Automated marine oil spill detection algorithm based on single-image generative adversarial network and YOLO-v8 under small samples.

As marine resources and transportation develop, oil spill incidents are increasing, endangering marine ecosystems and human lives. Rapidly and accurately identifying marine oil spill is of utmost importance in protecting marine ecosystems. Marine oil spill detection methods based on deep learning and computer vision have the great potential significantly enhance detection efficiency and accuracy, but their performance is often limited by the scarcity of real oil spill samples, posing a challenging to train a precise detection model. This study introduces a detection method specifically designed for scenarios with limited sample sizes. First, the small sample dataset of marine oil spill taken by Landsat-8 satellite is used as the training set. Then, a single image generative adversarial network (SinGAN) capable of training with a single oil spill image is constructed for expanding the dataset, generating diverse marine oil spill samples with different shapes. Second, a YOLO-v8 model is pretrained via the method of transfer learning and then trained with dataset before and after augmentation separately for real-time and efficient oil spill detection. Experimental results have demonstrated that the YOLO-v8 model, trained on an expanded dataset, exhibits notable enhancements in recall, precision, and average precision, with improvements of 12.3 %, 6.3 %, and 11.3 % respectively, compared to the unexpanded dataset. It reveals that our marine oil spill detection model based on YOLO-v8 exhibits leading or comparable performance in terms of recall, precision, and AP metrics. The data augmentation technique based on SinGAN contributes to the performance of other popular object detection algorithms as well.

Volumetric reconstruction of settling mud flocs: A new insight of equilibrium flocculation in saline water.

Mud flocculation and settling play key role in understanding sediment transport cycle and affect water quality in estuaries and coastal seas. However, the morphological irregularity and structural instability of fragile mud flocs set huge obstacles for quantifying geometric property accurately and establishing reliable predicting tools in settling dynamics via previous observing strategies based on instant measured and 2-dimensional imagery floc parameterizations. Here we designed a multi-camera apparatus targeting capturing multiple angles of individual flocs, and developed a multi-view segmentation algorithm on floc images analysis. We finally accomplished batch of 3-dimensional reconstruction obtaining each settling floc's volumetric size in equilibrium flocculation. The results indicate a stable bimodal floc size distribution in equilibrium flocculation with a dominant peak of microflocs (<200 µm) and a secondary smaller peak of macroflocs (> 200 µm). The flocculi (<50 µm) shows more spherical outlines with dense structure while the larger-sized macroflocs (>200 µm) have high irregular morphologies with high porosity and visible biological debris attaching, and the microflocs (50-200 µm) tend to be irregular in shape and dense inside. The terminal settling velocity of mud flocs shows increasing with floc size in <200 µm but keeps stable around 1-2 mm s-1 after >200 µm due to the increase in size being compensated by the decrease of density according to the fractal theory on floc geometry. The higher organic matter content within larger porous flocs reduces the macroflocs effective density. These lead to high volumetric settling flux but low mass settling flux of macroflocs in natural water systems. This work provides new insight to reveal more accurate mud floc geometric parameterizations in volumetric aspect and reliable characterizations of equilibrium flocculation using a fast and sound batch of direct measuring approach. This may importantly improve the predictions of suspended mud dynamics in nature.

First Report of Curvularia plantarum Causing Rice Spikelet Rot Disease in China.

