[Association between edentulism and cognition among people aged 50 and over]

Objective: To investigate the association between edentulism and cognition in people aged 50 and over in China. Methods: Cross-sectional data was collected from the first wave of World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health in China, among people aged 50 and over in China. A comprehensive cognitive test was used to assess cognitive functions, including verbal recall (VR), verbal fluency (VF), forward digit span (FDS) and backward digit span (BDS) among the subjects. Association between edentulism and cognition was examined by a two-level (individual level and community level) linear model. Results: A total of 12 843 individuals aged 50 years and over were included for analysis, with an average age of (63.0±9.3) years. The overall prevalence of edentulism was 11.0%. The edentulous adults had lower mean scores of VR (4.55), VF (10.88), FDS (6.25), BDS (2.96) and overall cognition (49.15) (P<0.001). Edentulism was negatively associated with VR (β=-0.216, 95%CI: -0.370 - -0.062), FDS (β=-0.186, 95%CI: -0.293 - -0.078) and overall cognition (β=-1.703, 95%CI: -3.025 - -0.381) after adjusted for age, sex, residence, education level, marital status, household income, co-morbidity of chronic conditions, BMI, smoking and drinking alcohol. Conclusion: Edentulism was related with lower cognition level in people aged 50 and over in China.

[The value of multi-gene testing in benign or malign diagnosis of thyroid nodules with indeterminate cytology]

Objective: To study the diagnostic value of a multi-gene molecular testing in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules. Methods: From February 2018 to September 2018, patients with thyroid nodules who underwent fine needle aspiration(FNA) at Peking University Cancer Hospital were enrolled. Three hundred and sixty patients were included, consisting of 86 men and 274 women, with a mean age of 45.8 years (between 13 and 89 years old). Among 391 nodules, 141 were cytologically inderminate and 75 were resected. FNA samples underwent prospective testing using a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay, which included 16 genes for point mutations and 26 types of gene fusions. The testing results of indeterminate nodules were compared with surgical outcomes, to determine the diagnostic performance. The results were compared with the BRAF V600E single gene mutation analysis by χ(2) test. Results: The multi-gene testing showed a sensitivity of 73.2%, specificity of 96.8%, positive predictive value of 96.8%, and negative predictive value of 73.2%. The diagnostic accuracy of multi-gene testing was significantly higher than the BRAF V600E mutation test (83.3% vs 73.6%, χ(2)=31.588, P<0.01). Conclusion: Multi-gene testing in FNA samples is an effective method to diagnose cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, which has a higher accuracy than BRAF V600E mutation detection.

A short follow-up of prosthesis-based breast reconstruction using TiLOOP® Bra surgical mesh

Background

A new approach for prosthesis-based breast reconstruction is the use of a titanium-coated polypropylene mesh TiLOOP^® Bra. However, the safety and outcomes are currently unclear in Chinese breast cancer patients.

Methods

A retrospective study of patients undergoing prosthesis-based breast reconstruction using TiLOOP^® Bra was carried out. Complications were divided into minor complications (require conservative treatment) and major complications (require surgical intervention). The influence of patient- and surgery-related characteristics on complications was analyzed.

Results

Postoperative hematoma and seroma were respectively found in one and two breasts and could be treated conservatively. In three breasts skin infection occurred immediately after surgery resulting in skin necrosis of two breasts and wound dehiscence of one breast. These three breasts were treated with mesh removal, and revisionary surgery. Increased risk of mesh removal and implant explantation were observed in case of skin infection (P = 0.011) and skin necrosis (P = 0.033). Neither patient-related characteristics including age >50 years, BMI >25 kg/m², and postoperative radiotherapy/chemotherapy, nor surgery-related characteristics including sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary dissection alone, and curative/prophylactic surgery were significantly correlated with minor and major complications. Ultrasound evaluation showed a well-incorporated mesh into surrounding tissue.

Conclusion

This titanium-coated polypropylene mesh showed acceptable complications and could be used safely in prosthesis-based breast reconstruction by stabilizing the implant pocket. Longer follow-up data and more randomized trials are necessary to determine the clinical use of this mesh.

