Influencing factors of end-of-dose failure in patients with cancer pain after oral oxycodone sustained-release tablets: a retrospective, case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: Comparing the characteristics of end-of-dose failure patients and non-end-of-dose failure patients in the Chinese population and exploring the factors that may affect the occurrence of end-of-dose failure in cancer pain patients. METHODS: The outpatient with cancer pain from 2016 to 2019 were collected through hospital information system, and patients were included who met the following criteria: patients with the average numerical rating scale  ≥4 points within 3 days after taking the oxycodone sustained-release preparation, titrated to an effective therapeutic dose suitable for patients, had at least two clinical visits information of the patient with a minimum of ≥3 days between visits, the average numerical rating scale of the next visit after the treatment of occasional pain is ≥4, and were divided into end-of-dose failure group and non-end-of-dose failure group. RESULTS: Age (P < 0.05, odds ratio 0.933), diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (P < 0.05, odds ratio 0.009), pain site is the head and neck (P < 0.05, odds ratio 0.005) and the abdomen (P < 0.01, odds ratio 0.021), and the metastatic site is the liver (P < 0.05, odds ratio 0.001) are related to the occurrence of end-of-dose failure. CONCLUSIONS: Younger patients are more likely to develop end-of-dose failure. Patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, with pain in the head and neck and abdomen, and with liver metastases have a lower incidence of end-of-dose failure.

Particular Levels of Odors Released by Virgin Females Attract Conspecific Males of the Funnel-Web Spider Allagelena difficilis.

Female-released chemical signals are crucial clues for mate-searching males to locate and gain sexual receptivity of conspecific females. Abundant behavioral evidence indicates that female spiders release sex pheromones to guide mate-searching behavior of conspecific mature males. However, the chemical nature of spider pheromones is poorly understood. Females of the funnel-web spider, Allagelena difficilis, employ sit-and-wait tactics for mating. Field observations indicate that males leave their retreats to search for potential mates during the breeding season. Therefore, we investigated whether virgin females release a sex attractant to conspecific males and then explored the chemical nature of the female pheromone. Four fatty acids extracted from the female bodies (palmitic acid, linoleic acid, cis-vaccenic acid and stearic acid) constitute a multiple-component sex attractant to conspecific males in A. difficilis. Unexpectedly, mated females also produce the same fatty acids, but at trace levels. Two-choice experiments showed that males were significantly attracted by the blend of the four fatty acids in appropriate concentrations while avoiding the blend consisting of the same acids at very low concentrations, suggesting that mate-searching males are able to discriminate virgin females from mated females by the quantities of female-specific fatty acids in the funnel-web spider A. difficilis.

Water-Soluble Cationic Metalloporphyrins: Specific G-Quadruplex-Stabilizing Ability and Reversible Chirality of Aggregates Induced by AT-Rich DNA.

Cu-TMPipPrOPP and Zn-TMPipPrOPP, two new cationic metallo derivatives of TMPipPrOPP (5,10,15,20-tetrakis{4-[3-(1-methyl-1-piperidinyl)propoxy]phenyl}porphyrin), a porphyrin with four bulky side chains, were synthesized and characterized. The interactions of the new metalloporphyrins with structurally different DNAs were then compared with those of TMPipPrOPP. The introduction of bulky side chains provides the porphyrin derivatives with excellent binding specificity for G-quadruplex DNA, which is reflected by (1) the significantly different optical responses of TMPipPrOPP toward G-quadruplexes in comparison with single-stranded and duplex DNAs and (2) the ability of the three porphyrin derivatives to effectively stabilize G-quadruplexes, with no or little effect on the stability of duplex DNA. TMPipPrOPP can achieve colorimetric and fluorescent discrimination of G-quadruplexes from single-stranded and duplex DNAs with extraordinary high specificity. Due the presence of metal ions, Cu-TMPipPrOPP and Zn-TMPipPrOPP are deprived of the ability for optical G-quadruplex recognition but show enhanced ability to stabilize G-quadruplexes. In addition, because of the presence of the four cationic side chain substituents, the three porphyrin derivatives can form chiral aggregates via electrostatic interactions along the surface of structurally diverse DNAs. The chirality of aggregates formed by TMPipPrOPP is not changed by the nature of the template DNAs, whereas aggregates formed by Cu-TMPipPrOPP and Zn-TMPipPrOPP in the presence of adenine-thymine (AT) rich duplex DNA show completely inverted chirality in comparison with those formed in the presence of other DNAs. Interestingly, the chirality of the aggregates can be reversibly switched many times by alternating the ratio of Cu-TMPipPrOPP (or Zn-TMPipPrOPP) to AT-rich duplex DNA.

