Complete mitochondrial genome of the Ruff, Calidris pugnax (Aves, Scolopacidae).

This paper reports the mitochondrial genome of Calidris pugnax, which is a closed circular molecule of 16,902 bp. The overall base composition of this species is 25.2% T, 30.6% C, 32.0% A, and 12.2% G, with an A + T content of 55.2%. The structure of the mitogenome is a typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement. Phylogenetic analysis of complete mitochondrial genome concatenated sequences from 13 species from 6 genera was conducted using the maximum-likelihood (ML) model. The topology demonstrated that the mitogenome of this species was genetically closest to that of Calidris tenuirostris. Calidris pugnax mitogenome can contribute to our understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of this species.

Icotinib inhibits proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells.

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Icotinib on proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of A549 cells. Methods: A549 cells were treated with Icotinib of different concentrations. The morphology of the cells was observed by inverted phase contrast microscope. The effect of different concentrations of Icotinib on the proliferation inhibition rate of A549 cells was detected by MTT assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect effect of Icotinib on the apoptosis rate of A549 cells. ELISA assay was used to detect the expression of EMT-related proteins, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin and fibronectin, in A549 cells cultured supernatant. Transwell assay was used to examine the effects of different concentrations of Icotinib on the migration and invasion abilities of A549 cells. Results: Morphological changes were observed after A549 cells exposed to different concentrations of Icotinib for 48 hours. The inhibition rate of proliferation for each treatment group increased from MTT assay results. Flow cytometry results showed that cell apoptosis rate was significantly increased. Expression of E-cadherin was up-regulated and expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin and fibronectin were down-regulated from ELISA results. A549 cell migration and invasion abilities were significantly suppressed by Icotinib at different concentrations. Conclusion: Icotinib inhibits A549 cell proliferation, migration and invasion in both concentration and time-dependent manners, in turn it promotes A549 cell apoptosis in the same way. Icotinib also inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition by regulating EMT-related proteins expression in A549 cells.

[Cone-beam CT study of bone septa during maxillary sinus lift among Changzhou population].

PURPOSE: To observe the incidence, location, morphological characteristics of sinus septa among Changzhou population, and to investigate the relationship between maxillary posterior teeth loss and bony septum, and the guiding significance for sinus lift. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four subjects were selected, the preoperative cone-beam CT (CBCT) data was analyzed by NNT software, which provided a three-dimensional measurement of the maxillary sinus septa. SPSS 13.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 33.87%（42/124）subjects had sinus septa, 27.42%（68/248）sinus had septa. 66.18% (45/68) of the septa were located in the middle region, 22.06% （15/68）in the posterior region, 11.76%（8/68） in the anterior region. The occurrence of sinus septa had no relation with gender, age and loss of teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The sinus septa can be observed by CBCT for the position, pattern, to predict the difficulty of the surgery, and enhance the success rate.

O-Benzoyl-naltrexone.

In the title compound, C27H27NO5 (systematic name: 17-cyclopropylmethyl-14-hydroxy-6-oxo-4,5-epoxymorphin-an-6-yl benzoate), which is the benzoate ester of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone, the dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 77.1 (1)°. In the crystal, a weak aromatic C-H⋯Ocarbox-yl hydrogen bond involving the benzoate groups of adjacent mol-ecules gives rise to a chain extending along the a-axis direction. The known absolute configuration for the mol-ecule was inferred from a previous naltrexone structure.

[Clinical features of pathologically confirmed metastatic bone tumors--a report of 390 cases].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: With the development of diagnostic techniques of imaging and pathology, early diagnosis of metastatic bone tumors has been greatly improved, but the clinical characteristics which are essential for diagnosis are rarely reported. In this article, the clinical features of pathologically confirmed metastatic bone tumors were analyzed for further improvement of early diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Clinical data of 390 patients with pathologically confirmed metastatic bone tumors, treated from 1980 to 2003 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, were reviewed respectively to summarize the clinical features, including disease history, predilection sites, clinical manifestation, and imaging presentations. RESULTS: Of the 390 patients, the ratio of men to women was 2.12:1; the median age was 55.7 years, and 81.5% of the patients were over 41 years old. The primary tumors were lung cancer (21.8%), prostate cancer (13.1%), breast cancer (7.4%), liver cancer (6.4%), gastrointestinal cancer (5.7%), and unknown cancers (24.6%). The common metastatic sites were spine (47.7%), pelvis (18.2%), femur (15.4%), and rib (12.6%). Multiple metastases occurred in 20.5% of the patients. The main symptoms were skeletal pain (53.3%), pathologic fractures (10.3%), dysfunction (4.9%), and paraplegia (2.1%). Primary tumor detected before metastasis accounted for 29.7% of the patients with a median metastatic time of 319 days, and the metastatic intervals were uncertain in 70.3% of the patients. Osteolytic types accounted for 80.7% of the cases in radiographic patterns, followed by osteosclerotic (10.5%) and mixed types. CONCLUSIONS: Metastatic bone tumors most frequently occur in patients older than 41 years, and commonly originate from lung, prostate, breast, and liver. Vertebrae, pelvis, femur, and rib are the most common sites of metastases. The clinical manifestation is extensive and nonspecific. Most lesions present osteolytic patterns. Metastases with unknown origin account for 24%. In spite of complexity, the clinical features should be mastered for early diagnosis and treatment.