Risk Assessment of Secondary Primary Malignancies in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Big-Data Intelligence Platform-Based Analysis of 6,377 Long-term Survivors from an Endemic Area Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy during 2003-2013

Lu-Lu Zhang,Guo-Hong Li,Yi-Yang Li,Zhen-Yu Qi,Ai-Hua Lin,Ying Sun 대한암학회 2019 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.51 No.3

Purpose The incidence, risk factors and survival impact of secondary primary malignancies (SPMs) among survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy are poorly characterized. Materials and Methods Consecutive patients (n=6,377) from the big-data intelligence platform at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, China (in a high-incidence area) with newly diagnosed non-metastatic pathologically proven non-keratinizing undifferentiated NPC treated with IMRT±chemotherapy between January 2003 and June 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Cumulative incidence of SPMs was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify potential risk factors for SPMs and assess whether SPMs affect overall survival. Results Of the 6,377 patients, 189 (3.0%) suffered SPMs (median follow-up, 62 months). One-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-cumulative risks of SPMs were 0.4%, 0.9%, 1.6%, 2.2%, and 2.6%, respectively. Latency from start of IMRT to SPMs diagnosis was 37 months (range, 6 to 102 months). In patients with SPMs, 14.3% suffered SPMs within 1 year post-IMRT: 1-3 years, 38.1%; 3-5 years, 33.9%; and > 5 years, 13.7%. Lung cancer was the most common SPM (50/6,377, 0.78%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated sex (male, 64% increase), age (! 50 years, 68% increase), and smoking history (41% increase) were significant risk factors for SPMs, and SPMs were associated with poorer overall survival. Conclusion This large cohort study confirms SPMs a dreadful complication for long-term survivors of NPC treated with IMRT. SPMs negatively impact overall survival in NPC. Close follow-up is recommended for older male survivors with a smoking history.

Proposal of a Pretreatment Nomogram for Predicting Local Recurrence after Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in T4 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Retrospective Review of 415 Chinese Patients

Lu-Lu Zhang,Yi-Yang Li,Jiang Hu,Guan-Qun Zhou,Lei Chen,Wen-Fei Li,Ai-Hua Lin,Jun Ma,Zhen-Yu Qi,Ying Sun 대한암학회 2018 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.50 No.4

Purpose Local relapse-free survival (LRFS) differs widely among patients with T4 category nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We aimed to build a nomogram incorporating clinicopathological information to predict LRFS in T4 NPC after definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Materials and Methods Retrospective study of 415 Chinese patients with non-metastatic T4 NPC treated with definitive IMRT with or without chemotherapy at our cancer center between October 2009 and September 2013. The nomogram for LRFS at 3 and 5 years was generated based on multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, and validated using bootstrap resampling, assessing discriminative performance using the concordance index (C-index) and determining calibration ability via calibration curves. Results Five-year LRFS was 88.8%. We identified and incorporated four independent prognostic factors for LRFS: ethmoid sinus invasion, primary gross tumor volume, age, and pretreatment body mass index. The C-index of the nomogram for local recurrence was 0.732 (95% confidence interval, 0.726 to 0.738), indicating excellent predictive accuracy. The calibration curve revealed excellent agreement between nomogram-predicted and observed LRFS probabilities. Risk subgroups based on total point score cutoff values enabled effective discrimination of LRFS. Conclusion This pretreatment nomogram enables clinicians to accurately predict LRFS in T4 NPC after definitive IMRT, and could help to facilitate personalized patient counselling and treatment strategies.

Investigation into performance enhancements of Li–S batteries via oxygen-containing functional groups on activated multi-walled carbon nanotubes using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Yu Hai Wang,Zhe Dai,Chao Yue Zhang,Guo Wen Sun,Zhong Wei Lu,Xiu Ping Gao,Geng Zhi Sun,Wei Lan,Zhen Xing Zhang,Xiao Jun Pan,Jin Yuan Zhou 한국물리학회 2020 Current Applied Physics Vol.20 No.9

It was demonstrated that the electrochemical performance enhancements in KOH-activated carbon materials should be mainly due to the created polar oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs, such as such as C–O, C–– O, –OH, and O–C–– O), while the role of each OFGs on the electrochemical enhancements is still unclear. In this work, KOH activation treatments were systematically conducted on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to explore the role of each OFG on the performance enhancements of Li–S batteries (LSBs). Results showed that the capacity of activated-CNT-sulfur (a-CNT-S) cathodes is 33% higher than that of the pristine CNT-S cathodes, and their rate capability and cycling stability are also enhanced. And the electrochemical analysis combining with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the formed C–O bonds are the real factor for the enhanced electrochemical performances of a-CNT-S cathodes. Furthermore, the optimal activation conditions on CNTbased cathodes for LSBs were optimized to be 10 min at 700 ℃.

