庄子传记的新尝试——读王充闾《逍遥游——庄子传》

庄子是我国伟大的思想家,他的思想沾溉后人,非一代也。关于他的生平,却极少资料。即便他的思想,也是人言各殊,尤其近代之后的以西解庄,更是增添了许多迷惑。王充闾《逍遥游——庄子传》采取了很多实地调查,采集民间传说,广征文献,对于庄子生平的研究有新的进展,所作结论,大皆平实之言。对庄子思想的言说,也颇见功力,虽有一些隔膜之处,但亦难得了。

Response of Invasive Plant Alligatorweed to Salt Stress at Early Growth Stage

[Objective] The study aimed to investigate the early growth stage＇s response of invasive plant alligatorweed（Alternanthera philoxeroides） under salt stress.[Method] The alligatorweed was cultivated with four different NaCl concentrations 0（control）, 100, 200, 300 mmol/L diluted in 1/2 Hoagland＇s solution at early stage.During the period, we measured the number of nodes and leaves, length, fresh weight, dry weight and water content of stems to determine the effect of salt on alligatorweed growth. [Result] Compared with control, the node number, leaf number,length, fresh weight and dry weight of the stems significantly changed in NaCl solution, and the difference was positively related to NaCl concentration. We concluded that middle and high concentrations of NaCl significantly inhibited the growth of alligatorweed, by suppressing the node number, leaf number, length, fresh weight and dry weight of the stems. Among them, the stem length and fresh weight were more sensitive to NaCl stress. [Conclusion] The present result is helpful to understand the alligatorweed＇s adaptability to saline environment, and also helpful to prevent its invasion in such environment.

Effect of adrenomedullin on neuron apoptosis, infarction volume and expression of Egr-1 mRNA after focal ischemia-reperfusion in rats

Objective To observe the influence of adrenomedullin （ADM） on neuron apoptosis, infarction volume of brain, and the expression of early growth response 1 （Egr-1） mRNA in ischemia-reperfusion rats. Methods The arteria cerebri media was tied for 2 h to construct the ischemia model. Infarction volume was detected by triphenltetrazolium chloride （T＇I＇C） staining, neuronal apoptosis and necrosis was detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick labeling （TUNEL） method, and the Egr-1 mRNA expression was examined by in situ hybridization （ISH）. Results Infarction volume after ischemia-reperfusion is （269 ± 20） mm^3. Infarction volume after injection of ADM through different ways are femoral vein （239 ± 17） mm^3 （decreased by 11.2%）, arteria carotis （214 ± 14） mm^3 （by 20.4%） and lateral cerebral ventricle （209 ± 13） mm^3 （by 22.3%）, respectively. The results indicate that injecting ADM through arteria carotis and lateral cerebral ventricle is much more effective than it through femoral vein （P 〈 0.05）. The TUNEL-positive cells in cerebral cortex or hippocampus are few in the sham operation group, but much more in the ischemia-reperfusion group. After being supplied with ADM, especially through arteria carotis interna or lateral cerebral ventricle way, the TUNEL-positive cells decreased obviously. Expression of Egr- 1 mRNA was low in the cerebral cortex of the sham operation group rats, enhanced in the ischemia and reperfusion group rats, and enhanced markedly after treatment with ADM, especially through arteria carotis interna or lateral cerebral ventricle way （P 〈 0.01）. Conclusion Injection of ADM through different ways could alleviate neural dysfunction, decrease neuron apoptosis and brain infarction volume, and increase the expression of Egr- 1 mRNA.

Synthesis and paste properties of octenyl succinic anhydride modified early Indica rice starch

Octenyl succinic anhydride （OSA） modified early Indica rice starch was prepared in aqueous slurry systems using response surface methodology. The paste properties of the OSA starch were also investigated. Results indicated that the suitable parameters for the preparation of OSA starch from early Indica rice starch were as follows： reaction period 4 h, reaction temperature 33.4℃, pH of reaction system 8.4, concentration of starch slurry 36.8% （in proportion to water, w/w）, amount of OSA 3% （in proportion to starch, w/w）. The degree of substitution was 0.0188 and the reaction efficiency was 81.0%. The results of paste properties showed that with increased OSA modification, the starch derivatives had higher paste clarity, decreased retrogradation and better freeze-thaw stability.

