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In order to improve the competitiveness, optimizing the fuel economy and competitiveness of civil turbofan engines is becoming the research highlights recently. The comparison analysis of cycle parameters is carried out for different configurations such as advanced turbofan(ATF), geared turbofan(GTF) and intercooled recuperated aero-engine(IRA). The technical advantage of different configurations is determined. The research results show that the specific fuel consumption at the cruise uninstall condition of GTF configuration is decreased by 2.5% compared to that of ATF configuration. The specific fuel consumption at the cruise uninstall condition of IRA configuration is decreased by 11.97% compared to that of ATF configuration, and which is decreased by 9.7% compared to that of GTF configuration. Comparing to ATF and GTF configurations, the stage number of high pressure compressor and high pressure turbine in IRA configuration can be reduced to shorten the core engine length, and this also diminish the design difficulties of high pressure compressor.

A coarse-grained mapping scheme of polyimide (PI) and carbon nanotube (CNT) was designed, and the coarse-grained field parameters of CNT/PI-based composites were obtained by the constant strain method based on the conservation of the total strain energy. The accuracy of coarse-grained field parameters is verified by comparing the matching degree between the simulation results of all-atom and coarse-grain. The tensile stiffness of CNT and PI molecular chains, the interface interaction between CNT and PI matrix, and the Young's modulus of CNT/PI composite were simulated by field parameters. The results showed that the coarse-grained field parameters obtained by the constant strain method could accurately reflect the mechanical properties of nanocomposites. The effects of the equilibrium distance (r0) and well parameters (D0) of Van Der Waals potential function on the density of the model, the interface interaction between CNT and PI matrix, and the Young's modulus of the nanocomposite were discussed. The results showed that the increase of r0 reduce the density of the model. The interfacial interaction between CNT and PI matrix and the Young's modulus of nanocomposites could improve when D0 increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TRIM13, a member of the TRIM family, is a RING domain containing E3 ubiquitin ligase which plays critical roles in diverse cellular processes including cell death, cancer and antiviral immunity. However, its expression and molecular mechanism on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have not been characterized. This study explored the clinical significance and biological function of TRIM13 in human RCC. Western blot analyses and Immunohistochemical were performed in RCC tissues. The clinical relevance of TRIM13 in RCC was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using tissue microarray. The role of TRIM13 in migration was studied in renal cell carcinoma cell lines of 786-O through knocking down TRIM13 with siRNA and over-expression of TRIM13. The regulation of TRIM13 on migration and invasion were determined by wound-healing and transwell assays. Western blot analyses showed that TRIM13 expression was dramatically decreased in RCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Up-regulation of TRIM13 in 786-O cells resulted in decreased NF-kB, MMP-9 and p-AKT levels and the capability for migration and invasion. In contrast, the ectopic expression of TRIM13 decreased the migration and invasion ability of 786-O cells. These findings indicate that TRIM13 decreases RCC metastasis and invasion may serve as a candidate RCC prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical study on matching a parallel sequential turbocharging system and a diesel engine is conducted. The relationship between the turbocharging system and the engine is represented through expressions for the geometry-equivalent areas of the turbine nozzle and the engine parameters, which are derived on the basis of the thermodynamics equations, and the mass and energy conservation of the turbocharging engine system. The feasible range of the geometry-equivalent areas of the turbine nozzle for a given engine operation condition is determined by the limits of the engine and the turbochargers. The number of sequential turbocharging system phases is determined by the feasible range of geometry-equivalent areas of the turbine nozzle, and the switching boundaries are calculated for the engine’s best performance. The matching method is applied to design the sequential turbocharging system for a six-cylinder diesel engine. The results prove that the number of phases and the switching boundary are accurately estimated by this model. The relative error in the pressure ratio between the results obtained by this matching method and those determined by the validated GT-Power model is less than 6.4%. It is helpful for sequential turbocharging preliminary selection and for providing a foundation for a further matching method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The drilling part of the full term underbalanced drilling and completion technology is easy to achieve underbalanced operations, but the completion part is difficult. To solve the difficulties of high cost when using casing valves and limited application scope when using open-hole completion, smart pack completion technique was proposed. It uses some gel system to separate the upper killing