Application of data mining techniques to explore predictors of upper urinary tract damage in patients with neurogenic bladder.

This study proposed a decision tree model to screen upper urinary tract damage (UUTD) for patients with neurogenic bladder (NGB). Thirty-four NGB patients with UUTD were recruited in the case group, while 78 without UUTD were included in the control group. A decision tree method, classification and regression tree (CART), was then applied to develop the model in which UUTD was used as a dependent variable and history of urinary tract infections, bladder management, conservative treatment, and urodynamic findings were used as independent variables. The urethra function factor was found to be the primary screening information of patients and treated as the root node of the tree; Pabd max (maximum abdominal pressure, >14 cmH2O), Pves max (maximum intravesical pressure, ≤89 cmH2O), and gender (female) were also variables associated with UUTD. The accuracy of the proposed model was 84.8%, and the area under curve was 0.901 (95%CI=0.844-0.958), suggesting that the decision tree model might provide a new and convenient way to screen UUTD for NGB patients in both undeveloped and developing areas.

Application of data mining techniques to explore predictors of upper urinary tract damage in patients with neurogenic bladder

This study proposed a decision tree model to screen upper urinary tract damage (UUTD) for patients with neurogenic bladder (NGB). Thirty-four NGB patients with UUTD were recruited in the case group, while 78 without UUTD were included in the control group. A decision tree method, classification and regression tree (CART), was then applied to develop the model in which UUTD was used as a dependent variable and history of urinary tract infections, bladder management, conservative treatment, and urodynamic findings were used as independent variables. The urethra function factor was found to be the primary screening information of patients and treated as the root node of the tree; Pabd max (maximum abdominal pressure, >14 cmH2O), Pves max (maximum intravesical pressure, ≤89 cmH2O), and gender (female) were also variables associated with UUTD. The accuracy of the proposed model was 84.8%, and the area under curve was 0.901 (95%CI=0.844-0.958), suggesting that the decision tree model might provide a new and convenient way to screen UUTD for NGB patients in both undeveloped and developing areas.

Lack of association between the hOGG1 gene Ser326Cys polymorphism and gastric cancer risk: evidence from a case-control study and a meta-analysis.

The association between the human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) gene Ser326Cys polymorphism (rs1052133) and gastric cancer has been widely evaluated, yet a definitive answer to whether this association exists is lacking. We first conducted a case-control study to assess this association in a large Han Chinese population, and then performed a meta-analysis to further address this issue. This case-control study involved 448 patients clinically diagnosed with gastric cancer and 372 cancer-free control individuals from China. Genotyping was conducted using the polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction method. Meta-analysis was performed by the STATA software. Data and study quality were assessed in duplicate. Our case-control association study indicated that there were no significant differences in the genotype and allele distributions of the Ser326Cys polymorphism between gastric cancer patients and controls (P = 0.8026 for genotype, and P = 0.5857 for allele), consistent with the results of the subsequent meta-analysis involving 2745 patients and 4588 controls under both allelic [odds ratio (OR) = 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.91-1.14; P = 0.739] and dominant (OR = 0.97; 95%CI = 0.78-1.21; P = 0.803) models. Further subgroup analyses by ethnicity, source of controls, and sample size also did not detect any positive associations in this meta-analysis. Overall, our study in the Han Chinese population, along with the meta-analysis, failed to confirm the association of the hOGG1 gene Ser326Cys polymorphism with gastric cancer risk, even across different ethnic populations.

Characteristics of immune cell changes before and after immunotherapy and their clinical significance in patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion.

To investigate the characteristics of immune cells before and after immunotherapy and their clinical significance in patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA), an analysis of 67 URSA patients, 67 sporadic spontaneous abortion (SA) patients, and 22 normal nonpregnant women (as controls) was conducted. URSA patients underwent immunotherapy using paternal lymphocytes. Peripheral blood from patients and controls was examined for lymphocytes and other markers of immune status. Before the immunotherapy, lymphocyte counts, CD4:CD8 cell ratios, and the relative proportion of natural killer (NK) cells were significantly higher in the URSA patient group than in the SA patient and control groups (P < 0.05). After the therapy, all of these three measures were decreased, whereas the percentage of T cells was increased, and statistically significant differences before and after the immunotherapy were detected (P < 0.05). Therefore, the immune system appears to be activated in the URSA patients, and the abnormal immunologic state in the URSA patients is more severe than in the SA patients. The alterations in T and NK cells may be involved in the etiopathogenesis of URSA. Lymphocyte immunotherapy appears to be an effective treatment for URSA patients.

Fetal fibronectin detection for preterm birth prediction.

To study preterm birth prediction based on fetal fibronectin (fFN) in pregnant women, we randomly selected 124 patients. Vaginal posterior fornix secretions were analyzed using fFN quick test strips. Leucorrhea routine samples were collected to detect bacterial vaginosis, mycoplasma, and chlamydia. Delivery data at 7 days, 14 days, 34 weeks, and 37 weeks were documented and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were analyzed. Of the 124 cases, we found 2, 4, 10, and 18 cases of maternity within 7 days, 14 days, 34 weeks, and 37 weeks, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were as follows: 100, 77.8, 6.9, and 100% for 7 days; 75, 78.3, 10.3, and 98.9% for 14 days; 50.0, 78.9, 17.2, and 94.7% for 34 weeks; 33.3, 78.3, 20.7, and 87.4% for 37 weeks, respectively. Except for 18 preterm births, 23 cases were fFN-positive, 17 cases had lower genital tract infection. Eighty-three cases were fFN-negative, of which 18 cases had the lower genital tract infections. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Eighteen cases (14.5% of the pregnant women) had preterm birth. Ten cases delivered within 34 weeks. The negative predictive value and recent predictive value of fFN testing were higher; the positive predictive value was limited due to the impact of lower genital tract infection. The fFN-positive patients need timely clinical processing. During the pregnancy, monitoring of fFN changes and early detection of abnormalities help to reduce perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Comparison of tumor neovasculature-targeted paramagnetic nanoliposomes for MRI in mice xenograft models.

