Microgrooves with Small Taper Angle Processed by Nanosecond Laser in Closed Flowing Water.

To improve the capability of nanosecond lasers to process structures with a high aspect ratio, a new method of nanosecond laser processing in closed flowing water was proposed in this paper. The microgrooves on a stainless steel 304 surface were processed by the new method, and the influence of processing parameters on the microgrooves was studied. The comparative experiments of laser processing in still water and overflowing water were also carried out, and the unusual phenomenon of laser processing in different flowing water was discovered by a high-speed camera. The results showed that the flowing velocity played a crucial role in underwater laser processing, and that high flowing velocity could timely remove bubbles in closed flowing water, thus obtaining higher processing efficiency. As the depth of the groove increased, the bubbles firstly affected the processing of the sidewall, causing a circular transition between the sidewall and bottom surface. The reflection of the laser beam by the bubble could cause secondary processing on the sidewall, resulting in a decrease in the taper angle. Based on the above research, the microgroove with a width of 0.5 mm, aspect ratio of 3, and taper angle of 87.57° was successfully processed by a nanosecond laser in closed flowing water. Compared to conventional nanosecond laser processing, laser processing in closed flowing water was more advantageous in processing microgrooves with a small taper angle and high aspect ratio.

Hsa_circTCF25 Facilitates Oncogenesis in Gastric Cancer Cells by Modulating miR-149 Expression.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Circular RNA (circRNA) is related to gastric carcinogenesis and progression. This study explored the effects of circTCF25 on gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and cancer stem cell markers, as well as the potential network of circTCF25-miR and miR-149. MATERIALS AND METHODS: circTCF25 expression was detected in tissue specimens and cells by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Cell Counting Kit-8 and transwell assays were used to measure the effects of circTCF25 knockdown on proliferation, migration and invasion. The potential network of circTCF25 was analyzed using bioinformatic analysis. RESULTS: circTCF25 was overexpressed in human gastric cancer tissues, and a series of cancer cell lines, and was associated with shorter overall survival. Interfering with circTCF25 reduced gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and expression of cancer stem cell markers. CircTCF25 reduced expression of miR-149, apparently by acting as a miR-149 sponge. A new circTCF25-miR-149 competitive endogenous RNA network in gastric cancer was constructed, and most core genes were associated with the malignant growth and metastatic behavior of gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: circTCF25 may have prognostic value and an oncogenic role in gastric cancer. A circTCF25-miR-149 RNA regulatory network was established which may provide novel biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets for treating gastric cancer.

Metabolomics Reveals the Response Mechanisms of Potato Tubers to Light Exposure and Wounding during Storage and Cooking Processes.

Potato is susceptible to light exposure and wounding during harvesting and transportation. However, the metabolite profile changes in these potato tubers are unclear. The potato cultivars in this study included Hezuo88 (HZ88), Shida6 (SD6), and Jianchuanhong (JCH); the effects of light exposure (L), wounding (W), and the cooking process on potato metabolites were determined. In total, 973 metabolites were identified, with differential metabolites (mainly alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids) accumulated on days 0 and 2 (0 d and 2 d) in the 0dHZ88 vs. 0dJCH (189), 0dHZ88 vs. 0dSD6 (147), 0dSD6 vs. 0dJCH (91), 0dJCH vs. 2dIJCH (151), 0dJCH vs. 2dWDJCH (250), 0dJCH vs. 2dWLJCH (255), 2dIJCH vs. 2dWDJCH (234), and 2dIJCH vs. 2dWLJCH (292) groups. The flavonoid content in the light exposure group was higher than that in the dark group. The alkaloid content in the wounded group was higher than that in the uninjured potato tuber group, but the lipid content in the wounded group was lower. Importantly, only 5.54% of the metabolites changed after potato tuber steaming. These results provide valuable information for the breeding and consumption of potato tubers.

