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Abstract To get new anti-hepatoma agents with anti-inflammatory activity and hypotoxicity, a series of dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones (BAPs, 25 – 82) were designed and synthesized. Many of them exhibited potential anti-hepatoma properties against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2, QGY-7703, SMMC-7721) and hypotoxicity for human normal heptical cell line (HHL-5, LO2), and prominently inhibited lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced IL-6, TNF-α secretion to exert its anti-inflammatory effect. Combining the data of cytotoxicity, cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory activity, 3-pyridyl and -CF 3 substituted 67 may be the potential anti-hepatoma agent. 67 effectively promoted cell apoptosis through up-regulating cleaved caspase-3 and Bax expression and down-regulating Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, 67 prominently inhibited NF-κB pathway activation by blocking the phosphorylation of IκBα, p65 and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB induced by TNF-α and LPS. In addition, 67 could reasonably bind to the active site of Bcl-2 and NF- κ B/p65 protein proved by Molecular docking analyses. Moreover, 67 significantly suppressed the growth and inflammatory response of HepG2 xenografts in nude mice and was relatively nontoxic to mice. These results suggest that 67 may be effective and hypotoxicity anti-hepatoma agent for the clinical treatment of liver cancers. Graphical abstract Fifty-eight dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones (BAPs) were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity. 3-Pyridyl and -CF 3 substituted 67 could be the most potential anti-hepatoma agents by inhibiting NF-κB pathway activation. In vivo , 67 suppressed the growth and inflammatory response of HepG2 xenografts and was relatively nontoxic to mice. Image 1 Highlights • Fifty-eight dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones (BAPs) were synthesized. • 3-Pyridyl and -CF 3 substituted 67 could be the most potential anti-hepatoma agents by inhibiting NF-κB pathway activation. • 67 showed good anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting nuclear translocation of NF-κB and phosphorylation of IκBα and p65. • 67 could reasonably bind to the active site of Bcl-2 and NF-κB/p65 protein proved by Molecular docking analyses. • In vivo , 67 suppressed the growth and inflammatory response of HepG2 xenografts and was relatively nontoxic to mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pretreatment increases benzenecarboxylic acid and alkanedioic acid yields sharply. • Methyl attached to aromatic rings is the active site of pretreatment. • Mellitic acid appears only in E 2 and E 3. To realize carbon neutrality in energy transition process, a two-step oxidation of Huolinhe lignite (HL) with less CO 2 emissions is proposed, including pretreatment with H 2 O 2 (PT) or pretreatment with Fenton's reagent (PTF) and further oxidation in aqueous sodium hypochlorite (ASHC). The results indicate that the insoluble macromolecular moieties in HL are mainly oxidized into alkanedioic acids (ADAs) and non-substituted benzenecarboxylic acids (NSBCAs) and the yield of soluble portion is elevated by PTF from 60.56 % to 74.99 %. The increase in the ADA carbon number indicates that PT and PTF could enhance the oxidation ability of ASHC to break bridged linkages with longer chains. As for NSBCAs, the carboxylic group number (CGN) ranges from 2 to 5 in E 1 and 2 to 6 in E 2 and E 3 , respectively. The absence of mellitic acid in E 1 states the limited oxidation capacity of ASHC to degrade highly condensed aromatic rings, which could be improved by PT and PTF. Moreover, the highest yield of NSBCAs is achieved at CGN = 2 in E 2 and CGN = 4 in E 3 , implying that PTF is more effective to destruct highly condensed aromatic species in HL. According to the characterizations of coal samples, PT could increase the volatile matter and oxygen contents of HL and create new micropores to corrode HL via OH attack, which would be enhanced by the introduction of Fe2+ during PTF to break weak covalent bonds, resulting in the preliminary degradation of macromolecular networks in HL. Then, cleavage of strong bonds undergoes easily via the attack of O 2 − generated from ASHC, leading to the deep decomposition of macromolecular moieties in HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The pretreatment with H 2 O 2 remarkably increases the yield of soluble species. • . OH attacks the weak >C-O-C< bonds to activate macromolecular structures in coals. • . OH and O 2 –. play a crucial part in the yield increase of oxidation products. • Pretreatment with H 2 O 2 has a synergistic effect with oxidation with NaOCl. Low rank coals are promising raw materials to afford oxygenated organic chemicals due to the high oxygen contents. This study reported a clean two-step coal oxidative degradation approach for low-carbon and high value-added chemical production. Oxidative degradation of Yima long flame coal (YLFC) was performed in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution (AHPS) to activate the aromatic ring structures in YLFC, followed by the further oxidation with aqueous sodium hypochlorite solution (ASHS) to degrade the macromolecular networks in YLFC into soluble portions. Meanwhile, oxidation of YLFC with ASHS was also performed to investigate the role of pretreatment with AHPS in the oxidative degradation of YLFC in ASHS. The results show that 95.5% of the macromolecular structure in YLFC was converted by the two-step oxidation, while the conversion rate of YLFC in ASHS is only 59.3%. Noteworthily, the pretreatment with AHPS is more effective to increase the yields of more valuable pentacarboxy benzene and mellitic acid compared with benzenecarboxylic acids with fewer carboxylic groups. The sharp increase in the yield of oxidation products by pretreatment with AHPS could be related to . OH produced from H 2 O 2 decomposition, which can break the weak oxygenated linkages and generate oxygenated functional groups. Thus, the activated aromatic ring structures and improved hydrophilicity of YLFC contribute to the deep decomposition of condensed aromatic rings caused by aggression of the reactive intermediate O 2 –. generated from ionization equilibriums in ASHC. The synergistic effect of the two-step oxidation leads to the complete degradation of macromolecular networks in YLFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PO increases the yields of BCAs, ADAs, and AAs sharply. • PO is more effective to afford BCAs with more carboxylic groups. • PO provides more active sites to significantly raise the yield of AAs and ADAs. • PO promotes the formation of –COOH from other oxygen-containing groups or bonds. • The formation of –COOH is the critical to increase the yield of oxidation products. Environmental concerns have led researches to investigate carbon neutral and sustainable strategies to satisfy well-being of present and future generations, in which coal oxidation becomes a promising approach to achieve this goal. In this study, Yima long flame coal (YLFC) was subjected to ruthenium-ion-catalyzed oxidation (RICO) after peroxidation with H 2 O 2 (PO). The results indicate that the organic matter in YLFC is mainly oxidized into benzenecarboxylic acids, accounting for 70.36% of all the oxidation products, and the yields of the valuable resulting carboxylic acids are significantly elevated by PO from 12.99 wt% to 35.06 wt%, leading to a higher utilization of carbon and lower CO 2 emission. Moreover, PO can enhance remarkably the reactivity of the macromolecular precursors of coals, especially highly condensed aromatic species to produce benzenepentacarboxylic acid and mellitic acid more efficiently with a 20-fold increase and 200-fold increase, which is ascribed to the formation of carboxyl groups from other oxygen-containing groups or bonds in coals via PO. The reactive intermediates OH and OOH generated from H 2 O 2 decomposition can attack the carbon atom of alkyl side chains, ether bonds, C=O bonds, and the bridged linkages to undergo a preliminary degradation of macromolecular networks in coals and produce more active sites for the subsequent RICO, leading to the yield and species number increase of carboxylic acids via PO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate whether BML-111 can exert protective effects on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis-associated lung injury (APALI) via activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant responsive element (ARE) signaling pathway. Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) was established by intraperitoneal injection of cerulein (50 μg/kg) seven times at hourly intervals and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/kg) once after the last dose of cerulein immediately. BML-111 (1 mg/kg) was administered 1 h before the first injection of cerulein. Samples were taken at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after the last injection. Pathologic lesions of the pancreas and lung tissues as well as the levels of serum amylase were analyzed; Myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) of lung tissue were determined. The findings revealed that the injuries of pancreas and lung were typically induced by cerulein. The administration of BML-111 reduced the levels of serum amylase, lung MPO, lung MDA, the wet-to-dry weight ratio, and the pathology injury scores of the lung and pancreas, which increased in the SAP group. The expressions of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, and activity of SOD in lung tissue increased in the BML-111 group compared with those in the SAP group. This study indicates that BML-111 may play a critical protective role in APALI induced by cerulein. The underlying mechanisms of protective role may be attributable to its antioxidant effects through the activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mg x Zn1−x O thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of post-annealing temperature on structural, optical, and electrical properties was investigated with the annealing temperatures increasing from 450 to 750°C. The crystallinity of Mg x Zn1−x O film annealed at 650°C was significantly improved while the film annealed at 750°C showed little improvement. The electrical properties degraded with the increase of annealing temperature. The annealing temperature seemed to impact the E g value of Mg x Zn1−x O thin films because of the variation of carrier concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cokes are rich in highly condensed aromatic rings, however, the current applications of cokes mainly focus on the thermal energy or carbon-rich structures, and the aromatic ring structures in cokes are underutilized, which are usually employed as feedstock to fabricate valuable fine chemicals and synthesized with complex steps. The pyrolysis temperatures have great impact on the structures of resulting cokes. It is necessary to learn about the structural features of cokes produced from different pyrolysis conditions to explore the optimal reaction conditions. This study reported an eco-friendly and efficient method, ruthenium ion-catalyzed oxidation, to utilize Guizhou cokes produced from different pyrolysis temperatures for green and value-added chemical production. The results indicate that arenecarboxylic acids account for more than 90% of all the oxidation products, in which mellitic acid could be up to more than 70%. Compared with previous studies, this is the highest mellitic acid yield achieved in the oxidation products of fossil resources, indicating that cokes show good performance for the clean production of mellitic acid. The ruthenium ion-catalyzed oxidation product distribution demonstrates that 1,200 °C is a turning point during coking of Guizhou coals and the structure and reactivity of Guizhou coke 1,200 deviate from the expected variation tendency, which is related to the inverse influence of pyrolysis temperatures on condensation degree and ash property of cokes. Effect of pyrolysis temperatures on aromatic structures and reactivity of Guizhou cokes was also discussed further. Image 1 • Cokes show great potential as feedstock for producing mellitic acid via RICO. • 1200 °C is a turning point for the structure and reactivity of Guizhou cokes. • The pyrolysis temperature will greatly affect the yield of mellitic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Arenecarboxylic acids were produced in high yields by oxidizing SCPs with ASHC. • The CAR structures in CPs suppress the formation of chlorine-substituted compounds. • O 2 − plays a crucial role in oxidizing ARs in SCPs to arenecarboxylic acids. • Conjugation effect and electron-withdrawing effect affect the product distribution. Char powders (CPs) are a promising feedstock for producing benzenecarboxylic acids (BCAs) due to their abundant condensed aromatic rings. An innovative exploration on the related mechanisms for oxidation and chlorination was attempted to guide the production of target BCAs in higher yields. The results declare that Shenmu CPs were converted to valuable BCAs in the yield of 16.2%. According to the product distribution, the total relative content (4.3%) of chlorine-substituted alkanoic acids (CSAAs) is much higher than that (0.2%) of alkanoic acids, while the result of chlorine-substituted BCAs is just the opposite and no chlorine-substituted arenecarboxylic acids with multiple aromatic rings (ARs) were produced. All the CSAAs have only short-chains. Carboxylic groups (CGs) tend to be chlorinated, but the steric effect of benzene ring leads to the inertness of most BCAs towards chlorination. The conjugation effect between CGs and ARs facilitates degrading condensed aromatics by stabilizing aryl radical intermediates. Thereby, the activity towards chlorination decreases with increasing the number of CGs, condensation degree, and carbon numbers in the aliphatic chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Retrospective study., Objectives: The study aimed to develop and authenticated a deep learning model based on X-ray images to accurately diagnose fresh thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures., Summary of Background Data: In clinical practice, diagnosing fresh vertebral compression fractures often requires MRI. However, due to the scarcity of MRI resources and the high time and economic costs involved, some patients may not receive timely diagnosis and treatment. Using a deep learning model combined with X-rays for diagnostic assistance could potentially serve as an alternative to MRI., Methods: In this study, the main collection included X-ray images suspected of thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures from the municipal shared database between December 2012 and February 2024. Deep learning models were constructed using frameworks of EfficientNet, MobileNet, and MnasNet respectively. We conducted a preliminary evaluation of the deep learning model using the validation set. The diagnostic performance of the models was evaluated using metrics such as AUC value, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, precision, and ROC curve. Finally, the deep learning models were compared with evaluations from two spine surgeons of different experience levels on the control set., Results: This study included a total of 3025 lateral X-ray images from 2224 patients. The dataset was divided into a training set of 2388 cases, a validation set of 482 cases, and a control set of 155 cases. In the validation set, the three groups of DL models had accuracies of 83.0%, 82.4%, and 82.2%, respectively. The AUC values were 0.861, 0.852, and 0.865, respectively. In the control set, the accuracies of the three groups of DL models were 78.1%, 78.1%, and 80.7%, respectively, all higher than spinal surgeons and significantly higher than junior spine surgeon., Conclusion: This study developed deep learning models for detecting fresh vertebral compression fractures, demonstrating high accuracy., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest declaration: The authors declare that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bile acids (BAs) exert a profound influence on the body's pathophysiology by intricately shaping the composition of gut bacteria. However, the complex interplay between BAs and gut microbiota has impeded a systematic exploration of their impact on intestinal bacteria. Initially, we investigated the effects of 21 BAs on the growth of 65 gut bacterial strains in vitro. Subsequently, we examined the impact of BAs on the overall composition of intestinal bacteria, both in vivo and in vitro. The results unveiled distinct effects of various BAs on different intestinal strains and their diverse impacts on the composition of gut bacteria. Mechanistically, the inhibition of intestinal strains by BAs occurs through the accumulation of these acids within the strains. The intracellular accumulation of deoxycholic acid (DCA) significantly influenced the growth of intestinal bacteria by impacting ribosome transcription and amino-acid metabolism. The metabolomic analysis underscores the pronounced impact of DCA on amino-acid profiles in both in vivo and in vitro settings. This study not only elucidates the effects of BAs on a diverse range of bacterial strains and their role in shaping the gut microbiota but also reveals underlying mechanisms essential for understanding and maintaining a healthy gut microbiota., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Locusta migratoria is an important phytophagous pest, and its gut microbial communities play an important role in cellulose degradation. In this study, the gut microbial and cellulose digestibility dynamics of Locusta migratoria were jointly analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and anthrone colorimetry. The results showed that the gut microbial diversity and cellulose digestibility across life stages were dynamically changing. The species richness of gut bacteria was significantly higher in eggs than in larvae and imago, the species richness and cellulose digestibility of gut bacteria were significantly higher in early larvae (first and second instars) than in late larvae (third to fifth instars), and the diversity of gut bacteria and cellulose digestibility were significantly higher in imago than in late larvae. There is a correlation between the dynamics of gut bacterial communities and cellulose digestibility. Enterobacter , Lactococcus, and Pseudomonas are the most abundant genera throughout all life stages. Six strains of highly efficient cellulolytic bacteria were screened, which were dominant gut bacteria. Carboxymethyl cellulase activity (CMCA) and filter paper activity (FPA) experiments revealed that Pseudomonas had the highest cellulase enzyme activity. This study provides a new way for the screening of cellulolytic bacteria and lays the foundation for developing insects with significant biomass into cellulose-degrading bioreactors., Importance: Cellulose is the most abundant and cheapest renewable resource in nature, but its degradation is difficult, so finding efficient cellulose degradation methods is an urgent challenge. Locusta migratoria is a large group of agricultural pests, and the large number of microorganisms that inhabit their intestinal tracts play an important role in cellulose degradation. We analyzed the dynamics of Locusta migratoria gut microbial communities and cellulose digestibility using a combination of high-throughput sequencing technology and anthrone colorimetry. The results revealed that the gut microbial diversity and cellulose digestibility were dynamically changed at different life stages. In addition, we explored the intestinal bacterial community of Locusta migratoria across life stages and its correlation with cellulose digestibility. The dominant bacterial genera at different life stages of Locusta migratoria were uncovered and their carboxymethyl cellulase activity (CMCA) and filter paper activity (FPA) were determined. This study provides a new avenue for screening cellulolytic bacteria and lays the foundation for developing insects with significant biomass into cellulose-degrading bioreactors., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

