Search

Arsenic (As) contamination and methane (CH4) emissions co-occur in rice paddies. However, how As impacts CH4production, oxidation, and emission dynamics is unknown. Here, we investigated the abundances and activities of CH4-cycling microbes from 132 paddy soils with different As concentrations across continental China using metagenomics and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Our results revealed that As was a crucial factor affecting the abundance and distribution patterns of the mcrAgene, which is responsible for CH4production and anaerobic CH4oxidation. Laboratory incubation experiments showed that adding 30 mg kg–1arsenate increased 13CO2production by 10-fold, ultimately decreasing CH4emissions by 68.5%. The inhibition of CH4emissions by As was induced through three aspects: (1) the toxicity of As decreased the abundance and activity of the methanogens; (2) the adaptability and response of methanotrophs to As is beneficial for CH4oxidation under As stress; and (3) the more robust arsenate reduction would anaerobically consume more CH4in paddies. Additionally, significant positive correlations were observed between arsCand pmoAgene abundance in both the observational study and incubation experiment. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between As and CH4cycling in soils.

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (about 85–90% of primary liver cancer) is particularly prevalent in China because of the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection. HCC is the fourth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of tumor-related deaths in China. It poses a significant threat to the life and health of Chinese people. Summary:This guideline presents official recommendations of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China on the surveillance, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of HCC occurring in China. The guideline was written by more than 50 experts in the field of HCC in China (including liver surgeons, medical oncologists, hepatologists, interventional radiologists, and diagnostic radiologists) on the basis of recent evidence and expert opinions, balance of benefits and harms, cost-benefit strategies, and other clinical considerations. Key Messages:The guideline presents the Chinese staging system, and recommendations regarding patients with HCC in China to ensure optimum patient outcomes.

Melatonin has been reported to inhibit hepatic fibrosis and the mechanism may be correlated to its anti-oxidant effect. Nevertheless, the mechanism is not completely identified. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of melatonin on TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway in liver fibrosis in rats. The liver fibrosis model was made by the subcutaneous injection of CCl4. The liver pathology changes were detected using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Van Gieson (VG) staining. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were measured with an autoanalyzer. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) in liver were evaluated by spectrophotometry. Expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad2/3, phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Smad7 in liver were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Results showed that melatonin suppressed CCl4-induced liver fibrosis, along with an improvement in histological changes, significant decreases in pathologic grading sores and obvious decreases in Hyp levels in liver. Melatonin improved liver function indicated by decreased serum ALT and AST activities. In addition, melatonin exerted its anti-oxidant effects, as supported by decreased MDA levels and increased GPx activities in liver. Furthermore, melatonin inhibited TGF-β1/Smad pathway, as evidenced by decreased TGF-β1, Smad2/3 and p-Smad2/3 expression and increased Smad7 expression in liver. In conclusion, melatonin may suppress CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats via inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad pathway. It is possible for melatonin to be a potential reagent to treat and cure liver fibrosis.

Sunitinib is approved in China for treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), after disease progression on, or intolerance to, imatinib. However, available data from prospective clinical trials on its efficacy and safety in Chinese patients is limited. Our objective is to determine the efficacy and safety of sunitinib in Chinese patients with imatinib-resistant/intolerant GIST. An open-label, single-arm, multicenter, phase IV study was performed in Chinese patients with imatinib-resistant/intolerant GIST. Sunitinib was administered orally in 6-week cycles of 4 weeks on-treatment (50 mg once daily) and 2 weeks off-treatment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Tumors were assessed every 6 weeks for the first 24 weeks and every 12 weeks thereafter. Responses were evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.0. A total of 60 patients were enrolled, of whom 59 were treated with sunitinib. All patients were Asian, and mean age was 55.1 years. Median PFS was 46.4 weeks (95% CI 33.6–53.1). An objective response (complete or partial) was observed in 11/58 (19%) patients. Median overall survival was 111.3 weeks (95% CI 75.4–167.1), median time to tumor progression was 47.3 weeks (95% CI 34.1–59.3), and median time to tumor response was 22.6 weeks (95% CI 10.4–57.3). The most common adverse events included leukopenia, fatigue, hand-foot syndrome, and neutropenia. No new safety concerns were identified. This study confirms that sunitinib is active and well tolerated in Chinese patients with imatinib-resistant/intolerant GIST. NCT00793871. Pfizer Inc, USA.

