Platinum-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab first-line for Asian patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Results of an open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial

Background The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of cisplatin-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab as first-line treatment in Chinese and Korean patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Methods Patients (n = 68) received cetuximab weekly plus 3-week cycles of cisplatin/5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy for up to 6 cycles. The primary endpoint was overall response rate. Results The overall response rate was 55.9%, including 2 complete responses (CRs). Median overall survival (OS) was 12.6 months and median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.6 months. Grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were reported in 41 (60.3%) patients. The safety profile was in line with previous clinical experience. The pharmacokinetic profile was in line with that observed with cetuximab in white and Japanese patients. Conclusion The efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic findings from this study support the use of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab in Chinese and Korean patients with recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01177956). © 2014 The Authors Head & Neck Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 1081–1087, 201

Variasi Temperatur Pencampuran Terhadap Parameter Marshall Pada Campuran Lapis Aspal Beton

This study was conducted to determine the effect of temperature variations on the mixing processof the asphalt concrete AC-WC (Asphalt Concrete-Wearing Course) subtle gradations in themiddle limit and lower limit of the Marshall parameters with reference to specifications of BinaMarga, 2010.From the results of experiments conducted that the optimum asphalt content is used to middle limitusing a asphalt content of 5,7% and 6,8% for the lower limit after that mixing was done usingtemperature variation of 120 o C, 130 o C, 140 o C, 150 o C, and 160 o C.To a mixture of Laston AC-WC subtle gradations middle limit grading 5,7% asphalt contentmixing temperature using a temperature of 120 o C, 130 o C, 140 o C, 150 o C, 160 o C and still meet allstandards of marshall parameters. Ideal mixing temperature variations in the middle limit ofmixing temperature 150 o C-160 o C. While the lower limit to the level of 6,8% asphalt contentmixing temperatures between 120 o C-160 o C did not meet the specifications, because the MQ valuebelow the minimum value of 250 kg / mm

Zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 1, ZSCAN1, is a novel stemness-related tumor suppressor and transcriptional repressor in breast cancer targeting TAZ

IntroductionCancer stem cells (CSCs) targeted therapy holds the potential for improving cancer management; identification of stemness-related genes in CSCs is necessary for its development.MethodsThe Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) datasets were used for survival analysis. ZSCAN1 correlated genes was identified by Spearman correlation analysis. Breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSLCs) were isolated by sorting CD44+CD24- cells from suspension cultured breast cancer (BC) spheroids. The sphere-forming capacity and sphere- and tumor-initiating capacities were determined by sphere formation and limiting dilution assays. The relative gene expression was determined by qRT-PCR, western blot. Lentivirus system was used for gene manipulation. Nuclear run-on assay was employed to examine the levels of nascent mRNAs. DNA pull-down and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used for determining the interaction between protein and target DNA fragments. Luciferase reporter assay was used for evaluating the activity of the promoter.Results and discussionZSCAN1 is aberrantly suppressed in BC, and this suppression indicates a bad prognosis. Ectopic expression of ZSCAN1 inhibited the proliferation, clonogenicity, and tumorigenicity of BC cells. ZSCAN1-overexpressing BCSLCs exhibited weakened stemness properties. Normal human mammary epithelial (HMLE) cells with ZSCAN1 depletion exhibited enhanced stemness properties. Mechanistic studies showed that ZSCAN1 directly binds to -951 ~ -925bp region of WWTR1 (encodes TAZ) promoter, inhibits WWTR1 transcription, thereby inhibiting the stemness of BCSCs. Our work thus revealed ZSCAN1 as a novel stemness-related tumor suppressor and transcriptional repressor in BC

Surgical excision and oncoplastic breast surgery in 32 patients with benign phyllodes tumors

