Mechanochemical Synthesis of Cuprous Complexes for X-ray Scintillation and Imaging.

Cuprous complex scintillators show promise for X-ray detection with abundant raw materials, diverse luminescent mechanisms, and adjustable structures. However, their synthesis typically requires a significant amount of organic solvents, which conflict with green chemistry principles. Herein, we present the synthesis of two high-performance cuprous complex scintillators using a simple mechanochemical method for the first time, namely [CuI(PPh3)2R] (R = 4-phenylpyridine hydroiodide (PH, Cu-1) and 4-(4-bromophenyl)pyridine hydroiodide (PH-Br, Cu-2). Both materials demonstrated remarkable scintillation performances, exhibiting radioluminescence (RL) intensities 1.52 times (Cu-1) and 2.52 times (Cu-2) greater than those of Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO), respectively. Compared to Cu-1, the enhanced RL performance of Cu-2 can be ascribed to its elevated quantum yield of 51.54%, significantly surpassing that of Cu-1 at 37.75%. This excellent luminescent performance is derived from the introduction of PH-Br, providing a more diverse array of intermolecular interactions that effectively constrain molecular vibration and rotation, further suppressing the nonradiative transition process. Furthermore, Cu-2 powder can be prepared into scintillator film with excellent X-ray imaging capabilities. This work establishes a pathway for the rapid, eco-friendly, and cost-effective synthesis of high-performance cuprous complex scintillators.

The association between admission serum albumin and preoperative deep venous thrombosis in geriatrics hip fracture: a retrospective study of 1819 patients with age ≥ 65 years.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the association between serum albumin levels and preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in geriatric hip fractures. METHODS: Older adult patients with hip fractures were screened between January 2015 and September 2019. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were collected. Multivariate binary logistic regression and generalized additive model were used to identify the linear and nonlinear association between albumin levels and preoperative DVT. Analyses were performed using EmpowerStats and the R software. RESULTS: A total of 1819 patients were included in this study. The average age was 79.37 ± 6.88 years. There were 550 males and 1269 females. The preoperative albumin was 38.19 ± 4.07 g/L. There were 580 (31.89%) preoperative DVTs. Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that albumin level was associated with preoperative DVT (odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-0.97, P = 0.0002) after adjusting for confounding factors. The fully adjusted model showed a DVT risk decrease of 6% when albumin concentration increased by one g/L after controlling for confounding factors. In addition, the trend test and propensity score matching also showed a stable linear correlation between albumin level and preoperative DVT. CONCLUSION: Serum albumin is associated with preoperative DVT in geriatric patients with hip fractures, and it could be considered a predictor for the risk of DVT. REGISTRATION ID: ChiCTR2200057323.

Expression and localization of vascular endothelial growth factor-B in diencephalon and brainstem related tissues of the Yak’s brain / 解剖学报

Objective To explore the expression and distribution characteristics of vascular endothelial growth factor-B(VEGF-B) in diencephalon and brainstem of Yak’s brain tissues, and to investigate the associations between its expression and hypoxia adaptation. Methods Five healthy yaks were selected, and the brain tissues were divided and collected according to the gross anatomical structure of the brain, including pituitary, thalamus, hypothalamus, oblongata and pons. The characteristics of expression and location of VEGF-B in different regions of Yak’s brain tissues were detected by Real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical techniques. Results The results showed that the highest expression level of VEGF-B mRNA of yak brain tissue was in the pituitary, and the content was significantly higher than that found in other parts of the brain(P<0. 05). Following the expressions were in the hypothalamus, thalamus and medulla oblongata, while the lowest expression level was in pons. The expression level of VEGF-B protein in Yak’s brain tissue was similar to the mRNA expression level except that the thalamus was higher than that of hypothalamus. The result of immunohistochemistry showed that VEGF-B protein-positive substances were mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of various types of cells. Among them, the positive staining of VEGF-B was mainly concentrated in eosinophils of pituitary. The positive staining of VEGF-B was mainly concentrated in pleomorphic cells of thalamus and hypothalamus. The distribution of VEGF-B protein-positive substances were mainly focused in nerve cell body of medulla oblongata and pons. Conclusion VEGF-B protein is expressed in both diencephalon and brainstem of yak, which may be closely related to its functions of anti-apoptosis, "survival factor" and angiogenesis. However, the specific mechanism of its neuroprotective effect on Yak brain under hypoxic environment needs to be further studied. The difference of expression in different regions may be related to the tissue specificity and function in different regions of the brain.

