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Background: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the breast (PSCCB) is a rare clinical classification of breast tumors. Little is known about its clinicopathological features, prognosis and potential therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) on patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients diagnosed with PSCCB in our center. All pathological slides were reviewed by an experienced pathologist to confirm the diagnosis. Furthermore, we searched the public database for patients with SCC of the breast. Then, we analyzed the clinicopathological features, treatment methods and patient outcomes. Results: We identified 14 patients with primary SCC of the breast in our center. Additionally, 739 patients with SCC of the breast from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were diagnosed between 1975 and 2016. Only 453 patients who underwent surgery were included in this study. Patients from the SEER database had a more advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage than patients from our center. The median overall survival (OS) of all patients was 104 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.2–120.8 months), and the 5‐year OS was 60.8% (95% CI, 56.1%–65.5%). Most of the patients (58%) tested negative for hormonal receptor expression. Multivariate analysis showed that PORT was an independent prognostic factor for OS. Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate that SCC of the breast presents aggressive behavior with unique clinical characteristics. PORT improved OS significantly in patients with SCC of the breast. Longer‐term studies are needed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the causes of enteric fever in Asia. Most cases are believed to be caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and the remainder by S. Paratyphi A. [...]

Effective and safe implementation of precision oncology for breast cancer is a vital strategy to improve patient outcomes, which relies on the application of reliable biomarkers. As 'liquid biopsy' and novel resource for biomarkers, exosomes provide a promising avenue for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Although several exosome-related databases have been developed, there is still lacking of an integrated database for exosome-based biomarker discovery. To this end, a comprehensive database ExoBCD (https://exobcd.liumwei.org) was constructed with the combination of robust analysis of four high-throughput datasets, transcriptome validation of 1191 TCGA cases and manual mining of 950 studies. In ExoBCD, approximately 20 900 annotation entries were integrated from 25 external sources and 306 exosomal molecules (49 potential biomarkers and 257 biologically interesting molecules). The latter could be divided into 3 molecule types, including 121 mRNAs, 172 miRNAs and 13 lncRNAs. Thus, the well-linked information about molecular characters, experimental biology, gene expression patterns, overall survival, functional evidence, tumour stage and clinical use were fully integrated. As a data-driven and literature-based paradigm proposed of biomarker discovery, this study also demonstrated the corroborative analysis and identified 36 promising molecules, as well as the most promising prognostic biomarkers, IGF1R and FRS2. Taken together, ExoBCD is the first well-corroborated knowledge base for exosomal studies of breast cancer. It not only lays a foundation for subsequent studies but also strengthens the studies of probing molecular mechanisms, discovering biomarkers and developing meaningful clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐amplitude structures and volcanic intrusion diapir structures are developed in the Upper Palaeozoic in the LX (Linxing) area, eastern Ordos Basin, China. However, the tectonic evolution of this area and its gas control effect were not clear. In this article, taking the LX area, eastern Ordos Basin as an example, the tectonic evolution and palaeostructure of the Upper Palaeozoic were restored using a large number of drilling, logging, and seismic data. The acoustic wave time difference method was used to calculate the denudation thickness of the unconformity surface (T3y‐Q, Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation‐Quaternary). The calculated results showed that the denudation thicknesses mainly range between 1,000 and 2,500 m. The tectonic evolution model of the Upper Palaeozoic strata since the end of the Triassic period was established using the balanced cross‐section technique, and the palaeo‐tectonic pattern of the target layer in the early stage of the Early‐Cretaceous epoch was restored. The strong buckling tectonic activities of the Zijinshan Pluton provided the main driving force for the deformation of the Upper Palaeozoic rock mass. Finally, the coupling relationship between the ancient and current structural patterns of the target layer, and the distribution of commercial gas wells was compared. The results show that high parts of the palaeo‐tectonic structures are favourable places for the large‐scale accumulation of tight sandstone gas, and the current structure plays a certain role in adjusting the distribution of tight sandstone gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celastrus orbiculatus extract (COE) has been used in folk medicine in China for the treatment of a number of diseases. In the laboratory, COE exhibits a variety of anticancer functions, including inhibition of metastasis. However, the underlying molecular anti-metastatic