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As a novel multiscale geometric analysis tool, sparse representation has shown many advantages over the conventional image representation methods. However, the standard sparse representation does not take intrinsic structure and its time complexity into consideration. In this paper, a new fusion mechanism for multimodal medical images based on sparse representation and decision map is proposed to deal with these problems simultaneously. Three decision maps are designed including structure information map (SM) and energy information map (EM) as well as structure and energy map (SEM) to make the results reserve more energy and edge information. SM contains the local structure feature captured by the Laplacian of a Gaussian (LOG) and EM contains the energy and energy distribution feature detected by the mean square deviation. The decision map is added to the normal sparse representation based method to improve the speed of the algorithm. Proposed approach also improves the quality of the fused results by enhancing the contrast and reserving more structure and energy information from the source images. The experiment results of 36 groups of CT/MR, MR-T1/MR-T2, and CT/PET images demonstrate that the method based on SR and SEM outperforms five state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact parameter dependence of π-/π+ ratio is examined in heavy-ion collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon within a transport model. It is shown that the sensitivity of π-/π+ ratio on symmetry energy shows a transition from central to peripheral collisions; that is, the stiffer symmetry energy leads to a larger π-/π+ ratio in peripheral collisions while the softer symmetry energy always leads this ratio to be larger in central collisions. After checking the kinematic energy distribution of π-/π+ ratio, we found this transition of sensitivity of π-/π+ ratio to symmetry energy is mainly from less energetic pions; that is, the softer symmetry energy gets the less energetic pions to form a smaller π-/π+ ratio in peripheral collisions while these pions generate a larger π-/π+ ratio in central collisions. Undoubtedly, the softer symmetry energy can also lead more energetic pions to form a larger π-/π+ ratio in peripheral collisions. Nevertheless, considering that most of pions are insufficiently energetic at this beam energy, we therefore suggest the π-/π+ ratio as a probe of the high-density symmetry energy effective only in central at most to midcentral collisions, thereby avoiding the possible information of low-density symmetry energy carried in π-/π+ ratio from peripheral collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downregulation of E-cadherin in solid tumors with regional migration and systematic metastasis is well recognized. In view of its significance in tumorigenesis and solid cancer progression, studies on the regulatory mechanisms are important for the development of target treatment and prediction of clinical behavior for cancer patients. The vertebrate zinc finger E-box binding homeobox (ZEB) protein family comprises 2 major members: ZEB1 and ZEB2. Both contain the motif for specific binding to multiple enhancer boxes (E-boxes) located within the short-range transcription regulatory regions of the E-cadherin gene. Binding of ZEB1 and ZEB2 to the spaced E-cadherin E-boxes has been implicated in the regulation of E-cadherin expression in multiple human cancers. The wide spread functions of ZEB proteins in human malignancies indicate their significance. Given the significance of E-cadherin in the solid tumors, a deeper understanding of the functional role of ZEB proteins in solid tumors could provide insights in the design of target therapy against the migratory nature of solid cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purinergic signaling has emerged as an important player in cancer progression and is regulated by a series of nucleotidases. Among the enzyme cascade, CD73, which catelyzes AMP breakdown to adenosine, has been found to be overexpressed in many types of cancer. Various factors and mechanisms are employed to regulate expression of CD73. Accumulating studies have shown that CD73 is a key regulatory molecule of cancer cells proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, tumor angiogenesis, and tumor immune escape in vivo. With such important roles in cancer, CD73 has become an appealing therapy target. Recent evidences in micemodels demonstrated that targeted blockade of CD73 could be a favorable therapeutic approach for cancer patients in the future. In this review, we will summarize the multiple roles of CD73 in cancer development, including its clinical significance, its promotive effects on tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis, and its suppressive effects on immune response, regulatory mechanisms of CD73 expression, and current situation of anti-CD73 cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The deregulated tumorigenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been reported in several malignancies. However, there is still no comprehensive study on tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods. Functional reannotation for the human lncRNA was carried out by ncFANs. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to validate the identified lncRNAs. Results. Using the functional annotation algorithm from ncFANs, 8 differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified. Lnc-PPP2R4-5, lnc-SPRR2D-1, lnc-MAN1A2-1, lnc-FAM46A-1, lnc-MBL2-4:1, and lnc-MBL2-4:3 were upregulated in the microdissected tongue SCC tissues. In comparison, lnc-AL355149.1-1 and lnc-STXBP5-1 showed significant downregulation. High level of lnc-MBL2-4:3 was significantly associated with the node positive tongue SCC patients. Further, patients with advanced T-stage demonstrated a further reduction of lnc-AL355149.1-1 in the tumor tissues. Treatment of tongue SCC cells with 5-fluorouracil and paclitaxel can reserve the expression patterns observed in the tongue SCC tissues. Further, changes of lnc-MBL2-4:3 and lnc-AL355149.1-1 expression levels were noticed in the cisplatin-resistant tongue SCC cells. Conclusions. Our results demonstrated that functional reannotation allows us to identify novel lncRNAs using the existing gene expression array dataset. The association of lncRNA with the T-stage and nodal status of tongue SCC patients suggested that lncRNA deregulation was involved in the pathogenesis of tongue SCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Recent studies suggested that non-protein-coding genes are implicated in the tumorigenic process of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In the present study, we aimed to identify the differentially expressed long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) using data available in the public domain. Methods. Microarray data set GSE12452 was reannotated with ncFANs. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to quantify and validate the identified lncRNAs in NPC. Results. In primary NPC, upregulation of lnc-C22orf32-1, lnc- AL355149.1-1, and lnc-ZNF674-1 was observed. High levels of lnc-C22orf32-1 and lnc-AL355149.1-1 were significantly associated with the male patients. In addition, increased expression of lnc-C22orf32-1 and lnc-ZNF674-1 was associated with advanced tumor stages. Recurrent NPC displayed a distinctive lncRNA expression pattern. lnc-BCL2L11-3 was significantly increased in the recurrent NPC tissues. In addition, significant reduction of lnc-AL355149.1-1 and lnc-ZNF674-1 was observed in the recurrent NPC tissues. Conclusions. Our results demonstrated that it is feasible to identify the differentially expressed lncRNA in the microarray dataset by functional reannotation. The association of lncRNA with gender and tumor size implicated that lncRNA possibly plays a part in the pathogenesis of primary NPC. Further, the distinctive lncRNA identified in the recurrent NPC may reveal a distinctive development mechanism underlying tumor recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-cadherin expression in the head and neck epithelium is essential for the morphogenesis and homeostasis of epithelial tissues. The cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts are required for the anchorage-dependent growth of epithelial cells. Further, survival and proliferation require physical tethering created by proper cell-cell adhesion. Otherwise, the squamous epithelial cells will undergo programmed cell death. Head and neck cancers can escape from anoikis and enter into the epithelial-mesenchymal transition stages via the modulation of E-cadherin expression with epigenetic mechanisms. At epigenetic level, gene expression control is not dependent on the DNA sequence. In the context of E-cadherin regulation in head and neck cancers, 2 major mechanisms including de novo promoter hypermethylation and microRNA dysregulation are most extensively studied. Both of them control E-cadherin expression at transcription level and subsequently hinder the overall E-cadherin protein level in the head and neck cancer cells. Increasing evidence suggested that microRNA mediated E-cadherin expression in the head and neck cancers by directly/indirectly targeting the transcription suppressors of E-cadherin, ZEB1 and ZEB2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In theoretical chemistry, the second atom-bond connectivity index was introduced to measure the stability of alkanes and the strain energy of cycloalkanes. In this paper, we determine the second atom-bond connectivity index of unilateral polyomino chain and unilateral hexagonal chain. Furthermore, the second ABC indices of V-phenylenic nanotubes and nanotori are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gradient learning model has been raising great attention in view of its promising perspectives for applications in statistics, data dimensionality reducing, and other specific fields. In this paper, we raise a new gradient learning model for ontology similarity measuring and ontology mapping in multidividing setting. The sample error in this setting is given by virtue of the hypothesis space and the trick of ontology dividing operator. Finally, two experiments presented on plant and humanoid robotics field verify the efficiency of the new computation model for ontology similarity measure and ontology mapping applications in multidividing setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the classic feeder-bus network design problem (FBNDP), which can be described as follows: for the passenger travel demand between rail stations and bus stops on a given urban transit network, it designs the optimal feeder bus routes and frequencies so as to minimize the passengers' travel expense and the operator's cost. We extended the demand pattern of M-to-1 in most existing researches to M-to-M. We comprehensively considered the passenger travel cost, which includes the waiting and riding cost on the bus, riding cost on rail, and transfer cost between these two transportation modes, and presented a new genetic algorithm that determines the optimal feeder-bus operating frequencies under strict constraint conditions. The numerical examples under different demand patterns have been experienced and analysed, which showed the robustness and efficiency of the presented algorithm. We also found that the distribution pattern of the travel demand has a significant influence on the feeder-bus network construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ontology, as a useful tool, is widely applied in lots of areas such as social science, computer science, and medical science. Ontology concept similarity calculation is the key part of the algorithms in these applications. A recent approach is to make use of similarity