Chromatin-Remodelling ATPases ISWI and BRM Are Essential for Reproduction in the Destructive Pest Tuta absoluta.

The tomato leaf miner (Tuta absoluta) is one of the top 20 plant pests worldwide. We cloned and identified the chromatin-remodelling ATPase genes ISWI and BRM by RACE and bioinformatic analysis, respectively; used RT-qPCR to examine their expression patterns during different life cycle stages; and elucidated their roles in insect reproduction using double-stranded RNA injections. The full-length cDNA of TaISWI was 3428 bp and it encoded a 1025-aa polypeptide. The partial-length cDNA of TaBRM was 3457 bp and it encoded a 1030-aa polypeptide. TaISWI and TaBRM were upregulated at the egg stage. Injection of TaISWI or TaBRM dsRNA at the late pupa stage significantly inhibited adult ovary development and reduced fecundity, hatchability, and longevity in the adult females. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to perform molecular characterisations of two chromatin-remodelling ATPase genes and clarify their roles in T. absoluta fecundity. Chromatin-remodelling ATPases are potential RNAi targets for the control of T. absoluta and other insect pests. The present study was also the first to demonstrate the feasibility of reproductive inhibitory RNAi as a putative approach for the suppression of T. absoluta and other Lepidopteran insect populations.

Study on mechanism of cryptotanshinone against non-small cell lung cancer based on network pharmacology / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the mechanism of cryptotanshinone (CTS) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by using network pharmacology and bioinformatics methods. Methods Taking CTS as the research object, TCMSP database, SwissTargetPrediction and PharmMapper target prediction platform were used to collect CTS related targets; OMIM database, Gene-Cards data-base and TCGA database were employed to collect NSCLC related targets; String database and Cytoscape software were applied to construct PPI of intersection targets Network diagram, the hub targets were screened out, and AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking verification; the R language clusterProfiler package was used to perform GO and KEGG enrichment analysis on the intersection targets; Cytoscape software was employed to construct the "CTS intersection targets-KEGG pathway" network. Results As a result, 75 intersecting targets were obtained, mainly involving various biological processes such as signal transduction, phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, apoptosis and vascular regulation, mainly through pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, cancer pathways and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. And cellular pathways such as apoptosis and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity exerted their anti-NSCLC effects. Conclusions CTS exerts its anti-NSCLC effect through multiple targets and multiple pathways, which provides the theoretical support for further in-depth research.

Functional Group Characteristics and Pyrolysis/Combustion Performance of Karamay OS Based on FT-IR and TG-DTG Analyses.

Proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis characterization were carried out on oily sludge (OS) samples OS1-OS5, from Karamay, Xinjiang, China. The Coast-Redfern model (CRm) was used to simulate the pyrolysis and combustion kinetics of oily samples. The results showed that the peak area percentage of benzene ring trisubstitution of OS5, in the range of 700-900 cm-1, is close to 75%, corresponding to its high volatile content. Based on the kinetic analysis by the CRm, it is found that the fitting degree of the five samples is better when the reaction order is selected as n = 2, with R 2 close to 1.00 and 2RT/E to 0. Among them, the S N and D W of OS5 are 17.8 × 10-10%2 min-2 °C-3 and 0.10899 × 10-5% min-1 °C-2, respectively, higher than those of other samples, indicating a good combustion performance.

Impact of the gut microbiota on heat stroke rat mediated by Xuebijing metabolism.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the fecal microbiome and serum metabolites in Xuebijing (XBJ)-injected rats after heat stroke using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. Eighteen rats were divided into the control group (CON), heat stroke group (HS), and XBJ group. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing results revealed that the abundance of Bacteroidetes was overrepresented in the XBJ group compared to the HS group, while Actinobacteria was underrepresented. Metabolomic profiling showed that the pyrimidine metabolism pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway were upregulated in the XBJ group compared to the HS group. Taken together, these results demonstrated that heat stroke not only altered the gut microbiome community structure of rats but also greatly affected metabolic functions, leading to gut microbiome toxicity.

