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Abstract The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has greatly accelerated the adoption of online learning and teaching in many colleges and universities. Video, as a key integral part of online education, largely influences student learning experiences. Though many guidelines on designing educational videos have been reported, the quantitative data showing the impacts of video length on students’ academic performance in a credit-bearing course is limited, particularly for an online-flipped college engineering course. The forced pandemic lockdown enables a suitable environment to address this research gap. In this paper, we present the first step to examine the impact of short videos on students’ academic performance in such circumstances. Our results indicate that short videos can greatly improve student engagement by 24.7% in terms of video viewing time, and the final exam score by 9.0%, both compared to the long-video group. The quantitative Likert questionnaire also indicates students’ preference for short videos over long videos. We believe this study has important implications for course design for future online-flipped engineering courses.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a severe non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Life expectancy has improved with rituximab, but cause-specific mortality data is lacking. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to study 27,449 individuals aged 20–74 years diagnosed with primary DLBCL who received chemotherapy between 2000 and 2019, we calculated standardized mortality rate (SMR) and excess absolute risk (EAR) and examined the connection between age, sex, time after diagnosis, and cause of death. Based on 12,205 deaths, 68.7% were due to lymphoma, 20.1% non-cancer causes, and 11.2% other cancers. Non-cancer mortality rates (SMR 1.2; EAR, 21.5) increased with DLBCL compared to the general population. The leading non-cancer death causes were cardiovascular (EAR, 22.6; SMR, 1.6) and infectious (EAR, 9.0; SMR, 2.9) diseases with DLBCL. Risks for non-cancer death and solid neoplasms are highest within the first diagnosis year, then decrease. Among socioeconomic factors, being white, being married, and having a higher income were favorable factors for reducing non-cancer mortality. To improve survival, close surveillance, assessment of risk factors, and early intervention are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have a poor prognosis, underlying mechanism remains unclear. NOTCH mutations are frequent in CLL and associated with disease progression and drug resistance. It is also reported to be associated with hepatitis infection in lymphoid malignancies. In order to investigate the relation between the NOTCH pathway and HBV-associated CLL, we studied 98 previously untreated HBV-positive CLL patients and 244 HBV-negative CLL. NOTCH mutations were more frequent in HBV-positive CLL subgroup (p = 0.033). By survival analysis, HBV infection was associated with disease progression and poor survival (p = 0.0099 for overall survival (OS) and p = 0.0446 for time-to-treatment (TTT)). Any lesions of the NOTCH pathway (NOTCH1, NOTCH2, and SPEN) aggravated prognosis. In multivariate analysis, NOTCH mutation retained an independent significance for HBV-infected patients (p = 0.016 for OS and p = 0.023 for TTT). However, HBV positive with NOTCH unmutated had no statistical difference in prognosis compared with HBV-negative patients (p = 0.1706 for OS and p = 0.2387 for TTT), which indicated that NOTCH pathway mutation contributed to inferior prognosis in HBV-infected CLL. In conclusion, a cohort of CLL patients with HBV positive displayed a worse clinical outcome and the status of the NOTCH signaling pathway might play a crucial role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG) score is widely used in clinical practice to stratify the risk of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients. Our study aims to confirm and improve the IELSG score in PCNSL patients based on Chinese populations. Materials and methods: A total of 79 PCNSL patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients treated with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based therapy collected clinical data. