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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.09.014 Byline: S. Fang, J. Xue, L. Tang Keywords: Poplar plantation; Planting density; Cutting cycle; Biomass production; Carbon storage Abstract: Biomass production and carbon storage in short-rotation poplar plantations over 10 years were evaluated at the Hanyuan Forestry Farm, Baoying County, China. Experimental treatments applied in a split-plot design included four planting densities (1111, 833, 625 and 500 stemsha.sup.-1) and three poplar clones (NL-80351, I-69 and I-72). Based on the model of total biomass production developed, total plantation biomass production was significantly different in the plantations. The ranking of the plantation biomass production by planting density was 1111>833a*cents625>500 stemsha.sup.-1, and by components was stem>root[greater than or equal to]branch>leaf for all plantations. At 10 years, the highest total biomass in the plantation of 1111 stemsha.sup.-1 reached about 146tha.sup.-1, which was 5.3%, 11.6% and 24.2% higher than the plantations of 833, 625 and 500 stemsha.sup.-1, respectively. The annual increment of biomass production over10 years differed significantly among initial planting densities and stand ages (p Author Affiliation: College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, PR China Article History: Received 2 March 2005; Revised 24 July 2006; Accepted 27 September 2006

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.08.019 Byline: J.M. Chen (a), S.C. Thomas (b), Y. Yin (c), V. Maclaren (a), J. Liu (d), J. Pan (e), G. Liu (d), Q. Tian (f), Q. Zhu (g), J.-J. Pan (h), X. Shi (i), J. Xue (j), E. Kang (k) Keywords: Carbon Sequestration; China's forests; Integrated assessment; Remote sensing Abstract: This article serves as an introduction to this special issue, 'China's Forest Carbon Sequestration', representing major results of a project sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China occupies a pivotal position globally as a principle emitter of carbon dioxide, as host to some of the world's largest reforestation efforts, and as a key player in international negotiations aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emission. The goals of this project are to develop remote sensing approaches for quantifying forest carbon balance in China in a transparent manner, and information and tools to support land-use decisions for enhanced carbon sequestration (CS) that are science based and economically and socially viable. The project consists of three components: (i) remote sensing and carbon modeling, (ii) forest and soil assessment, and (iii) integrated assessment of the socio-economic implications of CS via forest management. Articles included in this special issue are highlights of the results of each of these components. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Room 5047, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3G3 (b) Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3B3 (c) Adaptation and Impacts Research Division, Environment Canada (d) Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China (e) Center for Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3B3 (f) International Earth System Science Institute, Nanjing University, PR China (g) College of Geography and Remote Sensing, Beijing Normal University, PR China (h) Nanjing Agricultural University, PR China (i) Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China (j) Nanjing Forestry University, PR China (k) Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, PR China Article History: Received 10 April 2006; Revised 23 April 2006; Accepted 9 August 2006

This study aims to assess the anti-tumor activity and safety of concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus PD-1 blockade in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. This is a single-arm, open-label, prospective phase II study. The key inclusion criteria were treatment-naive patients aged 18–75 years with stage II A2-IVA (FIGO 2018) locally advanced cervical cancer. All patients were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy including 2 cycle cisplatin (75mg/m2, for three days, every 3 weeks[Q3W]), nedaplatin or carboplatin can be selected for patients who can't tolerate cisplatin. After CCRT, patients achieving complete response (CR), partial responses(PR), stable disease(SD) received adjuvant chemotherapy (docetaxel 75 mg/m2 day 1+ cisplatin DDP 25 mg/m2 day 1-3, Q3W) for 2 cycle. PD-1 blockade Sintilimab and Tislelizumab was administered intravenously at 200 mg every 3 weeks up to 1 year or until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) assessed by investigators per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumours (RECIST) version 1.1. Secondary endpoints were the 12, 24-month overall survival (OS) rates, the 12, 24-month disease free survival (DFS) rates and safety. From February 2020 to June 2022, a total of 15 patients was enrolled. Median age was 57 years (range, 36-74 years). Stage IIA1 was documented in 2 patients, stage IIA2 in two patients, stage IIIA in one patient, stage IIIC1 in eight patients, and stage IVA in two patients. And 66.7% (10/15) of patients had Metastatic lymph node. Four patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. The ORR was 100%, with 4 patients achieving CR and 11 PR. The 12 and 24-month OS rates are 93.3% and 84%, the 12 and 24-month DFS rates are 86% and 75.4%, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 86.7% (13/15) of patients. Grade 3 TRAEs are leukocyte (n = 1), thrombocytopenia (n = 1), hepatitis (n = 1), skin reaction (n = 1). No treatment-related deaths occurred. And IFN-γ was significantly elevated after radiotherapy (p = 0.0073). Concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus PD-1 blockade showed promising antitumor activity and manageable toxicities in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Long-term outcomes are still pending to further evaluate their therapeutic effects. (ChiCTR2000032856). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding frequency on growth performance, carcass traits, and apparent nutrient digestibility in geese from 28 to 70 D of age. In experiment 1, a total of 240 geese were distributed in a completely randomized design into 4 treatments and 6 replicates of 10 birds each. The treatments were free access to the feeder (ad libitum) and access to the feeder 3, 4, and 5 times daily. Geese fed 3 times daily had a lower (P,0.05) BW, ADG, and ADFI and a higher (P50.064) feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 28 to 41 D of age compared with the other groups. Geese fed 4 times daily had a higher (P, 0.05) ADG and ADFI and a lower (P, 0.05) FCR from 42 to 55Dof age compared with ad libitum fed geese. Geese fed 3 times daily had a higher (P, 0.05) ADG from 56 to 69 D of age than geese fed ad libitum and 4 times daily. No differences (P . 0.05) in BW, ADFI, ADG, and FCR were observed between ad libitum and feeding frequency groups from 28 to 69 D of age. Carcass traits and gastrointestinal development were not affected (P . 0.05) by feeding frequency. In experiment 2, the apparent nutrient digestibility in geese from 71 to 77 D of age fed using different feeding frequencies was determined using the total fecal collection method. Feeding frequency did not affect (P . 0.05) the apparent digestibility of DM, CP, crude ash, calcium, phosphorous, or ether extract in geese. Our study demonstrates for the first time that compensatory growth can be gained by enhancing feed intake when a lower feeding frequency is imposed on geese. Both ad libitum feeding and fixed feeding frequency for 3 to 5 times daily are suitable for geese from 28 to 70 D of age to achieve optimum production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple modern Indian hospitals operate at very low cost while meeting US-equivalent quality accreditation standards. Though US hospitals face intensifying pressure to lower their cost, including proposals to extend Medicare payment rates to all admissions, the transferability of Indian hospitals' cost advantages to US peers remains unclear.Methods: Using time-driven activity-based costing methods, we estimate the average cost of personnel and space for an elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at two American hospitals and one Indian hospital (NH). All three hospitals are Joint Commission accredited and have reputations for use of modern performance management methods. Our case study applies several analytic steps to distinguish transferable from non-transferable sources of NH's cost savings.Results: After removing non-transferable sources of efficiency, NH's residual cost advantage primarily rests on shifting tasks to less-credentialed and/or less-experienced personnel who are supervised by highly-skilled personnel when perceived risk of complications is low. NH's high annual CABG volume facilitates such supervised work "downshifting." The study is subject to limitations inherent in case studies, does not account for the younger age of NH's patients, or capture savings attributable to NH's negligible frequency of re-admission or post-acute care facility placement.Conclusions: Most transferable bases for a modern Indian hospital's cost advantage would require more flexible American states' hospital and health professional licensing regulations, greater family participation in inpatient care, and stronger support by hospital executives and clinicians for substantially lowering the cost of care via regionalization of complex surgeries and weekend use of costly operating rooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dose-response experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of excess DLmethionine (DLM) and L-methionine (LM) on growth response of starter Pekin ducks from 7 to 21 days of age. A total of 462 seven-day-old male Pekin ducklings were allotted to 77 wire-floor pens with 6 birds per pen. There were 11 treatments including a methionineadequate control diet (containing 0.49% methionine) and control diets supplemented with 5 levels of crystal DLM or LM (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25%) based on equal product weight. At 21 d of age, weight gain, feed intake, and feed/gain of ducks from each pen were measured. In our study, the weight gain and feed intake did not change markedly and kept a plateau when supplemental DLM or LM was below 0.50%, but the weight gain and feed intake decreased further as supplemental DLM or LM increased from 0.50 to 1.25%. When the maximum safe level (MSL) of supplemental methionine sources and methionine content of the control diets were combined, the total tolerable upper limits of methionine for weight gain and feed intake were 0.91 and 0.85% when DLM was used, respectively, and the corresponding values were 0.89 and 0.84% when LM was used, respectively. On the other hand, both excess DLM and LM reduced weight gain and feed intake (P < 0.05) but there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in weight gain and feed intake between the ducks fed DLM- and LM-supplemented diets. Furthermore, linear slope-ratio assay was also used to evaluate the relative toxicity of excess DLM and LM. According to this assay, the efficiencies of DLM relative to LM for depression of weight gain