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Objectives: We investigated the impact of level 4 (L4) lymph node dissection (LND) on overall survival (OS) in left-side resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the aim of guiding lymphadenectomy., Methods: A total of 1929 patients with left-side NSCLC who underwent R0 resection between 2001 and 2014 were included in the study. The patients were divided into a group with L4 LND (L4 LND+) and a group without L4 LND (L4 LND-). Propensity score matching was applied to minimize selection bias. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used to assess the impact of L4 LND on OS., Results: A total of 317 pairs were matched. Of the cohort of patients, 20.3% (391/1929) had L4 LND. Of these patients, 11.8% (46/391) presented with L4 lymph node metastasis. L4 lymph node metastasis was not associated with the primary tumour lobes (P = 0.61). Before propensity score matching, the 5-year OS was comparable between the L4 LND+ and L4 LND- groups (69.0% vs 65.2%, P = 0.091). However, after propensity score matching, the 5-year OS of the L4 LND+ group was much improved compared to that of the L4 LND- group (72.9% vs 62.3%, P = 0.002) and L4 LND was an independent factor favouring OS (hazard ratio 0.678, 95% confidence interval 0.513-0.897; P = 0.006). Subgroup analysis suggested that L4 LND was an independent factor favouring OS in left upper lobe tumours., Conclusions: In patients with left-side operable NSCLC, L4 lymph node metastasis was not rare and L4 LND should be routinely performed., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is commonly found in cranial bones and rarely found in the mandible. This article presents a case of mandibular Langerhans cell histiocytosis and discusses its pathogeny, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment.

Anthocyanins contribute greatly to the organoleptic and biochemical properties of grapes and wines. Although there are broadly documented factors involved in grape anthocyanin synthesis, the present work focused on fungal endophytes and their possible role in grape coloration. Our results showed that exposure to endophytic fungi within a dual culture system differentially affected total anthocyanin concentrations and PAL activities in grape cells. Grape cells dual cultured with fungal strains XH-2, R2-21 and B2-17 showed significant differences of their anthocyanin concentrations were subjected to further analysis of their anthocyanidin compositions. Compared to the no-fungus controls, grape cells exposed to fungal strains XH-2 and R2-21 exhibited quantitative promotion of their total anthocyanidin concentrations by 74% and 28%, respectively, whereas treatment with the fungus B2-17 reduced the anthocyanidin content by 19%. A total of 14 species of anthocyanidins were detected from the grape cells in these experiments. Most interestingly, exposure to any of these fungal strains differentially modified the compositional patterns of grape cellular anthocyanidins. The obvious upregulation of the transcription of VvMYB in grape cells treated with fungal strains XH-2 and R2-21 implies that the increased anthocyanin levels in these grape cells may be due to the activated transcriptional factors. In addition, the exposure of grape cells to extracts of these fungi initiated similar responses of anthocyanin contents and PAL activities to exposure to the living fungi and appeared obvious dosage effects. The influence of fungal endophytes on the coloration of grape berries was also examined in this study., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest I would like to declare on behalf of my co-authors that the submission of the manuscript entitled “Exposure to endophytic fungi quantitatively and compositionally alters anthocyanins in grape cells”, has no conflict of interest exists, and manuscript is approved by all authors for publication. The work described was original research that has not been published previously, and also not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Family with sequence similarity (FAM46) proteins are newly identified metazoan-specific poly(A) polymerases (PAPs). Although predicted as Gld-2-like eukaryotic non-canonical PAPs, the detailed architecture of FAM46 proteins is still unclear. Exact biological functions for most of FAM46 proteins also remain largely unknown. Here, we report the first crystal structure of a FAM46 protein, FAM46B. FAM46B is composed of a prominently larger N-terminal catalytic domain as compared to known eukaryotic PAPs, and a C-terminal helical domain. FAM46B resembles prokaryotic PAP/CCA-adding enzymes in overall folding as well as certain inter-domain connections, which distinguishes FAM46B from other eukaryotic non-canonical PAPs. Biochemical analysis reveals that FAM46B is an active PAP, and prefers adenosine-rich substrate RNAs. FAM46B is uniquely and highly expressed in human pre-implantation embryos and pluripotent stem cells, but sharply down-regulated following differentiation. FAM46B is localized to both cell nucleus and cytosol, and is indispensable for the viability of human embryonic stem cells. Knock-out of FAM46B is lethal. Knock-down of FAM46B induces apoptosis and restricts protein synthesis. The identification of the bacterial-like FAM46B, as a pluripotent stem cell-specific PAP involved in the maintenance of translational efficiency, provides important clues for further functional studies of this PAP in the early embryonic development of high eukaryotes., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and predictors of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) in the treatment of T lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) . Methods: 41 patients with T-LBL who underwent auto-HSCT from April 2006 to July 2017 in the Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and the Department of Lymphoma, Peking University Cancer Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results: ①Among 41 patients, there were 30 males and 11 females with median age of 24 (11-53) years old. According to the Ann Arbor staging, 33 (80.5%) patients were in stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ. 12 (29.3%) patients have mediastinal involvement, and 20 (48.8%) patients have bone marrow (BM) involvement. Before transplantation, there were 26 (63.4%) patients who achieved first complete remission (CR(1)) , the other 15 (36.6%) patients were in the non-CR(1) group, and there were 29 (70.7%) patients in the low-intermediate risk group (IPI<3 scores) , the other 12 (34.1%) patients were in the middle-high risk group (IPI≥3 scores) . ②The median follow-up was 29 (3-98) months. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for 41 patients were (64.3±8.2) % and (66.0±7.8) %, respectively. 3-year cumulative recurrence rate (CIR) was (30.7±7.4) %, and 3-year non-recurring mortality (NRM) was (4.8±4.6) %. ③The 3-year OS of the CR(1) group and the non-CR(1) group were (83.4±7.6) % and (38.9±12.9) % ( P =0.010) , and the 3-year PFS of two groups were (83.8±7.4) % and (40.0±12.6) % ( P =0.006) , respectively. The 3-year CIR of these two groups were (16.2±7.4) % and (53.3±12.9) % ( P =0.015) , and the 3-year NRM were 0 and (14.3±13.2) % ( P =0.157) , respectively. ④The 3-year OS of the IPI low-intermediate risk group and the high-intermediate risk group were (76.9±8.4) % and (35.7±15.2) % ( P =0.014) and the 3-year PFS were (77.4±8.2) % and (40.0±14.6) ( P =0.011) , respectively. The 3-year CIR of these two groups were (18.1±7.3) % and (60.0±14.6) % ( P =0.006) , and the 3-year NRM were (5.6±5.4) % and 0 ( P =0.683) , respectively. The OS and PFS of patients with low-intermediate risk group were significantly higher than the other group. Conclusion: Auto-HSCT could improve the survival of T-LBL. Pre-transplant status and IPI score are important predictors for survival T-LBL patients with auto-HSCT.

