IKONOS Image-Based Extraction of the Distribution Area of Stellera chamaejasme L. in Qilian County of Qinghai Province, China

Stellera chamaejasme L. (S. chamaejasme) is one of the primary toxic grass species (poisonous plants) distributed in the alpine meadows of Qinghai Province, China. In this study, according to the distinctive phenological characteristics of S. chamaejasme, the spectral differences between S. chamaejasme in the full-bloom stage and other pasture grasses were analyzed and the red, blue, and near-infrared bands of IKONOS image were determined as the diagnostic bands of S. chamaejasme recognition. Feature indexes related to S. chamaejasme were established using the diagnostic bands, and $NDVI_{blue} = (\rho_{nir} − \rho_{blue})/(\rho_{nir} + \rho_{blue})$ obtained as S. chamaejasme sensitive index based on the linear regression analysis between the indexes derived from field spectra and the actual cover fraction of S. chamaejasme communities. The distribution area of S. chamaejasme was extracted by using the index $NDVI_{blue}$ derived from IKONOS multispectral image in Qilian County of Qinghai Province, China and the verified result reached an overall accuracy of 90.71%. The study indicated that high resolution multispectral satellite images (such as IKONOS images) had significant potential in remote sensing recognition of toxic grass species

The multidisciplinary management of gastric cancer: Experience from a tertiary comprehensive hospital in Shanghai, China

Gastric cancer is a heterogeneous disease which requires a multimodal approach of management. The Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Changhai Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, established the gastric cancer multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinic based on the guidance of MDT culture in the year of 2017. Our MDT discussion followed a weekly consultation model, with the full-board discussion held once a month, and mini-board communication and discussion made once a week. The stages of MDT management are: pre-operative treatment plan and preparation, post-operative treatment plan, and follow-up treatment and evaluation. As of March 2021, a total of 296 patients visited the MDT clinic. Majority of the patients were gastric carcinoma patients (273/296, 92.2%). Here, we shared our gastric cancer MDT experiences and summarized our strengths and proposed directions for improvement

Divergent Tree Growth and the Response to Climate Warming and Humidification in the Tianshan Mountains, China

In recent decades, the global climate has changed significantly. The climate in Northwest China became warm-wet, especially in the Tianshan Mountains. In order to explore the response of tree growth to recent climate change, the two dominant trees species, Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey. and Larix sibirica Ledeb., were studied with the dendrochronological method in the western Tianshan Mountains (WT) and the eastern Tianshan Mountains (ET). Our results showed that: (1) The tree growth of four sample sites in the WT significantly increased in recent decades, while the trees in the three sample sites in the ET significantly decreased. (2) In the WT, except for the Manas site, the tree-ring chronologies of the other three sites were significantly positively correlated with the mean annual minimum temperature. Tree-ring chronologies in the WT, except for Bangfanggou site, were significantly positively correlated with annual precipitation. In the ET, only the tree chronology of L. sibirica in the Balikun site was significantly negatively correlated with the annual temperatures, including the mean minimum, mean and mean maximum temperature. (3) The proportion of trees with a significant upward growth trend at each site decreased from west to east, and the proportion of trees with a significant downward growth trend at each site increased from west to east along the whole Tianshan Mountains. (4) The correlation of tree-ring chronologies with the annual temperature and annual precipitation was not stable during the study period. Warm-humidification promoted the growth of trees in the WT but inhibited tree growth in the ET, which may be exacerbated drought stress in the ET where the increase in precipitation was not enough to offset the increased evapotranspiration potential caused by warming

Divergent Tree Growth and the Response to Climate Warming and Humidification in the Tianshan Mountains, China