In order to study the effects of temperature, wind speed, and leakage volume on the diffusion of heavy gas leakage, this paper establishes a scaling model for the experimental study of gas leakage and diffusion by using the similarity theory with a certain factory as the target. And carbon dioxide gas is selected to replace the toxic and harmful heavy gas to carry out experiments under different temperatures (0-40 °C), wind speeds (0-2 m/s), and leakage velocities (2.5-12.5 L/min), respectively. The results showed that the diffusion rate of heavy gas expanded with increasing temperature under the conditions of wind speed of 0.25 m/s and leakage velocity of 1.5 L/min. When the temperature was increased from 0 to 40 °C, the concentration increase at each location was 125-290% at 600 s. Under the condition of temperature of 20 °C and leakage velocity of 5 L/min, the concentration at each location increased linearly with diffusion time when there was wind, while the linear relationship was not obvious when there was no wind. The effect on the concentration was larger when the wind speed was less than 1 m/s and smaller when the wind speed was greater than 1 m/s. At 20 °C and a wind speed of 0.5 m/s, the concentration of carbon dioxide at each location was increasing as the leakage increased. As the leakage velocity increases from 2.5 to 12.5 L/min, the carbon dioxide concentration at 600 s spreads 2-14 times. The research in this paper provides some decision support for the rescue work, which is important for improving the emergency rescue capability of the leakage accident., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered the most prevalent synchronous malignancy in patients with gastric cancer. This large retrospective study aims to clarify correlations between gastric histopathology stages and risks of specific colorectal neoplasms, to optimize screening and reduce preventable CRC., Methods: Clinical data of 36,708 patients undergoing gastroscopy and colonoscopy from 2005-2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Correlations between gastric and colorectal histopathology were assessed by multivariate analysis. Outcomes of interest included non-adenomatous polyps (NAP), conventional adenomas (CAs), serrated polyps (SPs), and CRC. Statistical analysis used R version 4.0.4., Results: Older age (≥50 years) and Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI) were associated with increased risks of conventional adenomas (CAs), serrated polyps (SPs), non-adenomatous polyps (NAP), and colorectal cancer (CRC). Moderate to severe intestinal metaplasia specifically increased risks of NAP and CAs by 1.17-fold (95% CI 1.05-1.3) and 1.19-fold (95% CI 1.09-1.31), respectively. For CRC risk, low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia increased risk by 1.41-fold (95% CI 1.08-1.84), while high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (OR 3.76, 95% CI 2.25-6.29) and gastric cancer (OR 4.81, 95% CI 3.25-7.09) showed strong associations. More advanced gastric pathology was correlated with progressively higher risks of CRC., Conclusion: Precancerous gastric conditions are associated with increased colorectal neoplasm risk. Our findings can inform screening guidelines to target high-risk subgroups, advancing colorectal cancer prevention and reducing disease burden., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pan, Zhang, Fang, Chen, He, Zheng and Li.)

