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To investigate the health-seeking behaviors of imported malaria cases after returning to China, and to investigate the factors affecting the time to initial diagnosis, so as to provide the scientific evidence for early identification of imported malaria cases and prevention of severe cases development and secondary transmission.The individual demographic features, and the disease onset and the time to initial diagnosis of imported malaria cases in Jiangsu Province in 2019 were captured from the National Notifiable Disease Report System and the Information Management System for Parasitic Disease Control in China. The characteristics of health-seeking behaviors and epidemiological features of imported malaria cases were descriptively analyzed, and the factors affecting the time to initial diagnosis of imported malaria cases after returning to China were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.A total of 244 imported malaria cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2019, and the time to initial diagnosis of the cases were 1-12 days, with mean time of (1.53 ± 1.65) days, with median time of one day. The highest number of malaria cases seeking healthcare services were found on the day of developing primary symptoms (76 cases, 31.1%), followed by on the second day (68 cases, 27.9%), on the third day (46 cases, 18.9%), and 54 cases (22.1%) received initial diagnosis 3 days following presence of primary symptoms, including 3 cases with initial diagnosis at more than one week. High proportions of imported malaria cases with a delay in the time to initial diagnosis were seen in migrant workers who returned to China in January (14 cases, 5.7%) and December (13 cases, 5.3%) and those aged between 41 and 50 years (32 cases, 13.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed relative short time to initial diagnosis among imported malaria cases returning to China on March [odds ratio (Timely health-seeking behaviors should be improved among imported malaria cases in Jiangsu Province, patients with a history of overseas malaria infections require faster health-seeking activities.

To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of imported cases withAll data pertaining to cases with definitive diagnosis ofA total of 347 cases ofImported

卡瑞利珠单抗是一种免疫检查点抑制剂，可造成严重的心脏损害。该文报道1例乳腺癌骨转移患者在应用卡瑞利珠单抗的基础上联合应用红豆杉后发生三度房室传导阻滞、心肌炎及左心室收缩功能下降。通过追踪患者的临床症状、肌钙蛋白、B型利钠肽、心电图及超声心动图的变化，诊断、评价病情变化。最终该患者接受了永久心脏起搏器植入及糖皮质激素治疗，随访3个月左心功能未见明显改善。免疫抑制剂的应用越来越广泛，我们应对其相关的心血管不良反应给予重视，此类患者的治疗方案有待进一步探索。.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired hematopoietic stem cell disease. Gastrointestinal involvement is rarely seen in PNH. This study aims to analyze the clinical features in PNH patients complicated with ischemic bowel disease. Clinical date of 6 patients were collected at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2010 to December 2020. The clinical manifestations, laboratory tests,imaging, endoscopic,and histopathological features and treatment were analyzed.Five in 6 patients were men, with a median age of 31 years old at onset. Most of disease course were recurrent episodes of chronic disease, with abdominal pain (5/6) and gastrointestinal bleeding (5/6). Laboratory examinations showed pancytopenia, reticulocytosis, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase, high D-dimer and C-reactive protein levels in all patients. Multiple segments of small intestine were the most commonly involved and colon was also affected. Abdominal CT scan showed thickening and roughness or exudation of the intestinal wall (6/6), increased mesenteric density or "comb sign"(4/6), and cholestasis or gallbladder stones (5/6). Endoscopic manifestations included irregular shallow ulcers in the annular cavity (5/6), swelling mucosa with well-defined margins (6/6). Pathological biopsy revealed chronic inflammation of mucosa. The efficacy of steroids combined with anticoagulant therapy was better than that of steroids alone. Ischemic bowel disease in PNH patients is different from typical ischemic enteritis. Young patients, involvement of intestine with multiple segments are common characteristics. The anticoagulant is an essential agent for these patients.阵发性睡眠性血红蛋白尿症（paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria，PNH）是一种罕见的获得性造血干细胞疾病。PNH胃肠道受累非常少见。本研究旨在总结和分析PNH并发缺血性肠病的临床特点。收集并总结自2010年1月至2020年12月在北京协和医院诊断的6例PNH 并发缺血性肠病患者的临床资料。发现PNH并发缺血性肠病好发于青中年，中位发病年龄为31岁，男性多见。疾病多呈慢性反复发作，表现为腹痛（5/6）、消化道出血（5/6）。实验室检查可见全血细胞减少，网织红细胞百分比增高，血清乳酸脱氢酶、D-二聚体、C-反应蛋白等指标明显增高，多伴有胆红素水平增高。疾病好发于小肠，可同时累及结肠，单纯结肠病变相对少见，病变呈多节段性分布。腹部CT检查可见肠壁增厚并毛糙或渗出（6/6），肠系膜密度增高或呈“梳状征”（4/6），多数患者存在胆汁淤积或胆囊结石（5/6）。内镜下表现为不规则浅溃疡，环腔分布（5/6），病变界限分明，黏膜肿胀（6/6）。病理活检表现为黏膜慢性炎性改变。治疗上激素治疗联合抗凝治疗效果优于单纯激素治疗。PNH并发缺血性肠病与典型的缺血性肠炎表现有所不同，青中年、小肠受累、多发节段性病变多见，且伴有提示血管内溶血的实验室检查证据，早期识别和诊断，给予积极的激素联合抗凝治疗效果较为理想。.