Characteristics and Comparisons of Morphometric Measurements and Computed Tomography Hounsfield Unit Values of C2 Laminae for Translaminar Screw Placement Between Patients With and Without Basilar Invagination

Lu-Ping Zhou,Jin Shang,Zhi-Gang Zhang,Zhen-Fei Jiang,Hua-Qing Zhang,Chong-Yu Jia,Ren-Jie Zhang,Cai-Liang Shen 대한척추신경외과학회 2022 Neurospine Vol.19 No.4

Objective: Patients with basilar invagination (BI) had high incidences of vertebral variations and high-riding vertebral artery (HRVA) that might restrict the use of pedicle or pars screw and increase the use of translaminar screw on axis. Here, we conducted a radiographic study to investigate the feasibility of translaminar screws and the bone quality of C2 laminae in patients with BI, which were compared with those without BI as control to provide guidelines for safe placement. Methods: In this study, a total of 410 patients (205 consecutive patients with BI and 205 matched patients without BI) and 820 unilateral laminae of the axis were included at a 1:1 ratio. Comparisons with regard to insertion parameters (laminar length, thickness, angle, and height) for C2 translaminar screw placement and Hounsfield unit (HU) values for the assessment of the appropriate bone mineral density of C2 laminae between BI and control groups were performed. Besides, the subgroup analyses based on the Goel A and B classification of BI, HRVA, atlas occipitalization, and C2/3 assimilation were also carried out. Furthermore, the factors that might affect the insertion parameters and HU values were explored through multiple linear regression analyses. Results: The BI group showed a significantly smaller laminar length, thickness, height, and HU value than the control group, whereas no significant difference was observed regarding the laminar angle. By contrast, the control group showed significantly higher rates of acceptability for unilateral and bilateral translaminar screw fixations than the BI group. Subgroup analyses showed that the classification of Goel A and B, HRVA, atlas occipitalization, and C2/3 assimilation affected the insertion parameters except the HU values. Multiple linear regression indicated that the laminar length was significantly associated with the male gender (B = 0.190, p < 0.001), diagnoses of HRVA (B = -0.109, p < 0.001), Goel A (B = -0.167, p < 0.001), and C2/3 assimilation (B = -0.079, p = 0.029); the laminar thickness was significantly associated with the male gender (B = 0.353, p < 0.001), diagnoses of HRVA (B = -0.430, p < 0.001), Goel B (B = -0.249, p = 0.026), and distance from the top of odontoid to the Chamberlain line (B = -0.025, p = 0.003); laminar HU values were significantly associated with age (B = -2.517, p < 0.001), Goel A (B = -44.205, p < 0.001), Goel B (B = -25.704, p = 0.014), and laminar thickness (B = -11.706, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with BI had narrower and smaller laminae with lower HU values and lower unilateral and bilateral acceptability for translaminar screws than patients without BI. Preoperative 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography were needed for BI patients.

Prediction and Monitoring of the Construction Vibration Effect on an Adjacent Old Long Span Double-Convex Arch Bridge

Yu-xiong Liang,Qing-song Feng,Mei-zhen Fu,Bi-tao Wu,Jian-fei Lu,Guo-xi Tang 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.5

Ground vibrations caused by the construction of impact drilling piles may affect adjacent bridges, so corresponding prediction and monitoring are necessary to ensure the safety of bridges. In this study, the construction near an existing long-span double-convex arch bridge is taken as a case study to investigate different layouts of construction machines emanating harmful ground vibrations to the existing adjacent bridge by numerical simulations and monitoring. The peak acceleration and velocity acquired from numerical simulations, and monitoring were successfully used to implement impact drilling pile construction near the existing bridge. The results show that there are good consistencies between the monitoring and numerical simulation results, and the vibration acceleration of the foundation of abutments and piers are mainly derived from the vibration caused by the construction within a distance of 50 m, while the construction beyond 50 m has little effect on the old bridge. The numbers and locations of machines near the same foundation may have a weakening or strengthening effect on the peak acceleration and velocity due to destructive and constructive interference of waves, which can help to control the effects of the vibrations of the existing adjacent bridge.

GPR12 Selections of the Metabolites from an Endophytic Streptomyces sp. Asociated with Cistanches deserticola

Zhen-Jian Lin,Xiao-Ming Lu,Tian-Jiao Zhu,Yu-Chun Fang,Qian-Qun Gu,Weiming Zhu 대한약학회 2008 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.31 No.9

An endophytic Streptomyces sp. (AC-2) was isolated from the root of Cistanches deserticola Y.C.Ma..Chemical investigations of the culture broth of AC-2 afforded fifteen compounds including K1115 A (1), tyrosol (2), phenylethylamine derivatives (3, 4), cyclic dipeptides (5-8), nucleosides and their aglycones (9-13), N-acetyltryptamine (14), and pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid (15). Only tyrosol can promote an increase of intracellular cAMP special on GPR12 transfected cells, such as CHO and HEK293, which means it may be a possible ligand for GPR12.

