[Detection of inorganic elements in parasitic plants and their hosts].

Parasitic plants are destructive agricultural pests. Today, parasitic plants have been recognized as serious pests causing considerable economic damage on crop and woods in China. Parasites are among the most destructive weeds known, and more and more people begin to pay more attention to the relationship between parasitic plant and host. Two cistanches and their hosts were analyzed and characterized by ICP-AES. The contents of K, P, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, B, Cu, Zn, Al and Mn in Tamarix chinensis, Haloxylon ammodendron, Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa were determined. The results showed that the spectra of main elements of the two cistanches and their hosts are similar, but the content of each element is different. The content of K, P, N and Ca is higher than other element, The content of K and P in Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa is higher than the content of theirs hosts. The present study provides a new scientific foundation for further study and general application of parasitic plant.

The application of magnetic resonance imaging-guided microwave ablation for lung cancer.

CONTEXT: It is necessary to explore a minimally invasive, effective, and efficient treatment for those lung cancer patients who are poor candidates for surgery. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the application of microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of lung cancer. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A total of 43 patients with 44 pulmonary lesions were examined following identical procedures before being randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group consists of 17 patients with a total of 18 pulmonary lesions, while the control group consists of 26 patients with a total of 26 pulmonary lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experimental group was treated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided MWA while the control group was treated using computer tomography (CT)-guided MWA. A transverse relaxation time-turbo spin echo (T2-TSE) sequence was used for signal collection in the experimental group to determine puncture location and microwave needle position while T2-TSE, T1-turbo field echo, and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) sequences were used for timely efficacy evaluation. Whereas in the control group, CT axial scanning was performed to serve similar purposes. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: A nonparametric Wilcoxon test, median (M [25%, 75%]). RESULTS: All of the 44 lesions were successfully located on the first attempt. The mean time for scanning and locating lung lesions under MRI and CT guidance were 64.53 and 42.96 min, the mean times of positioning were 12 and 18 min, and the mean durations of MWA were 12.48 and 15.06 min, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: As a minimally invasive method for treating lung tumors, MRI-guided MWA requires fewer localization scans, a shorter MWA duration, no radiation, real-time observation of the curative effect, and it prevents overtreatment.

TBX5 loss-of-function mutation contributes to atrial fibrillation and atypical Holt-Oram syndrome.

Previous genome-wide association studies have demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphisms in T­box (TBX)5 are associated with increased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF), and a recent study has causally linked a TBX5 mutation to atypical Holt-Oram syndrome and paroxysmal AF. However, the prevalence and spectrum of TBX5 mutations in patients with AF remain to be elucidated. In the present study, a cohort of 190 unrelated patients with idiopathic AF were prospectively recruited, with 400 unrelated healthy individuals recruited as controls. The coding exons and flanking introns of the TBX5 gene were sequenced in the participants. The functional characteristics of the mutant TBX5 were delineated in contrast with its wild­type counterpart using a dual­luciferase reporter assay system. As a result, a novel heterozygous TBX5 mutation, p.P132S, was identified in an index patient with AF, with a mutational prevalence of ~0.53%. Genetic analysis of the proband's family showed that the mutation co­segregated with AF, and was transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern. The missense mutation was absent in the 800 control chromosomes, and the altered amino acid was completely evolutionarily conserved across species. Functional analyses revealed that the mutant TBX5 had significantly reduced transcriptional activity. Furthermore, the mutation markedly decreased the synergistic activation between TBX5 and NK2 homeobox 5, another transcription factor which has been causatively linked to AF. The present study was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to report on the association between a TBX5 loss­of­function mutation and increased susceptibility to AF. These results provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism underpinning AF, and have potential implications in the development of novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for AF, the most common form of sustained cardiac arrhythmia.