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Cimicifuga dahurica (C. dahurica) is an important medicinal plant in the northern region of China. The best supplemental light environment helps plant growth, development, and metabolism. In this study, we used two-year-old seedlings as experimental materials. The white light as the control (CK). The different ratios of red (R) and blue (B) combined light were supplemented (T1, 2R: 1B, 255.37 μmol m -2 ·s -1 ; T2, 3R: 1B, 279.69 μmol m -2 ·s -1 ; T3, 7R: 1B, 211.16 μmol m -2 ·s -1 ). The growth characteristics, photosynthetic pigment content, photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and primary metabolite content were studied in seedlings. The results showed that: 1) The fresh weight from shoot, root, and total fresh weight were significantly (P < 0.05) increased under T2 and T3 treatment. 2) The contents of chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), and total chlorophyll (Chl) were significantly (P < 0.05) increased under T2 treatment, and carotenoid (car) content was reduced. 3) The photochemical quenching (qP), the actual photosynthetic efficiency of PSII (Y(II)), and the photosynthetic electron transfer rate (ETR) from leaves were significantly (P < 0.05) increased under T1 treatment. The Net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO 2 concentration (Ci), and transpiration rate (Tr) were significantly (P < 0.05) increased under T2 and T3 treatments. 4) A total of 52 primary metabolites were detected in C. dahurica leaves. Compared with CK, 14, 15, and 18 differential metabolites were screened under T1, T2, and T3 treatments. In addition, D-xylose, D-glucose, glycerol, glycolic acid, and succinic acid were significantly (P < 0.05) accumulated under the T2 treatment, which could regulate the TCA cycle metabolism pathway. The correlation analysis suggested that plant growth was promoted by regulating the change of D-mannose content in galactinol metabolism and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. In summary, the growth of C. dahurica was improved under T2 treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly heterogeneous liver tumor. The associations between histopathological feature and prognosis of ICC are limited. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of glandular structure and tumor budding in ICC., Methods: Patients received radical hepatectomy for ICC were included. Glandular structure and tumor budding were detected by Hematoxylin-eosin staining. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to calculate the survival and hazard ratio. Based on the results of multivariate analysis, nomograms of OS and DFS were constructed. C-index and Akaike information criterion (AIC) were used to assess accuracy of models., Results: A total of 323 ICC patients who underwent surgery were included in our study. Glandular structure was associated with worse overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR): 2.033, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.047 to 3.945] and disease-free survival (DFS) [HR: 1.854, 95% CI: 1.082 to 3.176]. High tumor budding was associated with worse DFS [HR: 1.636, 95%CI: 1.060 to 2.525]. Multivariate analysis suggested that glandular structure, tumor number, lymph node metastasis, and CA19-9 were independent risk factors for OS. Independent predictor factors for DFS were tumor budding, glandular structure, tumor number, and lymph node metastasis. The c-index (0.641 and 0.642) and AIC (957.69 and 1188.52) showed that nomograms of OS and DFS have good accuracy., Conclusion: High tumor budding and glandular structure are two important histopathological features that serve as prognostic factors for ICC patients undergoing hepatectomy., (Copyright © 2024 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Society of Coloproctology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of lateral thoracic adipofascial flaps in reconstructing the defects following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in breasts with either no ptosis or mild ptosis., Methods: 37 female patients who underwent BCS and lateral thoracic adipofascial flap breast reconstruction between June 2020 and July 2022 were analysed. Surgery-related complications, intraoperative positive margin, local recurrence, and cosmetic outcome were assessed., Results: Three local complications occurred in patients, all of which were cured by conservative treatment. Additionally, four patients had intraoperative positive margins. After a median follow-up period of 17.5 months, none of the patients showed local recurrence. All patients achieved a satisfactory breast shape. Further, patients without ptosis achieved good volume and symmetry. However, the breast symmetry was not satisfactory for patients with ptosis., Conclusion: It is reliable and effective to use the lateral thoracic adipofascial flaps to reconstruct the defects after BCS when the breast is not ptotic and the lesions are located in the lateral and central quadrants., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Asian Surgical Association and Taiwan Robotic Surgery Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The clinical data of stage I invasive lung adenocarcinoma patients with spread through air spaces (STAS) who underwent lobectomy from January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2016 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Hebei Medical University were analyzed retrospectively, and statistical analysis was carried out to explore their clinical features and prognostic value of EGFR mutation. A total of 280 patients were included in the study cohort, and EGFR mutations were detected in 154 patients. EGFR mutations were more common in non-smokers (p=0.045), females (p<0.001), without vascular tumor thrombus (p=0.037), and histological subtype LPA/APA/PPA (p=0.001). Multivariate analysis of the Cox risk regression model showed that EGFR gene mutation (p=0.807) was not an independent influencing factor of recurrence-free survival (RFS), but EGFR mutation was an independent influencing factor of overall survival (OS) (p=0.012), and OS of patients with EGFR mutation was better. The EGFR mutation also significantly increased the progression-free survival (PFS) of relapsed patients (p<0.001), but the PFS of relapsed EGFR mutation patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy after the operation was worse than that of patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.029). EGFR gene mutation is not a risk factor for postoperative recurrence in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma with STAS but the 5-year survival rate of patients with EGFR gene mutation is better than that of wild-type. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with EGFR mutation should be carefully considered.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the expression of cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and the microvascular density (MVD) and clinicopathological features. Firstly, the expression status of CBS in diffuse carcinoma and LUSC was searched through the public bioinformatics database. Subsequently, immunohistochemical staining and scoring were performed on tumor tissues and matched normal tissues from 108 LUSC patients to assess CBS expression; the MVD of tumor tissues was also detected. The results showed that CBS was overexpressed in some tumor tissues, including LUSC. Immunohistochemical results showed that the positive expression rate of CBS in tumor tissues (63.0%) was higher than that in normal tissues (17.6%). The expression of CBS was correlated with T (p=0.01), N (p=0.004), TNM (p=0.011) stages, and tumor differentiation degrees (p<0.001), with the increase of T, N, and TNM stages or the decrease of differentiation, the expression level of CBS also increased. In addition, the expression level of CBS was positively correlated with MVD (r=0.6997, p<0.0001). Survival analysis showed that the survival rate of the CBS negative expression group was better than that of the positive expression group (p=0.004). Cox multivariate analysis showed that CBS expression status (p<0.001), T stages (p=0.020), and TNM stages (p=0.021) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of LUSC. In conclusion, the high expression of CBS affects tumor development and is associated with the poor prognosis of LUCS, which may be used as a biomarker to evaluate prognosis and find a new direction for the treatment of LUSC.

