[Staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries for total repair of Debakey type Ⅰ aortic dissection: a series of 10 cases]

Objective: To examine the efficacy and experience of staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries for total repair of Debakey type Ⅰ aortic dissection (TIAD). Methods: This study was a retrospective case series. The clinic data of 10 patients with acute TIAD who were admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University or the First People's Hospital of Lanzhou, between January 2016 and August 2022, were retrospectively studied. Ten patients underwent hybrid surgeries in two hospitalizations (stages), including 7 males and 3 females with an age of (60±7) years (range: 49 to 71 years). In stage 1, the first type Ⅱ hybrid arch repair was performed to treat the ascending, total arch, and descending thoracic aorta for acute TIAD without circulatory arrest. In stage 2, the second hybrid surgery including infrarenal abdominal aorta replacement, visceral arteries bypass and endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic repair was performed to treat residual thoracoabdominal aortic dissection after the first hybrid operation (segmented). Basic data, preoperative concomitant diseases, high-risk factors, surgical approaches and postoperative complications of all important organs, as well as CT imaging were analyzed. Results: There was no death in the 20 hybrid surgical procedures. In stage 1 type Ⅱ hybrid surgery, 4 cases underwent reconstruction of the aortic sinutubular junction, while Bentall and David surgery was performed for 3 cases, respectively. A patient received coronary artery bypass grafting. Then all patients were sequentially treated with arch debranching and thoracic aortic endovascular repair. Postoperative complications included renal insufficiency (4/10), hemofiltration (1/10), hypoxemia (4/10), neurologic event (1/10) and type Ⅱ endoleak (1/10). Complete false lumen thrombosis occurred in 9/10 of the patients. All complications recovered successfully at discharge and the average hospital stay was (21±4) days (range: 16 to 28 days) in the first hospitalization. At stage 2, the second hybrid surgery was successfully performed in all patients. No paraplegia, hepatic or renal insufficiency, or endoleak occurred. However, branch graft embolism of the left renal artery was found in one patient 3 days after laparotomy, as well as of superior mesenteric artery in another. Superior mesenteric artery occlusion was successfully treated by endovascular recanalization. Complete false lumen thrombosis occurred in all patients. Although all patients had different degrees of intestinal dysfunction, they were gradually relieved at discharge, and the average hospital stay was (19±2)days (range:16 to 21 days) in the second hospitalization. During follow-up, CT angiography showed aortic remodeling in all patients. Conclusion: Staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries are safe and feasible for total repair of Debakey type Ⅰ aortic dissection and are associated with acceptable early and midterm outcomes.

[Metabolic study of iron deposition based on magnetic resonance in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease]

Objective: To explore the relationship between liver iron deposition and steatosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through MRI. Methods: 163 cases of liver biopsy underwent MRI examination. R2* was used to measure liver iron content. Dixon-based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) was used to measure liver fat content. One-way ANOVA, r-correlation, ROC curve, and others were used to assess the relationship between clinical case data, serological indices, and imaging results in accordance with the pathological results of the liver biopsy. Results: R2* gradually increased as the pathological steatosis grade rose. The R2* that corresponded to no steatosis (< 5%), mild steatosis (14.95%±8.55%), moderate steatosis (46.30%±9.32%), and severe steatosis (73.86%±6.35%) were 27.56±4.40, 31.06±5.95, 38.06±4.80, and 48.10±5.55 (P < 0.001), respectively. There was a positive correlation between R2* and liver steatosis content (r= 0.769, P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve and cut-off value were 0.88 and 31.77, respectively, and there was no distinct relationship with liver inflammation or fibrosis. Conclusion: R2* can quantitatively and non-invasively evaluate liver iron deposition in patients with NAFLD. A distinct relationship exists between liver steatosis and iron deposition, and iron deposition tends to increase as the steatosis aggravates.

[Study on revision of standard limits for nitrogen dioxide in "Standards for indoor air quality（GB/T 18883-2022）" in China]

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is an important indoor air pollutant, with both outdoor and indoor sources contributing to indoor NO2 exposure levels. Considering the association of high NO2 exposure with adverse health effects, the Standards for indoor air quality (GB/T 18883-2022) have been revised to further restrict indoor NO2 limit values. The 1-h average concentration limit value for NO2 has been reduced from 0.24 mg/m3 to 200 μg/m3.This study analyzed the technical contents related to the determination of the limits of indoor NO2 in Standards for Indoor Air Quality (GB/T 18883-2022), including source, exposure level, health effects, and the process and evidence basis for determining the limit value. It also proposed prospects for the direction for the implementation of the indoor NO2 standard.

[Clinical efficacy analysis of arthroscopic treatment for hallux ganglion cyst deriving from ankle joint]

Objective: To investigate the pathogenesis and clinical efficacy of arthroscopic treatment for hallux ganglion cyst deriving from ankle joint. Methods: The clinical data of 21 patients with ankle arthroscopic in the Department of Hand and Foot Surgery,Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from January 2019 to March 2021 were analyzed retrospectively.There were 15 male and 6 female cases,aged (52.6±8.2) years (range:42 to 70 years).There were 9 cases of primary operation and 12 cases of recurrence after operation in other hospital.All the patients were examined by ankle arthrography and MRI before operation.The synovial membrane of the ankle was debrided and the tendon sheath of flexor longus was removed at the ankle canal.One year after operation,MRI was performed,and the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS) score of forefoot function and visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after operation were compared by the paired t test or Mann-Whitney U test.The postoperative complications and recurrence were recorded. Results: All patients were operated successfully.The joint capsule at the back of the ankle joint of the patients were ruptured and communicated with the tendon sheath of the flexor longus tendon at the ankle canal.No wound infection,vascular and nerve injury occurred.The follow-up period was (15.0±2.2) months (range:12 to 18 months).During the follow-up period,there was no recurrence of toe appearance and MRI.At the last follow-up,the AOFAS score (90.8±4.3) was significantly higher than that (72.8±6.3) before operation (t=-10.810,P<0.01),and the VAS score(M(IQR)) was significantly lower than that before operation,the difference was significant (1.0(1.0) vs. 3.0(0.5), Z=-4.081,P<0.01). Conclusions: The possible mechanism of hallux ganglion cyst deriving from ankle joint is that the joint capsule at the back of the ankle joint ruptures and communicates with the tendon sheath of the flexor longus tendon at the ankle canal,and the intra-articular synovial fluid through the cylinder effect generated by sliding with the flexor tendon of the flexor longus tendon in the tendon sheath sac leads to the heel valange cyst.Ankle-synovial cleansing of the ankle joint under ankle arthroscopy and resection of the flexor tendon sheath of the flexor longus tendon at the ankle canal are effective and less invasive.

[A clinical observational study on the preliminary effect of dupilumab in the treatment of severe asthma]

Objective: To investigate the effect and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of patients with severe asthma in a preliminary clinical observational study. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 20 patients with severe asthma who received dupilumab for 4-12 months between 2019 and 2022 at the First Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, comparing pre-and post-treatment laboratory data, oral glucocorticoid dose (OCS), asthma control test (ACT) and adverse effects. The median age of the 20 patients was 48.5 (41.0-52.8) years, including 14 males and 6 females. The clinical data of 10 patients treated with other biologic agents were further analyzed to determine the reasons for switching to biologic drug treatment and the efficacy of dupilumab in these patients. Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for comparisons. Mann-Whitney analysis was used for inter-group comparison, and chi-square test or Fisher test was used for inter-group comparisons of count data. Results: A total of 20 patients were included in this study. All 20 severe asthma phenotypes were type 2 (T2)-high and completed at least the first 4 months of treatment, including 17 patients who completed 12 months of treatment. Among patients who completed 4 months of treatment, the asthma exacerbation score decreased from 1.0(0.3-1.0) episodes/4 months to 0.0(0.0-1.0) episodes/4 months, P<0.001, and FEV1/FVC increased from 58.4% (50.5%-69.0%) to 66.9% (59.6%-77.7%), P<0.01. The number of patients requiring OCS maintenance therapy decreased from 15 (75%) to 9 (45%), P<0.05. Among patients who completed 12 months of treatment, the asthma exacerbation score decreased from 1.0(0.5-1.0) episodes/4 months to 0.0 (0.0-0.0) episodes/4 months, P<0.01, and FEV1/FVC increased from 57.9% (49.6%-67.8%) to 72.7% (64.6%-78.7%), P<0.01. The number of patients requiring OCS maintenance therapy decreased from 13 (76%) to 6 (35%), P<0.01. In 10 patients with a history of previous biologic therapy, the most common reasons for switching to a biologic were a poor response to previous monoclonal antibodies (40%) and loss of control of asthma symptom control after discontinuation of monoclonal antibodies (30%). The remaining reasons were patients' uncontrolled symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (20%) and irregular or underdosed use of previous biologics (10%). After 4 months of switching to dupilumab, 10 patients experienced varying degrees of improvement in asthma control. Conclusions: The application of dupilumab for the treatment of T2-high severe asthma showed good efficacy and few adverse effects. Biologically targeted therapy is an important treatment approach to achieving better control of severe asthma.

