A survey of caregiver burden for stroke survivors in non-teaching hospitals in Western China

The social factors that moderate stroke caregiver burden have been found to be culture- and gender-specific. We examined the factors that influence the social support and self-efficacy of caregivers of stroke survivors and the burden of caregiving in China. To determine the caregiver burden of stroke survivors, their social support, and their self-efficacy. A total of 328 stroke survivors and their caregivers were recruited from 4 tertiary medical centers to participate in this cross-sectional study. The sociodemographic and stroke-related characteristics of the participants were obtained. Perceived social support and self-efficacy were assessed using the Social Support Rating Scale and General Self-efficacy Scale, respectively. Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview Scale. Relationships between the variables were assessed using Pearson's correlation, the chi-square test, and a paired t test. A total of 27.4% of the caregivers reported receiving adequate social support, while 20.7% reported high levels of self-efficacy. A total of 67.1% of the caregivers experienced varying degrees of care burden, while the remaining 32.9% felt no burden. Participants' sociodemographic characteristics (age, daily care time, self-rated health, and financial situation) were significantly related to caregiver burden, social support, and self-efficacy (P < .001). The findings indicate an inverse relationship between caregiver burden, social support and self-efficacy. Adequate social support and self-efficacy can reduce stroke caregivers' burden. Hospital departments should provide assistance to stroke caregivers through educational programs and group training to increase their social support and self-efficacy, thereby alleviating their burden.

Integrated transcriptomics and metabolites at different growth stages reveals the regulation mechanism of bolting and flowering of Angelica sinensis

The root of Angelica sinensis is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese medicines. In commercial planting, early bolting and flowering (EBF) of ca. 40% of 2-year-old plants reduces root yield and quality. Although changes in physiology in bolted plants have been investigated, the mechanism activating EBF has not been identified. Here, transcriptomics profiles at four different growth stages (S1 to S4) were performed, gene expression was validated by qRT-PCR and the accumulation of endogenous hormones quantified by HPLC. A total of 60,282 unigenes were generated, with 2,282, 1,359 and 2,246 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) observed at S2 versus S1, S3 versus S2 and S4 versus S3, respectively; 558 genes that co-exist in at least three stages from S1 to S4 were obtained. Functional annotation classified 38 DEGs linked to flowering pathways: photoperiodism, hormone signalling, carbohydrate metabolism and floral development. The levels of gene expression, hormones (GA₁ , GA₄ and IAA) and soluble sugars were consistent with the EBF. It can be concluded that the EBF of A. sinensis is controlled by multiple genes. This integrated analysis of transcriptomics, together with targeted hormones and soluble sugars, provides new insights into the regulation of EBF of A. sinensis.

Observation of a_{0}^{0}(980)-f_{0}(980) Mixing

We report the first observation of a_{0}^{0}(980)-f_{0}(980) mixing in the decays of J/ψ→ϕf_{0}(980)→ϕa_{0}^{0}(980)→ϕηπ^{0} and χ_{c1}→a_{0}^{0}(980)π^{0}→f_{0}(980)π^{0}→π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}, using data samples of 1.31×10^{9}  J/ψ events and 4.48×10^{8}  ψ(3686) events accumulated with the BESIII detector. The signals of f_{0}(980)→a_{0}^{0}(980) and a_{0}^{0}(980)→f_{0}(980) mixing are observed at levels of statistical significance of 7.4σ and 5.5σ, respectively. The corresponding branching fractions and mixing intensities are measured and the constraint regions on the coupling constants, g_{a_{0}K^{+}K^{-}} and g_{f_{0}K^{+}K^{-}}, are estimated. The results improve the understanding of the nature of a_{0}^{0}(980) and f_{0}(980).

Precision Measurement of the e^{+}e^{-}→Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} Cross Section Near Threshold

The cross section of the e^{+}e^{-}→Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} process is measured with unprecedented precision using data collected with the BESIII detector at sqrt[s]=4574.5, 4580.0, 4590.0 and 4599.5 MeV. The nonzero cross section near the Λ_{c}^{+}Λ[over ¯]_{c}^{-} production threshold is cleared. At center-of-mass energies sqrt[s]=4574.5 and 4599.5 MeV, the higher statistics data enable us to measure the Λ_{c} polar angle distributions. From these, the Λ_{c} electric over magnetic form-factor ratios (|G_{E}/G_{M}|) are measured for the first time. They are found to be 1.14±0.14±0.07 and 1.23±0.05±0.03, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.

Luteal-phase ovarian stimulation is a feasible method for poor ovarian responders undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer treatment compared to a GnRH antagonist protocol: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

Poor ovarian response to ovarian hyperstimulation is one of the biggest challenges in assisted reproduction technology. Although many stimulation protocols have been established to improve clinical outcomes in poor ovarian responders (PORs), which protocol is the most effective remains controversial. Luteal-phase ovarian stimulation (LPOS) has been used in normal ovarian responders with satisfactory outcomes. However, the efficacy of LPOS in PORs is unclear. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of LPOS and GnRH antagonist (GnRH-ant) in PORs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical parameters in PORs who received LPOS (50 cycles in 39 patients) or GnRH-ant (158 cycles in 123 patients) were compared.

