[Effect of long-term aspirin treatment on aneurysm sac after endovascular aortic repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms: a propensity score matched analysis].

Objective: To investigate the effect of long-term oral aspirin on the changes in the aneurysm sac and persistent type Ⅱ endoleak after endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms based on propensity score-matched analysis. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was used to analyze the clinical data of 133 patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms treated with EVAR from January 2019 to December 2021 in the Department of Vascular Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. There were 113 males and 20 females, aged (74.8±7.2) years (range: 59 to 95 years). Patients were divided into the group receiving aspirin (n=80) and the group not taking aspirin (n=53) based on whether they took aspirin regularly for a long time after surgery. The two groups were matched in a 1∶1 ratio using propensity score matching and the caliper value was 0.05. Cumulative probability curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in primary endpoint events (enlargement of the aneurysm sac, occurrence of persistent type Ⅱ endoleak) and secondary endpoint events (adverse cardiovascular events and clinically relevant bleeding events) between the two groups. Results: A matched cohort was established after propensity score matching, resulting in 32 cases per group. The survival analysis found that the rate of aneurysm sac enlargement was significantly higher in the group receiving aspirin than in the group not taking aspirin (P=0.010), and the incidence of persistent type Ⅱ endoleak was significantly higher than that in the group not taking aspirin (P=0.019). The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and clinically relevant bleeding events were not significantly different in two groups (P=0.061,P=0.286). Conclusions: The risk of aneurysm sac expansion and persistent type Ⅱ endoleak were significantly higher in patients taking long-term aspirin after EVAR than in the group not taking asprin. Therefore, high-risk abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients who are prone to aneurysm sac expansion should be evaluated in advance so that the risks and benefits of surgery can be comprehensively evaluated and treatment strategies can be optimized.

[Expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4γ in gastric carcinoma and its role in cell proliferation and stemness].

Objective: To explore the role and molecular mechanism of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4γ (HNF4γ) in proliferation and stemness of gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 102 cases of paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues and matched adjacent gastric tissues and 42 cases of fresh-frozen tissues derived from gastric patients who received radical gastrectomy were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between 2012 to 2015. The expression of HNF4γ was tested by immunohistochemical staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). HNF4γ overexpressed (AGS-HNF4γ) and shRNA silenced (HGC27-shHNF4γ) gastric cell lines were established. The effects of HNF4γ on cell proliferation and stemness were verified by XTT, clone formation and sphere formation assay. The expression of CD44 was detected by western blot. Results: The mRNA expression level of HNF4γ in fresh-frozen gastric cancer tissue was (12.43±2.702), which was significantly higher than (3.639±1.109) in normal tissue (P<0.001). The high protein expression rate of HNF4γ in paraffin-embedded gastric cancer tissues was 41.2% (42/102), which was significantly higher than 8.8% (9/102) in normal gastric mucosa tissue (P< 0.001). The protein expression of HNF4γ was closely related to the tumor differentiation, infiltration depth, lymph node metastasis and tumor stage (P<0.05). The median survival interval of patients with HNF4γ high expression was 25 months, the 3-year survival rate was 4.8% (2/42), significantly lower than 38 months and 51.7% (31/60) of patients with normal HNF4γ expression (P<0.001). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of AGS-HNF4γ cells were significantly higher than those of the AGS-Vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of AGS-HNF4γ cells were 243.5±24.5 and (83.5±3.9)%, significantly higher than 81.0±16.0 and (21.8±5.6)% of AGS-Vector cells (P=0.030 and P=0.010, respectively). The proliferation and CD44 protein expression of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were significantly lower than those of the HGC27-vector cells. The number of clone formation, sphere formation rate of HGC27-shHNF4 cells were 26.0±1.0 and (20.8±8.4)%, significantly higher than 83.5±4.5 and (72.5±4.8)% of HGC27-vector cells (P=0.006 and P=0.030, respectively). Conclusions: HNF4γ is upregulated in the gastric cancer tissues and related with the poor prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Overexpression of HNF4γ promotes the proliferation and remains the stemness of gastric cancer cells by upregulating the expression of CD44.

[Long-term oncological outcomes of laparoscopic versus abdominal surgery in stage â a1 （LVSI+）-â b1 cervical cancer patients with different tumor size: a big database in China].

