Comparison of efficacy and safety between robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To some extent, robotic technique does offer certain benefits in rectal cancer surgery than laparoscopic one, while remains a topic of ongoing debate for rectal cancer patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). METHODS: Potential studies published until January 2024 were obtained from Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase and PubMed. Dichotomous and continuous variables were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% their confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. A random effects model was used if I2 statistic >50%, otherwise a fixed effects model. RESULTS: Eleven studies involving 1079 patients were analyzed. The robotic-assisted group had an 0.4 cm shorter distance from anal verge (95% CI: -0.680 to -0.114, P=0.006) and 1.94 times higher complete total mesorectal excision (TME) rate (OR=1.936, 95% CI: 1.061 to 3.532, P=0.031). However, the operation time in the robotic-assisted group was 54 minutes longer (95% CI: 20.489 to 87.037, P=0.002) than laparoscopic group. In addition, the robotic-assisted group had a lower open conversion rate (OR=0.324, 95% CI: 0.129 to 0.816, P=0.017) and a shorter length of hospital stay (WMD=-1.127, 95% CI: -2.071 to -0.184, P=0.019). CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted surgery offered several advantages over laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer following NCRT in terms of resection of lower tumours with improved TME completeness, lower open conversion rate and shorter hospital stay, despite longer operative time.

Staggered Assembly of a Dimeric Au13 Cluster: Impacts on Coupling of Geometric Isomerism.

The specific states of aggregation of metal atoms in sub-nanometer-sized gold clusters are related to the different quantum confinement volumes of electrons, leading to novel optical and electronic properties. These volumes can be tuned by changing the relative positions of the gold atoms to generate isomers. Studying the isomeric gold core and the electron coupling between the basic units is fundamentally important for nanoelectronic devices and luminescence; however, appropriate cases are lacking. In this study, the structure of the first staggered di-superatomic Au25 -S was solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The optical properties of Au25 -S were studied by comparing with eclipsed Au25 -E. From Au25 -E to Au25 -S, changes in the electronic structures occurred, resulting in significantly different optical absorptions originating from the coupling between the two Au13 modules. Au25 -S shows a longer electron decay lifetime of 307.7 ps before populating the lowest triplet emissive state, compared to 1.29 ps for Au25 -E. The experimental and theoretical results show that variations in the geometric isomerism lead to distinct photophysical processes owing to isomerism-dependent electronic coupling. This study offers new insights into the connection between the geometric isomerism of nanosized building blocks and the optical properties of their assemblies, opening new possibilities for constructing function-specific nanomaterials.

Continuous constant potential model for describing the potential-dependent energetics of CO2RR on single atom catalysts.

In this work, we have proposed a Continuous Constant Potential Model (CCPM) based on grand canonical density functional theory for describing the electrocatalytic thermodynamics on single atom electrocatalysts dispersed on graphene support. The linearly potential-dependent capacitance is introduced to account for the net charge variation of the electrode surface and to evaluate the free energetics. We have chosen the CO2 electro-reduction reaction on single-copper atom catalysts, dispersed by nitrogen-doped graphene [CuNX@Gra (X = 2, 4)], as an example to show how our model can predict the potential-dependent free energetics. We have demonstrated that the net charges of both catalyst models are quadratically correlated with the applied potentials and, thus, the quantum capacitance is linearly dependent on the applied potentials, which allows us to continuously quantify the potential effect on the free energetics during the carbon dioxide reduction reaction instead of confining it to a specific potential. On the CuN4@Gra model, it is suggested that CO2 adsorption, coupled with an electron transfer, is a potential determining step that is energetically unfavorable even under high overpotentials. Interestingly, the hydrogen adsorption on CuN4@Gra is extremely easy to occur at both the Cu and N sites, which probably results in the reconstruction of the CuN4@Gra catalyst, as reported by many experimental observations. On CuN2@Gra, the CO2RR is found to exhibit a higher activity at the adjacent C site, and the potential determining step is shifted to the *CO formation step at a wide potential range. In general, CCPM provides a simple method for studying the free energetics for the electrocatalytic reactions under constant potential.

Immunohistochemical p16 expression in the prognosis of patients with sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma.

In sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC), the prognostic relevance of p16INK4a (p16) expression has been reported rarely. This study aims to examine the immunohistochemical expression of p16 and investigate the possibility of p16 as a prognostic factor for SNSCC. The medical records of 173 individuals with SNSCC between 2010 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The researchers examined patients' demographics, p16 status, staging, tumor histological subtypes, treatment details, recurrence, metastasis, and survival outcomes. p16 was found in 22.0% (38/173) of SNSCC patients, and there was no difference between inverted papilloma-SNSCC (19.6%) and de novo SNSCC (23.0%). p16 status did not correlate with all the cases' age, gender, clinical stage, or therapy features. p16-positive patients had a considerably superior 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (80.7% vs. 57.5%, p=0.039) and a slight tendency in progression-free survival (PFS) rate (68.1% vs. 52.0%, p=0.15), except in stage T4b cases. In maxillary sinus lesions, p16-positive SNSCC had a better 5-year OS (87.4% vs. 49.2%, p=0.03) rate and PFS (79.1% vs. 40.7%, p=0.01) rate than p16-negative SNSCC. Among patients without skull base involvement (82.9% vs. 57.7%, p=0.037) or orbital invasion (86.9% vs. 57.3%, p=0.02), p16-positive SNSCC confers benefits in OS rates more than p16-negative SNSCC. Immunohistochemical p16 expression may be a predictive predictor in individuals with maxillary sinus SCC, non-T4b stage, without skull base involvement, and without orbital invasion.

Selaginelladensiciliata (subg. Heterostachys, Selaginellaceae), a new spikemoss species from China based on morphological and molecular data.

A new species of spikemoss, Selaginelladensiciliata in S.subg.Heterostachyssect.Tetragonostachyae, China, is described from southeastern Xizang, based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data. Morphologically, S.densiciliata is similar to S.repanda, S.subvaginata and S.vaginata, but the new species can be easily distinguished from them by having sterile leaves margins densely ciliate, symmetrical axillary leaves oblong ovate to ovate-triangular, and ovate dorsal leaves obviously carinate. Molecular phylogenetic analysis resolves S.densiciliata as sister to the clade comprised with S.vaginata and S.xipholepis, which confirms the recognition of the new species.

Splitting one species into 22: an unusual tripling of molecular, morphological, and geographical differentiation in the fern family Didymochlaenaceae (Polypodiales).

The pantropical fern genus Didymochlaena (Didymochlaenaceae) has long been considered to contain one species only. Recent studies have resolved this genus/family as either sister to the rest of eupolypods I or as the second branching lineage of eupolypods I, and have shown that this genus is not monospecific, but the exact species diversity is unknown. In this study, a new phylogeny is reconstructed based on an expanded taxon sampling and six molecular markers. Our major results include: (i) Didymochlaena is moderately or weakly supported as sister to the rest of eupolypods I, highlighting the difficulty in resolving the relationships of this important fern lineage in the polypods; (ii) species in Didymochlaena are resolved into a New World clade and an Old World clade, and the latter further into an African clade and an Asian-Pacific clade; (iii) an unusual tripling of molecular, morphological and geographical differentiation in Didymochlaena is detected, suggesting single vicariance or dispersal events in individual regions and no evidence for reversals at all, followed by allopatric speciation at more or less homogeneous rates; (iv) evolution of 18 morphological characters is inferred and two morphological synapomorphies defining the family are recognized-the elliptical sori and fewer than 10 sori per pinnule, the latter never having been suggested before; (v) based on morphological and molecular variation, 22 species in the genus are recognized contrasting with earlier estimates of between one and a few; and (vi) our biogeographical analysis suggests an origin for Didymochlaena in the latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous and the initial diversification of the extant lineages in the Miocene-all but one species diverged from their sisters within the last 27 Myr, in most cases associated with allopatric speciation owing to geologic and climatic events, or dispersal.

