Search

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the prognostic factors for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined utilization with radiotherapy (RT)/chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and to evaluate their toxicity in locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA/RM ESCC). Methods: In this study, 198 LA/RM ESCC patients who received ICIs combined with RT/CRT in the Department of Radiotherapy of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Subgroup analysis was utilized to explore the prognostic factors, the treatment respond and treatment-related adverse events (trAEs) were analyzed. Results: The median OS and PFS were 30.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.1–45.7 months) and 15.3 months (95% CI: 12.8–17.8 months), respectively. The median OS and PFS for patients achieving objective respond (ORR group, including complete response and partial response) were 50.8 months (95% CI: 25.8–75.7 months) and 20.5 months (95% CI: 14.1–27.0), respectively, which were higher than those in non-ORR group (OSnon-ORR:17.5 months, 95% CI: 14.0–21.0; χ2 = 13.881, P < 0.001; PFSnon-ORR: 12.1 months, 95% CI: 10.1–14.1, χ2 = 10.676, P = 0.001). Results from subgroup analysis illustrated combined ICIs with radiotherapy could improve the treatment respond (χ2 = 47.725, P = 0.000). The OS rate (χ2 = 18.836, P < 0.001) and PFS rate (χ2 = 6.881, P = 0.009) were significantly higher in the whole-lesion radiotherapy group than in the partial-lesion radiotherapy group. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of immune cycles, the coverage of radiotherapy target, the modality of ICIs-combination therapy and treatment response were independent prognosis factors for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.512, 2.043, 1.889, and 1.912, respectively; P = 0.001, 0.001, 0.013, and 0.002, respectively). Radiotherapy coverage and treatment response were independent factors for PFS (HR = 1.478 and 1.597, respectively; P = 0.032 and 0.012, respectively). In the entire study population, 83 patients (41.9%) had ≥ grade 2 trAEs. Conclusions: ICIs combined with radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy are safe and effective in LA/RM ESCC patients. The addition of radiotherapy could improve the treatment respond and whole-lesion radiotherapy improve prognosis compared with partial-lesion radiotherapy group. The number of immunotherapy cycles and treatment response are the main factors affecting prognosis.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the predictive role of nodal skip metastasis (NSM) in the prognosis of lymph node-positive mid-thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and to evaluate the significance of postoperative adjuvant treatment in patients with different sites of metastatic nodes.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 321 lymph node-positive mid-thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent surgery in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University. Based on the site and condition of lymph node metastasis by postoperative pathology, the patients were divided into two groups: NSM group and non-NSM (NNSM) group. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was employed to match the two groups. The prognostic factors of patients before and after PSM as well as the effect of different adjuvant treatment modes on the prognosis of patients before and after PSM were analyzed. SPSS 29.0 statistical software was used for analysis.ResultsPSM in a 1 : 1 matching ratio was performed, 103 patients were assigned to NSM group and NNSM group respectively. Significant differences were found in the 3- and 5-year OS and DFS between the two groups before PSM, the 3- and 5-year OS also showed a significant difference after PSM (P P P P > 0.05).ConclusionPostoperative NSM is a good prognostic factor for patients with mid-thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was recommended for those group, thereby gaining survival benefits.

Zhi-zi-chi decoction (ZZCD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription, is a combination of Gardenia jasminoides fruit (GJF) and fermented soybean (FS). ZZCD has been used for treating depression, insomnia, and other diseases in China for thousands of years. A rapid, accurate, and sensitive ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the plasma concentrations of two representative ingredients, namely, geniposide and genistein. Adult Wistar rats were orally administered with ZZCD1 (GJF:FS, 1:1 (w/w), equals to 45.22 mg/kg of geniposide and 1.11 μg/kg of genistein), ZZCD2 (GJF:FS, 1:2 (w/w), equals to 33.31 mg/kg of geniposide and 1.10 μg/kg of genistein), ZZCD3 (GJF:FS, 1:4 (w/w), equals to 25.91 mg/kg of geniposide and 1.06 μg/kg of genistein), ZZCD4 (GJF:FS, 2:1 (w/w), equals to 62.45 mg/kg of geniposide and 0.368 μg/kg of genistein), and ZZCD5 (GJF:FS, 10:1 (w/w), equals to 77.73 mg/kg of geniposide and 0.54 μg/kg of genistein). The analytes were quantified using the multiple reaction monitoring mode with the electrospray ion source in positive (genistein) and negative (geniposide and IS) electrospray ionization. All calibration curves exhibited good linearity (R2 > 0.9992) over the measured ranges. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 12.32%, and the accuracy ranged from 96.37% to 120.43%. The extraction recovery and matrix effect yielded satisfactory results. The method was successfully applied in a pharmacokinetic study of geniposide and genistein in rat plasma after the oral administration of five different combinations of ZZCDs.