Objective: To compare the long-term oncological outcomes between laparoscopic and abdominal surgery in stage Ⅰa1 （lymph-vascular space invasion-positive, LVSI+）- Ⅰb1 cervical cancer patients with different tumor sizes. Methods: Based on the Big Database of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Cancer in China (1538 project database), patients with stage Ⅰa1 （LVSI+）-Ⅰb1 cervical cancer who treated by laparoscopic or abdominal surgery were included. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) between the two surgical approaches were compared under 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM) in different tumor diameter stratification. Results: (1) A total of 4 891 patients with stage Ⅰa1 （LVSI+）-Ⅰb1 cervical cancer who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016 were included in the 1538 project database. Among them, 1 926 cases in the laparoscopic group and 2 965 cases in the abdominal group. There were no difference in 5-year OS and 5-year DFS between the two groups before matching. Cox multivariate analysis suggested that laparoscopic surgery was associated with lower 5-year DFS (HR=1.367, 95%CI: 1.105-1.690, P=0.004). After 1∶1 PSM matching, 1 864 patients were included in each group, and there was no difference in 5-year OS between the two groups （94.1% vs 95.4%, P=0.151）. While, the inferior 5-year DFS was observed in the laparoscopic group (89.0% vs 92.3%, P=0.004). And the laparoscopic surgery was associated with lower 5-year DFS (HR=1.420, 95%CI: 1.109-1.818, P=0.006). (2) In stratification analysis of different tumor sizes, and there were no difference in 5-year OS and 5-year DFS between the laparoscopic group and abdominal group in tumor size ≤1 cm, >1-2 cm and >2-3 cm stratification (all P>0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that laparoscopic surgery were not related to 5-year OS and 5-year DFS (P>0.05). In the stratification of tumor size >3-4 cm, there was no difference in 5-year OS between the two groups (P>0.05). The 5-year DFS in the laparoscopic group was worse than that in the abdominal group (75.7% vs 85.8%, P=0.025). Cox multivariate analysis suggested that laparoscopic surgery was associated with lower 5-year DFS (HR=1.705, 95%CI: 1.088-2.674, P=0.020). Conclusions: For patients with stage Ⅰa1 （LVSI+）-Ⅰb1 cervical cancer, laparoscopic surgery is associated with lower 5-year DFS, and the adverse effect of laparoscopic surgery on oncology prognosis is mainly reflected in patients with tumor size >3-4 cm. For patients with tumor sizes ≤1 cm, >1-2 cm and >2-3 cm, there are no difference in oncological prognosis between the two surgical approaches.

[Influence of polymorphisms of VEGFR2 on clinical outcomes and safety of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated by first line Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy regimens].

Objective: To investigate the influence of polymorphisms of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2(VEGFR2) on clinical outcomes and safety of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated by first line Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy regimens. Methods: A total of 148 patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated by bevacizumab based first line regimens from January 2013 to January 2017 in the Department of Oncology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were included in this study. Peripheral blood and the biopsy tissue specimens of the NSCLC patients were collected for the genotyping of genetic variation and VEGFR2 mRNA expression, respectively. The association between genotype and other characteristics and VEGFR2 mRNA expression were analyzed. The univariate analysis of genotypes and prognosis was carried out by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and multivariate analysis were adjusted by Cox regression analysis. Results: Of the polymorphisms analyzed, only 889C>T was of clinical significance. Located in the coding region, the prevalence of 889C>T in VEGFR2 among the study population were as follows: CC genotype 108 cases (72.97%), CT genotype 36 cases (24.32%), TT genotype 4 cases (2.71%), minor allele frequency of 889C>T was 0.15. The distribution of three genotypes was in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (P=0.636). TT and CT genotype patients were merged in the comparison of clinical outcomes. The analysis of patients with different genotypes found that the objective response rates (ORR) of CT/TT genotypes and CC genotypes were 40.00% and 48.15% (P=0.377), respectively. And the median progression free survival (mPFS) of patients with CT/TT genotype and CC genotype were 6.1 and 8.7 months, respectively, which was statistically significant (P=0.002). In terms of overall survival (OS), the median overall survival (mOS) of the two genotypes were 18.7 and 21.4 months (P=0.012), respectively. Adjusted in multivariate analysis, 889C>T were an independent factor for progression free survival (OR=1.96, P=0.014). No association between the 889C>T and adverse reactions was found in the safety analysis. Of the 69 biopsy tissue specimens, gene expression analysis showed that the mRNA expression of VEGFR2 in cancer tissues of the patients with CT/TT genotypes were significantly higher than those of the CC genotype patients (P<0.001). Conclusion: The polymorphism 889C>T of VEGFR2 may have worse influence on clinical outcomes of advanced NSCLC treated by first line bevacizumab plus chemotherapy regimens, while no significant impact on safety.