[Evaluation of left ventricular function with left atrio-ventricular longitudinal strain in patients with lymphoma underwent anthracycline therapy]

Objective: To analyze the value of 3-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiograghy (3D-STE) derived strain parameters on the detection of subclinical myocardial deformation alterations in patients with lymphoma treated with anthracycline agents. Methods: This study was a retrospective study. A total of 37 patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma between December 2012 and December 2014 in Cancer Center, Fudan university were included. 3D-STE strain measurements were performed at baseline (T0),after the completion of two therapy circles (T1) and at the end of anthracycline regimen chemotherapy (Te). Echocardiography images were analyzed on the TTA workstation, and the indexes included left atrial minimum volume (LAVmin), left atrial emptying index (LAEF), left atrial active emptying index (LAAEF), as well as the left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), left ventricular global circumferential strain (LVGCS), left atrial global longitudinal strain (LAGLS). The overall left atrioventricular longitudinal strain (LAVGLS) was calculated, which was the sum of the absolute values of LVGLS and LAGLS. The changes of left ventricular strain indexes measured by 3D-STE at different time points of patients were evaluated. Results: Thirty-seven patients with DLBCL, aged (48.3±12.1)years, including 23 males (63.9%), were enrolled. Compared with baseline, LVGLS (T1: (-18.63±4.73)% vs. (-22.13±4.40)%, P=0.001; Te:(-18.26±4.64)% vs. (-22.13±4.40)%, P<0.001), LAGLS (T1: (20.41±5.56)% vs. (23.98±5.59)%, P=0.003; Te: (17.60±3.96)% vs. (23.98±5.59)%, P<0.001) and LAVGLS (T1: (39.05±7.60)% vs. (46.11±7.77)%, P<0.001; Te: (40.34±8.55)% vs. (46.11±7.77)%, P<0.001) were all deteriorated at the T1 and Te. While LVGCS ((-21.98±5.82)% vs. (-26.15±7.51)%, P=0.010), LAVmin ((23.93±7.29)ml vs. (20.33±7.03)ml, P=0.029), LAEF ((28.94±11.16)% vs. (35.79±11.12)%, P=0.002) and LAAEF ((11.93±10.00)% vs. (18.10±9.96)%, P=0.013) were decreased only until Te. Conclusions: 3D-STE strain measurements could detect early myocaridial function alteration in patients receiving anthracycline regimen chemotherapy, thus may provide a novel approach to monitor anthracycline caused myocardial toxicity.

[Efficacy of omalizumab in the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatous polyangiitis with asthma as the first symptom]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, and safety of omalizumab in the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatous with polyangiitis (EGPA) with asthma as the first symptom. Method: The clinical characteristics of 22 EGPA patients with asthma as the first symptom treated with omalizumab in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from March 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The asthma control test (ACT) score, the frequency of asthma exacerbation (AE), the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), the variation rate of peak expiratory flow (PEF), the percentage of PEF to predicted value of PEF (PEFpred%), the percentage of forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV₁) to predicted value of FEV₁ (FEV₁pred%), the dosage of oral corticosteroid (OCS) and other clinical data [M(Q₁, Q₃)] were collected before and after treatment, to observe the efficacy and adverse reactions of omalizumab. Results: There were 22 subjects recruited in this study. The median age was 42 (22-70) years. Eleven of the patients were males. After treated with omalizumab for 4 months, there were 68.2%(15/21) of patients who responded to the treatment. In the response group (n=15), the patients' ACT score increased from 19.0 (16.5, 21.0) to 23.0 (21.5, 24.0) (P=0.001). The frequency of AE decreased from 0.7 (0.3, 1.0) to 0 (0, 0.7) per four mouths (P<0.001). The BVAS decreased from 4.0 (2.0, 6.0) to 2.0 (2.0, 4.0) (P=0.007). The variation rate of PEF decreased from 18.8% (14.0%, 27.7%) to 9.2% (6.8%, 11.9%) (P=0.007). The PEFpred% increased from 80.8% (73.5%, 90.7%) to 100.5% (79.4%, 114.0%) (P=0.005). The maintenance dosage of OCS reduced from 15.0 (10.0, 20.0) mg/d to 8.8 (5.0, 10.0) mg/d (P=0.005). The level of baseline eosinophil in peripheral blood of patients in non-response group was higher than that in response group [11.4% (9.2%, 22.6%) vs 3.4% (1.1%, 6.5%), P<0.05]. A total of 190 injections were performed in 22 patients, and only 4 patients (2.1%) had adverse reactions after a single injection of omalizumab, such as dizziness, swelling of injection site and pruritus. The adverse reactions were tolerable. Conclusions: Omalizumab has certain curative effect on EGPA, can reduce asthmatic symptoms and OCS maintenance dosage, and has a good safety profile. The rate of response to the treatment is higher in patients with mild eosinophilic inflammation.

[The level distribution of serum AMH in different clinical manifestations of women of childbearing age]

To investigate the distribution and diagnostic value of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in healthy women of childbearing age, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovarian dysfunction (DOR) and premature ovarian failure (POF). This study retrospectively selected female patients of childbearing age who were treated in the affiliated Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from January to December 2019. According to different clinical manifestations, they were divided into 133 cases in PCOS group, 120 cases in DOR group and 134 cases in POF group. 125 healthy women in the same period were selected as the control group. The values of serum AMH, estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) were measured in the four groups. Single sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, one-way ANOVA, independent sample t-test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression analysis and ROC curve were used for comparative analysis. The serum AMH levels of PCOS group, DOR group, POF group and control group were 9.10 (6.67, 11.49) ng/ml, 0.11 (0.05, 0.29) ng/ml, 0.03 (0.02, 0.06) ng/ml and 2.99 (1.57, 4.98) ng/ml, respectively [M(Q₁,Q₃)], the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). The basal endocrine levels including E2, FSH, LH and T also had significant differences between groups (P<0.001). The results of multiple comparisons showed that there were significant differences in AMH and LH between DOR, POF and PCOS groups and the control group. The T level of PCOS group was significantly higher than that of the control group, the E2, LH and T levels of DOR group were significantly higher than that of the control group, and the FSH level of POF group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of AMH and AMH+LH in the diagnosis of PCOS were 0.905 and 0.922, the sensitivity was 82.7% and 85.0%, and the specificity was 88.0% and 88.8%. The AUC of DOR was 0.861 and 0.971, the sensitivity was 89.0% and 92.5%, and the specificity was 63.0% and 92.0%. The AUC of POF was 0.950 and 0.998, the sensitivity was 98.3% and 99.2%, and the specificity was 75.9% and 97.0%, respectively. The AUC of AMH and AMH+LH combined indexes in the differential diagnosis of DOR and POF were 0.768 and 0.937, the sensitivity was 70.3% and 95.5%, and the specificity was 73.9% and 80.8%.

[The value of serum estradiol concentration on the day of endometrial transformation in predicting the outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer in hormone replacement cycle]

To analyze whether the serum concentration of estradiol on the day of progesterone conversion could predict the pregnancy outcome of frozen-thawed embryo transfer in hormone replacement cycle. In this paper, a case-control study was conducted to retrospectively analyze the 230 cycles of hormone replacement therapy-frozen thawed embryo transfer(HRT-FET)conducted by the Department of Reproductive Medicine, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020. The concentration of serum estradiol was between 139.5-3 941.0 pg/ml. According to the percentile of serum estradiol concentration on the day of endometrial transformation, patients were divided into three groups: control group (<25th percentile, n=58), high estradiol group (25th-75th percentile, n=112) and ultra-high estradiol group (>75th percentile, n=60). Comparing the basic characteristics and pregnancy outcome of the three groups, the main observation index was the live birth rate, and the secondary observation index was the clinical pregnancy rate. F test and Kruskal-Wallis (H) test were used to compare the measurement data, and χ² test was used to compare the counting data. The results showed that there was no significant difference in age, anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH), antral follicle count(AFC), body mass index(BMI), years of infertility and the proportion of primary infertility among the three groups(F=2.375, H=5.479, H=5.374, F=1.391, H=4.779, χ²=1.969, P>0.05). FET cycle treatment: There was no significant difference in the concentration of progesterone (P) before transformation, the thickness of endometrium on the day of transformation, the proportion of single embryo transfer and blastocyst transfer among the three groups (H=5.359, H=5.957, χ²=0.626, χ²=4.532, P>0.05). The days of estrogen administration before endometrial transformation in the three groups during the FET cycle were 13.0 (12.0, 14.0) days in the high estradiol group and 13.0 (12.0, 15.0) days in the ultra-high estradiol group, which were significantly longer than those in the control group 13.0(12.0, 13.3)days. The E2 concentration before intimal transformation in high estradiol group was 1 560.4 (1 170.2, 1 848.2) pg/ml, while that in ultra-high estradiol group was 2 420.9 (2 131.0, 2 849.2) pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that in control group 238.8 (206.9, 287.0) pg/ml. The pregnancy outcome of the three groups: the clinical pregnancy rate of the three groups was 37.9% in the control group, 51.8% in the high estradiol group and 40.0% in the ultra-high estradiol group, of which the high estradiol group had the highest clinical pregnancy rate, followed by the ultra-high estradiol group. But there was no significant difference among the three groups (χ²=3.853, P>0.05). The embryo implantation rate of the three groups was 19.3%, 25.0%, 32.8%, respectively, and the embryo implantation rate of the ultra-high estradiol group was the highest, but there was no significant difference among the three groups (χ²=5.544,P>0.05).The live birth rate of the three groups was 37.9%, 39.3%, 40.0%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (χ²=0.05, P>0.05). A total of 14(13.5%) abortions occurred in 104 clinical pregnancies, all of which occurred in the high estradiol level group. Of the 104 clinical pregnancies, 24 (23.1%) had twin pregnancies, which occurred in the high estradiol level group (10 cases) and the ultra-high estradiol level group (14 cases). There were no twin pregnancies in the control group. Ectopic pregnancy occurred in 4 of 230 FET cycles (1.7%), 2 in control group and 2 in high estradiol group, and no ectopic pregnancy in ultra-high estradiol group.

