[Caries prevention effectiveness of aresin based sealant and a glass ionomer sealants: a report of 5-year-follow-up]

Objective: To evaluate and compare the caries prevention effectiveness of a resin-based sealant and a glass ionomer sealant on permanent first molars in 7- to 9-years-old school children. Methods: A randomized controlled, examiner-blinded, 5-year clinical trial was conducted in 19 primary schools in Dalian, Liaoning province. Totally 419 children (with 664 first molars) who had at least one sound permanent first molar with deep fissures or fissures with signs of non-cavitated lesions were recruited and stratified and allocated randomly into three parallel groups. A resin-based sealant was used in Group R (136 children with 219 first molars) and a glass ionomer sealant was used in Group G (130 children with 218 first molars). The third group (Group N, 153 children with 227 first molars) with none of the two sealants applied was served as blank control. Follow-up examinations were conducted at 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 years after sealing in order to assess the retention of the sealants and the incidence of caries occurrence. Chi-square test was adopted to compare the differences of caries incidence among the 3 groups. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to analyze the effective factors of caries incidence. Results: During the 5-year follow-up period, 13.4% (23/172) of the teeth in Group R, 22.5% (40/178) of the teeth in Group G and 34.5% (57/165) of the teeth in Group N were diagnosed as having developed cavitated lesions. And the differences in the incidence of caries among the three groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). According to GEE, the resin-based sealant and the glass ionomer sealant were found to be the protection factors and the non-cavitated lesion before sealing was found to be the risk factor. The resin-based sealant was found to be the protection factor to the glass ionomer sealant when the blank control group was removed. Conclusions: Both resin-based sealant and glass ionomer sealant could effectively prevent the permanent first molars from the occurrence of carious lesions in 5 years. The resin-based sealant was superior to the glass ionomer sealant in caries prevention.

[Role of HPV viral loads in random biopsy under normal colposcopy]

Objective: To explore the role of HPV viral loads in random biopsy under normal colposcopy. Methods: 908 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and HPV positive women, recruited in cluster sampling in 9 provinces including 5 urban areas and 9 rural areas in China from 1999 to 2008 and meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this analysis. According to relative light units/cutoff (RLU/CO) value, subjects were stratified as low (286 cases), intermediate (311 cases) and high (311 cases) viral load groups. Risks of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) among different viral load groups were compared with linear trend Chi-square test. Results: Detection rate of CIN3+ in low, intermediate and high viral load groups were 2.1% (6 cases), 2.6% (8 cases) and 6.8% (21 cases) (Chi-square test for trend χ(2)=8.91, P=0.003) and were 60.3, 74.0 and 201.3 times higher than ASC-US and HPV negative women, respectively. Among 908 subjects, 27.0% (245 cases) were abnormal under colposcopy and 68.6% (623 cases) diagnosed as normal. Under normal colposcopy, detection rate of CIN3+ in low, intermediate and high viral load groups were 0.9% (2 cases), 0.9% (2 cases) and 3.8% (7 cases) (χ(2)=6.42, P=0.040). Conclusion: HPV viral loads display satisfactory risk stratification ability among ASC-US and HPV positive women under normal colposcopy. Women with high HPV viral loads show a significantly increased detection rate of existing CIN3+ and could be recommended to perform random biopsy for histologic diagnosis.

Optimization of Growth Temperature of β-Ga₂O₃ Thin Films for Solar-Blind Photodetectors

Monoclinic gallium oxide thin films were deposited on c-plane sapphire substrates at various substrate temperatures ranging from 450 °C to 700 °C by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technology. X-ray diffraction results showed that the deposited β-Ga2O3 films were oriented at ( 2 ¯ 01) direction. As the substrate temperature increased, the intensity of β-Ga2O3 peaks increased and bandgap decreased accordingly. Metal/semiconductor/metal structured solar-blind photodetectors based on β-Ga2O3 thin films growing at various substrate temperatures had been fabricated. The growth temperatures of thin films had no obvious influence on dark current and response to 365 nm light illuminations. The photoelectric properties such as responsivity and response speed of the thin films to 254 nm light illuminations were growth temperature dependent. At an applied bias of 50 V, the photodetectors prepared with 450 °C grown film had the highest responsivity of 2.18 A/W, and the photodetectors prepared with 700 °C grown film had the shortest rising time of 0.95 s under 254 nm light illuminations.

