Effect of Different Nanofillers on Non-Isothermal Crystallization Kinetics and Electric Conductivity of Dynamically-Vulcanized PP-EPDM Blends

Bin Yang,Lei Hu,Ru Xia,Fang Chen,Shu-Chun Zhao,Yan-Li Deng,Ming Cao,Jiasheng Qian,Peng Chen 한국고분자학회 2016 Macromolecular Research Vol.24 No.1

In this study, nanofillers composed of hydroxylated carbon nanotubes (h-CNT), carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene (GR) were separately added into the dynamically-vulcanized polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-propylenediene monomer (EPDM) blend. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and electrical resistivity measurements were employed to study the effect of nanofillers on the melt behavior, non-isothermal crystallization behavior and electrical conductivity of the prepared composites. WAXD results showed that h-CNT had a better induction effect of β-PP in the nanocomposites. The sequence of the activity in inducing the formation of β-PP was h-CNT>GR>CNT. However, the total crystallinity of the nanocomposites nearly remained constant. Non-isothermal crystallization kinetic analysis indicated that the presence of nanofillers improved the crystallization rate of the nanocomposites. The consequence of nucleation activity was as follows: CNT>GR>h-CNT. Although EPDM hindered the macromolecular motion of PP, interestingly it could increase the crystallization rate to an extent. Besides, the influence of nanofillers on enhancing the conductive property of the nanocomposites can be ranked as follow: CNT>GR>h-CNT.

Incidence, Survival and Prevalence of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer in Linzhou City from 2003 to 2009

Liu, Shu-Zheng,Wang, Bing,Zhang, Fang,Chen, Qiong,Yu, Liang,Cheng, Lan-Ping,Sun, Xi-Bin,Duan, Guang-Cai Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

This study describes recent trends in incidence, survival and prevalence of subgroups of esophageal and gastric cancer in Linzhou city between 2003 and 2009. Data of esophageal and gastric cancer for the period of interest were extracted from the Linzhou Cancer Registry. Using information on tumor morphology or anatomical site, data were divided into six groups; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, other and unspecified types of esophageal cancer, and cardia, non-cardia, and unspecified anatomical site of stomach cancer. Incidence, survival and prevalence rates for each of the six cancer groups were calculated. The majority of esophageal cancers were squamous cell carcinomas (82%). Cardiac cancer was the major gastric cancer group (64%). The incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cardiac cancer increased between 2003 and 2009. Both esophageal and gastric cancer had a higher incidence in males compared with females. Overall survival was poor in all sub-groups with 1 year survival ranging from 45.9 to 65.6% and 5 year survival ranging from 14.7 to 30.5%. Prevalence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cardiac cancer was high (accounting for 80% overall). An increased focus on prevention and early diagnosis, especially in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cardiac cancer, is required.

Time Trends of Esophageal Cancer Mortality in Linzhou City During the Period 1988-2010 and a Bayesian Approach Projection for 2020

Liu, Shu-Zheng,Zhang, Fang,Quan, Pei-Liang,Lu, Jian-Bang,Liu, Zhi-Cai,Sun, Xi-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

In recent decades, decreasing trends in esophageal cancer mortality have been observed across China. We here describe esophageal cancer mortality trends in Linzhou city, a high-incidence region of esophageal cancer in China, during 1988-2010 and make a esophageal cancer mortality projection in the period 2011-2020 using a Bayesian approach. Age standardized mortality rates were estimated by direct standardization to the World population structure in 1985. A Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) analysis was carried out in order to investigate the effect of the age, period and birth cohort on esophageal cancer mortality in Linzhou during 1988-2010 and to estimate future trends for the period 2011-2020. Age-adjusted rates for men and women decreased from 1988 to 2005 and changed little thereafter. Risk increased from 30 years of age until the very elderly. Period effects showed little variation in risk throughout 1988-2010. In contrast, a cohort effect showed risk decreased greatly in later cohorts. Forecasting, based on BAPC modeling, resulted in a increasing burden of mortality and a decreasing age standardized mortality rate of esophageal cancer in Linzhou city. The decrease of esophageal cancer mortality risk since the 1930 cohort could be attributable to the improvements of socialeconomic environment and lifestyle. The standardized mortality rates of esophageal cancer should decrease continually. The effect of aging on the population could explain the increase in esophageal mortality projected for 2020.

Prognostic Impact of Cyclin D1, Cyclin E and P53 on Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumours

Liu, Shu-Zheng,Zhang, Fang,Chang, Yu-Xi,Ma, Jie,Li, Xu,Li, Xiao-Hong,Fan, Jin-Hu,Duan, Guang-Cai,Sun, Xi-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Conventional classifications of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETs) are rather unsatisfactory because of the variation in survival within each subgroup. Molecular markers are being found able to predict patient outcome in more and more tumours. The aim of this study was to characterize the expression of the proteins cyclin D1, cyclin E and P53 in GEP-NETs and assess any prognostic impact. Tumor specimens from 68 patients with a complete follow-up were studied immunohistochemically for cyclin D1, cyclin E and P53 expression. High cyclin D1 and cyclin E immunostaining (${\geq}$ 5% positive nuclei) was found in 48 (71%) and 24 (35%) cases, and high P53 staining (${\geq}$ 10% positive nuclei) in 33 (49%). High expression of P53 was more common in gastric neuroendocrine tumors and related to malignant behavior, being associate with a worse prognosis on univariate analysis (RR=1.9, 95%CI=1.1-3.2). High expression of cyclin E was significantly associated with shorter survival in the univariate analysis (RR=2.0, 95%CI=1.2-3.6) and multivariate analysis (RR=2.1, 95%CI=1.1-4.0). We found no significant correlation between the expression of cyclin D1 and any clinicopathological variables. Our study indicated a prognostic relevance for cyclin E and P53 immunoreactivity. Cyclin E may be an independent prognostic factor from the 2010 WHO Classification which should be evaluated in further studies.

