Clinical relevance and outcome of familial papillary thyroid cancer: a single institution study of 626 familial cases

BackgroundWhether familial thyroid cancer is more aggressive than sporadic thyroid cancer remains controversial. Additionally, whether the number of affected family members affects the prognosis is unknown. This study focused mainly on the comparison of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses between papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients with and without family history.MethodsA total of 626 familial papillary thyroid cancer (FPTC) and 1252 sporadic papillary thyroid cancer (SPTC) patients were included in our study. The clinical information associated with FPTC and SPTC was recorded and analyzed by univariate analysis.ResultsPatients in the FPTC group had a higher rate of multifocality (p=0.001), bilaterality (p=0.000), extrathyroidal invasion (p=0.000), distant metastasis (p=0.012), lymph node metastasis (p=0.000), recurrence (p=0.000), a larger tumor size (p=0.000) and more malignant lymph nodes involved (central: p=0.000; lateral: p=0.000). In addition, our subgroup analysis showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between patients with only one affected family member and those with two of more group in all clinicopathological characteristics. In papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) subgroup analysis, we found that FPTMC patients harbored significantly larger tumors (p=0.000), higher rates of multifocality (p=0.014), bilaterality (p=0.000), distant metastasis (p=0.038), lymph node metastasis (p=0.003), greater numbers of malignant lymph nodes (central: p=0.002; lateral: p=0.044), higher rates of I-131 treatment (p=0.000) and recurrence (p=0.000) than SPTMC patients.ConclusionOur results indicated that PTC and PTMC patients with a positive family history had more aggressive clinicopathological behaviors, suggesting that more vigilant screening and management for FPTC may be helpful

The expression and role of protein kinase C (PKC) epsilon in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε), an oncogene overexpressed in several human cancers, is involved in cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. However, its roles in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the functions of PKCε in RCC, especially in clear cell RCC, to determine the possibility of using it as a therapeutic target. By immunohistochemistry, we found that the expression of PKCε was up-regulated in RCCs and was associated with tumor Fuhrman grade and T stage in clear cell RCCs. Clone formation, wound healing, and Borden assays showed that down-regulating PKCε by RNA interference resulted in inhibition of the growth, migration, and invasion of clear cell RCC cell line 769P and, more importantly, sensitized cells to chemotherapeutic drugs as indicated by enhanced activity of caspase-3 in PKCε siRNA-transfected cells. These results indicate that the overexpression of PKCε is associated with an aggressive phenotype of clear cell RCC and may be a potential therapeutic target for this disease

Solution Behavior and Activity of a Halophilic Esterase under High Salt Concentration

Background: Halophiles are extremophiles that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt. Although the salt reliance and physiology of these extremophiles have been widely investigated, the molecular working mechanisms of their enzymes under salty conditions have been little explored. Methodology/Principal Findings: A halophilic esterolytic enzyme LipC derived from archeaon Haloarcula marismortui was overexpressed from Escherichia coli BL21. The purified enzyme showed a range of hydrolytic activity towards the substrates of p-nitrophenyl esters with different alkyl chains (n = 2−16), with the highest activity being observed for p-nitrophenyl acetate, consistent with the basic character of an esterase. The optimal esterase activities were found to be at pH 9.5 and [NaCl] = 3.4 M or [KCl] = 3.0 M and at around 45°C. Interestingly, the hydrolysis activity showed a clear reversibility against changes in salt concentration. At the ambient temperature of 22°C, enzyme systems working under the optimal salt concentrations were very stable against time. Increase in temperature increased the activity but reduced its stability. Circular dichroism (CD), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) were deployed to determine the physical states of LipC in solution. As the salt concentration increased, DLS revealed substantial increase in aggregate sizes, but CD measurements revealed the maximal retention of the α-helical structure at the salt concentration matching the optimal activity. These observations were supported by SANS analysis that revealed the highest proportion of unimers and dimers around the optimal salt concentration, although the coexistent larger aggregates showed a trend of increasing size with salt concentration, consistent with the DLS data. Conclusions/Significance: The solution α-helical structure and activity relation also matched the highest proportion of enzyme unimers and dimers. Given that all the solutions studied were structurally inhomogeneous, it is important for future work to understand how the LipC's solution aggregation affected its activity

Comparative study of youth culture in the context of globalization : a content analysis of teenage magazines in Germany and China (1995 vs. 2005)

