Search

With the development of information technology, databases have taken the place of the “card box” as an indexing device for some researchers. It cannot be denied that the grammatological studies based on databases have not only become an objective existence that cannot be ignored, but have also had fruitful achievements. However, the corresponding theoretical construction remains blank, which is unfavorable for the grammatology study based on databases to develop scientifically. Therefore, this paper attempts to discuss the following matters: the definition of “database grammatology”; the relationship between “database grammatology” and “corpus linguistics”; the feasibility of “database grammatology”; “database grammatology” and traditional grammatology; the database construction of “database grammatology”; and the academic quality pursuit of database grammatology study.

Early diagenetic cherts in basinal shales of the lower Cambrian (Terreneuvian) Niutitang Formation, exposed in the Yangtiao section, Majiang, Guizhou Province, South China, contain abundant sheet-like microfossils. The sheets are carbonaceous, rich in complex aromatic molecules, sinuously folded and, commonly, tightly enrolled. Their regular thickness, lack of evidence for cellular structure, occasional ornamentation by finger- or hair-like projections, and infrequent attachment to one another eliminate ripped up microbial mats and blade-like algae as biological sources. More likely, the Niutitang sheets represent surficial coverings of animals. In the absence of information on sheet morphology, it is difficult to constrain systematic interpretation further, but other Ediacaran and Cambrian fossils suggest that a cnidarian affiliation is plausible. The siliceous sequence of the lowest Cambrian Niutitang Formation was deposited under a relatively stable anaerobic environment, episodically influenced by hydrothermal fluids. Thus, it is probable that the sheets were transported into the basin from oxic shelves or sank to the bottom from oxygenated surface waters. In either event, these problematic remains provide new evidence of biological diversity in early Cambrian oceans.

Objective: To explore the protective effect of acupuncture against myocardial injury in rats with stress-induced prehypertension (SIPH) by observing the genetic expression of myocardial endothelin-1 (ET-1) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). Methods: Thirty-six Wistar rats were randomized into three groups: the control group, model group, and model + acupuncture (AP) group (n = 12 rats per group). During the 11-day modeling period, the model group and the model + AP group experienced plantar electric stimulation in combination with noise exposure, and daily acupuncture intervention was applied simultaneously in the model + AP group; the control group did not experience modeling or acupuncture. Systolic pressure (SP) was measured the day before modeling began, and on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th day after modeling initiation. On the 12th day, histopathological observation of the left ventricle was made with hematoxylin-eosin staining and quantitative genetic expression of myocardial ET-1, and ANP was tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: SP was higher in the model group than the control group on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th days (all P

Difluoromethylene (CF2)-skipped 1,4-diynes are a versatile synthon in organic synthesis, but efficient methods to access such a fluorinated structural motif are very limited. Herein, we report an efficient method for catalytic synthesis of CF2-skipped 1,4-diynes through palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling between terminal alkynes and gem-difluoropropargyl bromide. The reaction exhibits high functional group tolerance and broad substrate scope. Applications of the method led to a series of important difluorinated molecules that are of interest in medicinal chemistry.

Purpose To report a case of surgical interventions for a patient with relapsing polychondritis who presented with late ocular complications. Observations A 44-year-old male was diagnosed to have relapsing polychondritis on the basis of recurrent acute auricular chondritis, deformity of the ear, saddle nose deformity and painful nasal chondritis, acute ocular inflammation with conjunctivitis, episcleritis and keratouveitis, laryngotracheal chondritis, erythema nodosum in the skin, a history of polyarthritis, and abnormal blood examination findings. The acute ocular and auricular inflammation was resolved with oral corticosteroid treatment. Intraocular pressure (IOP) of the left eye was 60 mmHg as measured by Goldmann applanation tonometer. Gonioscopic observation revealed the presence of peripheral anterior synechiae and plateau iris configuration. Express drainage screw implantation was applied to the left eye, because topical and systemic medicines failed to decrease the IOP. After 12 months, complicated cataract aggravated in the right eye, and phacoemulsification operation was performed with corticosteroids administered during the perioperative period. His corrected visual acuity was 20/20 for the right eye, and the IOP remained below 21 mmHg for the left eye. The patient has been healthy, without any recurrence, for 36 months. Conclusions and importance The present case of relapsing polychondritis is the first to be reported wherein late ocular complications were alleviated by surgical interventions. Routine use of corticosteroids is necessary for successful anti-glaucoma and phacoemulsification operations.

