'To Serve Revenge for the Dead': Chinese Communist Reflections of the War of Resistance in the PRC Foreign Ministry Archive, 1949-1956

Using newly available documents from the PRC Foreign Ministry Archive, this article traces the evolving legacies of the War of Resistance in the first seven years of the People's Republic. Analysis is offered of PRC campaigns against Japanese bacteriological war crimes, criticisms of American dealings with Japanese war criminals, and the 1956 trial of Japanese at Shenyang. Throughout, behind-the-scenes tensions with the Soviet Union and internal bureaucratic struggles over the Japanese legacy regarding these matters are revealed. The article thereby aims to shed light on how the War of Resistance affected post-war China's foreign relations, demonstrating how the young Republic advantageously used wartime legacies as diplomatic tools in relations with the superpowers and within the orchestrated clangour of domestic propaganda campaigns

Satellite protection and drag reduction using a purging gas flow

We have used the DSMC method to determine contamination (impingement of atmospheric molecules) and the aerodynamic forces on a cold satellite when a protective “purge gas” is ejected from a sting protruding ahead of the satellite. Forward ejection of the purge gas provides the greatest protection for a given mass of purge gas and the aerodynamic drag can be significantly reduced, thus compensating for the backward reaction from the forward ejection. If the purge gas is ejected backward from the sting (towards the satellite) the ejection provides thrust and the net retarding force can be reduced to zero. Contamination can be reduced and the mass of purging gas is less than the mass of conventional rocket propellant required to maintain the orbit of an unprotected satellite

Coastal Planning After Katrina: Experiences on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

The large amounts of money currently being made available to the affected area and the leveling of large tracts of land by the storm provide an unusual opportunity to reassess how humans interact with their coastal areas. This opportunity will not persist indefinitely, however, and absence of a clear vision may result, by default, in a response in which structural upgrades are largely voluntary and little else changes

Safety in Numbers: A strategy for cycling?

Jennifer Bonham, Stuart Cathcart, John Petkov and Peter Lum

Examination of thromboxane synthase as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Thromboxane synthase (TXS) metabolises prostaglandin H2 into thromboxanes, which are biologically active on cancer cells. TXS over-expression has been reported in a range of cancers, and associated with a poor prognosis. TXS inhibition induces cell death in-vitro, providing a rationale for therapeutic intervention. We aimed to determine the expression profile of TXS in NSCLC and if it is prognostic and/or a survival factor in the disease. Methods: TXS expression was examined in human NSCLC and matched controls by western analysis and IHC. TXS metabolite (TXB 2) levels were measured by EIA. A 204-patient NSCLC TMA was stained for COX-2 and downstream TXS expression. TXS tissue expression was correlated with clinical parameters, including overall survival. Cell proliferation/survival and invasion was examined in NSCLC cells following both selective TXS inhibition and stable TXS over-expression. Results: TXS was over-expressed in human NSCLC samples, relative to matched normal controls. TXS and TXB 2levels were increased in protein (p < 0.05) and plasma (p < 0.01) NSCLC samples respectively. TXS tissue expression was higher in adenocarcinoma (p < 0.001) and female patients (p < 0.05). No significant correlation with patient survival was observed. Selective TXS inhibition significantly reduced tumour cell growth and increased apoptosis, while TXS over-expression stimulated cell proliferation and invasiveness, and was protective against apoptosis. Conclusion: TXS is over-expressed in NSCLC, particularly in the adenocarcinoma subtype. Inhibition of this enzyme inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis. Targeting thromboxane synthase alone, or in combination with conventional chemotherapy is a potential therapeutic strategy for NSCLC. © 2011 Cathcart et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Organisation of Prostate Cancer Services in the English National Health Service.

AIMS: The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) started in April 2013 with the aim of assessing the process of care and its outcomes in men diagnosed with prostate cancer in England and Wales. One of the key aims of the audit was to assess the configuration and availability of specialist prostate cancer services in England. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2014, the NPCA undertook an organisational survey of all 143 acute National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and 48 specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT) hubs cross England. Questionnaires established the availability and location of core diagnostic, treatment and patient-centred support services for the management of non-metastatic prostate cancer in addition to specific diagnostic and treatment procedures that reflect the continuing evolution of prostate cancer management, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and stereotactic body radiotherapy. RESULTS: The survey received a 100% response rate. The results showed considerable geographical variation with respect to the availability of core treatment modalities, the size of the target population and catchment areas served by specialist MDT hubs, as well as in the uptake of additional procedures and services. Specifically there are gaps in the availability of core radiotherapy procedures; high dose rate and low dose rate brachytherapy are available in 44% and 75% of specialist MDTs, respectively. By comparison, there seems to be a relative 'over-penetration' of surgical innovation, with 67% of specialist MDTs providing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy and 21% HIFU. There is also evidence of increased centralisation of core surgical procedures and regional inequity in the availability of surgical innovation across England. CONCLUSIONS: The organisational survey of the NPCA has provided a comprehensive assessment of the structure and function of specialist MDTs in England and the availability of prostate cancer procedures and services. As part of the prospective audit, the NPCA will assess the effect of the availability of prostate cancer services on access regionally and subsequent outcomes of care according to evidence-based guidelines

Regulation of Monoamine Oxidase A (MAO-A) Expression, Activity, and Function in IL-13–Stimulated Monocytes and A549 Lung Carcinoma Cells

Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) is a mitochondrial flavoen-zyme implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and inflammation and also in many neurological disorders. MAO-A also has been reported as a potential therapeutic target in prostate cancer. However, the regulatory mechanisms controlling cytokine-induced MAO-A expression in immune or cancer cells remain to be identified. Here, we show that MAO-A expression is co-induced with 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) in interleukin 13 (IL-13)-activated primary human monocytes and A549 nonsmall cell lung carcinoma cells. We present evidence that MAO-A gene expression and activity are regulated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 1, 3, and 6 (STAT1, STAT3, and STAT6), early growth response 1 (EGR1), and cAMP-responsive element– binding protein (CREB), the same transcription factors that control IL-13– dependent 15-LO expression. We further established that in both primary monocytes and in A549 cells, IL-13–stimulated MAO-A expression, activity, and function are directly governed by 15-LO. In contrast, IL-13– driven expression and activity of MAO-A was 15-LO–independent in U937 promonocytic cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the 15-LO– dependent transcriptional regulation of MAO-A in response to IL-13 stimulation in monocytes and in A549 cells is mediated by peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor (PPAR) and that signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) plays a crucial role in facilitating the transcriptional activity of PPAR. We further report that the IL-13–STAT6 – 15-LO–PPAR axis is critical for MAO-A expression, activity, and function, including migration and reactive oxygen species generation. Altogether, these results have major implications for the resolution of inflammation and indicat