Effective Cancer Detection Using Higher-Order Genome Architecture and Chromatin Interactions

Cancer is a complex disease which requires interactions between cell-intrinsic alterations and tumor microenvironment. The connection between epigenetics and genomic structure plays a key role in chromatin interaction which promotes enhancer-promoter interactions for transcriptional activities. Alterations of chromatin states in oncogenic signaling pathway potentially cause cancer cell-intrinsic changes and inappropriate instructions to normal cell cycles, leading to abnormal cell growth. Resulting phenotypic changes are correlated to underlying changes in higher-order chromatin structure such as topologically associating domains (TADs) and compartments. In cancer cells, TAD structure is usually altered to facilitate the communication between enhancers and promoters in addition to higher density of histone modification level, thus increasing transcriptional super-enhancer activities within certain boundary strengths. Strong insulation scores and boundaries indicate high boundary strength (boundary IV) which allows more intra-TAD interactions. High level of histone activating mark H3K27ac positioning near promoters increases transcriptional activity and gene expression. Therefore, spatial chromosomal structures by TADs and epigenetic markers are the key regulators of chromatin interactions in oncogenic activities from carcinogenesis to metastasis. The result indicates that XGBoost multi-class classifier has achieved the highest accuracy of 81.13% in classifying normal and cancer cell lines based on chromatin interactions, followed by Random Forest at 73.76% and TabNet classifier at 73.50%. The detection model could be further improved with high quality data sources and meaningful features for clinical applications in early-stage cancer detection and prognosis

A comparison of the performance of the Assessment of SpondyloArhritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria, European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) classification criteria, and Modified New York (MNY) criteria in a cohort of Chinese spondyloarthritis patients

BACKGROUND: The existing Modified New York (MNY) criteria and European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria are defective in early diagnosis of patients with spondyloarthritis. The objective of this study was to reclassify a Chinese cohort of patients with previous expert-diagnosed spondyloarthritis according to the recently issued Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis and the two existing criteria, the ESSG criteria and MNY criteria and to compare the clinical characteristics including disease duration, disease activity, and spinal mobility between patients fulfilling these criteria. METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed by expert opinion from a tertiary centre were classified into three groups: the Ankylosing Spondyloarthritis (AS) by MNY criteria; undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (USpA) by ESSG criteria (USpA/ESSG), and those by ASAS classification criteria only (USpA/ASAS). Functional status was studied by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Disease activity was evaluated by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and C-reactive protein. Spinal mobility including modified Schober test and chest expansion was determined. RESULTS: A total of 128 spondyloarthritis patients (92 male and 36 female) were recruited. USpA/ASAS group identified patients with shortest disease duration (9.2±2.3 years, 11.6±3.8, 18.7±2.2 years in USpA/ASAS group, USpA group, and AS group respectively; P<0.01). USpA/ASAS and USpA/ESSG groups were better than AS group in terms of BASFI, modified Schober test and chest expansion. C-reactive protein and BASDAI were similar in the three groups. CONCLUSION: The ASAS classification criteria are shown to identify spondyloarthritis patients at an earlier stage when spinal mobility and functional status are preserved. This group of USpA patients demonstrated comparable disease activity to other groups, suggesting a need and predictably better outcome for early treatment.published_or_final_versionThe 15th Medical Research Conference (15th MRC), Department of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 16 January 2010. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2010, v. 16 n. 1, suppl. 1, p. 18, abstract no. 2

Shoulder mobility, muscular strength and quality of life in breast cancer survivors with and without Tai Chi Qigong training

published_or_final_versio

The localization of multiple cathepsin mRNAs in the seminiferous epithelium by in situ hybridization is consistent with their role in germ cell (GC) migration

Abstract no. 707published_or_final_versio

Inactivation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1 alpha induces obesity-associated metabolic disorders through brown adipose tissue dysfunction

published_or_final_versionThe 14th Medical Research Conference, Hong Kong, 10 January 2009. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2009, v. 15, suppl. 1, p. 40, article no. 6

Propuesta de mejora del nivel motivacional para el personal de las áreas banca personas y banca empresas del Banco Interamericano de Finanzas oficina 620 Chiclayo - 2015

Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar del nivel motivacional del personal de las áreas comerciales del Banco Interamericano de Finanzas oficina 620 Chiclayo - 2015 basado en el análisis de los factores higiénicos y los factores motivacionales de la Teoría expuesta por Frederick Herzberg y en función a estos resultados, formular una propuesta de mejora de su nivel motivacional. El tipo de estudio de la investigación fue mixto (cualitativo y cuantitativo), porque se utilizó entrevistas exploratorias y luego se ejecutó una encuesta. Dentro de esta misma línea de acción, la encuesta aplicada se elaboró en base a la teoría de Frederick Herzberg, desarrollada en el trabajo “La motivación laboral: una propuesta de mejora” realizado por Cristina Fresno Lázaro. En este instrumento de medición se utilizó una escala de Likert, teniendo como población a la totalidad de los 21 colaboradores. En la investigación se puede concluir que el personal de las áreas de banca personas y banca empresas del Banco Interamericano de Finanzas, en cuanto a motivación, la mayoría de trabajadores se siente motivados intrínsecamente y en un porcentaje menor prevalece la motivación extrínseca. La variable de motivación según Herzberg se encuentra en un nivel alto para el 61%; por lo que se podría decir que, si motivan a sus colaboradores, pero no a todos de la misma manera; así mismo se caracteriza por tener los factores motivacionales como la dimensión que exponen los más altos niveles; al respecto la dimensión factores de higiene muestran un nivel medio

Sheet metal plate design: a structured approach to product optimization in the presence of technological constraints

Geometrical optimization of structural components is a topic of high interest for engineers involved with design activities mainly related to mass reduction. The study described in these pages focuses on the optimization of plates subjected to bending for which stiffness is obtained by a pattern of ribs. Although stiffening by means of ribs is a well-known and old technique, the design of ribs for maximum stiffness is often based on practice and experience. Classical optimization methods such as topological, topographical and parametric optimization fail to give an efficient design with a reasonable programming effort, especially when dealing with many and complex constraints. These constraints are both technical and technological. A most promising technique to obtain optimal rib patterns was to define a set of feasible rib trajectories and then to select the subset with the most efficient combinations. The result is not unique and a method to select the optimal patterns is required. In fact, the stiffening effect increases with increasing rib length, but at a greater cost. A trade-off must be found between structural performance and cost: The tools to guide this selection process is the main objective of the paper, with particular attention in evaluating the stiffening due to the presence of beads on the plate with a close link with the production system and possible technological constraints which can occur during manufacturing processes, such as minimum rib distance or the presence of discontinuities or the presence of holes or other elements on the plate. A special tool with enforced rib cross section is considered, and optimal rib deployment has to be found. Numerical examples attached show the methodology and obtainable results. \ua9 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited

Spinons and triplons in spatially anisotropic frustrated antiferromagnets

The search for elementary excitations with fractional quantum numbers is a central challenge in modern condensed matter physics. We explore the possibility in a realistic model for several materials, the spin-1/2 spatially anisotropic frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnet in two dimensions. By restricting the Hilbert space to that expressed by exact eigenstates of the Heisenberg chain, we derive an effective Schr\"odinger equation valid in the weak interchain-coupling regime. The dynamical spin correlations from this approach agree quantitatively with inelastic neutron measurements on the triangular antiferromagnet Cs_2CuCl_4. The spectral features in such antiferromagnets can be attributed to two types of excitations: descendents of one-dimensional spinons of individual chains, and coherently propagating "triplon" bound states of spinon pairs. We argue that triplons are generic features of spatially anisotropic frustrated antiferromagnets, and arise because the bound spinon pair lowers its kinetic energy by propagating between chains.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Origin and diversity of an underutilized fruit tree crop, cempedak (Artocarpus integer, Moraceae)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Underutilized crops and their wild relatives are important resources for crop improvement and food security. Cempedak [Artocarpus integer (Thunb). Merr.] is a significant crop in Malaysia but underutilized elsewhere. Here we performed molecular characterization of cempedak and its putative wild relative bangkong (Artocarpus integer (Thunb). Merr. var. silvestris Corner) to address questions regarding the origin and diversity of cempedak. METHODS: Using data from 12 microsatellite loci, we assessed the genetic diversity and genetic/geographic structure for 353 cempedak and 175 bangkong accessions from Malaysia and neighboring countries and employed clonal analysis to characterize cempedak cultivars. We conducted haplotype network analyses on the trnH-psbA region in a subset of these samples. We also analyzed key vegetative characters that reportedly differentiate cempedak and bangkong. KEY RESULTS: We show that cempedak and bangkong are sister taxa and distinct genetically and morphologically, but the directionality of domestication origin is unclear. Genetic diversity was generally higher in bangkong than in cempedak. We found a distinct genetic cluster for cempedak from Borneo as compared to cempedak from Peninsular Malaysia. Finally, cempedak cultivars with the same names did not always share the same genetic fingerprint. CONCLUSIONS: Cempedak origins are complex, with likely admixture and hybridization with bangkong, warranting further investigation. We provide a baseline of genetic diversity of cempedak and bangkong in Malaysia and found that germplasm collections in Malaysia represent diverse coverage of the four cempedak genetic clusters detected