Original Article Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) reduce the risk of lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are the most commonly used blood pressure-lowering drugs in the world. However, the preventive value of ARBs on lung cancer is still controversial. Therefore, it was necessary for us to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the value of ARBs on lung cancer risk. We searched the PubMed database as well as the Web of Science database. The overall effect was measured by odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). The significance of the pooled ORs was determined by the Z test with a P value less than 0.05 considering statistically significant. In this meta-analysis, we found ARBs could decrease the lung cancer risk (OR=0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.54). The stability of the results was tested by sensitivity analysis. The result was not a significant change, suggesting that the result of our meta-analysis was stable. In conclusion, our meta-analysis demonstrated that ARBs was significantly associated with lower lung cancer

USP21 deubiquitylates Nanog to regulate protein stability and stem cell pluripotency

The homeobox transcription factor Nanog has a vital role in maintaining pluripotency and self-renewal of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Stabilization of Nanog proteins is essential for ESCs. The ubiquitin–proteasome pathway mediated by E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitylases is one of the key ways to regulate protein levels and functions. Although ubiquitylation of Nanog catalyzed by the ligase FBXW8 has been demonstrated, the deubiquitylase that maintains the protein levels of Nanog in ESCs yet to be defined. In this study, we identify the ubiquitin-specific peptidase 21 (USP21) as a deubiquitylase for Nanog, but not for Oct4 or Sox2. USP21 interacts with Nanog protein in ESCs in vivo and in vitro. The C-terminal USP domain of USP21 and the C-domain of Nanog are responsible for this interaction. USP21 deubiquitylates the K48-type linkage of the ubiquitin chain of Nanog, stabilizing Nanog. USP21-mediated Nanog stabilization is enhanced in mouse ESCs and this stabilization is required to maintain the pluripotential state of the ESCs. Depletion of USP21 in mouse ESCs leads to Nanog degradation and ESC differentiation. Overall, our results demonstrate that USP21 maintains the stemness of mouse ESCs through deubiquitylating and stabilizing Nanog

Dynamic Time Warping Distance Method for Similarity Test of Multipoint Ground Motion Field

The reasonability of artificial multi-point ground motions and the identification of abnormal records in seismic array observations, are two important issues in application and analysis of multi-point ground motion fields. Based on the dynamic time warping (DTW) distance method, this paper discusses the application of similarity measurement in the similarity analysis of simulated multi-point ground motions and the actual seismic array records. Analysis results show that the DTW distance method not only can quantitatively reflect the similarity of simulated ground motion field, but also offers advantages in clustering analysis and singularity recognition of actual multi-point ground motion field

A Grid-Based Method to Represent the Covariance Structure for Earthquake Ground Motion

Spatial variation of earthquake ground motion is an important phenomenon that cannot be ignored in the design and safety of strategic structures. However, almost all the procedures for the evaluation of variation assumed that the random field is homogeneous in space. It is obvious that reality does not fully conform to the assumption. How to investigate the inhomogeneous feature of ground motion in space is a challenge for researcher. A body-fitted grid-coordinates-based method is proposed to estimate and describe the local spatial variations for the earthquake ground motion; it need not to make the assumption that the random field of earthquake is homogeneous in space. An analysis of spatial variability of seismic motion in smart-1 array monitored in Lotung, Taiwan demonstrates this methodology

Fully Nonstationary Spatially Variable Ground Motion Simulations Based on a Time-Varying Power Spectrum Model

By analyzing the evolutionary spectrum method for multivariate nonstationary stochastic processes, a simulation method for fully nonstationary spatially variable ground motion is proposed based on the Kameda time-varying power spectrum model. This method can properly simulate nonstationary spatially variable ground motion based on a target response spectrum. Two numerical examples, in which the Kameda time-varying power spectra are calculated for different conditions, are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed method. In the first example, the nonstationary spatially variable ground motion that satisfies the time-frequency characteristics and response characteristics of the original ground motion is simulated by identifying the parameters of the given time-varying power spectrum. In the second example, the ground motion that satisfies the design response spectra is simulated by defining the parameters of the time-varying power spectrum directly. The results demonstrate that the method can effectively simulate nonstationary spatially variable ground motion, which implies that the proposed method can be used in engineering applications

Improvement of and Parameter Identification for the Bimodal Time-Varying Modified Kanai-Tajimi Power Spectral Model

Based on the Kanai-Tajimi power spectrum filtering method proposed by Du Xiuli et al., a genetic algorithm and a quadratic optimization identification technique are employed to improve the bimodal time-varying modified Kanai-Tajimi power spectral model and the parameter identification method proposed by Vlachos et al. Additionally, a method for modeling time-varying power spectrum parameters for ground motion is proposed. The 8244 Orion and Chi-Chi earthquake accelerograms are selected as examples for time-varying power spectral model parameter identification and ground motion simulations to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the improved bimodal time-varying modified Kanai-Tajimi power spectral model. The results of this study provide important references for designing ground motion inputs for seismic analyses of major engineering structures

Tailoring Nonlinear Metamaterials for the Controlling of Spatial Quantum Entanglement

The high designability of metamaterials has made them an attractive platform for devising novel optoelectronic devices. The demonstration of nonlinear metamaterials further indicates their potential in developing quantum applications. Here, we investigate designing nonlinear metamaterials consisting of the 3-fold (C3) rotationally symmetrical nanoantennas for generating and modulating entangled photons in the spatial degrees of freedom. Through tailoring the geometry and orientation of the nanoantennas, the parametric down conversion process inside the metamaterials can be locally engineered to generate entangled states with desired spatial properties. As the orbital angular momentum (OAM) states are valuable for enhancing the data capacity of quantum information systems, the photonic OAM entanglement is practically considered. With suitable nanostructure design, the generation of OAM entangled states is shown to be effectively realized in the discussed nonlinear metamaterial system. The nonlinear metamaterials present a perspective to provide a flexible platform for quantum photonic applications

The Histopathological Features and CT/MRI Imaging Performances in Hepatic Angiomyolipoma Patients

Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic value of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the differential diagnosis of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to clarify the relationship between histopathological features and CT or MRI imaging performances in HAML. Material and methods: Six HAML and 33 non-cirrhotic HCC patients confirmed by histopathology were retrospectively analyzed. The serum biomarkers, CT and MRI examinations were conventionally performed before the confirmatory histological diagnosis. The clinical data from their medical records was also analyzed. Results: Six HAML patients were annotated as two types according to CT and MRI imaging characteristics, including hypovascular type (n = 1) and hypervascular type (n = 5). The imaging performances of the 33 HCC patients were hypervas-cular type. Moreover, all the 5 hypervascular type HAML patients were misdiagnosed as HCC by CT or MRI. We also found that the hypervascular type of HAML patients contained more vessels and less fatty tissues in histopathology than hypovascular type of HAML patients. However, the clinical features included HCC high risk factors (hepatitis B or C), non-specific symptoms, male and increased serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) were more common in HCC patients than HAML patients (P < 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: The CT or MRI imaging performances of HAML patients containing more vessels and less fatty tissues in histopathology resemble the imaging performance of HCC patients. These clinical features may be of great help in the differential diagnosis in the current clinical practices