[Spatial-temporal Distribution and Risk Assessment of Quinolones Antibiotics in Soil of Shijiazhuang City].

Due to their importance in human medicine, quinolones (QNs), as a typical class of antibiotics, are considered to be the "highest priority critically important antimicrobials" by the World Health Organization (WHO). In order to clarify the spatial-temporal variation and risk of QNs in soil, 18 representative topsoil samples were respectively collected in September 2020 (autumn) and June 2021 (summer). The contents of QNs antibiotics in soil samples were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), and the ecological risk and resistance risk were calculated using the risk quotient method (RQ). The results showed that:① the average content of QNs decreased from autumn to summer (the average contents of QNs were 94.88 µg·kg-1in autumn and 44.46 µg·kg-1 in summer); the highest values appeared in the middle area. ② The average proportion of silt was without change, whereas the average proportion of clay and sand was increased and decreased, respectively; the average contents of total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) also decreased. ③ The content of QNs was significantly correlated with soil particle size, nitrite nitrogen (NO2--N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) (P<0.05). ④ The combined ecological risk of QNs showed high risk level (RQsum>1), whereas the combined resistance risk of QNs showed medium risk level (0.1

[Emission Characteristics of Biogenic Volatile Compounds (BVOCs) from Common Greening Tree Species in Northern China and Their Correlations with Photosynthetic Parameters].

In order to understand the emission characteristics of common greening trees in Beijing and analyze their correlations with photosynthetic parameters, including the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (ci), and transpiration rate (Tr), we collected samples of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) using a dynamic sampling technique from 14 species of deciduous trees. The results showed that there were significant differences in isoprene and total BVOC emissions between family or genus levels (P<0.01). With the exception of Lonicera maackii Maxim and Ulmus pumila L., all species were found to emit isoprene, monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes, of which, species from the Salicaceae (e.g., Populus deltoides cv. '55/56'× P.deltoides cv. 'Imperial', P. euramericana cv. '74/76', Populus simonii Carr, and Salix babylonica) and Legume (Sophora japonica, Robinia pseudoacacia, and S. japonica Linn. var. japonica f. pendula Hort) families were the higher isoprene emitters, with emission rates that ranged from (30.1±4.3) µg·(g·h)-1 to (91.8±10.0) µg·(g·h)-1. Plants from the Oleaceae (e.g., Fraxinus chinensis Roxb and Syringa oblata Lindl), Begonia (Malus prunifolia), Sapindaceae (Koelrenteria paniculate), and Aceraceae (Acer truncatum Bunge) families mainly emitted monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Among them, Fraxinus chinensis Roxb and Acer truncatum Bunge were the highest emitters with emission rates of (10.6±4.8) µg·(g·h)-1 and (11.8±6.4) µg·(g·h)-1, respectively. Ocimene and ß-pinene were the two main monoterpenes emitted from greening tree species. No significant correlations were found between the emission of BVOCs and Pn or gs, while the emission rate of isoprene (r=0.681; P<0.01) and the total BVOC (r=0.698; P<0.01) from the Salicaceae family increased with increasing Tr. Moreover, leguminous plants showed a significant positive correlation between the total BVOC emission rate and ci (P=0.04). This study provides a scientific reference for the selection and configuration of urban greenery, and a theoretical basis for exploring the mechanism of BVOC emissions.

