To predict the distribution and habitat of Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang and to under-stand its life cycle history.In this study,Maximum Entropy Modeling(MaxEnt)was used to pre-dict the geographical distribution and adaptation area of Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang,and jackknife test and response curve of environmental variables were used to evaluate the environmen-tal factors affecting the distribution of Dermacentor nuttallii.Dermacentor samples were collected randomly based on predicted sites.The species of Dermacentor was identified by the combination of morphological characteristics and molecular biology.The New Zealand white rabbit was the only blood donor,and the life cycle and biological characteristics of the tick were observed and recorded by the method of earmuffs feeding under natural light in the laboratory.The jackknife test and SPSS analysis results showed that the main environmental variables affecting the distribution of suitable areas of Dermacentor nuttallii were average temperature(Bio1),average daily tempera-ture range(Bio2),seasonal temperature change(Bio4),driest month precipitation(Bio14),precip-itation variation coefficient(Bio15).The response curves of major environmental variables showed that Dermacentor nuttallii had the highest presence probability when Bio1 was 15.58 ℃,Bio2 was 6.19 ℃,Bio4 had a coefficient of variation of 1 500,Bio14 had a coefficient of variation of 20 mm,Bio15 had a coefficient of variation of 23.799 and Bio19 was 69 mm.The prediction results showed that the suitable areas of Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang were Tianshan Mountain range in Junggar Basin,Turpan basin in Altai Mountain valley and some areas south of Tianshan Mountain range,accounting for 50.99％of the total area of Xinjiang.Dermacentor were collected from the predicted area according to MaxEnt model and identified as Dermacentor nuttallii by morphologi-cal and molecular biological methods.The full blood stage was 5.31 d,the degeneration stage was 8.19 d,and the degeneration rate reached 95.5％.If the full blood stage was 8.65 d and the degener-ation stage was 12.86 d,the degeneration rate reached 98％.The full blood stage of adult ticks was 6.75 d,the early egg stage of full blood females was 5.86 d,and the spawning stage of full blood fe-males was 12.5 d.The eggs hatched into young ticks after 25.92 d,and the hatching rate reached 90％.Dermacentor nuttallii took 62-107 d to complete a life history,with an average of 86.06 d.The constructed MaxEnt model has high prediction accuracy and accuracy.According to the varia-ble analysis of the main environmental factors,precipitation and temperature are the main environ-mental factors affecting Dermacentor nuttallii.The study of the whole life cycle of Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang provides the basis for establishing the method of artificial breeding of pure species of Dermacentor nuttallii in Xinjiang.

Objective:To investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanisms of action of mucopolysaccharide polysulfate cream on hypertrophic scar formation.Methods:Circular full-thickness wounds with a diameter of 6 mm were made in both ears of 16 New Zealand white rabbits to establish a rabbit ear model of hypertrophic scar. There were 3 hypertrophic scars in each rabbit ear. About 14 days after the operation, scars on the left ear were topically treated with mucopolysaccharide polysulfate cream, and served as the experimental group; scars on the right ear were topically treated with the cream vehicle, and served as vehicle control group. The dosage of topical agents for one rabbit ear was approximately 0.4 g, which were given twice a day for 6 consecutive weeks. Scar tissues were collected on days 0, 14 and 42, that is, 14, 28 and 56 after operation respectively, and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining and immunohistochemical study, so as to evaluate histopathological scores, measure the scar thickness and collagen fiber density, and determine the expression of type Ⅰ and Ⅲ collagen and the ratio of type Ⅰ/Ⅲ collagen. The t test and one-way analysis of variance were used to compare the indices between groups. Results:Compared with pretreatment histopathological manifestations, HE staining showed extensive extracellular matrix deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration and local hyperemia in the control group after 42-day treatment, but no obvious changes in the experimental group. The pathological scores of scar tissues on the rabbit ears significantly increased over time in the control group (days 0, 14 and 42: 4.16 ± 1.61, 6.50 ± 1.46, 6.53 ± 1.34, respectively; F = 13.69, P = 0.001) , while there was no significant change in the experimental group (days 0, 14 and 42: 4.65 ± 1.52, 5.13 ± 1.83, 5.38 ± 1.60, respectively; F = 0.78, P > 0.05) . Masson staining showed extremely high content of dark blue-dyed collagen fibers in the control group on day 42, but there was a decrease in the content of collagen fibers in the experimental group; with the increase in treatment duration, the thickness of scar tissues significantly increased in the control group compared with that before treatment ( F = 5.64, P = 0.007) , while there was no significant change in the experimental group ( F = 1.48, P > 0.05) . Immunohistochemical study revealed no significant change in the expression of type Ⅲ collagen in either the experimental group or the control group at any of the above posttreatment time points compared with that on day 0 ( F = 0.22, 0.92, respectively, both P > 0.05) , but the expression of type Ⅰ collagen and the ratio of type Ⅰ/Ⅲ collagen significantly increased in the control group ( F = 7.47, P < 0.001; F = 4.70, P = 0.005, respectively) . On day 42, the expression of type Ⅰ collagen and the ratio of type Ⅰ/Ⅲ collagen significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group ( t = 3.04, P = 0.007; t = 2.35, P = 0.030, respectively) . Conclusion:Topical mucopolysaccharide polysulfate cream is effective in preventing and inhibiting scar hypertrophy by reducing the scar thickness and inhibiting the collagen fiber hyperplasia and type I collagen expression.

