The effect of blood flow restriction exercise on N-lactoylphenylalanine and appetite regulation in obese adults: a cross-design study.

Background: N-lactoylphenylalanine (Lac-Phe) is a new form of "exerkines" closely related to lactate (La), which may be able to inhibit appetite. Blood flow restriction (BFR) can lead to local tissue hypoxia and increase lactate accumulation. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of combining Moderate-intensity Continuous Exercise (MICE) with BFR on Lac-Phe and appetite regulation in obese adults. Methods: This study employed the cross-design study and recruited 14 obese adults aged 18-24 years. The participants were randomly divided into three groups and performed several tests with specific experimental conditions: (1) M group (MICE without BFR, 60%VO2max, 200 kJ); (2) B group (MICE with BFR, 60%VO2max, 200 kJ); and (3) C group (control session without exercise). Participants were given a standardized meal 60 min before exercise and a ad libitum 60 min after exercise. In addition, blood and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were collected before, immediately after, and 1 hour after performing the exercise. Results: No significant difference in each index was detected before exercise. After exercise, the primary differential metabolites detected in the M and B groups were xanthine, La, succinate, Lac-Phe, citrate, urocanic acid, and myristic acid. Apart from that, the major enrichment pathways include the citrate cycle, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism. The enhanced Lac-Phe and La level in the B group was higher than M and C groups. Hunger of the B group immediately after exercise substantially differed from M group. The total ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and hunger in the B group 1 hour after exercise differed substantially from M group. The results of calorie intake showed no significant difference among the indexes in each group. Conclusions: In conclusion, this cross-design study demonstrated that the combined MICE and BFR exercise reduced the appetite of obese adults by promoting the secretion of Lac-Phe and ghrelin. However, the exercise did not considerably affect the subsequent ad libitum intake.

The impact of Pilates exercise for depression symptoms in female patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Pilates exercise has recently become an increasingly popular way of exercise in female patients since it is an attractive and low-cost physical exercise modality. Pilates may be a beneficial method of exercise for female patients with depression and anxiety symptoms. However, to date, there has been no attempt to collate this literature. This review aims to systematically assess and meta-analyze the efficacy of Pilates exercise for female patients with depression and anxiety symptoms and inform evidence-based guidelines for exercise prescription. METHODS: Five electronic databases (Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were systematically searched up to January 2023 to examine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on the effects of Pilates exercise for female patients with depressive disorders and individuals with elevated levels of depression were included. The primary outcomes were the severity of depression, and the secondary outcomes were anxiety. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 15.1 software with a 95% confidence interval (Registration number: CRD42023426522), and the PEDRO Scale was used to evaluate the risk of bias for RCT. RESULTS: 18 RCTs with 827 female patients were included. The methodological quality of the RCTs was considered an A level in 4 studies, B level in 13, studies, and C level in 1 study investigation. The meta-analysis showed that there was moderate evidence for the Pilates exercise significantly improved the severity of depression symptoms (SMD = -0.73; 95% CI -0.86 to -0.59; P < .01) and anxiety symptoms (SMD = -0.62; 95% CI -0.79 to -0.46; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Pilates exercise could reduce levels of depression and anxiety in female patients with depression and anxiety symptoms. Pilates exercise can be used as a potential ancillary program to improve depression and anxiety symptoms for female patients.

Comparison of survival outcomes between laparoscopic and open colectomy for transverse colon cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare laparoscopic with open resection for transverse colon cancer (TCC) regarding long-term survival outcomes. METHODS: Systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Ovid, and Cochrane Library for studies comparing laparoscopic with open resection for TCC. The last search was performed on October 7, 2022. Oncological and survival outcomes were collected and analyzed. This meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager Software (v 5.3). RESULTS: This study included fifteen studies published between 2014 and 2022 with 2556 patients in total. When compared with the laparoscopic group, the open group had significantly more tumors locating on middle transverse colon (P = 0.006, OR = 0.67, 95%CI [0.50, 0.89], I2 = 12%) and more patients received transverse colectomy (P = 0.03, OR = 0.66, 95%CI [0.46, 0.96], I2 = 53%) as results. Comparable tumor stage (P = 0.13, OR = 0.81, 95%CI [0.62, 1.06], I2 = 55%) and number of lymph node harvested (P = 0.22, WMD = -0.81, 95%CI [-2.09, 0.47], I2 = 73%) were observed between the two groups. As for survival outcomes, no significant difference was observed between the two groups for 5-year disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.61, OR = 0.93, 95%CI [0.72, 1.21], I2 = 0%), 5-year overall survival (OS; P = 0.83, OR = 0.97, 95%CI [0.71, 1.32], I2 = 0%), 3-year DFS (P = 0.97, OR = 0.96, 95%CI [0.69, 1.32], I2 = 0%), and 3-year OS (P = 0.67, OR = 0.92, 95%CI [0.63, 1.35], I2 = 0%). In the subgroup analysis according to tumor stage, the results did not change. CONCLUSION: Current evidence based on studies demonstrated that laparoscopic procedure could be safely performed for TCC, and it would not affect the long-term survival. Randomized clinical trials with a larger sample size are warranted in the future for further investigation.