Application of extension theory in risk zoning of debris flow in Beijing

The occurrence of debris flow is affected by many factors. Risk zoning of debris flow plays a vital role in the early-warning and prediction of abrupt geological hazards, and exploration of new method is needed in the early-warning and prediction of geological hazards. The extension theory is a new method to solve contradiction matters. Based on extension theory, AHP and GIS, the risk zoning model of debris flow was established in this paper. The result of this research provides a new way in the risk zoning, early-warning and prediction of debris flow

Involvement of MAPK/ERK kinase-ERK pathway in exogenous bFGF-induced Egr-1 binding activity enhancement in anoxia-reoxygenation injured astrocytes

Objective Intravenous administration of basic fibroblast growth factor （bFGF） is effective to reduce the volume of cerebral infract due to ischemia. This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanism, especially the signal transduction pathways, involved in this protective role of bFGF. Methods Anoxia-reoxygenation treated atrocytes were used to study the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase （MAPK/ERK kinase, MEK）-ERK signaling pathway after exogenous bFGF administration by Western blot. Electrophoretic mobile shift assay was used to detect the binding activity of early growth response factor-1 （Egr-1）, an important transcription factor for endogenous bFGF. Results bFGF could protect some signal transduction proteins from the oxygen-derived free radicals induced degradation. ERK1/2 was activated and involved in Egr-1 binding activity enhancement induced by exogenous bFGF. Conclusion MEK-ERK MAPK cascade may be an important signal transduction pathway contributed to bFGF induced enhancement of Egr-1 binding activity in anoxia-reoxygenation injured astrocytes.

The application of breast DCE-MRI combined with time signal curve in diagnosing early breast cancer

Objective： The aim of this study was to investigate the application value of breast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging combined with time signal curve in diagnosis of early breast cancer. Methods： Conducted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and drew the time signal curves of breast lesions in 60 patients with breast disease （malignant 46, benign 14）. Results： Morphological features of malignant tumors mostly showed blurred or thin spiculate outlines, irregular shape or Iobular signs, signal heterogeneity or peripheral enhancement in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Time signal curve showed type III or II. Morphologic features of benign tumors mostly showed clear edge, regular shape and homogeneous signal, or diffuse spot enhancement. Time signal curve showed type I or II. Conclusion： breast dynamic contrast enhanced scan in MRI can provide morphology and functional diagnosis information of the breast tissues. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI combined with time signal curve can further improve the accuracy of diagnosis of early breast cancer.

A microarray-based gastric carcinoma prewarning system

AIM: To develop a microarray-based prewarning system consisting of gastric cancer chip, prewarning data and analysis software for early detection of gastric cancer and pre-cancerous lesions. METHODS: Two high-density chips with 8 464 human cDNA sites were used to primarily identify potential genes specific for normal gastric mucosa, pre-cancerous lesion and gastric cancer. The low-density chips, composed of selected genes associated with normal gastric mucosa, precancerous lesion and gastric cancer, were fabricated and used to screen 150 specimens including 60 specimens of gastric cancer, 60 of pre-cancerous tissues and 30 of normal gastric mucosa. CAD software was used to screen out the relevant genes and their critical threshold values of expression levels distinguishing normal mucosa from pre-cancerous lesion and cancer. All data were stored in a computer database to establish a prewarning data library for gastric cancer. Two potential markers brcaal and ndr1 were identified by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: A total of 412 genes associated with three stages of gastric cancer development were identified. There were 216 genes displaying higher expression in gastric cancer, 85 genes displaying higher expression in pre-cancerous lesion and 88 genes displaying higher expression in normal gastric mucosa. Also 15 genes associated with metastasis of gastric cancer and 8 genes associated with risk factors were screened out for target genes of diagnosis chip of early gastric cancer. The threshold values of 412 selected genes to distinguish gastric cancer, pre-cancerous lesion from normal gastric mucosa were defined as 6.01±2.40, 4.86±1.94 and 5.42±2.17, respectively. These selected 412 genes and critical threshold values were compiled into an analysis software, which can automatically provide reports by analyzing the results of 412 genes obtained by examining gastric tissues. All data were compiled into a prewarning database for gastric cancer by CGO software. Northern blot and immunohistochemistry analysis confirmed that gene and protein of brcaa1 displayed lower expression in normal gastric mucosa and higher expression in gastric cancer tissues, conversely, ndr1 displayed lower expression in gastric cancer and higher expression in normal gastric mucosa. CONCLUSION: The microarray-based prewarning system for gastric cancer was developed. This system consisted of gastric cancer-associated gene chip, prewarning data and analysis software, which has a high potential for applications in the early detection of gastric cancer. The two potential markers brcaal and ndr1 identified may be used to distinguish cancer status fand non-cancer status.

