Effect of flurbiprofen axetil combined with "Cocktail" therapy on opioid dosage in patients after total knee arthroplasty.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy on opioid dosage in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: The clinical data of 200 patients who underwent TKA in Baoding No.1 Central Hospital hospital from March 2019 to March 2021 were collected for retrospective analysis. All 200 patients were divided into two groups according to their intraoperative anesthesia methods: the control group (100 cases) and the experimental group (100 cases). Patients in the control group were treated with "cocktail" therapy intraoperatively, while those in the experimental group were treated with flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy intraoperatively. The hip pain scores in resting state and motion state were compared between the two groups at different postoperative time points, and postoperative pain relief, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction with analgesia were statistically analyzed to evaluate the postoperative quality of life of the patients. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed in the intergroup and temporal effects of pain scores in resting state and motion state between the two groups (p<0.05). By comparison at each time point, the pain scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group at the time point T1-T6 in resting and motion states, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The frequency and dosage of remedial medication per capita in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group, with a statistical significance (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the scores of life quality items between the two groups preoperatively (p>0.05), while the scores of each item in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group postoperatively (p<0.05). The satisfaction degree of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, showing a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Conclusions: Flurbiprofen axetil combined with "cocktail" therapy is a safe treatment regimen that can improve the quality of life and safety of patients. With such a regimen, postoperative pain of patients undergoing TKA can be effectively relieved, and the use of opioids can be reduced.

DPEP1 expression promotes proliferation and survival of leukaemia cells and correlates with relapse in adults with common B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Dehydropeptidase-1 (DPEP1) is a zinc-dependent metalloproteinase abnormally expressed in many cancers. However, its potential role in adults with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is unknown. We found that in adults with common B cell ALL high DPEP1, transcript levels at diagnosis were independently associated with an increased cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and worse relapse-free survival (RFS) compared with subjects with low transcript levels. We show an increased proliferation and prosurvival role of DPEP1 in B cell ALL cells via regulation of phosphCREB and p53, which may be the biological basis of the clinical correlation we report. Our data implicate DPEP1 expression in the biology of common B cell ALL in adults. We report clinical correlates and provide a potential biological basis for these correlations. If confirmed, analysing DPEP1 transcript levels at diagnosis could help predict therapy outcomes. Moreover, regulation of DPEP1 expression could be a therapy target in B cell ALL.

Mutation topography and risk stratification for de novo acute myeloid leukaemia with normal cytogenetics and no nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutation or Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD).

About 25% of patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have normal cytogenetics and no nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutation or Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD). The prognosis and best therapy for these patients is controversial. We evaluated 158 newly diagnosed adults with this genotype who achieved histological complete remission within two cycles of induction therapy and were assigned to two post-remission strategies with and without an allotransplant. Targeted regional sequencing at diagnosis was performed and data were used to estimate their prognosis, including relapse and survival. In multivariable analyses, having wild-type or mono-allelic mutated CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPA) [hazard ratio (HR) 2·39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·08-5·30; P = 0·032), mutated NRAS (HR 2·67, 95% CI 1·36-5·25; P = 0·004), mutated colony-stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) (HR 2·85, 95% CI 1·12-7·27; P = 0·028) and a positive measurable residual disease (MRD)-test after the second consolidation cycle (HR 2·88, 95% CI 1·32-6·30; P = 0·008) were independently correlated with higher cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR). These variables were also significantly associated with worse survival (HR 3·02, 95% CI 1·17-7·78, P = 0·022; HR 3·62, 95% CI 1·51-8·68, P = 0·004; HR 3·14, 95% CI 1·06-9·31, P = 0·039; HR 4·03, 95% CI 1·64-9·89, P = 0·002; respectively). Patients with ≥1 of these adverse-risk variables benefitted from a transplant, whereas the others did not. In conclusion, we identified variables associated with CIR and survival in patients with AML and normal cytogenetics without a NPM1 mutation or FLT3-ITD.

