Clinical Value of Surgery and Establishment a Predictive Model for Breast Cancer Patients with Bone-Only Metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Whether to perform surgery on breast cancer with initial bone metastasis is heatedly debated. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of surgery to prolong survival time towards breast cancer patients with bone-only metastasis, and create a prognostic nomogram to predict long-term survival. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with bone-only metastatic breast cancer from 2010 to 2015 were included in this study. National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to obtain patients' data. RESULTS: A total of 7751 patients were included for final analysis, among which 3114 (40.2%) patients had received specialized breast surgery and 4637 (59.8%) had not. Patients who had undergone surgery showed a superior overall survival (OS) compared to patients without surgery (multivariate: HR (hazard ratios) = 0.58; 95% CI (confidence interval) [0.54-0.62]; p < 0.001). Moreover, survival benefit from surgery was also true in almost all subgroups. Prognostic nomogram to individually predict patients' long-term survival rate exhibited an acceptable predictive capability, with a C-index around 0.7 both in training and validation cohorts. Clinicopathological factors included in the nomogram could discriminate patients into subgroup with different prognoses. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that surgery may enhance OS in patients with initial bone-only metastatic breast cancer. Additionally, the created nomogram showed an acceptable could predict patients' long term survival.

Characterization of a Root-Knot Nematode Infecting Aconitum carmichaelii in Southwest China.

Growth of the Chinese herbal medicine industry has resulted in several new pests and diseases. China is one of the world largest producers of monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.), but an unidentified root-knot nematode has become a significant pest in the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan. Morphological characteristics and the ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer and D2-D3 region of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene sequences were used to identify the nematode as Meloidogyne hapla. Through investigation, this is the first report of M. hapla infecting monkshood in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces.

First report of Meloidogyne hapla infecting Yunmuxiang (Aucklandia lappa) in China.

Yunmuxiang (Aucklandia lappa) is a tall, perennial herbaceous plant in the compositae family, occurring mainly in Asia and Europe. Yunmuxiang originated in India and was introduced into China in approximately 1940. Since then it has been widely cultivated in the southwest region of China for medicinal uses; it is included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Yunmuxiang is used primarily as a sedative, including for anesthesia (Ting et al. 2012). Severely stunted and withered Yunmuxiang plants with rotted and galled roots were observed in a field in near the city of Lijiang (N 99°46'; E 27°18') in October 2019. These symptoms were typical of infection by root-knot nematodes.The second-stage juveniles (J2) were collected from the soil in the root zone, and adult females were dissected from roots. Population densities of J2 ranged from 325 to 645 per 100 cm3. Morphological analysis and species-specific PCR were performed on the second stage (J2) and females. Morphological characteristics are as follows: for J2 (n=20) , body length = 360.5 ± 23.4 µm, tail length = 47.2 ± 6.1 µm, and stylet length = 10.4 ± 1.9 µm, distance from dorsal esophageal gland opening to the stylet knot (DGO) = 3.96 ± 0.42 µm; females (n = 20) were pear-shaped, body length = 565.23 ± 86.68 µm, maximum body width = 407.24 ± 60.21 µm, stylet length = 9.93 ± 0.88 µm, DGO = 4.76 ± 0.32 µm, stylet median bulb width (MBW) = 29.67 ± 3.61 µm, perineum morphology is low and low dorsal arch round, with a typical inferior protrusion near the anus. These morphological characteristics are consistent with Meloidogyne hapla as described by Hunt and Handoo (2009). To confirm species identification, DNA was extracted from females (Blok, et al. 1997) and ITS region was amplified using the primers 18S/26S (Vrain et al. 1992). Furthermore, species-specific SCAR primers JMV1/JMV hapla were used as described by Adam et al. (2007). PCR produced 768 bp and 419 bp sequences. Fragments were sequenced (MW512922and MW228371, respectively) and compared with available sequences on NCBI. Sequences were 99.48% identical to the MT249016, KJ572385, and 100% identical to the GQ395574, GQ395569 M. hapla sequences, respectively. Morphological and molecular characterization supports the identification of the isolate found on Aucklandia lappa as M. hapla. Yunmuxiang seed were planted in 20 cm diameter, 10 cm deep plastic pots containing 1000 cm3 sterilized soil. Seedlings were thinned to one per pot. At the 2-3 leaf stage 10 pots were infested with 1500 M. hapla J2 per seedling, using a sterilized micropipette. Plants were maintained at 20-25°C in a greenhouse. Control plants received sterile water, and the pathogenicity test was repeated three times. After 30 days, plants were removed from pots and soil gently removed from the roots. A large number of galls (95.6 ± 2.5) and egg masses (33.5 ± 0.5) were found on each root system. Yunmuxiang was considered a good host for M. hapla in Lijiang. M. hapla is a major plant parasitic nematode with a wide geographic distribution and range of host plants and causes severe yield losses (Azevedo de Oliveira et al. 2018). Through investigation, this is the first report worldwide of M. hapla infecting Aucklandia lappa.

