[Efficacy of compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution on lung cancer-related cough].

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution on lung cancer-related cough. Methods: A total of 60 patients diagnosed with middle-advanced stage lung cancer and had lung cancer-related cough in the Department of Geriatric Oncology of Chongqing University Cancer Hospital from January to May 2022 were prospectively enrolled. According to the random number table method, the patients were divided into two groups: observation group and control group. The observation group [n=30, with 21 males and 9 females, and aged (62.3±10.4) years] received compound pholcodine syrup treatment, while the control group [n=30, with 21 males and 9 females, and aged (62.0±8.1) years] received compound codeine phosphate oral solution treatment. The dosage of the two drugs was 15 ml each time, 3 times a day, and the treatment course was 5 days. The antitussive effectiveness, cough severity and quality of life (Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese scale) were observed and compared between the two groups 3 days and 5 days after the treatment. Results: All 60 patients completed the study. Both regimens were effective in controlling lung cancer-related cough. After 3 days treatment, the antitussive effective rate of the observation group and the control group was 83.3% (25/30) and 73.3% (22/30), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.347). Likewise, after 5 days treatment, the antitussive effective rate of observation group and control group was 90.0% (27/30) and 86.6% (26/30), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P=0.687). There was no statistically significant difference in the cough severity between observation group [moderate and severe cough: 56.7% (17/30)] and control group [moderate and severe cough: 67.7% (20/30)] (P=0.414). After 3 days treatment, cough symptoms were relieved in both groups. Patients with mild cough accounted for 73.3% (22/30) in the observation group and 56.7% (17/30) in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.331). Moreover, after 5 days treatment, there was also no significant difference in mild cough between observation group [86.7% (26/30)] and control group [66.7% (20/30)] (P=0.067). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in the physiological score, psychological score, social score and total score of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in Mandarin-Chinese scale before the treatment, after 3 days and 5 days treatment between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of both xerostomia and constipation in the observation group was 0, which was lower than those of the control group [20.0% (6/30) and 20.0% (6/30)] (both P<0.05). Conclusions: Both compound pholcodine syrup and compound codeine phosphate oral solution are effective in treating lung cancer-related cough with similar antitussive effectiveness. Compound pholcodine syrup has a lower incidence of xerostomia and constipation than control group, with a better safety profile.

[Efficacy of early interdisciplinary palliative care based on WARM model in non-small-cell lung cancer].

Objective: To assess the therapeutic effect of the early interdisciplinary palliative care based on WARM model (whole, assessment, revaluation, management) on the quality of life, psychological state, pain and nutritional status in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A total of 60 patients from Chongqing University Cancer Hospital with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC from Oct 15, 2019 to Jun 12, 2020 were enrolled. According to the method of random number table, the patients were divided into two groups: standard oncologic care group (SC, n=30) and early palliative care group (EPC, n=30). SC group only received standard oncological care, while EPC group received standard oncological care and additional comprehensive treatment from a MDT consisted of medical oncologists, palliative care nurses, dietitians and psychologists. The quality of life [functional assessment of cancer therapy-lung (FACT-L) scale], psychological state [hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)], nutritional status [patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA)], and cancer pain status [numerical rating scale (NRS)] were observed and compared between the two groups before and after the 6 months treatment, respectively. Results: A total of 45 patients completed 6 months treatment, including 24 males and 21 females, aged 38-82 (60.5±1.7), with 23 patients in the EPC group and 22 patients in the SC group. Patients assigned to EPC group had a better quality of life than those assigned to SC group [FACT-L scale: (122.3±1.6) vs (111.8±2.1), P<0.001]. Fewer patients had anxiety and depressive symptoms in the EPC group than those in the SC group [HADS anxiety subscale: (1.1±0.3) vs (2.9±0.4), P<0.001; HADS depression subscale: (0.7±0.3) vs (3.6±0.4), P<0.001]. The PHQ-9 results showed that 100.0% (23/23) patients were free of depression in the EPC group, while 45.5% (10/22) patients were free of depression in SC group (P<0.001). Furthermore, patients in the EPC group had a better nutritional status [moderate malnutrition: 60.9% (14/23); no malnutrition: 39.1% (9/23)] than those in the SC group [severe malnutrition: 40.9% (9/22); moderate malnutrition: 50.0% (11/22); no malnutrition: 9.1% (2/22)] (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in NRS score between EPC group and SC group (P=0.140). Conclusion: Early interdisciplinary palliative care based on WARM model can improve the quality of life, psychological state and nutritional status in NSCLC patients.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide is required in the maintenance of immune regulatory competency of immune regulatory monocytes.

