Search

Background: Haemorrhage and coagulation disorders are common complications in cirrhotic patients, which cause blood products transfusion, and mounting evidence suggested that red blood cells (RBCs) were associated with pathologic thrombosis and RBC transfusion increased the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Aims: The aim of the study was to investigate the association of RBC transfusion with splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) in cirrhotic patients. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with cirrhosis admitted in the Hunan Provincial People's Hospital between January 2010 and September 2020. Demographic data, the development of SVT, blood transfusion product type and RBC transfusion dose were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and propensity matching analysis (PSM) were performed to identify the association between RBC transfusion and development of SVT. Results: A total of 4479 patients with cirrhosis were enrolled in the study. SVT occurred in 48 (12.4%) cirrhotic patients in RBC transfusion group, and 233 (5.7%) cirrhotic patients in non‐RBC transfusion group. RBC transfusion was significantly associated with an increased risk of SVT (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.345, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.686–3.262, p < 0.001). Notably, this association remained robust after PSM, and the volume of RBC transfusion was associated with SVT in a dose‐dependent manner. Conclusion: This study suggested that RBC transfusion was associated with an increased risk of SVT in cirrhotic patients. High quality clinical study will be needed to further validate the association between RBC transfusion and SVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Traditional manual drilling during hip fracture fixation can easily lead to unstable fixation and vascular damage. This study aimed to investigate a safe and easy‐to‐use robot‐assisted method to automatically drill bone and distinguish critical bone drilling states with high accuracy in real‐time for the bone hole‐making process during hip fracture fixation. Methods: A bone‐drilling robotic system was designed to automatically create holes in the femoral neck. Four fresh pig femurs were drilled at the posterosuperior femoral neck using three modes: "all‐in" (AI), "in‐out‐in" (IOI), and "percutaneous fixation" (PF). A high‐frequency accelerometer captured the generated vibrations of the drill handle, which were then transferred to a personal computer using a data acquisition card. Five bone drilling states are defined, including: "drill idling," "initial drilling," "in the cancellous bone," "out the femoral neck," and "in the cortical bone." The harmonic distribution of the vibration signal was extracted by fast Fourier transform (FFT) and used as a critical feature to identify different drilling states. To prove the difference in the harmonic distribution at different drilling states, an independent sample t‐test was used to compare the percentage of the first harmonic amplitude in the first 10 harmonics at each drilling state. A neural network classifier was trained with the frequency spectrum as the input and the drilled state as the output to distinguish the critical bone drilling states with high accuracy in real‐time. The classifier was trained and tested on four specimens to ensure that the surgical robot could accurately identify the five drilling states. Results: In each specimen, the harmonic distributions of the drilling vibration at different drilling modes were significantly different (p < 0.05). The average recognition accuracies of the drilling state for the four specimens were all higher than 84%. The three defined modes were distinguished with extremely high accuracies. The recognition accuracies of "in the cancellous bone" for specimens 1 to 4 were 83.2%, 84.8%, 92.9%, and 84.7%. The recognition accuracies of "in out the femoral neck" from specimens 1 to 4 are 98.2%, 88.4%, 95.8%, and 88.8%. The recognition accuracies of "in the cortical bone" for specimens 1 to 4 were 94.6%, 80.8%, 95.5%, and 85.8%. Conclusions: The proposed robot‐assisted method can automatically distinguish five critical bone‐drilling states with high accuracy in real‐time to avoid weak fixation and damage to the lateral epiphyseal artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate the impact of the position, configuration and neurovascular contact of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) in cerebellopontine angle (CPA) and internal auditory canal (IAC) on the clinical features of patients with unilateral idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). Methods: One hundred and thirty‐six patients with unilateral ISSNHL were enrolled. All patients received detailed history inquiry and standard treatments. Pure tone audiometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of CPA‐IAC were performed. The MRI findings of both ears were evaluated by the Chavda, Gorrie and Kazawa systems. The association between radiological findings and clinical data were analyzed. Results: (1) No significant interaural difference in the position, configuration and neurovascular contact of AICA was observed. (2) There was no significant association between the AICA loop and concomitant vertigo or pre‐treatment audiometric configuration in the affected ear. (3) Concomitant tinnitus seemed to be affected by the configuration of AICA categorized by Kazawa