High-fidelity single logical qubit encoding scheme assisted by single-sided quantum dot-cavity systems.

We present an encoding scheme of a single logical qubit with single-sided quantum dot (QD)-cavity systems, which is immune to the collective decoherence. By adjusting the Purcell factor to satisfy the balanced reflection condition, the detrimental effects of unbalanced reflection between the coupled and uncoupled QD-cavity systems can be effectively suppressed. Furthermore, the fidelity of each step can be increased to unity regardless of the strong coupling regime and the weak coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) with the assistance of waveform correctors. The scheme requires QD-cavity systems and simple linear optical elements, which can be implemented with the currently experimental techniques.

Nonenzymatic Electrochemical Sensing Platform Based on 2D Isomorphic Co/Ni-Metal-Organic Frameworks for Glucose Detection.

Two-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) crystalline materials possess promising potential in the electrochemical sensing process owing to their tunable structures, high specific surface area, and abundant metal active sites; however, developing MOF-based nonenzymatic glucose (Glu) sensors which combine electrochemical activity and environmental stability remains a challenge. Herein, utilizing the tripodic nitrogen-bridged 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl) benzene (TIB) linker, Co2+ and Ni2+, two 2D isomorphic crystalline materials, including Co/Ni-MOF {[Co (TIB)]·2BF4} (CTGU-31) and {[Ni(TIB)]·2NO3} (CTGU-32), with a binodal (3, 6)-connected kgd topological net were firstly synthesized and fabricated with conducting acetylene black (AB). When modified on a glassy carbon electrode, the optimized AB/CTGU-32 (1:1) electrocatalyst demonstrated a higher sensitivity of 2.198 µA µM-1 cm-2, a wider linear range from 10 to 4000 µM, and a lower detection limit (LOD) value (0.09 µM, S/N = 3) compared to previously MOF-based Glu sensors. Moreover, AB/CTGU-32 (1:1) exhibited desirable stability for at least 2000 s during the electrochemical process. The work indicates that MOF-based electrocatalysts are a promising candidate for monitoring Glu and demonstrate their potential for preliminary screening for diabetes.

Accuracy of Magnetically Controlled Capsule Endoscopy, Compared With Conventional Gastroscopy, in Detection of Gastric Diseases.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Diseases of the stomach, including gastric cancer and peptic ulcer, are the most common digestive diseases. It is impossible to visualize the entire stomach with the passive capsule currently used in practice because of the large size of the gastric cavity. A magnetically controlled capsule endoscopy (MCE) system has been designed to explore the stomach. We performed a prospective study to compare the accuracy of detection of gastric focal lesions by MCE vs conventional gastroscopy (the standard method). METHODS: We performed a multicenter blinded study comparing MCE with conventional gastroscopy in 350 patients (mean age, 46.6 y), with upper abdominal complaints scheduled to undergo gastroscopy at a tertiary center in China from August 2014 through December 2014. All patients underwent MCE, followed by conventional gastroscopy 2 hours later, without sedation. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of detection of gastric focal lesions by MCE, using gastroscopy as the standard. RESULTS: MCE detected gastric focal lesions in the whole stomach with 90.4% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.7%-96.1%), 94.7% specificity (95% CI, 91.9%-97.5%), a positive predictive value of 87.9% (95% CI, 81.7%-94.0%), a negative predictive value of 95.9% (95% CI, 93.4%-98.4%), and 93.4% accuracy (95% CI, 90.83%-96.02%). MCE detected focal lesions in the upper stomach (cardia, fundus, and body) with 90.2% sensitivity (95% CI, 82.0%-98.4%) and 96.7% specificity (95% CI, 94.4%-98.9%). MCE detected focal lesions in the lower stomach (angulus, antrum, and pylorus) with 90.6% sensitivity (95% CI, 82.7%-98.4%) and 97.9% specificity (95% CI, 96.1%-99.7%). MCE detected 1 advanced gastric carcinoma, 2 malignant lymphomas, and 1 early stage gastric tumor. MCE did not miss any lesions of significance (including tumors or large ulcers). Among the 350 patients, 5 reported 9 adverse events (1.4%) and 335 preferred MCE over gastroscopy (95.7%). CONCLUSIONS: MCE detects focal lesions in the upper and lower stomach with comparable accuracy with conventional gastroscopy. MCE is preferred by almost all patients, compared with gastroscopy, and can be used to screen gastric diseases without sedation. Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02219529.

