Establishment of Indirect Competitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ic-ELISA) for Copper ion (Cu2+) in Raw Meat Products.

Adding an appropriate amount of copper to feed can promote the growth and development of livestock; however, a large amount of heavy metal copper can accumulate in livestock through the enrichment effect, which poses a serious threat to human health. Traditional Cu2+ detection relies heavily on complex and expensive instruments, such as inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS); thus, convenient and simple rapid detection technologies are urgently needed. In this paper, synthesized copper antigens were used to immunize mice and highly specific anticopper monoclonal antibodies were obtained, which were verified to exhibit high affinity and specificity. Based on the above antibodies, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) was established for the rapid detection of copper content in pork. The standard inhibition curve of the method was obtained by antigen-antibody working concentration screening, in which the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 11.888 ng/mL, the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.841 ng/mL and the correlation coefficient R2 of the curve was 0.998. In the additive recovery experiment, the recovery rate ranged from 90% to 110%, and the coefficient of variation (CV) was less than 10%, indicating that the method achieved high accuracy and precision. Finally, the results of ic-ELISA combined with Bland-Altman analysis showed a high correlation with ICP-MS, and the correlation coefficient (R2) reached 0.990 when the copper concentration was less than 200 ng/mL. Thus, the ic-ELISA method exhibits high reliability.

Validation of a Computerized Cognitive Training Tool to Assess Cognitive Impairment and Enable Differentiation Between Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Age-related cognitive decline is a chronic, progressive process that requires active clinical management as cognitive status changes. Computerized cognitive training (CCT) provides cognitive exercises targeting specific cognitive domains delivered by computer or tablet. Meanwhile, CCT can be used to regularly monitor the cognitive status of patients, but it is not clear whether CCT can reliably assess cognitive ability or be used to diagnose different stages of cognitive impairment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether CCT can accurately monitor the cognitive status of patients with cognitive impairment as well as distinguish patients with dementia from patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHOD: We included 116 patients (42 dementia and 74 MCI) in final analysis. Cognitive ability was assessed by averaging the patient performance on the CCT to determine the Cognitive Index. The validity of the Cognitive Index was evaluated by its correlation with neuropsychological tests, and internal consistency was measured to assess the reliability. Additionally, we determined the diagnostic ability of the Cognitive Index to detect dementia using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: The Cognitive Index was highly correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (r = 0.812) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (r = 0.694), indicating good convergent validity, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.936, indicating excellent internal consistency. The area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, and specificity of the Cognitive Index to diagnose dementia were 0.943, 83.3%, and 91.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CCT can be used to assess cognitive status and detect dementia in patients with cognitive impairment.

Spectral analysis of multiple scattering factors of turbid media for glucose measurement using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Significance: Near-infrared (NIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy has been widely used for non-invasive glucose measurement in humans, as glucose can induce a significant and detectable optical signal change in tissue. However, the scattering-dominated glucose spectrum in the range of 1000 to 1700 nm is easily confused with many other scattering factors, such as particle density, particle size, and tissue refractive index. Aim: Our aim is to identify the subtle distinctions between glucose and these factors through theoretical analysis and experimental verification, in order to employ suitable methods for eliminating these interferences, thus increasing the accuracy of non-invasive glucose measurement. Approach: We present a theoretical analysis of the spectra of 1000 to 1700 nm for glucose and some scattering factors, which is then verified by an experiment on a 3% Intralipid solution. Results: We found that both the theoretical and experimental results show that the effective attenuation coefficient of glucose has distinct spectral characteristics, which are distinct from the spectra caused by particle density and refractive index, particularly in the range of 1400 to 1700 nm. Conclusions: Our findings can offer a theoretical foundation for eliminating these interferences in non-invasive glucose measurement, aiding mathematical methods to model appropriately and enhance the accuracy of glucose prediction.

Sequence Type 5 (ST5) as a Possible Predictor of Bacterial Persistence in Adult Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia Treated with Vancomycin.