In September 2022, rice spikelets rot disease (RSRD) was investigated in Songjiang District (30.94132N, 121.18393E), China, leading to a 26.77% yield loss. At the heading stage, infected spikelets exhibited small, yellowish-brown dots with water-stained husks, subsequently coalescing to form irregular brown to black lesions. Later, the lesions were enlarged and rotted, which eventually caused blighted grains. About 10% of husked grains showed black spots. 30 infected grains and 30 husked grains with black spots were surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 2 min, then rinsed with ddH2O and plated on PDA medium at 28°C in darkness for 4 d. 22 and 13 fungal isolates with similar morphology were obtained in shriveled and husked grains, respectively. Three isolates (SJTU1, SJTU2 and SJTU3) were selected by the single-spore isolation method. The colonies were brown to blackish green, smooth, and contained a large number of stolons with a few aerial mycelia in the center. Hyphae and conidiophores were blackish green, thick-walled, branched with septa. Conidia were 14.77 to 26.82×4.74 to 11.36 µm (average 20.42×8.58 µm, n= 100) in size, lightly curved with blackish green. Conidia with three septa and four cells, apical and basal cells transparent, middle cell unequal in size. Based on morphological characteristics, the isolates were preliminarily identified as Curvularia plantarum (Raza et al. 2019). The genomic DNA of the three isolates (SJTU1 to 3) was extracted for molecular identification. 3 pairs of primers ITS1/TTS4 (Peever et al. 2004), gpd1/gpd2 (Berbee et al. 1999), and EF-983F/EF-2218R (Rehner and Buckley 2005) were used to amplify ITS, GAPDH, and EF1-α genes, respectively. These sequences were all uploaded in GenBank (ITS: OR726053 to 55; EF1-α: OR732471 to 73; GAPDH: OR732474 to 76). According to data in GenBank, the ITS, EF1-α, and GAPDH genes of 3 isolates (SJTU1 to 3) showed 99-100% identity (573/575 bp, 542/543 bp, and 531/531 bp) to the ITS (MW581905, MN044755, and MN215690), 99-100% identity (869/869 bp, 868/869 bp, and 855/856 bp) to the EF1-α (MN263982 to 83, and MT628901), and 99-100% identity (543/544 bp, 528/528 bp, and 540/540 bp) to the GAPDH (MT628902, MN264120, and MT432926) gene of C. plantarum, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis by Maximum Likelihood (ML) method based on the concatenated sequences of ITS, EF1-α, and GAPDH genes showed that the three isolates (SJTU1 to 3) clustered with C. plantarum. According to morphology and molecular identification, these fungal isolates were identified as C. plantarum. Pathogenicity tests were conducted in the field used only for inoculation with pathogens by spraying 30 spikelets of rice cultivar 'Song1013' at the heading stage with conidial suspension (5 × 105 conidia/mL). 30 spikelets sprayed with ddH2O were designated as control. The test was conducted 3 times at 22 to 31°C with 78 to 89% RH. All the inoculated spikelets exhibited similar symptoms to those of the infected spikelets in paddy at 10 d after spraying, while the control spikelets remained healthy. All reisolated strains from infected spikelets were identified the same as the original inoculated strains by morphology and ITS sequences, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. plantarum causing RSRD in China. The discovery of this new disease and its pathogens will facilitate the provision of pathogenically relevant information vital for management strategies to RSRD caused by C. plantarum in the future.

Effect of 10.6-µm CO2 laser moxibustion on the fastest 15-m walking time in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, sham-controlled, multi-site randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the impact of 10.6-µm CO2 laser moxibustion (LM) on the fastest 15-m walking time in individuals suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: A total of 392 individuals diagnosed with KOA and meeting the specified eligibility criteria were assigned randomly into two groups: the LM treatment group and the sham LM control group (ratio 1:1). Both groups received either LM therapy or simulated LM therapy to address the affected area of the knee joint. This treatment was administered three times a week for a duration of 4 weeks. RESULTS: In the LM group, the fastest 15-m walking times at both Week 4 and Week 12 were significantly reduced compared to the times before treatment (all P < 0.05). However, in the sham LM group, there were no notable differences in the fastest 15-m walking times after treatment (all P > 0.05). Moreover, the LM group exhibited shorter 15-m walking times than the sham LM group at both Week 4 and Week 12 (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of CO2 LM can lead to a substantial enhancement in the fastest 15-m walking time of individuals suffering from KOA, and its therapeutic impact can last for a minimum of 8 weeks post-treatment. The fastest 15-m walking time serves as an indicator of alterations in the walking capacity of patients with KOA.

A comparison of jade moxibustion and traditional moxibustion in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: This study was developed to compare the relative clinical efficacy of traditional moxibustion and Jade moxibustion in an effort to define the most effective approaches to treating knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: In total, 94 patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to the traditional moxibustion (TM) and Jade moxibustion (JM) groups. For JM, a jade kneepad was preheated for 3 minutes via electrification, with the jade in the kneepad being pressed onto acupoints when reaching an initial temperature of 46°C. For patients in the TM group, moxa cones were applied to acupoints for treatment. In total, 12 treatments were performed for patients in each group, with treatment being conducted 3 times per week. Study outcomes included 36-item short-form health survey and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index knee stiffness scores. In addition, serum levels of osteoarthritis-related cytokines were measured. RESULTS: Overall, 89/94 patients completed this study, including 44 and 45 in the TM and JM groups, respectively. The 36-item short-form health survey physical functioning at weeks 12 and 24 (P = .033, 0.001), role-physical at weeks 4 and 24 (P = .030, 0.014), and role-emotional at week 4 (P = .045) were the only scores to differ significantly between the TM and JM groups. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index stiffness scores in the JM groups improved significantly relative to baseline at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 24 (all P < .01). The scores in the TM group differed significantly at all time points relative to baseline (all P < .01), with no differences between groups (all P > .05). Serum Interleukin-2 levels were lower in both groups (all P < .01). Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 only differed significantly for patients treated via JM (P < .05, P < .01), with the same also being true for Interleukin-1ß and Interleukin-8 in the TM group (all P < .01). No significant differences in other cytokines were observed, nor did they differ significantly between groups (all P > .05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that JM treatment can improve knee osteoarthritis patient quality of life, alleviating joint stiffness and restoring joint function with a level of efficacy comparable to TM.