Osteoclast stimulatory transmembrane protein (OC-STAMP) is a promising molecular prognostic indicator for multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Currently, the prognostic stratification and therapeutic evaluation systems for multiple myeloma (MM) lack specific molecular indicators. OC-STAMP is a new gene and is also highly expressed in MM. METHODS: A total of 160 MM patients have been investigated with both quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), flow cytometry (FCM) and cytogenetic FISH on the same mononuclear cells isolated from bone marrow specimens. RESULTS: We found that OC-STAMP mRNA levels were significantly higher in newly diagnosed cases of MM than in healthy donors (median, 0.52% vs. 0.02%, P < .001). Moreover, the changes in the OC-STAMP mRNA levels paralleled the disease stages and minimal residual disease, as detected by FCM. Furthermore, we found that patients with high OC-STAMP mRNA levels were more likely to develop ≥3 bone lesions, be diagnosed with Durie-Salmon stages III, and have the P53 (17p13) deletion. In addition, advanced stage patients with high OC-STAMP mRNA levels had a lower 4-year progression-free survival (5.6% vs. 22.9%, P = .0055) and a worse 4-year overall survival (25.8% vs. 48.8%, P = .0137) compared to patients with low mRNA levels of this indicator. CONCLUSIONS: OC-STAMP may be a promising molecular indicator to monitor treatment effects and participate in the prognostic stratification of MM.

S100A16 suppresses the growth and survival of leukaemia cells and correlates with relapse and relapse free survival in adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Refinement of risk stratification in Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) might aid the identification of patients who are likely to relapse. Abnormal S100 calcium binding protein A16 (S100A16) has been implicated in various cancers, but its function remains unclear. We found S100A16 transcript levels were higher in 130 adults with newly-diagnosed Ph-negative B-cell ALL compared with 33 healthy controls. In 115 of 130 patients who achieved first complete remission, those with high S100A16 transcript levels displayed a lower 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR; 34% [21, 47%] vs. 40% [48, 72%]; P = 0·012) and higher 3-year relapse-free survival (RFS; 65% [53, 78%] vs. 35% [23, 46%]; P = 0·012), especially when receiving chemotherapy only. In multivariate analysis a low S100A16 transcript level was independently-associated with a higher CIR (Hazard ratio [HR] = 3·74 [1·01-13·82]; P = 0·048) and inferior RFS (HR = 5·78 [1·91, 17·84]; P < 0·001). Function analysis indicated that knockdown of S100A16 promoted proliferation and anti-apoptosis and reduced chemosensitivity. S100A16 over-expression revealed an opposite trend, especially in a xeno-transplant mouse model. Western blotting analysis showed upregulation of PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 in S100A16-knockdown and S100A16-overexpression B-cell ALL cell lines respectively. Inhibition assays suggested these two signalling pathways participated in the S100A16-mediated proliferation and survival effects in B-cell ALL cell lines. Trial Registration: Registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry [ChiCTR-OCH-10000940]; http://www.chictr.org.cn.

Ginsenoside compound K inhibits growth of lung cancer cells via HIF-1α-mediated glucose metabolism.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Compound K, an active metabolite of ginsenosides, is reported to exhibit anti-cancer property in various types of human malignancies. The present study investigated the role of compound K on glucose metabolism in NSCLC cells and its underlying mechanism. Our study found that compound K dose-dependently inhibited the cell viability of NSCLC cells. Moreover, administration with compound K decreased glucose uptake and lactate secretion under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Consistently, the expression of key enzymes (HK II, PDK1 and LDHA) involved in glucose metabolism were inhibited in compound K-treated tumor cells. In addition, compound K inhibited the expression of HIF-1α and its downstream gene GLUT1. On the contrary, overexpression of HIF-1α elevated metabolic reactions and partly attenuated the inhibitory role of compound K on NSCLC cell growth. These results demonstrate that compound K suppresses NSCLC cell growth via HIF-1α mediated metabolic alteration, contributing to novel anticancer therapy by targeting glucose metabolism.

Association between BIM polymorphism and lung cancer outcomes: a meta-analysis.

Accumulating evidences have indicated that BIM expression largely decides the development of lung cancer and outcome of EGFR-mutant lung cancers after TKI treatments. BIM polymorphism is a 2,903-bp deletion in the second exon. To clarify the relationship between this BIM polymorphism and clinical outcomes of lung cancers, we conducted this meta-analysis and observed the survival and responses to TKIs. Sixteen cohort studies, covering 4393 WT and 916 BIM deletion patients were included. Overall, BIM deletion polymorphism was associated with significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and slightly shorter overall survival (OS), compared to the WT group. Moreover, patients with BIM deletion polymorphism showed significantly inferior response to EGFR TKIs. In conclusion, our analysis confirmed that lung cancer patients harboring the BIM deletion have inferior survival and TKI responses. Examination of the novel biomarker BIM deletion in lung cancer patients, especially for the EGFR mutant cohort, could provide some prognostic utility.

