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Multi-carrier modulation technology is an advanced modulation method commonly used in broadband communication systems. However, multi-carrier signals will produce a very large Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) in the time domain, which will lead to non-linear damage and seriously affects the performance of system. In this paper, a joint PAPR reduction technology enabled by neural network-based coding and companding is proposed. The frequency-domain coding is implemented by a fully connected layer, which greatly reduces the complexity and difficulty of network training. A small proportion of spread spectrum is introduced to provide coding gain, and the time-domain companding network uses a nonlinear convolutional neural network to reduce PAPR. The effect of the scheme is shown through simulation under various parameter conditions, and compared with various schemes. The simulation results show that the scheme can reduce PAPR by 5 dB while introducing rare distortion. Finally, the scheme is experimentally verified. The experimental results show that the Bit Error Ratio (BER) is reduced by 75% compared with the clipping scheme when the PAPR is reduced by 5 dB, which verifies the feasibility of the scheme.

Objective To study the dynamic changes of left ventricular hypertrophy with age found in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods Forty-five male SHR and thirty-five male Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), which were four-week-old and specific-pathogen free, were observed continuously for 42 weeks. At 6,8,12,18,24,32 and 42 weeks of age, cardiac structure and function were examined by echocardiography, and systolic blood pressure was measured by tail cuff method; At the same time points, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was calculated. The morphology of left ventricle was microscopied by HE staining, genes ANP and β-MHC were detected by RT-qPCR. Results The systolic blood pressure of SHR increased rapidly during the period from 6th to 12th weeks, and was significantly higher than that of WKY at 12 weeks (P＜0.05), after that the blood pressure of SHR increased slightly and slowly. With age and blood pressure changes, left ventricular hypertrophy gradually developed in SHR.The related hypertrophic indexes,interventricular septal thickness(IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness(LVPWT),transverse diameter of myocardial cell (TDM) and LVMI all showed characteristic changes. Correspondingly, the expression of hypertrophy-related genes ANP and β-MHC in SHR showed age- and blood pressure-dependent dynamic changes. Conclusions The left ventricular hypertrophy in SHR is characterized by the dynamic changes with aging and change of blood pressure.

Objective To investigate the predictive and guiding significance of peripheral blood biomarkers on the therapeutic effects of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment on lung cancer patients. Methods We collected the data of 200 lung cancer patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors treatment, including clinical indicators, peripheral blood indicators, efficacy indicators and survival indicators. Results The DCR of patients with non-hepatic metastasis, immune combined chemotherapy, NLR≤2.81 and LDH≤202.5 u/L was higher (P < 0.05). The AUC value of NLR combined with LDH predicting DCR was 0.698 (P < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that non-hepatic metastasis, first-line immunotherapy, immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy and LDH≤202.5 u/L were related to PFS (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the patients with non-hepatic metastasis and LDH≤202.5 u/L had longer PFS (P < 0.05). The significant decrease of NLR and LDH after two cycles of immunotherapy indicated the effectiveness of immunotherapy (P < 0.05). Conclusion NLR≤2.81, LDH≤202.5 u/L, non-hepatic metastasis and immunotherapy combined chemotherapy are positively correlated with immunotherapy efficacy. Non-hepatic metastasis and LDH≤202.5 u/L are independent prognostic factors of the patients treated with immunotherapy. The changes of peripheral blood NLR and LDH are related to the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors treatment.

In order to solve the problem that the laser satellite terminal can realize the ranging function while completing the communication function, this paper designs a method based on the Delta-Sigma modulation to realize the laser phase ranging, which can integrate the functions of communication and ranging. Multi-frequency point phase ranging is used to balance ranging range and ranging accuracy. Multi-frequency modulation signals are generated using high-speed digital Input and Output (I/O) ports based on Delta-Sigma modulation without any Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). Based on the Delta-Sigma modulation method, multiple frequency points for multi-frequency phase ranging can be generated at the same time, which is better than the traditional method of generating each single frequency point separately. Selecting the high frequency of 187.50 MHz and the low frequency of 1.50 MHz, the ranging accuracy can achieve 1 mm in the range of less than 100 m.

Objective To explore the impact of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of lung cancer patients with VTE treated in Peking University Cancer Hospital. The incidence of VTE was calculated and the relation between VTE and lung cancer was analyzed. Results Among 1766 patients with lung cancer, VTE occurred in 115(6.5%) patients. Among 115 VTE cases, there were 78(67.8%) males patients; 82(71.3%) cases were deep venous thrombosis, 21(18.3%) cases were pulmonary embolism, 12(10.4%) cases were deep venous thrombosis with pulmonary embolism; 74(64.3%) cases were symptomatic VTE; 102(88.7%) patients received antithrombotic therapy. Among the patients who received antithrombotic therapy, 97(95.1%) cases chose drug therapy. In drug treatment, 65(67.0%) cases used adequate/standard dose. Among 115 VTE cases, 52(45.2%) patients had improvement or disappearance of thrombus, 32(27.8%) patients had no improvement, and 31(27.0%) patients with unknown results; 11(9.6%) patients had adverse reactions such as bleeding during antithrombotic therapy; 30(26.1%) patients changed antineoplastic treatment plan due to VTE. Conclusion VTE is a common complication of lung cancer patients. Antithrombotic therapy for lung cancer patients with VTE is complex, the treatment effect is not ideal and the risk of adverse reactions such as bleeding is high. VTE has a great impact on the implementation of anti-cancer treatment.

