Infestation and distribution of chiggers on the Anderson's white-bellied rats in southwest China.

As a group of ectoparasites, chiggers (larvae of chigger mites) are the exclusive vector of scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease). Rodents are the most important hosts of chiggers. The Anderson's niviventer rat, Niviventer andersoni, is an endemic species of rodent in China. However, few studies have involved this endemic rodent species and its ectoparasites including chiggers. According to the field investigation in five provincial regions of southwest China between 2001 and 2019, this paper retrospectively analysed the infestation and distribution of chiggers on the body surface of N. andersoni in southwest China for the first time. From 77 Anderson's niviventer rats captured, a total of 527 chiggers were collected and they were identified as 39 species and nine genera in two subfamilies of family Trombiculidae. Of 39 chigger species identified, Leptotrombidium deliense and L. scutellare are the most important vectors of scrub typhus in China. The overall infestation indexes were PM = 29.87%, MA = 6.84 and MI = 22.91, and the indexes of chigger mite community were Mf = 39, H' = 2.60, E = 0.71 and D = 0.12. The dominant chigger species are L. wenense, L. xiaguanense and L. fujianense with a total Cr = 51.04%, among which L. wenense is one of the six main vectors of scrub typhus in China. The dominant chigger species are of aggregated distribution among different individuals of the rats.

Disease vector occurrence and ecological characteristics of chiggers on the chestnut white-bellied rat Niviventer fulvescens in Southwest China between 2001 and 2019.

Chigger mites are the vector of scrub typhus. This study estimates the infestation status and ecological characteristics of chiggers on the chestnut white-bellied rat Niviventer fulvescens in Southwest China between 2001 and 2019. Chiggers were identified under the microscope, and infestation indices were calculated. The Preston's log-normal model was used to fit the curve of species abundance distribution. A total of 6,557 chiggers were collected in 136 of 342 N. fulvescens rats, showing high overall infestation indices (prevalence=39.8%, mean abundance=19.2, mean intensity=48.2) and high species diversity (S=100, H'=3.0). Leptotrombidium cangjiangense, Neotrombicula japonica, and Ascoschoengastia sifanga were the three dominant chigger species (constituent ratio=42.9%; 2,736/6,384) and exhibited an aggregated distribution among different rat individuals. We identified 100 chigger species, with 3 of them (Leptotrombidium scutellare, Leptotrombidium wenense, and Leptotrombidium deliense) as the main vectors of scrub typhus in China and nine species as potential vectors of this disease. Disease vector occurrence on N. fulvescens may increase the risk of spreading scrub typhus from rats to humans. Chigger infestation on N. fulvescens varied significantly in different environments. The species abundance distribution showed a log-normal distribution pattern. The estimated number of chigger species on N. fulvescens was 126 species.

Blood Eosinophil Endotypes across Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Background: Eosinophils were common inflammatory cells involved in the occurrence and development of various inflammatory diseases. Multiple recent studies have pointed to the increasingly important role of eosinophils in respiratory diseases. This article aims to compare the expression differences of blood eosinophil counts between asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). Methods: Patients with asthma, COPD, and ACO who were seen in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2012 to June 2019 were included. We collected information such as age, gender, diagnosis, the eosinophil counts from the medical records. Moreover, the levels of 10 cytokines in the plasma of each group were detected by using the Meso Scale Discovery method. Results: We included 9787 patients with asthma, 15806 patients with COPD, and 831 ACO patients. From our results, it can be first found that eosinophil levels were age-related in the three diseases (asthma and ACO: p < 0.001; COPD: P = 0.001); in asthma and COPD, the number of eosinophils in males was more significant than that in females (asthma: p < 0.001; COPD: p = 0.012). Second, asthma patients had higher blood eosinophil counts than those with COPD and ACO (p < 0.001). Moreover, we found out that eosinophil levels were highly expressed in the stable group of all three diseases. Finally, we found that most cytokines in ACO patients showed a downward trend when the level of eosinophils was low, whereas the results were reversed in asthma patients; 7 cytokines had similar trends in COPD and ACO patients. Conclusions: In conclusion, eosinophils have their own unique endotypes in asthma, COPD, and ACO patients, which were reflected in the fluctuation of their levels and changes in cytokine secretion.

Infestation and distribution of chigger mites on Chevrieri's field mouse (Apodemus chevrieri) in Southwest China.

