Circ_0004592: An auxiliary diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) has a high mortality rate, and robust diagnostic biomarkers are currently lacking. However, the clinical relevance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as GC biomarkers remains largely unexplored. AIM: To evaluate the potential of novel circRNA circ_0004592 in the early screening and prognosis of GC. METHODS: High-throughput sequencing of circRNAs was performed to screen for potential target molecules. Circ_0004592 expression was examined in GC tissues, cells, and plasma. Plasma samples were collected from healthy subjects' patients, as well as from patients with benign lesions, precancerous lesions, and GC, whereafter the diagnostic accuracy of circ_0004592 was evaluated. The correlation between circ_0004592 levels in plasma and clinicopathological data of patients with GC was further analyzed. RESULTS: Circ_0004592 was upregulated in both the tissue and plasma of patients with GC. Further, circ_0004592 expression was higher in patients with precancerous lesions than in healthy controls while being highest in patients with GC. In the same patient, the postoperative plasma level of circ_0004592 was lower than that in the preoperative period. Moreover, circ_0004592 level was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation, tumor depth, and lymph node metastasis. The area under the curve (AUC) of plasma circ_0004592 exhibited high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating patients with GC from healthy donors. Diagnosis based on circ_0004592, carcinoembryonic antigen, and cancer antigen 199 achieved a superior AUC and was highly sensitive. CONCLUSION: Plasma circ_0004592 may represent a potential non-invasive auxiliary diagnostic biomarker for patients with GC.

Combining serum peptide signatures with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) risk score to predict the outcomes of patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) after first-line chemotherapy.

Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a group of clinically rare tumors that develop in the uterus from placental tissue. Currently, its satisfactory curability derives from the timely and accurately classification and refined management for patients. This study aimed to discover biomarkers that could predict the outcomes of GTN patients after first-line chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 65 GTN patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into the good or poor outcome group and the clinical characteristics of the patients in the two groups were compared. Furthermore, the serum peptide profiles of all patients were uncovered by using weak cation exchange magnetic beads and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Feature peaks were identified by three machine learning algorithms and then models were constructed and compared using five machine learning methods. Additionally, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was used to identify the feature peptides. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) risk score was associated with poor outcomes. Eight feature peaks (m/z =1287, 2042, 2862, 2932, 2950, 3240, 3277 and 6626) were selected for model construction and validation by the three algorithms. Based on the panel combining FIGO risk score and peptide serum signatures, the neural network (nnet) model showed promising performance in both the training (AUC=0.9635) and validation (AUC=0.8788) cohorts. Peaks at m/z 2042, 2862, 2932, 3240 were identified as the partial sequences of transthyretin, fibrinogen alpha chain (FGA), beta-globin and FGA, respectively. Conclusion: We combined FIGO risk score and serum peptide signatures using the nnet method to construct the model which can accurately predict outcome of GTN patients after first-line chemotherapy. With this model, patients can be further classified and managed, and those with poor predicted outcomes can be given more attention for developing treatment failure.

Intracellular TMEM16A is necessary for myogenesis of skeletal muscle.

Transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A) localizes at plasma membrane and controls chloride influx in various type of cells. We here showed an intracellular localization pattern of TMEM16A molecules. In myoblasts, TMEM16A was primarily localized to the cytosolic compartment and partially co-localized with intracellular organelles. The global deletion of TMEM16A led to severe skeletal muscle developmental defect. In vitro observation showed that the proliferation of Tmem16a-/- myoblasts was significantly promoted along with activated ERK1/2 and Cyclin D expression; the myogenic differentiation was impaired accompanied by the enhanced caspase 12/3 activation, implying enhanced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Interestingly, the bradykinin-induced Ca2+ release from ER calcium store was significantly enhanced after TMEM16A deletion. This suggested a suppressing role of intracellular TMEM16A in ER calcium release whereby regulating the flux of chloride ion across the ER membrane. Our findings reveal a unique location pattern of TMEM16A in undifferentiated myoblasts and its role in myogenesis.

The Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care After Duodenal Obstruction in Neonates.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of clinical application of kangaroo mother care (KMC) in neonates after surgery for duodenal obstruction in achieving total enteral nutrition (TEN) and shortening the length of hospital stay. Methods: A prospective study of 60 cases of surgery for duodenal obstruction in pediatric patients in the neonatal intensive care unit of Kunming Children's Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019 was conducted. The study subjects included 15 cases with intestinal malrotation, 18 cases with circular pancreas, 10 cases with a duodenal septum, and 17 cases with duodenal atresia or duodenal stenosis. According to the single and double numbers of the operation date, the subjects were randomly divided into the control group and observation group, with 30 cases in each group. The conventional care of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) was carried out in the control group, and KMC based on ERAS conventional care was implemented in the observation group. The difference in the duration to achieve TEN and the length of hospital stay between the two groups of patients after care was compared and analyzed. Results: The average duration to achieve TEN for neonates with duodenal obstruction in the control group was 14.23 ± 3.17 days, while that in the observation group was 12.27 ± 1.15 days. The average length of hospital stay in the control group was 17.22 ± 4.71 days, while that in the observation group was 13.34 ± 2.70 days. There was a significant difference in the duration to achieve TEN and the average length of hospital stay between the two groups (P < 0.05). The duration to achieve TEN and the length of hospital stay in pediatric patients were significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group. Conclusion: Kangaroo mother care has important clinical significance and application value in shortening the duration to achieve TEN and the length of hospital stay in neonates after surgery for duodenal obstruction.

Inpatients' Perception of Patient-Centered Care in Guangdong Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of patient-centered care (PCC) among inpatients in Guangdong Province (GD), China. Based on these perspectives, we sought to understand existing PCC practices in medical institutions and identify the impacts of inpatients' sociodemographic status on their perceived PCC. A self-developed PCC questionnaire was used to investigate inpatients' perceptions of PCC. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine tertiary-level hospitals across five cities in GD. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the levels of PCC in GD. The differences in PCC levels across different sociodemographic groups were assessed using analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression. Valid responses were provided by 1863 inpatients. The mean overall PCC score was 8.58 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.36); inpatients from the Pearl River Delta and eastern GD area reported significantly higher scores than those from western and northern GD area (P<.01). Inpatients from rural areas tended to report lower PCC scores than their urban counterparts. Among the PCC questionnaire sub-domains, inpatients scored highest and lowest in "patient experience" (mean = 8.96, SD = 1.34) and "medical insurance" (mean = 7.93, SD = 2.05), respectively. This study provided a comprehensive overview of inpatients' perceptions of PCC in the public healthcare system in GD, China. Our findings highlighted that a majority of inpatients were satisfied with the PCC in public healthcare system; however, a significant discrepancy between inpatients with different sociodemographic status remained.

Curative effect evaluation by using Andrews' six elements for completed orthodontic treatment cases.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment by using Andrews' six elements and the American Board of Orthodontic (ABO) objective grading system (OGS); to determine whether Andrews' six elements can be used as a new assessment system for patients who completed their orthodontic treatment. METHODS: A total of 160 patients who completed their orthodontic treatment were included in the study. The participants were randomly selected from patients who completed their orthodontic procedures in Kunming Medical University Affiliated Stomatological Hospital during the period of 2015 to 2019. The retrospective completed cases were examined in accordance with the Andrews' six elements and ABO measuring scales. Scores were assigned to each tooth in each category. All the measurement items in both evaluation criteria, the composite category score, and the total score were calculated. The passing and potential passing rates of the completed cases were compared with two measuring scales via the Chi-square test. RESULTS: The passing rate for the evaluation of cases by using the Andrews' six elements measuring scale was 83.8%, and that for the evaluation of cases by using the ABO measuring scale was 86.3%. The differences in achieving the standard between the cases of Andrews' six elements and ABO-OGS via the Chi-square test were statistically insignificant (P>0.05). The mean Andrews' six elements score for the completed cases: the category of the anteroposterior change in position of the incisors contributed the most, whereas the core discrepancy presented the least percentage in total scores. In ABO-OGS, alignment and marginal ridges contributed the most, whereas interproximal contacts exhibited the least percentage in total scores. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of Andrews' six elements was comparable with that of ABO-OGS in assessing the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment. Andrews' six elements can be used as a new system for assessing the treatment outcome of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment. It demonstrated particular advantage in controlling facial profile, and had just completed material of patients who completed their orthodontic treatment it can measure. The Andrews' six elements measuring scale is convenient to disseminate and use.

