Combined Screening of Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer and Reproductive Tract Infections in Rural China

Li, Zhi-Fang,Wang, Shao-Ming,Shi, Ju-Fang,Zhao, Fang-Hui,Ma, Jun-Fei,Qiao, You-Lin,Feng, Xiang-Xian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence and knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) in rural Chinese women, and to explore the acceptance and feasibility of implementing a combined screening program in rural China. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 30 to 59 years old in Xiangyuan County, Shanxi Province from 2009 to 2010. Socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and RTIs, and the attitude toward single or combined screening were collected by an interview questionnaire. Each participant received a clinical examination of the cervix, breast and reproductive tract. Examinations included visual inspection, mammography, laboratory tests and pathological diagnosis. Results: A total of 1,530 women were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of cervical precancerous lesions, suspicious breast cancer, suspicious benign breast disease and RTIs was 1.4%, 0.2%, 14.0% and 54.3%, respectively. Cervicitis, trichomonas vaginitis, and bacterial vaginitis were the three most common RTIs among our participants. Television, radio broadcast, and public education during screening were the major source of healthcare knowledge in rural China. Moreover 99.7% of women expressed great interest in participating in a combined screening project. The affordable limit for combined screening project was only 50 RMB for more than half of the rural women. Conclusion: A combined screening program would be more effective and popular than single disease screening projects, while appropriate accompanied education and a co-pay model for its successful implementation need to be explored, especially in low-resource settings.

Quality of Life of Male Spouse Caregivers for Breast Cancer Patients in China

Zhu, Ping,Fu, Ju-Fang,Wang, Bo,Lin, Jing,Wang, Yan,Fang, Ning-Ning,Wang, Dan-Dan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of male spouse caregivers of breast cancer patients in China, assess their quality of life (QOL), and investigate the influencing factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 243 breast cancer patient-spouse caregiver dyads were recruited from four hospitals in Shanxi and Anhui province of China. A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data and the Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) was used to measure caregivers' QOL, and the Chinese version of M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) was applied to measure patient symptom severity and interference. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the correlations between caregiver burden and QOL. The multiple regression analysis was used to determine the most predictive factors influencing QOL. Results: The scores of all SF-36 scales were above 50.0, which were much lower than that of general mainland Chinese males. Mental QOL was significantly worse than physical QOL. Spouses demographic characteristics, caregiving-related variables and patient symptoms were related to spouse QOL. Caregiver burden has a negative relationship with QOL. Conclusions: A decrease in life events and patient symptoms, as well as increase in spouse sleeping time and family income, ought to improve QOL.

SDSS J013127.34-032100.1: A NEWLY DISCOVERED RADIO-LOUD QUASAR AT <i>z</i> = 5.18 WITH EXTREMELY HIGH LUMINOSITY

Yi, Wei-Min,Wang, Feige,Wu, Xue-Bing,Yang, Jinyi,Bai, Jin-Ming,Fan, Xiaohui,Brandt, William N.,Ho, Luis C.,Zuo, Wenwen,Kim, Minjin,Wang, Ran,Yang, Qian,Zhang, Ju-jia,Wang, Fang,Wang, Jian-Guo,Ai, Yanl IOP Publishing 2014 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.795 No.2

<P>Very few of the z > 5 quasars discovered to date have been radio-loud, with radio-to-optical flux ratios (radio-loudness parameters) higher than 10. Here we report the discovery of an optically luminous radio-loud quasar, SDSS J013127.34-032100.1 (J0131-0321 in short), at z = 5.18 +/- 0.01 using the Lijiang 2.4 m and Magellan telescopes. J0131-0321 has a spectral energy distribution consistent with that of radio-loud quasars. With an i-band magnitude of 18.47 and a radio flux density of 33 mJy, its radio-loudness parameter is similar to 100. The optical and near-infrared spectra taken by Magellan enable us to estimate its bolometric luminosity to be L-bol similar to 1.1 x 10(48) erg s(-1), approximately 4.5 times greater than that of the most distant quasar known to date. The black hole mass of J0131-0321 is estimated to be 2.7 x 10(9) M-circle dot, with an uncertainty up to 0.4 dex. Detailed physical properties of this high-redshift, radio-loud, potentially super-Eddington quasar can be probed in the future with more dedicated and intensive follow-up observations using multi-wavelength facilities.</P>

Paleostress reconstructions and stress regimes in the Nanchuan region of Sichuan Basin, South China: implications for hydrocarbon exploration

Wei Ju,Jilin Wang,Huihuang Fang,Yunpeng Gong,Shanjin Zhang 한국지질과학협의회 2017 Geosciences Journal Vol.21 No.4