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors of refractive status of preschool children in Changdu, Tibet. Methods: From July 2020 to October 2020, a cross-section investigation was performed among preschool children in Changdu, Tibet. The general information was collected, and the uncorrected refractive status was recorded and investigated. The measurement data were expressed by mean±standard deviation, and the t -test and χ 2 test were used for univariate analysis. The questionnaire of factors influencing children's visual acuity was distributed to the parents of the children. The independent variables included height, weight, nutritional status, parents' eyesight, sleeping time and habits that were bad for eyes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of refractive status, including age and gender. Results: A total of 2 793 children were screened, among whom 2 646 (98.64%) children including 1 501 males and 1 145 females were inhabitants in the plateau region. The average age was (4.52±0.97) years. Refractive abnormalities were found in 253 children (9.56%). The detection rate of refractive abnormalities increased with age. There was no significant difference between males and females (χ²=1.79, P >0.05). The total abnormal refraction rate of preschoolers was lower in the plateau region than the non-plateau region (χ² = 13.93, P <0.05). The parental refractive status ( OR =0.06, 95% CI : 0.04-0.08) and nutritional factors ( OR =0.11, 95% CI : 0.04-0.25) had higher correlations with the refractive abnormalities of preschoolers. Conclusions: The rate of refractive abnormalities of preschool children was relatively low in Changdu, Tibet. One of the effective measures to prevent ametropia in the plateau area can be balanced nutrition. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 772-776) .

Nischarin is an integrin-binding protein, which is well known as a novel tumor suppressor. In breast cancer, Nischarin serves a critical role in breast cancer cell migration and invasion. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the role of Nischarin remains unclear. Recent findings have demonstrated that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) increases the capacity of cell migration and invasion. As a member of the integrin family, it was hypothesized that Nischarin may regulate cellular processes via various signaling pathways associated with the EMT process. The present study detected the mRNA levels of EMT regulators via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and related protein levels via western blotting in breast cancer cells, following NISCH -overexpression and -knockdown. The results demonstrated that Nischarin inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, when the NISCH gene was overexpressed, the relative mRNA level of E-cadherin was increased, while the relative mRNA levels of several transcription factors, such as Snail, ZEB1, N-cadherin, Slug, Twist1 and vimentin, decreased. When NISCH was silenced, these results were reversed. The present results demonstrated that Nischarin suppresses cell migration and invasion via inhibiting the EMT process., (Copyright: © Cai et al.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of electro-acupuncture (EA) or transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on perioperative cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neurological function in ischemic stroke (IS) patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (CAS)., Methods: In total, 124 consecutive IS patients were randomly allocated to the EA, TEAS, and sham groups (groups A, T, and S; 41, 42, and 41 cases, respectively) by software-derived random-number sequence. Groups A and T received EA and TEAS, respectively, at the Shuigou (GV 26) and Baihui (GV 20), Hegu (LI4) and Waiguan (TE 5) acupoints. Group S received sham EA. The stimulation was started from 30 min before surgery until the end of the operation. The primary outcome was the CBF at 30 min after surgery, which was measured by transcranial Doppler sonography. The secondary outcomes included hyperperfusion incidence and neurological function. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and General Evaluation Scale (GES) scores were recorded at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively., Results: Mean CBF velocity at 30 min after surgery in groups A and T was much lower than that in Group S (P < 0.05); the incidence of hyperperfusion in Groups A and T was also lower than that in group S (P <0.05). Acupuncture was an independent factor associated with reduced incidence of hyperperfusion (OR=0.042; 95% CI: 0.002-0.785; =0.034). NIHSS and GES scores improved significantly at 1 week postoperatively in Groups A and T than in Group S (P < 0.05). Relative to Group S, groups A and T exhibited significantly lower incidences of moderate pain, as well as higher incidences of satisfaction with anesthesia, at 1 day postoperatively (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: EA or TEAS administered in combination with local anesthesia during CAS can inhibit transient increases in CBF, reduce the incidence of postoperative hyperperfusion, and improve neurological function. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IOR-15007447).