Four controversial types of simplex reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture and their possible meanings were summarized to explore several key elements of reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture, in addition, the simplex reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture was classified by single factor. It is concluded that the definition of simplex reinforcing-reducing manipulation of acupuncture should try not to include other non-manipulative elements. According to single factor, it can be divided into: needle-oriented reinforcing-reducing manipulation, twisting reinforcing-reducing manipulation, lifting and interpolating reinforcing-reducing manipulation, fast and slow reinforcing-reducing manipulation, breathing reinforcing-reducing manipulation, opening and closing reinforcing-reducing manipulation. In addition, after considering the effect and principle of number reinforcing-reducing manipulation, it can be considered.

Integrated solar photovoltaic and thermal (PV/T) systems utilize the heat produced during photovoltaic power generation to heat water, which can then be used for heating and domestic water supply purposes. At the same time, the water is used to cool the solar panel, thereby enhancing the efficiency of power generation and consequently improving the overall utilization of solar energy. To realize real-time monitoring and display of the temperature and power generation of the integrated PV/T system, we designed a monitoring system based on a ForceControl configuration system. In this paper, we provide details of the construction of the system, including the establishment of the physical integrated PV/T system, the temperature data acquisition system, and the electric data acquisition system, as well as the design of a monitoring interface based on the ForceControl configuration software. Within this study, the system was also constructed and verified. The results indicated that the system can display parameters including temperature of the PV module rear panel, temperature of the water tank, and power generation in real time. Furthermore, its characteristics, including friendly interface, intuitive display, and high precision all make it an appropriate tool for monitoring integrated PV/T systems.

For neural network (NN) models applying to low-end edge devices, the memory management is a very important issue because of the limitation of hardware resources. However, current NN frameworks typically allocate a huge memory space for NN models in the initial stage. To reduce memory requirements, we propose a lite NN inference-only framework, MDFI (Micro Darknet for Inference) based on Darknet. We optimize the MDFI C code by a layer-wise memory management and layer-dependency resolving mechanism. According to the experimental results, the average memory consumption of MDFI has 76% reduction compared to Darknet, and the average execution time of MDFI has 8% reduction also.

Background:Epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between nut intake and risk for multiple cancers. However, current findings are inconsistent and no definite conclusion has been drawn from prospective studies. We therefore conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between nut consumption and risk of cancer.Methods:Prospective studies reporting associations between nut intake and risk for all types of cancer were identified by searching Web of Science and PubMed databases up to June 2019. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted and then pooled across the studies using a random-effect model. A dose–response analysis was modeled by performing restricted cubic splines when data were available.Results:Thirty-three studies that included more than 50,000 cancer cases were eligible for the analysis. When comparing the highest with the lowest category of nut intake, high consumption of nuts was significantly associated with decreased risk of overall cancer (RR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.95). The protective effect of nut consumption was especially apparent against cancers from the digestive system (RR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77–0.89). Among different nut classes, significant association was only obtained for intake of tree nuts. We also observed a linear dose–response relationship between nut consumption and cancer: Per 20 g/day increase in nut consumption was related to a 10% (RR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82–0.99) decrease in cancer risk.Conclusions:Our analysis demonstrated an inverse association of dietary nut consumption with cancer risk, especially for cancers from the digestive system.Impact:This study highlights the protective effect of nuts against cancer.

In this work, a miniaturized bandpass filter (BPF) constructed of two spiral intertwined inductors and a central capacitor, with several interdigital structures, was designed and fabricated using integrated passive device (IPD) technology on a GaAs wafer. Five air-bridge structures were introduced to enhance the mutual inductive effect and form the differential geometry of the outer inductors. In addition, the design of the differential inductor combined with the centrally embedded capacitor results in a compact construction with the overall size of 0.037&lambda, 0 &times, 0.019&lambda, 0 (1537.7 &times, 800 &mu, m2) where &lambda, 0 is the wavelength of the central frequency. For the accuracy evolution of the equivalent circuit, the frequency-dependent lumped elements of the proposed BPF was analyzed and modeled through the segment method, mutual inductance approach, and simulated scattering parameters (S-parameters). Afterward, the BPF was fabricated using GaAs-based IPD technology and a 16-step manufacture flow was accounted for in detail. Finally, the fabricated BPF was wire-bonded with Au wires and packaged onto a printed circuit board for radio-frequency performance measurements. The measured results indicate that the implemented BPF possesses a center frequency operating at 2 GHz with the insertion losses of 0.38 dB and the return losses of 40 dB, respectively, and an ultrawide passband was achieved with a 3-dB fraction bandwidth of 72.53%, as well. In addition, a transmission zero is located at 5.32 GHz. Moreover, the variation of the resonant frequency with different inductor turns and metal thicknesses was analyzed through the simulation results, demonstrating good controllability of the proposed BPF.

