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Background: NUDT21 (Nudix Hydrolase 21) has been shown to play an essential role in multiple biological processes. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most fatal cancers in the world. However, the biological function of NUDT21 in PAAD remains rarely understood. The aim of this research was to identify the prediction value of NUDT21 in diagnosis, prognosis, immune infiltration, and signal pathway in PAAD. Methods: Combined with the data in online databases, we analyzed the expression, immune infiltration, function enrichment, signal pathway, diagnosis, and prognosis of NUDT21 in PAAD. Then, the biological function of NUDT21 and its interacted protein in PAAD was identified through plasmid transduction system and protein mass spectrometry. Expression of NUDT21 was further verified in clinical specimens by immunofluorescence. Results: We found that NUDT21 was upregulated in PAAD tissues and was significantly associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer through bioinformatic data analysis. We also found that overexpression of NUDT21 enhanced PAAD cells proliferation and migration, whereas knockdown NUDT21 restored the effects through in vitro experiment. Moreover, NDUFS2 was recognized as a potential target of NUDT21.We further verified that the expression of NDUFS2 was positively correlated with NUDT21 in PAAD clinical specimens. Mechanically, we found that NUDT21 stabilizes NDUFS2 and activates the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our investigation reveals that NUDT21 is a previously unrecognized oncogenic factor in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment target of PAAD, and we suggest that NUDT21 might be a novel therapeutic target in PAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although passive microwave remote sensing has been widely used for snow depth (SD) retrieval, its coarse spatial resolution has led to large uncertainties in various applications, particularly in mountainous regions. Therefore, downscaling passive microwave data is an effective way to improve the accuracy of regional SD monitoring. In this study, we developed a SD downscaling algorithm based on multisource remote sensing data, generating a long-time series of daily 500 m resolution SD data from 1980 to 2020 over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The downscaling SD product improved the spatial resolution and significantly reduced the overestimation of the SD for the TP. Based on this product, the spatial pattern and the spatiotemporal trend of the SD were analyzed by the Theil-Sen median method and the Mann–Kendall test. SD on the TP showed clear spatial heterogeneity by vertical zonal distribution, bimodal distribution features changing with longitude, and a thick SD distribution pattern at 30-32°N. The annual average SD, maximum SD, and accumulation of SD on the TP from 1980 to 2020 were 1.02 cm, 5.91 cm, and 39.45 cm, respectively, with trends of −0.06 cm/10a, −0.44 cm/10a, and 1.80 cm/10a (P > 0.05), respectively. SD on the TP increases with elevation above 5.5 km in mountainous areas and decreases in areas below 5.5 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is proved that the chemical reaction induced by femtosecond laser filament in the atmosphere produces CO, HCN, and NO, and the production CO and HCN are observed for the first time. The concentrations of the products are measured by mid-infrared tunable laser absorption spectroscopy. In the reduced pressure air, the decomposition of CO2 is enhanced by vibration excitation induced by laser filament, resulting in the enhanced production of CO and HCN. At the same time, the CO and HCN generated from the atmosphere suffer rotation excitation induced by laser filament, enhancing their absorption spectra. It is found that NO, CO, and HCN accumulate to 134 ppm, 80 ppm, and 1.6 ppm in sealed air after sufficient reaction time. The atmospheric chemical reaction induced by laser filament opens the way to changing the air composition while maintaining environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that a well-designed lumped LC loop network with a phase inverter can exhibit perfect reflectionless filtering response at its all four ports. The network is composed of two pairs of symmetrical LC ladder circuits, in which one pair is obtained from lowpass transformation at a prescribed frequency based on a special lowpass prototype, and the other pair is from highpass transformation based on the same prototype at the same frequency. The input power, at any port, is divided into the two adjacent ports in the frequency domain through different paths of the loop. Each path between any two ports nearby can be treated as a mono-functional filter, whereas the adjacent two paths work as two filters with complementary responses. The overall circuit performs as a generalized diplexer without a specified “common” or “separation/combination” port. By using a numerical equation solver, the element values of the reflectionless lowpass/highpass prototype filter of order one, three, five, and seven are given. Then, the values of order nine, eleven, thirteen, and fifteen are obtained by using the optimization method. Other filtering functions such as bandpass/bandstop or dual-band can be easily implemented with the proposed prototype by using the standard frequency transformation method. For verification, two sample filters are fabricated and measured. The experimental data agree well with the predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing an accurate, rapid and economic oil source recognition method is essential for water recourses protection. Concentration-synchronous-matrix-fluorescence (CSMF) spectroscopy combined with 2D wavelet packet and probabilistic neural network (PNN) was proposed for source recognition of crude oil and petroleum products samples in this study. 2D wavelet packet was used to extract wavelet packet coefficients as the feature vectors from CSMF contour image and four algorithms, Back-propagation (BP) neural network, Radial based function neural network (RBFNN), Support vector Machine (SVM) and probabilistic neural network (PNN) were carried out for pattern recognition. With the introduction of interference factors such as weathering and sea water adulteration to the three samples from Bohai bay territory of China, the comparison about accuracy and recognition time of the four methods was discussed and the results showed that PNN network maintain the highest recognition accuracy and speed. These findings may offer potential application for oil spill recognition for unconventional oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel compact chipless RFID transponder is presented. The coding information is based on spectral signature using three types of multiresonator: spiral, slot, and U-shaped defected ground structure (DGS). Each resonator can be seen as a band-stop filter which contributes to a particular resonance frequency. The previous spiral resonator based barcodes have only 1 bit information on each resonator which result in a large quantity of resonators relatively and a long microstrip line. In our design, the slot is cutting on the spiral resonator so more bits can be stored. The combination of slot and spiral resonators together provides an efficient decrease in resonator numbers. The DGS structure takes use of ground plane of the tag which further increases the capacity without expanding the size. The method of using these three types of resonators presents a clear improvement in miniaturizing the transponder which leads to a compact size of the tag. By applying frequency shift coding (FSC) coding technique, a coding density of 0.946 bit/cm2 is achieved. Improvement in two cross-polarized transmitting and receiving antennas is also considered in the design. Corresponding experiments on realized prototypes are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study presents a novel chipless radio frequency identification tag based on HIS structure with loaded resistors. The scatters are designed to be period nesting loops. The power of the back scatted signal is controlled by varying the resistance of loaded resistors. Its operation principle is described through an equivalent transmission line model. By applying the ASK coding technology, a coding density of 11.1 bits is obtained. Polarization independence is validated by measuring the tag in different polarization directions. The cases excited with an oblique incidence wave are also discussed. Experimental validations of the proposed tag have been presented together with considerations about practical implementation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:1136-1140, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A new all-pass filter (APF) is proposed. The APF is based on a symmetrical ring, consisting of four sections of transmission line, which are identical in electrical length, different in characteristic impedance. Two input/output ports are connected orthogonally to the ring. The APF is analyzed by using the odd-even model, and the all-pass condition is then theoretically obtained. Meeting the condition, the circuit is all-pass in frequency, but nonlinear in transmission phase. The nonlinear transmission phase with frequency may be adjusted by changing the lines' impedances, while remaining the all-pass property. Then the APF is used to design a wideband 90° differential phase shifter with adjustable bandwidth. Samples are designed, fabricated and measured. Good agreements are achieved among the theoretic, numerical and experimental results. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 24:191-195, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Over the past few decades there has been avid interest in developing in situ strategies for remediation of environmental contaminants. Major foci have been on persistent organic chemicals and metals. Phytoremediation, a strategy that uses plants to degrade, stabilize, and/or remove soil contaminants, has been extensively investigated. Rhizoremediation, a specific type of phytoremediation that involves both plants and their associated rhizosphere microbes, can occur naturally, or can be actuated by deliberately introducing specific microbes. These microbes can be contaminant degraders and/or can promote plant growth under stress conditions. Because initial phytoremediation research showed great promise as a cost-effective remedial strategy, considerable effort has been devoted to making the transition from the laboratory to commercialization. Despite our understanding of the mechanisms of remediation, and the success of studies in the laboratory and greenhouse, efforts to translate phytoremediation research to the field have proven challenging. Although there have been many encouraging results in the past decade, there have also been numerous inconclusive and unsuccessful attempts at phytoremediation in the field. There is a need to critically assess why remediation in the field is not satisfactory, before negative perceptions undermine the progress that has been made with this promising remedial strategy. Two general themes have emerged in the literature: (1) Plant stress factors not present in laboratory and greenhouse studies can result in significant challenges for field applications. (2) Current methods of assessing phytoremediation may not be adequate to show that contaminant concentrations are decreasing, although in many cases active remediation may be occurring. If phytoremediation is to become an effective and viable remedial strategy, there is a need to mitigate plant stress in contaminated soils. There is also a need to establish reliable monitoring methods and evaluation criteria for remediation in the field. This review will focus on the challenges and the potential of phytoremediation, particularly rhizoremediation, of organic contaminants from soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study aimed to assess the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Fructus Rosae Multiflorae (FRM, hips of Rosa multiflora Thunb.). FRM was extracted with 75% ethanol and the dried extract (FRME) was administered intragastrically (i.g.) at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated in four experimental animal models and analgesic effect in two animal models. Pretreatment with a single dose of FRME produced significant dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effects on carrageenin-induced rat hind paw edema, xylene-induced mouse ear edema and acetic acid-induced mouse vascular permeation. In a 7-day