[Efficacy of cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for pseudomyxoma peritonei]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the treatment of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). Methods: In this descriptive case series study, we retrospective analyzed the records of PMP patients treated with CRS and HIPEC between January 2013 and June 2023 at Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) Aged 18 to 75 years and nonpregnant women. (2) Histologically confirmed diagnosis of pseudomyxoma peritonei. (3) Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS)>70. (4) The functions of major organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys can tolerate major surgery for long periods of time. (5) No evidence of extra-abdominal metastasis. Patients with extensive intra-abdominal adhesions or severe infectious diseases were excluded. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and postoperative major complications. The postoperative major complications were graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 5.0). We used the peritoneal cancer index (PCI) score to quantitatively assess the peritoneal metastases and the completeness of cytoreduction (CCR) score at the end of surgery (CCR-0 and CCR-1 considered to be complete CRS). Results: A total of the 186 PMP patients with a median age of 56 (interquartile range extremes (IQRE), 48-64) years were included, 65 (34.9%) males and 121 (65.1%) females. The median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) score was 28 (20-34). Appendiceal origin accounted for 91.4%. Histological types were low grade in 99 patients (53.2%), high grade in 57 patients (30.6%), and 55 patients (29.6%) received complete cytoreduction (CCR-0/1). The median operative duration was 300 (211-430) minutes for all patients. Treatment-related 30-day mortality was 2.7%; 90-day mortality 4.3%; reoperation 1.6%; and severe morbidity 43.0%. Within the entire series, anemia(27.4%), electrolyte disturbance(11.6%), and hypoalbuminemia(7.5%) were the most frequent major complications (grade 3-4). The incidences of gastrointestinal anastomotic leakage, abdominal bleeding, and abdominal infection were 2.2%, 2.2%, and 4.3%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 38.1 (95%CI:31.2-45.1) months, the 5-year OS was 50.3% (95%CI: 40.7%-59.9%) with a median survival time of 66.1 (95%CI: 43.1-89.1) months. The survival analysis showed that patients with pathological low grade, low PCI, and low CCR score had better survival with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). Further stratified into complete and incomplete CRS subgroups, the 5-year OS of the CCR-0 and CCR-1 subgroups was 88.9% (95%CI: 68.3%-100.0%) and 77.6% (95%CI: 62.7%-92.5%), respectively; and 42.0% (95%CI: 29.5%-54.5%) in the CCR-2/3 subgroup. Conclusions: CRS and HIPEC may result in a long-term survival benefit for PMP patients with acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality. This strategy, when complete CRS is possible, could significantly prolong survival for strictly selected patients at experienced centers.

[Effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant in Guangdong Province]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant. Methods: A total of 1 403 Omicron-infected patients admitted to 20 designated hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 1 to May 31, 2022, were selected as subjects in this study. A case-control study was conducted to collect the demographic data, underlying disease, vaccination status, last exposure date, gene sequencing of infected strains and clinical outcomes from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System and Guangdong telemedicine platform. Pneumonia (common, severe and critical) and non-pneumonia (asymptomatic and mild) were selected as the case group and control group. The effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant was analyzed. Results: The median age [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of the subjects was 36 (27-47) years old, with males accounting for 52.25% (733 cases). The main outcome of the infection was non-pneumonia, accounting for 92.09% (1 292 cases), and the duration [M (Q₁, Q₃)] of the disease was 18 (14-22) days. There were 134 (9.55%), 39 (2.78%), 403 (28.72%), 437 (31.15%) and 390 (27.80%) cases with no or partial vaccination, within 90 days of primary vaccination, over 90 days of primary vaccination, within 90 days of booster vaccination and over 90 days of booster vaccination, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, underlying disease, and location of the report, compared with those with no or partial vaccination, the risk of developing pneumonia was lower in those with over 90 days of primary vaccination, within 90 days of booster vaccination and over 90 days of booster vaccination [OR (95%CI) values were 0.52 (0.28-0.98), 0.39 (0.21-0.73) and 0.40 (0.21-0.77), respectively]. Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, underlying disease and location of the report, the duration of the disease was shorter in those who received booster vaccinated for more than 90 days compared with that in those who had no or partial vaccination [HR (95%CI): 1.26 (1.03-1.55)]. Conclusion: The inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine affects the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant.