Dysfunction of the immune regulatory system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has multiple bioactivities. This study aims to investigate the role of VIP in the maintenance of the immune regulatory capacity of monocytes (Mos). Human peripheral blood samples were collected from RA patients and healthy control (HC) subjects. Mos and CD14+ CD71- CD73+ CD25+ regulatory Mos (RegMos) were isolated from the blood samples and characterized by flow cytometry. A rat RA model was developed to test the role of VIP in the maintenance of the immune regulatory function of Mos. The results showed that RegMos of HC subjects had immune suppressive functions. RegMos of RA patients expressed less interleukin (IL)-10 and showed an incompetent immune regulatory capacity. Serum levels of VIP were lower in RA patients, which were positively correlated with the expression of IL-10 in RegMos. In-vitro experiments showed that the IL-10 mRNA decayed spontaneously in RegMos, which could be prevented by the presence of VIP in the culture. VIP suppressed the effects of tristetraprolin (TTP) on inducing IL-10 mRNA decay in RegMos. Administration of VIP inhibited experimental RA in rats through restoring the IL-10 expression in RegMos. RegMos have immune suppressive functions. VIP is required in maintaining IL-10 expression in RegMos. The data suggest that VIP has translational potential in the treatment of immune disorders such as RA.

First Report of Tomato zonate spot virus in Iris tectorum in China.

Iris tectorum Maxim, a very popular Chinese traditional medicinal perennial herb belonging to the Iridaceae family, is widely grown as a year-round ornamental in China. During May to August 2014, as part of a survey for tospoviruses (family Bunyaviridae) in flue-cured tobacco, symptoms suspected to be caused by tospoviruses were observed on I. tectorum around farmers' fields in Kunming, Yunnan province. Symptoms were chlorotic spots on younger leaves and necrosis on older leaves. Since Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and Tomato zonate spot virus (TZSV) are two common tospoviruses in flue-cured tobacco fields in Yunnan, ELISA with monoclonal TSWV antibody (provided by J. X. Wu, Zhejiang University, China) and polyclonal TZSV antiserum (provided by J. H. Dong, Yunnan Academy of Agriculture Science, China) was performed to identify the presence of virus. Positive extinction values (ODλ405nm 0.835 ± 0.121 and 1.024 ± 0.193, as compared with the negative 0.153 ± 0.076 and the positive control 0.510 ± 0.109 at a confidence interval of P ≤ 0.05) were obtained from two symptomatic samples with TZSV antibody but not with TSWV. The absence of TSWV was confirmed with a commercially available immune-strip (Agdia, Elkhart, IN), following the manufacturer's instructions. To further verify the causal agent of these symptoms, total RNA was isolated from two symptomatic and one asymptomatic samples and reverse transcribed using degenerate primer J13 (1). These cDNAs were then used as a template in a universal PCR assay using specific primers TZSVNF (5'-ATGTCTAACGTCCGGAGTTTAACAC-3') and TZSVNR (5'-TTAAAAAGACAGATCATTGCTG-3'), which amplify the complete nucleocapsid (N) protein. The PCR was carried out for denaturation at 94°C for 3 min, and subsequently 30 cycles were carried out, with each cycle consisting of 94°C for 45 s, 55°C for 45 s, and 72°C for 1 min, followed by a final extension step at 72°C for 10 min. An 0.8-Kb DNA fragment was amplified from symptomatic samples and cloned into a pGEM-T Easy (Promega, Madison, WI) vector. Three clones of each sample were selected and sequenced. BLAST analysis of the obtained sequences (Accession Nos. KM452916 and KM452917) revealed that the N sequences of these isolates have 96 to 99% nucleotide identity and 99 to 100% amino acid identity with the deposit TZSV sequence in NCBI from Yunnan (JN116580 to JN116583 and EF552433) (2). These combined results provide further confirmation of TZSV infection. It is known that perennial herb or ornamental plants may act as reservoirs for tospoviruses that can infect cultivated crops because tospoviruses have a very broad host range. Therefore, elaborate inspections for tospoviruses and appropriate management strategies to limit virus spread are necessary for production of crops. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TZSV in I. tectorum Maxim. References: (1) I. Cortez et al. Arch Virol. 146:265, 2001. (2) J. Dong et al. Arch Virol. 153:855, 2008.

