[GIS-based Analysis of the Land Suitability for Manure Application in the Northeastern Provinces]

Huan Jing Ke Xue= Huanjing Kexue / [bian Ji, Zhongguo Ke Xue Yuan Huan Jing Ke Xue Wei Yuan Hui "Huan Jing Ke Xue" Bian Ji Wei Yuan Hui.]. Apr, 2010  |  Pubmed ID: 20527197

As an important industrial and grain production base of China, livestock and poultry industry have been rapidly developed in the northeastern provinces. With the rapid increasing amount of animal production, how to handle the huge amount of animal manure has become a critical issue for local government. A quantitative analysis based on geographic information system (GIS) combining the biophysical, environmental, social and economic factors was applied to determine the land suitability for manure application in the northeastern provinces. The results show that a farmland area of 211942.7 km2, accounting for 78.9% of the cultivated land in three northeastern provinces, is estimated to be suitable for manure application. The suitable farmlands are mostly distributed in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. Proximity to residential area, water body and roads are identified as the primary factors influencing the manure application, while rainfall is the main factor to generate discrepancies in different areas. Furthermore, the future potential capacity for animal production in three provinces was forecasted based on the areas of suitable land and the population of existing livestock production. Among 36 cities of three provinces, the big variation is observed, Siping City is overproducing 1.813 million heads of pig unit at present, but Qiqihaer City still has the potential to rear 11.203 million heads of pig unit. Overall, eastern region of the study area holds the high potential for animal production with a surplus capacity of 2.842 million heads of pig unit, the potential of the typical mountain and forest areas is only 10% of eastern region, however. In contrast, in half of western region (central Liaoning province and central Jilin Province), their animal populations have exceeded the land carrying capacity. Therefore, we strongly suggest a site-specific animal production and manure application guide to achieve a sustainable development of livestock production in the northeastern provinces.

Comparison of Penile Size and Erectile Function After High-intensity Focused Ultrasound and Targeted Cryoablation for Localized Prostate Cancer: a Prospective Pilot Study

The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Sep, 2010  |  Pubmed ID: 20233294

Erectile dysfunction (ED) represents a common quality-of-life issue of any treatment used for prostate cancer, including high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and targeted cryoablation of the prostate (TCAP). There is a paucity of comparative studies regarding the difference in the erectile function and penile size of patients undergoing HIFU or TCAP.

A Room-temperature Reactive-template Route to Mesoporous ZnGa2O4 with Improved Photocatalytic Activity in Reduction of CO2

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English). Aug, 2010  |  Pubmed ID: 20652925

[Diagnostic Value of 64 Multislice CT in Typing of Congenital Aortic Anomaly in Neonates and Infants]

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. Aug, 2010  |  Pubmed ID: 21029654

To study diagnostic value of 64 multislice CT in typing of congenital aortic anomaly in neonates and infants.

Image Quality and Radiation Exposure in Pediatric Cardiovascular CT Angiography from Different Injection Sites

AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology. Feb, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21257851

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of different injection sites (i.e., head, arm, or leg vein) on image quality and radiation exposure in pediatric cardiovascular CT angiography (CTA) with 64-MDCT.

Presence and Determination of Manure-borne Estrogens from Dairy and Beef Cattle Feeding Operations in Northeast China

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. May, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21437787

Four estrogens in cattle feces collected from 24 dairy and beef feeding operations located in the northeast of China were investigated. The average concentration of 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol and estrone in dairy feces was 194.6, 104.4, and 262 μg/kg, respectively. While as to beef waste the mean content of 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol and estrone was 104.5, 67.7 and 216.4 μg/kg, respectively. Estriol was below the detection limit in all samples. The 17β-estradiol equivalents of all samples ranged from 45.8 to 926.1 μg/kg and dairy together with beef probably generated 16 times more estrogens than the human population in the study area.

[A 5-year Follow Up Study on Smoking and Current Smoking Cessation Status in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction from a Hospital in Xicheng District, Beijing.]

Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi = Zhonghua Liuxingbingxue Zazhi. Mar, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21457657

OBJECTIVE: To explore the smoking and smoking cessation status in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: 456 hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction in Xicheng district were recorded in CCU ward between October 2003 and October 2008. Personal data and smoking status were collected. The smoking cessation status after discharge was investigated by telephone. RESULTS: (1) Patients who smoked were still male-dominated (96.3%). The average smoking rate in male patients was 55.9%, and even as high as 87.5% in patients at 29 - 50 years of age. (2) The average age in patients who smoked and with acute myocardial infarction was 58.0 ± 12.3 years old, 16 years advanced the age compared to the groups who never smoked or after stopped smoking. (3) The successful smoking cessation rate in patients with acute myocardial infarction after discharge was 42.5%, and 29 - 50 years old group having the highest rate of successful cessation, while the lowest rate seen in 51 - 65 years old group. (4) The failure rate of smoking cessation was 40.9% with the main reasons as: radical habit on smoking, withdrawal symptoms, stress in work and peer influence etc. The 51 - 65 year-old group was mainly suffered from habitual factors and withdrawal symptoms. CONCLUSION: The smoking rate and smoking cessation failure rate in adult patients with acute myocardial infarction in Xicheng district in Beijing remained high. The onset age of acute myocardial infarction was significantly in advance among patients who smoked. To actively advocate on smoking cessation was still vital for reducing the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction and to improve the prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction.

[(131)I Labeling and Bioactivity Evaluation of a Novel RGD Dimer Targeted to Integrin αvβ3 Receptor]

Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban = Journal of Peking University. Health Sciences. Apr, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21503130

To study the (131)I labeling, tumor targeting property, biodistrubution and imaging of a novel disulfide bridged Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide dimer and investigate its possibility for tumor angiogenesis imaging.

MicroRNA-1274a, a Modulator of Sorafenib Induced a Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase 9 (ADAM9) Down-regulation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

FEBS Letters. Jun, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21530512

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex and heterogeneous tumor with poor prognosis. Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, has been widely used to treat patients with advanced HCC in clinic. We postulated that microRNAs (miRNA) might be involved in HCC target-chemotherapy with sorafenib. MiRNA profile of HepG2 was evaluated after cells were treated with vehicle or sorafenib and alterations in miRNA expression occurred with 14 miRNAs. MiR-1274a, which is up-regulated by sorafenib, could significantly repress expression of ADAM9, a protease that is involved in sorafenib target-therapy of HCC, in HCC cells. Taken together, our data emphasizes a new miRNA-based mechanism of sorafenib antitumor therapy.

Identification of Critical Motifs Within HIV-1 Integrase Required for Importin α3 Interaction and Viral CDNA Nuclear Import

Journal of Molecular Biology. Jul, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21763491

The viral cDNA nuclear import is an important requirement for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in dividing and nondividing cells. Our recent study identified a specific interaction of importin α3 (Impα3) with HIV-1 integrase (IN) and its involvement in viral cDNA nuclear import. In this study, we have performed a more detailed investigation on the molecular mechanism of how HIV-1 IN interacts with Impα3. Our results revealed a reduced interaction between the two IN mutants INKK215,9AA (IN215,9) and INRK263,4AA (IN263,4) with Impα3, while an IN double mutant, IN215,9/263,4, was severely impaired for its Impα3-binding ability, even though it was still found interacting with other cofactors, IN interactor I and Transportin3. Immunostaining and fractionation analysis have shown that YFP-IN215,9/263,4 failed to localize in the nucleus of transfected cells. Also, we found that both major and minor nuclear localization signal binding grooves of Impα3 are involved in interaction with IN. All of these results suggest a cargo protein-import receptor type of interaction. Finally, the effect of IN215,9/263,4 mutations on HIV-1 replication was evaluated, and real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that, while mutant virus (v215,9/263,4) had a slightly lowered total viral DNA, the 2-long-terminal-repeat DNA, a marker for nuclear import, was greatly reduced during v215,9/263,4 infection in both dividing and nondividing cells. Also, by cell fractionation assay, we found that a significant proportion of viral cDNA was still retained in cytoplasmic fraction of v215,9/263,4-infected cells. Overall, our study provides strong evidence that (211)KELQKQITK and (262)RRKAK regions of IN C-terminal domain are required for Impα3 interaction and HIV-1 cDNA nuclear import.

