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Active and passive anti-Aβ immunotherapies have successfully been used for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease animal models. However, clinical use of these immunotherapies is not effective, because the vaccination is administered too late. At 1 month of age, 100 μL of Aβ3-10-KLH peptide (vaccine, 2 μg/μL) was subcutaneously injected into the neck of an amyloid precursor protein/presenilin-1/tau transgenic (3×Tg-AD) mouse model. Aβ3-10-KLH peptide was re-injected at 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 months of age. Serum levels of Aβ antibody were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while spatial learning and memory ability were evaluated by Morris water maze. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect total tau with HT7 and phosphorylated tau with AT8 (phosphorylation sites Ser202 and Thr205) and AT180 (phosphorylation site Thr231) antibodies in the hippocampus. In addition, western blot analysis was used to quantify AT8 and AT180 expression in the hippocampus. The results showed that after vaccine injection, mice produced high levels of Aβ antibody, cognitive function was significantly improved, and total tau and phosphorylated tau levels were significantly reduced. These findings suggest that early active immunization with Aβ3-10-KLH vaccine can greatly reduce tau phosphorylation, thereby mitigating the cognitive decline of 3×Tg-AD mice. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of China Medical University, China (approval No. 103-316) on April 2, 2016.

Background Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). We assessed serum biomarkers to identify patients with DLBCL and healthy controls, as well as prognosis-related paired pre- and post-R-CHOP therapy effect of patients with DLBCL. Methods Serum samples from 329 DLBCL patients and 100 healthy controls were collected in this study, as well as 72 samples from additional DLBCL patients with paired pre- and post-R-CHOP therapy (n=36). All serum samples were pretreated and detected by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Serum biomarkers were discriminated between DLBCL patients and healthy controls, as well as between DLBCL patients with prognosis-related paired pre- and post-R-CHOP therapy, and identified by Veristrat Identification Platform 1.0, Bioyong Explore 1.0 and mMass software. Results Two peaks, m/z values of 15,140.74 and 15,885.43, were significantly different from all peaks among the DLBCL patients and healthy controls (P

Purpose Despite selection based on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, not all HER2-positive patients benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Recent reports indicate that trastuzumab treatment failure may be associated with immune system dysfunction. We examined the prognostic relevance of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy. Methods Baseline ALC and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) data from trastuzumab-treated patients with MBC were studied retrospectively, and associations between baseline ALC and clinical characteristics evaluated. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox regression hazard model were applied to assess effects on outcomes. Results Of a total of 68 patients, 19.1% (13/68) had baseline ALCs ≤ 1 G/L. Baseline lymphopenia was correlated with increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and higher NLR. In univariate analysis, higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001); higher LDH was associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.045) and OS (P = 0.010). We did not observe any differences in objective response rate or disease control rate between patients with lymphopenia and those with normal ALC. Importantly, patients with baseline lymphopenia had inferior PFS (0.60 years vs 1.17 years, P = 0.000009) and OS (1.88 years vs 3.80 years, P = 0.0003). In multivariable analysis, significance of ALCs was retained for lymphopenia (PFS: P = 0.0005; OS: P = 0.016). Conclusion Our data indicate that baseline ALC value of ≤1 G/L is a predictor of poor outcomes, but not of response, in patients with MBC treated with trastuzumab.

Simple Summary Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for advanced upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), and shock wave treatment is a common strategy for upper urinary tract stones. We explored the mechanism of the combination therapy of low-energy shock waves (LESWs) and cisplatin for UTUC in vitro, in vivo, and in patient-derived organoid (PDO) models. Histopathological examination showed more deteriorated cell arrangement and oedema in the combination treatment group than in the cisplatin only group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed reduced expression of proliferation markers, increased expression of apoptosis markers, and increased cisplatin infiltration in the combination treatment group. Western blotting revealed decreased cisplatin efflux and membranous protein levels after shock wave application. Moreover, LESW improved the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in the preclinical PDO model of UTUC. Our findings showed that LESW enhanced the antitumour efficacy of cisplatin in UTUC. Hence, combination therapy could have promising applications for locally advanced UTUC in clinical settings. Abstract Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare cancer with a poor prognosis if diagnosed at an advanced stage. Although cisplatin-based chemotherapy is a common treatment strategy, it has a limited response rate. Shock wave lithotripsy is a common treatment for upper urinary tract stones. Low-energy shock waves (LESWs) temporarily increase tissue permeability and enhance drug penetration to the targeted tissue. However, no study has investigated the efficacy of the combination of shock wave lithotripsy and chemotherapy in UTUC. Hence, in this study, we aimed to identify the potential application of the combination of LESW and chemotherapy in UTUC. We evaluated the synergistic effects of LESW and cisplatin in vitro, in vivo, and in patient-derived organoid (PDO) models. Compared with cisplatin alone, the combination treatment caused more significant tumour suppression in vitro and in animal models, without increased toxicity. Histological examination showed that compared with animals treated with cisplatin alone, those who received the combination treatment showed more deteriorated cell arrangement and cell oedema. Moreover, LESW improved the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in the preclinical PDO model of UTUC. Thus, LESW combined with cisplatin is a potential new antitumour strategy for improving the treatment response in locally advanced UTUC.