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off values for the factors in IELSG score. Progression of disease (POD) at the most landmark time point was determine by Epanechnikov kernel and the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). Kaplan–Meier and multivariable regression methods were used to analyze survival data. Nomogram was generated for calculating the weight of each selected factor. Results: The traditional IELSG score had no significant difference on OS and PFS except ECOG ≥ 2 and could not stratify the risk groups in PCNSL. The improved IELSG scoring system was established, which incorporated age ≥ 54 years, ECOG ≥ 2, deep brain structure, elevated CSF protein, and LDH/ULN > 0.75. On the other hand, POD18 was identified as a new powerful prognostic factor for PCNSL. In multivariate analysis, POD18 and the improved IELSG scoring system were independent prognostic factors for OS. Nomogram including the two significant variables showed the best performance (C-index = 0.828). Conclusions: In this study, the IELSG score was improved and a new prognostic indicator POD18 was incorporated to construct a nomogram prognostic model, thereby further improving the predictive ability of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to explore the significance and prognostic value of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-(OH) D) deficiency in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). One hundred fifty-six patients of newly diagnosed PTCLs were enrolled in the study. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and corresponding areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated to estimate the accuracy of International Prognostic Index (IPI) plus 25-(OH) D deficiency and Prognostic Index for T-cell lymphoma (PIT) plus 25-(OH) D deficiency respectively in PTCL risk stratification. Our results showed that the 25-(OH) D deficiency was an independent inferior prognostic factor for both PFS (P = 0.0019) and OS (P = 0.005) for PTCLs, especially for AITL and PTCL-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). Additionally, adding 25-(OH) D deficiency to PIT indeed has a superior prognostic significance than PIT alone for PFS (P = 0.043) and OS (P = 0.036). Multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that PIT 2‒4, albumin (ALB) ≤ 35 g/L, and 25-(OH) D deficiency were regarded as independent risk factors of PFS and OS. Our results showed that 25-(OH) D deficiency was associated with inferior survival outcome of PTCLs, especially for AITL and PTCL-NOS. PIT plus 25-(OH) D deficiency could better indicate the prognosis for PFS and OS of PTCLs than PIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (EBV+ DLBCL-NOS), is an EBV-positive clonal B-cell lymphoid proliferation and circulating EBV-DNA is a great indicator for prognosis among EBV associated disease. In this retrospective study, we report 66 EBV+ DLBCL cases among 2137 DLBCL-NOS cases diagnosed from 2013 to 2021 (prevalence of 6.0%). After a median follow-up of 27 months, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 2 years were 39.5% ± 6.2% and 53.6% ± 6.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that only the biomarker of the positivity of post treatment EBV-DNA had a borderline correlation with shorter PFS and OS (PFS: P = 0.053; OS: P = 0.065). Patients were divided into three subgroups according to dynamic changes of EBV-DNA status: EBV-DNA persistently negative group, EBV-DNA persistently positive group, and EBV-DNA transformed from positive to negative group; among the three groups, patients of the persistently positive group had worst PFS and OS (P = 0.0527 and P = 0.0139, respectively). Decline in EBV copies correlated significantly with treatment response as well. In conclusion, circulating EBV-DNA level played a vital role in prognostic and monitoring marker for EBV+ DLBCL-NOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the failure time of a landslide is considered as challenging work in the field of landslide research, and inverse velocity is proved to be an effective and convenient method. The onset of acceleration (OOA) has a crucial effect on the prediction failure time from the inverse velocity method. However, a simple method to identify OOA points is lacked, and most of the identifications rely on expert experience. Therefore, this study presents an application of a simple framework developed to identify the OOA by analyzing monitoring velocity data in three steps, including selection of the absolute value of velocity, reliable area identification and OOA identification. A new parameter based on exponential moving average (EMA) is developed to identify the landslide OOA. The framework is applied to three historical case studies to test its practicability and effectiveness. The forecasting results show a good correspondence between the accuracy rate and the coefficient of determination (R2). The predicted failure time according to the linear extrapolation starting from the identified OOA points is acceptable with a high R2 and high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the prognostic significance of peripheral blood absolute monocyte count (AMC) and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, we retrospectively analyzed 316 newly diagnosed patients with MALT lymphoma. The best cut-off value of AMC was 0.6 × 109/L and LMR was 1.8 by x-tile according to progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis showed that MALT-IPI (p < 0.001), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) (p = 0.010), and LMR (p = 0.003) have independent prognostic significance for PFS, MALT-International Prognostic Index (MALT-IPI) (p = 0.018), β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) (p = 0.015), and LMR (p = 0.029) predicted poor overall survival (OS). Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to compare the prognostic prediction capability of MALT-IPI and MALT-IPI-M (MALT-IPI combined with LMR); area under the curves (AUCs) for MALT-IPI-M were larger than that for MALT-IPI both PFS (0.682 vs 0.654) and OS (0.804 vs 0.788). Our results indicated that that low level LMR at diagnosis was associated with inferior prognosis. The new prognostic index, MALT-IPI-M, enabled the risk stratification capability for MALT lymphoma survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for modelling volatilities (conditional covariance matrices) of high dimensional dynamic data. We combine the ideas of approximate factor models for dimension reduction and multivariate GARCH models to establish a model to describe the dynamics of high dimensional volatilities. Sparsity condition and thresholding technique are applied to the estimation of the error covariance matrices, and quasi maximum likelihood estimation (QMLE) method is used to estimate the parameters of the common factor conditional covariance matrix. Asymptotic theories are developed for the proposed estimation. Monte Carlo simulation studies and real data examples are presented to support the methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

25-hydroxy vitamin D [25-(OH)D] is widely used to determine vitamin D status in clinic. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of 25-(OH)D in extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma (ENKTL). Ninety-three (93) ENKTL patients with available serum 25-(OH)D values were enrolled in our study. Vitamin D deficiency is defined as a 25-(OH)D below 50 nmol/L (20 ng/ml). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and corresponding areas under the curves (AUC) were calculated to estimate the accuracy of PINK-E (prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma added with Epstein-Barr virus-DNA status) and 25-(OH)D deficiency in ENKTL risk-stratification. Our results suggested that the vitamin D deficiency was an independent inferior prognostic factor for both PFS [hazard ratio (HR), 2.869; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.540 to 5.346; P = 0.003] and OS (HR, 3.204; 95% CI, 1.559 to 6.583; P = 0.006) in patients with ENKTL. Additionally, we demonstrated that adding 25-(OH)D deficiency to PINK-E score system indeed has a superior prognostic significance than PINK-E alone for PFS [AUC: 0.796 (95% CI: 0.699 to 0.872) vs. 0.759 (95% CI: 0.659 to 0.841), P = 0.020] and OS [AUC: 0.755 (95% CI: 0.655 to 0.838) vs. 0.721 (95% CI: 0.618 to 0.809), P = 0.040]. In conclusion, our study proved that 25-(OH)D deficiency was associated with inferior survival outcome of ENKTL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate whether there was an optimal interim size reduction (iΔSPD) cutoff value that could discriminate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with poor prognosis.Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 265 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients with baseline and interim (after 3 cycles) contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scan (CECT) available. Two radiologists evaluated CECT images and selected target lesions according to the Lugano Response Criteria. Lymph nodes greater than 15 mm in longest diameter (LDi) and extra-nodal lesions with LDi greater than 10 mm could be chosen as target lesions and used to calculate iΔSPD. A software tool, X-Tile, was used to calculate the optimal iΔSPD cutoff value to differentiate patients with good vs. poor prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier analyses were further used to validate the optimal cutoff value.Results: The optimal cutoff value of iΔSPD calculated by X-tile was 80%. Compared with 50% and 100%, 80% cutoff value had the intermediate sensitivity and specificity (57.75% and 86.69% for overall survival (OS), 48.98% and 92.22% for progression-free survival (PFS), respectively), but the maximal Youden index (0.4744 for OS, 0.4120 for PFS, respectively) and areas under the curve (0.737 [0.680, 0.789] for OS). Cox regression analysis also revealed that iΔSPD < 80% could independently predict an inferior OS and PFS (both p < 0.001) while neither iΔSPD < 50% nor iΔSPD = 100% could.Conclusions: iΔSPD with the cutoff value 80% is an independent predictor of PFS and OS for patients with DLBCL. Results suggest that treatment should be modified for patients with iΔSPD < 80%.Key Points: • The aim of interim response assessment is to identify patients