Disrupted topological properties of structural brain networks present a glutamatergic neuropathophysiology in people with narcolepsy.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Growing evidences have documented various abnormalities of the white matter bundles in people with narcolepsy. We sought to evaluate topological properties of brain structural networks, and their association with symptoms and neuropathophysiological features in people with narcolepsy. METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was conducted for people with narcolepsy (n = 30) and matched healthy controls as well as symptoms assessment. Structural connectivity for each participant was generated to analyze global and regional topological properties and their correlations with narcoleptic features. Further human brain transcriptome was extracted and spatially registered for connectivity vulnerability. Genetic functional enrichment analysis was performed and further clarified using in vivo emission computed tomography data. RESULTS: A wide and dramatic decrease in structural connectivities was observed in people with narcolepsy, with descending network degree and global efficiency. These metrics were not only correlated with sleep latency and awakening features, but also reflected alterations of sleep macrostructure in people with narcolepsy. Network-based statistics identified a small hyperenhanced subnetwork of cingulate gyrus that was closely related to rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in narcolepsy. Further imaging genetics analysis suggested glutamatergic signatures were responsible for the preferential vulnerability of connectivity alterations in people with narcolepsy, while additional PET/SPECT data verified that structural alteration was significantly correlated with metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlutR5) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA). CONCLUSIONS: People with narcolepsy endured a remarkable decrease in the structural architecture, which was not only be closely related to narcolepsy symptoms but also glutamatergic signatures.

Full-Stokes polarization laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy detection of infiltrative glioma boundary tissue.

The glioma boundary is difficult to identify during surgery due to the infiltrative characteristics of tumor cells. In order to ensure a full resection rate and increase the postoperative survival of patients, it is often necessary to make an expansion range resection, which may have harmful effects on the quality of the patient's survival. A full-Stokes laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (FSLIBS) theory with a corresponding system is proposed to combine the elemental composition information and polarization information for glioma boundary detection. To verify the elemental content of brain tissues and provide an analytical basis, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and LIBS are also applied to analyze the healthy, boundary, and glioma tissues. Totally, 42 fresh tissue samples are analyzed, and the Ca, Na, K elemental lines and CN, C2 molecular fragmental bands are proved to take an important role in the different tissue identification. The FSLIBS provides complete polarization information and elemental information than conventional LIBS elemental analysis. The Stokes parameter spectra can significantly reduce the under-fitting phenomenon of artificial intelligence identification models. Meanwhile, the FSLIBS spectral features within glioma samples are relatively more stable than boundary and healthy tissues. Other tissues may be affected obviously by individual differences in lesion positions and patients. In the future, the FSLIBS may be used for the precise identification of glioma boundaries based on polarization and elemental characterizing ability.

Numerical and Experimental Study on Flame Dynamics of the Premixed Methane-Air Mixture at Different Ignition Positions in a Two-Side 45° Branch Tube.

The combustion characteristics of premixed methane-air flames in a half-open tube with a two-sided 45° branch structure at different ignition positions were investigated by experiments and large eddy simulations. The numerical results were compared with the experimental results to verify the correctness of the model. The results show that the simulation results are highly consistent with the experiment. This study provides a basic understanding of the effects of the branch tube structure and the ignition position on flame dynamics. When the flame propagates to the branch interface, it forms a symmetrical vortex structure at the branch tube with the opposite rotation direction. When the ignition position is at IP0 and IP900, the maximum overpressures obtained in the experiment are 10.1 and 10.7 kPa, respectively, and 9.2 and 10.4 kPa in the simulation, respectively. At IP0, the Karlovitz number indicating the interaction intensity between the flame surface and the turbulence during flame propagation is a maximum of 9.2 and a minimum of 0.04. The premixed flame has a folded small flame, a corrugated small flame, and a thin reaction zone.

miR-548 predicts clinical prognosis and functions as a tumor promoter in gastric cancer.

Numerous pieces of evidence have demonstrated the functional role of miR-548 in various cancers. The expression and function of miR-548 in gastric cancer were investigated in the present study. A total of 123 gastric cancer patients were included and provided paired gastric cancer tissues and matched normal tissues. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of miR-548. CCK8 assay was used to evaluate cell proliferation, and Transwell assay was applied to assess cell migration and invasion. The clinical significance of miR-548 was estimated by a series of statistical analyses. miR-548 was found to be upregulated in gastric cancer, which was associated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of patients. Patients with relatively high miR-548 expression possessed bad survival. miR-548 was identified as a prognostic indicator of gastric cancer. miR-548 was also found to promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer. Upregulated miR-548 was involved in the progression of gastric cancer and predicted the prognosis of patients. Inhibition of miR-548 might be a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

Accurate Identification and Quantification of Chinese Yam Powder Adulteration Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy.

