Effect of combination of glucocorticoid and different doses of atorvastatin on neural function, blood lipid levels and magnetic resonance imaging in patients wit h multiple sclerosis

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of the combination of glucocorticoid and different doses of atorvastatin in the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Sixty MS patients treated at Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College from January 2020 to June 2021, were equally and randomly assigned to study group (OG) and control group (CG). Patients in OG were treated with glucocorticoid and atorvastatin (half in low-dose, LDG; 20 mg/day) and the other half, in high-dose atorvastatin (HDG, 40 mg/day)). Patients in CG were treated with glucocorticoid and placebo. Changes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), blood lipids, RhoA, and neural function were determined. Results: After treatment, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was lower in HDG than in LDG and CG (p < 0.05). Total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and lipoprotein a (LP(a)) were significantly reduced and followed the rank order: HDG < LDG < CG (p < 0.05). No appreciable differences occurred in HDL-C levels amongst HDG, LDG and CG (p > 0.05). Furthermore, RhoA levels were lower in HDG than in LDG and CG, with lower levels in LDG than in CG (p < 0.05). There were lower numbers of T2 lesions in HDG than in LDG and CG at 28 days, 3, 6 and 12 months, post-treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Glucocorticoid and high-dose atorvastatin combination is better at reducing neurological dysfunction and improving blood lipid indicators in MS patients. This finding may provide a useful guide in the determination of the optimal dose of atorvastatin

m-Government in China: Observations and Reflections

Mobile and wireless technologies (MWTs), such as wireless laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDA), mobile phones, smart phones, etc., have deeply penetrated our lives. Government agencies use MWTs to enhance their managerial effectiveness and provide high-level services to citizens taking advantage of its characteristics of mobility, ubiquity, provision of other location-based government services, and on-time information delivery. Mobile government (m- Government) is forming diversely within (as well as between) different countries. China currently has 738.57 million mobile phone users and 29 cities are deploying “Wireless City” projects. Within this context, we chose six different cities in China to examine m-Government maturity and assess the deployment of m-Government services. We further explored mobile and wireless technology (MWT) application and implications in conjunction with a special project in Beijing. Results are discussed and conclusions are drawn

Hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers in patients with periodontitis : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Numerous studies have explored the correlation of periodontal disease (PD) with risk of hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers, but the findings were inconsistent. Therefore, we did a meta-analysis to ascertain the correlation of PD with risk of incident hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers. The authors searched relevant studies in databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE). The summary relative risk (RR) along with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated by use of random or fixed effects models. Six studies were included in qualitative synthesis. The pooled analysis revealed that PD was significantly associated with an increased risk of hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.07?1.27; P = 0). Stratified analysis showed the association of PD with hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers remained significant in the never smokers (RR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.07?1.54; P = 0.007), and in the American population (RR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.05?1.30; P = 0.003), respectively. Never smokers population and the American population with PD have a higher risk of developing hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers. PD might be considered as a risk factor for hematopoietic and lymphatic cancers

Dynamic Alignment of C2H4 Investigated by Using Two Linearly Polarized Femtosecond Laser Pulses

We have studied multielectron ionization and Coulomb explosion of C2H4 irradiated by 110 fs, 800 nm laser pulses at an intensity of ∼1015 W/cm2. Strong anisotropic angular distributions were observed for the atomic ions Cn+(n = 1–3). Based on the results of two crossed linearly polarized laser pulses, we conclude that such anisotropic angular distributions result from dynamic alignment, in which the rising edge of the laser pulses aligns the neutral C2H4 molecules along the laser polarization direction. The angular distribution of the exploding fragments, therefore, reflects the degree of the alignment of molecules before ionization. Using the same femtosecond laser with intensity below the ionization threshold, the alignment of C2H4 molecules was also observed

Frontier Orbital Degeneracy: A new Concept for Tailoring the Magnetic State in Organic Semiconductor Adsorbates

Kondo resonances in molecular adsorbates are an important building block for applications in the field of molecular spintronics. Here, we introduce the novel concept of using frontier orbital degeneracy for tailoring the magnetic state, which is demonstrated for the case of the organic semiconductor 1,4,5,8,9,11-Hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile (HATCN, C18N12) on Ag(111). Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (LT-STM/STS) measurements reveal the existence of two types of adsorbed HATCN molecules with distinctly different appearances and magnetic states, as evident from the presence or absence of an Abrikosov-Suhl-Kondo resonance. Our DFT results show that HATCN on Ag(111) supports two almost isoenergetic states, both with one excess electron transferred from the Ag surface, but with magnetic moments of either 0 or 0.65 uB. Therefore, even though all molecules undergo charge transfer of one electron from the Ag substrate, they exist in two different molecular magnetic states that resemble a free doublet or an entangled spin state. We explain how the origin of this behavior lies in the twofold degeneracy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of gas phase HATCN, lifted upon adsorption and charge-transfer from Ag(111). Our combined STM and DFT study introduces a new pathway to tailoring the magnetic state of molecular adsorbates on surfaces, with significant potential for spintronics and quantum information science

A simulation model of colorectal cancer surveillance and recurrence

BACKGROUND: Approximately one-third of those treated curatively for colorectal cancer (CRC) will experience recurrence. No evidence-based consensus exists on how best to follow patients after initial treatment to detect asymptomatic recurrence. Here, a new approach for simulating surveillance and recurrence among CRC survivors is outlined, and development and calibration of a simple model applying this approach is described. The model’s ability to predict outcomes for a group of patients under a specified surveillance strategy is validated. METHODS: We developed an individual-based simulation model consisting of two interacting submodels: a continuous-time disease-progression submodel overlain by a discrete-time Markov submodel of surveillance and re-treatment. In the former, some patients develops recurrent disease which probabilistically progresses from detectability to unresectability, and which may produce early symptoms leading to detection independent of surveillance testing. In the latter submodel, patients undergo user-specified surveillance testing regimens. Parameters describing disease progression were preliminarily estimated through calibration to match five-year disease-free survival, overall survival at years 1–5, and proportion of recurring patients undergoing curative salvage surgery from one arm of a published randomized trial. The calibrated model was validated by examining its ability to predict these same outcomes for patients in a different arm of the same trial undergoing less aggressive surveillance. RESULTS: Calibrated parameter values were consistent with generally observed recurrence patterns. Sensitivity analysis suggested probability of curative salvage surgery was most influenced by sensitivity of carcinoembryonic antigen assay and of clinical interview/examination (i.e. scheduled provider visits). In validation, the model accurately predicted overall survival (59% predicted, 58% observed) and five-year disease-free survival (55% predicted, 53% observed), but was less accurate in predicting curative salvage surgery (10% predicted; 6% observed). CONCLUSIONS: Initial validation suggests the feasibility of this approach to modeling alternative surveillance regimens among CRC survivors. Further calibration to individual-level patient data could yield a model useful for predicting outcomes of specific surveillance strategies for risk-based subgroups or for individuals. This approach could be applied toward developing novel, tailored strategies for further clinical study. It has the potential to produce insights which will promote more effective surveillance—leading to higher cure rates for recurrent CRC