whose disease has not responded to or has progressed on induction therapy. • A cutoff value of 80% in size reduction (ΔSPD) is an independent predictor of PFS and OS for DLBCL patients and is better than 50%. • In DLBCL patients with interim ΔSPD < 80%, a change to a more efficient therapy should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies showed that, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients with isolated 13q deletion (13q-), those carrying higher percentage of leukemic cells with 13q- had more aggressive diseases. However, the prognostic value of the percentage of leukemic cells with 13q- in Chinese CLL patients with isolated 13q- remained to be determined. Using interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we identified 82 patients (25.4%) with isolated 13q deletion from a cohort of 323 untreated CLL patients. Among patients with isolated 13q deletion, cases of 13q- cells ≥ 80% (13q-H) had significantly shorter time to first treatment (TTT) than those of < 80% 13q- cells (13q-L) (median 11 vs. 92 months, p = 0.0016). A higher lymphocyte count (p = 0.0650) was associated with 13q-H, while other clinical, immunophenotypic, or molecular features did not differ between patients with 13q-H and 13q-L. Although 13q-H only showed marginal significance in multivariate analysis of TTT (hazards ratio 2.007; 95% confidence interval 0.975-4.129; p = 0.059), it helped refine the risk stratification based on Binet stage or immunoglobulin heavy chain variable gene (IGHV) status. In cases in Binet A or B stage, patients with 13q-H had a significantly shorter TTT (median TTT 18 months vs. undefined, p = 0.0101). And in IGHV mutated patients, 13q-H was also associated with reduced TTT (median TTT 13q-H. 18 months vs. 13q-L undefined, p = 0.0163). In conclusion, the prognosis of CLL patients with isolated 13q deletion was heterogeneous with 13q-H identifying patients with worse outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the absolute natural killer (NK) cell counts in peripheral blood in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Methods: A total of 273 previously untreated patients with CLL from April 2004 and October 2015 were enrolled into this retrospective study. We analysed the T cell subsets of all patients and figured out the number of NK cells. Comparisons of NK cell count as continuous parameter in different groups were described using Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Kaplan–Meier method was used to survival analysis, and the Cox proportional hazards models were used for the estimation of prognostic factors.Results: NK cell counts were calculated in 273 therapy-naive CLL patients, and higher number of NK cell was observed in those with Binet stage A/B, ZAP-70 < 20%, normal serum albumin and β2-microglobulin levels. Using a NK cell count cut-off of 0.40 × 109/L, patients with lower NK cell count (< 0.40 × 109/L) had a significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than those with higher NK cell count (≥ 0.40 × 109/L) (P = 0.0014). Multivariate analysis showed that NK cell counts remained its prognostic value. However, the effect of NK cell count on time to treatment was not significant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that NK cell count is an independent prognostic marker for OS in patients with CLL and NK cell counts ≥ 0.40 × 109/L can routinely be used to identify patients with favorable survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Host immunity and tumor microenvironment significantly influence follicular lymphoma (FL) outcomes. Lymphopenia has been identified as a negative prognostic factor for FL. However, there is limited data regarding prognostic value of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets, especially absolute CD4 T cell counts (ACD4C) in FL. We studied 127 consecutive FL patients to investigate whether peripheral blood ACD4C or absolute monocytes (AMC) at diagnosis had an impact on FL prognosis. In our cohort, both low ACD4C and high AMC were the parameters associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) ( P = 0.021 and P = 0.013, respectively) and inferior overall survival (OS) ( P = 0.020 and P = 0.005, respectively) by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that only low ACD4C was statistically significant in worse PFS (hazard ratio, 2.811; 95 % confidence interval, 1.137−6.950; P = 0.025) and shorter OS (hazard ratio, 3.393; 95 % confidence interval, 1.037−11.105; P = 0.043) independent of FLIPI-2. Evaluation of blood ACD4C could be a useful indicator of outcome in previously untreated FL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of cardiac differentiation is critical for maintaining normal cardiac development and function. The precise mechanisms whereby cardiac differentiation is regulated remain uncertain. Here, we have identified a GATA-4 target, EGF, which