High-flow nasal oxygenation versus face mask oxygenation for preoxygenation in patients undergoing double-lumen endobronchial intubation: protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: With the growing emphasis on swift recovery, minimally invasive thoracic surgery has advanced significantly. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has seen rapid development, and the double-lumen tube (DLT) remains the most dependable method for tracheal intubation in VATS. However, hypoxaemia during DLT intubation poses a threat to the perioperative safety of thoracic surgery patients. Recently, transnasal high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) has shown promise in anaesthesia, particularly in handling short-duration hypoxic airway emergencies. Yet, its application in the perioperative period for patients undergoing pulmonary surgery with compromised cardiopulmonary function lacks evidence, and there are limited reliable clinical data. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective, randomised, controlled, single-blind design will be employed in this study. 112 patients aged 18-60 years undergoing elective VATS-assisted pulmonary surgery will be enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: the nasal high-flow oxygen group (H group) and the traditional mask transnasal oxygen group (M group) in a 1:1 ratio. HFNO will be used during DLT intubation for the prevention of asphyxia in group H, while conventional intubation procedures will be followed by group M. Comparison will be made between the two groups in terms of minimum oxygen saturation during intubation, hypoxaemia incidence during intubation, perioperative complications and postoperative hospital days. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval for this study has been granted by the local ethics committee at Shenzhen Second People's Hospital. The trial results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05666908.

Serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) promotes EGFR-TKI resistance by enhancing GSK3ß Ser9 autophosphorylation independent of its kinase activity in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is a major challenge for clinicians and patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Serine-arginine protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) is a key oncoprotein in the EGFR/AKT pathway that participates in tumorigenesis. We found that high SRPK1 expression was significantly associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced NSCLC undergoing gefitinib treatment. Both in vitro and in vivo assays suggested that SRPK1 reduced the ability of gefitinib to induce apoptosis in sensitive NSCLC cells independently of its kinase activity. Moreover, SRPK1 facilitated binding between LEF1, ß-catenin and the EGFR promoter region to increase EGFR expression and promote the accumulation and phosphorylation of membrane EGFR. Furthermore, we verified that the SRPK1 spacer domain bound to GSK3ß and enhanced its autophosphorylation at Ser9 to activate the Wnt pathway, thereby promoting the expression of Wnt target genes such as Bcl-X. The correlation between SRPK1 and EGFR expression was confirmed in patients. In brief, our research suggested that the SRPK1/GSK3ß axis promotes gefitinib resistance by activating the Wnt pathway and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for overcoming gefitinib resistance in NSCLC.

Near-infrared AIE-active phosphorescent iridium(III) complex for mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy.

Mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy (PDT) has recently been recognized as a promising strategy for effective cancer treatment. In this work, a mitochondria-targeted near-infrared (NIR) aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active phosphorescent Ir(III) complex (Ir1) is reported with highly favourable mitochondria-targeted bioimaging and cancer PDT properties. Complex Ir1 has strong absorption in the visible light region (∼500 nm) and can effectively produce singlet oxygen (1O2) under green light (525 nm) irradiation. It preferentially accumulates in the mitochondria of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells as revealed by colocalization analysis. Complex Ir1 displays high phototoxicity toward human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells. Complex Ir1 induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial dysfunction, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in MDA-MB-231 cells upon photoirradiation, leading to apoptotic cell death. The favorable PDT performance of Ir1in vivo has been further demonstrated in tumour-bearing mice. Together, the results suggest that Ir1 is a promising photosensitizer for mitochondria-targeted imaging and cancer phototherapy.

The Amomum tsao-ko Essential Oils Inhibited Inflammation and Apoptosis through p38/JNK MAPK Signaling Pathway and Alleviated Gentamicin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.

The clinical application of gentamicin may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI), and the nephrotoxicity of gentamicin is related to the pathological mechanism of several oxidative and inflammatory cytokines. Plant-derived essential oils have good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to clarify the protective effect of Amomum tsao-ko essential oils (AOs) on gentamicin-induced AKI in rats and its possible mechanism. The rat AKI model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of gentamicin. After 14 days of oral AO treatment, the renal function and pathological changes of the kidney tissues were evaluated, and the level of kidney tissue oxidative stress was detected. The content of inflammatory cytokines was measured by ELISA. The expression of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, p38, NF-κB, caspase-3, and Bax/Bcl-2 proteins were estimated by Western blot analysis. The results showed that taking AO reduced the contents of serum urea and creatinine in AKI rats and improve the pathological changes and oxidative stress of the kidney tissue in rats. At the same time, AO reduced inflammation and apoptosis during AKI by regulating the MAPK pathway. The data show that AO has a protective effect on the kidneys and may be a potential drug for treating kidney injury.