RESULTS

Compared with those in the GnRH-ant group, the PORs in the LPOS group showed significantly fewer basal antral follicles (3.1 ± 2.2 vs. 4.1 ± 1.6, p < 0.001) and a higher in vitro fertilization rate. There were no significant differences in the numbers of retrieved oocytes and D3 transferable embryos between the two groups. However, the pregnancy rate in the LPOS group (46.4%) was significantly higher than that in the GnRH-ant group (25.8% overall; 22.9% from fresh embryos and 29.6% from frozen embryos). Moreover, 23 PORs in the LPOS group underwent oocyte retrieval twice in one cycle, and the numbers of retrieved oocytes and transferable embryos from the luteal phase were significantly higher than those from the follicular phase in the same menstrual cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with the GnRH-ant protocol, the LPOS protocol may be a better regime for PORs that can increase the numbers of retrieved oocytes and transferable embryos as well as the pregnancy rate.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in response to alkalinity stress

To identify genes of potential importance to alkalinity tolerance, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to survey gill transcriptome profiles from freshwater (FW) and alkaline water (AW) exposed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 22,724,036 (AW)/16,461,040 (FW) single-end reads were generated in which 20,304,348 (AW)/14,681,290 (FW) reads (90.0/89.72%) were aligned to the reference genome. Differential expression analysis revealed 302 up-regulated and 193 down-regulated genes between AW- and FW-exposed fish. These differentially expressed genes were enriched in several Gene Ontology (GO) terms related to "stress response", "heme binding", and "carbonate dehydratase activity". Meanwhile, significant KEGG pathways were enriched in energy metabolism, including nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. These results demonstrate the response of Nile tilapia exposed to alkaline-water and might provide valuable information to further understand the molecular mechanisms of adaptation of fish to alkaline environments.

Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the M and N genes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) strains in Anhui Province, China

To assess the homology and phylogenetic relationship between porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) Anhui strains and other PEDV strains, molecular homology and phylogenetic analyses of Anhui PEDV field strains were compared with those of reference strains. The results revealed that the M and N genes of PEDV were 681 and 1326 bp long, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of the N genes of Anhui PEDV strains were 95.9-99.9% homologous with each other, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 92.5-99.8% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 94.1-99.5% nucleotide sequence homology in the N gene and 91.2-97.5% amino acid mutation homology in the N protein. The nucleotide sequences of the M genes of Anhui PEDV were 98.3-100% homologous, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 96.5-99.6% homologous. Compared with the PEDV reference strains, the Anhui PEDV field strains had 96.9-100% nucleotide sequence homology in the M gene and 96.5-99.6% amino acid homology in the M protein. The Anhui strains were genetically similar to USA strains (USA/Iowa/16465/2013 and USA/Indiana/17846/2013) but different from European (CV777;Br1/7), Korean (Chinju99), and Japanese (83p-5) strains.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist for oocyte triggering in endometrial preparation of letrozole stimulation protocols does not affect clinical outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of GnRH agonist in comparison with hCG for triggering final oocyte maturation in endometrial preparation of letrozole stimulation protocols for frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

METHODS

The frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles (FET) that use the letrozole stimulation protocols for endometrial preparation were divided into two groups according the different method of triggering final oocyte maturation. The serum LH and E2 levels, and the endometrial thickness on the day of triggering, the clinical pregnancy rates, the miscarriage rates and live birth rates were compared.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in the age, the endometrial thickness, the number of embryos transferred between the two groups. The clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate and live birth rates of the group A were similar compared with the group B, P<0.05.

CONCLUSION

Using GnRH agonist for oocyte triggering in endometrial preparation of letrozole stimulation protocols for frozen-thawed embryo transfer does not affect the clinical outcome compared with hCG under the same luteal phase support.

Delivery of AIB1 siRNA by Ca2+/PEI/heparin composite nanoparticles effectively inhibits the growth of human breast cancer

Here, a novel carrier fabricated by the interaction of negatively charged heparin and positively charged PEI and Ca²⁺ was investigated to deliver AIB1 siRNA into breast cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin nanoparticles were prepared by simply mixing heparin, PEI and CaCl₂ aqueous solution. Heparin in the Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin nanoparticles (40.9% heparin, w/w) decreased the cytotoxicity of PEI. According to the MTT assay, Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin NPs are superior to commercial Lipofectamine 2000 considering the safety. The Ca²⁺/PEI/heparin NPs are able to deliver siAIB1 into breast cancer cells as effectively as Lipofectamine 2000 both in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo experiment also indicated that the NF-κB/BCL-2 signal pathway might be the downstream signal pathway of AIB1 in regulating breast cancer proliferation and progression.

Health inequalities during 20 years of rapid economic development in China (1980-2000): a mortality analysis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the influence of China's economic reforms on population health and regional mortality rates.

METHODS

Longitudinal study measuring the mortality trends and their regional variations. Using data from the three most recent national censuses, we used the model life table to adjust the mortality levels within the population for each census, and to calculate life expectancy. We then examined the variation in patterns of mortality and population health by economic status, region and gender from 1980-2000.

RESULTS

Life expectancy varied with economic status, province, and gender. Results showed that, although life expectancy in China had increased overall since the early 1980s, regional differences became more pronounced. Life expectancy for populations who live in the eastern coastal provinces are greater than those in the western regions.

CONCLUSION

Differences in life expectancy are primarily related to differences in regional economic development, which in turn exacerbate regional health inequalities. Therefore, it is necessary to improve economic development in less developed regions and to improve health policies and the public health system that address the needs of everyone.

