Efficacy of cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy plus Jianpi Yiqi formula in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of cisplatin and fluorouracil chemotherapy in combination with the Jianpi Yiqi formula in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.Methods: A total of 64 patients with advanced gastric cancer admitted and treated at Xianyang Central Hospital from April 2019 to October 2021 were recruited and assigned equally to chemotherapy group and combination group according to the time of admission. Chemotherapy group received cisplatin and fluorouracil, while the combination group received the Jianpi Yiqi formula based on the treatment given to the chemotherapy group. Some clinical indices were evaluated in the patients.Results: Intervention in the combination group was associated with a higher total effectiveness when compared with chemotherapy group (p < 0.05). Cisplatin and fluorouracil plus Jianpi Yiqi formula resulted in significantly higher European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30-item (EORTC QLQ-C30) score than cisplatin with fluorouracil (p < 0.05). Furthermore, cisplatin and fluorouracil plus Jianpi Yiqi formula led to considerably higher Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) scores versus cisplatin with fluorouracil (p < 0.05).Conclusion: In the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, cisplatin-fluorouracil chemotherapy in conjunction with the Jianpi Yiqi formula produces remarkable efficacy. This strategy increases lesion dissolution rates, improves the quality of life and behavioral status of patients, and reduces adverse reactions, resulting in prolonged patients' progression survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) levels

The Research on Innovation System for College Talent Cultivation

This paper analyzes the status of talent cultivation model in college and the society demands of the quality of talent in our country. Based on it, new ideas and directions of college talent cultivation are proposed. By establishing a talent cultivation innovation system which meets the needs of the society development, we can get the order between the methods and directions of talent cultivation by identifying the importance of them .This study helps to reform the concept of college education, to improve the level and quality of teaching. Key words: College; Talent cultivation; Innovation systemResumé: Cet article analyse le statut du modèle de la formation des talents dans les universités et les exigences sur la qualité des talents de la société dans notre pays. Sur cette base, de nouvelles idées et approches de la formation des talents dans les universités sont proposées. En établissant un système d'innovation pour la formation des talents qui répond aux besoins du développement de la société, nous pouvons obtenir un ordre des méthodes et des directions de la formatin des talents en identifiant leur importance. Cette étude contribue à la réforme de la notion de l'enseignement universitaire, à fin d'améliorer la niveau et la qualité de l'enseignement.Mots-clés: université; formation des talents; système d'innovatio

Eccrine chromhidrosis: A case report and review of literature

Chromhidrosis is a rare disorder characterized by colored sweat and/or stained skin. Eccrine chromhidrosis is an orphan disease in which water-soluble pigments are excreted through the eccrine glands. This article provides a highly doubtful eccrine chromhidrosis case and the literature review for eccrine chromhidrosis. We recommend an investigative algorithm for dermatologists, hepatologist, and general practitioners to enhance diagnostic capability without mistake among similar and differential diseases. Most importantly, the exact etiology should be determined, which further decides the treatment plan. Systemic treatment of liver diseases or bacteremia was reported particularly effective. Results and prognosis were excellent and without recurrence

Particle Emission-dependent Timing Noise of Pulsars?

Though pulsars spin regularly, the differences between the observed and predicted ToA (time of arrival), known as "timing noise", can still reach a few milliseconds or more. We try to understand the noise in this paper. As proposed by Xu & Qiao in 2001, both dipole radiation and particle emission would result in pulsar braking. Accordingly, possible fluctuation of particle current flow is suggested here to contribute significant ToA variation of pulsars. We find that the particle emission fluctuation could lead to timing noise which can't be eliminated in timing process, and that a longer period fluctuation would arouse a stronger noise. The simulated timing noise profile and amplitude are in accord with the observed timing behaviors on the timescale of years.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. (Accepted by Chin. Phys. Lett.

CD44ICD promotes breast cancer stemness via PFKFB4-mediated glucose metabolism.

