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BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to construct a novel and practical nomogram and risk stratification system to accurately predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) of early-onset locally advanced rectal cancer (EO-LARC) patients.MethodsA total of 2440 patients diagnosed with EO-LARC between 2010 and 2019 were screened from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The pool of potentially eligible patients was randomly divided into two groups: a training cohort (N=1708) and a validation cohort (N=732). The nomogram was developed and calibrated using various methods, including the coherence index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curves, and decision curves (DCA). A new risk classification system was established based on the nomogram. To compare the performance of this nomogram to that of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, DCA, net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were employed.ResultSeven variables were included in the model. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the training cohort was 0.766, 0.736, and 0.731 at 3, 6, and 9 years, respectively. Calibration plots displayed good consistency between actual observations and the nomogram’s predictions. The DCA curve further demonstrated the validity of the nomination form in clinical practice. Based on the scores of the nomogram, all patients were divided into a low-risk group, a middle-risk group, and a high-risk group. NRI for the 3-, 6-, and 9-year CSS(training cohort: 0.48, 0.45, 0.52; validation cohort: 0.42, 0.37, 0.37), IDI for the 3-, 6-, and 9-year CSS (training cohort: 0.09, 0.10, 0.11; validation cohort: 0.07, 0.08, 0.08). The Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that the new risk classification system possesses a more extraordinary ability to identify patients in different risk groups than the AJCC staging.ConclusionA practical prognostic nomogram and novel risk classification system have been developed to efficiently predict the prognosis of EO-LARC. These tools can serve as a guide to individualize patient treatment and improve clinical decision-making.

Background Ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) have been explored in many cancer processes. Moesin, as its component, has also been found to play an important role in the prognosis of cancer patients, tumor metastasis, drug resistance, and others. Especially in regulating the immunity, but most results came from direct studies on immune cells, there is no clear conclusion on whether moesin has similar effects in tumor cells. And moesin has certain research results in many cancers in other aspects, but there are few about moesin in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods We detect the expression of moesin in 82 LUAD and matched normal tissue samples by immunohistochemistry. Besides, for the pathological feature, we did a detailed statistical analysis. And with the help of various databases, we have done in-depth exploration of moesin’s ability to enhance the extent of immune lymphocyte infiltration. Results Moesin is a poor expression in lung cancer tissues than the corresponding normal samples. And this phenomenon had a strongly associated with the prognosis and TNM stage of these LUAD patients. Moesin can enhance the infiltration of multiple immune lymphocytes in lung cancer. And this may be related to the interaction between moesin and various inflammatory molecules. Conclusions Moesin is a newly index for the prognosis of LUAD and improves the prognosis of LUAD patients by regulating a variety of inflammation-related molecules to enhance immune lymphocytes infiltration.

Paper-based colorimetric sensor array has attracted extensive attention due to its low-cost, easy-operation, powerful discrimination, good selectivity, rapid response and versatility. It combines the advantages of paper-based analytical devices and colorimetric sensor array, and extends its application fields in analytical chemistry. This review described the recent progress in paper-based colorimetric sensor array and summarized its applications in biomedicine, environmental and food safety. Moreover, the sensing materials, characteristics and performances of different paper-based colorimetric sensor arrays were investigated. The prospects of future research for the paper-based colorimetric sensor array were discussed.

Epidemiological investigations have shown that patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have a lower probability of developing lung cancer. Subsequent research revealed that PD and lung cancer share specific genetic alterations. Therefore, the utilisation of PD biomarkers and therapeutic targets may improve lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to identify a gene-based signature from 25 Parkinson family genes for LUAD prognosis and treatment choice. We analysed Parkinson family gene expression and protein levels in LUAD, utilising multiple databases. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to construct a prognostic model based on the TCGA-LUAD cohort. We validated the model in external GEO cohorts. Immune cell infiltration was compared between risk groups, and GEO data was used to explore the model’s predictive ability for LUAD treatment response. Nearly all Parkinson family genes exhibited significant differential expression between LUAD and normal tissues. LASSO regression confirmed that our seven Parkinson family gene-based signature had excellent prognostic performance for LUAD, as validated in three GEO cohorts. The high-risk group was clearly associated with low tumour immune cell infiltration, suggesting that immunotherapy may not be an optimal treatment choice. This is the first Parkinson family gene-based model for the prediction of LUAD prognosis and treatment outcome. The association of these genes with poor prognosis and low immune infiltration requires further investigation.

