Search

Background. Ubiquitination is an important regulator in physiological and pathological conditions. Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2), as a member of the USP family, exhibits oncogenic effects in multiple malignancies. However, the exact role of USP2 has not been well clarified in lung cancer pathogenesis and progression. Therefore, we aimed to further investigate the regulatory roles of USP2 in lung cancer in this study. Methods. Firstly, immunoprecipitation-Mass Spectrometry (IP-MS), Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), combined with immunofluorescent colocalization method, was conducted for USP2 protein interaction analysis in lung cancer cell lines. qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry assays explored the USP2 expression pattern and USP2/ARID2- (AT-rich interactive domain 2-) specific shRNAs and overexpression vectors. Co-IP assays were designed to validate USP2-ARID2 protein interaction. Further functional studies including CHX chase assay, transwell assay, and wound healing assay were subsequently applied to evaluate the impact of USP2 modulation on lung cancer cells. Results. USP2 suppression was characteristic in lung cancer cell line models and lung cancer samples. USP2 and ARID2 demonstrated protein-protein interaction and overlapping localization in cancer cell models. Functional experiments suggested USP2 inhibited lung cancer cell invasion and migration by reducing ARID2 protein degradation. Subsequent ubiquitination assays indicated ARID2 protein degradation via the ubiquitination was significantly reduced by USP2 interaction. Conclusions. Our study provided novel insight that USP2 might suppress lung cancer by reducing ARID2 protein degradation via ubiquitination.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to construct a nomogram prediction model for tumour spread through air spaces (STAS) in clinical stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and discuss its potential application value. METHODS A total of 380 patients with clinical stage I NSCLC in Tianjin Chest Hospital were collected as the training cohort and 285 patients in Fujian Provincial Hospital were collected as the validation cohort. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent factors for STAS in the training cohort. Based on the results of the multivariable analysis, the nomogram prediction model of STAS was constructed by R software. RESULTS The incidence of STAS in the training cohort was 39.2%. STAS was associated with worse overall survival and recurrence-free survival (P CONCLUSIONS The constructed nomogram prediction model of STAS in clinical stage I NSCLC has good calibration and can potentially be applied to guide treatment selection.

The simplified Cough Symptom Score (sCSS) is a practical and simple tool for measuring cough severity. However, the sCSS is a consensus of experts, and has not been strictly validated among the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We used the sCSS and investigated the validity, reliability, and repeatability of this instrument.A total of 219 NSCLC patients completed the sCSS, Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese (LCQ-MC) and cough Visual Analog Scale (VAS). 60 patients completed the LCQ and Global Rating of Change (GRC) at follow-up visits after 2-4 weeks. Concurrent validity, internal consistency, and repeatability were assessed.Analyses of concurrent validity showed significant correlations between the sCSS and the LCQ-MC (r = - 0.356 to - 0.580) and cough VAS (r = 0.555). The correlation of the nighttime score with the LCQ-MC and cough VAS was more closely than that of the daytime score (r = - 0.364 to - 0.545 and r = 0.502 vs. r = - 0.233 to - 0.449 and r = 0.450). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's α of 0.74-0.90). The internal consistency of the sCSS between the nighttime and daytime scores was 0.428. The repeatability was high (intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.760).The sCSS is a reliable, valid instrument for assessing postoperative cough in NSCLC patients.

Background To quantitatively evaluate postoperative cough regarding changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and recovery trajectory with the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese (LCQ-MC) in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Overall, 156 patients with NSCLC underwent either VATS lobectomy or VATS sublobectomy; LCQ-MC was used to report the impact of postoperative cough on HRQOL for 6 months after discharge. Recovery from postoperative cough was defined as LCQ-MC scores returning to preoperative levels. The sensitivity of LCQ-MC to changes in postoperative cough recovery over time was evaluated via its ability to distinguish between surgery types. Results The VATS sublobectomy group reported significantly higher mean LCQ-MC scores 1 month after discharge, but without no significant differences postoperatively at 3 and 6 months after discharge, and returned to preoperative physical (69 vs. 99 days), psychological (67 vs. 99 days), social (50 vs. 98 days) and total (69 vs. 99 days) scores faster than the VATS lobectomy group (all p

