Integrated Degradation Models in R Using iDEMO

Degradation models are widely used to assess the lifetime information for highly reliable products with quality characteristics whose degradation over time can be related to reliability. The performance of a degradation model largely depends on an appropriate model description of the product's degradation path. The cross-platform package iDEMO (integrated degradation models) is developed in R and the interface is built using the Tcl/Tk bindings provided by the tcltk and tcltk2 packages included with R. It is a tool to build a linear degradation model which can simultaneously consider the unit-to-unit variation, time-dependent structure and measurement error in the degradation paths. The package iDEMO provides the maximum likelihood estimates of the unknown parameters, mean-time-to-failure and q-th quantile, and their corresponding confidence intervals based on the different information matrices. In addition, degradation model selection and goodness-of-fit tests are provided to determine and diagnose the degradation model for the user's current data by the commonly used criteria. By only enabling user interface elements when necessary, input errors are minimized

Selenium in the Prevention and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Biomedical Investigation to Clinical Application

Selenium is a micronutrient that had been suggested to reduce the risk of cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a prevalent disease and one of the most lethal cancers in the world, awaits new alternative treatment strategies to improve patients’ survival. As an essential trace element, selenium has been studied for its anticancer properties in both oxidative stress and inflammatory-related mechanisms that may contribute to HCC growth and metastasis. In recent decades, increasing studies have investigated the potential role of selenium in liver cancer involving several major cancer-associated signaling pathways, metabolic pathways, and antioxidant defense systems both in vitro and in preclinical models. It was also observed that there was an increase in the trend of development of novel selenium nanoparticles and selenium-containing inhibitors aiming to improve the therapeutic efficacy and relative potency of selenium. However, controversies remain with whether a relationship exists between serum selenium level and HCC risk. This chapter aims to summarize the multi-target and multi-pathway in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects of selenium in HCC, to provide a more comprehensive view and to highlight the recently discovered molecular mechanisms We hope this chapter could outline the correlation of selenium level and the risk of HCC in patients and discuss the clinical application of selenium in HCC prevention and treatment

Mechanics of Optimal Structural Design for Extreme Loads to Peak System Responses

[[abstract]]Over the past decades, with the development of modern manufacturing and information technology, demands of smart and economical structural designs have been increasing considerably. Central to this engineering issue is that a good structural design needs to embrace both necessary capabilities to afford critical load distributions and the best arrangement of materials serving the performance criteria using limited resources. Here, a new analysis technique is proposed to achieve optimal structural designs considering peak system responses as design constraints respective to extreme load distributions. We anticipate that the technique will open a door for designing efficient structural systems which satisfy safety requirements under various sophisticated loadings from the environment.[[sponsorship]]Tamkang University[[sponsorship]]Taiwan Association of Wind Engineering[[sponsorship]]Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic[[conferencetype]]國際[[conferencetkucampus]]淡水校園[[conferencedate]]20151101~20151102[[booktype]]紙本[[iscallforpapers]]Y[[conferencelocation]]New Taipe

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma can induce a leukemoid reaction

SummaryLiposarcoma is one of the most common malignant soft tissue neoplasms in adults; however, few reports of liposarcoma had been described the expression of leukocytosis and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). In this report, we present the rare case of a patient who had de-differentiated liposarcoma and elevated G-CSF levels that resulted in a leukemoid reaction. The patient was a 65-year-old man who had been lame for one month due to right thigh swelling. His body temperature was slightly elevated at 38°C and leukocytosis with an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count (41500/μL) was noted. The findings of computed tomography of the lower extremities indicated the presence of a malignancy. Therefore, an incision biopsy was performed. Based on the finding of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the biopsy pathology report, we diagnosed the patient with liposarcoma. Moreover, the preoperative serum G-CSF level was elevated (261.8 pg/mL). An en bloc excision including the entire biopsy pathway was performed 5 days after admission. After en bloc excision of the tumor, WBC count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and G-CSF expression decreased. The final pathologic report confirmed the diagnosis of de-differentiated liposarcoma. No local recurrence or distant metastasis was detected in the follow-up image study, and the patient has remained asymptomatic 2 years after surgery. The case described here is a rare type of liposarcoma that produces G-CSF, which in turn, induces leukocytosis. Liposarcoma with elevated G-CSF levels resulting in a leukemoid reaction may indicate a poorly differentiated cell type and may be associated with a poor prognosis; however, en bloc excision of the tumor remains the primary treatment for this type of tumor. Moreover, the WBC count and G-CSF serum level can be as the tools monitoring the tumor recurrence

