Liposomal paclitaxel versus docetaxel in induction chemotherapy using Taxanes, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: We wished to evaluate the efficacy and safety of liposomal paclitaxel and docetaxel for induction chemotherapy (IC) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: A total of 1498 patients with newly-diagnosed NPC between 2009 and 2017 treated with IC plus concurrent chemotherapy were included in our observational study. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and grade-3-4 toxicities were compared between groups using propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: In total, 767 patients were eligible for this study, with 104 (13.6%) and 663 (86.4%) receiving a liposomal paclitaxel-based and docetaxel-based taxanes, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) regimen, respectively. PSM identified 103 patients in the liposomal-paclitaxel group and 287 patients in the docetaxel group. There was no significant difference at 3 years for OS (92.2% vs. 93.9%, P = 0.942), PFS (82.6% vs. 81.7%, P = 0.394), LRFS (94.7% vs. 93.3%, P = 0.981) or DMFS (84.6% vs. 87.4%, P = 0.371) between the two groups after PSM. Significant interactions were not observed between the effect of chemotherapy regimen and sex, age, T stage, N stage, overall stage, or Epstein-Barr virus DNA level in the subgroup multivariate analysis. The prevalence of grade-3-4 leukopenia and neutropenia in the liposomal-paclitaxel group was significantly lower than that of the docetaxel group (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with docetaxel, liposomal paclitaxel has identical anti-tumor efficacy, but causes fewer and milder adverse reactions in IC for NPC.

Pretreatment quality of life as a predictor of survival for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with IMRT.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prognostic significance of pretreatment quality of life for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. METHODS: We performed a prospective, longitudinal study on 554 newly diagnosed patients with NPC from April 2011 to January 2015. A total of 501 consecutive NPC patients were included. Patients were asked to complete the EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires before treatment. RESULTS: Global health status among QLQ-C30 correlates with EBV DNA(P = 0.019). In addition, pretreatment appetite loss was significantly correlated with EBV DNA(P = 0.02). Pretreatment teeth, opening mouth, feeding tube was significantly correlated with EBV DNA, with P value of 0.003, < 0.0001, and 0.031, respectively. In multivariate analysis, pretreatment cognitive functioning of QLQ-C30 was significantly associated with LRFS, with HR of 0.971(95%CI 0.951-0.990), P = 0.004. Among scales of QLQ-H&N35 for multivariate analysis, pretreatment teeth (P = 0.026) and felt ill (P = 0.012) was significantly associated with PFS, with HR of 0.984 (95%CI 0.971-.998) and 1.004 (95%CI 1.001-1.007), respectively. Felt ill of QLQ-H&N35 was significantly associated with DMFS, with HR of 1.004(95%CI 1.000-1.007), P = 0.043. There is no QoL scale significantly associated with OS after multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our analysis confirms that pretreatment teeth and felt ill was significantly associated with PFS in NPC patients treated with IMRT. In addition, the posttreatment EBV DNA was significantly associated with OS.

A self-administered method of acute pressure block of sciatic nerves for short-term relief of dental pain: a randomized study.

OBJECTIVES: While stimulation of the peripheral nerves increases the pain threshold, chronic pressure stimulation of the sciatic nerve is associated with sciatica. We recently found that acute pressure block of the sciatic nerve inhibits pain. Therefore, we propose that, the pain pathology-causing pressure is chronic, not acute. Here, we report a novel self-administered method: acute pressure block of the sciatic nerves is applied by the patients themselves for short-term relief of pain from dental diseases. DESIGN: This was a randomized, single-blind study. SETTING: Hospital patients. PATIENTS: Patients aged 16-60 years with acute pulpitis, acute apical periodontitis, or pericoronitis of the third molar of the mandible experiencing pain ≥3 on the 11-point numerical pain rating scale. INTERVENTIONS: Three-minute pressure to sciatic nerves was applied by using the hands (hand pressure method) or by having the patients squat to force the thigh and shin as tightly as possible on the sandwiched sciatic nerve bundles (self-administered method). OUTCOMES: The primary efficacy variable was the mean difference in pain scores from the baseline. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-two dental patients were randomized. The self-administered method produced significant relief from pain associated with dental diseases (P ≤ 0.001). The analgesic effect of the self-administered method was similar to that of the hand pressure method. CONCLUSIONS: The self-administered method is easy to learn and can be applied at any time for pain relief. We believe that patients will benefit from this method.

