Pollen record of the mid- to late-Holocene centennial climate change on the East coast of South Korea and its influential factors

Song, Bing,Yi, Sangheon,Jia, Hongjuan,Nahm, Wook-Hyun,Kim, Jin-Cheul,Lim, Jaesoo,Lee, Jin-Young,Sha, Longbin,Mao, Limi,Yang, Zhongyong,Nakanishi, Toshimichi,Hong, Wan,Li, Zhen Elsevier 2018 Journal of Asian earth sciences Vol.151 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>To understand historical climate change in western Pacific coastal areas, a sediment core (SOJ-2) from the stable sedimentary environment of the Songjiho Lagoon on the east coast of South Korea was obtained for centennial-resolution palynological analysis. The ages of the SOJ-2 core is well controlled by carbon 14 dating with high-resolution accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), and the results indicated a general warm to cold climate trend from the mid-Holocene to the present, which can be divided into two different stages: a warmer stage between 6842 and 1297 cal yr BP and a colder stage from 1297 cal yr BP to the present, with fluctuations during these stages. The climate was wetter from 6842 to 6227 cal yr BP and 4520 to 1297 cal yr BP and was drier from 6227 to 4520 cal yr BP. The climate changed to cold and dry during the period from 1297–425 cal yr BP. The impact of human activity on the climate began at approximately 1297 cal yr BP and became pronounced starting in 425 cal yr BP. The general cooling trend may represent a response to decreasing solar insolation; however, the relative dryness or wetness of the climate may have been co-determined by westerlies and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The climate had a teleconnection with the North Atlantic region, resulting from changes in solar activity. Nevertheless, EI Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity played an important role in impacting the EASM changes in western Pacific coastal areas.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> There is a centennial resolution climate record from 6842 cal yr BP to present. </LI> <LI> The general cooling trend was probably triggered by decreasing solar insolation. </LI> <LI> The precipitation was co-determined by westerlies and the East Asian Summer Monsoon. </LI> <LI> The ENSO activity may be an important factor for East Asian Summer Monsoon change. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Tumor-Derived Transforming Growth Factor-β is Critical for Tumor Progression and Evasion from Immune Surveillance

Li, Zheng,Zhang, Li-Juan,Zhang, Hong-Ru,Tian, Gao-Fei,Tian, Jun,Mao, Xiao-Li,Jia, Zheng-Hu,Meng, Zi-Yu,Zhao, Li-Qing,Yin, Zhi-Nan,Wu, Zhen-Zhou Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.13

Tumors have evolved numerous mechanisms by which they can escape from immune surveillance. One of these is to produce immunosuppressive cytokines. Transforming growth factor-${\beta}$(TGF-${\beta}$) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a crucial function in mediating immune suppression, especially in the tumor microenvironment. TGF-${\beta}$ produced by T cells has been demonstrated as an important factor for suppressing antitumor immune responses, but the role of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ in this process is poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that knockdown of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ using shRNA resulted in dramatically reduced tumor size, slowing tumor formation, prolonging survival rate of tumor-bearing mice and inhibiting metastasis. We revealed possible underlying mechanisms as reducing the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and $CD4^+Foxp3^+$ Treg cells, and consequently enhanced IFN-${\gamma}$ production by CTLs. Knockdown of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ also significantly reduced the conversion of na$\ddot{i}$ve $CD4^+$ T cells into Treg cells in vitro. Finally, we found that knockdown of TGF-${\beta}$ suppressed cell migration, but did not change the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro. In summary, our study provided evidence that tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ is a critical factor for tumor progression and evasion of immune surveillance, and blocking tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ may serve as a potential therapeutic approach for cancer.

