Objective To investigate the prognostic effect of quantity of lymph node(LN)resected in operations of patients with stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods The clinical, pathological and follow-up data of 74 patients with stage Ⅰ NSCLC who were treated with surgery from January 1998 to December 2002 Beijing Friendship Hospital, Affiliated to Capital Medical University were reviewed retrospectively.Grouping the patients, according to the quantity of lymph node resected, the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate analysis and multivariate analysis of factors with prognostic effect.Results The five year survival rate and disease-free survival(DFS)rate of these 74 patients were 64.9% and 47.3%.The univariate analysis showed that tumor size(P =0.016),T-staging (P =0.008)and extent of lymph node dissection(P =0.013)could influence the survival rate.The 5-year OS and DFS rates of patients with less than 6 LNs resected were less than the other group(more than 6 LNs)apparently.The multifactorial analysis indicated that other than staging, the quantity of lymph node resected was also an influence factor of prognosis.Conclusions The OS rate of patients has positive correlation with quantity of lymph node resected in operations.Six LNs must be resected leastways in operations of patients with stage Ⅰ NSCLC.

The corona-like spikes or peplomers on the surface of the virion under electronic microscope are the most striking features of coronaviruses. The S (spike) protein is the largest structural protein, with 1,255 amino acids, in the viral genome. Its structure can be divided into three regions: a long N-terminal region in the exterior, a characteristic transmembrane (TM) region, and a short C-terminus in the interior of a virion. We detected fifteen substitutions of nucleotides by comparisons with the seventeen published SARS-CoV genome sequences, eight (53.3%) of which are non-synonymous mutations leading to amino acid alternations with predicted physiochemical changes. The possible antigenic determinants of the S protein are predicted, and the result is confirmed by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) with synthesized peptides. Another profound finding is that three disulfide bonds are defined at the C-terminus with the N-terminus of the E (envelope) protein, based on the typical sequence and positions, thus establishing the structural connection with these two important structural proteins, if confirmed. Phylogenetic analysis reveals several conserved regions that might be potent drug targets.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Antigens, Viral ; immunology ; Base Composition ; Computational Biology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective    To compare the short- and long-term efficacy of surgery and endoscopy in the treatment of early esophageal cancer by a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods    We extracted data independently from The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science for studies comparing surgery with endoscopy from 2010 to 2020. The primary outcomes including R0 resection rate, long-term overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), major complications, recurrence, hospital stay and cost. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Engauge Digitizer was used to extract survival curves from relevant literature, and relevant data were calculated based on statistical methods. Results    A total of 17 studies involving 3 705 patients were included. It was found that patients in the surgery group had a higher R0 resection rate compared with the endoscopic group (OR=0.13, 95%CI 0.07 to 0.27, P<0.001, I2=6%). The total complications rate of resection of esophageal cancer was higher than that of the endoscopic group (OR=0.28, 95%CI 0.16 to 0.50, P<0.001, I2=68%). The length of hospitalization in the endoscopic group was obviously shorter than that in the surgery group (MD=–8.28, 95%CI –12.44 to –4.13, P<0.001, I2=96%). The distant recurrence rate (OR=0.58, 95%CI 0.24 to 1.41, P=0.230, I2=0%) and the local recurrence rate after resection (OR=1.74, 95%CI 0.66 to 4.59, P=0.260, I2=40%) in the endoscopic group was similar to those of the surgery group. There was no significant difference in 5 year-OS rate between the two groups (HR=0.86, 95%CI 0.67 to 1.11, P=0.25, I2=0%), which was subdivided into two groups: adenocarcinoma (HR=0.55, 95%CI 0.15 to 2.05, P=0.37, I2=0%) and squamous cell carcinoma (HR=0.68, 95%CI 0.46 to 1.01, P=0.06, I2=0%), showing that there was no difference between the two subgroups. There was no significant difference in the DSS rate (HR=0.72, 95%CI 0.49 to 1.05, P=0.090, I2=0%) between the two groups. The cost of the surgery group was significantly higher than that of the endoscopic group (MD=–12.97, 95%CI –18.02 to –7.92, P<0.001, I2=93%). Conclusion    The evidence shows that endotherapy may be an effective treatment for early esophageal neoplasm when considering the long-term outcomes whether it is squamous or adenocarcinoma, even though it is not as effective as surgery in the short-term efficacy.

Beijing has been one of the epicenters attacked most severely by the SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus) since the first patient was diagnosed in one of the city's hospitals. We now report complete genome sequences of the BJ Group, including four isolates (Isolates BJ01, BJ02, BJ03, and BJ04) of the SARS-CoV. It is remarkable that all members of the BJ Group share a common haplotype, consisting of seven loci that differentiate the group from other isolates published to date. Among 42 substitutions uniquely identified from the BJ group, 32 are non-synonymous changes at the amino acid level. Rooted phylogenetic trees, proposed on the basis of haplotypes and other sequence variations of SARS-CoV isolates from Canada, USA, Singapore, and China, gave rise to different paradigms but positioned the BJ Group, together with the newly discovered GD01 (GD-Ins29) in the same clade, followed by the H-U Group (from Hong Kong to USA) and the H-T Group (from Hong Kong to Toronto), leaving the SP Group (Singapore) more distant. This result appears to suggest a possible transmission path from Guangdong to Beijing/Hong Kong, then to other countries and regions.
Genome, Viral ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Mutation ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; SARS Virus ; genetics

We report a complete genomic sequence of rare isolates (minor genotype) of the SARS-CoV from SARS patients in Guangdong, China, where the first few cases emerged. The most striking discovery from the isolate is an extra 29-nucleotide sequence located at the nucleotide positions between 27,863 and 27,864 (referred to the complete sequence of BJ01) within an overlapped region composed of BGI-PUP5 (BGI-postulated uncharacterized protein 5) and BGI-PUP6 upstream of the N (nucleocapsid) protein. The discovery of this minor genotype, GD-Ins29, suggests a significant genetic event and differentiates it from the previously reported genotype, the dominant form among all sequenced SARS-CoV isolates. A 17-nt segment of this extra sequence is identical to a segment of the same size in two human mRNA sequences that may interfere with viral replication and transcription in the cytosol of the infected cells. It provides a new avenue for the exploration of the virus-host interaction in viral evolution, host pathogenesis, and vaccine development.
Base Sequence ; China ; Cluster Analysis ; Gene Components ; Genetic Variation ; Genome, Viral ; Genotype ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; genetics

Sterol C24-methyltransferase (SMT) plays multiple important roles in plant growth and development. SMT1, which belongs to the family of transferases and transforms cycloartenol into 24-methylene cycloartenol, is involved in the biosynthesis of 24-methyl sterols. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a sterol C24-methyltransferase from().(GenBank access number KU885950) is a 1530 bp cDNA with a 1041 bp open reading frame predicted to encode a 346-amino acid, 38.62 kDa protein. The polypeptide encoded by thecDNA was expressed and purified as a recombinant protein from() and showed SMT activity. The expression ofwas highly up-regulated incell suspension cultures treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Tissue expression pattern analysis showed higher expression in the phellem layer compared to the other four organs (leaf, stem, xylem and phloem), which is about ten times that of the lowest expression in leaf. The results are meaningful for the study of sterol biosynthesis ofand will further lay the foundations for the research in regulating both the content of other main compounds and growth and development of