Gustave Roussy Immune Score based on a three-category risk assessment scale serves as a novel and effective prognostic indicator for surgically resectable early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: A propensity score matching retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUNDS: The Gustave Roussy Immune score (GRIm-Score) emerges as a novel prognostic scoring system for patient selection in phase I trials testing targeted immunotherapy for advanced-stage cancer. We tried to assess potential prognostic roles of preoperative GRIm-Score in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for stage I-II non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis. METHODS: This PSM-based analysis was performed on our single-center prospectively-maintained database between January 2014 and October 2015. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using the log-rank test was used to distinguish differences in both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) between the patients stratified by preoperative GRIm-Score. Multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression analysis and PSM analysis were both carried out to determine the final independent prognostic parameters. RESULTS: There were 405 patients with surgically resectable stage I-II NSCLC included. Both OS and DFS were significantly shortened along with each number increase in the GRIm-Score group, showing a step-wise fashion. Such strong correlations between preoperative GRIm-Score estimated by a modified 3-category risk scale and survival outcomes still remained validated after PSM analysis. In addition, this GRIm-Score held the superior discriminatory power for predicting both OS and DFS to the other peripheral blood biomarkers. Multivariable analyses on the entire cohort and the PSM cohort demonstrated that GRIm-Score based on a 3-category risk assessment scale could be independently predictive of both OS and DFS. CONCLUSIONS: The GRIm-Score tool can also serve as an effective and noninvasive marker to optimize prognostic prediction for surgically resectable stage I-II NSCLC.

Progression of the Ascending Aortic Diameter After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Based on Computed Tomography Images.

OBJECTIVES: The natural history of ascending aortic diameter after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has not been investigated. Our aim was to determine the progression of ascending aortic diameter in patients undergoing TAVI. METHODS: We retrospectively included 134 patients undergoing TAVI for aortic stenosis at our institution from June 2012 to November 2016, including 79 patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and 55 patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). Preoperative measurements of the ascending aorta were compared with aortic measurements at 1-year follow-up based on computed tomography images. RESULTS: A very slight decrease in median aortic diameter was identified in overall patients: 4.07 cm (interquartile range [IQR], 3.76-4.54 cm) vs 4.06 cm (IQR, 3.74-4.51 cm); P=.04. Further subgroup analysis found that the decrease remained statistically significant in the subgroup of TAV and mild aortic dilation. In addition, no aortic events occurred during long-term follow-up (median, 27 months; IQR, 20-42 months). CONCLUSIONS: TAVI could prevent a further progression of aortic diameter for both BAV or TAV patients by correcting hemodynamic derangements, especially for patients with TAV, mild aortic dilation, and small annulus angles. Aortic events appeared rarely during long-term follow-up after TAVI. However, our results need further confirmation with future investigations in a larger population with longer-term follow-up.

Fat-free mass index is superior to body mass index as a novel risk factor for prolonged air leak complicating video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether fat-free mass index (FFMI) could be predictive of prolonged air leak (PAL) complicating video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on the prospectively-maintained database in our institution between January 2015 and July 2017. The gender-specific median values of FFMI for males and females were applied as their respective cutoffs to stratify patients into low-FFMI group and high-FFMI group in initial univariable analyses. An effective multivariable logistic-regression analysis was then performed to demonstrate the predictive value of dichotomized FFMI. RESULTS: There were 1,091 surgical patients with NSCLC included (616 males and 475 females), with a PAL incidence of 14.6%. The median FFMI values among males and females were 17.3 and 14.6 kg/m2, respectively. PAL cases in both male (16.9±1.5 vs. 17.4±1.5 kg/m2; P=0.002) and female (14.0±0.9 vs. 14.6±1.1 kg/m2; P<0.001) groups had a significantly lower mean FFMI than that of non-PAL cases. The incidence of PAL was significantly increased in male patients with FFMI <17.3 kg/m2 (23.7% vs. 14.3%; P=0.003) and female patients with FFMI <14.6 kg/m2 (12.7% vs. 5.0%; P=0.003). Lower dichotomized FFMI was also significantly associated with prolonged time to air leak cessation and length of stay (LOS). Finally, multivariable logistic-regression analysis indicated that lower dichotomized FFMI [odds ratio (OR) =1.98; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33-2.96; P=0.001] could independently predict the occurrence of PAL. CONCLUSIONS: FFMI acts as an excellent categorical risk factor for PAL complicating VATS lobectomy and shows a much superior significance than body mass index (BMI) in terms of the prediction of PAL.

Albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio as a novel prognostic indicator for patients undergoing minimally invasive lung cancer surgery: Propensity score matching analysis using a prospective database.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate prognostic significance of albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) for patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by a propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis. METHODS: This PSM study was conducted on the prospectively-maintained database in our institution between December 2013 and March 2015. Overall survival analyses and further subgroup analyses were both performed to distinguish the differences in postoperative survival between patients stratified by an optimal cutoff of AAPR. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were established to determine the independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: There were 390 patients with operable NSCLCs included. An AAPR of 0.57 was identified as the optimal cutoff regarding to postoperative survival. Both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with AAPR≤0.57 were significantly shortened compared to those in patient with AAPR>0.57 (Log-rank P < 0.001). Patients with AAPR≤0.57 had significantly lower rates of OS and DFS than those of patients with AAPR>0.57 (P < 0.001). These differences still remained significant after subgroup analyses and PSM analyses. Multivariate analyses on the entire cohort and the PSM cohort commonly indicated that low preoperative AAPR could be an independent prognostic factor for unfavorable OS and DFS of resected NSCLCs. CONCLUSIONS: AAPR can serve as a novel risk stratification tool to refine prognostic prediction for surgical NSCLC. It may help surgeons to screen high-surgical-risk patients and further formulate individualized treatment schemes.

Identification of cis-regulatory regions responsible for developmental and hormonal regulation of HbHMGS1 in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

OBJECTIVES: 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase (HMGS) is an important enzyme in mevalonate (MVA) pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis, which regulates the rubber biosynthetic pathway in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in coordination with HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR). However, little information is available about the regulation of HMGS gene expression. To understand the mechanism controlling the HbHMGS1 gene expression, we characterized the HbHMGS1 promoter sequence in transgenic plants with the ß-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. RESULTS: GUS activity analysis of the transgenic plants showed that the HbHMGS1 promoter is active in all organs of the transgenic Arabidopsis plants during various developmental stages (from 6 to 45-day-old). Deletion of different portions of the upstream HbHMGS1 promoter identified sequences responsible for either positive or negative regulation of the GUS expression. Particularly, the - 454 bp HbHMGS1 promoter resulted in a 2.19-fold increase in promoter activity compared with the CaMV 35S promoter, suggesting that the - 454 bp HbHMGS1 promoter is a super-strong near-constitutive promoter. In addition, a number of promoter regions important for the responsiveness to ethylene, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and gibberellic acid (GA) were identified. CONCLUSION: The - 454 bp HbHMGS1 promoter has great application potential in plant transformation studies as an alternative to the CaMV 35S promoter. The HbHMGS1 promoter may play important roles in regulating ethylene-, MeJA- and GA-mediated gene expression. The functional complexity of cis-elements revealed by this study remains to be elucidated.

[Inventory and Characteristics of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) for 12 Deciduous Fruit Trees].

To better understand the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in suburbs, we selected 12 typical deciduous fruit trees and conducted field sampling and laboratory analysis of BVOCs using a dynamic sampling technique. To our knowledge, details of BVOC emissions for nine of the selected fruit tree species are reported here for the first time. Emissions of BVOCs from fruit trees contained nine kinds of compounds, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, and aldehydes, of which hydrocarbons accounted for up to 39.0%. All fruit trees were found to emit isoprene and monoterpenes (six species also emitted sesquiterpenes), of which three species were high emitters and nine species, such as Catalpa, were medium emitters. The emission rates of total BVOCs (including isoprene, monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes) from different fruit trees ranged from (2.6±0.1) µg·(g·h)-1 to (14±0.8) µg·(g·h)-1. Analyses of BVOCs from different families and plant forms indicated that isoprene emission rates were significantly higher from woody fruit trees[(4.2±1.4) µg·(g·h)-1] than from vine fruit trees[(0.6±0.2) µg·(g·h)-1, P=0.03], whereas there was no significant difference between family or genus. This suggests that the emission level of BVOCs from fruit trees cannot be classified by family and genera. In contrast to coniferous plants, ß-myrcene, D-limonene, and γ-terpinene-associated with floral or resinous aromas-were the main monoterpenes of fruit trees. The emission rate of ß-myrcene was highest, accounting for 59.3% of the total monoterpene emissions. In addition, fruit trees may emit eight other fragrant VOCs listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), e.g., fluorene, phenanthrene, and naphthalene. This study expands the field of BVOCs research and provides basic data for enriching the BVOCs database, as well as for evaluating the environmental effects of BVOCs.