PurposeTo investigate the influencing factors of abdominal lymph node metastasis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (TESCC), and to construct its predictive model, in order to analyze the targets for postoperative radiotherapy.Methods and materialsFrom January 2008 to December 2014, the clinicopathological data of 479 patients who underwent radical resection for esophageal cancer in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The influencing factors of postoperative abdominal lymph node metastasis were analyzed, and a predictive model was constructed based on their independent influencing factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to analyze the predictive value of this model; in the meantime, the postoperative locoregional recurrence (LRR) of this group was analyzed.ResultsThe postoperative pathology of all patients showed that the lymph node metastasis rate (LNR) was 39.7%, of which the abdominal lymph node metastasis rate was 22.0%. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the patient's lesion location, pN stage, vascular invasion, LND and mediastinal lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for the positive rate of abdominal lymph nodes after surgery (P = 0.000, 0.000, 0.033, 0.000, 0.000). The probability of abdominal lymph node metastasis was Y = ex/(1 + ex), and X = −5.502 + 1.569 × lesion location + 4.269 × pN stage + 1.890 × vascular invasion + 1.950 × LND-4.248 × mediastinal lymph node metastasis. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of this model in predicting abdominal lymph node metastasis was 0.962 (95% CI, 0.946–0.977). This mathematical model had a high predictive value for the occurrence of abdominal lymph node metastasis (P = 0.000), and the sensitivity and specificity of prediction were 94.6% and 88.3% respectively. The overall survival rate was significantly higher (X2 = 29.178, P = 0.000), while abdominal lymph node recurrence rate was lower in patients with negative abdominal lymph nodes than in those with negative lymph nodes (1.4%&7.7%, X2 = 12.254, P = 0.000).ConclusionThe lesion location, pN stage, vascular invasion, LND and mediastinal lymph node metastasis are independent influencing factors of abdominal lymph node metastasis in patients with TESCC. The mathematical model constructed by these indicators can accurately predict abdominal lymph node metastasis, which can help clinicians to choose the targets for postoperative radiotherapy.

Plant materials are used as complementary and alternative therapies all over the world for the treatment of various diseases. Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease listed as one of the modern refractory diseases by the World Health Organization, has a long course, is challenging to cure, and is prone to cause cancer. Recent years have witnessed a growing trend of applying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to UC.This review presents an overview of the pathogenesis of UC and reports the therapeutic effect of TCM on UC (including TCM prescriptions, single TCM, and treatments using TCM ingredients) to provide a theoretical basis for the use of TCM in treating UC.We performed a collection and collation of relevant scientific articles from different scientific databases regarding TCM and its usefulness in treating UC. In this paper, the therapeutic effect of TCM is summarized and analyzed according to the existing experimental and clinical research.There are positive signs that TCM primarily regulates inflammatory cytokines, intestinal flora, and the immune system, and also protects the intestinal mucosa. Hence, it can play a role in treating UC.TCM has a definite curative effect in the treatment of UC. It can alleviate and treat UC in a variety of ways. We should take syndrome differentiation and treatment differentiation as the basis. With the help of modern medicine, TCM's clinical curative effects can be enhanced for the treatment of UC.

Objective To investigate nutritional treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the mainland China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 116 ICUs of 118 mainland hospitals on April 26th, 2017. All patients of these ICUs were investigated at 0 o'clock on April 26th. Demographic and clinical parameters of those patients on April 25th (the investigation day) were recorded, including the dates of hospitalization, ICU admission and nutrition initiation and clinical outcome on 28 days after the investigation day. Results A total of 1953 patients were collected, including 631 females and 1306 males. The mean age was (64.1±19.3) years old (1950 cases). The means of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ) scores were (10.76±4.35)(1749 cases), (5.65±3.52)(1783 cases), (17.14±7.31)(1792 cases), respectively. The outcomes of 28 days after the investigation day were 1483 survivors (75.9%), 312 non-survivors (16.0%) and 158 cases (8.1%) being lost to follow-up. There were no significant differences between the males and the females in age, severity of disease and clinical outcomes of 28 days but in height and weight. There were 73.7%(1440 cases) of patients with normal or mildly injured gastrointestinal function, 10.8%(210 cases) with moderately or severely injured function, 1.7%(33 cases) with gastrointestinal failure and 13.2%(258 cases) without evaluation. To the investigation day, enteral nutrition (EN) had been initiated in 69.4%(1356 cases) of patients and parenteral nutrition (PN) in 36.4%(711 cases) of patients. There were 1720(88.1%) patients with EN administration on the investigation day. The proportion of patients with nausea, vomit/regurgitation, aspiration, abdominal pain, abdominal distention and diarrhea was 4.8%(93 cases), 5.4%(105 cases), 0.9%(17 cases), 8.7%(170 cases), 27.5%(538 cases) and 4.3%(84 cases) respectively, while that of patients using EN was 3.1%(40 cases), 4.25%(54 cases), 0.79%(10 cases), 4.41%(56 cases), 26.85%(341 cases) and 5.43%(69 cases) correspondingly. The proportion of cases starting EN within 24, 48 and 72 hours after ICU entry was 22.4%(437/1953), 38.6%(754/1953) and 46.6%(911/1953), respectively. The proportion of cases receiving ≥80% estimated energy target (=past body weight ×25 kcal/kg.d) within 3, 7 and 14 days after ICU entry was 12.9%(78/607), 18.7%(189/1010) and 23%(305/1325) respectively, while that of cases with EN was 9.9%(60/607), 15.0%(151/1010) and 18.6%(246/1325) correspondingly. Conclusions Nowadays, most of patients in the mainland ICUs receive nutrition therapy and the EN usage rate is much higher than the PN rate. However, the time of EN initiation and the target-reaching rate of energy are suboptimal and an individualized plan of nutrition therapy is still missing. Details of energy delivery still need to be improved. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2019.05.05

