[Effect of telbivudine on infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers with non-/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccine during their second and third trimesters of pregnancy]

Objective: To explore the effect of telbivudine treatment in a prevention program on infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers with non-/hypo-responsiveness to hepatitis B vaccine. Methods: A retrospective cohort study with a total of 321 HBsAg-positive pregnant women and their infants enrolled, was conducted. The mothers were recruited from the Third People' s Hospital of Taiyuan, from July 2011 to January 2013. According to the situation of telbivudine intake in second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the participants were divided into two groups: with telbivudine-treated or as control. The neonates were followed up till the age of 12 months. Maternal, neonatal and infantile HBV-M together with HBV DNA in serum were measured using the electro-chemiluminescence immuno-assay (ECLIA) kits and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) assay, respectively. Results: The rate of non-/hypo-response was 17.99%. After adjusting the potential confounding factors, the telbivudine treatment on HBsAg-positive mothers in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy seemed as the protective factor for non-/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccine in infants (aRR=0.119, 95% CI: 0.014-0.974). Levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 in telbivudine-treated group were higher than those in the controls (aRR=8.684, 95%CI: 1.977-38.140; aRR=5.330, 95% CI: 1.278-22.236). When the serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 in neonatal peripheral blood were higher than 228.47 pg/ml and 174.05 pg/ml respectively, the infants were less likely to be non-/hypo-responsive to the hepatitis B vaccine (aRR=0.300, 95%CI: 0.105-0.857) (aRR= 0.104, 95% CI: 0.030-0.354). Conclusion: Telbivudine treatment provided for the HBsAg-positive mothers in second and third trimesters of pregnancy were less likely to develop non-/low-responsive to hepatitis B vaccine in infants since IFN-γ and IL-10 might have played a vital role in this process.

[Incidence and risk factors of recurrence after endovascular treatment of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms]

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of recurrence after endovascular treatment of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms (VBDAs). Methods: Retrospective analysis was used for the clinical information of 40 cases of vertebrobasilar dissecting aneurysms treated with endovascular methods in our department between January 2007 and December 2015.According to whether recurrence occurred, the patients were divided into recurrence group (10 patients) and non-recurrence group (30 patients). The data of the patients' age, sex, hypertension history, smoking history, aneurismal size, presenting symptoms, degree of embolization, GCS scores, aneurismal localization and treatment methods were analyzed to evaluate the risk factors for recurrence after endovascular treatment. Results: There were 40 patients performed long-term angiographic follow-up.The recurrence rate after endovascular treatment was 25.0% (10/40) in the present study, and they all occurred in reconstructive group.Among the patients who underwent stent-assisted coil embolization, recurrence in aneurismal body occurred in 6 patients, and recurrence in aneurismal neck 3 cases. In these cases, 7 recurrences occurred with complete embolization, and 2 recurrences occurred with partial embolization.Recurrence occurred in 1 case that underwent single stent placement.The incidence of recurrence in reconstructive group was higher than that in destructive group (33.3% vs 0.0) with significant difference. Conclusions: The recurrence rate was high in VBDAs treated with endovascular methods.The only independent risk factor for recurrence was reconstructive methods and that suggests the necessity of long-term angiographic follow-up.

[Expression and prognostic significance of microenvironment related prognostic factors in patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma]

Objective: To observe the expression of three microenvironment related prognostic factors, i. e. programmed death 1 (PD-1), forkhead box protein 3(FOXP3) and colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor(CSF-1R) protein in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (CHL) patients, and to explore the correlation between the protein expression and the prognosis of the patients. Methods: A total of 45 cases of CHL patients, who had been admitted to the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital and Chinese PLA General Hospital from February 2005 to August 2010 were analyzed, including clinical features, prognostic factors, and treatment regimens. CHL patients' specimens were collected and the expression of PD-1, FOXP3, and CSF-1R proteins analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Epstein-Barr virus encoded mRNA (EBER) was detected by in situ hybridization analysis. The relationship between the protein expression of PD-1, FOXP3 and CSF-1R and the patients' outcome was analyzed with clinical and follow-up data. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method, the Cox proportional hazard model was used to perform multivariate analysis. Results: In this cohort of 45 CHL patients, PD-1 positive was found in 7 cases (15.6%), FOXP3 high expression in 23 cases (51.1%), CSF-1R positive in 18 cases (40.0%). In the univariate analysis, the expression of FOXP3 and CSF-1R, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, Ann Arbor stage and EBER were related with the patients' 5-year overall survival (OS); IPI score, the expression of FOXP3 and EBER were related with the patients' 5-year progress-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis indicated that CSF-1R protein expression was the independent prognostic factor affecting the patients' 5-year OS(HR: 8.918, P=0.020), and FOXP3 protein expression was the independent prognostic factor affecting the patients' 5-year PFS (HR: 0.122, P<0.001). And EBV was an independent prognostic factor of PFS and OS in the CHL patients. Conclusion: Microenvironment related prognostic factors FOXP3, CSF-1R and EBV may be independent prognostic factors of CHL and this study may provide novel strategies for targeted therapy of CHL.

[Expression of NF-κB in a degenerative human intervertebral disc model]

Objective: To investigate the changes in the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway in human degenerative intervertebral discs. Methods: From October 2014 to March 2016, 55 nucleus pulposus of surgical patients with degenerative human intervertebral disc were collected for study in Department of Orthopedic Surgey, Hospital of Zaozhuang Mining Corporation, and Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai General Hospital Affiliated Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine.The collected nucleus pulposus tissues were divided into two groups: experimental group(30) and control group(25). Cell culture observed normal and degenerative nucleus pulposus cells morphological changes; immunofluorescence observed NF-κB p65 changes in the nucleus of nucleus pulposus cells.Real-time PCR was observed changes in aggregated proteoglycans and matrix metalloproteinase gene mRNA.Finally, the use of blockers of nucleus pulposus cells were treated 24 hours, Western blot analysis the changing of p65, ADAMTS-4, MMP-13, aggregate proteoglycans and collagen Ⅱ protein expression. Results: Compared with the experimental group, the nucleus pulposus cells in the control group had larger cell volume, abundant cytoplasm and faster growth rate.Cell immunofluorescence show Nondegenerative nucleus pulposus cells p65 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm, degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells p65 protein was mainly concentrated in the nucleus.RT-PCR showed degenerative group of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-13), aggrecanase(ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5) and IL-6 mRNA expression was significantly higher than Nondegenerative group; aggrecan and type Ⅱ collagen expression than those without degeneration group was significantly lower.Expression of nucleus pulposus degeneration in nuclear protein p65 with the degenerative level increased gradually increased.BAY11-7082 blocked the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway, which could significantly down-regulate the expression of ADAMTS-4 and MMP-13 protein and significantly up-regulate the expression of Agg and COLⅡ protein.With the increase of BAY11-7082 concentration, gradually strengthened. Conclusion: The activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in a degenerative intervertebral disc is gradually increased, regulating the over-expression of matrix-degrading enzymes.It plays an important role in the degradation of extra-cellular matrix.

Observation of Λ_{c}^{+}→nK_{S}^{0}π^{+}

We report the first direct measurement of decays of the Λ_{c}^{+} baryon involving the neutron. The analysis is performed using 567  pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected at sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. We observe the decay Λ_{c}^{+}→nK_{S}^{0}π^{+} and measure the absolute branching fraction to be B(Λ_{c}^{+}→nK_{S}^{0}π^{+})=[1.82±0.23(stat)±0.11(syst)]%. A comparison to B[Λ_{c}^{+}→p(K[over ¯]π)^{0}] provides an important test of isospin symmetry and final state interactions.

