In-situ sequential crystallization of fenofibrate and tristearin - Understanding the distribution of API in particles and stability of solid lipid microparticles from the perspective of crystallization.

In-situ API crystallization in carrier matrices has attracted extensive attention in recent years for its advantages over traditional preparation processes. However, due to the lack of systemic research on molecular self-assembly behaviors, the products obtained by in-situ crystallization suffer from the problems of polymorphic transformation and drug expulsion during storage, limiting its industrial application. This paper investigates the in-situ sequential crystallization behavior of tristearin (SSS) and fenofibrate (FEN), utilizing SSS as the carrier and FEN as the API. It was found that the behavior of mixed crystallization significantly differs from single-component crystallization, including direct formation of stable form of SSS and the rapid crystallization of FEN. During the crystallization process, the melting FEN promotes the movement of SSS molecules, while the sliding of SSS lamellae, in turn, provides a mechanical stimulus to enhance the nucleation of FEN. Based on the observed synergistic crystallization behavior, the distribution and stability of the API within FEN solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) during storage were evaluated, while also examining the stability variations in SLMs formulated at different cooling rates and drug loading concentrations. The findings indicate that the initial nucleated FEN results in a decrease in the surrounding molten FEN and the irregularity of the SSS lamellas, thereby preventing the remaining molten FEN from achieving complete crystallization within a brief period. Due to the compatibility between FEN and SSS, some SSS may blend with the molten FEN, potentially resulting in further crystallization during storage and consequently increasing the risk of drug expulsion.

A Large Asymptomatic Polyp Originating From the Nasal Septum: A Case Report.

A neoplasm was found in the left nasal cavity of a 45-year-old woman during electronic laryngoscopy for reflux pharyngitis. She reported experiencing an occasional slight headache in the left parietal region for 1 to 2 years, which she considered a migraine. Electronic laryngoscopy showed a gray, soft, smooth neoplasm in the left nasal meatus, located near the olfactory region blocking the olfactory clef and compressing the left middle turbinate. The neoplasm was resected at endonasal endoscopic surgery. Histological assessments indicated chronic mucus inflammation and cyst formation. This is a rare case because the polyp was large but asymptomatic and originated from nasal septum.

Separation of spring viraemia of carp virus from large-volume samples using immunomagnetic beads.

A method for separation of spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) from large-volume samples using immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) coated with a polyclonal antibody against SVCV was developed. The optimum amount of IMBs was 2 mg in 100 mL. After IMB treatment, the detection limit of SVCV in reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was 103 times the 50% tissue culture infectious dose per mL in 100-mL samples. The concentration of viral RNA extracted from SVCV that had been separated using IMBs was 5.18 × 103-fold higher than that of the unseparated SVCV. When fish samples were tested, the concordance rates of the IMBs/RT-qPCR and RT-qPCR were 100% and 67.5%, respectively.

3D printing calcium alginate adsorbents for highly efficient recovery of U(VI) in acidic conditions.

In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) porous calcium alginate (3D CA) scaffold was successfully constructed using a direct-ink-writing-based 3D printing method combined with an in-situ calcium ion cross-linking procedure. The 3D CA contained orderly aligned microstructures with excellent structural robustness and an abundant number of active binding sites. The adsorption experiments verified that 3D CA had a considerably wide pH value (3-10) serving range, but also delivered a significantly higher adsorption capacity for U(VI) (117.3 mg/g at pH = 2.5) under acidic conditions, compared to other previously reported alginate-based porous adsorbents. The adsorption mechanisms originated from the synergistic effect of electrostatic interactions and ion exchange. The 3D CA eluted the adsorbed U(VI) in a strong acid solution through protonation mechanism, facilitating the continued enrichment and recycling of U(VI). In addition, the 3D CA demonstrated good microstructure stability and absorption capacity stability when it was immersed in hydrochloric acid solutions at different concentrations (3.6 × 10-3 to 2 mol/L) for 24 h. Therefore, the 3D CA could be used for the removal and recycling of U(VI) from acidic solutions beyond its wide pH working range, due to its stronger acid stability and higher U(VI) adsorption capacity.