Background: Bone marrow metastasis occurs in lung adenocarcinoma patients with a poor prognosis due to the late course and lack of definitive treatments, although reports on this are limited. This study analyzed the clinical manifestation, laboratory examination, treatment, and prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma with bone marrow metastasis. Methods: All patients were confirmed to have bone marrow infiltration by bone marrow aspiration. The clinical data of 12 patients with lung adenocarcinoma with bone marrow metastasis were analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier statistics. Results: The common biomarker abnormalities in 12 patients were elevated carcinoembryonic antigen in 12 cases (100%), elevated lactate dehydrogenase in 9 cases (75%), increased alkaline phosphatase and anemia in 8 cases each (66.7%), and thrombocytopenia in 4 cases (33.3%). After diagnosis of bone marrow metastasis, 5 patients were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, 3 patients received chemotherapy and targeted drug tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, 2 patients received simple TKI therapy, and 2 patients received only best supportive care (BSC) therapy. The median duration of survival after the diagnosis of bone marrow involvement was 422 days. The survival time of patients receiving TKI therapy after bone marrow metastasis was significantly better than that of patients receiving only BSC and chemotherapy (χ2=4.636, P=0.031). Conclusions: The survival period of patients with lung adenocarcinoma with bone marrow metastasis is short, and targeted drug TKI treatment can prolong the survival time for patients with EGFR mutation–carrying lung adenocarcinoma with bone marrow metastasis.

PurposeTo assess the association of tumor architecture with cancer recurrence, metastasis, and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in Taiwan.Materials and MethodsData were collected from 857 patients treated with RNU between January 2005 and August 2016 in our hospital. Pathologic slides were reviewed by genitourinary pathologists. Propensity score weighting was performed for data analysis.ResultsSessile growth pattern was observed in 212 patients (24.7%). Tumor architecture exhibited a significant association with bladder cancer history, chronic kidney disease (CKD), tumor stage, lymph node status, histological grade, lymphovascular invasion, concomitant carcinoma in situ, and the variant type [standardized mean difference (SMD) > 0.1 for all variables before weighting]. In the propensity score analysis, 424 papillary and sessile tumor architecture were analyzed to balance the baseline characteristics between the groups. Tumor architecture was an independent predictor of metastatic disease and CSS (p = 0.033 and p = 0.002, respectively). However, the associations of tumor architecture with bladder and contralateral recurrence were nonsignificant (p = 0.956 and p = 0.844, respectively).ConclusionsTumor architecture of UTUC after RNU is associated with established features of aggressive disease and predictors of metastasis and CSS. Assessment of tumor architecture may help identify patients who could benefit from close follow-up or early administration of systemic therapy after RNU. Tumor architecture should be included in UTUC staging after further confirmation.

Yi-Qun Che,1 Yue Zhang,1 Kai-Ping Ou,2 Di Wang,3 Di Shen,1 Hui-Ying Liu,4 Yang Luo5 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Oncology, Beijing Chaoyang District Sanhuan Cancer Hospital, Beijing 100122, People’s Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jinzhou Central Hospital, Jinzhou 121000, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yang LuoDepartment of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. No.17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax + 86-10-87788820Email luoyang@cicams.ac.cnBackground: To evaluate whether the depth of response (DepRe) and early tumor shrinkage (ETS) are predictive factors of clinical outcomes in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients treated with trastuzumab.Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 100 HER2-positive mBC patients who received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment. ETS and DepRe were calculated. We employed Youden’s index to determine the optimal cutoff value of ETS and DepRe for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We used Kaplan–Meier analysis, Log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression models to evaluate the impacts of ETS and DepRe on clinical outcomes.Results: The optimal cutoff values were 30% for ETS and 40% for DepRe; ETS and DepRe were observed in 51.0% (51/100) and in 56.0% (56/100) of patients, respectively. Both ETS≥ 30% and DepRe≥ 40% were significant tumor-size metrics for predicting PFS (ETS: median 1.43 vs 0.69 years, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.384; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.245 to 0.601; P=0.000030; DepRe: median 1.43 vs 0.59 years, HR = 0.390; 95% CI: 0.250 to 0.609; P=0.0000034), but only DepRe≥ 40% was a significant predictor for OS (median 4.02 vs 3.07 years, HR = 0.484; 95% CI: 0.255 to 0.919; P = 0.027). Multivariate analyses also identified DepRe as an independent prognostic factor for PFS (HR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.93; P = 0.028) and OS (HR=0.37; 95% CI:0.15 to 0.90; P = 0.029).Conclusion: ETS≥ 30% and DepRe≥ 40% were significant predictors of better clinical outcomes in mBC patients treated with first-line trastuzumab-based chemotherapy. Further validation in prospective trials with larger patient populations is needed.Keywords: depth of response, early tumor shrinkage, metastatic breast cancer, trastuzumab, survival