First Report of Corynespora Leaf Spot on Patchouli Caused by Corynespora cassiicola in China

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.) is mainly cultivated in Southeast Asia as a medicinal shrub and a source of patchouli oil used in perfumery. In 2008, a leaf spot disease was observed on patchouli plants grown on most farms (some farms had 99% incidence) in Wanning, the predominant cultivation location in the Hainan Province of China. The disease usually began at the tip of leaves, the main veins, or small veinlets. Severely irregular-shaped dark brown leaf spots expanded over 5 to 10 days, eventually causing infected leaves to abscise. The time from initial leaf lesions to abscission usually took 1 month. The disease was usually most severe in April and May, causing significant economic losses along with quality losses to patchouli oil extracted from leaves. To isolate the causal pathogen, diseased leaves were collected in August 2008 from a farm of the Hainan Branch Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Wanning, surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 1 min, transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 28°C for 14 days. Single-spore cultures of three isolates were obtained and identified as Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & Curt.) Wei. on the basis of morphological and physiological features (1). Genomic DNA was extracted from all the cultures. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rDNA was amplified using primers ITS1 (5'-TCCGATGGTGAACCTGCGG-3') and ITS4 (5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3'). Amplicons were 546 bp (GenBank Accession No. HM145960) and had 99% nucleotide identity with the corresponding sequence (GenBank Accession No. GU138988) of C. cassiicola isolated from cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). To satisfy Koch's postulates, 50-day-old potted plants in a tent were sprayed until runoff with a spore suspension (1 × 10⁶ spores/ml) prepared from 10-day-old cultures. Using this spray method, one isolate was inoculated separately onto nine leaves of three potted plants. The potted plants were covered with plastic bags to maintain high humidity for 48 h and then placed outside under natural environmental conditions (temperature 20 to 28°C). Another nine leaves of three potted plants, sprayed only with sterile water, served as noninoculated control plants. Leaf spot symptoms similar to those on diseased field plants appeared after 7 days on all inoculated plants. C. cassiicola was reisolated from all inoculated test plants. No symptoms were observed on the control plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. cassiicola causing a leaf spot disease on patchouli in China. Other previous reports of this disease were from Cuba (2). This pathogen has also been reported previously to be economically important on a number of other hosts. On patchouli plants, more attention should be given to prevention and control measures to help manage this disease. References: (1) M. B. Ellis. Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth Mycological Institute: Kew, Surrey, England, 1971. (2) I. Sandoval et al. Cienc. Tec. Agric., Prot. Plant. 10:21, 1987.

First Report of Alternaria Leaf Blight on Bupleurum chinense Caused by Alternaria alternata in China

Bupleurum chinense DC. (family Umbelliferae) is an important medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine and is cultivated as an economically important plant in China (2). From 2006 to 2009, severe foliar disease was observed on B. chinense in Haidian, Changping, and Shunyi districts, Beijing, China. Approximately 75 to 85% of fields were affected with disease incidence ranging from 65 to 90%. Distribution of the disease in affected B. chinense fields was generally associated with high soil moisture, often corresponding to poor drainage. Initial symptoms first appeared on older leaves as irregularly shaped, minute, dark brown-to-black spots, with yellow borders on the edge of the affected leaflet blade. As the disease progressed, the lesions expanded, causing the leaflets to turn brown, shrivel, and die. Isolations performed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) initially resulted in white colonies. After 7 days of incubation at 25°C, the colonies turned gray or brown. Conidia varied in size from 10 × 6 to 40 × 12 μm, appeared brown to dark brown or olive-brown, were short beaked and borne in long chains, oval and bean-shaped with one to six transverse septa and zero to three longitudinal septa. Sequences of the rDNA from the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 and the 5.8S gene were amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4, were obtained from three isolates, and comparisons with GenBank showed 100% similarity with A. alternata (Genbank Accession No. AB470912.1). For pathogenicity tests, three isolates were grown on PDA for 14 days. Inoculations were performed on detached, surface-sterilized, and healthy B. chinense leaflets following the method of Belisario (1). A 5-μl drop of conidial suspension containing 1 × 10⁵ CFU/ml was placed on each leaflet and 12 leaves per isolate were used. Leaves were incubated in a growth chamber (80 to 90% relative humidity; 50 to 60 klx/m² light intensity with a 12-h photoperiod). After 5 days, leaf spots similar to the original symptoms developed on all inoculated leaves and A. alternata was consistently reisolated from symptomatic leaf tissues on PDA. Control leaflets inoculated with sterile water remained asymptomatic. The experiment was performed three times. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. alternata on B. chinense from China. References: (1) A. Belisario et al. Plant Dis. 83:696, 1999. (2) C. Sui et al. Plant Dis. 93:844, 2009.

Metabolic restaging of hepatocellular carcinoma using whole-body F-FDG PET/CT

AIM

To evaluate the ability of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission and computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) in restaging of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after treatment.

METHODS

We reviewed a database of the diagnostic performance of (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan for patients with HCC following local or regional treatment. The database consisted of (18)F-FDG PET/CT information of 21 male and 4 female (age range, 27-81 years; mean age, 51.6 years) patients who had received surgical resection and/or interventional treatments and then underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan. All patients had received enhanced CT scan of the liver two weeks before or after the (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan. Intrahepatic recurrence and/or extrahepatic metastases were confirmed by histological analysis or clinical and imaging follow-up. The accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET/CT study was determined by histopathological results or by clinical and imaging follow-up.

