Resonant-Frequency-Dependent Flux Noise of a High-TC rf SQUID Coupled to a Substrate Resonator

Ji-Cheng Chen,Hong-Chang Yang,Chiu-Hsien Wu,Herng-Er Horng,Jen-Tzong Jeng,Kuen-Lin Chen 한국물리학회 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.48 No.5I

In the recent development of a high-TC rf SQUID magnetometer, Zhang et al. used a SrTiO3 substrate resonator with a YBCO thin film flux concentrator on it. The effective area was improved by a flux concentrator. However, there was no study of the resonant frequency of the substrate resonator. In this work, the frequency-dependent flux noise of a high-TC rf SQUID coupled to a substrate resonator was investigated. The results were analyzed with the noise theory. The optimization of the SQUID with a substrate resonator and its flux noise are discussed.

Individualized Concurrent Chemotherapy for Patients with Stage III–IVa Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Combined with Definitive Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy

Pengjie Ji,Qiongjiao Lu,Xiaoqiang Chen,Yuebing Chen,Xiane Peng,Zhiwei Chen,Cheng Lin,Shaojun Lin,Jingfeng Zong 대한암학회 2023 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.55 No.4

Purpose This retrospective study aimed to re-evaluate the effect of concurrent chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the era of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and Methods A total of 498 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or IMRT were retrospectively reviewed. The distribution of baseline characteristics was balanced using propensity score matching. Additionally, the results of NCT+IMRT and NCT+CCRT were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and differences in survival rates were analyzed using the log rank test. Results There were no significant differences in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and local progression-free survival (LRFS) between the two groups. Patients were further categorized into risk subgroups based on pretreatment Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA cutoff values using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. There were no statistically significant differences in OS, PFS, DMFS, and LRFS between patients who received NCT+CCRT and NCT+IMRT in the high-risk group. In the low-risk group, although there were no differences between NCT+CCRT and NCT+IMRT in OS, PFS, and LRFS, patients who received NCT+CCRT had better DMFS than those who received NCT+IMRT. Conclusion Pretreatment EBV DNA level can be used to individualize concurrent chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced NPC. Patients with low pretreatment EBV DNA levels may benefit from concurrent chemotherapy, whereas those with high levels may not. Other treatment modalities need to be explored for high-risk patients to improve their prognosis.

Interventional Therapy for Renal Artery Pseudoaneurysms

Ji, Wen-Bin,Wang, Wei-Zheng,Sun, Song,Mi, Yu-Cheng,Xu, Qiong,Chen, Yi-Er,Yang, Song,Tao, Dan,Xu, Wei,Xu, Chao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

The aim of this study was to explore the angiographic diagnosis and embolization therapy for renal artery pseudoaneurysms due to acute urinary tract hemorrhage after conservative medical management failed. Seven out of ten cases had fever symptoms after the kidney surgery. The pseudoaneurysms were treated with gelatin sponge and (or) spring coil and the majority demonstrated rapid blockage of hemorrhage. Angiography diagnosis and trans catheter embolization are rapid, safe and effective methods for diagnosis and treatment of renal artery pseudoaneurysms.

Factors Potentially Associated with Chemotherapy-induced Anemia in Patients with Solid Cancers

Cheng, Ke,Zhao, Feng,Gao, Feng,Dong, Hang,Men, Hai-Tao,Chen, Ye,Li, Long-Hao,Ge, Jun,Tang, Jie,Ding, Jing,Chen, Xin,Du, Yang,Luo, Wu-Xia,Liu, Ji-Yan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.10

Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) is one of the most important causes of anemia in cancer patients. This study was conducted to describe the prevalence and characteristics of CIA in solid cancer patients in the Chinese population, and to explore the relationship of white blood cell (WBC) or platelet decrease with CIA. Methods: Data on age, gender, tumor diagnosis, anti-cancer treatment and blood cell analyses were available from 220 untreated non-anemic cancer patients who received at least 2 cycles of chemotherapy, and the data were analyzed to assess their relationship with CIA or its severity. Results: 139 patients (63.2%) presented anemia, most being Grade 1 or 2. Esophageal and lung cancers were associated with a high prevalence. G3/4 leucopenia and decrease of platelets were identified as independent risk factors for the occurrence of CIA. Moreover, G3/4 leucopenia, decrease of platelet and G3/4 thrombocytopenia were found to be also associated with the severity of CIA. Cisplatin-containing regimens were a main potential factor in causing CIA, although significant association was only found on univariate analysis. Conclusion: Anemia or decrease in hematoglobin are common in Chinese cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Cisplatin-containing regimens might be an important factor influencing the occurrence of CIA. Our analysis firstly described some risk factors, such as decrease of platelets or WBCs, severity of leucopenia or thrombocytopenia, associated with the occurrence and severity of CIA.

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.

Optical Super-Resolution Imaging of Surface Reactions

Chen, Tao,Dong, Bin,Chen, Kuangcai,Zhao, Fei,Cheng, Xiaodong,Ma, Changbei,Lee, Seungah,Zhang, Peng,Kang, Seong Ho,Ha, Ji Won,Xu, Weilin,Fang, Ning American Chemical Society 2017 Chemical reviews Vol.117 No.11

<P>Optical super-resolution imaging has gained momentum in investigations of heterogeneous and homogeneous chemical reactions at the single-molecule level. Thanks to its exceptional spatial resolution and ability to monitor dynamic systems, much detailed information on single-molecule reaction/adsorption processes and single-particle catalytic processes has been revealed, including chemical kinetics and reaction dynamics; active-site distributions on single-particle surfaces; and size-, shape-, and facet-dependent catalytic activities of individual nanocatalysts. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advances in super-resolution chemical imaging of surface reactions.</P>

Induction of Changes in Morphology, Reactive Nitrogen/Oxygen Intermediates and Apoptosis of Duck Macrophages by Aflatoxin B₁

Cheng, Yeong-Hsiang,Shen, Tian-Fuh,Chen, Bao-Ji Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2002 Animal Bioscience Vol.15 No.11

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aflatoxin $B_1$ ($AFB_1$) on the ultracellular morphology alteration, apoptosis induction and reactive nitrogen and oxygen intermediates production of peritoneal macrophages (DPM) from mule ducks. The ducklings were purchased from a commercial hatchery, and were fed a corn-soybean based diet. As the ducklings were grown up to 3 wk of age, the Sephadex-elicited peritoneal exudative cells (PEC) were used as the source for duck peritoneal macrophages. The ultracellular morphology study showed that significant number of cells shifted from category I (normal cell with ruffled membrane) and II (cell membrane blebbing) to category III (cell membrane blebbing and even rupture) after DPM were incubated with $AFB_1$ ($20{\mu}g/ml$) for 12 to 48 h. When DPM were exposed to $AFB_1$ in vitro, the production of NO, $H_2O_2$ and $O_2{^-}$ in macrophages was reduced after 12-48 h incubation with previous LPS stimulation. There was a DNA laddering pattern observed in DPM incubated with $AFB_1$ 5, 10, 20, 50 or $100{\mu}g/ml$ for 12 h. Evidence also revealed that the percentage of apoptotic cells was increased along with the elevation of $AFB_1$ concentration. The results suggest that $AFB_1$ exposure causes duck macrophages going on apoptotic pathway through evidence of ultracellular morphology alteration and DNA laddering in agarose electrophoresis. The production of reactive nitrogen and oxygen intermediates of duck macrophages also depressed after $AFB_1$ exposure, and this implied that $AFB_1$ could cause deteriorated functions of bacteriocidal and tumoricidal activity in duck macrophages.