The study used the functional Lactobacillus acidophilus producing α-amylase, protease, phytases and β-mannanase to carry out cooperative fermentation of soybean meal. The effects of the inoculating amount, fermentation temperature, fermentation time and the ratio of water to material on the content of acid-soluble protein were studied by the single factor experiment. On this basis, through Box-Behnken design experiment, the quadratic regression model was established, and the optimal fermentation conditions were the inoculated amount of bacterial liquid of 12.3%, the fermentation time of 78.9 h, the fermentation temperature of 36.8 °C, and the ratio of water to material of 0.9 L/kg. Under these conditions, the crude protein content increased by 15.13%, the acid-soluble protein content increased by 66.91%, hemicellulose content decreased by 24.93%, the free amino acid content was 11.62 times higher before fermentation, the trypsin inhibitor content decreased by 91.68%, the urease activity decreased by 95.67%, the phytic acid content decreased by 83.87%, and the viable bacteria count in fermented soybean meal was 1.37x1010 CFU/g. The study indicates that the composite strain fermentation mode can effectively improve the nutrient composition of soybean meal and remove antinutrient factors, so as to improve the utilization rate of soybean meal and provide a reference for the industrial production of fermented soybean meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two macromolecular photoinitiators PPI 1 and PPI 2 were synthesized and characterized. The results showed that the UV absorption behavior of PPI 1 and PPI 2 are similar to that of 4-BP, the molar extinction coefficient are higher, the rate of photodegradation are faster. Without the addition of EDAB, compared to PPI1 and PPI 2, as the molecular weight (functionality) of photoinitiator increased, the polymerization rate increased and the final double bond conversion rate of HDDA increased The extraction amount of film cured by PPI 1 was 44. 5% than that of 4-BP, PPI 2 was 40% than that of 4-BP respectively, after immersed in CH2 Cl2 solution for 5 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A A continuous three-year field experiment of cotton-residue incorporation in coastal saline-alkali land was conducted, with two treatments: residue removal and residue incorporation. The successive cotton stalk returning significantly decreased soil bulk density in 0-30 cm soil layer and soil micro-aggregates with particle size <0.25 mm in 0-10 cm soil layer, while significantly increased the content of soil macro-aggregates with particle size >5 mm in 0-10 cm soil layer. Compared with the control (residue removal), the treatment of cotton residues incorporation significantly increased soil organic matter, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen and available potassium by 13.45%, 18.57%, 22.80%, and 22.57%, respectively, while decreased soil available phosphorus and salinity by 18.29% and 16.59% at pre-sowing and each growth stage in 0-20 cm soil layer. Soil nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen were increased by 37.20% and 31.62% and soil salinity had a reduction of 19.06% after successive cotton stalk returning for three years in 20-40 cm soil layer, and also significantly increased by 38.26% and 24.83% in 40-60 cm soil layer. Successive cotton stalk returning significantly increased seed cotton yield by 11.57%, 19.01%, and 13.24% and lint yield by 18.56%, 19.78%, and 18.73% in three years, but not affected single boll weight and lint percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted to determine the regulation of crop photosynthesis and output and water saving effect under ridge and furrow rain harvesting with supplemental irrigation in Guanzhong irrigation district. The experiment was set with 5 treatments with irrigation at returning green stage, and the widths of both ridge and furrow being 60 cm. T1, T2 and T3 were in the ridge and furrow rain harvesting planting pattern, with the irrigation volumes being 0, 375 and 750 m³ hm-2 respectively, T4 was flat planting with irrigation ( border irrigation) of 750 m³ ⋅ hm-2 and CK was flat planting without irrigation. Effects on winter wheat photosynthetic organs, photosynthetic rate, yield and water use efficiency, etc. were tested. The results showed that compared with T4, T1, T2 and T3 treatments increased the grain yield by 2.8%, 9.6% and 18.9%, improved the harvest index by 2.0% to 8.5%, advanced the flag leaf chlorophyll content by 41.9% to 64.4% significantly, and improved the 0-40 cm layer soil moisture content by 0.1%-4.6% during the whole growth period. Photosynthetic rates at the flowering and filling stages also increased by 22.3% to 54.2% and -4.3% to 67.2%, respectively. Total water use efficiencies ( WUEy ) were 17.9%, 10.4% and 15.4% higher than that of T4, and 69.3%, 58.6% and 65.7% higher than that of CK (P<0.05), respectively, and enhanced precipitation utilization efficiency ( PUE ) by 94.3%-124.5% than CK. Leaf areas of T2 and T3 treatments at each growth stage were significantly higher than that of T4 and CK, irrigation water use efficiencies ( IUE) were 119.1% and 18.8% higher than that of T4, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that ridge and furrow rain harvesting cultivation could maintain higher grain yield than border irrigation without irrigation or with irrigation reduction by 50%. The utilization efficiency of irrigation water under the condition of irrigation reduction by 50% was improved significantly, and the ridge and furrow rain harvesting could significantly improve whole cropland water use efficiency in the year of less rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tessellation levels limit of semi-uniform adaptive patch tessellation is 2n. It is less adaptive. Even patch tessellation was proposed using vertex fitting function to increase tessellation levels limit from 2n to 2n. Vertex moving was controlled by controlling function on vertex shader to eliminate the boundary cracks. In addition, parameter region was divided to avoid floating point precision issue caused by direction inconsistency of function coordinate axes. Then, parametric mesh layouts were optimized, and both vertex and index can be reused between different tessellation levels. The results show that even tessellation is more adaptive than dyadic tessellation under the same tessellation metric. The number of polygons rendered reduced to about 60% of that in dyadic tessellation, and rendering frames per second is increased by more than 20% . Our method expands existing hardware tessellation pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the effects of 30 years (1981-2010) fertilization with chemical N, P, and K, pig manure (PM), and rice straw (RS) on the soil organic carbon (SOC) and its com- ponents contents under intensive double rice cropping. The experiment was established on a typic Hapli-Stagnic Anthrosols in Hunan in 1981, and the soil samples were collected in November 2010. In treatment NPK, the contents of SOC, particulate organic C (POC), and KMnO4-oxidizable C (KMnO4-C) were higher than those in treatments NP and NK. The combined application of chemi- cal and organic fertilizers (treatments NK+PM, NP+RS, and NPK+RS) made the contents of SOC, POC, and KMnO4-C have a significant increase, as compared with chemical fertilizations. Treat- ment NK+PM had the highest contents of SOC (84. 71 t C.hm-2), POC (8. 94 t C.hm-2), and KMnO4 -C (21. 09 t C.hm-2) in top soil (0-45 cm), followed by treatment NPK+RS. Treatment NK+PM had the highest C sequestration (485 kg C.hm-2.a-1), followed by treatment NPK+RS (375 kg C.hm-2 .a-1 ). The C sequestration efficiency (CSE) of SOC in the treatments of chemical fertilizers plus pig manure or rice straw was obviously higher than that in the treatments of chemical fertilizations, and the CSE of the POC in fertilization treatments (ranging from 0. 4% and 1.2%) was lower than that of the KMnO4-C (ranging from 3. 0% to 8. 3%). By using the values of humification constant (h) and the decay constant (k) in Jenkinson's equation, it was possible to predict the SOC storages in different treatments in the year 2010; and by using Jenkinson's equation, it was possible to calculate the C input required to maintain the SOC storages in the year 1981 (AE). The increase of the SOC in treatments NK+PM, NP+RS, and NPK+RS was due to the annual C input being higher than the AE. It was considered that in the double rice cropping areas in subtropical region of China, long-term application of chemical fertilizers combined with pig manure or rice straw could promote the organic carbon sequestration in paddy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of full period and growth period straw mulching with an amount of 3000, 6000, and 9000 kg · hm-2 on the soil aggregates in a no-tillage dryland wheat field in Weibei Loess Pleateau of Shaanxi Province, taking no full period straw mulching as the control. In the o-40 cm soil layers, the content of >5 mm aggregates increased with depth, while that of 5< mm aggregates was in adverse. Under straw mulching, the total contents of >0.25 mm mechanical stable aggregates (DR0.25) and of >0.25 mm water stable aggregates (WR0.25) were significantly higher than the control, with an increase of 13.0%-26.4% and 18.6%-45.6%, respectively and the largest increment in the treatment 6000 kg · hm-2 of straw mulching. Straw mulching increased the soul organic matter content, and the latter had a significant positive correlation with the WR0.25 content. All the straw mulching treatments decreased the soil unstable aggregate index (ELT) which was the lowest in treatment 6000 kg · hm-2 of straw mulching. This study showed that straw mulching could increase the >0.25 mm aggregates and organic matter contents in 0-40 cm soil layer and improve the soil structural stability and mulching with an amount of 6000 kg · hm-2 had the best effect, being a reasonable straw mulching mode to be applied in the agricultural production in Weibei Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 24 paddy soil samples with different productivity were collected from eight main rice production counties in east, central, and northwest Hunan Province, with the parameters of soil physical properties and clay mineral composition, including bulk density, particle density, porosity, field water-holding capacity, water-stable aggregates, mean weight diameter, normalized mean weight diameter, aggregate destruction rate, organic carbon, organic cementing materials, inorganic cementing materials, and clay minerals determined. The results showed that highly productive (>14000 kg∙hm-2) paddy soil possessed bulk density below 1.2 g∙cm3, soil particle density about 2.0 g∙cm3, and 5-0.5 mm water-stable macroaggregates about 20%. Most of the test parameters had no significant differences between highly productive and medium productive (10000-13500 kg∙hm-2) paddy soils, but significant differences between highly productive and lowly productive (<10000 kg∙hm-2) paddy soils, suggesting that under good management, medium productive paddy soils could be upgraded to highly productive paddy soils. At present, the physical properties of lowly productive paddy soils were poor, which need to be improved to raise productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to quantify the effects of 27 years application of chemical fertilizers, pig manure, and rice straw on the reddish paddy soil quality in double rice cropping region, the indices of soil bulk density, porosity, maximum water holding capacity, normalized mean weight diameter, pH, cation exchange capacity, available nutrients, organic matter, microbial biomass C, enzyme activities, and rice yield were selected as the evaluation indicators, and classified into four functional groups, i.e., resistance to physical degradation, plant nutrients supply and storage, resistance to biochemical degradation, and sustaining of crop productivity. The soil quality index (SQI) was calculated based on the four functional groups. The results showed that the SQI ranged from 0.544 in treatment CK to 0.729 in treatment NPK plus rice straw. Treatments PK, NP, and NK induced soil degradation, compared to treatment NPK. The deficiencies of soil P and K were the main limiting factors for the double rice productivity in reddish paddy soil area. Even though 30 t∙hm-2∙a-1 of pig manure and 4.2 t∙hm-2∙a-1 of rice straw were applied, the soil P and K were still not adequate for the requirement of rice growth. There was no obvious effect of long-term application of lime on the reddish paddy soil quality. The combined application of NPK with organic manure was an important and effective measure in improving soil quality in double rice cropping regions of Southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2005 and 2007, soil samples were collected from a 27-year experimental field in Wangcheng County of Hunan Province to study the effects of long-term application of chemical fertilizers (CF) and their combinations with pig manure (PM) and rice straw (RS) on the chemical and biochemical properties of reddish paddy soil (Typic HaplicStagnic Anthrosis). Under the fertilization, soil pH had somewhat decrease, and soil conductivity changed less, compared with those before the experiment was installed. The contents of soil total organic carbon ( TOC), total N, available N and P, and microbial biomass C (Cmic) and N (Nmic), soil respiration rate, and activities of soil urease, acid phosphatase, invertase, and dehydrogenase were all higher in treatments CF +PM and CF+RS than in treatments CF and CK, and the Cmic / TOC ratio was higher in treatments CF+PM and CF+RS than in treatment CF. During the study period, applying CF alone induced a lower rice yield than the application of CF plus PM or RS. There were significant positive correlations (P<001) between soil biochemical properties and soil TOC and nutrient contents. It was concluded that longterm application of CF combined with PM and RS improved the soil chemical and bioche [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the risk factors for long-term hematuria after operation in BPH patients., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 646 cases of BPH treated by transurethral surgery in Liyang People's Hospital from January 2015 to August 2020. According to the incidence of hematuria at 3 months or longer after surgery, we divided the patients into a hematuria and a non-hematuria group, recorded the related factors, and investigated the independent risk factors for long-term hematuria by univariate and multivariate analyses., Results: Of the 646 BPH patients, 48 were found with and 598 without hematuria after transurethral surgery. Univariate analysis showed that hypertension, diabetes mellitus, residual prostate gland, urinary tract infection, bladder neck contracture, prostate cancer, urethral calculus, urethral stricture, excessive activity and constipation were the influencing factors (P < 0.05), while multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension (P < 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.007), residual prostate gland (P = 0.013), urinary tract infection (P < 0.001), bladder neck contracture (P = 0.032), urethral calculus (P = 0.033) and urethral stricture (P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for long-term hematuria in the BPH patients after surgery., Conclusion: Complicated hypertension, diabetes mellitus, residual prostate gland, urinary tract infection, bladder neck contracture, urethral calculus and urethral stricture are independent risk factors for long-term hematuria in BPH patients after transurethral surgery.