fluid from the formation, so as to protect the formation. By a large number of experiments, optimal choice of smart pack recipe was selected, and the smart pack recipe was studied in view of pressure tolerance performance, strength, sealing performance, stability, gelation time, gel breaking time, operation technique, and flow-back technique. Field tests on ten wells, including Well Niudong89-912 and Well Ya940, showed the technology not only solves the passive situation of relatively simple underbalanced completion method, but also achieved the objectives of high effeciency and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging bat‐borne zoonotic virus that can be transmitted to humans and other animals through infected bats or contaminated foods. The disease is highly lethal in humans (40%–75%) and has the potential for human‐to‐human transmission. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for NiV infection in humans or animals. Consequently, there is a pressing need for a highly sensitive, precise, and visually detectable assay to enable early intervention and mitigate the transmission of NiV infection. Here, we report a single‐copy sensitive, field‐deployable, one‐pot visual reverse transcription‐recombinase polymerase amplification (RT‐RPA)‐clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR associate system (Cas)12 for the detection of NiV. The assay works by targeting the N gene of NiV, and the results are directly visible to the naked eye. The assay has demonstrated the ability to detect as few as 5.5 copies/μl of positive plasmids or 5.5 × 101 copies/μl of RNA transcripts when reacted at constant temperature for 40 min. It showed high specificity for NiV and had no cross‐reaction with other pathogens, including rabies virus (RABV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1), Hendra virus (HeV), and Streptococcus suis (S. suis), that can cause clinical symptoms similar to those of NiV infection. Moreover, this assay had a 100% coincidence rate with the reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) method recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) for the detection of simulated clinical samples, indicating that it has great potential as an ultrasensitive, simple, and portable novel assay for the onsite diagnosis of NiV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Drilling Fluid & Completion Fluid is the property of Drilling Fluid & Completion Fluid Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The recent discovery of superconductivity in La3Ni2O7−δ under high pressure with a transition temperature around 80 K (ref. 1) has sparked extensive experimental2–6 and theoretical efforts7–12. Several key questions regarding the pairing mechanism remain to be answered, such as the most relevant atomic orbitals and the role of atomic deficiencies. Here we develop a new, energy-filtered, multislice electron ptychography technique, assisted by electron energy-loss spectroscopy, to address these critical issues. Oxygen vacancies are directly visualized and are found to primarily occupy the inner apical sites, which have been proposed to be crucial to superconductivity13,14. We precisely determine the nanoscale stoichiometry and its correlation to the oxygen K-edge spectra, which reveals a significant inhomogeneity in the oxygen content and electronic structure within the sample. The spectroscopic results also reveal that stoichiometric La3Ni2O7 has strong charge-transfer characteristics, with holes that are self-doped from Ni sites into O sites. The ligand holes mainly reside on the inner apical O and the planar O, whereas the density on the outer apical O is negligible. As the concentration of O vacancies increases, ligand holes on both sites are simultaneously annihilated. These observations will assist in further development and understanding of superconducting nickelate materials. Our imaging technique for quantifying atomic deficiencies can also be widely applied in materials science and condensed-matter physics.Direct visualization of oxygen vacancies and self-doped ligand holes reveals the role of ligand oxygen in La3Ni2O7−δ and provides further understanding of superconducting nickelate materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Wang S, Jiang N, Jiang L, Zhuang Q, Chen Q, Hou G, et al. (2022) Establishment and application of a quadruple real-time RT-PCR for detecting avian metapneumovirus. Kaicheng Wang is also affiliated with: Key Laboratory of Animal Biosafety Risk Prevention and Control (South), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Qingdao, Shandong, 266032, P.R. China. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The therapeutic effect of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) monotherapy compared with platinum-based chemotherapy, and the impact to subsequent platinum-based chemotherapy after PARPi resistance were inconclusive in breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA)1/2-mutated ovarian cancer patients with secondary platinum-sensitive relapse. Methods: BRCA1/2-mutated patients with secondary platinum-sensitive relapse included in this study did not receive any maintenance regimen after first- and second-line platinum-based chemotherapy, and the secondary platinum-free interval (PFI) was more than 6 months. Patients in study group were treated with PARPi monotherapy until disease progression, and patients in control group were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy without restriction. Progression-free survival (PFS) was