Deconstruction of lignocellulosic plant cell walls to fermentable sugars by biochemical means is impeded by several poorly understood ultrastructural and chemical barriers. Pretreatment is an essential step by altering the morphological and compositional characteristics of biomass to enhance the sugar release during enzymatic hydrolysis. Therefore, getting insight into this field is necessary to improve the conversion of biomass into biofuels. In this review, we highlight our recent understanding on the impact of various promising pretreatments on biomass, with emphasis on the topochemical and ultrastructural changes of plant cell walls that are related to the reduction of recalcitrance and the consequence of saccharification. It will lend support to the scientific research and development with respect to biomass conversion.
Biofuels ; Biomass ; Carbohydrates ; chemistry ; Cell Wall ; ultrastructure ; Fermentation ; Hydrolysis ; Lignin ; chemistry ; Plant Cells ; ultrastructure

Objective To objectively evaluate the endpoint ot transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using two dimensional color-coded digital subtraction angiography (2D-ccDSA).Methods Retrospective analysis of twenty-four patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),treated by TACE and evaluated by post-processed 2D-ccDSA.All patients were examined by DSA before and after TACE procedure,all these DSA series were converted into color-code images,the time density curve (TDC) was derived from the 2D-ccDSA imaging.Time-to-peak (TTP) was measured for the ostia of the catheter,the origin of the tumor feeding artery (TFA) and the embolized site of the TFA; maximal TDC enhancement was measured for selected spots of the tumor parenchyma.The tumor blood supply time (TBST) for pre and post-TACE was calculated accordingly.Data were interpreted with paired t test using SPSS.Results The TTP of the ostia of the catheter and the origin of the tumor feeding artery (TFA) before TACE were (3.47 ± 0.96) and (4.09 ± 1.09) s,after the TACE were (3.49 ± 1.02) and (3.78 ± 1.05) s,respectively.There was no statistical difference between the pre-and post-procedural TTP of the two landmarks (t values were 0.10 and 1.15,P values were 0.92 and 0.26).TTP at the embolized site of the main TFA were [(4.62± 1.16) and (5.59± 1.57)s]for pre and post-TACE,the tumor blood supply time (TBST) was greatly delayed compared with that after the TACE procedure [(1.82± 1.10)s and (0.52±0.41)s].The mean maximal TDC enhancements of the tumor parenchyma areas were (3.03±0.88)units before TACE and (1.10±0.67)units after TACE.The differences were all statistically significant (t values were 3.32,6.04 and 8.93,respectively,P＜0.01) Conclusion It is feasible to use 2D-ccDSA to objectively assess the endpoint of TACE procedures.

OBJECTIVETo observe effect of acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) on serum leptin level in the child of anorexia, so as to reveal relation between changes of blood leptin level and anorexia of child.

METHODSForty-two cases were randomly divided into 3 groups. The treatment group A (n = 15) were treated with acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once each week, 3 consecutive sessions constituting one course; the treatment group B (n = 15) were treated with acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once two weeks, 3 consecutive sessions constituting one course; the medication group (n = 12) were treated with oral administration of Lactein tablets, 1 - 2 tablets each time, 3 times each day, 4 weeks constituting one course.

RESULTSThe effective rate was 93.3% in the treatment group A and 93.3% in the treatment group B, which were higher than that in the medication group, with a very significant differences (P < 0.01); after treatment, the serum leptin levels in the 3 groups had very significant changes (P < 0.01); the improvement of serum leptin levels in the treatment group A and B were better than that in the medication group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) can promote secretion of serum leptin in the child of anorexia, and improve anorexia.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Anorexia ; blood ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; Male