[Application of imatinib in BCR- ABL positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment in the real world]

目的

探讨真实世界中伊马替尼(IM)联合化疗治疗BCR-ABL阳性急性淋巴细胞白血病(ALL)的疗效及相关预后因素。

方法

2003年4月至2015年8月收治的209例治疗中包含IM的BCR-ABL阳性ALL患者纳入研究，106例患者接受造血干细胞移植(HSCT)。对患者的疗效和预后影响因素进行分析。

结果

初诊患者诱导完全缓解(CR)率为97.9%。初诊时WBC≥100×10⁹/L是总生存(OS)的不良预后因素(P=0.043)。未接受HSCT、诱导治疗4周内未达CR和治疗过程中未达到分子生物学完全缓解(CMR)是OS(P值分别为<0.001、0.009和<0.001)和无复发生存(RFS)(P值均<0.001)的不良预后因素。接受异基因HSCT和自体HSCT的患者，其OS和RFS的差异均无统计学意义(P值均>0.05)。首次诱导治疗时联用IM的患者较未联用者显示出更高的5年RFS率(37.0％对24.0%，P= 0.005)。在治疗过程中持续规律服用酪氨酸激酶抑制剂(TKI，40例患者由于复发、转录本水平下降不理想或出现突变换用其他TKI)的患者生存情况最佳，其次为骨髓抑制期间断停用TKI的患者，不规律服用TKI的患者生存情况最差，三组5年OS率分别为46.0%、28.0%、17.0%(P=0.004)，5年RFS率分别为38.0%、28.0%、17.0%(P<0.001)。

结论

TKI联合化疗获得CMR，序贯以HSCT可改善BCR-ABL阳性ALL患者预后，持续规律地联用TKI有助于BCR-ABL阳性ALL患者疗效的提高。

[Spectrum of somatic mutations and their prognostic significance in adult patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the spectrum of gene mutations in adult patients with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), and to analyze the influences of different gene mutations on prognosis. Methods: DNA samples from 113 adult B-ALL patients who administered from June 2009 to September 2015 were collected. Target-specific next generation sequencing (NGS) approach was used to analyze the mutations of 112 genes (focused on the specific mutational hotspots) and all putative mutations were compared against multiple databases to calculate the frequency spectrum. The impact of gene mutation on the patients' overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) was analyzed by the putative mutations through Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression methods. Results: Of the 113 patients, 103 (92.0%) harbored at least one mutation and 29 (25.6%) harbored more than 3 genes mutation. The five most frequently mutated genes in B-ALL are SF1, FAT1, MPL, PTPN11 and NRAS. Gene mutations are different between Ph+ B-ALL and Ph- B-ALL patients. Ph- B-ALL patients with JAK-STAT signal pathway related gene mutation, such as JAK1/JAK2 mutation showed a poor prognosis compared to the patients without mutation (OS: P=0.011, 0.001; RFS: P=0.014,<0.001). Patients with PTPN11 mutation showed better survival than those without mutation, but the difference was not statistically significant (P value > 0.05). Besides, in Ph+ B-ALL patients whose epigenetic modifications related signaling pathway genes were affected, they had a worse prognosis (OS: P=0.038; RFS: P=0.047). Conclusion: Gene mutations are common in adult ALL patients, a variety of signaling pathways are involved. The frequency and spectrum are varied in different types of B-ALL. JAK family gene mutation usually indicates poor prognosis. The co-occurrence of somatic mutations in adult B-ALL patients indicate the genetic complex and instability of adult B-ALL patients.

Electrical and Optical Properties of In₂O₃ Thin Films Deposited on Sapphire Substrate

In2O3 thin films were prepared on c-plane sapphire substrates using laser molecular beam epitaxy technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the In2O3 thin films were highly oriented along the (111) direction. The intensity of (222) diffraction peaks mainly depend on growth temperature, and the crystallite sizes mainly depend on oxygen pressure. The carrier concentrations exhibit a decrease with increasing growth temperature and oxygen pressure, meantime, the resistivity increase. The red shift of In2O3 thin films respect to that of bulk In2O3 can be explained by defect energy levels formation, the blue shift of In2O3 thin films depends on carrier concentration, can be explained by Burstein-Moss band-filling effect.