This study aimed to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of lncRNA CASC2 in malignant melanoma (MM). Expression of CASC2 in MM tissues and cells was detected. A375 cells were transfected with pc-CASC2, si-CASC2, miR-18a-5p inhibitor, or corresponding controls, and then cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were detected using MTT assay, colony formation assay, and Transwell analysis, respectively. The relationship of miR-18a-5p and CASC2 or RUNX1 was detected by luciferase reporter assay. The levels of CASC2 and RUNX1 were significantly reduced in MM tissues compared with normal skin tissues or cells, while the miR-18a-5p level was obviously increased (all p p p

Drug repositioning is a strategy for identifying new antitumor drugs; this strategy allows existing and approved clinical drugs to be innovatively repurposed to treat tumors. Based on the similarities between parasitic diseases and cancer, recent studies aimed to investigate the efficacy of existing antiparasitic drugs in cancer. In this review, we selected two antihelminthic drugs (macrolides and benzimidazoles) and two antiprotozoal drugs (artemisinin and its derivatives, and quinolines) and summarized the research progresses made to date on the role of these drugs in cancer. Overall, these drugs regulate tumor growth via multiple targets, pathways, and modes of action. These antiparasitic drugs are good candidates for comprehensive, in-depth analyses of tumor occurrence and development. In-depth studies may improve the current tumor diagnoses and treatment regimens. However, for clinical application, current investigations are still insufficient, warranting more comprehensive analyses.

Many ejection landslides in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake exhibited unusually dramatic behaviour in which a huge sliding mass was launched into the air and supported for a long distance because of the aerodynamic effect. In this paper, the formation conditions and movement characteristics of ejection landslides are analysed. The flight behaviour of the centroid of the ejection mass is studied by numerical solution with and without the aerodynamic effect. The impact and movement processes of the sliding mass are simulated by incorporating an advanced discretisation approach into discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA). Simulation results of the Dayanke rock avalanche induced by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake show that the aerodynamic effect significantly affects its flight behaviour before collision. Simultaneously, the colluvium on the slope surface remarkably reduces its traveling speed and runout. Moreover, the initial angle between the velocity of the detached ejection mass and the horizontal direction strongly affects the flight distance and final deposition pattern of the avalanche.

Children as a population have high antimicrobial prescribing rates which may lead to high resistance of bacteria according to data from some single-center surveys of antibiotic prescribing rates in China. The acquirement of baseline data of antibiotic prescribing is the basis of developing intervention strategies on inappropriate antimicrobial prescriptions. Few studies show clearly the pattern and detailed information on classes of antibiotics and distribution of indications of antibiotic prescriptions in children in China. This study aims to assess the antibiotic prescribing patterns among children and neonates hospitalized in 18 hospitals in China. A 24-hour point prevalence survey on antimicrobial prescribing was conducted in hospitalized neonates and children in China from December 1st, 2016 to February 28th, 2017. Information on the antibiotic use of patients under 18 years of age who were administered one or more on-going antibiotics in the selected wards over a 24-hour period was collected. These data were submitted to the GARPEC (Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Prescribing and Efficacy in Children and Neonates) web-based application ( https://pidrg-database.sgul.ac.uk/redcap/ ). For statistical analysis, Microsoft Excel 2007 and SPSS 22.0 were used. The antibiotic data were collected in 35 wards in 18 hospitals from 9 provinces. In total, 67.76% (975/1439) of the patients (n = 1439) were given at least one antibiotic, including 58.1% (173/298) of neonates (n = 298) and 70.3% (802/1141) of children (n = 1141). In neonates, the three most frequently prescribed antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins (41.7%), penicillins plus enzyme inhibitor (23.8%), and carbapenems (11.2%). In children, the three most frequently prescribed antibiotics were third-generation cephalosporins (35.5%), macrolides (23.2%), and penicillins plus enzyme inhibitors (15.9%). The most common indication for antibiotics was proven or probable bacterial lower respiratory tract infection (30.9% in neonates and 66.6% in children). Antibiotics are commonly prescribed in the Chinese children population. It is likely that the third-generation cephalosporins and macrolides are currently overused in Chinese children. Efforts must be made to ensure safe and appropriate antibiotic prescribing to reduce and prevent the future development of antibiotic resistance.

