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Xiaohua Liang,1 Shengqiang Dang2 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710038, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, Chang’an Hospital of Xi’an, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710016, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shengqiang DangDepartment of Oncology, Chang’an Hospital of Xi’an, 17 Wenjing Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710016, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail sqdangcah@163.comPurpose: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between mitochondrial dynamics related genes -MFN1, MFN2 and DRP1 polymorphisms and risk of lung cancer.Methods: Six polymorphisms of MFN1, MFN2 and DRP1 were genotyped in 600 cases and 600 controls using a MassARRAY platform.Results: The MFN1 rs13098637-C and DRP1 rs879255689-A alleles were associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (prs13098637=0.004, prs879255689=0.005), while MFN2 rs4240897-A and rs2236058-G were related to a decreased risk of disease (p< 0.001). The rs13098637-TC/CC and rs879255689-GA/AA were determined as risk genotypes for lung cancer (prs13098637=0.014, prs879255689=0.013), whereas the rs4240897-GA/AA and rs2236058-GG were identified as protective genotypes against lung cancer risk (p< 0.001). Genetic model analysis showed that rs13098637 was correlated with an elevated risk of lung cancer in dominant and log-additive models (pdominant=0.007, plog-additive=0.004). Moreover, rs879255689 was associated with an increased risk of disease in all three models (pdominant=0.014, precessive=0.028, plog-additive=0.005). In contrast, rs4240897 and rs2236058 were related to reduced risk of disease in all three models (rs4240897: pall< 0.001; rs2236058: pdominant=0.008, precessive< 0.001, plog-additive< 0.001). In addition, these associations were related to the smoking status and pathological type of lung cancer patients.Conclusion: These results shed new light on the association between mitochondrial dynamics related genes and risk of lung cancer.Keywords: lung cancer, gene polymorphisms, mitochondrial dynamics, MFN1, MFN2

Background Idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) reduces patient health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The impacts of disease and treatment on families are also an important concern. This study aimed to assess the association between family impact and HRQoL of children with ICPP. Methods We conducted a case–control study in Chongqing, China. A case group of 134 children with ICPP aged 5–12 years and their caregivers was recruited from a children’s hospital in Chongqing. A total of 210 gender- and age-matched subjects from two primary schools were selected as controls. PedsQLTM4.0 Generic Core Scales (GCS) and PedsQL™ Family Impact Module (FIM) were used in this study. Results Children with ICPP scored lower than controls in all HRQoL domains except physical functioning. In particular, the two groups were significantly different in emotional functioning scores (d = 0.414, P d = 0.288–1.030, all P P Conclusions Children with ICPP demonstrated lower quality of life and greater family impact compared to healthy controls. In addition, less impact of disease on parent HRQoL and family functioning was associated with better HRQoL of ICPP patients, patients aged older, treated with drug combination, cared by employed or well-educated caregivers reported better HRQoL. Health care professionals should pay more attention to younger patients treated with GnRHa alone, and provide targeted interventions for caregivers depending on their demographic background to reduce family impact and thereby improve patient HRQoL.

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging, rapidly evolving disease that spreads through the respiratory system and is highly contagious. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. In China, the pandemic was controlled after 2 mo through effective policies and containment measures. Describing the detailed policies and containment measures used to control the epidemic in Chongqing will provide a reference for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in other areas of the world. AIM To explore the effects of different policies and containment measures on the control of the COVID-19 epidemic in Chongqing. METHODS Epidemiological data on COVID-19 in Chongqing were prospectively collected from January 21 to March 15, 2020. The policies and prevention measures implemented by the government during the epidemic period were also collected. Trend analysis was performed to explore the impact of the main policy measures on the effectiveness of the control of COVID-19 in Chongqing. RESULTS As of March 15, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 in Chongqing was 1.84/100000 (576 cases) and the infection fatality rate was 1.04% (6/576). The spread of COVID-19 was controlled by effective policies that involved establishing a group for directing the COVID-19 epidemic control effort; strengthening guidance and supervision; ensuring the supply of daily necessities and medical supplies and equipment to residents; setting up designated hospitals; implementing legal measures; and enhancing health education. Medical techniques were implemented to improve the recovery rate and control the epidemic. Policies such as "the lockdown of Wuhan", "initiating a first-level response to major public health emergencies", and "implementing the closed management of residential communities" significantly curbed the spread of COVID-19. Optimizing the diagnosis process, shortening the diagnosis time, and constructing teams of clinical experts facilitated the provision of "one team of medical experts for each patient" treatment for severe patients, which significantly improved the recovery rate and reduced the infection fatality rate. CONCLUSION The prevention policies and containment measures implemented by the government and medical institutions are highly effective in controlling the spread of the epidemic and increasing the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients.

Silicon microstrip detectors with floating strips have nonuniform charge collection efficiency. This nonuniformity depends on the incident position and incident angle and should be corrected during charge reconstruction. A novel charge reconstruction algorithm, called the charge sharing algorithm, is introduced to correct this nonuniformity. This algorithm assumes that the nonuniformity in charge collection efficiency is due to charge sharing through the capacitors and resistors of silicon microstrip detectors. This charge sharing assumption is tested in this paper using electrical characterization and SPICE simulation.

Background The associations of atmospheric particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5) and road traffic noise with mental disorders in men and women are not well studied. Objectives We aim to examine the cross-sectional associations of PM2.5 and road traffic noise with mental disorders in men and women. Methods The baseline data of the UK Biobank study (2006–2010) were used. Mental disorders including symptoms of nerves, anxiety, tension or depression (NATD), major depression, and bipolar disorder were assessed by validated questions. Verified models were used to estimate PM2.5 and road traffic noise. Results A total of 334,986 participants with measurements of NATD and 90,706 participants with measurements of major depression and bipolar disorder were included in the analysis. After adjusting for covariates, the odds for the risk of NATD symptoms increased by 2.31 (95% CI: 2.15–2.50) times per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. The odds for the risk of major depression and bipolar disorder increased by 2.26 and 4.99 times per 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. On the other hand, higher road traffic noise exposure was significantly associated with a higher risk of NATD symptoms (Decile 6–8 (54.9–57.8 dB), OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.06; Decile 9–10 (≥57.8 dB), OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.07) and bipolar disorder (Decile 2–5 (52.1–54.9 dB), OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00–1.59; Decile 6–8 (54.9–57.8 dB), OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02–1.65; Decile 9–10 (≥57.8 dB), OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.21–1.97). Interestingly, a negative association was observed between moderate road traffic noise and major depression (Decile 2–5 (52.1–54.9 dB), OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.90–1.00). Interactions between PM2.5 exposure with age, gender, and sleeplessness for NATD symptoms were observed (P Conclusions We found a positive association between PM2.5 and mental disorders. Meanwhile, we found a positive association of road traffic noise with NATD symptoms and bipolar disorder and a negative association of moderate road traffic noise with major depression. Also, the effect modifications of these associations by age, gender, or sleeplessness may exist.

