Lymph Node Ratio is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Node Positive Rectal Cancer Patients Treated with Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Curative Resection

Zeng, Wei-Gen,Zhou, Zhi-Xiang,Wang, Zheng,Liang, Jian-Wei,Hou, Hui-Rong,Zhou, Hai-Tao,Zhang, Xing-Mao,Hu, Jun-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.13

Background: The lymph node ratio (LNR) has been shown to be an important prognostic factor for colorectal cancer. However, studies focusing on the prognostic impact of LNR in rectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by curative resection have been limited. The aim of this study was to investigate LNR in rectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by curative resection. Materials and Methods: A total of 131 consecutive rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant CRT and total mesorectal excision were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the LNR (${\leq}0.2$ [n=86], >0.2 [n=45]) to evaluate the prognostic effect on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: The median number of retrieved and metastatic lymph node (LN) was 14 (range 1-48) and 2 (range 1-10), respectively. The median LNR was 0.154 (range 0.04-1.0). In multivariate analysis, LNR was shown to be an independent prognostic factor for both overall survival (hazard ratio[HR]=3.778; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.741-8.198; p=0.001) and disease-free survival (HR=3.637; 95%CI 1.838-7.195; p<0.001). Increased LNR was significantly associated with worse OS and DFS in patients with <12 harvested LNs, and as well as in those ${\geq}12$ harvested LNs (p<0.05). In addition, LNR had a prognostic impact on both OS and DFS in patients with N1 staging (p<0.001). Conclusions: LNR is an independent prognostic factor in ypN-positive rectal cancer patients, both in patients with <12 harvested LNs, and as well as in those ${\geq}12$ harvested LNs. LNR provides better prognostic value than pN staging. Therefore, it should be used as an additional prognostic indicator in ypN-positive rectal cancer patients.

INTERFERENCE ANALYSIS OF MACRO/MICROCELLULAR CDMA WITH TILT ANTENNA IN SHADOW FADING CHANNELS

Wei Zhao,Jie Zhou,Jian Meng 대한전자공학회 2006 ITC-CSCC :International Technical Conference on Ci Vol.2006 No.2

Quantitative Investigation into the Relation between Force Chains and Stress Transmission During High-Velocity Compaction of Powder

Wei Zhang,Jian Zhou,Xue-Jie Zhang,Kun Liu 한국물리학회 2019 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.74 No.7

High-velocity compaction (HVC), an innovative approach to obtain green compacts with high and uniform density, is widely used in the powder metallurgy industry. In this study, meso force chains, macro stress transmission, and their relation were investigated using the discrete element method. The simulation details of HVC and the quantitative characterization of force chains and stress transmission were shown. Then, the relation between force chains and stress was investigated. The evolution of force chains showed the same change tendency as the stress distribution. They evolved from top to bottom and then reflected backwards in HVC while they did not show this trend in conventional compaction. The strength of the force chains maintained good consistency with the stress magnitude. Meanwhile, the length of the force chains presented a negative correlation with the stress magnitude, and high stress may cause new force chains to shorten. The average collimation coefficient was affected by the transmission of stress, and the short force chains had better straightness. Furthermore, force chains parallel to the direction of gravity were observed in the region with no stress concentration. The directional coefficient of force chains also had the same fluctuation trend as the variation in the principal stress angle.

Identification of Cisplatin-Resistance Associated Genes through Proteomic Analysis of Human Ovarian Cancer Cells and a Cisplatin-resistant Subline

Zhou, Jing,Wei, Yue-Hua,Liao, Mei-Yan,Xiong, Yan,Li, Jie-Lan,Cai, Hong-Bing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Chemoresistance to cancer therapy is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of human cancers with cisplatin (DDP), but the mechanisms of cisplatin-resistance are not clear. In this study, we established a cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line (COC1/DDP) and identified differentially expressed proteins related to cisplatin resistance. The proteomic expression profiles in COC1 before and after DDP treatment were examined using 2-dimensional electrophoresis technology. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem MS (NanoUPLC-ESI-MS/MS). 5 protein spots, for cytokeratin 9, keratin 1, deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase), aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK 4) and cofilin1, were identified to be significantly changed in COC1/DDP compared with its parental cells. The expression of these five proteins was further validated by quantitative PCR and Western blotting, confirming the results of proteomic analysis. Further research on these proteins may help to identify novel resistant biomarkers or reveal the mechanism of cisplatin-resistance in human ovarian cancers.