[Clinicopathological characteristics and differential diagnosis of interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma]

Objective: To analyze the clinicopathological features and differential diagnosis of interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). Methods: The clinical pathological features of 7 IDCS were analyzed. Among them, the follow-up results of 6 cases were available. Results: Among the 7 IDCS patients, 4 cases were male and 3 were female. The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 69 years.Three cases were originated from lymph nodes and 4 cases were originated from skin, stomach, adrenal gland and mesentery, respectively. Microscopically, the tumor cells presented as fascicular and storiform proliferation and infiltrated by lymphocytes. The tumor cells were short-spindle or ovoid, with indistinct border of cytoplasm. The immunohistochemistry results showed that tumor cells were S-100, Vim, CD68 and CD163 positive, and AE1/AE3, EMA, CD117, CD34, Desmin, SMA, CD1α, CD21, CD23, CD35, HMB45, Melan-A, MelanPan and ALK negative.The BRAF mutation and clonal rearrangement of T and B cells were not detected. Among the follow-up period of 7 IDCS patients, 3 occurred disease progressions. Conclusions: IDCS is extremely rare with unique pathological features, and its lesion is not limited to the lymph node. The IDCS patients with extensive lesions may have worse prognose. The differential diagnosis of IDCS includes other histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms, malignant melanoma and soft tissue neoplasms.

Emergence of intrinsic superconductivity below 1.178 K in the topologically non-trivial semimetal state of CaSn3

Topological materials which are also superconducting are of great current interest, since they may exhibit a non-trivial topologically-mediated superconducting phase. Although there have been many reports of pressure-tuned or chemical-doping-induced superconductivity in a variety of topological materials, there have been few examples of intrinsic, ambient pressure superconductivity in a topological system having a stoichiometric composition. Here, we report that the pure intermetallic CaSn₃ not only exhibits topological fermion properties, but also has a superconducting phase at ~1.178 K under ambient pressure. The topological fermion properties, including the nearly zero quasi-particle mass and the non-trivial Berry phase accumulated in cyclotron motions, were revealed from the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) quantum oscillation studies of this material. Although CaSn₃ was previously reported to be superconducting with T _c  =  4.2 K, our studies show that the T _c  =  4.2 K superconductivity is extrinsic and caused by Sn on the degraded surface, whereas its intrinsic bulk superconducting transition occurs at 1.178 K. These findings make CaSn₃ a promising candidate for exploring new exotic states arising from the interplay between non-trivial band topology and superconductivity, e.g. topological superconductivity (TSC).

Hyperbolic lens design of local oscillator optics system for electron cyclotron emission imaging on J-TEXT

An electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic system that contains two 16-antenna arrays is being developed on J-TEXT tokamak. In this heterodyne system, the mixers in the front microwave antenna are used to down-convert the electron cyclotron emission to a 2-12 GHz radio frequency. All of the 24 antenna mixers in the individual enclosure box are driven by shining local oscillator (LO) power via launching optics. The previous approach for LO optics was designed with spherical and cylinder lenses, which has limitations such as the inhomogeneity of the energy deposition on different channels and the difficulty of optics alignment. A new generation of LO optics has been designed and applied on J-TEXT with a hyperbolic lens for uniform power deposition across the entire antenna array. The robustness of the optical alignment will be significantly increased with three hyperbolic lenses. Furthermore, the simulation results and robustness analysis of these LO optics are discussed in this paper.

A new method of out-of-focus millimeter wave imaging in fusion plasma diagnostics using Bessel beams

Electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) and microwave imaging reflectometry diagnostics have been employed on a number of magnetic fusion plasma confinement devices. The common approach is based on a Gaussian beam assumption, which generates good spatial resolution (centimeter level). However, the radial focal depth is limited by the poloidal resolution, which is comparable with the Rayleigh length (∼150 mm). By contrast, a new Bessel beam approach has been developed and demonstrated to generate much longer focal depth with the property of propagation stability. To test the new approach, the DIII-D tokamak LCP ECEI optics have been re-designed to support a Bessel beam approach based on an axicon lens. The achievable radial coverage can exceed that of the current Gaussian approach by 3×. The imaging result is discussed in this paper based on the simulation analysis and laboratory testing result.

