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Gastric carcinomas have high morbidity and mortality. It produces no noticeable symptoms in the early stage while causing complex complications in its advanced stage, making treatment difficult. Palliative therapy aims to relieve the symptoms of cancer patients and focuses on improving their quality of life. At present, five palliative therapies for advanced gastric carcinomas are offered: resection, gastrojejunostomy, stenting, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In recent years, palliative therapy has been used in the clinical treatment of advanced gastric carcinomas and related complications because of its efficacy in gastric outlet obstruction and gastric bleeding. In the future, multimodal and interdisciplinary palliative therapies can be applied to control general symptoms to improve patients’ condition, prolong their lifespan and improve their quality of life.

High-density and low-crosstalk waveguide arrays are critical components in optical phased arrays (OPAs) and are widely used in solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR). In this work, silicon nitride waveguide superlattices with air gaps are proposed and analyzed theoretically. Mode analysis shows that the introduced air gaps beside the waveguide help shorten the skin depth of the evanescent field and increase the effective index range of the waveguide under single mode conditions. Lower crosstalk is demonstrated between a pair of waveguides with air gaps compared with those without air gaps. On this basis, a waveguide superlattice with air gaps is designed by combining the eigenmode expansion method and particle swarm optimization. The crosstalk of the waveguide superlattice is optimized to -24.3 dB when the waveguide pitch is 0.9 µm, the propagation length is 1 mm, and the wavelength is 905 nm. The crosstalk is still below -22.4 dB under the typical process variations and over the wavelength range of 890 nm - 920 nm. Therefore, the proposed air-gap waveguide superlattices with high density and low crosstalk offer opportunities to improve the beam steering performance of OPA chips in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) waveband.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and negatively affecting the prognosis of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multipotent cytokine involved in various cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. In this prospective study, we investigate the value of MIF in the long-term prognosis of STEMI combined with MetS after emergency PCI. Circulating MIF levels were measured at admission, and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were monitored during the follow-up period of 4.9 (3.9–5.8) years. MACCE occurred in 92 patients (22.9%), which was significantly higher in MetS (69/255, 27.1%) than in the non-MS subgroup (23/146, 15.8%, P < 0.05). Patients with MetS developed MACCE had the highest admission MIF level. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the cutoff value of admission MIF (143 ng/ml) showed that patients with a higher MIF level had a greater incidence of MACCE than those with lower MIF levels in both the MetS (P < 0.0001) and non-MetS groups (P = 0.016). After adjustment for clinical variables, the value of MIF ≥ 143 ng/ml still had the predictive power for the MetS group [HR 9.56, 95% CI (5.397–16.944),P < 0.001]; nevertheless, it was not the case in the non-MetS group. Our findings indicated that MetS is a critical risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes in patients with STEMI, and a high admission MIF level has predictive power for the long-term MACCE, which is superior in STEMI patients with MetS and better than other traditional predictors.

It is well-known that the calorific value and heat transfer speed of coal are closely related to the coal quality index, and affect the explosion intensity and the maximum explosion pressure of coal dust explosion. In this paper, the pressure for different coal quality indexes is studied experimentally, and the main parameters affecting the pressure are elucidated by the principal component analysis of multivariate statistical analysis.

Diffraction gratings with high upward diffraction efficiency and large effective length are required for chip-scale light detection and ranging. In this paper, we propose a diffraction grating based on a multilayer silicon nitride waveguide, which theoretically achieves an upward diffraction efficiency of 92$\%$, a near-field effective length of 376 $\mu m$ and a far-field divergence angle of 0.105$^{\circ}$ at a wavelength of 850 nm. The diffraction grating has a high tolerance to process variations based on Monte Carlo Analysis. When the conditions are $\pm$5$\%$ layer thickness variation, $\pm$50 nm lithographic variation and $\pm$20 nm wavelength drift, more than 71$\%$ of the grating samples have a diffraction efficiency higher than 80$\%$, and 100$\%$ of the samples have an effective length larger than 200 $\mu m$ (corresponding to a far-field divergence, Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, research article

Rotating packed beds (RPBs) have attracted widespread attention due to their high mass transfer efficiency. In this paper, gas flow characteristics in a rotating spherical packing bed (RSPB) were i...

Micromixing performance of reactors has great influence on fast reactions such as polymerization, pharmaceutical and crystallization applications. In this work, based on Villermaux–Dushman iodide–iodate reaction system, an experimental investigation of micromixing with non-Newtonian fluid (CMC solution) in a rotation packed bed (RPB) was carried out. And a two-dimensional RPB Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model coupled with shear-thinning rheological property was developed. Both experimental and numerical results indicated that increasing rotational speed could dramatically improve the micromixing performance due to the shear-thinning behavior in the RPB. Especially, the CMC concentration was an important factor that should be carefully considered, which showed quite different impacts on micromixing efficiency with liquid flow rate. In addition, based on incorporation model and experimental results, the micromixing time of the RPB with non-Newtonian fluid was determined as 4.1 × 10−4 s–1.9 × 10−3 s. This fundamental research had guiding significance for practical operations of RPBs when processing non-Newtonian fluids.

