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Yu-Ting Zhao,1,* Zhi-Kai Liu,2,* Qiu-Wen Wu,3 Jian-Rong Dai,1 Tao Zhang,1 Angela Y Jia,4 Jing Jin,1 Shu-Lian Wang,1 Ye-Xiong Li,1 Wei-Hu Wang5 1Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; 3Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; 4Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 5Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Aims: To assess motion magnitude in different parts of the liver through surgical clips in postoperative patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and to examine the correlation between the clip and diaphragm motion.Methods: Four-dimensional computed tomography images from 30 liver cancer patients under thermoplastic mask immobilization were selected for this study. Three to seven surgical clips were placed in the resection cavity of each patient. The liver volume on computed tomography image was divided into the right upper (RU), right middle (RM), right lower (RL), hilar, and left lobes. Agreement between the clip and diaphragm motion was assessed by calculating intraclass correlation coefficient, and Bland–Altman analysis (Diff). Furthermore, population-based and patient-specific margins for internal motion were evaluated.Results: The clips located in the RU lobe showed the largest motion, (7.5±1.6) mm, which was significantly more than in the RM lobe (5.7±2.8 mm, p=0.019), RL lobe (4.8±3.3 mm, p=0.017), and hilar lobe (4.7±2.7 mm, p

Purpose: The value of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for early-stage nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma has not been previously reported. The aim of the present study was to assess the dosimetric parameters, toxicity, and treatment outcomes of patients with nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Methods and Materials: Between 2003 and 2008, 42 patients with early-stage nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma underwent definitive high-dose and extended involved-field IMRT with or without combination chemotherapy. The median radiation dose to the primary tumor was 50 Gy. The dose-volume histograms of the target volume and critical normal structures were evaluated in all patients. The locoregional control, overall survival, and progression-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The average mean dose delivered to the planning target volume was 55.5 Gy. Only 1.3% and 2.5% of the planning target volume received <90% and 95% of the prescribed dose, respectively, indicating excellent planning target volume coverage. The mean dose and average dose to the parotid glands was 15 Gy and 14 Gy, respectively. With a median follow-up time of 27 months, the 2-year locoregional control, overall survival, and progression-free survivalrate was 93%, 78%, and 74%, respectively. No Grade 4 or 5 acute or late toxicity was reported. Conclusions: High-dose and extended involved-field IMRT for patients with early-stage nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma showed favorable locoregional control, overall survival, and progression-free survival, with mild toxicity. The dose constraints of IMRT for the parotid glands can be limited to <20 Gy in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwanese oolong tea is renowned for its excellent quality and enjoys a prestigious reputation both domestically and internationally. In recent years, there has been an issue with imported Taiwanese-style oolong tea being sold as genuine Taiwanese oolong tea, which has adversely affected the brand value of Taiwanese oolong tea. In this study, samples of domestic oolong tea (Taiwanese oolong tea) and Taiwanese-style oolong tea produced abroad (including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) were collected. A multi-elements analysis method was applied to establish an elemental database of tea leaf samples. Subsequently, various widely used classification methods were employed to develop a discrimination model for identifying the origin of Taiwanese oolong tea. Utilizing the discrimination model established from a database of 727 samples to determine whether the tea leaves were Taiwanese or external, the statistical performances of classification models such as LDA, Ridge, Random Forest, Boosting, and SVM are nearly consistent. These models achieved an accuracy rate of 97.1%-97.8%, a recall rate (true positive rate) for Taiwanese origin of 98.4%-99.0%, and a precision value for predicting Taiwanese origin of 97.3%-97.8%. This identification technology has become an officially recognized and publicly recommended testing method in Taiwan (TFDAF0032.00, released on November 5, 2021) and has been effectively utilized in official administrative inspections for identification of origin, as well as providing evidence for investigative cases.

Objective: To compare the incidence of radiation-related toxicities between conventional and hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and to explore the risk factors of hypofractionated radiotherapy-induced toxicities. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from consecutive limited-stage SCLC patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy in Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from March 2016 to April 2022. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups according to radiation fractionated regimens. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE, version 5.0) was used to evaluate the grade of radiation esophagus injuries and lung injuries. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with radiation-related toxicities in the hypofractionated radiotherapy group. Results: Among 211 enrolled patients, 108 cases underwent conventional IMRT and 103 patients received hypofractionated IMRT. The cumulative incidences of acute esophagitis grade ≥2 [38.9% (42/108) vs 35.0% (36/103), P =0.895] and grade ≥ 3 [1.9% (2/108) vs 5.8% (6/103), P =0.132] were similar between conventional and hypofractionated IMRT group. Late esophagus injuries grade ≥2 occurred in one patient in either group. No differences in the cumulative incidence of acute pneumonitis grade ≥2[12.0% (13/108) vs 5.8% (6/103), P =0.172] and late lung injuries grade ≥2[5.6% (6/108) vs 10.7% (11/103), P =0.277] were observed. There was no grade ≥3 lung injuries occurred in either group. Using multiple regression analysis, mean esophageal dose ≥13 Gy ( OR =3.33, 95% CI : 1.23-9.01, P =0.018) and the overlapping volume between planning target volume (PTV) and esophageal ≥8 cm(3)( OR =3.99, 95% CI : 1.24-12.79, P =0.020) were identified as the independent risk factors associated with acute esophagitis grade ≥2 in the hypofractionated radiotherapy group. Acute pneumonitis grade ≥2 was correlated with presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, P =0.025). Late lung injuries grade ≥2 was correlated with tumor location( P =0.036). Conclusions: Hypofractionated IMRT are tolerated with manageable toxicities for limited-stage SCLC patients treated with IMRT. Mean esophageal dose and the overlapping volume between PTV and esophageal are independently predictive factors of acute esophagitis grade ≥2, and COPD and tumor location are valuable factors of lung injuries for limited-stage SCLC patients receiving hyofractionated radiotherapy. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Evidence from clinical studies and preclinical studies supports that exercise preconditioning can not only reduce the risk of stroke but also improve brain tissue and functional outcome after stroke. It has been demonstrated that autophagy and mitochondrial dynamics are involved in ischemic stroke. However, it is still unclear whether exercise preconditioning-induced neuroprotection against stroke is associated with modulation of autophagy and mitochondrial dynamics. Although age and sex interactively affect ischemic stroke risk, incidence, and outcome, studies based on young male animals are most often used to explore the role of exercise preconditioning in the prevention of ischemic stroke. In the current study, we examined whether exercise preconditioning could modulate autophagy and mitochondrial dynamics in a brain ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) model of female aged mice. The results showed that exercise preconditioning reduced infarct volume and improved neurological deficits. Additionally, increased levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3-II/LC3-I, LC3-II, p62, Atg7, and mitophagy-related proteins Bnip3L and Parkin, as well as increased levels of mitochondrial fusion modulator Mfn2 and mitochondrial fission modulator Drp1 in the ischemic cortex of female aged mice at 12 h after I/R were present. Our results could contribute to a better understanding of exercise preconditioning-induced neuroprotection against ischemic stroke for the elderly., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article and funding they have received., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic value of gross tumor volume (GTV) in early-stage extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and explore the interactive effect of GTV and radiotherapy (RT) dose on locoregional recurrence (LRR)., Methods: The data of 319 early-stage ENKTCL patients who underwent IMRT were reviewed retrospectively. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and locoregional control (LRC) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to identify independent risk factors for survival outcomes. Penalized spline regression was used to flexibly model the association of continuous predictors (GTV and RT dose) with mortality, progression, and relapse., Results: The 5-year OS, PFS, and LRC for the entire cohort were 72.9, 64.4, and 89.9%, respectively. The risks of disease mortality, progression, and recurrence increased steadily with increasing GTV. Patients with GTV < 35 mL had significantly higher 5-year OS (83.0% vs. 59.4%; P < 0.001), PFS (76.7% vs. 48.4%; P < 0.001), and lower 5-year cumulative LRR rate (4.9% vs. 14.5%; P = 0.004), than patients with GTV ≥ 35 mL. The risk of LRR was low with RT doses of 50-56 Gy, independent of GTV. For patients with GTV ≥ 35 mL, dose ≥ 56 Gy was not associated with decreased LRR., Conclusion: Larger GTV is associated with worse survival and higher LRR in early-stage ENKTCL patients treated with IMRT. A dose of 50-56 Gy may be appropriate to achieve lower risk of LRR, regardless of GTV., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The selection of adaptive strategies in MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy (MRgART) usually relies on subjective review of anatomical changes. However, this kind of review may lead to improper selection of adaptive strategy for some fractions., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop prediction models based on deformation vector field (DVF) features for automatic and accurate strategy selection, using prostate cancer as an example., Methods: 100 fractions of 20 prostate cancer patients were retrospectively selected in this study. Treatment plans using both adapt to position (ATP) strategy and adapt to shape (ATS) strategy were generated. Optimal adaptive strategy was determined according to dosimetric evaluation. DVFs of the deformable image registration (DIR) of daily MRI and CT simulation scans were extracted. The shape, first order statistics, and spatial features were extracted from the DVFs, subjected to further selection using the minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) method. The number of features (F n ) was hyper-tuned using bootstrapping method, and then F n indicating a peak area under the curve (AUC) value was used to construct three prediction models., Results: According to subjective review, the ATS strategy was adopted for all 100 fractions. However, the evaluation results showed that the ATP strategy could have met the clinical requirements for 23 (23%) fractions. The three prediction models showed high prediction performance, with the best performing model achieving an AUC value of 0.896, corresponding accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPC) of 0.9, 0.958, and 0.667, respectively. The features used to construct prediction models included four features extracted from y direction of DVF (DVF y ) and mask, one feature from z direction of DVF (DVF z ). It indicated that the deformation along the anterior-posterior direction had a greater impact on determining the adaptive strategy than other directions., Conclusions: DVF-feature-based models could accurately predict the adaptive strategy and avoid unnecessary selection of time-consuming ATS strategy, which consequently improves the efficiency of the MRgART process., (© 2022 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performs well in the locoregional assessment of extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL). It's important to assess the value of multi-modal MRI-based radiomics for estimating overall survival (OS) in patients with ENKTCL., Methods: Patients with ENKTCL in a prospectively cohort were systemically reviewed and all the pretreatment MRI were acquisitioned. An unsupervised spectral clustering method was used to identify risk groups of patients and radiomic features. A nomogram-revised risk index (NRI) plus MRI radiomics signature (NRI-M) was developed, and compared with the NRI., Results: The 2 distinct type I and II groups of the MRI radiomics signatures were identified. The 5-year OS rates between the type I and type II groups were 87.2% versus 67.3% (P = 0.002) in all patients, and 88.8% versus 69.2% (P = 0.003) in early-stage patients. The discrimination and calibration of the NRI-M for OS prediction demonstrated a better performance than that of either MRI radiomics or NRI, with a mean area under curve (AUC) of 0.748 and 0.717 for predicting the 5-year OS in all-stages and early-stage patients., Conclusions: The NRI-M model has good performance for predicting the prognosis of ENKTCL and may help design clinical trials and improve clinical decision making., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Macrophyte- and algae-dominated lakes (zones) are the two typical states of shallow lakes, where the source and composition of organic matter are distinct. The burial of organic matter (OM) in the sediment supports the role of lakes as carbon sinks. However, organic matter in the sediments could be further processed, influencing the carbon cycle. The post-burial metabolism of the sedimentary OM relates closely to its composition. However, information on the differences in composition remains limited, especially the molecular composition of organic matter from sediments in the macrophyte-dominated and algae-dominated lakes. In this study, sediments were collected from the macrophyte-dominated and algae-dominated zones of Taihu Lake (East Taihu Lake and Meiliang Bay, respectively), and the active pool of sedimentary OM (water soluble organic matter, WSOM) was extracted and purified. The composition of the WSOM was characterized in detail via absorption spectroscopy, fluorescent spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). The optical index of E 2 :E 3 showed that the molecular size of WSOM in the macrophyte-dominated zone (M-WSOM) was slightly larger than that in the algae-dominated zone (A-WSOM). Consistently, the intensity-weighted molecular weights were identified as 388.9 and 379.9, respectively, via FT-ICR MS analysis. M-WSOM was more humified than A-WSOM, as evidenced by the SUVA 254 and HIX values. The FT-ICR MS results showed that the relative abundance of the condensed aromatic substance and the aromatics were 6.3% (intensity-weighted) and 7.7% for M-WSOM and 1.1% and 4.4% for A-WSOM, respectively. The excitation-emission matrix fluorescence-parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) suggested that the protein-like component was more in A-WSOM than that in M-WSOM, and the FT-ICR MS results showed that the intensity-weighted relative abundances of peptides were 35.6% and 15.6% for A-WSOM and M-WSOM, respectively. The FT-ICR MS results further showed that the heteroatom-containing molecules were abundant in the sedimentary WSOM, i.e., 82.9% and 91.7% for M-WSOM and A-WSOM, respectively. The nitrogen-containing molecules dominated, contributing to 53.5% and 78.5% of M-WSOM and A-WSOM, respectively. There were 30.4% and 41.4% phosphorus-containing molecules in M-WSOM and A-WSOM, respectively. The phosphorus-containing molecules in M-WSOM were mainly aliphatics and highly unsaturated structures with low oxygen, whereas those in A-WSOM were mainly peptides. This study elucidated the detailed molecular composition of WSOM in the macrophyte-dominated and algae-dominated zones of Taihu Lake, which aids understanding of the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus biogeochemical cycles in lakes.

