Ghost Cell Odontogenic Carcinoma Arising from Calcifying Cystic Odontogenic Tumor: A Case Report

Zhi-Yu Zhu,Yu Chen,Zhi-Gang Chu,Wei-Ping Zhang,Di Lv,Ning Geng,Ming-Zhong Yang 대한병리학회 2012 Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine Vol.46 No.5

Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma (GCOC) is an exceptionally rare and malignant odontogenic tumor with aggressive growth characteristics. We describe a case of GCOC which was considerably derived from a previously resected calcifying cystic odontogenic tumor (CCOT). Cellular atypia, mitotic activity, Ki-67 labeling index and matrix metalloprotease-9 positive expression rate were all increased in the currently resected specimen compared to the initial one. This is a rare case of malignant transformation of CCOT to GCOC with respect to its histopathological and immunohistochemical findings.

Patterned growth of ZnO nanorods and their field emission properties

Ning Zhang,Ke Yu,Yongsheng Zhang,Wei Bai,Ziqiang Zhu 한국물리학회 2009 Current Applied Physics Vol.9 No.1

Patterned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were fabricated on the different patterned silicon nanocrystallite (SiNC) substrates via a simple thermal evaporation method without any catalyst. The as-synthesized products were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The efficient field emission with low turn-on and threshold field, 3.5 V/㎛ and 8.1 V/㎛, was obtained. The experimental results demonstrate that these products could be one of the promising candidates for field emission displays. Patterned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were fabricated on the different patterned silicon nanocrystallite (SiNC) substrates via a simple thermal evaporation method without any catalyst. The as-synthesized products were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The efficient field emission with low turn-on and threshold field, 3.5 V/㎛ and 8.1 V/㎛, was obtained. The experimental results demonstrate that these products could be one of the promising candidates for field emission displays.

Antennal UDP-glycosyltransferase genes in the coffee white stemborer, Xylotrechus quadripes

Ning-Na Yin,Yu-Jie Zhao,Jia-Ying Zhu,Nai-Yong Liu 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.4

The antenna of Xylotrechus quadripes is the principle olfactory organ that is subjected to a large number of endogenous and exogenous compounds. The gene families associated with the detoxification of these compounds are essential for the adaptive evolution of insect defensive strategies. However, knowledge on uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) of X. quadripes is unavailable. Here, we characterized 30 UGT genes identified from an antennal transcriptome of X. quadripes. Among them, 16 UGT genes encoding 508–527 amino acids shared the full-length sequences and signal peptides in N-terminus. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that X. quadripes UGTs had a variable N-terminus and a conserved C-terminus. Phylogenetic analysis showed that X. quadripes UGTs were classified into ten sub-families with the largest UGT one of UGT352 (nine genes) and a strict single copy of UGT50 within coleopteran species. Gene structural analysis indicated that coleopteran UGT50s underwent intron gains or losses. Expression profile revealed that all studied X. quadripes UGTs were transcribed in the antennae of both sexes, some of which exhibited sex-biased expression including UGT2, UGT6, UGT20 and UGT27 in females as well as UGT3, UGT11 and UGT12 in males. In addition, most of UGTs were widely expressed in other tissues, indicating their functional diversities in this beetle. Together, these findings provide valuable information for further functional studies of UGTs in X. quadripes, especially their roles in olfaction.

Baicalin attenuates adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome by regulating fibrosis procession and inflammatory reaction

Tan Ning,Sun Chen-Xia,Zhu Hui-Jun,Li De-Yu,Huang Sheng-Guang,He Shou-Di 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.9

Background Baicalin has anti-infammatory, antibacterial, blood platelet aggregation-inhibiting, free oxygen radical-clearing, and endotoxin-decreasing properties. However, its molecular mechanism involved in the treatment of Adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS) is still unclear. Objective This study aimed to explore the efects of baicalin on Adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS) and to characterize the genes involved in this progression. Methods We established Adriamycin-induced NS model in 32 rats and used six rats in Sham group. Urinary total protein content and creatinine serum were assessed as physiological indicators. H&E staining was used to observe the pathological changes. We determined gene expression profles using transcriptome sequencing in the rat kidney tissues from Sham, Adriamycin, and Adriamycin+baicalin groups. KEGG was carried out to analyze the enriched pathways of diferentially expressed genes among these groups. Results Baicalin treatment relieved renal injury in NS rats. Expression of 363 genes was signifcantly diferent between the Adriamycin and Adriamycin+baicalin M groups. Most of the diferentially expressed genes were enriched in pathways involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), fbrosis, apoptosis, and infammation. Conclusions Overall, these data suggest that Adriamycin-induced NS can be attenuated by baicalin through the suppression of fbrosis-related genes and infammatory reactions. Baicalin is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of NS, and the identifed genes represent potential therapeutic targets.