A new high-order response surface method for structural reliability analysis

Hong-Shuang Li,Zhen-Zhou Lu,Hong-Wei Qiao 국제구조공학회 2010 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.34 No.6

In order to consider high-order effects on the actual limit state function, a new response surface method is proposed for structural reliability analysis by the use of high-order approximation concept in this study. Hermite polynomials are used to determine the highest orders of input random variables, and the sampling points for the determination of highest orders are located on Gaussian points of Gauss-Hermite integration. The cross terms between two random variables, only in case that their corresponding percent contributions to the total variation of limit state function are significant, will be added to the response surface function to improve the approximation accuracy. As a result, significant reduction in computational cost is achieved with this strategy. Due to the addition of cross terms, the additional sampling points, laid on two-dimensional Gaussian points off axis on the plane of two significant variables, are required to determine the coefficients of the approximated limit state function. All available sampling points are employed to construct the final response surface function. Then, Monte Carlo Simulation is carried out on the final approximation response surface function to estimate the failure probability. Due to the use of high order polynomial, the proposed method is more accurate than the traditional second-order or linear response surface method. It also provides much more efficient solutions than the available high-order response surface method with less loss in accuracy. The efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed method compared with those of various response surface methods available are illustrated by five numerical examples.

A new high-order response surface method for structural reliability analysis

Li, Hong-Shuang,Lu, Zhen-Zhou,Qiao, Hong-Wei Techno-Press 2010 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.34 No.6

In order to consider high-order effects on the actual limit state function, a new response surface method is proposed for structural reliability analysis by the use of high-order approximation concept in this study. Hermite polynomials are used to determine the highest orders of input random variables, and the sampling points for the determination of highest orders are located on Gaussian points of Gauss-Hermite integration. The cross terms between two random variables, only in case that their corresponding percent contributions to the total variation of limit state function are significant, will be added to the response surface function to improve the approximation accuracy. As a result, significant reduction in computational cost is achieved with this strategy. Due to the addition of cross terms, the additional sampling points, laid on two-dimensional Gaussian points off axis on the plane of two significant variables, are required to determine the coefficients of the approximated limit state function. All available sampling points are employed to construct the final response surface function. Then, Monte Carlo Simulation is carried out on the final approximation response surface function to estimate the failure probability. Due to the use of high order polynomial, the proposed method is more accurate than the traditional second-order or linear response surface method. It also provides much more efficient solutions than the available high-order response surface method with less loss in accuracy. The efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed method compared with those of various response surface methods available are illustrated by five numerical examples.

Patterns of Lymph Node Recurrence after Radical Surgery Impacting on Survival of Patients with pT1-3N0M0 Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Xiao-li Chen,,Tian-wu Chen,Zhi-jia Fang,Xiao-ming Zhang,Zhen-lin Li,Hang Li,Hong-jie Tang,Li Zhou,Dan Wang,Zishu Zhang 대한의학회 2014 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.29 No.2

The aim of this study was to investigate how patterns of lymph nodes recurrence after radical surgery impact on survival of patients with pT1-3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. One hundred eighty consecutive patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma underwent radical surgery, and the tumors were staged as pT1-3N0M0 by postoperative pathology. Lymph nodes recurrence was detected with computed tomography 3-120 months after the treatment. The patterns of lymph nodes recurrence including stations, fields and locations of recurrent lymph nodes, and impacts on patterns of survival were statistically analyzed. There was a decreasing trend of overall survival with increasing stations or fields of postoperative lymph nodes involved (all P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that stations or fields of lymph nodes recurrence, and abdominal or cervical lymph nodes involved were prognostic factors for survival(all P<0.05). Cox analyses revealed that the field was an independent factor (P<0.05, odds ratio=2.73). Lymph nodes involved occurred predominantly in cervix and upper mediastinum (P<0.05). In conclusion, patterns of lymph node recurrence especially the fields of lymph nodes involved are significant prognostic factors for survival of patients with pT1-3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Red Deer Antler Extract Accelerates Hair Growth by Stimulating Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor I in Full-thickness Wound Healing Rat Model

Yang, Zhi Hong,Gu, Li Juan,Zhang, Dong Liang,Li, Zheng,Li, Jing Jie,Lee, Mi-Ra,Wang, Chun Yan,Wang, Zhen,Cho, Jeong-Hee,Sung, Chang-Keun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2012 Animal Bioscience Vol.25 No.5

