CLIC1-mediated autophagy confers resistance to DDP in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer has been a constant concern to researchers as one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. The treatment options for gastric cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine. Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer. Cisplatin (DDP) has been approved as a critical chemotherapy drug to treat various kinds of solid tumors. Although DDP is an effective chemotherapeutic agent, many patients develop drug resistance during treatment, which has become a severe problem in clinical chemotherapy. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of DDP resistance in gastric cancer. The results show that intracellular chloride channel 1 (CLIC1) expression was increased in AGS/DDP and MKN28/DDP, and as compared to the parental cells, autophagy was activated. In addition, the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to DDP was decreased compared to the control group, and autophagy increased after overexpression of CLIC1. On the contrary, gastric cancer cells were more sensitive to cisplatin after transfection of CLIC1siRNA or treatment with autophagy inhibitors. These experiments suggest that CLIC1 could alter the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to DDP by activating autophagy. Overall, the results of this study recommend a novel mechanism of DDP resistance in gastric cancer.

Clinical efficacy of laparoscopic Lich-Gregoir versus transvesicoscopic Cohen reimplantation for ureterobladder junction malformations in children.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic Lich-Gregoir (LLG) and transvesicoscopic Cohen reimplantation (TCR) in the treatment of vesicoureteral junction obstruction (VUJO) and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 66 pediatric patients with VUJO and VUR. They were classified into two groups, undergoing either the laparoscopic Lich-Gregoir operation (LLGO) (n = 35) or transvesicoscopic Cohen reimplantation operation (TCRO) (n = 31). The surgeries were performed between April 2018 and September 2022 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, China. General characteristics, preoperative attributes, postoperative complications, renal function recovery, and improvement of hydronephrosis were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: All surgical procedures were successful with no requirement for reoperation. Both groups were comparable with respect to gender, affected side, weight, and postoperative complications. Nonetheless, the LLGO group contained a greater number of children younger than 12 months. The LLGO group demonstrated superiority over the TCRO group regarding the duration of the operation, intraoperative blood loss, and length of postoperative hospital stay. In contrast, postoperative complications, recovery of renal function, and hydronephrosis improvement did not exhibit statistically significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Both LLGO and TCRO were demonstrated to be precise, safe, and reliable surgical methods for treating pediatric VUJO and VUR. LLGO ureteral reimplantation offers particular advantages in selecting cases and appears more suitable for children younger than 12 months who have a small bladder capacity.

Selection of surgical modality for massive splenomegaly in children.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic splenectomy (LS), a treatment for both benign and malignant splenic diseases, can prove technically challenging in patients with massive splenomegaly. In particular, the optimal surgical modality for treating massive splenomegaly in children remains controversial. METHODS: The clinicopathologic data of 289 pediatric patients undergoing splenectomy for massive splenomegaly were studied in a retrospective analysis. Accordingly, the patients were classified into the LS surgery group and open splenectomy (OS) surgery group. In the laparoscopy cohort, they were separated into two subgroups according to the method of surgery: the multi-incision laparoscopic splenectomy (MILS) and the single-incision laparoscopic splenectomy (SILS) surgery groups, respectively. Patient demographics, clinical data, surgery, complications, and postoperative recovery underwent analysis. Concurrently, we compared the risk of adverse laparoscopic splenectomy outcomes utilizing univariable and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The total operation time proved remarkably shorter in the OS group in contrast to the LS group (149.87 ± 61.44 versus 188.20 ± 52.51 min, P < 0.001). Relative to the OS group, the LS group exhibited lowered postoperative pain scores, bowel recovery time, and postoperative hospitalization time (P < 0.001). No remarkable difference existed in post-operation complications or mortality (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the operation duration was remarkably longer in the SILS surgery group than in the MILS surgery group (200 ± 46.11 versus 171.39 ± 40.30 min, P = 0.02). Meanwhile, the operative duration of MILS and SILS displayed a remarkable positive association with splenic length. Moreover, the operative duration of SILS displayed a remarkable positive association with the age, weight, and height of the sick children. Splenic length proved an independent risk factor of adverse outcomes (P < 0.001, OR 1.378). CONCLUSIONS: For pediatric patients with massive splenomegaly who can tolerate prolonged anesthesia and operative procedures, LS surgery proves the optimal treatment regimen. SILS remains a novel surgery therapy which may be deemed a substitutional surgery approach for treating massive splenomegaly.

