Change pattern and stability of oasisization land in Mu Us Sandy Land.

Understanding land structure change and stability in the process of oasisization is particularly important for the desertification control in sandy land. Based on land use data of eight periods from 1980 to 2020, we extracted the spatial distribution information of oasis land in Mu Us Sandy Land, and analyzed the spatio-temporal variations of land transformation patterns and stability of oasis land with overlay analysis and grid analysis. The results showed that desertification in the Mu Us Sandy Land had reversed, with a significant process of oasis.

A new mammal from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Biota and implications for eutherian evolution.

Here we report on a new Early Cretaceous eutherian represented by a partial skeleton from the Jiufotang Formation at Sihedang site, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province that fills a crucial gap between the earliest eutherians from the Yixian Formation and later Cretaceous eutherians. The new specimen reveals, to our knowledge for the first time in eutherians, that the Meckelian cartilage was ossified but reduced in size, confirming a complete detachment of the middle ear from the lower jaw. Seven hyoid elements, including paired stylohyals, epihyals and thyrohyals and the single basihyal are preserved.

Crystal structure of catena-poly[[di-aqua-cobalt(II)]-bis-[μ-5-(4-carb-oxy-ylato-phenyl)picolinato]-κ(3) N,O (2):O (5);κ(3) O (5):N,O (2)-[di-aqua-cobalt(II)]-μ-1-[4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phen-yl]-1H-imidazole-κ(2) N (3):N (3')].

The asymmetric unit of the title polymeric Co(II) complex, [Co2(C13H7NO4)2(C12H10N4)(H2O)4] n , contains a Co(II) cation, a 5-(4-carboxyl-atophen-yl)picolinate dianion, two coordination water mol-ecules and half of 1-[4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phen-yl]-1H-imidazole ligand. The Co(II) cation is coordinated by two picolinate dianions, two water mol-ecules and one 1-[4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phen-yl]-1H-imidazole mol-ecule in a distorted N2O4 octa-hedral coordination geometry. The two picolinate dianions are related by an inversion centre and link two Co(II) cations, forming a binuclear unit, which is further bridged by the imidazole mol-ecules, located about an inversion centre, into the polymeric chain propagating along the [-1-11] direction.

β, β-Dimethylacrylshikonin induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis of human lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro via p38 pathway activation.

Aim: β, β-Dimethylacrylshikonin (DMAS) is an anticancer compound extracted from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon. In the present study, we investigated the effects of DMAS on human lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and explored the mechanisms of its anti-cancer action.

Methods: Human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells were tested.

Activation of JNK/p38 pathway is responsible for α-methyl-n-butylshikonin induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in SW620 human colorectal cancer cells.

α-Methyl-n-butylshikonin (MBS), one of the active components in the root extracts of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, posses antitumor activity. In this study, we assess the molecular mechanisms of MBS in causing apoptosis of SW620 cells. MBS reduced the cell viability of SW620 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner and induced cell apoptosis.

Inhibitory effect of cryptotanshinone on angiogenesis and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objective: To investigate the anti-angiogenic effect of cryptotanshinone (CPT) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the effect of CPT on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Methods: HUVECs were incubated with 0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 μ mol/L CPT for detecting cell viability with dimethyl thiazolyl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

[Fingertip replantation with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail].

Objective: To study the replantation methods and clinical results of amputated fingertip.

Methods: From October 2007 to June 2011, 18 fingers of 13 cases were replanted with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail, including 9 males and 4 females,with an average age of 26 years old ranging from 17 to 45 years old. The time from injury to therapy was from 30 min to 5 h, time of broken finger ischemia was from 1.

[Vacuum sealing drainage and free coupling chain-link posterior tibial artery flap in the reconstruction of degloving injury of propodium].

Objective: To present the methods of vacuum sealing drainage and free coupling chain-link flap of posterior tibial artery flap and medial plantar flap in the reconstruction of degloving injury of propodium.

Methods: From Oct. 2008 to Dec.

[Mechanism of platycodin D-induced apoptosis in A549 human lung cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanism of platycodin D showing the inhibitory effect on proliferation and induced apoptosis of humane long cancer cells A549.

Method: Humane long cancer cells A549 were cultured in vitro, with the final PD concentration of 5-20 micromol x L(-1). PD's inhibitory effect on cell proliferation was examined by MTT assay.

[Mechanisms of (2-methyl-n-butyl) shikonin induced apoptosis of gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells].

This study is to investigate the effect of (2-methyl-n-butyl) shikonin (MBS) on inducing apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 and the role of ERK1/2 signal pathway in the apoptosis. MTT assay was used to detect SGC-7901 cell proliferation. DNA condensation was measured by DAPI stain.

β,β-Dimethylacrylshikonin induces mitochondria dependent apoptosis through ERK pathway in human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells.

β,β-Dimethylacrylshikonin, one of the active components in the root extracts of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, posses antitumor activity. In this study, we discussed the molecular mechanisms of β,β-dimethylacrylshikonin in the apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells. β,β-Dimethylacrylshikonin reduced the cell viability of SGC-7901 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner and induced cell apoptosis.

[Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its effect on microRNA expression in lung cancer].

Objective: To investigate the effect of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) on the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in lung cancer A549 cells.

Methods: Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta 1) in different concentrations was used to induce EMT in lung cancer A549 cells. The morphological changes were observed under phase-contrast microscope.

[Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy versus open lobectomy for mini pathologic N2 non-small cell lung cancer].

Objective: To assess early and late outcomes of patients with minimal mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis N2 non-small cell lung cancer disease unexpectedly detected during the operation, who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for clinical stage I.

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the medical records of 263 patients underwent surgery between January 2004 and December 2007, who were diagnosed as having early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (clinical stage was cT1-2N0M0, stage I) before the surgery, but were found to have mini mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis disease (clinical stage was pT1-2N2M0, stage IIIa) unexpectedly detected during the operation and after the operation. All patients underwent lobectomy and systematic lymph nodes dissection as radical treatments.

Genetic variants in MARCO are associated with the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis in Chinese Han population.

Background: Susceptibility to tuberculosis is not only determined by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, but also by the genetic component of the host. Macrophage receptor with a collagenous structure (MARCO) is essential components required for toll like receptor-signaling in macrophage response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which may contribute to tuberculosis risk.

Principal Findings: To specifically investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MARCO gene are associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in Chinese Han population.

Transforming growth factor-β1 induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in human lung cancer cells via PI3K/Akt and MEK/Erk1/2 signaling pathways.

Metastasis of tumor cells is associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a process whereby epithelial cells lose their polarity and acquire new features of mesenchyme. EMT has been reported to be induced by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), but its mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we performed a study to investigate whether PI3K/Akt and MAPK/Erk1/2 signaling pathways involved in EMT in the human lung cancer A549 cells.

Transforming growth factor-β1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma invasion and metastasis by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

Lung cancer is a highly malignant carcinoma, and most deaths of lung cancer are caused by metastasis. The alterations associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may be related to the cancer cell metastasis. Nevertheless, the mechanism of lung cancer metastasis remains unclear.

Simulation study of detecting conductivity of brain tissues with magnetic induction based on FDTD.

To further optimize and improve upon our MIT experiment system, the simulation study of the ideal physical model of our single channel measurement system of MIT is carried out with finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. According to antenna theory, an excitation coil similar to a helix is modeled as a stack of electric and magnetic sources. The current phase deviation of the single MIT-channel between the excitation and receiver coils is analysed with three ideal spherical models of the human brain.