The copper (II) complex of salicylate phenanthroline inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

In the present study, we investigated the antitumor effect and associated molecular mechanisms of the copper (II) complex of salicylate phenanthroline [Cu(sal)(phen)] against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cu(sal)(phen) inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells (HepG2 and HCC-LM9) and induced apoptosis of HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner by upregulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The expression of the antiapoptotic proteins survivin and Bcl-2 was decreased, while the expression of the DNA damage marker γ-H2 AX and the apoptotic marker cleaved PARP was upregulated with Cu(sal)(phen) treatment. In vivo, the growth of HepG2 subcutaneous xenograft tumors was greatly attenuated by Cu(sal)(phen) treatment. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that the expression of survivin, Bcl-2, and Ki67 in the tumor was downregulated by Cu(sal)(phen). Toxicity experiments with BALB/c mice revealed that Cu(sal)(phen) is a relatively safe drug. Our results indicate that Cu(sal)(phen) possesses great potential as a therapeutic drug for HCC.

Transition-Metal-Free C(sp³)⁻H Oxidation of Diarylmethanes.

An efficient direct C(sp3)⁻H oxidation of diarylmethanes has been demonstrated by this study. This method employs environment-friendly O2 as an oxidant and is promoted by commercially available MN(SiMe3)2 [M = K, Na or Li], which provides a facile method for the synthesis of various diaryl ketones in excellent yields. This protocol is metal-free, mild and compatible with a number of functional groups on substrates.

Measurement of Fetal Mesencephalon and Pons Via Ultrasonographic Cross Sectional Imagining.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the feasibility of measuring the fetal mesencephalon and pons by ultrasonographic cross sectional imaging to detect fetal central nervous system developmental abnormalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fetal ultrasonographic measurements included: Fetal mesencephalon anteroposterior diameters (MAD), mesencephalon transverse diameters (MTD), pons anteroposterior diameter (PAD) and proximal transverse diameters (PTD). RESULTS: Nine-hundred ninety fetuses were imaged. Thirty-eight fetuses (observation group) presented central nervous system abnormalities; 952 fetuses without imaged abnormalities were utilized as the reference (control) group. Fetal MAD, MTD, PAD, and PTD in control fetuses showed a linear correlation with gestational age. Thirty-eight fetuses had 40 abnormal measurements (8 MAD, 8 MTD, 14 PAD, and 10 PTD), 16 in mesencephalon, and 24 in pons. All data fell below the 95% confidence intervals' lower limits for the corresponding gestational age. CONCLUSION: Using normative data based on 957 fetuses allows detection of size abnormalities of the pons and midbrain during fetal life.

Circulating Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Level and Ovarian Cancer Risk.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has an important role in cells' proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and it may be involved in carcinogenesis. Several epidemiological studies assessed the association between circulating IGF-1 level and ovarian cancer risk, but there was still no conclusive finding. METHODS: A meta-analysis of published studies was performed to assess the association between circulating IGF-1 level and ovarian cancer risk. The summary odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated through meta-analysis to evaluate the strength of the association. RESULTS: Five eligible studies were included into the meta-analysis, which involved a total of 2,028 cases of ovarian cancer and 4,625 controls. Meta-analysis of total 5 studies showed that high circulating IGF-1 level was correlated with decreased risk of ovarian cancer (OR = 0.84, 95%CI 0.74-0.97, P = 0.013). After adjusting for heterogeneity, high circulating IGF-1 level was still correlated with decreased risk of ovarian cancer (OR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.72-0.95, P = 0.007). Subgroup analysis by age showed that circulating IGF-1 level was not correlated with ovarian cancer risk in women both less than 55 years and more than 55 years. However, after adjusting for heterogeneity, high circulating IGF-1 level was correlated with decreased ovarian cancer risk in women less than 55 years (OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.72-0.94, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that high circulating IGF-1 level may be correlated with decreased ovarian cancer risk, especially in women less than 55 years. More studies are needed to further assess the association between circulating IGF-1 level and ovarian cancer risk in the future.

Conventional, Doppler and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography in Differential Diagnosis of Ovarian Masses.

BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis of ovarian masses can influence both treatment selection and prognosis of ovarian tumor patients. A comprehensive review was performed with respect to the diagnostic value of conventional ultrasonography, Doppler ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in differentiating benign from malignant ovarian masses. METHODS: Databases were searched for relevant articles. Retrieved studies were screened according to the inclusion criteria. Pooled statistics including specificity, sensitivity, positive likelihood ratios (PLR), negative likelihood ratios (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under curve (AUC) were utilized to calculate the overall diagnostic value for each diagnostic approach. RESULTS: Sixty-seven high quality articles were finally enrolled in the present meta-analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of conventional US were 0.92 and 0.86, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity of Doppler US were 0.93 and 0.85, respectively. Additionally, these figures for CEUS were 0.97 and 0.92, respectively. Finally, the AUC values for conventional US, Doppler US and CEUS were 0.95, 0.96 and 0.99, respectively. CONCLUSION: All of the three US-related imaging modalities have relatively high diagnostic value in distinguishing malignant tumors from benign ones in ovarian tumors.

A novel substitution -sensing for hydroquinone and catechol based on a poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid)/MWCNTs modified electrode.

A facile electrochemical sensor for hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) determination was successfully fabricated by the modification of poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid) (pAPBA) film and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on a glassy carbon electrode (pAPBA/MWCNTs/GCE). The prepared sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscope and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Under optimal conditions, differential pulse voltammetry was employed to quantify individual HQ and CC within the concentration range of 5.0 × 10(-7)-4.0 × 10(-5) mol L(-1) and 7.0 × 10(-6)-1.0 × 10(-4) mol L(-1), respectively. Based on the covalent binding between the boronic acid groups of pAPBA film and the cis-diol-containing molecule, a novel substitution-sensing strategy was proposed for the highly sensitive determination of CC. With the addition of CC into HQ solution, covalent interaction between CC and APBA occurred and the HQ was displaced by CC, resulting in a decrease of HQ oxidation peak current and the increase of the CC oxidation peak current. The summation of both current changes (Δ|IHQ| + Δ|ICC|) were combined for CC sensitive detection in a concentration range of 4.0 × 10(-8)-1.7 × 10(-5) mol L(-1) with a limit of detection of 4.3 × 10(-9) mol L(-1). The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of CC in spiked water samples.

Plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid in ovarian cancer versus controls: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In this study, using a meta-analysis approach, we examined the correlation between serum levels of lysophosphastidic acid (LPA) and ovarian cancer (OC). METHODS: Relevant published studies were identified from multiple scientific literature databases by using a pre-determined electronic and manual search strategy. The search results were screened through a multi-step process to select high-quality case-control studies suitable for the present meta-analysis. Mean values and standardized mean differences (SMD) were calculated for plasma LPA levels. Two investigators independently extracted the data from the studies and performed data analysis using STATA software version 12.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX, USA). RESULTS: Nineteen case-control studies met our selection criteria and contained a total of 980 OC patients, 872 benign controls and 668 healthy controls. Our meta-analysis results revealed that the plasma levels of LPA in OC patients were significantly higher than benign controls (SMD = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.61-3.10, P < 0.001) and healthy controls (SMD = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.77-2.87, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that the plasma LPA levels in OC patients were significantly higher than the benign controls only in Asian populations (SMD = 2.52, 95% CI: 1.79-3.25, P < 0.001). However, a comparison between healthy controls and OC patients revealed that, in both Asians and Caucasians, the OC patients displayed significantly higher plasma LPA levels compared to healthy controls (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis showed strong evidence that a significantly higher plasma LPA levels are present in OC patients, compared to benign controls and healthy controls, and plasma LPA levels may be used as a biomarker or target of OC.

Diagnostic value of plasma lysophosphatidic acid levels in ovarian cancer patients: A case-control study and updated meta-analysis.

