N2O emission factors in bubbling fluidized bed incineration of municipal sewage sludge: The China case.

The N2O emissions resulting from sludge incineration are estimated using the default values published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which may differ significantly from the actual emissions. In this investigation, N2O emissions from four sludge incineration lines in two plants were monitored for varying durations. The variation in N2O emission factors (EFs) between incineration lines of the same plant was much smaller than the difference between different plants. Data on N2O EFs obtained from brief monitoring may contain variabilities of up to 30%. N2O EFs were more sensitive to temperature changes at low temperatures, necessitating extended monitoring periods to improve the reliability of N2O monitoring outcomes in cases of low furnace temperatures. Excessive use of the SNCR system to reduce NOx emissions resulted in concentrations of N2O and NH3 in the exhaust gases exceeding NOx levels. In the case of furnace temperature control and advanced reburning technology, it is advisable to utilize actual monitoring data or the smaller default values provided by the IPCC in China. Otherwise, the estimated N2O emissions may exceed the actual emissions.

An interpretable model predicts visual outcomes of no light perception eyes after open globe injury.

BACKGROUND: The visual outcome of open globe injury (OGI)-no light perception (NLP) eyes is unpredictable traditionally. This study aimed to develop a model to predict the visual outcomes of vitrectomy surgery in OGI-NLP eyes using a machine learning algorithm and to provide an interpretable system for the prediction results. METHODS: Clinical data of 459 OGI-NLP eyes were retrospectively collected from 19 medical centres across China to establish a training data set for developing a model, called 'VisionGo', which can predict the visual outcome of the patients involved and compare with the Ocular Trauma Score (OTS). Another 72 cases were retrospectively collected and used for human-machine comparison, and an additional 27 cases were prospectively collected for real-world validation of the model. The SHapley Additive exPlanations method was applied to analyse feature contribution to the model. An online platform was built for real-world application. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of VisionGo was 0.75 and 0.90 in previtrectomy and intravitrectomy application scenarios, which was much higher than the OTS (AUC=0.49). VisionGo showed better performance than ophthalmologists in both previtrectomy and intravitrectomy application scenarios (AUC=0.73 vs 0.57 and 0.87 vs 0.64). In real-world validation, VisionGo achieved an AUC of 0.60 and 0.91 in previtrectomy and intravitrectomy application scenarios. Feature contribution analysis indicated that wound length-related indicators, vitreous status and retina-related indicators contributed highly to visual outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: VisionGo has achieved an accurate and reliable prediction in visual outcome after vitrectomy for OGI-NLP eyes.

Insight into the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in hazardous waste incineration and incinerators: Formation process and reduction strategy.

Incineration technology has been widely adopted to safely dispose of hazardous waste (HW). While the incineration process causes the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Due to its extreme toxicity, many scholars have been committed to determining the PCDD/F formation process and reducing emissions in incinerators. Previous studies ignored the impact of incineration and fluctuation of feeding materials on PCDD/F formation in hazardous waste incinerators (HWIs). In this study, differences in PCDD/F formation between HWIs and municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) were pointed out. The incineration section in HWIs should be carefully considered. Laboratory experiments, conventional analysis and thermogravimetry experiments were conducted. An obvious disparity of PCDD/F formation between 12 kinds of HWs was found. Distillation residue was found with remarkably higher PCDD/F concentrations (11.57 ng/g). Except for the Cl content, aromatic rings and C-O bond organics were also found with high correlation coefficients with PCDD/F concentrations (>0.92). And PCDD/Fs were formed through a chlorination process and structure formation process. All of these are helpful to further understand the PCDD/F formation process during HW incineration, optimize the operation conditions in HWIs and reduce the emission pressure of PCDD/Fs in the future.

Quantitative acquisition of differential absorption cross sections of chlorobenzenes at different temperatures.

