Significant association between IL-18 and OCT4 gene polymorphisms in susceptibility and clinical characteristics of prostate cancer

Objective Recent studies have shown abnormal expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4(OCT4) and interleukin-18(IL-18) to be related to cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the IL-18 and OCT4 gene polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the presence of IL-18 and OCT4 polymorphisms were associated with size, grade, tumor, nodes and metastasis(TNM) stage, or survival in patients with prostate cancer.Methods Polymorphisms in OCT4 and IL-18 genes were evaluated to determine susceptibility to prostate cancer in 120 patients. A control group consisted of 125 Chinese participants. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. Results No association was found between OCT4 and IL-18 gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer susceptibility. For OCT4 AA and IL-18-607 CC genotypes, there was a significant association with higher tumor grade(P = 0.03 and P = 0.025) and stage(P = 0.04 and P = 0.001). The OCT4 and IL-18-137 GG genotype was correlated with higher tumor grade(P = 0.028) and stage(P = 0.008). Furthermore, OCT4 AA was significantly more frequent in patients with lymph node metastasis(P = 0.02) and distant metastasis(P = 0.01). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that tumor grade and stage grouping were independent prognostic factors but IL-18 and OCT4 polymorphisms were not. Conclusion The OCT4 gene may have a profound effect on prostate cancer risk. Polymorphism variants in the IL-18(IL-18-607 and IL-18-137) and OCT4 genes may be associated with poor prognoses for individuals with prostate cancer.

Clinical study of IL-18 and NANOG gene polymorphisms in prostate cancer patients

Objective Recent studies have shown abnormal expression of NANOG and IL-18 to be related to cancer. However, the molecular mechanism by which IL-18 and NANOG gene polymorphisms are associated with prostate cancer is unclear. In this study, we examined whether IL-18 and NANOG gene polymorphisms and their interaction with prostate cancer-related risk factor are associated with the susceptibility to and clinicopathological development of prostate cancer among Chinese men.Methods Polymorphisms in the NANOG and IL-18 genes were evaluated for susceptibility in 120 patients with prostate cancer. The control group consisted of 125 samples from Chinese men. Genotyping was conducted using Taq Man allelic discrimination assays. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results No association of NANOG and IL-18 gene polymorphisms and overall prostate cancer susceptibility was detected. The IL-18-607 CC genotype was significantly associated with a higher tumor grade(P = 0.025) and stage(P =0.001). The IL-18-137 GG genotype correlated with a higher tumor grade(P = 0.028) and stage(P = 0.008). The IL-18-137 G allele was significantly more frequent in patients with lymph node metastasis(P = 0.035). The IL-18-607 CC genotype was associated with distant metastasis(P = 0.025). However, no significant association was observed between NANOG polymorphisms and any clinicopathological feature. The Cox proportional hazard model showed that tumor grade and stage grouping were independent prognostic factors in IL-18, while IL-18 polymorphism was not. Polymorphism variants in the IL-18(IL-18-607 and IL-18-137) and NANOG(genotypes AC) genes might be associated with a worse prognosis of patients with prostate cancer.Conclusion NANOG may be associated with the early stages of prostate cancer carcinogenesis. IL-18 and NANOG gene polymorphisms may play a major role in the growth, invasion, and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Antenna-in-Package (AiP) Technology

1.Introduction Since the mid-1990s,the complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS)has been the technological driver for the wireless revolution[1],enabling the full system-on-chip(SoC)integration of Bluetooth radios,60 GHz radios,and 79 GHz radar.In fact,the CMOS is now the dominant semiconductor technology for the fifth generation(5G)New Radio(NR)[2].

Effect of interleukin-18 polymorphisms-607 and -137 on clinical characteristics of prostate cancer patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of IL-18 polymorphisms -137 G/C and -607 A/C was associated with grade, clinical stage, and survival in patients with prostate cancer. Methods: The study cohort included 126 patients with prostate cancer. Control group consisted of 125 samples from Chinese population. Genomic DNA was extracted from EDTA-anticoagulated peripheral blood leukocytes by the salting-out method. The genotyping of the two IL-18 polymorphisms was performed using predesigned TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. Results: The studied IL-18 gene polymorphisms did not influence susceptibility to prostate cancer in the analyzed group of patients (IL-18-607, P = 0.342; IL-18-137 P = 0.715) but may contribute to disease onset and aggressiveness. IL-18-607 CC genotype was significantly associated with higher tumor grade (P = 0.025) and stage (P = 0.001). IL-18-137 GG genotype was correlated with higher tumor grade (P = 0.018) and stage (P = 0.007). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that tuumor grade and stage grouping were independent prognostic factors but IL-18 polymorphism was not. Polymorphism variants in the IL-18 gene (IL-18-607 and IL-18-137) may be associated with a worse prognosis for prostate cancer. Conclusion: High levels of IL-18 production may play a major role in the growth, invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer.

How to Evaluate the Rice Cultivation Suitability?

To rationally allocate farmland resources,and scientifically make farming industrial planning,we take Yizheng City in Jiangsu Province as the research object,and select 13 indicators.Based on Farmland Resources Management Information System in Yizheng City,we establish AHP model,and membership function model,for the evaluation of farmland suitability of rice.The results show that the farmland area in the highly suitable areas accounts for 10.2%of the total farmland area;the farmland area in the suitable areas accounts for 56.08%of the total farmland area;the farmland area in the marginally suitable areas accounts for 25.50%of the total farmland area;the farmland area in the unsuitable areas accounts for 8.22%of the total farmland area.There is significant positive correlation between the actual yield of rice surveyed and suitability index obtained through evaluation(R2=0.1964,319 samples);the actual yield of rice in the highly suitable areas is higher than in the marginally suitable areas and suitable areas,and the rice yield is the lowest in the unsuitable areas.