Nanoparticles targeting mutant p53 overcome chemoresistance and tumor recurrence in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) shows high drug resistance and leads to low survival due to the high level of mutated Tumor Protein p53 (TP53). Cisplatin is a first-line treatment option for NSCLC, and the p53 mutation is a major factor in chemoresistance. We demonstrate that cisplatin chemotherapy increases the risk of TP53 mutations, further contributing to cisplatin resistance. Encouragingly, we find that the combination of cisplatin and fluvastatin can alleviate this problem. Therefore, we synthesize Fluplatin, a prodrug consisting of cisplatin and fluvastatin. Then, Fluplatin self-assembles and is further encapsulated with poly-(ethylene glycol)-phosphoethanolamine (PEG-PE), we obtain Fluplatin@PEG-PE nanoparticles (FP NPs). FP NPs can degrade mutant p53 (mutp53) and efficiently trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). In this study, we show that FP NPs relieve the inhibition of cisplatin chemotherapy caused by mutp53, exhibiting highly effective tumor suppression and improving the poor NSCLC prognosis.

Paclitaxel liposome, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil-based induction chemotherapy followed by de-escalated intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin in stage IVA-IVB childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma in endemic area: a phase II, single-arm trial.

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by de-escalated chemoradiotherapy adapted to tumor response was effective in treating childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the toxicity profile of this treatment strategy, and whether childhood patients with advanced stages can obtain enough benefits from it requires further investigation. Methods: We conducted a single-center phase II trial (NCT03020329). All participants received 3 cycles of paclitaxel liposome, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF)-based IC. Patients who showed complete or partial response received de-escalated radiotherapy of 60 Gy with 3 cycles of concurrent cisplatin, and those who showed stable or progressive disease received standard-dose radiotherapy of 70 Gy with concurrent cisplatin. The primary endpoint was the complete response (CR) rate at the end of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Findings: From November 2016 to March 2021, 44 patients were recruited in the cohort. The CR rate was 80% (35/44, 95% CI, 65-90) of the whole cohort. All patients achieved CR 3 months after CCRT. By the last follow-up, the 3-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 91% (95% CI, 82-99) and 100% respectively. Dry mouth was the most common late toxicity, with an incidence of 41% (18/44), followed by skin fibrosis and hearing impairment. No patient suffered from severe late toxicity and growth retardation. Interpretation: Our results proved the efficacy and safety of TPF regimen followed by de-escalated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin in treating stage IVa-b childhood NPC patients. Funding: A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.

Reduced-dose radiotherapy for Epstein-Barr virus DNA selected staged III nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A single-arm, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy-related toxicities of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) caused by a standard dose of 70 Gy remain a critical issue. Therefore, we assessed whether a radiotherapy dose of 60 Gy was non-inferior to the standard dose in patients with low-risk stage III NPC with a favourable response to induction chemotherapy (IC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We did a single-arm, single-centre, phase II clinical trial in China. Patients with low-risk (Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] DNA level <4000 copies/ml) stage III NPC were treated with two cycles IC. Patients with complete/partial response and undetectable EBV DNA level were assigned 60 Gy intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrently with three cycles of cisplatin. The primary end-point was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03668730. RESULTS: One patient quit because of withdrawal of informed consent after IC. In total, 215 patients completed two cycles of IC, after which 116 (54.0%) and 99 (46.0%) patients were assigned 60 and 70 Gy radiotherapy, respectively. For 215 patients, the 2-year PFS was 90.7% (95% CI, 86.8%-94.6%) with a median follow-up of 43.9 months (interquartile range [IQR], 39.8-46.2). For patients treated with 60 Gy radiotherapy, the 2-year PFS rate was 94.8% (95%CI 90.7%-98.9%) with a median follow-up of 43.9 months (IQR 40.2-46.2). The most common late toxicity was grade 1-2 dry mouth (incidence rate: 54.3%). No grade 3+ long-term adverse event was observed, and most quality-of-life items, domains, and symptom scores returned to baseline by 6 months. CONCLUSION: Reduced-dose radiation (60 Gy) is associated with favourable survival outcomes and limited treatment-related toxicities in patients with low-risk stage III NPC sensitive to IC.