As a novel micro-reactor, the microporous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (MTMCR) has been applied to some processes such as gas absorption, preparation of nanomaterials for the past few years. In this work, the three-dimension simulations in the microporous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (MTMCR) have been carried out via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to study the influence of various parameters on gas–liquid flow behaviors, and the coupled level set and volume of fluid method was applied to capture the gas–liquid interface. The liquid distribution in MTMCR by CFD was basically in agreement with the results of visualization experiment and the time-averaged pressure drops were in agreement with literature data within deviation of ±5%. The simulation results showed that the interfacial area and pressure drop increased with the increase of gas or liquid flow rates. The smaller micropores size and annular channel width led to a larger interfacial area and higher pressure drop. Three typical liquid flow patterns were revealed: droplet flow, elongated-droplet flow and churn flow, and the interfacial areas ranged from 976 to 9172 m2/m3 under operating conditions. This work indicated the great potential of the MTMCR for intensifying the gas–liquid mass transfer process, and provided theoretical basis of the MTMCR for practical applications.

A three-dimensional CFD model coupled with a mesoscale mass transfer model was developed to simulate the absorption of CO2 in the microporous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (MTMCR). The simulation results were validated by experimental data and empirical correlations, with the discrepancies within ±20%. The local breakage and coalescence of the gas-liquid interfaces enhanced mass transfer in the annular microchannel. The higher ReG and ReL means lower ratio between energy for mass transfer and surface, and also, larger contribution of interfacial area to the mass transfer. Additionally, an entrance-effect zone was revealed, and the entrance-effect zone enlarged with the increase in ReG and ReL. The overall mass transfer coefficient and entrance-effect zone enlarged significantly with appropriate decrease in the length of the gas-liquid collision zone. Results of this work could provide a theoretical basis for the further optimization of MTMCR.

BACKGROUND This study was designed to investigate the potential anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects of methylene blue (MB) on self-sustaining status epilepticus (SSSE) induced by prolonged basolateral amygdala stimulation (BLA) in Wistar rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS The rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: (1) the Control group (rats without any treatment); (2) the Sham group (rats received electrode implantation but without electrical stimulation); (3) the SSSE group (rats received electrode implantation and additional electrical stimulation); and (4) the SSSE+MB group (rats received 1 mg/kg MB intraperitoneal injection 5 min after SSSE). SSSE models were established by prolonged BLA stimulation. The severities of SSSE were assessed by the number of separate seizures and the accumulated time of seizures. The variations of malondialdehyde/glutathione (MDA/GSH) were assessed 24 h after the establishment of SSSE. Nissl staining was performed to detect the surviving neurons in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions, and Western blotting assays were used to detect Caspase-3 (CASP3), B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), and BCL2-associated X protein (BAX). RESULTS Compared with the SSSE group, treatment with MB (1) markedly reduced the number and accumulated time of seizure activities; (2) significantly attenuated the increase of MDA and the decrease of GSH hippocampal levels; (3) markedly improved the cell morphology and alleviated the neuronal loss in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions; (4) significantly attenuated the increase of CASP3 and BAX and the decrease of BCL2 hippocampal levels. CONCLUSIONS MB has a protective effect in the SSSE model and may be useful as an adjuvant for preventing or treating epilepsy in humans.

// Li Peng 1, 2, 3 , Xiao-Qing Yuan 4, 5 , Chao-Yang Zhang 1, 2, 3 , Fei Ye 6 , Hui-Fang Zhou 7 , Wen-Ling Li 1, 2, 3 , Zhao-Yang Liu 1, 2, 3 , Ya-Qin Zhang 1, 2, 3 , Xi Pan 1, 2, 3, 8 , Guan-Cheng Li 1, 2, 3 1 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 2 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Chinese Ministry of Education, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 3 Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 4 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P.R. China 5 Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 6 Department of Cardiology, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410100, P.R. China 7 Department of Physiology, Changsha Health Vocational College, Changsha 410100, P.R. China 8 Department of Oncology, the third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, P.R. China Correspondence to: Guan-Cheng Li, email: ligc61@csu.edu.cn Xiao-Qing Yuan, email: yuanxq@csu.edu.cn Keywords: transforming growth factor beta 1, hepatocellular carcinoma, prognosis, overall survival, meta-analysis Received: December 28, 2016 Accepted: March 04, 2017 Published: March 13, 2017 ABSTRACT Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) promotes the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We evaluated the associations between TGF-β1 expression and clinicopathological parameters in HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), as well as the prognostic power of TGF-β1 expression. Eligible studies were retrieved from several databases, and effects (hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were pooled to assess the prognostic ability of TGF-β1 expression in HCC patients. Twelve qualified articles and our TCGA data comprising 2,021 HCC patients were incorporated. In the TCGA analysis, HCC patients with higher TGF-β1 expression presented a shorter OS than those with lower TGF-β1 expression (HR = 1.42, p < 0.05). In the meta-analysis, univariate analyses showed that HCC patients with higher TGF-β1 expression had a shorter OS (pooling HR = 1.71, p < 0.01) and DFS/RFS/MFS/PFS (pooling HR = 1.60, p < 0.01) than those with lower TGF-β1 expression. In conclusion, our results suggested that high TGF-β1 expression promotes a poor prognosis in HCC patients.

