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OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION: The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).

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A mechanism based on multiple hydrogen bonds was proposed to describe the great water stability of some hydrated Cu paddle-wheel-based MOFs, which was demonstrated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) of water-loaded MOFs. This mechanism endowed Cu-TDPAT with exceptional water stability and outstanding atmospheric water harvesting capability.

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In contrast to the conventional fluorescence enhancement resulting from the cessation of the photoinduced electron transfer effect upon capturing nitric oxide (NO) by o-phenylenediamine, we found an interesting fluorescence quench within small molecule fluorophores characterized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Herein, the integration of a push-pull electron system with intramolecular hydrogen bonding onto an ultra-small fluorophore was employed to fabricate a hydrogen bond-tuned single benzene core fluorescent probe with an exceptional fluorescence quantum yield of 26 %, denoted as HSC-1. By virtue of its small size and low molecular weight (mere 192 g/mol), it demonstrated superior solubility and biocompatibility. Given the optimized conditions, HSC-1 manifested extraordinary linearity in detecting NO concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 60 µM, with an outstanding detection limit of 23.8 nM. Theoretical calculations unraveled the photophysical properties of hydrogen bonding-related probe molecules and highlighted the NO sensing mechanism. This pioneering work offers an important platform for the design of small fluorescence probes only with a single benzene core applied to NO sensing, which will potentially emerge as a new frontier in the area.

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BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial, pervasive, neurodevelopmental disorder, of which intestinal symptoms collectively represent one of the most common comorbidities. METHODS: In this study, 1,222 children with ASD and 1,206 typically developing (TD) children aged 2-7 years were enrolled from 13 cities in China. Physical measurement and basic information questionnaires were conducted in ASD and TD children. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were used to evaluate the clinical symptoms of children with ASD. The six-item Gastrointestinal Severity Index (6-GSI) was used to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal symptoms in two groups. RESULTS: The detection rates of constipation, stool odor, and total intestinal symptoms in ASD children were significantly higher than those in TD children (40.098% vs. 25.622%, 17.021% vs. 9.287%, and 53.601% vs. 41.294%, respectively). Autistic children presenting with intestinal comorbidity had significantly higher scores on the ABC, SRS, CARS, and multiple subscales than autistic children without intestinal symptoms, suggesting that intestinal comorbidity may exacerbates the core symptoms of ASD children. CONCLUSION: Intestinal dysfunction was significantly more common in autistic than in TD children. This dysfunction may aggravate the core symptoms of children with ASD.

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The sensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as a biomarker for lung cancer at an early stage is critical but has long been a challenge. The emergence of polarity-switchable photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis has opened up new avenues for developing highly sensitive NSE sensors. In this study, we present such a biosensor depending on the bioinduced AgI transition on MOF-on-MOF-derived semiconductor heterojunctions. Specifically, treatment of ZnO@In2O3@AgI by bioproduced H2S can in situ generate the ZnO@In2O3@In2S3@Ag2S heterojunction, with the photocurrent switching from the cathodic to anodic one due to the changes in the carrier transfer pathway. Linking an NSE-targeted sandwich immunorecognition with labeled alkaline phosphatase (ALP) catalyzed generation of H2S, such a phenomenon was correlated to NSE concentration with good performance in terms of selectivity and sensitivity and a low detection limit of 0.58 pg/mL. This study offered a new perspective on the use of MOF-on-MOF-derived heterostructures for advanced polarity-switchable PEC bioanalysis.

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Objective: This study aimed to find out the clinical and cognitive effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on the right orbital frontal cortex (OFC) in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: A total of 56 patients with ADHD were recruited as subjects and completely and randomly divided into the HD-tDCS group and the Sham group. A 1.0 mA anode current was applied to the right OFC. The HD-tDCS group received real stimulation, while the Sham group received sham stimulation in 10 sessions of treatment. ADHD symptom assessment (the SNAP-IV Rating Scale and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire) was carried out before treatment, after the 5th and 10th stimuli, and at the 6th week after the end of all stimulations, while the cognitive effect was assessed by the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT), the Stroop Color and Word Test (Stroop), and the Tower of Hanoi (TOH). Repeated-measure ANOVA was used to find out the results of both groups before and after treatment. Results: A total of 47 patients completed all sessions and evaluations. Their SNAP-IV score, their PSQ score, the mean visual and auditory reaction times by IVA-CPT, the interference RT of Stroop Color and Word, and the number of completed steps of TOH did not change with intervention time before and after treatment (P > 0.0031). However, the integrated visual and audiovisual commission errors and the TOH completion time results of the HD-tDCS group were significantly decreased after the 5th intervention, the 10th intervention, and the 6th week of intervention follow-up compared to the Sham group (P < 0.0031). Conclusion: This study draws cautious conclusions that HD-tDCS does not significantly alleviate the overall symptoms of patients with ADHD but leads to significant improvements in the cognitive measures of attention maintenance. The study also attempted to fill in the gaps in research studies on HD-tDCS stimulation of the right OFC. Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR2200062616.