Efficacy of various adjuvant chemotherapy methods in preventing liver metastasis from potentially curative colorectal cancer: A systematic review network meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

PURPOSE: Various chemotherapy administration methods have been used to prevent liver metastasis (LM) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This network meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of these different methods in preventing LM in CRC patients who underwent curative surgery. METHOD: A systematic search of randomized controlled trials reporting the efficacy of various adjuvant chemotherapy methods in patients with colorectal cancer who underwent curative surgery was conducted. The primary outcome was the LM rate. RESULTS: This network meta-analysis included 19 studies reporting on 12,588 participants, comparing portal vein infusion chemotherapy (PVIC) versus hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) versus systematic chemotherapy (SC) versus surgery alone. The HAIC group had the lowest LM rate when compared to the other three groups (odds ratio [OR] of PVIC vs. HAIC: 1.86; OR of SC vs. HAIC: 1.98; and HAIC vs. surgery alone: 0.43). The LM rate did not differ significantly between PVIC, SC, and surgery alone. The recurrence rates were lower for PVIC and HAIC than for surgery alone (the ORs for PVIC and HAIC were 0.73 [95% CI: 0.58-0.92] and 0.45 [95% CI: 0.26-0.77]). The mortality rates of patients undergoing PVIC and HAIC were lower than that of patients undergoing surgery alone (the ORs for PVIC and HAIC were 0.77 [95% CI: 0.64-0.93] and 0.49 [95% CI: 0.24-0.98]). Anastomotic leakage, cardiopulmonary leakage, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, oral ulceration, wound infection, or ileus did not differ significantly between the four groups. PVIC showed the highest hepatic toxicity rate compared to those for SC, HAIC, and surgery alone. CONCLUSION: HAIC might be a satisfactory method for preventing LM in patients with CRC undergoing curative surgery.

T1 rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma with bilateral enlarged lateral lymph nodes and unilateral metastasis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: There are a few cases of lateral lymph node (LLN) metastasis (LLNM) of T1 rectal cancer. Moreover, LLNM is easily missed, especially in patients with early-stage rectal cancer. To our knowledge, the possibility of bilateral LLNM before surgery has not been reported in previous studies. CASE SUMMARY: A 36-year-old woman underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection at a local hospital owing to a clinical diagnosis of a rectal polyp. The pathology report showed a diagnosis of T1 rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma. She was considered to have bilateral LLNM after the examination at our hospital. Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision plus bilateral LLN dissection was performed and the pathological outcomes indicated unilateral LLNM. The patient received long-course adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with no recurrence or metastasis observed during the 1-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: T1 rectal cancer could lead to LLNM and possibly, bilateral LLNM. Therefore, adequate clinical evaluation is essential for these patients.

A simple molecular design towards the conversion of a MCL backbone to a multifunctional emitter exhibiting polymorphism, AIE, TADF and MCL.

Compared with the large number of single-function materials such as aggregation-induced emission (AIE), mechanochromic luminescence (MCL), or thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters, multifunctional emitting materials offer more opportunities in practical applications. In this report, we provide a simple molecular design strategy towards the conversion of a MCL building block to a multifunctional emitter. Through altering the substituent sites and increasing the number of electron donors and steric hindrance on a normal MCL backbone benzo[d,e]benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-one, a novel multifunctional material 10,11-bis-(4-diphenylamino-phenyl)-benzo[d,e]benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-one (10,11-2TPA-BBI) is designed and synthesized. 10,11-2TPA-BBI exhibits simultaneous polymorphism, AIE, MCL and TADF properties. It can form four different aggregate species: yellow solid (YS) and orange solid (OS), orange flake-shaped crystal (OC), and red prism-like crystal (RC). Among them, because of the small energy gaps (ΔE STs < 0.3 eV) between the singlet and triplet excited states, OS, OC and RC exhibit TADF properties, while YS show normal fluorescence characteristics with a large ΔE ST of 0.33 eV. OS can be reversibly transformed into YS upon external stimuli, which can be attributed to the emission switch between local excited state and charge transfer state. Crystallographic study indicates that the bulky structure and weak intermolecular interactions account for polymorphism and AIE properties. This work will provide a simple molecular design strategy for multifunctional materials.

Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training Combined with Blood Flow Restriction at Different Phases on Abdominal Visceral Fat among Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and blood flow restriction (BFR) represent a critical nonpharmacological strategy to reduce the excess deposition of visceral fat, as well as relevant complications, among obese populations. Applying BFR at diverse phases may have different effects. Therefore, the exercise program of this study combined HIIT with BFR, so as to explore the effect of BFR on abdominal visceral fat area and its mechanism in different periods of HIIT. The aim is to provide a more effective exercise prescription for obese people who want to reduce visceral fat quickly. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial involving 72 obese adults. One week before intervention, both regional and whole-body fat masses, abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat areas, variables of blood metabolism, and VO2max were recorded. Additionally, subjects with a matched fat percentage were randomized as a no-training control (C), HIIT (H), HIIT with BFR during interval (I), and HIIT with BFR during exercise (E) groups for 24 sessions within a 12-week period, using a cycle ergometer. During session one, this study recorded blood lactate, specific serum lipolytic hormones, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and exercise heart rate (HR) and compared them among three groups. The baseline tests were repeated at 1 week after intervention. RESULTS: There was no significant statistical difference in the indicators of each group at baseline (p > 0.05). The improvement of trunk fat mass and fat percentage of the I and E groups markedly increased relative to the H group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the I group had improved android fat mass and whole-body fat mass relative to group H (p < 0.05). Those exercise groups had markedly improved indices compared with the C group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the reduction in the I group had remarkably superior abdominal visceral fat areas (AVFA) to the H and E groups (p < 0.05). Immediately and 30 min following exercise, the E and I groups had remarkably increased growth hormone (GH) compared with the H group (p < 0.05). After exercise, the I group showed markedly increased epinephrine (EPI) compared with the H group (p < 0.05). The LA level in the I group evidently increased relative to the E group (p < 0.05), while that in the E group evidently increased compared with the H group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with HIIT alone, HIIT with BFR can better improve the body-fat level and glucose metabolism. HIIT with BFR in the interval phase better reduces the abdominal visceral-fat level than in the exercise phase, which may be due to the increase in lipolytic hormone level caused by the higher physiological load.

[Chiropractic plus plum-blossom needling combined with flexibility training on attention deficit in mentally-retarded adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of chiropractic plus plum-blossom needling combined with flexibility training for attention deficit in mentally-retarded adolescents. METHODS: Thirty adolescents with mild mental retardation were randomly divided into a medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group (10 cases, 2 cases dropped off), a flexibility training group (10 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (10 cases). The patients in the flexibility training group received flexibility training, once every other day, 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The patients in the medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group received chiropractic and plum-blossom needling at Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1) on the basis of the treatment in the flexibility training group, once every other day, 3 times a week for 12 weeks. The patients in the control group did not receive any targeted physical training and medical rehabilitation. Tobii Pro Spectrum eye movement instrument was used to test the attention concentration (T), attention span (M), attention transfer (γ%) and attention distribution (η). RESULTS: Compared before treatment, T and M in the medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group and the flexibility training group were increased after treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05), and γ% in the medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group was increased after treatment (P<0.05). The increasing range of T, M and γ% in the medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group and the flexibility training group was greater than that in the control group (P<0.01), and the increasing range of T and γ% in the medical rehabilitation plus flexibility training group was greater than that in the flexibility training group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The chiropractic plus plum blossom needling combined with flexibility training can improve the attention deficit in mentally-retarded adolescents.