Background S100A14 is a member of the S100 calcium-binding protein family that exerts important phenotypic effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and motility. However, the functional role and potential clinical significance of S100A14 in lung adenocarcinoma has not yet been clarified. Methods We analyzed genomic alterations of S100A14 using The Cancer Genome Atlas lung adenocarcinoma genomic dataset. S100A14 displayed significant copy number amplification in lung adenocarcinoma. We detected S100A14 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and analyzed the correlation between S100A14 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Results Immunohistochemical analysis showed that S100A14 expression was obviously upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared to matched normal counterparts. Statistical analysis revealed that S100A14 expression strongly correlated with poor differentiation, metastasis, stage, smoking, and EGFR mutation. Furthermore, our data indicated that S100A14 serum levels were higher in lung adenocarcinoma patients than healthy controls. Intriguingly, S100A14 serum levels were related to distant metastasis (P = 0.028). High S100A14 expression was significantly associated with overall (P = 0.0016) and post progression (P = 0.039) survival. In addition, we investigated the biological functions of S100A14 in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. The results demonstrated that S100A14 promoted cell migration and invasion of SPCA1 and Glc-82 cells. Conclusions S100A14 increases the motility of lung adenocarcinoma cells, and might be a diagnostic and prognostic serum biomarker and potential therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma.

The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer molecules based on chalcone (E)-3-(4'-dimethylaminophenyl)-1-(4'-fluoro-2'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propen-1-one (DMF-HPPO) have been synthesized under microwave irradiation. One-dimensional (1D) microwires and 2D microdisks of DMF-HPPO have been selectively prepared by controlling the solution polarity. XRD results revealed the two microcrystals exhibit distinct diffraction patterns, which indicates that they have belonged to different crystalline nature. The microcrystals demonstrate shape-dependent amplified spontaneous emissions (ASE) that the emission of 1D microwire is central around 618 nm and the 2D microdisk emits fluorescence at 650 nm. This result reveals the controlled synthesis of two microcrystals and their consequent multicolor amplified spontaneous emission, providing considerable promise for the development and application of new opto-electronic devices.

Preserving renal function and controlling oncological outcomes are pertinent when managing renal neoplasms. Cryoablation is the recommended treatment only for clinical T1a stage renal tumour. Here, we compared the outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RaPN) and laparoscopic cryoablation (LCA) in the treatment of patients with localised T1-T2 renal tumours. Overall, 86 patients who received RaPN and 78 patients underwent LCA were included in this study. The intraoperative, postoperative, and oncological outcomes in the LCA group were non-inferior to the RaPN group. Moreover, LCA demonstrated shorter operative time (267.45 ± 104.53 min vs. 138.56 ± 45.28 min, p &lt, 0.001), lower blood loss (300.56 ± 360.73 mL vs. 30.73 ± 50.31 mL, p &lt, 0.001), and slight renal function deterioration because of the reduced invasiveness, without compromising on the oncological outcomes.

