贵州草海国家级自然保护区周边开展学校环境教育的实践——由草海迪斯尼环境教育项目引发的思考

该文回顾了草海迪斯尼环境教育项目的实施过程,包括组织草海当地的小学教师编写乡土教材《家在威宁草海》;针对编写乡土教材及环境教育教学活动组织培训;成立课外活动小组,举办冬夏季生态营等。总结了该项目所发挥的作用、存在的问题以及原因分析;对草海自然保护区以及其他保护区开展学校环境教育提出了建设性的意见。

Nkx2-1:a novel tumor biomarker of lung cancer

Nkx2-1 (Nkx homeobox-1 gene), also known as TTF-1 (thyroid transcription factor-1), is a tissue-specific transcription factor of the thyroid, lung, and ventral forebrain. While it has been shown to play a critical role in lung development and lung cancer differentiation and morphogenesis, molecular mechanisms mediating Nkx2-1 cell- and tissue-specific expression in normal and cancerous lungs have yet to be fully elucidated. The recent identification of prognostic biomarkers in lung cancer, particularly in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC), and the different reactivity of patients to chemotherapeutic drugs have opened new avenues for evaluating patient survival and the development of novel effective therapeutic strategies. The function of Nkx2-1 as a proto-oncogene was recently characterized and the gene is implicated as a contributory factor in lung cancer development. In this review, we summarize the role of this transcription factor in the development, diagnosis, and prognosis of lung cancer in the hope of providing insights into the utility of Nkx2-1 as a novel biomarker of lung cancer.

Preoperative serum lipid profile and outcome in nonmetastatic colorectal cancer

Objective: A large portion of non-metastatic colorectal cancers (non-mCRCs) recur after curative surgery. In addition to the traditional tumor-related factors, host-related factors are also required to accurately predict prognosis. A few studies have shown an association between the serum lipid profile and the survival and treatment response of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the prognostic significance of the preoperative serum lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)] in patients with non-mCRC treated with curative surgery. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze associations between lipid levels and categorical variables. Lipid levels were modeled as four equal-sized quartiles based on the distribution among the whole cohort. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survival probabilities, and the log-rank test was used to detect differences between them. Multivariate fractional polynomial (MFP) analysis was used to model any non-linear effects and avoid categorization. To evaluate the added prognostic value of lipids, the predictive power of two models (with and without lipids as covariates) was compared by using Harrell's C-statistic and the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Results: A total of 266 patients with non-mCRC were enrolled in the present study. Spearman rank correlation test showed that TG levels inversely correlated with N stage (r ? ?0.20, P ? 0.00) and Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage (r ? ?0.19, P ? 0.00). HDL-C levels positively correlated with perineural invasion (PNI) (r ? 0.15, P ? 0.02), and LDL-C levels inversely correlated with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (r ? ?0.12, P ? 0.04). None of the four lipids predicted overall survival (OS) in univariate or multivariate analyses adjusted for age, gender, T stage, N stage, TNM stage, histological grade, tumor deposits, LVI, PNI, and adjuvant treatment (all P > 0.05). In agreement, the Kaplan-Meier curves for OS according to the lipid quartiles were not significantly different, as confirmed by the log-rank test (all P>0.05). MFP analysis also found no significant associations between lipid levels and OS (all P>0.05). A prognostic model that included lipids had a higher Harrell's C-statistic and a lower AIC value than did a model that did not include lipids (for Harrell's C-statistic:0.82 vs. 0.77;for AIC:398 vs. 432). Conclusion: Measuring preoperative serum lipid levels may be a simple and cost-effective way of increasing prognostic accuracy in patients with non-mCRC treated with curative surgery.

Diagnostic value of optic disc retinal nerve fiber layer thickness for diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Objective:To investigate the value of optic disc retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness in the diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy(DPN).Methods:Ninety patients with type 2 diabetes,including 60 patients without DPN(NDPN group)and 30 patients with DPN(DPN group),and 30 healthy participants(normal group)were enrolled.Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure the four quadrants and the overall average RNFL thickness of the optic disc.The receiver operator characteristic curve was drawn and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the diagnostic value of RNFL thickness in the optic disc area for DPN.Results:The RNFL thickness of the DPN group was thinner than those of the normal and NDPN groups in the overall average((101.07±12.40)μm vs.(111.07±6.99)μm and(109.25±6.90)μm),superior quadrant((123.00±19.04)μm vs.(138.93±14.16)μm and(134.47±14.34)μm),and inferior quadrant((129.37±17.50)μm vs.(143.60±12.22)μm and(144.48±14.10)μm),and the differences were statistically significant.The diagnostic efficiencies of the overall average,superior quadrant,and inferior quadrant RNFL thicknesses,and a combined index of superior and inferior quadrant RNFL thicknesses were similar,and the AUCs were 0.739(95%confidence interval(CI)0.635–0.826),0.683(95%CI 0.576–0.778),0.755(95%CI 0.652–0.840),and 0.773(95%CI 0.672–0.854),respectively.The diagnostic sensitivity of RNFL thickness in the superior quadrant reached 93.33%.Conclusions:The thickness of the RNFL in the optic disc can be used as a diagnostic method for DPN.