SummaryObjective To investigate the clinical application and efficacy of intradermal injection of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW-HA) for treating enlarged facial pores. Methods From January 2015 to May 2016, 42 subjects who sought aesthetic treatment underwent intradermal injection of LMW-HA to improve enlarged facial pores. For each treatment, 2.5 mL (25 mg) of LMW-HA was injected into the skin of the full face. The treatment was repeated 2-5 times with an interval of 1 to 1.5 months between consecutive treatments. The postoperative follow-up period was 1 to 6 months. Statistical analysis was used to compare the degree of enlargement of facial pores before and after injection. The clinical efficacy and adverse effects were recorded. Results The enlarged facial pores before and after treatment were categorized and subjected to the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. The difference was statistically significant (P

We theoretically investigate the orbital hybridization and spin-dependent transport in organic ferromagnetic co-oligomer molecules. The results reveal that the hybridized orbitals are sensitive to the spin configuration of the two moieties, which manifests in both the eigenvalue and spatial localization. A large tunneling magnetoresistance effect is achieved by calculating the transport property at different spin configurations. This work indicates a magnetic manipulation of molecular conductance, which is expected to be useful in the design of intrinsic organic spin valves.

Spin-dependent transport in ferromagnet/organic-ferromagnet/metal junctions is investigated theoretically. The results reveal a large tunneling magnetoresistance up to 3230% by controlling the relative magnetization orientation between the ferromagnet and the central organic ferromagnet. The mechanism is explained by distinct efficient spin-resolved tunneling states in the ferromagnet between the parallel and antiparallel spin configurations. The key role of the organic ferromagnet in generating the large magnetoresistance is explored, where the spin selection effect is found to enlarge the difference of the tunneling states between the parallel and antiparallel configurations by comparing with the conventional organic spin valves. The effects of intrinsic interactions in the organic ferromagnet including electron–lattice interaction and spin coupling with radicals on the magnetoresistance are discussed. This work demonstrates a promising potential of organic ferromagnets in the design of high-performance organic spin valves.

Based on the demand of high-level technical talents under the background of application-oriented education transformation, this paper conducts a preliminary study on the reform of practical teaching in engineering cost specialty. By strengthening practical teaching in teaching processes, constructing interest groups for students, students participating in projects and research subjects, teams across grades participating in innovation activities, carrying out school-enterprise cooperation reforms and practices, the paper suggests that practical teaching reform of engineering cost specialty can enhance students’ theoretical application ability, improve students’ practical abilities, stimulate students’ innovation ability and ultimately achieve the goal of cultivating high-tech and applied talents.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) possess some characteristics of immune cells, including a pro-inflammatory phenotype, an immunosuppressive phenotype, antibacterial properties and the expression of Toll-like receptor proteins. Here we show that, similar to immune cells, MSCs retain information from danger signals or environmental stimuli for a period of time. When treated with the pro-inflammatory factors lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), MSCs display increased expression of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1. Following re-plating and several rounds of cell division in the absence of stimulating factors, the expression of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 remained higher than in untreated cells for over 7 days. A spike in cytokine secretion occurred when cells were exposed to a second round of stimulation. We primed MSCs with LPS and LPS-primed MSCs had better therapeutic efficacy at promoting skin flap survival in a diabetic rat model than did unprimed MSCs. Finally, we found that several microRNAs, including miR146a, miR150 and miR155, along with the modification of DNA by 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), mediate the MSC response to LPS and TNF-α stimulation. Collectively, our data suggest that MSCs have a short-term memory of environmental signals, which may impact their therapeutic potential.