Diagnostic Value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in Comparison to Bone Scintigraphy, CT and ¹⁸F-FDG PET for the Detection of Bone Metastasis

Liu, Ning-Bo,Zhu, Lei,Li, Ming-Huan,Sun, Xiao-Rong,Hu, Man,Huo, Zong-Wei,Xu, Wen-Gui,Yu, Jin-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.6

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT for detection of bone metastasis in comparison with the efficacies of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT, CT, $^{18}F$-FDG PET and conventional planar bone scintigraphy in a series of cancer patients. Methods: Five hundred and thirty patients who underwent both $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT and bone scintigraphy within 1 month were retrospectively analyzed. The skeletal system was classified into 10 anatomic segments and interpreted blindly and separately. For each modality, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV were calculated and the results were statistically analyzed. Results: Bone metastases were confirmed in 117 patients with 459 positive segments. On patient-based analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT were significantly higher than bone scintigraphy, CT and $^{18}F$-FDG PET (P<0.05). On segment-based analysis, the sensitivity of CT, bone scintigraphy, $^{18}F$-FDG PET and $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT were 70.4%, 89.5%, 89.1% and 97.8%, respectively (P<0.05, compared with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT). The overall specificity and accuracy of the four modalities were 89.1%, 91.8%, 90.3%, 98.2% and 90.3%, 90.9%, 89.8%, 98.0%, respectively (P<0.05, compared with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT). The PPV and NPV were 89.8%, 87.6%, 85.6%, 97.2% and 85.6%, 93.2%, 92.8%, 98.6%, respectively. Three hundred and twelve lesions or segments were presented as lytic or sclerotic changes on CT images at the corresponding sites of increased $^{18}F$-FDG uptake. In lytic or mixed lesions, the sensitivity of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT and $^{18}F$-FDG PET were better than bone scintigraphy, while in osteoblastic lesions bone scintigraphy had a similar performance with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT but better than $^{18}F$-FDG PET alone. Conclusion: Our data allow the conclusion that $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT is superior to planar bone scintigraphy, CT or $^{18}F$-FDG PET in detecting bone metastasis. $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT may enhance our diagnosis of tumor bone metastasis and provide more information for cancer treatment.

PERCEIVED RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT QUALITY, PLACE ATTACHMENT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SATISFACTION: THE COMPETING MODELS IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF CHINA

Kangkang Yu,Ning (Chris) Chen,Xinkai Zhu,Jian Gao 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2016 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2016 No.7

