Spectra of Self-Similar Measures.

This paper is devoted to the characterization of spectrum candidates with a new tree structure to be the spectra of a spectral self-similar measure µN,D generated by the finite integer digit set D and the compression ratio N-1. The tree structure is introduced with the language of symbolic space and widens the field of spectrum candidates. The spectrum candidate considered by Laba and Wang is a set with a special tree structure. After showing a new criterion for the spectrum candidate with a tree structure to be a spectrum of µN,D, three sufficient and necessary conditions for the spectrum candidate with a tree structure to be a spectrum of µN,D were obtained. This result extends the conclusion of Laba and Wang. As an application, an example of spectrum candidate Λ(N,B) with the tree structure associated with a self-similar measure is given. By our results, we obtain that Λ(N,B) is a spectrum of the self-similar measure. However, neither the method of Laba and Wang nor that of Strichartz is applicable to the set Λ(N,B).

Perioperative circulating tumor DNA as a potential prognostic marker for operable stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a noninvasive biomarker for dynamically monitoring tumors. However, published data on perioperative ctDNA in patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are currently limited. METHODS: This prospective study recruited 123 patients with resectable stage I to IIIA NSCLC. Preoperative and postoperative plasma samples and tumor tissue samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing with a panel of 425 cancer-related genes. Peripheral blood samples were collected before surgery, postoperatively within 1 month, and every 3 to 6 months for up to 3 years. RESULTS: After 4 exclusions, 119 eligible patients were enrolled from June 2016 to February 2019. Presurgical ctDNA was detectable in 29 of 117 patients (24.8%) and was associated with inferior recurrence-free survival (RFS; hazard ratio [HR], 2.42; 95% CI, 1.11-5.27; P = .022) and inferior overall survival (OS; HR, 5.54; 95% CI, 1.01-30.35; P = .026). Similarly, ctDNA was detected in 12 of 116 first postsurgical samples (10.3%) and was associated with shorter RFS (HR, 3.04; 95% CI, 1.22-7.58; P = .012). During surveillance after surgery, longitudinal ctDNA-positive patients (37 of 119; 31.1%) had significantly shorter RFS (HR, 3.46; 95% CI, 1.59-7.55; P < .001) and significantly shorter OS (HR, 9.99; 95% CI, 1.17-85.78; P = .010) in comparison with longitudinal ctDNA-negative patients. Serial ctDNA detection preceded radiologic disease recurrence by a median lead time of 8.71 months. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that perioperative ctDNA analyses can predict recurrence and survival, and serial ctDNA analyses can identify disease recurrence/metastasis earlier than routine radiologic imaging in patients with resectable NSCLC. LAY SUMMARY: The utility of serial circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring for predicting disease recurrence and survival for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well characterized. The detection of ctDNA before and after surgery is associated with the identification of a high risk of disease recurrence and long-term patient outcomes for resectable NSCLC. Perioperative ctDNA analyses identify disease recurrence earlier than routine radiologic imaging. ctDNA analyses can detect minimal residual disease for resectable NSCLC and thus can facilitate early intervention.

Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Phthalocyanine Supported on Graphene Oxide and Catalysis of Adrenaline.

Iron tetranitro-phthalocyanine was synthesized by the reaction of 4-nitrophthalimide with FeCl3, and was then modified by γ-(trimethoxysilyl)propane-1-thiol to prepare functionalized iron phthalocyanine. A graphene oxide/iron phthalocyanine composite was then prepared, comprising functionalized iron phthalocyanine supported on the surface of graphene oxide via covalent bonds. All these complexes were characterized by infrared spectra (IR), X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) and Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The catalytic properties of the graphene oxide/iron phthalocyanine composite for catalyzing adrenaline oxidation were evaluated by measuring the absorbance intensity at the characteristic peak of the oxidation product. A fiberoptic adrenaline sensor based on a graphene oxide/iron phthalocyanine composite catalyst and fluorescence quenching was fabricated and studied. The relationship between the concentrations of dissolved oxygen and adrenaline was investigated by measuring the phase delay φ. The results showed that the graphene oxide/iron phthalocyanine composite can effectively catalyze adrenaline oxidization, and the optimal conditions are pH = 8.0, T = 30 °C, and mGO-FePc = 4.0 mg/mL; moreover, concentrations of adrenaline can be detected in the range from 1.8×10-6 to 9.2×10-5 mol/L with a sensor response time of 4 min.

The endoparasitoid, Cotesia vestalis, regulates host physiology by reprogramming the neuropeptide transcriptional network.

