The Prognostic Significance of Apoptosis-Related Biological Markers in Chinese Gastric Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The prognosis varied among the patients with the same stage, therefore there was a need for new prognostic and predictive factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of apoptosis-related biological markers such as p53, bcl-2, bax, and c-myc, and clinicopathological features and their prognostic value. METHODS: From 1996 to 2007, 4426 patients had undergone curative D2 gastrectomy for gastric cancer at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Among 501 patients, the expression levels of p53, bcl-2, bax, and c-myc were examined by immunohistochemistry. The prognostic value of biological markers and the correlation between biological markers and other clinicopathological factors were investigated. RESULTS: There were 339 males and 162 females with a mean age of 57. The percentages of positive expression of p53, bcl-2, bax, and c-myc were 65%, 22%, 43%, and 58%, respectively. There was a strong correlation between p53, bax, and c-myc expression (P=0.00). There was significant association between bcl-2, and bax expression (P<0.05). p53 expression correlated with histological grade (P=0.01); bcl-2 expression with pathological stage (P=0.00); bax expression with male (P=0.02), histological grade (P=0.01), Borrmann type (P=0.01), tumor location (P=0.00), lymph node metastasis (P=0.03), and pathological stage (P=0.03); c-myc expression with Borrmann type (P=0.00). bcl-2 expression was related with good survival in univariate analysis (P=0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that bcl-2 expression and pathological stage were defined as independent prognostic factors. There were significant differences of overall 5-year survival rates according to bcl-2 expression or not in stage IIB (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The expression of bcl-2 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer; it might be a candidate for the gastric cancer staging system

Semantic segmentation and photogrammetry of crowdsourced images to monitor historic facades

Crowdsourced images hold information could potentially be used to remotely monitor heritage sites, and reduce human and capital resources devoted to on-site inspections. This article proposes a combination of semantic image segmentation and photogrammetry to monitor changes in built heritage sites. In particular, this article focuses on segmenting potentially damaging plants from the surrounding stone masonry and other image elements. The method compares different backend models and two model architectures: (i) a one-stage model that segments seven classes within the image, and (ii) a two-stage model that uses the results from the first stage to refine a binary segmentation for the plant class. The final selected model can achieve an overall IoU of 66.9% for seven classes (54.6% for one-stage plant, 56.2% for two-stage plant). Further, the segmentation output is combined with photogrammetry to build a 3D segmented model to measure the area of biological growth. Lastly, the main findings from this paper are: (i) With the help of transfer learning and proper choice of model architecture, image segmentation can be easily applied to analyze crowdsourcing data. (ii) Photogrammetry can be combined with image segmentation to alleviate image distortions for monitoring purpose. (iii) Beyond the measurement of plant area, this method has the potential to be easily transferred into other tasks, such as monitoring cracks and erosion, or as a masking tool in the photogrammetry workflow

Patterns in leaf traits of woody species and their environmental determinants in a humid karstic forest in southwest China

IntroductionLeaf functional traits constitute a crucial component of plant functionality, providing insights into plants’ adaptability to the environment and their regulatory capacity in complex habitats. The response of leaf traits to environmental factors at the community level has garnered significant attention. Nevertheless, an examination of the environmental factors determining the spatial distribution of leaf traits in the karst region of southwest China remains absent.MethodsIn this study, we established a 25 ha plot within a karst forest and collected leaf samples from 144 woody species. We measured 14 leaf traits, including leaf area (LA), leaf thicknes (LT), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf length to width ratio (LW), leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf carbon concentration (LC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LN), and leaf phosphorus concentration (LP), leaf potassium concentration (LK), leaf calcium concentration (LCa), leaf magnesium Concentration (LMg), leaf carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), leaf carbon to phosphorus ratio (C/P), and leaf nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (N/P), to investigate the spatial distribution of community-level leaf traits and the response of the leaf trait community-weighted mean (CWM) to topographic, soil, and spatial factors.ResultsResults showed that the CWM of leaf traits display different spatial patterns, first, the highest CWM values for LT, LTD, C/N, and C/P at hilltops, second, the highest CWM values for LA, SLA, LW, LC, LN, LP, and LK at depressions, and third, the highest CWM values for LCa, LMg, and N/P at slopes. The correlation analysis showed that topographic factors were more correlated with leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with elevation and slope being the strongest correlations. RDA analysis showed that topographic factors explained higher percentage of leaf trait CWM than soil factors, with the highest percentage of 19.96% being explained by elevation among topographic factors. Variance Partitioning Analysis showed that the spatial distribution of leaf traits is predominantly influenced by the combined effects of topography and spatial factors (37%-47% explained), followed by purely spatial factors (24%-36% explained).DiscussionThe results could improve our understanding of community functional traits and their influencing factors in the karst region, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that shape plant communities

