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Cancer cachexia is a cancer-related, multi-factorial, irreversible clinical syndrome characterized by progressive nutritional consumption, which greatly reduces the survival expectation and quality of life of cancer patient. In 2010, the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative published the Clinical Practice Guideline on Cancer Cachexia in Advanced Cancer Patients, which based on clinical evidence, providing recommendations about cachexia classification and treatment in patients with advanced cancer. However, the guideline is mainly applicable to patients with advanced cancer who may present with refractory cachexia. Based on the continuously updated evidence, the European Society of Medical Oncology released the Cancer Cachexia in Adult Patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline, which provides a more clear structural framework for the management of cancer cachexia, focusing on all cancer patient who may develop into cachexia, making recommendations in terms of screening, evaluation and multimodal management of cachexia. This paper interprets and summarizes the key points of the guideline in order to provide a reference for clinical management of cancer cachexia in China.

Macrosomia, a birth weight ≥4,000 g, is associated with maternal and infant health problems. The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the placenta is associated with adverse birth outcomes, yet whether aberrantly expressed placental miRNAs are associated with macrosomia remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to characterize the expression of three placental miRNAs (miR-6, -21 and -143) and evaluate their association with macrosomia. The miRNA expression in placental tissues from 67 macrosomic pregnancies and 64 normal pregnancies were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of miR-21 was observed to be elevated in macrosomic placenta compared with control samples, while miR-143 expression was significantly lower than in control placenta (P<0.05). No significant differences were identified in the miR-16 expression levels between the groups (P=0.955). Following division of miRNA expression levels by quartile, logistic regression models demonstrated that the odds of macrosomia increased with miR-21 expression quartile: Q2, odds ratio (OR)=6.67 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.39-32.05]; Q3, OR=4.10 (95% CI, 0.88-19.11); Q4, OR=16.19 (95% CI, 2.46-106.68). Conversely, higher levels of miR-143 expression were protective against macrosomia: Q2, OR=0.22 (95% CI, 0.049-0.98); Q3, OR=0.11 (95% CI, 0.024-0.55), and Q4, OR=0.16 (95% CI, 0.032-0.79). Thus, statistical analysis demonstrated that high levels of miR-21 expression and low levels of miR-143 expression predict the risk for macrosomia, indicating an interaction between the two miRNAs. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that they are likely tofunction in the mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway to influence the risk of macrosomia. The results of the present study provide evidence that placental miR-21 and -143 are important in the formation of macrosomia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White light LEDs are playing a more and more important role in display in various structures. Here, a new modeling algorithm is proposed for use in phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pcW-LEDs); the algorithm can be used to accurately simulate color appearances, potentially enabling optical designers to remove yellowish/bluish spots in LED lighting. The proposed modeling method was applied to simulate a pcW-LED without an encapsulation lens, and subsequently, a pcW-LED with a hemispherical lens. Both simulations accurately predicted the blue and yellow light distribution. The model was further verified by applying a total internal reflector lens to the pcW-LED. In the midfield region, the blue and yellow light distribution exhibited large variations as the observation distance changed; this varying light pattern for both the blue and yellow lights can be accurately predicted using the proposed model. The developed optical model should facilitate designing a pcW-LED that features high-quality illumination and increased color uniformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]