Equivocal Association of RAD51 Polymorphisms with Risk of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Chinese Population

Zhang, Shu-Xiang,Yang, Shan,Xu, Chang-Qing,Hou, Rui-Ping,Zhang, Chuan-Zhen,Xu, Cui-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Aim: To study the contribution of genetic variation in RAD51 to risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in RAD51 (rs1801320, rs4144242 and rs4417527) were genotyped in 316 ESCC patients and 316 healthy controls in Anyang area of China using PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism). Demographic variables between cases and controls were statistically compared by T test and Chi-square test. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was evaluated by the Chi-square test. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to measure any association with ESCC. Haplotype frequencies were estimated by Phase 2.1. Result: The genotype frequencies of rs1801320, rs4144242 and rs4417527 in patients with ESCC demonstrated no significant differences from those in control group (P>0.05). When the haplotypes of these three SNPs were constructed and their relationships with ESCC risk investigated, however, CGG was observed to increase the risk (P=0.020, OR=2.289). Conclusions: There was no association between the three SNPs of RAD51 and ESCC susceptibility in our Chinese population. However, the CGG haplotype might be a risk factor.

Copolymerization Mechanisms of Propylene and Norbornadiene Catalyzed by Zirconocene Complexes: A Density Functional Theory Study

Shu-Yuan Yu,Ping Ren,Hui-Min Zheng,Cheng-Gen Zhang 대한화학회 2018 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.39 No.3

Copolymerization mechanisms of norbornadiene (NBD) and propylene, catalyzed by three zirconocene catalysts (namely, rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-Ph-Ind)2ZrCl2/MAO (catA), rac-Me2Si(Ind)2ZrCl2/MAO (catB), and rac-CH2CH2(Ind)2ZrCl2/MAO(catC)), have been studied, using density functional theory computations. It has been found that the barrier (28.5 kcal mol−1) for the insertion of propylene to the [Zr]A-NBD-PP1 (the NBD insertion product) is significantly higher than those to [Zr]B-NBD-PP1 (22.9 kcal mol−1) and [Zr]C-NBD-PP1 (20.5 kcal mol−1), rationalizing the experimental observation that addition of NBD deactivated catA system but only lowered the catalytic activity of catB and catC systems. However, [Zr]A-NBD-PP1 can react with H2 easily, which displaces NBD−PP1 chain and gives active [Zr]A−H species to continue copolymerization, which is why the introduction of H2 could recover the catalytic activity of catA system.

Antitumor Activity of Chloroquine in Combination with Cisplatin in Human Gastric Cancer Xenografts

Zhang, Hui-Qing,Fang, Nian,Liu, Xiao-Mei,Xiong, Shu-Ping,Liao, Yu-Qian,Jin, Wen-Jian,Song, Rong-Feng,Wan, Yi-Ye Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.9

Purpose: To investigate the antitumor activity and mechanism of chloroquine (CQ) in combination with cisplatin (DDP) in nude mice xenografted with gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Materials and Methods: 35 cases of gastric cancer patients with malignant ascites were enrolled and intraperitoneal cisplatin injection was performed. Ascites were collected before and 5 days after perfusion for assessment of autophagy levels in cancer cells. In addition, 24 tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into control, DDP, CQ and CQ + DDP groups. Results: In 54.3% (19/35) of patients the treatment was therapeutically effective (OR), 5 days after peritoneal chemotherapy, 13 patients had the decreased ascites Beclin-1 mRNA levels. In 16 patients who had NR, only 2 cases had decreased Beclin-1 (P=0.001). Compared with the control group, the xenograft growth in nude mice in the DDP group was low, and the inhibition rate was 47.6%. In combination with chloroquine, the inhibition rate increased to 84.7% (P<0.01). The LC3-II/I ratio, and Beclin1 and MDR1/P-gp expression were decreased, while caspase 3 protein levels increased (P<0.05). Conclusions: Antitumor ability of cisplatin was associated with autophagy activity and chloroquine can enhance chemosensitivity to cisplatin in gastric cancer xenografts nude mice.