study, daily administration of FRME suppressed cotton pellet-induced rat granuloma formation. Pretreatment with a single dose of FRME also produced dose-dependent anti-nociceptive effects in thermally- and chemically induced mouse pain models. In addition, a single dose of FRME at 2.4g/kg body weight (equivalent to 87.6g of dried hips per kg body weight) produced no observable acute toxicity in mice within seven days. These results demonstrate that FRME possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and has no obvious acute toxicity, which advanced our understanding of the folk use of FRM in treating various inflammatory disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Snow is an important land cover on the earth''s surface. It is characterized by its changing nature. Monitoring snow cover extent plays a significant role in dynamic studies and prevention of snow-caused disasters in pastoral areas. Using NASA EOS Terra/MODIS snow cover products and in situ observation data during the four snow seasons from November 1 to March 31 of year 2001 to 2005 in northern Xinjiang area, the accuracy of MODIS snow cover mapping algorithm under varied snow depth and land cover types was analyzed. The overall accuracy of MODIS daily snow cover mapping algorithm in clear sky condition is high at 98.5%; snow agreement reaches 98.2%, and ranges from 77.8% to 100% over the 4-year period for individual sites. Snow depth (SD) is one of the major factors affecting the accuracy of MODIS snow cover maps. MODIS does not identify any snow for SD less than 0.5 cm. The overall accuracy increases with snow depth if SD is equal to or greater than 3 cm, and decreases for SD below 3 cm. Land cover has an important influence in the accuracy of MODIS snow cover maps. The use of MOD10A1 snow cover products is severely affected by cloud cover. The 8-day composite products of MOD10A2 can effectively minimize the effect of cloud cover in most cases. Cloud cover in excess of 10% occurs on 99% of the MOD10A1 products and 14.7% of the MOD10A2 products analyzed during the four snow seasons. User-defined multiple day composite images based on MOD10A1, with flexibilities of selecting composite period, starting and ending date and composite sequence of MOD10A1 products, have an advantage in effectively monitoring snow cover extent for regional snow-caused disasters in pastoral areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Multiple techniques that affect different aspects of contaminant removal can improve remediation of persistent hydrocarbons from soils. We have developed a multi-process phytoremediation system (MPPS) that is composed of land-farming (aeration and light exposure), contaminant degrading bacteria, plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and growth of the contaminant-tolerant plant, Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea). In this study, the MPPS was applied to a contaminated soil acquired from the Imperial Oil land farm site in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. This soil was contaminated with oil refinery sludge to a level of approximately 5% (w/w) total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). Over an initial 4-month period, the average efficiency of removal of persistent TPHs by the MPPS was twice that of land-farming alone, 50% more than bioremediation alone, and 45% more than phytoremediation alone. Importantly, the MPPS removed oil fractions 2, 3 and 4 with equal efficiency. Therefore, the highly hydrophobic, recalcitrant TPH fractions were remediated from the soil with the MPPS. After a second 4-month period, the MPPS removed 90% of all fractions of TPHs from the soil. Phytoremediation alone was able to remove only about 50% of TPHs in the same time period. The key elements for successful phytoremediation were the use of a plant species that can proliferate in the presence of high levels of contaminants, and strains of PGPR that increase plant tolerance and accelerate plant growth in heavily contaminated soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies modeling approach of MPEG-4 VBR video traffic based on multifractal multiplicative model. Multiscale analysis reveals that the multiplier distribution is different in style on different time scales. Based on statistical characteristics of the multipliers, a composite modeling approach is proposed: Gaussian distribution is used to fit multiplier distribution at large time scales, a new statistical distribution-Symmetric Pareto distribution to fit multiplier distribution at small time scales and a linear model to model frame traffic. Simulations are performed to validate the good effect of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prior studies have shown that, when administered as an intravenous bolus to prevent uterine atony, prophylactic phenylephrine infusion increased the dose requirement of oxytocin and second-line uterotonics. For the prevention of uterine atony, oxytocin should be delivered by continuous infusion. Here, we aimed to determine the ED50 and ED90 parameters (the effective doses for 50 and 90% patients without uterine atony) of oxytocin for co-infusion with prophylactic phenylephrine during cesarean delivery. Methods: In this prospective randomized double-blinded dose-finding study, one hundred patients were divided into four groups to receive 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, or 10 IU/h oxytocin infusion, after the umbilical cord was clamped during the study period. The uterine tone was evaluated and defined as either adequate or inadequate. Probit regression analysis was applied to calculate the ED50 and ED90 of oxytocin infusion. Uterine tone, the percentage of patients who needed additional oxytocin bolus, second-line uterotonics, side effects, estimated blood loss, and neonatal outcomes were monitored. Results: The estimated ED50 and ED90 values of the oxytocin infusion doses for the prevention of uterine atony were 1.9 IU/h (95% CI -4.6-3.8) IU/h and 9.3 IU/h (95% CI 7.3–16.2) IU/h, respectively. Across groups, there was a significant linear trend between the infusion dose and the percentage of patients who required additional oxytocin (p-value = 0.002). No differences were observed in the incidence of side effects and neonatal outcomes. Conclusion: Under the conditions of this study, the ED90 of oxytocin infusion for the prevention of uterine atony was 9.3 IU/h, which is higher than the current recommendation. This finding is helpful for clinical practice, because of the routine use of phenylephrine in cesarean delivery. Further studies are needed to determine the appropriate initial bolus of oxytocin after neonatal delivery. Trial registration: The study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (register no. ChiCTR2200059556). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Primary frontal sinus malignancies (FSMs) are the rarest sinonasal cancers. This study aimed to determine clinicopathologic characteristics of primary FSMs and provide long-term survival outcomes. Design This study is a retrospective review. Setting The study was conducted at a tertiary medical center. Participants Patients who participated in this study were diagnosed with primary FSMs. Main Outcome Measures Median survival time is the primary outcome measure of this study. Results In this series, the median age was 48 years (30–53 years) and all patients were male. There were five cases with squamous cell carcinoma and one with osteosarcoma. All cases presented with locally advanced disease without regional lymphatic metastasis, including five cases of stage III and one case of stage II. The two most common pathways of tumor invasion were as follows: local tumor broke posteriorly through bone wall and invaded dura mater, followed by frontal lobe; local tumor infiltrated downward through the floor of frontal sinus into ethmoid sinus, thereafter invaded laterally orbit and orbital contents. All patients received surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy at the total doses of 50 to 75.95 Gy. Among them, only one patient underwent R0 resection, the rest of patients underwent R1/R2 resection. With a median survival time of 56 months (32–76 months), two patients receiving R1/R2 resection developed treatment failure and died within 5 years, including one case with local recurrence and one with local recurrence, thereafter distant metastasis. Conclusion The majority of FSMs presented with peripherally invasive progression lesions which led to a high ratio of R1/R2 resection. Surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy might result in satisfactory efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromorphic computing based on spiking neural networks (SNNs) has attracted significant research interest due to its low energy consumption and high similarity to biological neural systems. The artificial spiking afferent neuron (ASAN) system is the essential component of neuromorphic computing system to interact with the environment. This work presents an ASAN system with simple structure by employing a new architecture of one VO2 Mott memristor and one resistive sensor (1M1S). The Mott memristors show the bidirectional Mott transition, good endurance (> $1.3\times10$ 9), and high uniformity. By incorporating a flexible pressure sensor into the 1M1S architecture, a tactile ASAN system is realized with the pressure stimuli converted into rate-coded spikes. Using a $3\times3$ array of the tactile ASAN systems, different pressure stimulus patterns can be well recognized. The strong adaptability of the proposed system will enable it to convert lots of environmental stimuli through the widely used resistive sensors into rate-coded spikes as the inputs of neuromorphic computing based on SNNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) strains that contain the enzyme 1-amino- cyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase can lower stress ethylene levels and improve plant growth. In this study, ACC deaminase-producing bacteria were isolated from a salt-impacted (∼50 dS/m) farm field, and their ability to promote plant growth of barley and oats in saline soil was investigated in pouch assays (1% NaCl), greenhouse trials (9.4 dS/m), and field trials (6–24 dS/m). A mix of previously isolated PGPB strains UW3(Pseudomonas sp.)and UW4 (P. sp.) was also tested for comparison. Rhizobacterial isolate CMH3(P. corrugata)and UW3+UW4 partially alleviated plant salt stress in growth pouch assays. In greenhouse trials, CMH3 enhanced root biomass of barley and oats by 200% and 50%, respectively. UW3+UW4, CMH3 and isolate CMH2 also enhanced barley and oat shoot growth by 100%–150%. In field tests, shoot biomass of oats tripled when treated with UW3+UW4 and doubled with CHM3 compared with that of untreated plants. PGPB treatment did not affect salt uptake on a per mass basis; higher plant biomass led to greater salt uptake, resulting in decreased soil salinity. This study demonstrates a method for improving plant growth in marginal saline soils. Associated implications for salt remediation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the multilevel resistive random access memories (RRAMs) have been achieved by using the structure of Pt/MoO3/Hf/MoO3/Pt with four stable resistance states. The devices show good retention property of each state (>104 s) and large memory window (>104). The simulation and experimental study reveal that the resistive switching mechanism is ascribed to combination of the conductive filament in the stack of MoO3/Hf next to the top electrode and redox reaction at the interface of Hf/MoO3 next to bottom electrode. The fitting results of current–voltage characteristics under low sweep voltage indicate that the conduction of HRSs is dominated by the Poole–Frenkel emission and that of LRS is governed by the Ohmic conduction. Based on the RRAM, the tunable high-pass filter (HPF) with configurable filtering characteristics has been realized. The gain-frequency characteristics of the programmable HPF show that the filter has high resolution and wide programming range, demonstrating the viability of the multilevel RRAMs for future spiking neural network and shrinking the programmable filters with low power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new infectious disease associated with high mortality, and traditional Chinese medicine decoctions (TCMDs) have been widely used for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in China; however, the impact of these decoctions on severe and critical COVID-19-related mortality has not been evaluated. Therefore, we aimed to address