[Characteristics and prognosis in adult acute myeloid leukemia patients with MLL gene rearrangements]

Objective: To analyze the clinical and laboratory characteristics, and prognosis of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with MLL gene rearrangements. Methods: The medical records of 92 adult AML patients with MLL gene rearrangements from January 2010 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: 92 cases (6.5%) with MLL gene rearrangements were identified in 1 417 adult AML (Non-M(3)) patients, the median age of the patients was 35.5 years (15 to 64 years old) with an equal sex ratio, the median WBC were 21.00(0.42-404.76)×10(9)/L, and 78 patients (84.8%) were acute monoblastic leukemia according to FAB classification. Eleven common partner genes were detected in 32 patients, 9 cases (28.1%) were MLL/AF9(+), 5 cases (15.6%) were MLL/AF6(+), 5 cases (15.6%) were MLL/ELL(+), 2 cases (6.3%) were MLL/AF10(+), 1 case (3.1%) was MLL/SETP6(+), and the remaining 10 patients' partner genes weren't identified. Of 92 patients, 83 cases with a median follow-up of 10.3 (0.3-74.0) months were included for the prognosis analysis, the complete remission (CR) rate was 85.5% (71/83), the median overall survival (OS) and relapse free survival (RFS) were 15.4 and 13.1 months, respectively. Two-year OS and RFS were 36.6% and 29.5%, respectively. Of 31 patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), two-year OS and RFS for patients received and non-received allo-HSCT were 57.9% and 21.4%, 52.7% and 14.9%, respectively (P<0.001). Among patients with partner genes tested, 9 of 32 cases (28.1%) were MLL/AF9(+), the median follow-up was 6.0(4.1-20.7) months. 3 patients with MLL/AF9 underwent allo-HSCT. 23 cases (71.9%) were non- MLL/AF9(+), the median follow-up was 7.8 (0.3-26.6) months. 14 patients (60.1%) with non-MLL/AF9 underwent allo-HSCT. One-year OS for patients with MLL/AF9 and non-MLL/AF9 were 38.1% and 55.5%, respectively (P=0.688). Multivariate analysis revealed that high WBC (RR=1.825, 95% CI 1.022-3.259, P=0.042), one cycle to achieve CR (RR=0.130, 95% CI 0.063-0.267, P<0.001), post-remission treatment with allo-HSCT (RR=0.169, 95% CI 0.079-0.362, P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors affecting OS. Conclusions: AML with MLL gene rearrangements was closely associated with monocytic differentiation, and MLL/AF9 was the most frequent partner gene. Conventional chemotherapy produced a high response rate, but likely to relapse, allo-HSCT may have the potential to further improve the prognosis of this group of patients.

[Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided or neurostimulator-guided bilateral axillary brachial plexus block]

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of bilateral axillary brachial plexus block under the guidance of ultrasound or neurostimulator. Methods: From February 2012 to April 2014, 120 patients undergoing bilateral hand/forearm surgery in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were enrolled and anaesthetized with bilateral axillary brachial plexus block. All patients were divided into two groups randomly using random number table: the ultrasound-guided group (group U, n=60) and the neurostimulator-guidedgroup (group N, n=60). The block was performed with 0.5% ropivacaine. Patients' age, sex and operation duration were recorded. Moreover, success rate, performance time, onset of sensor and motor block, performance pain, patient satisfaction degree and the incidence of related complications were also documented. Venous samples were collected at selected time points and the total and the plasma concentrations of ropivacaine were analyzed with HPLC. Results: The performance time, the onset of sensor block and the onset of motor block of group U were (8.2±1.5), (14.2± 2.2)and (24.0±3.5)min respectively, which were markedly shorter than those in group N( (14.6±3.9), (19.9±3.8), (28.8±4.2)min, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant(t=11.74, 10.09, 6.73, respectively, all P<0.01). The performance pain score of group N was (25.5± 13.2), which was obviously more serious than group U (31.7± 11.2) and a significant statistical difference was detected (t=2.856, P<0.05). The patient satisfaction degree of group U was 95.0%, which was significantly higher than group N (83.3%) and a markedly statistical difference was detected (χ(2)=4.227, P<0.05). Fifty min after performance, the total plasma concentration of ropivacaine of group U was(1.76±0.48)mg/L, which was significantly lower than group N (1.88±0.53)mg/L and a significant statistical difference was detected (t=2.43, P<0.05), while no significant differences were detected at the other time points between two groups (P>0.05). No analgesic was superadded and no other anesthesia methods were applied. No complications were detected perioperatively. Conclusions: The bilateral axillary brachial plexus block under the guidance of ultrasound or neurostimulator are both effective and safe for bilateral hand/forearm surgery. However, the ultrasound-guided block may be more clinically beneficial because of its shorter performance time, rapid onset and higher patient satisfaction degree.

