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Objective. Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is a frequently common malignancy of gastrointestinal cancer in the world. This study aims to screen key genes and pathways in EC and elucidate the mechanism of it.Methods. 5 microarray datasets of EC were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened by bioinformatics analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction were performed to obtain the biological roles of DEGs in EC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to verify the expression level of DEGs in EC.Results. A total of 1955 genes were filtered as DEGs in EC. The upregulated genes were significantly enriched in cell cycle and the downregulated genes significantly enriched in Endocytosis. PPI network displayed CDK4 and CCT3 were hub proteins in the network. The expression level of 8 dysregulated DEGs including CDK4, CCT3, THSD4, SIM2, MYBL2, CENPF, CDCA3, and CDKN3 was validated in EC compared to adjacent nontumor tissues and the results were matched with the microarray analysis.Conclusion. The significantly DEGs including CDK4, CCT3, THSD4, and SIM2 may play key roles in tumorigenesis and development of EC involved in cell cycle and Endocytosis.

RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene therapy is a promising approach to cure various diseases. However, developing an effective, safe, specific RNAi delivery system remains a major challenge. In this study, a novel redox-responsive polyetherimide (PEI)-based nanovector, mPEG-SeSe-PEI, was developed and its efficacy evaluated. We prepared three mPEG-SeSe-PEI vector candidates for small interfering glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (siGADPH) and determined their physiochemical properties and transfection efficiency using flow cytometry and PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI polymer. We investigated the silencing efficacy of GADPH mRNA expression in PANC-1 cells and observed that PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI/siGADPH (N/P ratio=10) polyplexes possessed the appropriate size and zeta-potential and exhibited excellent in vitro gene silencing effects with the least cytotoxicity in PANC-1 cells. In conclusion, we present PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI as a potential therapeutic gene delivery system for small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Objective: To study the relationship between long-chain non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (lncRNA SNHG16) polymorphisms and its interaction with environmental factors and susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Sanger sequencing was used to analyze genotypes of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, and rs15278 sites. Multifactor dimensionality reduction was used to analyze interactions between lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, rs15278 sites, and environmental factors. Haploview 4.1 software was used to analyze linkage disequilibrium of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, and rs15278 sites. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze plasma lncRNA SNHG16 levels of CRC patients and control subjects. Results: Variation of the lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353 site A>G variation was associated with decreased CRC susceptibility (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40–0.62, P A and rs15278 site A>G variation were associated with increased CRC susceptibility (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.47–2.36, P A variation was associated with increased CRC susceptibility (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.61–3.11, P G variation caused a significant decrease in plasma lncRNA SNHG16 level (P A variation and rs15278 site A>G variation resulted in increased plasma lncRNA SNHG16 levels. Conclusion: Polymorphisms of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, rs15278 loci and their interaction with age are significantly associated with CRC susceptibility.

Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer deaths, and thus there is a clinical need to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this malignancy. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) have been accepted to be closely related to tumor reoccurrence after surgery, and circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial function in the tumorigenesis and development of human cancers. Here, we examined the role of the circular RNA hsa_circ_0131457 (circ-SOX4) in lung TICs. We report that circ-SOX4 is upregulated and exists as a covalently closed loop structure in CD133+ cancer cells. Subsequent functional assays showed that circ-SOX4 downregulation suppresses lung TIC proliferation, self-renewal, migration and invasion. Circ-SOX4 upregulation facilitates in vitro development of CD133- cancer cells, and circ-SOX4 deficiency represses in vivo malignancy of CD133+ cells. Additionally, circ-SOX4 was shown to interact with c-MYC by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in NSCLC. In summary, circ-SOX4 expedites NSCLC progression by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and this finding may facilitate the identification of effective therapeutic targets for NSCLC.

BACKGROUD Paclitaxel (PTX) has become a widely used second-line therapy for advanced gastric cancer. There exists controversy whether targeted therapy combined with PTX can provide additional benefit over PTX alone. Therefore, a meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the two therapy regimes. METHODS We searched systematically for studies from the databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library published between January 2000 and August 2019. Only randomized controlled trials were eligible. Statistical analysis was performed by meta-analysis. The primary end points were progression-free survival and overall survival, objective response rate and adverse events were the secondary end points. RESULTS A total of 4 randomized controlled trials with 1574 patients (PTX + targeted therapy, n = 786; PTX, n = 788) were included for the final analysis. As compared with PTX monotherapy, PTX + targeted therapy significantly improved progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84-0.92, P .05). CONCLUSIONS Second-line PTX+targeted therapy is a more effective treatment option with tolerable safety profile for advanced gastric cancer as a result of improved survival, though with additional toxicity.

Bi-based electrode materials with a low redox potential of Bi3+/Bi and high theoretical specific capacity have attracted great attention in alkali metal ion batteries, aqueous batteries, hybrid capacitors, and others. In this review, we overview the structures and detailed synthesis strategies of the Bi-based active materials, and also summarize the theoretical analysis of reaction mechanism and the way to improve electrochemical performance in detail. In addition, the major challenges and perspectives of Bi-based electrode materials are also pointed out, and offer a guideline for other Bi-based electrodes in the future.

