Clinical Significance of Smudge Cells in Peripheral Blood Smears in Hematological Malignancies and Other Diseases

Chang, Chih-Chun,Sun, Jen-Tang,Liou, Tse-Hsuan,Kuo, Chin-Fu,Bei, Chia-Hao,Lin, Sheng-Jun,Tsai, Wei-Ting,Tan, N-Chi,Liou, Ching-Biau,Su, Ming-Jang,Yen, Tzung-Hai,Chu, Fang-Yeh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.4

Background: It is reported that the percentage of smudge cells in the blood smear could be a prognostic indicator in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the clinical significance of smudge cells in other hematological malignancies, solid tumors or non-malignant diseases is less clear. Hence, this study was conducted to survey the clinical significance of smudge cells in hematological cancers and other disorders. Materials and Methods: From January to November, 2015, the clinical data of patients who received blood examination with differential counts for clinical purpose and were found to have smudge cells in the peripheral blood film in Far Eastern Memorial Hospital were selected. The percentage of smudge cells and patient outcomes were evaluated for further univariate and survival analyses. Results: A total of 102 patients with smudge cells in their blood smears were included. Smudge cells were frequently presented in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA; n=30), infections (n=23), hematological cancers (n=23) and solid cancers (n=10). There was no relationship between the percentage of smudge cells and the patient mortality in all diseases (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.47-2.48, P=1.000) as well as the OHCA group (OR: 1.91, 95% CI: 0.38-9.60, P=0.694). It was observed that in patients with all cancers with the percentage of smudge cells less than 50% had a lower mortality rate in comparison with those who had the percentage of smudge cells of 50% or more (OR: 22.29, 95% CI: 2.38-208.80, P<0.001). Additionally, it was seemingly that patients with smudge cells of 50% or more had a lower survival rate than those with smudge cells less than 50% in all cancers with follow-up at 2-month intervals, but without statistical significance (P=0.064). Conclusions: Our survey indicated that in all cancers, those who had higher percentage of smudge cells were prone to have poor outcomes when compared with the subjects with lower percentage of smudge cells. This finding was quite different from the results of previous studies in which the race-ethnicity of most study populations was non-Asian; hence, further investigations are required. Besides, there was no apparent association of the percentage of smudge cells with patient outcomes in all diseases, including OHCA.

Interoperative Radiotherapy of Seventy-two Cases of Early Breast Cancer Patients During Breast-conserving Surgery

Zhou, Shi-Fu,Shi, Wei-Feng,Meng, Dong,Sun, Chun-Lei,Jin, Jian-Rong,Zhao, Yu-Tian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Objective: To evaluate interoperative radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery in early breast cancer patients in terms of postoperative complications, cosmetic outcome and recurrence events. Methods: From June 2007 to Dec 2011, 143 early breast cancer patients received breast conservative surgery. Seventy-two (study group) received interoperative radiotherapy, compared with 71 patients (control group) given routine radiotherapy. Postoperative complications were evaluated 1 month after surgery; cosmetic outcome was evaluated 1 year postoperatively; recurrence and death events were followed up. Results: The average wound healing time was 13~22 d in the study group and 9~14 d in the control group. In the study group, 2 patients developed lyponecrosis, 16 patients showed wound edema while no such side effects were found in the control group. No infection or hematomas were found in either group. In the study group (59 cases), overall cosmetic outcome in 53 patients was graded as excellent or good, and in 6 as fair or poor. Meanwhile in the control group (56 cases), 42 patients were graded as excellent or good, and 14 as fair or poor (P=0.032). After a follow-up from 3 to 54 months (median: 32 months), two patients (2.78%) in study group developed local relapses, one of them (1.39%) died, 2 patients (2.78%) developed bone metastases. In control group, one patient (1.41%) developed local relapse, 2 patients (2.82%) developed bone metastases, and no one died. Conclusion: Intraoperative radiotherapy is safe and reliable with good cosmetic outcome.

Robust Fuzzy Control of a Class of Nonlinear Descriptor Systems with Time-Varying Delay

Yan Wang,Zeng-Qi Sun,Fu-Chun Sun 대한전기학회 2004 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.2 No.1

Involvement of Cdc25c in Cell Cycle Alteration of a Radioresistant Lung Cancer Cell Line Established with Fractionated Ionizing Radiation

Li, Jie,Yang, Chun-Xu,Mei, Zi-Jie,Chen, Jing,Zhang, Shi-Min,Sun, Shao-Xing,Zhou, Fu-Xiang,Zhou, Yun-Feng,Xie, Cong-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

Cancer patients often suffer from local tumor recurrence after radiation therapy. Cell cycling, an intricate sequence of events which guarantees high genomic fidelity, has been suggested to affect DNA damage responses and eventual radioresistant characteristics of cancer cells. Here, we established a radioresistant lung cancer cell line, A549R, by exposing the parental A549 cells to repeated ${\gamma}$-ray irradiation with a total dose of 60 Gy. The radiosensitivity of A549 and A549R was confirmed using colony formation assays. We then focused on examination of the cell cycle distribution between A549 and A549R and found that the proportion of cells in the radioresistant S phase increased, whereas that in the radiosensitive G1 phase decreased. When A549 and A549R cells were exposed to 4 Gy irradiation the total differences in cell cycle redistribution suggested that G2-M cell cycle arrest plays a predominant role in mediating radioresistance. In order to further explore the possible mechanisms behind the cell cycle related radioresistance, we examined the expression of Cdc25 proteins which orchestrate cell cycle transitions. The results showed that expression of Cdc25c increased accompanied by the decrease of Cdc25a and we proposed that the quantity of Cdc25c, rather than activated Cdc25c or Cdc25a, determines the radioresistance of cells.