this gap. In this retrospective cohort study, we included inpatients diagnosed with severe/critical COVID-19 at the Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University and grouped them depending on the recipience of TCMDs (TCMD and non-TCMD groups). We conducted a propensity score-matched analysis to adjust the imbalanced variables and treatments and used logistic regression methods to explore the risk factors associated with in-hospital death. Among 282 patients with COVID-19 who were discharged or died, 186 patients (66.0%) received TCMD treatment (TCMD cohort) and 96 (34.0%) did not (non-TCMD cohort). After propensity score matching at a 1:1 ratio, 94 TCMD users were matched to 94 non-users, and there were no significant differences in baseline clinical variables between the two groups of patients. The all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the TCMD group than in the non-TCMD group, and this trend remained valid even after matching (21.3% [20/94] vs. 39.4% [37/94]). Multivariable logistic regression model showed that disease severity (odds ratio: 0.010; 95% CI: 0.003, 0.037; P ¡ 0.001) was associated with increased odds of death and that TCMD treatment significantly decreased the odds of in-hospital death (odds ratio: 0.115; 95% CI: 0.035, 0.383; P ¡ 0.001), which was related to the duration of TCMD treatment. Our findings show that TCMD treatment may reduce the mortality in patients with severe/critical COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report on our experience in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by radical radiotherapy alone in our institution during the last decade. Methods and Materials: From January 1990 to May 1999, 905 NPC patients were treated and were studied retrospectively. Radical radiotherapy was given to this cohort by conventional technique in a routine dose of 70–72 Gy to the primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes. In case of residual primary lesion, a boost dose of 8–24 Gy was delivered by either 192Ir afterloading brachytherapy, fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy, conformal radiotherapy, or small external-beam fields. Results: The 5-year and 10-year local-regional control, overall survival, and disease-free survival rates were 81.7% and 76.7%, 76.1% and 66.5%, 58.4% and 52.1%, respectively. In case of residual primary lesions after a dose of 70–72 Gy of conventional external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT), an additional boost was able to achieve a local control of 80.8%, similar to that obtained with primary lesions that completely disappeared at 70–72 Gy (82.6%, p = 0.892). Conclusions: The treatment results of radical EBRT followed by a boost dose to the residual primary tumor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in our institution are promising. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It has been reported that supplementing certain amino acids has therapeutic effects on ulcerative colitis (UC). We intend to explore whether citrulline (Cit) supplementation has protective effects on UC. Fifteen male Wistar rats were divided into normal control group (NC group), UC group and UC+Cit group, with five rats in each group. The UC model was established by TNBS/ethanol method. Rats in UC+Cit group were intragastrically administered with Cit for 7 consecutive days after modeling. All rats were sacrificed after 7 days. Blood samples were collected to detect the number of monocytes. Colon tissues were taken for HE staining. Immunohistochemistry staining for CD68 and p-STAT3 were performed to detect the infiltration of monocytes and the phosphorylation of STAT3 in colon tissues. The concentrations of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-17A and the protein expression of p-STAT3 in colon tissues were measured by ELISA and western blot methods, respectively. The body weight of UC group rats decreased significantly after 7 days (p<0.05). However, the weight loss of UC+Cit group rats was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The number of peripheral blood monocytes in UC+Cit group was significantly lower than that in UC group (p<0.05), and the infiltration of CD68-positive monocytes in the colon tissue of UC+Cit group was significantly reduced than that in UC group. The concentrations of MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-17A and the expression of p-STAT3 in colon tissues of UC+Cit group rats were significantly lower than those in UC group (both p<0.05). Our study suggests that Cit supplementation may be a potential therapy for UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance biodegradable transient resistive random-access memories (RRAMs) with the structure of Mg/MoO3/MgO/MoO3/Mg have been fabricated on a polylactic acid (PLA) substrate. Without the electroforming process, the devices have high ratios of the high-resistance state (HRS)/low-resistance state (LRS) (>50% of devices reaching above 106 and ∼3% reaching above 1011), good retention properties (both the HRS and LRS without deterioration within 2 × 104 s), and good endurance properties (continuously switched between the HRS and LRS >100 times under appropriate voltage pulses). By investigating the effect of different top electrode (TE) and bottom electrode (BE) combinations (TE/BE: Mg/Mg, Pt/Mg, Mg/Pt, and Mg/Au) and different oxygen contents of MoO3 on the performance of devices, the resistive switching mechanism is revealed to be the redox of the Mg TE at the interface of Mg/MoO3. The HRS is attributed to the formation of MgO after Mg is oxidized by mobile oxygen ions or oxygen captured from adjacent MoO3 under applied voltage, while the LRS is ascribed to the dissolution of formed MgO. The fitting results of the measured data indicate that the conduction of the HRS is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel (P-F) emission and that of the LRS is governed by the Ohmic conduction. Moreover, the devices can degrade quickly in 0.9% NaCl solution within 5 h, except for the PLA substrate that is able to degrade in the human body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To analyse the failure patterns and prognostic factors influencing survival in patients with primary mucosal melanoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Materials and