Preparation of High Water-Soluble Trichoderma Co-Culture Metabolite Powder and Its Effects on Seedling Emergence Rate and Growth of Crops.

Trichoderma spp. are widely used beneficial microbes in agricultural production; however, the improper carrier choice for Trichoderma agent preparation can alter the effectiveness of Trichoderma fungicides. In this study, the co-culture of four Trichoderma strains produced a large amount of free amino acids, with a content of 392.8414 ug/mL, and significantly improved the production level of γ-aminobutyric acid. A greenhouse experiment further showed that the co-culture of Trichoderma synergistically improved the female flower development and bacterial angular leaf spot resistance. The effects of ten kinds of carriers were compared in terms of water absorption and heat generation, as well as their effects on the seedling emergence rate and the plant growth promotion of maize, cucumber, and pakchoi cabbage. Each carrier was screened to mix with four strains of co-culture metabolites to prepare highly soluble and quality powders. The results showed that there were different effects of the carriers themselves and Trichoderma strain co-culture metabolite powder prepared with the carriers on seedling emergence rate and seedling growth. Β-cyclodextrin performed best in high solubility and low heat generation upon absorbing water and in easy drying in processing operations. Trichoderma strains co-culture metabolite powder with ß-cyclodextrin as a carrier provided the most obvious promotion effects on seedling emergence rate and seedling growth. Therefore, ß-cyclodextrin was determined to be an ideal carrier to prepare a highly water-soluble Trichoderma agent. Taken together, the study successfully developed a new type of highly soluble powder containing Trichoderma co-culture metabolites that is expected to benefit farming drip irrigation and spraying systems for the promotion of crop growth and disease control.

New smokeless moxibustion for knee osteoarthritis: A study protocol for a multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with high morbidity and disability. As the aging and obese population increase, so will the medical services for this disease. The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy of herbal activated carbon smokeless moxibustion and traditional moxibustion in the treatment of KOA and to determine the clinical efficacy of herbal activated carbon smokeless moxibustion in the treatment of KOA. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, two parallel-group, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Eighty-eight subjects with KOA (Kellgren Lawrence grade II or III) will be recruited and randomly treated with smokeless moxibustion or traditional moxibustion in the ratio of 1:1. The smokeless moxibustion group will use plant herbal activated carbon smokeless moxa cone. The traditional moxibustion group will be treated with pure moxa cone. Subjects in both groups will receive treatment at the affected knee(s) at the acupuncture point ST35, EX-LE2, and EX-LE4. Subjects in both groups will receive 3 sessions per week of moxibustion for 4 weeks. The primary outcome are changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain scores from baseline to week 24. Secondary outcomes include visual analog scale, 50 yards fast walking time, short-form heath survey 36, overall clinical efficacy evaluation, self-assessment of safety, treatment credibility and expectancy, and cytokines related to osteoarthritis in serum. DISCUSSION: This randomized single-blind controlled trial takes traditional moxibustion as the control group to provide strict evidence for the clinical efficacy and safety of herbal activated carbon smokeless moxibustion in the treatment of KOA.

Comparison of 10.6 µm Laser Moxibustion with Traditional Moxibustion in Knee Osteoarthritic Therapy: A Randomized Noninferiority Clinical Trial.