between vertices on ontology graphs. It is, instead of pairwise computations, based on a function that maps the vertex set of an ontology graph to real numbers. In order to obtain this, the ranking learning problem plays an important and essential role, especially k-partite ranking algorithm, which is suitable for solving some ontology problems. A ranking function is usually used to map the vertices of an ontology graph to numbers and assign ranks of the vertices through their scores. Through studying a training sample, such a function can be learned. It contains a subset of vertices of the ontology graph. A good ranking function means small ranking mistakes and good stability. For ranking algorithms, which are in a well-stable state, we study generalization bounds via some concepts of algorithmic stability. We also find that kernel-based ranking algorithms stated as regularization schemes in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces satisfy stability conditions and have great generalization abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laryngeal carcinoma is a common head and neck cancer with poor prognosis. Patients with laryngeal carcinoma usually present late leading to the reduced treatment efficacy and high rate of recurrence. Despite the advance in the use of molecular markers for monitoring human cancers in the past decades, there are still no reliable markers for use to screen laryngeal carcinoma and follow the patients after treatment. Epigenetics emerged as an important field in understanding the biology of the human malignancies. Epigenetic alterations refer to the dysregulation of gene, which do not involve the alterations of the DNA sequence. Major epigenetic changes including methylation imbalance, histone modification, and small RNA dysregulation could play a role in the development of human malignancies. Global epigenetic change is now regarded as a molecular signature of cancer. The characteristics and behavior of a cancer could be predicted based on the specific epigenetic pattern. We here provide a review on the understanding of epigenetic dysregulation in laryngeal carcinoma. Further knowledge on the initiation and progression of laryngeal carcinoma at epigenetic level could promote the translation of the knowledge to clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck cancer is the sixthmost common type of Cancer worldwide. Since conventional treatment regimens are nonselective and are associated with systemic toxicities, intense investigations focus on molecular targeted therapy with high selectivity and low adverse effects. mTOR signaling pathway has been found to be activated in head and neck cancer, making it attractive for targeted therapy. In addition, expression levels of mTOR and downstream targets eIF4E, 4EBP1, S6K1, and S6 are potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for head and neck cancer. mTOR inhibitors, such as rapamycin and its derivatives temsirolimus and everolimus, exhibit inhibitory effects on head and neck cancer in both in vitro cell line model and in vivo xenograft model. A large number of clinical trials have been initiated to evaluate the therapeutic effects of mTOR inhibitors on patients with head and neck cancer. mTOR inhibitor has potential as a single therapeutic agent or in combination with radiation, chemotherapeutic agents, or other targeted therapeutic agents to obtain synergistic repression on head and neck cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia is a common feature in most of the solid tumors including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Hypoxia reflects the imbalance between oxygen consumption by the rapidly proliferating cancer cells and the insufficient oxygen delivery due to poor vascularization and blood supply. The hypoxic microenvironment in the HNSCC contributes to the development of aggressive carcinoma phenotype with high metastatic rate, resistance to therapeutic agents, and higher tumor recurrence rates, leading to low therapeutic efficiency and poor outcome. To overcome the therapeutic resistance due to hypoxia and improving the prognosis of the HNSCC patients, many approaches have been examined in laboratory studies and clinical trials. In this short paper, we discuss the mechanisms involved in the resistance of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in hypoxic condition. We also exploit the molecular mechanisms employed by the HNSCC cells to adapt the hypoxic condition and their tumorigenic role in head and neck, as well as the strategies to overcome hypoxia-induced therapeutic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roles of Al2O3 nanoparticles on the removal of carbamazepine (CBZ) by Chlorella vulgaris immobilized in sodium alginate gel beads were for the first time investigated. The optimum conditions to prepare immobilized C. vulgaris beads with addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles were determined as follows: C. vulgaris density was 3.0 × 106 cells for 1 mL sodium alginate solution, Al2O3 nanoparticle concentration was 0.5 g/L, and concentrations of sodium alginate and CaCl2 were 1.6% and 1%, respectively. The results showed that the proposed algae beads achieved the highest CBZ removal rate of 89.6% after 4 days of treatment, relative to 68.84%, 48.56%, and 17.76% in sodium alginate-immobilized C. vulgaris, free microalgae, and Al2O3 nanoparticle alginate beads, respectively. The results also showed that the CBZ removal rate increased with more proposed algae beads, while decreased with increased bead diameter. The algae beads exhibited excellent CBZ removal ability even after three recycles. This work provided an economical and effective approach to remove CBZ from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach is presented for the numerical evaluation of arbitrary singular domain integrals. In this method, singular domain integrals are