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In this work, a novel triphenylamine-benzofuran derived fluorescent probe, TBF-SS, was developed for detecting hydrogen polysulfide in tea samples and intracellular imaging. TBF-SS showed the practical advantages including high sensitivity (LOD = 0.01 μM), high selectivity, rapid response (within 15 min), and steadiness in various environmental conditions. The detecting system was steady within pH range of 6.0-11.0 and temperature range of 20-55 °C. The probe TBF-SS could guarantee the stable detection of H 2 S n for 7 d in storage of either solid or solution. In particular, in the application of various tea samples with different brewing times and testing temperatures, the recovery percentages varied in the range of 95.22 % to 105.0 %. Therefore accurate monitoring of H 2 S n could be achieved by using the probe TBF-SS. In addition, TBF-SS could monitor the exogenous level, the β-lapachone-induced generation and the tea-sample-treated introduction of H 2 S n in living MCF-7 cells. This work might inspire the improvement of the serviceability of fluorescent implements., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Nest materials are a major heat source due to rotting promoted by microbial activity. Additionally, they are a potential microbial source given their direct contact with eggshells. Microbial dynamics during incubation have been studied in wild birds; however, similar studies in reptiles remain elusive. Here, the study characterized microbial communities in the nest materials of Chinese alligator ( Alligator sinensis ) using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences. The results showed that significant changes in the diversity and structure of microbial communities according to different incubation periods. The diversity and richness of bacterial species increased significantly over time, but the relative abundance of the most dominant bacteria in pre-incubation period, including some pathogenic bacteria, declined after incubation. In contrast, fungal species diversity and richness decreased significantly with time. Additionally, nest material composition significantly influenced microbial community structure rather than species diversity and richness. Notably, the fungal community structure showed a stronger response than bacteria to nest material composition, which varied due to differences in plant litter composition. Our results demonstrate the significant response of microbial community diversity and structure to differences in incubation periods and nest material composition in reptiles. It is further emphasized that the importance of incubation period in the conservation of the Chinese alligator and could inform similar studies in other reptiles and birds., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yu, Hu, Wang, Lin and Fang.)

The gut microbiota forms a complex microecosystem in vertebrates and is affected by various factors. As a key intrinsic factor, sex has a persistent impact on the formation and development of gut microbiota. Few studies have analyzed sexual dimorphism of gut microbiota, particularly in wild animals. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze the gut microbiota of juvenile and adult Chinese alligators, and untargeted metabolomics to study serum metabolomes of adult alligators. We observed significant sexual differences in the community diversity in juvenile, but not adult, alligators. In terms of taxonomic composition, the phylum Fusobacteriota and genus Cetobacterium were highly abundant in adult alligators, similar to those present in carnivorous fishes, whereas the gut microbiota composition in juvenile alligators resembled that in terrestrial reptiles, indicating that adults are affected by their wild aquatic environment and lack sex dimorphism in gut microbiota. The correlation analysis revealed that the gut microbiota of adults was also affected by cyanobacteria in the external environment, and this effect was sex-biased and mediated by sex hormones. Overall, this study reveals sexual differences in the gut microbiota of crocodilians and their convergence in the external environment, while also providing insights into host-microbiota interactions in wildlife.

Objectives: Early recognition of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity can guide patient management. However, it is challenging to predict when COVID-19 patients will progress to critical illness. This study aimed to develop an artificial intelligence system to predict future deterioration to critical illness in COVID-19 patients., Methods: An artificial intelligence (AI) system in a time-to-event analysis framework was developed to integrate chest CT and clinical data for risk prediction of future deterioration to critical illness in patients with COVID-19., Results: A multi-institutional international cohort of 1,051 patients with RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 and chest CT was included in this study. Of them, 282 patients developed critical illness, which was defined as requiring ICU admission and/or mechanical ventilation and/or reaching death during their hospital stay. The AI system achieved a C-index of 0.80 for predicting individual COVID-19 patients' to critical illness. The AI system successfully stratified the patients into high-risk and low-risk groups with distinct progression risks (p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: Using CT imaging and clinical data, the AI system successfully predicted time to critical illness for individual patients and identified patients with high risk. AI has the potential to accurately triage patients and facilitate personalized treatment., Key Point: • AI system can predict time to critical illness for patients with COVID-19 by using CT imaging and clinical data., (© 2021. European Society of Radiology.)

