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Based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) enhanced quantum dot (QD) emission in a sandwich assay of “capture PCT antibody/PCT/detection PCT antibody labelled with QD” on a gold nanoarray chip, a fully automated point-of-care (POC) system for quick quantitative analysis of procalcitonin (PCT) for sepsis diagnostics was developed. The core technology of the system is to design and fabricate gold nanostructures that can generate plasmonics at resonant wavelength coincident with excitation wavelength of the fluorescent dyes. Gold nanopillar arrays at the size of 140 nm square and 320 nm pitch were found to be good candidates for the desired dye emission. Gold nanochip fabricated by e-beam lithography or nanoimprinting was integrated into a microfluidic chip, with analyte sampling and bioassay reagent flow controlled by LabVIEW program. To detect QD emission of the bioassay from the chip, a CCD camera and a laser source controlled by LabVIEW were incorporated to form a user-friendly and fully-automated POC system for on-site detection of PCT in clinics. Upon detection, the microfluidic chip is inserted into the POC system, where the processes of blood sample loading, detection antibody recognition, fluorescent dye labelling, fluorescent detection, and data analysis are conducted automatically in the device within 30 min at a test sensitivity of 0.5 ng/ml, which fulfills the clinical needs for diagnosis of sepsis through PCT biomarker.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the leading contributors to cancer-related mortality and morbidity worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicines have been widely employed to treat various types of cancer in China. This investigation aims to determine the association between Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy and survival outcomes in CRC patients with liver-limited metastases. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed among patients with colorectal liver metastases at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in Guangzhou, China. Data from a series of consecutive patients were collected via an electronic medical record system or telephone follow-up. We defined high exposure as a period of CHM therapy lasting more than 6 months. The primary outcome was overall survival. Results: The study included the data of 191 patients from January 2008 to December 2017; 126 patients (65.97%) met the inclusion criteria of high exposure to CHM. Multivariate analyses revealed that high exposure to CHM was associated with better overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.444, 95% confidence interval = [0.213, 0.926], P = .030). The association was further confirmed by a subgroup exploratory analysis. Conclusion: Long-term CHM therapy is correlated with improved survival outcomes in CRC patients with liver-limited metastases.

Abstract Rationale and objective To investigate the MR characteristics of phlegmonous stage and abscess stage primary spinal epidural abscess. Materials and methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging characteristics of 27 cases of pathologically confirmed primary spinal epidural abscess. Predisposing conditions of all patients were collected. All patients underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging, while fifteen patients also underwent post-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Results The initial symptoms included back pain in 25 patients, fever in 18, motor deficit in five, and sensory changes in 13. Underlying diseases included distant site of infection in seven, injection therapy in five, neoplasm in five, chronic inflammatory disease in five, diabetes mellitus in four, alcoholism in three, metabolic disorder in three, hepatopathy in three, and obesity in two. Abscess location was ventral epidural space in 15 patients (55.6%) and dorsal epidural space in 12 (44.4%). On T1-weighted image, the abscess was hypointense to the spinal cord in 23 patients (85%) and isointense in four (15%). All abscesses were hyperintense to the spinal cord on T2-weighted image. Among the 15 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced imaging, ring enhancement was present in 13 and homogeneous enhancement in two. Adjacent vertebrae body edema was present in four patients. The abscess was purely intraspinal in 25 patients (92.6%). Paraspinal extension was present in two (7.4%). Conclusion Primary spinal epidural abscess patients have one or more predisposing conditions. Phlegmonous stage primary spinal epidural abscess appears isointense on T1WI and hyperintense on T2WI and enhancement is homogeneous. Abscess stage primary spinal epidural abscess hyperintense on T2WI and hypointense on T1WI and ring enhancement. Presence of vertebral body edema is an important sign to help diagnose primary spinal epidural abscess.

