Gastric cancer is a common tumor type associated with nutritional and immune status. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prognostic value of a preoperative prognostic nutritional ...index (PNI), composed of nutritional factors and immune factors in elderly patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery.
A total of 454 patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery were divided into two groups based on preoperative PNI scores: ≤45.1 (
= 307) and >45.1 (
= 147). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log rank tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent prognostic factors using a Cox proportional hazards model.
According to the X-tile program, the optimal cutoff value for predicting overall survival (OS) with the PNI was 45.1. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that PNI exhibited 70.6% sensitivity and 56.5% specificity for predicting death during long-term follow-up. The cumulative incidence of postoperative 4-year mortality indicated that the risk of death increased significantly for PNI ≤45.1. In multivariate analysis, preoperative PNI was a significant independent predictor of mortality. In the age-stratified subgroup analysis, preoperative PNI was more sensitive for the old elderly subgroup than for the young elderly subgroup.
Preoperative PNI is a sensitive and specific prognostic predictor among elderly patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery.
Binary asymmetric-phase-only correlation (BA-POC) is investigated in this letter, and for the first time is applied into the area of ranging to help identify the line-of-sight (LOS) signal in ...multipath-abundant environments. Measurements made based on the 2.45-GHz wireless signal indicate that BA-POC has superior performance in mitigating multipath signals when compared with the conventional correlation method, and thus is able to increase the ranging accuracy.
Semaphorin molecules serve as axon guidance signals that regulate the navigation of neuronal growth cones. Semaphorins have also been implicated in other biological processes, including the immune ...response. Plexins, acting either alone or in complex with neuropilins, have recently been identified as functional semaphorin receptors. However, the mechanisms of signal transduction by plexins remain largely unknown. We have demonstrated a direct interaction between plexin-B1 and activated Rac. Rac specifically interacts with the cytosolic domain of plexin-B1, but not with that of plexin-A3 or -C1. Neither RhoA nor Cdc42 interacts with plexin-B1, indicating that the Rac/plexin-B1 interaction is highly specific. The binding of GTP and the integrity of the Rac effector domain are required for the interaction with plexin-B1. Furthermore, we have identified that a Cdc42/Rac interactive binding (CRIB) motif in the cytosolic domain of plexin-B1 is essential for its interaction with active Rac. We have also observed that the semaphorin CD100, a ligand for plexin-B1, stimulates the interaction between plexin-B1 and active Rac. Our results support a model by which activated Rac plays a role in mediating semaphorin signals, resulting in reorganization of actin cytoskeletal structure.
We have shown previously that cell adhesion or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) promotes the in vivo association of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) with phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase. In vitro ...experiments indicated that this interaction was mediated by the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase and dependent on the tyrosine
phosphorylation of FAK. Here we report data suggesting that the major autophosphorylation site of FAK (Tyr-397) is the binding
site for the SH2 domains of p85 in vitro and is also required for the association of FAK with PI 3-kinase in vivo . We also show that Tyr-397 is responsible for the increased FAK:PI 3-kinase association upon PDGF stimulation, implying that
no additional site of FAK was involved in its binding to PI 3-kinase after PDGF stimulation. Finally, we present evidence
that the interaction of PI 3-kinase with Tyr-397 of FAK stimulates its activity. Together, these results suggest that FAK
activation and autophosphorylation at Tyr-397 may lead to its association with PI 3-kinase through the SH2 domains of p85,
which can subsequently activate PI 3-kinase during cell adhesion.
It is predicted that crystalline silicon passivated emitter and rear contact (c-Si PERC) solar cells will reach 70% global market share with the cell thickness decreased to 150 μm within next 7 ...years. It is of critical importance to address efficiency loss in order to deliver high cost-effective thinned Si cells. Herein, we not only address the efficiency loss but also acquire an extra gain for 150 μm-thick cells via optical and electrical designs. By rear design of SiNx/SiOx film, light absorption loss at longer wavelengths is made up. Via front design of SiO2/SiNx/SiOx film, light absorption at short wavelengths is enhanced and simultaneously, open circuit voltage (Voc) is considerably improved. Compared with standard 180 μm-thick cells, the present design experimentally lead to average short circuit current density (Jsc) increase by 0.2 mA/cm2 and average Voc improvement by 9 mV. Compared with standard thick cells and un-designed 150 μm-thick cells, net absolute efficiency gains are up to 0.4% from 22.0% to 22.4% and 0.6% from 21.8% to 22.4%, respectively. Device simulations are conducted to explain the experimentally observed improvements. The present study demonstrates a technical solution to address the efficiency loss in the thinned c-Si PERC cells.