Inter-annual variation patterns in the carbon footprint of farmland ecosystems in Guangdong Province, China.

Carbon sequestration in farmland ecosystems is an important link in the world carbon cycle and plays an important role in regional carbon reduction. Guangdong, a major industrial and economic province in China, was used as the study area, and the period 2001-2020 was taken as the study period. The carbon emissions, sequestration, and footprint of farmland ecosystems in Guangdong were estimated using carbon emission factors for agricultural inputs that are closer to the actual situation in China. The study showed that: (1) Carbon average emissions from farmland in Guangdong during the study period was 3.7624 million t a-1, with a balanced overall trend of change, and that nitrogen fertilize applications was the main factor contributing to carbon emissions. (2) The carbon sink capacity of Guangdong farmland ecosystems showed an overall decreasing trend of 10.32%, with an average annual carbon sink of 19.0363 million t a-1. Paddy and sugar cane cultivations were the main factor of carbon sink in farmland. (3) The average annual carbon footprint of Guangdong's farmland ecosystems was 531,100 ha a-1, which was in a carbon surplus. Carbon surplus and footprint showed a decreasing trend year by year. The paper results provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of carbon emission reduction policies and industrial restructuring in Guangdong and provinces with the same industrial structure.

Influences of galactose ligand on the uptake of TADF liposomes by HepG2 cells.

Glucose is the main energy substance to drive the physiological events of the cell.. Malignant cells exhibit a much higher rate of glycolysis than healthy cells to relieve the increased needs of energy. The higher metabolic rate induces the over-expression of the Glucose Transporter (GLUT) to transport more glucose into malignant cells. Our research regarded overexpressive GLUT as a target of nanoparticles. Substrate of GLUT galactose conjugated Polyethylene glycol-Distearyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) as a kind of ligand was selected to modified liposome. Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) was encapsulated as fluorescent probe to evaluate its abilities of targeting malignant cells, and the results of confocal microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that Galactose-PEG-DSPE modified liposome had the stronger efficiency of cellular uptake by HepG2 cells compared with Blank-PEG-DSPE modified liposome. The effect of GLUT1 inhibitor on cellular uptake of Galactose-PEG-DSPE modified liposomes showed that the mechanism might be relative to Warburg effect causing GLUT overexpression.

Establishment of a fluorescent PCR melting curve method for detecting asthma susceptibility using gene SNP typing.

Objective: To develop a detection method for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of bronchial asthma (BA) susceptibility genes (IL-13, IL-33, and GSDMA) based on fluorescence PCR melting curves.Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 33 patients with BA were collected. DNA was extracted, and positive plasmids were constructed. Probes and primers for fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were designed according to IL-13, IL-33, and GSDMA sequences, and the SNPs were separately detected by gene sequencing and fluorescence PCR melting curve.Results: The system was successfully divided into 3 SNPs, including IL-13, IL-33, and GSDMA, and a comparison of sequencing methods showed that the results were completely consistent. The lowest detection limit was 1 ng/reaction, the sensitivity and specificity were 100%, and this method had high repeatability (CV = 2.8%).Conclusion: The fluorescence PCR melting curve method is suitable for the rapid and accurate classification of SNPs. The method is economical, simple, and efficient, and is suitable for the screening of the susceptible gene SNPs in a large-scale population of patients with BA.