Objective: To explore the central sensitization mechanism of pain in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS)., Methods: We randomly divided 40 adult male SPF SD rats, aged 3－4 weeks and weighing 250－350 g, into a normal control and a CP/CPPS model group. After modeling, we analyzed the state of infiltration of CD4+T cells into the L5－S2 spinal cord and detected the expression levels of GFAP and CR3 in the spinal cord tissue using flow cytometry, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunofluorescence staining., Results: Compared with the normal controls, the CP/CPPS model rats showed dramatically increased expression of CD4+T cells in the mononuclear cells of the L5－S2 spinal cord tissue (P < 0.01), mRNA expressions of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) secreted from the Th1 cells, interleukin (IL)-17 and retinoic acid-associated orphan receptor (ROR) γt secreted from the Th17 cells, cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β, and chemokines CCL2, CCL20 and CXCL10 (P < 0.01), and expressions of the molecular markers of Th1 and Th17 cells IFN-γ and IL-17 and those of astrocytes and microglias GFAP and CR3., Conclusions: CD4+T cells, specifically Th1 and Th17 cells, infiltrate L5－S2 spinal cord neurons in CP/CPPS model rats. The inflammatory factors secreted from these cells may damage the neuronal cells, affect nervous conduction, promote central sensitization and activate astrocytes and microglias, leading to the development and progression of pain.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play critical roles in the physiological function of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), including learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity, through modulating excitatory neurotransmission. Attributed to etiopathology of various CNS disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, GluN2B is one of the most well-studied subtypes in preclinical and clinical studies on NMDARs. Herein, we report the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of two 11 C-labeled GluN2B-selective negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) containing N,N-dimethyl-2-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-yl)acetamides for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Two PET ligands, namely [ 11 C]31 and [ 11 C]37 (also called N2B-1810 and N2B-1903, respectively) were labeled with [ 11 C]CH 3 I in good radiochemical yields (decay-corrected 28% and 32% relative to starting [ 11 C]CO 2 , respectively), high radiochemical purity (>99%) and high molar activity (>74 GBq/μmol). In particular, PET ligand [ 11 C]31 demonstrated moderate specific binding to GluN2B subtype by in vitro autoradiography studies. However, because in vivo PET imaging studies showed limited brain uptake of [ 11 C]31 (up to 0.5 SUV), further medicinal chemistry and ADME optimization are necessary for this chemotype attributed to low binding specificity and rapid metabolism in vivo.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pneumonia of other diseases share similar CT characteristics, which contributes to the challenges in differentiating them with high accuracy. Purpose To establish and evaluate an artificial intelligence (AI) system for differentiating COVID-19 and other pneumonia at chest CT and assessing radiologist performance without and with AI assistance. Materials and Methods A total of 521 patients with positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results for COVID-19 and abnormal chest CT findings were retrospectively identified from 10 hospitals from January 2020 to April 2020. A total of 665 patients with non-COVID-19 