Isolation of Probiotic Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strains from Human Fecal Microbiota Using SpaA Antiserum-Based Colony Immunoblotting

( Zhen-quan Yang ),( Yu Xue ),( Sheng-qi Rao ),( Mi Zhang ),( Lu Gao ),( Yong-qi Yin ),( Da-wei Chen ),( Xiao-hui Zhou ),( Xin-an Jiao ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2017 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.27 No.11

Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR) strains possess higher adherent capacity than non-piliated strains. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize probiotic pLR strains in human fecal samples. To this end, mouse polyclonal antiserum (anti-SpaA) against the recombinant pilus protein (SpaA) of L. rhamnosus strain GG (LGG) was prepared and tested for its reactivity and specificity. With the anti-SpaA, a method combining the de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar plating separation and colony immunoblotting (CIB) was developed to isolate pLR from 124 human fecal samples. The genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the resultant pLR isolates were compared by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting, and examination of adhesion to Caco-2 cells, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA specifically reacted with three pLR strains of 25 test strains, as assessed by western blotting, immunofluorescence flow cytometry, and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) assays. The optimized MRS agar separation plus anti- SpaA-based CIB procedure could quantitatively detect 2.5 × 10³ CFU/ml of pLR colonies spiked in 10⁶ CFU/ml of background bacteria. Eight pLR strains were identified in 124 human fecal samples, and were confirmed by 16S RNA gene sequencing and IEM identification. RAPD fingerprinting of the pLR strains revealed seven different patterns, of which only two isolates from infants showed the same RAPD profiles with LGG. Strain PLR06 was obtained with high adhesion and autoaggregation activities, hydrophobicity, and gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA-based CIB is a rapid and inexpensive method for the preliminary screening of novel adherent L. rhamnosus strains for commercial purposes.

Effect of Sub-Structure and Precipitation Behavior on Mechanical Properties of Al–xCu–Li Alloys

Yu‑zhuo Li,Guang‑jun Zeng,Ding‑ding Lu,Zhen‑zhen Liu,San‑xi Deng,Peng‑cheng Ma,Yong‑lai Chen,Rui‑feng Zhang,Jin‑feng Li 대한금속·재료학회 2023 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.29 No.11

The tensile properties and microstructure of extruded and cold rolled 2A55 Al–Li alloys with different Cu content werestudied. After solution treatment, the strength of extruded sheets is slightly higher than that of cold rolled sheets due to strongdeformation texture and high density of substructure. However, the strength change order is different with the increase of Cucontent with T6-24 h. The extruded sample with higher Cu content have higher strength due to many dense T1precipitates. The δ′/θ′/δ′ composite precipitates and θ′ precipitates suppress the formation of T1precipitates, which cause cold rolled samplewith higher Cu content shows lower strength. Additionally, many fine T1precipitates nucleate at the sub-grain boundariesformed in the extrusion process, which have a significant effect on the mechanical property.

High Shock-Resistant Design of Piezoresistive High-g Accelerometer

Yongle Lu,Zhen Qu,Jie Yang,Wenxin Wang,Wenbo Wang,Yu Liu 한국정보처리학회 2023 Journal of information processing systems Vol.19 No.2

To improve the shock-resistance of piezoresistive high-g accelerometer, we propose a design of piezoresistivehigh-g accelerometer. The accelerometer employs special-shaped proof masses system with a cross gap. Fourtiny sensing beams are bonded above the cross gap. The expression of the deformation, natural frequency anddamping is deduced, and the structural parameters are optimized. The accelerometer structure is simulated andverified by finite element method (FEM) simulation. The results show that the range of the accelerometer canreach 200,000 g, the natural frequency is 453.6 kHz, and the cross-axis sensitivity of X-axis and Y-axis is0.25% and 0.11%, respectively, which can apply to the measurement of high shock. Contrastively, the crossaxissensitivity of X-axis and Y-axis is respectively, reduced by 93.2% and 96.9%. The sensitivity of ouraccelerometer is 0.88 μV/g. It is of great value for the application of piezoresistive high-g accelerometer withhigh shock-resistance.

Construction and Expression of an Eukaryotic Expression Vector Containing the IER3 Gene

Wang, Zhen,Yu, Hong-Sheng,Yao, Ru-Yong,Qiu, Wen-Sheng,Yue, Lu,Sui, Ai-Hua,Liu, Xiang-Ping,Liu, Shi-Hai Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Background: More and more research indicate that the immediately early response gene 3 (IER3) is involved inmany biological provesses, such as apoptosis and immunoreaction, as well as viral infection, tumorigenesis and tumour progression. Methods: Here we describe the construction of an eukaryotic expression vector containing IER3 gene and its expression in A549 cells as assessed through fluorescence microscopyand Western-blotting. Results: Fluorescence detection displayed that GFP in cytoplasm was high during 48 and 72 hours post-transfection. In addition, Western blotting showed significant increase in IER3 gene expression in the transfected cells compared with controls. Conclusion: The recombinate plasmid expression vector was constructed successfully, which may provide a basis for further exploration of function of IER3 in lung cancer.