Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcomas in Late Adolescence and Adults: A Study of 37 Patients

Tao, Hai-Tao,Hu, Yi,Wang, Jin-Liang,Cheng, Yao,Zhang, Xin,Wang, Huan,Zhang, Su-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Background: Extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma (EES)/primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET) are rare soft tissue sarcomas. Prognostic factors and optimal therapy are still unconfirmed. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on patients to explore the clinic characteristics and prognostic factors of this rare disease. A total of 37 patients older than 15 years referred to our institute from Jan., 2002 to Jan., 2012 were reviewed. The characteristics, treatment and outcome were collected and analyzed. Results: The median age was 28 years (range 15-65); the median size of primary tumours was 8.2 cm (range 2-19). Sixteen patients (43%) had metastatic disease at the initial presentation. Wide surgical margins were achieved in 14 cases (38%). Anthracycline or platinum-based chemotherapy was performed on 29 patients (74%). Radiotherapy was delivered in 13 (35%). At a median follow-up visit of 24 months (range 2-81), the media event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 15.8 and 30.2 months, respectively. The 3-year EFS and OS rates were 24% and 43%, respectively. Metastases at presentation and wide surgical margins were significantly associated with OS and EFS. Tumour size was significantly associated with OS but not EFS. There were no significant differences between anthracycline and platinum based chemotherapy regarding EFS and OS. Conclusions: EES/PNET is a malignant tumour with high recurrence and frequent distant metastasis. Multimodality therapy featuring wide surgical margins, aggressive chemotherapy and adjuvant local radiotherapy is necessary for this rare disease. Platinum-based chemotherapy can be used as an adjuvant therapy.

An Improved Method for Rapid Preparation of Oligodendrocytespecific Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody

Tao Wang,Wei Wang,Lintao Jia,Xin Bu,Fang Wang,Libo Yao,Bin Zhang 한국생물공학회 2011 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.16 No.3

Antibodies are important tools in the study of protein function and diagnostic tests. However, traditional antiserum preparation requires a time-consuming immunization protocol and subsequent purification of polyclonal antibodies. In this study, a rapid and efficient method for polyclonal antibody preparation has been developed. Juxtanodin (JN) and silent information regulator-2 (Sirt2),both of which are oligodendrocyte-specific proteins, were used for antibody preparation. The N-terminal 170 amino acids of JN (JN170) and amino acids 231-351 of Sirt2 (Sirt2-121) were expressed as GST-tagged proteins from a pET-41a(+) vector in E. coli strain BL21 (DE3) cells. The fusion proteins were purified and used to immunize rabbits following both a traditional protocol, in which antigen was presented biweekly, and a modified rapid protocol, in which the immunization on day 1 was boosted on days 5and 28. ELISA, Western blot analysis and immunofluorescent staining showed that antibodies produced via the rapid protocol could recognize these two oligodendrocytespecific proteins in vitro and in the rat central nervous system (CNS), respectively, similar to those produced with the traditional protocol. Thus, our study provides a novel rapid method to prepare high specificity antibodies via a modified immunization protocol and subsequent antibody purification.

Development and Validation of Nomograms to Provide Individualized Predictions of Sur-vival Benefits from Surgery in Patients with Intermediate/Advanced Hepatocel-lular Carcinoma

( Wen-tao Yan ),( Jia-he Wang ),( Ming-da Wang ),( Zheng Wang ),( Bing Quan ),( Ya-hao Zhou ),( Wei-min Gu ),( Hong Wang ),( Ting-hao Chen ),( Tian Yang ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: According to the BCLC treatment guidelines, surgery does not be recommended for intermediate/advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In real world, however, liver resections are often performed in patients with intermediate/ advanced but resectable HCC, especially in the East. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated multicentric data of 1,325 patients newly diagnosed with intermediate/advanced HCC who underwent curative resection. We randomly divided the subjects into development (n = 875) and validation (n = 450) samples. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were developed and separately validated on the basis of patients’ clinicopathological variables assessed for associations with 1-year recurrence and 3-year mortality. The discriminatory accuracy of these models was compared with conventional tools by analyzing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: He statistical nomograms built based on performance status, Child-Pugh grade, portal hypertension, preoperative alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor rupture, largest tumor diameter, tumor number, macrovascular and microvascular invasion, and satellites had good calibration and discriminatory abilities, with c-indices of 0.70 (1-year recurrence) and 0.68 (3-year survival), respectively. These models showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit and discrimination abilities in the validation cohort (c-index, 0.68 for 1-year recurrence and 0.69 for 3-year survival). The areas under the ROC curve using these nomograms exceeded those of traditional staging systems, indicating superior discriminatory capability (c-indices, 0.60-0.63 and 0.56-0.62, respectively). Conclusions: Our proposed online nomograms, which present graphically postoperative prognostic models for recurrence and survival in patients with intermediate/advanced but resectable HCC, offer valuable guidance to surgeons and hepatologists for individually predicting survival benefits from surgery and planning recurrence surveillance and adjuvant therapy.