Objective Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor?tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR?TKIs) are widely used for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between treatment?related hypertension and the therapeutic efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs. Methods Clinical data of 155 mRCC patients treated with VEGFR?TKIs at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2006 to 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received first?line TKI therapy. Among them, 69 patients were treated with sunitinib, 14 cases with pazopanib, and 51 cases with fazotinib. Kaplan?Meier curves were used to evaluate the survival of the patients. Results The median survival for the whole group ( n=155) was 36. 2 months. Among the 98 (63.2%) patients who developed hypertension, 9 patients (5.8%) were evaluated as gradeⅠ, 54 (34.8%) as grade Ⅱ and 35 (22.6%) as gradeⅢ, and there was no patient with gradeⅣhypertension. The occurrence of TKI?related hypertension was correlated with age and MSKCC score (P<0.05), while not significantly correlated with gender, nephrectomy, T stage, number of metastases, lung metastasis or sunitinib treatment (P>0.05 for all). For the whole group (n=155), the therapeutic efficacy rate was 43.2% (67/155), the median progression?free survival (PFS) was 12.0 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 36.2 months. The response rate (RR) was 26.3% (15/57) in patients with normal blood pressure and 53.1%(52/98) in patients with hypertension (P=0.001). The median PFS was 7.1 months in the cases with normal blood pressure and 13.8 months in patients with hypertension (P=0.032). The response rates were 33.3% (3/9), 51.9% (28/54) and 60.0% (21/35) in patients with grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ hypertension (P=0.006). The median PFS was 7.1, 9.7, and 12.0 and 19.5 months in patients with normal blood pressure, and patients with grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ hypertension, respectively (P=0.039). Both univariant and multivariant analyses indicated that treatment?related hypertension is an important predictive factor for the efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs therapy. Conclusions Hypertension might be an effective predictive factor for efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs therapy in mRCC patients. Large?sample studies are warranted to further prove these results.

Objective Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor?tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR?TKIs) are widely used for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between treatment?related hypertension and the therapeutic efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs. Methods Clinical data of 155 mRCC patients treated with VEGFR?TKIs at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2006 to 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received first?line TKI therapy. Among them, 69 patients were treated with sunitinib, 14 cases with pazopanib, and 51 cases with fazotinib. Kaplan?Meier curves were used to evaluate the survival of the patients. Results The median survival for the whole group ( n=155) was 36. 2 months. Among the 98 (63.2%) patients who developed hypertension, 9 patients (5.8%) were evaluated as gradeⅠ, 54 (34.8%) as grade Ⅱ and 35 (22.6%) as gradeⅢ, and there was no patient with gradeⅣhypertension. The occurrence of TKI?related hypertension was correlated with age and MSKCC score (P<0.05), while not significantly correlated with gender, nephrectomy, T stage, number of metastases, lung metastasis or sunitinib treatment (P>0.05 for all). For the whole group (n=155), the therapeutic efficacy rate was 43.2% (67/155), the median progression?free survival (PFS) was 12.0 months, and the median overall survival (OS) was 36.2 months. The response rate (RR) was 26.3% (15/57) in patients with normal blood pressure and 53.1%(52/98) in patients with hypertension (P=0.001). The median PFS was 7.1 months in the cases with normal blood pressure and 13.8 months in patients with hypertension (P=0.032). The response rates were 33.3% (3/9), 51.9% (28/54) and 60.0% (21/35) in patients with grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ hypertension (P=0.006). The median PFS was 7.1, 9.7, and 12.0 and 19.5 months in patients with normal blood pressure, and patients with grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ hypertension, respectively (P=0.039). Both univariant and multivariant analyses indicated that treatment?related hypertension is an important predictive factor for the efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs therapy. Conclusions Hypertension might be an effective predictive factor for efficacy of VEGFR?TKIs therapy in mRCC patients. Large?sample studies are warranted to further prove these results.