MiR-322-5p Alleviates Cell Injury and Impairment of Cognitive Function in Vascular Dementia by Targeting TSPAN5

Wei Zheng,Jie Zhang,Bin Zhou,Huanxian Chang 연세대학교의과대학 2022 Yonsei medical journal Vol.63 No.3

Purpose: As the population ages, the incidence of clinical dementia has been rising around the world. It has been reported thatmicroRNAs act as key diagnostic biomarkers and targets for various neurological conditions, including dementia. MiR-322-5phas been revealed to play an important role in multiple diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role and regulatorymechanism of miR-322-5p in vascular dementia. Materials and Methods: In this study, neonatal rat neurons (NRNs) were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) to induce cell injury. The animals were subjected to permanent bilateral occlusion of the carotid arteries (2-vessel occlusion,2VO) to induce the model of chronic brain hypoperfusion. Results: MiR-322-5p expression was significantly downregulated in the neurons exposed to OGD/R and the hippocampi of 2VOrats. Overexpression of miR-322-5p ameliorated cell apoptosis and the inflammatory response in vitro. In a mechanistic study, miR-322-5p was confirmed to directly target and negatively regulate tetraspanin 5 (TSPAN5) in cultured NRNs. Moreover, overexpressionof TSPAN5 could counteract the effects of miR-322-5p overexpression on cell apoptosis and the inflammatory response in OGD/Rtreatedneurons. More importantly, miR-322-5p improved cognitive ability and inhibited inflammatory production in 2VO rats. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that miR-322-5p alleviates vascular dementia development by targeting TSPAN5. Thisdiscovery may provide a potential therapeutic target for dementia.

Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Urapidil for Older Hypertensive Patients with Acute Heart Failure: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Wei Yang,Qi Hua,Yu-Jie Zhou,Yan Fu,Jian Qin,Shu Qin,Xiao-Min Chen,Jin-Cheng Guo,De-Zhao Wang,Hong Zhan,Jing Li,Jing-Yu He 연세대학교의과대학 2017 Yonsei medical journal Vol.58 No.1

Purpose: Urapidil is putatively effective for patients with hypertension and acute heart failure, although randomized controlled trials thereon are lacking. We investigated the efficacy and safety of intravenous urapidil relative to that of nitroglycerin in older patients with hypertension and heart failure in a randomized controlled trial. Materials and Methods: Patients (>60 y) with hypertension and heart failure were randomly assigned to receive intravenous urapidil (n=89) or nitroglycerin (n=91) for 7 days. Hemodynamic parameters, cardiac function, and safety outcomes were compared. Results: Patients in the urapidil group had significantly lower mean systolic blood pressure (110.1±6.5 mm Hg) than those given nitroglycerin (126.4±8.1 mm Hg, p=0.022), without changes in heart rate. Urapidil was associated with improved cardiac function as reflected by lower N terminal-pro B type natriuretic peptide after 7 days (3311.4±546.1 ng/mL vs. 4879.1±325.7 ng/mL, p=0.027) and improved left ventricular ejection fraction (62.2±3.4% vs. 51.0±2.4%, p=0.032). Patients given urapidil had fewer associatedadverse events, specifically headache (p=0.025) and tachycardia (p=0.004). The one-month rehospitalization and all-cause mortality rates were similar. Conclusion: Intravenous administration of urapidil, compared with nitroglycerin, was associated with better control of blood pressure and preserved cardiac function, as well as fewer adverse events, for elderly patients with hypertension and acute heart failure.

A transcription factor TaTCP20 regulates the expression of Ppd-D1b in common wheat

Wei Fan,Song Tianqi,Zhou Jianfei,Cheng Jie,Li Ruibo,Yu Ming,Zhang Yunrui,Yu-Yang Song,Zhang Bo,Zhang Xiaoke 한국식물생명공학회 2021 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.15 No.3

Photoperiod (Ppd) genes play an important role in the adaptation of wheat to the ecological environment. However, the transcriptional regulation mechanism of photoperiodic genes has remained elusive. This study isolated a full-length promoter of Ppd-D1b (2518 bp) from the common wheat genome. Several essential core cis-acting elements and numerous light-responsive cis-acting regulatory elements were identifed in Ppd-D1b promoter by the in-silico analysis. Ten 5’-deleted length fragments of the Ppd-D1b promoter fused with GUS were constructed and named D0 ~D9, then transferred them into Arabidopsis thaliana. GUS gene driven by full-length (D0) in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana showed the same rhythm with Ppd-D1b in wheat under short-day conditions (SDs, 8-h light/16-h dark). The expression of GUS gene in D0 reached its peak at 3 h after dawn, then decreased to the lowest and remained stable. Analysis of the series of 5’-deleted fragments showed that at 3 h after dawn, GUS gene expression activity decreased signifcantly in D7a due to removal of CHEBS (CCA1 HIKING EXPEDITION binding site). Moreover, yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase (dual-LUC) assays revealed that TaTCP20 could bind to the Ppd-D1b promoter to increase its transcriptional activity. This study revealed a transcription factor, TaTCP20, which activated Ppd-D1b by binding to CHEBS, provided a foundation for the theoretical research on wheat’s photoperiodic response mechanism.

