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The human deafness, autosomal dominant 5 gene (DFNA5), a newly discovered executor of pyroptosis, has been strongly implicated in the tumorigenesis of several human cancers. However, an understanding of the functional role of DFNA5 in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited. In this study, we demonstrated that DFNA5 was downregulated in CRC tissues. Ectopic expression of DFNA5 inhibited tumor cell growth in vitro, retarded tumor formation in vivo, and blocked a cell-cycle transition from the G0/G1 to the S phase, whereas a DFNA5 knockdown promoted cell proliferation. Western blotting showed that the levels of cell cycle-related proteins, including cyclin D1, cyclin E, CDK2, and p21, were accordingly altered upon DFNA5 overexpression or DFNA5 knockdown. Mechanistic studies indicated that DFNA5 exerted its tumor suppressor functions by antagonizing mTORC1/2 signaling via upregulation of DEPTOR. In addition, blockage of mTORC1/2 signaling by Torin-1 abolished the accelerative proliferation by DFNA5 knockdown. In conclusion, these results indicated that DFNA5 inhibits the proliferation and tumor formation of colon cancer cells by suppressing mTORC1/2 signaling.

Recently, interferometry synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology has shown its capabilities to monitor the displacement of natural processes with millimeter accuracy. Nevertheless, there is limited InSAR research on the health assessment of historical architectures. In this paper, we firstly proposed a possible methodology aiming at health assessment of historical architectures using space-borne SAR data. The proposed strategy consists of extracting building deformation from Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI)results with spatial analysis between a geographical database and geocoded Persistent Scatterer (PS) and Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation, deriving assessment parameters of both angular angle () and unequal subsidence velocity (), finally comparing them with alarm value for health assessment. This method has been applied to the Heping District of Tianjin (China), which contains many historical architectures, and two important examples (the Bohai Building and the China Theater) in the region were selected for detailed analysis, through the use of a high-resolution satellite dataset. For these two buildings, after extracting and analyzing deformation, both of the assessment parameters (and ) were acquired, and the good health conclusions were acquired in the case of values smaller than the alarm thresholds, which were validated by the similar conclusion from in situ leveling records. Finally, both the deformation mechanism of two architectures and health assessment ability with InSAR were analyzed in detail for further application.

It is critical to understand factors associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastasis. To track the evolutionary route of metastasis, here we perform an integrative genomic analysis of 163 matched blood and primary, regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis tumour samples, combined with single-cell RNA-seq on 11 samples from two patients. The mutation burden, gene mutation frequency, mutation signature, and copy number frequency are similar between metastatic tumours and primary and regional lymph node tumours. There are two distinct evolutionary routes of metastasis, including metastases evolved from regional lymph nodes (lymphatic route, 61.5%, 8/13) and from primary tumours (hematogenous route, 38.5%, 5/13). The hematogenous route is characterised by higher IFN-γ response gene expression and a higher fraction of exhausted CD8+ T cells. Based on a radiomics model, we find that the hematogenous group has significantly better progression-free survival and PD-1 immunotherapy response, while the lymphatic group has a better response to locoregional radiotherapy.

The circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) is believed to be regulated by the clock system, which is closely linked to levels of angiotensin II (Ang II). This study aimed to investigate whether Ang II mediates the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through the interaction between the clock system and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Primary rat aortic VSMCs were treated with Ang II, with or without MAPK inhibitors. VSMC proliferation, expression of clock genes, CYCLIN E, and MAPK pathways were assessed. Ang II treatment resulted in increased VSMC proliferation and rapid upregulation of clock gene Periods (Pers) expression. Compared to the non-diseased control (NC) group, VSMCs incubated with Ang II displayed a noticeable delay in the G1/S phase transition and downregulation of CYCLIN E upon silencing of Per1 and Per2 genes. Importantly, silencing Per1 or Per2 in VSMCs led to decreased expression of key MAPK pathway proteins, including RAS, phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (P-MEK), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (P-ERK). Moreover, the MEK and ERK inhibitors, U0126 and SCH772986, significantly attenuated the Ang II-induced proliferation of VSMCs, as evidenced by an increased G1/S phase transition and decreased CYCLIN E expression. The MAPK pathway plays a critical role in regulating VSMC proliferation in response to Ang II stimulation. This regulation is controlled by the expression of circadian clock genes involved in the cell cycle. These findings provide novel insights for further research on diseases associated with abnormal VSMC proliferation.

Multimodal characterization of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood can enable the sensitive and non-invasive detection of human cancers but remains technically challenging and costly. Here, we developed Multimodal Epigenetic Sequencing Analysis (MESA), a flexible and sensitive method of capturing and integrating multimodal epigenetic information of cfDNA using a single experimental assay, i.e., non-disruptive bisulfite-free methylation sequencing, such as Enzymatic Methyl-seq (EM-seq) and TET-assisted pyridine borane sequencing (TAPS). MESA can simultaneously infer four epigenetic modalities, namely cfDNA methylation, nucleosome occupancy, nucleosome fuzziness, and fragmentation profile for regions surrounding gene promoters and polyadenylation sites (PASs). When applied to 462 cfDNA samples from 2 independent clinical cohorts for colon cancer, new modalities (e.g., nucleosome fuzziness) and genomic features (e.g., PASs) introduced in MESA are highly complementary or superior to conventional ones, such as promoter DNA methylation, for cancer detection. Furthermore, MESA’s integrated analysis of multimodal epigenetic features significantly improved the detection accuracy for colon, liver, and pancreatic cancers compared to single modality models. Together, MESA captures additional and highly complementary epigenetic information from cfDNA without additional experimental assays, highlighting the importance and clinical potential of using multimodal epigenetic features for non-invasive cancer detection.