[Pulmonary malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor mixed with lung adenocarcinoma components: a case report and literature review]

Objective: To analyze the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pulmonary malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) with adenocarcinoma. Methods: In August 2020, the Department of Pathology, Dongguan People's Hospital of Southern Medical University, diagnosed a case of pulmonary malignant PEComa mixed with adenocarcinoma. The clinical data, pathological diagnosis, treatment plan and prognosis of the patient were analyzed, and the literature was reviewed. Firstly, "malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor"+" Pulmonary "+"adenocarcinoma" was used to search CNKI and Wanfang Medical Database, but no relevant reports were found. Then, we changed the search term as "pulmonary malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor", and search for PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane by combining the subject terms with "pulmonary malignant perivascular epithelioid cell tumor" and "PEComa" as subtopics. The language was Chinese or English and the search deadline was November 2020. Results: The patient, a 46-year-old male, was admitted to the hospital on August 20, 2020, due to "repeated cough and chest pain for more than 10 days, accompanied by rapid weight loss". Serology detected increased expression of lung non-small cell lung cancer related antigens. PET-CT showed a large mass of soft tissue density in the left thoracic cavity with an SUV value of 22.8. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was malignant PEComa mixed with adenocarcinoma and the lymph nodes were metastasized. Due to the detection of EGFR sensitive mutation, postoperative chemotherapy and targeted therapy were administered, and the current state was stable. A total of 12 cases of pulmonary malignant PEComa were retrieved in the literature, which were common in middle-aged and elderly people. They usually presented with cough or chest tightness. Chest CT mostly showed round masses with clear boundaries, and 8 cases had metastasis to mediastinal lymph nodes and other organs. Conclusions: Pulmonary malignant PEComa is rare. It is the first report of the same mass with lung primary adenocarcinoma. The tumor progresses rapidly. Complete surgical resection of the lesion and lymph node dissection are more appropriate treatment strategies, supplemented by postoperative chemotherapy and targeted therapy. For cases diagnosed as pulmonary PEComa, long term follow-up should be performed, even if the pathological diagnosis is benign.

[Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 cases and influencing factors in Guangdong province]

Objective: To analyze the clinical courses and outcomes of COVID-19 cases and the influencing factors in Guangdong province and provide basis for the formulation or adjustment of medical care and epidemic control strategy for COVID-19. Methods: We collected demographic data, medical histories, clinical courses and outcomes of 1 350 COVID-19 patients reported in Guangdong as of 4 March 2020 via epidemiological investigation and process tracking. Disease severity and clinical course characteristics of the patients and influencing factors of severe illness were analyzed in our study. Results: Among 1 350 cases of COVID-19 cases in Guangdong, 72 (5.3%) and 1 049 (77.7%) were mild and ordinary cases, 164 (12.1%) were severe cases, 58 (4.3%) were critical cases and 7 (0.5%) were fatal. The median duration of illness were 23 days (P(25), P(75): 18, 31 days) and the median length of hospitalization were 20 days (P(25), P(75): 15,27 days). For severe cases, the median time of showing severe manifestations was on the 12(th) day after onset (P(25), P(75): 9(th) to 15(th) days), and the median time of severe manifestation lasted for 8 days (P(25), P(75): 4, 14 days). Among 1 066 discharged/fetal cases, 36.4% (36/99) and 1.0% (1/99) of the mild cases developed to ordinary cases and severe cases respectively after admission; and 5.2% (50/968) and 0.6% (6/968) of the ordinary cases developed to severe cases, and critical cases respectively after admission. In severe cases, 11.4% developed to critical cases (10/88). The influencing factors for severe illness or worse included male (aHR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.43-2.46), older age (aHR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.51-1.85), seeking medical care on day 2-3 after onset (aHR=1.73, 95%CI: 1.20-2.50) pre-existing diabetes (aHR=1.75, 95%CI: 1.12-2.73) and hypertension (aHR=1.49, 95%CI: 1.06-2.09). Conclusions: The course of illness and length of hospitalization of COVID-19 cases were generally long and associated with severity of disease clinical outcomes. The severe cases were mainly occurred in populations at high risk. In the epidemic period, classified management of COVID-19 cases should be promoted according to needs for control and prevention of isolation and treatment for the purpose of rational allocation of medical resources.