Carboxymethyl Flavonoids and A Monoterpene Glucoside from Selaginella moellendorffii

Hong-Sheng Wang,Ling Sun,Yue-Hu Wang,Ya-Na Shi,Gui-Hua Tang,Fu-Wei Zhao,Hong-Mei Niu,Chun-Lin Long,Ling Li 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.8

A new dihydroflavone, 5-carboxymethyl-7,4'-dihydroxyflavonone (1), and its glucoside 5-carboxymethyl-7,4'-dihydroxyflavonone-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), and one new monoterpene glucoside, (4Z,6E)-2,7-dimethyl-8-hydroxyocta-4,6-dienoic acid 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), were isolated from the whole plants of Selaginella moellendorffii. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods and chemical transformation. Compound 2 was evaluated for the ability to enhance glucose consumption in normal and insulin-resistant L6 muscle cells induced by high concentrations of insulin and glucose. Glucose consumption in insulin-resistant cells (but not in normal cells) was increased 15.2 ± 3.3% (p < 0.01) by compound 2 at a concentration of 0.1 μM in the presence of insulin (1 nM).

Tip Position Control of a Flexible-Link Manipulator with Neural Networks

Yuan-Gang Tang,Fu-Chun Sun,Zeng-Qi Sun,Ting-Liang Hu 대한전기학회 2006 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.4 No.3

To control the tip position of a flexible-link manipulator;a neural network (NN) controller is proposed in this paper. The dynamics error used to construct NN controller is derived based on output redefinition approach. Without the filtered tracking en-or;the proposed NN controller can still guarantee the closed-loop system uniformly asymptotically stable as well as NN weights bounded. Furthermore;the tracking error of desired trajectory can converge to zero with the proposed controller. For comparison an NN controller with filtered tracking en-or is also designed for the flexible-link manipulator. Finally;simulation studies are carried out to verify the theoretic results.

SMAD4 Suppresses AURKA-Induced Metastatic Phenotypes via Degradation of AURKA in a TGFβ-Independent Manner

Jia, Lina,Lee, Hun Seok,Wu, Chun Fu,Kundu, Juthika,Park, Sang Gyu,Kim, Ryong Nam,Wang, Li-Hui,Erkin, Ö,zgü,r Cem,Choi, Jong-Sun,Chae, Seoung Wan,Yang, Ho Bin,Choi, Yoon-La,Shin, Young Kee American Association for Cancer Research 2014 Molecular Cancer Research Vol.12 No.12

<P>SMAD4 has been suggested to inhibit the activity of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway in cancer. However, the mechanism by which SMAD4 antagonizes WNT/β-catenin signaling in cancer remains largely unknown. Aurora A kinase (AURKA), which is frequently overexpressed in cancer, increases the transcriptional activity of β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) complex by stabilizing β-catenin through the inhibition of GSK-3β. Here, SMAD4 modulated AURKA in a TGFβ-independent manner. Overexpression of SMAD4 significantly suppressed AURKA function, including colony formation, migration, and invasion of cell lines. In addition, SMAD4 bound to AURKA induced degradation of AURKA by the proteasome. A luciferase activity assay revealed that the transcriptional activity of the β-catenin/TCF complex was elevated by AURKA, but decreased by SMAD4 overexpression. Moreover, target gene analysis showed that SMAD4 abrogated the AURKA-mediated increase of β-catenin target genes. However, this inhibitory effect of SMAD4 was abolished by overexpression of AURKA or silencing of AURKA in SMAD4-overexpressed cells. Meanwhile, the SMAD4-mediated repression of AURKA and β-catenin was independent of TGFβ signaling because blockage of TGFβR1 or restoration of TGFβ signaling did not prevent suppression of AURKA and β-catenin signaling by SMAD4. These results indicate that the tumor-suppressive function of SMAD4 is mediated by downregulation of β-catenin transcriptional activity via AURKA degradation in a TGFβ-independent manner.</P><P><B>Implications:</B> SMAD4 interacts with AURKA and antagonizes its tumor-promoting potential, thus demonstrating a novel mechanism of tumor suppression. <I>Mol Cancer Res; 12(12); 1779–95. ©2014 AACR</I>.</P>

Potential protective effects of fermented garlic extract on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury utilizing <i>in vitro</i> and <i>ex vivo</i> models

