Modulatory effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on chronic metabolic diseases

The increased global incidence of chronic metabolic diseases,a vital threat to human health and a burden on our healthcare systems,includes a series of clinical metabolic syndromes such as obesity,diabetes,hypertension,and dyslipidemia.One of the well-known probiotic microorganisms,Lactiplantibacillus plantarum plays an important role in promoting human health,including inhibiting the occurrence and development of a variety of chronic metabolic diseases.The present study provides an overview of the preventive and therapeutic effects of L.plantarum on diabetes,obesity,non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,kidney stone disease,and cardiovascular diseases in animal models and human clinical trials.Ingesting L.plantarum demonstrated its ability to reduce inflammatory and oxidative stress levels by regulating the production of cytokines and short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),the activity of antioxidant enzymes,and the balance of intestinal microbial communities to alleviate the symptoms of chronic metabolic diseases.Furthermore,updated applications and technologies of L.plantarum in food and biopharmaceutical industries are also discussed.Understanding the characteristics and functions of L.plantarum will guide the development of related probiotic products and explore the modulatory benefit of L.plantarum supplementations on the prevention and treatment of multiple chronic metabolic diseases.

DecodeSTORM:A user-friendly ImageJ plug-in for quantitative data analysis in single-molecule localization microscopy

Quantitative data analysis in single-molecule localization microscopy(SMLM)is crucial for studying cellular functions at the biomolecular level.In the past decade,several quantitative methods were developed for analyzing SMLM data;however,imaging artifacts in SMLM experiments reduce the accuracy of these methods,and these methods were seldom designed as user-friendly tools.Researchers are now trying to overcome these di±culties by developing easyto-use SMLM data analysis software for certain image analysis tasks.But,this kind of software did not pay su±cient attention to the impact of imaging artifacts on the analysis accuracy,and usually contained only one type of analysis task.Therefore,users are still facing di±culties when they want to have the combined use of different types of analysis methods according to the characteristics of their data and their own needs.In this paper,we report an ImageJ plug-in called DecodeSTORM,which not only has a simple GUI for human–computer interaction,but also combines artifact correction with several quantitative analysis methods.DecodeSTORM includes format conversion,channel registration,artifact correction(drift correction and localization¯ltering),quantitative analysis(segmentation and clustering,spatial distribution statistics and colocalization)and visualization.Importantly,these data analysis methods can be combined freely,thus improving the accuracy of quantitative analysis and allowing users to have an optimal combination of methods.We believe DecodeSTORM is a user-friendly and powerful ImageJ plug-in,which provides an easy and accurate data analysis tool for adventurous biologists who are looking for new imaging tools for studying important questions in cell biology.

Baseline radiologic features as predictors of efficacy in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with liver metastases receiving surufatinib

Objective:Currently,pre-treatment prediction of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with liver metastases(PNELM)receiving surufatinib treatment was unsatisfying.Our objective was to examine the association between radiological characteristics and efficacy/prognosis.Methods:We enrolled patients with liver metastases in the phase III,SANET-p trial(NCT02589821)and obtained contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CECT)images.Qualitative and quantitative parameters including hepatic tumor margins,lesion volumes,enhancement pattern,localization types,and enhancement ratios were evaluated.The progression-free survival(PFS)and hazard ratio(HR)were calculated using Cox’s proportional hazard model.Efficacy was analyzed by logistic-regression models.Results:Among 152 patients who had baseline CECT assessments and were included in this analysis,the surufatinib group showed statistically superior efficacy in terms of median PFS compared to placebo across various qualitative and quantitative parameters.In the multivariable analysis of patients receiving surufatinib(N=100),those with higher arterial phase standardized enhancement ratio-peri-lesion(ASER-peri)exhibited longer PFS[HR=0.039;95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.003−0.483;P=0.012].Furthermore,patients with a high enhancement pattern experienced an improvement in the objective response ratio[31.3%vs.14.7%,odds ratio(OR)=3.488;95%CI:1.024−11.875;P=0.046],and well-defined tumor margins were associated with a higher disease control rate(DCR)(89.3%vs.68.2%,OR=4.535;95%CI:1.285−16.011;P=0.019)compared to poorlydefined margins.Conclusions:These pre-treatment radiological features,namely high ASER-peri,high enhancement pattern,and well-defined tumor margins,have the potential to serve as predictive markers of efficacy in patients with PNELM receiving surufatinib.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of heating and melting behaviors of cerium oxide powders in radio frequency thermal plasma