Classicality in Imaginary Weak Amplification

Tao Wang,Gang Li,Chang-Bao Fu,Rui Zhang,Xuemei Su,Qian-qian Bao 한국물리학회 2017 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.71 No.12

Weak ampli¯cation is an interesting phenomenon. In this paper we show an example that the imaginary weak ampli¯cation e®ect can be only related to the classical probability distribution of the measured quantity. A general result for any two orthogonal postselections and any meter state is also given.

Multilevel Deficiency of White Matter Connectivity Networks in Alzheimer's Disease: A Diffusion MRI Study with DTI and HARDI Models

Wang, Tao,Shi, Feng,Jin, Yan,Yap, Pew-Thian,Wee, Chong-Yaw,Zhang, Jianye,Yang, Cece,Li, Xia,Xiao, Shifu,Shen, Dinggang Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2016 Neural plasticity Vol.2016 No.-

<P>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in elderly people. It is an irreversible and progressive brain disease. In this paper, we utilized diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to detect abnormal topological organization of white matter (WM) structural networks. We compared the differences between WM connectivity characteristics at global, regional, and local levels in 26 patients with probable AD and 16 normal control (NC) elderly subjects, using connectivity networks constructed with the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) model and the high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) model, respectively. At the global level, we found that the WM structural networks of both AD and NC groups had a small-world topology; however, the AD group showed a significant decrease in both global and local efficiency, but an increase in clustering coefficient and the average shortest path length. We further found that the AD patients had significantly decreased nodal efficiency at the regional level, as well as weaker connections in multiple local cortical and subcortical regions, such as precuneus, temporal lobe, hippocampus, and thalamus. The HARDI model was found to be more advantageous than the DTI model, as it was more sensitive to the deficiencies in AD at all of the three levels.</P>

Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen Levels before Initial Treatment are Associated with EGFR Mutations and EML4-ALK Fusion Gene in Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients

Wang, Wen-Tao,Li, Yin,Ma, Jie,Chen, Xiao-Bing,Qin, Jian-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.9

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) define specific molecular subsets of lung adenocarcinomas with distinct clinical features. Our purpose was to analyze clinical features and prognostic value of EGFR gene mutations and the EML4-ALK fusion gene in lung adenocarcinoma. Patients and Methods: EGFR gene mutations and the EML4-ALK fusion gene were detected in 92 lung adenocarcinoma patients in China. Tumor marker levels before first treatment were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Results: EGFR mutations were found in 40.2% (37/92) of lung adenocarcinoma patients, being identified at high frequencies in never-smokers (48.3% vs. 26.5% in smokers; P=0.040) and in patients with abnormal serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels before the initial treatment (58.3% vs. 28.6%, P=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that a higher serum CEA level before the initial treatment was independently associated with EGFR gene mutations (95%CI: 1.476~11.343, P=0.007). We also identified 8 patients who harbored the EML4-ALK fusion gene (8.7%, 8/92). In concordance with previous reports, younger age was a clinical feature for these (P=0.008). Seven of the positive cases were never smokers, and no coexistence with EGFR mutation was discovered. In addition, the frequency of the EML4-ALK fusion gene among patients with a serum CEA concentration below 5ng/ml seemed to be higher than patients with a concentration over 5ng/ml (P=0.021). No significant difference was observed for time to progression and overall survival between EML4-ALK-positive group and EML4-ALK-negative group or between patients with and without an EGFR mutation. Conclusions: The serum CEA level before the initial treatment may be helpful in screening population for EGFR mutations or EML4-ALK fusion gene presence in lung adenocarcinoma patients.