Antibiotic resistance ofKlebsiella pneumoniae through ß-arrestin recruitment-induced ß-lactamase signaling pathway.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics leads to rapid evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Klebsiella pneumoniae has become the most common pathogenic bacterium accountable for nosocomial infections due to its high virulence factor and general occurrence of resistance to most antibiotics. The ß-lactamase signaling pathway has been suggested to be involved in antibiotic resistance against ß-lactams in Klebsiella pneumoniae. In the present study, the molecular mechanism of the antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae was investigated and the results indicated involvement of the ß-arrestin recruitment-induced ß-lactamase signaling pathway. Antimicrobial susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae was assessed using automated systems and extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) and ß-arrestin expression levels in Klebsiella pneumoniae were analyzed by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. ß-lactam resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae was determined using ß-lactam agar screening plates. The results demonstrated that ß-arrestin recruitment was increased in Klebsiella pneumoniae with antibiotic resistance (AR-K.P.) compared with that in the native Klebsiella pneumoniae strain (NB-K.P.). Increased production of ESBL was observed in AR-K.P. after treatment with the ß-lactam penicillin. Of note, inhibition of ß-arrestin recruitment significantly suppressed ESBL expression in AR-K.P. and in addition, genes encoding ß-arrestin and ESBL were upregulated in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Restoration of endogenous ß-arrestin markedly increased antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae to ß-lactam. Knockdown of endogenous ß-arrestin downregulated antibiotic resistance genes and promoted the inhibitory effects of ß-lactam antibiotic treatment on Klebsiella pneumoniae growth. In conclusion, the present study identified that ß-arrestin recruitment was associated with growth and resistance to ß-lactams, which suggested that ß-arrestin regulating ESBL expression may be a potential target for addressing antibiotic resistance to ß-lactams in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

[Clinical application of cone beam computed tomography combined with micro-ultrasound technique in treating three mesial canals in mandibular first molars].

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and micro-ultrasound technique for the treatment of three mesial canals in mandibular first molars. The three mesial canals according to Pomeranz's classification were characterized. Methods A total of 75 permanent mandibular first molars for root canal treatment were randomly selected from patients belonging to the age group of 14-60 years. After preparing the access cavity and locating the main canals, the middle mesial canal orifices in all teeth were determined with an endodontic explorer under direct vision (StageⅠ), under magnification with the aid of micro-ultrasound (Stage Ⅱ), and with the combined use of CBCT and micro-ultrasound to remove the dentin wall and calcifications (Stage Ⅲ). Results Middle mesial canals were detected in 4.0%, 18.7%, and 22.7% of the teeth in StagesⅠ-Ⅲ, respectively. Statistical analysis showed significant differences (P<0.05) between StagesⅠand Ⅱ with regard to middle mesial canal detection. The number of Stage Ⅲ was more than that of Stage Ⅱ. The difference between the two stages was no significant. Among the 17 middle mesial canals, "confluent", "fin" and "independent" anatomies were 52.9%, 35.3%, and 11.8%. Conclusion When used with adjunctive aids, including CBCT, micro-ultrasound facilitates dental clinicians in the location and treatment of middle mesial canals.

Classification via Sparse Representation of Steerable Wavelet Frames on Grassmann Manifold: Application to Target Recognition in SAR Image.

Automatic target recognition has been widely studied over the years, yet it is still an open problem. The main obstacle consists in extended operating conditions, e.g.., depression angle change, configuration variation, articulation, and occlusion. To deal with them, this paper proposes a new classification strategy. We develop a new representation model via the steerable wavelet frames. The proposed representation model is entirely viewed as an element on Grassmann manifolds. To achieve target classification, we embed Grassmann manifolds into an implicit reproducing Kernel Hilbert space (RKHS), where the kernel sparse learning can be applied. Specifically, the mappings of training sample in RKHS are concatenated to form an overcomplete dictionary. It is then used to encode the counterpart of query as a linear combination of its atoms. By designed Grassmann kernel function, it is capable to obtain the sparse representation, from which the inference can be reached. The novelty of this paper comes from: 1) the development of representation model by the set of directional components of Riesz transform; 2) the quantitative measure of similarity for proposed representation model by Grassmann metric; and 3) the generation of global kernel function by Grassmann kernel. Extensive comparative studies are performed to demonstrate the advantage of proposed strategy.