Production GH transgenic goat improving mammogenesis by somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Growth hormone is a positive regulator of mammary gland development. Dairy animals that are administered growth hormone display enhanced lactation performance, a desirable agricultural trait. The objective of the current research was to generate an improved milk production phenotype in a large animal model using over-expressed GH in the mammary gland to promote mammogenesis. To this end, we constructed a mammary gland-specific expression vector, pcGH, and demonstrated effective GH expression in goat mammary epithelial cells in vitro by ELISA. Then, to produce transgenic offspring that were capable of stable GH expression in vivo, the linearized pcGH vector was electroporated into goat fetal fibroblasts. Cell colonies that were positive for GH were used as donors for nuclear transfer to enucleated oocytes. A total of 253 morulae or blastocytes developed from the reconstructed embryos were transferred to 56 recipients, resulting in 24 pregnancies at day 35. Finally, six transgenic goats were born. PCR detection confirmed the success of the cloning procedure. To observe the mammogenesis of dairy goats, the GH transgenic goats were mated with a completely healthy buck. In the later pregnancy period, the mammary gland of the GH transgenic goats were extensive than non-transgenic goats. These experiments indicated that the pcGH vector was incorporated into the transgenic goats and affected mammogenesis, which laid a solid foundation for elucidating the impact of GH on mammogenesis and lactation performance.

Genetic characterization and authentication of Dimocarpus longan Lour. using an improved RAPD technique.

Dimocarpus longan Lour. is an edible and traditional herb in China, commonly referred to as longon. An improved randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) protocol was here developed in order to determine the geographical origins of D. longan samples collected from 5 provinces in the southern and southwestern areas of China, including Sichuan, Hainan, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Generally, the improved RAPD method generated good fingerprinting of the 5 samples using the selected 17 primers. In particular, primers SBS-A5, SBS-A13, SBS-I9, SBS-I20, SBS-M1, and SBS-Q12 produced distinguishable bands that clearly separated all 5 cultivars, suggesting that there are variations in RAPD genetic sites among the samples. The similarity index ranged from 0.69 to 0.76. The Sichuan and Hainan clades clustered together with a 0.73 similarity index. The Guangxi and Fujian clades clustered together with a 0.76 similarity index, and they formed the sister clade to the Sichuan/Hainan clade with a 0.71 similarity index. The Guangdong clade was in a basal polytomy with a 0.70 similarity index. Based on the abundant DNA polymorphisms, these longan accessions are distinguishable using our improved RAPD technique. Therefore, RAPD analysis is an effective technique in distinguishing the geographical origins of D. longan. Moreover, the improved method could also be employed for a variety of applications including genetic diversity and fingerprinting analyses.

CURB-65 score predicted mortality in community-acquired pneumonia better than IDSA/ATS minor criteria in a low-mortality-rate setting.

The CURB-65 scoring system performs well at identifying patients with pneumonia who have a low risk of death. Whether it predicts mortality in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) better than the 2007 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) minor criteria in low-mortality-rate settings is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the hypothesis.A total of 1,230 adult inpatients admitted to our hospital from 2005 to 2009 for CAP were reviewed retrospectively.The hospital mortality was 1.3 %. Percentage mortality increased significantly with CURB-65 score and the increasing number of IDSA/ATS minor criteria present. The number of CURB-65 criteria or IDSA/ATS minor criteria present had significant increased odds ratios for mortality of 7.547 and 2.711, respectively. The sensitivities of a CURB-65 score of ≥ 3 and the presence of ≥ 3 minor criteria in predicting mortality was 25 % and 37.5 %, which increased to 75 % and 62.5 %, while the cut-off values reduced to ≥ 2 criteria, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for CURB-65 was greater than the corresponding area for IDSA/ATS minor criteria in predicting hospital mortality (0.915 vs. 0.805, p = 0.0091).CURB-65 score predicted hospital mortality better than IDSA/ATS minor criteria, and a CURB-65 score of ≥ 2 or the presence of ≥ 2 minor criteria might be more valuable cut-off values for "severe" CAP in a low-mortality-rate setting.

Development of a fluorescent-intercalating-dye-based reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid detection of seasonal Japanese B encephalitis outbreaks in pigs.