OBJECTIVE Salvage endoscopic nasopharyngectomy (ENPG) is a reasonable choice for resectable recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC). However, in past decades, complete removal of the tumor was not feasible when the recurrent lesion was adjacent to the internal carotid artery (ICA). The present article introduces innovative strategies to ensure sufficient surgical margins while avoiding accidental injury to the ICA. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tertiary care center. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed rT2-3 rNPC patients with tumor lesions adjacent to the ICA (

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of nanoselenium (NS) and selenium yeast (SY) on the performance, egg selenium (Se) concentration, and anti-oxidative capacity of hens. A total of 216 Brown Hy-line hens (29-week old) were randomly allocated into three treatments (6 replicate/treatment, 12 hens/replicate). The pre-trial period lasted 7 days, and the experimental period lasted 35 days. Dietary treatments included corn-soybean meal basal diet (containing 0.16 μg Se/g, as control group), and basal diet supplemented with 0.3 mg Se/kg diet (Se was from NS or SY), called as SY group or NS group, respectively. At the end of the experiment, one hen per replicate from each treatment was slaughtered. Liver, spleen, and kidney tissues were sampled for the determination of Se concentrations. The results showed that NS or SY supplement significantly improved feed conversion ratio (P 0.05). Taken together, dietary supplemented with SY or NS improved the Se deposition in eggs, liver and kidney of laying hens, increased antioxidant activity, and NS supplement had greater Se deposition in the kidney tissue than SY supplement. SY or NS supplement could be considered to be applied for Se-enriched egg production.

Background Bronchobiliary fistula is a rare, but life-threatening complication after ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Few cases of bronchobiliary fistula have been reported and the treatment is controversial. Methods From 2006 to 2019, a total of 11 patients were diagnosed with bronchobiliary fistula after ablation and received nonsurgical treatment. Results All 11 patients presented with cough and bilioptysis. There were only two patients in which MRI revealed an obvious fistulous tract connecting the pleural effusion and biliary lesions. Pleural effusion, liver abscess and hepatic biloma were found in other patients. Three patients died of uncontrolled bronchobiliary fistula. Conclusions Bronchobiliary fistula is a rare post-ablation complication but should be taken into consideration in clinical decisions. Minimally invasive interventional treatment is a relatively effective means of dealing with bronchobiliary fistula, but as for the more severe cases, greater clinical experience is required.

Objective To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation(CT-RFA) combined with transarterial embolization(TAE) assisted by a three-dimensional visualization ablation planning system(3DVAPS) for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in challenging locations. Methods Data from 62 treatment-naive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), with 83 lesions in challenging locations, and who met the Milan criteria and underwent CT-RFA between June 2013 and June 2016 were reviewed. Patients were divided into one of two groups according to different treatment modalities: study group (TAE combined with RFA assisted by 3DVAPS [n = 32]); and control (RFA only [n = 30]). Oncological outcomes included ablation-related complications, local tumor progression (LTP), and overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to assess risk factors associated with LTP and OS. Results HCC lesions (mean size, 1.9 ± 1.0 mm in diameter) abutting the gastrointestinal tract (n = 25), heart and diaphragm (n = 21), major vessels (n = 13), and gallbladder (n = 3) were treated. A significant difference was detected in LTP between the two groups (P = 0.034), with no significant difference in OS between the two groups (P = 0.193). There were no severe complications related to ablation. Univariate analysis revealed that sex (P = 0.046) and child-turcotte-pugh (CTP) grade (PPP = 0.005) was independently associated with poor OS, and RFA alone (P Conclusion CT-RFA combined with TAE assisted by a 3DVAPS provided ideal clinical efficiency for HCC in challenging locations and was a highly safe treatment modality.

4106 Background: The combination of anti-angiogenesis and immune checkpoint blockade has been proven to improve clinical outcomes of advanced HCC. We assessed the efficacy and safety of HAIC combined with apatinib and camrelizumab for BCLC stage C HCC. Methods: Consecutive treatment-naive patients with BCLC stage C HCC were enrolled in this phase II trial (NCT04191889). Eligible patients were administrated with HAIC (oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2, leucovorin 400 mg/m2 and fluorouracil 2500 mg/m2; q3w), combined with apatinib (250 mg qd) and camrelizumab (200 mg q3w) for 6 cycles, followed by maintenance therapy with apatinib and camrelizumab until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR). Following an optimal Simon 2-stage design, 26 eligible patients needed to be included in the first stage, of whom at least 11 patients had to achieve objective responses to warrant further investigation in the second stage. Results: In the first stage, confirmed ORR was achieved in 16 and 20 patients per RECIST v1.1 and mRECIST, respectively, therefore enrollment of the second stage continued. From 4/13/2020 to 1/31/2022, 31 eligible patients were enrolled and 29 evaluable for efficacy analyses. The 31 patients were characterized with median age 45 years (range 30-67), men 96.77%, Child-Pugh A 100%, portal vein tumor thrombus Vp 1-2/Vp 3-4 25.81%/45.16%, and extrahepatic metastasis 12.90%. As of 1/31/2022, with a median follow-up of 18.07 months (95% CI 14.10 to 22.04), the confirmed ORR was 70.96% (95% CI, 53.41%-83.91%) with 22 partial responses (PR) per RECIST v1.1,while 87.10% (95% CI, 71.15%-94.87%) with 3 (9.68%) complete responses (CR) and 24 (77.42%) PR per mRECIST. The disease control rate (DCR) was 87.10% (95% CI, 71.15%-94.87%) whether per RECIST v1.1 or mRECIST. The median time to response (TTR) was 2.67 months (interquartile range (IQR), 1.43-2.96) per RECIST v1.1 and 2.03 months (IQR, 1.37-2.80) per mRECIST. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 9.37 months (95% CI 7.00 to 11.73) per RECIST v1.1 and 9.63 months (95% CI 5.82 to 13.44) per mRECIST, in particular, the liver-specific median PFS time was 10.80 months (95% CI 5.88 to 15.72) per mRECIST. The 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month overall survival rate were 93.1%, 85.8%, and 65.8%, respectively. Grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) occurred in 74.19% of the patients, of which the most common AEs were decreased neutrophils (52.17%), decreased lymphocytes (43.38%), and increased ALT and AST (30.43% and 43.48% for each). Conclusions: The triplet treatment of HAIC, apatinib and camrelizumab showed promising clinical benefits and acceptable safety for BCLC Stage C HCC. Further confirmatory randomized controlled trial is about to get underway. Clinical trial information: NCT04191889.