Objective: To study the natural growth dynamics of skull base chordomas., Methods: A retrospective study of skull base chordomas was performed. Patients with ≥2 preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) images and with pathologically confirmed chordomas were enrolled. All clinical data and MR images were studied., Results: Twenty-one patients with pathologically confirmed skull base chordomas were enrolled. The mean volume of the tumors at diagnosis was 19.9 ± 17.0 cm 3 , with a mean interval examination period of 22.4 ± 26.1 (range, 3-113) months. The mean tumor volume change was approximately 15.4 ± 16.3 cm 3 . The mean specific growth rate was 8% ± 9% per month, and the mean specific growth volume was 0.8 ± 0.7 cm 3 per month. The tumor MR signal index grade, female gender, no dura mater breakthrough, endophytic type, small tumors, and soft tumor texture were related to a higher tumor growth rate (P < 0.05), and small tumors showed the greatest growth rate compared with the middle-sized and large tumors. Curve estimation was performed using a power function (R 2  = 0.545)., Conclusions: The skull base chordoma is a slow-growing tumor. The cases involving characteristics of female gender, endophytic type, small tumor size, and MR grade 3 showed a higher growth rate., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fibroadenomas (FAs) are the most common fibroepithelial lesions and the most common benign tumors of the breast in women of reproductive age. Although MED12 mutations, an overwhelming majority of all mutations, and some other gene mutations have been found in FAs, the genomic landscapes of FAs are still not completely clear and the genomic mutation spectrums of FAs in Chinese population remains unknown. Here, by performing whole exome sequencing of 12 FAs and the corresponding normal breast tissues in Chinese Han population, we observed the somatic and germline landscapes of genetic alterations. We identified 16 recurrently mutated genes with 37 nonsynonymous or frameshift somatic mutations and 27 recurrent somatic copy number variants (CNVs). In these mutated genes, MED12 was the most common in FAs, harboring 6 nonsynonymous/frameshift somatic mutations and 1 CNV. In addition, 6 germline mutations of tumor susceptibility genes in 5 FAs were identified and the tumor mutational burden of the 5 FAs was significantly higher than the other 7 FAs without germline mutations. This study provides genomic mutation spectrums of FAs in Chinese population and expand the genetic spectrum of FAs., (© 2019 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: In order to explore the possibility of treating breast cancer by local photo-therapy, a photothermal agents loaded in situ hydrogel was established. In detail, The Cu 2 MnS 2 nanoplates were prepared by one-pot synthesis and, the thermosensitive Pluronic F127 was used as the hydrogel matrix. The Cu 2 MnS 2 nanoplates and the hydrogel were characterized by morphous, particle size, serum stability, photothermal performance upon repeated 808 nm laser irradiation as well as the rheology features. The therapeutic effects of the Cu 2 MnS 2 nanoplates and the hydrogel were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells. The retention, photothermal efficacy, therapeutic effects and systemic toxicity of the hydrogel were assessed in tumor bearing mouse model., Results: The Cu 2 MnS 2 nanoplates with a diameter of about 35 nm exhibited satisfying serum stability, photo-heat conversion ability and repeated laser exposure stability. The hydrogel encapsulation did not negatively influence the above features of the photothermal agent. The nanoplates loaded in situ hydrogel shows a phase transition at body temperature and, as a result, a long retention in vivo., Conclusions: The photothermal agent embedded hydrogel played a promising photothermal therapeutic effects in tumor bearing mouse model with low systemic toxicity after peritumoral administration.

Acute appendicitis (AA) affects between 7% and 8% of the world population and is one of the most common general surgical emergencies. The concept of seasonal patterns in the incidence of AA remains controversial. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether meteorological factors are related to variations in the rate of pediatric AA cases at the Children's Hospital in Chongqing, China.In total, in this retrospective survey, 3436 children younger than 18 years who had been hospitalized with AA from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2013 were enrolled, and the meteorological factors during this period were collected.Patients with AA showed a male/female ratio of 1.81:1; the highest incidence age ranged from 6 to 12 years old (P < .0001). The highest incidences of pediatric AA occurred in summer and autumn, with a peak in September and a trough in February. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the monthly mean temperature (r = 0.357, P = .001), monthly mean relative humidity (r = -0.357, P = .001), and monthly mean sunshine duration (r = 0.235, P = -0.031) were relatively weak correlated with pediatric AA. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that pediatric AA occurrence was positively affected by monthly mean temperature (P < .0001) and negatively affected by monthly mean humidity (P < .0001) and monthly sum of sunshine (P < .0001), while monthly mean air pressure (P = .092), monthly wind speed (P = .143) and monthly precipitation (P = .297) were marginally associated with pediatric AA.Pediatric AA is associated with climatic factors. Specifically, pediatric AA is more likely related to the following meteorological conditions of: high temperature (20 °C-30 °C), low humidity, and less sunshine.

Background: Subependymoma is rare, and little is known about subependymoma with intratumoral hemorrhage., Methods: A retrospective study of subependymoma was performed. Among 61 subependymomas, 4 cases of intratumoral hemorrhage were collected. All 4 cases were pathologically confirmed to be subependymoma and showed a benign character., Results: After complete subependymoma resection, the 4 patients achieved favorable outcomes. Pathology showed that dilated thin-walled vessels and/or hyalinosis of the vessel walls existed in all 4 cases., Conclusions: The present series showed that subependymomas with hemorrhage and benign pathology are rare and that surgical treatment results in good prognosis. This series supports the hypothesis that the pathology of vascular degeneration may contribute to subependymoma hemorrhage., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exposure of neonatal rat to sevoflurane leads to neurodegeneration and deficits of spatial learning and memory in adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The type A γ-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABA A R) is a target receptor for sevoflurane. The present study intends to investigate the changes in GABA A R α1/α2 expression and its relationship with the neurotoxicity effect due to sevoflurane in neonatal rats. After a dose-response curve was constructed to determine minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and safety was guaranteed in our 7-day-old neonatal rat pup mode, we conducted two studies among the following groups: (A) the control group; (B) the sham anesthesia group; and (C) the sevoflurane anesthesia group and all three groups were treated in the same way as the model. First, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 protein (PARP-1) expression was determined in the different brain areas at 6 hr after anesthesia. Second, the expression of PARP-1 and GABA A R α1/GABA A R α2 in the hippocampus area was tested by Western blotting at 6 hr, 24 hr, and 72 hr after anesthesia in all three groups. After 4 hr, with 0.8 MAC (2.1%) sevoflurane anesthesia, the PARP-1 expression was significantly higher in the hippocampus than the other brain areas (p < .05). Compared with Groups A and B, the expression of PARP-1 in the hippocampus of Group C significantly increased at 6 hr after sevoflurane exposure (216% ± 15%, p < .05), and the ratio of the α1/α2 subunit of GABA A R surged at 6 hr (126% ± 6%), 24 hr (127% ± 8%), and 72 hr (183% ± 22%) after sevoflurane exposure in the hippocampus (p < .05). Our study showed that sevoflurane exposure of 0.8 MAC (2.1%)/4 hr was a suitable model for 7-day-old rats. And the exposure to sevoflurane could induce the apoptosis of neurons in the early stage, which may be related to the transmission from GABA A R α2 to GABA A R α1., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and maize stalk rot (MSR), caused by members of the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), are among the most destructive and economically important diseases in the world. Species identity and the trichothecene chemotype of 312 members of the FGSC from diseased wheat spikes and maize stalks in Henan was determined using phylogenetic analyses and a polymerase chain reaction trichothecene chemotype assay. F. graminearum sensu stricto accounted for more than 93% of the FGSC isolates associated with FHB (N = 168) and MSR (N = 130). The remaining isolates were F. asiaticum. Significant differences were found in the frequencies of the two species within the hosts (P < 0.01). However, the frequencies of the same species in FHB and MSR were similar (P > 0.05) for wheat and maize isolates, indicating that the composition of the FGSC with respect to wheat and maize in these fields varied little. The 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) trichothecene chemotype represented 92.7 and 98.5% of isolates from wheat (N = 167) and maize (N = 130), respectively. However, the 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol chemotype was found in 6.7% of wheat isolates, and the nivalenol chemotype in 1.5% of MSR isolates and in 0.6% of FHB isolates. Mycelial growth at different concentrations of carbendazim and difenoconazole did not differ between F. graminearum sensu stricto and F. asiaticum. These results suggest that the 15-ADON chemotype of F. graminearum sensu stricto is the predominant pathogen that causes wheat- and maize-related diseases in this region. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .

Background: Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes greatly increase a woman's risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. The prevalence and distribution of such mutations differ across races/ethnicities. Several studies have investigated Chinese women with high-risk breast cancer, but the full spectrum of the mutations in these two genes remains unclear., Methods: In this study, 133 unrelated Chinese women with familial breast/ovarian cancer living in Zhejiang, eastern China, were enrolled between the years 2008 and 2014. The complete coding regions and exon-intron boundaries of BRCA1 and BRCA2 were screened by PCR-sequencing assay. Haplotype analysis was performed to confirm BRCA1 and BRCA2 founder mutations. In silico predictions were performed to identify the non-synonymous amino acid changes that were likely to disrupt the functions of BRCA1 and BRCA2., Results: A total of 23 deleterious mutations were detected in the two genes in 31 familial breast/ovarian cancer patients with a total mutation frequency of 23.3% (31/133). The highest frequency of 50.0% (8/16) was found in breast cancer patients with a history of ovarian cancer. The frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations were 13.5 % (18/133) and 9.8% (13/133), respectively. We identified five novel deleterious mutations (c.3295delC, c.3780&#95;3781delAG, c.4063&#95;4066delAATC, c.5161 > T and c.5173insA) in BRCA1 and seven (c.1-40delGA, c.4487delC, c.469&#95;473delAAGTC, c.5495delC, c.6141T > A, c.6359C > G and c.7588C > T) in BRCA2, which accounted for 52.2% (12/23) of the total mutations. Six recurrent mutations were found, including four (c.3780&#95;3781delAG, c.5154G > A, c.5468-1del8 and c.5470&#95;5477del8) in BRCA1 and two (c.3109C > T and c.5682C > G) in BRCA2. Two recurrent BRCA1 mutations (c.5154G > A and c.5468-1del8) were identified as putative founder mutations. We also found 11 unclassified variants, and nine of these are novel. The possibility was that each of the non-synonymous amino acid changes would disrupt the function of BRCA1 and BRCA2 varied according to the different algorithms used., Conclusions: BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations accounted for a considerable proportion of hereditary breast/ovarian cancer patients from eastern China and the spectrum of the mutations of these two genes exhibited some unique features. The two BRCA1 putative founder mutations may provide a cost-effective option to screen Chinese population, while founder effects of the two mutations should be investigated in a lager sample size of patients.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental and behavioral disorder in school-aged children. This study evaluated the effect of osmotic-release oral system (OROS) methylphenidate (MPH) on cognitive function and academic performance of Chinese school-aged children with ADHD., Methods: This 12-week, prospective, multicenter, open-label, self-controlled study enrolled 153 Chinese school-aged children with ADHD and 41 non-ADHD children. Children with ADHD were treated with once-daily OROS-MPH (18 mg, 36 mg, or 54 mg). The primary endpoints were Inattention/Overactivity (I/O) with Aggression Conners Behavior Rating Scale (IOWA) and Digit Span Test at week 12 compared with baseline. Secondary endpoints included opposition/defiant (O/D) subscale of IOWA, Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Coding Test, Stroop Color-word Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), academic performance on teacher-rated school examinations, and safety at week 12 compared with baseline. Both non-ADHD and ADHD children received the same frequency of cognitive operational test to avoid the possible bias caused by training., Results: A total of 128 patients were evaluated with cognitive assessments. The OROS-MPH treatment significantly improved IOWA Conners I/O subscale scores at week 12 (3.8 ± 2.3) versus baseline (10.0 ± 2.4; P < 0.0001). Digit Span Test scores improved significantly (P < 0.0001) with a high remission rate (81.1%) at week 12 versus baseline. A significant (P < 0.0001) improvement was observed in O/D subscale of IOWA, CGI, Coding Test, Stroop Color-word Test, WCST, and academic performance at week 12 versus baseline. Very few practice-related improvements were noticed in the non-ADHD group at week 12 compared with baseline. No serious adverse events and deaths were reported during the study., Conclusions: The OROS-MPH treatment effectively controlled symptoms of ADHD and significantly improved academic performance and cognitive function of Chinese school-aged children with ADHD. The treatment was found to be safe and generally well-tolerated over 12 weeks., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01933880; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01933880?term=CONCERTAATT4099&rank=1.