Comprehensive Assessment of Associations between ERCC2 Lys751Gln/Asp312Asn Polymorphisms and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Zhou, Jue-Yu,He, Li-Wen,Liu, Jie,Yu, Hai-Lang,Wei, Min,Ma, Wen-Li,Shi, Rong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

Background: Excision repair crossing-complementing group 2 (ERCC2), also called xeroderma pigmentosum complementary group D (XPD), plays a crucial role in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. Previous epidemiological studies have reported associations between ERCC2 polymorphisms and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk, but the results have remained controversial. Materials and Methods: We conducted this meta-analysis based on eligible case-control studies to investigate the role of two ERCC2 polymorphisms (Lys751Gln and Asp312Asn) in determining susceptibility to NHL. Ten case-control studies from several electronic databases were included in our study up to August 14, 2014. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models to estimate the association strength. Results: The combined results based on all studies did not show any association between Lys751Gln/Asp312Asn polymorphisms and NHL risk for all genetic models. Stratified analyses by histological subtype and ethnicity did not indicate any significant association between Lys751Gln polymorphism and NHL risk. However, a significant reduced risk of NHL was found among population-based studies (Lys/Gln versus Lys/Lys: OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.77-0.99, P=0.037) but not hospital-based studies. As for Asp312Asn polymorphism, there was no evidence for the association between this polymorphism and the risk of NHL in all subgroup analyses. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that there may be no association between Lys751Gln/Asp312Asn polymorphism and the risk of NHL and its two subtypes, whereas ERCC2 Lys751Gln heterozygote genotype may provide protective effects against the risk of NHL in population-based studies. Therefore, large-scale and well-designed studies are needed to clarify the effects of haplotypes, gene-gene, and gene-environment interactions on these polymorphisms and the risk of NHL and its different histological subtypes in an ethnicity specific population.

A Two-stage State Transition Algorithm for Constrained Engineering Optimization Problems

Jie Han,Chun-hua Yang,Xiaojun Zhou,Wei-Hua Gui 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2018 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.16 No.2

In this study, a state transition algorithm (STA) is investigated into constrained engineering design optimization problems. After an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of two well-known constraint-handling techniques, penalty function method and feasibility preference method, a two-stage strategy is incorporated into STA, in which, the feasibility preference method is adopted in the early stage of an iteration process whilst it is changed to the penalty function method in the later stage. Then, the proposed STA is used to solve three benchmark problems in engineering design and an optimization problem in power-dispatching control system for the electrochemical process of zinc. The experimental results have shown that the optimal solutions obtained by the proposed method are all superior to those by typical approaches in the literature in terms of both convergency and precision.

Prognostic Values of Various Clinical Factors and Genetic Subtypes for Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma Patients: A Retrospective Analysis of 227 Cases

Zhou, De,Xie, Wan-Zhuo,Hu, Ke-Yue,Huang, Wei-Jia,Wei, Guo-Qing,He, Jing-Song,Shi, Ji-Min,Luo, Yi,Li, Li,Zhu, Jing-Jing,Zhang, Jie,Lin, Mao-Fang,Ye, Xiu-Jin,Cai, Zhen,Huang, He Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.2

Aim: To analyze the significance of different clinical factors for prognostic prediction in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-seven DLBCL patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were managed with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) regimen or rituximab plus the CHOP (RCHOP) regimen. Results: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ${\beta}2$-microglobulin (${\beta}2$-M), B symptoms, Ann Arbor stage and genetic subtypes were statistically relevant in predicting the prognosis of the overall survival (OS). In the CHOP group, the OS in patients with germinal center B-cell-like (GCB)(76.2%) was significantly higher than that of the non-GCB group (51.9%, P=0.032). With RCHOP management, there was no statistical difference in OS between the GCB (88.4%) and non-GCB groups (81.9%, P=0.288). Conclusion: Elevated LDH and ${\beta}2$-M levels, positive B symptoms, Ann Arbor stage III/IV, and primary nodal lymphoma indicate an unfavorable prognosis of DLBCL patients. Patients with GCB-like DLBCL have a better prognosis than those with non-GCB when treated with the CHOP regimen. The RCHOP treatment with the addition of rituximab can improve the prognosis of patients with DLBCL.