Journal articles on the topic 'Ma ying long'

The past eight years since 2008 under the leadership of Ma Ying-jeou, the relations between China and Taiwan have been experiencing the golden age. By cooperating in many sectors, like economic partnership; social interactions; tourism and some political dialogues, both countries have been building a good relationship between them. Looking back to the past, China and Taiwan have a long series of conflicts, which ended in the Chinese Civil War 1949 with the victory of the Chinese Communist party which has now become the People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, its opposing democratic party has now become the Republic of China (Taiwan). Since then, China and Taiwan’s relations have been on a standstill Ma Yingjeou rose to power as the president of Taiwan. By using the concept of Economic Interdependence and Conflict in World Politics by Mark J.C. Crescenzi, this paper aims to explain how the golden age of China-Taiwan relations have been going on in the past eight years up until now, as well as the future of the relations itself under the new president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-we. This paper has the following research question: how has the good relation between China and Taiwan been built since 2008, considering their previously severed relations in the past?

Abstract Though docetaxel plus cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) induction chemotherapy becomes the standard care for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), some patients could not benefit from this therapy. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We found that DCAF7 was highly expressed in TPF resistant NPC patients, and promoted the cisplatin resistance and metastasis of NPC cells. Mechanistically, DCAF7 facilitates the interaction between USP10 and G3BP1, resulting in the removal of K48-linked ubiquitylation of G3BP1 at Lys76 mediated by USP10, thus preventing the degradation of G3BP1 through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and facilitates the stress granule (SG)-like structures formation. Moreover, knockdown of G3BP1 successfully reversed the SG-like structures formation and oncogenic effects exerted by DCAF7. Importantly, NPC patients with elevated DCAF7 expression exhibited high risks of metastasis, and is associated with a poor prognosis. This study identifies DCAF7 as a pivotal cisplatin resistance gene, and sheds light on the underlying mechanism of TPF resistance in NPC patients. The DCAF7-USP10-G3BP1 axis provides potential therapeutic targets and biomarker for NPC treatment. Citation Format: Qing-Jie Li, Xue-Liang Fang, Ying-Qin Li, Jia-Yi Lin, Cheng-Long Huang, Shi-Wei He, Sheng-Yan Huang, Jun-Yan Li, Sha Gong, Kai-Lin Chen, Na Liu, Jun Ma, Yin Zhao, Ling-Long Tang. DCAF7 acts as a scaffold to recruit USP10 for G3BP1 deubiquitylation and facilitates chemoresistance and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 1999.

Abstract HSP90 mediates the folding of many important cancer-associated proteins, but it can also direct its substrates towards degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Furthermore, in tumor tissues, HSP90 complexes are in an activated state relative to normal tissues, and small molecule HSP90 inhibitors display unique tumor-selective pharmacokinetics. To take advantage of these attributes, we have developed a novel targeted protein degradation technology, termed Chaperone-Mediated Protein Degradation (CHAMP), and present here an in-depth characterization of the CHAMP mechanism of action. Initially, from a chemical library of greater than 1000 linkered HSP90 binders, hetero-bifunctional CHAMPs were synthesized in which target protein binders and HSP90 binders were covalently coupled together by short linkers. The resulting compounds were screened for target protein degradation and cancer cell cytotoxicity to identify promising leads for further optimization. We found that CHAMPs can degrade a wide variety of target proteins. This included proteins that are known to be regulated by HSP90, such as transcription factor BRD4 or ERK5 kinase. However, proteins that are normally independent of HSP90 function can also be degraded, including mutated KRAS and SHP2 phosphatase. In vitro, CHAMP treatment of cells resulted in formation of a ternary complex between the target protein, CHAMP compound and HSP90. Moreover, an X-ray crystal structure was solved for a mKRAS-CHAMP-HSP90 ternary complex. CHAMP-mediated degradation required both the target- and HSP90-binding moieties to be covalently coupled and involved ubiquitination of the target protein. Multiple ubiquitin E3 ligases were present in ternary complexes, and depending on the target protein, NEDD8 inhibition or CRISPR knockouts of individual E3 ligases could suppress proteasome-dependent target degradation. In vivo, irrespective of target, CHAMPs displayed prolonged exposure in tumors relative to plasma and normal tissues, resulting in prolonged target degradation in tumors and strong tumor growth inhibition at well-tolerated doses. CHAMP technology can be applied to a diversity of cancer-associated targets and has potential advantages relative to other protein degradation approaches, including an improved safety margin due to preferential accumulation in tumor tissues. Citation Format: Xiangcai Yang, Yan Dai, Qinglin Ding, Feng Du, Jinhua Li, Chuhe Liu, Chunyang Lv, Liang Ma, Thomas L. Prince, Yuetong Sun, Mingkai Wang, Rong Wang, Yaya Wang, Zhiyong Wang, Min Wu, Mengmeng Xu, Zimo Yang, Long Ye, Wei Yin, Chenghao Ying, Haoxin Zhou, Guoqiang Wang, Weiwen Ying, Kevin P. Foley. Mechanism of action of tumor-selective, chaperone-mediated protein degraders (CHAMPs) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 6053.

Abstract KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncoprotein in human cancers. Although long considered “undruggable”, recent breakthroughs in medicinal chemistry have led to FDA-approval of the KRAS(G12C) mutation-specific inhibitors sotorasib and adagrasib for the treatment of KRAS(G12C)-positive non-small cell lung cancer. However, illustrating the need to develop additional novel agents targeting mutated KRAS, the 5-year relative survival rate for pancreatic cancer, which is commonly associated with a variety of different KRAS mutations, is only 12% (all SEER stages) due to poor early detection and a lack of effective treatments. In particular, KRAS(G12D) is the most common KRAS mutation, being found in 37% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs), as well as in 12.5% of colorectal cancer and 4.9% of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. MRTX1133 is a highly-selective, non-covalent KRAS(G12D) inhibitor that has recently entered a phase 1 clinical trial. However, here we show that exposure of KRAS(G12D)-mutated PDAC (PANC-1 and AsPC-1) and LUAD (SK-LU-1) cell lines and a patient-derived organoid (PDO) PDAC model (RPAN001) to MRTX1133 resulted in varying degrees of in vitro efficacy. Decreased downstream KRAS signaling in the form of reduced phospho-ERK1/2 levels was observed to rapidly recover within 24 hours of treatment with 500 nM MRTX1133. Moreover, this rebound coincided with increased expression of KRAS, NRAS andHRAS mRNAs. Concurrently, activation of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) EGFR and MET was observed in PANC-1 and SK-LU-1 cells that displayed innate resistance to MRTX1133, while the sensitive AsPC-1 cells showed no such RTK activation. These results suggest that targeting of both KRAS(G12D) and RTKs may be needed to treat KRAS(G12D) inhibitor-resistant cancers. To address this, we employed a novel hetero-bispecific CHAMP molecule, RNK08179, that simultaneously targets both KRAS(G12D) and HSP90, an RTK-regulating chaperone protein. RNK08179 treatment demonstrated a striking reduction in phospho-ERK1/2 levels, RTK activation and cell viability in MRTX1133-resistant PANC-1 and SK-LU-1 cells. Furthermore, similar efficacy was observed in the MRTX1133-resistant RPAN001 PDO model. In summary, RNK08179 displayed promising efficacy in cancer models harboring KRAS(G12D) by suppressing both mutated KRAS and HSP90-supported RTK signaling. Citation Format: Ines Pulido, Qiyue Luan, Chenghao Yin, Zimo Yang, Jinhua Lin, Yaya Wang, Yuetong Sun, Chuche Liu, Haoxin Zhou, Marek Massad, Ian Papautsky, Thomas L. Prince, Guoqiang Wang, Kevin P. Foley, Weiwen Ying, Takeshi Shimamura. Treating KRAS(G12D) inhibitor resistance using a KRAS- and HSP90 chaperone-targeted hetero-bispecific small molecule agent [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2023 Oct 11-15; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2023;22(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B093.

Abstract We present A3D3a’s Molecular Vulnerability Picker (MVP), a novel probabilistic approach to determine vulnerabilities in networks of cancer interactions for the identification of new therapeutic targets. Successes in targeted therapies driven by molecular profiling have helped 47% of cancer patients achieve long-lasting remission. However, over half of patients still lack safe, effective, and long-lasting treatment options. Successes have often clustered around exploitation of major driver mechanisms that can be clearly discerned from molecular data. Heterogeneity, rarity, and complexity of these remaining cancers mean that the signal of key molecular vulnerabilities, i.e., protein targets that can be exploited for therapy, can be drowned out by noise. We developed A3D3a’s MVP to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in cancer networks of interaction and alteration information to determine vulnerabilities toward the identification of new potential drug targets. To implement A3D3a’s MVP, we constructed protein networks of major solid cancers from TCGA data that we used as a framework for information flow. We developed a novel weight-biased Markov Chain model to highlight cooperativity of weak signals arising from related regions of the protein network, emphasizing previously hidden signal within these cancer networks. To validate A3D3a’s MVP, we examined the top genes it returned in the Dependency Map and the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer. We further validated our findings by comparing the number of genetic dependencies and drug targets recovered by the model to that recovered by the state of the art. Finally, we applied A3D3a’s MVP to identify therapeutic opportunities across cancer indications and extended our analysis to highlight well-ranked genes whose proteins contain druggable pockets and thus, could serve as new drug targets. For the 19 cancer types included in this analysis, A3D3a’s MVP returned significantly more genetic dependencies (p < 0.01) and drug targets (p < 0.001) than genes ranked by the state of the art. We demonstrate that A3D3a’s MVP is able to increase the signal of weakly altered genes and is also able to identify genuine dependencies that themselves are not mutated or altered in any way. Using A3D3a’s MVP, we identified 56 drug repurposing opportunities and 49 potential druggable targets for solid cancers and also highlight novel potential druggable targets for future exploitation and new therapeutics. In summary, A3D3a’s MVP is a novel mathematical modeling approach that increases the signal-to-noise ratio in cancer molecular data and helps uncover previously hidden molecular vulnerabilities towards new potential drug targets to address unmet patient needs. Citation Format: Stephanie T Schmidt, Ying Zhu, Li Zhao, Chunjie Jiang, Patrizio Di Micco, Costas Mitsopoulos, Andrew Futreal, Bissan Al-Lazikani. Probabilistic graph-based model uncovers druggable vulnerabilities in major solid cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2023 Oct 11-15; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2023;22(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C059.