RESULTS

(18)F-FDG PET/CT was abnormal in 19 of the 25 (76.0%) patients. In detecting HCC recurrence, (18)F-FDG PET/CT scored 17 true positives, 5 true negatives, 2 false positives and 1 false negative. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in detecting HCC recurrence was 89.5%, 83.3% and 88%, respectively. (18)F-FDG PET/CT had an impact on management of these patients by settling the problem of an unexplained increase in alpha-fetoprotein after treatment (14 patients), by monitoring response to the treatment and guiding additional regional therapy (12 patients), by identifying extrahepatic metastases (10 patients), by identifying tumor growth or thrombosis in the portal vein (6 patients), or by guiding surgical resection of extrahepatic metastases (2 patients).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that whole body (18)F-FDG PET/CT may be useful in the early evaluation of residual, intrahepatic recurrent or extrahepatic metastatic lesions and able to provide valuable information for the management of HCC recurrence.

Clinical value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in assessing suspicious relapse after rectal cancer resection

AIM: To evaluate the value of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in the restaging of resected rectal cancer.

METHODS: From January 2007 to Sep 2008, 21 patients who had undergone curative surgery resection for rectal carcinoma with suspicious relapse in conventional imaging or clinical findings were retrospectively enrolled in our study. The patients underwent 28 PET/CT scans (two patients had two scans, one patient had three and one had four scans). Locoregional recurrences and/or distant metastases were confirmed by histological analysis or clinical and imaging follow-up.

RESULTS: Final diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological diagnosis in 12 patients (57.1%) and by clinical and imaging follow-up in nine patients (42.9%). Eight patients had extrapelvic metastases with no evidence of pelvic recurrence. Seven patients had both pelvic recurrence and extrapelvic metastases, and two patients had pelvic recurrence only. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was negative in two patients and positive in 19 patients. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was true positive in 17 patients and false positive in two. The accuracy of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was 90.5%, negative predictive value was 100%, and positive predictive value was 89.5%. Five patients with perirectal recurrence underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT image guided tissue core biopsy. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT also guided surgical resection of pulmonary metastases in three patients and monitored the response to salvage chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in four patients.

CONCLUSION: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is useful for evaluating suspicious locoregional recurrence and distant metastases in the restaging of rectal cancer after curative resection.

First Report of Broad bean wilt virus 2 Infecting Bupleurum chinense in China

Samples of the medicinal plant, Bupleurum chinense DC., were collected in October 2007 from the garden of the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Beijing. Partial fragments of the genomic RNA1 and RNA2 of Broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV-2) were obtained from the root cDNA library of these plants. Sequence analyses showed the 1,896-nt RNA1 fragment (GenBank No. FJ485684) encoding a portion of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and the 2,017-nt RNA2 fragment (No. FJ485685) encoding 612 amino acids of the complete large (LCP) and small coat protein (SCP), respectively. The amino acid identities of LCP and SCP were 90.8 to 96.7% compared with sequences of other BBWV-2 isolates deposited in the GenBank with the highest homology to Japanese IP (No. AB018698) and the lowest to Japanese 1-2 (No. AB018701). This strongly suggests that the B. chinense plants utilized for cDNA library construction were infected by what appears to be an isolate of BBWV-2. Seeds from the same batch were sown again in the same garden in May 2008. In August 2008, approximately 30% of these plants showed mosaic, distortion, and stunting. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR amplicons were obtained from eight symptomatic plants using a pair of conserved primers for specific detection of viruses within the Fabavirus genus (2). A symptomless plant tested negative by RT-PCR. The same single 391-bp amplicon of RNA1 (No. FJ485686) obtained from five of those eight symptomatic plants were cloned and sequenced. Sequence comparison with the corresponding sequences of other BBWV-2 isolates showed that the sequenced isolate was most closely related to B935-a Chinese faba bean isolate (No. AF149425). Crude sap of one diseased B. chinense plant was used for mechanical inoculation to Chenopodium amaranticolor Coste & Reyn. Chlorotic local lesions were observed on inoculated leaves 5 days after inoculation, and subsequently, systemic mottle and malformed symptoms appeared on the upper leaves. Twelve plants were inoculated and all plants showed symptoms of virus infection. RT-PCR tests of inoculated indicator plants showing local lesions confirmed the presence of BBWV-2. To date, Clover yellow vein virus and Lettuce mosaic virus have been isolated from the genus Bupleurum (B. griffithii hort. and B. falcatum L. sensu lato) in Japan and Israel, respectively (1,3). Furthermore, to our knowledge, no genomic sequence of BBWV-2 naturally infecting plants in the family Umbelliferae/Apiaceae has been reported. Therefore, this is the first report of BBWV-2 on B. chinense (Umbelliferae/Apiaceae), which was designated as a BC isolate of BBWV-2. In China, BBWV-2 was reported to be infecting and causing heavy losses to many plant species mostly belonging to the family Leguminosae (4). B. chinense is a commonly used bulk medicinal plant mainly cultivated in Hebei, Sichuan, Gansu, and Shanxi provinces in China for decoction pieces and extracts of its dried roots, which are also exported to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. These results demonstrate the need for further assessment of BBWV-2 incidence and the losses it may cause. References: (1) J. Cohen et al. Phytoparasitica 30:88, 2002. (2) R. M. Ferrer et al. J. Virol. Methods 144:156, 2007. (3) H. Yamamoto. Jpn. J. Phytopathol. 69:420, 2003. (4) X. P. Zhou et al. Acta Phytopathol. Sin. 26:347, 1996.