Based on ab-initio theory and nonequilibrium Green's function method, the effect of proportion on the rectification in pyrimidinyl-phenyl diblock co-oligomer diodes is investigated in two regimes. For a short co-oligomer diode, it is found that the 1:1 proportion of the two moieties favors the largest rectification ratio. For a long co-oligomer diode, an interesting proportion-dependent variation of the rectifying direction is observed. Furthermore, the optimal proportion for the largest rectification ratio is not 1:1 any longer. A deep understanding can be achieved by analyzing the bias-dependent transmission spectra combined with the evolution of the molecular orbitals.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein produced by placental trophoblasts. Previous studies indicated that hCG could be responsible for the pregnancy-induced protection against breast cancer in women. It is reported that hCG decreases proliferation and invasion of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Our research also demonstrates that hCG can reduce the proliferation of MCF-7 cells by downregulating the expression of proliferation markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and proliferation-related Ki-67 antigen (Ki-67). Interestingly, we find here that hCG elevates the state of cellular differentiation, as characterized by the upregulation of differentiation markers, β-casein, cytokeratin-18 (CK-18), and E-cadherin. Inhibition of hCG secretion or luteinizing hormone/hCG receptors (LH/hCGRs) synthesis can weaken the effect of hCG on the induction of cell differentiation. Furthermore, hCG can suppress the expression of estrogen receptor alpha. hCG activated receptor-mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathway. These findings indicated that a protective effect of hCG against breast cancer may be associated with its growth inhibitory and differentiation induction function in breast cancer cells. © 2014 IUBMB Life, 66(5):352–360, 2014

High expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) is associated with a poor prognosis that correlates closely with cellular proliferation in breast cancer. However, the exact molecular mechanism by which ERα controls breast cancer cell proliferation is not clear. Here we report that ERα regulates the cell cycle by suppressing p53/p21 and up-regulating proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and proliferation-related Ki-67 antigen (Ki-67) to promote proliferation of MCF-7 cells. In addition, 17-β-estradiol (E2) enhances ERα-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells by stimulating expression of PCNA and Ki-67. Knockdown of ERα significantly affects PCNA/Ki-67 and p53/p21 expression. Furthermore, ERα inhibits the transcriptional activity of p53/p21 in an estrogen response element-dependent manner. More importantly, we provide new evidence that ERα mediates proliferation of MCF-7 cells by up-regulating miR-17 to silence the expression of p21. Thus, these data provide new insights into the underlying effect of ERα on breast cancer proliferation.

A large and catastrophic rock avalanche occurred at the Xinmo village in the Maoxian county of the Sichuan province of China on June 24, 2017. The avalanche destroyed 64 houses and killed 10 people, and 73 people were reported to be missing. In this study, we focused on the contributions of six historical earthquakes to the collapse of rocks in the source area and the landslide amplification caused by the entrainment of pre-existing deposits on the landslide path. The historical earthquakes in this area contributed different levels of damage on the source rocks; particularly, the 1933 Diexi earthquake induced a few initial cracks in rocks at the crest of the steep hillslope. Under the combined time-effects of long-term weathering and gravity, the rock blocks in the source area were detached from the crest along the intersecting cracks and over-dip soft layer (namely, the sliding surface). The avalanche was amplified by the entrainment of colluvium on its path. The influence of the colluvium on the movement process of the Xinmo landslide was modelled by the GPU-based parallel discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method, and the effect of the impact and entrainment in the debris flow was rigorously analysed. The results indicate that the impact and entrainment can continuously increase the volume of debris flow, and the thickness of the colluvium was established to be in the range of 25.9–33.9 m based on the analysis of the deposit pattern and movement duration of the avalanche. There were numerous unstable rocks induced by historical earthquakes, at the crests of steep hill slopes in the earthquake-stricken area. With long-term damage caused by environmental factors and gravity, the failure of unstable rocks with high potential energy is likely to cause severe disasters. The excess pore water pressure likely to be present in the colluvium or deposits during impact and entrainment can considerably reduce the effective stress and degrade friction resistance along the runout path. As a result, the landslide can be intensively amplified owing to the effect of impact and entrainment under a lower friction resistance

To reduce the noise and vibration of mobile wastewater treatment plant, this paper presents testing and analysis of 50 measuring points in the working state of mobile wastewater treatment plant based on TST test analysis system. The structure’s natural frequency, damping and modal vibration modes are extracted within the frequency band of 0-1000HZ. By comparing the operating modal and the finite element modal, it is believed that the operating modal can accurately recognize modal parameters of the container.