Chlorobenzene is considered an essential organic synthesis intermediate and a precursor for the generation of persistent organic compounds in the waste disposal process, for which accurate detection of gaseous chlorobenzene can further help understand and control various chemical processes and effectively reduce pollution. Differential optical absorption spectroscopy is a reliable online method for detecting gaseous chlorobenzenes. It is crucial to investigate the effect of temperature on the optical absorption of the chlorobenzenes to quantify chlorobenzenes more precisely at various temperatures. A method to fix the effect of temperature variation on absorption spectra of chlorobenzene is initially proposed in this study, and it gave accurate concentrations. The proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of chlorobenzene concentration measurements with an inverse concentration deviation of 3.2 % or less. The differential absorption cross sections at various temperatures are studied to understand how chlorobenzene absorption cross sections vary with temperature. Such a study is also helpful in reducing the concentration inversion errors induced by the variation of absorption cross sections of chlorobenzene with temperature. A novel method of introducing the binary function of the differential absorption cross sections with respect to wavelength and temperature is also proposed. The fitting of the binary function is done by downscaling functions at fixed wavelength and fixed temperature,respectively. Both fitting approaches obtained continuous differential absorption cross sections in the 201-220 nm wavelength band and 288-473 K temperature range, along with less than 2.74 % deviation in the concentration inversion measurements. Finally,based on the temperature specificity of the shape of the differential absorption cross sections,we developed another method using differential absorption spectroscopy for the simultaneous measurement of temperature and concentration, with a temperature prediction error of less than 1.89 %. This method is favorable to the applications of differential absorption spectroscopy in simultaneous measurement of temperature and concentration.

Circulating microRNA-103a-3p could be a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer for women worldwide. Recently, a spectrum of cell-free circulating microRNAs (miR) has been recognized as promising biomarkers for BC diagnosis and prognosis, among which miR-103a-3p has been reported in several types of human cancer. However, the role of miR-103a-3p in BC remains unknown. A total of 112 patients with BC and 59 healthy controls were recruited into the present study. The expression level of serum miR-103a-3p was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to calculate diagnostic accuracy. Survival curves were generated to analyze survival outcomes. It was found that circulating miR-103a-3p level was upregulated in patients with BC compared with that in healthy controls, and its expression was decreased following surgery. In addition, miR-103a-3p expression level was also associated with advanced clinicopathological features, including positive epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status, metastasis and an advanced TNM stage. The circulating serum miR-103a-3p level could be used to discriminate between patients with BC and the healthy controls prior to surgery using an area under curve [(AUC), 0.697; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.615-0.778], and distinguish patients with BC and metastasis from those without metastasis (AUC, 0.936; 95% CI, 0.892-0.980). In addition, high expression level of miR-103a-3p was associated with worse survival outcomes in patients with BC. In conclusion, the present study suggests that miR-103a-3p could be a potential non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for BC.

A bibliometric analysis of the application of procalcitonin in patients in the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) often have serious infections, and anti-infection treatment is vital for these patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) is often used to identify bacterial infections and monitor the effectiveness of anti-infection treatments. This study aims to analyze the current research hotspots of the application of PCT in ICU patients, and to suggest future research directions. METHODS: The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) database in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was used as the data source to search literature from 1995 to February 6, 2021. The search strategy was subject term = procalcitonin AND Web of Science categories = Critical Care Medicine. Using CiteSpace software, literature on the application of PCT in ICU patients was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1,243 papers, including 665 (53.5%) original articles, 87 (7.0%) reviews, 93 (7.5%) letters, 297 (23.9%) conference abstracts, and 101 (8.1%) other articles, were analyzed. The citation frequency was 40,442, the h-index was 96, and the average number of citations per item was 32.54. Research was mainly from the United States, Germany, France, and Spain, amongst others. The research institutions were mainly Univ Basel Hosp, Univ Pittsburgh, and Univ Hosp Geneva. Authors including Schuetz P made more contributions. Critical Care Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, and Critical Care were important journals in this field of research. The keywords with the highest frequency were PCT, sepsis, and infection, and the more central ones were PCT, inflammation, septic shock, and C-reactive protein. The keywords with the strongest citation bursts were PCT, cytokine, and serum. CONCLUSIONS: Papers are mainly published in critical care medical journals. The countries, institutions, and authors that carry out research are relatively limited. The current hot spots are still inflammation, infection, and shock, especially the management and prognosis prediction of critically ill patients.

The application of procalcitonin in respiratory diseases: an evaluation of the current research literature.

