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In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, imported COVID-19 cases pose great challenges to many countries. Chest CT examination is considered to be complementary to nucleic acid test for COVID-19 detection and diagnosis. We report the first community infected COVID-19 patient by an imported case in Beijing, which manifested as nodular lesions on chest CT imaging at the early stage. Deep Learning (DL)-based diagnostic systems quantitatively monitored the progress of pulmonary lesions in 6 days and timely made alert for suspected pneumonia, so that prompt medical isolation was taken. The patient was confirmed as COVID-19 case after nucleic acid test, for which the community transmission was prevented timely. The roles of DL-assisted diagnosis in helping radiologists screening suspected COVID cases were discussed.

A stable and simple Yb:YAG rod amplifier based on chirped pulse amplification in a water cooling system has been demonstrated. The output power of 38 W at a 250 kHz repetition rate with a spectrum width of 4 nm centered at 1030 nm, which support Fourier-transform limited pulse duration of 389 fs has been generated. The compressed power of 23.9 W with pulse duration of 985 fs has been obtained with a chirped volume Bragg grating compressor. The power stability is measured to be 1.414% when the output power is 35 W. The system is worthwhile to popularize for its good performance and inexpensive cost.

We demonstrate a high-power, high-energy chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) system based on three Yb:YAG amplifiers and a chirped-volume Bragg grating (CVBG). With an all-fiber laser as the seed light, a Yb:YAG rod amplifier and two Yb:YAG single-crystal fiber (SCF) amplifiers as the amplification stages, a laser power of 96 W at 200 kHz repetition rate corresponding to a pulse energy of 0.48 mJ has been generated. The stability of different output power has been measured and compared. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a stable 100 W-level laser with sub-mJ pulse energy based on SCF. The beam quality M 2 of different output lasers has also been measured, which is below 1.55 when the output power is 92 W. The amplified laser is seeded into the CVBG to be compressed, and a compression efficiency of 0.724 has been obtained with an output power of 67.8 W and pulse duration of 2.5 ps. The ultrafast CPA system delivering high pulse energy (sub-mJ) with hundreds of kHz repetition rate is expected to be used as the driving source of high-flux high-harmonic generation after further compression.

This study aimed to assess the overall diagnostic accuracy of magnetic beads-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MB-based MALDI-TOF MS) in identifying esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database and Wanfang Med Online were searched for potential studies up to 30 January 2018. Articles were screened manually on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio or other indices reflecting the diagnostic accuracy of MB-based MALDI-TOF MS for ESCC were pooled and calculated. 16 studies involving 1 006 individuals were included. The values of pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.90–0.98), 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90–0.96), 15.45 (95% CI: 8.93–26.72), 0.05 (95% CI: 0.03–0.10), 295.04 (95% CI: 103.79–838.71), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.98. In conclusion, MB-based MALDI-TOF MS could be an effective technique with high diagnostic accuracy for ESCC. Keywords: Diagnostic value, ESCC, MALDI-TOF MS, Magnetic beads, Meta-analysis

Molecular subtype of breast cancer is associated with sentinel lymph node status. We sought to establish a mathematical prediction model that included breast cancer molecular subtype for risk of positive non-sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node metastasis and further validate the model in a separate validation cohort. We reviewed the clinicopathologic data of breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node metastasis who underwent axillary lymph node dissection between June 16, 2014 and November 16, 2017 at our hospital. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed and patients with pathologically proven sentinel lymph node metastasis underwent axillary lymph node dissection. Independent risks for non-sentinel lymph node metastasis were assessed in a training cohort by multivariate analysis and incorporated into a mathematical prediction model. The model was further validated in a separate validation cohort, and a nomogram was developed and evaluated for diagnostic performance in predicting the risk of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis. Moreover, we assessed the performance of five different models in predicting non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in training cohort. Totally, 495 cases were eligible for the study, including 291 patients in the training cohort and 204 in the validation cohort. Non-sentinel lymph node metastasis was observed in 33.3% (97/291) patients in the training cohort. The AUC of MSKCC, Tenon, MDA, Ljubljana, and Louisville models in training cohort were 0.7613, 0.7142, 0.7076, 0.7483, and 0.671, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that tumor size (OR = 1.439; 95% CI 1.025–2.021; P = 0.036), sentinel lymph node macro-metastasis versus micro-metastasis (OR = 5.063; 95% CI 1.111–23.074; P = 0.036), the number of positive sentinel lymph nodes (OR = 2.583, 95% CI 1.714–3.892; P

