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Facial recognition technology is a biometric application that uniquely identifies or authenticates a person by comparing and analyzing facial features based on the width of a person's face. Face recognition technology has gained popularity recently thanks to the development and invention of artificial intelligence and other technologies. The traditional methods of face recognition technology development—the method based on geometric features and the method based on 3D models—as well as the deep learning Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model VGG-Face for face recognition—are analyzed, compared, and described in this paper. It also provides a detailed description of face recognition technology. In this work, accuracy and TAR values are employed for geometric feature matching by comparing the metric results of each method on a dataset for better comparison. Our results show that while both traditional geometric feature modeling methods and 3D modeling methods can achieve good accuracy, however, they do not perform as well as humans in terms of accuracy. The Vgg-Face based on the deep learning model completely exceeds the 3D model method in terms of accuracy and TAR value, and is even more accurate than humans.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) participates in the autoimmune disease pathology by regulating T helper (Th) cell differentiation, NF-κB pathway, toll-like receptor 4, etc. This study intended to investigate the association of serum PCSK9 with disease activity, Th cells, and treatment response in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.Eighty-nine active AS patients were enrolled in this multicenter, prospective study. Serum was collected from AS patients at week (W)0, W4, W8, and W12, as well as from 20 osteoarthritis patients and 20 healthy controls after enrollment to detect PCSK9 by ELISA. Based on the ASAS40 response at W12, AS patients were classified as responders and non-responders.PCSK9 was increased in AS patients versus healthy controls (P 0.001) and osteoarthritis patients (P = 0.006). In AS patients, PCSK9 was positively linked with C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.003) and ASDAS-CRP (P = 0.017), but not with other clinical properties (P 0.05). Besides, PCSK9 was negatively correlated with interleukin-4 (P = 0.034), positively associated with Th17 cells (P = 0.005) and interleukin-17A (P = 0.014), but did not relate to Th1 cells, interferon-γ, or Th2 cells (all P 0.05). Additionally, PCSK9 was decreased from W0 to W12 in general AS patients (P 0.001) and responders (P 0.001) but remained unchanged in non-responders (P = 0.129). Moreover, PCSK9 was lower at W4 (P = 0.045), W8 (P = 0.008), and W12 (P = 0.004) in responders versus non-responders. Furthermore, the treatment options did not affect the PCSK9 level (P 0.05).Serum PCSK9 is positively associated with disease activity and Th17 cells, while its short-term decline reflects desirable treatment response in AS patients.

For the composite glass box girder, the generalized Bayesian objective function of elastic constants of the structure was derived based on layered shell element theory. Mechanical performances of the composite glass box girder were solved by layered shell element method. Combined with quadratic parabolic interpolation search scheme of optimized step length, the adaptive Powell’s optimization theory was taken to complete the stochastic identification of elastic constants of composite glass box girder. Then the adaptive Powell’s identification steps of elastic constants of the structure were presented in detail and the adaptive Powell’s identification procedure was accomplished. From some classic examples, it is finally achieved that the adaptive Powell’s identification of elastic constants of composite glass box girder has perfect convergence and numerical stability, which testifies that the adaptive Powell’s identification theory of elastic constants of composite glass box girder is correct and reliable. The stochastic characteristics of systematic responses and elastic constants are well deliberated in generalized Bayesian objective function. And in iterative processes, the adaptive Powell’s identification is irrelevant with the complicated partial differentiation of the systematic responses from the layered shell element model to the elastic constants, which proves high computation efficiency.

Excessive nitrogen fertilizer usage in agricultural often leads to negative ecological and production gains. Alterations in the physical and chemical properties and microbial community structure of agricultural soils are both the cause and consequence of this process. This study explored the perturbation of soil properties and microorganisms in agricultural soils by different nitrogen levels. Soil total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium decreased in the shallow soil layer with decreasing nitrogen. Changes in nitrogen affected soil organic matter, pH, bulk density, and water content. However, a moderate reduction in nitrogen did not cause significant yield loss; the increased nitrogen use efficiency was the main reason, attributed to the available phosphorus and potassium. Short-term changes in nitrogen had limited effects on soil microbial community structure. Bacteria were more susceptible to perturbation by nitrogen changes. Nitrogen reduction increased the relative abundance of MND1 (1.21%), RB41 (1.96%), and Sphingomonas (0.72%) and decreased Dongia (0.3%), Chaetomium (0.41%), and Penicillium (0.5%). Nitrogen reduction significantly increased the bacteria functional composition of aerobic ammonia oxidation (4.20%) and nitrification (4.10%) and reduced chemoheterotrophy (2.70%) and fermentation (4.08%). Available phosphorus specifically drove bacterial community structure variation in the shallow soil layers of moderate nitrogen reduction treatments. Steroidobacter, RB41, Gemmatimonas, Ellin6067, Haliangium, and Sphingomonas were the main component nodes in this community structure. These results provide insights into the study of nitrogen and microorganisms in agricultural soils.