Flavobacterium suaedae sp. nov., an endophyte isolated from the root of Suaeda corniculata.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, yellow, endophytic bacterium, designated G16-7T, was isolated from the root of Suaeda corniculata in Inner Mongolia, northern China. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene, revealed that strain G16-7T belonged to the genus Flavobacterium, with highest sequence similarities to Flavobacterium rakeshii FCS-5T, Flavobacterium suzhouense XIN-1T, Flavobacterium beibuense F44-8T, Flavobacterium hauense BX12T and Flavobacterium shanxiense YF-2, ranging from 92.7 % to 94.9 %. The predominant fatty acids of strain G16-7T were iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (consisting of C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and summed feature 9 (consisting of iso-C17 : 1ω9c and/or C16 : 0 10-methyl), while MK-6 was the major respiratory quinone. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, an unknown phospholipid, an unknown aminophospholipid, four unknown aminolipids and three unknown lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of the strain was 34.2 mol%. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, strain G16-7T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium suaedae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G16-7T ( = CGMCC 1.15461T = KCTC 42947T).

Saccharibacillus deserti sp. nov., isolated from desert soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic bacterial strain, designated WLJ055T, with polar and subpolar flagella was isolated from the top layer of desert soil from Erdos, Inner Mongolia, northern China. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that strain WLJ055T was a member of the genus Saccharibacillus, and shared 97.17-97.24 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Saccharibacillus sacchari GR21T and Saccharibacillus kuerlensis HR1T. The major polar lipids of strain WLJ055T were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, an unknown aminophospholipid, two unknown glycolipids and an unknown phosphoglycolipid. MK-7 was the predominant menaquinone, while anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0, iso-C16 : 0, and anteiso-C17 : 0 were the major cellular fatty acids. Its genomic DNA G+C content was 55.5 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization revealed that strain WLJ055T showed 45 ± 5 % and 40 ± 5 % genomic DNA relatedness with its two closest relatives, S. sacchari GR21T and S. kuerlensis HR1T, respectively. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the discrimination of strain WLJ055T from its phylogenetic relatives. Saccharibacillus deserti sp. nov. is therefore proposed to be a novel species of the genus Saccharibacillus, with strain WLJ055T ( = CGMCC 1.15276T = KCTC 33693T) as the type strain.

Sphingobacterium suaedae sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Suaeda corniculata.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacterium, designated T47T, was isolated from saline soil of the Suaeda corniculata rhizosphere, located on the bank of Wuliangsuhai Lake, Inner Mongolia, northern China. Strain T47T could grow at 10-40 °C (with 30 °C the optimal temperature), pH 6.0-8.0 (optimal pH 6.0) and in the presence of 0-6.0 % (w/v) NaCl [optimal 0-1.0 % (w/v)]. Phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that strain T47T formed a stable clade with Sphingobacterium composti 4M24T, Sphingobacterium bambusae IBFC2009T, Sphingobacterium paludis S37T and Sphingobacterium wenxiniae LQY-18T, with the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities ranging from 91.9-95.4 %. Its major cellular fatty acids contained iso-C15 : 0 (39.9 %), summed feature 3 (iso-C15 : 0 2-OH and/or C16 : 1ω7c, 23.0 %), C16 : 0 (12.8 %) and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH (9.9 %). MK7 was the major menaquinone. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 45.5 mol%. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic and genotypic characteristics, strain T47T represents a novel species within the genus Sphingobacterium, for which the name Sphingobacterium suaedae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T47T ( = CGMCC 1.15277T = KCTC 42662T).

Early enteral nutrition prevents intra-abdominal hypertension and reduces the severity of severe acute pancreatitis compared with delayed enteral nutrition: a prospective pilot study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of early enteral nutrition (EEN) on intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and disease severity in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: Enteral nutrition (EN) was started within 48 h after admission in the EEN group and from the 8th day in the delayed enteral nutrition (DEN) group. The IAP and intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) incidence were recorded for 2 weeks. The caloric intake and feeding intolerance (FI) incidence were recorded daily after EN was started. The severity markers and clinical outcome variables were also recorded. RESULTS: Sixty patients were enrolled to this study. No difference about IAP was found. The IAH incidence of the EEN group was significantly lower than that of the DEN group from the 9th day (8/30 versus 18/30; P = 0.009) after admission. The FI incidence of the EEN group was higher than that of the DEN group during the initial 3 days of feeding (25/30 versus 12/30; P = 0.001; 22/30 versus 9/30; P = 0.001; 15/30 versus 4/30; P = 0.002). Patients with an IAP <15 mmHg had lower FI incidence than those with an IAP ≥15 mmHg on the 1st day (20/22 versus 17/38; P < 0.001), the 3rd day (11/13 versus 8/47; P < 0.001), and the 7th day (3/5 versus 3/55; P = 0.005) of feeding. The severity markers and clinical outcome variables of the EEN group were significantly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Early enteral nutrition did not increase IAP. In contrast, it might prevent the development of IAH. In addition, EEN might be not appropriate during the initial 3-4 days of SAP onset. Moreover, EN might be of benefit to patients with an IAP <15 mmHg. Early enteral nutrition could improve disease severity and clinical outcome, but did not decrease mortality of SAP.