Electronic commerce has been becoming the new driver of the retail industry. The large-scale expansion of electronic commerce with additional packaging certainly increases stress on the environment. However, a comparative analysis of environmental impacts of electronic commerce and conventional retail trade channels is unavailable. In this study, an Average Package Difference Model (APDM) was developed to evaluate CO 2 emissions difference via the two retail channels in Shenzhen, China based on a life-cycle perspective. In the meanwhile, the national emission was estimated by the above results. Our results suggest that conventional retail has a higher environmental cost than that of electronic commerce, especially during shopping trips. Specifically, average CO 2 emission difference per package in terms of product returns, packaging, buildings and transportation were 0.14 ± 0.03, 0.84 ± 0.08, 0.67 ± 0.04, 1.3 ± 0.26 kg, respectively. CO 2 is mainly emitted from buildings and consumer trips in conventional retail trade, whereas packaging is mainly responsible for CO 2 emission in e-commerce. In China, the total CO 2 emission difference between conventional retail and electronic commerce was 124 million tons in 2016. Growth of the proportion of electronic commerce will contribute to lower CO 2 emissions induced by the entire retail industry. Actually, carbon emissions can be reduced in both conventional retail and electronic commerce, such as the reusable packaging, opening shopping centers in dense population zones and promoting the usage of public transportation., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gastrodia elata is a widely distributed achlorophyllous orchid and is highly valued as both medicine and food. Gastrodia elata produces dust-like seeds and relies on mycorrhizal fungi for its germination and growth. In its life cycle, G. elata is considered to switch from a specific single-fungus relationship (Mycena) to another single-fungus relationship (Armillaria). However, no studies have investigated the changes in the plant-fungus relationship during the growth of G. elata in the wild. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the fungal community of tubers in different growth phases as well as the soils surrounding G. elata., Results: The predominant fungi were Basidiomycota (60.44%) and Ascomycota (26.40%), which exhibited changes in abundance and diversity with the growth phases of G. elata. Diverse basidiomycetes in protocorms (phase P) were Hyphodontia, Sistotrema, Tricholoma, Mingxiaea, Russula, and Mycena, but the community changed from a large proportion of Resinicium bicolor (40%) in rice-like tubers (phase M) to an unidentified Agaricales operational taxonomic unit 1(OTU1,98.45%) in propagation vegetation tubers (phase B). The soil fungi primarily included Simocybe, Psathyrella, Conocybe, and Subulicystidium. Three Mycena OTUs obtained in this study were differentially distributed among the growth phases of G. elata, accounting for less than 1.0% of the total reads, and were phylogenetically close to Mycena epipterygia and M. alexandri., Conclusions: Our data indicated that G. elata interacts with a broad range of fungi beyond the Mycena genus. These fungi changed with the growth phases of G. elata. In addition, these data suggested that the development of the fungal community during the growth of G. elata was more complex than previously assumed and that at least two different fungi could be involved in development before the arrival of Armillaria.

Objectives: Our goal was to investigate the incidence and distribution of mediastinal lymph node metastases (MLNM) in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC) 3 cm or less, with the purpose of guiding mediastinal lymph node dissection., Methods: A total of 2292 cases seen between January 2001 and December 2014 were included. These patients were grouped according to the lobes with the primary tumours. The incidence and distribution of pathological MLNM were compared among the groups. The impact of MLNM on overall survival was also compared., Results: The most common mediastinal metastatic sites for different primary tumour lobes were as follows: right upper lobe, 17.7% (87/492) for level 4R; right middle lobe, 14.9% (28/188) for level 7; right lower lobe, 19.8% (82/414) for level 7; left upper lobe, 18.2% (96/528) for level 5; and left lower lobe, 16.6% (42/253) for level 7. For patients with tumours in the upper lobe, the median survival time was 32 months for those with MLNM in the subcarinal zone or lower zone compared with 83 months for those with MLNM only in the upper zone (P < 0.01). When the tumours were 1 cm or less, the incidence of MLNM to the lower zone for upper lobe tumours and of MLNM to the upper zone for lower lobe tumours was zero., Conclusions: Different primary NSCLC lobe locations have a different propensity to be sites of MLNM for those tumours that are 3 cm or less. For tumours no larger than 1 cm, a lower zone mediastinal lymph node dissection might be unnecessary for upper lobe tumours and an upper zone mediastinal lymph node dissection might be unnecessary for lower lobe tumours., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted more attention for their roles in tumor progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lncRNA ZFPM2 antisense RNA 1 (ZFPM2-AS1) in the progression of renal cell cancer (RCC), and to explore the possible underlying mechanism., Patients and Methods: Expression levels of ZFPM2-AS1 in both RCC cells and 50 paired tissue samples were detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Moreover, the relationship between lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 expression level and clinic-pathological characteristics as well as patients' disease-free survival rate was explored, respectively. Furthermore, cell proliferation assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay were performed to investigate the role of lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 in vitro. In addition, Western blot assay, Luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were used to explore the possible underlying mechanism., Results: The expression level of ZFPM2-AS1 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that of corresponding normal tissues. ZFPM2-AS1 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, tumor stage and survival time of RCC patients. Moreover, the overexpression of ZFPM2-AS1 significantly promoted the growth, invasion and migration of tumor cells, whereas remarkably inhibited cell apoptosis in vitro. Further experiments revealed that miR-137 was a direct target of ZFPM2-AS1. In addition, miR-137 expression in tumor tissues was negatively correlated with ZFPM2-AS1 expression., Conclusions: Our findings indicated that ZFPM2-AS1 could promote metastasis and proliferation, whereas inhibiting the apoptosis of RCC via targeting miR-137. This study might provide a new vision for interpreting the mechanism of RCC development.

Purpose: Protein intake has been suggested to be associated with body composition among western children. Our aim was to determine whether protein intake is associated with body composition among Chinese children and to investigate whether parental socioeconomic status modifies these associations., Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from the baseline survey of an ongoing population-based prospective open cohort study conducted in 2013. In this survey, 2039 children in South China were recruited using cluster random sampling. Information of 1704 children (47% girls), aged 7-12 years from three primary schools (42 classes), on diet and anthropometry was included finally. Their daily protein intake was obtained by 3-day 24-h dietary recalls. Skinfold thickness, body height, and weight were measured to calculate percent body fat (%BF), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI). Parental characteristics were collected by questionnaires., Results: Among girls, protein intake was positively associated with %BF and FMI [estimate (SE) for %BF: 0.007 (0.003), p = 0.04; for FMI: 0.092 (0.002), p = 0.03], adjusted for pubertal stage, breast-feeding, maternal overweight, carbohydrate intake, energy intake, and physical activity level. Furthermore, there was interaction between paternal occupation and the relations of dietary protein with %BF and FMI (p for interaction  ≤ 0.04). None of the associations between protein intake and %BF, FMI, or FFMI was found among boys., Conclusions: Our data indicate that school-aged girls, but not boys, living in South China with higher dietary protein intake might have higher body fat mass, which could be modified by paternal occupation.