Precise Measurement of the e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ Cross Section at Center-of-Mass Energies from 3.77 to 4.60 GeV

The cross section for the process e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ is measured precisely at center-of-mass energies from 3.77 to 4.60 GeV using 9  fb^{-1} of data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Two resonant structures are observed in a fit to the cross section. The first resonance has a mass of (4222.0±3.1±1.4)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of (44.1±4.3±2.0)  MeV, while the second one has a mass of (4320.0±10.4±7.0)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of (101.4_{-19.7}^{+25.3}±10.2)  MeV, where the first errors are statistical and second ones are systematic. The first resonance agrees with the Y(4260) resonance reported by previous experiments. The precision of its resonant parameters is improved significantly. The second resonance is observed in e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ for the first time. The statistical significance of this resonance is estimated to be larger than 7.6σ. The mass and width of the second resonance agree with the Y(4360) resonance reported by the BABAR and Belle experiments within errors. Finally, the Y(4008) resonance previously observed by the Belle experiment is not confirmed in the description of the BESIII data.

Evidence of Two Resonant Structures in e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}h_{c}

The cross sections of e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}h_{c} at center-of-mass energies from 3.896 to 4.600 GeV are measured using data samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider. The cross sections are found to be of the same order of magnitude as those of e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ and e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}ψ(2S), but the line shape is inconsistent with the Y states observed in the latter two modes. Two structures are observed in the e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}h_{c} cross sections around 4.22 and 4.39  GeV/c^{2}, which we call Y(4220) and Y(4390), respectively. A fit with a coherent sum of two Breit-Wigner functions results in a mass of (4218.4_{-4.5}^{+5.5}±0.9)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of (66.0_{-8.3}^{+12.3}±0.4)  MeV for the Y(4220), and a mass of (4391.5_{-6.8}^{+6.3}±1.0)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of (139.5_{-20.6}^{+16.2}±0.6)  MeV for the Y(4390), where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second ones systematic. The statistical significance of Y(4220) and Y(4390) is 10σ over one structure assumption.

Amplitude Analysis of the Decays η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} and η^{'}→π^{0}π^{0}π^{0}

Based on a sample of 1.31×10^{9}  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector, an amplitude analysis of the isospin-violating decays η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} and η^{'}→π^{0}π^{0}π^{0} is performed. A significant P-wave contribution from η^{'}→ρ^{±}π^{∓} is observed for the first time in η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}. The branching fraction is determined to be B(η^{'}→ρ^{±}π^{∓})=(7.44±0.60±1.26±1.84)×10^{-4}, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic, and the third model dependent. In addition to the nonresonant S-wave component, there is a significant σ meson component. The branching fractions of the combined S-wave components are determined to be B(η^{'}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0})_{S}=(37.63±0.77±2.22±4.48)×10^{-4} and B(η^{'}→π^{0}π^{0}π^{0})=(35.22±0.82±2.54)×10^{-4}, respectively. The latter one is consistent with previous BESIII measurements.

Occurrence, Distribution, and Molecular Characterization of Citrus yellow vein clearing virus in China

In 2009, a new citrus viral disease caused by Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) was discovered in China. To more effectively monitor the presence of CYVCV, a survey was conducted in 166 citrus orchards from 11 major citrus-growing provinces in China from May 2014 to April 2016. In all, 458 of a total of 2,350 citrus samples tested positive for CYVCV, demonstrating that the virus is widely distributed in China. In this study, the complete genome sequences of 19 CYVCV isolates from different provinces and hosts were sequenced and characterized. Comparisons of the whole-genome sequences of these 19 CYVCV isolates as well as 4 isolates previously reported from around the world revealed that the sequence identity ranged from 97.1 to 99.8%, indicating that there is a very low level of sequence heterogeneity among CYVCV isolates of different geographic origins and hosts. Phylogenetic analysis of these 23 genomic sequences suggested that all of the isolates from China were clustered into the same clade, clearly apart from the CYVCV isolates from Turkey and Pakistan. To our knowledge, this is the first extensive survey conducted in China for CYVCV incidence.

Coupling effects of the electric field and bending on the electronic and magnetic properties of penta-graphene nanoribbons

The magnetic configuration transitions for P-GNRs vs. critical electric field strength on applying different bending strains.

Measurement of Singly Cabibbo Suppressed Decays Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K^{-}

Using 567  pb^{-1} of data collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV, near the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} threshold, we study the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K^{-}. By normalizing with respect to the Cabibbo-favored decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+}, we obtain ratios of branching fractions: [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(6.70±0.48±0.25)%, [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ)/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(1.81±0.33±0.13)%, and [B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-})/B(Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+})]=(9.36±2.22±0.71)×10^{-3}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The absolute branching fractions are also presented. Among these measurements, the decay Λ_{c}^{+}→pπ^{+}π^{-} is observed for the first time, and the precision of the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{+}K_{non-ϕ}^{-} and Λ_{c}^{+}→pϕ is significantly improved.

Genetic variability of Myzus persicae nicotianae densovirus based on partial NS and VP gene sequences

We previously described a novel densovirus [Myzus persicae nicotianae densovirus (MpnDV)] infecting M. persicae nicotianae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) with 34% prevalence. This single-stranded DNA virus has a 5480-nucleotide ambisense genome and belongs to the Densovirinae subfamily within the family Parvoviridae. In the present study, we estimated the genetic diversity of MpnDV using partial nonstructural protein (NS) and capsid protein (VP) gene sequences from 10 locations in China. First, we identified MpnDV-positive samples by amplifying a 445-bp fragment with primers MpDVF/MpDVR. Subsequently, we amplified and sequenced COI genes with primers MpCOIF/ MpCOIR, and partial NS and VP sequences with primers MpnDVF1/MpnDVR1. The respective 655-, 1461-, and 423-bp COI, NS, and VP fragments were used to analyze the genetic diversity of MpnDV using MEGA 6.0 and DnaSP 5.0. The high level of identity shared by all COI sequences (>99%) suggested that the aphids sampled were of the same species, and indicated population homogeneity across the 10 locations investigated. The nucleotide diversity of MpnDV sequences (0.0020 ± 0.0025) was significantly higher than that of the COI genes (0.0002 ± 0.0005). The pairwise fixation index for MpnDV was 0.832, and the total gene flow was 0.05. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the MpnDV haplotypes clustered according to geographical location, except for those from the Liaoning and Shanxi provinces. In conclusion, MpnDV demonstrated a low level of gene flow and high genetic diversity, suggesting that it is vertically transmitted, and implying that endosymbiotic viruses could be used as markers in studies of insect population genetics.

[A preliminary study for the effect of nano hydroxyapatite on human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells mixture 3D bio-printing]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of nano hydroxyapatite on human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells(hASCs) mixture 3D bio-printing for cells' proliferation and osteogenesis.

METHODS

P5 hASCs were used as seed cells, 10 g/L nano hydroxyapatite was added into the cell-sodium alginate-gelatin mixture (concentration: 20 g/L sodium alginate, 80 g/L gelatin; cell density: 1×106/mL), then the mixture was printed by 3D bio-printer as the experimental group. And the cell-sodium alginate-gelatin mixture without nano hydroxyapatite was printed as the control group. Respectively, both the experimental and control groups were detected by microscope, CCK-8, Western blot and PCR at certain time pointsafter being printed, whose cells' proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were analyzed.