Integrated fate assessment of aromatic amines in aerobic sewage treatment plants.

The fate and exposure of chemicals in sewage treatment plants (STPs) are major considerations in risk assessment and environmental regulation. The biodegradability and removal of seven aromatic amines were systematically evaluated using a three-tiered integrated method: a standard ready biodegradability test, an aerobic sewage treatment simulation method, and model prediction. In tier 1, the seven aromatic amines were not readily biodegraded after 28 days. In adapted aerobic active sludge, 4-isopropyl aniline, 2,4-diaminotoluene, and 4-nitroaniline among them exhibited the degradation half-life time less than 20 h, the other four aromatic amines exhibited persistent with degradation half-life of > 60 h. In tier 2 of the aerobic sewage treatment simulation testing, 2,4-diaminotoluene, 4-nitroaniline, and 4-isopropylaniline demonstrated moderately to high overall removal. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) affects the removal with the optimum HRT was determined to be 12 h to 24. 2,6-Dimethyl aniline, 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline, 2,6-diethylaniline, and 3,4-dichloroaniline were not removed during the test, indicting these four aromatic amines will enter surface water and hence pose a potential risk to aquatic ecology. Considering the lack of an STP model in China for regulation purposes, in tier 3, we developed a Chinese STP (aerobic) (abbreviated as C-STP(O)) model that reflects a universal scenario for China to predict the fate. The predicted degradation, volatilization, and absorption showed a close relationship to the physicochemical properties of the chemicals, and had same tendency with tier 2 simulation test. The prediction showed that biodegradation rather than absorption or volatilization was the main removal process of aromatic amines in aerobic STP. With the combination of modified kinetics test with C-STP (O) model, the chemical fate can be more accurately predicted than using only the readily biodegradation result.

Non-coding RNA LOXL1-AS1 exhibits oncogenic activity in ovarian cancer via regulation of miR-18b-5p/VMA21 axis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert critical effects in the process of malignant cancers and lncRNA LOXL1 Antisense RNA 1 (LOXL1-AS1) has been demonstrated to be a pro-oncogene in multiple tumor types. In the current study, we illuminated the precise roles of LOXL1-AS1 in the development of ovarian cancer. LOXL1-AS1 is significantly overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma tissue compared with adjacent non-cancerous sample. The luciferase reporter gene assay reveals the relationship between LOXL1-AS1 and miR-18b-5p, miR-18b-5p and its target gene, Vacuolar ATPase Assembly Factor VMA21 (VMA21). Transfection of LOXL1-AS1 siRNA or miR-18b-5p mimics inhibits the growth and aggressive phenotypes of SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cell. Furthermore, miR-18b-5p suppresses ovarian carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting VMA21 and LOXL1-AS1 regulates ovarian carcinoma cell growth and metastasis through sponging miR-18b-5p. These findings suggest that lncRNA LOXL1-AS1 promotes ovarian cancer cell growth, migratory and invasiveness via modulating miR-18b-5p/VMA21 axis.

MicroRNA-139-3p Inhibits The Growth And Metastasis Of Ovarian Cancer By Inhibiting ELAVL1.