[Preliminary clinical observation of omalizumab therapy for moderate to severe asthma]

Objective: To observe the effectiveness, safety and management of omalizumab therapy for moderate to severe asthma in real-world clinical practice in China. Methods: This retrospective analysis involved 79 patients with moderate to severe asthma who received omalizumab therapy for at least 4 months in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from March 2018 to April 2020. All participants were between 14 to 76 years old(median 50 years),including 30 males and 49 females. Data regarding the patients' clinical manifestations, eosinophil count, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), lung function, oral corticosteroid dosage, and adverse reactions were collected before and after treatment. Paired t-test or non-parametric paired Wilcoxon analysis was used for pairwise comparison, Mann Whitney analysis for inter-group comparison, and Chi square test or Fisher test for inter-group comparison of count data. Results: The following changes were noted after 4 months of omalizumab thearpy. The patients' Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores increased from 17.0 (13.0-19.0) to 20.0 (18.0-24.0) points (P<0.001). The frequency of acute exacerbations(AE) decreased from 1.0 (0-1.0) to 0 (0-1.0) episodes every 4 months (P<0.001). The variation rate of the peak expiratory flow (PEF) decreased from 16.5 (13.8-27.3)% to 10.4 (6.0-16.2)% (P<0.001). The percent predicted value of PEF (PEFpred%) increased from 71.7 (51.4-91.6)% to 87.5 (65.2-105.5)% (P<0.001). The percent predicted value of the forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV₁%pred) increased from 73.6 (53.9-90.8)% to 80.6 (68.7-91.8)% (P=0.007). The maintenance dose of oral corticosteroids (OCS) decreased from 12.0 (10.0-20.0) to 5.0 (0-17.5) mg/day (P=0.001). After 4 months of treatment, the response rate of the 79 patients with asthma was 74.7%. The response rate of patients with allergic asthma (77.3%) was higher than that of patients with non-allergic asthma (25.0%) (P=0.019). Among 5 patients who completed 1 year of treatment, the ACT score, frequency of AE, PEFpred%, variation rate of PEF and OCS maintenance dose were still improved after 1 year of treatment. Adverse reactions occurred in 3 patients (3.8%), for a total of 3 (0.6%) times. Stratified analysis showed that after 4 months of treatment, the improvement in the ACT score and the decrease in the PEF variation rate among patients who reached the recommended treatment dose (full dose) [3.0 (1.0-8.0) points, 6.5 (3.5-15.8) %] were significantly higher than those among patients who did not reach the recommended treatment dose (insufficient dose) [1.0 (-0.3-3.0) points, 2.9 (1.5-5.0) %] (P<0.05). Additionally, the treatment response rate in patients with a sufficient dose (80.0%) was higher than that in patients with an insufficient dose (50.0%) (P=0.019).The main factors associated with stopping treatment within 1 year despite a response to omalizumab was economic burden (70.3%), followed by satisfactory improvement by self-evaluation (21.9%) and less improvement in symptoms than expected (7.8%). Conclusion: Omalizumab was an effective treatment for moderate to severe allergic asthma with few adverse effects. The response rate was higher when the recommended injection dose was achieved. Financial difficulty was the main reason for stopping treatment within 1 year despite a good therapeutic response.

[A prospective multi-center clinical investigation of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China]

Objective: To investigate the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary cryptococcosis in respiratory medicine and improve the understanding of the clinical characteristics of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China. Methods: A prospective multi-center open cohort study was designed to screen for pulmonary cryptococcosis in the general wards and intensive care units of the Department of Respiratory Diseases in 22 hospitals. The HIV-negative patients with positive cryptococcal etiological diagnosis based on smear culture, antigen detection and histopathology were enrolled in the study. The clinical data of enrolled patients were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 457 cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were enrolled, among which 3.28% (15/457) were disseminated infections. The case fatality rate was 0.88% (4/457). The majority of the cases were diagnosed by histopathological examinations (74.40%, 340/457) and cryptococcus antigen detection (37.64%, 172/457). Patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis accounted for 2.04‰ (457/223 748) of the total hospitalized patients in the Department of Respiratory Diseases during the same period, and the ratio was the highest in south and east China. Meanwhile, 70.24% (321/457) of the patients had no underlying diseases, while 87.75% (401/457) were found to have immunocompetent status. Cough and expectoration were the most common clinical symptoms in patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis. However, 25.16% (115/457) of the patients had no clinical symptom or physical signs. In terms of imaging features on pulmonary CT, multiple pulmonary lesions were more common than isolated lesions, and there were more subpleural lesions than perihilar or medial lesions. Morphologically, most of the lesions were middle-sized nodules (1-5 cm) or small-sized nodules (3 mm to 1 cm). The sensitivity of serum cryptococcus antigen test was 71.99% (203/282). Moreover, antigen-positive patients differed from antigen-negative patients in terms of basic immune status, clinical symptoms, imaging features and infection types. Meanwhile, immunocompromised patients differed from immunocompetent patients in terms of clinical symptoms, physical signs, infection-related inflammation indicator levels, imaging features, serum cryptococcus antigen positive rate and prognosis. Conclusions: The majority of cases of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis in China had no underlying disease or immunocompromised status, and the overrall prognosis was favorable. However, early diagnosis of HIV-negative pulmonary cryptococcosis remains challenging due to the complicated manifestations of the disease.

[Anti-PD-1 therapy in advanced malignant liver tumor-induced type-1 diabetes mellitus: a case report]

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) has been emerged as a major breakthrough in tumor immunotherapy, but its unique mechanism of action has also led to a number of immune-related adverse events (irAE). Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the rarest irAEs. This paper reports a case of advanced malignant liver tumor-induced T1DM who received second-line anti-PD-1 therapy and showed initial symptoms of hyperosmolar coma and hyperglycemia. In addition, the relevant literature at home and abroad was collected and reviewed, and the clinical characteristics of T1DM induced by anti-PD-1 therapy were summarized with a view to achieve early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

[Specifications for diagnosis and treatment of non-neonatal tetanus]

Tetanus consists of neonatal tetanus and non-neonatal tetanus. Non-neonatal tetanus remains a serious public health problem, although neonatal tetanus has been eliminated in China since 2012. Non-neonatal tetanus is a potential fatal disease. In the absence of medical intervention, the mortality rate of severe cases is almost 100%. Even with vigorous treatment, the mortality rate is still 30%-50% globally. These specifications aim to regulate non-neonatal tetanus diagnosis and treatment in China, in order to improve medical quality and safety. These specifications introduce the etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and laboratory tests, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, grading and treatment of non-neonatal tetanus.

[Clinical analysis of 30 cases of Castleman disease with different types of thoracic involvement]

目的

总结不同类型胸部受累Castleman病（CD）的临床、影像学、病理及诊治特征，以提高临床医师对CD的认识。

方法

回顾性分析广州医科大学附属第一医院自2009年6月至2019年5月收治入院的胸部受累CD患者30例，将其分为闭塞性细支气管炎（BO）组、不伴BO的单中心型Castleman病（UCD）组及不伴BO的多中心型Castleman病（MCD）组，分析其临床资料并总结其特征。

结果

30例患者中，5例（16.7%）纳入BO组，18例（60.0%）纳入不伴BO的UCD组，7例（23.3%）纳入不伴BO的MCD组。不伴BO的MCD组中位年龄明显大于BO组[（49.29±5.39）岁对（27.20±3.76）岁，P=0.005]和不伴BO的UCD组[（49.29±5.39）岁对（37.17±2.87）岁，P=0.034]。胸部症状在BO组（100%）和不伴BO的MCD组（71.4%）多见，而不伴BO的UCD组无胸部症状。贫血及IgG增高仅在不伴BO的MCD组出现（发生率均为57.1%），红细胞沉降率增快及低氧血症在BO组（发生率分别为40.0%和60.0%）及不伴BO的MCD组（发生率分别为57.1%和28.6%）均可出现。BO组患者的肺功能均表现为极重度混合性通气功能障碍。胸部CT所示肺实质受累率：BO组为100%；不伴BO的MCD组为57.1%，表现为双肺弥漫性病变；不伴BO的UCD组为11.1%，表现为孤立性肺结节。不伴BO的MCD组的淋巴结短径明显小于BO组[（1.83±0.51）cm对（4.73±1.63）cm，P=0.006]和不伴BO的UCD组[（1.83±0.51）cm对（3.62±0.26）cm，P=0.011]。BO组病理类型均为透明血管型（100%），不伴BO的UCD组88.9%为透明血管型，而不伴BO的MCD组以浆细胞型为主（57.1%）。BO组患者均出现口腔溃疡，在肿物切除术后予免疫调节剂治疗，溃疡症状缓解，但肺部症状仍进行性加重。不伴BO的UCD组主要治疗方式为胸腔镜下肿物切除，不伴BO的MCD组主要治疗方式为化疗、免疫调节剂、靶向治疗等。

结论

三组患者的年龄、临床症状、实验室检查、肺功能、影像学表现、病理类型、治疗及预后均有所不同，此分类能促进临床医师对本病的认识。

Analyses of microRNA166 gene structure, expression, and function during the early stage of somatic embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan Lour

MicroRNA166 (miR166) contributes to post-transcriptional regulation by binding the mRNAs of HD-ZIP III genes, which affects plant growth and development. The structural characteristics, expression, and functions of miR166 genes during the early somatic embryogenesis stage in Dimocarpus longan remain unknown. We isolated the transcripts of pri-miR166 S78 with two transcription initiation sites (TSSs) and pri-miR166 S338 with one TSS. These sequences contain potential smORFs and encode different miRNA peptides (miPEPs). Additionally, their promoters contain cis-acting elements responsive to diverse stimuli. The pre-miR166 S78 and pre-miR166 S338 expression levels were up-regulated in response to 2,4-D, abscisic acid, and ethylene. Although the expression patterns induced by hormones were similar, there were differences in the extent of the response, with pre-miR166 S338 more responsive than pre-miR166 S78. Thus, miRNA transcription and maturation are not simply linearly correlated. Moreover, pre-miR166 S78 and pre-miR166 S338 expression levels were down-regulated, whereas ATHB15 (target gene) expression was up-regulated, from the longan embryonic callus to the globular embryo stages. These results are indicative of a negative regulatory relationship between miR166 and ATHB15 during the early somatic embryogenesis stage in longan. At the same stages, miR166a.2-agomir, miR166a.2-antagomir, and miPEP166 S338 increased or decreased the expression of miR166a.2 and ATHB15, but with no consistent patterns or linear synchronization, from which we've found some reasons for it.

