Coulomb decay rates in monolayer doped graphene.

Excited conduction electrons, conduction holes, and valence holes in monolayer electron-doped graphene exhibit unusual Coulomb decay rates. The deexcitation processes are studied using the screened exchange energy. They might utilize the intraband and interband single-particle excitations, as well as the plasmon modes, depending on the quasiparticle states and the Fermi energies. The low-lying valence holes can decay through the undamped acoustic plasmon, so that they present very fast Coulomb deexcitations, nonmonotonous energy dependence, and anisotropic behavior. However, the low-energy conduction electrons and holes are similar to those in a two-dimensional electron gas. The higher-energy conduction states and the deeper-energy valence ones behave similarly in the available deexcitation channels and have a similar dependence of decay rate on the wave vector.

The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and NSCLC often coexist and have poor prognoses, but studies investigating the impact of COPD on NSCLC have reported inconsistent findings. The objective of this study was to compare survival between NSCLC patients with and without COPD. METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively collected from 301 elderly patients pathologically diagnosed with NSCLC from the Chinese PLA General Hospital. Ultimately, a total of 200 patients were enrolled in the analysis. The survival rates between the COPD-NSCLC and non-COPD NSCLC were assessed using log-rank and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 117 COPD-NSCLC and 93 non-COPD NSCLC patients were enrolled in the analysis. The median overall survival times were 108.5 months in the non-COPD group and 45.0 months in the COPD group (HR: 2.05; 95% CI, 1.36-2.97, P = 0.0004). After 118 patients underwent propensity score matching, the median overall survival times were 100.6 months in the non-COPD group and 51.9 months in the COPD group (HR: 1.59; 95% CI, 1.096-2.64, P = 0.0459). The multivariate analysis showed that presence of COPD (HR 1.619, P = 0.030), old age (HR 1.007, P < 00001), an advanced disease stage (stage Ⅲ HR 5.513, P < 0.0001; stage Ⅳ HR 11.743, P < 0.0001), the squamous cell carcinoma histological subtype (HR 3.106, P < 0.0001), the presence of a cough (HR 2.463, P = 0.001) a higher serum carcinoembryonic antigen level (HR 1.001, P = 0.023) and higher NRL (HR 2.615, P = 0.007) were independent factors that were significantly associated with poorer survival. CONCLUSION: A diagnosis of COPD had significant poorer survival outcomes in NSCLC than that of patients without COPD in this elderly population.

Effects of spaceflight and simulated microgravity on microbial growth and secondary metabolism.

Spaceflight and ground-based microgravity analog experiments have suggested that microgravity can affect microbial growth and metabolism. Although the effects of microgravity and its analogs on microorganisms have been studied for more than 50 years, plausible conflicting and diverse results have frequently been reported in different experiments, especially regarding microbial growth and secondary metabolism. Until now, only the responses of a few typical microbes to microgravity have been investigated; systematic studies of the genetic and phenotypic responses of these microorganisms to microgravity in space are still insufficient due to technological and logistical hurdles. The use of different test strains and secondary metabolites in these studies appears to have caused diverse and conflicting results. Moreover, subtle changes in the extracellular microenvironments around microbial cells play a key role in the diverse responses of microbial growth and secondary metabolisms. Therefore, "indirect" effects represent a reasonable pathway to explain the occurrence of these phenomena in microorganisms. This review summarizes current knowledge on the changes in microbial growth and secondary metabolism in response to spaceflight and its analogs and discusses the diverse and conflicting results. In addition, recommendations are given for future studies on the effects of microgravity in space on microbial growth and secondary metabolism.

