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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In spastic paraplegia type 5, spinal cord atrophy and white matter signal abnormalities in the brain are the main MR imaging alterations. However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. We explored the microstructural changes occurring in spastic paraplegia type 5 and assessed the relation between MR imaging and clinical data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with spastic paraplegia type 5 and 17 healthy controls were scanned with DTI and T1 mapping on a 3T MR imaging scanner. Fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and T1 values were obtained using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and the Spinal Cord Toolbox. Neurofilament light and myelin basic protein in the CSF were measured. The differences in MR imaging and biochemical data between patients with spastic paraplegia type 5 and healthy controls were compared using the Student t test. RESULTS: A widespread reduction of fractional anisotropy values and an elevation of mean diffusivity, T1, and radial diffusivity values were found in most cervical, T4, and T5 spinal cords; corona radiata; optic radiations; and internal capsules in spastic paraplegia type 5. A variation in axial diffusivity values was shown only in C2, C6, and the corona radiata but not in the gray matter. The levels of neurofilament light and myelin basic protein were higher in those with spastic paraplegia type 5 than in healthy controls (myelin basic protein, 3507 [SD, 2291] versus 127 [SD, 219] pg/mL; neurofilament light, 617 [SD, 207] versus 265 [SD, 187] pg/mL; P

To investigate typical features of primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to differentiate it from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).Twenty-one patients with PFTC and 35 patients with EOC were included. The clinical and pathological features of patients were analysed. The following MRI features were compared: maximal diameter, laterality, configuration, shape, signal intensity, enhancement pattern, hydrosalpinx, intrauterine fluid accumulation, rim enhancement, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values within the solid components of tumours in PFTC and EOC.The maximal diameter of PFTC was 4.50±2.10 cm. The shapes of PFTC were mural papillary nodules (2/21, 10%), sausage-like (8/21, 38%), nodular (3/21, 14%), or irregular (8/21, 38%). Enhancement was mild (10/21, 48%), moderate (8/21, 38%), or marked (3/21, 14%). Associated hydrosalpinx and intrauterine fluid accumulation were observed in six (29%) and three (10%) cases, respectively. Significant differences between PFTC and EOC were found in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, maximal diameter, shape, enhancement pattern, hydrosalpinx, and intrauterine fluid accumulation (p=0.002, 0.0040.001,0.001, and 0.048, respectively). Rim enhancement was more prevalent, thicker, and exhibited higher continuity in PFTC than in EOC (p=0.002,0.001, and 0.002, respectively).Rim enhancement is a useful feature in distinguishing PFTC from EOC, particularly when continuous or seen in combination with a sausage-like shape, hydrosalpinx or intrauterine fluid accumulation. When the tumour is associated with other MRI signs, for example, (i) hydrosalpinx with mural papillary nodules or sausage-like shape with mild-to-moderate enhancement of solid components, (ii) hydrosalpinx, or (iii) intrauterine fluid accumulation, the diagnosis of PFTC should be considered.

Purpose Radiotherapy is the main treatment method for patients with locally advanced, unresectable esophageal cancer. The aim of this study is to compare overall survival (OS) using 3D radiotherapy (3DRT) alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in 296 non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients. Patents and methods Over 10 years, of the 480 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 3DRT with or without chemotherapy, 148 patients each comprised 3DRT and CCRT groups after propensity score matching. Results The 5- and 10-year OS (P = 0.337) and PFS (P = 0.715) rates for 3DRT alone were 22.0%, 14.4% and 26.1%, 23.2%, respectively, compared with 28.8%, 18.6% and 34.7%, 29.1% for CCRT, respectively. CCRT did not improve 5-year and 10-year OS or PFS in 60–70 Gy group (OS: 27.5% and 25.2%; 17.9% and 17.0%, P = 0.938; PFS: 38.3% and 31.8%; 31.9% and 27.8%, P = 0.890) nor reduce 10-year hematogenous metastasis (31.7% and 28.3%, P = 0.698). CCRT improved 5-year OS and PFS of 50.0–59.9 Gy group (OS: 33.3% and 12.0%, P = 0.029; PFS: 33.1% and 10.6%, P = 0.081). For 3DRT, the 5-year OS and PFS rates were significantly better in the 60–70 Gy group (P = 0.017) compared with 50.0–59.9 Gy group (P = 0.002). For CCRT group, 5-year OS and PFS favored the 50.0–59.9 Gy group, but the difference was insignificant. Major toxicities were greater with CCRT compared with 3DRT. Conclusion For non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients, 3DRT combined with CCRT was effective in prolonging both OS and PFS.