Objective To evaluate the detection of serum pepsinogen (PG) in screening of gastric cancer. Methods (1) To calculate the detection rate of gastric cancer in PG Positive patients from northeastern, noah-western and northern China. (2) To determine the PG positive rate in patients with chronic superficial and atrophic gastritis. (3) To calculate the detection rate of gastric cancer, H. pylori infection and esophageal cancer in PG positive patients from gastric cancer high risk areas. Results (1) The detection rate of gastric cancer in PC, positive patients from Changchun (northeastern China), Xihing (northwestern China) and Beijing ( northern China) was 22. 58%, 25. 2% and 0, respectively. The sensitivity of PG to seeen gastric cancer in Changchun and Xihing was 50. 9% and 35.6%, and the specificity was 82. 56% and 85.69%, respectively. (2) Only 25% of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis were PG positive. (3) The serum PG level was measured in 2346 cases from gastric cancer high risk areas, and PG positive rate was 27.02% (634/2346), in which 496 patients (76. 65%, 496/634) received endoscopy, and gastric cancer was detected in 10 (2. 02%, 10/496), including 9 cases of early gastric caner. The prevalence of gastric cancer was 0. 43% in common population and 1.58% in PG positive population. The infection rate of H. pylori was 70. 73% in 2346 subjects and 2 cases of esophageal cancer, including 1 case of early cancer was diagnosed. Conclusion Serum PG level cannot be used as a marker for gastric cancer or atrophic gastritis, while it may be of value for gastric cancer screening in high risk areas.

OBJECTIVETo study clinical effects of one-hole microplate internal fixation for the treatment of collateral ligament injuries of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb combined with fracture.

METHODSTwenty-two patients (16 males, 6 females) with collateral ligament injuries of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb combined fracture were treated with one-hole microplate internal fixation. The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 53 years old with a mean age of 28.5 years old. The duration from injury to surgery ranged from 2 hours to 2 months, and the mean time was 6 days. All the patients had collateral ligament injuries combined with fracture of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb. Thirteen patients had injuries in the right hand and 9 patients had injuries in the left hand. There were 18 cases of closed wound and 4 cases of open wound. Eighteen patients had fresh injuries (< 2 weeks) and 4 had old injuries (> 2 weeks). Sixteen patients had injuries in the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb combined with fracture, 6 patients had radial collateral ligament injuries of the thumb combined with fracture, 4 cases of which were complicated with injuries of abductor pollicis brevis and the end of the flexor pollicis brevis tender. The size of the avulsed fragment was about 3.0 mm x 4.0 mm to 6.0 mm x 7.0 mm.

RESULTSThe incisions of 22 patients healed by first intention. The follow-up periods ranged from 6 months to 5 years old,with an average of 2.5 years old. The thumb function was evaluated by Saetta and other evaluation criteria, and 20 patients got an excellent result and 2 good.

CONCLUSIONThe application of one-hole microplate internal fixation in treating collateral ligament injuries with fracture of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb is an effective method.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Bone Plates ; Collateral Ligaments ; injuries ; surgery ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Fractures, Bone ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; injuries ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Thumb ; injuries ; surgery ; Young Adult

Female ; Humans ; Manipulation, Orthopedic ; Middle Aged ; Radius Fractures ; surgery ; Ulna Fractures ; surgery ; Ulnar Nerve Compression Syndromes ; surgery

Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome caused by pheochromocytoma is rare. We reported a 15-year-old female patient who was admitted to hospital with typical Cushing’s syndrome. She had not started menstruation. Her plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and 24-hour urinary free cortisol levels were extremely high. Gonadal and progestational hormone levels were also abnormal. Abdominal computed tomography scans and enhanced scans revealed multiple irregular tumors in the right adrenal. Pelvic echogram showed an infantile uterus, while the ovaries were at an immature stage of development. Retroperitoneal laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was performed without intraoperative complications. Histology and immunohistochemistry of the tumor were consistent with pheochromocytoma. Retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy is a safe procedure with satisfactory outcomes and allows for rapid recovery.
Adolescent ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; secretion ; therapy ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; secretion ; Female ; Humans ; Pheochromocytoma ; diagnosis ; secretion ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo study the emotional and depressive differences between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients whose occupations were doctor/nurse and others.

METHODSDuring the three months when SARS was explosive in 2003, 524 questionnaires were collected from Xuanwu Hospital, You'an Hospital, Xiaotangshan Hospital, Renmin Hospital and Ditan Hospital in Beijing. There were 109 questionnaires finished by patients as doctors/nurses themselves. For a background matching, 109 questionnaires were also finished by the others.