Study on the polymorphisms of HLA-ABCDQB1DRB1 alleles and haplotypes in Hubei Han population of China.

The present study aimed to analyse the frequencies of human leukocyte antigen HLA-ABCDQB1 and HLA-DRB1 alleles and haplotypes in a subset of 3,732 Han population from Hubei of China. All samples were typed in the HLA-ABCDQB1 and HLA-DRB1 loci using the sequence-based typing method; subsequently, the HLA polymorphisms were analysed. A total of 47 HLA-A, 89 HLA-B, 43 HLA-C, 49 HLA-DRB1 and 24 HLA-DQB1 alleles were identified in the Hubei Han population. The top three most frequent alleles in the HLA-ABCDQB1 and HLA-DRB1 were A*11:01 (0.2617), A*24:02 (0.1590), A*02:07 (0.1281); B*46:01 (0.1502), B*40:01 (0.1409) and B*58:01 (0.0616); C*01:02 (0.2023), C*07:02 (0.1691) and C*03:04 (0.1175); and DQB1*03:01 (0.2000), DQB1*03:03 (0.1900), DQB1*06:01 (0.1187); DRB1*09:01 (0.1790), DRB1*15:01 (0.1062) and DRB1*12:02 (0.0841), respectively. Meanwhile, the three most frequent two-loci haplotypes were A*02:07-C*01:02 (0.0929), B*46:01-C*01:02 (0.1366) and DQB1*03:03-DRB1*09:01 (0.1766). The three most frequent three-loci haplotypes were A*02:07-B*46:01-C*01:02 (0.0883), B*46:01-DQB1*03:03-DRB1*09:01 (0.0808) and C*01:02-DQB1*03:03-DRB1*09:01 (0.0837). The three most frequent four-loci haplotypes were A*02:07-B*46:01-C*01:02-DQB1*03:03 (0.0494), B*46:01-DRB1*09:01-C*01:02-DQB1*03:03 (0.0729) and A*02:07-B*46:01-DQB1*03:03-DRB1*09:01 (0.0501). The most frequent five-loci haplotype was A*02:07-B*46:01-C*01:02-DQB1*03:03-DRB1*09:01 (0.0487). Heat maps and multiple correspondence analysis based on the frequencies of HLA specificity indicated that the Hubei Han population might be described into Southern Chinese populations. Our results lay a certain foundation for future population studies, disease association studies and donor recruitment strategies.

Activity variation and dose level in patient′s body with differentiated thyroid cancer after 131I therapy / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To study the variation in activity in patient′s body with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) treated with 131I and external dose level, analyze the relationship between the both, and estimate the correction factor for the dose equivalent rate for the patients with residual activity of 400 MBq. Methods:A total of 43 DTC patients who received 131I therapy for the first time after total thyroidectomy were studied. The dose was 1 850-3 700 MBq and average dose was (2 405±777) MBq. The measurements of residual activity in patient′s body and of dose equivalent rate at 0.3, 1 and 3 m in front of the patients were performed at 2, 6, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 44, 46, 48, 54, 68 and 72 h after administration of 131I. Results:The residual activity in patient′s body after 131I therapy varied with time as a function of A= A0 (1.033 16e -0.062 4t+ 0.017 17). It can be estimated that the effective half-life of DTC patients treated with thyroid remnant 131I ablation therapy is 12.19 h. It needs only 26.4-38.9 h to reduce the internal activity to the 400 MBq. The functions of variation with time of normalized dose equivalent rate at 0.3, 1, and 3 m away from patients were: H· 0.3=127.220 7e -0.054 8t+ 3.765 71; H· 1=30.225 8e -0.064 4t+ 0.824 67; and H· 3=4.161 9e -0.061 5t+ 0.167 97, respectively. There was a positive correlation between residual activity and dose equivalent rate at 1 m ( r=0.982, P<0.05), and the function is H· 1=0.025 A+ 1.245. When residual activities in DTC patient′s body were 1 000, 700 and 400 MBq, the corresponding dose equivalent rates at 1 m from patients were 26.2, 18.7 and 11.2 μSv/h, respectively. The correction factors for dose equivalent rate at 0.3, 1 and 3 m from patients with 400 MBq were 0.25, 0.49 and 0.70, respectively. Conclusions:DTC patients with administration of 131I activity below 3 700 MBq need only to be hospitalized for two days to reach the discharge standards. When the residual activity in DTC patient′s body drops to 400 MBq, the dose equivalent rate at 1 m is far less than 25 μSv/h. Simply using the point source formula to estimate the dose equivalent rate around the patient will result in overestimation. Therefore, the correction factor used in the estimation of radiation doses to patients by using the formula needs to be further studied so as to make the model-based estimated result more consistent with the actual situation.

