High-efficient screening method for identification of key genes in breast cancer through microarray and bioinformatics

Background/Aim: The aim of the present study was to identify key pathways and genes in breast cancer and develop a new method for screening key genes with abnormal expression based on bioinformatics. Materials and Methods: Three microarray datasets GSE21422, GSE42568 and GSE45827 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using GEO2R. The gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis were established through DAVID database. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was performed through the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and managed by Cytoscape. The overall survival (OS) analysis of the 4 genes including AURKA, CDH1, CDK1 and PPARG that had higher degrees in this network was uncovered Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: A total of 811 DEGs were identified in breast cancer, which were enriched in biological processes, including cell cycle, mitosis, vessel development and lipid metabolic. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that the up-regulated DEGs were particularly involved in cell cycle, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation and leukocyte transendothelial migration, while the down-regulated DEGs were mainly involved in regulation of lipolysis, fatty acid degradation and glycerolipid metabolism. Through PPI network analysis, 14 hub genes were identified. Among them, the high expression of AURKA, CDH1 and CDK1 were associated with worse OS of breast cancer patients; while the high expression of PPARG was linked with better OS. Conclusion: The present study identified key pathways and genes involved in breast cancer which are potential molecular targets for breast cancer treatment and diagnosis

Screening of patients with tuberculosis for diabetes mellitus in China.

Objective  There is a high burden of both diabetes (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) in China, and this study aimed to assess feasibility and results of screening patients with TB for DM within the routine healthcare setting of six health facilities. Method  Agreement on how to screen, monitor and record was reached in May 2011 at a stakeholders' meeting, and training was carried out for staff in the six facilities in July 2011. Implementation started in September 2011, and we report on 7 months of activities up to 31 March 2012. Results  There were 8886 registered patients with TB. They were first asked whether they had DM. If the answer was no, they were screened with a random blood glucose (RBG) followed by fasting blood glucose (FBG) in those with RBG ≥ 6.1 mm (one facility) or with an initial FBG (five facilities). Those with FBG ≥ 7.0 mm were referred to DM clinics for diagnostic confirmation with a second FBG. Altogether, 1090 (12.4%) patients with DM were identified, of whom 863 (9.7%) had a known diagnosis of DM. Of 8023 patients who needed screening for DM, 7947 (99%) were screened. This resulted in a new diagnosis of DM in 227 patients (2.9% of screened patients), and of these, 226 were enrolled to DM care. In addition, 575 (7.8%) persons had impaired fasting glucose (FBG 6.1 to <7.0 mm). Prevalence of DM was significantly higher in patients in health facilities serving urban populations (14.0%) than rural populations (10.6%) and higher in hospital patients (13.5%) than those attending TB clinics (8.5%). Conclusion  This pilot project shows that it is feasible to screen patients with TB for DM in the routine setting, resulting in a high yield of patients with known and newly diagnosed disease. Free blood tests for glucose measurement and integration of TB and DM services may improve the diagnosis and management of dually affected patients

Experimental demonstration of picometer level signal extraction with time-delay interferometry technique

In this work, we have built an experimental setup to simulate the clock noise transmission with two spacecrafts and two optical links, and further demonstrated the extraction of picometer level signal drowned by the large laser frequency noise and clock noise with the data post-processing method. Laser frequency noise is almost eliminated by using the idea of time-delay interferometry (TDI) to construct an equal arm interferometer. Clock asynchronism and clock jitter noise are significantly suppressed by laser sideband transmitting the clock noise using an electro-optic modulator (EOM). Experimental results show a reduction in laser frequency noise by approximately 10^5 and clock noise by 10^2, recovering a weak displacement signal with an average amplitude about 60 picometer and period 1 second. This work has achieved the principle verification of the noise reduction function of TDI technique to some extent, serving the data processing research of space-borne gravitational wave detection