RESULTS

The microscopic observation and CCK-8 results showed that the cells of the experimental group and the control group both had a good proliferation 24 h and 7 d after being printed. The Western blot results showed that 14 d after printing, the expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) had no statistical difference between the experimental group and control group. The PCR results showed that 14 d after printing, the expression of osteogenesis-related genes (RUNX2, osterix, and osteocalcin) was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Nano hydroxyapatite can increase osteogenic differentiation of the hASCs mixture after bio-printing, in which the cells still have a good proliferation.

[Comparison of three surgical methods of ureteropelvic junction obstruction in therapeutic effect and complication]

OBJECTIVE

To compare various data of open pyeloplasty, laparoscopic pyeloplasty and endopyelotomy as a treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), and to investigate and discuss the feasibility and effect of the three methods.

METHODS

In the study, 109 cases of UPJO treated by different surgical approaches in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2004 to December 2014 were retrospectively investigated. The patients were divided into three groups according to the treatment they received: open peyloplasty group (32 cases), laparoscopic peyloplasty group (31 cases) and endopyelotomy group (46 cases).We compared the data of the operative time, intraoperative blood loss, perioperative complications and post-operative hospital stay among the three groups. The mean follow-up time was(51.9±40.1) months (6-132 months).

RESULTS

None of the laparoscopic peyloplties was converted to open peyloplasty. All endpyelotomies were successfully completed. The operative time was as follows: laparoscopic peyloplasty group (195.97±55.22) min, open peyloplasty group (121.19±33.95) min and endopyelotomy group (74.04±33.95) min,and there were significant differences among the three groups respectively(P<0.001). There was no significant difference on the operative blood loss between open peyloplasty group and laparoscopic peyloplasty group (P=0.163). The operative blood loss of endopyelotomy group was 5(0,310)mL,which was lower than the other two groups, and this result had significant differences with the other two groups respectively(P<0.001). There were significant differences on the post-operative hospital stay (days) among open peyloplasty group, laparoscopic peyloplasty group and endopeylotomy group (P<0.05,respectively).The success rate was comparable between open peyloplasty group and laparoscopic peyloplasty group( 93.8% vs. 90.3%, P=0.672), while the endopeylotomy group had a lower success rate compared with both open surgery group and laparoscopic group(69.6% vs. 93.8%, P=0.01; 69.6% vs. 90.3%, P=0.048, respectively). The complication rates of open peyloplasty group, laparoscopic peyloplasty group and endopeylotomy group were comparable(15.6%, 16.1% and 13.0%, respectively, P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The laparoscopic peyloplasty group had a longer operative time than open peyloplasty group, while its post-operative stay was shorter. There was no significant difference on the operative blood loss between open peyloplasty group and laparoscopic peyloplasty group. Although the success rate of endopyelotomy was lower than those of the other two groups, it had advantages over the aspect of operative time, operative blood loss and post operative stay.

Label-free detection of fibrillar collagen deposition associated with vascular elements in glioblastoma multiforme by using multiphoton microscopy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM-WHO grade IV) is the most common and the most aggressive form of brain tumors in adults with the median survival of 10-12 months. The diagnostic detection of extracellular matrix (ECM) component in the tumour microenvironment is of prognostic value. In this paper, the fibrillar collagen deposition associated with vascular elements in GBM were investigated in the fresh specimens and unstained histological slices by using multiphoton microscopy (MPM) based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG). Our study revealed the existence of fibrillar collagen deposition in the adventitia of remodelled large blood vessels and in glomeruloid vascular structures in GBM. The degree of fibrillar collagen deposition can be quantitatively evaluated by measuring the adventitial thickness of blood vessels or calculating the ratio of SHG pixel to the whole pixel of glomeruloid vascular structure in MPM images. These results indicated that MPM can not only be employed to perform a retrospective study in unstained histological slices but also has the potential to apply for in vivo brain imaging to understand correlations between malignancy of gliomas and fibrillar collagen deposition.

Effect of Selenium Supplementation on Recurrent Hyperthyroidism Caused by Graves' Disease: A Prospective Pilot Study

The effect of selenium supplementation on recurrent hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease is unclear. Our study aimed to assess the efficacy of selenium supplementation therapy on recurrent Graves' disease. Forty-one patients with recurrent Graves' disease were enrolled in this study. All patients received the routine treatment using methimazole (MMI), while patients allocated to the selenium group received additional selenium therapy for 6 months. The influence of selenium supplementation on the concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-TSH-receptor antibodies (TRAb), free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) were assessed. The remission rate was also compared between 2 groups. There was no obvious difference in the demographic data and the levels of serum FT4, FT3, TSH, and TRAb between the 2 groups at baseline. Both FT4 and FT3 decreased more at 2 months in the selenium group than the controls, while the TSH level increased more in patients receiving selenium supplementation (p<0.05). The TRAb level was significantly lower in patients receiving selenium supplementation (2.4 IU/l vs. 5.6 IU/l, p=0.04). The percentages of patients with normal TRAb level at 6 months was also significantly higher in the selenium group (19.0 vs. 0%, p=0.016). Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed patients receiving selenium supplementation had a significantly higher rate of remission than controls (Log-rank test p=0.008). In conclusion, selenium supplementation can enhance the effect of antithyroid drugs in patients with recurrent Graves' disease. Randomized trials with large number of participants are needed to validate the finding above.

Carbon-based molecular devices: Fano effects controlled by the molecule length and the gate voltage

Fano effect is an important quantum phenomenon in mesoscopic systems, which arises from an interference between the localized state and the extended state. Here we observe an obvious Fano effect near the Fermi level in an all-carbon molecular device consisting of an acene molecule sandwiched between two zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) electrodes. By increasing the length of the molecule, an extended state gradually evolves into a localized state. With the aid of the nearby extended state, a Fano effect is achieved. Using a gate voltage, we can easily tune the Fano effect induced by the single-transmission channel. When the spin degree of freedom is involved, the all-carbon device can show a half-metallic property with positive or negative 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level under the gate voltage; meanwhile the spin thermoelectric effect can also be enhanced.

[Retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection for chyluria via extra-adipose capsule]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effect of retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection via extra-adipose capsule in the management of chyluria and to discuss the management of its complications.

METHODS

From August 2013 to June 2008, five patients with chyluria were admitted. All the patients were female, aged from 26 to 73 years, and disease course from 1 to 10 years. All the five patients had complained of intermittently voiding milky urine with varying degrees of weight loss, and fatigue, of whom two presented with flank pain and one with anemia. Their urine chyle tests were confirmed to be positive. Preoperative cystoscopy found that chyluria was from the left side in 3 cases,and from the right side in 2 cases. Their proteinuria ranged from + to ++++. All the cases had been treated with the modified procedure by which lymphatic ligation was performed to hilar vessels and proximalureter via extra-adipose capsule without disconnection of perirenal fat tissues. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative intestinal function recovery, catheter time, drainage tube removal time and complications during operation were collected.

