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Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized tumor in which abnormal blood vessels contribute to poor treatment efficacy and prognosis. In this study, we assessed the efficacy, safety, and potential ability of bevacizumab to normalize tumor vascularity in patients with advanced HCC. Methods Patients with histologically or clinically confirmed advanced HCC that were refractory to conventional transarterial chemoembolization (c-TACE) received a transarterial infusion of bevacizumab (5 mg/kg), followed by c-TACE (named as BEVA-TACE). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), which was defined as the time from a patient identified as TACE refractory to the occurrence of death. The secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and the disease control rate (DCR). Results From January 2014 to December 2017, 20 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging scores C (80.0%) or D (20.0%) received BEVA-TACE. The median OS time was 9.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1-22.6 months]. The median PFS time was 6.3 months (95% CI: 1.0-10.5 months). Despite the late stage, 1 patient (5.0%) had a complete response (CR), 6 patients (30.0%) had a partial response (PR), and 10 patients (50.0%) had stable disease (SD) [overall response rate (ORR) 30.0%; DCR 85.0%]. The most common adverse events (AEs) were postembolic syndrome (25%), hyperbilirubinemia (10.0%), and melena (10.0%). Severe III-IV oral mucositis and hypertension were observed in only 1 patient (5.0%) during the follow-up period. Conclusions BEVA-TACE showed clinical efficacy, and patients with TACE-refractory HCC had acceptable AE rates. A low dose of targeted localized vessel bevacizumab infusion may normalize the condition of tumor blood vessels in patients with advanced HCC.

The explorations of parity–time ( P T )-symmetric acoustics have resided at the frontier in physics, and the pre-existing accessing of exceptional points typically depends on Fabry–Perot resonances of the coupling interlayer sandwiched between balanced gain and loss components. Nevertheless, the concise P T -symmetric acoustic heterostructure, eliminating extra interactions caused by the interlayer, has not been researched in depth. Here we derive the generalized unitary relation for one-dimensional (1D) P T -symmetric heterostructure of arbitrary complexity, and demonstrate four disparate patterns of anisotropic transmission resonances (ATRs) accompanied by corresponding spontaneous phase transitions. As a special case of ATR, the occasional bidirectional transmission resonance reconsolidates the ATR frequencies that split when waves incident from opposite directions, whose spatial profiles distinguish from a unitary structure. The derived theoretical relation can serve as a predominant signature for the presence of P T symmetry and P T -symmetry-breaking transition, which may provide substantial support for the development of prototype devices with asymmetric acoustic responses.

Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. (Pinales: Pinaceae) is an excellent tree for soil and water conservation in Northeast China. The Honghua'erji area in Inner Mongolia is the "hometown of P. sylvestris var. mongolica", however, in recent years, coniferous diseases of P. sylvestris var. mongolica have frequently occurred here. During the investigation, it was found that some black spot needle blight had been observed in addition to the common blight caused by Sphaeropsis sapinea. From May to September 2020, black spot needle blight was found on hundreds of P. sylvestris var. mongolica trees in four forest farms, and the infection rate among the forests was 24.58 % (n=240). This disease first appeared on the upper part of the needles, and the needles then became withered and gradually showed light black spots, although they remained green. As the disease progressed, the needles eventually died and turned gray with many dark black spots. Fungal isolate named YJ-1 was obtained from infected needles of symptomatic pine trees, and a voucher specimen was deposited in Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Forest Protection. Microscopic observation showed the conidia were 3-septate (4 cells) clavate spindles that measured 23.9 μm (20.8-25.9) × 5.9 μm (4.5-8.2) (n=50). The middle two cells were dark brown, and the septa were darker than the cells. Both apical and basal cells were hyaline. The apical cell had 2-4 appendages (mostly 3), and the basal cell had a truncate base (n=50). The cultural characteristics on potato dextrose agar medium were flat off-white and dense in 3-5 d. At approximately 5-7 d, the reverse side of the colony turned pale to slightly luteous. Superficial black acervuli were distributed in the center of the mature colonies after 10 d. Morphological, cultural and microscopic characteristics observed were similar of Heterotruncatella spartii (basionym: Truncatella spartii) reported by Hlaiem et al (2019). To further identify, total DNA was extracted and the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-rDNA) was amplified by PCR using the primers ITS1/ITS4 and sequenced for BLASTn analysis and phylogenetic tree construction. The resulting 564 bp sequence (GenBank Accession No. OL662864) had 99.24% (521/525) to H. spartii MFLUCC 15-0537, with bootstrap support of at least 94% using the Neighbor-Joining algorithm by MEGA-X (Felsenstein, 1985). The fungus was identified as H. spartii based on morphology and molecular methods. A pathogenicity test was conducted by preparing a conidial suspension of 2.0 × 107 conidia/mL. The suspension was sprayed onto the needles of 20 pots of annual P. sylvestris ar. mongolica seedlings, and the control was sprayed with sterile water. Then the seedlings were placed in a constant temperature room at 25 °C. After 30 d, typical symptoms appeared on 11 inoculated needles, while the control needles remained symptomless. After 50 d, the re-isolation infection rate reached 66.7 %. The fungus present on the inoculated seedlings was morphologically identical to that originally observed on diseased pines, fulfilling Koch's postulates. The fungus was isolated from Spartium junceum for the first time and designated Truncatella spartii (Senanayake et al, 2015). It was then renamed H. spartii (Liu et al, 2019) and has been reported to infect P. pinea in Tunisia (Hlaiem et al, 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of H. spartii causing black spot needle blight on P. sylvestris var. mongolica in China and worldwide.