Here, we characterized the changes in fruit quality and biochemical parameters in four Myanmar mango cultivars from ripening stage 1 to 4 at ambient temperature. Total soluble solids, total sugars, and reducing and non-reducing sugar content increased, whereas titratable acidity decreased with increasing storage time in all cultivars. ‘Sein Ta Lone’ showed the highest consumer acceptability, with maximum sensory quality scores owing to its unique characteristics. ‘Hin Thar’ and ‘Ma Chit Su’ also had better quality and sensory attributes than ‘Yin Kwae’. Sugar/acid ratios in all cultivars ranged from 23 to 50, the standard sugar/acid ratios in high-quality mango fruits. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity among cultivars ranged from 8.20 to 14.96 mg gallic acid equivalents and 19.52 to 26.79 mg vitamin C equivalents antioxidant capacity, respectively, per 100 g of fruit extract throughout the storage. ‘Hin Thar’ was the richest in phytochemical compounds. A significant positive correlation was found between total phenolic activity and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl free radical scavenging activity of fruits, showing that TPC exhibited linear relationships with the antioxidant activities of each mango variety during the different stages of ripening.

Abstract It is reported that long-term use of estrogen could increase the risk of ovarian cancer. However, the role of estrogen in immunoevasion is not fully explored. We have previously demonstrated that estrogen-mediated upregulation of E2F6, and, c-Kit, by epigenetic silencing of miR-193a, and a competing endogenous (ceRNA) mechanism. In this study, we found that PBX1, a transcriptional activator of the immunosuppressive cytokine, IL-10, is also a target of miR-193a. Importantly, overexpression of the E2F6 3’UTR upregulates both E2F6 and, PBX1, as well as IL10 in ovarian cancer cell lines, suggesting that ceRNA mechanism exists between E2F6 and PBX1. These phenomena are further supported by our stochastic simulation of the estrogen-mediated E2F6 ceRNA network on the distribution of E2F6 and PBX1 mRNA in cancer cells, which is consistent with the TCGA ovarian cancer RNA-Seq dataset. Importantly, monocyte-derived dendritic cell activation of T-cell function was inhibited by pretreatment of conditioned media derived from ovarian cancer cells overexpressing E2F6 3’UTR; such inhibition was rescueable by an anti-IL-10 antibody. Clinically, IL10 level was higher in ovarian cancer patients with higher E2F6 and PBX1, and in ovarian cancer cell lines overexpressed with E2F6 3’UTR. Taken together, these results showed that E2F6 could suppress anti-tumor immune response of dendritic cell, E2F6 ceRNA network. Epigenetic intervention in restoring the expression of miR-193a may be able to enhance anti-tumor immune response against ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Michael W.Y. Chan, Yin-Chen Chen, Ching-Wen Lin, Frank Cheng, Ching-Cher Sanders Yan, Chao-Ping Hsu, Yu-Min Chuang, Jie-Ting Low, Xiaojing Ma, Yao-Ting Huang, Chia-Bin Chang, Chin Li, Hung-Cheng Lai, Shu-Fen Wu, Shih-Hsun Hung, Je-Chiang Tsai. A E2F6 ceRNA network suppresses dendritic cell function, via PBX1/IL-10 signaling, in ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 97.

Abstract Introduction: Asian Americans is a Hepatitis B (HBV) disparity population who only account for 7% of the US population but experience nearly 60% burden of chronic HBV, which is associated with 75% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Adherence to HBV medication guideline is a practical approach to preventing liver cancer. However, limited studies have been conducted on promoting HBV medication adherence among underserved Asian American HBV patients. Methods: This study utilized 18-month follow-up data from a randomized controlled clinical trial aimed at improving long-term adherence to HBV medication adherence. Eligible Asian American HBV patients were recruited in the Greater Philadelphia and New York City areas from community-based organizations and clinics that serving the targeted population. Guided by Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, we developed and implemented Virtual Patient Navigation Toolkit and Text Messaging (VPN Toolkit+TM) to promote HBV pill-taking among the targeted population. HBV medication adherence was assessed using the Morisky 8-Item Medication Adherence Scale with a score ranges from 0 to 8, depression was measured with Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and knowledge of HBV was evaluated with a 10-item scale. A p-value that is smaller than 0.5 is considered statistically significant. Results: Among 149 participants (108 Chinese and 41 Vietnamese) who were prescribed HBV medication, 44.97% were female. Bivariate analysis showed that medication adherence was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control (7.25 vs. 5.57, p<0.001 ) group at the 18-month follow-up. Results from the multivariable analysis revealed that compared with their control group counterparts, intervention group participants had significantly higher Morisky medication score (Coef.= 0.66, p=0.044), controlling for demographics, depression level, and HBV knowledge score. The results indicated that there was a significant intervention effect in medication adherence at 18-month follow-up. In addition, we found that a lower depression score (Coef.=-0.11, p<0.001) and a higher level of HBV related knowledge (Coef.=0.40, p<0.001) were significant predictors of better HBV medication adherence at 18-month follow-up assessment, with other variables held constant. Conclusion: The findings imply the necessity of promoting VPN Toolkit+ TM intervention among medically underserved HBV pill-taking patients. Moreover, targeted interventions addressing psychosocial barriers and promoting HBV-related knowledge would effectively promote HBV medication adherence among Asian Americans with chronic HBV infection. Citation Format: Wenyue Lu, Lin Zhu, Thoin Begum, Yin Tan, Minhhuyen T. Nguyen, Xiaoli Ma, Sarah Lai, Tam Tran, Phuong Do, Elizabeth Handorf, Ming-Chin Yeh, Grace X. Ma. An effective intervention toolkit to promote medication adherence among Asian Americans living with chronic hepatitis B [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C100.

Upcycling plastic waste into value-added products helps to generate cost-effective and sustainable resources towards a circular materials economy and safer ecosystem. The conversion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) municipal waste via the carbonization process into hard carbon (HC) delivers a high-reversible capacity, low-cost, sustainable anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) is a significant challenge of the HC anode, which should be optimized by electrolyte and interfacial chemistry.1 In conventional carbonate esters-based electrolytes, ethylene carbonate (EC) forms an organic-rich thick SEI layer, soluble on cycling, limiting the cyclic stability. The low-temperature performance is also a significant concern in achieving high capacity, long cyclability, and ICE.2 Herein, HC derived via single-step carbonization at 1000℃ exhibits larger interlayer spacing of 0.379 nm, low surface area (~205 m2g-1), and unique slit-shaped pores with 84% mesoporosity in the structure. PET-HC exhibits a high reversible capacity of 337 mAh g-1 with ICE of just 66%, using EC-PC-based electrolyte. EC-free cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) was used due to its weakly solvating and wide temperature solvent.3 CPME-PC-based electrolytes significantly enhanced the ICE value to 74.5% and reversible capacity to 356 mAh g-1 with superior cycling of 91% after 100 cycles at 0.1C rate. The inorganic-rich SEI layer for CPME-PC-based electrolytes results in a thin SEI that improves the ICE and cyclic stability of the anode. The low-temperature performance (up to -20°C) for CPME-PC-based electrolytes showed ~30% added capacity compared to EC-PC-based electrolytes. This work provided an eco-friendly approach to developing hard carbons from plastic trash and offered an effective strategy to replace EC with CPME for low-temperature sodium storage applications. References Shen, L., Shi, S., Roy, S., Yin, X., Liu, W., Zhao, Y., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31, 2006066. Ramasamy, H. V., Kim, S., Adams, E. J., Rao, H. & Pol, V. G. Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 5124–5127. Zhang, H., Zeng, Z., Ma, F., Wu, Q., Wang, X., Cheng, S., Xie, J., Angew. Chem. 2023, e202300771. Figure 1

Abstract Introduction: Asian Americans is a Hepatitis B (HBV) disparity population who only account for 6% of the US population but experience a 60% burden of having HBV, which is associated with 75% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Adherence to HBV medication is a practical approach to prevent liver cancer. However, limited studies have been conducted on the impacts of depression on HBV medication adherence among underserved Asian American HBV patients. Methods: This study utilized 12-m follow up data from a randomized controlled clinical trial aimed at improving long-term adherence to HBV medication adherence. Eligible Asian American HBV patients were recruited from the Greater Philadelphia Area and New York City. HBV medication adherence was assessed using the 8-Item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), and depression was measured with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We conducted OLS regression to examine the association between depression and medication adherence among participants who reported that they were taking antiviral medication for their chronic hepatitis B condition. Results: Among 154 participants (118 Chinese and 36 Vietnamese), 43.57% were female, and 56.49% were male. Nearly all the participants reported having health insurance (92.21%) and having a physician to visit regularly (95.21%). Bivariate analysis showed that depression was negatively significantly associated with medication adherence score (r=-0.55, p<0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that a higher level of depressive symptoms at baseline significantly predicted poor medication adherence (log odds: -0.16, 95% CI: 4.02-6.89), with other covariates controlled for. In addition, study arm and ethnicity were significant predictors of medical adherence as well. Conclusion: The findings suggest that depression level has significant impacts on medication adherence. This indicates the need for mental health monitoring for CHB patients on antiviral. There are needs for culturally sensitive clinical and community interventions to improve mental health status and medication adherence among this vulnerable population. In addition, we will discuss the successes and challenges in the participant recruitment and intervention implementation process of this study. Citation Format: Di Zhu, Danny Bracy, Wenyue Lu, Lin Zhu, Elizabeth Handorf, Yin Tan, Ming-chin Yeh, Minhhuyen T. Nguyen, Grace X. Ma. Depression is a risk factor for noncompliance with antiviral medication treatment among Asian Americans with chronic hepatitis B [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B109.