Cloning and characterization of the pepper CaPAO gene for defense responses to salt-induced leaf senescence.

BACKGROUND: Pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO) is an important enzyme in the chlorophyll catabolism pathway and is involved in leaf senescence. It opens the porphyrin macrocycle of pheophorbide a and finally forms the primary fluorescent chlorophyll catabolite. Previous studies have demonstrated the function of PAO during cell death. However, the characterizaton of PAO during leaf senescence induced by environmental factors is not well understood. METHODS: Homology-based cloning and RACE techniques were used to obtain the full-length cDNA of the CaPAO gene. CaPAO expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Function of CaPAO gene were studied using virus-induced gene silencing and transgenic techniques with tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum). RESULTS: A novel PAO gene CaPAO was isolated from pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). The full-length CaPAO cDNA is comprised of 1838 bp, containing an open reading frame of 1614 bp, and encodes a 537 amino acid protein. This deduced protein belongs to the Rieske-type iron-sulfur superfamily, containing a conserved Rieske cluster. CaPAO expression, as determined by quantitative real-time PCR, was higher in leaves than roots, stems and flowers. It was upregulated by abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid. Moreover, CaPAO was significantly induced by high salinity and osmotic stress treatments and also was regulated by Phytophthora capsici. The virus-induced gene silencing technique was used to silence the CaPAO gene in pepper plants. After 3 days of high salt treatment, the chlorophyll breakdown of CaPAO-silenced pepper plants was retarded. RD29A promoter-inducible expression vector was constructed and transferred into tobacco plant. After 7 days of salt treatment, the leaves of transgenic plants were severely turned into yellow, the lower leaves showed necrotic symptom and chlorophyll content was significantly lower than that in the control plants. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CaPAO gene was induced in natural senescence and various stresses. The CaPAO gene may be related to defense responses to various stresses and play an important role in salt-induced leaf senescence.

Notes on species of Talaus Simon, 1886 (Araneae, Thomisidae) from China, with descriptions of two new species.

Taxonomic notes on the Talaus species from China are provided. Two new species, T.yuyang Yao & Liu, sp. nov. and T.zhangjiangkou Yao & Liu, sp. nov. are described and illustrated, and a further three species are redescribed based on their genitalic characters: T.dulongjiang Tang, Yin, Ubick & Peng, 2008, T.niger Tang, Yin, Ubick & Peng, 2008, and T.sulcus Tang & Li, 2010. The species T.xiphosus Zhu & Ono, 2007 is considered a junior synonym of T.triangulifer Simon, 1886 based on an examination of many recently collected female and male specimens from Guangxi Province, China. Diagnoses, detailed illustrations and a map of distributional records of the six treated species of Talaus in China are provided.

Midget cave spiders (Araneae, Leptonetidae) from Jiangxi and Fujian Province, China.

Eleven leptonetid species belonging to four genera collected in Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces, China are presented. Ten new species of midget cave spiders from southern China are diagnosed, described, and illustrated: Leptoneteladawu Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.yuanhaoi Yao & Liu, sp. nov. and L.zuojiashanensis Yao & Liu, sp. nov. from Jiangxi; Longileptonetaguadunensis Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.huboliao Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.jiaxiani Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.letuensis Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.renzhouensis Yao & Liu, sp. nov., L.tianmenensis Yao & Liu, sp. nov., and Pararanamingxuani Yao & Liu, sp. nov. from Fujian. Furthermore, Falcileptonetamonodactyla (Yin, Wang & Wang, 1984) is recorded from Jiangxi province for the first time. Distributions records are given for all investigated species.

The effect of energy substrates on PHB accumulation of Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1.