In this study, we conducted molecular dynamic simulations to investigate the thermal expansion behavior of Janus MoSSe nanotubes. We focused on understanding how the intrinsic strain in these nanotubes affects their thermal expansion coefficient (TEC). Interestingly, we found that Janus MoSSe nanotubes with sulfur (S) on the outer surface (MoSeS) exhibit a different intrinsic strain compared to those with selenium (Se) on the outer surface (MoSSe). In light of this observation, we explored the influence of this intrinsic strain on the TEC of the nanotubes. Our results revealed distinct trends for the TEC along the radial direction (TEC- r ) and the axial direction (TEC- l x ) of the MoSSe and MoSeS nanotubes. The TEC- r of MoSeS nanotubes was found to be significantly greater than that of MoSSe nanotubes. Moreover, the TEC- l x of MoSeS nanotubes was smaller than that of MoSSe nanotubes. Further analysis showed that the TEC- r of MoSeS nanotubes decreased by up to 37% as the radius increased, while that of MoSSe nanotubes exhibited a slight increase with increasing radius. On the other hand, the TEC- l x of MoSeS nanotubes increased by as much as 45% with increasing radius, whereas that of MoSSe nanotubes decreased gradually. These opposite tendencies of the TECs with respect to the radius were attributed to the presence of intrinsic strain within the nanotubes. The intrinsic strain was found to play a crucial role in inducing thermally induced bending and elliptization of the nanotubes' cross-section. These effects are considered key mechanisms through which intrinsic strain influences the TEC. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the thermal stability of Janus nanotubes. By understanding the relationship between intrinsic strain and the thermal expansion behavior of nanotubes, we contribute to the broader understanding of these materials and their potential applications., (© 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Gastric cancer (GC) is a prominent global health issue, as it ranks as the fifth most prevalent type of cancer and the fourth most significant cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although H. pylori is known to play a role in the development of GC, genetic factors also play a role in its onset and progression. Recent studies have shown that genetic polymorphisms are strongly associated with the development of GC and that certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis and prevention. Epigenetic disturbances, such as DNA methylation, are involved in the development of GC, and mutations in the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) gene have been found to increase the risk of GC. However, previous findings on the association between DNMTs SNPs and GC risk have been inconsistent. In this study, an updated meta-analysis of three well-studied and controversial DNMTs polymorphic loci, DNMT1 rs16999593, DNMT3A rs1550117 and DNMT3B rs1569686, was performed to provide more reliable results. It was found that DNMT1 rs16999593 was not associated with GC, DNMT3A rs1550117 may have a positive association with GC risk, and DNMT3B rs1569686 may be a protective factor for GC. These findings may provide valuable information for early diagnosis and prevention of GC, but further studies are needed to confirm these results., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Preventing wound infection is a major challenge in biomedicine. Conventional wound dressings often have poor moisturizing and antimicrobial properties unfavorable for wound healing. In this study, we prepared a multifunctional electrospun nanofiber dressing (PCQX-M) containing xyloglucan, quaternized chitosan, Polyvinyl alcohol, and collagen. By applying the concept of wet healing, xyloglucan and quaternized chitosan polysaccharides with excellent water solubility were employed to improve the absorption and moisturizing properties and maintain a moist microenvironment for the wound healing process. PCQX-M demonstrated high mechanical, thermodynamic, and biocompatible properties, providing suitable healing conditions for wounds. In addition, PCQX-M showed exceptional antibacterial properties and a potential inhibitory effect on the growth of microorganisms in infected wounds. More intriguingly, the restorative healing effect was investigated on a mouse model of whole skin injury infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Wound healing, collagen deposition, and immunofluorescence results showed that PCQX-M significantly promoted cell proliferation and angiogenesis at the injury site and facilitated the healing of the infected wound. Our study suggests that PCQX-M has excellent potential for clinical application in infected wound healing., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work. No competing financial interest exits in the submission of this manuscript, and manuscript is approved by all authors for publication. The authors claim that none of the material in the paper has been published previously, or is under consideration for publication elsewhere., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The name Striatochrista nom. n. is introduced as replacement for Striatella Volynkin & S.-Y. Huang, 2019. A new genus, Letrasilta S.-Y. Huang & Volynkin gen. n. is erected to include the Striatella cernyi species-group with the new species, L. ratnasambhava S.-Y. Huang, Volynkin & Yin sp. n. from Xizang, southwestern China designated as the type species. Based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis, the new genus is found to be sister to the clade (Aberrasine + ((Indiania + Idopterum) + Striatochrista nom. n.)) but is distinguished from all the relevant genera by the unique genitalia features. Letrasilta cernyi (Volynkin, 2018) comb. n. is also reported from India for the first time. Adults and genitalia of the aforementioned taxa are illustrated. A checklist of the genus Striatochrista is also provided.