Droplet impact dynamics on a superhydrophobic surface with a cubic protrusion was simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method and the contact time reduction mechanism due to the fact that the cubic protrusion was explored. In addition, the droplet bouncing behavior was analyzed with the effect of a wide range of Weber numbers (18.28–106.77). The simulated results showed three distinct bouncing modes, which are bouncing with no ring formation, bouncing with ring formation and disappearance, and bouncing with ring formation. The contact time can be sharply reduced by up to 58.41% as the We number exceeds the critical value 67.16, which is induced by the liquid ring bouncing generated by the collision between the inner and outer rims. In addition, no effect can be seen during the spreading stage, and hence, the liquid ring punctured by the cubic protrusion mainly reduces the retraction time of the droplet impact process. Moreover, the retraction distance can be shortened with the increase in We. Symmetrical dynamics during spreading and retraction due to the cubic protrusion can be seen, which is different from the asymmetric behavior on a macroridge. Discussions on the instantaneous velocity field further support the reduction mechanism of the contact time.

The dynamic behavior of a droplet impacting on an ultrasonic vibrated surface was performed, and the effects of surface impacting position and impact velocity on the droplet dynamics and removal process were investigated. The experimental results demonstrated that four typical impact dynamic modes can be found, including the surface uniform atomization, the unilateral directional spreading atomization, the split atomization on both sides, and the sub-balance state. The uneven forces induced by the ultrasonic vibration is the main cause. It is also found that the ultrasonic effective zone and failure zone can alternately appear on the circular surface, and the droplet can be removed instantaneously as it has impacts on the ultrasonic effective zone. In addition, the spreading factor can be effected by the impact dynamic modes and promoted by the ultrasonic vibration. Moreover, the transformation of the impact dynamic modes can be seen with the increasing impact velocity. The result shows that the impact droplet can be effectively removed by the ultrasonic vibration, avoiding the droplet deposition.

Numerous genetic polymorphisms and clinical laboratory parameters are associated with ischemic stroke (IS). However, the results of such studies have frequently been inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between clinical laboratory parameters with genetic polymorphisms that influence the risk of IS in a Chinese Han population. Clinical laboratory parameters were measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Genotype and allele frequencies of the polymorphisms angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) D/I, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and β-fibrinogen (β-Fg) A/G, 455/148T/C were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR. Furthermore, the gene polymorphisms plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1-4G/5G and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε2,3,4 were characterized by allele-specific PCR. The associations of genotype and allele frequencies of the six risk genes in different groups with clinical laboratory parameters were analyzed by chi-square tests. The distribution maps of the polymorphisms of the six genes and clinical laboratory parameters were compared between a control group of 336 healthy individuals and 762 patients with IS. Certain laboratory parameters were associated with ACE I/D, β-Fg-455 A/G and PAI-1 4G/5G. The D allele of ACE I/D was associated with high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Furthermore, high levels of fasting blood glucose, triglyceride and LDL-C were risk factors for IS. There were significant differences in the genotype frequencies of ACE I/D, β-Fg-455 A/G and β-Fg-148 T/C between the IS and the control group. In conclusion, clinical laboratory parameters were associated with the risk of polymorphisms of IS-related genes. The present results support the determination of a range of control values of clinical laboratory parameters for common genotypes in patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia as a strategy for the early prevention of IS.

Background Many genetic polymorphisms and clinical laboratory parameters have been shown to be associated with ischemic stroke (IS). However, these results are often inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical laboratory parameters, the risk genetic polymorphisms and IS in Shanghai population.Methods The clinical laboratory parameters were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The genotype frequencies and allelic frequencies of the polymorphisms gene encoding angiotensin-converting enzyme ( ACE D/I), gene encoding methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR C677T), gene encoding β-fibrinogen 455/148 ( β-Fg -455/148) were characterized by restricted fragment length polymorphisms-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR). The gene encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor ( PAI -1 4G/5G) and gene encoding apolipoprotein E 2,3,4 ( ApoE ε2,3,4) were characterized by allele specific PCR. The genotype frequency and allele frequency of the 6 risk genes of IS were analyzed by chi-square test in different groups of laboratory indexes. The distribution maps of the polymorphisms ACE D/I, MTHFR C677T, β-Fg -455 A/G, β-Fg -148 T/C, PAI -1 4G/5G, ApoE ε2,3,4 and clinical laboratory paramaters were compared between healthy people and patients with IS.Results The laboratory parameters were related to ACE I/D, β-Fg -455 A/G, and PAI -1 4G/5G genes. D allele of ACE I/D was associated with high levels of total cholesterol (TC) and Low-density lipoprotein (LDL). High levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), and LDL were risk factors for IS. There were significant differences in genotype frequencies of ACE I/D, β-Fg -455 A/G, and β-Fg- 148 T/C genes between IS and control group.Conclusions Clinical laboratory paramaters are associated with the risk genes polymorphisms of IS. It is suggested that control value of clinical laboratory paramaters should be determined according to the genotype carried by the patients with diabetes and hyperlipidemia when preventing IS.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to unravel the detailed mechanism of the CpRe(CO)3-catalyzed coupling reaction of CO2 with chloromethyloxirane (R). The mechanisms proposed in previous literature have been examined. However, the computed results seem not to completely rationalize the experimental findings. Alternatively, by performing an exhaustive search on the potential energy surface, we presented a novel CO-assisted mechanism, which provides an effective access to the catalytic coupling. The newly established mechanism involves the C O bond cleavage of R from the less hindered side, release of one CO ligand, CO2 insertion, re-coordination of the dissociated CO ligand, another CO ligand shift, reductive elimination with simultaneous migration of carbonyl substituent, resulting in P and regeneration of CpRe(CO)2. Two CO ligands attached to CpRe(CO)2 play significant roles in lowering the key CO2 insertion and reductive elimination: (i) One CO ligand dissociation prior to CO2 insertion contributes to reduce the electron density on the Re metal, facilitating the CO2 O atom nucleophilic attack. (ii) After performing the migration, another initially inactive CO ligand serves as a carbonyl substituent, which lowers the energy penalty for later reductive elimination through the resultant extra π-interaction and the smaller ring tension energy involved in TS. The theoretical results provide insight into the mechanism of the important coupling reaction and rationalize well the experimental observations.