Pemetrexed is Mildly Active with Good Tolerability for Treatment of Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Zhang, Hui-Qing,Lian, Chang-Hong,Ping, Yao-Dong,Song, Wen-Bin,Lu, Qing-Pu,Xie, Shu-Zhe,Lin, Tao,Cheng, Lin-Zhong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Purpose: This systematic analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed based salvage chemotherapy for treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Methods: Clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed based regimens on response and safety for patients with colorectal cancer were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled response rates (RRs) were calculated. Results: For pemetrexed based regimens, 4 clinical studies including 201 patients with advanced colorectal cancer were considered eligible for inclusion. The analysis suggested that, in all patients, pooled RR was 20.4% (41/201). Major adverse effects were neutropenia, anorexia, fatigue, and anemia. No treatment related death occurred with pemetrexed based treatment. Conclusion: This systematic analysis suggests that pemetrexed based regimens are associated with mild activity with good tolerability in treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

The Effect of Transformation on the Virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Zhang Xue-Mei,Yin Yi-Bing,Zhu Dan,Chen Bao-De,Luo Jin-Yong,Deng Vi-Ping,Liu Ming-Fang,Chen Shu-Hui,Meng Jiang-Ping,Lan Kai,Huang Yuan-Shuai,Kang Ge-Fei The Microbiological Society of Korea 2005 The journal of microbiology Vol.43 No.4

Although pneumococcus is one of the most frequently encountered opportunistic pathogen in the world, the mechanisms responsible for its infectiveness have not yet been fully understood. In this paper, we have attempted to characterize the effects of pneumococcal transformation on the pathogenesis of the organism. We constructed three transformation-deficient pneumococcal strains, which were designated as Nos. 1d, 2d, and 22d. The construction of these altered strains was achieved via the insertion of the inactivated gene, comE, to strains 1, 2 and 22. We then conducted a comparison between the virulence of the transformation-deficient strains and that of the wild-type strains, via an evaluation of the ability of each strain to adhere to endothelial cells, and also assessed psaA mRNA expression, and the survival of hosts after bacterial challenge. Compared to what was observed with the wild-type strains, our results indicated that the ability of all of the transformation-deficient strains to adhere to the ECV304 cells had been significantly reduced (p < 0.05), the expression of psaA mRNA was reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in strains 2d and 22d, and the median survival time of mice infected with strains Id and 2d was increased significantly after intraperitoneal bacterial challenge (p < 0.05). The results of our study also clearly indicated that transformation exerts significant effects on the virulence characteristics of S. pneumoniae, although the degree to which this effect is noted appears to depend primarily on the genetic background of the bacteria.

Darapladib, a Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 Inhibitor, Reduces Rho Kinase Activity in Atherosclerosis

Juan Zhang,Dong-Ling Xu,Xiao-Bo Liu,Shao-jie Bi,Tong Zhao,Shu-Jian Sui,Xiao-Ping Ji,Qing-Hua Lu 연세대학교의과대학 2016 Yonsei medical journal Vol.57 No.2

Purpose: Increased lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) activity and Rho kinase activity may be associated with atherosclerosis. The principal aim of this study was to examine whether darapladib (a selective Lp-PLA2 inhibitor) could reduce the elevated Lp-PLA2 and Rho kinase activity in atherosclerosis. Materials and Methods: Studies were performed in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The atherosclerosis rats were prepared by feeding them with a high-cholesterol diet for 10 weeks. Low-dose darapladib (25 mg·kg-1·d-1) and high-dose darapladib (50 mg·kg-1·d-1) interventions were then administered over the course of 2 weeks. Results: The serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and Lp-PLA2, significantly increased in atherosclerosis model groups, as did Rho kinase activity and cardiomyocyte apoptosis (p<0.05 vs. sham group), whereas nitric oxide (NO) productionwas reduced. Levels of TC, LDL-C, CRP, Lp-PLA2, and Rho kinase activity were respectively reduced in darapladib groups, whereas NO production was enhanced. When compared to the low-dose darapladib group, the reduction of the levels of TC, LDL-C, CRP, and Lp-PLA2 was more prominent in the high-dose darapladib group (p<0.05), and the increase of NO productionwas more prominent (p<0.05). Cardiomyocyte apoptosis of the high-dose darapladib group was also significantly reduced compared to the low-dose darapladib group (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in Rho kinase activity between the low-dose darapladib group and the high-dose darapladib group (p>0.05). Conclusion: Darapladib, a Lp-PLA2 inhibitor, leads to cardiovascular protection that might be mediated by its inhibition of both Rho kinase and Lp-PLA2 in atherosclerosis.