Ever-increasing demands for energy, particularly being environmentally friendly have promoted the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.1 Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), arguably the most well-studied energy storage system, have dominated the energy market since their advent in the 1990s.2 However, challenging issues regarding safety, supply of lithium, and high price of lithium resources limit the further advancement of LIBs for large-scale energy storage applications.3 Therefore, attention is being concentrated on an alternative electrochemical energy storage device that features high safety, low cost, and long cycle life. Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) is considered one of the most promising alternative energy storage systems due to the high theoretical energy and power densities where the multiple electrons (Zn2+) . In addition, aqueous ZIBs are safer due to non-flammable electrolyte (e.g., typically aqueous solution) and can be manufactured since they can be assembled in ambient air conditions. 4 As an essential component in aqueous Zn-based batteries, the Zn metal anode generally suffers from the growth of dendrites, which would affect battery performance in several ways. Second, the led by the loose structure of Zn dendrite may reduce the coulombic efficiency and shorten the battery lifespan.5 Several approaches were suggested to improve the electrochemical stability of ZIBs, such as implementing an interfacial buffer layer that separates the active Zn from the bulk electrolyte.6 However, the and thick thickness of the conventional Zn metal foils remain a critical challenge in this field, which may diminish the energy density of the battery drastically. According to a theretical calculation, the thickness of a Zn metal anode with an areal capacity of 1 mAh cm-2 is about 1.7 μm. However, existing extrusion-based fabrication technologies are not capable of downscaling the thickness Zn metal foils below 20 μm. Herein, we demonstrate a thickness controllable coating approach to fabricate an ultrathin Zn metal anode as well as a thin dielectric oxide separator. First, a 1.7 μm Zn layer was uniformly thermally evaporated onto a Cu foil. Then, Al2O3 , the separator was deposited through sputtering on the Zn layer to a thickness of 10 nm. The inert and high hardness Al2O3 layer is expected to lower the polarization and restrain the growth of Zn dendrites. Atomic force microscopy was employed to evaluate the roughness of the surface of the deposited Zn and Al2O3/Zn anode structures. Long-term cycling stability was gauged under the symmetrical cells at 0.5 mA cm-2 for 1 mAh cm-2. Then the fabricated Zn anode was paired with MnO2 as a full cell for further electrochemical performance testing. To investigate the evolution of the interface between the Zn anode and the electrolyte, a home-developed in-situ optical observation battery cage was employed to record and compare the process of Zn deposition on the anodes of the Al2O3/Zn (demonstrated in this study) and the procured thick Zn anode. The surface morphology of the two Zn anodes after circulation was characterized and compared through scanning electron microscopy. The tunable ultrathin Zn metal anode with enhanced anode stability provides a pathway for future high-energy-density Zn-ion batteries. Obama, B., The irreversible momentum of clean energy. Science 2017, 355 (6321), 126-129. Goodenough, J. B.; Park, K. S., The Li-ion rechargeable battery: a perspective. J Am Chem Soc 2013, 135 (4), 1167-76. Li, C.; Xie, X.; Liang, S.; Zhou, J., Issues and Future Perspective on Zinc Metal Anode for Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc‐ion Batteries. Energy & Environmental Materials 2020, 3 (2), 146-159. Jia, H.; Wang, Z.; Tawiah, B.; Wang, Y.; Chan, C.-Y.; Fei, B.; Pan, F., Recent advances in zinc anodes for high-performance aqueous Zn-ion batteries. Nano Energy 2020, 70. Yang, J.; Yin, B.; Sun, Y.; Pan, H.; Sun, W.; Jia, B.; Zhang, S.; Ma, T., Zinc Anode for Mild Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries: Challenges, Strategies, and Perspectives. Nanomicro Lett 2022, 14 (1), 42. Yang, Q.; Li, Q.; Liu, Z.; Wang, D.; Guo, Y.; Li, X.; Tang, Y.; Li, H.; Dong, B.; Zhi, C., Dendrites in Zn-Based Batteries. Adv Mater 2020, 32 (48), e2001854. Acknowledgment This work was partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Award No. ECCS-1931088. S.L. and H.W.S. acknowledge the support from the Improvement of Measurement Standards and Technology for Mechanical Metrology (Grant No. 22011044) by KRISS. Figure 1

With the world's energy needs constantly increasing, renewable energy sources must be technologically advanced and integrated with energy storage devices to ensure their uninterrupted operation. In recent decades, researchers have devoted substantial efforts to improve the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) [1]. While graphite remains the commercial anode in LIBs, it’s very low theoretical capacity (372 mAh g-1) restricts its use in high-energy applications. Silicon (Si), owing to its high theoretical capacity of 4200 mAh g-1, natural abundance, and appropriate Li uptake potential (0.4 V vs Li/Li+), is a promising anode material [2]. However, its massive volume expansion restricts its practical use. In this study, micron-sized Si particles are combined with graphite. Micron Si is less expensive, and the synthesis process is simpler. The well-ground mixture (Si-G) is mixed with a polymer solution to generate pyrolytic carbon (upon carbonising). This aids in the buffering of mechanical stresses caused by Si volume expansion. Furthermore, direct exposure of Si to the electrolyte is avoided, stabilising the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). The addition of a dopant improves the intrinsic conductivity of the material, resulting in increased capacity by providing electron and Li-ion transport channels. To further enhance the composite's performance, synthesized Mxene is added to promote the charge transport between micron Si. Using various techniques such as SEM-EDAX, XRD, Raman, and XPS spectroscopy, the composite's morphology and structure is studied which reveals uniformly distributed Si, C, and Mxene sheets that retain the sheet architecture. As an anode, the composite exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance which was evident by its impressive lithium storage specific capacity of 2003 mAh g-1 (based on weight of Si) even after long term cycling (at 1C rate). Additionally, the composite demonstrates superior rate performance with a specific capacity of 2439 mAh g-1 at 10 C rate, highlighting its potential for high-power applications. Moreover, the electrode displayed a low charge transfer impedance and fast electron transport, which improved the electrochemical performance. The reason for this improved performance is the unique structure consisting of Mxene and doping, which significantly increased the Li ion diffusion and the active sites. Also, low-cost micron Si is used which has a high tap density. Thus, this work provides an approach to develop high-capacity LIBs based on silicon. Keywords: Lithium-ion battery, micron silicon anode, Mxene, doping. References Liu, L. Kang, J. Hu, E. Jung, J. Zhang, S.C. Jun, Y. Yamauchi, Unlocking the Potential of Oxygen-Deficient Copper-Doped Co 3 O 4 Nanocrystals Confined in Carbon as an Advanced Electrode for Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors, ACS Energy Lett. 6 (2021) 3011–3019. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c01373. Zhou, Y. Liu, C. Du, Y. Ren, T. Mu, P. Zuo, G. Yin, Y. Ma, X. Cheng, Y. Gao, Polyaniline-encapsulated silicon on three-dimensional carbon nanotubes foam with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries, Journal of Power Sources. 381 (2018) 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2018.02.009.

The shortage of lithium resources, safety and recycling difficulty has focused attention on alternative energy storage devices in recent years. The aqueous zinc-ion battery (ZIB) stands out against such a background because of its earth abundance, safety, and environmental friendliness.1 However, the limited choice of cathode materials hinders the development of advanced high-energy-density aqueous ZIBs. At present, manganese oxide2 and vanadium oxide3 are the two most widely studied zinc-ion battery cathodes, but the migration of Zn2+ in these materials is limited by the strong electrostatic interaction with lattice oxygen ions, resulting in poor reversible capacity. Metal sulfides, instead, may effectively improve the electrochemical performance reversibility of ZIBs. Layered metal sulfides have been extensively studied in monovalent cation (Li+, Na+, K+) rechargeable batteries.4 However, although limited studies with Bi2S3 5,6 as ZIB cathode material exist, their detailed electrochemical charge storage and transfer mechanisms are not well understood. In this work, we explore the effect of covalent anchoring Bi2S3 on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on the stability and cycling performance as a cathode for aqueous ZIBs. During the hydrothermal synthesis, the reduced graphene oxide serves as the nucleation substrate enabling the formation of fine and uniformly sized Bi2S3 grains, Figure 1 (a). Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the formation of Bi-O-C heterojunctions during hydrothermal synthesis. These oxygen bridges serve as efficient electron transfer channels in the Bi2S3/rGO composite for rapid charge compensation during Zn2+ incorporation/extraction. As a result, Bi2S3/rGO composite shows notably better rate performance and cycling stability compared with pristine Bi2S3. The specific capacity of Bi2S3-rGO8 composite is ~186 mAh g-1 at the current density of 500 mA g-1 after 150 cycles, considerably higher than unsupported Bi2S3. Additionally, the Bi2S3 nucleated on GO with smaller particle sizes can shorten the transport path of zinc ions, which is beneficial for fast charge transfer. Therefore, Bi2S3-rGO8 can deliver more than 100 mAh g-1 at 10 A/g charge/discharge current density, Figure 1 (b). Also, the zinc storage mechanism was analyzed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and XPS, indicating a reversible conversion reaction of Zn2+ in the Bi2S3-rGO framework. During discharging, Zn2+ is embedded in Bi2S3-rGO frame to form ZnS and Bi wrapped in rGO. The process is accompanied by the dissolution of bismuth into electrolyte and the formation of (ZnSO4)[Zn(OH)2]3·5H2O (ZHS) on the electrode surface. Inhibition of these two processes may further increase the cycle stability of Bi2S3-rGO. Rotating ring disc electrode (RRDE) measurements, in which we detect dissolved Bi, indicate that Bi dissolution in the electrolyte during charging/discharging is mitigated in Bi2S3/rGO electrode, compared to pristine Bi2S3. References: Z. Li, L. Wu, S. Dong, T. Xu, S. Li, Y. An, J. Jiang and X. Zhang, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2021, 31, 2006495. J. Long, Z. Yang, F. Yang, J. Cuan and J. Wu, Electrochim. Acta, 2020, 344, 136155. Wu, Y. Ding, L. Hu, X. Zhang, Y. Huang and S. Chen, Mater. Lett., 2020, 277, 128268. Z. Hu, Q. Liu, S. Chou and S. Dou, Adv. Mater., 2017, 29, 1700606. S. Li, Y. Liu, X. Zhao, K. Cui, Q. Shen, P. Li, X. Qu and L. Jiao, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2021, 60, 20286–20293. T. Xiong, Y. Wang, B. Yin, W. Shi, W. S. V. Lee and J. Xue, Nano-Micro Lett., 2020, 12, 8. Figure 1

