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.

Comparative Study between ZOOMit and Conventional Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MRI for Assessing Parotid Gland Abnormalities in Patients with Early- or Mid-Stage Sjögren’s Syndrome

Zhou Qing-Qing,Zhang Wei,Yu Yu-Sheng,Li Hong-Yan,Wei Liang,Li Xue-Song,He Zhen-Zhen,Zhang Hong 대한영상의학회 2022 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.23 No.4

Objective: To compare the reproducibility and performance of quantitative metrics between ZOOMit and conventional intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of early- and mid-stage Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.0 ± 10.8 years; male:female, 2:20) with early- or mid-stage SS and 20 healthy controls (46.9 ± 14.6 years; male:female, 7:13) were prospectively enrolled in our study. ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM MRI were performed simultaneously in all individuals using a 3T scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters - including tissue diffusivity (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) - inter- and intra-observer reproducibility in measuring these parameters, and their ability to distinguish patients with SS from healthy individuals were assessed and compared between ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM methods, appropriately. MR gland nodular grade (MRG) was also examined. Results: Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was better with ZOOMit imaging than with conventional IVIM imaging (ZOOMit vs. conventional, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.897–0.941 vs. 0.667–0.782 for inter-observer reproducibility and 0.891–0.968 vs. 0.814–0.853 for intra-observer reproducibility). Significant differences in ZOOMit f, ZOOMit D*, conventional D*, and MRG between patients with SS and healthy individuals (all p < 0.05) were observed. ZOOMit D* outperformed conventional D* in diagnosing early- and mid-stage SS (area under receiver operating curve, 0.867 and 0.658, respectively; p = 0.002). The combination of ZOOMit D*, MRG, and ZOOMit f as a new diagnostic index for SS, increased diagnostic area under the curve to 0.961, which was higher than that of any single parameter (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Considering its better reproducibility and performance, ZOOMit IVIM may be preferred over conventional IVIM MRI, and may subsequently improve the ability to diagnose early- and mid-stage SS.

Improved definition of dynamic load allowance factor for highway bridges

Zhou, Yongjun,Ma, Zhongguo John,Zhao, Yu,Shi, Xiongwei,He, Shuanhai Techno-Press 2015 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.54 No.3

The main objective of this paper is to study the dynamic load allowance (DLA) calculation methods for bridges according to the dynamic response curve. A simply-supported concrete bridge with a smooth road surface was taken as an example. A half-vehicle model was employed to calculate the dynamic response of deflection and bending moment in the mid-span section under different vehicle speeds using the vehicle-bridge coupling method. Firstly, DLAs from the conventional methods and code provisions were analyzed and critically evaluated. Then, two improved computing approaches for DLA were proposed. In the first approach, the maximum dynamic response and its corresponding static response or its corresponding minimum response were selected to calculate DLA. The second approach utilized weighted average method to take account of multi-local DLAs. Finally, the DLAs from two approaches were compared with those from other methods. The results show that DLAs obtained from the proposed approaches are greater than those from the conventional methods, which indicate that the current conventional methods underestimate the dynamic response of the structure. The authors recommend that the weighted average method based on experiments be used to compute DLAs because it can reflect the vehicle's whole impact on the bridge.

Intra-operative Rectal Washout with Saline Solution Can Effectively Prevent Anastomotic Recurrence: a Meta-analysis

Zhou, Can,Ren, Yu,Wang, Ke,Liu, Jie,He, Jian-Jun,Liu, Pei-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Background and Objective: Rectal washout with saline solution may theoretically prevent anastomotic recurrence in patients with resectable rectal cancer, although exact clinical effects have not yet been determined. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, the present meta-analysis was performed. Method: Relevant studies were identified by a search of Medline, Embase and Google Website with no restrictions to September 1, 2013, and included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: 5 trials (642 participants) were included to assess the association between rectal washout with saline solution and anastomotic recurrence. The rate of anastomotic recurrence (AR) was 6.23% (40/642), with the pooled OR derived from the five studies being 0.32 (95 % CI=0.15-0.70, P=0.004). The pooled OR derived from the TME and radical resection subgroups were 0.72 (95%CI=0.16-3.12, P=0.66) and 0.51 (95%CI=0.13-1.96, P=0.32), respectively. Conclusion: Results from this analysis show that intra-operative rectal washout with mere saline solution largely reduces the risk of anastomotic recurrences in patients with resectable rectal cancer.