Objective: To investigate the differential expression of miR-126-5p in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and explore the possible mechanism., Methods: We searched STARBASE database to analyze the differential expression of miR-126-5p between lung adenocarcinoma tissues and normal lung tissues. The prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma was analyzed on Kaplan-Meier Plotter online website, and the survival curves of the patients with different expression levels of miR-126-5p were generated. The target gene of mir-126-5p was predicted by STARBASE database, and the expression level of the target gene and its influence on the patients' prognosis were analyzed using online website tool. We also examined the expression levels of miR-126-5p in peripheral serum of 30 healthy control subjects and 30 patients with lung adenocarcinoma using qPCR., Results: Analysis of the data from STARBASE database showed a high expression of miR-126-5p in normal lung tissues but a low expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Kaplan-Meier Plotter online analysis based on big data analysis showed that patients with a high expression of miR-126-5p had a better survival prognosis than those with a low expression (HR=0.68, P =0.015). MiR-126-5p was predicted to bind to the 3'UTR region of BRCC3 mRNA, and their expression levels were negatively correlated ( r =0.197, P < 0.05). Compared with normal tissues, lung adenocarcinoma tissues expressed high levels of BRCC3, which was associated with a poor prognosis of the patients (HR=1.39, P < 0.05). The serum level of miR-126-5p was significantly higher in healthy control subjects than in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (1.23 ± 0.21 vs 0.63 ± 0.12, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The expression level of miR-126-5p is lowered in lung adenocarcinoma tissue, and patients with lung adenocarcinoma have lower serum level of miR-126-5p than healthy subjects. A high expression of miR-126-5p is associated with a more favorable prognosis of the patients than a low expression. miR-126-5p may play a role against cancer by regulating BRCC3.