INTRODUCTION: Neovasculature imaging is a promising approach for tumor diagnosis. We constructed tumor neovasculature targeted paramagnetic nanoliposomes with RGD10, F56, and K237 peptides, which can bind to Integrin αvß3 and VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, respectively, and compared their potential value as MRI contrast agents for detecting small tumors in animal models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peptide-Ahx-palmitic acid conjugate was synthesized using Fmoc solid-phase synthesis chemistry. Targeted paramagnetic nanoliposomes were prepared by the thin film dispersion-sonication method. The tumor signal enhancements of liposome particles were evaluated by MRI in a xenograft mice model. RESULTS: The apparent affinity constants of RGD10, K237, and F56 peptides binding to their cell receptors were 9.15 × 10(7), 6.01 × 10(7), and 3.85 × 10(7) mol/L, respectively. RGD10 and K237 targeted paramagnetic nanoliposomes have shown much greater tumor-specific MRI signal enhancement in xenograft of the nude mice compared to F56 targeted paramagnetic nanoliposome. Tumor signal enhancement rate (SER %) increased 2.21 ± 0.09 and 1.82 ± 0.05 fold, respectively, for RGD10 and K237 compared to non-targeted control in T1 weighted MR image. CONCLUSION: RGD10 and K237 targeted paramagnetic nanoliposomes can be developed as potential tumor-specific MRI contrast agents and are helpful for tumor detection.

Lack of association between Cyclin D1 gene G870A polymorphism and esophageal cancer: evidence from a meta-analysis.

The association between the Cyclin D1 gene (CCND1) G870A polymorphism and esophageal cancer has been widely evaluated, with conflicting results. As meta-analysis is a reliable approach to resolving discrepancies, we aimed to evaluate this association. Data were available from 9 study populations incorporating 1898 cases and 3046 controls. Overall, the allelic/genotypic association between the G870A polymorphism and esophageal cancer was nonsignificant [for allele: odds ratio (OR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.94-1.38, P = 0.184; for genotype homozygous comparison: OR = 1.36, 95%CI = 0.90-2.06, P = 0.140; for dominant model: OR = 1.24, 95%CI = 0.88-1.75, P = 0.222; for recessive model: OR = 1.13, 95%CI = 0.90-1.43, P = 0.292]. Moreover, subgroup analyses according to study designs, geographic areas, types of esophageal cancer, genotyping methods, and ethnicities failed to demonstrate a significant association between this polymorphism and esophageal cancer. In addition, there was significant publication bias as reflected by funnel plots and the Egger test (P = 0.042). Taken together, our results suggest that the CCND1 G870A polymorphism might not be a potential candidate for predicting esophageal cancer risk.

Expression of p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) and C-myb in gallbladder adenocarcinoma and their pathological significance.

PURPOSE: An increasing number of studies have shown that PUMA and C-myb signaling pathways are involved in various human cancers including colon carcinomas. However, few studies have examined gallbladder cancer specimens, and little is known about the clinical and pathological significance signaling changes may have in gallbladder adenocarcinoma. This study has investigated the expression of PUMA and C-myb in benign and malignant lesions of gallbladder and its pathological significance. METHODS: Tissue specimens from 108 gallbladder adenocarcinoma patients, 46 adjacent tissues, 15 cases of adenomatous polyps, and 35 surgical specimens from chronic cholecystitis patients were routinely paraffin embedded and sectioned. PUMA and C-myb expressions were detected with EnVision immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Positive rates of PUMA and C-myb are significantly higher in gallbladder adenocarcinoma tissues than that in the other three (P < 0.01). Gallbladder epithelial cells in PUMA and/or C-myb positive benign cases manifest moderate to severe atypical dysplasia. Positive rates of PUMA and C-myb in well-differentiated tumors with maximum diameter of <2 cm and with no lymph node metastasis and invasion of the surrounding tissues are significantly lower than that in those poorly differentiated cases with maximum diameter of ≥ 2 cm, lymph node metastasis, and invasion of the surrounding tissues (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The postoperative survival of patients whose tumor specimens are positive for PUMA and C-myb is significantly shorter than that of those who are negative for both markers (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results have demonstrated that PUMA and C-myb positive gallbladder tumors progress rapidly, are prone to metastasis, possess strong invasive ability, and have poor prognosis.

Vacancy interaction with dislocations in silicon: the shuffle-glide competition

Competition between the two alternative positions (shuffle and glide 111 plane subsets) for the core of a 30 degrees partial dislocation in Si is examined. Using a combination of ab initio total energy calculations with finite temperature free-energy calculations based on an interatomic potential, we obtained free energies for the relevant vacancy-type core defects. Generally, the free energy of vacancy formation in the core of a 30 degrees glide partial dislocation is considerably lower (by more than 1 eV) than in the bulk. However, even at high temperatures, the predicted thermal concentration of the shuffle segments comprised of a row of vacancies in the core is low, placing the 30 degrees partial dislocation in the glide subset position.