Appropriate environmentally friendly agricultural technologies and practices must be implemented in China (and many other countries) to reduce farmland non-point source pollution and meet sustainability objectives. A major hindrance to their implementation is that Chinese farmers have very low willingness to accept such practices. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) have known value for identifying goods or policies with attractive attributes, and thus exploring target groups’ choice behavior and addressing such problems. Sound questionnaire design is of paramount importance for robust results. This article describes the nature and theoretical foundations of DCEs and considers their use in diverse applications abroad, and their limited but growing applications in China. It then presents a case study, focused on the detailed design of DCEs intended to gauge paddy farmers’ willingness to accept several agriculturally friendly techniques and related compensation methods, problems encountered, and predictions for future studies.

TO THE EDITOR: In a subset of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), t(15;17)(q22;q12) and PML - RARA fusion cannot be detected.[1][1][⇓][2]-[3][3] To date, many RARA fusions have been reported with at least 12 alternative partner genes in APL.[1][1],[4][4][⇓][5][⇓][6][⇓][7

This study reports a single-arm trial in the interim phase in 4 patients with median age of 40.5 years who have undergone combined HLA-matched sibling donor (MSD) stem cell graft and an unrelated cord blood (UCB) unit for the treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA). The median time was 10 days for neutrophil engraftment (9-18 days) and 17 days for platelets (12-24 days). Median follow-up of 22 months (ranging from 16 to 29 months) showed survival of the 4 patients with complete hematological response. Acute graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) (grade II) occurred only in 1 patient, yet chronic GVHD was free. One patient showed a pattern of transient MSD graft followed by dominant UCB chimerism, and another 1 achieved mixed chimerism in the first 6 months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) then evolved to a stable MSD graft. The other 2 patients sustained a full MSD graft during the post-HSCT period. Nevertheless, none of the patients developed primary and secondary graft failure up to the final follow-up. Although this is a small cohort, the dual transplantation combining HLA-matched sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with unrelated cord blood unit may deserve further exploration for treatment of SAA patients aged 35 to 50 years old.

We demonstrate a high repetition rate, high energy chirped pulse amplification (CPA) system based on single crystal fiber (SCF) amplifier. With home-made all-fiber laser as the seed laser and Yb:YAG rod, SCF as the amplification gain medium, an output power of 61.8 W at 200 kHz repetition rate has been obtained. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest power based on SCF at hundreds of kHz repetition rate. The measured M2 values are approximately 1.241 in the horizontal and 1.186 in the vertical direction. The spectrum width is 3.8 nm, which support Fourier transform-limited pulse duration of 411 fs. An average power of 41.8 W with pulse duration of 1.5 ps has been obtained after the chirped volume Bragg grating (CVBG) compressor, which will be compressed to hundreds of fs with accurate chirp compensation.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a unique disease entity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), characterized by the expansion of leukemic cell block at the promyelocytic stage. The vast majority of APL patients bear t(15;17)(q24;q21) involving the promyelocytic leukemia ( PML ) gene at chromosome

Although the focus in the area of health research may be shifting from infectious to non-communicable diseases, the infectious diseases of poverty remain a major burden of disease of global health concern. A global platform to communicate and share the research on these diseases is needed to facilitate the translation of knowledge into effective approaches and tools for their elimination. Based on the “One health, One world” mission, a new, open-access journal, Infectious Diseases of Poverty (IDP), was launched by BioMed Central in partnership with the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases (NIPD), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) on October 25, 2012. Its aim is to identify and assess research and information gaps that hinder progress towards new interventions for a particular public health problem in the developing world. From the inaugural IDP issue of October 25, 2012, a total of 256 manuscripts have been published over the following five years. Apart from a small number of editorials, opinions, commentaries and letters to the editor, the predominant types of publications are research articles (69.5%) and scoping reviews (21.5%). A total of 1 081 contributing authors divided between 323 affiliations across 68 countries, territories and regions produced these 256 publications. The journal is indexed in major international biomedical databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Embase. In 2015, it was assigned its first impact factor (4.11), which is now 2.13. During the past five years, IDP has received manuscripts from 90 countries, territories and regions across six continents with an annual acceptance rate of all contributions maintained at less than 40%. Content analysis shows that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), followed by the “Big Three” (HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis) and infectious diseases in general comprise 88% of all publications. In addition, a series of 10 thematic issues, covering 118 publications in all, was published as separate parts of the first five volumes. These publications were cited 975 times, which equals an average of 8.3 times per publication. The current challenge is to identify cutting-edge research topics and attract and to publish first-rate publications leading to increasing importance and impact of the journal in its field. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-017-0310-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