defined as the time from third-line therapy to disease progression or death, PFS2 was defined as the time from platinum-based chemotherapy after PARPi resistance to next subsequent therapy or death. Post-recurrence survival (PRS) refers to the survival time after secondary platinum-sensitive relapse. Results: A total of 119 patients were retrospectively analyzed, including 71 (59.7%) in study group and 48 (40.3%) in control group. The objective response rate (ORR: 77.5% vs. 80.0%, p=0.766) and PFS (median: 11.2 vs. 11.0 months, p=0.962) were comparable. The benefit of subsequent platinum-based chemotherapy after PARPi resistance was more pronounced in patients with PARPi treatment for more than 12 months (median PFS2: 8.6 vs. 4.3 months, p=0.040). PARPi monotherapy had no adverse effect on PRS compared with platinum-based chemotherapy (median PRS:41.2 vs. 42.8 months, p=0.323). Compared to patients in control group who had never received PARPi, PARPi monotherapy (median PRS: 41.2 vs. 33.7 months, p=0.019) and post-line treatment with PARPi in the control group (median PRS: 48.1 vs. 33.7 months, p=0.002) could prolong PRS for patients with secondary platinum-sensitive relapse. Conclusions: PARPi monotherapy was similar to platinum-based chemotherapy for BRCA1/2-mutated ovarian cancer patients with secondary platinum-sensitive recurrence, and could improve prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiTiO3-BiOBr heterostructured photocatalysts were constructed via precipitation, calcination and hydrothermal treatments. Various characterizations demonstrated that BiOBr nanosheets were decorated on NiTiO3 nanoparticals, forming porous rod-like heterojunctions. Compared with independent NiTiO3 and BiOBr, the composites with optimal BiOBr content presented highly improved visible-light photocatalytic efficiency. The degradation rates of Rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) reached 96.6% in 1.5 h (100% in 2 h) and 73.5% in 3 h, which are 6.61 and 1.53 times those of NiTiO3, respectively. The result is an improved photocatalytic behavior from the formation of heterojunctions with a large interface area, which significantly promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers and strengthened the visible-light absorption. Based on the free radical capture experiments and band position analysis, the photodegradation mechanism of type-II heterojunction was deduced. This study provides a new way to fabricate highly efficient NiTiO3-based photocatalysts for degrading certain organics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The young shoots of the tea plant Baiye No. 1 display an albino phenotype in the early spring under low environmental temperatures, and the leaves re-green like those of common tea cultivars during the warm season. Periodic albinism is precisely regulated by a complex gene network that leads to metabolic differences and enhances the nutritional value of tea leaves. Here, we identified messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) to construct competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks. We performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of 12 samples from four periods (Bud, leaves not expanded; Alb, albino leaves; Med, re-greening leaves; and Gre, green leaves) and identified a total of 6325 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), 667 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), 1702 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), and 122 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs). Furthermore, we constructed ceRNA networks on the basis of co-differential expression analyses which comprised 112, 35, 38, and 15 DEmRNAs, DEmiRNAs, DElncRNAs, and DEcircRNAs, respectively. Based on the regulatory networks, we identified important genes and their interactions with lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs during periodic albinism, including the ceRNA regulatory network centered on miR5021x, the GAMYB-miR159-lncRNA regulatory network, and the NAC035-miR319x-circRNA regulatory network. These regulatory networks might be involved in the response to cold stress, photosynthesis, chlorophyll synthesis, amino acid synthesis, and flavonoid accumulation. Our findings provide novel insights into ceRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in Baiye No. 1 during periodic albinism and will aid future studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying albinism mutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum-based cocatalyst being used to construct heterojunctions for efficient photocatalytic H2 production is a promising research hotspot. In this work, CdIn2S4 was successfully closely supported on bulk Mo2C via the hydrothermal method. Based on their matching band structures, they formed a Type Ⅰ heterojunction after the combination of Mo2C (1.1 eV, −0.27 V, 0.83 V) and CdIn2S4 (2.3 eV, −0.74 V, 1.56 V). A series of characterizations proved that the heterojunction composite had higher charge separation efficiency compared to a single compound. Meanwhile, Mo2C in heterojunction could act as an active site for hydrogen production. The photocatalytic H2 production activity of the heterojunction composites was significantly improved, and the maximum activity was up to 1178.32 μmmol h−1 g−1 for 5Mo2C/CdIn2S4 composites. 