Effect of Central Antileptin Antibody on the Onset of Female Rat Puberty

The effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) antileptin antibody on the onset of puberty in the female rat and the relationship between serum leptin, luteinizing hormone (LH), and body weight were investigated. Antileptin antibody (group A) was infused ICV from days 23–36 in prepubertal female rats whereas the control (group B) received ICV goat immunoglobulin G (IgG). In the antileptin group, mean day of vaginal opening (VO) was postponed (day 34 versus day 30, P < .01 ). Body weight trended higher after 30 days in the antileptin group but not significantly. However, there was no difference in serum leptin and LH between the two groups on the day of VO. Serum leptin was relatively constant from day 23 through day 31 and did not correlate with LH (r = 0.14, P = .10). These studies demonstrate that central leptin promotes the onset of female rat puberty as evidenced by VO. Finally, central leptin impacts female rat pubertal onset in distinction from serum leptin and body weight

Machine Learning Assisted Synthesis of Metal-Organic Nanocapsules

Herein, we report the successful discovery of a new hierarchical structure of metal-organic nanocapsules (MONCs) by integrating chemical intuition and machine learning algorithms. By training datasets from a set of both succeeded and failed experiments, we studied the crystallization propensity of metal-organic nanocapsules (MONCs). Among four machine learning models, XGB model affords the highest prediction accuracy of 91%. The derived chemical feature scores and chemical hypothesis from the XGB model assist to identify proper synthesis parameters showing superior performance to a well-trained chemist. This paper will shed light on the discovery of new crystalline inorganic-organic hybrid materials guided by machine learning algorithms.</p

Detrital zircon ages reveal Yangtze provenance since the early Oligocene in the East China Sea Shelf Basin

The origin and evolution of the Yangtze River drainage system play a crucial role in the palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of East Asia. The source-to-sink history of this major Chinese river provides information on the initiation of a topographic gradient in East Asia driven by far-field and near-field effects of plate tectonics and elucidates the subsidence and depositional history of the depocenter in the East China Sea Shelf Basin (ECSSB). Unraveling age constraints on Yangtze provenance, however, remains a big challenge. Here, we review U[sbnd]Pb ages of detrital zircon grains from the Oligocene-Miocene successions of the north ECSSB and perform several statistical tests to quantify mixing proportions of different potential source areas that reveal similar age patterns as the modern Yangtze River. We conclude that the initiation of a modern-type Yangtze drainage was established before ~34 Ma, and confirm that in the Oligocene an eastward drainage system was in place from the Yangtze Craton to the ECSSB where huge depositional systems developed on the Chinese continental margin. Monte Carlo models imply that the Oligocene and Miocene sediments of the north ECSSB were mainly supplied by the Yangtze River and the North China Craton - South Korean rivers, and that during the Miocene (< 23 Ma) the Yangtze drainage system extended further southward, reaching the marginal basins of modern Taiwan

Detrital zircon ages reveal Yangtze provenance since the early Oligocene in the East China Sea Shelf Basin

The origin and evolution of the Yangtze River drainage system play a crucial role in the palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of East Asia. The source-to-sink history of this major Chinese river provides information on the initiation of a topographic gradient in East Asia driven by far-field and near-field effects of plate tectonics and elucidates the subsidence and depositional history of the depocenter in the East China Sea Shelf Basin (ECSSB). Unraveling age constraints on Yangtze provenance, however, remains a big challenge. Here, we review U[sbnd]Pb ages of detrital zircon grains from the Oligocene-Miocene successions of the north ECSSB and perform several statistical tests to quantify mixing proportions of different potential source areas that reveal similar age patterns as the modern Yangtze River. We conclude that the initiation of a modern-type Yangtze drainage was established before ~34 Ma, and confirm that in the Oligocene an eastward drainage system was in place from the Yangtze Craton to the ECSSB where huge depositional systems developed on the Chinese continental margin. Monte Carlo models imply that the Oligocene and Miocene sediments of the north ECSSB were mainly supplied by the Yangtze River and the North China Craton - South Korean rivers, and that during the Miocene (< 23 Ma) the Yangtze drainage system extended further southward, reaching the marginal basins of modern Taiwan

Source to sink transport in the Oligocene Huagang Formation of the Xihu Depression, East China Sea Shelf Basin