Cadmium-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals in the quantum confinement region have been firstly synthesized by a fast and facile sonochemical method. The alloyed structure of the nanocrystals is confirmed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and infrared analysis. With the increase of cadmium to zinc molar ratio from 0 to 2.0, the crystallite sizes of the samples decrease from 5.1 nm to 2.6 nm, and the band gaps of the samples show a red shift then a blue shift, and a red shift again. The variations of band gaps of the samples can be interpreted by the crystallite size and the composition. It is found that both the non-thermal equilibrium environment established in the sonochemical reaction and the coordination ability of triethylene glycol solvent play crucial roles in the current preparation.

Hemorrhagic stroke is a major risk factor for cognitive impairment. Our study aimed to measure the effect of ginkgo biloba extract (EGB761) on the cognitive ability and inflammatory expression in hemorrhagic stroke model SD rats and to analyze their relationship. Forty SD rats were divided randomly into an SD group (normal control SD rats), an SD+EGB761 group (normal control SD rats supplemented with 45 mg/kg EGB761), a CO group (hemorrhagic stroke model SD rats using collagenase), and a CO+EGB761 group (hemorrhagic stroke model SD rats supplemented with 45 mg/kg EGB761) consisting of 10 rats, respectively. The Y-electric maze test was selected to measure the cognitive function in four groups. Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR were, respectively, applied for detecting the protein and gene expression profiles of inflammatory factors in primary cultured microglia. Compared with rats in the SD group, the average time of electrical simulation for mastering criteria was prolonged in the CO group (P

Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) is a new type of cement based composites with high strength and excellent durability. Firstly, this paper introduces the development history and technical performance of UHPC, then application of UHPC in lifeline engineering is summarized: the UHPC application examples of 18 bridges abroad; the application of UHPC in bridge joints and bridge deck pavement; advantages of its anti-permeability and frost resistance in combination with the durability of UHPC in pipeline transportation. Based on this, the paper makes an improvement on the UHPC concrete formula, which makes it easier to be popularized in China, and 2 sets of UHPC-ECC composite pipe specimens were designed and tested for the first time. Experiments showed that the composite pipe has advantage of high strength, corrosion resistance, no leakage, and it can be widely used in the field of petroleum and hazardous chemicals transportation and so on.