5Mo2C/CdIn2S4 heterojunction composites possess excellent durability in three cycles (loss of 6%). Additionally, the mechanism of increased activity for composites was also investigated. This study provides a guide to designing noble-metal-free photocatalyst for highly efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), associated with RS1, is the most common type of X-linked retinopathy in children. This study aimed to identify clinical and genetic features of retinoschisis in 120 families with RS1 variants in China. Methods RS1 variants were collected from our inhouse exome data and were predicted by multiple-step bioinformatics analysis. Clinical data of 122 patients from 120 families with potential pathogenic RS1 variants were analysed and summarised, respectively. Result Totally, 79 hemizygous variants (53 missense, 25 truncation and 1 indel), were detected. All except one (78/79, 98.7%), including 22 novels, were classified as potential pathogenic and detected exclusively in 120 families with retinoschisis. Clinical data demonstrated an average age of presentation at 5 years (1 month-41 years). Macular changes were classified as macular schisis (87.5%), macular atrophy (10.7%), normal (0.9%) and unclassified (0.9%). Patients with macular atrophy had older age but similar visual acuity compared with macular schisis. Peripheral retinal changes included flat retinoschisis (52.4%), bullous retinoschisis (BRS) (10.7%) and normal-like (36.9%) patients. Spontaneous regression was observed in two patients with BRS on follow-up examination. Visual acuity in the peripheral retinoschisis group was worse than that without peripheral retinoschisis. Conclusion Almost all rare RS1 variants were potential pathogenic. All patients with RS1 pathogenic variants showed detectable characteristics in the macula and/or peripheral retina. Our data on RS1 variants and associated clinical phenotypes may be of value for clinical diagnosis and genetic test of retinoschisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Modern Laboratory Medicine is the property of Journal of Modern Laboratory Medicine Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs) exert a pivotal influence on cancer metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance, posing a critical challenge in ovarian cancer (OC) treatment. Methods: We depicted a single-cell landscape of the OC ecosystem, encompassing ovarian tumor and malignant ascites. tSNE analysis and UMAP methods were applied for the nonlinear dimension reduction analysis. Selected subpopulations of epithelial cells were for stemness analysis. Proteomics and RNASeq data were employed to construct UBE2T-regulated proteinprotein interaction (PPI) networks. The clinical features and prognosis were analyzed using TCGA, GTEx, GEO datasets and a retrospective cohort of Qilu Hospital. Results: The single-cell sequencing results revealed that the stemness of epithelial cells in ascites is higher than that of primary tumors. By delineating subpopulations with high and low stemness, it was found that UBE2T played a crucial role in this process. Clinical analysis revealed that high UBE2T expression correlates with poor prognosis and platinum resistance in OC. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that chemotherapy induced UBE2T expression, and UBE2T knockdown mitigated OCSC enrichment, reduced tumor initiation and metastasis, enhanced platinum sensitivity, and prolonged time to recurrence. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that targeting UBE2T-regulated PPI networks, in combination with chemotherapy, holds promise for inhibiting OCSCs enrichment and reversing platinum resistance in OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compared survival outcomes and adverse events of advanced stage endometrial carcinoma (EC) in difference sequencing of adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) and radiotherapy (RT). Progression-free survival (PFS) was primary outcome, overall survival (OS) and adverse effect of treatment were secondary outcomes. Methods: Retrospective analytical study included all women diagnosed with advanced stage EC with complete surgical staging and received post operative adjuvant CT and RT in sequential and 'sandwich' sequencing technique at Phramongkutklao Hospital or National Cancer Institute from January 2009 to December 2018. Results: Total of 84 patients were included in the study, 45 and 39 patients were received sequential adjuvant CT followed by RT and sandwich method, respectively. The difference between the sequential and sandwich group for 3-year PFS rates were not significant (84.91% vs. 74.85%; p=0.23). However, the 3-year OS rates were significant higher in the sequential group than the sandwich group (100% vs. 88.27%; p=0.04). Extra-abdominopelvic recurrence was significant higher in the sandwich group (23.1% vs. 2.2%; p=0.003). The adverse event related adjuvant CT and RT were comparable in both groups. Conclusion: Advanced stage EC patients with sequential adjuvant CT followed by RT after surgery had favorable survival outcome and significant lower distant recurrent than sandwich treatment group, but no significant different in adverse event related therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop an appropriate method for high-throughput detection of avian metapneumovirus, a quadruple real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was established with four pairs of specific primers and four specific probes based on the G or M gene of aMPV-A, aMPV-B, aMPV-C and aMPV-D. Its specificity and sensitivity were evaluated, and clinical samples were tested by the method. The results showed that all the four subgroups of avian metapneumovirus can be detected