Industry is building larger, more complex, manycore processors on the back of strong institutional knowledge, but academic projects face difficulties in replicating that scale. To alleviate these difficulties and to develop and share knowledge, the community needs open architecture frameworks for simulation, chip design, and software exploration that support extensibility, scalability, and configurability, alongside an established base of verification tools and supported software. In this article, we present OpenPiton, an open source framework for building scalable architecture research prototypes from one core to 500 million cores. OpenPiton is the world's first open source, general-purpose, multithreaded manycore processor, and framework. OpenPiton is highly configurable, providing a rich design space spanning a variety of hardware parameters that researchers can change. OpenPiton designs can be emulated on FPGAs, where they can run full-stack multiuser Debian Linux. OpenPiton is designed to scale to very large core fabrics, enabling researchers to measure operating system, compiler, and software scalability. The mature code-base reflects the complexity of an industrial-grade design and provides the necessary scripts to build new chips, making OpenPiton a natural choice for computer-aided design (CAD) research. OpenPiton has been validated with a 25-core chip prototype, named Piton, and is bolstered by a validation suite that has thousands of tests, providing an environment to test new hardware designs while verifying the correctness of the whole system. OpenPiton is being actively used in research both internally to Princeton and in the wider community, as well as being adopted in education, industry, and government settings.

The prevalence of childhood hypertension is recognized as an important parameter of cardiovascular risk in adults. This retrospective study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension from birth through childhood as of 2014. Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 17,007 participants (5971 with biochemical indexes available) aged 6-12 years on two avenues per region in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The prevalence of hypertension was 12.55%; children with obesity combined with rural residence, low family income, birth weight ( 10 months of breastfeeding had a significantly elevated prevalence of hypertension (37.06%, 30.41%, 30.04%, and 30.84%, respectively). Obesity and heart rate were the significant anthropometric determinants; gestational hypertension, BWP25 and >10 months of breastfeeding were the significant perinatal determinants; rural residence was the significant socioeconomic determinant; fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were the significant serum biochemical determinants; and red blood cell counts and platelet counts were the significant haematological determinants of childhood hypertension. The adjusted R2 values were 14.45% and 24.88% in the full models excluding and including serum indexes, respectively. We observed a notable prevalence of hypertension in a large paediatric sample. Obesity, high heart rate, BWP25, >10 months of breastfeeding, low family income, rural residence, abnormal lipid metabolism, and abnormal blood counts were associated with an increased risk of hypertension.

Background Growing evidence indicates that high phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH) expression is associated with tumor prognosis in many types of cancers. However, the role of PSPH in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of PSPH in NSCLC. Methods One hundred forty-three patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC who underwent surgery were included. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to assess PSPH expression in paired tumor and corresponding adjacent non-tumorous tissues. The role of PSPH in invasion and cell growth was investigated in vitro. Results Compared to adjacent normal lung tissues, PSPH messenger RNA and protein levels were significantly higher in NSCLC tissues, and the PSPH expression level was positively related to clinical stage, metastasis, and recurrence. High PSPH expression was predictive of poor overall survival. A549 cells transfected with small interfering-PSPH showed inhibited cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. We further demonstrated that PSPH might promote the invasive capabilities of NSCLC cells through the AKT/AMPK signaling pathway. Conclusion Our results indicate that PSPH may act as a putative oncogene in NSCLC, and may be a vital molecular marker for the metastasis and proliferation of NSCLC cells by regulating the AKT/AMPK signaling pathway.

Objective: Increased arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) has been shown to be an important parameter of cardiovascular risk. Longitudinal development of PWV from youth to early adulthood and its possible sociodemographic, anthropometric, hemodynamic and behavioral moderators will be illustrated.Methods: Individual growth curves of carotid-distal PWV across age were created for 559 African American and European American men and women with a maximum of five assessments over an average of 7-year follow-up (mean age at participants' first assessment, 22.3 +/- 3.4).Results: African Americans and men had significantly higher PWV than did European Americans and women (PsConclusion: We observed significant ethnic and sex differences in longitudinal trajectories of PWV in youth and young adults. In addition, individual differences in PWV growth can largely be explained by mean arterial pressure, waist, marital status of parents and marijuana use.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are associated with leptomeningeal metastases (LM) of nonsmall cell lung cancer and sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining carcinomatous meningeal tissue for analysis, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) might be an alternative.To investigate the EGFR mutation detection in the CSF of lung adenocarcinoma patients with LM.Twenty-five lung adenocarcinoma patients with LM diagnosed by CSF cytology were retrospectively evaluated. The results of EGFR mutation detection in CSF, the treatment plan, and clinical outcome information were recorded.Nineteen patients had a known EGFR status in their primary tumors. Twenty patients received EGFR mutation analysis in CSF after LM diagnosis and 14 of them with a known EGFR mutation status of both primary tumors and CSF. Ten (71.4%) had the same EGFR gene status. In primary tumors, no T790M mutations were detected, whereas in CSF, 2 L858R cases and 1 19del case had T790M mutations at the same time. The detection rate of T790M mutations in CSF was 18.1% (2 of 11) in all cases with EGFR-sensitive mutations in the primary lesion.EGFR mutation detection in CSF of lung adenocarcinoma patients with LM might be an alternative when leptomeningeal biopsy cannot be applied and may help to guide TKI treatments.

Background. The prevalence of hypertension in children increases rapidly. This paper is to investigate the association of vitamin A and serum 25(OH)D level with hypertension and to explore the risk factors of hypertension in children. Methods. 164 children (age: 6-12 years, females: 49.39%) were included in this case-control study. The serum vitamin A and serum 25(OH)D level, the transcription level of RARs and RXRs, 25(OH)D receptor, and the retinol acyltransferase (LRAT), an indicator of vitamin A storage function, were measured. Results. The serum vitamin A level in hypertensive subjects was not significantly different compared to control, but the serum 25(OH)D level was significantly lower in hypertensive subjects compared to control (38.22±12.00umol/L vs. 43.28±12.33 umol/L, P=0.02). The transcription levels of RARα, RARβ, and RARγ were not significantly different between the two groups; but the LRAT was lower in the hypertensive group than that in the control (PP=0.003). Logistic regression model showed that LRAT, HDL, and breastfed duration were negatively associated with blood pressure, and waist circumference was positively associated with blood pressure. Conclusions. The LRAT, serum 25(OH)D, and 25(OH)D receptor were significantly associated with blood pressure level, and both breastfed and HDL-C were independent protective factors of blood pressure level in children.