is essential for cardiogenesis and regulates cardiac differentiation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, EGF demonstrates functional interaction with GATA-4 in inducing the cardiac differentiation of P19CL6 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Biochemically, GATA-4 forms a complex with STAT3 to bind to the EGF promoter in response to EGF stimulation and cooperatively activate the EGF promoter. Functionally, the cooperation during EGF activation results in the subsequent activation of cyclin D1 expression, which partly accounts for the lack of additional induction of cardiac differentiation by the GATA-4/STAT3 complex. Thus, we propose a model in which the regulatory cascade of cardiac differentiation involves GATA-4, EGF, and cyclin D1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effects and potential mechanisms of Qufeng Xuanfei decoction in animal model of post-infectious cough. Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into six groups (10 animals per group): control, disease model, low- (4.62 g kg), medium- (9.24 g kg), and high-dose (13.86 g kg) decoction, and positive treatment groups (dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 8 mL kg). To model post-infectious cough, all but control group animals were challenged with exposure to 50 g sawdust and 10 cigarette smokes for 30 min day for a total of 10 days, followed by subsequent exposures to lipopolysaccharide (20 µg) and capsaicin (10 M) aerosols. The drugs were given by oral gavage for 15 days after which lung pathology, cell counts and cell differentials in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and concentrations of neuropeptides [substance P (SP), neurokinins A (NKA) and B (NKB), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)] in BAL (ELISA) were assessed. Compared with control group animals, significant inflammation and damage to bronchial epithelium were observed in the disease model group. A marked decrease in BAL percentages of all types of inflammatory cells was observed in the decoction-treated groups, with most changes in the medium-dose decoction group ( p < 0.001 vs. disease model group). Further, airway inflammation and damage, as well as the levels of SP, NKA, NKB, and CGRP in BAL decreased the most in the medium-dose group ( p < 0.001 vs. disease model group). In conclusion, medium-dose Qufeng Xuanfei decoction efficiently decreases the levels of neuropeptides, attenuates airway inflammation, and promotes recovery from disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have investigated the associations between TP53 mutations and codon 72 polymorphisms and prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, the joint effect of TP53 mutations and TP53 codon 72 polymorphisms on CLL prognosis remains uncertain. We used direct sequencing to detect TP53 mutations and codon 72 genotype in 207 patients with CLL. The Pro/Pro genotype was associated with an increased incidence of TP53 mutations and deletion, but had no apparent effect on biological tumor behavior or clinical response. Compared to patients with wild-type p53, patients with TP53 mutations and the Pro72 allele (Arg/Pro + Pro/Pro genotypes) were associated with unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region status and chemorefractoriness. Overall survival (OS) in the entire patient group was differed significantly between patients with TP53 mutations and either the Pro72 allele or Arg/Arg homozygotes ( P = 0.014). Notably, patients with TP53 mutation and the Pro72 allele experienced a 23.7-fold increase in hazard ratio (95 % CI 3.38-165.9; P = 0.001) for OS compared with patients with wild-type p53 and those with the Arg/Arg genotype. The TP53 Pro72 allele potentially increases the prognostic significance of TP53 mutations in CLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of biological wastewater treatment process is the design and operation of effective retention of mixed microbial cells within the reactor. Entrapped mixed microbial cell (EMMC) technology is designed to entrap the mixed microbial cells in polymeric carriers; membrane bioreactor (MBR) process utilizes membrane sheets/fibers to effectively retain the biomass in the reactor. These two biotechnologies are considered potential alternatives for conventional biological treatment/reuse because of their capability of retaining high concentration of biomass in the reactor, or in other words increasing the solid retention time (SRT). The simultaneous removal of organics and nitrogen were investigated using a modified EMMC system design. The modified EMMC system demonstrated higher organic and nitrogen removal performance due to high SRT. Compared to single-stage MBR process operated at similar conditions, the modified EMMC system was able to achieve slightly lower organic removal, comparable nitrification, and higher total nitrogen