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Based on an equivparticle model, we investigate the in-medium quark condensate in neutron stars. Carrying out a Taylor expansion of the nuclear binding energy to the order of ρ3, we obtain a series of EOSs for neutron star matter, which are confronted with the latest nuclear and astrophysical constraints. The in-medium quark condensate is then extracted from the constrained properties of neutron star matter, which decreases non-linearly with density. However, the chiral symmetry is only partially restored with non-vanishing quark condensates, which may vanish at a density that is out of reach for neutron stars.

Abstract Ovarian fibrosarcoma is an extremely rare and malignant sex cord-stromal tumor. Due to its low incidence and poor prognosis, until now, very few cases have been reported, and most of the reported cases have been sporadic. Therefore, the treatments and prognostic factors of ovarian fibrosarcoma are still debatable. Here, we report 5 cases of ovarian fibrosarcoma that presented at Peking Union Medical College Hospital over the past 20 years. The 5 patients were 41, 51, 54, 76, and 76 years of age when initial symptoms of pelvic mass or pain appeared. On ultrasound, this disease usually manifests as unilateral pelvic masses, within which uneven echo enhancement and some blood flow signals are observed. No significant increase was observed in the levels of preoperative tumor markers, such as serum CA125 and sex hormones. The final diagnosis depends on postoperative histopathological results since these tumors are easily misdiagnosed when intraoperative frozen sections are used for examination. Pathologic examinations showed that the tumor cells were spindle-shaped with moderate to severe atypia and high mitotic counts. The immunohistochemistry profile is not specific, but the positive rate of Ki-67 was consistent with the degree of malignancy and the prognosis of patients with this tumor. In addition, the tumor may also be positive for Vimentin, α-inhibin, SMA, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. Significant differences were observed in the surgical methods used, and no unified chemotherapy regimen has been established. The overall survival was > 15, >7, > 6,

Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy are the two most common and serious microvascular complications in diabetic patients, and they are the main causes of blindness and end-stage renal disease. Retinal blood vessels are the common damage targets of early diabetes and the only living blood vessels in the human vascular system that can be directly observed in naked eye. The changes in their morphological structure or function directly or indirectly reflect the microvascular lesions caused by diabetes. Especially, in recent years, the development of optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA), a new and non-invasive technology, has made its breakthroughs in angiography resolution, vascular depth and vascular morphology, and it can provide objective quantitative data. It has certain application value in diabetic microangiopathy. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review OCTA and its application in diabetic microangiopathy.

AIM: To compare differences and consistency of corneal curvatures in adolescent patients with low and moderate myopia measured by Pentacam, IOL Master and corneal topographic.METHODS: A prospective clinical study. 291 adolescent patients(291 eyes)with low and moderate myopia who underwent orthokeratology in the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2019 to September 2019 were selected. Among them, 141 cases(141 eyes)were low myopia and 150 cases(150 eyes)were moderate myopia. Corneal curvature(K1, k2, Km)and corneal Astigmatism(J0, J45)were examined by Pentacam, IOL Master, and corneal topography. And then the difference, correlation and consistency of the measurement results of three instruments were analyzed.RESULTS: Differences analysis showed that in the measurement of J45, there was no difference between Pentacam and corneal topography(P>0.05)in patients with low and moderate myopia; in the measurement of J0,there was no difference between Pentacam and IOL Master(P>0.05)in patients with low myopia; in the measurement of K2,there was no difference between Pentacam and corneal topography(P>0.05)in patients with low myopia; in the measurement of J0,there was no difference between Pentacam and corneal topography(P>0.05)in patients with moderate myopia. But there were significant differences in other measurements among three instruments(P1, K2, Km, J0, and J45 were highly correlated among three instruments(r=0.545-0.997, all PCONCLUSION: Pentacam, IOL Master and corneal topographic have good consistency and can be used as a mutual reference before orthodontic fitting of low and moderate myopia patients. The measurement difference between Pentacam and corneal topography is the smallest among three instruments, but whether three instruments can be replaced by each other needs to be considered in combination in clinical application.