The Longmaxi shales are the major hydrocarbon source rocks for Sichuan Basin and adjacent regions in China. Tectonic stress field is important in controling the migration and accumulation of shale gas. In the present study, natural fractures in the Nanchuan region of Sichuan Basin were extensively studied and analyzed with the Rotational Optimization Method (ROM) to reconstruct paleostress fields and their transformation processes. The dominant strikes of natural fractures were in the NW-SE, NESW, NWW-SEE and NEE-SWW directions with high-angle oblique or vertical (70~90°) dip angles. Paleostress reconstructions indicated that the Late Yanshanian and Late Himalayan stress fields controlled the tectonics in the Nanchuan region. The orientation of the maximum principal stress (σ1) during the Late Yanshanian and Late Himalayan period was ~NW-SE and ~NE-SW trending, respectively. In addition, the majority of stress regimes during the two tectonic stages were strike-slip regimes (SS). Remote effects of the westward subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate activated the Xuefengshan tectonic zone and generated the Late Yanshanian paleostress field. Later, the change in the stress field was due to the variation of tectonic activity intensity in the Xuefengshan and Dabashan tectonic zones. The paleotectonic stress fields and their transformation processes comprehensively influenced the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in the Nanchuan region.

A Multi-center Survey of HPV Knowledge and Attitudes Toward HPV Vaccination among Women, Government Officials, and Medical Personnel in China

Zhao, Fang-Hui,Tiggelaar, Sarah M.,Hu, Shang-Ying,Zhao, Na,Hong, Ying,Niyazi, Mayinuer,Gao, Xiao-Hong,Ju, Li-Rong,Zhang, Li-Qin,Feng, Xiang-Xian,Duan, Xian-Zhi,Song, Xiu-Ling,Wang, Jing,Yang, Yun,Li, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Objectives: To assess knowledge of HPV and attitudes towards HPV vaccination among the general female population, government officials, and healthcare providers in China to assist the development of an effective national HPV vaccination program. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiologic survey was conducted across 21 urban and rural sites in China using a short questionnaire. 763 government officials, 760 healthcare providers, and 11,681 women aged 15-59 years were included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed using standard descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: Knowledge of HPV among the general female population was low; only 24% had heard of HPV. Less than 20% of healthcare providers recognized sexually na$\ddot{i}$ve women as the most appropriate population for HPV vaccination. There was high acceptance of the HPV vaccine for all categories of respondents. Only 6% of women were willing to pay more than US $300 for the vaccine. Conclusions: Aggressive education is necessary to increase knowledge of HPV and its vaccine. Further proof of vaccine safety and efficacy and government subsidies combined with increased awareness could facilitate development and implementation of HPV vaccination in China.

Serum Uric Acid Relation for Hearing Threshold Shiftt

Hui-Fang Yang,Tung-Wei Kao,Tao-Chun Peng,Yu-Shan Sun,Fang-Yih Liaw,Chung-Ching Wang,Ju-Ting Hsueh,Wei-Liang Chen 대한이비인후과학회 2017 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.10 No.2

Objectives. The effects of serum uric acid (UA) level on a variety of diseases were found from experimental and observational studies via oxidative stress and anti-oxidants. However, research on the association of UA and hearing thresholds is relatively sparse. We investigated this issue in the U.S. general population to evaluate the relationship of serum UA levels and pure tone threshold of hearing. Methods. Forty four thousand eighty four eligible participants aged 20 to 69 years who have serum UA data and received Audiometry Examination Component were enrolled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004. Hearing thresholds (dB) as a pure tone average at low frequencies (0.5, 1, 2 kHz) and at high frequencies (3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz) were computed. Multivariate linear regression models and tertile-based analysis with an extended-model approach for covariates adjustment were used to assess the correlation between serum UA level and hearing thresholds. Results. In the adjusted mode of tertile-based analysis, the regression coefficients elucidated as the change of log-transformed mean hearing thresholds upon comparing participants in the highest tertile of serum UA to those in the lowest tertile were –0.067 (P=0.023) in high frequency and –0.058 (P=0.054) in low frequency. After adjusting for multiple pertinent covariates, inverse association between tertiles of serum UA and hearing thresholds remained essentially unchanged. The negative trends between serum UA and hearing thresholds were statistically significant (P for trends <0.05) in tertile-based multiple linear regressions. Conclusion. Individuals with elevated UA levels independently were found to be inversely associated with hearing thresholds for pure tone audiometry in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

Evaluation of Malignancy Risk of Ampullary Tumors Detected by Endoscopy Using 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT

Chuang Pei-Ju,Wang Hsiu-Po,Tien Yu-Wen,Chin Wei-Shan,Hsieh Min-Shu,Chen Chieh-Chang,Hong Tzu-Chan,Ko Chi-Lun,Wu Yen-Wen,Cheng Mei-Fang 대한영상의학회 2024 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.25 No.3

