Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 as a Prognostic Factor in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Zhang, Qiong-Wen,Liu, Lei,Chen, Ru,Wei, Yu-Quan,Li, Ping,Shi, Hua-Shan,Zhao, Yu-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is associated with disruption of basement membranes of blood vessels and promotion of metastasis through the lymphatics. However, its prognostic value for survival in patients with gastric cancer remains controversial. Method: We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature in order to clarify the impact of MMP-9. Clinical studies were selected for further analysis if they provided an independent assessment of MMP-9 in gastric cancer and reported analysis of survival data according to MMP-9 expression. Results: A total of 11 studies, covering 1700 patients, were included for meta-analysis. A summary hazard ratio (HR) of all studies and sub-group hazard ratios were calculated. The combined HR suggested that a positive MMP-9 expression had an impact on overall survival: 1.25 (95% confidence interval 1.11-1.40) in all eligible studies; 1.13 (1.06-1.20) in 8 studies detecting MMP-9 by immunohistochemistry; 1.36 (1.12-1.65) in 7 studies from Asia. Only one study for DFS showed a significant impact on disease free survival (HR 1.73, 95%CI 1.27-2.34). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that MMP-9 protein expression might be a factor for a poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. However, the association was rather weak, so that more prospective studies should further explore the prognostic impact of MMP-9 mRNA and correlations between MMP-9 and clinicopathological characteristics.

Prognostic Value of Serum Epstein–Barr Virus Antibodies and Their Correlation with TNM Classification in Patients with Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Wan-Ru Zhang,Yu-Yun Du,Chun-Yan Guo,Han-Xing Zhou,Jie-Yi Lin,Xiao-Han Meng,Hao-Yuan Mo,Dong-Hua Luo 대한암학회 2021 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.53 No.4

Purpose This study assessed the correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) biomarkers and the eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system and the prognostic values of IgG antibodies against replication and transcription activator (Rta-IgG), IgA antibodies against Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1, and BamH1 Z transactivator (Zta-IgA) in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Materials and Methods Serum EBV antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 435 newly diagnosed stage III-IVA NPC patients administered intensity-modulated radiation therapy±chemotherapy. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Results Rta-IgG and Zta-IgA levels were positively correlated with the N category and clinical stage. Patients with high Rta-IgG levels (> 29.07 U/mL) showed a significantly inferior prognosis as indicated by PFS (77% vs. 89.8%, p=0.004), distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS) (88.3% vs. 95.8%, p=0.021), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (91.2% vs. 98.3%, p=0.009). High Rta-IgG levels were also significantly associated with inferior PFS and LRFS in multivariable analyses. In the low-level EBV DNA group (≤ 1,500 copies/mL), patients with high Rta-IgG levels had significantly inferior PFS and DMFS (both p < 0.05). However, in the high-level EBV DNA group, Rta-IgG levels were not significantly associated with PFS, DMFS, and LRFS. In the advanced T category (T3-4) subgroup, high Rta-IgG levels were also significantly associated with inferior PFS, DMFS, and LRFS (both p < 0.05). Conclusion Rta-IgG and Zta-IgA levels were strongly correlated with the TNM classification. Rta-IgG level was a negative prognostic factor in locoregionally advanced NPC patients, especially those with advanced T category or low EBV DNA level.

Polysaccharide Isolated from Angelica sinensis Inhibits Hepcidin Expression in Rats with Iron Deficiency Anemia

Jin-Yu Liu,Yu Zhang,Ru-Xu You,Fang Zeng,Dan Guo,Kai-Ping Wang 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.10

A novel polysaccharide named Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP) was obtained from the powdered and defatted roots of A. sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. The molecular weight of ASP was determined to be 78 kDa and was 95.0% sugars consisting of mostly arabinose, glucose, and galactose with a molar ratio of 1:5.68:3.91. A previous study indicated that ASP may increase plasma iron levels by suppressing the expression of hepcidin, a negative regulator of body iron metabolism, in the liver. The present study aims to clarify the inhibitory effect of ASP on hepcidin expression in rat models of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and clarify the mechanisms involved. It was demonstrated that ASP significantly reduced hepcidin expression by inhibiting the expression of mothers against decapentaplegic protein 4 (SMAD4) in liver and stimulating the secretion of erythropoietin, which further downregulated hepcidin by repressing CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3/5. The results indicate that ASP can suppress the expression of hepcidin in rats with IDA, and may be useful for the treatment of IDA