AIM: We investigated whether plasma levels of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) could serve as a diagnostic indicator for assessing disease progression in ovarian cancer (OC) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 98 patients with OC, 70 patients with benign ovarian tumors and 75 healthy controls. Plasma levels of LPA and cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) were measured in all study subjects. The diagnostic values of LPA and CA-125 plasma levels were evaluated and an updated meta-analysis was performed to examine the association between LPA plasma levels and OC progression. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 18.0 and R 3.1.0 software. RESULTS: In our case-control study, OC patients showed significantly higher plasma LPA levels compared to patients with benign tumors and healthy controls (all P < 0.05). Plasma LPA levels exhibited higher diagnostic sensitivity (P = 0.008) and specificity (P = 0.042) in detecting OC, compared to an established marker, CA-125. Notably, the sensitivity for early stage OC was significantly higher for plasma LPA levels in comparison to CA-125 (P < 0.05). Consistent with this, the area under the receiver-operator curve was greater for LPA (0.899) in comparison to that for CA-125 (0.751). Further, meta-analysis showed that plasma LPA levels were significantly higher in OC patients compared to patients with benign tumors or healthy controls (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Plasma LPA levels are elevated in OC patients and correlate with disease progression. Further, LPA shows higher sensitivity and specificity in OC diagnosis, compared to CA-125, especially in early stage OC.

[Value of quantitative measurement of placenta with three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography in pregnant women with pregnancy-induced hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intrauterine state of fetuses with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) through quantitative measurement of placenta by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography, and to judge the value of three-dimensional power Doppler in PIH fetuses. METHODS: A total of 50 pregnant women with PIH in our hospital from November 2012 to August 2014 were enrolled into the observation group, while 50 cases were randomly selected into the control group to match the former group's gestational week (GA). The placental vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) were quantitatively measured by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography in the two groups. SPSS 19 statistics software was used to do the linear regression for the above parameters.And those parameters of the two groups were compared by t test. P<0.05 was deemed significant. RESULTS: The detection ratio of fetal placental VI, FI and VFI of the whole 100 cases was 100%. The regression equation of VI and GA was: Y=0.394X-5.358, R² = 0.694, P<0.05; the regression equation of FI and GA was: Y=0.801X+5.61, R² = 0.807, P<0.05; the regression equation of VFI and GA was: Y=0.225X-4.148, R² = 0.691, P<0.05. t tests showed the differences of the means of placental VI, FI and VFI between the observation group and the control group were statistically significant (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: VI, FI and VFI of placenta measured by three-dimensional power Doppler examination increase with the increase of GA, and the means of placental VI, FI and VFI in PIH patients are less than those in normal cases. Quantitative measurement of placenta with three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound has its own advantages, and can evaluate the status of placenta of PIH fetus accurately.

[Effects of Paris polyphylla saponin VII plus silica nano composite on ovarian cancer drug resistance in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the drug resistance of Chonglou saponin VII plus silica nano complex for ovarian cancer. METHODS: The method of thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue (MTT) was employed for determining the proliferation inhibition rate of Chonglou saponin VII plus silica nano composite for SKOV3/DDP drug-resistant human ovarian cancer cell. Flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 staining were used for detecting apoptosis rate and cell cycle phase distribution. And the changes of apoptosis-related protein were examined by immunoblot assay. RESULTS: There were obvious inhibitory effects of Chonglou saponin VII on cell proliferation. The inhibition rate increased with rising drug concentration with an obvious dose-effect relationship (P < 0.05). At the same time, the cell proliferation inhibition rate significantly improved at 48 h versus 24 h (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 staining showed that, after a 24 h treatment of SKOV3/DDP cells with 50 and 100 µmol/L Chonglou saponin VII, early apoptotic cell ratio significantly increased compared with control group. CONCLUSION: The composite of Paris polyphylla saponin VII and silica nano has obvious proliferation inhibitory effects on SKOV3/DDP cells. And there is a significant concentration dependence and it also has some correlation with time. The above composite can increased the proportion of early apoptotic cell ratio.