Super resolution dual-layer CBCT imaging with model-guided deep learning

Objective: This study aims at investigating a novel super resolution CBCT imaging technique with the dual-layer flat panel detector (DL-FPD). Approach: In DL-FPD based CBCT imaging, the low-energy and high-energy projections acquired from the top and bottom detector layers contain intrinsically mismatched spatial information, from which super resolution CBCT images can be generated. To explain, a simple mathematical model is established according to the signal formation procedure in DL-FPD. Next, a dedicated recurrent neural network (RNN), named as suRi-Net, is designed by referring to the above imaging model to retrieve the high resolution dual-energy information. Different phantom experiments are conducted to validate the performance of this newly developed super resolution CBCT imaging method. Main Results: Results show that the proposed suRi-Net can retrieve high spatial resolution information accurately from the low-energy and high-energy projections having lower spatial resolution. Quantitatively, the spatial resolution of the reconstructed CBCT images of the top and bottom detector layers is increased by about 45% and 54%, respectively. Significance: In future, suRi-Net provides a new approach to achieve high spatial resolution dual-energy imaging in DL-FPD based CBCT systems

N,N′-[(1S,2S)-Cyclo­hexane-1,2-di­yl]bis­(4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide)

In the title compound, C20H26N2O4S2, the cyclo­hexane ring has a chair conformation. The two chiral C atoms are in S configurations. In the crystal, inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into chains propagating in [001]. Weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds further stabilize the crystal packing

A tale of two conditions: when people living with HIV meet three doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines

BackgroundCurrently, data on long-term immune responses to a homogenous booster dose of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine are still limited among people living with HIV (PLWH).MethodsA prospective cohort study with a 13-month follow-up was conducted in China between March 2021 and August 2022 to evaluate the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 specific humoral and cellular immunity against three doses of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine from before the first dose until 6 months after the booster dose vaccination among PLWH in comparison to healthy controls (HC).Results43 PLWH on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 23 HC were enrolled. Compared with HC, the neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) levels among PLWH were significantly lower on days 14, 30, 60, 90, and 120 after the booster dose vaccination. Among PLWH, the nAbs titers on days 14, 30, and 60 after the booster dose were significantly higher than the peak of the second dose. However, on day 180 after the booster dose, the nAbs titers were similar to the peak of the second dose vaccination. Compared with HC, the frequencies of IFN-γ-secreting and TNF-α-secreting CD4+ and CD8+ T cells among PLWH were lower on days 14 and 180 after the booster dose vaccination. Among PLWH, increased T cell immunity was induced by the booster dose of the vaccine and kept stable on day 180 after the booster dose vaccination.ConclusionAlthough a homogenous booster dose following two doses of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine among PLWH could elicit higher nAb titers, reduce antibody decay, and maintain T cell responses even 6 months after vaccination, the overall immunogenicity of the booster dose was found to be lower among PLWH than among healthy controls. Further strategies are needed to improve immunogenicity to the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine among PLWH

Variance-constrained dissipative observer-based control for a class of nonlinear stochastic systems with degraded measurements

The official published version of the article can be obtained from the link below.This paper is concerned with the variance-constrained dissipative control problem for a class of stochastic nonlinear systems with multiple degraded measurements, where the degraded probability for each sensor is governed by an individual random variable satisfying a certain probabilistic distribution over a given interval. The purpose of the problem is to design an observer-based controller such that, for all possible degraded measurements, the closed-loop system is exponentially mean-square stable and strictly dissipative, while the individual steady-state variance is not more than the pre-specified upper bound constraints. A general framework is established so that the required exponential mean-square stability, dissipativity as well as the variance constraints can be easily enforced. A sufficient condition is given for the solvability of the addressed multiobjective control problem, and the desired observer and controller gains are characterized in terms of the solution to a convex optimization problem that can be easily solved by using the semi-definite programming method. Finally, a numerical example is presented to show the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed algorithm.This work was supported in part by the Distinguished Visiting Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering of the UK, the Royal Society of the UK, the GRF HKU 7137/09E, the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61028008, the International Science and Technology Cooperation Project of China under Grant 2009DFA32050, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany