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For the rare but aggressive insular thyroid carcinoma (ITC), there's no clear evidence to determine whether prophylactic central compartment neck dissection (CCND) is necessary for cN0 disease. This study provides the first evidence that treating cN0 ITC without prophylactic CCND is associated with decreased survival regardless of T staging and administration of RAI therapy. Background. Regarding the rare but aggressive insular thyroid carcinoma (ITC), the value of prophylactic central compartment neck dissection (CCND) for clinically node-negative (cN0) disease is unclear. We aimed to provide the first evidence. Methods. N0 and pN1a ITC patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. These patients were divided into thyroid-surgery + CCND group (pN0/pN1a patients confirmed by CCND) and thyroid-surgery group (cN0 patients without CCND). Differences in overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) between the two groups were evaluated. Subgroup analyses were also conducted. Results. Of the overall 112 patients, 44 (39.3%) received CCND. On multivariate analyses, the lobectomy ± isthmusectomy/total-thyroidectomy (Lob/TT) group demonstrated poorer OS and DSS than the Lob/TT + CCND group (P

The section of top Majiagou Formation is located in the east of Niumaoling Scenic Area of Benxi National Geopark. The sedimentary environment of the section is restored and its change rules are summarized through the microfacies analysis of carbonate rocks. According to the study of specimens, 14 microfacies types are classified, including 1 tempestite microfacies type, 9 gentle slope microfacies types, 3 standard microfacies types and 1 custom microfacies type. The section can be divided into 3 low-energy upward-shallowing tidal margin cycles from bottom to top: The sedimentary environment of Cycle I is tidal margin or lagoon of inner gentle slope--sandbeach and sand bank--tidal margin of tide gate; The sedimentary environment of Cycle II is from limited or open inner gentle slope to shallow subtidal zone of tidal margin and intertidal-supratidal zone of individual layer; The Cycle III is the most typical, with the sedimentary environment from the middle gentle slope of gray limestone, to tidal margin, then to the tidal margin shallow subtidal zone of yellow carbonate rocks, to the evaporative lagoons of intertidal-supratidal zones, and to the evaporative coast of intertidal-supratidal zones in arid climate. It is inferred that the stained Fe3+ and clay minerals are of terrigenous origin, and the section point is the tidal margin environment of carbonate rock island (bar). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The role of immune-related genes (IRGs) in thyroid cancer dedifferentiation and accompanying immune exhaustion remains largely unexplored.Objective: To construct a significant IRG-based signature indicative of dedifferentiation and immune exhaustion in thyroid cancer.Design and Settings: One exploratory cohort and 2 validation cohorts were used to identify stably dysregulated IRGs in dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (DDTC) and to obtain independent risk factors for dedifferentiation. The IRGs formed a gene signature, whose predictive value was tested by the receiver operating characteristic curve. Correlations between the signature and differentiation-related genes, immune checkpoints, and prognosis were analyzed. Gene set enrichment analyses were performed to identify related signaling pathways.Results: Four IRGs (PRKCQ, PLAUR, PSMD2, and BMP7) were found to be repeatedly dysregulated in DDTC, and they formed an IRG-based signature with a satisfactory predictive value for thyroid cancer dedifferentiation. Correlation analyses revealed that immune checkpoints were closely related to the 4 IRGs and the IRG-based signature, which was significantly associated with the histological subtype (P = 0.026), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001), and BRAFV600E mutation (P < 0.001). The downregulated expression of PRKCQ shortened the disease-free survival for patients with thyroid cancer. Furthermore, we identified several signaling pathways inherently associated with the IRG-based signature.Conclusions: This study suggests that IRGs participate in the dedifferentiation and immune exhaustion process of thyroid cancer and are potential biomarkers for DDTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, it is most economical to transport hydrogen with the existing natural gas pipelines by blending it into the natural gas among the storage and transportation technologies of hydrogen energy, and thus the transportation technology of hydrogen-blended natural gas is widely concerned by research institutes at home and abroad. However, hydrogen embrittlement may be caused to the pipeline steel due to the contact of hydrogen with base metal during hydrogen transportation, which further leads to the deterioration of mechanical properties of pipeline steel, threatening the safe operation of pipelines. Therefore, the change law of the mechanical properties of X52 and X80 steel typically used for natural gas pipelines under the actual hydrogen-blended conditions was studied through in-situ tensile testing and fracture morphology analysis under the environment of high-pressure gas-phase hydrogen. Meanwhile, the influence of hydrogen partial pressure on yield strength, tensile strength, percentage reduction of area and hydrogen embrittlement index of material was analyzed. The study results show that, the ductility of X52 and X80 steel is declined and the hydrogen embrittlement is intensified with the increasing of hydrogen partial pressure. Compared with X80 steel, X52 steel is more suitable for the hydrogen-blended natural gas transportation. Generally, the study results could provide reference to the material selection and safe operation of hydrogen-blended natural gas pipelines in the future.