The Effect of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise on Angiogenesis-Related Factors in Skeletal Muscle Among Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise may be a potential exercise program to promote angiogenesis. This review aims to compare the effects of exercise with and without BFR on angiogenesis-related factors in skeletal muscle among healthy adults. METHODOLOGY: Searches were made in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and EBSCO databases from January 2001 to June 2021. Studies were screened, quality was evaluated, and data were extracted. The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021261367). Standardized mean differences (SMD) of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorγcoactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were analyzed using Revman 5.4 software with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria with a total of 75 participants for BFR group and 77 for CON group. BFR exercise elicits greater expression of VEGF (heterogeneity test, P = 0.09, I2 = 44%; SMD, 0.93 [0.38, 1.48], P < 0.05), VEGFR-2 (heterogeneity test, P = 0.81, I2 = 0%; SMD, 0.64 [0.08, 1.21], P < 0.05), HIF-1α (heterogeneity test, P = 0.67, I2 = 0%; SMD, 0.43 [0.03, 0.82], P < 0.05), PGC-1α (heterogeneity test, P = 0.02, I2 = 54%; SMD, 0.74 [0.21, 1.28], P < 0.05) and eNOS (heterogeneity test, P = 0.88, I2 = 0%; SMD, 0.60 [0.04, 1.17], P < 0.05) mRNA than non-BFR exercise. In the sub-group analysis, resistance exercise with BFR elicits greater expression of VEGF (heterogeneity test, P = 0.36, I2 = 6%; SMD, 1.66 [0.97, 2.35], P < 0.05) and HIF-1α (heterogeneity test, P = 0.56, I2 = 0%; SMD, 0.51 [0.01, 1.02], P < 0.05) mRNA than aerobic exercise with BFR. CONCLUSION: Exercise with BFR elicited more angiogenesis-related factors mRNA expression than exercise without BFR, but not VEGF and PGC-1α protein expression. Therefore, BFR training may be a potential training program to improve vascular function. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42021261367].

The Impact of Whole-Body Vibration Training on Bone Minerals and Lean Mass in Children and Adolescents with Motor Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Whole-body vibration training (WBVT) offers a potential auxiliary treatment method for the rehabilitation of motor disabilities to address a reduction in bone minerals and lean mass caused by motor-disability rehabilitation. The aim of this review was to analyze the efficacy of WBVT in muscle-bone rehabilitation. In order to investigate the potential effect of WBVT on children and adolescents with motor disabilities, a meta-analysis was carried out. From January 2006 to June 2021, studies that met certain criteria were searched for in the Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases. An analysis of standardized mean differences was performed using the STATA 15.1 software with a 95% confidence interval (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021258538). Eight studies were selected that included 179 male and 139 female children and adolescents suffering from motor disabilities. The results of the meta-analysis showed that WBVT significantly improved femur bone-mineral density ((p < 0.01, z = 2.66), standardized mean difference (SMD) (95% CI) = 0.41 (0.11, 0.72)), total body-bone mineral content ((p < 0.01, z = 3.08), SMD (95% CI) = 0.26 (0.10, 0.43)), and lean mass ((p < 0.01, z = 2.63), SMD (95% CI) = 0.22 (0.06, 0.39)). In addition, there was no significant effect of WBVT on lumbar spine bone mineral density in the disabled children and adolescents ((p = 0.21, z = 1.25), SMD (95% CI) = 0.17 (-0.10, 0.43)). WBVT can improve femur bone density, total body bone mineral content, and lean mass in children and adolescents suffering from motor disabilities, while there is no effect on lumbar-spine bone density. WBVT can be used as a potential program to improve bone minerals in children and adolescents with motor disabilities.