To evaluate the feasibility of right neck anastomosis in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy.This study used a retrospective cohort study method. Clinical data of 169 patients with stage I-III esophageal squamous cell carcinoma undergoing neck anastomosis in thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy at the Department 5 of Thoracic Surgery, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from November 2013 to October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Eighty-two cases underwent right neck anastomosis (right neck anastomosis group) and 87 cases underwent left neck anastomosis(left neck anastomosis group). Both groups underwent routine thoracoscopic and laparoscopic radical resection of esophageal cancer. The entry of right and left neck anastomosis group was at the anterior edge of the right and left sternocleidomastoid muscle respectively. Anastomosis of the esophagogastric junction was performed and the drainage tube was placed in the neck incision. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, lymph node dissection and morbidity of postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.There were 101 males and 68 females among 169 patients with esophageal cancer. There were no significant differences in age, gender, tumor location, clinical stage between two groups(all P0.05). The total operation time of left and right neck anastomosis groups was (278.3±39.4) minutes and (287.8±39.4) minutes, respectively (t=1.563, P=0.120). The intraoperative blood loss was (134.9±71.5) ml and(147.9±85.5) ml, respectively (t=1.074, P=0.284). The number of lymph node dissections was (17.45±5.68) and (16.47±4.98), respectively (t=1.190, P=0.236). Seventeen cases(20.7%) in the right neck anastomosis group developed postoperative complications, while 31 cases (35.6%) in the left neck anastomosis group developed postoperative complications (χ²=4.609,P=0.032). Compared with left neck anastomosis group, right neck anastomosis group had lower rate of gastric emptying disorder (0% vs. 6.9%, P=0.029), anastomotic fistula (7.3% vs. 18.4%, χ²=4.572, P=0.033), pneumonia (18.3% vs. 32.2%, χ²=4.294, P=0.038) and ICU management (4.9% vs. 16.1%, χ²=4.726, P=0.030).Thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy with right neck anastomosis is safe and effective, can completely remove the tumor, at the same time, has less complications than left neck anastomosis, and improve the quality of life.

As a mitotic spindle checkpoint gene, baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5 (BIRC5) serves pivotal roles in the development of various types of malignant tumors. In the present study, the expression of BIRC5 in patients with different stages of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) was investigated. The effect of BIRC5 on the migratory and invasive abilities of different ESCC cell lines was analyzed. Additionally, the effect of BIRC5 on the angiogenesis-associated factor vascular endothelial growth factor, brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 was examined. In addition, the interaction between BIRC5 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway was analyzed. It was determined that BIRC5 is able to inhibit the migration and invasion of tumor cells, and regulate the expression of angiogenesis-associated factors. In addition, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is able to regulate the expression of BIRC5, which affects the development of ESCC.

One hallmark of pancreatic cancer (PC) is the high prevalence of pancreatic cancer-associated diabetes mellitus (PC-DM), but the mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Patients with PC who are diagnosed with new-onset diabetes/prediabetes have recently been shown to display significantly lower levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) secreted mainly by enteroendocrine cells. We hypothesized that PC-derived exosomes are responsible for the decreased levels of incretins in patients with PC-DM. In this study, exosomes were successfully isolated from PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2 and SW620 cells and characterized. Only the exosomes from MIA PaCa-2 cells (Exo-Mia) reduce the production of GIP and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) from STC-1 cells in vitro in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, Exo-Mia increased the levels of the Gip and proglucagon mRNAs and decreased the expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1/3 (PCSK1/3), which is responsible for the post-translational processing of Gip and proglucagon. Furthermore, differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs (miR-6796-3p, miR-6763-5p, miR-4750-3p and miR-197-3p) were identified and considered to be responsible for the inhibitory effects on GIP and GLP-1 production. To further determine the approach of cancer-derived exosomes reaching enteroendocrine cells, we analyzed the uptake and distribution of exosomes in animal model. It was observed that exosomes infused into the intestinal cavity were more easily internalized by the intestinal epithelium than exosomes injected into blood. In conclusion, pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes (Exo-Mia) suppress the synthesis of GIP and GLP-1 from STC-1 cells in vitro by down-regulating the PCSK1/3. Moreover, it may be the pancreatic juice that transport cancer-derived exosomes to target cells (K and L cells) in the gut.