Endoparasitoids develop inside another insect by regulating host immunity and development via maternal factors injected into hosts during oviposition. Prior results have provided insights into parasitism-induced immunosuppression, including the neuropeptide accumulation in parasitized insects. Nonetheless, our understanding of neuropeptide influence on host development and behavior is not yet complete. We posed the hypothesis that parasitization alters expression of genes encoding pro-neuropeptides and used larvae of Plutella xylostella and its endoparasitoid, Cotesia vestalis to test our hypothesis. We prepared transcriptomes from the larval P. xylostella brain-CC-CA complex and identified transcripts encoding 19 neuropeptides. All corresponding cDNAs were confirmed by RACE. Our results demonstrate that parasitism significantly down-regulated, or delayed, expression of genes encoding pro-neuropeptides within 48 h post-parasitization. Changing expression of these genes may account for the previously reported decreased feeding behavior, reduced growth rates and aborted development in the host larvae. In effect, parasitization may operate at the molecular level within the CNS to create global changes in larval host biology. The significance of our finding is that, in addition to the known effects on immunity, parasitoids influence host pro-neuropeptide gene transcription. This finding reveals a new mechanism operating in host-parasitoid relationships to the advantage of the parasitoid.

Analysis of the toll-like receptor 2 Arg753Gln gene polymorphisms of acne patients of Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome and damp-heat in the interior syndrome / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) Arg753Gln gene polymorphisms of acne patients of Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome and damp-heat in the interior syndrome, thus laying the foundation for genetics studies on its occurrence.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The distribution and the frequency of allelic genes were studied in 75 acne patients of damp-heat in the interior syndrome, and 87 acne patients with Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome, as well as 70 healthy subjects (as the normal control group) using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was significant difference in the frequency of the genotype Arg/Gln + Gln/Gln in the TLR2 Arg753Gln genetic polymorphisms [26. 44% (23/87) in Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome, 41.33% (31/75) in damp-heat in the interior syndrome, and 12.86% (9/70) in the normal control group] (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The existence of 753Gln allele in the Arg753Gln of TLR2 increased the onset risk of acne patients of Gan-depression induced qi stagnation syndrome and damp-heat in the interior syndrome.</p>

Correlation between CYP17 gene polymorphisms and female post adolescent acne in Han population in Hunan Province / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the correlation between androgen-related CYP17 gene polymorphisms and female post adolescent acne in Han population in Hunan Province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The female patients with post adolescent acne and high levels of androgen (A group), those without high levels of androgen (B group) and healthy subjects (C group) were enrolled. The CYP17 gene polymorphism was investigated by PCR using DNA samples from peripheral blood lymphocytes. The T-->C transition in the risk allele (A2) produced a new recognition site for the restriction endonuclease MspA1 I. Three genotypes of androgen-related CYP17 gene (A1A1, A1A2, and A2A2) were determined and confirmed by sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of the A1A2 gene was similar in the cases and controls (P>0.05). The frequency of A2A2 gene was not significantly different between groups A and C (P>0.05). The frequency of A2A2 gene was significantly different between groups A and B and between groups B and C (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The presence of base substitution in androgen-related CYP17 gene at -34 bp (T-->C) increases the risk of post adolescent acne in female subjects with increased androgen levels.</p>

Diaquabis(ethylenediamine)cadmium(II) bis(4-aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate) dihydrate.

In the title compound, [Cd(C2H8N2)2(H2O)2](C10H8NO3S)2.2H2O, the CdII atom, located on an inversion centre, has a distorted octahedral coordination geometry formed by two ethylenediamine and two water molecules. 4-aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate acts as a counter-ion to balance the charge, and two antiparallel anions showing strong pi-pi stacking interactions are linked by paired N-H...O(sulfonate) hydrogen bonds into an isolated R2(2)(16) dimer. The crystal structure is stabilized by the pi-pi stacking interactions and hydrogen bonds.

Poly[tetraaquadi-mu3-malonato-calcium(II)zinc(II)].

The title complex, [CaZn(C3H2O4)2(H2O)4]n, is a two-dimensional polymer and consists of CaO8 and ZnO6 polyhedra linked together by malonate ligands. The Ca(II) cation, lying on a twofold axis, is coordinated by two water molecules and six malonate O atoms. The Zn(II) cation, which lies on an inversion center in an octahedral environment, is coordinated by four malonate O atoms in an equatorial arrangement and two water molecules in axial positions. The Zn-O and Ca-O bond lengths are in the ranges 2.0445 (12)-2.1346 (16) and 2.3831 (13)-2.6630 (13) angstroms, respectively. The structure comprises alternating layers along the [101] plane, the shortest Zn...Zn distance being 6.8172 (8) angstroms. The whole three-dimensional structure is maintained and stabilized by the presence of hydrogen bonds.

Diaquamalonato(1,10-phenanthroline)zinc(II).

In the crystal structure of the title complex, [Zn(C3H2O4)(C12H8N2)(H2O)2], the Zn(II) atom displays a distorted octahedral geometry, being coordinated by two N atoms from the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, two O atoms from different carboxylate groups of the chelating malonate dianion and two O atoms of cis water molecules. The complex molecules are linked to form a three-dimensional supramolecular array by both hydrogen-bonding interactions between coordinated water molecules and the uncoordinated carboxylate O atoms of neighboring molecules, and aromatic pi-pi stacking interactions between neighboring phenanthroline rings.