To investigate the effect of SIB-IMRT-based selective dose escalation to local tumor on the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer (EC).A total of 302 EC patients were enrolled. The prognostic factors of the entire group were initially analyzed, and the composition ratios of the two groups and the different doses of each fraction for PTV were compared. The propensity-score matching (PSM) was carried out (1:1 ratio), and the prognostic factors for the two groups were analyzed according to the results of COX.The median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 30.0 months (23.495-36.505 months), and the median disease-free survival (DFS) was 21.3 months (7.698-24.902 months). In multivariate analysis, chemotherapy, cTNM stage and dose-per-fraction for the PTV were independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.013, 0.000, 0.028) and DFS (P = 0.033, 0.000, 0.047). Multivariate analysis of patients after PSM revealed that cTNM staging and dose-per-fraction were the independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.000, 0.015). Chemotherapy, cTNM staging and dose-per-fraction for the PTV were the independent prognostic factors for DFS (P = 0.025, 0.010, 0.015). There was no significant difference in grade ≥ 2 acute toxicities between the two groups. A subgroup analysis of patients with a single dose of 2 Gy and 2 Gy in the SIB-IMRT group showed that OS and DFS of the latter were significantly better than those of the former.The selective dose escalation to local tumors based on SIB-IMRT technique can improve the survival of patients received radical radiotherapy without increasing toxicities.

In this paper, a 2D poro-elastoplastic model for wave-induced dynamic response in an anisotropic seabed is derived analytically. The seabed is treated as a porous medium and characterized b...

Background There is a lack of large-scale epidemiological data on the clinical practice of enteral nutrition (EN) feeding in China. This study aimed to provide such data on Chinese hospitals and to investigate factors associated with EN delivery. Methods This cross-sectional study was launched in 118 intensive care units (ICUs) of 116 mainland hospitals and conducted on April 26, 2017. At 00:00 on April 26, all patients in these ICUs were included. Demographic and clinical variables of patients on April 25 were obtained. The dates of hospitalization, ICU admission and nutrition initiation were reviewed. The outcome status 28 days after the day of investigation was obtained. Results A total of 1953 patients were included for analysis, including 1483 survivors and 312 nonsurvivors. The median study day was day 7 (IQR 2–19 days) after ICU entry. The proportions of subjects starting EN within 24, 48 and 72 h after ICU entry was 24.8% (84/352), 32.7% (150/459) and 40.0% (200/541), respectively. The proportion of subjects receiving > 80% estimated energy target within 24, 48, 72 h and 7 days after ICU entry was 10.5% (37/352), 10.9% (50/459), 11.8% (64/541) and 17.8% (162/910), respectively. Using acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) 1 as the reference in a Cox model, patients with AGI 2–3 were associated with reduced likelihood of EN initiation (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.353–0.599; p

The evaluation of potential liquefaction is an important part in the design of marine structures and offshore installations. However, the liquefaction phenomenon of porous seabed under the action of strong earthquake is traditionally been ignored. This paper aims to explore the momentary liquefaction mechanism of porous seabed through the newly analytical solutions of seabed response induced by vertical seismic excitation. Based on the boundary conditions at the surface and bottom of the seabed, the induced displacements and pore pressure in the sediment are rigorously derived as a function of seawater depth, seabed parameters and seismic characteristics of bedrock. A criterion of earthquake liquefaction in the seabed is developed, employing the concept of induced excess pore pressure. The representative cohesionless marine soils with different properties are selected in the parametric analysis. The results show that the liquefaction of seabed could be influenced by seawater parameters, seabed parameters and earthquake ground motion parameters. The significant finding is that current understanding that the vertical motion effect on soil liquefaction is negligible may not always hold true.

Objectives To validate the effects of the new plateau hyperbaric chamber on alleviating high altitude hypoxia on Mount Kun Lun. Methods A prospective, controlled study of rabbits and adult volunteers was conducted at altitudes of 355, 2880 and 4532 m. We obtained arterial blood samples from rabbits and volunteers before and after hyperbaric treatment. The respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure (BP) of adult volunteers were monitored during hyperbaric treatment. Results The mean PaO 2 levels of experimental group rabbits and volunteers increased significantly after 60 min of hyperbaric treatment at 350, 2880 and 4532 m. The mean PaCO 2 and pH levels of rabbits were not significant different before and after hyperbaric treatment at each altitude. The mean PaCO 2 and pH levels were not significant different at 355 m in the human study. However, at 2880 and 4532 m, pH fell with increasing PaCO 2 levels in humans before and after hyperbaric treatment. Conclusions The new multiplace plateau hyperbaric chamber may be used to alleviate plateau hypoxia by increasing patient PaO 2 . However, its value in treating AMS must be confirmed in field conditions.