[DS2, a newly synthetic ent-kaurane diterpenoid analog, inhibits proliferation and migration of human gastric cancer cell]

Objective: To investigate the effects and the underlying mechanism of DS2, a newly synthetic analog of natural ent-kaurane diterpenoid, on the proliferation and migration capabilities of human gastric cancer cells. Methods: MTT assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry were used to measure the effects of DS2 on growth, apoptosis and cell cycle of several human gastric cancer cell lines. The function of DS2 in the migration was further detected by wound healing and transwell assays. The expression of migration related proteins were determined by western blot. Results: DS2 inhibited the growth of MGC-803, SGC-7901 and HGC-27 cells in a dose dependent manner. After treatment of DS2 at a concentration of 6.25 μmol/L for 24 h, the survival rates of MGC-803, SGC-7901 and HGC-27 cells were 53.87±3.05%, 55.91±6.97% and 32.41±2.64%, respectively. However, for the normal gastric epithelial cell GES-1, no obvious growth inhibition was observed. In addition, DS2 caused significant G(2)/M arrest and induced apoptosis in MGC-803 cells. Furthermore, compared with the negative control, the colony formation, wound healing rate as well as the number of migrating cells of MGC-803 were significantly decreased in a dose dependent manner after DS2 treatment. DS2 induced the expression of E-cadherin, whereas β-catenin and N-cadherin levels were downregulated in MGC-803. Conclusion: The new compound DS2 has a strong anti-cancer activity, and this study will help us to design and synthesize better diterpenoids derivatives.

Multiple strains and polar states in PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3/PbTiO3 superlattices revealed by aberration-corrected HAADF-STEM imaging

Tuning multiple strain and polar states of ferroelectrics by using strain engineering is an essential approach for designing multifunctional electric devices such as multiple state memories. However, integrating multiple strain states is still a challenge, and in addition, revealing such strains and the resultant polar behaviors on the atomic level remains difficult. In this work we prepare PbZr_0.52Ti_0.48O₃/PbTiO₃ (PZT/PTO) superlattices on SrRuO₃-buffered SrTiO₃(001) substrates. Aberration-corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) reveals that the superlattice is coherent in both c (out-of-plane polar direction) and a (in-plane polar direction) domains. We find that the strain states of both PZT and PTO in c and a domains are variant, leading to four special strain states. For example, the tetragonality for PTO in c and a domains is 1.061 and 1.045, respectively. In contrast, PZT in c domains displays a tetragonality as giant as 1.107, which corresponds to 110 µC cm^-2 spontaneous polarization, much larger than the bulk PZT; while PZT in a domains exhibits 1.010 tetragonality with about 70 µC cm^-2 polarization. This study reveals a practical way to integrate multiple strain states and enhanced polarizations in ferroelectric films, which could be used as multifunctional electric elements.

[Incidence of fall related injury in people aged 50 and above and risk factors in 8 provinces in China: a cross-sectional study]

Objective: To estimate the incidence and distribution characteristics of fall related injury in people aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China and related physiological, psychological and social risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from adults aged ≥50 years participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE) round 1 in China. Two-level hierarchical logistic model was used to identify the related factors for fall-related injury. All the models were stratified by living area (urban/rural). Results: Estimated incidence of fall related injury (road traffic injury was not included) was 3.2%. Ageing and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.55, 95%CI: 1.41-4.64) was significantly associated with the incidence of fall related injury in urban area. In rural area, depression (OR=4.33, 95% CI: 2.52-7.42) and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.46, 95%CI: 1.37-4.41) were associated with the incidence of fall related injury. Conclusions: This study estimated the incidence of fall related injury in adults aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China. A significant association between multiple chronic conditions and fall related injury were found in both urban and rural residents. Targeted measures should be taken for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in elderly population.