Climate change has stimulated great interest in developing clean and renewable energy conversion and storage solutions. Emerging technologies for solutions, like unitized regenerative fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and water electrolyzers, depend on the reliable catalyst materials suited for long-term application in alkaline environments[1]. In particular, the demanding reaction in these systems is the oxygen evolution reaction involving complex multielectron/proton transfer processes and thus sluggish kinetic.[2] At present, the state-of-the-art OER catalysts are IrO2 and RuO2. However, the high cost and scarcity of these materials severely prevent the wide-scale application of these systems.[3] Perovskite oxide (e.g., single perovskite expressed as ABO3) electrocatalysts are particularly considered next-generation OER catalysts due to their adjustable physicochemical properties and, as a consequence, their catalytic properties by substitution of ions in the A and B sites.[4] Via doping both at A and B site, double perovskite oxides structure can form (AA′B2O5+δ), which were shown to have stable structure during the OER due to proper O p-band center position relative to the Fermi level. The previous research shows that hexagonal perovskites exhibit enhanced catalytic activity rather than cubic or tetragonal perovskites, which is associated with the face-sharing octahedral unit. [5,6] In this work, we systematically investigate doping of parent La2CoMnO6 with Ba to tune the crystal structure and electronic structure. A series of the double perovskites with the chemical formula of La2-xBaxCoMnO6 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.5, 2) were fabricated via the modified Sol-Gel Pechini method. According to Goldschmidt tolerance factor, it is expected that when Ba amount increases in the A site, the crystal structure changes from cubic to hexagonal, which can contribute to electrocatalytic OER activity based above discussions. Furthermore, it is anticipated that increasing Ba content at the A site should result in higher valence state of transition metals due to stabilizing charge balance of the structure. It is widely reported that presence of higher valence state of transition metals is beneficial for OER. The crystal structure was confirmed by combining powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns. The two-layer hexagonal structure of Ba2CoMnO6 (BCM) was further characterized by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The results show doping of Ba into parent La2CoMnO6 resulted in the hexagonal phase formation and BCM achieves a current density of 10 mA cm–2 at a low overpotential of 288 mV and has the highest intrinsic activity in the series of BaxLa2-xCoMnO6 (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2). Furthermore, BCM exhibits outstanding stability of 12 h in a 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. The electronic structure and surface work function values of the catalysts were examined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS analysis revealed that valence state of Co and Mn increases through Ba amount in the structure, indicating the double perovskite oxide charge balance is maintained. In addition to valence state analysis, we performed work function analysis of the catalysts tested in this work. The result shows work function of the series of BaxLa2-xCoMnO6 (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) substantially decreases with Ba content. Here, we show that the high intrinsic activity of BCM is not only related with the hexagonal structure and also may be related with exhibiting lower work function value in the series. In addition, our approach presents a new strategy, air quenching method, to synthesize a phase pure 2H-hexagonal double perovskite oxide. [1] Y. Zhou, X. Guan, H. Zhou, K. Ramadoss, S. Adam, H. Liu, S. Lee, H. Shi, M. Tsuchiya, D. Fong and S. Ramanathan, Nature, 534, 231-234 (2016). [2] X. Cui, P. Ren, D. Deng, J. Deng and X. Bao, Energy & Environmental Science, 9, 123-129 (2016). [3] X. Qiu, Y. Zhang, Y. Zhu, C. Long, L. Su, S. Liu and Z. Tang, Advanced Materials, 33, 2001731 (2020). [4] W. Yin, B. Weng, J. Ge, Q. Sun, Z. Li and Y. Yan, Energy & Environmental Science, 12, 442-462 (2019). [5] L. Tang, W. Zhang, D. Lin, Y. Ren, H. Zheng, Q. Luo, L. Wei, H. Liu, J. Chen and K. Tang, Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers, 7, 4488-4497 (2020). [6] C. Chen, G. King, R. M. Dickerson, P. A. Papin, S. Gupta, W. R. Kellogg and G. Wu, Nano Energy, 13, 423-432 (2015).

Abstract Background: The phase 3 VIALE-A trial (NCT02993523) demonstrated that venetoclax plus azacitidine (VEN+AZA) improved overall survival (OS) and led to higher remission rates compared with AZA monotherapy, in patients with newly diagnosed (ND) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. Based on the results from VIALE-A, VEN+AZA received full United States (US) Food and Drug Administration approval in October 2020 for patients with ND AML aged ≥75 years, or who were ineligible for intensive induction chemotherapy due to comorbidities. This study aims to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness value of the VEN+AZA regimen from the VIALE-A trial from a US third-party payer perspective. Methods: A partitioned survival model with a 28-day cycle was developed to estimate costs and outcomes of treatment with VEN+AZA vs. AZA among patients with ND AML, who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, over a lifetime time horizon. The model included three health states: event-free survival (EFS), progressive/relapsed disease, and death. Within the EFS state, patients were further partitioned into time spent in complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete marrow recovery (CRi), and time spent in non-CR/CRi. Efficacy inputs (OS, EFS, and CR/CRi rate) for both treatment arms were estimated using VIALE-A data. Best-fit parametric models per Akaike information criterion (AIC) were used to extrapolate OS until it reached EFS, and extrapolate EFS for each treatment until Year 5. Patients who remained in EFS after Year 5 were considered cured, and were assumed to have the same mortality as the US general population. Mean time on treatment (ToT) for both regimens was based on the time observed in VIALE-A. The costs for drug acquisition, drug administration for initial and subsequent treatments, subsequent stem cell transplant procedures, adverse events (AEs), and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) associated with each health state were obtained from the literature or publicly available data. All costs were inflated to 2021 US dollars. Utilities for each health state were estimated using EuroQol-5 dimension-5 level (EQ-5D-5L) data from VIALE-A, based on the US crosswalk value set. Information on disutilities due to Grade 3/4 AEs were obtained from the literature. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) per life year (LY) and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained were estimated. Deterministic sensitivity analyses (DSA), scenario analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were performed to assess the robustness of the results. Results: Over a lifetime time horizon, compared with AZA, VEN+AZA was associated with an increase of 1.89 LYs (1.10 vs. 2.99, respectively) and 1.45 QALYs (0.84 vs. 2.30, respectively). Patients in the VEN+AZA arm incurred higher total costs ($250,486 vs. $110,034 for patients in the AZA arm). The ICER for VEN+AZA vs. AZA was estimated to be $74,141 per LY gained, and $96,579 per QALY gained. Results from the DSA and scenario analyses supported the base-case findings, with ICERs ranging from $60,922 to $138,554 per QALY gained. The results were most sensitive to alternative approaches for ToT estimation, subsequent treatment HRU costs, cure time point, and the extrapolation approach for EFS. Results from PSA showed that compared with AZA, VEN+AZA was cost-effective in 99.9% of cases at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $150,000. Conclusions: Compared with AZA monotherapy, VEN+AZA results in a favorable ICER of $96,579 per QALY gained over a lifetime time horizon. The base-case results suggest that, compared with AZA, VEN+AZA is a cost-effective strategy based on a WTP threshold of $150,000 per QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses support the base-case results. Thus, VEN+AZA offers a cost-effective strategy in the treatment of patients with ND AML who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy from a US third-party payer perspective. Disclosures Pratz: Agios: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; University of Pennsylvania: Current Employment; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millenium: Research Funding. Chai: Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy, Current Employment; Genentech, Inc.: Consultancy. Yin: Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy, Current Employment; Genentech, Inc.: Consultancy. Nie: Analysis Group, Inc.: Consultancy, Current Employment; Genentech, Inc.: Consultancy. Montez: Genentech, Inc: Current Employment, Other: May hold equity. Iantuono: Genentech, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Divested equity in a private or publicly-traded company in the past 24 months. Downs: Genentech, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Ma: Genentech, Inc.: Current Employment, Other: May hold equity.