Metastable Zr-Nb alloys for spinal fixation rods with tunable Young's modulus and low magnetic resonance susceptibility

Good ductility, low magnetic susceptibility, and tunable Young's modulus are highly desirable properties for materials usage as spinal fixation rods. In this study, the effects of niobium content on the microstructure, magnetic susceptibility, and mechanical properties of Zr-xNb (13≤x≤23wt%) alloys were investigated. For the Zr-15Nb and Zr-17Nb alloys, a remarkable increase in Young's modulus was achieved due to the occurrence of deformation-induced ω phase transformation. This was the result of the competition of two factors associated with the Nb content: an increase of the stability of β phase and a decrease of the amount of athermal ω phase with increasing Nb content. When the Nb content was 15% or 17%, the amount of deformation-induced ω phase was maximum. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibility decreased with the deformation-induced β→ω phase transformation, and the Zr-17Nb alloy with apparent kink bands exhibited a smaller amount of springback than the Zr-15Nb alloy with {332} 〈113〉 mechanical twins. Furthermore, the ions released from the Zr-xNb alloys in accelerated immersion tests were at a very low level. The combination of low initial Young's modulus, and its remarkable variation induced by deformation, low magnetic susceptibility, good ductility, and smaller springback make the Zr-17Nb alloy a potential candidate for spinal fixation rods.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

For the rods of spinal fixation devices, it is important but difficult to lower the springback for bending formativeness while keeping the low initial Young's modulus for biocompatibility and lower the magnetic susceptibility for postoperative examination simultaneously. In this study, Zr-17Nb alloy was successfully developed via deformation-induced ω phase transformation during loading, simultaneously meeting the abovementioned properties for spinal fixation rods.

[Analysis of gene mutation and clinical characteristics in patients with idiopathic epilepsy]

Objective: To explore the association between gene mutations and clinical characteristics in Chinese patients with epilepsy. Methods: A total of twenty-three patients with idiopathic epilepsy admitted to the Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2014 to July 2016 were included.The age at onset of epilepsy ranged from 8 months to 31 years.All patients were screened for mutations by next-generation of sequencing (NGS), using a targeted capture panel of epilepsy and related seizures to screen forgene causative for or related to epilepsy.Some mutations were verified for inheritance by Sanger sequencing of two generations in the family.The differences in clinical characteristics among different mutation carriers were compared. Results: A total of 38 mutations were identified in 23 patients.Most of the patients presented with tonic-clonic seizures, and most were not accompanied by mental retardation.Causative genes were dominated by those encoding ion channel, enzyme and proteins with special functions.Although mutation carriers for genes encoding ion channel proteins and those with special functions were not significantly different in age at onset, types of seizure, family history or complications(P>0.05), patients presenting with tonic-clonic seizures had higher frequency of mutations in genes encoding ion channel (15/15)than those encoding proteins with special function(16/20)(P=0.066). Conclusions: NGS is a useful technology in detecting mutations in patients with various types of epilepsy and aiding in etiological diagnosis of the disease.Tonic-clonic seizures may correlate with mutations in genes encoding ion channel.

[HIV infection and associated factors in men who have sex with men and also with women in Urumqi from 2010 to 2014]