As a popular food, Chinese yam (CY) powder is widely used for healthy and commercial purposes. Detecting adulteration of CY powder has become essential. In this work, chemometric methods combined with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were developed for identification and quantification of CY powder adulteration. Pure powders (CY, rhizome of winged yam (RY) and cassava (CS)) and adulterated powders (CY adulterated with CS) were pressed into pellets to obtain LIBS spectra for identification and quantification experiments, respectively. After variable number optimization by principal component analysis and random forest (RF), the best model random forest-support vector machine (RF-SVM) decreased 48.57% of the input variables and improved the accuracy to 100% in identification. Following the better feature extraction method RF, the Gaussian process regression (GPR) method performed the best in the prediction of the adulteration rate, with a correlation coefficient of prediction (Rp2) of 0.9570 and a root-mean-square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 7.6243%. Besides, the variable importance of metal elements analyzed by RF revealed that Na and K were significant due to the high metabolic activity and maximum metal content of CY powder, respectively. These results demonstrated that chemometric methods combined with LIBS can identify and quantify CY powder adulteration accurately.

Evaluation of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging under Artificial Intelligence Algorithm on Plan-Do-Check-Action Home Nursing for Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) under the fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering algorithm on plan-do-check-action (PDCA) home nursing for patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). As the characteristics of fMRI image data were combined, the FCM algorithm was improved and applied into the clustering processing of fMRI activation regions of patients. 64 patients with DN were chosen as the research objects and were divided into the research group with PDCA home nursing and the control group with routine home nursing. The patients were randomly divided into the research group (n = 32) and the control group (n = 32). The curative effect, nursing satisfaction, and quality of life of patients after nursing were compared. The results showed that the coverage of fMRI activation points was significantly higher as being detected by the FCM algorithm, and the running time was shortened by 33.6 min. After nursing, the total effective rates in the research group and the control group were 87.5% vs. 34.4% in 3 months, 93.8% vs. 68.8% in 6 months, and 96.9% vs. 75.0% in 12 months, respectively; those in the research group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The nursing satisfaction score (91.3 ± 4.5 vs. 80.9 ± 5.2) and nursing service quality score (89.7 ± 6.6 vs. 80.3 ± 7.1) in the research group were also significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the scores of each item after nursing in the research group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The improved FCM algorithm detected the activation regions in the fMRI images more effectively, which could provide help for diagnosis and reduce error and misdiagnosis. At the same time, the PDCA home nursing also offered great help to the recovery of patients with DN, which was more superior for the curative effect of hospitalization, the promotion of recovery, and the improvement of patients' quality of life.

Kinetic Analysis of Laminar Combustion Characteristics of a H2/Cl2 Mixture at CO2/N2 Dilution.

Garbage and biomass contain more chlorine, which reacts with H2 to form HCl gas during combustion or gasification, resulting in corrosion of metal walls. In this paper, based on the chlorine mechanism in Ansys Chemkin-Pro, the laminar combustion characteristics of H2/Cl2 are simulated with different diluents CO2/N2 under an initial temperature of 298 K, equivalence ratio range of 0.6-1.4, and initial pressure of 0.1-0.5 MPa. The results show that the laminar burning velocity of H2/Cl2 decreases significantly with the increase of dilution gas ratio, and the effect of diluent CO2 is more significant than that of N2. Due to the dilution effect, the fuel and oxidation components are reduced. Through sensitivity analysis, reaction R2: Cl + H2 = HCl + H is the main reaction of HCl formation. On improving the initial pressure, the laminar burning velocity is slightly lowered, and the thermal diffusivity of the fuel mixture increases with the increase of the initial pressure. According to the sensitivity analysis of the velocity, reactions R2, R9, and R10 are the main reactions that affect the laminar burning velocity, and the product HCl will be generated with a delay with the increase of the initial pressure.

Predictive data clustering of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for brain tumor analysis.

Limited by the lack of training spectral data in different kinds of tissues, the diagnostic accuracy of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is hard to reach the desired level with normal supervised learning identification methods. In this paper, we proposed to apply the predictive data clustering methods with supervised learning methods together to identify tissue information accurately. The meanshift clustering method is introduced to compare with three other clustering methods which have been used in LIBS field. We proposed the cluster precision (CP) score as a new criterion to work with Calinski-Harabasz (CH) score together for the evaluation of the clustering effect. The influences of principal component analysis (PCA) on all four kinds of clustering methods are also analyzed. PCA-meanshift shows the best clustering effect based on the comprehensive evaluation combined CH and CP scores. Based on the spatial location and feature similarity information provided by the predictive clustering, the PCA-Meanshift can improve diagnosis accuracy from less than 95% to 100% for all classifiers including support vector machine (SVM), k nearest neighbor (k-NN), soft independent modeling of class analogy (Simca) and random forests (RF) models.