Trends in the Burden of Untreated Caries of Permanent Teeth in China, 1993-2017: An Age-Period-Cohort Modeling Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to identify the trends in incidence and prevalence of untreated caries in permanent teeth in China during 1993-2017. METHODS: Data representing >31 billion person-years of observation from the Global Burden of Disease study 2017 were analyzed. Age-period-cohort modeling was performed to investigate the trends in untreated caries that may be of value to policymakers. Analyses were conducted in 2019-2020. RESULTS: Prevalence of untreated caries in permanent teeth decreased steadily before 2010; after which, an increasing trend was noted without the signs of plateauing (age-adjusted annual percentage change, 1993-2017: -0.54%, 95% CI= -0.75%, -0.33%; declining period RR, 1993-2017: p=6.33 × 10-9; declining cohort RR, 1993-2017: p=3.46 × 10-6). Although untreated caries prevalence declined overall among multiple age groups (p<0.05), an increase in prevalence after 2010 was noted. This was driven by the deteriorating oral health condition in recent birth cohorts aged <25 years. Estimates of the longitudinal age trend (incidence: -0.013, 95% CI= -0.015, -0.011; prevalence: -0.0038, 95% CI= -0.0060, -0.0015) suggested that the highest untreated caries incidence and prevalence rate were both observed among young adults aged 20-24 years. No differences between incidence and prevalence of untreated caries were observed among adults aged >55 years (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The increased burden of untreated caries in China after 2010 is driven by those aged <25 years. Untreated caries data from the Global Burden of Disease study are a valid complement to the data from the Chinese National Oral Health Epidemiology Surveys.

Resveratrol inhibits hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and proliferation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells through the HIF-1α/NOX4/ROS signaling pathway / 生理学报

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of resveratrol on hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and proliferation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and the underlying mechanism. Primary rat PASMCs were isolated and cultured in vitro and pretreated with different concentrations of resveratrol (10, 20, and 40 µmol/L) or the NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitor VAS2870 (10 µmol/L) for 0.5 h. The cells were then cultured under normoxia (21% O

A Simple, Low-Cost Micro-Coating Method for Accuracy Improvement and Its Application in Pressure Sensors.

The demand for high-accuracy pressure sensors has increased with the advancement of technology in a wide variety of applications. However, it is generally difficult and expensive to improve the accuracy of the pressure sensor because it usually depends on the sensing principle and the internal physical structure of the pressure sensor, varying with its material and production process. Thus, a simple, low-cost, and generally applied post-processing method is proposed to improve the accuracy of pressure sensors. In this method, a micro-coating is cladded on the surface of the sensor, which effectively isolates the adverse effect of the external environment, similar to applying a "micro-protective clothing" on the pressure sensor. Experiments on seven pressure sensors are conducted, in which the micron-thin parylene polymer is utilized as the surface-deposited coating layer to demonstrate the improvement of accuracy. Results show that the accuracy was improved, with an average increase of approximately 62.54% than before cladding, while the sensitivity was almost unchanged. The principle of improving the accuracy of this method was also analyzed. The proposed simple, efficient, and low-cost method of cladding micro-coating for enhancing the accuracy of sensors can be widely applied in various fields of industrial automatic control.