An analytical procedure for determination of water- and methanol-extractable pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soils was developed using vortex-assisted liquid-liquid extraction (VALLE) and gas chromatography (GC). Significant extraction parameters such as vortex speed and liquid-liquid volume ratio were optimized for extracting PCP from solution. The recovery of PCP was the highest (97.4%) with good reproducibility and a small relative standard deviation (RSD, 0.5%) when the vortex speed was at 2000 rpm. Meanwhile, when the volume ratio of derivatization solution to n-hexane was at 10:4, the recovery of PCP was 103% with a RSD of 0.7%. The linearity of the calibration curve for PCP determination ranged from 1.25 μg L−1to 4000 μg L−1, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9999. The detection limit of PCP in water samples was below 0.2 μg L−1and the measuring range was relatively wide, and suitable for trace- and micro-analysis of PCP. Compared with traditional extraction methods (liquid-liquid and solid-phase), VALLE consumes less extractant, requires fewer steps, and achieves higher recovery (96.8%) and smaller RSD (3.7%). The reliability of VALLE was verified in four distinct types (paddy, red, black and alluvial) of soil samples spiked with 1 and 10 mg kg−1PCP. The total recoveries of PCP in the soil samples were in the range of 89.5%–98.9% by water extraction and 88.7%–98.4% by 3 consecutive extractions with methanol in a sequential procedure. The results indicated that VALLE-GC satisfied the requirements for extracting and determining water- and methanol-extractable PCP in soils polluted by PCP at varying levels.

A series of Al-3.2Mg alloys with addition of 0~1.6 wt.% rare earth (Ce and La) were prepared. The microstructure of as-cast Al-3.2Mg alloys was investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and the tensile strength was measured. The results indicated that the addition of rare earth elements refined grain size and secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), and the tensile strength was affected by means of the second-phase precipitation and the grain boundary. Accordingly, the ductility of Al-3.2Mg alloys reduced with the increasing of RE addition due to the more second-phase formation.

Earthquakes are human recognized natural disasters, causing tremendous loss of life and property to human society, so how to strengthen the seismic capacity of the building more effectively is one of the challenges faced by scientists.While the use of a damping device is an effective method. With the rapid economic and social development, the urban transport problem is an extremely serious livelihood problem faced by all countries. To solve urban traffic congestion, in many cities setting up viaducts is a widely used way to ease urban traffic pressure, and elevated expressways are the main bridges among continuous bridges. In order to ensure the safe operation of the urban elevated road system, we must make the correct evaluation of their seismic capacity. This paper focuses on the continuous beam bridge seismic response history analysis of installing viscous dampers and lock-up devices,compared with the general scheme of continuous bridge.

To improve the stability of DC bus voltage in DC microgrid, and reduce the impact on microgrid equipments by the DC bus voltage fluctuations, a supercapacitor energy storage (SCES) is designed to connect to the DC bus by the bi-directional converter. The controller is designed by the feedforward control and proportional method with the deadband. The great load disturbance is simulated in PSIM software when the DC microgrid operates in the grid-connected rectification mode. The simulation results show that SCES under the proposed control strategy can reduce the fluctuation range of the DC bus voltage in a wide range of load disturbances, and the dynamic response performance of DC bus voltage is improved.

In order to investigate the system performance, its necessary to select an even background point target as the imaging object. The system realizes the real-time sampling, processing and displaying infrared image through joint debugging the SOPC processing system. SOPC is a flexible and effective SOC solution because of its flexibilities of system design, reduction, extension, upgrading, etc. And its hardware and software system are programmable. We present and develop a wireless video monitoring system based on SOPC in this paper, and the system benefits the production of infrared imaging sets of higher performance, lower power consumption and smaller size.