system, while the Chavda and Gorrie classification of AICA loop was unassociated with tinnitus. (4) Hearing outcomes were not compromised by the position or configuration of AICA based on the Chavda and Kazawa systems. Patients with Gorrie type B tended to have better hearing recovery than those with type C. Conclusions: In patients with ISSNHL, the position, configuration and neurovascular contact of AICA in the CPA‐IAC were unassociated with the side of hearing loss, audiometric configurations, or concomitant vertigo. The neurovascular contact graded by Gorrie system might be associated with hearing outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) on gut microbiota (GM) in ovariectomized (OVX) osteoporotic rats. Methods: Thirty female Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups: sham‐operation (SHAM) group, OVX group and PTH treatment group. After 3 months of treatment, the femurs, serum and feces were acquired for micro‐CT, biochemical analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing, respectively. For 16S rRNA sequencing, after raw reads filtrated and chimera sequences removed, the clean reads were obtained. According to these clean reads, the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were clustered. Venn diagram analysis was conducted to explore common and unique GM among the three groups. The α‐diversity analysis including Shannon and Simpson indexes were used to evaluate the richness and diversity of the GM. The β‐diversity analysis was performed to estimate the structure of GM. The metabolic function was predicted by Tax4Fun analysis. Results: With micro‐CT and biochemical analysis, significant improvements were found in the PTH group compared with the OVX group. In Venn diagram analysis, more unique OTUs were found in the SHAM and PTH groups than the OVX group. According to the rank abundance curve, the SHAM and PTH groups had similar richness and evenness, which were higher than the OVX group. Simpson and Shannon indexes were higher in the SHAM and PTH groups compared with the OVX group, indicating that the SHAM and PTH groups had higher microbiota complexity than the OVX group. In β‐diversity analysis, apparent separation was found in the OVX group from the PTH and SHAM groups, which suggested that osteoporosis is the critical factor influencing the GM composition and PTH treatment and can restore the structure of GM. Compared with the OVX group, treatment with PTH increased the abundances of GM which were reported to increase bone mass, such as Lactobacillus_reuteri, Muribaculaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Clostridia, and inhibited the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae, which was reported to be potentially related to osteoporosis. GM function analysis showed that PTH could promote butyrate synthesis. In Tax4Fun analysis, the function of butanoate metabolism is more vital in the PTH group than the OVX and SHAM groups, suggesting PTH treatment could regulate microbial metabolic function, including butanoate metabolism. Conclusion: Intermittent PTH can interact with GM through increasing the abundance of probiotics and reducing the abundance of the pathogenic bacteria to enhance the bone mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) plays a key role in fundamental biogeochemical processes; however, the influences of different types of fertilization on the chemical composition and properties of DOC molecules in soils are poorly understood. In this study, DOC samples were extracted from gray desert soils treated with five fertilization treatments: (a) chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; (b) pig and cattle manure; (c) 50% nitrogen from manure and 50% nitrogen from chemical fertilizer; (d) total chemical fertilizers and total manure; and (e) no fertilization (control). Results showed that manure application increased the aromatic carbon by 135.7% and decreased the aliphatic carbon levels by 29.6%, implying manure application promotes the labile carbon consumption and the stable carbon enrichment. The available nutrients and available forms of magnesium were positively associated with the labile carbon groups, and the available forms of calcium were positively associated with the stable carbon groups, demonstrating that the availability of soil nutrients and minerals are influential factors on composition of carbon‐containing groups in DOC. Moreover, the fertilization method had negative direct effects and positive indirect effects on composition of carbon‐containing groups in DOC via soil physicochemical factors, and various forms of mineral ions were the strongest explanatory factors (explaining nearly 51%) of composition of carbon‐containing groups variation in DOC. These findings indicated that soil physicochemical factors play an important role as mediators in the influence of fertilization practices on the composition of carbon‐containing groups in DOC. Core Ideas: Long‐term fertilization was used to study C group composition in DOC.Spectroscopy statistics characterized fertilization effect on carbon groups.Manure increased aliphatic carbon and decreased aromatic carbon levels.Soil nutrient and mineral availability influenced carbon group composition.Fertilization alters DOC composition via regulating soil physiochemical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) availability affects the accumulation and enrichment of soil nitrogen (N) forms. However, the effect of P addition