BACKGROUND: The aberrant expression of microRNA-139-3p (miR-139-3p) has been recently involved in the development of multiple tumor types, but its function in ovarian cancer remains not well investigated. In this study, we mainly investigated the function of miR-139-3p in the progression of ovarian cancer. METHODS: The levels of miR-139-3p in ovarian cancer cells and tissues were detected using quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) assay. The proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cell were determined, respectively. A luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm ELAV Like RNA Binding Protein 1 (ELAVL1) was a target gene of miR-139-3p. The expression of ELAVL1 was detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining assay. The roles of miR-139-3p on the growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer cell in vivo were explored using transplanted tumor model and experimental lung metastasis model. RESULTS: MiR-139-3p was down-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues and ovarian cancer cell lines (SK-OV-3, A2780 and OVCAR-3). Overexpression of miR-139-3p decreased the growth, colony formation, migration and invasiveness of SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-139-3p reduced the growth and lung metastasis of ovarian cancer cells in vivo. The luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that ELAVL1 was a target of miR-139-3p and its expression was negatively regulated by miR-139-3p. Furthermore, the expression of ELAVL1 was inversely correlated with miR-139-3p level in ovarian cancer tissue. CONCLUSION: Taken together, we demonstrated that miR-139-3p regulated ovarian cancer growth and metastasis by modulating the expression of ELAVL1.

Structure elucidation and antimicrobial activities of five compounds from Artemisia integrifolia L.

A new compound, integracid (1), together with four known compounds were isolated from the dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) extract from Artemisia integrifolia L. The structures of compounds (1-5) were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including ultraviolet, infrared (IR), high resolution-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and extensive one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, and by comparison with data reported in the references. Antibacterial activities of the compounds were evaluated against various bacteria.

Systems Chemical Genetics-Based Drug Discovery: Prioritizing Agents Targeting Multiple/Reliable Disease-Associated Genes as Drug Candidates.

Genetic disease genes are considered a promising source of drug targets. Most diseases are caused by more than one pathogenic factor; thus, it is reasonable to consider that chemical agents targeting multiple disease genes are more likely to have desired activities. This is supported by a comprehensive analysis on the relationships between agent activity/druggability and target genetic characteristics. The therapeutic potential of agents increases steadily with increasing number of targeted disease genes, and can be further enhanced by strengthened genetic links between targets and diseases. By using the multi-label classification models for genetics-based drug activity prediction, we provide universal tools for prioritizing drug candidates. All of the documented data and the machine-learning prediction service are available at SCG-Drug (http://zhanglab.hzau.edu.cn/scgdrug).

The Neuroprotective Effect of Amitriptyline on Radiation-Induced Impairment of Hippocampal Neurogenesis.

The radioprotective effect of amitriptyline, an inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase), on radiation-induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis, loss of interneuron, and animal weight changes was investigated in BALB/c mice by immunostaining of biomarkers for cell division (Ki67), immature neurons (doublecortin or DCX), and interneurons (parvalbumin or PV) in the dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus. The results indicated that preirradiation (with 10 mg/kg, 2 times per day, for 7 consecutive days) or postirradiation (with 10 mg/kg, 2 times per day, for 14 consecutive days) treatment (pretreatment or posttreatment) with intraperitoneal injection of amitriptyline prevented the loss of newly generated neurons, proliferating cells, and interneurons in the subgranular zone of the DG. At the molecular level, pretreatment or posttreatment inhibited the expression of sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1 (SMPD1) gene which codes for ASMase. The pretreatment for 7 days also prevented radiation-induced weight loss from 2 to 3 weeks, but not within 1 week after irradiation. On the other hand, the posttreatment with amitriptyline for 14 days could improve animal weight gain from 4 to 6 weeks after irradiation. The present study suggests that amitriptyline may be a promising candidate radio-neuroprotective drug to improve radiation-induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis and relevant neurological and neuropsychological disorders.