[Expanded clinical verification of effectiveness of two-dimensional-shear wave elastography in the noninvasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of two-dimensional shear wave elastography(2D-SWE)in the assessment of hepatic fibrosis in a large-scale clinical setting. Methods: A total of 1 079 subjects who underwent partial hepatectomy were examined with 2D-SWE to measure liver stiffness before operation and the liver stiffness measurements were compared with histologic findings.The published cutoff values of liver stiffness examined with 2D-SWE were used as a reference, as 7.2, 9.2, and 10.4 kPa for diagnosing substantial fibrosis(S2), severe fibrosis(S3), and cirrhosis(S4), respectively.The area under curve(AUC)was calculated to verify the value of 2D-SWE in the evaluation of hepatic fibrosis. Results: Compared with the pathological diagnosis, the AUC of 2D-SWE in diagnosing substantial fibrosis(S2), severe fibrosis(S3), and cirrhosis(S4)were 0.976, 0.981, and 0.968, the sensitivity were 95.3%, 92.6%, and 93.5%, the specificity were 87.8%, 87.5% and 89.3%, and the accuracy were 88.8%, 90.0% and 91.0%, respectively(P<0.05). Conclusion: 2D-SWE is an effective imaging tool for noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis.

[Relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and miR-24-3p expression during the development of gastric mucosa lesions]

Objectives: To explore the expression of micro RNA-24-3p (miR-24-3p) in different gastric mucosa lesions, and analyze the potential correlation between Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection and miR-24-3p expression in different gastric lesions. Methods: 158 gastric biopsy specimens were divided into four groups, including 35 chronic superficial gastritis (CSG) samples, 43 chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) samples, 41 intestinal metaplasia (IM) samples and 39 dysplasia (Dys) samples. Those samples were collected from patients undergoing gastroscopy at the Department of Gastroenterology, Aerospace Center Hospital, from September 2005 to June 2012. The expression of miR-24-3p was detected using in situ hybridization. H. pylori infection status was determined by rapid urease test and Warthin-Starry stain. Results: Higher expression rate of miR-24-3p was observed in CSG compared with those in CAG, IM and Dys, respectively. The miR-24-3p expression rate in CSG with H. pylori infection was significantly lower than that without H. pylori infection (P=0.001), but it was not observed in CAG, IM and Dys groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: MiR-24-3p was highly expressed at the early stage of gastric mucosal lesion. Attenuation of miR-24-3p expression is associated with the development of severe gastric mucosa lesions. H. pylori may play a role in miR-24-3p regulation in the early stage of gastric mucosa lesions.

A magnetic topological semimetal Sr1-yMn1-zSb2 (y, z < 0.1)

Weyl (WSMs) evolve from Dirac semimetals in the presence of broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS) or space-inversion symmetry. The WSM phases in TaAs-class materials and photonic crystals are due to the loss of space-inversion symmetry. For TRS-breaking WSMs, despite numerous theoretical and experimental efforts, few examples have been reported. In this Article, we report a new type of magnetic semimetal Sr_1-yMn_1-zSb₂ (y, z < 0.1) with nearly massless relativistic fermion behaviour (m^∗ =  0.04 - 0.05m₀, where m₀ is the free-electron mass). This material exhibits a ferromagnetic order for 304 K  <  T  <  565 K, but a canted antiferromagnetic order with a ferromagnetic component for T  <  304 K. The combination of relativistic fermion behaviour and ferromagnetism in Sr_1-yMn_1-zSb₂ offers a rare opportunity to investigate the interplay between relativistic fermions and spontaneous TRS breaking.

Designing of metallic nanocrystals embedded in non-stoichiometric perovskite nanomaterial and its surface-electronic characteristics

Engineering of novel functional nanocomposite as like as the metallic nanocrystals supported non-stoichiometric perovskite nanomaterial in controlled parameters (size, shape and ratio of chemical characteristics) is a challengeable task. In this context, we present a facile route to fabricate and study its physicochemical property at real time mode in this report. Nanoscale pure Pb crystals surfaced on non-stoichiometric A-site deficient Pb_1-xTiO_3-y nanoparticle were fabricated when a precursor lead titanate (PbTiO₃) nanoparticle was exposed to an electron beam irradiation (EBI) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at ambient temperature. In the state of the art, the chemical states and electronic structure of non-irradiated and irradiated PbTiO₃ were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electron bombardment resulted in a new visible feature at low binding energy in the Pb 4f core level, while Ti 2p and O 1s line shape showed slight changes. The Fermi level of the corresponding materials was determined to be 1.65 ± 0.1 eV and 2.05 ± 0.1 eV above the valence band maximum, respectively. The normal, weakly p-type PTO exhibits peculiar n-type feature after EBI process (The Fermi level moves near to the conduction band). A feasible mechanism is proposed involving the electron-stimulated local bond-breaking phenomenon in PbTiO₃.

