Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to certain metals causes carcinogenesis. The mechanisms of metal-induced carcinogenesis have been pursued in chemical, biochemical, cellular, and ...animal models. Significant evidence has accumulated that oxidative stress may be a common pathway in cellular responses to exposure to different metals. For example, in the last few years evidence in support of a correlation between the generation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, tumor promotion, and arsenic exposure has strengthened. This article summarizes the current literature on metal-mediated oxidative stress, apoptosis, and their relation to metal-mediated carcinogenesis, concentrating on arsenic and chromium.
The study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of low-dose chemotherapy combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) as an induction therapy for Philadelphia-chromosomal-positive acute ...lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph(+) ALL) .
The data of the consecutive newly diagnosed patients with Ph(+) ALL were reviewed. The efficacy and safety of low-dose chemotherapy and conventional-dose chemotherapy combined with TKI were compared.
A total of 217 patients with a median age of 38 (10-69) years old were included in this study. 78 patients were in the low-dose chemotherapy group, and 139 patients were in the conventional-dose chemotherapy group. There were no significant differences in the 4-week complete remission (CR) rate (98.7%
97.0%,
=0.766) and overall CR rate (100%
100%,
=1.000) between the two groups. Multivariate analyses showed that the chemotherapy intensity was not related to the disease-free survival rate and overall survival rate. However, the lower incidence of infection (
=0.017) , the shorter duration of
Controversial data on the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs3787016G>A and rs10773338G>A) in long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) with prostate cancer risk were emerged. Considering ...possible genetic differences among populations, we conducted the present study to clarify these discrepancies and re-validate these results in an eastern Chinese population and thus provide clues for new therapeutic targets of prostate cancer.
Genotypes of these two SNPs from 1015 ethnic Han Chinese patients with prostate cancer and 1032 cancer-free controls were determined by Taqman assays. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk associations.
The association of rs3787016 A variant genotypes with a significantly higher prostate cancer risk were found (adjusted OR = 1.418, 95% CI = 1.090-1.844 for AA vs GG). Stratification analysis indicated that the risk of rs3787016 variant AG/AA genotypes was more evident in younger subjects, ever smoking, patients with Gleason score ⩾ 7(4+3) and highly aggressive status. All these risks were not present for rs10773338G>A.
These findings suggested that lncRNA SNPs may contribute to prostate cancer risk in an eastern Chinese population. Larger and well-designed studies with different ethnic populations are warranted to validate our findings.
Effect of the tumor suppression gene p16 on the biological characteristics of HeLa cervical carcinoma cells was explored. The expression of p16 protein was increased in HeLa tumor sphere cells, and ...no significant difference in tumor spheres from the first to the fourth passages. Compared with those of parental HeLa cells, the proportion of CD44+/CD24- and ABCG2+ cells increased significantly in tumor spheres. However after the cells were silenced by the p16-sh289 vector, expression of P16 protein and the cell number of CD44+/CD24- and ABCG2+ decreased. Moreover, HeLa cells with p16 gene silencing showed decreased abilities of sphere formation and matrigel invasion. More HeLa cells with p16 gene silence were needed for tumor formation in nude mice. Tumor size and weight in mouse model established with p16 gene silenced HeLa cells were less than those with HeLa parental cell model. The present results indicate that silencing of the p16 gene inhibits expression of cancer stem cell markers and tumorigenic ability of HeLa cells.
Background
This retrospective study investigated the effect of nicotine dependence on required postoperative opioid administration in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
Methods
The subjects ...consisted of 215 male patients (112 nonsmokers, 103 smokers) who underwent thoracic surgery and received postoperative patient‐controlled intravenous analgesia. Evaluations of nicotine dependence were based on results of Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) questionnaires. Smokers were categorized as low‐nicotine dependent (LD) (n = 58) or highly‐nicotine dependent (HD, n = 45) with FTND scores < 6 or ≥ 6, respectively. Pain intensity was assessed every 2 h after surgery, using the numerical rating scale (NRS). The cumulative amount of self‐administered sufentanil at 24 and 48 h after surgery was recorded.
Results
There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics among the nonsmoker (NS), LD, and HD groups. The NRS scores and total amount of self‐administered sufentanil were significantly higher in the HD and LD groups compared with the NS group, and were significantly higher in the HD group than in the LD group. The FTND scores positively correlated with the cumulative quantity of sufentanil. Postoperative complications such as nausea and vomiting, sedation, and respiratory depression did not significantly differ among the groups.
Conclusions
Smokers had more severe postoperative pain and required a higher quantity of postoperative opioid than nonsmokers. With increasing nicotine dependence, postoperative pain severity and postoperative opioid requirement increased.