Vancomycin remains the mainstay of treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. This study assessed risk factors for vancomycin failure in 63 patients with MRSA pneumonia through detailed clinical, microbiological, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic, and genetic analyses of prospective multicenter studies conducted from February 2012 to July 2018. Therapeutic drug monitoring was performed during vancomycin treatment, and the 24-h area under the curve (AUC0-24) was calculated. All baseline strains were collected for MIC determination, heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA) screening, and biofilm determination. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on the isolates to analyze their molecular typing and virulence and adhesion genes. Clinical signs and symptoms improved in 44 patients (44/63, 69.8%), with vancomycin daily dose (P = 0.045), peak concentration (P = 0.020), and sdrC (P = 0.047) being significant factors. Isolates were eradicated in 51 patients (51/63, 81.0%), with vancomycin daily dose (P = 0.009), cardiovascular disease (P = 0.043), sequence type 5 (ST5; P = 0.017), tst (P = 0.050), and sec gene (P = 0.044) associated with bacteriological failure. Although the AUC0-24/MIC was higher in the groups with bacterial eradication, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.108). Multivariate analysis showed that no variables were associated with clinical efficacy; ST5 was a risk factor for bacterial persistence (adjusted odds ratio, 4.449; 95% confidence interval, 1.103 to 17.943; P = 0.036). ST5 strains had higher frequencies of the hVISA phenotype, biofilm expression, and presence of some adhesion and virulence genes such as fnbB, tst, and sec than non-ST5 strains. Our study suggests that ST5 is a possible predictor of bacterial persistence in MRSA pneumonia treated with vancomycin. IMPORTANCE Few studies have simultaneously examined the influence of clinical characteristics of patients with pneumonia, the vancomycin pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index, and the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. We assessed risk factors for vancomycin failure in patients with MRSA pneumonia by analyzing these influences in a prospective multicenter study. Sequence type 5 (ST5) was a possible predictor of bacterial persistence in adult patients with MRSA pneumonia (adjusted odds ratio, 4.449). We found that this may be related to ST5 strains having higher levels of vancomycin heterogeneous resistance, biofilms, and the presence of adhesion and virulence genes such as fnbB, tst, and sec.

Intratumoral genetic and immune microenvironmental heterogeneity in T4N0M0 (diameter ≥ 7 cm) non-small cell lung cancers.

BACKGROUND: Starting with low metastatic capability, T4N0M0 (diameter ≥ 7 cm) non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) constitute a unique tumor subset, as with a large tumor size but no regional or distant metastases. We systematically investigated intratumoral heterogeneity, clonal structure, chromosomal instability (CIN), and immune microenvironment in T4N0M0 (≥7 cm) NSCLCs. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) staining were conducted to analyze 24 spatially segregated tumor samples from eight patients who were pathologically diagnosed with T4N0M0 (diameter ≥ 7 cm) NSCLCs. The adjacent normal tissues and peripheral blood served as controls. RESULTS: In total, 35.2% of mutations and 91.1% of somatic copy number alterations were classified as subclonal events, which exhibited widespread genetic intratumoral heterogeneity. In contrast, a low degree of CIN was observed. None of the patients had genome doubling. The burden of loss of heterozygosity, aneuploidy, and the genome instability index of these tumors were significantly lower than those in the TRACERx cohort. Expression profiles revealed significantly upregulated expression of cell division-related signals and the G2/M checkpoint pathway. In addition, a similar expression pattern of the immune microenvironment was observed in different regions of the tumor, which was confirmed by mIHC profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates the presence of intratumoral genetic heterogeneity and immune microenvironmental heterogeneity features in T4N0M0 NSCLCs, and the low degree of CIN may be related to the low metastatic capability.