The present study aims at the numerical simulations of the melting process of cerium oxide particles in RF thermal plasma.The physical model and the calculating method were described firstly;the interaction between cerium oxide particles and plasma was analyzed;specific attention was given to the effects of particle initial size,injection velocity on the particle melting and trajectory in plasma.The influence of the temperature field and velocity field distribution of the plasma around the particle trajectory on the melting effect is analyzed,and the relationship between the heat absorption efficiency of the particles and the particle size reduction process is further determined.It is also found that there exists an optimal particle initial injection velocity which led to a more concentrated final particle size distribution and a more significant reduction of particle size.The results could provide effective guidance for understanding the plasma spheroidization process of uranium dioxide and cerium dioxide powder particles.

pN3b期胃癌亚分期预后评估的合理性研究

目的:第8版TNM分期将pN3b期患者纳入分期,这一变化提高了预后评估准确性。然而鲜有研究评价pN3b期患者的预后情况,并且pN3b期病例涵盖的淋巴结转移范围较广,而如此大范围的淋巴结转移患者纳入到同一分期中,其合理性仍属未知。方法:来自国内多中心的642例pN3b期患者纳入本次研究。采用Kaplan-Meier方法及Cox回归分析计算患者的疾病特异生存并确定预后危险因素。利用限制性立方样条模型评估连续变量与死亡风险比关系。转移淋巴结最佳截断值的判断采用X-tile软件计算。结果:642例pN3b期患者5年疾病特异生存率为15.4%。限制性立方样条模型表明淋巴结转移数目与患者死亡风险比呈非线性关系。利用X-tile软件发现pN3b期患者预后的最佳截断值为24,以此节点将pN3b期患者分为pN3b1期与pN3b2期(pN3b1期:16~24 mLNs,pN3b2期≥25 mLNs),两组病例预后具有显著性差异(P=0.048),并且这一亚分期是pN3b期患者预后的独立危险因素。此外,淋巴结送检数目的增加可提高pN3b1亚分期患者预后,但不能为pN3b2期患者带来生存获益。结论:本研究提出新的分类方法可将pN3b病例分为预后显著差异的2个亚分期,后续研究应当探索这一新分类方法在TNM分期中的意义。

Preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio plus platelet-to-lymphocyte ratioin predicting survival for patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱgastric cancer

Background:The preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR) are associated with poor prognosis of gastric cancer.We aimed to determine whether the combination of NLR and PLR(NLR-PLR) could better predict survival of patients after curative resection for stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ gastric cancer.Methods:We collected data from the medical records of patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ gastric cancer undergoing curative resection between December 2000 and November 2012 at the Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center.The preoperative NLRPLR was calculated as follows:patients with both elevated NLR(≥2.1) and PLR(≥ 120) were given a score of 2,and patients with only one or neither were given a score of 1 or 0,respectively.Results:Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests revealed significant differences in overall survival(OS) among patients with NLR-PLR scores of 0,1 and 2(P < 0.001).Multivariate analysis showed that OS was independently associated with the NLR-PLR score[hazard ratio(HR) = 1.51,95%confidence interval(CI) 1.02-2.24,P = 0.039]and TNM stage(HR = 1.36,95%CI 1.01-1.83,P= 0.041).However,other systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores,including the modified Glasgow prognostic score,the prognostic nutritional index,and the combination of platelet count and NLR,were not.In TNM stage-stratified analysis,the prognostic significance of NLR-PLR was maintained in patients with stage Ⅰ(P < 0.001) and stage Ⅱ cancers(P= 0.022).In addition,the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the NLR-PLR score was higher than those of other systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores(P = 0.001).Conclusion:The preoperative NLR-PLR score is a useful predictor of postoperative survival in the patients with stage l-ll gastric cancer and may help identify high-risk patients for rational therapy and timely follow-up.

Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: a multicenter study in South China

Background: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms(GEP-NENs) are a heterogeneous group of rare tumors. Many issues in terms of epidemiologic features, pathogenesis, and treatment of GEP-NENs are still under discussion. Our study aimed to analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of Chinese patients with GEP-NENs.Methods: Complete clinicopathologic data and survival information of 1183 patients with GEP-NENs treated between 2005 and 2015 were collected from five medical centers in Guangdong Province, China. Patient survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and analyzed using the log-rank test; prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results: The most common tumor location was the rectum(37.4%), followed by the pancreas(28.1%), stomach(20.7%), small intestine(7.2%), appendix(3.4%), and colon(3.3%). After initial definitive diagnosis, 1016(85.9%) patients underwent surgery. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival(OS) rates for the entire cohort were 87.9%, 78.5%, and 72.8%, respectively. The 3-year OS rates of patients with G1, G2, and G3 tumors were 93.1%, 82.7%, and 43.1%, respectively(P < 0.001). The 3-year OS rates of patients with stage I, II, III, and IV tumors were 96.0%, 87.3%, 64.0%, and 46.8%, respectively(P < 0.001). Patients with distant metastasis who underwent palliative surgery had a longer survival than those who did not(P = 0.003). Similar survival benefits of palliative surgery were observed in patients with neuroendocrine tumor(P y, M category, and sur= 0.031) or neuroendocrine carcinoma(P gery were found to be independent prog= 0.046). In multivariate analysis, age, grade, N categornostic factors.Conclusions: Patients with GEP-NENs who are women, younger than 50 years old, have smaller tumor size, have lower tumor grade, have lower T/N/M category, and who undergo surgery can have potentially longer survival time. Our data showed that surgery can improve the prognosis of GEP-NEN patients with distant metastasis. However, randomized controlled trials need to be conducted to establish the optimal criteria for selecting patients to undergo surgery.

Validation of clinical significance of examined lymph node count for accurate prognostic evaluation of gastric cancer for the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC) TNM staging system

Objective： To validate the necessity of increasing the examined lymph node （ELN） count for enhancing the accuracy of prognostic evaluation of gastric cancer （GC） patients after curative gastrectomy in multiple medical centers of China.Methods： The clinicopathological data of 7,620 patients who underwent the curative resection for GC between 2001 and 2011 were included to demonstrate whether the ELN count is indispensable for enhancing the accuracy of prognostic evaluation of GC patients after surgery. After a meticulous stratification by using the cut-point survival analysis, all included 7,620 patients were allocated into three groups as： less than 16 （〈16）, between 16 and 30 （16-30）, and more than 30 （〉30） ELNs. Survival differences among various subgroups of GC patients were analyzed to assess the impact of the ELN count on the stage migration in accordance with the overall survival （OS） of GC patients.Results： Survival analyses revealed that the ELN count was positively correlated with the OS （P：0.001） and was an independent prognostic predictor （P〈0.01） of 7,620 GC patients. Stratum analysis showed that the accuracy of prognostic evaluation could be enhanced when the ELN count was no less than 16 （≥16） for node-negative patients and 〉30 for node-positive patients. Stage migrations were mainly detected in the various subgroups of patients with specific pN stages as follows： pN0 with 16-30 ELNs （pN016-30） and pN0 with 〉30 ELNs （pN0〉30）, pN0 with 〈16 ELNs （pN0〈16） and pNl〉30, pNl〈l6 and pN216_30, pNl：6_30 and pN2〉30, pN3a〈l6 and pN3b16-30, and pN3a〈16 and pN3 b〉30. These findings indicate that increasing the ELN count is a prerequisite to guarantee precisely prognostic evaluation of GC patients.Conclusions： The ELN count should be proposed to be 〉30 for acquiring the accurate prognostic evaluadort for GC patients, especially for node-positive patients.