A Preliminary Study of the Value of Plasma microRNA-193b and Soluble Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor in Identifying Patients with Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer and.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and management of colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal adenoma (CRA) reduces the mortality and morbidity of CRC, but there is a lack of ideal circulation biomarkers. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with early-stage CRC and CRA and 30 healthy controls were included in this preliminary study. Plasma samples were collected before colonoscopy and prepared for measurement of microRNA193b and soluble uPAR. RESULTS: Plasma level of miR-193b was decreased through the normal-adenoma-carcinoma sequence with no significant difference between patients with CRC and advanced CRA. The AUC of ROC curve evaluating the value of miR-193b in discriminating patients with early stage CRC or advanced CRA from patients with non-advanced CRA or normal control subjects was 0.849 (95% CI 0.773 - 0.923, p < 0.001). Significant alteration of plasma suPAR is only observed in CRC group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma miR-193b may be a novel candidate biomarker for screening patients with early-stage CRC and advanced CRA.

Insulin pump for the treatment of diabetes in combination with ulcerative foot infections.

Ulcerative foot infection is a chronic complication frequently seen in diabetic patients, and can result in disability. To evaluate insulin pump treatment for type 2 diabetes in combination with ulcerative foot infection, we selected 168 diabetic patients who developed foot ulcers and received treatment from April 2012 to April 2014 in the People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Henan, China. The patients were divided into a treatment group and a control group, 84 in each group. Besides anti-infection treatment, patients in the control group were given multiple subcutaneous insulin injection (MSII), while patients in the treatment group were given continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). Ulcer area, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), C-reactive protein (CRP) and count of white blood cells (WBC) were recorded before treatment, one week after treatment, two weeks after treatment and four weeks after treatment; moreover, ulcer healing condition was recorded four weeks after treatment and the related factors were analyzed. Patients in the treatment group showed an obviously narrowed ulcer area two and four weeks after treatment (P less than 0.05) and significantly lowered levels of FPG, CRP and WBC in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks after treatment (P less than 0.05); four weeks after treatment, 88.1% of patients in the treatment group and 66.7% in the control group had healed well, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant (χ2=5.509, P=0.019). Multi-factor logistic regression analysis indicated that levels of FPG, CRP and WBC at baseline and four weeks after treatment had a positive correlation to ulcer healing (P less than 0.05). All the above findings suggest that insulin pump can improve ulcer healing of patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers as it effectively controls blood glucose level, restrains inflammatory reaction and prevents spreading of infection.

Heterologous expression of the Hsp24 from Trichoderma asperellum improves antifungal ability of Populus transformant Pdpap-Hsp24 s to Cytospora chrysosperma and Alternaria alternate.

The tolerance of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses could be improved by transforming with fungal resistance-related genes. In this study, the cDNA sequence (GenBank Acc. No. KP337939) of the resistance-related gene Hsp24 encoding the 24 kD heat shock protein was obtained from the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma asperellum ACCC30536. The promoter region of Hsp24 contained many cis-regulators related to stresses response, such as "GCN4" and "GCR1" etc. Hsp24 transcription in T. asperellum was up-regulated under six different environmental stresses, compared with the control. Furthermore, following heterologous transformation into Populus davidiana × P. alba var. Pyramidalis (Pdpap), Hsp24 was successfully transcribed in transformant Pdpap-Hsp24s. Pathogen-related genes (PRs) in four Pdpap-Hsp24s were up-regulated compared with those in the control Pdpap (Pdpap-Con). After co-culture of Pdpap-Hsp24s with the weak parasite Cytospora chrysosperma, the transcription of genes related to hormone signal pathway (JA and SA) were up-regulated in Pdpap-Hsp24s, and ethidium bromide (EtBr) and Nitro-blue tetrazolium (NBT) staining assays indicated that the cell membrane permeability and the active oxygen content of Pdpap-Hsp24s leaves were lower than that of the control Pdpap-Con. And when the Pdpap-Hsp24s were under the Alternaria alternate stress, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) got higher in Pdpap-Hsp24s than that in Pdpap-Con, and the disease spots in Pdpap-Con leaves were obviously larger than those in Pdpap-Hsp24s leaves. In summary, Hsp24 of T. asperellum ACCC30536 is an important defense response gene, and its heterologous expression improved the resistance of transformant Pdpap-Hsp24s to C. chrysosperma and A. alternate.

