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Broken-gap heterojunctions are rarely used as photocatalysts due to their non-overlapping bandgap, which is a barrier to optimal charge carrier separation and higher photocatalytic efficiency. Based on our observations of higher charge carrier separation, light-harvesting ability, and good surface reaction, we show that a defect-rich broken-gap heterojunction can be used as an all-in-one photocatalyst. Depending on their localization (interface or surface), experimental characterization supported by DFT calculations evidence that defects facilitate photogenerated charge separation via efficient band-to-band quantum tunneling to form a type B heterojunction without adding bias voltage, boost the dissociation and activation of adsorbed water molecules, and induce a photothermal effect. The defect-rich broken-gap heterojunction WO3−x/ZnFe2O4−x grown on upconversion luminescent particles unexpectedly exhibited a remarkable H2 generation rate of 972.8 μmol g−1 h−1 for noble metals and cocatalyst-free photocatalysts. Such defect-rich broken-gap heterostructures offer an innovative solution, as they can function as an all-in-one heterojunction photocatalyst for solar-energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Introduction: Current treatment of severe haemophilia A includes prophylaxis with factor VIII (FVIII) replacement. The supply of plasma‐derived FVIII is short in China. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new B‐domain deleted (BDD) recombinant FVIII (TQG202) produced by human‐derived cells for prophylaxis in severe haemophilia A patients and compare the bioequivalence with Xyntha. Methods: This multicentre, clinical trial consisted of an open‐label, randomized, two‐period cross‐over trial assessing single‐dose pharmacokinetics (PK), and a single‐arm clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of 24 weeks of TQG202 prophylaxis, and repeated PK were assessed after prophylaxis phase. The single‐dose was 50 IU/kg in PK assessment, and the initial dose was 30 ± 5 IU/kg for prophylaxis. The primary endpoints of prophylaxis were the annualized bleeding rate (ABR) and the incremental recovery rate of the first administration. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Results: Twenty‐six participants were enrolled in the PK assessment and 81 participants in the prophylaxis phase. Mean age was 25.9 ± 10.8 years and all participants were male. The results of PK assessment showed TQG202 is bioequivalent to Xyntha. The total ABR was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.2–2.9) in prophylaxis phase. The mean incremental recovery rate of the first administration was.027 (95% CI:.026–.028) (IU/ml)/(IU/kg). AEs occurred in 42 participants, with an incidence of 51.9%. One severe AE not related to TQG202 occurred. No participants developed FVIII inhibitors. Conclusion: TQG202 shows bioequivalence with Xyntha. The promising efficacy and tolerability in the severe haemophilia A prophylaxis support the use of TQG202in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Non-equivalent or non-octahedral substitution is a crucial strategy to gain Mn4+-doped fluoride red phosphors with a short fluorescence lifetime, whereas the impact of their structural defects on the photoluminescence (PL) properties remains unrevealed. Here, a non-equivalently doped RbSbF6:Mn4+ (RSFM) with a high quantum efficiency of 88% and a thermal stability of 121% at 425 K is newly reported to probe the defect-related PL behavior. Formation energy calculations imply that an interstitial defect was formed to balance the charge and stabilize the crystal structure. Concentration-dependent decay studies reveal that Mn4+ emission is quenched mainly by energy transfer to a neighboring defect. The large ionic radius of Sb5+ and defect leading to a premature optimal doping (0.11 mol%) is demonstrated by the refined contrast of the crystal structure and substitution mode among various Mn4+-doped prototypes. A couple of medium 4T2 state energies and the energy difference between the Mn4+ level with the valence band maximum enable its superior thermal stability. A higher defect concentration slightly aggravates this thermal quenching. Using the RSFM red phosphor in a white light-emitting diode offers a wide-color-gamut of 121% NTSC for backlight displays. This work would provide a new perspective to understand the defect effect on the PL behavior of special Mn4+ asymmetrically doped fluorides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