Taking the G4-73№8D centrifugal fan as research object and utilizing the software of NUMECA to simulate flow fields of impellers with different splotted blades, the parameters of slotted blade are optimized through contrastive analysis of the effects on internal flow characteristics and performance. Results show that the optimized scheme can improve the uniformity of internal flow field, full pressure and efficiency seperatly increase by 4.25% and 1.49% under the design flow. For the needs of variable fan load operation, this paper puts forward the optimization principle of slit parameter.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exert a tumor-promoting effect in a variety of human cancers. This study was designed to identify the molecular mechanisms related to the tumor-promoting effect of MSCs in colorectal cancer. In vitro analysis of colorectal cancer cell lines cultured in MSC conditioned media (MSC-CM) showed that MSC-CM significantly promoted the progression of the cancer cells by enhancing cell proliferation, migration and colony formation. The tumorigenic effect of MSC-CM was attributed to altered expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins and inhibition of apoptosis. Furthermore, MSC-CM induced high level expression of a number of pluripotency factors in the cancer cells. ELISAs revealed MSC-CM contained higher levels of IL-6 and IL-8, which are associated with the progression of cancer. Moreover, MSC-CM downregulated AMPK mRNA and protein phosphorylation, but upregulated mTOR mRNA and protein phosphorylation. The NF-κB pathway was activated after addition of MSC-CM. An in vivo model in Balb/C mice confirmed the ability of MSC-CM to promote the invasion and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells. This study indicates that MSCs promote the progression of colorectal cancer via AMPK/mTOR-mediated NF-κB activation.

This paper is aimed to analyse contact stress of ring-plate indexing cam mechanism which is a new type of indexing cam mechanism. A contact finite element model of the cam and the pin gear is established with the commercial software of MATLAB and ANSYS. With the finite element analysis, the contact stress of the cam and the pin gear is predicted in one motion cycle. On the basis of the finite element analysis, the force and the position of maximum stress are obtained. The conclusion proposed here is reliable to instruct the design of ring-plate indexing cam mechanism.

The commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials is a measure of the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), which directly impacts on the safety and effectiveness of clinical medicines. It is an urgent problem to establish a set of standards which can both interpret the scientific connotation of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials and play a significant role on clinical medicines as well as markets. This paper reviews the research methods of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials such as sensory evaluation, chemical assessment, biological evaluation, and cited the applications of various methods for the classification of TCMs. It provides technical support for establishing standards of the commodity specification and grade of Chinese medicinal materials, and also constructs scientific basis for clinical rational drug use.

Background Cellular senescence is linked to aging and tumorigenesis. The senescence of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may influence the tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis by secreting a variety of cytokines and growth factors. Results The conditioned media of adipose derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) stimulated the proliferation of human LoVo colorectal-cancer cells, and the replicative senescent MSCs had the more obvious effects in comparison to that of premature AD-MSCs. Analysis of the factors secreted in the MSCs culture media determined that senescent MSCs expressed and secreted high levels of galectin-3. Galectin-3 expression correlated with the stimulatory effect of senescent AD-MSCs on LoVo cells proliferation, as knockdown of galectin-3 in senescent AD-MSCs significantly reversed the effect of MSCs–mediated growth stimulation of LoVo cells. Furthermore, the simultaneous addition of recombinant galectin-3 to the co-culture systems partially restored the tumor-promoting effect of the senescent AD-MSCs. Analysis of the mechanisms of senescent MSCs and galectin-3 on LoVo cells signal transduction determined that senescent MSCs and exogenous galectin-3 promoted cell growth by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK]1/2) pathway. Conclusions Senescent MSCs may alter the tissue microenvironment and affect nearby malignant cells via cytokine secretion, and galectin-3 is an important mediator of senescent AD-MSC–mediated stimulation of colon cancer cell growth. Therefore, thorough assessment of AD-MSCs prior to their implementation in clinical practice is warranted.