Combined detection of CEA and CA125 for the diagnosis for lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

This study aimed to systematically evaluate the value of combined detection of serum CEA and CA125 concentrations for the diagnosis of lung cancer. Related studies regarding the diagnosis of lung cancer were searched in PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang using a computer. The number of patients who were true-positive, false-positive, false-negative, and true-negative were extracted from each study. Meta-analysis was performed using the Meta-Disc l.4, RevMan 5.3. Seven studies involving 2,216 cases were finally included. Regarding the diagnosis of lung cancer, the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio of combined CEA and CA125 detection were higher than those of CEA detection alone. The area under the curve (AUC) of combined detection was 0.90, whereas the independently detected AUC was 0.73. Combined CEA and CA125 detection has higher diagnostic efficiency for lung cancer than CEA detection alone. The significance of combined serum CEA and CA125 detection in lung cancer is confirmed.

A meta-analysis of association between serum iron levels and lung cancer risk.

Many studies conducted on the relationship between serum iron levels and lung cancer risk had produced inconsistent results. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether serum iron levels were lower in lung cancer patients compared to those in controls.A literature survey was conducted by searching the PubMed, WanFang, CNKI, and SinoMed databases for articles published as of Mar 1, 2018. Standard mean differences (SMD) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were executed by Stata 12.0 software. A total of 13 publications involving 1118 lung cancer patients and 832 controls were included in our study. The combined results showed that serum iron levels in lung cancer cases had no significantly lower when compared to those in controls [summary SMD = -0.125, 95%CI= -0.439, 0.189, Z = 0.78, p for Z test= 0.435], with high heterogeneity (I2= 89.9%, P< 0.001) found. In the stratified analysis by geographic locations, consistent results were found for serum iron levels between lung cancer patients and controls both in Asian populations [summary SMD = -0.113, 95%CI= -0.471, 0.245] and European populations [summary SMD = -0.215, 95%CI= -0.835, 0.404]. Publication bias was not found when evaluated by Begg's funnel plot and Egger's regression asymmetry test.In summary, the current study showed that serum iron levels had no significant association on lung cancer risk.

[A Classification Method Based on the Combination of Visible, Near-Infrared and Thermal Infrared Spectrum for Coal and Gangue Distinguishment].

Coals and gangues are the main surface dump in the coal mining process. Dynamic monitoring of those dumps using remote sensing technique is of great importance for mine environmental protection. In the traditional classification of visible and near-infrared remote sensing, part of the gangues might be misclassified as coal, due to the phenomenon of "different objects with the same spectrum", resulting in the decrease of classification accuracy. Thus, this study firstly acquired visible and near-infrared spectrums of 12 coal samples and 115 gangue samples from Tiefa mining area in China. Most of the gangue samples' spectrums are different from those of the coals, which can be easily distinguished. While, part of the gangues has the similar spectrum with coal which results in misclassification. With an effort to improve image classification accuracy, furthermore, we acquired the thermal infrared spectrum of the misclassified gangue and the coal samples. The results indicate that there are different spectral characteristics in thermal infrared band between coal and gangue samples, which can be identified easily. Therefore, we proposed a method to separate coal from gangue based on the combination of visible, near-infrared and thermal infrared spectrum. In the first palace, the method conducts measurement on the visible and near-infrared spectrums of all samples for the rough classification recurring to the MAO model. Next, the thermal infrared spectrums of the samples, mixed with gangue and coal are acquired, and the Spectral Absorption Ratio(SAR) is utilized as the evaluation index for the second classification. The fused result of classification originates in the two steps above. The method is further verified by using external samples from Tiefa, Yanzhou, Shendong and Jiangcang mining areas in China, whose results have demonstrated that the method has higher accuracy than that of the traditional classification method based on visible and near-infrared spectrum features. The research results indicates that the conjoint analytical method involving multiple spectrums can solve the phenomenon of "different objects with the same spectrum" in a single band, effectively, which will be of great referential significance in the field of terrain classification based on remote sensing technique.

Extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) is a potential biomarker in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by the highly heterogeneity of pathogenic genetic background, and there are still approximately 30-40% of patients without clear molecular markers. To identify the dysregulated genes in B cell ALL, we screened 30 newly diagnosed B cell ALL patients and 10 donors by gene expression profiling chip. We found that ECM1 transcription level was abnormally elevated in newly diagnosed B cell ALL and further verified in another 267 cases compared with donors (median, 124.57% vs. 7.14%, P < 0.001). ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve of ECM1 transcription level at diagnosis was 0.89 (P < 0.001). Patients with BCR::ABL1 and IKZF1 deletion show highest transcription level (210.78%) compared with KMT2A rearrangement (39.48%) and TCF3::PBX1 rearrangement ones (30.02%) (all P < 0.05). Also, the transcription level of ECM1 was highly correlated with the clinical course, as 20 consecutive follow-up cases indicated. The 5-year OS of patients (non-KMT2A and non-TCF3::PBX1 rearrangement) with high ECM1 transcription level was significantly worse than the lower ones (18.7% vs. 72.9%, P < 0.001) and high ECM1 transcription level was an independent risk factor for OS (HR = 5.77 [1.75-19.06], P = 0.004). After considering transplantation, high ECM1 transcription level was not an independent risk factor, although OS was still poor (low vs. high, 71.1% vs. 56.8%, P = 0.038). Our findings suggested that ECM1 may be a potential molecular marker for diagnosis, minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring, and prognosis prediction of B cell ALL.Trial registration Trial Registration Registered in the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau Registration N 2007-1007 and in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry [ChiCTR-OCH-10000940 and ChiCTR-OPC-14005546]; http://www.chictr.org.cn .

Measurable residual disease testing by next generation sequencing is more accurate compared with multiparameter flow cytometry in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Results of measurable residual disease (MRD)-testing by next-generation sequencing (NGS) correlate with relapse risk in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receiving chemotherapy or an allotransplant from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical relative or HLA-matched unrelated donor. We studied cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and survival prediction accuracy using a NGS-based MRD-assay targeting immunoglobulin genes after 2 courses of consolidation chemotherapy cycles in 93 adults with B-cell ALL most receiving HLA-haplotype-matched related transplants. Prediction accuracy was compared with MRD-testing using multi-parameter flow cytometry (MPFC). NGS-based MRD-testing detected residual leukemia in 28 of 65 subjects with a negative MPFC-based MRD-test. In Cox regression multi-variable analyses subjects with a positive NGS-based MRD-test had a higher 3-year CIR (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 3.37; 95 % Confidence Interval [CI], 1.34-8.5; P = 0.01) and worse survival (HR = 4.87 [1.53-15.53]; P = 0.007). Some data suggest a lower CIR and better survival in NGS-MRD-test-positive transplant recipients but allocation to transplant was not random. Our data indicate MRD-testing by NGS is more accurate compared with testing by MPFC in adults with B-cell ALL in predicting CIR and survival. (Registered in the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau Registration N 2007-1007 and in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry [ChiCTR-OCH-10000940 and ChiCTROPC-14005546]).

[Coal-carbon-pollutant Coordinated Control of Coal Chemical Industry Under Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Constraints].

Under carbon peak and carbon neutrality constraints, the coal chemical industry should take stricter measures to tackle carbon reduction. Based on the intensity differences of five major coal and carbon reduction measures applied by the coal chemical industry, which include raw material structure adjustment, fuel structure adjustment, energy-saving technology transformation, terminal capture technology, and industrial structure adjustment, this study adopted the downstream sector demand method and project method, combined with the air pollution reduction model, to predict three scenarios (benchmark, policy, and enhancement) of coal chemical industry peak year and peak amount of coal consumption and carbon dioxide emission, associated with air pollutant reduction row effects. The results showed that coal consumption under the benchmark and policy scenarios of the coal chemical industry is expected to reach a peak in the late period of China's "14th Five-Year Plan", with peak values of 0.96 billion and 0.93 billion tons, respectively. By contrast, under the enhanced scenario, it is expected to peak in the early period of the "14th Five-Year Plan" with a value of 0.91 billion tons. The carbon peak will arrive in the late period of the "15th Five-Year Plan" under the benchmark scenario but in the early and late period of the "14th Five-Year Plan" under the policy and enhanced scenarios, with peak values of approximately 0.64 billion, 0.57 billion, and 0.55 billion tons, respectively. Controlling the construction scale of new coal chemical projects, tapping the space for raw material substitution, and speeding up the energy-saving technological transformation are important measures for coal and carbon control in the coal chemical industry. The implementation of coal and carbon reduction measures of the coal chemical industry will coordinately reduce air pollutant emissions, such as SO2, NOx, PM, and VOCs by 37, 43, 11, and 28 thousand tons per year after 2035.