Band moire pattern is produced by the superposition of the base layer with the revealing layer that has a different periodic frequency. Band moire can effectively describe the geometric transformation of moire, so that we can design more elements and specific moire in band moire image, which can be used to engage and decipher the secret image. Hersch et al. put forward a mathematical model to describe the geometric transformation of moire pattern, and based on this, a method for constructing band moire pattern was proposed. Furthermore, the inverted mirrored moire effect is also described for the case that the period of the revealing layer is less than the period of the base layer. However, the principle and limitations of inverted mirrored moire effect have not been given. In this paper, we introduce the principle of the inverted mirrored moire effect and specify the conditions of producing inverted mirrored moire, That is, when the period of the revealing layer is less than the period of the basic layer and more than half of the period of the base layer, the inverted mirrored moire will be shown. We also noticed the phenomenon of the repeated local moire pattern with the analysis of the moire generation. We give the restriction of producing ribbon moire, when the period of the revealing layer is equal to the period of the base layer, the ribbon moire will show. The limitations of inverted mirror image or ribbon were analyzed and the results were verified by experiments.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype in peripheral blood may be a useful marker of carcinomas with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of CTCs expressing Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) and vimentin in pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: CTCs were isolated by immunomagnetic separation from the peripheral blood of 40 PC patients before undergoing surgical resection. Immunocytochemistry was performed to identify KLF8+ and vimentin+ CTCs. The associations between CTCs and time to recurrence (TTR), clinicopathologic factors, and survival were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were performed to identify risk factors. Results: Patients with CTCs ( n = 30) had a higher relapse rate compared to those without ( n = 10) (70.0% vs 20.0%; P < 0.01). The proportion of KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs to total CTCs was inversely related to TTR ( r = −0.646; P < 0.01); TTR was reduced in patients with > 50% of CTCs identified as KLF8+/vimentin+ ( P < 0.01). Independent risk factors for recurrence were perineural invasion and > 50% KLF8+/vimentin+ CTCs (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: Poor prognosis can be predicted in PC patients when > 50% of CTCs are positive for KLF8 and vimentin.

In the original publication, Prof. Lin-Nei Hsu’s institution was incorrectly published as ‘Tainan Municipal An-Nan Hospital’ in affiliation 4. The correct affiliation should read as ‘Department of Urology, An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan’.

BackgroundAnti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy in renal transplantation is facing the dilemma of reducing the incidence of acute rejection (AR) and delayed graft function (DGF) or increasing risks of infection and malignancy. The purpose of this study was to delineate the safety and efficiency of the optimal ATG dosage.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 91 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) in our institution between March 2011 and January 2019. The patients were classified into three groups based on induction therapy: (1) Group 1: modest-dose ATG (three mg/kg) intraoperatively (N= 21); (2) Group 2: low-dose ATG (1–1.5 mg/kg) intraoperatively (N= 23); (3) Group 3: basiliximab 20 mg both on day 0 and 4 (N= 47). In Groups 1 and 2, all patients received a daily low-dose program (1–1.5 mg/kg each day) with target dosage of six mg/kg. Induction therapy was combined with standard immunosuppressive regimen consisting of calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate/the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors and corticosteroids.ResultsThere was no significant difference in patient characteristics among groups. The outcomes of infection rate, biopsy-proven acute rejection, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, graft survival, and patient survival were similar among groups. Compared to the daily low-dose ATG regimen, the intraoperative modest-dose regimen did not cause more dose interruption and hence was more likely to reach the target ATG dosage. The intraoperative modest-dose regimen also seemed to reduce the rate of DGF.DiscussionIn recent years, a trend of using a “lower” dose of ATG has seemed to emerge. Our results suggest intraoperative modest-dose ATG followed by daily low-dose ATG regimen was safe and effective in cadaveric renal transplantations for preventing DGF, AR, and graft loss.

Recently, single-layer group IV-VI compounds, which are isoelectronic counterparts to layered group V semiconductor, have attracted great interest for their tunable mechanical, electronic, and optoelectronic properties. Herein, by using atomic transmutation and first-principles calculations, we report a systematical study of monolayer group III-VII MX (M = Al, Ga, In, and X = Cl, Br, I) compounds. Three structural symmetries of lattices Pn21 m, Pma2 and P-3m1, named as α, β, and γ phases correspondingly, are considered. All the binary systems are energetically stable and the relative stability of the three phases are related with their chemical compositions. We find that most of the group III-VII compounds are semiconductors with a wide range of band gaps ranging from 0.37 to 3.58 eV. The electronic band dispersion can also be largely tuned by changing the atomic geometry and constituent element. For all of α phase and most of γ phase, the compounds are indirect band semiconductor with band gaps in the UV-light region. In the β phase, the AlBr, AlI, GaCl, GaBr, and GaI are direct band gap semiconductors with the gap near visible light. Moreover, some of compounds have sharp van Hove singularity near the valence band edge and hence show electronic instabilities to ferromagnetic and half-metallic states under small hole doping. The unique characteristics of group III-VII binary monolayers can be suitable for high-performance device applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics and spintronics.

