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BACKGROUND It has been speculated that zinc finger protein 148 (ZNF148) is a tumor suppressor. However, to the authors' knowledge, little is known about the clinical significance of ZNF148 expression in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The objective of the current study was to clarify the association between ZNF148 expression and the postoperative prognosis of patients with CRC. METHODS Tissue microarrays containing 56 normal mucosa, 51 adenoma, 742 CRC (TNM stage I-IV), 16 familial adenomatous polyposis, and 21 metastatic CRC specimens were examined immunohistochemically for ZNF148 expression. RESULTS Expression of ZNF148 was found to increase consecutively from normal mucosa to stage I CRC, and then decreased consecutively from stage I to stage IV CRC. Lower expression of ZNF148 in tumors was found to be significantly associated with lymph node metastases, advanced TNM disease stage, poor differentiation, higher rate of disease recurrence, worse overall survival (OS), and shorter disease-free survival. High expression of ZNF148 was also associated with improved OS (P = .025) and disease-free survival (P = .042) in patients with stages II to III CRC. On multivariate Cox analysis, lower ZNF148 expression in tumors, advanced TNM stage, colon cancer, and elevated serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were found to be significant factors for a worse OS. In 16 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, ZNF148 expression was upregulated at steps toward carcinogenesis. In 21 patients with metastatic CRC, although ZNF148 expression was higher in primary tumors compared with adjacent mucosa, its expression in metastatic tumors was significantly lower than that in primary tumors. CONCLUSIONS Although ZNF148 expression is related to colorectal carcinogenesis, high ZNF148 expression in patients with CRC appears to be inversely associated with malignant phenotypes and may serve as a significant prognostic factor after surgery for patients with CRC. Cancer 2013;119:2212–2222. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

It is known that the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis participates in the sex change of hermaphrodite teleosts, and gonadal steroid hormones mediate this physiological process. The secretion of gonadal steroids is directly regulated by signaling pathways involving gonadotropins (GtHs) and gonadotropin receptors (GtHRs) in teleosts. To gain insight into the involvement of GtH/GtHR systems in the sex change process, cDNAs encoding follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) were firstly isolated from gonads of orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), a protogynous hermaphrodite fish. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that the expression of the FSHR was confined to the brain, pituitary gland, ovary, and testis, while the LHR was expressed only in the brain, ovary, and testis. Furthermore, the expression profiles of GtH subunits (FSHβ and LHβ) and their receptors were analyzed in parallel with the serum levels of estradiol-17β (E(2) ), testosterone (T), and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) during 17α-methyltestosterone (MT)-induced sex change. Quantitative real-time PCR determined that the abundances of FSHβ and FSHR were significantly inhibited after MT treatment for 2 and 4 weeks, but subsequently returned to the control level after 6 weeks. In contrast, the mRNA levels of LHβ and LHR were significantly elevated throughout the sex change process. During MT-induced sex change, serum concentrations of E(2) remained constant while T and 11-KT levels were significantly increased. Taken together, our results suggest that GtH/GtHR systems are involved in MT-induced sex change, and two signaling pathways may have distinct roles in modulating the variations of the corresponding steroid hormones in the orange-spotted grouper.

We present the advances in Silicon Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (SiGe HBT) and BiCMOS technology capabilities to address the emerging millimetre-wave (mmWave) applications. SiGe HBTs with fMAX performance reaching 350 GHz that are integrated with advanced CMOS and high-frequency passives is envisioned to allow better integration capability for mmWave applications. This capability of SiGe HBT BiCMOS technology is discussed relative to an InP HBT technology. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Polybenzimidazole (PBI)/polyimide (PI) and PBI/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blends were prepared. All of these polymers are suitable for acid doping as a matrix because of the existence of the N-heterocycle in the polymers, which can eventually be used as proton conductors. The miscibility of PBI/PVP blend is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), while the miscibility of PBI/PI is already reported in references. Temperature dependence of proton conductivity of acid doped PBI/PI and PBI/PVP blends are studied. As the temperature increases, proton conductivity of H3PO4 doped PBI/PVP blends increases. Temperature dependence of proton conductivity of the blends can still be fitted by a simple Arrhenius relation. The proton transport of the blend is similar to that of PBI. The methanol permeability of PBI/PI blends is also studied. Methanol permeability in PBI/PI, PI, and PBI membranes decreases with increasing methanol concentration. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1395–1400, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers