Extension of a biotic ligand model for predicting the toxicity of neodymium to wheat: The effects of pH, Ca2+ and Mg2.

The damage excessive neodymium (Nd) causes to animals and plants should not be underestimated. However, there is little research on the impact of pH and associated ions on the toxicity of Nd. Here, a biotic ligand model (BLM) was expanded to predict the effects of pH and chief anions on the toxic impact of Nd on wheat root elongation in a simulated soil solution. The results suggested that Nd3+ and NdOH2+ were the major ions causing phytotoxicity to wheat roots at pH values of 4.5-7.0. The Nd toxicity decreased as the activities of H+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ increased but not when the activities of K+ and Na+ increased. The results indicated that H+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ competed with Nd for binding sites. An extended BLM was developed to consider the effects of pH, H+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, and the following stability constants were obtained: logKNdBL = 2.51, logKNdOHBL = 3.90, logKHBL = 4.01, logKCaBL = 2.43, and logKMgBL = 2.70. The results demonstrated that the BLM could predict the Nd toxicity well while considering the competition of H+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and the toxic species Nd3+ and NdOH2+ for binding sites.

Highly Stable Copper(I)-Thiacalix[4]arene-Based Frameworks for Highly Efficient Catalysis of Click Reactions in Water.

Environmentally friendly metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained considerable attention for their potential use as heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, two CuI -based MOFs, namely, [Cu4 Cl4 L]⋅CH3 OH⋅1.5 H2 O (1-Cl) and [Cu4 Br4 L]⋅DMF⋅0.5 H2 O (1-Br), were assembled with new functionalized thiacalix[4]arenes (L) and halogen anions X- (X=Cl and Br) under solvothermal conditions. Remarkably, catalysts 1-Cl and 1-Br exhibit great stability in aqueous solutions over a wide pH range. Significantly, MOFs 1-Cl and 1-Br, as recycled heterogeneous catalysts, are capable of highly efficient catalysis for click reactions in water. The MOF structures, especially the exposed active CuI sites and 1D channels, play a key role in the improved catalytic activities. In particular, their catalytic activities in water are greatly superior to those in organic solvents or even in mixed solvents. This work proposes an attractive route for the design and self-assembly of environmentally friendly MOFs with high catalytic activity and reusability in water.

[Galectin-3 Expression and Its Clinical Significance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Positive AML1/ETO Fusion Gene].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mRNA expression of galectin-3 and its clinical significance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients carrying AML1/ETOfusion gene. METHODS: RQ-PCR method was used to detect the expression of galectin-3 mRNA in bone marrow mononuclear cells of 53 AML patients with AML1/ETO+, ELISA was used to detect the expression of galectin-3 protein in peripheral blood, and the correlations of galectin-3 expression with clinical and laboratory features and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein levels of galectin-3 were significantly higher in newly diagnosed AML1/ETO+ AML patients compared with the control ( P<0.001). Galectin-3 mRNA and protein expressions were positively correlated (r=0.732, P<0.001). Galectin-3 protein was significantly decreased during the period of complete remission (CR)( P<0.001). The mRNA expression of galectin-3 was negatively correlated with the count of white blood cells ( P=0.014), and positively correlated with CD34 expression and additional cytogenetic aberrations (ACA) ( P=0.001, P=0.026). There was no significant difference in CR, partial remission (PR), induction death (early mortality) between galectin-3 high-expression group and low-expression group ( P>0.05), but there was significant difference in recurrence rate between the two groups ( P=0.029). The median overall survival (OS) rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate were shortened in the high-expression group ( P=0.007, P=0.015) and the cumulative incidence of relapse was increased ( P=0.045), but there was no significant difference in the cumulative incidence of CM(155mm]mortality ( P>0.05). Cox regression analysis suggested galectin-3 mRNA level an independent indicator of OS and DFS in AML1/ETO+ AML patients. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow galectin-3 mRNA level may be an important reference index for evaluating the prognosis and guiding the treatment of AML1/ETO+ AML patients.

