The species of Tibetisoperla (Plecoptera: Perlodidae)

Two new species of the hitherto monotypic Tibetisoperla Huo & Du, 2021, T. elongata sp. nov., T. sclerotica sp. nov., are described, illustrated and compared with the type species and other Isoperlinae. Tibetisoperla and T. wangluyui Huo & Du, 2021 are newly recorded for Qinghai Province. © 2022, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. All rights reserved

Amphibians and Reptiles of Dinghushan in Guangdong Province, China’s Oldest Nature Reserve

Dinghushan is the only nature reserve at the Tropic of Cancer in mainland China with extensive old growth monsoonal hardwood forest. We here assemble a comprehensive list, with life history notes, of amphibians and reptiles of Dinghushan. Relevant records were scattered over three centuries since the first in 1886. A total of 71 species are known to occur in the reserve, and this number of species per area far exceeds that predicted by classic island biogeographic theory. Among these 71 species, nine are new records: Five frogs (Amolops ricketti, Hylarana macrodactyla, Hylarana taipehensis, Odorrana schmackeri, and Occidozyga lima) and four snakes (Oligodon cinereus, Sinonatrix percarinata, Sinomicrurus macclellandi, and Trimeresurus stejnegeri). One undetermined skink may confound the generic definitions for the genera of Scincella and Sphenomorphus. Among these 71 species, 21 that are not closely associated with old growth forest have not been seen recently. Forest recovery and reforestation of farmland over five decades since the nature reserve was established in 1956 may have contributed to the decline of these species. Dinghushan has 97% of its species occurring strictly in the Oriental zone; among them, about 78% (55) occur both in the South China and Central China regions, 21% (15) occur only in the South China region, and one species was previously known only from the Central China region. The unique location of Dinghushan makes long-term monitoring of its herpetofaunal diversity important for future collaborative studies on a global scale

Amphibians and Reptiles of Dinghushan in Guangdong Province, China’s Oldest Nature Reserve

Dinghushan is the only nature reserve at the Tropic of Cancer in mainland China with extensive old growth monsoonal hardwood forest. We here assemble a comprehensive list, with life history notes, of amphibians and reptiles of Dinghushan. Relevant records were scattered over three centuries since the first in 1886. A total of 71 species are known to occur in the reserve, and this number of species per area far exceeds that predicted by classic island biogeographic theory. Among these 71 species, nine are new records: Five frogs (Amolops ricketti, Hylarana macrodactyla, Hylarana taipehensis, Odorrana schmackeri, and Occidozyga lima) and four snakes (Oligodon cinereus, Sinonatrix percarinata, Sinomicrurus macclellandi, and Trimeresurus stejnegeri). One undetermined skink may confound the generic definitions for the genera of Scincella and Sphenomorphus. Among these 71 species, 21 that are not closely associated with old growth forest have not been seen recently. Forest recovery and reforestation of farmland over five decades since the nature reserve was established in 1956 may have contributed to the decline of these species. Dinghushan has 97% of its species occurring strictly in the Oriental zone; among them, about 78% (55) occur both in the South China and Central China regions, 21% (15) occur only in the South China region, and one species was previously known only from the Central China region. The unique location of Dinghushan makes long-term monitoring of its herpetofaunal diversity important for future collaborative studies on a global scale

Non-coding RNAs participate in the regulatory network of CLDN4 via ceRNA mediated miRNA evasion

AbstractThousands of genes have been well demonstrated to play important roles in cancer progression. As genes do not function in isolation, they can be grouped into “networks” based on their interactions. In this study, we discover a network regulating Claudin-4 in gastric cancer. We observe that Claudin-4 is up-regulated in gastric cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Claudin-4 reinforce proliferation, invasion, and EMT in AGS, HGC-27, and SGC-7901 cells, which could be reversed by miR-596 and miR-3620-3p. In addition, lncRNA-KRTAP5-AS1 and lncRNA-TUBB2A could act as competing endogenous RNAs to affect the function of Claudin-4. Our results suggest that non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulatory network of Claudin-4. As such, non-coding RNAs should be considered as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets against gastric cancer.</jats:p