To eliminate internal defects of grains developed during melt-cast charging, the formation mechanism and the trend of crystal morphology of internal defects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and 2,4-dinitroanisole-based melt-cast explosives under different process conditions were simulated. The effects of solidification treatment on melt-cast explosive molding quality were investigated by combining pressurized feeding, head insulation, and water bath cooling. The single pressurized treatment technology results showed that grains were exposed to layer-by-layer solidification from outside to inside, resulting in V-shaped shrink areas of the contract cavity in the core. The defect area was proportional to the treatment temperature. However, the combination of treatment technologies, such as head insulation and water bath cooling, promoted longitudinal gradient solidification of the explosive and controllable migration of its internal defects. Moreover, the combined treatment technologies effectively improved the heat transfer efficiency of the explosive with the help of a water bath to reduce the solidification time, thus achieving highly efficient equal-material manufacturing of microdefect or zero-defect grains., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

A new species of the genus Hamodes Guenée, 1852, Hamodes zhipengi sp. nov. is described and illustrated from China. The species resembles H. pseudobutleri Wei & Wang, 2019 but differs in wings ground colour; and male genitalia with differently shaped valvae, ampullae and armature of vesica. DNA barcode of the new species and relatives are deposited in GenBank. The holotype is deposited in the Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou.

A new species Eterusia sinoraja Huang & Horie sp. n. is described from western Sichuan Province, western China. The comparison is made with the reminiscent E. raja Moore, 1859 from northeastern India. The adult and genitalia of both sexes of the aforementioned taxa are illustrated.