The clinical significance and underlying correlation of pStat-3 and integrin αvß6 expression in gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Both phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(pStat-3) and integrin αvß6 can play vital role in the development and progression of cancer. However, little is known about their expression correlation and clinical significance in gallbladder cancer(GBC). OBJECTIVE: The aim of our present study was to investigate the expression of pStat-3 and integrin αvß6, two proteins' correlation and their clinical significance in GBC tissues. RESULTS: The expression of pStat-3 and integrin αvß6 were both significantly associated with T stage, lymph node metastasis status, TNM stage (P=0.008, P=0.000, P=0.000 and P=0.036, P=0.001,P=0.000,respectively). IHC and Western blot showed their expressions in GBC tissues were higher than that in paraneoplastic tissues. Moderate positive correlation existed between the two proteins (r =0.349, P <0.001). The survival analysis by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression model showed that GBC patients with pStat-3 or integrin αvß6 positive expression had a significantly poorer 2-year survival rate (P = 0.002 and 0.000, the log-rank test, respectively), and either marker could act as unfavorable independent prognostic factors(RR=1.907, P=0.021 and RR=2.046, P=0.038). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of pStat-3 and integrin αvß6 were analyzed in GBC cancerous and paraneoplastic tissues of 97 cases via immunohistochemistry(IHC) and further validated by western blot method. Besides, SPSS software was used to observe their clinical significance as well as the two proteins' correlation. CONCLUSION: pStat-3 and integrin αvß6 were indicators of tumor's progression and poor prognosis of patients with GBC. And the further study involving them may provide a helpful therapeutic target in prevention and treatment of GBC patients.

A meta-analysis of piperacillin/tazobactam versus cefepime treatment in cancer patients with febrile neutropenia / Uma meta análise de piperacilina/tazobactam versus tratamento com cefepima em pacientes oncológicos com neutropenia febril

Febrile neutropenia (FN) causes a major threat to cancer patients after chemotherapy. Broadspectrum antibiotic treatment is a well-established practice for febrile neutropenia. Piperacillin/Tazobactam (P/T) is the frequently used antibiotic in most of FN cases, whereas the use of cefepime remains unclear regarding its potential risk. However, little systematic analysis has been conducted about comparison between these two drugs. Thus, we undertook this meta-analysis to compare these two monotherapies for febrile neutropenia. Through searching Pubmed, Google scholar, Medline databases, EMBASE, OvidSP, ScienceDirect, Web of science, and China Journal Net (CJN) databases, we used the keywords "(Piperacillin/Tazobactam AND cefepime) AND (febrile neutropenia) AND (cancer or tumor)". Only studies with randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. We screened out a total number of seven clinical trials. This meta-analysis supported that P/T treatment was superior to cefepime treatment based on the average OR comparison, without statistical significance (OR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 0.98 to 1.64, p = 0.07). We further divided the seven studies into two subgroups based on age and treatment time. The young group (age <= 19) showed no significant difference (OR = 1.10, p = 0.65). While the old group (age > 19) showed that P/T treatment was better than cefepime with statistical difference (OR = 1.44, p = 0.05). The short-term group (time <= 3 ds) showed P/T treatment was better than cefepime with statistical difference (OR = 1.40, p = 0.05). While in the long-term group (time > 5 ds), there was no significant difference between P/T and cefepime therapy (OR = 1.06, p = 0.79) Asymmetry in Funnel plots indicated no publication bias (CHI2 = 1.47, I2=0%, and p-value = 0.96) in this meta-analysis. It would be a good clinical trial to use P/T treatment to cure FN in cancer patients compared with cefepime treatment, especially in adult patients or patients with a short-term treatment period. This meta-analysis is practically important during antibiotic treatment in FN management.