Background: The efficacy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for determining T category is variable for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We aimed to assess the efficacy of EUS in accurately identifying T category for ESCC based on the 8th AJCC Cancer Staging Manual., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using a prospectively collected ESCC database from January 2003 to December 2015, in which all patients underwent EUS examination followed by esophagectomy. The efficacy of EUS was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy compared with pathological T category as gold standard. Overall survival of different EUS-T (uT) categories was assessed., Results: In total, 1434 patients were included, of whom 58.2% were correctly classified by EUS, with 17.9% being overstaged and 23.9% being understaged. The sensitivity and accuracy of EUS for Tis, T1a, T1b, T2, T3, and T4a categories were 15.8 and 98.8%, 16.3 and 95.7%, 33.1 and 89.3%, 56.8 and 65.0%, 65.8 and 70.0%, and 27.3 and 97.5%, respectively. The survival difference between uT1a and uT1b was not statistically significant (p = 0.90), nor was that between uT4a and uT4b (p = 0.34). However, when uT category was integrated as uTis, uT1, uT2, uT3, and uT4, overall survival was clearly distinguished between the categories (p < 0.01)., Conclusions: EUS is in general feasible for classifying clinical T category for ESCC. However, EUS should be used with caution for discriminating between Tis, T1a, and T1b disease, as well as T4 disease.

Since endophytes can affect metabolism of host plants, they are expected to be used to improve crop quality, especially for crops with organoleptic sensitive products such as wine grape. However, details of metabolic interactions between endophytes and host plants were less understood. In this work, we used high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analyze the metabolites of fruit flesh cells of grape treated with dual culture of different endophytic fungal strains (EFS). We observed that the dual-culture with different fungal strains show different metabolites composition in grape cells. In response to different EFS, quantities of detected metabolites in grape cells varied from 6 to 17 in this assay, and 1 to 11 novel metabolites were introduced into metabolome of grape cells. Dual-culture with fungal strains CS2, RH16 and RH5 introduced the highest quantities (10 or 11) of novel metabolites in grape cells. More importantly, the modification of metabolic profiles in grape cells via fungal endophytes appeared to be fungal strain/genus-specificity. Overall, this work revealed that introduction of specific metabolites in host plants may be one consequence during the process of endophytes-host metabolic interactions, which raise the possibility to shape grape qualities and characteristics using tool of fungal endophytes.

Postmortem interval （PMI） estimation is one of the most challenging problems in the field of forensic science. Vitreous humor is a hotspot which has been used for PMI estimation and postmortem chemical analysis in forensic pathology. In order to provide novel perspectives for the future research of PMI estimation using vitreous humor, the comparison between vitreous humor with other common body fluids, the effect of temperature on vitreous humor, vitreous humor detection method and data fitting method have been reviewed in this paper., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

Objectives: To test the changes of the potassium （K⁺） and magnesium （Mg²⁺） concentrations in vitreous humor of rabbits along with postmortem interval （PMI） under different temperatures, and explore the feasibility of PMI estimation using mixed-effect model., Methods: After sacrifice, rabbit carcasses were preserved at 5 ℃, 15 ℃, 25 ℃ and 35 ℃, and 80-100 μL of vitreous humor was collected by the double-eye alternating micro-sampling method at every 12 h. The concentrations of K⁺ and Mg²⁺ in vitreous humor were measured by a biochemical-immune analyser. The mixed-effect model was used to perform analysis and fitting, and established the equations for PMI estimation. The data detected from the samples that were stoned at 10 ℃, 20 ℃ and 30 ℃ with 20, 40 and 65 h were used to validate the equations of PMI estimation., Results: The concentrations of K⁺ and Mg²⁺ [f（ x , y ）] in vitreous humor of rabbits under different temperature increased along with PMI （ x ）. The relative equations of K⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentration with PMI and temperature under 5 ℃~35 ℃ were f K⁺ （ x , y ）=3.413 0+0.309 2 x +0.337 6 y +0.010 83 xy -0.002 47 x ² （ P <0.000 1）, and f Mg²⁺ （ x , y ）=0.745 6+0.006 432 x +0.033 8 y （ P <0.000 1）, respectively. It was proved that the time of deviation for PMI estimation by K⁺ and Mg²⁺ was in 10 h when PMI was between 0 to 40 h, and the time of deviation was in 21 h when PMI was between 40 to 65 h., Conclusions: the ambient temperature range of 5 ℃-35 ℃, the mixed-effect model based on temperature and vitreous humor substance concentrations can provide a new method for the practical application of vitreous humor chemicals for PMI estimation., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.)

Halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs), primarily regarded as optoelectronic materials for LED and photovoltaic devices, have not been applied for photochemical conversion (e.g., water splitting or CO 2 reduction) applications because of their insufficient stability in the presence of moisture or polar solvents. Herein, we report the use of CsPbBr 3 QDs as novel photocatalysts to convert CO 2 into solar fuels in nonaqueous media. Under AM 1.5G simulated illumination, the CsPbBr 3 QDs steadily generated and injected electrons into CO 2 , catalyzing CO 2 reduction at a rate of 23.7 μmol/g h with a selectivity over 99.3%. Additionally, through the construction of a CsPbBr 3 QD/graphene oxide (CsPbBr 3 QD/GO) composite, the rate of electron consumption increased 25.5% because of improved electron extraction and transport. This study is anticipated to provide new opportunities to utilize halide perovskite QD materials in photocatalytic applications.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 7-15 years in Longquanyi District of Chengdu and its association with consumptions of meat, dietary fat and fatty-acids., Methods: A total of 1 811 children and adolescents aged 7-15 years in Longquanyi District were selected using stratified cluster sampling strategy. Their body mass, height and waist circumference were measured. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was estimated based on body mass index (BMI), body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Daily consumptions of meat, dietary fat and fatty-acids were calculated using data collected through a food frequency questionnaire and 3-d 24 h dietary recall. The children with overweight/obesity were compared with those with normal body mass in food/nutrient consumptions using Wilcoxon tests. The BMI SDS, WHtR, and prevalence of overweight and obesity were also compared between those having low, moderate and high food/nutrient consumptions using Chi-square tests or Kruskal-Wallis tests., Results: About 10.34% and 6.59% of participants were found to be overweight and obese, respectively. Boys had higher prevalence of overweight (12.05%) and overweight/obesity (18.97%) than girls (8.55%, 14.80%) ( P <0.05). Girls consumed more meat (including red meat and white meat), saturated fatty-acid (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty-acid (MUFA) than boys ( P <0.05). The consumptions of meat (both red meat and white meat), SFA and MUFA increased with age ( P <0.05). Overweight/obese girls consumed more SFA, MUFA and fat (%EN) than those of normal weight. The BMI SDS and WHtR of girls increased with fat (%EN) consumptions ( P <0.05). The BMI SDS of girls also increased with MUFA consumptions ( P <0.05)., Conclusions: Consumptions of red meat, dietary fat, SFA, and MUFA are associated with overweight/obesity of girls aged 7-15 years in Chengdu. Further studies are needed to understand the gender differences.