Background Cytochrome P450 epoxygenase 2J2 (CYP2J2) metabolizes arachidonic acid to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, pro-proliferative, and antioxidant effects on the cardiovascular system. However, the role of CYP2J2 and EETs in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI) remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of CYP2J2 overexpression and exogenous EETs on PAH with LIRI in vitro and in vivo.Methods CYP2J2 gene was transfected into rat lung tissue by recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) to increase the levels of EETs in serum and lung tissue. A rat model of PAH with LIRI was constructed by tail vein injection of monocrotaline (50 mg/kg) for 4 weeks, followed by clamping of the left pulmonary hilum for 1 h and reperfusion for 2 h. In addition, we established a cellular model of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) with TNF-α combined with hypoxic reoxygenation (anoxia for 8 h and reoxygenation for 16 h) to determine the effect and mechanism of exogenous EETs.Results CYP2J2 overexpression significantly reduced the inflammatory response, oxidative stress and apoptosis associated with lung injury in PAH with LIRI. In addition, exogenous EETs suppressed inflammatory response and reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and inhibited apoptosis in a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) combined hypoxia-reoxygenation model of HPAECs. Our further studies revealed that the anti-inflammatory effects of CYP2J2 overexpression and EETs might be mediated by PPARγ pathway; the anti-apoptotic effects might be mediated by the PI3K/Ak pathway.Conclusions CYP2J2 overexpression and EETs protect against PAH with LIRI via anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptosis, suggesting that increased levels of EETs may be a promising strategy for the prevention and treatment of PAH with LIRI.

Our aim was to validate and analyze the prognostic impact of the novel International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Pathology Committee grading system for invasive pulmonary adenocarcinomas (IPAs) in Chinese patients and to evaluate its utility in predicting a survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). In this multicenter, retrospective, cohort study, we included 926 Chinese patients with completely resected stage I IPAs and classified them into three groups (Grade 1, n = 119; Grade 2, n = 431; Grade 3, n = 376) according to the new grading system proposed by the IASLC. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and prognostic factors were assessed using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. All included cohorts were well stratified in terms of RFS and OS by the novel grading system. Furthermore, the proposed grading system was found to be independently associated with recurrence and death in the multivariable analysis. Among patients with stage IB IPA (N = 490), the proposed grading system identified patients who could benefit from ACT but who were undergraded by the adenocarcinoma (ADC) classification. The novel grading system not only demonstrated prognostic significance in stage I IPA in a multicenter Chinese cohort but also offered clinical value for directing therapeutic decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy.

Development of a panel of serum autoantibody against Neuron specific gene family member 1 (NSG1) with traditional tumor biomarkers of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to further improve the diagnostic efficiency for ESCC patients.Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was used to detect the expression of NSG1 protein in 40 pairs of ESCC tissues and matched paracancerous tissues. Serum anti-NSG1 levels of 203 patients with early ESCC, 103 patients with advanced ESCC, 135 patients with esophageal benign lesion (EBL), and 155 healthy controls (HCs) were detected by ELISA. The diagnostic performances of all possible combinations of serum anti-NSG1with CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag were assessed to develop an optimal panel for ESCC diagnosis.NSG1 protein expression in ESCC tissues was significantly higher than that in matched paracancerous tissues (p 0.001). Serum anti-NSG1 expression in ESCC group was significantly higher than that in EBL group and HC group (p 0.001). The AUC of serum anti-NSG1 for ESCC was 0.706, with 49.7% sensitivity at 93.5% specificity, superior to that of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag. Of all possible combinations, serum anti-NSG1 combined with CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag showed the highest AUC of 0.758 and 67.3% sensitivity at 88.3% specificity for ESCC, with the highest NPV of 71.9% and the lowest NLR of 0.37.Aberrant NSG1 protein expression in ESCC tissues might be responsible for massive releases of autoantibody anginst NSG1 in sera of ESCC. A panel of anti-NSG1 with CEA, CYFRA21-1 and SCC-Ag contributes to further improving the diagnostic efficiency for ESCC.

Purpose The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of Tai chi (TC) as an adjuvant treatment for osteopenia and primary osteoporosis. Methods We went through eight databases to identify relevant randomized controlled trials that compared TC with a control group. The primary outcome was osteoporosis-related fractures (fracture incidence). Meta-analyses and trial sequential analyses (TSA) were conducted using RevMan 5.3 and TSA 0.9. Results Fifteen randomized controlled trials involving a total of 857 patients were included in the analyses. No trials reported primary outcome; however, bone mineral density (BMD) values differed significantly in subgroup 1 (TC vs no treatment; weighted mean difference [WMD] =0.05 g/cm2, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.07; P