Ce-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with different Ce contents were used for the ozonation of humic acids (HA). The catalysts were synthesized by the sol–gel technique at molar ratios of Ce to Ti between 0.2 and 1.0 and characterized by X-ray diffraction and values of the point of zero charge (pHPZC). Results suggest that the average crystallite size of the Ce–Ti composites decreases from 23.39 to 12.22 nm with increasing Ce amount, which increases the specific surface area of crystallite. The pHPZC of the Ce–Ti composites decreases from 5.3 to 3.9 with increasing Ce content and shifts to the acidic range. The results of HA ozonation suggest that the Ti–Ce(1/0.8) composite has the highest catalytic efficiency due to its high surface area as well as low pHPZC. The Ce(0.8)–Ti composite increases the ozone utilization efficiency by 62.0% compared to the ozonation alone, and a significant decrease in the high apparent molecular weight components toward smaller molecules was observed. In the presence of Ce(0.8)–Ti composite catalyst, the apparent firstorder rate constants of the homogeneous reaction (0.054 g L–1 min−1) is lower than that of the heterogeneous reaction (0.067 g L−1 min−1), moreover, the kinetic contribution of the heterogeneous reactions to HA degradation (δhet) was less than 50% at all pH conditions, implying that the catalytic degradation of HA mainly occurred in the solution.

Curcumin has been demonstrated to reduce markers of inflammation during acute pancreatitis (AP). However, the underlying mechanisms of the protective effects of curcumin are unknown. In the present study the effects of curcumin in an AP animal model and cell models was examined and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. An AP animal model was established by injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct of rats, and the cell model was established by treatment with 0.5 nM cerulein with an optimal concentration of lipopolysaccharide in AR42J rat pancreatic cancer cells. Amylase activity and arterial blood gas composition were assessed by automatic biochemical and blood gas analyzers. Pathological alteration of the pancreas was determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Interleukin (IL‑6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α and C‑reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured by ELISA. Cell viability was determined by Cell Counting Kit‑8 and protein expression levels were assessed by western blotting. Curcumin reduced the ascites volume after 12 and 24 h, the weight of pancreas after 12, 24 and 36 h of surgery, but also attenuated injury to the pancreas. Serum expression levels of TNF‑α and CRP were reduced by curcumin. In addition, curcumin decreased the cell viability, amylase activity and the phosphorylation of p38 in AR42J cells, but did not affect the intracellular levels of IL‑6 and TNF‑α. Curcumin may lower the severity and inflammatory response via the mitogen‑activated protein kinase‑signaling pathway, to some extent. However, future studies are required to fully understand the protective effects of curcumin on AP.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most deadly cancers and is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2030. Despite extensive efforts to improve surgical treatment, limited progress has been made. Increasing evidence indicates that integrin β6 plays a crucial role in carcinoma invasion and metastasis. However, the expression and role of β6 in PDAC remain largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the expression of β6 in PDAC and its potential value as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target. β6 upregulation was identified as an independent unfavorable prognostic indicator. Integrin β6 markedly promoted the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic carcinoma cells and induced ETS1 phosphorylation in an ERK-dependent manner, leading to the upregulation of matrix metalloprotease-9, which is essential for β6-mediated invasiveness of pancreatic carcinoma cells. Accordingly, small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of integrin β6 markedly suppressed xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that integrin β6 plays important roles in the progression of pancreatic carcinoma and contributes to reduced survival times, and may serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of PDAC.

