Abstract Aims To correlate the pre-treatment plasma Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA with tumour burden and to explore the prognostic implications of pre- and post-treatment plasma EBV DNA load in ...nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy. Materials and methods Plasma EBV DNA load was measured using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay in 69 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma before and after radiation treatment and correlated with tumour volume and treatment outcome. Tumour volume was calculated by multiplying the sum of the areas of gross extent of the primary tumour and regional lymph nodes shown by computed tomography images and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Prognostic models for distant metastasis and overall survival were constructed using a multivariable fractional polynomial algorithm. Results The pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA concentration was significantly associated with tumour volume (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.61; P < 0.001). The multivariable fractional polynomial algorithm selected post-treatment EBV DNA and administration of chemotherapy as prognostic factors for distant metastasis ( P < 0.001, P = 0.021, respectively), as well as for overall survival ( P < 0.001, P = 0.018, respectively). Conclusions Pre- and post-treatment plasma EBV DNA load have important clinical significance. Pre-treatment plasma EBV DNA concentration reflects tumour burden, whereas clearance of circulating plasma EBV DNA after treatment predicts the risk of distant metastasis and overall survival.
Distinction of species within the Candida glabrata complex (i.e., C. glabrata sensu stricto, Candida nivariensis and Candida bracarensis) is relevant for epidemiological purposes and antifungal ...management.
Two commercial matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry systems were comprehensively evaluated for the identification of fungi within this complex.
None of the species (C. nivariensis and C. bracarensis) were identified correctly by Vitek mass spectrometry (MS
) v2.0 In Vitro Diagnosis system and Bruker Biotyper MS
v3.1, but all were correct by the Vitek MS
Research Use Only system. The Bruker ClinProTools software showed 100% recognition capability and cross validation for the discrimination of C. nivariensis and C. bracarensis.
Using Vitek MS Research Use Only and Bruker ClinProTools can overcome limitations of the Vitek MS In Vitro Diagnosis and Bruker Biotyper databases in the identification of C. glabrata complex.
There is paucity of studies to investigate the association between combined and long-term exposure to air pollution and the risk of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in older adults.
A ...prospective cohort of 90,032 older adults who did not have CKD at baseline were followed up from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019. Various pollutant data, including particulate matter with diameters ≤ 2.5 mm (PM
), ≤ 10 mm (PM
), nitrogen dioxide (NO
), sulfur dioxide (SO
), Ozone (O
), and carbon monoxide (CO), from all monitoring stations in Binhai New Area, Tianjin were considered in calculating the mean exposure concentration of each pollutant over 2 years. By summing each pollutant concentration weighted by the regression coefficients, we developed an air pollution score that assesses the combined exposure of these air pollutants. Due to the strong correlation between air pollutants, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) score was also developed. The association between air pollutants and incident CKD in the elderly was analyzed.
A total of 90,032 subjects participated in this study with a median follow-up of 545 days. Among them, 22,336 (24.8%) developed CKD. The HR (95% CI) for air pollution score and incidence of CKD was 1.062 (1.060-1.063) and
<0.001 after adjusting for all confounders. The adjusted HRs for the quartile subgroups of combined air pollution score were: Q2: 1.064 (1.013-1.117); Q3: 1.141 (1.088-1.198); and Q4: 3.623 (3.482-3.770), respectively (
for trend <0.001). The adjusted HRs for the quartile subgroups of air quality index (AQI) were: Q2: 1.035 (0.985-1.086); Q3: 1.145 (1.091-1.201); and Q4: 3.603 (3.463-3.748), respectively (
for trend <0.001). When the risk score was over 86.9, it significantly rose in a steep curve. The subgroup analysis showed that male, younger or exercise were more likely to develop CKD.
Combined air pollution score, AQI, and PCA score were associated with an increased risk of CKD in an exposure-response relationship. Our current results might also provide evidence for developing environmental protection policies.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Clinical Nursing Information System (CNIS) in Taiwan regional hospital. In 2016, a total of 333 nurses responded to the Technology Acceptance Model-based ...questionnaire after 15 months of CNIS implementation. The results showed positive acceptance toward CNI, especially among those nurses who were younger, those who worked as administrative managers or in non-critical care units, and had advanced computer skills.
Purpose
The purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between Aurora-B, FOXM1, and clinical outcomes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who were treated with a combination ...of induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Patients and methods
The expression of Aurora-B and FOXM1 were investigated by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray (TMA) containing samples from 166 NPC patients who were treated with cisplatin (DDP) + fluorouracil (5-FU) induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy between 1999 and 2005. The relationship of Aurora-B, FOXM1, and survival of these NPC patients was analyzed.
Results
Informative TMA results were obtained in 91 tumor cases for Aurora-B and 93 tumor cases for FOXM1. The 8-year failure-free survival rate (FFS) for the Aurora-B-negative and Aurora-B-positive group was 65.6 and 37.3 %, respectively (
p
= 0.024), and the 8-year distant FFS (D-FFS) rate was 65.6 and 41.5 %, respectively (
p
= 0.047). The 8-year overall survival (OS) in the FOXM1-negative group was moderately higher than in the FOXM1-positive group (58.4 vs 39.1 %,
p
= 0.081). Cox regression analysis revealed that for FFS, Aurora-B expression was a significant prognostic factor (
p
= 0.025), while for D-FFS, Aurora-B expression was a marginally significant prognostic factor (
p
= 0.056). When FOXM1 expression was analyzed, the Cox regression analyses showed that FOXM1 expression was a marginally significant prognostic factor (
p
= 0.056) for OS. Correlation analysis showed that Aurora-B and FOXM1 expression had no significant correlation.