This study is aimed to investigate the effect of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels on prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The 110 HCC patients who received computed tomography (CT) guided RFA were enrolled in this study. The levels of serum VEGF were determined before and after RFA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). According to the ELISA results, the patients were divided into the negative group and the positive group. The patient's progression-free survival time was determined. It was demonstrated that the serum VEGF had no significant correlation with ages, sex and tumour size. There were no significant peripheral blood supplies around tumour necrosis. The results showed that higher levels of serum VEGF had a worse prognosis when compared to the patients with lower levels of serum VEGF. The difference between the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and those when area under curves equalled 0.5 was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The serum VEGF level in liver cancer patients can be used as a prognostic indicator for evaluating the efficacy of RFA treatments.

Purpose To prospectively evaluate safety and efficacy of biliary stent placement with iodine-125 ( 125 I) seeds in patients with malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). Materials and Methods From July 2011 to June 2014, 55 patients were enrolled (group A, 11 men and 17 women, mean age 70.93 y ± 8.58; group B, 14 men and 13 women, mean age 70.26 y ± 9.71). All patients were randomly assigned to placement of a biliary stent with 125 I seeds (group A) or biliary stent only (group B). After stent placement, outcomes were measured regarding relief of MOJ. Clinical success rate, survival time, and safety were recorded. P Results Stents were successfully placed in all 55 patients. MOJ was relieved in all patients, and there were no significant differences in complications related to stent insertion between the 2 groups. Mean and median stent patency were 191 days ± 19.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 152–230 d) and 179 days ± 191.4 (95% CI, 87–267 d) in group A and 88.3 days ± 16.3 (95% CI, 61–114 d) and 77 days ± 88.2 (95% CI, 65–86 d) in group B ( P P Conclusions 125 I seeds combined with biliary stent placement could significantly improve stent patency. The procedure seems to be safe and to extend survival compared with self-expandable biliary stent placement.

This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between plasma fibrinogen level and risk for cognitive decline and dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Elderly patients with suspected cognitive impairment were screened and evaluated periodically. One hundred and eighty-five patients who met the criteria for MCI were enrolled. Blood coagulation functions and plasma fibrinogen levels were measured at baseline. Hyperfibrinogenaemia was defined as plasma fibrinogen > or =3.0 g/l. Global cognitive function was assessed serially with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The enrolled patients were followed for 2 years to observe if dementia was developed. There were 185 patients diagnosed as MCI, of which 17 (9.2%) deceased, 15 (8.1%) lost to follow-up, and 68 (36.8%) developed dementia during follow-up. Mean of MMSE score of the enrolled patients declined significantly during follow-up (22.0 +/- 3.0 vs. 18.1 +/- 5.8, p < 0.001). Patients with hyperfibrinogenaemia at baseline had greater MMSE decrement during follow-up than patients with normal fibrinogen level (-5.4 +/- 5.4 vs. -3.5 +/- 4.5, p < 0.05). Linear regression indicated that plasma fibrinogen level was associated with cognitive decline (R = 0.17, p < 0.05). Patients with hyperfibrinogenaemia had an increased risk for dementia and vascular dementia compared with patients with normal level of plasma fibrinogen (log rank test, p < 0.05). There was a trend that hyperfibrinogenaemia also increased risk for dementia of Alzheimer's type (p = 0.061). It can be concluded that plasma fibrinogen level may be associated with cognitive decline, and hyperfibrinogenaemia may increase risk for dementia in patients with MCI.

To observe the morphological change in the pathological process of Echinococcus multilocularis in liver of infected rats after treatment with liposome entrapped albendazole and iodized oil suspension through portal vein, and investigate its efficacy against hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.One Echinococcus multilocularis-infected rat served as control. Another 19 infected rats were infused with 0.2ml liposome entrapped albendazole and iodized oil suspension through portal vein. At 4, 7 and 10 d after treatment, the rats were sacrificed for further observation. The E. multilocularis metacestodes were collected, and the pathological change of alveolar hydatid was observed with hematoxylin-eosin staining and toluidine blue staining.In four days post treatment, E. multilocularis metacestodes were normal On the 7th day and 10th day post treatment, the major pathological change was degeneration and necrosis, respectively. A great quantity of liposomes and iodized oil deposited in the metacestodes, and caused breakdown of E. multilocularis tissue, collapse of cysts, cataplasia of germinal layer and laminated layer.Interventional therapy trans-hepatic vein may be an effective way to treat hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.