Background: Pyrotinib is a novel irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Evidence of the efficacy of pyrotinib-based treatments for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in patients exposed to lapatinib is limited.Methods: Ninety-four patients who received pyrotinib as a third- or higher-line treatment for HER2-positive MBC were included in this retrospective study. The primary and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis were implemented to balance important patient characteristics between groups.Results: Thirty (31.9%) patients were pretreated with lapatinib and subsequently received pyrotinib as an anti-HER2 treatment, and 64 (68.1%) patients did not receive this treatment. The OS and PFS indicated a beneficial trend in lapatinib-naive group compared to lapatinib-treated group in either the original cohort (PFS: 9.02 vs 6.36 months, p = 0.05; OS: 20.73 vs 14.35 months, p = 0.08) or the PSM (PFS: 9.02 vs 6.08 months, p = 0.07; OS: 19.07 vs 18.00 months, p = 0.61) or IPTW (PFS: 9.90 vs 6.17 months, p = 0.05; OS: 19.53 vs 15.10 months, p = 0.08) cohorts. Subgroup analyses demonstrated lapatinib treatment-related differences in PFS in the premenopausal subgroup and the no prior trastuzumab treatment subgroup, but no significant differences were observed in OS.Conclusion: Pyrotinib-based therapy demonstrated promising effects in HER2-positive MBC patients in a real-world study, especially in lapatinib-naive patients, and also some activity in lapatinib-treated patients.

In our previous study, we reported the therapeutic potential of Bifidobacterium breve A1 in preventing cognitive impairment in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease and participants with mild cognitive impairment; we suggested that probiotic supplementation is an effective therapeutic strategy for managing cognitive function. Accordingly, we conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess whether 12-week B. breve A1 supplementation could affect the cognitive function of elderly subjects with memory complaints. We assessed cognitive function using the Japanese version of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline and after 12 weeks of probiotic supplementation. A total of 121 participants were randomised and received B. breve A1 capsules or placebo daily for 12 weeks; of these, 117 participants completed the study. At 12 weeks, neuropsychological test scores significantly increased in both groups; no significant intergroup difference was observed in terms of changes in scores from the baseline scores. However, a stratified analysis revealed a significant difference between B. breve A1 and placebo groups in terms of the subscale ‘immediate memory’ of RBANS and MMSE total score in the subjects with low RBANS total score at baseline. No significant differences in terms of blood parameters between the groups or adverse effects caused by B. breve A1 intervention were observed. The results of the present study suggest the safety of B. breve A1 supplementation and its potential in maintaining cognitive function in elderly subjects with memory complaints. However, future large-scale studies on individuals with impaired cognitive function are required to validate the present findings.

Aim To investigate the value of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in the differentiation of sinonasal small round cell malignant tumours (SRCMTs) from non-SRCMTs and to compare and correlate these results with those of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods Ninety patients with histologically confirmed sinonasal malignant tumours (53 SRCMTs and 37 non-SRCMTs) who underwent conventional MRI, IVIM, and DCE-MRI before treatment were enrolled. The IVIM and DCE-MRI parameters were measured. Statistical analyses were performed using Student's t-tests, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, and Spearman's correlation coefficients. Results A lower pure diffusion coefficient (D) value and a higher pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*) value were found in the sinonasal SRCMTs than in the non-SRCMTs (p Conclusions The D and D* values of IVIM and the Ve value of DCE-MRI are helpful in distinguishing sinonasal SRCMTs from non-SRCMTs, with the D values having the best diagnostic efficiency.