RASAL1 Attenuates Gastric Carcinogenesis in Nude Mice by Blocking RAS/ERK Signaling

Chen, Hong,Zhao, Ji-Yi,Qian, Xu-Chen,Cheng, Zheng-Yuan,Liu, Yang,Wang, Zhi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.3

Recent studies have suggested that the RAS protein activator like-1 (RASAL1) functions as a tumor suppressor in vitro and may play an important role in the development of gastric cancer. However, whether or not RASAL1 suppresses tumor growth in vivo remains to be determined. In the present study, we investigated the role of RASAL1 in gastric carcinogenesis using an in vivo xenograft model. A lentiviral RASAL1 expression vector was constructed and utilized to transfect the human poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma cell line, BGC-823. RASAL1 expression levels were verified by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Then, we established the nude mice xenograft model using BGC-823 cells either over-expressing RASAL1 or normal. After three weeks, the results showed that the over-expression of RASAL1 led to a significant reduction in both tumor volume and weight compared with the other two control groups. Furthermore, in xenograft tissues the increased expression of RASAL1 in BGC-823 cells caused decreased expression of p-ERK1/2, a downstream moleculein the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signal pathway. These findings demonstrated that the over-expression of RASAL1 could inhibit the growth of gastric cancer by inactivation of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway in vivo. This study indicates that RASAL1 may attenuate gastric carcinogenesis.

The association of ambient air pollution with airway inflammation in schoolchildren.

Chen, Bing-Yu,Chan, Chang-Chuan,Lee, Chung-Te,Cheng, Tsun-Jen,Huang, Wen-Chuan,Jhou, Ji-Ci,Han, Yueh-Ying,Chen, Chu-Chih,Guo, Yue Leon School of Hygiene and Public Health of the Johns H 2012 American Journal of Epidemiology Vol.175 No.8

<P>The biologic mechanisms involved in airway inflammatory response to air pollution are not clearly understood. The authors conducted a longitudinal study to investigate whether exposure to ambient air pollutants affected inflammatory cells and mediators from nasal lavage in schoolchildren. Study participants were 100 elementary and middle-school students in New Taipei City, Taiwan. A structured respiratory health questionnaire was administered in September 2007, followed by monthly measurement of nasal inflammation from October 2007 to November 2009. During the study period, daily concentrations of air pollutants were obtained from the Environmental Protection Administration monitoring station and the Aerosol Supersite. Mixed-effects models were applied to examine the association between air pollution and nasal inflammatory cells and mediators, including percentages of neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes in lavaged cells and interleukin-8. A total of 824 measurements were obtained from 100 participants over a period of 10 months. The level of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM(2.5)) was found to be associated with percentage of neutrophils (β = 3.45%, 95% confidence interval: 0.89, 6.01) and interleukin-8 level (β = 29.98 pg/mL, 95% confidence interval: 3.26, 56.69) in the nasal lavage on the day of exposure. In this longitudinal cohort study of schoolchildren, results indicated that exposure to PM(2.5) might induce nasal inflammation.</P>

Effect of Aflatoxin B₁ on the Function of Peritoneal Macrophage from Mule Duck

Cheng, Yeong-Hsiang,Shen, Tian-Fuh,Pang, Victor Fei,Chen, Bao-Ji Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2002 Animal Bioscience Vol.15 No.3

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of aflatoxin $B_1$ ($AFB_1$) alone or mixed function oxidase (MFO)-activated $AFB_1$ on various functions of mule duck peritoneal macrophages. Duck peritoneal macrophages were incubated with $AFB_1$ 0, 5, 10, 20, 50 and $100 {\mu}g/ml$ for 12 h. The cell viability significantly declined as the concentration of $AFB_1$ increased and more obviously detrimental effects was noticed in MFO-metabolized $AFB_1$ treatments. Either in opsonized or unopsonized Candida albicans, phagocytotic ability of macrophages was decreased with the elevation of the concentration of $AFB_1$. Significantly higher levels of macrophages were damaged in MFO-metabolized $AFB_1$ than $AFB_1$ alone in concentrations above $20{\mu}g/ml$. The cytotoxicity activity was in the range of 41 to 33% after exposure to $AFB_1$ 5 to $100{\mu}g/ml$, and a significant higher TNF-like substance secretion by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was obtained. When LPS was present in the medium, the percentage of cytotoxicity was higher than all treatments of $AFB_1$ both with and without MFO-activation in the absence of LPS. The results suggest that MFO-metabolized $AFB_1$ can alter cell viability and morphology of duck macrophages more than $AFB_1$ administered alone. Both with and without MFOactivation, $AFB_1$ has detrimental effects on phagocytotic ability and TNF-like substance secretion, increasing with level of $AFB_1$.