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Despite improvement in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance, cardiac arrest (CA) is still associated with poor prognosis. The high mortality rate is due to multi-organ dysfunction caused by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury (I/R). The guidelines for CPR suggest the use of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) as an effective treatment to decrease mortality and the only approach confirmed to reduce I/R injury. During TH, sedative agents (propofol) and analgesia agents (fentanyl) are commonly used to prevent shiver and pain. However, propofol has been associated with a number of serious adverse effects such as metabolic acidosis, cardiac asystole, myocardial failure, and death. In addition, mild TH alters the pharmacokinetics of agents (propofol and fentanyl) and reduces their systemic clearance. For CA patients undergoing TH, propofol can be overdosed, leading to delayed awakening, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and other subsequent complications. Ciprofol (HSK3486) is a novel anesthetic agent that is convenient and easy to administer intravenously outside the operating room. Ciprofol is rapidly metabolized and accumulates at low concentrations after continuous infusion in a stable circulatory system compared to propofol. Therefore, we hypothesized that treatment with HSK3486 and mild TH after CA could protect the brain and other organs.

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BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) or cholesterol metabolism have been demonstrated to participate in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) progression. However, the relationship between circRNAs and cholesterol metabolism in STAD and its underlined mechanism remain unclear. METHODS: RNA and protein expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8, EdU incorporation and colony formation assays. Total cholesterol (TC) and free cholesterol (FC) levels were measured by the corresponding kits. The relationships between circ_0000182 and miR-579-3p or squalene epoxidase (SQLE) mRNA were investigated by bioinformatics analysis, RNA-RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter and RIP assays. RESULTS: We found that circ_0000182 expression was significantly up-regulated in both STAD tissues and cell lines, and high circ_0000182 expression was correlated with increased tumor size. Circ_0000182 promoted cell proliferation and cholesterol synthesis of STAD cells. Accordingly, cell proliferation, cholesterol synthesis and SQLE expression were significantly inhibited by circ_0000182 knockdown in STAD cells, and these effects were partly reversed by miR-579-3p inhibition or SQLE over-expression. Furthermore, we identified that circ_0000182 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-579-3p, thereby facilitating SQLE expression, cholesterol synthesis and cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: Circ_0000182 promotes cholesterol synthesis and proliferation of STAD cells by enhancing SQLE expression via sponging miR-579-3p.