Secretory carcinoma of the breast with multiple distant metastases in the brain and unfavorable prognosis: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Secretory carcinoma of the breast is one of the rarest entities, accounting for less than 0.15 % of all infiltrating breast carcinomas. It has characteristic histopathological and molecular features and, in general, a more favorable prognosis. In this case report, we describe a local, advanced secretory carcinoma of the breast with aggressive course and an unfavorable outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A hard, painless, and palpably bossed mass approximately 12.0 cm in diameter occupied most of the left breast of a 39-year-old woman with fixation to the overlying skin. Breast ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans gave the same grading as BI-RADS IV. A needle biopsy was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was secretory carcinoma. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was then performed, after which ultrasonography and MRI scans revealed chemo-resistance of the tumor to NAC. Left breast mastectomy and axillary lymphadenectomy were subsequently performed. Tumor cells were triple-negative and positive for S-100 and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated a fusion arrangement of the ETV6-NTRK3 gene. The patient developed multiple distant metastases in the brain and died of these metastases 19 months after initial diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Secretory carcinomas of the breast have been described as a low-grade histologic subtype with a favorable prognosis. This case showed chemo-resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, multiple distant metastases, and a final unfavorable outcome. Further research is needed to better understand the behavior and treatment of this rare tumor.

Numerical Simulation of the Effect of CH4/CO Concentration on Combustion Characteristics of Low Calorific Value Syngas.

The composition of low calorific value synthesis gas varies greatly depending on the raw material and processing technology, which makes the combustion extremely complicated. The three mechanisms of the GRI-Mech 3.0, Li-Model, and FFCM-Mech are used to numerically simulate CH4/CO/H2/N2 air premixed combustion by using ANSYS CHEMKIN-PRO. The numerical simulation is the calculation of laminar flame velocity and adiabatic flame temperature at an initial temperature of 298 K, an equivalence ratio of 0.6-1.4, and an initial pressure of 0.1-0.5 MPa, discussing through thermodynamics and chemical kinetics. The formation of NO X , H, and OH radicals by fuel composition was analyzed. The result shows that the concentrations of H, O, and OH radicals have a positive effect on laminar flame velocity. The combustion reaction of H2 is higher than that of CH4 and CO; with the increase of N2 content, the priority is higher. The thermal diffusivity of flame under different equivalence ratios is affected by inert gas, which affects adiabatic combustion temperature and laminar combustion velocity. In thermal kinetics and chemical kinetics, CH4 has more influence on combustion temperature than CO, while laminar flame velocity is relatively low. Under the change of initial pressure, the laminar combustion flux increases to the initial pressure and the laminar combustion velocity decreases to the increase in pressure. Reactions H + O2 = O + OH, HO2 + H = 2OH, and CH3 + HO2 = OH + CH3O are mainly due to change in the concentration of O, H, and OH radicals.

Effect of the Inclination Angle on Premixed Flame Dynamics in Half-Open Ducts.

The propagation of premix methane/air flames in long half-open ducts with different inclination angles θ between the sidewall and the horizon was numerically investigated using the laminar model. The numerical result was compared with the experimental and theoretical ones to validate the numerical model. The results show that the numerical results are in good agreement with them. The investigation provides the basic understanding of the effects on changing the shape of the ducts to promote the premixed flame combustion. For methane/air, the position where the flame front begins to concave is pushed back with the increase in angle θ. The so-called "tulip" flame even disappeared, if the angle θ is bigger than one certain value. Moreover, the flame propagation speed and pressure are enhanced as the angle θ increases. In addition, the numerical simulation indicates that the burning gas creates an eddy near the tip of the flame, altering the flow field and causing the tulip flame to appear. However, with the angle θ increased, the flame propagation is restrained by the change in sidewalls, resulting in the different flow patterns to suppress the formation of tulip flames and promote flame combustion.

Mediator Med23 Regulates Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis.

