The effect of anti-VEGF drugs (bevacizumab and aflibercept) on the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)

Significant progression has been achieved in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in recent years. This has been partly attributed to successfully incorporating new drugs into combination chemotherapy. In addition to the traditional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, molecularly targeted agents began to play an important role in the treatment of advanced solid tumors. To date, two classes of molecularly targeted agents have been approved for treatment of patients with mCRC: (1) antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents (such as bevacizumab and aflibercept) and (2) antiendothelial cell growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) agents (such as cetuximab and panitumumab). Aflibercept is a new member of anti-VEGF agents which has demonstrated efficacy for treatment of mCRC. With the commencement of clinical trials and basic research into aflibercept, more data from the bedside and the bench have been obtained. This review will outline the application of anti-VEGF agents by reviewing clinic experiences of bevacizumab and aflibercept, and try to add perspectives on the use of anti-VEGF agents in mCRC

Effects of propofol combined with remifentanil on hemodynamics and stress response in children undergoing surgery for oral cancers, tonsil and adenoid surgery

727-733The anesthetic medication to sedate a child during general anesthesia (GA) for oral cancer, adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy is associated with operative complications such as hemodynamic instability and long postoperative recovery period. The current advancement enables combination of different anesthetic medications to decrease operative or postoperative complications associated with GA. In this study assessed the effects of propofol combined with remifentanil on hemodynamics and stress response in children undergoing oral cancer, tonsil and adenoid surgery. Propofol combined with remifentanil is beneficial to anesthesia for children undergoing oral cancer tonsil and adenoid surgery, manifested as stable hemodynamics, rapid recovery, low inflammatory and stress responses, and mild adverse reactions. A total of 106 eligible children treated from May 2017 to December 2019 were randomly divided into observation and control groups (n=53). Observation group was anesthetized by propofol plus remifentanil, while control group was anesthetized by propofol plus esketamine. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epinephrine (E), cortisol (Cor), CD3+, CD4+ helper and CD8+ inhibitory T lymphocytes, and CD4+/CD8+were compared before anesthesia induction (T1), immediately after intubation (T2), at the beginning of operation (T3), at the end of operation (T4) and 5 min after extubation (T5). Time of anesthetic recovery and adverse reactions after extubation were observed. MAP and HR significantly rose at T2 compared with those at T1. After maintenance of anesthesia, MAP and HR were significantly lower in observation group than those in control group. Serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels rose with time. E and Cor levels rose from T1 to T4 and declined at T5, with significant differences at each time point. CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, E and Cor levels were lower in observation group from T3 to T5. At T4 and T5, CD3+, CD4+levels and CD4+/CD8+ declined, whileCD8+level rose compared with those at other three time points. Time of recovery of autonomous respiration and limbs and duration from anesthetic withdrawal to extubation were significantly shorter in observation group. Observation group had lower incidence rate of dysphoria during recovery

Effects of propofol combined with remifentanil on hemodynamics and stress response in children undergoing surgery for oral cancers, tonsil and adenoid surgery

The anesthetic medication to sedate a child during general anesthesia (GA) for oral cancer, adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy is associated with operative complications such as hemodynamic instability and long postoperative recovery period. The current advancement enables combination of different anesthetic medications to decrease operative or postoperative complications associated with GA. In this study assessed the effects of propofol combined with remifentanil on hemodynamics and stress response in children undergoing oral cancer, tonsil and adenoid surgery. Propofol combined with remifentanil is beneficial to anesthesia for children undergoing oral cancer tonsil and adenoid surgery, manifested as stable hemodynamics, rapid recovery, low inflammatory and stress responses, and mild adverse reactions. A total of 106 eligible children treated from May 2017 to December 2019 were randomly divided into observation and control groups (n=53). Observation group was anesthetized by propofol plus remifentanil, while control group was anesthetized by propofol plus esketamine. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), epinephrine (E), cortisol (Cor), CD3+, CD4+ helper and CD8+ inhibitory T lymphocytes, and CD4+/CD8+were compared before anesthesia induction (T1), immediately after intubation (T2), at the beginning of operation (T3), at the end of operation (T4) and 5 min after extubation (T5). Time of anesthetic recovery and adverse reactions after extubation were observed. MAP and HR significantly rose at T2 compared with those at T1. After maintenance of anesthesia, MAP and HR were significantly lower in observation group than those in control group. Serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels rose with time. E and Cor levels rose from T1 to T4 and declined at T5, with significant differences at each time point. CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, E and Cor levels were lower in observation group from T3 to T5. At T4 and T5, CD3+, CD4+levels and CD4+/CD8+ declined, whileCD8+level rose compared with those at other three time points. Time of recovery of autonomous respiration and limbs and duration from anesthetic withdrawal to extubation were significantly shorter in observation group. Observation group had lower incidence rate of dysphoria during recovery