Negative remnant 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake predicts excellent response to radioactive iodine therapy in low- to intermediate-risk differentiated thyroid cancer patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Negative 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake of the thyroid bed indicates the absence or a small volume of remnant thyroid tissue (RTT) after total thyroidectomy (TT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the predictive value of negative 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy for excellent response (ER) to radioactive iodine therapy (RIT) in low- to intermediate-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. PATIENTS: One-hundred and eighty-nine low- to intermediate-risk DTC patients who underwent TT, RIT with a single dose of 30 mCi and suppressive therapy with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from July 2015 to February 2016 in our hospital were retrospectively evaluated. 99mTc-pertechnetate thyroid scintigraphy was performed just before RIT and images were reported dichotomously as negative or positive. The response of patients was assessed for 23.2 ± 3.8 months after RIT and dichotomized as excellent response (ER) or non-excellent response (NER). 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake, age at diagnosis, gender, multifocality, T stage, N stage, preablative stimulated thyroglobulin (ps-Tg), and TSH were explored as potential predictors for ER. RESULTS: 80.68% (71/88) of patients with negative 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake achieved ER. When patients were evaluated according to different ps-Tg levels, we found that 94.83% (55/58) of patients with ps-Tg < 1 ng/ml and negative 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake achieved ER. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that ps-Tg (P = 0.0001) and 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake (P = 0.0473) were independent predictors for ER. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to ps-Tg, negative 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake is also a significant independent predictor for an excellent response in low- to intermediate-risk patients. It may be possible to omit RIT in patients with ps-Tg < 1 ng/ml and concurrent negative 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake.

Problems and thoughts in diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中国实用内科杂志

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is a preventable and treatable disease with high rate of incidence, disability,and mortality, making COPD a heavy burden worldwide. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Scientific Committee organized a forum and discussed some controversial topics in COPD, including: diagnosis and assessment; risk factors for disease development, advances in treatment of the stable patient, and the assessment and treatment of exacerbations. This article interprets clinical utility of these contents.

Determination of the Content of 4-FMA in Rat Plasma Samples by HPLC-MS/MS Method / 法医学杂志

Objective To develop a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （HPLC-MS/MS） method for the determination of the content of 4-fluoromethamphetamine （4-FMA） in rat plasma, and to provide a methodological basis for the study of the toxicokinetics of 4-FMA in rats. Methods Rat plasma samples were added into internal standard methamphetamine （MA）. Its proteins were precipitated with methanol and then separated with Poroshell 120 EC-C18 chromatographic column. A 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and a 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution were used as the mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Electrospray ionization source was used for detection in the multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode. Results The linear relationship was good when the mass concentration of 4-FMA in plasma samples was in the range of 5-1 000 ng/mL （r>0.999）. The limit of detection （LOD） was 3 ng/mL and the limit of quantification （LOQ） was 5 ng/mL. The accuracy was expressed as relative error （RE）, and in the range of ±5%, the intra-day precision and inter-day precision （relative standard deviation, RSD） less than 9%, and the extraction recovery rate was more than 90%. The analysis and detection of plasma samples were completed within 2.5 min. Conclusion This study developed a HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of 4-FMA in rat plasma samples. This method is accurate, rapid, simple and sensitive and can be applied to the study of toxicokinetics of 4-FMA.