Based on a long-term field investigation on chigger mites in southwest China from 2001 to 2019, the present study analyzed the infestation and distribution of chigger mites on the Chevrieri's field mouse (Apodemus chevrieri) in the region. A total of 12,516 individuals of chigger mites were collected from 1981 A. chevrieri mice, and 12,281 chiggers were identified as 107 species, 11 genera and 3 subfamilies in 2 families, which revealed a high species diversity of the mites on A. chevrieri mice. Of 1981 A. chevrieri mice, 633 ones were infested with chiggers with a relatively high overall prevalence (P M  = 31.95%), mean abundance (MA = 6.32) and mean intensity (MI = 19.77). Of the 107 chigger species identified from A. chevrieri mice, three ones were the most dominant and they were Leptrombidium scutellare, L. densipunctatum and L. cricethrionis, which showed aggregated distribution among different individuals of the mice. A slightly positive association existed between every two dominant chigger species, which implied that the dominant chigger species tend to co-exist on A. chevrieri. The infestations of A. chevrieri with chiggers varied in different latitudes, altitudes and landscapes and they showed some heterogeneity along different environmental gradients. The logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors for chigger infestations on A. chevrieri were landscapes, ages and altitudes, which implied that the environmental factors and host ages could influence the infestations of the mice with the mites. A theoretical curve of the species abundance distribution of chigger mites on A. chevrieri was successfully fitted by Preston's lognormal model, suggesting that the species abundance distribution conforms to the lognormal distribution pattern. The expected total species of chigger mites on A. chevrieri was roughly estimated to be 136 species and about 29 rare chigger species were probably missed in the sampling field investigation.

Distribution and Host Selection of Tropical Rat Mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti, in Yunnan Province of Southwest China.

(1) Background: As a species of gamasid mite, the tropical rat mite (Ornithonyssus bacoti) is a common ectoparasite on rodents and some other small mammals. Besides stinging humans to cause dermatitis, O. bacoti can be a vector of rickettsia pox and a potential vector of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). (2) Objective: The present study was conducted to understand the host selection of O. bacoti on different animal hosts and the distribution in different environmental gradients in Yunnan Province of Southwest China. (3) Methods: The original data came from the investigations in 39 counties of Yunnan, between 1990 and 2015. The animal hosts, rodents and some other small mammals were mainly trapped with mouse traps. The O. bacoti mites on the body surface of animal hosts were collected and identified in a conventional way. The constituent ratio (Cr), prevalence (PM), mean abundance (MA) and mean intensity (MI) were used to reflect infestations of animal hosts with O. bacoti mites. The patchiness index and Taylor's power law were used to measure the spatial distribution pattern of O. bacoti mites on their hosts. (4) Results: A total of 4121 tropical rat mites (O. bacoti) were identified from 15 species and 14,739 individuals of hosts, and 99.20% of them were found on rodents. More than half of O. bacoti mites (51.78%) were identified from the Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi), and 40.09% of the mites from the Norway rat (R. norvegicus) (p < 0.05). The infestations of R. tanezumi (PM = 7.61%, MA = 0.40 and MI = 5.31) and R. norvegicus (PM = 10.98, MA = 1.14 and MI = 10.39) with O. bacoti mites were significantly higher than those of other host species (p < 0.05). The infestations of two dominant rat hosts (R. tanezumi and R. norvegicus) with O. bacoti mites varied in different environmental gradients (latitudes, longitudes, altitudes, landscapes and habitats) and on different sexes and ages of the hosts. The prevalence of juvenile R. norvegicus rats with O. bacoti mites (PM = 12.90%) was significantly higher than that of adult rats (PM = 9.62%) (p < 0.05). The prevalence (PM = 38.46%) and mean abundance (MA = 2.28 mites/host) of R. tanezumi rats with O. bacoti mites in the high latitude were higher than those in the low latitudes (p < 0.05). The majority of the total collected 4121 O. bacoti mites was found in the flatland landscape (91.28%) and indoor habitat (73.48%) (p < 0.05). The PM (10.66%) and MA (0.49 mites/host) of R. tanezumi rats with O. bacoti mites were significantly higher in the indoor habitat than in the outdoor habitat (p < 0.05). The tropical rat mites showed an aggregated distribution pattern on their first dominant host, R. tanezumi. Conclusion: The tropical rat mite (O. bacoti) is a widely distributed species of gamasid mite in Yunnan Province, Southwest China, and its dominant hosts are two synanthropic species of rats, R. tanezumi and R. norvegicus. It is mainly distributed in the flatland landscape and indoor habitat. It has some host-specificity, with a preference to rodents, especially R. tanezumi and R. norvegicus. The O. bacoti mites are of aggregated distribution on R. tanezumi rats.