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (2-[18F]FDG PET/CT) can aid in evaluating the risk of malignancy in ampullary tumors detected by endoscopy. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study analyzed 155 patients (79 male, 76 female; mean age, 65.7 ± 12.7 years) receiving 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT for endoscopy-detected ampullary tumors 5–87 days (median, 7 days) after the diagnostic endoscopy between June 2007 and December 2020. The final diagnosis was made based on histopathological findings. The PET imaging parameters were compared with clinical data and endoscopic features. A model to predict the risk of malignancy, based on PET, endoscopy, and clinical findings, was generated and validated using multivariable logistic regression analysis and an additional bootstrapping method. The final model was compared with standard endoscopy for the diagnosis of ampullary cancer using the DeLong test. Results: The mean tumor size was 17.1 ± 7.7 mm. Sixty-four (41.3%) tumors were benign, and 91 (58.7%) were malignant. Univariable analysis found that ampullary neoplasms with a blood-pool corrected peak standardized uptake value in earlyphase scan (SUVe) ≥ 1.7 were more likely to be malignant (odds ratio [OR], 16.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.13–36.18; P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified the presence of jaundice (adjusted OR [aOR], 4.89; 95% CI, 1.80–13.33; P = 0.002), malignant traits in endoscopy (aOR, 6.80; 95% CI, 2.41–19.20; P < 0.001), SUVe ≥ 1.7 in PET (aOR, 5.43; 95% CI, 2.00–14.72; P < 0.001), and PET-detected nodal disease (aOR, 5.03; 95% CI, 1.16–21.86; P = 0.041) as independent predictors of malignancy. The model combining these four factors predicted ampullary cancers better than endoscopic diagnosis alone (area under the curve [AUC] and 95% CI: 0.925 [0.874–0.956] vs. 0.815 [0.732–0.873], P < 0.001). The model demonstrated an AUC of 0.921 (95% CI, 0.816–0.967) in candidates for endoscopic papillectomy. Conclusion: Adding 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT to endoscopy can improve the diagnosis of ampullary cancer and may help refine therapeutic decision-making, particularly when contemplating endoscopic papillectomy.

Overcoming 5-Fu Resistance of Colon Cells through Inhibition of Glut1 by the Specific Inhibitor WZB117

Liu, Wei,Fang, Yong,Wang, Xiao-Tong,Liu, Ju,Dan, Xing,Sun, Lu-Lu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.17

Background: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most commonly used drug in colon cancer therapy. However, despite impressive clinical responses initially, development of drug resistance to 5-Fu in human tumor cells is the primary cause of failure of chemotherapy. In this study, we established a 5-Fu-resistant human colon cancer cell line for comparative chemosensitivity studies. Materials and Methods: Real time PCR and Western blotting were used to determine gene expression levels. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Glucose uptake was assess using an Amplex Red Glucose/Glucose Oxidase assay kit. Results: We found that 5-Fu resistance was associated with the overexpression of Glut1 in colon cancer cells. 5-Fu treatment at low toxic concentration induced Glut1 expression. At the same time, upregulation of Glut1 was detected in 5-Fu resistant cells when compared with their parental cells. Importantly, inhibition of Glut1 by a specific inhibitor, WZB117, significantly increased the sensitivity of 5-Fu resistant cells to the drug. Conclusions: This study provides novel information for the future development of targeted therapies for the treatment of chemo-resistant colon cancer patients. In particular it demonstrated that Glut1 inhibitors such as WZB117 may be considered an additional treatment options for patients with 5-Fu resistant colon cancers.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Its Application in Lipase Immobilization

Xu, Jiakun,Ju, Caixia,Sheng, Jun,Wang, Fang,Zhang, Quan,Sun, Guolong,Sun, Mi Korean Chemical Society 2013 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.34 No.8

We demonstrate herein the synthesis and modification of magnetic nanoparticles and its use in the immobilization of the lipase. Magnetic $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitation method in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magnetic nanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property and chemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these three nanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturation magnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The amino content was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the protein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount of immobilized lipase was 23.7 mg $g^{-1}$. Immobilization of enzyme on the magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate the isolation of reaction products from reaction mixture and thus lowers the cost of enzyme application.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Its Application in Lipase Immobilization

Jiakun Xu,Caixia Ju,Jun Sheng,Fang Wang,Quan Zhang,Guolong Sun,Mi Sun 대한화학회 2013 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.34 No.8

We demonstrate herein the synthesis and modification of magnetic nanoparticles and its use in the immobilization of the lipase. Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitation method in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3- aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magnetic nanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property and chemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these three nanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturation magnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The amino content was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the protein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount of immobilized lipase was 23.7 mg g−1. Immobilization of enzyme on the magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate the isolation of reaction products from reaction mixture and thus lowers the cost of enzyme application.