Objective: To investigate the noninferiority of 10.6 µm laser moxibustion (LM) to traditional moxibustion (TM) in knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: Ninety-two patients were recruited and randomly placed into one of two groups: 10.6 µm LM or TM in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient received 12 sessions of LM or TM, focusing on the ST-35 and Ashi acupoint. The sessions took place over 4 weeks, three times a week, and were followed up over 8 weeks. The endpoint outcomes were separated into two categories, primary and secondary. The primary endpoint was assessed at the end of the 4-week treatment, using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score. The secondary endpoint was evaluated at the end of the trial and consisted of the WOMAC function and stiffness score, visual analog pain [visual analog scale (VAS)] score, and 15-m walking time test. In addition, safety evaluation was performed throughout the trial. Results: Among the 92 randomized participants, 86 (93.48%) completed the trial; 43 in each group. The WOMAC pain score improved dramatically between the LM and TM groups, with a mean difference of 20.61 [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.28 to 43.50]. Given that the lower boundary of 95% CI was greater than -18.49, noninferiority was established. In addition, both LM and TM significantly decreased the WOMAC (pain, function and stiffness) score, VAS score (p < 0.05), and the 15-m walking time at the end of the trial. Interestingly, there were not significant differences between LM and TM (p > 0.05), suggesting that both are equally effective in treating KOA. Finally, among the 92 patients, 17 (18.48%) adverse effects were documented, namely 5 (10.87%) in the LM-treated group and 11 (26.09%) in the TM-treated group. Conclusions: 10.6 µm LM is not inferior to TM in treating KOA. Moreover, both LM and TM dramatically alleviated knee pain and enhanced function of knees. Clinical Trial Registration number: ISRCTN registry trial identifier: 14604492.

The efficacy of jade moxibustion in knee osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to compare clinical effect between Jade moxibustion and traditional moxibustion, and to determine the clinical effect of Jade moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS/DESIGN: This is a 2-parallel-group, randomized controlled trial. A total of 148 subjects with KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade II or III) will be recruited and randomized to receive Jade moxibustion treatment or a traditional moxibustion treatment in a 1:1 ratio. Jade moxibustion group: The affected knee of the subjects will be covered with jade kneepad. Traditional moxibustion group: Chosen the ST35, ST34, EX-LE4, SP10 and Ashi points at the affected knee. The subjects will receive treatment three times a week, altogether 12 times in 4 weeks. The main outcomes are WOMAC knee pain score, knee function score and SF-36 quality of life questionnaire changes at the 4th week. Secondary outcomes include WOMAC knee pain score and knee function score, overall clinical efficacy evaluation, medication, safety evaluation at the 2nd, 12th, and 24th week, and cytokines related to osteoarthritis in serum. DISCUSSION: This randomized controlled trial used traditional moxibustion as a control group to provide rigorous evidence for the clinical efficacy and safety of Jade moxibustion in treatment of KOA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry, No 21174552. Registered on 28 February 2020.

Co(O)x Particles in Polymeric N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Applied for Photocatalytic H2 or Electrocatalytic O2 Evolution.

A new way for synthesizing porous composite with cobalt species and N-doped carbon nanotubes (NDCNTs) was reported here by using cobalt salts and melamine mixtures as precursor. The Co(O)x/NDCNTs exhibited good activity of electrocatalytic O2 production. Furthermore, after reduced by H2, the Co-NDCNTs showed strong absorption of visible light and high catalytic activity of H2 production, which is 598.5 µmol g-1 h-1 under the visible light (λ > 420 nm). The results suggested that supramolecular preorganization of melamine monomers may be a promising method of synthesizing two-dimensional N-doped carbon nanotube with Co particles in it. The morphologies should be beneficial for the charge transport and separation. This work can encourage further synthesize new efficient noble-metal-free photocatalysts or electrocatalysts.

Resonance bonding in XNgY (X = F, Cl, Br, I; Ng = Kr or Xe; Y = CN or NC) molecules: an NBO/NRT investigation.

Several noble-gas-containing molecules XNgY were observed experimentally. However, the bonding in such systems is still not understood. Using natural bond orbital and natural resonance theory (NBO/NRT) methods, the present work investigated bonding of the title molecules. The results show that each of the studied XNgY molecules should be better described as a resonance hybrid of ω-bonding and [Formula: see text]-type long-bonding structures: X:- Ng+ - Y, X - Ng+: Y-, and X^Y. The ω-bonding and long-bonding make competing contributions to the composite resonance hybrid due to the accurately preserved bond order conservation principle. We find that the resonance bonding is highly tunable for these noble-gas-containing molecules due to its dependence on the nature of the halogen X or the central noble-gas atoms Ng. When the molecule XNgY consists of a relatively lighter Ng atom, a relatively low-electronegative X atom, and the CN fragment rather than NC, the long-bonding structure X^Y tends to be highlighted. In contrast, the heavy Ng atom and high-electronegative X atom will enhance the ω-bonding structure. Overall, the present work provides electronic principles and chemical insights that help understand the bonding in these XNgY species.