Objectives Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) recurrence typically undergo reirradiation and experience severe radiotoxicity. Salvage open surgery is challenging because gaining access to the retropharyngeal space is complex and risky. Thus, only several centers can perform this procedure, and complications are common. We applied transoral robotic surgery RPLN dissection (TORS-RPLND) to NPC patients with RPLN recurrence to address the problem with open surgery. Materials and methods From March 2017 to October 2020, 10 NPC patients with RPLN recurrence underwent TORS-RPLND using the da Vinci Si/Xi Surgical System. We applied the balloon occlusion test to protect the internal carotid artery, induction chemotherapy to shrink large tumors preoperatively, and ultrasound positioning to effectively locate unrecognizable RPLNs during surgery. Clinical characteristics, complications, and survival outcome data were retrospectively collected. Results Of 10 patients, 8 underwent en bloc resection via TORS-RPLND, and the remaining 2 patients were converted to open surgery because we failed to identify the RPLN during TORS. After introducing intraoperative ultrasound positioning, no such failure occurred. The mean operative time and intraoperative blood loss were 297 ± 120 min and 40 ± 43 ml, respectively. All surgical margins were negative. TORS-related complications were mild, and the most severe one was grade 3 dysphagia in one patient who underwent conversion to open surgery (10%). With a median follow-up of 19 months, only 1 (10%) patient developed cervical recurrence. Conclusions TORS-RPLND is feasible, safe, and effective in the treatment of NPC patients with RPLN recurrence, especially with the help of intraoperative ultrasound positioning. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1895-E1902, 2021.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of nanoselenium (NS) and selenium yeast (SY) on the performance, egg selenium (Se) concentration, and anti-oxidative capacity of hens. A total of 216 Brown Hy-line hens (29-week old) were randomly allocated into three treatments (6 replicate/treatment, 12 hens/replicate). The pre-trial period lasted 7 days, and the experimental period lasted 35 days. Dietary treatments included corn-soybean meal basal diet (containing 0.16 μg Se/g, as control group), and basal diet supplemented with 0.3 mg Se/kg diet (Se was from NS or SY), called as SY group or NS group, respectively. At the end of the experiment, one hen per replicate from each treatment was slaughtered. Liver, spleen, and kidney tissues were sampled for the determination of Se concentrations. The results showed that NS or SY supplement significantly improved feed conversion ratio (P 0.05), soft broken egg rate (P 0.05), and the serum T-AOC value (P 0.05) when compared with control group. Remarkably, the deposition of Se increased significantly (P 0.05) and equivalently in egg, liver, and kidney of hens supplemented with both NS and SY. Interestingly, SY supplement also enhanced the serum CAT and SOD activities (P 0.05), NS but not SY significantly reduced serum MDA (P 0.05), whereas RT-PCR results did not show significant differences in the mRNA levels of antioxidant genes among three groups (P 0.05). Taken together, dietary supplemented with SY or NS improved the Se deposition in eggs, liver and kidney of laying hens, increased antioxidant activity, and NS supplement had greater Se deposition in the kidney tissue than SY supplement. SY or NS supplement could be considered to be applied for Se-enriched egg production.

Additional file 1: Supplemental Table S1. Pairwise comparison of the positive rates of diagnosis among suspected patients in the five months. Supplemental Table S2. Comparison of the positive rates of diagnosis among suspected patients from the Nephrology Department and the whole hospital. Supplemental Table S3. Comparison of the positive rates of diagnosis among suspected patients from the Geriatric Department and the whole hopital.

Chemoradiotherapy combined with surgical resection is the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer, but not all the patients respond to neoadjuvant treatment. Transforming acidic coiled-coil protein-3 (TACC3) is frequently aberrantly expressed in rectal cancer tissue. In this study, we investigated whether TACC3 could serve as a biomarker predictive of the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy. In all, 152 rectal cancer patients with tumor tissue collected at biopsy and set aside before treatment were enrolled in this study. All patients received chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection. Immunohistochemically detected tumoral TACC3 expression significantly decreased sensitivity to chemoradiotherapy [risk ratio (RR) = 2.236, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.447–3.456; P = 0.001] and thus the pathological complete response rate (P = 0.001). TACC3 knockdown using specific siRNA enhanced radiotherapy-induced decreases in proliferation and colony formation by HCT116 and SW480 cells and increased the incidence of radiotherapy-induced apoptosis. Cox multivariate analysis showed that TACC3 was a significant prognostic factor for overall survival (P = 0.017) and disease-free survival (P = 0.020). These findings suggest TACC3 expression may be predictive of chemoradiotherapy sensitivity and prognosis in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy has shown promise in tumor immunotherapy. Our objectives were to measure pre-treatment serum-soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) levels and to assess the relationships between sPD-L1 levels and clinical characteristics, prognosis, and tumor tissue PD-L1 expression in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pre-treatment serum sPD-L1 levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 81 patients with HBV-related HCC and compared to those in 49 healthy controls. The association between serum sPD-L1 levels and prognosis was assessed using survival analysis. The correlation between paired serum sPD-L1 levels and tumor PD-L1 expression (in resected tissue homogenates) was assessed in a separate group of 20 patients with HBV-related HCC. Median sPD-L1 concentration in patients with HBV-related HCC was 5.129 (range 0.140–12.391) ng/mL and in healthy controls was 0.836 (range 0.105–2.168) ng/mL (p

