Reconstruction of Acquired Segmental Mandibular Defects Using Pedicled Mandibular Muscle Flap and Evaluation of Speech Function and Aesthetic Outcomes.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of pedicled mandibular osteomuscular flap in the reconstouring of repair of acquired segmental mandibular defects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients with acquired segmental mandibular defects requiring secondary repair were included into the study. Pedicled mandibular osteomuscular flap was applied with strong internal fixation to repair the mandibular defects. The patients' speech, swallowing function, and aesthetic changes were evaluated upon follow-up. RESULTS: The flaps were viable in all patients. Average speech function score was 7.6±0.6. All patients had a drinking test rating of grade I or II with good masticatory efficiency. The postoperative self-assessment Visual Analog Scale score of appearance was 7.8±0.8. CONCLUSIONS: Pedicled mandibular osteomuscular flap is a viable choice in the secondary repair and reconstruction of mandibular acquired segmental defects. This flap could achieve better oral function with good aesthetic results.

The Class II KNOX family members KNAT3 and KNAT7 redundantly participate in Arabidopsis seed coat mucilage biosynthesis.

The production of Arabidopsis seed mucilage involves complex polysaccharide biosynthetic pathways and developmental processes in seed epidermal cells. Although the polysaccharide components of Arabidopsis seed mucilage have been identified, their regulatory mechanism requires further investigation. Here, we show that Class II KNOX gene family members KNAT3 and KNAT7 play an essential role in regulating mucilage production in the early developmental stages of Arabidopsis seeds. Double mutant knat3knat7 resulted in defective seed mucilage production and columellae formation, whereas knat3 showed a normal phenotype compared with wild type, and the mucilage thickness in knat7 was slightly disturbed. Rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) and its biosynthetic substrates galacturonic acid and rhamnose were reduced in both the adherent and soluble mucilage of knat3knat7. Comparative transcriptome analysis on whole seeds suggested that polysaccharide, glucosinolate and anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways were specifically repressed in knat3knat7. Transient co-expression of KNAT3 and KNAT7 with promoter regions of candidate genes in Arabidopsis protoplasts revealed that both KNAT3 and KNAT7 act as positive regulators of the RG-I biosynthetic gene MUCILAGE-MODIFIED 4 (MUM4, AT1G53500). Collectively, our results demonstrate that KNAT3 and KNAT7 are multifunctional transcription factors in secondary cell wall development and redundantly modulate mucilage biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seeds.

A gold nanoparticle doped flexible substrate for microplastics SERS detection.

Due to overuse of plastic products, decomposed microplastics (MPs) are widely spread in aquatic ecosystems, and will cause irreparable harm to the human body through the food chain. Traditional MP detection methods require cumbersome sample pre-processing procedures and complex instruments, so there is an urgent demand to develop methods to achieve simple on-site detection. Herein, a simple, sensitive, accurate, and stable MP detection method based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is investigated. Considering the hydrophobic problems of MPs, gold nanoparticle (AuNP) doped filter paper as a flexible SERS substrate is applied to capture MPs in the fiber pores. Benefitting from the electromagnetic (EM) hot spots generated by AuNPs, the Raman signal of MPs can be effectively enhanced. Meanwhile, the flexible SERS substrate has good sensitivity to a minimum detectable concentration of 0.1 g L-1 for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in water, and the maximum enhancement factor (EF) can reach 360.5. Furthermore, the practicability of the developed method has been proved by the successful detection of MPs in tap water and pond water. This research provides an easy process, high sensitivity, and good reproducibility method for MP detection.

Biosynthesis of Poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) under the Control of an Anaerobically Induced Promoter by Recombinant Escherichia coli from Sucrose.

Poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a polyester with biodegradable and biocompatible characteristics and has many potential applications. To reduce the raw material costs and microbial energy consumption during PHB production, cheaper carbon sources such as sucrose were evaluated for the synthesis of PHB under anaerobic conditions. In this study, metabolic network analysis was conducted to construct an optimized pathway for PHB production using sucrose as the sole carbon source and to guide the gene knockout to reduce the generation of mixed acid byproducts. The plasmid pMCS-sacC was constructed to utilize sucrose as a sole carbon source, and the cascaded promoter P3nirB was used to enhance PHB synthesis under anaerobic conditions. The mixed acid fermentation pathway was knocked out in Escherichia coli S17-1 to reduce the synthesis of byproducts. As a result, PHB yield was improved to 80% in 6.21 g/L cell dry weight by the resulted recombinant Escherichia coli in a 5 L bed fermentation, using sucrose as the sole carbon source under anaerobic conditions. As a result, the production costs of PHB will be significantly reduced.

Improved Synthesis of a Novel Biodegradable Tunable Micellar Polymer Based on Partially Hydrogenated Poly(ß-malic Acid-co-benzyl Malate).

Poly(benzyl malate) (PBM), together with its derivatives, have been studied as nanocarriers for biomedical applications due to their superior biocompatibility and biodegradability. The acquisition of PBM is primarily from chemical routes, which could offer polymer-controlled molecular weight and a unique controllable morphology. Nowadays, the frequently used synthesis from L-aspartic acid gives an overall yield of 4.5%. In this work, a novel synthesis route with malic acid as the initiator was successfully designed and optimized, increasing the reaction yield up to 31.2%. Furthermore, a crystalline form of PBM (PBM-2) that polymerized from high optical purity benzyl-ß-malolactonate (MLABn) was discovered during the optimization process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the crystalline PBM-2 had obvious diffraction peaks, demonstrating that its internal atoms were arranged in a more orderly manner and were different from the amorphous PBM-1 prepared from the racemic MLABn. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curves and thermogravimetric curves elucidated the diverse thermal behaviors between PBM-1 and PBM-2. The degradation curves and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images further demonstrated the biodegradability of PBM, which have different crystal structures. The hardness of PBM-2 implied the potential application in bone regeneration, while it resulted in the reduction of solubility when compared with PBM-1, which made it difficult to be dissolved and hydrogenated. The solution was therefore heated up to 75 °C to achieve benzyl deprotection, and a series of partially hydrogenated PBM was sequent prepared. Their optimal hydrogenation rates were screened to determine the optimal conditions for the formation of micelles suitable for drug-carrier applications. In summary, the synthesis route from malic acid facilitated the production of PBM for a shorter time and with a higher yield. The biodegradability, biosafety, mechanical properties, and adjustable hydrogenation widen the application of PBM with tunable properties as drug carriers.

A Phase II Study of Genexol-PM and Cisplatin as Induction Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

LESSONS LEARNED: Induction chemotherapy with Genexol-PM and cisplatin demonstrated modest tumor response in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.Considering favorable toxicity profiles and promising survival data, further studies on this regimen are warranted in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. BACKGROUND: Genexol-PM is a polymeric micellar formulation of paclitaxel without Cremophor EL. We investigated the efficacy and safety of Genexol-PM plus cisplatin as induction chemotherapy (IC) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). METHODS: Patients received Genexol-PM (230 mg/m2) and cisplatin (60 mg/m2) every 3 weeks as IC. After three cycles of IC, definitive treatment of either concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with weekly cisplatin (30 mg/m2) or surgery was performed. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) after IC. RESULTS: Of 52 patients enrolled, 47 completed three cycles of IC, and the ORR was 55.8% (95% confidence interval, 42.3-69.3). Although there was one treatment-related death, toxicity profiles to Genexol-PM and cisplatin were generally favorable, and the most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were neutropenia (15.4%), anorexia (7.7%), and general weakness (7.7%). Fifty-one patients received definitive treatment (CCRT [n = 44] or radical surgery [n = 7]). The rate of complete response following CCRT was 81.8% (36/44). After a median follow-up of 39 months, estimates of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 3 years were 54.3% and 71.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: IC with Genexol-PM and cisplatin demonstrated modest tumor response with well-tolerated toxicity profiles for patients with LA-HNSCC.

Air-electron stream interactions during magnetic resonance IGRT : Skin irradiation outside the treatment field during accelerated partial breast irradiation.

