Prognostic impact of serum albumin levels on the recurrence of stage I non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: Patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer who have undergone complete surgical resection harbor a 30% risk for tumor recurrence. Thus, the identification of factors that are predictive for tumor recurrence is urgently needed. The aim of this study was to test the prognostic value of serum albumin levels on tumor recurrence in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent complete surgical resection of the primary tumor at Zhejiang Hospital were analyzed in this study. Serum albumin levels were measured before surgery and once again after surgery in 101 histologically diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer patients. Correlations between the pre- and post-operative serum albumin levels and various clinical demographics and recurrence-free survival rates were analyzed. Results: Patients with pre-operative hypoalbuminemia

Optical limiting using Laguerre-Gaussian beams

We demonstrate optical limiting using the self-lensing effect of a higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian beam in a thin dye-doped polymer sample, which we find is consistent with our model using Gaussian decomposition. The peak phase shift in the sample required for limiting is smaller than for a fundamental Gaussian beam with the added flexibility that the nonlinear medium can be placed either in front of or behind the beam focus.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure

Control of Cascaded Multilevel Inverters

A new type of multilevel inverter is introduced which is created by cascading two three-phase three-level inverters using the load connection, but requires only one dc voltage source. This new inverter can operate as a seven-level inverter and naturally splits the power conversion into a higher-voltage lower-frequency inverter and a lower-voltage higher-frequency inverter. This type of system presents particular advantages to Naval ship propulsion systems which rely on high power quality, survivable drives. New control methods are described involving both joint and separate control of the individual three-level inverters. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of both controls. A laboratory set-up at the Naval Surface Warfare Center power electronics laboratory was used to validate the proposed joint-inverter control. Due to the effect of compounding levels in the cascaded inverter, a high number of levels are available resulting in a voltage THD of 9% (without filtering)

Influencing factors on efficacy of summer acupoint application treatment for allergic rhinitis: a retrospective study

AbstractObjectiveAllergic rhinitis (AR) is a common health problem. Summer acupoint application treatment (SAAT) is reported to effectively treat and prevent AR from seasonal onset. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate its effects, especially on the course of AR, through a retrospective study.MethodA cross-sectional multicenter study was performed based on patients treated between 2008 and 2009 in 13 clinical centers in China. A total of 1058 outpatients aged ≥2 years with documented AR and ≥1 year SAAT were eligible for enrollment. A case report form (CRF) was completed by both patient and doctor. The CRF was designed to collect data on the patient's history of SAAT, AR condition, and self-reported health condition. The outcomes (dependent variables) were incidence and intensity of AR and concomitant medications used. Data were analyzed with ordinal logistic regression (OLR).ResultsTreatment course and seasonal pattern of AR were related to all dependent variables positively. After controlling for sample bias and confounding factors, the findings suggested that a 3-year treatment course had better efficacy (OR/incidence of AR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.76–3.76; OR/intensity of AR: 2.17, 95%CI: 1.50–3.17; OR/concomitant medications: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.50–3.23) compared with a 2-year or less treatment course.ConclusionThe results showed that: 1) the length of treatment course was positively associated with the efficacy of SAAT (the longer the treatment course, the better the efficacy); and 2) SAAT was more efficacious in treating seasonal AR than non-seasonal AR

(1E,4E)-1-(Thio­phen-2-yl)-5-(2,6,6-trimethyl­cyclo­hex-1-en-1-yl)penta-1,4-dien-3-one

In the title curcumin–ionone derivative, C18H22OS, the dihedral angle between the thia­zole ring and the mean plane through the cyclo­hexene ring is 5.16 (10)°. The mol­ecule has an E conformation for each of the olefinic bonds

Different treatments and therapeutic evaluation of neovascular glaucoma

Neovascular glaucoma(NVG)is a kind of glaucoma secondary to other ocular or systemic diseases, which has characteristics such as uncontrollable intraocular pressure, sharp decline in vision, and eye pain. There are many researches on neovascular glaucoma at home and abroad about different treatments and new methods are being explored, but the surgery is the ultimate treatment at present. The way of combining anti- vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)drugs and surgical methods is a hot topic in recent years. This article will review the different treatments and efficacy evaluations described in the article about NVG