// Li Peng 1, 2 , Xiao-Qing Yuan 3, 4, * , Zhao-Yang Liu 1, 2 , Wen-Ling Li 1, 2 , Chao-Yang Zhang 1, 2 , Ya-Qin Zhang 1, 2 , Xi Pan 5 , Jun Chen 1, 2 , Yue-Hui Li 1, 2 , Guan-Cheng Li 1, 2, * 1 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health and the Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Chinese Ministry of Education, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 2 Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 3 Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P.R. China 4 Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P.R. China 5 Department of Oncology, The third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, P.R. China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Guan-Cheng Li, email: ligc61@csu.edu.cn or libsun@163.com Keywords: H19, prognosis, female cancers, TCGA, meta-analysis Received: June 30, 2016 Accepted: November 14, 2016 Published: December 01, 2016 ABSTRACT Upregulation of lncRNA H19 expression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in some cancers. However, the prognostic value of H19 in female-specific cancers has remained uncharacterized. In this study, the prognostic power of high H19 expression in female cancer patients from the TCGA datasets was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox’s proportional hazard modeling. In addition, in a meta-analysis of non-female cancer patients from TCGA datasets and 12 independent studies, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/relapse-free survival (RFS)/metastasis-free survival (MFS)/progression-free survival (PFS) were pooled to assess the prognostic value of high H19 expression. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with uterine corpus cancer and higher H19 expression had a shorter OS (HR=2.710, p

Objective: To automatically detect focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) lesion by combining quantitative multimodal surface-based features with machine learning and to assess its clinical value. Methods: Neuroimaging data and clinical information for 74 participants (40 with histologically proven FCD type II) was retrospectively included. The morphology, intensity and function-based features characterizing FCD lesions were calculated vertex-wise on each cortical surface and fed to an artificial neural network. The classifier performance was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed by performing statistical analysis and conventional visual analysis. Results: The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity of the neural network classifier based on multimodal surface-based features were 70.5%, 70.0%, and 69.9%, respectively, which outperformed the unimodal classifier. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of FCD subtypes (Pearson’s Chi-Square = 0.001, p = 0.970). Cohen’s kappa score between automated detection outcomes and post-surgical resection region was 0.385 (considered as fair). Conclusion: Automated machine learning with multimodal surface features can provide objective and intelligent detection of FCD lesion in pre-surgical evaluation and can assist the surgical strategy. Furthermore, the optimal parameters, appropriate surface features and efficient algorithm are worth exploring.

Due to the greenhouse effect, new technologies of CO2 capture attract wide attention. In this paper, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to simulate the absorption of CO2 in a microporous tube-in-tube microchannel reactor (MTMCR). Based on the eddy cell model, a novel gas-liquid mass transfer model considering the surface work was proposed and the simulated results of volumetric mass transfer coefficient agreed well with the published experimental data. In the lower turbulence range, the deviations between experimental data and predictions of kla using eddy cell model are over ± 40%. Meanwhile, results from the modified eddy cell model agree well with experimental data within ±10% deviation in a wide range of operating conditions. The novel gas-liquid mass transfer model could benefit for understanding the mass transfer mechanism and improving the mass transfer performance in reactors.

In recent years, some unit operations such as absorption and rectification in rotating packed beds (RPBs) have drawn great attention, and single-phase hydrodynamics characteristics became the basis to understand the multiphase flow and mass transfer process. In this work, the 3D steady-state gas flow in the RPB with randomly arranged spherical packing was investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The gas flow field and the effects of operational parameters were analyzed. Results showed that the errors between the simulated and the experimental data of the total pressure drop were within ±20%. The pressure drop of packing zone and tangential velocity increased with the increase of rotational speed, while the rising of the gas flow rate could result in the increase in the radial velocity, the pressure drop of the inner or outer cavity. The turbulent kinetic energy was predominantly affected by the tangential slip velocity, and the higher values of turbulent kinetic energy were illustrated near the outer edge of the rotor. Furthermore, a semi-empirical correlation based on the numerical simulation was proposed to predict the dry pressure drop of the packing zone combining the wall effect.

The metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1(MALAT1), a member of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) family, has been reported to be highly enriched in many kinds of cancers and to be a metastasis marker and a prognostic factor. In this study, we found that MALAT1 expression levels were significantly increased in cervical cancer (CC) cells and tissues. The down-regulation of MALAT1 by shRNA in CC cells inhibited the invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Microarray analysis showed that the knockdown of MALAT1 up-regulated the epithelial markers E-cadherin and ZO-1, and down-regulated the mesenchymal markers β-catenin and Vimentin. This regulation was further confirmed by subsequent observation from RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence results. Meanwhile, the transcription factor snail, which functions to modulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), was also down-regulated at both transcript and protein levels by MALAT1 down-regulation. In addition, we found that MALAT1 expression levels were positively related to HPV infection in cervical epithelial tissues by microarray analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that MALAT1 functions to promote cervical cancer invasion and metastasis via induction of EMT, and it may be a target for the prevention and therapy of cervical cancers.

Liver cancer is a serious threat to public health and has fairly complicated pathogenesis. Therefore, the identification of key genes and pathways is of much importance for clarifying molecular mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation and progression. HCC-associated gene expression dataset was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. Statistical software R was used for significance analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between liver cancer samples and normal samples. Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, based on R software, were applied for the identification of pathways in which DEGs significantly enriched. Cytoscape software was for the construction of protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and module analysis to find the hub genes and key pathways. Finally, weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to further screen critical gene modules with similar expression pattern and explore their biological significance. Significance analysis identified 1230 DEGs with fold change >2, including 632 significantly down-regulated DEGs and 598 significantly up-regulated DEGs. GO term enrichment analysis suggested that up-regulated DEG significantly enriched in immune response, cell adhesion, cell migration, type I interferon signaling pathway, and cell proliferation, and the down-regulated DEG mainly enriched in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress and endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response. KEGG pathway analysis found DEGs significantly enriched in five pathways including complement and coagulation cascades, focal adhesion, ECM–receptor interaction, antigen processing and presentation, and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. The top 10 hub genes in HCC were separately GMPS, ACACA, ALB, TGFB1, KRAS, ERBB2, BCL2, EGFR, STAT3, and CD8A, which resulted from PPI network. The top 3 gene interaction modules in PPI network enriched in immune response, organ development, and response to other organism, respectively. WGCNA revealed that the confirmed eight gene modules significantly enriched in monooxygenase and oxidoreductase activity, response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, type I interferon signaling pathway, processing, presentation and binding of peptide antigen, cellular response to cadmium and zinc ion, cell locomotion and differentiation, ribonucleoprotein complex and RNA processing, and immune system process, respectively. In conclusion, we identified some key genes and pathways closely related with HCC initiation and progression by a series of bioinformatics analysis on DEGs. These screened genes and pathways provided for a more detailed molecular mechanism underlying HCC occurrence and progression, holding promise for acting as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

Background Early and/or late onset in patients with brain injury (BI) is associated with a poorer prognosis, and phenytoin (PHT) is standard of care to prevent seizures. Levetiracetam (LEV), an alternative antiepileptic drug, is associated with less cognitive disruption. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LEV in the prevention of brain traumatic seizures with the standard drug PHT. Methods Search the publications on comparison the safety and efficacy of LEV against the standard agent PHT in prevention of traumatic seizures in BI to January 2018. After rigorous reviewing on quality, the data were extracted from eligible trials. All trials analyzed the summary hazard ratios of the endpoints of interest. Results LEV was found not more effective than PHT in terms of overall seizure (odds ratio [OR] = 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.51-1.05; P = .09), and late seizure (OR = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.34-1.19; P = .16) occurrence. However, there is significant difference in terms of early seizure (OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.40-0.99; P = .04). Moreover, there were no significant differences in terms of mortality (OR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.43-1.05; P = .08), or side effects (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = 0.80-2.15; P = .29) between groups. Conclusion The meta-analysis showed that LEV prevention of seizures was associated with early seizure rates that were lower than the PHT-prolonged course of treatment. There is no statistically significant difference in the efficacy and safety profile of PHT and LEV in cases of traumatic BI.