BACKGROUND: Procalcitonin (PCT) can effectively identify bacterial infections and can be used for risk prediction and antimicrobial treatment in patients with unexplained fever and critically ill patients. In this study, statistical analyses of the literature were performed to clarify the application and research status of PCT in respiratory diseases. Future research directions are discussed. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) database in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). Published literature between 1995 and February 6, 2021 were searched using the following strategies: subject term = procalcitonin; and Web of Science categories = Respiratory System. Using the Citespace software, the literature on the application of PCT in patients with respiratory diseases was analyzed in terms of annual publication status, subject distribution, country/institution distribution, journal distribution, author distribution, and keywords. RESULTS: A total of 542 related research literatures were identified, with the number of published papers and the number of literature citations increasing yearly. Research was mainly concentrated in the United States, China, Switzerland, and other countries, with countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada being involved in international collaborations. Research institutions were mainly universities or hospitals such as the University Hospital of Basel, University of Barcelona, and Northwestern University. In particular, the University Hospital of Basel had extensive inter-hospital collaborations. Stolz et al. published many related papers, but the centrality value was low. Authors including Christ-Crain M, Schuetz P, and Stolz D were highly cited. Journals such as the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Chest, and the European Respiratory Journal were more influential. Keyword analysis showed that sepsis and pneumonia are the current hot topics. CONCLUSIONS: Related papers mainly focused on respiratory infections, especially sepsis and pneumonia. There were also a small number of studies suggesting that PCT is related to tumors.

Dexmedetomidine ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, but its effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury remain uncertain. The present study explored the effects of DEX on LPS-induced lung injury and studied the possible molecular mechanisms by testing the effects of the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 and BEZ235. METHODS: Seventy C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control, LPS, LPS + DEX, LPS + LY294002, LPS + BEZ235, LPS + DEX + LY294002, and LPS + DEX + BEZ235groups. Lung samples were collected 48 h after LPS treatment. RESULTS: DEX significantly inhibited LPS-induced increases in the lung weight/body weight ratio and lung wet/dry weight ratio, decreased inflammatory cell infiltration, and decreased the production of proinflammatory factors, such as interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)in the lungs. DEX also markedly attenuated the increases in malondialdehyde 5 (MDA 5) and inositol-dependent enzyme a (IRE-a), attenuated the decrease in superoxide dismutase 1(SOD-1), reversed the low expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and the high expressions of Bax and Caspase-3. DEX also decreased the expression of phosphorylated PI3K and phosphorylated Akt and increased the expression of phosphorylated forkhead box-O transcription factor 1 (FoxO1). More interestingly, LY294002 or BEZ235 pretreatment significantly abolished the inhibitory effects of DEX on LPS-induced lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that DEX ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury partly through the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

Effect of Notch1 on neural tube defects and neural stem cell differentiation induced by all­trans retinoic acid.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the most serious and common birth defects in the clinical setting. The Notch signaling pathway has been implicated in different processes of the embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) during neural tube development. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression pattern and function of Notch1 (N1) in all­trans retinoic acid (atRA)­induced NTDs and NSC differentiation. A mouse model of brain abnormality was established by administering 28 mg/kg atRA, and then brain development was examined using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The N1 expression pattern was detected in the brain of mice embryos via immunohistochemistry and western blotting. NSCs were extracted from the fetal brain of C57 BL/6 embryos at 18.5 days of pregnancy. N1, Nestin, neurofilament (NF), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and galactocerebroside (GALC) were identified using immunohistochemistry. Moreover, N1, presenilin 1 (PS1), Nestin, NF, GFAP and GALC were detected via western blotting at different time points in the NSCs with control media or atRA media. H&E staining identified that the embryonic brain treated with atRA was more developed compared with the control group. N1 was downregulated in the embryonic mouse brain between days 11 and 17 in the atRA­treated group compared with the untreated group. The distribution of N1, Nestin, NF, GFAP and GALC was positively detected using immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting results demonstrated that there were significantly, synchronous decreased expression levels of N1 and PS1, but increased expression levels of NF, GFAP and GALC in NSCs treated with atRA compared with those observed in the controls (P<0.05). The results suggested that the N1 signaling pathway inhibited brain development and NSC differentiation. Collectively, it was found that atRA promoted mouse embryo brain development and the differentiation of NSCs by inhibiting the N1 pathway.

Sensitive detection of NO using a compact portable CW DFB-QCL-based WMS sensor.