Experimental Study on Chloride Diffusion in Structural Concrete Considering the Effect of Damages Induced by the Cyclic Impact Loading

Peng-yu Zhu,Yong-lai Zheng,Wen-bin Luo,Jia Kou,Ru-xue Zhang,Shu-xin Deng 대한토목학회 2020 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.24 No.1

An experimental investigation on chloride diffusion in structural concrete under the cyclic impact loading is conducted. Effects of magnitudes and loading times are studied. Relationship between damage coefficients and chloride diffusion coefficients is obtained. The cyclic impact loading causes the initiation of new cracks and the propagation of existing cracks, which brings an obvious promotion for chloride diffusion. There should be a damage threshold. If the magnitude of the external loading is large enough to make the damage exceed the threshold, initiation and propagation of cracks become quite significant and chloride diffusion can be greatly promoted. With the increase of the damage coefficient, the chloride diffusion coefficient increases. The increasing rates decrease with long immersion times. Relationship curves of damage coefficients and chloride diffusion coefficients show a good correlation and can be well described with power functions.

Nonlinear Hybrid Controller Design for Perturbed Quadrotor Robot by Uncertainties

Ju-Qian Zhang,Yu-Ru Shi,Yong Wu,Bang-chun Wen 한국정밀공학회 2018 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.19 No.11

In this paper, a novel nonlinear hybrid observers (HOB) based dynamic surface control (DSC) system, which integrates nominal and compensation controller, is designed for autonomous quadrotor robot perturbed by the uncertainties, e.g., external disturbances and measurement-delay. In this hybrid control system, the nominal controller based on dynamic surface control superior to the backstepping technique is the main controller, and the disturbance observer (DOB) is incorporated as the compensation controller to eliminate the effect of uncertainties caused by model mismatch and external disturbances. In addition, in order to relax the impact of measurement-delay induced by sensors of poor quality and heavy computation burden, the measurement-delay observer (MOB) is derived. Next, stability of the closed-loop control system is analytically proved based on Lyapunov theorem. Finally, comparative controllers are evaluated on simulation and experimental environments to demonstrate the effectiveness and merits of the proposed controller for quadrotor robot against the uncertainties.

Tumor-Derived Transforming Growth Factor-β is Critical for Tumor Progression and Evasion from Immune Surveillance

Li, Zheng,Zhang, Li-Juan,Zhang, Hong-Ru,Tian, Gao-Fei,Tian, Jun,Mao, Xiao-Li,Jia, Zheng-Hu,Meng, Zi-Yu,Zhao, Li-Qing,Yin, Zhi-Nan,Wu, Zhen-Zhou Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.13

Tumors have evolved numerous mechanisms by which they can escape from immune surveillance. One of these is to produce immunosuppressive cytokines. Transforming growth factor-${\beta}$(TGF-${\beta}$) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a crucial function in mediating immune suppression, especially in the tumor microenvironment. TGF-${\beta}$ produced by T cells has been demonstrated as an important factor for suppressing antitumor immune responses, but the role of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ in this process is poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that knockdown of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ using shRNA resulted in dramatically reduced tumor size, slowing tumor formation, prolonging survival rate of tumor-bearing mice and inhibiting metastasis. We revealed possible underlying mechanisms as reducing the number of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and $CD4^+Foxp3^+$ Treg cells, and consequently enhanced IFN-${\gamma}$ production by CTLs. Knockdown of tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ also significantly reduced the conversion of na$\ddot{i}$ve $CD4^+$ T cells into Treg cells in vitro. Finally, we found that knockdown of TGF-${\beta}$ suppressed cell migration, but did not change the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro. In summary, our study provided evidence that tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ is a critical factor for tumor progression and evasion of immune surveillance, and blocking tumor-derived TGF-${\beta}$ may serve as a potential therapeutic approach for cancer.