A Neutropenia Febril (NF) apresenta-se como uma grande ameaça aos pacientes oncológicos após a quimioterapia. O tratamento antibiótico de amplo espectro é uma prática bem estabelecida para a neutropenia febril. Piperacilina/tazobactam (P/T) é o antibiótico frequentemente na maioria dos casos de NF, enquanto que o uso de cefepima permanece pouco claro em relação ao seu potencial risco. No entanto, pouca análise sistemática foi feita sobre a comparação entre esses dois fármacos. Assim, nós realizamos esta meta-análise para comparar estas duas monoterapias para a neutropenia febril. Através da pesquisa na Pubmed, Google Scholar, nas bases de dados da Medline, EMBASE, OvidSP, ScienceDirect, Web of science e nas bases de dados do China Journal Net (CJN), nós usamos as palavras-chave "(Piperacillin/Tazobactam AND cefepime) AND (febrile neutropenia) AND (cancer or tumor)". Apenas estudos com ensaios clínicos randomizados foram incluídos na meta-análise. Nós selecionamos um número total de sete ensaios clínicos. Esta meta-análise suportou que o tratamento com P/T foi superior ao tratamento com cefepima baseado na média da comparação OU (average OR comparision, em inglês), sem significância estatística (OR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval = 0.98 to 1.64, p = 0.07). Posteriormente, nós dividimos os sete estudos em dois subgrupos baseados na idade e no tempo de tratamento. O grupo jovem (idade <= 19) não mostrou uma diferença significativa (OR = 1.10, p = 0.65). Enquanto que o grupo mais velho (idade > 19) mostrou que o tratamento com P/T foi melhor do que o com cefepima com diferença estatística (OR = 1.44, p = 0.05). O grupo de curto prazo (tempo <= 3 ds*) mostrou que o tratamento com P/T foi melhor do que o com cefepima com diferença estatística (OR = 1.40, p = 0.05). Enquanto isso, no grupo de longo termo (tempo > 5 ds) não houve diferença significativa entre as terapias com P/T e Cefepima (OR = 1.06, p = 0.79). A assimetria nos gráficos de funil (funnel plots, em inglês) não indicaram viés de publicação (CHI2 = 1.47, I2=0%, and pvalue = 0.96) nesta meta-análise. Seria um bom ensaio clínico utilizar o tratamento P/T para curar NF em pacientes oncológicos comparados com o tratamento com cefepima, especialmente em pacientes adultos ou pacientes submetidos a um tratamento de curto prazo. Esta meta-análise é importante na prática durante o tratamento com antibióticos na administração de NF.

The Associations of Genetic Variants in E-cadherin Gene With Clinical Outcome of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The E-cadherin protein plays major roles in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis. Polymorphisms located in the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) may contribute to increased risks of specific cancers. In this study, we evaluated the associations between genetic variants in CDH1 and the clinical outcomes of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed the -160C/A and -347G/GA polymorphisms in the promoter region, as well as the 3'-UTR +54C/T polymorphism of E-cadherin, in 257 patients with EOC by ligase detection reaction-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that patients with EOC with the CDH1 -347GA/GA genotype had shorter progression-free survival and overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-4.40 and HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.01-4.19, respectively) compared to those carrying the G/G genotype. Likewise, the patients with the CDH1 -160A/A genotype had a shorter progression-free survival than those with the C/C genotype (HR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.43-111.88). No significant association was detected between the CDH1 3'-UTR +54C/T polymorphism and survival of the patients with EOC. CONCLUSIONS: The CDH1 -347GA/GA and -160A/A genotypes may be prognostic markers that can help to identify patients at increased risk of invasive/metastatic cancer in northern China.

Circulating microRNA-125b and microRNA-130a expression profiles predict chemoresistance to R-CHOP in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients.

