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Background. Many recent studies revealed that the single nucleotide polymorphisms have considerable effects on the susceptibility of cancer, such as prostate cancer, lung cancer and gastric cancer. The E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein encoded by CDH1 gene, is critical for epithelial construction, intercellular adhesion and cell migration. Some associations have been reported between single nucleotide polymorphisms and gastric cancer in the Chinese population. Objective. To investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphism in CDH1 gene is associated with the susceptibility of gastric cancer in the Chinese population. Material and methods. The genotypes of 5 known single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs33935154, rs121964871, rs121964874, rs121964875, rs121964876) were determined in 359 gastric cancer patients and 368 healthy controls. High resolution melting curve detection and sequencing analysis were used in the present study. Results. There is a statistical significance in the rs121964871 C>G polymorphism between gastric cancer patients and healthy controls (OR=1.769, 95%CI: 1.051-2.976). Elderly male individuals (>50 years of age) carrying this risk factor may be more susceptible to gastric cancer. Conclusions. The results indicated that the rs121964871 C>G polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of gastric cancer in the Chinese population, with some age and sex-dependent tendencies observed.

Research on the emergency facility location-allocation problem has important theoretical and practical significance for responses to large-scale emergencies. During the actual planning of disaster supply warehouses (DSWs), reconstruction and expansion projects usually need to fully exploit different levels of designated facilities to achieve resource integration. This article presents a hierarchical supplement location-allocation (HSLA) optimization model for DSWs in both the preparedness and response phases to address the above concerns. The model minimizes the total number and cost of DSWs for the facility location problem and the total distance for delivering supplies at all levels for the supply allocation problem. A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to derive solutions to the HSLA model. The model is demonstrated for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region in China. The results show that twelve of the 180 counties, which account for 6.03% of the total area of the BTH region are not covered by county-, prefectural- and provincial-level DSWs. In addition, three sets of optimization schemes for the location-allocation problem for DSWs at the three levels and one final mixed optimal scheme (one county-level DSW, two prefectural-level DSWs, and one provincial-level DSW should be newly built or upgraded in four counties) are suggested based on the supplemental optimization site selection. This model is believed to remain more consistent with the knowledge of DSW planners and policy makers by incorporating the multi-level coverage and supplemental site selection concept into the location-allocation problem. The method can be easily duplicated to expand or build new emergency facilities at different levels in addition to DSWs. The results provide a scientific reference for DSW location-allocation planning in the BTH region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate location and allocation of disaster emergency shelters are key components of effective urban planning and emergency management. Various models have been developed to solve the location-allocation problem, but gaps remain with regard to model realism and associated applicability. For the available location and allocation models of earthquake emergency shelters, uncertainty with respect to earthquake hazard, population exposure, rate of damage to buildings and the effects of evacuee behavior are often neglected or oversimplified. Moreover, modifying the models can be an alternative means of improving the solution quality when the optimization algorithm has difficulty coping with a complex, high-dimensional problem. This article develops a scenario-based hybrid bilevel model that addresses the concerns related to high-dimensional complexity and provides a higher degree of realism by incorporating the uncertainties of population dynamics and earthquake damage scenarios into location-allocation problems for earthquake emergency shelters. A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm combined with a simulated annealing algorithm was applied to derive solutions using the hybrid bilevel model and a conventional multi-objective model, and the solutions obtained using the two models were then compared. The novel features of the study include the hybrid bilevel model that considers the dynamic number of evacuees and its implementation for earthquake emergency shelter location and allocation. The results show that the solutions significantly differ between daytime and nighttime. When applied to the multi-objective model, the optimization algorithm is time consuming and may only find the local optima and provide suboptimal solutions in the considered scenarios with more evacuees. By contrast, the hybrid bilevel model shows more desirable performance because it significantly reduces the dimensionality of the location-allocation problem based on a two-step-to-reach approach. The proposed hybrid bilevel model is proven to be useful for optimal shelter allocation, and the presented results can be used as a reference for balancing the interests of the government and residents during the planning of shelters in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many recent studies revealed that the single nucleotide polymorphisms have considerable effects on the susceptibility of cancer, such as prostate cancer, lung cancer and gastric cancer. The E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent transmembrane glycoprotein encoded by CDH1 gene, is critical for epithelial construction, intercellular adhesion and cell migration. Some associations have been reported between single nucleotide polymorphisms and gastric cancer in the Chinese population., Objective: To investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphism in CDH1 gene is associated with the susceptibility of gastric cancer in the Chinese population., Material and Methods: The genotypes of 5 known single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs33935154, rs121964871, rs121964874, rs121964875, rs121964876) were determined in 359 gastric cancer patients and 368 healthy controls. High resolution melting curve detection and sequencing analysis were used in the present study., Results: There is a statistical significance in the rs121964871 C>G polymorphism between gastric cancer patients and healthy controls (OR=1.769, 95%CI: 1.051-2.976). Elderly male individuals (>50 years of age) carrying this risk factor may be more susceptible to gastric cancer., Conclusions: The results indicated that the rs121964871 C>G polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of gastric cancer in the Chinese population, with some age and sex-dependent tendencies observed.