• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.363-374
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• 2024

The fatigue life of steel wire is affected not only by fatigue load, but also by corrosion environment in service period. Specially, the corrosion pit will lead to stress concentration on the surface of steel wire inducing the formation of fatigue cracks, and the fatigue cracks will accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, the corrosion fatigue of steel wire is a coupling effect. In this study, the corrosion-fatigue coupling life curve is derived with considering corrosion-fatigue pitting stage, corrosion-fatigue short crack stage and corrosion-fatigue long crack stage. In addition, the stress concentration factors of different corrosion pits are calculated by COMSOL software. Furthermore, the effect of corrosion environment factors, that is, corrosion rate, corrosion pit morphology, frequency and action factor of fatigue load, on fatigue life of steel wire is analyzed. And then, the corrosion-fatigue coupling life curve is compared with the fatigue life curve and fatigue life curve with pre-corrosion. The result showed that the anti-fatigue performance of the steel wire with considering corrosion-fatigue coupling is 68.08% and 41.79% lower than fatigue life curve and fatigue life curve with pre-corrosion. Therefore, the corrosion-fatigue coupling effect should be considered in the design of steel wire.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.2367-2374
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• 2024

In this paper, based on the need for high-strength connections between all-tungsten-oriented plasma materials and thermal sinking materials of copper and its alloys in nuclear fusion devices, a study on the effect of tungsten surface laser micro structuring on the interfacial bonding properties of W/Cu joints was carried out. In the experiment, the connectors were prepared by vacuum fusion infiltration technology, and the effects of microgroove structure on the mechanical and thermal conductivity of W/Cu connectors were investigated under different parameters (including microgroove pitch, microgroove depth, and microgroove taper). The maximum shear strength is 126.0 MPa when the pitch is 0.15 mm and the depth is 34 ㎛. In addition, the negative taper structure, i.e., the width of the entrance of the microstructure is smaller than the width of the interior of the microstructure, is also investigated. The shear tests show that there is an approximately linear relationship between the shear strength of W/Cu and taper. Compared with the positive taper, the shear strength of the samples with the same morphological density and depth of the tungsten surface is significantly higher.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1137-1144
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• 2012

Introduction: Recent studies have shown that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play potential roles as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers with various cancer types. The aim of this study was to comprehensively and quantitatively summarize the evidence for the use of CTCs to predict the survival outcome of lung cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Relevant literature was identified using Medline and EMBASE. Patients' clinical characteristics, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) together with CTC positive rates at different time points (before, during and after treatment) were extracted. A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the prognostic role of CTCs and the correlation between the CTC appearance and clinical characteristics. Results: A total of 12 articles containing survival outcomes and clinical characteristics and 15 articles containing only clinical characteristics were included for the global meta-analysis. The hazard ratio (HR) for OS predicted by pro-treatment CTCs was 2.61 [1.82, 3.74], while the HR for PFS was 2.37 [1.41, 3.99]. The HR for OS predicted by post-treatment CTCs was 4.19 [2.92, 6.00], while the HR for PFS was 4.97 [3.05, 8.11]. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to histological classification and detection method. Odds ratio (OR) showed the appearance of pro-treatment CTCs correlated with the lymph node status, distant metastasis, and TNM staging, while post-treatment CTCs correlated with TNM staging only. Conclusion: Detection of CTCs in the peripheral blood indicates a poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2329-2334
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• 2012

Introduction: Many studies have reported that microRNA-21 (miR-21) mihght predict the survival outcome in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) but the opposite opinion has also been expressed. The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence for a prognostic role of miR-21. Materials and Methods: All the eligible studies was searched by Medline and EMBASE and patients' clinical characteristics and survival outcome were extracted. Then a meta-analysis was performed to clarify the prognostic role of the miR-21 expression in different subgroups. Results: A total of 8 eligible articles were yielded covering survival outcomes or clinical characteristics. The combined hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for overall survival (OS) was 2.19 [0.76, 6.30], while the combined HR (95% CI) of Asian group for OS had a significant result, 5.49 [2.46, 12.27]. The combined HR (95% CI) for recurrence free survival or disease free survival (RFS/DFS) was 2.31 [1.52, 3.49]. Odds ratios (ORs) showed that the miR-21 expression was associated with lymph node status and histological type. Conclusion: miR-21 expression could predict the prognostic outcome of NSCLC in Asians, despite some deficiencies in the study data.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.279-287
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• 2017

The chemical property of cinnamaldehyde is unstable in vivo, although early experiments have shown its obvious therapeutic effects on viral myocarditis (VMC). To overcome this problem, we used cinnamaldehyde as a leading compound to synthesize derivatives. Five derivatives of cinnamaldehyde were synthesized: 4-methylcinnamaldehyde (1), 4-chlorocinnamaldehyde (2), 4-methoxycinnamaldehyde (3), ${\alpha}$-bromo-4-methylcinnamaldehyde (4), and ${\alpha}$-bromo-4-chlorocinnamaldehyde (5). Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and HeLa cells infected by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) were used to evaluate their antiviral and cytotoxic effects. In vivo BALB/c mice were infected with CVB3 for establishing VMC models. Among the derivatives, compound 4 and 5 inhibited the CVB3 in HeLa cells with the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations values of $11.38{\pm}2.22{\mu}M$ and $2.12{\pm}0.37{\mu}M$, respectively. The 50% toxic concentrations of compound 4 and 5-treated cells were 39-fold and 87-fold higher than in the cinnamaldehyde group. Compound 4 and 5 effectively reduced the viral titers and cardiac pathological changes in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, compound 4 and 5 significantly inhibited the secretion, mRNA and protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in CVB3-infected cardiomyocytes, indicating that brominated cinnamaldehyde not only improved the anti-vital activities for VMC, but also had potent anti-inflammatory effects in cardiomyocytes induced by CVB3.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2019

Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici is a soil borne pathogenic fungus associated with wheat roots. The accurate quantification of gene expression during the process of infection might be helpful to understand the pathogenic molecular mechanism. However, this method requires suitable reference genes for transcript normalization. In this study, nine candidate reference genes were chosen, and the specificity of the primers were investigated by melting curves of PCR products. The expression stability of these nine candidates was determined with three programs-geNorm, Norm Finder, and Best Keeper. $TUB{\beta}$ was identified as the most stable reference gene. Furthermore, the exopolygalacturonase gene (ExoPG) was selected to verify the reliability of $TUB{\beta}$ expression. The expression profile of ExoPG assessed using $TUB{\beta}$ agreed with the results of digital gene expression analysis by RNA-Seq. This study is the first systematic exploration of the optimal reference genes in the infection process of Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4583-4587
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• 2014

Objective: Beclin-1 has recently been observed as an essential marker of autophagy in several cancers. However, the prognostic role of Beclin-1 in colorectal neoplasia remains controversial. Our study aimed to evaluate the potential association between Beclin-1 expression and the outcome of colorectal cancer patients. Materials and Methods: All related studies were systematically searched in Pubmed, Embase, Springer and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases (CNKI), and then a meta-analysis was performed to determine the association of Beclin-1 expression with clinical outcomes. Finally, a total of 6 articles were included in our analysis. Results: Our data showed that high Beclin-1 expression in patients with CRC was associated with poor prognosis in terms of tumor distant metastasis (OR=2.090, 95%CI=1.061-4.119, p=0.033) and overall survival (RR=1.422, 95%CI=1.032-1.959, p=0.031). However, we did not found any correlation between Beclin-1 over-expression and tumor differentiation (OR=1.711, 95%CI=0.920-3.183, p=0.090). In addition, there was no evidence of publication bias as suggested by Egger's tests for tumor distant metastasis (p=1.000), differentiation (p=1.000) and OS (p=0.308). Conclusions: Our present meta-analysis indicated that elevated Beclin-1 expression iss associated with tumor metastasis and a poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Beclin-1 might serve as an efficient prognostic indicator in CRC, and could be a new molecular target in CRC therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.4071-4077
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• 2014

Background: The effects of CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms on the risk of bladder cancer (BC) remain controversial. We carried out a meta-analysis to clarify the role of CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms in BC. Material and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted up to November 20, 2013. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of the association. Meta-regression, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also performed. Results: Eight studies involving 1,059 BC cases and 1,061 controls were included. The meta-analysis showed that there was no significant association between the two common mutations of CYP1A1 and BC risk. For the I1e462Val A/G polymorphism with GG vs. AA the OR was 1.47 (95 % CI= 0.70-3.07, P =0.308). For the MspI T/C polymorphism, though a slight trend was found this was not statistically nonsignificant (CC vs.TT, OR = 1.24, 95 % CI= 0.98-1.58, P =0.078). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity also found no obvious association between CYP1A1 and BC risk. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis suggests that CYP1A1 polymorphism is not associated with bladder cancer risk.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2611-2614
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• 2013

Aims: To explore efficacy and side effects of intrapleural or intraperitoneal lobaplatin for treating patients with malignant pleural or peritoneal effusions. Methods: Patients in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Research Institute with cytologically confirmed solid tumors complicated with malignant pleural effusion or ascites were enrolled into this study. Lobaplatin (20-30 $mg/m^2$) was intrapleurally or intraperitoneally infused for patients with malignant pleural effusion or ascites. Results: From 2012 to 2013, intrapleural or intraperitonea lobaplatin was administered for patients with colorectal or uterus cancer who were previous treated for malignant pleural effusion or ascites. Partial response was achieved for them. Main side effects were nausea/vomiting, and bone marrow suppression. No treatment related deaths occurred. Conclusion: Intrapleural or intraperitoneal infusion of lobaplatin is a safe treatment for patients with malignant pleural effusion or ascites, and the treatment efficacy is encouraging.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4295-4300
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• 2012

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as a vaccine to induce an immune response and provide antitumor protection in a rat model. Methods: Cross-reactivity of antigens between hESCs and tumour cells was screened by immunohistochemistry. Fischer 344 rats were divided into 7 groups, with 6 rats in each, immunized with: Group 1, hESC; Group 2, pre-inactivated mitotic NuTu-19; Group 3 PBS; Group 4, hESC; Group 5, pre-inactivated mitotic NuTu-19; Group 6, PBS; Group 7, hESC only. At 1 (Groups 1-3) or 4 weeks (Groups 4-6) after the last vaccination, each rat was challenged intraperitoneally with NuTu-19. Tumor growth and animal survival were closely monitored. Rats immunized with H9 and NuTu-19 were tested by Western blot analysis of rat orbital venous blood for cytokines produced by Th1 and Th2 cells. Results: hESCs presented tumour antigens, markers, and genes related to tumour growth, metastasis, and signal pathway interactions. The vaccine administered to rats in Group 1 led to significant antitumor responses and enhanced tumor rejection in rats with intraperitoneal inoculation of NuTu-19 cells compared to control groups. In contrast, rats in Group 4 did not display any elevation of antitumour responses. Western blot analysis found cross-reactivity among antibodies generated between H9 and NuTu-19. However, the cytokines did not show significant differences, and no side effects were detected. Conclusion: hESC-based vaccination is a promising modality for immunotherapy of ovarian cancer.