A simple and highly-efficient approach to monitor the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in cells was urgently needed to demonstrate the drug resistance of cancer cells. Herein, a competitive method-based electrochemiluminescent (ECL) assay with a single ECL indicator was proposed for the first time to efficiently estimate the concentration ratio of two proteins. By converting the different proteins to partially coincident nucleotide sequences via a sandwich type immunoassay on magnetic beads, the concentration ratio related ECL signals could be obtained via competitive nucleotide hybridization on an electrode surface. This method could thoroughly overcome the limitations of simultaneous ECL assays via multiple ECL indicators with inevitable cross reactions. At the same time, rolling circle amplification was employed to improve the detection performances, especially the detection limit and sensitivity. With P-gp and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a model, the proposed ECL assay was successfully employed to monitor the drug resistance of cancer cells. Compared with conventional technologies, improved sensitivity and accuracy were achieved with a correlation coefficient of 0.9928 and a detection limit of 0.52%. Success in the establishment of the competitive method-based ECL assay offered an efficient strategy to demonstrate the concentration ratio of two proteins and a potential approach for detecting other proteins and nucleotide sequences, revealing a new avenue for ultrasensitive biomolecule diagnostics, especially in cell function research.

Endophytes proved to exert multiple effects on host plants, including growth promotion, stress resistance. However, whether endophytes have a role in metabolites shaping of grape has not been fully understood. Eight endophytic fungal strains which originally isolated from grapevines were re-inoculated to field-grown grapevines in this study, and their effects on both leaves and berries of grapevines at maturity stage were assessed, with special focused on secondary metabolites and antioxidant activities. High-density inoculation of all these endophytic fungal strains modified the physio-chemical status of grapevine to different degrees. Fungal inoculations promoted the content of reducing sugar (RS), total flavonoids (TF), total phenols (TPh), trans-resveratrol (Res) and activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), in both leaves and berries of grapevine. Inoculation of endophytic fungal strains, CXB-11 (Nigrospora sp.) and CXC-13 (Fusarium sp.) conferred greater promotion effects in grape metabolic re-shaping, compared to other used fungal strains. Additionally, inoculation of different strains of fungal endophytes led to establish different metabolites patterns of wine grape. The work implies the possibility of using endophytic fungi as fine-tuning regulator to shape the quality and character of wine grape., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To investigate the long-term therapeutic effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with End-stage Liver Disease (ESLD)., Patients and Methods: Forty-eight ESLD patients underwent autologous CD34+ stem cell transplantation were retrospectively reviewed. Changes in clinical and biochemical data, complications, and quality of life were monitored at 3, 6, 12, 36, and 60 months following the stem cell transplantation. Liver biopsies were obtained for histopathological analysis using Ishak system., Results: Marked improvement in clinical and biochemical data was observed during the long-term follow-up. Serum albumin was significantly increased (p<0.001), while total serum bilirubin, prothrombin time (PT), and international normalized ratio (INR) were all significantly decreased (p<0.001). Ishak inflammation and fibrosis scores were significantly decreased with the increased time (p<0.001). The number of patients with ascites, model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, Child-Pugh class, and indocyanine green (ICG) score were all markedly reduced with increased time. Meanwhile, the quality of life score of the patients was significantly increased (p<0.001). Six patients died during the 5-years follow-up, and complications occurred in 17 patients. The incidence of complications was significantly associated with mortality of the patients (p<0.05)., Conclusions: The study provided the evidence that autologous CD34+ stem cell transplantation could offer a long-term therapeutic benefit to patients with ESLD. The complications occurred during the process was significantly associated with survival of the patients. Future studies on a large cohort of patients are needed to confirm the long-term effect of stem cell therapy on ESLD.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for the patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)., Methods: The clinical data of 57 DLBCL patients admitted in the First Affiliated hospital of Anhui Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. According to ROC curve, the cut-off value for NLR and PLR was deterimined, and the patients were divided into high and low NLR/PLR groups before first chamotherapy. Then the relation of NLR and PLR with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed by univariate and multivariate COX regression., Results: The optimal cut-off value for NLR and PLR was 2.915 and 270.27, respectively. NLR at the diagnosis was found to be an independent predictor for OS and PFS by univariate and multivariate analysis, while the PLR was an independent predictor for PFS, but did not affect the OS., Conclusion: NLR and PLR may provide additional prognostic information for DLBCL patients.

Sex hormone estrogen is one of the most active intrinsic angiogenesis regulators; its therapeutic use has been limited due to its carcinogenic potential. Plant-derived phytoestrogens are attractive alternatives, but reports on their angiogenic activities often lack in-depth analysis and sometimes are controversial. Herein, we report a data-mining study with the existing literature, using IPA system to classify and characterize phytoestrogens based on their angiogenic properties and pharmacological consequences. We found that pro-angiogenic phytoestrogens functioned predominantly as cardiovascular protectors whereas anti-angiogenic phytoestrogens played a role in cancer prevention and therapy. This bidirectional regulation were shown to be target-selective and, for the most part, estrogen-receptor-dependent. The transactivation properties of ERα and ERβ by phytoestrogens were examined in the context of angiogenesis-related gene transcription. ERα and ERβ were shown to signal in opposite ways when complexed with the phytoestrogen for bidirectional regulation of angiogenesis. With ERα, phytoestrogen activated or inhibited transcription of some angiogenesis-related genes, resulting in the promotion of angiogenesis, whereas, with ERβ, phytoestrogen regulated transcription of angiogenesis-related genes, resulting in inhibition of angiogenesis. Therefore, the selectivity of phytoestrogen to ERα and ERβ may be critical in the balance of pro- or anti-angiogenesis process., (Copyright © 2016 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the association between intake of dietary fiber and pubertal development among children and adolescents in Chengdu., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 1 340 children and adolescents aged 9-15 years. Data about dietary intake were collected through 24-h dietary self-recall. Pubertal development was measured by trained investigators using Tanner criteria. Consumptions of total fiber and fiber from different sources were compared among the participants with different stages of pubertal development., Results: Data from 1 328 children and adolescents were analyzed. Boys (n = 667) at a later stage of pubertal development consumed less total fiber and fruit fiber than those at an earlier stage (P < 0.05). Similarly, girls (n = 651) at a later stage of pubertal development consumed less fruit fiber than those at an earlier stage (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Dietary fiber intake, especially fruit fiber, is lower in children and adolescents with early commencement of puberty development. Further studies are needed to establish the relationship between dietary fiber and pubertal development.