The study investigates the mutual influence between agricultural commodity prices (ACP) and inflation (INF) in China by employing the bootstrap full- and sub-sample rolling-window Granger causality tests. We find that ACP has positive effects on INF, indicating that agricultural commodities play a significant role in stabilizing general price levels, but the higher ACP may create inflationary pressures. However, the negative effects suggest that under the shock of external uncertainty, the rise of ACP is not always regarded as the prime driver of INF. The results are not consistent with Hypothesis 1, which highlights that INF is positively affected by ACP. In turn, we also find positive and negative impacts of INF on ACP, showing that the level of INF can affect the supply and demand of agricultural commodity markets, it can be considered as a factor affecting ACP. The findings support Hypothesis 2 derived from the interaction mechanism. These analyses can assist the Chinese government to understand that ACP is not an effective indicator for forecasting INF. It also can prompt them to pay attention to the transmission effect of price levels on ACP, to maintain the stability of the agricultural commodity market.

Objective: To investigate the difference of clinical features and outcomes between EM patients with and without AM after following up for at least 6 years after surgery.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 358 EM patients who had a minimum of 6 years follow-up after laparoscopic cystectomy, which was performed by one single doctor at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2009 to April 2013. All women were divided into AM group and non-AM group and analysis was performed in preoperative characteristics, surgical findings and postoperative outcomes during follow-up.Results: A total of 358 EM patients were recruited, of which 142 (39.7%) were in the AM group and the rest 216 (60.3%) in the non-AM group. Between the two group, the mean age was 34.6 vs. 32.2 years (P < 0.001). The mean operating time in the AM and non-AM group was 73.2 vs. 61.9 min (P < 0.001). According to the revised AFS classification, the mean score of the two group were 60.3 vs. 45.5 (P < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up, though the AM group was with higher rate of disease relapse, yet no significant difference was found between the two groups in statistical comparison (34/142 [23.9%] vs. 34/216 [15.7%], P = 0.053). With a minimum follow-up of 6 years after laparoscopic cystectomy, failed and successful pregnancy were seen in 107/142(75.4%) and 35/142 (24.6%) patients in the AM group vs. 114/216(52.8%) and 102/216 (47.2%) patients in the non-AM group (P < 0.05). As for the successfully pregnant patients, live births, including spontaneous pregnancy and IVF-ET, were seen in 34/35 (97.1) vs. 99/102 (97.1) patients between AM and non-AM groups, while others ended in spontaneous abortion. No significant associations were found between the two groups in infertility, leiomyoma presence, the size of ovarian endometrioma, type of deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) or type of recurrence (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Compared with non-AM group, EM patients with concurrent AM may have higher age, longer mean operating time and higher mean AFS score. In terms of fertility outcomes, patients in the AM group were with lower likelihood of pregnancy after surgery during the long-time follow-up.

This paper uses the mixed frequency vector autoregression model to explore the impact of economic fluctuations on infectious diseases mortality (IDM) from China perspective. We find that quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) fluctuations have a negative impact on the annual IDM, indicating that the mortality of infectious diseases varies counter-cyclically with the business cycle in China. Specifically, IDM usually increases with deterioration in economic conditions, and vice versa. The empirical results are consistent with the hypothesis I derived from the theoretical analysis, which highlights that economic fluctuations can negatively affect the mortality of infectious diseases. The findings can offer revelations for the government to consider the role of economic conditions in controlling the epidemic of infectious diseases. Policymakers should adopt appropriate and effective strategies to mitigate the potential negative effects of macroeconomic downturns on the mortality of infectious diseases. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, these analyses further emphasize the importance of promoting economic growth, increasing public health expenditure, and preventing and controlling foreign infectious diseases.

In the progress of retinal angiogenesis, sprouting angiogenesis plays an important role in retinal normal development and neovascular diseases. The structural and functional integrities of vascular endothelial cells are essential condition of sprouting angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial cells possess various subtypes, each of which plays a different role in sprouting angiogenesis. Many mechanisms participate in the regulation of endothelial cells under physiological and pathological conditions, such as biological signaling pathway, metabolism, immune inflammation and non-coding RNA. In this review, we provided a brief overview of the role and the related regulatory mechanisms of vascular endothelial cells in retinal sprouting angiogenesis.