Cytotoxic effects of flavonoids from root of Sophora flavescens in cancer cells.

One new flavanonol 4 H-​1-​benzopyran-​4-​one,2-​(4-​hydroxyphenyl)​-​3,​7-​dihydroxy-​5-​methoxy-​8-​[5-​methyl-​2-​(1-​methylethenyl)​-​4-​hexenyl]​(21), and twenty-six known compounds 1-20, 22-27 were isolated from the dried root of Sophora flavescens (S. flavescens) in this chemical study. Their structures were elucidated according to the spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. All the isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against lung cancer A549 cells and colon cancer HCT116 cells. Among them, compound 21 showed relatively predominant cell proliferation inhibition effect on the two tumor cell lines. Moreover, it induced cells apoptosis as evidenced by the Annexin V/PI double staining assay as well as the increased cleaved-PARP expression. The aforementioned data indicated that the flavonoids of S. flavescens have potential anti-cancer effect.

A Report of Chigger Mites on the Striped Field Mouse, Apodemus agrarius, in Southwest China.

Based on the field investigations in 91 investigation sites (counties) in southwest China between 2001 and 2019, the present paper reported the chigger mites on A. agrarius mice in southwest China for the first time by using a series of statistical methods. From 715 striped field mice captured in 28 of 91 investigated sites, only 255 chiggers were collected, and they were identified as 14 species, 6 genera in 3 subfamilies under 2 families. Of 715 A. agrarius mice, only 24 of them were infested with chigger mites with low overall prevalence (PM=3.4%), overall mean abundance (MA=0.36 mites/host) and overall mean intensity (MI=10.63 mites/host). The species diversity and infestation of chiggers on A. agrarius were much lower than those previously reported on some other rodents in southwest China. On a certain species of rodent, A. agrarius mouse in southwest China seems to have a very low susceptibility to chigger infestations than in other geographical regions. Of 14 chigger species, there were 3 dominant species, Leptotrombidium sialkotense, L. rupestre and Schoengastiella novoconfuciana, which were of aggregated distribution among different individuals of A. agrarius hosts. L. sialkotense, one of 6 main vectors of scrub typhus in China, was the first dominant on A. agrarius. The species similarity of chigger mites on male and female hosts was low with CSS=0.25, and this reflects the sex-bias of different genders of A. agrarius mice in harboring different chigger species.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0003204 promotes cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating MAPK pathway.

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide. The mechanism underlying CC development remains unclear. Recently, Circular RNAs (circRNAs)have attracted attention because of its role in tumorigenesis. To investigate circRNAsin CC, RNA sequencing was employed to characterize circRNA expression profile between CC tissues and matched adjacent normal tissues. The expression of hsa_circ_0003204 was examined in CC tissues and cell lines by real-time PCR. Migration assay and invasion assay were used to verify the effect of hsa_circ_0003204 on migration and invasion ability in CC cell lines. Tumor formation assay in nude mice was used to analyze the effect of hsa_circ_0003204 on the tumorigenicity of CC cell lines in vitro. Western blotting analyzes were performed to investigate the role of hsa_circ_0003204 in the regulation of MAPK signaling activation. We found that circRNA hsa_circ_0003204 was significantly upregulated in CC tissues. The function and potential molecular mechanisms of hsa_circ_0003204 were also investigated in vitro and in vivo. Hsa_circ_0003204 knockdown reduced cell growth, migration, and invasion but promoted cells apoptosis. However, the over-expression of hsa_circ_0003204 had the opposite effect. The MAPK pathway was different in hsa_circ_0003204 over-expression or down-expression cells, compared to parental cells. In addition, over-expression of hsa_circ_0003204 significantly increased tumor volume and tumor weight in vivo.Taken together, results indicated hsa_circ_0003204 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for patients with CC.

