A comparison of various lignin-extraction methods to enhance the accessibility and ease of enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulosic component of steam-pretreated poplar.

Background: Current single-stage delignification-pretreatment technologies to overcome lignocellulosic biomass recalcitrance are usually achieved at the expense of compromising the recovery of the polysaccharide components, particularly the hemicellulose fraction. One way to enhance overall sugar recovery is to tailor an efficient two-stage pretreatment that can pre-extract the more labile hemicellulose component before subjecting the cellulose-rich residual material to a second-stage delignification process. Previous work had shown that a mild steam pretreatment could recover >65% of the hemicellulose from poplar while limiting the acid-catalysed condensation of lignin.

Overexpression of miR-155 in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma and its oncogenic effect through targeting FOXO3a.

MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is overexpressed in numerous human cancer types and has an oncogenic role. Previous study has revealed that miR-155 serves an important role in the progression of clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); however, the underlying mechanism was not completely clarified. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role of miR-155 in ccRCC and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Handheld Electrical Impedance Myography Probe for Assessing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a novel, noninvasive, and painless technique for quantitatively assessing muscle health as well as disease status and progression. The preparatory work for commercial adhesive electrodes used in previous EIM measurements is tedious, as the electrodes need to be cut, repeatedly applied, and removed. Moreover, the electrode distances need to be measured many times.

Trans-synaptic degeneration of motoneurons distal to chronic cervical spinal cord compression in cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Objective: To assess the effect of chronic cervical spinal cord compression upon remote motor unit function in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).

Methods: Fifty-three CSM patients and 47 healthy subjects were included. Bilateral motor unit number estimations (MUNEs) were recorded from both abductor digiti minimi and abductor pollicis brevis, and bilateral flexor carpi radialis (FCR) H-reflexes were examined in all subjects along with the nine-hole peg test (NHPT).

Electrical impedance myography for discriminating traumatic peripheral nerve injury in the upper extremity.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of electrical impedance myography (EIM), which is sensitive to the changes in muscle structure and physiology, in discriminating traumatic peripheral nerve injury (TPNI) in the upper extremity. To identify factors that primarily influence muscle atrophy secondary to nerve injury.

Methods: Thirty-nine patients with TPNI underwent EIM measurement and standard electromyography tests for multiple muscles in the upper extremity.

Garmultins A-G, Biogenetically Related Polycyclic Acylphloroglucinols from Garcinia multiflora.

Garmultins A and B (1 and 2), two polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols characterized by the coupling of two novel cages, 2,11-dioxatricyclo[4.4.1.

[Hyperspectral inversion of soil water and salt content in soils with different textures].

In order to monitor soil water and salt content of saline soil conveniently and quickly, this paper took the typical salinization irrigation district of Xinjiang as the research object, obtained the spectral curve of soil water and salt content by using portable spectrometers based on the hyperspectral technology, transformed the original spectra of soil using the first order differential, second order differential and continuum removal methods. The results showed that the transformation of the original spectral data was beneficial to fingerprint band extraction of soil properties, and the method was not same in soils with different textures. In loam soil, continuum removal analysis was the best method for extraction of characteristic bands when the soil water content was 0% and 10%, first order differential equations were the best method when the soil water content was 15%, and second order differential equations were the best method when the soil water content was 19%.

[Effects of Straw in Combination with Reducing Fertilization Rate on Soil Nutrients and Enzyme Activity in the Paddy-Vegetable Rotation Soils].

The effects of straw returning combined the reducing application of chemical fertilizer for crop yield, soil nutrients and enzyme activity were studied in a typical southwestern hilly area of China in a rice-vegetable ( var. Lin.) cropping system.

Pulmonary chondroma: A clinicopathological study of 29 cases and a review of the literature.

The present retrospective study was designed to review the clinicopathological features and outcome of surgical treatment of pulmonary chondroma, and to accumulate data for the clinical diagnosis and therapy. The clinicopathological data from 29 patients, aged between 38- and 78-years-old, with pulmonary chondroma who underwent surgical operation between July 2003 and June 2015 were reviewed. Of these patients, 18 exhibited no clinical symptoms, 7 were characterized by coughing, hemoptysis, shortness of breath and other symptoms and only 3 patients exhibited chest pain as the predominant symptom.

Potential role of exosome-associated microRNA panels and in vivo environment to predict drug resistance for patients with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic neoplasms and an appropriate in vivo environment for myeloma cells has potential implications for initiation, progression, and metastasis of MM. Exosomes, entities carrying microRNAs (miRNAs) to target locations, participate in the cross-talk between myeloma cells and nonmalignant components of the in vivo environment. This study disclosed the emerging roles of circulating exosome-associated miRNAs in drug resistance (DR) of MM.

Similar Responses of Circulating MicroRNAs to Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise and Vigorous-Intensity Continuous Exercise.

High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has been reported to be more beneficial for physical adaptation than low-to-moderate exercise intensity. Recently, it is becoming increasingly evident that circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) may distinguish between specific stress signals imposed by variations in the duration, modality, and type of exercise. The aim of this study is to investigate whether or not HIIE is superior to vigorous-intensity continuous exercise (VICE), which is contributing to develop effective fitness assessment.