Background Sudden cardiac death (SCD) occurs in a broad spectrum of cardiac pathologies and is an important cause of mortality in the general population. Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is a rare but important factor resulting in SCD. It is diagnosed in a resuscitated cardiac arrest victim underlying unknown cause, with documented ventricular fibrillation. Previous studies have demonstrated that mutations in dipeptidyl aminopeptidase-like protein-6 (DPP6) and cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5 (SCN5A) are the most important genetic factors involve in IVF. Aim By using whole sequencing to identify the genetic lesion of a family with suspicious idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Design Prospective genetic study. Methods In this study, we employed whole-exome sequencing in combination with arrhythmia-related gene filtering to identify the genetic lesion for a family suffering from suspicious IVF, syncope and SCD. We then generated the plasmids of DPP6-pcDNA3.1+ (WT and c.1578G>C/p.Q526H). Kv4.3-pcDNA3.1+ was co-transfected together with/without DPP6-pcDNA3.1+ (WT and/or c.1578G>C/p.Q526H) into HEK293 cells to perform the patch clamp experiments. Results A novel missense mutation (c.1578G>C/p.Q526H) of DPP6 was identified and co-segregated with affected patients in this family. Patch clamp experiments suggested that this novel mutation might result in a gain of function and disturb the efflux of potassium ion. Conclusion Our study not only reported the second missense mutation of DPP6 in heart disease and expanded the spectrum of DPP6 mutations, but also contribute to the genetic diagnosis and counseling of families with suspicious IVF, syncope and SCD.

The beam power of the CEPC Collider is about 60 MW, so an efficiency of an RF power source is very important for cost of project implementation. The most popular source for an accelerator is a klystron, which has the advantage that it can be operated at high power with a reasonable high efficiency. IHEP is developing 650 MHz klystron with 800 kW CW output power and 80% efficiency. To reach this goal, a couple of klystron prototypes will be manufactured in the near future. The first prototype is completely manufactured by Institute of Electronics (IE) and GLVAC Company and the first step of high-power conditioning and commissioning is also completed in IHEP. The design schemes of high-efficiency klystron are also in progress.

Background Chronic allograft rejection remains as the leading cause of the chronic renal grafts loss post-transplantation. No therapy has been found really effective to prevent and treat chronic allograft rejection. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have characteristics of immunomodulation and are expected to be used for inducing graft immune tolerance in organ transplantation. We investigated the efficacy and safety of early infusion of donor-derived marrow MSCs in a rat model of chronic renal allograft rejection. Methods Orthotopic kidney transplantations were performed in a rat strain combination of Sprague-Dawley (SD) → Wistar. The native right kidneys of recipient rats were kept intact as internal control of each graft. Twenty-three successfully transplanted recipient rats were divided into 3 groups: group 1 (the MSCs therapy group) (n = 8) and group 2 (the control group) (n = 8) both received a 10-day course of cyclosporine (CsA) (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally) to prevent initial acute rejection. MSCs (1 × 107) of first dosage and an additional dosage were injected into group 1 postoperative days (PODs) 0, 3, and 7. Group 2 received 0.9% saline solution in addition to CsA as the control group. Group 3 consisted of recipients (n = 7) receiving neither immunosuppression nor MSCs. Renal histopathology and immunohistochemistry of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) was examined at week 12. Safety of MSC infusion was determined by observing symptoms and signs after infusion and performing gross anatomy at week 12. Results All the grafts of group 3 developed acute rejection and were rejected within 4 weeks. Bone marrow MSCs significantly decreased the severity of mononuclear cell interstitial inflammation, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, and vascular fibrous intimal thickening in renal grafts (P Conclusions Early bone marrow MSCs infusion on PODs 0, 3, and 7 are effective and safe for chronic renal allograft rejection in rats. MSCs hold significant promise for clinical transplantation to treat chronic renal allograft rejection and prolong the renal graft survival.