AuNanostar@4-MBA@Au Core-Shell Nanostructure Coupled with Exonuclease III-Assisted Cycling Amplification for Ultrasensitive SERS Detection of Ochratoxin A.

The "turn-on" mode surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) aptasensor for ultrasensitive ochratoxin A (OTA) detection was developed based on the SERS "hot spots" of AuNanostar@4-MBA@Au core-shell nanostructures (AuNS@4-MBA@Au) and exonuclease III (Exo III)-assisted target cycle amplification strategy. Compared with conventional gold nanoparticles, AuNS@4-MBA@Au provides a much higher SERS enhancement factor because AuNS exhibits a larger surface roughness and the lightning rod effect, as well as an excellent electromagnetic field between the AuNS core and the Au shell, which contribute to the superstrong SERS signal. Meanwhile, Exo III-assisted target cycle amplification can be used as an effective method for the further amplified detection of OTA. Additionally, the utilization of streptavidin magnesphere paramagnetic particles offers a green, economical, and facile technology for the accumulation and separation of the signal probe AuNS@4-MBA@Au from solution. All these factors lead to a significant enhancement of detectable signals and superhigh sensitivity. As a result, the limit of detection as low as 0.25 fg mL-1 could be achieved, which was lower than that in the other reported literatures on SERS methods for OTA detection as we know. The developed SERS aptasensor also provides a promising tool for foodstuff detection.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Natural Killer T Cell Lymphoma.

Natural killer/T cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is an aggressive and heterogeneous entity of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. To identify molecular subtypes of NKTCL based on genomic structural alterations and EBV sequences, we performed multi-omics study on 128 biopsy samples of newly diagnosed NKTCL and defined three prominent subtypes, which differ significantly in cell of origin, EBV gene expression, transcriptional signatures, and responses to asparaginase-based regimens and targeted therapy. Our findings thus identify molecular networks of EBV-associated pathogenesis and suggest potential clinical strategies on NKTCL.

Temperature controllable electrochemical sensors based on horseradish peroxidase as electrocatalyst at heated Au disk electrode and its preliminary application for H2O2 detection.

In this paper, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was successfully immobilized on heated Au disk electrode (HAuDE) by biotin-streptavidin specific interaction through HS-ssDNA-biotin self-assembled on HAuDE for investigation the electrocatalytic activity of HRP. With elevated electrode temperature, the significant temperature effect of the electrocatalytic activity of HRP for H2O2 reduction was demonstrated by using this bio-sensing platform. With an electrode temperature of 40 °C, a detection limit of 1.5 × 10-6 mol L-1 for H2O2 reduction could be obtained, which was more than one magnitude lower than that with an electrode temperature of 0 °C. Because HRP can be widely used as an enzyme label for amplification detection, this sensing platform can be broadly applied to analytical chemistry such as nucleic acid detection, and aptamer-based biosensors.

Paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin combination chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

The aim of this retrospective analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (TFL) as first-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). One hundred and thirteen patients were enrolled in the study who were confirmed to have AGC by histopathology. These patients were treated with TFL: paclitaxel at a dose of 135 mg/m as a 3-h intravenous infusion on day 1, LV 400 mg/m as an intravenous infusion over 2 h on day 1, followed by 5-fluorouracil 2400 mg/m as an infusion over a 46-h period on 3 consecutive days. Cycles were repeated every 2 weeks. A total of 113 patients were assessed for their response to therapy. A total of three patients achieved complete responses and 46 patients achieved partial responses, yielding an overall objective response rate of 43.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 34.3-52.5%]. Fifty-four cases of stable disease and 10 cases of progressive disease were observed in the remaining patients. The median time to progression and overall survival were 5.2 months (95% CI: 4.7-5.8 months) and 14.1 months (95% CI: 12.5-15.8 months), respectively. Toxicities were tolerable and moderate. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities included leukopenia (16.8%), neutropenia (17.7%), anemia (8.0%), thrombocytopenia (5.3%), and fatigue (6.2%). Combination chemotherapy with TFL offers an active and safe therapeutic approach for patients with AGC.

