure stability at the temperature of 600 K without much distortion, compared with the initial shape, indicating the promise for synthesis. This study not only offers a feasible NO3RR electrocatalyst but also paves the way for the development of the NO3RR process.

[Serological Characteristics and Gene Sequences of Congenital Blood Group Chimera].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the ABO positive and negative stereotypic inconsistencies in a dizygotic twin with positive stereotypic patterns and mixed agglutination, and explore the application of serological characteristics and gene sequence in congenital blood group chimeras. METHODS: ABO blood group identification, Rh and MN typing were performed using the microcolumn gel method and ABO genotyping was performed using the PCR-SSP method. RESULTS: In this patient, both anti-A and anti-B tubes had mixed hemagglutination of red blood cells, and the anti-ABO tube was AB type. The Rh typing of the patient was CcDEe. Mixed agglutination of red blood cells was observed in both anti-M and anti-N tubes in MN typing. The patient's father and mother was normal Type O and AB, respectively. There were three alleles in the ABO gene of the patient, O0101 came from his father, while A102 and B01 came from his mother. CONCLUSION: The patient has two groups of red blood cells (type A and B). Because the patients is a dizygotic twin, these two groups of red blood cells can be chimeras formed by blood exchange between the twins. Through gene sequencing, it can be determined that the patient is a congenital A/B blood type chimera.

Electrolyte and Interphase Design for Magnesium Anode: Major Challenges and Perspectives.

The rechargeable magnesium battery (RMB) is regarded as a high-energy, safe, and cost-effective alternative for conventional batteries. Unfortunately, the passivation and uneven Mg growth not only raise the voltage hysteresis but also shorten the cycle life of RMBs. In this review, Mg passivation induced by electrolytes/contaminants, growth patterns of high dimensional Mg0 , and mechanisms of Mg anode degradation are discussed. The recent efforts on suppressing electrolyte decomposition and uneven Mg growth including electrolyte/interphase modifications through additives, weakly coordinating anions, artificial interphases, and 3D magnesiophilic hosts are summarized. Finally, the future directions in stabilizing Mg anode and realizing high-performance RMBs are highlighted.

[Expressing of linc-223 and miR-125a in Patients with Acute Leukemia and Its Clinical Significance].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression level of linc-223 and miR-125a in the patients with adult acute leukemia (AL) and explore the relationship between the expression level and the occurrence, development, prognosis of leukemia. METHODS: Bone marrow samples of 93 patients with AL treated in our hospital from January 2017 to September 2017 were enrolled, including 21 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 72 cases of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). At the same time, bone marrow samples from 20 cases of non-malignant hematopathy patients in the same period were enrolled as control group. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to test the expression level of linc-223 and miR-125a in bone marrow of 93 AL patients and the relationship between the level and the occurrence, development, prognosis of leukemia was analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the expression of linc-223 between AL patients (ANLL and ALL) and control group (P>0.05). Moreover, there was no significant correlation between linc-223 and PML-RARα gene or the remission rate of patients after treatment. The expression of miR-125a in ANLL patients was significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01), but there was no significant difference between the initial treatment, recurrence and remission group (P>0.05), and also for ALL and control group (P>0.05). In the newly treatment ANLL patients, the expression level of miR-125a showed negatively correlated with LDH level and the ratio of immature cells (r=-0.454, r=-0.400), but not with sex, degree of risk, peripheral blood leukocyte count, platelet count, hemoglobin content, WT1, CRP, etc. (P>0.05). There was a positive correlation between linc-223 and miR-125a in ANLL patients (r=0.296). CONCLUSION: No abnormal expression of linc-223 was found in the bone marrow of AL patients, but miR-125a expression shows a low level and positively correlate with the expression level of linc-223 in ANLL, which is helpful for the diagnosis.

Bone Microthrombus Promotes Bone Loss in Iron Accumulation Rats.