This paper introduces a compact and portable sensor based on mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy for NO detection employing a room-temperature continuous wave (CW) distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB-QCL) emitting at 1900.08cm-1. A software-based digital signal generator and lock-in amplifier, in combination with the wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) technique, were used for the concentration measurement of NO. In addition, a Gabor filter denoising method was developed to improve the performance of the measurement system. As a result, a minimum detection limit of 42 ppbv can be achieved at 3 s integration time, and a measurement precision of 450 ppbv can be reached with a time resolution of 0.1 s. The performance of the compact portable sensor was verified by a series of experiments, denoting great potential of field application for sensitive NO sensing.

CircDHDDS/miR-361-3p/WNT3A Axis Promotes the Development of Retinoblastoma by Regulating Proliferation, Cell Cycle, Migration, and Invasion of Retinoblastoma Cells.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a common intraocular malignant tumor. The growing evidence has reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in RB development. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate the regulatory mechanism of circDHDDS in RB. The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay was used to quantify the expression levels of circDHDDS, miR-361-3p, and WNT3A in RB tissues and cells (RPCs, Y-79, and WERI-Rb-1). The proliferation and cell cycle of RB cells were assessed by colony formation assay and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The migration and invasion of RB cells were measured by transwell assay. The protein expression levels of Nectin-3 (CD113), SOX2, Nanog, and WNT3A were measured by Western blot assay. The functional targets of circDHDDS and miR-361-3p were predicted by bioinformatics databases, and the dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the interaction relationship between miR-361-3p and circDHDDS or WNT3A. The functional role of circDHDDS silencing in vivo was evaluated by xenograft experiment. We found that circDHDDS was overexpressed in RB tissues and cells compared with normal retinas tissues and retinal pigment epithelial cells, correspondingly. Furthermore, silencing of circDHDDS impeded proliferation, migration, invasion, and induced cell cycle arrest in vitro, which were abolished by knockdown of miR-361-3p. The in vivo experiments also suggested that tumor growth was inhibited by knockdown of circDHDDS. Moreover, we also found that miR-361-3p specifically bound to WNT3A, and overexpression of miR-361-3p suppressed RB development by decreasing WNT3A expression. Summarily, circDHDDS, a molecule sponge of miR-361-3p, regulated the expression of WNT3A. Therefore, circDHDDS/miR-361-3p/WNT3A axis stimulated the development of RB by regulation of proliferation, cell cycle program, migration, and invasion of RB cells.

MiR-208a enhances cell proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer by targeting SFRP1 and negatively regulating MEG3.

The present studies have identified that microRNAs function as regulators in different diseases including cancers. However, the expression patterns and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-208a involved in gastric cancer (GC) remain little known. In the study, our results demonstrated that miR-208a expression was significantly increased in GC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues by performing qRT-PCR. Higher miR-208a expression was association with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in GC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis verified that patients with higher miR-208a expression were significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) time. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and higher miR-208a were independent risks factors of OS time. Ectopic expression of miR-208a by treatment with miR-208a mimic promoted cell proliferation and invasion abilities, but downregulation of miR-208a by treatment with miR-208a inhibitor had an opposite effects. Furthermore, we identified specific targeting sites for miR-208a in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the SFRP1 gene by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Upregulation of MiR-208a promoted cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing SFRP1 expression in GC cells. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and qRT-PCR analysis demonstrated that miR-208a targeted MEG3 and negatively regulated MEG3 expression in GC cells. Thus, these data indicated that miR-208a promoted GC progression by targeting SFRP1 and negatively regulating MEG3, which may be a potential therapeutic target of GC.

NUSAP1 gene silencing inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion through inhibiting DNMT1 gene expression in human colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cause of cancer-related death in both female and male patients, with a high capacity for tumor migration and invasion. Recently, aberrant nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) expression has been reported in several cancers. However, the biological function and molecular mechanism of NUSAP1 in CRC have not been reported. Here, we demonstrated that NUSAP1 gene expression was notably upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines (Caco2, LS174T, SW480, and LoVo). Subsequently, SW480 and LoVo cells were transfected with NUSAP1 siRNA, respectively, and the biological function of NUSAP1 was investigated. Results indicated that NUSAP1 silencing by siRNA inhibited CRC cell proliferation, and induces cell apoptosis. Moreover, NUSAP1 knockdown suppressed cell migration, cell invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, NUSAP1 silencing notably inhibited the mRNA and protein expression level of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). DNMT1 overexpression partly rescued the effect of NUSAP1 silencing on colorectal cancer biological function. Taken together, NUSAP1 gene silencing induced cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion, and EMT in colorectal cancer through inhibiting DNMT1 gene expression. These findings indicat that NUSAP1 is a promising molecular target for CRC treatment.