Numerous studies have reported the aberrant expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), although very few of these studies were concerned with chemoresistance to R-CHOP in DLBCL patients. This study was designed to assess the correlation between circulating miRNA expression and chemoresistance and prognosis in DLBCL patients. At the start of the study, we demonstrated that miRNA expression levels in serum were significantly associated with those in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, which indicated that circulating miRNAs may be powerful, non-invasive biomarkers reflecting miRNAs levels isolated from tumor tissue. Then from eight potential drug-resistant miRNAs which were deregulated in DLBCL and which had been reported to be associated with drug resistance in other carcinomas, we screened out the circulating miR-125b and miR-130a, which may related to R-CHOP resistance. Dynamic monitoring of the levels of circulating miR-125b and miR-130a further demonstrated that they were involved in recurrence, progression and chemoresistance in DLBCL patients. Finally, we demonstrated that high miR-125b indicated poor prognosis, as patients with higher miR-125b levels had a shorter overall survival. To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that miR-125b and miR-130a are associated with the risk of chemoresistance in DLBCL patients, and that dynamic monitoring of the levels of circulating miR-125b and miR-130a predicts the therapeutic response and disease status of DLBCL patients.

Molecular Mechanism of the Cell Death Induced by the Histone Deacetylase Pan Inhibitor LBH589 (Panobinostat) in Wilms Tumor Cells.

BACKGROUND: Wilms tumor (WT) is an embryonic kidney cancer, for which histone acetylation might be a therapeutic target. LBH589, a novel targeted agent, suppresses histone deacetylases in many tumors. This study investigated the antitumor activity of LBH589 in SK-NEP-1 and G401 cells. METHODS: SK-NEP-1 and G401 cell growth was assessed by CCK-8 and in nude mice experiments. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometry detected apoptosis in cell culture. Gene expressions of LBH589-treated tumor cells were analyzed using an Arraystar Human LncRNA Array. The Multi Experiment View cluster software analyzed the expression data. Differentially expressed genes from the cluster analyses were imported into the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool. RESULTS: LBH589 inhibited cell proliferation of SK-NEP-1 and G401 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Annexin V, TUNEL and Hochest 33342 staining analysis showed that LBH589-treated cells showed more apoptotic features compared with the control. LBH589 treatment inhibited the growth of SK-NEP-1 xenograft tumors in nude mice. Arraystar Human LncRNA Array analysis of genes and lncRNAs regulated by LBH589 identified 6653 mRNAs and 8135 lncRNAs in LBH589-treated SK-NEP-1 cells. The most enriched gene ontology terms were those involved in nucleosome assembly. KEGG pathway analysis identified cell cycle proteins, including CCNA2, CCNB2, CCND1, CCND2, CDK4, CDKN1B and HDAC2, etc. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified important upstream molecules: HIST2H3C, HIST1H4A, HIST1A, HIST1C, HIST1D, histone H1, histone H3, RPRM, HSP70 and MYC. CONCLUSIONS: LBH589 treatment caused apoptosis and inhibition of cell proliferation of SK-NEP-1and G401 cells. LBH589 had a significant effect and few side effects on SK-NEP-1 xenograft tumors. Expression profiling, and GO, KEGG and IPA analyses identified new targets and a new "network" of genes responding to LBH589 treatment in SK-NEP-1 cells. RPRM, HSP70 and MYC may be important regulators during LBH589 treatment. Our results provide new clues to the proapoptotic mechanism of LBH589.