CSRP2 transcript levels after consolidation therapy increase prognostic prediction ability in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Quantification of measurable residual disease (MRD) correlates with the risk of leukemia recurrence in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, it remains unknown whether collecting data on cysteine and glycine-rich protein 2 (CSRP2) transcript levels, after completing the second course of consolidation, improves prognosis prediction accuracy. A total of 204 subjects with B-cell ALL were tested for CSPR2 transcripts after completing the second course of consolidation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and divided into high (N = 32) and low (N = 172) CSRP2 expression cohorts. In multivariable analyses, subjects with high expression of CSRP2 had a higher 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-4.76; P = 0.003), lower 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) (HR = 3.22, 95% CI 1.75-5.93; P < 0.001), and overall survival (OS) (HR = 4.59, 95% CI 2.64-7.99; P < 0.001) in the whole cohort, as well as in the multi-parameter flow cytometry (MPFC) MRD-negative cohort (for CIR, HR = 2.70, 95% CI 1.19-6.12; for RFS, HR = 4.37, 95% CI 1.94-9.85; for OS, HR = 4.90, 95% CI 2.43-9.90; all P < 0.05). Prognostic analysis showed that allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) could significantly improve the prognosis of patients with high CSRP2 expression (allo-HSCT vs chemotherapy: 5-year CIR, 52% vs 91%; RFS, 41% vs 9%; OS, 38% vs 20%; all P < 0.05). Our data indicate that incorporating data from CSPR2 transcript levels to the MRD-testing at the end of the second course of consolidation therapy enhances prognosis prediction accuracy in adults with B-cell ALL.

[Thermal infrared spectral variation and sensitive waveband of quartzy sandstone under pressure].

In the present paper the thermal infrared spectral variation of quartz sandstone under uniaxial compression was detected by a spectroradiometer to study the sensitively responding waveband of infrared radiation excited by the pressure. The experimental result shows that the infrared spectrum varies with the load, and the variation feature is different in different wavebands. The infrared radiation intensity increases with the increase in the load within the waveband 8.0-11.5 microm (specially in 8.6-9.1 microm), and there is a quadratic correlation between them, meanwhile the signal-to-noise ratio of spectrum radiation is also higher in the waveband. But in other wavebands the correlation is worse and the signal-to-noise is also lower. This indicates that the waveband 8.0-11.5 microm is the sensitive waveband of infrared radiation to the pressure, and it is also the superior waveband for infrared remote sensing monitoring the stress and catastrophe of rock. The optimum waveband is 8.6-9.1 microm.

Geographic factors and climatic fluctuation drive the genetic structure and demographic history of Cycas taiwaniana (Cycadaceae), an endemic endangered species to Hainan Island in China.

Hainan Island had experienced several cold-warm and dry-humid fluctuations since the Late Pleistocene period, resulting in separating and connecting from the mainland several times with the cyclic rise and fall of sea level. The fluctuations can change the biota and ecological environment in the island. Cycas taiwaniana Carruthers is endemic to Hainan Island and is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). To comprehensively understand the genetic dynamics of C. taiwaniana, we sampled 12 wild populations in Hainan Island and one cultivated population in Fujian province, and analyzed the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and demographic history based on the molecular data. Results revealed that C. taiwaniana had relatively low genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation. Haplotypes of C. taiwaniana diversified during the Pleistocene based on the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and the concatenated nuclear DNA (nDNA) data. Genetic cluster analyses based on the microsatellite (SSR) data showed that the 12 wild populations were separated into three clusters which could be three evolutionary significant units (ESUs), indicating three basic units of protection were identified. Moreover, we also confirmed the cultivated population FJ derived from the DLS1-GSL clade. Demographic inference from different data was discordant, but overall, it uncovered that C. taiwaniana had experienced population contraction events twice during the Pleistocene and Holocene, and then expanded recently. Our study elucidated the population genetic characteristics of C. taiwaniana, and guided us to develop targeted conservation and management strategies for this endangered species.

[Al(H(2)O)(6)][Cr(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)]·10H(2)O.