The standardization and validation of a one-step, single-tube, accelerated fluorescent-intercalating-dye-based reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay targeting the NS3 gene of Japanese B encephalitis virus (JEV) is described for rapid, simple, and high-throughput detection of JEV. The amplification can be completed in 35 min under isothermal conditions at 63°C by employing a set of six primers targeting the NS3 gene of JEV. The RT-LAMP assay described demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting JEV, with a detection limit in swine samples of 8.13 PFU/ml. The specificity of the selected primer sets was established by cross-reactivity studies with pathogens that exhibit similar clinical signs and testing of samples from healthy animals. The clinical applicability of the RT-LAMP assay was validated using either spiked samples or samples from seasonal outbreaks. The comparative evaluation of the RT-LAMP assay revealed 79.59 % concordance with conventional RT-PCR targeting the E gene of JEV. The RT-LAMP assay reported here is a valuable tool for rapid real-time and high-throughput seasonal infection surveillance and quarantine after outbreak through blood sampling by using ordinary real-time PCR thermocyclers without purchasing an expensive Loopamp real-time turbidimeter.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of dexamethasone-induced effects on osteoblast differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells using SILAC.

SUMMARY: The impairment of osteoblast differentiation is one cause of the glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GCOP). The quantitative proteomic analysis of the dexamethasone (DEX)-induced effects of osteoblast differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis using stable-isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) demonstrated drastic changes of some key proteins in MC3T3-E1 cells. INTRODUCTION: The impairment of osteoblast differentiation is one of the main explanations of GCOP. SILAC enables accurate quantitative proteomic analysis of protein changes in cells to explore the underlying mechanism of GCOP. METHODS: Osteoprogenitor MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with or without 10(−6) M DEX for 7 days, and the differentiation ability, proliferation, and apoptosis of the cells were measured. The protein level changes were analyzed using SILAC and liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In this study, 10(−6) M DEX inhibited both osteoblast differentiation and proliferation but induced apoptosis in osteoprogenitor MC3T3-E1 cells on day 7. We found that 10(−6) M DEX increased the levels of tubulins (TUBA1A, TUBB2B, and TUBB5), IQGAP1, S100 proteins (S100A11, S100A6, S100A4, and S100A10), myosin proteins (MYH9 and MYH11), and apoptosis and stress proteins, while inhibited the protein levels of ATP synthases (ATP5O, ATP5H, ATP5A1, and ATP5F1), G3BP-1, and Ras-related proteins (Rab-1A, Rab-2A, and Rab-7) in MC3T3-E1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Several members of the ATP synthases, myosin proteins, small GTPase superfamily, and S100 proteins may participate in functional inhibition of osteoblast progenitor cells by GCs. Such protein expression changes may be of pathological significance in coping with GCOP.

[Effect of rational emotive therapy on negative emotion in advanced schistosomiasis patients with repeated hospitalization].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of rational emotive therapy on negative emotions among advanced schistosomiasis patients with repeated hospitalizations. METHODS: A total of 97 advanced schistosomiasis patients with anxiety and depressive emotions that were hospitalized in Xiangyue Hospital of Hunan Institute of Schistosomiasis Control for three times or more were enrolled, and given rational emotive therapy for 4 weeks in addition to routine nursing care. The scores for anxiety, depression and quality of life were estimated in patients before and after the rational emotive therapy using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SRS), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and WHOQOL-BREF Form. RESULTS: The SAS and SDS scores were significantly lower 4 weeks following rational emotive therapy than before the intervention (SAS score, 45.40 ± 7.77 vs. 59.25 ± 9.29, t = 14.021, P < 0.01; 51.48 ± 8.01 vs. 63.93 ± 9.59, t = 12.991, P < 0.01). The percentages of patients with moderate and severe anxiety and depression were significantly lower 4 weeks following rational emotive therapy than before the intervention (P < 0.01), and the scores for each item in the quality of life were all significantly greater 4 weeks following rational emotive therapy than before the intervention (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Rational emotive therapy may improve the negative emotions and the quality of life of advanced schistosomiasis patients with repeated hospitalizations.

Phylogenetic relationships among the species of Elymus sensu lato in Triticeae (Poaceae) based on nuclear rDNA ITS sequences.