mechanism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the anti-metastatic effect of COE was involved in inhibiting migration and invasion of human NPC cells. In vitro, cell viability and apoptosis of 5-8F cells were analyzed using an MTS assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Invasion and migration of 5-8F cells were analyzed using a Transwell assay. Protein and mRNA expression levels of 5-8F cells were analyzed by western blot analysis and the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. COE significantly decreased cell viability in 5-8F cells and inhibited enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and Rho-associated coiled coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) expression at the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, COE decreased the migration and invasion of 5-8F cells in a dose-dependent manner. The results of the present study suggested that COE prevents migration and invasion by suppressing the EZH2/ROCK1 signaling pathway in NPC cells. On the basis of the results of the present study, COE may be a novel anticancer agent for the treatment of metastasis in NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fe-doped Ni 2 P/CoP encapsulated by carbon layers grown on Ni foam are synthesized. • Fe doping, heterostructure, and N-doped carbon are integrated into catalyst. • Fe-CoNiP@NC shows excellent activity for HzOR and HER in alkaline seawater. • It can save 4.03 kWh to generate 1.0 m3 of H 2 by HzOR assisted hydrogen production. Hydrazine oxidation assisting seawater splitting is a promising strategy to achieve chlorine-free energy-saving hydrogen production. Herein, Fe-doped Ni 2 P/CoP encapsulated by ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon layers (Fe-CoNiP@NC) with unique nanosheet structure grown on Ni foam are synthesized, which was used as highly efficient and durable bifunctional catalyst for both hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). For the two-electrode system toward overall hydrazine splitting (OHzS) in alkaline seawater, Fe-CoNiP@NC reveals a low cell voltage of 0.56 V at 1000 mA cm−2, stable operation for 100 h to keep ∼500 mA cm−2, and nearly 100% Faraday efficiency. Compared to the N 2 H 4 -free seawater system, the OHzS system can save 4.03 kWh for producing 1.0 m3 of H 2 , realizing energy-saving H 2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis A was ranked first among all of the different types of viral hepatitis in China, which occurred an average of 500,000 cases annually during the 1980's. A live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine was applied in preventing of the disease in 1992, large scale used in vaccination program in 1995, and incorporated in the Expanded Program of Immunization in 2008 in China. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether, and to what extent, the decline in the incidence of hepatitis A in China was the result of hepatitis A (HA) vaccination. Materials and Methods: Official documents and longitudinal serological follow-up studies were reviewed to compare the incidence of HA before and after the introduction of the vaccine. Results: National trends in the incidence of HA in China saw rates decrease by 92.7% in 2009, compared to the levels seen in 1992. A mass vaccination program was carried out in 3-18 year old children (Wuhan City, China), and its protective efficacy was 85.4%. In a mass vaccination program of an entire population (Shenshi County, China), the annual HA incidence decreased from 359.7/100,000 to 17.7/100,000 (almost 20.3 times). There was a significant relationship found between vaccine coverage and the incidence of HA, the correlation of the negative regression was significant at the 1% (Kendall rank correlation, significant level P < 0.05). Conclusions: In summary, this study highlights the important role of implementing a vaccination program in decreasing the incidence of HA, and the large protective efficacy of such a strategy, as demonstrated in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing hydrogen by water electrolysis is a promising technology in the field of energy conversion. Considering the low reserves of the pure water, hydrogen from seawater electrolysis has more value in practical application. At present, the development of high-efficient and stable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is the top priority for seawater splitting. Herein, the electrochemical reactions mechanism involved in seawater splitting are systematically summarized. In addition, we sum up the current strategies for preparing highly active and stable electrocatalysts for seawater splitting from the aspects of morphological and structural engineering, heterostructure component modulation, and heteroatom doping. Besides the above discussed content, perspective and challenges of designing electrocatalysts for practical hydrogen production in seawater splitting are also pointed out. A brief review of recent progress in electrolysis of seawater, summarizing various strategies to enhance the performance of electrocatalysts for seawater splitting. Difficulties in electrolysis of seawater are presented, and the reaction mechanism underlying the strategy are investigated. [Display omitted] • The electrochemical reactions mechanism involved in seawater splitting were systematically summarized. • The improvement strategies of seawater electrolysis catalysts were summarized. • Perspective and challenges of designing electrocatalysts for hydrogen production in seawater splitting were pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]