Objective This study aimed to assess the real-life nutritional status changes and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy.Methods A total of 104 pat...Objective This study aimed to assess the real-life nutritional status changes and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy.Methods A total of 104 patients with metastatic NSCLC receiving first-line chemotherapy were included in this study. Unintentional weight loss, body mass index(BMI) changes, and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded and evaluated. Biochemical parameters [hemoglobin(Hb) and albumin levels] were compared before and after two chemotherapy cycles using SPSS software.Results Of these patients, 65.38%(68/104) experienced unintentional weight loss, whereas 30.77% and 12.5% presented with ≥ 5% and ≥ 10% degrees of weight loss, respectively, within 6 months before first-line chemotherapy was administered. Then, 48.08%(50/104) of the patients experienced unintentional weight loss after two chemotherapy cycles. The mean body weight after chemotherapy was 61.47 ± 10.37 kg, which was significantly decreased relative to that before chemotherapy(P < 0.05). The mean BMI after chemotherapy was 22.66 ± 3.34 kg/m^2, which was also significantly diminished with respect to that during the previous chemotherapy cycle(P < 0.05). The most common gastrointestinal symptoms reported among all the study patients were anorexia(80/104, 76.92%), nausea(53/104, 50.96%), constipation(49/104, 47.12%), vomiting(48/104, 46.15%), taste disorders(40/104, 38.46%), and early satiety(32/104, 30.77%). The mean Hb levels after chemotherapy were 117.06 ± 16.67 g/L, which were significantly lower than those before chemotherapy(132.73 ± 16.42 g/L)(P < 0.05). No significant difference was noted between the mean albumin levels before and after chemotherapy(38.29 ± 4.22 g/L vs 38.17 ± 4.54 g/L; P = 0.798). Conclusion Weight loss history, gastrointestinal symptoms, and Hb level decreases are determinant factors of nutritional status in patients with advanced NSCLC and must be included in the screening, evaluation, and treatment of lung carcinoma.展开更多
Sahlbergella singularis （brown cocoa mirid） is responsible for over 30% yield loss of cocoa, while Phytophthora megakarya （causal organism of black pod disease） causes between 70-100% yield loss of cocoa in Nigeri...Sahlbergella singularis （brown cocoa mirid） is responsible for over 30% yield loss of cocoa, while Phytophthora megakarya （causal organism of black pod disease） causes between 70-100% yield loss of cocoa in Nigeria. In all the Nigerian cocoa agroecological zones, the use of pesticides still remains an important component among the strategies for effective control of major insect pests and diseases of cocoa. The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria （CRIN）, has the national mandate to evaluate and recommend novel pesticides from various groups that fall within the European-Union standards for use on cocoa farms in Nigeria. Such pesticides usually undergo rigorous testing spanning over 3 years to determine correct dose necessary to produce toxic reactions to the targeted pests without any adverse effects on the environment, man and non-target organisms. The screening exercise for candidate pesticides starts with confirmatory test of the constituent active ingredient, laboratory bioassay, phytotoxicity test, first, second and third year field evaluation and residue analysis of beans harvested from the treated plots. This paper critically examines these standard procedures, which must be followed judiciously for novel pesticides certification and recommendation for use in Nigeria.展开更多
Present work highlights, first time in Egypt, the impact of OYDV infection on crops production. Plants grown in the field were individually labelled as either apparently healthy or diseased and were marked for harvest...Present work highlights, first time in Egypt, the impact of OYDV infection on crops production. Plants grown in the field were individually labelled as either apparently healthy or diseased and were marked for harvesting. The percentage of yield loss due to viral infection was determined, on the basis of the average yield parameters of the healthy plant. The natural infection with OYDV in onion and garlic fields resulted in a substantial reduction in pseudo-stem length, number of leaves, plant weight and weight of bulb as well as number and weight of cloves. Results clearly indicate the impact of natural infection with OYDV on the crop yield of infected onion and garlic plants in comparison with the virus-free （uninfected） ones. The largest reduction in the yield of infected plants occurred in Chinese garlic （Seds40） followed by （Baladi） garlic and onion Giza 20. This information suggests that measures have to be taken to prevent natural infection with OYDV into and within onion and garlic fields in order to avoid yield loss.展开更多