methods: Fifty-one patients were analysed retrospectively. Forty-eight, 33, 10, and 13 patients underwent surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, respectively. Failure events, including local recurrence, regional relapse, distant metastases, and death, were examined. Results: During follow-up (median: 59.0 months), 36 patients experienced failure after treatment, including local (n = 17), regional (n = 8), and distant organ (n = 23) metastases. The median failure times for local, regional, and distant metastases were 13.0, 14.0, and 8.0 months, respectively. The median survival times from local, regional, and distant failure to death were 10.5, 8.0, and 4.0 months, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with and without distant organ metastases were 14.4% and 72.6%, respectively (p <.001). Multivariate analyses showed that radiotherapy increased local recurrence-free and regional relapse-free survival. Patients with stage IV tumours had reduced distant metastasis-free and overall survival compared to patients with stage I–III tumours. Conclusions: Distant metastasis was mainly owing to failure. Radiotherapy and the disease stage were prognostic factors for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although parotid-sparing IMRT decreased the dose distribution of parotid, parotid region recurrence has been reported. Prophylactic irradiation in parotid area would be necessary in patients with high risk of parotid lymph node metastasis (PLNM). This study was to detect the high-risk factors of PLNM in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods: This was a 1:2 case-control study. All patients in this study were newly diagnosed NPC with N2-3 classification from January 2005 to December 2012. Cases were 22 sides with ipsilateral PLNM. Controls were 44 patients who were randomly selected from N2-3 disease in database.Results: 20/1096 (1.82 %) NPC patients were found PLNM. Sum of the longest diameter for multiple lymph nodes (SLD) in level II was larger in case group than that in control group (6.0 cm vs. 3.6 cm, p = 0.003). Level II lymph node necrosis, level Va/b involvement, and rare neck areas involvement were more common in case group (p = 0.016, p = 0.034, and p < 0.001, respectively). RPN, level III, and level IV metastases showed no significant difference between the two groups. Multivariate analysis in logistic regression showed that only SLD ≥5 cm in II area (OR = 4.11, p = 0.030) and rare neck areas involvement (OR = 3.95, p = 0.045) were associated with PLNM in NPC patients.Conclusions: PLNM was an uncommon event in NPC patients. SLD ≥5 cm in level II and involvement in rare-neck areas may be potentially high-risk factors for PLNM. Sparing parotid in IMRT was not recommended for NPC patients with high risks of PLNM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to evaluate long-term survival outcomes and toxicity of T4 classification nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with intracranial extension (IE group) or without intracranial extension (non-IE group) after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using the propensity score matching method. After generating propensity scores given the covariates of age, sex, N classification, and concurrent chemotherapy, 132 patients in each group were matched. The 5-year local failure-free survival rate and the 5-year overall survival rate in the IE group were lower than the patients in the non-IE group (74.6 vs. 88.9 %, p = .008; 51.1 vs. 71.9 %, p = .005). Grade 2 hypothyroidism was more common in the IE group (13.2 vs. 3.4 %, p = .029). For patients with T4 classification NPC after IMRT, patients with intracranial extension need more attention to the thyroid gland function and are more likely to experience local failure and death than patients without intracranial extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by biological mechanoreceptors, we present a flexible artificial mechanoreceptor (FAM) based on high-performance VO 2 insulator-metal transition (IMT) memristor with the functions of sensing, spikes coding and information fusion for the anthropomorphic neurorobotics. The flexible VO 2 IMT memristors with the structure of Ti/Pt/VO 2 /Pt via-hole show bi-directional threshold switching performance, good endurance (>2 ×109) and excellent flexibility (>103 bending cycles). The FAM comprised of three receptors (flexible pressure sensors) and one flexible VO 2 IMT memristor is able to detect, code and fuse the pressure information from different receptors into spike trains similar to the biological SA-Ⅰ mechanoreceptors, laying the foundation for the flexible electronic skin of anthropomorphic neurorobotics in the future. • The presented artificial mechanoreceptor is fully flexible, satisfying the needs of flexible electronic skins of neurorobots. • The artificial mechanoreceptor can sense, code, and fuse the spatio-temporal pressure information into spike trains. • The VO 2 IMT memristors show high performance with good endurance (>2 ×109) and excellent flexibility (>103 bending cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to report clinical outcomes and patterns of failure for these patients with cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (CESCC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). A total of 64 patients with CESCC treated with definitive IMRT from May 2005 to March 2012 in our center were analyzed. Forty-two patients received radiotherapy alone and 22 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The location and extent of locoregional failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography for dosimetry analysis. For all patients, the overall 2-year local failure-free survival, regional failure-free survival, distant failure-free survival, and overall survival rate was 74.5, 88.0, 66.6 and 42.5 %, respectively. Twenty-eight patients had developed treatment failure. Of the 28 patients, 14, 5, and 18 had developed local failure, regional failure, and distant metastasis, respectively. All of the 14 local failures were considered in-field failures. Of the five regional failures, three were considered in-field failures and two were marginal failures. The most frequently observed acute toxicity was mainly Grade 1 or 2. The incidence of acute Grade 3 mucositis (including pharyngitis), skin reaction, and leukopenia was 4.7, 12.5 and 10.9 %, respectively. IMRT provides satisfactory locoregional control for CESCC. Distant metastasis remains the predominate pattern of failure and the predominate pattern of locoregional failures is in-field failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Esthesioneuroblastoma is a rare cancer. The purpose of this study was to review the long-term outcomes of patients with esthesioneuroblastomas (ENBs) who were treated at a single institution.Materials and Methods: One hundred thirteen patients with biopsy-proven ENBs between June of 1979 and November of 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. There was 1 patient at stage A, 23 stage B and 89 stage C according to Kadish classifications. The initial treatments included pre-operative radiotherapy (RT) followed by surgery in 11 patients, surgery followed by post-operative RT in 51, primary RT in 47, and surgery in 3, and only a single patient was treated with palliative chemotherapy alone.Results: The median follow-up was 75months, 5-year overall survival (OS), loco-regional control rate (LRC) and distant metastasis-free survival were 65%, 73% and 67%, respectively. The OSs at 5years were 91% in the pre-operative RT group, 82% in the post-operative RT group, and 50% in the primary RT group (p<0.001). Regarding the patients in early disease stages (Kadish A/B), no survival differences were observed between primary RT and combination treatment. Regarding the node-negative Kadish C disease patients, combination of surgery and RT elicited superior survival, and pre-operative RT yielded the best prognoses. Distant failure rate is over 60% for N-positive disease, chemotherapy may play a more important role.Conclusions: The optimal treatment policy for ENBs remains the combination of surgery and radiotherapy. When choosing the most adequate therapy for ENBs, disease stage, age and lymph nodes status should be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study was aimed to characterize patterns of lymphatic spread and assess the value of prophylactic elective neck irradiation (ENI) for esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB). Methods A retrospectively analysis of 116 patients with newly diagnosed ENB at our institution over 35-year period was undertaken. Results 32 patients (28%) presented lymph node metastasis at initial diagnosis, the common sites involved were level II, Ib, level III and VIIa. Among 80 N-negative patients staged in Modified Kadish B/C, 50 patients were delivered with ENI, 30 patients were not. The 5-year regional failure-free survival was 98% in patients treated with ENI and 75% in patients without ENI ( p = 0.005), regional failure rate decreased significantly from 23% (7/30) to 2% (1/50) after ENI ( p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis also suggested that ENI was an independent favorable predictor for regional controlling (HR, 0.102; 95% CI: 0.012–0.848; p = 0.035). Conclusions This is the largest cohort of ENB so far in a single institute, and also the first detailed description of nodal spread patterns of N-positive ENB. Elective neck irradiation reduced the regional failure significantly and should be recommended as a part of initial treatment strategy for patients staged with Modified Kadish B/C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate concurrent chemotherapy for T4 classification nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods: From July 2004 to June 2011, 180 non-metastatic T4 classification NPC patients were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 117 patients were treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using IMRT and 63 cases were treated by IMRT alone. Results: The median follow-up time was 58.97 months (range, 2.79–114.92) months. For all the patients, the 1, 3 and 5-year local failure-free survival (LFFS) rates were 97.7%, 89.2% and 85.9%, regional failure free survival (RFFS) rates were 98.9%, 94.4% and 94.4%, distant failure-free survival (DFFS) rates were 89.7%, 79.9% and 76.2%, and overall survival (OS) rates were 92.7%, 78.9% and 65.3%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in LFFS, RFFS, DFFS and OS between the CCRT group and the IMRT alone group. No statistically significant difference was observed in acute toxicity except leukopenia (p = 0.000) during IMRT between the CCRT group and the IMRT alone group. Conclusion: IMRT alone for T4 classification NPC achieved similar treatment outcomes in terms of disease local control and overall survival as compared to concurrent chemotherapy plus IMRT. However, this is a retrospective study with a limited number of patients, such results need further investigation in a prospective randomized clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective To evaluate the long-term survival outcomes and toxicity of a larger series of patients with non-metastatic T4 classification nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and methods From March 2004 to June 2011, 335 non-metastatic T4 classification NPC patients treated by IMRT were analyzed retrospectively. Treatment induced toxicities were scored according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0. Results With a median follow-up time of 53.6 months (range, 2.8–114.9 months), the 5-year local failure-free survival (LFFS), regional failure free survival (RFFS), distant failure-free survival (DFFS), and overall survival (OS) were 84.1%, 92.2%, 74.1%, and 63.0%, respectively. At their last follow-up visit, 118 patients (35.2%) had developed treatment failure. Distant metastasis was the major failure pattern after treatment. The most common toxicities were mainly in grade 1 or 2. Concurrent chemotherapy failed to improve survival rates for patients with T4 classification NPC. Conclusion The results of T4 classification NPC treated by IMRT were excellent, and distant metastasis was the most commonly failure pattern. Treatment-related toxicities were well tolerable. The role of concurrent chemotherapy for T4 classification NPC needs to be further investigated in the era of IMRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To discuss the clinical characteristics and patterns of failure in the parotid region after inten-sity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharygeal carcinoma. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 716 patients with nasopharygeal car-cinoma who underwent intensity-modulated radiotherapy in our centre from January 2005 to December 2010. Disease recurred in a spared parotid gland in 10 patients (1.4%). There were 2 females and 8 males with a median age of 38.5 (34-53) years. The most common presenting symptom was a swelling in pre-auricular region (7/10). Parotid glands were spared bilaterally in these patients. None of these patients had undergone previous radiotherapy or surgical treatment of the head and neck. The location of peripar-otid failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography for dosimetry analysis. Results: The median time from day 1 of radiotherapy to periparoid recurrence was 17.4 (4.4-40.5) months. The median survivial after periparoid recurrence was 25.1 (5.0-74.5) months. There were 9 (90%) patients with lateral retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy. Seven of the periparotid failures were marginal. Of the 7 marginal failures, 6 occurred at the ipslateral parotid of the primary tumor centre. The average mean dose of the ipslateral parotid was 38.1 (32.3-44.1 ) Gy. Conclusion: Periparotid recurrence is an uncommon pattern of failure after definitive intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharygeal carcinoma. To reduce the risk of periparotid recurrence.one possible strat-egy is to lessen the dose constraint criteria to ipslateral parotid of the primary tumor centre especially for nasopharygeal carcinoma with lateral retropharyngeal lymphadenopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The goal of this study is to study and report the clinical outcomes and patterns of failure after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for T4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A total of 70 patients treated with IMRT between 2004 and 2009 were eligible for study inclusion. According to the staging system of 2010 AJCC, all the primary tumors were attributed to T4 stage, while the distribution of disease by N stage was N0 in 2, N1 in 23, N2 in 39, N3a in 1, and N3b in 5. The location and extent of locoregional failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography for dosimetry analysis. The median follow-up period was 26.8 (range, 4–78) months. The overall 2-year local failure-free survival, regional failure-free survival, distant failure-free survival, and overall survival rate was 82.1%, 92.3%, 73.8%, and 82.5%, respectively. Thirty-three patients had developed treatment failure. Of the 33 patients, 11, 2, and 15 had developed local failure, regional failure, and distant metastasis, respectively, 2 had developed locoregional failure, 1 had developed distant metastasis and failure at the primary, and 2 had developed distant metastasis and failure at the primary and nodal site. Eight of the locoregional failures were marginal. The results of treating T4 NPC with IMRT were excellent. Advanced T4 disease remained difficult to treat. One possible strategy is to lessen the dose constraint criteria of selected neurologic structures. Distant metastasis remains the most difficult treatment challenge for patients with T4 NPC at present, and more effective systemic chemotherapy should be explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Charge variants of infliximab biosimilar HS626 were isolated by CEX. • Acidic variants resulted from fragments, deamidation, sialylation, and galactose. • Basic variants resulted from aggregates, fragments, and Met oxidation. • The detected biological functions were not affected by charge heterogeneity. Charge variants are the most commonly observed sources of heterogeneity in the routine manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies. To gain further insight into the structural foundation of charge heterogeneity and its influence on biological functions, an infliximab biosimilar HS626 from a biopharmaceutical facility was isolated by semipreparative cation exchange chromatography (CEX) to obtain fractions of acidic and basic charge variants and determine the main species. It was assessed again by CEX to ensure purities. Through a series of structural and physicochemical characterizations, we concluded that the acidic variants were caused by fragments, Met oxidation, Asn deamidation, higher levels of sialylation and galactosylation of N-linked glycans, and less high mannose. The basic variants resulted mainly from aggregates, fragments, and Met oxidation. Through further analysis of antigen binding affinity, cell death inhibitory activity, ADCC, and CDC, as well as FcRn, FcγRIIIa, and C1q affinity, we demonstrated that the charge heterogeneity did not affect biological functions. This research enhances the understanding of charge variants, which are usually effective components that should not be intentionally reduced unless biological functions are affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in patients with residual nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Methods: From January 2000 to December 2009, 136 NPC patients with residual lesions after primary radiotherapy (RT) were treated by FSRT. The total dose of primary RT was 68.0-78.0 Gy (median, 70.0 Gy). The median time from the primary RT to FSRT was 24.5 days. Tumor volumes for FSRT ranged from 0.60 to 77.13 cm3 (median, 13.45 cm3). The total FSRT doses were 8.0-32.0Gy (median, 19.5 Gy) with 2.0-10.0 Gy per fraction.Results: Five-year local failure-free survival (LFFS), freedom from distant metastasis (FFDM), overall survival (OS), and disease free survival (DFS) rates for all patients were 92.5%, 77.0%, 76.2%, and 73.6%, respectively. No statistical significant differences were found in LFFS, DFS and OS in patients with stage I/II versus stage III/ IV diseases. Nineteen patients exhibited late toxicity. T stage at diagnosis was a significant prognostic factor for OS and DFS. Age was a prognostic factor for OS.Conclusion: FSRT after external beam radiotherapy provides excellent local control for patients with residual NPC. The incidence of severe late toxicity is low and acceptable. Further investigation of optimal fractionation regimens will facilitate reduction of long-term complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]