Prognostic nutritional index is an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination

Objective： The predictive and prognostic role of prognostic nutritional index（PNI） in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination remains unclear. This study aims to explore the role of the PNI in predicting outcomes of gastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination.Methods： A total of 660 patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma with peritoneal metastasis between January 2000 and April 2014 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yatsen University were retrospectively analyzed. The clinicopathologic characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with peritoneal dissemination were analyzed.Results： Compared with PNI-high group, PNI-low group was correlated with advanced age（P=0.036）, worse performance status（P0.001）, higher frequency of ascites（P0.001） and higher frequency of multisite distant metastasis（P0.001）. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that PNI-high group had a significantly longer median overall survival than PNI-low group（13.13 vs. 9.03 months, P0.001）. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that Borrmann type IV（P=0.014）, presence of ascites（P=0.017） and lower PNI（P=0.041） were independent poor prognostic factors, and palliative surgery（P0.001） and first-line chemotherapy（P0.001） were good prognostic factors. For patients receiving palliative surgery, the postoperative morbidity rates in the PNI-low group and PNIhigh group were 9.1% and 9.9%, respectively（P=0.797）. The postoperative mortality rate was not significantly different between PNI-low and PNI-high groups（2.3% vs. 0.9%, P=0.362）.Conclusions： PNI is a useful and practical tool for evaluating the nutritional status of gastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination, and is an independent prognostic factor for these patients.

基于lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA的ceRNA网络构建筛选老年胶质母细胞瘤相关lncRNAs

目的:识别老年胶质母细胞瘤患者相关lncRNA(Long non-coding RNA,长链非编码RNA)。方法:从TCGA数据库下载TCGA-GBM RNA-seq、miRNA-seq、clinical数据。将样本按照年龄大于70岁和小于70岁进行分组。利用edgeR软件进行lncRNA、miRNA、mRNA的差异表达分析。利用miRanda软件分别预测miRNA的mRNA靶基因以及miRNA的lncRNA靶基因。针对筛选出的差异lncRNA和差异mRNA,进行表达相关性分析。根据lncRNA-mRNA相关性分析以及miRNA靶基因分析结果,构建ceRNA网络。结果:根据本文的筛选条件共筛选得到48个lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA调控网络。结论:筛选得到7个lncRNA及48个ceRNA网络可作为老年胶质母细胞瘤患者的生物学标志物进行研究。

Prognostic potential of an immune score based on the density of CD8＋ T cells, CD20＋ B cells, and CD33＋/p-STAT1＋ double-positive cells and HMGB1 expression within cancer nests in stage ⅢA gastric cancer patients

Objoctive： There is heterogeneity in the prognosis of gastric cancers staged according to the tumornodes-metastasis （TNM） system. This study evaluated the prognostic potential of an immune score system to supplement the TNM staging system. Mothodsg An immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to assess the density of T cells, B cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells （MDSCs） in cancer tissues from 100 stage IIIA gastric cancer patients; the expression of the high-mobility group protein B1 （HMGB1） was also evaluated in cancer cells. The relationship between the overall survival （OS）, disease-free survival （DFS）, and immunological parameters was analyzed.Results： An immune score system was compiled based on the prognostic role of the density ofT cells, B cells, MDSCs, and the expression of HMGB1 in cancer tissues. The median 5-year survival of this group of patient was 32%. However, the 5-year survival rates of 80.0%, 51.7%, 0%, 5.8%, and 0% varied among the patients with an immune score of 4 to those with an immune score of 0 based on the immune score system, respectively. Similarly, differences in DFS rates were observed among the immune score subgroups. Concluslons： An immune score system could effectively identify the prognostic heterogeneity within stage IliA gastric cancer patients, implying that this immune score system may potentially supplement the TNM staging system, and help in identifying a more homogeneous group of patients who on the basis of prognosis can undergo adjuvant therapy.

