Malignant transformation of ovarian mature cystic teratoma into squamous cell carcinoma: a Taiwanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (TGOG) study

An Jen Chiang,Min-Yu Chen,Chia-Sui Weng,Hao Lin,Chien-Hsing Lu,Peng-Hui Wang,Yu-Fang Huang,Ying-Cheng Chiang,Mu-Hsien Yu,Chih-Long Chang 대한부인종양학회 2017 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.28 No.5

Objective: The malignant transformation (MT) of ovarian mature cystic teratoma (MCT)to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is very rare. This study analyzed cases from multiplemedical centers in Taiwan to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics, treatment, andprognostic factors of this disease and reviewed related literature. Methods: Pathological reports of 16,001 patients with primary ovarian cancer who weretreated at Taiwan medical centers from 1990 to 2011 were reviewed. In total, 52 patients withMT of MCT to SCC were identified. Results: Among all ovarian MCTs, the incidence of MT to SCC is 0.2%. The median age ofpatients was 52 years (range, 29–89 years), and the mean tumor size was 10.5 cm (range, 1–40cm). We analyzed the patients in our study and those in the literature and determined thatearly identification and complete surgical resection of the tumor are essential for long-termsurvival. In addition, adjuvant chemotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy can be usedto treat this malignancy. Old age, large tumor size (≥15.0 cm), and solid components in MCTsare suitable indicators predicting the risk of MT of MCT to SCC. Conclusion: Similar to general epithelial ovarian cancers, the early detection of MT of MCTto SCC is critical to long-term survival. Therefore, older patients with a large tumor or those with a tumor containing a solid component in a clinically diagnosed MCT should beevaluated to exclude potential MT to SCC.

Experiment of an ABS-type control strategy for semi-active friction isolation systems

Lyan-Ywan Lu,Ging-Long Lin,Chen-Yu Lin 국제구조공학회 2011 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.8 No.5

Recent studies have discovered that a conventional passive isolation system may suffer from an excessive isolator displacement when subjected to a near-fault earthquake that usually has a long-period velocity pulse waveform. Semi-active isolation using variable friction dampers (VFD), which requires a suitable control law, may provide a solution to this problem. To control the VFD in a semi-active isolation system more efficiently, this paper investigates experimentally the possible use of a control law whose control logic is similar to that of the anti-lock braking systems (ABS) widely used in the automobile industry. This ABS-type controller has the advantages of being simple and easily implemented, because it only requires the measurement of the isolation-layer velocity and does not require system modeling for gain design. Most importantly, it does not interfere with the isolation period, which usually decides the isolation efficiency. In order to verify its feasibility and effectiveness, the ABS-type controller was implemented on a variable-friction isolation system whose slip force is regulated by an embedded piezoelectric actuator, and a seismic simulation test was conducted for this isolation system. The experimental results demonstrate that, as compared to a passive isolation system with various levels of added damping, the semi-active isolation system using the ABS-type controller has the better overall performance when both the far-field and the near-fault earthquakes with different PGA levels are considered.

Experiment of an ABS-type control strategy for semi-active friction isolation systems

Lu, Lyan-Ywan,Lin, Ging-Long,Lin, Chen-Yu Techno-Press 2011 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.8 No.5

Recent studies have discovered that a conventional passive isolation system may suffer from an excessive isolator displacement when subjected to a near-fault earthquake that usually has a long-period velocity pulse waveform. Semi-active isolation using variable friction dampers (VFD), which requires a suitable control law, may provide a solution to this problem. To control the VFD in a semi-active isolation system more efficiently, this paper investigates experimentally the possible use of a control law whose control logic is similar to that of the anti-lock braking systems (ABS) widely used in the automobile industry. This ABS-type controller has the advantages of being simple and easily implemented, because it only requires the measurement of the isolation-layer velocity and does not require system modeling for gain design. Most importantly, it does not interfere with the isolation period, which usually decides the isolation efficiency. In order to verify its feasibility and effectiveness, the ABS-type controller was implemented on a variable-friction isolation system whose slip force is regulated by an embedded piezoelectric actuator, and a seismic simulation test was conducted for this isolation system. The experimental results demonstrate that, as compared to a passive isolation system with various levels of added damping, the semi-active isolation system using the ABS-type controller has the better overall performance when both the far-field and the near-fault earthquakes with different PGA levels are considered.

Load and Mutual Inductance Identification Method for Series-Parallel Compensated IPT Systems

Long Chen,Yu-Gang Su,Yu-Ming Zhao,Chun-Sen Tang,Xin Dai 전력전자학회 2017 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.17 No.6

Identifying the load and mutual inductance is essential for improving the power transfer capability and power transfer efficiency of Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems. In this paper, a steady-state load and mutual inductance identification method focusing on series-parallel compensated IPT systems is proposed. The identification model is established according to the steady-state characteristics of the system. Furthermore, two sets of identification results are obtained, and then they are analyzed in detail to eliminate the untrue one. In addition, the identification method can be achieved without extra circuits so that it does not increase the complexity of the system or the control difficulty. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method has been verified by simulation and experimental results.

