• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.565-571
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• 2016

Paeoniflorin (PAE) is the most abundant compound in Xuebijing injection widely used to treat sepsis. We aimed to investigate effect of PAE on expression of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in a rat model of sepsis. Wistar rats were divided into Normal, Model, and PAE groups (n=20 each). Endotoxin was administrated at 5 mg/ml/kg in Model and PAE rats to establish rat sepsis model. 1 h after endotoxin administration, PAE was administrated at 4 ml/kg in PAE group once per day for 3 days. Routine blood tests and biochemical indexes were assessed, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). The plasma sTREM-1 level was measured using quantitative ELISA. At the end of experiment, the small intestine, liver, kidney and lung were subjected to pathological examinations. A rat model of sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was established successfully with endotoxin administration (5 mg/ml/kg), evidenced by histo-pathological examinations, routine blood tests and biochemical indexes: platelet count decreased and white blood cell count increased (p<0.05), CK-MB and AST increased (p<0.05). PAE treatment significantly reduced the plasma levels of AST, CK-MB, and sTREM-1, compared to Model group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, sepsis-induced damages in the liver, lung, stomach and intestinal mucosa were also markedly ameliorated by PAE treatment. PAE demonstrated a significantly protective effect in a rat model of sepsis by decreasing plasma sTREM-1 level, reducing inflammation, preventing MODS and protecting organ functions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6511-6517
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• 2014

Purpose: We aimed to study the relationship between thrombocytosis and clinical features of gastric cancerfocussing on platelet counts and gastric cancer progression through different TNM stages. Methods: According to the normal range of platelet count in our institution, 1,596 patients were divided to two groups: a thrombocytosis group (120 patients, > $400{\times}1000/{\mu}L$) and a control group (1,476 patients, ${\leq}400{\times}1000/{\mu}L$). Results: The incidence of thrombocytosis was 7.5%. Higher platelet counts were observed in patients with older age, larger tumor size, deeper invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and advanced TNM stage. In multivariate logistic regression, tumor size, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage were independent risk factors for thrombocytosis of gastric cancer patients. On prognostic analysis, age, tumor size, tumor location, histologic type, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and TNM stage and platelet count were important factors. Tumor size, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and the platelet count were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Thrombocytosis is associated with clinical features of gastric cancer patients and correlates with a poor prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1197-1203
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• 2014

Background: Adenocarcinoma (ADC) is the most common histological type of lung cancer and its proportion is rising, especially in Asian non-smoking women. Recent studies suggest miR-25 may have diverse effects on the pathogenesis of different types of cancer. However, the role of miR-25 in lung cancer is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential clinical value of miR-25 in non-smoking women with lung ADC. Patients and Methods: Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the expression of miR-25 in 100 lung ADC tumor tissues and matched plasma samples and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyze the relationship between values. Associations of miR-25 expression with clinicopathological features were determined using the Student's t-test. To determine prognostic value, overall survival (OS) was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Expression of miR-25 in tissue was found to be associated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.021) and disease stage (P=0.012). Moreover, high miR-25 expression was also associated with poorer overall survival of women with lung ADC (P=0.008). Conclusion: Tissue miR-25 expression may be associated with tumor progression and have prognostic implications in female lung ADC patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1721-1724
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• 2013

Objective: To investigate the effect of epirubicin on soluble CD25 (sCD25) secretion by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells isolated from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Methods: Treg cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from the newly diagnosed DBLCL patients. The concentration of sCD25 in the supernatant was determined with a commercial sCD25 (IL-2R) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The fluorescence intensity of CD25 was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Cell survival rate was significantly decreased along with the increase of epirubicin concentration after treatment for 24 h. There was also a significant difference in the concentration of sCD25 between the epirubicin group and the control group (P<0.01). A positive correlation between the Treg cells survival rate and the concentration of sCD25 was detected (r=0.993, P<0.01). When equal numbers of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells of the epirubicin group and the control group were cultured for another 24 h without epirubicin the CD25 fluorescence intensity on the surface of Treg cells was obviously higher in the epirubicin group than that in the control group (P<0.01), while the sCD25 concentration in the supernatant in the epirubicin group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Epirubicin may improve the body's immune functions by inhibiting the sCD25 secretion by Treg cells in DLBCL patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1655-1658
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• 2014

