| 31. |
- Balram, Ajit C., et al.
(author)
-
Role of Exciton Screening in the 7/3 Fractional Quantum Hall Effect
- 2013
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 110:18, s. 186801-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The excitations of the 7/3 fractional Hall state, one of the most prominent states in the second Landau level, are not understood. We study the effect of screening by composite fermion excitons and find that it causes a strong renormalization at 7/3, thanks to a relatively small exciton gap and a relatively large residual interaction between composite fermions. The excitations of the 7/3 state are to be viewed as composite fermions dressed by a large exciton cloud. Their wide extent has implications for experiments as well as for analysis of finite system exact diagonalization studies.
|
|
| 32. |
- Brenner, Darren R, et al.
(author)
-
Identification of lung cancer histology-specific variants applying Bayesian framework variant prioritization approaches within the TRICL and ILCCO consortia
- 2015
-
In: Carcinogenesis. - : Oxford University Press. - 0143-3334 .- 1460-2180. ; 36:11, s. 1314-1326
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have likely uncovered all common variants at the GWAS significance level. Additional variants within the suggestive range (0.0001> P > 5×10−8) are, however, still of interest for identifying causal associations. This analysis aimed to apply novel variant prioritization approaches to identify additional lung cancer variants that may not reach the GWAS level. Effects were combined across studies with a total of 33456 controls and 6756 adenocarcinoma (AC; 13 studies), 5061 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; 12 studies) and 2216 small cell lung cancer cases (9 studies). Based on prior information such as variant physical properties and functional significance, we applied stratified false discovery rates, hierarchical modeling and Bayesian false discovery probabilities for variant prioritization. We conducted a fine mapping analysis as validation of our methods by examining top-ranking novel variants in six independent populations with a total of 3128 cases and 2966 controls. Three novel loci in the suggestive range were identified based on our Bayesian framework analyses: KCNIP4 at 4p15.2 (rs6448050, P = 4.6×10−7) and MTMR2 at 11q21 (rs10501831, P = 3.1×10−6) with SCC, as well as GAREM at 18q12.1 (rs11662168, P = 3.4×10−7) with AC. Use of our prioritization methods validated two of the top three loci associated with SCC (P = 1.05×10−4 for KCNIP4, represented by rs9799795) and AC (P = 2.16×10−4 for GAREM, represented by rs3786309) in the independent fine mapping populations. This study highlights the utility of using prior functional data for sequence variants in prioritization analyses to search for robust signals in the suggestive range.
|
|
| 33. |
- Bulliard, Jean-Luc, et al.
(author)
-
Breast cancer screening and overdiagnosis
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 149:4, s. 846-853
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Overdiagnosis is a harmful consequence of screening which is particularly challenging to estimate. An unbiased setting to measure overdiagnosis in breast cancer screening requires comparative data from a screened and an unscreened cohort for at least 30 years. Such randomised data will not become available, leaving us with observational data over shorter time periods and outcomes of modelling. This collaborative effort of the International Cancer Screening Network quantified the variation in estimated breast cancer overdiagnosis in organised programmes with evaluation of both observed and simulated data, and presented examples of how modelling can provide additional insights. Reliable observational data, analysed with study design accounting for methodological pitfalls, and modelling studies with different approaches, indicate that overdiagnosis accounts for less than 10% of invasive breast cancer cases in a screening target population of women aged 50 to 69. Estimates above this level are likely to derive from inaccuracies in study design. The widely discrepant estimates of overdiagnosis reported from observational data could substantially be reduced by use of a cohort study design with at least 10 years of follow-up after screening stops. In contexts where concomitant opportunistic screening or gradual implementation of screening occurs, and data on valid comparison groups are not readily available, modelling of screening intervention becomes an advantageous option to obtain reliable estimates of breast cancer overdiagnosis.
|
|
| 34. |
- Cao, Yingying, et al.
(author)
-
Screening of Alternative Solvent Ionic Liquids for Artemisinin : COSMO-RS Prediction and Experimental Verification
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Molecular Liquids. - : Elsevier. - 0167-7322 .- 1873-3166. ; 338
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic solvents are usually used to extract artemisinin from Artemisia annua L., and they can also be the solvents for the subsequent purification or derivatization to produce compounds with more efficient antimalarial effect. However, these solvents are volatile, explosive and toxic. The designable material ionic liquids (ILs) are alternative solvents to replace traditional ones. In this work, a reliable method for screening ILs with high solvation capability for artemisinin was developed. The infinite dilution activity coefficients of artemisinin in 903 ILs, composed by 43 cations and 21 anions, were calculated by COSMO-RS, and the results implied that the solubility of artemisinin in ILs mainly depends on the anions. Solubilities of artemisinin in 14 representative ILs were tested, and the results were in good accordance with those obtained in COSMO-RS calculation. The stability of artemisinin in some typical ILs was also studied, which indicated that this drug was stable in [EMIM][BF4], [EMIM][CF3Ac], [EMIM][NTF2], [BPY][NTF2], [EMIM][SCN], and [EMIM][Ac]. The excess enthalpy analysis demonstrated that artemisinin interacted with ILs mainly through hydrogen bond. Extraction of artemisinin using the optimal IL indicated that more artemisinin could be extracted from the leaves when compared with petroleum ether (254.73 mg/mol vs. 14.16 mg/mol), further verifying accuracy of the simulation results. Therefore, structures of ILs with high solvation capacity for artemisinin can be obtained by the COSMO-RS method.
|
|
| 35. |
- Castillejo-Lopez, Casimiro, et al.