and feed intake were 97 and 95%, respectively. In summary, excess DL- and Lmethionine were toxic for starter Pekin ducks and both methionine sources were equally growth depressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycoplasma synoviae can cause worldwide respiratory diseases, synovitis, or subclinical symptoms in poultry. M. synoviae infection occurs throughout the yr and causes significant economic losses, including increased mortality, condemnations, medication, and live production cost. In the present study, the seroprevalence of M. synoviae among 44,395 non-vaccinated chickens from 21 provinces in China from 2010 to 2015 was estimated using ELISA. The overall seroprevalence was 41.19%. Seropositive rates in different yr ranged between 24.70 and 57.20%; the highest seropositive rate was observed in 2010, and the lowest was observed in 2013. The prevalence rates varied greatly in different provinces from 5.10 to 100%. Of the 463 commercial flocks tested, 375 (80.99%) were positive for M. synoviae by ELISA. The seasonal distribution ranged between 26.83% (in October) and 53.98% (in July). An investigation of chickens according to age further showed that M. synoviae can infect chickens at any age. Our findings indicate that M. synoviae infection is very common in China and should prompt further research into its prevalence to develop effective control and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol extinction coefficient ( β ext ) and black carbon (BC) were measured from three light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGV), including two gasoline direct injection (spray-guided and wall-guided GDI, SG-GDI and WG-GDI, respectively) and a conventional port-fuel injection vehicle (PFI), over the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and Supplemental FTP (US06) test cycles. Emission factors (EF) of BC and β ext in addition to aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) were determined for different phases or segments of the drive cycles. WG-GDI showed the highest EF BC (13 mg BC/kg fuel and 2.5 mg BC/kg fuel) and EF ext (0.1 m 2 /kg fuel and 0.018 m 2 /kg fuel) during both FTP and US06 cycles, respectively. EF BC and EF ext for the GDI vehicles during cold-start (P1) of the FTP cycle were 7–60 times higher than the PFI vehicle. EF BC and EF ext from GDI (PFI) vehicles were lower (higher) on the more aggressive US06 cycle compared to the FTP cycle. During the FTP cycle, a significantly lower SSA was observed for WG-GDI (0.2) while higher SSA values were observed for all vehicles during the US06 cycle (0.28–0.49). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous studies found that osthol, an active constituent isolated from Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson (Apiaceae), could ameliorate the accumulation of lipids and decrease the lipid levels in serum and hepatic tissue in alcohol-induced fatty liver mice and rats. The objective of this study was to investigate its possible mechanism of the lipid-lowering effect. A mouse model with alcoholic fatty liver was induced by orally feeding 52% erguotou wine by gavage when they were simultaneously treated with osthol 10, 20, 40 mg/kg for 4 weeks. The BRL cells (rat hepatocyte line) were cultured and treated with osthol at 25, 50, 100, 200 microg/ml for 24h. The mRNA expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A) in mouse hepatic tissue or cultured hepatocytes were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After treatment with osthol, the PPAR alpha mRNA expression in mouse liver and cultured hepatocytes was increased in dose dependent manner, while its related target genes for mRNA expression, e.g., DGAT and HMG-CoA reductase, were decreased, the CYP7A was inversely increased. And osthol-regulated mRNA expressions of DGAT, HMG-CoA reductase and CYP7A in the cultured hepatocytes were abrogated after pretreatment with specific inhibitor of PPAR alpha, MK886. It was concluded that osthol might regulate the gene expressions of DGAT, HMG-CoA reductase and CYP7A via increasing the PPAR alpha mRNA expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheum palmatum Linn has been widely applied in the clinical treatment of diabetes mellitus. It has been found that emodin as the major bioactive component of R. palmatum L exhibits the competency to activate peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) in vitro. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-diabetic effects of emodin through the activation of PPARgamma on high-fat diet-fed and low dose of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The diabetic mice were intraperitoneally injected with emodin for three weeks. No changes of food consumption and the body weight in emodin-treated mice were monitored daily during the entire experiment. At the end of experiment, the levels of blood glucose, triglyceride and total cholesterol in serum were significantly decreased after emodin treatment. However, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) concentration was significantly elevated. The glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in emodin-treated group were significantly improved. Furthermore, the results of quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that emodin significantly elevated the mRNA expression level of PPARgamma and regulated the mRNA expressions of LPL, FAT/CD36, resistin and FABPs (ap2) in liver and adipocyte tissues. No effects on the mRNA expressions of PPARalpha and PPARalpha-target genes were observed. Taken together, the results suggested that the activation of PPARgamma and the modulation of metabolism-related genes were likely involved in the anti-diabetic effects of emodin. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In present study, we investigated the effects of aspirin on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 mRNA expression and release and its possible mechanisms in macrophages derived from THP-1 cells. The macrophages were divided into different groups and treated with different drugs, the mRNA expression of MMP-9, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α and γ, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, membranebound prostaglandin E synthase (mPGES)-1 in macrophages were examined with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and the protein expressions of PPAR α and γ, mPGES-1 were detected by Western-blot, the levels of MMP-9 and PGE2 in cultured supernatants were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results indicated that after the macrophages were incubated with aspirin for 24h, the MMP-9 mRNA expression and release were decreased, while the PPAR α/γ mRNA and protein expression was increased, respectively, and PPAR α/γ agonists could also decrease MMP-9 mRNA expression and release. Additionally, the COX-2 mRNA expression, mPGES-1 mRNA and protein expression in macrophages were all decreased after incubation with aspirin for 24h and the PGE2 release was also decreased. The macrophages stimulated with PGE2 for 24h might increase the MMP-9 mRNA expression and release. When PGE2 plus PPAR α agonist or PPAR γ agonist were simultaneously used, the stimulation of MMP-9 mRNA expression and release by PGE2 was significantly decreased. It might be concluded that aspirin could inhibit the MMP-9 gene expression and release through the PPARα/γ and COX-2/mPGES-1-mediated pathways and the two pathways might be partly overlapped and even be interrelated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Alcohol is a major cause of fatty liver, the disease is a spectrum that is initiated with steatosis, and without therapy it is apt to develop inflammation, necrosis, fibrosis and finally cirrhosis. There are currently no ideal pharmacological reagents that can prevent or reverse this disease. Osthole is an active constituent isolated from the fruit of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, a Chinese herbal medicine, which has been used in clinics for many years. It has many functions such as anti-inflammation, anti-osteoporosis and anti-tumor and so on, but there is no report about treatment of alcoholic fatty liver in mice. Aim: To examine the inhibitory effect of osthole on alcohol-induced fatty liver in mice and to investigate the potential mechanisms. Methods: A mouse model with alcoholic fatty liver was induced by orally feeding 52% erguotou wine by gavage when they were simultaneously treated with osthole 10, 20, 40mg/kg for 4 weeks. Whereafter, the lipids in serum and hepatic tissue, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione hormone (GSH), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in hepatic tissue, hepatic weight coefficient and its histological evaluation were measured. Results: After treatment with osthole, the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), coefficient of hepatic weight, and the hepatic tissue contents of TC and TG were significantly decreased, the levels of MDA and TNF-α in liver were also decreased, while the GSH in liver was increased. Importantly, the histological evaluation of liver specimens demonstrated that osthole dramatically decreased lipid accumulation. Conclusion: Osthole could inhibit alcohol-induced fatty liver in mice, and the mechanism might be associated with its anti-oxidation and suppression of TNF-α production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multi-scale models are developed for heterogeneous concrete materials to estimate their macroscopic mechanical properties in terms of micro-structural data. One crucial challenge of those models is the identification of local properties of constituent phases. In this paper, we present an efficient method based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Typical concrete materials are taken as example. A macroscopic analytical strength criterion is established from three steps of nonlinear homogenization procedure. The macroscopic strength of materials is determined as a function of the frictional coefficient and cohesion of solid cement particles at nanometer scale, intra-particle pores, inter-particle pores and aggregates (inclusions). The objective is to identify the nanoscopic frictional coefficient and cohesion of cement particle from measured macroscopic values of uniaxial compression and tensile strengths. For this purpose, a numerical method based on the ANN is developed. With the analytical macroscopic strength criterion, sensitivity studies are first realized to identify the most important micro-structural parameters influencing the macroscopic strength of concrete. A simplified analytical macroscopic strength criterion is then proposed. A large dataset is further constructed through the inversion of the analytical strength criterion by using the aggregates volume fraction, porosity, macroscopic uniaxial tensile and compressive strengths as input variables and the frictional coefficient and cohesion of cement particles as output unknowns. An ANN model containing four hidden layers and 100 neurons in each layer is constructed and trained by using this dataset. Various types of validation of the ANN model are performed. It is found that the proposed ANN based model can effectively predict the frictional coefficient and cohesion of porous cement paste at the microscopic scale with a very