Our objective was to determine the safety and ablation size of hydrochloric acid-perfused radiofrequency ablation (HCl-RFA) in liver tissues, prospectively using in vivo rabbit and ex vivo porcine liver models.The livers in 30 rabbits were treated in vivo with perfusions of normal saline (controls) and HCl concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, during RFA at 103 °C and 30 W for 3 min. For each experimental setting, six ablations were created. Safety was assessed by comparing baseline weight and selected laboratory values with those at 2, 7, and 14 days' post-ablation, and by histopathological analysis. The livers in 25 pigs were treated ex vivo with the same five perfusions during RFA at 103 °C, at both 30 W and 60 W, for 30 min. Ablation diameters and volumes were measured by two examiners.Rabbit weights and selected laboratory values did not differ significantly from baseline to 7 and 14 days' post-ablation, liver tissues outside the ablation zones were normal histologically, and adjacent organs showed no macroscopic damage. The mean ablation volumes in the porcine livers treated with HCl-RFA were all larger than those treated with normal saline perfusion during RFA (NS-RFA), at both 30 W and 60 W (p 0.001). The largest ablation volume and transverse diameter were observed in the porcine livers during 10% HCl-RFA at 60 W, measuring 179.22 (SD = 24.79) cmBased on our experiments, HCl-RFA in the liver appears to be as safe as NS-RFA while also resulting in larger ablation zones.

Little information is available on differences between maternally and artificially incubated eggs in the economically important crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Brood care in this species is expected to exert effects on the eggs. In this work, we evaluated the hatching rates of artificially incubated eggs, without brood care, compared to those maternally incubated through different development stages. We also examined whether the maternal-offspring connections in ovigerous females were related to embryonic development at the physiological level based on comparative proteomic analysis. The experiments led to two key results. First, hatching rates increased continuously throughout the nine distinct development phases when detaching maternally incubated eggs from the mothers' pleopods individually. Further, a critical period of artificially incubated eggs was observed around the gastrula stage, with the hatching rate ranging from approx. 24% to 45%. Second, blood plasma proteome profiles differed significantly between ovigerous females and aborted females during the gastrula stage (p 3.0). These results suggested that the dynamic changes of plasma proteins in ovigerous females might be related to early isolated egg anti-infectivity and hence affect the hatching success. Yet, the mechanisms behind the encountered relationships need further exploration. In summary, we presented the first evidence of proteomic changes in ovigerous female plasma, revealing that brood care in P. clarkii may include more than physical behavior

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in a magnetic topological insulator system without the need of an external magnetic field becomes of great interest because of its dissipationless spin currents. The proximity effect via a magnetic adlayer is a promising strategy to bring magnetism into a topological insulator (TI) due to its boosted Curie temperature for a realistic application. In this work, a proximity-induced magnetism above 90 K in a TI, (Bi 0.25 Sb 0.75 ) 2 Te 3 , on a ferrimagnetic adlayer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, thulium-iron-garnet (TIG), was evidenced directly by using magnetic circular dichroism. A competition between exchange couplings with different sublattice-sites was further revealed element-specifically in a temperature-driven spin-reorientation of TI, bringing an issue on magnetic inhomogeneity at the interface, which might cause difficulties in obtaining QAHE in such a TI/TIG bilayer system. Our results prove directly the robust magnetism of TI above liquid nitrogen temperatures and also give a deep insight into the mechanism of interfacial coupling in the proximity effect for the bilayer of TI and magnetic oxide, which could be essential for the design of a system with QAHE.

Additional file 2: Table S2. The difference of prognostic factors in difference studies about invasive candidiasis

To compare temperature, energy, and coagulation between hydrochloric acid-infused radiofrequency ablation (HAIRFA) and normal saline-infused radiofrequency ablation (NSIRFA) in ex vivo porcine liver model.30 fresh porcine livers were excised in 60 lesions, 30 with HAIRFA and the other 30 with NSIRFA. Both modalities used monopolar perfusion electrode connected to a RF generator set at 103 °C and 30 W. In each group, ablation time was set at 10, 20, or 30 min (10 lesions from each group at each time). We compared tissue temperatures (at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 cm away from the electrode tip), average power, deposited energy, deposited energy per coagulation volume (DEV), coagulation diameters, coagulative volume, and spherical ratio between the two groups.Temperature-time curves showed that HAIRFA provided progressively greater heating than that of NSIRFA. At 30 min, mean average power, deposited energy, coagulation volumes (113.67 vs. 12.28 cm(3)) and diameters, and increasing in tissue temperature were much greater with HAIRFA (P0.001 for all), except DEV was lower (456 vs. 1396 J/cm(3), P0.001). The spherical ratio was closer to 1 with HAIRFA (1.23 vs. 1.46). Coagulation diameters, volume, and average power of HAIRFA increased significantly with longer ablation times. While with NSIRFA, these characteristics were stable till later 20 min, except the power decreased with longer ablation times.HAIRFA creates much larger and more spherical lesions by increasing overall energy deposition, modulating thermal conductivity, and transferring heat during ablation.