Preserving renal function and controlling oncological outcomes are pertinent while managing renal tumours. We compared outcomes of percutaneous cryoablation (PCA) and retroperitoneoscopic cryoablation (RCA) in patients with renal neoplasms. We identified 108 patients with renal tumours at two medical centres, where 63 patients received PCA and 45 patients underwent RCA from August 2009 to July 2015, and they were followed up until February 2017. We compared preoperative and postoperative parameters, namely gender, systemic diseases, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin, the estimated glomerular filtration rate, tumour size, operative time, tumour type, Clavien–Dindo classification of surgical complications, and tumour recurrence, by using an independent sample t test, Pearson’s Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, a Mann–Whitney test, and a generalised linear model. Based on baseline characteristics, we found that the patients in the PCA group were older and had higher BMI than those in the RCA group, whereas the patients in the RCA group had more comorbidities than those in the PCA group. Retroperitoneoscopic and percutaneous methods had similar operative times, blood transfusion rates, postoperative fever episodes, and complication rates for either minor or major complications. However, the percutaneous method was associated with a shorter length of stay. No patient experienced deterioration in renal function until 2 years after both procedures. Impaired renal function was found in both groups in the 3-year follow-up. In both groups, tumour recurrence was significant for tumours > 4 cm. Our results confirm that both cryoablation methods (PCA and RCA) are safe and effective for renal cell carcinoma. Favourable oncological control was achieved in both groups if the renal tumour size was ≤ 4 cm.

Activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) is a common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is very likely to infiltrate the bone marrow. Over 30% of patients are converted to relapsed/refractory DLBCL after first-line rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone therapy, with a poor prognosis. Our aim was to identify molecular markers that might be utilized to predict relapsed/refractory ABC-DLBCL patients. Hence, we collected bone marrow aspirate smears from 202 patients with ABC-DLBCL and detected expression of bone marrow molecular marker proteins by immunocytochemistry. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)3, nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, Syk, Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), and Bcl2 proteins were strongly expressed in bone marrow aspirate smears of ABC-DLBCL patients. The same smear could present positive expression of multiple proteins simultaneously. Positive combinations of protein expression were associated with resistance. The most significant finding was that the Stat3+NF-κB+ group developed resistance, which was significantly higher than that of the Stat3-NF-κB-group (80 vs. 14%). There was a significant difference in two-year relapse-free survival between protein-positive and protein-negative combinations of Stat3-NF-κB (P = 0.005), Bcl2-Stat3 (P = 0.009), Bcl2-Pax5 (P = 0.003), and BTK-Syk (P < 0.001). Thus, we detected key molecules in multiple signaling pathways in bone marrow aspirate smears. At the same time, the results provide further clinical evidence of ABC-DLBCL drug-resistant molecules and provide a theoretical basis for rational second-line treatment after drug resistance.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has the highest incidence of all types of head and neck cancer in China. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in NPC tissues and clinicopathological features, as well the outcomes for NPC patients. In addition, the association between tissue expression of PD-L1 and immune components in peripheral blood was assessed. The expression of PD-L1 was determined by immunohistochemistry, while immune indexes were determined by ELISA and flow cytometry. The positive expression rate of PD-L1 in NPC patients was 29.2%, and the PD-L1 expression levels were associated with distant metastasis (P=0.010) and the T-stage of the primary tumor (P=0.032). The expression of PD-L1 was associated with the distant metastasis-free survival of NPC patients (P=0.006). In addition, a statistically significant association of PD-L1 expression with Epstein-Barr virus viral capsid antigen IgA (EBV VCA-IgA; P=0.046) and with CD3-CD19+ cells (P=0.014) was identified. These results indicated that PD-L1 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for NPC patients, and that EBV VCA-IgA and CD3-CD19+ cells may be useful for predicting PD-L1 expression when its levels cannot be detected due to the lack of a tumor tissue sample.

We evaluated the effects of Bio-Oss® (a natural bone substitute derived from the mineral portion of bovine bone) on delayed osseointegration of implants. The bilateral third and fourth mandibular premolars of 4 adult, healthy, male and female dogs were extracted. We randomly selected 2 extraction sockets in each dog to be filled with Bio-Oss® (the experimental group); the other 2 extraction sockets, which were not treated, served as controls. Dental implants were inserted into the alveolar bone of the experimental group and the control group 3 months after insertion of the Bio-Oss®. The osteogenic activity in the bone around the implants was assessed by evaluating the histological morphology and estimating histomorphometric variables at 3 and 6 months after delayed implantation. After 3 months, Goldner's trichrome staining analysis showed that the rate of content between the bone and the implant and the mineralised area of bone around the implant were significantly higher in the experimental group (76%(9%) and 69.5% (9.6%), respectively) than those in the control group (56.1% (8.2%) and 52.8% (7.3%), respectively, p=0.003 and 0.000). However, the 2 groups did not differ significantly at 6 months. Fluorescence microscopy showed that the mean rates of mineralisation of the bony tissue around the implant in the experimental group at months 3 and 6 were 6.8 (0.4) μm and 8.4 (0.8) μm, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (p=0.000 and 0.03). These data indicate that putting Bio-Oss® into the extraction sockets can promote osseointegration after delayed implantation, and may be a promising option for clinical use.