[Screening for effective antibiotics in chronic suppurative otitis media]

Objective:To explore the method of screening effective antibiotics in active stage of otitis media, in order to lay ground for rational clinical application of antibiotics in this scenario.Method:The clinical data of 198 patients diagnosed as otitis media were analyzed. Based on the results of bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test of middle ear secretion, the clinical availability and the ototoxicity of corresponding drugs, first and second line drugs were screened to control infection. The therapeutic effect of drugs was summarized.Result:In 21 out of 198 cases, there was no growth of common bacteria, while in the remaining 177 cases, there were 36 cases(20.34%) of coagulase negative staphylococcus, which was sensitive to linezolid, vancomycin, cefuroxime, levofloxacin, SMZ-TMP, and rifampin; 30 cases(16.95%) of pseudomonas aeruginosa, which was sensitive to meropenem, imipenem, ceftazidime, amikacin, and piperacillin; and 26 cases(14.69%) of staphylococcus aureus, which was sensitive to linezolid, vancomycin, oxacilin, gentamycin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin. Drugs that were administrated based on experience including: local use of levofloxacin eardrops, cefuroxime and moxifloxacin as first line oral antibiotics, and ceftazidime as second line oral antibiotics. There were 3 cases of post-operational infection, which recovered after systemic and local use of sensitive drugs and dressing.Conclusion:In otitis media, sensitive antibiotics chosen from results of bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test, are useful in reducing the complication of infection after surgery.

Giant linear strain gradient with extremely low elastic energy in a perovskite nanostructure array

Although elastic strains, particularly inhomogeneous strains, are able to tune, enhance or create novel properties of some nanoscale functional materials, potential devices dominated by inhomogeneous strains have not been achieved so far. Here we report a fabrication of inhomogeneous strains with a linear gradient as giant as 10⁶ per metre, featuring an extremely lower elastic energy cost compared with a uniformly strained state. The present strain gradient, resulting from the disclinations in the BiFeO₃ nanostructures array grown on LaAlO₃ substrates via a high deposition flux, induces a polarization of several microcoulomb per square centimetre. It leads to a large built-in electric field of several megavoltage per metre, and gives rise to a large enhancement of solar absorption. Our results indicate that it is possible to build up large-scale strain-dominated nanostructures with exotic properties, which in turn could be useful in the development of novel devices for electromechanical and photoelectric applications.

Microbial diversity in raw milk and traditional fermented dairy products (Hurood cheese and Jueke) from Inner Mongolia, China

Hurood cheese (HC) and Jueke (Jk) are 2 traditional fermented dairy products produced from raw milk (RM) in the Inner Mongolia region of China. They have a long history of production and consumption. The microbial compositions of RM, HC, and Jk vary greatly, and are influenced by their geographical origins and unique processing methods. In this study, 2 batches of RM, HC, and Jk samples were collected (April and August 2015) from the Zhenglan Banner, a region located in the southern part of Inner Mongolian belonging to the Xilingol league prefecture. The bacterial and fungal diversities of the samples were determined by 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequence analysis, respectively. A total of 112 bacterial and 30 fungal sequences were identified, with Firmicutes and Ascomycota being the predominant phyla for bacteria and fungi, respectively. Lactococcus and Lactobacillus were identified as the main bacterial genera, whereas Kluyveromyces was the predominant fungus identified in the 3 dairy products. Different bacterial and fungal compositions were observed in RM, HC, and Jk samples collected at different times. These results suggested that time of production may be an important factor influencing the microbial diversity present in RM, HC, and Jk.