Level of urbanization in China has reached 53.73% in 2013, indicating a tremendous progress on the urbanization of China. On the other hand, the number of villages in China reduces by around one million from 3.6 million in 2000 to 2.7 million in 2010 (Zhang, 2014). Issues in both urban and rural areas of China appear, including the imbalance between increased population and limited resources in urban region, and more significantly, the increasing disparity between rural and urban areas. Chinese researchers interpret and analyse these matters from different perspectives. For instance, Zheng (2006) and Ma (2006) suggest the importance of the infrastructure construction and public service. Wu (2006) advises that the government should pay attention to the development of the secondary and tertiary industry. Wen (2005) proposes that the improvement of social institution and the recovery of social cultural environment are required to achieve sustainability in the urbanization process in China. Previous studies in environmental psychology put quality of life, attachment to place, and residence satisfaction at the center to understand the relationship between inhabitants and their neighborhood of residence. However, there are gaps in this research realm in both practice and theories. Firstly, very limited research studies this environmental psychology issue in China (e.g. Mao, Fornara, Manca, Bonnes, & Bonaiuto, 2015). Secondly, there are different opinions on the causal order between quality, attachment, and satisfaction. Research on the relationship between perceived residential environment quality (PREQ), place attachment, and environmental satisfaction has not reached a consensus. The debate on the direction of the causal relationship between perceived quality and satisfaction has been summarized by Bradya and Robertson (2001). They conclude that the quality to satisfaction causal order holds up well across diverse cultures. However, relevant debate is still ongoing. A number of research articles place satisfaction as an antecedent to attachment, e.g. Chen, Dwyer, and Firth (2014); Lee, Kyle, and Scott (2012); Ramkissoon and Mavondo (2015); etc. Some argue that place attachment is an indicator of satisfaction. Kyle et al. (2004) investigate the effect of place attachment on the perceived values of tourists and find that place attachment is an important factor explaining the variance of perceived values. This is supported by research e.g. Hwang, Lee, and Chen (2005); Prayag and Ryan (2012); Yuksel, Yuksel, Biljm (2010); etc. As to the relationship between perceived quality and attachment, the debate has not stopped. Through comparisons, Mesch and Manor (1996) conclude that the residents who give a higher evaluation of the social and natural environment may have greater place attachment. Brown, Perkins, and Brown (2003) also suggest that the residents who agree that the street environment is better would attach to this place. Sam, Bayram, and Bilgel (2012) have certified the relationship between residential environment quality and place attachment. Furthermore, Borrie and Roggenbuck (2001) and Walker and Ryan (2008) find that the connection between human beings and the nature environment would affect their affection toward the environment. It means that the closer the relationship with the nature environment is, the stronger the attachment would be, which in turn, enhances the intentions to protect the environment. This quality to satisfaction relationship is supported by other research such as Bonaiuto, Aiello, Perugini, Bonnes, and Ercolani (1999); Grisaffe and Nguyen (2011); Yu, Chen, and Chen (2015); etc. Nevertheless, a different opinion arguing that attachment to a place may affect one’s perception on the quality related to a place is emerging in tourism research (e.g. Neuvonen, Pouta, & Siev?nen, 2010). This paper takes the credit of quality → attachment → satisfaction causal order as the initial model and proposes three hypotheses as follows. H1a: One’s PREQ has a positive impact on his/her attachment to this place; H2a: One’s attachment to a place has a positive impact on his/her satisfaction to the environmental settings in this place; H3a: Place attachment in addition performs as a mediating role between PREQ and environment satisfaction.To be noted, the initial model has its theoretical basis as discussed above but is not necessarily the absolute optimal model. Relatively, this model provides more theoretical interpretation and practical implications in the specific research context: residential psychology in urban and rural areas of China. On this basis, this article further examines a competing model illustrating an alternative theoretical framework on the relationships between these three constructs (satisfaction → attachment → quality). Relatively, another group of hypotheses in this competing model is listed as follows. H1b: One’s attachment to a place has a positive impact on his/her PREQ; H2b: One’s satisfaction to the environmental settings in this place has a positive impact on his/her attachment to this place; H3b: Place attachment in addition performs as a mediating role between environment satisfaction and PREQ. A survey approach is employed and data are collected from several backgrounds. Dataset A (rural) is collected from three villages from Heilongjiang Province and two villages from Shandong Province in China from July to August 2014. The choices of the provinces, rural areas, and the sampling process are random. 490 valid questionnaires are included in the data analysis. Dataset B (urban) is collected via an online survey portal, which allows a nationwide sampling reach. In total 1368 online survey entries are recorded and 420 valid questionnaires are included, resulting in a valid rate of 30.7%. The measures for each construct are based on an extensive literature review. The measurement of perceived residential environment quality is from Sam, Bayram, & Bilgel’s (2012) development on the perception of residential environment. The measurement of place attachment in this study is adopted from Kyle, Graefe, and Manning’s (2005) and Chen, Dwyer, and Firth’s (2014) evaluation based place attachment dimensionality and scales. As for the scale of environmental satisfaction, Pelletier, Legault, and Tuson’s (1996) measure was applied. All the entire variables adopted multiple-item, 5-point Likert scales were adopted, where “1” indicated “strongly disagree” and “5” indicated “strongly agree”. After pre-testing the preliminary version of the survey instrument, a revised version was developed. This study adopts structural equation modeling (SEM) based on partial least squares (PLS) modeling given the small sample size and the explorative purpose of this study (Dijkstra & Henseler, 2015a). The software used was Smart PLS 3.0. The reliability and validity of the constructs were assessed. Cronbach’s alpha and the value of CR of each construct were found to exceed the cut-off value of 0.70 (Fornell & Larcker, 1981), except for adequacy of education which is close to 0.70 (only for Cronbach’s alpha but not for CR). Furthermore, the AVE of each construct exceeded the variance attributable to its measurement error cut-off value of 0.50 (Chin, 1998; Fornell & Larcker, 1981). In addition, heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT) is recommended as a better method to test discriminant validity (Henseler, Dijkstra, Sarstedt, Ringle, Diamantopoulos, Straub, Ketchen, Hair, Hult, & Calantone, 2014). The result shows that there is neither value of the HTMT higher than the threshold of 0.85 nor confidence interval containing the value one, indicating that all the constructs exhibit satisfactory discriminant validity. The hypothesized effects in the theoretical model were tested by structural equation modeling (SEM). The first group of models tested the effect of perceived environmental quality on environmental satisfaction through place attachment i.e. initial model (Model A, Model B, Model C), while the second group of models tested the reverse effect of environmental satisfaction on perceived environmental quality through place attachment (Model D, Model E, Model F). Both the full model and the multi-group model were tested. The value of SRMR of the full model that tests either the effect of perceived environmental quality on environmental satisfaction (SRMR = 0.104, t = 41.826, p < 0.001) or the reversed effect (SRMR = 0.106, t = 37.736, p < 0.001) shows that the models fit the data quite well (Dijkstra & Henseler, 2015b). However, the former is little bit more significant. In this study, PREQI is found different impacts on place attachment and environmental satisfaction. This provides evidence to support a similar mechanism of studying residents’ psychology with SERVEQUAL model. However, the model testing is found significantly different between rural and urban samples, indicating a systematic difference in the psychology of rural and urban populations. Quality ? attachment ? satisfaction causal order is found significant and supported by both samples in this study. However, a reversed causal order model (satisfaction ? attachment ? quality) is also supported by the samples. Although the results may not be able to end the debate on alternative models between PREQ, place attachment, and environmental satisfaction, this paper provides empirical evidence from a specific context (urban and rural China) for further research. Specifically, PREQ has a significant impact on place attachment in both urban and rural areas in China. As for the impact of place attachment on environmental satisfaction as well as the indirect impact of PREQ on environmental satisfaction, the influence is more significant in cities of China compared to rural areas. This suggests in the urban areas in China, affective and emotional responses to their lives play an important role to residents. Local government in cities should balance between improving and maintaining quality of the environment and strengthening local residents’ psychological attachment to the place. Governments in rural areas, on the other hand, should lay great focus on the physical aspects of the environment including nature, health, education, commerce, and venture of the rural areas, to enhance residents’ living experience and satisfaction. Further, there are some limitations. Although this study attempts to clarify the framework of “perception-affection-attitude” in the field of environment management, considering the practical implications, the future study could bring the individuals’ behaviors or intentions into this model such as willingness-to-pay for environment-friendly products. It will also benefit from reviewing more literature on community-based social marketing.