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety in patients with benign phyllodes after performing local excision and following with intra-operative breast flap reconstruction. Methods Patients (n = 32) with eligible breast cystosarcoma phyllodes underwent wide local excision followed by intra-operative breast flap reconstruction. Primary outcome measures included average operative time, length of in-hospital stay, postoperative recurrence, and intra-operative and postoperative complications. Results Thirty-two patients who underwent surgical excision and oncoplastic breast surgery were evaluated using the BCCT.core software. A satisfactory symmetrical breast shape was achieved. The average operative time was 56.3 ± 8.2 min. The average postoperative duration of hospitalization was 3.7 ± 1.2 days. While there was no breast disease recurred during the 1 to 8-year follow-up period. Conclusions Wide local excision accompanied by intra-operative breast flap reconstruction could be adopted for removing benign phyllodes tumors while retaining the basic shape of the breast

Effects of Mixed Sowing of Chinese Milk Vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) and Rape on Rice Yield and Soil Physical and Chemical Properties

In order to explore the effects of Chinese milk vetch and rape mixed sowing on rice yield and soil fertility, and select the best planting mode, five different ratios of Chinese milk vetch and rape mixed sowing were designed to study the effects of different ratios on rice yield, soil physicochemical properties and soil fertility in 0-10 cm, 10- 20 cm and 20-30 cm layers. Grey correlation analysis of soil nutrient and yield was carried out by using grey system theory. The influence of different soil layers on soil chemical properties was greater than physical properties. The effect on shallow soil is greater than that on deep soil. Mixed sowing of Chinese milk vetch and rape improved soil comprehensive fertility in all soil layers, and rice yield was the highest in 2M2R treatment. pH value had the greatest effect on actual rice yield, followed by available potassium. Therefore, mixed sowing of Chinese milk vetch and rape could significantly increase the yield of early rice and soil nutrient content, and the pattern of “1/2 Chinese milk vetch +1/2 rape-early rice-late rice” had the best effect

Spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of urban ecological space availability in coastal cities of China during rapid urbanization

Urban ecological space (UES) is crucial to the sustainable development of cities and the improvement of human well-being. Rapid urbanization tends to lead to the fragmentation of urban ecological space and functional decline. China's coastal cities are developed regions with high urbanization levels and the unique geographical location makes them have two kinds of ecological spaces, namely marine ecological spaces (MES) and terrestrial ecological spaces (TES). During rapid urbanization, the spatiotemporal changes of the urban ecological space availability (UESA) and its driving factors in China's coastal cities are still unclear. For this, this work selected 53 coastal cities in China as the research samples and applied remote sensing monitoring data of land use to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of the UESA under different travel modes (walking, public transport, and driving) from 1990 to 2015. Then, the spatial econometric model was applied to reveal the impact of urbanization on urban ecological space availability (UESA). The main research results show: (1) generally, the marine ecological spaces availability (MESA), terrestrial ecological spaces availability (TESA), and marine and terrestrial ecological spaces availability (MTESA) of the coastal cities in China showed an increasing trend from 1990 to 2015. With the increase in travel distance, the MESA, TESA, and MTESA in the coastal cities increased accordingly. (2) however, the spatial pattern of MESA in the coastal cities showed a significant heterogeneity, The hot spots of the MESA mostly appeared in coastal cities from Zhejiang to Fujian, and the cold spots were concentrated in the Liaoning, Hebei, and Shandong. (3) The TESA and MTESA in southern coastal cities were generally higher than that in northern coastal cities. (4) The expansion of the urban built-up area (UBUA) led to the improvement of the UESA in China's coastal cities. GDP and population density were positive factors affecting the TESA and MTESA. Our research can provide scientific planning basis for coordinating marine and terrestrial ecological space and optimizing territorial space planning, which is conducive to improving the life quality of residents and promoting sustainable urban development

Dominant growth of higher manganese silicide film on Si substrate by introducing a Si oxide capping layer

A surfactant free growth method was proposed to get thick MnSi∼1.7 film by exposure of Si(111) substrates to MnCl2 vapor in quartz ampoules. Prior to the growth of silicide film, an amorphous nano SiOx capping layer was introduced on the Si substrate. The capping layer changes the elemental diffusion flux to the reaction interface and facilitates the growth of single phase MnSi∼1.7 film. Optical absorption spectrum demonstrates the existence of a direct band gap∼ 0.78 eV, which agrees well with the theoretical one obtained by density functional theory modeling

