[Changes and influence factors of soil matrix infiltration in Chinese fir plantations with different stand ages in northern Guangxi]. / æ¡‚åŒ—åœ°åŒºä¸åŒæž—é¾„æ‰æœ¨äººå·¥æž—åœŸå£¤åŸºè´¨å ¥æ¸—å˜åŒ–åŠå½±å“å› ç´ .

Soil matrix infiltration is an important pathway for plantations to obtain water, which affects ecological benefits and water conservation function of plantations. The changes of soil matrix infiltration and its influencing factors in different growth stages of Chinese fir plantations remain unclear. We measured soil matrix infiltration process using a tension infiltrometer in Chinese fir plantations (5, 8, 11, and 15 years old) of Beijiang River Forest Farm in Rongshui, Guangxi, and analyzed soil basic physicochemical properties to identify the dominant factors influencing soil matrix infiltration. The results showed that initial infiltration rate, stable infiltration rate, and cumulative infiltration increased with stand ages. The ranges of different stand ages were 141-180 mm·h-1, 109-150 mm·h-1, and 188-251 mm, respectively. The initial infiltration rate, stable infiltration rate, and cumulative infiltration were significantly positively correlated with soil capillary porosity, soil organic matter, soil water stable macroaggregate, sand content, and clay content, while negatively correlated with soil bulk density and silt content. Early thinning had a positive effect on soil matrix infiltration, but thinning measures after 11 years did not enhance soil matrix infiltration further. Philip model was optimal for describing soil matrix infiltration process in this region. In conclusion, soil matrix infiltration capacity of Chinese fir plantations gradually increased from young to middle-aged stands, but matrix infiltration capacity tended to stabilize after 11 years old. Silt content and water stable macroaggregate were the dominant factors influencing matrix infiltration.

[Effects of organic fertilizer from traditional Chinese medicine residues on growth and soil microbial community of Salvia miltiorrhiza by metagenomic technique].

Soil microbiome is a key evaluation index of soil health. Previous studies have shown that organic fertilizer from traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)residues can improve the yield and quality of cultivated traditional Chinese medicinal materials. However, there are few reports on the effects of organic fertilizer from TCM residues on soil microbiome. Therefore, on the basis of evaluating the effects of organic fertilizer from TCM residues on the yield and quality of cultivated Salvia miltiorrhiza, the metagenomic sequencing technique was used to study the effects of organic fertilizer from TCM residues on rhizosphere microbiome community and function of cultivated S. miltiorrhiza. The results showed that:(1) the application of organic fertilizer from TCM residues promoted the growth of S. miltiorrhiza and the accumulation of active components, and the above-ground and underground dry weight and fresh weight of S. miltiorrhiza increased by 371.4%, 288.3%, 313.4%, and 151.9%. The increases of rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B were 887.0% and 183.0%.(2)The application of organic fertilizer from TCM residues significantly changed the rhizosphere bacterial and fungal community structures, and the microbial community composition was significantly different.(3)The relative abundance of soil-beneficial bacteria, such as Nitrosospira multiformis, Bacillus subtilis, Lysobacter enzymogenes, and Trichoderma was significantly increased by the application of organic fertilizer from TCM residues.(4)KEGG function prediction analysis showed that metabolism-related microorganisms were more easily enriched in the soil environment after organic fertilizer application. The abundance of functional genes related to nitrification and denitrification could also be increased after the application of organic fertilizer from TCM residues. The results of this study provide guidance for the future application of organic fertilizer from TCM residues in the cultivation of traditio-nal Chinese medicinal materials and enrich the content of green cultivation technology of traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

Integrated Automatic Optical Inspection and Image Processing Procedure for Smart Sensing in Production Lines.

An integrated automatic optical inspection (iAOI) system with a procedure was proposed for a printed circuit board (PCB) production line, in which pattern distortions and performance deviations appear with process variations. The iAOI system was demonstrated in a module comprising a camera and lens, showing improved supportiveness for commercially available hardware. The iAOI procedure was realized in a serial workflow of image registration, threshold setting, image gradient, marker alignment, and geometric transformation; furthermore, five operations with numerous functions were prepared for image processing. In addition to the system and procedure, a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays sequential image operation results with analyzed characteristics was established for simplicity. To demonstrate its effectiveness, self-complementary Archimedean spiral antenna (SCASA) samples fabricated via standard PCB fabrication and intentional pattern distortions were demonstrated. The results indicated that, compared with other existing methods, the proposed iAOI system and procedure provide unified and standard operations with efficiency, which result in scientific and unambiguous judgments on pattern quality. Furthermore, we showed that when an appropriate artificial intelligence model is ready, the electromagnetic characteristic projection for SCASAs can be simply obtained through the GUI.