Reward deficits and associated striatal circuitry disturbances have been implicated in the onset and progression of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, no studies have been conducted to investigate how the striatal circuitry changes during standard antidepressant, which is important for development of novel and targeted treatments for MDD. We examined the seed-to-whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) for six striatal subregions based on resting-state fMRI data of 23 MDD patients before and after 8-week duloxetine, a serotonin, and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Twenty-three healthy controls (HCs) were also scanned twice with an 8-week interval. After the analysis of covariance, we observed significant group-by-time interaction on FC of the dorsal caudate (DC), ventral striatum (VS), and putamen seeds. Post hoc analyses revealed that the FC between several right striatal seeds and left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), between right DC and left precuneus, between right superior VS and left inferior parietal lobe, were significantly higher in MDD patients compared to HCs at baseline and were reduced after treatment. Conversely, the FC between right inferior VS and left cerebellum was lower in MDD patients and was increased after treatment. Patients with larger reduction in right superior VS-left SFG FC exhibited larger alleviation of rumination. These findings suggest that duloxetine modulates the striatal FC with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior default mode network, and cerebellum, and partly, these changes underlie symptomatic improvement. This study adds to our understanding of antidepressant mechanism and future therapeutic development might benefit from considering these striatal circuitry as potential targets.

In this study, we analyzed the application of four autosomal kits and the sensitivity of the combined paternity index (CPI) cutoff value (CPI≥10000) in parentage testing. First, 1442 real trios and 803 real duos were tested using the Goldeneye 25A kit. The Goldeneye 25A kit covers the autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci of the other three kits, so we calculated the CPI value of every case for the four kits. Second, three complex close relative kinship cases were also analyzed to evaluate the application of the CPI cutoff value. The CPI values of all trio cases were higher than 10000 using the four kits; the CPI values of all duo cases were higher than 10000 using the Goldeneye 25A kit; and the CPI values of a portion of the duo cases were lower than 10000 using the other three kits. In the three complex close relative cases, the alleged father or mother was not excluded using 40 autosomal STRs. Adding X chromosome short tandem repeats (X-STR) and samples of biological fathers or mothers, the conclusions were confirmed. The four kits were adequate to draw conclusions in the trio cases; the Goldeneye 25A Kit was adequate to draw conclusions in the duo cases; and the other three kits were not sufficient for a portion of the duo cases. The CPI cutoff value was sensitive for real trio and duo cases. In complex close relative kinship cases, high CPI values may result in false conclusions.

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that complement activation is required for ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced hepatic damage, and cobra venom factor (CVF) can deplete the complement components. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect and intrinsic mechanism of CVF pretreatment on IRI-induced acute hepatic injury in rats. Acute hepatic injury in rats was induced by bone fracture to simulate trauma, followed by hemorrhage for 90 min, and then the rats were resuscitated for a period of 20 min of reperfusion. The survival times under different CVF treatment doses and schedules for rats with IRI were evaluated. Hepatic tissues and serum samples were analyzed for acute hepatic injury, complement activation, inflammatory mediator release and apoptosis at predetermined times and compared between the IRI group and the CVF pretreatment + IRI groups. Compared to the rats with IRI alone, the survival times were significantly improved among rats with IRI receiving a high-dose or low-dose CVF pretreatment (all P

Sr3Al2O6:Eu3+ red phosphor was synthesized by co-precipitation and investigated their crystal structures and luminescent properties in detail. EuCl3 was used as rare earth sources to replace Eu2O3, which saving cost significantly. X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) result indicated that the as-prepared phosphors was calcined at 1150 oC for 2h crystalized in cubic phase with space group of Pa-3 and uniform morphology. The average diameter of the phosphors were 1.8um. Excitation spectrum and emission spectrum results shows when Boric acid was added 3wt% and Eu3+ was added x=0.04((Sr1-xEux)3Al2O6), the red emission of Eu3+ centers was shown at peak of 611nm under near ultraviolet excitation with wavelength of 393nm. The emission spectrum was line spectrum. Luminous intensity achieved the optimum. The thermal quenching experiments indicated that it had thermal stability in the temperature of 20 oC -80 oC.