To observe therapeutic effect of hepatic artery infusion of albendazole solid dispersion-chitosan microspheres on hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) in rats.After the establishment of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis model, 30 rats were randomly divided into control group (A), blank microspheres group (B), and albendazole microspheres group (C) with 10 rats in each group 0.3 ml normal saline, 27mg/kg blank microspheres and 2.7 mg/kg albendazole solid dispersion-chitosan microspheres with 0.3 ml normal saline were injected through hepatic artery of rats in the groups of A, B and C, respectively. At 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 42 d after injection, venous blood were collected, and white blood cells (WBC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase(ALT) were evaluated. All the rats were sacrificed on 42 d after injection, and HAE pathological changes were observed.Transient elevation of white blood cells was observed in all groups at 1 d after infusion [Group A (86.11 +/- 19.14) x 10(9)/L, B (117.11 +/- 21.76) x 10(9)/L, C (118.11 +/- 24.52) x 10(9)/L], at 7d WBC fell to normal level [A (7.85 +/- 6.57)x10(9)/L, B (11.73 +/- 4.85) x 10(9)/L, C (8.49 +/- 136)x10(9)/L]. In groups B and C, AST, ALT reached their peaks on day 3 after infusion [B: AST (193.15 +/- 21.57) U/L, ALT (78.39 +/- 9.78) U/L; C: AST (189.91 +/- 14.06) U/L, ALT (88.43 +/- 9.23) U/L], and decreased to normal level at 14d after infusion [B: AST (109.31 +/- 15.48) U/L, ALT(47.855 +/- 9.49) U/L; C: AST(105.37 +/- 8.16) U/L, ALT (49.53 +/- 6.75) UL]. Histopathological examination at 42d after infusion showed that in groups A and B structure of the cysts was virtually normal, but in group C most cysts showed necrosis in germinal layer.Hepatic artery infusion with albendazole solid dispersion-chitosan microspheres shows certain therapeutic effect on hepatic alveolar echinococcosis in rats.

To compare the ABZ and its metabolites concentration in cyst tissue of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis administered by different routes, forty male Wistar rats receiving albendazole nanoparticles from tail vein and portal vein were divided into two groups, the concentration of ABZ and its metabolites ABZSO, ABZSO2, in the cyst tissue, were analyzed by HPLC at 2, 4, 8, 24, 36 h after administration. The parent drug and its metabolites were detected in plasm and the cyst tissue after portal cannulation and intravenous administration. The last results were the concentration of ABZ in the portal cannulation group was higher than in the intravenous group at every time point (p < 0.05). Compared to the intravenous group, the portal cannulation administration of ABZ led to a lower plasm concentration of ABZ. The concentration of ABZ and the active ABZSO were significantly higher in the portal cannulation group than that of the intravenous group.

In this work, Flynn's formulation is adopted to analyze the dynamics, temperature and pressure of the cavitation bubble in the room-temperature liquids (RTIL) because of their unique physical properties. The effects of the ultrasonic intensity, frequency and the initial radius of the bubble on the cavitation process are studied, and the temperature and pressure in the collapsing bubbles are also analyzed. It is found that the intensity of cavitation increases remarkably with the increase of the bulk solution temperature.

