Molecular cloning and expression of the vitellogenin gene and its correlation with ovarian development in an invasive pest Octodonta nipae on two host plants.

There is an ongoing relationship between host plants and herbivores. The nutrient substances and secondary compounds found in the host plant can not only impact the growth and development process of herbivores, but, more importantly, may also affect their survival and reproductive fitness. Vitellogenesis is the core process of reproductive regulation and is generally considered as a reliable indicator for evaluating the degree of ovarian development in females. Vitellogenin (Vg) plays a critical role in the synthesis and secretion of yolk protein. In this study, the full-length cDNA of the Vg gene in an alien invasive species, the nipa palm hispid beetle Octodonta nipae Maulik (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (OnVg) was cloned and, the effect of host plant on the OnVg expression level and ovarian development was investigated. The results revealed that the OnVg was highly and exclusively expressed in adult females, but barely detectable in larvae, pupae and adult males. The relative expression level of OnVg and egg hatchability were much higher in females fed on Phoenix canariensis (their preferred host) than those fed on Phoenix roebelenii. A positive correlation relationship between OnVg expression and egg hatchability was also detected. Additionally, the anatomy of the female reproductive system showed that the ovaries of individuals fed on P. canariensis were considerably more developed than in females fed on P. roebelenii. The results may be applicable to many pest management situations through reproductive disturbance by alternating host plant species or varieties or by reproductive regulation through vitellogenesis mediated by specific endocrine hormones.

[A procedure to assist achievement of total mesorectal excision through the extending intersphincteric plane].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of assisted achievement total mesorectal excision (TME) through the extending intersphincteric plane. METHODS: From February 2006 to April 2010, 65 patients with low rectal cancer underwent assisted implementing TME through the extending intersphincteric plane under direct vision and achieved sphincter preservation. The clinical data was summarized and analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up visits were conducted on complications and oncological outcomes. RESULTS: The mean operation time was (245 ± 42) minutes, and the mean intraoperative blood loss was (114 ± 76) ml. There was no postoperative mortality. Postoperative complications included 2 cases of anastomotic leak, 13 cases of anastomotic stenosis, 2 cases of early postoperative inflammatory ileus, 1 case of urinary tract infection, and 1 case of incision infection. Distal margins and circumferential resection margin of all specimens were negative. For pathological stage, there were 26 cases at stage pTNMI, 17 cases at stage pTNMII and 22 cases at stage pTNMIII. The mean follow-up time was (47.9 ± 18.9) months. 10 patients were lost to follow up, 15 cases had distant metastasis or local recurrence in, and 8 cases died of tumor metastasis at the latest follow up. Local recurrence occurred in 3 cases, including recurrence in presacral region, metastasis of lymph node at the left side in pelvis cavity, and metastasis at the sacrum at 35, 36, and 52 months postoperatively. There was no anastomotic recurrence. Log-rank survival analysis showed 5-year cumulative survival rate was 100%, 93.3%, and 63.1% in TNM stage I, II, and III, respectively. The cumulative disease-free survival rate was 96.2%, 83.3%, 44.8% in TNM stage I, II, and III, respectively. CONCLUSION: It has a good oncological effect and was an advantageous procedure to assist achievement total mesorectal excision (TME) through the extending intersphincteric plane as surgeons encountered with difficulties from transabdominal TME.

Descriptions of immature stages of Octodonta nipae (Maulik) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae, Cryptonychini).

Octodonta nipae (Maulik, 1921), a hispid that damages several species of palm trees, was introduced accidently into China in 2001. The egg, larva, prepupa and pupa of O. nipae are illustrated and described in detail and compared with another invasive species, Brontispa longissima (Gestro, 1885); the scanning electron micrographs of the head capsule, antenna, maxilla, labium and lateral scoli are provided, as well as photos of body of all larval instars and pupa. It is the second description of immature stages in the genus Octodonta Chapuis.

Correction: Zn2SnO4:Cr,Eu ultra-small nanoparticles as new near infrared-emitting persistent luminescent nanoprobes for cellular and deep tissue imaging at 800 nm.

Correction for 'Zn2SnO4:Cr,Eu ultra-small nanoparticles as new near infrared-emitting persistent luminescent nanoprobes for cellular and deep tissue imaging at 800 nm' by Hongwu Zhang et al., Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 8631-8638.

Luminescence enhancement of CaF2:Nd3+ nanoparticles in the second near-infrared window for in vivo imaging through Y3+ doping.

In vivo luminescent imaging in the second biological window (1000-1400 nm, NIR-II) has attracted increasing attention since it can provide high sensitivity to deep tissue in vivo imaging. Herein, we synthesized approximately 10-15 nm-sized NIR-II luminescent nanoparticles (CaF2:Nd3+ NPs). Furthermore, co-doped Y3+ was utilized to enhance the NIR-II luminescence of the CaF2:Nd3+ NPs via breaking the aggregation of Nd3+. The appearance of a (200) diffraction peak and the broadening of the interplanar spacing of the (111) plane both showed that the incorporated Y3+ can dissolve in CaF2 by occupying the Ca2+ sites to form a CaF2-YF3 solid solution. In particular, the addition of Y3+ can greatly enhance the of the NIR-II luminescence of CaF2:Nd3+ NPs. When the Y3+ doped concentration reached 0.30, the luminescence intensity of CaF2:Y3+,Nd3+ NPs was about 65 times that of CaF2:Nd3+ NPs. In addition, the quantum yield of Ca0.68Y0.30Nd0.02F2.32 NPs was 9.30% under the excitation of an 808 nm laser with 483 mW cm-2 power, which was about 3 times higher than that of CaF2:Nd3+ NPs (3.10%). The in vivo imaging results revealed that the in vivo imaging intensity of Ca0.68Y0.30Nd0.02F2.32 NPs was about 2.38-fold stronger than that of Ca0.98F2.02:Nd3+ 0.02 NPs. All of these results indicated that CaF2:Y3+,Nd3+ NPs can be regarded as potential in vivo imaging probes for biological imaging.