Background Metastasis and disease refractoriness remain as major challenges for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment and understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms is of scientific and clinical value. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the effects of circMED13L_012 on the proliferation, migration, invasion and drug-resistance of NSCLC tumor cells. Methods In this study, we utilized clinical samples and NSCLC cell lines to explore the association between circMED13L_012 expressions and tumor cell metastasis and chemo resistance. CCK8 and transwell assay were conducted to explore the impact of circMED13_012 on NSCLC tumor proliferation and migrative capabilities. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to validate the circMED13L_012 interaction network. Results Our results demonstrated that circMED13L_012 exhibited significantly elevated average level in our clinical samples of NSCLC, compared with normal tissues. circMED13L_012 level was positively correlated with disease stage and metastatic status. Increased circMED13L_012 expression was associated with the enhanced migration, proliferation and chemo resistance of NSCLC cell lines. Further experiments indicated that circMED13L_012 promoted malignant behavior of NSCLC tumor cells by targeting MAPK8 through modulation miR-433-3p expression. Conclusions Our study for the first time demonstrated that circMED13L_012–miR-433-3p–MAPK8 axis played important role for NSCLC pathogenesis, which could be potential therapeutic target for the development of future NSCLC treatment.

Background Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with poor prognosis. Even for stage IA, many cases relapsed after completed resection. In the era of precision medicine, it is of great significance to determine the risk factors for postoperative recurrence or death in stage IA invasive lung adenocarcinoma. Methods The data of patients with pathological stage IA invasive lung adenocarcinoma underwent complete resection from June 2012 to December 2016 in Fujian Provincial Hospital were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the factors affecting the RFS. Results A total of 210 patients were enrolled in the study. During the follow-up period, 14 (6.7%) patients recurred. Univariate survival analysis showed that predominant pathological subtype, micropapillary/solid pattern, stage T1b and lymphovascular invasion were correlated with RFS (P P P

Objective: The aberrant expression of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) is responsible for the release of large amounts of autoantibodies in sera, and serum autoantibody detection has been demonstrated to contribute to the early diagnosis of malignancies. Recent studies showed the closely correlation of transcriptional intermediary factor-1γ (TIF1γ) with some malignancies. In our pilot study, we found aberrantly high expression of TIF1γ protein existed in cancer tissues other than matched paracancerous tissues of patients with lung cancer (LC) at early stage by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. As a result, this study aims to detect the expression of autoantibodies against TIF1γ in sera of patients with LC at early stage by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and investigate its potential value for the early diagnosis of LC. Methods: The expressions of TIF1γ protein in 60 pairs of LC tissues and matched paracancerous tissues were detected by IHC staining. The levels of anti-TIF1γ-IgA, IgG, IgM, and IgE in the sera of 248 patients with LC at early stage, 200 patients with lung benign lesions (LBL), and 218 healthy controls (HC) were detected by ELISA, respectively. Western blot was used to validate the ELISA results of serum autoantibodies against TIF1γ. Results: The positive rate of TIF1γ protein expression in LC tissues was 83.33%, which was significantly higher than 25.00% in paracancerous tissues (P0.05), while the levels and positive rates of anti-TIF1γ-IgA and anti-TIF1γ-IgG were significantly higher than that in LBL group and HC group (P

Objective This study aimed to report our experience in superior vena cava (SVC) resection and reconstruction for 22 thymic tumor patients and to make comparisons with previous related reports. Methods A retrospective study on 22 patients (15 thymomas, 7 thymic cancers) who underwent tumor resection with concomitant SVC reconstruction. All the patients underwent vascular conduit reconstruction by the cross-clamping technique. The corresponding data were reviewed, including clinical presentation, operation management (surgery procedure, selection of suitable graft, strategies against SVC syndrome, etc.), postoperative cares (antithrombotic agent application, treatments on brain edema, etc.), and follow-up information. Result Two patients were myasthenic, well controlled by oral pyridostigmine. All resections were radical (R0). Ten patients received induction treatment. All the 15 thymoma patients were Masaoka stage III (type B1–B3). As for thymic cancer, six patients were Masaoka stage III and one was stage IVa. Wedge pulmonary resection was performed in three patients (two right upper lobe, one both upper lobe). Procedures included were single graft replacement in 12 patients, bilateral grafts in 9, and Y-shaped graft in 1 patient. Anticoagulation and dehydration agents were routinely applied after operation. No perioperative mortalities were observed. Major complication rate was 9.1%. The median survival time was 44.2 months (range, 4–92 months). Three- and 5-year overall survival rates were 80.8 and 44.0%, respectively. As for conduit patency, two grafts (9.1%) demonstrated evidence of occlusion during long-term follow-up, but no additional interventions were required due to no complications related. Conclusion Our study, confirming data from existing literature, showed that the prosthetic reconstruction of the SVC system is a feasible additional procedure during resection of thymic tumor infiltrating the venous mediastinal axis, minimally increasing postoperative complications in experienced hands.

Research on the overall social, economic and environmental (SEE) impacts of water resources projects (WRP) has gradually attracted attention. However, the WRP-related indirect impacts as linked through various supply chains from a number of disaggregated sectors and their interactive relationship are rarely studied. Here in this study, under a general disaggregated input-output (IO) framework, a distributive Three Gorges Project input-output (DTGIO) model is developed to investigate the composite effects of Three Gorges Project (TGP) based on a disaggregated TGP-IO table for the Yangtze River economic belt (YREB). DTGIO model could facilitate exploring i) the interactions among key TGP-related effects from production and consumption sides; ii) the impacts of various TGP-induced changes on specific SEE sectors; iii) the detailed TGP water flow paths as induced by the final demand of each province in YREB. It is discovered that the TGP has the greatest impact on agriculture. Although the construction of the TGP submerged a large amount of land and adversely affected agriculture in the reservoir area, its effective flood control function can reduce flooding in the “land of fish and rice” and create favorable conditions for agricultural development. The connection between the TGP and the inner provinces of YREB is mainly realized by the hydropower generation sector. For the economic benefits of the TGP, the economic benefits of the investment of various sectors of the TGP are diversified, which should be adjusted according to the government's objectives. For the ecological effects of the TGP, the interaction of sectors (especially the irrigation service sector and hydropower generation sector on consumption side, and the hydropower generation sector and water supply sector on production side) should be valued and a sense of joint management for the relevant sectors of TGP should be established.

With the rapid growth of the economy, there are increasing conflicts between economic development and environmental protection. Among these conflicts, the wastewater emission management as one of the significant ways to alleviate water scarcity has been paid increasing attention across the developing countries, such as China. It is thus essential to comprehensively investigate the enviro-economic effects induced by wastewater-related policies. In this study, a factorial emission-focused general equilibrium model (FEGE) is first developed to facilitate examine the composite enviro-economic effects of multiple policy scenarios with regards to wastewater-related environmental taxes and the related subsides. A special case study for the Municipality of Chongqing, China, is conducted to illustrate the potential benefits of its use in the formulation of wastewater-related policies. It is found that the impacts of various wastewater-related policies (i.e., environmental taxes and the related subside) on GDP are different. In detail, green tax policies on GDP are negative, while wastewater emission intensity (WEI) improvement policies on GDP are positive. When green tax reaches 14 yuan/tonne, which is the maximum proposed by the Chinese government, the GDP will drop by 0.37%, which would be deemed acceptable for the Municipality of Chongqing. In addition, the impacts on rural households’ consumption are greater than those on urban households’ consumption whichever the application of wastewater-related policies; it is because the rural households in the Municipality of Chongqing have a relatively unitary income source. It is thus recommended that the rural household in Chongqing should be paid more attention. For example, some extra allowances could be considered to the rural household to help them cope with the negative economic impacts induced by a new environmental policy. It is expected that the outputs would provide bases for formulating desired wastewater-related policies.

Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide and non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common subtype and accounts for 75% of all lung cancer cases. Although programmed death‑1/programmed death‑ligand‑1 (PD‑1/PD‑L1) blockade has shown good results in the clinic, numerous NSCLC patients still fail to respond to this therapy. In the current study, formalin‑fixed, paraffin‑embedded tumor and matched blood samples from 1,984 Chinese NSCLS patients were collected for detection of genomic alterations including single nucleotide variations, short and long insertions/deletions, copy number variations and gene rearrangements. The most common mutated genes were tumor protein p53 (55.70%; 1,105/1,984), epidermal growth factor receptor (52.47%; 1,041/1,184), KRAS proto‑oncogene GTPase (13.36%, 265/1084), cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (12.30%; 244/1,984), LDL receptor related protein 1B (11.09%; 220/1,984) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (10.58%; 210/1,984). Tumor mutational burden was calculated and results revealed that it was associated with PI3K/mTOR pathway gene mutations, and patient's gender, age, smoking status, and tumor stage. In addition, mutations of phosphatidylinositol‑4,5‑bisphosphate 3‑kinase catalytic subunit α or F‑box and WD repeat domain containing 7 were detected in 3 patients with NSCLC who were resistant to PD‑1 inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab. Disease stabilization and tumor shrinkage were observed in these patients after mTOR inhibitor everolimus treatment. The current data showed that NSCLC with PI3K/mTOR mutations are sensitive to mTOR inhibitors.

Facing the prospective conflict between fast economic growth and water-use challenges, it is desired to explore the relationship between industrial structure and virtual-water flow in a socio-economic system to support the formulation of water-resource management related legislation. In this study, a multi-hierarchy industrial virtual water network model (MIVWN) was developed for analyzing the status of varied industrial sectors in the virtual-water system. A special case study for Hubei Province, China, was conducted to demonstrate the potential profits of its use in the formulation of water-resource management related legislation. Specifically, multi-hierarchy scenarios for system identification were performed to get more insights on the complex interrelationships among various industrial sectors. It is found that the industrial sectors have low water-use efficiency; and the mutual connections of virtual water between various industrial sectors are limited in Hubei. For the substantial industrial sectors, it is of vital importance to upgrade the upstream and downstream supply chains. For the isolated sectors, the decision maker should commit to enhance their virtual water exchanges with other sectors. It is expected that the results will provide a solid basis for supporting the application of an effective water-resource management strategies for industrial sectors.