Abstract
The nuclear E2 resonance effect occurs when an atomic de-excitation energy is closely matched by a nuclear excitation energy. It produces an attenuation of some of the atomic X-ray lines in ...the resonant isotope target. Investigating the nuclear E2 resonance effect in kaonic atoms, important information about kaon-nucleus strong interaction can be provided. The only
K
−
−
42
98
Mo
nuclear resonance effect was measured by G. L. Goldfrey, G- K. Lum and C. E. Wiegand at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, in 1975. The nuclear E2 resonance effect was observed in 25 hours of data taking, not enough to provide a conclusive result. In four kaonic Molybdenum isotopes (
42
94
Mo
,
42
96
Mo
,
42
98
Mo
and
42
100
Mo
), the nuclear E2 resonance effect is expected at the same transition, with similar energy values. The KAMEO (Kaonic Atoms Measuring nuclear resonance Effects Observables) experiment plans to study the E2 nuclear resonance effect in kaonic Molybdenum isotopes at the DAΦNE e
+
e
−
collider, during the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment. The experimental strategy consists of exposing four solid strip targets, each enriched with one Molybdenum isotope, to negatively charged kaons, using a germanium detector for X-ray transition measurements. A further exposure of a non-resonant
42
92
Mo
isotope solid strip target will be used as reference for standard non-resonant transitions.
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) with a single-phase face-centered cubic (FCC) structure generally have excellent plasticity. However, its limited room temperature strength and hardness result in lower ...wear resistance, which hinders tribological and engineering applications. In this paper, the pack-boronizing method was used to improve the tribological properties of Al0·1CoCrFeNi HEAs with a single-phase FCC structure. The boronizing treatment was carried out at 900 °C for 2, 4, 6, and 8 h, respectively. The structure and phase formation of boronized alloys were studied. Moreover, the reciprocating sliding wear behavior of boronized alloys against Si3N4 balls in dry and deionized water was investigated. A boronized layer with a double-layer structure was formed on the HEA surface, with a total thickness of about 17.3–58.5 μm. The wear mechanism of boronized alloy was transformed from the abrasive and delamination wear to the polishing effect with increasing the boronizing time in air. In contrast, the wear mechanism of boronized alloys in the deionized water gradually changed from the two-body to three-body wear with increasing the boronizing time. Meanwhile, the wear mechanism of the Si3N4 counterface was also transformed to three-body wear gradually.
•The maximum hardness of boronized HEAs is higher 7 times than that of annealed HEAs.•The wear rate of boronized HEAs was much lower than that of as-cast HEAs.•The wear mechanism of boronized HEAs in air was abrasive wear and polishing effect.•Wear mechanism of HEAs in deionized water was two-body and three-body abrasive wear.•The lubrication of deionized water led to lower friction coefficient and wear rate.
Activating internal tandem duplication (ITD) insertions in the juxtamembrane domain of the FLT3 tyrosine kinase are found in about one fourth of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and have been ...shown to be an independent negative prognostic factor for survival. We show that sorafenib (BAY 43-9006, Nexavar) potently inhibits FLT3 enzymatic and signaling activities. In HEK293 cells stably transfected with FLT3-WT or FLT3-ITD, sorafenib blocked basal and ligand dependent FLT3-mediated tyrosine autophosphorylation as well as extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 and Stat5 phosphorylation. In leukemia cell lines MV4-11 and EOL-1, sorafenib treatment resulted in decreased cell proliferation and inhibition of FLT3 signaling. The growth of the FLT3-independent RS4-11 cell line was only weakly inhibited by sorafenib. Cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis were observed upon treatment with sorafenib in MV4-11 and EOL-1 cells. The antitumor efficacy of sorafenib was evaluated against the MV4-11 leukemia grown subcutaneously in NCr nu/nu mice. Doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg administered orally for 14 days resulted in six and nine out of 10 animals with complete responses, respectively. The demonstration that sorafenib exhibits potent target inhibition and efficacy in FLT3-driven models suggests that this compound may have a therapeutic benefit for patients with FLT3-driven leukemias.
Raindrop size and flow depth interactions determine the energy available for erosion processes. A detailed laboratory study was conducted to investigate the influence of raindrop size on sediment ...sorting in shallow flows on steep slopes. Raindrops with sizes of 1.34, 2.45, and 4.04 mm were applied to three inflows (0.65, 1, and 2 L/min) with the same rainfall intensity (90 mm/hr). The De Brouckere mean diameter (D4,3) was enhanced with increases in the ratio between flow depth and raindrop size (h/d; p < 0.05), indicating that more raindrop energy dissipated in deeper flows. Moreover, a greater proportion of energy was dissipated from small raindrops than from large ones with an increasing flow depth. Particles >0.5 mm were slightly enriched by rolling under 1.34‐mm raindrop impact, whereas enrichment did not occur under 2.45‐ and 4.04‐mm raindrop impact, probably because the latter induced more severe aggregate disintegration, resulting in fewer coarse particles. The mean sediment concentrations under inflows of 0.65, 1, and 2 L/min were 101.65, 89.32, and 79.02 g/L, respectively. Shallow flows on steep slopes effectively carried detached particles; moreover, coarse particles could roll along the slopes, which was inconsistent with their behavior on gentle slopes. This study highlights the need to understand the influence of the interaction between raindrop size and flow depth on erosion processes associated with sediment size selectivity for better erosion modeling and water quality prediction.
Key Points
Sediment size is significantly enhanced as the ratio between flow depth and raindrop size increases on steep slopes
A greater proportion of energy is dissipated from small raindrops than from large ones with increasing flow depth
Coarse particles are slightly enriched in sediment associated with bed load transport under small raindrop impact