•Thinning of silicon passivated emitter and rear contact solar cells is a trend.•Key factors for efficiency loss in the thinned silicon cells are identified.•Optical and electrical designs are conducted to find out a solution.•The present designs and solution can be validated by the experiments.•Device simulations are further used to explain experimental results.
Wilms' tumor is associated with mutations of WT1, a zinc-finger transcription factor that is essential for the development of the metanephric kidney and the urogenital system. High levels of WT1 ...expression also have been detected in myeloid leukemia cells, suggesting that WT1 may be important in other neoplasms as well. To seek a role of high level expression of WT1 in the differential arrest characteristic of myeloid leukemia, WT1 or its zinc-finger domain alone was stably expressed in human promyeloid leukemia (HL-60) cells and the ability of 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) to induce macrophage differentiation was examined. HL-60 cell differentiation was completely arrested in TPA treated cells that expressed WT1 or its zinc-finger domain alone whereas TPA fully induced macrophage differentiation in control HL-60 cells, indicating that high level expression of WT1 is capable of differentiation arrest of myeloid cells and that its effect may be mediated through its zinc-finger domain. To determine if the zinc-finger domain of WT1 directly influences transcription, it was brought to promoter DNA as a fusion protein with the Gal4 DNA binding domain. The fusion protein failed to regulate transcription of a reporter gene but when the zinc-finger domain of WT1 was brought to DNA with a promoter containing two upstream WT1-binding sites, reporter gene expression was activated approximately threefold, suggesting that WT1 interferes with myeloid differentiation through the ability of its zinc-finger domain to compete with other transcription factors for common promoter elements.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and have been shown to be critical regulators to the fine-tuning of epithelial immune responses. However, the role of miRNAs in ...bovine responses to E. coli and S. aureus, two mastitis causing pathogens, is not well understood.
The global expression of miRNAs in bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T cells) challenged with and without heat-inactivated Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) or Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hr was profiled using RNA-Seq. A total of 231 known bovine miRNAs were identified with more than 10 counts per million in at least one of 13 libraries and 5 miRNAs including bta-miR-21-5p, miR-27b, miR-22-3p, miR-184 and let-7f represented more than 50% of the abundance. One hundred and thirteen novel miRNAs were also identified and more than one third of them belong to the bta-miR-2284 family. Seventeen miRNAs were significantly (P < 0.05) differentially regulated by the presence of pathogens. E. coli initiated an earlier regulation of miRNAs (6 miRNAs differentially regulated within the first 6 hrs post challenge as compared to 1 miRNA for S. aureus) while S. aureus presented a delayed response. Five differentially expressed miRNAs (bta-miR-184, miR-24-3p, miR-148, miR-486 and let-7a-5p) were unique to E. coli while four (bta-miR-2339, miR-499, miR-23a and miR-99b) were unique to S. aureus. In addition, our study revealed a temporal differential regulation of five miRNAs (bta-miR-193a-3p, miR-423-5p, miR-30b-5p, miR-29c and miR-un116) in unchallenged cells. Target gene predictions of pathogen differentially expressed miRNAs indicate a significant enrichment in gene ontology functional categories in development/cellular processes, biological regulation as well as cell growth and death. Furthermore, target genes were significantly enriched in several KEGG pathways including immune system, signal transduction, cellular process, nervous system, development and human diseases.
Using next-generation sequencing, our study identified a pathogen directed differential regulation of miRNAs in MAC-T cells with roles in immunity and development. Our study provides a further confirmation of the involvement of mammary epithelia cells in contributing to the immune response to infecting pathogens and suggests the potential of miRNAs to serve as biomarkers for diagnosis and development of control measures.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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