[A case-control study of two internal fixation methods in the treatment of comminuted fracture of inferior pole of patella].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of tension band combined with patellar cerclage and memory alloy patellar concentrator fixation in the treatment of comminuted fracture of the lower pole of patella. METHODS: From July 2015 to July 2019, 60 patients with distal patellar fracture were treated and were divided into two groups according to different operation methods. In group A, 30 patients were fixed with memory alloy patellar concentrator (NiTi PC), 17 males and 13 females, aged 20 to 71 (39.4±9.9) years, including 19 cases of falling injury, 9 cases of traffic injury and 2 cases of sports injury. The time from injury to operation was 10 to 75 (33.1±7.8) hours; 30 cases in group B were fixed with tension band andcerclage, 15 males and 15 females, aged 21 to 76 (38.6±10.2) years, including 17 cases of falling injury, 12 cases of traffic injury and 1 case of smashing injury. The time from injury to operation was 10 to 91 (34.5±9.1) hours. The curative effects of two groups were observed and compared. RESULTS: All 60 patients were followed up for 9 to 30 months. There was no significant difference in intraoperative bleeding, operation time, follow-up time and fracture healing time between the two groups. Six months after operation, according to the Bostman function score of knee joint:30 cases in group A, the total score was 28.6±4.7, of which 26 cases were excellent and 4 cases were good. The total score of 30 cases in group B was 25.5±4.4, of which 20 cases were excellent, 8 cases were good and 2 cases were poor. There were significant differences in Bostman total score and curative effect evaluation between two groups (P<0.05). The score of group A was significantly better than that of group B. In group B, 1 case had Kirschner wire withdrawal, 2 cases had joint stiffness and 3 cases had internal fixation irritation. CONCLUSION: Memory alloy patellar concentrator is strong and reliable in the treatment of inferior patellar fracture. It can take early rehabilitation exercise after operation, with good recovery of joint function and range of motion and less complications.

ComX improves acid tolerance by regulating the expression of late competence proteins in Lactococcus lactis F44.

ComX can improve bacterial competence by modulating global gene expression. Although competence induction may also be a protective mechanism under stress, this has not been investigated in detail. Here, we demonstrated that ComX improved the acid tolerance and nisin yield of Lactococcus lactis, which is an important gram-positive bacterium increasingly used in modern biotechnological applications. We found that overexpression of comX could improve the survival rate up to 36.5% at pH 4.0, compared with only 5.4% and 1.1% with the wild-type and comX knockout strains, respectively. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR results indicated that comX overexpression stimulated the expression of late competence genes synergistically with exposure to acid stress. Finally, electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated the binding of purified ComX to the cin-box in the promoters of these genes. Taken together, our results reveal a regulation mechanism by which ComX and acid stress can synergistically modulate the expression of late competence genes to enhance cells' acid tolerance and nisin yield.

Resveratrol inhibits MUC5AC expression by regulating SPDEF in lung cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: MUC5AC was recently identified to play important roles in the proliferation and metastasis of malignant mucinous lung tumor cells. Resveratrol (Res), a natural compound with anticancer effects in lung cancer cells, has been reported to inhibit mucin production in airway epithelial cells. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Res on MUC5AC expression in lung mucinous adenocarcinoma cells and the potential mechanisms. METHODS: Mucus-producing A549 human lung carcinoma cells were used to test the effects of Res on SPDEF and MUC5AC expression. Gene and protein expression was assessed by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. SPDEF lentivirus was used to upregulate SPDEF expression levels in mucus-producing A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Cell proliferation was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. RESULTS: Res decreased MUC5AC expression in an SPDEF-dependent manner in mucus-producing A549 human lung carcinoma cells, and this change was accompanied by decreased ERK expression and AKT pathway activation. Moreover, SPDEF was found to be overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), especially in mucinous adenocarcinoma. In-vitro functional assays showed that overexpression of SPDEF reduced the chemosensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin (DDP). In addition, Res treatment increased A549 cell chemosensitivity to DDP by inhibiting the SPDEF-MUC5AC axis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the SPDEF-MUC5AC axis is associated with DDP sensitivity, and that Res decreases SPDEF and MUC5AC expression by inhibiting ERK and AKT signaling in A549 cells, which provides a potential pharmacotherapy for the prevention and therapeutic management of mucinous adenocarcinoma.