The sex-linked short tandem repeats (STR), Y-STR and X-STR, are important for autosomal STRs in forensic paternity testing. We evaluated the forensic parameters of 19 Y-STRs and 16 X-STRs in the Han population of Shandong province, China. A Goldeneye 20Y kit (DYS391, DYS389I, DYS390, DYS389II, DYS348, DYS456, Y-GATA-H4, DYS447, DYS19, DYS392, DYS393, DYS388, DYS439, DYS635, DYS448, DYS460, DYS458, DYS437, DYS385 a/b) was used to analyze the forensic parameters of 534 unrelated males. A Goldeneye17X system (DXS6795, DXS9902, DXS8378, HPRTB, GATA165B12, DXS7132, DXS7424, DXS6807, DXS6803, GATA172D05, DXS6800, DXS10134, GATA31E08, DXS10159, DXS6789, DXS6810, amelogenin) was used to analyze 97 unrelated males and 214 females. In addition, we used the kits to examine 5 cases with abnormal amelogenin test results, as well as a male child with agenosomia typed by autosomal STR. We found 203 Y-STR haplotypes with allele frequencies ranging from 0.0019 to 0.7959, and GD ranging from 0.3429 to 0.9667. Expect in DXS6803, the allele frequencies of the other 15 X-STR loci showed no differences between females and males. PDF ranged from 0.5504 to 0.9638, while PDM ranged from 0.3176 to 0.8377. With the exception of DXS6803 and DXS6810, the allele frequencies of other X-STR loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in females. One amelogenin negative case was characterized as a deletion of Y-DYS458. This paper provided data regarding the genetic polymorphism of Y-STRs and X-STRs in the Han population, and demonstrated the importance of Y-STR and X-STR in forensic autosomal STR analysis.

Issues for food traceability are receiving enthusiastic research interests recently. Traceability system is aimed to provide information visibility through the farming, production, packing, distribution, transportation, and sales process. The objective of this research is to develop a mobile data collection system to enhance the efficiency of e-traceability data construction. The mobile system consists of a front-end application service with cell phone and QR code labels. By scanning the QR code labels related to the farming operations, traceability data can be uploaded simultaneously to the back-end web server. The miscellaneous traceability data construction can be simply replaced by scanning QR code labels. Applications of this mobile system can significantly reduce the complexity of traceability in agriculture.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib are effective in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the median survival of patients is short. Here, we describe 2 patients with NSCLC receiving conventional chemotherapy and alternative treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib as second-line therapy. The first patient was alive at 8 years with alternative conventional chemotherapy and gefitinib, and the second patient was alive at long-term follow-up with conventional chemotherapy and gefitinib or erlotinib. Gefitinib, erlotinib, and conventional chemotherapy can be combined for satisfactory therapy for NSCLC.

Numerical model of thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling processes of radioactive waste during the long-time disposal is established with the multi-fields coupling theory, based on the theory of continuum mechanics, thermo elastic material mechanics, and considered the influence of the variation of water viscosity due to temperature variation on permeability of pore water. The whole process of excavation,heating phase and cooling phase have been simulated in the calculation;and the calculated results are analyzed. It indicates that the anisotropy of thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of the argillite rock is the main factor affecting temperature distribution,pore pressure and stress fields.The results make clear that the differences of coupling action and uncoupling action are obvious and the effects of coupling cannot be ignored.

The process of industrialization in the developed countries is often realized at the expense of sacrificing the environment and the natural resources; therefore, how to deal with the relationship among environment, resources and economy is an important task before us. As the world's most populous developing country, China is in the process of realizing its industrialization and is facing serious environment problems, and currently, how to deal with the relationship between economic development and ecological environment is a major issue. This article studies the economic policies and proposes the economic policies based on the ecological environment, e.g. the ecological economic policies, from the perspective of ecological environment.

A series of main-chain liquid-crystalline polymers (LCPs) with pendant sulfonic acid groups have been synthesized by use of biphenyl-4,4′-diol, 6,7-dihydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid, and bis(4-(chlorocarbonyl)phenyl) decanedioate in a one-step esterification reaction. Emeraldine base form of polyaniline (PAN) is doped by the synthesized sulfonic acid-containing LCPs to obtain PAN–LCP ionomers. A series of electrorheological (ER) fluids are prepared using the synthesized PAN–LCP ionomers and silicone oil. The chemical structure, liquid-crystalline behavior, dielectric property of LCPs, and PAN–LCP ionomers, and ER effect of the ER fluids are characterized by use of various experimental techniques. The synthesized sulfonic acid-containing LCPs and PAN–LCP ionomers display nematic mesophase. The PAN–LCP ionomers show a slight elevation of glass transition temperatures and decrease of enthalpy changes of nematic–isotropic phase transition compared with corresponding sulfonic acid-containing LCPs. The relative permittivity of the PAN–LCP ionomers is much higher than that of the corresponding sulfonic acid-containing LCPs. The ER effect of the PAN–LCP ionomer dispersions is better than PAN dispersions, suggesting a synergistic reaction should be occurred among liquid crystalline component, and PAN part under electric fields. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3395–3403, 2013

Taking vegetables for example, this paper focuses on the study of the application of QRcode Technology in the farm product supply chain traceability system and the design of the QRcode-based traceable logistics information system for farm products, which applies QRcode technology in the transfer process of information flow in the vegetable supply chain, including planting stage, processing/packaging stage and distribution/retail stage, in order to achieve the tracking and tracing of each stage in the farm product supply chain.

Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the most prevalent diseases in senior individuals. Its therapeutical strategies include anticoagulation, thrombolysis and cell protection. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) that interacts with thrombin for the lysis of thrombosis is widely used to treat stroke patients in early stage. The mechanism of action of t-PA is not clear. Here, we report a novel role of t-PA in protecting blood-brain barrier and its potential mechanisms. In a model of the blood-brain barrier with human umbilical vascular epithelium cells, we found that t-PA in low concentrations prevented the impairment of the blood-brain barrier as a result of oxygen and glucose deprivation. This protection was fulfilled by strengthening the junctions among vascular endothelia and by upregulating the productions of vascular endothelium growth factor and of zonula occludens-1. Therefore, t-PA may strengthen the junctions of vascular endothelia in the blood-brain barrier to improve the microenvironment of brain cells and, in turn, the outcome of stroke patients.

In terms of the diversity of nature reserves’ value, there are various methods to assess its value. By comparing and analyzing different methods of assessment, this text is aimed at establishing a system of assessment methods of nature reserve’ value to offer a quantitative basis on formulating the public management policies of nature reserves.

Objective To investigate polymorphism distribution of the 5 Y-SNP loci in Jinan Han population, and evaluate their potential in forensic application. Methods Genotyping of 5 Y-SNP loci (M89, M9, M122, M134, M95) were executed in the sample of 103 unrelated Chinese male individuals in Jinan Han population by using fragment length discrepant allele specific PCR (FLDAS-PCR). Results In 5 Y-SNP loci, genetic polymorphism were identified in Jinan Han population, and the ranges of gene diversity(GD) were 0.093 3-0.491 2. Twenty different haplotypes were observed and the haplotypes diversity (HD) was 0.867 9. Six different haplogroups were detected according to international association of Y chromosome nomenclature. Conclusion Five Y-SNP loci and their haplogroups in Jinan Han population are highly polymorphic, which can provide more information for the genetic structure analysis and forensic genetics research in the region.

As the food supply chain globalization became inevitable, concerns for food safety, agro-processing, and the environmental and ecological impact of food production have been exacerbated. Transparency in the way agriculture was grown and handled throughout the supply chain process resulted in an important issue of “traceability” in global food trade and safety for health management. Traceability in agriculture is faced with technological challenges including food product label and identification, activity/process characterization, information systems for data capture, analysis, storage, and the integration of the overall traceable data for the supply chain, that is, from farm to table. Application of information technologies (IT) for the food processing industry in the fields of smart packaging and materials, automation and control technology, standards and their application scenarios, and production management principles were widely studied. Although some field data can be automatically acquired and transmitted by sensor networking, most agricultural activity information was recorded by manual handwriting for the traceability information systems. Documentation or data collection in traceability system is necessary for production history tracing. A farming data collection system to automatically record the agricultural activities information for farmers is essential and yet still missing. System architecture, operation scenarios, and the implementation examples for the mobile farming information system are proposed in this research. An end-to-end mobile application system that records the farming activities by using mobile handheld devices to capture information of farming operations is developed. The farming information for farming activities is coded in two-dimensional labels of quick response (QR) codes. By scanning the proper operation labels, the corresponding farming data can be captured and uploaded simultaneously to the back-end web server. The prototype system is implemented in the traceability of mango exporting in Taiwan. A collaborative research project for the traceability of white gourd planting in Tianjin was also performed. Applications of this mobile farming information system show that the complicated manual traceability data recording can be significantly reduced for the farmers. The system can be implemented for public traceability system data collection and importing, as well as playing the roles of a private traceability system. The consumers’ confidence for healthy food choices with clear food traceability can be improved.

In general, a diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) inhibits the development of obesity and decreases adipose tissue. The specific impacts of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs on adipogenesis, however, have not been definitively determined. Traditional in vivo and in vitro supplementation studies have yielded inconsistent or even contradictory results, which likely reflect insufficiently controlled experimental systems. Caenorhabditiselegans fat-1 gene encodes an n-3 fatty acid desaturase, and its heterologous expression represents an effective method both for altering the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio and for evaluating the biological effects of n-3 and n-6 PUFAs. We sought to determine whether a reduced n-6/n-3 ratio could influence adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Lentivirus-mediated introduction of the fat-1 gene into 3T3-L1 preadipocytes significantly reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio and inhibited preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. In mature adipocytes, fat-1 expression reduced lipid deposition, as measured by Oil Red O staining, and induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that a reduced n-6/n-3 ratio inhibits adipogenesis through several mechanisms and that n-3 PUFAs more effectively inhibit adipogenesis (but not lipogenesis) than do n-6 PUFAs.

At present, industrial structure in the regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia is still at energy intensive phrase, with highlighted contradiction between supply and demand of energy, higher carbon emission, lower low-carbon technology, and lacking of integrated planning and coordination in economic development, environmental protection and ecological construction. To realize advantages integration and balanced development under the orientation of low-carbon economy, we should vigorously probe into the market transaction mechanism of regional low-carbon economy, build a micro economy policy and regulation system for low-carbon economy, strive to develop clean energy, and construct a new scientific innovation mechanism with energy conservation and emission reduction.