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Ovarian cancer (OC) has the greatest mortality rate among gynecological cancers, with a five-year survival rate of <50%. Contemporary adjuvant chemotherapy mostly fails in the case of OCs that are refractory, metastatic, recurrent, and drug-resistant. Emerging ultrasound (US)-mediated technologies show remarkable promise in overcoming these challenges. Absorption of US waves by the tissue results in the generation of heat due to its thermal effect causing increased diffusion of drugs from the carriers and triggering sonoporation by increasing the permeability of the cancer cells. Certain frequencies of US waves could also produce a cavitation effect on drug-filled microbubbles (MBs, phospholipid bilayers) thereby generating shear force and acoustic streaming that could assist drug release from the MBs, and promote the permeability of the cell membrane. A new class of nanoparticles that carry therapeutic agents and are guided by US contrast agents for precision delivery to the site of the ovarian tumor has been developed. Phase-shifting of nanoparticles by US sonication has also been engineered to enhance the drug delivery to the ovarian tumor site. These technologies have been used for targeting the ovarian cancer stem cells and protein moieties that are particularly elevated in OCs including luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, folic acid receptor, and vascular endothelial growth factor. When compared to healthy ovarian tissue, the homeostatic parameters at the tissue microenvironment including pH, oxygen levels, and glucose metabolism differ significantly in ovarian tumors. US-based technologies have been developed to take advantage of these tumor-specific alterations for precision drug delivery. Preclinical efficacy of US-based targeting of currently used clinical chemotherapies presented in this review has the potential for rapid human translation, especially for formulations that use all substances that are deemed to be generally safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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CircRNAs have been found to play crucial roles in the metabolism and progression of cancers, but their roles and mechanisms in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have not been fully elucidated. This work is aimed to explore the role and mechanism of hsa_circ_0000705 (circ_0000705) in ESCC. Circ_0000705 expression was up-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines, and high circ_0000705 expression was correlated with poor survival. Circ_0000705 facilitated cell proliferation, invasion, migration and proline metabolism of ESCC cells. The inhibitory effects of circ_0000705 knockdown on cell invasion, migration and proline metabolism were partly rescued by miR-621 inhibition or PYCR1 over-expression. Furthermore, circ_0000705 expression is negatively correlated with miR-621 expression, and positively correlated with PYCR1 in ESCC tissues. Mechanistically, circ_0000705 acted as a ceRNA by sponging miR-621, thereby facilitating PYCR1 expression in ESCC cells. In conclusion, circ_0000705 promoted proline metabolism and malignant progression of ESCC by regulating the miR­621/PYCR1 axis.

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Increasing studies indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in tumor metabolism of multiple cancers. However, the contribution of circRNAs in glutamine metabolism of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains elusive. The objective of this research was to investigate the role and mechanism of circRNA hsa_circ_0001093 (circ_0001093) in the glutamine metabolism and tumorigenesis of ESCC. Circ_0001093, microRNA-579-3p (miR-579-3p) and glutaminase (GLS) expressions in ESCC tissues and cell lines were measured by qRT-PCR, tissue array or Western blot. Cell proliferation, invasion and migration were assessed by CCK-8 or transwell assays. Glutamine consumption, glutamate and ATP production were detected by indicated assay kits. The relationships between circ_0001093 and miR-579-3p or GLS mRNA were investigated by bioinformatics analysis, RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Here, we found that circ_0001093 expression was up-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Increased circ_0001093 expression predicted an unfavourable prognosis, and was associated with the lymph node metastasis, TNM staging and tumor size in ESCC tissues. Circ_0001093 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, migration and glutamine metabolism of ESCC cells, while circ_0001093 over-expression showed the opposite effects. Mechanistically, circ_0001093 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-579-3p, thereby increasing GLS expression. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of circ_0001093 knockdown on the invasion, migration and glutamine metabolism were partly rescued by miR-579-3p inhibition or GLS over-expression in ESCC cells. Additionally, miR-579-3p expression was down-regulated in ESCC tissues, while GLS expression was up-regulated. In conclusion, this study first provides evidence that the circ_0001093/miR-579-3p/GLS regulatory network can affect glutamine metabolism and malignant phenotype of ESCC, which can further impact ESCC progression.

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OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of blade acupuncture combined with functional exercise for chronic pain after non-small cell lung cancer surgery. METHODS: A total of 62 patients with chronic pain after surgery for non-small cell lung cancer were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 31 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with functional exercise. On the base of the treatment in the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with blade acupuncture at the tendon nodes or painful points, once a week for 4 weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of pain before treatment and day 1, day 7, day 14, day 28 of treatment and day 90, day 180 when follow up were compared between the two groups; the brief pain inventory (BPI) scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The VAS score in the observation group at each time point after treatment was lower than that before treatment (P<0.01), and lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). Compared before treatment, the daily life score, emotion score, walking ability score, sleep score and life enjoyment score and total score of BPI in the observation group were reduced after treatment (P<0.05), and the daily life score, emotion score, sleep score and total score of BPI in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The blade acupuncture combined with functional exercise could effectively alleviate the chronic pain after non-small cell lung cancer surgery, improve the quality of life of patients, and the effect is lasting and stable.

