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Abstract [Objective] This study aims to examine the effects of container type and specification on the growth, blooming, and physiology of purple-leaf Lagerstroemia indica seedlings. The goal is to examine the optimal seedling container for the cultivation of purple-leaf L. indica seedlings and to provide basis for effective seedling breeding in containers. [Methods] Taking the excellent new variety ‘Ebony Embers’ of purple-leaf L. indica as research materials. Three type containers, black plastic nutrient cups (C1), white nonwoven beauty planting bags (C2), and black root-control containers (C3), with three specifications (diameter×height, cm) of 16×16 (D1), 21×21 (D2), and 25×25 (D3), were selected to set nine treatments. Seedlings under different treatments were measured for growth, flowering, and physiological indexes. [Results] (1) Different nursery containers had significant effects on the growth, flowering, and physiology of purple-leaf L. indica seedlings. The growth, root system, biomass, flowering period, flower diameter, inflorescence, soluble protein content, soluble sugar content, relative chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and other indexes in the same container type were increased with the increase in the specification of the containers. (2) Diameter growth, total root length, total root surface area, total root volume, number of root tips, aboveground dry mass, belowground dry mass, total dry mass, and flowering time were greatest in the C3D3 treatment, which was higher than the smallest C1D1 treatment by 817.12%, 108.12%, 94.60%, 75.66%, 144.14%, 135.67%, 228.45%, 164.65% and 34.48%, respectively. Seedling height growth, crown growth, leaf area, and inflorescence length and width were the highest in the C1D3 treatment, which was higher than the lowest C1D1 treatment by 116.05%, 81.39%, 114.95%, 70.44%, and 65.79%, respectively. Relative chlorophyll content and water use efficiency were the greatest in the C3D3 treatment, while soluble protein and soluble sugar content, net photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance were the highest in the C1D3 treatment. The intercellular CO2 concentration and water use efficiency did not differ significantly among the treatments. (3) The comprehensive analysis score for each index was as follows: C3D3>C1D3>C2D3 >C3D2>C2D2>C1D2>C2D1>C3D1>C1D1. [Conclusion] The black root-control container performs well in terms of diameter growth, root growth index, biomass, flowering time and diameter, relative chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate. The most suitable container for 2-year-old seedlings of purple- leaf L. indica is the black root-control container with a diameter of 25 cm and a height of 25 cm.

The application of metal additive manufacturing technology and products in the aviation field requires optimized structural design at macroscale and precise manufacture control at microscale. As one of the typical features of additive manufacture, microstructure inevitably affects the material performance. The research has shown that the uniformity, plasticity, and fatigue fracture characteristics of additive manufacturing materials are often inferior to traditional materials, while their strength, hardness, wear resistance, and some microscale properties are often better than traditional materials. The size effect in the micro/nano-scale and the heterogeneous characteristics of materials have a significant impact on metal materials with microstructures. Under different microstructures, materials can achieve a better balance between strength and ductility, which is also applicable to additively manufactured metals. Therefore, the process characteristics of additive manufacturing and the heterogeneities introduced by human design are both expected to significantly improve the comprehensive performance of metals, which have important guiding value for the application of metal additive manufacturing in the aviation field. However, since many of the mechanism of these phenomena are still unclear, the strength-ductility synergistic and antagonistic relationships with other properties of the materials are also worth further research.

