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A RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode modified with LaCoO3 was successfully fabricated by thermal decomposition and its electrochemical properties were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and stability tests. In contrast with an unmodified RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode, the LaCoO3–RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode displays a more uniform layer with smaller microparticles. This electrode also displays higher OER performance with lower overpotential (289 mV vs. 348 mV) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and lower Tafel slope (87 mV dec−1 vs. 104 mV dec−1) than the unmodified RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode. The modified LaCoO3–RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode possesses larger current density, higher specific voltammetric charge, and lower charge transfer resistance (Rct) than the unmodified RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode does in a KOH solution, according to CV and EIS studies. The LaCoO3–RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode is very stable. The results show that the modified LaCoO3–RuO2–TiO2/Ti electrode presents higher electrocatalytic activity and good stability for OER.

Self-assemble of aqueous solution of the Cu2+/molybdate/glyc-ine system results in {[NaCu6(Gly)8(H2O)2][Mo8O26Cu(Gly)2]2}n·n{NaCu6(Gly)8(H2O)2}·n{Mo8O26[Cu(Gly)(GlyH)(H2O)2]2} 15nH2O 1, which exhibits the 0-D + 1-D supramolecular framework and in which the copper atoms show three kinds of coordination models: (1) in quadrilateral geometry, (2) in square-pyramidal geometry, and (3) in distorted octahedral geometry. The space group of the compound is P–1, with the lattice parameters: α = 89.036(5)°, β = 89.384(4)°, γ = 88.337(5) °, a = 12.559(4) A, b = 14.441 (4)A, c = 23.063(6) A, and Z = 1.

Purpose Less work on depression status has been done with family members of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study investigated depression status of patients and their family members; and the relationship of the depression status between these two groups. Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 194 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer as well as their family members. In this study, a self-administered General Information Questionnaire was used to collect general information and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) to assess depression status. Linear correlation analysis was used to probe the relationship of the depression status between patients and their family members. Results Of the 194 patients, 148 (76.3%) showed symptoms of depression. 148 (76.3%) family members had depression symptoms. The severity of depression in patients was positively correlated with that of family members ( r = 0.577, p Conclusions Patients with lung cancer and their family members suffered depression, and the two were correlated. A prospective study might prove helpful in determining the real relationship existing between the two groups' mental status and whether early detection and intervention might ameliorate this current situation.

Pores are common defects in the coating formed via plasma spraying. In order to investigate the formed mechanism of pores in plasma sprayed nanostructured Al2O3-TiO2 coatings, the microstructure of the feed stock, splat and coating were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The coating shows a typical lamellar morphology, which contains fully melted (FM) zone and partly melted (PM) zone.The pores in different places of the coating were generated from different sources. The shapes and the size of the pores are also different. Keywords: plasma spray, coating, pores, formed mechanism

In this study, the (Ti,Cr)N composite films were deposited on 4Cr13 martensitic stainless steel by multi-arc ion plating (MAIP), researched the composition, morphology and micro-hardness of (Ti,Cr)N composite films by the method of changing the current of Cr target and Ti target. The result show that: with the acr current increasing, the Cr content of (Ti,Cr)N composite films increased, the Ti content decreased, the number and size of droplets decreased, and the hardness of composite films increased first, then decreased. When the acr current was 70A, the hardness reached the maximum. At the same time, the phases of composite films changed when the Cr content increased. When the value of X was 0.28, the phase of composite was TiN and when the value of X was 0.37 or 0.65, the composite films appeared the phase of CrN and Cr2N.

W-Mo-Dy alloying layer were prepared on the surface of different carbon content of steel by plasma alloying technique and the optimum parameters were obtained under the experimental conditions. The optimal process parameters are as follows: Source material is Φ 5mm × 30mm tungsten and molybdenum wire, the number of W:Mo is 2:8, spacing is 10~15mm; Rare earth Dy using an independent plate source and evenly arranged on the Φ 100mm the barrel auxiliary cathode; the source voltage is-850~-900V, the cathode voltage is-700~-750V, the limit vacuum is 2Pa; the working pressure is argon gas, gas pressure is 30pa, the insulation temperature is 1020°C; the holding time is 4.5h. Available to meet the test requirement and obtain the alloying layer thickness is 128um.