Quantification of the role of lead foil in flattening filter free beam reference dosimetry.

PURPOSE: To quantify the potential error in outputs for flattening filter free (FFF) beams associated with use of a lead foil in beam quality determination per the addendum protocol for TG-51, we examined differences in measurements of the beam quality conversion factor kQ when using or not using lead foil. METHODS: Two FFF beams, a 6 MV FFF and a 10 MV FFF, were calibrated on eight Varian TrueBeams and two Elekta Versa HD linear accelerators (linacs) according to the TG-51 addendum protocol by using Farmer ionization chambers [TN 30013 (PTW) and SNC600c (Sun Nuclear)] with traceable absorbed dose-to-water calibrations. In determining kQ , the percentage depth-dose at 10 cm [PDD(10)] was measured with 10×10 cm2 field size at 100 cm source-to-surface distance (SSD). PDD(10) values were measured either with a 1 mm lead foil positioned in the path of the beam [%dd(10)Pb ] or with omission of a lead foil [%dd(10)]. The %dd(10)x values were then calculated and the kQ factors determined by using the empirical fit equation in the TG-51 addendum for the PTW 30013 chambers. A similar equation was used to calculate kQ for the SNC600c chamber, with the fitting parameters taken from a very recent Monte Carlo study. The differences in kQ factors were compared for with lead foil vs. without lead foil. RESULTS: Differences in %dd(10)x with lead foil and with omission of lead foil were 0.9 ± 0.2% for the 6 MV FFF beam and 0.6 ± 0.1% for the 10 MV FFF beam. Differences in kQ values with lead foil and with omission of lead foil were -0.1 ± 0.02% for the 6 MV FFF and -0.1 ± 0.01% for the 10 MV FFF beams. CONCLUSION: With evaluation of the lead foil role in determination of the kQ factor for FFF beams. Our results suggest that the omission of lead foil introduces approximately 0.1% of error for reference dosimetry of FFF beams on both TrueBeam and Versa platforms.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing atlas reveals an MDK-dependent immunosuppressive environment in ErbB pathway-mutated gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Our previous genomic whole-exome sequencing (WES) data identified the key ErbB pathway mutations that play an essential role in regulating the malignancy of gallbladder cancer (GBC). Herein, we tested the hypothesis that individual cellular components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in GBC function differentially to participate in ErbB pathway mutation-dependent tumor progression. METHODS: We engaged single-cell RNA-sequencing to reveal transcriptomic heterogeneity and intercellular crosstalk from 13 human GBCs and adjacent normal tissues. In addition, we performed WES analysis to reveal the genomic variations related to tumor malignancy. A variety of bulk RNA-sequencing, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining and functional experiments were employed to study the difference between tissues with or without ErbB pathway mutations. RESULTS: We identified 16 cell types from a total of 114,927 cells, in which epithelial cells, M2 macrophages, and regulatory T cells were predominant in tumors with ErbB pathway mutations. Furthermore, epithelial cell subtype 1, 2 and 3 were mainly found in adenocarcinoma and subtype 4 was present in adenosquamous carcinoma. The tumors with ErbB pathway mutations harbored larger populations of epithelial cell subtype 1 and 2, and expressed higher levels of secreted midkine (MDK) than tumors without ErbB pathway mutations. Increased MDK resulted in an interaction with its receptor LRP1, which is expressed by tumor-infiltrating macrophages, and promoted immunosuppressive macrophage differentiation. Moreover, the crosstalk between macrophage-secreted CXCL10 and its receptor CXCR3 on regulatory T cells was induced in GBC with ErbB pathway mutations. Elevated MDK was correlated with poor overall survival in patients with GBC. CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided valuable insights into transcriptomic heterogeneity and the global cellular network in the TME, which coordinately functions to promote the progression of GBC with ErbB pathway mutations; thus, unveiling novel cellular and molecular targets for cancer therapy. LAY SUMMARY: We employed single-cell RNA-sequencing and functional assays to uncover the transcriptomic heterogeneity and intercellular crosstalk present in gallbladder cancer. We found that ErbB pathway mutations reduced anti-cancer immunity and led to cancer development. ErbB pathway mutations resulted in immunosuppressive macrophage differentiation and regulatory T cell activation, explaining the reduced anti-cancer immunity and worse overall survival observed in patients with these mutations.