removal. One limitation in applying an EMMC only treatment process regime for potential reuse of treated wastewater is that such an operation requires the removal of pathogens and large particles if disinfection and solid/liquid separation were not followed. The major challenge of MBR process to overcome is membrane fouling, and the high energy consumption associated with fouling control. The intrinsic features of EMMC process including high SRT, low, and stabilized effluent suspended biomass concentration may significantly reduce the chance and extent of membrane fouling; while the membrane filtration can further polish the effluent quality from EMMC process. Therefore, integrating MBR and EMMC is strongly recommended because it may be a 'break-through' for solving the membrane fouling problem and in improving effluent quality for potential reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize seeds are an important source of food, animal feed, and industrial raw materials. To understand global gene expression and regulation during maize seed development, a normalized cDNA library, covering most of the developmental stages of maize seeds, was constructed. Sequencing analysis of 10,848 randomly selected clones identified 6,630 unique ESTs. Among them, 57 putative transcription factors (TFs) were identified. The TFs belong to seven different super-families, specifically 17 Zinc-finger, 13 bZIP, 8 bHLH, 6 MADS, 7 MYB, 3 Homedomain, and 3 AP2/EREBP. The spatial and temporal expression of the TFs was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR with representative tissue types and seeds at different developmental stages, revealing their diverse expression patterns and expression levels. One-third (19) of the maize TFs was found their putative orthologs in Arabidopsis. Similar expression patterns were observed in both maize and Arabidopsis for the majority of orthologous pairs (15 out of 19), suggesting their conserved functions during seed development. In conclusion, the systematic analysis of maize seed TFs has provided valuable insight into transcriptional regulation during maize seed development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have employed a frameless localization system for intracranial radiosurgery, utilizing a custom biteblock with fiducial markers and an infra-red camera for set-up and monitoring patient position. For multiple brain metastases or large irregular lesions, we use a single-isocenter intensity-modulated approach. We report our quality assurance measurements and our experience using Intensity Modulated Radiosurgery (IMRS) to treat such intracranial lesions. A phantom with integrated targets and fiducial markers was utilized to test the positional accuracy of the system. The frameless localization system was used for patient setup and target localization as well as for motion monitoring during treatment. Inverse optimization planning gave satisfactory dose coverage and critical organ sparing. Patient setup was guided by the infrared camera through fine adjustment in three translational and three rotational degrees for isocenter localization and verified by orthogonal kilovoltage (kV) images, taken before treatment to ensure the accuracy of treatment. The relative localization of the camera based system was verified to be highly accurate along three translational directions of couch motion and couch rotation. After verification, we began treating patients with this technique. About 8–12 properly selected fixed beams with a single isocenter were sufficient to achieve good dose coverage and organ sparing. Portal dosimetry with an Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) and kV images provided excellent quality assurance for the IMRS plan and patient setup. The treatment time was less than 60 min to deliver doses of 16–20 Gy in a single fraction. The camera-based system was verified for positional accuracy and was deemed sufficiently accurate for stereotactic treatments. Single isocenter IMRS treatment of multiple brain metastases or large irregular lesions can be done within an acceptable treatment time and gives the benefits of dose-conformity and organ-sparing, easy plan QA, and patient setup verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe our clinical experience using optically-guided linear accelerator (linac)-based frameless stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of brain metastases. Sixty-five patients (204 lesions) were treated between 2005 and 2008 with frameless SRS using an optically-guided bite-block system. Patients had a median of 2 lesions (range, 1–13). Prescription dose ranged from 14 to 22 Gy (median, 18 Gy) and was given in a single fraction. Clinical and radiographic evaluation occurred every 2–4 months following treatment. At a median follow-up of 6.2 months, actuarial survival at 12 months was 40% [95% confidence interval (CI), 28–52). Of 