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Abundant, exceptionally preserved coprolites are documented from the Luoping biota (Anisian, Middle Triassic) of Yunnan Province, southwest China. These coprolites can be categorized into four morphological types: A) bead to ribbon-shaped, B) short to long cylindrical-shaped, C) flattened, disk-like, and D) segmented faeces. Detailed multi-disciplinary studies reveal that coprolite type A was likely produced by invertebrate animals, while coprolite types B to D could be faeces generated by carnivorous fishes or marine reptiles, perhaps from different taxonomic groups. When compared with coprolites reported from the Lower Triassic, the Luoping forms indicate more complicated predation-prey food web networks. These evidences, combined with body fossil discoveries from Luoping, suggest the emergence of complex trophic ecosystems in the Anisian, marking the full biotic recovery following the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction.

Tiny, pelagic arthropods from the Anisian Luoping Biota exposed in two quarries near Luoping, Yunnan Province, China, represent the numerically most abundant organisms in the assemblage. They form the basis for definition of two, and possibly three, species referred to the order Lophogastrida, family Eucopiidae.Yunnanocopia grandisnew genus new species andY.longicaudan. gen. new species represent the oldest occurrence of mysidaceans in the fossil record. Their anatomy allies them with the Ladinian speciesSchimperella acanthocercusTaylor, Schram, and Shen, 2001, from Guizhou Province, China, which previously was thought to be the oldest lophogastrid, and with extant species of Eucopiidae. Their appearance in the Anisian represents one additional element of the early faunal radiation within the Luoping Biota following the end-Permian extinction event. Presence of well-preserved oostegites, along with other morphological features, documents a conservative bauplan expressed in Eucopiidae.

Table S1. Physical characteristics of all recruited children. Table S2. Genetic information of five markers. Figure S1. Distribution of the balance beam and vertical jump performance in the Han Chinese children. Figure S2. Diagram of balance beam performance. Figure S3. Location of the five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PPARD gene. (DOCX 365 kb)

Natural ventilation is often used in industrial workshops with high intensity heat sources and pollution sources indoors, because such workshops require large amounts of ventilation. In this study, a numerical simulation of the pollutant dispersion between two adjacent industrial workshops is performed, with a focus on the effects of the downstream workshop's thermal conditions on the flow and pollutant dispersion. The results indicate that there is a significant interaction between the wind and buoyancy generated by the downstream workshop's heat source. And this relationship can be evaluated using the Richardson number (Ri). Firstly, the Richardson number affects the ventilation direction of the downstream workshop. When Ri 1.6, buoyancy's effect begins non-negligible, the ventilation of the downstream workshop comes from the street canyon. There is a low concentration of the pedestrian breathing area and downstream workshop, when the airflow is driven by wind. When the airflow is driven by buoyancy, the pollutants migrate to the pedestrian breathing area and the downstream workshop.

A large assemblage of small specimens of Tridactylastacus sinensis Feldmann, Schweitzer, and Zhang in Feldmann et al., 2012, from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Luoping Biota, Yunnan Province, China, permitted cladistic analysis confirming their placement within Litogastridae in the superfamily Glypheoidea. Orientation of 86 specimens closely spaced on a single slab from one bedding surface revealed a preferred orientation suggestive of mild current activity. The specimens were interpreted to have been victims of a mass kill, possibly an algal bloom, within the water column.

An Early Triassic stromatolitic deposit is documented in the Dienerian succession of the Lower Triassic Feixianguan Formation in the Xingyi area, Guizhou, southwest China. Five types of constructional microbial forms at various scales were observed. (1) Typical stratified columnar structures, up to 25 cm in height, with crinkled laminae. Dark-coloured laminae, 1 mm thick, are composed of upright filamentous tubes, average diameter 5 µm, showing a vertical growth fabric. (2) Prostrate filaments showing strong fluorescence, in sharp contrast to the micritic cement. (3) Coccoid-like spheroids and algal filaments are also common in stromatolitic laminae. These resemble present-day cyanobacteria, and thus may represent fossilized cyanobacteria. (4) Smaller bacilli resembling Pelodictyon are very common in the stromatolitic laminae. (5) Framboidal pyrite is also abundant and probably indicates biological involvement in stromatolite formation. Two major microbial functional groups, oxygenic phototrophs represented by lithified cyanobacteria and probable sulfate-reducing bacteria represented by framboidal pyrite, were present during stromatolite growth. Another possible microbial functional group, anoxygenic phototrophs represented by lithified remains resembling Pelodictyon clathratiforme, may be present in the Xingyi stromatolites, and were involved in stromatolite formation by capturing or adhering microcrystalline particles. All of these features demonstrate that the Early Triassic stromatolites are biogenic. The occurrence of the Xingyi stromatolites, corresponding to a second episode of microbial growth during the Early Triassic, reveals that post-extinction microbialites were widespread in the Dienerian. These Early Triassic stromatolites indicate that a microbial bloom took place in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction.