A nomogram to predict prognosis for gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination

Objective： To identify independent prognostic factors to be included in a nomogram to predict the prognosis ofgastric cancer patients with peritoneal dissemination.Methods： This is a retrospective study on 684 patients with a histological diagnosis of gastric cancer withperitoneal dissemination from the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center as the development set, and 62 gastriccancer patients from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University as the validation group. Chi-square testand Cox regression analysis were used to compare the clinicopathological variables and the prognosis of gastriccancer patients with peritoneal dissemination. The Harrell＇s concordance index （C-index） and calibration curvewere determined for comparisons of predictive ability of the nomogram.Results： Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that serum carcinoembryonic antigen （CEA） level（P=0.032）, ascites grading （P=0.008）, presence of extraperitoneal metastasis （P〈0.001）, seeding status （P=0.016） andperformance status （P=0.009） were independent prognostic factors for gastric cancer patients with peritonealdissemination in the development set. The nomogram model was constructed using these five factors. Internalvalidation showed that the C-index of the model was 0.641. For the external validation, the C-index of this modelwas 0.709.Conclusions： We developed and validated a nomogram to predict the prognosis for gastric cancer patients withperitoneal dissemination. This nomogram may play an important clinical role in guiding palliative therapy for thesetypes of patients, although it may need more data for optimization.

Suppress voltage decay of lithium-rich materials by coating layers with different crystalline states

Li-rich oxides are considered as the most commercial potential cathode materials due to the high theoretical specific discharge capacity. Here, ZrO_(2) in different crystalline states are applied as the coating layers to enhance the electrochemical performance of hollow Li[Li_(0.2)Mn_(0.54)Ni_(0.13)Co_(0.13)]O_(2) materials.Meanwhile, a series of characterizations(XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX etc.) are conducted to compare the effects of ZrO_(2) coating layer with different crystalline states on the host material. The results elucidate that the Li-rich Mn-based material with the polycrystal ZrO_(2) coating layer has a slight advantage in rate performance, while the host material with the single crystal ZrO_(2)-coating layer has a better cycling performance and effectively suppresses voltage decay with the effect of excellently inhibiting layered to spinel-like phase transition and metal dissolution during charging and discharging process.

Comprehensive treatment of a functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with multifocal liver metastases

A 64-year-old man was admitted to the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center with chief complaints of recurrent abdominal pain and diarrhea for about 3 years and with a history of surgical repair for intestinal perforation owing to stress ulcer. Positron emission tomography （PET）/computed tomography （CT） demonstrated a primary tumor on the pancreatic tail with multifocal liver metastases. Pathological and immunohistochemistry staining revealed the lesion to be a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor （pNET）. According to the latest World Health Organization （WHO, 2013） classification, the tumor was classified as stage IV fimctional G1 pNET. After referral to the multidisciplinary treatment board （MDT）, the patient was started on periodic dose of omeprazole, somatostatin analogues and Interferon α （IFNα） and had scanning follow-ups. Based upon the imaging results, CT-guided radioactive iodine-125 （1251） seeds implantation therapy, radiofrequency ablation therapy （RFA） or microwave ablation technique were chosen for the treatment of the primary tumor. Transarterial chemoembolization （TACE）, RFA and microwave ablation techniques were decided upon for liver metastases. The patient showed beneficial response to the treatment with clinically manageable low-grade side effects and attained partial remission （RECIST criteria） with a good quality of life.