To clarify the effects of cotton straw returning on the composition and contents of nu-trients in different particle sizes of aggregates, two treatments with or without cotton straw returning were tested in continuous three years. After three years straw treatments, we collected undisturbed soil within 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm soil layers, and to measure the composition, soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents in different particle sizes of aggregates classified using dry sieving. Returning cotton straw into the field significantly increased particle contents of 2-5 mm and >5 mm aggregates in 0-5 cm soil layer, while the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregates was decreased. Cotton straw returning significantly improved soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium contents by 19.2%, 14.2% and 17.3%, respectively, compared to no returning control. In 5-10 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning increased the contents of 2-5 mm and >5 mm aggregates, reduced the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregate, but significantly increased contents of soil organic carbon, available nitrogen and potassium by 19.6%, 12.6% and 23.4%, compared to no straw returning control. In 10-20 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning significantly reduced the content of <0.25 mm micro-aggregates, and significantly enhanced soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and potassium contents by 8.4%, 10.9% and 11.5%, compared to the control. However, in 20-30 cm soil layer, cotton straw returning only increased soil available potassium content by 12.0%, while there were no significant changes in particle size, organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents. We concluded that cotton straw returning could significantly improve the structure of surface soil by increasing the number of macro-aggregates, contents of organic carbon, available nitrogen and potassium in aggregates, while decreasing micro-aggregate content. The enhancement of the contribution of macro-aggregates to soil fertility by returning cotton straw could improve soil physical structure, fertility and then increase cotton yield.

Background: Radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy or molecular targeted therapy remains the standard of treatment for brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study is to determine if the deferral of brain radiotherapy impacts patient outcomes., Methods: Between May 2003 and December 2015, a total of 198 patients with brain metastases from NSCLC who received both brain radiotherapy and systemic therapy (chemotherapy or targeted therapy) were identified. The rate of grade 3-4 adverse reactions related to chemotherapy and radiotherapy had no significant difference between two groups. 127 patients received concurrent brain radiotherapy and systemic therapy, and 71 patients received deferred brain radiotherapy after at least two cycles of chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Disease specific-graded prognostic assessment was similar in early radiotherapy group and deferred radiotherapy group., Results: Median overall survival (OS) was longer in early radiotherapy group compared to deferred radiotherapy group (17.9 months vs 12.6 months; P=0.038). Progression free survival (PFS) was also improved in patients receiving early radiotherapy compared to those receiving deferred radiotherapy (4.0 months vs 3.0 months; P<0.01). Receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy after the diagnosis of brain metastases as any line therapy improved the OS (20.0 months vs 10.7 months; P<0.01), whereas receiving TKI as first line therapy did not (17.9 months vs 15.2 months; P=0.289)., Conclusions: Our study suggests that the use of deferred brain radiotherapy may resulted in inferior OS in patients with NSCLC who develop brain metastases. A prospective multi-central randomized study is imminently needed.