Composition, physicochemical properties of pea protein and its application in functional foods

Field pea is one of the most important leguminous crops over the world. Pea protein is a relatively new type of plant proteins and has been used as a functional ingredient in global food industry. Pea protein includes four major classes (globulin, albumin, prolamin, and glutelin), in which globulin and albumin are major storage proteins in pea seeds. Globulin is soluble in salt solutions and can be further classified into legumin and vicilin. Albumin is soluble in water and regarded as metabolic and enzymatic proteins with cytosolic functions. Pea protein has a well-balanced amino acid profile with high level of lysine. The composition and structure of pea protein, as well as the processing conditions, significantly affect its physical and chemical properties, such as hydration, rheological characteristics, and surface characteristics. With its availability, low cost, nutritional values and health benefits, pea protein can be used as a novel and effective alternative to substitute for soybean or animal proteins in functional food applications.

Composition, physicochemical properties of pea protein and its application in functional foods

Field pea is one of the most important leguminous crops over the world. Pea protein is a relatively new type of plant proteins and has been used as a functional ingredient in global food industry. Pea protein includes four major classes (globulin, albumin, prolamin, and glutelin), in which globulin and albumin are major storage proteins in pea seeds. Globulin is soluble in salt solutions and can be further classified into legumin and vicilin. Albumin is soluble in water and regarded as metabolic and enzymatic proteins with cytosolic functions. Pea protein has a well-balanced amino acid profile with high level of lysine. The composition and structure of pea protein, as well as the processing conditions, significantly affect its physical and chemical properties, such as hydration, rheological characteristics, and surface characteristics. With its availability, low cost, nutritional values and health benefits, pea protein can be used as a novel and effective alternative to substitute for soybean or animal proteins in functional food applications.

[Analysis on risk factors for norovirus outbreaks in Guangdong province, 2008-2015]

Objective: To analyze transmission factors of norovirus outbreaks in Guangdong province during 2008-2015 and provide evidence for the prevention and control of norovirus infection. Methods: Epidemiological analysis was performed on the data of norovirus outbreaks reported in Guangdong from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2015, which were obtained from the Public Health Emergency Management Information System of Guangdong province. The samples collected from the norovirus outbreaks were detected for norovirus by RT-PCR and the gene sequencing of the positive PCR products were performed. Results: A total of 96 norovirus outbreaks were reported in Guangdong during 2008-2015. Sixteen outbreaks were reported during 2008-2012 and 80 outbreaks were reported during 2013-2015 (83.3%). Eighty-two outbreaks (85.4%) occurred in schools. The infection routes included foodborne transmission in 39 outbreaks (40.6%), person to person transmission in 23 outbreaks (24.0%) and waterborne transmission in 8 outbreaks (7.3%). The gene sequencing results showed that variant GⅡ.4/Sydney2012 was the predominant pathogen for 6 of the 20 outbreaks (30.0%) during 2012-2013. Variant GⅡ.17 was the predominant pathogens for 33 of the 53 outbreaks (62.3%) during 2014-2015. Conclusion: The norovirus outbreaks in Guangdong during 2008-2015 were caused by foodborne and person to person transmissions of two emerging variant: GⅡ.4/Sydney2012 and GⅡ.17.