Survival benefits with the addition of adjuvant hysterectomy to radiochemotherapy for treatment of stage I-II adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the survival benefits of additional adjuvant hysterectomy in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I-II cervical adenocarcinoma patients treated with radiochemotherapy. METHODS: Patients with FIGO stage I-II cervical adenocarcinoma were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 Regs research database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance patient baseline characteristics. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 530 patients were included, 389 (73.4%) underwent definitive radiochemotherapy and 141 (26.6%) underwent an additional adjuvant hysterectomy. The multivariate Cox analysis surgery was shown to be an independent predictor of survival. Before PSM, the hazard ratios for cause-specific survival and overall survival in the surgery group were 0.632 (P = 0.036) and 0.674 (P = 0.041), respectively. After PSM, the respective hazard ratios were 0.392 (P < 0.001) and 0.465 (P = 0.001). The surgery group had significantly better 5-year cause-specific survival (80.5% vs 59.1%; P = 0.001) and overall survival than the nonsurgery group (76.3% vs 56.0%; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Additional adjuvant hysterectomy after radiochemotherapy may improve survival outcomes in patients with FIGO stage I-II cervical adenocarcinoma.

Prognostic value of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA level during posttreatment follow-up in the patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma having undergone intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA assay during posttreatment follow-up of the patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) presenting with different pretreatment plasma EBV DNA levels remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of plasma EBV DNA assay during posttreatment follow-up in the patients with NPC who have undergone intensity-modulated radiotherapy. METHODS: The medical records of 385 NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy between November 2009 and February 2012 were reviewed. All patients underwent plasma EBV DNA assays before treatment, within 3 months after treatment, and then every 3-12 months during posttreatment follow-up period. The recurrence rates for patients with different pretreatment and posttreatment follow-up plasma EBV DNA levels were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 385 patients, 267 (69.4%) had detectable pretreatment plasma EBV DNA (> 0 copy/mL) and 93 (24.2%) had detectable posttreatment EBV DNA during a median follow-up of 52.8 months (range 9.3-73.8 months). Detectable EBV DNA during posttreatment follow-up was found in 14.4% (17/118) and 28.5% (76/267) of patients with undetectable and detectable pretreatment EBV DNA, respectively, and was significantly associated with tumor recurrence in both patient groups. EBV DNA was detectable in 12.8% (40/313) of patients who remained disease-free, 56.4% (22/39) of patients with locoregional recurrence alone, and 93.9% (31/33) of patients with distant metastasis as the first recurrence event (P < 0.001); 6.5% (19/292) of patients with undetectable EBV DNA and 57.0% (53/93) of patient with detectable EBV DNA during posttreatment follow-up experienced tumor recurrence. Compared with other cut-off values, the cut-off value of 0 copy/mL for EBV DNA during posttreatment follow-up had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) value (0.804, 95% confidence interval 0.741-0.868) for predicting tumor recurrence (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy: 73.6%, 87.2%, and 84.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Plasma EBV DNA level during posttreatment follow-up is a good marker for predicting distant metastasis but not locoregional recurrence in the patients with NPC irrespective of the pretreatment EBV DNA levels.

Magnetic Resonance Gd-RGD Imaging Study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with High and Low Metastatic Potential before and after Human Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Biotherapy based on human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is currently the focus of research, especially in the field of autologous stem cell transplantation. A novel type of metastasis-associated magnetic resonance (MR) molecular imaging probe was constructed, and the changes in metastasis and proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before and after BMSC intervention were observed through MR imaging (MRI). METHODS: Metastasis-associated MR molecular imaging probe, integrin αvß3ligand cRGD-PEG-DGL-DTPA-Gd (Gd-RGD), were constructed. After human BMSC intervention was performed for 6 weeks, tumor weight inhibition rates were calculated, and the RGD molecular probe was imaged through MRI with molecular imaging agent Gd-DTPA as control. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the MRI experiment were used as semi-quantitative indicators. Polymerase chain reaction method was performed to detect proliferation- and metastasis-associated indicators, transforming growth factor ß-1 (TGFß1), osteopontin (OPN), and integrin subunit αvand ß3. RESULTS: The highest tumor weight inhibition rates were observed 3 weeks after the BMSC transplantation. The MR Gd-RGD in the HCC tissues after the BMSC intervention showed less enhancement than Gd-DTPA. The Gd-DTPA MRI of control group had higher SNR and CNR than Gd-RGD MRI in the experimental groups (P < 0.05). For high metastatic potential hepatocellular carcinoma (MHCC97-H), significant differences were observed in the SNRs and CNRs of Gd-RGD MRI before and after the BMSC intervention (P < 0.05). For low metastatic potential hepatocellular carcinoma (MHCC97-L), the CNRs of Gd-RGD MRI were statistically different before and after BMSC intervention (P < 0.05). With regard to MHCC97-H, OPN, ß3, and TGFß1 expression significantly decreased after BMSC intervention (P < 0.05). In MHCC97-L and OPN, ß3, TGFß1, and αv expression after BMSC intervention decreased, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The CNR index of MRI is a good indicator for distinguishing high- and low-metastatic potential HCC tissues. After BMSC transplantation of MRI through the two kinds of tracer, the SNR and CNR indexes can distinguish two kinds of high and low metastatic potential HCC tissues, and Gd-RGD imaging is more suitable in distinguishing the metastatic potential changes through BMSC intervention.