Lee, Young Ju,Lee, Doyeon,Shin, So Min,Lee, Jin Sun,Chun, Hyun Soo,Quan, Fu-Shi,Shin, Jae Ho,Lee, Gi-Ja ELSEVIER SCIENCE B.V.; AMSTERDAM 2017 JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS Vol.33 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>In this study, we investigated the cardioprotective effects of fermented garlic extract (FGE) against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in H9c2 cells and myocardium. FGE used in this study is rich in nitrite (1.42mg/ml of FGE) and reduced glutathione (GSH, 3.23mg/ml of FGE). We compared the effectiveness of FGE against HR–induced oxidative stress with that of nitrite, GSH, and a mixture of nitrite and GSH (nitrite+GSH). In addition, we utilized fluorinated xerogel-derived oxygen microsensors to measure the changes in oxygen level (<I>p</I>O<SUB>2</SUB>) of the myocardium during myocardial IR by FGE. As a result, the <I>p</I>O<SUB>2</SUB> in the FGE group restored to pre-ischemic level (75.1±36.9%) at reperfusion period; however, that of the control group did not increase throughout reperfusion period (2.0±1.7%, <I>p</I> <0.05). Therefore, pre-treatment with FGE might be helpful as a therapeutic strategy for preventing H9c2 cells and myocardium from IR injury.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> We investigated the cardioprotective effect of FGE against myocardial IR injury. </LI> <LI> FGE was rich in natural nitrite (1.422mg/ml) and glutathione (3.23mg/ml). </LI> <LI> Pre-treatment with FGE could protect H9c2 cells from HR-induced injury. </LI> <LI> pre-treatment with FGE could promote reoxygenation in post-ischemic myocardiaum. </LI> <LI> FGE might be useful in preventing myocardial IR injury. </LI> </UL> </P>

Detrital zircon evidence for the antiquity of Taiwan

Ching-Ying Lan,Tadashi Usuki,Kuo-Lung Wang,Tzen-Fu Yui,Kazuaki Okamoto,Yuan-Hsi Lee,Takafumi Hirata,Yoshitaka Kon,Yuji Orihashi,Juhn G. Liou,Chun-Sun Lee 한국지질과학협의회 2009 Geosciences Journal Vol.13 No.3

In-situ U–Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic studies of zircons from the Pre-Tertiary basement complex and Eocene rocks of the Central Range of Taiwan were carried out to elucidate the history of detrital zircons older than 2.3 Ga. Zircons from the eastern Backbone Range and Eastern Central Range show Paleoproterozoic to late Neoarchean ages (2.3 –³2.5 Ga), whereas those from the Hsuehshan Range yield Neoarchean to Mesoarchean ages (2.6–3.2 Ga). The εHf(T) for the Paleoproterozoic to late Neoarchean zircons varies from –7.4 to +5.1, implying both juvenile crustal growth and reworking of old crusts. This dual origin could extend back to Mesoarchean–Paleoarchean (3.0–3.4 Ga) based on Hf isotopic model ages. Consistent but narrower εHf(T) values and Hf crustal model ages for zircons from Taiwan compared to Cathaysia suggest a possible common origin for these zircons, although Taiwan has a generally younger crustal evolution history than SE China.

Risk Factors for Anxiety in Major Depressive Disorder Patients

Li-Min Xin,Lin Chen,Zhen-Peng Ji,Suo-Yuan Zhang,Jun Wang,Yan-Hong Liu,Da-Fang Chen,Fu-De Yang,Gang Wang,Yi-Ru Fang,Zheng Lu,Hai-Chen Yang,Jian Hu,Zhi-Yu Chen,Yi Huang,Jing Sun,Xiao-Ping Wang,Hui-Chun 대한정신약물학회 2015 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.13 No.3

Objective: To analyze the sociodemographic and clinical factors related to anxiety in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: This study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from the Diagnostic Assessment Service for People with Bipolar Disorders in China (DASP), which was initiated by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry (CSP) and conducted from September 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. Based on the presence or absence of anxiety-related characteristics, 1,178 MDD patients were classified as suffering from anxious depression (n=915) or non-anxious depression (n=263), respectively. Results: Compared with the non-anxious group, the anxious-depression group had an older age at onset (t=−4.39, p<0.001), were older (t=−4.69, p<0.001), reported more lifetime depressive episodes (z=−3.24, p=0.001), were more likely to experience seasonal depressive episodes (χ2=6.896, p=0.009) and depressive episodes following stressful life events (χ2=59.350, p <0.001), and were more likely to have a family history of psychiatric disorders (χ2=6.091, p=0.014). Their positive and total scores on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the 32-item Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) (p<0.05) were also lower. The logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, p<0.001), a lower total MDQ score (OR=0.94, p=0.011), depressive episodes following stressful life events (OR=3.04, p<0.001), and seasonal depressive episodes (OR=1.75, p=0.039) were significantly associated with anxious depression. Conclusion: These findings indicate that older age, fewer subclinical bipolar features, an increased number of depressive episodes following stressful life events, and seasonal depressive episodes may be risk factors for anxiety-related characteristics in patients with MDD.