Clinical usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the restaging of esophageal cancer after surgical resection and radiotherapy

AIM: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission and computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in restaging of esophageal cancer after surgical resection and radiotherapy.

METHODS: Between January 2007 and Aug 2008, twenty histopathologically diagnosed esophageal cancer patients underwent 25 PET/CT scans (three patients had two scans and one patient had three scans) for restaging after surgical resection and radiotherapy. The standard reference for tumor recurrence was histopathologic confirmation or clinical follow-up for at least ten months after ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT examinations.

RESULTS: Tumor recurrence was confirmed histopathologically in seven of the 20 patients (35%) and by clinical and radiological follow-up in 13 (65%). ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was positive in 14 patients (68.4%) and negative in six (31.6%). ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was true positive in 11 patients, false positive in three and true negative in six. Overall, the accuracy of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was 85%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%, and positive predictive value (PPV) was 78.6%. The three false positive PET/CT findings comprised chronic inflammation of mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 2) and anastomosis inflammation (n = 1). PET/CT demonstrated distant metastasis in 10 patients. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging-guided salvage treatment in nine patients was performed. Treatment regimens were changed in 12 (60%) patients after introducing ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT into their conventional post-treatment follow-up program.

CONCLUSION: Whole body ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is effective in detecting relapse of esophageal cancer after surgical resection and radiotherapy. It could also have important clinical impact on the management of esophageal cancer, influencing both clinical restaging and salvage treatment of patients.

Clinical role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in post-operative follow up of gastric cancer: Initial results

AIM: To evaluate the clinical role of ¹⁸F-fluorodeo-xyglucose positron emission and computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) in detection of gastric cancer recurrence after initial surgical resection.

METHODS: In the period from January 2007 to May 2008, 23 patients who had previous surgical resection of histopathologically diagnosed gastric cancer underwent a total of 25 ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT scans as follow-up visits in our center. The standard of reference for tumor recurrence consisted of histopathologic confirmation or clinical follow-up information for at least 5 mo after PET/CT examinations.

RESULTS: PET/CT was positive in 14 patients (61%) and negative in 9 (39%). When correlated with final diagnosis, which was confirmed by histopathologic evidence of tumor recurrence in 8 of the 23 patients (35%) and by clinical follow-up in 15 (65%), PET/CT was true positive in 12 patients, false positive in 2, true negative in 8 and false negative in 2. Overall, the accuracy of PET/CT was 82.6%, the negative predictive value (NPV) was 77.7%, and the positive predictive value (PPV) was 85.7%. The 2 false positive PET/CT findings were actually chronic inflammatory tissue lesions. For the two patients with false negative PET/CT, the final diagnosis was recurrence of mucinous adenocarcinoma in the anastomosis in one patient and abdominal wall metastasis in the other. Importantly, PET/CT revealed true-positive findings in 11 (47.8%) patients who had negative or no definite findings by CT. PET/CT revealed extra-abdominal metastases in 7 patients and additional esophageal carcinoma in one patient. Clinical treatment decisions were changed in 7 (30.4%) patients after introducing PET/CT into their conventional post-operative follow-up program.

CONCLUSION: Whole body ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was highly effective in discriminating true recurrence in post-operative patients with gastric cancer and had important impacts on clinical decisions in a considerable portion of patients.

Highly metabolic thrombus of the portal vein: 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography demonstration and clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To assess the ability of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) to differentiate between benign and malignant portal vein thrombosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

METHODS: Five consecutive patients who had HBV cirrhosis, biopsy-proven HCC, and thrombosis of the main portal vein and/or left/right portal vein on ultrasound (US), computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were studied with ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT. The presence or absence of a highly metabolic thrombus on ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT was considered diagnostic for malignant or benign portal vein thrombosis, respectively. All patients were followed-up monthly with US, CT or MRI. Shrinkage of the thrombus or recanalization of the vessels on US, CT or MRI during follow-up was considered to be definitive evidence of the benign nature of the thrombosis, whereas enlargement of the thrombus, disruption of the vessel wall, and parenchymal infiltration over follow-up were considered to be consistent with malignancy. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT, and US, CT or MRI results were compared.

RESULTS: Follow-up (1 to 10 mo) showed signs of malignant thrombosis in 4 of the 5 patients. US, CT or MRI produced a true-positive result for malignancy in 4 of the patients, and a false-positive result in 1. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT showed a highly metabolic thrombus in 4 of the 5 patients. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT achieved a true-positive result in all 4 of these patients, and a true-negative result in the other patient. No false-positive result was observed using ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT.

CONCLUSION: ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful in discriminating between benign and malignant portal vein thrombi. Patients may benefit from ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT when portal vein thrombi can not be diagnosed exactly by US, CT or MRI.

Energy and Enthalpy Distribution Functions for a Few Physical Systems

The present work is devoted to extracting the energy or enthalpy distribution function of a physical system from the moments of the distribution using the maximum entropy method. This distribution theory has the salient traits that it utilizes only the experimental thermodynamic data. The calculated distribution functions provide invaluable insight into the state or phase behavior of the physical systems under study. As concrete evidence, we demonstrate the elegance of the distribution theory by studying first a test case of a two-dimensional six-state Potts model for which simulation results are available for comparison, then the biphasic behavior of the binary alloy Na-K whose excess heat capacity, experimentally observed to fall in a narrow temperature range, has yet to be clarified theoretically, and finally, the thermally induced state behavior of a collection of 16 proteins.

