The mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) gene is a potential methylation biomarker for malignancy of breast cancer

Fang-Ming Chen,Hsueh-Wei Chang,Sheau-Fang Yang,Ya-Fang Huang,Pei-Yung Nien,Yao-Tsung Yeh,Ming-Feng Hou 생화학분자생물학회 2012 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.44 No.5

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) belongs to the MAPK cascades which are central to cell proliferation and apoptosis. The carcinogenic role of MKP-1 has been reported in many types of cancer but it has rarely been investigated in breast cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the MKP-1 mRNA expression and its possible regulation by methylation of MKP-1 promoter in the model of several breast cancer cell lines and tissues as well as controls. Our data demonstrate MKP-1mRNA expression significantly decreased in five breast cancer cell lines compared to breast controls (P <0.01). Using the methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis,the unmethylated reaction (U) is dominant in both normal cell lines and benign breast tumors (100% vs. 86.2%), whereas the methylated reaction (M) is dominant in both breast cancer cell lines and invasive breast tumors (100% vs. 57.2%). In terms of methylation ratio (M/M+U), methylation level in MKP-1 promoter is significantly higher in the invasive breast tumor tissues (n = 152) than in benign breast tumor tissues (n = 29)(P < 0.0001). Assessing the methylation ratio of the promoter of MKP-1 gene to diagnose the breast malignancy (invasive vs. benign), the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.809(95% CI: 0.711-0.906, P < 0.001). The best performance for this prediction has a sensitivity of 76.32% and a specificity of 82.76% at the cutoff value of 0.38. Taken together, we firstly demonstrated that the promoter methylation of MKP-1 gene is a potential breast cancer biomarker for breast malignancy.

Control Strategy and Characteristic Analysis of Hybrid Active Power Filters with the Resonant Impedance Principle

Fang, Lu,Xu, Xian-Yong,Luo, An,Li, Yan,Tu, Chun-Ming,Fang, Hou-Hui The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2012 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.12 No.6

A new kind of resonant impedance type hybrid active filter (RITHAF) is proposed for dynamic harmonic current suppression and high capacity reactive compensation in medium and high voltage systems. This paper analyzed the different performance of the RITHAF when the active part of the RITHAF is controlled as a current source and as a voltage source, respectively. The harmonic suppression function is defined in this paper. The influences of the changes caused by the grid impedance and the detuning of the passive power filter on the compensating characteristics of the RITHAF are studied by analyzing the suppression function. Simulation and industrial application results show that the RITHAF has excellent performances in harmonic suppression and reactive compensation, which is suitable for medium and high voltage systems.

Clinicopathological Significance of Reduced SPARCL1 Expression in Human Breast Cancer

Cao, Fang,Wang, Kuo,Zhu, Rong,Hu, Yong-Wei,Fang, Wen-Zheng,Ding, Hou-Zhong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteines-like protein 1 (SPARCL1), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several disorders including cancer. However, little is known about the expression and significance of SPARCL1 in human breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the expression pattern and clinicopathological significance of SPARCL1 in a Chinese breast cancer cohort. mRNA and protein expression of SPARCL1 in human breast cancer cell lines and breast cancer tissues was detected using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, real-time quantitative PCR, and Western blotting, respectively. Immunostaining of SPARCL1 in 282 Chinese breast cancer samples was examined and associations with clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. Compared to the positive expression in immortalized human breast epithelial cells, SPARCL1 was nearly absent in human breast cancer cell lines. Similarly, a significantly reduced expression of SPARCL1 was observed in human breast cancer tissues compared to that in normal breast epithelial tissues, for both mRNA and protein levels (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that strong cytoplasmic immunostaining of SPARCL1 was observed in almost all normal breast samples (43/45) while moderate and strong immunostaining of SPARCL1 was only detected in 191 of 282 (67.7%) breast cancer cases. Moreover, down-regulation of SPARCL1 was significantly correlated with lymphatic metastasis (P = 0.020) and poor grade (P = 0.044). In conclusion, SPARCL1 may be involved in the breast tumorigenesis and serve as a promising target for therapy of breast cancer.