Objective: To evaluate the storage stability of metabolites from actinomycetes Streptomyces nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 and the mollcuscicidal activity against Oncomelania hupensis in the laboratory, and to preliminarily explore the mechanisms of the molluscicidal activity., Methods: The fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was prepared and stored at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C without light for 10 d; then, the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The fermentation supernatant was boiled in a 100 °C water bath for 30 min and recovered to room temperature, and then the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The pH values of the fermentation supernatant were adjusted to 4.0, 6.0 and 9.0 with concentrated hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, and the fermentation supernatant was stilled at room temperature for 12 h, with its pH adjusted to 7.0; then, the molluscicidal effect was tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h. The fermentation product of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7was isolated and purified four times with macroporous resin, silica gel and octadecylsilane bonded silica gel. The final products were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 10.00, 5.00, 2.50, 1.25 mg/L and 0.63 mg/L, and the molluscicidal effect of the final productswas tested against O. hupensis following immersion for 72 h, while dechlorination water served as blank controls, and 0.10 mg/L niclosamide served as positive control. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) levels were measured in in O. hupensis soft tissues using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) following exposure to the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7., Results: After the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was placed at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C without light for 10 d, immersion in the stock solution and solutions at 10- and 50-fold dilutions for 72 h resulted in a 100% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. Following boiling at 100 °C for 30 min, immersion in the stock solution and solutions at 10- and 50-fold dilutions for 72 h resulted in a 100.00% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. Following storage at pH values of 4.0 and 6.0 for 12 h, immersion in the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 for 72 h resulted in a 100.00% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality, and following storage at a pH value of 9.0 for 12 h, immersion in the fermentation supernatant of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 for 72 h resulted in a 33.33% (10/30) O. hupensis mortality ( χ 2 = 30.000, P < 0.05). The minimum concentration of the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 was 1.25 mg/L for achieving a 100% (30/30) O. hupensis mortality. The ATP level was significantly lower in O. hupensis soft tissues exposed to 0.10 mg/L and 1.00 mg/L of the final purified fermentation products of S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 than in controls ( F = 7.274, P < 0.05), while no significant difference was detected in the ADP level between the treatment group and controls ( F = 2.485, P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The active mollcuscicidal ingredients of the S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 metabolites are maintained stably at -20, 4 °C and 28 °C for 10 d, and are heat and acid resistant but not alkali resistant. The metabolites from S. nigrogriseolus XD 2-7 may cause energy metabolism disorders in O. hupensis , leading to O. hupensis death.

Objective: To test the activity of aromatic pyrrole-based compounds against cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum and test their acute toxicity to fish., Methods: A series of aromatic pyrrole-based compounds were synthesized using 4-benzyl-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-nitrile as the lead compound. The synthesized compounds were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 10.00, 1.00, 0.10, 0.01 mg/L, and the activity of these solutions against S. japonicum cercariae was tested in 30 min, while 0.10 mg/L and 0.01 mg/L niclosamide solutions served as a positive control and dechlorinated water with 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as a negative control, with 10 to 30 cercariae of S. japonicum in each group. In addition, the compounds were prepared into solutions at concentrations of 0.50, 0.25, 0.12, 0.06, 0.03 mg/L, and their toxicity to zebrafish was tested in 72 h, while 0.15 mg/L and 0.30 mg/L niclosamide solutions served as a positive control and dechlorinated water with 1% DMSO was used as a negative control, with 10 zebrafishes in each group., Results: A total of 7 aromatic pyrrole-based compounds were successfully synthesized. Treatment with compounds 102, 104 and 106 at a concentration of 0.01 mg/L for 30 min killed all S. japonicum cercariae, and compounds 105 and 107 showed no activity against cercariae. No death of cercariae was found in the blank control group, while treatment with 0.10 mg/L niclosamide for 10 min caused a 100% mortality rate of S. japonicum cercariae and 0.01 mg/L niclosamide failed to kill S. japonicum cercariae. No zebrafish death was found 72 h post-treatment with compounds 101, 104 and 105 at a concentration of 0.03 mg/L, and exposure to compounds 102, 103 and 106 at a concentration of 0.03 mg/L for 12 h resulted in a 100% mortality rate of zebrafish. No zebrafish death occurred 72 h post-treatment with 0.50 mg/L Compound 104, and no zebrafish death was found in the blank control group, while treatment with 0.30 mg/L niclosamide for 24 h resulted in a 100% mortality rate of zebrafish., Conclusions: Compound 104 achieves a 100% mortality rate against S. japonicum cercariae at a concentration of 0.01 mg/L for 30 min, and causes no death of zebrafish at a concentration of 0.50 mg/L for 72 h, which may serve as a cercaricide candidate.