A series of liquid crystalline (LC) polysiloxanes (PI-PV) were prepared by use of poly(methylhydrogeno)siloxane and two kinds of terminal olefinic monomers. The chemical structures and liquid-crystalline properties of the synthesized materials were characterized by various experimental techniques. From PI to PV, the glass transition temperature and the isotropic temperature decreased slightly with increase of terminal fluoromethyl units in the polymer systems. All the monomers and polymers showed nematic phase with wide mesophase temperature ranges. The polymers PI, PII and PIII displayed single nematic mesophase, but PIV and PV bearing more terminal fluoromethyl units showed another smectic mesophase besides nematic mesophase.

A series of liquid crystalline (LC) oligomer films (IP-VP) were prepared by use of cyclo(tetramethylhydrogeno)siloxane (CTMHS), and two different cholesteric monomers that possess ortho- or para-substituted benzene. The chemical structures, liquid-crystalline properties and optical properties of the synthesized materials were characterized by various experimental techniques. All the samples showed cholesteric phase with very wide mesophase temperature ranges. From IP to VP, the glass transition temperature and the isotropic temperature decreased slightly with increase of C2PB component in the polymer systems. The maximum reflection bands shift to long wavelength from IP to VP, suggesting the helical pitch become longer with more ortho-substituted benzene in the polymer systems

EPS composite soil is a new kind of lightweight soil. As the fill material for the embankment, it has enormous advantages. Based on a known case, a finite element model was established, and its efficiency and rationality were verified. The established model was used to analyze the mechanical behaviors of the embankment considering EPS composite soil and the conventional soil. It was concluded that EPS composite soil can effectively reduce the settlement, soil pressure and excess pore water pressure and so as to improve the safety of the ground. It will have widespread applications.

In this paper, the flexible modeling capabilities of ANSYS and the excellent nonlinear solving ability of ABAQUS were multiplied for simulating the deep 3D-excavation. The results illustrated that both advantages of two numerical analysis softwares were combined. The complex stresses and deformations of the deep 3D-excavation were exactly simulated. The approximate solutions show that this method could analyze the coupling effects between the soils and the walls of the 3D-excavation. It was a successful application of using advanced CAE technologies into geotechnical engineering.

This article introduced the current development situation and prospect of circular-arc gear in China from the following aspects: theory of engagement, the gear strength, advanced processing technology, accuracy and measurement, and application of circular-arc gear. It indicates that the carburized hardened grinding double circular-arc gear transmission, as one of the promising transmission types, have the possibility to break through the load capacity limitation of current gear transmission.

EPS composite soil is a new kind of lightweight fill material. Its engineering properties have been widely studied. However, the creep behavior has not been well investigated. In this study, triaxial undrained creep test is conducted on EPS composite soil regarding various confining pressures. Based on the testing results, a modified Singh-Mitchell creep model is established for EPS composite soil considering the influence of the deviator stress on the parameter m. Compared with the original Singh-Mitchell model, the modified creep model can well describe the creep behavior of EPS composite soil. It can provide references for engineers to design the project using EPS composite soil.

Consideration of influence of the groundwater seepage and supporting measures to deep-foundation pit,the deformation characteristics of surrounding soil of the foundation pit are given. Seepage and deformation characteristics of surrounding soil are simulated to predict deformation of the deep foundation in ha er bing and stability of deep-foundation pit is analyzed base on the influence of the seepage. The analysis results are compared with observed data and it is showed that the calculated results with the model considering coupling response of permeability coefficient are closer to observed value than those results with the other model. So, the model considering fully coupling response of permeability coefficient is reliable and applicable.

We recently reported that electrical activation followed by secondary chemical activation greatly enhanced the developmental competence ofin vitromatured porcine oocytes fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We hypothesized that sperm treatment with disulfide bond reducing agents will enhance the development competence of porcine embryos produced by this ICSI procedure. We examined the effects of glutathione (GSH), dithiothreitol (DTT), GSH or DTT in combination with heparin on sperm DNA structure, paternal chromosomal integrity, pronuclear formation, and developmental competence ofin vitromatured porcine oocytes after ICSI. Acridine orange staining and flow cytometry based sperm chromatin structure assay were used to determine sperm DNA integrity by calculating the cells outside the main population (COMP αT). No differences were observed in COMP αT values among GSH-treated and control groups. COMP αT values in GSH-treated groups were significantly lower than that in DTT-treated groups. Following ICSI, GSH treatments did not significantly alter paternal chromosomal integrity. Paternal chromosomal integrity in sperm treated with DTT plus or minus heparin was also the lowest among all groups. GSH-treated sperm yielded the highest rates of normal fertilization and blastocyst formation, which were significantly higher than that of control and DTT-treated groups. The majority of blastocysts derived from control and GSH-treated spermatozoa were diploid, whereas blastocysts derived from DTT-treated spermatozoa were haploid. In conclusion, sperm treatment with GSH enhanced the developmental capacity of porcine embryos produced by our optimized ICSI procedure.

Agricultural traceability system has diverse ways of implementations. Among them, with regard to identification QR code is a relatively unique identification new technology. Its application is wide and simple. Its research and application in Japan is also more mature. Based on a comprehensive study of domestic and foreign traceability technologies, this research project uses QR code technology to build a white guard traceability system for SHUNZI Vegetable Cooperatives in order to achieve the farm-to-table whole process recordability and traceability.