To select optimal parameter a in decomposed 2D-Renyi entropy image threshold segmentation method, a new adaptive method according to the uniformity measure which is an image segmentation evaluation criteria is proposed based on adaptive artificial fish-swarm algorithm(AAFSA). Experiment results show that the method can get desired segmentation result for each image. The algorithm is of universality and can also reduce the computational complexity from O(L6) to O(L2).

Spring maize is one of the most popular crops planted in northeastern China. The cropping systems involving spring maize have been maintaining high production through intensive management practices. However, the high rates of nitrogen (N) fertilizers application could have introduced a great amount of nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere. It is crucial for sustaining the maize production systems to reduce N2O emissions meanwhile maintaining the optimum yields by adopting alternative farming management practices. The goal of this study was to evaluate effects of alternative fertilization and crop residue management practices on N2O emission as well as crop yield for a typical maize field in northeastern China. Field experiments were conducted during the 2010-2011 maize growing seasons (from early May to late September) in Liaoning Province, northeastern China. N2O fluxes were measured at the field plots with six different treatments including no N fertilizer use (CK), farmers’ conventional N fertilizer application rate (FP), reduced N fertilizer rate (OPT), reduced N fertilizer rate combined with crop straw amendment (OPTS), slow-release N fertilizer (CRF), and reduced N fertilizer rate combined with nitrification inhibitor (OPT+DCD). The static chamber method combined with gas chromatography technique was employed to conduct the measurements of N2O fluxes. The field data showed that N2O emissions varied across the treatments. During the maize growing season in 2010, the total N2O emissions under the treatments of CK, FP, OPT, OPTS, and CRF were 0.63, 1.11, 1.03, 1.26, and 0.98 kg N ha−1, respectively. The seasonal cumulative N2O emissions were 0.54, 1.07, 0.96, 1.12, and 0.84 kg N ha−1, respectively, under CK, FP, OPT, OPTS, and OPT+DCD in 2011. In comparison with FP, CRF or OPT+DCD reduced the N2O emissions by 12 or 21%, respectively, while the crop yields remained unchanged. The results indicate that the reduction of N-fertilizer application rate in combination with the slow-release fertilizer type or nitrification inhibitor could effectively mitigate N2O emissions from the tested field. The incorporation of crop residue didn't show positive effect on mitigating N2O emissions from the tested cropping system. The field study can provide useful information for the on-going debate on alternative N fertilization strategies and crop straw management in China. However, further studies would be needed to explore the long-term impacts of the alternative management practices on a wide range of environmental services.

Establishing calculation model on the probability of saliency objectness likelihood based on superpixels is introduced to dectect image saliency. At first,analysing factors which affect the size of visual attention according to the law of universal gravitation; And then use the SLIC algorithm to divide image into superpixels; Next, according to the texture, color,and gradient feature information, establish calculation models on probability saliency object under different rules: Including compactness in class color ,spatial distribution estimation and edge continuity; And then refer to the principle that activity in cells responding to stimuli,.a new feature combination theory is proposed to deal with the relationship of the characteristics of independence and mutual interaction for achieving features fusion accurately. Afterwards, the proposed algorithm applied in virtual and reality interaction to detect the effective region and eliminate noise area.

