Impacts of artificial reef on community structure and functional traits of macrobenthos near Furong Island, Shandong, China.

To evaluate the ecological restoration effect of artificial reefs and explore the impacts of artificial reefs age on the structure and functional traits of the macrobenthos community, two artificial reef areas with different reef ages in the coastal waters of Furong Island, Laizhou Bay were investigated in May, August, and October 2019. A total of 120 macrobenthos species were identified in the three seasons, including 72 species in the control area, 74 species in the artificial reef with short age (1 year), and 80 species in the artificial reef with greater age (4-5 years). Nihonotrypaea harmandi was the dominant species in all areas. The biomass, abundance, Shannon diversity index, Margalef species richness index of macrobenthos communities were all in order of reef area with greater age > reef area with lower age > control area, and the biomass and abundance in the reef area with greater age were significantly higher than those in the other two areas. The composition and relative abundance of functional traits of macrobenthos communities in the reef area and the control area were different. However, the dominant categories of traits in different areas were consistent, including deposit-feeder, burrower, medium body size, medium life span, high body flexibility and infauna. The composition and relative abundance of functional traits of macrobenthos communities in the reef area and the control area were different mainly in feeding mode, habitat, and body size. The relative abundance of smaller individuals (1-3 cm) and suspension feeders in the reef area was higher than those in the control area, while predator abundance was lower, and such effect became more pronounced with increasing reef age. The reef area was significantly higher than the control area in functional diversity, but without significant difference in functional redundancy. The results of abundance/biomass comparison curve and marine biotic index showed that the benthic ecological quality in the study area was good. The macrobenthos community was slightly disturbed after 1 year of reef construction, while the conservation effect of macrobenthic resources and the benthic ecological quality were significantly improved after 4-5 years of reef placement.

Response of macrobenthic communities to heavy metal pollution in Laoshan Bay, China: A trait-based method.

The effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors on the functional trait composition and diversity of marine macrobenthic communities in Laoshan Bay were investigated using biological trait analysis (BTA). Seven traits, including 27 trait modalities and four functional diversity indices (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and Rao's quadratic entropy), were considered. The results of RLQ (environmental variables (R), species taxa (L), and traits (Q)) and variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that the trait compositions and functional diversity of macrobenthic communities were influenced by a combination of stressors, among which heavy metals were the major factors. At the sites with high heavy metal pollution, the prevalent traits were infauna, burrower, and deposit feeder, whereas epifauna, carnivores and crawlers were dominant at the sites of low heavy metal contamination. The impact of natural environmental gradients on macrobenthic communities is also worthy of attention.

Trastuzumab-Induced Severe Thrombocytopenia:A Case Report and Literature Review.

We present a 29-year-old woman with pT2N0M0 breast cancer, histological diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma, ER and PR low positive, and HER-2 (3+). The patient developed trastuzumab-induced thrombocytopenia in 6 hours after an intravenous infusion of trastuzumab at the second cycle of trastuzumab treatment with the symptom of abnormal uterine bleeding. Laboratory exam revealed a sharp drop of platelet count down to 3×109/L. With the treatment of single-donor platelet transfusions, glucocorticoids, oxytocin and thrombopoietic drugs, the platelet count recovered completely in 11 days. This case was confirmed to be severe thrombocytopenia induced by trastuzumab, and retreatment with trastuzumab was not attempted. With increasing clinical utilization of trastuzumab, clinicians are likely to encounter more life-threatening trastuzumab induced severe thrombocytopenia. By this case report and literature review, we hope to increase the awareness, attach the attentions to this condition, and help with the effective treatment.

Use of Acellular Dermal Matrices in One-stage Implant-based Breast Reconstruction.

Implant-based breast reconstruction is the most common choice in breast cancer patients. Recently,the acellular dermal matrix (ADM) technique has been widely used in implant-based breast reconstruction in the western countries. This article briefly reviews the biological characteristics,history,types,surgical techniques,and postoperative complications of ADM.

