Photo-activated microtubule targeting drugs: Advancing therapies for colorectal cancer

Over the years immunotherapy has demonstrably improved the field of cancer treatment.However,achieving long-term survival for colorectal cancer(CRC)patients remains a significant unmet need.Combination immunotherapies incor-porating targeted drugs like MEK or multi-kinase inhibitors have offered some palliative benefit.Nevertheless,substantial gaps remain in the current therapeutic armamentarium for CRC.In recent years,there has been a surge of interest in exploring novel treatment strategies,including the application of light-activated drugs in conjunction with optical devices.This approach holds promise for achie-ving localized and targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents,such as microtubule-targeting drugs,directly to cancerous cells within the colon.

Control of Corruption,Trust in Government,and Voluntary TaxCompliance in South-West,Nigeria

Tax payers’level of compliance behaviour is a major concern to government and tax authorities.Constant losses of tax revenue through bribery,corruption,and abuse of power for personal advantage are perceived to have adversely affected nation’s economic growth and infrastructural development.Many researches have been conducted on taxpayers’compliance,but not many considered the effect of Control of Corruption(COC)in their study.This study looked at the probable influence of COC on individual taxpayers’voluntary tax compliance behaviour in South-West,Nigeria.Survey research design was adopted for the study.Population for the study was 5,216,422 individual taxpayers in three selected states.A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents by means of Stratified and random sampling techniques with a sample size of 1,200 and this gives a response rate of 87.6%.The reliability test using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.86.The study adopts descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data at 0.05 level of significance.The study shows that COC positively influenced voluntary tax compliance among individual taxpayers in the study states(Adj.R2=0.063,F(6,1050)=12.68,p=0.000).There was evidence that trust in government,COC,and employment status have significant relationship with voluntary tax compliance behaviour in the study states(β=0.139,t(1044)=6.125,p=0.000,β=0.154,t(1044)=5.025,p=0.000,β=-0.237,t(1044)=-3.562,p=0.00)while gender,age,and educational level do not have significant relationship with voluntary tax compliance(β=0.036,t(1044)=0.664,p=0.664,β=-0.002,t(1044)=-0.080,p=0.936,β=0.035,t(1044)=1.081,p=0.280),respectively.The study concluded that control of corruption influenced individual voluntary tax compliance.Government should put better stiff strategies in controlling corruption on tax matters,overhaul the internal control mechanism,establish state anti-graft agencies,and put stiff punishment for any fraudulent activity on tax revenue generation while zero tolerance to corruption should be seen and practice.

Comprehensive effects of traditional Chinese medicine treatment on heart failure and changes in B-type natriuretic peptide levels: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Heart failure(HF),a common cardiovascular condition,is characterized by significant morbidity and mortality.While traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)is often used as a complementary approach in HF management,systematic evalua-tions of its impact on clinical outcomes,TCM syndrome scores,and B-type natriuretic peptide(BNP)levels are lacking.This study fills this gap through a comprehensive analysis of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)focusing on TCM for HF treatment.It encompasses an assessment of methodological quality,a meta-analysis,and an evaluation of evidence quality based on established standards.The results offer crucial insights into the potential advantages and constraints of TCM in HF management.RCTs on TCM for HF treatment published since the establishment of the database were searched in four Chinese and English databases,including China National Knowledge Infrastructure,Wanfang,VIP Information Chinese Science and Technology Journal,and PubMed.Methodological quality was assessed for the included studies with the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool,and the meta-analysis and publication bias assessment was performed with the RevMan5.3 software.Finally,the quality of evidence was rated according to the GRADE criteria.RESULTS A total of 1098 RCTs were initially retrieved.After screening,16 RCTs were finally included in our study,which were published between 2020 and 2023.These RCTs involved 1660 HF patients,including 832 in the TCM group[TCM combined with conventional Western medicine(CMW)treatment]and 828 in the CWM group(CWM treatment).The course of treatments varied from 1 wk to 3 months.TCM syndrome differentiation was analyzed in 11 of the included RCTs.In all included RCTs,outcome indicators included comprehensive clinical outcomes,TCM syndrome scores,and BNP levels.The meta-analysis results showed significant differences between the TCM and CWM groups in terms of comprehensive clinical outcomes[risk ratio=-0.54;95%confidence interval(CI)=-0.61,-0.47;P<0.00001],TCM syndrome scores[weighted mean difference(WMD)=-142.07;95%CI=-147.56,-136.57;P<0.00001],and BNP levels(WMD=-142.07;95%CI=-147.56,-136.57;P<0.00001).According to the GRADE criteria,RCTs where"TCM improves clinical comprehensive outcomes"were rated as low-quality evidence,and RCTs where"TCM reduces TCM syndrome scores"or"TCM decreases BNP levels"were rated as medium-quality evidence.CONCLUSION TCM combined with CWM treatment effectively improves comprehensive clinical outcomes and diminishes TCM syndrome scores and BNP levels in HF patients.Given the low and medium quality of the included RCTs,the application of these results should be cautious.