Process Modeling and Control Simulation for a 500W@4.5K Helium Refrigerator

In order to investigate dynamic behaviors of a 500W@ 4.5K helium refrigerator,the process simulator has been completed. The cryogenic process model is described and main components are customized. The realtime communication between the process model and the control system has been achieved. Compared with the preliminary experimental data,the errors of temperatures during the process of 300 K-80 K are less than 10%.The process model is validated to predict the cool-down process very well. The controller parameters are tuned in simulation and applied to the actual refrigerator suitably. Based on the dynamic simulation,the operation of Joule-Thomson( JT) by pass valve has been optimized. And the cool- down process from 300 K to 4. 5 K has been simulated under the control programs. Simulation results indicate that this dynamic simulator based on actual control architecture is available to process control and operation optimization for the helium refrigerators.

Prognostic factors of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors： a cohort study based on high-volume centers

Objective： We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics, immunohistochemical expression and prognostic factors of patients with primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors（GISTs）.Methods： Data from 2,570 consecutive GIST patients from four medical centers in China（January2001–December 2015） were reviewed. Survival curves were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression models were used to identify independent prognostic factors.Results： Of the included patients, 1,375（53.5%） were male, and the patient age range was 18 to 95（median, 58）years. The tumors were mostly found in the stomach（64.5%）, small intestine（25.1%） and colorectal region（5.1%）.At the time of diagnosis, the median tumor size was 4.0（range： 0.1–55.0） cm, and the median mitotic index per 50 high power fields（HPFs） was 3（range： 0–254）. Of the 2,168 resected patients, 2,009（92.7%） received curative resection. According to the modified National Institutes of Health（NIH） classification, 21.9%, 28.9%, 14.1% and35.1% were very low-, low-, intermediate-and high-risk tumors, respectively. The rate of positivity was 96.4% for c-Kit, 87.1% for CD34, 96.9% for delay of germination 1（DOG-1）, 8.0% for S-100, 31.0% for smooth muscle actin（SMA） and 5.1% for desmin. However, the prognostic value of each was limited. Multivariate analysis showed that age, tumor size, mitotic index, tumor site, occurrence of curative resection and postoperative imatinib were independent prognostic factors. Furthermore, we found that high-risk patients benefited significantly from postoperative imatinib（P〈0.001）, whereas intermediate-risk patients did not（P=0.954）.Conclusions： Age, tumor size, mitotic index, tumor site, occurrence of curative resection and postoperative imatinib were independent prognostic factors in patients with GISTs. Moreover, determining whether intermediate-risk patients can benefit from adjuvant imatinib would be of considerable interest in future studies.

Risk-stratification model to select conversion surgery for advanced gastric cancer patients

Objective: Conversion surgery is a surgery with a purpose of R0 resection in primary advanced gastric cancer(GC) that responded well to systemic chemotherapy. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of conversion surgery for advanced GC.Methods: A total of 618 advanced GC patients receiving systemic chemotherapy were stratified into low-,moderate-and high-risk groups based on a nomogram-predicted probability of overall survival. The survival of conversion surgery and chemotherapy alone groups was compared using the log-rank test and Cox regression analysis after propensity score matching(PSM).Results: A nomogram with good discrimination(concordance index: 0.65) and accurate calibration was constructed. After PSM, the median survival time(MST) of conversion surgery was 26.80 months, compared with16.60 months of chemotherapy alone(P<0.001). Conversion surgery was associated with a longer MST for patients in the low-risk group(30.40 months vs. 20.90 months, P=0.013), whereas it was not associated with prolonged survival in the moderate-and high-risk groups(P=0.221 and P=0.131, respectively).Conclusions: Conversion surgery was associated with longer survival, especially for low-risk population.

Definition of failure criterion for frozen soil under directional shear-stress path

A series of directional shear tests on remolded frozen soil was carried out at 10°C by using a hollow cylinder apparatus to study failure criterion under a directional shear-stress path.Directional shear tests were conducted at five shear rates(10,20,30,40,and 50 kPa/min)and five intermediate principal stress coefficients(b=0,0.25,0.5,0.75,and 1),with the mean principal stress(p=4.5 MPa)kept constant.The results show that the torsional strength and the generalized strength both increase with the increase of the shear rates.According to the failure modes of frozen soil under different shear rates,the specimens present obvious plastic failure and shear band;and the torsional shear component dominates the failure modes of hollow cylindrical specimens.A shear rate of 30 kPa/min is chosen as the loading rate in the directional shear tests of frozen soil.The shape of the failure curve in theπplane is dependent on the directional anglesαof the major prin cipal stress.It is reasonable to use the strain-hardening curves to define the deviatoric stress value atγg=15%(generalized shear strain)as the failure criterion of frozen soil under a directional shear-stress path.