Heavy metals contamination is a serious threat to all life forms. Long term exposure of heavy metals can lead to different life-threatening medical conditions including cancers of different body parts. Phytoremediation and bioremediation offer a potential eco-friendly solution to such problems. Different microbes can interact with heavy metals in a variety of ways such as biotransformation, oxidation/reduction, and biosorption. Phytoremediation of the heavy metals using plants mostly involves rhizofilteration, phytoextraction, phytovolatization, and Phyto stabilization. A synergistic approach using both plants and microbes has proven much more efficient as compared to the individual applications of microbes or plants. This article aims to highlight the synergistic methods used in bioremediation, emphasizing the potent collaboration between bacteria and plants for environmental cleaning, along with the discussion of the importance of site-specific variables and potential constraints. 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Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.4 (2005), 383–399.05–519Lingard, Tony (Newquay, Cornwall, UK; tonylingard@awled.co.uk), Literacy Acceleration and the Key Stage 3 English strategy–comparing two approaches for secondary-age pupils with literacy difficulties. British Journal of Special Education32.2, 67–77.05–520Liu, Meihua (Tsinghua U, China; ellenlmh@yahoo.com) & George Braine, Cohesive features in argumentative writing produced by Chinese undergraduates. System (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 33.4 (2005), 623–636.05–521Masterson, Jackie, Veronica Laxon, Emma Carnegie, Sheila Wright & Janice Horslen (U of Essex; mastj@essex.ac.uk), Nonword recall and phonemic discrimination in four- to six-year-old children. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.2 (2005), 183–201.05–522Merttens, Ruth & Catherine Robertson (Hamilton Reading Project, Oxford, UK; ruthmerttens@onetel.net.uk), Rhyme and Ritual: a new approach to teaching children to read and write. Literacy (Oxford, UK) 39.1 (2005), 18–23.05–523Min Wang (U of Maryland, USA; minwang@umd.edu) & Keiko Koda, Commonalities and differences in word identification skills among learners of English as a Second Language. Language Learning (Malden, MA, USA) 55.1 (2005), 71–98.05–524O'Brien, Beth A., J. Stephen Mansfield & Gordon E. Legge (Tufts U, Medford, USA; beth.obrien@tufts.edu), The effect of print size on reading speed in dyslexia. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.3 (2005), 332–349.05–525Pisanski Peterlin, Agnes (U of Ljubljana, Slovenia; agnes.pisanski@guest.arnes.si), Text-organising metatext in research articles: an English–Slovene contrastive analysis. English for Specific Purposes (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 24.3 (2005), 307–319.05–526Rilling, Sarah (Kent State U, Kent, USA; srilling@kent.edu), The development of an ESL OWL, or learning how to tutor writing online. Computers and Composition (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 22.3 (2005), 357–374.05–527Schacter, John & Jo Booil (Milken Family Foundation, Santa Monica, USA; schacter@sbcglobal.net), Learning when school is not in session: a reading summer day-camp intervention to improve the achievement of exiting First-Grade students who are economically disadvantaged. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.2 (2005), 158–169.05–528Shapira, Anat (Gordon College of Education, Israel) & Rachel Hertz-Lazarowitz, Opening windows on Arab and Jewish children's strategies as writers. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Clevedon, UK) 18.1 (2005), 72–90.05–529Shillcock, Richard C. & Scott A. McDonald (U of Edinburgh, UK; rcs@inf.ed.ac.uk), Hemispheric division of labour in reading. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.3 (2005), 244–257.05–530Singleton, Chris & Susannah Trotter (U of Hull, UK; c.singleton@hull.ac.uk), Visual stress in adults with and without dyslexia. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.3 (2005), 365–378.05–531Spelman Miller, Kristyan (Reading U, UK; k.s.miller@reading.ac.uk), Second language writing research and pedagogy: a role for computer logging?Computers and Composition (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) 22.3 (2005), 297–317.05–532Su, Susan Shiou-mai (Chang Gung College of Technology, Taiwan, China) & Huei-mei Chu, Motivations in the code-switching of nursing notes in EFL Taiwan. Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics (Hong Kong, China) 9.2 (2004), 55–71.05–533Taillefer, Gail (Toulouse U, France; gail.taillefer@univ-tlse1.fr), Reading for academic purposes: the literacy practices of British, French and Spanish Law and Economics students as background for study abroad. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.4 (2005), 435–451.05–534Tardy, Christine M. (DePaul U, Chicago, USA; ctardy@depaul.edu), Expressions of disciplinarity and individuality in a multimodal genre. 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Literacy (Oxford, UK) 39.3 (2005), 142–148.05–539Wood, Clara, Karen Littleton & Pav Chera (Coventry U, UK; c.wood@coventry.ac.uk), Beginning readers' use of talking books: styles of working. Literacy (Oxford, UK) 39.3 (2005), 135–141.05–540Wood, Clare (The Open U, UK; c.p.wood@open.ac.uk), Beginning readers' use of ‘talking books’ software can affect their reading strategies. Journal of Research in Reading (Oxford, UK) 28.2 (2005), 170–182.05–541Yasuda, Sachiko (Waseda U, Japan), Different activities in the same task: an activity theory approach to ESL students' writing process. JALT Journal (Tokyo, Japan) 27.2 (2005), 139–168.05–542Zelniker, Tamar (Tel-Aviv U, Israel) & Rachel Hertz-Lazarowitz, School–Family Partnership for Coexistence (SFPC) in the city of Acre: promoting Arab and Jewish parents' role as facilitators of children's literacy development and as agents of coexistence. Language, Culture and Curriculum (Clevedon, UK) 18.1 (2005), 114–138.

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Introdução: O câncer é definido como uma proliferação descontrolada de células malignas em um hospedeiro e considerado uma das principais causas de morte em todo o mundo. No Brasil, o câncer colorretal é a segunda causa de morte mais comum entre mulheres e a terceira mais prevalente em homens. Muitas estratégias têm sido estudadas para auxiliar o tratamento antineoplásico. Dentro desse contexto, a ingestão de probióticos, representa uma nova opção terapêutica relevante no âmbito da nutrição. Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão sobre o uso dos probióticos no tratamento de pacientes com câncer colorretal. Material e Método: Trata-se de uma revisão realizada em 2018, utilizando-se 10 artigos, pesquisados nas bases indexadas BVS e PubMed e na ferramenta de pesquisa Google acadêmico. A pesquisa incluiu artigos em português e inglês publicados no período de 2010 a 2017. Resultados: O uso de probióticos demonstrou trazer efeitos positivos ao tratamento de pacientes com câncer colorretal, trazendo benefícios como: a diminuição de enterobactérias e enterococos, melhora na modulação da imunidade local, melhora dos sintomas intestinais, recuperação da função intestinal, entre outros. Conclusão: Conclui-se que apesar dos resultados positivos observados, há a necessidade de futuros estudos de longa duração para elucidar melhor essa relação.Descritores: Neoplasias Colorretais; Nutrientes; Probióticos.ReferênciasKahouli I, Malhotra M, Westfall S, Alaoui-Jamali MA, Prakash S. Design and validation of an orally administrated active L. fermentum-L. acidophilus probiotic formulation using colorectal cancer Apc Min/+ mouse model. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2017;101(5):1999-2019.Oliveira RC, Rêgo MAV. Mortality risck of colorectal câncer in Brazil from 1980 to 2013. Arq Gastroenterol 2016;53(2)76-83.Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA). Tipos de câncer: colorretal. 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Trends Microbiol. 2015;23(6):354-366.Gaudier E, Michel C, Segain JP, Cherbut C, Hoebler C. The VSL#3 probiotic mixture modifies microflora but does not heal chronic dextran-sodium sulfateinduced colitis or reinforce the mucus barrier in mice. J Nutr. 2005;135(12):2753-61.Mego M, Chovanec J, Vochyanova-Andrezalova I, Konkolovsky P, Mikulova M, Reckova M et al. Prevention of irinotecan induced diarrhea by probiotics: a randomized double blind, placebo controlled pilot study. Complement Ther Med. 2015;23(3):356-62.Yang Y, Xia Y, Chen H, Hong L, Feng J, Yang J et al. The effect of perioperative probiotics treatment for colorectal cancer: short-term outcomes of a randomized controlled trial. Oncotarget. 2016;7(7):8432-40.