[Analysis on epidemiological characteristics of enterovirus 71 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease based on the active monitoring in Guangdong Province in 2011-2015]

Objective: To analyze the hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) infection epidemic characteristics of Guangdong Province from 2011 to 2015. Methods: We colleted data on common cases of hand-foot-mouth disease infected with EV-A71 reported from eight sentinel hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2011 to December 2015, through the "Guangdong Province Acute Infectious Disease Surveillance Information Platform System" , including the age and incidence of cases. Time and etiological data, etc.We also collected data on the number of reported cases of HFMD disease and the number of laboratory-confirmed cases, through the "China Disease Prevention and Control Information System" , including data on common cases of HFMD disease, data on epidemics of severe cases and deaths, and the age, onset time, and pathogens of cases. Learning data, etc.The data from two sources were used to estimate the incidence of HFMD in EV-A71 and describe its distribution characteristics.Chi-square test was used to compare the positive rate of HF-A71 infection in hand-foot-mouth disease and the difference in estimated incidence among different age groups and months. Results: Eight sentinel hospitals from 2011 to 2015 reported a total of 1 855 common cases of EV-A71 infection, of which the highest was in 2014 (31.6%, 605/1 916) and the lowest was in 2015 (6.8%, 134/1 971) (χ(2)=521.85, P<0.001).According to the Disease Surveillance Reporting Information System, 1 772 516 cases of HFMD disease were reported from 2011 to 2015 in Guangdong Province, and 1 902 cases of severe and fatal cases of EV-A71 infection.The composition ratio of EV-A71 infected was 72.6% (1 775/2 444) and 97.0% (127/131) of severe HFMD disease in Guangdong province during 2011-2015.The average annual incidence of HF-A71 infection in all age groups showed a decreasing trend with age (χ(2trend)=990 273.20, P<0.001), and it was the highest in the 1-year-old group, which was 1 697.67/100 000, and the lowest in the 4-year-old group, which was 705.46/100 000. The difference of monthly average incidence of EV-A71 infection in HF-A71 in each month was statistically significant (χ(2)=401.23, P<0.001), the highest in May at 15.51 per 100 000, and the lowest in July at 9.42 per 100 000. Conclusion: EV-A71 infection rate of ordinary HFMD varies in different years. The most severe and death cases of HFMD were EV-A71 infected. 1 year old children were the high-risk group of infected with EV-A71 HFMD. April was the epidemic months of EV-A71 HFMD infection.

[Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of dengue in China]

Dengue is the most prevalent and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease. As a dengue non-endemic country, China has experienced several dengue outbreaks in recent years. However, dengue patients in China displayed distinct clinical characteristics compared to patients in endemic countries. To standardize the diagnosis and treatment of dengue fever, the experts of the Society of Infectious Diseases, Society of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology of Chinese Medical Association, and the Society of Emergency Medicine, China Association of Chinese Medicine have reached this guideline based on guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of dengue (World Health Organization, 2009); guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of dengue (National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China, 2014, Edition 2), health industry standard of the People's Republic of China "diagnosis for dengue fever (WS216-2018)" and systemic reports on dengue. The guideline includes 8 aspects: introduction, terminology, epidemiology and prevention, etiology and pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and problems to be solved.

[Comparison of Dengue viral nonstructural protein 1 antigen testing kits]

Objective: To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of commercial nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) testing kits for Dengue fever diagnose, and provide the evidence for diagnostic criteria revision. Methods: 300 PCR or virus isolation positive blood samples for dengue virus were collected from sentinel hospitals for dengue surveillance in Guangzhou, Dongguang and Zhongshang from May 2015 to Nov. 2016. At the same time, 308 PCR negative samples for Dengue virus were collected as control group. The information of the sample was collected using questionnaires. These samples were tested using imported and domestic ELISA and the colloidal gold-labeled kits that were widely used for detecting dengue NS1. Sensitivity, specificity and coincidence were calculated and analyzed, and Z hongshan's result was regarded as the reslut of the third part. Results: The positive group includes 133 males and 167 females, average ages are 47.2±13.3, 179, 110 and 11 of them is Dengue Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ respectively. The negative group includes 154 males and 154 females, average ages are (40.1±11.6) years old. The sensitivity of domestic ELISA Kits (94.5%) is less than imported (99.5%), and the result has statistical significance (χ(2)=8.59, P=0.030), the specificity is 99.7% and 97.7% respectively; The sensitivity of imported and domestic the colloidal gold-labeled Kits is 97.5% and 96.5% respectively, both of specificities are 100%. The sensitivity and specificity of Dengue Ⅰ for NS1 test are more than 97.0%. The sensitivity of domestic ELISA and gold-labeled Kits is 90.0% and 95.0%, and the specificity is 96.8% and 100% respectively for Dengue Ⅱ test. The sensitivity of imported ELISA and gold-labeled Kits is 100% and 98.0%, and the specificity is 99.4% and 100% respectively for Dengue Ⅱ test. The result of the third party show the sensitivity and specificity of domestic ELISA and gold-labeled Kits are 90.0% and 98.0%, the differences has statistical significance (χ(2)=5.67, P=0.020). Conclusion: NS1 testing can be used as early dengue fever diagnose for higher sensitivity and specificity.

