Clinical Effectiveness of Preoperative Embolization for Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma

Liu, Ai-Hua,Peng, Tang-Ming,Wu, Zhen,Xiao, Xin-Ru,Jiang, Chu-Han,Wu, Zhong-Xue,Li, You-Xiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.9

The cerebellar hemangioblastoma (CHB) has an abundant blood supply and deep anatomical location. Complete surgical resection is generally very difficult. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of preoperative embolization followed by surgical resection of CHB in a large cohort of patients. A database of 125 CHB patients with surgical resection in Beijing Tiantan Hospital between July 2006 and July 2012 was reviewed. Of those, 46 cases (experimental group) received preoperative embolization, 79 cases (control group) underwent surgery without embolization. Patient demographics, tumor size, duration of surgery, blood loss, blood transfusion, complications and follow-up results were collected and analyzed retrospectively. In the experimental group, the Kamofsky score (KS) was 80-100 in 40 cases (86.9%), 40-70 in 4 cases (8.7%), and below 40 in 2 cases (4.3%). Among 31 cases with follow-up, KS was 80-100 in 27 cases (87.1%), 40-70 in 2 cases (6.5%), and 0 in 2 cases (6.5%). In control group, KS was 80 -100 in 65 cases (82.2%), 40-70 in 6 cases (7.6%), 10-30 in 3 cases (3.8%), and 0 in 3 cases (3.8%). Among 53 cases with follow-up, KS was 80-100 in 44 cases (83.0%), 40-70 in 4 cases (7.5%), 10-30 in 1 case (1.9%), and 0 in 4 cases (7.5%). There were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in tumor size, duration of surgery, amount of intraoperative blood loss and transfusion (p<0.01). However, complications (p=0.31) and follow-up results (p=0.76) showed no significant differences between groups. Selective preoperative embolization of those CHB patients with richer blood supply, higher hemorrhage risk, is safe and effective, and is a reliable adjuvant therapy for complete surgical resection of CHB.

Enhancement of Aggregation-Induced Emission in Dye-Encapsulating Polymeric Micelles for Bioimaging

Wu, Wen-Chung,Chen, Ching-Yi,Tian, Yanqing,Jang, Sei-Hum,Hong, Yuning,Liu, Yang,Hu, Rongrong,Tang, Ben Zhong,Lee, Yi-Ting,Chen, Chin-Ti,Chen, Wen-Chang,Jen, Alex K.-Y. WILEY-VCH Verlag 2010 Advanced Functional Materials Vol.20 No.9

<P>Three amphiphilic block copolymers are employed to form polymeric micelles and function as nanocarriers to disperse hydrophobic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN), into aqueous solution for biological studies. Compared to their virtually non-emissive properties in organic solutions, the fluorescence intensity of these AIE dyes has increased significantly due to the spatial confinement that restricts intramolecular rotation of these dyes and their better compatibility in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. The effect of the chemical structure of micelle cores on the photophysical properties of AIE dyes are investigated, and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the green-emitting donor (HPS) to the red-emitting acceptor (NPAFN) is explored by co-encapsulating this FRET pair in the same micelle core. The highest fluorescence quantum yield (∼62%) could be achieved by encapsulating HPS aggregates in the micelles. Efficient energy transfer (>99%) and high amplification of emission (as high as 8 times) from the NPAFN acceptor could also be achieved by spatially confining the HPS/NPAFN FRET pair in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. These micelles could be successfully internalized into the RAW 264.7 cells to demonstrate high-quality fluorescent images and cell viability due to improved quantum yield and reduced cytotoxicity.</P> <B>Graphic Abstract</B> <P>Highly efficient fluorescence probes are achieved through the encapsulation of aggregation-induced emission molecules, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN) in the core of polymeric micelles. Bright fluorescence cell images are shown with tunable colors of green directly from HPS aggregates and red through efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from HPS aggregates to NPAFN aggregates. <img src='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content.gif' alt='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content'> </P>