Alterations of a spectrum of driver genes in female Chinese patients with advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

OBJECTIVES: Female patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung (SQCLC) in China differ from male patients in that most females are life-long never/light smokers. We hypothesized that the clinical characteristics and mutation profiles of a spectrum of driver genes in Chinese female patients with advanced SQCLC would also differ from those of male patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined the pathological subtype of SQCLC retrospectively by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and screened 38 female and 40 male patients with IIIB/IV-stage SQCLC in China from 2009 to 2012. Mutation analyses of EGFR, PIK3CA, KRAS, and PTEN were performed using PCR-based DNA sequencing. FGFR1 amplification and ALK rearrangements were detected by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). A Cox regression model was used to assess the association between clinical features and genomic mutation status. RESULTS: There were significantly fewer female patients with a history of smoking than males (5.3% vs. 90%; P<0.001). A younger average age at diagnosis (54.5 vs. 61 years; P=0.032) and a higher percentage of peripheral-type disease (47.4% vs. 25.0%; P=0.040) were observed in females. No difference in ECOG score, tumor size, metastatic status, or overall survival between females and males was seen. PIK3CA mutations were significantly less common in female patients than males (0/38 vs. 6/40; P=0.026). However, no significant difference in the mutational frequencies of EGFR, KRAS, PTEN, ALK, or FGFR1 was observed between females and males. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that female patients with SQCLC are apparently a subtype, with a significantly lower percentage having a smoking history, a younger average age at diagnosis, a higher percentage of peripheral-type disease on radiological presentation, and a lower frequency of PIK3CA mutations. Given the similar survival outcomes between the genders, whether it is a distinct disease entity needs to be studied further in larger populations.

The clinical characteristics of alcohol-related ocular rupture.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of drunken patients treated for ocular rupture, and to compare these results to patients injured without alcohol consumption. DESIGN AND METHODS: The medical records of 182 patients with or without alcohol consumption before injury who were treated and followed up because of ocular rupture at the Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University from October 2007 to October 2011 were evaluated retrospectively. The characteristics and outcomes of 45 alcohol-related injury patients were compared with the rest in the cohort. The clinical data included in this study were: anatomic sites and length of the wound, involvement of ocular adnexa injuries, evisceration rate, and final mean visual acuity. RESULTS: Wound locations were significantly different between the alcohol-related group and the non-alcohol-related one. Compared with the non-alcohol-related ocular rupture population, the anatomic sites of the drunken patients were more likely to be located at zone I and zone II (60.0 vs 40.1 %; χ2 = 5.39,P < 0.05). The difference of wound length between the alcohol-related group and the non-alcohol-related one was significant. The alcohol-related patients had a longer wound length (Z = -8.590,P < 0.05). Compared with the non-alcohol population, the alcohol-consuming patients were more likely to suffer adnexa injuries (84.4 vs 59.8 %; χ2 = 5.86,P < 0.05), and had worse final visual acuities (Z = -7.195,P < 0.05). The evisceration rate of the alcohol-related patients was significantly higher than the non-alcohol patients (24.4 vs 9.4 %; χ2 = 6.62,P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Drinking more easily leads to injury of the front part of eyes. Moreover, the drunken patients had a worse visual acuity outcome, longer wound length, higher evisceration rate, and were more prone to endure adnexa injuries. The importance of prevention and education to recognize the hazards of drinking cannot be overemphasized.

Detection of grass carp reovirus (GCRV) with monoclonal antibodies.

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is a pathogen that causes hemorrhagic disease of grass carp. It is the most serious infectious disease of carp and causes serious losses of fingerlings of grass carp and black carp. In this study, a recombinant VP4, one of the viral core proteins, was constructed with a histidine tag and expressed at a high level in E. coli, and the expressed protein was mainly found in the form of inclusion bodies. The expressed VP4 protein was recognized by an anti-His-tag monoclonal antibody and goat anti-GCRV serum. Four monoclonal antibodies (16B7, 39E12, 13C3 and 14D1) against the recombinant VP4 protein were produced. These MAbs did not react with any of the tested viruses or fish cells lines in the ELISA tests except GCRV. In western blotting analysis, a protein band was observed when the recombinant VP4 protein of GCRV was used as an antigen, but a 68-kDa band was observed when natural capsid proteins of GCRV were used as antigens. Furthermore, a sandwich ELISA was developed for detection of GCRV. The detection limit of the test was 105 TCID50 of GCRV per mL.