Background: Identification of early modifiable factors is crucial to delay or prevent the development of cognitive impairment and reduce the social and economic burden.Objective: This study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations of childhood neighborhood quality (CNQ) with the risk of later-life cognitive dysfunction and the role of body mass index (BMI) in this association.Methods: A total of 8,289 community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly population from wave 2011, wave 2013, and wave 2015 of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were included. Cognitive function and CNQ were measured by standardized questionnaires. Multilevel linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of CNQ and cognitive function. The interactions of BMI with CNQ in the progress of cognitive function were also estimated.Results: The participants with higher CNQ had a significantly low risk of cognitive impairment than those with lower CNQ score (β = 0.067, 95% CI: 0.031, 0.103), and the results remained similar (β = 0.039, 95% CI: 0.004, 0.075) after controlling other confounding variables. Furthermore, there was an interaction between BMI with CNQ score (P < 0.001) for the risk of cognitive impairment. In BMI-stratified analysis, we found that the association of CNQ and cognitive function was not statistically significant in overweight or obese population (β = 0.019, 95% CI: −0.032, 0.070), but was statistically significant in people with lower BMI (β = 0.059, 95% CI: 0.010, 0.107).Conclusions: Higher CNQ score is significantly associated with the lower risk of cognitive dysfunction in adulthood. BMI may moderate the associations of CNQ with the risk of cognitive function.

Background The prevalence of obesity and overweight in childhood has increased dramatically over the past decades globally. Thus, the risk factors of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents must be studied. Objectives This study aimed to reveal the prevalence of childhood obesity and examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and z-body mass index (z-BMI) via parental obesity and dietary intake using path analysis. Methods Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 17,007 participants aged 6–12 years on two avenues per region in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Path analysis was conducted to examine the mediators between SES and z-BMI. Results The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 13.36% and 8.60%, respectively, and were positively correlated with the father’s education level, family income, a birth weight > 3000g, a parental obesity history, vegetable intake and red meat intake (all P < 0.05). Four mediators (paternal obesity history, red meat intake, vegetable intake, and nutritional supplements) were observed, and the four path analyses were significant (all P < 0.05). The adjusted total effects on z-BMI were significant for income (βTot = 0.03; P < 0.01), father’s education (βTot = 0.05; P < 0.001), and region (βTot = 0.11; P Conclusions The prevalence of overweight/obesity in children was notable, and the relationship between SES and z-BMI was mediated by paternal obesity history and dietary intake.

Background Several antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have the potential to modulate the tumor immune microenvironment and improve immunotherapy effect Of these, anlotinib has demonstrated antitumor efficacy in clinical trials. However, its role in immune regulation and the potential synergistic antitumor effect of its combination with PD-1 inhibitor remain unclear. This study investigated the efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of the combination of anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitor for solid tumors in real-world settings. Methods This retrospective study included patients with metastatic solid tumors treated with anlotinib plus PD-1 inhibitor at Huashan hospital, Fudan University between October 1, 2018 and August 31, 2020. The objective response rate was assessed using the response evaluation criteria in solid tumors v1.1. Descriptive statistics were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and any AEs were noted. Results Partial response was achieved in 13 patients, and 8 patients showed stable disease, representing a response rate of 43.3% and a disease control rate of 70%. The median progression-free survival was 3.8 months. Although AEs were observed in 50% of patients, most of them were Grades 1–2 and well tolerated. The most common AEs were thrombocytopenia (16%), thromboembolic or hemorrhagic events (16%), and rash (13%). Conclusions Anlotinib plus PD-1 inhibitor is an alternative salvage treatment choice in metastatic solid tumors with Favorable efficacy and tolerable toxicities.

The Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) satellite consists of two small satellites. Each GECAM payload contains 25 gamma ray detectors (GRD) and 8 charged particle detectors (CPD). GRD is the main detector which can detect gamma-rays and particles and localize the Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB),while CPD is used to help GRD to discriminate gamma-ray bursts and charged particle bursts. The GRD makes use of lanthanum bromide (LaBr3) crystal readout by SiPM. As the all available SiPM devices belong to commercial grade, quality assurance tests need to be performed in accordance with the aerospace specifications. In this paper, we present the results of quality assurance tests, especially a detailed mechanism analysis of failed devices during the development of GECAM. This paper also summarizes the application experience of commercial-grade SiPM devices in aerospace payloads, and provides suggestions for forthcoming SiPM space applications., Comment: 13 pages, 23 figures

BACKGROUND: To explore the variations of the gross tumor volume (GTV) from different three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT) scan modes and the consistency of internal target volume (ITV) between different 3DCT, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scan, a study using a motion phantom simulating sinusoidal movement was conducted. METHODS: For three 3DCT scan modes: the GTV was contoured, and ITV(I) was generated on the basis of GTV with a 10-mm margin while ITV(II) and ITV(III) with a 0-mm margin on the motion direction. ITV(CBCT) and ITV(MIP) were contoured on the images of CBCT and maximum-intensity projection (MIP) reconstructed 4DCT images. The centroid position shifts of ITVs were analyzed. The volume consistency between ITV(I), ITV(II), ITV(III) and ITV(MIP) were evaluated by calculating the Dice similarity coefficient (Dsc) and the value of Δ Volume (ΔV). Furthermore, the 3DCT and CBCT images from 12 NSCLC patients were retrospectively collected, then the Dsc and ΔV were calculated. RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation of centroid position of ITV(I), ITV(II) and ITV(III) were 2.3±4.7, 2.6±4.0, and 1.0±1.4 mm, respectively. The mean ± standard deviation of Dsc between ITV(I), ITV(II), ITV(III) and ITV(MIP) were 0.78±0.77, 0.86±0.1, and 0.94±0.05, respectively. The ΔV of ITV(I), ITV(II), ITV(III) were 29.67%, 17.22%, and 6.46%, respectively. The ITV from CBCT showed a deduction rate of 3.1–9.3% compared to 4DCT. For the patients, the mean Dsc andΔV between ITV(I) and ITV(CBCT) were 0.50 and 60.76%. CONCLUSIONS: The GTV acquired from 3DCT scan mode I possessed great deviation of centroid position and target volume. ITV on the basis of this GTV was significantly larger than ITV(MIP). A good similarity was showed between ITV(III) and ITV(MIP), 4DCT is still a golden standard for the ITV delineation, but in the absence of 4DCT, image from 3DCT scan mode III and KV-CBCT may be considered for ITV delineation with caution.

Vitamin A (VA) deficiency triggers many diseases and is a worldwide nutrition problem. The Retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) is an indicator of VA storage function, and the relationship between LRAT and blood pressure level and the regulation mechanism will be elucidated.160 children aged 6-12 years were included, and the serum VA and, the transcription levels of LRAT and RARs, were measured. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and WKY rats were treated with VA deficiency (VAD) or normal (VAN) fodder for 20 weeks. LRAT, retinoic acid, renin angiotensin system (RAS) biomarkers, and the structure and function of the heart for SHRs were measured.The serum retinol and serum retinol/BMI levels were lower in children in the low LRAT group (LRATPLRAT may be an important biomarker of vitamin A deficiency in target organs and may regulate BP by affecting RAS biomarkers.