on the distribution and turnover of soil N forms in the mustard–maize rotation system is unclear. A field experiment is conducted to investigate the effect of P addition on the turnover of soil N forms in a mustard–maize rotation system. The results show that after maize harvesting, the levels of ammonium N in soil with P addition are smaller compared to those without P addition. The organic N forms in soil with P addition are greater compared without P addition after mustard harvest. Moreover, the hydrolysable ammonium N and unknown hydrolysable N in soil with P addition are smaller than those without P addition after maize harvest. Structured equation model results show the intensities of hydrolysable amino acid N, hydrolysable amino sugar N, and unknown hydrolysable N transformed into ammonium N in soil with P addition are greater than those without P addition, and the intensities of these organic N forms transformed into nitrate N are weaker. The results indicate that P addition affect the accumulation and enrichment of soil N by altering the turnover of soil N forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation behavior and oxidation kinetics of NiCrAl alloy were studied by XRD, SEM and the thermogravimetric analysis method. The adhesion strength of the films was characterized by micron scratch tester. The results show that the oxide film has not formed at 600 °C and 700 °C, and an oxide layer of Al2O3 has formed at 800 °C. Moreover, an oxide layer composed of Cr2O3 and Al2O3 has formed at 900 °C. After oxidation at 800 °C for 100 h, partial θ‐Al2O3 has transformed to steady‐state α‐Al2O3 and a dense oxide film of Al2O3 with the thickness of about 620 nm has formed on the surface of the NiCrAl alloy. The oxidation kinetics curve of the alloy obeys the parabolic law and there are two oxidation rate constants in the oxidation process. The oxidation rate constant of 1.58×10−4 mg2⋅cm−4⋅h−1 in the early oxidation period (0∼12 h) and the oxidation rate constant of 1.04×10−4 mg2⋅cm−4⋅h−1 in the late oxidation period (12∼100 h) indicate that the oxidation resistance ability of the alloy increases with the extension of oxidation time. With the increase of the oxidation time, the interface bonding strength between the oxide film and the substrate can be improved and reaches 5.21 N at 800 °C for 100 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with little response to standard therapies. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has emerged as a novel ablative technique for the clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer. Combinations of IRE and immunotherapies, including anti‐programmed death 1 (αPD1) immune checkpoint blockade, have shown promising efficacy in both preclinical and clinical studies. However, tumor recurrence remains an obstacle that needs to be overcome. It herein is shown that IRE induces a substantial infiltration of neutrophils into pancreatic tumors. These neutrophils are then polarized into a protumor phenotype by immunosuppressive cues, in particular transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β). Using glutathione‐responsive degradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with SB525334, an inhibitor of TGF‐β1 receptor, it is demonstrated that local inhibition of TGF‐β within the tumor microenvironment promotes neutrophil polarization into an antitumor phenotype, enhances pancreatic cancer response to combined IRE and αPD1 therapy, and induces long‐term antitumor memory. The therapeutic efficacy is also attributed to tumor infiltration by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, depletion of regulatory T cells, and maturation of antigen‐presenting dendritic cells. Thus, modulating neutrophil polarization with nanomedicine is a promising strategy for treating pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: People with mild cognitive impairment have a high risk of converting to dementia. Previous studies have suggested that hypertension is implicated in the development of mild cognitive impairment, but such effect in people much older than 70 years may be quite different. The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between hypertension and mild cognitive impairment risk in this age group. Methods: A total of 985 subjects were retrospectively enrolled from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, and all of them were cognitively normal 7 years earlier. During these years, 134 subjects were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment according to the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Research data of all the subjects were collected from medical records. Results: Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that compared with the subjects without hypertension, the subjects with grade 1 hypertension or duration <10 years showed a decreased risk of mild cognitive impairment (hazards ratio (HR): 0.54, 95%CI: 0.32–0.87; HR: 0.65, 95%CI: 0.40–0.99), and the subjects with grade 2–3 hypertension or duration ≥10 years had an increased risk of the disease (HR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.25–2.42; HR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.08–2.15). In addition, compared with the patients without hypertension, the patients taking angiotensin II receptor antagonists / angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors had an increased risk of the disease (HR: 1.91, 95%CI: 1.29–2.83). Conclusion: In subjects over 70 