Development and Validation of Prognostic Nomograms Based on Lymph Node Ratio for Young Patients with Gastric Cancer: A SEER-Based Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of lymph node ratio (LNR) in young patients with gastric cancer (GC) and develop nomograms to predict the survival of young GC patients. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled stage I-III GC patients before the age of 40 between 2010 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the prognosticators and create the nomograms incorporating LNR to predict overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). The discriminating superiority of the nomograms was examined using calibration curves, C-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, decision curve analysis (DCA), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) by comparing with the TNM staging. The performance of the nomograms for risk stratification was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Based on the significant prognosticators identified in multivariate survival analysis, the nomograms were established and showed LNR as the third strongest predictor. The C-index of the nomograms for OS and CSS were higher than those of the TNM staging (OS: 0.773 vs 0.665; CSS: 0.769 vs 0.666). The ROC curves for the nomograms to predict survival exhibited superior sensitivity and specificity when compared with the TNM staging. The calibration plots, DCA curves, and IDI values of the nomograms also demonstrated adequate fit and ideal net benefit in prediction and clinical utility. The Kaplan-Meier analysis observed remarkable differences in patients divided into different risk subgroups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results found the clinical outperformance of the LNR-based nomograms for predicting survival in young stage I-III GC patients. Our nomograms may improve accuracy of survival risk prediction and facilitate individualized care of young stage I-III GC patients.

Toripalimab combined with lenvatinib and GEMOX is a promising regimen as first-line treatment for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a single-center, single-arm, phase 2 study.

Advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) has a dismal prognosis. Here, we report the efficacy and safety of combining toripalimab, lenvatinib, and gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GEMOX) as first-line therapy for advanced ICC. Thirty patients with pathologically confirmed advanced ICC received intravenous gemcitabine (1 g/m2) on Days 1 and 8 and oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2) Q3W for six cycles along with intravenous toripalimab (240 mg) Q3W and oral lenvatinib (8 mg) once daily for one year. The expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and genetic status was investigated in paraffin-embedded tissues using immunohistochemistry and whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary outcomes included safety, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR) and duration of response (DoR). As of July 1, 2022, the median follow-up time was 23.5 months, and the ORR was 80%. Twenty-three patients achieved partial response, and one achieved complete response. Patients (21/30) with DNA damage response (DDR)-related gene mutations showed a higher ORR, while patients (14/30) with tumor area positivity ≥1 (PD-L1 staining) showed a trend of high ORR, but without significant difference. The median OS, PFS, and DoR were 22.5, 10.2, and 11.0 months, respectively. The DCR was 93.3%. Further, 56.7% of patients experienced manageable grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs), commonly neutropenia (40.0%) and leukocytopenia (23.3%). In conclusion, toripalimab plus lenvatinib and GEMOX are promising first-line regimens for the treatment of advanced ICC. A phase-III, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized study to validate our findings was approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, No. 2021LP01825).Trial registration Clinical trials: NCT03951597.

Safety Assessment of Canola Oil Extracted by Aid of Pulsed Electric Field: Genetic, Acute and Subacute Toxicity.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a nonthermal technology resulting in the rupture of cell membranes and increasing the electrical conductivity and the permeability of intracellular material. There was little work about the safety of food treated by PEF. The acute, subacute oral, and genetic toxicities were investigated to explore the safety of canola oil extracted by aid of PEF treatment (PTCO). The results showed that no negative consequences were caused by PEF. PTCO was regarded as practically non-toxic with a LD50 higher than 40 g/kg bw. No oil intake-related mortality, clinical, weight gain and organ coefficient abnormalities were observed. The histopathological symptoms indicated a mild load but not obvious toxicities on liver and kidney. The 28-day subacute toxicity test confirmed that less than 10 g/kg·d bw of oil intake did not exhibit any intake-related changes in physical, physiological, biochemical, hematological, and histopathological signs. The less than 4 of atherosclerosis index suggested that no risk of cardiovascular disease caused by PTCO intake. It was speculated that the PEF treatment would not cause any safety issues to food products.