Background: With the aggravation of the aging of the world population, frailty has become one of the common complications in elderly people. Its diagnosis is not objective, the pathogenesis is not clear, and interventions are not sound, thus intensifying the problem. Furthermore, frailty is closely associated with the occurrence and poor prognosis of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Moreover, few studies report on the prevalence of frailty in elderly patients with the chronic coronary syndrome (CCS)., Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of frailty in elderly patients with CCS. We analyzed the correlation between the blood serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), albumin (Alb), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with frailty in elderly patients with CCS. We have also provided recommendations for helping the objective diagnosis as well as proposed new intervention methods in the future., Methods: Two hundred eight-eight inpatients (≥60 years) with the chronic coronary syndrome were recruited at the Department of Geriatrics, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, China. General information and laboratory examination data were collected. The comprehensive geriatric assessment was conducted via an internet-based platform of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (inpatient version) developed by us, among which frailty was assessed by the Chinese version of Fried Frailty Phenotype, a component of the assessment scale., Results: Among the total number of old patients with CCS, 87 (30.2%) had no frailty, 93 (32.3%) had early frailty, and 108 (37.5%) had frailty. According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounding factors, IL-6 (OR = 1.066, 95% CI 1.012-1.127), Alb (OR = 0.740, 95% CI 0.560-0.978), and 25(OH)D (OR = 0.798, 95% CI 0.670-0.949) were independently associated with frailty in the three groups of models., Conclusion: IL-6 proved to be a risk factor for frailty in elderly patients with CCS, while Alb and 25(OH)D were protective factors, which make the potential targets for predicting and intervening frailty in elderly patients with CCS., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest in this article., (© 2022 The Authors. Aging Medicine published by Beijing Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: To compare the effects of levo-praziquantel (L-PZQ) and dextro-praziquantel (D-PZQ) on the proliferation and activation of the human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 in vitro ., Methods: LX-2 cells were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). LX-2 cell proliferation was measured using the CCK-8 assay after 24 h stimulation with 0 to 50 μg/mL concentrations of praziquantel, and the gene and protein expression of type Ⅰ collagen (collagen Ⅰ), type Ⅲ collagen (collagen Ⅲ) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was quantified in LX-2 cells using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting assays 24 h and 48 h following stimulation with 15 μg/mL praziquantel to detect LX-2 cell activation., Results: There were significant differences in the survival rate of LX-2 cells between L-PZQ and D-PZQ treatments at all concentrations ( F = 6.119 and 79.180, both P values < 0.05). Either L-PZQ or D-PZQ at a concentration of < 30 μg/mL showed no remarkableeffectsonthe LX-2 cell proliferation (both P values > 0.05), and L-PZQ at a concentration of > 50 μg/mL and D-PZQ at a concentration of > 40 μg/mL inhibited the LX-2 cell proliferation (both P values < 0.05), while D-PZQ at concentrations of 40 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL showed greater inhibition on LX-2 cell proliferation than L-PZQ ( t = 3.419 and 8.776, both P values < 0.05). There were significant differences in the collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ and α-SMA expression in LX-2 cells at both transcriptional ( F = 21.55, 79.99 and 46.70, all P values < 0.05) and translational levels ( F = 20.12, 30.29 and 32.93, all P values < 0.05) among the blank control group, TGF-β stimulation group, L-PZQ treatment group and D-PZQ treatment group. L-PZQ treatment resulted in remarkable inhibition on collagen Ⅲ and α- SMA gene expression in LX-2 cells (both P values < 0.05); however, the treatment showed no remarkable inhibition collagen Ⅰ gene expression or collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ or α-SMA protein expression in LX-2 cells (all P values > 0.05). In addition, D-PZQ treatment resulted in significant inhibition on collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ and α-SMA expression in LX-2 cells at both translational and transcriptional levels (all P values < 0.05), and D-PZQ showed higher inhibition on collagen Ⅰ, collagen Ⅲ and α- SMA gene expression in LX-2 cells than L-PZQ (all P values < 0.05)., Conclusions: Both L-PZQ and D-PZQ inhibit the proliferation and activation of LX-2 cells, and D-PZQ shows a higher inhibitory activity than L-PZQ.

Purpose: To present an overview of the status of medical physics in radiotherapy in China, including facilities and devices, occupation, education, research, etc. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The information about medical physics in clinics was obtained from the 9-th nationwide survey conducted by the China Society for Radiation Oncology in 2019. The data of medical physics in education and research was collected from the publications of the official and professional organizations., Results: By 2019, there were 1463 hospitals or institutes registered to practice radiotherapy and the number of accelerators per million population was 1.5. There were 4172 medical physicists working in clinics of radiation oncology. The ratio between the numbers of radiation oncologists and medical physicists is 3.51. Approximately, 95% of medical physicists have an undergraduate or graduate degrees in nuclear physics and biomedical engineering. 86% of medical physicists have certificates issued by the Chinese Society of Medical Physics. There has been a fast growth of publications by authors from mainland of China in the top international medical physics and radiotherapy journals since 2018., Conclusions: Demand for medical physicists in radiotherapy increased quickly in the past decade. The distribution of radiotherapy facilities in China became more balanced. High quality continuing education and training programs for medical physicists are deficient in most areas. The role of medical physicists in the clinic has not been clearly defined and their contributions have not been fully recognized by the community., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: To investigate the sensitivity of adult worms of filial generations from praziquantel-resistant and -sensitive Schistosoma japonicum mixed infections to praziquantel., Methods: Mice were infected with the cercariae of an experimentally generated praziquantel-resistant S. japonicum isolate [median effective dose (ED 50 ) = 277.4 mg/kg] and a laboratory-maintained praziquantel-sensitive S. japonicum isolate (ED 50 = 99.6 mg/kg) at a mixture ratio of 1:1 and 2:1, which was maintained in the laboratory via the mouse-snail cycle for 8 generations. Then, mice were infected with the cercariae of the 8th filial-generation parasite, and grouped 35 days post-infection. Mice in the 5 treatment groups were given praziquantel treatment by gavage at a single oral dose of 37.5, 75, 150, 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg, while animals in the control group was administered orally with 2.5% cremophor EL. All mice were sacrificed 14 days post-treatment and adult worms were collected by perfusion of the portal vein. The worm burden reductions and praziquantel ED 50 values were calculated. The praziquantel-resistant S. japonicum isolate generated from experimental induction with 12 rounds of praziquantel treatment with sub-curative doses was maintained in the laboratory via the mouse-snail cycle, and mice were infected with the cercariae of the 8th filial-generation parasite. The praziquantel ED 50 value against the 8th filial-generation adults was measured., Results: After mice were infected with the mixture of cercariae of PZQ-resistant and -sensitive S. japonicum isolates at a ratio of 1:1, the praziquantel ED 50 was 135.2 mg/kg against the adults of the 8th filial-generation parasite. After mice were infected with the mixture of cercariae of PZQ-resistant and -sensitive S. japonicum isolates at a ratio of 2:1, the praziquantel ED 50 was 129.2 mg/kg against the adults of the 8th filial-generation parasite. In addition, the praziquantel ED 50 was 208.4 mg/kg against the adults of the 8th filial-generation S. japonicum without the selection pressure of praziquantel., Conclusions: Compared with the experimentally induced praziquantel-resistant S. japonicum isolate, the adult worms of the filial-generation S. japonicum show a reduced sensitivity to praziquantel in the same host following infection with the mixture of cercariae of praziquantel-resistant and -sensitive S. japonicum isolates. The adult worms of the filial generation of the praziquantel-resistant S. japonicum isolate without the selection pressure of praziquantel may still maintain the resistance to praziquantel.