Load and Mutual Inductance Identification Method for Series-Parallel Compensated IPT Systems

Chen, Long,Su, Yu-Gang,Zhao, Yu-Ming,Tang, Chun-Sen,Dai, Xin The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2017 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.17 No.6

Identifying the load and mutual inductance is essential for improving the power transfer capability and power transfer efficiency of Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems. In this paper, a steady-state load and mutual inductance identification method focusing on series-parallel compensated IPT systems is proposed. The identification model is established according to the steady-state characteristics of the system. Furthermore, two sets of identification results are obtained, and then they are analyzed in detail to eliminate the untrue one. In addition, the identification method can be achieved without extra circuits so that it does not increase the complexity of the system or the control difficulty. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method has been verified by simulation and experimental results.

Development of triangular flat-shell element using a new thin-thick plate bending element based on semiLoof constrains

Chen, Yong-Liang,Cen, Song,Yao, Zhen-Han,Long, Yu-Qiu,Long, Zhi-Fei Techno-Press 2003 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.15 No.1

A new simple 3-node triangular flat-shell element with standard nodal DOF (6 DOF per node) is proposed for the linear and geometrically nonlinear analysis of very thin to thick plate and shell structures. The formulation of element GT9 (Long and Xu 1994), a generalized conforming membrane element with rigid rotational freedoms, is employed as the membrane component of the new shell element. Both one-point reduced integration scheme and a corresponding stabilization matrix are adopted for avoiding membrane locking and hourglass phenomenon. The bending component of the new element comes from a new generalized conforming Kirchhoff-Mindlin plate element TSL-T9, which is derived in this paper based on semiLoof constrains and rational shear interpolation. Thus the convergence can be guaranteed and no shear locking will happen. Furthermore, a simple hybrid procedure is suggested to improve the stress solutions, and the Updated Lagrangian formulae are also established for the geometrically nonlinear problems. Numerical results with solutions, which are solved by some other recent element models and the models in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS, are presented. They show that the proposed element, denoted as GMST18, exhibits excellent and better performance for the analysis of thin-think plates and shells in both linear and geometrically nonlinear problems.

Comparative Study on the Supramolecular Nanocarriers Derived from the Assembly of Gemini and Conventional Surfactants onto Hyperbranched Polyethylenimine

Zhan-Long Yu,Fa Cheng,Shao-Jing Zhao,Jian-Wei Zhang,Zu-Cheng Cai,Yu Chen 한국고분자학회 2011 Macromolecular Research Vol.19 No.2

Conventional surfactant dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) and its corresponding Gemini surfactant acid (GSA) were simply mixed with a solution of hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) in chloroform. This resulted in the novel supramolecular complexes, HPEI-DBSA and HPEI-GSA, through a neutralization reaction between the amino groups of HPEI and the sulfonic-acid groups of DBSA and GSA. The formed supramolecular complexes and their precursors were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, and dynamic light scattering. HPEI-DBSA and HPEI-GSA exhibited inverted-micelle properties that could accommodate the water-soluble guest molecules in an apolar solvent. With the anionic dye methyl orange (MO) as the model guest, both HPEI-DBSA and HPEI-GSA showed superior guest-encapsulation performance than the supramolecular nanocarrier derived from the assembly of aliphatic acid onto HPEI. For example, HPEI-DBSA and HPEI-GSA nanocarriers could encapsulate more MO molecules, and a much smaller amount of the surfactant molecules was required to achieve the maximum MO encapsulation. These results highlight the importance of strong-acid groups of the surfactants in raising the guest-encapsulation efficiency of this type of supramolecular nanocarrier. HPEI-DBSA and HPEI-GSA had different guestencapsulation mechanisms. This indicates that HPEI-GSA can encapsulate basic guests more than HPEI-DBSA,such as MO and fluorescein sodium (FS), but fewer relatively acidic guests, such as Alizarin Yellow R sodium salt and bromophenol blue.

Improvement of Tautomycin Production in Streptomyces spiroverticillatus by Feeding Glucose and Maleic Anhydride

Xiao-Long Chen,Yu-Hua Xu,Yu-Guo Zheng,Yin-Chu Shen 한국생물공학회 2010 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.15 No.6

Optimization of the feeding process for tautomycin production by Streptomyces spiroverticillatus was performed using glucose and/or maleic anhydride. The feeding of glucose was based on the reducing sugar content (lower than 8 g/L) at a cultivation time of 40 h. After addition of 2% (w/v) glucose, the biomass increased from 21 to 28 g/L, and that of tautomycin from 572.06 to 837.6mg/L. Moreover, 1723.1 mg/L of tautomycin (increased by 201.21%) was obtained by feeding 0.2% (w/v) maleic anhydride solution at a pH between 4 and 7 in the broth. For the experiments in the 15 L fermentor, tautomycin content reached its highest level (1714.7 mg/L), which was 199.7% higher than that of control by feeding both glucose and maleic anhydride.