This paper presents a miniaturized bandpass filter based on spiral inductor and center-embedded capacitor using integrated passive device (IPD) technology on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate. The EM simulation and RF measurement results of the proposed design are accomplished using Advanced Design System (ADS) software and Agilent 8510C vector network analyzer (VNA), respectively. The measured results illustrate the proposed filter features a single passband with the central frequency of 1.36 GHz, and a 3-dB fractional bandwidth of 66.3%. And there is also a finite transmission zero locates at 3.71 GHz, and simulation and measurement result show good agreements. The proposed filter has a compact dimension with an overall size of 1292 × 700 μm2 resulting from the use of IPD technology and the intertwined spiral outer inductor.

To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on cardiac hypertrophy and expression of myocardial autophagy-specific proteins in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).Twelve male Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were selected as the normal control group, and 24 male SHRs were randomized into model and EA groups (After the intervention, the elevated SBP was significantly lowered in the EA group relevant to the model group (EA at LR3 and GV20 may improve the left cardiac function, myocardial morphological changes and the degree of autophagy in SHRs, which is related to its effects in down-regulating the expression of myocardial Beclin-1 and LC3-II and in up-regulating expression of LC3-I.

To further investigate the application of positron emission tomography (PET) technology in acupuncture research field, with "PET" and "acupuncture" as keywords, the related literature published from 1997 to 2018 was searched in PubMed, CNKI and WANFANG database; then the literature was classified and analyzed. The results showed that in clinical and experimental studies, whether in physiological or pathological conditions, PET technology has verified the specificity of acupoints, bidirectional regulation of acupoints, and the clinical effect of

AIM: To analyze the expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells at the different human age, further explore the possible new target of RPE cells protection. METHODS: Adult retinal pigment epithelial-19 (ARPE-19) cells and the primary RPE cells at the different age (9-20y, 50-55y, 60-70y, >70y) were cultured and harvested. The expression of UCP2 in these cells was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Cells from the donors more than 60y are larger and more fibroblastic in appearance compared to ARPE-19 cells and those primary cultures obtained from the younger individuals by using phase-contrast micrographs. Results of RT-PCR, Western blot and confocal microscopy all showed that UCP2 was highly expressed in ARPE-19 cells and in the younger primary cultured human RPE cells at the age of 9-20y and 50-55y, whereas lower expression of UCP2 was measured in the older primary cultured human RPE cells at the age more than 60y. CONCLUSION: Expression of UCP2 gene is decreased in aged RPE cells, promoting the lower ability of anti-oxidation in these cells. It is indicated that UCP2 gene might be a new target for protecting the cells from oxidative stress damage.

As one of the most commonly used devices in microwave systems, bandpass filters (BPFs) directly affect the performance of these systems. Among the processes for manufacturing filters, integrated passive device (IPD) technology provides high practicality and accuracy. Thus, to comply with latest development trends, a resonator-based bandpass filter with a high selectivity and a compact size, fabricated on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate is developed. An embedded capacitor is connected between the ends of two divisions in a circular spiral inductor, which is intertwined to reduce its size to 0.024 &lambda, g &times, 0.013 &lambda, g with minimal loss, and along with the capacitor, it generates a center frequency of 1.35 GHz. The strong coupling between the two ports of the filter results in high selectivity, to reduce noise interference. The insertion loss and return loss are 0.26 dB and 25.6 dB, respectively, thus facilitating accurate signal propagation. The filter was tested to verify its high performance in several aspects, and measurement results showed good agreement with the simulation results.

e16080 Background: Patients with advanced gastric or gastro-esophageal junction cancer have poor prognosis after progression on first-line chemotherapy. We investigated to combine second-line chemotherpy with third-line drugs, apatinib and anti-PD-1 antibody in these patients. Methods: This study is a single center, exploratory study in China. Eligible patients are adults with histologically confirmed advanced gastric or GEJ adenocancinoma, who were failure of first-line or second-line chemotherapy. Subjects receive chemotherapy, pacitaxol or iritecan (investigator choice), apatinib 250mg po qd, sintilimab 200mg ivd q3w. Response was assessed every 6 weeks. (RECIST version1.1) Primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). Results: Between May 30, 2019 and November 5, 2020, a total of 26 patients were enrolled in this study, and 4 (15.4%) patients were failure of second-line chemotherapy. There were 21 males and 5 females, and the median age was 61. The total number of treatment cycles was 140 and the median number was 5.5. Among 24 patients who were evaluated, partial response (PR) was obtained in 12 cases, stable disease (SD) in 8 cases and progressive disease (PD) in 4 cases. Objective response rate was 50.0%，and disease control rate was 83.3%. The median PFS was 7.06 months (95% CI 5.52-8.60), and the median overal survival has not yet been reached. The most common adverse events (AE) were leukopenia (61.5%), anemia (57.7%), neutropenia (53.8%), proteinuria (42.3%), alopecia (42.3%), hypothyroidism (38.5%), elevated alanine aminotransferase (34.6%), elevated aspartate aminotransferase (34.6%) and elevated alkaline phosphatase (34.6%), but most of them were grade 1 or 2, and the most common grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events was neutropenia (11.5%). Conclusions: Chemotherapy, plus apatinib and sintilimab demonstrated promising activity and manageable safety profile as second- even third-line treatment in advanced gastric or GEJ cancer. Demographics and baseline characteristics.[Table: see text]