To compare two-dimensional (2D) transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) and 2D/three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in estimating ovarian volume and follicle count.The ovarian volume (OV) and follicle count (FC) of 84 women with infertility were evaluated by 2D TVUS and 2D/3D MRI. Bland-Altman analysis was used for comparison.The OV from 3D MRI was 0.50 ml (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.74, p0.001) smaller than that by 2D TVUS. OV from 2D MRI was 2.65 ml (95% CI, 2.36-2.95, p0.001) and 3.15 ml (95% CI, 2.77-3.53, p0.001) smaller than that from 3D MRI and 2D TVUS, respectively. The FC1-9 mm and total follicle count (tFC) estimated by 2D TVUS were 7.81 (95% CI, 6.96-8.66, p0.001) and 7.82 (95% CI, 6.97-8.67) smaller than those from 2D MRI, respectively. Further analysis showed that 2D TVUS detected lower FC1-3 mm but higher FC4-6 mm than 2D MRI. No significant difference was shown in the results of FC7-9 mm and FC ≥ 10 mm.In women with infertility, 2D MRI underestimated OV as compared with 2D TVUS. OV from 3D MRI was lower but very close to that from 2D TVUS. For patients unsuitable for TVUS, 3D MRI is recommended for OV evaluation. 2D TVUS underestimated FC1-9 mm and tFC compared with 2D MRI. In fertility counselling and research, 2D MRI is a useful alternative to TVUS when an accurate FC is needed.

A method to determine acrylic acid in workplace air was developed by on-line methylation gas chromatography.

To analyze the epidemic situation of malaria in Jiangsu Province in 2018, so as to provide scientific evidence for formulating post-elimination malaria surveillance schemes and technical measures in Jiangsu Province.The malaria case report cards, epidemiological individual investigation forms of malaria cases and foci data were collected from Jiangsu Province in 2018, and the epidemic situation of malaria was descriptively analyzed.A total of 243 malaria cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2018, which increased by 1.67% in relative to in 2017 (239 cases), and these cases included 171 cases with falciparum malaria, 14 cases with vivax malaria, 15 cases with quartan malaria, 42 cases with ovale malaria and a case with mixed infection ofThere are no local malaria cases in Jiangsu Province; however, the number of overseas imported malaria cases remains high in China. In the future, improving the post-elimination malaria surveillance system, enhancing the awareness of malaria prevention and control knowledge among high-risk populations, increasing the diagnostic capability of malaria in medical institutions, and improving the management of imported malaria cases should be performed to consolidate the achievements of malaria elimination.