The auto-disturbance-rejection-controller (ADRC) is a new control theory that doesn’t need the exact object model. The variation of load resistance is observed and estimated by an extended state observer, which is the core of the ADRC. It is known to all that t-he output power of wind turbine is direct ration to the third power of wind speed; hence the flywheel is introduced to keep the stable current output. The system is composed by the permanent magnetism synchronized generator wind turbine and the permanent magnetism synchronized generator flywheel. The control system is nonlinear, the nonlinear parts of the system can be considered as the disturbance which is estimated by an additional state. The Matlab simulink software and lab system have been carried out and the results confirm the robustness of the ADRC.

Gelator (G2-C12-G2) was synthesized successfully, the structure of which was confirmed by 1H-NMR and Mass spectra (MS). And G2-C12-G2 was used to modify PMMA by “in-situ” polymerization. The results of gel permeation chromatography (GPC) showed that Mn and Mw/Mn of the PMMA composite were barely influenced by the incorporation of gel. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the modified PMMA had higher modulus, toughness and glass transition temperature (Tg) than pure PMMA. Furthermore the results of spectrophotometer showed that the transparency of modified PMMA was nearly the same as pure PMMA .

Abstract: Objective: MR perfusion-weighted imaging(PWI) has been widely applied in the research of cerebral tumor, benign and malignant musculoskeletal neoplasms and so on. The aim of this study is to explore the application of MR perfusion-weighted imaging in prostatic cancer (Pca), and evaluate the correlation of PWI features with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD). Methods: Twenty-eight consecutive patients who were diagnosed clinically as prostatic cancer and thirty healthy volunteers were examined by PWI. MVD and VEGF were stained with immunohistochemical methods. Some parameters of PWI, including the steepest slope of signal intensity-time curve (SSmax) and the change in relaxation rate (ΔR2 peak*) at lesions, were analyzed. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the results of PWI and that of immunohistochemistry. Result: (1)In the healthy volunteers, the steepest slope of signal intensity-time curve (SSmax) and ΔR2 peak* of perfusion curve were: 0.430±0.011, 2.01±0.7 respectively; however, in the prostatic cancer, they were 57.8±5.0, 3.0±0.6 respectively; with significant difference (t=4.11, 3.28, P<0.01). (2) The VEGF and MVD expression of twenty-eight Pca patients were significantly higher. Conclusion: On MR perfusion-weighted imaging, SSmax and ΔR2*peak can reflect MVD and VEGF expression levels in prostatic cancer, suggesting information on tumor angiogenesis. Thus they are beneficial to the diagnosis and treatment of prostatic cancer.

A fast, mild, and quantitative procedure for Michael addition reactions between various amines and α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and nitriles in the presence of an easily accessible basic ionic liquid – 3-butyl-1-methylimidazolium hydroxide, [bmIm]OH – as both catalyst and reaction medium has been developed. For large-scale reactions the products could be directly distilled from the ionic liquid, allowing the use of organic solvents to be avoided totally. The ionic liquid could be reused at least eight times with consistent activity and was stable during the reaction process. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)

Three acylases, including D-aminoacylase from Escherichia coli, acylase “Amano” from Aspergillus oryzae and immobilized penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli have been found to possess novel activity to catalyze the Markovnikov addition reaction of N-heterocycles to vinyl esters. The aza-Markovnikov addition reactions of 4-nitroimidazle to vinyl acetate catalyzed by D-aminoacylase, acylase “Amano” and immobilized penicillin G acylase were up to 1260-fold, 720-fold and 320-fold faster than the respective non-enzymatic reaction. Some control experiments have been designed to demonstrate the catalytic specificity of acylases. Under the catalysis of these promiscuous acylases, a number of N-heterocycles, including some pentacyclic N-heterocycles, pyrimidines and purines, were successfully added to a series of vinyl esters in moderate to excellent yields to prepare N-heterocycle derivatives. The acylase-catalyzed Markovnikov addition reaction has provided a new strategy to perform the Markovnikov addition and expanded the application of biocatalysts.

