Arbitrary phase rotation of the marked state can not be used for Grover's quantum search algorithm

A misunderstanding that an arbitrary phase rotation of the marked state together with the inversion about average operation in Grover's search algorithm can be used to construct a (less efficient) quantum search algorithm is cleared. The $\pi$ rotation of the phase of the marked state is not only the choice for efficiency, but also vital in Grover's quantum search algorithm. The results also show that Grover's quantum search algorithm is robust.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Anti-tumor effect of polysaccharides isolated from Taraxacum mongolicum Hand-Mazz on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Purpose: To optimize the extraction conditions for the ultrasound-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from T. mongolicum (PTM) and investigate their anti-tumor effect on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.Methods: To optimize the extraction conditions of PTM, response surface methodology (RSM) was performed. The effects of extraction temperature, liquid-solid ratio and extraction time on the yield of PTM were investigated using a Box-Behnken design (BBD). The in vitro anti-tumor effect of PTM on MCF-7 cells was investigated by methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, while the mechanism of PTM-induced apoptosis was assessed by evaluating the expressions of p53, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins using western blot analysis. Furthermore, the in vivo anti-tumor effect of PTM on MCF-7 cells was studied in mice.Results: The optimal conditions for the extraction of PTM were as follows: extraction temperature, 58.2°C; liquid-solid ratio, 15 mL/g; and extraction time, 44.12 min. Under these optimal conditions, the yield of PTM was 4.84 ± 0.13 %. PTM showed significant anti-tumor effect on MCF-7 cells in vitro. The expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins, p53 and Bax, were significantly upregulated (p < 0.05), while the expression of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, was significantly down-regulated (p < 0.05) after treatment with PTM. PTM also showed significant inhibitory effect (p < 0.05) on MCF-7 cells in vivo in a dosedependent manner.Conclusion: RSM is effective in optimizing the extraction conditions of PTM by ultrasonic extraction. PTM possesses significant anti-tumor effect on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, both in vitro and in vivo.Keywords: Polysaccharides, Taraxacum mongolicum, Human breast cancer, MCF-7 cells, Apoptosis, Box–Behnken design, Response surface methodolog

Prognostic Value of an Inflammation-Related Index in 6,865 Chinese Patients With Postoperative Digestive Tract Cancers: The FIESTA Study

Objectives: We sought to determine the optimal cutting points for two inflammatory biomarkers, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), to assess their prognostic value in patients with postoperative digestive tract cancers overall and by cancer sites, and further to construct an inflammation-related index based on the two biomarkers and assess its predictive performance.Methods: Total 6,865 assessable patients with digestive tract cancers who underwent tumor resection were consecutively enrolled from Fujian Cancer Hospital between January 2000 and December 2010, including 2535/3012/1318 patients with esophageal/gastric/colorectal cancer. The latest follow-up (median: 44.9 months) ended in December 2015. Optimal cutting points were determined using survival tree analysis overall and by cancer sites.Results: Among all study patients, the optimal cutting points were 2.07 and 168.50 to define high and low NLR and PLR, respectively. High NLR (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–1.61) and high PLR (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.29–1.53) were associated with a significantly increased risk for the mortality of digestive tract cancers as a whole. By cancer sites, effect-size estimates were comparable and statistically significant. Elevation over the selected optimal cutting points for both NLR and PLR was associated with 1.69-fold increased risk of cancer-specific mortality compared to patients with simultaneously low NLR and PLR among all study patients, and this association persisted by cancer sites, especially for gastric cancer.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the preoperative integrated NLR and PLR, as an inflammation-related index, is a significant independent predictor for postoperative mortality in Chinese patients with digestive tract cancers both overall and by cancer sites

Prediction of Metabolic Syndrome for the Survival of Patients With Digestive Tract Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background and Objectives: Growing evidence indicates that metabolic syndrome confers a differential risk for the development and progression of many types of cancer, especially in the digestive tract system. We here synthesized the results of published cohort studies to test whether baseline metabolic syndrome and its components can predict survival in patients with esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancer.Methods: Literature retrieval, publication selection and data extraction were performed independently by two authors. Analyses were done using STATA software (version 14.1).Results: A total of 15 publications involving 54,656 patients were meta-analyzed. In overall analyses, the presence of metabolic syndrome was associated with a non-significant 19% increased mortality risk for digestive tract cancer (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45 to 2.520.95 to 1.49, P = 0.130; I2: 94.8%). In stratified analyses, the association between metabolic syndrome and digestive tract cancer survival was statistically significant in prospective studies (HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.28), in studies involving postsurgical patients (HR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.92), and in studies assessing cancer-specific survival (HR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.52). Further meta-regression analyses indicated that age and smoking were potential sources of between-study heterogeneity (both P < 0.001). The shape of the Begg's funnel plot seemed symmetrical (Begg's test P = 0.945 and Egger's test P = 0.305).Conclusions: Our findings indicate that metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of postsurgical digestive tract cancer-specific mortality. Continued investigations are needed to uncover the precise molecule mechanism linking metabolic syndrome and digestive tract cancer