The prevalence and sex difference of allergen sensitization among adult patients with allergic diseases in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide prevalence of allergic diseases has increased during the last few decades, but it is not well known about the sensitization profiles of adult patients in Shanghai. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and sex difference of allergen sensitization among adult with allergic diseases in Shanghai. METHODS: The sensitization profiles of 7,996 patients (18-60 yrs old) with allergic diseases at our center were retrospectively analyzed, based on the results of skin prick tests. The prevalence of various allergen, age and sex difference of allergen sensitization were investigated. RESULTS: The most common allergens were Dermatophagoides farinae (73.10%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (72.21%) and Blomia tropicalis (53.10%), followed by Blattella germanica (31.18%), Periplaneta americana (27.75%), dog dander (24.96%), mixed molds (17.56%), and shrimp (17.02%). For the patients aged 18-30 yrs, mites and animal dander were most common allergen, whereas cockroaches and mixed molds for those aged over 40 yrs old. As for sex difference, males were more sensitive to Blomia tropicalis, cockroaches and mixed molds. Females were more sensitive to Dermatophagoides farinae and animal dander. CONCLUSIONS: The most common allergen in Shanghai are mites, cockroaches, and dog dander. There are sex and age difference on profiles of allergen sensitization.

Expression of programmed death ligand-1 and programmed death 1 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its clinical significance.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between the expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and PD ligand-1 (PD-L1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and clinical parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised tumor sections from 45 HCC patients treated with curative resection, which were evaluated for PD-1 and PD-L1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was increased in cancers compared to adjacent normal tissues, with a positive rate of 37.78% (17/45) and 62.22% (28/45), respectively, which was positively correlated with the tumor stage and lymph node metastasis, negatively with postoperative prognosis. PD-1 positivity was most frequently observed in stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The number of PD-1 positive lymphocyte was correlated with PD-L1 positive expression. CONCLUSION: PD-L1 and PD-1 are overexpressed in HCC tissues. PD-L1 expression plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of human HCC, suggesting that it might be used as a new biomarker to predict the disease progression and prognosis.

[Performance of Polymer-based Titanium and Zirconium Oxides Composite Adsorbent for Simultaneous Removal of Phosphorus and Fluorine from Water].

A novel composite adsorbent (Ti-Zr-D201) for simultaneous removal of phosphate and fluoride from water was prepared by loading nanosized titanium and zirconium oxides on the anion exchange resin named D201. Combining with the characterization of the adsorbent, adsorption isotherm experiments, effect of solution pH experiments, competitive tests, kinetic experiments and fixed bed column adsorption experiments were performed to explore the adsorption performance and mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ti-Zr-D201 for phosphorus and fluorine was 34.9mg·g-1 and 35.1mg·g-1 respectively, when the pH value was 5.8 and the temperature was 308K. Adsorption behavior was spontaneous, and higher temperature was favorable for phosphorus and fluoride adsorption. The effect of pH on the adsorption of fluoride was more significant compared with the adsorption of phosphorus. SO42-, NO3- and Cl- were selected as the competitive ions for competition experiments, and the results indicated that Ti-Zr-D201 exhibited favorable sorption selectivity for phosphorus and fluoride compared with the host material D201. The fitting results of the internal diffusion model showed that there were two different adsorption stages before the adsorption equilibrium of Ti-Zr-D201. Column adsorption experiments showed that Ti-Zr-D201 had a stable structure, excellent dynamic adsorption performance, and could be recycled, which showed the potential of practical application.

[Fate of Eleven Phthalic Acid Esters in Aerobic Sewage Treatment System].