Expression and Prognostic Significance of lncRNA MALAT1 in Pancreatic Cancer Tissues

Liu, Jiang-Hua,Chen, Gang,Dang, Yi-Wu,Li, Chun-Jun,Luo, Dian-Zhong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently observed in various human cancers. However, the role of lncRNAs in pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclarified. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in PDAC formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues and to investigate the clinical significance of the MALAT1 level. Methods: The expression of MALAT1 was examined in 45 PDAC and 25 adjacent non-cancerous FFPE tissues, as well as in five PDAC cell lines and a normal pancreatic epithelium cell line HPDE6c-7, using qRT-PCR. The relationship between MALAT1 level and clinicopathological parameters of PDAC was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The relative level of MALAT1 was significantly higher in PDAC compared to the adjacent normal pancreatic tissues (p=0.009). When comparing the MALAT1 level in the cultured cell lines, remarkably higher expression of MALAT1 was found in aspc-1 PDAC cells compared with the immortal pancreatic duct epithelial cell line HPDE6c-7 (q=7.573, p<0.05). Furthermore, MALAT1 expression level showed significant correlation with tumor size (r=0.35, p=0.018), tumor stage (r=0.439, p=0.003) and depth of invasion (r=0.334, p=0.025). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with higher MALAT1 expression had a poorer disease free survival (p=0.043). Additionally, multivariate analysis indicated that overexpression of MALAT1, as well as the tumor location and nerve invasion, was an independent predictor of disease-specific survival of PDAC. Conclusion: MALAT1 might be considered as a potential prognostic indicator and may be a target for diagnosis and gene therapy for PDAC.

Mining Proteins Associated with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Complex Networks

Liu, Ying,Liu, Chuan-Xia,Wu, Zhong-Ting,Ge, Lin,Zhou, Hong-Mei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

The purpose of this study was to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network related to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Each protein was ranked and those most associated with OSCC were mined within the network. First, OSCC-related genes were retrieved from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. Then they were mapped to their protein identifiers and a seed set of proteins was built. The seed proteins were expanded using the nearest neighbor expansion method to construct a PPI network through the Online Predicated Human Interaction Database (OPHID). The network was verified to be statistically significant, the score of each protein was evaluated by algorithm, then the OSCC-related proteins were ranked. 38 OSCC related seed proteins were expanded to 750 protein pairs. A protein-protein interaction nerwork was then constructed and the 30 top-ranked proteins listed. The four highest-scoring seed proteins were SMAD4, CTNNB1, HRAS, NOTCH1, and four non-seed proteins P53, EP300, SMAD3, SRC were mined using the nearest neighbor expansion method. The methods shown here may facilitate the discovery of important OSCC proteins and guide medical researchers in further pertinent studies.

Clinical Study of Hepatectomy Combined with Jianpi Huayu Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Zhong, Chong,Li, Hui-Dong,Liu, Dong-Yang,Xu, Fa-Bin,Wu, Jian,Lin, Xue-Mei,Guo, Rong-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) possesses several advantages for treating patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The theory of 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' rooted from 'Jin Kui Yao Lue'is one of the most important therapies in this respect. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical effect and safety of hepatectomy combining with 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' in the treatment of HCC. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with HCC were randomized allocated into hepatectomy combined with 'Jianpi Huayu Therapy' group (treatment group, n=60) and hepatectomy alone group (control group, n=60). Disease- free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were the primary end-points. Liver function at the end of one week after surgery, complications, average days of hospitalization as well as performance status (PS) at the end of one month post operation were also compared. Results: No significant differences existed between two groups on baseline analysis (p>0.05). No treatment related mortality occurred in either group. Post-operative complications were detected among 14 patients (23.3%) in the treatment group, and 12 (20.0%) in the control group (p=0.658). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at the end of one week after operation was lower in the treatment than control groups (p=0.042). No significant differences in other indexes of liver function were discovered between two groups. Average days of hospitalization reduced by 0.9 day in treatment group than in control (p=0.034). During follow-up, 104 patients (86.6%) developed recurrence. The rates of 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS and median DFS for all patients were 77.4%, 26.3%, 9.0% and 25.6 months (range, 6.0~68.0), respectively (78.2%, 29.2%, 14.3% and 28.7 months for the 48 patients in the treatment group and 75.0%, 23.3%, 6.4%, and 22.6 months for the 56 patients in the control group (p=0.045)). 101 patients had died at the time of censor, with 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates and median survival for all patients of 97.5%, 76.4%, 40.5% and 51.2 months (range, 10.0~72.0), respectively (98.3%, 78.0%, 43.6% and 52.6 months, for treatment and 96.7%, 74.7%, 37.4%, and 49.8 months, for controls, respectively (p=0.048)). Conclusions: Hepatectomy combined with 'Jianpi Huayu therapy'was effective in the treatment of HCC, and reduced post-operative recurrence and metastasis and improved DFS and OS of HCC patients.