[Specifications for diagnosis and treatment of non-neonatal tetanus]

Tetanus consists of neonatal tetanus and non-neonatal tetanus. Although neonatal tetanus in China has been eliminated since 2012, non-neonatal tetanus remains a serious public health problem. Non-neonatal tetanus is a potential fatal disease, and the mortality rate of severe cases is almost 100% in the absence of medical intervention. Even with vigorous treatment, the mortality rate is still 30~50% globally. In order to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of non-neonatal tetanus in China, this specification is hereby formulated. This standard includes etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, classification, grading and treatment of non-neonatal tetanus.

[Correlation of orexin-2 receptor gene polymorphisms with Alzheimer's disease]

Objective: To investigate the association between orexin-2 receptor (OX2R) gene polymorphisms and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: A total of 350 patients with AD diagnosed at the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2014 to January 2018 were enrolled as the case group, and 350 healthy subjects were selected as the control group, and their general demographic data were collected. The peripheral blood samples were collected for DNA extraction, and the polymorphisms of 6 loci in OX2R gene in the two groups were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing. The differences in genotype and gene frequency distribution between the two groups were compared. Results: The genotype distribution of OX2R gene rs2653349 and rs2292041 in the case group was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that rs2653349(GA+AA) genotype was an independent risk factor for AD(P=0.009). Five haplotypes were found in the haplotype analysis, and there were differences between the case group and the control group: rs2653349+rs2292041 GA type(χ(2)=10.922, P=0.000 1), rs2653349+rs2292041+ rs3122169 GAA type (χ(2)=8.687, P=0.003), ATC type(χ(2)=8.329, P=0.003 9), rs2653349+ rs2292041 AT type(χ(2)=6.504, P=0.010 8), rs2653349+rs2292041+rs3122169 ATA type(χ(2)=17.511, P=0.000 1). Conclusion: The OX2R gene rs2653349 and rs2292041 polymorphisms in the Han population of Henan may be associated with AD, and the A allele may be a susceptible factor for AD.

[Synchronous lymphoma and carcinoma-clinical analyses of 17 patients]

目的

探讨淋巴瘤合并实体肿瘤的多原发癌临床特征，以提高临床工作者对多原发癌的认识。

方法

回顾性分析2012年3月至2017年10月收治的17例明确诊断为淋巴瘤合并原发实体肿瘤的患者资料，并结合文献对其临床特征、治疗及转归进行总结。

结果

①17例患者中，男8例，女9例，中位年龄57（30~78）岁。②淋巴瘤：分类：霍奇金淋巴瘤1例，B细胞淋巴瘤2例，边缘区淋巴瘤6例，弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤3例，套细胞淋巴瘤1例，结外NK/T细胞淋巴瘤（鼻型）3例，间变大细胞淋巴瘤1例；Ann Arbor分期：Ⅰ期6例，Ⅱ期1例，Ⅲ期2例，Ⅳ期4例，不确定4例。③实体肿瘤：分类：消化道恶性肿瘤8例（食管癌3例，胃癌3例，结直肠癌2例），甲状腺癌7例（乳头状癌3例，微小乳头状癌4例），肝癌1例，肺癌1例；分期：Ⅰ期10例，Ⅲ期3例，Ⅳ期2例，不确定2例。④17例患者中有15例接受手术治疗，部分患者联合化疗、放疗、auto-HSCT治疗。3例患者治疗未结束，2例失访，4例死亡，3例完全缓解，3例病情稳定，2例复发或进展。

结论

淋巴瘤与实体肿瘤之间的关系目前虽暂无定论，但二者在发生、发展过程中存在一定的相关性，淋巴瘤合并实体肿瘤虽然少见但并不罕见，临床工作者应该提高认识，避免误诊和漏诊。

[Effects of electrospun collagen nanofibrous matrix on the biological behavior of human dental pulp cells]

OBJECTIVE

To compare cell adhesion, proliferation and odontoblastic differentiation of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) on electrospun collagen nanofibrous matrix (Col_NFM) with that on collagen flat film (Col-FF), to investigate the biological effect of collagen nanofibrous matrix on hDPCs.

METHODS

The surface morphology of the two different collagen scaffold was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the contact angle and the swelling ratio were also measured. Then hDPCs were implanted on the two different collagen scaffolds, the cell morphology was observed using SEM and laser scanning microscope (LSM), and cell proliferation was evaluated by the CCK-8 assay. After hDPCs cultured on the two different collagen scaffold with odontoblastic medium for 14 days, the expression of odontoblastic differentiation related genes was detected by real-time PCR, and alizarin red staining was used to test the formation of mineralized nodules.

RESULTS

From the SEM figures, the fibers' diameter of Col_NFM was (884±159) nm, and there were abundant three dimensional connected pore structures between the fibers of Col_NFM, while the surface of Col_FF was completely flat without pore structure. The contact angle at 0 s of Col_NFM was 85.03°±4.45°, and that of Col_FF was 98.98°±5.81°. The swelling ratio of Col_NFM was approximately 3 folds compared with dry weight sample, while that of Col_FF was just 1 fold. Thus Col_NFM indicated better hydrophilicity and swelling property. SEM and LSM showed that hDPCs on Col_NFM presented an irregular and highly branched phenotype, and could penetrate into the nanofibrous scaffold. In contrast, the cells were spread only on the surface of Col_FF with a spindle-shaped morphology. CCK-8 assays showed that hDPCs on Col_NFM showed higher proliferation rate than on Col_FF. After hDPCs were cultured on the two different collagen scaffolds with odontoblastic medium for 14 days, more expressions of odontoblastic differentiation related genes, such as dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) and dentin matrix proten-1 (DMP1) were determined in Col_NFM group (P<0.05), and more mineralization depositions were also observed in Col_NFM group according to the results of alizarin red staining.

CONCLUSION

Col_NFM with nanoscale microstructure achieves better hydrophilic and swelling properties than Col_FF, and hDPCs cultured with Col_NFM present higher activity on cell adhesion, proliferation and odontoblastic differentiation.

[Clinical analysis of 3 cases of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis]

Objective: To improve the clinical recognition of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis(EGPA) in clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The clinical manifestations, pathological characteristic, imaging manifestations, diagnosis and the therapy of three patients with EGPA were presented. Results: These 3 patients had asthma-like symptoms and extrapulmonary manifestations of systemic vasculitis. They were 20, 40 and 44 years old. All of them were female.They denied exposure or contact. Chest radiographic examination showed that the most common features were nodule shadow and tree-in-bud in the lung. The pathological manifestation was characterized by hypereosinophilia, high total IgE(over 300 KU/L) and high CRP(over 14.1mg/L). The FeNO of 2 patients was over 100ppb. The ANCA of these 3 patients was negative. The pulmonary pathology was observed had eosinophil infiltration in the alveolar, interstitial and vessel for 3 cases. The clinical manifestations were nonspecific. All patients were treated by glucocorticoid and immune-inhibitor(alkylating agents or purine synthesis inhibitors) therapy. Because patients were complicated with other organs involved, they needed long-time treatment. Conclusions: This disease is diverse and complex, with a lack of pathognomonic symptoms. We should highly suspect eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, when the patients present severe asthma and eosinophilia. Early detection, early treatment, and the prognosis could be better.

[Impaired hypoxic ventilatory response and related factors in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome]

Objective: To investigate the respiratory central hypoxia response and its related factors in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: One hundred and sixty six OSAHS patients were selected from Jan. 2016 to Dec. 2016 in Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Kelamayi Central Hospital, including 69 cases of Han nationality and 97 cases of Uygur nationality. Seventy-three healthy subjects of Uygur nationality were enrolled as the control group. All of them under went sleep monitoring, nocturnal oxygen saturation (SaO(2)), pulmonary function and respiratory central hypoxia response. Results: The 3 groups were matched for age, gender, body mass index(BMI) and apnea-hypopnea index(AHI). The Uygur patients had a higher oxygen desaturation index (ODI4) [(30±22) per hour vs (18±17) per hour ] than Han patients of the same age and BMI. Compared to Han patients, Uygur patients had weaker hypoxic responsiveness [(-0.41±0.23) L·min(-1)·%(-1) vs (-0.36±0.22) L·min(-1)·%(-1,) P<0.05], and the difference still existed after adjusting for AHI [(-0.31±0.21) L·min(-1)·%(-1) vs (-0.41±0.22) L·min(-1)·%(-1,) P<0.05] in mild OSAHS, but this difference was not significant in severe OSAHS. Conclusions: The central hypoxic response in Uygur OSAHS patients was lower than that in Han OSAHS patients and normal controls.