To explore the adsorption mechanism of NO, NH

Background Overexpression of integrin β6 plays an important role in a variety of malignant tumor invasion and metastasis. Methods The expression levels of integrin β6, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry with human follicular thyroid carcinomas. Then we investigated their correlation with clinical outcomes parameters, relationship, and the survival time. Results The integrin β6 staining was expressed in cellular membrane and cytoplasm of follicular thyroid carcinoma cells. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions were mainly found in cellular cytoplasm. In correlation with the clinical outcome parameters of 60 patients, there were significant statistical differences of integrin β6, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression levels in different size of tumor. Integrin β6 and MMP-9 expressions have significant statistical differences in T classifications. MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions have significant statistical differences in different M classification. Other clinical outcome parameters had no significant statistical differences. Conclusion Integrin β6 expression correlated significantly with MMP-9 expression, and may be a valuable recurrence indicator for follicular thyroid carcinomas. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 1439–1447, 2015

Objective To explore the diagnosis of rectal carcinoid tumors and to adopt the best method of treatment. Patients and methods A group of 312 cases of pathologically confirmed rectal carcinoid were analyzed retrospectively. Data were obtained retrospectively from a database of all colorectal malignancies at Qilu Hospital from January 2004 to December 2012. 4072 colorectal malignant tumors and 312 rectal carcinoid tumors were diagnosed. Endoscopic resection was performed on 44 patients, while the other 248 underwent anus partial extended radical polypectomy. We evaluated the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and follow-ups regarding carcinoids and the relation between tumor diameter and the rate of recurrence or metastasis after surgery. Results There is no recurrence or metastasis after the transanal local resection in 284 cases with the tumor diameter less than 2 cm, 6 months to 7 years' follow-up. While, in 12 cases with the tumor diameter more than 2 cm radical surgery was performed, 8 cases had liver metastases at the time of the diagnosis of rectal carcinoid, 4 cases had no recurrence or metastasis after two and a half years' of follow ups, there is no recurrence or metastasis in 4 cases of multiple rectal carcinoids, whom all underwent radical surgery, follow ups continued for 2 years. Conclusion Early diagnosis and treatment is important for rectal carcinoids, local resection is a simple, safe and effective treatment for carcinoids with a tumor diameter less than 2 cm.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most widely used chemo drug for the treatment of colon cancer. However, a sub-population of colon cancer patients do not respond to 5-FU and this treatment does not provide survival benefit due to chemo resistance. The mechanisms involved in 5-FU resistance are not fully understood and multiple factors have been involved in the sensitivity of cancer cells to 5-FU. We previously reported that β6-integrin plays an important role in invasion, metastasis and degradation of extracellular matrix of colon cancer. In this study, we investigated whether β6-integrin is associated with chemo resistance in colon cancer. We found that over-expression of β6-integrin protected SW480 and HT-29 colon cancer cells from 5-FU-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis, which were accompanied by changes in cytochrome C released from the mitochondria and activity of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Moreover, β6-integrin resulted in up-regulation of Bcl-2 and down-regulation of Bax. We also found that β6-integrin induced 5-FU resistance through the ERK/MAP kinase pathway and the β6-ERK2 direct binding. The results indicate β6-integrin might be a novel therapeutic target in colon cancer therapy.

Norcantharidin (NCTD) is an efficacious anti-cancer drug that has been used in China for many years, but its underlying mechanism of action is still not fully understood. In the present study, we found that NCTD could induce morphological changes in colon cancer cells, causing a transition from a spindle-shaped morphology to a typical round or oval shape, which was indicative of a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) process. Next, we investigated the mechanism by which NCTD induced the MET process. Using a transwell assay, we found that NCTD could suppress the migratory and invasive ability of colon cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, NCTD suppressed the expression of integrin αvβ6, MMP-3 and MMP-9 as well as the polymerization of F-actin, further supporting its suppressive effect on migratory and invasive ability. Furthermore, the expression of αvβ6, N-cadherin, vimentin and phosphorylated ERK was decreased, while the expression of E-cadherin was up-regulated. We verified that phosphorylated Ets1 was down-regulated substantially after treatment with NCTD. Taken together, our data demonstrated that NCTD could inhibit the EMT process of colon cancer cells by inhibiting the αvβ6-ERK-Ets1 signaling pathway. This study revealed part of the mechanism through which NCTD could reverse the EMT process in colon cancer.

The reaction mechanisms for the MTO-catalyzed deoxygenation of epoxides and diols were investigated with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The DFT results indicate that the reaction starts with a [2σ+2π] addition of epoxide to MTO to give a five-membered-ring rhena-2,5-dioxolane intermediate, followed by H2 addition, proton transfer, and extrusion of olefin to regenerate the catalyst. The experimental observation for formation and subsequent disappearance of diol appearing in the catalytic reaction is explained as follows. Diol was produced by the hydrolysis of epoxide with the coproduct water through the five-membered-ring rhena-2,5-dioxolane intermediate. Then the diol produced undergoes catalytic conversion to olefin by reacting with H2 under the catalytic conditions.