Sensitivity Enhancement and Probiotic Detection of Microfluidic Chips Based on Terahertz Radiation Combined with Metamaterial Technology.

Terahertz (THz) radiation has attracted wide attention in recent years due to its non-destructive properties and ability to sense molecular structures. In applications combining terahertz radiation with metamaterial technology, the interaction between the terahertz radiation and the metamaterials causes resonance reactions; different analytes have different resonance performances in the frequency domain. In addition, a microfluidic system is able to provide low volume reagents for detection, reduce noise from the environment, and concentrate the sample on the detection area. Through simulation, a cruciform metamaterial pattern was designed; the proportion, periodicity, and width of the metamaterial were adjusted to improve the sensing capability of the chip. In the experiments, the sensing capabilities of Type A, B, and C chips were compared. The Type C chip had the most significant resonant effect; its maximum shift could be increased to 89 GHz. In the probiotic experiment, the cruciform chip could have a 0.72 GHz shift at a concentration of 0.025 mg/50 µL, confirming that terahertz radiation combined with a metamaterial microfluidic chip can perform low-concentration detection.

Radiography, CT, and MRI Diagnosis of Enzootic Nasal Tumor in Goats Infected With Enzootic Nasal Tumor Virus.

The aim of this study was to describe radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of enzootic nasal tumors in goats infected with enzootic nasal tumor viruses. Five of six goats with a mean age of 2 years, showed clinical signs of respiratory disease. Head radiographs showed increased density of the unilateral or bilateral nasal cavity in four goats, and a CT scan showed that the space-occupying lesion of the nasal cavity originated from the ethmoid bone and was enhanced homogeneously postcontrast in all goats. The nasal concha was destroyed and the paranasal sinus mucosa was thickened and filled with fluid in some goats. On MRI, the mass exhibited equal or slightly higher signal intensity on T2 weighted images, equal signal intensity on T1 weighted images, a high signal on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images and heterogeneous enhancement postcontrast. After dissection, histopathological examination of the mass and virus genome detection of the nasal secretions confirmed that the intranasal mass was a low-grade adenocarcinoma and that the goats were infected with enzootic nasal tumor virus type 2. In conclusion, CT and MRI have high diagnostic values for enzootic nasal tumors because they match the postmortem findings and are more accurate than radiography.

circHIPK3 regulates cell proliferation and migration by sponging microRNA-124 and regulating serine/threonine kinase 3 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of important non-coding RNAs that widely involve in the physiological and pathophysiological process. Recent research has established a link between circHIPK3 and the malignant activity of cancer cells. However, circHIPK3' role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) still needs more focus. To determine the prognostic value of circHIPK3 in patients with ESCC, the expression of circHIPK3 was quantified in 32 pairs of ESCC using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Then, the correlation between circHIPK3 expression and clinical characteristics of patients was also analyzed. The function of circHIPK3 in the development of ESCC was investigated using cell biology studies and bioinformatics. The results showed that the expression of circHIPK3 was considerably higher in tumor tissues from ESCC patients than that of adjacent tissues, which was associated with a poor prognosis. Additionally, silencing of circHIPK3 expression retarded esophageal cancer cell proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro, as well as the growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we discovered that circHIPK3 behaved like a sponge, absorbing microRNA-124 (miR-124) and promoting serine/threonine kinase 3 (AKT3) expression. Our findings indicate that circHIPK3 acts as an oncogene in ESCC and that the circHIPK3-AKT3 axis may be a therapeutic target for patients with ESCC.

Rapid identification of tumor-reactive T-cell receptors by RNA preamplification-based single-cell sequencing.