Introduction: Artist Villages in Beijing Many of the most renowned sites of Beijing are found in the inner-city districts of Dongcheng and Xicheng: for instance, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Lama Temple, the National Theatre, the Central Opera Academy, the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, the Imperial College, and the Confucius Temple. However, in the past decade a new attraction has been added to the visitor “must-see” list in Beijing. The 798 Art District originated as an artist village within abandoned factory buildings at Dashanzi, right between the city’s Central Business District and the open outer rural space on Beijing’s north-east. It is arguably the most striking symbol of China’s contemporary art scene. The history of the 798 Art District is by now well known (Keane), so this paper will provide a short summary of its evolution. Of more concern is the relationship between the urban fringe and what Howard Becker has called “art worlds.” By art worlds, Becker refers to the multitude of agents that contribute to a final work of art: for instance, people who provide canvasses, frames, and art supplies; critics and intermediaries; and the people who run exhibition services. To the art-world list in Beijing we need to add government officials and developers. To date there are more than 100 artist communities or villages in Beijing; almost all are located in the city’s outskirts. In particular, a high-powered art centre outside the city of Beijing has recently established a global reputation. Songzhuang is situated in outer Tongzhou District, some 30 kilometres east of Tiananmen Square. The Beijing Municipal Government officially classifies Songzhuang as the Capital Art District (CAD) or “the Songzhuang Original Art Cluster.” The important difference between 798 and Songzhuang is that, whereas the former has become a centre for retail and art galleries, Songzhuang operates as an arts production centre for experimental art, with less focus on commercial art. The destiny of the artistic communities is closely related to urban planning policies that either try to shut them down or protect them. In this paper I will take a close look at three artist villages: Yuanmingyuan, 798, and Songzhuang. In tracing the evolution of the three artist villages, I will shed some light on artists’ lives in city fringes. I argue that these outer districts provide creative industries with a new opportunity for development. This is counter to the conventional wisdom that central urban areas are the ideal locality for creative industries. Accordingly, this argument needs to be qualified: some types of creative work are more suitable to rural and undeveloped areas. The visual art “industry” is one of these. Inner and Outer Worlds Urban historians contend that innovation is more likely to happen in inner urban areas because of intensive interactions between people (Jacobs). City life has been associated with the development of creative industries and economic benefits brought about by the interaction of creative classes. In short, the argument is that cities, or, more specifically, urban areas are primary economic entities (Montgomery) whereas outer suburbs are uncreative and dull (Florida, "Cities"). The conventional wisdom is that talented creative people are attracted to the creative milieu in cities: universities, book shops, cafes, museums, theatres etc. These are both the hard and the soft infrastructure of modern cities. They illustrate diversified built forms, lifestyles and experiences (Lorenzen and Frederiksen; Florida, Rise; Landry; Montgomery; Leadbeater and Oakley). The assumption that inner-city density is the cradle of creative industries has encountered critique. Empirical studies in Australia have shown that creative occupations are found in relatively high densities in urban fringes. The point made in several studies is that suburbia has been neglected by scholars and policy makers and may have potential for future development (Gibson and Brennan-Horley; Commission; Collis, Felton, and Graham). Moreover, some have argued that the practice of constructing inner city enclaves may be leading to homogenized and prescriptive geographies (Collis, Felton, and Graham; Kotkin). As Jane Jacobs has indicated, it is not only density of interactions but diversity that attracts and accommodates economic growth in cities. However, the spatiality of creative industries varies across different sectors. For example, media companies and advertising agencies are more likely to be found in the inner city, whereas most visual artists prefer working in the comparatively quiet and loosely-structured outskirts. Nevertheless, the logic embodied in thinking around the distinctions between “urbanism” and “suburbanism” pays little attention to this issue, although both schools acknowledge the causal relationship between locality and creativity. According to Drake, empirical evidence shows that the function of locality is not only about encouraging interactions between SMEs (small to medium enterprises) within clusters which can generate creativity, but also a catalyst for individual creativity (Drake). Therefore for policy makers in China, the question here is how to plan or prepare a better space to accommodate creative professionals’ needs in different sectors while making the master plan. This question is particularly urgent to the Chinese government, which is undertaking a massive urbanization transition throughout the country. In placing a lens on Beijing, it is important to note the distinctive features of its politics, forms of social structure, and climate. As Zhu has described it, Beijing has spread in a symmetrical structure. The reasons have much to do with ancient history. According to Zhu, the city which was planned in the era of Genghis Khan was constituted by four layers or enclosures, with the emperor at the centre, surrounded by the gentry and other populations distributed outwards according to wealth, status, and occupation. The outer layer accommodated many lower social classes, including itinerant artists, musicians, and merchants. This ”outer city” combined with open rural space. The system of enclosures is carried on in today’s city planning of Beijing. Nowadays Beijing is most commonly described by its ring roads (Mars and Hornsby). However, despite the existing structure, new approaches to urban policy have resulted in a great deal of flux. The emergence of new landscapes such as semi-urbanized villages, rural urban syndicates (chengxiang jiehebu), and villages-within-cities (Mars and Hornsby 290) illustrate this flux. These new types of landscapes, which don’t correspond to the suburban concept that we find in the US or Australia, serve to represent and mediate the urban-rural relationship in China. The outer villages also reflect an old tradition of “recluse” (yin shi), which since the Wei and Jin Dynasties allowed intellectuals to withdraw themselves from the temporal world of the city and live freely in the mountains. The Lost Artistic Utopia: Yuanmingyuan Artist Village Yuanmingyuan, also known as the Ming Dynasty summer palace, is located in Haidian District in the north-west of Beijing. Haidian has transformed from an outer district of Beijing into one of its flourishing urban districts since the mid-1980s. Haidian’s success is largely due to the electronics industry which developed from spin-offs from Peking University, Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the 1980s. This led to the rapid emergence of Zhongguancun, sometimes referred to as China’s Silicon Valley. However there is another side of Haidian’s transformation. As the first graduates came out of Chinese Academies of the Arts following the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), creative lifestyles became available. Some people quit jobs at state-owned institutions and chose to go freelance, which was unimaginable in China under the former regime of Mao Zedong. By 1990, the earliest “artist village” emerged around the Yuanmingyuan accommodating artists from around China. The first site was Fuyuanmen village. Artists living and working there proudly called their village “West Village” in China, comparing it to the Greenwich Village in New York. At that time they were labelled as “vagabonds” (mangliu) since they had no family in Beijing, and no stable job or income. Despite financial difficulties, the Yuanmingyuan artist village was a haven for artists. They were able to enjoy a liberating and vigorous environment by being close to the top universities in Beijing[1]. Access to ideas was limited in China at that time so this proximity was a key ingredient. According to an interview by He Lu, the Yuanmingyuan artist village gave artists a sense of belonging which went far beyond geographic identification as a marginal group unwelcomed by conservative urban society. Many issues arose along with the growth of the artist village. The non-traditional lifestyle and look of these artists were deemed abnormal by many of the general public; the way of their expression and behaviour was too extreme to be accepted by the mainstream in what was ultimately a political district; they were a headache for local police who saw them as troublemakers; moreover, their contact with the western world was a sensitive issue for the government at that time. Suddenly, the village was closed by the government in 1993. Although the Yuanmingyuan artist village existed for only a few years, it is of significance in China’s contemporary art history. It is the birth place of the cynical realism movement as well as the genesis of Fang Lijun, Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Mingjun, now among the most successful Chinese contemporary artists in global art market. The Starting Point of Art Industry: 798 and Songzhuang After the Yuanmingyuan artist village was shut down in 1993, artists moved to two locations in the east of Beijing to escape from the government and embrace the free space they longed for. One was 798, an abandoned electronic switching factory in Beijing’s north-east urban fringe area; the other was Songzhuang in Tongzhou District, a further twenty kilometres east. Both of these sites would be included in the first ten official creative clusters by Beijing municipal government in 2006. But instead of simply being substitutes for the Yuanmingyuan artist village, both have developed their own cultures, functioning and influencing artists’ lives in different ways. Songzhuang is located in Tongzhou which is an outer district in Beijing’s east. Songzhuang was initially a rural location; its