Increased spinal prodynorphin gene expression in reinflammation-associated hyperalgesia after neonatal inflammatory insult

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuroplasticity induced by neonatal inflammation is the consequence of a combination of activity-dependent changes in neurons. We investigated neuronal sensitivity to a noxious stimulus in a rat model of neonatal hind-paw peripheral inflammation and assessed changes in pain behaviour at the physiological and molecular levels after peripheral reinflammation in adulthood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A decrease in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) after a heat stimulus was documented in rats that received inflammatory injections in their left hind paws on postnatal day one (P1) and a reinflammation stimulus at postnatal 6-8 weeks of age, compared with normal rats. An increase in the expression of the prodynorphin (<it>proDYN</it>) gene was noted after reinflammation in the spinal cord ipsilateral to the afferents of the neonatally treated hind paw. The involvement of the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) in peripheral inflammatory pain hypersensitivity was evidenced evident by the increase in phospho-ERK (pERK) activity after reinflammation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that peripheral inflammation in neonates can permanently alter the pain processing pathway during the subsequent sensory stimulation of the region. Elucidation of the mechanism underlying the developing pain circuitry will provide new insights into the understanding of the early pain behaviours and the subsequent adaptation to pain.</p

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Wounds: Pain Relief or Excessive Scar Formation?

The inflammatory process has direct effects on normal and abnormal wound healing. Hypertrophic scar formation is an aberrant form of wound healing and is an indication of an exaggerated function of fibroblasts and excess accumulation of extracellular matrix during wound healing. Two cytokines—transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)—are lipid mediators of inflammation involving wound healing. Overproduction of TGF-β and suppression of PGE2 are found in excessive wound scarring compared with normal wound healing. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or their selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors are frequently used as a pain-killer. However, both NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors inhibit PGE2 production, which might exacerbate excessive scar formation, especially when used during the later proliferative phase. Therefore, a balance between cytokines and medication in the pathogenesis of wound healing is needed. This report is a literature review pertaining to wound healing and is focused on TGF-β and PGE2

Prognostic factors associated with the survival of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Taiwan, a distinct ethnic group variation in incidence and mortality rates has been suggested for most carcinomas. Our aim is to identify the role of prognostic factors associated with the survival of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Taiwan Cancer Registry records of 9039 subjects diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal carcinoma were analyzed. The population was divided into three ethnic groups by residence, which were Taiwanese aborigines, Hakka and Hokkien communities. Five-year survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Ethnic curves differed significantly by log-rank test; therefore separate models for Taiwanese aborigines, Hakka and Hokkien were carried out. The Cox multivariate proportional hazards model was used to examine the role of prognostic factors on ethnic survival.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The five-year survival rates of oral and pharyngeal carcinoma were significantly poorer for Hokkien community (53.9%) and Taiwanese aborigines community (58.1%) compared with Hakka community (60.5%). The adjusted hazard ratio of Taiwanese aborigines versus Hakka was 1.07 (95%CI, 0.86–1.33) for oral and pharyngeal carcinoma mortality, and 1.16 (95%CI, 1.01–1.33) for Hokkien versus Hakka. Males had significantly poor prognosis than females. Subjects with tongue and/or mouth carcinoma presented the worst prognosis, whereas lip carcinoma had the best prognosis. Subjects with verrucous carcinoma had better survival than squamous cell carcinoma. Prognosis was the worst in elderly subjects, and subjects who underwent surgery had the highest survival rate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study presented that predictive variables in oral and pharyngeal carcinoma survival have been: ethnic groups, period of diagnosis, gender, diagnostic age, anatomic site, morphologic type, and therapy.</p