To explore a more effective conditioning regimen for umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) to treat hematologic malignancies, we conducted a cohort study of a fludarabine/busulfan/cytarabine plus cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg regimen. Forty-two consecutive patients with leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, or lymphoma received the regimen. The median number of infused total nucleated cells per kilogram was 5.5 × 107 (1.81–20.6), the median number of infused CD34+ cells per kilogram was 1.58 × 105 (0.58–6.6), and the median follow-up for surviving patients was 37 months (4.0–79.5 months). The cumulative incidence of neutrophil engraftment at 31 days was 100% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9159–1.0], and the median time to neutrophil engraftment was 19 days. The cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was 12.76% (95% CI: 0.0455–0.2356) at 180 days and 3 years. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 71.6% and 59.6%, respectively. Especially in patients who received transplants in the early and intermediate stages, the 3-year OS and DFS rates were 90.3% (95% CI: 0.805–1.0) and 76.2% (95% CI: 0.608–0.956), respectively. The regimen significantly improved engraftment and survival, indicating that the high graft failure of UCBT was caused by rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Optical multiplexing based on luminescent materials with tunable color/lifetime has potential applications in information storage and security. However, the available tunable luminescent materials reported so far still suffer from several drawbacks of low efficiency or poor stability, thus restraining their further applications. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to develop efficient and stable lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) with tunable luminescence as a new option for optical multiplexing. Their multicolor emission from green to red and naked‐eye‐sensitive green emission with tunable lifetime (from ca. 300 to ca. 600 μs) can be controlled by host differential sensitization and energy transfer between lanthanide ions. The quantum efficiencies of developed samples range from around 20 % to 46 % and the luminescence intensity/lifetime appear quite stable in polar solvents up to ten weeks. Furthermore, with the aid of inkjet printing and concepts of luminescence lifetime imaging and time‐gated imaging, we illustrate their promising applications of information storage and security in spatial and temporal domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Optical multiplexing based on luminescent materials with tunable color/lifetime has potential applications in information storage and security. However, the available tunable luminescent materials reported so far still suffer from several drawbacks of low efficiency or poor stability, thus restraining their further applications. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to develop efficient and stable lanthanide coordination polymers (LCPs) with tunable luminescence as a new option for optical multiplexing. Their multicolor emission from green to red and naked‐eye‐sensitive green emission with tunable lifetime (from ca. 300 to ca. 600 μs) can be controlled by host differential sensitization and energy transfer between lanthanide ions. The quantum efficiencies of developed samples range from around 20 % to 46 % and the luminescence intensity/lifetime appear quite stable in polar solvents up to ten weeks. Furthermore, with the aid of inkjet printing and concepts of luminescence lifetime imaging and time‐gated imaging, we illustrate their promising applications of information storage and security in spatial and temporal domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In this work, the coordination polyhedron stabilities and distributions of europium ions in Ca6BaP4O17 (CBPO) luminescent materials are investigated. The density functional theory (DFT)-based first principles calculation results show that the PO4 tetrahedrons can tilt in the structure, which leads to the atomic distortion of O13 and O12 in CBPO and the Eu2+/Eu3+-doped systems. The energy scale of about ∼0.1 eV suggests that stabilities of coordination polyhedrons are easily influenced by dynamic factors. The atomic distortion and vacancy of work as charge compensations in CBPO:Eu3+, and three lattice sites of europium are extracted and summarized. The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) confirm that Eu3+ can occupy the Ca1, Ca2 and Ba sites of CBPO. The combination of first principles calculation and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) provides more information about microstructures of luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: The aim of this study was to establish a precise prognostic model, based on significant clinical parameters, for predicting the overall survival (OS) of adult patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma (GI DLBCL). Materials and Methods: The data of 7,121 GI DLBCL patients, diagnosed between 1997 and 2015, were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. These patients were randomly divided into two sequential cohorts: training (n = 5,697) set and validation (n = 1,424) set. ROC methodology and calibration curves were explicitly used to evaluate the predictive performance of nomogram. Results: The median OS in the training cohort was 76 months (1–239 months), and 3, 5, and 10-year OS rates were 60.3, 53.9, and 39.5%, respectively. Age at diagnosis, Ann Arbor stage, and marital status were important clinical predictors of OS. These characteristics were used to build a nomogram. The AUC of the nomogram for predicting 3, 5, and 10-year OS were 0.669, 0.692, and 0.740, respectively. All RUC and calibration curves revealed good accuracy in predicting prognosis of GI DLBCL. Conclusion: In summary, the established nomogram