• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.2341-2345
• /
• 2015

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between prognosis and protein and mRNA expression of an apoptotic inhibitor gene, survivin, in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, functions of the survivin gene in the CNE2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line were assessed. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization were used in detecting the survivin protein and mRNA in 44 nasopharyngeal carcinoma specimens, and 30 chronic nasopharyngitis samples as controls. Survivin gene expression in CNE2 cell line was suppressed with an shRNA (short hairpin RNA). The positive ratios of expression for survivin protein and mRNA in nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 79.5% and 75.0% respectively, obviously higher than in the control group (p<0.01), and there is very good consistency between the two methods. The mean survival time of patients with higher survivin protein or mRNA expression was shorter than in patients with lower levelsv(p<0.01). Proliferation of the CNE2 cell line was distinctly inhibited by the shRNA. The results indicate that overexpression of the survivin gene plays an important role in onset and development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and it may be helpful for prognostic appraisal.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7095-7100
• /
• 2013

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors of cyclic peptide have been proved to be the most complex but the most stable and relative efficient inhibitors because of their large cap region. In this paper, a series of studies were carried out to evaluate the efficacy of synthetic bicyclic tetrapeptide inhibitors 1-5 containing hydroxamic acid referring molecular docking, anti-proliferation, morphology and apoptosis. Docking analysis, together with enzyme inhibitory results, verified the selective capability of inhibitor 4 to HDAC4, which might closely related to haematological tumorigenesis, with Phe227, Asp115, Pro32, His198 and Ser114 participating into hydrophobic interactions and Van der Waals force which was familiar with former study. Moreover, inhibitor 4 inhibited K562 cell line at the $IC_{50}$ value of 1.22 ${\mu}M$ which was 51-67 times more efficient than that for U937 and HL60 cell lines. Inhibitor 4 exhibited the cell cycle-arrested capability to leukemia at S phase or G2/M phase as well as apoptosis-induced ability in different degrees. Finally, we considered that bicyclic tetrapeptide inhibitors were promising inhibitors used in cancer treatment and inhibitor 4 could prevent K562 cell line well from proliferation, arrest cell cycle and induce K562 towards apoptosis to achieve the goals of reversing cancer cells which could become a potential leukemia therapeutic agent in the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7335-7338
• /
• 2013

There is increasing evidence that natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in antitumor immunity following dendritic cell (DC) vaccination. Little is known, however, about the optimal stimulation of DCs by epitopes and NK interactions for cytotoxicity in tumors. In this study, DC cells activated by the HPV16E7.49-57 epitope and LPS were co-cultured with NK cells in vitro, and then used ot immunize mice to study CTL activity of TC-1, which constitutively expresses HPV16E6E7, with an LDH release assay. Cytotoxicity in mice immunized with DC loaded with epitope HPVE7.49-57 vaccine co-cultured with NK was enhanced significantly (p<0.01). In conclusion, talk-across between DC and NK cells enhances their functions, also improving cytotoxicity againsttumor cells, suggesting that activated DC-NK by epitopes has potential application for cancer-specific immuno-cellular therapy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.1069-1076
• /
• 2010

A novel laccase from Tricholoma mongolicum was purified by using a procedure that entailed ion-exchange chromatographies on DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose, and Q-Sepharose, and FPLC-gel filtration on Superdex 75. The purified enzyme was obtained with a specific activity of 1,480 U/mg-protein and a final yield of 15%. It was found to be a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 66 kDa as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence was GIGPVADLYVGNRIL, similar to some but also different to other mushroom laccases. The optimum pH and temperature for the purified enzyme were pH 2 to pH 3 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. It displayed a low $K_m$ toward 2,7-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazolone-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and high $k_{cat}/K_m$ values. The purified laccase oxidized a wide range of lignin-related phenols, but exerted maximal activity on ABTS. It was significantly inhibited by $Hg^{2+}$ ions, and remarkably stimulated by $Cu^{2+}$ ions. It inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and proliferation of hepatoma HepG2 cells and breast cancer MCF7 cells with an $IC_{50}$ of 0.65 ${\mu}M$, 1.4 ${\mu}M$, and 4.2 ${\mu}M$, respectively, indicating that it is also an antipathogenic protein.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.253-269
• /
• 2012

A split spectrum processing (SSP) method is proposed to accurately determine the time-of-flight (ToF) of damage-scattered waves by comparing the instantaneous amplitude variation degree (IAVD) of a wave signal captured from a damage case with that from the benchmark. The fundamental symmetrical ($S_0$) mode in aluminum plates without and with a notch is assessed. The efficiency of the proposed SSP method and Hilbert transform in determining the ToF of damage-scattered $S_0$ mode is evaluated for damage identification when the wave signals are severely contaminated by noise. Broadband noise can overwhelm damage-scattered wave signals in the time domain, and the Hilbert transform is only competent for determining the ToF of damage-scattered $S_0$ mode in a noise-free condition. However, the calibrated IAVD of the captured wave signal is minimally affected by noise, and the proposed SSP method is capable of determining the ToF of damage-scattered $S_0$ mode accurately even though the captured wave signal is severely contaminated by broadband noise, leading to the successful identification of damage (within an error on the order of the damage size) using a triangulation algorithm.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.559-567
• /
• 2020