The present study aimed to investigate the expression of Nischarin protein in primary breast cancer (PBC), and to evaluate its role in tumor metastasis. Paired specimens of breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues were surgically obtained from 60 patients with PBC at the Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Hangzhou, China). Nischarin protein concentrations were determined by an ELISA assay. Breast cancer tissues exhibited a significantly lower concentration of Nischarin (5.86 ± 3.19 ng/ml) compared with that of the adjacent noncancerous tissues (9.25 ± 3.65 ng/ml; P<0.001). Furthermore, cancer tissue from patients with lymph node metastasis had significantly lower levels of Nischarin protein (4.69 ± 2.40 ng/ml) than those of patients without lymph node metastasis (7.04 ± 3.47 ng/ml; P=0.004). There was no significant difference in Nischarin protein expression levels between patients with grade I, II or III PBC (grade I, 5.44 ± 3.57 ng/ml; grade II, 6.42 ± 3.85 ng/ml and grade III, 5.10 ± 1.18 ng/ml; P=0.765). The significant differences in the expression of Nischarin between: i) Cancer tissue and noncancerous tissue and ii) patients with and without lymph node metastasis, suggested that Nischarin may have a significant role in tumor occurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. Nischarin expression may therefore be used as a marker to predict the invasiveness and metastasis of PBC.

Germline mutations in identified breast cancer susceptibility genes account for less than 20% of Chinese familial breast cancers. Dicer is an essential component of the microRNA-producing machinery; germline mutations of DICER1 have been confirmed in familial pleuropulmonary blastoma, ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, and other cancers. Low expression of DICER1 is frequently detected in breast cancer. However, whether germline mutations of DICER1 occur in familial breast cancers remain unknown. Sixty-five breast cancer probands from BRCA1/BRCA2-negative Chinese breast cancer families were screened for germline mutations in DICER1. In addition, 100 unrelated healthy females were enrolled as controls. A polymerase chain reaction sequencing assay was used to screen for mutations in coding regions and at the exon-intron boundaries of DICER1. All variants in introns were evaluated using the NNSplice software to determine the potential splicing effect. A total of 12 germline variants were found, including 11 variants in introns and 1 variant in the 3'-non-coding region. Four variants (IVS8-205 C>T, IVS11+131 delGAAA, IVS16+42 delTA, and IVS19+160 T>C) were novel. Three variants (IVS11+105 C>T, IVS16+42 delTA, and 6095 T>A) may affect splice sites. None of the observed variants appeared to be disease-related, suggesting that germline mutations in DICER1 are rare or absent in familial breast cancer patients.

Objective: To understand the current status and relevant factors influencing the duration of breastfeeding in rural areas in China., Methods: Children under two years old were selected as subjects from the study on "Physical growth among the under 7-years-old children from the rural areas of ten provinces in China in 2006". Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival curves and Cox multivariate stepwise regression was used to identify the relevant factors on the duration of breastfeeding., Results: Median of the duration for breastfeeding was 12 months in rural areas of 10 provinces in China. Results of this study suggested that factors as sex, birth order, areas of residency, nationality, initiation of formula, parents' education levels, maternal services and family income were correlated with the duration of breastfeeding., Conclusion: Duration of breastfeeding among rural children under 2-years of age was short in the 10 provinces of China. Factors as level of education, residential areas and family income of the parents as well as sex of the children were correlated with the duration of breastfeeding. Intervention program should be implemented to improve the current status on breastfeeding.

Aims: We performed this retrospective study to evaluate the value of clinicopathological factors and a novel molecular marker stathmin in predicting treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) with docetaxel-containing regimens in patients with locally advanced breast cancer., Methods: Fifty-four consecutive locally advanced patients receiving docetaxel-containing NCT between January 2006 and July 2010 in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital were included. The expression levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), and p53 were detected by immunohistochemistry, while expression of stathmin mRNA was measured by Quanti-Gene assay., Results: The overall clinical objective response (cOR) rate was 75.9% (41/54) in breast. A total of 34 patients (63.0%) experienced pathological OR (pOR), with pathological complete remission (pCR) rate of 20.4% (11/54) in breast and 16.7% (9/54) in both breast and axilla. In univariate analysis, there were associations of pOR in both breast and axilla with age (p=0.054), ER status (p=0.059), subtypes (p=0.062), p53 (p=0.030), and stathmin expression (three terciles) (p=0.039). Mean expression of stathmin in pOR group was 0.410, compared with that in no response group of 0.556 (p=0.051 by Student's t-test). Similarly, a lower expression of stathmin might represent a higher pCR rate (p=0.061). Moreover, the LOWESS smoothing plot showed the same trend, that is, that tumor with a lower level of stathmin expression had a higher probability of response to docetaxel-containing NCT. After multivariate adjustment, both ER and stathmin remained significant with hazard ratio of 4.58 (95% CI: 1.11-18.94, p=0.036) and 2.94 (95% CI: 1.26-6.86, p=0.012), respectively., Conclusions: In conclusion, ER and stathmin were independent predictive factors for NCT with docetaxel-containing regimens.