To observe whether garlicin could ameliorate pressure overload induced myocardial fibrosis in rats through partial inhibiting transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) mediated Smads signal.Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, i. e., the sham-operation group, the model group, the garlicin group, and the Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) group, 10 in each group. The pressure overload induced myocardial fibrosis rat model was prepared using coarctation of aorta. Three days after modeling 5.0 mg/kg garlicin injection was administered to rats in the garlicin group, 20 mg/kg TMP injection to rats in the TMP group by peritoneal injection, while normal saline was peritoneally injected to rats in the sham-operation group and the model group. Four weeks after medication, the changes of myocardial collagen were observed by picrosirius red staining. The myocardial collagen volume fraction (CVF) and perivascular collagen areas (PVCA) were calculated. The serum transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) expression was detected using ELISA. The TGF-beta1 protein expression in the myocardial tissue was observed using immunohistochemical assay. The changes of myocardial Smad2 and Smad7 mRNA expressions were detected using Real-time RT-PCR. The effects of garlicin on TGF-beta1 mediated Smad Signaling through luciferase assay were further verified using Mv1 Lu-(CAGA) 12-Luc cell line response to TGF-beta1.Compared with the sham-operation group, the myocardial levels of CVF and PVCA, the serum TGF-beta1 level, and the TGF-beta1 protein expression in the myocardial tissue obviously increased in the model group (P0.05, P0.01). Compared with the model group, the PVCA level, the serum TGF-beta1 level, and the TGF-beta1 protein expression in the myocardial tissue of the garlicin group and the TMP group obviously decreased (P0.05, P 0O 01). The Smad2 mRNA expression was up-regulated while Smad7 mRNA expression down-regulated in the model group. The Smad2 mRNA expression was obviously down-regulated in the garlicin group and the TMP group (P0.05). The Smad7 mRNA expression was obviously up-regulated in the TMP group (P0.05). One to 2 microg/mL garlicin could obviously inhibit the luciferase activities of corresponding TGF-beta1, under the stimulation of 2 ng/mL TGF-beta1 (P0.05).Garlicin ameliorated pressure overload induced myocardial fibrosis in rats through partial inhibiting TGF-beta-Smads signal pathway.

To observe the effect and mechanism of Pingtang Recipe containing drug-serum (DS-PTR) in improving INS-1 beta pancreatic cells lipoapoptosis.Experimental INS-1 beta cells were divided into 5 groups (6 pools for each group), namely, the blank control group treated with rat's serum (C), the other 4 model groups induced into lipoapoptosis by palmitic acid and treated respectively by rat's serum (M), high, middle and low dose DS-PTR (DSh, DSm and DSI). Cell apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining; Caspase-3 activity of cells was measured by chemiluminescence method; intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by DCHF-DA incorporation, and expressions of uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) was determined by RT-PCR.INS-1 beta cell apoptosis in Group M was significantly higher than that in Group C (P0.01), while that showed a decreased trend in the three DS-PTR treated groups. Caspase-3 activity was enhanced in Group M, it decreased significantly in Group DSm (P0.05). The over-produced ROS in cells after modeling was inhibited in Groups DSm and DSI (P0.05), meantime, expression of UCP-2 excited by PA (2.244 +/- 0.421) was reduced significantly in Group DSI and Group DSm to 1.286 +/- 0.373 (P0.01) and 1.627 +/- 0.348 (P0.05) respectively.DS-PTR shows a protective effect on INS-1 beta pancrentic cells against lipoapoptosis, which is possibly play its mechanism through regulating ROS and UCP-2.

To investigate the effects of garlicin on fibroblasts proliferation and type I collagen synthesis and explore its anti-fibrosis mechanism.Garlicin was added into the culture fluid of NIH3T3 cell, taking Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae as the control medicine. The spiking of H3-thymidine DNA was detected, also the hydroxyproline (HOP) concentration in the culture fluid by alkali digestion method and the protein expression of type I collagen in NIH3T3 cells by immunofluorescent staining.The NIH3T3 cell growth and proliferation rate were obviously reduced after garlicin treatment concentration-dependently in range of 0.2 - 5 microg/mL; HOP level and protein expression of type I collagen also lowered.Garlicin could inhibit NIH3T3 cell proliferation, reduce the synthesis and protein expression of type I collagen so as to exert the anti-fibrosis effect.

Myocardial fibrosis is an inevitable process of many heart diseases, such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, etc. in development from earlier period to terminal stage. To prevent or reverse the process of fibrosis is one of the most important approaches to retard the occurrence of heart failure and reduce the accidence of arrhythmia. In traditional Chinese medicine myocardial fibrosis belongs to the category of "Xinbi". Studies on the occurrence and regulation of myocardial fibrosis, and its treatment by using integrative Chinese and Western medicine or by Chinese drugs singly and their components were reviewed in this paper.