e16000 Background: Gastric cancer with elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a special type of gastric cancer with elevated serum AFP. It is often misdiagnosed as primary hepatic cancer due to abnormal AFP and liver metastasis. The AFP level is related to the prognosis of these patients in whom there is prone to high HER2 positive rate. Therefore, anti-HER2 treatment is optional, as well as the emerging immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Methods: Gastric cancer patients with HER2 and serum AFP examination were collected in our hospital from May 2017 till now. Serum AFP level over 7 ng/ml was defined as elevated AFP. The clinical characteristics, treatments and survival of the patients with HER2 positive and elevated AFP were picked and analyzed. Results: Among 135 gastric cancer patients with elevated AFP, 16 (11.9%) were HER-2 positive (12 with HER2 3+, 3 with HER2 2+/FISH+ and 1 with HER2 gene amplification in NGS). The mean serum AFP is 201.4± 476.7ng/ml (range: 7.74 -1335). There were 9 males and 7 females. The mean age was 55 years (range: 38-90). The tumors were located in stomach cardia and fundus in 5 cases, body in 5 cases, antrum in 4 cases, body and antrum in 1 case and whole stomach in 1 case. There were 2 patients in stage III and 14 patients in stage IV with metastasis to lymph node metastasis in 15, liver in 9, abdominal cavity in 3 and peritoneum in 3. As for the treatments, three patients underwent surgery, one of whom with exploratory laparotomy (no antitumor treatment after surgery, died from infection). In 13 advanced patients, 12 patients received systemic antitumor therapies (8 with chemotherapy+Trastuzumab+ immunotherapy, 2 with chemotherapy+Trastuzumab, 1 with chemotherapy+ immunotherapy and 1 with chemotherapy). The chemotherapy regimens were XELOX in 5 cases, SOX in 4 cases and FLOT in 2 cases. The response rate was 50% (6 in 12 patients) and the disease control rate was 100%. The median PFS was 7.5 months in first line therapy with six patients without progression disease yet. The longest PFS with PR lasted for 16.5 months with chemotherapy, trastuzumab and immune checkpoint inhibitor. Conclusions: Gastric cancer with HER2 positive and elevated serum AFP is a disease with special clinical characteristics. Patients with advanced diseases can be treated with chemotherapy, trastuzumab +/- immune checkpoint inhibitors. This combination is expected to become a new regimen to improve survival of such special patients.

e15560 Background: PD-1 blockade is particularly ineffective in patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) or mismatch repair (MMR)-proficient colorectal cancer (CRC). Regorafenib (R) has been shown to modulate anti-tumor immunity through different mechanisms, including the reduction of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and lymphocyte activation or immunosuppressive cells, such as forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Synergy between R and anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies has been demonstrated in pre-clinical models compared to that of either treatment alone. Accordingly, this study attempted to evaluate the combined activity of regorafenib with an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Methods: This trial was a prospective, open-label, monocentric, nonrandomized, single arm study. This study included patients with non MSI-H mCRC who received R (80 mg QD 3weeks/4) and sintilimab (S)(200 mg every 3 weeks).The primary endpoint was the confirmed objective response rate (ORR).The secondary endpoints were progression free survival (PFS),overall survival (OS),disease control rate (DCR) and safety. Results: As of January 8, 2021, 24 patients (median age 59 years) with mCRC were enrolled and received treatment with R+S. RAS wild type was 50% of all patients. In addition, 83.3% of patients received two prior lines of treatment, while 58.3% had liver metastases at enrollment. Of the 24 patients, the best response was observed to be stable disease(SD) in six patients (25%) and progressive disease (PD)in four patients (16.7%). Another nine (37.5%) patients have yet to be evaluated. In the 15 evaluated patients, the ORR(RECIST version 1.1) was 33.3% , the DCR was 73.3%. Additionally, among the 10 evaluated patients with liver metastases, the ORR was 30% , the DCR was 80%. Among the nine evaluated patients with wild-type populations of k-ras, the ORR and DCR was found to be 44.4% and 66.7%, which was higher than the mutation patients. The median PFS was 4.2 (95% CI, 2.5, NA) months, the median OS was not reached. The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were palmar-plantar erythro-dysesthesia syndrome (4.2%), erythra (4.2%). No death was related to the treatment. Moreover, four (16.7%) patients were subject to at least 1 dose modification or treatment interruption. Conclusions: In this study, the combination of R+S achieved a similar ORR with REGONIVO. Furthermore, this combination was well tolerated and had a manageable safety profile. However, due to the limited sample size, some biases may be present. As a result, we will continue to expand the sample size for future verification. Clinical trial information: NCT04745130.