Deintensified Chemoradiotherapy for Pretreatment Epstein-Barr Virus DNA-Selected Low-Risk Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Phase II Randomized Noninferiority Trial.

PURPOSE: Cumulative doses of 200 mg/m2 for concurrent cisplatin (DDP) were indicated by retrospective studies as sufficient in conferring survival benefit for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). We performed an open-label, phase II, randomized, controlled trial to test the noninferiority of a two-cycle 100 mg/m2 concurrent DDP regimen over three-cycle in patients with low-risk LA-NPC with pretreatment Epstein-Barr virus DNA levels < 4,000 copies/mL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive two cycles or three cycles concurrent DDP-based chemoradiotherapy. The primary end point was 3-year progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary end points included overall survival, distant metastasis-free survival, locoregional relapse-free survival, etc. RESULTS: Between September 2016 and October 2018, 332 patients were enrolled, with 166 in each arm. After a median follow-up of 37.7 months, the estimated 3-year PFS rates were 88.0% in the two-cycle group and 90.4% in the three-cycle group, with a difference of 2.4% (95% CI, -4.3 to 9.1, Pnoninferiority = .014). No differences were observed between groups in terms of PFS, overall survival, and the cumulative incidences of locoregional relapse and distant metastasis. Patients in the three-cycle group developed significantly more grade 3-4 mucositis (41 [24.8%] v 25 [15.1%]), hyponatremia (26 [15.8%] v 14 [8.4%]), and dermatitis (9 [5.5%] v 2 [1.2%]). The overall all-grade and grade 3-4 toxicity burdens were heavier in three-cycle group (T-scores, 12.33 v 10.57, P < .001 for all grades; 1.76 v 1.44, P = .05 for grade 3-4). Patients in the three-cycle group also showed more all-grade hearing impairment, dry mouth and skin fibrosis, and impaired long-term quality of life. CONCLUSION: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy plus two cycles of concurrent 100 mg/m2 DDP could be an alternative treatment option for patients with low-risk LA-NPC.

Magnetic carbon nanotubes-molecularly imprinted polymer coupled with HPLC for selective enrichment and determination of ferulic acid in traditional Chinese medicine and biological samples.

A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) as carrier was synthesized and used for the enrichment and determination of ferulic acid (FA) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The morphology and structure of the FA magnetic carbon nanotubes-molecularly imprinted polymers (MCNTs@FA-MIPs) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated that the prepared MCNTs@FA-MIPs had excellent magnetic properties and uniform appearance. The adsorption properties of the novel MIP were studied by kinetic, and isothermal adsorption experiments. The results showed that the MCNTs@FA-MIPs exhibited relatively good uptake kinetics (equilibrium time, 2 h), high adsorption capacity (50 mg⋅g-1), fast separation, and good selectivity for the template molecule with a separation factor α of 1.73. The MCNTs@FA-MIPs combined with HPLC were successfully applied to the separation, enrichment, and determination of FA in a Ligusticum chuanxiong extract and in plasma of rats which had been administered with Taitai beauty essence. The recoveries for FA were 95.53-100.03 % with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 5.5%. The results confirmed that the proposed MCNTs@FA-MIPs offered efficient extraction of FA from traditional Chinese medicinal preparations and blood samples and with high specificity.