Objective: To observe the effect of taurine treatment in rats with monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity., Methods: Rats with MSG-induced obesity were administered taurine for five weeks. The Lee's index, food intake, blood pressure, body temperature, body mass index (BMI), fat weight, and triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were compared. The PGC-1α expression levels in white and brown adipose were measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, and pathological changes in the arcuate nucleus and liver were examined., Results: Compared with the model group, BMI, TG, and LDL in the high and low taurine dose groups were significantly lower, while HDL was higher. Body temperature in the taurine treatment groups was higher, and blood pressure was lower. The weight of brown fat in the taurine treatment groups was significantly higher than in the model group, while the white fat weight was significantly lower. Compared with the control group, the PGC-1α levels in white and brown adipose were higher in the taurine treatment groups and more significantly up-regulated in brown adipose., Discussion: This study suggests that taurine prevents obesity in MSG-treated rats and may be closely associated with energy metabolism.

Background: MicroRNAs (miR, miRNAs) play pivotal roles in numerous physiological and pathophysiological contexts. We investigated whether miR-362-5p act as an oncogene in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and aimed to understand its potential underlying mechanisms., Methods: We compared the miR-362-5p expression levels between CML and non-CML cell lines, and between fresh blood samples from CML patients and normal healthy controls using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Annexin V-FITC/PI analyses were used to measure the effects of miR-362-5p on proliferation and apoptosis, and Transwell assays were used to evaluate migration and invasion. A xenograft model was used to examine in vivo tumourigenicity. The potential target of miR-362-5p was confirmed by a luciferase reporter assay, qPCR and western blotting. Involvement of the JNK1/2 and P38 pathways was investigated by western blotting., Results: miR-362-5p was up-regulated in CML cell lines and fresh blood samples from CML patients, and was associated with Growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible (GADD)45α down-regulation. Inhibition of miR-362-5p simultaneously repressed tumour growth and up-regulated GADD45α expression in a xenograft model. Consistently, the knockdown of GADD45α expression partially neutralized the effects of miR-362-5p inhibition. Furthermore study suggested that GADD45α mediated downstream the effects of miR-362-5p, which might indirectly regulates the activation of the JNK1/2 and P38 signalling pathways., Conclusion: miR-362-5p acts as an oncomiR that down-regulates GADD45α, which consequently activates the JNK1/2 and P38 signalling. This finding provides novel insights into CML leukaemogenesis and may help identify new diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Objective: To determine the associations between meat, dairy and zinc intake and pubertal development in adolescents in Chengdu., Methods: A total of 1320 children and adolescents aged 9-15 years in Chengdu were recruited using a stratified cluster sampling strategy. Dietary intake was assessed by the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 3-day 24-hour dietary recall. Pubertal development was evaluated through physical examinations. Consumptions of meat and dairy, and zinc intake were compared between groups with different levels of pubertal development according to the Tanner criteria., Results: The median age of spermarche was 13. 00 years. The boys who had had spermarche consumed more meat (including red meat) and dairy products than those who had not yet (P<0. 05). Daily consumption of total meat was positively correlated with the level of pubertal development (P<0. 05). The median age of menarche was 12. 11 years. The girls who had had menarche consumed more meat and less diiry products than those who had not yet (P<0. 05). Daily consumption of dairy products was negatively associated with breast development and the level of pubertal development (P < 0. 05)., Conclusion: Consumptions of meat, red meat and dairy products are associated with pubertal development in adolescents in Chengdu. However, the differences between boys and girls warrant further studies.

Objective: To detect the expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) mRNA in the patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and to analyze the retationship between the mRNA expression of DNMT and cellular and moleculogenetic risk stratifieation in AML patients, and to evaluate the role of the DNMT mRNA expression in AML prognosis and clinical treatment., Methods: The mRNA expression of DNMT was detected by real-time PCR in 123 AML patients and 20 healthy people., Results: the mRNA expression levels of DNMT were lower in the healthy people and higher in AML patients; the mRNA expression levels of DNMT in the patients after the consolidation therapy were lower than that in the patients of initial diagnosis and replapse; The mRNA expression levels of DNMT did not correlate with age, sex and the clinical characteristics at initial diagnosis, such as white blood cell count, FAB classification and chromosomal karyotype in AML patients. In CR patients after standard treatment, the initial mRNA expression level of DNMT3b was higher. Based on cellular and moleculogenetic risk stratificantion, the DNMT expression level in the intermediate risk AML patients was higher., Conclusion: The mRNA expression of DNMT may play an important role in AML pathogenesis and can serve as an index for evaluating AML prognosis and for instructing clinical treatment.

Land-use change has a crucial influence on soil respiration, which further affects soil nutrient availability and carbon stock. We monitored soil respiration rates under different land-use types (tea gardens with three production levels, adjacent woodland, and a vegetable field) in Eastern China at weekly intervals over a year using the dynamic closed chamber method. The relationship between soil respiration and environmental factors was also evaluated. The soil respiration rate exhibited a remarkable single peak that was highest in July/August and lowest in January. The annual cumulative respiration flux increased by 25.6% and 20.9% in the tea garden with high production (HP) and the vegetable field (VF), respectively, relative to woodland (WL). However, no significant differences were observed between tea gardens with medium production (MP), low production (LP), WL, and VF. Soil respiration rates were significantly and positively correlated with organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorous content. Each site displayed a significant exponential relationship between soil respiration and soil temperature measured at 5 cm depth, which explained 84-98% of the variation in soil respiration. The model with a combination of soil temperature and moisture was better at predicting the temporal variation of soil respiration rate than the single temperature model for all sites. Q10 was 2.40, 2.00, and 1.86-1.98 for VF, WL, and tea gardens, respectively, indicating that converting WL to VF increased and converting to tea gardens decreased the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature. The equation of the multiple linear regression showed that identical factors, including soil organic carbon (SOC), soil water content (SWC), pH, and water soluble aluminum (WSAl), drove the changes in soil respiration and Q10 after conversion of land use. Temporal variations of soil respiration were mainly controlled by soil temperature, whereas spatial variations were influenced by SOC, SWC, pH, and WSAl.

The design and fabrication of an ethanol microsensor integrated with a readout circuit on-a-chip using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-microelectro -mechanical system (MEMS) technique are investigated. The ethanol sensor is made up of a heater, a sensitive film and interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is tin dioxide that is prepared by the sol-gel method. The heater is located under the interdigitated electrodes, and the sensitive film is coated on the interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film needs a working temperature of 220 °C. The heater is employed to provide the working temperature of sensitive film. The sensor generates a change in capacitance when the sensitive film senses ethanol gas. A readout circuit is used to convert the capacitance variation of the sensor into the output frequency. Experiments show that the sensitivity of the ethanol sensor is 0.9 MHz/ppm.