PURPOSE: To investigate and to prevent irradiation outside the treatment field caused by an electron stream in the air generated by the magnetic field during magnetic resonance image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 20 patients who received APBI with a magnetic resonance image-guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) system were prospectively studied. The prescription dose was 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions of 3.85 Gy and delivered with a tri-cobalt system (the ViewRay system). For each patient, primary plans were delivered for the first five fractions and modified plans with different gantry angles from those of the primary plan (in-treatment plans) were delivered for the remaining five fractions to reduce the skin dose. A 1 cm thick bolus was placed in front of the patient's jaw, ipsilateral shoulder, and arm to shield them from the electron stream. Radiochromic EBT3 films were attached to the front (towards the breast) and back (towards the head) of the bolus during treatment. Correlations between the measured values and the tumor locations, treatment times, and tumor sizes were investigated. RESULTS: For a single fraction delivery, the average areas of the measured isodoses of 14% (0.54 Gy), 12% (0.46 Gy), and 10% (0.39 Gy) at the front of the boluses were as large as 3, 10.4, and 21.4 cm2, respectively, whereas no significant dose could be measured at the back of the boluses. Statistically significant but weak correlations were observed between the measured values and the treatment times. CONCLUSION: During radiotherapy for breast cancer with an MR-IGRT system, the patient must be shielded from electron streams in the air generated by the interaction of the magnetic field with the beams of the three-cobalt treatment unit to avoid unwanted irradiation of the skin outside the treatment field.

Conformational Regulation and Crystalline Manipulation of PLLA through a Self-Assembly Nucleator.

Self-assembly nucleators have been increasingly used to manipulate the crystallization of PLLA due to their strong intermolecular interaction with PLLA, while the molecular mechanism of such interaction is still unrevealed. In present work, one special self-assembly nucleator (TMC-300) with relatively high solubility in PLLA matrix, is chosen to investigate how the interaction works at molecular level to promote the crystallization of PLLA mainly through time-resolved spectroscopy. The results indicate that due to the dipole-dipole NH···O═C interaction between dissolved TMC-300 and PLLA, PLLA chains are transformed into gt conformer before TMC-300 phase-separating from PLLA melt, resulting in low energy barrier to pass for the following formation of PLLA α-crystal (α-crystal is consisted of gt conformer). Once the dissolved TMC-300 starts to self-assemble into frameworks upon cooling, the transformed PLLA chains with high population of gt conformer form the primary nuclei on the surface of such self-assembling TMC-300 frameworks. For the first time, not only the heterogeneous nucleation but also the conformational regulation of PLLA chains are proved to be responsible for the high efficiency of the self-assembly nucleators (TMC-300) in promoting the crystallization of PLLA. Therefore, conformational regulation is proposed for crystalline manipulation of PLLA, and this work brings new insight on promoting the crystallization of PLLA even other polymers by regulating their molecular conformation.

miR-140-5p-mediated regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells occurs through the lipopolysaccharide/toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway.

Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are oral mesenchymal stem cells with potential to differentiate into various cell types. Recent studies of DPSCs have focused on microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs that play crucial roles in regulating DPSC phenotypes. In the current study, the expression of miR-140-5p was significantly decreased during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated differentiation of DPSCs in vitro. Overexpression of miR-140-5p enhanced proliferation of DPSCs and inhibited DPSC differentiation, whereas suppression of miR-140-5p produced the opposite effect. Moreover, the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), a critical regulator of DPSCs, was negatively correlated with the levels of miR-140-5p. A luciferase reporter analysis confirmed that miR-140-5p could regulate TLR-4 by directly binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the TLR4 mRNA. Additionally, we suppressed TLR-4 expression by treating cells with a TLR-4 inhibitor, CLI-095, and demonstrated that the effect of the miR-140-5p inhibitor on DPSC proliferation and differentiation could be partially reversed by blocking TLR-4. Taken together, our data suggest that miR-140-5p is a novel miRNA that regulates DPSC proliferation and differentiation.

Preparation and characterization of laser-melted Mg-Sn-Zn alloys for biomedical application.