(author)
-
Genetic and physical interaction of the B-cell systemic lupus erythematosus-associated genes BANK1 and BLK
- 2012
-
In: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 71:1, s. 136-142
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectivesAltered signalling in B cells is a predominant feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The genes BANK1 and BLK were recently described as associated with SLE. BANK1 codes for a B-cell-specific cytoplasmic protein involved in B-cell receptor signalling and BLK codes for an Src tyrosine kinase with important roles in B-cell development. To characterise the role of BANK1 and BLK in SLE, a genetic interaction analysis was performed hypothesising that genetic interactions could reveal functional pathways relevant to disease pathogenesis.MethodsThe GPAT16 method was used to analyse the gene-gene interactions of BANK1 and BLK. Confocal microscopy was used to investigate co-localisation, and immunoprecipitation was used to verify the physical interaction of BANK1 and BLK.ResultsEpistatic interactions between BANK1 and BLK polymorphisms associated with SLE were observed in a discovery set of 279 patients and 515 controls from northern Europe. A meta-analysis with 4399 European individuals confirmed the genetic interactions between BANK1 and BLK. As BANK1 was identified as a binding partner of the Src tyrosine kinase LYN, the possibility that BANK1 and BLK could also show a protein-protein interaction was tested. The co-immunoprecipitation and co-localisation of BLK and BANK1 were demonstrated. In a Daudi cell line and primary naive B cells endogenous binding was enhanced upon B-cell receptor stimulation using anti-IgM antibodies.ConclusionsThis study shows a genetic interaction between BANK1 and BLK, and demonstrates that these molecules interact physically. The results have important consequences for the understanding of SLE and other autoimmune diseases and identify a potential new signalling pathway.
|
|
| 36. |
- Chang, Rene Wei-Jung, et al.
(author)
-
Precision Science on Incidence and Progression of Early-Detected Small Breast Invasive Cancers by Mammographic Features
- 2020
-
In: Cancers. - : MDPI. - 2072-6694. ; 12:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim was to evaluate how the inter-screening interval affected the performance of screening by mammographic appearances. This was a Swedish retrospective screening cohort study with information on screening history and mammography features in two periods (1977-1985 and 1996-2010). The pre-clinical incidence and the mean sojourn time (MST) for small breast cancer allowing for sensitivity by mammographic appearances were estimated. The percentage of interval cancer against background incidence (I/E ratio) was used to assess the performance of mammography screening by different inter-screening intervals. The sensitivity-adjusted MSTs (in years) were heterogeneous with mammographic features, being longer for powdery and crushed stone-like calcifications (4.26, (95% CI, 3.50-5.26)) and stellate masses (3.76, (95% CI, 3.15-4.53)) but shorter for circular masses (2.65, (95% CI, 2.06-3.55)) in 1996-2010. The similar trends, albeit longer MSTs, were also noted in 1977-1985. The I/E ratios for the stellate type were 23% and 32% for biennial and triennial screening, respectively. The corresponding figures were 32% and 43% for the circular type and 21% and 29% for powdery and crushed stone-like calcifications, respectively. Mammography-featured progressions of small invasive breast cancer provides a new insight into personalized quality assurance, surveillance, treatment and therapy of early-detected breast cancer.
|
|
| 37. |
- Chen, I-Hua, et al.
(author)
-
Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) : Evidence of Measurement Invariance Across Five Countries
- 2022
-
In: Risk Management and Healthcare Policy. - : DOVE MEDICAL PRESS LTD. - 1179-1594. ; 15, s. 435-445
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The percentage of individuals who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 was 53% worldwide, 62% in Asia, and 11% in Africa at the time of writing (February 9, 2022). In addition to administrative issues, vaccine hesitancy is an important factor contributing to the relatively low rate of vaccination. The Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) was developed to assess COVID-19 vaccination acceptance levels. However, it has only been tested among Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, and Ghanaian populations (Chen et al, 2021; Fan et al, 2021; Yeh et al, 2021). Therefore, the present study examined the construct validity and measurement invariance of the MoVac-COVID19S among individuals from five countries (ie, Taiwan, mainland China, India, Ghana, and Afghanistan). Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional survey study recruited 6053 participants across five countries who completed the survey between January and March 2021. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) fit indices were used to examine factor structure and measurement invariance across the five countries. Results: The fit indices of the CFA were relatively good across the countries except for the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Moreover, the four-factor structure (either nine or 12 items) had a better fit than the one-factor structure. However, the four-factor model using nine MoVac-COVID19S items was the only model that had measurement invariance support for both factor loadings and item intercepts across the five countries. Conclusion: The present study confirmed that the MoVac-COVID19S has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used to assess an individual's willingness to get COVID-19 vaccination.
|
|
| 38. |
- Chen, Ke-Ling, et al.