Use of low-dose computed tomography to assess pulmonary tuberculosis among healthcare workers in a tuberculosis hospital

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization, China is one of 22 countries with serious tuberculosis (TB) infections and one of the 27 countries with serious multidrug-resistant TB strains. Despite the decline of tuberculosis in the overall population, healthcare workers (HCWs) are still at a high risk of infection. Compared with high-income countries, the TB prevalence among HCWs is higher in low- and middle-income countries. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is becoming more popular due to its superior sensitivity and lower radiation dose. However, there have been no reports about active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among HCWs as assessed with LDCT. The purposes of this study were to examine PTB statuses in HCWs in hospitals specializing in TB treatment and explore the significance of the application of LDCT to these workers. METHODS: This study retrospectively analysed the physical examination data of healthcare workers in the Beijing Chest Hospital from September 2012 to December 2015. Low-dose lung CT examinations were performed in all cases. The comparisons between active and inactive PTB according to the CT findings were made using the Pearson chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test. Comparisons between the incidences of active PTB in high-risk areas and non-high-risk areas were performed using the Pearson chi-square test. Analyses of active PTB were performed according to different ages, numbers of years on the job, and the risks of the working areas. Active PTB as diagnosed by the LDCT examinations alone was compared with the final comprehensive diagnoses, and the sensitivity and positive predictive value were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1 012 participants were included in this study. During the 4-year period of medical examinations, active PTB was found in 19 cases, and inactive PTB was found in 109 cases. The prevalence of active PTB in the participants was 1.24%, 0.67%, 0.81%, and 0.53% for years 2012 to 2015. The corresponding incidences of active PTB among the tuberculosis hospital participants were 0.86%, 0.41%, 0.54%, and 0.26%. Most HCWs with active TB (78.9%, 15/19) worked in the high-risk areas of the hospital. There was a significant difference in the incidences of active PTB between the HCWs who worked in the high-risk and non-high-risk areas (odds ratio [OR], 14.415; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.733 – 43.896). Comparisons of the CT signs between the active and inactive groups via chi-square tests revealed that the tree-in-bud, cavity, fibrous shadow, and calcification signs exhibited significant differences (P = 0.000, 0.021, 0.001, and 0.024, respectively). Tree-in-bud and cavity opacities suggest active pulmonary tuberculosis, whereas fibrous shadow and calcification opacities are the main features of inactive pulmonary tuberculosis. Comparison with the final comprehensive diagnoses revealed that the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the diagnoses of active PTB based on LDCT alone were 100% and 86.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare workers in tuberculosis hospitals are a high-risk group for active PTB. Yearly LDCT examinations of such high-risk groups are feasible and necessary. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-017-0274-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Which is better for gastric cancer patients, perioperative or adjuvant chemotherapy: a meta-analysis

meta-analysis of chemotherapy adverse effects. (A) Nausea and vomit, (B) gastrointestinal problem, (C) liver toxicity, (D) neurologic effects, (E) leukopenia, (F) thrombocytopenia, (G) neutropenia. (TIF 507 kb

The role of EGFR mutation as a prognostic factor in survival after diagnosis of brain metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background The brain is a common site for metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the mutational of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC patients with brain metastases. Methods Searches were performed in PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane Library to identify studies evaluating the association of EGFR mutation with OS in NSCLC patients through September 2017. Results 4373 NSCLC patients with brain metastases in 18 studies were involved. Mutated EGFR associated with significantly improved OS compared with wild type. Subgroup analyses suggested that this relationship persisted in studies conducted in Eastern, with retrospective design, with sample size ≥500, mean age of patients ≥65.0 years, percentage male < 50.0%, percentage of patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor ≥30.0%. Finally, although significant publication bias was observed using the Egger test, the results were not changed after adjustment using the trim and fill method. Conclusions This meta-analysis suggests that EGFR mutation is an important predictive factor linked to improved OS for NSCLC patients with brain metastases. It can serve as a useful index in the prognostic assessment of NSCLC patients with brain metastases