Human interleukin-24 (IL-24) has been found recently to play a tumor-suppressor role in a variety of tumors, including gliomas. However, the exact mechanism of glioma tumor suppression by IL-24 remains unclear. We collected by surgery 30 gliomas at different grades and evaluated IL-24 and double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) expression using fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical techniques. Two human glioma cell lines, U87 and U251, were transfected with Ad5F35-IL24 via recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene transfer and apoptosis, as well as PKR and eIF-2α expression analyzed. The results showed that IL-24 and PKR expression decreased with increasing tumor grade. Compared with cells of the control groups, Ad5F35-IL24-infected U87 and U251 cells exhibited a significantly increased apoptosis and elevated PKR, eIF-2α, p-PKR, and p-eIF-2α levels, while the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased. Finally, IL-24 also sensitized apoptosis of glioma cells to temozolomide (TMZ). This study indicates that IL-24 upregulates expression and activation of PKR, further increasing expression and activation of eIF-2α, and decreasing Bcl-2 to promote apoptosis. IL-24 also increases chemosensitivity of glioma cells to TMZ.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore whether there were gender differences in the relation of insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction to diabetic retinopathy among type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: From 1999 to 2002, a screening regimen for diabetic retinopathy was performed by a panel of ophthalmologists using ophthalmoscopy and 45-degree color fundus photography to examine the fundus in a total of 971 type 2 diabetic patients examined between 1991 and 1993 in Kinmen, Taiwan. Seven hundred and twenty-five type 2 diabetic patients (301 males and 424 females) attended ophthalmological fundus checkup. Results: The response rate in males and females was 71.3 and 77.2%. The proportion of diabetic retinopathy at the first eye screening was 16.3% in males and 20.1% in females. From the multiple logistic regression, the type of diabetes (known cases vs. new cases) was a significant factor of diabetic retinopathy in both males (OR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.59–8.37) and females (OR = 3.66, 95% CI: 2.01–6.70). Diabetic retinopathy was also strongly affected by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) and homeostasis model assessment of β-cell dysfunction (HOMA β-cell) (p < 0.0001 for trend test). In males, those who were in the 2nd quartile, 3rd quartile, and 4th quartile of HOMA IR had 4.87 times (95% CI: 1.18–20.11), 6.83 times (95% CI: 1.91–24.46), and 10.15 times (95% CI: 2.42–42.56) the risk for diabetic retinopathy as compared to those in the 1st quartile. There was a reduced risk for diabetic retinopathy in relation to HOMA β-cell for the 2nd quartile, 3rd quartile, and 4th quartile of 86% (95% CI: 37–97%), 95% (95% CI: 77–99%), and 96% (95% CI: 78–99%) as compared to that in the 1st quartile. Only the 4th quartile had a significant risk (OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.17–5.86) for diabetic retinopathy as compared to that in the 1st quartile in females. The reduced risk for diabetic retinopathy found in relation to HOMA β-cell for the 3rd and 4th quartiles were 66% (95% CI: 6–88%) and 66% (95% CI: 10–87%) as compared to that in the 1st quartile. Conclusions: Gender differences in the relationship between insulin resistance/β-cell dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy were demonstrated in type 2 diabetic patients.

On the basis of analyzing the history and characteristics of the underground space exploitation and the urban space development in Guangzhou, and making a thorough study on the underground space exploitation based on the subway building, this paper points out some main problems in the exploitation of underground space in Guangzhou, and emphasizes that Guangzhou must develop the underground space on a large scale with the aid of the subway building, and puts forward a proposal on the urban space coordinate development between on-ground and underground in Guangzhou City.

This meta-analysis evaluated the accuracy of diagnosing coronary artery disease using 64-section spiral computed tomography, and compared the difference between Chinese studies and abroad studies.Relevant English and Chinese articles published from 1998 to 2009 were searched in Cochrane library, Medline, Embase database, OVID database and CNKI. Heterogeneity was tested, pooled weighted sensitivity and specificity and the corresponding 95%CI were calculated. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was drawn and the area under the curve was calculated, differences between studies from China and abroad were compared.A total of 433 articles were searched and 108 articles were included (46 English articles and 62 Chinese articles) after excluding articles of research purposes or design does not match. Because of no gold standard, no blind, can not be calculated literature data, 7 and 20 (P0.05), 44 and 6 (P0.05), 3 and 1 (P0.05) Chinese studies and English articles respectively were excluded. Twenty-seven articles fulfilled all inclusion criteria (8 Chinese and 19 foreign studies) In 8 Chinese studies the pooled weighted sensitivity and specificity and area under SROC curve was 0.892 (95%CI: 0.868 - 0.913), 0.972 (95%CI: 0.966 - 0.977) and 0.983 (95%CI: 0.966 - 1.000) at segment-based analysis. In 19 foreign studies, the pooled weighted sensitivity and specificity and area under SROC curve was 0.971(95%CI: 0.957 - 0.982), 0.878 (95%CI: 0.852 - 0.902) and 0.973 (95%CI: 0.958 - 0.989) at patient-based analysis, 0.917 (95%CI: 0.895 - 0.936), 0.919 (95%CI: 0.909 - 0.928) and 0.974 (95%CI: 0.964 - 0.984) at vessel-based analysis, 0.882 (95%CI: 0.868 - 0.895), 0.959 (95%CI: 0.956 - 0.962) and 0.985 (95%CI: 0.978 - 0.992) at segment-based analysis. Pooled weighted pecificity of 64-section spiral CT angiography at segment-based analysis has significant different between home and abroad (P0.05).Meta-analysis showed that noninvasive 64-section spiral computed tomography could correctly diagnose coronary artery disease with high sensitivity and specificity. Quality of related studies performed in abroad is significantly higher than those performed in China.