e16210 Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive cancer with a 5-year survival rate of 10%. Overexpression of c-Met is associated with the poor prognosis in patients with PDAC and it was noted that phosphorylation of c-Met is increased in gemcitabine-resistant PDAC. AL2846 is an oral c-Met inhibitor, which targets multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK’s) primarily including c-Met, VEGFR1, KIT, Axl and RET. The combination of AL2846 with chemotherapy may improve the clinical efficacy of PDAC. Based on these consideration, a phase Ⅰ clinical trial was initiated to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of AL2846 in combination with gemcitabine in patients with advanced PDAC and to clarify the potential anti-tumor activity. Methods: Patients with untreated locally advanced or metastatic PDAC were enrolled to receive oral AL2846 once daily in a fasted state in combination with gemcitabine intravenous infusion over 30 min on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days. The starting dose level is AL2846 40 mg and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2. Primary endpoint was the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), defined as the highest dose level at which ≤33 % of patients incurred a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), and RP2D. Secondary endpoints included response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: As of January 1, 2021, a total of 15 patients with PDAC were enrolled and received 4 dose-levels of AL2846 (40 mg: n = 1; 60 mg: n = 6; 90 mg: n = 3; 120 mg: n = 5) treatment. DLTs occurred in 1 patient who experienced grade 3 abnormal liver function. The most common grade 3 or above drug-related adverse events were neutropenia (n = 7, 46.7%), thrombocytopenia (n = 5, 33.3%), leukopenia (n = 4, 26.7%), GGT increased (n = 4, 26.7%), hyperbilirubinemia (n = 3, 20.0%) and alkaline phosphatase increased (n = 3, 20.0%). Among the 15 patients available for efficacy evaluation, 1 patient (6.6%) achieved partial response who was at the dose levels of 90mg. There were 4 patients whose PFS was more than 5 months. Although there were no more than 2 DLT events, we chose 90 and 120 mg as the target dose for RP2D according to the dose reduction and proportion of gemcitabine. Conclusions: The RP2D of AL2846 in combination with standard dose of gemcitabine were 90 and 120 mg QD continuously. The results demonstrated that AL2846 in combination with gemcitabine was well tolerated at doses up to 120 mg. Further clinical studies about the efficacy of AL2846 in pancreatic cancer are in progress. Clinical trial information: CTR20201021.

4050 Background: FLOT is the standard perioperative treatment for resectable gastric /gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma. However, patient’s outcome is still poor. Toripalimab, a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody against programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1), has shown remarkable clinical efficacy in various cancers. This trial evaluates the addition of Toripalimab to FLOT for resectable patients. Methods: This is a prospective, single-arm, investigator-initiated phase II trial. Patients with histologically confirmed, resectable, gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma (≥cT2 or cN+) were enrolled to receive 4 pre-and post-operative cycles of toripalimab (240mg, q2w) plus FLOT (docetaxel 50 mg/m2; oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2; leucovorin 200 mg/m2; 5-FU 2600 mg/m2, q2w). The primary endpoint was pathological complete response rate (pCR). The secondary endpoints included major pathological (complete and nearly complete) response (MPR), and R0-resection rate, 3-year disease-free survival rate, overall survival, and adverse events. Results: In total, of 36 patients were enrolled from June 2019 through Dec 2020. Male, 66.7%; median age, 60y; cT3 8.3%, T4, 83.3%; cN+ 88.9%; GEJ 47%; MSI-H, 5.6%, Her-2neu-positive, 5.6%, EBER-positive, 5.6%). Two patients refused surgery, six patients have not yet completely neoadjuvant treatment. 100% of patients completed the 4 pre-cycle. Patients who had received gastrectomy after neoadjuvant treatment (n=28) were included in this analysis. 6 (21%) patients had operations involving a thoracic approach (oesophagogastrectomy with two field lymphadenectomy), 21 (75%) gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy. 8 (29%) evaluable patients had Clavien-Dindo grade II post-operative complications and 2 (7%) grade IIIA complications; one patient had an anastomotic leakage that was treated endoscopically. There were no emergency re-operations. All 28 patients achieved R0-resection and were discharged home after a median of 12 days (range:7-63) in hospital. 7 （25%）patients achieved pCR (TRG1a) and 12 (42.9%) patients achieved major pathologic response (MPR, TRG1a/b). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) to any drug were reported in 30 (94%) patients. Mostly TRAEs were grade 1-2, the grade 3 or 4 TRAEs included neutropenia (34%), neutropenia (25%), lymphopenia (3%), Alanine aminotransferase increased (3%), hypokalemia (3%) and anaemia (3%). Conclusions: Perioperative toripalimab in combination with FLOT showed promising efficacy with high pCR and MPR rate and well tolerated safety profile in patients with resectable gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma. This combination regimen might present a new option for patients with locally advanced, resectable gastric/GEJ adenocarcinoma. Clinical trial information: NCT04354662.