Objective To select and develop a SNP-STR multiplex amplification system with genetic markers compatible with current STR databases. To understand its genetic polymorphisms in Sichuan Han population and its application value in DNA mixture analysis. Methods Based on the STR genetic markers in commercial kits, SNPs adjacent to these STR markers were selected to be SNP-STR genetic markers. A SNP-STR multiplex amplification system with genetic markers based on allele-specific amplification was constructed using allele-specific amplification primers. The genetic polymorphism of the system in the Sichuan Han population was investigated and the efficiency of systems with different numbers of loci to detect the two individual DNA mixture samples was evaluated. Results An allele-specific multiplex amplification system constituted of 13 SNP-STR genetic markers was selected and constructed. In Sichuan Han population, the heterozygosity of each locus ranged from 0.76 to 0.88, and the combined discrimination power reached 0.999 999 999 999 999 968. In the analysis of the two individual DNA mixture samples： for single-locus amplification, the genotype of the minor components can still be detected when the mixture ratio reaches 1 000∶1; for multiple loci multiplex amplification, the maximum mixture ratio can reach 500∶1. As the number of loci in the system increased, the detection efficiency of the minor components in the DNA mixture decreased. Conclusion SNP-STR genetic markers have a higher polymorphism than STR. The multiplex amplification system made of SNP-STR genetic markers has a better analysis efficiency for mixed samples than traditional STR multiplex amplification system.SNP-STR遗传标记复合扩增体系的构建及法医学应用.目的 筛选并构建与目前STR数据库兼容的SNP-STR遗传标记复合扩增体系，调查其在四川汉族群体中的遗传多态性，并探讨其在混合DNA样本分析中的应用价值。 方法 以现有商业试剂盒中使用的STR遗传标记为基础，筛选与STR遗传标记相邻的SNP位点并组成SNP-STR遗传标记。运用SNP等位基因设计特异性引物，构建基于等位基因特异性扩增的SNP-STR遗传标记复合扩增体系。调查该体系在四川汉族群体的遗传多态性，并评价不同位点数目的体系对两个体混合DNA样本的检测效能。 结果 筛选并构建了由13个SNP-STR遗传标记构成的等位基因特异性复合扩增体系。在四川汉族群体中，各位点杂合度为0.76~0.88，累积个体识别率达0.999 999 999 999 999 968。在对两个体混合DNA的分析中：单位点扩增时，混合样本的混合比例达到1 000∶1时依然可以检测到少量成分所特有的分型；多位点复合扩增时，混合比例最大可达500∶1；随着体系中位点数量的增加，对混合DNA中少量成分的检测效能降低。 结论 SNP-STR遗传标记较STR具有更高的多态性，其构成的复合扩增体系对混合样本的分析效能优于传统的STR复合扩增体系。.法医遗传学；多态性，单核苷酸；短串联重复；等位基因特异性聚合酶链反应；混合DNA.

Heat stress severely reduces rice yield and quality; however, differences between the superior, early-flowering and inferior, later-flowering spikelets of indica rice in response to high-temperature stress during grain filling remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of high temperature (HT, 33.6/20.7 °C day/night) on growth, endosperm structure, and hormone and polyamine content of superior and inferior spikelets of heat-sensitive (SG-1) and heat-tolerant (HHZ) indica cultivars. The HT decreased fertilization rate, caused earlier grain filling, and reduced duration of grain filling, thus resulting in decreased grain mass and a poor endosperm structure. In addition, soluble sugar and sucrose content increased, and starch synthesis decreased by HT at the early stage of grain filling. The HT increased polyamine [spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm)] and abscisic acid (ABA) content, but reduced zeatin (Z) + zeatin riboside (ZR) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content in the grains. Such effects were more apparent in the inferior than superior spikelets; however, the inferior spikelets of SG-1 were more affected than those of HHZ. At the middle grain filling stage, HT produced little difference between the two cultivars. Our results suggest that the poor development of inferior spikelets of SG-1 under the HT could be attributed, at least in part, to the changed content and ratios of free polyamines [putrescine (Put), Spd, and Spm] and phytohormones (Z+ZR, IAA, and ABA) and the conversion efficiency of sucrose into starch.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the potential of proliferation and differentiation into a variety of somatic cells, including hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs). HLCs from human iPSCs (hiPSC-HLCs) have similar features and functions as primary hepatocytes and are used as an efficient in vitro model of hepatocytes, which brings hope to studies on liver diseases and drug hepatotoxicity evaluation. This article reviews the research advances in hiPSC-HLCs and their application in the fields of disease model, drug hepatotoxicity evaluation, and cell transplantation and discusses the future perspectives of the application of hiPSC-HLCs.诱导多能干细胞（iPSCs）具有无限增殖、分化成多种体细胞的潜能，其中包括分化为肝细胞样细胞(HLCs)。人iPSCs诱导分化的肝细胞样细胞（hiPSC-HLCs）具有原代肝细胞相似的特征和功能，是一个高效的体外肝细胞模型，为肝脏疾病和药物肝毒性评价研究带来了希望。现对hiPSC-HLCs及其在疾病模型、药物肝毒性评价和细胞移植等领域的应用研究进行简要概述，并对其应用前景进行展望。.

