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The pineal tumor was once considered as a restricted area for surgery. Such cases are rare, with many different opinions on surgical treatment.This study aimed to review our experience of tumor treatment in the pineal region and explore the optimal treatment strategy.The clinical data of 72 patients with pineal tumors from January 1997 to May 2015 (18 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative preparation, pathology types, tumor resection rate, surgical approach, and follow-up outcomes were used as the indicators to evaluate the treatment efficacy.The Krause approach was used in 46 cases, the Poppen approach in 10 cases, and the transcallosal-lateral ventricle-choroid fissure approach in 16 cases. The postoperative pathological results were as follows: 24 cases of germinoma, 11 of teratoma, 15 of glioma, 6 of meningioma, 11 of Pineocytoma, 2 of cholesteatoma, 2 of cavernous hemangioma, and 1 of choriocarcinoma. Further, the study included 64 cases of total surgical resections, 8 of subtotal resections, and 2 deaths. The follow-up period was from 7 months to 10 years. Further, 51 (70.8%) patients were followed up. The multivariate regression model showed that the surgical method and the pathological type contributed significantly to predicting outcomes.The type of pathology, extent of excision, and surgical approach had a significant impact on the prognosis of patients. The transcallosal-lateral ventricle-choroid fissure approach for large and medium-sized pineal tumors near the posterior part of the third ventricle had good efficacy.

High nitrate (NO3−) in vegetables, especially in leaf vegetables poses threaten to human health. Selenium (Se) is an important element for maintaining human health, and exogenous Se application during vegetable and crop production is an effective way to prevent Se deficiency in human bodies. Exogenous Se shows positive function on plant growth and nutrition uptake under abiotic and/or biotic stresses. However, the influence of exogenous Se on NO3− accumulation in hydroponic vegetables is still not clear. In the present study, hydroponic lettuce plants were subjected to six different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, 5, 10 and 50 µmol L−1) of Se as Na2SeO3. The effects of Se on NO3− content, plant growth, and photosynthetic capacity of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were investigated. The results showed that exogenous Se positively decreased NO3− content and this effect was concentration-dependent. The lowest NO3− content was obtained under 0.5 µmol L−1 Se treatment. The application of Se enhanced photosynthetic capacity by increasing the photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Cs) and the transpiration efficiency (Tr) of lettuce. The transportation and assimilation of NO3− and activities of nitrogen metabolism enzymes in lettuce were also analysed. The NO3− efflux in the lettuce roots was markedly increased, but the efflux of NO3− from the root to the shoot was decreased after treated with exogenous Se. Moreover, Se application stimulated NO3− assimilation by enhancing nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR), glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase enzyme (GOGAT) activities. These results provide direct evidence that exogenous Se shows positive function on decreasing NO3− accumulation via regulating the transport and enhancing activities of nitrogen metabolism enzyme in lettuce. We suggested that 0.5 µmol L−1 Se can be used to reduce NO3− content and increase hydroponic lettuce yield.

Introduction Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is regarded as one of the Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus that progress slowly. It gradually became understood since 1970s. The onset usually appears in adulthood, the islet autoantibodies are positive and the function of β cell is declined rapidly. The treatment is insulin injection. Case presentation The case reported followed is a 37-year-old male patient who was newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He abandoned oral hypoglycemic agents since they caused stomach indisposed. Before visiting, his islet autoantibodies were detected positive and he had never injected insulin before. We treated him with traditional Chinese herbals under the guidance of Traditional Chinese Medicine and differentiation, and achieved fine efficacy. Conclusion Because the initial presentation of LADA is similar to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and examination is not in common use, misdiagnosis is not rare. Once LADA is diagnosed, the therapy must be adjusted. This case report indicated that Traditional Chinese Medicine might be an alternative treatment for LADA.

A novel series of chiral dopants synthesized from (S)-1,2-propanediol and mesogenic carboxylic acids were characterized by FT-IR, 1 H NMR, elemental analysis and their helical twisting properties were investigated by doping the chiral dopants into a nematic liquid crystal host (SLC-1717). The results show that, the helical pitch of N*-LC mixture exhibited a terminal alkyl chain length dependence and the molecular twisting power β also exhibited a temperature dependence (increasing β with increasing temperature).

The trimeric phenylenevinylene with the symmetrical chiral end-groups (ChTPV) was synthesized. The liquid crystalline and luminescent properties of the ChTPV have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), absorption and photoluminescence spectra. The results indicated that the ChTPV exhibits mesophase over a wide temperature range and a typical optical texture of smectic phase. In contrast with the spectra of the solution, that of the film showed blue-shift in maximal absorption and red-shift in maximal emission due to H-type aggregation with parallel alignment of the TPV transition dipole moment.

The dimesogenic compound consisting of cholesterol and cyanobiphenyl mesogens interlinked by ω -oxyalkanoyl spacer was synthesized. The mesomorphic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The experimental results indicated that this compound exhibited mesophase over a much wider temperature range and a new mesophase blue phase (BP). Focal conic domains (FCDs) and droplets texture to the smectic A phase ( S A ), oily streaks typical to the chiral nematic ( N *) phase were found in the liquid crystalline state, respectively. Besides, it exhibited a smectic layer spacing about 1.0 time to the length of the molecule, which indicated a monolayer type of S A ordering.