[Analysis of tumor necrosis factor-α and zinc finger protein 36 gene polymorphism for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome]

Objective:To investigate the association between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and tumor necrosis factor(TNF) -α and zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) gene polymorphisms.Method:Two hundred and four patients with OSAHS were enrolled as study group. Meanwhile, 97 healthy subjects were selected as control group. Three sites of ZFP36 gene (rs17879933, rs3746083 and rs251864) were detected by TaqMan-PCR method. The levels of TNF-α and other biochemical markers were detected by radioimmunoassay, and relevant indicators of breathing during sleep at night of all the subjects were recorded by Monet32 system. Result:The levels of TNF-α, total cholesterol, uric acid, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, abdominal circumference and neck circumference were significantly higher in the study group than those in the control group (all P< 0.05). The genotype and allele frequencies of rs251864 and rs17879933 were significantly different between the study group and the control group (all P< 0.05). The levels of abdominal circumference, BMI, TNF-α and TG in patients with rs251864 GG and rs17879933 Ⅱ genotypes were significantly higher than those with the other two genotypes (all P< 0.05). There was no significant difference in all the sleep respiration indexes between the three genotypes of ZFP36 (all P< 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that there was no correlation between three polymorphisms of ZFP36 and OSAHS after controlling a series of factors such as gender and age.Conclusion:ZFP36 may be involved in the pathogenesis of OSAHS by modulating inflammatory factors such as TNF-α and interfering with metabolism. ZFP36 mutation at three sites is not an independent risk factor for OSAHS.

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics systems on the EAST tokamak (invited)

Millimeter-wave imaging diagnostics, with large poloidal span and wide radial range, have been developed on the EAST tokamak for visualization of 2D electron temperature and density fluctuations. A 384 channel (24 poloidal × 16 radial) Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) system in F-band (90-140 GHz) was installed on the EAST tokamak in 2012 to provide 2D electron temperature fluctuation images with high spatial and temporal resolution. A co-located Microwave Imaging Reflectometry (MIR) will be installed for imaging of density fluctuations by December 2016. This "4th generation" MIR system has eight independent frequency illumination beams in W-band (75-110 GHz) driven by fast tuning synthesizers and active multipliers. Both of these advanced millimeter-wave imaging diagnostic systems have applied the latest techniques. A novel design philosophy "general optics structure" has been employed for the design of the ECEI and MIR receiver optics with large aperture. The extended radial and poloidal coverage of ECEI on EAST is made possible by innovations in the design of front-end optics. The front-end optical structures of the two imaging diagnostics, ECEI and MIR, have been integrated into a compact system, including the ECEI receiver and MIR transmitter and receiver. Two imaging systems share the same mid-plane port for simultaneous, co-located 2D fluctuation measurements of electron density and temperature. An intelligent remote-control is utilized in the MIR electronics systems to maintain focusing at the desired radial region even with density variations by remotely tuning the probe frequencies in about 200 μs. A similar intelligent technique has also been applied on the ECEI IF system, with remote configuration of the attenuations for each channel.

Design of the 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging instrument for the J-TEXT tokamak

A new 2D Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostic is being developed for the J-TEXT tokamak. It will provide the 2D electron temperature information with high spatial, temporal, and temperature resolution. The new ECEI instrument is being designed to support fundamental physics investigations on J-TEXT including MHD, disruption prediction, and energy transport. The diagnostic contains two dual dipole antenna arrays corresponding to F band (90-140 GHz) and W band (75-110 GHz), respectively, and comprises a total of 256 channels. The system can observe the same magnetic surface at both the high field side and low field side simultaneously. An advanced optical system has been designed which permits the two arrays to focus on a wide continuous region or two radially separate regions with high imaging spatial resolution. It also incorporates excellent field curvature correction with field curvature adjustment lenses. An overview of the diagnostic and the technical progress including the new remote control technique are presented.

Misfit Strain Relaxation of Ferroelectric PbTiO3/LaAlO3 (111) Thin Film System

Ferroelectric thin films grown on high index substrates show unusual structural and switching dynamics due to their special strain states. Understanding the misfit relaxation behavior is crucial to facilitate the high index thin film growth with improved quality. In this paper, ferroelectric PbTiO₃ thin films were grown on LaAlO₃ (111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. The microstructures were investigated by combinations of conventional and aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. Diffraction contrast analysis and high resolution imaging reveal that high density interfacial dislocations were distributed at the interfaces. These dislocations have mixed character with Burgers vectors of a <110> and line directions of <112>. The edge components of the dislocations, with the Burgers vectors parallel to the interface, accommodate the lattice mismatch and are the main contributor to the misfit relaxation of this system. The formation mechanism of these dislocations is proposed and discussed to elucidate the novel mismatch relaxation behavior of <111> oriented perovskite films.