According to the principle of the train longitudinal dynamics, the heavy haul longitudinal dynamics nonlinear model is established to analyze the influences of the load distribution pattern and the locomotive position on train longitudinal dynamics. The study of this paper is divided into two parts. The first, train model is composed by a locomotive and six trailers, researching the influences of the load distribution pattern on train longitudinal dynamics, the analysis results show that, the best load distribution pattern is the descending from head to tail of the train, in this case, the coupler force is minimum, and the train longitudinal dynamics is best; the second, train model is composed by two locomotives and five trailers, researching the influences of the position of the locomotive on train longitudinal dynamics. The analysis results show that, if the first locomotive is at the head of the train, then the second locomotives best position is at the end of the train, in this case, the coupler is minimum. But the train longitudinal dynamics performance is the worst with two locomotives are located in the head.

Purpose The aims of this study were to determine whether the changes in density and location of CD68-positive and CD206-positive macrophages contribute to progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate prognostic values of these cells in post-surgical patients. Methods A retrospective study involving 268 HCC patients was conducted. CD68-positive and CD206-positive macrophage infiltration in HCC tissues and adjacent tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the relationship between clinicopathologic features and prognosis was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to calculate diagnostic accuracy. Results There was an increase in CD68-positive and CD206-positive macrophage infiltrations in adjacent tumor tissues compared with tumor tissues. ROC curve identified their optimal diagnostic cutoff values. The survival analysis showed that increased CD68 expression in adjacent tissues conferred superior overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), while increase of CD206 in tumor yielded inferior OS and DFS. Cox regression analysis suggested both CD68-positive macrophages in adjacent area and intratumor CD206-positive macrophages as independent prognostic biomarkers for post-surgical HCC patients. Finally, a combination of CD68/CD206 and HBV-positive further improved prognostic stratification, especially in DFS. These results provide the first evidence for region- and subset-dependent involvement of CD68 and CD206 cells in HCC progression. A combination of CD68/CD206 density and HBV-positivity improves further predictive value for post-operative recurrence of HCC. Conclusion Quantification of CD68/CD206 macrophages and their distribution can be exploited for better postsurgical management of HCC patients. These findings provide a basis for developing novel treatment strategies aimed at re-educating macrophages in tumor microenvironment.

