Search

Background The multi-site practice (MSP) policy has been practiced in China over 10 years. This study aimed to investigate the safety and feasibility of performing laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer (LSCRC) and gastric cancer (LSGC) under the Chinese MSP policy. Methods We collected and analysed the data from 1,081 patients who underwent LSCRC or LSGC performed by one gastrointestinal surgeon in his original hospital (n  = 573) and his MSP institutions (n  = 508) between January 2017 and December 2020. Baseline demographics, intraoperative outcomes, post-operative recovery, and pathological results were compared between the original hospital and MSP institutions, as well as between MSP institutions with and without specific competence (surgical skill, operative instrument, perioperative multi-discipline team). Results In our study, 690 patients underwent LSCRC and 391 patients underwent LSGC. The prevalence of post-operative complications was comparable for LSCRC (11.5% vs 11.1%, P  = 0.89) or LSGC (15.2% vs 12.6%, P  = 0.46) between the original hospital and MSP institutions. However, patients in MSP institutions without qualified surgical assistant(s) and adequate instruments experienced longer operative time and greater intraoperative blood loss. The proportion of patients with inadequate lymph-node yield was significantly higher in MSP institutions than in the original hospital for both LSCRC (11.5% vs 21.2%, P   <  0.01) and LSGC (9.8% vs 20.5%, P   <  0.01). Conclusion For an experienced gastrointestinal surgeon, performing LSCRC and LSGC outside his original hospital under the MSP policy is safe and feasible, but relies on the precondition that the MSP institutions are equipped with qualified surgical skills, adequate operative instruments, and complete perioperative management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are the first-line option against chronic hepatitis B (CHB). NAs produce potent suppression of viral replication with a small chance of HBsAg seroclearance and a high risk of virological relapse after discontinuation. The combined therapy of NAs plus traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely accepted and has been recognized as a prospective alternative approach in China. Based on preliminary works, this study was designed to observe the therapeutic effect of TCM plus entecavir (ETV) against HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B with respect to reducing the recurrence risk after NA withdrawal.Methods/design: The study is a nationwide, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a duration of 120 weeks. A total of 18 hospitals and 490 eligible Chinese HBeAg-positive CHB patients will be enrolled and randomly allocated into the experimental group and control group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will be prescribed TCM formulae (Tiaogan-BuXu-Jiedu granules) plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for consolidation therapy for 96 weeks. Patients in the control group will be prescribed TCM granule placebo plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for the same course. After consolidation therapy, all patients will discontinue their trial drugs and be closely monitored over the next 24 weeks. Once clinical recurrence (CR) occurs, ETV treatment will be restarted. The primary outcome is the cumulative rate of CR at the end of this trial.Conclusion: This study is the first of its kind to observe therapeutic effects with respect to reducing recurrence after NA withdrawals after unified integrative consolidation therapy in the CHB population.Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry No. ChiCTR1900021232 . Registered on February 2, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li, X.; Bao, J.; Sun, J., and Wang, J., 2019. Circular economy of resource-based industries in coastal cities and the influence on sustainable development. In: Li, L.; Wan, X., and Huang, X. (eds.), Recent Developments in Practices and Research on Coastal Regions: Transportation, Environment and Economy. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 98, pp. 96–99. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The resource-based industry is the pillar industry for resource consumption and economic development in China, and the circular economy of the resource-based industries in coastal cities requires efficient recycling of coastal natural resources and the development of an industrial circular economy as its core content. This article uses the circular economy of resource-based industries in coastal cities as its research object and provides an in-depth discussion of the strategy and layout of circular-economy industries to achieve sustainable economic development. The research results show that developing a circular economy for resource-based industries in coastal cities is in line with the concept of resource-saving development, and it also meets the requirements of sustainable development. To extend the life cycle of resource-based cities, we must adopt a circular economy and adjust resource use and transform industrial enterprises and their policies. This article provides a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of resource-based industries within coastal cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas digesters contain microbial assemblages that process a mass of extracellular polymeric substances from animal manure and domestic wastewater; however, due to the limitation of available technology in cultivation of majority of the micro-organisms in biogas digesters, the enzymatic potential of these microbial communities remains largely unexplored. In this study, to evaluate subtilase gene diversity in a biogas digester, the partial sequences of the gene were directly amplified from the metagenomic DNA by using consensus-degenerate primers. The desired PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector, and thirty positive clones were chose for Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis, from which thirteen distinguished patterns were obtained and then sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ten out of the thirteen sequences were related to the subtilase genes in GenBank and were grouped into three families of the subtilases superfamily. The nucleotide sequences analysis through BLAST search revealed that none of the partial genes the authors isolated showed significant similarity against the non-redundant Nucleotide database of NCBI. Meanwhile, the deduced amino acid sequences of ten partial subtilase genes showed moderate identities to the previously identified sequences in GenBank, with a range from 39 to 61%. Collectively, the data indicate that there is a great diversity of subtilase genes in the biogas digester; and may be a rich reservoir for novel subtilase genes.