Al2O3-TiO2-ZrO2-CeO2 coatings formed via a plasma spray approach. The optimal spray parameters of plasma sprayed nano-structured coating were determined by orthogonal experimental design, based on porosity, bond strength of the coatings and the partly melted(PM) zone percentage. Microstructure of the plasma sprayed nanostructured Al2O3-TiO2-ZrO2-CeO2 coating sprayed on the optimal spray parameters was analyzed. Wear map was established by wear experiments. The results show, nanostructured coating contains fully melted (FM) zone and PM zone, the increasing of the critical plasma spray parameter (CPSP) promote the decreasing of the PM zone percentage and the increasing of the bond strength of the coatings. The composition phases of the powder reacted to each other during the plasma spraying process. FM and PM zone resulted from fully melted droplets and partly melted particles respectively. Nanosized crystals and amorphous particles exist in the PM zone, liquid phase sintering is taken place in the PM zone. The main wear mechanism of plasma spraying coatings are plastic deformation and microplow, microfracture and grain spalling, fracture and delamination at different normal load and sliding speed in dry friction.

Background Long non-coding RNAs play an important role in tumorigenesis, hence, identification of cancer-associated lncRNAs and investigation of their biological functions and molecular mechanisms are important for understanding the development and progression of cancer. Recently, the downregulation of lncRNA MEG3 has been observed in various human cancers. However, its role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the expression pattern of MEG3 in NSCLC and to evaluate its biological role and clinical significance in tumor progression. Methods Expression of MEG3 was analyzed in 44 NSCLC tissues and 7 NSCLC cell lines by qRT-PCR. Over-expression approaches were used to investigate the biological functions of MEG3 in NSCLC cells. Bisulfite sequencing was used to investigate DNA methylation on MEG3 expression. The effect of MEG3 on proliferation was evaluated by MTT and colony formation assays, and cell apoptosis was evaluated by Hoechst staining and Flow-cytometric analysis. NSCLC cells transfected with pCDNA-MEG3 were injection into nude mice to study the effect of MEG3 on tumorigenesis in vivo . Protein levels of MEG3 targets were determined by western blot analysis. Differences between groups were tested for significance using Student’s t-test (two-tailed). Results MEG3 expression was decreased in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumor tissues compared with normal tissues, and associated with advanced pathologic stage, and tumor size. Moreover, patients with lower levels of MEG3 expression had a relatively poor prognosis. Overexpression of MEG3 decreased NSCLC cells proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro and impeded tumorigenesis in vivo. MDM2 and p53 protein levels were affected by MEG3 over-expression in vitro. Conclusions Our findings indicate that MEG3 is significantly down-regulated in NSCLC tissues that could be affected by DNA methylation, and regulates NSCLC cell proliferation and apoptosis, partially via the activition of p53. Thus, MEG3 may represent a new marker of poor prognosis and is a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC intervention.

HOTAIR, a long intervening non-coding RNA (lincRNA), associates with the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and is reported to reprogram chromatin organization and promote tumor progression. However, little is known about the roles of this gene in the development of chemoresistance phenotype of lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). Thus, we investigated the involvement of HOTAIR in the resistance of LAD cells to cisplatin. In this study, we show that HOTAIR expression was significantly upregulated in cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP cells compared with in parental A549 cells. Knockdown of HOTAIR by RNA interference could resensitize the responses of A549/DDP cells to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, overexpression of HOTAIR could decrease the sensitivity of A549 and SPC-A1 cells to cisplatin. We also found that the siRNA/HOTAIR1-mediated chemosensivity enhancement was associated with inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis enhancement through regulation of p21(WAF1/CIP1) (p21) expression. Also, pcDNA/p21or siRNA/p21 could mimic the effects of siRNA/HOTAIR1 or pcDNA/HOTAIR on the sensitivity of LAD cells to cisplatin. Importantly, siRNA/p21 or pcDNA/p21 could partially rescue the effects of siRNA/HOTAIR1 or pcDNA/HOTAIR on both p21 expression and cisplatin sensitivity in LAD cells. Further, HOTAIR was observed to be significantly downregulated in cisplatin-responding LAD tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with p21 mRNA expression. Taken together, our findings suggest that upregulation of HOTAIR contributes to the cisplatin resistance of LAD cells, at least in part, through the regulation of p21 expression.