In the present study, we investigated the changes of the coagulation state, bone microthrombus, microvascular bed and bone density levels in iron accumulation rats. Meanwhile,the effect of anticoagulation therapy on bone mineral density was further investigated. We established two groups: a control (Ctrl) group and an iron intervention (FAC) group. Changes in coagulation function, peripheral blood cell counts, bone microthrombus, bone vessels and bone mineral density were compared between the two groups. We designed the non-treatment group and treatment group to study the changes of bone mineral density by preventing microthrombus formation with the anticoagulant fondaparinux. We found that the fibrinogen and D-dimer contents were significantly higher, whereas the thrombin time (TT) and prothrombin time (PT) were significantly shorter in the FAC group. After ink staining, the microvascular bed in the FAC group was significantly reduced compared with that in the Ctrl group. HE and Martius Scarlet Blue (MSB) staining showed microthrombus in the bone marrow of the iron accumulation rats. Following anticoagulation therapy, the bone microcirculation vascular bed areas in the treatment group rats were significantly increased. Furthermore, the bone mineral density was increased in the treatment group compared with that in the non-treatment group. Through experiments, we found that the blood in iron accumulation rat was relatively hypercoagulable; moreover, there was microthrombus in the bone marrow, and the bone vascular bed was reduced. Additionally, anticoagulation was helpful for improving bone microcirculation, reducing microthrombus and decreasing bone loss.

Nodal grouping in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: prognostic significance, N classification, and a marker for the identification of candidates for induction chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the value of nodal grouping (NG), defined as the presence of at least three contiguous lymph nodes (LNs) within one LN region, in staging and management of patients with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: MR images were reviewed to evaluate LN variables, including NG. The Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression models evaluated the association between the variables and survival. Harrell's concordance index (C-index) was used to measure the performance of prognostic models. The outcome of induction chemotherapy (IC) in patients with and without NG was compared using matched-pair analysis. RESULTS: In 1224 patients enrolled, NG was found to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and regional recurrence-free survival. The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) of NG for OS (3.86, 2.09-7.12) were higher than those of stage N2 (3.54, 1.89-6.70). On upgrading patients with NG from stages N1 to N2, the revised N staging yielded a higher C-index compared to the American Joint Committee on Cancer system in predicting PFS (0.664 vs. 0.658, p = 0.022) and DMFS (0.699 vs. 0.690, p = 0.005). Results of the matched-pair analysis revealed that for patients with NG in stages N1 and N2, IC was correlated with improved OS (p = 0.022), PFS (p = 0.007), and DMFS (p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: NG is a significant prognostic factor for patients with NPC. Patients with NG may be upgraded from stages N1 to N2. NG was also a marker for identifying patients who would benefit from IC. KEY POINTS: • Nodal grouping, defined as the presence of at least three contiguous LNs within one LN region on MRI, was identified as a significant prognostic factor. • In patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, nodal grouping may influence lymph node staging. • Nodal grouping was a marker for identifying patients who may benefit from induction chemotherapy.

LncRNA NEAT1 knockdown attenuates autophagy to elevate 5-FU sensitivity in colorectal cancer via targeting miR-34a.

BACKGROUNDS: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is a common malignant tumor. Increasing evidences indicated that CRC showed a resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and further resulted in a poor prognosis. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of long noncoding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (LncRNA NEAT1) on cell viability, sensitivity to 5-FU, and autophagy of CRC cell lines. METHODS: MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-Htetrazolium bromide) was used to detect cell viability, immunofluorescent staining was used to detect autophagy puncta, and luciferase reporter system was used to determine binding ability between miR-34a and NEAT1 or putative targets. Additionally, indicated mRNAs and protein expressions were determined by qRT-PCR or western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: We found that NEAT1 expression was increased in CRC tissues and cells, which showed a negative correlation with miR-34a expression. In addition, NEAT1 knockdown noticeably inhibited the proliferation of CRC cells and enhanced 5-FU sensitivity. It revealed that NEAT1 knockdown suppressed the LC3 puncta and the expressions of Beclin-1, ULK1, and ratio of LC3II/I. Overexpression of miR-34a showed similar trends with NEAT1 knockdown. miR-34a was validated to target the putative binding sites in 3'-UTR of HMGB1, ATG9A, and ATG4B, which are involved in the activation of autophagy. Inhibition of miR-34a or overexpression of HMGB1 could effectively reverse elevated 5-FU sensitivity upon NEAT1 knockdown. In addition, 3-MA reversed NEAT1 overexpression-induced resistance in HT29 cells. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that LncRNA NEAT1 could target miR-34a and promote autophagy to facilitate 5-FU chemoresistance in CRC.