miR-30b-5p inhibits proliferation, invasion, and migration of papillary thyroid cancer by targeting GALNT7 via the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common endocrine tumor. Increasing evidence has shown that microRNA dysfunction is involved in the occurrence and development of cancer. The expression of MicroRNA-30b-5p (miR-30b-5p) was down-regulated in PTC; however, its role in the development of PTC is not clear. Hence, this study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of miR-30b-5p in the occurrence and development of PTC. METHODS: The qRT-PCR assay was used to detect the expression of miR-30b-5p in 60 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma along with their matched non-cancerous tissues. This study explored the biological function of miR-30b-5p by the functional gain and loss experiments in vitro and vivo. The direct target gene of miR-30b-5p and its signaling pathway was identified through bioinformatics analysis, qRT-PCR, western blot, rescue experiments, and double luciferase 3'-UTR report analysis. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that the low expression of miR-30b-5p is related to poor clinicopathological features. Functionally, the overexpression of miR-30b-5p inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of PTC cells. Bioinformatics and luciferase analysis showed that GALNT7 is the direct and functional target of miR-30b-5p. Moreover, miR-30b-5p inhibited the proliferation of PTC in vivo by inhibiting the expression of GALNT7. The studies on the mechanism have shown that GALNT7 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by activating EGFR/PI3K/AKT kinase pathway, which can be attenuated by the kinase inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, miR-30b-5p inhibited the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma by targeting GALNT7 and inhibiting the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway.

Defining the dose-volume criteria for laryngeal sparing in locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer utilizing split-field IMRT, whole-field IMRT and VMAT.

PURPOSE: To determine the optimal dose-volume constraint for laryngeal sparing using three commonly employed intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) approaches in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated to the bilateral neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with stage II-IVA oropharynx cancers received definitive radiotherapy with split-field IMRT (SF-IMRT) to the bilateral neck between 2008 and 2013. Each case was re-planned using whole-field IMRT (WF-IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and plan quality metrics and dose to laryngeal structures was evaluated. Two larynx volumes were defined and compared on the current study: the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) larynx as defined per the RTOG 1016 protocol and the MDACC larynx defined as the components of the larynx bounded by the superior and inferior extent of the thyroid cartilage. RESULTS: Target coverage, conformity, and heterogeneity indices were similar in all techniques. The RTOG larynx mean dose was lower with WF-IMRT than SF-IMRT (22.1 vs 25.8 Gy; P < 0.01). The MDACC larynx mean dose was 17.5 Gy ± 5.4 Gy with no differences between the 3 techniques. WF-IMRT and VMAT plans were associated with lower mean doses to the supraglottic larynx (42.1 vs 41.2 vs 54.8 Gy; P < 0.01) and esophagus (18.1 vs 18.2 vs 36 Gy; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Modern whole field techniques can provide effective laryngeal sparing in patients receiving radiotherapy to the bilateral neck for advanced oropharyngeal cancers. SUMMARY: We evaluated laryngeal dose in patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer treated to the bilateral neck using split-field IMRT (SF-IMRT), whole-field IMRT (WF-IMRT) and volumetric arc therapy (VMAT). All three techniques provided good sparing of laryngeal structures and were able to achieve a mean larynx dose < 33 Gy. There were no significant differences in dose to target structures or non-laryngeal organs at risk among techniques.