Isolation and structural elucidation of a low-molecular-weight polysaccharide from the roots of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer.

A low-molecular-weight polysaccharide named MCGP-L was extracted and purified from the roots of Mountain cultivated ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer). The polysaccharide MCGP-L was purified by molecular exclusion chromatography using the Sephadex G-25 column. The average molecular weight of MCGP-L was estimated to be 3 × 103 kDa. Monosaccharide composition analysis showed MCGP-L was composed of three kinds of monosaccharide: D-glucose, D-galactose and D-mannose. The physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of MCGP-L were investigated by the combination of chemical and instrumental analysis such as methylation analysis, High Performance Gel-Permeation Chromatography (HPGPC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The backbone of MCGP-L was composed of (1→4)-linked-α-D-Glcp residues and with branch chain substituted at O-6 position of (1→4,6)-linked-α-D-Glcp. The branch chain consists of →6)-α-D-Galp-(1→, →2)-α-D-Manp-(1→ and ß-D-Glcp-(1→.

[The study of resting energy expenditure equation for short bowel syndrome patients].

OBJECTIVES: To determine the accuracy of resting energy expenditure (REE) calculated by using the Harris-Benedict (HB) equation, Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU) equations (FAO equations), Shizgal-Rosa (SR) equation and the LIU equation in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS). In addition, to explore the relationship between measured REE and body weight, fat free mass, body cell mass, fat mass and fat mass percent. METHODS: Fourty-one SBS patients including 30 male and 11 female, aged from 18 to 60 years admitted between January 2001 and October 2010 were enrolled in this study. All patients required long-term parenteral or enteral plus parenteral nutrition support. Their mean age and mean stature were (37 ± 16) years and (164.3 ± 9.0) cm, and the average body weight and residual small intestine was (47.4 ± 9.3) kg and (52 ± 45) cm. Measured REEs and calculated REEs of SBS patients were estimated respectively by indirect calorimetry and REE equations, and then defined the difference of them. And body mass were metered by body composition analyzer. RESULTS: A significant correlation was found between measured REEs (1218 ± 293) Kcal and calculated REEs from the HB equation (r = 0.588, P < 0.01), the SR equations (r = 0.591, P < 0.01), the FAO equations (r = 0.411, P < 0.01) and the LIU equation (r = 0.585, P < 0.01). In the total sample, the paired t test between measured REEs and REEs derived from the HB equation, SR equation and FAO equation showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). However, measured REEs were significantly higher than REEs calculated using the LIU equations by 14.17% (P < 0.01). There was also a significant correlation between measured REEs and body weight, fat free mass and body cell mass (r = 0.548, 0.641 and 0.581). CONCLUSIONS: Indirect calorimetry is preferred when an accurate REE estimate of SBS patients is necessary. However, if this machine is not available, SR equation is recommended to use and LIU equation must be avoided. Fat free mass may be more useful than body weight in REE calculation.

Anti-nociceptive effects of Sedum Lineare Thunb. on spared nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB signaling in the spinal cord in rats.

Neuropathic pain is still a critical public health problem worldwide. Thereby, the search for novel and more effective strategies against neuropathic pain is urgently considered. It is known that neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. SedumLineare Thunb. (SLT), a kind of Chinese herb originated from the whole grass of Crassulaceae plant, was reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity. However, whether SLT has anti-nociceptive effect on neuropathic pain and its possible underlying mechanisms remains poorly elucidated. In this study, a rat model of neuropathic pain induced by spared nerve injury (SNI)was applied. SLT (p.o.) was administered to SNI rats once every day lasting for 14 days. Pain-related behaviors were assessed by using paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and CatWalk gait parameters. Expression levels of inflammatory mediators and pain-related signaling molecules in the spinal cord were detected using western blotting assay. The results revealed that SLT (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment for SNI rats ameliorated mechanical hypersensitivity in a dose-dependent manner. Application of SLT at the most effective dose of 100 mg/kg to SNI rats not only significantly blocked microglial activation, but also markedly reduced the protein levels of spinal HMGB1, TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, along with an enhancement in gait parameters. Furthermore, SLT treatment dramatically inhibited the phosphorylation levels of both IKK and NF-κB p65 but obviously improved both IκB and IL-10 protein expression in the spinal cord of SNI rats. Altogether, these data suggested that SLT could suppress spinal TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in SNI rats, which might at least partly contribute to its anti-nociceptive action, indicating that SLT may serveas a potential therapeutic agent for neuropathic pain.