135 lesions that were evaluable for local control (LC), 119 lesions (88%) did not show evidence of progression. Actuarial 12 month LC was 76% (95% CI, 66–86). Tumors ≤2 cm in size had a better 12 month LC rate (81% vs. 36%, P = 0.017) than those >2 cm. Adverse events occurred in three patients (5%). Optically-guided linac-based frameless SRS can produce clinical outcomes that compare favorably to frame-based techniques. As this technique is convenient to use and allows for the uncomplicated delivery of hypofractionated radiotherapy, frameless SRS will likely have an increasingly important role in the management of brain metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study the effects of osthole on hyperlipidemic fatty liver and investigate the possible mechanisms. Methods: A rat model with hyperlipidemic fatty liver was successfully established by feeding fatty milk for 6 weeks. The experimental rats were then treated with 5-20 mg/kg osthole for 6 weeks. The mouse hyperlipidemic model was induced by feeding fatty milk when they were treated with 10-20 mg/kg osthole for 3 weeks. Results: After treatment with osthole, the levels of rat serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol significantly decreased as compared with the fatty liver model group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Hepatic weight and its coefficient, the hepatic tissue contents of TC, TG, and malondialdehyde, also significantly decreased ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). In fatty milk-induced hyperlipidemic mice, the post-heparin plasma activities of lipo-protein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL), and total lipase (TL) significantly increased after treatment with 10-20 mg/kg osthole for 3 weeks ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Importantly, the histological evaluation of rat liver demonstrated that osthole dramatically decreased lipid accumulation ( P<0.01). Conclusion: Osthole was found to have therapeutic effects on fatty milk-induced rat fatty liver; the mechanisms might be associated with its anti-oxidation and the elevation of the activities of LPL and HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between expression of cell cycle-related protein cyclin D1, p27kip1 and the pathogenesis of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and the value of prediction of prognosis. Methods: Cyclin D1 and p27kip1 protein were detected by immunohistochemical En Vision method in 43 BACs. Results: The positivity of cyclin D1 in BAC was 65.1% (28/43), which was significantly higher than that in normal pulmonary tissue (0/13), P<0.01. No statistically significant association was found between cyclin D1 expression data and sex, age, tobacco-use history, histologic subtype (mucinous vs nonmucinous), stromal fibrosis, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage or postoperative survival period ( P>0.05), while cyclin D1 expression was found to be negatively correlated with tumor size ( P<0.05). The positivity of p27kip1 in BACs was 51.2% (22/43), significantly lower than that in normal pulmonary tissue (12/13), P<0.01. p27kip1 expression level was not associated with sex, age, tobacco-use history, tumor size or histologic subtype ( P<0.05), but was negatively correlated with stromal fibrosis, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage ( P<0.05); and positively associated with postoperative survival period ( P<0.01). The survival rate of p27kip1 positive group was significantly higher than that of p27kip1 negative group ( P<0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between cyclin D1 and p27kip1 expression. Conclusions: Increased cyclin D1 expression and decreased p27kip1 expression are related to the pathogenesis of BAC; decreased p27kip1 expression is associated with metastasis progression; immunodetection of p27kip1 is useful for assessment of prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quartic self-coupling constant in an open static Einstein universe is investigated. The temperature and curvature effects to coupling constant is discussed through the one-loop renormalized effective potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of interleukin-2 (IL-2) produced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro, T cell subsets and the function of T suppressor cells (Ts) in patients with schistosomiasis japonica were investigated. It was found that the level of IL-2 induced by schistosomal antigens was significantly high and positively related to the percentage of CD4 cells. In the groups of chronic and advanced schistosomiasis japonica, the level of IL-2 induced by schistosomal antigens was markedly lower than that in the group of acute schistosomiasis japonica, but significantly higher than that in the group of normal controls. The IL-2 level was negatively related to the percentage of CD8 T cells and the