CD44 is a single-pass cell surface glycoprotein that is distinguished as the first molecule used to identify cancer stem cells in solid tumors based on its expression. In this regard, the CD44high cell population demonstrates not only the ability to regenerate a heterogeneous tumor, but also the ability to self-regenerate when transplanted into immune-deficient mice. However, the exact role of CD44 in cancer stem cells remains unclear in part because CD44 exists in various isoforms due to alternative splicing. Methods: Gain- and loss-of-function methods in different models were used to investigate the effects of CD44 on breast cancer stemness. Cancer stemness was analyzed by detecting SOX2, OCT4 and NANOG expression, ALDH activity, side population (SP) and sphere formation. Glucose consumption, lactate secretion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were detected to assess glycolysis. Western blot, immunohistochemical staining, ELISA and TCGA dataset analysis were performed to determine the association of CD44ICD and PFKFB4 with clinical cases. A PFKFB4 inhibitor, 5MPN, was used in a xenograft model to inhibit breast cancer development. Results: In this report, we found that the shortest CD44 isoform (CD44s) inhibits breast cancer stemness, whereas the cleaved product of CD44 (CD44ICD) promotes breast cancer stemness. Furthermore, CD44ICD interacts with CREB and binds to the promoter region of PFKFB4, thereby regulating PFKFB4 transcription and expression. The resultant PFKFB4 expression facilitates the glycolysis pathway (vis-à-vis oxidative phosphorylation) and promotes stemness of breast cancer. In addition, we found that CD44ICD and PFKFB4 expressions are generally up-regulated in the tumor portion of breast cancer patient samples. Most importantly, we found that 5MPN (a selective inhibitor of PFKFB4) suppresses CD44ICD-induced tumor development. Conclusion: CD44ICD promotes breast cancer stemness via PFKFB4-mediated glycolysis, and therapies that target PFKFB4 (e.g., 5MPN therapy) may lead to improved outcomes for cancer patients

Progression of radiographic fibrosis in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease

Background and objectivesPreclinical interstitial lung disease (pILD) may represent the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). However, the characteristics, clinical outcomes, and risk factors associated with fibrosis progression in RA-ILD, including pILD and ILD, remain poorly understood.MethodsBaseline data were compared between patients with RA-ILD and those with RA alone. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with the prevalence and imaging progression of RA-ILD, respectively.ResultsAmong the 371 enrolled RA patients, 32.3% had RA-ILD. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified age over 60.0 years (OR 2.22), smoking (OR 2.09), diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR 3.09), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) (OR 2.98), serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels exceeding 250.0 U/L (OR 6.73), and positive anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody (OR 2.06) as independent risk factors for RA-ILD (p< 0.05 or 0.01). Among the 98 RA-ILD patients who underwent follow-up for a median duration of 19.1 months, 51.0% demonstrated fibrotic progression on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Multiple Cox regression analysis identified DM (HR 2.03), Disease Activity Score in 28 joints-Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (DAS28-ESR) greater than 5.1 (HR 2.21), and baseline HRCT scores exceeding 5.0 (HR 2.30) as independent risk factors for fibrosis progression in RA-ILD (p< 0.05 or 0.01).ConclusionNearly one-third of RA patients in this cohort had prevalent pILD or ILD, and half of them demonstrated imaging progression during follow-up. DM, higher DAS28-ESR, and advanced HRCT scores were identified as independent risk factors for progressive fibrosis in RA-ILD

Deficits in ascending pain modulation pathways in breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: A resting-state fMRI study