Fast generation of three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state based on the Lewis-Riesenfeld invariants in coupled cavities.

In this paper, we propose an efficient scheme to fast generate three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state by constructing shortcuts to adiabatic passage (STAP) based on the "Lewis-Riesenfeld (LR) invariants" in spatially separated cavities connected by optical fibers. Numerical simulations illustrate that the scheme is not only fast, but robust against the decoherence caused by atomic spontaneous emission, cavity losses and the fiber photon leakages. This might be useful to realize fast and noise-resistant quantum information processing for multi-qubit systems.

Effect of radiation on the Notch signaling pathway in osteoblasts.

Notch signaling has been shown to be important in osteoblast differentiation. Therapeutic radiation has been shown to alter the skeletal system, yet little information is available on the changes in Notch signaling in irradiated osteoblasts. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of radiation therapy with 2 and 4 Gy on Notch signaling in osteoblasts. In order to assess the radiation damage on osteoblast differentiation, total RNA and protein were collected three days after exposure to radiation. The effects of radiation on Notch signaling at the early and terminal stages of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation was analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis. Our study applied a previously established method to induce MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation into osteoblasts and osteoblast precursors. Our results showed that the expression of Notch receptors (Notch1-4), ligands (Jagged1, Jagged2 and Delta1), target of Notch signaling (Hes1) and markers (ALP, M-CSF, RANKL and OPG) were altered following 2 and 4 Gy of irradiation. The present research did not indicate a strong relationship between Notch1 regulation and suppression of osteoblast differentiation. We found Hes1 may play a role in the radiation effect on osteoblast differentiation. Our results indicate that radiated osteoblast precursors and osteoblasts promoted osteoclast differentiation and proliferation.

[Clinical observation on moxibustion and acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) for treatment of refractory facial paralysis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical therapeutic effect of moxibustion and acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) on refractory facial paralysis. METHODS: Sixty cases were randomly divided into a test group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The control group were treated with acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), Touwei (ST 8), etc. , and the test group with acupuncture at the same points as those in the control group plus moxibustion and acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) with a warm-heat sense transmitting into the depth of the point along the needle body for the patient. RESULTS: The total effective rate of 93.3% in the test group was significantly better than 76.7 in the control group (P < 0.05); in the test group, the total effective rate for the patients with needling sensation propagating along the channel was 100%, which was significantly superior to 80.00% in the patients with no needling sensation propagating along the channel (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion and acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) activating sensation propagating along channel as main way has a better therapeutic effect on refractory facial paralysis.

[Clinical study of primary branchiogenic carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical feature and prognosis of primary branchial carcinoma. METHODS: The main method of this study was reviewing the clinical feature, diagnosis, treatment methods and prognosis of 5 patients suffered from primary branchial carcinoma. RESULTS: All of the tumors were excised extensively. All of the patients received radical neck dissection and post-operative radiotherapy. 3 patients had pathologic evident of metastasis in lymph nodes of cervical region. 2 patients died of local recurrence of tumor and metastasis to lung. 1 patient died after post-operative 2 years. 2 patients were still alive after 5 years' follow-up. CONCLUSION: Primary branchial carcinoma has the very similar clinical feature with branchial cyst. The diagnosis should be considered if painless mass and swollen lymph nodes were found in upper neck region of patients. Rapid frozen pathologic section should be made regularly to make the diagnosis clear. The treatment should include extensive excision of tumor and radical neck dissection to improve the cure rate and survival rate.