Characterization of RsMYB28 and RsMYB29 transcription factor genes in radish (Raphanus sativus L.)

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are important secondary metabolites in Brassicaceae plants. Previous studies have mainly focused on GSL contents, types, and biosynthesis-related genes, but the molecular characterization patterns of GSL biosynthesis-related transcription factors remain largely unexplored in radish (Raphanus sativus L.). To isolate transcription factor genes regulating the GSL biosynthesis, genomic DNA and cDNA sequences of RsMYB28 and RsMYB29 genes were isolated in radish. Two R2R3-MYB domains were identified in the deduced amino acid sequences. Subcellular localization and yeast-one hybrid assays indicated that both the RsMYB28 and RsMYB29 genes were located in the nucleus and possessed transactivation activity. Reverse transcription quantitative analysis showed that the RsMYB28 and RsMYB29 genes were expressed in seeds, leaves, stems, and roots at the seedling, taproot thickening, and mature stages. Both genes were highly expressed during the seedling and taproot thickening stages. The expression level of RsMYB28 was found to be up-regulated following wounding, glucose, and abscisic acid treatments, whereas RsMYB29 was up-regulated following wounding and methyl jasmonate treatments. These results provide insights into the biological function and characterization of the RsMYB28 and RsMYB29 genes, and facilitate further dissection of the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying the GSL biosynthesis in radish.

[Expression and clinical significance of moesin and E-cadherin in invasive carcinoma of breast, no specific type]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation of moesin and E-cadherin with biological behavior of breast cancer and its mechanism by comparing expression of moesin and E-cadherin in breast invasive carcinoma of no specific type(BIC-NST), breast ductal carcinoma in situ(BDCIS) and normal breast tissues adjacent to carcinoma.

METHODS

Breast cancer cases of the Huizhou Municipal Center People Hospital were collected between Jan 2008 and Dec 2010, expression of moesin and E-cadherin in 104 cases of BIC-NST, 84 cases of BDCIS and 53 cases of normal breast tissues adjacent to carcinoma were detected by tissue-microarray and SP immunohistochemical staining. Western blot was used to detect moesin expression of 16 BIC-NST fresh tissues.

RESULTS

Expression rate of moesin in BIC-NST and BDCIS were significantly higher than normal tissues(P<0.01), but the expression rate of E-cadherin in BIC-NST and BDCIS were significantly lower than those of normal tissues(P<0.01). Expression rate of moesin in BIC-NST grade Ⅲ group was significantly higher than that of the grade Ⅰ group.There was a significantly positive correlation between histological grade and moesin expression(P<0.05). However, E-cadherin expression rate in BIC-NST grade Ⅲ group was significantly lower than that in grade Ⅰ group , and there was a significantly negative correlation between histological grade and E-cadherin expression(P<0.05). Moreover, no significant correlation was observed between moesin and E-cadherin expression in BDCIS tissues. Expression of moesin in clinical stage Ⅱ + Ⅲ BIC-NST was significantly higher than that in stage Ⅰ(P<0.01) . Expression of moesin was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.01). But no significant correlation was observed between moesin expression and age, tumor size and vascular invasion . However, expression of E-cadherin in clinical stage Ⅱ+ Ⅲ BIC-NST was significantly lower than that in stage Ⅰ(P<0.01). Expression of E-cadherin was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion (P<0.01). But no significant correlation was observed between E-cadherin expression, age and tumor size. There was a negative correlation between expression of moesin and E-cadherin in BIC-NST(P=0.021)and BDCIS(P=0.032).

CONCLUSION

Higher moesin and lower E-cadherin signal transduction is closely related to the recurrence and development of breast carcinoma, therefore moesin and E-cadherin might provide new targets for gene therapy in breast carcinoma.