Computer Vision-Based Construction Process Sensing for Cyber-Physical Systems: A Review.

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) are generally considered to be the next generation of engineered systems. However, the actual application of CPSs in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is still at a low level. The sensing method in the construction process plays a very important role in the establishment of CPSs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the application potential of computer vision-based sensing methods and provide practical suggestions through a literature review. This paper provides a review of the current application of CPSs in the AEC industry, summarizes the current knowledge gaps, and discusses the problems with the current construction site sensing approach. Considering the unique advantages of the computer vision (CV) method at the construction site, the application of CV for different construction entities was reviewed and summarized to achieve a CV-based construction site sensing approach for construction process CPSs. The potential of CPS can be further stimulated by providing rich information from on-site sensing using CV methods. According to the review, this approach has unique advantages in the specific environment of the construction site. Based on the current knowledge gap identified in the literature review, this paper proposes a novel concept of visual-based construction site sensing method for CPS application, and an architecture for CV-based CPS is proposed as an implementation of this concept. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a CPS architecture using computer vision as the main information acquisition method based on the literature review. This architecture innovatively introduces computer vision as a sensing method of construction sites, and realizes low-cost and non-invasive information acquisition in complex construction scenarios. This method can be used as an important supplement to on-site sensing to further promote the automation and intelligence of the construction process.

PPTFH: Robust Local Descriptor Based on Point-Pair Transformation Features for 3D Surface Matching.

Three-dimensional feature description for a local surface is a core technology in 3D computer vision. Existing descriptors perform poorly in terms of distinctiveness and robustness owing to noise, mesh decimation, clutter, and occlusion in real scenes. In this paper, we propose a 3D local surface descriptor using point-pair transformation feature histograms (PPTFHs) to address these challenges. The generation process of the PPTFH descriptor consists of three steps. First, a simple but efficient strategy is introduced to partition the point-pair sets on the local surface into four subsets. Then, three feature histograms corresponding to each point-pair subset are generated by the point-pair transformation features, which are computed using the proposed Darboux frame. Finally, all the feature histograms of the four subsets are concatenated into a vector to generate the overall PPTFH descriptor. The performance of the PPTFH descriptor is evaluated on several popular benchmark datasets, and the results demonstrate that the PPTFH descriptor achieves superior performance in terms of descriptiveness and robustness compared with state-of-the-art algorithms. The benefits of the PPTFH descriptor for 3D surface matching are demonstrated by the results obtained from five benchmark datasets.

Development and validation of a 3D-printed bolus cap for total scalp irradiation.

PURPOSE: The goal of total scalp irradiation (TSI) is to deliver a uniform dose to the scalp, which requires the use of a bolus cap. Most current methods for fabricating bolus caps are laborious, yet still result in nonconformity and low reproducibility, which can lead to nonuniform irradiation of the scalp. We developed and validated patient-specific bolus caps for TSI using three-dimensional (3D) printing. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 3D-printing materials were radiologically analyzed to identify a material with properties suitable for use as a bolus cap. A Python script was developed within a commercial treatment planning system to automate the creation of a ready-to-print, patient-specific 3D bolus cap model. A bolus cap was printed for an anthropomorphic head phantom using a commercial vendor and a computed tomography simulation of the anthropomorphic head phantom and bolus cap was used to create a volumetric-modulated arc therapy TSI treatment plan. The planned treatment was delivered to the head phantom and dosimetric validation was performed using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). The developed procedure was used to create a bolus cap for a clinical TSI patient, and in vivo TLD measurements were acquired for several fractions. RESULTS: Agilus-60 was validated as a new 3D-printing material suitable for use as bolus. A 3D-printed Agilus-60 bolus cap had excellent conformality to the phantom scalp, with a maximum air gap of 4 mm. TLD measurements showed that the bolus cap generated a uniform dose to the scalp within a 2.7% standard deviation, and the delivered doses agreed with calculated doses to within 2.4% on average. The patient bolus was conformal and the average difference between TLD measured and planned doses was 5.3%. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a workflow to 3D-print highly conformal bolus caps for TSI and demonstrated these caps can reproducibly generate a uniform dose to the scalp.