Famitinib (SHR1020), a novel multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has antitumor activity against several solid tumors via targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, c-Kit and platelet-derived growth factor receptor β. The present study investigated famitinib's activity against human gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured, and cell cycle analysis was performed following famitinib treatment using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol -2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay, flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay and western blotting. Subsequently, cluster of differentiation 34 staining was used to evaluate microvessel density. BGC-823-derived xenografts in nude mice were established to assess drug efficacy in vivo. Famitinib inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and caused cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in gastric cancer cell lines. In BGC-823 xenograft models, famitinib significantly slowed tumor growth in vivo via inhibition of angiogenesis. Compared with other chemotherapeutics such as 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin or paclitaxel alone, famitinib exhibited the greatest tumor suppression effect (>85% inhibition). The present study demonstrated for the first time that famitinib has efficacy against human gastric cancer in vitro and in vivo, which may lay the foundations for future clinical trials.

// Na Li 1, * , Qi-Yue Zhang 1, * , Jian-Ling Zou 1 , Zhong-Wu Li 2 , Tian-Tian Tian 1 , Bin Dong 2 , Xi-Juan Liu 3 , Sai Ge 1 , Yan Zhu 1 , Jing Gao 1 , Lin Shen 1 1 Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China 2 Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China 3 Central Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Lin Shen, e-mail: lin100@medmail.com.cn Jing Gao, e-mail: gaojing_pumc@163.com Keywords: miR-215, gastric cancer, malignant progression, RUNX1 Received: July 02, 2015 Accepted: November 29, 2015 Published: December 23, 2015 ABSTRACT Objective: miR-215 was reported to be downregulated and functioned as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. In contrast, miR-215 was preferentially upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) according to our data. Thus, we studied the potential biological function of miR-215 in GC. Methods: miR-215 expression was measured in 77 paired GC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. Biological functions of miR-215 were analyzed using cell viability, colony formation, migration, invasion, cell cycle, apoptosis and luciferase assays as well as via tumorigenicity and metastasis analysis. Results: miR-215 was significantly upregulated in 7 GC cell lines and 77 GC tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues ( P < 0.05), and miR-215 expression was greater in advanced GC (stage III/IV; P < 0.05). Ectopic expression of miR-215 in GES-1 and HGC-27 cells (low miR-215 expression) promoted cell growth, migration, invasion, and metastasis, and these were reversed in NCI-N87 cells (high miR-215 expression) after miR-215 downregulation. Potential target genes of miR-215 were predicted and RUNX1, a transcription factor and a tumor suppressor, was confirmed to be potential target according to luciferase studies. RUNX1 was downregulated in GC tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues ( P < 0.05), and RUNX1 reversed partial function of miR-215 in vitro . Conclusion: miR-215 promotes malignant progression of GC by targeting RUNX1, and RUNX1 can partially reverse miR-215 effects.

The composition of conodont apparatuses is crucial for understanding the feeding mechanisms of these early vertebrates. However, the multielement apparatus reconstructions of most species remain equivocal because they have been inferred from loose element collections, guided by knowledge from rare articulated ‘bedding plane assemblages’ and fused clusters, often from distantly related taxa. Even these natural assemblages can be difficult to interpret because the component elements can be closely juxtaposed or embedded in matrix, making it hard to discern the morphology of each element and their relative positions within the architecture of the feeding apparatus. Here we report five exceptionally preserved conodont clusters from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. These materials were scanned using synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM), revealing the morphology and positional homology of the component elements in the fused clusters. We confirm that the apparatus of Nicoraella was composed of eight types of elements, comprising a total of 15 elements. SRXTM reveals the positional homologies of the component elements, viz. a single alate element is located in the S0 position, flanked successively abaxially by pairs of breviform digyrate S1 and S2 elements, bipennate S3 and S4 elements, and a pair of inwardly curved breviform digyrate M elements. Carminate elements occupy the P1 and P2 positions. The apparatus of Nicoraella is among the most completely characterised of all conodonts and serves as a template for the reconstruction of gondollellids.

The morphology and position of elements in the apparatus are keys to resolving the taxonomy, homology, evolutionary relationships, structure, function and feeding patterns among conodont taxa. Fused clusters preserving natural associations between elements provide direct information on element morphology, the positions of elements within the apparatus, and even their original three-dimensional arrangement. Here, we report 41 fused conodont clusters from Member II of the Guanling Formation in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China, which provide a basis for inferring the multielement composition of the apparatus of the early Middle Triassic Nicoraella. The apparatus is composed of 15 elements (a single S0 element, two pairs of S1–4, M and P1–2 elements) like other apparatuses in Gondolellidae, i.e. the genera Novispathodus and Neogondolella. These Luoping Biota clusters are significant because (a) they permit a positional homology-based comparison of multielement Novispathodus with form genera such as Cypridodella (S1), Enantiognathus (S2), and Hindeodella (S3 and S4), (b) they facilitate a review of apparatus composition within superfamily Gondolelloidea, (c) they provide direct insight into apparatus architecture currently interpreted largely in light of distantly related Carboniferous polygnathacean ozarkodinins, and (d) these clusters, along with collections of discrete conodont elements, provide a model for inferring the multielement composition of closely related species known only from discrete element collections.