in the quadruple real-time RT-PCR assay simultaneously, with a detection limit of 100–1000 cRNA copies/reaction. The other common poultry viruses were negative. In the avian clinical sample detection, 39 out of 1920 clinical samples collected from 8 provinces were positive. Compared with published RT-PCR assays, the κ value of the quadruple real-time RT-PCR assay in 1920 avian clinical samples was 1.000 (P < 0.001). The established method could be used for the rapid detection of the four subgroups of avian metapneumovirus with high specificity and high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: To understand Clonorchis sinensis reinfection and the determinants of reinfection in endemic areas is important in establishment of control measures.Methods: A prospective cohort study was implemented in Hengxian County, Guangxi, China. Individuals with C. sinensis infection were completely treated, and those cured were enrolled as study subjects and followed up for 3, 6, and 12 months. The reinfection frequency and incidence were calculated, and a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to capture reinfection determinants.Results: Among 635 enrolled subjects, 436 (68.7%) completed follow-up. Of these, 177 (40.6%) were reinfected; 133 (75.1%) were reinfected once, 41 (23.2%) twice, and 3 (1.7%) three times. The incidence of reinfection was 64.0 per 100 person-years. Men (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.44), those with underlying diseases (aHR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.02-1.95), and those with moderate- or heavy-intensity infections (aHR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.14-1.85) had increasing reinfection probabilities.Conclusions: C. sinensis reinfection is high in endemic areas. Men and high-intensity infection are important determinants of reinfection. Repeated chemotherapy is necessary to control reinfection and its associated morbidities, especially in high-risk individuals. In addition, behavioral education is advised to decrease overall reinfection in endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although several demographic studies have proposed that the relationship between gender egalitarian attitudes and fertility may depend on gender context of a region, to our knowledge, the interaction between contextual- and micro-level egalitarian attitudes has yet to be empirically tested. Using data from the Chinese General Social Survey carried out in 2015, we undertake the Multilevel Logistic Regression Analysis of 130 counties across China to investigate the association between egalitarian attitudes and fertility desires at the individual and county level. The results show that gender egalitarian attitudes are associated with lower fertility desires for both men and women at the individual and county level, and the negative effect is stronger for women than for men. Furthermore, the county-level egalitarian norm shows a positive cross-level interaction effect on desires among women but not among men. In counties with stronger egalitarian norms, women holding egalitarian attitudes have higher fertility desires than others, while in counties with weaker egalitarian norms, the situation is the opposite. Overall, our findings suggest that China is still in the early stages of the transition from a traditional to a gender egalitarian, and thus the actual and desired fertility in China may continue to fall in coming years. However, the positive cross-level interaction effect means that institutional support for promoting gender equality in all areas of life can improve the low fertility trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of toripalimab in combination with bevacizumab and platinumbased chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for refractory recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (R/M CC). Methods: Patients received toripalimab (240 mg, once [D1], every 3 weeks [q3W]) plus bevacizumab (7.5 mg/kg, D1, q3W) and platinum-based chemotherapy (paclitaxel 175 mg/m²+cisplatin 50 mg/m² or carboplatin area under the curve=5, D1, q3W) for 6 cycles, followed by the maintenance of toripalimab plus bevacizumab (q3W) for 12 months or until disease progression or intolerable toxicity occurred. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1. The secondary endpoints were safety profiles, disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: Twenty-four patients (range, 33-75) were enrolled. Eleven (45.8%) patients had distant metastasis, 6 (25%) had local recurrence and 7 (29.2%) had local recurrence plus distant metastasis. The median treatment duration was 10.97 (range, 0.76-12.19) months. The ORR was 83.3% (20/24; 95% confidence interval [CI]=63.6-95.3) and the DCR was 95.8% (23/25, 95% CI=78.9-99.9), including 9 patients achieved complete response, 11 patients attained partial response, and 3 patients had stable disease. The median time to respond was 1.5 (range, 1.2-9.0) months. The median duration of response was not reached. The median PFS was 22.57 (95% CI=18.4-26.74) months, and the median OS was not reached. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade occurred in 22 (22/24, 91.7%) patients. Grade ≤3 TRAEs occurred in 14 (14/24, 58.3%) patients. Conclusion: Toripalimab plus bevacizumab and chemotherapy is a promising treatment approach for patients with R/M CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jiaqi Zhang, Wencheng Zhang, Baozhong Zhang, Dong Qian, Xiaoxia Li, Hualei Zhang, Qi Wang, Lujun Zhao, Qingsong Pang, Ping Wang Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin’s Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ping WangTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Huanhu West Street, Tianjin 300060, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 222 334 1405Fax +86 222 334 1405Email wangping@tjmuch.comPurpose: To evaluate and analyze the efficacy and prognostic factors of intensity-modulated radiotherapy in 250 patients with cervical and upper esophageal carcinoma.Patients and methods: From September 2009 to September 2016, we retrospectively analyzed 250 patients with cervical and upper esophageal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). In our study, all patients received IMRT, 54 patients with cervical esophageal carcinoma and 196 patients with upper esophageal carcinoma. Treatment response, survival status and failure modes of treatment were observed, and prognostic factors were analyzed.Results: The median survival time was 22.60 months and 3-year survival rate was 42%. The median progress-free survival time was 14.52 months and 3-year progress-free survival rate was 29.3%. The median survival time and the median progress-free survival time for cervical esophageal carcinoma were 20.40 and 15.15 months, respectively. The median survival time and the median progress-free survival time for upper esophageal carcinoma were 25.80 and 14.52 months, respectively (P>0.05). The significant clinical factors associated with survival were patient age, radiotherapy dose and T stages (P

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are found in humans and a wide variety of wild and domestic animals, and of substantial impact on human and animal health. In poultry, the genetic diversity, evolution, distribution and taxonomy of CoVs dominant in birds other than chickens remain enigmatic. In our previous study, we proposed that the CoVs dominant (i.e. mainly circulating) in ducks (DdCoVs) should represent a novel species, which was different from the one represented by the CoVs dominant in chickens (CdCoVs). In this study, we conducted a large‐scale surveillance of CoVs in chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons and other birds (quails, sparrows and partridges) using a conserved RT‐PCR assay. The surveillance demonstrated that CdCoVs, DdCoVs and the CoVs dominant in pigeons (PdCoVs) belong to different lineages, and they are all prevalent in live poultry markets and the backyard flocks in some regions of China. We further sequenced seven Coronaviridae‐wide conserved domains in their replicase polyprotein pp1ab of seven PdCoVs and found that the genetic distances in these domains between PdCoVs and DdCoVs or CdCoVs are large enough to separate PdCoVs into a novel species, which were different from the ones represented by DdCoVs or CdCoVs within the genus Gammacoronavirus, per the species demarcation criterion of International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. This report shed novel insight into the genetic diversity, distribution, evolution and taxonomy of avian CoVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brassica rapa is an important oilseed and vegetable crop species and is the A subgenome donor of two important oilseed Brassica crops, Brassica napus and Brassica juncea. Although seed size (SZ), seed color (SC), and oil content (OC) substantially affect seed yield and quality, the mechanisms regulating these traits in Brassica crops remain unclear. Results: We collected seeds from a pair of B. rapa accessions with significantly different SZ, SC, and OC at seven seed developmental stages (every 7 days from 7 to 49 days after pollination), and identified 28,954 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from seven pairwise comparisons between accessions at each developmental stage. K-means clustering identified a group of cell cycle-related genes closely connected to variation in SZ of B. rapa. A weighted correlation analysis using the WGCNA package in R revealed two important co-expression modules comprising genes whose expression was positively correlated with SZ increase and negatively correlated with seed yellowness, respectively. Upregulated expression of cell cycle-related genes in one module was important for the G2/M cell cycle transition, and the transcription factor Bra.A05TSO1 seemed to positively stimulate the expression of two CYCB1;2 genes to promote seed development. In the second module, a conserved complex regulated by the transcription factor TT8 appear to determine SC through downregulation of TT8 and its target genes TT3, TT18, and ANR. In the third module, WRI1 and FUS3 were conserved to increase the seed OC, and Bra.A03GRF5 was revealed as a key transcription factor on lipid biosynthesis. Further, upregulation of genes involved in triacylglycerol biosynthesis and storage in the seed oil body may increase OC. We further validated the accuracy of the transcriptome data by quantitative real-time PCR of 15 DEGs. Finally, we used our results to construct detailed models to clarify the regulatory mechanisms underlying variations in SZ, SC, and OC in B. rapa. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the regulatory mechanisms underlying the variations of SZ, SC, and OC in plants based on transcriptome comparison. The findings hold great promise for improving seed yield, quality and OC through genetic engineering of critical genes in future molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering is the property of Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)