Association between Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis and the Incidence of Radiation-Induced Hypothyroidism in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial and unclear how N-stage would increase the risk of incidence of hypothyroidism (HT) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy. Our study aimed to explore the correlation between cervical lymph node metastasis and the incidence of HT in NPC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 206 patients with NPC treated at the Cancer Hospital of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and their clinical information were retrospectively collected. A series of univariate logistic regression models were performed to explore the association of clinical and lymph node indices with the development of HT. Significant features in univariate analysis were then used to construct three prediction models, for HT prediction using multivariate logistic regression based on Bayesian information criterion. Prediction performance of those models was measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) using 10-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: A total of 111 patients developed HT, and the incidence of HT in N 2-3 and N 0-1 patients was 58.82% and 44.29%, respectively. Compared to Model 1 (consisted of pretreatment TSH concentration, thyroid volume, and N-stage) whose AUCs were 0.801 and 0.766 in training and validation sets, with N-stage be replaced by shortest distance from thyroid, Model 2 achieved more stable AUCs of 0.824 and 0.801. While with numbers of positive lymph nodes in Level IIb additionally added, Model 3 improved its AUCs to 0.841 and 0.813. CONCLUSION: The shortest distance between the lymph nodes and thyroid gland and the number of lymph nodes in IIb are better predictors of radiation-induced HT than the N-stage.

Clarifying the pharmacological mechanisms of action of Shenfu Decoction on cardiovascular diseases using a network pharmacology approach.

Since the molecular mechanisms underlying in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are extremely complex and have not yet been elucidated in detail, CVD remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Traditional Chinese medicine involves the treatment of disease from an overall perspective, and its therapeutic effects on CVD have been demonstrated. However, the mechanisms contributing to the multiscale treatment of cardiovascular diseases at the systematic level remain unclear. Network pharmacology methods and a gene chip data analysis were integrated and applied in the present study, which was conducted to investigate the potential target genes and related pathways of Shenfu Decoction (SFD) for the treatment of myocardial injury. The gene chip analysis was initially performed, followed by network pharmacology to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) and a functional enrichment analysis. Protein-protein networks were constructed and a module analysis was conducted. A network analysis was used to identify the target genes of SFD. Regarding the results obtained, 1134 DEG were identified using the STRING website. The module analysis revealed that nine hub genes exhibited ubiquitin-protein ligase activity. Therefore, SFD significantly alters the expression of ubiquitination-related genes and, thus, plays an important therapeutic role in the treatment of heart failure. In conclusion, hub genes may provide a more detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of action of as well as candidate targets for SFD therapy.

Use of an electrophysiological technique for stepwise detection of trace agonist constituents of Hochuekkito in Xenopus oocytes injected with serotonin 2C receptor mRNA.

An electrophysiological bioassay was used to isolate the active compound from Hochuekkito (HET), which the current authors previously described as having potent agonist action against serotonin 2C receptors (5-HT2CR). Synthetic 5-HT2CR mRNA was injected into Xenopus oocytes to specifically express these receptors. Crude extracts and purified products were subjected to an electrophysiological bioassay using the voltage clamp method. HET stimulated a 5-HT2CR-induced current response, whereas Juzentaohoto (JTT), which has anti-depressive action similar to that of HET, did not. Current responses were not observed with an extract mixed with five types of herbal medicines common to HET and JTT but were detected with an extract with the five types of herbal medicines found in HET alone (Hoc5). When the responses to each of the five types of Hoc5 were examined, current responses were noted with Cimicifugae rhizoma (CR) and Citrus unshiu Markovich extracts. Since efficacy and the EC50 value were higher for CR, its constituents were separated using three-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography and the current response at each of the isolated peaks was examined. One constituent displayed a strong response and was identified as a single substance with a molecular weight of 283.1393 based on liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. These results will contribute to the isolation of 5-HT2CR-stimulating constituents in HET and the identification of trace constituents with agonist action.

Effect of biofertilizer and wheat straw biochar application on nitrous oxide emission and ammonia volatilization from paddy soil.