Autophagy defect has been shown to be correlated with malignant phenotype and poor prognosis of human cancers, however, the detailed mechanisms remain obscure. In this study, we investigated the biological changes induced by autophagy inhibition in gastric cancer. We showed that inhibition of autophagy in gastric cancer cells promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis, alters metabolic phenotype from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to aerobic glycolysis and converts cell phenotype toward malignant, which maybe further contribute to chemoresistance and poor prognosis of gastric cancer. We also identified that the EMT and metabolism alterations induced by autophagy inhibition were dependent on ROS-NF-κB-HIF-1α pathway. More importantly, scavenging of ROS by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) attenuated activation of NF-κB and HIF-1α in autophagy-deficient gastric cancer cells, and autophagy inhibition induced metastasis and glycolysis were also diminished by NAC in vivo. Taken together, our findings suggested that autophagy defect promotes metastasis and glycolysis of gastric cancer, and antioxidants could be used to improve disease outcome for gastric cancer patients with autophagy defect.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common lung cancer, leads to the largest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. There are many studies to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between NSCLC and normal control (NC) tissues by means of microarray technology. Because of the inconsistency of the microarray data sets, we performed an integrated analysis to identify DEGs and analyzed their biological function.We combined 15 microarray data sets and identified 1063 DEGs between NSCLC and NC tissues; in addition, we found that the DEGs were enriched in regulation of cell proliferation process and focal adhesion signaling pathway. The protein-protein interaction network analysis for the top 20 significantly DEGs revealed that CAV1, COL1A1, and ADRB2 were the significant hub proteins. Finally, we employed qRT-PCR to validate the meta-analysis approach by determining the expression of the top 10 most significantly DEGs and found that the expression of these genes were significantly different between tumor and NC tissues, in accordance with the results of meta-analysis.qRT-PCR results indicated that the meta-analysis approach in our study was acceptable. Our data suggested that some of the DEGs, including MMP12, COL11A1, THBS2, FAP, and CAV1, may participate in the pathology of NSCLC and could be applied as potential markers or therapeutic targets for NSCLC.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy between SBRT and surgery based on the Propensity-Matched Analysis.Publications on comparison SBRT and Surgery for early stage non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from 2011 to 2017 were collected. Propensity score matching was used to achieve comparable treatment hazard ratios of the overall survival (OS), local control survival (LC), regional control survival (RC), loco-regional control survival (LRC), distant control survival (DC), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) between SBRT and Surgery. The major outcomes measures were hazard ratios (HRs). Meta-analysis Revman 5.3 software was used to analyze the combined Pooled HRs using fixed- or random-effects models according to the heterogeneity.Eleven studies met our inclusion criteria. The LC, L-R C, DC, DFS and PFS rates of patients with early-stage lung cancer who were treated with SBRT are equal to surgical results. While, patients with surgery achieved superior OS compared with SBRT.In this study we carried out a meta-analysis, which controls the acceptable level of the efficacy in the propensity score to match patients. The surgery had obvious OS advantages in this meta-analysis. However, these conclusions would be proven by further studies incorporating comorbidity data, and outcomes from randomized control study. The final decision for the optimal treatment of a patient with early-stage NSCLC can be substantiated by a personalized treatment model.

Prospective epidemiological studies have consistently suggested that pancreatic cancer-associated new-onset diabetes mellitus (PC-DM) represents a potential platform for early diagnose of pancreatic cancer (PC). Despite the studies performed, the mechanism behind this phenomenon remains ambiguous. In this study, we explored the effects of two types of exosomes released by murine pancreatic cancer and ductal epithelial cells on murine skeletal muscle cells. The results show that PC-derived exosomes can readily enter C2C12 myotubes, triggering lipidosis and glucose intake inhibition. We also demonstrate that PC-derived exosomes can inhibit insulin and PI3K/Akt signalling, in which insulin-induced FoxO1 nuclear exclusion is preserved and Glut4 trafficking is impaired. Microarray and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses show that exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) probably play key roles in this process, an assumption that is corroborated by in vitro studies. These results confirm that the insulin resistance (IR) of skeletal muscle cells is governed by PC-derived exosomes through the insulin and PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signalling pathways, where exosomal miRNAs potentially contribute to this phenomenon. These novel findings pave the way towards a comprehensive understanding of the cancer theories: “metabolic reprogramming” and “metabolic crosstalk”.

Background Repeated nontreponemal serologic test for syphilis titers is recommended to evaluate treatment response. However, it is unknown whether serum rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titer can serve as a surrogate for determining the efficacy of treatment in general paresis (GP) remains unknown. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data from 105 GP patients, who were divided into two groups (62 CSF RPR+ patients and 43 CSF RPR- patients) according to reactive RPR test status in CSF. Clinical assessment included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, CSF examinations (WBC count, protein concentration and RPR titer), and serum tests (RPR titer and TPPA). Among the 105 GP patients, 13 CSF RPR+ patients and 6 CSF RPR- patients had a 12 months follow-up of CSF, serum measures and MMSE. Results The median serum RPR titer was significantly higher in CSF RPR+ patients than that in CSF RPR- GP patients, 1:8 [IQR 1:4–1:32] vs. 1:4 [IQR 1:4–1:8] (P

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of G-protein signaling modulator 2 in the carcinogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. We previously showed that G-protein signaling modulator 2 was upregulated in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma tissues through a hierarchical clustering analysis. With this study, we first assessed the expression pattern of G-protein signaling modulator 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma specimens and adjacent noncancerous tissues; clinical data were analyzed, along survival times, utilizing the Kaplan–Meier method. Moreover, the functions of G-protein signaling modulator 2 were examined using small-interfering RNAs in vitro. The results showed that G-protein signaling modulator 2 was clearly overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cell lines and that the G-protein signaling modulator 2 expression level was related to tumor size and hepatitis B virus infection. Furthermore, G-protein signaling modulator 2 knockdown studies suggested that G-protein signaling modulator 2 accelerates cell growth, cell cycle, migration, and invasion and inhibits apoptosis, acting as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma. Western blotting indicated that silencing of G-protein signaling modulator 2 in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells increased the expression levels of Bax, caspase-3, and E-cadherin, while notably suppressing the cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin-dependent kinase 6, CyclinD1, Snail1, Vimentin, and matrix metallopeptidase 9 expression levels, compared with that in the control groups. In addition, we found that G-protein signaling modulator 2 can affect the expression of key proteins involved in protein kinase B activation. In conclusion, high expression of G-protein signaling modulator 2 was involved in the pathological processes of hepatocellular carcinoma through activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway, which may provide an attractive potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The interaction between pollutants and sediment particles often occurs on the particle surface, so surface properties directly affect surface reaction. The physical and chemical processes occurring on sediment particle surfaces are microscopic processes and as such need to be studied from a microscopic perspective. In this study, field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) were adopted to observe and analyze the pore structure and element distribution of sediment particles. In particular, a special method of sample preparation was used to achieve the corresponding cross-sectional information of sediment particles. Clear images of a particle profile and pore microstructure were obtained by high-resolution SEM, while element distribution maps of sediment particles were obtained by EDS. The results provide an intuitive understanding of the internal microenvironment and external behavior of sediment particles, in addition to revealing a significant role of pore microstructure in the adsorption and desorption of pollutants. Thus, a combination of different experimental instruments and observation methods can provide real images and information on microscopic pore structure and element distribution of sediment particles. These results should help to improve our understanding of sediment dynamics and its environmental effects.