Clinical impact of galectin-3 in newly diagnosed t (15;17)(q22;q21)/PML-RARa acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with all-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide-based regimens.

Increased galectin-3 expression has been currently showed to be associated with poor prognosis in some hematological malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia, diffuse large B cell lymphoma. However, little is known about the clinical significance of galectin-3 in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). We investigated the concentration of serum galectin-3 and characterized the relationship between galectin-3 and outcome in patients with APL. Higher galectin-3 levels were detected in patients with APL compared with the healthy controls (p < 0.001). Higher galectin-3 levels were closely associated with older ages (p < 0.001), the medical history of psoriasis (p = 0.036), coagulopathy (p = 0.042), and CD34 expression (p = 0.004). Compared with patients with lower galectin-3 levels, those with higher galectin-3 levels had significant shorter overall survival (p = 0.028) and relapse-free survival (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that serum galectin-3 was an independent unfavorable factor for relapse-free survival in patients with APL treated with all-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide-based frontline therapy. Clinical impact of galectin-3 should be further investigated in patients with APL.

[Effects of Controlled-release Blended Fertilizer on Crop Yield and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Wheat-maize Rotation System].

The increasing use of nitrogen fertilizers exerts extreme pressure on the environment (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, GHGs) for winter wheat-summer maize rotation systems in the North China Plain. The application of controlled-release fertilizers is considered as an effective measure to improve crop yield and nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency. To explore the impact of one-time fertilization of controlled-release blended fertilizer on crop yield and GHGs of a wheat-maize rotation system, field experiments were carried out in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park from 2020 to 2022. Five treatments were established for both winter wheat and summer maize, including no nitrogen control (CK), farmers' conventional nitrogen application (FFP), optimized nitrogen application (OPT), CRU1 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 5:5 and 3:7, respectively), and CRU2 (the blending ratio of coated urea and traditional urea on winter wheat and summer maize was 7:3 and 5:5, respectively). The differences in yield, nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency, fertilization economic benefits, and GHGs among different treatments were compared and analyzed. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased the single season and annual crop yields of the wheat-maize rotation system (P < 0.05). Compared with those of FFP, the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments increased the yields of summer maize by 0.4% to 5.6%, winter wheat by -5.4% to 4.1%, and annual yields by -1.1% to 3.9% (P > 0.05). N recovery efficiency (NRE), N agronomic efficiency (NAE), and N partial factor productivity (NPFP) were increased by -8.6%-43.4%, 2.05-6.24 kg·kg-1, and 4.24-10.13 kg·kg-1, respectively. Annual net income increased by 0.2% to 6.3%. Nitrogen application significantly increased the annual emissions of soil N2O and CO2 in the rotation system (P < 0.05) but had no effect on the annual emissions of CH4 (except for in the FFP treatment in the first year). The annual total N2O emissions under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments were significantly reduced by 23.4% to 30.2% compared to those under the FFP treatment (P < 0.05). Additionally, nitrogen application significantly increased the annual global warming potential (GWP) of the rotation system (P < 0.05), but the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions was reduced due to the increase in crop yields. Compared with that under FFP, the annual GWP under the CRU1 and CRU2 treatments decreased by 9.6% to 11.5% (P < 0.05), and the annual GHGs decreased by 11.2% to 13.8% (P > 0.05). In summary, the one-time application of controlled-release blended fertilizer had a positive role in improving crop yield and economic benefits, reducing nitrogen fertilizer input and labor costs, and GHGs, which is an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote cleaner production of food crops in the North China Plain.

Oropharyngeal Stenosis Caused by Significant Scar Hyperplasia Following Tonsillectomy: A Case Report.