was validated to predict OS for adult patients with GI DLBCL. This predictive model could help clinicians identify high-risk patients to improve their prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Based on the design idea of future network, this paper analyzes the network security data sampling and anomaly prediction in future network. Through game theory, it is determined that data sampling is performed on some important nodes in the future network. Deep learning methods are used on the selected nodes to collect data and analyze the characteristics of the network data. Then, through offline and real-time analyses, network security abnormal events are predicted in the future network. With the comparison of various algorithms and the adjustment of hyperparameters, the data characteristics and classification algorithms corresponding to different network security attacks are found. We have carried out experiments on the public dataset, and the experiment proves the effectiveness of the method. It can provide reference for the management strategy of the switch node or the host node by the future network controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Our previous work has demonstrated that some acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients had significantly elevated circulating CD34+ cell count (≥ 10 × 106/L), and these patients with higher CD34+ cell level usually presented with high-risk disease (WBC > 10,000/μL). The aim of this study was to investigate whether circulating CD34+ cell count is a prognostic marker in intermediate-low risk APL patients. In this study, 76 intermediate-low risk APL patients and 56 age-adjusted healthy volunteers were evaluated. Enumeration of CD34+ cells was investigated before the treatment. A cut-off value of 10 × 106/L CD34+ cells could just distinguish APL patients with adverse prognostic factors from others and may have the power to predict shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and poor prognosis. Higher count of CD34+ cells was usually associated with nonclassical chromosomal translocation, PML/RARα gene complex fusion, APL history, chemotherapy-related APL, disease progression, second tumor, extramedullary infiltration, FLT3-ITD positive mutation, atypical morphology, BM promyelocyte CD56/CD34 positive expression, myelofibrosis, PCR-positive PML/RARa gene fusion but FISH-negative, marrow necrosis and shorter PFS. Our results suggest that the level of CD34+ cells can be further the stratification of disease risk, a higher CD34+ cell count may be indicative of inferior survival and serve as an adverse biomarker for intermediate-low risk APL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic and a lymphotropic virus. An association between HBV and hematologic malignancies has been determined previously; however, the association between HBV infection and multiple myeloma (MM) remains controversial. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of HBV infection in patients with MM, and investigate their characteristics and prognostic significance. The clinical data of 165 patients with MM who had received at least four cycles of chemotherapy between April 2008 and February 2017 at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (Nanjing, China) were collected. HBV markers were determined using ELISA. The rates of acute or chronic HBV infection and resolved HBV infection in patients with MM were 12.12 and 26.06%, respectively. The gain of 1q21 was significantly more prevalent in the patients who were classified as HBV-positive compared with the patients who were classified as HBV-negative (54 vs. 38.2%; P=0.048), and the level of alanine transaminase in patients who were classified as HBV-positive was significantly increased compared with the non-infected group (63.29 vs. 24.66 U/l; P=0.043). Lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatinine and serum calcium levels were additionally determined to be significant risk factors of overall survival. The progression-free survival (PFS) of patients who were classified as HBV-positive was decreased compared with patients who were classified as HBV-negative (18.97 vs. 29.67 months; P=0.006), and being HBV-positive was determined to be an independent prognostic factor of PFS. HBV infection may contribute to MM progression through 1q21 amplification, and improved monitoring of HBV markers in patients with MM may be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A series of Ln-doped KSrPO4 (Ln = Ce3+, Eu3+, Eu2+, Pr3+) phosphors are prepared through a high-temperature solid-state method. The KSrPO4 compound is confirmed to possess a β-K2SO4 structure with the Pnma group by Rietveld refinement, and the temperature-dependent lattice parameters are investigated with the powder X-ray diffraction results at different temperatures. Ce3+ and Eu3+ ions are introduced to probe the crystal field strength (CFS) and the lanthanide site symmetry by using VUV-UV-vis spectroscopy. The temperature-dependent luminescence properties of KSrPO4: Ce3+/Eu2+ exhibit an excellent thermal stability of Ce3+/Eu2+ luminescence. Based on the VUV-UV-vis spectra of Ce3+ and Eu3+ doped KSrPO4, the vacuum referred binding energy (VRBE) scheme is constructed to understand