Based on an extension of the Hermite-Biehler Theorem to the quasipolynomial stability problem, this paper studies the problem of stabilizing a second-order plant with dead time via a PID controller. The region in PID parameters space for the closed-loop stability is given. For a feasible proportional gain (kp), the region of all the admissible integral gains (ki) and derivative gains (kd) is a convex polygon. The PID controller design is formulated as a convex optimization problem of load disturbance rejection with constraints on stability and non-fragility, which can be solved by using existing linear programming techniques.

This study was designed to explore the possible interaction of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) in vitro. Human colon cancer LoVo cells were treated in both a dose- and time-dependent manner using clinically relevant concentrations of and exposure to 5-FU and/or SN-38. The expression of thymidylate synthase (TS), topoisomerase I, and cell cycle kinetics were evaluated by Western blot analysis and flow cytometry, respectively. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The cytotoxic effects of combination treatment were determined by median effect analysis. Topoisomerase I expression was downregulated following 12 hours of exposure to treatment, and topoisomerase I expression recovered 8 hours after SN-38 was removed. The TS expression was decreased following 24 hours of 5-FU and it remained at reduced levels for 24 hours after removal of 5-FU. SN-38 induced an arrest at S/G2/M phase, reaching its maximum effect at 12 hours. This cell cycle arrest was reversed 24 hours after SN-38 was removed. 5-FU induced an arrest at the S phase, and maximum arrest occurred at 12 hours and lasted for 48 hours. After 12 hours of sequential SN- 38, LoVo cells were arrested in S phase, thereby potentiating the effect of 5-FU. Cytotoxicity studies confirmed the synergistic interaction between 5-FU and irinotecan. These findings suggest that the proper sequencing of 5- FU/irinotecan depends on regulation of topoisomerase I, and cell cycle kinetics.

Oscillatory and periodic solutions of retarded functional differential equations are investigated. The study concerns equations with piecewise constant arguments which found applications in certain biomedical problems.

In order to investigate the predictive value of in vitro MTT assay for directing chemotherapy of breast cancer patients, from 1992 to 1995, 156 advanced breast cancer patients who had evaluable lesions were recruited for a prospective study. Of them 83 had MTT assay before chemotherapthe 73 patients in the MTT sensitive group received chemotherapy according to the result of the MTT assay. The other 10 patients in the MTT resistant group and 73 patients in the control group were given chemotherapy according to clinicians' discretion. The response rate in the MTT sensitive group was 76.7% (56/73). There was statistically significant difference as compared with 0 (0/10) in the MTT resistant group and 43.8% (32/73) in the control group. Between in vitro and in vivo, the overall coincident rate was 79.5%[(56+10)/83]. In the MTT sensitive group, the response rate of the subgroups of lesions and the chemotherapy regiments tended to be higher than that in the control group. Patients in the MTT sensitive group had longer response and survival than those in the control group. However, there was no statistical difference in the median response duration and the median survival between the two groups. Further exploration of in vitro chemosensitivity testing by MTT assay for patients with advanced breast cancer is warranted.

Practical criteria were developed in this paper for the purpose of evaluating chemosensitivity of fresh human breast cancer by the MTT assay. The survival rates at maximum inhibition (Imax %) and the concentrations of drugs which caused fifty percent reduction in absorbance compared to baseline values (IC50) of 175 samples of 10 anti-tumor drugs were evaluated by logistic analyses of the dose-response curves. Distributions of Imax% appeared as normal curves, while those of the IC50significantly deviated from normal distribution (p < 0.0001). We assessed the in vitro chemosensitivity by comparing the Imax % of each drug on individual samples with the mean Imax % + SD which was obtained from the Imax% of 175 samples. If the individual Imax % > mean Imax % + SD, we thought the tumor sample was resistant to this drug. If the Imax % ≤ mean Imax % + SD, we would compare its IC50with Q50which was used as a cutoff point for in vitro chemosensitivity of anti-tumor drugs. The in vitro chemosensitivity could be graded as sensitive (Q1–Q25), intermediate (Q26–Q75), and resistant (Q76–Q100) by means of percentile method. If the individual IC50≥ Q76, the tumor sample would be defined as resistant. If the individual IC50≤ Q25, it would be defined as sensitive. In the range of Q26–Q75, we used Q50as a cutoff point between relative sensitivity and relative resistance. Preliminary results showed that the in vitro chemosensitivity to different anti-tumor drugs determined by these criteria were consistent with the clinical response in 83 advanced breast cancer patients.