Expressing of linc-223 and miR-125a in Patients with Acute Leukemia and Its Clinical Significance / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the expression level of linc-223 and miR-125a in the patients with adult acute leukemia (AL) and explore the relationship between the expression level and the occurrence, development, prognosis of leukemia.@*METHODS@#Bone marrow samples of 93 patients with AL treated in our hospital from January 2017 to September 2017 were enrolled, including 21 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 72 cases of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). At the same time, bone marrow samples from 20 cases of non-malignant hematopathy patients in the same period were enrolled as control group. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to test the expression level of linc-223 and miR-125a in bone marrow of 93 AL patients and the relationship between the level and the occurrence, development, prognosis of leukemia was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#There was no significant difference in the expression of linc-223 between AL patients (ANLL and ALL) and control group (P>0.05). Moreover, there was no significant correlation between linc-223 and PML-RARα gene or the remission rate of patients after treatment. The expression of miR-125a in ANLL patients was significantly lower than those in the control group (P0.05), and also for ALL and control group (P>0.05). In the newly treatment ANLL patients, the expression level of miR-125a showed negatively correlated with LDH level and the ratio of immature cells (r=-0.454, r=-0.400), but not with sex, degree of risk, peripheral blood leukocyte count, platelet count, hemoglobin content, WT1, CRP, etc. (P>0.05). There was a positive correlation between linc-223 and miR-125a in ANLL patients (r=0.296).@*CONCLUSION@#No abnormal expression of linc-223 was found in the bone marrow of AL patients, but miR-125a expression shows a low level and positively correlate with the expression level of linc-223 in ANLL, which is helpful for the diagnosis.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Shenfu Injection against Acute Lung Injury through Inhibiting HMGB1-NF-κB Pathway in a Rat Model of Endotoxin Shock.

Shenfu injection (SFI), a Chinese herbal medicine with substances extracted from Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, is widely used as an anti-inflammatory reagent to treat endotoxin shock in China. However, the mechanism of SFI in endotoxin shock remains to be illuminated. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a vital inflammatory factor in the late stage of endotoxin shock, may stimulate multiple signalling cascades, including κB (NF-κB), a nuclear transcription factor, as well as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1ß, among others in the overexpression of downstream proinflammatory cytokines. An investigation into the effects of SFI on the inhibition of the HMGB1-NF-κB pathway revealed the contribution of SFI to acute lung injury (ALI) in a rat model of endotoxin shock. To assess the anti-inflammatory activity of SFI, 5 ml/kg, 10 ml/kg, or 15 ml/kg of SFI was administered to different groups of rats following an injection of LPS, and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) at 5 h and the survival rate at 72 h were measured. 24 h after LPS injection, we observed pathological changes in the lung tissue and measured the mRNA expression, production, translocation, and secretion of HMGB1, as well as the expression of the NF-κB signal pathway-related proteins inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB)-α, P50, and P65. We also evaluated the regulation of SFI on the secretion of inflammatory factors including interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and TNF-α. SFI effectively prevented the drop in MAP, relieved lung tissue damage, and increased the survival rate in the endotoxin shock model in dose-dependent manner. SFI inhibited the transcription, expression, translocation, and secretion of HMGB1, increased the expression of toll-like receptor (TLR4), increased the production of IκB-α, and decreased the levels of P65, P50, and TNF-α in the lung tissue of endotoxin shock rats in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, SFI decreased the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1ß. In summary, SFI improves the survival rate of endotoxin shock, perhaps through inhibiting the HMGB1-NF-κB pathway and thus preventing cytokine storm.

Safety and effectiveness of multi-antenna microwave ablation-oriented combined therapy for large hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: In patients with a large, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the primary recommendation is for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) but used alone TACE is not typically curative. Combinations of TACE followed in a delayed fashion by single-applicator thermal ablation have also been suboptimal. As an alternative, we investigated the combination of TACE followed within 1-3 days by multi-antenna microwave ablation (MWA) in patients with a large HCC, to determine the feasibility, safety, local control, and short-term survival rates of this approach. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 43 patients with a large HCC (mean diameter, 8.8 cm; SD, 2.8 cm) treated between July 2015 and July 2018, who underwent TACE followed within 3 days by multi-antenna simultaneous MWA. We measured the liver and renal function before and after treatment, recorded complications, used three-dimensional software and imaging to calculate tumor necrosis rates at 1 month after therapy, and calculated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Mean follow up was 12.2 (range, 3.5-35.6) months. All patients completed the treatment protocol. At 1 month after combined therapy, tumor necrosis was complete in 16 (37.2%), nearly complete in 19 (44.2%), and partial in 8 (18.6%) patients. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 64.0% and 46.8%, respectively, with a median OS of 23.0 months; and the 1- and 2-year PFS rates were 19.9% and 4.4%, respectively, with a median PFS of 4.2 months. A transient change in liver function occurred 3 days after MWA but resolved within 1 month. Only two patients had major complications, which were treatable and resolved. CONCLUSION: Multi-antenna MWA-oriented combined therapy is feasible and well tolerated, and it results in satisfactory initial local control and short-term survival in some but not all patients with a large HCC.