Background Long-term high level of mental tension induced by nursing work may be associated with increased blood pressure in nurses. The factors influencing hypertension may differ by sex, since there are sex-specific differences in the regulation of blood pressure in molecules, cells and tissues. So exploring influencing factors for hypertension in male and female nurses is significant for formulating targeted prevention and control strategies. Objective To examine the prevalence and influencing factors of hypertension among male and female nurses in Hebei Province, providing a basis for developing sex-based hypertension prevention and control measures for nurses. Methods A census survey method was used. The prevalence and influencing factors of hypertension were investigated among 128 009 nurses in all hospitals in 11 cities of Hebei Province from November 2016 to July 2018. The recognized factors influencing hypertension were matched between male and female nurses by propensity score matching. Based on the matched data, multivariate Logistic regression was used to explore the factors influencing hypertension among male and female nurses. Results The prevalence of hypertension was higher in male nurses than in female nurses〔20.36% (1 115/5 476) vs 6.26% (669/122 533) , P25-35 years old (OR=2.182) , >35-45 years old (OR=3.560) , >45-55 years old (OR=7.406) , >55-65 years old (OR=13.339) 〕, BMI〔24.0-0-5 years (OR=3.399) , >5-10 years (OR=4.451) 〕, family history of hypertension (OR=1.225) were influencing factors of hypertension for male nurses (P25-35 years old (OR=1.382) , >35-45 years old (OR=4.125) , >45-55 years old (OR=6.510) , >55-65 years old (OR=5.616) 〕, BMI〔24.0-0-5 years (OR=2.863) , >5-10 years (OR=3.713) 〕, years of diabetes〔>0-5 years (OR=3.126) , >5-10 years (OR=2.947) , >10 years (OR=9.743) 〕, family history of hypertension (OR=1.243) , menstrual condition〔irregular (OR=1.358) , menopause (OR=1.689) 〕, pregnancy hypertension〔no (OR=0.486) , no history of pregnancy (OR=0.507) 〕were influencing factors of hypertension for female nurses (P

Sn whiskers can form at room temperature on the agglomerated flakes produced by mechanical alloying (MA) of Ti, Sn, and C powders, whether the flakes are stored in air or water. The Sn whiskers forming in air are tens of micrometers to several centimeters in length and 0.5 to ~10 µm in diameter. Whereas a large amount of Sn polyhedra forms on the flakes that are stored in water, a small amount of Sn whiskers forms on the polyhedra. The driving force for Sn whisker formation is the compressive stress induced by mechanical alloying (MA) and oxidation. The mechanism about the spontaneous growth of metal whiskers is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in vitro cell culture experiment was conducted to study the effect of Danqi Piantan capsule (DPC) and DPC dislodge the antelope horn with artificial bezoar double (DPCBD) on nerve regeneration and blood vessel regeneration and preliminarily investigate the possibility of substituting antelope horn in DPC with artificial bezoar. In this experiment, rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the blank serum control group, the model group, DPC groups (0.306 g x kg(-1) x d(-1), the same below), DPC remove of antelope horn (DPCRA) groups and DPCBD groups. Brain microvascular endothelial cells cultured in vitro (BMEC), astrocytes and neural stem cells (NSC) were co-cultured to simulate neurovascular unit, label neurons with microtubule associated protein III (β-tubulin III) antibody and lable astrocytes with glial fibrillary acidicprotein (GFAP). ELISA was used for the detection of the content of BMEC lactate dehydrogenase instrument method (LDH), the inverted phase contrastmicroscope was adopted to observe the formation of BMEC tube like structure, the number of leukocytes and leukocytes adherent to BMEC were counted under the microscope, the expression levels of β-tubulin III and the ratio of GFAP positive cells was detected with inimmunofluorescence, and RT-PCR method was used to detect NGF, BDNF, VEGF and VEGFr-2 mRNA. According to the result, compared with the model group, both DPC and DPCBD can reduce LDH leakage, promote the formation of BMEC tube like structure, inhibit leukocytes and their adhesion to BMEC, increase the β-tubulin III positive cell differentiation proportion (P < 0. 01), reduce the proportion of GFAP positive cells (P < 0.01), increase the expressions of co-cultured NGF, VEGF, BDNF and VEGFr-2 mRNA to a certain extent, with the most significant difference on NGF and VEGF mRNA expressions (P < 0.05) and the same efficacy in both groups. DPCRA groups showed less impact on all indexes than that of DPCBD and DPC groups. The same efficacy of DPCBD and DPC on nerve regeneration and angiogenesis suggested that antelope horn in DPC can be substituted by artificial bezoar.