Comparison Between EuroQol Five-Dimensional Questionnaire and Short-Form 6-Dimension Health Survey for the Populations in China:A Scoping Review / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective By review of the studies comparing the measurements properties of EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) and short-form 6-dimension health survey (SF-6D) in Chinese populations,this study aims to provide a reference for selecting,applying,and improving the health-related quality of life and health utility measurement tools for Chinese populations.Methods We retrieved the original studies which compared the two tools from both Chinese and English databases and then summarized the findings of the included studies from the measurement properties.Results A total of 12 studies were screened out,including 9 studies about diseased populations and 3 studies about the general populations.The included studies generally demonstrated that both EQ-5D and SF-6D had good feasibility,while the utility scores generated from them cannot be used interchangeably.For the diseased populations,both EQ-5D and SF-6D and their utility scores had good construct validity,including convergent and known-groups validity,while only the utility scores had good construct validity for the general populations.For the diseased populations,SF-6D had smaller ceiling effect and better sensitivity than EQ-5D-3L,while the comparison results between SF-6D and EQ-5D-5L were inconsistent.For the general populations,SF-6D also had better sensitivity than EQ-5D.In addition,there was little comparative evidence for reliability such as test-retest reliability and responsiveness between SF-6D and SF-6D in the two populations.Conclusion This review summarized the characteristics,methods,results,and conclusions of the studies that directly compared the two tools for the populations in China.Although only the studies directly comparing EQ-5D and SF-6D are included in this review,the common findings in these studies provide a basis for better comparison between the two in the future.

Phylogeny, character evolution, and classification of Selaginellaceae (lycophytes).

Selaginella is the largest and most taxonomically complex genus in lycophytes. The fact that over 750 species are currently treated in a single genus makes Selaginellales/Selaginellaceae unique in pteridophytes. Here we assembled a dataset of six existing and newly sampled plastid and nuclear loci with a total of 684 accessions (74% increase of the earlier largest sampling) representing ca. 300 species to infer a new phylogeny. The evolution of 10 morphological characters is studied in the new phylogenetic context. Our major results include: (1) the nuclear and plastid phylogenies are congruent with each other and combined analysis well resolved and strongly supported the relationships of all but two major clades; (2) the Sinensis group is resolved as sister to S. subg. Pulviniella with strong support in two of the three analyses; (3) most morphological characters are highly homoplasious but some characters alone or combinations of characters well define the major clades in the family; and (4) an infrafamilial classification of Selaginellaceae is proposed and the currently defined Selaginella s.l. is split into seven subfamilies (corresponding to the current six subgenera + the Sinensis group) and 19 genera (the major diagnosable clades) with nine new species-poor genera. We support the conservation of Selaginella with a new type, S. flabellata, to minimize nomenclatural instability. We provide a key to subfamilies and genera, images illustrating their morphology, their morphological and geographical synopses, a list of constituent species, and necessary new combinations. This new classification will hopefully facilitate communication, promote further studies, and help conservation.

Research Progress of Three-Dimensional Bioprinting Artificial Cardiac Tissue

Cardiovascular disease is one of the main diseases that endanger human life and health, and heart failure often occurs when the cardiovascular disease develops to the end-stage. Heart transplantation is the most effective treatment. However, there has always been a shortage of living heart organs. With the development of regenerative medicine, researchers have turned to bioprinting technology that can build tissues and organs in vitro. A large number of relevant literature on three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted hearts were searched and screened in Google Scholar. 3D bioprinting technology can accurately print biomaterials containing living cells into 3D functional living tissues, providing a feasible solution to the shortage of transplantable organs. As one of the most important organs in the human body, the research on 3D bioprinting of the heart has currently become a hot topic. This paper briefly overviews 3D bioprinting technology and the progress in bioprinting cardiac tissue. It is believed that in the future, bio-printed hearts will become a reality, making a new way of providing artificial organs for heart transplantation.

Myocardial edema during chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies: A cardiac magnetic resonance T2 mapping study.

Objective: Myocardial edema is an early manifestation of chemotherapy-related myocardial injury. In this study, we used cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T2 mapping to assess myocardial edema and its changes during chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies. Methods: We enrolled 73 patients receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies, whose the latest cycle was within one month before the beginning of this study, and 41 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent CMR imaging. Of the 73 patients, 35 completed CMR follow-up after a median interval of 6 (3.3 to 9.6) months. The CMR sequences included cardiac cine, T2 mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement. Results: Myocardial T2 was elevated in patients who were treated with chemotherapy compared with healthy volunteers [41ms (40ms to 43ms) vs. 41ms (39ms to 41ms), P = 0.030]. During follow-up, myocardial T2 rose further [40ms (39ms to 42ms) vs. 42.70 ± 2.92ms, P < 0.001]. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of chemotherapy cycles was associated with myocardial T2 elevation (ß = 0.204, P = 0.029). After adjustment for other confounders, myocardial T2 elevation was independently associated with a decrease in left ventricular mass (ß = -0.186; P = 0.024). Conclusion: In patients with gynecologic malignancies, myocardial edema developed with chemotherapy cycles increase, and was associated with left ventricular mass decrease. T2 mapping allows the assessment of myocardial edema and monitoring of its change during chemotherapy.