Endoscopic mucosal resection of early gastric cancer: Experiences in Korea

Endoscopic mucosal resection （EMR） has been established as one of the treatment options for early gastric cancer （EGC）. However, there are many uncertain areas such as indications of EIR, best treatment methods, management of complications and follow-up methods after the procedure. Host studies on this topic have been carried out by researchers in Japan. In Korea, gastric cancer is the most common malignant disease, and the second leading cause of cancer death. In these days, EIR for EGC is widely performed in many centers in Korea. In this review, we will provide an overview of the bechniques and outcomes of EIR in Korea.

Evaluation of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in monitoring early response of locally advanced breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Objective： The aim of our study was to assess the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging （DMRI） in predicting early response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy （NAC） in patients with locally advanced breast cancer （LABC） and to assess the accuracy of DMRI in evaluating residual disease after NAC. Methods： DMRI were per- formed in 43 women with LABC （44 lesions, all were invasive ductal carcinoma） before, after the first and final cycle of NAC. Tumour volume, early enhanced ratio （El）, maximum enhanced ratio （Emax）, and maximum enhanced time （Tmax）, dynamic signal intensity-time curve were obtained during treatment. Residual tumour volumes obtained using DMRI were compared with pathological findings to assess the accuracy of DMRI. Results： After 1st cycle of NAC, the mean volume of responders decreased insignificantly, P 〉 0.05, but after NAC, mean volume of residual tumor decreased significantly （P 〈 0.01）. Morphol- ogy change： 29 cases showed a concentric shrinkage pattern while 7 cases showed a dendritic shrinkage pattern. Significant differences were found in El, Emax and Tmax between responders and non-responders （P 〈 0.05）. After 1st cycle of NAC, El, Emax and Tmax of responders changed significantly （P 〈 0.001）; while there is no significant change in non-responders （P 〉 0.05）. After NAC, dynamic signal intensity-time types were changed in responders, and tended to be significantly flat- tening, while no significant change was found in non-responders. The residual tumour volume correlation coefficient between DMRI and pathology measurements was very high （r = 0.866, P = 0.000）. Conclusion： DMRI is useful to evaluate the early response to NAC in LABC. The presence and volume of residual disease in LABC patients treated with NAC could be ac- curately evaluated by DMRI.

RESPONSE OF EARLY STAGE BULKY CERVICAL SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA TO PREOPERATIVE ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY

Objective To investigate the potential role of preoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on early stage cervical squamous carcinoma with bulky tumor. Methods One hundred and forty-five patients with cervical squamous cancer stagesⅠb-Ⅱa were investigated, among which17 patients with bulky tumors (≥4 cm) were managed by cisplatin-based chemotherapy for 1-2 courses followed by radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy (BC group). The change of tumor size, pelvic lymph nodes metastasis, cervical wall invasion, the involvement of surgical specimen margin, and the blood loss during operation were assessed after opera-tion and compared with those in 51 patients with bulky tumors (BN group) and 77 patients with small local tumors (S group) who underwent surgery directly. Results (1) The tumor size of 17 patients in BC group were decreased in various degrees after chemotherapy, with 13 pati-ents of clinical effectiveness (76.47%). And the responsiveness pertained to neither histological differentiation nor size of local tumors. (2) Post-operative histology has showed that patients in BC and BN group have higher incidence of lymph node metastasis and deep cervical infiltration (5/68 and 3/68, respectively) than in S group (1/77 and 1/77, respectively) while with no statistical significance. (3) Blood loss during operation in BC group was less than BN and S group. (4) Seventeen patients, including those underwent surgeries of vaginal prolongation and/or ovarian transposition, appeared disease-free survival within the follow-up time. Conclusions Most of patients with bulky early stage cervical squamous carcinoma are sensitive to cisplatin-based chem-otherapy, which could greatly reduce local tumor size and in turn facilitate the following operation by well controlling blood loss.