Robotics in Cervical Spine Surgery: Feasibility and Safety of Posterior Screw Placement

Lu-Ping Zhou,Zhi-Gang Zhang,Dui Li,Shu Fang,Rui Sheng,Ren-Jie Zhang,Cai-Liang Shen 대한척추신경외과학회 2023 Neurospine Vol.20 No.1

Objective: Robot-assisted (RA) techniques have been widely investigated in thoracolumbar spine surgery. However, the application of RA methods on cervical spine surgery is rare due to the complex morphology of cervical vertebrae and catastrophic complications. Thus, the feasibility and safety of RA cervical screw placement remain controversial. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of RA screw placement on cervical spine surgery. Methods: A comprehensive search on PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase Database, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Databases, and Wanfang Database was performed to select potential eligible studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparative cohort studies, and case series reporting the accuracy of cervical screw placement were included. The Cochrane risk of bias criteria and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria were utilized to rate the risk of bias of the included literatures. The primary outcome was the rate of cervical screw placement accuracy with robotic guidance; subgroup analyses based on the screw type and insertion segments were also performed. Results: One RCT, 3 comparative cohort studies, and 3 case series consisting of 160 patients and 719 cervical screws were included in this meta-analysis. The combined outcomes indicated that the rates of optimal and clinically acceptable cervical screw placement accuracy under robotic guidance were 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.1%–91.4%; p = 0.073; I 2 = 47.941%) and 98.4% (95% CI, 96.8%–99.5%; p = 0.167; I2 = 35.954%). The subgroup analyses showed that the rate of optimal pedicle screw placement accuracy was 88.2% (95% CI, 83.1%–92.6%; p = 0.057; I2 = 53.305%); the rates of optimal screw placement accuracy on C1, C2, and subaxial segments were 96.2% (95% CI, 80.5%–100.0%; p = 0.167; I2 = 44.134X%), 89.7% (95% CI, 80.6%–96.6%; p = 0.370; I2 = 0.000X%), and 82.6% (95% CI, 70.9%–91.9%; p = 0.057; I2 = 65.127X%;), respectively. Conclusion: RA techniques were associated with high rates of optimal and clinically acceptable screw positions. RA cervical screw placement is accurate, safe, and feasible in cervical spine surgery with promising clinical potential.

Effect of Ginsenosides Rb$_1$, Rg$_1$, Rh$_1$ and Re on Enzymes Content and Unschduled DNA Synthesis of Cells in Vitro

Liu, Ping,Zhang, Wei,Ge, Ying-Chun,Zhang, Shu-Chen The Korean Society of Ginseng 1993 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.17 No.2

Full-order and Reduced-order Observer Design for One-sided Lipschitz Nonlinear Fractional Order Systems with Unknown Input

Tao Zhang,Jiaming Tian,Shu-Ping Ma 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2018 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.16 No.5

This paper studies the problem of designing the unknown input observers (UIOs) for fractional order one-sided Lipchitz nonlinear systems. By introducing a continuous frequency distributed equivalent model and using the matrix generalized inverse approach, sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of the observer error dynamic systems are presented, which guarantee the existence of the full-order and reduced-order UIOs. All the conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequality (LMI). Furthermore, we show that the obtained results can be applied to a fractional order electrical circuit with the unknown input signal. Two examples are given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.

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.