Industrial water-management policies are prevalent around the world to alleviate global water scarcity. It is indispensable to simulate the effects of different water-management policies on various industries in the socioeconomic system to explore the most effective water consumption reduction pathways. In this study, a factorial water policy simulation model is developed to investigate the composite effects of multidimensional interactive water-management policies from both production and consumption perspectives. Structural path analysis and factorial analysis are introduced simultaneously to help support policy formulation according to local reality and further examine the impacts of the main factors and their interactions respectively. The developed model has been applied to the Municipality of Chongqing, China to demonstrate the applicability and superiority of the factorial water policy simulation model. It was found that the impacts of industrial technology upgrade policies on different industries vary significantly. The consumption-orientation policies have a similar performance on direct water consumption reductions. In the Municipality of Chongqing, industrial technology upgrade policies applied to the primary industry will generate larger reductions of water consumption (i.e., 10.1 units reduction of total water consumption) in the system since the primary industry can influence other industries through intermediate utilization. The contribution of interactions for the reductions of direct water consumption was 10.38%, where policies implemented on the primary industry and construction industry have the most significant interaction. In addition, the industry of production and supply of water is closely related to most of the industries since its technical improved can reduce the indirect water consumption of the majority of industries. The results provide bases for supporting the Municipality's efforts in formulating desired water-management policies.

Novel visible-light response Ag/AgCl/K6Nb10.8O30 composites were synthesized using a wet chemical route and a precipitation–photoreduction method. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectro-scope (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and Nexus Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The TEM result determined the formation of Ag/AgCl/K6Nb10.8O30. The visible-light photocatalytic activity the as-prepared Ag/AgCl/K6Nb10.8O30 composites was evaluated by the degradation of microcystin-LR and ARG aqueous solution. The as-prepared Ag/AgCl/K6Nb10.8O30 composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of microcystin-LR and ARG aqueous solution under visible light irradiation, which results from the excellent photo-response of Ag NPs in the visible light region and the efficiently separation of photo-induced carriers caused by the heterostructures. The O2 −and h+ were confirmed to be the main active species in the photocatalytic process and the as-prepared composites remained good stability under visible light irradiation.

Four small molecule electron acceptors TEH-PDI, TEH-DPDI, TPDI and TDPDI based on a porphyrin core and perylene bisimides (PDI) units were designed and synthesized. The energy levels and aggregation properties of the four acceptors were tuned to match those of a porphyrin electron donor C19OD-DPP based on a porphyrin core and 1,4-diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrroles (DPP) end groups by adjusting the number of PDI units and the connection manners to a porphyrin core synergistically. The all-porphyrin bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells exhibit panchromatic photon-to-current conversion from 300 to 900 nm with a small valley around 650 nm and provide power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 0.11%–2.57% when the active layers were prepared in the presence of octane-1,8-dithiol (ODT) additive. Further investigations show that more balanced hole/electron mobility, less trap-assisted monomolecular recombination and bimolecular recombination are beneficial for achieving higher Jsc and PCE for C19OD-DPP/TPDI devices.

The present study explored the value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) and thyroid carcinoma (TC) by assessing their sonographic features. A total of 426 patients diagnosed with liver space-occupying lesions by ultrasonic examination admitted to Liaocheng People's Hospital from March 2014 to October 2017 were enrolled in this study. These patients were divided into two groups: A total of 226 patients with 237 foci in the PHC group and 200 patients with 216 foci in the benign liver lesion group. During the same period, 367 patients diagnosed with thyroid nodules (382 nodules) by ultrasonic examination were also enrolled in this study. These patients were divided into further two groups: A total of 193 patients with 203 nodules in the TC group and 174 patients with 179 nodules in the benign thyroid nodule group. Two-dimensional and color Doppler ultrasonography were performed on all the patients in the four groups. Differences in the sonographic features such as focus morphology, focus size, internal echo, halo and blood flow distribution were statistically significant between patients in the PHC and the benign liver lesion group (p