Molecular cloning of the perilipin gene and its association with carcass and fat traits in Chinese ducks.

The perilipin (PLIN) gene is a candidate gene of carcass and fat traits in ducks. In order to study the molecular character of the PLIN gene and its function in different breeds of Chinese ducks, samples were obtained from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Research Center for Birds, including 95 Peking ducks of the Z2 series, 91 Peking ducks of the Z4 series, 82 hybrid systems (Z2 x Z4), and 93 Cherry Valley ducks. We used RT-PCR and 3'-RACE to clone the duck PLIN gene, detect SNPs and analyze their associations with carcass and fat traits. A 2212-bp sequence was cloned with the complete coding region and a 3'-untranslated region. We found a nucleotide mutation (C → T) in exon 2 of the PLIN gene. There were no significant correlations between the 3 genotypes (CC, CT, TT) in breast muscle weight (BMW), leg muscle weight (LMW), subcutaneous fat weight (SFW), and intramuscular fat (IMF) in the Cherry Valley duck. The CC and CT genotypes had significant differences in carcass weight (CW), carcass net weight (CNW), and percentage of abdominal fat weight (AFW); there were significant differences in AFW and percentage of SFW. In Z4, there were no significant correlations between the 3 genotypes (TT, CC, and CT) in CW, BMW, LMW, SFW, AFW, the percentage of SFW and AFW, and IMF. CNW was significantly different between TT, CC, and CT genotypes. In Z2 x Z4, there were no significant correlations between the 3 genotypes in CW, BMW, LMW, SFW, AFW, the percentage of SFW and AFW, and IMF, while the CC and CT genotypes had significant differences in CNW. In Z2, there were no significant differences between the 3 genotypes in all traits. We deduced that the PLIN gene is a potential major gene. It is linked to a major gene affecting meat quality traits. This SNP has potential as a molecular marker for marker-assisted selection.

The incidences of adverse events in small-cell lung cancer patients after radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Immunotherapy is important in treating small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), and its anti-tumor effects are better when combined with radiotherapy. However, the toxicity of this combination is little known. This study assessed the incidences of adverse events when adding radiotherapy to ICIs in patients with SCLC. We searched the online databases to identify eligible studies and included nine references. For extensive-stage SCLC patients, the median PFS ranged from 4.5 to 12.5 months, and median OS ranged from 8.4 to NR months, respectively. The incidences of grade 3 or higher pneumonitis, lung infection, diarrhea, and fatal adverse events were 8.7% (95% CI: 5%-14.7%), 6.7% (95% CI: 2.5%-16.5%), 12.6% (95% CI: 7.6%-20%), and 5.1% (95% CI: 2.1%-11.6%), respectively. Our findings suggest that radiotherapy plus ICIs may provide acceptable safety and favorable efficacy for SCLC patients.

Scaling behavior of electronic excitations in assemblies of molecules with degenerate ground states.

The behavior of long space-time excitations in many-electron systems with ground state degeneracy is explored via multiscale analysis. The analysis starts with an ansatz for the wave function's dual dependence on the N-electron configuration (i.e., both by direct means and by indirect means via a set of order parameters). It is shown that a Dirac-like equation form of the wave equation emerges in the limit where the ratio epsilon (of the average nearest-neighbor distance to the characteristic length of the long-scale phenomenon of interest) is small. Examples of the long scale are the size of a quantum dot, nanotube, or wavelength of a density disturbance. The velocities in the Dirac-like equation are the transition moments of the single-particle momentum operator connecting degenerate ground states. While detailed band structure and the independent quasi-particle picture could underlie the behavior of some systems (as commonly suggested for graphene), the present scaling law results show it is not necessarily the only explanation. Rather, it can follow from the scaling properties of low-lying, long spatial scale excitations and ground state degeneracy, even in strongly interacting systems. The generality of our findings suggests graphene may be just one of many examples of Dirac-like equation behavior. A preliminary validation of our quantum scaling law for molecular arrays is presented. As our scaling law constitutes a coarse-grained wave equation, path integral or other methods derived from it hold great promise for calibration-free, long-time simulation of many-particle quantum systems.

The morphology of Au@MgO nanopeapods.