Development and Characterization of a Novel Hydrogel for the Decontaminating of Radionuclide-Contaminated Skin Wounds.

Designing skin decontaminating materials with outstanding therapeutic effects, adhesiveness, and suitable mechanical property has great practical significance in radionuclide-contaminated skin wound healing. Here, a physically crosslinked hydrogel is constructed via hydrogen bonding of poly acrylamide, sodium alginate (SA), and the complexing agent diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA). The physical and chemical properties of the poly(AAm-SA-DTPA) hydrogel (PASD) are detected according to established methods. The decontaminating property and skin wound healing of the PASD are investigated to confirm multi-functions of wound dressing. The physical and chemical properties results show that the synthesis of the PASD hydrogel is effective and that DTPA is present in the hydrogel. The hydrogel also shows great mechanical and swelling properties. In vitro tests find that PASD shows significant scavenging abilities for strontium and cerium. In vivo experiments show that the PASD hydrogel can remove radioactive strontium from the skin wounds of mice, and can effectively prevent the absorption of radioactive strontium through the skin wound. Furthermore, the PASD hydrogel can effectively promote the formation of granulation tissue in a radioactive contaminated wound. Taken together, the PASD hydrogels, which has good mechanical properties and radionuclides decontamination, is expected to be used as a dressing for radionuclide-contaminated skin wound healing.

Acupuncture for the treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia among patients with cancer: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the number of cancer patients growing, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been a necessary treatment. Unfortunately, there are many side effects after radiation and chemotherapy, one of which is xerostomia that always harasses patients. Although there are many ways of treatment of xerostomia, they have many disadvantages. With the rare side effects and the excellent effect, acupuncture has been widely applied to dry mouth after radiotherapy, but it has not been recognized as the standard treatment. Because acupuncture prescription is mostly different and the sample size of studies is small, we need more high-quality meta-analysis to provide relatively reliable evidence for the treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia. The objective of this study is to assess the curative effect of acupuncture treatment of cancer patients after radiotherapy and provide more reliable evidence for acupuncture treatment of xerostomia after radiotherapy for cancer patients. METHODS: We will search the following databases: CENTRAL (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), VIP (China Science and Technology Journal Database), Wan Fang Data Knowledge Service Platform. At any rate, 2 review authors will assess all randomized controlled trials (RCTs), seemingly conformance to the inclusion criteria, to confirm qualification, determine the risk of bias and extract data using a running data extraction form. The revolution of disagreements is a discussion. We will use the approach recommended by Cochrane reviews to assess the bias in studies. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) will be used to assess the treatment effects of an intervention for dichotomous results. We will use mean differences (MD) and standard deviation (SD) to aggregate the data of every trial for continuous results. The heterogeneity test of Cochran and quantification of the I statistic will be used to assess the variation of treatment effects. Only if there are studies of semblable comparisons reporting the same results, we will conduct a meta-analysis. RESULTS: From the study, we will evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for xerostomia patients who has cancer and been treated by radiation. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will be the evidence, which can ensure the efficacy of acupuncture for cancer patients with radiation-evoked xerostomia among and provide guidance for the treatment of xerostomia. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202040211.

The anatomic study on replacement of artificial atlanto-odontoid joint through transoral approach.