Two-dimensional ferroelastic and ferromagnetic NiOX (X = Cl and Br) with half-metallicity and a high Curie temperature.

Two-dimensional (2D) multiferroic materials with distinctive properties, such as half-metallicity, high Curie temperature (TC), and magnetoelastic coupling, hold potential applications in novel nanoscale spintronic devices, but they are rare. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and evolutionary algorithms, we identify new types of 2D NiOX (X = F, Cl and Br) monolayers that are stable in energy, dynamics, thermodynamics, and mechanics. Among them, NiOF is an indirect-gap antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductor, while NiOCl and NiOBr are half-metallic materials with ferromagnetic (FM) ordering with a TC of 671 and 692 K and in-plane magnetic anisotropy energies (MAEs) of 541 and 609 µeV per Ni along the x-axis and y-axis, respectively. Notably, ferroelasticity is another important feature of NiOCl and NiOBr monolayers with energy barriers of 234.0 and 151.5 meV per atom, respectively. Moreover, the in-plane magnetic easy axis is strongly coupled to the lattice direction. The coexistence of high ferromagnetism, ferroelasticity, half-metallicity, and magnetoelastic coupling renders NiOCl and NiOBr monolayers great potential for future nanodevices.

Stability and the electronic and optical properties of two-dimensional iridium trihalides with promising applications in photocatalytic water splitting.

Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we systematically investigate the structural stabilities, mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of an unexplored kind of two-dimensional (2D) material IrX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) monolayers. Calculations reveal that IrX3 monolayers have low cleavage energies, making them feasible to be extracted from their 3D layered bulk counterparts, and possess excellent energetic, dynamical, mechanical, and thermodynamic stabilities. The calculated band gaps fall in the range from 1.796 to 2.410 eV, with the conduction band (CB) edge and valence band (VB) edge straddling between the redox potentials of water. Analysis of optical properties shows that the monolayers exhibit large exciton binding energies and good optical absorption in the visible-light and ultraviolet regions. The van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures IrCl3:IrBr3 and IrBr3:IrI3 have type-II band alignment with enhanced charge separation, narrower band gap, and better visible light absorption, suggesting that the heterostructures hold promising applications in photocatalytic water splitting.

Self-referential and social saliency information influences memory following attention orienting.

Self-referential information is a processing priority in individuals. Whether or how self-referential information plays a role in attention orienting by modulating memory encoding during attention orienting is presently unknown. First, we investigated this role with self-referential processing for words. Participants were trained to associate two cues (red and green arrows) with social labels (the words "self" and "other" in Experiment 1). Then, participants performed a cueing task to determine whether various targets were presented at a right or left location. Finally, a recognition task of target items was implemented to examine the influence of arrow cues on memory. Second, given that the difference in social salience also exists between self-and other-referential processing, we investigate whether the same effect as the self-referential processing of words exists for emotional faces with high social salience and regardless of emotional valence (a high and a low social salience in Experiment 2A; and a positive and a negative emotional face in Experiment 2B). The results showed that self-referential and emotional cues, irrespective of their emotional valence, enhance memory for the indicated target objects across experiments. This suggests that automatic prioritization of social salience for self-referential words or emotional faces plays an important role in subsequent cognitive processing through attention orienting to influence memory.

Development of Nomogram Models Based on Peripheral Blood Score and Clinicopathological Parameters to Predict Preoperative Advanced Stage and Prognosis for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients.