Effect and Mechanism of Celastrol on Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Hepatic L02 Cells of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of celastrol in inhibiting the lipid metabolism disorder in hepatic L02 cells and its possible mechanism on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) of non-alcoholic fatty liver cells by intervening non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) cell model with celastrol. Method:Hepatic L02 cells were divided into control group, model group, low-dose celastrol treatment group (Cel 0.5 mg·L-1), high-dose celastrol treatment group (Cel 1 mg·L-1) and simvastatin group (SIM 6 mg·L-1) for cultivation. The contents of total cholesterol (TC) and total triglyceride (TG) in hepatic L02 cells were detected, and the oil red staining was used to detected the lipid accumulation in hepatic L02 cells. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related signal molecules activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), sterol regulatory element-binding protein cleavage-activating protein (SCAP), sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) in hepatic L02 cell model respectively. Result:The contents of TC and TG in hepatic L02 cells of NAFLD group were significantly higher than those in control group (P-1 group, Cel 1 mg·L-1 group and SIM 6 mg·L-1 group were significantly lower than those in NAFLD group (P-1 group, the Cel 1 mg·L-1 group, and the SIM 6 mg·L-1 group were lower than the NAFLD group to different degrees. According to the results of RT-PCR and Western blot, the mRNA transcription and protein expression levels of ERS-related signaling molecules ATF6, GRP78, IRE1, SCAP, SREBP-1c and SREBP-2 in hepatic L02 cells of NAFLD group were higher than those of control group (P-1 group, Cel 1 mg·L-1 group and SIM 6 mg·L-1 group were lower than those of NAFLD group (P-1 group and the SIM 6 mg·L-1 group. Conclusion:Celastrol can reduce the lipid metabolism disorder in hepatic L02 cells by down-regulating the expressions of ERS-related signaling molecules ATF6, GRP78, IRE1, SCAP, SREBP-1c and SREBP-2 in hepatic L02 cells, so as to improve NAFLD.

Effect of body composition on dialysis quality(Kt/V): a single center study / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To investigate the relationship between body composition and adequacy of dialysis,and analyze the related risk factors for inadequate delivery of hemodialysis.Methods In a prospective clinical trial,two different methods determining dialysis dose were simultaneously applied:Kt/Vdau (conventional method with Daugirdas' formula) and Kt/Vbem [online clearance monitoring (OCM) measurement with Ⅴ measured by body composition monitor (BCM)].Using the value of 1.27 as the boundary,the patients were divided into two groups:Kt/Vbcm ＜ 1.27 group and Kt/Vbcm≥ 1.27 group.Clinical indices were compared between the two groups.Multiple linear regression was applied to analyze the potential impact factors of the difference between Kt/V values calculated by the two methods.Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to analyze meaningful factors.Results A total of 138 maintenance hemodialysis patients with age of (54.9±12.7) years old were enrolled,and 55.1％ of them were males.There was no significant difference between Kt/Vdau and Kt/Vbcm [1.432(1.235,1.718) vs 1.434 (1.244,1.642),P=0.823].Kt/Vdau was incidentally prone to falsely high values due to operative errors,whereas in these cases OCM-based measurement Kt/Vbcm delivered realistic values.An excellent correlation was observed between Kt/Vdau and Kt/Vbcm;the mean difference was 0.07,95％CI (-0.66-0.79);the correlation coefficient was 0.842(0.821-0.862).The patients in Kt/Vbcm≥ 1.27 group had older age,lower body mass index (BMI),lower height and weight,lower total body water (TBW),lower extracellular water,lower intracellular water,and lower lean tissue index (LTI) compared to those in Kt/Vbcm ＜ 1.27 group.Excellent correlations were observed between Kt/Vbcm and TBW or LTI (r=-0.834,P ＜ 0.001;r=-0.721,P ＜ 0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of predicting inadequate delivery of hemodialysis were 87.1％ and 86.5％,with a threshold of 30 L for TBW.It also showed that the sensitivity and specificity of predicting inadequate delivery of hemodialysis were 60.4％ and 94.6％,with a threshold of 11.05 kg/m2 for LTI.Conclusions BCM can give more accurate parameters of urea distribution volume,thus modifying the result of Kt/V.TBW and LTI are important risk influencing factors for inadequately dialysis,and special attention should be paid to patients with TBW ＞ 30 L or LTI ＞ 11.05 kg/m2.