[Establishment of nude mouse model with ovarian carcinomaand the effect of Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex on the inhibition and the antioxidant ability of ovarian carcinoma in nude mice].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the research model of ovarian carcinoma in nude mice, and to explore the effect of Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex on the inhibition and the antioxidant ability of ovarian carcinoma in nude mice. METHOD: Nude mice models with ovarian carcinoma were established by axillary subcutaneous inoculation of human SKOV3/DDP resistant ovarian cancer cell 200 µl and were used in the experiment. Treating the nude mice with Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex by gavage for 15 days to observe the weight change of the nude mice, tumor inhibition effect and changes of serum antioxidant capacity. RESULTS: Compared with the negative control group, tumor inhibition rate increased significantly in Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex treatment group, and was higher than that in both Paris Phyllin VII treatment only and silica nano composites treatment only group. The serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) level of Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex treatment group was significantly higher than that of control group, Paris Phyllin VII treatment only and silica nano composites treatment only group. The serum malonaldehyde (MDA) level of Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex treatment group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group. CONCLUSION: Paris Phyllin VII combined with silica nano complex treatment can inhibit the ovarian carcinoma in nude mice, which may mediate by the enhancement of antioxidant capability in nude mice with ovarian cancer.

[Ultrasonic measurements of fetal thalamus, caudate nucleus and lenticular nucleus in prenatal diagnosis].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the reference values of thalamus, caudate nucleus and lenticular nucleus diameters through fetal thalamic transverse section. METHODS: A total of 265 fetuses at our hospital were randomly selected from November 2012 to August 2014. And the transverse and length diameters of thalamus, caudate nucleus and lenticular nucleus were measured. SPSS 19.0 statistical software was used to calculate the regression curve of fetal diameter changes and gestational weeks of pregnancy. P < 0.05 was considered as having statistical significance. RESULTS: The linear regression equation of fetal thalamic length diameter and gestational week was: Y = 0.051X+0.201, R = 0.876, linear regression equation of thalamic transverse diameter and fetal gestational week was: Y = 0.031X+0.229, R = 0.817, linear regression equation of fetal head of caudate nucleus length diameter and gestational age was: Y = 0.033X+0.101, R = 0.722, linear regression equation of fetal head of caudate nucleus transverse diameter and gestational week was: R = 0.025 - 0.046, R = 0.711, linear regression equation of fetal lentiform nucleus length diameter and gestational week was: Y = 0.046+0.229, R = 0.765, linear regression equation of fetal lentiform nucleus diameter and gestational week was: Y = 0.025 - 0.05, R = 0.772. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic measurement of diameter of fetal thalamus caudate nucleus, and lenticular nucleus through thalamic transverse section is simple and convenient. And measurements increase with fetal gestational weeks and there is linear regression relationship between them.

[Treatment of ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 with IL-24 gene under the control of ovarian-specific promoter-1].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the in vitro antitumor effect of interleukin-24 (IL-24) gene regulated by ovarian-specific promoter-1 (OSP-1) on human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3. METHODS: An expression vector (pcDNA3.0-OSP-1-IL-24) containing IL-24 gene under ovarian-specific promoter-1 was constructed by molecular biological methods and then transfected into human ovarian cancer cell SKOV3, human hepatoma cell HepG2 and human fibroblast BJ by cationic liposome. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the IL-24 gene in cells and supernatants. The antitumor effects of IL-24 gene were investigated by direct cell count, flow cytometry and methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. RESULTS: After transfections with pcDNA3.0-OSP-1-IL-24, the expression of IL-24 gene was detected only in SKOV3 cells. And only the growth of SKOV3 cells was inhibited significantly while those of HepG2 and BJ cells were not affected. The culture supernatant of SKOV3 cells transfected with pcDNA3.0-OSP-1-IL-24 could significantly inhibit the growth of SKOV3 cells. But the antitumor efficiency in SKOV3 cells of OSP-1 system was significantly lower than that of CMV promoter system. CONCLUSION: With a high specificity, IL-24 gene therapy under the control of ovarian-specific promoter-1 is a novel target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