The effects of low-intensity resistance training with or without blood flow restriction on serum BDNF, VEGF and perception in patients with post-stroke depression.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke depression (PSD) has a significant effect on patients' quality of life and is often accompanied by a decrease in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. Although exercise is an effective way to improve the body's endocrine environment, traditional high-intensity resistance exercise is not yet readily accepted. PURPOSE: To compare the acute effects of high and low resistance training with or without blood flow restriction on perception, BDNF, and VEGF levels in patients with PSD. METHOD: A total of 24 patients with PSD participated in 2 40% 1- Repetition Maximum (RM) low-intensity resistance training sessions (the low-intensity resistance training group (LOW group) had no blood flow restriction belt; the low-intensity blood flow restriction group (L-BFR group) was required to wear a 120-160 mmHg pressure cuff at the proximal end of the limb) and 1 80% 1-RM high-intensity resistance training session (HIGH group). Elbow venous blood was collected before and after exercise to test for ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), serum blood lactic acid (BLA), BDNF, and VEGF levels. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: There were no statistical differences between the RPE, BLA, BDNF, and VEGF levels of each group before exercise. After exercise, the RPE, BLA, and BDNF levels of the LOW group increased significantly (P < 0.05); the change in VEGF level of the LOW group was not significantly different from that before exercise (P > 0.05), and the indexes of the L-BFR group and the HIGH group were significant after the increase in exercise (P < 0.05). Analysis between groups showed that the changes in BLA, BDNF, and VEGF levels in the L-BFR group and HIGH group were higher than those in the LOW group, and the statistical difference was significant (P < 0.05); there was no change between the statistical difference of the L-BFR group and HIGH group (P > 0.05). The difference in RPE before and after exercise in the HIGH group was significantly higher than that in the L-BFR group (P < 0.05) and the difference in RPE before and after exercise in the L-BFR group was significantly higher than that in the LOW group (P < 0.05). Blood flow restriction resistance exercise may increase the serum BNDF and VEGF levels of PSD patients by increasing the body's BLA concentration. Although its effect is similar to that of traditional high-intensity resistance exercise, subjective physical strength is lower during blood flow restriction resistance exercise.

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin in ethanol/isopropanol over an activated carbon supported nickel-copper catalyst.

Lignin is the renewable and abundant source of aromatics on earth, and the depolymerization of lignin provides significant potential for producing valuable monophenols. In this work, catalytic hydrogenolysis of organosolv poplar lignin (OPL) in ethanol/isopropanol solvent over monometallic and bimetallic nonprecious catalysts was investigated. Ni/C and a series of NiCu/C catalyst with different Cu loadings were prepared and applied for depolymerization of OPL. The highest yield of phenolic monomers was 63.4 wt% achieved over the Ni10Cu5/C catalyst at 270 °C without external H2. The introduction of Cu in catalysts further promoted the hydrogen donor process of ethanol/isopropanol solvent and facilitated the cleavage of lignin linkages, resulting in the decreased molecular weight of bio-oil. The possible lignin dimer type structures, such as diphenylethane (ß-1) type, phenylcoumaran (ß-5) type, and pinoresinol (ß-ß) type structures, were proposed and identified by MALDI-TOF MS, giving a better understanding of the NiCu/C catalyzed lignin depolymerization.

Effects of desertification on permafrost environment in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Soil thermal state exerts an important role in soil physicochemical properties, nutrient content, soil carbon losses, and hydrological processes in cold regions. In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, desertification and aeolian sand accumulation greatly change the surface cover types and simultaneously alter the surface energy budget. However, the quantification of their impacts on the soil thermal state hasn't been studied methodically. Here, a laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of surface cover types, including bare surface, grass-coved surface, dry and wet (3%) aeolian sand-covered surface, on underlying soil thermal state. Our results demonstrate that there is a reciprocal relationship between environment change and permafrost degradation. The amount of heat entering the active layer was determined by the surface cover types and soil water content. Using the bare surface case as a reference, vegetation layer acted as a buffer to reduce the amount of heat propagation downwards the ground by 20% and to lower the near surface temperature by 0.7 °C. In contrast, dry aeolian sand acted as an insulation layer and warmed the ground by about 2 °C. Also, wet aeolian sand with high thermal conductivity facilitated the heat exchange with the atmosphere and warmed the ground about 1.5 °C. Our results have implications for thermal and hydrological processes in the atmosphere-ground-permafrost system and thermal stability of infrastructure under the effect of the desertification and aeolian sand accumulation. The hydrothermal interaction of desertification and permafrost needs to be quantified in the further study through long-term field observations and a fully-coupled water flow and heat transport model under a changing climate.

No protection of permafrost due to desertification on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Desertification of tundra regions may form an escalating cycle with permafrost degradation where more permafrost thaw leads to continued desertification. This traditional viewpoint has been challenged in recent reports that state desertification protects the underlying permafrost. However, our measurements of soil temperature from nine sites in the Honglianghe River Basin, interior Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, show that desertification can degrade permafrost. If one compares the permafrost temperatures at sites with thin sand covers (e.g. site Yu-7, permafrost temperature of -0.64 °C; site Yu-6, permafrost temperature of -1.15 °C) with that of site Xie-1 (-0.65 °C, with a 120-cm-thick sand cover), the permafrost temperature is not significantly different. It is clear that a thick sand cover does not influence the underlying permafrost temperature. Our observations support traditional geocryological knowledge which states that, under most circumstances, desertification does not protect, but rather degrades, permafrost.