Lack of ClC-2 Alleviates High Fat Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease. This study aims to investigate whether chloride channel 2 (ClC-2) is involved in high fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD and possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS: ClC-2 expression was liver-specifically downregulated using adeno-associated virus in C57BL/6 mice treated with a chow diet or HFD for 12 weeks. Peripheral blood and liver tissues were collected for biochemical and pathological estimation respectively. Western blotting was applied to detect the protein expressions of lipid synthesis-related enzymes and the phosphorylated level of IRS-1, Akt and mTOR. RESULTS: ClC-2 mRNA level was significantly increased in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which positively correlated with the plasma levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and insulin. Knockdown of ClC-2 in liver attenuated HFD-induced weight gain, obesity, hepatocellular ballooning, and liver lipid accumulation and fibrosis, accompanied by reduced plasma free fatty acid (FFA), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), ALT, AST, glucose and insulin levels and homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) value. Moreover, HFD-treated mice lacking ClC-2 showed inhibited hepatic lipid accumulation via regulating lipid metabolism through decreasing sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c expression and its downstream targeting enzymes such as fatty acid synthase (FAS), HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) and acetyl-Coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCα). In addition, in vivo and in vitro results demonstrated that ClC-2 downregulation in HFD-treated mice or HepG2 cells increased the sensitivity to insulin via activation of IRS-1/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our present study reveals a critical role of ClC-2 in regulating metabolic diseases. Mice lacking ClC-2 are associated with a remarkably beneficial metabolic phenotype, suggesting that decreasing ClC-2 may be an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.

Long noncoding RNA CCAT2 is activated by E2F1 and exerts oncogenic properties by interacting with PTTG1 in pituitary adenomas.

Pituitary adenomas, arising from the pituitary gland cells, are one of the most frequent tumors found in the sella region. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of pituitary adenomas is still not understood in detail. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) colon cancer-associated transcript 2 (CCAT2), a newly identified lncRNA, has been reported to be abnormally expressed in some cancers. In the present study, we found that CCAT2 was significantly upregulated in pituitary adenomas tissues. Elevated CCAT2 expression was correlated with poor prognosis in patients with pituitary adenomas. Moreover, CCAT2 expression was activated by E2F1. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays showed that CCAT2 positively regulated pituitary adenoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Further investigation demonstrated that CCAT2 interacted with PTTG1, and promoted its stability. Furthermore, CCAT2 affected the expression of downstream genes regulated by PTTG1, including SOX2, DLK1, MMP2, and MMP13. Cumulatively, CCAT2 functions as an oncogene in pituitary adenomas and its overexpression contributes to pituitary adenoma carcinogenesis and progression.

A novel percutaneous achievement and maintenance of reduction and screw fixation for acute displaced scaphoid fractures: minimum two-year follow-up.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to introduce a novel method of percutaneous achievement and maintenance of reduction for acute displaced scaphoid fractures and evaluate the feasibility of this method in treating acute displaced scaphoid fractures as well as explore its indications. METHODS: From February 2012 to March 2014, 15 patients with acute displaced scaphoid fractures were treated with our technique. Two Kirschner wires were used to achieve and maintain the reduction of the scaphoid fractures throughout the entire process of the traditional percutaneous screw fixation process. The following parameters including function scores according to modified Mayo wrist scoring system, range of motion (ROM) of the wrist, grip strength, pinch strength, healing time, time to return to work, and final outcomes were recorded. RESULT: All patients were followed up with a mean period of 2.5 years (range, 2-3.5 years). All fractures healed with a mean of 9.3 weeks (range, 7-11.5 weeks). All patients returned to pre-injury level of activity within six weeks. The functional scores averaged 90.3 (range, 80-100). ROM of the wrist was equal to that of the contralateral side at three months postoperatively. Grip strength and pinch strength compared with contralateral were 98% and 92%, respectively. All were satisfied with the final outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our technique is successfully performed in acute displaced scaphoid fractures resulting in shortened immobilization and prompt functional recovery. It broadens the indications of the percutaneous method, which means the advantages of the percutaneous method are maximally reserved whilst the drawbacks of open reduction were avoided.