Oropharyngeal stenosis (OPS) is a relatively rare long-term complication of tonsillectomy in children, resulting from the narrowing of the upper aerodigestive tract between the soft palate, pharyngeal sidewalls, and base of the tongue. This is the first reported case of OPS due to significant scar hyperplasia; however, whether it is as prone to recurrence as skin scar hypertrophy remains unknown. In this article, we present the case of a 5-year-old girl who presented to our otolaryngology clinic with sleep snoring and suffocation. Her medical history included tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, performed 3 years prior to presentation. The patient underwent a combination of surgery and administration of triamcinolone injections, resulting in significant symptomatic improvement. To date, no signs of recurrence have been reported.

[Effect of Film Mulching Age and Organic Fertilizer Application on the Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in the Soil of a Peanut Field].

The large input of mulch film and organic fertilizer have led to increasingly serious microplastic pollution in farmland soil of China. In this study, the microplastic pollution of peanut farmland in Dezhou City, Shandong Province was investigated. The effects of different mulching years (0, 3, 5, and 8 years) and organic fertilizer application on the abundance, particle size, color, and shape of microplastics in farmland soil were analyzed. The results showed that the average abundances of microplastics in peanut soil were 65.33, 316.00, 1 098.67, and 1 346.34 n·kg-1, respectively, after 0, 3, 5, and 8 years of film mulching. The abundance of microplastics decreased with the increase in soil depth. The abundance of microplastics in 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm topsoil was 1 076.00, 603.5, and 440.25 n·kg-1, respectively, and the abundance of microplastics increased significantly with increasing years of film mulching and organic fertilizer application (P<0.05). The particle size of microplastics in the sample plot <1 mm accounted for 77.30% of the total content, and with the increase in film mulching age, the proportion of microplastics with small particle size (<1 mm) increased significantly (P < 0.05). With the increase in soil depth, the proportion of microplastics with small particle size also gradually increased, whereas the application of organic fertilizer had no significant effect on the particle size of microplastics. The color of microplastics in the plot was mainly transparent (49.77%), followed by black (16.35%) and white (16.27%). The planting age and organic fertilizer application had no significant effect on the color of microplastics in the soil (P > 0.05), but the mulching age significantly increased the proportion of transparent microplastics. The abundance proportion of the five types of microplastics were 49.77%, 25.41%, 19.15%, 3.26%, and 2.41%, respectively. These field soil microplastics were mainly composed of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) polymers, accounting for 21.37%, 18.57%, and 19.77% of the total, respectively. Therefore, microplastics were widely present in the soil of the peanut field cultivated layer in Dezhou, Shandong, and the applications of mulch film and organic fertilizer were the main source. This study provides an important basis for the prevention and control of soil microplastic pollution in peanut fields.

[Effect of miR-125b on T Cell Activation in Aplastic Anemia by Targetting B7-H4].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of miR-125b on T cell activation in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: A total of 30 AA patients were enrolled in department of hematology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital from January 2018 to October 2021, as well as 15 healthy individuals as healthy control (HC) group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated, in which the levels of miR-125b and B7-H4 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR. Immunomagnetic beads were used to separate naive T cells and non-naive T cells from AA patients and healthy people to detect the levels of miR-125b and B7-H4 mRNA. Lentivirus LV-NC inhibitor and LV-miR-125b inhibitor were transfected into cells, and T cell activation was detected by flow cytometry. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect the targetting relationship between miR-125b and B7-H4. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the levels of miR-125b, CD40L, ICOS, IL-10 mRNA and B7-H4 protein. RESULTS: Compared with HC group, the expression of miR-125b was up-regulated but B7-H4 mRNA was down-regulated in PBMCs of AA patients (P <0.05), and the proportions of CD4+CD69+ T cells and CD8+CD69+ T cells in PBMCs of AA patients were higher (P <0.05). The expression of miR-125b was significantly up-regulated but B7-H4 mRNA was down-regulated in both naive T cells and non-naive T cells of AA patients (P <0.05), and non-naive T cells was more significant than naive T cells (P <0.05). Compared with NC inhibitor group, the expression of miR-125b was significantly decreased, the expression level of CD69 on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in PBMCs was also significantly decreased, while the luciferase activity was significantly increased after co-transfection of miR-125b inhibitor and B7-H4-3'UTR-WT in the miR-125b inhibitor group (P <0.05). Compared with NC inhibitor group, the mRNA and protein levels of B7-H4 were significantly increased in the miR-125b inhibitor group (P <0.05). Compared with miR-125b inhibitor+shRNA group, the expression levels of CD69 on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were significantly increased, and the levels of CD40L, ICOS and IL-10 mRNA were also significantly increased in the miR-125b inhibitor+sh-B7-H4 group (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: MiR-125b may promote T cell activation by targetting B7-H4 in AA patients.