The rapid degradation rate of Magnesium (Mg) alloy limits its biomedical application even though it possesses outstanding biological performance and biomechanical compatibility. In this study, a combined method of laser rapid melting and alloying Zinc (Zn) was proposed to decrease the degradation rate of Mg-Sn alloy. The microstructure, degradation behaviors and mechanical properties of the laser-melted Mg-5Sn-xZn (x = 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt.%) alloys were investigated. The results indicated that the grain size of the alloys decreased with increasing Zn content, due to the increased number of nucleation particles formed in the process of solidification. Moreover, the laser-melted Mg-Sn alloys possessed finer grains compared with traditional as-cast and as-rolled Mg-Sn alloys. The degradation rate of the alloys decreased with increasing Zn content (0-4 wt.%), which was ascribed to the grain refinement and the formation of Zn(OH)2 protective layer. However, the degradation rate increased as the Zn content further increased (4-8 wt.%), which was caused by the galvanic corrosion between the Mg matrix and the generated Mg7Zn3 phase. Besides, Zn also increased the hardness of the alloys owing to the grain refinement strengthening and solid solution strengthening.

Larsenimonas suaedae sp. nov., a moderately halophilic, endophytic bacterium isolated from the halophyte Suaeda salsa.

A moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative, non-endospore-forming endophytic bacterium designated strain ST307T was isolated from the euhalophyte Suaeda salsa in Dongying, China. Strain ST307T was aerobic, rod-shaped, motile and orange-yellow-pigmented. The organism grew at NaCl concentrations of 0.6-20 % (w/v) (optimum 5-6 %, w/v), at temperatures of 5-45 °C (optimum 35 °C) and at pH 5-9 (optimum pH 7-8). It accumulated poly-ß-hydroxybutyric acid and produced exopolysaccharides. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c, C16 : 0 and C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c. The predominant lipoquinone was ubiquinone Q-9. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, a glycoaminolipid and a phosphoglycoaminolipid. The DNA G+C content was 60.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences and concatenated atpA, rpoD and secA gene sequences revealed that the strain represents a member of the genus Larsenimonas. The closest related type strain was Larsenimonas salina M1-18T. Mean DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain ST307T and the related species L. salina M1-18T, Chromohalobacter beijerinckii DSM 7218T, C. canadensis DSM 6769T, C. israelensis DSM 6768T, C. marismortui CGMCC 1.2321T, C. nigrandesensis DSM 14323T, C. salexigens DSM 3043T and C. sarecensis DSM 15547T were 15±2-45±1 %. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular features, strain ST307T clearly represents a novel species of the genus Larsenimonas. The name Larsenimonassuaedae sp. nov. is proposed, with ST307T (=CGMCC 1.8902T=DSM 22428T) as the type strain.

Engineering the growth pattern and cell morphology for enhanced PHB production by Escherichia coli.

E. coli JM109∆envC∆nlpD deleted with genes envC and nlpD responsible for degrading peptidoglycan (PG) led to long filamentous cell shapes. When cell fission ring location genes minC and minD of Escherichia coli were deleted, E. coli JM109∆minCD changed the cell growth pattern from binary division to multiple fissions. Bacterial morphology can be further engineered by overexpressing sulA gene resulting in inhibition on FtsZ, thus generating very long cellular filaments. By overexpressing sulA in E. coli JM109∆envC∆nlpD and E. coli JM109∆minCD harboring poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthesis operon phbCAB encoded in plasmid pBHR68, respectively, both engineered cells became long filaments and accumulated more PHB compared with the wild-type. Under same shake flask growth conditions, E. coli JM109∆minCD (pBHR68) overexpressing sulA grown in multiple fission pattern accumulated approximately 70 % PHB in 9 g/L cell dry mass (CDM), which was significantly higher than E. coli JM109∆envC∆nlpD and the wild type, that produced 7.6 g/L and 8 g/L CDM containing 64 % and 51 % PHB, respectively. Results demonstrated that a combination of the new division pattern with elongated shape of E. coli improved PHB production. This provided a new vision on the enhanced production of inclusion bodies.