China’s Communist Party Takes on Corruption

The fight against corruption has been one of the top priorities of the Com- munist Party of China （CPC）. Adel Sabry vice chief editor of the Egyptian news- paper AI-Wafd, discussed his perspec- tive on the CPC＇s fight against corrup- tion. His views are as follows：

Author’s Correction

We have made a clerical error in Table 1 on the page of 239, Volume 23, No.4 of Journal of Medical Colleges of PLA (the article is entitled as Expression and role of AQP1 in cervical squamous carcinoma

Author's Letter

To editorial board of Acta Mathematica Scientia(Acta MS) I was shocked when I was informed that the paper entitled"Eigenvalue Problem for the Laplacian Equations"by Shao Zhiqiang and Hong Jiaxing appeared in Acta MS(2007)Series B,no 2.For the past 15 years,I have not had any contact with Mr.Shao Zhiqiang and I have

Medical Journal of Chinese People′s Liberation Army INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Aims andscope of the Journal.Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army(Med J Chin PLA)is a multiple-subjects medical periodical published by the People's Military Medical Press,under the auspice of Department of Health,General Logistics Department of PLA,and it

Medical Journal of Chinese People′s Liberation Army INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Aims andscope of the Journal .Medical Journal of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Med J Chin PLA) is a multiple-subjects medical periodical published by the People’s Military Medical Press,under the auspice of Department ofHealth, General Logistics Department of PLA,andit is issued

Medical Journal of Chinese People′s Liberation Army INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Aims and scope of the Journal. Medical Journal of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (Med J Chin PLA) is a multiple-subjects medical periodical published by the People’s Military Medical Press, under the auspice of Department of Health, General Logistics Department of PLA, and it is issued domestically and abroad. Med J Chin PLA has become one of the source journals of statistics in Chinese Scientific Thesis and Chinese Scientific Quotation Database, the key periodical of multiple-subject medical journals, and is a prize journal of National Periodical Award and one of the Top Hundred Periodicals in China. Med J Chin PLA is issued monthly. Its permanent sections include Expert Forum, Research on Special Topics, Medical Treatises, Experimental Research, Clinical Research, Technology and Methodology, Discussion of Knotty Cases (Pathology), Reviews, Military Medical Sciences, News in Medicine etc. Manuscripts sent by both domestic and overseas writers are welcome. Contribution of reviews is usually invited by the Editors, but recommendations for topics and authors are welcomed.

Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Aims andscope of the Journal .Medical Journal of Chinese People’s Liberation Army ( Med J Chin PLA) is a multiple-subjects medical periodical publishedby the People’s Military Medical Press,under the auspice of Department of Health, General Logistics Department of PLA,andit

Two-stage revision in periprosthetic knee joint infections

Periprosthetic joint infection(PJI)following total knee arthroplasty is one of the most catastrophic and costly complications that carries significant patient wellness as well as economic burdens.The road to efficiently diagnosing and treating PJI is challenging,as there is still no gold standard method to reach the diagnosis as early as desired.There are also international controversies with respect to the best approach to manage PJI cases.In this review,we highlight recent advances in managing PJI following knee arthroplasty surgery and discuss in depth the two-stage revision method.

Negative Evaluation and Author’s Identity Construction in Chinese and English Academic Book Reviews

Evaluation,especially negative evaluation,is an important element in academic book reviews.Unfortunately,previous studies on evaluation strategies in Chinese and English book reviews are still limited in number.Recently,identity construction has been a hot research issue in various fields of social science.However,few studies have ever been conducted on how book reviewers construct various identities with the use of evaluation strategies.As such,this thesis tries to investigate how the negative evaluation,the most direct face-threatening evaluation,are linked closely to author’ s identity construction in Chinese and English book reviews,how the Chinese and English book reviewers make salient their appropriate identities with the skillful use of discourse strategies so as to avoid possible face-threatening.The present study collects fifteen Chinese and fifteen English academic book reviews as research data.An analysis of the data indicates that while there are similarities,there are also distinctive differences in the use of negative evaluation strategies and author’ s identity construction in Chinese and English book reviews.Specifically,with the use of negative evaluation,four important identities are constructed,namely,the author’ s identities as an authoritative writer,a polite and friendly evaluator,a responsible opinion holder and a kind academic ally.

Civil Affairs Authorities Bent on Protecting People's Basic Rights

In response to the global financial crisis,China’s civil affairs au-thorities redoubled their effort in 2009 to improve the livelihood of the Chinese people and protect their basic rights and interests under the constitutional principle of respectingand protecting human rights.