RESULTS

All the five cases were performed successfully. The operation time ranged from 75 to 170 minutes, mean (126.0±39.6) minutes, with the intraoperative blood loss 20 to 60 mL, mean (38.0±16.4) mL, and the postoperative intestinal function recovery time 1 to 3 days, mean (1.9±0.4) days. The catheter time was 1 to 4 days, mean (2.1±0.3) days and the drainage tube removal time ranged from 3 to 15 days, mean (9.3±1.8) days. Postoperatively lymphorrhagia was found in two cases. No renal vessels injury occurred during operation. Chyluria of all the patients disappeared on the operation day with negative chyluria test after surgery. Furthermore, urine test revealed that proteinuria was totally negative. No recurrence was detected in our patients in the 9 to 31 months' follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This modified procedure does not have to disconnect perirenal fat tissues and nephropexy during operation. It was characterized with shorter operation time, definitive effect and fewer complications.

[Esophageal adenocarcinoma: the clinicopathologic features, patterns of lymph node metastasis and its influencing factors]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, patterns of lymph node metastasis and the influencing factors in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

A total of 201 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma were selected for this study, including 89 cases of pure adenocarcinoma, 57 cases of adenoacanthoma cell carcinoma, 33 cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and 22 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma. A total of 2026 lymph nodes were dissected with an average of 10 lymph nodes. The rule of lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma was analyzed, and the risk factors for lymph node metastasis were identified.

RESULTS

Esophageal adenocarcinoma in the middle thoracic esophagus accounted for 50.7% of all patients, and 43.8% in the lower thoracic esophagus. Ninety out of 201 cases (44.8%) had lymph node metastasis. 322 lymph nodes were positive for metastatic adenocarcioma with a metastatic ratio of 15.9% (322/2026). Among the patients with upper-thoracic esophageal carcinoma, 9.1% (1/11) of the cases had lymph node metastasis in the superior mediastinum but no lymph node metastasis was found in the middle mediastinum, lower mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes. The middle-thoracic esophageal adenocarcinoma showed more extensive lymph node metastasis. Lower mediastinal and abdominal lymph node metastases were common in lower-thoracic esophageal cancer. Multivariate analysis showed that gender, length of lesion, depth of invasion and vascular invasion were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in esophageal adenocarcinoma (P=0.010, P=0.006, P=0.000, P=0.019, respectively). Male patients had more lymph node metastasis than female patients (49.1% vs 26.3%,P=0.011). The rates of lymph node metastasis in the tumor length ≤3 cm group, 3.1-5 cm group and >5 cm group were 20.4%, 42.9% and 65.7%, respectively. Lymphatic metastasis rates in the T1, T2, T3, T4 stage cancers were 7.1%, 36.8%, 38.1% and 69.4%, respectively, (P<0.001). Patients with vascular invasion had a higher rate of lymph node metastasis (73.9%) than the patients without vascular invasion (41.0%) (P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the esophageal adenocarcinoma are distributed in the middle thoracic esophagus, followed by that in the lower thoracic segment. The lymph node metastasis rate, lymph node metastasis ratio and pattern of lymph node metastasis are similar to those of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Male, tumor length, depth of invasion and vascular invasion are risk factors of lymph node metastasis for patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.

[Analysis of metabolic factors and relevance with the grade and stage in patients with renal cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between metabolic factors, such as obesity, blood pressure, blood glucose, serum lipid profile, and the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

METHODS

The medical records of 382 consecutive renal cell carcinoma patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy at Peking University People's Hospital from January 2009 to January 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Metabolic factors were collected from the records, including weight, body mass index, waist circumstance, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, serum total triglyceride, serum total cholesterol, serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The patients were divided into different groups according to tumor grade, stage and diameter. Statistics analysis, such as t test, Mann-Whitney U test and Logistic analysis, were performed to investigate the association between metabolic factors and grade, stage and tumor diameter of renal cell carcinoma.

RESULTS

A total of 80 (20.94%) of the tumors were classified as high grade disease, 63 (16.49%) were classified as advanced disease and 153 (40.05%) tumor diameter more than 4 cm. The patients in high grade group were found to have lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level than in low grade group (P=0.015), body mass index, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were found to be lower in advanced disease than in localized disease (P=0.022, P=0.005 and P=0.006, respectively), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was found to be lower in larger tumors (P=0.030). Other factors were comparable between the different groups. The results of Logistic analyses showed that, body mass index (OR=0.906, 95%CI: 0.852-0.986, P=0.023) and total cholesterol (OR=0.660, 95%CI: 0.492-0.884, P=0.005) were associated with the tumor stage, high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor grade (OR=0.293, 95%CI: 0.108-0.797, P=0.016) and stage (OR=0.204, 95%CI: 0.065-0.635, P=0.006), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor diameter (OR=0.756, 95%CI: 0.586-0.975, P=0.031).

CONCLUSION

The results of our study indicate that metabolic factors, especially obesity and serum lipid profile, are closely related with the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) germplasm collection based on single nucleotide polymorphism markers

Knowledge of genetic diversity is important to assist breeders in the selection of parental materials and in the design of breeding programs. In this study, we genotyped 348 inbred tomato lines, representing vintage and contemporary fresh-market varieties, by using 52 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); 45 of these were found to be polymorphic. The average minor allele frequency and unbiased expected heterozygosity were 0.315 and 0.356, respectively. Population structure analysis revealed that contemporary germplasm could be distinctly divided into six subpopulations representing three market classes and breeding programs (pink, green, and red). Vintage germplasm could be separated into at least two subpopulations, and more admixtures were found in vintage lines than in contemporary lines. These findings indicate that contemporary inbred lines are more diversified than vintage inbred lines. AMOVA of vintage and contemporary lines was performed. A significant difference was found (P < 0.01), which explained 17.4% of the total genetic variance. Subsequently, we constructed a core collection using 45 polymorphic SNP markers. The data showed that all alleles were captured by only 2% of lines, indicating that more alleles, as well as rare alleles, could enable more variation to be captured in the core collection. These data allow us to discard redundant inbred tomato lines and to select elite inbred lines, which will accelerate the breeding process.

Observation of an Anomalous Line Shape of the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} Mass Spectrum near the pp[over ¯] Mass Threshold in J/ψ→γη^{'}π^{+}π^{-}

Using 1.09×10^{9} J/ψ events collected by the BESIII experiment in 2012, we study the J/ψ→γη^{'}π^{+}π^{-} process and observe a significant abrupt change in the slope of the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} invariant mass distribution at the proton-antiproton (pp[over ¯]) mass threshold. We use two models to characterize the η^{'}π^{+}π^{-} line shape around 1.85  GeV/c^{2}: one that explicitly incorporates the opening of a decay threshold in the mass spectrum (Flatté formula), and another that is the coherent sum of two resonant amplitudes. Both fits show almost equally good agreement with data, and suggest the existence of either a broad state around 1.85  GeV/c^{2} with strong couplings to the pp[over ¯] final states or a narrow state just below the pp[over ¯] mass threshold. Although we cannot distinguish between the fits, either one supports the existence of a pp[over ¯] moleculelike state or bound state with greater than 7σ significance.