Cynodon dactylon is widely cultivated as a sod crop in warm climates worldwide. In early September 2009, heavy leaf spot infection was observed on C. dactylon from Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Early symptoms appeared as small, elliptical, pale brown lesions on the leaves. Lesions later expanded to 5 to 10 mm long and 1 to 2 mm wide, becoming brown to dark brown. A fungus was consistently isolated from leaf spots on potato dextrose agar (PDA), but with poor sporulation. Morphological characteristics were observed from single-conidium cultures on tap water agar + wheat straw (TWA+W) after 5 to 7 days. Conidiophores were light to medium brown, cylindrical, solitary or clustered, unbranched, usually with basal cells enlarged, and 94.5 to 147.0 × 4.0 to 9.0 μm. Conidia were fusoid, strongly curved, end cells broadly hemiellipsoidal, brown, 58.5 to 84.5 × 13.5 to 18.5 μm, with 6 to 10 septa. These morphological characteristics are similar to those of Bipolaris peregianensis (2). The identity of our fungus was confirmed to be B. peregianensis by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (GenBank Accession No. JQ316121), which was 99% homologous to those of other B. peregianensis isolates (= Cochliobolus peregianensis; Accession Nos AF071328 and AF158111) (1). Koch's postulates were performed with the leaves of three pots of C. dactylon. Leaves were sprayed with 1 × 10 5 conidia/ml of B. peregianensis; an equal number of leaves in the pots of the same plant sprayed with sterile distilled water served as the control. All test plants were covered with plastic bags for 24 h to maintain high relative humidity at 23 to 25°C. After 7 days, more than 50% of inoculated leaves showed symptoms identical to those observed in natural condition, whereas controls remained symptom free. Reisolation of the fungus from lesions on inoculated leaves confirmed that the causal agent was B. peregianensis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spots caused by B. peregianensis on C. dactylon in China. The disease cycle and the control strategies in the regions are being further studied. References: (1) M. L. Berbee et al. Mycologia 91:964, 1999. (2) A. Sivanesan. Mycol. Pap. 158:1, 1987.

A modified hemilaminectomy was introduced in an attempt to explore the operative techniques and the values of the limited approach to spinal cord tumors. Forty-five consecutive patients with intradural extramedullary lesions, who underwent modified hemilaminectomy, were studied retrospectively. The intraspinal tumors were removed via the limited bone window with a 3.3-cm mean length (range: 2.0-6.5 cm) and a 1.2-cm mean width (range: 0.6-1.5 cm), in which the inner parts of the medial and lateral laminae were mostly undercut for wider view. Spinal lesions were cervical in 21 cases, thoracic in 12 cases, lumbar in 10 cases, and multiple in 2 cases. Forty-three cases were completely excised via hemilaminectomy alone. Two subjects with dumbbell neurinoma underwent two-stage tumor removal via anterolateral cervical approach following hemilaminectomy. With respect to neurological status, the percentage of good Frankel scale (D+E grade) was markedly improved from 22.2% on admission to 93.3% at follow-up. At the median 26-month follow-up evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), none of the subjects showed spinal deformity or instability. By preserving musculoligamentous attachments and posterior bony elements as much as possible, the modified approach is minimally invasive and may be routinely used to remove intradural and extramedullary tumors, especially in patients with meningiomas and neurinomas.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of pancreatic islets and destruction of β cells. Up to now, there is still no cure for this devastating disease and alternative approach should be developed. To explore a novel gene therapy strategy combining immunotherapy and β cell regeneration, we constructed a non-viral plasmid encoding proinsulin (PI) and pancreatic regenerating (Reg) III protein (pReg/PI). Therapeutic potentials of this plasmid for T1DM were investigated. Intramuscular delivery of pReg/PI resulted in a significant reduction in hyperglycemia and diabetes incidence, with an increased insulin contents in the serum of T1DM mice model induced by STZ. Treatment with pReg/PI also restored the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines and expanded CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells, which may attribute to the establishment of self-immune tolerance. Additionally, in comparison to the mice treated with empty vector pBudCE4.1 (pBud), attenuated insulitis and apoptosis achieved by inhibiting activation of NF-κB in the pancreas of pReg/PI treated mice were observed. In summary, these results indicate that intramuscular delivery of pReg/PI distinctly ameliorated STZ-induced T1DM by reconstructing the immunological self-tolerance and promoting the regeneration of β cells, which might be served as a promising candidate for the gene therapy of T1DM., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effect of RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus and its underlying mechanisms. The model of type 1 diabetes mellitus was established by intraperitoneal injections of STZ (40 mg kg(-1)) to Balb/c mice for five consecutive days. Then, ten type 1 diabetic mice were intramuscularly injected with 100 microg RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid for 4 weeks (one time/week) and the blood glucose levels were monitored every week; whereas another ten diabetic mice served as negative control group were injected with pBudCE4.1 vector at the same dose. Normal control and model control mice were treated with normal saline at identical volume under the same way. Western blotting, MTT assay, ELISA, HE staining and Tunel assay were applied to explore the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid ameliorated the hyperglycemia symptoms in diabetic mouse remarkably. It induced an immunological tolerance state in type 1 diabetic mice by inhibiting the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes and recovering Th1/Th2 balance evidenced by MTT and ELISA analysis. Furthermore, it elevated insulin concentration in the serum of type 1 diabetic mice and promoted the regeneration of beta cells supported by the results of HE staining and Tunel assay. In conclusion, RegIII-proinsulin-pBudCE4.1 plasmid possesses powerful anti-diabetic ability, which may be involved in the inducing of immunological tolerance and enhancing beta cells recovery.