New carbon allotropes in sp + sp³ bonding networks consisting of C₈ cubes

Wang, Jian-Tao,Chen, Changfeng,Mizuseki, Hiroshi,Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics Vol.20 No.12

<P>We identify using <I>ab initio</I> calculations new types of three-dimensional carbon allotrope constructed by inserting acetylenic or diacetylenic bonds into a body-centered cubic C8 lattice. The resulting sp + sp<SUP>3</SUP>-hybridized cubane-yne and cubane-diyne structures consisting of C8 cubes can be characterized as a cubic crystalline modification of linear carbon chains, but energetically more favorable than the simplest linear carbyne chain and the cubic tetrahedral diamond and yne-diamond consisting of C4 tetrahedrons. Electronic band calculations indicate that these new carbon allotropes are semiconductors with an indirect band gap of 3.08 eV for cubane-yne and 2.53 eV for cubane-diyne. The present results establish new types of carbon phases consisting of C8 cubes and offer insights into their outstanding structural and electronic properties.</P>

Exploratory Autopsy on Digital Payment Models

Wang, Tao,Kim, Chang-Su,Kim, Ki-Su 한국경영정보학회 2007 한국경영정보학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2007 No.-

Secure digital payment is critical in the successful shaping of global digital business. Digital payments are increasingly being used as a substitute to traditional payments, contributing markedly to the efficiency of the economy. The focus of every digital business transaction is to minimize risks arising from transactions. It is essential to ensure the security of digital payment whether used in internal networks or over wireless Internet. This paper analyses secure digital payment methods from the viewpoint of systemic security and transaction security. According to comparative analysis of digital payment models, this paper proposes a comparative analysis framework to investigate and evaluate secure digital payment. In conclusion, the comparative analysis framework, comparison of digital payment models and mobile payment models proposes a useful academic and practical foundation to enhance the understanding of secure digital payment methods. It also provides academic background and practical guidelines for the development of secure digital payment systems.

Isolation and Cloning of Porcine SLC27A2 Gene and Detection of Its Polymorphism Associated with Growth and Carcass Traits

Wang, Tao,Liu, Chang,Xiong, Yuan-Zhu,Deng, Chang-Yan,Zuo, Bo,Xie, Hong-Tao,Xu, De-Quan Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.8

The protein encoded by SLC27A2 gene is an isozyme of long-chain fatty-acid-coenzyme A ligase family, and it converts free long-chain fatty acids into fatty acyl-CoA esters, and thereby plays a key role in lipid biosynthesis and fatty acid degradation. In the present study, SLC27A2 located on human chromosome 15 was selected as candidate gene and we isolated and cloned partial fragments of mRNA sequence and genomic fragments of porcine SLC27A2 gene. The coding region of the gene as determined by alignments shared 90% and 82% identity with human and mouse cDNAs, respectively. Detection in LargeWhite and Meishan breeds showed that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) ($A{\rightarrow}G$) existed in exon 7, which caused corresponding amino acid changed for encoding. In LargeWhite pigs it encoded for Val while in Meishan pigs it encoded for Ile, so we developed the PCR-RFLP genotype method for detection of this polymorphism. Association study in 135 $F_2$ reference family indicated that significant correlation existed between the polymorphism and growth and carcass traits.

Effect of spatial variability of concrete materials on the uncertain thermodynamic properties of shaft lining structure

Tao Wang,Shuai Li,Xiangjun Pei,Yafan Yang,Bin Zhu,Guoqing Zhou 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.81 No.2

The thermodynamic properties of shaft lining concrete (SLC) are important evidence for the design and construction, and the spatial variability of concrete materials can directly affect the stochastic thermal analysis of the concrete structures. In this work, an array of field experiments of the concrete materials are carried out, and the statistical characteristics of thermophysical parameters of SLC are obtained. The coefficient of variation (COV) and scale of fluctuation (SOF) of uncertain thermophysical parameters are estimated. A three-dimensional (3-D) stochastic thermal model of concrete materials with heat conduction and hydration heat is proposed, and the uncertain thermodynamic properties of SLC are computed by the self-compiled program. Model validation with the experimental and numerical temperatures is also presented. According to the relationship between autocorrelation functions distance (ACD) and SOF for the five theoretical autocorrelation functions (ACFs), the effects of the ACF, COV and ACD of concrete materials on the uncertain thermodynamic properties of SLC are analyzed. The results show that the spatial variability of concrete materials is subsistent. The average temperatures and standard deviation (SD) of inner SLC are the lowest while the outer SLC is the highest. The effects of five 3-D ACFs of concrete materials on uncertain thermodynamic properties of SLC are insignificant. The larger the COV of concrete materials is, the larger the SD of SLC will be. On the contrary, the longer the ACD of concrete materials is, the smaller the SD of SLC will be. The SD of temperature of SLC increases first and then decreases. This study can provide a reliable reference for the thermodynamic properties of SLC considering spatial variability of concrete materials.