Background Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been suggested as potential prognostic indicators for multiple tumors, including gastric cancer; however, pre- and post-operative CTC changes in resectable gastric cancer and possible correlations to post-operative recurrence have not been evaluated. Methods Subjects (n = 93) with resectable gastric cancer were prospectively reviewed from July 2013 to December 2014 at Peking University Cancer Hospital. The proportion of CTCs were evaluated before (n = 93) and after (n = 63) radical operation using a standardized CellSearch system. Results CTCs ≥ 1 were measured in the pre-operative blood of 31 (33.3%) patients and in the post-operative blood of 21 patients (33.3%). Patients with relatively poor clinicopathological features had more pre- and post-operative CTCs. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate for patients with CTCs ≥ 5/7.5 ml was significantly lower than for patients with CTCs Conclusions Pre- and post-operative CTCs are promising prognostic markers for resectable gastric cancer. Our study further suggests that increased post-operative CTCs may be correlated with hematogenous recurrence. Trial registration (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01848015). Registered 7 May 2013. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01848015

Mitochondrial respiratory complex II utilizes succinate, key substrate of the Krebs cycle, for oxidative phosphorylation, which is essential for glucose metabolism. Mutations of complex II cause cancers and mitochondrial diseases, raising a critical question of the (patho-)physiological functions. To address the fundamental role of complex II in systemic energy metabolism, we specifically knockout SDHB in mice liver, a key complex II subunit that tethers the catalytic SDHA subunit and transfers the electrons to ubiquinone, and found that SHDB deficiency abolishes the assembly of complex II without affecting other respiration complexes while largely retaining SDHA stability. SHDB ablation reprograms energy metabolism and hyperactivates the glycolysis, Krebs cycle and β-oxidation pathways, leading to catastrophic energy deficit and early death. Strikingly, sucrose supplementation or high fat diet resumes both glucose and lipid metabolism and prevent early death. Also, SDHB deficient mice are completely resistant to high fat diet induced obesity. Our findings reveal that the unanticipated role of complex II orchestrating both lipid and glucose metabolisms, and suggest that SDHB is an ideal therapeutic target for combating obesity.

Additional file 2: Table S2. Patient characteristics and CTC numbers in 31 relapsed patients.

The distribution of all recognized biotic elements was mapped on five extensive surfaces of the Middle Triassic Guanling Formation exposed in quarries near Luoping, Yunnan Province, China. A 0.5 m2 grid was overlain on the surfaces, and all recognizable fossils were located by placing them in one of nine quadrants within the grid. A total of 240 m2 were mapped, and each specimen observed was recorded as one of 15 categories, subsequently grouped as pelagic, benthic, and other (bone, trace fossils, algae). The pelagic component, fish, thylacocephalans, and mysidaceans, dominated all layers. The benthic component was sparse on all surfaces; epifaunal, vagrant organisms were the dominant forms, suggesting that the substrate was unsuitable for infaunal and sessile epifaunal organisms. Shrimp and bivalves dominated the benthic organisms. Two of the surfaces were overwhelmingly dominated by mysidaceans, and one was dominated by thylacocephalans, suggesting that their remains documented periodic mass kills of swarming, pelagic organisms. Scanning electron microscope analysis of the bedding surfaces revealed nothing remarkable about the sediment, suggesting that the cause of death of the organisms was likely due to an event within the water column, possibly an algae bloom, not recorded in the sediment record.

This study was designed to investigate the significance of the effect of miR-34a on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) sensitivity in vitro and in vivo. miR-34a expression in tumor tissues or serum was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CRC cell lines HCT116 and SW480 were used to evaluate cell viability, cell apoptosis, and the cell cycle using a cell proliferation assay, flow cytometry, and Western blotting, respectively. For the in vivo studies, xenografts derived from SW480 cells were established to assess the antitumor activity between miR-34a and 5-FU. Patients with high levels of miR-34a expression were found to benefit more from 5-FU-based chemotherapy than patients with low levels of miR-34a expression, regardless of disease stage. Ectopic expression of miR-34a alone or 5-FU alone was found to inhibit CRC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, cell growth in vitro and in vivo was further inhibited when miR-34a combined with 5-FU through increasing the rate of cell apoptosis. The potential targets of miR-34a, including CREB1, Bcl-2, Notch 1, Sirt1, and E2F3, were predicted and preliminarily validated and merit further study. Conclusion: miR-34a might function as a predictor of fluorouracil chemosensitivity in CRC, and a combination strategy of miR-34a with fluorouracil was expected to be more beneficial for CRC patients.