Chinese patent herbal medicine (Shufeng Jiedu capsule) for acute upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ying-ying Zhang,Ru-yu Xia,Shi-bing Liang,Xiao-yang Hu,Meng-yuan Dai,Yi-lin Li,Le-yi Zhao,Michael Moore,Yu-tong Fei,Jian-ping Liu 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.3

Background: Shufeng Jiedu capsule has been widely used in China for acute upper respiratory tract infections (AURTIs). The aim of this study was to evaluate its effectiveness and safety for AURTIs. Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing SFJD with conventional drug for patients with AURTIs were included. Eight databases were searched from their inceptions to February 2021. Data was synthesized using risk ration (RR) or mean difference (MD) with their 95% confidence interval (CI). The primary outcome was resolution time of typical symptoms. Results: Twenty-five RCTs involving 3410 patients were included. SFJD in combination with conventional drug was associated with; in common cold shortening the duration of fever (MD −1.54 days, 95% CI [−2.15,−0.92], I2 = 80%, n = 385, 3 trials) and cough (MD −1.22 days, 95% CI [−1.52, −0.93]); in herpangina, shortening the duration of fever (MD -0.68 days, 95% CI [−1.15, −0.21], I2 = 68%, n = 140, 2 trials) and blistering (MD −0.99 days, 95% CI [−1.23, −0.76], n = 386, 3 trials); in acute tonsillitis and acute pharyngitis shortening the duration of fever (MD −1.13 days, 95% CI [−1.36, −0.90], I2 = 33%, n = 688, 7 trials) and sore throat (MD −1.13 days, 95% CI [−1.40, −0.86], I2 = 84.1%, n = 1194, 10 trials). SFJD also improving their cure rate with a range (1–5 days). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Low certainty evidence suggests that SFJD appears to shorten the duration of symptoms in AURTIs, improve cure rate and seems safe for application. However, high quality placebo controlled trials are warranted to confirm its benefit.

Thesaurus-Based Semantic Smoothing in Language Modeling for Chinese Document Retrieval

Liqi Gao,Ting Liu,Ru Chen,Yu Zhang 한국어정보학회 2006 한국어정보학 Vol.8 No.1

Language modeling for Information Retrieval proposed a few years ago has been attractive and improved the performance of IR systems effectively comparing to classic models and approaches. Smoothing technology in parameter estimations is one of main problems in carrying out language models. The performance of IR system will be enhanced by effective smoothing methods. Semantic smoothing has been developed recently for language modeling with some knowledge of language. This paper presents a modification to a smoothing approach in general language model combining with translation modeling, which is taking synonyms in documents and the collection into account for semantic smoothing and performance improving in Chinese document retrieval. The synonym knowledge is from a well‐known thesaurus in Chinese NLP, called Tongyici Cilin (Extended). A comparison shows that the semantic smoothed approach brings approximately 1.33% improvement on average.

Meta-Heuristic Ant Colony Algorithm for Multi-Tasking Assignment on Collaborative AUVs

Jian Jun Li,Ru Bo Zhang,Yu Yang 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Grid and Distributed Comp Vol.8 No.3

Multiple Unmanned Underwater Vehicles Is a typical combinatorial optimization problem, to achieve multiple AUV, coordinated, collaborative tasks to complete complex jobs subsea. Through analyzing the ant colony optimization algorithm, the paper proposed An Meta-heuristic ant colony optimization algorithm the Implementation to solve the multi AUVs to achieve the task allocation problem, and had simulation test based on the consolidated analyze the advantages of multiple unmanned underwater vehicle .results show that the ant colony optimization algorithms in solving multi-task allocation problem of multiple unmanned underwater vehicle showed a good performance.

Effects of co-ion initial concentration ratio on removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution by modified sugarcane bagasse

Jing Zhu,Jun-xia Yu,Jia-dong Chen,Jie-sen Zhang,Jia-qi Tang,Yuan-lai Xu,Yue-fei Zhang,Ru-an Chi 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.6

A modified sugarcane bagasse (SCB) fixed bed column was used to remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution. To determine the optimal condition for Pb2+ separation, Ca2+ was chosen as the model interfering ion, and effects of Ca2+ and Pb2+ initial concentration ratio (C0 Ca : C0 Pb) on the adsorption of Pb2+ were investigated. Results showed that adsorption amount ratio of Ca2+ and Pb2+ (qe Ca : qe Pb) had a good linear relationship with C0 Ca : C0 Pb. Mass ratio of Pb2+ absorbed on the modified SCB was higher than 95% at C0 Ca : C0 Pb<1.95, illustrating that Pb2+ could be selectively removed from aqueous solution. To verify that, simulated waste water containing co-ions of K+, Na+, Cd2+ and Ca2+ was treated, and results showed that the equilibrium amount of Pb2+, K+, Na+, Cd2+ and Ca2+ adsorbed was 134.14, 0.083, 0.058, 1.28, and 1.28mg g−1, respectively, demonstrating that the modified SCB could be used to remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution in the investigated range.