Comparison of Postoperative Pain Following Laser-assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy and Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy:a Prospective,Random Paired Bilateral Eye Study

Purpose:To compare postoperative pain following laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy(LASEK) and transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy(T-PRK, two-step surgery) and alleviate postoperative subjective pain.Methods:.Thirty patients(60 eyes) with myopia or myopic astigmatism were consecutively recruited into this prospective,randomized paired study..Patients underwent LASEK in one eye,and T-PRK in the other. The degree of pain was rated on a scale of 0-10 on postoperative days 1,2 and 3..Uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA) and subepithelial corneal haze were assessed at postoperative 1 and 3 months.Results:.The pain was relieved on the 4th postoperative day in all patients,.healing of corneal epithelium was observed at4-5 days after surgery and contact lenses were removed promptly.At postoperative 1 day,.the mean subjective pain score in the LASEK group was 3.2±1.88 and 4.43±1.61 in TPRK group(P=0.008).No significant difference was found between two groups on postoperative 2 and 3 days. At postoperative 3 months, the percentage of UCVA ≥0.8 in the LASEK group was 100% and 96.7% in the T-PRK group.(P =0.24),93.3% of patients in the LASEK with UCVA ≥1.0 and 90%in the T-PRK group(P=0.64). In the LASEK group, the value of corneal haze was 0.26 ±0.21 and 0.27 ±0.25 in the T-PRK group(P=0.877).Conclusion:.Good visual acuity was obtained in both groups at postoperative 3 months. Compared with those in the T-PRKgroup, patients undergoing had less discomfort in the LASEK group, which may be associated with corneal epithelial activity. The changing curve of subjective pain in the T-PRK group was relatively flat and stable at postoperative 3 days.

Plasma SCF/c-kit Levels in Patients with Dipper and Non-Dipper Hypertension

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between peripheral plasma stem cell factor (SCF)/c-kit levels and the types of dipper and non-dipper hypertension in hypertensive patients.Methods This cross-sectional study included newly diagnosed hypertensive patients who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) between January 2009 and 2012 in Jiangning city. Patients were divided into the dipper group and the non-dipper group according to ABPM measurements. The levels of SCF and its receptor c-kit, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in peripheral blood were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The serum levels of glucose and lipid were examined as well. The levels of SCF/c-kit were compared between the dippers and the non-dippers; and their correlation with 24-hour mean systolic blood pressure (MSBP), 24-hour mean diastolic blood pressure (MDBP), TNF-αand IL-6 were investigated using linear regression analyses statistically.Results A total of 247 patients with newly diagnosed hypertension were recruited into the study, including 116 non-dippers and 131 dippers. The levels of peripheral plasma SCF were higher in non-dipper group (907.1±52.7 ng/L vs. 778.7±44.6 ng/L; t=2.837, P<0.01), and the levels of c-kit were higher in non-dipper group too (13.2±1.7 μg/L vs 9.57±1.4 μg/L; t=2.831, P<0.01). Linear regression analysis revealed that SCF/ckit levels were significantly positively correlated with MSBP, MDBP, plasma TNF-α, and IL-6 levels (all P<0.01).Conclusions Peripheral plasma SCF/c-kit levels are higher in patients with non-dipper hypertension than those with dipper one, and significantly correlate with 24-hour MSBP, 24-hour MDBP, serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels.

Effects of laccase incubated from white rot fungi on the mechanical properties of fiberboard

White rot fungi were optimized to cultivate highly active laccase. The characteristics of laccase incubated by continuous culture were compared with those of direct culture. The enzyme activity of laccase incubated by continuous culture technology reached a higher value on the fifth day of the growth. The optimization incubation time of high activity laccase was the eleventh day. A large amount of highly active laccase can be obtained in a relatively short time by continuous culture to replace traditional laccase. After laccase treatment, the lignin composition of wood fibers were oxidation-catalyzed by laccase. The number of chemical-bonding points between the wood fibers was increased. The wood fibers treated by laccase were fabricated into boards and their mechanical properties improved with the laccase-incubation times. Compared with the fiberboards made from fibers that were pre-treated by laccase of incubation 5 days, the static bending strength of those that were pre-treated by laccase of incubation 11 days was increased by 18.95%, the elastic modulus was increased by 35.49%, and the internal bond strength was increased by 44.11%.