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Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Folate has been demonstrated to be associated with ASD. However, current studies on the correlation between folate and symptoms of children with ASD have inconsistent conclusions, use mainly small samples, and lack age-stratified analysis. This study aimed to explore the association between serum folate and symptoms of autistic children at different age groups from a multi-center perspective. Methods: We enrolled 1,300 children with ASD and 1,246 typically developing (TD) children under 7 years old from 13 cities in China. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Childhood autism rating scale (CARS) were used to evaluate the symptoms of children with ASD. China neuropsychological and Behavior Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) scale was used to evaluate the neurodevelopment of children with ASD. Serum folate was measured by chemiluminescence assay in the two groups. Results: The serum folate levels of children with ASD were lower than that of TD children. In terms of core symptoms of ASD, we found that the serum folate levels were not associated with ABC, SRS, and CARS scores in ASD children of all ages but negatively associated with communication warning behavior scores of CNBS-R2016 in ASD children aged three and under. Concerning development quotients, it was at the age of three and under that serum folate levels were positively associated with gross motor, fine motor, language, and general quotient of ASD children. These ASD children aged three and under were further divided into two groups according to the median of serum folate (14.33 ng/mL); we found that compared to ASD children with folate ≤ 14.33 ng/mL, those with folate >14.33 ng/mL had lower communication warning behavior score and higher gross motor, fine motor, adaptive behavior, language, person-social, and general development quotients. Conclusion: We found that serum folate status was primarily associated with the neurodevelopment of children with ASD aged three and under. Furthermore, relatively higher serum folate levels may be more beneficial for children with ASD. Our results suggest that folate level should be paid more attention in ASD children, especially in early life, to better promote the intervention of ASD children.

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OBJECTIVE: To study the association of serum levels of trace elements with core symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: From September 2018 to September 2019, an investigation was performed for 1 020 children with ASD and 1 038 healthy children matched for age and sex in the outpatient service of grade A tertiary hospitals and special education institutions in 13 cities of China. Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were used to assess the core symptoms of the children with ASD. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure serum levels of trace elements magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. RESULTS: The children with ASD had significantly lower serum levels of magnesium, copper, and zinc than the healthy children (P < 0.05). The children with severe ASD had significantly lower serum levels of magnesium and zinc than those with mild-to-moderate ASD (P < 0.05). The results of partial correlation analysis showed that serum magnesium level was negatively correlated with the total score of ABC and the score of communication (r=-0.318 and -0.282 respectively; P 0.001), and serum zinc level was negatively correlated with the total score of ABC and the scores of communication and somatic movement (r=-0.221, -0.270, and -0.207 respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The serum levels of magnesium and zinc may be associated with core symptoms in children with ASD, which requires further studies. The nutritional status of trace elements should be monitored for children with ASD in clinical practice.

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BACKGROUND: LncRNA dysregulation is implicated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) progression; However, the precise role and function of lncRNA MAFG-AS1 in ESCC remains unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expressions of MAFG-AS1, miR-765, PDX1, GLUT1 and LDH-A were detected via qRT-PCR or/and Western blot in ESCC tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, transwell and glycolysis assays were used to investigate the effects of MAFG-AS1 on ESCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and aerobic glycolysis after knockdown or overexpression of MAFG-AS1, and bioinformatics analyses, RNA pull-down and dual luciferase reporter systems were applied to investigate the interaction between MAFG-AS1, miR-765 and PDX1. RESULTS: MAFG-AS1 was significantly up-modulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. MAFG-AS1 significantly accelerated ESCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and aerobic glycolysis. MAFG-AS1 competitively adsorbed miR-765, while miR-765 negatively modulated the expression of PDX1. miR-765 and PDX1 participated in the promotive effects of MAFG-AS1 on cell migration, invasion and aerobic glycolysis in ESCC cells. CONCLUSION: Our research indicates that the MAFG-AS1/miR-765/PDX1 axis accelerates ESCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and aerobic glycolysis.