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Ning Li at South China University of Technology. The image shows an efficient photobiocatalytic system to regenerate oxidized nicotinamide cofactors for dehydrogenase-mediated oxidations. The Communication itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.202100184., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Praziquantel not only has broad-spectrum anti-trematode and anti-tapeworm effects, but also has pharmacological effects such as regulating inflammatory response and anti-fibrosis. Hereby, the anti-fibrosis effect of praziquantel and its mechanism were reviewed in order to provide theoretical basis for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Objective: To investigate the factors affecting the degradation of niclosamide in the soil, so as to provide the evidence for the assessment of the environmental safety in the field snail control with niclosamide., Methods: A high performance liquid chromatography was established for the determination of niclosamide in the field. Then, the degradation of niclosamide was investigated in soils with different moistures (10%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90%), temperatures [(15 ± 1), (25 ± 1), (35 ± 1) °C], initial concentrations (1, 5, 10 mg/kg) and in sterilized and non-sterilized soils. In addition, the degradation of niclosamide was fitted with the first-order kinetics equation, and the degradation half-life was calculated., Results: The niclosamide residues gradually decreased over time in soils with different moistures, and a higher rate of degradation was seen in soils with a higher moisture. The degradation half-life of niclosamide reduced from 4.258 d in the soil with a 10% moisture to 2.412 d in the soil with a 90% moisture. The niclosamide residues gradually decreased over time in soils with different temperatures, and a higher rate of degradation was seen in soils with a higher temperature. The degradation half-life of niclosamide reduced from 4.398 d in the soil with a temperature of (15 ± 1) °C to 2.828 d in the soil with a temperature of (35 ± 1) °C. The degradation half-lives of niclosamide were 3.212, 3.333 d and 3.448 d in soils containing niclosamide at initial concentrations of 1, 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, and > 30 d and 3.273 d in sterilized and non-sterilized soils. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that soil microorganisms ( P = 0.010), moisture ( P = 0.000) and temperature ( P = 0.002) affected the half-life of niclosamide degradation., Conclusions: The degradation of niclosamide in soils fits the first-order kinetics equation, and presence of microorganisms, a high temperature and high moisture may accelerate the degradation of niclosamide in the soil.

To investigate progression-free survival (PFS) and event-free survival (EFS) as early efficacy endpoints in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), this systematic review included phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs), phase II trials, and retrospective studies in newly diagnosed DLBCL receiving rituximab-containing chemotherapy through databases search up to 2019. Quality control was performed, where studies with high risk of bias were excluded. Prediction models were first established using the RCTs, and then externally validated in the phase II and retrospective populations. Trial-level surrogacy analysis was conducted by correlating the logarithmic (log) hazard ratio (HR) for PFS or EFS and log HR for OS. Correlation analysis at treatment arm-level was performed between 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year PFS or EFS rates and 5-year OS. The correlation was evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient r in weighted linear regression, with weight equal to patient size. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the consistency of predictive model by leaving one subgroup of trials out at a time. Twenty-six phase III RCTs, 4 phase II trials and 47 retrospective studies were included. In trial-level surrogacy, PFS (r, 0.772; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.471-0.913) or EFS (r, 0.838; 95% CI, 0.625-0.938) were associated with OS. For rituximab immunochemotherapy treatment arms in RCTs, there was a linear correlation between 1 and 5-year PFS (r, 0.813-0.873) or EFS (r, 0.853-0.931) and 5-year OS. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated reasonable overall consistency. The correlation between PFS and OS was externally validated using independent phase II, and retrospective data (r, 0.795-0.897). We recommend PFS and EFS as earlier efficacy endpoints in patients with DLBCL primarily treated with rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy.

Bilirubin is a promising prognostic factor for non-liver disease-related deaths in various cancers. We investigated the association between preoperative serum bilirubin levels and oncological outcomes in patients with ovarian cancer. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 282 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC), and grouped them according to optimal threshold values of total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), and indirect bilirubin (IBL) measured by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to evaluate various parameters that might affect overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with EOC. The optimal cutoff values for TBIL, DBIL, and IBIL levels were 9.65 µmol/L, 2.95 µmol/L, and 6.75 µmol/L, respectively. Increased TBIL, DBIL, and IBIL levels correlated with the serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)-125 levels, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and pathological differentiation (all P<0.05). Univariate analysis revealed longer OS and PFS in patients with high TBIL (≥9.65 µmol/L) and IBIL (≥6.75 µmol/L) levels (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that patients with high IBIL levels (≥6.75 µmol/L) had significantly longer OS and PFS than those with low IBIL levels (<6.75 µmol/L) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.333, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.123~0.904, P<0.05; HR = 1.814, 95% CI: 1.169~2.816, P<0.05]. Therefore, IBIL is a potential independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS in patients with EOC. The higher the IBL level, the better the prognosis of patients with EOC., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2020.)

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is sensitive to radiotherapy (RT). However, neurocognitive complications such as memory loss and learning and attention deficits emerge in the survivors of NPC who received RT. It remains unclear how radiation affects patient brain function. This pilot study aimed at finding cerebral functional alterations in NPC patients who have received RT., Methods: From September 2014 to December 2016, 42 individuals, including 22 NPC patients and 20 normal volunteer controls in National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Peking Union Medical College, were recruited in this study. All patients received resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans and neurocognitive tests 1 day before the initiation of RT (baseline) and 1 day after the completion of RT; the 20 normal controls were also subjected to the same scans and tests. The amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in blood oxygen level-dependent signals and functional connectivity (FC) were used to characterize cerebral functional changes. Independent t test, paired t test, and analysis of variances were used to obtain statistical significance across groups., Results: After RT, NPC patients showed significantly decreased ALFF values in the calcarine sulcus, lingual gyrus, cuneus, and superior occipital gyrus and showed significantly reduced FC mainly in the default mode network (P < 0.05, corrected by AlphaSim). Relative to the controls, ALFF was decreased in the lingual gyrus, calcarine sulcus, cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal gyrus (P < 0.05, corrected by AlphaSim), and FC reduction was found in multiple cerebellar-cerebral regions, including the cerebellum, parahippocampus, hippocampus, fusiform gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, inferior occipital gyrus, precuneus, and cingulate cortex (P < 0.001, corrected by AlphaSim)., Conclusions: Cerebral functional alterations occur immediately after RT. This study may provide an explanation for the cognitive deficits in the morphologically normal-appearing brains of NPC patients after RT and may contribute to the understanding of the complex mechanism of RT.

Background: In the roadmap on the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) the World Health Organization (WHO) aims at attaining at least 75% coverage of preventive chemotherapy in pre-school and school-age children by 2020. A randomized controlled trial was used to compare the effectiveness of praziquantel in treating Schistosoma haematobium in Africa using two different sources for the drug, Merck Limited Partnership (KgaA), Germany and Nanjing Pharmaceutical Factory (NPF), China., Methods: More than 6,000 participants testing positive for S. haematobium infection were enrolled from three villages (shehias) situated in the northern, middle and southern part of Pemba Island, Zanzibar. Applying criteria of inclusion and exclusion, resulted in a study population of 152 people (84 males, 68 females). A randomized controlled trial was conducted assigning participants to either praziquantel from NPF or Merck KGaA. After one month, the cure rate of S. haematobium and adverse events were compared to evaluate effectiveness. The ratio of male to female, the ratio of light/high infection intensity, and the average value of age were calculated between the two drug manufacturers. Chi-squared test and T-test were used for consistency analysis., Results: Out of the total of 73 cases receiving praziquantel from NPF, the cure rate achieved was 97.3% (73/75), while the 74 cases receiving the drug from Merck KgaA reached a similar cure rate (96.1% or 74/77). There was no significant difference between the two outcomes (χ2 = 0.003, P = 0.956). Among the 75 patients treat, only one (a 16-years old female student), who had received the drug made in China had slight adverse reactions manifested as dizziness, headache and abdominal pain., Conclusion: The efficacy of China-made praziquantel does not differ significantly from praziquantel made by Merck KGaA in Germany., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03133832., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Scientists are increasingly aware that heavy metal contamination in soils, especially in farmland ecosystems, can negatively affect human health and alter the bacterial community that plays a critical role in plant growth and heavy metal accumulation. The goal of the present paper was to uncover how various heavy metals and non-metallic elements affect human health and bacterial diversity in cornfields and to explore the contribution of soil bacteria to heavy metal accumulation in crops. Soil samples were collected from five counties in Shandong Province, China, where abnormally high levels of heavy metals and metalloids were caused by mining and heavy industry. We calculated a hazard quotient (HQ) to evaluate the health risk these heavy metals cause and analyzed the soil bacterial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The HQ results showed that As posed the greatest threat to human health followed by Pb although concentrations of all metals did not reach the health risk threshold. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed soil bacterial richness was significantly influenced by As, Ni, and Cr as well as pH and phosphorus, but not by the species diversity of aboveground weeds. The most abundant bacteria in our study region were heavy metal tolerant groups, specifically Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. Moreover, correlation analysis suggested that Actinobacteria might reduce the phytoaccumulation of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Hg in corn, while Proteobacteria might weaken phytoaccumulation of Pb, Ni, As, and Cd. Our results verified that heavy metals play an important role in shaping the soil bacterial community. Using native bacteria in farmland provides a potential biological strategy for reducing the health risk posed by heavy metals related to food consumption., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is widely used in clinical practice. It not only significantly reduces treatment time, but also produces high-quality treatment plans. Current optimization approaches heavily rely on stochastic algorithms which are time-consuming and less repeatable. In this study, a novel approach is proposed to provide a high-efficient optimization algorithm for VMAT treatment planning., Methods: A progressive sampling strategy is employed for beam arrangement of VMAT planning. The initial beams with equal-space are added to the plan in a coarse sampling resolution. Fluence-map optimization and leaf-sequencing are performed for these beams. Then, the coefficients of fluence-maps optimization algorithm are adjusted according to the known fluence maps of these beams. In the next round the sampling resolution is doubled and more beams are added. This process continues until the total number of beams arrived. The performance of VMAT optimization algorithm was evaluated using three clinical cases and compared to those of a commercial planning system., Results: The dosimetric quality of VMAT plans is equal to or better than the corresponding IMRT plans for three clinical cases. The maximum dose to critical organs is reduced considerably for VMAT plans comparing to those of IMRT plans, especially in the head and neck case. The total number of segments and monitor units are reduced for VMAT plans. For three clinical cases, VMAT optimization takes < 5 min accomplished using proposed approach and is 3-4 times less than that of the commercial system., Conclusions: The proposed VMAT optimization algorithm is able to produce high-quality VMAT plans efficiently and consistently. It presents a new way to accelerate current optimization process of VMAT planning.