The effect of glucose and elemental sulfur on the growth and PHB accumulation of Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1 was investigated. Meanwhile, the differential expressions of 19 genes related with PHB accumulation, sulfur metabolism and carbon fixed in heterotrophy, phytotrophy and mixotrophy were studied by RT-qPCR. The results showed that strain DX1-1 could accumulate PHB with sulfur as the energy substance and atmospheric CO2 as carbon resource. Glucose could improve the growth of strain DX1-1 cultured in medium with sulfur as the energy substance, and almost all the key enzyme-encoding genes related with PHB, sulfur metabolism and carbon fixed were basically up-regulated. PHB polymerase (Arcy_3030), ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (Acry_0825), ribulose-phosphate-epimerase (Acry_0022), and cysteine synthase A (Acry_2560) played important role in PHB accumulation, the modified expression of which could influence the PHB yield. With CO2 as carbon resource, the main initial substance of PHB accumulation for strain DX1-1 was acetyl-CoA, instead of acetate with the glucose as the carbon resource. Because of accumulating PHB by fixed atmospheric CO2 while independent of light, A. cryptum DX1-1 may have specifically potential in production of PHB.

A Novel Peroxidase CanPOD Gene of Pepper Is Involved in Defense Responses to Phytophtora capsici Infection as well as Abiotic Stress Tolerance.

Peroxidases are involved in many plant processes including plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. We isolated a novel peroxidase gene CanPOD from leaves of pepper cultivar A3. The full-length gene has a 1353-bp cDNA sequence and contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 975-bp, which encodes a putative polypeptide of 324 amino acids with a theoretical protein size of 34.93 kDa. CanPOD showed diverse expression levels in different tissues of pepper plants. To evaluate the role of CanPOD in plant stress responses, the expression patterns of CanPOD were examined using Real-Time RT-PCR. The results indicated that CanPOD was significantly induced by Phytophtora capsici. Moreover, CanPOD was also up-regulated in leaves after salt and drought stress treatments. In addition, CanPOD expression was strongly induced by signaling hormones salicylic acid (SA). In contrast, CanPOD was not highly expressed after treatment with cold. Meanwhile, in order to further assess the role of gene CanPOD in defense response to P. capsici attack, we performed a loss-of-function experiment using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique in pepper plants. In comparison to the control plant, the expression levels of CanPOD were obviously decreased in CanPOD-silenced pepper plants. Furthermore, we analyzed the effect of P. capsici on detached-leaves and found that the CanPOD-silenced plant leaves were highly susceptible to P. capsici infection. Taken together, our results suggested that CanPOD is involved in defense responses to P. capsici infection as well as abiotic stresses in pepper plants.

Two new thomisid species (Arachnida, Araneae, Thomisidae) from China and Vietnam, with the first descriptions of the males of Borboropactuslongidens Tang & Li, 2010 and Stephanopisxiangzhouica Liu, 2022.

Collections of thomisid spiders by amateur and professional arachnologists in China have led to the discovery of some interesting crab spiders (Thomisidae). Two new species in two genera of thomisid spiders are described and illustrated with photographs and SEMs: Phartaxizang Liu & Yao, sp. nov. (♀) and Stephanopisqiong Liu & Yao, sp. nov. (♀). The previously unknown males of Borboropactuslongidens Tang & Li, 2010 and Stephanopisxiangzhouica Liu, 2022 were also collected and are described for the first time. The genus Borboropactus Simon, 1884 is reported for the first time from Vietnam. The new Stephanopis species is also recorded for only the second time from the Asian mainland. Distributions of all these species are mapped.

Notes on two species of Massuria Thorell, 1887 (Arachnida, Araneae, Thomisidae) from China with description of a new species.

Two species assigned to Massuria Thorell, 1887 are reviewed. The female of Massuriabandian Tang & Li, 2010 is described for the first time from Jianfengling National Natural Reserve, Hainan Province, China. The species Diaeasimplex Xu, Han & Li, 2008 is described as a synonym of Massuriabellula Xu, Han & Li, 2008 based on female and male specimens from Guangdong Province, China. Massuriaminsp. nov. described as a new species (female, Fujian Province, China). Detailed illustrations and a distribution map are provided for these three species of Massuria.