The paper adopts the method of Supervised Classification to classify the remote sensing images of rural landscape in four phases of 1979, 1990, 2000 and 2006 in Zengcheng. With the assistant of Geographical Information System, it analyzes the dynamic changing of the rural landscape, sums up the characteristic of the spatial evolvement of rural landscape, and estimates the spatial difference in Zengcheng. At last, points out many problems includes the building land grow excessive; the farm land decrease current; the environment damage heavily; and the rural development lack plan and manage availably.

Background To determine, in a meta-analysis, the diagnostic performance of quantitative diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging in patients with breast lesions. Methods English and Chinese studies published prior to June 2009 to assess the diagnostic performance of quantitative DWI in patients with breast lesions were reviewed and summarized with reference to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed by using the quality assessment of diagnostic studies (QUADAS) instrument. Publication bias analysis was performed by using Comprehensive Meta-analysis version 2. Meta-Disc version 1.4 was used to describe primary results and explore homogeneity by Chi-square test and inconsistency index; to explore threshold effect by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) space and Spearman correlation coefficient; and to pool weighted sensitivity and specificity by fixed or random effect model. A summary ROC (sROC) curve was constructed to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). Results Of 65 eligible studies, 13 with 615 malignant and 349 benign lesions were included in the original meta-analysis, among which heterogeneity arising from factors other than threshold effect and publication bias was explored. Methodological quality was moderate. The pooled weighted sensitivity and specificity with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) in one homogenous subgroup of studies using maximum b = 1000 s/mm2 were 0.84 (0.80, 0.87) and 0.84 (0.79, 0.88) respectively. AUC of sROC was 0.9085. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the pooled estimates were stable and reliable. Conclusions Quantitative DWI has a higher specificity to differentiate between benign and malignant breast lesions compared to that of contrast-enhanced MRI. However, large scale randomized control trials (RCTs) are necessary to assess its clinical value because of disunified diffusion gradient factor b and diagnosis threshold.

Transit Metropolis is a model of urban currency in terms of energy conservation and highly active. Moreover, to realize this imagine must rely on choosing the public traffic trip intelligently at first. In Guangzhou, there are many reasons to affect the public traffic trip; thereinto, the uppermost are traffic congestion, inconvenient transfer, and high tripping fare. Therefore, the paper replan and integrate to the public traffic service system in Guangzhou city based on the studies specifically on bus network design, transfer space design, and fare system design. The purpose is to realize the sustainable development on urban transport.

Genistein (4', 5, 7-trihydroxyisoflavone) is an isoflavone compound obtained from plants that has potential applications in cancer therapy. However, the molecular mechanism of the action of genistein on cancer cell apoptosis is not well known. In this study, we investigated the effect of genistein on topoisomerase II-alpha (Topo IIalpha), an important protein involved in the processes of DNA replication and cell proliferation. The results revealed that inhibition of Topo IIalpha expression through the regulation of Specificity protein 1 and Specificity protein 3 may be one of the reasons for genistein's induction of HeLa cell apoptosis.

To investigate the clinical effect and safety of miconazole nitrate 1200 mg in treating vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC).An open, multicentre, non case control clinical trial was conducted in 568 patients suffering from VVC from Jul 1, 2006 to Nov 30, 2006. Routine examination, score of clinical symptoms and physical signs, mycetology test and safety evaluation were done in all patients before treatment, 7 - 14 days after treatment and 30 days after treatment.Seven to fourteen days after treatment, 563 patients could be followed and 323 patients (57.3%) were cured. The overall effective rate was 90.2%. The mycologic cure rate was 91.3% (514). Thirty days after treatment, 480 patients could be followed and 411 patients (85.6%) were cured. The total effective rate was 96.0%. Mycologic cure rate was 92.3% (443/480). Adverse effect rate was 2.7% (15/563) and they were relieved without any treatment in one or two days.Miconazole nitrate 1200 mg is effective in the treatment of VVC, with good compliance and few adverse effects. Moreover, it can be accepted easily.

Thermal management and package materials in high power light emitting diodes (HPLEDs) are now critical design issues to limit their luminous intensity, reliability, and applications. In this paper electroless and electroplating techniques (EET) were both applied in fabrication of the red, green, and blue HPLEDs (RGB HPLEDs) chips. The HPLEDs with conventional package structures were fixed on the lead frames by adhesives, but the HPLEDs using EET were fixed on copper substrates without any adhesive resin. In our work, the results show that the thermal resistance of HPLED using EET is much less than one of the HPLED using adhesive resin. The maximum luminous intensity of the single chip HPLED using EET is larger than HPLED with resin/MCPCB (metal core printed circuit board) in room temperature.