Variants in mitochondrial tRNA gene may not be associated with thyroid carcinoma

Thyroid cancer is a very common form of endocrine system malignancy. To date, the molecular mechanism underlying thyroid cancer remains poorly understood. Studies of oncocytic tumors have led to a hypothesis which proposes that defects in oxidative phosphorylation (OX- PHOS) may result in a compensatory increase in mitochondrial replication and gene expression. As a result, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation analysis has become a useful tool to explore the molecular basis of this disease. Among these mutations, mitochondrial transfer RNAs (mttRNAs) are the hot spots for pathogenic mutations associated with thyroid cancer. However, due to its high mutation rate, the role of mt-tRNA variants in thyroid cancer is still controversial. To address this problem, in this study, we reassessed seven reported mt-tRNA variants: tRNA^Asp G7521A, tRNA^Arg T10411C and T10463C, tRNA^Leu(CUN) A12308G, tRNA^Ile G4292C and C4312T, and tRNA^Ala T5655C, in clinical manifestations of thyroid cancer. We first performed the phylogenetic conservation analysis for these variants; moreover, we used a bioinformatic tool to compare the minimum free energy (G) of mt-tRNA with and without mutations. Most strikingly, none of these variants caused the significant change of the G between the wild-type and the mutant form, suggesting that they may not play an important roles in thyroid cancer. In addition, we screened the frequency of the “pathogenic” A12308G alternation in 300 patients with thyroid cancer and 200 healthy controls. We found that there were five patients and three control subjects carrying this variant. It seemed that the A12308G variant may be a common polymorphism in the human population. Taken together, our study indicated that variants in mt-tRNA genes may not play active roles in patients with thyroid cancer.

Medium density fibreboard production by hot pressing without adhesive using Triarrhena sacchariflora residue bio-pretreated by white-rot fungus Coriolus versicolor

AIMS

To produce fibreboard with Triarrhena sacchariflora residue (TSR) without adhesive and understand the relationship between bio-pretreatment and mechanical property of fibreboard.

METHODS AND RESULTS

White-rot fungus Coriolus versicolor was used to pretreat TSR, and biochemical and physical analysis were investigated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and environmental scanning electron microscopy method.

CONCLUSIONS

TSR was suitable to produce fibreboard without adhesive by bio-pretreatment with C. versicolor. The property of fibreboard became stronger by optimization of bio-pretreatment parameters, and the moduli of rupture and elasticity of fibreboard were increased to 18·12 MPa and 4·3 GPa, respectively, which were close to national standard of medium-density fibreboard with adhesive. Bio-pretreated TSR increased the mechanical properties of fibreboard because of 1·4-fold content of polysaccharide and 1·15 U g(-1) laccase, more hydroxyl group and more porous surface structure than that of untreated TSR.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

TSR-based fibreboard production without adhesive eliminated potential formaldehyde gas emission.

[Echocardiographic features of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm extending into left ventricle]

OBJECTIVE

To observe image features of sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) extending into left ventricle by echocardiography.

METHODS

Echocardiographic features of 5 cases of SVA extending into left ventricle and underwent surgery at Union Hospital from July 1995 to September 2015 were reviewed retrospectively and image and surgical findings were compared. A total of 4 patients were diagnosed by conventional and 3D echocardiography before surgery, and 1 patient was diagnosed by conventional echocardiography.

RESULTS

The origin, extending position, rupture status, complications of the SVA and associated cardiovascular lesions determined by echocardiography were entirely consistent with surgical findings in all cases, with the exception of one failed diagnosis of hypoplasty of an adjacent aortic cusp. Besides the common features of SVA, echocardiographic features of SVA extending into left ventricle included a thin-walled saccular lesion arising from the aortic root in continuation with the aortic annulus, with significant morphological changes and movement. Moreover, following features were observed: very low origin of the saccular lesion arising between the sinus base and the aortic annulus; the aneurysm going back and forth between the aortic root and the left ventricular outflow tract in 4 cases with an intact interventricular septum, and between the left ventricle and the right ventricle through the septal defect in another case complicated by a huge ventricular septal defect; diastolic shunt into the left ventricle when ruptured; displacement of the adjacent aortic annulus due to compression of aneurismal origin and prolapse of both aortic valve and annulus observed in all cases, resulting in a severe aortic regurgitation; obstructions of the left ventricular outflow tract due to the space-occupying effect were also found in 2 cases.

CONCLUSION

The SVA extending into left ventricle has distinguished echocardiographic characteristics, which could be accurately diagnosed either by conventional or real-time 3D echocardiography.

Observation of h_{c} Radiative Decay h_{c}→γη^{'} and Evidence for h_{c}→γη

A search for radiative decays of the P-wave spin singlet charmonium resonance h_{c} is performed based on 4.48×10^{8} ψ^{'} events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Events of the reaction channels h_{c}→γη^{'} and γη are observed with a statistical significance of 8.4σ and 4.0σ, respectively, for the first time. The branching fractions of h_{c}→γη^{'} and h_{c}→γη are measured to be B(h_{c}→γη^{'})=(1.52±0.27±0.29)×10^{-3} and B(h_{c}→γη)=(4.7±1.5±1.4)×10^{-4}, respectively, where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic uncertainties.

Temperature-controlled down-conversion luminescence behavior of Eu3+ -doped transparent MF2 (M = Ba, Ca, Sr) glass ceramics

Eu³⁺ -doped transparent glass ceramics containing MF₂ (M = Ba, Ca, Sr) nanocrystals were fabricated using a melt-quenching method, and the resulting structures were studied using X-ray diffraction. Levels ⁵ D₁ and ⁵ D₀ of Eu³⁺ ions were verified as thermally coupled levels using the fluorescence intensity ratio method. The fluorescence intensity ratios, optical temperature sensitivity and thermal quenching ratios of the transparent glass ceramics were studied as a function of temperature. With an increase in temperature, the relative sensitivity (S_R ) decreased sharply at first, then slowly increased, before finally decreasing. The minimum S_R values of GCBaF₂ (GCB), GCCaF₂ (GCC) and GCSrF₂ (GCS) were 2.8 × 10^-4 , 0.8 × 10^-4 and 1.9 × 10^-4  K^-1 at 360, 269 and 319 K, respectively. Glass ceramics with an intense emission intensity can be used to convert the measured spectrum into temperature and may have an important role in temperature detectors.

Efficacy of intra-arterial neoadjuvant chemotherapy through the superior epigastric artery in the treatment of locally advanced triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with aggressive behaviour and poor prognosis, but has limited treatment options. To explore novel and effective therapies against TNBC, we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy through the superior epigastric artery in the treatment of locally advanced TNBC. Fifty-one locally advanced TNBC patients who received this neoadjuvant therapy from Mar 2001 to Mar 2012 were included in this study. The superior epigastric artery was selected for cannulation to deliver chemotherapy drugs. The regimen for intra-arterial chemoinfusion consisted of 75 mg/m2 epirubicin and 75 mg/m2 docetaxel. Clinical and pathological tumor responses, disease free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity profiles were recorded and retrospectively analyzed. In 51 patients treated with neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemoinfusion through the superior epigastric artery, the overall response rate (ORR) was 84.3%; 16 patients achieved pathological complete response (pCR). Following surgical treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy, 5-year DFS and OS were 72.4% and 75.9%, respectively, in the study population. In addition, this neoadjuvant approach showed favorable toxicity profiles. Moreover, patients who achieved pCR showed a superior survival outcome compared with those who did not. Cox regression analysis indicated that Ki-67 expression is an independent predictor for DFS and OS. Our results suggest that intra-arterial chemotherapy through the superior epigastric artery has great therapeutic potential for the treatment of locally advanced TNBC. This approach merits further clinical evaluation and may become a novel therapeutic option for locally advanced TNBC.