Objective: Liver failure (LF) is a clinically complex disorder that characterizes with hepatic dysfunction. This study aimed at observing the therapeutic effects of peritoneal dialysis on liver function in LF patients., Patients and Methods: This study involves 62 patients diagnosed as LF hospitalized from February 2005 to December 2016. The 62 LF patients were randomly divided into 3 groups, including artificial liver applying plasma exchange group (PE, n = 28), peritoneal dialysis group (PD, n = 22), and conservative treatment group (CT, n=12). Laboratory indexes, including serum total bilirubin (TBiL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin (ALB), blood ammonia (AMMO), international normalized ratio (INR), and creatinine (Cr) were evaluated. Inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and procalcitonin (PCT) were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit., Results: Peritoneal dialysis significantly improves clinical outcomes, including decreased mortality, increased survival rate and total effective rate, compared to conservative treatment (p < 0.05). Peritoneal dialysis reduced hospitalization expenses compared to PE method and conservative treatment (p < 0.05). Peritoneal dialysis significantly removed toxic substances (including TBiL, AMMO, Cr) compared to conservative treatment (p < 0.05). The post-treatment level of Cr in peritoneal dialysis group was significantly lower compared to post-treatment level of Cr in PE group (p < 0.05). Peritoneal dialysis significantly improved liver function compared to conservative treatment (p < 0.05). Peritoneal dialysis prevented bleeding tendency compared to conservative treatment (p < 0.05). Peritoneal dialysis alleviated inflammatory response compared to conservative treatment (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Peritoneal dialysis effectively removed toxic substances and improved liver functions of liver failure patients and with a lower therapeutic cost.

Surface soil samples collected from Nansi Lake catchment were analyzed for mercury (Hg) to determine its spatial trends and environmental impacts. Results showed that the average soil Hg contents were 0.043 mg kg -1 . A positive correlation was shown between TOC and soil Hg contents. The main type of soil with higher TOC contents and lower pH values showed higher soil Hg contents. Soil TOC contents and CV values were both higher in the eastern catchment. The eastern part of the catchment, where the industry is developed, had relatively high soil Hg contents and a banding distribution of high Hg contents was corresponded with the southwest-northeast economic belt. Urban soils had higher Hg contents than rural soils. The urbanization pattern that soil Hg contents presented a decreasing trend from city center to suburb was shown clearly especially in the three cities. Soil Hg contents in Jining City showed a good consistency with the urban land expansion. The spatial trends of soil Hg contents in the catchment indicated that the type and the intensity of human activities have a strong influence on the distribution of Hg in soils. Calculated risk indices showed that the western part of the catchment presented moderately polluted condition and the eastern part of the catchment showed moderate to strong pollution level. The area with high ecological risk appeared mainly along the economic belt.

Exercise improves cognitive function in older adults, but the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Both lysosomal degradation and mitochondrial quality control decline with age. We hypothesized that exercise ameliorates age-related cognitive decline through the improvement of mitochondrial quality control in aged hippocampus, and this effect is associated with lysosomal proteolysis. Sixteen to eighteen-month old male Sprague Dawley rats underwent swim exercise training for 10 weeks. The exercise regimen prevented cognitive decline in aged rats, reduced oxidative stress, and rejuvenated mitochondria in the aged hippocampus. Exercise training promoted mitochondrial biogenesis, increased mitochondrial fusion and fission, and activated autophagy/mitophagy in aged hippocampal neurons. Lysosomal inhibitor chloroquine partly blocked beneficial effects of exercise on cognitive function, oxidative stress, autophagy/mitophagy, and mitochondrial quality control in aged rats. These results suggest that preservation of cognitive function by long-term exercise is associated with improvement of mitochondrial quality control in aged hippocampus and that lysosomal degradation is required for this process. Our findings suggest that exercise training or pharmacological regulation of mitochondrial quality control and lysosomal degradation may be effective strategies for slowing down age-related cognitive decline., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To study the short-term effect of Earwell ear correction model on congenital auricular deformity in children. Method: Selected 38 children with ear malformation, a total of 42 ears, born at the age of 7 days to 176 days, and the average age was 62.40 days, and all of patients were used the U.S. Earwell correction model for correction. Result: Final auricular morphologic results were classified as excellent (normal shape), good (nearnormal shape), and poor (slight or no improvement). And the patients were divided into group 1 (neonatal period), group 2 (28-90 days) and group 3 (more than 90 days) according to age, after using the Earwell ear correction device, the result which evaluated excellent are 100.00%, 89.47% and 72.73% respectively, and the average correction times are 16.75 days, 26.26 days and 38.91 days respectively, the ratio of complications are 0, 73.68% and 100.00% respectively. Conclusion: The effection of Earwell ear correction model is significant for the correction of children with congenital auricular deformity , the earlier treatment cause the better result, the shorter of the correcting time , and the lower of the complication rate., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Purpose: Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS), originally developed for diagnostic applications, has been recently introduced to image guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Due to limited scan range, DTS was featured by anisotropic spatial resolution. A new approach, integrated DTS (IDTS), was developed to improve image resolution of DTS for patient positioning in IGRT., Materials and Methods: For registration purpose, both on-board IDTS (O-IDTS) and reference IDTS (R-IDTS) were required. O-IDTS was generated from cone-beam (CB) projections acquired in two narrow scan ranges separated by 90°. R-IDTS was generated from digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) computed from planning CT in the same two narrow scan ranges. Target offsets were determined by registration of O-IDTS and R-IDTS. The reconstruction algorithms of DRR and IDTS were implemented on general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) for acceleration purpose. IDTS approach was evaluated by phantom and patient cases., Results: Comparing with DTS, IDTS provided high-resolution images in both coronal view and sagittal views. The image resolution of IDTS in axial view was significantly improved compared to that of DTS, but still inferior compared to that of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Reconstruction accuracy and registration accuracy for all cases were high which was within 1mm. Reconstruction performance of IDTS using general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU) can be substantially improved, thus competent for daily clinical use., Conclusions: IDTS can provide high-resolution images in coronal and sagittal views with fewer CB projections. Image registration based on IDTS was simple and reliable compared to DTS. IDTS is potentially a useful imaging tool for fast patient positioning in IGRT., (Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The stems of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (Dendrobii Officinalis Caulis) have a high medicinal value as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Because of the limited supply, D. officinale is a high priced TCM, and therefore adulterants are commonly found in the herbal market. The dried stems of a closely related Dendrobium species, Dendrobium devonianum Paxt., are commonly used as the substitute; however, there is no effective method to distinguish the two Dendrobium species. Here, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was successfully developed and applied to differentiate D. officinale and D. devonianum by comparing the chromatograms according to the characteristic peaks. A HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization multistage mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) method was further applied for structural elucidation of 15 flavonoids, 5 phenolic acids, and 1 lignan in D. officinale . Among these flavonoids, 4 flavonoid C-glycosides were firstly reported in D. officinale , and violanthin and isoviolanthin were identified to be specific for D. officinale compared with D. devonianum . Then, two representative components were used as chemical markers. A rapid and reliable high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was applied in distinguishing D. officinale from D. devonianum . The results of this work have demonstrated that these developed analytical methods can be used to discriminate D. officinale and D. devonianum effectively and conveniently.