Phthalic acid esters have potential environmental risk due to their endocrine disrupting effect. The biodegradable and removal characteristics of 11 phthalicacidesters were studied. The results showed that dimethyl phthalate(DMP), dimethoxyethyl phthalate (BMEP), diethyl phthalate(DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate(DIBP), dinamyl phthalate (DNPP), di-n-hexyl phthalate(DNHP)and bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) had ready biodegradability, dinonyl phthalate (DNP)and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DHP)could be biodegraded but did not pass the 10 d window-period, and only 43.5% of diphenyl phthalate (DPP) was biodegraded on 28d. The degradation curves of 11 PAEs all obeyed typical first-order kinetics in aerobic sludge kinetics test, with the correlation coefficient r2>0.96, the degradation rate constant was between 0.021-1.11 h-1, and the degradation half-life was between 0.625-32.7 h. In aerobic sludge simulation test, the removal rates of 10 PAEs were>80% at hydraulic detention time of 12h, except that DNPP was only 55%-70%. The removal rates of all PAEs reached 90% at hydraulic detention time of 24h. The relative high exposure in effluent for DMP, DEP, DIBP, DBP and DEHP was found by using GC/MS, with the residue concentrations of ND-44.0, ND-12.0, 60.4-594, 88.0-823 and 130-728 ng·L-1, respectively. The results from STP model prediction showed that the removal in STP was mainly contributed by biodegradation, but for DPP, DNP and DEHP, the absorption removal was also an important removal way.

[Development of Chemical Exposure Prediction Model for Aerobic Sewage Treatment Plant for Biochemical Wastewaters].

Sewage treatment plant (STP) is a key transfer station for chemicals distributed into different environment compartment, and hence models of exposure prediction play a crucial role in the environmental risk assessment and pollution prevention of chemicals. A mass balance model namely Chinese Sewage treatment plant (C-STP(O)) was developed to predict the fate and exposure of chemicals in a conventional sewage treatment plant. The model was expressed as 9 mixed boxes by compartment of air, water, suspended solids, and settled solids. It was based on the minimum input data required on the notification in new chemicals, such as molecular weight, absorption coefficient, vapor pressure, water solubility, ready or inherent biodegradability. The environment conditions ( Temperature = 283 K, wind speed = 2 m x s(-1)) and the classic STP scenario parameters of China, especially the scenario parameters of water quality and sludge properties were adopted in C-STP( 0) model to reflect Chinese characteristics, these parameters were sewage flow of 35 000 m3 x d(-1), influent BOD5 of 0.15 g x L(-1), influent SS of 0.2 kg x m(-3), effluent SS of 0.02 kg x m(-3), BOD5 removal in aerator of 90% sludge density of 1.6 kg x L(3) and organic carbon content of 0.18-0.19. It adopted the fugacity express for mechanism of linear absorption, first-order degradation, Whitman two resistances. An overall interphase transfer constant which was the sum of surface volatilization and stripping was used to assess the volatilization in aerator. The most important and uncertain input value was the biodegradation rate constant, and determination of which required a tier test strategy from ready or inherent biodegradability data to simulate test in STP. An extrapolated criterion of US EPA to derive biodegradation rate constant using the results of ready and inherent biodegradability was compared with that of EU and was recommended. C-STP ( 0 ) was valid to predict the relative emission of volatilization, absorption, degradation and effluent, on ground of both successful simulation of the removal of 26 chemicals from references with an accuracy rate of 81% and consistency of prediction and test with absolute difference of 2.5%-6.3% for 5 phenols. In cases of prediction of three chemicals with different properties, 1,1, 2-trichloroethane, Naphthalene and DEHP, the predicted fate well satisfied the monitor data. The model is therefore believed to be a simple, robust and useful tool in fate study and exposure assessment of chemicals.

[Degradation Characteristics of Three Aniline Compounds in Simulated Aerobic Sewage Treat System].

The removal rates of 4-nitroaniline, 4-isopropyl aniline and 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline under different hydraulic retention time (HRT) were tested by employing a simulation method of aerobic biochemical sewage treatment technology in this study. The results showed that when HRT was 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h, the removal rates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were 70.2%, 80.3% and 88.3%, the removal rates of 4-nitroaniline were 48%, 64.7% and 75%; and the removal rates of 4-isopropyl aniline were 66%, 76% and 91%, respectively. It was concluded that increasing HRT could promote the removal rates of DOC and aniline chemicals. In contrast, 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline was difficult to be removed. The removal rates were less than 20% under all tested conditions. The kinetics analysis showed that the biodegradation of 4-nitroaniline, 4-isopropyl aniline and 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline in aerobic activated sewage (3 g x L(-1)) accorded with the first order kinetics and the regression coefficients were > 0.95. The half-life time of biodegradation was 6.01 h, 16.16 h, 123.75 h, respectively. In general, functional groups such as isopropyl had a positive effect on the biodegradation of aniline chemicals, whereas substituents such as nitro group and chlorine atom had an inhibitory effect.