[Effect of single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer on reactive nitrogen loss, carbon and nitrogen footprint during summer maize growth period]. / 基施控释掺混肥对夏玉米生长期活性氮损失和碳氮足迹的影响.

To elucidate the agronomic and environmental effects of single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer in summer maize, and optimize management measures of nitrogen fertilizer for grain production in North China Plain, we conducted a field experiment in Dezhou Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Park in Shandong Province. There were four treatments: CK (no N fertilizer), FFP (farmer's fertilizing practice, 240 kg N·hm-2), OPT (optimized nitrogen application, 210 kg N·hm-2), and CRBF (controlled-release blended fertilizer with single basal application, 210 kg N·hm-2). We compared maize yield and reactive nitrogen loss, and quantitatively evaluated the carbon and nitrogen footprints by using life cycle assessment method. The results showed that nitrogen application significantly increased summer maize yield. Compared with FFP, OPT and CRBF increased summer corn yield by 0.7% and 2.9%, respectively, decreased the total amount of ammonia volatilization, N2O emission, and nitrate leaching by 13.0% and 72.7%, 13.3% and 37.5%, 20.5% and 23.5% respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the global warming potential (GWP) of summer maize production. Compared with FFP, GWP and greenhouse gas emission intensity of OPT decreased by 3.8% and 4.2%, while the reduction of CRBF were 8.7% and 12.0%, respectively. Compared with CK, nitrogen application significantly increased the carbon and nitrogen footprint of summer maize production. The production and transportation of nitrogen fertilizer and soil greenhouse gas emission were the main contributing factors of the carbon footprint, with contribution rates of 54%-60% and 24%-31%, respectively. Nitrate leaching was the main contributing factor of nitrogen footprint, with contribution rate of 57%-94%. Compared with FFP, the carbon and nitrogen footprints of OPT and CRBF were reduced by 11.0% and 16.5%, 19.6% and 28.4%, respectively. Considering the yield, reactive nitrogen loss and carbon and nitrogen footprint, we recommended the single basal application of controlled-release blended fertilizer as an effective nitrogen fertilizer management measure to promote grain clean production in the North China Plain.

[Effects of addition of sorghum stubble rhizosphere soil on growth and rhizosphere microbes of continuous cropping cucumber]. / æ·»åŠ é«˜ç²±æ ¹èŒ¬æ ¹é™ åœŸå¯¹è¿žä½œé»„ç“œç”Ÿé•¿å’Œæ ¹é™ å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©çš„å½±å“.