Background and objective At present, there is no standard salvage treatment strategies for lung cancer. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacies and safeties of pemetrexed alone with pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin as salvage therapy in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma to provide evidences for combination therapy. Methods From January 2009 to February 2011, 83 patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma received pemetrexed alone (single agent arm, n=47) or pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin (combination arm, n=36) as salvage therapy. All 83 patients had performance status (PS) scores of 0-2. Results Eighty-one patients were included in the final analysis. The median progression-free survival (PFS) in the single agent arm was 3.6 months versus 4.1 months in the combination arm (P=0.268). The objective response rate (ORR) was 6.5% versus 20% (P=0.092), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 56.5% versus 65.7% (P=0.493), respectively. The response rates of the hematological and gastrointestinal toxicities in the single agent and combination arms were 33.9% versus 47.2% (P=0.460) and 21.2% versus 25.0% (P=0.213), respectively. Conclusion For salvage therapy, pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin is tolerable in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma patients with good PS scores. Compared with pemetrexed alone, pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin therapy showed higher response rate, but did not significantly prolong the PFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Pemetrexed and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) were used in patients with EGFR mutation to determine their effects. This study analyzed the influence of EGFR-TKIs on pemetrexed by observing the clinical efficacy and toxicity of pemetrexed following responses to EGFR-TKIs., Methods: Pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients were divided into EGFR-TKIs and no-EGFR-TKI groups according to the targeted therapy. All patients received pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) as second (or higher)-line treatment. The Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.0) were used to evaluate the response to pemetrexed. Adverse events were classified based on version 4.0 of the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria., Results: There were 57 patients in the EGFR-TKIs group and 56 in the no-EGFR-TKIs group. The disease control rates (DCRs) were 77.2% and 67.9% (P=0.367). The progression free survival (PFS) periods were 5.95 and 3.55 months (P=0.535). The overall survival (OS) periods were 10.10 and 8.24 months (P=0.432). However, these values were not statistically significant. The common toxicities of pemetrexed were hematologic and gastrointestinal (grades I and II). Two patients in the EGFR-TKIs group discontinued pemetrexed because of severe toxicities, which were not observed in the no-EGFR-TKIs group. Both groups had one patient who reduced dosage because of myelosuppression (grade IV). There were five and nine patients in the EGFR-TKIs and no-EGFR-TKIs groups, respectively, who delayed therapy not because of severe toxicities but due to subjective factors., Conclusion: The DCRs, PFS periods, and OS periods of the patients administered with pemetrexed following EGFR-TKIs were better than those of the EGFR-TKIs group, but the differences were not statistically significant. Therefore, sequential pemetrexed administration caused negligible toxicities and can be used in adenocarcinoma therapy following responses to EGFR-TKIs.

Background and Objective: Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Thus far, good tumor markers for diagnosing this disease have not been found. Therefore, the discovery of novel biomarkers through the application of new methods has become a hotspot in lung cancer research. The aim of this study is to analyze low-molecular-weight metabolites in the serum and urine samples of lung cancer patients and patients with other lung diseases through metabolomics and to explore potential tumor markers further., Methods: Both serum and urine samples from 19 lung cancer patients and 15 patients with other lung diseases were subjected to metabolomic analysis using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Orthogonal to partial least squares discriminant analysis was performed for modeling. Two sample t-test was used to identify differences in metabolite concentrations., Results: A total of 57 metabolites were found in the serum, and 38 metabolites were found in the urine. Multivariate statistical analysis yielded a significant distinction in the metabolic profiles between lung cancer patients and patients with other lung diseases. The t-test results indicated a total of 13 metabolites in the serum and 7 metabolites in the urine with statistically significant differences., Conclusions: Metabolomics is useful in discriminating between lung cancer and other lung diseases. As a novel approach, it has potential in the diagnosis of lung cancer at molecular level.

Background and Objective: At present, there is no standard salvage treatment strategies for lung cancer. The aim of this study is to compare the efficacies and safeties of pemetrexed alone with pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin as salvage therapy in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma to provide evidences for combination therapy., Methods: From January 2009 to February 2011, 83 patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma received pemetrexed alone (single agent arm, n=47) or pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin (combination arm, n=36) as salvage therapy. All 83 patients had performance status (PS) scores of 0-2., Results: Eighty-one patients were included in the final analysis. The median progression-free survival (PFS) in the single agent arm was 3.6 months versus 4.1 months in the combination arm (P=0.268). The objective response rate (ORR) was 6.5% versus 20% (P=0.092), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 56.5% versus 65.7% (P=0.493), respectively. The response rates of the hematological and gastrointestinal toxicities in the single agent and combination arms were 33.9% versus 47.2% (P=0.460) and 21.2% versus 25.0% (P=0.213), respectively., Conclusions: For salvage therapy, pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin is tolerable in stage IV lung adenocarcinoma patients with good PS scores. Compared with pemetrexed alone, pemetrexed combined with oxaliplatin therapy showed higher response rate, but did not significantly prolong the PFS.