Regeneration and Recycling of Waste Thermosetting Plastics based on Mechanical Thermal Coupling Fields

Zhong-Wei Wu,Shaobo Pan,Guang-Fu Liu,Shou-Xu Song 한국정밀공학회 2014 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

In view of the present situation that the recovery of waste thermosetting plastics and products is difficult and the utilization rate islow, regeneration mechanism, regeneration methods and recycling process of waste thermosetting plastics under mechanical thermalcoupling fields are proposed. Regeneration powders of Thermosetting Phenolic plastic are obtained by mechanochemical activatedregeneration methods, the molecular structure, properties and crosslink density of phenol regeneration materials are analyzed. Analysis results show that network crosslinked molecular structure was destroyed, reactive groups produced and the crosslink densitydecreased. The activity of regeneration powders was reinforced and its plasticity was also improving, so the utilization rate wasimproved. Regeneration composite plastics were manufactured by hot press molding or extrusion compression molding. Themicrostructure of regeneration composite plastics was analyzed, and its mechanical strength was tested. Results showed that thetensile strength and bending strength of samples (weight ratio ≥ 50%) respectively exceed 15.88 MPa and 33.49 MPa. At last processparameters for regeneration effects were discussed, and these parameters were optimized. When particle size was 80 mesh (size ≤ 0.18mm), quality proportion was 50~70%, pressure was 10Mpa, heating temperature was 180~190oC, the optimal effects for regeneratedcomposite were achieved.

Efficacy and safety of herbal medicine (Binafuxi granules) for the common cold with fever: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial

Liu Xuemei,Min Jie,She Bin,Chen Yang,Li Jun,Huang Lei,Chen Ju,Luo Ai,Mei Yang,Li Ting,Wu Yanqing,Chen Daohong,Hongli Zhong,Liu Wei,Mao Bing,Jiang Hongli 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.3

Background: Binafuxi granules are a traditional Uighur medicine (TUM) for treating the common cold with fever. However, high-quality clinical studies supporting its efficacy and safety are lacking. Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial, patients with common cold and fever were randomly assigned to a high-dose group, low-dose group, and placebo group in a 1:1:1 ratio. Outcomes were time to fever relief, time to fever clearance, proportion of afebrile patients, time to symptom disappearance, rate of symptom disappearance, effective rate, emergency drug usage and safety assessment. Results: A total of 235 patients were recruited. Of these, 234 were included in the full analysis set (FAS), and 217 were included in the per-protocol set (PPS). In the FAS analysis, the median time to fever relief was 6.00 h, 5.54 h and 10.65 h (P = 0.31) in the high-dose group, low-dose group and placebo group, respectively. The median time to fever clearance was 18.29 h, 20.08 h and 25.00 h (P = 0.0018), respectively, and the proportion of afebrile patients was 92.4%, 89.7% and 71.4% (P = 0.0002), respectively. There was a significant difference in the disappearance time and disappearance rate of all symptoms and of individual symptoms. No serious adverse events were found. Conclusions: Binafuxi granules can dose-dependently shorten the fever course and improve clinical symptoms in patients suffering from the common cold with fever.