A computational study with Becke3LYP of DFT was carried out to investigate the ligand exchange reaction mechanisms of Cp(CO)FeH(EEt3)(E′Et3) with (HEEt3) (E, E′ = Si, Ge, Sn). The full ligand exchange reactions were computed, starting from the reductive elimination and then followed by the oxidative addition. The reductive elimination of HEEt3 from the Fe(IV) center takes place more readily in the order Et3Si–H > Et3Ge–H ≫ Et3Sn–H. There are several reasons for the order: (i) the thermodynamic stability of the corresponding products, (ii) the order of bond binding energy: Et3Si–H > Et3Ge–H > Et3Sn–H, (iii) the order of the interaction of E–H: Et3Si–H > Et3Ge–H > Et3Sn–H.

Integrins play an important role in tumor metastasis induced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, in the case of gastric cancer, the precise role of VEGF in regulating integrin alphavbeta6 is unclear. In this study, we found that most of the alphavbeta6 integrin-positive gastric cancer tissues were also VEGF-positive. Furthermore, when gastric carcinoma cells were exposed to VEGF, expression of alphavbeta6 integrin was up-regulated and the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) pathway was activated. When integrin alphavbeta6 was blocked either with beta6 siRNA or anti-alphavbeta6 antibody, the migration of tumor cells normally induced by VEGF, as well as the activation of ERK, were markedly inhibited. Blocking the ERK signaling pathway significantly inhibited cell mobility. Taken together, the data suggest that VEGF is critical to the invasive process in human gastric cancer and that this occurs via up-regulation of integrin alphavbeta6 expression and activation of ERK.

Integrin alphaupsilonbeta6 plays a very important role in the progression of colon cancer cells and is now defined as a novel, independent prognostic indicator for aggressive colon cancer in humans. Herein, we use the RNA interfering technology to downregulate the expression of alphaupsilonbeta6 in colon cancer cells. Our data demonstrate that plasmid vector based shRNA can effectively down-regulate alphaupsilonbeta6 expression in protein and mRNA levels. Supression of integrin alphaupsilonbeta6 inhibits the phosphorylation and nonphosphorylation level of ERK1/2, the secretion of uPA, pro-MMP-9 and pro-MMP-2 in tumor conditioned medium, and more important, inhibits MAPK-dependent [(3)H] labeled collagen IV degradation via the plasminogen activation cascade. Our study demonstrates in vitro that supression of integrin alphaupsilonbeta6 inhibits extracellular matrix degradation through the MAPK pathway.

Aims To investigate the relationships between integrin ανβ6 expression and the clinical–pathological features of gastric carcinoma and whether integrin ανβ6 can act as a prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma. Materials and methods We generated the microarray of 300 human gastric carcinoma specimens, and used the method of immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of ανβ6 in them and the relationships between the expression of ανβ6 and the clinical–pathological features of the tumours. Meanwhile, we retrospectively analysed the relationship between ανβ6 expression and the survival times of the patients. Results The expression of ανβ6 was detected in 36.7% of gastric carcinomas, and the expression was associated with Lauren type, differentiation, N stage and TNM stage of the tumours (the P values were 0.004, 0.035, 0.024 and 0.001, respectively). The Kaplan–Meier plot showed that patients who were ανβ6 negative had much longer survival times than those who were ανβ6 positive ( P 0.0001). The survival estimates showed a striking difference in median survival between the negative and positive ανβ6 expression patients, especially in early stage tumours. Univariate analysis indicated that significant factors for prognosis included ανβ6 expression, differentiation, TNM stage, T stage, N stage, M stage and R classification (R0: potentially curative resection; R1: had residual microscopic disease after resection; R2: had residual macroscopic disease after resection), whereas in multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model, only ανβ6 expression, M stage, TNM stage and R classification retained significance for prognosis. Conclusions Positive ανβ6 expression in gastric carcinoma is linked to significantly reduced survival times and, even more important, is that its value as a prognostic marker is significant for early stage tumours.

Single-layer TiN, gradient TiN and multi-layer Ti/TiN coating were deposited on silicon and uranium substrates by means of arc ion plating technique. The main phase in the single-layer TiN coating was TiN with a (111) preferred orientation. Ti and TiN were observed in the TiN gradient coating and Ti/TiN multi-layer coatings. The single-layer TiN coating has demonstrated the best wear resistance among the three coatings. Compared with the bare U substrate, the corrosion potential E corr of the multi-layer Ti/TiN coatings is increased by 580 mV, and the corrosion current density I corr is decreased at least by two orders of magnitude. The multi-layer Ti/TiN coatings possessed the highest corrosion resistance among the three coating in a 0.5 μg/g Cl − solution.