The structure of metal nanoparticles embedded inside dielectric nanowires/nanotubes, namely nanopeapods, has been of increasing interest due to their unusual photoresponse and optical adsorption properties. This paper presents a type of new inorganic nanopeapod: faceted Au nanoparticles inside MgO nanowires. The Au self-assembles into a nanoparticle chain during the vapor-liquid-solid growth of the MgO nanowires for which gold also serves as the catalyst. Surprisingly such a chain can follow the whole axis of the MgO nanowires even if the latter zigzag, provided that the amount of gold is sufficient. It is shown that such Au@MgO nanopeapods form not only under metalorganic chemical vapor deposition conditions (Lai et al 2009 Appl. Phys. Lett. 94 022904), but also under our conventional vapor transport deposition condition. This new nanopeapod material might be a candidate for the study of electronic and/or plasmonic wave transport along nanowires.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of high-risk neuroblastoma with bone marrow metastasis in children].

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of newly treated high-risk group neuroblastoma (NB) patients with bone marrow metastasis and to explore the prognostic factors. Methods: The clinical features (sex, age, stage, risk group, pathological type, metastatic site, etc.) of 203 newly treated high-risk NB patients with bone marrow metastasis admitted to Hematology Oncology Center, Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2007 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 118 males (58.1%) and 85 females (41.9%). Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and Cox regression was used to analyze the prognostic factors. Results: The age at onset of the 203 patients was 41 months (9-147 months). The metastatic sites at diagnosis were as follows: bone in 195 cases (96.1%), distant lymph nodes in 104 cases (51.2%), skull and endomeninx in 61 cases (30.0%), orbit in 30 cases (14.8%), pleura in 16 cases (7.9%), liver in 13 cases(6.4%), canalis spinalis in 13 cases (6.4%), other sites in 11 cases (5.4%) and skin and soft tissue in 10 cases (4.9%). In all, 194 cases were enrolled for prognostic analysis. The follow-up time was 36 months (1 day-138 months) , and the 5-years event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 36.1% and 39.7%, respectively. A total of 118 patients (60.8%) had events (first relapse or death) with the time to event occurrence was 15 months (1 day-72 months), whereas 112 patients (57.7%) died with the event occurrence to death time was 3 months (1 day-21 months). There was no significant difference in 5-years OS between radiotherapy group and non-radiotherapy group (42.3% vs. 38.3%, χ(2)=3.671, P=0.055). The 5-years OS in transplantation group was significantly better than the non-transplantation group (44.3% vs. 35.5%, χ(2)=8.878, P=0.003), and the radiotherapy combined transplantation group also had a better 5-years OS rate than the non-radiotherapy combined transplantation group (45.8% vs. 37.3%, χ(2)=5.945, P=0.015). Univariate survival analysis showed lactate dehydrogenase ≥ 1 500 U/L, the amplification of MYCN, the metastatic sites of orbit, canalis spinalis and pleura were associated with poor prognosis of newly diagnosed high-risk NB patients (χ(2)=21.064, 13.601, 3.998, 6.183, 15.307, all P<0.05). The amplification of MYCN and the metastatic sites of pleura were risk factors for prognosis of newly diagnosed high-risk NB patients by Cox regression models (HR=1.896,1.100, 95%CI: 1.113-3.231, 1.020-1.187, both P<0.05). Conclusions: The prognosis is unfavorable in high-risk group NB patients with BM metastasis. Radiotherapy combined with transplantation can further improve the prognosis of these patients. The amplification of MYCN and the metastatic sites of pleura were the poor prognostic factors for high-risk NB patients with bone marrow metastasis.

[Implementation of modern rescue medicine].

Catastrophic disasters occur frequently in recent years, resulting in a large number of casualties. Thus, more and more scholars begin to focus on a newly emerged displine-rescue medicine. This paper introduces the status quo of rescue medicine and expounds the practical experience related to rescue medicine as practiced by author's unit, in order to provide a reference for the establishment of the discipline and its future development.