Fibrin sealants for the prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreatic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pancreatic fistula is one of the most frequent and potentially life-threatening complications following pancreatic resections. Fibrin sealants are introduced to reduce postoperative pancreatic fistula by some surgeons. However, the use of fibrin sealants during pancreatic surgery is controversial. OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety, effectiveness, and potential adverse effects of fibrin sealants for the prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreatic surgery. SEARCH METHODS: We searched The Cochrane Library (2015, Issue 7), MEDLINE (1946 to 26 August 2015), EMBASE (1980 to 26 August 2015), Science Citation Index Expanded (1900 to 26 August 2015), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) (1978 to 26 August 2015). SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all randomized controlled trials that compared fibrin sealant group (fibrin glue or fibrin sealant patch) versus control group (no fibrin sealant or placebo) in people undergoing pancreatic surgery. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently identified the trials for inclusion, collected the data, and assessed the risk of bias. We performed the meta-analyses using Review Manager 5. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes (or a Peto odds ratio for very rare outcomes), and the mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS: We included nine trials involving 1095 participants who were randomized to the fibrin sealant group (N = 550) and the control group (N = 545) after pancreatic surgery. All of the trials were at high risk of bias. There was no evidence of differences in overall postoperative pancreatic fistula (fibrin sealant 29.6%; control 31.0%; RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.21; P = 0.58; nine studies; low-quality evidence), postoperative mortality (3.1% versus 2.1%; Peto OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.59 to 2.82; P = 0.53; eight studies; very low-quality evidence), overall postoperative morbidity (29.6% versus 28.9%; RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.32; P = 0.77; five studies), reoperation rate (8.7% versus 10.7%; RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.21; P = 0.29; five studies), or length of hospital stay (12.9 days versus 13.1 days; MD -0.73 days, 95% CI -2.20 to 0.74; P = 0.331; six studies) between the groups. The proportion of postoperative pancreatic fistula that was clinically significant was not mentioned in most trials. On inclusion of trials that clearly distinguished clinically significant fistulas, there was inadequate evidence to establish the effect of fibrin sealants on clinically significant postoperative pancreatic fistula (9.4% versus 13.4%; RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.21; P = 0.21; three studies). Quality of life and cost effectiveness were not reported in any of the trials. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on the current available evidence, fibrin sealants do not seem to prevent postoperative pancreatic fistula in people undergoing pancreatic surgery.

Exploring the impact of word-of-mouth about Physicians' service quality on patient choice based on online health communities.

BACKGROUND: Health care service is a high-credence service and patients may face difficulties ascertaining service quality in order to make choices about their available treatment options. Online health communities (OHCs) provide a convenient channel for patients to search for physicians' information, such as Word-of-Mouth (WOM), particularly on physicians' service quality evaluated by other patients. Existing studies from other service domains have proved that WOM impacts consumer choice. However, how patients make a choice based on physicians' WOM has not been studied, particularly with reference to different patient characteristics and by using real data. METHODS: One thousand eight hundred fifty three physicians' real data were collected from a Chinese online health community. The data were analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) method. RESULTS: The study found that functional quality negatively moderated the relationship between technical quality and patient choice, and disease risk moderated the relationship between physicians' service quality and patient choice. CONCLUSIONS: Our study recommends that hospital managers need to consider the roles of both technical quality and functional quality seriously. Physicians should improve their medical skills and bedside manners based on the severity and type of disease to provide better service.

Anion Channel Inhibitor NPPB-Inhibited Fluoride Accumulation in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Is Related to the Regulation of Ca²âº, CaM and Depolarization of Plasma Membrane Potential.

Tea plant is known to be a hyper-accumulator of fluoride (F). Over-intake of F has been shown to have adverse effects on human health, e.g., dental fluorosis. Thus, understanding the mechanisms fluoride accumulation and developing potential approaches to decrease F uptake in tea plants might be beneficial for human health. In the present study, we found that pretreatment with the anion channel inhibitor NPPB reduced F accumulation in tea plants. Simultaneously, we observed that NPPB triggered Ca(2+) efflux from mature zone of tea root and significantly increased relative CaM in tea roots. Besides, pretreatment with the Ca(2+) chelator (EGTA) and CaM antagonists (CPZ and TFP) suppressed NPPB-elevated cytosolic Ca(2+) fluorescence intensity and CaM concentration in tea roots, respectively. Interestingly, NPPB-inhibited F accumulation was found to be significantly alleviated in tea plants pretreated with either Ca(2+) chelator (EGTA) or CaM antagonists (CPZ and TFP). In addition, NPPB significantly depolarized membrane potential transiently and we argue that the net Ca(2+) and H⁺ efflux across the plasma membrane contributed to the restoration of membrane potential. Overall, our results suggest that regulation of Ca(2+)-CaM and plasma membrane potential depolarization are involved in NPPB-inhibited F accumulation in tea plants.