Mammalian Mediator (Med) is a key regulator of gene expression by linking transcription factors to RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription machineries. The Mediator subunit 23 (Med23) is a member of the conserved Med protein complex and plays essential roles in diverse biological processes including adipogenesis, carcinogenesis, osteoblast differentiation, and T-cell activation. However, its potential functions in the nervous system remain unknown. We report here that Med23 is required for adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mouse. Deletion of Med23 in adult hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs) was achieved in Nestin-CreER:Med23flox/flox mice by oral administration of tamoxifen. We found an increased number of proliferating NSCs shown by pulse BrdU-labeling and immunostaining of MCM2 and Ki67, which is possibly due to a reduction in cell cycle length, with unchanged GFAP+/Sox2+ NSCs and Tbr2+ progenitors. On the other hand, neuroblasts and immature neurons indicated by NeuroD and DCX were decreased in number in the dentate gyrus (DG) of Med23-deficient mice. In addition, these mice also displayed defective dendritic morphogenesis, as well as a deficiency in spatial and contextual fear memory. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of hippocampal NSCs revealed an enrichment in genes involved in cell proliferation, Pol II-associated transcription, Notch signaling pathway and apoptosis. These results demonstrate that Med23 plays roles in regulating adult brain neurogenesis and functions.

Upregulation of miR-552 Predicts Unfavorable Prognosis of Gastric Cancer and Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence indicates that micro-RNAs play a key role in tumor progression and prognosis. However, the overall biological role and clinical significance of microRNA-552 (miR-552) in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. METHODS: miR-552 expression was measured in 122 pairs of cancerous and noncancerous tissues and cell lines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between miR-552 and the clinical parameters of patients was analyzed by the χ2 test; Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to predict the overall survival time and prognosis of patients with different expression of miR-552. Finally, CCK-8 and Transwell were used to detect the changes in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. RESULTS: miR-552 was expressed at markedly high levels in GC tissues compared to normal tissues and in some GC cell lines (p < 0.001). The upregulation of miR-552 was significantly associated with tumors with advanced TNM stage (p = 0.026), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018), intestinal metaplasia (p = 0.044), and genomically stable subtype (p = 0.035). Moreover, GC patients with high miR-552 expression showed shorter overall survival (log-rank test, p = 0.011) than those with low expression. Meanwhile, miR-552 was an independent prognostic factor for GC patients (HR 5.657, 95% CI 1.619-19.761, p = 0.007). Finally, miR-552 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results indicate that miR-552, as an oncogene of GC, can promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and miR-552 may be a novel prognostic biomarker for GC.

Crocin inhibits the migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells via miR-320/KLF5/HIF-1α signaling.

The biological activities of crocin, one of the main bioactive compounds of saffron, include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant, and anticancer effects. Crocin has been shown to trigger the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, but its effect on the metastasis of gastric cancer cells remains unclear. Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) are important transcription factors in the development of gastric cancer. KLF5 and HIF-1α expression were analyzed in gastric cancer tissues and cells. Following exposure to crocin, AGS and HGC-27 gastric cancer cells were assessed with regard to migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as the expression of KLF5, HIF-1α, and microRNA-320 (miR-320). The miR-320/KLF5/HIF-1α signaling pathway became the focus for further investigation of the mechanism of crocin in gastric cancer cell migration, invasion, and EMT. KLF5 and HIF-1α expression were elevated in gastric cancer tissues and cells, and KLF5 expression was positively correlated with the HIF-1α level in gastric cancer tissues. Crocin was associated with reduced expression of KLF5 and HIF-1α, whereas miR-320 expression was increased. Crocin also inhibited the migration, invasion, and EMT of gastric cancer cells. Upregulation of KLF5 attenuated crocin's function and elevated HIF-1α expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that KLF5 was a target gene of miR-320. Crocin modulated KLF5 expression via elevation of miR-320 expression. In conclusion, crocin inhibits the EMT, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells, and this activity is mediated through miR-320/KLF5/HIF-1α signaling.