Objective: To understand the demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors and the factors associated with HIV infection in men who have sex with men and also with women (MSMW) in Urumqi. Methods: According to the "National AIDS Sentinel Surveillance Protocol" , the data of MSM's demographic characteristics, sex behavior histories and serological detection results were collected through Urumqi AIDS sentinel surveillance system during 2010-2014. In MSM, those also had heterosexual behaviors were considered as MSMW. Results: Of 2 073 MSM surveyed, 216 (10.4%) were MSMW, and 115 MSMW (53.2%) were aged 30>years. Compared with MSM, MSMW were more prone to have commercial homosexual behaviors (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.35-3.21), and the condom use rate at the latest homosex was low among them (OR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.40-0.85). The HIV infection rates in MSMW and MSM were 7.4% and 9.0%, respectively, the difference had no significance (χ²=0.604, P>0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that among the MSMW the condom use at the latest homosex (OR=0.24,95% CI: 0.09-0.71), and the number of anal sex in the past week (OR=6.63, 95% CI: 1.47-29.90) were the factors associated with HIV infection, and in MSM, the factors associated with HIV infection were non-Han nationality (OR=6.40, 95% CI:1.62-25.36), local residence time (OR=7.47, 95% CI: 1.98-28.20), using no condoms or using condoms occasionally at commercial sex (OR=6.14,95% CI:1.93-19.52). Conclusion: The HIV infection status and associated factors varied between MSMW and MSM in Urumqi. Therefore, it is necessary to take targeted AIDS prevention measures among them.

[Changes in genotype prevalence of human papillomavirus over 10-year follow-up of a cervical cancer screening cohort]

Objective: To evaluate the dynamic variation of genotypes distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) over 10-year follow-up in a cervical cancer screening cohort. Methods: Based on the Shanxi Province Cervical Cancer Screening Study Ⅰ cohort, we detected HPV genotypes on the well-preserved exfoliated cervical cells from women who were tested HPV positive from year 2005 to year 2014 using reverse linear probe hybridization assay. The changes of prevalence of type-specific HPV over time among the overall population were estimated using linear mixed models. The association between the type-specific HPV and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2 +) was calculated by linear Chi-square test. Finally, the trends of multiple infections of HPV with the increase of the age were analyzed. Results: During the cervical cancer screening of the overall population from 2005 to 2014, the most common genotypes among the population were HPV16 and 52. The prevalence of HPV16 decreased over time from 4.6% in 2005 to 2.2% in 2010 and 2014 (F=8.125, P<0.001). The prevalence of HPV52 remained pretty stable and HPV33, 51 and 58 slightly decreased then apparently increased. Further stratification analysis by pathological lesions showed the same trend of the HPV prevalence for the histology normal women with the overall population. Of note, for those women with the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2 +), the detection rate of HPV16 decreased from 65.22% in 2005 to 41.03% in 2010 and finally to 31.58% in 2014 (χ(2)=4.420, P=0.036) and that of HPV33 substantially increased. No significant variation was found for other types of HPV. Multiple infection rate varied with the growing age of the women. Conclusions: The genotypes prevalence of HPV tended to vary over time during cervical cancer screening in the context of regular screening combining with immediate treatment for those CIN2 + women. HPV16 prevalence significantly decreased over time, which indicated that the variation of type-specific HPV prevalence should be considered when regular cervical cancer screening was organized using HPV technique.

[Clinical features and prognosis in CD10(-) pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

目的

分析CD10阴性的前B急性淋巴细胞白血病（CD10⁻pre B-ALL）患者的临床特征和预后。

方法

对6例成人CD10⁻ pre B-ALL患者的临床和实验室资料进行回顾性分析，结合文献复习明确该类型患者的临床特征及预后。

结果

CD10⁻pre B-ALL占ALL的1.5%（6/409），占B-ALL的1.8%（6/343），占pre B-ALL的11.5%（6/52）。6例患者均为男性，中位年龄为33.5岁，起病时中位WBC为101.78×10⁹/L，所有患者均伴有MLL-AF4融合基因表达。5例患者经1个疗程诱导化疗即获得完全缓解（CR），1例患者经3个疗程化疗后才获得CR。2例患者在CR₁期行异基因造血干细胞移植（allo-HSCT），1例患者CR后短期内即复发，在CR₂期行allo-HSCT。1例患者正在等待移植。2例未移植患者1例复发死亡，1例尚处于缓解状态。

结论

CD10⁻pre B-ALL是一类具有独特临床特征的成人ALL亚型，发生率较低，常见于男性，起病时白细胞水平较高，MLL-AF4融合基因表达率高，常规化疗具有较高的缓解率，但易复发，allo-HSCT有可能改善其预后。

Role of COL9A1 genetic polymorphisms in development of congenital talipes equinovarus in a Chinese population