Horseshoe crabs are classic “living fossils”, supposedly slowly evolving, conservative taxa, with a long fossil record back to the Ordovician. The evolution of their exoskeleton is well documented by fossils, but appendage and soft-tissue preservation is extremely rare. Here we analyse details of appendage and soft-tissue preservation in Yunnanolimulus luopingensis, a Middle Triassic (ca. 244 million years old) horseshoe crab from Yunnan Province, SW China. The remarkable preservation of anatomical details including the chelicerae, five pairs of walking appendages, opisthosomal appendages with book gills, muscles, and fine setae permits comparison with extant horseshoe crabs. The close anatomical similarity between the Middle Triassic horseshoe crabs and their recent analogues documents anatomical conservatism for over 240 million years, suggesting persistence of lifestyle. The occurrence of Carcinoscorpius-type claspers on the first and second walking legs in male individuals of Y. luopingensis indicates that simple chelate claspers in males are plesiomorphic for horseshoe crabs, and the bulbous claspers in Tachypleus and Limulus are derived.

Objective Previous work indicated that aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) correlated with therapeutic efficacy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients. In this follow-up study performed on the same population of AGC patients, we investigated whether and how aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in CTCs correlates with patients' clinical prognosis. Methods The prospective study was performed on 31 patients with newly diagnosed AGC. Previously established integrated subtraction enrichment (SE) and immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) platform was applied to identify, enumerate and characterize CTCs. Quantification of CTCs and analysis of their aneuploidy of chromosome 8 were performed on patients before and after therapy. Results CTCs were measured in 93.5% of AGC patients, and two CTC subtypes with diverse threshold values were identified, multiploid CTCs with the threshold of ≥2 per 7.5 mL and multiploid plus triploid CTCs with the threshold of ≥4, which were found to significantly correlate with poor progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). In particular, patients with ≥10% increased multiploid CTCs after an initial 6 weeks of therapy had poor PFS and OS, whereas improved PFS and OS were observed on those who had ≥10% decreased multiploid CTCs. After adjusting for clinically significant factors, ≥10% increased post-therapy multiploid CTCs was the only independent predictor of PFS and OS. Conclusions Aneuploidy of CTCs correlates with prognosis of AGC patients. Quantitative comparison monitoring multiploid CTCs before and after therapy may help predict improved or inferior prognosis and chemoresistance.

The new and diversified urban smart growth model, has been gradually developed and accepted by people around the world. First of all, according to the scientific, systematic and comparable design principles, the author establishes the urban growth intelligibility evaluation system composed of four subsystems, such as urban growth intensity, urban land growth efficiency, urban livable level and urban growth structure. Then, we use the improved entropy value method to carry out dimensionless processing on each index, and then determine the weight of each index. Finally, the evaluation system is used to quantitatively evaluate and analyze the degree of smart growth in Wuhou District of Chengdu, and then putting forward the development plan to guide its growth towards smart.

// Yilin Li 1 , Xiaotian Zhang 1 , Sai Ge 1 , Jing Gao 1 , Jifang Gong 1 , Ming Lu 1 , Qiyue Zhang 1 , Yanshuo Cao 1 , Daisy Dandan Wang 2 , Peter Ping Lin 2 , Lin Shen 1 1 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of GI Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China 2 Cytelligen, San Diego, CA, USA Correspondence: Lin Shen, email: // Keywords : gastric cancer, circulating tumor cells, EpCAM-independent enrichment, HER2, aneuploidy Received : May 20, 2014 Accepted : July 05, 2014 Published : July 07, 2014 Abstract BACKGROUND: Karyotyping and phenotyping of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in therapeutic cancer patients is of particular clinical significance in terms of both identifying chemo-resistant CTC subtypes and understanding CTC evolution. METHODS: The integrated subtraction enrichment (SET) and immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) platform was applied to detect and characterize CTCs in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Status of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expressing and aneuploidy of chromosome 8 in CTCs enriched from the patients was examined by SET-iFISH following clinical chemotherapy or HER2-targeted therapy. CellSearch system was applied as a reference control. RESULTS: Phenotyping of CTCs in HER2 positive AGC patients demonstrated that HER2 + CTCs could be effectively eliminated in response to HER2-targeted therapy. Karyotyping of CTCs indicated that distinct CTCs with different ploidies of chromosomes 8 in AGC patients correlated to either sensitivity or resistance of paclitaxel or cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Examination of the copy number of chromosome 8 in CTCs provides a potential approach for predicting chemotherapeutic efficacy and monitoring chemo-resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Phenotyping and karyotyping of the enriched CTCs upon ploidy of chromosome 8 or HER2 expression is of clinical potential for monitoring chemo-resistance and evaluating therapeutic efficacy for AGC patients.

