Intraocular pressure and ocular shape changes during altitude acclimatization from Beijing to Lhasa

Purpose&nbsp;:&nbsp;To investigate changes of intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular shape on ascent to high altitude from Beijing to Lhasa Methods&nbsp;:&nbsp;20 volunteers (17 men, 3 women) who were sent to work from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet were enrolled. IOP, axial length (AL) and corneal curvature (K) were measured for twice at Beijing (altitude 43m) and Lhasa (altitude 3658m) respectively. They had the first examination at least 1 day before arriving Lhasa and had the second examination when stayed at Lhasa for 7 days or later. IOP was measured with applanation tonometer and the two tonometers have a consistency correction at Beijing before the study. AL was measured with two different type ultrasonic pachymeters and K was measured using two same type autofractometers. The data of highland and lowland were analyzed by paired-sample T test. Results&nbsp;:&nbsp;The mean values for IOP of Beijing was 12.75&plusmn;2.41 mmHg and Lhasa was 15.08&plusmn;3.35 mmHg. The mean AL was 24.83&plusmn;1.54 mm at Beijing and was 25.24&plusmn;1.38 mm at Lhasa. The IOP and AL increased significantly at the altitude of Lhasa (P&lt;0.05). The mean K was 43.54&plusmn;2.17 D at Beijing and 43.52&plusmn;2.21 D at Lhasa. Difference of K were not significant (P&gt;0.05).</p

Decreased expression of SLC39A14 is associated with tumor aggressiveness and biochemical recurrence of human prostate cancer

Xiao-Ming Xu,1,2 Cheng-Gong Wang,1 Yu-Di Zhu,2 Wei-Hua Chen,3 Si-Liang Shao,2 Fu-Neng Jiang,4 Qian-De Liao1 1Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 2Department of Urology, Ningbo No 2 Hospital, Ningbo&nbsp;University School of Medicine, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 3Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, 4Guangdong Key Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics, Guangzhou First People&rsquo;s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People&rsquo;s Republic of China Objective: Solute carrier family 39, member 14 (SLC39A14), has been identified as a potential biomarker for various cancers. However, its roles in prostate cancer (PCa) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of SLC39A14 in patients with PCa and its functions in malignant phenotypes of PCa cells.Patients and methods: Subcellular localization and expression pattern of SLC39A14 protein were examined by immunohistochemistry. Then, the associations of SLC39A14 expression with various clinicopathological features and clinical outcome of patients with PCa were statistically evaluated. Subsequently, the effects of SLC39A14 overexpression and knockdown on PCa cell proliferation and motility were, respectively, examined by Cell Counting Kit-8, transwell, and wound-healing assays.Results: The immunoreactive scores of SLC39A14 protein in human PCa tissues were significantly lower than those in normal prostate tissues. Based on the Taylor dataset, SLC39A14 downregulation occurred more frequently in patients with PCa with a higher Gleason score (P&lt;0.001), advanced clinical stage (P=0.008), presence of metastasis (P=0.009), and prostate-specific antigen failure (P=0.006). More interestingly, the survival analysis identified SLC39A14 as an independent factor for predicting the biochemical recurrence-free survival of patients with PCa (P=0.017). Functionally, the enforced expression of SLC39A14 could suppress cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of PCa cell lines in vitro, which could be reversed by the knockdown of SLC39A14.Conclusion: Decreased expression of SLC39A14 may lead to malignant phenotypes of PCa cells and aggressive tumor progression in patients with PCa. Importantly, SLC39A14 may function as a tumor suppressor and a biomarker for screening patients with biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy. Keywords: prostate cancer, solute carrier family 39 member 14, biochemical recurrence-free survival, tumor suppresso

Control Of Vortex Shedding From A Square Cylinder

Small circular, square, and thin-strip cross-sectional elements are used to suppress vortex shedding from a square cylinder at Reynolds numbers in the range of 1.12 x 10(4)-1.02 x 10(5). The axes of the element and cylinder are parallel. The element's size, position, and angle of attack are varied. Measurements of the fluctuating surface pressures and wake velocities, together with smoke flow visualization, show that vortex shedding from both sides of the cylinder is suppressed and the mean drag and fluctuating lift on the cylinder is reduced if the element is installed in an effective zone downstream of the cylinder. The effective zone of the circular element is shown to be much smaller than those of the other elements. The effects of Reynolds number and blockage ratio are investigated. A phenomenon of monoside vortex shedding is observed. The role of the element's bluffness is investigated and the suppression mechanism is discussed

Control of vortex shedding at moderate Reynolds numbers

The suppression method of vortex shedding from a circular cylinder has been studied experimentally in the Reynolds number range from 300 to 1600. The test is performed in a water channel. The model cylinder is 1 cm in diameter and 38 cm in length. A row of small rods of 0.18 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm in length are perpendicularly connected to the surface of the model cylinder and distributed along the meridian, The distance between the neighboring rods and the angle of attack of the rods can be changed so that the suppression effect on vortex shedding can be adjusted. The results show that vortex shedding can be suppressed effectively if the distance between the neighboring rods is smaller than 3 times and the cylinder diameter and the angle of attack is in the range of 30degreesless than or equal tobeta&lt;90&amp;DEG;.</span