We explored the effects of addition of sorghum stubble rhizosphere soil on the growth of continuous cropping cucumber and rhizosphere microbial community in a pot experiment. The diffe-rences in soil bacterial and fungal community composition were analyzed with fluorescence quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing technology. There were four treatments: CK (no fertilization), T1(fertilizer only), T2(optimized fertilization), and T3(optimized fertilization + rhizosphere soil of sorghum stubble). The results showed that compared with other treatments, T3 promoted the growth and development of cucumber, and increased the abundance of 16S rRNA and ITS rRNA genes in soil. Compared with the T1 treatment, T2 and T3 significantly increased the richness and diversity of bacterial communities. There was no significant difference in fungal community richness and diversity among different treatments. Adding rhizosphere soil of sorghum stubble changed the composition of bacterial and fungal communities at both phylum and genus levels. For bacteria, it increased the abundances of Acidobacteria and Bacteroides, but decreased that of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospira and Bacillus. For fungi, it increased the abundance of Basidiomycota, Trichoderma and Pseudurotium, but decreased that of Fusarium and Metarhizium. Results of redundancy analysis showed that soil nitrate and organic matter were the key factors affecting the difference of bacterial and fungal community composition, respectively. In conclusion, addition of sorghum stubble rhizosphere soil improved the total abundance of soil microorganisms and bacterial diversity for continuous cropping cucumber. It increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria Trichoderma, reduced that of pathogenic Fusarium, and maintained the survival rate of cucumber, thus provided a feasible solution for alleviating the barriers for the continuous cropping of cucumber.

Clinical significance of galectin-3 in patients with adult acute myeloid leukemia: a retrospective cohort study with long-term follow-up and formulation of risk scoring system.

Galectin-3 plays an increasingly important role in development and progression of tumor. However, little is known about the clinical impact of galectin-3 in non-acute promyelocytic leukemia (non-M3 AML). Peripheral blood of 298 patients with primary non-M3 AML and 30 normal donors was collected for measurement of galectin-3. Galectin-3 levels were significantly higher compared with the control group (p < .001). Patients with higher galectin-3 levels had lower CR rates (p = .001) and 1-year overall survival (OS) rates (p = .002). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that higher galectin-3 levels group had significantly shorter OS. Cox regression model revealed high galectin-3 level was an independent poor prognostic factor. A scoring system incorporating galectin-3 and other prognostic factors (age, WBC, karyotype, NPM1/FLT3-ITD, CEBPAdouble-mutation and c-KIT, WT1) was formulated to predict prognosis. In conclusion, galectin-3 may be a reliable prognostic marker in AML patients. The multifactorial scoring system was more powerful than a single factor to predict clinical outcome.

Analysis of 10,000 ESTs from lymphocytes of the cynomolgus monkey to improve our understanding of its immune system.

BACKGROUND: The cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) is one of the most widely used surrogate animal models for an increasing number of human diseases and vaccines, especially immune-system-related ones. Towards a better understanding of the gene expression background upon its immunogenetics, we constructed a cDNA library from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B lymphocytes of a cynomolgus monkey and sequenced 10,000 randomly picked clones. RESULTS: After processing, 8,312 high-quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were generated and assembled into 3,728 unigenes. Annotations of these uniquely expressed transcripts demonstrated that out of the 2,524 open reading frame (ORF) positive unigenes (mitochondrial and ribosomal sequences were not included), 98.8% shared significant similarities (E-value less than 1e-10) with the NCBI nucleotide (nt) database, while only 67.7% (E-value less than 1e-5) did so with the NCBI non-redundant protein (nr) database. Further analysis revealed that 90.0% of the unigenes that shared no similarities to the nr database could be assigned to human chromosomes, in which 75 did not match significantly to any cynomolgus monkey and human ESTs. The mapping regions to known human genes on the human genome were described in detail. The protein family and domain analysis revealed that the first, second and fourth of the most abundantly expressed protein families were all assigned to immunoglobulin and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-related proteins. The expression profiles of these genes were compared with that of homologous genes in human blood, lymph nodes and a RAMOS cell line, which demonstrated expression changes after transformation with EBV. The degree of sequence similarity of the MHC class I and II genes to the human reference sequences was evaluated. The results indicated that class I molecules showed weak amino acid identities (<90%), while class II showed slightly higher ones. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the genes expressed in the cynomolgus monkey could be used to identify novel protein-coding genes and revise those incomplete or incorrect annotations in the human genome by comparative methods, since the old world monkeys and humans share high similarities at the molecular level, especially within coding regions. The identification of multiple genes involved in the immune response, their sequence variations to the human homologues, and their responses to EBV infection could provide useful information to improve our understanding of the cynomolgus monkey immune system.