A Stereo-Vision System for Measuring the Ram Speed of Steam Hammers in an Environment with a Large Field of View and Strong Vibrations.

The ram speed of a steam hammer is an important parameter that directly affects the forming performance of forgers. This parameter must be monitored regularly in practical applications in industry. Because of the complex and dangerous industrial environment of forging equipment, non-contact measurement methods, such as stereo vision, might be optimal. However, in actual application, the field of view (FOV) required to measure the steam hammer is extremely large, with a value of 2⁻3 m, and heavy steam hammer, at high-speed, usually causes a strong vibration. These two factors combine to sacrifice the accuracy of measurements, and can even cause the failure of measurements. To solve these issues, a bundle-adjustment-principle-based system calibration method is proposed to realize high-accuracy calibration for a large FOV, which can obtain accurate calibration results when the calibration target is not precisely manufactured. To decrease the influence of strong vibration, a stationary world coordinate system was built, and the external parameters were recalibrated during the entire measurement process. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed technique were verified by an experiment to measure the ram speed of a counterblow steam hammer in a die forging device.

Vibration Detection and Motion Compensation for Multi-Frequency Phase-Shifting-Based 3D Sensors.

Phase-shifting profilometry, especially employing the multi-frequency phase-shifting method, is increasingly used for in situ 3D metrology and for the inspection of industrial parts. However, environmental vibrations cause fatal measurement errors and are inevitable in such applications. To this end, an effective and fast vibration detection and motion compensation method for multi-frequency phase-shifting-based 3D sensors is presented. The proposed method quantitatively indicates the strength of the vibration and compensates for the motion error by revising the wrapped phase without accessing neighboring pixels. Different vibration intensities were simulated using an industrial robot moving to test the feasibility of the method. According to experiments, this method is valid and capable for 3D inspection systems affected by inevitable vibrations.

High-Accuracy Globally Consistent Surface Reconstruction Using Fringe Projection Profilometry.

This paper presents a high-accuracy method for globally consistent surface reconstruction using a single fringe projection profilometry (FPP) sensor. To solve the accumulated sensor pose estimation error problem encountered in a long scanning trajectory, we first present a novel 3D registration method which fuses both dense geometric and curvature consistency constraints to improve the accuracy of relative sensor pose estimation. Then we perform global sensor pose optimization by modeling the surface consistency information as a pre-computed covariance matrix and formulating the multi-view point cloud registration problem in a pose graph optimization framework. Experiments on reconstructing a 1300 mm × 400 mm workpiece with a FPP sensor is performed, verifying that our method can substantially reduce the accumulated error and achieve industrial-level surface model reconstruction without any external positional assistance but only using a single FPP sensor.

High-speed FPGA-based phase measuring profilometry architecture.

This paper proposes a high-speed FPGA architecture for the phase measuring profilometry (PMP) algorithm. The whole PMP algorithm is designed and implemented based on the principle of full-pipeline and parallelism. The results show that the accuracy of the FPGA system is comparable with those of current top-performing software implementations. The FPGA system achieves 3D sharp reconstruction using 12 phase-shifting images and completes in 21 ms with 1024 × 768 pixel resolution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fully pipelined architecture for PMP systems, and this makes the PMP system very suitable for high-speed embedded 3D shape measurement applications.

[Research on compatibility of prescriptions including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Trogopterus Dung based on complex network analysis].