The Huagang Formation is the most important hydrocarbon reservoir in the Xihu Depression of the East China Sea Shelf Basin. Reconstructing the provenance and transport pathways of its main sand bodies is of great significance to oil and gas exploration. Previous provenance studies were mainly based on heavy mineral analyses and showed multiple source areas, but so far quantitative estimates on provenance are lacking. Detrital zircon U–Pb dating combined with heavy mineral analysis is an effective tool to quantitatively investigate sediment provenance. In this paper, we use the LA-ICP-MS method for U-Pb dating of detrital zircons of 18 samples from 13 drill cores in the Xihu Depression to determine the sediment provenance of the Oligocene Huagang sandstones. The U-Pb zircon dating results show three different age groups, in which Precambrian ages dominate (∼60%), and Paleozoic and Mesozoic ages each account for ∼20%. The Precambrian zircons are mainly derived from the Hupijiao uplift, which indicates a dominant and long-distance north to south transport direction. The provenance of the Paleozoic zircons is mainly from the Diaoyu Islands Folded-Uplift Belt in the east, while the Haijiao and Yushan uplifts in the west are the main source region for the Mesozoic zircons. The northern provenance transport pathway is dominated by axial channels. Incised valleys are observed in the western source and a transfer zone dominates the eastern provenance. The integration of all data results in a new schematic model of source to sink transport in the Huagang sandstones, demonstrating the complexity of multiple source rocks and sediment transport pathways in the Oligocene Xihu Depression

Source to sink transport in the Oligocene Huagang Formation of the Xihu Depression, East China Sea Shelf Basin

The Huagang Formation is the most important hydrocarbon reservoir in the Xihu Depression of the East China Sea Shelf Basin. Reconstructing the provenance and transport pathways of its main sand bodies is of great significance to oil and gas exploration. Previous provenance studies were mainly based on heavy mineral analyses and showed multiple source areas, but so far quantitative estimates on provenance are lacking. Detrital zircon U–Pb dating combined with heavy mineral analysis is an effective tool to quantitatively investigate sediment provenance. In this paper, we use the LA-ICP-MS method for U-Pb dating of detrital zircons of 18 samples from 13 drill cores in the Xihu Depression to determine the sediment provenance of the Oligocene Huagang sandstones. The U-Pb zircon dating results show three different age groups, in which Precambrian ages dominate (∼60%), and Paleozoic and Mesozoic ages each account for ∼20%. The Precambrian zircons are mainly derived from the Hupijiao uplift, which indicates a dominant and long-distance north to south transport direction. The provenance of the Paleozoic zircons is mainly from the Diaoyu Islands Folded-Uplift Belt in the east, while the Haijiao and Yushan uplifts in the west are the main source region for the Mesozoic zircons. The northern provenance transport pathway is dominated by axial channels. Incised valleys are observed in the western source and a transfer zone dominates the eastern provenance. The integration of all data results in a new schematic model of source to sink transport in the Huagang sandstones, demonstrating the complexity of multiple source rocks and sediment transport pathways in the Oligocene Xihu Depression

Role of postoperative radiotherapy in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a propensity score-matched analysis

Abstract Objective This study aimed to evaluate the role of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) and identify the prognostic factors influencing the disease-free survival (DFS). Methods A total of 184 patients with DFSP were analyzed from 2000 to 2016. The regression model was used to examine the prognostic factors for DFS. Baseline covariates were balanced using a propensity score model. The role of RT was assessed by comparing the DFS of the surgery + RT group with that of the surgery group. Results The median follow-up was 58 months (range, 6–203 months). The 5-year DFS rate was 89.8%. The univariate analysis showed that age ≥ 50 years, presence of fibrosarcoma, margins < 2 cm, and tumor size ≥5 cm were associated with worse DFS (P = 0.002, P <  0.001, P = 0.030, and P = 0.032, respectively). The multivariate Cox regression model revealed that age, margin width, lesion number, and histological subtype independently affected DFS. The Ki-67 expression was related to age and histological subtype. Patients with Ki-67 ≥ 17% showed a worse DFS than those with Ki-67 < 17% (35.8% vs 87.8%, P = 0.002). In the matched cohort, DFS was significantly higher in the S + RT group than in the S group (5-year DFS, 88.1% vs 56.2%, P = 0.044). Conclusions Age, margin width, lesion number, and histological subtype were independent risk factors for DFS in patients with DFSP. The high expression of Ki-67 could predict a poor prognosis. Postoperative RT could improve DFS for patients with DFSP