[A phase Ⅰ dose-escalating trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma]

Objective: To explore the maximum tolerated dose of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone as a modified CHOP regimen for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma were eligible for this trial. PLD was administered in cycle 1 and categorized into 4 dose level (30 mg/m², 35 mg/m², 40 mg/m², 45 mg/m² D1) according to a 3 + 3 approach for dose-escalation. Doxorubin was used in cycles 2-6. In this combination regimen, the doses of cyclophosphamide (750 mg/m² D1), vincristine (1.4 mg/m² D1, maximum dose of 2 mg) and prednisone (100 mg D1-5) were fixed. Toxicities of cycle 1 were documented. Results: Totally, 21 patients were enrolled in this trial. Among them, 15 patients had T-cell lymphoma and 6 had B-cell lymphoma. When the dose of PLD was escalated to the level of 45 mg/m², 2 of 3 patients developed grade 3 mucositis, which met the criteria of dose-limiting toxicity. Therefore, the dose was de-escalated for one level. At the level of 40 mg/m², only one among 12 patients had pneumonia and grade 4 neutropenia. In all dose levels, the grade 3/4 toxicities observed were neutropenia (13 cases, 61.9% ), mucositis (2 cases, 9.5% ), thrombocytopenia (1 case, 4.8%) and pneumonia (1 case, 4.8%). Conclusion: When combined with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone as a combination regimen, the maximum tolerated dose of PLD was 40 mg/m².

[Association of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 with vascular dementia after ischemic stroke]

Objective: To study the relationship of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) with vascular dementia (VD) after ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 226 ischemic stroke patients who visited the People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June.2013 to Oct.2016 were included and divided into the VD group and the non-dementia group according to the degree of cognitive impairment.The non-dementia group were further divided into the normal cognition group and the vascular cognitive impairment no dementia(VCIND) group.The general information of all patients were collected and the serum Lp-PLA2, Hcy, hs-CRP and the blood lipid indexes were detected.The Logistic regression model was built to analyze the association of Lp-PLA2 with the VD, correlation analysis and ROC curve were conducted to analyze the correlation of Lp-PLA2 with the state of cognitive impairment and to generate the cutoff value respectively. Results: The serum Lp-PLA2 in VD group[(221±84) ng/ml] was significant higher than the non-dementia group[(133±60) ng/ml], the Lp-PLA2 in VCIND group[(148±65) ng/ml] was significant higher than the normal cognition group[(114±48) ng/ml](P<0.05). The result of Logistic regression showed that Lp-PLA2 was a significant risk factor of VD[(OR(95%CI)=1.015(1.010-1.021)], and its level was negatively correlated with the score of cognitive function.The cutoff value of Lp-PLA2 between the VD and non-dementia was 164.65 ng/ml and was 120.8 ng/ml between the normal cognition group and VCIND group. Conclusion: Lp-PLA2 is a significant risk factor of VD after ischemic stroke.

[Daytime hypercapnia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome in Han and Uygur nationality]

Objective: To evaluate the incidence and factors related to daytime hypercapnia in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: There were 221 patients with OSAHS (include 179 Han patients and 42 Uygur patients) in Sleep Center of Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Karamay Central Hospital from 2015, Jan to Dec. All the patients underwent polysomnography (PSG), nocturnal oximetry, daytime blood gas analysis, pulmonary function test and Mouth occlusion pressure (P_0.1) results were recorded. The features of hypercapnia was analyzed for patients with OSAHS, and linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO₂) levels and related factors. Results: Daytime hypercapnia occurred in 16.7% (37/221) of the 221 patients with OSAHS. Compare with no hypercapnia groups, the body mass [(31.6±5.6) vs (27.9±1.7) kg/m²], sleep apnea index (AHI) [(40.9±26.3) vs (32.2±20.1) times/h], the percentage of time spent at oxygen saturation below 90 (SIT₉₀) [(38.6±31.9)% vs (23.9±23.6)%], P_0.1 [(3.08±2.86) vs (2.03±1.20) mmHg, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa] were higher in hypercapnia groups, but the mean nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation (MSaO₂) [(86.0±15.5)% vs (92.0±3.0)%], the nadir arterial oxygen saturation (LSaO₂) [(68.9±13.0)% vs (75.3±9.9)%] and arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂) [(74.5±23.0) vs (86.1±14.8) were lower in hypercapnia groups (all P<0.05). Compare with Han patients with OSAHS, MSaO₂ and LSaO₂ was lower, PaCO₂ and P_0.1 was higher in Uygur patients (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Uygur OSAHS patients with hypercapnia have a higher daytime PaCO₂ than the Han counterparts. BMI, AHI, MSaO₂, P_0.1 level are all related with daytime hypercapnia in OSAHS.

[Trends study of diet consulting for discharged patients with acute myocardial infarction in China from 2001 to 2011]

Objective: To describe trends in diet consulting at discharge for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in China from 2001-2011. Methods: A representative sample of patients in China admitted to hospital for AMI was created from a two-stage sampling approach; profiles for patients with AMI were retrospectively abstracted through their medical records.The study described the overall trends in diet consulting for patients with AMI in China, the rates of diet consulting among patients with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, and the variation in diet consulting across different regions. Results: We sampled 162 hospitals and included 16 100 patients with AMI in total.The weighted rates of diet consulting at AMI discharge in China was 16.5%, 28.8%, and 40.8% in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively (P for trend <0.001). The rates and trends among patients with hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were similar to those among all patients with AMI (hypertension: 16.4%, 31.4%, and 41.1% in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively; diabetes: 18.2%, 32.2%, and 42.8%; hyperlipidemia: 18.6%, 31.4%, and 41.5%; all P for trend <0.001). The rates has not changed much for those in central rural region over the decade (19.2%, 19.4%, and 22.8% in 2001, 2006 and 2011, respectively; P for trend=0.09); meanwhile, the rates of diet consulting in other four regions increased over years (all P for trend<0.001). Conclusions: From 2001 to 2011, the rates of diet consulting at discharge for patients with AMI has increased in China; however, there are still substantial rooms for improvement, especially for central rural region.Dietitian could work with clinician and be involved in diet consulting for AMI at discharge in order to improve prognosis for patients with AMI.

[Effect of cetylpyridinium chloride Buccal Tablets on perioperative application of OSAHS patients]

Objective:To investigate the effect of Cetylpyridinium Chloride Buccal Tablets on perioperative application of OSAHS patients.Method:Sixty patients of OSAHS were randomly divided into treatment group and control group according to the ratio of 1:1, using randomized single-blind controlled trial. The treatment group was treated with Cetylpyridinium Chloride Buccal Tablets in perioperative period and the control group was not. All patients accepted UPPP. Pharyngeal pain, pharyngeal edema, levels of IL-1, IL-8 and TNF-α in saliva were analyzed on the first day, third day and fifth day after surgery.Result:Compared with control group, the pharyngeal pain of treatment group was slighter on the third day and fifth day (P< 0.05). The levels of IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-α in saliva were lower on the third day and fifth day (P< 0.05).Conclusion:Applying Cetylpyridinium Chloride Buccal Tablets during perioperative period can effectively relieve postoperative pharyngeal pain and inflammatory response in patients with OSAHS.

[The joint effects of major lifestyle factors on stomach cancer risk among Chinese men: a prospective cohort study]

Objective: To investigate the combined impact of lifestyle factors on stomach cancer risk. Methods: We analyzed the data from the Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS) (2002-2013). The SMHS was conducted in eight neighborhood communities of urban Shanghai. From 2002 through June 2006, 61 480 residents aged 40 to 74 years old with no history of cancer were recruited. Failure time was the date of stomach cancer incidence, death or date of the last follow-up (December 31, 2013). The first two in-person follow-up surveys were conducted in 2004-2008, and 2008-2011, respectively. Using data on lifestyle, the healthy lifestyle index (HLI) was developed. The following lifestyle factors were included: smoking, alcohol consumption, diet habit, overweighted and physical activity. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the association of stomach cancer risk with lifestyle factors and HLI. Results: Over 9.28 years' follow-up, 477 incident cases of stomach cancer were identified from 59 503 study participants. Participants with zero, one, two, three, four, and five favorable lifestyle behaviors accounted for 3.44% (n=2 045), 18.14% (n=10 793), 33.68% (n=20 041), 29.43% (n=17 511), 12.82% (n=7 627), and 2.50% (n=1 486), respectively. Among all the five lifestyle factors, smoking and alcohol use were significantly related to stomach cancer risk. The relative risk of stomach cancer was 0.71 (95%CI: 0.57-0.87) for those who never smoked or quitted smoking for no less than 10 years and 0.70 (95%CI: 0.55-0.90) for those who consumed alcohol no more than 14 drinks per week. For each increment of healthy lifestyle index, the relative risk of stomach cancer was 0.86 (95%CI: 0.79-0.95). Compared to men with none or one healthy lifestyle factor, the relative risk for those with four or five was 0.62 (95%CI: 0.46-0.83). When we rebuilt HLI using more categories of each lifestyle factors, the HLI ranged from 0 to 11. For each point increase, the relative risk of stomach cancer was 0.93 (95%CI: 0.89-0.97). Compared those with 0 to 3 points, the relative risk of those with 8 to 11 points was 0.64 (95%CI: 0.47-0.87). Conclusion: In the SMHS, only a small proportion of men adhered to all the five healthy lifestyle factors. Compared to those with none or one healthy lifestyle behaviors, those with five may prevent about 1/3 stomach cancer incidence and the HLI was inversely associated with stomach cancer risk.

