Lie symmetry and exact solution of (2+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients

The simple direct method is adopted to find Non-Auto-Backlund transformation for variable coefficient non-linear systems. The (2+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients is used as an example to elucidate the solution procedure, and its symmetry transformation and exact solutions are obtained

Analysis of influence factors of free cataract surgery in suburban district of one city in middle China

AIM:To investigate the reasons of the barriers to free cataract surgery in suburban area of one city in middle China. <p>METHODS: From 2008 to 2009, in Sight Rehabilitation Programme of Cataract in suburban district of one city in middle China, all visually significant cataract patients screened were questioned about why he/she did not accept free cataract surgery. The answers were recorded and analyzed. <p>RESULTS: Of 892 screened patients, only 387 patients(43.39%)wanted a free cataract surgery at first. At last 490 patients(54.93%)accepted free surgery. The main reasons for patients who did not accept free surgery include: be afraid of surgery and wanting other treatments(193, 21.64%), thinking the eyesight was enough for daily life(148, 16.59%), worrying about that the result would not be good as those paid for surgery(147, 16.48%), and other reasons(17, 1.91%).<p>CONCLUSION: The reasons of the barriers to free cataract surgery include patients' ignorance, surgery outcome of patients around, and working mode of designated surgical hospital

Microchamber Cultures of Bladder Cancer: A Platform for Characterizing Drug Responsiveness and Resistance in PDX and Primary Cancer Cells.

Precision cancer medicine seeks to target the underlying genetic alterations of cancer; however, it has been challenging to use genetic profiles of individual patients in identifying the most appropriate anti-cancer drugs. This spurred the development of patient avatars; for example, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) established in mice and used for drug exposure studies. However, PDXs are associated with high cost, long development time and low efficiency of engraftment. Herein we explored the use of microfluidic devices or microchambers as simple and low-cost means of maintaining bladder cancer cells over extended periods of times in order to study patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance. When placed into 75 µm tall microfluidic chambers, cancer cells grew as ellipsoids reaching millimeter-scale dimeters over the course of 30 days in culture. We cultured three PDX and three clinical patient specimens with 100% success rate. The turn-around time for a typical efficacy study using microchambers was less than 10 days. Importantly, PDX-derived ellipsoids in microchambers retained patterns of drug responsiveness and resistance observed in PDX mice and also exhibited in vivo-like heterogeneity of tumor responses. Overall, this study establishes microfluidic cultures of difficult-to-maintain primary cancer cells as a useful tool for precision cancer medicine

The development and evaluation of individualized templates to assist transoral C2 articular mass or transpedicular screw placement in TARP-IV procedures: adult cadaver specimen study

OBJECTIVES: The transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate system treats irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation from transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate-I to transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate-III. However, this system has demonstrated problems associated with screw loosening, atlantoaxial fixation and concealed or manifest neurovascular injuries. This study sought to design a set of individualized templates to improve the accuracy of anterior C2 screw placement in the transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate-IV procedure. METHODS: A set of individualized templates was designed according to thin-slice computed tomography data obtained from 10 human cadavers. The templates contained cubic modules and drill guides to facilitate transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate positioning and anterior C2 screw placement. We performed 2 stages of cadaveric experiments with 2 cadavers in stage one and 8 in stage two. Finally, guided C2 screw placement was evaluated by reading postoperative computed tomography images and comparing the planned and inserted screw trajectories. RESULTS: There were two cortical breaching screws in stage one and three in stage two, but only the cortical breaching screws in stage one were ranked critical. In stage two, the planned entry points and the transverse angles of the anterior C2 screws could be simulated, whereas the declination angles could not be simulated due to intraoperative blockage of the drill bit and screwdriver by the upper teeth. CONCLUSIONS: It was feasible to use individualized templates to guide transoral C2 screw placement. Thus, these drill templates combined with transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate-IV, may improve the accuracy of transoral C2 screw placement and reduce related neurovascular complications

Mechanical antihypersensitivity effect induced by repeated spinal administrations of a TRPA1 antagonist or a gap junction decoupler in peripheral neuropathy