Purpose: Nutritional and inflammatory states are crucial in cancer development. The purpose of this study is to construct a scoring system grounded on peripheral blood parameters associated with nutrition and inflammation and explore its value in stage, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) prediction for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. Patients and Methods: Four hundred and fifty-three EOC patients were retrospectively identified and their clinical data and relevant peripheral blood parameters were collected. The ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte, lymphocyte to monocyte, fibrinogen to lymphocyte, total cholesterol to lymphocyte and albumin level were calculated and dichotomized. A scoring system named peripheral blood score (PBS) was constructed. Univariate and multivariate Logistic or Cox regression analyses were used to select independent factors; these factors were then used to develop nomogram models of advanced stage and OS, PFS, respectively. The internal validation and DCA analysis were performed to evaluate models. Results: Lower PBS indicated a better prognosis and higher PBS indicated inferior. High PBS is associated with advanced stage, high CA125, serous histological type, poor differentiation, and accompanied ascites. The logistic regression showed age, CA125, and PBS were independent factors for the FIGO III-IV stage. The nomogram models for advanced FIGO stage based on these factors showed good efficiency. FIGO stage, residual disease, and PBS were independent factors affecting OS and PFS, the nomogram models composed of these factors had good performance. DCA curves revealed the models augmented net benefits. Conclusion: PBS can be a noninvasive biomarker for EOC patients' prognosis. The related nomogram models could be powerful, cost-effective tools to provide information of advanced stage, OS, and PFS for EOC patients.

Tregs are involved in VEGFA/ VASH1-related angiogenesis pathway in ovarian cancer.

Vasohibin1 (VASH1) is a kind of vasopressor, produced by negative feedback from vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Anti-angiogenic therapy targeting VEGFA is currently the first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer (OC), but there are still many adverse effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main lymphocytes mediating immune escape function in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and have been reported to influence the function of VEGFA. However, whether Tregs are associated with VASH1 and angiogenesis in TME in OC is unclear. We aimed to explore the relationship between angiogenesis and immunosuppression in the TME of OC. We validated the relationship between VEGFA, VASH1, and angiogenesis in ovarian cancer and their prognostic implications. The infiltration level of Tregs and its marker forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) were explored in relation to angiogenesis-related molecules. The results showed that VEGFA and VASH1 were associated with clinicopathological stage, microvessel density and poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. Both VEGFA and VASH1 expression were associated with angiogenic pathways and there was a positive correlation between VEGFA and VASH1 expression. Tregs correlated with angiogenesis-related molecules and indicated that high FOXP3 expression is harmful to the prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) predicted that angiogenesis, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, TGF-ß signaling, and TNF-α signaling via NF-κB may be common pathways for VEGFA, VASH1, and Tregs to be involved in the development of OC. These findings suggest that Tregs may be involved in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis through VEGFA and VASH1, providing new ideas for synergistic anti-angiogenic therapy and immunotherapy in OC.

[Chemical and nutrient differences between medicinal material, residues, and residue compost of Moutan Cortex].

Moutan Cortex(MC) residues produced after the extraction of MC can be re-extracted for active components and used to produce organic fertilizer and animal feed. However, they are currently disposed as domestic waste, which pollutes the environment. This study analyzed the chemical composition of the medicinal material, residues, and residue compost of MC by UPLC-UV-Q-TOF-MS. Furthermore, the nutrient composition of MC residues and the residue compost was analyzed. The results showed that:(1)MC residues had lower content of chemicals than the medicinal material, and content of paeonol, gallic acid, and galloylglucose in MC residues were about 1/3 of that in the medicinal material. The content of chemicals were further reduced after residue composting, and the quantitative compounds were all below the limits of detection.(2)Compared with MC residues, the residue compost showed the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and organic matter content increasing by 122.67%, 31.32%, 120.39%, and 32.06%, respectively. Therefore, we concluded that the MC residues can be used to re-extract active compounds such as paeonol, gallic acid, and galloylglucose. The MC residue compost is a high-quality organic fertilizer containing minimal content of chemicals and can be widely used in the cultivation of Chinese medicinal herbs.