Objectives: To observe the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hypothalamic and adipose tissue in mice with monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity., Methods: The effects of hypothalamic lesions, specifically arcuate nucleus (ARC) lesions, induced by MSG injection were studied in male ICR mice at the neonatal stage. The following parameters were compared: body weight, body length, Lee's index, food intake, body temperature, fat weight, and levels of total cholesterol (CHOL), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and blood glucose (GLU). The BDNF expression levels in hypothalamic and adipose tissue were measured using western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the model group body had significantly higher weight, Lee's index, food intake, fat weight, CHOL, TG, LDL, HDL, and GLU levels. BDNF expression levels in hypothalamic and adipose tissue were markedly down-regulated in the model group., Discussion: BDNF may be closely associated with MSG-induced hypothalamic obesity.

The study develops an integrated humidity microsensor fabricated using the commercial 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The integrated humidity sensor consists of a humidity sensor and a ring oscillator circuit on-a-chip. The humidity sensor is composed of a sensitive film and branch interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is zinc oxide prepared by sol-gel method. After completion of the CMOS process, the sensor requires a post-process to remove the sacrificial oxide layer and to coat the zinc oxide film on the interdigitated electrodes. The capacitance of the sensor changes when the sensitive film adsorbs water vapor. The circuit is used to convert the capacitance of the humidity sensor into the oscillation frequency output. Experimental results show that the output frequency of the sensor changes from 84.3 to 73.4 MHz at 30 °C as the humidity increases 40 to 90%RH.

This study investigates the fabrication and characterization of an acetone microsensor with a ring oscillator circuit using the commercial 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The acetone microsensor contains a sensitive material, interdigitated electrodes and a polysilicon heater. The sensitive material is α-Fe2O3 synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The sensor requires a post-process to remove the sacrificial oxide layer between the interdigitated electrodes and to coat the α-Fe2O3 on the electrodes. When the sensitive material adsorbs acetone vapor, the sensor produces a change in capacitance. The ring oscillator circuit converts the capacitance of the sensor into the oscillation frequency output. The experimental results show that the output frequency of the acetone sensor changes from 128 to 100 MHz as the acetone concentration increases 1 to 70 ppm.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation via the hepatic artery vs. the portal vein for end-stage liver disease (ESLD)., Methods: Patients with hepatic decompensation were prospectively recruited from September 2010 to September 2012 to receive HSC transplantation via the hepatic artery or the portal vein. Liver function was examined at 3, 6, and 12 months after transplantation. Liver biopsy Results were analyzed using the Knodell score., Results: Eighty patients (58 males and 22 females) were enrolled in the study. The Child-Pugh score was grade B in 69 cases, and grade C in the remaining 11 cases. HSC transplantation was performed via the portal vein in 36 patients and via the hepatic artery in 44 patients. ALT levels decreased while serum albumin levels increased significantly in both groups at 6 and 12 months after HSC transplantation (P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation levels). Total bilirubin levels decreased significantly in both groups at 3, 6, and 12 months after HSC transplantation (P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation levels). Additionally, prothrombin time decreased in both groups at 12 months after HSC transplantation (P<0.05 compared with pre-transplantation level). There were no significant differences in ALT, total bilirubin and prothrombin time between the two groups either before or after transplantation. Moreover, Knodell score decreased significantly at 6 and 12 months. Histological examination showed that liver cell edema, degeneration, necrosis, and inflammation were significantly relieved at 3, 6, and 12 months after transplantation. The incidence of portal vein thrombosis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and hepatic encephalopathy were 1.25%, 3.75%, and 2.5% respectively. The one-year survival rate was 100%., Conclusions: Autologous HSC transplantation improves liver function and histology in ESLD patients. The administration route of HSC has no significant impact on the efficacy of transplantation.

Objective: We wish to implement a proteomics-based approach to pick and identify the proteins associated with curcumin enhancing efficacy of irinotecan inducing apoptosis of colorectal cancer LOVO cells, and further explore their synergy mechanism by bioinformatics., Methods: A colorectal cancer cell line (LOVO cell) treated by curcumin combined with irinotecan in different ways respectively was used as our comparative model. Protein spots were analyzed through MALDI-TOF/TOF. The location and function of differential protein spots were analyzed through UniProt database. Protein-protein interactions were examined through String software., Results: A total of 54 protein spots differentially expressed with 1.5-fold difference were picked, 11 of which were repeated. They mainly were involved in intracellular calcium pathways, cellular respiratory chain pathway and intracellular redox reaction pathways of LOVO cell. According to the function of various protein points, combining with varying curves of protein points in each treatment groups, we selected five interesting protein spots, 4 of which exists Protein-protein interactions, and they were close to the formation and reduction of disulfides in intracellular endoplasmic reticulum (ER)., Conclusion: We selected preliminary but comprehensive data about differential expression protein spots of LOVO cell. Among these, the five interesting differential expression protein spots identified in this study may provide new insight into LOVO cell therapeutic biomarkers. Curcumin may suppress GSTM5 expression to enhance the lethal effect of irinotecan on LOVO cells, and maybe their combination via the affection of PDI and PRDX4 to disturb the formation and reduction of disulfides results in inducing apoptosis of LOVO cell.

This study investigates the design and fabrication of magnetic microsensors using the commercial 0.35 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The magnetic sensor is composed of springs and interdigitated electrodes, and it is actuated by the Lorentz force. The finite element method (FEM) software CoventorWare is adopted to simulate the displacement and capacitance of the magnetic sensor. A post-CMOS process is utilized to release the suspended structure. The post-process uses an anisotropic dry etching to etch the silicon dioxide layer and an isotropic dry etching to remove the silicon substrate. When a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic sensor, it generates a change in capacitance. A sensing circuit is employed to convert the capacitance variation of the sensor into the output voltage. The experimental results show that the output voltage of the magnetic microsensor varies from 0.05 to 1.94 V in the magnetic field range of 5-200 mT.