Feasibility and potential benefits of defining the internal gross tumor volume of hepatocellular carcinoma using contrast-enhanced 4D CT images obtained by deformable registration.

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility and the potential benefits of defining the internal gross tumor volume (IGTV) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using contrast-enhanced 4D CT images obtained by combining arterial-phase (AP) contrast-enhanced (CE) 3D CT and non-contrast-enhanced (NCE) 4D CT images using deformable registration (DR). METHODS: Ten HCC patients who had received radiotherapy beforehand were selected for this study. The following CT simulation images were acquired sequentially: NCE 4D CT in free breathing, NCE 3D CT and APCE 3D CT in end-expiration breath holding. All 4D CT images were sorted into ten phases according to breath cycle (CT00 ~ CT90). Gross tumor volumes (GTVs) were contoured on all CT images and the IGTV-1 was obtained by merging the GTVs in each phase of 4D CT images. The GTV on the APCE 3D CT image was deformably registered to each 4D CT phase image according to liver shape using RayStation(TM) 3.99.0.7 version treatment planning system. The IGTV-DR was obtained by merging the GTVs after DR on the 4D CT images. Volume differences among the GTVs and between the IGTV-1 and the IGTV-DR were compared. RESULTS: The edge of most lesions could be definitively identified using APCE 3D CT images compared to NCE 4D and 3D CT images. The GTV volume on APCE 3D CT images increased by an average of 34.79% (P<0.05). There was no significant difference among the GTV volumes obtained using NCE 4D and 3D CT images (P>0.05). The GTV volumes after DR on 4D CT different phase images increased by an average of 36.29% (P<0.05), as was observed using the APCE 3D CT image (P>0.05). Lastly, the volume of IGTV-DR increased by an average of 19.91% compared to that of IGTV-1 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: NCE 4D CT imaging alone has the potential risk of missing a partial volume of the HCC. The combination of APCE 3D CT and NCE 4D CT images using the DR technique improved the accuracy of the definition of the IGTV in HCC.

Predictive value of primary fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose standard uptake value for a better choice of systematic nodal dissection or sampling in clinical stage ia non--small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the standard uptake value (SUV) of the primary lesion can predict mediastinal lymph node metastasis in clinical stage IA non--small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: At 5 centers, patients with clinical stage IA NSCLC from February 2004 to August 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. Data from Shandong Cancer Hospital and from the Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Harbin Medical University were used as a testing set, and data from the other 3 institutions were used as the validation set. Final diagnosis was established based on the histopathologic examination. RESULTS: Data from 144 patients were collected for the study. The primary results in our study showed that maximal SUV (SUVmax) of primary tumor might be a predictor of lymph node metastasis (χ(2) = 10.424; P = .001) and the best cutoff value was 7.25 (P = .029). For the testing set, lymph node metastasis rates in low-grade group (SUVmax < 7.25) and high-grade group (SUVmax > 7.25) were 5% (2/43) and 36% (9/25) (P = .001) For the total data set, lymph node metastasis rate was 7% (6/93) in low-grade group (SUVmax < 7.25) and 26% (13/51) in high-grade group (SUVmax > 7.25) (χ(2)= 10.424; P = .001). A multivariate analysis revealed that no factors were applied to predict the probability of metastasis. But the analysis showed a weak correlation between SUVmax and nodal status (r = 0.21; P = .011) with bivariate correlation. CONCLUSION: Analysis of our data suggested that fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose SUVmax of the primary tumor might be a predictor of lymph node involvement in stage IA NSCLC. The rate of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of patients with a lower fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography SUVmax might be relatively low, which provides more evidence for clinical procedures of clinical stage IA NSCLC.

Screening of potential pseudo att sites of Streptomyces phage ΦC31 integrase in the human genome.