A novel biscoumarin, 6,6',7,7'-tetramethoxyl-8,8'-biscoumarin (1), was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Urtica dentata Hand, together with five known compounds named as 7,7'-dihydroxy-6,6'-dimethoxy-8,8'-biscoumarin (2), 7,7'-dimethoxy-6,6'-biscoumarin (3), scoparone (4), vanillic acid (5), and daucosterol (6). Structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including 2D NMR experiments. Compounds 1 and 2 were confirmed to be a rare carbon-carbon linked symmetrical biscoumarin. Compounds 1-4, especially 1 (IC(50) = 8.18 x 10(- 5) mol/l), showed potent immunosuppressive activities as determined by the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay for lymphocyte proliferation. Also, in the FACS analysis, 1 (IC(50) = 5.19 x 10(- 4) mol/l) promoted the differentiation of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells distinctly compared to the normal control. Thus, 1 possessed specific immunosuppressive property by eliciting T regulatory cells, which may provide a potential treatment strategy for autoimmune diseases.

Aim of the Study: To investigate the immunosuppressive effects of HPLC qualitied ethyl acetate extract (EAE) from Urtica dentate Hand on skin allograft rejection in a murine model., Materials and Methods: Allo-skin transplantation model was established by placing skin allograft of C57BL/6 mice in the wound bed which was on the back of Balb/c mice. We used FACS to study the effects of EAE on dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and CD4(+)CD25(+)T regulatory cells (Tregs) differentiation. We also studied spleen lymphocyte proliferation and T-bet gene expression in DCs. Concentration of Th1/Th2 cytokines was monitored as markers of Th1/Th2 responses by ELISA., Results: A significant prolongation of skin allografts survival was observed as a dose-dependent manner in the animals treated with EAE. By FACS, we found that treatment with EAE (200 mg kg(-1)) resulted in an immature statement of DCs and stimulated the differentiation of CD4(+)CD25(+)Tregs. Additionally, the expression of T-bet gene and the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes were efficiently abated in EAE treated mice. Comparing to the model control, EAE-treated recipients showed a significant down-regulation (P<0.01) of Th1 cytokines (IL-2, IFN-gamma) and an obviously increase (P<0.01) of Th2 cytokine (IL-10) in the serum, which presented in a dose-related way., Conclusions: The anti-allograft rejection effect of EAE by enhancing CD4(+)CD25(+)Tregs differentiation and sustaining DCs immaturation makes EAE to be a possible choice for treating autoimmune diseases in a way of inducing a stable immunological tolerance state.

The anti-hyperglycemic and immunomodulatory activities of the ethanol extract from Paecilomyces Hepiali Chen (PHC), a Chinese medicine, were investigated in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic (T1DM) mice. Male Balb/c mice, which were i.p. injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg, for 5 consecutive days) on Day 7, were orally administered saline (the normal control and diabetic control group), Metformin (60 mg/kg, b.w., positive group), or the extract (100 mg/kg, b.w., PHC prevention group) from Day 1 to Day 28, Mice i.p. injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg, b.w.) for 5 consecutive days prior to PHC treatment (100 mg/kg, b.w.) were used as the PHC treatment group. The effects of PHC on postprandial blood glucose concentrations, plasmatic insulin levels, morphology of pancreatic beta cells and CD4(+) T cells proliferation after 28-day treatment were monitored. Results showed that PHC administered 6 days before STZ induction of diabetes in mice significantly decreased blood glucose level (p < 0.01). An increase of insulin level was also observed as compared to those in the diabetic control group (p < 0.01). In addition, fewer inflammatory cells infiltrated the pancreatic islet and fewer beta cells death by apoptosis within the inflamed islets were observed. More importantly, the CD4(+) T cell proliferation was remarkably attenuated ex vivo in mice preventively treated with PHC (p < 0.01). In comparison to the PHC prevention group, no significant hypoglycemia, changes of insulin level and beta cell protection were observed in mice treated with PHC after STZ administration. Our findings demonstrated that preventive administration of PHC protected beta cells from apoptosis in type 1 diabetes induced by STZ, and the underlying mechanism may be involved in suppressing CD4(+) T cells reaction, reducing inflammatory cells infiltration and protecting beta cell apoptosis in pancreatic islet.