Background: In patients with a large, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the primary recommendation is for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) but used alone TACE is not typically curative. Combinations of TACE followed in a delayed fashion by single-applicator thermal ablation have also been suboptimal. As an alternative, we investigated the combination of TACE followed within 1–3 days by multi-antenna microwave ablation (MWA) in patients with a large HCC, to determine the feasibility, safety, local control, and short-term survival rates of this approach. Methods: We retrospectively studied 43 patients with a large HCC (mean diameter, 8.8 cm; SD, 2.8 cm) treated between July 2015 and July 2018, who underwent TACE followed within 3 days by multi-antenna simultaneous MWA. We measured the liver and renal function before and after treatment, recorded complications, used three-dimensional software and imaging to calculate tumor necrosis rates at 1 month after therapy, and calculated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Mean follow up was 12.2 (range, 3.5–35.6) months. All patients completed the treatment protocol. At 1 month after combined therapy, tumor necrosis was complete in 16 (37.2%), nearly complete in 19 (44.2%), and partial in 8 (18.6%) patients. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 64.0% and 46.8%, respectively, with a median OS of 23.0 months; and the 1- and 2-year PFS rates were 19.9% and 4.4%, respectively, with a median PFS of 4.2 months. A transient change in liver function occurred 3 days after MWA but resolved within 1 month. Only two patients had major complications, which were treatable and resolved. Conclusion: Multi-antenna MWA-oriented combined therapy is feasible and well tolerated, and it results in satisfactory initial local control and short-term survival in some but not all patients with a large HCC.

Photoluminescence measurements were carried out to investigate the degradation for GaAs/Ge space solar cells which were irradiated with 1.0, 1.8, and 11.5 MeV electrons with fluences up to 3 × 1015 cm−2. The product of the defect introduction rate and the minority carrier capture cross section by electron irradiation-induced defects was determined with photoluminescence radiative efficiency related to the non-radiative recombination lifetime. Then the cross section was acquired according to the relation between the defect introduction rate and the non-ionizing energy loss. Furthermore, the non-radiative recombination could be identified among all the detected defects by comparing the cross section of the minority carrier capture.

Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) techniques are increasingly applied for monitoring land subsidence. The advantages of InSAR include high accuracy and the ability to cover large areas; nevertheless, research validating the use of InSAR on building deformation is limited. In this paper, we test the monitoring capability of the InSAR in experiments using two landmark buildings; the Bohai Building and the China Theater, located in Tianjin, China. They were selected as real examples to compare InSAR and leveling approaches for building deformation. Ten TerraSAR-X images spanning half a year were used in Permanent Scatterer InSAR processing. These extracted InSAR results were processed considering the diversity in both direction and spatial distribution, and were compared with true leveling values in both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and measurement of error analyses. The detailed experimental results for the Bohai Building and the China Theater showed a high correlation between InSAR results and the leveling values. At the same time, the two Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) indexes had values of approximately 1 mm. These analyses show that a millimeter level of accuracy can be achieved by means of InSAR technique when measuring building deformation. We discuss the differences in accuracy between OLS regression and measurement of error analyses, and compare the accuracy index of leveling in order to propose InSAR accuracy levels appropriate for monitoring buildings deformation. After assessing the advantages and limitations of InSAR techniques in monitoring buildings, further applications are evaluated.

Two new triterpenoid glycosides, mimengosides H (1) and I (2), were isolated from the fruits of Buddleja lindleyana Fort. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods. Neuroprotective effects of these isolates against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells were evaluated. Pretreatment with compound 1 had potential protective effect in a concentration range from 0.1 to 1 μmol l⁻¹.

To explore the morphological characteristics of ablated lesions and find which combination of duration, temperature, and power was preferable to create largest lesion size with monopolar perfusion electrodes.Using monopolar perfusion electrodes to create 72 lesions in 30 excised porcine livers with radiofrequency radiation at different durations (5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes), temperatures (83 degrees C, 93 degrees C, 103 degrees C, and 113 degrees C), and powers (20, 30, and 40 W). Lesion volumes were calculated from longitudinal diameters and transverse diameters. Morphological characteristics were assessed microscopically from slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin.Positive correlations were found between duration and longitudinal diameter (r = 0.66; P.001), transverse diameter (r = 0.66; P.001), distance of ablation beyond the electrode tip (r = 0.56; P.001), and volume of lesions (r = 0.66; P.001). Temperature was also positively correlated with longitudinal diameter (r = 0.70; P.001), transverse diameter (r = 0.72; P.001), distance of ablation beyond the electrode tip (r = 0.61; P.001), and lesion volume (r = 0.711; P.001). Lesion size did not increase when duration was longer than 15 minutes and temperature was higher than 103 degrees C. Power was not correlated with lesion size. Lesion size did not increase with increasing power. Macroscopically, all lesions were elliptical in cross section and appeared three zones: a central zone (I), a coagulated necrotic zone (II), and a hemorrhagic and edematous zone (III) from inside to outside. Microscopically, cells morphology and the nucleus were irregular or even disappeared in zone I. In zone II and III, cells did not appear deformation.Duration and temperature, not power, affected lesion size. The largest lesion size was about 3.5 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm as temperature and duration was 15 minutes/103 degrees C.