livelihood was agriculture and industry. Just before the closing down of the Yuanmingyuan village, several artists including Fang Lijun moved to this remote quiet village. Through word of mouth, more artists followed their steps. There are about four thousand registered artists currently living in Songzhuang now; it is already the biggest visual art community in Beijing. An artistic milieu and a local sense of place have grown with the increasing number of artists. The local district government invests in building impressive exhibition spaces and promoting art in order to bring in more tourists, investors and artists. Compared with Songzhuang, 798 enjoys a favourable location along the airport expressway, between the capital airport and the CBD of Beijing. The unused electronics plant was initially rented as classrooms by the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in the 1990s. Then several artists moved their studios and workshops to the area upon eviction from the Yuanmingyuan village. Until 2002 the site was just a space to rent cheap work space, a factor that has stimulated many art districts globally (Zukin). From that time the resident artists began to plan how to establish a contemporary art district in China. Led by Huang Rui, a leading visual artist, the “798 collective” launched arts events and festivals, notably a “rebuilding 798” project of 2003. More galleries, cafés, bars, and restaurants began to set up, culminating in a management takeover by the Chaoyang District government with the Seven Stars Group[2] prior to the Beijing Olympics. The area now provides massive tax revenue to the local and national government. Nonetheless, both 798 and Songzhuang face problems which reflect the conflict between artists’ attachment to fringe areas and the government’s urbanization approach. 798 can hardly be called an artist production village now due to the local government’s determination to exploit cultural tourism. Over 50 percent of enterprises and people working in 798 now identify 798 as a tourism area rather than an art or “creative” cluster (Liu). Heavy commercialization has greatly disappointed many leading artists. The price for renting space has gone beyond the affordability of artists, and many have chosen to leave. In Songzhuang, the story is similar. In addition to rising prices, a legal dispute between artists and local residents regarding land property rights in 2008 drove some artists out of Songzhuang because they didn’t feel it was stable anymore (Smith). The district’s future as a centre of original art runs up against the aspirations of local officials for more tax revenue and tourist dollars. In the Songzhuang Cultural Creative Industries Cluster Design Plan (cited in Yang), which was developed by J.A.O Design International Architects and Planners Limited and sponsored by the Songzhuang local government in 2007, Songzhuang is designed as an “arts capital incorporated with culture, commerce and tourism.” The down side of this aspiration is that more museums, galleries, shopping centres, hotels, and recreation infrastructure will inevitably be developed in order to capitalise on Songzhuang’s global reputation. Concluding Reflections In reflecting on the recent history of artist villages in Beijing, we might conclude that rural locations are not only a cheap place for artists to live but also a space to showcase their works. More importantly, the relation of artists and outlying district has evolved into a symbiotic relationship. They interact and grow together. The existence of artists transforms the locale and the locale in turn reinforces the identity of artists. In Yuanmingyuan the artists appreciated the old “recluse” tradition and therefore sought spiritual liberation after decades of suppression. The outlying location symbolized freedom to them and provided distance from the world of noisy interaction. But isolation of artists from the local community and the associated constant conflict with local villagers deepened estrangement; these events brought about the end of the dream. In contrast, at 798 and Songzhuang, artists not only regarded the place as their worksite but also engaged with the local community. They communicated with local people and co-developed projects to transform the local landscape. Local communities changed; they started to learn about the artistic world while gaining economic benefits in many ways, such as house renting, running small grocery stores, providing art supplies and even modelling. Their participation into the “art worlds” (Becker) contributed to a changing cultural environment, in turn strengthening the brand of these artist villages. In many regards there were positive externalities for both artists and the district, although as I mentioned in relation to Songzhuang, tensions about land use have never completely been resolved. Today, the fine arts in China have gone far beyond the traditional modes of classics, aesthetics, liberation or rebellion. Art is also a business which requires the access to the material world in order to produce incomes and make profits. It appears that many contemporary artists are not part of a movement of rebellion (except several artists, such as Ai Weiwei), adopting the pure spirit of art as their life-time mission, as in the Yuanmingyuan artist village. They still long for recognition, but they are also concerned with success and producing a livelihood. The boundary between inner urban and outer urban areas is not as significant to them as it once was for artists from a former period. While many artists enjoy the quiet and space of the fringe and rural areas to work; they also require urban space to exhibit their works and earn money. This factor explains the recent emergence of Caochangdi and other artist villages in the neighbouring area around the 798. These latest artist villages in the urban fringe still have open and peaceful spaces and can be accessed easily due to convenient transportation. Unfortunately, the coalition of business and government leads to rapid commercialization of place which is not aligned with the basic need of artists, which is not only a free or affordable place but also a space for creativity. As mentioned above, 798 is now so commercialized that it is too crowded and expensive for artists due to the government’s overdevelopment; whereas the government’s original intention was to facilitate the development of 798. Furthermore, although artists are a key stakeholder in the government’s agenda for visual art industry, it is always the government’s call when artists’ attachment to rural space comes into conflict with Beijing government’s urbanization plan. Hence the government decides which artist villages should be sacrificed to give way to urban development and which direction the reserved artist villages or art clusters should be developed. The logic of government policy causes an absolute distinction between cities and outlying districts. And the government’s enthusiasm for “urbanization” leads to urbanized artist villages, such as the 798. A vicious circle is formed: the government continuously attempts to have selected artist villages commercialized and transformed into urbanized or quasi-urbanized area and closes other artist villages. One of the outcomes of this policy is that in the government created creative clusters, many artists do not stay, and move away into rural and outlying areas because they prefer to work in non-urban spaces. To resolve this dilemma, greater attention is required to understand artists needs and ways to combine urban convenience and rural tranquillity into their development plans. This may be a bridge too far, however. Reference Becker, Howard Saul. Art Worlds. 25th anniversary, updated and expanded ed. Berkeley, CA: U of California P, 2008. Collis, Christy, Emma Felton, and Phil Graham. "Beyond the Inner City: Real and Imagined Places in Creative Place Policy and Practice." The Information Society: An International Journal 26.2 (2010): 104–12. Commission, Outer London. The Mayor's Outer London Commission: Report. London: Great London Authority, 2010. Drake, Graham. "'This Place Gives Me Space': Place and Creativity in the Creative Industries." Geoforum 34.4 (2003): 511–24. Florida, Richard. "Cities and the Creative Class." The Urban Sociology Reader. Eds. Jan Lin and Christopher Mele. London: Routledge, 2005. 290–301. ———. The Rise of the Creative Class. New York: Basic Books, 2002. Gibson, Chris, and Chris Brennan-Horley. "Goodbye Pram City: Beyond Inner/Outer Zone Binaries in Creative City Research." Urban Policy and Research 24.4 (2006): 455–71. Jacobs, Jane. The Economy of Cities. New York: Random House, 1969. Keane, Michael. "The Capital Complex: Beijing's New Creative Clusters." Creative Economies, Creative Cities: Asian-European Perspectives. Ed. Lily Kong and Justin O'Connor. London: Springer, 2009. 77–95. Kotkin, Joel. "The Protean Future of American Cities." New Geographer 7 Mar. 2011. 27 Mar. 2011 ‹http://blogs.forbes.com/joelkotkin/2011/03/07/the-protean-future-of-american-cities/›. Landry, Charles. The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. London: Earthscan Publications, 2000. Leadbeater, Charles, and Kate Oakley. The Independents: Britain's New Cultural Entrepreneurs. London: Demos, 1999. Liu, Mingliang. "Beijing 798 Art Zone: Field Study and Follow-Up Study in the Context of Market." Chinese National Academy of Arts, 2010. Lorenzen, Mark, and Lars Frederiksen. "Why Do Cultural Industries Cluster? Localization, Urbanization, Products and Projects." Creative Cities, Cultural Clusters and Local Economic Development. Ed. Philip Cooke and Luciana Lazzeretti. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2008. 155-79. Mars, Neville, and Adrian Hornsby. The Chinese Dream: A Society under Construction. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008. Montgomery, John. The New Wealth of Cities: City Dynamics and the Fifth Wave. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007. Smith, Karen. "Heart of the Art." Beijing: Portrait of a City. Ed. Alexandra Pearson and Lucy Cavender. Hong Kong: The Middle Kingdom Bookworm, 2008. 106–19. Yang, Wei, ed. Songzhuang Arts 2006. Beijing: Hunan Fine Arts Press, 2007. Zhu, Jianfei. Chinese Spatial Strategies Imperial Beijing, 1420-1911. Routledge Curzon, 2004. Zukin, Sharon. The Cultures of Cities. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1995. [1] Most prestigious Chinese universities are located in the Haidian District of Beijing, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, etc. [2] Seven Star Group is the landholder of the area where 798 is based.