Chemical investigation of the ethanol extract of soft coral Sinularia sp. collected from the South China Sea led to the isolation of three new polyoxygenated sterols, (3S,23R,24S)-ergost-5-ene-3β,23α,25-triol (1), (24S)-ergostane-6-acetate-3β,5α,6β,25-tetraol (2), (24S)-ergostane-6-acetate-3β,6β,12β,25-tetraol (3) together with three known ones (4–6). The structures, including relative configurations of the new compounds (1–3), were elucidated by detailed analysis of spectroscopic data (IR, UV, NMR, MS) and by comparison with related reported compounds. The absolute configuration of 1 was further determined by modified Mosher’s method. Compound 5 exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against K562 cell line with an IC50 value of 3.18 μM, but also displayed strong lethality toward the brine shrimp Artemia salina with a LC50 value of 0.96 μM.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common type of soft-tissue sarcoma in children. Immunotherapy has been proposed as a treatment for this deadly tumor. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of ex vivo expanded γδ T cells on RMS cell lines was evaluated and the molecular interactions involved were investigated. γδ T cells were expanded in vitro using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 5 healthy donors and were stimulated with zoledronic acid (Zol) and interleukin 2. RMS cell lines RD and A-673 were used as target cells. The cytotoxicity of the γδ T cells against RMS was assessed in vitro and in vivo. γδ T cells were cytotoxic to RMS cells. Importantly, Zol markedly increased their cytotoxic potential. RMS cells treated with Zol-stimulated γδ T cells to produce interferon γ. γδ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity was primarily through the T cell receptor-dependent signaling pathway in blocking studies. Transfer of γδ T cells together with Zol into nude mice induced the regression of RD tumor xenotransplants. The results of the present study provide the rationale for the clinical evaluation of γδ T cells in RMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy cargos include not only soluble cytosolic materials but also bulky organelles, such as ER and mitochondria. In budding yeast, two proteins that contain the PX domain and the BAR domain, Atg20 and Atg24 (also known as Snx42 and Snx4, respectively) are required for organelle autophagy and contribute to general autophagy in a way that can be masked by compensatory mechanisms. It remains unclear why these proteins are important for organelle autophagy. Here, we show that in a distantly related fungal organism, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, autophagy of ER and mitochondria is induced by nitrogen starvation and is promoted by three Atg20- and Atg24-family proteins - Atg20, Atg24 and SPBC1711.11 (named here as Atg24b). These proteins localize at the pre-autophagosomal structure, or phagophore assembly site (PAS), during starvation. S. pombe Atg24 forms a homo-oligomer and acts redundantly with Atg20 and Atg24b, and the latter two proteins can form a hetero-oligomer. The organelle autophagy defect caused by the loss of these proteins is associated with a reduction of autophagosome size and a decrease in Atg8 accumulation at the PAS. These results provide new insights into the autophagic function of Atg20- and Atg24-family proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrathin-channel trench single gate tunnelling field-effect transistor (trench SG-TFET) with a 5 nm channel thickness is proposed and investigated. Trench SG-TFETs demonstrate a higher ION (~8 times), a steeper sub-threshold swing (SS) (average SS of 46.2 mV/decade and point SS of 21.8 mV/decade), and a higher ION/IOFF current ratio (~10 times) as compared with the conventional SG-TFET at VDS = 0.4 V and temperature of 300 K. Also by using intrinsic region in drain, it has a strong immunity to short-channel effects in extremely scaled trench SG-TFETs. The proposed trench SG-TFET seems to be attractive for future energy-efficient circuit applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. A number of studies have investigated the association of HIF-1a with prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics of osteosarcoma but yielded inconsistent results. Method: Systematic computerized searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for relevant original articles. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the prognostic value of HIF-1a expression. The standard mean difference was used to analyze the continuous variable. Results: Finally, nine studies comprising 486 patients were subjected to final analysis. Protein expression level of HIF-1a was found to be significantly related to overall survival (HR =3.0; 95% CI: 1.46-6.15), disease-free survival (HR =2.23; 95% CI: 1.26-3.92), pathologic grade (OR =21.33; 95% CI: 4.60-98.88), tumor stage (OR =10.29; 95% CI: 3.55-29.82), chemotherapy response (OR =9.68; 95% CI: 1.87-50.18), metastasis (OR =5.06; 95% CI: 2.87-8.92), and microvessel density (standard mean difference =2.83; 95% CI: 2.28-3.39). Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed that overexpression of HIF-1a is a predictive factor of poor outcomes for osteosarcoma. HIF-1a appeared to play an important role in prognostic evaluation and may be a potential target in antitumoral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single fed low profile cavity backed crossed slot antennas for dual frequency dual linear polarization and circular polarization applications are first presented in this paper. By employing the substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technique in the antenna designs, the low profile backed cavity structure can be realized by using only a single layer of low cost printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. A single grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) is employed as the feeding element to excite the TE120 and TE210 modes in the SIW cavity. A crossed slot structure is used as the radiating element in order to radiate the desired dual linearly or circularly polarized wave. From the measurement results, it is seen that these novel antennas retain the advantages of conventional metallic cavity backed antennas, including high gain, high front-toback ratio (FTBR), and low cross polarization level (CPL). Furthermore, the proposed antennas also possess the advantages of low profile, light weight, low fabrication cost, and easy integration with planar circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact frequency-selective surface (FSS) having a quasi-elliptic bandpass response is presented in this paper. This was realized by vertically cascading substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavities. A single SIW cavity FSS has been fully studied and approximate analytical formulas are introduced to calculate its resonant frequencies. Two different resonances can be excited by a plane wave in the single SIW cavity FSS. According