How has the globalization been influencing the youth culture in the sense of “everyday talk”, which is represented by the form of mass media for youth? In which direction are the changes and trends of modern youth culture leading to? In order to find out a proper answer to this researching question, the comparative study of youth culture between east and west has been conducted in this thesis through the content analysis of the sample youth magazines published in Germany and China in 2005 compared with those in 1995 as two time points for analyzing possible changes. This procedure is based on the presumption that these two time points are characterized by typical elements of time spirit. The comparison refers mainly to the following three aspects: original changes, thematic differences, as well as words and designs. An overview of the context of this study, the globalizing (post) modern society, has been briefly depicted as the first step towards a better understanding of the whole picture in which the researching question is embedded. Next, the historical backgrounds and development of youth culture in West and East are introduced and compared in the third chapter, so as to figure out the outline of the differences and similarities of the two types of youth culture. Concerning the great influence of the modern media environment around the youth in West and East, the followed chapter deals with the description, analysis and existed theories about youth related media and their influences upon their young receivers. The youth magazines which would be selected as sample magazines of this study and their impact are also examined respectively in the later part of the chapter. In the methodology chapter, an overview about the method of content analysis, including historical development, definitions, applications as well as limitations, has been done, before the detailed steps and hypotheses of this study are put forward. One of the most important initial steps of the researching method design is to set forth certain relevant hypotheses, which are drawn partly through the reading of sample contents, partly through the existed literature of such kind of analysis. After that, the universe of the content analysis in this thesis is defined. Within this universe a method of multistage sampling was used to take a sampling of content sources. Two youth magazines with different circulations and themes as representative form of youth media in both countries were selected respectively as samples: Bravo (BV) and Yps mit Gimmiks (YG) are the most famous and representative youth magazines from the western side, while Boys & Girls (BG) and Juvenile Science Pictorial (JSP) are the Chinese counterparts. Once the sources have been identified, the dates of sample issues were selected randomly. A final sample of 24 issues of Bravo, Boys & Girls, and JPS as well as 16 issues of Yps, which makes a total of 88 issues were yield. The results of analysis disclose that most of the hypotheses about the changes and developments during the decade are generally concluded in a correct direction. Firstly, in the aspect of original changes, we find out that although the frequencies of international items in the issues from all the sample magazines only have a slight increasing tendency during the decade, which cannot strongly in the whole range support the prediction stated by the first hypothesis of this analysis, yet it shows at least the predicted changing direction of the international items. In the aspect of thematic differences and changes, we can obviously observe that both Chinese magazines retain much more education-oriented items than their German counterparts. The sharp contrast is especially presented in the case of the JSP vs. YG, where education-oriented items in JSP are dominating and entertainment-oriented items in YG dominating. Finally, in the aspect of words and designs, we discover that the changes of the usage of international words in the titles of all the 4 sample magazines support, in different degrees, the hypothesis which supposes an increasing tendency of the appearance of international words including coinage words which are popular among teenagers. Despite the slight changes happened to the covers of Bravo and Yps, we can still discern a similar tendency of the changes of non-verbal elements of the magazines, namely the covers, in both countries. As an important and completing part of this study, a report of the validity and reliability of the researching method has been conducted. In a general way, we can say that there are similar changing and developing tendencies of youth cultures in many aspects in the east and west. These tendencies might lead to certain danger of the universalization in the future development of youth culture within the context of globalization, yet the hybridization of youth culture of the local level and that of the regional or the global level seems to display variety and diversity in a large degree. In the future further research about the comparison of youth culture in different social and cultural contexts could be conducted through internet ethnographic studies, due to the instantaneity and interactivity of internet, especially the web 2.0, so as to expand our collective understanding of this research topic. The actual ideas and feedback from the youth are available through the observation of the virtual world where the youth show up, utter their opinions, communicate with each other, entertain themselves or with each other as well as consume, which could support or respond to the findings and results of content analysis of youth media. Another important point is that youth, as subjects, are getting more often to create their individual and original culture as well as various counter- or sub-cultures through the platform of network. Probing into this interactive and self-constructing media environment around youth to get an insight of the latest developing tendencies of different youth culture through out the world, as well as the reasons and drives behind these developments, could be an exciting and provoking project as the next researching steps in this specific researching field