The genus Elymus L. sensu lato includes Roegneria, Elymus, Hystrix, Sitanion and Kengyilia, and they are very important group in the tribe Triticeae. However, the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of them are still in dispute. The ITS sequences were obtained and analyzed for their phylogenetic relationships by using Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Bayesian Inference (BI) methods. The main results were as follows: (1) Most species in Roegneria, Elymus and Sitanion were clustered in the St clade with diploid St genome species, and it was difficult to distinguish the species in Roegneria and Elymus; (2) The polyploid species with St genomes in the St clade were divided into three groups, which suggests that there exists differentiation of St genome in polyploids; (3) Most species of Kengyilia have only P-type of clone and clustered with diploid Agropyron species, which may suggest that Kengyilia is a valid genus; (4) Hy. patula, the type species of Hystrix was clustered with species of Elymus, while Hy. duthiei ssp. duthiei, Hy. duthiei ssp. longearistata, Hy. coreana and Hy. komarovii were grouped with diploid Psathyrostachys species. It indicated that Hy. patula is distinct related to other Hystrix species, and it is reasonable to treat Hystrix patula as Elymus hystrix and other species in Hystrix should be transferred to Leymus; (5) The "clones bias" in ITS sequences are widespread in the allopolyploid species.

Vertical distributions of SO(2) and NO(2) in the lower atmosphere in Beijing urban areas, China.

Measurements of SO(2) and NO(2) were conducted from January to March 2001 and August 2003 at a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing. The concentrations of SO(2) and NO(2) observed by passive samplers at ten heights showed complex vertical distributions in winter and summer. The vertical profiles of pollutants were influenced by source emissions, meteorological conditions, urban canopy and other factors. The comparison analysis of winter and summer pollutant concentrations suggests that the decrease in SO(2) concentration was significant in summer, and the reduction of NO(2) was relatively not distinctive. Domestic heating and industrial sources were major sources of SO(2) in urban areas of Beijing. Differing from SO(2,) urban NO(2) was closely related to traffic emission. Meteorological evidence suggests that strong temperature inversions influence vertical distribution of air pollutants over urban Beijing. The high levels of SO(2) and NO(2) concentrations were due to the accumulation of pollutants resulting from the stable atmosphere prevalent during the measurement period. The vertical distributions of air pollutants were controlled and affected by atmospheric dynamical characteristics.

Rosuvastatin inhibits inflammatory response and resists fibrosis after myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of rosuvastatin on myocardial infarction in rats and its mechanism of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: intensive statin group (n=8), myocardial infarction control group (n=8) and sham-operation group (n=8). The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to establish myocardial infarction models. Rats in intensive statin group were treated with gavage via rosuvastatin (1 mg × kg) and 1.5 mL distilled water suspension at 3 d before operation, while rats in the other two groups received gavage via the same amount of distilled water till 4 weeks after operation. Venous blood was collected using capillary glass tubes at 3 d before operation (before medication) and the last day in the 4th week after operation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was detected via chemiluminescence assay, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was detected via immunofluorescence assay. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Masson staining were performed for myocardium to detect the inflammation and fibrosis. Finally, the expressions of inflammatory protein p65, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and fibrin were detected via Western blotting, and the Snail expression was detected by immunohistochemical assay. RESULTS: The survival rate and cardiac function of rats in intensive statin group were superior to those in control group. HE staining and detection of blood IL-6 and TNF-α, and p65 and PPAR protein expressions revealed that the inflammatory levels in the body and myocardium of rats in intensive statin group were decreased compared with those in control group. Masson staining and detection of fibrin level showed that the myocardial fibrosis level of rats in intensive statin group was reduced compared with that in control group. CONCLUSIONS: Rosuvastatin can reduce the level of myocardial fibrosis through alleviating the inflammatory response in rats with myocardial infarction.

Rearrangements of the retinoic acid receptor alpha and promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger genes resulting from t(11;17)(q23;q21) in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Cytogenetic study of a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) showed an unusual karyotype 46,xy,t(11;17) (q23;21) without apparent rearrangement of chromosome 15. Molecular studies showed rearrangements of the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) gene but no rearrangement of the promyelocytic leukemia gene consistent with the cytogenetic data. Similar to t(15;17) APL, all-trans retinoic acid treatment in this patient produced an early leukocytosis which was followed by a myeloid maturation, but the patient died too early to achieve remission. Further molecular analysis of this patient showed a rearrangement between the RAR alpha gene and a newly discovered zinc finger gene named PLZF (promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger). The fusion PLZF-RAR alpha gene found in this case, was not found in DNA obtained from the bone marrow of normals, APL with t(15;17) and in one patient with AML-M2 with a t(11;17). Fluorescence in situ hybridization using a PLZF specific probe localized the PLZF gene to chromosomal band 11q23.1. Partial exon/intron structure of the PLZF gene flanking the break point on chromosome 11 was also established and the breakpoint within the RAR alpha gene was mapped approximately 2 kb downstream of the exon encoding the 5' untranslated region and the unique A2 domain of the RAR alpha 2 isoform.