Abstract Background To analyze the clinical characteristics and chemo-resistance related factors of patients with resistant and non-resistant endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (ovarian clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma) by reviewing the data of epithelial ovarian cancer patients who received initial treatment in our hospital over a 12-year period. Results Among the 304 patients, 17.1% were seen with platinum-based drug resistance. The ROC curve of continuous variables was drawn according to resistance situation, then they were grouped by age (

Background: When considering the issue of recurrence, perimenopausal women may have more dilemma during management comparing with young women, for example, whether to retain the uterus and ovary during surgery, whether it is necessary to add adjuvant medicine treatment after operation, and there is no evidence for reference about using of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. This study aimed to study the risk factors for the recurrence of ovarian endometriosis (EM) in patients aged 45 and over. Methods: This is a retrospective nested case-control study. We reviewed the medical records of patients aged over 45 years who underwent surgical treatments for ovarian EM from 1994 to 2014, in Peking Union Medical College Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. By following up to January 2016, 45 patients were found to have relapses and regarded as the recurrence group. The patients with no recurrence during the same follow-up period were randomly selected by the ratio of 1:4 as the nonrecurrence group (180 patients in total). Stratified Cox regression was used to analyze the risk factors of the recurrence. Results: Univariate analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the postoperative treatment (the percentage of patients who received postoperative treatment in non-recurrence group and recurrence group, 23.9% vs. 40.0%, χ2 = 4.729, P = 0.030) and ovarian preservation (the percentage of patients who received surgery of ovarian preservation in non-recurrence group and recurrence group, 25.0 % vs. 44.4%, χ2 = 19.462, P < 0.001) between the nonrecurrence group and the recurrence group. There was no correlation between recurrence and the following factors including patient's age, menarche age, gravidity, parity, CA125 level, ovarian lesions, menopausal status, combined benign gynecological conditions (such as myoma and adenomyoma) and endometrial abnormalities, and surgical approach or surgical staging (all P > 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that whether to retain the ovary was the only independent risk factor of recurrence for patients aged 45 years and over with ovarian EM (odds ratio: 5.594, 95% confidence interval: 1.919–16.310, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Ovarian preservation might be the only independent risk factor of recurrence for patients aged 45 years and over with ovarian EM.

C48H30N4O12F12Cu3, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 12.9112(5) Å, b = 28.1127(6) Å, c = 14.2324(5) Å, β = 110.665(4)°, V = 4833.5(3) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0489, wRref(F2) = 0.1108, T = 173(10) K.

K0.5Na0.5NbO3powders have been directly synthesized by an alternative solid–state method. Stoichimometric mixture of ammonium niobium oxalate and C4H4O6KNa·4H2O were calcined in temperature range from 500 to 800 °C for 3 h. The precursor and calcination products were characterized with respect to stoichiometry, purity, crystalline structure, particle size and powder morphology using X–ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. XRD and XRF results reveal that stoichiometric K0.5Na0.5NbO3powders could be synthesized by the method. The particle size is about 68 nm for the precursor calcined at 500 °C according to XRD data, which is in good agreement with SEM data. The average band gap energy is estimated to be 3.18 eV by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation behaviors of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) star block copolymer were reported using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA coupled with Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the degradation volatile of SBS in air atmosphere. The thermal degradation kinetics of SBS in nitrogen and air atmospheres was studied in three steps: (1) the activation energies Eα were estimated by iterative method; (2) the proper form of f(α) was deduced by Popescu method; (3) the results obtained by above steps were used in determination pre-exponential factor A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal degradation behavior of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) in nitrogen atmosphere was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. TGA/DTG/DSC curves display only one main degradation step. TGA/FTIR results indicate PCL decomposes into CO2 and hexanoic acid before 500°C. The activation energies were estimated by iterative isoconversional procedure. Friedman plot indicates a change in degradation mechanism. The differential method and integral method were used to confirm the exact kinetic mechanism. The best models are Dn (n = 1, 2, 3, and 4) when 0.08≤a≤0.2 and R2 when 0.25≤a≤0.8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play critical roles in several types of environmental stresses. However, the detailed regulatory mechanisms in response to salt stress are still largely unknown. In this study, we examined the salt-induced transcriptional responses of ThHSFA1-ThWRKY4 in Tamarix hispida and their functions and regulatory mechanisms in salt tolerance. ThHSFA1 protein acts as an upstream regulator that can directly activate ThWRKY4 expression by binding to the heat shock element (HSE) of the ThWRKY4 promoter using yeast one-hybrid (Y1H), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and dual-luciferase reporter assays. ThHSFA1 and ThWRKY4 expression was significantly induced by salt stress and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment in the roots and leaves of T. hispida. ThHSFA1 is a nuclear-localized protein with transactivation activity at the C-terminus. Compared to nontransgenic plants, transgenic plants overexpressing ThHSFA1 displayed enhanced salt tolerance and exhibited reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and increased antioxidant enzyme activity levels under salt stress. Therefore, we further concluded that ThHSFA1 mediated the regulation of ThWRKY4 in response to salt stress in T. hispida.