Presence of pleural adhesions can predict conversion to thoracotomy and postoperative surgical complications in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer lobectomy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our cohort study was to investigate the effects of pleural adhesions on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective analysis on the prospectively-maintained dataset at our unit from February 2014 to November 2015. Patients were divided into two groups (Group A: presence of pleural adhesions; Group B: absence of pleural adhesions) according to our grading system of pleural adhesions when entering the chest cavity. Demographic differences in perioperative outcomes between these two groups were initially estimated. A multivariate logistic-regression analysis was then performed to confirm the predictive value of the presence of pleural adhesions. RESULTS: A total of 593 NSCLC patients undergoing VATS lobectomy were enrolled. The conversion and postoperative morbidity rates were 3.2% and 29.2%, respectively. There were 154 patients with pleural adhesions (Group A) and 439 patients without pleural adhesions (Group B). Group A patients had significantly higher rates of conversion to thoracotomy (9.1% vs. 1.1%; P<0.001) and surgical complications (24.0% vs. 14.4%; P=0.006) than those of Group B patients. No significant difference was found in the overall morbidity and cardiopulmonary complication rates between these two groups. The presence of pleural adhesions was also significantly associated with the prolonged length of chest tube drainage (log-rank P<0.001) and length of stay (log-rank P=0.032). Finally, the presence of pleural adhesions was identified as an independent risk factor for conversion to thoracotomy [odds ratio (OR) =5.49; P=0.003] and surgical complications (OR =1.94; P=0.033) by multivariate logistic-regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of pleural adhesions can predict conversion to thoracotomy and postoperative surgical complications in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy for NSCLC. Our study calls for an internationally accepted grading system for the presence of pleural adhesions to stratify the surgical risk.

Body surface area: a novel predictor for conversion to thoracotomy in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lung cancer lobectomy.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to explore the value of body surface area (BSA) for predicting conversion to thoracotomy in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We performed a monocentric retrospective analysis based on a prospectively-maintained dataset of consecutive patients between March 2014 and August 2015 at our unit. The median value of BSA was used as the cut-off. Patients with BSA > median value were classified as the "large" group, while those with BSA ≤ median value were classified as the "non-large" group. The conversion rate and post-VATS morbidity between these two groups were evaluated. Finally, a multivariate logistic-regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors for conversion to thoracotomy. RESULTS: A total of 475 patients with a median BSA of 1.73 m2 were enrolled. There were 16 patients converted to thoracotomy (ratio =3.4%). The overall morbidity rate was 28.4%. The "large" group (BSA >1.73 m2) included 236 patients, while the "non-large" group (BSA ≤1.72 m2) included the remaining 239 patients. The conversion (5.5% vs. 1.3%; P=0.010) in the "large" patients was significantly higher than that in the "non-large" patients. No difference was found in the overall morbidity rate between these two groups (32.2% vs. 24.7%; P=0.069). The multivariate logistic-regression analysis demonstrated that BSA >1.73 m2 could be a strongly independent predictor for conversion to thoracotomy [odds ratio (OR): 7.17; P=0.028]. CONCLUSIONS: BSA is an excellent categorical predictor for conversion to thoracotomy in NSCLC patients undergoing VATS lobectomy. It may be considered when informing patients about intraoperative risks and selecting cases in the early learning curve of VATS techniques.