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科, 大阪大学微生物病研究所 情報伝達分野, The hematopoietic system undergoes a qualitative change during the embryogenesis of most vertebrates. It is designated as the shift of primitive to definitive hematopoiesis and suitable microenvironment must be established to support this shift. While studying the role of platelet derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFR α) in embryonic hematopoiesis, we found that it was expressed in a stromal cell component of liver, a major site of this shift, but not in the yolk sac, the site of primitive hematopoiesis. Thus, we considered that development of PDGFRα positive stromal cells is an essential requirement for this shift. Without PDFGRα positive cell component, erythropoiesis was suppressed in the culture of fetal liver. Moreover, injection of an antagonistic anti-PDGFRα monoclonal antibody during embryogenesis suppressed the production of definitive erythrocytes. These indicated that PDGF exerts its effect on a subset of stromal components to prepare a microenvironment that can support the definitive erythropoiesis. © 2006 The Japanese Biochemical Society.

To investigate the effect of IL-24 expression on the growth of glioma cells.The IL-24 gene was transfected into rat glioma C6 cells with a retroviral vector. The expression of IL-24 in C6/IL-24 glioma cells was confirmed by RT-PCR. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to study tumor cell proliferation in vitro. Tumorigenicity in vivo was studied in inbred SD male rats by the growth of intracerebrally inoculated tumor.It was confirmed by RT-PCR that the exogenous IL-24 gene expressed in C6/IL-24 cell. The C6/IL-24 cell proliferation in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo were both inhibited compared with its parental C6 cell.IL-24 expression in glioma cells somehow inhibits their growth in vitro and in vivo.

To immunoscreen one protein antigen gene from a cDNA library of Cysticercus cellulosae.A eDNA library of C. cellulosae was constructed after cDNA was synthesized, and immunoscreened using rabbit anti-C. cellulosae polyclone antibody. The gene structure and its possible function were analyzed by comparing with the sequences available in the GenBank, after the insert of positive clone was subcloned to pBluescript SK plasmid and the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA was determined by dideoxynucleotide chain termination method using a Taq DyeDeoxy Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit. The amino acid sequence was deduced from nucleotide sequence using GENETYX software. Homological search of the nucleotide sequences was done using BLAST in GenBank.A cDNA clone of 1320 bp was isolated. The clone contained one open reading frame composed of 1260 bp encoding 420 amino acids, in which two potential glycosylation sites were found. The partial nucleotide sequence of the gene fragment showed high homology with the essential spectrin gene of Caenorhabditis elegans and the erythrocyte surface antigen gene of Plasmodium falciparum, when the gene fragment was homologically analyzed in GenBank.

To set up rat C6 glioma cell line C6/IL-18 expressing IL-18 gene and explore the effect of IL-18 on the growth of C6 cells.The IL-18 gene was transferred into the C6 cells by a retrovirus vector. After screening with G418, the C6/IL-18 cells were obtained. IL-18 mRNA expression in C6/IL-18 cells was detected with RT-PCR. The expression of IL-18 protein was detected by flow cytometry and immunocytochemical staining. In order to analyze the activity of the expressed IL-18 protein, ELISA was used to detect the ability to secrete IFN-gamma by rat splenocytes induced with the culture supernatant of C6/IL-18 cells. The in-vitro proliferation of C6/IL-18 cells was detected by MTT colorimetry and flow cytometry. The rat model was used to observe the tumorigenic activity of the C6/IL-18 cells.IL-18 mRNA and protein were stably expressed in C6/IL-18 cells. The culture supernatant of C6/IL-18 cells induced secretion of IFN-gamma by rat splenocytes. At the same time, the proliferation rate and in-vivo tumorigenicity of C6/IL-18 cells were markedly reduced as compared with parental C6 cells.Exogenous IL-18 gene can inhibit the proliferation and in-vivo tumorigenicity of C6 cells.