Knowledge Acquisition from Forestry Machinery Patent Based on the Algorithm for Closed Weighted Pattern Mining

The application of big data mining can create over a trillion dollars value. Patents contain a great deal of new technologies and new methods which have unique value in the product innovation. In order to improve the effectiveness of big data mining and aid the innovation of products of forestry machinery, the algorithm for closed weighted pattern mining is applied to acquire the function knowledge in the patents of forestry machinery. Compared with the other algorithms for mining patterns, the algorithm is more suitable for the characteristics of patent data. It not only takes into account the importance of different items to reduce the search space effectively, but also avoids achieving excessive uninteresting patterns below the premise that assures quality. The extensive performance study shows that the patterns which are mined by the closed weighted pattern algorithm are more representative and the acquired knowledge has more realistic application significance.

包皮内、皮外板剔除术治疗包茎及包皮过长的临床效果观察

目的观察包皮内板加包皮外板剔除术治疗包茎及包皮过长的临床效果。方法选取包茎及包皮过长患者200例,分A、B两组,各100例。结果 A、B两组疗效确切。两组手术时间、术中出血量、愈合时间、疤痕形成情况、术后阴茎前段直径、满意度等指标比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);术后血肿需再次手术、再度狭窄、勃起性阴茎疼痛等指标比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论采用包皮内板加包皮外板剔除术治疗包茎及包皮过长疗效确切,术后反应轻,愈合快,外观好,疤痕不明显,前段相对粗大些,值得推广应用。

Global methane and nitrous oxide emissions from terrestrial ecosystems due to multiple environmental changes

Greenhouse gas(GHG)-induced climate change is among the most pressing sustainability challenges facing humanity today,posing serious risks for ecosystem health.Methane(CH_(4))and nitrous oxide(N_(2)O)are the two most important GHGs after carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),but their regional and global budgets are not well known.In this study,we applied a process-based coupled biogeochemical model to concurrently estimate the magnitude and spatial and temporal patterns of CH_(4)and N_(2)O fluxes as driven by multiple environmental changes,including climate variability,rising atmospheric CO_(2),increasing nitrogen deposition,tropospheric ozone pollution,land use change,and nitrogen fertilizer use.The estimated CH_(4)and N_(2)O emissions from global land ecosystems during 1981-2010 were 144.39±12.90 Tg C/yr(mean 62 SE;1 Tg=1012 g)and 12.52±0.74 Tg N/yr,respectively.Our simulations indicated a significant(P,0.01)annually increasing trend for CH_(4)(0.43±0.06 Tg C/yr)and N_(2)O(0.14±0.02 Tg N/yr)in the study period.CH_(4)and N_(2)O emissions increased significantly in most climatic zones and continents,especially in the tropical regions and Asia.The most rapid increase in CH_(4)emission was found in natural wetlands and rice fields due to increased rice cultivation area and climate warming.N_(2)O emission increased substantially in all the biome types and the largest increase occurred in upland crops due to increasing air temperature and nitrogen fertilizer use.Clearly,the three major GHGs(CH_(4),N_(2)O,and CO_(2))should be simultaneously considered when evaluating if a policy is effective to mitigate climate change.

Global observation of urban expansion and land-cover dynamics usingsatellite big-data

Humans deeply influence the urbanizing of earth’s surface system in an exacerbating manner across space and time[1].Around the globe,urban land-use/cover changes reflect the intensities of human activities and land shifts from nature or semi-nature lands to man-made–dominated surfaces[2].

Responses of global terrestrial water use efficiency to climate change and rising atmospheric CO_(2)concentration in the twenty-first century

Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in global carbon and water cycles because of the substantial amount of carbon assimilated through net primary production and large amount of water loss through evapotranspiration(ET).Using a process-based ecosystem model,we investigate the potential effects of climate change and rising atmospheric CO_(2)concentration on global terrestrial ecosystem water use efficiency(WUE)during the twenty-first century.Future climate change would reduce global WUE by 16.3%under high-emission climate change scenario(A2)and 2.2%under low-emission climate scenario(B1)during 2010–2099.However,the combination of rising atmospheric CO_(2)concentration and climate change would increase global WUE by 7.9%and 9.4%under A2 and B1 climate scenarios,respectively.This suggests that rising atmospheric CO_(2)concentration could ameliorate climate change-induced WUE decline.Future WUE would increase significantly at the high-latitude regions but decrease at the low-latitude regions under combined changes in climate and atmospheric CO_(2).The largest increase of WUE would occur in tundra and boreal needleleaf deciduous forest under the combined A2 climate and atmospheric CO_(2)scenario.More accurate prediction of WUE requires deeper understanding on the responses of ET to rising atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations and its interactions with climate.