Talipes equinovarus is a common congenital deformity. COL9A1 polymorphisms are associated with the development of articular cartilage-related diseases. In the current study, we evaluated the relationship between COL9A1 rs1135056, rs35470562, and rs592121 genetic polymorphisms and risk of congenital talipes equinovarus. Between January 2013 and July 2015, 87 children with congenital talipes equinovarus and 174 control subjects were recruited from the Fourth People's Hospital of Shaanxi and the First Hospital of Yulin. Genotyping of COL9A1 rs1135056, rs35470562, and rs592121 was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Using conditional regression analysis, the AA genotype of COL9A1 rs35470562 was found to be significantly associated with increased risk of congenital talipes equinovarus compared to the GG genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 2.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-6.32]. In addition, under a recessive model, rs35470562 AA carriers were observed to be at higher risk for this condition in comparison to individuals with GG or GA genotypes (OR = 2.23, 95%CI = 1.03-5.04). However, no significant relationship was established between the COL9A1 rs1135056 and rs592121 polymorphisms and congenital talipes equinovarus in any of the genetic models tested. In conclusion, our results indicate that the COL9A1 rs35470562 variant may contribute to congenital talipes equinovarus susceptibility in the Chinese population examined.

[Clinicopathological analysis of lymph node metastasis in colorectal adenocarcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the correlation of lymph node metastasis with clinicopathological parameters and outcomes of colorectal adenocarcinoma, and to explore its clinicopathological significance.

METHODS

The lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological features of 133 colorectal adenocarcinoma patients whose specimens were interpreted in Department of Pathology of Beijing Tongren Hospital between February 2011 and August 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between the lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological features as well as outcomes was also analyzed according to the follow-up data of these patients.

RESULTS

Among the 133 cases, 69 had lymph node metastasis, and the other 64 had no lymph node metastasis. Compared with the non-lymph node metastasis group, the lymph node metastasis group had higher prevalence of neural invasion (20.29% vs 3.13%) and vascular invasion (36.23% vs 3.13%), deeper tumor invasion (beyond the serosa: 1.45% vs 0), lower tumor differentiation (poorly differentiated: 26.09% vs 14.06%), higher mortality (11.59% vs 1.56%) and distant metastasis (17.39% vs 4.69%) (all P<0.05). In the lymph node metastasis group, intra-group comparison among patients of different lymph node N staging (N0, N1a, N1b, N2a, N2b) also showed statistically significant differences in neural invasion, vascular invasion, circumferential resection margin, maximum diameter of the tumor, depth of tumor invasion, tumor differentiation, survival, and distant metastasis (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the patients with lymph node metastases <12 and those with lymph node metastases ≥12 in these clinicopathological parameters(all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Presence/absence of lymph node metastasis and lymph node stage may be correlated with neural invasion, vascular invasion, depth of tumor invasion, tumor differentiation, survival, and distant metastasis. However, no marked relationship was detected of the number of lymph node metastases (<12 or ≥12) with clinicopathological parameters and outcomes.

Flow cytometer analysis of cell apoptosis of endometrial carcinoma with Wnt10b

The aim of this study is to analyze the cell apoptosis of endometrial carcinoma (EC) with Wnt10b by Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) technology. AN3CA cell lines and Ishikawa-H-12 cell lines were taken as the in-vitro cell models to observe the influence of Wnt10b on key factors of Wnt signal pathway. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) was applied for the detection of cell proliferation while FACS was used for the detection of cell apoptosis. Data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS14.0. After the overexpression of Wntl0b in AN3CA cells, the apoptosis rate dropped significantly compared with the two control groups (p < 0.05); while the apoptosis rate increased significantly compared with the control groups (p < 0.01) after Wntl0b knock-off in Ishikawa3-H-12 cells. In normal endometrium, Wnt10b gene expression was negative, while that in EC cells was positive. It can be concluded that Wnt10b gene can promote EC cell proliferation and inhibit its apoptosis.

[Homoharringtonine in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia treatment: a prospective, randomized controlled trial]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy and toxicities of combining homoharringtonine (HHT)±daunorubicin (DNR) with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) based therapy and DNR plus ATRA based therapy in newly diagnosed low/intermediate risk acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