[Epidemiological characteristics of Coxsackie virus A16 caused hand foot and mouth disease cases in Guangdong province, 2012-2016]

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases caused by Coxsackie virus A16 (Cox A16) in Guangdong province from 2012 to 2016. Methods: The data of mild HFMD cases caused by Cox A16 were collected from 8 sentinel hospitals in 8 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong to estimate Cox A16 infection status and its population and time distribution characteristics. Results: (1) The highest estimated incidence of Cox A16 infection was in 2014 (113.0/100 000), followed by 2016 (86.4/100 000) and 2012 (79.1/100 000), while the estimated incidence was lower in 2015 (29.0/100 000) and 2013 (28.8/100 000). (2) Cox A16 was confirmed to be the predominant pathogen causing HFMD outbreaks (54.6%, 89/163). The number of outbreaks in the year with high incidence (28 outbreaks) was 11.2 times higher than that in the year with low incidence (2.5 outbreaks). (3) Across all age groups, the annual estimated incidence of Cox A16 infection decreased with age (trend χ(2)=853 905.63, P<0.01). The incidence was highest in age group 1 year (1 449.2/100 000), followed by that in age group 3 years (1 097.0/100 000), in age group 2 years (1 083.5/100 000), in age group 4 years (687.8/100 000) and in age group 0 year (604.9/100 000). Among the age groups <12 months, the estimated incidence increased with age (trend χ(2)=5 541.77, P<0.01), which was highest in age group 11-months (2 105.1/100 000), followed by that in age groups 10-months (1 448.6/100 000), 9-months (938.3/100 000), 8-months (703.3/100 000) and 6-months (664.6/100 000). (4) The annual incidence peak was during May (143.9/100 000)-June (131.5/100 000). Conclusion: The prevalence of Cox A16 infection differed with year in Guangdong during 2012-2016. When the incidence of Cox A16 infection was high, more outbreaks occurred. The prevalence occurred mainly in nurseries and kindergartens from May to June each year. Children aged 0-4 years were the high risk group for Cox A16 infection, children aged 6-11 months were at high risk for Cox A16 infection.

[Application of MOAS for Evaluating of Violence Risk in the Inpatients with Mental Disorders]

OBJECTIVES

To explore the value of Modified Overt Aggression Scale （MOAS） on predicting serious aggressive behavior in the inpatients with mental disorders and to provide theoretical basis for violence risk assessments in the inpatients with mental disorders.

METHODS

Total 918 inpatients in a psychiatric hospital were evaluated by trained medical workers using MOAS in September 2009, and their serious violent behavior were followed up for 2 years. The value of MOAS on predicting violence in the inpatients with mental disorders was analyzed by SPSS 21.0.

RESULTS

（1） Compared to the patients without serious aggressive behaviors, the patients with serious aggressive behavior within 2 years showed significantly higher scores （P＜0.05） on verbal aggression, aggression against property, physical aggression and total weighted score of MOAS; （2） Significant correlation was found between the score of verbal aggression and the serious acts of violence within 2 years （P＜0.05）; （3） Scores of verbal aggression, physical aggression and total weighted score of MOAS had predictive value on serious aggressive behaviors within 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

MOAS has certain value on predicting the serious aggressive behaviors of patients with mental disorders within 2 years.