Purpose: To study the time-effect relationship of action of acupuncture on the satiety center of ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH) in rats with experimental obesity. Methods: Microelectrode recording method o...Purpose: To study the time-effect relationship of action of acupuncture on the satiety center of ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH) in rats with experimental obesity. Methods: Microelectrode recording method of nerve cells and stereotaxic technique for brain were adopted with discharge frequency (Hz/s) of nerve impulse in VMH as the index, and the time-effect of acupuncture action in different periods between groups were observed. Results: Electric activity in acupuncture group was higher than that in the obesity model group (P<0.001) and the normal group (P<0.01) respectively, and the curve of acupuncture action within 2 hours showed irregular fluctuation. Conclusion: Acupuncture can increase excitability of the satiety center, with a better long-term effect.展开更多
A sandy soil, Nampong soil （classified as Ustoxic Quartzipsamment）, was incubated under controlled condition i） to compare the mineralization of major plant nutrients derived from different types of biochars and ot...A sandy soil, Nampong soil （classified as Ustoxic Quartzipsamment）, was incubated under controlled condition i） to compare the mineralization of major plant nutrients derived from different types of biochars and other organic soil amendments; ii） to examine their effects on soil properties and plant nutrient availability; and iii） to evaluate the plant nutrient losses in leachate from the rooting zone of soil incorporated with the different amendments. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. Five treatments of soil amendments used were cassava stem base biochar （CSB）, rice husk biochar （RHB）, chicken manure （CM）, compost （CP）, and no amendment application （control）. The RHB treatment released the highest amounts of mineralized NO^-N, available P and K （2.30-17.26, 5.50-42.90 and 43.00-187.63 mg kg-1, respectively） while the CM treatment releasing the highest NH4＋-N in the range of 1.86-53.67 mg kg-1. The CSB and RHB treatments showed better continuity of mineralization of nutrients than the treatments of CM and CP, particularly in the case of the CSB treatment. In the soil column incubation experiment, the amounts of NH4＋-N and NO3-N in all treatments barely changed on Day 1 to Day 30 of incubation and then the amounts increased markedly on Day 60. On Day 601 the RHB treatment contained a very high amount of NO3--N （〉 250 mg kg-1）. This suggests that N would become more available 30 d after the incorporation. The CM treatment gave the highest amounts of organic matter and available P in the ranges of 4.64-8.94 g kg-1 and 14.41-36.33 mg kg-1, respectively, during the 60-d column incubation. The CSB treatment tended to have higher available K throughout the measuring period. The NO3--N was leached from the soil column quite quickly on Day 1 of incubation while the loss of NH^-N decreased slightly from Day 1 until the end of the measurement. The amounts of P and K losses varied with the type of soil amendments, and the pattern of the loss was irregular.展开更多
文摘Objective This study aimed to assess the real-life nutritional status changes and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) receiving chemotherapy.Methods A total of 104 patients with metastatic NSCLC receiving first-line chemotherapy were included in this study. Unintentional weight loss, body mass index(BMI) changes, and gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded and evaluated. Biochemical parameters [hemoglobin(Hb) and albumin levels] were compared before and after two chemotherapy cycles using SPSS software.Results Of these patients, 65.38%(68/104) experienced unintentional weight loss, whereas 30.77% and 12.5% presented with ≥ 5% and ≥ 10% degrees of weight loss, respectively, within 6 months before first-line chemotherapy was administered. Then, 48.08%(50/104) of the patients experienced unintentional weight loss after two chemotherapy cycles. The mean body weight after chemotherapy was 61.47 ± 10.37 kg, which was significantly decreased relative to that before chemotherapy(P < 0.05). The mean BMI after chemotherapy was 22.66 ± 3.34 kg/m^2, which was also significantly diminished with respect to that during the previous chemotherapy cycle(P < 0.05). The most common gastrointestinal symptoms reported among all the study patients were anorexia(80/104, 76.92%), nausea(53/104, 50.96%), constipation(49/104, 47.12%), vomiting(48/104, 46.15%), taste disorders(40/104, 38.46%), and early satiety(32/104, 30.77%). The mean Hb levels after chemotherapy were 117.06 ± 16.67 g/L, which were significantly lower than those before chemotherapy(132.73 ± 16.42 g/L)(P < 0.05). No significant difference was noted between the mean albumin levels before and after chemotherapy(38.29 ± 4.22 g/L vs 38.17 ± 4.54 g/L; P = 0.798). Conclusion Weight loss history, gastrointestinal symptoms, and Hb level decreases are determinant factors of nutritional status in patients with advanced NSCLC and must be included in the screening, evaluation, and treatment of lung carcinoma.