Vibration at the tip of various flexible manipulators may affect their operation accuracy and work efficiency. To suppress such vibrations, the feasibility of using MFC actuators and sensors is investigated in this paper. Considering the convergence of the famous filtered-x least mean square (FXLMS) algorithm could not be guaranteed while it is employed for vibration suppression of plants with varying secondary path, this paper proposes a new multiple model switching adaptive control algorithm to implement the real time active vibration suppression tests with a new multiple switching strategy. The new switching strategy is based on a cost function with reconstructed error signal and disturbance signal instead of the error signal from the error sensor. And from a robustness perspective, a new variable step-size sign algorithm (VSSA) based FXLMS algorithm is proposed to improve the convergence rate. A cantilever beam with varying tip mass is employed as flexible manipulator model. MFC layers are attached on both sides of it as sensors and actuators. A co-simulation platform was built using ADAMS and MATLAB to test the feasibility of the proposed algorithms. And an experimental platform was constructed to verify the effectiveness of MFC actuators and sensors and the real-time vibration control performance. Simulation and experiment results show that the proposed FXLMS algorithm based multiple model adaptive control approach has good convergence performance under varying load conditions for the flexible cantilever beam, and the proposed FX-VSSA-LMS algorithm based multiple model adaptive control algorithm has the best vibration suppression performance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.15
• /
• pp.6255-6259
• /
• 2015

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) in gallbladder cancer (GBC). Materials and Methods: Serum ALP and GGT levels and clinicopathological parameters were retrospectively evaluated in 199 GBC patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the cut-off values of ALP and GGT. Then, associations with overall survival were assessed by multivariate analysis. Based on the significant factors, a prognostic score model was established. Results: By ROC curve analysis, $ALP{\geq}210U/L$ and $GGT{\geq}43U/L$ were considered elevated. Overall survival for patients with elevated ALP and GGT was significantly worse than for patients within the normal range. Multivariate analysis showed that the elevated ALP, GGT and tumor stage were independent prognostic factors. Giving each positive factor a score of 1, we established a preoperative prognostic score model. Varied outcomes would be significantly distinguished by the different score groups. By further ROC curve analysis, the simple score showed great superiority compared with the widely used TNM staging, each of the ALP or GGT alone, or traditional tumor markers such as CEA, AFP, CA125 and CA199. Conclusions: Elevated ALP and GGT levels were risk predictors in GBC patients. Our prognostic model provides infomration on varied outcomes of patients from different score groups.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.3911-3916
• /
• 2012

Background: The objective of this study WAS to describe cancer incidence rates and trends among THE Hong Kong population for the period 1983-2008. Methods: Incident cases and population data from 1983 to 2008 were obtained from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry and the Census and Statistics Department, respectively. Agestandardized incidence rates (ASIR) were estimated and joinpoint regression was applied to detect significant changes in cancer morbidity. Results: For all cancers combined, the ASIR showed declining trends (1.37% in men, 0.94% in women), this also being the case for cancers of lung, liver, nasopharynx, stomach, bladder, oesophagus for both genders and cervix cancer for women. With cancer of thyroid, prostate, male colorectal, corpus uteri, ovary and female breast cancer an increase was evident throughout the period. The incidence for leukemia showed a stable trend since early 1990s, following an earlier decrease. Conclusion: Although overall cancer incidence rates and certain cancers showed declining trends, incidence trends for colorectal, thyroid and sex-related cancers continue to rise. These trends in cancer morbidity can be used as an important resource to plan and develop effective programs aimed at the control and prevention of the spread of cancer amongst the Hong Kong population. It is particularly useful in allowing projection of future burdens on the society with the increase in certain cancer incidences.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7449-7452
• /
• 2014

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic (CEUS) features with microvessel density (MVD) in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Materials and Methods: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) was performed in 62 patients (17 men and 45 women) with PTC. Tomtec software was applied to analyze the time intensity curve of CEUS. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the level of MVD in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Then the relationship between quantitative feature and the level of MVD was analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software. Results: The mean peak intensity of PTC tissues was lower than that of peripheral thyroid parenchyma ($61.9{\pm}11.8%$ vs 100%, p<0.05). The MVDs of CD34 and CD31 antibodies staining were $38.0{\pm}6.1$ and $37.9{\pm}5.1$ respectively in 62 PTC samples. A significantly positive correlation was observed between peak intensity and MVD in PTC tissues ($P_{CD34}$<0.01, $r_{CD34}$=0.838, $P_{CD31}$<0.01, $r_{CD31}$=0.837). Conclusions: The peak intensity in CEUS could reflect the MVD in PTC tissues. Therefore, quantification of CEUS seems to be helpful for assessment of MVD in PTC tissues.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7425-7432
• /
• 2014

Aim: To investigate the expression of protein kinase $CK2{\alpha}$ ($CK2{\alpha}$) in human thyroid disease and its relationship with thyroid cancer metastasis. Materials and Methods: Using immunohistochemistry we measured the expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ in 76 benign and malignant human thyroid cancer tissues, including 10 pairs of papillary carcinoma tissues with or without lymph node cancerous metastasis and similarly 10 pairs of lymph nodes. Results: The expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ was found to be higher in thyroid carcinoma cases (papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma and medullary carcinoma) than in ones such as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, nodular goiter and adenoma. These findings were also confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. More strikingly, elevated expression of $CK2{\alpha}$ in thyroid papillary carcinoma tissues was not only significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis and clinical stage of thyroid cancers; but also correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and high tenascin C (TNC) expression. In addition, EMT and high TNC expression in thyroid carcinoma tissues was significantly associated with lymph node cancerous metastasis. Conclusions: Elevated expression of nuclear $CK2{\alpha}$ is a poor prognosis indicator in lymph node cancerous metastasis of human thyroid cancers.