Conclusion
Aurora-B and FOXM1 were both adverse prognostic markers for NPC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. However, the two markers had no significant correlation.
碩士
慈濟大學
生命科學系碩士班
104
Land use type can have big impact on soil microbiota and their ecological
services. In this study we compared bacterial and archaeal compositions in soils
collected from organic ...farmland, chemical (traditional) farmland and reforested land.
The 16S rDNA-DGGE analysis showed that land use types clearly affect the soil
bacterial and archaeal compositions. Temporal and spatial variations were more
apparent in chemical farmland. From the bacterial 16S rDNA library analysis, found
that Acidobacteria and Planctomycetes decteased, but Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi
increased along the reforested land-organic farmland-chemical farmland gradient,
presumably correlated with human disturbance.
We further analyzed the archaeal composition using 16S rDNA NGS analysis.
Sequences from these soils were predominantly Thaumarchaeota, despite the land use
types. Soil Crenarchaeotic Group (SCG) dominated the organic farmland (62% of
total sequences). Both chemical farmland (69%) and reforested land (42%) wer
Abstract
In this perspective, we outline that a space borne gravitational wave detector network combining LISA and Taiji can be used to measure the Hubble constant with an uncertainty less than 0.5% ...in ten years, compared with the network of the ground based gravitational wave detectors which can measure the Hubble constant within a 2% uncertainty in the next five years by the standard siren method. Taiji is a Chinese space borne gravitational wave detection mission planned for launch in the early 2030 s. The pilot satellite mission Taiji-1 has been launched in August 2019 to verify the feasibility of Taiji. The results of a few technologies tested on Taiji-1 are presented in this paper.
Background Human epidermal growth factor 2 （HER2） is one of the most important prediction factors, but only 25%-30% of breast cancer patients HER2 are positive. It is unknown whether there are other ...molecular markers that could be used to predict prognosis and recurrence in HER2 negative patients.This study investigated correlations of cyclin A2 and HER2 levels with clinical outcomes in 281 patients with invasive breast cancer in order to identify whether cyclin A2 can serve as a prognostic factor in HER2 negative patients. Methods Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect cyclin A2 and HER2 expression in 281 patients. Cyclin A2 and HER2 gene amplifications were analyzed using gene analysis and RT-PCR in 12 patients. Risk and survival estimates were analyzed using Log-rank, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression analysis; cyclin A2 and HER2 consistency with survival were analyzed using Kappa analysis. Results Patients with higher cyclin A2 and HER2 expressions had significantly shorter disease-free survival periods （P=0.047 and P=-0.05, respectively）. Kappa analysis performed that cyclin A2 and HER2 showed a low Kappa index （kappa=0.37）, allowing us to conclude that cyclin A2 and HER2 detect different pathologies. Gene analysis and RT-PCR showed that cyclin A2 was upregulated in patients with early relapse; the average increase was 3.69-2.74 fold. Conclusions Cyclin A2 and HER2 are associated with proliferation and high recurrence, particularly when combined. Cyclin A2 is easily detected by nuclear staining and might be a useful biomarker for recurrence risk in HER2 negative patients.
Social technologies have revolutionized global connectivity, enabling instant sharing of information and virtual experiences of real-time events. In the context of natural disasters, including ...pandemics like COVID-19, these technologies can facilitate the dissemination of crucial localized information via social connectivity, enhancing awareness and preventive behavior even in areas not immediately threatened by the disaster or virus. Our paper investigates the relationship between socially perceived threats, shaped by social technologies and shared information on social media, and individuals’ preventive behavior, while controlling for immediate virus threats in local and neighboring areas. In Study 1, we establish that socially perceived threats, measured by the volume of COVID-19-related tweets in socially connected areas, positively correlate with preventive behavior after accounting for immediate virus threats. Study 2 delves into this phenomenon, revealing a notable association between COVID-19-related communication, particularly tweets regarding self-infection or severe symptoms, and increased preventive behavior. Intriguingly, subjective expressions of this social information are found to correlate with a heightened socially perceived threat, further promoting preventive behavior. Our paper contributes to the emerging field of operations management and information systems by highlighting the pivotal role of social technologies in shaping public perception and response during disaster early stages. We achieve this through the integration of diverse datasets, advancing our understanding of societal resilience and sustainability in the face of catastrophic events.
To explore anti-tumor active components of Chimonanthus salicifolius, the phytochemistry of the chloroform fraction from leaves extract was investigated by repeated silica gel column chromatography. ...Twelve compounds were isolated and their structures were identified by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data analysis as 9-epi-blumenol C(1), blumenol C(2), (+)-dehydrovomifoliol (3), (+)-vomifoliol (4), robinlin (5), (-)-loliolide (6), isofraxidin (7), scopoletin (8), 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin (9), 6, 7, 8-trimethoxycoumarin (10), beta-sitostenone (11), and beta-stigmasterol(12). Compounds 1-6 belonging to nor-sesquiterpenoids were isolated from the family Calycanthaceae for the first time. Compound 1 was a new natural product. Compounds 7, 11 and 12 were obtained from this plant for the first time.
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