Biofertilizer can improve soil quality, especially the microbiome composition, which potentially affect soil nitrogen (N) cycling. However, little is known about the responses of nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and ammonia (NH3) volatilization from biochar-amended paddy soil to the biofertilizer application. Therefore, we conducted a soil column experiment using four 240 kg N ha-1 (equivalent to 1.7 g N pot-1) treatments consisting of biofertilizer (3 t ha-1, equivalent to 21.2 g pot-1), biochar (7.5 t ha-1, equivalent to 63.6 g pot-1), and a mixture of biofertilizer and biochar at the same rate and a control (CK). The results showed that the N2O emissions and NH3 volatilizations were equivalent to 0.15-0.28% and 18.0-31.5% of rice seasonal N applied to the four treatments, respectively. Two treatments with biofertilizer and biochar individual amendment significantly increased (P < 0.05) the N2O emissions to same degree by 30.2%, while co-application of biochar and biofertilizer further increased the N2O emission by 74.4% compared to the control. The higher N2O emission was likely attributed to the increased gene copies of AOA, nirK, and nirS. Applying biofertilizer significantly increased (P < 0.05) NH3 volatilization by 24.7% relative to the control, while applying biochar had no influence on NH3 volatilization. Co-application of biofertilizer and biochar significantly decreased (P < 0.05) NH3 volatilization by 12.3% compared to the control. Overall, the net global warming potential based on NH3 and N2O in current study increased by 13.0-26.0% in both the individual- and co-application of biofertilizer and biochar. Interestingly, both individual- and co-applications of biofertilizer and biochar increased the rice grain yield by 16.5-38.3%. Therefore, applications of biofertilizer and biochar did not increase the GHGI. Particularly, the co-applying of them significantly lowered (P < 0.05) the GHGI by 15.2%. In conclusion, biofertilizer and biochar should be co-applied to achieve the goals of environment protection and food security.

Guanxin V for coronary artery disease: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Guanxin V (GXV), a traditional herbal mixture, has been widely used in clinical practice for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). This retrospective study was designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of GXV for CAD. METHODS: In our study, December 2006 to January 2009, 101 patients with CAD from Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine were enrolled, of whom 52 patients received GXV plus guideline-recommended medical therapy (GMT) (GXV group), 49 patients received GMT alone (GMT group). The general clinical information, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score (TSS), the therapeutic effects, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), adverse events, echocardiography, and laboratory information were collected and analyzed pre-and post-treatment. RESULTS: We did not find differences in the information between the two groups before treatment. Patients in the GXV group had decreased TSS (P < 0.0001) and increased therapeutic effects (P = 0.763) and 6MWT (P < 0.0001) than those in the GMT group and there were no significant differences in safety between the two groups. Moreover, patients in the GXV group improved ejection fraction, cardiac output, and stroke volume (P = 0.2113, 0.0001, 0.0002, respectively), and dropped BNP (P = 0.3856) compared with those in the GMT group. CONCLUSIONS: Superiority in the GXV group for patients with CAD was demonstrated over the GMT group for both the safety and effectiveness endpoints. This suggests that GXV is a potentially safe and effective treatment for CAD patients.

Mechanical Performances of Al-Si-Mg Alloy with Dilute Sc and Sr Elements.

Due to its excellent comprehensive performances, Al-Si-Mg alloy i widely used in automotive, transportation and other fields. In this work, tensile performances and fracture behavior of Al-Si-Mg alloy modified by dilute Sc and Sr elements (Al-7.12Si-0.36Mg-0.2Sc-0.005Sr) were investigated at the temperature of -60-200 °C for the first time, aiming to obtain a satisfactory thermal stability within a certain temperature range. The results showed that the new designed Al-Si-Mg alloy possessed a completely stable yield strength and a higher-level elongation under the present conditions. Fracture morphology analysis, fracture profile observation and strengthening mechanism analysis were applied to elucidate the evolution mechanisms of yield strength and elongation of the alloy. The fracture modes were significantly distinct in different temperature sections, and the reasons were discussed. In addition, the interaction among the nano precipitate phase particles, the deformation substructure and the dislocations were responsible for the thermal stability of the alloy within a certain temperature range.

Structural Comparison of Gene Relevance Networks for Breast Cancer Tissues in Different Grades.

BACKGROUND: The breast is an important biological system of human with two distinct states, i.e. normal and tumoral. Research on breast cancer could be based on systematic modeling to contrast the system structures of these two states. OBJECTIVE: We use mutual information for the construction of the gene network of breast tissues and normal tissues. These gene networks are analyzed, compared as well as classified. We also identify structural key genes that may play significant roles in the formation of breast cancer. METHOD: Gene networks are constructed using with mutual information values. Four structural parameters, namely node degree, clustering coefficient, shortest path length and standard betweenness centrality, are used for analyzing the gene networks. Support vector machine is used to classify the gene networks into normal and disease states. Genes with standard betweenness centrality of greater than 0.3 are identified as possibly significant in the development of breast cancer. RESULT: The classification of the gene networks into normal and disease states suggest that the vectors of parameters are linearly separable by any combinations of these four structural parameters. In addition, the six genes BAK1, RRAD, LCN2, EGFR, ZAP70 and FOSB are identified to possibly play significant roles in the formation of breast cancer. CONCLUSION: In this work, four structural parameters have been generalized to the relevance networks. These parameters are found to distinguish gene networks of normal and cancerous breast tissues at different thresholds. In addition, the six genes identified may motivate further studies and research in breast cancer.