In order to investigate and evaluate the effects of red deer antlers on hair growth in the full-thickness wound healing model, Sprague-Dawley rats were given incision wounds through the full thickness of their dorsal skin and deer antler was applied for 40 days. At specified intervals thereafter (4, 8, 16, 32 and 40 days), the animals were sacrificed and the wound site skins were excised, processed, and sectioned. At post-injury days 16, 32 and 40, longer and more active new hair appeared around the healing wound of antler-treated skin. Histological studies showed that the antler extract markedly increases the depth, size, and number of hair follicles. Expression of IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor) mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and real time RT-PCR. The result showed that the expression of IGF-I (days 16, 32, and 40) was obviously up-regulated in antler-treated skins compared to control skins. Similar results were seen in the ELISA analysis to quantify the IGF-I expression. These results support the notion that wound healing can cause hair growth by enhancing the expression of IGF-I. Deer antler extract appears to have the potential to promote hair growth and could be used in hair growth products.

Sex Differences in Early and Late Recurrence after Liver Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (A Multicenter Study from China)

( Jiong-jie Yu ),( Ju-dong Li ),( Xin-fei Xu ),( Zhen-li Li ),( Jun Han ),( Hao Xing ),( Han Wu ),( Jian-hong Zhong ),( Yi-sheng Huang ),( Ya- Hao Zhou ),( Ting-hao Chen ),( Hong Wang ),( Wei-min Gu ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: There is a striking sex difference in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a strong predominance for males. However, the impact of sex on the incidence of recurrence after curative resection of HCC remains controversial. Herein, we assess sex differences in the risks of recurrence and mortality for patients undergone curative resection of HCC. Methods: Data from 1,435 HCC patients undergone curative resection (1,228 males and 207 females) between 2004 and 2014 at five institutions in China were retrospectively analyzed. Patients’ baseline characteristics, operative variables, and rates of early recurrence (≤ 2 years after resection), late recurrence (> 2 years) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) were evaluated and compared. Multivariable competing-risks regression analyses were performed to identify predictors associated with CSM, early and late recurrence. Results: The early recurrence rates between males and females were similar (43.3% vs. 42.0%, P=0.728), but the late recurrence and CSM rates in males were higher when compared to females (17.2% vs. 11.2%, P=0.044; 42.8% vs. 34.3%, P=0.022). Multivariable competing-risks regression analyses revealed no sex difference in early recurrence; however, males had significantly higher late recurrence rate [hazard ratio (HR), 1.752; 95% CI, 1.145-2.682; P=0.010] and CSM rate (HR, 1.307; 95% CI, 1.015-1.683; P=0.038) than females. Conclusions: Males had significantly higher late recurrence and CSM rates after curative resection of HCC than females. This suggests postoperative surveillance for HCC recurrence be varied by sex, especially for patients without recurrence at 2 years after resection.

Comparative Study between ZOOMit and Conventional Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MRI for Assessing Parotid Gland Abnormalities in Patients with Early- or Mid-Stage Sjögren’s Syndrome

Zhou Qing-Qing,Zhang Wei,Yu Yu-Sheng,Li Hong-Yan,Wei Liang,Li Xue-Song,He Zhen-Zhen,Zhang Hong 대한영상의학회 2022 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.23 No.4

Objective: To compare the reproducibility and performance of quantitative metrics between ZOOMit and conventional intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of early- and mid-stage Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.0 ± 10.8 years; male:female, 2:20) with early- or mid-stage SS and 20 healthy controls (46.9 ± 14.6 years; male:female, 7:13) were prospectively enrolled in our study. ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM MRI were performed simultaneously in all individuals using a 3T scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters - including tissue diffusivity (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) - inter- and intra-observer reproducibility in measuring these parameters, and their ability to distinguish patients with SS from healthy individuals were assessed and compared between ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM methods, appropriately. MR gland nodular grade (MRG) was also examined. Results: Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was better with ZOOMit imaging than with conventional IVIM imaging (ZOOMit vs. conventional, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.897–0.941 vs. 0.667–0.782 for inter-observer reproducibility and 0.891–0.968 vs. 0.814–0.853 for intra-observer reproducibility). Significant differences in ZOOMit f, ZOOMit D*, conventional D*, and MRG between patients with SS and healthy individuals (all p < 0.05) were observed. ZOOMit D* outperformed conventional D* in diagnosing early- and mid-stage SS (area under receiver operating curve, 0.867 and 0.658, respectively; p = 0.002). The combination of ZOOMit D*, MRG, and ZOOMit f as a new diagnostic index for SS, increased diagnostic area under the curve to 0.961, which was higher than that of any single parameter (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Considering its better reproducibility and performance, ZOOMit IVIM may be preferred over conventional IVIM MRI, and may subsequently improve the ability to diagnose early- and mid-stage SS.