A case-control study of two internal fixation methods in the treatment of comminuted fracture of inferior pole of patella / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the effects of tension band combined with patellar cerclage and memory alloy patellar concentrator fixation in the treatment of comminuted fracture of the lower pole of patella.@*METHODS@#From July 2015 to July 2019, 60 patients with distal patellar fracture were treated and were divided into two groups according to different operation methods. In group A, 30 patients were fixed with memory alloy patellar concentrator (NiTi PC), 17 males and 13 females, aged 20 to 71 (39.4±9.9) years, including 19 cases of falling injury, 9 cases of traffic injury and 2 cases of sports injury. The time from injury to operation was 10 to 75 (33.1±7.8) hours; 30 cases in group B were fixed with tension band andcerclage, 15 males and 15 females, aged 21 to 76 (38.6±10.2) years, including 17 cases of falling injury, 12 cases of traffic injury and 1 case of smashing injury. The time from injury to operation was 10 to 91 (34.5±9.1) hours. The curative effects of two groups were observed and compared.@*RESULTS@#All 60 patients were followed up for 9 to 30 months. There was no significant difference in intraoperative bleeding, operation time, follow-up time and fracture healing time between the two groups. Six months after operation, according to the Bostman function score of knee joint:30 cases in group A, the total score was 28.6±4.7, of which 26 cases were excellent and 4 cases were good. The total score of 30 cases in group B was 25.5±4.4, of which 20 cases were excellent, 8 cases were good and 2 cases were poor. There were significant differences in Bostman total score and curative effect evaluation between two groups (@*CONCLUSION@#Memory alloy patellar concentrator is strong and reliable in the treatment of inferior patellar fracture. It can take early rehabilitation exercise after operation, with good recovery of joint function and range of motion and less complications.

MRI-based Bosniak Classification of Cystic Renal Masses, Version 2019: Interobserver Agreement, Impact of Readers' Experience, and Diagnostic Performance.

Background The 2019 Bosniak classification (version 2019) of cystic renal masses (CRMs) provides a systematic update to the currently used 2005 Bosniak classification (version 2005). Further validation is required before widespread application. Purpose To evaluate the interobserver agreement of MRI criteria, the impact of readers' experience, and the diagnostic performance between version 2019 and version 2005. Materials and Methods From January 2009 to December 2018, consecutive patients with CRM who had undergone renal MRI and surgical-pathologic examination were included in this retrospective study. On the basis of version 2019 and version 2005, all CRMs were independently classified by eight radiologists with different levels of experience. By using multirater κ statistics, interobserver agreement was evaluated with comparisons between classifications and between senior and junior radiologists. Diagnostic performance between classifications by dichotomizing classes I-IV into lower (I-IIF) and higher (III-IV) classes was compared by using the McNemar test. P < .05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. Results A total of 207 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 49 years ± 12; 139 male and 68 female patients) with CRMs were included. Overall, interobserver agreement was higher with version 2019 than version 2005 (weighted κ = 0.64 vs 0.50, respectively; P < .001). Interobserver agreement between senior and junior radiologists did not differ between version 2019 (weighted κ = 0.65 vs 0.64, respectively; P = .71) and version 2005 (weighted κ = 0.54 vs 0.46; P < .001). Diagnostic specificity for malignancy was higher with version 2019 than with version 2005 (83% [92 of 111] vs 68% [75 of 111], respectively; P < .001), without any difference in sensitivity (89% [85 of 96] vs 84% [81 of 96]; P = .34). Conclusion In the updated Bosniak classification, interobserver agreement improved and was unaffected by observers' experience. The diagnostic performance with version 2019 was superior to that with version 2005, with higher specificity. Published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Choyke in this issue.

Protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B signaling pathway inhibition.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal inflammation is a common digestive tract disease, which is usually treated with hormone medicines. Hormone medicines are effective to some extent, but long-term use of them may bring about many complications. AIM: To explore the protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin (PNS) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal inflammatory injury through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway inhibition in rats. METHODS: Colitis rat models were generated via DSS induction, and rats were divided into control (no modeling), DSS, DSS + PNS 50 mg/k, and DSS + PNS 100 mg/kg groups. Then, the intestinal injury, oxidative stress parameters, inflammatory indices, tight junction proteins, apoptosis, macrophage polarization, and TLR4/AKT signaling pathway in colon tissues from rats in each of the groups were detected. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the colon tissue of rats was blocked using the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor, LY294002. RESULTS: Compared with rats in the control group, rats in the DSS group showed significantly shortened colon lengths, and significantly increased disease activity indices, oxidative stress reactions and inflammatory indices, as well as significantly decreased expression of tight junction-associated proteins. In addition, the DSS group showed significantly increased apoptotic cell numbers, and showed significantly increased M1 macrophages in spleen and colon tissues. They also showed significantly decreased M2 macrophages in colon tissues, as well as activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway (all P < 0.05). Compared with rats in the DSS group, rats in the DSS + PNS group showed significantly lengthened colon lengths, decreased disease activity indices, and significantly alleviated oxidative stress reactions and inflammatory responses. In addition, this group showed significantly increased expression of tight junction-associated proteins, significantly decreased apoptotic cell numbers, and significantly decreased M1 macrophages in spleen and colon tissues. This group further showed significantly increased M2 macrophages in colon tissues, and significantly suppressed activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, as well as a dose dependency (all P < 0.05). When the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was inhibited, the apoptosis rate of colon tissue cells in the DSS + LY294002 group was significantly lower than that of the DSS group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PNS can protect rats against DSS-induced intestinal inflammatory injury by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and therefore may be potentially used in the future as a drug for colitis.