An intelligence guided approach based on fuzzy inference system (FIS) was proposed to automate beam angle optimization in treatment planning of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The model of FIS is built on inference rules in describing the relationship between dose quality of IMRT plan and irradiated region of anatomical structure. Dose quality of IMRT plan is quantified by the difference between calculated and constraint doses of the anatomical structures in an IMRT plan. Irradiated region of anatomical structure is characterized by the metric, covered region of interest, which is the region of an anatomical structure under radiation field while beam's eye-view is conform to target volume. Initially, an IMRT plan is created with a single beam. The dose difference is calculated for the input of FIS and the output of FIS is obtained with processing of fuzzy inference. Later, a set of candidate beams is generated for replacing the current beam. This process continues until no candidate beams is found. Then the next beam is added to the IMRT plan and optimized in the same way as the previous beam. The new beam keeps adding to the IMRT plan until the allowed beam number is reached. Two spinal cases were investigated in this study. The preliminary results show that dose quality of IMRT plans achieved by this approach is better than those achieved by the default approach with equally spaced beam setting. It is effective to find the optimal beam combination of IMRT plan with the intelligence-guided approach., (Copyright © 2016 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To assess the dosimetric benefit, prognosis, and toxicity of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for early-stage, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of Waldeyer ring (WR-DLBCL)., Methods and Materials: Sixty-one patients with early-stage WR-DLBCL who received chemotherapy followed by IMRT were retrospectively reviewed. Dosimetric parameters for the target volume and critical normal structures were evaluated, and survival was calculated. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the effect of the mean dose (Dmean) to the parotid glands on xerostomia., Results: The median conformity index and homogeneity index of the planning target volume (PTV) were 0.83 and 0.90, respectively, demonstrating very good coverage of the target volume. The mean dose to the parotid glands was 24.9 Gy. The 5-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and locoregional control (LRC) were 94.7%, 93.1%, and 98.3%, respectively. Early and late toxicities were mild, and no patient experienced late grade ≥3 toxicities. The Dmean to the parotid glands had a linear correlation with late grade ≥2 xerostomia., Conclusions: IMRT after chemotherapy can provide excellent dose conformity and achieve favorable survival and LRC with mild toxicities in patients with early-stage WR-DLBCL. Dose constraints for the parotid glands should be limited to <24 Gy for early-stage WR-DLBCL., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) is an image modality in reconstructing tomographic images from two-dimensional kV projections covering a narrow scan angles. Comparing with conventional cone-beam CT (CBCT), it requires less time and radiation dose in data acquisition. It is feasible to apply this technique in patient positioning in radiotherapy. To facilitate its clinical application, a software tool was developed and the reconstruction processes were accelerated by graphic process-ing unit (GPU). Two reconstruction and two registration processes are required for DTS application which is different from conventional CBCT application which requires one image reconstruction process and one image registration process. The reconstruction stage consists of productions of two types of DTS. One type of DTS is reconstructed from cone-beam (CB) projections covering a narrow scan angle and is named onboard DTS (ODTS), which represents the real patient position in treatment room. Another type of DTS is reconstructed from digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and is named reference DTS (RDTS), which represents the ideal patient position in treatment room. Prior to the reconstruction of RDTS, The DRRs are reconstructed from planning CT using the same acquisition setting of CB projections. The registration stage consists of two matching processes between ODTS and RDTS. The target shift in lateral and longitudinal axes are obtained from the matching between ODTS and RDTS in coronal view, while the target shift in longitudinal and vertical axes are obtained from the matching between ODTS and RDTS in sagittal view. In this software, both DRR and DTS reconstruction algorithms were implemented on GPU environments for acceleration purpose. The comprehensive evaluation of this software tool was performed including geometric accuracy, image quality, registration accuracy, and reconstruction efficiency. The average correlation coefficient between DRR/DTS generated by GPU-based algorithm and CPU-based algorithm is 0.99. Based on the measurements of cube phantom on DTS, the geometric errors are within 0.5 mm in three axes. For both cube phantom and pelvic phantom, the registration errors are within 0.5 mm in three axes. Compared with reconstruction performance of CPU-based algorithms, the performances of DRR and DTS reconstructions are improved by a factor of 15 to 20. A GPU-based software tool was developed for DTS application for patient positioning of radiotherapy. The geometric and registration accuracy met the clinical requirement in patient setup of radiotherapy. The high performance of DRR and DTS reconstruction algorithms was achieved by the GPU-based computation environments. It is a useful software tool for researcher and clinician in evaluating DTS application in patient positioning of radiotherapy.

Objective: To develop a machine simultaneously integrating mechanized environmental cleaning and automatic mollusciciding and to evaluate its effectiveness of field application, so as to provide a novel Oncomelania hupensis snail control technique in the large-scale marshlands., Methods: The machine simultaneously integrating mechanized environmental cleaning and automatic mollusciciding, which was suitable for use in complex marshland areas, was developed according to the mechanization and automation principles, and was used for O. hupensis snail control in the marshland. The effect of the machine on environmental cleaning and plough was evaluated, and the distribution of living snails was observed at various soil layers following plough. The snail control effects of plough alone and plough followed by mollusciciding were compared., Results: The machine could simultaneously complete the procedures of getting vegetation down and cut vegetation into pieces, plough and snail control by spraying niclosamide. After plough, the constituent ratios of living snails were 36.31%, 25.60%, 22.62% and 15.48% in the soil layers at depths of 0-5, 6-10, 11-15 cm and 16-20 cm respectively, and 61.91% living snails were found in the 0-10 cm soil layers. Seven and fifteen days after the experiment, the mortality rates of snails were 9.38% and 8.29% in the plough alone group, and 63.04% and 80.70% in the plough + mollusciciding group respectively (χ²₇ d = 42.74, χ²₁₅ d = 155.56, both P values < 0.01). Thirty days after the experiment, the densities of snails were 3.02 snails/0.1 m² and 0.53 snails/ 0.1 m² in the soil surface of the plough alone group and the plough + mollusciciding group, which decreased by 64.92% and 93.60%, respectively, and the decrease rate of snail density was approximately 30% higher in the plough + mollusciciding group than that in the plough alone group., Conclusions: The machine simultaneously integrating mechanized environmental cleaning and automatic mollusciciding achieves the integration of mechanical environmental cleaning and automatic niclosamide spraying in the complex marshland areas, which provides a novel technique of field snail control in the large-scale setting in China.

Schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma japonicum is a severe parasitic disease in The People's Republic of China and imposed considerable burden on human and domestic animal health and socioeconomic development. The significant achievement in schistosomiasis control has been made in last 60years. Oncomelania hupensis as the only intermediate host of S. japonicum plays a key role in disease transmission. The habitat complexity of the snails challenges to effective control. In this review we share the experiences in control and research of O. hupensis., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of mid- and long-term schistosomiasis control plan and explore the consolidation strategy in marshland endemic regions, so as to provide an effective approach for interrupting and eliminating schistosomiasis in the regions., Methods: A prospective field study was designed. Dantu District of Zhenjiang City, a marshland schistosomiasis endemic region, was selected, and the "key village, key environment, and key water regions" comprehensive control strategy was implemented according to the endemic level of schistosomiasis. The morbidity due to schistosomiasis in humans and domestic animals, and Oncomelania hupensis snails were surveyed, and the data of the implementation of control measures were collected. The schistosomiasis morbidity and snail status were compared before and after the implementation of the mid- and long-term plan for schistosomiasis prevention and control, and the changing trends of human, domestic animal and snail infections were plotted., Results: During the implementation of the plan from 2005 to 2014, 16.84 km concrete and bank protection and 9 snail sinks were built, 10 culverts re-built, 3.85 hm2 fences were constructed, 29.5 thousand domestic animals were examined and treated, 170 cattle were eliminated, 4930 hm2 fishing farms were built for snail control, 1 560.00 hM2 land were improved, and 376.00 hm2 forests were built for snail control. In addition, 19,364.80 hm2 snail areas were surveyed, 4694.6 hm2 area received molluscicide, 207.9 thousand of people (person-times) received the examination and treatment, 69.1 thousand of harmless toilets were built, 282.2 thousand health education materials and protection materials were allocated, 958 warning signs were established, and 5435 slogans were pasted or hung. After the implementation of the mid- and long-term plan, the percentages of human, bovine and snail infections appeared decline tendencies year by year, and reduced from 0.08%, 1.28% and 0.13% in 2005 to 0 in 2014, respectively, while the areas with snails and infected snails reduced from 284.34 hm2 and 55.10 hm2 in 2005 to 73.60 hm2 and 0 hm2 in 2014, with reduction rates of 74.12% and 100%, respectively. The infection rate of sheep appeared a fluctuation between 2005 and 2014, with the rate of 1.13% in 2005, 0 in 2007 and 2008, rising in 2009 and then between 0.25% and 0.95% from 2009 to 2012, and reducing to 0 in 2013 and 2014. During the 10-year period, the number of cattle reduced year by year from 2005 to 2010, and slightly increased after 2011, showing an overall stable level, while the number of sheep increased year by year after 2006, peaked in 2010, and appeared a decline tendency since 2011, which was almost consistent with the fluctuation of schistosome infection rate in sheep., Conclusions: The sustainable comprehensive control strategy with the "key village, key environments, and key water regions" is an effective approach for schistosomiasis control in marshland endemic regions. However, the endemic situation of schistosomiasis is extremely easy to repeat. The prevention and control of the impact of sheep and wild animals on schistosomiasis transmission should be strengthened in order to consolidate the schistosomiasis control achievements gained.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a novel molluscicide, the salt quinoid-2', 5-dichloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide from niclosamide (LDS), with 10% wettable powder, in main schistosomiasis epidemic areas of China, including Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan and Zhejiang Province., Methods: In the immersion test, 6 effective concentrations of 10% LDS were tested respectively: 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 g/m3 in the field; at the same time, 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPN) with effective concentrations of 1.0 g/m was used as the molluscicide control, and the fresh water as the blank control, then the mortality rates of 0. hupensis snails were recorded at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after the immersion. In the spraying test and powder-spraying test, 5 effective dosages of 10% LDS were tested respectively: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 g/m2, while 50% WPN 1.0 g/m2 was used as the molluscicide control, and the fresh water as the blank control in the field for 1 d, 3 d and 7 d, then the mortality rates of O. hupensis snails were recorded at 1 d, 3 d and 7 d after the spraying and powder-spraying., Results: The snail mortality rates of LDS using the immersion test for 72 h were more than 95% in the field of eight provinces (0.1 g/m in Sichuan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, 0.2 g/m3 in Yunnan, Hunan and Hubei provinces, and 0.4 g/min Anhui Province); the snail mortality rates of LDS using the spraying test for 7 d were more than 85% (0.2 g/m2 in Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, 0.4 g/m2 in Sichuan and Anhui provinces, 0.6 g/m2 in Yunnan and Jiangsu provinces). The snail mortality rates of LDS the powder-spraying test for 7 d were more than 85% (0.6 g/m2 in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces). According to the standards of "Efficacy test methods and evaluation of molluscicide for pesticide registration (NY/T 1617-2008)", LDS is a qualified molluscicide., Conclusions: LDS has good molluscicidal effects through the immersion, spraying and powder-spraying test in the fields. It is suitable for a variety of environments to control O. hupensis snails of schistosomiasis endemic areas in China. The recommended dosages of LDS are 0.1-0.2 g/m3 by the immersion method, 0.2-0.4 g/m2 by the spraying method, and 0.4-0.6 g/m2 by the powder-spraying method in the fields.

Objective: To evaluate the field molluscicidal effect of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules, so as to provide a novel Oncomelania hupensis snail control approach for emergency treatment of high-risk settings., Methods: Snail control tests with spraying of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules were conducted in two settings of 2 counties, and the dose-, time- and setting-specific field molluscicidal effects were tested., Results: In the small-scale setting, spraying of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules at doses of 30, 40 and 50 g/m2 resulted in 54.55%, 68.41% and 73.45% 1-day snail mortality, 57.27%, 68.59% and 80.28% 3-day snail mortality, and 63.49%, 77.58% and 85.55% 7-day snail mortality, respectively, and no significant differences were detected in 1- and 3-day snail mortality caused by spraying of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules at doses of 30 and 40 g/m2 (all P > 0.05), while significant difference was found in the 7-day snail mortality (χ2 = 4.549, P < 0.05). In addition, spraying of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules at doses of 40 and 50 g/m2 resulted in comparable 1-, 3- and 7-day snail mortality (all P > 0.05). In the large-scale setting, spraying of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules at a dose of 40 g/m2 resulted in 85.29% and 87.70% 3-day snail mortality, 83.89% and 91.02% 7-day snail mortality, and 83.41% and 91.84% 15-day snail mortality in the environment-cleaning group and non-cleaning group, respectively. The overall snail mortality was 90.02% in the environment-cleaning group 3 to 15 days after spraying, which was significantly higher than that (84.28%) in the non-cleaning group (χ2 = 9.950, P < 0.05). After 15 days of spraying with 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules at a dose of 40 g/m2, the densities of living snails reduced from 19.90 and 19.83 snails/0.1 m2 to 0.60 and 2.60 snails/0.1 m2 in the environment-cleaning group and non-cleaning group, with 96.98% and 86.89% reductions, respectively., Conclusion: The appropriate dose of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules is 40 g/m2 for snail control in the field, and environment cleaning of vegetation with a height of more than 50 cm may improve the molluscicidal efficacy.

Surface soil samples were collected every 36 km2 from Linyi City to study the residues, composition and origin, influencing factors, spatial distribution and environment quality characteristics of soil DDTs. Measurements were taken for DDTs, OrgC, N, etc. for all samples. The results indicated that the detectable rate of DDTs was 71. 75%, and the mean content of DDTs was 0. 035 µg.g-1. p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE were the predominant contaminant compounds, with mean concentrations of 0.033 µg.g-1 and 0.010 µg.g-1, and accounted for 60. 99% and 34. 62% of the detectable samples, respectively. The degradation rate of DDTs suggested that 58% surface soils were recently inputted, these newly inputted locations were especially distributed in the middle to south of the study area, meanwhile, p,p'-DDD/p,p'-DDE revealed that the degradation of DDTs was mainly under oxidizing condition, and o,p'-DDT/p,p'-DDT illustrated that 71. 37% DDTs in soils of the study area were concerned with technical DDTs sources. Besides, the correlation, analysis showed that the external factors affecting the distribution of DDTs included OrgC, N, C and pH etc. and the higher the p, p'-DDT proportion of DDTs, the greater the effect. The distribution of DDTs had an obvious point source characteristic, and significant concentration centers were located nearby the cities and counties, typically, the DDTs concentrations of middle to southern area were much higher. However, DDTs environmental quality assessment suggested that the pollution level was relatively low, and the soil was mainly classified into grade I or II, which accounted for 78. 95% and 21. 05% of the whole study area, respectively.

Objective: To explore and integrate the key techniques used in the surveillance and forecast of schistosomiasis in the water regions along the Yangtze River, so as to provide technical support for identifying rapidly the risk of schistosomiasis transmission and implementing control measures targeting the risk., Methods: According to the distribution of water systems and water regions along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, the demonstration sites for surveillance and forecast of schistosomiasis were set across the province, where the integration and demonstration of the techniques regarding monitoring of Schistosoma japonicum infection in sentinel mice, human and animal activities, release of forecast information, and emergency treatment of water regions at risk of infection were performed. The pattern of human and animal activities was compared with the S. japonicum infection in sentinel mice in the demonstration sites, and the operability of the release of information and emergency treatment of the risk of S. japonicum infection was evaluated., Results: A total of 50 demonstration sites for surveillance and forecast of schistosomiasis were set in fixed anchor points, opening of the navigation lock to the Yangtze River, freight terminal, agritainment places, ferry, large construction places, and places for guaranteeing the Youth Olympic Games in 23 counties (districts) of 5 cities, Jiangsu Province. During the period between May. and September, 2014, the infectivity of water body was monitored by using 5 batches of sentinel mice, with a 99.06% (4,954/5,001) gross recovery rate of mice. S. japonicum infection was detected in a demonstration site, and an infected mouse was found, with a 0.02% (1/4,933) gross positive rate of sentinel mice. The field survey showed 2 088 person-times contacting water, including 91.95% (1,920/2,088) contacting water due to the production such as capturing fish, harvesting and cultivating crops, and repairing and building boats, and 8.05% (168/2 088) contacting water due to the life activity, such as fishing, washing vegetables and playing with water. The people contacted water predominantly in August and September (49.57%). A total of 859 boats containing 1,877 boatmen were observed, 68.22% (586/859) of which were fishing boats containing 1,306 fishermen (69.58%). There were 32 sheep found in 4 demonstration sites, and 3 sheep were seen in the demonstration site with infected sentinel mouse. Four blue forecasts (emergence of water contact) and one orange forecast (S. japonicum-infected sentinel mouse detected) were released across the province, with one forecast map released which showed 5 sites with fishing and one site with sheep grazing, one emergency response system initiated, mollusciciding implemented in 10 hm2 high-risk regions, 120 sheep grazed in fence, and 35 fishermen given health-education materials, schistosomiasis examination and preventive therapy. In addition, no acute schistosomiasis occurred in the demonstration site with S. japonicum-infected sentinel mice., Conclusions: The integration and demonstration of the techniques regarding monitoring of S. japonicum infection in sentinel mice, human and animal activities, release of forecast information, and emergency treatment of water regions at risk of infection provides an effective approach for the large-scale surveillance and forecast of schistosomiasis.