the redox properties of Eu, the 5d energy levels of Pr3+ and the thermal quenching characteristics of Ce3+ and Eu2+ luminescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objective: This study explores the efficacy of recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) low-dose prophylaxis in Chinese pediatric patients with severe hemophilia A from the Retrospective Study in Chinese Pediatric Hemophilia A Patients With rFVIII Contained Regular Prophylaxis (ReCARE) population. Methods: This is additional analysis of the multicenter, retrospective ReCARE study, in which the annual bleeding rate (ABR), annual joint bleeding rate (AJBR), and safety of >12-week, low dose (10-30 IU/kg/wk) rFVIII prophylaxis divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary groups based on the joint status and joint bleeding history were analyzed. Results: A total of 57 patients (median age: 8.2 [0.4-17.3] years) from the ReCARE study receiving primary (n = 3), secondary (n = 21), and tertiary (n = 33) prophylaxes were included. Low-dose prophylaxis had significant bleeding reduction in all 3 groups compared to the baseline (S = 408.5, P < .001), with median ABR rates of −4.0 (−8.0 to −3.1), −4.0 (−24.0 to 8.0), and −13.9 (−110.6 to 20.6) in the primary, secondary, and tertiary groups, respectively, with a significant difference between the secondary and tertiary groups (P = .008). Median AJBR reduction rates were −2.3 (−6.3 to 8.4) and −14.9 (−61.5 to 19.1) in the secondary and tertiary groups, respectively. But there was no significant difference in AJBRs between the secondary and tertiary groups (P = .061), which was related to damaged joint status. Hence, longer prophylaxis was associated with better prevention of joint bleeding (P = .024). Conclusion: Despite significant ABR/AJBR reduction in all 3 groups, the efficacy of the primary prophylaxis was better than the secondary and tertiary prophylaxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A series of LuNbO4:xDy3+ (x = 0–0.20) phosphors was prepared using a high-temperature solid-state reaction technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) along with Rietveld refinement, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) observations, diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), UV-vis photoluminescence (PL), fluorescence decays, PL quantum yields (QYs), and low-voltage cathodoluminescence (CL) were employed to characterize the phosphors. Nonradiative relaxation and host sensitization dramatically influence the LuNbO4:Dy3+ luminescence spectra and decay dynamics. It is shown that cross-relaxation arising from electric dipole–dipole interactions between adjacent Dy3+ ions is the leading mechanism of quenching the Dy3+ emission. The host sensitization for Dy3+ emission in LuNbO4 was confirmed and the energy transfer efficiency from the host to Dy3+ increased with increasing Dy3+ doping concentration/temperature. Upon excitation with ultraviolet light (261 nm) and a low-voltage electron beam (2 kV, 127 μA cm−2), the synthesized LuNbO4:Dy3+ phosphors show both the blue broadband emission of the LuNbO4 host and the characteristic emission of Dy3+ (the dominant one is the 4F9/2→6H13/2 transition, yellow), and the luminescence colour of the LuNbO4:Dy3+ phosphors can be tuned over a large gamut of colours by varying the Dy3+ doping concentration, and a single-phase intense white-light-emission has been achieved in the LuNbO4:0.015Dy3+ phosphor. On the basis of the good UV-vis PL and CL properties, LuNbO4:Dy3+ phosphors might be promising for applications in UV light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) and field emission displays (FEDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: No study has reported the status and chronological trend of prophylactic recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) use in Chinese pediatric patients with hemophilia A (HA).Objective: We aimed to analyze the status and trend of rFVIII-containing prophylaxis in Chinese pediatric patients with HA.Methods: ReCARE (Retrospective study in Chinese pediatric hemophilia A patients with rFVIII contained REgular prophylaxis) was a retrospective study conducted in 12 hemophilia treatment centers across China. The trend of prophylaxis was evaluated by determining the mean duration of prophylaxis, mean injection frequency (per week), mean dose of each injection (IU/kg), mean total dose injected/week (IU) and proportion of rFVIII consumption relative to factor VIII (FVIII) consumption over the study period.Results: We analyzed 183 male pediatric patients with HA (mean age, 7.1 ± 4.23 years), who received intermittent prophylaxis between 1 November 2007 and 31 May 2013. The mean duration of prophylaxis with rFVIII increased from 16.72 weeks in 2008 to 32.77 in 2012. Per injection dose of rFVIII increased significantly from 2008 to 2013 (25.89 to 28.31 IU/kg, p < .001). An increase was also reported in the mean total FVIII consumed (699.97 ± 173.25 IU in 2008 and 891.30 ± 730.341 in 2013) and mean proportion of rFVIII used (33.33 ± 57.73% in 2008 to 85.50 ± 29.077% in 2013).Conclusion: Our data revealed an overall improvement in treatment dosage and duration with an increase in the number of patients receiving prophylaxis. The total proportion of rFVIII also increased gradually indicating the development of economy and safety awareness.Trial Registration: The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (CT.gov identifier: NCT02263066). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: The first recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) product was launched in China in 2007. However, until now, no study has been conducted to describe the efficacy and safety of prophylaxis with rFVIII in Chinese pediatric patients with hemophilia A (HA).Objective: To summarize the efficacy and safety data on prophylaxis with rFVIII in Chinese pediatric patients with HA.Methods: ReCARE (Retrospective study in Chinese pediatric hemophilia A patients with rFVIII contained regular prophylaxis) was a retrospective study conducted in 12 hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs) across China. The primary endpoints included reduction in annualized bleeding rate (ABR); the secondary endpoints included evaluation of joint function (number and sites of target joints) using Gilbert score and Hemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS), quality of life (QoL) and factors affecting treatment choices. Safety assessment of rFVIII was also conducted.Results: We analyzed a total of 183 male pediatric patients (mean age, 7.1 ± 4.23 years) who received prophylaxis between 1 November 2007 and 31 May 2013. Compared with baseline, prophylaxis with rFVIII significantly reduced overall annualized joint bleed rate (AJBR) (p < .001) and ABR (p < .001). Inhibitor formation was reported in 5 (2.7%) patients and hemarthrosis was reported in 1 patient. The mean number of target joints was positively related to age (p < .001) and weight (p = .003) at baseline. Responses from survey questionnaires reported that effective bleeding control, joint protection, improvement in quality of life, favorable medical insurance policies, and economic capability were reasons for choosing prophylaxis.Conclusion: Prophylaxis with rFVIII reduced bleeding and number of target joints, even with a low-dose regimen, in Chinese pediatric patients with HA. Other than the efficacy and safety, factors such as poor disease control, improved economic stability and stable financial support made prophylaxis as an attractive treatment option. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02263066. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

To identify the pathogenesis of a Chinese woman diagnosed with dysfibrinogenemia. A patient from Nanjing presented with a low plasma concentration of fibrinogen and a normal level of antigen of fibrinogen. This abnormality was also detected in her son. To detect whether the genetic mutation was responsible for the dysfibrinogenemia, genomic DNA was extracted and amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing was performed on the purified PCR products. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), molecular modeling and homologous sequences alignment were performed. Two heterozygous missense variants, AαArg16His and γAsp185Asn, were discovered in the proband. Only the former was detected in her son. AαArg16His had been reported by other teams, and γAsp185Asn was identified first in our study as a novel variant. RFLP was performed and indicated that the novel failed to be found in normal subjects. Furthermore, it was suggested to be responsible for dysfibrinogenemia depending on the molecular modeling and homologous sequence alignment. The heterozygous AαArg16His and γAsp185Asn identified in the study probably underlie the dysfibrinogenemia in this pedigree, with the latter being identified for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a promising treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have not adequately responded to conventional therapies. We retrospectively evaluated the safety and long-term clinical outcome of AHSCT in MS patients in China. Twenty-five patients with various types of MS were treated with AHSCT. Peripheral blood stem cells were derived by leukapheresis after mobilized with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Then CD34+ cell selection of the graft was performed and anti-thymocyte globulin was given for T-cell depletion, with the conditioning regimen BEAM adopted and early and late toxicities recorded. Long-term responses were evaluated by the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), progression-free survival and gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scans. 10, 7 and 8 patients experienced neurological improvement, stabilization and progression, respectively. The median EDSS scores observed over 1-year follow-up after transplantation (5.5-7.0) were consistently lower than the baseline (8.0). The progression-free survival rate was 74, 65 and 48% at 3, 6 and 9 years post-transplant. 58% cases (7/12) had active lesions at baseline and all turned to inactive status in the years of follow-up. 25% cases (3/12) experienced progression after transplantation but had no active lesions in MRI over the whole follow-up period. 