Synergistic protection of astragalus polysaccharides and matrine against ulcerative colitis and associated lung injury in rats.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a main form of inflammatory bowel disease. Due to complicated etiology and a high rate of recurrence, it is quite essential to elucidate the underlying mechanism of and search for effective therapeutic methods for UC. AIM: To investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) combined with matrine on UC and associated lung injury. METHODS: UC was induced in rats by colon mucosal tissue sensitization combined with trinitro-benzene-sulfonic acid-ethanol. Then, the effects of the treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine on histopathological changes of lung and colon tissues, disease activity index (DAI), colon mucosal damage index (CMDI), serum endotoxin (ET) level, serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity, the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1ß, and the activities of myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde in lung tissues, as well as the protein expression of zonula occludens (ZO)-1, Occludin, and trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) were detected in UC rats. RESULTS: The treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine reduced DAI scores and improved histopathological changes of colon and lung tissues, as well as decreased CMDI scores, ET levels, and DAO activities in UC rats. Moreover, in lung tissues, inflammatory response and oxidative stress injury were relieved after the treatments of salazopyrine, APS, matrine, and APS combined with matrine in UC rats. Furthermore, the expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and TFF3 in lung and colon tissues was increased after different treatments in UC rats. Notably, APS combined with matrine exerted a better protective effect against UC and lung injury compared with other treatments. CONCLUSION: APS combined with matrine exert a synergistic protective effect against UC and lung injury, which might be associated with regulating TFF3 expression.

Na-doping effects on structural evolution and superconductivity in (K1-x Na x )2Cr3As3 (x = 0-1).

In this report, we studied the effects of isovalent Na-doping on the recently discovered quasi-one-dimensional Cr-based unconventional superconductor K2Cr3As3. A series of polycrystalline samples with nominal component (K1-x Na x )2Cr3As3 (x = 0-1) were synthesized by the solid state reaction method. From crystal structure and chemical phase characterizations, we found two distinct chemical phases with the same hexagonal structure but distinguished by different site occupancy of Na+ ions at the two kinds of K-site in the K2Cr3As3 lattice structure. When x ⩽ 0.4, the doped samples form a continuous sosoloid phase of (K1-x Na x )2Cr3As3 with the Na+ ions randomly doping at the K-sites (denoted as α-phase); when x ⩾ 0.5, a novel individual phase of (K0.25Na0.75)2Cr3As3 emerges, in which the Na+ ions selectively occupy all the '3k' sites and the K+ ions occupy the '1c' sites (denoted as ß-phase). No chemical phase of Na2Cr3As3 was detected. Superconductivity in these samples was studied by electrical transport and magnetic susceptibility measurements, and it evolves in a much sophisticated manner. In the α-phase, the superconducting T c decreases quickly upon Na-doping. All these α-phase samples have surprisingly low superconducting volume fraction and relatively low T c compared with the undoped K2Cr3As3. However, the ß-phase has a clearly enhanced T c up to 7.6 K which locates between the values of K2Cr3As3 and Na2Cr3As3, and exhibits a full superconducting shielding signal.

Superconductivity in Bi3O2S2Cl with Bi-Cl Planar Layers.