Orthogonal printing of uniform nanocomposite monolayer and oriented organic semiconductor crystals for high-performance nano-crystal floating gate memory

Inkjet printing is of great interest in the preparation of optoelectronic and microelectronic devices due to its low cost, low process temperature, versatile material compatibility, and ability to precisely manufacture multi-layer devices on demand. However, interlayer solvent erosion is a typical problem that limits the printing of organic semiconductor devices with multi-layer structures. In this study, we proposed a solution to address this erosion problem by designing polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinyl pyridine)-grafted Au nanoparticles (Au@PS-b-P4VP NPs). With a colloidal ink containing the Au@PS-b-P4VP NPs, we obtained a uniform monolayer of Au nano-crystal floating gates (NCFGs) embedded in the PS-b-P4VP tunneling dielectric (TD) layer using direct-ink-writing (DIW). Significantly, PS-b-P4VP has high erosion resistance against the semiconductor ink solvent, which enables multi-layer printing. An active layer of semiconductor crystals with high crystallinity and well-orientation was obtained by DIW. Moreover, we developed a strategy to improve the quality of the TD/semiconductor interface by introducing a polystyrene intermediate layer. We show that the NCFG memory devices exhibit a low threshold voltage (100 cycles), and long-term retention (>10 years). This study provides universal guidance for printing functional coatings and multi-layer devices

The chromosome-scale reference genome of black pepper provides insight into piperine biosynthesis

Black pepper (Piper nigrum), dubbed the ‘King of Spices’ and ‘Black Gold’, is one of the most widely used spices. Here, we present its reference genome assembly by integrating PacBio, 10x Chromium, BioNano DLS optical mapping, and Hi-C mapping technologies. The 761.2 Mb sequences (45 scaffolds with an N50 of 29.8 Mb) are assembled into 26 pseudochromosomes. A phylogenomic analysis of representative plant genomes places magnoliids as sister to the monocots-eudicots clade and indicates that black pepper has diverged from the shared Laurales-Magnoliales lineage approximately 180 million years ago. Comparative genomic analyses reveal specific gene expansions in the glycosyltransferase, cytochrome P450, shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase, lysine decarboxylase, and acyltransferase gene families. Comparative transcriptomic analyses disclose berry-specific upregulated expression in representative genes in each of these gene families. These data provide an evolutionary perspective and shed light on the metabolic processes relevant to the molecular basis of species-specific piperine biosynthesis

The complex hexaploid oil‐Camellia genome traces back its phylogenomic history and multi‐omics analysis of Camellia oil biosynthesis

Summary: Oil‐Camellia (Camellia oleifera), belonging to the Theaceae family Camellia, is an important woody edible oil tree species. The Camellia oil in its mature seed kernels, mainly consists of more than 90% unsaturated fatty acids, tea polyphenols, flavonoids, squalene and other active substances, which is one of the best quality edible vegetable oils in the world. However, genetic research and molecular breeding on oil‐Camellia are challenging due to its complex genetic background. Here, we successfully report a chromosome‐scale genome assembly for a hexaploid oil‐Camellia cultivar Changlin40. This assembly contains 8.80 Gb genomic sequences with scaffold N50 of 180.0 Mb and 45 pseudochromosomes comprising 15 homologous groups with three members each, which contain 135 868 genes with an average length of 3936 bp. Referring to the diploid genome, intragenomic and intergenomic comparisons of synteny indicate homologous chromosomal similarity and changes. Moreover, comparative and evolutionary analyses reveal three rounds of whole‐genome duplication (WGD) events, as well as the possible diversification of hexaploid Changlin40 with diploid occurred approximately 9.06 million years ago (MYA). Furthermore, through the combination of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches, a complex regulatory network was constructed and allows to identify potential key structural genes (SAD, FAD2 and FAD3) and transcription factors (AP2 and C2H2) that regulate the metabolism of Camellia oil, especially for unsaturated fatty acids biosynthesis. Overall, the genomic resource generated from this study has great potential to accelerate the research for the molecular biology and genetic improvement of hexaploid oil‐Camellia, as well as to understand polyploid genome evolution