METHODS

A total of 96 newly diagnosed patients with APL were randomized to HHT group, DNR group and HHT+ DNR group prospectively. The complete remission (CR) rate, the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) of three groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 31 patients in HHT group, 33 patients in DNR group and 32 patients in HHT+ DNR group. The baseline characteristics of three groups were similar. No patient died during induction therapy. The morphologic CR rate was 100.0%. The median time to peak WBC counts in HHT+DNR group (4 days, range: 1-23 days) was significantly shorter than that in HHT group (9 days, range: 1-27 days) (P=0.008) and DNR group (7 days, range: 1-27 days) (P=0.240). There was no difference among three groups about the incidence of differentiation syndrome, the median interval to achieve CR, peak WBC counts and transfusions (P >0.05). All patients achieved complete molecular remission (CMR) during consolidation therapy. The interval to achieve CMR was no significantly difference among three groups (P >0.05). The 3-year OS rates for HHT group, DNR group and HHT+DNR group were 95.0%, 100.0% and 91.0%, respectively (P=0.595). The 3-year EFS rates for three groups were 93.0%, 90.0% and 85.0% (P=0.382). No difference was found in the incidence of adverse events among three groups (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Similar to DNR plus ATRA based therapy, HHT plus ATRA based induction and consolidation therapy should be one of highly-efficient treatment options for newly diagnosed APL. Clinical trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-TRC-12002628.

Quantum phase transition in a coupled two-level system embedded in anisotropic three-dimensional photonic crystals

The quantum phase transition (QPT) describes a sudden qualitative change of the macroscopic properties mapped from the eigenspectrum of a quantum many-body system. It has been studied intensively in quantum systems with the spin-boson model, but it has barely been explored for systems in coupled spin-boson models. In this paper, we study the QPT with coupled spin-boson models consisting of coupled two-level atoms embedded in three-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystals. The dynamics of the system is derived exactly by means of the Laplace transform method, which has been proven to be equivalent to the dissipationless non-Markovian dynamics. Drawing on methods for analyzing the ground state, we obtain the phase diagrams through two exact critical equations and two QPTs are found: one QPT is that from the phase without one bound state to the phase with one bound state and another is that from one phase with the bound state having one eigenvalue to another phase where the bound state has two eigenvalues. Our analytical results also suggest a way of control to overcome the effect of decoherence by engineering the spectrum of the reservoirs to approach the non-Markovian regime and to form the bound state of the whole system for quantum devices and quantum statistics.

Effects of sex and age on chicken TBC1D1 gene mRNA expression

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of sex and slaughter age of chickens on fatty acid composition and TBC1D1 gene expression in 4 different tissues: breast muscle, thigh muscle, abdominal fat, and subcutaneous fat. Sixty Erlang mountainous chickens (hybrid SD02 x SD03) were raised under the same conditions and slaughtered at 8, 10, and 13 weeks of age. The results showed that the sex of the animal significantly affected the content of arachidic acid (C20:0), sinapic (C22:1), linoleic (C18:2n-6), eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acids (C22:6n-3), whereas other fatty acid contents were not affected. Age had a significant effect on most monounsaturated fatty acids, except for octadecenoic acid (C18:1). TBC1D1 mRNA was abundant in all tissues at all 3 ages of slaughter. Cocks exhibited higher TBC1D1 mRNA levels than hens in the thigh muscle and abdominal fat at 10 and 13 weeks, respectively.

FOXO1 is a tumor suppressor in cervical cancer

Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is an important transcriptional regulator of cell proliferation, and is considered essential for tumor growth and progression. However, the function of FOXO1 in human cervical cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of FOXO1 in cervical cancer. Our results showed that FOXO1 expression was lower in cervical cancer than in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and normal cervix by immunohistochemical analysis (P < 0.05). The level of FOXO1 in high-grade lesions was significantly lower than in low-grade lesion (P < 0.05), indicating that deficient expression of FOXO1 is involved in tumor progression and significantly associated with late-stage tumors (P < 0.05), which was further supported by clinicopathological, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting analysis. Moreover, we confirmed that the overexpression of FOXO1 remarkably repressed cell growth and blocked cell proliferation, accompanied by cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and upregulation of caspases-3 and -9 gene expression. Collectively, our data suggest that FOXO1 plays a vital role in inhibiting cervical cancer development by inducing cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. FOXO1 expression is a favorable prognostic factor for human cervical cancer.