Structure determination of surface magic clusters

The structure of a type of surface magic cluster is determined by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, density-functional calculations, and dynamical low energy electron diffraction. The diffraction method is applicable because these clusters created through hierarchical self-organization of Ga deposited onto a Si(111)-7x7 surface have identical size and structure and form an ordered array with exact translational symmetry. The unprecedented detailed structure information provided by the diffraction measurement is consistent with direct microscopic imaging and theoretical calculations.

The hemispheric difference of semantic processing of Chinese characters in two dimensions as revealed by ERPs

An experiment was conducted to examine the hemispheric dominance in semantic processing of Chinese characters. Results showed that N1 is the earliest component that reflects the semantic processing of Chinese characters. Although N1 of the left hemisphere is larger in amplitude, that of the right hemisphere is shorter in latency. Based on these findings, the authors propose that the left hemisphere does not start processing until the necessary information has been transferred from the right hemisphere. Once the left hemisphere starts processing, its intensity is stronger. Thus, it is more appropriate to differentiate hemispheric processing dominance into two dimensions: speed and intensity. Moreover, the semantic cognition onset of Chinese characters occurs from 100 ms to 160 ms in the posterior perceptual processing area of brain.

[Systemic breeding of the new variety of Biantiao ginseng (Panax ginseng)]

OBJECTIVE

To breed new varieties of Biantiao ginseng for high yield and fine quality.

METHODS

Systemic breeding methods were applied. About 3,000 outstanding Biantiao ginseng roots were selected and planted in breeding field, and self-crossed for four generations. During the course, inferior lines or plants were rejected. Then strain comparison, identification of resistance to black-speck disease, and analysis of active compositions were carried out.

RESULTS

"Biantiao 1" (BT1), the first new variety of Biantiao ginseng, with green stems and thick, long, elegant roots and median resistance to black-speck disease, has been harvested since 20 years. The percentage of Biantiao ginseng roots and yield were 15% and 30% higher than the control's respectively. The content of total ginsenosides and the main monomers was 1.8%-2.5% higher than the control's. The characteristics of overground part and root of BT1 were uniform and stable.

CONCLUSIONS

BT1, a new excellent ginseng variety, has a good potential value to be generalized in ginseng production.

[Changes of early components of auditory ERPs during HDT-simulated weightlessness]

Objective. To study changes of early components of the auditory ERPs during simulated weightlessness. Method. The event-related potentials (ERPs) during an auditory location discrimination were compared between head down tilt (HDT) and head up tilt (HUT) conditions in 14 normal subjects. Result. The early components of T-ERPs and NT-ERPs decreased significantly during HDT as compared with that during HUT. The reduction of mean potential amplitude during HDT was more marked at left-forehead area (F5). Conclusion. These data provided further evidence showing that the early activity process of brain was also affected by simulated weightlessness.

[Research into estimating lumen center of dark region in colon image via cubic B-spline wavelet]

In this paper, a new method is presented to detect the edge of a colonscope image using cublic B-spline wavelet. This method can make up for the shortcoming of traditional method, resulting from blue dark area in colonscope image through estimating the circle centers. These estimated circle centers which have arc-shaped edge lines are weighted to obtained the lumen centers. This center is used to navigate colon endoscope in colonscopic operation.

[Changes of brain potentials related to auditory location discrimination during simulated weightlessness]

Objective. To study changes of brain response in distinguishing auditory location during simulated weightlessness. Method. The event-related potentials (ERPs) during auditory location discrimination were compared between head down tilt (HDT) and head up tilt (HUT) conditions among 14 healthy subjects. Result. (1) Both the target (T) and non-target (NT) auditory signals induced significant ERPS; (2) The slow potential was significantly lower for both T and NT-ERPs during HDT as compared with that during HUT; (3) The reduction of mean slow potential amplitude during HDT was more significant for the target signals from right-rear position and lightest for the target signals from right-front position. This phenomenon was more remarkable at left-front area. Conclusion. These data provide further evidence that the higher brain function was affected by simulated weightlessness.

[Comparison of effects of 5 and 20 Hz magnetic field on cerebral ischemia in rats]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of 5 Hz and 20 Hz magnetic field on cerebral ischemia in rats.

METHOD

After cerebral ischemia was produced by ligation of the left general carotid artery, rats were stimulated by magnetic fields of 5 Hz and 20 Hz respectively and pathological changes in neurocytes were observed.

RESULT

(1) Different pathological changes were observed in different cells; (2) The extent of damage of pyramidal cells was milder in 5 Hz magnetic field groups than those in the control group, and the effect was not remarkable in the 20 Hz group; (3) The effect on astroglia was worse in 5 Hz group than that in control and 20 Hz group.

CONCLUSION

Magnetic field stimulation influences cerebral ischemic reaction with frequency-dependency.

Unsymmetrical response features of left and right brain to signals from left and right visual fields at different cognitive levels

OBJECTIVE

To study the response characteristics of left and right brain to signals from left (LVF) and right (RVF) visual fields during cognitive activity.

METHOD

ERPs at 9 locations to LVF and RVF signals were compared in 23 normal subjects in 3 task conditions: looking forward only (VC); making switch response to target signals (T) only (SR); making switch response to T differentially (DR).

RESULT

(1) Significant difference in ERPs was found between that induced by LVF and RVF signals on left brain especially at frontal location (F5), which appeared as slow negative deflection induced by T and NT from RVF in SR and DR; (2) Condition-dependent unsymmetrical features between left and right brain were found: the slow potential at F5 was significantly more negative in T and contralateral spatial relation (i. e., left brain for RVF) but more positive in NT and ipsilateral relation than that at F6.