Background An increased prevalence of adolescent metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with adulthood cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the potential relationship of quality of life (QoL) and personality traits with adolescent MS. Methods A total of 1961 participants from Chongqing with an average age of 11.68 years old from a cohort study established in 2014 and followed up through 2019 were included. QoL information, Eysenck’s personality questionnaire and MS components were collected. Results A higher QoL domain score of physical activity ability (PAA) was a protective factor for both MS and MS score (all P P P = 0.04) and MS score (P P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions QoL score and extraversion personality score were independent protective factors against both MS prevalence and MS score, suggesting that community intervention to improve the QoL and psychological health of children are essential.

International audience; Background: Chinese blood donors with unconfirmed serological and/or molecular screening results are deferred permanently. This study investigated the implementation and performance of a follow-up program aiming to improve the notification and management of deferred donors in Dalian, China.Study design and methods: From January 2013 to February 2018, 411,216 donations were tested for HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HIV/HIV antigen, and antibodies to Treponema pallidum. HBV, HCV, and HIV nucleic acid testing (NAT) was performed in mini-pools of six or in individual donations (IDs). Reactive donations were evaluated further with alternative serological assays and ID-NAT re-testing. A follow-up procedure was developed to evaluate a subset of deferred donors that were either potential NAT yield cases, serology non-reactive and NAT non-repeated reactive (NRR), or serology NRR irrespective of NAT result.Results: Serological and molecular routine, plus supplemental testing, identified HBV, HCV, HIV, and TP in 503 (0.12%), 392 (0.09%), 156 (0.04%), and 2041 (0.49%) donations, respectively. Overall, 683 of 4156 (16.4%) eligible donors and 205 donors deferred prior 2013 participated in the program. They included 664 serology NRR and 224 NAT yield cases, and 58.8% repeat donors. All markers combined, follow-up documented false reactivity, primary acute infections, and OBI in 61.9% (550/888), 3.3% (29/888), and 12.8% (114/888) of these donors, respectively. Isolated anti-HBc or anti-HBs reactivity was observed in 22% of cases.Conclusion: Follow-up testing refined infection status in 78.0% (693/888) of deferred donors with unconfirmed screening results. This high false-positive rate encouraged to reevaluate the current screening strategies and to consider donor reentry.

Objective. The increased blood pressure level in children and adolescents is recognized as an essential predictor of adulthood cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and the urban-rural disparity of childhood hypertension in the southwest of China. Methods. Using stratified cluster sampling in urban and rural areas, a total of 13597 primary school children aged 6∼12 years living in the Southwest of China were included. The prevalence of hypertension was analyzed. The risk factors were collected by questionnaires, and the risk factors of childhood hypertension were analyzed by the logistic regression model. Results. The prevalence of hypertension was 13.75%, 9.02%, and 17.47% in total, urban, and rural children, respectively, and the urban-rural difference was 8.44% (95%CI: 7.32%, 9.56%). Children with obesity, maternal gestational hypertension, >10 months of breastfeeding, or low family income had a significantly increased prevalence of hypertension (29.4%, 20.00%, 16.31%, and 16.25%, respectively). Rural residence, intake of more pickle (in rural), maternal gestational hypertension (in urban), low birth weight (in rural), obesity, increased heart rate, and red blood cell counts were the risk factors of childhood hypertension. The adjusted R2 values were 13.61%, 23.25%, 10.88%, 11.12%, 12.23%, and 25.04% in the full models excluding and including serum indexes for total, urban, and rural children, respectively. Conclusions. The prevalence of childhood hypertension is significant in the Southwest of China and alarming in rural areas, which requires community intervention. Children living in rural areas combined with obesity, low social economic status, dietary imbalance, and abnormal lipid metabolism were associated with an increased risk of hypertension, and routine care programs should be conducted to prevent childhood hypertension.

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential to evaluate the socioeconomic burden imposed on the Chinese health care system. Methods: We prospectively collected information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the designated hospitals to determine the cost of public health care and hospitalization due to COVID-19. We estimated the resource use and direct medical costs per confirmed case and the costs associated with public health care per thousand people at the national level. Findings: The average costs per case for specimen collection and nucleic acid testing (NAT) were $29.49 and $53.44, respectively, while the average cost of NAT for high-risk populations was $297.94 per capita. The average costs per thousand people for epidemiological surveys, disinfectant, health education and centralized isolation were $49.54, $247.01, $90.22 and $543.72, respectively. A single hospitalization for COVID-19 in China cost an average of $3,792.69 ($2,754.82-$5,393.76) in direct medical costs incurred only during hospitalization, while the total costs associated with hospitalization were estimated to have reached nearly $31,229.39 million in China as of 20 May 2020. The cost of public health care ($6.81 billion) was 20 times that of hospitalization. Interpretation: This study highlights the magnitude of resources needed to control the COVID-19 pandemic and treat COVID-19 cases. Public health measures implemented by the Chinese government have been valuable with regard to reducing the infection rate and may be cost-effective ways to control emerging infectious diseases. Funding: Chongqing Medical University, National Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Education Commission of Chongqing, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The Institutional Review Board at the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University gave its approval for the study.

There are different kinds of equipments distributed in different locations for a large complicated multi-shaker vibration test facility, so it is challenging to monitor the real state of test facility thoroughly during its operation. Long-term operation of this test facility will lead to the degradation of reliability and malfunction, and sometimes the emergency stop of the whole test system that threatens the safety of the spacecraft seriously. This paper presents in detail the design and application of a set of health monitoring device for a large multi-shaker vibration test facility which is capable of monitoring the operation state in real time and predicting the potential malfunction of the whole test facility to ensure the reliability of this large test system and safety of the spacecraft during its environmental vibration test.

Background Brain metastases (BM) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are the most frequent intracranial tumors. To identify patients who might benefit from intracranial surgery, we compared the six existing prognostic indexes(PIs) and built a nomogram to predict the survival for NSCLC with BM before they intended to receive total intracranial resection in China. Methods First, clinical data of NSCLC presenting with BM were retrospectively reviewed. All of the patients had received total intracranial resection and were randomly distributed to developing cohort and validation cohort by 2:1. Second, we stratified the cohort using a recursive partitioning analysis(RPA), a score index for radiosurgery (SIR), a basic score for BM (BS-BM), a Golden Grading System (GGS), a disease-specific graded prognostic assessment (DS-GPA) and by NSCLC-RADES. The predictive power of the six PIs was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test. Third, univariate and multivariate analysis were explored, and the nomogram predicting survival of BMs from NSCLC was constructed using R 3.2.3 software. The concordance index (C-index) was calculated to evaluate the discriminatory power of the nomogram in the developing cohort and validation cohort. Results BS-BM could better predict survival of patients before intracranial surgery compared with other PIs. In the final multivariate analysis, KPS at diagnosis of BM, metachronous or synchronous BM and the histology of lung cancer appeared to be the independent prognostic predictors for survival. The C-index in the developing cohort and validation cohort were 0.75 and 0.71 respectively, which was better than the C-index of the other six PIs. Conclusions The new nomogram is a promising tool in further choosing the candidates for intracranial surgery among NSCLC with BM and in helping physicians tailor suitable treatment options before operation in clinical practice.