Comparative study of youth culture in the context of globalization : a content analysis of teenage magazines in Germany and China (1995 vs. 2005)

How has the globalization been influencing the youth culture in the sense of “everyday talk”, which is represented by the form of mass media for youth? In which direction are the changes and trends of modern youth culture leading to? In order to find out a proper answer to this researching question, the comparative study of youth culture between east and west has been conducted in this thesis through the content analysis of the sample youth magazines published in Germany and China in 2005 compared with those in 1995 as two time points for analyzing possible changes. This procedure is based on the presumption that these two time points are characterized by typical elements of time spirit. The comparison refers mainly to the following three aspects: original changes, thematic differences, as well as words and designs. An overview of the context of this study, the globalizing (post) modern society, has been briefly depicted as the first step towards a better understanding of the whole picture in which the researching question is embedded. Next, the historical backgrounds and development of youth culture in West and East are introduced and compared in the third chapter, so as to figure out the outline of the differences and similarities of the two types of youth culture. Concerning the great influence of the modern media environment around the youth in West and East, the followed chapter deals with the description, analysis and existed theories about youth related media and their influences upon their young receivers. The youth magazines which would be selected as sample magazines of this study and their impact are also examined respectively in the later part of the chapter. In the methodology chapter, an overview about the method of content analysis, including historical development, definitions, applications as well as limitations, has been done, before the detailed steps and hypotheses of this study are put forward. One of the most important initial steps of the researching method design is to set forth certain relevant hypotheses, which are drawn partly through the reading of sample contents, partly through the existed literature of such kind of analysis. After that, the universe of the content analysis in this thesis is defined. Within this universe a method of multistage sampling was used to take a sampling of content sources. Two youth magazines with different circulations and themes as representative form of youth media in both countries were selected respectively as samples: Bravo (BV) and Yps mit Gimmiks (YG) are the most famous and representative youth magazines from the western side, while Boys & Girls (BG) and Juvenile Science Pictorial (JSP) are the Chinese counterparts. Once the sources have been identified, the dates of sample issues were selected randomly. A final sample of 24 issues of Bravo, Boys & Girls, and JPS as well as 16 issues of Yps, which makes a total of 88 issues were yield. The results of analysis disclose that most of the hypotheses about the changes and developments during the decade are generally concluded in a correct direction. Firstly, in the aspect of original changes, we find out that although the frequencies of international items in the issues from all the sample magazines only have a slight increasing tendency during the decade, which cannot strongly in the whole range support the prediction stated by the first hypothesis of this analysis, yet it shows at least the predicted changing direction of the international items. In the aspect of thematic differences and changes, we can obviously observe that both Chinese magazines retain much more education-oriented items than their German counterparts. The sharp contrast is especially presented in the case of the JSP vs. YG, where education-oriented items in JSP are dominating and entertainment-oriented items in YG dominating. Finally, in the aspect of words and designs, we discover that the changes of the usage of international words in the titles of all the 4 sample magazines support, in different degrees, the hypothesis which supposes an increasing tendency of the appearance of international words including coinage words which are popular among teenagers. Despite the slight changes happened to the covers of Bravo and Yps, we can still discern a similar tendency of the changes of non-verbal elements of the magazines, namely the covers, in both countries. As an important and completing part of this study, a report of the validity and reliability of the researching method has been conducted. In a general way, we can say that there are similar changing and developing tendencies of youth cultures in many aspects in the east and west. These tendencies might lead to certain danger of the universalization in the future development of youth culture within the context of globalization, yet the hybridization of youth culture of the local level and that of the regional or the global level seems to display variety and diversity in a large degree. In the future further research about the comparison of youth culture in different social and cultural contexts could be conducted through internet ethnographic studies, due to the instantaneity and interactivity of internet, especially the web 2.0, so as to expand our collective understanding of this research topic. The actual ideas and feedback from the youth are available through the observation of the virtual world where the youth show up, utter their opinions, communicate with each other, entertain themselves or with each other as well as consume, which could support or respond to the findings and results of content analysis of youth media. Another important point is that youth, as subjects, are getting more often to create their individual and original culture as well as various counter- or sub-cultures through the platform of network. Probing into this interactive and self-constructing media environment around youth to get an insight of the latest developing tendencies of different youth culture through out the world, as well as the reasons and drives behind these developments, could be an exciting and provoking project as the next researching steps in this specific researching field