Diagnostic value between ultrasound elastography and ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture biopsy in thyroid nodules was compared to provide reference for the selection of thyroid nodule (TN) diagnostic mode. A total of 194 patients with TN, admitted from June 2014 to June 2015, were selected to be treated with ultrasound elastography and ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture biopsy. The ultrasonic elasticity score and results of ultrasound-guided TN puncture were compared with diagnostic results of surgical or ultrasound follow-up for 12 months, and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of differentiating and diagnosing TN of the two methods were calculated to compare the clinical diagnostic values. A total of 194 patients were diagnosed with TN 217, including 129 benign and 88 malignant lesions. All the nodules were obtained by effective ultrasound elastography and ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture cytological pathological specimens, and it was diagnosed by ultrasound elastography that there were 75 benign nodules and 142 malignant nodules. It was diagnosed by ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture that there were 112 benign, 78 malignant and 27 uncertain nodules. The specificity and accuracy of ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture in the diagnosis of TN were higher than that of ultrasound elastography and the differences were statistically significant (P0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference between the sensitivity of ultrasound elastography and ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture biopsy in the diagnosis of TN (P0.05). Ultrasound elastography in the diagnosis of TN has a low specificity and the diagnosis of ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture biopsy may have uncertain results. There are some defects in the two diagnostic schemes and their combined application can complement each other's advantages and improve the early diagnostic efficiency of TN.

To summarize the clinical experience of vascular repair and reconstruction for treating superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) caused by thoracic tumor.Between October 2008 and June 2016, 26 patients with thoracic tumor and SVCS were admitted. There were 18 males and 8 females, aged from 27 to 70 years (mean, 45.9 years). Tumor was typed as B1-B3 thymoma in 13 cases, thymic carcinoma in 6 cases, large B-cell lymphoma in 3 cases, T lymphocytic lymphoma in 1 case, malignant teratoma in 1 case, right lung squamous cell carcinoma in 1 case, and carcinoid in 1 case. The tumor diameter ranged from 8 to 15 cm with an average of 10 cm. The patients had different degrees of neck, face, and upper extremity edema, jugular vein distention, and chest wall collateral venous filling. The superior vena cava pressure was 2.45-5.39 kPa. After excision of tumor and invading superior vena cava, 7 patients underwent superior vena cava reconstruction and 19 patients underwent artificial vascular replacement.There was no perioperative death, and the symptoms of superior vena cava obstruction were eliminated. Postoperative pulmonary infection, respiratory muscle weakness, and right chylothorax occurred in 4 cases, 1 case, and 1 case respectively. Twenty-four patients were followed up 2-92 months (mean, 37 months), and 2 patients failed to be followed up. At 1, 3, and 5 years, the survival rate was 83.3% (20/24), 41.7% (10/24), and 25% (6/24), respectively. In 6 patients with 5-year survival, there were 1 case of type B1 thymoma, 3 cases of type B3 thymoma, and 2 cases of large B-cell lymphoma.For preoperative evaluation of SVCS caused by resectable thoracic tumors, vascular repair and recons-truction technique can be used to quickly and effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and improve the quality of life.总结采用血管修复重建术治疗胸部肿瘤引起的上腔静脉综合征（superior vena cava syndrome，SVCS）的临床经验。.2008 年 10 月—2016 年 6 月，收治 26 例胸部肿瘤伴 SVCS 患者。男 18 例，女 8 例；年龄 27～70 岁，平均 45.9 岁。肿瘤类型：B1～B3 型胸腺瘤 13 例，胸腺癌 6 例，大 B 细胞淋巴瘤 3 例，T 前体淋巴细胞性淋巴瘤 1 例，恶性畸胎瘤 1 例，右侧肺鳞癌 1 例，类癌 1 例。肿瘤直径 8～15 cm，平均 10 cm。患者均伴不同程度颈部、颜面部及上肢浮肿，颈静脉怒张，胸壁侧支循环静脉充盈。上腔静脉压力为 2.45～5.39 kPa。术中扩大切除肿瘤及受侵上腔静脉系统后，7 例行上腔静脉成形修补术，19 例行上腔静脉或无名静脉人工血管重建术。.患者均无围手术期死亡，术后上腔静脉阻塞症状均消除。术后发生肺部感染 4 例，呼吸肌无力 1 例，右侧乳糜胸 1 例。24 例获随访，随访时间 2～92 个月，平均 37 个月；失访 2 例。术后 1、3、5 年生存率分别为 83.3%（20/24）、41.7%（10/24）、25%（6/24）。存活 5 年的 6 例患者中，分别为 B1 型胸腺瘤 1 例，B3 型胸腺瘤 3 例，大 B 细胞淋巴瘤 2 例。.对经综合评估可切除的胸部肿瘤引起的 SVCS，术中扩大切除肿瘤及受侵上腔静脉系统后，联合血管修复重建术，可达到迅速有效缓解临床症状、提高患者生存质量的目的。.