Ammonia Volatilization from Soils Fertilized with Different Nitrogen Type and Application Method in Germination and Early Seedling Stages from the Radish Field

Ammonia volatilization(AV) from basal fertilizer with different nitrogen(N) types and application methods was investigated by the ventilation method in germination and early seedling stages during radish growth seasons in 2014. Four N fertilizer types, urea(U), ammonium bicarbonate(AB), ammonia sulfate(AS), and controlled urea formaldehyde(CUF) were applied through 5 cm depth placement(I) and 10 cm depth placement(II). The results showed that the N fertilizer type was the main factor that caused AV loss in germination and early seedling stages from the radish field. The highest and the lowest cumulative AV losses in germination and early seedling stages from the radish fields were 33.23 and 11.21 N kg/hm^2 for the treatments of AB+I and CUF+II, respectively, accounting for 60.40 and 26.40% of the N application for each treatment. The 10 cm deep placement of N reduced AV rates and lagged the AV process, and CUF significantly reduced ammonia volatilization. The data showed that the suitable N fertilizer type and application method for basal fertilizer were CUF and deep placement, respectively.Therefore, fertilizing with proper N fertilizer types and methods should be the efficient measures to mitigate AV losses from the radish field and will alleviate environment problems.

Early Growth Response gene 1 (Egr-1) regulates HSV-1 ICP4 and ICP22 gene expression

The molecular mechanisms mediating herpes simplex virus type 1 （HSV- 1） gene silencing during latent infection are not clear. Five copies of early growth response gene 1 （Egr-1） binding elements were identified in the intron of HSVol ICP22 （infected cell protein No. 22） gene, leading to the hypothesis that Egro 1 binds to the viral genome and regulates the viral gene expression. Transient co-transfection assays indicated that Egr-1 negatively regulated the transcription of both full-length and intron-removed ICP22 promoters. The same assays also revealed that Egr-1 repressed ICP4 （infected cell protein No. 4） promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner but showed less inhibition when the intron was removed. Histone deacetylation was not involved in this regulation since histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A did not exhibit any effect on Egr-l-mediated repression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that Egr-1 reduced the binding of Spl to the promoters and that the co-repressor Nab2 （NGFI-A/EGRl-binding protein） was recruited to the proximity of ICP4 in the presence of Egr-1. These results suggested that the multi functional transcription factor Egr-1 can repress HSV-1 immediate-early gene expression through the recruitment ofco-repressor Nab2 and reduction of Sp 1 occupancy, and thus may play a critical role in HSV-1 gene silencing during latency.

Modified Self-adaptive Immune Genetic Algorithm for Optimization of Combustion Side Reaction of p-Xylene Oxidation

In recent years, immune genetic algorithm (IGA) is gaining popularity for finding the optimal solution for non-linear optimization problems in many engineering applications. However, IGA with deterministic mutation factor suffers from the problem of premature convergence. In this study, a modified self-adaptive immune genetic algorithm (MSIGA) with two memory bases, in which immune concepts are applied to determine the mutation parameters, is proposed to improve the searching ability of the algorithm and maintain population diversity. Performance comparisons with other well-known population-based iterative algorithms show that the proposed method converges quickly to the global optimum and overcomes premature problem. This algorithm is applied to optimize a feed forward neural network to measure the content of products in the combustion side reaction of p-xylene oxidation, and satisfactory results are obtained.

Early aggressive therapy for severe extensive ulcerative colitis

The current ulcerative colitis （UC） treatment algorithm involves a step-up therapeutic strategy, mainly aiming at inducing and maintaining its clinical remission. Although this therapeutic strategy may seem to be cost-efficient and reduce the risk of side effects, recent trials and case reports have shown that top-down therapy using infliximab induces a rapid clinical response, enhances patient quality of life, promotes mucosal healing, reduces surgeries and indirect cost of treatment for patients with severe UC. Moreover, since long-term treatment with infliximab is safe and well tolerated, early aggressive top-down therapeutic strategy may be a more effective approach, at least in a subgroup of severe extensive UC patients.