T-cell receptor (TCR)-transduced T (TCR-T) cell therapy has shown promising efficacy in the clinical treatment of malignant cancers. However, the populations covered by reported TCRs are still limited. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are natural reservoirs of tumor-reactive T cells and TCRs. Approaches are required for the fast and cost-effective identification of tumor-reactive TCRs from TILs. The widely employed TCR identification approaches by the clonal expansion of TILs involve a TCR singularization process for the direct pairing of TCR Vα and the Vß chain. However, the clonal expansion of T cells is well known to require extensive time and effort due to the involvement of T cell cultures. Several single-cell multiplexing PCR methods followed by Sanger sequencing have been developed, representing a cost-effective and fast approach for single-cell TCR identification. In this study, an RNA-based preamplification step was included in the single-cell TCR sequencing, which can reduce the multiplexing PCR amplification to one round. Moreover, the cDNA product of RNA preamplification is derived from the whole genome mRNA, instead of TCR mRNA only by multiplexing primers-based DNA preamplification, which is valuable for many other analyses (e.g., phenotypic analysis) of the tumor-reactive T cells that can be correlated with the identified TCRs. The feasibility for both single α chain and dual α chain TILs of this approach highlights its potential value as a rapid and cost-effective sequencing strategy for the development of TCR-T therapies for solid cancers.

Detection of the Freshness of Kiwifruit With a TD-GC-MS and a Gas-Sensing Array Based on the Surface-Acoustic-Wave Technique.

An electronic nose is an arrayed gas sensor mimicking the human olfactory system that can analyze and identify a flavour on collecting an odour from an environment. In our experiments, an electronic-nose system based on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) was used to measure the freshness of kiwifruit. 128° YX-LiNbO3 acted as a piezoelectric material; Au was deposited as an electrode and sensing area. With a polymer coating of various types on the sensing area and a connection to an oscillator circuit, a 113-114 MHz SAW was obtained. Depending on the properties of varied polymers, the frequency shift varied due to absorbed volatile organic compounds (VOC). In this way, with four surface-acoustic-wave sensors coated with varied polymers we built a kiwi-flavour database according to results from a TD-GC-MS system. When the concentration of esters increased, the kiwifruit began to ripen, accompanied by increased concentrations and types of VOC. As a result, polystyrene (PS) and fluoropolymer (CYTOP) polymers, which played the role of sensing materials, served as major materials to determine the ester aroma profile. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone (PNVP) were used to trap the alcohols and acids during a kiwifruit ripening period. This research proved that discrimination of differences is feasible from an unripe stage to a ripe stage and from a ripe stage to an over-ripe stage.

Virtual Stencil for Patterning and Modeling in a Quantitative Volume Using EWOD and DEP Devices for Microfluidics.

Applying microfluidic patterning, droplets were precisely generated on an electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) chip considering these parameters: number of generating electrodes, number of cutting electrodes, voltage, frequency and gap between upper and lower plates of the electrode array on the EWOD chip. In a subsequent patterning experiment, an environment with three generating electrodes, one cutting electrode and a gap height 10 µm, we obtained a quantitative volume for patterning. Propylene carbonate liquid and a mixed colloid of polyphthalate carbonate (PPC) and photosensitive polymer material were manipulated into varied patterns. With support from a Z-axis lifting platform and a UV lamp, a cured 3D structure was stacked. Using an EWOD system, a multi-layer three-dimensional structure was produced for the patterning. A two-plate EWOD system patterned propylene carbonate in a quantitative volume at 140 Vpp/20 kHz with automatic patterning.

Extracellular and intracellular intermittent magnetic-fluid hyperthermia treatment of SK-Hep1 hepatocellular carcinoma cells based on magnetic nanoparticles coated with polystyrene sulfonic acid.

The use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) magnetized on applying an alternating magnetic field (AMF) to stimulate the thermal characteristics and to induce tumor apoptosis is a currently active area of research in cancer treatment. In previous work, we developed biocompatible and superparamagnetic polystyrene-sulfonic-acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PSS-MNPs) as applications for magnetically labeled cell trapping, but without assessment of treatment effects on tumor diseases. In the present work, we examined PSS-MNP-induced magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) on SK-Hep1 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells for lethal thermal effects with a self-made AMF system; an adjustable AMF frequency generated a variable intensity of magnetic field and induced MNP relaxation. The extracellular and intracellular MFH treatments on a SK-Hep1 cell line were implemented in vitro; the result indicates that the lethal effects were efficient and caused a significantly decreased cell viability of SK-Hep1 cells. As the PSS-MNP concentration decreased, especially in intracellular MFH treatments, the MFH effects on cells, however, largely decreased through heat spreading to the culture medium. On controlling and decreasing the volume of culture medium, the problem of heat spreading was solved. It can be consequently expected that PSS-MNPs would be a prospective agent for intracellular cancer magnetotherapy.