To explore the relationship between glycemic control and visceral adiposity index (VAI) among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.A community-based epidemiological field study for patients with T2DM aged ≥ 40 years was conducted in China.Every participant underwent physical examinations, biochemical tests of fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and so on, and a questionnaire, including anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, disease history, family history, and medication use. Those participants with HbA1c ≥7.0% were classified as the poorly controlled in our analysis of relationship between glycemic control and VAI. Anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, and biochemical indexes of the participants were compared among the groups of different VAI levels. Logistic models were applied in multiple analysis adjusting for possible confounders.A total of 1 607 patients with T2DM were recruited in our analysis with a mean age of (59.4±8.1) years and an average T2DM duration of (7.0±6.4) years. Among them, 78.3% were on hypoglycemic therapy. The cutoff points of quartiles of VAI were calculated for the males and females, respectively. According to the ascending order of the quartiles of VAI, the participants were divided into four groups, i.e. Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. The poor glycemic control rate for these groups were 60.6%, 65.7%, 70.1%, and 71.0%, respectively (Trend χThe glycemic control among the patients with T2DM is significantly associated with VAI. High level of VAI is an indicator of poor glycemic control.

Zhang, B.B. et. al., Double neutron star (DNS) merger events are promising candidates of short gamma-ray burst (sGRB) progenitors as well as high-frequency gravitational wave (GW) emitters. On August 17, 2017, such a coinciding event was detected by both the LIGO-Virgo gravitational wave detector network as GW170817 and Gamma-Ray Monitor on board NASA's Fermi Space Telescope as GRB 170817A. Here, we show that the fluence and spectral peak energy of this sGRB fall into the lower portion of the distributions of known sGRBs. Its peak isotropic luminosity is abnormally low. The estimated event rate density above this luminosity is at least 190 Gpc yr, which is close to but still below the DNS merger event rate density. This event likely originates from a structured jet viewed from a large viewing angle. There are similar faint soft GRBs in the Fermi archival data, a small fraction of which might belong to this new population of nearby, low-luminosity sGRBs., We acknowledge support from National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, Grant No. 2014CB845800). B.-B.Z. and A.J.C.T. acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry Projects AYA 2012-39727-C03-01 and AYA2015-71718-R. B.-B.Z. acknowledges the support from the National Thousand Young Talents program of China. This work is also supported by the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA15052100). B.Z., H.S., H.G., and X.F.W. are supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences >Multi-waveband Gravitational Wave Universe> (Grant No. XDB23040000). H.G. acknowledges the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grants Nos. 11722324, 11603003, 11633001, and 11690024. H.J.L. and E. W. L. acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant 11603006 and 11533003. Y.D.H. acknowledges the support by China Scholarships Council (CSC) under the Grant No. 201406660015. X.-F.W. acknowledges the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant 11625312. L.S. acknowledges the support by the Joint NSFC-ISF Research Program (No. 11361140349), jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Israel Science Foundation. X.F. was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants Nos. 11725314, 11673068, and 11433009.

In this paper, the method of nonlinear time transformation is applied to obtain analytical approximation of heteroclinic connections in the problem of stability loss of self-oscillations near 1:4 resonance. As example, we consider the case of parametric and self-excited oscillator near the 1:4 subharmonic resonance. The method uses the unperturbed heteroclinic connection in the slow flow to determine conditions under which the perturbed heteroclinic connection persists. The results show that for small values of damping, the nonlinear time transformation method can predict well both the square and clover heteroclinic connection near the 1:4 resonance. The analytical finding is confirmed by comparisons to the results obtained by numerical simulations.

