The feasibility and effects of Qigong intervention (mind-body exercise) in cancer patients with insomnia : a pilot qualitative study

Background: Up to 80% of cancer patients experience insomnia that significantly affects their quality of life. This pilot qualitative study investigated the feasibility and effects of a 3-week Qigong (mind-body exercise) intervention with a 1-week follow-up in cancer patients experiencing insomnia. Methods: Cancer patients with insomnia who had completed radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment and/or were at least 8weeks post-cancer-related surgery were recruited. Primary outcomes were feasibility outcomes, which included recruitment, retention, attendance, completion of assessment, adverse events and participant feedback via a questionnaire and focus group/individual interview. Secondary outcomes on insomnia severity and sleep quality were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline, mid, post-intervention and follow-up. Results: Seven participants were recruited and two withdrew from the study. The participant retention rate was 71.4% with an overall attendance rate of more than 84% and participants were able to complete all required assessments. An adverse event relating to the worsening of existing musculoskeletal condition was reported. Qualitative analysis of participant feedback identified 4 emerging themes: (1) experience from Qigong intervention; (2) class preferences; (3) barriers to participation; and (4) recommendation for improvement. Participants reported increased relaxation, improved sleep and energy level, better upper body flexibility and reduced stress. Both ISI and PSQI scores improved significantly (P<.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that it is feasible to employ the current clinical trial design using Qigong intervention on insomnia in cancer patients. Preliminary data suggest that the intervention may improve sleep outcomes, however, these findings need to be confirmed by future robust randomized controlled trials

Numerical simulation of the massive scalar field evolution in the Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole background

We studied the massive scalar wave propagation in the background of Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole by using numerical simulations. We learned that the value $Mm$ plays an important role in determining the properties of the relaxation of the perturbation. For $Mm << 1$ the relaxation process depends only on the field parameter and does not depend on the spacetime parameters. For $Mm >> 1$, the dependence of the relaxation on the black hole parameters appears. The bigger mass of the black hole, the faster the perturbation decays. The difference of the relaxation process caused by the black hole charge $Q$ has also been exhibited.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Preliminary Findings of the High Quantity of Microplastics in Faeces of Hong Kong Residents

Microplastics are recognised as a ubiquitous and hazardous pollutant worldwide. These small-sized particles have been detected in human faeces collected from a number of cities, providing evidence of human ingestion of microplastics and their presence in the gastrointestinal tract. Here, using Raman spectroscopy, we identified an average of 50 particles g−1 (20.4–138.9 particles g−1 wet weight) in faeces collected from a healthy cohort in Hong Kong. This quantity was about five times higher than the values reported in other places in Asia and Europe. Polystyrene was the most abundant polymer type found in the faeces, followed by polypropylene and polyethylene. These particles were primarily fragments, but about two-thirds of the detected polyethylene terephthalate were fibres. More than 88% of the microplastics were smaller than 300 µm in size. Our study provides the first data on the faecal level, and thus the extent of ingestion, of microplastics in Hong Kong’s population. This timely assessment is crucial and supports the recently estimated ingestion rate of microplastics by Hong Kong residents through seafood consumption, which is one of the highest worldwide. These findings may be applicable to other coastal populations in South China with similar eating habits

A Precisely Regulated Gene Expression Cassette Potently Modulates Metastasis and Survival in Multiple Solid Cancers

Successful tumor development and progression involves the complex interplay of both pro- and anti-oncogenic signaling pathways. Genetic components balancing these opposing activities are likely to require tight regulation, because even subtle alterations in their expression may disrupt this balance with major consequences for various cancer-associated phenotypes. Here, we describe a cassette of cancer-specific genes exhibiting precise transcriptional control in solid tumors. Mining a database of tumor gene expression profiles from six different tissues, we identified 48 genes exhibiting highly restricted levels of gene expression variation in tumors (n = 270) compared to nonmalignant tissues (n = 71). Comprising genes linked to multiple cancer-related pathways, the restricted expression of this “Poised Gene Cassette” (PGC) was robustly validated across 11 independent cohorts of ∼1,300 samples from multiple cancer types. In three separate experimental models, subtle alterations in PGC expression were consistently associated with significant differences in metastatic and invasive potential. We functionally confirmed this association in siRNA knockdown experiments of five PGC genes (p53CSV, MAP3K11, MTCH2, CPSF6, and SKIP), which either directly enhanced the invasive capacities or inhibited the proliferation of AGS cancer cells. In primary tumors, similar subtle alterations in PGC expression were also repeatedly associated with clinical outcome in multiple cohorts. Taken collectively, these findings support the existence of a common set of precisely controlled genes in solid tumors. Since inducing small activity changes in these genes may prove sufficient to potently influence various tumor phenotypes such as metastasis, targeting such precisely regulated genes may represent a promising avenue for novel anti-cancer therapies