Aims Although cognitive dysfunction is a common neurological complication in elderly patients with diabetes, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear, and effective preventive interventions have yet to be developed. Thus, this study investigated the preventive effects and mechanisms of action associated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on cognitive dysfunction in elderly diabetic mice with cerebral small vessel disease. Methods This study included 40 male db/db diabetic and wild-type (WT) mice that were categorized into the following four groups at the age of 3 weeks: db/db group (DG), db/db+G-CSF group (DGG), WT group (WG), and WT+G-CSF group (WGG). The mice were fed normal diets for 4 months and then given G-CSF (75 μg/kg) via intraperitoneal injections for 1 month. At 7.5 months of age, the cognitive abilities of the mice were assessed with the Y-maze test and the Social Choice Test; body weight, blood pressure (BP), and blood glucose measurements were obtained throughout the study. Brain imaging and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast imaging analyses were performed with a small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, autophagosome levels were detected with a transmission electron microscope (TEM), hippocampal neurons were assessed with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and protein expressions and distributions were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. Results (i) The body weight and blood glucose levels of the DG and DGG mice were significantly higher than those of the WG and WGG mice; (ii) social choice and spatial memory capabilities were significantly reduced in DG mice but were recovered by G-CSF in DGG mice; (iii) the MRI scans revealed multiple lacunar lesions and apparent hippocampal atrophy in the brains of DG mice, but G-CSF reduced the number of lacunar lesions and ameliorated hippocampal atrophy; (iv) the MRI-BOLD scans showed a downward trend in whole-brain activity and reductions in the connectivities of the hippocampus and amygdala with subcortical structures in DG mice, but G-CSF clearly improved the altered brain activity as well as the connectivity of the hippocampus in DGG mice; (v) HE staining revealed fewer neurons in the hippocampus in DG mice; (vi) TEM analyses revealed significantly fewer autophagosomes in the hippocampi of DG mice, but G-CSF did not increase these numbers; (vii) there were significant reductions in mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and LC3-phosphatidylethanolamine conjugate (LC3)-II/I levels in the hippocampi of DG mice, whereas p62 was upregulated, and G-CSF significantly enhanced the levels of Beclin1, mTOR, and LC-II/I in DGG mice; and (viii) G-CSF significantly reversed increases in nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) protein levels in DG but not in WG mice. Conclusions In this study, aged diabetic mice were prone to cognitive dysfunction and cerebral small vessel disease. However, administration of G-CSF significantly improved cognitive function in elderly db/db diabetic mice, and this change was likely related to the regulation of autophagy and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between growth patterns and mandibular posterior tooth-alveolar bone complex morphology in a Chinese population with normal occlusion. Methods: Forty-five patients with normal occlusion (23 males, 22 females) were included in this study. Among these patients, 20 displayed the vertical growth pattern, and 20 had the horizontal growth pattern, while the remaining patients displayed the average growth pattern. All of the patients underwent dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), which included the region of the mandibular posterior teeth and the alveolar. A linear regression analysis and a correlation analysis between the facial height index (FHI) and the alveolar bone morphology were performed. Results: The inclination of the molars, the thickness of the cortical bone, and the height of the mandibular bone differed significantly between patients with the horizontal growth pattern and those with the vertical growth pattern (P

This paper attempts to have a in-depth analysis of the characteristics of modern architectural works of the Arata Endo in Changchun which will make a comparison with the other creative architects in China in the same period, in order to excavated the creating new ideas in China and make a comprehensive definition.

Background Wilms’ tumor (WT) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms of the urinary tract in children. Anaplastic histology (unfavorable histology) accounts for about 10% of whole WTs, and it is the single most important histologic predictor of treatment response and survival in patients with WT; however, until now the molecular basis of this phenotype is not very clearly. Methods A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array was designed and tested. Next, the gene expression profile of pediatric anaplastic histology WT and normal adjacent tissues were analyzed. These expression data were anlyzed with Multi Experiment View (MEV) cluster software further. Datasets representing genes with altered expression profiles derived from cluster analyses were imported into the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis Tool (IPA). Results 88 real-time PCR primer pairs for quantitative gene expression analysis of key genes involved in pediatric anaplastic histology WT were designed and tested. The gene expression profile of pediatric anaplastic histology WT is significantly different from adjacent normal controls; we identified 15 genes that are up-regulated and 16 genes that are down-regulated in the former. To investigate biological interactions of these differently regulated genes, datasets representing genes with altered expression profiles were imported into the IPA for further analysis, which revealed three significant networks: Cancer, Hematological Disease, and Gene Expression, which included 27 focus molecules and a significance score of 43. The IPA analysis also grouped the differentially expressed genes into biological mechanisms related to Cell Death and Survival 1.15E−12, Cellular Development 2.84E−11, Cellular Growth and Proliferation 2.84E-11, Gene Expression 4.43E−10, and DNA Replication, Recombination, and Repair 1.39E−07. The important upstream regulators of pediatric anaplastic histology WT were TP53 and TGFβ1 signaling (P = 1.15E−14 and 3.79E−13, respectively). Conclusions Our study demonstrates that the gene expression profile of pediatric anaplastic histology WT is significantly different from adjacent normal tissues with real-time PCR array. We identified some genes that are dysregulated in pediatric anaplastic histology WT for the first time, such as HDAC7, and IPA analysis showed the most important pathways for pediatric anaplastic histology WT are TP53 and TGFβ1 signaling. This work may provide new clues into the molecular mechanisms behind pediatric anaplastic histology WT. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12935-015-0197-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives To provide toxicokinetic and clinical evidence of the hydrolytic effect of paraoxonase-1 (PON1) on acute organophosphate poisoning in rats. Methods 40 male Wistar rats were randomised into four equal groups. Dichlorvos administration group (A group) underwent dichlorvos injection (dissolved in corn oil) using intraperitoneal (ip) dose of 10 mg/kg. PON1 pretreatment group (B group) was injected with PON1 in the tail vein (intravenous), dose 9600 U/kg, 30 min prior to dichlorvos administration. In the treatment group (C group), atropine 0.05 mg/kg and pyraloxime chloride (PAM-CI) 120 mg/kg were injected intravenously within 2 min after dichlorvos administration. Finally, in the co-treatment group (D group), PON1 was injected intravenously with a dose of 9000 U/kg 30 min prior to dichlorvos administration; atropine 0.05 mg/kg and PAM-CI 120 mg/kg were injected intravenously within 2 min after dichlorvos administration. Blood was collected after administration. Plasma dichlorvos concentration was detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectra (LC-MS) method and clinical signs were observed. Toxicokinetic parameters were calculated in a statistical moment model. Results AUC (0→∞) in group B was statistically different from that in groups A and C (p0.05); there was no statistical difference between group A and group C (p>0.05). The statistical results of Cmax were the same as those of AUC (0→∞). There were no differences of MRT between four groups (p>0.05). Clinical signs can be improved by PON1 and atropine + PAM-CI, and co-treatment can relieve signs more effectively. Conclusion PON1 can decrease the amount of dichlorvos that entered the blood, lowered the peak concentration and relieved clinical signs.