To study the protective effect of Danqi Piantan capsule ( DPC) and its antelope horn substitution (DPCAS) on the cerebral ischemia, in order to preliminary study the possibility of replacing antelope horn with artificial bezoar. In this study, the left middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was adopted. Totally 150 SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the sham operation group, the model group, the Danqi Piantan capsule (DPC) group (0.246 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)), the Danqi Piantan capsule without antelope horn (DPCRA) group (0.246 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)), the Danqi Piantan capsule without antelope horn and with double artificial bezoar (DPCDB) group (0.246 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)). The MCAO model was prepared 1 h later after the administration on the 5th day. At 24 h after the operation, the inner canthus blood was collected to determine the serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the endothelin (ET) content. At 72 h after the operation, the cerebral infarct size and the cerebral index were determined by TTC-staining. The fluorescent quantitative PCR method was used to detect brain Bcl-2, Caspase-3, IL-1β, P-selectin, E-selectin, ICAM-1 mRNA expressions. The mmunohistochemical method was used to detect ICAM-1, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 expressions in ischemic penumbra. According to the results, compared with the model group, DPCDB and DPC groups showed almost consistent results, indicating both of the two group can significantly improved cerebral infarction index and cerebral index (P < 0.05), increase the serum SOD activity (P < 0.05), decrease the serum ET level and Caspase-3 expression, IL-1β, P-selectin, E-selectin, ICAM-1 mRNA expressions in brain tissues (P < 0.05) and expressions of ICAM-1, IL-1,6, TNF-α, IL-6 positive cells in ischemic penumbra (P < 0.05) and increase the Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.05). The DPCRA group showed much lower impacts on indexes than DPCDB and DPC groups. This suggests that DPCDB and DPC reveal similar efficacies and antelope horn in Danqi Piantan capsule can be substitutes by artificial bezoar.

Aim: To evaluate human gastric submucosal vascular dysfunction and its mechanism during the aging process., Methods: Twenty male patients undergoing subtotal gastrectomy were enrolled in this study. Young and elderly patient groups aged 25-40 years and 60-85 years, respectively, were included. Inclusion criteria were: no clinical evidence of cardiovascular, renal or diabetic diseases. Conventional clinical examinations were carried out. After surgery, gastric submucosal arteries were immediately dissected free of fat and connective tissue. Vascular responses to acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were measured by isolated vascular perfusion. Morphological changes in the gastric mucosal vessels were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Verhoeff van Gieson (EVG) staining. The expression of xanthine oxidase (XO) and manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) was assessed by Western blotting analysis. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were determined according to commercial kits., Results: The overall structure of vessel walls was shown by HE and EVG staining, respectively. Disruption of the internal elastic lamina or neointimal layers was not observed in vessels from young or elderly patients; however, cell layer number in the vessel wall increased significantly in the elderly group. Compared with submucosal arteries in young patients, the amount of vascular collagen fibers, lumen diameter and media cross-sectional area were significantly increased in elderly patients. Ach- and SNP-induced vasodilatation in elderly arterioles was significantly decreased compared with that of gastric submucosal arterioles from young patients. Compared with the young group, the expression of XO and the contents of MDA and H₂O₂ in gastric submucosal arterioles were increased in the elderly group. In addition, the expression of Mn-SOD and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in the elderly group decreased significantly compared with those in the young group., Conclusion: Gastric vascular dysfunction and senescence may be associated with increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidative defense in the aging process.

Objective: To study the anti-microbial resistance of Escherichia coli (E.coli) that caused infection in urogenital system., Method: Anti-microbial susceptibility tests for 148 strains of E.coli were conducted by disc diffusion technique., Results: In 28 commonly used antibiotics, the resistance rates of E. coli to beta-lactam and quinolones were high (73.6%-86.4%). High resistance rates to the first- and the second-generation cephalosporin (cefradime, cephazolin and cefaclor) were also observed (44%). Resistance rate to ceftazidime is the lowest (10.1%) in the third-generation cephalosporin. The resistance rates of E. coli to piperacillin, pefoperazone and ampicillin were 84.5%, 44.6% and 83.0% respectively. Combined antibiotic and beta-lactam inhibitor gave lower resistance rates than antibiotic alone (piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoporazone/sulbactam and ampicillin/sulbactam were 4.1%, 10.8% and 52.0% respectively, P<0.01). Of 148 E. coli isolates, 38 strains were capable of yielding extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) (25.7%), 110 strains were not able to produce ESBLs (74.3%) and the resistance rates of isolates with ESBLs to 28 antibiotics were significantly lower than those of isolates without ESBLs., Conclusion: Antibiotic/beta-lactam inhibitor and nitrofurantoin are effective for urogenital infections caused by E. coli.

Johnson-type acetals derived from dimethyl tartrate give, after opening with Me(2)BBr and cuprate displacement, secondary alcohols with high diastereoselectivity (>30:1). The mechanism proposed for the induction of diastereoselectivity is downstream from the ring fission. It implies a direct participation of the Lewis acid as a source of nucleophile and the stereospecific transformation of the resulting bromo acetal through an invertive and temperature-dependent process. The acetals are prepared by reaction of the desired aldehyde with dimethyl tartrate. Removal of the auxiliary is accomplished through SmI(2) reduction or by an addition-elimination protocol using methoxide.