This paper provides an improved signal summing method for the spacecraft force limited vibration test system with eight force transducers. The key point for this method is to change the combination way of the signals coming out of the eight force transducers while the formulas inside the signal conditioning amplifier have been used skillfully. This method had been successfully adopted in the spacecraft force limited vibration test and the accuracy requirements of key force and moment signals have been met. And this method has been proved to be a very powerful tool for providing the critical force and moment data used to determine the force limited profile during the spacecraft dynamic test.

Since the establishment of People's Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese government has encountered several catastrophes related to transfusion transmitted diseases. The government's increasing attention to blood safety has prompted the initiation of a series of policies and measures that have enhanced the level of safety for the blood supply and met the basic clinical demands of blood for 1.3 billion people in the country. Blood donation screening strategies in China predominantly comprise donor screening and donor testing. Donor screening includes selection of low-risk blood donors by the use of a donor history questionnaire, predonation physical examination, and initial rapid donor testing. Donor testing includes direct pathogen detection and serology tests. The year 1998 marked the most transformative change in blood donor selection and screening policies in China. Before 1998, paid donation was the predominant mode of blood donation. Donor screening and donor testing were conducted before donation, and only those who were eligible were allowed to donate. To ensure the safety of blood, donor testing was performed again after donation. After the implementation of the Blood Donation Law in 1998, to promote voluntary and unpaid donation, predonation donor testing was eliminated to reduce the amount of waiting time and to provide a more convenient donation experience for blood donors. However, it is the national requirement that donated blood should undergo 2 rounds of testing using different equipment or reagents, conducted by different personnel. Donor selection has transitioned from paid donation and obligatory donation to voluntary donation with fixed volunteer groups, as the latter mode of donation provides the lowest risks. Donations are currently screened for syphilis, hepatitis C virus, HIV, and hepatitis B virus (HBV). Units, previously typed only for ABO, are now routinely tested for both ABO and Rh(D). Innovations in testing technologies and methods have also brought changes to screening parameters. For instance, screening for HBV pathogens evolved from the early use of hemagglutination method to the later use of radioimmunoassay, independent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and now the widespread application of nucleic acid test (NAT). Since 2010, the Chinese government has established NAT capacity in several blood centers; and in 2015, the government invested 900 million RMB on the nationwide expansion of NAT. Although the Chinese government has worked to enhance blood safety, many challenges remain. Concern exists for rising rates of HIV infection. The existence of occult HBV infection and the transmission of emerging blood-borne diseases continue to challenge the safety of the blood supply.

Maternal folate and vitamin B12 deficiency predict poor pregnancy outcome. To improve pregnancy outcomes in rural area of China, we investigate rural women's folic acid supplementation (FAS) status and the associations between maternal vitamin B status during the first trimester and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes. We collected the questionnaire information and drew 5 ml of blood from 309 early pregnant rural women. The birth outcomes were retrieved from medical records after delivery. Out of the total, 257 had taken FAS, including 50 before conception (group A) and 207 during the first trimester (group B). The concentration of plasma folate and the RBC folate supplementation groups were obviously higher than that of no-supplementation group (group N, p

Background: Currently, the treatment of symptomatic brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma has remained difficult. Bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy is one of the standard treatments of lung adenocarcinoma. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy in symptomatic brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma that are not suitable for local treatments, and to explore the predictive value of baseline serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for the treatment. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 14 consecutive patients, between Jan 2015 and Jul 2017, with brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma who received bevacizumab and chemotherapy to determine efficacy and toxicity. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival curves, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by Cox proportional hazard model. The primary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and intracranial ORR (iORR). The secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), intracranial PFS (iPFS), overall survival (OS) and disease control rate (DCR). Results: The efficacy of 12 patient was evaluated. Overall ORR was 25% (3/12) and the iORR of brain lesions was 33.3% (4/12). DCR was 75% (9/12). The median OS was 18.3 months, the median PFS was 6.7 months, and the median iPFS was 12 months. After 2 cycles of bevacizumab, 10 patients showed improved symptoms of central nervous system (CNS), and the symptom control rate was 83.3% (10/12). Head MRI showed that edema in the brain was greatly reduced in 6 patients, resulting in the lessened usage of dexamethasone. iPFS was significantly shorter in high VEGF group (3.6 vs . 8.0 m, P=0.02), and multivariate analysis showed a significant correlation between iPFS and serum baseline VEGF level (P=0.023). The most commonly adverse events of bevacizumab included leukopenia [5 (35.7%)], fatigue [3 (21.4%)], thrombocytopenia [3 (21.4%)], anemia [2 (14.3%)], which were mostly degree I and II. Conclusions: This study showed bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy could effectively control intracranial lesions, relieve symptoms, and improve the quality of life and survival of patients with brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma. Serum baseline VEGF may be a predictor of efficacy of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy in the treatment of brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma.

Background Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of community healthcare in controlling blood pressure (BP) and mitigating related risk factors after 5 y of follow-up. Methods Hierarchical clustering sampling was employed to choose a representative sample of 10 rural and 10 urban community populations (N=4235). The 5y prospective cohort study was completed by the medical group in the community clinical centre. Results The study included 4235 patients, median age 69 y (range 61–76), with hypertension in 2009; 2533 (59.81%) were female. The rate of BP control increased from 28.33% in 2009 to 64.05% in 2014. The BP control rate was higher in patients with CVD and kidney disease and lower in those with obesity than in those without. Comparing 2009 and 2014 values, the intervention resulted in median systolic BP and diastolic BP reductions of 7.0 mmHg and 6.5 mmHg, respectively. Age, medication treatment, antihypertensive agents, BP at baseline and follow-up, complications of diabetes, CVD, obesity and kidney disease, the aspartate aminotransferase:aminotransferase ratio and smoking were identified as risk factors for BP control. Conclusions Community management of hypertension by general practitioners achieved significant BP control over 5 y of intervention.

The presence of specific mutations in the EGFR gene informs the clinical pathway of therapy for patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LAC), including those with central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Plasma circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been demonstrated to carry the mutational information of LACs, which serves as a biomarker to guide treatment. However, whether the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) enriches circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) released from CNS metastatic lesions of LAC, and whether the CSF ctDNA can be used to characterize these lesions remains unknown. To explore the EGFR status in CNS metastases of LAC patients, and to guide the treatment of intra- and extracranial tumors in these patients. The EGFR mutational status in the cfDNA from paired CSF and plasma samples from LAC patients with CNS metastases, including 20 brain metastases (BM) and 15 leptomeningeal metastases (LM), was assessed by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). The clinical outcomes of the EGFR status-based intervention were investigated. EGFR mutations were detected in 23/35 LAC patients (65.7%). EGFR mutations in the plasma or CSF were detected in 6/11 (54.5%) and 5/10 (50%) BM patients, and in 4/11 (36.4%) and 9/12(75%) LM patients, respectively. The prevalence of the T790M mutation was significantly higher in plasma (9/23) than in CSF (3/23) samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the ddPCR-based EGFR mutation test in CSF or plasma samples versus the primary tumor samples were 56% and 89% versus 46% and 100%, respectively. Twelve patients received a first-generation EGFR TKI (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) after the detection of sensitive EGFR mutations in their CSF or plasma, and five patients were switched from a first-generation EGFR TKI to osimertinib after the detection of the T790M mutation. The EGFR T790M mutation in plasma cfDNA is a sensitive marker for EGFR TKI resistance when CNS metastases progressed. CSF ctDNA increases the diagnostic validity for EGFR genotyping of lung cancer brain metastasis. ddPCR in CSF and plasma samples could provide less invasive and close monitoring of the EGFR status of LAC patients with CNS metastases.