good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the efficacy and side-effects of mifepristone 75 mg in capsule form versus 150 mg in tablet form followed by misoprostol for medical termination of early pregnancy. Study design: In a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a total of 480 women who were 49 days or less pregnant were randomized by means of a random number table to receive either two tablets in the morning and one tablet 12 h later for 2 days (group A) or three capsules orally twice daily for 2 days, the first dose being double all subsequent doses (group B). After a further 48 h, 600 μg misoprostol was given orally. Successful abortion was defined as complete abortion with no need for surgical aspiration. Results: There were no significant differences between the two study groups in the rates of complete abortion (95.4% in group A versus 96.3% in group B), incomplete abortion (3.8% in group A, 3.3% in group B) and continued pregnancy (0.8% in group A, 0.4% in group B). No significant difference in the duration and amount of vaginal bleeding was observed. The incidence of side-effects, such as vomiting, nausea, headache, diarrhea and lower abdominal pain was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that 75 mg mifepristone in capsule form combined with 600 μg misoprostol is as effective and safe as 150 mg mifepristone in tablet form for the termination of pregnancy up to 49 days. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The hypothalamus and other brain regions that control energy homeostasis contain neuronal populations that produce specific neuropeptides which have experimental effects on feeding behavior and body weight. Here, we describe examples of neuropeptides that exert ‘anabolic’ effects, notably stimulation of feeding and increased body weight.Neuropeptide Y (NPY) neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) are inhibited by leptin and insulin, and thus are stimulated in states of energy deficit and fat loss, e.g., underfeeding. NPY neuronal overactivity contributes to enhanced hunger and food-seeking activity under these conditions. The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) contains specific neuronal populations that affect feeding in different ways. Neurons expressing the appetite-stimulating peptide orexin A are stimulated by starvation (but not food restriction) and by hypoglycemia, but only if food is withheld. Orexin neurons are apparently activated by low glucose but are promptly inhibited by visceral feeding signals, probably mediated via vagal sensory pathway and the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS); a short-term role in initiating feeding seems most likely. Other LHA neurons express melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which transiently increases food intake when injected centrally. MCH neurons may be regulated by leptin, insulin and glucose. Glucose-sensing neurons in the hypothalamus and elsewhere are sensitive to other cues of nutritional state, including visceral satiety signals (transmitted via the vagus) and orexin A.Thus, long- and short-term humoral and neural signals interact with each other to meet diverse nutritional needs, and anabolic neuropeptides are important in the overall integration of energy homeostasis. Clarifying the underlying mechanisms will be essential to understanding normal energy balance and the pathogenesis and treatment of disorders, such as obesity and cachexia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acid–base transporters, such as the sodium–hydrogen exchangers (NHEs) and bicarbonate-dependent transporters, play an important role in the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in the CNS. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that the absence of the major NHE isoform 1 (NHE1) reduced the steady-state pHi and recovery rate from an acid load in the hippocampal neurons not only in HEPES but also in HCO3− solutions (Yao et al., 1999). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the NHE1 null mutation affects the expression of pH-regulatory transporters in the mouse CNS. Immunoblotting and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed to examine the protein and mRNA levels of NHE1–4, electrogenic sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter 1 variants (NBCe1), and brain-specific anion exchanger 3 (AE3) in four brain regions (cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and brainstem–diencephalon). NHE1 null mutant mice were compared with their wild type controls at the average age of approximately 4 weeks. Our results revealed that the NHE1 null mutation caused a significant increase in NHE3 in the cerebellum (84% for protein, 105% for mRNA), an increase in NBCe1 expression in the brainstem–diencephalon (approximately 40–50% for protein, 9–15% for mRNA), as well as a decrease in AE3 in the hippocampus (approximately 60% for protein, 24% for mRNA).We conclude that the NHE1 null mutation does alter the expression of other membrane transporters at both protein and mRNA levels. The alteration is region-specific. An increase in acid extruders (e.g. NHE3) and a decrease in acid loaders (e.g. AE3) suggest that there are some compensatory mechanisms that occur in NHE1 null mutant mice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A high temperature humidity sensor was used to monitor the absolute humidity inside an electrically heated conveyorized, food service-scale, two-zone, air-jet impingement tunnel oven as commonly used by pizza chain restaurants. The oven was first operated empty, then loaded with dummy loads consisting of pans of water in perlite while baking layer cakes, and finally