Effect of exogenous pulmonary surfactants on mortality rate in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The utilization of multiple natural and synthetic products in surfactant replacement therapies in treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) prompted us to take a closer looks at these various therapeutic options and their efficacies. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of six exogenous pulmonary surfactants (EPS) (Survanta, Alveofact, Infasurf, Curosurf, Surfaxin and Exosurf) on mortality rate in NRDS by a network meta-analysis. METHODS: An exhaustive search of electronic databases was performed in PubMed, Ovid, EBSCO, Springerlink, Wiley, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and VIP databases (last updated search in October 2014) to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) relevant to our study topic. Published clinical trials were screened based on the following inclusion criteria: (1) study design: RCTs; (2) interventions: treatment with Survanta, Alveofact, Infasurf, Curosurf, Surfaxin or Exosurf for NRDS; (3) study subject: infants with NRDS confirmed by clinical diagnosis; (4) outcome: the mortality rate of infants with NRDS. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA) and Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA 2.0) software. RESULTS: From the 1840 studies initially retrieved through database searches, a total of 17 high quality RCTs were selected for this network meta-analysis. The selected studies included a combined total of 57,223 infants with NRDS treated with various EPS (Survanta, 27,017; Alveofact, 159; Infasurf, 20,377; Curosurf, 20,911; Surfaxin, 646; Exosurf, 1640). Network meta-analysis results showed that the mortality rates in NRDS infants treated with Alveofact, Infasurf, Curosurf, Surfaxin, Exosurf were not significantly different compared to Survanta (Alveofact: OR = 1.163, 95% CI = 0.645-2.099, P = 0.616; Infasurf: OR = 0.985, 95% CI = 0.777-1.248, P = 0.897; Curosurf: OR = 0.789, 95% CI = 0.619-1.007, P = 0.056; Surfaxin: OR = 0.728, 95% CI = 0.477-1.112, P = 0.142; Exosurf: OR = 0.960, 95% CI = 0.698-1.319, P = 0.799). Notably, the surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) value in Surfaxin group was significantly higher than the other five groups (Surfaxin: 80.4%; Survanta: 37.0%; Alveofact: 24.4%; Infasurf: 40.0%; Curosurf: 73.9%; Exosurf: 44.2%), suggesting that infant mortality rate in Surfaxin group was the lowest among the six EPS groups. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that Surfaxin could effectively reduce the mortality rate of infants with NRDS and may have a better efficacy in NRDS treatment, compared to Survanta, Alveofact, Infasurf, Curosurf and Exosurf.

Efficient solution-processed double-layer red OLEDs based on a new europium complex with a carbazole group.

A new europium complex EuL3 (Phen) was used as guest dopant, and a blend of Polyvinylcarbazole and 2-(biphenyl-4-yl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PVK and PBD) as host matrix. Efficient red organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with double-layer structures were manufactured via a solution-processed technique. The guest-doped levels were 1, 3 and 5 wt% relative to the blend mass, respectively. For the 1 wt% doping-level device, the luminous efficiency and luminance were up to 2.96 cd/A and 635.78 cd/m(2) with emissions from both EuL3 (Phen) and from the host; for the 3 wt% doping-level device, the maximum luminous efficiency and luminance were 1.01 cd/A and 370.91 cd/m(2) for the single emission from EuL3 (Phen) only.