Objective: To analyze the clinical effect of rotator cuff repair and small incision rotator cuff repair under the total arthroscopy in elderly patients with rotator cuff injury., Methods: A total of 60 elderly patients with rotator cuff injury from January 2017 to November 2018 were selected as the research objects, including 37 males and 23 females;aged from 61 to 77 years old with an average of (63.45±12.34) years old;disease duration ranged from 6 to 12 months, with an average of (5.32±1.02 ) months;29 cases on the left side and 31 cases on the right side. Among them, 30 patients underwent total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (observation group), 30 patients underwent small-incision rotator cuff repair(control group). The scores of University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) shoulder rating scale, before and after surgery in the two groups were observed and recorded. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons(ASES) score, Constant-Murley score, shoulder flexion range of motion, external rotation range of motion, abduction range of motion, visual analogue scale(VAS) within 72 hours after surgery, as well as the complcations were compared., Results: The postoperative UCLA score, ASES score and Constant-Murley score between two groups were significantly higher than those before operation ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative UCLA, ASES and Constant-Murley score between two groups ( P >0.05). The shoulder flexion range of motion, external rotation range of motion and abduction range of motion between two groups were significantly higher than those before operation ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups after operation ( P >0.05). The VAS at 24, 48 and 72 h after operation in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group ( P <0.05). The total incidence of complications in observation group(13.33%, 4/30) was sinificantly lower( P <0.05)than that in control group(33.33%, 10/30)., Conclusion: Total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and small incision rotator cuff repair can improve the shoulder function after rotator cuff injury in elderly, but the degree of pain and complications within 72 hours after total arthroscopic rotator cuff repair are significantly better than small incision rotator cuff repair, which can be selected according to the clinical situation and needs of patients.

A brief taxonomic review of the lithosiinid genus Ammathella Volynkin, 2019 is presented. Three new species of the genus Ammathella Volynkin, 2019 are described from Motuo County, southeast Xizang: A.longicornuta S.-Y. Huang, Yin & Volynkin, sp. nov. , A.lhoba S.-Y. Huang, Yin & Volynkin, sp. nov. , and A.monpa S.-Y. Huang, Yin & Volynkin, sp. nov. A key to the species of the genus is provided. Adults and genitalia of both sexes are illustrated., (Xiong-Yan Yin, Anton V. Volynkin, Yu-Long Zhang, En-Yong Chen, Si-Yao Huang, Zhao-Hui Pan.)

A new species of the genus Neopheosia Matsumura, 1920, N. pseudofasciata sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Fujian province. The species resembles N. fasciata (Moore, 1888) but differs in a forewing pattern in M3 cell; diagnostic differences are observed in genitalia characters as well. DNA barcode data of the new species and its relatives are deposited in GenBank. A key to the Neopheosia species based on morphology is presented. The holotype is deposited in the Department of Entomology, College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou.

Enterobacteria that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) are common in our environment and known to cause serious health implications in humans and animals. β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins and monobactams are the most commonly used anti-bacterials in both humans and animals, however, Gram negative bacteria (such as E. coli) that produces extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) have the ability to hydrolyze most β-lactams therefore making them resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Recent extensive researches on the epidemiology and genetic characteristics of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli reported the existence of ESBL-producing E. coli in humans, companion animals and poultry. Therefore, this experiment was performed to investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of β-lactamase producing E. coli isolated from beef cattle farms in the Sichuan-Chongqing circle of China. Phenotypic confirmation of ESBL-producing E. coli was performed using the double disk synergy test. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to detect bla CTX-M , bla SHV and bla TEM gene codes, then after, isolates were divided into different phylogenetic groups and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). The results showed that out of the 222 E. coli strains isolated from the beef cattle, 102 strains showed ESBL phenotypes. The PCR results showed that bla CTX-M was the predominant ESBL gene identified among the E. coli strains with 21 (9.5%) isolates having this gene, followed by bla SHV which was found in 18 (8.1%) isolates. The majority of these ESBL positive isolates were assigned to phylogroup A (19.8%) followed by phylogroup B1 (13.5%). In addition, from the MLST results on ESBL positive isolates (n = 30) we identified 19 STs, ST398 (ST398cplx) and ST7130 which were the prevalent population (20%). In conclusion, the high prevalence of CTX-M, and SHV in the study confirmed its association with E. coli infection; therefore, this calls for health concerns on ESBL-producing E. coli. As far as we know, this is the first comprehensive research report relating to ESBL-producing E. coli incidence in Chinese beef cattle.

Serratia marcescens strain ZZCCN01 was isolated from the cardiac blood of a dead beef cow with a lung infection and a foam-like secretion from the nostril. Here, we introduce the 5.1-Mb draft genome sequence, which comprises 105 scaffolds, and the corresponding annotation., (Copyright © 2020 Zhang et al.)

Chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric aldehyde prenylation has been established using an α,α-dimethyl allyl boronic ester. The transformation provides expedient access to a wide array of aryl, heteroaryl, aryl-substituted alkenyl and primary and secondary aliphatic homoprenyl alcohols with excellent asymmetric induction. The utility of this asymmetric catalysis strategy has been demonstrated through a short and efficient total synthesis of the two natural products (-)-rosiridol and (-)-bifurcadiol.

Iron oxide nanoparticles are nanomaterials that are used extensively in the biomedical field, but they are associated with adverse effects, including mitochondrial toxicity. Mitochondrial homeostasis is achieved through dynamic stability based on two sets of antagonistic balanced processes: mitochondrial biogenesis and degradation as well as mitochondrial fission and fusion. In this study, we showed that PEG-COOH-coated Fe 3 O 4 (PEG-Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles induced mitochondrial instability in dendritic cells (DCs) by impairing mitochondrial dynamics due to promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis through activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α) pathway, inhibiting mitochondrial degradation via decreased autophagy, and facilitating mitochondrial fragmentation involving increased levels of DRP1 and MFN2. The resulting reduced levels of dextran uptake, CD80, CD86 and chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) suggested that PEG-Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles impaired the functionally immature state of DCs. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) alleviated PEG-Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticle-induced mitochondrial instability and impairment of the functionally immature state of DCs due to unexpected enhancement of PGC1α/MFN2-mediated coordination of mitochondrial biogenesis and fusion., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Pot experiment with winter wheat was conducted to investigate the effects of blended nitrogen (N) fertilizer (slow-release fertilizer-N:urea-N=1:1) combined with N fertilizer inhibitor NAM on soil ammonium (NH 4 + -N), nitrate (NO 3 - -N), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and fixed-ammonium (FN) contents. We analyzed dynamic characteristics of soil mineral N, MBN, FN pools under different treatments. There were six treatments, including no N fertilizer (CK), conventional urea (U), blended N fertilizer (MU), MU plus 2.5‰ NAM (MUN 1 ), MU plus 5‰ NAM (MUN 2 ), and MU plus 7.5‰ NAM (MUN 3 ). Our results showed that, compared to that of MU treatment, MUN 2 and MUN 3 delayed the appearance time of NH 4 + -N peak. Averaged across the whole wheat growing period, soil mineral N content for NAM treatments decreased by 5.3%-11.7%. From tillering to maturity stage, MBN mineralization and mineralization rates were 38.96 mg·kg -1 and 91.5%, which was higher than that of U treatment; MBN mineralization and mineralization rates for MUN 1 , MUN 2 and MUN 3 treatments were 58.73 mg·kg -1 , 83.3%, 94.20 mg·kg -1 , 94.6%, 104.46 mg·kg -1 and 96.3%, respectively. The FA mineralization release for NAM treatments were higher by 2.83-9.19 mg·kg -1 than that of MU treatment. The results of path analysis showed that NAM addition weakened the direct effect of soil NH 4 + -N pool on NO 3 - -N pool but enhanced the indirect effects of FN pool on NO 3 - -N pool through affecting NH 4 + -N pool. The wheat grain yields of the MUN 1 , MUN 2 and MUN 3 treatments were significantly higher by 31.6%, 21.5% and 22.9% than that of MU treatment. Nitrogen use efficiencies were increased by 8.1%, 13.5% and 3.1%, respectively. In summary, through double regulation for N release and transformation in soil, NAM delayed the appearance time of soil NH 4 + -N peak and retarded its transformation into NO 3 - -N, and increased the roles of MBN and FN in supplying N, thereby increased crop yield and N-fertilizer use efficiency.