[Clinical characteristics and risk factors affecting outcomes of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features, treatment strategy and risk factors affecting the prognosis of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of elderly patietns (>60 years) with newly diagnosed NSCLC complicated by COPD at the Geriatric Institution of General Hospital of PLA between January, 2000 and June, 2015. The clinical data collected included history of smoking, pulmonary function test results, initial treatments, TNM stage, chief complaints, comorbidities and laboratory tests. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to explore the prognostic factors in these patients. RESULTS: A total of 200 NSCLC patients were reviewed, of which 107 (53.5%) patients had the co-morbidity of COPD as confirmed by spirometry using bronchodilator test. The median survival of the patients with NSCLC complicated by COPD was 45.8 months with 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 80.4%, 55.4%, 41.0% and 20.0%, respectively. Stratification analysis showed that patients with COPD Gold grades 1 and 2 had a significant longer median overall survival (51.7 and 43.1 months, respectively) than those with grade 3/4 (16.9 months; P=0.020 and 0.043, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that an older age, a higher Gold grade, advanced disease stage (stages III and IV), squamous cell carcinoma, nonsurgical initial treatment, coughing and an elevated serum CEA level were independent risk factors for shorter survival of the patients. CONCLUSION: Multiple prognostic factors can affect the outcomes of elderly patients with NSCLC complicated by COPD, and a higher COPD Gold grade that fails to respond to treatment within 3 months is the independent risk factor for survival of the patients.

A propensity-matched analysis of surgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer in the elderly.

Elderly patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo surgical resection are at a high risk of treatment-related complications. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is considered an alternative treatment option with a favorable safety profile. Given that prospective comparative data on SBRT and surgical treatments are limited, we compared the 2 treatments for early stage NSCLC in the elderly.We retrospectively collected information from the database at our geriatric institution on patients with clinical stage IA/B NSCLC who were treated with surgery or SBRT. The patients were matched using a propensity score based on gender, age, T stage, tumor location, pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]% and FEV1), Charlson comorbidity score, and World Health Organization performance score. We compared locoregional control rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the 2 treatment cohorts before and after propensity score matching.A total of 106 patients underwent surgery, and 74 received SBRT. Surgical patients were significantly younger (72.6 ±â€Š7.9 vs 82.6 ±â€Š4.1 years, P = 0.000), with a significantly higher rate of adenocarcinoma (P = 0.000), better Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scores (P = 0.039), and better pulmonary function test results (P = 0.034 for predicted FEV1 and P = 0.032 for FEV1). In an unmatched comparison, there were significant differences in locoregional control (P = 0.0012) and RFS (P < 0.001). The 5-year OS was 69% in patients who underwent surgery and 44.6% in patients who underwent SBRT (P = 0.0007). The 5-year CSS was 73.9% in the surgery group and 57.5% in the SBRT group (P = 0.0029). Thirty-five inoperable or marginally operable surgical patients and 35 patients who underwent SBRT were matched to their outcomes in a blinded manner (1:1 ratio, caliper distance = 0.25). In this matched comparison, the follow-up period of this subgroup ranged from 4.2 to 138.1 months, with a median of 58.7 months. Surgery was associated with significantly better locoregional control (P = 0.0191) and RFS (P = 0.0178), whereas no significant differences were found in OS (5-year OS, 67.8% for surgery vs 47.4% for SBRT, P = 0.07) or CSS (67.8% for surgery vs 58.2% for SBRT, P = 0.1816).This retrospective analysis found superior locoregional control rates and RFS after surgery compared with SBRT, but there were no differences in OS or CSS. SBRT is an alternative treatment option to surgery in elderly NSCLC patients who cannot tolerate surgical resection because of medical comorbidities. Our findings support the need to compare the 2 treatments in randomized controlled trials.

Draft genome sequence of Sphingomonas paucimobilis strain LCT-SP1 isolated from the Shenzhou X spacecraft of China.

Sphingomonas paucimobilis strain LCT-SP1 is a glucose-nonfermenting Gram-negative, chemoheterotrophic, strictly aerobic bacterium. The major feature of strain LCT-SP1, isolated from the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou X, together with the genome draft and annotation are described in this paper. The total size of strain LCT-SP1 is 4,302,226 bp with 3,864 protein-coding and 50 RNA genes. The information gained from its sequence is potentially relevant to the elucidation of microbially mediated corrosion of various materials.