Crop growth simulation models can be useful in evaluating the impacts of different tillage and residue management operations on the changes in land productivity and soil-water balance components. They offer a potentially valuable set of tools for examining questions related to performance of conservation agriculture. This can be both to improve our understanding or conceptualization of processes and to improve quantitative predictions for use by agronomists, growers, policy makers or others. We applied the new Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) version 4.5, an improved crop growth simulation model, to three conservation agriculture treatments and one conventional tillage treatment data from a field-scale study in west Henan region of China to predict winter-wheat yield, leaf area index and soil-water balance. The sites average annual precipitation is 632mm and it had a winter wheat-fallow-winter wheat rotation. There winter wheat planting in October and harvesting in next year June. The model was calibrated using 2005-2006 winter-wheat crop data from field experiments of the four treatments. The treatments were: (1) decreased tillage (DT): mulching of 10-15cm height straw and one ploughing operation to 25cm depth on July 1st; (2) zero tillage (ZT): zero tillage with 35-40cm height straw mulching; (3) subsoiling (SS): 35-40cm height straw mulching and subsoil to 40cm depth on July 1st; (4) conventional tillage (CT): 10-15cm height straw mulching and two ploughing operations 20cm deep on July 1st and October 1st. The DSSAT satisfactorily simulated the four treatments variations in winter-wheat yield, leaf area index and soil-water balance. There was better agreement between observed and predicted yields (the error absolute values were less than 3.95% and the error mean absolute values were less than 2.78%). The mean value of root mean square errors (RMSE) for simulated leaf area index (LAI) and soil water storage were 0.41cm2·cm-2 and 0.08cm3·cm-3 for DT, ZT, SS and CT, treatment respectively. The predicted water use efficiency for the four treatments were 15.85, 15.40, 16.58 and 15.81kg·mm-1·ha-1, respectively. These values were close to the values calculated from field measured data (16.82, 14.44, 16.86 and 15.66kg·mm-1·ha-1, respectively). Although the analysis results show us that the DSSAT V4.5 is well suited for simulating winter-wheat growth in the West Henan region of China, these results are preliminary and based on only one year of experimental data and four treatments and further long-term analyses need to be carried out for improving the understanding of the conservation agriculture cropping systems in the west Henan region of China.

In order to calculate the ground movement induced by displacement piles driven into horizontal layered soil, it is simplified to an axisymmetric problem. Then the vertical and horizontal ground movement functions were deduced based on stochastic medium theory. The vertical ground movement is a normal distribution function, while the horizontal ground movement is an exponential function. Utilizing field measured data, parameters of these functions can be obtained by back analysis. The example indicates that the stochastic medium theory is suitable for calculating the ground movement in pile driving, and there is no need to consider the constitutive model of soil or contact model of pile-soil interface in calculation. This method is fairly applicable in practice, and can provide a reference for related research.

To investigate the association between nocturia and erectile dysfunction, androgen deficiency, overactive bladder and systemic diseases in men with type 2 diabetic mellitus.A self-administered questionnaire containing overactive bladder symptom score and sexual health inventory for men was obtained from subjects with type 2 diabetic mellitus. Nocturia and severe nocturia were defined as rising ≥2 or ≥3 per night to void, respectively. Patient characteristics and diabetes-related complications to risk of nocturia were evaluated.Of 632 consecutive subjects, 56.0 and 24.2 % reported having nocturia and severe nocturia, respectively. After adjustment of age, diabetic mellitus duration, and overactive bladder, the presence of erectile dysfunction, stroke, hypertension, and higher serum creatinine level was associated with nocturia and severe nocturia. The patients with the lowest quartile of testosterone level (2.21 ± 0.51 ng/mL) had higher prevalence of nocturia (65.1 %) and severe nocturia (32.9 %) than the sum of the other three quartiles. The patients with severe nocturia had threefold higher mortality than the other group after 3.5-year follow-up.The presence of nocturia was associated with erectile dysfunction, systemic vascular events, higher mortality, and indicated poor health in male with type 2 diabetic mellitus.

Focused on the current problems of the automated testing for electromagnetic compatibility, this paper proposes a hierarchical and modular electromagnetic compatibility software architecture based on the OOP. This paper gives the design ideas, methods and main features and develops a test automation software for electromagnetic radiation safety margin based on this architecture. Experimental results show this software improves test efficiency, accuracy and achieves the desired effect compared with the manual testing. This software also reduces the intensity of the work of the testers and has a good value in engineering.

Algebraic side-channel attack (ASCA) is a powerful cryptanalysis technique different from conventional side-channel attacks. This paper studies ASCA from three aspects: enhancement, analysis and application. To enhance ASCA, we propose a generic method, called Multiple Deductions-based ASCA (MDASCA), to cope the multiple deductions caused by inaccurate measurements or interferences. For the first time, we show that ASCA can exploit cache leakage models. We analyze the attacks and estimate the minimal amount of leakages required for a successful ASCA on AES under different leakage models. In addition, we apply MDASCA to attack AES on an 8-bit microcontroller under Hamming weight leakage model, on two typical microprocessors under access driven cache leakage model, and on a 32-bit ARM microprocessor under trace driven cache leakage model. Many better results are achieved compared to the previous work. The results are also consistent with the theoretical analysis. Our work shows that MDASCA poses great threats with its excellence in error tolerance and new leakage model exploitation.