Efficacy of the fissureless technique on decreasing the incidence of prolonged air leak after pulmonary lobectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fissureless technique in pulmonary lobectomy by applying a meta-analysis of the current evidence. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and the Web of Science databases to recognize the eligible articles. The relative risk (RR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) served as the summarized estimates for dichotomous variables and continuous variables, respectively. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias tests were also performed to perceive potential bias risks. RESULTS: There were 6 studies with 843 surgical patients included into this meta-analysis. Finally, the meta-analysis demonstrated that fissureless technique could significantly reduce the incidence of prolonged air leak (PAL)[RR = 0.40; 95%CI=(0.24, 0.68); P = 0.001], the length of hospital stay [WMD = -0.52; 95%CI=(-0.87, -0.18); P = 0.003] and the duration of chest tube [WMD = -0.44; 95%CI=(-0.74, -0.14); P = 0.004]. Fissureless technique had also showed the benefit on decreasing the complication rate after lobectomy but without a statistical significance [RR = 0.77; 95%CI=(0.55, 1.07); P = 0.119]. In addition, no difference was observed in the operation time between the fissureless lobectomy and conventional lobectomy [WMD = 5.32; 95%CI=(-3.18, 13.83); P = 0.220]. CONCLUSIONS: Fissureless lobectomy is a superior alternative to conventional lobectomy in terms of preventing the PAL and shortening the length of hospital stay and chest tube duration. More multi-institution randomized controlled trials are required to confirm the validity of our findings in the future.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma: a meta-analysis.

The prognostic significance of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas remains controversial. To investigate the impact of its expression on survival and clinicopathological features, we performed a meta-analysis. Comprehensive literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library for relevant studies. In total, 12 studies with 997 sarcoma patients were included. CXCR4 expression was found to be significantly associated with poor overall survival (HR 2.37, 95 % CI 1.86-3.01; P < 0.001). Further, when the analysis was stratified by histological subtypes (bony sarcoma including osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma including synovial sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma), statistical analysis method (multivariate analysis and univariate analysis) and CXCR4 measuring method (IHC or RT-PCR), the significant correlation to poor overall survival was also observed except for that in Ewing sarcoma and RT-PCR groups. As for clinicopathological features, CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with higher rate of metastasis (OR 6.97, 95 % CI 2.28-21.31; P = 0.001) and higher tumor stage (OR 7.55, 95 % CI 1.25-45.47; P = 0.027), but not associated with gender, age and tumor site. In conclusion, CXCR4 expression may be an effective predictive factor of poor prognosis and clinicopathological features for bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of Oct-4 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) has been identified to participate in the tumorigenicity and malignancy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its definite prognostic roles in NSCLC still remain a debate. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of Oct-4 expression in NSCLC and its relationship to some major clinicopathological characteristics. METHODS: A comprehensive literature retrieval was performed in PubMed, EMBASE and the Web of Science to identify the full-text articles that met our eligibility criteria. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) severed as the summarized statistics for clinicopathological assessments, and hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI served as the summarized statistics for prognostic assessments. Q-test and I(2)-statistic were used to evaluate the level of heterogeneity. Potential publication bias was detected by both Begg's test and Egger's test. RESULTS: There were 16 retried articles with 1,363 NSCLC cases included into this meta-analysis. Oct-4 expression was found to be significantly associated with the unfavorable outcomes for differentiation degree (OR: 3.065; 95% CI: 1.568-5.957; P=0.001), TNM stage (OR: 3.695; 95% CI: 2.252-6.063; P<0.001) and lymphatic metastasis (OR: 2.372; 95% CI: 1.504-3.742; P<0.001), but not associated with the histological subtypes, gender, age and smoking status. Oct-4 expression was also significantly associated with the poor prognosis of NSCLC (HR: 3.030; 95% CI: 2.283-4.021; P<0.001). The prognostic roles of Oct-4 expression in NSCLC still remained statistically reliable in the subgroups stratified by statistical analysis, patients' origins, positively-stained sites and histological subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that Oct-4 can serve as a strong biomarker predicting the poor clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of NSCLC. More high-quality studies based on a large sample size will be very helpful to further validate and modify our findings in the future.

A systematic review and meta-analysis-does chronic obstructive pulmonary disease predispose to bronchopleural fistula formation in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery?

BACKGROUND: we conducted this systematic meta-analysis to determine the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and risk of bronchopleural fistula (BPF) in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. METHODS: Literature retrieval was performed in PubMed, Embase and the Web of Science to identify the full-text articles that met our eligibility criteria. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) served as the summarized statistics. Q-test and I(2)-statistic were used to evaluate the level of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was performed to further examine the stability of pooled OR. Publication bias was detected by both Begg's test and Egger's test. RESULTS: Eight retrospective observational studies were included into this meta-analysis. The overall summarized OR was 2.03 (95% CI: 1.44-2.86; P<0.001), revealing that COPD was significantly associated with the risk of BPF after lung cancer surgery. In subgroup analysis, the relationship between COPD and BPF occurrence remained statistically prominent in the subgroups stratified by statistical analysis (univariate analysis, OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.35-2.69; P<0.001; multivariate analysis, OR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.95-5.19; P<0.001), operative modes (pneumonectomy, OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.15-3.87; P=0.016) and in non-Asian populations (OR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.18-4.73; P=0.016). No significant impact of COPD on BPF risk was observed in Asian patients (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 0.85-2.57; P=0.16). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was discovered across the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicates that COPD can significantly predispose to BPF formation in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. Because some limitations still exist in this meta-analysis, our findings should be further verified and modified in the future.

Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Bronchopleural Fistula After Pulmonary Resections: A Meta-Analysis.

We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between diabetes mellitus and the risk of bronchopleural fistula in patients undergoing pulmonary resection. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched, and 15 retrospective observational studies were included. The pooled analysis showed that diabetes mellitus was significantly associated with the formation of bronchopleural fistula after pulmonary resection (odds ratio = 1.97; 95% confidence interval = 1.39 to 2.80; p < 0.001). This association remained statistically prominent in the subgroups classified by statistical analysis, diagnoses and operative modes and in Asian patients. Therefore, diabetes mellitus can be an independent risk factor for bronchopleural fistula after pulmonary resection.

Prognostic value of stromal decorin expression in patients with breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Numbers of studies have investigated the biological functions of decorin (DCN) in oncogenesis, tumor progression, angiogenesis and metastasis. Although many of them aim to highlight the prognostic value of stromal DCN expression in breast cancer, some controversial results still exist and a consensus has not been reached until now. Therefore, our meta-analysis aims to determine the prognostic significance of stromal DCN expression in breast cancer patients. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched for full-text literatures met out inclusion criteria. We applied the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) as the appropriate summarized statistics. Q-test and I(2) statistic were employed to estimate the level of heterogeneity across the included studies. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to further identify the possible origins of heterogeneity. The publication bias was detected by Begg's test and Egger's test. RESULTS: There were three English literatures (involving 6 studies) included into our meta-analysis. On the one hand, both the summarized outcomes based on univariate analysis (HR: 0.513; 95% CI: 0.406-0.648; P<0.001) and multivariate analysis (HR: 0.544; 95% CI: 0.388-0.763; P<0.001) indicated that stromal DCN expression could promise the high cancer-specific survival (CSS) of breast cancer patients. On the other hand, both the summarized outcomes based on univariate analysis (HR: 0.504; 95% CI: 0.389-0.651; P<0.001) and multivariate analysis (HR: 0.568; 95% CI: 0.400-0.806; P=0.002) also indicated that stromal DCN expression was positively associated with high disease-free survival (DFS) of breast cancer patients. No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was observed within this meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The present evidences indicate that high stromal DCN expression can significantly predict the good prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The discoveries from our meta-analysis have better be confirmed in the updated review pooling more relevant investigations in the future.