We investigated the association between 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 11 genes involved in folate metabolic and preterm birth. A subset of SNPs selected from 11 genes/loci involved in the folic acid metabolism pathway were subjected to SNaPshot analysis in a case-control study. Twelve SNPs (CBS-C699T, DHFR-c594+59del19, GST01-C428T, MTHFD-G1958A, MTHFR-C677T, MTHFR-A1298C, MTR-A2756G, MTRR-A66G, NFE2L2-ins1+C11108T, RFC1-G80A, TCN2-C776G, and TYMS-1494del6) in 503 DNA samples were simultaneously tested, and included 315 preterm births and 188 controls. None of the 12 SNP genotype distributions related to the folic acid metabolism pathway showed a significant difference between preterm and term babies. The frequency of the compound mutation genotype of MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G and RFC1-G80A in preterm babies was 7.3%, which was significantly higher than the 2.7% in term babies. Seven babies carried the compound mutation genotype of MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, and CBS-C699T, but this was not observed in term babies. The frequency of the combined wild-type genotype of MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, MTRR-A66G, MTHFR-A1298C, NFE2L2-ins1+C11108T, and RFC1- G80A in preterm babies was 3.17%, which was significantly lower than the 7.4% in term babies. The 12 SNPs screened in this study were not independent risk factors of preterm birth. Compound mutation genotypes, including MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, and RFC1- G80A and MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, and CBS-C699T, may increase the risk of preterm birth. The combined wild-type genotype MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, MTRR-A66G, MTHFR-A1298C, NFE2L2-ins1+C11108T, and RFC1-G80A may decrease the risk of preterm birth.

Niclosamide is the most commonly used molluscicide. Along with a lot of application of niclosamide, more and more scientists studied its toxic effects to aquatic organisms as well as the related cell toxicity mechanism. This paper summarizes the toxicity on cell, organelle, enzyme, cell signaling pathway, and genetic material caused by niclosamide, and puts forward the future research direction.

As the currently only available molluscicide, niclosamide has been widely used for snail control for over 2 decades in China. There is therefore a concern about the emergence of niclosamide-resistant snail populations following repeated, extensive use of the chemical. The purpose of this study was to investigate the likelihood of niclosamide resistance in Oncomelania hupensis in China. Active adult O. hupensis snails derived from 20 counties of 10 schistosomiasis-endemic provinces of China, of 10 snails in each drug concentration, were immersed in solutions of 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.063, 0.032, 0.016 and 0.008 mg L-1 of a 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPN) for 24 and 48 h at 25 °C, and the median lethal concentration (LC50) was estimated. Then, the 24- and 48-h WPN LC50 values were compared with those determined in the same sampling sites in 2002. The results indicated that the 24- and 48-h WPN LC50 values for O. hupensis were not significantly different from those determined in 2002 (P = 0.202 and 0.796, respectively). It is concluded that the current sensitivity of O. hupensis to niclosamide has not changed after more than 2 decades of repeated, extensive application in the main endemic foci of China, and there is no evidence of resistance to niclosamide detected in O. hupensis.

Purpose: To develop a dual energy imaging method to improve the accuracy of electron density measurement with a cone-beam CT (CBCT) device., Materials and Methods: The imaging system is the XVI CBCT system on Elekta Synergy linac. Projection data were acquired with the high and low energy X-ray, respectively, to set up a basis material decomposition model. Virtual phantom simulation and phantoms experiments were carried out for quantitative evaluation of the method. Phantoms were also scanned twice with the high and low energy X-ray, respectively. The data were decomposed into projections of the two basis material coefficients according to the model set up earlier. The two sets of decomposed projections were used to reconstruct CBCT images of the basis material coefficients. Then, the images of electron densities were calculated with these CBCT images., Results: The difference between the calculated and theoretical values was within 2% and the correlation coefficient of them was about 1.0. The dual energy imaging method obtained more accurate electron density values and reduced the beam hardening artifacts obviously., Conclusion: A novel dual energy CBCT imaging method to calculate the electron densities was developed. It can acquire more accurate values and provide a platform potentially for dose calculation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) in monitoring response to radiotherapy in high-risk prostate cancer (PC)., Methods: This retrospective study included 78 patients with high-risk PC undergoing 3.0-T MRI (supplemented by DWI) before and after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Based on follow-up clinical examinations, patients were divided into two groups: the recurrence group (patients who suffered biochemical/clinical recurrence within 3 years, n = 13) and the non-recurrence group (patients who were recurrence free for over 3 years, n = 65). The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values before and after IMRT were compared between these two groups. The receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was carried out to investigate the discriminatory capability for pre- and post-IMRT ADC values., Results: The overall ADC values were 1.04 ± 0.18 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) for PCs before IMRT and 1.45 ± 0.15 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) after IMRT (p < 0.001). A statistically significant difference in post-IMRT ADC values was noted between patients with and without recurrence (1.27 ± 0.14 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) vs 1.49 ± 0.12 × 10(-3)mm(2) s(-1); p < 0.001), although there was no statistical difference between them in pre-IMRT ADC values (1.00 ± 0.17 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1) vs 1.05 ± 0.18 × 10(-3) mm(2) s(-1); p = 0.31). The ROC curve analysis revealed that the post-IMRT ADC values could help identify patients suffering recurrences (area under the curve, 0.88; p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Marked increase in ADC values was observed in PC after radiotherapy, especially in good responders. DWI is a valuable tool for monitoring the response to radiotherapy., Advances in Knowledge: This study examined the relationship between ADC changes and tumour response to treatment of PC.

Objective: To explore the enrichment technique of Schistosoma japonicum cercariae on the water surface, so as to establish a new method combined with the existing technology to detect the cercarial infested water body quickly and sensitively., Methods: Soybean oil, gasoline, kerosene and isophorone were screened as expanding agents. The cercariae were enriched by the thrust of the expanding agents when diffusing on the water surface, and PE adsorption film and C-6 film were applied to seize them so as to determine the infectivity of the water quickly. The relationship between the dose of expanding agents and diffusion radius were explored., Results: Gasoline, kerosene and isophorone were suitable expanding agents, and the diffusion effect of isophorone was the best. After the enrichment by the expanding agents, the detection rate of cercariae of the method seizing cercariae with the film significantly improved in the water., Conclusion: This new method could effectively improve the detection rate of the cercarial infested water and is suitable for the low-degree infested water.

Objective: To investigate the molluscicidal effect of 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules against Oncomelania hupensis in a marshland field., Methods: The 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules were sprayed at a dose of 40 g/m2 on 3 snail-breeding marshlands in Yangzhong City of Jiangsu Province to assess its field molluscicidal actions, while 26% suspension concentrate of metaldehyde and niclosamide (MNSC); at a dose of 4 g/m2) and fresh water served as controls., Results: After seven days spraying, 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules resulted in a of snail mortal85.42%ity, while the mortality rates of snails were 82.35% and 2.86% in the MNSC and water control groups, respectively., Conclusion: 5% niclosamide ethanolamine granules exhibit a high molluscicidal activity, which is suitable to be used in the mashland.

Objective: To prokaryotically express the valosin-containing protein (VCP) of Schistosoma japonicum, and analyze its VCP mRNA expressions in the cercaria, schistosomulum, adult worm (female and male worms) and egg., Methods: RNA of S. japonicum eggs were extracted, and reversely transcribed into cDNA. The VCP gene of S. japonicum was amplified by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subcloned into the prokaryotically expressed vector pET15b. The recombined plasmid was transformed into BL21 cells, and the expression of the target gene was induced with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The recombinant protein was yielded through the purification of inclusion body, and identified by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The RNA (s) of cercaria, schistosomulum, female adult worm, male adult worm, and egg of S. japonicum were extracted, digested with DNase, purified, and reversely transcribed into cDNA. The mRNA expressions of the VCP gene in various developmental stages of S. japonicum were determined by using fluorescence-based quantitative real-time PCR., Results: The VCP gene of S. japonicum was yielded by PCR amplification, and the recombinant protein was obtained through recombinant plasmid expression and purification of inclusion body. The highest VCP mRNA expression in S. japonicum cercaria was detected by the fluorescence-based quantitative real-time PCR, while low expressions were found in the schistosomulum, egg, female and male adult worms., Conclusion: The recombinant protein encoded by the VCP gene of S. japonicum is successfully obtained, and the VCP mRNA expression is determined in various developmental stages of S. japonicum.