A quaternary compound Bi3O2S2Cl, which consists of novel [BiS2Cl]2- layers, is reported. It adopts a layered structure of the space group I4/ mmm (No. 139) with lattice parameters: a = 3.927(1) Å, c = 21.720(5) Å. In this compound, bismuth and chlorine atoms form an infinite planar layer, which is unique among the bismuth halides. Superconductivity is observed in both polycrystals and single crystals, and is significantly enhanced in the samples prepared with less sulfur or at higher temperatures. By tuning the content of sulfur, Bi3O2S2Cl can be converted from a semiconductor into a superconductor. The superconducting critical temperature ranges from 2.6 to 3.5 K. Our discovery of the [BiS2Cl]2- layer opens another door in searching for the bismuth compounds with novel physical properties.

Morphological characteristics identification and molecular DNA barcoding analysis of Hippocampus spinosissimus / 中国中药杂志

The combination of morphological characteristics and DNA barcodes was used to a systematic study of Hippocampus spinosissimus,laying the foundation for rapid and accurate identification for the medical seahorse species. According to the reported literature and observation on seahorse samples,the typical characteristics of the H. spinosissimus include highly developed spiny,much short nose,single or double cheeks and strongly developed spines bordering pouch. Genomic DNAs of H. spinosissimus and other related seahorse species were extracted using the TIANamp Marine Animals DNA Kit. The COⅠ and ATP6 genes were amplified and sequenced in both directions. After the verification by Blast,the GC content,intraspecific and interspecific genetic distance,and the Neighbor joining( NJ) phylogenetic trees were analyzed by MEGA 7. The lengths of the COⅠ and ATP6 genes were 649 bp and 602-603 bp,respectively,with the average GC content of 39. 96% and 35. 37%. The maximum intraspecific genetic distances in H. spinosissimus based on COⅠ and ATP were both far less than the minimum interspecific genetic distance between H. spinosissimus and other seahorses,suggesting a significant barcoding gap. NJ analysis results of COⅠ and ATP6 exhibited that all H. spinosissimus species clustered together,indicating that the two DNA barcode could identify H. spinosissimus from other seahorses accurately and quickly. In addition,H. spinosissimus shared a close genetic relationship between H. kelloggi according to the NJ tree. Furthermore,there exits three stable subgroup structure of H. spinosissimus,indicating that COⅠ and ATP6 barcodes could be applied the indicator for the geographical ecology research of H. spinosissimus. The results obtained the typical morphological and molecular identification characteristics of H. spinosissimus,which played central roles for the development of species identification. This study provides an important basis data for expanding the medical seahorse resources and ensuring the safety of clinical medicine.

Current status and future prospect of pharmacotherapy for pancreatic cancer / 中国中药杂志

Pancreatic cancer is the most common digestive tract tumor with an increasing incidence in recent years. The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer is mainly because of the inability of detecting tumor at an early stage,its high potential for early dissemination,and its relatively poor sensitivity to chemotherapy. Most patients have lost the opportunity for surgery when they are diagnosed,which resulted in an urgent need for the development of more effective and safe therapies for pancreatic cancer. However,the current clinical cancer chemotherapy based on gemcitabine leads to poor prognosis in pancreatic patients. With the continuous research on the biological and cellular signaling pathways of pancreatic cancer,there have emerged a great many of novel agents,including new chemotherapeutic,targetable and immune-modulatory drugs,and some drugs have achieved encouraging results. Furthermore,as an alternative and supplementary method,traditional Chinese medicine has shown good application prospects in the field of pancreatic cancer treatment. This article reviews the current status of drug therapy for pancreatic cancer,summarizes the strength and weakness of existing therapeutic drugs in the application process,gives prospects of possible breakthroughs for the pharmacotherapy in the future,and provides certain new ideas and lessons for subsequent drug development.