Prokaryotic expression and purification of fusion protein HSP70-EGFP and its application in the study of dendritic cells internalization antigen

To study the endocytic activity of dendritic cells(DCs)by obtaining fusion protein HSP70-EGFP as exogenous antigen and loading it with DCs derived from human peripheral blood.Fusion protein HSP70-EGFP was prokaryotically expressed,isolated and purified.DCs were isolated and cultured from human peripheral blood.The DCs were divided into 3 groups in the endocytic experiment.There were 106 DCs in each group.Group 1 and 2 were respectively incubated for 30 min.with HSP70-EGFP and EGFP.Group 3 was incubated with HSP70 for 30 min,and then incubated for 30 min.with HSP70-EGFP.Subsequently,3 groups were placed in an incubator at 37℃for 0.5,1,2 and 24 h.Flow cytometry(FCM)was adopted to detect the amount of DCs with EGFP inside.IL-12 Eli-spot was adopted to detect the amount of DCs which secreted IL-12.There were 5 types in the experiment:LPS,inactive LPS,HSP70-EGFP,EGFP and no antigen.Fusion protein HSP70-EGFP was successfully obtained and its molecular weight was 97000.It accounted for 35.32%of the total protein.Under irradiation of an ultraviolet lamp,the protein solution sent out viridescent fluorescence.The result detected by FCM indicated that after incubation for 0.5 h at 37℃,the positive rate in group 1 was 63%,while the other 2 groups were negative.After incubation for 1,2 and 24 h at 37℃,the positive rates in the 3 groups were above 80%.The IL-12 Eli-spot examination shows that with HSP70-EGFP being loaded,the amount of DCs secreting IL-12 was 134.09±31.78/10^(5)cells,a little lower than that of DCs with LPS loaded(with the average point of 156.36±15.73).There was no significant difference between the 2 groups(P<0.01).By contrast,both of them were significantly higher than inactive LPS-(33.78±1.40)/10^(5)cells and EGFP-loaded(23.13±4.57)/105 cells DC groups in the amount of DCs secreting IL-12(P<0.01).The results suggest that receptor-mediated phagocytosis plays a main role in the preliminary stage of DCs internalizing HSP70-EGFP.With increasing incubation time,pinocytosis begins to dominate.HSP70-EGFP may promote DCs to secret cell factor IL-12.

Leaf traits indicate survival strategies among 42 dominant plant species in a dry, sandy habitat, China

The objective of this paper was to assess the congruency of leaf traits and soil characteristics and to analyze the survival strategies of different plant functional types in response to drought and nutrient-poor environ-ments in the southeastern Ke’erqin Sandy Lands in China.Six leaf traits—leaf thickness(TH),density(DN),specific leaf area(SLA),leaf dry weight to fresh weight ratio(DW/FW),leaf N concentration(N mass),and N resorption efficiency(NRE_(mass))-of 42 plant species were investi-gated at four sites.The correlations between leaf traits and soil characteristics-organic C(OC),total N(TN),total P(TP),and soil moisture(SM)-were examined.We found that the six leaf traits across all the 42 species showed large variations and that DW/FW was negatively correlated with OC,TN,TP,and SM(P<0.05),while other leaf traits showed no significant correlations with soil characteristics.To find the dissimilarity to accommodate environment,a hierarchical agglomerative clustering analysis was made of all the species.All the species clustered into three groups except the Scutellaria baicalensis.Species of group III might be most tolerant of an arid environment,and species of group II might avoid nutrient stress in the nutrient-poor environment,while group I was somewhat intermediate.Therefore,species from the different groups may be selected for use in vegetation restoration of different sites based on soil moisture and nutrient conditions.