An octahedral polyoxomolybdate-organic molecular cage.

An unprecedented Mo-organic molecular cage built on interesting {MoVI2O5} secondary building blocks and BTC ligands, which has been successfully synthesized and systematically characterized, presents the first example of an isopolyoxomolybdates(vi)-organic molecular cage. An investigation into the related Cs+-exchange experiment was performed in detail.

Application of natural cotton fibers as an extraction sorbent for the detection of trans-resveratrol in adulterated peanut oils.

The current study develops an effective, convenient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly method for determining trans-resveratrol (TRA) in peanut oils, the unique proportion of peanut oil, by employing natural cotton fibers without any pretreatment as extraction sorbent and an in-syringe extraction device. The primary factors affecting the extraction recovery are optimized in detail. The condition of 200.0 mg of cotton fibers, six push-pull times, 2.0 mL of n-hexane as washing solvent and 2.0 mL of ethanol as desorption solvent is selected as the best. The linear range is demonstrated to be 10-1000 ng/g with a satisfactory correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.9995), while the limit of detection is calculated as 2.47 ng/g. In addition, the recoveries of TRA are obtained in the range of 93.8-104.4% with RSDs less than 5.5%. Finally, the developed method is successfully applied to determine TRA concentrations in commercial peanut oils and other edible oils.

Ggps1 deficiency in the uterus results in dystocia by disrupting uterine contraction.

Dystocia is a serious problem for pregnant women, and it increases the cesarean section rate. Although uterine dysfunction has an unknown etiology, it is responsible for cesarean delivery and clinical dystocia, resulting in neonatal morbidity and mortality; thus, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic agents. Previous studies indicated that statins, which inhibit the mevalonate (MVA) pathway of cholesterol synthesis, can reduce the incidence of preterm birth, but the safety of statins for pregnant women has not been thoroughly evaluated. Therefore, to unambiguously examine the function of the MVA pathway in pregnancy and delivery, we employed a genetic approach by using myometrial cell-specific deletion of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (Ggps1) mice. We found that Ggps1 deficiency in myometrial cells caused impaired uterine contractions, resulting in disrupted embryonic placing and dystocia. Studies of the underlying mechanism suggested that Ggps1 is required for uterine contractions to ensure successful parturition by regulating RhoA prenylation to activate the RhoA/Rock2/p-MLC pathway. Our work indicates that perturbing the MVA pathway might result in problems during delivery for pregnant females, but modifying protein prenylation with supplementary farnesyl pyrophosphate or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate might be a strategy to avoid side effects.

Cholesterol metabolic enzyme Ggpps regulates epicardium development and ventricular wall architecture integrity in mice.

During embryonic heart development, the progenitor cells in the epicardium would migrate and differentiate into noncardiomyocytes in myocardium and affect the integrity of ventricular wall, but the underlying mechanism has not been well studied. We have found that myocardium geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (Ggpps), a metabolic enzyme for cholesterol biosynthesis, is critical for cardiac cytoarchitecture remodelling during heart development. Here, we further reveal that epicardial Ggpps could also regulate ventricular wall architecture integrity. Epicardium-specific deletion of Ggpps before embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) is embryonic lethal, whereas after E13.5 is survival but with defects in the epicardium and ventricular wall structure. Ggpps deficiency in the epicardium enhances the proliferation of epicardial cells and disrupts cell‒cell contact, which makes epicardial cells easier to invade into ventricular wall. Thus, the fibroblast proliferation and coronary formation in myocardium were found enhanced that might disturb the coronary vasculature remodelling and ventricular wall integrity. These processes might be associated with the activation of YAP signalling, whose nuclear distribution is blocked by Ggpps deletion. In conclusion, our findings reveal a potential link between the cholesterol metabolism and heart epicardium and myocardium development in mammals, which might provide a new view of the cause for congenital heart diseases and potential therapeutic target in pathological cardiac conditions.

[Diagnosis of a dengue fever outbreak in Yiwu city, Zhejiang province in 2009 and its molecular tracing of the pathogen].