Objective: To find a more appropriate alternative to D-dimer cutoff value for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in cancer patients. Methods: A total of 711 cancer patients with symptoms suspicious of DVT were included in the study. D-dimer levels were assessed using ELISA. All patients were subjected to imaging procedures. Results: Among 711 patients with cancer, 466 (65.5%) were females and 245 (34.5%) were males, with an average age of $57.3{\pm}13.23$ years. The mean age in the DVT group was significantly higher than in the non-DVT group (P<0.05). The D-dimer levels of the DVT group were significantly higher than those of the non-DVT group (P<0.05). The incidence rate of DVT varied significantly according to cancer type (P<0.05). Increasing age and lung cancer were significantly correlated with D-dimer levels (P<0.05), and a one-year increase in age was associated with a 14.28 ng/ml increase in the D-dimer value. The optimal cutoff point for D-dimer was found to be 981 ng/ml, with a sensitivity of 86.4%, specificity of 79.4%, and accuracy of 82.6%. If the D-dimer cutoff point was set to 981ng/ml, the specificity would increase from 61.8% to 85.5% without loss of sensitivity in patients aged 40 years or younger. In patients aged more than 40 years, the new cutoff almost doubled the specificity with slightly reduced sensitivity. Conclusion: In cancer patients, a new cutoff value of 981 ng/ml effectively improved the exclusion of DVT, especially for patients aged more than 40 years.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.1-22
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• 2007

The present study examined the effects of the factors of port service quality on customer satisfaction and surveyed customers' perception on service quality and their satisfaction with port services by comparing Incheon Port with Qingdo Port, Tianjin Port and Dalian Port. According to the results, the quality of port services can be divided into three levels-inner quality, external environment quality and interaction quality, and except the external environment quality of the Dalian Port, the three levels of service quality were found to have significant effects on customer satisfaction. In addition, according to the results of comparing customers' perception on the three levels of service quality among the ports, the Incheon Port was inferior to the Qingdo Port, the Tianjin Port and the Dalian Port in inner quality, and to the Qingdo Port and the Tianjin Port in external environment quality, but superior to the Tianjin Port and the Dalian Port in interaction quality. However, customers' satisfaction with the Incheon Port was lower than that with the Qingdo Port and the Tianjin Port.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1003-1007
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• 2013

Objective: This work aimed to investigate the correlations of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and their subtypes M1 and M2 with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, and provide useful references for seeking predictors of liver metastasis and studying mechanisms. Methods: 120 patients with colorectal cancer from 2000 to 2009 were divided into low, middle and high liver metastasis groups (group A, B and C, respectively). S-P immunohistochemical staining and microscopic observation were conducted to compare expression in CD68-positive cells (TAMs), CD80-positive cells (M1) and CD163-positive cells (M2) in three groups. Correlations of TAMs, M1, M2, and M2/M1 ratio with clinical and pathological parameters were analyzed. Results: With increase of liver metastatic ability, the number of TAMs decreased gradually, with no significant difference between any two of the three groups (P > 0.05), while the numbers of M1 and M2 were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, with significant difference between any two of three groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). In addition, the M2/M1 ratio increased with increase of liver metastatic ability (P < 0.01). There was no statistical significance of correlation of TAMs with each clinical and pathological parameter. M1 was negatively related with lymphatic metastasis and liver metastatic ability. M2 was positively correlated with preoperative CEA level, lymphatic metastasis, tumor differentiation degree and liver metastatic ability. The same was the case for the M2/M1 ratio. Conclusions: Effects of TAMs on liver metastasis of colorectal cancer do not depend on the total number of TAMs, but on the number and proportion of functional subtypes M1 and M2. M2 number and M2/M1 ratio are more accurate predictors for liver metastasis of colorectal cancer.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.715-742
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• 2017