Mn-Catalyzed Selective Double and Mono-N-Formylation and N-Methylation of Amines by using CO2.

Functionalization of amines by using CO2 is of fundamental importance considering the abundance of amines and CO2 . In this context, the catalytic formylation and methylation of amines represent convenient and successful protocols for selective CO2 utilization as a C1 building block. This study represents the first example of selective catalytic double N-formylation of aryl amines by using a dinuclear Mn complex in the presence of phenylsilane. This robust system also allows for selective formylation and methylation of amines under a range of conditions.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative sp3-Carbon Radical Cross-Coupling with Trialkylphosphites Leading to α-Phosphonyl 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds.

A copper-catalyzed radical Csp3-H/P(OR)3 cross-coupling reaction for the formation of Csp3-P bonds is described. A range of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and trialkylphosphites were coupled in this fashion to give the corresponding products in moderate to good yields. This protocol provides direct access to α-phosphonyl 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds.

Copper-catalyzed TEMPO oxidative cleavage of 1,3-diketones and ß-keto esters for the synthesis of 1,2-diketones and α-keto esters.

A copper-catalyzed efficient and practical method has been developed for the synthesis of 1,2-diketones and α-keto esters. TEMPO was used as a radical initiator and scavenger, oxidizing the cleavage of α-methylene of 1,3-diketones and ß-keto esters to form 1,2-diketones and α-keto esters. This method provided a general way for the formation of 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds.

Catalytic Radical Trifluoromethylalkynylation of Unactivated Alkenes.

The trifluoromethylalkynylation of unactivated alkenes with alkynyl sulfones and Togni's reagent was developed. The reaction was catalyzed by 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine, leading to various ß-trifluoromethylated alkynes under metal-free conditions with a broad substrate scope and wide functional group compatibility. A mechanism involving catalytic nonchain radical processes is proposed.

Air Oxidative Radical Oxysulfurization of Alkynes Leading to α-Thioaldehydes.

Air oxidative radical oxysulfurization of alkynes initiated by 0.5 mol % tert-butyl hydroperoxide with arylthiols is described. The reaction proceeded at room temperature in the presence of 5% mol water to afford selective α-thioaldehydes.

Manganese(III)-mediated alkenyl C(sp2)-P bond formation from the reaction of ß-nitrostyrenes with dialkyl phosphites.

Mn(OAc)3-mediated tandem phosphonyl radical addition to ß-nitrostyrenes followed by denitration to form (E)-2-alkenyl phosphonates in good yield is described.

Air oxidative radical hydroxysulfurization of styrenes leading to ß-hydroxysulfides.

Air oxidative radical hydroxysulfurization of styrenes initiated by 0.5 mol % of tert-butyl hydroperoxide with arylthiols is described, and a new type of difunctionalization of alkenes was achieved.

Direct radical acetoxyphosphorylation of styrenes mediated by manganese(III).

Direct radical acetoxyphosphorylation of styrenes mediated by Mn(OAc)3 with diphenylphosphine oxide and dialkyl phosphites was described, and a new type of difunctionalization of alkenes was achieved.