A new species of the genus is described from Zhejiang, China in this paper. The new species Criotettix zhejiangensis sp. nov. is similar to Criotettix strivertexoides Zheng, Wei Li, 2009, but differs in antennae placed the lower margin of eye, head exserted above the pronotal surface, lateral keels in prozona slightly contracted backward, upper margin of pronotum not waved in lateral view, width of tegmen 1.2 times width of mid leg femur and lower side of hind femur not black. The new species is also similar to Criotettix strivertex Zheng, Wei Li, 2009, it differs from latter by head exserted above the pronotal surface, upper margin of pronotum not waved in lateral view, lower side of mid femur straight, width of tegmen 1.2 times width of mid leg femur and length of hind femur 3.1 times its width. The type specimens are deposited in the College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China.

In acidic Cd-contaminated soils, soil nitrogen conversion is inhibited and usually block nitrogen supply for plants. Earthworms are well known for improving soil properties and regulating various soil biogeochemical processes including nitrogen cycling. To figure out the effect and mechanisms of earthworms on soil nitrogen transformation in Cd-contaminated soil, ten treatments with and without A. robustus in five soil Cd concentration gradients were established. The tolerant concentration of A. robustus to Cd in the acidic soil is about 6 mg kg -1 . The potential ammonia oxidation of the acidic soils was very low, ranging from 0.05 to 0.1 µg NO 2 - -N g -1 d -1 . Although AOA was more abundant in the acidic soil than AOB, AOA was inhibited by Cd pollution, while AOB showed some increase under Cd-stress. AOA may play a dominant role in ammonia oxidation in acidic soil, but the recovery of nitrification in Cd-contaminated acidic soil was probably due to the effect of AOB. Earthworms significantly increased soil pH, DOC, ammonium and PAO, thus promoted soil ammonification and potential nitrification, but had no significant effect on soil net nitrification. Correlation analysis results demonstrate that earthworms may promote soil PAO by increasing soil pH, NH 4 + -N content, and AOB abundance. This study could provide a theoretical basis for solving the problem of nitrogen-cycling-functional degradation and nitrogen supply in the process of phytoremediation of heavy metals-contaminated soils., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Irrigation is the main source of soil water in greenhouse. There is a lack of understanding on the effects of drip irrigation under the plastic film on the distribution characteristics of soil nutrients, enzyme activity and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) in soil aggregates. The effects of different irrigation low limits (20 kPa, D 20 ; 30 kPa, D 30 ; 40 kPa, D 40 ) on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), urease activity, invertase activity and GRSP in soil aggregates were investigated under the greenhouse with the continuously six years' irrigation. The results showed that compared with D 20 and D 40 treatments, D 30 treatment significantly decreased the proportion of micro-aggregate (<0.25 mm), increased the proportion of macro-aggregate (>0.25 mm), and improved the mean mass diameter (MWD) by 26.4% and 13.4%, respectively. The concentrations of SOC, TN, TP and GRSP were relatively higher in 2-1 mm, 1-0.25 mm, and <0.053 mm aggregates. About 46.5% of SOC, 53.3% of TN and 37.7% of TP were distributed in the 1-0.25 mm aggregates. The urease and invertase activities were increased with the decreases in the size of aggregates, which were significantly increased in D 30 and D 40 treatments. The 1-0.25 mm aggregates had highest contributions to enzyme activities, with 38.7% of urease and 41.2% of invertase in bulk soil. Results from the correlation analysis showed that MWD was highly positively correlated with GRSP, SOC and urease activity, and the concentration of GRSP was highly positively correlated with SOC and urease activity. Therefore, the irrigation low limits of 30 kPa promoted soil aggregate stability and protection of soil aggregates to nutrients, enzyme activities and GRSP in greenhouse.

A new species (i.e. Bryodemella (s. str.) rufifemura sp. nov. from China is described in this paper. It is similar to Bryodemella (s. str.) diamesum (Bei-Bienko, 1930), but differs from the latter by red inner side of hind femur, median keel of pronotum indistinct in metazoan, and vertical diameter of eye shorter than subocular groove in female.  The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University (MHU), China.

Objective: To investigate the effect of thrombocytopenia on the migration patterns of adoptive dendritic cell(DC) in vivo., Methods: The mouse model of thrombocytopenia was established by intraperitoneal administration of anti-CD41 mAb MWReg30. Mouse bone marrow(BM)-derived DC were injected into thrombocytopenia mouse by footpad infusion and intravenous infusion. The DC migration and distribution pattern were detected by bioluminescence imaging., Results: More than 80% platelets were cleared in the experimental group which was infused with anti-CD41 antibody. At 72 h after injection, the percentage of injected DC that migrated from footpad to popliteal lymph nodes(PLNs) and inguinal lymph nodes(ILNs) were (0.32±0.02)% and (0.02±0.01)% in experimental group, and (0.27±0.15)% and (0.02±0.02)% in control group, respectively. Statistic data showed that there was no statistical difference between these 2 groups (P>0.05). The issue distribution pattern of intravenously injected DC between experimental group and control group were not distinctly different, and large amounts of injected DC accumulated in the spleen, liver draining lymph-nodes lungs and liver., Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia has not a distinct effect on the migratory capacity and tissue distribution of DC by either footpad or intravenous injection.