Hydro-mechanical interaction of reinforced concrete lining in hydraulic pressure tunnel

He-Gao Wu,Li Zhou,Kai Su,Ya-Feng Zhou,Xi-Yu Wen 국제구조공학회 2019 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.71 No.6

The reinforced concrete lining of hydraulic pressure tunnels tends to crack under high inner water pressure (IWP), which results in the inner water exosmosis along cracks and involves typical hydro-mechanical interaction. This study aims at the development, validation and application of an indirect-coupled method to simulate the lining cracking process. Based on the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model, the utility routine GETVRM and the user subroutine USDFLD in the finite element code ABAQUS is employed to calculate and adjust the secondary hydraulic conductivity according to the material damage and the plastic volume strain. The friction-contact method (FCM) is introduced to track the lining-rock interface behavior. Compared with the traditional node-shared method (NSM) model, the FCM model is more feasible to simulate the lining cracking process. The number of cracks and the reinforcement stress can be significantly reduced, which matches well with the observed results in engineering practices. Moreover, the damage evolution of reinforced concrete lining can be effectively slowed down. This numerical method provides an insight into the cracking process of reinforced concrete lining in hydraulic pressure tunnels.

Experimental Study of Mechanical Behavior of Passive Loaded Piles Adjacent to Piled Foundation

Yu Xie,Shao-he Zhang,De-quan Zhou 대한토목학회 2018 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.22 No.10

For combined piled foundation, passive loaded piles will be subjected to horizontal force when piled foundation is loaded, and horizontal force may cause the piles horizontal displacement, instability or even failure. With inclined bedrock nearby, the mechanical behavior of passive loaded piles will be more complex. In order to study the mechanical behavior of passive loaded piles under such condition, laboratory model test was carried out, during repeatedly loading/unloading cycles. Axial force, side friction, bending moment, and lateral soil pressure were analyzed. The study is based on model test, and more related studies are needed before being applied to practical conditions. The results show as follows: Axial force distribution of the piles changes with the increase of load and becomes stable under high load. This phenomenon is related to the expansion of potential slip surface in piled foundation. The passive loaded pile that is close to load boundary has only one neutral point which is located in the lower part of the pile, and its side friction has a relatively stable direction. On the contrary, the direction of side friction of the pile that is far from load boundary changes frequently. Bending moment curves of passive loaded piles vary with the change of the distance between the piles and load boundary, and they intersect at the lower part of the pile. Bending moment is basically negative above the intersection and gradually turns into positive below it. The maximum lateral soil pressure of passive loaded pile is triple that of the adjacent soil, indicating that passive loaded pile can effectively limit the horizontal deformation of piled foundation. But when the pile is too far from load boundary, it will lose the ability to limit the horizontal deformation of piled foundation.

Benefit of Post-mastectomy Radiotherapy of the Supra-/infraclavicular Lymphatic Drainage Area in Breast Cancer Patients

He, Zhen-Yu,Wu, San-Gang,Zhou, Juan,Sun, Jia-Yuan,Li, Feng-Yan,Lin, Qin,Guo, Ling,Lin, Huan-Xin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Background: This study investigated the survival benefit of radiotherapy (RT) of the supra- and infraclavicular lymphatic drainage area in Chinese women with T1-2N1M0 breast cancer receiving mastectomy. Methods: A total of 593 cases were retrospectively reviewed from 1998 to 2007. The relationship between supra- or infraclavicular fossa relapse (SCFR) and post-operative RT at the supra-/infraclavicular lymphatic drainage area was evaluated. Results: The majority of patients (532/593; 89. 8%) received no RT while 61 patients received RT. The median follow-up was 85 months. Among patients without RT, 54 (10. 2%) developed recurrence in the chest wall or ipsilateral SCFR. However, none of the 61 patients who underwent RT demonstrated SCFR. One patient who received RT (1. 6%) experienced recurrence in the chest wall. Univariate analysis revealed that age and molecular subtype (both P < 0. 05) were two prognostic factors related to supraclavicular and infraclavicular fossa relapse-free survival (SFRFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that only Her-2 positive status (P = 0. 011) was an independent predictor of SFRFS. RT had no influence on distant metastasis (P = 0. 328) or overall survival (P = 0. 541). SCFR significantly affected probability of distant metastasis (P < 0. 001) and overall survival (P < 0. 001). Conclusion: Although RT was not significantly associated with SFRFS, postoperative RT was significantly associated with a lower locoregional (i. e., supraclavicular/infraclavicular and chest wall) recurrence rate. SCFR significantly influenced distant metastasis-free survival, which significantly influenced the overall survival of T1-2N1M0 breast cancer patients after mastectomy. Thus, prophylactic RT is recommended in T1-2N1M0 breast cancer patients, especially those who have Her-2 positive lesions.