To investigate the value of lymph node labeled with carbon nanoparticles in laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection.The clinical data of 53 patients received laparoscopic radical colorectal surgeries in our department from March 2014 to July 2014 was retrospectively analyzed.Among these patients, carbon nanoparticles were injected into the periphery of the tumor under colonoscopy 1-3 days before the operation (the nanoparticle group) in 26 patients, while 27 patients received operation directly (the control group).The number of cleared lymph nodes, tiny lymph nodes (5 mm), dyed lymph nodes, and lymph node metastatic rate were compared between the two groups.The two groups had no statistical difference in basic characteristics; 434 and 340 lymph nodes were dissected in the nanoparticle group and control group respectively.The average number of cleared lymph nodes(16.7 ± 3.2) in the nanoparticle group was significantly higher than that of the control group(12.6 ± 2.3) (P0.001). Besides, both the average number and ratio of cleared tiny lymph nodes in the nanoparticle group were significant higher than those of the control group (P0.001). Moreover, the rate of less than 12 detected lymph nodes in the nanoparticle group was markedly lower than that of the control group (0 vs 33.3%, P=0.001).There was no statistical difference in lymph node metastatic rate between the two groups (P=0.693).Application of lymph node labeled with carbon nanoparticles in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery could instruct lymph nodes dissection, improve lymph node detection rate, reduce tumor residual rate, improve the accuracy of pathological staging, and guide the postoperative adjuvant therapy.

Purpose: Adjuvant chemotherapy is one of the significant treatments for colon cancer in clinic. However, it does not achieve the desired therapeutic efficacy, largely due to chemotherapeutic resistance. Integrinβ6 (ITGB6) is expressed in malignant colonic epithelia, but not in normal epithelia, and is associated with the progression, metastasis, and chemotherapeutic resistance of colon cancer. Accordingly, it is necessary to design therapeutic approaches for efficient and targeted drug delivery into ITGB6-positive cancer cells to improve chemotherapeutic efficacy in colon cancer. Experimental Design: PEGylated liposomes were employed to design ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes, which have ITGB6 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) conjugated. We evaluated the ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes internalization into colon cancer cells and examined 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)–induced cellular apoptosis produced by ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes+5-FU. In addition, the biodistribution and antitumor efficiency of ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes were observed in vivo. Results: ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes enhanced cellular internalization in ITGB6-positive colon cancer cells compared with liposomes. Furthermore, the ITGB6-targeted immunoliposome internalization was dependent on the ITGB6 expression level on cellular surface. ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes decreased the 5-FU IC50 more than 90% in HT-29 and SW480β6 cells relative to liposomes. Moreover, when loaded with 5-FU, ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes produced an approximately 1.5-fold higher 5-FU–induced cellular apoptosis rate than liposomes. In vivo, the therapeutic activity of ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes+5-FU was significantly superior, resulting in 25% to 35% reduction of tumor weight compared with 5-FU or liposomes+5-FU. Conclusions: ITGB6-targeted immunoliposomes provide a highly efficient approach for targeted drug delivery in colon cancer and thus offer the potential of a novel and promising anticancer strategy for clinical therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 21(5); 1183–95. ©2014 AACR.

Background Both transcriptional factor Ets-1 and integrin αvβ6 play an important role in the development and progression of cancer. The aim of our study was to investigate the expression of Integrin αvβ6 and Ets-1, two proteins’ correlation and their clinical significance in colorectal cancerous tissues. Results The specimens were arranged into microarray using the immunohistochemistry method to investigate the expression of integrin αvβ6 and transcriptional factor Ets-1 in these tissues. Among the 158 tissue specimens, 36.07% were positive for αvβ6 expression, and 57.59% were positive for Ets-1 expression. There were obvious statistical differences existed regarding differentiation, N stage, M stage and TNM stage between αvβ6 and Ets-1 positively and negatively expressing tumors. The correlation analysis confirmed the expression of αvβ6 and Ets-1 were positively correlated in colorectal cancer. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients who were both αvβ6 and Ets-1 positive relapsed earlier than those who were both αvβ6 and Ets-1 negative; and the former group had much shorter survival time than the latter. And Cox model indicated that αvβ6 and Ets-1 were the independent prognostic factors (RR = 2.175, P = 0.012 and RR = 3.903, P < 0.001). Conclusions The expression of αvβ6 and Ets-1 were positively correlated, and their expression degrees were associated with the differentiation, N stage, M stage and TNM stage of the tumors. Hence, the combination of αvβ6 and Ets-1 can be used as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer, especially for the early stage.