Is prophylactic neck irradiation indicated for patients with cN0 adenoid cystic carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses?

PURPOSE: To study the prevalence of nodal metastases in sinonasal adenoid cystic carcinoma (SNACC) and to evaluate whether prophylactic neck irradiation (PNI) should be performed in patients with clinical N0 (cN0) disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 1992 and November 2020, 166 patients with SNACC who had undergone radiotherapy at our department were retrospectively analyzed. The median follow-up time was 71.3 months. RESULTS: Among 166 cases of SNACC, a total of 13 (7.8%) had retropharyngeal or cervical nodal metastasis and 93% (12/13) cases occurred in patients with advanced T stage (T3-T4). Levels VIIa, Ib, and IIa were the most common sites of initial nodal involvement. Only 1.2% (2/166) of patients presented late neck recurrence. Lymph node metastasis independently predicted a poor progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.017) but had no impact on overall survival (OS) (P = 0.38). PNI was performed on 36% (55/153) of cN0 patients. The OS (P = 0.42), PFS (P = 0.59), nodal recurrence-free survival (NRFS) (P = 0.46) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (P = 0.63) rates showed no significant difference between cases with and without PNI. Furthermore, cN0 patients with T4b (P = 0.53; P = 0.61), tumor origin from maxillary sinus (P = 0.55; P = 0.53) or nasopharynx involvement (P = 0.56; P = 0.60) showed no extended OS or PFS associated with PNI. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the T stage or the site of origin, prophylactic neck irradiation (PNI) for cN0 patients did not provide any benefit on OS and PFS, suggesting that its application on such patients is not warranted unless there is clinical suspicion.

Myocardial microvascular function assessed by CMR first-pass perfusion in patients treated with chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies.

OBJECTIVES: Cancer chemotherapy potentially increases the risk of myocardial ischemia. This study assessed myocardial microvascular function by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) first-pass perfusion in patients treated with chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies. METHODS: A total of 81 patients treated with chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies and 39 healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled and underwent CMR imaging. Among the patients, 32 completed CMR follow-up, with a median interval of 6 months. The CMR sequences comprised cardiac cine, rest first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the patients and normal controls (all p > 0.05). Compared with the normal controls, the patients had a lower myocardial perfusion index (PI) (13.62 ± 2.01% vs. 12% (11 to 14%), p = 0.001) but demonstrated no significant variation with an increase in the number of chemotherapy cycles at follow-up (11.79 ± 2.36% vs. 11.19 ± 2.19%, p = 0.234). In multivariate analysis with adjustments for clinical confounders, a decrease in the PI was independently associated with chemotherapy treatment (ß = - 0.362, p = 0.002) but had no correlation with the number of chemotherapy cycles (r = - 0.177, p = 0.053). CONCLUSION: Myocardial microvascular dysfunction was associated with chemotherapy treatment in patients with gynecologic malignancies, and can be assessed and monitored by rest CMR first-pass perfusion. KEY POINTS: • Chemotherapy was associated with but did not aggravate myocardial microvascular dysfunction in patients with gynecologic malignancies. • Rest CMR first-pass perfusion is an ideal modality for assessing and monitoring alterations in myocardial microcirculation during chemotherapy treatment.

Case Report: ALK-Positive Histiocytosis With KIF5B-ALK Fusion in Cerebrum-Disseminated Lesions in a Child.

Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive histiocytosis is a rare type of histiocytosis that could affect multiple systems in children and adults. 10 cases of ALK-positive histiocytosis invading the central nervous system (CNS) have been reported. Herein, we report a case of ALK-positive histiocytosis invading the central nervous system and lungs and the details of follow-up of tumor dynamic changes during treatment. Case Presentation: An 18-month-old boy was underweight and had slow growth of almost 3 months duration. The child could not stand and walk independently, and his language and intelligence development occurred later than those of his peers. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed a giant suprasellar lesion with isosignal, measuring approximately 5.1× 3.6× 4.0 cm on T1-weighted imaging, with an obvious mass effect. Nodular, slightly low-signal shadows were also observed in the left temporal pole and left hippocampus, measuring approximately 1.0 cm × 0.7 cm× 0.5 cm and 0.9 cm× 0.8 cm × 0.5 cm on T1-weighted, respectively. The child underwent partial resection of the suprasellar lesion, and a diagnosis of ALK-positive histiocytosis was made histologically. Subsequently, the patient received chemotherapy (CHOP regimen) and anti-ALK therapy (crizotinib). The lesions were gradually shrinking without dissemination and the changes of intracranial and lung lesions were monitored with imaging during therapy. Unfortunately, the child died 8 months after the first surgery because of worsening intracranial infection. Conclusion: ALK-positive histiocytosis may involve the central nervous system and disseminate intracranially. ALK-positive histiocytosis should be considered for the differential diagnosis of suprasellar lesions.

Plastome structure, evolution, and phylogeny of Selaginella.

As one of the earliest land plant lineages, Selaginella is important for studying land plant evolution. It is the largest genus of lycophytes containing 700-800 species. Some unique characters of Selaginella plastomes have been reported, but based only on 20 species. There have been no plastome phylogenies of Selaginella based on a relatively large sampling, and no efforts have been made to resolve the phylogeny of the enigmatic Sinensis group whose relationships have been unclear based on small datasets. Here we investigated the structures of 59 plastomes representing 51 species covering all six subgenera and 18 sections of Selaginella except two sections and including the intriguing Sinensis group for the first time. Our major results include: (1) the plastome size of Selaginella ranges tremendously from 78,492 bp to 187,632 bp; (2) there are numerous gene losses in Selaginella comparing with other lycophytes, Isoëtaceae and Lycopodiaceae; (3) the gene contents and plastome structures in Selaginella vary lineage-specifically and all infrageneric taxa are well supported in the plastome phylogeny; (4) the ndh gene family tends to lose or pseudogenize in those species with DR structure and without other short or medium repeats; (5) the short and medium repeat regions in SC mediate many conformations causing diverse and complex plastome structures, and six new conformations are discovered; (6) forty-eight species sampled have high GC content (>50%) but three species in the Sinensis group have âˆ¼ 30% GC content in plastomes, similar to most vascular plants; (7) the Sinensis group is monophyletic, includes at least two subgroups, and has the smallest plastomes in land plants except some parasitic plants, and their plastomes do not contain any tRNAs; (8) the younger lineages in Selaginella tend to have higher GC content, whereas the older lineages tend to have lower GC content; and (9) because of incomplete genomic data and abnormal structures or some unknown reasons, even the concatenated plastomes could not well resolve the phylogenetic relationships in Selaginella with confidence, highlighting the difficulty in resolving the phylogeny and evolution of this particularly important land plant lineage.

Phylogeny, biogeography, and character evolution in the fern family Hypodematiaceae.

The Old World fern genera Hypodematium and Leucostegia had long been placed in the families Dryopteridaceae and Davalliaceae, respectively, before the advent of molecular phylogenetics. Recent molecular studies confirmed the recognition of the family Hypodematiaceae composed of these two genera, but the relationships within each of these two genera have been unclear. In the present study we performed phylogenetic analyses (MP, ML, BI) based on DNA data from six plastid markers (atpB, atpB-rbcL, matK, rbcL, rps4 & rps4-trnS, and trnL & trnL-F) of 165 accessions representing 31 species in two genera of Hypodematiaceae as the ingroup and 26 accessions representing Cystopteridaceae, Didymochlaenaceae, Dryopteridaceae, Davalliaceae, Oleandraceae, and Woodsiaceae as the outgroups. Our analyses supported the monophyly of the currently defined Hypodematiaceae only including Hypodematium and Leucostegia and found that the family to be sister to the remaining eupolypods I. Our data resolved three taxa of Leucostegia into two clades. In Hypodematium, 28 taxa are resolved into seven strongly supported clades or single-accession clades. The evolution of important morphological characters are inferred in the phylogenetic context. Our dated phylogeny suggested a latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous origin of the family and Upper Cretaceous origin of two genera, with Hypodematiaceae originated from East Asia; extant lineages of Hypodematium originated from East Asia and subsequently into Africa, the Indian region, the Madagascar region, and Southeast Asia; and Leucostegia originated from East Asia and/or Southeast Asia.

Selaginellawuyishanensis (sect. Tetragonostachyae, Selaginellaceae), a new species from East China and its phylogenetic position based on molecular data.

A new spikemoss species, Selaginellawuyishanensis, is described and illustrated based on materials collected from Fujian Province, East China. The new species can be distinguished from S.lutchuensis Koidzumi and S.albociliata P. S. Wang by its leaves with extremely long cilia (up to 8 mm) and distinctly white margins, ovate ventral sporophylls, and sporophyll-pteryx completely inverted on dorsal sporophylls. In the present work, a molecular phylogeny, taxonomic description, distribution information, line drawing, and photographs of this new species are presented. A morphological comparison is also given to distinguish it from morphologically similar species in Selaginellasect.Tetragonostachyae (Hook. & Grev.) Hieron. & Sadeb.

Efficacy and safety of radium-223 in the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To analyze the efficacy and safety of radium-223 in the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).Methods:The clinical data of 22 patients with mCRPC treated with radium-223 in the Chongqing University Cancer Hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The average age was (70.7±1.3)years old. There were 7 cases with ECOG score of 1 and 15 cases with ECOG score of 2. There were 7 cases with grade 2 and 15 cases with grade 3 bone metastasis. For mCRPC, 1 case (4.6%) received first-line treatment, 4 cases (18.2%) received second-line treatment, 10 cases (45.5%) received third-line treatment, 4 cases (18.2%) received fourth-line treatment, and 3 cases (13.6%) received fifth-line treatment. The median time from the diagnosis of mCRPC to the start of radium-223 treatment was 29 (20, 34) months. Radium-223 (55kbq/kg) was injected intravenously every 4 weeks for up to 6 cycles. Before treatment, the median alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was 147.0 (101.8, 212.5)U/L, the median prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 44.7(20.2, 99.1)ng/ml, and 6 patients (27.3%) were complicated with grade 1-2 anemia. The median hemoglobin was 115.0 (103.8, 122.5) g/L, the average neutrophil was (3.0 ± 0.3)×10 9/L, and the average platelet was (169.8 ± 17.0)×10 9/L. The overall survival (OS), radiographic progression-free survival time (rPFS), time to PSA progression, PSA response rate, pain response rate, and time to pain progression were analyzed. Stratified analysis was carried out according to the number of treatment lines experienced before radium-223 treatment. At the same time, the main adverse reactions during radium-223 treatment were analyzed. Results:The mean number of treatment courses with radium-223 was 2.7(ranging 1 to 6), with 4 patients completing 6 courses, 12 (54.6%) completing ≥ 3 courses, and 10 (45.5%) completing < 3 courses. Thirteen patients (59.1%) were treated with radium-223 alone and 9 (40.9%) in combination with other treatments (1 of docetaxel chemotherapy, 2 of enzalutamide, 3 of olaparib, and 3 of estramustine phosphate). None of the patients in this group were treated with bisphosphonates. Ten patients (45.5%) in this group died, all due to disease progression. The median overall survival time of the 22 cases was 11.0 (2.2, 19.8) months. Three patients (13.6%), 7 patients (31.8%), 3 patients (13.6%), and 1 patient (4.5%) showed radiographic progression at 2, 3, 4, and 10 months after treatment, respectively, while the remaining 8 patients (36.4%) did not show radiographic progression during the follow-up period, and the median radiographic progression free time for the 22 patients was 4.0 (3.1, 4.9) months. There were four cases (18.2%) showed PSA response, of which three cases (13.6%) showed PSA rising again later, and one case (4.5%) showed continuous PSA decline. The median time to PSA progression for the 22 patients was 3.6 (2.2, 5.1) months. Fifteen patients (68.2%) experienced pain response at 1 month of treatment, of whom 5 (22.7%) experienced increased pain later and 10 (45.5%) experienced sustained pain relief. The median time to pain progression was 5.5 (3.5, 7.6) months in 22 patients. No patients received radiotherapy or surgery for pain, and no patients experienced fracture. In this group, 7 patients (31.8%) had a post-treatment ALP decrease ≥30% from baseline. Major adverse events during radium-223 treatment were all grade 1 to 2 events, no grade ≥3 adverse events, and no treatment discontinuers due to adverse events.Conclusions:Radium-223 resulted in high pain response rates and prolonged OS, rPFS and time to PSA progression in patients with mCRPC. Adverse effects were low during treatment. The conclusions need to be validated by further expansion of the sample size and extended follow-up.