Targeting microRNA-125b inhibited the metastasis of Alisertib resistance cells through mediating p53 pathway / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To clarify the mechanisms involvement in Alisertib-resistant colorectal cells and explore a potential target to overcome Alisertib-resistance. Methods: Drug-resistant colon cancer cell line (named as HCT-8-7T cells) was established and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. The metastasis in vivo were observed. Proliferation and migration of HCT-8-7T cells and their parental cells were assessed by colony formation and Transwell assay, respectively. Glycolytic capacity and glutamine metabolism of cells were analyzed by metabolism assays. The protein and mRNA levels of critical factors which are involved in mediating glycolysis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were examined by western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR), respectively. Results: In comparison with the mice transplanted with HCT-8 cells, which were survival with limited metastatic tumor cells in organs, aggressive metastases were observed in liver, lung, kidney and ovary of HCT-8-7T transplanted mice (P<0.05). The levels of ATP [(0.10±0.01) mmol/L], glycolysis [(81.77±8.21) mpH/min] and the capacity of glycolysis [(55.50±3.48) mpH/min] in HCT-8-7T cells were higher than those of HCT-8 cells [(0.04±0.01) mmol/L, (27.77±2.55) mpH/min and(14.00±1.19) mpH/min, respectively, P<0.05]. Meanwhile, the levels of p53 protein and mRNA in HCT-8-7T cells were potently decreased as compared to that in HCT-8 cells (P<0.05). However, the level of miRNA-125b (2.21±0.12) in HCT-8-7T cells was significantly elevated as compared to that in HCT-8 cells (1.00±0.00, P<0.001). In HCT-8-7T cells, forced-expression of p53 reduced the colon number (162.00±24.00) and the migration [(18.53±5.67)%] as compared with those in cells transfected with control vector [274.70±40.50 and (100.00±29.06)%, P<0.05, respectively]. Similarly, miR-125b mimic decreased the glycolysis [(25.28±9.51) mpH/min] in HCT-8-7T cells as compared with that [(54.38±12.70)mpH/min, P=0.003] in HCT-8-7T cells transfected with control. Meanwhile, in comparison with control transfected HCT-8-7T cells, miR-125b mimic also significantly led to an increase in the levels of p53 and β-catenin, in parallel with a decrease in the levels of PFK1 and HK1 in HCT-8-7T cells (P<0.05). Conclusions: Silencing of p53 by miR-125b could be one of the mechanisms that contributes to Alisertib resistance. Targeting miR-125b could be a strategy to overcome Alisertib resistance.

Chemical and nutrient differences between medicinal material, residues, and residue compost of Moutan Cortex / 中国中药杂志

Moutan Cortex(MC) residues produced after the extraction of MC can be re-extracted for active components and used to produce organic fertilizer and animal feed. However, they are currently disposed as domestic waste, which pollutes the environment. This study analyzed the chemical composition of the medicinal material, residues, and residue compost of MC by UPLC-UV-Q-TOF-MS. Furthermore, the nutrient composition of MC residues and the residue compost was analyzed. The results showed that:(1)MC residues had lower content of chemicals than the medicinal material, and content of paeonol, gallic acid, and galloylglucose in MC residues were about 1/3 of that in the medicinal material. The content of chemicals were further reduced after residue composting, and the quantitative compounds were all below the limits of detection.(2)Compared with MC residues, the residue compost showed the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and organic matter content increasing by 122.67%, 31.32%, 120.39%, and 32.06%, respectively. Therefore, we concluded that the MC residues can be used to re-extract active compounds such as paeonol, gallic acid, and galloylglucose. The MC residue compost is a high-quality organic fertilizer containing minimal content of chemicals and can be widely used in the cultivation of Chinese medicinal herbs.

The long-term survival of the doublet regimen of concurrent chemoradiation therapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study introduces innovative strategies, the doublet regimen of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, to ensure longer survival for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 104 locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who underwent taxane combined platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in our center between January 2013 and December 2018. All statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method (SPSS 23.0). Different groups were compared with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS: Ultimately, 104 patients were selected for this study, including 18 and 86 who received either concurrent chemoradiation therapy alone or concurrent chemoradiation therapy plus adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively. The median follow-up time for progression free survival was 53.0 months (IQR 48.5-57.5). The 3-years progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates of the doublet regimen of concurrent chemotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 85.9%, 96.0%, 96.0% and 90.8%, respectively. Additionally, we analyzed the subgroups and found that the 3-years PFS, OS, LRRFS and DMFS rates for stage III versus stage IVa were 97.8% versus 75.5% (P = 0.000), 100% versus 92.5% (P = 0.004), 100% versus 92.4% (P = 0.015) and 97.8% versus 82.8% (P = 0.002), respectively. During concurrent chemotherapy, acute chemotherapy adverse events of grade 3 or 4 was only 18.3%. Leukopenia was the most common acute chemotherapy adverse event (in 10 patients [9.6%]), followed by neutropenia (in 8 patients [7.6%]). CONCLUSION: The doublet regimen of taxane plus platinum concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in improved long-term survival of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, especially for local control rate and warrants further prospective evaluation.

Lack of tumorigenesis and protumorigenic activity of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in NOD SCID mice.