Randomized study of gefitinib versus pemetrexed as maintenance treatment in patients with advanced glandular non-small cell lung cancer.

Gefitinib was compared with pemetrexed as maintenance therapy in Patients with Advanced Glandular Non-small Cell Lung Cancer, mainly regarding clinical effect and side effect. A randomized trial of pemetrexed as study group (500 mg/m(2), dl) versus gefitinib as the control group [250 mg on night 1, 250 mg on morning 2 (every day)] was conducted in 188 patients, 94 cases in each group with a therapy cycle of 21 days. In addition, the study group was also treated with folic acid, vitB12 and dexamethasone. Therapeutic effects and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared. Patients of two groups completed four cycles of chemotherapy mostly, and there was no complete remission (CR) case. The median-cycle of chemotherapy was 2 for the study group, and partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD) were observed in 28 (29.8%), 34 (36.2%), 32 (34.0%) cases respectively. The median-cycle was 3 for the control group, PR, SD and PD were observed in 17 (18.1%), 23 (24.5%), 54 (57.4%) cases respectively. The effective rates were 29.8% and 18.1% for pemetrexed (28 cases) and gefitinib (17 cases) respectively (P > 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference in disease control rates between the 2 groups (65.0% vs 42.6%; P < 0.05). Adverse reactions occurred in two groups were mainly mild adverse reactions of 1-2 degree, without renal failure. The study group and control group had three and five cases of mild infection respectively, without statistically significant difference. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of rash and alopecia between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the number of cases with neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal reactions and fatigue in the study group was lower than that of the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Considering the disease control rate and the tolerance of patients with advanced NSCLC, pemetrexed is strongly recommended to be used in clinical.

Indicators of child health, service utilization and mortality in Zhejiang Province of China, 1998-2011.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the levels of primary health care services for children and their changes in Zhejiang Province, China from 1998 to 2011. METHODS: The data were drawn from Zhejiang maternal and child health statistics collected under the supervision of the Health Bureau of Zhejiang Province. Primary health care coverage, hospital deliveries, low birth weight, postnatal visits, breastfeeding, underweight, early neonatal (<7 days) mortality, neonatal mortality, infant mortality and under-5 mortality were investigated. RESULTS: The coverage rates for children under 3 years old and children under 7 years old increased in the last 14 years. The hospital delivery rate was high during the study period, and the overall difference narrowed. There was a significant difference (P<0.001) between the prevalence of low birth weight in 1998 (2.03%) and the prevalence in 2011 (2.71%). The increase in low birth weight was more significant in urban areas than in rural areas. The postnatal visit rate increased from 95.00% to 98.45% with a significant difference (P<0.001). The breastfeeding rate was the highest in 2004 at 74.79% and lowest in 2008 at 53.86%. The prevalence of underweight in children under 5 years old decreased from 1.63% to 0.65%, and the prevalence was higher in rural areas. The early neonatal, neonatal, infant and under-5 mortality rates decreased from 6.66‰, 8.67‰, 11.99‰ and 15.28‰ to 1.69‰, 2.36‰, 3.89‰ and 5.42‰, respectively (P<0.001). The mortality rates in rural areas were slightly higher than those in urban areas each year, and the mortality rates were lower in Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Jiaxing regions and higher in Quzhou and Lishui regions. CONCLUSION: Primary health care services for children in Zhejiang Province improved from 1998 to 2011. Continued high rates of low birth weight in urban areas and mortality in rural areas may be addressed with improvements in health awareness and medical technology.