// Ziqiang Tian 1 , Shiwang Wen 1 , Yuefeng Zhang 1 , Xinqiang Shi 1 , Yonggang Zhu 1 , Yanzhao Xu 1 , Huilai Lv 1 and Guiying Wang 2 1 Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China 2 The Second Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China Correspondence to: Guiying Wang, email: tizq12@vip.163.com Keywords: TNM I stage, lung adenocarcinoma, long non-coding RNA, microRNA, RNA-sequencing Received: December 29, 2016 Accepted: May 06, 2017 Published: June 16, 2017 ABSTRACT Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the primary subtype in lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the aberrant expression profiling of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in TNM I stage (stage I) LUAD. The lncRNA/mRNA/miRNA expression profiling of stage I LUAD and adjacent non-tumor tissues from 4 patients were measured by RNA-sequencing. Total of 175 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), 1321 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) and 94 differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMIs) were identified in stage I LUAD. DEMI-DEM regulatory network consisted of 544 nodes and 1123 edge; miR-200 family members had high connectivity with DEMs. In DEL-DEM co-expression network, CDKN2B-AS1, FENDRR and LINC00312 had the high connectivity with DEMs, which co-expressed with 105, 63 and 61 DEMs, respectively. DEL-DEMI-DEM network depicted the links among DELs, DEMI and DEMs. Identified DEMs were significantly enriched in cell adhesion molecules, focal adhesion and tight junction of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways; and enriched in cell adhesion, angiogenesis and regulation of cell proliferation of Gene Ontology biological processes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results were generally consistent with our bioinformatics analyses. LINC00312 and FENDRR had diagnostic value for LUAD patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Our study might lay the foundation for illumination of pathogenesis of LUAD and identification of potential therapeutic targets and novel diagnosis biomarkers for LUAD patients.

Background: Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a natural phenolic acid present in various Lamiaceae herbs. RA shows anti-tumor effects on many tumors but has yet to be tested on triple negative breast cancer and its derived breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSCs). Objective: This study aimed to detect whether RA could inhibit the proliferation and migration of BCSCs through hedgehog (Hh) signaling while promoting apoptosis via Bcl-2/Bax. Materials and Methods: BCSCs from the human breast cancer cell line MD-MB-231 were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with the surface markers of CD44*/CD24-/low. The viability, migration, and apoptosis of BCSCs were assessed by the CCK-8 assay, cell wound healing test, and flow cytometry for positive staining for Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodine (PI), respectively. mRNA and protein levels of Hh and Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathways were obtained by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunoblots. Results: RA inhibited the viability and migration of BCSCs and increased the numbers of late apoptotic cells. Consistent with the increased apoptosis, RA treatment downregulated Bcl-2 while upregulating Bax expression. In line with its effect to limit migration, RA treatment inhibited the expression of Hh-related genes smoothened and glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1. Conclusion: The present study suggests that RA exerts anti-cancer effects on BCSCs by inhibiting Bcl-2 and Hh signaling pathways.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-192-5p in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were subjected to H/R and tested for miR-192-5p expression. Overexpression and knockdown experiments were performed to determine the effects of manipulating miR-192-5p on apoptotic responses. H/R-treated H9c2 cells exhibited a 2.2-fold increase in miR-192-5p levels. Overexpression of miR-192-5p significantly augmented apoptosis in H9c2 cells after H/R, which was accompanied by a significant increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. In contrast, delivery of anti-miR-192-5p inhibitors significantly reduced apoptosis induced by H/R. FABP3 was identified to be a functional target of miR-192-5p. Restoration of FABP3 prevented apoptosis in miR-192-5p-transfected H9c2 cells, whereas downregulation of FABP3 enhanced apoptosis in H/R-exposed H9c2 cells. In conclusion, miR-192-5p mediates H/R-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes by targeting FABP3 and represents a potential target for prevention of myocardial I/R injury.

RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene therapy is a promising approach to cure various diseases. However, developing an effective, safe, specific RNAi delivery system remains a major challenge. In this study, a novel redox-responsive polyetherimide (PEI)-based nanovector, mPEG-SeSe-PEI, was developed and its efficacy evaluated. We prepared three mPEG-SeSe-PEI vector candidates for small interfering glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (siGADPH) and determined their physiochemical properties and transfection efficiency using flow cytometry and PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI polymer. We investigated the silencing efficacy of GADPH mRNA expression in PANC-1 cells and observed that PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI/siGADPH (N/P ratio=10) polyplexes possessed the appropriate size and zeta-potential and exhibited excellent in vitro gene silencing effects with the least cytotoxicity in PANC-1 cells. In conclusion, we present PEG11.6-SeSe-PEI as a potential therapeutic gene delivery system for small interfering RNA (siRNA).

This thesis aims to analyse the deposit characteristics about Da Hong Mountains Iron ore in Yunnan province. The texture and structure, especially the chemical composition, is different in every section of deposit after comparing. Moreover, the content of SiO 2 is much higher than general iron ore. However, the content of other noble metals cannot reach the lowest industrial grade. Da Hong Mountains Iron ore has unique features because of metallogenic periods.

This article presents practical experiences and lessons learned in defining and implementing an agile model-driven development process using the MDD tools chain. This process and its implementation inherit the merits of scrum, extreme programming, and the Unified Software Development Processes. The experience data demonstrates that combining MDD practices with agile development process can significantly reduce software development cycle time and increase productivity and quality.

Since 2004, the national schistosomiasis control strategy in China has shifted from the morbidity control strategy (conventional strategy) to an integrated strategy (new strategy). We investigated the effectiveness of the new strategy and compared it against the conventional strategy. We retrieved from electronic databases the literature regarding the new strategy published from 2000 to 2017. The effect of the new or conventional strategy on infection by Schistosoma japonicum of humans and snails (Oncomelania hupensis) was evaluated with pooled log relative risk (logRR). A total of only eight eligible publications were included in the final meta-analysis. The results showed that implementation of the new strategy reduced the infection risk by 3–4 times relative to the conventional strategy. More specifically, the conventional strategy caused a reduction in both human (logRR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.12–0.99) and snail infections (logRR = 0.34, 95% CI: −0.69–1.37), while the new strategy also significantly reduced both human (logRR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.33–2.46) and snail infections (logRR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.06–2.15). In contrast to the conventional strategy, the new strategy appeared more effective to control both human (logRR difference = 1.32, 95% CI: 0.78–1.86) and snail infections (logRR difference = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.76–2.31). Our data demonstrate that the new integrated strategy is highly effective to control the transmission of S. japonicum in China, and this strategy is recommended for schistosomiasis elimination in other affected regions across the world, with adaptation to local conditions.

Recent studies have implicated Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) is present in a subset of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in which C. pneumoniae could act as a cofactor in the development of the disease. Macrolide antibiotics are most widely used anti-chlamydial agents and have immunomodulatory effect independently of their anti-bacterial activity. To investigate their effects on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), EAE was induced by immunization with MBP68-86 peptide emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Clarithromycin (CM) or azithromycin (AM, 50 mg/100 g body weight) was administrated daily from day 2 before immunization. All rats developed and survived EAE, but the groups administrated CM or AM had more severe symptoms. On day 11 post-immunization, mononuclear cells (MNCs) were prepared from the spleen of control group and cultured with or without macrolide antibiotics (10mug/ml). We evaluated nitric oxide (NO) production in the serum and culture supernatant. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein expression in the spinal cords and cultured MNCs were measured. The results showed that CM and AM similarly inhibited NO production and iNOS mRNA and protein expression in vivo and in vitro. Macrolide antibiotics may aggravate EAE by inhibiting iNOS mRNA and protein expression. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of macrolide antibiotics on MS and to compare the effect of different anti-chlamydial antibiotics on MS.

Recent research has shown that there is significant enhancement (up to 11-fold) of the biofiltration of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the presence of methanol (MeOH). The objectives of this study were to explore the potential to optimize DMS removal with MeOH addition and to develop and experimentally validate a mathematical model describing the biofiltration of DMS under dynamic MeOH addition. A dynamic model incorporating the competitive and activation effects of MeOH on DMS biodegradation was developed to describe both steady-state and transient-state behavior of inorganic biofilters treating DMS with MeOH addition less than 50 g / m 3 h . The proposed model included the effect of substrates (e.g., MeOH) on biomass growth rate to take account for biofilm growth in biofilters over time. In the model, the biofilm was considered to have variable density along the biofilter column as a function of MeOH concentration in the air stream. At steady state, the modeled results on DMS removal were in close agreement with the experimental data. The transient-state behavior of the biofilters during periodic MeOH addition periods was also effectively predicted with the model. Our results support the proposed mechanism of MeOH effects on the biofiltration of DMS. A MeOH feeding strategy (pulse feeding) that enhanced DMS treatment by 35% was experimentally demonstrated and simulated by the model.