BACKGROUND: The tumorigenesis of infused umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) is being preclinically evaluated. METHODS: We observed tumor formation in NOD SCID mice after a single subcutaneous injection of hUC-MSCs and the effect of these cells on tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice. Three generations (P5, P7, and P10) of hUC-MSCs (1 × 107) from two donors (hUC-MSC1 and hUC-MSC2) were inoculated subcutaneously into NOD SCID mice. Subcutaneous transplantation models were established in NOD SCID mice with human cervical cancer HeLa cells (solid tumor) and human B cell lymphoma Raji cells (hematological tumor). Then, the animals were euthanized, gross dissection was performed, and tissues were collected. Various organs were observed microscopically to identify pathological changes and tumor metastasis. RESULTS: In the tumorigenesis experiment, no general anatomical abnormalities were observed. In the tumor promotion experiment, some animals in the HeLa groups experienced tumor rupture, and one animal died in each of the low- and medium-dose hUC-MSC groups. The results may have occurred due to the longer feeding time, and the tumor may have caused spontaneous infection and death. Pathological examination revealed no metastasis to distant organs in any group. In the Raji tumor model, some animals in each group experienced tumor rupture, and one animal in the medium-dose hUC-MSC group died, perhaps due to increased tumor malignancy. Thus, hUC-MSCs neither promoted nor inhibited tumor growth. No cancer cell metastasis was observed in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys or other important organs, except that pulmonary venule metastasis was observed in 1 animal in the model group. CONCLUSIONS: Injected hUC-MSCs were not tumorigenic and did not significantly promote or inhibit solid or hematological tumor growth or metastasis in NOD SCID mice.

Enhancing the differentiation of walking and standing via the ratio of plantar pressures.

Differentiation of standing and walking based on plantar pressures is helpful in developing strategies to reduce health risks in the workplace. In order to improve the differentiation ability, the paper proposes a new metric for posture differentiation, that is, the pressure ratio on the two anatomical plantar regions. The plantar pressures were collected from 30 persons during walking and standing. After verifying the normal distribution of the pressure ratio by the Monte Carlo method, two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted for the pressure ratios. The advantage of the pressure ratio over two conventional pressure metrics (the average pressure and the peak pressure) is demonstrated by its much larger size effect. Furthermore, the pressure ratio permits to establish value ranges corresponding to walking and standing, which are less influenced by specific person factors, thus facilitating the design of a standardized posture recognition system. The underlying mechanism underlying the pressure ratio is discussed from the aspect of biomechanics of movement.

Bioactive isocoumarins isolated from a mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium sp. MGP11.

Two new isocoumarins penicimarins L-M (1-2), along with seven known analogues (3-9) were isolated from the mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium sp. MGP11. Compounds 1-2 were established by spectroscopic methods and comparison of their circular dichroism (CD) spectra with the literature. All isolated compounds were evaluated for antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. Compound 8 had better antioxidant activity (IC50 = 4.6 µM) than positive control trolox (IC50 = 12.9 µM). Compounds 5, 8 and 9 exhibited α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with the IC50 values of 776.5, 683.7 and 868.7 µM, respectively.[Formula: see text].

Analgesic Activity of Jin Ling Zi Powder and Its Single Herbs: A Serum Metabonomics Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesic effect of Jin Ling Zi Powder (JLZ) and its two single herbs. METHODS: The hot plate method was used to induce pain. Totally 36 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups by a complete random design, including control, model, aspirin (ASP, 0.14 g/kg body weight), JLZ (14 g/kg body weight), Corydalis yanhusuo (YHS, 14 g/kg body weight), and Toosendan Fructus (TF, 14 g/kg body weight) groups, 6 mice in each group. The mice in the control and model groups were given the same volume of saline, daily for 2 consecutive weeks. At 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the last administration, the pain threshold of mice in each group was measured, and the improvement rate of pain threshold was calculated. Serum endogenous metabolites were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in pain threshold among groups before administration (P>0.05). After 2 weeks of administration, compared with the model group, the pain threshold in JLZ, YHS, TF and ASP groups were increased to varying degrees (P<0.05). JLZ had the best analgesic effect and was superior to YHS and TF groups. A total of 14 potential biomarkers were screened in serum data analysis and potential biomarkers levels were all reversed to different degrees after the treatment with JLZ and its single herbs. These potential biomarkers were mainly related to glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and inositol phosphate metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The analgesic mechanism of JLZ and YHS was mainly due to the combination of glycine and its receptor, producing post-synaptic potential, reducing the excitability of neurons, and weakening the afferent effect of painful information.