A novel approach of using harmonic balance (HB) method is presented to find front, soliton and hole solutions of a modified complex Ginzburg–Landau equation. Three families of exact solutions are obtained, one of which contains two parameters while the others one parameter. The HB method is an efficient technique in finding limit cycles of dynamical systems. In this paper, the method is extended to obtain homoclinic/heteroclinic orbits and then coherent structures. It provides a systematic approach as various methods may be needed to obtain these families of solutions. As limit cycles with arbitrary value of bifurcation parameter can be found through parametric continuation, this approach can be extended further to find analytic solution of complex quintic Ginzburg–Landau equation in terms of Fourier series.

A novel construction of homoclinic/heteroclinic orbits (HOs) in nonlinear oscillators is presented in this paper. An accurate analytical solution of a HO for small perturbation can be obtained in terms of trigonometric functions. An advantage of the present construction is that it gives an accurate approximate solution of a HO for large parametric value in relatively few harmonic terms while other analytical methods such as the Lindstedt–Poincare method and the multiple scales method fail to do so.

Stripe (yellow) rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend. f. sp. tritici Eriks. (Pst), is an important disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) globally. Use of host resistance is an important strategy to manage the disease. The cultivar Flinor has temperature-sensitive resistance to stripe rust. To map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for these temperature-sensitive resistances, Flinor was crossed with susceptible cultivar Ming Xian 169. The seedlings of the parents, and F1, F3 progeny were screened against Chinese yellow rust race CYR32 in controlled-temperature growth chambers under different temperature regimes. Genetic analysis confirmed two genes for temperature-sensitive stripe rust resistance. A linkage map of SSR markers was constructed using 130 F3 families derived from the cross. Two temperature-sensitive resistance QTLs were detected on chromosome 5B, designated QYr-tem-5B.1 and QYr-tem-5B.2, respectively, and are separated by a genetic distance of over 50 cM. The loci contributed 33.12 and 37.33% of the total phenotypic variation for infection type, respectively, and up to 70.45% collectively. Favorable alleles of these two QTLs came from Flinor. These two QTLs are temperature-sensitive resistance loci and different from previously reported QTLs for resistance to stripe rust.

E-cadherin (CDH1) is a tumor suppressor involved in epithelial cell-cell interactions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the CDH1 gene, -160C/A and -347G/GA in the 5'-promoter region and +54C/T in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) have been shown to be associated with tumor development and progression via modifying transcriptional activity, mRNA stability or protein expression. To investigate the influence of CDH1 SNP on susceptibility to esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) and gastric cardia adenocarcinomas (GCA), a case-control study was conducted among 333 ESCC patients, 239 GCA patients and 343 controls from a northern Chinese population. CDH1 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The results showed that; (i) genotypes with the +54C allele (C/C or C/T) significantly increased the risk of developing both ESCC and GCA compared to the +54T/T genotype (age and gender adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.45 and 2.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.99 and 1.58-3.30, respectively), and this association was significant only among non-smokers (OR = 1.68 and 2.64, 95% CI = 1.01-2.80 and 1.43-4.87 for ESCC and GCA, respectively), and individuals without a family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer (OR = 2.63 and 2.97, 95% CI = 1.36-5.10 and 95% CI = 1.32-6.68 for ESCC and GCA, respectively); (ii) compared with the -347G/G genotype, the -347GA and GA/GA genotypes significantly increased the risk of developing GCA (OR = 1.45, 95 % CI = 1.03-2.04); (iii) there was a significant association of CDH1-160C/-347G/+54C and -160C/-347GA/+54C haplotypes with the development of GCA, compared with the -160C/-347G/+54T haplotype (OR = 1.80 and 2.21, 95% CI = 1.33-2.44 and 1.43-3.42, respectively); and (iv) the influence of CDH1 SNP on the depth of tumor invasion and lymphatic metastasis in ESCC and GCA patients was not observed in this study. The present study indicates that CDH1 polymorphisms might modify susceptibility to ESCC and/or GCA.