Background: Among the various ginseng strains, Shizhu ginseng is endemic to China, mainly distributed in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County (Liaoning Province, China); however, not much is known about the compounds (especially saponins) in Shizhu ginseng. Methods: A rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with MS/MS (UHPLC–MS/MS) method was developed to separate and identify saponins in Shizhu ginseng. Results: The separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase under a gradient elution at 40°C. The detection was performed on a Micromass Quattro Micro API mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization source in both positive and negative modes. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 31 saponins were identified or tentatively characterized by comparing retention time and MS data with related literatures and reference substances. Conclusion: The developed UHPLC–MS/MS method was suitable for identifying and characterizing the chemical constituents in Shizhu ginseng, which provided a helpful chemical basis for further research on Shizhu ginseng.

C16H18N4O8, monoclinic, C2/m (no. 12), a = 14.517(4) Å, b = 18.006(7) Å, c = 6.916(3) Å, β = 116.97(3)°, V = 1611.2(11) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0497, wRref(F2) = 0.1387, T = 296(2) K.

C14H12O7Cd, orthorhombic, Ima2 (no. 46), a = 30.715(3) Å, b = 7.8833(8) Å, c = 5.8202(6) Å, V = 1409.3(2) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0159, wRref(F2) = 0.0400, T = 296(2) K.

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently been suggested as potential functional modulators of cellular physiology processes in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we demonstrated that circFOXP1 was more highly expressed in GC tissues. High circFOXP1 expression was positively associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and poor prognosis in patients with GC. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that higher circFOXP1 expression was an independent risk factor for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in GC patients. Functional studies showed that increased circFOXP1 expression promoted cell proliferation, cell invasion, and cell cycle progression in GC in vitro. In vivo, the knockdown of circFOXP1 inhibited tumor growth. Mechanistically, we observed ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification of circFOXP1 and circFOXP1 promoted GC progression by regulating SOX4 expression and sponging miR-338-3p in GC cells. Thus, our findings highlight that circFOXP1 could serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for GC.

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in modulating biological processes in some tumors. However, the contributions and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs to gallbladder cancer (GBC) remain largely unknown. In the present study, our results showed circPVT1 expression was significantly upregulated in GBC tissues and cells. Higher circPVT1 expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and poor overall survival (OS) in patients with GBC. Subsequently, knockdown of circPVT1 significantly impeded GBC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, while induced cell apoptosis in vitro. However, upregulated circPVT1 had the opposite effects. In vivo, we also demonstrated that knockdown of circPVT1 inhibited tumor growth. Furthermore, we confirmed that circPVT1 could regulate Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) expression by sponging to miR-339-3p, which affected tumor progression in GBC cells. In summary, our findings indicated that circPVT1 may serve as a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target for GBC.