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BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical factors relevant to the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer who received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). METHODS The data of 60 patients admitted to our hospital from January 2014 to December 2015 with pathologically confirmed esophageal cancer were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received IMRT. Patients were divided into groups according to two-year survival: those who survived > 2 years after treatment, and those who died within 2 years of treatment. The potential clinical factors relevant to prognosis were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Single factor analysis showed that lesion length (P < 0.05), tumor diameter (P < 0.05), T stage (P < 0.05), N stage (P < 0.05), and combined chemotherapy (P < 0.05) were associated with the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients who received IMRT. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that T stage (odds ratio = 3.62; P < 0.05) and N stage (odds ratio = 2.98; P < 0.05) were independent factors relevant to prognosis. CONCLUSION T stage and N stage influence the long-term curative effects of IMRT for esophageal cancer. The higher the stage, the lower the two-year survival rate.

One of major concerns for China and developing countries is the new international trade rule concerning carbon emissions, which one needs to know its suitable mechanism and the possible implication on China's carbon trading market. Precisely, in an emission-and-trade scheme, an important question is whether the auction outcome is efficient, since this is closely related with the economic costs of emissions reduction. Due to the unique features of carbon permits, existing auction mechanisms do not seem to be suitable for their distribution. Inspired by the tâtonnement process, this paper proposes a new auction mechanism for them. For both practical application and theoretical extension, the discrete and continuous situations are examined, respectively. The result shows that the proposed auction converges to Pareto optimal equilibria, and that without ties, the equilibrium is unique. For bidders, the straightforward bidding strategy is the most preferred one, in the sense that the strategy makes them avoid the risk of loss. Intuitively, the auctioneer's utility is increasing in the number of bidders, while bidders’ pay-off is increasing in permits. To a certain extent, the proposed auction mechanism resolves the confliction between efficiency and revenue in the multi-item auction theory, while it increases people's understanding for carbon emission auction mechanism design.

The stable adsorption of chitosan nanoparticles (CNs) onto cotton fabrics was successfully developed without any chemical binders. The adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics, and capacities under different experimental conditions were investigated. The structure and laundering durability of CNs-adsorbed cotton fabrics (CNs-cotton) were also characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The adsorption capacities of cotton for CNs declined with the increasing CNs particle size and temperature. By contrast, adsorption capacities increased with the increasing adsorption pH and CNs mass concentration. The kinetic adsorption of CNs onto cotton fabrics was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption mechanism reflected a complex process, and the intra-particle diffusion was not the only rate-limiting step. The transfer and diffusion rates progressively increased with the decrease of adsorption temperature and CNs particle size. The negative values of the standard Gibbs free energy changes (ΔG°) and the standard enthalpy (ΔH°) indicated that the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous at 5–75°C. The superior laundering resistance of CNs-cotton was demonstrated after 30 consecutive washes, thereby proving the stable adsorption of CNs onto cotton fabrics without chemical binders. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:2093–2102, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineer

Osmanthus fragrance-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (OF-NPs) were prepared via complex coacervation successfully. Then, the OF-NPs were applied in the cotton fabrics directly. The microstructures of OF-NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The sustained property of the cotton fabrics treated with OF-NPs was investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The common OF was also treated on fabrics for the parallel comparison. TEM and DLS displayed that the spherical OF-NPs kept about 130 nm and dispersed evenly. FTIR confirmed that OF had been interacted with chitosan via the hydrogen bonds. TGA demonstrated that the thermal stability of OF-NPs had been improved in contrast to OF and the loading content of OF was as high as 12.05%. SEM and GC-MS displayed that the cotton fabrics treated by OF-NPs had an excellent washing resistance. Overall, nanoencapsulation with CS-TPP will provide an excellent method for releasing fragrance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Rose fragrance, containing many kinds of volatile compound, is widely applied in the textile and cosmetics industry. If it can be encapsulated into polymer materials, the duration of its aroma can be extended for a much longer period. Microcapsules cannot be firmly fixed on the fibres, due to their size limitation. However, encapsulating fragrance in nanocapsules could avoid the evaporation of volatile components and prolong the service life of aromatic textiles. In this study, polybutylcyanoacrylate (PBCA) with excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability was used to encapsulate rose fragrance to form nanocapsules via anionic polymerization. The mean diameter of the nanocapsules was 67.3 nm and the encapsulation efficiency was 65.83% with 0.8% BCA, 0.5% rose fragrance, 2.6% polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween-20)

Myroides odoratimimus is an important nosocomial pathogen. Management of M. odoratimimus infection is difficult owing to the multidrug resistance and the unknown pathogenesis mechanisms. Based on our previous genomic sequencing data of M. odoratimimus PR63039 (isolated from a patient with the urinary tract infection), in this study, we further performed comparative genomic analysis for 10 selected Myroides strains. Our results showed that these Myroides genome contexts were very similar and phylogenetically related. Various prophages were identified in the four clinical isolate genomes, which possibly contributed to the genome evolution among the Myroides strains. CRISPR elements were only detected in the two clinical (PR63039 and CCUG10230) isolates and two environmental (CCUG12700 and H1bi) strains. With more stringent cutoff parameters in CARD analysis, the four clinical M. odoratimimus contained roughly equal antibiotic resistance genes, indicating their similar antibiotic resistance profiles. The three clinical (CCUG10230, CCUG12901, CIP101113) and three environmental (CCUG12700, L41, H1bi) M. odoratimimus strains were speculated to carry the indistinguishable virulent factors (VFs), which may involve in the similar pathogenesis mechanism. Moreover, some VFs might confer to the high capacity of dissemination, attacking tissue cells and induction of autoimmune complications. Our results facilitate the research of antibiotic resistance and the development of therapeutic regimens for the M. odoratimimus infections.