pneumonia and definite evidence of pneumonia at chest CT were retrospectively selected from three hospitals between 2017 and 2019. To classify COVID-19 versus other pneumonia for each patient, abnormal CT slices were input into the EfficientNet B4 deep neural network architecture after lung segmentation, followed by a two-layer fully connected neural network to pool slices together. The final cohort of 1186 patients (132 583 CT slices) was divided into training, validation, and test sets in a 7:2:1 and equal ratio. Independent testing was performed by evaluating model performance in separate hospitals. Studies were blindly reviewed by six radiologists without and then with AI assistance. Results The final model achieved a test accuracy of 96% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 90%, 98%), a sensitivity of 95% (95% CI: 83%, 100%), and a specificity of 96% (95% CI: 88%, 99%) with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.95 and area under the precision-recall curve of 0.90. On independent testing, this model achieved an accuracy of 87% (95% CI: 82%, 90%), a sensitivity of 89% (95% CI: 81%, 94%), and a specificity of 86% (95% CI: 80%, 90%) with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.90 and area under the precision-recall curve of 0.87. Assisted by the probabilities of the model, the radiologists achieved a higher average test accuracy (90% vs 85%, Δ = 5, P < .001), sensitivity (88% vs 79%, Δ = 9, P < .001), and specificity (91% vs 88%, Δ = 3, P = .001). Conclusion Artificial intelligence assistance improved radiologists' performance in distinguishing coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia from non-coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia at chest CT. © RSNA, 2020 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Objective To assess the effects of Jianpi Shengxue Granule (JSG) on the fertility and early embryo development in rats. Methods Totally 176 SD rats were stratified by sex, and divided into 4 groups, i.e., the control group, low, medium, high dose JSG treatment groups. Rats in the 3 JSG treatment groups were administered with JSG at 0, 1. 16, 3. 48, 5. 80 g/kg per day by gastrogavage, re- spectively. After 2 weeks of administration for females and 4 weeks of administration for males, males and females were caged in the ratio of 1:1. Females were administered to the gestation day 7. Males were administered for 59 -63 days until the day before anatomy. All parental generations were anatomized to observe signs and morphologies. Pathological examination was performed. General toxicity was detected. The testis and epididymis were weighed. Spermatozoa number was counted from epididymis, and repro- duction toxicity of sperm motility was checked. The numbers of corpus luteum, live fetus, dead fetus, and absorbed fetus were counted. The implantation number was calculated to observe early embryo de- velopment toxicity. Results (1) General toxicity: The body weight growth slowed down in male rats of the high dose JSG treatment group. No abnormality was found in low and medium dose JSG treatment groups. (2)Fertility toxicity: There was no obvious toxic effect on testis, epididymis, and spermatozoa number from epididymis sperm in all JSG treatment groups. (3) Early embryo development toxicity: No significant effect on the formation of early embryos was found in all JSG treatment groups. Conclusions Certain gastrointestinal toxicity of JSG might exist to some extent. The dose for non-adverse effect of JSG on fertility and early embryo development was 3. 38 g/kg per day. No obvious fertility or early embryo development toxicity occurred in each JSG treatment group.