Large amount of stainless steel tubes would be applied in the desalination system. If the tubes are welded manually, there would be a lot of the repeated work accompanied with the extremely low efficiency and the welding quality could not guaranteed either. So the best choice to finish the work is using a robotic welding system. In this paper, a robotic system to be employed in welding the pipes for desalination of sea water is introduced. The robotic system contains four revolute axes and could be mounted on a branch pipe, so it can both maneuver between the pipes and adjust to a wide range of pipes’ diameter. Moreover, it is very convenient to take with for it is compact and lightweight. The mathematical method for calculating of the geometry of welding path of the intersecting cylinders is also explained. The welding robot, a digital welding power and the gas shielded system are included in the welding system. The robot movement is controlled by a micro-controller and it could communicate with the host IPC (industrial personal computer) through RS232. Other devices are directly controlled by the host IPC. Finally, a simulation is taken and the result shows that the welding system is able to meet the requirements.

A digital integrated development platform, which is based on Pro/E, ADAMS, ANSYS and Matlab, is introduced in this paper. A type of 6-DOF industrial robot for laser cutting is developed on this platform. In the virtual environment, the development efficiency is improved, as well as the reliability of the robot. The 3D parametric model of the laser cutting robot is firstly built by using Pro/E. Through the interface module between Pro/E and ADAMS, the 3D model is transferred to ADAMS. Then the kinematics model and dynamic model are set up. The model of robot control system is obtained with Matlab/Simulink. The dynamic model and the control system model are combined by ADAMS/Control. Uniting ADAMS and Matlab, the characteristic of the robot is investigated. The load file which contains the load information of the flexible part is, then, obtained. Together with this file and ANSYS, the finite element analysis of the robot could be made. Ultimately, according to the analysis result, the structure of the robot would be optimized. It can obviously save time to develop the cutting robot on this platform, which consists of the four kinds of software mentioned in this paper. The results of the simulation are close to the real. Thus, it will provide the basis for making the physical prototype.

Discussed in this paper are the issues underlying the mechanical design of 7-DOF manipulator. A comprehensive solution for the structural type selecting, and the detail design of the links, the joints and the parts is introduced. First the design requirements including the workspace, manipulability, loading capacity, weight, precision, motor power etc are studied. After the preliminary design and calculation, the parameters of the D-H model are determined. We put forward a method to resolve the dynamic problems by software. It is accomplished by blending the unique capabilities of three engineering CAD packages named PRO/E, ADAMS and ANSYS. The statics problems and the multi-body dynamic problems met during the design process will be easily solved by using the software. The parametric geometric model of the manipulator built with PRO/E was transferred to ADAMS. Uniting ANSYS and ADAMS, we began the stress-strain and modality analysis. At last, the complicated flexible multi-body model of the manipulator was set up, and then given the dynamics simulation results which are important for the further design. The finished manipulator has the compact structure and high manipulability. Based on the experiments, the manipulator steers clear of the obstacle in a certain area included in the workspace.

A method of real-time collision obstacle for autonomous mobile robots in local dynamic environment using multi-sensor data fusion is proposed. Due to the effectiveness of the optical flow sensors, the robot can acquire more accurate self-motion information. This paper also proposes an approach to complete enhancement based on the earlier vector field histogram algorithm (VFH), which is called VFH#. This paper improved a new heuristic function to the VFH# algorithm in particular. By using this way, robots can select a more appropriate steeling angle in local dynamic environments. The results of experiments with a Pioneer robot demonstrated that robot collision obstacle can be obtained using the proposed method.

Localization and map building are two essential tasks for an autonomous mobile robot's indoor navigation without a prior map. This paper describes a mobile robot system designed for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for an autonomous mobile robot in an indoor environment. Due to variant sensor modeling for laser range finder and CCD camera, weighted least square fitting and Canny operator are used to extract certain two-dimensional environmental features and vertical edges respectively. Using Kalman filtering (KF) to localization and grid map building simultaneously are also presented. When implemented on a Zixing mobile robot produced by Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), the localization technique correctly localized the robot while exploring and mapping.

Localization and map building are two essential tasks for an autonomous mobile robot's indoor navigation without a prior map. This paper describes a mobile robot system designed for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for an autonomous mobile robot in an indoor environment. Due to variant sensor modeling for sonar range finder and CCD camera, weighted least square fitting and Canny operator are used to extract certain two-dimensional environmental features and vertical edges respectively. Using Kalman filtering (KF) to localization and grid map building simultaneously are also presented. When implemented on a Zixing mobile robot produced by Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), the localization technique correctly localized the robot while exploring and mapping.