Objective To investigate the relationship between SonoVue ablation enhancement effects on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and the concentration of SonoVue and timing of HIFU. Design Two randomised controlled trials. Setting An animal centre in a university and a gynaecological department in a university hospital in China. Population or sample 63 rabbits and 143 patients with a solitary uterine fibroid. Methods Among the 63 rabbits, three were assigned to the control group. The other 60 were evenly assigned to three study groups pretreated with 0.03, 0.05 or 0.07 ml/kg of SonoVue before HIFU treatment. Two points in each liver were selected to be treated with HIFU and sonication started at 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 250 or 300 seconds after the administration of SonoVue, respectively. The 143 patients with solitary uterine fibroids were assigned to four groups: 30 patients were treated using only HIFU; the other patients were pretreated with same dosage of SonoVue and 32, 38 and 43 were treated with HIFU at 1-, 3-, and 5-minutes after administration of SonoVue, respectively. Main outcome measures The relation between SonoVue ablation enhancement effects on HIFU and the concentration of SonoVue and timing of HIFU. Results In the experimental study, the highest temperature and the largest necrotic volume in the liver were observed when HIFU sonication started at 60 seconds after administration of SonoVue. In the clinical study, the rate of significant grey-scale changes in the 1-minute SonoVue group was significantly greater than in the other three groups. The sonication time to reach massive grey-scale changes measured in the 1-minute SonoVue group was significantly shorter than in in the other three groups. The sonication time for ablating 1 cm3 of fibroid volume in the 1-minute SonoVue group was significantly shorter than in the other three groups. The acoustic energy used in treating 1 mm3 of uterine fibroid in the 1-minute SonoVue group was significantly less than that used in the other three groups. No major complications occurred in this study. Conclusions SonoVue could safely be used to enhance the ablation effects of HIFU treatment, and the optimal time to begin HIFU sonication seems to be 1 minute after the administration of SonoVue. Tweetable abstract SonoVue, a microbubble contrast agent, enhanced the ablation effects of HIFU treatment; the optimal time to begin HIFU sonication appears to be 1 minute after the administration of SonoVue.

AIM To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of CT for differentiating peritoneal tuberculosis (PTB) from peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). MATERIAL AND METHODS PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for papers published before 23 July 2019. The methodological quality of the studies was analysed. Overlapping descriptors used in different studies to denote the same image finding were subsumed under a single CT feature. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were pooled. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) was constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) of the included studies was calculated when possible. RESULTS Six studies were included and 17 CT features were analysed. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of smooth peritoneal thickening were 59% (95% CI: 52–66%) and 84% (95% CI: 79–88%), respectively. The AUC of smooth peritoneal thickening was 0.83. Omentum line/rim, lymph node necrosis or calcification, and mesenteric macro nodules had a pooled specificity ranging from 95% to 100% and a pooled sensitivity ranging from 12% to 67%. The other 12 signs had a pooled sensitivity ranging from 21% to 79% and a pooled specificity ranging from 19% to 81%. Omentum involvement (cake-like pattern) showed a threshold-effect, so only the AUC (=0.70) was calculated. CONCLUSIONS Smooth peritoneal thickening shows fairly good diagnostic accuracy, while omentum rim/line, lymph nodes necrosis or calcification, mesenteric macro nodules have good specificity but limited sensitivity. The informative features summarised in this study may aid clinical practice and future studies.

10th Eurasian Hematology Oncology Congress -- OCT 08-11, 2019 -- Istanbul, TURKEY, Saydam, Guray/0000-0001-8646-1673, WOS: 000489290100113, [No abstract available]