[Ultrasonic assessment of fetal thyroid function through ultrasound in pregnant women with hyperthyroidism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of prenatal ultrasound in assessing thyroid function in fetuses of hyperthyroidism pregnant women and establish the reference values of fetal thyroid transverse diameter and anteroposterior diameter for different gestational weeks. METHODS: For observation group, 30 cases of pregnant women diagnosed as hyperthyroidism were recruited from our hospital from November 2012 to November 2013. And another 100 cases of pregnant women during 20 to 40 weeks of gestational weeks were selected into control group. The measured ultrasonic parameters included fetal biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, amniotic fluid index, heart rate, fetal thyroid transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter and fetal movement frequency. A fetus was considered as suspected positive when they were less than gestational age, thyroid measurement higher than 95% confidence interval, heart rate over 160 beats/min or less than 120 beats/min. In the observation group, the blood levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroxine were measured after birth. RESULTS: The regression equation of fetal thymus transverse diameter and GA was: Y = 0.053X - 0.096, R² = 0.758, P < 0.05; the regression equation of fetal thymus anteroposterior diameter and GA: Y = 0.034X - 0.397, R² = 0.596, P < 0.05. The measured value of 95% confidence interval for 2 cases in observation group exceeded that in control group. There were fetal tachycardia (n = 2), bradycardia (n = 1), low TSH after birth (n = 2), T4 elevation after birth (n = 1) and clinical T4 high value (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic assessment of fetal thyroid function is timely and noninvasive. And it has an irreplaceable value in hyperthyroidism pregnant women. And normal reference values of fetal thyroid measurements are established for 20-40 gestation weeks.

[Application of two and three-dimensional ultrasound measurement of fetal thymus in fetal intrauterine growth restriction].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the ultrasonic parameters of transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter and volume of fetal thymus through two and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) probes, establish normal reference range of fetal thymus development and assess the correlation between fetal intrauterine growth restriction and fetal thymus development. METHODS: A total of 53 patients with suspected fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) at our hospital from December 2012 to May 2014 were selected into the observation group while another 53 cases as the control group corresponding to the former group's gestational week (GA). The transverse and anteroposterior diameters were measured in the three vessel view by 2D-ultrasound and the volume of fetal thymus was measured through 3D ultrasound. The control parameters were analyzed by linear regression analysis. And two groups of parameters were tested by rank sum test. P < 0.05 was deemed significant. RESULTS: The regression equation of fetal thymus transverse diameter and GA was: Y = 0.14X-1.174, R² = 0.766, P < 0.05; the regression equation of fetal thymus anteroposterior diameter and GA was: Y = 0.49X-0.166, R² = 0.792, P < 0.05; the regression equation of fetal thymus volume and GA was: Y = 0.652X-10.611, R² = 0.791, P < 0.05. Two groups underwent rank sum test of fetal thymus transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter and volume (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Fetal thymus transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter and volume increase with gestational weeks. In IUGR, fetal thymus transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter and volume are less than those of the same GA fetal thymus.

[Expression of neural salient serine/arginine-rich protein 1 (NSSR1) in the development of mouse brain].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of neural salient serine/arginine-rich protein 1 (NSSR1) in the development of mouse brain. METHODS: Brain samples were collected from mice with different developmental stages: 9, 12, 14 d before birth (E9, E12, E14) and 1 d, 3 weeks and 3 months after birth. The expression of NSSR1 in mouse brain at different developmental stages was detected by Western blot and the distribution of NSSR1 was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. The expression and distribution of NSSR1 in mouse brain were compared among embryos, neonatal and adult animals. RESULTS: During embryogenesis, the expression of NSSR1 proteins increases significantly from 0.186(E9) to 0.445(E14) and reached a high level after birth. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that in E12 embryos, NSSR1 was specifically distributed in the marginal and mantle layers. The expression of NSSR1 in hippocampus was very low in neonatal animals but stronger in adults. In cerebellar cortex, NSSR1 was widely expressed in purkinje and granule cells of adult animals, but mainly expressed in Purkinje cells in neonates. CONCLUSION: The expression of NSSR1 is regulated by the development of mouse brain and presents dynamic changes.

The copper (II) complex of salicylate phenanthroline induces immunogenic cell death of colorectal cancer cells through inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress.