Multicenter study of autoverification methods of hematology analysis

This study was designed to establish and validate a set of autoverification methods for hematology analysis. One thousand and twenty-four samples were selected from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital and 999 from Beijing Hospital, China. False positive, false negative and autoverification pass rates were verified and the rules were then adjusted and confirmed according to the verification results. After confirmation, at least 10,000 sample cases were selected from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Beijing Hospital and China Armed Police General Hospital and checked automatically. The differences in the autoverification pass rate and average report delivery time before and after the application of the autoverification methods were compared between the three hospitals. Preliminary validation results showed that the false negative rates of the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital and Beijing Hospital were less than 2%. The false positive rates of these two hospitals were high, close to 18%. After rule adjustment, the false negative rate was basically the same as before adjustment, but the false positive rate declined obviously while the pass rate of autoverification improved significantly. The autoverification pass rates of the three hospitals were 76.4%, 85.1% and 84.2%, respectively. The turnover time (TAT, time from receipt of sample to report of the result) of the three hospitals decreased by 4.1 min, 8.8 min and 10.2 min, respectively. Autoverification systems using a Mindray BC-6800 auto hematology analyzer and labXpert were confirmed as being effective in reducing TAT and enhancing working efficiency on the premise of ensuring low false negative rate.

Green Light-emitting Diodes Light Stimuli during Incubation Enhances Posthatch Growth without Disrupting Normal Eye Development of Broiler Embryos and Hatchlings

Monochromatic green light-emitting diodes (LED) light stimuli influences the posthatch growth performance of chicks. This study was undertaken with the following objectives: i) to examine whether the green LED light stimuli induces an overheating effect by determining weight loss rate of fertile eggs during incubation period; ii) to look for the development of eyes and other primary organs at different ages of embryos and newly hatched chicks. Arbor Acres fertile broiler eggs (n = 480) were randomly assigned to 3 incubation groups and exposed to continuous white light, green light, or a dark environment (control) from the first day to 19 d of incubation. The light sourced from LED lamps with the intensity of 30 lx at eggshell level. The results showed that either green or white light stimuli during incubation did not significantly affect the weight loss rate of fertile eggs, hatching time, hatchability, chick embryo, or body weight (BW), the weight percentage of heart, liver, and eyes, as well as obvious systematic abnormalities in eye weight, side-to-side, back-to-front, or corneal diameter from 15 d of embryogenesis to 6 d of posthatch (p>0.05). Compared with the dark condition, green light stimuli during incubation tended to increase feed intake (p = 0.080), improved the BW gain of chicks during 0 to 6 day posthatch (p<0.05), and increased the percentage of pectoral muscle to the BW on 3- and 6-day-old chicks. In addition, embryos or chicks in green light had lower weight percentage of yolk retention on 19 d of embryogenesis and 1 d of posthatch in comparison to those in dark or white group (p<0.05). These results suggest that providing 30 lx green LED light stimuli during incubation has no detrimental effect on the development of eyes, heart and liver of embryos and hatchlings, but does have potential benefits in terms of enhancement of the chick growth during the early posthatch stages. In addition, the fertile broiler eggs stimulated with 30 lx green LED light during incubation does not cause an overheating effect.

Observation of the Singly Cabibbo-Suppressed Decay D^{+}→ωπ^{+} and Evidence for D^{0}→ωπ^{0}

Based on 2.93  fb^{-1} e^{+}e^{-} collision data taken at center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV by the BESIII detector, we report searches for the singly Cabibbo-suppressed decays D^{+}→ωπ^{+} and D^{0}→ωπ^{0}. A double tag technique is used to measure the absolute branching fractions B(D^{+}→ωπ^{+})=(2.79±0.57±0.16)×10^{-4} and B(D^{0}→ωπ^{0})=(1.17±0.34±0.07)×10^{-4}, with statistical significances of 5.5σ and 4.1σ, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.

[Retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection for chyluria via extra-adipose capsule]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effect of retroperitoneoscopic renal pedicle lymphatic disconnection via extra-adipose capsule in the management of chyluria and to discuss the management of its complications.

METHODS

From August 2013 to June 2008, five patients with chyluria were admitted. All the patients were female, aged from 26 to 73 years, and disease course from 1 to 10 years. All the five patients had complained of intermittently voiding milky urine with varying degrees of weight loss, and fatigue, of whom two presented with flank pain and one with anemia. Their urine chyle tests were confirmed to be positive. Preoperative cystoscopy found that chyluria was from the left side in 3 cases,and from the right side in 2 cases. Their proteinuria ranged from + to ++++. All the cases had been treated with the modified procedure by which lymphatic ligation was performed to hilar vessels and proximalureter via extra-adipose capsule without disconnection of perirenal fat tissues. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative intestinal function recovery, catheter time, drainage tube removal time and complications during operation were collected.

RESULTS

All the five cases were performed successfully. The operation time ranged from 75 to 170 minutes, mean (126.0±39.6) minutes, with the intraoperative blood loss 20 to 60 mL, mean (38.0±16.4) mL, and the postoperative intestinal function recovery time 1 to 3 days, mean (1.9±0.4) days. The catheter time was 1 to 4 days, mean (2.1±0.3) days and the drainage tube removal time ranged from 3 to 15 days, mean (9.3±1.8) days. Postoperatively lymphorrhagia was found in two cases. No renal vessels injury occurred during operation. Chyluria of all the patients disappeared on the operation day with negative chyluria test after surgery. Furthermore, urine test revealed that proteinuria was totally negative. No recurrence was detected in our patients in the 9 to 31 months' follow-up.

CONCLUSION

This modified procedure does not have to disconnect perirenal fat tissues and nephropexy during operation. It was characterized with shorter operation time, definitive effect and fewer complications.

[Analysis of metabolic factors and relevance with the grade and stage in patients with renal cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between metabolic factors, such as obesity, blood pressure, blood glucose, serum lipid profile, and the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

METHODS

The medical records of 382 consecutive renal cell carcinoma patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy at Peking University People's Hospital from January 2009 to January 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Metabolic factors were collected from the records, including weight, body mass index, waist circumstance, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, serum total triglyceride, serum total cholesterol, serum low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The patients were divided into different groups according to tumor grade, stage and diameter. Statistics analysis, such as t test, Mann-Whitney U test and Logistic analysis, were performed to investigate the association between metabolic factors and grade, stage and tumor diameter of renal cell carcinoma.

RESULTS

A total of 80 (20.94%) of the tumors were classified as high grade disease, 63 (16.49%) were classified as advanced disease and 153 (40.05%) tumor diameter more than 4 cm. The patients in high grade group were found to have lower high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level than in low grade group (P=0.015), body mass index, total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were found to be lower in advanced disease than in localized disease (P=0.022, P=0.005 and P=0.006, respectively), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was found to be lower in larger tumors (P=0.030). Other factors were comparable between the different groups. The results of Logistic analyses showed that, body mass index (OR=0.906, 95%CI: 0.852-0.986, P=0.023) and total cholesterol (OR=0.660, 95%CI: 0.492-0.884, P=0.005) were associated with the tumor stage, high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor grade (OR=0.293, 95%CI: 0.108-0.797, P=0.016) and stage (OR=0.204, 95%CI: 0.065-0.635, P=0.006), and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level was significantly associated with tumor diameter (OR=0.756, 95%CI: 0.586-0.975, P=0.031).