(author)
-
Effects of Tocilizumab on Experimental Severe Acute Pancreatitis and Associated Acute Lung Injury
- 2016
-
In: Critical Care Medicine. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0090-3493 .- 1530-0293. ; 44:8, s. E664-E677
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To examine the therapeutic effects of tocilizumab, an antibody against interleukin-6 receptor, on experimental severe acute pancreatitis and associated acute lung injury. The optimal dose of tocilizumab and the activation of interleukin-6 inflammatory signaling were also investigated. Design: Randomized experiment. Setting: Research laboratory at a university hospital. Subject: Experimental severe acute pancreatitis in rats. Interventions: Severe acute pancreatitis was induced by retrograde injection of sodium taurocholate (50 mg/kg) into the biliopancreatic duct. In dose-study, rats were administered with different doses of tocilizumab (1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mg/kg) through the tail vein after severe acute pancreatitis induction. In safety-study, rats without severe acute pancreatitis induction were treated with high doses of tocilizumab (8, 16, 32, and 64 mg/kg). Serum and tissue samples of rats in time-study were collected for biomolecular and histologic evaluations at different time points (2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hr). Measurements and Main Results: 1) Under the administration of tocilizumab, histopathological scores of pancreas and lung were decreased, and severity parameters related to severe acute pancreatitis and associated lung injury, including serum amylase, C-reactive protein, lung surfactant protein level, and myeloperoxidase activity, were all significant alleviated in rat models. 2) Dose-study demonstrated that 2 mg/kg tocilizumab was the optimal treatment dose. 3) Basing on multi-organ pathologic evaluation, physiological and biochemical data, no adverse effect and toxicity of tocilizumab were observed in safety-study. 4) Pancreatic nuclear factor-kappa B and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 were deactivated, and the serum chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 was down-regulated after tocilizumab administration. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated tocilizumab, as a marketed drug commonly used for immune-mediated diseases, was safe and effective for the treatment of experimental severe acute pancreatitis and associated acute lung injury. Our findings provide experimental evidences for potential clinical application of tocilizumab in severe acute pancreatitis and associated complications.
|
|
| 39. |
- Chen, Liangliang, et al.
(author)
-
User-Friendly Genetic Conditional Knockout Strategies by CRISPR/Cas9
- 2018
-
In: STEM CELLS INTERNATIONAL. - : HINDAWI LTD. - 1687-966X .- 1687-9678.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Loss-of-function studies are critically important in gene functional analysis of model organisms and cells. However, conditional gene inactivation in diploid cells is difficult to achieve, as it involves laborious vector construction, multifold electroporation, and complicated genotyping. Here, a strategy is presented for generating biallelic conditional gene and DNA regulatory region knockouts in mouse embryonic stem cells by codelivery of CRISPR-Cas9 and short-homology-arm targeting vectors sequentially or simultaneously. Collectively, a simple and rapid method was presented to knock out any DNA element conditionally. This approach will facilitate the functional studies of essential genes and regulatory regions during development.
|
|
| 40. |
- Chen, M-J, et al.
(author)
-
Body mass index and breast cancer : analysis of a nation-wide population-based prospective cohort study on 1 393 985 Taiwanese women
- 2016
-
In: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0307-0565 .- 1476-5497. ; 40:3, s. 524-530
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Asian women have a younger age at onset of breast cancer and a lower body mass index (BMI) than Western women. The link between obesity and risk of breast cancer in Asian women is still elusive. We aimed to investigate the effect of BMI on the risk of incident breast cancer in Taiwanese women.METHODS: A total of 1 393 985 women who had been cancer-free before recruitment and attended a nation-wide Taiwanese breast cancer-screening program between 1999 and 2009 were enrolled using a prospective cohort study. Obesity and other relevant variables (such as menopause status and other biochemical markers) were collected through in-person interviews, anthropometric measurements and blood samples at first screen. Incident breast cancers during follow-up were ascertained through the linkage of the cohort with the National Cancer Registry and the National Death Certification System.RESULTS: A total of 6969 and 7039 incident breast cancer cases were identified among women enrolled before and after menopause, respectively. Compared with a BMI range of 18.5-23.9 kgm(-2), the incremental level of BMI in the enrolled women before menopause revealed a lack of statistically significant association with the risk of incident breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.94, 0.98, 1.02, 1.01 and 0.82 for BMI < 18.5, 24-26.9, 27-29.9, 30-34.9 and >= 35, respectively), but the incremental level of BMI in the enrolled women after menopause led to a statistically significant incremental increase in the risk of breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.78, 1.19, 1.31, 1.53 and 1.65 for BMI < 18.5, 24-26.9, 27-29.9, 30-34.9 and >= 35, respectively) after adjusting for other explanatory risk factors.CONCLUSION: Obesity acts mainly as an influential promoter of the development of late-onset breast cancer after menopause in Taiwanese women.
|
|