RESULTSFrom 218 questionnaires, we found that the score on emotional condition (46.6204 +/- 8.4408 vs. 41.6789 +/- 8.612 95, P < 0.001) of SARS patients whose jobs were doctor/nurse was higher than the other groups on while the score of SARS patients whose jobs were doctor/nurse was lower than the other groups (37.7615 +/- 9.026 61 vs. 41.2844 +/- 9.655 25, P = 0.006) regarding depressive condition. The scores of emotional and depressive condition were all correlated with the factor as "I can not master my future".

CONCLUSIONDoctors/nurses having SARS had less emotional and depressive conditions than the others, which might due to the difference in medical knowledge, working condition and the route of infection, suggesting that psychological intervention in the post-SARS period called for attention.

Case-Control Studies ; China ; Cross Infection ; prevention & control ; psychology ; Depression ; psychology ; Female ; Health Personnel ; psychology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Patients ; psychology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; psychology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVEThe main purpose of this work was to give the evidence of reasonable and feasible dust control measures which will be taken in the future by analyzing the trend of dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 and identifying working faces with the severe dust contamination in one underground iron mine.

METHODSThe data was from routine monitoring between the years 1991 and 2010, which enclosed the total dust concentrations and silica contents. China National Standard of Occupational exposure limits for hazardous agents in the workplace used to judge whether the dust concentration exceeded the National Standard.

RESULTSThe general trend of total dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 was decreased, especially maximum and average levels. The highest exceeding rate was 43.16% in 1993 and the best years were 2009 and 2010, but the exceeding rates were still over 30%. The dust exposure levels varied with different work faces. The mining and supporting were the most severe dust pollution faces which the highest ultra exceeding rates were 51.61% and 51.48% and the maximum exceeding times were 64.6 and 16.4 respectively. The next was constructing face with 40.23% exceeding rate and 24.6 times more than standard.

CONCLUSIONThe trend of total dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 was decreased, but the dust exceeding rate was still high. The strong measures should be taken to control the dust pollution in this iron mine, especially mining and supporting faces.

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Dust ; analysis ; Environmental Monitoring ; Iron ; analysis ; Mining ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis

OBJECTIVEThe determination of skeletal maturity has an important role in pediatric clinical practice, especially in relation to endocrinological problems and growth disorders, and it is frequently useful in diagnosis and monitoring treatment. It has been suggested that the difference between radius, ulna and short bonse (RUS) and carpal may be of differential diagnostic significance. However, no data on comparison among bone ages of Chinese children are available. The differences between TW3-Chinese RUS (TW3-C RUS) and TW3-Chinese Carpal (TW3-C Carpal) bone age of Chinese children were observed in this study to provide references for skeletal development estimation.

METHODSTotally 9408 Han healthy children (5066 boys, 4302 girls) aged 1.5 - 13.5 years from 5 cities of China were enrolled in this study. The bone ages of the children were estimated by TW3-C RUS and TW3-C Carpal. The Z score curves of the differences between them were fitted by BCPE distribution and the goodness-of-fit of Box-Cox power exponential distribution (BCPE) models were assessed by Q-test and percents of cases of sample below the fitted percentile curves.

RESULTSThe means of the differences between TW3-C RUS and TW3-C Carpal were -0.19 - 0.17 over the age 2.0 - 13.5 years in boys and -0.12 - 0.13 from age 1.5 - 11.5 years in girls. The standard deviations were respectively 0.47 - 1.01 years for boys and 0.49 - 0.82 years for girls. The degrees of freedom, with respect to the parameter curves from BCPE distribution, were selected and the percentile curves were fitted by BCPE. The differences between percents of cases below the fitted percentile curves and expected values were all under 0.66%, exception of difference for 90th percentile in girls.

CONCLUSIONSThe differences between TW3-C RUS and TW3-C Carpal varied with age, the standard deviations increased gradually before 4.5 years of age in boys and 4 years of age in girls, and afterwards the variations decreased steadily until the TW3-C Carpal has reached full maturity. However, there was sex diversity in the extent of the variations. The differences between TW3-C RUS and TW3-C Carpal for boys were evidently greater than that for girls. The sex difference decreased progressively after 10 years. The proposed Z scores curves charts should provide reference for clinical practice.

Adolescent ; Age Determination by Skeleton ; statistics & numerical data ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Development ; Carpal Bones ; anatomy & histology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Radius ; Reference Values ; Ulna ; Urban Population