when baking cakes with added dummy loads. Temperature and loading affected humidity, and humidity affected final product quality. High humidity lightened cake crust color, increased volume, and raised the final moisture content of the cake. There was no significant effect of humidity on the heat transfer coefficient as determined by a standardized metal target plate. In this study, one pan of perlite approximated three pans of cake. Adding perlite dummy loads was shown to be a useful technique to quantitatively measure and to demonstrate the effect of humidity during baking. It is also a convenient way to accelerate oven load-testing without producing and discarding a large number of samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Analytical solutions for elastic buckling of a non-uniform, long cylindrical shell that is subjected to external hydrostatic pressure are presented in this paper. The non-uniform shell has two regions: one with a nominal thickness and the other with reduced thickness. Symmetric and anti-symmetric buckling modes have been found to occur depending on the relative thickness of the two different regions and the angular extent of the section with the reduced thickness. A diagram showing the ranges of relative thickness and angular extent of the section with the reduced thickness is given for the occurrence of symmetric and anti-symmetric modes. In general, the buckling pressure decreases when either the relative thickness or the angular extent of the section with the reduced thickness increase. Finite element solutions for the elastic buckling pressure and modes are also found using ABAQUS and the results from analytical solutions are found to be in close agreement with finite element predictions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Neurons expressing prepro-orexin, the precursor of orexin-A and -B, are found in the lateral hypothalamic area, a region classically implicated in driving feeding. Orexin-A induces feeding transiently when injected centrally, and food intake can be decreased when orexin action is disrupted by immunoneutralization of orexin-A, or by pharmacological blockade of orexin receptors, or by transgenic knockout of orexin. Here, we argue that orexin neurons may act to stimulate feeding in the short term, and that important regulatory signals may be a fall in plasma glucose (stimulatory), countered by satiety signals generated by eating, such as gastric distention (inhibitory). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare disease with limited treatment options. In malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), radical trimodality approaches, including surgery, radiotherapy and systemic chemo- and immunotherapy, have been delivered in some countries but remain controversial due to a lack of randomised evidence. Even in the unresectable scenario, surgery and radiotherapy play an important role in managing pleural effusions and pain, which may optimise wellbeing and maintain performance status. From the systemic treatment point of view, the recent incorporation of anti-angiogenics and, more importantly, immunotherapy has changed the standard of care in a space where chemotherapy with platinum and pemetrexed was the only therapeutic intervention with demonstrated benefits in overall survival. Histology is essential in determining an initial treatment plan as non-epithelioid MPMs may have a higher substantial survival improvement with dual immunotherapy compared with chemotherapy, whereas chemotherapy remains an option for epithelioid MPM; however, predictive biomarkers for systemic therapy are not entirely validated to guide the selection, as a subgroup of MPM patients might not benefit from immunotherapy. This overview approaches how the overall management of mesothelioma is evolving to incorporate the recent changes in the standards of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop an effective risk-prediction score (RPS) to improve screening efficiency and contribute to secondary prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC). Screening for colorectal lesions. 14,398 high-risk individuals aged 50–65 years were included. The baseline characteristics of participants with and without colorectal lesions (CL) were compared using a Chi-squared test. The overall population was randomly split into a training set and a test set in the ratio of 80% and 20%. One-factor and multifactor logistic regression analyses were performed in the training set to construct the RPS (scores of 0–9.62). Area under curve (AUC) was calculated as an estimate of predictive performance using the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the test set. In the study population, being male, advanced age, current or previous smoking, weekly alcohol consumption, high body mass index (BMI ≥24 kg/m2), and previously detected colonic polyp were associated with higher risk of CL. Compared to the low-risk group (0–2.31 points), the ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the moderate-risk group (2.31–3.85 points) and high-risk group (3.85–8.42 points) were 1.58 (1.44, 1.73) and 2.52 (2.30, 2.76), respectively. For every 1-point increase in score, participants had a 27% increased risk of CL (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.30). For participants with CL predicted by RPS, the area under the working characteristic curve was 0.61 (P < 0.001). Our RPS can quickly and efficiently identify multiple lesions of the colorectum. Combining RPS with existing screening strategies facilitates the identification of very high-risk individuals and may help to prevent CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]