The title compound, [Al(H(2)O)(6)][Cr(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)]·10H(2)O, hexa-aqua-aluminium hexa-hydroxidoocta-deca-oxido-molybdo-chromate(III) deca-hydrate, crystallizes isotypically with its gallium analogue [Ga(H(2)O)(6)][Cr(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)].10H(2)O. In the structure of the title compound, both the [Al(H(2)O)(6)](3+) cation and the Anderson-type [Cr(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)](3-) anion lie on centres of inversion. The anion is composed of seven edge-sharing octa-hedra, six of which are MoO(6) octa-hedra that are arranged hexa-gonally around the central Cr(OH)(6) octa-hedron. The anions are linked to each other by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into infinite chains along [100]. These chains are further connected with the [Al(H(2)O)(6)](3+) cations through O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into sheets parallel to (01). O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving all the lattice water mol-ecules finally link the sheets into a three-dimensional network.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Cycas hongheensis (Cycadaceae), an endemic species in the red river region of China.

In this study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of Cycas hongheensis (Cycadaceae), one of the first-class protected plants in China. The chloroplast genome is 162,048 bp in length with 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content is 39.4%. Phylogenomic analysis showed that C. hongheensis as sister to all other Cycas species that with reported chloroplast genomes. The chloroplast genome of C. hongheensis reported here will contribute to further comparative chloroplast genome of Cycads and helpful to study the phylogeography of Cycadaceae.

Prognostic value of RASD1 transcript levels in adult Philadelphia-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: Ras-related dexamethasone-induced 1 (RASD1) is abnormally expressed in many solid cancers. However, its potential role in adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is unclear. Therefore, we aim to clarify the abnormal expression of the tumor-associated biomarker, RASD1, as a potential target for diagnosis and prognosis in adult Philadelphia-negative B-ALL. METHODS: The expression of RASD1 was detected with RT-qPCR in 92 adults with de novo Ph-negative B-ALL and 40 healthy controls. The correlation between RASD1 transcript levels and relapse was assessed. RESULTS: RASD1 transcript levels in patients with Ph-negative B-ALL (median 81.76%, range 0.22%-1824.52%) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (7.59%, 0.46%-38.66%; P<0.0001). Patients with low RASD1 transcript levels had a lower 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS, 47.5% [32.9%, 62.1%] vs. 63.1% [49.0%, 77.2%]; P = 0.012) and a higher 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR, 52.0% [37.4%, 66.6%] vs. 36.2% [22.2%, 50.2%]; P = 0.013) especially in patients receiving chemotherapy only. Multivariate analysis showed that a low RASD1 transcript level was an independent risk factor for RFS (HR = 2.938 [1.427, 6.047], P = 0.003) and CIR (HR = 3.367 [1.668, 6.796], P = 0.001) in patients with Ph-negative B-ALL. CONCLUSIONS: RASD1 transcript levels were significantly higher in patients with Ph-negative B-ALL and a low RASD1 transcript level was independently correlated with increased relapse risk.

Risk Stratification of Cytogenetically Normal Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Biallelic CEBPA Mutations Based on a Multi-Gene Panel and Nomogram Model.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 30% of Chinese individuals with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) have biallelic CEBPA (biCEBPA) mutations. The prognosis and optimal therapy for these patients are controversial in clinical practice. METHODS: In this study, we performed targeted region sequencing of 236 genes in 158 individuals with this genotype and constructed a nomogram model based on leukemia-free survival (LFS). Patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort (N =111) and a validation cohort (N =47) at a ratio of 7:3. Risk stratification was performed by the prognostic factors to investigate the risk-adapted post-remission therapy by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: At least 1 mutated gene other than CEBPA was identified in patients and mutation number was associated with LFS (61.6% vs. 39.0%, P =0.033), survival (85.6% vs. 62.9%, P =0.030) and cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (38.4% vs. 59.5%, P =0.0496). White blood cell count, mutations in CFS3R, KMT2A and DNA methylation related genes were weighted to construct a nomogram model and differentiate two risk subgroups. Regarding LFS, low-risk patients were superior to the high-risk (89.3% vs. 33.8%, P <0.001 in training cohort; 87.5% vs. 18.2%, P =0.009 in validation cohort). Compared with chemotherapy, allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) improved 5-year LFS (89.6% vs. 32.6%, P <0.001), survival (96.9% vs. 63.6%, P =0.001) and CIR (7.2% vs. 65.8%, P <0.001) in high-risk patients but not low-risk patients (LFS, 77.4% vs. 88.9%, P =0.424; survival, 83.9% vs. 95.5%, P =0.173; CIR, 11.7% vs. 11.1%, P =0.901). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that biCEBPA mutant-positive CN-AML patients could be further classified into two risk subgroups by four factors and allo-HSCT should be recommended for high-risk patients as post-remission therapy. These data will help physicians refine treatment decision-making in biCEBPA mutant-positive CN-AML patients.