[Influence of aluminum chloride exposure on embryonic development of zebrafish and neurobehavior of juvenile fish]

Objective: To investigate the influence of aluminum chloride (AlCl(3)) solution on the embryon-ic development of zebrafish and neurobehavior of juvenile fish. Methods: The embryos of zebrafishat 6 hours after fertilization were exposed to AlCl(3) solution at a concentration of 0, 55.0, 60.5, 66.6, 73.5, 80.5, or 100.0 mg/L, and embryonic hatching rates at 48 and 72 hours after fertilization were calculated. The embryos of zebrafishat 6 hours after fertilization were exposed to AlCl(3) solution at a concentration of 0, 60.0, 72.0, 86.4, 103.7, or 124.4 mg/L, and the embryonic mortality rates at 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after fertilization were calculat-ed. The embryos of zebrafish at 6 hours after fertilization were exposed to AlCl(3) solution at a concentration of 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 μg/L, and the changes in the neurobehavior of juvenile fish were observed after hatching, including touch-escape reaction at 72 hours after fertilization and autonomic movement and panic es-cape reflex at 7 days after fertilization. Results: Compared with the 0 mg/L group, the≥66.6 mg/L group had a sig-nificant reduction in embryonic hatching rate at 48 and 72 hours after fertilization, and the ≥72.0 mg/L group had a significant increase in embryonic mortality rate at 96 hours after fertilization (P<0.05) . Compared with the 0 μg/L group, the≥100 μg/L group had a significant reduction in the number of times of touch-escape reaction (P<0.05) .Compared with the 0 and 50 μg/L groups, the 100-800 μg/L groups had significant reductions in total movement distance and average speed (P<0.05) . Compared with the dark period before illumination, all groups had a significant increase in movement speed during the light period of the panic escape reflex test (i.e., the third minute) (P<0.05) ; within 2 minutes after the light was turned off, there was no significant change in movement speed in the 0-200 μg/L groups (P>0.05) ; the 400 and 800 μg/L groups had a significant increase in movement speed (P<0.05) . Conclusion: AlCl(3) exposure may cause embryonic developmental disorder in zebrafish and ab-normal neurobehavior in juvenile fish.

[Association between H3K4me3/BDNF and the cognitive function of workers occupationally exposed to aluminum]

Objective: To investigate the influence of occupational aluminum exposure on cognitive function and its relationship with tri-methyl histone H3 lysine residues 4 points (H3K4me3) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Methods: By cluster random sampling method, a total of 235 cases of male workers selected from a Shanxi aluminum factory were recruited in the study in September 2015. Used the occupational epidemiological investigation questionnaire, which included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) , Clock Drawing Test (CDT) , Digit Span Test (DST, including forward test DSFT and backward test DSBT) , Fuild Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) , to collect workers' basic information and assess their cognitive function score. Detected the concentration of aluminum in plasma by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Workers were divided into three groups by the 25 percentile and 75 percentile of the aluminum content, such as low, middle and high aluminum concentration groups. The concentrations of H3K4me3 in lymphocyte and BDNF in plasma were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The levels of aluminum in plasma was 134.36 (100.14, 178.96) μg/L. The scores of MMSE, DSFT, DSBT, DST of high aluminum concentration group were lower than low aluminum group (27.98±1.25 vs 28.83±1.54, 9.19±2.00 vs 10.64±2.87, 6.08±1.63 vs 7.19±3.07, 15.27±3.11 vs 17.81±4.72, all P<0.05) , the scores of CDT, FOME, VFT among three groups had no statistical significance (all P>0.05) . The expression levels of H3K4me3 and BDNF of high aluminum concentration group were lower than the low group [ (18.45±9.81) ng/μg Pro vs (23.76±9.89) ng/μg Pro, (26.07±10.18) ng/ml vs (31.66±9.24) ng/ml, all P<0.05]. Multiple correlation analysis showed that aluminum concentration were negatively correlated toH3K4me3, BDNF, MMSE, DSFT, DST, respectively (r(s)=-0.307、-0.214、-0.252、-0.197, -0.181, all P<0.01) . Conclusion: Exposure to occupational aluminum for a long time may change cognitive function, which go along with the decreasing of H3K4me3 level in lymphocyte and BDNF protein expression in plasma.

Dual-wavelength passively Q-switched Nd:GYSGG laser by tungsten disulfide saturable absorber

A dual-wavelength passively Q-switched Nd:GYSGG laser using vacuum evaporating tungsten disulfide (WS₂) as a saturable absorber was demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The WS₂ saturable absorber was prepared simply by evaporating nanometer WS₂ powders onto a quartz substrate in a vacuum. By inserting the WS₂ saturable absorber into the laser cavity, stable Q-switched laser operation was achieved with a maximum average output power of 367 mW, a pulse repetition rate of 70.7 kHz, the shortest pulse width of 591 ns, and pulse energy of about 1.05 μJ. By vacuum evaporation method, a high-quality WS₂ saturable absorber can be produced, and it seems to be a suitable method for fabrication of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides.

[Aluminuminduced impairment in primary cultured rat choroid plexus epithelial cells]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the impairment in primary cultured rat choroid plexus epithelial cells (CPECs)induced by aluminum.

METHODS

The choroid plexus isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats 14 days old was cut into pieces and digested by trypsin in the sterile area. The obtained single cells were cultured in DMEM with 1% epidermal growth factor and 20% fetal calf serum. Five days later, immunohistochemistry with anti-transthyretin antibody was used to identify the purity of cultured cells. The well-grown cells were treated with aluminum lactate at different concentrations (0, 100, 400, and 1 600 μmol/L for control, lowdose, mediumdose, and highdose groups). Fortyeight hours later, the cell viability, apoptotic rate, level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD)were measured in each group to evaluate the impairment in primary cultured rat CPECs by aluminum.

RESULTS

More than 95% of the cultured cells were identified as CPECs. The medium-and high-dose groups had significantly lower cell viability than the control group(86.74%±4.03% vs 100%, P<0.01; 81.90%±9.17% vs 100%, P<0.01). The high-dose group had significantly lower cell viability than the lowdose group (81.90%±9.17% vs 92.92%±8.81%, P<0.01). The medium-and high-dose groups had significantly higher apoptotic rates than the control group (7.26%±0.99% vs 1.29%±0.03%, P<0.01; 22.25%±1.55% vs 1.29%±0.03%, P<0.01)and the low-dose group (7.26%±0.99% vs 1.68%±0.27%, P<0.01; 22.25%±1.55% vs 1.68%±0.27%, P<0.01). The high-dose group had a significantly higher apoptotic rate than the medium-dose group (22.25%±1.55% vs 7.26%±0.99%, P<0.01). The mediumand high-dose groups had significantly higher fluorescence intensity of ROS than the control group (22.23%±0.41% vs 17.24%±0.09%, P<0.05; 25.10%±1.13% vs 17.24%±0.09%, P<0.05)and the lowdose group (22.23%±0.41% vs 18.31%±0.21%, P<0.05; 25.10%±1.13% vs 18.31%±0.21%, P<0.05). The highdose group had significantly higher fluorescence intensity of ROS than the mediumdose group (25.10%±1.13% vs 22.23%±0.41%, P< 0.05). The low-, medium-and high-dose groups had significantly lower SOD activity than the control group[(28.65±0.74)U/g Hb vs (37.35±1.05)U/g Hb, P<0.05; (22.75±1.94)U/g Hb vs (37.35±1.05)U/g Hb, P<0.05; (13.29±0.64)U/g Hb vs(37.35±1.05)U/g Hb, P<0.05]. The medium-and high-dose groups had significantly lower SOD activity than the low-dose group[(22.75±1.94)U/g Hb vs(28.65±0.74)U/g Hb, P<0.05; (13.29±0.64)U/g Hb vs (28.65±0.74)U/g Hb, P<0.05], while the high-dose group had had significantly lower SOD activity than the medium-dose group[(13.29±0.64)U/g Hb vs (22.75±1.94)U/g Hb, P<0.05]. There were no significant differences in cell viability, apoptotic rate, level of ROS, or activity of SOD between any other two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Aluminum lactate may induce impairment in primary cultured rat CPECs. It reduces the cell viability, elevates the apoptotic rate, and causes oxidative stress.

[Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for determination of thallium in blood]

OBJECTIVE

Colloidal palladium was used as chemical modifier in the determination of blood thallium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

METHODS

Blood samples were precipitated with 5% (V/V)nitric acid, and then determined by GFAAS with colloidal palladium used as a chemical modifier. 0.2% (W/V)sodium chloride was added in the standard series to improve the matrix matching between standard solution and sample.

RESULTS

The detection limit was 0.2 μg/L. The correlation coefficient was 0.9991. The recoveries were between 93.9% to 101.5%.The relative standard deviations were between 1.8% to 2.7%.The certified reference material of whole blood thallium was determined and the result was within the reference range Conclusion: The method is accurate, simple and sensitive, and it can meet the needs of detection thallium in blood entirely.

[Effects of subchronic aluminum lactate exposure on learning and memory and transportation of Aβ in blood-cerebrospinal fluid in rats]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of aluminum lactate exposure on learning and memory and the transportation of amyloid-beta peptides(Aβ) in cerebrospinal fluid in rats.