The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) calculated from spectral reflectance has universally become a proxy for the light-use efficiency (LUE), which significantly improves the LUE-based estimation of ecosystem gross primary productivity on a large scale through upscaling. In this study, we observed the vegetation spectral reflectance of a planted subtropical coniferous forest from the top of a flux tower at Qianyanzhou Station, one of the ChinaFLUX sites, in September and December 2013, and simultaneously measured CO2 flux and meteorological variables for correlation and regression analysis. Results showed that PRI had a better correlation with LUE (R2 = 0.20, P< 0.001) than that of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), i.e., PRI was preferred in LUE retrieval. During the whole observation period, PRI and soil water content (SWC)-based bivariate regression model correlated well with LUE (R2 = 0.29, P < 0.001 and R2 = 0.30, P < 0.01 for daytime and midday observation, respectively), but in autumn the bivariate regression model of PRI and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) had a higher correlation with LUE (R2 = 0.448, P < 0.001) for midday observation, which showed that environmental factors, i.e., SWC and VPD, had a potential in improving the LUE retrieval from PRI, but the choice of appropriate environmental factors depended on season.

Canopy is a major structural layer for vegetation to carry out ecological activities. The differences of light radiative transfer processes in canopies caused by forest canopy structure directly influence remote sensing inversion of forest canopy biochemical composition. Thus an analysis of spectral characteristics between different canopy structures contributes to improve the accuracy of remote sensing inversion of forest canopy biochemical components. Based on a Hyperion hyperspectral image in the north Slope of Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve, through FLAASH (the Fast Line-of-sight Atmospheric Analysis of Spectral Hypercubes) atmospheric correction, different canopy reflectance spectra were extracted, and spectral transforms were carried out using continuum removal method and first derivative method for quantitative analysis of the spectral characteristics. A set of spectral indices were calculated, including NIR (near infrared reflectance), NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index), NDNI (normalized difference nitrogen index), SPRI (normalized photochemical reflectance index) * NDVI and SPRI * EVI (vegetation productivity index). Combined with the broad foliar dominance index (BFDI), the relationships between the spectral indices and canopy structure composition were investigated. The characteristics of canopy structure composition impacting its spectral curve and indices were clarified in the temperate forest. The results showed that: (1) there existed significantly different spectral characteristics between different canopy structures: comparing to the spectrum of broad-leaved forest canopies, the red edge moved to the left and their slope decreased, blue edge and yellow edge features were also weakened, near-infrared reflectance decreased, normalized reflectance in visible region risen for the spectrum of conifer forest canopies; (2) the spectrum variation were controlled by BFDL The correlations between BFDI and the spectral indices were significant (P < 0.01). It was suggested the ratio of broad-leaved and conifer in canopy played an important role in variation of spectral indices. The coefficients of determination (R2) of BFDI and NDVI, EVI, SPRI * EVI, SPRI * NDVI and NDNI were 0.90, 0.83, 0.83, 0.81, 0.68 and 0.59 respectively. It was revealed that BFDI could control the variation of the canopy structure, greenness, leaf nitrogen concentration, leaf area index and productivity in temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests. Our findings were very significant foundation for accurate determination of forest type, quantitative extraction of canopy biochemical components, estimation of regional forest ecosystem productivity and other related researches.

An interesting aspect of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is the ability to selectively replicate in tumor cells. Recently, using reverse genetics technology to enhance the oncolytic properties and therapeutic potential of NDV for tumor therapy has become popular in immunocompetent carcinoma tumor models. Expressing foreign genes by recombinant NDV (rNDV-FG) has been shown to be more effective in cancer therapy in preclinical studies. This paper provides an overview of the current studies on the cytotoxic and anti-cancer effects of rNDV-FG via direct oncolysis and immune stimulation. Safety of rNDV-FG as a therapeutic agent for cancer immunotherapy and virotherapy is also discussed.

The Chinese spallation neutron source (CSNS) is a high-performance pulsed neutron source, having 20 neutron beamlines for neutron scattering instruments. The shielding design of these beamlines is usually needed for Monte Carlo (MC) calculation, and the use of variance reduction methods is critical to carrying out an efficient, reliable MC shielding calculation. This paper discusses the source biasing method based on actual source term and geometry model of a CSNS neutron beamline. Dose distribution throughout the geometry model was calculated with the FLUKA MC code. Full analogue calculation and biased calculation were compared, and it was validated that the source biasing method can effectively promote the calculation efficiency., (© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rNDV) have shown oncolytic therapeutic efficacy in preclinical studies and are currently in clinical trials. In this study, we have evaluated the possibility to enhance the cancer therapeutic potential of NDV by means of inserting both interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) delivered by rNDV. We demonstrated that rNDV expressing TRAIL (rNDV-TRAIL) or both human IL-2 and TRAIL (rNDV-IL-2-TRAIL) significantly enhanced inherent anti-neoplastic of rNDV by inducing apoptosis. And we showed that apoptosis-related genes mRNA expression was increased after treated with rNDV-TRAIL or rNDV-IL-2-TRAIL compared with rNDV and rNDV-IL-2. We also demonstrated that both rNDV-IL-2 and rNDV-IL-2-TRAIL induced proliferation of the CD4(+) and CD8(+) in treated mice and elicited expression of TNF-α and IFN-γ antitumor cytokines. These mice treated with oncolytic agents exhibited significant reduction in tumor development compared with mice treated with the parental virus. In addition, experiments in both hepatocellular carcinoma and melanoma-bearing mice demonstrated that the genetically engineered rNDV-IL-2-TRAIL exhibited prolonged animals' survival compared with rNDV, rNDV-IL-2, and rNDV-TRAIL. In conclusion, the immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy properties of NDV can be enhanced by the introduction of IL-2 and TRAIL genes, whose products initiated a broad cascade of immunological affects and induced tumor cells apoptosis in the microenvironment of the immune system.