Background aims Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for innovative cell therapeutic applications. Before their use, however, they usually need to be expanded in vitro with serum-supplemented media. MSCs can undergo replicative senescence during in vitro expansion, but it is not yet clear how serum supplements influence this process. Methods In the present study, we compared how media supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) or calf serum (CS) affected morphology, proliferation, differentiation, senescence and other functional characteristics of human umbilical cord–derived MSCs (UC-MSCs). Results UC-MSCs cultured in both FBS- and CS-containing media were able to differentiate along osteogenic and adipogenic lineages but ultimately reached proliferation arrest. However, senescence-associated characteristics, such as β-galactosidase activity, reactive oxygen species levels, proliferation rate and gene expression, demonstrate that UC-MSCs grown with FBS have better proliferation potential and differentiation capacity. In contrast, UC-MSCs grown with CS have a higher proportion of apoptotic cells and senescent characteristics. Possible mechanisms for the observed phenotypes include changes in gene expression (Bax, p16, p21 and p53) and cytokine production (interleukin-6 and interleukin-8). Conclusions This study demonstrates that FBS-supplemented media provides a better microenvironment for the expansion of UC-MSCs in vitro than CS-supplemented media. This work provides insight into MSCs generation practices for use in basic research and clinical therapies.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein produced by placental trophoblasts. Previous studies indicated that hCG could be responsible for the pregnancy-induced protection against breast cancer in women. It is reported that hCG decreases proliferation and invasion of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Our research also demonstrates that hCG can reduce the proliferation of MCF-7 cells by downregulating the expression of proliferation markers, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and proliferation-related Ki-67 antigen (Ki-67). Interestingly, we find here that hCG elevates the state of cellular differentiation, as characterized by the upregulation of differentiation markers, β-casein, cytokeratin-18 (CK-18), and E-cadherin. Inhibition of hCG secretion or luteinizing hormone/hCG receptors (LH/hCGRs) synthesis can weaken the effect of hCG on the induction of cell differentiation. Furthermore, hCG can suppress the expression of estrogen receptor alpha. hCG activated receptor-mediated cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathway. These findings indicated that a protective effect of hCG against breast cancer may be associated with its growth inhibitory and differentiation induction function in breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. It is well known that oncogene activation and anti-oncogene inactivation affect the development and progression of breast cancer, but the role of oncogene activation and anti-oncogene inactivation in breast cancer is still not fully understood. We now report that maspin acts as a tumor suppressor gene to induce MCF-7 cell apoptosis. In addition, maspin promoter hypermethylation and histone hypoacetylation lead to silencing of maspin gene expression in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dc) and/or the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) strongly up-regulated the expression of maspin in MCF-7 cells. Notably, myocardin can promote the re-expression of maspin in MCF-7 cells. Luciferase assay shows that myocardin activates the transcription of maspin promoter by CArG box. More importantly, 5-aza-dc/TSA and myocardin synergetically enhance re-expression of maspin and augment maspin-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Thus, these data reveal the new insight that myocardin meditates apoptosis in breast cancer through affecting maspin re-expression and epigenetic modification to regulate the development of breast cancer, thereby raising the possibility of its use in breast cancer therapy.

To observe the influence of different acupuncture manipulations at Zusanli (ST 36) on blood perfusion of skin microcirculation in healthy volunteer subjects.A total of 10 healthy volunteers were recruited in the present study. Acupuncture manipulations of lifting-thrusting reinforcing and reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing, and simple needle insertion were applied to right Zusanli (ST 36) for 2 min. Changes of blood perfusion in the right Zusanli (ST 36) area were detected 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 25 min and 30 min after acupuncture stimulation, respectively by using a Pericam Perfusion Speckle Imager. The interval between two detections for different needling manipulations was 2 days at least.In comparison with pre-acupuncture stimulation, the blood perfusion levels of the skin microcirculation around the right Zusanli (ST 36) region were significantly increased from 1 min to 10 min following simple needle insertion, from 5 min to 30 min after uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulation, from 1 min to 30 min after reinforcing manipulation, and from 1 min to 25 min following reducing manipulation, respectively (P0.05, P0.01), and the effects of reinforcing manipulation were apparently superior to those of the reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulations and simple needle insertion in upregulating blood perfusion level (P0.05, P0.01).Lifting-thrusting reinforcing, reducing, uniform reinforcing-reducing manipulations of acupuncture needle, and simple needle insertion at Zusanli (ST 36) can obviously increase blood perfusion level in normal volunteer subjects, and the effect of reinforcing manipulation is apparently better.