Hydrochloric acid enhanced radiofrequency ablation for treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma in the caudate lobe: Report of three cases.

BACKGROUND: To report on the use of percutaneous hydrochloric acid (HCl) enhanced radiofrequency ablation (HRFA) for the treatment of large (maximum diameter ≥ 5 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe. CASE SUMMARY: Between August 2013 and June 2016, three patients with a large HCC (maximum diameter: 5.0, 5.7, and 8.1 cm) in the caudate lobe were treated by transarterial chemoembolization followed by computer tomography (CT) guided RFA using a monopolar perfusion RF electrode, which was enhanced by local infusion of 10% HCl at 0.2 mL/min (total volume, 3 to 12 mL). The output power of HRFA reached 100 W, and the average ablation time was 39 min (range, 15 to 60 min). Two patients each underwent one session of HRFA and one patient two sessions. After treatment, CT/magnetic resonance imaging showed that all the three lesions were completely ablated. There was no major complication. Two patients had asymptomatic bile duct dilatation. One patient died of tongue cancer 24 mo after ablation. The remaining two patients were alive and no area of enhancement is detected in the caudate lobe at 28 and 60 mo after ablation, respectively. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous CT-guided HRFA is safe and efficacious in treating large HCC in the caudate lobe.

Epitaxial Growth of Orthorhombic GaFeO3 Thin Films on SrTiO3 (111) Substrates by Simple Sol-Gel Method.

A Sol-gel method assisted with spin-coating has been successfully used to grow orthorhombic GaFeO3 epitaxial films on SrTiO3 (111) substrates for the first time. The film with Pna21 crystal structure has been grown along the c-axis. The rocking curve of (004) reflection shows that the Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM) value could be determined to be 0.230°, indicating good single crystallinity and high quality. X-ray Φ scan reveals a three-fold symmetry of the substrate and a six-fold symmetry of the film, respectively. The in-plane domains rotate 60° from each other in the film. Uniform film with dense structure, columnar grains with similar grain size was obtained. The thickness of the film was evaluated to be ~170 nm. The roughness value (RMS) measured by AFM was 4.5 nm, revealing a flat film. The in-plane Magnetization versus Magnetic field (M-H) curve at 5 K performs a typical ferri- or ferromagnetic hysteresis loop with a saturated magnetization (Ms) value of 136 emu/cm³. The Curie temperature could be determined to be 174 K. Compared to Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD), the sol-gel method can prepare large area films with low cost. These new films show promising applications in multiferroic devices.

Study on Upconversion and Thermal Properties of Tm3+/Yb3+ Co-Doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 Glasses.

The effect of Yb3+ ions on upconversion luminescence and thermal properties of Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 glasses has been studied. Glass transition temperature is around 740 °C, indicating high thermal stability. The effect of Yb3+ ions on the thermal stability is not obvious. Both the glass forming ability and the upconversion luminescence first increase and then decrease with the increase of Yb3+ ions. The glasses perform low glass forming ability with ΔT around 55 °C. Blue and red emissions centered around 477, 651, and 706 nm are obtained at the excitation of 976 nm laser. The upconversion luminescence mechanism is energy transfer from Yb3+ to Tm3+ mixed with two- and three- photon processes. The thermal kinetic Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA)-analysis indicates that the average activation energy first increases and then decreases with the increase of Yb3+ ions. This result can be introduced in order to improve upconversion luminescence of glasses by crystallization in the future. Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-Nb2O5-Ta2O5 glasses with good upconversion and thermal properties show promising applications in solid-state laser, optical temperature sensing.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: A case report.

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare non-inherited condition characterized by gastrointestinal (GI) hamartomatous polyposis, alopecia, onychodystrophy, hyperpigmentation, weight loss and diarrhea. The etiology is most likely autoimmune and diagnosis is based on patient history, physical examination, endoscopic findings of GI polyposis and histology. The disease is very rare; thus far more than 500 cases of CCS have been reported globally. A 58-years-old male with CCS was reported in the present case study. The patient experienced a history of diarrhea and hematochezia for 4 months, with abdominal pain for 1 month and additional nail and toenail loss for half a month. The clinical, endoscopic and histological data confirmed the diagnosis.