Objective:Anlotinib is an oral multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with dual effects of anti-proliferation and anti-angiogenesis. Phase Ⅰ clinical trials showed anlotinib was well tolerated and had therapeutic effects on a variety of tumors. The aim of this study is to explore the safety and efficacy of anlotinib in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.Methods:Between January 2014 and November 2015, a single-center data was obtained from a phase Ⅱ clinical study of anlotinib versus sunitinib on advanced renal cell carcinoma and a phase Ⅱ clinical study of anlotinib on advanced renal cell carcinoma which failed to respond to TKI treatment. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, while Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates.Results:A total of 36 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma were enrolled in this study, including 19 patients without any target drug treatment, 12 patients with sunitinib treatment and 5 patients with sorafenib treatment. The median number of treatment cycle was 16. Partial response (PR) was obtained in 11 patients (30.6%) and stable disease (SD) was obtained in 24 patients (66.7%). The disease control rate (DCR) was 97.2%. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 12.6 months, the 1-year survival rate was 80.6%, and the median survival time was 22.2 months. Up to the follow-up deadline, 3 patients still received treatment, the PFSs were 52.6 months, 65.0 months, and 66.7 months. The most common treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 included hypertension (19.4%), hand-foot skin reaction (11.1%), proteinuria (5.6%) and anemia (5.6%).Conclusions:Anlotinib shows good anti-tumor activity and is generally well-tolerated in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. The adverse reactions of anlotinib are milder than sunitinib or pazopanib.

Objective:Anlotinib is an oral multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with dual effects of anti-proliferation and anti-angiogenesis. Phase Ⅰ clinical trials showed anlotinib was well tolerated and had therapeutic effects on a variety of tumors. The aim of this study is to explore the safety and efficacy of anlotinib in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma.Methods:Between January 2014 and November 2015, a single-center data was obtained from a phase Ⅱ clinical study of anlotinib versus sunitinib on advanced renal cell carcinoma and a phase Ⅱ clinical study of anlotinib on advanced renal cell carcinoma which failed to respond to TKI treatment. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, while Log-rank test was used to compare the survival rates.Results:A total of 36 patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma were enrolled in this study, including 19 patients without any target drug treatment, 12 patients with sunitinib treatment and 5 patients with sorafenib treatment. The median number of treatment cycle was 16. Partial response (PR) was obtained in 11 patients (30.6%) and stable disease (SD) was obtained in 24 patients (66.7%). The disease control rate (DCR) was 97.2%. The median progression free survival (PFS) was 12.6 months, the 1-year survival rate was 80.6%, and the median survival time was 22.2 months. Up to the follow-up deadline, 3 patients still received treatment, the PFSs were 52.6 months, 65.0 months, and 66.7 months. The most common treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 included hypertension (19.4%), hand-foot skin reaction (11.1%), proteinuria (5.6%) and anemia (5.6%).Conclusions:Anlotinib shows good anti-tumor activity and is generally well-tolerated in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. The adverse reactions of anlotinib are milder than sunitinib or pazopanib.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of biweekly paclitaxel and platinum chemotherapy followed by surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data of 20 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated in our hospital between January 2012 and March 2016. All patients received biweekly paclitaxel and platinum chemotherapy followed by surgery. Results: 20 cases received preoperative chemotherapy for 3-8 cycles with an average of 4 cycles. The main chemotherapy-related adverse events were bone marrow suppression (18/20, 90.0%), followed by vomiting and nausea (10/20, 50.0%). Five patients (25.0%) had grade 4 neutropenia and all toxicities were torlerable and manageable. After chemotherapy, all patients received surgery. The histological responses in the primary tumors were grade 1 in 13 (65.0%) patients, grade 2 in 7 (35.0%) patients, and grade 3 in 0 (0%) patient. None had disease progression. Downstaging of T-stage was observed in 5 cases (25.0%) after chemotherapy. Among them, 4 cases were with moderate histologicl responses and one case with mild histological response. The incidence of postoperative complications was 25.0%(5/20), and the complications were improved following symptomatic treatments. There was no treatment-related death. Conclusions Biweekly paclitaxel and platinum chemotherapy followed by surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is safe and effective. Further randomized clinical trial should be conducted to assess the value of this therapeutic regimen in the preoperative chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.