CONCLUSION

The results of our study indicate that metabolic factors, especially obesity and serum lipid profile, are closely related with the histopathological characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

Antisense expression of Gossypium hirsutum UDP-glucuronate decarboxylase in Arabidopsis leads to changes in cell wall components

UDP-glucuronate decarboxylase (UDP-xylose synthase; UXS, EC 4.1.1.35) is an essential enzyme of the non-cellulosic polysaccharide biosynthetic pathway. In the present study, using transient expression of fluorescently labeled Gossypium hirsutum UXS (GhUXS3) protein in onion epidermal cells, we observed that this protein was distributed in the cytoplasm. The GhUXS3 cDNA of cotton was expressed in an antisense orientation in Arabidopsis thaliana by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Homozygous plants showing down-regulation of UXS were analyzed with northern blots. Compared to the untransformed control, transgenic plant showed shorter roots, earlier blossom formation, and delayed senescence. Biochemical analysis indicated that levels of rhamnose, mannose, galactose, glucose, xylose, and cellulose were reduced in some of the down-regulated antisense plants. These results suggest that GhUXS3 regulates the conversion of non-cellulosic polysaccharides and modulates their composition in plant cell walls. We also discuss a possible cellular function for GhUXS in determining the quality of cotton fibers.

Measurements of Absolute Hadronic Branching Fractions of the Λ_{c}^{+} Baryon

We report the first measurement of absolute hadronic branching fractions of Λ_{c}^{+} baryon at the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} production threshold, in the 30 years since the Λ_{c}^{+} discovery. In total, 12 Cabibbo-favored Λ_{c}^{+} hadronic decay modes are analyzed with a double-tag technique, based on a sample of 567  pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV recorded with the BESIII detector. A global least-squares fitter is utilized to improve the measured precision. Among the measurements for twelve Λ_{c}^{+} decay modes, the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→pK^{-}π^{+} is determined to be (5.84±0.27±0.23)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. In addition, the measurements of the branching fractions of the other 11 Cabibbo-favored hadronic decay modes are significantly improved.

Measurement of Azimuthal Asymmetries in Inclusive Charged Dipion Production in e^{+}e^{-} Annihilations at sqrt[s]=3.65 GeV

We present a measurement of the azimuthal asymmetries of two charged pions in the inclusive process e^{+}e^{-}→ππX, based on a data set of 62  pb^{-1} at the center-of-mass energy of 3.65 GeV collected with the BESIII detector. These asymmetries can be attributed to the Collins fragmentation function. We observe a nonzero asymmetry, which increases with increasing pion momentum. As our energy scale is close to that of the existing semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experimental data, the measured asymmetries are important inputs for the global analysis of extracting the quark transversity distribution inside the nucleon and are valuable to explore the energy evolution of the spin-dependent fragmentation function.

Mitochondrial ND3 G10398A mutation: a biomarker for breast cancer

Mitochondrial DNA mutations have been found to play important roles in carcinogenesis. The most common G10398A mutation, a non-conservative amino acid substitution from Thr to Ala, seems to be involved in the tumorigenesis of breast cancer. Results from studies concerning this mutation remain inconclusive. In the current study, we first took clinical and molecular datasets from case-control studies to determine the association between the G10398A mutation and breast cancer. We further used the Phylotree to determine the haplogroups of this mutation. The frequencies of this mutation in 500 unrelated healthy controls were also screened. We found that this mutation is very common in the human population, and may be a polymorph.

Population genetic structure of Myzus persicae nicotianae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in China by microsatellite analysis

The tobacco aphid, Myzus persicae nicotianae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important agricultural pest that feeds on host plants and transmits plant viruses in China. To effectively control this pest, we investigated the genetic variation and genetic structure of 54 populations of tobacco aphids collected in China, using five microsatellite loci. An average of 7 alleles with effective number ranging from 1.5 to 6.6 was detected using these five loci, and the average polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.652, suggesting that the five selected microsatellite loci were polymorphic and suitable for the study of population genetics. The expected heterozygosities in the populations studied ranged from 0.128 and 0.653, with an average value of 0.464. However, the observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.250 and 0.942 (average = 0.735), revealing a high genetic variability and heterozygosity excess in the Chinese tobacco aphid populations. The global fixation index (F(ST)) and mean gene flow (N(m)) were 0.34 (P < 0.0001) and 0.50, respectively, suggesting the high genetic differentiation among Chinese populations. The 54 populations of tobacco aphids were classified into two groups. The populations did not cluster geographically, as populations from the same provinces were usually present in different clusters. This was also confirmed by the Mantel test, which showed no significant correlation between the genetic distance and geographical distance or altitude. Long distance migration might be responsible for the lack of distance-related isolation.

Improved Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and high efficiency of root formation from hypocotyl meristem of spring Brassica napus 'Precocity' cultivar

Rape seed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oil seed crops in the world. Genetic manipulation of rapeseed requires a suitable tissue culture system and an efficient method for plant regeneration, as well as an efficient transformation procedure. However, development of transgenic B. napus has been problematic, and current studies are limited to cultivated varieties. In this study, we report a protocol for regeneration of transgenic rape after Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of hypocotyls from the spring B. napus 'Precocity' cultivar. We analyzed the effects of plant growth regulators in the medium on regeneration. Additionally, factors affecting the transformation efficiency, including seedling age, Agrobacterium concentration, infection time, and co-cultivation time, were assessed by monitoring GUS expression. Results from these experiments revealed that transformation was optimized when the meristematic parts of the hypocotyls were taken from 8 day-old seedlings, cultured on Murashinge and Skoog basal media containing 0.1 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid and 2.5 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine, and incubated in Agrobacterium suspension (OD600 = 0.5) for 3 to 5 min, followed by 2 days of co-cultivation. Integration of T-DNA into the plant genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), b-glucuronidase histochemical staining, and quantitative real-time PCR. The protocols developed for regeneration, transformation, and rooting described in this study could help to accelerate the development of transgenic spring rape varieties with novel features.

Observation of a Neutral Structure near the DD[over ¯]^{*} Mass Threshold in e^{+}e^{-}→(DD[over ¯]^{*})^{0}π^{0} at sqrt[s]=4.226 and 4.257 GeV

A neutral structure in the DD[over ¯]^{*} system around the DD[over ¯]^{*} mass threshold is observed with a statistical significance greater than 10σ in the processes e^{+}e^{-}→D^{+}D^{*-}π^{0}+c.c. and e^{+}e^{-}→D^{0}D[over ¯]^{*0}π^{0}+c.c. at sqrt[s]=4.226 and 4.257 GeV in the BESIII experiment. The structure is denoted as Z_{c}(3885)^{0}. Assuming the presence of a resonance, its pole mass and width are determined to be [3885.7_{-5.7}^{+4.3}(stat)±8.4(syst)]  MeV/c^{2} and [35_{-12}^{+11}(stat)±15(syst)]  MeV, respectively. The Born cross sections are measured to be σ[e^{+}e^{-}→Z_{c}(3885)^{0}π^{0},Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→DD[over ¯]^{*}]=[77±13(stat)±17(syst)]  pb at 4.226 GeV and [47±9(stat)±10(syst)]  pb at 4.257 GeV. The ratio of decay rates B[Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→D^{+}D^{*-}+c.c.]/B[Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→D^{0}D[over ¯]^{*0}+c.c.] is determined to be 0.96±0.18(stat)±0.12(syst), consistent with no isospin violation in the process, Z_{c}(3885)^{0}→DD[over ¯]^{*}.