Mutational analysis of key EGFR pathway genes in Chinese breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer; however, its use does not lead to a marked clinical response. Studies of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer showed that mutations of genes in the PIK3CA/AKT and RAS/RAF/MEK pathways, two major signalling cascades downstream of EGFR, might predict resistance to EGFR-targeted agents. Therefore, we examined the frequencies of mutations in these key EGFR pathway genes in Chinese breast cancer patients. METHODS: We used a high-throughput mass-spectrometric based cancer gene mutation profiling platform to detect 22 mutations of the PIK3CA, AKT1, BRAF, EGFR, HRAS, and KRAS genes in 120 Chinese women with breast cancer. RESULTS: Thirteen mutations were detected in 12 (10%) of the samples, all of which were invasive ductal carcinomas (two stage I, six stage II, three stage III, and one stage IV). These included one mutation (0.83%) in the EGFR gene (rs121913445-rs121913432), three (2.5%) in the KRAS gene (rs121913530, rs112445441), and nine (7.5%) in the PIK3CA gene (rs121913273, rs104886003, and rs121913279). No mutations were found in the AKT1, BRAF, and HRAS genes. Six (27.3%) of the 22 genotyping assays caused mutations in at least one sample and three (50%) of the six assays queried were found to be mutated more than once. CONCLUSIONS: Mutations in the EGFR pathway occurred in a small fraction of Chinese breast cancers. However, therapeutics targeting these potential predictive markers should be investigated in depth, especially in Oriental populations.

[3,3'-Dihy-droxy-3,3'-bis-(pyridin-3-yl-κN)-1,1'-(pyridine-2,6-di-yl)dipropan-1-one](nitrato-κO,O')silver(I).

In the title compound, a new macrocyclic metal complex, [Ag(NO(3))(C(21)H(15)N(3)O(4))], all non-H atoms are in a close-to-planar geometry (except for the nitrate anion), with a maximum out-of-plane deviation of 0.327 (6) Šfor a pyridine C atom. The dihedral angle between the least-squares plane through the [3,3'-dihy-droxy-3,3'-bis-(pyridin-3-yl)-1,1'-(pyridine-2,6-di-yl)dipropan-1-one]silver(I) fragment and the nitrate anion is 31.29 (13)°. The mol-ecular structure is stabilized by several inter- and intra-molecular O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The Ag(I) atom is coordinated by two pyridine N atoms and two O atoms of the nitrate anion in a geometry intermediate between tetrahedral and square-planar.

3-(2-Bromo-benz-yl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide.

In the title compound, C(11)H(12)BrN(2) (+)·Br(-), the imidazole and phenyl rings are nearly perpendicular, making a dihedral angle of 87.71 (7)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by non-classical inter-molecular C-H⋯Br hydrogen bonds and inversion-related mol-ecules are linked through π-π inter-actions between the imidazole ring systems [centroid-centroid distance = 3.472 (6) Å].

[Clinical symptoms in 455 hyperparathyroidism patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical symptoms of patients with hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: The clinical data of 455 patients with hyperparathyroidism who were treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from October 1974 to January 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Out of these 455 patients, there were 156 men (34.3%) and 299 women (65.7%), and the male/female ratio was 1:1.92. The mean onset age was (40.33±16.61) years (range: 5-86 years). Most patients (n=372, 81.8%) with skeletal manifestations, of whom 283 patients (62.2%) presented with ostealgia. The second most common symptom (n=252, 55.4%) was in urinary system, of whom 162 patients (35.6%) had nephrolithiasis. There were 200 patients (44.0%) with digestive system symptoms and 54 patients (11.9%) with neuropsychological symptoms. Twenty-one patients (4.6%) had asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism. There were 133 patients (29.2%) with decreased body height, and the mean decrease was(6.23±5.02)cm. Forty-nine patients (10.8%) presented with hypercalcemia crisis. CONCLUSIONS: Women are more susceptible to hyperparathyroidism, which is featured by symptoms in skeletal system, urinary system, and digestive system. The asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism is relatively rare, which should be carefully considered during clinical practice.

[Value of cardiac troponin I measurement in prediction of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of cardiac troponin I (CTnI) measurement in predicting anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted among 186 breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Serum cTnI concentrations before and after each cycle of the chemotherapy and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) before and at the 2nd, 4th and 6th months of the treatment were recorded. According to serum cTnI concentration, the patients were divided into CTnI+ group (with serum CTnI concentration of no less than 0.1 ng/ml, n=60) and CTnI- (<0.1 ng/ml) group (n=126). RESULTS: No patients in this series experienced cardiac heart failure (CHF). The number of patients with a LVEF reduction by over 10% from the baseline was 16 (26.7%) in CTnI+ group, as compared to 7 (5.6%) in CTnI- group, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: CTnI can be a useful marker for early prediction of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.

2,6-Bis(3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)pyridine monohydrate.

In the title compound, C(23)H(17)N(5)·H(2)O, the pyrazole rings are slightly twisted from the central pyridine ring, forming dihedral angles of 5.3 (2) and 3.5 (2)°. The pyrazole and phenyl rings on each side of the pyridine ring are also approximately coplanar, making dihedral angles of 6.0 (2) and 4.5 (2)°. In the crystal structure, 2,6-bis-(3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)pyridine and water mol-ecules are linked together via N-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming a column running parallel to the a axis.