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Background/objectives: The assessment of nutritional status and the quality of life in patients with gastric cancer has become one of the important goals of current clinical treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional status in hospitalized gastric cancer patients by using patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) and to analyze the influence of nutritional status on the patients' quality of life (QOL).Methods: We reviewed the pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer for 2322 hospitalized patients using PG-SGA to assess their nutritional status and collected data on clinical symptoms, the anthropometric parameters (height, weight, body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skin-fold thickness (TSF), and hand-grip strength (HGS). We also collected laboratory data (prealbumin, albumin, hemoglobin) within 48 h after the patient was admitted to the hospital. The 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used for QOL assessment in all patients.Results: By using PG-SGA, we found 80.4% of the patients were malnourished (score ≥ 4) and 45.1% of the patients required urgent nutritional support (score ≥ 9). In univariate analysis, old age (> 65 years, p < 0.001), female (p = 0.007), residence in a village (p = 0.004), a lower level of education (p < 0.001), and self-paying (p < 0.001) were indicated as risk factors of patients with gastric cancer to be suffering from severe malnutrition. There was a negative correlation between PG-SGA and various nutritional parameters (p < 0.05). The quality of life was significantly different in gastric cancer patients with different nutritional status (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Malnutrition of hospitalized patients with gastric cancer in China is common and seriously affects the patients' quality of life. The nutritional status should be evaluated in a timely manner and reasonable nutritional intervention should be provided as soon as possible. The PG-SGA was fit for using as a clinical nutrition assessment method, being worthy of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A three-dimensional numerical model based on the finite element method (FEM) is constructed to calculate the thermal stress distribution in a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack with external manifold structure. The stack is composed of 5 units which include cell, metallic interconnect, seal and anode/cathode current collectors. The temperature profile is described according to measured temperature points in the stack. It can be clearly seen that the maximum stress concentration area appears at the corner of the components when the stack is heated from room temperature (RT) to 780 °C. The effects of stack components on maximum stress concentration have been investigated under the operation temperature, as well as the thermal stress simulation results. It is obvious that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the interconnect and the seal plays an important role in determining the thermal stress distribution in the stack. However, different compressive loads have almost no effect on stress distribution, and the influence of glass-based seal depends on the elastic modulus. The simulation results can be applied for optimizing the structural design of the stack and minimizing the high stress concentration in components. Highlights • Model-based prediction of thermal stress distributions for external manifold SOFC stack. • The effect of stack components on stresses was investigated by orthogonal analysis. • The CTE mismatch and temperature profile have significant effects on thermal stresses of cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of lacking braking capacity of linear rolling guide system when linear motor was applied in the machine tools, a new type of pneumatic clamping device was developed by using pneumatic braking technology. The structural characteristics and operating principle of clamping element were analyzed at first. Then, according to the mechanical analysis, computation formula of the output force and the amplificatory coefficient were obtained, meanwhile, its non-self-locking conditions were also identified. Finally, parameters such as wedge angle, friction coefficient were analyzed, and the influence of these parameters on amplificatory coefficient under the conditions of lubrication and lubrication- free were obtained. The results indicate that amplificatory coefficient is obtained as 7.46~10.76 under the condition of lubrication and 17.72~18.38 under the condition of lubrication-free. Some calculated results are verified by the experimental data, which show they are reasonable, thus provide theoretical basis for design pneumatic clamping element for roller guide with bigger amplificatory coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims It has been well documented that angiotensin II type 1 ( AT1) receptor blockers ( ARBs) are known to attenuate neural damage and the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 3 ( JNK3) pathway and caspase-3 signal are involved in neuronal cell death following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion ( I/ R). In this study, we first showed that losartan could protect neurons against cerebral I/ R-induced injury. Methods Cerebral ischemia model was induced by four-vessel occlusion. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides ( ODNs) against AT1 receptor and losartan were used to detect whether the AT1 receptor implicated in cerebral I/ R. Immunoprecipitation ( IP) and immunoblotting ( IB) were used to detect the interactions between β-arrestin-2 and AT1/apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 ( ASK1)/ MAP kinase kinase 4 ( MKK4) signaling module following cerebral I/ R. Results First, losartan decreased cerebral I/ R-induced neuronal death. Second, losartan depressed the β-arrestin-2-assembled AT1/ ASK1/ MKK4 signaling module. Third, losartan depressed the activation of c-jun, JNK3, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm. Conclusion Taken together, losartan could attenuate neural damage following the cerebral I/R via inhibiting the β-arrestin-2-assembled AT1/ ASK1/ MKK4 signaling module and depressing the activation of c-jun, JNK3, and caspase-3 and the release of cytochrome c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hand grip strength (HGS) has emerged as a predictor of the nutritional status. However, many factors may modify the malnutrition-HGS association. This study explored the nutritional assessment value and determinants of HGS in patients hospitalized with cancer.Methods and Study Design: In this multicenter, retrospective, observational study (11,314 patients), the Receiver operator characteristic curve was used to observe HGS and nutritional status sensitivity/specificity. Sex; age; height; weight; mid-upper arm circumference (MAMC); Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) score; Karnofsky score; physical function (PF) domain; cognitive function (CF) domain; global health and quality of life (QL) domain of EORTC QLQ-C30 (a quality of life instrument designed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer); and albumin, prealbumin, and hemoglobin levels were included in a Stepwise analysis model to identify the factors influencing HGS.Results: HGS showed a very low diagnostic value and accuracy for identifying severe malnourishment (area under the curve, 0.615-0.640; p<0.01). HGS positively correlated with sex; height; weight; MAMC; Karnofsky score; QL, PF, and CF domains; and hemoglobin and prealbumin levels (Beta= 0.02-0.42, p<=0.05), and negatively with age (Beta=-0.19, p<0.01). However, the PG-SGA score was excluded because of its very limited contribution to HGS variability.Conclusions: HGS is a mutifactorial index. The use of HGS cutoff values to identify malnutrition is markedly challenging. Thus, HGS may be of limited use as a predictor of nutritional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hand grip strength (HGS) has emerged as a predictor of the nutritional status. However, many factors may modify the malnutrition-HGS association. This study explored the nutritional assessment value and determinants of HGS in patients hospitalized with cancer., Methods and Study Design: In this multicenter, retrospective, observational study (11,314 patients), the Receiver operator characteristic curve was used to observe HGS and nutritional status sensitivity/specificity. Sex; age; height; weight; mid-upper arm circumference (MAMC); Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) score; Karnofsky score; physical function (PF) domain; cognitive function (CF) domain; global health and quality of life (QL) domain of EORTC QLQ-C30 (a quality of life instrument designed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer); and albumin, prealbumin, and hemoglobin levels were included in a Stepwise analysis model to identify the factors influencing HGS., Results: HGS showed a very low diagnostic value and accuracy for identifying severe malnourishment (area under the curve, 0.615-0.640; p<0.01). HGS positively correlated with sex; height; weight; MAMC; Karnofsky score; QL, PF, and CF domains; and hemoglobin and prealbumin levels (Beta= 0.02-0.42, p<=0.05), and negatively with age (Beta=-0.19, p<0.01). However, the PG-SGA score was excluded because of its very limited contribution to HGS variability., Conclusions: HGS is a mutifactorial index. The use of HGS cutoff values to identify malnutrition is markedly challenging. Thus, HGS may be of limited use as a predictor of nutritional status.

Purpose: To determine the associations between apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes and serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in a cognitively normal aging Han Chinese population., Methods: There were 1,003 cognitively normal aging subjects included in this study. APOE genotypes were analyzed and biochemical parameters were tested. All the subjects were divided into three groups according to APOE genotypes: (1) E2/2 or E2/3 (APOE E2); (2) E3/3 (APOE E3); and (3) E2/4, E3/4, or E4/4 (APOE E4). Correlations of serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides with APOE genotypes were assessed., Results: E2, E3, and E4 allele frequencies were found to be 6.2%, 82.1%, and 11.7%, respectively. Serum levels of total cholesterol were higher in the APOE E4 group (P<0.05). A higher level of total cholesterol was associated with the E4 allele (adjusted odds ratio 1.689, 95% confidence interval 1.223-2.334, P<0.01). However, no association was found between APOE status and serum levels of glucose (adjusted odds ratio 0.981, 95% confidence interval 0.720-1.336, P=0.903) or total triglycerides (adjusted odds ratio 1.042, 95% confidence interval 0.759-1.429, P=0.800)., Conclusion: A higher serum level of total cholesterol was significantly correlated with APOE E4 status in a cognitively normal, nondiabetic aging population. However, there was no correlation between APOE genotypes and serum levels of glucose or total triglycerides.