Effects of OM-85 BV in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to identify the effects of OM-85 BV in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The major end point was exacerbation rate, and the minor end points included duration of hospitalization, severity of acute exacerbation, incidence rate of patients using antibiotics, and adverse events. All data were derived with relative risks (RRs) and weighted mean differences. Five RCTs with 1190 patients were enrolled in the meta-analysis. OM-85 BV was associated with 20% and 39% reductions in exacerbation rate (RR, 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CIs], 0.65-0.97; P = .03) and incidence rate of patients using antibiotics (RR, 0.61; 95%CI, 0.48-0.77; P < .0001) compared with the placebo. However, OM-85 BV was not significantly associated with duration of hospitalization, severity of acute exacerbation, and total adverse events. Current evidence supporting the benefits of OM-85 BV to COPD patients is inadequate. Further larger-scale trials must be conducted to validate our findings and the efficacy of OM-85 BV in COPD patients.

Significance of low serum vitamin D for infection risk, disease severity and mortality in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized patients often have higher rate of vitamin D deficiency than healthy people. Vitamin D levels below normal are associated with hospital stay, increased incidence of adverse prognosis and increased mortality of a number of diseases. Whether there is a relationship between vitamin D levels and infection or sepsis in the critically ill is still unclear. This study will explore the relationship between vitamin D levels and risk of infection, assessment for disease severity, and predictor of mortality. METHODS: To evaluate the value of vitamin D in intensive care unit (ICU) cases to sepsis, severity and prognosis assessment, high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry were used to measure the concentrations of vitamin D in sera of critically ill patients. The serum samples were drawn within the first 24 hours of ICU admission. RESULTS: The study included 206 people, 50 healthy controls, 51 ICU control patients and 105 ICU diagnosed with sepsis. Critically ill ICU patients (ICU sepsis and ICU control group) had lower vitamin D concentration than normal people, but septic patients showed no significant reduction of vitamin D concentration when compared with critically ill patients with no positive etiological evidence. For assessment of disease severity, there were very low negative correlations between APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA scores and vitamin D level. Additionally, patients of different 25-(OH)D levels showed no difference whether in terms of 28-day survival (X(2) = 1.78, P = 0.776) or 90-day survival (X(2) = 4.12, P = 0.389). Multivariate Logistic regression demonstrated that APECHE II and SAPS II scores were independent risk factors to deaths caused by sepsis. CONCLUSION: Clinically, serum concentration of vitamin D is not an indicator for diagnosis and assessment in critically ill patients (ClinicalTrial.gov identifier NCT01636232).

[Protective effects of hepatocyte growth factor on hypoxic human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on hypoxic human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). METHODS: HPMECs were cultured in vitro, and the hypoxic model was established by the physical method. Cells were divided into 4 groups: the control group, the hypoxic group, HGF group, and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) group. The 7(th) generation of HPMECs was evaluated by the method of immunocytochemistry. The persistence rate of HPMECs was measured by MTT assay and the adhesive cells were counted by the microscopy. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) protein was determined by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: The adherence percentage of cells significantly decreased after hypoxia, whereas the expression of the ICAM-1 protein was significantly higher in the hypoxia group than in control group (P<0.01). Compared with the hypoxia group, the persistence and adherence percentage of cells in the HGF group significantly increased (P<0.01), whereas the expression of the ICAM-1 protein significantly dropped (P<0.01). In the PHA group, the persistence and adhesion rate were significantly different from those in the hypoxia group and HGF group (P<0.01), and the expression of the ICAM-1 protein increased significantly (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: HGF could inhibit the hypoxic damage of HPMECs by decreasing the persistence and the adhesive capacity of these cells and inducing the expression of ICAM-1.

Effect of simulated microgravity and its associated mechanism on pulmonary circulation in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Simulated Microgravity and its Associated Mechanism on Pulmonary Circulation in Rats). METHODS: Rat tail-suspension model was used to simulate the physiological effects of microgravity and changes in pulmonary blood vessel morphology, pulmonary arterial and venous blood pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary vasomotoricity, as well as the regulation of pulmonary circulation by cytokines produced and released by the lung of rats were measured. RESULTS: The walls of pulmonary blood vessels of rats were thickened, and the pulmonary artery was reconstructed with increased pulmonary vascular resistance. The pulmonary blood vessels of rats became more prone to dilation as contractions increased. Rat epithelial Adrenomedulin gene transcription and protein expression were upregulated. The level of basic fibroblast growth Factor of rat was also elevated. CONCLUSION: Findings from the present study on rats revealed that the microgravity can affect pulmonary blood vessel structure, pulmonary arterial pressure, and pulmonary blood vessel self-regulation and cytokine production.