Background and Objective: Chemotherapy is a highly efficient primary treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, patients receiving such treatment are prone to develop drug resistance. Local treatment is palliative and thus can alleviate the local symptoms and improve quality of life, but limited evidence is available for prolonging survival. Hence, this study evaluated the role of local treatment in chemotherapy of patients with ES-SCLC., Methods: A total of 302 ES-SCLC cases were enrolled in this retrospective study. Prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate proportional hazards model., Results: Median progression-free survival (PFS) and median survival time (MST) of the patients were 4.4 and 10.4 months, respectively. 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 37.8%, 10.2% and 4.4%, correspondingly. The MST of the primary tumor radiotherapy plus chemotherapy group was 14.3 months, whereas that of the chemotherapy group was 8.2 months (P<0.01). The MSTs of multiple-site, single-site, and non-metastasis local treatments were 18.7, 12.3 and 8.9 months, respectively (P<0.01). The MSTs of initiative, passive, and non-metastasis local treatments were 16.0, 10.9 and 9.4 months, correspondingly (P<0.01). The MSTs of patients with prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) and those without PCI were 19.8 and 9.9 months, respectively (P<0.01). Primary tumor radiotherapy, metastasis local treatment, and PCI were independent prognostic factors for ES-SCLC., Conclusions: Primary tumor radiotherapy, metastasis local treatment, and PCI can significantly improve survival in patients with ES-SCLC.
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Background and Objective: Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer death, two thirds of patients are over the age of 65. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 15%-20% of all lung cancer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the survival of patients older than 65 with SCLC and analyze the independent prognostic factors in this group of patients., Methods: A retrospective study has enrolled 160 cases of lung cancer aged over 65. The prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate proportional hazards model., Results: ① The median follow-up time was 12 (2-109) months. 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate was 47.1%, 13.0%, 9.6% respectively, and 74.4%, 25.0%, 19.7% for limited-stage (LD), and 36.8%, 8.7%, 5.8% for extensive-stage (ED). Median survival time (MST) of all the patients was 12 months, 24 months for LD and 11 months for ED, respectively. ② Multivariate analysis suggested that performance status (PS) pre-treatment, the change of PS after treatment, stage, liver metastases and thoracic radiotherapy were the independent prognostic factors in all patients. ③ For LD-SCLC patients, PS pre-treatment, thoracic radiotherapy were the independent prognostic factors. The model of thoracic radiotherapy (concurrent chemoradiation vs sequential chemoradiation, early concurrent chemoradiation vs late concurrent chemoradiation) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) did not show significant difference. ④ For ED-SCLC patients, sex, the change of PS after treatment, chemotherapy, liver metastases, thoracic radiotherapy, PCI were the independent prognostic factors., Conclusions: The survival time is related to PS and thoracic radiotherapy in eldly patients. Besides, it is also related to sex, chemotherapy, liver metastases and PCI for ED-SCLC.

Objective: To explore the diagnosis and treatment of the fungal ball rhino-sinusitis., Method: The clinical data of 128 cases with the fungal ball rhino-sinusitis in our hospital between September 2005 and January 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were accepted nasal endoscopic surgery and followed up after surgery. The diagnosis were confirmed by postoperative pathological examination., Result: The sinus of all patients epithelialized after the surgery from fourth to ninth weeks, one case recurred eight months later., Conclusion: Sinus CT scan and nasal endoscopy were very important to the diagnosis of the fungal ball rhino-sinusitis, and nasal endoscopic surgery is the most important treatment method to fungal ball rhino-sinusitis.

A total of 24 paddy soil samples with different productivity were collected from eight main rice production counties in east, central, and northwest Hunan Province, with the parameters of soil physical properties and clay mineral composition, including bulk density, particle density, porosity, field water-holding capacity, water-stable aggregates, mean weight diameter, normalized mean weight diameter, aggregate destruction rate, organic carbon, organic cementing materials, inorganic cementing materials, and clay minerals determined. The results showed that highly productive (>14,000 kg x hm(-2)) paddy soil possessed bulk density below 1.2 g x cm3, soil particle density about 2.0 g x cm3, and 5-0.5 mm water-stable macroaggregates about 20%. Most of the test parameters had no significant differences between highly productive and medium productive (10,000-13,500 kg x hm(-2)) paddy soils, but significant differences between highly productive and lowly productive (<10,000 kg x hm(-2)) paddy soils, suggesting that under good management, medium productive paddy soils could be upgraded to highly productive paddy soils. At present, the physical properties of lowly productive paddy soils were poor, which need to be improved to raise productivity.

Background: Some clinical predictors can be used to evaluate the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including female, East-Asian, non-smoker, adenocarcinoma, skin rash, etc. The aim of this study is to explore the prognosis of advanced NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib for more than 6 months., Methods: Eighty advanced NSCLC patients treated with gefitinib for more than 6 months were collected from January, 2005 to March, 2010. The association of their clinical characteristics with median progression-free survival time (PFS) was analysed., Results: Significantly longer median PFS were found in patients with > 70 years old, earlier clinical stage (IIIb), non-bone metastasis (27 months vs 12 months; 32 months vs 12 months; 16 months vs 10 months, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in median PFS between ECOG performance status 0-1 group and 2-4 group, between more than 4 cycles of chemotherapy and 1-4 cycles, between PFS of chemotherapy > 6 months group and ≤6 months group, however, ECOG 0-1 group and more than 4 cycles of chemotherapy or PFS of chemotherapy > 6 months group seemed to have longer median PFS (15 months vs 10 months; 16 months vs 12 months; 14 months vs 12 months). Compared with no skin rash and grade 0-I rash group, the patients with rash or grade ≥II rash had longer median PFS (16 months vs 13 months, P=0.171; 19 months vs 11 months, P=0.085). The median PFS was not related with sex, smoking index, pathological types, metastatic sites except bone, treatment strategy, etc (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: For gefitinib treatment, longer median PFS is likely to be obtained in patients with > 70 years old, earlier clinical stage (IIIb), non-bone metastasis.

Objective: To investigate distribution, drug resistance and risk factors of pathogens isolated from septicemic patients in a hospital in the past 6 years., Methods: Most of the bacterial isolates were identified with BD Phoenix, and a few isolates were identified manually and with K-B method. Candida isolates were identified with color display plates and K-B method. WHONET5.4 software was used for analysis., Results: The common bacteria isolated form the blood included E. coli, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureu. The gram-negative bacillus from the blood exhibited relatively low resistance to such antibiotics as cefoperazone/sulbactam, imipenem, amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, and ceftazidime, and the incidences of E.coli and K. pneumoniae isolates producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBLs) ranged between 33.3% and 34.9% and between 32.9% and 36.0%, respectively. The gram-positive coccus from blood showed a sensitivity rate of 100.0% to vancomycin and low resistant rates to amikacin and chloramphenicol; the methicillin-resistant rates of S. aureu and coagulase-negative staphylococcus were 26.9%-35.5% and 72.7%-74.3%, respectively. The risk factors of septicemia included hospital stay for over 5 days, venous catheterization, surgeries, puncture, oxygen therapy, urine tract catheterization, and chemotherapy., Conclusion: Blood culture can be of importance in patients with septicemia, and the use of antibiotics should be carefully weighed according to the results of bacterial culture and sensitivity tests of the pathogens isolated from the blood.