Measurement of the Absolute Branching Fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→Λe^{+}ν_{e}

We report the first measurement of the absolute branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→Λe^{+}ν_{e}. This measurement is based on 567  pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} annihilation data produced at sqrt[s]=4.599  GeV, which is just above the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} threshold. The data were collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage rings. The branching fraction is determined to be B(Λ_{c}^{+}→Λe^{+}ν_{e})=[3.63±0.38(stat)±0.20(syst)]%, representing a significant improvement in precision over the current indirect determination. As the branching fraction for Λ_{c}^{+}→Λe^{+}ν_{e} is the benchmark for those of other Λ_{c}^{+} semileptonic channels, our result provides a unique test of different theoretical models, which is the most stringent to date.

Functional divergence of BAK1 genes from Brassica rapa in regulating plant architecture

BAK1 is a co-receptor of BRI1 in early signaling pathways mediated by brassinosteroids (BRs) and is thought to play a major role in plant growth and development. As the role of BAK1 has not yet been fully elucidated then further research is required to explore its potential for use in genetic modification to improve crops. In this study, three BAK1 genes from the amphidiploid species Brassica rapa were isolated and their kinase functions were predicted following DNA sequence analysis. A bioinformatic analysis revealed that two genes, BrBAK1-1 and BrBAK1-8, shared a conserved kinase domain and 5 tandem leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) that are characteristic of a BAK1 receptor for BR perception, whereas the third gene, BrBAK1-3, was deficient for a signal peptide, but had 4 leucine zippers and 3 leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) in an extracellular domain. All three BrBAK1 kinases localized on the cellular membrane. Ectopic expression of each BrBAK1 gene in BR-insensitive (bri1-5 mutant) Arabidopsis plants indicated that BrBAK1-1 and BrBAK1-8 were functional homologues of AtBAK1 based on the rescue of growth in the bri1-5 mutant. Overexpression of BrBAK1-3 caused a severe dwarf phenotype resembling the phenotype of null BRI1 alleles. The results here suggest there are significant differences among the three BrBAK1 kinases for their effects on plant architecture. This conclusion has important implications for genetic modification of B. rapa.

Observation of a Neutral Charmoniumlike State Z_{c}(4025)^{0} in e^{+}e^{-}→(D^{*}D[over ¯]^{*})^{0}π^{0}

We report a study of the process e^{+}e^{-}→(D^{*}D[over ¯]^{*})^{0}π^{0} using e^{+}e^{-} collision data samples with integrated luminosities of 1092 pb^{-1} at sqrt[s]=4.23 GeV and 826 pb^{-1} at sqrt[s]=4.26 GeV collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring. We observe a new neutral structure near the (D^{*}D[over ¯]^{*})^{0} mass threshold in the π^{0} recoil mass spectrum, which we denote as Z_{c}(4025)^{0}. Assuming a Breit-Wigner line shape, its pole mass and pole width are determined to be (4025.5_{-4.7}^{+2.0}±3.1) MeV/c^{2} and (23.0±6.0±1.0) MeV, respectively. The Born cross sections of e^{+}e^{-}→Z_{c}(4025)^{0}π^{0}→(D^{*}D[over ¯]^{*})^{0}π^{0} are measured to be (61.6±8.2±9.0) pb at sqrt[s]=4.23 GeV and (43.4±8.0±5.4) pb at sqrt[s]=4.26 GeV. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.

Effect of dietary creatine monohydrate supplementation on muscle lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity of transported broilers in summer

This experiment was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with creatine monohydrate (CMH) during the finishing period on the muscle lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity of broilers that experienced transport stress in summer. A total of 320 male Arbor Acres broilers (28 d in age) were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments including a basal control diet without additional CMH (160 birds), or with 600 (80 birds) or 1,200 mg/kg (80 birds) CMH for 14 d. On the morning of d 42, after an 8-h fast, the birds fed the basal diets were divided into 2 equal groups, and all birds in the 4 groups of 80 birds were transported according to the following protocols: 1) a 0.75-h transport of birds on basal diets (as a lower-stress control group), 2) a 3-h transport of birds on basal diets, 3) a 3-h transport of birds on 600 or 4) 1,200 mg/kg CMH supplementation diets. The results showed that the 3-h transport decreased the concentration of creatine (Cr) in both the pectoralis major (PM) and the tibialis anterior (TA) muscles, increased the concentration of phosphocreatine (PCr) and PCr/Cr ratio in PM muscle, and elevated the concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and the activities of total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in both the PM and TA muscles of birds (P < 0.05). In addition, transport also upregulated mRNA expression of avian uncoupling protein and heat shock protein 70 in both the PM and TA muscles, as well as avian peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α in the TA muscle (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 1,200 mg/kg CMH increased the concentrations of Cr and PCr in PM muscle, and Cr in TA muscle than those in the 3-h transport group (P < 0.05). However, contrary to our hypothesis, dietary CMH did not alter the measured parameters in relation to muscle lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity affected by 3-h transport (P > 0.05). These results indicate that dietary CMH supplementation does not provide any significant protection via directly scavenging free radicals or increased antioxidant capacity of transported broilers.

Observation of Z_{c}(3900)^{0} in e^{+}e^{-}→π^{0}π^{0}J/ψ

Using a data sample collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring, we observe a new neutral state Z_{c}(3900)^{0} with a significance of 10.4σ. The mass and width are measured to be 3894.8±2.3±3.2  MeV/c^{2} and 29.6±8.2±8.2  MeV, respectively, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. The Born cross section for e^{+}e^{-}→π^{0}π^{0}J/ψ and the fraction of it attributable to π^{0}Z_{c}(3900)^{0}→π^{0}π^{0}J/ψ in the range E_{c.m.}=4.19-4.42  GeV are also determined. We interpret this state as the neutral partner of the four-quark candidate Z_{c}(3900)^{±}.

Conservation and population genetic diversity of Curcuma wenyujin (Zingiberaceae), a multifunctional medicinal herb

Curcuma wenyujin is an important multifunctional medicinal herb in China. Currently, populations of C. wenyujin are decreasing, and wild individuals have almost disappeared from their natural habitats. Moreover, little is known regarding the molecular characteristics of this plant. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and variation of five populations of C. wenyujin, using ran-dom amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. We found that the percentages of polymorphic loci (PPL) at the species level (98.25% by RAPD and 100% by ISSR) were significantly higher than those at the population level (66.32% by RAPD and 67.14% by ISSR). The highest values of PPL, expected heterozygosity, and Shannon's information index were in Pop1, while the lowest values were in Pop2. Both DNA markers revealed a short genetic distance between Pop1 and Pop2 (0.1424 by RAPD and 0.1904 by ISSR). Phylogenetic trees produced similar results, with Pop1, Pop2, and Pop5 in one group and Pop3 and Pop4 in another. There were no significant correlations between their genetic distances and their geographical distances. The highest genetic diversity was in Pop1 and the lowest was in Pop2, and genetic diversity at the species level was relatively low, but much higher than that at the population level. We recommended the establishment of a germplasm bank, in situ con-servation, and propagation of wild individuals. The present study will improve the evaluation, protection, and utilization of the population resources of C. wenyujin.