Effect of corpus luteum blood flow measured by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound on pregnancy in elderly women / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To explore the effect of corpus luteum blood flow measured by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound on pregnancy in elderly women.Methods We selected 464 elderly women with normal ovulation who came to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2016 to July 2017 as study group.Another 436 women aged less than 35 years old who planned pregnancy in the same period were selected as control group.The clinical data were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in average diameter of dominant follicles and endometrial thickness at each monitoring point between the two groups (P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in corpus luteum blood flow grade 1 day after ovulation (P＞0.05),but corpus luteum blood flow grade 7 to 9 days after ovulation in study group was significantly reduced as compared with control group (P＜0.05).The two groups did not differ significantly in corpus luteum volume (V)or vascular parameters 1 day after ovulation,corpus luteum V 7-9 days after ovulation (P＞0.05).However,luteum vascularization index (VI),flow index (FI)and vascularization flow index (VFI) significantly decreased in study group compared with control group (P＜0.05).Biochemical pregnancy rate and clinical pregnancy rate were 1 6 .3 8% and 9 .05 % in study group ,which were significantly lower than 2 3 .1 7 % and 19.04% in control group,respectively (P＜0.05).Miscarriage rate of biochemical pregnancy in study group was 7. 33%,significantly higher than 4.13% in control group (P＜0.05).Corpus luteum V and vascular parameters in women with biochemical pregnancy abortion in both groups were significantly lower than those with clinical pregnancy (P＜0.05).Conclusion The decreased of blood supply of the corpus luteum in embryo implantation window of elderly women may be related to the reduction of endometrial receptivity and pregnancy rate.Regardless of old age,biochemical pregnancy abortion is likely to lead to loss of corpus luteum blood supply,which results in pregnancy failure.

Furanodiene Induces Extrinsic and Intrinsic Apoptosis in Doxorubicin-Resistant MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells via NF-κB-Independent Mechanism.

Chemotherapy is used as a primary approach in cancer treatment after routine surgery. However, chemo-resistance tends to occur when chemotherapy is used clinically, resulting in poor prognosis and recurrence. Currently, Chinese medicine may provide insight into the design of new therapies to overcome chemo-resistance. Furanodiene, as a heat-sensitive sesquiterpene, is isolated from the essential oil of Rhizoma Curcumae. Even though mounting evidence claiming that furanodiene possesses anti-cancer activities in various types of cancers, the underlying mechanisms against chemo-resistant cancer are not fully clear. Our study found that furanodiene could display anti-cancer effects by inhibiting cell viability, inducing cell cytotoxicity, and suppressing cell proliferation in doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, furanodiene preferentially causes apoptosis by interfering with intrinsic/extrinsic-dependent and NF-κB-independent pathways in doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 cells. These observations also prompt that furanodiene may be developed as a promising natural product for multidrug-resistant cancer therapy in the future.

Clinical response to radioactive iodine therapy for prophylactic central neck dissection is not superior to total thyroidectomy alone in cN0 patients with papillary thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) is controversial in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without clinical positive lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on the clinical outcome in clinically node-negative (cN0) PTC patients treated with total thyroidectomy (TT) alone or in combination with pCND. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One-hundred and sixty-seven cN0 PTC patients who underwent TT alone (TT) or in combination with pCND (TT+pCND) in our hospital from January 2014 to August 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. Adjuvant RAI therapy was recommended depending on tumor diameter, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, the presence of positive lymph nodes, and adverse histopathologic features. Serological and imaging data were collected with a mean follow-up of 29.9±5.2 months after RAI administration. Suppressed and stimulated thyroglobulin, thyroglobulin antibody, diagnostic whole-body scintigraphy, and other imaging examinations were used to assess clinical outcome, which was defined as excellent response, indeterminate response, biochemical incomplete response, and structural incomplete response. RESULTS: TT was performed in 62 (37.1%) and TT+pCND in 105 (62.9%). The rate of permanent hypoparathyroidism was significantly higher in TT+pCND than that of TT alone (14.2 vs. 3.2%, P=0.0316). Because of the detection of central neck lymph node metastases by pCND, 42 (40%) patients developed higher recurrence risk stratification (from low to intermediate) and 12 (11.4%) patients were upstaged in TNM staging. RAI therapy was performed for 46 (74.2%) patients in the TT group and 87 (82.9%) in the TT+pCND group. The mean dose for patients receiving RAI in the TT+pCND group was significantly higher than that in the TT group (113.9±23.1 vs. 93.9±18.1, P<0.0001). No significant difference in response to RAI therapy was found between the TT group and the TT+pCND group (P=0.9474). CONCLUSION: Although the addition of pCND to TT, with a concomitant higher frequency of permanent hypoparathyroidism, upstages 40% of patients, thereby changing the dose of RAI therapy, the clinical response to RAI therapy for TT+pCND is not superior to TT alone in cN0 PTC patients.