To investigate the effect of the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCR) on the healing of anastomosis following low anterior resection in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.Between May 2001 and August 2007, 192 patients with T3 and T4 low rectal cancer (distance from the tumor to anal verge/= 6 cm) enrolled in the study. All patients were subjected to preoperative radiotherapy to pelvis, with a total dose of 40 - 46 Gy in 20 days fractions of 2 Gy each in 4 weeks and simultaneously combined with oral capecitabine (CAP) of 1250 mg/m(2) bid continuously for 10 weeks up to surgery. The patients were operated on 6 weeks after the end of radiotherapy according to the rule of TME technique.All patients fulfilled the study. Of the patients, 17 cases were diagnosed tumor free after the neoadjuvant therapy and were not operated on. Other 24 cases were found got complete tumor response with pathological examination after the operation. A total of 41 cases (21.4%) got complete tumor response with the neoadjuvant therapy. Surgery was performed in 175 patients, and 166 patients (95.3%) with sphincter-saving resection, 134 patients with low anterior resection (LAR, double stapling technique) and 32 patients with Park's endoanal anastomosis. Six patients were operated with abdomino-perineal resection (APR) and 3 patients with Hartmann's procedure. Anastomotic leakage was found in 9 patients (5.1%), 6 patients (4 cases of rectovaginal leakage) with LAR(double stapling technique) and 3 patients (1 case of rectovaginal leakage) with Parks technique (P0.05). Anastomotic leakage occurred in 2 - 10 days post operation, and were managed properly and got desirable results.Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy would not affect the healing of anastomosis obviously if being applied reasonably in locally advanced low rectal cancer.

To explore the possibility of further improvement of the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced lower rectal cancer and the management of patients with clinical complete regression.From May 2001 to August 2007, 192 cases with locally advanced lower rectal cancer (T3/T4 or N(+)) received preoperative radiotherapy 40 - 46 Gy/20 - 23 fractions and concomitant oral capecitabine 625 mg/m(2) bid for 10 weeks prior to surgery. Curative resection with total mesorectal excision (TME) was carried out 6 weeks after the end of radiation.As a result, 117 cases (60.9%) experienced adverse events but only 2 suffered from G3 side effects. Seventeen cases (8.9%) had a clinical complete tumor regression without surgery; 175 patients underwent curative resection, of them 134 cases with low anterior resection (LAR), 32 cases with ultra-low anterior resection with Park's coloanal anastomosis (6 cases with diverting temporary colostomy) and 9 cases with abdominal pelvic resection (APR). Sphincter preservation was achieved in 94.9%. Twenty-four patients (12.5%) got pathological complete response (CR), 17 patients with clinical CR and the overall CR rate was 21.4%. According to the pathological staging post operation: T0N0 41 cases, T2N0 43 cases, T3N0 77 cases, T4N0 5 cases, T2N1 11 cases, T3N1 13 cases, T4N1 2 cases; Graded under Dworak's tumor regression: TRG0 8 patients, TRG1 32 patients, TRG2 28 patients, TRG3 83 patients and TRG4 24 patients, with an overall pathological tumor downstaging in 77.14%. No operative death occurred, 5 patients suffered from rectovaginal fistulas and 4 anastomotic leakages with an overall anastomotic leakage rate of 5.1% (9/175) and all the patients recovered uneventfully after properly managed. All patients were followed up for a median time of 42 months (range, 12 - 87 months). During the time, 11 patients developed lung metastases, 6 liver metastases and 7 had local recurrences. The 3 years disease-free survival (DFS) was 86.6% and overall survival (OS) was 92.6%.Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has high efficacy in locally advanced lower rectal cancer, resulting in tumor down-staging, improved resectability and sphincter preservation, and reduced local recurrences. Meanwhile the cases with clinical complete response can be followed up closely and safely without surgery.