In order to provide anatomical basis for transoral approach (TOA) in dealing with the ventro lesions of craniocervical junction, and the design and application of artificial atlanto-odontoid joint, microsurgical dissecting was performed on 8 fresh craniocervical specimens layer by layer through transoropharyngeal approach. The stratification of posterior pharyngeal wall, course of vertebral artery, adjacent relationship of atlas and axis and correlative anatomical parameters of replacement of artificial atlanto-odontoid joint were observed. Besides, 32 sets of atlanto-axial joint in adults' fresh bony specimens were measured with a digital caliper and a goniometer, including the width of bony window of anterior arch of atlas, the width of bony window of axis vertebra, the distance between superior and inferior two atlas screw inserting points, the distance between two axis screw inserting points etc. It was found that the width of atlas and axis which could be exposed were 40.2+/-3.5 mm and 39.3+/-3.7 mm respectively. The width and height of posterior pharyngeal wall which could be exposed were 40.1+/-5.2 mm and 50.2+/-4.6 mm respectively. The distance between superior and inferior two atlas screw inserting points was 28.0+/-2.9 mm and 24.0+/-3.5 mm respectively, and the distance of bilateral axis screw inserting points was 18.0+/-1.2 mm. The operative exposure position through TOA ranged from inferior part of the clivus to the superior part of the C3 vertebral body. Posterior pharyngeal wall consisted of 5 layers and two interspaces: mucosa, submucosa, superficial muscular layer, anterior fascia of vertebrae, anterior muscular layer of vertebrae and posterior interspace of pharynx, anterior interspace of vertebrae. This study revealed that it had the advantages of short operative distance, good exposure and sufficient decompression in dealing with the ventro lesions from the upper cervical to the lower clivus through the TOA. The replacement of artificial atlanto-odontoid joint is suitable and feasible. The design of artificial atlanto-odontoid joint should be based on the above data.

Effects of mulching duration on PAEs accumulation in soil and tobacco leaves in Zunyi, China.

We examined the effects of the duration of plastic film mulching on the accumulation of phthalate (PAEs) in soils and tobacco to determine the soil pollution distribution characteristics of PAEs under continuous mulch use and the enrichment status in tobacco leaves. Samples of both soils and tobacco leaves were collected from Lianqian Village and Shawan Village of Zunyi. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine the contents of six preferentially controlled PAEs in samples. The results showed that the six ΣPAEs in all soil and tobacco samples were (2.66 ±0.60) and (3.58±0.64) mg·kg-1, of which the content of DEHP was the highest, followed by DBP, with the sum of those two accounting for 92.7% and 88.9% of ∑PAEs in the soil and tobacco, respectively. The detection rates of DEHP, DBP, DEP, and BBP were 100.0%. The detection rate of DMP was slightly lower, and that of DnOP was the lowest. The content of PAEs in soils and tobacco leaves significantly increased with the increases of mulching years. In the 1-8 years of film mulching, the increases of PAEs were more obvious and tended to be gentle in the later stage. The content of PAEs in soil and tobacco leaves had significant positive correlation with the years of film mulching, indicating that the increase of film mulching years could significantly promote the accumulation of PAEs. There was no significant correlation between the ∑PAEs accumulation between tobacco leaves and soil.

[Distribution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Sediments of the Estuary of the Tributaries in the Three Gorges Reservoir, SW China].

To investigate the pollution status of sediments at the junction of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, sediment samples were collected over four seasons from the junction of the estuary located at a tributary of the Ruxi River and the Yangtze River. The content of eight heavy metals (HMs), including Cr, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb, in sediments was determined by ICP-MS. The results showed the average levels of investigated HMs (in mg·kg-1) were Cr (45.24), Zn (46.46), Mn (406.14), Ni (20.885), Cu (12.49), As (7.02), Cd (0.253), and Pb (11.042). The distribution analysis indicated that the levels of HMs at the river mouth were higher than that of the tributaries of the middle reaches and the two sections nearby. The seasonal distribution shows that the heavy metal content in the spring sediment is higher than in summer, autumn and winter. In addition, the correlation analysis indicated that the eight HMs possessed similar homologous characteristics and had common exogenous inputs. The assessment of the Geo Accumulation Index showed slight Cd pollution in the estuary of Ruxi River, and the Potential Ecological Risk index showed that Cd presented moderate ecological risks. The toxic effect of benthonic organisms was possibly correlated to Ni contamination at the intersection of the tributary and main stream, which was supported by the evidence from the sediment quality criteria. In conclusion, the rating of ecological risk at the mouth of the Ruxi River tributary is slight.

Lipidation of polyethylenimine-based polyplex increases serum stability of bioengineered RNAi agents and offers more consistent tumoral gene knockdown in vivo.