To investigate the cell-killing effect and its possible mechanism of rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL on human hepatic carcinoma (HCC) cell line, first of all, recombinant plasmid pee12.4-hDR5 was introduced into HepG2 cells by liposome transfection. After five rounds of screening by flow cytometry, HepG2 cells expressing high levels of DR5 on cell surface were isolated. The cytotoxicity of TRAIL to selected cells was higher than that of TRAIL to HepG2 cells by MTT method (P < 0.01). The result suggested that the cloned hDR5 gene had biological activity. MTT assay showed that, rClone30- hDR5 in combination with TRAIL more efficiently inhibited the tumor growth of HepG2 cells compared to rClone30-hDR5 or TRAIL in vitro. The results of Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and Quantitative Real-time PCR indicated that rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL significantly increased the mRNA levels of caspase 3 and caspase 8, and induced the apoptosis of tumor cells. HepG2 cells were infected with rClone30-hDR5 or rClone30 at MOI of 1. The expression of hDR5 on tumor surface increased significantly by rClone30-hDR5 compared to that by rClone30, which contributed to the sensitivity to TRAIL. In conclusion, rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL has potential application value in cancer treatment.

With the rapid development of urbanization in China, the number and size of metro construction projects are increasing quickly. At the same time, and increasing number of accidents in metro construction make it a disturbing focus of social attention. In order to improve safety management in metro construction, an investigation of the participants' perspectives on safety factors in China metro construction has been conducted to identify the key safety factors, and their ranking consistency among the main participants, including clients, consultants, designers, contractors and supervisors. The result of factor analysis indicates that there are five key factors which influence the safety of metro construction including safety attitude, construction site safety, government supervision, market restrictions and task unpredictability. In addition, ANOVA and Spearman rank correlation coefficients were performed to test the consistency of the means rating and the ranking of safety factors. The results indicated that the main participants have significant disagreement about the importance of safety factors on more than half of the items. Suggestions and recommendations on practical countermeasures to improve metro construction safety management in China are proposed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Jatropha seed oils extracted by different methods on killing cercaria of Schistosomajaponicum so as to screen the optimum process and formulations., Methods: The cercaria directly contacting tests with Jatropha seed oils extracted by 6 different extraction processes were carried out, and the mouse immediate contacting cercaria infection trials with different formulations of Jatropha seed oil and various additives were performed., Results: With 95% ethanol, the ratio of material to liquid being 1:8, and 2 h extraction, the oil extraction rate was 30.7%. The cercaria directly contacting tests showed that 6 kinds of Jatropha seed oil killed all cercaria within 30 min. In the mouse immediate contacting cercaria infection trials, the worm declined rate of Jatropha seed oil liquid was 70.97%, and the worm declined rate of the sample added with benzyl benzoate was 58.87%, and the worm declined rate of the sample added with laurocapram was 77.42%. The worm declined rate of the samples added with benzyl benzoate, dibutyl phthalate and laurocapram was 100%., Conclusion: The process with 95% ethanol, the ratio of material to liquid being 1:8, and 2 h extraction is the optimum, and the Jatropha seed oil has a good killing schistosome cercaria effect.