METHODS

A total of 80 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into solvent control(distilled water) group and low-, medium-, and high-dose aluminum poisoning groups(10, 30, and 90 mg/kg aluminum lactate), with 20 rats in each group, and the poisoning procedure was performed by gavage for 2 months. The Morris water maze test was used to test the rats' learning and memory, Western blot was used to measure the expression level of low-density lipoprotein receptor protein-1(LRP-1) in rats' choroid plexus, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure the content of Aβ in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma.

RESULTS

The Morris water maze test showed that in the place navigation test, with the increasing training time, the escape latency was significantly shortened in each group and showed significant differences between any two groups(P<0.05). In the spatial probe test, the time spent in target quadrant in the medium-and high-dose groups was 11.52±1.56 s and 10.43±5.27 s, respectively, which was significantly shorter than that in the control group and the low-dose group(15.81±3.01 s and 13.91±2.17 s)(P<0.05). The numbers of platform crossings in the medium-and high-dose groups were 2.64±1.39 and 1.50±0.76, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group and the low-dose group(4.29±0.914 and 3.56±1.38)(P<0.05). The results of ELISA showed that the medium-and high-dose groups had significant increases in the content of Aβ1-42 in cerebrospinal fluid(320.35±84.82 pg/ml and 327.68±67.51 pg/ml), which was significantly higher than that in the control group(203.46±74.36 pg/ml) (P<0.05). The content of Aβ1-42 in plasma showed no significant difference between any two groups(P>0.05), and that of Aβ1-40 in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma also showed no significant difference between any two groups(P>0.05). The results of Western blot showed that the high-dose group had significantly lower protein expression of LRP-1 than the control group and the low-and medium-dose groups(0.57±0.21 vs 1.00±0.00/0.79±0.15/0.95±0.24, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Subchronic aluminum exposure may reduce learning and memory in rats, and the accumulation of Aβ in cerebrospinal fluid may be related to the reduced protein expression of LRP-1 in the choroid plexus, suggesting that aluminum affects learning and memory in rats through reducing the protein expression of LRP-1, influencing the transportation of Aβ, and leading to the accumulation of Aβ.

Inflammation and activity augment brain-derived neurotrophic factor peripheral release

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release to nerve terminals in the central nervous system is crucial in synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity. However, BDNF release peripherally from primary afferent neurons has not been investigated. In the present study, we show that BDNF is synthesized by primary afferent neurons located in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in rat, and releases to spinal nerve terminals in response to depolarization or visceral inflammation. In two-compartmented culture that separates DRG neuronal cell bodies and spinal nerve terminals, application of 50mM K(+) to either the nerve terminal or the cell body evokes BDNF release to the terminal compartment. Inflammatory stimulation of the visceral organ (e.g. the urinary bladder) also facilitates an increase in spontaneous BDNF release from the primary afferent neurons to the axonal terminals. In the inflamed viscera, we show that BDNF immunoreactivity is increased in nerve fibers that are immuno-positive to the neuronal marker PGP9.5. Both BDNF and pro-BDNF levels are increased, however, pro-BDNF immunoreactivity is not expressed in PGP9.5-positive nerve-fiber-like structures. Determination of receptor profiles in the inflamed bladder demonstrates that BDNF high affinity receptor TrkB and general receptor p75 expression levels are elevated, with an increased level of TrkB tyrosine phosphorylation/activity. These results suggest a possibility of pro-proliferative effect in the inflamed bladder. Consistently we show that the proliferation marker Ki67 expression levels are enhanced in the inflamed organ. Our results imply that in vivo BDNF release to the peripheral organ is an important event in neurogenic inflammatory state.

Isolation, molecular cloning, and characterization of a novel porcine lymphotoxin beta receptor gene

The lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTβR) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family of receptors (TNFR). It plays a role in regulating lymphoid organogenesis and homeostasis of the immune system. In the present study, the full coding region of a putative LTβR gene of Sus scrofa was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cloned for the first time (accession Nos. JX457347 and AFU74012). In addition, analysis of the tissue expression profile was carried out via RT-PCR. The full-length coding region of porcine LTβR had 1266 nucleotides (molecular weight, 45.61 kDa; pI, 5.71) and encoded 421 amino acids. Bioinformatic prediction indicates that LTβR belongs to the TNFR superfamily and contains a TNFR domain. The sequence homology analysis revealed that the amino acid sequences of S. scrofa LTβR had 82.9, 82.4, 81.3, 80.5, 78.7, 74.6, and 73.0% identity with those of Equus caballus, Canis lupus, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Bos taurus, Mus musculus, and Homo sapiens, respectively. The phylogenetic tree based on the amino acid sequences of LTβR from 8 species revealed that S. scrofa was more closely related to E. caballus, C. lupus, and A. melanoleuca. RT-PCR analysis showed that the porcine LTβR gene was differentially expressed (e.g., high, moderate, low, or nonexistent) in various tissues (e.g., prostate, pituitary, brainstem, and esophagus, respectively). This may be related to differences in the regulation of LTβR in the different tissues.

Growth and viability of Liaoning Cashmere goat hair follicles during the annual hair follicle cycle

Here, we studied hair follicle development of Liaoning Cashmere goats. Every month for 1 year, skin samples were collected from five 1.5-year-old female goats, and made into paraffin sections. A number of parameters were measured of primary and secondary hair follicles via microscopic observation including follicle depth, hair bulb width, dermis and epidermis thickness, changes in follicle activity, and histology. The results showed the presence of three phases in the annual hair cycle: anagen, catagen, and telogen. Primary and secondary hair follicle depth varied across the months; however, no significant difference was obtained between adjacent months (P>0.05). Primary hair follicles had a bigger hair bulb width compared to secondary hair follicles; however, this difference declined during hair follicle developed in anagen. As hair follicle growth slowed, the hair bulb broadened, and hair root depth became shallower. During the entire hair cycle, hair follicle depth and dermis thickness were positively correlated; however, this relationship was not significant (P>0.05) for primary and secondary hair follicle density and the ratio of secondary hair follicle density and primary hair follicle density (S/P ratio). In addition, new and old primary hair follicles coexisted with secondary hair follicles. Finally, secondary hair follicles had a higher activity rate compared to primary hair follicle in adult Liaoning Cashmere goats in certain months.

Short communication: development and characterization of novel transcriptome-derived microsatellites for genetic analysis of persimmon

Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) (2n = 6x = 90) is a major commercial and deciduous fruit tree that is believed to have originated in China. However, rare transcriptomic and genomic information on persimmon is available. Using Roche 454 sequencing technology, the transcriptome from RNA of the flowers of D. kaki was analyzed. A total of 1,250,893 reads were generated and 83,898 unigenes were assembled. A total of 42,711 SSR loci were identified from 23,494 unigenes and 289 polymerase chain reaction primer pairs were designed. Of these 289 primers, 155 (53.6%) showed robust PCR amplification and 98 revealed polymorphism between 15 persimmon genotypes, indicating a polymorphic rate of 63.23% of the productive primers for characterization and genotyping of the genus Diospyros. Transcriptome sequence data generated from next-generation sequencing technology to identify microsatellite loci appears to be rapid and cost-efficient, particularly for species with no genomic sequence information available.

The taste-visual cross-modal Stroop effect: An event-related brain potential study

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to explore, for the first time, the electrophysiological correlates of the taste-visual cross-modal Stroop effect. Eighteen healthy participants were presented with a taste stimulus and a food image, and asked to categorize the image as "sweet" or "sour" by pressing the relevant button as quickly as possible. Accurate categorization of the image was faster when it was presented with a congruent taste stimulus (e.g., sour taste/image of lemon) than with an incongruent one (e.g., sour taste/image of ice cream). ERP analyses revealed a negative difference component (ND430-620) between 430 and 620ms in the taste-visual cross-modal Stroop interference. Dipole source analysis of the difference wave (incongruent minus congruent) indicated that two generators localized in the prefrontal cortex and the parahippocampal gyrus contributed to this taste-visual cross-modal Stroop effect. This result suggests that the prefrontal cortex is associated with the process of conflict control in the taste-visual cross-modal Stroop effect. Also, we speculate that the parahippocampal gyrus is associated with the process of discordant information in the taste-visual cross-modal Stroop effect.

Effects of energy and protein restriction, followed by nutritional recovery on morphological development of the gastrointestinal tract of weaned kids

Effects of energy, protein, or both energy and protein restriction on gastrointestinal morphological development were investigated in 60 Liuyang Black kids, which were sourced from local farms and weaned at 28 d of age. Weaned kids were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 4 dietary treatments (15 kids per treatment), which consisted of adequate nutrient supply (CON), energy restriction (ER), protein restriction (PR), or energy and protein restriction (EPR). The entire experiment included adaptation period (0 to 6 d), nutritional restriction period (7 to 48 d), and recovery period (49 to 111 d). Three kids from each group were killed at d 48 and 111, and the rumen, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were harvested. On d 48 (end of nutritional restriction), lengths of the duodenum (P = 0.005), jejunum (P = 0.003), and ileum (P = 0.003), and weights of the rumen (P = 0.004), duodenum (P = 0.006), jejunum (P = 0.006), and ileum (P = 0.004) of kids in ER, PR, and EPR were less than those of kids in CON. Compared with CON, PR decreased papillae width (P = 0.03) and surface area (P = 0.05) of the rumen epithelium, villus surface area (P = 0.05), and N concentration (P = 0.02) of the jejunum mucosa on d 48. Compared with CON, EPR decreased papillae height (P = 0.001), width (P = 0.001), and surface area (P = 0.003), N concentration (P = 0.01), and the ratio of N to DNA (P = 0.03) of the rumen epithelium. Compared with CON, EPR also decreased villus height (P = 0.01), width (P = 0.006), and surface area (P = 0.006), N concentration (P < 0.001), and the ratio of N to DNA (P < 0.001) of the jejunum mucosa on d 48. On d 111 (end of nutritional recovery), lengths of the duodenum (P = 0.001), jejunum (P = 0.001), and ileum (P = 0.001), weights of the rumen (P < 0.001), duodenum (P = 0.001), jejunum (P < 0.001), and ileum (P < 0.001) of kids in ER, PR, and EPR were still less than those of kids in CON; N concentrations of rumen epithelium of kids in PR (P = 0.01) and EPR (P = 0.001), and the ratio of N to DNA of jejunum mucosa of kids in EPR (P < 0.001) were greater than those of kids in CON. Results indicate that nutritional restriction of 6 wk can retard gastrointestinal morphological development for kids weaned at 28 d of age and retarded development remains evident, even after nutritional recovery of 9 wk.

Transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from Persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other plant species

Retrotransposon-based molecular markers are powerful molecular tools. However, these markers are not readily available due to the difficulty in obtaining species-specific retrotransposon primers. Although recent techniques enabling the rapid isolation of retrotransposon sequences have facilitated primer development, this process nonetheless remains time-consuming and costly. Therefore, research into the transferability of retrotransposon primers developed from one plant species onto others would be of great value. The present study investigated the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from 'Luotian-tianshi' persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) across other fruit crops, as well as within the genus using inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism molecular marker. Fourteen of the 26 retrotransposon primers tested (53.85%) produced robust and reproducible amplification products across all fruit crops tested, indicating their applicability across plant species. Four of the 13 fruit crops showed the best transferability performances: persimmon, grape, citrus, and peach. Furthermore, similarity coefficients and UPGMA clustering indicated that these primers could further offer a potential tool for germplasm differentiation, parentage identification, genetic diversity assessment, classification, and phylogenetic studies across a variety of plant species. Transferability was further confirmed by examining published primers derived from Rosaceae, Gramineae, and Solanaceae. This study is one of the few currently available studies concerning the transferability of retrotransposon primers across plant species in general, and is the first successful study of the transferability of retrotransposon primers derived from persimmon. The primers presented here will help reduce costs for future retrotransposon primer development and therefore contribute to the popularization of retrotransposon molecular markers.

Characterization and comparison of EST-SSR and TRAP markers for genetic analysis of the Japanese persimmon Diospyros kaki

We developed and characterized expressed sequence tags (ESTs)-simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and targeted region amplified polymorphism (TRAP) markers to examine genetic relationships in the persimmon genus Diospyros gene pool. In total, we characterized 14 EST-SSR primer pairs and 36 TRAP primer combinations, which were amplified across 20 germplasms of 4 species in the genus Diospyros. We used various genetic parameters, including effective multiplex ratio (EMR), diversity index (DI), and marker index (MI), to test the utility of these markers. TRAP markers gave higher EMR (24.85) but lower DI (0.33), compared to EST-SSRs (EMR = 3.65, DI = 0.34). TRAP gave a very high MI (8.08), which was about 8 times than the MI of EST-SSR (1.25). These markers were utilized for phylogenetic inference of 20 genotypes of Diospyros kaki Thunb. and allied species, with a result that all kaki genotypes clustered closely and 3 allied species formed an independent group. These markers could be further exploited for large-scale genetic relationship inference.

Production of ultra-low-sulfur gasoline: an equilibrium and kinetic analysis on adsorption of sulfur compounds over Ni/MMS sorbents

High performance nickel-based micro-mesoporous silica (Ni/MMS) sorbent was prepared by incipient wetness impregnation with ultrasonic aid (IWI-u) for adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) of commercial gasoline and simulated fuels. The sorbents were characterized with BET, XRD, TPR, SEM, HRTEM and TG/DTG. These results show that 20 wt%Ni/MMS (IWI-u) can still retain the framework of MMS and nickel particles were homogeneously distributed in the MMS channels without any aggregation, which improved significantly the ADS performance of the sorbents. The studies on the ADS kinetics indicate that the adsorption behavior of thiophene (T), benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) over 20 wt%Ni/MMS (IWI-u) can be described appropriately by pseudo second-order kinetic model. The intraparticle diffusion model verified that the steric hindrance and intraparticle diffusion were the rate controlling step of the adsorption process of DBT molecules. Langmuir model can be used to describe the adsorption isotherms for T, BT and DBT due to low coverage. The regeneration sorbent maintains the sulfur removal efficiency of 85.9% for 6 cycles.

Cryopreservation of in vitro grown shoot tips of Diospyros kaki thunb. using different methods

The objective of this study was to compare the potential of different cryopreservation strategies for in vitro shoot tips of Diospyros kaki Thunb. The treatments consisted of three different cryopreservation methods: vitrification, droplet-vitrification and modified droplet-vitrification. The following variables were assessed: cold acclimation, sucrose concentration in the preculture medium and PVS2 treatment time. A higher average survival level was obtained using the modified droplet-vitrification method compared to the other two methods.

In vivo toxicity of nano-alumina on mice neurobehavioral profiles and the potential mechanisms

The rapid development and expanding applications of nanotechnology have led to enhanced exposure of human body to nanoparticles. It is, therefore, necessary to address the safety issue via rigorous toxicological evaluation and to understand the underlying interaction mechanism. However, only a few studies to date have evaluated the safety of nano-sized materials and their potential adverse effects on biological systems. In this study, we sought to investigate the potential toxicity of aluminum oxide (alumina) nanoparticles in ICR strained mice, focusing on potential neurobehavioral defects and the possible mechanisms. The results demonstrated that nano-alumina impaired neurobehavioral functions, including lengthened escape latency, shorter time spent in the target quadrant and reductions in the number of platform crossing. In addition, it induced cell necrosis and apoptosis, which were likely mediated by the reduction of MMP and ROS, and the induction of the caspase-3 gene. Our results implicated that mitochondrial impairment plays a key role in neurotoxicity of nano-alumina, sequent oxidative damage and neural cell loss, especially necrosis, may be direct causes for the neurobehavioral defects. Collectively, nano-alumina presents a strong pro-cell death effect on ICR mice in vivo, suggesting that nano-alumina may serve as an inducer for neural toxicology. Findings in the present study indicating that surface chemical characteristics and nanoscale sizes of nano-alumina could co-contribute significantly to neurotoxicity. The impaired neurobehavioral patterns indicate that nano-alumina particles are more toxic to the cerebrum than those of nano-carbon with the same nanoparticle size and micro-alumina with the same surface chemical characteristics.

Novel interventions targeting on apoptosis and necrosis induced by aluminum chloride in neuroblastoma cells

Aluminum chloride induces neuroblastoma cell (SH-SY5Y) death following in vitro exposure. The objective of this study is to define apoptosis and necrosis in an in vitro model system of SH-SY5Y cells, and to investigate appropriate defense mechanisms with caspase-3 small interference RNA (siRNA) and necrostatin-1 (Nec-1). SH-SY5Y cells were treated with aluminum chloride for 24 h, followed by analysis of cell death rates and alterations in morphology. The results show that aluminum chloride could induce cell death by a combination of apoptosis and necrosis. Treatment with caspase-3 siRNA resulted in inhibition of caspase-3 gene and protein expression, both indicatives of apoptosis reduction. In addition, decrement of apoptotic rate was evident. Interestingly, treatment with caspase-3 siRNA could markedly up-regulate the expression of LC3- II, indicating a shift of cell death mode, from apoptosis to autophagy. Nec-1 treatment significantly affected necrosis induced by aluminum chloride, resulting in decreased necrotic rates and marked inhibition of LC3- II expression. Results showed for the first time that cell death induced by aluminum chloride could be rescued by caspase-3 siRNA and Nec-1 in SH-SY5Y cells, and co-administration of both produced an additive effect on reducing cell death. These data will pave the way for future studies investigating the prevention of cell death in Al neurotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro.

Bax gene silencing: a potential intervention in aluminum-induced neural cell death

There is a vast amount of evidence indicating that Bax plays a major role in the development, maintenance, and survival of neurons and neuron-supporting cells such as glial cells. The high potency of Bax small interfering RNA (siRNA), as shown by many experimental studies, makes it a rational candidate as a co-therapeutic agent in apoptotic cell death. To investigate whether Bax RNA interference (RNAi) may serve as a potential intervention in neural cell death induced by aluminum, we herein established aluminum (Al)-treated gliatoma (C6) cells as a model for evaluating neurotoxic injury on normal glia. Using the cell model, we undertook a different approach by inducing glial cell death with Al and then using Bax gene RNAi to suppress glial cell death. Combining cell viability assays and expression analyses by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry, we selected and validated the optimal siRNA from 3 candidate siRNAs for the Bax gene. Sequenced reduction of neural cell death was determined with flow cytometry. Our data identified siRNA1 as the most effective siRNA. The optimal concentration of the transfection agent was 20 nM and the optimal incubation period was 72 h. The transfection and knockdown efficiencies were 95 percent and 62 percent, respectively, which closely correlated with Bax protein expression and also the cell apoptosis intervention. Taken together, Bax is essential for apoptosis induced by aluminum. Inactivation of the Bax gene could be an effective strategy for delaying the onset of apoptosis induced by Al. Our results reveal promising therapeutic potential for Bax gene silencing in Al-induced neurodegeneration.