The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues and its role in metastasis in vitro. A total of 65 biopsy samples of cholangiocarcinoma, plus the FRH-0201 cell line, were investigated. The expression of VEGF-C in the human cholangiocarcinoma specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The effect of VEGF-C on tumor cell migration and proliferation was measured by MTT and Transwell assays in the FRH-0201 cell line. According to the IHC results, the biopsies of human cholangiocarcinoma were stained positively for VEGF-C, with a positive rate of 75.4% (49/65). Moreover, VEGF-C was expressed at a higher level in the patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis. In vitro, VEGF-C exhibited marked growth stimulation below the concentration of 5 ng/ml and was able to promote cholangiocarcinoma cell migration significantly. These findings suggested that VEGF-C may be a useful factor to predict lymph node metastasis in cholangiocarcinoma tissues and indicates that VEGF-C plays a significant role in proliferation and migration in cholangiocarcinoma cells.

High expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was found to be correlated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in a variety of carcinomas. However, few studies have investigated the role of MMP-9 in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma. In this study, a total of 58 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent curative resection were included in this study. The expression of MMP-9 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using the streptavidin peroxidase complex method. The correlation of MMP-9 overexpression with clinicopathological features and survival time of patients was investigated. The results showed that MMP-9 overexpression was prominent in cancer cells and mainly localized in the cytoplasm. MMP-9 overexpression was observed in 46.5% tumors, which showed no correlation with clinicopathological parameters. Patients with high MMP-9 expression had a significantly poorer overall survival rate than those with negative or low MMP-9 expression (P = 0.038). Multivariate analysis confirmed that MMP-9 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor (P = 0.007). In conclusion, overexpression of MMP-9 is a valuable independent prognostic indicator in hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), which is notorious for high morbidity and mortality around the world, shows a predilection for metastasis to liver. Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a chemokine with a defining CXC amino acid motif, has been reported to promote CRC cell migration and is associated with poor prognosis of CRC. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of IL-8-mediated migration remains obscure. In this study, we first demonstrated the cross talk between IL-8 and integrin αvβ6. We analyzed 139 human CRC samples, and found that the immunohistochemical expression of αvβ6 was significantly correlated with expression of IL-8. Furthermore, IL-8 increased the migration through integrin αvβ6 in human CRC cells, and both CXCR1 and CXCR2 were primarily involved during the process. IL-8 upregulated αvβ6 expression in a dose-dependent manner through activation of ERK and Ets-1 signaling pathway. Taken together, our results indicated that IL-8 enhances the migration of CRC cells by increasing αvβ6 integrin expression through the ERK/Ets-1 pathway. Targeting integrin αvβ6 in IL-8 expressing tumors might be a potential therapeutic strategy for CRC patients.

We previously reported that β6 integrin played an important role in the progression of colon cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that β6 integrin induced the expression of MMP-3/MMP-9 and the invasion of colon cancer cells. Moreover, that function was abolished by the inhibition of ERK/MAPK pathways or knockdown of ETS1, an important transcription factor of MMP genes. Here, we showed that β6 induced phosphorylation of ETS1 via the ERK/MAPK pathways, through which the MMP-3/MMP-9 promoters were stimulated, thereby leading to the up-regulation of MMP-3/MMP-9, and subsequent the invasion of colon cancer cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) displays a predilection for metastasis to liver. Although stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)/CXCR4 plays an important role in the liver metastasis, the molecular mechanism still remains obscure. We previously reported that integrin αvβ6 was implicated in the progression of CRC. However, no data are currently available on the cross talk between CXCR4 and αvβ6. In the present study, we first demonstrated the cross talk between CXCR4 and αvβ6 and their role in liver metastasis of CRC. We analyzed 159 human CRC samples and found that expression of CXCR4 and αvβ6 was significantly associated with liver metastasis, and interestingly expression of αvβ6 significantly correlated with expression of CXCR4. Both CXCR4 and αvβ6 were highly expressed in metastatic CRC cell lines HT-29 and WiDr, whereas both of them were exiguous in non-metastatic cell line Caco-2. Furthermore, inhibition of αvβ6 significantly decreased SDF-1α-induced cell migration in vitro. SDF-1/CXCR4 could upregulate αvβ6 expression through phosphorylation of ERK and activation of Ets-1 transcription factor. In conclusion, we demonstrate that SDF-1/CXCR4 induces directional migration and liver metastasis of CRC cells by upregulating αvβ6 through ERK/Ets-1 pathway. These data support combined inhibition of CXCR4 and αvβ6 to prevent development of liver metastasis of CRC.

It has been implicated noncollagenous proteins act as important regulators during odontogenesis. To test the hypothesis that the roles of Dspp, Mepe, Versican and Mimecan in the regulation of odontogenesis may be complementary, comparative investigations on the localization of four proteins were performed by immunohistochemical staining using mouse first molar at different developmental stages as a model. In postnatal 1- day-old mice, all the proteins, excluding Mepe, showed co-expression in young odontoblasts. At postnatal 3, strong immunoreactions for all proteins were detected in odontoblasts. Interestingly, Mepe was present within both cytoplasm and nucleus in odontoblasts. In mice older than 5 days, the expression of Dspp, Mimecan and Versican accumulated in subodontoblastic layer of the coronal pulp at high levels while the co-expression of Mepe and Mimecan significantly existed in predentin. The temporal-spatial specific pattern and unique co-localization of Dspp, Mepe, Mimecan and Versican suggest they play complementary roles during odontogenesis.