Background:Iguratimod (IGU) has demonstrated efficacy and safety for active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in double-blind clinical trials in China and Japan as a new disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). There are no studies evaluating the radiographic progression of structural joint damage of IGU for the treatment of RA using the mTSS as the primary endpoint.Objectives:Our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IGU monotherapy and IGU combined methotrexate (MTX) compared with MTX monotherapy, including the inhibitory effects of joint destruction.Methods:This randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, multicenter study in patients with active RA who have not previously used MTX and biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01548001) was carried out in China. Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to receive IGU 25 mg twice a day (bid), MTX 10mg once a week(qw) for the first 4 weeks and 15 mg once a week(qw) for week 5 to 52, or IGU combined MTX (IGU+MTX) for 52 weeks. The primary endpoints were to assess and compare American College of Rheumatology 20% (ACR20) response and the change of modified total Sharp scoring (mTSS) score over 52 weeks (Intention-to-treat, ITT analysis). The non-inferiority test was used to analyze the difference of ACR20 response at 52 weeks between the IGU monotherapy and the MTX monotherapy arms, and the non-inferiority limit value was 10%. The difference test was used for the comparison between the IGU+MTX and MTX monotherapy arms. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the difference of the changes of mTSS score of each arm compared with baseline value (0 week).Results:A total of 895 patients were randomized to IGU 25mg bid (n =297), MTX 10-15mg qw(n=293), and IGU+MTX (n=305). Baseline characteristics were comparable between the arms (Table 1).Table 1.Demographic and Other Baseline Characteristics (SAS)IGUMTXIGU+MTXNumber of Subjects297293305Age, mean (SD) years46.87(10.67)47.63(10.70)48.37(10.69)Female/male, %77.44/22.5679.18/20.8278.03/21.97Duration of RA, mean(SD) years11.67±7.1611.60±7.9811.67±7.27CRP, mean(SD) mg/L222.32±35.4720.67±26.6119.74±31.38Tender joint count, mean (SD)14.59±9.1614.83±9.3014.93±9.88Swollen joint count, mean (SD)9.81±6.639.73±7.209.51±6.22DAS28-CRP, mean (SD)5.084±0.9945.102±0.9795.103±0.956HAQ score, mean (SD)15.82±11.2515.24±10.9316.06±10.92SAS: Safety Analysis Set; CRP: C-reactive protein;DAS28: disease activity score; HAQ: Health Assessment QuestionnaireThe study met its primary endpoints. More concretely, IGU monotherapy and IGU+MTX were found to be superior to MTX at week 52 with a higher ACR20 response of 77.44%(230/297, P=0.0019) and 77.05%(235/305, P=0.0028) versus 65.87%(193/293) (fig 1). As shown in fig 1, the structural remission (ΔmTSS≤0.5) was statistically significant for IGU monotherapy (57.4%, P=0.0308) but not for IGU+MTX arm (55%) versus MTX monotherapy (47.8%).Overall incidence of the adverse events (AEs) leading to study discontinuation were reported in 13.8% (41/297) in IGU monotherapy arm, 11.26% (33/293) in MTX monotherapy arm and 11.51% (35/305) patients in IGU+MTX arm. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) leading to study discontinuation were 11.45% (34/297), 8.53% (25/293) and 9.21% (28/305), respectively. There was no one death and no significant difference in all the safety indicators among the three arms.Conclusion:Iguratimod alone or in combination with MTX demonstrated superior efficacy with acceptable safety compared to MTX for patients with active RA who have not previously used MTX bDMARDs.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Physical exercise exerts favourable effects on brain health and quality of life of the elderly; some of these positive health effects are induced by the modulation of microbiota composition. We therefore conducted a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial that assessed whether a combination of Bifidobacterium spp. supplementation and moderate resistance training improved the cognitive function and other health-related parameters in healthy elderly subjects. Over a 12-week period, 38 participants (66-78 years) underwent resistance training and were assigned to the probiotic Bifidobacterium supplementation (n=20; 1.25×1010 cfu each of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BB536, B. longum subsp. infantis M-63, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V and B. breve B-3) or the placebo (n=18) group. At baseline and at 12 weeks, we assessed the cognitive function, using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment instrument (MoCA-J); modified flanker task scores; depression-anxiety scores; body composition; and bowel habits. At 12 weeks, the MoCA-J scores showed a significant increase in both the groups, while the flanker task scores of the probiotic group increased more significantly than those of the placebo group (0.35±0.9 vs -0.29±1.1, P=0.056). Only the probiotic group showed a significant decrease in the depression-anxiety scores (5.2±6.3 to 3.4±5.5, P=0.012) and body mass index (24.0±2.8 to 23.5±2.8 kg/m2, P

Background Acute lung injury (ALI) is responsible for mortality in hospitalized patients. Autophagy can negatively regulate inflammatory response, and CXCL16 (chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 16) is a kind of chemokine, which is closely related to the inflammatory response. However, the relationship between autophagy and CXCL16 in ALI is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy and chemokine CXCL16 in ALI in mice. Material/Methods Thirty-two male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups. The control group (C group) was given normal saline through intraperitoneal injection. The L group was given LPS (lipopolysaccharide) at 30 mg/kg to construct an ALI model. The 3-MA group received an intraperitoneal injection of inhibitor of autophagy 3-methyladenine at 15 mg/kg, 30 minutes before LPS injection. The anti-CXCL16 group was given 20 mg/kg of CXCL16 monoclonal antibody 30 minutes before the LPS injection. Results In the 3-MA Group, the level of histological analysis, lung wet/dry ratio, total protein of BAL (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) and TNF-α level were higher than the L group (p0.05). Conclusions Autophagy played a protective role in ALI induced by LPS in mice. Autophagy could regulate the level of CXCL16. The chemokine CXCL16 could exacerbate ALI.

This article introduced the progress of processing the WorldView-1 satellite image by using the air triangulation method．And different adjustment models were used to improve the vendor provided RPC (Rational Polynomial Coefficients) accuracy. WorldVfew-1 images in Beijing are used to test the correction accuracy of these adjustment models．Results show that the systematic errors of RPC model can be eliminated using a small amount of control points. The planar RMSE can reach 1.6 pixels (0.9 meter)．

A rapid technique is necessary to detect the natural gas which is a more and more significant fuel resource in modern industry. Terahertz (THz) technique was employed in this research to detect the principal hydrocarbon components of natural gas including methane, ethane, and propane. Two- and three-component mixtures were measured by THz setup, respectively. The amplitude ratio and time delay deviation of THz peaks between samples and reference were calculated. Phase projection pictures were obtained between the component concentrations and the amplitude ratio as well as time deviation. The phase figures evidently reflected the concentration dependent THz response, and a greatly different distribution was located in the whole phase projection area. In addition, back-propagation artificial neural networks method was utilized for the quantitative determination of components concentration and total pressure, and the correlation coefficient of the prediction set was proved to be 0.9859. Therefore, THz techni...

Introduction Kidney transplantation (KTX) has become one of the most effective therapies of choice for pediatric patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The extent to which HLA mismatching influences graft survival following KTX has not been clarified. Patients and Methods The effect of HLA amino acid residue matching on graft survival was assessed in 36 pediatric patients in whom complete donor-recipient HLA data were available. HLA-A, -B, -DR and HLA-A+B+DR loci residue mismatches were separately analyzed. Results HLA-A, -B, -DR residue mismatches showed no significant statistical differences on kidney graft survival probability. When analyzing HLA-A+B+DR loci residue mismatches, the presence of 3 to 4 residue mismatches significantly increased the relative risk of graft rejection ( P = .0292).

Map generalization is a procedure involving much intellective reasoning action, with very wide domain. It is also a difficult problem in the field of cartography in the world. This paper makes a study on the interactive and rulebased digital generalization, and a map generalization environment for large scale topographic map is designed and realized. A number of tests have proved that map generalization can be successfully and interactively done with the cooperation of human and computer if the procedures of map generalization are wisely decomposed. Compared with the traditional manual method, this map generalization can shorten the working time to 1/4 or even. Besides, the work will become less intensive with higher precision.