Plasmonic Ag Nanoparticle-Loaded n-p Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 Heterojunction Microtubes with Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

In this study, n-p Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 heterojunction microtubes were prepared via a one-step solvothermal route in an H2O-ethylenediamine mixed solvent for the first time. Then, Ag nanoparticles were loaded onto the microtubes using a photo-deposition process. It was found that a Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 heterostructure was formed as a result of the in situ carbonatization of &alpha;-Bi2O3microtubes on the surface. The photocatalytic activities of &alpha;-Bi2O3 microtubes, Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 microtubes, and Ag nanoparticle-loaded Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 microtubes were evaluated based on their degradation of methyl orange under visible-light irradiation (&lambda; &gt; 420 nm). The results indicated that Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3 with a Bi2O2CO3 mass fraction of 6.1% exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than &alpha;-Bi2O3. Loading the microtubes with Ag nanoparticles significantly improved the photocatalytic activity of Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3. This should be ascribed to the internal static electric field built at the heterojunction interface of Bi2O2CO3 and &alpha;-Bi2O3 resulting in superior electron conductivity due to the Ag nanoparticles; additionally, the heterojunction at the interfaces between two semiconductors and Ag nanoparticles and the local electromagnetic field induced by the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag nanoparticles effectively facilitate the photoinduced charge carrier transfer and separation of &alpha;-Bi2O3. Furthermore, loading of Ag nanoparticles leads to the formation of new reactive sites, and a new reactive species &#903;O2&minus; for photocatalysis, compared with Bi2O2CO3/&alpha;-Bi2O3

How Do Substrates Affect the Friction on Graphene at the Nanoscale?

Substrates supporting two-dimensional materials are omnipresent in micro/nano electromechanical systems. Moreover, substrates are indispensable to all nanotribological experimental systems. However, substrates have rarely been taken into account in first-principles simulations of nanotribological systems. In this work, we investigate the effects of substrates on nanofriction by carrying out first-principles simulations of two systems: (a) one graphene monolayer sliding on another one supported by a metal substrate, denoted as the Gr-Gr/Metal system; and (b) a diatomic tip sliding on a graphene monolayer supported by a metal substrate, named the Tip-Gr/Metal system. Each substrate is made of triatomic layers constituting the minimum period and obtained by cutting a metal through its (111) surface. By varying metal substrates and analyzing the results of the first-principles simulations, it follows that (i) the fluctuation in the sliding energy barriers of the two systems can be modified by changing substrates; (ii) the adsorption type and the pressure affect friction; (iii) the presence of a substrate varies the interfacial binding strength; and (iv) the modulation of friction by substrates lies in altering the interface electron density. These results provide an answer to the important question of how substrates affect the friction on graphene at the nanoscale

microRNAs expression profile related with response to preoperative radiochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer

Abstract Background It is urgent to find some biochemical markers for predicting the radiochemotherapy sensitivity. microRNAs have a huge potential as a predictive biomarker in gastric cancer. The current study aims to identify the microRNAs related to the radiochemotherapy sensitivity in gastric cancer. Methods From April 2012 to August 2014, 40 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer were included into the clinical trial in the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The lesion specimens of 15 patients were obtained by gastroendoscopy before treatment, and the RNA was extracted. microRNAs array was used to identify the microRNAs with different expression level between sensitive group and non-sensitive group. The microRNAs identified in the array were further confirmed by TaqMan Real-time PCR. Results 2006 microRNAs were identified by microRNA array, including 302 highly expressed microRNAs and 1704 lowly expressed microRNAs between non-sensitive group and sensitive group. According to the statistical significance (p < 0.05) and expression level (more than twofold or less than 0.5 times), 9 microRNAs were identified. Finally, we chose 6 microRNAs like miR-16-2-3p, miR-340-5p, miR-338-3p, miR-142-3p, miR-142-5p and miR-582-5p to determine the sensitive group and non-sensitive group. TaqMan Real-time PCR confirmed the results of microRNA array. Conclusions microRNA array can be used to select the microRNAs associated with radiochemotherapy sensitivity in gastric cancer. miR-338-3p and miR-142-3p may be promising predictive biomarkers for such patients. Trial registration Trial Registration number: NCT03013010. Name of registry: Phase II Study of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Wtih S1 + Oxaliplatin (SOX) Regimen Followed by Chemoradiation Concurrent With S-1 in Patients With Potentially Resectable Gastric Carcinoma. Date registered: December 31, 2013. The trial was prospectively registered

Analysis of lymph node metastasis correlation with prognosis in patients with T2 gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlated factors for lymph node metastasis and prognosis for patients with T2 gastric cancer. METHODS: A total of 442 patients with T2 gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy from January 1996 to December 2009 were evaluated. The clinicopathological parameters were analyzed for lymph node metastasis and prognosis, including gender, age, tumor size, tumor location, histological type, depth of invasion, vascular tumor emboli, nervous invasion, resection type, and pathological stage. RESULTS: The rate of lymph node metastasis was 45.9%. Univariate analysis showed that depth of invasion, tumor size, and vascular tumor emboli were associated with lymph node metastasis. Logistic regression demonstrated that depth of invasion, tumor size, and vascular tumor emboli were independently predictive factors for lymph node metastasis. The 5-year survival rate was 64.0%. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, tumor location, resection type, and pathological stage were independent prognostic factors. Based on tumor size, there were significant differences of 5-year survival between small size tumor (<6 cm) and large size tumor (≥ 6 cm) according to stage IIA (P = 0.006). Based on tumor location, there were significant differences of 5-year survival among different tumor location according to stage IB. Based on resection type, there were significant differences of overall 5-year survival between curative surgery and palliative surgery according to stage IIB (P = 0.015) and IIIA (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Depth of invasion, tumor size, and vascular tumor emboli were independently predictive factors for lymph node metastasis. Tumor size, tumor location, resection type, and pathological stage were independent prognostic factors

Clinicopathological Characteristics and Survival Outcomes of Primary Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma in the Stomach: Retrospective Analysis of Single Center Database.

To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach (SRC).A total of 1464 gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy from 2000 to 2008 at a single center were evaluated. Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC) was defined as the presence of at least 50% signet ring cells in the pathologic specimen. The clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of SRC were analyzed by comparing with non-signet ring cell carcinoma (NSRC).Of 1464 patients, 138 patients (9.4%) were classified as SRC. There were significant differences in gender, age, tumor location, TNM stage, p21 expression, and p53 expression between SRC and NSRC. The 5-year survival rates of SRC and NSRC were 36.2% and 49.5%, respectively. The prognosis of SRC was poorer than that of NSRC (P <0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that SRC histology was an independent factor for poor prognosis (P <0.001).Patients with SRC tend to present with a more advanced stage and poorer prognosis than patients with other types of gastric carcinoma

In Vitro and in Vivo Anticancer Activity of Aconitine on Melanoma Cell Line B16

The anti-tumor effect of aconitine in melanoma cell line B16 has been studied in this paper. We found that B16 cells showed significantly reduced growth rates and increased apoptotic effects in the presence of aconitine. Furthermore, aconitine inhibited the PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathways, thus regulating the levels of protein and mRNA of PCNA and apoptotic related signaling molecules. Above all, we found that aconitine showed an anti-melanoma effect in suppressing tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, we show that aconitine may be a useful anticancer drug in the future