Novel Two-dimensional Network Based on Amino-acid-octamolybdate Bridged by Second Metals: {M(H₂O)₃(pro)Mo₄O₁₃}₂·2H₂O (pro = proline, M = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn)

Wu, Xiao-Yuan,Lu, Can-Zhong,Xia, Chang-Kun,Chen, Shu-Mei,Liu, Jiu-Hui,Chen, Li-Juan,Yang, Wen-Bin Korean Chemical Society 2006 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.27 No.8

Four isostructural amino-acid-based polyoxomolybdates, {$M(H_2O)_3(pro)Mo_4O_{13}$}$_2{\cdot}2H_2O$ (pro = proline, M = Co (1), Ni (2), Cu (3), Zn (4)), have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectrum, TG analysis. The structures of 1-4 are layered networks built up from {$Mo_8O_{26}(pro)_2$}$^{4-}$ units and {$M(H_2O)_3O_3$} octahedra, the uncoordinated water molecules occupying the interlayer regions.

p38 MAPK Signaling Mediates Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Cancer Cells Induced by Oleanolic Acid

Liu, Jia,Wu, Ning,Ma, Lei-Na,Zhong, Jia-Teng,Liu, Ge,Zheng, Lan-Hong,Lin, Xiu-Kun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.11

Oleanolic acid (OA) is a nutritional component widely distributed in various vegetables. Although it has been well recognized for decades that OA exerts certain anti-tumor activity by inducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, it is still unclear that what molecular signaling is responsible for this effect. In this study, we employed cancer cell lines, A549, BXPC-3, PANC-1 and U2OS to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying OA anti-tumor activity. We found that activation of MAPK pathways, including p-38 MAPK, JNK and ERK, was triggered by OA in both a dose and time-dependent fashion in all the tested cancer cells. Activation was accompanied by cleavage of caspases and PARP as well as cytochrome C release. SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), but not SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) and U0126 (ERK inhibitor), rescued the pro-apoptotic effect of OA on A549 and BXPC-3 cells. OA induced p38 MAPK activation promoted mitochondrial translocation of Bax and Bim, and inhibited Bcl-2 function by enhancing their phosphorylation. OA can induce reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent ASK1 activation, and this event was indispensable for p38 MAPK-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells. In vivo, p38 MAPK knockdown A549 tumors proved resistant to the growth-inhibitory effect of OA. Collectively, we elucidated that activation of ROS/ASK1/p38 MAPK pathways is responsible for the apoptosis stimulated by OA in cancer cells. Our finding can contribute to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of nutritional components.

Experimental study on all-bolted joint in modularized prefabricated steel structure

Zhanjing Wu,Zhong Tao,Bei Liu,Heng Zuo 국제구조공학회 2020 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.73 No.6

The research study is focuses on a form of all-bolted joint with the external ring stiffening plate in the prefabricated steel structure. The components are bolted at site after being fabricated in the factory. Six specimens were tested under cyclic loading, and the effects of column axial compression ratio, concrete-filled column, beam flange sub plate, beam web angle cleats, and spliced column on the failure mode, hysteretic behavior and ductility of the joints were analyzed. The results shown that the proposed all-bolted joint with external ring stiffening plate performed high bearing capability, stable inflexibility degradation, high ductility and plump hysteretic curve. The primary failure modes were bucking at beam end, cracking at the variable section of the external ring stiffening plate, and finally welds fracturing between external ring stiffening plate and column wall. The bearing capability of the joints reduced with the axial compression ratio increased. The use of concrete-filled steel tube column can increase the bearing capability of joints. The existence of the beam flange sub plate, and beam web angle cleat improves the energy dissipation, ductility, bearing capacity and original rigidity of the joint, but also increase the stress concentration at the variable section of the external reinforcing ring plate. The proposed joints with spliced column also performed desirable integrity, large bearing capacity, initial stiffness and energy dissipation capacity for engineering application by reasonable design.