The Role of Postoperative Radiotherapy on Stage N2 Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background and objective The clinical value of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in stage N2 nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversy. The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy of PORT in subgroup of stage N2 NSCLC, which can help clinicians to choose proper patients for PORT. Methods Clinical data of 359 patients with stage N2 NSCLC treated with radical surgery between Mar. 2000 and Jul. 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Two hundred and seven patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and one hundred and four patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. First, the group of patients were analyzed to evaluate the factors affecting the overall survival. The all patients were divided based on tumor size and the number of lymph node metastasis station (single station or multiple station) so as to evaluate the role of PORT. The endpoint was overall survival (OS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS). Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the OS, LRFS and Log-rank was used to compare the difference in OS and LRFS between different groups. Results The median duration of follow-up was 2.3 years. 224 patients died. The median survival was 1.5 years and 1, 3, 5-year survival were 78%, 38% and 26%. Univariate analysis showed tumor size, the number of lymph node metastasis station and PORT were correlated with OS. Among patients, 5-year survival rates in PORT and non-PORT were 29% and 24% (P=0.047) respectively. In subgroups, PORT was related with high survival in patients with multiple station N2 compared to non-PORT: 36% vs 20% (P=0.013) and 33% vs 15% (P=0.002) in patients in patients with tumor size > 3 cm. Also, it was related with low local recurrence compared to non-PORT: 65% vs 48% (P=0.006) and 62% vs 48% (P=0.033). Conclusion PORT can improve overall survival for N2 NSCLC, especially the patients with the factors as follows: tumor size > 3 cm and multiple station N2 can benefit from PORT more or less

Paleoclimate evolution of the North Pacific Ocean during the late Quaternary: Progress and challenges

High- and low-latitude climatic processes in the North Pacific Ocean are important components of the global climate system. For example, the interplay among North Pacific atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation, and biological productivity affects atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and marine oxygen concentrations. Here we review recent research on the North Pacific paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic evolution during the late Quaternary and its response to external forcings such as orbital insolation, ice-sheet extent, and greenhouse gas concentrations. First, we summarize the principles and application of relative paleointensity as a critical chronological tool in North Pacific paleoclimate research. Second, we illustrate the latest discoveries on the interaction between North Pacific Intermediate Water formation and high-to-low latitude teleconnection processes. Third, recent progress in linking dust fluxes and marine productivity and their global significance for the carbon cycle are presented. Finally, several key scientific problems are highlighted for future research on ocean-atmosphere-climate interactions in the North Pacific, pointing to the importance of combining paleo-records and modeling simulations. Overall, this review also aims to provide a broad insight into possible future changes of ocean-atmosphere circulation in the North Pacific region under a rapidly warming climate

Analysis of genetic and chemical variability of five Curcuma species based on DNA barcoding and HPLC fingerprints

The rhizomes of Curcuma species have a long medicinal history in Asia. In China, Curcuma species mainly be utilized to make pharmaceutical products, including C. phaecocaulis, C. aromatica, C. wenyujin, C. kwangsiensis and C. longa. In this study, twenty-four samples were selected to study the genetic and chemical variability among five Curcuma species. The ITS2 and trnK intron gene fragment were used to identify the five Curcuma species, the differences in chemical composition were computed using the Euclidean distance based on the data of HPLC characteristic peak areas and the content of six key components, and agronomic characteristics were analyzed including morphological and volatile oil characteristics. The ITS2 and trnK intron gene fragment could distinguish the five Curcuma species clearly. The genetic distance between Curcuma species ranged from 0.0085 to 0.0767 based on the data of ITS2 gene sequences with 32 variation sites, and the genetic distance between Curcuma species ranged from 0.0003 to 0.0194 based on the data of trnK intron gene sequences with 39 variation sites. Five Curcuma species showed otherness chemical composition characteristics, with the Euclidean distance ranging from 3.373 to 6.998. The C. longa showed the biggest variation compared with other species, with the Euclidean distance above 6.239. Among the samples of the original plants of Ezhu, the volatile oil yield of W1 was the highest, reached to 105.75 mL per single plant. Among all the samples, J6 showed the highest yield of volatile oil, reached to 149.42 mL per single plant. The results showed that chemical composition similarity of the medicinal plants was the primary proof for the selection of the original plants of the Curcuma medicinal materials. The genetic distance and chemical variability were important references for discovering new medicinal plant resources

Dramatic Improvement of Proteomic Analysis of Zebrafish Liver Tumor by Effective Protein Extraction with Sodium Deoxycholate and Heat Denaturation

Majority of the proteomic studies on tissue samples involve the use of gel-based approach for profiling and digestion. The laborious gel-based approach is slowly being replaced by the advancing in-solution digestion approach. However, there are still several difficulties such as difficult-to-solubilize proteins, poor proteomic analysis in complex tissue samples, and the presence of sample impurities. Henceforth, there is a great demand to formulate a highly efficient protein extraction buffer with high protein extraction efficiency from tissue samples, high compatibility with in-solution digestion, reduced number of sample handling steps to reduce sample loss, low time consumption, low cost, and ease of usage. Here, we evaluated various existing protein extraction buffers with zebrafish liver tumor samples and found that sodium deoxycholate- (DOC-) based extraction buffer with heat denaturation was the most effective approach for highly efficient extraction of proteins from complex tissues such as the zebrafish liver tumor. A total of 4,790 proteins have been identified using shotgun proteomics approach with 2D LC, which to our knowledge is the most comprehensive study for zebrafish liver tumor proteome

Interactions between depositional regime and climate proxies in the northern South China Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum

Sedimentary deposits from the northern South China Sea (SCS) can provide important constraints on past changes in ocean currents and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in this region. However, the interpretation of such records spanning the last deglaciation is complicated because sea-level change may also have influenced the depositional processes and patterns. Here, we present new records of grain size, clay mineralogy, and magnetic mineralogy spanning the past 24 kyr from both shallow and deep-water sediment cores in the northern SCS. Our multi-proxy comparison among multiple cores helps constrain the influence of sea-level change, providing confidence in interpreting the regional climate-forced signals. After accounting for the influence of sea-level change, we find that these multi-proxy records reflect a combination of changes in (a) the strength of the North Pacific Intermediate Water inflow, (b) the EASM strength, and (c) the Kuroshio Current extent. Overall, this study provides new insights into the roles of varying terrestrial weathering and oceanographic processes in controlling the depositional record on the northern SCS margin in response to climate and sea-level fluctuations

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of a bulbous flowering plant, Allium triquetrum Linnaeus, 1753 (Amaryllidaceae)

Allium triquetrum (Linnaeus, 1753) is a bulbous flowering plant of the genus Allium (Amaryllidaceae), native to the Mediterranean basin, and is now widespread and invasive in different parts of the world via ornamental horticultural trade. However, to date, the genomic study of A. triquetrum has lagged, which impedes the development of appropriate utilization and management practices for this species. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of A. triquetrum. The chloroplast genome size of A. triquetrum was 153,298 bp, consisting of a pair of inverted repeat regions (26,547 bp), separated by a large single-copy (82,875 bp) region and a small single-copy (17,329 bp) region. Genome annotation predicted 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 60 whole chloroplast genome sequences of Allium species suggested that A. triquetrum and A. moly are sister to each other along with the clade of A. fasciculatum, A. hookeri, and A. macranthum