The deficit in speech sound production in some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) adds to their communication barriers. The 3-D virtual environments have been implemented to improve their communication abilities. However, there were no previous studies on the use of a 3-D virtual pronunciation tutor designed specifically to train pronunciation for children with ASD. To fill this research gap, the current study developed and evaluated a 3-D virtual tutor which served as a multimodal and real-data-driven speech production tutor to present both places and manners of Mandarin articulation. Using an eye-tracking technique (RED 5 Eye Tracker), Experiment 1 objectively investigated children's gauged attention distribution online while learning with our computer-assisted 3-D virtual tutor in comparison to a real human face (HF) tutor. Eye-tracking results indicated most participants showed more interests in the visual speech cues of the 3-D tutor, and paid some degree of absolute attention to the additional visual speech information of both articulatory movements and airflow changes. To further compare treatment outcomes, training performance was evaluated in Experiment 2 with the ASD learners divided into two groups, with one group learning from the HF tutor and the other from the 3-D tutor (HF group vs. 3-D group). Both groups showed improvement with the help of computer-based training in the post-intervention test based on the calculation of a 5-point Likert scale. However, the 3-D group showed much higher gains in producing Mandarin stop and affricate consonants, and apical vowels. We conclude that our 3-D virtual imitation intervention system provides an effective approach of audiovisual pronunciation training for children with ASD.

The thermal stability of Er2O3 and Al2O3 doped Er2O3 thin films deposited on Si substrates has been investigated by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structures for the as-grown Er2O3 and Al2O3 doped Er2O3 films on Si substrates are found to convert from amorphous to polycrystalline at the annealing temperatures above 450 °C in O2 ambience. The crystallinity and the surfaces roughness of Er2O3 thin films on p-type Si (001) substrates are decreased if Al2O3 is doped in them. However, the result is complicated if these Er2O3 and Al2O3 doped Er2O3 thin films deposited on n-type Si(001) substrates.

17th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association, INTERSPEECH 2016, San Francisco, US, 8-16 September 2016

To grasp research status and the revolution of Journal of Hygiene Research since started publishing, and also track research hot spots and developing trends of this field.Using the method of bibliometrics and information visualization software CiteSpace III, quantities of published literature, supported funds, institutions, authors and keywords from 6775 articles published in Journal of Hygiene Research from 1972 to 2014 were analyzed.Amount of literatures published on Journal of Hygiene Research increased wave upon wave, the peak appeared in 1995. Institutions of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, such as National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Institute of Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control and some medical colleges were the most productive. The scholars with the most number of publications were YANG Xiaoguang, YIN Shian and PIAO Jianhua, the researcher of National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 75 articles were published. The research contents included influencing factors, related concepts, diseases, methods and objects. "mutagenicity", "apoptosis", "lead poisoning", "HPLC" and "rat" were research focuses in this field.There were lots of matter and cooperation in the articles published on Journal of Hygiene Research. The centers for disease control and prevention in different regions and universities pay attention to the coorperation, research teams with members of various ages collaborate and grow together, form a close, complex collaborative network among authors, which promote the development of the magazine and research fields together.

Some species of the genera Anabaena can produce various kinds of cyanotoxins, which may pose risks to environment and human health. Anabaena has frequently been observed in eutrophic freshwater of China in recent years, but its toxicity has been reported only in a few studies. In the present study, the toxicity of an Anabaena flos-aquae strain isolated from Lake Dianchi was investigated. Acute toxicity testing was performed by mouse bioassay using crude extracts from the lyophilized cultures. The mice exposed to crude extracts showed visible symptoms of toxicity and died within 10-24 h of the injection. Serum biochemical parameters were evaluated by the use of commercial diagnostic kits. Significant alterations were found in the serum biochemical parameters: alkaline phosphatase (AKP), gamma-glutamyl transpepticlase (gamma-GT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), AST/ALT ratio, total protein content, albumin content, albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Ssr), and total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC). Histopathological observations were carried out with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stain under light microscope. Severe lesions were seen in the livers, kidneys, and lungs of the mice injected with crude extracts. The alterations of biochemical parameters were in a dose-dependent manner, and the severities of histological lesions were in the same manner. Based on biochemical and histological studies, this research firstly shows the presence of toxin-producing Anabaena species in Lake Dianchi and the toxic effects of its crude extracts on mammals. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 24: 10-18, 2009.