一种对进展期胃癌病理检出淋巴结数量有限或足量的均质化分期方法

背景与目的病理送检淋巴结数量有限(examined lymph nodes,eLNs<16)的胃癌患者与送检数量足量(eLNs≥16)的患者相比预后更差,但是临床上均使用美国癌症联合委员会(American Joint CommitteeonCancer,AJCC)的TNM分期系统和相同的淋巴结分期。本研究的目的是制订一种在临床上简便可行的分期方法,使这两类患者的分期均质化。方法采用第8版AJCC病理淋巴结(nodal,N)和浸润深度-淋巴结-远处转移(tumor-node-metastasis,TNM)分期系统进行分期,然后再根据病理送检的淋巴结(lymph nodes,LNs)数量分为送检数量有限(eLNs<16)和送检数量足量(eLNs≥16)的两个eLNs组。通过比较两组的5年总生存期(overall survival,OS)之间的差异,将eLNs<16组的生存期与eLNs≥16组的生存期进行配对,利用本研究提出的新的改良的淋巴结分期(N’)和TNM分期(TN’M),将eLNs<16组的患者的N分期和TNM分期进行重新分期。然后将N’和TN’M分期的预后效能与第8版AJCC的N分期和TNM分期系统,以及基于淋巴结比率(lymph node ratio,LNR)的淋巴结分期系统进行比较。结果在相同淋巴结亚组下,eLNs<16和eLNs≥16的两组队列的5年OS均存在显著性差异(P<0.001)。eLNs<16组中的N0、N1、N2和N3a亚组分别对应eLNs≥16组中的N1、N2、N3a和N3b,5年OS无显著性差异(P值分别为0.853、0.476、0.114和0.230)。因此我们提出了一种新的分期方法,将来自eLNs<16组的患者的淋巴结分期归入相对N分期更高一级别的淋巴结分期,称为N’分期。与第8版AJCC N分期和LNR分期相比,本研究提出的新型分期方法显示出更好的分层和预后预测效能[Akaike information criterion values(AIC):12,276vs.12,358vs.12,283]。与第8版AJCCTNM分期相比,TN’M分期也显示出更好的预后预测效能(AIC值:12,252 vs.12,312)。结论本研究提出的新型淋巴结分期方法为病理检查淋巴结数量有限与足量的胃癌患者群体进行了均质化分期,是一种临床实用且可靠的方法。

The immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta in mice as an immunomodulator for functional foods

This study was to explore the immunity-promoting activity of porcine placenta as a potential raw material for functional foods.Porcine placenta was subjected to the analysis for its bioactive substances,and their immunity-promoting activity was determined in mice supplemented with porcine placenta extract(PPE)and freeze-dried porcine placenta powder at high(PPH)and low(PPL)dosage.Results showed that porcine placenta contained placental peptides and 15 free amino acids,and the amounts of estrogen and progesterone in products developed from porcine placenta were within the limit of national standard.Mice model experiment revealed that compared with the control,the PPH treatment significantly improved the spleen index(P<0.05)by increasing the phagocytic rate of macrophages from 20%to 60%and the conversion rate of T lymphocytes from 8%to 60%.The q PCR analysis disclosed that the porcine placenta powder enhanced mice immunity via promoting the expression of Th1 cytokines of interleukin-2(IL-2)and IFN-γ,especially the former,by almost 8 times in the spleens of male mice,while inhibited Th2 cytokines of IL-4 and IL-10.This investigation has provided a reference for the development of porcine placenta as a raw material applied in functional foods to improve human immunity.