Engineering Escherichia coli for enhanced production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) in larger cellular space.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are intracellularly accumulated as inclusion bodies. Due to the limitation of the cell size, PHA accumulation is also limited. To solve this problem, Escherichia coli was enlarged by over-expression of sulA gene to inhibit the cell division FtsZ ring assembly, leading to the formation of filamentary E. coli that have larger internal space for PHA accumulation compared with rod shape E. coli. As a result, more than 100% increases on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) contents and cell dry weights (CDW) were achieved compared with its control strain under same conditions. The enlarged cell strategy was applied to the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) or P(3HB-co-4HB) by sad, gabD, essential genes ispH and folK knockout E. coli harboring two addictives and thus stable plasmids consisting of P(3HB-co-4HB) producing genes, including phaCAB operon, orfZ, 4hbD, sucD, essential genes ispH and folK as well as the sulA. The so constructed E. coli grew in glucose to form filamentary shapes with an improved P(3HB-co-4HB) accumulation around 10% more than its control strain without addition of 4HB precursor, reaching over 78% P(3HB-co-4HB) in CDW. Importantly, the shape changing E. coli was able to precipitate after 20min stillstand. Finally, the filamentary recombinant E. coli was not only able to produce more P(3HB-co-4HB) from glucose but also allow convenient downstream separation from the fermentation broth.

Effects of cascaded vgb promoters on poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthesis by recombinant Escherichia coli grown micro-aerobically.

Micro-aeration is a situation that will be encountered in bacterial cell growth especially when the saturated dissolved oxygen level cannot match the demand from cells grown to a high density. Therefore, it is desirable to separate aerobic growth and micro-aerobic product formation into two stages using methods including anaerobic or micro-aerobic promoters that are inducible under low aeration intensity. Eleven potential low aeration-inducible promoters were cloned and studied for their induction strengths under micro-aerobic conditions. Of them, Vitreoscilla hemoglobin promoter (P vgb ) was found to be the strongest among all 11 promoters. At the same time, six E. coli hosts harboring poly(R-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthesis operon phaCAB were compared for their ability to accumulate poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHA). E. coli S17-1 was demonstrated to be the best host achieving a 70 % (mass fraction) PHB in the cell dry weigh (CDW) after 48 h under micro-aerobic growth. Cascaded P vgb repeats (P nvgb ) were investigated for enhanced expression level under micro-aerobic growth. The highest PHA production was obtained when a promoter containing eight cascaded P vgb repeats (P 8vgb ) was used, 5.37 g/l CDW containing 90 % PHB was obtained from recombinant in E. coli S17-1. Cells grew further to 6.30 g/l CDW containing 91 % PHB when oxygen-responsive transcription factor ArcA (arcA) was deleted in the same recombinant E. coli S17-1. This study revealed that vgb promoter containing cascaded P vgb repeats (P 8vgb ) is useful for product formation under low aeration intensity.

Assessment of potential jaw-tracking advantage using control point sequences of VMAT planning.

This study aims to evaluate the potential jaw-tracking advantage using control point sequences of volume volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning. VMAT plans for patients with prostate and head and neck (H&N) cancers were converted into new static arc (SA) plans. The SA plan consisted of a series of static fields at each control point of the VMAT plan. All other machine parameters of the SA plan were perfectly identical to those of the original VMAT plan. The jaw-tracking static arc (JTSA) plans were generated with fields that closed the jaws of each SA field into the multileaf collimators (MLCs) aperture. The dosimetric advantages of JTSA over SA were evaluated in terms of a dose-volume histogram (DVH) of organ at risk (OAR) after renormalizing both plans to make the same target coverage. Both plans were delivered to the MatriXX-based COMPASS system for 3D volume dose verification. The average jaw size reduction of the JTSA along the X direction was 3.1 ± 0.9 cm for prostate patients and 6.9 ± 1.9 cm for H&N patients. For prostate patients, the organs far from the target showed larger sparing (3.7%-8.1% on average) in JTSA than the organs adjacent to the target (1.1%-1.5%). For the H&N plans, the mean dose reductions for all organs ranged from 4.3% to 11.9%. The dose reductions were more significant in the dose regions of D80, D90, and D95 than the dose regions of D5, D10, and D20 for all patients. Likewise, the deliverability and reproducibility of jaw-tracking plan were validated. The measured dosimetric advantage of JTSA over SA coincided with the calculated one above.