February 15, 1999 THE DIGITAL EXAM digital was such a sanitary hi-tech word until my urologist snuck up from behind and gave me the bird shocked and taken back I try to ignore the painful experience by pondering the conundrum of homosexuality there had to be more to it than that "You can get dressed now" was the good doctor’s way of saying "Pull up your pants, Dude, and I’ll see you back in my office." but his casual demeanor seemed to exude foreboding "There is a stiffness in the gland demanding further examination. I’d like to schedule a blood test, ultrasound and biopsy." the doctor’s lips kept moving but I couldn’t hear him through the sheet of white fear that guillotined between us CANCER! The big C! Me? I spent the rest of that day up to my genitals in the grave I was digging. Hamlet gazing full into the face of the skull "Alas poor Yorick, I knew him well, Horatio. Before scalpel took gland. Back when he sang in a bass baritone." desperate for encouragement I turn to the illustrated brochure the informative flyer detailing the upcoming procedure where in the ultrasound and biopsy probe resembled the head of a black water moccasin baring its fang "Dang!" says I jumping back relief came 36 hours later something about the PSA blood test the prostate specific-antigen results leading the doctor to now suspect infection prescribing an antibiotic of course five weeks from now the FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENT! and as the date approaches tension will build like in those Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon films when you know there’s a snake in the grass and Danny Glover isn’t there to cover your ass *** April 2, 1999 As it turns out, at the follow-up appointment, things had worsened so the biopsy and bone scan were re-scheduled and it was discovered that I do have incurable metastatic advanced prostate cancer. Of course the doctor is most optimistic about all the new and miraculous treatments available. But before I go into that, I want you to know that I find myself experiencing a strange and wonderful kind of peace. Hell, I’ve lived 70 years already — done exactly what I wanted to do with my life. All worthwhile dreams have come true. Made my living since 1968 as a "Performance Poet" — Billie Barbara and I have been together for 47 years — growing closer with each passing day. We have four great kids, five neat and nifty grandchildren. All things considered, I’ve been truly blessed and whether my departure date is next year or 15 years from now I’m determined not to wreck my life by doing a lousy job with my death. LIKE HAROLD / LIKE HOWARD like Harold I don’t want to blow my death I don’t want to see a lifetime of pluck and courage rubbed out by five weeks of whiny fractious behavior granted Harold’s was a scary way to go from diagnosis to last breath the cancer moving fast but five weeks of bitching and moaning was more than enough to erase every trace of a man I have wanted to emulate his wife sending word that even she can’t remember what he was like before his undignified departure no — I don’t want to go like Harold like Howard let me come swimming up out of the deepening coma face serene as if seen through undisturbed water breaking the surface to eagerly take the hand of bedside well wishers unexpected behavior I must admit as Howard has always been a world class hypochondriac second only to me the two of us able to sit for hours discussing the subtle shade of a mole turning each other on with long drawn out organ recitals in the end one would have thought such a legendary self centered soul would cower and fold up completely like Harold but no — when my time comes let me go sweetly like Howard *** April 7, 1999 The treatment was decided upon. Next Monday, the good Doctor is going to pit my apricots. From here on the Sultan can rest easy when Masten hangs with his harem. Prognosis good. No more testosterone - no more growth. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking forward to giving up the family jewels. I must say that over the years they’ve done me proud and to be totally honest I don’t think Billie Barbara will be all that disappointed either. I’m told that Viagra will help in this area., However, I’m also told that the drug is very expensive. Something like twelve bucks a pop. But hell, Billie Barbara and I can afford twenty four dollars a year.. Some thoughts the morning of— Yesterday I did a program for the Unitarian Society of Livermore. About 60 people. I had a bet with the fellow who introduced me, that at least 7 out of the 60 would come up after the reading (which would include my recent prostate musings) and share a personal war story about prostate cancer. I was right. Exactly 7 approached with an encouraging tale about themselves, a husband, a brother, a son. I was told to prepare myself for hot flashes and water retention. To which Billie Barbara said "Join the club!" I ended the presentation with one of those inspirational poetic moments. A hot flash, if you will. "It just occurred to me," I said, " I’m going to get rich selling a bumper sticker I just thought of — REAL MEN DON’T NEED BALLS A couple of days after the event The Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula is referred to as CHOMP, and the afternoon of April 12th I must say this august institution certainly lived up to it’s name. The waiting room in the Out Patient Wing is an event unto itself. Patients huddled together with friends and family, everyone speaking in hushed voices. The doomed keeping a wary eye on the ominous swinging doors, where a big tough looking nurse appeared from time to time shouting: NEXT! Actually the woman was quite sweet and mild mannered, enunciating each patient’s name in a calm friendly manner. But waiting to have done to me what was going to be done to me - the chilling word "NEXT!" is what I heard and "Out Patient Wing" certainly seemed a misnomer to me. Wasn’t the "Out-Patient Wing" where you went to have splinters removed? Of course I knew better, because in the pre-op interview the young interviewer, upon reading "Bilateral Orchiectomy" winced visibly, exclaiming under her breath "Bummer!" I recently came across this haiku — bilateral orchiectomy the sound a patient makes when he learns what it is Our daughter April lives in New York and couldn’t join the Waiting Room rooting section so as her stand in she sent her best friend Molly Williams. Now, Molly works as a veterinarian in a local animal shelter and a when I told her my operation was supposed to take no more than half an hour, she laughed: "Heck Ric, I’ll do it in five minutes and not even use gloves." NEXT! My turn to be led through those swinging doors, pitifully looking back over my shoulder. Wife, family and friends, bravely giving me the thumbs up. Things blur and run together after that. I do remember telling the nurse who was prepping me that I was afraid of being put to sleep. "Not to worry" she said, I’d have a chance to express these fears to the anesthetist before the operation would begin. And as promised the man did drop by to assure me that I would get a little something to ease my anxiety before he put me under. When the moment finally arrived, he said that I might feel a slight prick as he gave me the relaxant. Of course, that is the last thing I remember - the prick! Obviously, I‘d been suckered in by the mask man’s modus operandi. On the other side of this I surface to begin the waiting. WAITING for the catheter to be removed — for the incision to heal — WAITING to see if the pain subsides and I can loose the cane — WAITING to learn if my PSA will respond to treatment. Waiting—waiting—waiting—and I’ve never been a cheerful waiter. *** May 7, 1999 The doctor tells me I must keep taking Casodex— one a day at eleven dollars a cap - for the rest of my life. And no more doctor freebees. No wonder the listed side effect of this pricey medication is depression. But the recent funk I’ve fallen into is much deeper than dollars and cents. In the past I’ve had my share of operations and illnesses and always during the recuperation I could look forward to being my old self again. But not this time .... Not this time. Funny bumper stickers can only hold reality at bay for a short while. And anyway Billie had me remove the homemade REAL MEN DON’T NEED BALLS bumper sticker from the back of our car — She didn’t like the dirty looks she got while driving around town alone. *** Eight months later BILATERAL ORCHECTOMY never could look up words in the dictionary in a high school assignment writing an autobiography I described my self as a unique person scribbled in the margin the teachers correction fairly chortled "unique" not "eunuch" how could he have known that one day I would actually become a misspelling backed against the wall by advanced prostate cancer I chose the operation over the enormous ongoing expense of chemical castration "No big deal." I thought at the time what’s the difference they both add up to the same thing but in the movies these days during the hot gratuitous sex scene I yawn…bored... wishing they’d quit dicking around and get on with the plot and on TV the buxom cuties that titillate around the products certainly arn’t selling me anything I realize now that although it would probably kill them the guys who went chemical still have an option I don’t philosophically I’m the same person but biologically I ‘m like the picture puzzle our family traditionally puts together over the holidays the French impressionist rendition of a flower shop interior in all it’s bright colorful confusion this season I didn’t work the puzzle quite as enthusiastically... and for good reason this year I know pieces are missing where the orchids used to be "So?" says I to myself "You’re still here to smell the roses." *** January 13, 2000 Real bad news! At the third routine follow-up appointment. My urologist informs me that my PSA has started rising again. The orchectomy and Casodex are no longer keeping the cancer in remission. In the vernacular, I have become "hormone refractory" and there was nothing more he, as a urologist could do for me. An appointment with a local oncologist was arranged and another bone scan scheduled. The "T" word having finally been said the ostrich pulled his head from the sand and began looking around. Knowing what I know now, I’m still annoyed at my urologist for not telling me when I was first diagnosed to either join a support group and radically change my diet or find another urologist. I immediately did both - becoming vegan and finding help on-line as well as at the local Prostate Cancer Support Group. This during the endless eighteen day wait before the oncologist could fit me in. *** IRON SOCKS time now for a bit of reverse prejudice I once purchased some stockings called "Iron Socks" guaranteed to last for five years they lasted ten! but when I went back for another pair the clerk had never heard of them as a cancer survivor… so far in an over populated world I consider the multi-billion dollar medical and pharmaceutical industries realizing that there is absolutely no incentive to come up with a permanent cure *** From here on, I’ll let the poems document the part of the journey that brings us up to the present. A place where I can say — spiritually speaking, that the best thing that ever happened to me is metastatic hormone refractory advanced prostate cancer. *** SUPPORT GROUPS included in this close fraternity... in this room full of brotherly love I wonder where I’ve been for the last 11 months no — that’s not quite right… I know where I’ve been I’ve been in denial after the shock of diagnosis the rude indignity of castration the quick fix of a Casodex why would I want to hang out with a bunch of old duffers dying of prostate cancer? ignoring the fact that everybody dies we all know it but few of us believe it those who do, however rack up more precious moments than the entire citizenry of the fools paradise not to mention studies showing that those who do choose to join a support group on average live years longer than the stiff upper lip recluse and while I’m on the subject I wonder where I’d be without the internet and the dear supportive spirits met there in cyber-space a place where aid care and concern are not determined by age, gender, race, physical appearance, economic situation or geological location and this from a die-hard like me who not ten years ago held the computer in great disdain convinced that poetry should be composed on the back of envelopes with a blunt pencil while riding on trains thank god I’m past these hang-ups because without a support system I doubt if this recent malignant flare-up could have been withstood how terrifying… the thought of being at my writing desk alone… disconnected typing out memos to myself on my dead father’s ancient Underwood *** PC SPES in the sea that is me the hormone blockade fails my urologist handing me over to a young oncologist who recently began practicing locally having retired from the stainless steel and white enamel of the high tech Stanford medical machine in the examination room numbly thumbing through a magazine I wait expecting to be treated like a link of sausage another appointment ground out in a fifteen minute interval what I got was an 18th century throw back a hands-on horse and buggy physician with seemingly all the time in the world it was decided that for the next three weeks (between blood tests) all treatment would cease to determine how my PSA was behaving this done, at the next appointment the next step would be decided upon and after more than an hour of genial give and take with every question answered all options covered it was I who stood up first to go for me a most unique experience in the annals of the modern medicine show however condemned to three weeks in limbo knowing the cancer was growing had me going online reaching out into cyberspace to see what I could find and what I found was PC SPES a botanical herbal alternative medicine well documented and researched but not approved by the FDA aware that the treatment was not one my doctor had mentioned (I have since learned that to do so would make him legally vulnerable) I decided to give it a try on my own sending off for a ten day supply taking the first dose as close after the second blood test as I could two days later back in the doctors office I confess expecting a slap on the wrist instead I receive a bouquet for holding off until after the second PSA then taking the PC SPES container from my hand and like a Native American medicine man he holds it high over his head shaking it "Okay then, this approach gets the first ride!" at the receptionist desk scheduling my next appointment I thought about how difficult it must be out here on the frontier practicing medicine with your hands tied *** PREJUDICE "It's a jungle out there!" Dr. J. George Taylor was fond of saying "And all chiropractors are quacks! Manipulating pocket pickers!" the old physician exposing his daughter to a prejudice so infectious I suspect it became part of her DNA and she a wannabe doctor herself infects me her son with the notion that if it wasn’t performed or prescribed by a licensed M.D. it had to be Medicine Show hoopla or snake oil elixir certainly today’s countless array of practitioners and patent remedies has both of them spinning in their grave but Ma you and Grandpa never heard the words hormone-refractory even the great white hunters of our prestigious cancer clinics don't know how to stop the tiger that is stalking me and so with a PSA rising again to 11.9 I get my oncologist to let me try PC SPES a Chinese herbal formula yes, the desperate do become gullible me, reading and re-reading the promotional material dutifully dosing myself between blood tests and this against the smirk of disapproval mother and grandfather wagging their heads in unison: "It won’t work." "It won’t work." having condemned myself beforehand the moment of truth finally arrives I pace the floor nervously the doctor appears at the door "How does it feel to be a man with a PSA falling to 4.8?" it seems that for the time being at least the tiger is content to play a waiting game which is simply great! Mother tell Grandpa I just may escape our families bigotry before it’s too late *** HELPLINE HARRY "Hi, how are you?" these days I'm never sure how to field routine grounders like this am I simply being greeted? or does the greeter actually want a list of grisly medical details my wife says it's easy she just waits to see if the "How is he?" is followed by a hushed "I mean… really?" for the former a simple "Fine, and how are you?" will do for the latter the news isn't great indications are that the miracle herbal treatment is beginning to fail my oncologist offering up a confusing array of clinical trials and treatments that flirt seductively but speak in a foreign language I don't fully understand so Harry, once again I call on you a savvy old tanker who has maneuvered his battle scared machine through years of malignant mine fields and metastatic mortar attacks true five star Generals know much about winning wars and such but the Command Post is usually so far removed from the front lines I suspect they haven't a clue as to what the dog-faces are going through down here in the trenches it's the seasoned campaigners who have my ear the tough tenacious lovable old survivors like you *** "POOR DEVIL!" in my early twenties I went along with Dylan Thomas boasting that I wanted to go out not gently but raging shaking my fist staring death down however this daring statement was somewhat revised when in my forties I realized that death does the staring I do the down so I began hoping it would happen to me like it happened to the sentry in all those John Wayne Fort Apache movies found dead in the morning face down — an arrow in the back "Poor devil." the Sergeant always said "Never knew what hit him." at the time I liked that... the end taking me completely by surprise the bravado left in the hands of a hard drinking Welshman still wet behind the ears older and wiser now over seventy and with a terminal disease the only thing right about what the Sergeant said was the "Poor devil" part "Poor devil" never used an opening to tell loved ones he loved them never seized the opportunity to give praise for the sun rise or drink in a sunset moment after moment passing him by while he marched through life staring straight ahead believing in tomorrow "Poor devil!" how much fuller richer and pleasing life becomes when you are lucky enough to see the arrow coming *** END LINE (Dedicated to Jim Fulks.) I’ve always been a yin / yang - life / death - up / down clear / blur - front / back kind of guy my own peculiar duality being philosopher slash hypochondriac win win characteristics when you’ve been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer finally the hypochondriac has something more than windmills to tilt with the philosopher arming himself with exactly the proper petard an anonymous statement found in an e-mail message beneath the signature of a cancer survivor’s name a perfect end line wily and wise quote: I ask God: "How much time do I have before I die?" "Enough to make a difference." God replies *** STRUM lived experience taught them most of what they know so MD's treating men diagnosed with androgen-independent advanced prostate cancer tend to put us on death row and taking the past into account this negativity is understandable… these good hearted doctors watching us come and go honestly doing what they can like kindly prison guards attempting to make the life we have left as pleasant as possible to be otherwise a physician would have to be a bit delusional evangelical even… to work so diligently for and believe so completely in the last minute reprieve for those of us confined on cell block PC doing time with an executioner stalking it is exhilarating to find an oncologist willing to fly in the face of history refusing to call the likes of me "Dead man walking." *** BAG OF WOE there are always moments when I can almost hear the reader asking: "How can you use that as grist for your poetry mill? How can you dwell on such private property, at least without masking the details?" well... for the feedback of course the war stories that my stories prompt you to tell but perhaps the question can best be answered by the ‘bag of woe’ parable the "Once Upon a Time" tale about the troubled village of Contrary its harried citizens and the magical mystical miracle worker who showed up one dreary day saying: I am aware of your torment and woe and I am here to lighten your load! he then instructed the beleaguered citizens to go home and rummage through their harried lives bag up your troubles he said both large and small stuff them all in a sack and drag them down to the town square and stack them around on the wall and when everyone was back and every bag was there the magical mystical miracle worker said: "It’s true, just as I promised. You won’t have to take your sack of troubles home leave it behind when you go however, you will have to take along somebody’s bag of woe so the citizens of Contrary all went to find their own bag and shouldering the load discovered that it was magically and mystically much easier to carry --- End ---