Using outdoor exposure and cinnamon soil incubation test, by quality changes, infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopic scanning technology, to research the degradation ability of self-developed coated fertilizer films. The results of outdoor exposure and cinnamon soil incubation test showed that all films had certain degradation ability, and the degradation rate increased with the increase of time. Under two kinds of test conditions, the highest degradation rate could reach above 35%. The degradation ability of film citric acid/ PVA was much stronger than epoxy resin/PVA. The degradation ability of citric acid/PVA/diatomite composite film materials was further enhanced because of the addition of diatomite. The epoxy resin/PVA composite film materials, although they had certain degradability, compared to the contrast, the difference was not significant, and adding diatomite can't obviously increase the degradation rate. The results of IR spectroscopy showed that some major functional groups, such as C==O, C==C, ==C--H would be reduced after degradation, and the transmission rate also increased, which showed that the degradation of composite film materials must be happened Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface becomes rough and uneven, and it also meant the films have some degradation. The results of IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were consistent with the results of quality change test, and could more objectively represent the degradability of film material. Modified film materials can effectively control nutrient release without causing harm to the soil environment, so it is suitable for the film materials of coated fertilizer.

Objective: Endoscopies are common clinical examinations that are somewhat painful and even cause fear and anxiety for patients. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to determine the effect of music on patients undergoing various endoscopic procedures., Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, Issue 6, 2013, PubMed, and EMBASE databases up to July 2013. Randomized controlled trials comparing endoscopies, with and without the use of music, were included. Two authors independently abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine the impact of music on different types of endoscopic procedures., Results: Twenty-one randomized controlled trials involving 2,134 patients were included. The overall effect of music on patients undergoing a variety of endoscopic procedures significantly improved pain score (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-2.53, -0.53]), anxiety (WMD = -6.04, 95% CI [-9.61, -2.48]), heart rate (P = 0.01), arterial pressure (P < 0.05), and satisfaction score (SMD = 1.83, 95% CI [0.76, 2.91]). Duration of the procedure (P = 0.29), except for gastrointestinal endoscopy (P = 0.03), and sedative or analgesic medication dose (P = 0.23, P = 0.12, respectively) were not significantly decreased in the music group, compared with the control group. Furthermore, music had little effect for patients undergoing colposcopy and bronchoscopy in the subanalysis., Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggested that music may offer benefits for patients undergoing endoscopy, except in colposcopy and bronchoscopy., (Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aim: To investigate the roles of Golgi protein (GP) 73 in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis., Methods: Stealth RNAi targeting GP73 gene sequence was used to silence its expression in Hep G2 cells and Bel7402 cells. Stealth RNAi effects were assessed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and ELISA. Cell proliferation assay and cell cycle analysis were assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy. Apoptosis-related proteins were assessed by western immunoblot analysis., Results: Stealth RNAi targeting GP73 gene sequence markedly reduced the expression of GP73 gene. The reduction of GP73 in Hep G2 cells and Bel7402 cells inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, however, terminal apoptosis occurred in Hep G2 cells, but early apoptosis occurred in Bel7402 cells. Reduced expression of GP73 gene might lead to a reduction in Bcl-2/Bax ratio, an increase in cytochrome c, but a reduction in capase-3., Conclusion: GP73 might play an important role in proliferation and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Aim: To explore the efficacy of PCI-24781, a broad-spectrum, hydroxamic acid-derived histone deacetylase inhibitor, in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC)., Methods: With or without treatment of PCI-24781 and/or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP), GC cell lines were subjected to functional analysis, including cell growth, apoptosis and clonogenic assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were used to determine the interacting molecules and the activity of the enzyme. An in vivo study was carried out in GC xenograft mice. Cell culture-based assays were represented as mean ± SD. ANOVA tests were used to assess differences across groups. All pairwise comparisons between tumor weights among treatment groups were made using the Tukey-Kramer method for multiple comparison adjustment to control experimental-wise type I error rates. Significance was set at P < 0.05., Results: PCI-24781 significantly reduced the growth of the GC cells, enhanced cell apoptosis and suppressed clonogenicity, and these effects synergized with the effects of CDDP. PCI-24781 modulated the cell cycle and significantly reduced the expression of RAD51, which is related to homologous recombination. Depletion of RAD51 augmented the biological functions of PCI-24781, CDDP and the combination treatment, whereas overexpressing RAD51 had the opposite effects. Increased binding of the transcription suppressor E2F4 on the RAD51 promoter appeared to play a major role in these processes. Furthermore, significant suppression of tumor growth and weight in vivo was obtained following PCI-24781 treatment, which synergized with the anticancer effect of CDDP., Conclusion: These data suggest that RAD51 potentiates the synergistic effects of chemotherapy with PCI-24781 and CDDP on GC.

Tropospheric ozone (O3) has been assumed the most phytotoxic air pollutant and the snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is known to be an ozone-sensitive species. Two genotypes (R123, ozone-tolerance, S156, ozone-sensitivity) of snap bean were explored in three places. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the snap bean was influenced under the current ambient ozone concentration. The findings indicated that the leaves of bean grown at Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences and ChangPing showed visible ozone symptoms under the ambient ozone concentration, and the averaged ozone injury proportion in S156 was 23.5% higher than R123 during the entire growth season. The ozone damage to the snap bean depends on the plant growing stages. The injury symptoms appeared just after flowering, increased from the stages of flowering to pod formation, and reached the maximum at the stages of pod maturation. The ratio of S156/R123 in pod yield was 0.48, and 0.24 and 0.73 in the RCEES, ChangPing and Harbin, respectively. The ratio close to 1 was assumed that the plant growth is not affected by ozone, and the lower ratio is, the more damage caused by ozone. Obviously, the current ambient ozone concentration of Beijing area has significantly caused the yield loss of snap bean.