GRIM-19 Disrupts E6/E6AP Complex to Rescue p53 and Induce Apoptosis in Cervical Cancers

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies showed a down-regulation of GRIM-19 in primary human cervical cancers, and restoration of GRIM-19 induced tumor regression. The induction of tumor suppressor protein p53 ubiquitination and degradation by E6 oncoportein of high risk-HPV through forming a stable complex with E6AP is considered as a critical mechanism for cervical tumor development. The aims of this study were to determine the potential role of GRIM-19 in rescuing p53 protein and inducing cervical cancer cell apoptosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The protein levels of GRIM-19 and p53 were detected in normal cervical tissues from 45 patients who underwent hysterectomy for reasons other than neoplasias of either the cervix or endometrium, and cervical cancer tissues from 60 patients with non-metastatic squamous epithelial carcinomas. Coimmunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assay were performed to examine the interaction of GRIM-19 with 18E6 and E6AP in vivo and in vitro respectively. The competition of 18E6 with E6AP in binding GRIM-19 by performing competition pull-down assays was designed to examine the disruption of E6/E6AP complex by GRIM-19. The augment of E6AP ubiquitination by GRIM-19 was detected in vivo and in vitro ubiquitination assay. The effects of GRIM-19-dependent p53 accumulation on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis were explored by MTT, flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy respectively. The tumor suppression was detected by xenograft mouse model. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The levels of GRIM-19 and p53 were concurrently down regulated in cervical cancers. The restoration of GRIM-19 can induce ubiquitination and degradation of E6AP, and disrupt the E6/E6AP complex through the interaction of N-terminus of GRIM-19 with both E6 and E6AP, which protected p53 from degradation and promoted cell apoptosis. Tumor xenograft studies also revealed the suppression of p53 degradation in presence of GRIM-19. These data suggest that GRIM-19 can block E6/E6AP complex; and synergistically suppress cervical tumor growth with p53

Testing the viability of the interacting holographic dark energy model by using combined observational constraints

Using the data coming from the new 182 Gold type Ia supernova samples, the shift parameter of the Cosmic Microwave Background given by the three-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe observations, and the baryon acoustic oscillation measurement from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, $H(z)$ and lookback time measurements, we have performed a statistical joint analysis of the interacting holographic dark energy model. Consistent parameter estimations show us that the interacting holographic dark energy model is a viable candidate to explain the observed acceleration of our universe.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in JCA

Engine fault diagnosis using probabilistic neural network

Engine failure is one of the major factors caused vehicle breakdown. In the current practice, the engine faults are diagnosed manually by mechanics and the accuracy is highly relied on their experience. Therefore, this study would like to explore the feasibility of implementing auto fault diagnosis using Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). A benchmarked engine fault model is developed and simulated in Maltab. The proposed algorithm is designed to detect 9 common engine faults based on the information extracted from exhaust gas, such as hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2) and dioxygen (O2). The proposed PNN is trained using the collected engine fault data from experiment and the probability density of PNN is determined based on the Parzen window estimation method. Bayes decision rule is implemented for classifying the types of the engine faults. The simulated results show that the proposed algorithm has faster diagnosis speed, higher accuracy and consistent. The algorithm takes 0.038 s in diagnosing the fault and the average accuracy is 98.3 %

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) SS316L Prepared by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF): Analysis of Microstructure and Hardness Properties

In this paper, dense oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) SS316L with 0.5 wt.% Y2O3 was fabricated using nano-Y2O3-embedded spherical SS316L powder via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The molten pool, oxide dispersion, cellular structure, and microhardness of the as-printed ODS SS316L were investigated through optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Vickers hardness testing, respectively. The results reveal a uniform dispersion of Y-rich nanoparticles in as-printed ODS SS316L, contributing to the development of a fine-grain structure in the as-printed ODS SS316L. A wide and shallow molten pool was observed in as-printed ODS SS316L, and enhanced microhardness was observed in ODS SS316L compared to pristine SS316L. The effects of Y2O3 on microstructure evolution and reinforcing mechanisms of microhardness are discussed.Mechanical Engineerin