Study on JNK/AP-1 signaling pathway of airway mucus hypersecretion of severe pneumonia under RSV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the JNK/AP-1 signaling pathway of airway mucus hypersecretion of severe pneumonia under respiratory virus (RSV) infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total of 56 severe pneumonia children under RSV infection were selected. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to measure the expression quantity of MUC5B mRNA and MUC5AC mRNA, and ELISA was used to measure the expression quantity of MUC5AC and MUC5B proteins. Following that, the children were divided into airway mucus hypersecretion group (n = 37) and non-hypersecretion group (n = 19). Western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of JNK1/2, p-JNK1/2 and AP-1 proteins. RESULTS: Expression of MUC5AC and MUC5B proteins, and MUC5AC mRNA and MUC5B mRNA in the airway mucus hypersecretion group were significantly higher than those in the non-hypersecretion group (p < 0.05). The expression levels of JNK1/2, p-JNK1/2 and AP-1 proteins in airway mucus hypersecretion group were higher than those in the non-hypersecretion group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MUC5AC and MUC5B can be used as marker molecules of airway mucus hypersecretion. Airway mucus hypersecretion of severe pneumonia induced by RSV might be related to the activation of JNK/AP-1 signaling pathway.

Relationship between foot pressure pattern and foot type.

Foot type and location of area of peak pressure under the metatarsal heads were determined for 54 healthy adults between the ages of 21 and 39 years. Feet were classified as neutral, pronated, or supinated. Each subject walked barefoot over a pedobarograph, and the area of peak pressure was identified as being either medial, central, or lateral under the metatarsal heads. A Fisher's exact test determined that there was a significant relationship between the area of peak pressure and foot type. A post hoc lambda asymmetric test showed that the relationship was very weak. Nearly half (49%) of the feet were classified as neutral, 36% were pronated, and 15% were supinated. Pressure patterns were as follows: 62% central, 26% medial, and 12% lateral. Other factors besides foot type influence the area of peak pressure under the metatarsal heads.

[Synthesis of 7-(4,7-di-substituted coumarin-3-acetamido)cephalosporins].

Seventeen derivatives of 7-(4,7-di-substituted coumarin-3-acetamido)cephalosporins were synthesized with acid chloride method, Vilsmeier reagent method and mixed anhydride method. Isolation and purification were fulfilled with Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and centrifugal-TLC technique. Their chemical structures were identified by elemental analysis, IR and 1HNMR spectrum. The preliminary antibacterial activity tests showed that these cephalosporin derivatives exhibited good activity against Gram-positive bacteria and individual Gram-negative bacteria. Further experiments in pharmacology will be made.

Quantitative proteomic study identified cathepsin B associated with doxorubicin-induced damage in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

The study was performed to analyze the proteomic profiling of doxorubicin-treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes in order to identify novel protein biomarkers associated with doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. The protein profiling of H9c2 cells in response to doxorubicin at an apoptosis-induced concentration of 0.5 µM were compared using iTRAQ analysis. Western-blot analysis was used to confirm differentially expressed proteins identified in the proteomic study. A total of 22 differently expressed proteins were identified in doxorubicin-treated H9c2 cells including 15 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated proteins. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that 10 altered proteins were enriched in the process of apoptosis. We further validated the expression of cathepsin B and its possible regulator nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in H9c2 cells were increased during doxorubicin treatment using Western-blots. Differentially expressed proteins might provide clues to clarify novel mechanisms underlying doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. Our results also suggest that increased cathepsin B expression might be associated with NF-κB up-regulation, and the exact mechanisms need to be clarified.

Atomic Layer Deposition of ZnO on Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes and Its Use for Synthesis of CNT-ZnO Heterostructures.

In this article, direct coating of ZnO on PECVD-grown multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is achieved using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Transmission electron microscopy investigation shows that the deposited ZnO shell is continuous and uniform, in contrast to the previously reported particle morphology. The ZnO layer has a good crystalline quality as indicated by Raman and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. We also show that such ZnO layer can be used as seed layer for subsequent hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods, resulting in branched CNT-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. Potentially, this method can also apply to the fabrication of ZnO-based hybrid nanostructures on other carbon nanomaterials.

Ultraviolet electroluminescence from randomly assembled n-SnO(2) nanowiresp-GaN:Mg heterojunction.

Electroluminescence characteristics of a heterojunction light-emitting diode, which was fabricated by depositing a layer of randomly assembled n-SnO(2) nanowires on p-GaN:Mg/sapphire substrate via vapor transport method, were investigated at room temperature. Peak wavelength emission at around 388 nm was observed for the diode under forward bias. This is mainly related to the radiative recombination of weakly bounded excitons at the shallow-trapped states of SnO(2) nanowires, Under reverse bias, near bandedge emission from the p-GaN:Mg/sapphire leads to the observation of emission peak at around 370 nm.