Predictive Value of Pretreatment Neutrophil to Albumin Ratio in Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy of Breast Cancer.

Background: The immune system appears to play a crucial role in how breast cancer responds to chemotherapy. In this study, we investigated a peripheral marker of immune and inflammation named the neutrophil to albumin ratio (NAR) to explore its potential relationship with pathological complete response (pCR) in locally advanced breast cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 212 consecutive breast cancer patients who received NAC.

[Characterization of microbial community in produced water from a petroleum reservoir subjected to alkali-surfactant-polymer ASP flooding].

Injection of alkali, surfactant and polymer (ASP) into oil reservoir can substantially increase oil recovery compared with water-flooding strategy. However, the effects of these agents on the microbial diversity and community structure, which is important for water management and corrosion control in oil industry, are hitherto poorly understood. Here, we disclosed the microbial diversity and community structure in the produced water collected from four producing wells of an ASP-flooded oilfield at Daqing, China, using high-throughput sequencing technique.

[Inhibition of the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria in produced water from oil reservoir by nitrate].

Growth and metabolic activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) can result in souring of oil reservoirs, leading to various problems in aspects of environmental pollution and corrosion. Nitrate addition and management of nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) offer potential solutions to controlling souring in oil reservoirs. In this paper, a facultive chemolithotrophic NRB, designated as DNB-8, was isolated from the produced fluid of a water-flooded oil reservoir at Daqing oilfield.

[Artesunate in interrupting the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum].

Objective: To observe the effect of artesunate (ATS) on the infectivity of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes (PFG).

Methods: 31 volunteers with falciparum malaria and gametocytaemia were randomly divided into 3 groups: artesunate (ATS) group (15 cases), quinine (QN) group (10 cases) and placebo group (6 cases). Each case in ATS group received 6-day course of oral artesunate (200 mg at 0, 6 and 24 hours then 100 mg daily for 4 days).

Development of a real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assay for detection of the Friend leukemia virus load in murine plasma.

Friend leukemia virus (FLV), a murine retrovirus, has been used as a model for elucidation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) immunopathogenesis and evaluation of anti-HIV drug effects for several decades. However, no method for direct detection of the plasma viral load has yet been reported. In this study, a TaqMan real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was established for the rapid detection and quantitation of FLV.