In recent decades, the global climate has changed significantly. The climate in Northwest China became warm-wet, especially in the Tianshan Mountains. In order to explore the response of tree growth to recent climate change, the two dominant trees species, Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey. and Larix sibirica Ledeb., were studied with the dendrochronological method in the western Tianshan Mountains (WT) and the eastern Tianshan Mountains (ET). Our results showed that: (1) The tree growth of four sample sites in the WT significantly increased in recent decades, while the trees in the three sample sites in the ET significantly decreased. (2) In the WT, except for the Manas site, the tree-ring chronologies of the other three sites were significantly positively correlated with the mean annual minimum temperature. Tree-ring chronologies in the WT, except for Bangfanggou site, were significantly positively correlated with annual precipitation. In the ET, only the tree chronology of L. sibirica in the Balikun site was significantly negatively correlated with the annual temperatures, including the mean minimum, mean and mean maximum temperature. (3) The proportion of trees with a significant upward growth trend at each site decreased from west to east, and the proportion of trees with a significant downward growth trend at each site increased from west to east along the whole Tianshan Mountains. (4) The correlation of tree-ring chronologies with the annual temperature and annual precipitation was not stable during the study period. Warm-humidification promoted the growth of trees in the WT but inhibited tree growth in the ET, which may be exacerbated drought stress in the ET where the increase in precipitation was not enough to offset the increased evapotranspiration potential caused by warming

The hypermethylation of p16 gene exon 1 and exon 2: potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer and are associated with cancer pathological staging

Abstract Background Tumor suppressor gene p16 promoter hypermethylation has been widely studied in colorectal cancer (CRC), yet its clinicopathological significance remains controversial. The methylation alterations of other regions within p16 gene are still rarely researched. The present study aimed to explore the methylation changes of p16 gene body in CRC and to find whether they were associated with clinicopathological staging of CRC. Methods Paired colorectal cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues from 30 CRC patients were collected. The methylation levels of two CpG islands within p16 gene body, exon 1 and exon 2, were accurately assessed simultaneously by a LC-MS/MS method. The p16 protein expressions were assessed by immunohistochemistry assay. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 17.0 software. Heat-map analysis was carried out by HemI 1.0 software. Results In the present study, CRC tissues showed more highly methylated than adjacent normal tissues at both CpG islands of p16 gene. And exon 2 hypermethylation was higher and more frequent than exon 1. The ROC curve analysis showed that the simultaneous use of both indicators had excellent sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Following, the methylation level of p16 exon 1/2 was negatively related to p16 protein expression. Further correlation analysis revealed that p16 exon 1 hypermethylation was associated with N/Dukes staging (p = 0.033), and p16 exon 2 hypermethylaiton was associated with T staging (p = 0.035). Conclusions The p16 gene body was remarkably hyper-methylated in CRC tissues and associated with p16 protein expression and cancer clinicopathological staging. The combination of p16 exon 1 and exon 2 could better reflect the overall methylation status of p16 gene body and provide potential biomarkers of CRC

ACT001 Relieves NMOSD Symptoms by Reducing Astrocyte Damage with an Autoimmune Antibody

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease, the pathogenesis of which involves autoantibodies targeting the extracellular epitopes of aquaporin-4 on astrocytes. We neutralized the AQP4-IgG from NMOSD patient sera using synthesized AQP4 extracellular epitope peptides and found that the severe cytotoxicity produced by aquaporin-4 immunoglobin (AQP4-IgG) could be blocked by AQP4 extracellular mimotope peptides of Loop A and Loop C in astrocyte protection and animal models. ACT001, a natural compound derivative, has shown anti-tumor activity in various cancers. In our study, the central nervous system anti-inflammatory effect of ACT001 was investigated. The results demonstrated the superior astrocyte protection activity of ACT001 at 10 µM. Furthermore, ACT001 decreases the behavioral score in the mouse NMOSD model, which was not inferior to Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate, the first-line therapy of NMOSD in clinical practice. In summary, our study showed that astrocytes are protected by specific peptides, or small molecular drugs, which is a new strategy for the treatment of NMOSD. It is possible for ACT001 to be a promising therapy for NMOSD