Hydrological processes in most semiarid regions on Earth have been changing under the impacts of climate change, human activities, or combinations of the two. This paper first presents a trend ...analysis of the spatiotemporal changes in water resources and then diagnoses their underlying atmospheric and socioeconomic causes over 10 catchments in the Laoha basin, a typical semiarid zone of northeast China. The impacts of climate variability and human activities on streamflow change were quantitatively evaluated by the VIC (Variable Infiltration Capacity) model. First, results indicate that six out of the 10 studied catchments have statistically significant downward trends in annual streamflow; however, there is no significant change of annual precipitation for all catchments. Two abrupt changes of annual streamflow at 1979 and 1998 are identified for the four largest catchments. Second, the Laoha basin generally experienced three evident dry–wet pattern switches during the past 50 years. Furthermore, this basin is currently suffering from unprecedented water shortages. Large-scale climate variability has affected the local natural hydrologic system. Third, quantitative evaluation shows human activities were the main driving factors for the streamflow reduction with contributions of approximately 90% for the whole basin. A significant increase in irrigated area, which inevitably resulted in tremendous agricultural water consumption, is the foremost culprit contributing to the dramatic runoff reduction, especially at midstream and downstreamof the Laoha basin. This study is expected to enable policymakers and stakeholders to make well-informed, short-term practice decisions and better plan long-term water resource and ecoenvironment management strategies.
To evaluate the effects of the Syk mRNA expression in human breast cancer on tumor growth and metastasis, and to study the correlation of expression of the Syk gene with ER, PR, p53 and HER2/neu.
...Specimens from 40 breast cancer patients (tumor tissues, adjacent normal tissues), 15 fibroadenoma were detected for their expression of the Syk gene and level of Syk mRNA by semi-RT-PCR technique. Meanwhile, ER, PR, p53, HER2/neu were detected in 40 tumor tissues from breast cancer with immunohistochemical staining.
All normal breast tissues were detected the expression of the Syk gene. Unlike normal breast tissue, 31 out of 40 breast cancer tissue did not show any detectable Syk mRNA expression, there were significant difference in two groups (chi(2) = 47.4, P < 0.05). The level of Syk mRNA in the primary breast cancer tissues were significantly lower than that in the adjacent non-cancerous breast tissues (t = 3.41, P < 0.05). Furthermore, only one breast cancer tissue in 18 patients with lymph node metastasis had
The East Asian very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) Network (EAVN) is a rapidly evolving international VLBI array that is currently promoted under joint efforts among China, Japan, and Korea. ...EAVN aims at forming a joint VLBI Network by combining a large number of radio telescopes distributed over East Asian regions. After the combination of the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) into KaVA, further expansion with the joint array in East Asia is actively promoted. Here we report the first imaging results (at 22 and 43 GHz) of bright radio sources obtained with KaVA connected to Tianma 65-m and Nanshan 26-m Radio Telescopes in China. To test the EAVN imaging performance for different sources, we observed four active galactic nuclei (AGN) having different brightness and morphology. As a result, we confirmed that Tianma 65-m Radio Telescope (TMRT) significantly enhances the overall array sensitivity, a factor of 4 improvement in baseline sensitivity and 2 in image dynamic range compared to the case of KaVA only. The addition of Nanshan 26-m Radio Telescope (NSRT) further doubled the east-west angular resolution. With the resulting high-dynamic-range, high-resolution images with EAVN (KaVA+TMRT+NSRT), various fine-scale structures in our targets, such as the counter-jet in M87, a kink-like morphology of the 3C273 jet and the weak emission in other sources, are successfully detected. This demonstrates the powerful capability of EAVN to study AGN jets and to achieve other science goals in general. Ongoing expansion of EAVN will further enhance the angular resolution, detection sensitivity and frequency coverage of the network.
In 1999, Dieterich and Brandt6 proposed the concept of VM again; however, it was not accepted widely at the time. ...2001, Neuhauser et al7 proposed a diagnostic criteria for VM, which was more ...liberal than that in international classification of headache disorders (ICHD), and VM as a disease entity, was first defined. 17,18 After the release of VM diagnostic criteria in 2013, a prospective multicenter study in 2016 found that for the patients who first presented in neurologic clinics, the patients with VM and the patients with possible VM accounted for 10.3% and 2.5% of the patients with migraine headaches, respectively. Some female patients with migraine headaches may transform to VM during their menopausal period, which may relate to sexual hormones decline. For some of the female patients with VM, their migraine headache might become less severe or even disappear after menopause, with frequent vertigo attacks as the main manifestation. ...for middle-aged and older female with vertigo attacks, history of migraine should be carefully inquired.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative effects and interactions of combined soaking treatment using citric acid (CTA) and apple polyphenol (APP) at mild heating temperatures for the ...inactivation of the external and internal microflora (mesophilic aerobic bacteria, mesophilic anaerobic bacteria, and fungi) in Chinese Tuber indicum, as well as to analyze the microbiological and sensory changes under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)‐ and vacuum atmosphere packaging (VAC)‐packed Chinese T. indicum stored at 4 °C for up to 55 d. Chinese T. indicum was soaked with CTA and APP alone or in combination for 10, 20, and 30 min at 35, 45, and 55 °C. A disinfection method using CTA and APP (3% CTA + 3% APP for 20 min at 45 °C) was obtained. Under this set of combination, the experimental values of microbial counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, mesophilic anaerobic bacteria, and fungi were 2.31 ± 0.4 log CFU/g, <1.0 log CFU/g, and <1.0 log CFU/g, respectively. Through the analysis of sensory qualities and microbial populations for MAP‐ or VAC‐packed Chinese T. indicum, the shelf life of soaked truffles was prolonged to 45 or 40 d, respectively. The synergistic effect of CTA and APP may provide valuable insight into the reduction of microorganisms on fresh truffles.
Aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA⁃PDT) is a safe and effective physical therapy for acne vulgaris that is widely used in clinical practice. To further standardize the clinical ...application of ALA⁃PDT in the treatment of acne, we created this updated consensus based on the 2011 version of the consensus on ALA⁃PDT for the treatment of acne vulgaris. In this document, we summarize the mechanisms of action of ALA-PDT and provide practical standards for patient selection, treatment parameters, administration procedures, and management of adverse reactions. Our aim was to provide guidance and treatment regimens for using ALA-PDT for acne vulgaris in clinical practice.
To investigate the short-term and long-term efficacy and safety of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) for treatment of splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL).
A total of 18 continuous patients who were ...diagnosed with SMZL and underwent LS in our department from 2008 to 2012 were reviewed. The perioperative variables and long-term follow-up were evaluated. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of this procedure better, we also included 34 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent LS, 49 patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who underwent LS, and 20 patients with SMZL who underwent open splenectomy (OS). The results observed in the different groups were compared.
No differences were found in the sex and Child-Pugh class of the patients in SMZL-LS, SMZL-OS, ITP, and liver cirrhosis groups. The splenic length of the patients in the SMZL-LS group was similar to that in the SMZL-OS and liver cirrhosis groups but significantly longer than in the ITP group. The SMZL-LS group had a significantly longer operating time compared with the SMZL-OS, ITP, and liver cirrhosis groups, and the SMZL-LS group exhibited significantly less blood loss compared with the SMZL-OS group. No difference was found in the length of the postoperative hospital stay between the SMZL-LS, SMZL-OS, ITP, and liver cirrhosis-LS groups. After surgery, 6 (33.3%) SMZL-LS patients suffered slight complications. During mean follow-up periods of 13.6 and 12.8 mo, one patient from the SMZL-LS group and two from the SMZL-OS group died as a result of metastasis after surgery. None of the ITP and liver cirrhosis patients died.
LS should be considered a feasible and safe procedure for treatment of SMZL in an effort to improve the treatment options and survival of patients.
Background： The radiochemotherapy regimen concomitantly employing temozolomide （TMZ） chemotherapy and radiotherapy （RT） 4 weeks after surgery, followed by 6 cycles of TMZ is a common treatment for ...glioblastoma （GBM）. However, its median overall survival （OS） is only 14.6 months. This study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of early TMZ chemotherapy between surgery and chemoradiotherapy plus the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen. Methods： A randomized, parallel group, open-label study of 99 newly diagnosed GBM patients was conducted at 10 independent Chinese neurosurgical departments from June 2008 to June 2012. Patients were treated with concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen plus early postsurgical temozolomide （early TMZ group） or standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen （control group）. Overall response was assessed based on objective tumor assessments, administration ofcorticosteroid and neurological status test. Hematological, biochemical, laboratory, adverse event （AE）, and neurological condition were measured for 24 months of tbllow-up. The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was overall survival （OS）. The secondary endpoint was progression free survival （PFS）. Results： The median OS time in the early TMZ group was 17.6 months, compared with 13.2 months in the control group （log-rank test P 0.021 ）. In addition, the OS rate in the early TMZ group was higher at 6, 12, and 18 months than in the control group, respectively （P 〈 0.05）. The median PFS time was 8.7 months in the early TMZ group and 10.4 months in the control group （log-rank test P = 0.695）. AEs occurred in 29 （55.8%） and 31（73.8%） patients respectively in early and control groups, including nausea （15.4% vs. 33.3%）, vomiting （7.7% vs. 28.6%）, fever （7.7% vs. 11.9%）, and headache （3.8% vs. 23.8%）. Only 30.8% and 33.3% were drug-related, respectively. Conclusions： Addition of TMZ chemotherapy in the early break of the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen was well tolerated and significantly improved the OS of the GBM patients, compared with standard concomitant radiochemotherapy regimen. However, a larger randomized trial is warranted to verify these results.
PDF