[Summary of the evolution studies on primate major histocompatibility complex class I].

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a gene cluster directly related to immune response. The highly polymorphic nature of the MHC class I genes corresponds to variations of the pathogens and are crucial for individual survival during infection. During primate evolution, the diverse forms of MHC class I genes came to existence due to different time of divergence and survival pressure. Over time, this led to changes in the number as well as the function of these genes, and even the emergence of species-specific genes. In this paper we describe the overall features of primate MHC class I genes, with an emphasis on the characteristics of six classical MHC class I genes in the typical primate species and their interrelationships.

Isolation of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in upper respiratory tract infections of patients.

Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae are usual cause of upper respiratory tract infection cases. The present study aims the isolation of bacterial strains which are resistant to the commonly prescribed antibiotics. In total, 900 throat swabs were obtained from the patients suffering from upper respiratory tract infections residing in three different localities. The maximum number of isolates (64 %) were obtained from locality-1 (L-1), whereas lowest isolates were found in second locality (L-2). H. influenzae was found to be the most dominant bacterial pathogen in upper respiratory tract infections in patients with 42 % of the total isolates. H. influenzae and Chlamydia pneumoniae were resistant to ß-lactam antibiotics but susceptible to fluroquinolones and aminoglycosides, whereas S. aureus and S. pneumoniae were found to be highly resistant to ß-lactam, aminoglycosides and fluroquinolones. S. aureus was also moderately resistant to fluroquinolones and aminoglycosides with percent resistance of 26, 33 and 18 %, respectively. 56 % S. pneumoniae isolates were resistant against erythromycin, 27 % against chloramphenicol and 23 % against cefuroxime. The studies revealed that S. aureus and S. pneumoniae strains were high producer of biofilms which could be one of the reasons for their high pathogenicity.

Significance of ETV6 rearrangement in acute promyelocytic leukemia with t(15;17)/promyelocytic leukemia/retinoic acid receptor alpha.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a common subtype of acute myeloid leukemia in China. Since the application of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid in the treatment of APL, the prognosis has greatly improved. However, ~20% of patients with APL relapse upon completing chemotherapy. Decreasing the relapse rate and incidence of early mortality may pose the greatest challenges for the future management of APL. Recently, Ets variant 6 (ETV6) was reported to be involved in a variety of translocations associated with hematological malignancies of myeloid and lymphoid origin. To date, little is known about the clinical implication of ETV6 rearrangement in APL. In the present study, ETV6 rearrangement was examined by split-signal fluorescence in situ hybridization in 258 adults with APL, and its association with the clinical features and outcomes of the patients was analyzed. The data suggested that ETV6 rearrangement may be an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for overall survival in APL patients.

Synchronous occurrence of gastrointestinal stromal tumor and acute myeloid leukemia: A case report and review of the literature.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) originate from the mesenchymal tissue of the gastrointestinal tract. The pathogenesis of GIST is associated with the mutational activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase cluster of differentiation (CD)117 or platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α. Overall, ~60% of GISTs occur in the stomach. Clinically, GISTs may coexist with various types of cancer, including liver cancer, pancreatic tumors and lymphoma, either synchronously or metachronously. The present study reports the case of a patient with the synchronous occurrence of a CD117-positive GIST and acute myeloid leukemia. A 69-year-old man was hospitalized for heart palpitations and dizziness, and was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by bone marrow aspiration and flow cytometry analysis. An abdominal computed tomograpy and gastroscopy revealed the presence of GIST. The patient received chemotherapy in combination with imatinib (400 mg/day), and the mass was removed 2 months later. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first reported case of the synchronous development of a CD117-positive GIST and AML. Additional studies are required in order to understand the association between GIST and hematological malignancies.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm with leukemic manifestation and ETV6 gene rearrangement: A case report.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare malignant tumor of the hemopoietic system that arises from plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursors with a highly aggressive course. BPDCN frequently involves the skin, lymph nodes, peripheral blood and bone marrow. BPDCN is known to develop leukemic dissemination as a feature of myelomonocytic leukemia in the late phase of the disease, which leads to a poorer prognosis. In the present study, a case of BPDCN with leukemic manifestation without cutaneous involvement was reported. In addition, ETS variant gene 6 (ETV6) gene rearrangement was detected in the patient. The patient relapsed soon after complete remisson and had no response to further treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of BPDCN with ETV6 rearrangement. Following chemotherapy treatment, the patient suffered from severe headache in the complete remission stage; however, brain CT scans showed no significant abnormalities. Several lumbar punctures and intrathecal chemotherapy were performed, and the patient recovered gradually. Therefore, the patient was considered to suffer from central nervous system leukemia. In conclusion, implementation of lumbar punctures and preventive intrathecal chemotherapy are required in BPDCN patients with leukemic manifestation during the remission stage.