The concentration of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in the environment media and organism samples are gradually rising with the increase of HBCDs usage. This study is designed to investigate the cytological effects of HBCDs on human hepatocyte L02 and explore the potential molecular mechanism. The results of CCK-8 assay showed that high concentration of HBCDs (>20 μM) significantly suppressed cell survival, while comparatively lower dose of HBCDs (10(-13)-10(-7)M) slightly stimulated cell proliferation (P < 0.05). In the mean time, high concentration HBCDs markedly induced cell apoptosis and DNA damage, accompanying with increase of intracellular Ca(2+)level and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.05). ROS level induced by low concentration of HBCDs was comparatively lower than that by high concentration of HBCDs. In addition, low concentration HBCDs exposure (10(-13)-10(-7)M) resulted in up-regulation of PCNA protein expression level in a time-dependent manner. However, high concentration HBCDs exposure led to increase of Apaf-1 expression level. In conclusion, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of Apaf-1 mediated pathway involve the L02 cell apoptosis induced by high concentration HBCDs exposure. However, low concentration HBCDs exposure could stimulate cell proliferation of L02 cells, which might be associated with enhancement of PCNA expression.

In recent years, adverse health effects of chemicals from electronic waste (e-waste) have been reported. However, little is known about the genotoxic effects of chemicals in e-waste. In the present study, air concentrations of the toxic metals at e-waste and control sites were analyzed using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Levels of toxic metals (lead, copper and cadmium) in blood and urine were detected using atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 48 exposed individuals and 56 age- and sex-matched controls. The frequencies of lymphocytic micronucleated binucleated cells (MNBNCs) were determined using a cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. Results indicated that blood lead levels were significantly higher in the exposed group (median: 11.449 μg/dL, 1st/3rd quartiles: 9.351-14.410 μg/dL) than in the control group (median: 9.104 μg/dL, 1st/3rd quartiles: 7.275-11.389 μg/dL). The exposed group had higher MNBNCs frequencies (median: 4.0 per thousand, 1st/3rd quartiles: 2.0-7.0 per thousand) compared with the controls (median: 1.0 per thousand, 1st/3rd quartiles: 0.0-2.0 per thousand). Additionally, MNBNCs frequencies and blood lead levels were positively correlated (r = 0.254, p<0.01). Further analysis suggested that a history of working with e-waste was a predictor for increased blood lead levels and MNBNCs frequencies in the subjects. The results suggest that both the living and occupational environments at the e-waste site may be risk factors for increased MNBNCs frequencies among those who are exposed.

The native extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of a cross-linked porous network of multifibril collagens and glycosaminoglycans. Nanofibrous scaffolds of silk fibroin (SF) and hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) blends were fabricated using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as solvents to biomimic the native ECM via electrospinning. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) showed that relatively uniform nanofibers could be obtained when 12% SF was blended with 6% HBC at the weight ratio of 50:50. Meanwhile, the average nanofibrous diameter increased when the content of HBC in SF/HBC blends was raised from 20% to 100%. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed SF and HBC molecules existed in hydrogen bonding interactions but HBC did not induce conformation of SF transforming from random coil form to β-sheet structure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the different structure of SF/HBC blended nanofibers from both SF and HBC. Thermogravimetry-Differential thermogravimetry (TG-DTG) results demonstrated that the thermal stability of SF/HBC blend nanofibrous scaffolds was improved. The results indicated that the rearrangement of HBC and SF molecular chain formed a new structure due to stronger hydrogen bonding between SF and HBC. These electrospun SF/HBC blended nanofibers may provide an ideal tissue engineering scaffold and wound dressing.

The Chinese government initiated a conceptual design for the project of China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), which consists of an H-linear accelerator, a rapid cycling synchrotron accelerating the beam to 1.6 GeV, a target station converting proton beam into lower energy (<1 eV) neutron beam optimised to instruments for neutron scattering applications. The facility operates at 25-Hz repetition rate with an initial beam power of 100 kW. In the target station, the target-moderator-reflector (TMR) components are exposed to the intensive fluxes of high-energy hadrons and become highly radioactive as a result of long-time irradiation. In this paper, the activity of the TMR components are calculated using the Monte Carlo code system LAHET&MCNP4C&CINDER'90. Comparisons of some results with that simulated by FLUKA code are also performed. Detailed analyses of the radionuclides and their characters in the tantalum clad tungsten target (W-Ta target) are important for the radiation protection of the CSNS target station. The shielding design of the service cell for the decay gamma ray induced from the W-Ta target and its vessel shows that the ambient dose rate decreases exponentially with increasing heavy concrete thickness. And 80 cm thickness of heavy concrete for each side of the service cell can satisfy the safety requirement.