Objective: To evaluate the psychological anxiety of graduates at a medical university under the ever-increasing employment pressure, so as to provide ground work for psychological intervention on college students., Methods: Subjects were randomly drawn from the students who majored in clinical medicine, biomedical engineering, nursing and integrated Chinese and western medicine and graduated in the year of 2008 and 2009, with 25 subjects from each major each year, totaling up to 200. In March of their graduation year, they were evaluated by Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). A general analysis into their anxiety was first made and then the comparative analysis of anxiety on the basis of gender, year group and major of the subjects., Results: Female students showed a significantly higher anxiety than male students. Graduates in 2009 showed a significantly higher anxiety than those in 2008. In terms of the major difference, the anxiety was in a falling curve from integrated Chinese and western medicine, clinical medicine, biomedical engineering and nursing. There was no major difference in the students majoring integrated Chinese and western medicine, clinical medicine and biomedical engineering, but nursing students showed significantly low anxiety., Conclusions: The increasing employment pressure has caused the significant increase in the anxiety of college students. The employment rate in different majors may play a positive role in anxiety. Generally, female students showed a higher degree of anxiety than male students.

Objective: To study how to repair the cartilage defect according to the principles of tissue engineering with acellular cartilage matrix as scaffold material., Methods: The ear cartilage was obtained from a New Zealand white rabbit (weighing 2.4 kg )and then treated by a modified Courtman's four-step method to produce the acellular cartilage matrix. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits (aged 6 months, weighing 2.4-2.6 kg) with no sex limit were divided into three groups. For every rabbit, two pieces of ear cartilage measured 1 cm x 1 cm were excised in each ear. Defects were repaired as follows: group A with the combined graft of acellular cartilage matrix and perichondrium, group B with acellular cartilage matrix and group C with perichondrium. Three animals in each group were killed 4 and 12 weeks postoperatively, respectively. Tissue samples obtained were analyzed with gross observation, hematoxylin-eosin stain, Safranine O-alcian blue stain and type II collagen messenger RNA in situ hybridization respectively., Results: In gross observation, the repaired sites in groups A and B were not change meaningfully in their shape 4 weeks postoperatively; but they felt a bit of thicker and harder 12 weeks postoperatively. In group C two repaired sites formed scabs at 2 weeks and perforated at 5 weeks. In histological observation, there was a slight inflammatory reaction surrounding the acellular cartilage matrix 4 weeks after it was implanted in groups A and B. The inflammatory cells were mainly lymphocytes. The perichondrium graft in group C was collapsed in the defects in HE stain. The defect sites were negative for Safranine O-alcian blue stain and type II collagen mRNA in situ hybridization in all groups. At 12 weeks cells were found in the acellular matrix which arranged in irregular manner in group A in HE stain and was positive for Safranine O-alcian blue stain and type II collagen mRNA in site hybridization. In groups B and C, no new cell was found in HE stain and the repaired sites were negative for Safranine O-alcian blue stain and type II collagen mRNA in situ hybridization., Conclusion: Acellular cartilage matrix is a potential scaffold material to the cartilage tissue engineering. The combined graft of acellular cartilage matrix and perichondrium can be an alterative method for the repair of the wounded cartilage.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the coping style and mental health of patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation., Methods: The simplified coping style questionnaire and SCL-90 were used to conduct a survey of 106 patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, and the scores were compared with the national norms., Results: The patients had a positive coping style score of 1.51-/+0.58 and negative coping style score of 1.13-/+0.58. The SCL-90 scores were significantly higher than the national norms. A significant correlation was found between the negative coping style and mental health of the patients., Conclusion: Negative coping style is an important factor influencing the mental health of patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.

Objective: To investigate the self-rated health status of the floating population in a district of Guangzhou., Methods: Cluster stratified random sampling was applied to survey 219 floating people from a community in Guangzhou, who were assessed with self-rated health status was assessed with Self-Rated Health Measurement Scale., Results: The scores of the floating population were significantly higher than the normal individuals in physical health sub-scales (P<0.01), while the scores of the floating population were significantly lower in psychological and social health sub-scales (P<0.05). The low score items in the subscale of physical health mainly consisted of fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms, those in the subscale of psychological health mainly in anxiety, depression and obsession, and those in the subscale of social health mainly in participation in social activities and seeking help from others., Conclusion: To improve the health status of the floating population, campaigns of health education need to be launched periodically and psychological counseling should be provided for these individuals. Additionally, interactive activities should be increased in their daily social life.

The study was purposed to explore the role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the pathogenesis of bone disease particularly observed in multiple myeloma (MM), the biological features of marrow derived MSCs from patients with MM have been investigated. Marrow aspirates were harvested from 11 newly diagnosed patients with MM and 5 normal adults and MSCs were isolated and culture-expanded by the cell properties of adherence to plastic flasks, The phenotype was analyzed by flow cytometric technique. The proliferation of MSCs was observed by MTT assay and their differentiation capacities into osteoblasts and adipoblasts were assessed with lineage-specific histochemical staining. The concentrations of IL-6 and SCF in the culture supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MSC culture supernatants were collected and MTT assay was performed to evaluate their support on the proliferation of an MM cell line SKO007 cells. The results showed that bone marrow-derived MSCs from MM patients were homogeneously positive for CD29, CD73, CD166 and HLA-ABC and negative for hematopoietic cell marker CD45 and endothelial cell marker CD31, the phenotype of which was similar to that of marrow counterparts from normal adults. MTT assay indicated that MSCs from MM patients or normal adults proliferated at similar rates. MSCs from MM patients occupied in vitro osteogenic and adipogenic capacity as those from normal adults. The levels of IL-6 and SCF in culture supernatant were greatly up-regulated in MM patients by ELISA assay. Furthermore, MSC culture supernatants from MM bone marrow displayed enhanced activity to promote the proliferation of SKO007 cells. It is concluded that marrow-derived MSCs from bone marrow of MM patients are normal in their proliferation and differentiation capacities, and myeloma bone disease may not be ascribed to the differentiation of MSCs while the elevated secretion of IL-6 and SCF may provide necessary cues for the survival of malignant myeloma cells.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological features of human calicivirus( HuCV) infection in children with diarrhea in a hospital in Guangzhou., Methods: Stool specimens were collected from children with viral diarrhea diagnosed between October, 2003 and January, 2004 and between October, 2004 and January, 2005. HuCV was detected by means of RT-PCR and sequence analysis of the PCR products., Results: Eighty specimens positive for Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) were identified from 648 stool specimens, with a positivity rate of 12.35%, and sapporo-like viruses (SLVs) were identified in 2 specimens (0.31%). The monthly NLV positivity rate was 11.74% (Oct.), 14.16% (Nov.), 9. 09% (Dec.) and 13.95% (Jan.), respectively, showing no significant variation in these months. NLVs mainly infected children below 2 years old. Twenty-two strains of NLVs were sequenced and analyzed, and 21 of them were identified as GII and the genotype of 1 strain could not be determined. The prevalent viral population were GII-3 and GII-4 in 2003 and was GII-4 in 2004, and both of the SLVs belong to GI-1., Conclusion: NLVs is one of the important pathogens causing sporadic acute gastroenteritis in children admitted in the hospital in Guangzhou, and the prevalent strains are GII-3 and GII-4 , but different prevalent strains are possible in different periods.