Migration of Natural Estrogens Around a Concentrated Dairy-feeding Operation

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Sep, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 21915602

Concentrated animal feeding operations have been recognized as one of the most important contributors of natural estrogens which show significant endocrine-disrupting properties in aquatic environments. In this study, the concentrations of 17α-estradiol (17α-E2), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), estrone (E1), and estriol (E3) in several matrices, including soils (surface and deep), sediments (surface and deep), and groundwaters, around a typical dairy farm were surveyed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Of the two farmlands, surface and subsurface sediments in waste lagoon and along effluent drainage drench, the concentrations of 17α-E2, 17β-E2, and E1 ranged from below detection limit to the highest level of 6.60 μg/kg, except that E3 was not detectable. Three estrogens of 17α-E2, 17β-E2, and E1 with the concentrations of 3.18-31.61 ng/L were observed in two groundwater samples. The results clearly demonstrated the vertical migration and horizontal transport of estrogens in the investigated area. Within 750-m distance, it was observed the attenuation of 17α-E2, 17β-E2, and E1 along the effluent route and the horizontal migration of estrogens was less than 1,350 m in this survey.

Expression of ABCB5 Gene in Hematological Malignances and Its Significance

Leukemia & Lymphoma. Dec, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 22044138

We examined ABCB5 gene expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in leukemia cells from 29 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 24 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 42 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 22 with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), 17 with lymphoma and 10 with multiple myeloma (MM). It was confirmed that expression of the ABCB5 gene is highly increased in B-precursor ALL and French-American-British (FAB) M1 and M2 types of AML and lymphoma. The ABCB5 gene is expressed more highly in patients with relapsed or refractory disease than in patients with drug sensitive acute leukemia. Furthermore, there was an evident positive correlation between ABCB5 mRNA expression and MDR1 mRNA expression, but no correlation with MRP mRNA expression or BCRP mRNA expression. Quantification of the ABCB5 gene by real-time PCR offers particular promise as a prognostic marker and a marker for drug resistance in acute leukemia. Our findings raise the possibility that ABCB5 may be responsible for both the progression and chemotherapeutic refractoriness of advanced acute leukemia, and that ABCB5-targeted approaches might therefore represent novel and translationally relevant therapeutic strategies for drug resistance in leukemia.

Composite Biological Reconstruction Following Total Calcanectomy of Primary Calcaneal Tumors

Journal of Surgical Oncology. Dec, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 22213188

BACKGROUND: Advances in oncologic treatment modalities and wide resection have made limb salvage procedures in calcaneal malignancy or aggressive benign tumor increasingly possible. However, reconstructions of the calcaneus remain a major surgical challenge because of the rarity and specific anatomy of this condition. METHODS: we retrospectively reviewed 4 patients who had primary calcaneal tumors and underwent total calcanectomy and reconstructions with use of composite of allograft and vascularized osteocutaneous fibular grafts between 2007 and 2010. The diagnoses included chondrosarcoma in 1, fibrosarcoma in 1, aggressive osteoblastoma in 1, and giant-cell tumor in 1. Wide resection margins were achieved in all patients. The mean age at the time of the operation was 32.1 years. Patients were examined clinically and radiographically and were assessed functionally with Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. RESULTS: The median duration of follow-up was 24.5 months. No local recurrence occurred in this series and all patients had no evidence of disease at the time of final follow-up. Limb salvage was achieved in all patients. Revision surgery was necessary in two patients because of complications (skin flap necrosis and infection). The average MSTS 93 score and AOFAS score were 91.7% and 87.5 at the final follow-up, respectively. All fibular flaps survived and bone unions achieved successfully. The overall mean time for bone union was 9.5 months. The mean time to full-weight bearing was 7 months. CONCLUSIONS: Vascularized fibular flaps in combination with massive allografts provide an excellent option for biological reconstruction after total calcanectomy in tumor situation and have proven to be a successful limb salvage procedure, which result in earlier patient recovery and return of function. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. J. Surg. Oncol © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Study on Liver Protection, Cholagogic Effect and Hepatotoxicity of Gardeniae Fructus]