Control Strategy and Characteristic Analysis of Hybrid Active Power Filters with the Resonant Impedance Principle

Lu Fang,Xian-yong Xu,An Luo,Yan Li,Chun-ming Tu,Hou-hui Fang 전력전자학회 2012 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.12 No.6

A new kind of resonant impedance type hybrid active filter (RITHAF) is proposed for dynamic harmonic current suppression and high capacity reactive compensation in medium and high voltage systems. This paper analyzed the different performance of the RITHAF when the active part of the RITHAF is controlled as a current source and as a voltage source, respectively. The harmonic suppression function is defined in this paper. The influences of the changes caused by the grid impedance and the detuning of the passive power filter on the compensating characteristics of the RITHAF are studied by analyzing the suppression function. Simulation and industrial application results show that the RITHAF has excellent performances in harmonic suppression and reactive compensation, which is suitable for medium and high voltage systems.

A Novel Synthesis and Crystal Structure of 3,5-Substituted-3H-[1,3,4]thiadiazole-2-thione

Jian, Fang Fang,Zhao, Pu Su,Hou, Yu Xia,Lu, Lu De Korean Chemical Society 2003 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.24 No.12

Ultrasonic-assisted dissolution of U3O8 in carbonate medium

Hou Chenxi,He Mingjian,Fang Haofan,Zhang Meng,Gao Yang,Jiao Caishan,He Hui 한국원자력학회 2023 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.55 No.1

Ultrasound-assisted dissolution of U3O8 powder in carbonate solution was explored to determine if and how ultrasound act during the dissolution. The variation of U3O8 solid particles and uranyl complexes under ultrasound treatment and magnetic stirring was observed in carbonate media. The results show that the use of ultrasound can increase the solubility and dissolution rate of U3O8 powder than that under magnetic stirring. The crush of U3O8 particles and the reduction of the activation energy (Ea, kJ/ mol) of U3O8 dissolution reaction were observed, which both play an important role in the ultrasonicassisted dissolution of U3O8 in carbonate-peroxide solution. Meanwhile, there is no observation of the ultrasound effect on the distribution of uranyl species and hydrolysis of uranyl complexes during the ultrasound treatment in carbonate-peroxide solution. Although the generation of $OH radicals under ultrasound (22 ± 2 kHz) was observed, the oxidation of $OH had little effect on the dissolution of U3O8 in the carbonate-peroxide solution system.

New Techniques for Impedance Characteristics Measurement of Islanded Microgrid based on Stability Analysis

Hou, Lixiang,Zhuo, Fang,Shi, Hongtao The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2016 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.16 No.3

In recent years, microgrids have been the focus of considerable attention in distributed energy distribution. Microgrids contain a large number of power electronic devices that can potentially cause negative impedance instability. Harmonic impedance is an important tool to analyze stability and power quality of microgrids. Harmonic impedance can also be used in harmonic source localization. Precise measurement of microgrid impedance and analysis of system stability with impedances are essential to increase stability. In this study, we introduce a new square wave current injection method for impedance measurement and stability analysis. First, three stability criteria based on impedance parameters are presented. Then, we present a new impedance measurement method for microgrids based on square wave current injection. By injecting an unbalanced line-to-line current between two lines of the AC system, the method determines all impedance information in the traditional synchronous reference frame d-q model. Finally, the microgrid impedances of each part and the overall microgrid are calculated to verify the measurement results. In the experiments, a simulation model of a three-phase AC microgrid is developed using PSCAD, and the AC system harmonic impedance measuring device is developed.