Adenovirus Vector Harboring the HBcAg and Tripeptidyl Peptidase II Genes Induces Potent Cellular Immune Responses In Vivo

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with a weak but specific cellular immune response of the host to HBV. Tripeptidyl peptidaseⅡ (TPPⅡ), an intracellular macromolecule and proteolytic enzyme, plays an important complementary and compensatory role for the proteasome during viral protein degradation and major histocompatibility complex class I antigen presentation by inducing a specific cellular immune response in vivo. Based on a previous study, we aimed to explore the role of MHC class I antigen presentation in vivo and the mechanisms that may be involved. Methods: In this study, recombinant adenoviral vectors harboring the hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) and the TPPII gene were constructed (Adv-HBcAg and Adv-HBcAg-TPPII), and H-2Kd HBV-transgenic BALB/c mice and HLA-A2 C57BL/6 mice were immunized with these vectors, respectively. We evaluated the specific immune responses induced by Adv-HBcAg-TPPII in the HBV transgenic BALB/c mice and HLA-A2 C57BL/6 mice as well as the anti-viral ability of HBV transgenic mice, and we explored the underlying mechanisms. Results: We found that immunization with Adv-HBcAg-TPPII induced the secretion of the cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as well as the activities of IFN-γ-secreting CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells. In addition, HBcAg-specific CTL activity in C57/BL mice and HBV transgenic animals was significantly enhanced in the Adv-HBcAg-TPPII group. Furthermore, Adv-HBcAg-TPPII decreased the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA levels and the amount of HBsAg and HBcAg in liver tissues. Moreover, Adv-HBcAg-TPPII enhanced the expression of T-box transcription factor (T-bet) and downregulated GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) while increasing the expression levels of JAK2, STAT1, STAT4 and Tyk2. Conclusions: These results suggested that the JAK/STAT signaling pathway participates in the CTL response that is mediated by the adenoviral vector encoding TPPII. Adv-HBcAg-TPPII could therefore break immune tolerance and stimulate HBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity and could have a good therapeutic effect in transgenic mice

A Promotional Construction Approach for an Urban Three-Dimensional Compactness Model—Law-of-Gravitation-Based

Urban sprawl has led to various economic, social, and environmental problems. Therefore, it is very significant to improve the efficiency of resource usage and promote the development of compact urban form. It is a common topic that measuring urban compactness is done with certain ways and methods as well. Presently, most urban compactness measurement methods are based on two-dimensional (2D) formats, but methods based on three-dimensional (3D) formats that can precisely describe the actual urban spatial conditions are still lacking. To measure the compactness of the 3D urban spatial form accurately, a 3D Compactness Index (VCI) was established based on the Law of Gravitation and the quantitative measurement model. In this model, larger 3D Compactness Index values indicate a more 3D-compact city. However, different urban scales may influence the discrepancy scale of different cities. Thus, the 3D Compactness Index model was normalized as the Normalized 3D Compactness Index (NVCI) to eliminate such discrepancies. In the Normalized 3D Compactness Index model, a sphere with the same volume of real urban buildings in the city was assumed as the most compact 3D urban form, and which was also calculated by 3D Compactness Index processing. The compactness value of the normalized 3D urban form is obtained by comparing the 3D Compactness Index with the most compact 3D urban form. In this study, 1149 typical communities in Xiamen, China, were selected as the experimental fields to verify the index. Some of communities have a quite different Normalized 3D Compactness Index, although they have a similar Normalized 2D Compactness Index (NCI), respectively. Moreover, comparing with the 2D Compactness Index (CI) and Normalized 2D Compactness Index (NCI), the 3D Compactness Index and Normalized 3D Compactness Index can describe and explain reality more precisely. The constructed 3D urban compactness model is expected to contribute to scientific study on urban compactness