Background: The multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) encodes P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which plays an important role in mediating multidrug resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. MDR1 gene polymorphisms may have an impact on the expression and function of P-gp, thereby influencing the response to chemotherapy., Objectives: To investigate whether the MDR1 2677 and 3435 genotypes are associated with the sensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to docetaxel., Methods: In this study we investigated the potential association of MDR1 2677G>T at exon 21, 3435C>T at exon 26 and their haplotypes with chemotherapy response of 54 Han Chinese patients with NSCLC. The patients were treated with docetaxel-cisplatin., Results: The 2677 GG genotype was associated with a significantly better response to chemotherapy compared with the combined 2677 GT and TT genotype (p = 0.035). The 3435 CC genotype was also associated with a better response to chemotherapy compared with the combined 3435 CT and TT genotypes although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.123). Moreover, patients harboring the 2677G-3435C haplotype had a statistically significant better response to chemotherapy compared with those with the other haplotypes combined (p = 0.015)., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the MDR1 2677G>T/A polymorphism and the 2677G-3435C haplotype are predictors of treatment response to docetaxel-cisplatin chemotherapy in NSCLC patients., (Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

The dependence of angular distributions of fast electrons generated in the interaction of p-polarized femtosecond laser pulses with foil targets on laser intensities is investigated. A novel fast electron beam along the front target surface is observed for high laser intensity. It is found that the electron acceleration along the target surface is more efficient than those in other directions.

Background: The polymorphisms of genes participate in metabolism and transport, and therefore may have an impact on the response to vinorelbine., Objectives: To investigate whether genotypes of CYP3A5, MDR1 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are associated with the response to vinorelbine in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC)., Methods: We determined the genotypes of CYP3A5(*3), MDR1 (2677G-->T at exon 21 and 3435C-->T at exon 26 and their haplotypes) and COX-2 (-1195G-->A) polymorphisms by PCR-RFLP and chemotherapy response in 69 Chinese Han patients with NSCLC who received a combination chemotherapy of vinorelbine-cisplatin (VC). The chi(2) test was used to investigate potential associations between genotypes and response to chemotherapy. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated., Results: The 3435 CC genotype was associated with a significantly better chemotherapy response compared with the combined 3435 CT and TT genotypes (p = 0.025). The 2677 GG genotype was also associated with a better chemotherapy response compared with the combined 2677 GT and TT genotype, although it was not statistically significant. Moreover, we analyzed the haplotypes of MDR1 3435-2677: patients harboring the 2677G-3435C haplotype had a statistically significantly better response to chemotherapy compared with those with the other haplotypes combined (p = 0.015). CYP3A5*3 is not likely to correlate with sensitivity to vinorelbine in NSCLC. COX-2 (-1195G) is likely to result in a better response to vinorelbine (nonsignificant)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that MDR1 2677G-->T/A and 3435C-->T polymorphisms can be used to predict treatment response to VC chemotherapy in NSCLC patients., ((c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Fast electron emission from the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with shaped solid targets has been studied. It is found that the angular distributions of the forward fast electrons are highly dependent upon the target shapes. The important roles played by the electrostatic fields built up at the non-laser-irradiated target surfaces and the collisions in the target are identified. Our two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with binary collisions included reproduce the main experimental observations.

The propagation of a tightly focused femtosecond laser pulse in air has been investigated. Unlike long-distance self-guided propagation of short laser pulses, a novel oval-like hollow distribution of the laser intensity is observed in the experiments and reproduced by the numerical simulations. The formation of the hollow structures can be explained by the interplay between ionization-induced refraction and Kerr self-focusing.