Underwater imaging is widely applied to mariculture, archaeology, and hydrocarbon exploration, because it can provide the information about visualized target. Among various underwater imaging techniques, polarization imaging is of particular interest to us, due to its simple system structure and low cost. It images the waterbody through using the polarization characteristics of light, specifically, the background light and target light. Active polarization imaging method illuminates a target scene with an artificial polarized light source to provide polarization information for imaging. But in neritic area, active imaging leads to complex light scattering conditions when artificial light and natural light are superimposed together, which further leads to poor image quality. Passive underwater polarization imaging attempts to recover a clear image by utilizing the polarization characteristics of background light and target light. However, serious color cast always appears in the final image, resulting from light absorbed by water, which may further result in target distortion. In this manuscript, we present a passive underwater polarization imaging method for detecting a target in neritic area. A depth-information-based underwater Lambertian reflection model is established by incorporating the depth information into the traditional Lambertian reflection model. First, we attribute the light changes in color and brightness of a Lambertian surface to the spatial variation of the light. According to Lambertian reflection model, the appearance of a target on a detector depends on the light source, the surface reflectance, and the camera sensitivity function. But in underwater imaging, light attenuation at different wavelengths also varies with depth. By analyzing the transmission characteristics of background light in water, we build a physical relationship between the depth information of the scene and the background light. After that, we take the depth information as the weight of light intensity distribution. Then we calculate the product of the light intensity and the camera sensitivity function in the underwater scene according to gray world algorithm, and the real color information of the target can be obtained. Finally, the clear image of an underwater target scene can be obtained, where color cast is calibrated and background light is removed. Underwater experiments are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. Besides, the quantitative analyses also verify the improvement of the quality in final target image. Compared with conventional passive underwater polarization imaging methods, the proposed method is capable of detecting targets in various conditions, with the color cast problem solved. It can provide underwater images with better quality and valid detailed information. Furthermore, the proposed method is easy to conduct with no need to change the conventional polarization imaging system and is promising in various practical applications.

Two new types of conserved quantities deduced by Noether–Mei symmetry of nonholonomic mechanical system are studied. The definition and criterion of Noether–Mei symmetry for the system are given. A coordination function is introduced, and the conditions under which the Noether–Mei symmetry leads to the two types of conserved quantities and the forms of the two types of conserved quantities are obtained. An illustrative example is given. The coordination function can be selected according to the demand for finding the gauge function, and the choice of the coordination function has multiformity, so more conserved quantities deduced from Noether–Mei symmetry of mechanical system can be obtained.

The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), an indicator of nutritional status and systemic inflammation, is associated with survival in several types of tumors. The prognostic value of the PNI in lymphoma remains unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the PNI in patients with extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL). This retrospective study in two institutions was comprised of 177 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. Patients with a combined albumin (g/L) + 5 × total lymphocyte count × 109/l ≥ 45 were allocated a PNI score of 0. Patients in whom this total was

The current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system considers tumor cell differentiation grade to be a factor in the staging of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in pathologic T0–3N0M0 cases. However, more data are essential to test its efficacy. We sought to investigate the tumor-node-metastasis categories for which tumor cell grade might affect overall survival in Chinese patients. We conducted a retrospective review of 1,220 patients with ESCC who underwent complete resection between December 1996 and December 2008. Survival was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method, and the log-rank test was used to assess differences in survival between groups. Subgroup analyses and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to further determine the effect of tumor cell grade on overall survival. The 5-year survival rates for the G1, G2, and G3 groups of pathologic T2N0M0 ESCC cases were 80.1, 61.9, and 47.4 %, respectively (p = 0.015), and these rates in the pathologic T3N0M0 ESCC cases were 66.7, 61.7, and 41.2 %, respectively (p = 0.020). However, the differences in the survival of the different tumor cell grade groups of the pathologic T1N0M0 (p = 0.198) and the node positive categories (p = 0.063) were not statistically significant. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that tumor cell grade independently affected the overall survival of patients with pathologic T2–3N0M0 ESCC. The staging of ESCC in the Chinese population should be simplified by omitting tumor cell grade as a variable in patients with pathologic T1N0M0 disease. More data are needed to verify our results.

To evaluate the safety of a potential ablation agent-hydrochloric acid (HCl), which may apply to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Eighty adult New Zealand rabbits were divided into five groups of equal size (n=16), i.e., untreated group, normal saline (NS) control group, 10% HCl group, 20% HCl group and 30% HCl group. Each group was divided into two subgroups: ten rabbits for two-week toxicology study at the time points of hours 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3, 6 and days 2, 7, 14 and six rabbits for imaging and histopathology study at the time points of days 2, 7 and 14. In toxicology study we evaluated the safety of HCl from arterial blood gas status, hematology and hepatic and renal functions. In imaging and histopathology study, we observed the relationship between the sizes of lesion and the concentration of HCl, as well as extension of necrosis and concentration of HCl. In this study we also observed the microcosmic and macroscopic lesion that caused by HCl.In general condition, food, water consumption and body weight decreased notablely during the beginning of the experiment. In toxicology study, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactic acid contents were higher in the 30% hydrochloric acid group than in other groups (P0.005), all test items returned to normal on day 14. Imaging and histopathology study showed that 30% HCl caused larger lesion area than other HCl concentration and the necrosis that caused by HCl was complete. There was also a close relationship between the size of minor damaged area and HCl concentration. The 30% HCl caused larger minor damaged area than other HCl concentration. Because the damaged area was surrounded by a layer of fiber tissue, the lesion area became larger at days 7 and 14 time points. This study also demonstrated that the adjacent organs had no obvious damage, and all the damaged areas were limited in the liver.HCl is a safe ablation agent for local injection in the liver. HCl at a lower concentration is safer than at a higher concentration.

To discuss the clinical value of CT-guided (125)I brachytherapy with retroperitoneal metastatic lymph nodes from primary hepatic carcinoma(PHC).Twenty patients with retroperitoneal metastatic lymph node recurrence from PHC were percutaneously treated by (125)I brachytherapy with computed tomographic (CT) guidance. The number, radioactive dose, placed position of radioactive seeds and puncture path were determined by computerized treatment planning system (TPS). The radioactive seeds were implanted when the needles were in right position by CT scan. Radiotherapy verification and quality assessment were performed after treatment by CT scan. Follow-up contrast material-enhanced CT were reviewed.The local control rate of 3, 6, 10, 15 months was 70.0%, 56.3%, 44.4%, 25.0% respectively. There were no severe complications such as massive bleeding and radiation injury of normal tissues.CT-guided (125)I brachytherapy are effective and may be safely applied to retroperitoneal metastatic lymph nodes from PHC.