A rhodamine-based "turn-on" fluorescent probe 1 was synthesized with high yield. The recognizing behavior displays high selectivity of 1 toward Fe(2+) with a 2:1 complex, and 1 exhibits a stable response for Fe(2+) over a concentration range from 2 μM to 24 μM. Most importantly, probe is hardly interfered by other transition metal ions. Their fluorescent enhancement is observed in the presence of Fe(2+) because of the ring-open interactions of spirocyclic. All measurements are made in PBS buffer environments simulating biological conditions to make them suitable candidates for fluorescent labeling of biological systems. Confocal laser scanning microscopy experiments have proven that probe can be used to monitor Fe(2+) in living cells., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The study investigates the fabrication and characterization of an ethanol microsensor equipped with a heater. The ethanol sensor is manufactured using the commercial 0.18 µm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The sensor consists of a sensitive film, a heater and interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is zinc oxide prepared by the sol-gel method, and it is coated on the interdigitated electrodes. The heater is located under the interdigitated electrodes, and it is used to supply a working temperature to the sensitive film. The sensor needs a post-processing step to remove the sacrificial oxide layer, and to coat zinc oxide on the interdigitated electrodes. When the sensitive film senses ethanol gas, the resistance of the sensor generates a change. An inverting amplifier circuit is utilized to convert the resistance variation of the sensor into the output voltage. Experiments show that the sensitivity of the ethanol sensor is 0.35 mV/ppm.

The study presents an ammonia microsensor integrated with a readout circuit on-a-chip fabricated using the commercial 0.18 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The integrated sensor chip consists of a heater, an ammonia sensor and a readout circuit. The ammonia sensor is constructed by a sensitive film and the interdigitated electrodes. The sensitive film is zirconium dioxide that is coated on the interdigitated electrodes. The heater is used to provide a working temperature to the sensitive film. A post-process is employed to remove the sacrificial layer and to coat zirconium dioxide on the sensor. When the sensitive film adsorbs or desorbs ammonia gas, the sensor produces a change in resistance. The readout circuit converts the resistance variation of the sensor into the output voltage. The experiments show that the integrated ammonia sensor has a sensitivity of 4.1 mV/ppm.

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of energy harvesting thermoelectric micro generators using the commercial complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The micro generator consists of 33 thermocouples in series. Thermocouple materials are p-type and n-type polysilicon since they have a large Seebeck coefficient difference. The output power of the micro generator depends on the temperature difference in the hot and cold parts of the thermocouples. In order to increase this temperature difference, the hot part of the thermocouples is suspended to reduce heat-sinking. The micro generator needs a post-CMOS process to release the suspended structures of hot part, which the post-process includes an anisotropic dry etching to etch the sacrificial oxide layer and an isotropic dry etching to remove the silicon substrate. Experiments show that the output power of the micro generator is 9.4 mW at a temperature difference of 15 K.

IFN regulatory factor 4 binding protein (IBP) has been shown to play an important role in the progression of malignant tumors such as breast cancer cells, but its function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. We found that IBP ectopically expressed in some OSCC specimens but not in normal oral mucosa epithelium tissues. IBP expression was significantly correlated with tumor size, differentiation, clinical stage, and distant metastasis. Furthermore, IBP markedly promoted OSCC cell proliferation, shortened the G1 interval in the cell cycle, and increased cyclin D1 expression. These findings suggest that IBP may be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

Background: Families of patients in post-anesthesia care units (PACUs), often feel anxious because of a lack of information on patient condition and post-operative care. Based on interviews with families, we designed a family information needs questionnaire to measure family information needs, satisfaction with information received, satisfaction with post-operative care, and level of perceived anxiety. Results of a questionnaire survey taken in March 2011 revealed an average satisfaction-level score of 75.5%. Factors negatively affecting satisfaction included lack of orientation information on the PACU, unclear PACU navigation information, and general comprehension difficulties due to anxiety., Purpose: A project was designed to increase PACU patient family members' satisfaction levels with information received., Resolution: In April 2011, education material was developed that provided relevant PACU care and PACU orientation information., Results: Improvements directly associated with this project included reducing the incidence of unauthorized entry of family members from 15 to 5 times per day, decreasing the average level of perceived anxiety from 3.4 to 2.2 (1-4), and increasing satisfaction from 75.5% to 92.5% (0-100)., Conclusions: By providing education material in response to family needs, nurses can reduce family member anxiety and increase satisfaction with nursing care.

A simple, sensitive and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been validated for determining concentrations of glutamate, glycine, and alanine in human plasma. Proteins in plasma were precipitated with perchloric acid, followed by derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (AQC). Simultaneous analysis of glutamate, glycine, and alanine is achieved using reversed-phase HPLC conditions and ultraviolet detection. Excellent linearity was observed for these three amino acids over their concentration ranges with correlation coefficients (r)>0.999. The intra- and inter-day precision were below 10%. This method utilizes quality control samples and demonstrates excellent plasma recovery and accuracy. The developed method has been successfully applied to measure plasma glutamate, glycine, and alanine in twenty volunteers.

Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma (GCOC) is an exceptionally rare and malignant odontogenic tumor with aggressive growth characteristics. We describe a case of GCOC which was considerably derived from a previously resected calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (CCOT). Cellular atypia, mitotic activity, Ki-67 labeling index and matrix metalloprotease-9 positive expression rate were all increased in the currently resected specimen compared to the initial one. This is a rare case of malignant transformation of CCOT to GCOC with respect to its histopathological and immunohistochemical findings.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of thrombopoietin (TPO) on platelet engraftment in hematological malignancies patients after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT)., Methods: One hundred and twenty patients were enrolled in a multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial, and were randomized into 4 treatment groups following allo-HSCT. Group A was the control arm without TPO, while group B, C and D were trial arms with received 300 U×kg(-1)×d(-1) of TPO starting from day +1, +4 and +7, respectively. A total of 89 cases were evaluated, of which 22 cases in group A, 23 in group B, 20 in group C and 24 in group D. Efficacy evaluation (the time of platelet engraftment, the number of platelet transfusion) and safety evaluation \[adverse events, routine blood tests, liver and renal function, coagulation function and occurrence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)\] were observed., Results: The median platelet engraftment time in experimental groups (groups B, C and D) were on day (13.17 ± 2.89), day (12.15 ± 2.08), day (12.33 ± 1.76), respectively, and that in control group was on day (14.82 ± 5.05). There was statistically significant difference between two groups (P = 0.029), There were no statistically significant difference in the average amount of platelet transfusion, platelet engraftment time, and platelet nadir value among the 3 experimental groups. No significant adverse events were observed in experimental groups., Conclusions: TPO administration following allo-HSCT for patients with hematologic malignancies appears to shorten platelet engraftment time. TPO given starting from day +7 is effective and safe.