AIM: ΦC31 integrase mediates site-specific recombination between two short sequences, attP and attB, in phage and bacterial genomes, which is a promising tool in gene regulation-based therapy since the zinc finger structure is probably the DNA recognizing domain that can further be engineered. The aim of this study was to screen potential pseudo att sites of ΦC31 integrase in the human genome, and evaluate the risks of its application in human gene therapy. METHODS: TFBS (transcription factor binding sites) were found on the basis of reported pseudo att sites using multiple motif-finding tools, including AlignACE, BioProspector, Consensus, MEME, and Weeder. The human genome with the proposed motif was scanned to find the potential pseudo att sites of ΦC31 integrase. RESULTS: The possible recognition motif of ΦC31 integrase was identified, which was composed of two co-occurrence conserved elements that were reverse complement to each other flanking the core sequence TTG. In the human genome, a total of 27924 potential pseudo att sites of ΦC31 integrase were found, which were distributed in each human chromosome with high-risk specificity values in the chromosomes 16, 17, and 19. When the risks of the sites were evaluate more rigorously, 53 hits were discovered, and some of them were just the vital functional genes or regulatory regions, such as ACYP2, AKR1B1, DUSP4, etc. CONCLUSION: The results provide clues for more comprehensive evaluation of the risks of using ΦC31 integrase in human gene therapy and for drug discovery.

Mediastinal lymph nodes staging by 18F-FDG PET/CT for early stage non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter study.

PURPOSE: Accurate staging of mediastinal lymph nodes metastases is critical for determining the application of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this multicenter study the accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET/CT to detect lymph node metastases was evaluated for early stage NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data from the patients with stage1 NSCLC who received preoperative (18)F-FDG PET/CT staging and radical surgery was retrospectively reviewed of five centers from February 2004 to August 2010. The lymph node metastases were confirmed histopathologically after radical surgery. And the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for PET/CT staging. RESULTS: Two hundred patients were enrolled. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV for lymph node metastases on PET/CT were 44%, 83%, 78%, 29% and 91%, respectively. There were eight and 19 cases positive for lymph node metastases with central (n=62) and peripheral (n=138) NSCLC (P>0.05), respectively. CONCLUSION: (18)F-FDG PET/CT was specific in N(0) staging for T(1-2) NSCLC. The NPV was about 91% in clinical N(0) patients, suggested that (18)F-FDG PET/CT may help to accurately stage N(0) patients and thus identify patients for SBRT.

Supramolecular structures constructed by 3-(2-amino-6-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)-1,1-dimethylprop-2-yn-1-ol monohydrate and 3-[2-amino-6-(3-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylprop-1-yn-1-yl)pyrimidin-4-yl]-1,1-dimethylprop-2-yn-1-ol.

The molecule of 3-(2-amino-6-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)-1,1-dimethylprop-2-yn-1-ol monohydrate, C(9)H(10)ClN(3)O·H(2)O, (I), shows a very polarized molecular-electronic structure, while the polarization is slight for 3-[2-amino-6-(3-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylprop-1-yn-1-yl)pyrimidin-4-yl]-1,1-dimethylprop-2-yn-1-ol, C(14)H(17)N(3)O(2), (II). In the supramolecular structure of (I), a combination of hard N-H···N hydrogen bonds and soft C-H···N hydrogen bonds creates a molecular column. Aromatic π-π stackings between the pyrimidine rings stabilize the column with perpendicular and centroid-centroid distances of 3.283 (3) and 3.588 (1) Å, respectively. Short Cl···Cl contacts further link neighbouring molecular columns, creating a hydrophilic tube in which water molecules are fixed by various hydrogen bonds. In the packing of (II), a one-dimensional molecular chain is formed through several contacts involving hard N-H···O(N) and O-H···O(N) and soft C-H···O hydrogen bonds. Interchain O-H···O hydrogen bonds link the chains giving a two-dimensional stepped network. It is anticipated that study of the influence of hydrogen bonding on the patterns of base pairing and molecular packing in aminopyrimidine structures will shed significant light on nucleic acid structures as well as their functions.

5,17-Dibromo-26,28-dihy-droxy-25,27-diprop-oxy-2,8,14,20-tetra-thia-calix[4]arene.