A novel fast electron beam emitting along the surface of a target irradiated by intense laser pulses is observed. The beam is found to appear only when the plasma density scale length is small. Numerical simulations reveal that the electron beam is formed due to the confinement of the surface quasistatic electromagnetic fields. The results are of interest for potential applications of fast electron beams and deep understanding of the cone-target physics in the fast ignition related experiments.

Thomson scattering (TS) measurements are performed at different locations in a laser-produced aluminum plasma. Variations of the separation, wavelength shift, and asymmetric distribution of the two ion-acoustic waves are investigated from their spectral-time-resolved TS images. Detailed information on the space-time evolution of the plasma parameters is obtained. Electron distribution and variation of the heat flux in the plasma are also obtained for a steep temperature gradient.

Objective: To summarize surgery experience and efficiency of laparoscopic excision of choledochal cyst and reconstruction of biliary tract and to analyze the treatments administered during intra and post-operation of the biliary reconstruction., Methods: We enrolled 48 cases of video-guided laparoscopic intraoperative cholangiography, cholecystectomy, choledochocele resection, Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy with an anti-reflux valve from August, 2001 to October, 2003. Their operative procedures and aims were retrospectively analyzed., Results: Forty-four out of 48 patients successfully underwent laparoscopy and recovered soon. Only 4 cases were transformed to open operation. The post-operation complications were found in 4 cases., Conclusion: Video-guided laparoscopic excision of choledochal cyst, biliary tract reconstruction and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy are an effective method of treatment with advantages of minimal injury, less bleeding, and sooner recovery.

We investigate the angular distribution and the energy spectrum of hot electrons emitted from ethanol droplets irradiated by linearly polarized 150-fs laser pulses at an intensity of 10(16) W/cm(2). Two hot electron jets symmetrically with respect to the laser propagation direction are observed within the polarization plane. This is due to the spherical geometry of droplets in the intense laser field. The maximum energy of the hot electrons is found to be more than 600 keV. Particle-in-cell simulations suggest that the resonance absorption is the main mechanism for hot electron generation.

The polynomial-fit method for XRD quantitative analysis of polycrystalline materials is presented in this paper, which combines a mathematic function model with computer technology. Based on the construction of diffraction peak mathematic function model, the XRD atlases from experiments were analyzed by means of polynomial whole pattern fitting to the spectral lines using computer software, then the integral intensities of every peak and weight percentages of each phase could be obtained accurately. This paper mainly includes three parts: 1. According to the fact that the diffraction atlases of mixture are weighted superposition of the powder diffraction atlases of each component and the weight factor of each component is relevant to its volume fraction or weight percentage, the theory of polynomial whole pattern fitting is constructed and the weight factor and weight percentage can be worked out. 2. Describe the method and procedure of data acquisition and analysis. 3. Discuss the result of quantitative analysis. The polynomial-fit method not only simplifies the process of data handling, but also increases the accuracy of analytical result.

The behaviors of the blast waves produced by femtosecond laser-water interactions, and the blast waves induced by laser self-focusing in air, have been investigated using optical shadowgraphy at a maximum intensity of 1 x 10(16) W/cm(2). The temporal evolution of the blast wave launched by the water plasma can be described by a planar blast wave model including source mass. An aneurismlike structure, due to the quick propagation inside a hollow channel formed by laser self-focusing, is observed. The expansion of the channel in air is found to agree with a cylindrical self-similar blast wave solution.

In 100 cases with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Coombs test was directly positive in 77 cases (77%). 82 patients had warm autoantibodies. IgM was increased in 12 patients. 3 patients were diagnosed as lymphoma with titers more than 1:1024. One patient had paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria. The dramatic clinical response to corticosteroid therapy was observed in patients with warm autoantibodies. However, immunosuppressor should be given to patients with cold autoantibodies. It was suggested that combined therapy with two drugs may be more effective than the use of corticosteroid alone. Of 6 patients in whom splenectomy was performed, 4 showed excellent results. Out of 100 cases, there were 23 with Evans syndrome.