To study the anti-microbial resistance of Escherichia coli (E.coli) that caused infection in urogenital system.Anti-microbial susceptibility tests for 148 strains of E.coli were conducted by disc diffusion technique.In 28 commonly used antibiotics, the resistance rates of E. coli to beta-lactam and quinolones were high (73.6%-86.4%). High resistance rates to the first- and the second-generation cephalosporin (cefradime, cephazolin and cefaclor) were also observed (44%). Resistance rate to ceftazidime is the lowest (10.1%) in the third-generation cephalosporin. The resistance rates of E. coli to piperacillin, pefoperazone and ampicillin were 84.5%, 44.6% and 83.0% respectively. Combined antibiotic and beta-lactam inhibitor gave lower resistance rates than antibiotic alone (piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoporazone/sulbactam and ampicillin/sulbactam were 4.1%, 10.8% and 52.0% respectively, P0.01). Of 148 E. coli isolates, 38 strains were capable of yielding extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) (25.7%), 110 strains were not able to produce ESBLs (74.3%) and the resistance rates of isolates with ESBLs to 28 antibiotics were significantly lower than those of isolates without ESBLs.Antibiotic/beta-lactam inhibitor and nitrofurantoin are effective for urogenital infections caused by E. coli.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was detected from infants whose mothers were negative for all HBV markers and the fathers were HBV carrier, the homology of HBV sequence of fathers and fetus was high, and HBV mutations concentrated on some points, and the transmission of HBV from father to fetus was also identified in some reports. The present study aimed to study HBV transmission from father to infant.The study enrolled 16 pairs of fathers who were HBV carriers and infants whose mothers were negative for HBV markers. The infants had evidences for intrauterine HBV infection. The five HBV serum markers HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc were detected with ELISA. The positive results for HBsAg and/or HBeAg were regarded as markers of HBV infection. Amplification of HBV DNA was done using a nested PCR method. The first amplification was carried out using primer C1 (nt 2394-2370), and primer C3 (nt 1730-1754). The second amplification was carried out using primer C2 (nt 1955-1974) and primer C6 (nt 2348-2330). Both primers were designed to amplify the part of sequence coding for the hepatitis B C antigen. The size of the amplified fragment obtained by the nested PCR was expected to be 394 bp. The PCR products were electrophoresed on 1.5% agarose gels, which were then stained with ethidium bromide and observed with ultraviolet transillumination. When 394 bp specific band was detectable, the sample was designated positive. Then the positive samples were identified by dot blot. The second PCR products were extracted by phenol-chloroform and 70% ethanol precipitation, then resuspended in TE buffer (pH8.0), and used as the template for cloning. The template was connected into pGEM-T vector by ligase. The ligated products were cloned into fresh competent JM109 cells, and incubated for 90 minutes at 37 degrees C on roller drum. Finally several dilutions were plated on plates containing ampicillin, X-Gal and IPTG, and incubated at 37 degrees C overnight. The white colony on plates was used for identification by the nested PCR with the above primers. When the 394 bp band was detectable by electrophoresis of PCR products in 1.5% agarose gels, the colony was designated positive; a positive colony was incubated in LB medium for 8 to 12 hrs, then plasmid was extracted using the Wizard Plus SV Minipreps DNA Purification System Kit (Promega). The purified plasmid was sent to Beijing Saibaisheng Company for sequencing. The homology of HBV C nt 2022-2301 sequence was compared between fathers and infants.The homology of HBV C nt 2022-2301 sequence were 99% - 100% in 16 pairs of fathers and infants. The results were referred to the published sequence of HBV adw/adr clones, and the nucleic acid databases were searched for homology by using BLAST tool on Internet. HBV of the sixteen pairs of father/infant was closely related to the Japan strain (Genebank accession number AF121249), but there were still 17 more mutations at nucleotide positions 2029, 2034, 2044, 2059, 2078, 2095, 2104, 2154, 2161, 2169, 2189, 2201, 2233, 2251, 2284, 2288, 2293. Moreover the mutations at positions 2189, 2288 resulted in the substitution of the encoded amino acid (corresponding to amino acid positions 97 and 130, respectively), the other mutations at the position were nonphenotypic. The mutation of 2189, 2288 nucleotide of HBV C gene caused 97, 130 amino acid substitution for isoleucine to leucine and proline to threonine. The mutation of 2189, 2288 nucleotide of HBV C gene were detected in 6 (37.5%) of 16 pairs of fathers and infants.The HBV transmission from father to infants did exist. The main HBV C gene mutation strains also existed in the transmission.

To study HBV transmission from father to infants, the study was carried out.The study contained 16 pairs of fathers who was HBV carriers, and infants whose mothers wasn't HBV carriers. The infants infected HBV in womb. The homogenous of HBV S gene were compared between fathers and infants, meanwhile HBV gene phylogenetic tree were analyzed.The genotype of 16 pairs fathers and infants were HBV adw. The homogenous of HBV S gene were 98% approximately 100%. The mutation of 488, 491, 494, 530, 531, 546, 581, 621 nucleotide of HBV S gene caused in 112, 113, 114, 126, 131, 143, 156 amino acid substitution. The mutation of 126 amino acid from Threonine to Alanine didn't existed in the gene bank. The sequence was difference from gene classification.The homogenous of HBV S gene of fathers and infants was very high. The HBV gene characteristic in China was difference from gene bank.

To measure serum leptin levels of menopausal women before and after hormone replacement therapy, and to evaluate the action of hormone replacement therapy in regulating serum leptin levels.Serum leptin levels of 27 menopausal women were measured before and after hormone replacement therapy by double-antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared with those measured in 35 women with regular menstrual cycle.Compared with normal control (17.11+/-1.24 ng/ml), menopausal women showed significant higher mean serum leptin levels (20.75+/-2.80 ng/ml, P0.01). After hormone replacement therapy for 6 months, serum leptin levels in these women declined to (17.46+/-1.71 ng/ml), similar to the leptin levels of normal control (P0.05).Serum leptin levels are significantly higher in menopausal women than in women with regular menstrual cycle, and can be down-regulated by hormone replacement therapy. It is suggested that serum leptin levels might be used as an indicator to evaluate the effect of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women.