to theories of the cascading cavity filter and dual-mode filter, cross coupling can be realized in cascading SIW cavity FSSs, thus a compact FSS with a quasi-elliptic bandpass response is implemented. A Kα-band sample was fabricated by a printed circuit board (PCB) process. Experiments were carried out to validate this design method. Measured results are in agreement with predicted ones. The proposed quasi-elliptic FSS presents a number of advantages, namely, high selectivity, stable performance, and much reduced volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without any perturbations on the surface of the patch resonator or orthogonal feed lines, new microstrip dual-mode triangular-patch bandpass filters are presented in this article. The degenerate modes are excited by the use of the spur-lines for input/output microstrip lines. Also, the influence of design parameters on the frequency characteristics of the proposed dual-mode filters is discussed. In addition, a modified dual-mode filter using double-spur-lines is introduced and simulated. Measurement verifies the validity of the introduced design method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2100–2103, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21880 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new δ-valerolactone ( 1) and one new natural phenolic glycoside 2, together with four known compounds 3-6, were isolated from the fruits of Ligustrum lucidum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data. The chemical transformation from 2 to 3 was observed. The immunomodulatory activities of the compounds were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter describes the concept and realization of a low-profile substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity backed antenna with circular polarization diversity. Four shorting posts are placed at the extended center lines of the crossed-slot. Diodes are utilized to switch the shorting posts on and off. A simple bias circuit is presented to electronically control biased states of the diodes. By switching the biased states the proposed antenna can generate either a right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) or a left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) radiation. Samples operating at 10 GHz have been fabricated. Experiments have been carried out to validate the proposed method. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1491–1493, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24393 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of a novel single probe feed cavity backed circularly polarized antenna based on substrate integrated waveguide technique has been investigated in this article. The proposed antenna provides high circularly polarized radiation performance and keeps advantages of low profile and convenient fabrication. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2996–2998, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23848 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional multilayer frequency selective surface combined with substrate-integrated waveguide technique for grating lobe suppression is studied in this letter. Simulation and experiment results show that the grating lobe generated by middle dielectric layer can be greatly suppressed using this structure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 2501–2503, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/mop.22778 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel triband frequency selective surface (FSS) constructed by square loop slots etched on substrate integrated waveguide cavities (SLS-SIWC) is investigated, in which each periodic cell consists of two neighboring SLS-SIWCs with different dimensions. Good selectivity performance of each passband can be easily achieved by tuning the dimensions of the SLS-SIWCs. Besides, the passbands are mainly determined by the corresponding SLS-SIWC in the neighboring perturbed cells and can be designed independently. The performance is verified by measured results, which is insensitive to the variation of incident angles. According to the explicit physical concept, some improved analytical formulas are adopted, which makes the design process straightforward and simple [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mass fabrication of disposable microfluidic chips with hot embossing is a key technology for microfluidic chip based biosensors. In this work, we develop a new method of fabricating high quality and highly durable nickel molds for hot embossing polymer chips. The process involves the addition of a thick, patterned layer of negative photoresist AZ-125nxT to a 4″ silicon wafer, followed by nickel electroplating and delamination of the nickel mold. Our investigations found that compared to a pillar mask, a hole mask can minimize the diffraction effect in photolithography of a thick photoresist, reduce the adhesion of the AZ-125nxT to the photomask in photolithography, and facilitate clean development of the photoresist patterns. By optimizing the hot embossing and chip bonding parameters, microfluidic chips with deep channels are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Giant cell tumors of the mobile spine invasion of the adjacent vertebrae are an ignored imaging finding. Methods Nine patients with giant cell tumors of the mobile spine with invasion of the adjacent vertebrae confirmed by pathology were enrolled. Eight patients had pure giant cell tumors (GCTs), while one patient also had an aneurysmal bone cyst. All patients underwent conventional computed tomography, three-dimensional reconstruction, and conventional magnetic resonance imaging, while seven patients also underwent post-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Results All patients showed GCTs of the mobile spine that arose from the vertebral body and extended to the vertebral arch. The tumors showed soft-tissue attenuation with no evidence of a mineralized matrix. Pathological fracture was seen in five patients. The margin of the original tumor showed partial sclerosis in four patients and involved an adjacent vertebral body with a sclerotic rim in two patients. The tumors showed a homogeneous and similar signal intensity to the normal spinal cord on T1WI (T1-weighted image) in five patients. The cystic area of the tumors was hyperintense on T2WI in the remaining four patients, while one patient showed hemorrhage that was hyperintense on T1WI. The solid components of the GCTs show marked enhancement in all cases, while the cystic area of the tumors was observed without enhancement on contrast-enhanced images in four patients. Bone destruction of the adjacent vertebral body showed a homogeneous signal on T1WI and T2WI and marked enhancement on contrast-enhanced images. Conclusions Giant cell tumors of the mobile spine with invasion into adjacent vertebrae are an unusual imaging finding. Radiologists should be familiar with this imaging characteristic.