The Medline database system and the CNKI literature database were used to evaluate the publications in acupuncture in recent years, using the key words: "acupuncture" "adverse reaction" and "risk". A number of 155 publications in Chinese were collected, including 698 cases; a number of 59 abstracts publications in English were selected, including 64 cases. The analysis of the publications shows that various causes lead to adverse reactions to acupuncture. The defective security system of acupuncture is one of the major causes. It demands to promote the safety guidelines issued by WHO or to establish a new Chinese security system of acupuncture.

This paper has developed the numerical simulation and optimal analysis on the impacts provided by the square compensator's structure on the pressure loss characteristics in the heating pipe network by using the FLUENT software, and from which we fortunately found that the optimal structure of the square compensator at different flow velocities herein offers a strong reference for the optimal design of the pipeline system. The proposed approach on both retrofits and reinforcements of the compensator's structures indicate that different structure-based compensators appear to be a wide range of field flow velocity. Most notably, with explicit consideration of the precondition of economic operation flow speeds at different structural compensators enables the e-shape compensator in multiple paradigms. While the more aggressive pursuit of a broader range of technologies, such as the supplementation - compensators given in this case, could lead to a satisfactory efficiency of the pipeline network.

The study with 15N tracing techniques showed that basal application of K did not increase the N and K accumulation in wheat plant when the available K content in 0-20 cm soil layer was 118.5 mg x kg(-1), but increased the accumulation significantly when the soil available K content was 79.0 mg x kg(-1). When the fertilizer K was 1/2 basal-applied and 1/2 top-dressed at elongation stage, the absorbed fertilizer N and soil N by plant as well as the residual N of top-dressed N in soil were increased with increasing K application rate, while the fertilizer N loss decreased. Compared with basal application, the split application of K increased the accumulated amount, uptake efficiency, and productive efficiency of N and K significantly. When the K application rate was 135 kg x hm(-2), split application of K promoted the absorption of top-dressed and soil N by plant, and increased the residual N of top-dressed N in soil. The results also showed that K application increased the grain yield and its protein and wet gluten contents. At the same K application rate, split application had better effect than basal application, and treatment K45 +45 (45 kg x hm(-2) as basal and 45 kg x hm(-2) top-dressed) showed the best effect. Applying excessive K tended to decrease wheat yield and its quality.

The Al and O atomic vacancies on α-Al2O3(0001) surface an d the adsorption o f ZnO are calculated theoretically by using a plane wave ultrasoft pseudo-potent ial method based on density functional theory. The electron localization functio n(ELF) shows the electronic density changes at the atomic vacancies. There is an obvious absence of electronic areas where the vacancies of Al have the dangling bonds of oxygen, which are favourable for the adsorption of Zn atoms. In contra st, at the vacancies of O, there are more electron distribution(ELF:005—03) , forming lone electron pairs which are profitably available to combine O atoms or O2- ions. Through the dynamics calculation, we find that surface d efect s can significantly strengthen particle adsorption, and the vacancies are filled by adatoms(Al or O), with the adsorption energy much higher than the case of th e adsorption on a perfect surface. The surface Al-vacancies where the ZnO adsorp tion clearly breaks the hexagonal symmetry of oxygen on the α-Al2O3(0001) s urface because of the formation of the O double bonds, which apparently weakens the reaction diffusivity of O, and has a further negative impact on the regular ZnO films formation. Accordingly, more defects and dislocations in films growth might be produced. Contrarily, the O-vacancies on the α-Al2O3(0001) surface , the chemisorption and dissociation of ZnO do not have an effect on the surface hexagonal symmetry.

In a Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O oxide, prepared by means of conventional ceramic technique, the zero-resistance temperature was found to be 127 +- 0.5 K and the dimagnetic transition temperature to be 130 +- 1 K. An ESR measurement shows that there is an intense low-field microwave-absorption peak below T/sub c/ (R = 0) in the sample. This means that the superconductivity of Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O is either associated with the glass feature or with the spin-triplet state of Cu/sup 2+/-Cu/sup 2+/ pairs via the exchange interaction mediated by an O/sup -/ ion, as is indirectly supported by the similar microwave absorption measurement on single-crystal LiNbO/sub 3/:Cu/sup 2+/