Abnormal β-catenin immunohistochemical expression as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer:A meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the effect ofβ-catenin immunohistochemical expression on the prognosis of gastric cancer(GC).METHODS:We searched Pubmed and Embase to identify eligible studies.The search ended on November 10,2013,with no lower date limit.The citation lists associated with the studies were used to identify additional eligible studies.We included studies reporting sufficient information to estimate the HR and 95%CI,and information to estimate the OR in the analysis of clinicopathological features.The qualities of these studies were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale.HRs and ORs and their variance were calculated and pooled using Review Manager Version 5.2.RESULTS:A total of 24 studies were identified and comprised 3404 cases.β-catenin expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival(OS)in GC patients(HR=1.85,95%CI:1.39-2.46),but showed a significant degree of heterogeneity(I2=71%,P<0.0001).Subgroup analysis indicated that an abnormal pattern ofβ-catenin expression had an unfavorable effect on OS(HR=1.79,95%CI:1.39-2.32).However,accumulation in the nucleus or loss of membrane did not influence the survival of GC patients independently.Moreover,the combined OR ofβ-catenin indicated thatβ-catenin expression was associated with Lauren classification(OR=1.98,95%CI:1.19-3.29),lymph node metastasis(OR=2.00,95%CI:1.44-2.77),distant metastasis(OR=2.69,95%CI:1.35-5.38)and grade of differentiation(OR=2.68,95%CI:1.66-4.34).β-catenin expression did not correlate with TNM stage(OR=1.34 95%CI:0.96-1.86),the depth of invasion(OR=1.48,95%CI:0.94-2.33)or vascular invasion(OR=1.11,95%CI:0.70-1.76).CONCLUSION:Abnormalβ-catenin immunohistochemical expression may be associated with tumor progression and could be a predictive factor of poor prognosis in patients with GC.

A Universal Blown Film Apparatus for in Situ X-ray Measurements

A setup of blown film machine combined with in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction measurements and infrared temperature testing is reported to study the structure evolution of polymers during film blowing. Two homemade auto-lifters are constructed and placed under the blown machine at each end of the beamline platform which move up and down with a speed of 0.05 mm/s bearing the 200 kg weight machine. Therefore, structure development and temperature changes as a function of position on the film bubble can be obtained. The blown film machine is customized to be conveniently installed with precise servo motors and can adjust the processing parameters in a wide range. Meanwhile, the air ring has been redesigned in order to track the structure information of the film bubble immediately after the melt being extruded out from the die exit. Polyethylene（PE） is selected as a model system to verify the feasibility of the apparatus and the in situ experimental techniques. Combining structure information provided by the WAXD and SAXS and the actual temperature obtained from the infrared probe, a full roadmap of structure development during film blowing is constructed and it is helpful to explore the molecular mechanism of structure evolution behind the film blowing processing, which is expected to lead to a better understanding of the physics in polymer processing.