Two new genera, Anisaeger and Distaeger, and three new species, Anisaeger brevirostrus, A. spiniferus, and Distaeger prodigiosus, extend the range of the Aegeridae (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeoidea) into the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of China. Seven decapod crustacean species are now known from the Luoping biota of southern China. Morphological features of shrimp that are present but rarely mentioned in the neontological literature are recognized as potentially useful in classifying fossil material, including a diaeresis on the exopod of the uropods and multiarticulate flagellae on pleopods. Unusual taphonomic features of the shrimp include fractured cuticle, preservation in lateral, dorsal, and ventral position, and twisted cephalothoraxes.

The Triassic was a time of turmoil, as life recovered from the most devastating of all mass extinctions, the Permo-Triassic event 252 million years ago. The Triassic marine rock succession of southwest China provides unique documentation of the recovery of marine life through a series of well dated, exceptionally preserved fossil assemblages in the Daye, Guanling, Zhuganpo, and Xiaowa formations. New work shows the richness of the faunas of fishes and reptiles, and that recovery of vertebrate faunas was delayed by harsh environmental conditions and then occurred rapidly in the Anisian. The key faunas of fishes and reptiles come from a limited area in eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou provinces, and these may be dated relative to shared stratigraphic units, and their palaeoenvironments reconstructed. The Luoping and Panxian biotas, both from the Guanling Formation, are dated as Anisian (Pelsonian) on the basis of conodonts and radiometric dates, the former being slightly older than the latter. The Xingyi biota is from the Zhuganpo Formation, and is Ladinian or early Carnian, while the Guanling biota is from the overlying Xiaowa Formation, dated as Carnian. The first three biotas include extensive benthos and burrowing in the sediments, and they were located in restricted basins close to shore. Further, even though the Luoping and Panxian biotas are of similar age, their faunas differ significantly, reflecting perhaps palaeogeographically isolated basins. Between the time of the Xingyi and Guanling biotas, there was a major transgression, and the Guanling biota is entirely different in character from the other three, being dominated by pelagic forms such as large floating crinoids attached to logs, very large ichthyosaurs and thalattosaurs, and pseudoplanktonic bivalves, with no benthos and no burrowing. Phylogenetic study of the fishes and marine reptiles shows apparently explosive diversification among 20 actinopterygian lineages very early in the Early Triassic, but a later expansion of marine reptile groups, in the late Olenekian and early Anisian. This offset in diversification patterns is matched by comparisons of feeding guild categories and body size data. New research tools will shed considerable light on the phylogenetic and ecological implications of recovery of mairne vertebrates in the Triassic.

Exceptionally preserved carbonate reticulated ridge structures are documented from the lower Middle Triassic Guanling Formation of the Luoping area, eastern Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Macrostructures suggest these reticulated ridge structures are morphologically similar to the growth-related structures in ancient and modern microbial mats. Other such features as minute load structures and pyrite crystals beneath the reticulated layers on bedding surfaces are overlain by a black carbonaceous shale layer. Clay minerals in the reticulated layers are oriented parallel to bedding at the top, and they usually form wavy laminae. These characteristics indicate that these carbonate reticulated ridge structures share a similar microstructure to their siliciclastic analogs, and are also comparable with that of wrinkle structures. SEM imaging shows that many tiny objects—coccoid spheres, rod-like structures and filamentous fibrils—are distinct within those ultra-thin, wavy laminae, suggesting similar accretion and growth models to modern microbial mats. Accordingly, the Luoping reticulated ridge structures are of biogenic origin. These microbial mats are associated with the early Middle Triassic Luoping Biota and they are thought to have played a crucial role in the preservation of the fossils through sealing and microbial coats. An SEM-EDS analysis on fossil fragments and their surrounding matrix reveals that microbial mats also played an important role in the phosphatization of Luoping fossils.

A new penaeoid shrimp collected from the Middle Triassic Member II of the Guanling Formation in the vicinity of the city of Luxi, Yunnan, southwest China, is a new species,Aeger luxiin. sp. The new species possesses prominent spinose third maxillipeds, which is one of the typical characteristics ofAeger. The new species differs from the type species,Aeger tipulariusfrom the Jurassic Solnhofen Plattenkalk, in having a long, smooth rostrum with no subrostral spines. The new taxon increases the diversity of Chinese decapods, and further expands our knowledge of the phylogeny and evolution of the Mesozoic decapods. The find is the first complete specimen ofAegerin the Middle Triassic, and reveals a close biogeographic connection of the marine ecosystem between Eastern and Western Tethys.

Phalarodon atavus from the Germanic Muschelkalk Basin was previously represented only by cranial elements. Here we report a nearly complete and articulated specimen of P. atavus from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota, Yunnan, South China. This is the first specimen of P. atavus from outside the Germanic Basin. This discovery demonstrates a peri-Tethyan distribution of P. atavus. The new specimen is also the first one preserving the postcranial anatomy of this species, providing the opportunity to evaluate its sustained swimming ability. Inferences made on its functional morphology suggest that this species was probably adapted for active foraging. Tooth crown morphology suggests that P. atavus may have preferred externally soft prey.