Although Anabaena is one of the most prevalent planktonic freshwater genus in China, there are few taxonomic reports of Anabaena strains by morphology and genetics. In this study, morphological characteristics and phylogenetic relationships of seven Anabaena strains isolated from two plateau lakes, Lakes Dianchi and Erhai, were investigated. Morphological characteristics such as morphology of filament, cellular shapes and sizes, relative position of heterocytes and akinetes, and presence or absence of aerotopes, were described for these seven strains. Phylogenetic relationships were determined by constructing 16S rRNA gene tree using the neighbor-joining algorithm. The seven strains were morphologically identified as three groups, and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences also showed that these seven strains were in three groups. Strains EH-2, EH-3, and EH-4 were in group A belonging to the Anabaena circinalis and A. crassa group, and strains DC-1, DC-2, and EH-1 were in group B and identified as A. flos-aquae. Strain DC-3 without aerotopes was significantly different from the other isolated strains and was determined as A. cylindrica.

In order to coordinate and give full play to the multi-function of TCSC, the Improved Analysis Hierarchy Process (IAHP) is proposed to determine optimal installation location of TCSC. This method is the organic combination of fuzzy mathematics, AHP and multi-objective decision theory. Firstly, the triangle fuzzy number based on AHP is used to fuzzy the elements of judgment matrix. Secondly, the traditional AHP principles are only used to confirm the relationships between target level and criteria level, while the criteria level weights are determined by calculating the comprehensive important degree. Finally, the best solution is chosen by distance method and nearness principle. The simulation results show that the proposed method including qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis can guarantee result calculated is more reasonable and objective, and formula obtained by the method is simple and normal. Thus, the proposed method can satisfy the requirements of power system on practical application.

Voltage and reactive power regulation capability of Central China Power Grid is researched in this paper when large-power is transmitted through UHV project which will be built in near future. At first, the basic condition of UHV and situation of voltage and reactive power when large-power is transmitted through UHV project are introduced. Then, several traditional and advanced voltage regulation methods are analyzed to solve low voltage problem of Nanyang UHV station which caused by large-power transmission. Nanyang transformer in plan is also analyzed to verify its necessity. Finally, several advices are brought forward to guarantee stability and reliability of system when UHV project is put into operation.

The damping characteristic of a single-machine infinite bus system is analyzed, and the relation graph of damping torque to transmission power is plot. The influence of changing tie-line power flow on the low-frequency oscillation modes of Central China Power Grid is researched, by way of changing power flow in one section and others remaining the same. The proposed method can be used for the actual operational planning and scheduling.

Voltage and reactive power regulation capability of Central China Power Grid is study in the paper when huge power is transmitted Southward through UHV project which will be built in near future. At first, the basic condition of UHV and problem of voltage and reactive power when huge power is transmitted Southward through UHV project are introduced and studied. Then, all voltage regulation methods including Nanyang transformer in plan are analyzed to solve low voltage problem of Nanyang UHV station which caused by huge power transmission. Finally, several advices are brought forward to solve low voltage problem of Nanyang UHV station which caused by huge power transmission.

A study of low frequency inter-area oscillation which appears during the process of the interconnection of power grids is presented in this paper. The eigenvalue sensitivity with respect to inter-area transfer admittance is suggested to analyze the extent of the power gridspsila tightness, and to manifest the influence of the power grid connection mode on the power system stability, which shows that as the deterioration of the power gridspsila interconnection tightness, the damping ratio of the low frequency inter-area oscillation gets smaller and the frequency of the inter-area oscillation gets lower. An example of Central China Grid is studied to verify the validity of the theoretical analysis, and a different power system structure is suggested to enhance the damping of the low frequency oscillation.

Environmental factors that affect the growth and microcystin production of microcystis have received worldwide attention because of the hazards microcystin poses to environmental safety and public health. Nevertheless, the effects of organic anthropogenic pollution on microcystis are rarely discussed. Gibberellin A(3) (GA(3)) is a vegetable hormone widely used in agriculture and horticulture that can contaminate water as an anthropogenic pollutant. Because of its common occurrence, we studied the effects of GA(3) on growth and microcystin production of Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) PCC7806 with different concentrations (0.001-25mg/L) in batch culture. The control was obtained without gibberellin under the same culture conditions. Growth, estimated by dry weight and cell number, increased after the GA(3) treatment. GA(3) increased the amounts of chlorophyll a, phycocyanin and cellular-soluble protein in the cells of M. aeruginosa PCC7806, but decreased the accumulation of water-soluble carbohydrates. In addition, GA(3) was observed to affect nitrogen absorption of the test algae, but to have no effect on the absorption of phosphorus. The amount of microcystin measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) increased in GA(3) treatment groups, but the stimulatory effects were different in different culture phases. It is suggested that GA(3) increases M. aeruginosa growth by stimulating its absorbance of nitrogen and increasing its ability to use carbohydrates, accordingly increasing cellular pigments and thus finally inducing accumulation of protein and microcystin.