Recently we have established a novel approach to produce bioengineered noncoding RNA agents (BERAs) in living cells that carry target RNAi molecules (e.g., siRNA and miRNA) and thus act as "prodrugs". Using GFP-siRNA-loaded BERA (BERA/GFP-siRNA) as a model molecule, this study was to define the in vitro and in vivo knockdown efficiency of BERAs delivered by liposome-polyethylenimine nanocomplex (lipopolyplex or LPP). Compared to in vivo-jetPEI® (IVJ-PEI) and polyplex formulations, LPP offered greater protection of BERA/GFP-siRNA against degradation by serum RNases. Particle sizes and zeta potentials of LPP nanocomplex remained stable over 28 days when stored at 4 °C. Furthermore, comparable levels of BERA/GFP-siRNA were delivered by LPP and IVJ-PEI to luciferase/GFP-expressing human SK-Hep1-Luc-GFP or A549-Luc-GFP cells, which were selectively processed into target GFP-siRNA and subsequently knocked down GFP mRNA and protein levels. In addition, LPP-carried BERA/GFP-siRNA was successfully delivered into xenograft tumors and offered more consistent knockdown of tumoral GFP mRNA level in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) SK-Hep1-Luc-GFP xenograft mouse model, while IVJ-PEI formulation showed larger variation. These findings demonstrated that lipidation of polyplexes improved serum stability of biologic RNAi molecules, which was efficiently delivered to orthotopic HCC tissues to knock down target gene expression.

Characterization, catalyzed water oxidation and anticancer activities of a NIR BODIPY-Mn polymer.

To obtain near-IR absorbing biomaterials as fluorescence cellular imaging and anticancer agents for hypoxic cancer cell, a nano NIR fluorescence Mn(III/IV) polymer (PMnD) was spectroscopically characterized. The PMnD shows strong emission at 661nm when excited with 643nm. Furthermore, PMnD can catalyze water oxidation to generate dioxygen when irradiated by red LED light (10W). In particular, the PMnD can enter into HepG-2 cells and mitochondria. Both anticancer activity and the inhibition of the expression of HIF-1α for PMnD were concentration dependent. Our results demonstrate that PMnD can be developed as mitochondria targeted imaging agents and new inhibitors for HIF-1 in hypoxic cancer cells.

Synthesis, characterization, cell imaging and anti-tumor activity of multifunctional nanoparticles.

Most anticancer complexes are unable to differentiate between diseased and healthy cells, systemic toxicity and undesired side effects can result. In the current study, a PEG and RGD peptides functionalized fluorescent dye Rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC) doped magnetic silica nanoparticle (MnFe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-PEG-RGD), carrying a anticancer superparamagnetic Mn(II) complex, was synthesized and characterized using spectroscopic methods. The multifunctional nanoparticles (MnFe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-PEG-RGD) can image HepG-2 cells and differentiate between HepG-2 and WRL-68 cells based on T(1) MR imaging technology. The in vitro fluorescence image and inhibition assay on the proliferation of HeLa cells indicate that MnFe(3)O(4)@SiO(2)-PEG-RGD nanoparticles can effectively reach the tumor site, be internalized by endocytosis and then retain in cancer cells due to the retention effect of nanoparticles. This study demonstrated that a PEG and RGD peptides functionalized silica nanoparticle was a good carrier for the anticancer complexes, and the anticancer complexes loaded multifunctional nanoparticles could be developed as special agents in monitoring therapy of cancer.

[Anatomic and functional plasty for unilateral complete cleft lip].

OBJECTIVE: To explore methods for one-stage repairing of nose deformity and alveolar cleft, as well as primary unilateral complete cleft lip. METHODS: The nose deformity and alveolar cleft were repaired by Carstens' surgical methods, rhBMP-2 was used for correction of alveolar cleft. RESULTS: From 2004 to 2008, 45 cases of cleft lip were treated in the United States and followed up for 3-5 years. In 2007, 10 cases of cleft lip were treated in China and followed up for 1 year. All results were satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: Carstens' surgical methods can be applied for early correction of nose deformity and alveolar cleft in patients with complete cleft lip.