Comprehensive profiles and diagnostic value of menopausal-specific gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer

Hou Ming-Feng,Ou-Yang Fu,Li Chung-Liang,Chen Fang-Ming,Chuang Chieh-Han,Kan Jung-Yu,Wu Cheng-Che,Shih Shen-Liang,Shiau Jun-Ping,Kao Li-Chun,Kao Chieh-Ni,Lee Yi-Chen,Moi Sin-Hua,Yeh Yao-Tsung,Cheng Chi 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

In Western countries, breast cancer tends to occur in older postmenopausal women. However, in Asian countries, the proportion of younger premenopausal breast cancer patients is increasing. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in breast cancer. However, studies on the gut microbiota in the context of breast cancer have mainly focused on postmenopausal breast cancer. Little is known about the gut microbiota in the context of premenopausal breast cancer. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the gut microbial profiles, diagnostic value, and functional pathways in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Here, we analyzed 267 breast cancer patients with different menopausal statuses and age-matched female controls. The α-diversity was significantly reduced in premenopausal breast cancer patients, and the β-diversity differed significantly between breast cancer patients and controls. By performing multiple analyses and classification, 14 microbial markers were identified in the different menopausal statuses of breast cancer. Bacteroides fragilis was specifically found in young women of premenopausal statuses and Klebsiella pneumoniae in older women of postmenopausal statuses. In addition, menopausal-specific microbial markers could exhibit excellent discriminatory ability in distinguishing breast cancer patients from controls. Finally, the functional pathways differed between breast cancer patients and controls. Our findings provide the first evidence that the gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer patients differs from that in postmenopausal breast cancer patients and shed light on menopausal-specific microbial markers for diagnosis and investigation, ultimately providing a noninvasive approach for breast cancer detection and a novel strategy for preventing premenopausal breast cancer.

Lymphangiogenic and Angiogenic Microvessel Density in Chinese Patients with Gastric Carcinoma: Correlation with Clinicopathologic Parameters and Prognosis

Cao, Fang,Hu, Yong-Wei,Li, Ping,Liu, Ying,Wang, Kuo,Ma, Lei,Li, Peng-Fei,Ni, Can-Rong,Ding, Hou-Zhong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

The incidence of gastric cancer worldwide, and in particular in developing countries, has shown a marked increase. Poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients occurs due to the rapid metastasis of the disease via the lymphatic and blood vessels. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and the clinical significance of D2-40 and CD34 in human gastric cancer. D2-40 and CD34 expression wasdetected in 1,072 cases of Chinese patients with gastric carcinoma using immunohistochemistry. The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and microvessel density (MVD) were calculated and analyzed and the correlation with the clinicopathological factors and prognosis was determined. The LVD and MVD of the gastric cancer cases were significantly higher compared to those of normal tissues (P < 0.05). The expression of D2-40-LVD and CD34-MVD in the malignancies were positively related to the age, tumor size, invasion depth, lymphatic metastasis and pathological tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) (P < 0.05); However, no statistically significant difference was identified between them with the patient gender (P > 0.05). Up-regulation of D2-40 and CD34 expression was significantly correlated with the poor survival rate in univariate and multivariate analyses. The LVD marked by D2-40 and the MVD marked by CD34 were positively correlated to the clinicopathological factors of the malignancies and may play important role in the development and progression of gastric cancer.

A Method of License Plate Location and Character Recognition based on CNN

( Wei Fang ),( Weinan Yi ),( Lin Pang ),( Shuonan Hou ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2020 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.14 No.8

At the present time, the economy continues to flourish, and private cars have become the means of choice for most people. Therefore, the license plate recognition technology has become an indispensable part of intelligent transportation, with research and application value. In recent years,the convolution neural network for image classification is an application of deep learning on image processing. This paper proposes a strategy to improve the YOLO model by studying the deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) and related target detection methods, and combines the OpenCV and TensorFlow frameworks to achieve efficient recognition of license plate characters. The experimental results show that target detection method based on YOLO is beneficial to shorten the training process and achieve a good level of accuracy.