To explore efficacy of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in locally advanced low rectal cancer.From May 2001 to August 2005, 105 patients with locally advanced low rectal cancer (T3, T4) were treated by preoperative radiotherapy to pelvis, 2.0 Gy daily up to 40-46 Gy in 4-5 weeks concomitantly with oral capecitabine at 1250 mg x m(-2) x d(-1) for 10 weeks up to surgery. In all patients surgery was carried out under the rule of total mesorectal excision technique.All patients finished the course of neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy. Among them, 36 patients experienced adverse effects. Thirteen patients resulted in complete tumor response and spared the operation. Ninety-two patients were operated on with radical resection, among them 71 patients with low anterior resection, 17 with Parks' colo-anal anastomosis and 4 with abdomino-perineal resection, so sphincter preservation was achieved in 96.2%. In postoperative pathological studies, 11 cases showed complete tumor regression. According to the TNM staging system, 24 cases were ranged T0N0, and 23 cases T2N0, 43 cases T3N0, 2 cases T4N0, 5 cases T2N1, 8 cases T3N1; and according to Dworak's tumor regression grading, 5 cases were ranked TGR0, and 18 cases TGR1, 11 cases TGR2, 47 cases TGR3, 24 cases TGR4. Pathologic downstaging was achieved in 78.1%, including complete response (TGR4) and intermediate response (TGR2 + 3). No operative death occurred. Anastomotic leakage was found in 5 cases, including 3 rectovaginal fistula. All patients have been followed up for 16-67 months, and lung metastasis occurred in 4 cases, liver metastasis in 2 patients and local recurrence in 4 patients. Three patients died of distant metastasis. The 3-year disease-free survival was 82.8% and overall survival was 96.5%.Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy brings tumor down-staging and increases resectability and sphincter preservation, decreases recurrence and improves survival in locally advanced low rectal cancer.

To explore the efficacy and safety of CPT-11 combined with fluoropyrimidine in treatment for advanced or metastatic colorectal carcinoma.From January 2001 to September 2003, 43 patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal carcinoma were randomized into two groups, group A [CPT-11 90 - 25 mg/m(2) continuous infusion for 10 h and folinic acid (FA) 30 mg x m(-2) x d(-1) + 5-FU 425 mg x m(-2) x d(-1) x 2 d continuous infusion for 48 h, every two weeks as a cycle in total of no less than six cycles] and group B (CPT-11 90 - 125 mg/m(2) continuous infusion for 10 h every two weeks as a cycle in total of no less than six cycles and capecitabine 1250 mg x m(-2) x d(-1) by oral divided into two doses, continuously taken without interruption for three months).In this study, overall response rate (ORR) was 44.2%, disease control achieved in 83.7%, Time to progression (TTP) was 11.0 months and overall survival (OS) was 14.6 months. Response rate in group A was 31.3% and 51.9% in group B. TTP of group A was 8.4 months and that of group B was 12.5 months; OS in group A was 14.2 months and 17.9 months in group B. In 43 cases with 502 cycles of chemotherapy, grade III side effect occurred only in 3.0% and no therapy-related death occurred. Nausea and vomiting was the most common side effect with an occurrence rate of 31.9% in group A and 2 cases of grade III, and 22.7% in group B with no case of grade III. Occurrence of side effect was much lower in group B than that of group A except hand-foot syndrome, which was 16.1% in group B with 2 cases of grade III as compared to 1.4% in group A with no case of grade III.Combination of CPT-11 and fluoropyrimidine is effective and safe in treatment for advanced/metastatic colorectal carcinoma. CPT-11 combined with capecitabine are not only more effective, but also its occurrence of side effect is lowered, and are especially high effective for lung metastasis. There is reasonable to recommend that combination of CPT-11 with capecitabine may be as first choice in treatment for such cases.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine as first-line therapy in patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.From December 2000 to November 2001, sixty patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer received first-line capecitabine treatment given at a dose of 1250 mg/m(2) twice daily, on days 1 - 14 every 21 days. At least 2 cycles were administered.The overall response rate was 23.3% with 14 PR, 24 SD (40.0%) and 15 PD. The median survival time was 14.7 months. The survival rate was 63.9% at 12-months and 33.4% at 24-months. Grade III-IV adverse effects were diarrhea in 4 patients (6.6%), anemia in 2 (3.3%) and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) in 1 (1.7%); Grade I-II adverse effects were hyperpigmentation in 20 (33.3%), HFS in 18 (30.0%) and diarrhea in 10 (16.7%).Capecitabine is an efficacious and better-tolerated alternative treatment for the patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.