BACKGROUND: Iodiated contrast‐induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious complication of contrast‐enhanced imaging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of serum cystatin C (sCys C) and serum creatinine (sCr) for CIN and to further investigate difference of the incidence, risk factors, and in‐hospital and 3‐month prognosis of CIN according to sCys C criteria and sCr criteria. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 213 patients who underwent angiography. The sCr and sCys C concentrations were detected before and at 48 hours, 72 hours after the procedure. The incidence, risk factors, and in‐hospital and 3‐month prognosis of CIN were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was performed for sCr and sCys C 48 hours after procedure. RESULTS: The incidence of CIN was 24.4% (sCys C criteria) and 8% (sCr criteria). Diabetes mellitus, dehydration, and hypoalbuminemia were independent risk factors for CIN. Area under the ROC of sCys C 48 hours after procedure was not superior to sCr (0.715 vs 0.790, P=.178). The mortality of patients with CIN in sCr criteria increased significantly (P

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate three-dimensional (3D) dehiscence of upper anterior alveolar bone during incisor retraction and intrusion in adult patients with maximum anchorage. Methods: Twenty adult patients with bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion had the four first premolars extracted. Miniscrews were placed to provide maximum anchorage for upper incisor retraction and intrusion. A computed tomography (CT) scan was performed after placement of the miniscrews and treatment. The 3D reconstructions of pre- and post-CT data were used to assess the dehiscence of upper anterior alveolar bone. Results: The amounts of upper incisor retraction at the edge and apex were (7.64±1.68) and (3.91±2.10) mm, respectively, and (1.34±0.74) mm of upper central incisor intrusion. Upper alveolar bone height losses at labial alveolar ridge crest (LAC) and palatal alveolar ridge crest (PAC) were 0.543 and 2.612 mm, respectively, and the percentages were (6.49±3.54)% and (27.42±9.77)%, respectively. The shape deformations of LAC-labial cortex bending point (LBP) and PAC-palatal cortex bending point (PBP) were (15.37±5.20)° and (6.43±3.27)°, respectively. Conclusions: Thus, for adult patients with bimaxillary protrusion, mechanobiological response of anterior alveolus should be taken into account during incisor retraction and intrusion. Pursuit of maximum anchorage might lead to upper anterior alveolar bone loss.