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi = China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica. Oct, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 22242415

Gardenia is widely used in clinical treatment to cure acute and chronic liver disease. But in recent two decades, hepatotoxicity has been reported from gardenia and major components. Based on literature research, the liver protection, cholagogic effect and hepatotoxicity have been discussed in-depth, with the purpose to provide a reference for rational usage in clinical and new drug development of gardenia.

[Robotically Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting on Beating Heart]

Zhonghua Wai Ke Za Zhi [Chinese Journal of Surgery]. Oct, 2011  |  Pubmed ID: 22321684

To analyze the safety and efficiency of robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting (RACABG) on beating heart using da Vinci S system.

GC Glu416Asp and Thr420Lys Polymorphisms Contribute to Gastrointestinal Cancer Susceptibility in a Chinese Population

International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. 2012  |  Pubmed ID: 22328951

Vitamin D has potent anticancer properties, especially against gastrointestinal cancers. Group-specific component (GC), a key member of vitamin D pathway proteins, could bind to and transport vitamin D to target organs. As a polymorphic protein, two common coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) [Glu416Asp (rs7041) and Thr420Lys (rs4588)] were identified in its gene. These SNPs have been associated to circulating vitamin D levels and several cancer risks in different populations. However, there is no report on their role in gastrointestinal cancer development among Chinese to date. Therefore, we examined the association between these variants and risk of gastrointestinal cancers in a case-control cohort including 964 patients with four gastrointestinal cancers (hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer) and 1187 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by logistic regression. We found that GC Thr420Lys polymorphism has significant impact on the risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers, especially colorectal cancer. Additionally, subjects who carrying GC Asp(416)-Lys(420) haplotype, which contains the at-risk 420Lys allele, also showed significantly increased risk to develop gastrointestinal cancers. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that common genetic variants and haplo-types in GC may influence individual susceptibility to gastrointestinal cancers in Chinese population.

Pharmacogenetic Role of ERCC1 Genetic Variants in Treatment Response of Platinum-based Chemotherapy Among Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine. Jan, 2012  |  Pubmed ID: 22249976

The excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) plays an essential role in DNA repair and has been linked to resistance to platinum-based anticancer drugs among advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We systematically evaluate whether ERCC1 Asn118Asn and C8092A genetic variants are associated with treatment response of platinum chemotherapy. We preformed a meta-analysis using ten eligible cohort studies (including 11 datasets) with a total of 1,252 NSCLC patients to summarize the existing data on the association between the ERCC1 Asn118Asn and C8092A polymorphisms and response to platinum regiments. Odds ratio or hazard ratio with 95% confidence interval were calculated to estimate the correlation. We found that neither ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism nor Asn118Asn variant is associated with different response of platinum-based treatment among advanced NSCLC patients. Additionally, these two genetic variants are not related to treatment response in either Caucasian patients or Asian patients. Our meta-analysis indicates that the ERCC1 Asn118Asn and C8092A polymorphisms may not be good prognostic biomarkers for platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with stage III-IV NSCLC.