Sustaining integrating imatinib and interferon-α into maintenance therapy improves survival of patients with Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia ineligible for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

We report the clinical results of sustainedly integrating imatinib and interferon-α into maintenance therapy in the patients ineligible for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Maintenance therapy lasted for 5 years with imatinib 400 mg daily, interferon-α 3 million units, 2∼3 doses per week, and chemotherapy including vindesine and dexamethasone scheduled monthly in first year, once every 2 months in second year, and once every 3 months in third year. The chemotherapy was discontinued after 3 years and the imatinib and interferon-α continued for another 2 years.

Comparative study of self-expanding metal stent and intraluminal radioactive stent for inoperable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: We compared the effectiveness of self-expanding metal stent alone vs. radioactive stent embedded with 125I seeds implantation insertion in patients of inoperable esophageal squamous cell cancer combined with malignant esophageal stenosis.

Methods: We studied two groups of patients with stenosis attribute to inoperable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PIK3CA and PIK3CB silencing by RNAi reverse MDR and inhibit tumorigenic properties in human colorectal carcinoma.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the second most common and frequent cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women in the world. PIK3CA and PIK3CB that reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) can serve as predictive and prognostic markers as well as therapeutic targets for CRC treatment. In the present study, we showed that PIK3CA and PIK3CB are upregulated in CRCs and positively correlated with MDR-1, LRP, and GST-π.

Evaluation of the water soluble extractive of astragali radix with different growth patterns using 1H-NMR spectroscopy.

Astragali radix (AR), known in China as huangqi, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. Water soluble extractive (WSE) values play an important role in the quality evaluation of herbal drugs. In this study, WSE of wild and cultivated AR were compared systematically.

Development of a rapid method for the quantification of cellulose in tobacco by (13)C CP/MAS NMR.

A method was developed for rapid quantitative determination of cellulose in tobacco by utilizing (13)C cross polarization magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy ((13)C CP/MAS NMR). Sample powder was loaded into NMR rotor, which was customized rotor containing a matched silicon tube as an intensity reference. (13)C CP/MAS NMR spectra of tobacco samples were processed with spectral deconvolution to obtain the area of the C-1 resonance at 105.

Autophagy-related genes Raptor, Rictor, and Beclin1 expression and relationship with multidrug resistance in colorectal carcinoma.

Unlabelled: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the expressions of autophagy-related genes Raptor, Rictor, and Beclin1 and the expression of multidrug resistance (MDR) gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the protein and messenger RNA expressions of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Raptor, Rictor, Beclin1, light chain 3 (LC3), and MDR-1 in 279 CRC specimens. Patients were followed up annually by telephone or at an outpatient clinic.

Depth Map Coding Optimization Using Rendered View Distortion for 3D Video Coding.

In order to improve 3D video coding efficiency, we propose methods to estimate rendered view distortion in synthesized views as a function of the depth map quantization error. Our approach starts by calculating the geometric error caused by the depth map error based on the camera parameters. Then, we estimate the rendered view distortion based on the local video characteristics.

Expression and clinical significances of Beclin1, LC3 and mTOR in colorectal cancer.

Autophagy is related to cancer and other diseases, and compromised autophagy could promote chromosome instability associated with carcinogenesis and tumor progression. The role of autophagy in the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly understood. Beclin1 mediates autophagic initiation, and LC3 is a specific marker for autophagy.

Anillin Regulates Neuronal Migration and Neurite Growth by Linking RhoG to the Actin Cytoskeleton.

Neuronal migration and neurite growth are essential events in neural development, but it remains unclear how guidance cues are transduced through receptors to the actin cytoskeleton, which powers these processes. We report that a cytokinetic scaffold protein, Anillin, is redistributed to the leading edge of the C. elegans Q neuroblast during cell migration and neurite growth.

Anatomic variation of the common palmar digital nerves and arteries.

Variations in the course and distribution of common palmar digital nerves and arteries are rare. A classic common palmar digital nerves and arteries are defined as concomitant. During routine dissection classes to undergraduate medical students we observed formation of each common palmar digital nerve divided into 2 or 3 branches and formed a ring enclosing the corresponding common palmar digital artery.

[Evaluation of the value of 7th editions of UICC-AJCC esophageal and gastric cancer TNM staging systems for prognostic prediction of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (Siewert type II)].

Objective: To compare the value of applicability of the 7th edition of UICC-AJCC esophageal and gastric cancer TNM staging system in the prognostic prediction of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (EGJ).

Methods: During June 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2010, a total of 199 patients with adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (Siewert type II) underwent R0-intent resection from June 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2010 in our hospital.

Origination of the muscular branches of the median nerve: an electrophysiological study.

Background: In lower brachial plexus injury, finger flexion after brachialis motor branch transfer is relatively weak. We sought to screen potential branches of the median nerve from the upper trunk for strengthening finger flexion in addition to the brachialis motor branch. However, the spinal origin of the muscular branches of the median nerve based on electrophysiological study was unclear.