A new genus and species of Pachypleurosauria, Dianopachysaurus dingi, gen. et sp. nov., from a recently discovered Middle Triassic Lagerstatte in the Anisian Guanling Formation of Yunnan Province is described. The monophyly of Pachypleurosauria, including all potential Chinese pachypleurosaurs in this study, is supported by the rigorous cladistic analysis conducted here. Phylogenetic relationships of Chinese pachypleurosaurs are clarified. Wumengosaurus occupies the most basal position within Pachypleurosauria. Keichousaurus and Dianopachysaurus form the monophyletic Keichousauridae that is the sister group of all European pachypleurosaurs. Our cladistic analysis also supports a previously proposed paleobiogeographic hypothesis of an eastern Tethyan origin of pachypleurosaurs and their migration into the western Tethyan faunal province. The existence of a long ghost lineage as required by the paleobiogeographic hypothesis is greatly shortened by the discovery of Dianopachysaurus.

Recent cladistic analyses have all suggested a diapsid origin of ichthyosaurs. However, an intermediate evolutionary stage of the lower temporal region of ichthyosaurian skull between basal diapsids and derived ichthyosaurs has been absent from the fossil record. Here we describe the cranial skeleton of a new mixosaurid ichthyosaur specimen with a well-preserved lower temporal region from the Anisian Guanling Formation of eastern Yunnan. It is characterized by the most primitive lower temporal region within known ichthyosaurs. The primitive characters of the lower temporal region include both external and internal separation between the jugal and the quadratojugal, an anterior process of the quadratojugal, an apparent posteroventral process of the jugal, and a large lower temporal opening surrounded by the jugal, the postorbital, the squamosal, and the quadratojugal. The lower temporal region of this specimen provides the most direct evidence to the diapsid origin of ichthyosaurs. It also suggests that the disappearance of the lower temporal fenestra is caused initially by the reduction of the lower temporal arcade rather than the enlargement of the surrounding bones.

The timing and nature of biotic recovery from the devastating end-Permian mass extinction (252 Ma) are much debated. New studies in South China suggest that complex marine ecosystems did not become re-established until the middle–late Anisian (Middle Triassic), much later than had been proposed by some. The recently discovered exceptionally preserved Luoping biota from the Anisian Stage of the Middle Triassic, Yunnan Province and southwest China shows this final stage of community assembly on the continental shelf. The fossil assemblage is a mixture of marine animals, including abundant lightly sclerotized arthropods, associated with fishes, marine reptiles, bivalves, gastropods, belemnoids, ammonoids, echinoderms, brachiopods, conodonts and foraminifers, as well as plants and rare arthropods from nearby land. In some ways, the Luoping biota rebuilt the framework of the pre-extinction latest Permian marine ecosystem, but it differed too in profound ways. New trophic levels were introduced, most notably among top predators in the form of the diverse marine reptiles that had no evident analogues in the Late Permian. The Luoping biota is one of the most diverse Triassic marine fossil Lagerstätten in the world, providing a new and early window on recovery and radiation of Triassic marine ecosystems some 10 Myr after the end-Permian mass extinction.

East-west extension has been a prominent feature of Cenozoic tectonics in central-southern Tibet, and the onset of this extension has been interpreted as indicating the surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau to a critical level. Previous studies suggested that extension started in the Neogene between 18-13. Ma and 8. Ma, based on dating results from north-south trending normal faults, grabens or rifts, and dikes. We report here the discovery of widespread north-south trending diabase and andesitic porphyry dikes in and around the Shuang Hu graben, central Tibet, where crustal extension has previously been argued to start from 13.5. Ma based on mineral ages from graben-bounding faults. Our results show that dikes in this area were mainly formed in the Eocene (47-38. Ma). Geochemical and Nd-Sr isotopic data suggest that the diabase dikes originated from partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle source metasomatized by melts from subducted continental crust, and the andesitic porphyry dikes were probably derived from interactions between the subducted continental crust-derived melts and the mantle. Given that north-south trending Eocene dikes are found widely dispersed in central Tibet, we argue that the onset of east-west extension, and likely regional uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, began much earlier than previously thought. Our study implies that a large part of the Tibetan Plateau had already attained near-maximum elevation in the Eocene and is consistent with recent investigations regarding the Middle-Late Eocene (47-34. Ma) initiation of aridification in Asia, evidence from contemporary global oceanic O-Sr isotope curves and temperatures, and the carbon cycle. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

The Luoping Biota consists of abundant and well-preserved marine fishes, reptiles, invertebrates, and plants. It occurs in the Middle Triassic Guanling Formation in Daaozi Village of Luoping County, Yunnan Province, China. Based on conodonts, the Luoping Biota is determined to lie within the Nicoraella kockeli Zone, which is assigned to the Pelsonian substage of the Anisian.