To evaluate the clinical value of radiofrequency ablation with retroperitoneal metastatic lymph nodes from primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC).Thirty-two patients with retroperitoneal metastatic lymph node recurrence from PHC were enrolled in our study and the patients were stratified into two groups based on the treatment. Nineteen patients in Group A were percutaneously treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with computed tomographic (CT) guidance. Thirteen patients in Group B only underwent RFA for hematogenous metastases, but did not undergo any other treatment for metastatic lymph nodes. Follow-up contrast material-enhanced CT or positron emission tomographic(PET) scans were reviewed and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were analyzed.The local control rate of 3, 6, 10, 15 months in Group A was 78.9%, 73.3%, 41.7%, 25.0% respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated the patients of Group A had an overall survival of 26.3% at one year compared with 7.7% for those of Group B. Mantel-Cox log rank test showed the one-year survival rate of Group A was significantly higher than that of Group B (P = 0.029). There was no thermal injury of gastrointestinal tract or bile duct during RF ablation in Group A.CT-guided RFA are effective and may be safely applied to retroperitoneal metastatic lymph nodes from PHC.

To explore the feasibility, short-term efficacies and complications of computed tomography (CT)-guided ¹²⁵I interstitial implant therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer.From October 2009 to November 2010, a total of 25 lesions for 12 patients were diagnosed as recurrent ovarian cancer by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Among 25 lesions, 21 underwent ¹²⁵I seed implantation. And 4 lesions of liver and spleen in one patient were treated with microwave ablation. Nine patients underwent 2 - 6 cycles of chemotherapy after seeding. There were 11 lesions with diameter2 cm and 10 ≤ 2 cm. According to the area of physiologic 18FDG uptake in lesions, the treatment plans were formulated by computerized treatment planning system (TPS) and Memorial Sloan-Ketterin nomograph. The matched peripheral dose (MPD) was 145 Gy in target mass. A median of 20.5 seeds per patient (range: 9 - 45) were implanted. The efficacies were evaluated by CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT findings.One patient died of renal failure while the other patients survived during a median follow-up of 15 mouths (range: 9 - 19). Ten lesions showed complete remission, 6 partial remission and 5 progressive disease. The effective rate was 76.2% (16/21). Compared with those2 cm, the lesions ≤ 2 cm in diameter had a better local control rate by Fisher's exact test (P = 0.035). The hepatic and renal lesions treated by microwave ablation showed inactivation on PET/CT. Only one patient suffered from sciatic nerve injury caused by punctuation and numbness and pain of right lower extremity were persistent. There was no onset of the complications of radiation injury, such as intestinal fistula and proctitis.The CT-guided ¹²⁵I interstitial implant therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer yields excellent short-term efficacies with fewer complications. The combined modality of ¹²⁵I interstitial implant and chemotherapy may further improve the patient outcomes.

This study evaluated the influence of continuous infusion of diluted hydrochloric acid during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on the size of ablated lesions.Experiments were performed in 20 excised porcine livers using three different treatment modalities: (1) normal saline-enhanced RFA (NS-RFA), which was normal saline pumped into ablated tissue during RFA; (2) diluted hydrochloric acid ablation (DHAA), which was 3 mol/L diluted hydrochloric acid (HCl) injected into hepatic tissue without RFA; and (3) HCl-enhanced RFA (HCl-RFA), which was 3 mol/L diluted HCl continuously infused into ablated tissue during RFA. We produced 20 HCl-RFA and NS-RFA lesions, respectively, using a monopolar perfusion electrode connected to a commercially available radiofrequency generator, and 20 DHAA lesions using an 18-gauge Chiba needle. The ablated lesions were evaluated both macroscopically and histologically. Dimensions of lesions were compared among HCl-RFA, NS-RFA, and DHAA.The ablated lesions had an elliptical-like shape and were well-demarcated with normal liver tissue. The mean volume, longitudinal diameter, and transverse diameter of NS-RFA lesions were 11.24±0.29 cm(3), 3.4±0.07 cm, and 2.48±0.03 cm, those of HCl-RFA lesions were 58.14±3.05 cm(3), 5.51±0.05 cm, and 4.49±0.11 cm, and those of DHAA lesions were 4.41±0.16 cm(3), 2.43±0.08 cm, and 1.8±0.03 cm, respectively. The mean dimensions of HCl-RFA lesions were the largest among the three types of ablation (P0.001).Under the present experimental conditions, the continuous infusion of diluted HCl during RFA can generate larger ablated lesions than NS-RFA or DHAA in excised porcine livers.

To study the chemical composition of triterpenoid from the fruit of Buddleja lindleyana.The chemical components were isolated by chromatography. The structures were identified by spectral data. The neuroprotective activity of these compounds were evaluated by using MPP+ induced injury in PC12 cells.3 compounds were separated and identified as oleanane, alpha-L-msnnopyranoside derive (1), 13, 28-epoxy-3beta,23-dihydroxy-11-oleanene (2), 3, 23, 28-trihydroxyolean-11,13 (18)-diene (3). Compounds 1-3 showed obviously neuroprotective activity.The data of compound (1) is reported for the first time. The neuroprotective activities of compounds 1, 2, 3 are reported for the first time.