This paper presents a mathematical programming approach to vehicle routing in conjunction with the development of a proof-of-concept vehicle management algorithm for the Pennsylvania Transrapid Maglev Train System. A mathematical model of the routing procedure is first derived. Based on this model, the vehicle routing problem then is formulated into a constrained optimization problem, in which the train miles traveled are maximized subject to various operational and safety requirements. This large scale non-linear optimization problem is then solved by a genetic algorithm. Several hazard-free and hazardous guideway environments were used to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the proposed vehicle routing scheduler. This approach can be modified for application to other transrapid systems.

The green lipped mussel, also known as the Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) is a fast reproducing and valuable food source, but it is also considered an invasive species and can clog and damage pipes and marine equipment. Eight novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for P. viridis were isolated and characterized. Microsatellite polymorphism was evaluated in 30 individuals collected from Xiamen, China. The number of alleles per locus and the polymorphism information content ranged from 2 to 5 and from 0.3092 to 0.7031, respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.1538-0.8400 and 0.1448-0.6833, respectively. The loci identified in this study could provide a useful tool for the genetic population structure analysis of P. viridis.

Sufentanil is widely used in clinical anaesthesia because of its protective effects against ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Diabetes mellitus elevates the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), thereby increasing the permeability of mitochondrial transition pore. This study investigated the role of GSK-3β in ameliorating the cardioprotective effect of sufentanil post-conditioning in diabetic rats.Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and age-matched non-diabetic rats were subjected to 30 min of ischaemia and 120 min of reperfusion. Five minutes before reperfusion, rats were administered one of the following: a vehicle, sufentanil (1 μg/kg), or a GSK-3β inhibitor SB216763 (0.6 mg/kg). Myocardial infarct size, cardiac troponin I, and the activity of GSK-3β were then assessed.Sufentanil post-conditioning significantly reduced myocardial infarct size in the non-diabetic, but not in diabetic rats. SB216763 reduced infarct size in both diabetic and non-diabetic animals. Sufentanil-induced phospho-GSK-3β was reduced 5 min after reperfusion in diabetic rats, but not in non-diabetic rats.Sufentanil treatment was ineffective in preventing against ischaemia/reperfusion in diabetic rats, which is associated with the activation of GSK-3β. Our results also suggest that direct inhibition of GSK-3β may provide a strategy to protect diabetic hearts against ischaemia/reperfusion injury.

SUMMARY. PTEN, as a tumor suppressor gene, plays an important role in regulating cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis. Two common polymorphisms, –9C/G and IVS4 (−/+), may alter susceptibility to the disease. To test the hypothesis that the genetic variations of PTEN play a role in the etiology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA), a population-based case-control study was conducted in 350 ESCC patients, 257 GCA patients, and 634 healthy controls from a high-incidence region of Hebei province, China. The PTEN polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP). The results showed that the family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC) significantly increased the risk of developing ESCC and GCA (the age, gender and smoking status adjusted OR = 1.73 and 1.67; 95% CI = 1.29–2.32 and 1.28–2.19, respectively). The overall distribution of the PTEN –9C/G genotype was not significantly different between cancer patients and controls. Compared with the PTEN IVS4-/− genotype, the IVS4+/+ genotype significantly decreased the risk of ESCC and GCA development, the adjusted OR was 0.64 (95% CI = 0.44–0.94) and 0.63 (95% CI = 0.41–0.98), respectively. Stratification analysis by gender, age, smoking status and family history of UGIC showed that the PTEN IVS4−/+ genotype only reduced the risk of ESCC (adjusted OR = 0.55, 95%CI = 0.34–0.90) among subjects with family history of UGIC. While the IVS4+/+ genotype decreased the susceptibility to both ESCC and GCA (adjusted OR = 0.61 and 0.57, 95% CI = 0.37–0.98 and 0.34–0.98, respectively) among male subjects, the IVS4+/+ genotype only decreased the risk of ESCC development among subjects younger than 55 years (adjusted OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.21–0.85). In addition, the haplotype analysis found that the –9C/IVS4– haplotype increased the risk of developing ESCC and GCA (OR = 1.31 and 1.24, 95% CI = 1.08–1.58 and 1.001–1.53). Our results suggested that the PTEN IVS4+/+ homozygote may play a protective role in the development of ESCC and GCA, while the haplotype –9C/IVS4– might be the risk factor of the development of ESCC and GCA in the high incidence region population of Hebei province, China.