Introduction Although miniscrews have been used as absolute anchorage for a long time, their behavior under orthodontic loading is still unclear clinically. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the behavior of miniscrews under loading by retrospective 3-dimensional registration. Methods Sixty adult patients who had miniscrews as anchorage for en-masse retraction of anterior teeth were studied. Computerized tomography scans were made before force application and after closure of the extraction spaces, respectively. The 3-dimensional reconstruction and registration of before and after computerized tomography data were performed to assess the displacement of the miniscrews, first molars, and maxillary central incisors. Results The miniscrews and the maxillary first molars drifted mesially 0.23 and 0.91 mm apically, and 0.23 and 0.92 mm coronally; the amounts of maxillary incisor retraction at the edge and the apex were 5.94 and 1.40 mm, respectively, with 1.84 mm of maxillary central incisor intrusion. Conclusions Our results indicated that the miniscrews and the maxillary first molars were mesially displaced under orthodontic loading. A mesial site for miniscrews might be a better choice for long-term stability.

Carbamazepine (CBZ) poisoning has been occurring more frequently. We describe the use of synthesized resin–absorbed hemoperfusion in the therapy of a 48-year-old man who developed carotic, cardiovascular shock and multiorgan dysfunction due to a CBZ overdose (the highest concentration of drug >20 mg/L; therapeutic range, 8-12 mg/L). The treatment was very successful; and the patient eventually was discharged with a full recovery and no complications, although his diagnosis and treatment had been delayed for 56 hours. Hemoperfusion has a steady clearance of this drug without subsequent rebound or potential hazards. Resin hemoperfusion should be first considered for acute CBZ intoxication, especially when drug-induced gastrointestinal hypomotility prevents elimination via the gut and patient is under life-threatening condition.

Based on the overexploitation of real estate in urban waterfront the paper elucidates the result of its negative influence to urban ecosystem and evolvement, we take Nanjing as an example, point out overexploitation of real estate is the main factor of accelerating the problems of 'aquatic ecosystem', 'water evolvement', 'landscape' and 'urban heat island', discuss the countermeasures to the problem, point out the importance of legislation and planning as well as the importance of constructing urban-wide 'aquatic ecosystem' and intensifying education and propagandism, provide some measures in public opinion supervision, and emphasize government should play the leading function in the whole process.

Background Diabetes is the most common metabolic disease with many chronic complications, and cognitive disorders are one of the common complications in patients with diabetes. Previous studies have showed that autophagy played important roles in the progression of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and other diseases. So we investigated whether aged diabetic mice are prone to be associated with the cognitive and affective disorders and whether Beclin-1-mediated autophagy might be involved in thepahological process. Methods High-fat diet/streptozotocin (STZ) injection-induced diabetic C57 mice were adopted in this study. Cognitive disorders were detected by Morris water maze and fear conditional test. Affective disorders were detected by tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Magnetic resonance imaging was applied to observe changes of morphology and metabolism in the brain. The 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was used to assess metabolism changes in the brain of aged diabetic mice. Autophagy were evaluated by Beclin- 1, LC3II/I and P62, which were detected by western blot analysis and observed by electron microscopy. Results 1. Compared with control group, diabetes mice showed significantly decreasing abilities in spatial memory and conditioned fear memory (all P

Background Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) is a member of the runt-domain family of transcription factors and has been reported to be a candidate tumor suppressor in gastric cancer. However, the association between RUNX3 promoter methylation and gastric cancer remains unclear. Methods We systematically reviewed studies of RUNX3 promoter methylation and gastric cancer published in English or Chinese from January 2000 to January 2011, and quantified the association between RUNX3 promoter methylation and gastric cancer using meta-analysis methods. Results A total of 1740 samples in 974 participants from seventeen studies were included in the meta-analysis. A significant association was observed between RUNX3 promoter methylation and gastric cancer, with an aggregated odds ratio (OR) of 5.63 (95%CI 3.15, 10.07). There was obvious heterogeneity among studies. Subgroup analyses (including by tissue origin, country and age), meta-regression were performed to determine the source of the heterogeneity. Meta-regression showed that the trend in ORs was inversely correlated with age. No publication bias was detected. The ORs for RUNX3 methylation in well-differentiated vs undifferentiated gastric cancers, and in intestinal-type vs diffuse-type carcinomas were 0.59 (95%CI: 0.30, 1.16) and 2.62 (95%CI: 1.33, 5.14), respectively. There were no significant differences in RUNX3 methylation in cancer tissues in relation to age, gender, TNM stage, invasion of tumors into blood vessel or lymphatic ducts, or tumor stage. Conclusions This meta-analysis identified a strong association between methylation of the RUNX3 promoter and gastric cancer, confirming the role of RUNX3 as a tumor suppressor gene.