The applications of prescriptions including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Trogopterus Dung in contemporary literatures from 1949 to 2016 are compiled and the data mining techniques containing scale-free complex network method are utilized to explore its practical characteristics, with comparison between modern and ancient ones. The results indicate that malignant neoplasms, coronary heart disease which present Qi deficiency and blood stasis type are the main diseases treated by prescriptions including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Trogopterus Dung according to the reports during 1949 to 2016. The complex network connection shows that Glycyrrhizae Radixet Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Astragali Radix, Typhae Pollen, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma are the primary drugs related to Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Trogopterus Dung. The next are Paeoniae Radix Alba, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Persicae Semen, Foria, et al. Carthami Flos, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Cyperi Rhizoma, Bupleuri Radix are the peripheral ones. Also, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Glycyrrhizae Radixet Rhizoma, Trogopterus Dung-Glycyrrhizae Radixet Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Trogopterus Dung-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Astragali Radix, Trogopterus Dung-Astragali Radix are the main paired drugs. The paired drugs including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Trogopterus Dung-Glycyrrhizae Radixet Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Trogopterus Dung-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Trogopterus Dung-Astragali Radix, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Trogopterus Dung-Typhae Pollen have a higher support degree. The main compatible drugs are different in ancient and modern prescriptions including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Trogopterus Dung. Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Typhae Pollen, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Astragali Radix are utilized frequently in modern prescriptions while less used in ancient ones. It is also shown that more attentions are paid to the drugs contributing to invigorating Qi and promoting blood circulation in modern times with comparative results between modern and ancient prescriptions.

Pre-calibration-free 3D shape measurement method based on fringe projection.

This paper presents a pre-calibration-free 3D shape measurement method based on fringe projection. Unlike ordinary methods, it performs calibration and 3D shape measurement concurrently. The captured phase-coded fringe images are utilized to obtain homogenous control points from two camera viewpoints, and the rough 3D structure of these points can be retrieved. Further, a constrained non-linear least-squares optimization model is established to determine the in situ geometry of the optical components, and then, the 3D scene is reconstructed. This method provides an accurate 3D shape measurement capability even during disturbance of the optical geometry. Moreover, not requiring a preliminary calibration process makes the system ultra-flexible. The performance of this method was verified by experiments.

MicroRNA-127 is aberrantly downregulated and acted as a functional tumor suppressor in human pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most malignant human cancers. In this study, we intended to explore the molecular functional of microRNA-127 (miR-127) in regulating pancreatic cancer development both in vitro and in vivo. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate endogenous miR-127 expression in in vitro pancreatic cancer cell lines and in vivo clinical samples of pancreatic carcinoma. Lentiviral technology was applied to overexpress miR-127 in capan-1 and PANC-1 cells. Pancreatic cancer proliferation, cell-cycle progression, and invasion were assessed in vitro, and capan-1-derived tumorigenicity was evaluated in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and qRT-PCR were performed to assess the downstream target gene of miR-127 in pancreatic cancer, human Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5). BAG5 was subsequently upregulated in miR-127-overexpressed capan-1 and PANC-1 cells to evaluate its effect on pancreatic cancer progression. MiR-127 was preferentially downregulated in both pancreatic carcinoma cell lines and human pancreatic tumors. In lentivirus-infected capan-1 and PANC-1 cells, miR-127 overexpression significantly inhibited cancer progression, cell-cycle transition and invasion in vitro, as well as tumorigenicity in vivo. Human BAG5 was confirmed to be the downstream target of miR-127 in pancreatic cancer. Forced overexpression of BAG5 in capan-1 and PANC-1 cells reversed the tumor-suppressing effect of miR-127 on cancer development. MiR-127 is downregulated and acting as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic carcinoma. The functional regulation of miR-127 in pancreatic carcinoma is very likely through the inverse correlation of its downstream target gene of BAG5.