LncRNA WT1-AS downregulates lncRNA UCA1 to suppress non-small cell lung cancer and predicts poor survival.

BACKGROUND: LncRNA WT1-AS inhibits gastric cancer, while its role in other cancers is unknown. We investigated the role of WT1-AS in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Sixty-six NSCLC patients (40 males and 26 females; 36 to 68 years old; mean age 52.7 ± 6.4 years old) were selected from the 178 NSCLC patients operated on for lung cancer between 2010 and 2013. RT-qPCR was used to analyze the expression of lncRNA. Overexpression experiments were performed to assess interactions between lncRNAs. CCK-8 assay was carried to evaluate the roles of WT1-AS and UCA1 in regulating cell proliferation. Cell invasion and migration assays were performed to assess the roles of WT1-AS and UCA1 in regulating cell invasion and migration. Western-blot was performed to illustrate the effect of WT1-AS and UCA1 in EMT. RESULTS: WT1-AS was downregulated in NSCLC and was correlated with poor survival. The expression of WT1-AS in NSCLC was not correlated with clinical stages. LncRNA UCA1 was upregulated in cancer tissues and inversely correlated with WT1-AS. Overexpression of UCA1 did not affect WT1-AS, while overexpression of WT1-AS led to inhibited expression of UCA1. Overexpression of UCA1 resulted in increased proliferation, EMT, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells, while overexpression of WT1-AS showed opposite effects. In addition, overexpression of UCA1 inhibited the role of overexpression of WT1-AS. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, overexpression of WT1-AS may inhibit the cell proliferation and EMT to decrease cell migration and invasion of NSCLC cells by downregulating UCA1.

Utilization of a Gas-Sensing System to Discriminate Smell and to Monitor Fermentation during the Manufacture of Oolong Tea Leaves.

The operational duration of shaking tea leaves is a critical factor in the manufacture of oolong tea; this duration influences the formation of its flavor and fragrance. The current method to control the duration of fermentation relies on the olfactory sense of tea masters; they monitor the entire process through their olfactory sense, and their experience decides the duration of shaking and setting. Because of this human factor and olfactory fatigue, it is difficult to define an optimum duration of shaking and setting; an inappropriate duration of shaking and setting deteriorates the quality of the tea. In this study, we used metal-oxide-semiconductor gas sensors to establish an electronic nose (E-nose) system and tested its feasibility. This research was divided into two experiments: distinguishing samples at various stages and an on-line experiment. The samples of tea leaves at various stages exhibited large differences in the level of grassy smell. From the experience of practitioners and from previous research, the samples could be categorized into three groups: before the first shaking (BS1), before the shaking group, and after the shaking group. We input the experimental results into a linear discriminant analysis to decrease the dimensions and to classify the samples into various groups. The results show that the smell can also be categorized into three groups. After distinguishing the samples with large differences, we conducted an on-line experiment in a tea factory and tried to monitor the smell variation during the manufacturing process. The results from the E-nose were similar to those of the sense of practitioners, which means that an E-nose has the possibility to replace the sensory function of practitioners in the future.

ABCC9 Is Downregulated and Prone to Microsatellite Instability on ABCC9tetra in Canine Breast Cancer.

Tumorigenesis is associated with metabolic abnormalities and genomic instability. Microsatellite mutations, including microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH), are associated with the functional impairment of some tumor-related genes. To investigate the role of MSI and LOH in sporadic breast tumors in canines, 22 tumors DNA samples and their adjacent normal tissues were evaluated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining for 58 microsatellites. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, promoter methylation analysis and immunohistochemical staining were used to quantify gene expression. The results revealed that a total of 14 tumors (6 benign tumors and 8 breast cancers) exhibited instability as MSI-Low tumors. Most of the microsatellite loci possessed a single occurrence of mutations. The maximum number of MSI mutations on loci was observed in tumors with a lower degree of differentiation. Among the unstable markers, FH2060 (4/22), ABCC9tetra (4/22) and SCN11A (6/22) were high-frequency mutation sites, whereas FH2060 was a high-frequency LOH site (4/22). The ABCC9tetra locus was mutated only in cancerous tissue, although it was excluded by transcription. The corresponding genes and proteins were significantly downregulated in malignant tissues, particularly in tumors with MSI. Furthermore, the promoter methylation results of the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette subfamily C member 9 (ABCC9) showed that there was a high level of methylation in breast tissues, but only one case showed a significant elevation compared with the control. In conclusion, MSI-Low or MSI-Stable is characteristic of most sporadic mammary tumors. Genes associated with tumorigenesis are more likely to develop MSI. ABCC9 protein and transcription abnormalities may be associated with ABCC9tetra instability.