[Repair of bone defect due to tumor resection with self-setting CPC in children].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the effect of self-setting CPC on the repair of bone defect after tumor resection in children. METHODS: From December 1998 to December 2006, 32 patients with benign bone tumor were treated, and the bone defect was repaired by CPC. Among them, there were 21 males and 11 females, aged 4-14 years old (9.8 on average). The course of disease was 3-18 months. There were 12 cases of non-ossifying fibroma, 8 of bone cyst, 7 of osteoid osteoma and 5 of fibrous dysplasia. The bone defect was located in femur in 15 cases, in tibia in 8 cases, in humerus in 6 cases and in other positions in 3 cases. The range of bone defect was 2.0 cm x 1.5 cm x 1.0 cm - 10.0 cm x 5.0 cm x 4.0 cm. CPC spongiosa granules of 3-23 g were filled in 26 cases, including 3 children with pathologic fracture and internal fixation with plate, and injectable CPC of 5-20 mL was filled in 6 bone cyst cases. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients obtained healing by first insertion. All the patients were followed up for 12-48 months (23.5 months on average). No allergic reaction, toxicity, rash or high fever was found after operation. There was no pain or pruritus at the incisions. The X-ray films showed that the implanted CPC began to fuse with the host bone 4-9 months (7 month on average) after operation. The internal fixation was removed within 6-12 months of operation. And CPC spongiosa granules were absolutely absorbed within 8-36 months of operation. However, injectable CPC could be found 4 years after operation. The children's limbs could do normal exercises. Finally, bone matrix grew well and no recurrence was found. CONCLUSION: CPC in repairing bone defect after benign bone tumor in children is a safe, economical, convenient and non-toxic method.

[Coupling effects of water and chemical fertilizers on Hevea brasiliensis latex yield].

Water and nutrient are the two main factors limiting Hevea brasiliensis growth and its latex yield. With 17 year-old Clone SCATC 7-33-97 H. brasiliensis as test material, the coupling effects of water and chemical N, P and K fertilizers on latex yield were studied by general orthogonal rotation design of quadratic regression with four factors and five levels under field condition, and a regressive mathematical model was set up based on the latex yield by quadratic regression analysis. The results showed that all test coupling levels of water and chemical fertilizers had significant effects on the latex yield. The yield-increasing effect of test factors was in the order of N application rate > irrigation amount > P application rate > K application rate, while the coupling effect of water and chemical fertilizers was in the sequence of water and N > N and P > water and P > water and K. There was a negative coupling effect of K application rate and soil moisture content. For latex yield, the optimum application rates of chemical fertilizers were 476.39 kg x hm(-2) of urea, 187.70 kg x hm(-2) of superphosphate and 225.77 kg x hm(-2) of potassium chloride, and the optimum irrigation amount was to have 82.78% soil relative water content.

[Repair of bone defect due to tumour resection with self-setting calcium phosphate cement in children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of self-setting calcium phosphate cement (CPC) on the repair of local bone defects after resection of cyst in children. METHODS: From December 1998 to May 2002, 22 patients with bone defects were repaired with CPC. Their ages ranged from 4 to 10 years with an average of 8.3 years. There were 11 cases of non-ossifying fibroma, 7 cases of osteoid osteoma, 2 cases of bone cyst and 2 cases of fibrous dysplasia. The bone defects are located as the following: femur in 14 cases, tibia in 6 cases and humerus in 2 cases. CPC spongiosa granules were filled in 11 cases, injectable CPC were filled in 2 bone cyst cases. The patients were followed up for 5-48 months, averaged 23.5 months. RESULTS: Bone matrix grew well and no recurrence was found. CONCLUSION: The method with simple CPC in repairing bone defects is safe, non-toxic, economic and convenient in children.