In the title compound, C(30)H(26)Br(2)O(4)S(4), the thia-calix[4]arene unit adopts a pinched cone conformation, with one of the ether-substituted rings bent towards the calix cavity and the two phenolic rings bent outwards. The phenyl rings make dihedral angles of 27.12 (9), 36.71 (10), 75.04 (8), and 76.01 (7)° with the virtual plane defined by the four bridging S atoms. The two opposite ether-substituted rings are almost parallel to each other, with an inter-planar anagle of 2.99 (12)°, while the two phenolic rings are nearly perpendicular to each other, making a dihedral angle of 74.52 (11)° and a Br⋯Br distance of 13.17 (2) Å. Two intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the OH groups and the same ether O atom stabilize the cone conformation. In the crystal, two different chains of mol-ecules, one with alternating and the other with tail-to-tail orientations, are formed by inter-molecular offset-face-to-face π-π stacking inter-actions with distances of 3.606 (3) to 4.488 (4) Šbetween the centroids of the aromatic rings.

8-(2,2,2-Trifluoro-ethoxy)quinolinium perchlorate-8-(2,2,2-trifluoro-ethoxy)quinoline (1/1).

The title compound, C(11)H(9)F(3)NO(+)·ClO(4) (-)·C(11)H(8)F(3)NO or [(C(11)H(8)F(3)NO)H(C(11)H(8)F(3)NO)]ClO(4), contains two 8-(2,2,2-trifluoro-eth--oxy)quinoline molecules, one of which combines a proton from perchloric acid to form the corresponding quinolinium cation. The quinolinium and quinoline rings form a cationic unit via an inter-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bond. The heterocyclic units are almost perpendicular to each other [inter-planar angle 86.97 (6)°]. In the crystal, each perchlorate anion bridges two adjacent cationic units and creates a chain by a combination of C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Two inversion-related chains associate into a mol-ecular column by π-π stacking inter-actions between the quinolinium rings. The perpendicular and centroid-centroid distances between adjacent quinolinium rings are 3.501 (3) and 3.634 (9) Å, respectively. The molecular column is linked to its neighbors, creating a two-dimensional network via the weak π-π stacking between the quinoline rings [perpendicular and centroid-centroid separations 3.340 (4) and 4.408 (4) Å, respectively]. Finally, a three-dimensional framework is formed by a combination of intermolecular C-F⋯π contacts. One -CF(3) group is disordered over two positions of equal occupancy.

2-(4-Formylphenyl)phenanthroimidazole as a colorimetric and fluorometric probe for selective fluoride ion sensing.

An easy-to-prepare chemosensor, 2-(4-formylphenyl)phenanthroimidazole 1, synthesized by facile one-step condensation under microwave irradiation, has been indicated to be a colorimetric and fluorometric probe for fluoride anion with good sensitivity and high selectivity. This probe shows obvious red shift and absorbance intensity changes in UV absorption and fluorescence spectra in the presence of fluoride anions. Such color and absorbance intensity changes are attributed to the deprotonation of N-H on the imidazole moiety with fluoride anion.

Measuring tumor cell proliferation with 18F-FLT PET during radiotherapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a pilot clinical study.

UNLABELLED: The primary aim of this study was to use serial (18)F-3'-deoxy-3'-fluorothymidine (FLT) PET/CT to measure tumor cell proliferation during radiotherapy of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with inoperable locally advanced SCC of the esophagus underwent serial (18)F-FLT PET/CT during radiotherapy. Each patient received a pretreatment scan, followed by 1-3 scans after delivery of 2, 6, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 Gy to the tumor. RESULTS: Among the 19 patients who completed radiotherapy without interruption, parameters reflecting (18)F-FLT uptake in the tumor (i.e., maximum tumor standardized uptake value [SUVmax] and proliferation target volume) decreased steadily. All patients demonstrated an almost complete absence of proliferating esophageal tumor after 30 Gy and a complete absence after 40 Gy. In the 2 patients whose radiotherapy course was interrupted, (18)F-FLT uptake in the tumor was greater after the interruption than before the interruption. Marked early reduction of (18)F-FLT uptake in irradiated bone marrow was observed in all patients, even after only 2 Gy. All showed a complete absence of proliferating marrow in irradiated regions after 10 Gy. Both patients who underwent scans after completing the entire radiotherapy course showed no tumor uptake on (18)F-FLT PET/CT but high uptake on (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Pathologic examination of these regions revealed inflammatory infiltrates but no residual tumor. CONCLUSION: (18)F-FLT uptake can be used to monitor the biologic response of esophageal SCC and normal tissue to radiotherapy. Increased uptake of (18)F-FLT after treatment interruptions may reflect accelerated repopulation. (18)F-FLT PET/CT may have an advantage over (18)F-FDG PET/CT in differentiating inflammation from tumor.