Objective: To evaluate the safety of recombinant human interferon alpha-2b for nasal spray for the prevention of SARS and other upper respiratory viral infections., Methods: Field epidemiologic evaluation was conducted, the design was randomized and had a synchronously parallel control group. In the study, the drugs were given for five days and all subjects were followed up for ten days., Results: During the period of using interferon, body temperature of the experimental group was normal compared to the control group. Experimental group had more influenza-like symptoms than the control group (P < 0.05), such as headache (4.83%-7.09%), dizziness (7.17%-11.63%), lassitude (8.55%-15.06%), muscular soreness (4.43%-7.09%), pharynx dryness (12.10%-17.85%), angina (6.25%-8.72%), abdominal pain (2.30%-5.50%) and diarrhea (2.45%-5.66%). Most of side effects reached their peak with in the first 3 days. Except for pharynx dryness, the incidences of all other side effects declined after completion of the use of the trial drug, and incidences of some symptoms in experimental group were lower than those of the control group. There were no significant differences in the symptoms of cough and expectoration between the experimental group and the control group. The incidence of exanthem in the control group was significantly higher than that in the experimental group. The side effect of bloody nasal mucus was not observed in experimental group, which had been reported by other authors in several volunteer studies., Conclusion: Using recombinant human interferon alpha-2b for nasal spray could lead to some influenza-like symptoms, however, all those symptoms were mild , reversible, and relieved after completion of the use of the trial drug. No serious side effects were found during the period of following up. The authors conclude that the drug is safe.

Objective: To explore the epidemiological characteristics of Norwalk-like virus (NLVs) infection in children with diarrhea and to study the genotype and predominant cluster at a hospital in Guangzhou city., Methods: Fecal specimens from 358 children with acute gastroenteritis from October 2003 to January 2004 and information about the cases were collected. NLVs was detected from the specimens by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the PCR products were purified and sequenced., Results: Forty-two positive specimens were detected from the 358 fecal specimen with a positive rate of 11.73% (42/358). Of these, 40 specimens were obtained from infants younger than 3 years of age. The youngest infant infected with NLVs in this study was only 25 days. The positive rate in November (17.27%) was the highest. Eleven positive PCR products were selected and sequenced. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that 11 strains all belong to genogroup II (G II), and of these, 5 strains belonged to G II-3 cluster, with another 5 strains belonged to G II-4 cluster. However, one strain with its cluster could not be determined., Conclusion: NLVs served as one of the important pathogens causing sporadic acute gastroenteritis among children at a hospital in Guangzhou. The predominant strains were identified as G II-3 and G II-4 cluster.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological significance of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus (HFRSV) infection in domestic pigs in Shandong province, and study the role of domestic pigs in the prevalence of HFRS., Methods: Epidemiological investigation was performed in 4 cities of Shandong province. Reversed passive hemagglutination assay (RPHA), reversed passive hemagglutination inhibition (RPHI), HPR-SPA, immunofluorescent antibody (IFA), and reverse transcriptional PCR (RT-PCR) were used to detect antigen and antibody of HFRSV., Results: HFRSV antigen and antibody were detected in the heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, blood, urine, and stool of domestic pigs as well as in the sewage of the pigpen facilities. The positivity rate of HFRSV antigen ranged from 3.33% to 5.00% in the organ of pigs, and HFRSV positivity rate in the blood, urine, stool, and sewage was 3.67%, 7.04%, 2.51%, and 5.56%, respectively, with a total serum antibody positivity rate of 1.96%. The virus was isolated from the HFRSV antigen-positive samples, and could infect many organs after artificial infection of the pigs. HFRSV antigen can be detected in suckling rat brain and histopathological examination suggested transient pathological changes in such organs as the liver, lung and kidney. HFRSV may proliferate in pigs and was discharged through multiple routes., Conclusion: Domestic pigs can be the host of HFRSV for the viral transmission.

Objective: To carry out bioinformatic analysis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus thermolabile hemolysin gene (tlh) obtained by PCR amplification., Methods: The tlh gene amplified by PCR was cloned into the vector pET32a(+) and sequenced, followed by analysis of the biological information by with presenting the sequences to the websites of bioinformatics on the Internet., Results and Conclusions: The sequenced tlh gene (named tlh14-90) was entered into GenBank with the accession number of AY289609. Tlh14-90 has a length of 1 257 bp with both start and stop codons, having 99% homology with the tlh gene of WP1. Tlh14-90 is predicted to encode a protein containing 418 amino acids (named TLH14-90, with the molecular formula of C(2131)H(3184)N(548)O(649)S(16), molecular weight of 47 392.9, and the theoretical PI of 4.92). This protein consists of 4 Cys and the contents of Ala, Leu and Asn are 11.0%, 7.4% and 7.2%, respectively, having a hydrophobic parameter of -34 calculated using kappa-D method. Predicted as a alpha/protein for its secondary structure, TLH14-90 has not been identified for its tertiary structure.

Objective: To make clear the relationship between the X chromosome abnormality and sydromic deafness through genetic analysis of a pedigree with X-linked syndromic deafness., Methods: The chromosome number and structure of the family members were analyzed by the standard and high resolution banding with Giemsa, and fluorescent in situ hybridization. The allelic number of the DNA segment in X chromosome was studied with genetic markers., Results: The 2 probands, their mothers and grandmother with normal phenotype all had X(p22-pter) duplication. The whole X chromosome of both the proband III-3 and his mother could be stained with X chromosome staining probe. The proband III-3 had 2 copies of DXS7108., Conclusion: The abnormal X chromosome occurring in this pedigree of X-linked syndromic deafness derives from partial Xp duplication, which will guide further research to identify the breakpoint of this abnormal chromosome.