BACKGROUND: In our previous study, Cu(sal)phen was found to have anti-tumor effects, yet its precise mechanism remains unknown. Research has shown that dying tumor cells release damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) to promote anti-tumor immune response. Therefore, we have further explored the effects and potential molecular mechanisms of Cu(sal)phen-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD) in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: ELISA and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of Cu(sal)phen treatment on ICD markers. The molecular mechanisms of Cu(sal)phen-induced ICD were investigated through the detection of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vitro using Western blot and flow cytometry. Additionally, a mouse model was constructed to study the effects of Cu(sal)phen on immune cells and anti-tumor-related cytokines in vivo. RESULTS: Cu(sal)phen induced the release of calreticulin (CRT), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), the main molecular markers of ICD, by promoting the accumulation of ROS and inducing ERS. Furthermore, Cu(sal)phen promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and activation of CD8+T cells, as well as the secretion of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), while downregulating transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) levels, thereby activating the anti-tumor immune response. CONCLUSION: Cu(sal)phen has the potential to induce ICD in tumors and activate the adaptive immune response to achieve anti-tumor effects. This makes Cu(sal)phen a promising candidate for the treatment of CRC.

Simultaneous Reconstruction of Multiple Time-Varying Thermal Properties Based on Translucent Materials.

In the realm of high-tech materials and energy applications, accurately measuring the transient heat flow at media boundaries and the internal thermal conductivity of materials in harsh heat exchange environments poses a significant challenge when using conventional direct measurement methods. Consequently, the study of photothermal parameter reconstruction in translucent media, which relies on indirect measurement techniques, has crucial practical value. Current research on reconstructing photothermal properties within participating media typically focuses on single-objective or time-invariant properties. There is a pressing need to develop effective methods for the simultaneous reconstruction of time-varying thermal flow fields and internal thermal conductivity at the boundaries of participating media. This paper introduces a computational model based on the numerical simulation theory of internal heat transfer systems in participating media, stochastic particle swarm optimization algorithms, and Kalman filter technology. The model aims to enable the simultaneous reconstruction of various thermal parameters within the target medium. Our results demonstrate that under varying levels of measurement noise, the inversion results for different target parameters exhibit slight oscillations around the true values, leading to a reduction in reconstruction accuracy. However, overall, the model demonstrates robustness and accuracy in ideal conditions, validating its effectiveness.

[G6PD deficiency among children under 7 years old from Yunnan with unique ethnic minority origin].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological status of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency among children from Yunnan with unique ethnic origins. METHODS: DNA samples from 11759 children were tested with fluorescent spot test, G6PD/6PGD quantitative ratio assay and hemoglobin electrophoresis. RESULTS: The detection rate of G6PD deficiency was 2.5%, for which boys were significantly greater than girls (3.5% vs. 1.4%, P<0.05). Significant differences were also detected among children from different ethnic groups and different regions. For ethnic Han Chinese, the detection rate was 0.7%, which was lower than the majority of ethnic minorities. By regression analysis, altitude of residence and family history both have significant influence on the calculated rate. CONCLUSION: Occurrence of G6PD deficiency seems to be influenced by gender. It also varies substantially between different ethnic groups as well as regions, e.g., more common in south. It also showed a declining trend after years of diagnosis and intervention. This survey may provide a valuable basis for counseling of G6PD deficiency in Yunnan.

[Inhibition of GRP78 expression reverses cisplatin resistance in human ovarian cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of GRP78 suppression on the sensitivity to cisplatin and elucidate the role and mechanism of GRP78 in ovarian cancer cisplatin resistance. METHODS: The GRP78 siRNA expression plasmid was constructed to suppress GRP78 expression. Cell viability was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis related protein expressions were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. And cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The expressions of GRP78, CHOP and cleaved-caspase 4 were induced significantly by cisplatin (6 mg/L) in SKOV3 cells. And the expression of GRP78 was induced significantly by cisplatin in SKOV3/DDP cells. But the expressions of CHOP and cleaved-caspase 4 showed no significant difference. Inhibition of GRP78 expression and cisplatin combined treatment significantly increased the expressions of cleaved-caspase 4 and cleaved-caspase 3 in SKOV3/DDP cells. Inhibition of GRP78 expression reduced the cisplatin-induced up-regulations of p-Akt and p-mTOR and induced XBP1 mRNA shear expression and CHOP mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of GRP78 expression reverses cisplatin resistance in SKOV3/DDP cells. The mechanism may be through the activity of Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, CHOP expression levels and caspase activity.