Epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors associated with overall survival for patients with mucinous colorectal cancer: A population-based study.

Background: Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) has attracted much attention as a distinct histologic subtype of colorectal cancer in recent years. However, data about its epidemiologic and prognostic characteristics are limited. Therefore, patient data extracted from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program were collected to analyze the epidemiologic and clinicopathological characteristics of MC.

[Terpenoids from Toona sinensis].

Eight terpenoids(1-8) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of 80% ethanol extract of leaf of Toona sinensis through various column chromatographies on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MCI and ODS. Their structures were elucidated as 8β-hydroxypimar-15-en-19-oic acid methyl ester(1), cedrodorol B(2), 11β-acetoxyobacunol(3), toonayunnanin D(4), toonaciliatone D(5), toonaciliatone A(6), cedrelone(7), and 11β-hydroxygedunin(8) based on their chemical and physicochemical methods and spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was a new pimaradienediterpenoid and terpenoid 2-7 were isolated and identified from this plant for the first time.

Phosphodiesterase-4D Knock-down in the Prefrontal Cortex Alleviates Chronic Unpredictable Stress-Induced Depressive-Like Behaviors and Memory Deficits in Mice.

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) has four isoforms (PDE4A-D) with at least 25 splice variants. PDE4 subtype nonselective inhibitors produce potent antidepressant-like and cognition-enhancing effects via increased intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling in the brain. Our previous data have demonstrated that long-form PDE4Ds appear to be involved in these pharmacological properties of PDE4 inhibitors in the normal animals.

[Effects of Ca2+ on photosynthetic parameters of Pinellia ternata and accumulations of active components in heat stress].

Objective: To study the effect of exogenous Ca2+ on photosynthetic parameters of Pinellia ternate and accumulations of active components under high temperature stress.

Method: The pigment contents of P. ternata leaves, photosynthesis parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of P.

Adapting an ant colony metaphor for multi-robot chemical plume tracing.

We consider chemical plume tracing (CPT) in time-varying airflow environments using multiple mobile robots. The purpose of CPT is to approach a gas source with a previously unknown location in a given area. Therefore, the CPT could be considered as a dynamic optimization problem in continuous domains.

Collective odor source estimation and search in time-variant airflow environments using mobile robots.

This paper addresses the collective odor source localization (OSL) problem in a time-varying airflow environment using mobile robots. A novel OSL methodology which combines odor-source probability estimation and multiple robots' search is proposed. The estimation phase consists of two steps: firstly, the separate probability-distribution map of odor source is estimated via Bayesian rules and fuzzy inference based on a single robot's detection events; secondly, the separate maps estimated by different robots at different times are fused into a combined map by way of distance based superposition.

[Efficacy and safety of cefditoren pivoxil in treatment of respiratory infections, a clinical study].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cefditoren pivoxil in treatment of respiratory infections.

Methods: 199 cases of respiratory infection confirmed by etiological and clinical examinations were treated with cefditoren pivoxil tablets taken orally. Therapeutic evaluation was conducted among 196 cases and safety evaluation was conducted among 199 cases.