Improved setup and positioning accuracy using a three-point customized cushion/mask/bite-block immobilization system for stereotactic reirradiation of head and neck cancer.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the setup and positioning uncertainty of a custom cushion/mask/bite-block (CMB) immobilization system and determine PTV margin for image-guided head and neck stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (HN-SABR). We analyzed 105 treatment sessions among 21 patients treated with HN-SABR for recurrent head and neck cancers using a custom CMB immobilization system. Initial patient setup was performed using the ExacTrac infrared (IR) tracking system and initial setup errors were based on comparison of ExacTrac IR tracking system to corrected online ExacTrac X-rays images registered to treatment plans. Residual setup errors were determined using repeat verification X-ray. The online ExacTrac corrections were compared to cone-beam CT (CBCT) before treatment to assess agreement. Intrafractional positioning errors were determined using prebeam X-rays. The systematic and random errors were analyzed. The initial translational setup errors were -0.8 ± 1.3 mm, -0.8 ± 1.6 mm, and 0.3 ± 1.9 mm in AP, CC, and LR directions, respectively, with a three-dimensional (3D) vector of 2.7 ± 1.4 mm. The initial rotational errors were up to 2.4° if 6D couch is not available. CBCT agreed with ExacTrac X-ray images to within 2 mm and 2.5°. The intrafractional uncertainties were 0.1 ± 0.6 mm, 0.1 ± 0.6 mm, and 0.2 ± 0.5 mm in AP, CC, and LR directions, respectively, and 0.0° ± 0.5°, 0.0° ± 0.6°, and -0.1° ± 0.4° in yaw, roll, and pitch direction, respectively. The translational vector was 0.9 ± 0.6 mm. The calculated PTV margins mPTV(90,95) were within 1.6 mm when using image guidance for online setup correction. The use of image guidance for online setup correction, in combination with our customized CMB device, highly restricted target motion during treatments and provided robust immobilization to ensure minimum dose of 95% to target volume with 2.0 mm PTV margin for HN-SABR.

Medium-scale carbon nanotube thin-film integrated circuits on flexible plastic substrates.

The ability to form integrated circuits on flexible sheets of plastic enables attributes (for example conformal and flexible formats and lightweight and shock resistant construction) in electronic devices that are difficult or impossible to achieve with technologies that use semiconductor wafers or glass plates as substrates. Organic small-molecule and polymer-based materials represent the most widely explored types of semiconductors for such flexible circuitry. Although these materials and those that use films or nanostructures of inorganics have promise for certain applications, existing demonstrations of them in circuits on plastic indicate modest performance characteristics that might restrict the application possibilities. Here we report implementations of a comparatively high-performance carbon-based semiconductor consisting of sub-monolayer, random networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes to yield small- to medium-scale integrated digital circuits, composed of up to nearly 100 transistors on plastic substrates. Transistors in these integrated circuits have excellent properties: mobilities as high as 80 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), subthreshold slopes as low as 140 m V dec(-1), operating voltages less than 5 V together with deterministic control over the threshold voltages, on/off ratios as high as 10(5), switching speeds in the kilohertz range even for coarse (approximately 100-microm) device geometries, and good mechanical flexibility-all with levels of uniformity and reproducibility that enable high-yield fabrication of integrated circuits. Theoretical calculations, in contexts ranging from heterogeneous percolative transport through the networks to compact models for the transistors to circuit level simulations, provide quantitative and predictive understanding of these systems. Taken together, these results suggest that sub-monolayer films of single-walled carbon nanotubes are attractive materials for flexible integrated circuits, with many potential areas of application in consumer and other areas of electronics.

[Expression of myeloid-related protein complex in association with circulating endothelial cells in children with acute Kawasaki disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of myeloid-related protein complex (MRP-8/14) in children with acute Kawasaki Disease (KD). METHODS: A total of 41 children with acute KD and 40 age- and sex-matched control children with upper respiratory tract infection were recruited. Serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 complex were measured by ELISA, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) abundance of MRP-8 and MRP-14 in circulating granulocytes and monocytes was determined by RT-PCR, and the number of circulating endothelial cells was determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: When the analysis was stratified according to the presence or absence of coronary artery ectasia in the KD patient group, serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 complex, MRP-8 and MRP-14 mRNA abundance in granulocytes, and the number of circulating endothelial cells were all significantly higher in KD patients with coronary artery ectasia than in KD patients without coronary artery ectasia (P<0.05). Serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 complex were positively correlated with the number of endothelial cells in the circulation (r=0.69, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of MRP-8/MRP-14 complex are elevated in a positive association with the number of circulating endothelial cells in KD children with coronary artery ectasia, suggesting a causative role in the development of coronary artery lesions.