CONCLUSION

Signals with psychological meaning in RVF might cause more psychological load as suggested by the results obtained in this study.

[EEG synchronization index spectrum: definition, calculation and the changes related to visual selective response]

OBJECTIVE

EEG synchronization is usually estimated in terms of coherence amplitude, but the estimation is with apparent uncertainty because of the poor resolution both in time and frequency. The purpose of this work is to surmount this problem.

METHOD

A new definition of EEG synchronization index spectrum [SynI(f)] was developed basing on the distribution characteristics of EEG coherence phase which was calculated by a tested algorithm with 1 s and 1 Hz resolution. The basic feature and its changes during visual selective responses were calculated in 25 normal subjects. EEG signals were recorded from 9 locations in two conditions: looking at the central LED only(VC) and making switch response to the target LED flash signals (T) differentially (DR): switch to left or right for Ts from left (LVF) or right (RVF) visual field, repectively but making no response to the non-target ones (NT).

RESULT

(1) The frequency dependency of SynI varied with brain location, e.g., SynI was higher in alpha range than others at frontal locations but the situation reversed at posterior locations. (2) The SynIs between midline and right brain locations were higher than that between mid line and left ones. (3) As compared with VC, SynI was increased in DR condition at central and posterior brain locations but not frontal ones, it happened mainly in 7-23 Hz at central locations but in 1-4 Hz at posterior ones. (4) The augmentation of SynI in DR was greater for T than for NT signals.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that the SynI(f) was meaningful for studying the frequency-spatial feature of EEG synchronization change among brain locations related to cognitive activities.

Cross-modal selective attention to visual and auditory stimuli modulates endogenous ERP components

In two experiments event-related potentials (ERPs) to visual and auditory stimuli were measured in 12 healthy subjects. A cross-modal and delayed response paradigm was used that allows ERPs to be obtained separately to attended and unattended stimuli under conditions in which unattended stimuli are less likely to be covertly or randomly attended. The results showed: (1) N1 enhancement with attention for standard stimuli in auditory and visual modalities and for deviant stimuli in the visual modality; (2) The onset time and scalp distribution of both the N1 for attend condition and Nd1 were similar regardless of standard or deviant stimuli in the auditory and visual modality; the onset time of Nd1 elicited by auditory and visual deviant stimuli was earlier than that of the unattended N1, and their scalp distributions were different; and (3) The Nd1 components elicited by auditory and visual deviant stimuli were distributed over the respective primary sensory areas, but Nd1 components evoked by auditory and visual standard stimuli were distributed over the frontal scalp. These results suggest that the attended N1 enhancement is primarily caused by a component with endogenous origins and that the early attention effect occurs before the exogenous components. The results support the view that the cross-modal attention to deviant stimuli modulates modality-specific processing in the brain, whereas attention to standard stimuli affects modality-nonspecific or supramodal brain systems.

Effects of semantic discrimination of Chinese words on N400 component of event-related potentials

20 subjects' event-related brain potentials were measured during a lexical decision task in which Chinese characters were used in both conditions of related (antonym) and unrelated words. Analysis indicated that the mean reaction time for unrelated words was 130 msec. longer than that elicited by related words. The condition of unrelated words elicited a significant N450, and an obvious P500 was evoked by related words at each of the 17 recording sites. Furthermore, the amplitudes of N210 and N450 were larger in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere but the amplitude of P500 was larger in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere.

[Effect of extremely low frequency magnetic field on brain response to selective mental arithmetic under simulated weightlessness]

Objective. To study effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELMF) on brain function state during weightlessness. Method. The brain event-related potentials (ERPs) during a selective mental arithmetic task were compared in 40 normal subjects (20-25 yrs) before and after ELMF (5 Hz) stimulation during simulated weightlessness (head down tilt -10 degrees, HDT). Result. The amplitude of slow positive potentials which were supposed to be related to the mental arithmetic activity decreased significantly especially in 100 min after HDT, but it did not decrease significantly after ELMF stimulation. Conclusion. ELMF stimulation may improve the brain function state during simulated weightlessness.

Relatively between extrication wave of mental load (EML) and emotion

This experiment which was divided into three items studied the relativity between normal human emotion and extrication wave of mental load (EML) in a paradigm of combining CNV feedback with EML. Fourteen young persons were taken as subjects. After Fz, Cz, Pz, P3-T5 and P4-T6 were recorded, shorter EML latency and higher EML amplitude were caused by positive emotion in comparison with those caused by negative emotion. EML changes of the five recorded points were consistent under the effects of positive and negative emotions. This experiment also discussed the question of EML brain sources. Under the emotional conditions provided in the present experiment, EML possibly can be regarded as ERP index reflecting its positive and negative attributes.

Effects of eye position on event-related potentials during auditory selective attention

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from normal subjects who received random sequences of tone pips from loudspeakers located to the left and right of a central point. The task was to detect occasional higher pitched tones (targets) from one designated speaker. The negative difference (Nd) wave between ERPs for relevant and irrelevant tones was largest when subjects fixated on the relevant speaker, smallest when subjects fixated on the irrelevant speaker, and intermediate in a central fixation. In addition, the Nd modulation for the left tones was produced by the more negative (or less positive) shift of irrelevant-stimulus ERPs and the less negative shift of relevant-stimulus ERPs associated with fixating away from the relevant speaker. These findings suggest the possibility of both facilitatory and inhibitory effects of eye position on auditory spatial attention. The substantial modulation of ERPs due to eye position also indicated the necessity of fixation control in auditory attention ERP research.