To explore the effect of renal replacement therapy (RRT) on the plasma drug concentration of first-line antituberculosis drugs.Thirty patients treated with continuous RRT and who were complicated with pulmonary tuberculosis from 2009 September to 2013 September were enrolled in the study. There were 19 males and 11 females, aged 18-75 years. They received RRT 3 times a week, 4 h each. The patients took isoniazid 300 mg and rifampin 450 mg one time every day, and pyrazinamide 40 mg · kg(-1) · d (-1) one time 24 h before RRT, 3 times every week. The plasma concentration of the drugs were monitored before and after each RRT for 4 weeks.Taken before RRT, the plasma concentration of isoniazid before RRP was (1.62 ± 0.44), (1.67 ± 0.38), (1.63 ± 0.41), (1.48 ± 0.38) mg/L respectively for 1-4 weeks; while that after RRT was (0.57 ± 0.22), (0.60 ± 0.24), (0.56 ± 0.20), (0.56 ± 0.15) mg/L (all P0.05). Taken before RRT, the plasma concentration of pyrazinamide before RRT was (16.08 ± 4.95), (16.32 ± 5.73), (14.89 ± 4.53), (13.81 ± 5.83) mg/L respectively for 1-4 weeks, while that after RRT was (3.73 ± 1.57), (3.57 ± 1.53), (3.22 ± 1.00), (2.81 ± 1.34) mg/L (all P0.05). Taken after RRT at once, the plasma concentration of pyrazinamide before RRT was (15.57 ± 3.47), (14.10 ± 2.27), (14.73 ± 2.36), (15.9 ± 3.02) mg/L respectively for 1-4 weeks, while that after RRT was (2.45 ± 1.14), (2.19 ± 1.07), (1.87 ± 1.52), (2.33 ± 1.30)mg/L. Taken before RRT, the plasma concentration of rifampin was (3.44 ± 1.17), (3.72 ± 1.24), (3.68 ± 1.16), (3.44 ± 1.22) mg/L respectively for 1-4 weeks (all P0.05), while that after RRT was (2.96 ± 1.10), (3.28 ± 1.04), (3.17 ± 1.02), (2.96 ± 1.05) mg/L (all P0.05).Continuous RRT has different effects on the plasma drug concentration of isoniazid and pyrazinamide. It almost has no effect on rifampin. To achieve the best plasma concentration and better anti-tuberculosis results, isoniazid and pyrazinamide should be taken after RRT, but rifampin before RRT.

c-Met has been demonstrated as an attractive target in lung cancer therapy. Current studies showed that detection of c-Met status in tumor is critical in Met-targeted therapy. However not all patients are suitable for tissue sample collection. It is important to discover novel surrogate markers to detect c-Met status. In the study, soluble c-Met (s-Met) in plasma from 146 Chinese lung cancer patients and 40 disease-free volunteers was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent. In parallel, expression of c-Met in those tumors was also assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results showed that, in 146 lung cancer patients, 93 were c-Met expression positive and 74 of 93 were overexpressed. In c-Met-overexpressed patients, plasma s-Met was significantly increased. And further studies showed that plasma s-Met linearly correlated with c-Met expression in tumor. After tumor was removed in Met-overexpressed patients via resection, plasma s-Met significantly decreased to basal level. In addition, plasma s-Met showed to be poorly correlated with tumor size in Met-overexpressed patients. These results demonstrated that plasma s-Met is a sensitive and reliable marker to detect c-Met overexpression in lung cancers, and it is independent of tumor volume.

One major reason software development projects fail is that the development process is invisible. Managers tend to rely on meetings and reports to understand project status and make decisions, leading to mismanagement due to inaccurate or incomplete information. Software projects typically collect information during development using different tools and store it in repositories. We present a statistical process control (SPC) method of defining, collecting, and analyzing software metrics from software repositories for MDD process control and improvement (PCI). This method, which we call mining software repositories (MSR), can help us change the traditional, static, record-keeping use of software data repositories to a new, active use for predicting and planning various aspects of MDD projects

A new software development process called test-driven modeling applies the Extreme Programming test-driven paradigm in a model-driven development environment. (The basis of this article is a project in Motorola's iDEN division that is extending and migrating a large legacy telecommunication system to new platforms using TDM.) This process involves automatic testing through simulation and using executable models as living software system architecture documents. In TDM, we use the same message sequence charts (MSCs) for both system analysis (or design documents) and unit test cases. Similarly, we use the same high-level modeling diagrams for both automatic code generation and living software architecture documents to guide the system's detailed implementation in later phases. Practical results show that developers can effectively apply TDM to large projects with high productivity and quality in terms of the number of code defects.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the fatigue status and related factors in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) 1-5 years after surgery. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 254 patients with stage IA or IB NSCLC, who had undergone surgery. They completed several surveys, including the Brief Fatigue Inventory, Karnofsky Performance Scale, Physical Activity Questionnaire, Baseline Dyspnea Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The association between fatigue and functional status was assessed using Chi-square analysis. Spearman rank correlation and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess the correlation between fatigue and various other factors. Results: The overall incidence of postoperative fatigue was 59.8%. Among patients with moderate to severe fatigue, 21.1% had obvious dysfunction, whereas only 9.6% of patients with mild or no fatigue (χ2 = 5.369; P = 0.02) showed obvious dysfunction. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that functional status (odds ratio [OR]: 3.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-6.19), concurrent lung disease (OR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.08-4.99), depression (OR: 6.39; 95% CI: 2.42-17.35), and anxiety (OR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.13-4.87) were independent risk factors for fatigue, whereas physical activity (OR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.11-0.73) could prevent fatigue. Conclusion: More than half of the patients with early-stage NSCLC experienced fatigue 1-5 years after surgery, and moderate to severe fatigue was often associated with obvious dysfunction. The strong association of fatigue with anxiety, depression, and lung complications suggests that fatigue and other symptoms constitute a symptom cluster. Therefore, comprehensive treatment methods may achieve better therapeutic results.

Recent evidence suggests that genetic variations in the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-IGF receptor (IGFR)-IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) axis may impact an individual's susceptibility to lung and esophageal cancer, but individually published results are inconclusive. Our meta-analysis aimed at providing a more precise estimation of these associations. An extensive literature search was conducted for appropriate articles published before May 15th, 2013. This meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. The crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each study and then pooled using a random effect model. Twelve case-control studies were included with a total of 2686 lung cancer patients, 771 esophageal cancer patients, and 5918 healthy controls. Our meta-analysis indicated that genetic variations in the IGF-IGFR-IGFBP axis may be associated with increased risk of lung and esophageal cancer, especially among Asian populations. Further subgroup analysis by gene type indicated that common polymorphisms in the IGF1/2, IGF-1R, and IGFBP-3/5 genes may be the main determinants for lung cancer risk, while IGF-1, IGF-1R, and IGFBP-1 genetic polymorphisms may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. The current meta-analysis suggests that genetic variations in the IGF-IGFR-IGFBP axis confer susceptibility to lung and esophageal cancer, especially among Asian populations. Common polymorphisms in the IGF-IGFR-IGFBP axis may serve as useful biomarkers for predicting the risk of lung and esophageal cancer.