文摘Sahlbergella singularis （brown cocoa mirid） is responsible for over 30% yield loss of cocoa, while Phytophthora megakarya （causal organism of black pod disease） causes between 70-100% yield loss of cocoa in Nigeria. In all the Nigerian cocoa agroecological zones, the use of pesticides still remains an important component among the strategies for effective control of major insect pests and diseases of cocoa. The Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria （CRIN）, has the national mandate to evaluate and recommend novel pesticides from various groups that fall within the European-Union standards for use on cocoa farms in Nigeria. Such pesticides usually undergo rigorous testing spanning over 3 years to determine correct dose necessary to produce toxic reactions to the targeted pests without any adverse effects on the environment, man and non-target organisms. The screening exercise for candidate pesticides starts with confirmatory test of the constituent active ingredient, laboratory bioassay, phytotoxicity test, first, second and third year field evaluation and residue analysis of beans harvested from the treated plots. This paper critically examines these standard procedures, which must be followed judiciously for novel pesticides certification and recommendation for use in Nigeria.
文摘Present work highlights, first time in Egypt, the impact of OYDV infection on crops production. Plants grown in the field were individually labelled as either apparently healthy or diseased and were marked for harvesting. The percentage of yield loss due to viral infection was determined, on the basis of the average yield parameters of the healthy plant. The natural infection with OYDV in onion and garlic fields resulted in a substantial reduction in pseudo-stem length, number of leaves, plant weight and weight of bulb as well as number and weight of cloves. Results clearly indicate the impact of natural infection with OYDV on the crop yield of infected onion and garlic plants in comparison with the virus-free （uninfected） ones. The largest reduction in the yield of infected plants occurred in Chinese garlic （Seds40） followed by （Baladi） garlic and onion Giza 20. This information suggests that measures have to be taken to prevent natural infection with OYDV into and within onion and garlic fields in order to avoid yield loss.
文摘Purpose: To study the time-effect relationship of action of acupuncture on the satiety center of ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus (VMH) in rats with experimental obesity. Methods: Microelectrode recording method of nerve cells and stereotaxic technique for brain were adopted with discharge frequency (Hz/s) of nerve impulse in VMH as the index, and the time-effect of acupuncture action in different periods between groups were observed. Results: Electric activity in acupuncture group was higher than that in the obesity model group (P<0.001) and the normal group (P<0.01) respectively, and the curve of acupuncture action within 2 hours showed irregular fluctuation. Conclusion: Acupuncture can increase excitability of the satiety center, with a better long-term effect.
基金the Research Scholarship for International Publications under the Graduate School,Kasetsart University,and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) for the research funding support
文摘A sandy soil, Nampong soil （classified as Ustoxic Quartzipsamment）, was incubated under controlled condition i） to compare the mineralization of major plant nutrients derived from different types of biochars and other organic soil amendments; ii） to examine their effects on soil properties and plant nutrient availability; and iii） to evaluate the plant nutrient losses in leachate from the rooting zone of soil incorporated with the different amendments. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. Five treatments of soil amendments used were cassava stem base biochar （CSB）, rice husk biochar （RHB）, chicken manure （CM）, compost （CP）, and no amendment application （control）. The RHB treatment released the highest amounts of mineralized NO^-N, available P and K （2.30-17.26, 5.50-42.90 and 43.00-187.63 mg kg-1, respectively） while the CM treatment releasing the highest NH4＋-N in the range of 1.86-53.67 mg kg-1. The CSB and RHB treatments showed better continuity of mineralization of nutrients than the treatments of CM and CP, particularly in the case of the CSB treatment. In the soil column incubation experiment, the amounts of NH4＋-N and NO3-N in all treatments barely changed on Day 1 to Day 30 of incubation and then the amounts increased markedly on Day 60. On Day 601 the RHB treatment contained a very high amount of NO3--N （〉 250 mg kg-1）. This suggests that N would become more available 30 d after the incorporation. The CM treatment gave the highest amounts of organic matter and available P in the ranges of 4.64-8.94 g kg-1 and 14.41-36.33 mg kg-1, respectively, during the 60-d column incubation. The CSB treatment tended to have higher available K throughout the measuring period. The NO3--N was leached from the soil column quite quickly on Day 1 of incubation while the loss of NH^-N decreased slightly from Day 1 until the end of the measurement. The amounts of P and K losses varied with the type of soil amendments, and the pattern of the loss was irregular.