A two-step approach for copper and nickel extracting and recovering by emulsion liquid membrane.

The recycling of copper and nickel from metallurgical wastewater using emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) was studied. P507 (2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid-2-ethylhexyl ester) and TBP (tributyl phosphate) were used as carriers for the extraction of copper and nickel by ELMs, respectively. The influence of four emulsion composition variables, namely, the internal phase volume fraction (ϕ), surfactant concentration (Wsurf), internal phase stripping acid concentration (Cio) and the carrier concentration (Cc), and the process variable treat ratio on the extraction efficiencies of copper or nickel were studied. Under the optimum conditions, 98% copper and nickel were recycled by using ELM. The results indicated that ELM extraction is a promising industrial application technology to retrieve valuable metals in low concentration metallurgical wastewater.

[Advantage of D2+ lymph node dissection for distal advanced gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of D2+ lymph node dissection for patients with distal advanced gastric cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 305 cases with distal advanced gastric cancer receiving D2+(n=68) or D2(n=237) lymph node dissection in the Tianjin Cancer Hospital from January 2003 to December 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. The overall 5-year survival rate between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The median survival was 36 months and the 5-year overall survival rate was 40.3% in all patients. The 5-year overall survival rates in the D2+ and D2 groups were 50.4% and 37.4% respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.049). In multivariate prognostic analysis however, the extent of lymph node dissection was not identified as an independent prognostic factor(P=0.174). Subgroup analysis showed that 5-year survival rate of D2+ group was significantly higher as compared to D2 group for the following subgroups: maximum diameter of tumor larger than 4 cm(43.9% vs. 27.0%), Borrmann type III(-IIII((55.5% vs. 30.1%), poorly differentiated and undifferentiated tumor (49.8% vs. 37.0%), T4 stage (47.8% vs. 31.0%), N2 stage (53.3% vs. 13.9%), N3 stage (20.0% vs. 9.6%) and positive No.6 lymph nodes (33.1% vs. 16.0%). CONCLUSION: Compared with D2 lymph node dissection, D2+ lymph node dissection may benefit some patients with large, poorly differentiated, or late-stage tumor.

Association between matrix metalloproteinase 1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis including 19706 subjects.

The association between MMP1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and cancer risk has been reported, but results remained controversial and ambiguous. To assess the association between MMP1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and cancer risk, a meta-analysis was performed. Based on comprehensive searches of the PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), we identified outcome data from all articles estimating the association between MMP1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and cancer risk. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Thirty-eight studies involving 10178 cases and 9528 controls were included. Overall, significant association between MMP1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and cancer susceptibility was observed for additive model (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.09-1.35), for codominant model (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.10-1.63), for dominant model (OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.01-1.34), for recessive model (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.14-1.52). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the significant association was found among Asians but not among Caucasians. In the subgroup analysis by site of cancer, significant associations were found among lung cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer and bladder cancer. This meta-analysis demonstrated that the MMP1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism was significantly associated with cancer risk.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy on advanced gastric cancer.

Neoadjuvant and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapies have been shown to be effective in the treatment of resectable advanced gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical efficiency and security of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in combination with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of postoperative advanced gastric cancer. A total of 192 patients diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer were randomly divided into the following four groups (n=48 per group): Control, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy and joint groups. The joint group received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy. Complications, adverse reactions, recurrence rates within 2 years and the 1- and 3-year survival rates following surgery were observed. No significant differences were observed in the occurrence rates of I-II degree myelosuppression, III-IV degree myelosuppression, I-II degree nausea or III-IV degree nausea and vomiting among the four groups (P>0.05). The median progression-free survival times were 26, 31, 33 and 28 months in the control, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy and joint groups, respectively (P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the recurrence-free 2-year survival rate of the joint group was significantly lower (P=0.04). The difference among the median survival times of the four groups was statistically significant (P=0.001). The 1-year survival rate of the joint group was significantly higher when compared with the control group and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.03). However, no statistically significant difference was identified among the 1-year survival rates of the four groups (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the 3-year survival rates of the other three groups were significantly higher (P<0.05). Therefore, the results of the present study indicated that neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer is well tolerated and exhibits improved compliance and efficiency.