Floating needle therapy for postoperative functional rehabilitation in patients with surgical neck fracture of humerus: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the effect of floating needle therapy on myofascial trigger point (MTrP) and conventional electroacupuncture on the recovery of shoulder joint function after surgical neck fracture of humerus on the basis of drugs and rehabilitation training.@*METHODS@#A total of 72 patients with unilateral surgical neck fracture of humerus were randomly divided into a floating needle group (35 cases) and an electroacupuncture group (37 cases). At the same time of the basic treatment, both groups were intervened on the 2nd day after operation. Touched the MTrP at the affected limb, and the floating needle was used to sweep around it in the floating needle group. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was applied at Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Waiguan (TE 5) on the affected side, the dilatational wave (4 Hz/20 Hz) was selected. The treatment was given once every day for 2 weeks. Pain visual analogue scales (VAS) score, constant shoulder joint score, and changes in the number of MTrP were used to evaluate the pain and functional status of the shoulder joints before, after treatment, and 3 months after treatment.@*RESULTS@#Compared with that before treatment, the VAS scores were decreased, the constant scores were increased, and the numbers of MTrP were decreased in the two groups after treatment and 3 months after treatment (<0.05), but the improvement in the floating needle group was better than that in the electroacupuncture group (<0.05). Compared with that after treatment, the VAS scores were decreased and the constant scores were increased 3 months after treatment in the floating needle group (<0.05), and the VAS scores in the electroacupuncture group were decreased (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Floating needle therapy is helpful for the rehabilitation of shoulder joint function after surgical neck fracture of the humerus, and its curative effect is better than conventional electroacupuncture.

Prognostic value of EGFR and KRAS in resected non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of EGFR and KRAS mutations in resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been reported. However, conflicting results were reported in these studies. The effect of mutations in these two genes in resected NSCLC remains controversial. METHODS: We searched Internet databases for studies reporting disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in resected NSCLC patients with EGFR or KRAS mutations. A meta-analysis calculating the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for DFS and OS was used to measure the association of EGFR or KRAS mutations with the prognosis of patients after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 9,635 patients from 32 studies were included in this analysis. The combined HR for EGFR mutations on DFS was 0.77 (95% CI 0.66-0.90, p=0.001) and on OS was 0.72 (95% CI 0.66-0.80, p<0.00001). In addition, the combined HR for KRAS mutations on DFS was 1.5 (95% CI 1.15-1.96, p=0.002) and on OS was 1.49 (95% CI 1.28-1.73, p<0.00001). Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and bias analysis proved the stability of the results. CONCLUSION: The analysis showed that EGFR mutations were significantly associated with DFS and OS. These findings indicated that surgically treated NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations were inclined to exhibit a prolonged DFS and OS. In addition, the results indicated that KRAS mutations predicted worse DFS and OS in patients with resected NSCLC.

Superconductivity at 10.4 K in a novel quasi-one-dimensional ternary molybdenum pnictide K2Mo3As3.

Here we report the discovery of the first ternary molybdenum pnictide based superconductor K2Mo3As3. Polycrystalline samples were synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a quasi-one-dimensional hexagonal crystal structure with (Mo3As3)2- linear chains separated by K+ ions, similar as previously reported K2Cr3As3, with the space group of P-6m2 (No. 187) and the refined lattice parameters a = 10.145(5) Šand c = 4.453(8) Å. Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and heat capacity measurements exhibit bulk superconductivity with the onset Tc at 10.4 K in K2Mo3As3 which is higher than the isostructural Cr-based superconductors. Being the same group VIB transition elements and with similar structural motifs, these Cr and Mo based superconductors may share some common underlying origins for the occurrence of superconductivity and need more investigations to uncover the electron pairing within a quasi-one-dimensional chain structure.

Expression of Extracellular Matrix Protein Reelin in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and Its Relationship with Prognosis / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of extracellular matrix protein Reelin (RELN) and its relationship with the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The mononuclear cells were collected from bone marrows of multiple myeloma patients by Ficoll gradient density centrifugation, the CD138 cells were then purified by flow cytometry, the mRNA level of RELN was detected by real time PCR. The myeloma patients were divided into 2 groups according to the relative expression levels of RELN. Then the relationship of RELN expression level with clinical data was analyzed statistically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The high expression of RELN significantly correlated with the percentage of CD138 cells, progress-free and total survival, but did not correlate significantly with DS (P>0.05) and ISS stages (P>0.05). The RELN high expression group showed higher levels of serum M protein, uric acid and serum calcium, lower hemoglobin, and more abnormal FISH results (including RB1 deletion, 1q21 amplification, IgH recombination, P53 deletion, D13S319 deletion) than those in RELN low expression group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Reelin correlates with the progression of multiple myeloma.</p>