Mutations in the mitochondrial ATPase6 gene are frequent in human osteosarcoma.

To explore the polymorphisms and mutations of mitochondrial ATPase6 gene in Chinese patients with osteosarcoma and their possible association with carcinogenesis, direct DNA sequencing method was used to detect the variants of the mitochondrial ATPase6 gene in 39 patients with osteosarcoma. We found mutations of the mitochondrial ATPase6 gene in 24/39 (61.5%) of the tested osteosarcoma samples, and identified 27 variant sites in ATPase6 coding regions. We did not detect any new polymorphisms in osteosarcoma, nor was there any association between variants and the three histopathological subtypes. These data demonstrated that mtDNA mutations within the ATPase6 gene are a frequent event in Chinese patients with osteosarcoma.

[Change in drug resistance of Staphylococcus aureus].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the change in drug resistance of Staphylococcus aureus (SAU) in the PLA general hospital from January 2008 to December 2012, and to provide solid evidence to support the rational use of antibiotics for clinical applications. METHODS: The SAU strains isolated from clinical samples in the hospital were collected and subjected to the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. The results were assessed based on the 2002 American National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. RESULTS: SAU strains were mainly isolated from sputum, urine, blood and wound excreta and distributed in penology, neurology wards, orthopedics and surgery ICU wards. Except for glycopeptide drugs, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had a higher drug resistance rate than those of the other drugs and had significantly more resistance than methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (P < 0.05). In the dynamic observation of drug resistance, we discovered a gradual increase in drug resistance to fourteen test drugs during the last five years. CONCLUSION: Drug resistance rate of SAU stayed at a higher level over the last five years; moreover, the detection ratio of MRSA keeps rising year by year. It is crucial for physicians to use antibiotics rationally and monitor the change in drug resistance in a dynamic way.

Research advance in effects of weightlessness or simulated weightlessness on tumor cells.

Weightless environment is a rare phenomenon on the ground where the interactions among cells and internal cellular structures disappear or become weakened. Studies on the biological features and molecular expression of tumors cells in weightlessness condition may provide new clues to the tumor initiation, process, diagnosis, and therapy.

Heme oxygenase-1 system, inflammation and ventilator-induced lung injury.

Mechanical ventilation is an indispensable supportive intervention for acute respiratory failure. However, mechanical ventilation can provoke ventilator-induced lung injury, which remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Excessive inflammatory response characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells and overproduction of inflammatory mediators contributes to the pathogenesis of ventilator-induced lung injury. At present, apart from the protective ventilation strategy, no other pharmacological intervention is available to attenuate ventilator-induced lung injury. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is the inducible isoform of the first and rate-limiting enzyme which degrades heme into carbon monoxide, ferritin and bilirubin. Accumulating evidence suggests that HO-1 system may function as a crucial negative regulator in the modulation of inflammatory process. This anti-inflammatory action of HO-1 is mediated essentially by the regulation of the key cells involved in inflammation and restoration of the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators. Therefore, HO-1 system represents a promising therapeutic target for intervention of ventilator-induced lung injury.

Protective effects of hemin in an experimental model of ventilator-induced lung injury.

Mechanical ventilation is an indispensable life-support modality for critically ill patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Unfortunately, mechanical ventilation even the protective ventilation strategies may evoke ventilator-induced lung injury. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has recently exhibited anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties in vitro and in vivo. The effect of HO-1 in ventilator-induced lung injury has not been fully characterized. In this study, rabbits were subjected to high tidal volume ventilation to induce ventilator-induced lung injury, which was confirmed by histopathological alterations, increased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid protein content and lung wet-to-dry ratio. In contrast to the level of HO-1 expression in high tidal volume group, pretreatment with hemin, an inducer of HO-1, further up-regulated HO-1 expression. At the same time, these lung injury indexes were attenuated markedly. This pulmonary protection was accompanied by a decrease in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid neutrophil count and in lung myeloperoxidase activity. Besides, pretreatment with hemin prohibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-8, and up-regulated the level of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Furthermore, a decreased malondialdehyde activity, a marker of oxidative stress and a robust increase in total antioxidant capacity were observed in hemin-treated animals. Our findings suggest that HO-1 up-regulation by hemin plays a protective role in ventilator-induced lung injury by suppression inflammatory process and oxidative stress.