Changes in oceanic O–Sr isotopic compositions and global cooling beginning in the Eocene are considered to have been caused by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The specific timing and uplift mechanism, however, have long been subjects of debate. We investigated the Duogecuoren lavas of the central-western Qiangtang Block, which form the largest outcrops among Cenozoic lavas in northern-central Tibet and have widely been considered as shoshonitic. Our study demonstrates, however, that most of these lavas are high-K calc-alkaline andesites, dacites and rhyolites. Moreover, they are characterized by high Sr (367–2472 ppm) and Al2O3 (14.55–16.86 wt.%) and low Y (3.05–16.9 ppm) and Yb (0.31–1.48 ppm) contents and high La/Yb (27–100) and Sr/Y (48–240) ratios, similar to adakitic rocks derived by partial melting of an eclogitic source. They can be further classified as either peraluminous and metaluminous subtypes. The peraluminous rocks have relatively high SiO2 (> 66 wt.%) contents, and low MgO (< 1.0 wt.%), Cr (4.94–23.3 ppm) and Ni (2.33–17.0 ppm) contents and Mg# (20–50) values, while the metaluminous rocks exhibit relatively low SiO2 (55–69 wt.%) contents, and high MgO (1.41–6.34), Cr (25.7–383 ppm), Ni (14.13–183 ppm) and Mg# (46–69) values, similar to magnesian andesites. 40Ar/39Ar and SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating reveal that both peraluminous and metaluminous adakitic rocks erupted in the Eocene (46–38 Ma). Paleocene–Early Miocene thrust faults and associated syn-contractional basin deposits in the Qiangtang Block suggest that this region was undergoing crustal shortening within a continent during the Eocene. The low eNd (− 2.81 to − 6.91) and high 87Sr/86Sr (0.7057–0.7097), Th (11.2–32.3 ppm) and Th/La (0.23–0.88) values in the Duogecuoren adakitic rocks further indicate that they were not derived by partial melting of subducted oceanic crust. Taking into account tectonic and geophysical data and the compositions of xenoliths in Cenozoic lava in northern-central Tibet, we suggest that the peraluminous adakitic rocks were most probably derived by partial melting of subducted sediment-dominated continent of the Songpan-Ganzi Block along the Jinsha suture to the north at a relatively shallow position (the hornblende + garnet stability field), but the metaluminous adakitic rocks likely originated from the interaction between peraluminous adakitic melts generated at greater depths (the garnet + rutile stability field) and mantle. Because the Duogecuoren adakitic rocks must have originated from a garnet-bearing (namely, eclogite facies) source, Eocene continental subduction along the Jinsha suture caused the thickening of the Qiangtang crust. Given that crustal thickening generally equates with elevation, the uplift of the Central Tibetan Plateau probably began as early as 45–38 Ma, which provides important evidence for tectonically driven models of oceanic O–Sr isotope evolution during global cooling and Asian continental aridification beginning in the Eocene.

Background: This study was intended to determine the clinical significance of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), particularly the potential role of CTCs for dynamic monitoring of the therapeutic response. Methods: A single-centre, prospective study was undertaken in 136 patients with newly diagnosed AGC. The patients' CTCs were enumerated using CellSearch at baseline and at the first response evaluation. In 15 patients whose clinical condition permitted longitudinal study, CTCs were longitudinally enumerated during treatment. Results: Following 6 weeks of chemotherapy, an unfavourable post-therapy CTC level (⩾3 CTCs per 7.5 ml) was closely correlated with the objective response rate (P=0.016) and the disease control rate (P=0.013), and it also independently predicted a shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. Particularly, conversion to a favourable CTC level following therapy improved the prognosis, but patients who changed to an unfavourable CTC level fared significantly worse. Elevated CTCs during therapy may be associated with a poor prognosis. Conclusions: Post-therapy CTC level may help in evaluating therapeutic response in patients with AGC and predicting their prognosis. In addition, changes in CTCs following therapy may be useful in rapidly identifying ineffective treatments and poor prognosis.

Heat-sensitive transgene expression systems have been proposed recently for use in gene therapy to enable both spatial and temporal control of the gene activity. The transgene was put under the control of HSP-related promoters and could be turned on by external heat treatment. While the 'heat activation' phenomenon of the HSP-related promoters in vitro had been well documented, the detailed time response and temporal regulation profile in vivo were not fully understood. We reported here the regulation of transgene luciferase expression in vivo in muscles using a custom-built ultrasound-mediated hyperthermia instrument. The effects of different heating parameters and treatment regimens were evaluated. Optimal activation of gene expression was found at 39 degrees C. Significant tissue damage was observed at 41 degrees C and above, which directly correlated with the greatly reduced gene expression. The gene constructs remained stable and silent in muscle cells, and could be turned on at a later time without losing much activity. Repeated activation was also possible, but required heat treatment at a higher temperature to overcome thermotolerance.