ratio of CD4/CD8. The level of IL-2 induced by PHA was greatly reduced in the group of advanced schistosomiasis japonica. The changes in the level of IL-2 and its relationship with T cell subsets and the function of Ts are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In liver biopsies from 21 patients with schistosomiasis japonica complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 69 patients with advanced schistosomiasis japonica, and 25 patients with HCC, HBsAg and HBcAg were investigated with peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. The positive rate of HBAg (i.e. HBsAg and/or HBcAg) in the liver of patients with schistosomiasis japonica complicated by HCC was significantly higher than in the group of advanced schistosomiasis japonica, but similar to that in cases of HCC. The location of carcinoma cells in the liver was not related to the distribution of schistosomial ova in patients with schistosomiasis japonica complicated by HCC. The results indicated that the complication with hepatitis B virus infection may be one of the major factors involved in the development of HCC in patients with schistosomiasis japonica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The function of spontaneous T suppressor cell (STs) of peripheral blood was examined in 56 patients with schistosomiasis japonica at various stages. The subsets of T cell were simultaneously phenotyped in 46 cases. The percentages of CD (pan T cell), CD (helper/inducer T cell) and CD (suppressor/cytotoxic T cell) in patients with acute schistosomiasis japonica were significantly higher than those in the normal controls. In patients with chronic and advanced schistosomiasis japonica, the percentage of CD T cell and the function of STs were greatly increased, but the percentage of CD T cell and the ratio of CD /CD were obviously reduced. All of these markers changed more significantly in patients with advanced schistosomiasis japonica. The percentage of CD T cell in patients with acute schistosomiasis japonica was negatively correlated with the function of STs. In patients with chronic and advanced schistosomiasis japonica the percentage of CD T cell was correlated positively and the ratio of CD /CD negatively with the function of STs. The results indicated that the cellular immunity was significantly increased in cases of acute schistosomiasis japonica and decreased in those with chronic or advanced schistosomiasis japonica. The increased CD T cell may be principally cytotoxic T cells in patients with acute schistosomiasis japonica, but suppressor T cells in patients with chronic and advanced schistosomiasis japonica. The subsets of T cells and the function of T suppressor cells may play an important role in the immunoregulation of schistosomiasis japonica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Il Nuovo Cimento: B is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents author's view on solar cell design based on silicon microwires. He reports that this design achieves efficient absorption of sunlight. He also reports that it uses only 1 percent of active material used in conventional designs. He discusses that the silicon microwire array functions as a efficient light trap in which sunlight makes several turns and travels horizontally. He also presents a figure depicting the mechanism of solar cell light management.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), accounts for 30–40% of newly diagnosed lymphomas, has an overall cure rate of approximately 60%. Despite previous reports suggesting a negative prognostic association between CCND3 mutations and Burkitt lymphoma, their prognostic implications in DLBCL remain controversial. To investigate this, we evaluated CCND3 mutation status in 2059 DLBCL patient samples from four database (integrated cohort) and additional 167 DLBCL patient samples in our center (JSPH cohort). The mutation was identified in 5.5% (113/2059) of the cases in the integrated cohort, with 86% (97/113) found in exon 5. Furthermore, P284, R271, I290 and Q276 are described as CCND3 mutation hotspots. CCND3 mutation was associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in the integrated cohort (P = 0.0407). Further subgroup analysis revealed that patients diagnosed as EZB subtype DLBCL by LymphGen algorithm with CCND3 mutations had poorer OS than patients diagnosed as EZB subtype without CCND3 mutations (P = 0.0140). Using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the JSPH cohort, it was found that both cell cycle and DNA replication pathways were highly upregulated in patients with CCND3 mutations. Our results suggest that CCND3 mutations can serve as a novel prognostic factor in DLBCL pathogenesis. Consequently, the development of personalized therapeutic strategies for DLBCL patients with CCND3 mutations might enhance their prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]