OBJECTIVE: To determine a dengue fever outbreak in Yiwu city, Zhejiang Province in 2009 and to trace the origin of the pathogen. METHODS: The dengue virus IgM, IgG antibodies and viral nucleic acid were detected and virus was isolated using 40 serum samples from the suspected patients. The viral RNA of the isolated virus strains was extracted and the E gene was amplified by RT-PCR. The amplicons were sequenced and the phylogenetic and homological analyses were also constructed. RESULTS: Among 40 serum samples from dengue fever suspected patients, 17 were positive from for dengue IgM (42.5%); 4 were IgG positive (10.0%); 34 samples were dengue virus RNA positive (85.0%), 28 dengue virus type 3 (D3) strains were isolated (70.0%). The complete coding region of envelope genes (E) from 13 D3 strains was all 1479 nt without any insertion or deletion, which encoded with 493 amino acids (aa). E gene from the 13 D3 strains from Zhejiang in 2009 (D3/ZJ/2009) was 100.0% identical. The strain from Saudi Arabia shared the highest similarity with the D3 strain, 99.3% and 100.0% of their E genes and deduced amino acids were identical, respectively, whereas they were 93.4% and 97.4% between D3/ZJ/2009 strain and its prototype strain (D3/H87/1956), and 93.6% and 97.4% between D3/ZJ/2009 and a D3 strain isolated in Guangxi Province in 1980. The phylogenetic tree of E genes also indicated that D3/ZJ/2009 had maximum similarity with the D3/Saudi Arabia/2004. They all belonged to the D3/GIII branch, which was originated from Indian Subcontinent. CONCLUSION: The outbreak of dengue fever in Zhejiang in 2009 was caused by type 3 dengue virus III genotype. The virus was most likely originated from Saudi Arabia.

[The clinical effectiveness of percutaneous drainage and laparotomy for patients with infective pancreatic necrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effectiveness of percutaneous US- or CT-guided drainage and laparotomy for patients with infective pancreatic necrosis. METHODS: Data of 90 infective pancreatic necrosis patients admitted from January 2008 to December 2009 were included. They were divided into two groups by the different treatment choices. Twenty-seven patients in the percutaneous group received percutaneous US- or CT-guided drainage as first choice. After that a sump suction apparatus was applied for controlled drainage. If no improvement was achieved after 3 days, they would received operation soon. While patients in the laparotomy group received surgical drainage at the time when the diagnosis of infected pancreatic necrosis was confirmed. Continuous drainage was also applied for these ones. RESULTS: The percutaneous group had a significant low rate of reoperation (7.1% vs. 14.3%, P < 0.05) and postoperative residual abscesses (7.1% vs. 28.6%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, 48.1% of patients in percutaneous group successfully avoid laparotomy. In the regard of complications, the percutaneous group presented lower incidence of both single organ dysfunction (7.4% vs. 28.6%, P < 0.05), intestinal fistula (7.4% vs. 27.0%, P < 0.05) and long-term complications (3.7% vs. 22.2%, P < 0.05). In addition, the percutaneous group costed less medical resources as evidenced by shorter ICU duration (21.2 ± 9.7 vs. 28.7 ± 12.1, P < 0.01), shorter hospital duration (48.2 ± 12.5 vs. 59.6 ± 17.5, P < 0.05) and less expenditure (191 762 ± 5892 vs. 341 689 ± 10 854, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous drainage can effectively lower the surgical rates and the rates of complications and reoperations in patients with infective pancreatic necrosis. Besides that, it could also reduce the cost of medical resources.

Heterotopic pancreas adenocarcinoma in the stomach: A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic pancreas is a common lesion found in the gastrointestinal tract and is usually considered a benign disease. Reports of malignant change of heterotopic pancreas are scarce. CASE SUMMARY: A 44-year-old Chinese female underwent a gastroscopy to assess abdominal distension that had persisted for 2 months. A protruding lesion in the gastric antrum was revealed but no malignant tissue was found in the biopsy specimen. The patient's symptom persisted and progressed to repeated vomiting. Endoscopy after 4 months revealed obstruction of the gastric outlet caused by the protruding lesion. A distal gastrectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen showed the malignant transformation of aberrant pancreas in the stomach. Chemotherapy consisting of folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin was administered for three cycles, and was changed to gemcitabine monotherapy because of adverse effects and increased serum tumor marker levels. The patient remained asymptomatic during a 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Pancreatic heterotopy should be considered as source of a potentially malignant lesion, and early treatment or close monitoring for aberrant pancreas is recommended.