Effects and mechanisms of mUCMSCs on ovarian structure and function in naturally ageing C57 mice.

BACKGROUND: The ovaries are the core reproductive organs in women and are critical for maintaining normal reproductive function and endocrine system stability. An ageing C57 mouse model was used to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of mouse umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (mUCMSCs) and to explore the mechanism by which mUCMSCs promote the antioxidant repair of mouse granulosa cells (mGCs). RESULTS: Eighteen-month-old C57 mice were randomly divided into a model group and a treatment group. At the same time, 2-month-old C57 mice were established as a young group (15 mice per group). The mice in the treatment group were injected via the tail vein with GFP-labelled mUCMSCs. The ovarian volume in ageing C57 mice was decreased, and there were no follicles at any stage. After mUCMSC transplantation, the mouse ovaries increased in size, follicles at various stages were observed in the cortex, and the antral follicle counts increased. The serum E2, AMH, and INH-B levels of mice in the treatment group were significantly higher than those of mice in the model control group (P < 0.05). mUCMSCs downregulated the expression of the autophagy-related gene LC3b and the apoptosis-related genes Bax and Caspase-3, upregulated the expression of SOD2 and the peroxidase gene PRDX IV, and reduced apoptosis rates and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in granulosa cells. CONCLUSIONS: mUCMSCs play roles in promoting the repair of ageing ovaries by regulating immunity, anti-inflammatory responses and the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway.

Improving the Lung Cancer Clinical Trial Development by Incorporating Competing Risk Factors.

INTRODUCTION: Distinct from other diseases, as cancer progresses, both the symptoms and treatments evolve, resulting in a complex, time-dependent relationship. Many competing risk factors influence the outcome of cancer. An improved method was used to evaluate the data from 6 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) clinical trials combined in our center since 2016 to deal with the bias caused by competing risk factors. Material and Methods. Data of 118 lung cancer patients were collected from 2016 to 2020. Fine and Gray's model for competing risk was used to evaluate survival of different treatment group compares with the classic survival analysis model. RESULTS: Immunotherapy had better progression-free survival than chemotherapy. (HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.95, p = 0.0260). However, there were no significant differences in patients who withdrew due to treatment-related adverse events from different groups. (Z = 0.0508, p = 0.8217). The PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in our study did not significantly improve overall survival compared with chemotherapy (HR:0.77, 95% CI:0.48-1.24, p = 0.2812), estimated 1-year overall survival rates were 55% and 46%, and 3-year overall survival rates were 17% and 10%, respectively. CONCLUSION: When the outcome caused by competing risk exists, the corresponding competing risk model method should be adopted to eliminate the bias caused by the classic survival analysis.

A novel nomogram for predicting locoregional recurrence risk in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and mastectomy.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to establish a nomogram for predicting locoregional recurrence (LRR) in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and mastectomy. METHODS: A total of 2368 patients who received NAC and mastectomy between 2000 and 2014 from 12 grade A tertiary hospitals in China were analyzed retrospectively. The nomogram was developed based on the patients treated in three cancer hospitals (training set, n = 1629) and validated based on patients from the other nine general hospitals (validation set, n = 739). Factors identified from Fine and Gray's competing risk analysis were used to establish the nomogram. The predictive performance of the nomogram model was compared with the cTNM stage, ypTNM stage, and the Neo-Bioscore model by using the area under the time dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (tAUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The nomogram incorporated six risk factors derived from multivariable analysis of the training set including age, ypT stage, ypN stage, lymph node ratio, postmastectomy radiotherapy, and endocrine therapy. In the training set, the AUC of the nomogram was 0.792, which was higher than the values of the cTNM stage (0.582), ypTNM stage (0.737), and the Neo-Bioscore prognosis model (0.658). In the validation set, the AUC of the cTNM (0.619); ypTNM (0.636); and Neo-Bioscore staging system (0.584) were also significantly lower than the AUC of the nomogram (0.705). Both in the training and validation sets, the calibration curve showed good agreement between the nomogram-based predictions and the actual observations. CONCLUSION: The novel nomogram provides a more accurate evaluation of LRR for breast cancer patients treated with NAC and mastectomy.