transformed into a boundary integral and a radial integral which contains singularities by using the radial integration method. The analytical elimination of singularities condensed in the radial integral formulas can be accomplished by expressing the nonsingular part of the integration kernels as a series of cubic B-spline basis functions of the distance r and using the intrinsic features of the radial integral. In the proposed method, singularities involved in the domain integrals are explicitly transformed to the boundary integrals, so no singularities exist at internal points. A few numerical examples are provided to verify the correctness and robustness of the presented method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anovel characteristic expanded mixed finite elementmethod is proposed and analyzed for reaction-convection-diffusion problems. The diffusion term ... is discretized by the novel expanded mixed method, whose gradient belongs to the square integrable space instead of the classical H(div; o) space and the hyperbolic part ... is handled by the characteristic method. For a priori error estimates, some important lemmas based on the novel expanded mixed projection are introduced. The fully discrete error estimates based on backward Euler scheme are obtained. Moreover, the optimal a priori error estimates in L²- and H¹-norms for the scalar unknown and a priori error estimates in (L²)²-norm for its gradient and its flux (the coefficients times the negative gradient) are derived. Finally, a numerical example is provided to verify our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep involvement in the negative mood over long periods of time likely results in emotional disturbances/disorders and poor mental health. Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is regarded as a typical mind-body practice combining aerobic exercise and meditation to prevent and treat negative mood. Although there are an increasing number of TCC studies examining anxiety, depression, and mental stress, the mechanisms underlying these negative emotions are not fully understood. This review study examined TCC studies related to emotional health from both clinical patients and healthy individuals. Next, several potential mechanisms from physiological, psychological, and neurological perspectives were evaluated based on direct and indirect research evidence. We reviewed recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, which demonstrated changes in brain anatomy and function, mainly in the prefrontal cortex, following TCC practice. Finally, the effects of TCC on emotion/mental health is depicted with a prefrontal cortex hypothesis that proposed "an immune system of the mind" indicating the role of the prefrontal cortex as a flexible hub in regulating an individual's mental health. The prefrontal cortex is likely a key biomarker among the multiple complex neural correlates to help an individual manage negative emotions/mental health. Future research is needed to examine TCC effects on mental health by examining the relationship between the executive control system (mainly prefrontal cortex) and limbic network (including amygdala, insula, and hippocampal gyrus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term prognostic value of pentraxin-3 (PTX3) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). 377 patients were prospectively followed up for 3 years to determine cardiac events including cardiac death or rehospitalization for worsening heart failure. The plasma PTX3 levels were significantly higher in CHF patients than in healthy subjects (p < 0.001), and they increased with advancing New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Classification (p < 0.001). Plasma PTX3 levels in CHF patients with cardiac events were significantly higher than in event-free patients (p < 0.001). We determined the normal upper limit of plasma PTX3 levels from the mean + 2 SD value of 64 control subjects (3.64 ng/mL). A Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with increased PTX3 (>3.64 ng/mL) were at a higher risk for cardiac events than those without increased PTX3 (p < 0.01). A multifactorial Cox proportional hazards model showed that increased PTX3 (≥3.64 nglmL) was an independent risk factor for cardiac events in CHF patients (hazard ratio (HR) = 4.224, p < 0.01; 95% CI: 1.130-15.783). Plasma PTX3 levels are a long-term independent predictor of prognosis in patients with CHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is now more common among black and minority ethnic groups in the UK but little is known about the costs of care amongst different ethnic groups. Objective. This study examined and compared service use and costs for people severely affected with MS from Black Caribbean (BC) and White British (WB) backgrounds in the UK and identified predictors of cost for both groups. Method. Population-based cross-sectional study of 43 BC and 43 WB patients with MS (EDSS ≥ 6) and their informal caregivers recruited from an MS service in southeast London. Interviews collected data on health and social service use and informal care support. Costs were calculated using UK unit cost data. Using regression analyses we compared costs between the ethnic groups and identified possible predictors of cost. Results. The mean (SD) costs for the WB and BC groups were £25,778 (£39,387) and £23,186 (£30,433), respectively. Results identified no significant difference in total cost between the two ethnic groups. The EDSS score alone was a significant predictor of cost. Conclusion. Similar costs between ethnic groups indicate that with regard to this MS service and geographical area, access to care was not affected by ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation plays an important role in plaque development and left ventricular remodeling during acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Clopidogrel may exhibit some