Chinese older adults’ resilience to the loneliness of living alone: A qualitative study

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The road to fully integrated DC-DC conversion via the switched-capacitor approach

This paper provides a perspective on progress toward realization of efficient, fully integrated dc-dc conversion and regulation functionality in CMOS platforms. In providing a comparative assessment between the inductor-based and switched-capacitor approaches, the presentation reviews the salient features in effectiveness in utilization of switch technology and in use and implementation of passives. The analytical conclusions point toward the strong advantages of the switched-capacitor (SC) approach with respect to both switch utilization and much higher energy densities of capacitors versus inductors. The analysis is substantiated with a review of recently developed and published integrated dc-dc converters of both the inductor-based and SC types. © 2012 IEEE

A three-miRNA signature as promising non-invasive diagnostic marker for gastric cancer

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Patient dosimetry for 90Y selective internal radiation treatment based on 90Y PET imaging

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A community study on burden and depressive symptoms among carers of demented relatives

Background: Most mild to moderate demented patients are cared at home. Studies have shown that carers face increased stress and are prone to depression. In order to understand their needs, a collaboration study between District Board, Community Rehabilitation Network and local hospitals was done. Objective: (1) To understand care needs of demented patients and their carers in the family. (2) To assess difficulties faced by carers and evaluate their stress. (3) To find out which factors may aggravate or relieve carer stress. Method: The study was performed by interviewing 100 carers by questionnaire. Three main themes were studied: (1) presence of depression by Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), (2) caregiver burden by Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), patients’ memory and behavioural problems by Revised Memory and Behaviour Problems Checklist (RMBPC), patient ADL performance, and (3) carer coping abilities by Brief COPE and perceived social support by Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results: 49% of patients are in moderate to severe stage, with moderate to high ADL dependency level (mean ADL score: 62.4, with 40% of patients scoring 60 or below). On average carers spent 13.8 hours per day on their relative. 24% of carers have rated self-perceived health status as poor or very poor. 36% have little or no knowledge about the dementia illness. Regarding carer depression, 49% had CES-D score in the moderately and severely depressed range. Caregiver burden was high with ZBI score of 38.2 (>24 being highly associated with depression). Memory and behavioural symptoms were common with mean RMBPC 38.2. Carer coping abilities as measured by Brief COPE was 24.6. Perceived social support as measured by MSPSS was 56.2. Carer depression was found to be correlated with cognitive and behaviour problems as well as carer burden; whereas it was negatively correlated with social support. After multiple linear regression analysis, caregiver burden was the most significant factor contributing to caregiver depression (β=0.55, T=5.43, p<0.001). Conclusions: This cohort of carers, having spent long hours caring for their demented relatives had limited knowledge, poor perceived health and emotional problems. They had high burden and showed signs of depression. Caregiver depression was found to be associated with a higher level of burden.published_or_final_versio

Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) 3β phosphorylates and protects nuclear myosin 1c from proteasome-mediated degradation to activate rDNA transcription in early G1 cells

Nuclear myosin 1c (NM1) mediates RNA polymerase I (pol I) transcription activation and cell cycle progression by facilitating PCAF-mediated H3K9 acetylation, but the molecular mechanism by which NM1 is regulated remains unclear. Here, we report that at early G1 the glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3β phosphorylates and stabilizes NM1, allowing for NM1 association with the chromatin. Genomic analysis by ChIP-Seq showed that this mechanism occurs on the rDNA as active GSK3β selectively occupies the gene. ChIP assays and transmission electron microscopy in GSK3β-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts indicated that at G1 rRNA synthesis is suppressed due to decreased H3K9 acetylation leading to a chromatin state incompatible with transcription. We found that GSK3β directly phosphorylates the endogenous NM1 on a single serine residue (Ser-1020) located within the NM1 C-terminus. In G1 this phosphorylation event stabilizes NM1 and prevents NM1 polyubiquitination by the E3 ligase UBR5 and proteasome-mediated degradation. We conclude that GSK3β-mediated phosphorylation of NM1 is required for pol I transcription activation

Clinicopathologic and gene expression parameters predict liver cancer prognosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) varies following surgical resection and the large variation remains largely unexplained. Studies have revealed the ability of clinicopathologic parameters and gene expression to predict HCC prognosis. However, there has been little systematic effort to compare the performance of these two types of predictors or combine them in a comprehensive model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Tumor and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues were collected from 272 ethnic Chinese HCC patients who received curative surgery. We combined clinicopathologic parameters and gene expression data (from both tissue types) in predicting HCC prognosis. Cross-validation and independent studies were employed to assess prediction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HCC prognosis was significantly associated with six clinicopathologic parameters, which can partition the patients into good- and poor-prognosis groups. Within each group, gene expression data further divide patients into distinct prognostic subgroups. Our predictive genes significantly overlap with previously published gene sets predictive of prognosis. Moreover, the predictive genes were enriched for genes that underwent normal-to-tumor gene network transformation. Previously documented liver eSNPs underlying the HCC predictive gene signatures were enriched for SNPs that associated with HCC prognosis, providing support that these genes are involved in key processes of tumorigenesis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>When applied individually, clinicopathologic parameters and gene expression offered similar predictive power for HCC prognosis. In contrast, a combination of the two types of data dramatically improved the power to predict HCC prognosis. Our results also provided a framework for understanding the impact of gene expression on the processes of tumorigenesis and clinical outcome.</p

Paternal effects on early embryogenesis

Historically, less attention has been paid to paternal effects on early embryogenesis than maternal effects. However, it is now apparent that certain male factor infertility phenotypes are associated with increased DNA fragmentation and/or chromosome aneuploidies that may compromise early embryonic development. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that the fertilizing sperm has more function than just carrying an intact, haploid genome. The paternally inherited centrosome is essential for normal fertilization, and the success of higher order chromatin packaging may impact embryogenesis. Epigenetic modifications of sperm chromatin may contribute to the reprogramming of the genome, and sperm delivered mRNA has also been hythesized to be necessary for embryogenesis. There is less information about the epigenetic factors affecting embryogenesis than genetic factors, but the epigenetics of gamete and early embryogenesis is a rapidly advancing field