The complete chloroplast genome of Endangered species Aristolochia delavayi Franch. (Aristolochiaceae) in Southwestern China.

The complete chloroplast genome of Aristolochia delavayi was determined in this study. The chloroplast genome consists of 160,344 bp, with a typical circular structure including a pair of inverted repeats of 25,454 bp separated by a large single-copy region and a small single-copy region of 89,502 and 19,795 bp, respectively. The plastome contains 130 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes. Further phylogenetic analyses were conducted using 12 complete plastomes of Aristolochia. These data support a close relationship between Aristolochia delavayi and Aristolochia tubiflora.

Effect of polysaccharides from seeds of Vaccaria segetalis in alleviating urinary tract infection induced bladder injury by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome / 中国中药杂志

To study the mechanism of polysaccharides from seeds of Vaccaria segetalis( PSV) in the treatment of bacterial cystitis through the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. The rat model of urinary tract infection was used and treated with PSV,and the urine and bladders were collected. The level of interleukin-10( IL-10) in rat urine was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA). Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the expressions of sonic hedgehog( SHH) and NLRP3 inflammasome [NOD-like receptor thermoprotein domain 3( NLRP3),apoptosis associated speck like protein( ASC) and pro-caspase-1]. The expression of Toll-like receptor pathway was detected by RT-PCR. The death of 5637 cells induced by uropathogenic Escherichia coli( UPEC) and lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) release were evaluated using live/dead staining. The results showed that in the rat bladder,the expressions of SHH,NLRP3 inflammasomes and Toll-like receptors were significantly up-regulated,and NLRP3 inflammasomes were significantly activated by UPEC infection. The administration with PSV could significantly increase the concentration of IL-10 in urine,inhibit the expressions of SHH,NLRP3 inflammasomes and Toll-like receptors in bladder,and inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes. A large number of 5637 cells were dead after UPEC infection and caused LDH production. PSV could significantly inhibit the death of 5637 cells and the release of LDH. In conclusion,PSV could inhibit the expression and activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes by inhibiting the Toll-like receptor pathway,thereby mitigating the bladder injury.

Dihydropyridine Enhances the Antioxidant Capacities of Lactating Dairy Cows under Heat Stress Condition.

Heat stress (HS), a nonspecific response to environmental heat, can seriously affect dairy cow health. Feed additives may alleviate HS in dairy cows by improving rumen fermentation efficacy, stimulating feed consumption, enhancing vasodilation, and/or improving antioxidant capacity. The temperature-humidity index (THI) indicates that spring is a non-HS season, and summer is an HS season. HS results in the decrease in dairy cow antioxidant capacities. Our results indicated the decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidation (T-AOC) levels and the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level during HS season. Meanwhile, antioxidant indexes (SOD, GSH-Px, and T-AOC) were positively correlated with milk yield (p < 0.01), whereas MDA exhibited a significant negative correlation with milk yield (p < 0.05). In addition, the effects of dihydropyridine (DHP) on antioxidant capacity and ruminal microbial communities in dairy cows under HS were investigated. During summer, dairy cows were randomly assigned into two groups under HS, including a standard diet (S-ND) group and standard diet with 3 g/day/cow DHP (S-D) group. DHP treatment significantly restored SOD and GSH-Px levels under HS. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis results indicated that the DHP altered ruminal bacterial community mainly composed Proteobacteria and Firmicutes in dairy cows under HS. Our results suggest that DHP can enhance the antioxidant abilities of dairy cows with favorable effects on ruminal microbial communities under HS, further alleviating HS on dairy cows.