This paper presents a new ordered dithering algorithm that improves the conventional ordered dither in image quality by using space-filling curves. In this method, dither thresholds are assigned to the pixels of an image by replicating a one-dimensional dither array over a space-filling curve that fills up the image. This method can be more flexible than other halftoning techniques in that it can generate both clustered and dispersed patterns of dots. Experimental results demonstrate that the new method can greatly improve ordered dither in image quality by generating clustered patterns of dots and simulate ordered dither by producing dispersed dot patterns.

Ordered dither (C. N. Judice, J. F. Jarvis, and W. H. Ninke, inProceedings of the S.I.D. 15, 4(Fourth Quarter),1974,pp. 161–169.) is an efficient and widely used halftoning technique. One disadvantage with this method is that it produces blurred images. Recently, a space-filling curve ordered dithering approach (Y. Zhang, submitted for publication.) has been proposed that improves the ordered dither in image quality by generating clustered dot patterns along a space-filling curve over the image. In this method the cluster size is fixed in the process of halftoning. This paper presents a new ordered dithering method, called adaptive ordered dither, that does halftoning by using a space-filling curve to perform an adaptive variation of the cluster size. Experimental results demonstrate that the new method can significantly improve the space-filling curve ordered dither in revealing image details.

SUMMARYA grid-based method for detecting moving objects is presented. This method involves the extension and combination of two methods: (1) the Hough Transform and (2) the Occupancy Grid method. The Occupancy Grid method forms the basis for a probabilistic estimation of the location and velocity of objects in the scene from the sensor data. The Hough Transform enables the new method to handle non-integer velocity values. A model for simulating a sonar ring is also presented. Experimental results show that this method can handle objects moving at non-integer velocities.

Digital image warping addresses the problem of how to smoothly transform one digital image into another. The warping process has wide applications in computer animation and can be divided into two classes depending on the type of images being transformed. Gray image warping considers the transformation of one gray-scale image into another-a process also known as image metamorphosis. Binary image warping, on the other hand, addresses the transformation of binary images such as polygonal shapes. The focus in this article is on warping polygons. We can approach the warping of polygonal shapes in two steps. The first establishes a correspondence between the vertices of two given polygons. The second step interpolates the corresponding vertices to generate vertices of an intermediate polygon. This article presents new approaches to both steps. This new algorithm uses fuzzy techniques to warp polygons that have different locations, orientations, sizes and numbers of vertices. The algorithm is robust and extensible to curved shapes.

A new approach for using the Hough transform to detect line segments is presented. This approach is efficient in both space and time. Strategies combining the features of the intersection point [Ben-Tzvi, Leavers and Sandler, Proc. 5th Intl. Conf. Image Anal. 152–159 1990); Xu, Oja and Kultannen, Pattern Recognition Lett. 11 , 331–338 (1990)] and dual plane [Conker, Comput. Vis. Graphics Image Process . 43 , 115–132 (1988)] methods are used to calculate the Hough transform. A dense set of small overlapping windows are used to restrict the pairs of inage pixels that are evaluated. Experimental results indicate that this method reduces the time and space requirements significantly.

Floyd and Steinberg's (1976) error diffusion technique is a well-known approach to digital halftoning. The main drawback of this technique is that it is inherently serial. This paper presents a new parallelizable error-diffusion algorithm, calledline diffusion. In this method, the pixels of the original image are divided into classes line by line, and all the pixels on a line are halftoned simultaneously. Errors are distributed randomly. Experimental results show that line diffusion is comparable to error diffusion in image quality. A sequential line diffusion algorithm is also provided.

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung is a rare pathologic type of lung cancer. The aim of this study is to explore the clinical features of adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung.A total of 115 patients with adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung were retrospectively analysed, who were diagnosed by operation and pathology.Among the 36 female patients, 7 were under 49 years (19.44%). There were 14 patients (12.17%) without any symptom and 16 patients had residual carcinoma at the resection margin (14.04%). The degree of lymph node metastasis was 37.51%. The proportion of stage III patients was 54.78%.The incidence of adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung in young women (under 49 years, especially under 39 years) is rather high. The residual carcinoma at the resection margin often occurs after routine operation. The degree of lymph node metastasis is rather high.

The performance and microbiology of two inorganic biofilters treating dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in the presence and absence of methanol was investigated. Addition of methanol was shown to result in an increase in DMS removal for methanol loadings below 90 g MeOH per cubic metre per hour with the optimal methanol loading around 10-15 g MeOH per cubic metre per hour for a DMS loading of 3.4 g DMS per cubic metre per hour, a fivefold increase in the DMS removal rate compared to the biofilter treating DMS alone. Microbial community analysis revealed that the addition of methanol led to a significant increase of up to an order of magnitude in the abundance of Hyphomicrobium spp. in the biofilter co-treating DMS and methanol compared to the biofilter treating DMS alone, whilst there was no significant difference in the abundance of Thiobacillus spp. between the two biofilters. Given the behaviour of the biofilter co-treating DMS and methanol, the magnitude of the increase in Hyphomicrobium spp. in the biofilter co-treating DMS and methanol and the ability of Hyphomicrobium spp. to use both methanol and DMS as growth substrates, it was concluded that Hyphomicrobium spp. were the microorganisms responsible for the bulk of the DMS degradation in the biofilter co-treating DMS and methanol.