years old, short‐term and mild hypertension might be a protective factor for mild cognitive impairment and prevent them from such a disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have explored the effect of hydrogen on neuronal apoptosis or impaired nerve regeneration after traumatic brain injury, and the mechanisms involved in these processes are unclear. In this study, we explored neuroprotection of hydrogen‐rich medium through activation of the miR‐21/PI3K/AKT/GSK‐3β pathway in an in vitro model of traumatic brain injury. Such model adopted PC12 cells with manual scratching. Then, injured cells were cultured in hydrogen‐rich medium for 48 hours. Expression of miR‐21, p‐PI3K, p‐Akt, p‐GSK‐3β, Bax and Bcl‐2 was measured using RT‐qPCR, Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. Rate of apoptosis was determined using TUNEL staining. Neuronal regeneration was assessed using immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that hydrogen‐rich medium improved neurite regeneration and inhibited apoptosis in the injured cells. Scratch injury was accompanied by up‐regulation of miR‐21, p‐PI3K, p‐Akt and p‐GSK‐3β. A miR‐21 antagomir inhibited the expression of these four molecules, while a PI3K blocker only affected the three proteins and not miR‐21. Both the miR‐21 antagomir and PI3K blocker reversed the protective effect of hydrogen. In conclusion, hydrogen exerted a neuroprotective effect against neuronal apoptosis and impaired nerve regeneration through activation of miR‐21/PI3K/AKT/GSK‐3β signalling in this in vitro model of traumatic brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Obesity contributes to the development of mild cognitive impairment, but the potential role of normal weight obesity in this disease has not been explored in humans. The aim of the study was to reveal the relationship between normal weight obesity and mild cognitive impairment in elderly individuals. Methods: This study consisted of 360 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and 360 cognitively normal controls. Normal weight obesity was defined as having metabolic syndrome but a normal weight. Metabolic health meant having no metabolic syndrome. Reverse transcription quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction was adopted to measure the messenger RNA expression of four cognitive‐related genes (amyloid precursor protein, cyclic adenosine monophosphate‐responsive element‐binding protein 1, sortilin‐related receptor 1, and synapsin I) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results: Normal weight obesity was related to a higher risk of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (odds ratio = 3.14, 95% confidence interval: 2.13–4.60). In the patients, the expression of each gene in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was linearly related to Mini‐Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (P < 0.05). The expression of these genes in the patients with metabolic health deviated from the normal levels found in the controls (P < 0.05), and the deviations were more significant in the patients with normal weight obesity (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Normal weight obesity may be a potential risk factor for amnestic mild cognitive impairment in elderly. This relationship was reflected in the abnormal expression of several cognitive‐related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is considered a functional cure in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the durability of HBsAg loss after stopping treatment remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the sustained functional cure achieved by interferon therapy in hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)‐negative CHB patients. In this prospective study, 176 HBeAg‐negative CHB patients with functional cure were enrolled for 12 weeks of cessation treatment, and treatment information and baseline data were collected. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) biomarkers and clinical biochemical indicators were evaluated every 3 months; liver imaging examinations were performed every 3‐6 months during the 48‐week follow‐up. The sustained functional cure was evaluated. After the 48‐week follow‐up, the sustained functional cure rate was 86.63%. The cumulative rates of HBsAg reversion and HBV DNA reversion were 12.79% and 2.33%, respectively. Consolidation treatment ≥ 12 weeks after HBsAg loss achieved a significantly higher rate of sustained functional cure and significantly lower rate of HBsAg reversion than consolidation treatment < 12 weeks (76.19% vs 90.00%, P = 0.022 and 23.81% vs 9.23%, P = 0.014, respectively). Patients with hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) had higher rate of sustained functional cure than patients achieving HBsAg loss but without HBsAb (89.86% vs 73.53%, P = 0.012). Consolidation treatment ≥ 12 weeks (odds ratio [OR] 16.478; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.135‐127.151; P = 0.007) and high HBsAb levels (OR 8.312; 95% CI, 1.824‐37.881; P = 0.006) were independent predictors of sustained functional cure. Results suggested that 12 weeks of consolidation therapy after HBsAg clearance and elevated HBsAb levels help to improve functional cure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Na3V2(PO4)3 is a promising cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries. However, the design of appropriate carbon coatings is necessary for improving