Background: Cytokines are tightly linked to the carcinogenesis, development and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We determined the prognostic value of 39 circulating cytokines in HCC patients after radical resection and then developed a novel cytokine-based prognostic classifier (CBPC) for the prediction of patient prognosis. Methods: A total of 179 patients were divided into two cohorts based on the date of radical resection. Thirty-nine cytokines were simultaneously analysed in patient serum samples using multiplex bead-based Luminex technology. Support vector machine-based methods and Cox proportional hazard models were used to develop a CBPC from the training cohort, which was then validated in the validation cohort. Results: Among seven cytokines significantly correlating with the disease-free survival (DFS) in the training cohort, six of them were validated to be significant prognostic factors to predict DFS and overall survival (OS) in the validation cohort, namely fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), growth-regulated oncogene (GRO), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and interferon alpha-2 (IFN-α2). By integrating six cytokines and three clinical characteristics, we developed a CBPC to predict the recurrence and 3-year OS of HCC patients (sensitivity, 0.648; specificity, 0.918). In the validation cohort, the CBPC were confirmed to have significant predictive power for predicting tumour recurrence and OS (sensitivity, 0.585; specificity, 0.857). Interestingly, IFN-α2 was the only cytokine being independent prognostic factor in both patient cohorts. Conclusion: Our study verifies the presence of specific cytokine–phenotype associations with patient prognosis in HCC. The CBPC developed include multiple circulating cytokines and may serve as a novel screening approach for identifying HCC patients with a high risk of post-resection recurrence and shorter OS. These individuals may also be suitable for cytokine-targeted therapies.

This paper discusses the use of high-performance incompatible, enhanced-strain and hybrid stress elements for the St Venant torsion and bending of composite prismatic shafts, formulated in terms of the warping function. The properties of the shaft are uniform along its length but piece-wise constant and orthotropic across its cross-section. In order to analyse composite shafts whose microstructural details are difficult to be modelled directly by finite element discretisation, the two-scale asymptotic (or mathematical) homogenisation approach is also discussed; the resulting equilibrium equations can be readily solved by the aforementioned high-performance elements

This paper presents a study on the mechanical behavior in a long pipe roof during excavation of a shallow bias highway tunnel in loose deposits. The mechanical parameters of the surrounding soil were obtained by triaxial consolidated-drained shear tests on large reconstituted specimens. Three-dimensional numerical modeling was conducted to simulate the tunnel construction process. Six typical construction stages were simulated to analyze the effects of tunnel support elements, topographic and geological conditions on the mechanical behavior of the pipe roof. The modeling results revealed the variation of force and bending moment distribution in the pipe roof during excavation. Three main conclusions were drawn: (1) for the shallow and asymmetrically loaded tunnel buried in loose deposits, a pipe roof at the entrance can effectively reduce the stresses and asymmetric loading between the tunnel support elements and enhance the tunnel safety during construction; (2) because of asymmetrical stresses, the umbrella arch could shoulder much of the axial force of the pipe roof and the protection arch could reduce the force on the pipe roof effectively; (3) influenced by the asymmetric topography, the maximum force and bending moment in the pipe roof occurred mainly in the upper right tunnel heading. As the stiffness of the retaining wall, protection arch, umbrella arch, and the surrounding loose deposits were different, the force and bending moment distribution in the pipe roof was highly non-uniform during excavation. The simulation results should be significant both for the pipe roof design and the construction of other tunnels in similar geologic conditions.

Biodiesel, one of the alternative energy supplies from sustainable sources, is attracting great attention to replace conventional fossil fuels. Waste oil, including oil from ditches, waste cooking oil, and leftover oil in the oil factory, is considered as raw materials for biodiesel production. A pilot plant with a capacity of 30 metric tonnes of crude biodiesel per day has been built to optimize process conditions for esterification of the waste oil using polyferric sulphate catalysts in a stirred tank. The optimized process conditions are: 1.5–2.0 wt% catalyst, methanol vapor at a molar ratio of 1.5 to the waste oil, and reaction temperature at 100–110°C. The conversion of waste oil to fatty acid methyl esters was above 98% for most batches. Refined biodiesel was obtained in a yield of 93%, and the main properties of biodiesel from waste oil in this process are comparable to the international standards.

The purpose of this study is to establish an automated technique that accurately and effectively characterizes skin thickening in mammograms after breast conserving surgery and radiation therapy (BCS+RT).