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles coated with polystyrene sulfonic acid for biomedical applications.

The development of novel magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with satisfactory biocompatibility for biomedical applications has been the subject of extensive exploration over the past two decades. In this work, we synthesized superparamagnetic iron oxide MNPs coated with polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSS-MNPs) and with a conventional co-precipitation method. The core size and hydrodynamic diameter of the PSS-MNPs were determined as 8-18 nm and 50-200 nm with a transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, respectively. The saturation magnetization of the particles was measured as 60 emu g-1 with a superconducting quantum-interference-device magnetometer. The PSS content in the PSS-MNPs was 17% of the entire PSS-MNPs according to thermogravimetric analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectra were recorded to detect the presence of SO3 - groups, which confirmed a successful PSS coating. The structural properties of the PSS-MNPs, including the crystalline lattice, composition and phases, were characterized with an X-ray powder diffractometer and 3D nanometer-scale Raman microspectrometer. MTT assay and Prussian-blue staining showed that, although PSS-MNPs caused no cytotoxicity in both NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblasts and SK-HEP1 human liver-cancer cells up to 1000 µg mL-1, SK-HEP1 cells exhibited significantly greater uptake of PSS-MNPs than NIH-3T3 cells. The low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility of PSS-MNPs in human cancer cells demonstrated in the present work might have prospective applications for drug delivery.

Frequency Shift of a SH-SAW Biosensor with Glutaraldehyde and 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane Functionalized Films for Detection of Epidermal Growth Factor.

The frequency shift of a shear-horizontal surface-acoustic-wave (SH-SAW) biosensor in which the concentration of biomolecule is determined by the amount of its adsorption on the sensing film was studied. Simulation results were compared with experimental results to investigate its sensitivity and to develop a model to estimate the concentration of a cancer-related biomarker antigen epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the sample, with two types of sensing films, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde. With the concentration of the targeted biomarker varying from 0.2 to 5 ng/mL, a typical exponential relationship was found between the concentration and the frequency shift of the SH-SAW sensor. Measurement results showed a clear response of this immunosensor to the mass-loading effects of the antibody-antigen. The sensitivity of the glutaraldehyde film is greater than that of the APTES film owing to the chemisorption of the antibody. In the simulation, a shift of the SH-SAW resonant frequency due to added mass occurred on applying an incremental surface mass density on the sensing film, while in real applications, the concentration of the targeted biomarker to be absorbed in the sensing film is demanded. An empirical model was proposed to calculate the frequency shift in the simulation of the SH-SAW biosensor, corresponding to the concentration of specific biomolecules absorbed on a specific film. From the semi-empirical model, the sensitivity level is found to be 0.641 and 1.709 kHz/(ng/mL) for APTES and glutaraldehyde sensing films, respectively, at a biomarker concentration of less than 1 ng/mL. The developed method is useful for quickly estimating the frequency shift with respect to the concentration of the target molecules in the simulation for SH-SAW sensors.

Microsatellite Instability and MMR Genes Abnormalities in Canine Mammary Gland Tumors.

Early diagnosis of mammary gland tumors is a challenging task in animals, especially in unspayed dogs. Hence, this study investigated the role of microsatellite instability (MSI), MMR gene mRNA transcript levels and SNPs of MMR genes in canine mammary gland tumors (CMT). A total of 77 microsatellite (MS) markers in 23 primary CMT were selected from four breeds of dogs. The results revealed that 11 out of 77 MS markers were unstable and showed MSI in all the tumors (at least at one locus), while the other markers were stable. Compared to the other markers, the ABC9TETRA, MEPIA, 9A5, SCNA11 and FJL25 markers showed higher frequencies of instability. All CMT demonstrated MSI, with eight tumors presenting MSI-H. The RT-qPCR results revealed significant upregulation of the mRNA levels of cMSH3, cMLH1, and cPMSI, but downregulation of cMSH2 compared to the levels in the control group. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed in the cMSH2 gene in four exons, i.e., 2, 6, 15, and 16. In conclusion, MSI, overexpression of MMR genes and SNPs in the MMR gene are associated with CMT and could be served as diagnostic biomarkers for CMT in the future.