Objective: To verify the presence of Sapporo-like virus (SLV) in children with diarrhea in Guangzhou., Methods: Stool specimens were collected from children with diarrhea treated in the Department of Pediatrics of Nanfang Hospital in autumn and winter, 2003, and semi-nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed for SLV detection, the positive product of which was sequenced and analyzed in comparison with the SLV sequences documented in GenBank., Results: Only one positive specimen (CH03354) was found out of the 169 stool specimens collected. Sequence analysis of the capsid gene of this strain showed that it belonged to SLV GI-1 cluster., Conclusion: SLV exists in Guangzhou and different regions of China may have different genotypes of this virus.

Objective: To identify the molecular biological characteristics of human caliciviruses (HuCVs) and new strains of norovirus (NV) detected in Guangdong Province., Methods: HuCVs were detected from the stool specimens by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), and the PCR products were cloned, transformed, and blasted with Genbank. The nucleotide sequence homology was also evaluated with PHYLIP package, and the phylogenetic tree was generated by Treeview., Results: HuCVs were detected from 18 out of 206 stool specimens from children with viral diarrhea (8.74%), which were all confirmed subsequently as NVs. Two strains HuCV/NVGII 003/2003/CHN(32282) and HuCV/NVGII 004/2003/CHN(32283) from the selected 6 NVs strain were identified as new NV strains., Conclusion: New NV strains in consistency with the blood-type distribution of Chinese are present in Guangzhou, which have not been reported in other countries.

Objective: To clone and construct expression vector pET32a+-tlh to acquire biologically functional thermolabile hemolysin of Vibrio parahaemolyticus., Methods: tlh gene was cloned and the expression vector pET32a+-tlh constructed. The tlh gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was expressed in DE3 in the form of inclusion body, which was resolved in 8 mol/L urea followed by purification of the fusion protein using affinity chromatography and renaturation through gradient dialysis, protein concentration reduction and oxidoreduction., Results and Conclusion: The purified and renatured protein possessed hemolytic and immunogenic activities.

Objective: To investigate of human calicivirus (HuCV) infection in the children of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province at China, and conduct preliminary study of the prevalence of the virus., Methods: Serum specimens from 266 children of different ages were tested by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for specific IgG against recombinant Norwalk virus particles (rNV), recombinant Mexico virus partides(rMX) and recombinat 387 Virus particles(r387), respectively, and fecal specimens were collected for detection of HuCV RNA using reverse transcriptional (RT)-PCR assisted by sequence analysis on the basis of comparison of the amplified product with the sequence entries in GenBank., Results: The seroprevalence was 68.0% for rNV, 51.5% for rMX and 71.1% for r387 in the cohort of children enrolled in this study. Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) were detected in 4 out of the 100 fecal specimens collected from cases of nonbacterial gastroenteritis during the peak season of diarrhea, and also in 3 of the 10 fecal specimens collected during the outbreak of diarrhea in an elementary school., Conclusions: Sporadic and fulminant NLV infections are present in Guangzhou. The children have the infection in their infancy, and the infection rate increases sharply with age.

By adopting epidemiologic description and comparison with known cases, the medical training of the students in a medical college was evaluated and the 57 factors influencing the effect of training examined, from which 18 risk factors were finally identified.

Objective: To assess the significance of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) measurement in hypertension prediction and diagnosis and formulate the recommended values for these two indexes, aiming to provide scientific basis for determining the indicators and their cut-off points for obesity diagnosis in Chinese subjects., Methods: A total of 1 265 residents over 20 years old were randomly selected from Yuexiu District of Guangzhou City in our multiphase study. Questionnaire-based survey was conducted in conjunction of the measurement of the height, body weight, WC and blood pressure, the results subjected to multivariate linear regression and logistic regression., Results: The distribution of BMI varied significantly with gender and age with the subjects. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures both gradually increased with BMI, showing obvious linear relationship between BMI and blood pressure. After such factors as age, gender and education background etc were controlled, logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk for hypertension increased with BMI elevation. WC was related to the blood pressure in similar manner as BMI., Conclusions: We suggest that BMI be used as the indexes for overweight and obesity, the diagnoses of which are established in cases with BMI >or=23 and BMI >or=29 respectively. As the diagnostic index for abdominal obesity, the cut-off point of WC >or=80 cm should be instituted.

Objective: To explore risk factors of injection-related sharp injury and to provide safety injection guidance to healthcare takers., Methods: A cross-sectional survey and 1:1 case-control study was used to study the epidemiological features and risk factors of sharp injuries among 3010 clinical nurses and nurse students from 13 hospitals in Guangzhou. Logistic multiple factor analysis was used., Results: Eighty-seven point five percent of nurses have suffered injuries at last once time. During the past month, 37.6% of the nurses have suffered injuries at least once time. The frequency of the injuries was 0.84 per person month. Through multiple logistic regression analysis, data showed that the risk factors leading to the sharp injuries in orders were: contacting the needle more frequently, subjectively thinking that the sharp injuries as unavoidable, the atmosphere in the nursing unit was not harmonious enough, recapping habit, carelessness at work, too many patients that not cooperating, breaking the ampule off without using carbasus, crowded and noisy working place, lack of acknowledge on prevention, lack of the awareness on how to avoiding the accident, having an initiative and creative personality etc., Conclusion: The results provided a foundation for the department of infection control in the hospital and sanitary administration department to constitute safety injection policies.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of chronic prostatitis., Methods: An epidemiological survey of 1,168 patients with chronic prostatitis was conducted and both single factor and multifactorial logistic regression analyses were performed., Results and Conclusion: Many risk factors were identified, including urethritis, uncontrolled sexual activity, frequent masturbation, urinary system injury, fixed body posture (especially long-time riding), excessive drinking, long-time holding urine. The findings may provide reference for the prevention, treatment and measures for coping with recurrence of chronic prostatitis.