Clinical Study of Thalidomide Combined with Dexamethasone for the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Chen, Hai-Fei,Li, Zheng-Yang,Tang, Jie-Qing,Shen, Hong-Shi,Cui, Qing-Ya,Ren, Yong-Ya,Qin, Long-Mei,Jin, Ling-Juan,Zhu, Jing-Jing,Wang, Jing,Ding, Jie,Wang, Ke-Yuan,Yu, Zi-Qiang,Wang, Zhao-Yue,Wu, Tian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the efficacy and safety of different doses of thalidomide (Thal) plus dexamethasone (Dex) as the initial therapy in elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: Clinical data of 28 elderly patients with newly diagnosed MM who underwent the TD regimen as the initial therapy were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the maximal sustained dose of Thal: lower dose (group A) and higher dose (group B). The overall response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AES) were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 28 patients were followed up with a median of 18 months. The ORR was 60.1%. The median response time and PFS were 2.0 and 17.0 months, respectively. The mean sustained dose of Thal in group B was significantly higher than group A (292.9 mg v 180.4 mg, P=0.01). There was no significantly difference in ORR (57.1% v 64.3%, P=1.00) and PFS (9.63months v 17.66 months, P=0.73) between groups A and B. During the follow up, only five patients died (<40%) and, therefore, median OS values were not available. It is estimated, however, that the mean survival time in the two groups was 35.6 and 33.4 months (P>0.05), respectively. All of the patients tolerated the treatment well. The incidence of AES in patients with a grading above 3 in group B was significantly higher than in group A (P=0.033). Conclusions: The TD regimen results in a high response rate and manageable AES as the initial therapy in elderly patients with MM. TD should be considered as the front line regimen for the treatment of elderly patients with MM in areas with financial constraints. The clinical response can be achieved at a low dose Thal with minimal toxicity.

Genome-Wide Association Study in East Asians Identifies Novel Susceptibility Loci for Breast Cancer

Long, Jirong,Cai, Qiuyin,Sung, Hyuna,Shi, Jiajun,Zhang, Ben,Choi, Ji-Yeob,Wen, Wanqing,Delahanty, Ryan J.,Lu, Wei,Gao, Yu-Tang,Shen, Hongbing,Park, Sue K.,Chen, Kexin,Shen, Chen-Yang,Ren, Zefang,Haima Public Library of Science 2012 PLoS genetics Vol.8 No.2

<P>Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of both sporadic and familial breast cancer. We aimed to discover novel genetic susceptibility loci for breast cancer. We conducted a four-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 19,091 cases and 20,606 controls of East-Asian descent including Chinese, Korean, and Japanese women. After analyzing 690,947 SNPs in 2,918 cases and 2,324 controls, we evaluated 5,365 SNPs for replication in 3,972 cases and 3,852 controls. Ninety-four SNPs were further evaluated in 5,203 cases and 5,138 controls, and finally the top 22 SNPs were investigated in up to 17,423 additional subjects (7,489 cases and 9,934 controls). SNP rs9485372, near the TGF-β activated kinase (<I>TAB2</I>) gene in chromosome 6q25.1, showed a consistent association with breast cancer risk across all four stages, with a <I>P</I>-value of 3.8×10<SUP>−12</SUP> in the combined analysis of all samples. Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.89 (0.85–0.94) and 0.80 (0.75–0.86) for the A/G and A/A genotypes, respectively, compared with the genotype G/G. SNP rs9383951 (<I>P</I> = 1.9×10<SUP>−6</SUP> from the combined analysis of all samples), located in intron 5 of the <I>ESR1</I> gene, and SNP rs7107217 (<I>P</I> = 4.6×10<SUP>−7</SUP>), located at 11q24.3, also showed a consistent association in each of the four stages. This study provides strong evidence for a novel breast cancer susceptibility locus represented by rs9485372, near the <I>TAB2</I> gene (6q25.1), and identifies two possible susceptibility loci located in the <I>ESR1</I> gene and 11q24.3, respectively.</P><P><B>Author Summary</B></P> <P>Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide. Genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of breast cancer. To identify common genetic susceptibility alleles for breast cancer, we performed a four-stage genome-wide association study in 19,091 cases and 20,606 controls among East-Asian women. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9485372, near the TGF-beta activated kinase 1 (<I>TAB2</I>) gene at chromosome 6q25.1, was associated with breast cancer risk (<I>P</I> = 3.8×10<SUP>−12</SUP>). SNPs rs9383951, located in intron 5 of the estrogen receptor 1 (<I>ESR1</I>) gene, and rs7107217, located at 11q24.3, were also consistently associated with breast cancer risk in all four stages with a combined <I>P</I> of 1.9×10<SUP>−6</SUP> and 4.6×10<SUP>−7</SUP>, respectively. This study provides strong evidence for a novel breast cancer susceptibility locus represented by rs9485372, near the <I>TAB2</I> gene (6q25.1), and identifies two possible susceptibility loci located in the <I>ESR1</I> gene and 11q24.3, respectively.</P>