anti-inflammatory properties and high loading dose of clopidogrel results in improved clinical outcomes in patients with AMI. 357 patients who received successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention from January 2008 to March 2011 in Peking University Third Hospital were included in this study. Different loading dose of clopidogrel (300mg, 450mg, or 600mg) was given at the discretion of the clinician. Neutrophils reached their peak values on the first day after AMI. Higher levels of peak neutrophil and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were found in patients of low clopidogrel loading dose group (300mg or 450mg). After adjusting for the related confounders, a logistic regression model showed that low clopidogrel loading dose remained an independent predictor of lowLVEF (LVEF ⩽ 50%) [OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.03-3.79, P = 0.04]. Low clopidogrel loading dose was associated with higher peak neutrophil count and poor left ventricular systolic function, suggesting an important role of clopidogrel loading dose in the improvement of left ventricular function and high loading dose may exhibit better anti-inflammatory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To investigate whether pioglitazone had detrimental effects on biochemical markers of bone turnover in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods. Seventy patients with T2DM were included in this study. The patients remained on their previous antihyperglycemic therapies during the trial. Pioglitazone was then added on their regimen for 3 months. Results. After 3 months of treatment with pioglitazone, the levels of fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were significantly decreased (7.9 ± 1.5mmol/L versus 9.1 ± 1.6mmol/L and 7.1 ± 1.0% versus 8.2 ± 1.4%, resp., P < 0.01), compared with baseline in the overall patients. Serum concentrations of P1NP and BAP were significantly decreased from baseline (45.0 ± 20.0 µg/L versus 40.6 ± 17.9 µg/L and 13.23 ± 4.7 µg/L versus 12.3 ± 5.0 µg/L, resp., P < 0.01) in female group, but not in male group. The serum levels of OC and CTX were unchanged in both female and male subgroups. In addition, the levels of serum BAP and P1NP were significantly decreased after pioglitazone treatment in postmenopausal subgroup, comparing with baseline. Conclusion. Pioglitazone inhibits bone formation and does not seem to affect bone resorption. Postmenopausal female patients rather than premenopausal or male patients are particularly vulnerable to this side effect of pioglitazone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have suggested that endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor endostatin/collagen XVIII might play an important role in the secondary brain injury following traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we measured endostatin/collagen XVIII concentrations serially for 1 week after hospitalization by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 30 patients with TBI and a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 8 or less on admission. There was a significant trend toward increased CSF levels of endostatin after TBI versus control from 72 h after injury. In patients with GCS score of 3-5, CSF endostatin concentration was substantially higher at 72 h after injury than that in patients with GCS score of 6-8 (P < 0.05) and peaked rapidly at day 5 after injury, but decreased thereafter. The CSF endostatin concentration in 12 patients with an unfavorable outcome was significantly higher than that in 18 patients with a favorable outcome at day 5 (P = 0.043) and day 7 (P = 0.005) after trauma. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested a reliable operating point for the 7-day CSF endostatin concentration predicting poor prognosis to be 67.29 pg/mL. Our preliminary findings provide new evidence that endostatin/collagen XVIII concentration in the CSF increases substantially in patients with sTBI. Its dynamic change may have some clinical significance on the judgment of brain injury severity and the assessment of prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To survey and analyse the prognosis, outcome, and changing tendency of the Acute Myocardial Infarction (A MI) patients in Beijing third-grade A-level Traditional Chinese Medicine (TC M) hospitals. Methods. We collected the clinical datum of hospitalized A MI patients in Beijing 6 TC M hospitals from January 1999 to December 2008 and then analysed the clinical datum. Results. (1) The mean age of patients had showed a slowly rising tendency during this ten years. The patients who had previous history of cerebrovascular diseasea and multiple comorbidities had increased year by year. (2) The rate of reperfusion therapy, revascularization and standardized using of drug, and usage of TC M of A MI patients presented a significant increasing tendency in these hospitals. (3) The proportion of A MI patients combined with cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure had decreased significantly. (4) The A MI mortality presented a decreasing tendency in 10 years. Conclusions. The A MI patients in Beijing TC M hospitals had their own unique clinical features, and it can improve their prognosis by combined therapy ofWestern Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new positive definite expanded mixed finite element method is proposed for parabolic partial integrodifferential equations. Compared to expanded mixed scheme, the new expanded mixed element system is symmetric positive definite and both the gradient equation and the flux equation are separated from its scalar unknown equation. The existence and uniqueness for semidiscrete scheme are proved and error estimates are derived for both semidiscrete and fully discrete schemes. Finally, some numerical results are provided to confirm our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]