Simultaneous detection of two growth factors from human single-embryo culture medium by a bead-based digital microfluidic chip.

The measurement of growth factors released in a culture medium is considered to be an attractive non-invasive approach, apart from the embryo morphology, to identify the condition of an embryo development after fertilization in vitro (IVF), but the available embryo culture medium in the current method is only a few microlitres. This small sample volume, also of small concentration, makes difficult the application of a conventional detection method, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A reliable detection of the growth factor from each embryo culture medium of such a small concentration hence remains a challenge. Here for the first time we report the results of measurement of not just one, but two, growth factors, human IL-1ß and human TNF-α, from an individual droplet of embryo culture medium with a bead-based digital microfluidic chip. The required sample volume for a single measurement is only 520 nL; the total duration of the on-chip process is less than 40 min. Using the culture media of human embryos with normal morphologic features, we found that the concentrations of TNF-α change little from day 3 to day 5-6, but the concentrations of IL-1ß for some embryos might double from day 3 to day 5-6. For other embryos even with similar normal morphologic features, some growth factors, such as IL-1ß, might exhibit different expressions during the culture period. Those growth factors could serve to distinguish the development conditions of each embryo, not merely from an observation of embryo morphology.

Comparison of intensity-modulated radiation therapy alone vs. intensity-modulated radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy in elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (aged >65 years).

PURPOSE: The efficacy and tolerability of adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy in the era of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) remain controversial among older patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The present study compared IMRT alone with IMRT in combination with chemotherapy in elderly NPC patients. METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2014, 102 patients aged >65 years with NPC who received IMRT alone (IMRT group) or IMRT in combination with chemotherapy (IMRT/CT group) were enrolled. Patients from both treatment arms were pair-matched (1:1 ratio) based on six clinical factors. Differences in overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models, whereas the toxicity profile was assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4. RESULTS: No significant differences were noted in OS (72.1% vs. 72.5%, p = 0.799), DFS (65.9% vs. 70.1%, p = 0.733), LRRFS (76.4% vs. 71.6%, p = 0.184), and DMFS (90.8% vs. 98.0%, p = 0.610) between the IMRT and IMRT/CT groups. Multivariate analyses showed that chemotherapy was not an independent factor for OS, DFS, LRRFS, and DMFS. However, the incidences of grade 3 vomiting/nausea (p = 0.000), leukopenia/neutropenia (p = 0.000), thrombocytopenia (p = 0.041), and anemia (p = 0.040) were significantly higher in the IMRT/CT group compared with the IMRT group. No grade 4 toxicities were observed. CONCLUSION: IMRT alone was similar to IMRT/CT in treating elderly NPC patients (age >65 years), with comparable survival outcomes and less grade 3 toxicities.

Discrimination of Red Wines with a Gas-Sensor Array Based on a Surface-Acoustic-Wave Technique.

We applied a thermal-desorption gas-chromatograph mass-spectrometer (TD-GC-MS) system to identify the marker volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the aroma of red wine. After obtaining the marker VOC, we utilized surface acoustic waves (SAWs) to develop a highly sensitive sensing system as 'electronic nose' to detect these marker VOC. The SAW chips were fabricated on a LiNbO3 substrate with a lithographic process. We coated sensing polymers on the sensing area to adsorb the marker VOC in a sample gas. The adsorption of the marker VOC altered the velocity of the SAW according to a mass-loading effect, causing a frequency decrease. This experiment was conducted with wines of three grape varieties-cabernet sauvignon, merlot and black queen. According to the results of TD-GC-MS, the King brand of red wine is likely to have unique VOC, which are 2-pentanone, dimethyl disulfide, 2-methylpropyl acetate and 2-pentanol; Blue Nun-1 probably has a special VOC such as 2,3-butanedione. We hence used a SAW sensor array to detect the aroma of red wines and to distinguish their components by their frequency shift. The results show that the use of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as a detecting material can distinguish Blue Nun-2 from the others and the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can distinguish King from the others. We conducted random tests to prove the accuracy and the reliability of our SAW sensors.