A new enzymatic process is reported, in which penicillin G acylase from Escherichia colidisplays a promiscuous activity in catalyzing the Markovnikov addition of allopurinol to vinyl ester.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text

A traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) caused by a handlebar collision is very rare. It is difficult for the emergency physician to exclude the possibility of mesenteric or intestinal injuries when viewing handlebar trauma. Because TAWH may have no other clinical symptoms, early recognition and differentiation from haematoma is important. An unusual case of TAWH caused by a handlebar injury is reported, where a multi-layer muscular defect was found along with a segment of incarcerated jejunum and omentum. The latest literature is reviewed, and valuable ideas on the management of blunt abdominal trauma with TAWH are shared.

ObjectiveTo determine the most efficacious treatment for eradication of Helicobacter pyloriwith the lowest likelihood of some common adverse events among pre-recommended and newer treatment regimens.DesignSystematic review and network meta-analysis.Data sourcesCochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase without language or date restrictions.Study selectionFull text reports of randomised controlled trials that compared different eradication treatments for H pyloriamong adults.ResultsOf the 15 565 studies identified, 143 were eligible and included. Data on 14 kinds of treatments were available. Of 91 possible comparisons for the efficacy outcome, 34 were compared directly and the following treatments performed better: seven days of concomitant treatment (proton pump inhibitor and three kinds of antibiotics administered together), 10 or 14 days of concomitant treatment, 10 or 14 days of probiotic supplemented triple treatment (standard triple treatment which is probiotic supplemented), 10 or 14 days of levofloxacin based triple treatment (proton pump inhibitor, levofloxacin, and antibiotic administered together), 14 days of hybrid treatment (proton pump inhibitor and amoxicillin used for seven days, followed by a proton pump inhibitor, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and 5-nitroimidazole for another seven days), and 10 or 14 days of sequential treatment (five or seven days of a proton pump inhibitor plus amoxicillin, followed by five or seven additional days of a proton pump inhibitor plus clarithromycin and 5-nitroimidazole or amoxicillin). In terms of tolerance, all treatments were considered tolerable, but seven days of probiotic supplemented triple treatment and seven days of levofloxacin based triple treatment ranked best in terms of the proportion of adverse events reported.ConclusionComparison of different eradication treatments for H pylorishowed that concomitant treatments, 10 or 14 days of probiotic supplemented triple treatment, 10 or 14 days of levofloxacin based triple treatment, 14 days of hybrid treatment, and 10 or 14 days of sequential treatment might be better alternatives for the eradication of H pylori.

Renal colic is a common condition seen in the emergency department (ED). Our recent study showed that measures of electrical conductance may be used as supplementary diagnostic methods for patients with acute renal colic. Here, we describe the case of a 30-year-old male subject with a left ureteral calculus who presented with frequency and normal-looking urine. He had already visited the outpatient department, but in vain. Normal urinalysis and nonobstructive urogram were reported at that time. Two days later, he was admitted to the ED because of abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant. The urinalysis did not detect red blood cells. Ultrasonography did not indicate hydronephrosis. The meridian electrical conductance and index of sympathovagal balance were found to be abnormal. High level of electrical conductance on the left bladder meridian was found. An unenhanced helical computed tomography was scheduled to reveal a left ureterovesical stone. Ureteroscopic intervention was later uneventfully performed, and the patient's pain was relieved. The follow-up measurements showed that the meridian parameters had returned to normal one month after treatment. This case suggests that bladder meridian electrical conductance might be used as a supplemental method for ureteral calculus diagnosis.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.