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The current study observed the percentage of peripheral blood (PB) CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and the influence of CD4+CD25+ Tregs on the proliferation of naïve CD4 T cells in patients with hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, preliminary discussions are presented on the action mechanism of CD4+CD25+ Tregs on hyperthyroidism attacks. The present study identified that compared with the percentage of PB CD4+CD25+ Tregs in healthy control subjects, no significant changes were observed in the percentage of PB CD4+CD25+ Tregs in patients with hyperthyroidism (P>0.05). For patients with hyperthyroidism, CD4+CD25+ Tregs exhibited significantly reduced inhibition of the proliferation of naïve CD4 T cells and decreased secretion capacity on the cytokines of CD4 T cells, compared with those of healthy control subjects (P<0.05). In addition, it was demonstrated that thyroid function of patients with hyperthyroidism was significantly improved (P<0.05) subsequent to receiving medication. Compared with the percentage of PB CD4+CD25+ Tregs in patients with hyperthyroidism before treatment, no significant changes were observed in the percentage of PB CD4+CD25+ Tregs in hyperthyroidism patients following treatment (P>0.05). In the patients with hyperthyroidism, following treatment, CD4+CD25+ Tregs exhibited significantly increased inhibition of the proliferation of naïve CD4 T cells and increased secretion capacity of CD4 T cell cytokines, compared with those of the patients with hyperthyroidism prior to treatment (P<0.05). PB CD4+CD25+ Tregs function was decreased in patients with hyperthyroidism, and its non­proportional decrease may be closely associated with the occurrence and progression of hyperthyroidism.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expressions of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and their associations with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. METHODS: The expressions of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 proteins were examined with immunohistochemistry in 160 LSCC tissues and 80 normal lung tissues. RESULTS: The positivity rates of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 proteins were 59.4% and 11.3% in LSCC tissues, respectively, which were significantly higher than the rates in normal lung tissues (57.5% and 8.8%, respectively; P<0.05). The expressions of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 proteins were significantly correlated with the tumor grades, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stages (all P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between vasohibin-1 expression and MACC1 expressions (P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that LSCC patients with a positive expression of vasohibin-1 had significantly shorter overall survival time than those negative for vasohibin-1; the overall survival time was also significantly shorter in patients positive for MACC1 than in those negative for MACC1 (both P<0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis indicated that positive expressions of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 protein and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors of LSCC. CONCLUSION: Aberrant expressions of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 may participate in the development and promote invasion and metastasis of LSCC. The combined detection of vasohibin-1 and MACC1 expression may provide important evidence for predicting the progression and prognosis of LSCC.

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The aim of the present study was to conduct preliminary clinical screening and monitoring using a novel two-step derivatization process of urine in five categories of inherited metabolic disease (IMD). Urine samples (100 µl, containing 2.5 mmol/l creatinine) were taken from patients with IMDs. The collected urine was then treated using a two-step derivatization method (with oximation and silylation at room temperature), where urea and protein were removed. In the first step of the derivatization, α-ketoacids and α-aldehyde acids were prepared by oximation using novel oximation reagents. The second-step of the derivatization was that residues were silylated for analysis. Urine samples were examined using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and a retention time-locking technique. The simultaneous analysis and identification of >400 metabolites in >130 types of IMD was possible from the GC/MS results, where the IMDs included phenylketonuria, ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis caused by citrin deficiency, ß-ureidopropionase deficiency and mitochondrial metabolic disorders. This method was demonstrated to have good repeatability. Considering α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) as an example, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the α-KG retention time and peak area were 0.8 and 3.9%, respectively, the blank spiked recovery rate was between 89.6 and 99.8%, and the RSD was ≤7.5% (n=5). The method facilitates the analysis of thermally non-stable and semi-volatile metabolites in urine, and greatly expands the range of materials that can be synchronously screened by GC/MS. Furthermore, it provides a comprehensive, effective and reliable biochemical analysis platform for the pathological research of IMDs.

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Four studies investigated ideal standards for one's marital partner and relationship held by Taiwan Chinese and European Americans. We first generated a list of attributes that tapped lay representations of marriage ideals based on free responses from Chinese and European Americans, and we uncovered attributes describing extended family that were overlooked in Western research (Study 1). We found similar ideal knowledge structures across the two cultural groups; importantly, Chinese prioritized ideals denoting financial resources and extended family to a greater extent than did European Americans (Study 2). These cultural differences were explained by interdependent self-construal (Study 3). Finally, the agreement between ideals and perceptions of current partner/relationship was related to positive relationship outcomes in both cultural groups (Study 4). Our research highlights both cultural similarities and differences in the content, structure, endorsement, and evaluative functions of ideals in Chinese and Western cultural contexts.

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