the Na‐storage performance of this material to overcome the intrinsically low electron conductivity and therefore sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, carbon nanolayer‐coated Na3V2(PO4)3 nanocrystals embedded in a conductive carbon matrix (NVP/C) are fabricated by using a facile in‐situ synthesis method with controlled utilization of graphene‐oxide nanosheets. Structural and electrochemical properties of the as‐synthesized NVP/C material are analyzed by combining X‐ray diffraction, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transition electron microscope, and electrochemical measurements. The optimized NVP/C material exhibits a unique nanostructure consisting of Na3V2(PO4)3 nanocrystals with an average size of ∼60 nm and carbon nanolayers with uniform thickness of ∼5 nm. As electrode, the material delivers a high reversible capacity of 114.8 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C, superior high‐rate capability with a discharge capacity of 101.8 mAh g−1 at 10 C, and excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of 91 % after 1000 cycles. The finding indicates that constructing carbon‐coating nanolayers and a conductive carbon matrix is an important strategy to achieve high‐quality NVP/C material for advanced sodium‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aqueous sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) show promising applications in fields of sustainable energies such as wind and solar, owing to wide availability of sodium resources and incombustibility of aqueous electrolytes. However, they are still challenged by poor cycling performance of Na‐storage electrode materials. Herein, carbon‐coated Na2.2V1.2Ti0.8(PO4)3 is reported as a novel cathode for high‐performance aqueous SIBs, which is obtained by studying the effect of Ti substitution on the charge/discharge properties of a Na3‐xV2‐xTix(PO4)3 (0≤x≤1) system in 6 M NaClO4 aqueous electrolyte. Experimental results indicate that the material is composed of approximately 200 nm Na2.2V1.2Ti0.8(PO4)3 crystals uniformly coated with a thin layer of carbon (ca. 4 nm). During Na extraction/insertion, it undergoes a one‐step, two‐phase reaction mechanism through the reversible electrochemistry of the V4+/V3+ redox couple, showing a reversible capacity of around 62 mAh g−1 at the current rate of 1 C and a well‐defined potential plateau of 0.50 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). More importantly, it achieves outstanding high‐rate capability with a discharge capacity of approximately 40 mAh g−1 at the current rate of 10 C, and excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of 93.4 % after 500 cycles. The good electrochemical performance is attributed to the unique Ti‐substituted composition, thin‐layered carbon coating and high‐concentration electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are regarded as one of the most commonly used mammalian hosts, which decreases the productivity due to loss in culture viability. Overexpressing antiapoptosis genes in CHO cells was developed as a means of limiting cell death upon exposure to environmental insults. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is traditionally regarded as a major ER chaperone that participates in protein folding and other cell processes. It is also a potent antiapoptotic protein and plays a critical role in cell survival, proliferation, and metastasis. In this study, the impact of GRP78 on CHO cells in response to environmental insults such as serum deprivation and oxidative stress was investigated. First, it was confirmed that CHO cells were very sensitive to environmental insults. Then, GRP78 overexpressing CHO cell line was established and exposed to serum deprivation and H2O2. Results showed that GRP78 engineering increased the viability and decreased the apoptosis of CHO cells. The survival advantage due to GRP78 engineering could be mediated by suppression of caspase-3 involved in cell death pathways in stressed cells. Besides, GRP78 engineering also enhanced yields of antibody against transferrin receptor in CHO cells. GRP78 should be a potential application in the biopharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the relationship between small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) and messenger (m)RNA expression profiles. Methods: Utilizing the differentially expressed mRNAs and the targeting miRNAs, the mRNA-miRNA network for the two cancers was constructed. By integrating the miRNA expression profile, drug, and drug targets, miRNA-drug target-drug networks were established and the mechanisms in drug therapy efficacy were compared between SCLC and NSCLC. Results: Drug targets of different expressed miRNAs of SCLC are mainly located in the organelle, act in the electron carrier activity, and consist of the synapse; while drug targets of NSCLCare the membrane-enclosed lumen, mainly distributed in the extracellular region and synapse, and function in the binding. Drug targets of miRNA expressed commonly in the two cancers are involved in the reproduction multi-organism process. In SCLC, the miR-16 in the miRNA-drug target-drug network is significant and follows the result of themRNA-miRNAnetwork.The pigmentation and rhythmic process of SCLCis different fromNSCLC, while the process of cellular component biogenesis and cellular component organization are important for the occurrence of NSCLC. miR-16 in the miRNA-mRNA-drug network of SCLC is