In the paper the authors proved that China’s growth towards dominance in international trade has begun recently, but, on average, the growth of China’s trade volume has doubled every four years over the past three decades. The paper analyses that the rapid growth of the Chinese economy provides all countries around the world especially neigh boring countries, with a chance of interconnected development, which had a decisive impact on the economic prosperity of the world economy at the end of the last and at the beginning of this century. The key priority of Chinese economic policy was called attracting FDI, but gradually it focused on foreign direct investment (FDI) from China. Therefore, the “one belt, one road” initiative has brought maximum effect not only on the country itself, but on the entire global economy, and has become the basis for multilateral economic development. Accordingly, we have come to the conclusion that the project the “one belt, one road” has a goal to strengthen the geopolitical cooperation between Asia and Europe, so it is Ukraine that is important in its implementation. Ukraine is a strategically important logistics hub between Asia and Europe. It is proved that Ukraine is now a promising country in Eastern Europe and has a significant deferred purchasing power potential, which will increase if the political and economic situation in the country stabilizes.

Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra exhibit absorption that is under the base line, which we propose is negative absorption (NA) or negative absorption emission (NAE). The UV-visible NAE of water, ethanol, and chloroform was illustrated by transmittance curves, reflectivity curves, and fluorescence excitation/emission spectra. To explain this phenomenon, the TD_DFT theory was used to calculate the emission states of the samples. A laser transmission experiment confirmed the NAE phenomenon. It was concluded that NAE was a type of emission produced by the sample. The NAE of water has significant implications for life on earth, which will interest researchers in physics, chemistry, and biology.

RBM15, an RNA-binding protein, plays important roles in the growth and apoptosis of cells, especially blood cells through regulating multiple signal pathways such as Notch and Wnt. An increasing body of evidence has suggested that RBM15 may play a key function on the development of various blood diseases, such as acute/chronic myeloid leukemia and kaposi's sarcoma. In this review, we will focus on the progress of the association between RBM15 and its related blood diseases.

In aquatic ecosystems, mercuric compounds are considered to be highly toxic to a great variety of aquatic biota ranging from bacteria to fishes. In the present study, the effects of different concentrations (0, 2.0, 6.0, 10.0, 14.0 and 18.0 μg·L − 1 ) of Hg 2 + on the life table demography of Brachionus calyciflorus were investigated at three densities (1.0 × 10 6 , 2.0 × 10 6 and 4.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 ) of Scenedesmus obliquus . The results showed that compared to the controls, Hg 2 + at 14.0 and 18.0 μg·L − 1 significantly decreased both the average lifespan and the life expectancy at hatching, Hg 2 + at 2.0–18.0 μg·L − 1 shortened the generation time, and Hg 2 + at 18.0 μg·L − 1 decreased the net reproductive rate of B. calyciflorus cultured at 1.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus . Increase in algal food level reduced the negative effects of high concentrations of Hg 2 + on survival, reproduction and population growth of the rotifers. Hg 2 + at 6.0 μg·L − 1 , and 6.0 and 18.0 μg·L − 1 increased the intrinsic rate of population increase of the rotifers cultured at 1.0 × 10 6 and 2.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus , respectively. But Hg 2 + at 18.0 μg·L − 1 decreased the intrinsic rate of population increase of the rotifers cultured at 4.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus . Significantly nominal concentration–response relationships existed between Hg 2 + concentration and each of all the five life history variables of B. calyciflorus cultured at 1.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus , the generation time of the rotifers cultured at 2.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus , as well as the intrinsic rate of population increase of the rotifers cultured at 4.0 × 10 6 cells·mL − 1 of S. obliquus . Among all the life history variables, generation time was the most sensitive to mercury pollution. Since algal levels chosen in the present study are much higher than those available in natural waters, except in eutrophic water bodies, the effects of mercury on survival, reproduction and population growth of the rotifers in natural waters may be more severe than those extrapolated from the present study.