Abstract Background The application of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has expanded rapidly in recent decades. Although multiple authors have reported LLR shows improved safety and efficacy in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with open liver resection (OLR), laparoscopic (LMLR) and open (OMLR) major liver resections for HCC treatment remain inadequately evaluated. This work aimed to test the hypothesis that LMLR is safer and more effective than OMLR for HCC. Methods Comparative cohort and registry studies on LMLR and OMLR, searched in PubMed, the Science Citation Index, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, and published before March 31, 2018, were collected systematically and meta-analyzed. Fixed- and random-effects models were employed for generating pooled estimates. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Q-statistic. Results Nine studies (1173 patients) were included. Although the pooled data showed operation time was markedly increased for LMLR in comparison with OMLR (weighted mean difference [WMD] 74.1, 95% CI 35.1 to 113.1, P = 0.0002), blood loss was reduced (WMD = − 107.4, 95% CI − 179.0 to − 35.7, P = 0.003), postoperative morbidity was lower (odds ratio [OR] 0.47, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.63, P

BackgroundCisplatin-based chemotherapy was previously considered as the standard adjuvant therapy for improved overall survival (OS) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery. However, the benefit was limited due to high risks of recurrence and adverse events. In the present study, the efficacy of adjuvant epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) for EGFR-mutant patients after surgery was investigated using the latest updated data.MethodsThis meta-analysis included a comprehensive range of relevant studies identified from database searches. Disease-free survival (DFS) and OS with hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using random-effect or fixed-effect models. Subgroup analysis was also performed.ResultsA total of seven randomized clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis and involved 1,283 NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutations. In resected EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients, adjuvant EGFR-TKIs were significantly better than chemotherapy in terms of DFS (HR: 0.41; 95%CI: 0.24–0.70, P = 0.001), without showing any benefit in OS (HR: 0.72; 95%CI: 0.37–1.41, P = 0.336). No significant difference in DFS was observed between patients with EGFR exon 19 deletion and those with L858R mutation. Resected EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib experienced improved DFS and a lower risk of brain recurrence than those treated with gefitinib or erlotinib. Adjuvant EGFR-TKIs reduced the risk of bone and lung relapse, without decreasing the risk of local recurrence and liver relapse.ConclusionThis meta-analysis shows that adjuvant EGFR-TKI therapy could significantly prolong DFS in patients with resected EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Treatment with osimertinib showed improved DFS with a lower risk of brain recurrence than treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib for resected disease.

Cisplatin (DDP) is the first-line chemotherapeutic agent against lung cancer. However, the therapeutic effect of DDP loses over time due to the acquired drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. In recent years, the role of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cordycepin (Cor) in cancer treatment has been attracting attention. However, the effects of Cor on DDP resistance in NSCLC are unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Cor in combination with DDP on cell proliferation and apoptosis in NSCLC and explore possible underlying mechanisms. The cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed in NSCLC parental (A549) and DDP-resistant (A549DDP) cells treated with DDP alone or in combination with Cor both in vitro and in vivo. Different genes and signaling pathways were investigated between DDP-sensitive and DDP-resistant A549 cells by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The perturbations of the MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Our data showed that Cor markedly enhanced DDP inhibition on cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis compared to the DDP-alone group in both A549 and A549DDP cells. The synergic actions were associated with activation of AMPK; inhibition of AKT, mTOR, and downstream P709S6K; and S6 phosphorylation in the AKT pathway compared with DDP alone. Collectively, combination of Cor and DDP has a synergistic effect in inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis of NSCLC cells in the presence or absence of DDP resistance. The antitumor activity is associated with activation of AMPK and inhibition of the AKT pathway to enhance DDP inhibition on NSCLC. Our results suggested that Cor in combination with DDP could be an additional therapeutic option for the treatment of DDP-resistant NSCLC.