[Effects of ranitidine on ventricular refractory period and fibrillation threshold of normal and ischemic ventricle in rabbits]

Effects of ranitidine (Ran) on ventricular refractory period and fibrillation threshold of normal and ischemic ventricle were investigated in pentobarbitone anesthetized rabbits. In saline-treated rabbits, relative refractory period (RRP) and effective refractory period (ERP) were shortened from 132 +/- 24 to 126 +/- 25 ms (n = 10, P < 0.05) and from 118 +/- 22 to 108 +/- 27 ms (n = 10, P < 0.05) in boundary zone of ventricular ischemic regions, respectively. The ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) was decreased from 5.5 +/- 1.4 to 2.8 +/- 1.1 V (n = 10, P < 0.01) after coronary artery ligation (CAL). Ran (25 mg.kg-1, i.v.) not only prevented these changes, but also lengthened RRP from 123 +/- 14 to 136 +/- 10 ms (P < 0.05) and ERP from 111 +/- 16 to 126 +/- 12 ms (P < 0.05), and increased VFT from 4.7 +/- 0.8 to 7.4 +/- 1.8 V (P < 0.01) in normal ventricle. The results suggest that Ran may have anti-arrhythmic effects in rabbits.

Early afterdepolarization in mouse atrial fibers induced by 3.0 mM K+ and the inhibitory effects of tetrodotoxin and nifedipine

Early afterdepolarization (EAD) was induced under superfusion of Tyrode solution (K+ = 3.0 mM) at a longer cycle length in mouse atrial fibers. The relationships between the duration and the number of triggered bursts and cycle length were exponential (n = 17). Thus, EAD possesses the property of cycle length dependence. Under a moderate concentration of TTX (4.0 microM) or nifedipine (5.0 microM) treatment, EAD was partially inhibited but maintained cycle length dependence. When a high concentration of the drugs (30 microM and 8.0 microM, respectively) was applied, EAD was abolished at all cycle lengths of driving stimulation. It is suggested that both inward currents (INa and ICa) are involved in the generation of EAD in mouse atrial fibers.

Effect of simulated weightlessness on the response characteristics of human brain

In order to systematically investigate the effects of simulated weightlessness on the function state of human brain, 15 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) was used to simulate weightlessness, and the response changes of event-related EEG power spectra, medium-frequency synchronous potentials and slow-waves were examined in the present study. It was found that HDT had characteristic effects on the above EEG responses, suggesting that the effects mainly occurred in the brain's regulatory system, therefore, resulting in changes of the brain function state.

Appearance of two-level CNV and extrication wave and the explanation of psychological factors of CNV

Three paradigms of CNV were recorded on twelve subjects aged 19 to 23, as follows: (1) Usual CNV (U.CNV): warning stimulus--imperative stimulus--motor response. (2) Nonmotor Two-Level CNV (NmTL.CNV): warning stimulus--warning stimulus--weak click (random presence or absence)--discrimination. (3) Nonmotor CNV (Nm.CNV): warning stimulus--weak click (random presence or absence)--discrimination. The CNV rise, level by level, was observed. Analysis of the results of this experiment indicates that the positive wave after discrimination is essentially different from the positive-going wave after the usual CNV motor response. It is a pure, mental-related wave and is related to the extrication from mental load (EML). These phenomena suggest that the psychological factors in CNV are the increase of mental load which is synthetically composed of expectancy, conation, motivation, orientation, attention and arousal, etc., while engaging in an identical task.

Two-level CNV and extrication wave in human brain

In this experiment, the paradigm of CNV is changed, with two warning stimuli presented and the key press for discrimination exchanged in order to reject the motor factor in CNV. The main results are: Second level of CNV is increased, an extrication wave is discovered. Various hypotheses about CNV are discussed, proposing that the psychological factor in CNV is not a unitary one, but the increase of the mental load which is synthetically composed of many psychological factors.

Cardiogenic motion of right lung parenchyma in anesthetized intact dogs

Cardiogenic motion of the right lung parenchyma (CGLM) was measured in six morphine-pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs (11-16 kg) under conditions of varying paced and spontaneous sinus heart rates. Motion of 1-mm-diameter percutaneously implanted radiopaque lung parenchymal markers were measured using a computer-based biplane video-roentgenographic assembly. Correlation of the amplitudes and phases of marker motions to the R wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) were determined utilizing a modified fast Fourier transform algorithm. Of initial importance was the observation that CGLM was significantly greater than the variability of repeated measurements. The total amplitudes of motion of the markers (where AT = square root A2X + A2Y + A2Z and AX, AY, AZ are the amplitudes of marker motion along the orthogonal X, Y, and Z body axes) in the right apical, cardiac, and diaphragmatic lobes were 0.025 +/- 0.005 (SE), 0.046 +/- 0.005, and 0.023 +/- 0.025 cm, respectively, (P less than 0.01, cardiac lobe vs. others). The total amplitude of motion observed in the cardiac lobe was equivalent to earlier observations of total amplitude (0.045 +/- 0.004 cm) of marker motion in response to high frequency airway oscillation at a pump stroke volume of 22-26 ml. An analysis of the higher harmonics of marker oscillation suggested that the second harmonic of CGLM is also larger than the variability of our measurements.