[Salidroside inhibits clinorotation-induced apoptosis in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of salidroside (Sal) on pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (HPMEC) apoptosis induced by simulated microgravity and its mechanism. METHODS: Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells cultured in vitro were divided into control group, clinorotation group and clinorotation+Sal pretreatment groups. Microgravity was simulated by clinorotation. The apoptotic rate of HPMECs was detected by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC staining, and the expressions of bcl-2, bax, and caspase-3 at the mRNA and protein levels were determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: A 72-h clinorotation significantly induced apoptosis in HPMECs. Real-time PCR results demonstrated a significantly lowered bcl-2 but increased bax and caspase-3 mRNA expressions in clinorotation group as compared with those in the control group. Western blotting showed that clinorotation inhibited the protein expressions of PI3K and p-AKT and increased caspase-3 protein expression. Salidroside significantly inhibited the cell apoptosis, reversed the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax, and attenuated the decrease in the protein expression of PI3K and phosphorylation level of AKT. Salidroside also antagonized the activation of caspase-3. CONCLUSION: PI3K/AKT pathway and caspase 3 are involved in the apoptosis of HPMVECs induced by clinorotation, and the effect of clinorotation can be reversed by salidroside, suggesting the potential value of salidroside for application in spaceflight.

Impact of simulated microgravity on microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis.

Cardiovascular deconditioning is known to occur in astronauts exposed to microgravity. Endothelial dysfunction at microcirculatory sites might contribute to cardiovascular deconditioning induced by weightlessness. Recent studies have reported changes in the morphology and gene expression of endothelial cells exposed to conditions of simulated microgravity. The present study was aimed at examining the effects of microgravity on the apoptosis of microvascular endothelial cells and the mechanism underlying these effects. We simulated a microgravity environment and found that microgravity induced microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis and that this effect was correlated with the downregulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, increased expression of NF-κB, and depolymerization of F-actin. These findings may provide important insights into the origin of the adverse physiological changes occurring due to exposure to microgravity conditions.

The reconstruction of lung alveolus-like structure in collagen-matrigel/microcapsules scaffolds in vitro.

This study attempted to use collagen-Matrigel as extracellular matrix (ECM) to supply cells with three-dimensional (3D) culture condition and employ alginate-poly-l-lysine-alginate (APA) microcapsules to control the formation of alveolus-like structure in vitro. We tested mice foetal pulmonary cells (FPCs) by immunohistochemistry after 2D culture. The alveolus-like structure was reconstructed by seeding FPCs in collagen-Matrigel mixed with APA microcapsules 1.5 ml. A self-made mould was used to keep the structure from contraction. Meanwhile, it provided static stretch to the structure. After 7, 14 and 21 days of culture, the alveolus-like structure was analysed histologically and immunohistochemically, or by scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We also observed these structures under inverted phase contrast microscope. The expression of pro-surfactant protein C (SpC) was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We obtained fibroblasts, epithelial cells and alveolar type II (AE2) cells in FPCs. In the reconstructed structure, seeding cells surrounding the APA microcapsules constructed alveolus-like structures, the size of them ranges from 200 to 300 µm. In each reconstructed lung tissue sheet, microcapsules had integrity. Pan-cytokeratin, vimentin and SpC positive cells were observed in 7- and 14-day cultured structures. TEM showed lamellar bodies of AE2 cells in the reconstructed tissues whereas RT-PCR expressed SpC gene. Primary mice FPCs could form alveolus-like structures in collagen-Matrigel/APA microcapsules engineered scaffolds, which could maintain a differentiated state of AE2 cells.

[Geriatric respiratory medicine: a field needs be furthered strengthened].

Respiratory diseases are common in the elderly and often the main causes of death among this population. In addition, it is expected that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory tract infections, lung cancer, and pulmonary tuberculosis will be listed in the top ten diseases in 2020. Therefore, screening, diagnosis and management of respiratory diseases should be strengthened among the elderly; meanwhile, studies on geriatric respiratory medicine should be further enhanced.