Induction chronomodulated chemotherapy plus radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A Phase II prospective randomized study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicities of induction chronomodulated chemotherapy in comparison with conventional induction chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2003 and 2004, 60 patients with pathologically confirmed NPC were included and randomly assigned to two groups. Patients in the chronomodulated chemotherapy group (n = 30, CC group) received cisplatin at 80 mg/m2 through intravenous infusion from 10:00 to 22:00 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) at 1000 mg/m2 plus citrovorum factor at 200 mg/m2 from 22:00 to 10:00 each day for 3 days. Patients in the routine chemotherapy group (n = 30, RC group) received cisplatin infusion within 1 h and 5-FU infusion for about 24 h. The dose in the RC group was the same as that in the CC group. The total irradiation dose in each group was 70 Gy for the whole nasopharynx. RESULTS: One month after induction chemotherapy, the overall response rate was 96.7% in the CC group versus 73.3% in the RC group (P = 0.011). By the end of the 10-year follow-up, 11 patients (36.7%) in the CC group had experienced local recurrence versus 11 patients (36.7%) in the RC group (P > 0.999). The overall survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years were 96.7%, 53.3%, and 43.3%, respectively, in the CC group, and 96.7%, 43.3%, and 33.3%, respectively, in the RC group (P = 0.346). During induction chemotherapy, the incidence rates of leukocytopenia (43.3% vs. 80%, P = 0.003), thrombocytopenia (26.7% vs. 56.7%, P = 0.018), and nausea/vomiting (40% vs. 66.7%, P = 0.038) were significantly lower in the CC group than in the RC group. The incidence of radiation-induced complications was similar in these two groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional chemotherapy, induction chrono-chemotherapy seemed to reduce chemotherapy-related toxicities and improve average local relapse time in patients treated with combined chemoradiotherapy for NPC.

The relationship between the autonomic nervous function and early renal dysfunction in elderly patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between autonomic nervous function and early renal dysfunction in elderly patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (EH). DESIGN: A total of 223 elderly patients with mild-to-moderate EH were enrolled. Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and urinary creatinine (UCr) were measured in all elderly patients with mild-to-moderate EH, and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) was calculated (ACR = UAE/UCr × 0.113). All patients were divided into two groups such as ACR normal group (109 cases) and abnormal ACR group (114 cases) according to the results of ACR. Synchronic 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram were detected for all patients to simultaneously monitor heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV). RESULTS: The level of 24-hour SSD, dSSD, and nSSD and 24-hour PP (parameters of BPV) increased significantly (P < 0.028, P < 0.023, P < 0.027 and P < 0.019, respectively), while the level of RMSSD, pNN50, SDNN, and SDANN (parameters of HRV) decreased significantly(P < 0.048, P < 0.029, P < 0.025 and P < 0.022, respectively) in abnormal ACR group than in normal ACR group. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that ACR was closely correlated with 24-hour SSD, 24-hour PP, SDANN, and SDNN (ß = 1.261, P = 0.000; ß = 1.121, P = 0.003; ß = -1.741, P = 0.000 and ß = -1.231, P = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: HRV (SDANN, SDNN) and BPV (24-hour SSD, dSSD, nSSD) were significantly correlated to ACR in patients with mild-to-moderate EH. This result suggested that sympathetic activation was closely related with early renal dysfunction in elderly patients with mild-to-moderate EH.

[Fast Start-up of ANAMMOX and the Spatial Distribution of EPS in ANAMMOX Granules].

An anaerobic sequencing batch reactor(ASBR) inoculated with activated sludge was employed to investigate the start-up of anaerobic ammonium oxidation(ANAMMOX) process and the spatial distribution of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) in ANAMMOX granules. The results showed that the removal rates of NH4+-N and NO2--N reached more than 99%. The removal rate of total nitrogen(TN) was 89.87%±0.43% and the TN removal load in the ASBR was 1.7 kg·(m3·d)-1. The ratios of nitrite consumption and nitrate production to ammonium consumption were 1.32±0.08 and 0.24±0.03, respectively. Besides, the pH and the effluent nitrate concentration in bulk liquid were considered as two simple indicators for rapid diagnosis of ANAMMOX performance. The proteins(PN) was the main component of EPS in ANAMMOX granular sludge. The PN and polysaccharides(PS) in ANAMMOX granules were (59.61±5.64) mg·g-1 and (12.21±2.04) mg·g-1, respectively, with the ratio of PN/PS reaching approximately 4.88±1.39. ß-D-glucofuranose and dead cells were distributed in the outermost layer of granules, while living cells, PN, lipids, α-glucosamine and α-mannose were distributed throughout the granules and mainly concentrated on the outside of granules. PN and lipids constituted the framework of ANAMMOX granules and ANAMMOX bacteria were embedded among the PN and lipids matrix.