Earth berms are often left in place to support retaining walls or piles in order to eliminate horizontal struts in excavations of soft soil areas. However, if the excavation depth is relatively large, an earth berm-supported retaining system may not be applicable and could be replaced by a multi-bench retaining system. However, studies on multi-bench retaining systems are limited. The goal of this investigation is to study the deformation characteristics, internal forces and interaction mechanisms of the retaining structures in a multi-bench retaining system and the failure modes of this retaining system. Therefore, a series of model tests of a two-bench retaining system was designed and conducted, and corresponding finite difference simulations were developed to back-analyze the model tests and for further analysis. The tests and numerical results show that the distance between the two rows of retaining piles (bench width) and their embedded lengths can significantly influence the relative movement between the piles; this relative movement determines the horizontal stress distribution in the soil between the two rows of piles (i.e., the bench zone) and thus determines the bending moments in the retaining piles. As the bench width increases, the deformations and bending moments in the retaining piles decrease, while the excavation stability increases. If the second retaining piles are longer than a certain length, they will experience a larger bending moment than the first retaining piles and become the primary retaining structure. In addition, for varying bench widths, the slip surface formation differs, and the failure modes of two-bench retained excavations can be divided into three types: integrated failure, interactive failure and disconnected failure.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.165-178
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• 2019

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) containing certain amounts of H-${\beta}$ zeolite for pervaporation were manufactured by using a solution casting protocol. These zeolite-embedded membranes were then characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and swelling tests. The membrane separation performance has been examined by means of isopropanol (IPA) dewatering from its highly concentrated aqueous solutions via response surface methodology (RSM). The results have demonstrated that the influences of feed IPA composition (85-95 wt.%), feed temperature ($50-70^{\circ}C$), zeolite loading (15-25 wt.%) and their interactive influences are all statistically significant on both pervaporation flux ($398-1228g/m^2{\cdot}h$) and water/isopropanol separation factor (617-2001). The quadratic models based on the RSM analysis have performed excellently to correlate experimental data with very high determination coefficients and very low relative standard deviations. The optimal pervaporation predictions given by using the RSM models demonstrate a total flux of $953g/m^2{\cdot}h$ and separation factor of 1458, and are excellently verified by experimental results. As reflected by these results, PVA MMMs embedded with hydrophilic $H-{\beta}$ zeolite entities have performed considerably better than its pure counterpart and indicated great potential for isopropanol dehydration applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1230-1239
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• 2019

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi has been widely used in China for treatment of various diseases. This study investigated the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extracts (SBE) against Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Hela cells and primary myocardial cells were infected with CVB3 and treated with SBE ($50-800{\mu}g/ml$) and ribavirin ($200{\mu}M$) for 48 h and then determined by CCK8 assay. Real-time PCR and western blotting assays were performed. In vivo, a myocarditis model was induced in male BALB/c mice by injecting CVB3 suspension intraperitoneally for three times, followed by treatment with SBE (400 and 200 mg/kg) and ribavirin (100 mg/kg) for 28 days. SBE ameliorated the cytotoxicity of CVB3 in Hela cells, especially at $400{\mu}g/ml$ (39.93% vs 65.67%, p < 0.05) without influencing cell growth and also significantly reduced CVB3 replication in primary myocardial cells. The levels of AKT, ERK, and p38 were increased after CVB3 infection. SBE could downregulate the expressions of AKT and p38. In vivo, the mortality rate from CVB3 reached to 66.67%, while 10.00% and 23.33% of this came after 400 and 200 mg/kg SBE treatment, respectively (p < 0.05). The CVB3 replication was obviously reduced after SBE administration from day 5. Similarly, the levels of AKT, ERK, and p38 mRNAs and proteins were increased, and SBE suppressed the expression of AKT and p38. Our study indicates that SBE is a promising potent antiviral agent against CVB3-induced myocarditis by inhibition of virus replication via depressing AKT and p38 expressions.