Background The nucleic acid mutation status in intracranial metastasis is markedly significant clinically. The goal of the current study was to explore whether the tumor-associated mutations can be detected by different next-generation sequencing (NGS) pipelines in paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples from lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) patients with leptomeningeal metastases (LM). Methods Paired CSF cell free DNA (cfDNA), CSF cells, plasma and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of primary tumors were collected from 29 LAC patients with LM to detect the mutations by different NGS pipelines. Results DNA libraries were generated successfully for 79 various samples in total for NGS sequencing, of which mutations were detected in 7 plasma samples (24.14%), 12 CSF cfDNA samples (66.67%), and 10 CSF cells (76.9%) samples. For the 26 patients with detected mutations, 8/26(30.77%) had mutations in plasma, which was significantly lower than that those from CSF cfDNA (12/15, 80.00%), CSF cells (10/11, 90.91%) and FFPE samples (13/17, 76.47%). When the input DNA of CSF cells was less than 20 ng, the cHOPE pipeline of NGS identified the most mutations for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Conclusions NGS-based detection of mutations in cfDNA or cells from CSF provided more information than from plasma samples from LAC patients with LM. In addition, the cHOPE pipeline performed better than the other three NGS pipelines when input DNA from CSF cells was low. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5348-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a complex lung pathological lesion secondary to multiple factors and one of the most common chronic lung diseases. It has a poor prognosis, especially in preterm infants. However, effective therapies for this disease are lacking. Stem-cell therapy is a promising way to improve lung injury and abnormal alveolarization, and the human umbilical cord (hUC) is a good source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have demonstrated efficacy in other diseases. We hypothesized that intravenously administered allogeneic hUC-MSCs are safe and effective for severe BPD. Methods The MSC-BPD trial is a randomized, single-center, open-label, dose-escalation, phase-II trial designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of hUC-MSCs in children with severe BPD. In this study, 72 patients will be enrolled and randomly divided into two intervention groups and one control group. Patients in the intervention groups will receive a low dose of hUC-MSCs (n = 24; 2.5 million cells/kg) or a high dose of hUC-MSCs (n = 24; 5 million cells/kg) in combination with traditional supportive treatments for BPD. The patients in the control group (n = 24) will be treated with traditional supportive treatments alone without hUC-MSCs. The primary outcome measures will be cumulative duration of oxygen therapy. Follow-up assessments will be performed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post intervention, and the key outcome during follow-up will be changes on chest radiography. Statistical analyses will evaluate the efficacy of the hUC-MSC treatment. Discussion This will be the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenously administered hUC-MSCs in children with severe BPD. Its results should provide a new evidence-based therapy for severe BPD. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03601416. Registered on 26 July 2018.

The aim of this study is to determine whether lecithin retinol acyltransferase (LRAT) as well as biomarkers of vitamin A (VA) and vitamin D are related to indices of obesity in childhood. A total of 164 children (aged 6–12 years, female 49.39%), comprising 66 children in the overweight/obese group and 98 children in the lean group, were included. LRAT expression was remarkably lower in the overweight/obese group than in the lean group (P

Background Host genetic polymorphisms influence the fibrosis progression of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. Previous studies have shown the association of human platelet antigens (HPAs) polymorphisms with CHC. However, little is known regarding the association of HPAs polymorphisms with the fibrosis progression of CHC. The aim of this study was to determine the association of HPA -2, -3, -5 and -15 polymorphisms with the levels of serum fibrosis marks in CHC patients. Methods The HPA -2, -3, -5 and -15 were genotyped by 5ˊ-nuclease assay in 211 CHC patients, while the serum concentration of hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen IV (CIV), amino-terminal pro-peptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP), and laminin (LN) from the same samples were measured by time resolved fluorescence immunoassay. Results The level of serum LN was significantly lower in CHC patients with HPA-15aa genotype compared to those with HPA-15ab/bb (P = 0.032) but did not differ among HPA-2, -3 and -5 genotypes. There were no difference in HA, CIV and PIIINP levels among HPA-2, -3,-5 and -15 genotypes. Conclusions This study demonstrates that HPA-15 aa polymorphism is associated lower serum LN in CHC, which suggests that HPA -15 aa may be involved in the fibrosis progression of CHC.

Industry is building larger, more complex, manycore processors on the back of strong institutional knowledge, but academic projects face difficulties in replicating that scale. To alleviate these difficulties and to develop and share knowledge, the community needs open architecture frameworks for simulation, synthesis, and software exploration which support extensibility, scalability, and configurability, alongside an established base of verification tools and supported software. In this paper we present OpenPiton, an open source framework for building scalable architecture research prototypes from 1 core to 500 million cores. OpenPiton is the world's first open source, general-purpose, multithreaded manycore processor and framework. OpenPiton leverages the industry hardened OpenSPARC T1 core with modifications and builds upon it with a scratch-built, scalable uncore creating a flexible, modern manycore design. In addition, OpenPiton provides synthesis and backend scripts for ASIC and FPGA to enable other researchers to bring their designs to implementation. OpenPiton provides a complete verification infrastructure of over 8000 tests, is supported by mature software tools, runs full-stack multiuser Debian Linux, and is written in industry standard Verilog. Multiple implementations of OpenPiton have been created including a taped-out 25-core implementation in IBM's 32nm process and multiple Xilinx FPGA prototypes.