Influence of NaCl on hydrogen production from glucose by anaerobic cultures.

In this study, batch experiments were conducted to investigate the inhibitory effects of NaCl on H2 production from glucose by anaerobic mixed cultures. Experimental results demonstrate that NaCl concentration had significant inhibitory effects on glucose degradation, cumulative H2 production, specific H2 production rate, H2 yield and the distribution of aqueous products. The specific H2 production rate had a negative correlation with NaCl concentrations. The NaCl concentrations, at which the specific H2 production rate and H2 yield were reduced by 50%, were estimated as 209 mM and 443 mM, respectively.

Cost-effective sampling of (137)Cs-derived net soil redistribution: part 2 - estimating the spatial mean change over time.

The caesium-137 ((137)Cs) technique for estimating net, time-integrated soil redistribution by the processes of wind, water and tillage is increasingly being used with repeated sampling to form a baseline to evaluate change over small (years to decades) timeframes. This interest stems from knowledge that since the 1950s soil redistribution has responded dynamically to different phases of land use change and management. Currently, there is no standard approach to detect change in (137)Cs-derived net soil redistribution and thereby identify the driving forces responsible for change. We outline recent advances in space-time sampling in the soil monitoring literature which provide a rigorous statistical and pragmatic approach to estimating the change over time in the spatial mean of environmental properties. We apply the space-time sampling framework, estimate the minimum detectable change of net soil redistribution and consider the information content and cost implications of different sampling designs for a study area in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Three phases (1954-1996, 1954-2012 and 1996-2012) of net soil erosion were detectable and attributed to well-documented historical change in land use and management practices in the study area and across the region. We recommend that the design for space-time sampling is considered carefully alongside cost-effective use of the spatial mean to detect and correctly attribute cause of change over time particularly across spatial scales of variation.

Conscious sedation with midazolam and dezocine for diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the benefits and risks of conscious sedation with midazolam and dezocine in diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy (FB). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective case control study enrolled 40 non-sedated and 40 sedated subjects who underwent diagnostic FB. All received the standard upper airway preparation, while sedated subjects received midazolam and dezocine for conscious sedation. Subject discomforts during FB were assessed using the verbal analogue score (VAS, 0-10 scale). Willingness to return was assessed as five scales to monitor subject's satisfaction level. Safety profiles throughout the procedures were also assessed. RESULTS: Anterograde amnesia existed in 75.0% sedated subjects. Compared to non-sedated subjects, sedated ones expressed less discomfort, with lower VAS scores regarding scope insertion (4 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-4], p < 0.001), cough (5.5 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-4], p < 0.001), dyspnea (3.5 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-4], p<0.001), pain (3 [0-10] vs. 0 [0-5], p < 0.001), and global tolerance of the procedures (5.5 [1-10] vs. 0 [0-5], p < 0.001). More sedated subjects expressed willingness to return (90.0% vs. 30.0%, p < 0.001). Sedated subjects had no more hypoxemic episodes during the procedure (7.5% vs. 5.0%, p > 0.99), which were all transient and not life-threatening. CONCLUSIONS: Conscious sedation with midazolam and dezocine reduces discomforts, improves satisfaction level, and carries no significantly risks in subjects undergoing diagnostic FB.

Latitudinal distributions of activities in atmospheric aerosols, deposition fluxes, and soil inventories of 7Be in the East Asian monsoon zone.

Activities of atmospheric aerosols, bulk deposition fluxes, and undisturbed soil inventories of (7)Be were investigated in China's East Asian monsoon zone at various latitudes ranging from 23.8°N to 43.5°N. The annual latitudinal distributions of (7)Be concentrations in aerosols follow a distribution pattern which looks similar to a normal distribution with the maxima occurring in the mid-latitude region. Simultaneous measurements of (7)Be at various latitudes suggest that atmospheric circulation may play an important role in the latitudinal distributions of (7)Be in surface air. Latitude and wet precipitation are the main factors controlling the bulk (7)Be depositional fluxes. Significant seasonal variations in (7)Be depositional fluxes in Beijing, a mid-latitude city, were observed with the highest flux in summer and the lowest in winter, whereas less seasonality were found in the high- and the low-latitude cities. The highest (7)Be inventory in undisturbed soils in summer also occurred at a mid-latitudinal area in the East Asian monsoon zone. Precipitation is the main factor controlling the (7)Be soil inventory in Qingdao with the highest values occurring in autumn followed by summer.