The seas of the Mesozoic (266-66 Myr ago) were remarkable for predatory marine reptiles, but their modes of locomotion have been debated. One problem has been the absence of tracks, although there is no reason to expect that swimmers would produce tracks. We report here seabed tracks made by Mesozoic marine reptiles, produced by the paddles of nothosaurs (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) in the Middle Triassic of the Luoping localities in Yunnan, southwestern China. These show that the track-making nothosaurs used their forelimbs for propulsion, they generally rowed (both forelimbs operating in unison rather than alternately), and the forelimb entered medially, dug in as the paddle tip gained purchase, and withdrew cleanly. These inferences may provide evidence for swimming modes, or it could be argued that the locomotory modes indicated by the tracks were restricted to such contact propulsion. Such punting behaviour may have been used to flush prey from the bottom muds.

Early Middle Triassic stromatolites are documented for the first time from the Guanling Formation of the Luoping area, eastern Yunnan Province, SW China. The Luoping stromatolites show six types of constructional microbial forms: ?1) typical stratified columnar structures with crinkled laminae. Dark colored laminae are composed of filamentous cyanobacteria, showing a vertical growth fabric. ?2) Laminoid fenestrae and ?3) clotted structures are also commonly present; these clotted fabrics also show an interweaved pattern of ?4) prostrate filaments, which are reflected by strong fluorescence in sharp contrast to dolomite cement in fluorescent images. ?5) Rod-like aggregates, filled with minute dolomite rhombs, are very common in laminae; they resemble present-day cyanobacterial trichome, and thus may represent fossilized cyanobacteria. ?6) Moreover, small pits, coccoid spheroids, calcified biofilms, and fibrous structures are also common in stromatolite laminae. The last two may represent calcified extra-cellular polymer secretions (EPS) that contribute to the development and lithification of stromatolites. Authigenic quartz grains are also common and may have involved biological processes in their formation. These six functional-groups driving accretion and lithification processes of stromatolite documented in literature, both the lithified cyanobacteria/oxygenic phototrophs and sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) which induced microbial formation of dolomite are evident in the Luoping stromatolites, suggestive of biogenic origin. The Luoping stromatolites differ from the Early Triassic counterparts in having a great amount of biomass in filamentous cyanobacteria and SRB, whereas both anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and SRB characterize the Early Triassic stromatolites. Abundant filamentous cyanobacteria may indicate proliferation of oxygenic phototrophs in a normal, oxic habitat. However, abundant SRB indicate sulfate reduction in a stressed habitat. Accordingly, the Luoping stromatolites, coupled with coeval unusual biosedimentary structures, indicate that the post-extinction devastated oceanic conditions may not only have prevailed in the Early Triassic but also have extended to the early Anisian (Middle Triassic) in South China, just before the full recovery of marine ecosystems in middle-late Anisian. 111 Program of China (B08030 to SCX); National Natural 460 Science Foundation grant (No 41272023 to ZQC); grant-in-aid for the study on the 10 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 Permian−Triassic mass extinction and recovery from the State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (to ZQC).

Zone (Zhang et al., 2009). The fossiliferous strata mainly consist of gray-black thin-bedded micritic limestone, with high organic content and many pyrite granules. It has been found that geochemical characteristics of limestone are also important indicators to the paleoenvironmental conditions (Chang et al., 2009; Jing et al., 2005; Rimmer, 2004; Wang, 2003; Nan et al., 1998; Jones and Manning, 1994). To understand the paleoenvironmental conditions associated with the Luoping Biota, major and trace elements of 51 fresh samples collected from the Dawazi Section were analyzed.

INTRODUCTION Fossilized coprolites provide important insight into diet, physiology and organism interactions such as predator-prey relationships of ancient life. However, preservation of complete coprolites is scarce because most coprolites are fragile and decay or disarticulate soon after release. Here we report a coprolite assemblage from the Anisian-aged Luoping Biota, a fossil Lagerstatte recently discovered from the Middle Triassic in Luoping County, Yunnan Province, SW China (Zhang et al., 2009, 2008). Associated fossils include fishes, marine reptiles, arthropods, bivalves, mollusks, echinoderms, ammonites, lingulid brachiopods, foraminifers, and plants. The preservation and possible producers of these coprolites, and furthermore, the ecological implications are discussed.

The fossil record of coelacanths is patchy, with very few taxa known from the Triassic of Asia. We report here two new genera and species of coelacanths from the Luoping Biota, a recently found site of exceptional fossil preservation from Yunnan, South China. The first new taxon, Luopingcoelacanthus eurylacrimalis, is based on four specimens, which together show most aspects of the anatomy. One specimen shows two small coelacanths inside the ventral portion of the abdominal cavity, and these are interpreted as intrauterine embryos, close to birth size, based on comparisons with previously reported embryos of the fossil coelacanths Rhabdoderma and Undina, and the extant genus Latimeria. Our new find extends the evidence for ovoviviparity in coelacanths back from the Late Jurassic to the Middle Triassic. The second new taxon, Yunnancoelacanthus acrotuberculatus, is based on one specimen, and differs from Luopingcoelacanthus in the dentary, lachrymojugal, number of rays of the first dorsal fin, and especiall...