significant and we acquired 11 potential drugs, such as dexamethasone and budesonide. The miR-124 for NSCLC is important in the network and 17 potential drugs were screened, including dexamethasone and budesonide. Conclusions: These findings suggest that miR-16 and miR-124 might be novel diagnostic and prognostics markers for SCLC and NSCLC, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To explore the similar and different pathogenesis between non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods This study used bioinformatics methods, including functional enrichment analysis, compared the topological features of SCLC and NSCLC in the human protein interaction network in a system aspect, and analyzed the highly intense modules from an integrated network. Results This study included 5082 and 2781 significantly different expression genes for NSCLC and SCLC, respectively. The differently expressed genes of NSCLC are mainly distributed in the extracellular region and synapse. By contrast, the genes of SCLC are located in the organelle, macromolecular complex, membrane-enclosed lumen, cell part, envelope, and synapse. Compared with SCLC, the differently expressed genes of NSCLC act in the biological regulation, multicellular organismal process, and viral reproduction and locomotion, which show that NSCLC is more likely to cause a wide range of cancer cell proliferation and virus infection than SCLC. The network topological properties of SCLC and NSCLC are similar, except the average shortest path length, which indicates that most of the genes of the two lung cancers play a similar function in the entire body. The commonly expressed genes show that all of the genes in the module may also cause NSCLC and SCLC, simultaneously. Conclusions The proteins in module will involve the same or similar biological functions and the interactions among them induce the occurrence of lung cancer. Moreover, a potential biomarker of SCLC is the interaction between APIP and apoptotic protease activating factor (APAF)1, which share a common module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three heavy-chain and three kappa (κ)-chain transcripts were amplified from hybridoma cells secreting a monoclonal antibody (m Ab) against transferrin receptor. Sequence analysis via IMGT/ V- QUEST yielded the functional/aberrant prediction. Two functional κ-chain transcripts, Vκ2 and Vκ3, and one functional V H1 were revealed. Comprehensive bioinformatics analyses including sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree, somatic hypermutation prediction, and three-dimensional-molecular structure modeling were used to predict the origin of the two κ-chain transcripts. The results of bioinformatics analysis suggest that Vκ3 is derived from the myeloma partner of the hybridoma; Vκ2 is derived from B-cell. Functional transcripts V H1 and Vκ2 and Vκ3 were then used to construct two chimeric antibodies chi- C2 ( Vκ2- V H1) and chi- C3 ( Vκ3-V H1), respectively. Antigen-binding experiments showed that only chi- C2 remained the same affinity as its parental mAb. Possible explanations for the coexistence of two functional κ-chain transcripts and the different affinity of the two chimeric antibodies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Sense of Coherence Scale (C-SOC-13) in women with cervical cancer in Mainland China. Methods The C-SOC-13 and Health-related Quality of Life scale (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix) were administered to 238 women with cervical cancer. Validity was assessed in terms of factor validity, predictive validity, divergent validity and stability, whereas reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results This study showed that in confirmatory factor analysis, the first-order interrelated three-factor model and second-order model were performed based on Antonovsky's theoretical structure of Sense of Coherence (SOC). Both models fitted the data satisfactorily when the largest modification index was released. The chi-square value/degrees of freedom was 2.120, the goodness-of-fit index was 0.919, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.069, and the comparative fit index was 0.911. The Pearson correlation coefficient between SOC and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix was 0.611. Enter multiple regression with SOC as a dependent variable and medical and socio-economic variables as independent variables showed no statistically significant partial coefficient of any independent variable in regression equation except for age. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.824. Conclusion The factor validity, predictive validity and divergent validity of C-SOC-13 were reasonable, as well as the internal consistency. In general, C-SOC-13 showed to be suitable as an SOC measurement for women with cervical cancer in Mainland China. However, SOC may have a different meaning to Chinese people because of the philosophy and culture that shape the context of their lives. Generalizing the findings to other populations requires further psychometric evaluation of C-SOC-13. Further longitudinal studies are also needed to explore the stability. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock protein 70-2 (HSP70-2) can be expressed by cancer cells and act as an important regulator of cancer cell growth and survival. Here, we show the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia regulate HSP70-2 expression in cancer cells. When cells were subjected to hypoxia (1% O [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interaction between epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF receptor (EGFR) promotes cell growth in most cell lines, but in a number of cell lines, EGF paradoxically inhibits proliferation. In the present study, we established a cell line expressing full-length human EGFR on membrane with a GFP fluorescence reporter at the C-terminal and studied the effects of EGF on cell proliferation in the transfected cell line. Our results suggested that low concentrations of EGF promoted proliferation, while high concentrations of EGF induced loss of adhesion, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inhibition of proliferation. The effects of EGF on cell proliferation correlated well with the expression levels of EGFR. High concentrations of EGF induced both EGFR expression and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Our study reported, for the first time, a relationship between the effects of EGF on cell proliferation and levels of EGFR expression in one cell line expressing different levels of EGFR caused by different concentrations of EGF treatment. The study should provide considerable insight into the effects of EGF on cell proliferation and tumor cell metastasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Aim Methods Results Conclusion The development of acute pancreatitis (AP) is strongly linked to blood clotting and fibrinolysis issues. Modern clinical practices now utilize advanced blood markers like thrombin–antithrombin III complex (TAT), plasmin‐α2‐plasmin inhibitor complex, thrombomodulin (TM), and tissue plasminogen activator–inhibitor complex (t‐PAIC) to assess thrombosis risk. Our study used a highly sensitive chemiluminescence technique to measure these markers in AP patients, aiming to determine their early predictive value for AP severity.There were 173 patients with AP, all of whom developed symptoms within 72 h; 102 individuals had onset symptoms within 48 h. The biomarkers were measured upon admission before determining the severity of AP.The levels of TAT, plasmin‐α2‐plasmin inhibitor complex, TM, and t‐PAIC were significantly higher in the severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) group compared with the mild acute pancreatitis and moderate severe acute pancreatitis groups. For the patients within 72 h of onset, TAT, TM, and t‐PAIC predicted the occurrence of SAP. For the patients within 48 h of onset, TAT and t‐PAIC predicted the occurrence of SAP. The area under the curve (AUC) of prediction models is similar to Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) but significantly higher than C‐reactive protein (P < 0.05). Notably, t‐PAIC had a larger AUC than TAT, BISAP, and C‐reactive protein.In the initial 48 h, plasma TAT and t‐PAIC levels may predict the development of SAP. Within 72 h, plasma levels of TAT, TM, and t‐PAIC may predict the development of SAP, and the TAT + TM + t‐PAIC prediction model achieved a maximum AUC of 0.915, comparable to BISAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of approximation coefficients (ACs) in blind image deconvolution (BID) is examined by restoring each sub‐band image individually in the wavelet domain, and excellent performance is achieved by an average strategy for the estimation of AC. The most important observation is that accurate deconvolution of AC is not necessary and some form of hybrid can reach a balance between sharpness and contrast. This finding leads to reappraising the common treatment of wavelet coefficients in deconvolution, which takes the coefficients in every sub‐band as a unity. It is argued that the AC of the blurred image can be regarded as a good approximation of the 'true' image with lower resolution. Wavelet transform of one level is preferred in the implementation and the difference between the method and common multiscale approach is stressed. With specific treatment of AC, the proposed method can be combined with many other BID algorithms to improve deconvolution performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibody-therapeutic agent conjugates to be delivered directly into the cytosol of tumour cells is required for many target-based therapeutic strategies. For this work, a large non-immune phage-display library was used to select internalizing scFv (single chain variable fragment) directed against EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), a tyrosine kinase receptor that is overexpressed in a wide range of tumour cells. The CHO-EGFR-GFP1 (where CHO is Chinese-hamster ovary) cell line, a transfected cell line expressing EGFR-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein on membranes, and the untransfected cell line CHO-K1 were used as EGFR-positive cells and -negative cells respectively in the subtractive selection procedure. A novel human anti-EGFR scFv (F4-scFv) was isolated. F4-scFv bound native EGFR-bearing cell lines and could be internalized, but did not bind EGFR-negative cell lines. The K(D) value of F4-scFv was 472 nM as determined on A431 cells. F4-scFv could be used to target therapeutic agents into tumour cells and was expected to be non-immunogenic in humans. Use of a transfected cell line expressing GFP-tagged receptors allows selection and characterization of antibodies to native receptors without the need for protein expression and purification, significantly speeding up the generation of targeting antibodies.