Prognostic Value of PLCE1 Expression in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Cui, Xiao-Bin,Peng, Hao,Li, Su,Li, Ting-Ting,Liu, Chun-Xia,Zhang, Shu-Mao,Jin, Ting-Ting,Hu, Jian-Ming,Jiang, Jin-Fang,Liang, Wei-Hua,Li, Na,Li, Li,Chen, Yun-Zhao,Li, Feng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.22

Background: A number of studies have identified a shared susceptibility locus in phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and gastric cardia adenocarcinomas (GCA). However, the results of PLCE1 expression in esophageal and gastric cancer remain inconsistent and controversial. Moreover, the effects on clinicopathological features remain undetermined. This study aimed to provide a precise quantification of the association between PLCE1 expression and the risk of ESCC and GCA through meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Eligible studies were identified from PubMed, Wanfang Data, ISI Web of Science, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Using RevMan5.2 software, pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to assess the association of PLCE1 expression with clinicopathological features relative to ESCC or GCA. Results: Seven articles were identified, including 761 esophageal and gastric cancer cases and 457 controls. Overall, we determined that PLCE1 expression was associated with tumor progression in both esophageal cancers (pooled OR=5.93; 95%CI=3.86 to 9.11) and gastric cancers (pooled OR=9.73; 95%CI=6.46 to 14.7). Moreover, invasion depth (pooled OR=3.62; 95%CI=2.30 to 5.70) and lymph node metastasis (pooled OR=4.21; 95%CI=2.69 to 6.59) were linked with PLCE1 expression in gastric cancer. However, no significant associations were determined between PLCE1 overexpression and the histologic grade, invasion depth, and lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer. Conclusions: Our metaanalysis results indicated that upregulated PLCE1 is significantly associated with an increased risk of tumor progression in ESCC and GCA. Therefore, PLCE1 expression can be appropriately regarded as a promising biomarker for ESCC and GCA patients.

Development of a Serum-Free Culture Method for Endothelial Cells of the Stria Vascularis and Their Pro-inflammatory Secretome Changes Induced by Oxidative Stress

Ying Yi,Shu-Bin Fang,Guan-Xia Xiong,Xian-Ren Wang,Hui-Ting Chen,Wan-Yi Huang,Li-Xuan Feng 대한이비인후과학회 2023 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.16 No.1

Objectives. Reactive oxygen species in the stria vascularis (SV) of the cochlea may be involved in the pathogenesis of sen-sorineural hearing loss. However, the effects of oxidative stress on SV endothelial cells (SV-ECs) remain largely un-known, and no feasible in vitro cell culture model exists for the functional study of SV-ECs. Methods. We isolated primary SV-ECs from the SV of neonatal mice. The apoptosis-reducing effects of fibronectin in SV-ECs cultured with serum-free medium were determined using β-galactosidase staining and flow cytometry. SV-ECsincubated in serum-free medium were treated with various H2O2 concentrations to evaluate the effects of H2O2 ontheir viability. The secretome of SV-ECs treated with or without H2O2 (100 μM or 500 μM) was analyzed using high-resolution mass spectrometry. The function of the SV-EC secretome was evaluated by a macrophage assay. Results. We successfully isolated and characterized the SV-ECs. Treatment with H2O2 at concentrations up to 500 μM for2 hours and further incubation with serum-free medium in plates precoated with fibronectin showed no significanteffect on apoptosis. Compared to the control SV-ECs, the amount of differential proteins in the secretome of SV-ECsstimulated with 500 μM H2O2 was much higher than in those treated with 100 μM H2O2. Kyoto Encyclopedia ofGenes and Genomes and Gene Ontology analyses suggested that the proteins differentially expressed in SV-ECstreated with 500 μM H2O2 were involved in the regulation of multiple signaling pathways and cellular processes. Thesecretome of H2O2-stimulated SV-ECs exhibited significant pro-inflammatory effects on macrophages. Conclusion. We successfully established an in vitro serum-free culture method, identified the differential proteins releasedby oxidative stress-induced ECs and their functions, and revealed the pro-inflammatory effects of the secretome ofH2O2-stimulated SV-ECs. Therefore, SV-ECs might elicit immunoregulatory effects on bystander cells in the microen-vironment of oxidative stress-induced cochlea, especially cochlear macrophages.

Time Trends of Ovarian Cancer Incidence in China

Wang, Bing,Liu, Shu-Zheng,Zheng, Rong-Shou,Zhang, Fang,Chen, Wan-Qing,Sun, Xi-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

The aim of this study was to examine the trend of ovary cancer incidence from 1999 to 2010 in China and predict the burden up to 2020. Crude incidence, age specific incidence and age-adjusted incidence rates were calculated. Joinpoint regression was performed to obtain estimated annual percentages and Bayesian age-period-cohort modeling was used to predict the incidence rate until the year 2020. In China, the crude rate of ovary cancer was 7.91/100,000 and the age-adjusted rate was 5.35/100,000 overall during period 1999-2010. The rates in urban regions were higher than in rural regions. A significant rising trend during 1999-2006 was followed by a drop during 2006-2010 in age-adjusted rates for urban females. In contrast, constant rise was observed in rural women. The decrease in ovary cancer of urban areas tended to be restricted to women aged 50 years and younger. In contrast, increases of ovary cancer in rural areas appeared in virtually all age groups. Although the age-adjusted incidence rate for ovary cancer was predicted to be reduced after year 2011, the crude rate was likely to be relative stable up to 2020. The burden of ovary cancer in China will continue to be relative stable due to the aging population.