PurposeBreast cancer (BC) is the highest frequent malignancy in women globally. Approximately 25–60% of BC patients with chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) result from advances in treating BC. Since the CNP mechanism is unclear, the various treatment methods for CNP are limited. We aimed to explore the brain alternations in BC patients with CNP and the relationship between depression and CNP utilizing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).MethodsTo collect the data, the female BC survivors with CNP (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20) underwent rs-fMRI. We calculated and compared the functional connectivity (FC) between the two groups using the thalamus and periaqueductal gray (PAG) as seed regions.ResultsPatients with BC showed increased depression and FC between the thalamus and primary somatosensory cortices (SI). Moreover, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D) and pain duration were linked positively to the strength of FC from the thalamus to the SI. Furthermore, the thalamus-SI FC mediated the impact of pain duration on HADS-D.ConclusionIn BC patients with CNP, the ascending pain regulation mechanism is impaired and strongly associated with chronic pain and accompanying depression. This research increased our knowledge of the pathophysiology of CNP in patients with BC, which will aid in determining the optimal therapeutic strategy for those patients

Structural and spectral dynamics of single-crystalline Ruddlesden-Popper phase halide perovskite blue light-emitting diodes.

Achieving perovskite-based high-color purity blue-emitting light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is still challenging. Here, we report successful synthesis of a series of blue-emissive two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper phase single crystals and their high-color purity blue-emitting LED demonstrations. Although this approach successfully achieves a series of bandgap emissions based on the different layer thicknesses, it still suffers from a conventional temperature-induced device degradation mechanism during high-voltage operations. To understand the underlying mechanism, we further elucidate temperature-induced device degradation by investigating the crystal structural and spectral evolution dynamics via in situ temperature-dependent single-crystal x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) characterization, and density functional theory calculation. The PL peak becomes asymmetrically broadened with a marked intensity decay, as temperature increases owing to [PbBr6]4- octahedra tilting and the organic chain disordering, which results in bandgap decrease. This study indicates that careful heat management under LED operation is a key factor to maintain the sharp and intense emission

Ionic Liquid Pilocarpine Analog as an Antiglaucoma Drug Candidate

Ionic liquid pilocarpine analog [Pilo-OEG]Cl, the first-of-its-kind ionic liquid antiglaucoma drug candidate, is synthesized and reported. To synthesize [Pilo-OEG]Cl, pilocarpine was reacted with the oligo-polyethylene glycol chloride, 2-[2-(2-chloroethoxy)ethoxy] ethanol, to form an ionic liquid molecule with an imidazole cation and a chloride anion. The chemical structure of [Pilo-OEG]Cl was confirmed with 1H NMR spectroscopy. Compared with pilocarpine (Pilo) and pilocarpine hydrochloride (PiloHCl), [Pilo-OEG]Cl has improved structural stability according to pH measurements and LC-MS analysis. The corneal permeability coefficient of [Pilo-OEG]Cl is 2-fold higher than that of Pilo and 8-fold higher than that of PiloHCl. [Pilo-OEG]Cl does not show apparent toxicity to human corneal epithelial cells over a broad range of concentrations up to 50 mM. The in vivo efficacy of PiloHCl and [Pilo-OEG]Cl was tested in normotensive adult Brown Norway female rats. [Pilo-OEG]Cl is found to be more potent than PiloHCl in lowering the intraocular pressure (IOP). [Pilo-OEG]Cl is more cytocompatible than PiloHCl based on the in vitro ELISA and hemolysis tests and in vivo histological analysis. Taken together, [Pilo-OEG]Cl has enhanced stability, corneal permeability, better IOP-lowering efficacy, and improved biocompatibility, thus making it a promising new drug candidate for antiglaucoma therapy. Transforming old antiglaucoma drugs to pharmaceutically active ionic liquids represents an innovative approach to developing glaucoma medications

Polygamy relation of quantum correlations with equality

We provide a generalized definition of polygamy relations for any quantum correlation measures. Instead of the usual polygamy inequality, a polygamy relation with equality is given by introducing the polygamy weight. From the polygamy relation with equality, we present polygamy inequalities satisfied by the $\beta$th $(\beta>0)$ power of the quantum correlation measures. Taking concurrence of assistance as an example, we further illustrate the significance and advantages of these relations. We also obtain a polygamy relation with equality by considering the one-to-group entanglements for any quantum entanglement measures that do not satisfy the polygamy relations. We demonstrate that such relations for tripartite states can be generalized to multipartite systems