Long-term glucocorticoid use may result in sustained suppression of one or more secreted components from the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, and often results in apoptosis. Yougui Pill (YGP), a 10-component traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has been shown to be clinically effective for glucocorticoid-induced suppression of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. However, the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that YGP would exert an anti-apoptosis effect on dexamethasone-treated anterior pituitary cells. In vivo experiments showed that YGP significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells, down-regulated mRNA expression of cytochrome c, caspase-3, and caspase-9, and up-regulated mRNA expression of Bcl-2. These findings suggest that YGP reduced glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in rat anterior pituitary cells by regulating the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine disruptor, was reported to promote migration and invasion of lung cancer cells, but findings in human study is absent. A case-control study in Chinese population was conducted to evaluate the association between BPA exposure and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and explore the interaction between BPA exposure and estrogen-related genetic polymorphism on NSCLC. BPA concentrations were measured in urine samples using an UHPLC-MS method and rs2046210 in estrogen receptor α (ESR1) gene was genotyped by TaqMan genotyping system. Logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association analyses. As a result, 615 NSCLC cases and 615 healthy controls were enrolled from Wuhan, central China. The mean age was 58.0 (SD: 7.9) years old for controls and 59.2 (SD: 8.8) years old for cancer cases. The creatinine-adjusted BPA levels were significantly higher in NSCLC cases than that in healthy controls (median: 0.97 vs 0.73 μg/L, P 0.001). Exposure to high levels of BPA was significantly associated with NSCLC (adjusted OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.39-2.62, P 0.001 for the highest quartile). We also observed a shallow concave dose-response relationship about the overall association between BPA and NSCLC. Moreover, interaction analyses showed that BPA exposure interacted multiplicatively with rs2046210, with a marginal P value (P = 0.049), to contribute to NSCLC. In conclusion, exposure to high levels BPA may be associated with NSCLC and the relationship may be modified by genetic polymorphism in ESR1.

Astaxanthin is a natural product gaining increasing attention due to its safety and anti-cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of the anti-cancer effects of astaxanthin on prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines using aggressive PCa DU145 cells. Also an instantaneous silenced cell line (si-STAT3) derived from DU145 and a control cell line (si-NK) were used for the MTT and colony formation assays to determine the role of astaxanthin in proliferation and colony formation abilities. Flow cytometry assays were used to detect the apoptosis of tumor cells. Migration and invasion assays detected the weakening of the respective abilities. Western blot and RT-PCR tests detected the levels of STAT3 protein and mRNA. Astaxanthin resulted in suppression of the proliferation of DU145 cells and the level of STAT3. The treatment of DU145 cells with astaxanthin decreased the cloning ability, increased the apoptosis percentage and weakened the abilities of migration and invasion of the cells. Furthermore, astaxanthin reduced the expression of STAT3 at protein and mRNA levels. The effects were enhanced when astaxanthin and si-STAT3 were combined. The results of animal experiments were consistent with the results in cells. Thus, astaxanthin inhibits the proliferation of DU145 cells by reducing the expression of STAT3.

To assess the prevalence and causes of visual impairment (VI) in the elderly Chinese rural population in Shaanxi Province.A population-based, cross-sectional study design was used to determine the extent of VI in Chinese people over the age of 50 years in Shaanxi Province. Visual acuity and best-corrected visual acuity were measured using the logarithm of minimum angle of resolution chart. Blindness and low vision were defined according to WHO criteria. The major cause of VI was identified for all participants who were visually impaired.A total of 1912 residents completed a standard questionnaire and underwent a detailed eye examination, and the response rate was 90%. The overall prevalence of blindness and low vision were 1.5% and 8.2%. There was no statistically significant differences between genders in the prevalence of blindness and low vision (P > .05). The prevalence of blindness and low vision was higher among older individuals (P < .05) and lower (P < .05) among those with the highest education level. Cataract, corneal opacity, and glaucoma were considered as the main causes of blindness, which accounted for 67.9%, 10.7%, and 7.1%, respectively. Cataract, refractive error, and age-related macular degeneration were always considered as the leading causes of low vision, which accounted for 66%, 14.7%, and 5.8%, respectively.Cataract, corneal opacity, and glaucoma were the main causes of blindness and low vision in the population aged 50 years or more. The prevalence of these diseases that causes blindness and low vision was higher than that reported in other studies.