Characterization of two tartary buckwheat R2R3-MYB transcription factors and their regulation of proanthocyanidin biosynthesis.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) contains high concentrations of flavonoids. The flavonoids are mainly represented by rutin, anthocyanins and proanthocyanins in tartary buckwheat. R2R3-type MYB transcription factors (TFs) play key roles in the transcriptional regulation of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. In this study, two TF genes, FtMYB1 and FtMYB2, were isolated from F. tataricum and characterized. The results of bioinformatic analysis indicated that the putative FtMYB1 and FtMYB2 proteins belonged to the R2R3-MYB family and displayed a high degree of similarity with TaMYB14 and AtMYB123/TT2. In vitro and in vivo evidence both showed the two proteins were located in the nucleus and exhibited transcriptional activation activities. During florescence, both FtMYB1 and FtMYB2 were more highly expressed in the flowers than any other organ. The overexpression of FtMYB1 and FtMYB2 significantly enhanced the accumulation of proanthocyanidins (PAs) and showed a strong effect on the target genes' expression in Nicotiana tabacum. The expression of dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (DFR) was upregulated to 5.6-fold higher than that of control, and the expression level was lower for flavonol synthase (FLS). To our knowledge, this is the first functional characterization of two MYB TFs from F. tataricum that control the PA pathway.

[Correlations between spectral characteristics and diurnal CO2 budget of winter wheat field on Loess Plateau].

Based on the continuous observation on the spectral reflectance and CO2 flux during the whole growth period of winter wheat, the correlations between the variations of spectral characteristics and the diurnal CO2 budget of winter wheat field on Loess Plateau were analyzed. The results showed that the spectral reflectance at different wavelengths and the NDVI changed with the growth stages of winter wheat, and the diurnal spectral reflectance changed with solar altitude angle, with the wavelengths at which the reflectance changed most being at 550 nm and 700-1050 nm. At the same time period of different growth stages, the spectral reflectance changed little at 350-670 nm but varied greatly at 700-1050 nm. The red edge position shifted to longer wavelengths at seedling and tillering stages and by the end of wintering while to shorter wavelengths at the beginning of wintering, but the shift to shorter wavelengths was not obvious at ripening stage. No spectrum shift was observed at other growth stages. The diurnal NDVI changed in U-shape, reaching to the minimum at about 13:00 and fluctuating after 16:00, and the change pattern could be fitted by a parabola. Therefore, for winter wheat field, the best time for remote sensing observation should be selected at about 13:00 when the NDVI changed little, except in winter. After the 140th day of seeding, the reflectance and NDVI at 11:00 were symmetrical, and NDVI changed in M-shape, being able to be simulated by a quartic polynomial. There was a significant negative correlation between the NDVI and the diurnal CO2 budget during the whole growth period of winter wheat, but the correlation was weaker around midday.

[Land use/land cover change and their ecological effect in small watershed on gully region of the Loess Plateau].

Based on land use data of 1994 and 2004 in Wangdonggou watershed, through developing dynamic model of LUCC and indices of regional ecological environment, this paper quantified the characteristics of LUCC and its ecological effect. The results showed that from 1994 to 2004, farmland decreased while grassland and orchard increased greatly, forest and nonproductive land changed little. The speed of individual land use changes was in the order of grassland > orchard > nonproductive land > farmland > forest land. As to the spatial change, a total of 11 major land use change types were identified, among which the change from farmland to others and form others to forest were the most important land use change. The gravitational center of farmland and orchard moved to the northwest tableland, while those of forest land and grassland moved to the southeast gully land. From 1994 to 2004, owing to LUCC, the ecological environment was improved, but the type of land use and their change took effect differently with both improving and decreasing effect. The decrease of farmland affected ecological environment negatively, while the increase of forest and grassland and orchard improved the ecological environment and its ecosystem service values. Those improving the ecological environment were from other types of land use to forest and orchard, while those worsening the ecological environment were from forest to others and from farmland to nonproductive land.