Alkaloids from Beach Spider Lily (Hymenocallis littoralis) Induce Apoptosis of HepG-2 Cells by the Fas-signaling Pathway

Ji, Yu-Bin,Chen, Ning,Zhu, Hong-Wei,Ling, Na,Li, Wen-Lan,Song, Dong-Xue,Gao, Shi-Yong,Zhang, Wang-Cheng,Ma, Nan-Nan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

Alkaloids are the most extensively featured compounds of natural anti-tumor herbs, which have attracted much attention in pharmaceutical research. In our previous studies, a mixture of major three alkaloid components (5, 6-dihydrobicolorine, 7-deoxy-trans-dihydronarciclasine, littoraline) from Hymenocallis littoralis were extracted, analyzed and designated as AHL. In this paper, AHL extracts were added to human liver hepatocellular cells HepG-2, human gastric cancer cell SGC-7901, human breast adenocarcinoma cell MCF-7 and human umbilical vein endothelial cell EVC-304, to screen one or more AHL-sensitive tumor cell. Among these cells, HepG-2 was the most sensitive to AHL treatment, a very low dose ($0.8{\mu}g/ml$) significantly inhibiting proliferation. The non-tumor cell EVC-304, however, was not apparently affected. Effect of AHL on HepG-2 cells was then explored. We found that the AHL could cause HepG-2 cycle arrest at G2/M checkpoint, induce apoptosis, and interrupt polymerization of microtubules. In addition, expression of two cell cycle-regulated proteins, CyclinB1 and CDK1, was up-regulated upon AHL treatment. Up-regulation of the Fas, Fas ligand, Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 was observed as well, which might imply roles for the Fas/FsaL signaling pathway in the AHL-induced apoptosis of HepG-2 cells.