SUMMARY. P73, a p53 homolog, has some p53-like activities and plays an important role in modulating cell cycle, apoptosis and DNA repair. The two linked polymorphisms in the non-coding region of exon2 of p73 gene, named G4C14-A4T14, may alter translation efficiency of the gene. The transcription of p73 gene is initiated by three promoters, termed P1-P3. There is a single nucleotide substitution (–386G/A) in the P3 promoter region with unknown function. To test the hypothesis that the genetic variations in the exon2 and P3 promoter play a role in the etiology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), we conducted a population-based case-control study in 348 ESCC patients and 583 healthy controls from a high incidence region of Hebei province, China. The p73 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP). The results showed that the family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer (UGIC) significantly increased the risk of developing ESCC (the age, sex and smoking status adjusted OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.54–2.67). The overall distribution of the p73 genotype, allelotype and haplotype in cancer patients and controls were not significantly different (all P-values are above 0.05). Stratification analysis by smoking status and family history of UGIC also did not show the significant influence of the polymorphisms on the risk of ESCC development. The results suggested that the p73 exon2 G4C14-A4T14 and P3 promoter –386G/A polymorphisms might not be used as potential markers to predicate the risk of ESCC development in northern China.

Two new secoiridoids named as specnuezhenide (I) and nuezhengalaside (II) were isolated from the water-soluble part of dry fruits of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. Their structures were established on the basis of chemical analysis and spectral data (UV, IR, 1H-NMR, NOEDS, HOMO-DEC, 13C-NMR, DEPT and MS).

This work reports on InAs quantum wells (QWs) grown on GaAs-based metamorphic In0.83Al0.17As buffers for type-I mid-infrared (MIR) emission. X-ray diffraction and Raman measurements show that the GaAs-based quantum wells have similar lattice and strain conditions with the InP-based structure. Atomic force microscope shows the smoother surface of the structure on GaAs substrate. For the GaAs-based quantum wells, favorable photoluminescence emission at 2.9 μm at 300 K has been achieved, and the optical quality is comparable to the structure on InP substrate. It is promising to employ this metamorphic quantum well structure for the demonstration of GaAs-based antimony-free mid-infrared lasers.

The results of a dynamic study of NK activity, IL-2 production and sIL-2R expression before and after operation in 30 primary hepatic carcinoma patients are reported. The NK activity and IL-2 production of patients were significantly lower, sIL-2R expression was remarkably enhanced than those of controls. There was a period of immune suppression after operation. NK activity and IL-2 production of patients with recurrence were significantly lower and sIL-2R expression was significantly enhanced than than those of patients without recurrence. The period of immune suppression in patients with recurrence was longer than that of patients without recurrence. The results suggest that the changes of NK activity, IL-2 production and sIL-2R expression are closely related to the prognosis of patients with primary hepatic carcinoma.

Strain H2, an attenuated live hepatitis A virus (HAV), was derived from the fecal specimen of a patient with hepatitis A in Hangzhou, China. After isolation and passage in a culture of newborn monkey kidney cells, adaptation to grow in human lung diploid cells (KMB17), and serial passage at a low temperature (32 degrees C) in KMB17 cells, this strain became the master seed virus for H2-strain vaccine. Twelve human volunteers received the experimental vaccine subcutaneously and were closely observed for 20 w. None of the subjects developed any local or systemic reactions, and there were no elevations of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, type 5 isoenzyme of lactate dehydrogenase, or isocitrate dehydrogenase. Seroconversion occurred in all subjects at a mean time of 3 w after inoculation. ELISA competitive test for titer of antibody to HAV showed values ranging from 1:2 to 1:8 with a geometric mean titer of 1:3.48 at 20 w after inoculation. No marked decrease in titer of HAV antibody was found in the subjects tested at 1 y. These antibodies were proved to be neutralizing antibodies.