17% cases (2/12) without active lesions at baseline progressed active lesions in MRI. The major early toxicity resulted in fever and late toxicity caused transplantation-related mortality due to severe pneumonia and varicella-zoster virus hepatitis, respectively. AHSCT is a feasible treatment for severe MS and its long-term efficacy is favorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported conflicting results on the impact of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDCT) as the first-line treatment for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We performed a systematic meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of HDCT compared to conventional chemotherapy in patients with aggressive NHL with regard to overall survival (OS) at 3 years. We gathered the data for our analysis from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane controlled trials register, Cochrane Library, and Science Citation Index (1/1990 to 11/2008) searches. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random effect model. Fourteen RCTs were identified that were published in full text and included a total of 2,413 patients. There was evidence that HDCT showed decreased OS (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05-1.37, P = 0.006) at 3 years when compared with conventional chemotherapy. The variation in OS probabilities between studies was not statistically significant (test for heterogeneity, Q = 10.14, df = 13, P = 0.683). Thus, our meta-analysis showed that HDCT in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma had decreased overall survival outcome compared with conventional chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

ntifungal prophylaxis using fluconazole or itraconazole has been studied for many years but still no consensus has been reached regarding their safety and effectiveness. We performed a systematic meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of fluconazole compared to itraconazole in neutropenic patients with hematological malignancies. We gathered the data for our analysis from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane-controlled trials register, Cochrane Library, and Science Citation Index (1/1990 to 1/2009) searches. Risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random effect model. Nine RCTs were identified that were published in full text. Significantly, fewer patients were withdrawn from the studies due to the development of adverse effects with fluconazole prophylaxis when compared with itraconazole (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.27-0.75, P = 0.002). There were statistically significant differences regarding fungal infections (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.08-1.67, P = 0.009) and invasive fungal infections (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.02-1.73, P = 0.03) between the two educations. There were no statistically significant differences regarding overall mortality (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.77-1.17, P = 0.64), fungal-related mortality (RR 1.28, 95% CI 0.80-2.07, P = 0.31), and proven fungal infections (RR 1.38, 95% CI 0.75-2.53, P = 0.30). The analysis of published evidence reveals that itraconazole administration resulted in significantly fewer episodes of fungal infections and invasive fungal infections compared with fluconazole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Molecular analyses such as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are demanded to improve diagnostic accuracy in addition to immunohistopathology of bone marrow (BM) trephine specimens. Conventional BM embedding method needs decalcification, and its procedure may impair tissue morphology and DNA quality. Here, we report an undecalcified method by which glycol methacrylate resin is polymerized at low temperature (4°C). Using this method, BM enzyme activity and antigenic determinants are well preserved, and moreover, DNA extracted from plastic embedding sections is suitable for PCR amplification and sequencing, FISH analysis can be well done because of the DNA integrity of BM sections. If working with BM trephine specimen, our protocol offers the possibility to combine superior morphology with modern molecular analysis. Microsc. Res. Tech. 73:1067-1071, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

According to the data of 146 coal samples measured by mercury penetration, coal pores are classified into two levels of <65 nm diffusion pore and >65 nm seeping pore by fractal method based on the characteristics of diffusion, seepage of coal bed methane(CBM) and on the research results of specific pore volume and pore structure. The diffusion pores are further divided into three categories: <8 nm micropore, 8-20 nm transitional pore, and 20-65 nm minipore based on the relationship between increment of specific surface area and diameter of pores, while seepage pores are further divided into three categories: 65-325 nm mesopore, 325-1000 nm transitional pore, and >1000 nm macropore based on the abrupt change in the increment of specific pore volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses the results of the randomized controlled trials which examine whether prophylaxis with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) might produce a higher complete remission rate after the induction chemotherapy. more...