XRCC1 Arg399Gln Gene Polymorphism and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in the Chinese Han Population: A Meta-analysis

Duan, Wei-Hong,Zhu, Zhen-Yu,Liu, Jun-Gui,Dong, Mao-Sheng,Chen, Jun-Zhou,Liu, Quan-Dda,Xie, Yu,Sun, Ti-Ye,Gao, Ze-Feng,Zhou, Ning-Xin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Purpose: Numerous studies have evaluated the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk in the Chinese Han population. However, the results have been inconsistent. We therefore here examined whether the XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism confers hepatocellular carcinoma risk by conducting a meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, Google scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for eligible articles in English and Chinese that were published before April 2012. Results: 6 studies involving 1,246 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 1,953 controls were included. The association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese Han population was significant under GG vs AA (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.94). Limiting the analysis to the studies with controls in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the results were persistent and robust. Conclusions: In the Chinese Han population, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism is associated with an increased hepatocellular carcinoma risk.

Clinical Utility of Haptoglobin in Combination with CEA, NSE and CYFRA21-1 for Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Wang, Bing,He, Yu-Jie,Tian, Ying-Xing,Yang, Rui-Ning,Zhu, Yue-Rong,Qiu, Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.22

Purpose: To investigate the clinical value in lung cancer of a combination of four serum tumor markers, haptoglobin (Hp), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron specific enolase (NSE) as well as the cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1). Materials and Methods: Serum Hp (with immune-turbidimetric method), CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1 (with chemiluminescence method) level were assessed in 193 patients with lung cancer, 87 patients with benign lung disease and 150 healthy controls. Differences of expression were compared among groups, and joint effects of these tumor markers for the diagnosis of lung cancer were analyzed. Results: Serum tumor marker levels in patients with lung cancer were obviously higher than those with benign lung disease and normal controls (p<0.01). The sensitivities of Hp, CEA, NSE and CYFRA21-1 were 43.5%, 40.9%, 23.3% and 41.5%, with specificities of 90.7%, 99.2%, 97.9% and 97.9%. Four tumor markers combined together could produce a positive detection rate of 85.0%, significantly higher than that of any single test. With squamous carcinomas, the positive detection rates with Hp and CYFRA21-1 were higher than that of other markers. In the adenocarcinoma case, the positive detection rate of CEA was higher than that of other markers. For small cell carcinomas, the positive detection rate of NSE was highest. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve ($AUC^{ROC}$) of Hp in squamous carcinoma (0.805) was higher than in adenocarcinoma (0.664) and small cell carcinoma (0.665). Conclusions: Hp can be used as a new serum tumor marker for lung cancer. Combination detection of Hp, CEA, NSE and CYFRA21-1 could significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of lung cancer, and could be useful for pathological typing.

Serum MicroRNA Levels as a Noninvasive Diagnostic Biomarker for the Early Diagnosis of Hepatitis B Virus-Related Liver Fibrosis

( Suxia Bao ),( Jianming Zheng ),( Ning Li ),( Chong Huang ),( Mingquan Chen ),( Qi Cheng ),( Kangkang Yu ),( Shengshen Chen ),( Mengqi Zhu ),( Guangfeng Shi ) 대한간학회 2017 Gut and Liver Vol.11 No.6

Background/Aims: To investigate the role of selected serum microRNA (miRNA) levels as potential noninvasive biomarkers for differentiating S0-S2 (early fibrosis) from S3-S4 (late fibrosis) in patients with a chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: One hundred twenty-three treatment-naive patients with a chronic HBV infection who underwent a liver biopsy were enrolled in this study. The levels of selected miRNAs were measured using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. A logistic regression analysis was performed to assess factors associated with fibrosis progression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and discriminant analyses validated these the ability of these predicted variables to discriminate S0-S2 from S3-S4. Results: Serum miR-29, miR-143, miR-223, miR-21, and miR-374 levels were significantly downregulated as fibrosis progressed from S0-S2 to S3-S4 (p<0.05), but not miR-16. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a panel of three miRNAs and platelets that were associated with a high diagnostic accuracy in discriminating S0-S2 from S3-S4, with an area under the curve of 0.936. Conclusions: The levels of the studied miRNAs, with the exception of miR-16, varied with fibrosis progression. A panel was identified that was capable of discriminating S0-S2 from S3-S4, indicating that serum miRNA levels could serve as a potential noninvasive biomarker of fibrosis progression. (Gut Liver 2017;11:860-869)