Aim: To conduct a network meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of different chemotherapy regimens for patients with gastric cancer., Methods: PubMed (1966-2011.12), the Cochrane Library (2011 Issue 2) and EMBASE (1974-2011.12) were searched with the terms "gastric cancer" and "chemotherapy", as well as the medical subject headings. References from relevant articles and conferences were also included. Patients who had previous gastric surgery, radiation before or after surgery or chemotherapy before surgery were excluded. In this study, only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered, and the end-point was the overall mortality. Direct comparisons were performed using traditional meta-analysis whereas indirect comparisons were performed using network meta-analysis., Results: In total, 31 RCTs with 7120 patients were included. Five chemotherapy regimens, fluorouracil (FU) + BCNU, FU + methyl-CCNU (mCCNU), FU + cisplatin, FU + anthracyclines and FU + mitomycin c (MMC) + cytarabine (Ara-c), were found to be less beneficial in terms of overall mortality. In contrast, four chemotherapy regimens were effective for the patients after surgery, including FU + MMC + adriamycin (FMA), FU + MMC (FM), Tegafur and MMC, There was no significant difference in terms of overall mortality among these regimens. The evidence for the FM regimen and MMC regimen was poor. Additionally, the FMA regimen, which includes a variety of chemotherapy drugs and causes many side effects, was not better than the Tegafur regimen., Conclusion: Although the four chemotherapy regimens were effective in patients with gastric cancer after surgery and the overall mortality revealed no significant difference among them in the network meta-analysis, thorough analysis of the results recommends Tegafur as the first-line adjuvant chemotherapy regimen for patients after complete resection.

Field experiments were installed in different accumulated temperature zones in Heilongjiang Province to study the changes of the grain yield and quality of five major rice varieties with accumulated temperature. The rice yield changed with accumulated temperature in quadratic curve, and the correlation degree differed with the varieties. The panicle number and the grain number per panicle changed significantly in quadratic curve with accumulated temperature, while the 1000-grain mass had less correlation with accumulated temperature. The sterile spikelet rate of grain increased obviously from suitable accumulated temperature zone to low accumulated temperature zone, but had no obvious change from suitable accumulated temperature zone to high accumulated temperature zone. The rates of chalky and head milled rice also changed with accumulated temperature in quadratic curve, i. e., there were both the lowest and the highest values in suitable accumulated temperature zone. The protein and amylose contents of the grain as well as the taste varied little with accumulated temperature. According to the sensitivity to temperature, the test rice varieties were divided into sensitive, medium, and blunt types, with the optimal and allowable cultivation accumulated temperature limits being 300 degrees C and 420 degrees C, 360 degrees C and 440 degrees C, and 380 degrees C and 520 degrees C, respectively. It would be very important to select the rice varieties with higher yield and better quality according to the local conditions, especially the accumulated temperature.

In the title compound, C31H30N2O, the cis-fused cyclo-hexene and cyclo-octane rings adopt boat and boat-chair conformations, respectively. The essentially planar five-membered N-heterocyclic ring [r.m.s. deviation = 0.017 (1) Å] is cis- and trans-fused, respectively, with the cyclo-hexene and cyclo-octane rings. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into inversion dimers through pairs of weak C-H⋯O inter-actions.

Background: Graphene oxide (GO)can be dispersed through functionalization, or chemically converted to make different graphene-based nanocomposites with excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Chitosan, a partially deacetylated derivative of chitin, is extensively used for food packaging, biosensors, water treatment, and drug delivery. GO can be evenly dispersed in chitosan matrix through the formation of amide linkages between them, which is different from previous reports focusing on preparing GO/chitosan nanocomposites through physical mixing., Results: In this study, free-standing graphene oxide-chitosan (GO-chitosan) nanocomposite films have been prepared. The GO-chitosan films are biologically compatible and mechanically reinforced. Through the formation of amide linkages between GO's carboxylic acid groups and chitosan's amine groups, GO could be evenly dispersed within the chitosan matrix. We also characterized the GO-chitosan composite films using element analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photo electron spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermo gravimetric analysis. Compared to pristine chitosan film, the tensile strength of GO-chitosan film is improved by 2.5 folds and Young's modulus increases by nearly 4.6 folds. The glass transition temperature of GO-chitosan composite film shifts from 118°C to 158°C compared to the pristine chitosan, indicating its enhanced thermal stability. GO-chitosan composite film was also evaluated for its biocompatibility with C3H10T1/2 cells by in vitro fluorescent staining. The graphene oxide-reinforced chitosan composite films could have applications in functional biomaterials., Conclusion: The present study describes a useful and simple method to chemically attach biocompatible chitosan onto graphene oxide. We envision that the GO-chitosan film will open avenues for next-generation graphene applications in the realm of functional biomaterial.

Objective: To establish a three-dimensional image of the penile suspensory ligament, and explore a stereoscopic and multi angle observation method of patient' s penile suspensory ligament., Methods: This study selected the patients with small penis from our hospital as subjects. The participants were conducted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination before operation. Afterwards, the results of MRI were imported into 3D reconstruction software (MIMICS 10.0), and the suspensory ligament of penis, the pubic symphysis and other related structures were reconstructed for observation., Results: The pubic symphysis, penis and corpus spongiosum can be quite clearly displayed in the thin-section MRI images. In addition, penile suspensory with patchy distribution can be visible between lower part of ligament pubic symphysis and corpus cavernosum. Finally, we can reconstruct the three-dimensional structures through MIMICS 10.0, and then precisely describe the suspensory ligament's start-stop point, the angle with cavernous body of penis and the attached area in the corpus cavernosum penis., Conclusion: Based on the MRI 3D reconstruction of deep penile suspensory ligament and adjacent structures, we can carry out dynamic, three-dimensional multi angle observation of patients deep penile suspensory ligament, and can use the reconstructed image to provide certain theory basis for the judgement of the corpus cavernosum penis extension length and penile suspensory ligament depth before penis extension operation.

Background and Objectives: A wide range of outcomes are seen in the literature on the use of drains after gastrectomy. However, there is little consensus on whether or not drains are beneficial in patients with gastric cancer. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate drain versus no-drain after gastrectomy by using evidence from available randomized controlled trials (RCTs)., Methods: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, VIP, and CNKI for the terms 'gastric cancer', 'gastrectomy' and 'drains' used in combination with the medical subject headings. RCTs were considered. Meta-analysis was performed by RevMan 5.0 software., Results: Four RCTs involving 438 patients were included. There were no differences between the drain and no-drain groups in the incidence of wound infection, postoperative pulmonary infection, intra-abdominal abscess, mortality, number of postoperative days until passing of flatus and initiation of soft diet. Both the incidence of postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay for patients in the no-drain group after gastrectomy were lower than in the drain group (p = 0.03, 95% CI 0.32, 0.95) and (p = 0.009, 95% CI -1.21, -0.18), respectively., Conclusion: Avoiding the use of abdominal drains may reduce drain-related complications and shorten hospital stay after gastrectomy., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)