Objective: To investigate the effect of total astragalosides (TA) on proliferation and apoptosis in human leukemia NB4 cells in vitro., Methods: The NB4 cells were treated with TA at different concentrations for 48 h in culture. Growth inhibition rates were measured by CCK-8 method. Flow cytometry was used to explore the cell apoptosis and the activity of NF-κB and Akt during apoptosis., Results: TA at different concentrations (200, 400, 600, 800 mg/L) inhibited proliferation of NB4 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), and the inhibitory rates of TA on NB4 cells were (14.54 ± 3.20)%, (24.79 ± 3.98)%, (57.28 ± 4.71)% and (88.28 ± 4.65)%, respectively. In terms of the induction of apoptosis, there was a significant difference between the TA group and blank control [(1.80 ± 1.24)%, P < 0.05]. At TA doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg/L, the apoptotic rates of NB4 cells were (10.03 ± 3.31)%, (14.87 ± 3.65)%, (23.45 ± 1.90)%, respectively. Besides, TA induced apoptosis of NB4 cells in a dose-dependent manner in the groups of 200 mg/L, 400 mg/L, 600 mg/L (P < 0.05). But there was no significant difference in apoptotic rates between the groups of 800 mg/L and 600 mg/L [(23.45 ± 1.90)%, P > 0.05]. In the group of 800 mg/L, the necrotic cells increased highly and the necrotic rate reached (45.65 ± 3.16)%. After TA treatment of NB4 cells at different concentrations (200, 400, 600 mg/L), the expression of NF-κB protein was significantly decreased compared with that of the blank control (9.79 ± 0.95, P < 0.05), while Akt protein was not significantly decreased (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: TA can inhibit the growth of NB4 cells and induce apoptosis in NB4 cells through an Akt-independent NF-κB signaling pathway.

Dehydrins (DHNs), proteins with protective functions encoded by the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA), are differentially up-regulated at the transcriptional level under environmental stresses such as water deficit, salinity, and low temperature or in response to ABA. Data involving protein structure and expression of dehydrins could elucidate their functional roles under dehydration conditions in plants. Dhn6 gene of 1767 bp with an intron (92 bp) in six-rowed barley, a member of LEA D11, was cloned into pMD18-T vector in the present study. It shared 93.18% identity with Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare (GenBank accession: AF043091), encoding a protein composed of 523 amino acid residues with the predicted molecular weight of 49.68 kDa and the theoretical isoelectric point of 8.04. Analyses of domain and structure indicated that the protein was dominantly composed of 83% hydrophillic amino acid residues, with numerous imperative curls and three loosed helixes. Three-dimensional measurement revealed that the water-soluble lipid-associating protein was attributed to its twisted cable formed by reverse paralleled chains. Moreover, the putative amphipathic α-helices formed by K-segments might play roles in protecting membrane structure in barley. Significantly, relatively high accumulations of Dhn6 gene were detected after 8 h of water deficit by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. These results possibly suggested that the accumulation of Dhn6 gene could be critical for resistant dehydration in plants.

A zinc oxide nanorod ammonia microsensor integrated with a readout circuit on-a-chip fabricated using the commercial 0.35 μm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process was investigated. The structure of the ammonia sensor is composed of a sensitive film and polysilicon electrodes. The ammonia sensor requires a post-process to etch the sacrificial layer, and to coat the sensitive film on the polysilicon electrodes. The sensitive film that is prepared by a hydrothermal method is made of zinc oxide. The sensor resistance changes when the sensitive film adsorbs or desorbs ammonia gas. The readout circuit is used to convert the sensor resistance into the voltage output. Experiments show that the ammonia sensor has a sensitivity of about 1.5 mV/ppm at room temperature.

This study presents the fabrication and characterization of a humidity microsensor that consists of interdigitated electrodes and a sensitive film. The area of the humidity microsensor is about 2 mm(2). The sensitive film is polyaniline doping polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) that is prepared by the sol-gel method, and the film has nanofiber and porous structures that help increase the sensing reaction. The commercial 0.35 μm Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) process is used to fabricate the humidity microsensor. The sensor needs a post-CMOS process to etch the sacrificial layer and to coat the sensitive film on the interdigitated electrodes. The sensor produces a change in resistance as the polyaniline/PVA film absorbs or desorbs vapor. Experimental results show that the sensitivity of the humidity sensor is about 12.6 kΩ/%RH at 25 °C.

A high Q-factor (quality-factor) spiral inductor fabricated by the CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) process and a post-process was investigated. The spiral inductor is manufactured on a silicon substrate. A post-process is used to remove the underlying silicon substrate in order to reduce the substrate loss and to enhance the Q-factor of the inductor. The post-process adopts RIE (reactive ion etching) to etch the sacrificial oxide layer, and then TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide) is employed to remove the silicon substrate for obtaining the suspended spiral inductor. The advantage of this post-processing method is its compatibility with the CMOS process. The performance of the spiral inductor is measured by an Agilent 8510C network analyzer and a Cascade probe station. Experimental results show that the Q-factor and inductance of the spiral inductor are 15 at 15 GHz and 1.8 nH at 1 GHz, respectively.

Earlier investigations from our laboratory demonstrated that the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was down-regulated by exogenously administered agmatine against ischemia-like injuries in the murine brain capillary endothelial (bEnd.3) cells. In our present study, we intended to investigate the mechanism involved in the inhibition of MMPs in bEnd.3 cells infected with retroviral containing human arginine decarboxylase (hADC) gene which can synthesize agmatine endogenously (ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells). The ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells were subjected to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD, 6 hrs) with reperfusion (18 hrs). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed the high levels of agmatine in the ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells compared to other experimental groups. The results demonstrated significant decrease in cell death and increase in the nitric oxide (NO) production in the ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells. The increased expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and decreased expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by ischemic injury was attenuated in ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells. Moreover, the expression of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) was increased significantly in ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells. In addition, the suppression of the MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells was prevented with ATF3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) treatment. These results suggest that the endogenous agmatine in ADCDeltabEnd.3 cells inhibits the MMPs expression mediated via the regulation of eNOS, NO and ATF3.

Invasive plants have caused great economic losses and environmental problems worldwide. Eupatorium adenophorum is one of the most invasive weeds in China. To better understand its invasive mechanisms, in the present paper, the microbial communities of healthy and diseased leaves of E. adenophorum were obtained using both culture-independent and -dependent methods and their diversities were compared. The bacteria obtained from culture-independent method belong to Proteobacteria (95.8%), Actinobacteria (2.1%), and Firmicutes (2.1%) and fungi belong to Ascomycota (65.2%) and Basidiomycota (34.8%). Very few overlapped microbial species were found by culture-dependent and -independent methods. Healthy leaves display higher bacterial diversity than diseased leaves. Phylogenetic structures are very different between healthy and diseased phyllosphere microbial communities. Bacteria close to Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas were dominant on healthy leaves, whereas those close to Shigella were dominant on diseased leaves. 52.9% of fungal clones from healthy leaves were Ustilaginomycetes, close to Rhodotorula phylloplana and uncultured basidomycete; by contrast, 60% of clones from diseased leaves were Lecanoromycetes, close to Umbilicaria muehlenbergii. No bacteria but four fungal strains phylogenetically close to Myrothecium sp. and Alternaria alternate were pathogenic to seedlings and detached leaves of the invasive plant. Therefore, this plant may be resistant to pathogens from bacteria but not fungi in its introduced range.