Issues and concerns for food safety, agro-processing, and the environmental and ecological impact of food production have been attracted many research interests. Traceability and logistics management of fresh agricultural products is faced with the technological challenges including food product label and identification, activity/process characterization, information systems for the supply chain, i.e., from farm to table. Application of one-stop logistics service focuses on the whole supply chain process integration for fresh agricultural products is studied. A collaborative research project for the supply and logistics of fresh agricultural products in Tianjin was performed. Requirement analysis for the one-stop logistics management information system is studied. The model-driven business transformation, an approach uses formal models to explicitly define the structure and behavior of a business, is applied for the review and analysis process. Specific requirements for the logistic management solutions are proposed. Development of this research is crucial for the solution of one-stop logistics management information system integration platform for fresh agricultural products.

Issues and concerns for food safety, agro-processing, and the environmental and ecological impact of food production have been attracted many research interests. Traceability and logistics management of fresh agricultural products is faced with the technological challenges including food product label and identification, activity/process characterization, information systems for the supply chain, i.e., from farm to table. Application of information technologies for food processing and logistics industry in the fields of smart packaging and materials, automation and control technology, standards and their application scenarios, and production management principles were wildly studied. A collaborative research project for the supply and logistics of fresh agricultural products in Tianjin was performed. System analysis for the logistics management information system is studied. The model-driven business transformation, an approach uses formal models to explicitly define the structure and behavior of a business, is applied for the review and analysis process. Requirements for the logistic management solutions are proposed. Development of this research is crucial for the solution integration of supply and logistic management information system for fresh agricultural products.

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 19 STR Loci in Shandong Han population in order to provide the genetic data for paternity testing.The genotypes of 205 unrelated individuals in Shandong Han population were typed by Goldeneye 20A kit to get the allele frequencies and population genetic parameters of 19 STR loci. Four kits, Identifiler kit, SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit, and Goldeneye 20A kit, were compared with each other and used in the analysis of a special paternity test case.The population genetic parameters of 19 STR loci in Shandong Han Population were obtained. The cumulative discrimination power (CDP) and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) ranked from high to low were Goldeneye 20A kit, SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit and Identifiler kit, respectively. As duo case, the result of the real case showed that Identifiler kit had no excluding loci, and none of the SinoFiler kit, PowerPlex 16 kit or Goldeneye 20A kit could exclude fatherhood.Compared with Identifiler kit, SinoFiler kit, and PowerPlex 16 kit, Goldeneye 20A kit shows the higher efficiency than the others, but is not completely satisfied for duo cases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the Goldeneye 20A system (containing 19 short tandem repeats) can avert the shortage of duo parentage tests. Among routine cases typed by the Identifiler system, we identified 42 motherless cases, 2 fatherless cases, and 34 trio cases containing 1 locus mismatch and 4 motherless cases with 2 locus mismatches. One true trio case was rejected by fatherhood testing because of the omission of the mother's genotype and because the genotype of the putative father matched that of the child. All of the cases were retyped by the Goldeneye 20A system with the mother's or father's sample. In total, 39 motherless cases were verified by one mutation, 3 motherless cases were rejected for paternity, and 4 motherless cases with 2 locus mismatches were ruled out by fatherhood testing. After adding the father's genotype, 1 motherless case was confirmed by a single-locus mutation, whereas another case was rejected by motherhood testing. The mutation and exclusion rates detected with the Goldeneye 20A system accorded with the corresponding rates identified in the Identifiler system. The trio case also rejected fatherhood without the mother's genotype, and we found only 2 locus mismatches. Neither the Identifiler system nor the Goldeneye 20A system compensates for the absence of genetic information from the mother or father.

Background/Aims: We investigated the recently described family of proteinases, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTs), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as inflammatory mediators in inflammatory kidney damage by studying ADAMTS-1, -4, and -7 and MMP-9 expression in elderly mouse kidneys after angiotensin II (Ang II) administration. Methods: Ang II (2.5 µg/kg/min) or norepinephrine (8.3 µg/kg/min) was subcutaneously infused in old mice. Renal injury was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, 24-h albuminuria, and immunohistochemistry to evaluate inflammatory cell markers. The mRNA and protein expression of ADAMTS-1, -4, and -7 and MMP-9 were determined using real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry 3 days after Ang II or norepinephrine administration. Results: Elderly mice in the Ang II group developed hypertension and pathological kidney damage. The mRNA and protein levels of ADAMTS-7 in the Ang II group were 3.3 ± 1.1 (P = 0.019) and 1.6 ± 0.1 (P = 0.047) vs. 1.0 ± 0.1 and 1.0 ± 0.1 in the control group on day 3. In contrast, treatment with the hypertensive agent norepinephrine did not lead to obvious renal damage or an increase in renal ADAMTS-7 expression. Conclusions: Renal ADAMTS-7 expression was induced by Ang II in elderly mice. The overexpression of ADATMTS-7 might contribute to early inflammatory kidney damage associated with aging.