Recently published studies have suggested that integrin trafficking is necessary to support cell migration, but the role of internalization and recycling of integrin αvβ6 in colon cancer cells remained unclear. In our study, we demonstrated the existence of the integrin cycle and found that inhibition of ERK2 phosphorylation by PD98059 or deletion of the ERK2 direct binding site on the β6 cytoplasmic domain could interrupt the internalization of integrin αvβ6, but had no effect on its recycling. Furthermore, integrin αvβ6 trafficking played a key role in the migration of colon cancer cells towards fibronectin. Activation of PKC significantly accelerated the internalization and recycling of integrin αvβ6, which could facilitate rapid redistribution of integrin αvβ6 and increase cell motility. When colon cancer cells became crowded, the increase in αvβ6 levels at the cell surface was not accompanied by a change in total αvβ6 expression in cell lysates. This change may be due to a redistribution of αvβ6 in cell microstructures and a rapid cellular response towards the demands of migration.

Integrin alphavbeta6 is up-regulated in a variety of human carcinomas and plays a crucial role in tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the function of alphavbeta6 in pancreatic carcinoma and its potential role in gemcitabine resistance remain unknown.Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting alphavbeta6 was constructed and transfected into PANC-1 cells. Effects of alphavbeta6 knockdown on cell proliferation, invasion, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and chemosensitivity to gemcitabine were investigated.Expression of alphavbeta6 in PANC-1 cells was markedly suppressed by siRNA. Silencing of alphavbeta6 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasiveness, resulted in cell cycle arrest, and induced cell apoptosis. More importantly, alphavbeta6 knockdown enhanced chemosensitivity to gemcitabine and increased gemcitabine-induced caspase-mediated apoptosis.These findings suggest a novel mechanism by which alphavbeta6 contributes to pancreatic carcinoma progression. The combination of alphavbeta6 silencing and gemcitabine treatment may provide an effective therapeutic strategy for highly resistant pancreatic carcinoma.

Norcantharidin has been used as an efficacious anticancer drug in China for many years, but its true mechanism remains poorly understood. Intriguingly, in an in vitro series study of anticancer drugs, we found that norcantharidin can effectively inhibit epithelial tumor cells from expressing integrin alphavbeta6. Our previous studies have confirmed that integrin alphavbeta6 is closely relevant to malignant epithelial cell tumor biology behavior, and it can promote cancer cells to invade and metastasize through a special alphavbeta6-extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) direct signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the norcantharidin anticancer mechanism and integrin alphavbeta6. After HT-29 colon cancer cells were treated with norcantharidin, cell apoptosis increased remarkably. The expression of alphavbeta6 and the amount of p-ERK decreased substantially; simultaneously, the linkage between alphavbeta6 and ERK was barely detectable. However, the expression of other integrins and the levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase hardly changed. On these grounds, we presumed that norcantharidin induced HT-29 colon cancer cell apoptosis through the alphavbeta6-ERK signaling pathway. This finding elicited a novel strategy for targeting the whole alphavbeta6-ERK signal pathway, rather than simply blocking the combining site of alphavbeta6-ERK in colon cancer treatment.

Background Both eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and integrin αvβ6 play an important role in the development and progression of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of eIF4E and Integrin αvβ6, their clinical significance as well as the two proteins’ correlation in colonic carcinoma tissues. Results The expression levels of eIF4E and integrin αvβ6 were analyzed in colon cancerous and paraneoplastic tissues of 138 cases via tissue microarray (TMA)- immunohistochemistry. And their clinical significance as well as the two proteins’ correlation was also investigated. The expression of eIF4E was significantly associated with clinical TNM stage (P = 0.009), while T stage (P = 0.011) and TNM stage (P = 0.012) were significantly associated with integrin αvβ6 expression. Moderately weak correlation exists between the two proteins (r =0.299, P

Pancreatic duct stone is thought not only to be the cause of abdominal pain but also to be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Several treatment options have been implemented in the treatment of pancreatic duct stones. Stone location is a critical factor in selecting treatment. We present the results of 27 endoscopic treatments and 35 surgical treatments performed in three hospitals at a single university between January 2000 and January 2005. The results were compared retrospectively in terms of success rate of stone removal, length of hospital stay, complications, pain relief, and changes of pancreatic functions. In our study, endoscopy resulted in a similar success rate of stone removal and short-term pain relief rate as the surgical approach and with a shorter length of hospital stay. However, the surgical group had a more favorable long-term clinical result, as well as a lower number of hospital readmissions at the 5-year follow-up point. Based on long-term results, surgical treatment is more effective than endoscopy.