Oncogenic alterations in the BRAF gene are identified in an estimate of 50% of melanomas and cause melanoma development. BRAF kinase inhibitors (BRAFi), including vemurafenib and dabrafenib, were discovered and used in the clinical treatment of BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma. Though, BRAFi's therapeutic advantages are short term and short-lived associated with drug resistance. Although a few pathways of developed BRAFi resistance have also been established, in approximately 40% of melanomas, the cause for inherited resistance remains unclear. Recognizing a new process of developed BRAFi resistance might provide new possibilities to successfully treat BRAF mutant melanoma. In this study, we are exploring the compensatory alternative pathway followed by BRAFi/MEKi treated resistant cell for maintaining the long-term integrity and survival.

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 5p15.33 as a susceptible locus for lung cancer. However, for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), low-frequency risk variants in this region have not been systematically studied. We intended to explore the associations between low-frequency variants on 5p15.33 and NSCLC using a next-generation sequencing based approach in this study. Methods We have acquisited the variation spectrum of 400 NSCLC patients on 5p15.33 by sequencing the targeted region before. Candidate variants were primarily selected by restricting the minor allele frequency (MAF 1–5%) and then by comparing their frequency in 400 NSCLC patients with 1008 East Asians from The genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). The associations between candidate variants and NSCLC were discovered and replicated in two case-control sets: discovery stage with 960 cases and 916 controls, and replication stage with 1596 cases and 1614 controls in total. Results Five low-frequency variants were selected as our candidates and subsequent association analyses showed that 2 polymorphisms were significantly associated with risk of NSCLC, including rs33963617 (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.53–0.76, P = 3.80 × 10−7) in TERT and rs77518573 (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.63–0.84, P = 2.00 × 10−5) in upstream of CLPTM1L. When stratified by histologic subtype, a significant association was only investigated in adenocarcinoma for rs77518573. We also observed an obvious cumulative effect of the two significant variants. Conclusions We newly identified two NSCLC related variants on chromosome 5p15.33. Both TERT-rs33963617 and CLPTM1L-rs77518573 conferred reduced risk for NSCLC in Chinese Han population.

The stock1 market is dynamic, noisy and hard to predict. In this paper, we explored four machine learning models using technical indicators as input features to predict the price trend 30 days later. The experimental dataset is Shanghai Stock Exchange(SSE) 50 index stocks. The result demonstrates that ANN performs better than the other three models and is promising to find some profitable patterns.

This paper reports on the use of gallium arsenide-based integrated passive device technology for the implementation of a miniaturized bandpass filter that incorporates an intertwined circle-shaped spiral inductor and an integrated center-located capacitor. Air-bridge structures were introduced to the outer inductor and inner capacitor for the purpose of space-saving, thereby yielding a filter with an overall chip area of 1178 &mu, m &times, 970 &mu, m. Thus, not only is the chip area minimized, but the magnitude of return loss is also improved as a result of selective variation of bridge capacitance. The proposed device possesses a single passband with a central frequency of 1.71 GHz (return loss: 32.1 dB), and a wide fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 66.63% (insertion loss: 0.50 dB). One transmission zero with an amplitude of 43.42 dB was obtained on the right side of the passband at 4.48 GHz. Owing to its miniaturized chip size, wide FBW, good out-band suppression, and ability to yield high-quality signals, the fabricated bandpass filter can be implemented in various L-band applications such as mobile services, satellite navigation, telecommunications, and aircraft surveillance.

The guarantee mechanism system of cultivating compound-type postgraduate talents is analyzed and studied by using the system science theory in this paper. In order to enhance the targeted and effectiveness of the measures for guarantee mechanism, we think the cultivation of compound-type postgraduate talents is a system, and the system structure model and feedback control model are constructed. In next, the guarantee mechanisms is also regarded as a system, the functions of guarantee mechanism system is analyzed, and the basic principles of guarantee mechanism are explored. Finally, a structural model of connotation system is constructed for the guarantee mechanism system of cultivating compound-type postgraduate talents from the aspects of ideology, organization, rules, teacher resources, hardware and information. The purpose of this paper is to clear the constructing thinking and find the optimization measures of guarantee mechanism.

To explore the application of gene chip technology in the acupuncture research so as to provide evidences for the mechanism of acupuncture for regulating bodies. The literature on the application of gene chip technology in the acupuncture field from 2001 to 2016 was collected in PubMed, Springer, CNKI and WANFANG databases, which was analyzed and summarized. There were some achievements of the technology for acupuncture research, focusing on the five aspects, including the study of the relationship between meridian-point and viscera, the influencing factors of acupuncture effect, the effect and mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, the mechanism of acupuncture anti-aging, the effect and mechanism of acupuncture for diseases of each system. Gene chip technology plays an important role in researching acupuncture mechanism. It is an important technology for genomics study of acupuncture. However, there are also some disadvantages such as high cost, deficient data mining, non-uniform observation objects, deficient professionals, etc. All those need further resolution so as to promote the application of this technology in the acupuncture researching field.