Role of the CKIP1 gene in proliferation and apoptosis of the human lung cancer cell line H1299

Casein kinase 2 interacting protein 1 (CKIP1) is a specific interacting protein of the casein kinase 2 (CK2) α subunit, and, by binding CK2 and other proteins, functions as an adaptor to regulate a series of cellular functions. Previous studies suggested that CKIP1 might play an important role in regulating oncogenic activities. However, few studies examining the function of CKIP1 in cancer cells have been performed. The present study aimed to investigate the role of CKIP1 in lung cancer. CKIP1 mRNA expression was detected in 5 human lung cancer cell lines (H-125, H1299, LTEP-A-2, SPC-A-1, and NCL-H446) by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, and in 10 noncancerous lung tissues and 30 non-small lung cancer tissues by real-time quantitative PCR. A lentivirus-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down CKIP1 expression in the H1299 cell line. To elucidate the impact of CKIP1 downregulation on H1299 cells, cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, and cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by high content screening assay, BrdU incorporation, and flow cytometric analyses, respectively. CKIP1 mRNA was highly expressed both in H1299 cells and lung cancer tissues. We found that downregulation of CKIP1 resulted in suppression of proliferation and colony-forming ability of H1299 cells, and led to S phase cell cycle arrest and G2 phase promotion, as well as a significant enhancement of H1299 cell apoptosis. Our study indicated that high expression levels of CKIP1 were associated with the development of lung cancer, and that CKIP1 knockdown may block tumor cell growth mainly by promoting cell apoptosis.

Decreased retinol-binding protein 4 in the sera of patients with end-stage renal disease after kidney transplantation

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a novel adipokine that has been associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have very high serum RBP4 levels. However, whether successful kidney transplantation alleviates these elevated serum RBP4 levels is unclear. The serum RBP4 levels of 24 ESRD patients were determined before transplantation and at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after kidney transplantation. The control group included 22 healthy subjects. Serum RBP4 concentrations were measured using a commercial kit via the immunologic turbidimetric method, and were related to biomarkers for renal and liver function. The serum RBP4 level of ESRD patients before kidney transplantation (160.8 ± 29.1 mg/L) was approximately 7-fold higher than that of normal controls (22.6 ± 11.0 mg/L; P = 0.000). The serum RBP4 level before transplantation was significantly higher than that at 1 day (65.3 ± 28.4 mg/L), 1 week (48.3 ± 22.9 mg/L), and 1 month after transplantation (53.1 ± 25.5 mg/L; P = 0.000). However, these values were still higher than those of controls (P = 0.000). Univariate regression analysis showed that the percent changes in serum RBP4 concentration before and after kidney transplantation were positively correlated with serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, phosphate, and pre-albumin concentrations and negatively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. The serum RBP4 concentration of patients with ESRD decreased significantly after kidney transplantation; therefore, we found that serum RBP4 concentration was related to renal function.

Field-field and photon-photon correlations of light scattered by two remote two-level InAs quantum dots on the same substrate

We report the measurement of field-field and photon-photon correlations of light scattered by two InAs quantum dots separated by ≈40  μm. Near 4 K a large fraction of photons can be scattered coherently by each quantum dot leading to one-photon interference at a beam splitter (visibility ≈20%). Simultaneously, two-photon interference is also observed (visibility ≈40%) due to the indistinguishability of photons scattered by the two different quantum emitters. We show how spectral diffusion accounts for the reduction in interference visibility through variations in photon flux.

A system for the synchronized recording of sonomyography, electromyography and joint angle

Ultrasound and electromyography (EMG) are two of the most commonly used diagnostic tools for the assessment of muscles. Recently, many studies reported the simultaneous collection of EMG signals and ultrasound images, which were normally amplified and digitized by different devices. However, there is lack of a systematic method to synchronize them and no study has reported the effects of ultrasound gel to the EMG signal collection during the simultaneous data collection. In this paper, we introduced a new method to synchronize ultrasound B-scan images, EMG signals, joint angles and other related signals (e.g. force and velocity signals) in real-time. The B-mode ultrasound images were simultaneously captured by the PC together with the surface EMG (SEMG) and the joint angle signal. The deformations of the forearm muscles induced by wrist motions were extracted from a sequence of ultrasound images, named as Sonomyography (SMG). Preliminary experiments demonstrated that the proposed method could reliably collect the synchronized ultrasound images, SEMG signals and joint angle signals in real-time. In addition, the effect of ultrasound gel on the SEMG signals when the EMG electrodes were close to the ultrasound probe was studied. It was found that the SEMG signals were not significantly affected by the amount of the ultrasound gel. The system is being used for the study of contractions of various muscles as well as the muscle fatigue.