e15130 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI) -associated myocarditis is rare, but it could account for a very high mortality rate. This study reviewed the occurrence of ICI-associated myocarditis in Chinese cancer patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made on the occurrence of ICI-associated myocarditis in cancer centers of 12 3A-grade hospitals in China from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. More than 100 patients were treated with ICIs in each center. Results: A total of 2373 patients were treated with ICI alone or in combination. The incidence of ICI-associated myocarditis was 1.05% (25/2373). Of all the data elicited from 16 patients in this study, the tumor types were listed, including: melanoma, lung cancer, renal cancer, urothelial cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, etc. The 16 patients included 8 male and 8 female with a median age of 65 (36-80). 3 of them had coronary heart disease. The ICI drugs included nivolumab, pembrolizumab and toripalimab, camrelizumab, sintilimab, tislelizumab, atezolizumab. Among them, there were 10 cases of PD-1 inhibitor, 1 case of PD-L1 inhibitor, 5 cases of PD-1 inhibitor combined with chemotherapy or molecular targeted drug. ICI-associated myocarditis occurred in a median of 38 days (2-420) after treatment during which 81.2% (13/16) of them received ICI 1-2 infusions. The common clinical symptoms were palpitation, chest distress and dyspnea, in addition to 8 cases with asthenia, 4 cases with respiratory failure, 2 cases without symptoms. ECG abnormality accounted for 87.5% (14/16). The common abnormalities included: 6 cases of atrial premature contraction, 4 cases of ventricular premature contraction, 3 cases of sinus tachycardia, 1 case of Grade 3 atrioventricular, 1 case of complete right bundle block, and 1 case of acute myocardial infarction. 15 cases of abnormal troponin I or T were observed, followed by CK, CK-MB, MYO and BNP increased. 14 patients were treated with glucocorticoid. 6 patients died with the mortality rate 37.5%(6/16) and 66.7% (4/6) were over 70 years old. Conclusions: The incidence of ICI-associated myocarditis in Chinese patients is low, but the mortality rate is high. Regular monitoring of cardiac biomarkers and ECG is helpful for early diagnosis.

The Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) monitors gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) coincident with gravitational wave events over the whole sky. It also monitors other burst events, such as the high-energy radiation of fast radio bursts, various GRBs, and magnetar bursts. GECAM can measure the energy spectra, light curves, and location of all kinds of bursts. GECAM consists of two small satellites which operate in the same low earth orbit but in opposite geocentric directions. To obtain an all-sky field of view, the two satellites operate in opposite orbital phases. The GECAM payload includes two kinds of detectors: charged particle detector (CPD) and gamma-ray detector (GRD). Each GRD module consists of a LaBr3:Ce scintillator and a SiPM array, and its gamma-ray detection range is 5 keV–5 MeV. GECAM retrieves the locations of events such as GRBs through analyzing the data of the multiple GRDs on both satellites. Meanwhile, the CPD consists of a plastic scintillator and a SiPM array that detects charged particles of energies from 300 keV to 5 MeV. The GECAM distinguishes the charged particle burst events in space by jointly analyzing the GRD and CPD data. The payload electronic box (EBOX) provides in-flight trigger and burst localization. The trigger and burst location data are transmitted by a BeiDou Short Message system, which allows GECAM to guide other telescopes to do follow-up observations.

Brain metastasis (BM) is the primary contributor to mortality in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Although the findings of NSCLC genetic sequencing studies suggest the potential for personalizing therapeutic approaches, the genetic profiles and underlying mechanisms of BM progression remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the genetic profiles of brain metastases from NSCLC in six patients with primary tumors and corresponding BM samples via whole exome sequencing and targeted panel sequencing. We have demonstrated considerable genetic heterogeneity between primary lung cancer and corresponding brain metastases specimens. High-frequency mutations were found in NOTCH2,NOTCH2NL,FANCD2,EGFR, and TP53. Additionally, EGFR and TP53 consistently exhibited high frequencies of mutation between primary tumors and corresponding brain metastases. The implication is that most of the genetic alterations may be acquired or lost during malignant progression, and the stable EGFR and TP53 mutational status between paired primary tumors and metastatic sites confirms that most mutations detected on analysis of the primary tumor or metastases are sufficient for clinical decision-making, and suggest there is no need to re-biopsy recurrent tumors or metastases for most NSCLC patients.

Although recent genome-wide association studies have identified a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV), it is unclear whether polymorphisms in the human platelet antigens (HPA) genes are associated with platelet count and MPV. The aim of this study was to determine the association of the HPA-2, -3, -5 and -15 polymorphisms with platelet count and MPV.The HPA were genotyped by 5'-nuclease assay in 139 healthy Chinese Han individuals, while platelet count and MPV from the same samples were measured using an hematology cell analyzer.The platelet count was significantly lower in the individuals with the HPA-2aa genotype compared to those with HPA-2ab (P = 0.020), and significantly higher in individuals with HPA-5aa and HPA-15aa genotypes compared to those with HPA-5ab (P = 0.045) and HPA-15ab/bb (P = 0.032), respectively. On the other hand, platelet count of individuals with the HPA-3aa and HPA-3ab/bb genotypes did not differ significantly (P = 0.084). The MPV was significantly lower in individuals with HPA-5aa genotype compared to those with HPA-5ab (P = 0.001) but did not differ among the HPA-2, -3 and -15 genotypes. Furthermore, HPA-2, -5 and -15 polymorphisms were identified as independent factors for the platelet count and HPA-5 polymorphism was shown as an independent factor for MPV.This study demonstrates that HPA-2, -5 and -15 polymorphisms are associated with the platelet count while HPA-5 polymorphism is associated with MPV. This finding will further our understanding of the association of HPA polymorphisms with platelet-related diseases.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD), the last stage of chronic renal failure, is a global health problem. The number of ESRD patients worldwide is increasing faster than the number of kidneys available per year for renal transplantation. Most of the ESRD patients are awaiting renal transplantation. The immune response to the transplanted kidney is directed mainly against mismatched human leukocyte antigen (HLA) glycoproteins expressed on donor tissues. Thus, the analysis of HLA allele and haplotype polymorphisms is valuable not only for identifying ESRD susceptibility factors but also to improve graft survival.In this study, 163 Han ESRD patients were recruited to participate. The blood samples were genotyped by sequence-specific oligonucleotide method. A group of 14,529 healthy Chinese Han individuals registered at the Dalian Blood Center as bone marrow donors, living in the same region and of the same ethnicity, were used as controls.We found that only one allele, HLA-DRB1*12, showed a positive association with ESRD (p = 0.004, pThey were potentially valuable predictors for evaluating the risk of ESRD in the Dalian Han population.

Objective: Medullary breast carcinoma is a rare breast carcinoma with good prognosis. Although it has been established that axillary lymph node metastasis is a poor prognostic factor, little is known about the relationship between axillary lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological characteristics of medullary breast carcinoma patients. The aim of this study was to identify factors that predict occurrence of axillary lymph node metastasis in medullary breast carcinoma patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of axillary lymph node status and the relevant clinicopathological characteristics in 49 triple-negative medullary breast carcinoma patients with axillary lymph node dissection between November 2004 and July 2011. Results: A total of 49 patients were enrolled in the study. Fourteen patients (28.6%) had axillary lymph node metastasis that was confirmed pathologically. Axillary lymph node metastasis was not associated with age, menopausal status, primary tumor size or its location, the degree of inflammation within the tumor or mitotic count. However, we found a statistically significant association between axillary lymph node metastasis and Ki67 labeling index in primary tumors (P < 0.001). Conclusions: There is a positive association between Ki67 labeling index in the primary tumor and axillary lymph node metastasis in triple-negative medullary breast carcinoma patients.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women worldwide. Brain metastasis (BMs) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most important cause of death. This study aimed to explore the association of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and BMs in NSCLC. We analyzed 50 NSCLC patients with BMs and 50 match-paired NSCLC patients with no brain metastases (NBMs). The EGFR mutation status of primary lesions was detected using the amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction. The BMs patients had a higher frequency of EGFR mutations than the NBMs patients (52.0 vs. 22.0% respectively, P