Risk Factors, Patterns, and Outcomes of Late Recurrence after Liver Resection for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Analysis of a Multicenter Cohort over 15 Years)

( Xin-fei Xu ),( Jiong-jie Yu ),( Ju-dong Li ),( Hao Xing ),( Jun Han ),( Zhen-li Li ),( Han Wu ),( Han Zhang ),( Jian-hong Zhong ),( Yi- Sheng Huang ),( Ya-hao Zhou ),( Ting-hao Chen ),( Hong Wang ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: Late recurrence (> 2 years) after liver resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually considered as multi-centric tumors or de novo cancer formation. We aimed to investigate risk factors, patterns and outcomes of late recurrence after HCC resection. Methods: From a multicenter database from 2001 to 2015, 734 patients who were alive and recurrence-free at 2 years after curative resection of initial HCC were enrolled into this retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analysis were used to identify independent risk factors of late recurrence. Patterns, treatments and outcomes of late recurrence were investigated and analyzed. Results: During a median follow-up of 78.0 months after surgery, 303 patients (41.3%) developed late recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed that cirrhosis, macroscopic vascular invasion, satellites, and tumor size > 5cm were independent risk factors of late recurrence. Among them, 273 (90.1%) were sole intrahepatic recurrence, 30 (9.9%) were concurrent intrahepatic and extrahepatic recurrence, and none of them was sole extrahepatic recurrence; 165 (54.4%) patients received curative treatments for recurrent HCC, including re-resection, transplantation and local ablation. Multivariate analysis showed regular postoperative surveillance and receiving curative treatments were two independent protective factors of prolonging survival for those patients with late recurrence. Conclusions: Late recurrence is correlated with cirrhosis and certain tumor-related characteristics of initial HCC. The patterns of late recurrence suggest that postoperative surveillance after 2 years of surgery could be adjusted and more targeted. Regular postoperative surveillance improves the probability to receive curative treatments again, yielding to better outcomes for patients with late recurrence.

Risk Factors for Anxiety in Major Depressive Disorder Patients

Li-Min Xin,Lin Chen,Zhen-Peng Ji,Suo-Yuan Zhang,Jun Wang,Yan-Hong Liu,Da-Fang Chen,Fu-De Yang,Gang Wang,Yi-Ru Fang,Zheng Lu,Hai-Chen Yang,Jian Hu,Zhi-Yu Chen,Yi Huang,Jing Sun,Xiao-Ping Wang,Hui-Chun 대한정신약물학회 2015 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.13 No.3

Objective: To analyze the sociodemographic and clinical factors related to anxiety in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from the Diagnostic Assessment Service for People with Bipolar Disorders in China (DASP), which was initiated by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry (CSP) and conducted from September 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. Based on the presence or absence of anxiety-related characteristics, 1,178 MDD patients were classified as suffering from anxious depression (n=915) or non-anxious depression (n=263), respectively. Results: Compared with the non-anxious group, the anxious-depression group had an older age at onset (t=−4.39, p<0.001), were older (t=−4.69, p<0.001), reported more lifetime depressive episodes (z=−3.24, p=0.001), were more likely to experience seasonal depressive episodes (χ2=6.896, p=0.009) and depressive episodes following stressful life events (χ2=59.350, p <0.001), and were more likely to have a family history of psychiatric disorders (χ2=6.091, p=0.014). Their positive and total scores on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the 32-item Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) (p<0.05) were also lower. The logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, p<0.001), a lower total MDQ score (OR=0.94, p=0.011), depressive episodes following stressful life events (OR=3.04, p<0.001), and seasonal depressive episodes (OR=1.75, p=0.039) were significantly associated with anxious depression. Conclusion: These findings indicate that older age, fewer subclinical bipolar features, an increased number of depressive episodes following stressful life events, and seasonal depressive episodes may be risk factors for anxiety-related characteristics in patients with MDD.