Expression of β-defensins in intestines of chickens injected with vitamin D3 and lipopolysaccharide

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D3 (VD3) on the regulation of chicken intestinal β-defensin genes under normal and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) conditions. Four treatment groups were used, including a negative control group, VD3-injection group, LPS-injection group, and both VD3-injection and LPS-injection group. At 4, 24, and 48 h post-injection, intestines were collected and RNA was isolated to measure the chicken β-defensin genes with putative vitamin D responsive elements using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Expressions of all 7 chicken β-defensin genes was detectable in the intestines. Significant increases in GAL-6, -7 and -9 were found following LPS injection treatment at 4, 24, and 48 h post-injection, respectively, whereas VD3 injection did not affect the expression of any investigated genes under normal conditions. However, the expression of GAL-4, -5, -6, and -10 were synergistically upregulated by VD3 in combination with LPS. These results suggest that VD3 enhances the immune immunity during LPS challenge by inducing the expression of chicken β-defensin genes when birds are exposed to immune stressors.

Detection of (135) Cs by accelerator mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

The ability to measure both (135) Cs and (137) Cs can provide an estimate of the age and source of Cs isotopes in an environmental sample. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) consistently reports lower abundance sensitivities than other techniques and, with the addition of an on-line reaction cell, simpler isobaric suppression. Therefore, an AMS methodology was developed to measure Cs isotopes using CsF2- as the initial anion.

METHODS

The ion beam is passed through the Isobar Separator for Anions (ISA) where it is captured by radiofrequency quadrupoles in a gas cell before injection into the tandem accelerator. In the ISA, the beam reacts with O2 gas, selectively removing the BaF2- and leaving the Cs analyte to be reaccelerated and sent through the remainder of the AMS system.

RESULTS

The BaF2- signal was attenuated by a factor of 10(5) in the ISA while 25% of the original CsF2- current was transmitted into the accelerator. (135) Cs was measured without any interference from (133) Cs to an abundance sensitivity of 1.3 × 10(-10) . The abundances of four stable Ba isotopes (masses 133, 134, 135 and 137) were measured and no isotope-dependent bias was detected using the ISA in vacuum.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate the feasibility of measuring long-lived Cs isotopes without Ba interference by AMS with on-line isobar separation and the ability to use shorter lived Cs isotopes for yield tracing.

Interaction of six candidate genes in essential hypertension

We explored the interaction of 6 candidate genetic mutations in essential hypertension (EH). The mutations AGT M235T, ACE I/D, eNOS Glu298Asp, ET-2 A985G, ANP T2238C, and NPRC A-55C were detected using a genechip microarray in 100 patients with EH and 97 controls from the Han population living in the Yunnan Province of China. Risks of EH were evaluated with respect to a combination of these genotypes. Interactions were analyzed using multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). P values were corrected using Bonferroni's adjustment. Results showed that CC genotype frequencies for NPRC A-55C (0.540) in EH were significantly higher than those in controls (0.237, Pc < 0.01; odds ratio (OR) = 3.777; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.050-6.960). The OR for NPRC A-55C CC combined with ET-2 A985G GG increased to 4.673 and to 5.529 when the MT genotype of AGT M235T, the EE genotype of eNOS Glu298Asp, the GG genotype of ET-2 A985G, and the CC genotype of NPRC A-55C were combined. MDR showed that ET-2/NPRC is the best model (OR = 4.002; 95%CI = 2.1597-7.4159). The CC genotype for NPRC A-55C and the G allele for ET-2 A985G were associated with susceptibility to EH. Although the contributions of the candidate genes differ, they may have cooperative effects on conferring risk for EH. Moreover, potential gene-gene interactions were found between ET-2 A985G and NPRC A-55C in EH.

Dynamics and quantumness of excitation energy transfer through a complex quantum network

Understanding the mechanisms of efficient and robust energy transfer in organic systems provides us with insights for the optimal design of artificial systems. In this paper, we explore the dynamics of excitation energy transfer (EET) through a complex quantum network by a toy model consisting of three sites coupled to environments. We study how the coherent evolution and the noise-induced decoherence work together to reach efficient EET and illustrate the role of the phase factor attached to the coupling constant in the EET. By comparing the differences between the Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, we discuss the effect of environment and the spatial structure of system on the dynamics and the efficiency of EET. A intuitive picture is given to show how the exciton is transferred through the system. Employing the simple model, we show the robustness of EET efficiency under the influence of the environment and elucidate the important role of quantum coherence in EET. We go further to study the quantum feature of the EET dynamics by quantumness and show the importance of quantum coherence from a different perspective. We calculate the energy current in the EET and its quantumness, and results for different system parameters are presented and discussed.