Polymorphisms of CHAT but not TFAM or VR22 are Associated with Alzheimer Disease Risk.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that is one of the most prevalent health problems among seniors. The cause of AD has not yet been elucidated, but many risk factors have been identified that might contribute to the pathogenesis and prognosis of AD. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies involving CHAT, TFAM, and VR22 polymorphisms and AD susceptibility to further understand the pathogenesis of AD. MATERIAL AND METHODS PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles. Rs1880676, rs2177369, rs3810950, and rs868750 of CHAT; rs1937 and rs2306604 of TFAM; and rs10997691 and rs7070570 of VR22 are studied in this meta-analysis. RESULTS A total of 51 case-control studies with 16 446 cases and 16 057 controls were enrolled. For CHAT, rs2177369 (G>A) in whites and rs3810950 (G>A) in Asians were found to be associated with AD susceptibility. No association was detected between rs1880676 and rs868750 and AD risk. For TFAM and VR22, no significant association was detected in studied single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). CONCLUSIONS Rs2177369 and rs3810950 of CHAT are associated with AD susceptibility, but rs1880676 and rs868750 are not. Rs1937 and rs2306604 of TFAM, and rs10997691 and rs7070570 of VR22 are not significantly associated with AD risk.

Diffraction characteristics of spatial and temporal Gaussian-shaped femtosecond laser pulse by rectangle reflection grating.

The exact intensity distribution expression for the spatial and temporal Gaussian-shaped femtosecond laser pulse diffracted by a rectangle reflection grating is derived. The spatial and temporal diffraction characteristics are theoretically investigated in detail, and a criterion for judging whether or not the diffraction pulse is just split into two independent pulses in the temporal domain is obtained. The results show that the diffraction intensity in the temporal domain consists of three parts: the intensity diffracted by the upper reflection surface of the grating, the intensity diffracted by the nether reflection surface, and their temporal coherent intensity. The temporal coherent intensity becomes weaker, even is zero, for the higher height from the nether surface to the upper surface of the grating. The principal maximum becomes more sharply bright for the bigger waist width of the femtosecond laser pulse in the spatial domain.

[The clinical significance of detection of Th1/Th2 cell cytokines in lung cancer].

BACKGROUND: To explore the clinical significance of detection of T helper cell (Th1 and Th2) in patients with lung cancer and to provide a foundation for immunological treatment. METHODS: RIA and ELISA were used to detect the level of serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-a in 86 patients with lung cancer, 59 patients with benign pulmonary diseases and 45 healthy people. IL-2 and TNF-a were used to represent cytokines of Th1 type, and IL-4, IL-6 and IL-8 to represent cytokines of Th2 type. RESULTS: The level of IL-2 [(24.6±12.0) µg/L]in cancer group was significantly lower than that in benign group [(71.1±25.4) µg/L] ( t =3.82, P < 0.01) and normal group [(69.3±19.5) µg/L]( t=2.76, P < 0.01), the level of IL-6 in cancer group [(0.13±0.04) µg/L] was significantly lower than that in normal group [(0.23±0.05) µg/L]( t= 3.39 , P < 0.01), but the levels of IL-4 [(254.2±78.0) µg/L], IL-8 [(0.49±0.16) µg/L], and TNF-a [( 2.76 ±1.12) µg/L] in cancer group were significantly higher than those in benign group [(63.6±18.6) µg/L, ( 0.36 ±0.18) µg/L, (0.96±0.20) µg/L respectively] and those in normal group [(60.9±19.6) µg/L, ( 0.35 ±0.07) µg/L, (0.93±0.19) µg/L respectively] ( t =4.10, 4.89, 3.76 respectively, all P < 0.01). No significant difference of IL-2, IL-4, IL-8 and TNF-a level was observed between benign group and normal group (all P > 0.05). The level of IL-6 in cancer group was similar to that in benign group [(0.15±0.04) µg/L] ( P > 0.05 ). The level of IL-6 in benign group was significantly lower than that in normal group [(0.23±0.05) µg/L] ( P > 0.05 ). There was no significant difference in these cytokines among lung cancer patients with different histological types and in different TNM stages. CONCLUSIONS: T helper cell cytokines are out of balance in patients with lung cancer, and this may play a certain role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Correcting this immune malfunction may become an important method in lung cancer therapy.