Spinal transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel is associated with various pain hypersensitivity conditions. Spinally, TRPA1 is expressed by central terminals of nociceptive nerve fibers and astrocytes. Among potential endogenous agonists of TRPA1 is H2O2 generated by D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) in astrocytes. Here we studied whether prolonged block of the spinal TRPA1 or astrocytes starting at time of injury attenuates development and/or maintenance of neuropathic hypersensitivity. Additionally, TRPA1 and DAAO mRNA were determined in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal dorsal horn (SDH). Experiments were performed in rats with spared nerve injury (SNI) and chronic intrathecal catheter. Drugs were administered twice daily for the first seven injury days or only once seven days after injury. Mechanical hypersensitivity was assessed with monofilaments. Acute and prolonged treatment with Chembridge-5861528 (a TRPA1 antagonist), carbenoxolone (an inhibitor of activated astrocytes), or gabapentin (a comparison drug) attenuated tactile allodynia-like responses evoked by low (2 g) stimulus. However, antihypersensitivity effect of these compounds was short of significance at a high (15 g) stimulus intensity. No preemptive effects were observed. In healthy controls, carbenoxolone failed to prevent hypersensitivity induced by spinal cinnamaldehyde, a TRPA1 agonist TRPA1 and DAAO mRNA in the DRG but not SDH were slightly increased in SNI, independent of drug treatment The results indicate that prolonged peri-injury block of spinal TRPA1 or inhibition of spinal astrocyte activation attenuates maintenance but not development of mechanical (tactile allodynia-like) hypersensitivity after nerve injury. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Molecular Cloning and Sequence Analysis of a Novel P450 Gene Encoding CYP345D3 from the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum

A novel cDNA clone encoding a cytochrome P450 gene has been isolated from the insecticide-susceptible strain of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The nucleotide sequence of the clone, designated CYP345D3, was determined. The cDNA is 1554 bp in length and contains an open reading frame from base pairs 32 to 1513, encoding a protein of 493 amino acid residues and a predicted molecular weight of 57466 Daltons. The putative protein contains the classic heme-binding sequence motif FxxGxxxCxG (residues 430–439) conserved among all P450 enzymes as well as other characteristic motifs of the cytochrome P450s. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with other CYP members shows that CYP345D3 shares 91% identity with the previously published sequence of CYP345D1 from the T. castaneum genome project and the nucleotide sequence identity between them is less than 80%. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences from members of various P450 families indicated close phylogenetic relationship of CYP345D3 with CYP6 of other insects than those from mammals and amore distant relationship to P450 from other families. CYP345D3 was submitted to GenBank, accession number EU008544

Roles of magnetic resonance imaging techniques in the study of eye disease

As magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)technology has the features of non-invasive, clear imaging, and high resolution to soft tissue, it has been used to both the clinic applications and basic researches of ophthalmic diseases. The most important applications of MRI in ophthalmology are orbital and ocular tumor diseases. In recent years, MRI has been gradually applied to clinical and scientific research of visual impairment. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the applications of MRI in the field of ametropia, cataract, glaucoma, amblyopia, optic nerve diseases, choroidal disease, retinopathy, and so on

Practice on the Watershed Hydrological Experimental System Reconciling Deterministic and Stochastic Subjects Based on the System Complexity: 1. Theoretical Study

This is the first of a two-part series on the watershed hydrological experimental system (WHES). Since the foundational stage and developmental stage of hydrological basin study with a duration of more than ca. one century, facing with the changing environment and, the declined risk of field study while the catchment hydrology is trapped in a theoretical impasse, a third phase of renovation on hydrological experiments seems ready to come out inevitably. Learned from Chinese decades’ experiences on the field basin study for the question of what is wrong with the status quo, our exploratory idea is reported in this part. From the viewpoint of general system theory based on the paralleled concepts of the ancient Chinese and the Western, it is considered that the adequate method should face the characters of the complex dynamic system instead of previous static, linear system. From the viewpoint of another philosophical paralleled concept of the Middle Way, it should also face the operation and organizing of the mesoscopic systems for the organized complexity. Then, a framework of WHES is suggested with its organization based on the strategy of constrain complexity and add complexity and on the strategy of manipulation including the artificial-natural and controlled-natural objects. Such a trial framework, the Chuzhou WHES, is reported including the suggested critical zone experimental block (CZEB) instead of the experimental basin (EB) in the last decades