[Detection of serum hepatitis B virus large envelope protein and its relationship with viral replication.]

BACKGROUND

To explore the significance of HBV large envelope protein (LHBs) in diagnosing HBV replication in chronic hepatitis B patients.

METHODS

Serum HBV DNA was quantitively detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the LHBs and Pre-S1 were detected by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and HBV markers were detected by time differentiate immunofluorescence assay in 340 serum samples collected from chronic hepatitis B patients.

RESULTS

Serum LHBs level was closely correlated with number of HBV DNA copies (r=0.899, P=0.0380). There was no significant difference between positive rate of LHBs and that of HBV DNA in different HBeAg pattern (P>0.05); the positive rate of LHBs was 83.15%, which was higher than that of Pre-S1 and HBeAg which were 50.54% and 54.48%, respectively. There was significant difference (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The level of serum LHBs can be used to estimate the state of HBV replication and the sensitivity was superior to both Pre-S1 and HBeAg. So it may be used as a new serological marker to detect HBV replication.

Generation of synchronized femtosecond and picosecond pulses in a dual-wavelength femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser

We obtain synchronized 45-fs and 0.848-ps pulses by achieving cross-mode locking in a double-cavity dual-wavelength femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. Autocorrelation and cross correlation show that the femtosecond and picosecond pulses are well synchronized, with a timing jitter of 41 fs. Cross-phase modulation dominates the processes of cross-mode locking and synchronization.

Cortical convergence originating from domains representing different frequencies in the cat AI

In order to reveal the cortical convergence, two different anterograde tracers were injected in the cat primary auditory cortex (AI). These tracers were located side by side in AI, at loci representing different best frequencies. Patches of labeled fibers were found mainly dorsal and ventral to each injection site. Patches located immediately dorsal and ventral to the injection sites did not overlap each other, but those located most distant from the injection sites overlapped significantly. Areas where the overlapping of labeled fibers were found correspond to the dorsal zone and secondary auditory field. The results suggest that the cortical convergence representing different frequency information takes place outside AI.

[Qualitative and quantitative observations of smoking-induced morphologic changes in muscular pulmonary arteries]

Light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, image processing and morphometric technique were applied to analyze the morphologic changes in the muscular pulmonary arteries from the rats after exposure to smoking. The results showed that the pronounced muscularization of the small pulmonary arteries. significant reduction of the intraacinar arteries, intimal and medical thickening that was significantly associated with the cellular elements and extracellular matrix, and the smooth muscle cells proliferated and migrated from the media to intima of artery, the cell shape modified and increased in rough endoplasmic reticulum also were found. Although the functional significance of these findings is unknown, they might play an important role in smoke-induced occurrence and development of pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale.

[Morphologic and morphometric studies of pulmonary artery endothelial abnormalities in rats induced by smoking]

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultrastructural quantitation technique were applied to analyze the alterations of surface characteristics and intracytoplasmic composition of pulmonary artery endothelium from rats after exposure to smoking. The results showed that the important endothelial change was endothelial proliferation and intimal fibrosis. The endothelium surface comprised thick, deep, intertwined "cable-like" or "corduroy-like" ridges. Endothelial fenestrae became apparent accompanied with increased adhesion of blood elements. There was also dilation of the mitochondria with reduced numerical density, and significant increase of volume density of rough endoplasmic reticulum (P less than 0.05) microfilament (P less than 0.001) and pinocytic vesicles (P less than 0.05) in the endothelial cells, which possibly indicates the increase of endothelial metabolic function. The authors consider that the development of endothelial abnormalities may be due to increase of arterial wall thickness, causing further alteration of pulmonary hemodynamics and hemorrheology, which plays a critical role in the development of pulmonary hypertension induced by smoking in the rats.