Antiviral Therapy and Outcomes of Patients with Pneumonia Caused by Influenza A Pandemic (H1N1) Virus

PloS One. 2012  |  Pubmed ID: 22276122

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the clinical outcome of patients with pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) pneumonia who received oseltamivir treatment, especially when the treatment was administered more than 48 hours after symptom onset. METHODS: During the pandemic in 2009, a cohort of pH1N1 influenza pneumonia was built in China, and their clinical information was collected systematically, and analyzed with Cox models. RESULTS: 920 adults and 541 children with pneumonia who didn't receive corticosteroids were analyzed. In-hospital mortality was higher in adults who did not receive antiviral therapy (18.2%) than those with who received oseltamivir ≤ 2days (2.9%), between 2-5 days (4.6%) and >5 days after illness onset (4.9%), p<0.01. A similar trend was observed in pediatric patients. Cox regression showed that at 60 days after symptoms onset, 11 patients (10.8%) who did not receive antivirals died versus 4 (1.8%), 18 (3.3%), and 23 (3.7%) patients whose oseltamivir treatment was started ≤ 2days, between 2-5days, and >5 days, respectively. For males patients, aged ≥ 14 years and baseline PaO(2)/FiO(2)<200, oseltamivir administration reduced the mortality risk by 92.1%, 88% and 83.5%, respectively. Higher doses of oseltamivir (>3.8 mg/kg/d) did not improve clinical outcome (mortality, higher dose 2.5% vs standard dose 2.8%, p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Antiviral therapy might reduce mortality of patients with pH1N1 pneumonia, even when initiated more than 48 hours after onset of illness. Greater protective effects might be in males, patients aged 14-60 years, and patients with PaO(2)/FiO(2)<200.

A CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide Potentiates the Anti-tumor Effect of HSP65-Her2 Fusion Protein Against Her2 Positive B16 Melanoma in Mice

International Immunopharmacology. Feb, 2012  |  Pubmed ID: 22222115

Although being promising tumor vaccine candidates in animal models, heat shock protein (HSP)-based tumor vaccines have not yet succeeded in the clinical trials, implying the necessity to be formulated with appropriate adjutants to enhance their immunogenicity. In this study, we investigated whether a B-class CpG ODN (BW006), a TLR9 agonist, could facilitate HSP65-Her2, a recombinant protein between mycobacterial HSP65 and Her2-derived peptide, to induce vigorous anti-tumor activity against Her2 positive tumors in mice both prophylactically and therapeutically. It was found that BW006 could enhance prophylactic and therapeutic effect of HSP65-Her2 with improved survival of the mice bearing Her2(+) B16 melanoma and HSP65-Her2 specific Th1 response.

Functional FEN1 Genetic Variants Contribute to Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Esophageal Cancer, Gastric Cancer and Colorectal Cancer

Carcinogenesis. Jan, 2012  |  Pubmed ID: 22072618

As a DNA repair protein, Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) plays crucial parts in preventing carcinogenesis. Two functional germ line variants (-69G > A and 4150G > T) in the FEN1 gene have been associated with DNA damage levels in coke oven workers and lung cancer risk in general populations. However, the role of these genetic variants on gastrointestinal cancer susceptibility is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the association between these polymorphisms and gastrointestinal cancer risk in two independent case-control cohorts consisted of a total of 1850 gastrointestinal cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer) patients and 2222 healthy controls. The impact of these variations on FEN1 expression was also examined using liver, esophagus, stomach and colon normal tissues. It was found that the FEN1 -69GG genotypes were significantly correlated to increased risk for developing gastrointestinal cancer compared with the -69AA genotype in both cohorts [Jinan cohort: odds ratios (OR) = 2.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.47-2.80, P = 1.0 × 10(-)(6); Huaian cohort: OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.37-2.50, P = 0.5 × 10(-6)]. Similar results were observed for 4150G > T polymorphism. In the combined meta-analyses, OR for -69GG or 4150GG genotype was 2.02 (95% CI = 1.59-2.45) or 1.86 (95% CI = 1.45-2.28) compared with -69AA or 4150TT genotype. In vivo FEN1 messenger RNA expression analyses showed that the -69G or 4150G allele carriers had ∼2-fold decreased FEN1 expression in gastrointestinal tissues compared with -69A or 4150T carriers, indicating that lower FEN1 expression may lead to higher risk for malignant transformation of gastrointestinal cells. Our results highlight FEN1 as an important gene in human gastrointestinal oncogenesis and genetic polymorphisms in FEN1 confer susceptibility to gastrointestinal cancers.