[Hypercoagulable state in patients with multiple myeloma].

OBJECTIVE: This study was to detect the plasma thrombomodulin (TM), D-dimer and fibrinogen in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and to analyze their relationship with morbid state, and also to investigate the relationship of the expression of coagulation factor with the ratio of myeloma cells. METHODS: ELISA was used to detect the TM level in 45 cases of MM at different stages. The plasma level of D-dimer and fibrinogen was detected by STA automatic coagulation analyser. RESULTS: The level of plasma TM in newly diagnosed patients was higer than that in normal control group and in platform stage group (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). There were significant differences between relapsed or refractory group and normal control group or those reached platform stage group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the level of plasma TM in the group of thalidomide combined with chemotherapy was higer than that in newly diagnosed patients (P < 0.05). The level of plasma D-dimer and fibrinogen of MM patients was higher than that in normal controls (P < 0.01;P < 0.05). The expression of D-Dimer in relapsed or refractory group reached the maximum. Also, the level of plasma D-Dimer in group of thalidomide combined chemotherapy was higer than in newly diagnosed patients (P < 0.05). The expression of coagulation factor did not correlate with the ratio of myeloma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Level of plasma TM, D-Dimer and fibrinogen of MM patients is higher than that in control group. The level of plasma TM and D-Dimer can be elevated when thalidomide used, which indirectly suggested the tendency for thrombosis in MM patients.

Three-dimensional framework of vigor, organization, and resilience (VOR) for assessing rangeland health: a case study from the alpine meadow of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.

Rangeland health assessments play an important role in providing qualitative and quantitative data about ecosystem attributes and rangeland management. The objective of this study is to test the feasible of a modified model and visualize the health in a three-dimensional model. A modified Costanza model was employed, and eight indicators, including the biomass, biodiversity, and carrying capacity [associated with the vigor, organization, and resilience (VOR)] were applied. An entropy method was also developed to calculate the weight of each indicator, and a three-dimensional framework was applied to visualize the indicators and health index. The conceptual model was demonstrated using data from a case study on the alpine rangeland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, one of the globally important grassland biomes being severely degraded by natural and human factors. The health indices of four grassland plots at different levels of degradation were calculated using a modified approach to measuring their VOR. The results indicated that the least disturbed plot was relatively healthy compared to the other plots. In addition, the health indices presented in the three-dimensional VOR framework decreased in a consistent manner across the four plots along the disturbance gradients. Such rangeland health assessments should be integrated with management efforts to insure their long-term sustainable use.

[A double labial-arch retaining appliance after correction of Class III osteal malocclusion].

A double labial-arch retaining appliance to retain the treatment effective of Class III osteal malocclusion were introduced and used to retain 60 patients with Class III osteal malocclusion. At the same time, 60 patients with Class III osteal malocclusion were retained with conventional Hawley retainer as the control group. The results indicated that the double labial-arch retaining appliance has good effect to the retain of Class III osteal malocclusion.