Selection and evaluation of reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis of different developmental stages in Chilo suppressalis

He Fu-Jing,Lu Ming-Xing,Du Yu-Zhou 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.4

Quantitative real-time RT-PCR is considered to valuable method for the analysis of gene expression. But for the data accuracy of gene expression, the normalization of data using reference genes is essential. In this study, we focus on the analysis of the relative expression of nine commonly used candidate reference genes in the different developmental stages and female and male pupae/adults of Chilo suppressalis, and expression stabilities were analyzed by the ΔCt method, geNorm, NormFinder, and RefFinder. The results showed that H3 was the most stable reference genes in the different developmental stages while EF1 was the optimal genes in pupae/adult of different sexes of C. suppressalis. To validate, the expression profile of the gene encoding heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) was investigated. The results showed that the transcription of target gene Hsp60 varied depending on the reference gene selected for normalization in different developmental stages, but the trend of expression of Hsp60 between the most stable reference gene combination and the least stable reference gene in pupae/adults of different sexes was the same. Therefore, it is imperative to select the reference genes to estimate target gene expression accurately in the specific experiment. This study provides scientific basis on functional analyses of the important genes contributed to the development and sex differentiation of C. suppressalis.

Effects of Two Traditional Chinese Cooking Oils, Canola and Pork, on pH and Cholic Acid Content of Faeces and Colon Tumorigenesis in Kunming Mice

He, Xiao-Qiong,Duan, Jia-Li,Zhou, Jin,Song, Zhong-Yu,Cichello, Simon Angelo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.15

Faecal pH and cholate are two important factors that can affect colon tumorigenesis, and can be modified by diet. In this study, the effects of two Chinese traditional cooking oils (pork oil and canola/rapeseed oil) on the pH and the cholic acid content in feces, in addition to colon tumorigenesis, were studied in mice. Kunming mice were randomized into various groups; negative control group (NCG), azoxymethane control group (ACG), pork oil group (POG), and canola oil Ggroup (COG). Mice in the ACG were fed a basic rodent chow; mice in POG and COG were given 10% cooking oil rodent chow with the respective oil type. All mice were given four weekly AOM (azoxymethane) i.p. injections (10mg/kg). The pH and cholic acid of the feces were examined every two weeks. Colon tumors, aberrant crypt foci and organ weights were examined 32 weeks following the final AOM injection. The results showed that canola oil significantly decreased faecal pH in female mice (P<0.05), but had no influence on feces pH in male mice (P>0.05). Pork oil significantly increased the feces pH in both male and female mice (P<0.05). No significant change was found in feces cholic acid content when mice were fed 10% pork oil or canola oil compared with the ACG. Although Kunming mice were not susceptible to AOM-induced tumorigenesis in terms of colon tumor incidence, pork oil significantly increased the ACF number in male mice. Canola oil showed no influence on ACF in either male or female mice. Our results indicate that cooking oil effects faecal pH, but does not affect the faecal cholic acid content and thus AOM-induced colon neoplastic ACF is modified by dietary fat.

Effects of relative tool sharpness on surface generation mechanism of precision turning of electroless nickelphosphorus coating

Qian Yu,Tianfeng Zhou,Yupeng He,Peng Liu,Xibin Wang,Jiwang Yan 대한기계학회 2021 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.35 No.7

Relative tool sharpness (RTS) is identified as the ratio of undeformed chip thickness to tool cutting edge radius. This paper studies the effects of RTS on the surface generation mechanism of precision turning of electroless nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) coating. An Rshaped tungsten carbide (WC) tool was adopted for the face turning experiment. The cutting edge radius was 1.84 μm measured by a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). The chip formation behavior, cutting forces and surface morphology were investigated under different RTS values. Results showed that the chip changes from continuous to discontinuous as RTS decreases from 0.54 to 0.27, indicating the transition of the material removal mechanism. The periodical fluctuations with small amplitudes on the machined surface are associated with the high-frequency tool-tip vibration. The low-frequency fluctuations of the cutting forces are related to the material swelling and recovery. The optimal machined surface roughness was obtained at the RTS of 0.38.