APRI as a predictor of early viral response in chronic hepatitis C patients

AIM:To evaluate the aspartate aminotransferase(AST) to platelet ratio index(APRI) as a predictive factor of early viral response in chronic hepatitis C naive patients.METHODS:We performed an ambispective case-control study.We enrolled chronic hepatitis C naive patients who were evaluated to start therapy with PEGylated interferon α-2b(1.5 μg/kg per week) and ribavirin(>75 kg:1200mg and <75kg:1000mg).Patients were allocated into two groups,group 1:Hepatitis C patients with early viral response(EVR),group 2:Patients without EVR.Odds ratio(OR) and 95% confi dence interval(CI) were calculated to assess the relationship between each risk factor and the EVR in both groups.RESULTS:During the study,80 patients were analyzed,45 retrospectively and 35 prospectively.The mean ± SD age of our subjects was 42.9 ± 12 years;weight 70 kg(±11.19),AST 64.6 IU/mL(±48.74),alanine aminotransferase(ALT) 76.3 IU/mL(±63.08) and platelets 209000 mill/mm3(±84 429).Fifty-five(68.8%) were genotype 1 and 25(31.3%) were genotype 2 or 3;the mean hepatitis C virus RNA viral load was 2 269 061 IU/mL(±7220266).In the univariate analysis,APRI was not associated with EVR [OR 0.61(95% CI 0.229-1.655,P=0.33)],and the absence of EVR was only associated with genotype 1 [OR 0.28(95% CI 0.08-0.94,P=0.034)].After adjustment in a logistic regression model,genotype 1 remains signifi cant.CONCLUSION:APRI was not a predictor of EVR in chronic hepatitis C;Genotype 1 was the only predictive factor associated with the absence of EVR in our patients.

TeachingmA Way of Implementing Statistical Methods for Ordinal Data to Researchers

The use of questionnaires, rating scales and other kinds of ordered classifications is unlimited and interdisciplinary, so it can take long time before novel statistical methods presented in statistical journals reach researchers of applied sciences. Therefore. teaching is an effective way of introducing novel methods to researchers at an early stage. Assessments on scales produce ordinal data having rank-invariant properties only, which means that suitable statistical methods are non-parametric and often rank-based. These limited mathematical properties have been taken into account in the research regarding development of statistical methods for paired ordinal data. The aim is to present a statistical method for paired ordinal data that has been successfully implemented to researchers from various disciplines together with statisticians attending interactive problem solving courses of biostatistics.

Genes of the adaptive immune system are expressed early in zebrafish larval development following lipopolysaccharide stimulation

Information regarding immunocompetence of the adaptive immune system （AIS） in zebrafish Danio rerio remains limited. Here, we stimulated an immune response in fish embryos, larvae and adults using lipopolysaccharide （LPS） and measured the upregulation of a number of AIS-related genes （Rag2, AID, TCRAC, IgLC-1, mIg, slg, IgZ and DAB） 3 and 18 h later. We found that all of the genes evaluated were strongly induced following LPS stimulation, with most of them responding at 8 d post fertilization. This confirms that a functional adaptive immune response is present in D. rerio larvae, and provides a window for further functional analyses.

Application of empirical mode decomposition in early diagnosis of magnetic memory signal

In order to eliminate noise interference of metal magnetic memory signal in early diagnosis of stress concentration zones and metal defects, the empirical mode decomposition method combined with the magnetic field gradient characteristic was proposed. A compressive force periodically acting upon a casing pipe led to appreciable deformation, and magnetic signals were measured by a magnetic indicator TSC-1M-4. The raw magnetic memory signal was first decomposed into different intrinsic mode functions and a residue, and the magnetic field gradient distribution of the subsequent reconstructed signal was obtained. The experimental results show that the gradient around 350 mm represents the maximum value ignoring the marginal effect, and there is a good correlation between the real maximum field gradient and the stress concentration zone. The wavelet transform associated with envelop analysis also exhibits this gradient characteristic, indicating that the proposed method is effective for early identifying critical zones.

Experimental Study of Osmotic Dehydration of Date （Phoenix dactylifera L,）： Application for Lemsi Cultivars

The cultivar date Lemsi is well known in the coastal oasis of Tunisia for both its quality stage ＂blah＂ and its earliness. This variety is characterized by its astringent taste and has never been studied extensively. An osmotic dehydration treatment is necessary to improve the quality of the final product for maintaining its integrity. Thus, it is a preservation technique that is often used as pretreatment to obtain partially dehydrated fruit. In this experimental study, the cultivar date Lemsi were cut into cubes of 1 cm3 and were immersed in sucrose solutions of 50%, 60% and 70% at 20℃ for 0-240 min. The moisture content, the solute gain, the water loss and the ratio WL/SG are determined and discussed. The results deduced from this work have showed that sugar gain SG, water loss WL and the ratio WL/SG are increased with concentration of osmotic solution. Likewise, the osmotic dehydration treatment need to be followed of a convective drying to ensure the quality of the final product.