PURPOSE This study evaluated the influence of continuous infusion of diluted hydrochloric acid during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on the size of ablated lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experiments were performed in 20 excised porcine livers using three different treatment modalities: (1) normal saline-enhanced RFA (NS-RFA), which was normal saline pumped into ablated tissue during RFA; (2) diluted hydrochloric acid ablation (DHAA), which was 3 mol/L diluted hydrochloric acid (HCl) injected into hepatic tissue without RFA; and (3) HCl-enhanced RFA (HCl-RFA), which was 3 mol/L diluted HCl continuously infused into ablated tissue during RFA. We produced 20 HCl-RFA and NS-RFA lesions, respectively, using a monopolar perfusion electrode connected to a commercially available radiofrequency generator, and 20 DHAA lesions using an 18-gauge Chiba needle. The ablated lesions were evaluated both macroscopically and histologically. Dimensions of lesions were compared among HCl-RFA, NS-RFA, and DHAA. RESULTS The ablated lesions had an elliptical-like shape and were well-demarcated with normal liver tissue. The mean volume, longitudinal diameter, and transverse diameter of NS-RFA lesions were 11.24 +/- 0.29 cm(3), 3.49 +/- 0.07 cm, and 2.48 +/- 0.03 cm, those of HCl-RFA lesions were 58.14 +/- 3.05 cm(3), 5.51 +/- 0.05 cm, and 4.49 +/- 0.11 cm, and those of DHAA lesions were 4.41 +/- 0.16 cm(3), 2.43 +/- 0.08 cm, and 1.8 +/- 0.03 cm, respectively. The mean dimensions of HCl-RFA lesions were the largest among the three types of ablation (P CONCLUSION Under the present experimental conditions, the continuous infusion of diluted HCl during RFA can generate larger ablated lesions than NS-RFA or DHAA in excised porcine livers.

Passive tracking of motive target is in difficulty and interacting multiple model (IMM) is the classical method that requires accurate and timely target maneuver detection. In order to passively locate moving target using aerial mobile observe, a new hybrid particle filter positioning algorithm is proposed based on bearings crossing locating method. According to the existing initialization problems of particle filter, the new algorithm gets the proposal distribution from bearings crossing locating method and generates the required particles by the constraints of angle measurement to state variables. It avoids the randomness when generating particles and brings down the number of required particles in high dimensional cases. As a result, the present algorithm reduces the computing costs and improves real-time performance of the particle filter. By simulation analysis with particle filter, the new algorithm shows the superior positioning ability to other methods.

The scheme selection in passenger dedicated line(PDL) station location, with wide range and lots of factors, is a complex and comprehensive work. Based on the theory of intelligent decision support system(IDSS) and grey relational analysis(GRA), the authors proposed a basic structure pattern of PDL station location IDSS. On the above basis, with the case in literature [4], this proposed IDSS was verified with its correctness, adaptability and feasibility.

To observe the effects of radiofrequency ablation in porcine liver ex vivo with "wet" RITA UniBlate unipolar electrode, evaluate the morphologic characteristic of the ablated zones and explore the impact upon the ablation lesions of time, temperature and set power of "wet" monopolar electrodes.The maximal effective ablation electrode length of this "wet" unipolar electrode is 2.5 cm. According to ablation time, temperature and power respectively, the experiment was divided into three major groups of A, B, C (11 sub-groups). The investigators observed the morphological characteristics of ablation lesions, measured the longitudinal and transverse distance of ablation beyond the electrode tip and calculated the volume of ablation lesion. Statistical analysis was performed with one-way ANOVA upon the above-mentioned four parameters. And the pathological examinations were made with HE staining.(1) All of ablated zones were ellipsoid. The cross-section of ablation lesions appeared to have 3 zones from the inside out: central zone, coagulated zone, hemorrhage and edema zone. (2) When ablating time and temperature increased to 15 min and 103 degrees C respectively, the ablated zones peaked: longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, ablation distance beyond electrode tip and volume of each ablated zone was (3.49 +/- 0.09) cm, (2.40 +/- 0.13) cm, (0.79 +/- 0.09) cm and (10.6 +/- 1.3) cm(3) respectively. With power as a variable, different sizes between ablated zones showed no statistical significance. (3) The morphology of ablated zones became irregular when the electrodes were located around larger blood vessels.The ablating time and temperature are the major factors of affecting the size of radiofrequency ablation lesion with RITA "wet" unipolar electrode.

To probe clinical value of percutaneous ethanol ablation (PEA) in complicated renal carcinoma.10 cases complicated renal carcinoma patients with 16 lesions ranged from 1.7-8.4 cm totally, renal cancer in 7 cases, renal hamartoma in 3 cases,underwent CT guided percutaneous ethanol ablation (PEA) by local anesthesia Plain and contrast CT scan was adopted to evaluate clinical effect and make follow-up.Each patient accepted 2 times PEA in average with follow-up time ranged from 2 to 26 months averaged in 18 months. No recurrence was seen in 1 case isolated renal patient unfortunately with renal cancer through 1 year and 9 months follow-up after 2 times PEA. The other isolated renal cancer patient died of acute renal failure after 4 times PEA. Lesions were fully ablated in 2 cases renal cancer patients with low back pain and blood urine and symptoms disappeared after PEA accordingly. Other 3 cases renal cancer patients went through 1 year and 6 months, 2 years and 2 months, and 1 year follow-up respectively. 1 case died of distant metastasis and 2 cases kept stabilization evaluated by CT scan. Hemorrhage within lesions disappeared in 2 cases renal hamartoma after just one time PEA, which kept stabilization through 1 year, 1 year and 10 months follow-up respectively. 1 case hamartoma patient gave up treatment after 2 times PEA. No complications including urinary fistula, hemorrhage, intestinal perforation and needle track implantation were seen in all patients.CT guided PEA is a microinvasive, positive curative effect and facultative method in treating complicated renal carcinomas. But for isolated renal patient with renal cancer,PEA should be performed cautiously.