The presence of methanol (MeOH) improves DMS removal (up to 11-fold) by enhancing biomass growth in inorganic biofilters. Although the overall effect is positive, prolonged growth on methanol also negatively affects DMS degradation as a result of competition with DMS. The objectives of this study were to explore the potential to optimize DMS removal with methanol addition and to develop and experimentally validate a mathematical model describing the biofiltration of DMS in the presence of MeOH. Continuous experiments using three bench-scale biofilters packed with inorganic material were performed to examine the removal of DMS under different MeOH addition rates ranging from 0 to 140 g/m3/h. For a constant DMS loading of 3.5 g/m3/h, a maximum DMS removal rate of 1.8 g/m3/h was achieved at a MeOH addition rate of 20 g/m3/h in the inorganic biofilters. A steady-state model incorporating the competitive and activation effects of MeOH on DMS biodegradation was developed, and the modeled results on DMS and MeOH removal were in close agreement with experimental data. Both the experimental data and model simulation suggest that there is an optimum MeOH addition rate for a given DMS loading. A step-feeding strategy for MeOH addition was proposed and tested by the model to optimize DMS removal. The model-predicted results demonstrate that six-step feeding of MeOH enhances DMS treatment by 46% in the biofilters when compared to conventional feeding (one-step) of MeOH at the same total mass loading.

The biofiltration of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and other reduced sulfur compounds (RSC) results in acidification of biofilters due to the accumulation of the sulfuric acid in packing material. This may lead to a decrease in biofilter performance due to a drop in pH. Results obtained from continuous experiments using three bench-scale biofilters packed with inorganic material mixed with limestone show that methanol (MeOH) alleviates the pH drop and enhances the stability of biofilter performance and DMS removal. The pH drop in the biofilters treating DMS with MeOH is 4 fold slower than that in the control biofiler treating DMS only. For the biofilters with MeOH addition, the pH of the biofilters drops more gradually (0.044 pH units per day) when compared to the MeOH suspension periods when MeOH is not added (0.23 pH units per day). MeOH addition consumes oxygen and results in a lower conversion ratio of sulfide to sulfuric acid due to the formation of elemental sulfur, reducing acidification in the biofilters. Nitrification was found to be actively taking place in the control biofilter treating DMS without MeOH addition, contributing to the significant pH drop in the reactor. It is proposed that MeOH prevents acid production from nitrification likely by limiting oxygen and nutrients to nitrifying bacteria in the MeOH-fed biofilters.

Air emissions from the pulp and paper industry frequently contain reduced sulfur compounds (RSC), such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) mixed with volatile organic compounds (VOC) (e.g., methanol, MeOH) and it is desirable to treat either one or both of these groups of compounds. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of VOC (MeOH) on the biofiltration of DMS. Results obtained from continuous experiments using three bench-scale biofilters packed with inorganic material clearly show that MeOH has a positive effect (11-fold increase) on the biofiltration of DMS. Further experiments indicate that MeOH addition enhances biomass concentration and viability (threefold) in the biofilters. However, a suspension of MeOH addition causes a rapid significant increase (twofold) in the removal rate of DMS, suggesting that the presence of MeOH also has a competitive effect on DMS biodegradation. This negative effect was also confirmed in batch experiments. The decrease of biofilter performance with time for a long-term suspension of MeOH addition indicates that MeOH addition is necessary to sustain a high removal rate of DMS in inorganic biofilters. Results on metabolic products of DMS biodegradation demonstrate that DMS is almost completely converted to sulfate in the absence of MeOH, while it is partially oxidized to elemental sulfur in the presence of MeOH. This study suggests that there exists an optimum mix of DMS and MeOH for the treatment of DMS emissions in inorganic biofilters. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A new control technique for quasi resonant converters, called the bi-frequency control, is proposed. This control technique can regulate the output of quasi-resonant converters at two fixed switching frequencies without adding an auxiliary switch. The basic principle of the bi-frequency control is presented. Based on a zero-voltage-switching buck converter, the theoretical analysis and design procedures are given. PSPICE simulations are used to demonstrate the operation, and a 50 watts prototype is implemented to verify the analytic work. >

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses fuzzy theory techniques and their applications in the digital image transformation. The chapter presents a method that uses fuzzy theory techniques to address the issue of digital image warping. The chapter focuses on warping polygons by using fuzzy techniques and provides a method for extending the fuzzy approach from warping polygonal shapes to warping binary images of curved shapes and gray-scale digital images. The chapter discusses the warping of polygonal shapes in two steps. The first establishes a correspondence between the vertices of two given polygons. The second step interpolates the corresponding vertices to generate vertices of an intermediate polygon. The chapter presents a fuzzy vertex correspondence technique and a fuzzy affine transformation technique for the digital image warping. The chapter concludes by developing an algorithm that uses fuzzy vertex correspondence and fuzzy affine transformation for smoothly transforming one polygon into another.