The aim was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel plus platinum (TP) with gemcitabine plus platinum (GP) in untreated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer by a meta-analysis. An extensive literature search was performed for relevant randomized controlled trials. Studies were evaluated for eligibility and quality, and then the data were extracted and analyzed using Review Manager 5.1 software. Publication bias was evaluated according to Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test using Stata/SE version 10.1 software. Six randomized controlled trials including 2,793 patients were ultimately identified. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the efficacy was comparable between TP and GP regimens according to the pooled relative risks (RRs) for overall response rate [0.99, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.88–1.13, p = 0.92], disease control rate (0.96, 95 % CI = 0.90–1.03, p = 0.24) and 1-year survival (0.99, 95 % CI = 0.90–1.09, p = 0.87), and the hazard ratios for overall survival (1.06; 95 % CI = 1.00–1.13, p = 0.07) and time-to-progression of disease (1.05, 95 % CI = 0.97–1.14, p = 0.20). Grade 3–4 nausea or vomiting, anemia and thrombocytopenia were less frequent in the TP group (RR = 0.53, 95 % CI = 0.35–0.78, p = 0.002; RR = 0.37, 95 % CI = 0.30–0.45, p

Brain metastasis as the first symptom of lung cancer is a unique clinical entity. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the clinical characteristics and survival of patients with lung cancer whose first symptom was brain metastases in an Asian population.A retrospective study of 186 such patients who had been admitted to one institution in China between January 1, 2003 and December 30, 2008 was performed. The following data were collected and analyzed: manifesting signs and symptoms, imaging studies, extracerebral metastases, initial diagnosis, treatment, and patient survival.This sample population exhibited high rates of misdiagnosis upon initial presentation (46.8 %). Fifty-seven (30.6 %) patients presented with silent extracerebral metastases. Pathologies among this cohort varied, and adenocarcinomas were most commonly observed. Most patients received surgical resection, and some patients had additional whole-brain radiotherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery. The median survival time for the entire cohort was 15 months (95 % confidence interval, 12.9-17.1 months). Survival rates for 1, 2, and 5 years were 58.2, 34.2, and 6.5 %, respectively. The median survival time was 15, 14, 19, and 7 months for the gross total resection, incomplete resection, surgery + whole-brain radiotherapy, and surgery + stereotactic radiosurgery groups, respectively.Brain metastasis as the first symptom of lung cancer is a distinct clinical entity. Although overall survival was poor, combined treatments based on surgery for selected patients were reasonable with the exception of a minority who experienced long-term survival.

It is hypothesized that high expression of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) gene might be a positive prognostic factor, but predict decreased sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy. Results from the published data are inconsistent. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between ERCC1 and the prognosis and predictive response to chemotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a meta-analysis was performed. An electronic search of the PubMed and Embase database was performed. Hazard ratio (HR) for overall survival (OS) was pooled in early stage patients received surgery alone to analyze the prognosis of ERCC1 on NSCLC. HRs for OS in patients received surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy and in patients received palliative chemotherapy and relative risk (RR) for overall response to chemotherapy were aggregated to analyze the prediction of ERCC1 on NSCLC. The pooled HR indicated that high ERCC1 levels were associated with longer survival in early stage patients received surgery alone (HR, 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.58-0.83; P = 0.000). There was no difference in survival between high and low ERCC1 levels in patients received surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.93-2.12; P = 0.106). However, high ERCC1 levels were associated with shorter survival and lower response to chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients received palliative chemotherapy (HR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.39-2.22; P = 0.000; RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.64-0.93; P = 0.007; respectively). The meta-analysis indicated that high ERCC1 expression might be a favourable prognostic and a drug resistance predictive factor for NSCLC.

A high resolution solar soft X-ray spectrometer (SOX) payload onboard a satellite is developed. A silicon drift detector (SDD) is adopted as the detector of the SOX spectrometer. The spectrometer consists of the detectors and their readout electronics, a data acquisition unit and a payload data handling unit. A ground test system is also developed to test SOX. The test results show that the design goals of the spectrometer system have been achieved.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed to compare the efficacy, quality of life (QOL), symptom improvement and toxicities of gefitinib with docetaxel in previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.The PubMed database, the Cochrane Library and references of published trials were searched. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of the trials and extracted data. The hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), relative risks (RRs) for overall response rate, QOL and symptom improvement, and odds ratios (ORs) for main toxicities were pooled using STATA package.Four multicenter, randomized controlled trials involving 2257 patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC were ultimately analyzed. The pooled HRs showed no significant difference in OS and PFS between the two groups (HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.92-1.12, p = 0.70; HR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.88-1.07, p = 0.57, respectively). Gefitinib significantly improved overall response rate (RR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.02-2.45, p = 0.04) and QOL (RR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.27-1.88, p = 0.00 by Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung and RR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.43-2.42, p = 0.00 by Trial Outcome Index, respectively). Gefitinib had fewer grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and fatigue (OR = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.01-0.03, p = 0.00; and OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.32-0.70, p = 0.00, respectively), but more grade 3 or 4 rash (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.24-6.63, p = 0.01) than docetaxel. The grade 3 or 4 nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and symptom improvement were comparable between the two drugs.In conclusion, although similar OS and PFS, gefitinib showed an advantage over docetaxel in terms of objective response rate, QOL and tolerability. Therefore, gefitinib is an important and valid treatment option for previously treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with brain metastases as the initial manifestation of their systemic cancer in a Chinese population, a retrospective study of 254 such patients admitted to Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China between January 1, 2003 and December 30, 2008 was performed. Data were collected to determine the features of this group (i.e., manifesting signs and symptoms, imaging studies, extracerebral metastases, primary tumor sites, initial diagnosis, and survival data). Common symptoms included headache and motor impairment. The distribution of brain metastases paralleled blood flow, and the majority of brain metastases were located in the cerebral hemispheres. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was more sensitive than computed tomography (CT) for confirming presence of brain lesions. This distinct clinical entity exhibited high rates of misdiagnosis at initial presentation. Pathology varied, and adenocarcinomas were most commonly observed. Underlying primary tumors were identified in 84.2% of patients, most often located in lung (71.7%), followed by digestive tract. Chest CT had high yield. Sixty-two patients presented with silent extracerebral metastases at initial presentation. Median survival time was 15 months (95% confidence interval, 12.2-17.8 months). Survival rates for 1, 2, and 5 years were 59.2%, 23.2%, and 15.1%, respectively. Contrast-enhanced MRI had high yield for detection of brain metastases. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histologic type. Given the high frequency of primary lung tumors and the sensitivity of chest CT, chest CT should be a part of the initial screen of primary site with brain metastases as the initial manifestation. Metastatic dissemination of malignancy to the brain as the initial manifestation is generally associated with dismal prognosis, with the exception of a minority who experience long survival.