[Ecological and Health Risks of Trace Heavy Metals in Atmospheric PM2.5 Collected in Wuxiang Town, Shanxi Province].

The pollution of atmospheric PM2.5 and ambient air quality were investigated in Wuxiang Town, Shanxi Province, China, and the ecological and health risks of the trace heavy metals in PM2.5 were analyzed. The PM2.5 samples were collected every day using a medium-volume PM2.5 sampler in autumn (from Oct. 22 to Nov. 19, 2014) and in winter (from Jan. 12 to Feb. 13, 2015) on the roof of a building at the Wuxiang Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The mass concentrations of PM2.5 were determined gravimetrically, and the contents of seven trace heavy metals (i. e., As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in PM2.5 were obtained using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The pollution extent, sources, and potential ecological and health risks of the trace heavy metals in PM2.5 were identified and assessed using the geo-accumulation index, ecological risk index, a correlation and principle component analysis, and the exposure risk models of US EPA. Results showed that the average concentration of PM2.5 in winter, approximately three times higher than that in autumn, exceeded the national secondary standard of ambient air quality (GB 3095-2012) on 65% of the sampling days. The heavy metals in PM2.5 mainly originated from anthropogenic activities, with contributions of 58.38% and 18.73% from coal combustion and vehicular emission, respectively. In general, the levels of the heavy metals in PM2.5 followed the order of Cu > Zn > Pb > Cr > As > Ni > Cd, with higher ecological risks from Cd and Cu and higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks from Cr compared with other metals. It is suggested that greater coal combustion in winter under the adverse geographical conditions for air diffusion in Wuxiang Town were responsible for the increased atmospheric PM2.5 concentration and their ecological and health risks in heavy metals.

Five-nanometer ZnSn2O4:Cr,Eu ultra-small nanoparticles as new near infrared-emitting persistent luminescent nanoprobes for cellular and deep tissue imaging at 800 nm.

Until now, the afterglow emissions of most developed near infrared (NIR)-emitting persistent luminescent nanoparticles (NPLNPs) were located at approximately 700 nm, at the edge of the first tissue transparency window (from 650 to 900 nm), which resulted in relatively low tissue penetration and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for in vivo imaging. Herein, 5 nm ZnSn2O4:Cr,Eu (ZSO) NPLNPs with NIR afterglow emission at 800 nm are synthesized via a direct aqueous-phase synthesis method. The longer NIR afterglow emission of ZSO NPLNPs can easily penetrate approximately 3 cm of pork tissue. Furthermore, even though the backbones blocked part of the NIR afterglow light, high SNR (25.5) in vivo images of the backs of mice can be observed and can be maintained for more than 15 min. The ZSO nanoprobes conjugated with folic acid exhibited excellent in vitro and in vivo tumor targeting capacity, which was advantageous for accurate tumor diagnosis. More importantly, the ZSO NPLNPs can be re-excited in situ and in vivo using NIR light to realize renewable near-infrared persistent luminescence in vivo, which was helpful for very long term and higher SNR in vitro and in vivo imaging.

Prognostic Value of Lymph Node Ratio in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients After Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Total Mesorectal Excision.

Although the absolute number of positive lymph nodes (LNs) has been established as 1 of the most important prognostic factors in rectal cancers, many researchers have proposed that the lymph node ratio (LNR) may have better predicted outcomes. We conducted a retrospective study to compare the predictive ability of LNR and ypN category in rectal cancer. A total of 264 locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) between 2005 and 2012 were reviewed. All patients were categorized into 3 groups or patients with metastatic LNs were categorized into 2 groups according to the LNR. The prognostic effect on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was evaluated. With a median follow-up of 45 months, the OS and DFS were 68.4% and 59.3% for the entire cohort, respectively. The respective 5-year OS and DFS rates for the 3 groups (LNR = 0, 0 < LNR ≤ 0.20, and 0.20 < LNR ≤ 1.0) were as follows: 83.2%, 72.6%, and 49.4% (P < 0.001) and 79.5%, 57.3%, and 33.5% (P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that LNR and differentiation, but not the number of positive LNs, had independent prognostic value for OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.328, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.850-4.526, P < 0.001) and DFS (HR = 3.004, 95% CI: 1.616-5.980, P < 0.001). As for patients with positive LNs, the respective 5-year OS and DFS rates for the 2 groups (0 < LNR ≤ 0.20, and 0.20 < LNR ≤ 1.0) were 72.6% and 49.4% (P < 0.001) and 57.3% and 33.5% (P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that only LNR was an independent factor for OS (HR = 3.214, 95% CI: 1.726-5.986, P < 0.001) and DFS (HR = 4.230, 95% CI: 1.825-6.458, P < 0.001). Subgroups analysis demonstrated that the ypN category had no impact on survival whereas increased LNR was a significantly prognostic indicator for worse survival in the LNs < 12 subgroup. LNR is an independent prognostic factor in LARC patients treated with preoperative CRT followed by TME. It may be a better independent staging method than the number of metastatic LNs when <12 LNs are harvested after preoperative CRT.