Impact of IL-18 gene promoter polymorphisms on renal cell carcinoma occurrence and prognosis in Chinese Han population

Objective Genetic polymorphisms in various inflammatory cytokines have been associated with the risk and growth or invasiveness of renal cell carcinoma(RCC).However,the molecular basis of RCC pathogenesis is unclear.The aim of this study was to explore a possible association between two IL-18 gene promoter polymorphisms,-137G/C and -607 C/A,and RCC occurrence and prognosis in a Chinese Han population.Methods Chinese Han patients with RCC(n=175) and age-matched healthy controls(n=200) were analyzed by single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping during follow-up.Results IL-18-137G allele frequency was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis(Odds ratio [OR],3.52;95% confidence interval [CI],0.97-16.17;P=0.045).The IL-18-607 CC genotype was associated with distant metastasis(OR,2.81;95% CI,1.35-6.24;P=0.025).The IL-18-137G allele was correlated with more advanced tumor stage(OR,1.83;95% CI,1.05-3.72;P=0.026) and higher tumor grade(OR,2.23;95% CI,0.78-4.12;P=0.041).The IL-18-607 CC genotype frequency was significantly higher in patients with more advanced cancer stage(OR,2.92;95% CI,1.80-6.87;P=0.001) and higher tumor grade(OR,2.21;95% CI,1.25-12.25;P=0.035).The IL-18-607 allele was associated with more advanced cancer stage(OR,2.47;95% CI,1.38-3.83;P=0.002).Carriers of the GG genotype with the -137G/C polymorphism had a 2.165-times higher risk of RCC progression than carriers of the GC genotype(Hazard ratio=2.15,95% CI,1.270-3.687).Conclusion The IL-18-137G allele was correlated with more advanced stage,higher tumor grade,and lymph node metastasis.IL-18 gene promoter polymorphism -137G/C may thus influence the prognosis of RCC patients.

Differential Antennas: Fundamentals and Applications

Driven by the great demand for highly integrated wireless system-on-chip and system-in-package devices,there has recently been increas-ing interest in the research and development of differential antennas.Many studies on the design,analysis,and measurement of differential antennas have been published.This paper presents an overview of the fundamentals and applications of differential antennas.First,it compares differential to bal-anced and single-ended to unbalanced antennas and explains why the new terms(differential and single-ended antennas)should be adopted instead of the old terms(balanced and unbalanced antennas).Second,it addresses the quantitative relationship between a differential antenna and its single-ended counterpart,which is important and useful because the properties of either the differential or single-ended antenna can be determined from the other with a known solution.Third,it describes how differential antennas can be measured,with a special emphasis on the balun method.Fourth,it classifies dif-ferential antennas into wire,slot,microstrip,printed,and dielectric resonator antennas to better present their suitability and functionality.Fifth,it pro-vides application examples of differential antennas from simple discrete wire to sophisticated microstrip designs.Finally,it is argued that the old paradigms of lower gains and bulkier sizes of differential antennas as compared to single-ended antennas do not always hold true;for instance,differen-tial microstrip patch antennas can possess comparable or even smaller sizes and higher gain values than single-ended microstrip patch antennas.

Tailoring Meta-Liquid Crystal for Larger Tunability

Liquid crystals are pivotal innovations in the field of tunable materials.However,in the millimeter wave band,the relatively low tunability of liquid crystal limits its applicability.A design method utilizing metamaterial characteristics to enhance the tunability of a liquid crystal is proposed.This design method is based on two theoretical models.Both models embed metamaterial structures into a liquid crystal,thus tailoring a new tunable material,namely,a meta-liquid crystal.By appropriately designing the metamaterials to meet the corresponding conditions derived in different models,the tunability of the meta-liquid crystal can be higher than that of the original liquid crystal.An application of beam scanning is provided to verify this method.Two beam steerable antenna arrays are designed,fabricated and investigated.The beam scanning range of the meta-liquid crystal antenna array is much wider than that of the original liquid crystal antenna array,which confirms the enhancement of tunability.Consequently,this work fills the research gap in improving the performance of liquid crystals in the millimeter wave band.Simultaneously,a bridge is established between two significant materials:tunable materials and metamaterials.The results imply that the performance of tunable materials can be manipulated by metamaterials.

Rapid and visual RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a detection for Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and methicillin-resistant S.pseudintermedius in clinical samples of dogs and cats

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius can cause severe infections of the skin,ear and other tissues in dogs and cats.Methi-cillin-resistant S.pseudintermedius(MRSP)has recently become more prevalent,posing a severe threat to companion animals and public health.Therefore,rapid and accurate diagnosis of S.pseudintermedius and MRSP infections in dogs and cats is essential for timely controlling infections.The development of CRISPR/Cas technology offers an innovative solution for rapid diagnosis.Here,we established an assay combining recombinant polymerase amplification(RPA)and CRISPR/Cas12a.By separately detecting the spsJ gene,the specific gene of S.pseudintermedius,and the mecA gene,the methicillin resistance gene,this method allows for the direct detection of methicillin-susceptible S.pseud-intermedius(MSSP)and MRSP in clinical samples at 37℃for a total of 40 min,The results can be directly visualized by the naked eye under blue light.The limits of detection of the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay were 103 copies per reaction for the spsJ gene and 104 copies per reaction for the mecA gene.The RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a detection successfully detected and differentiated clinical isolates of MSSP and MRSP without cross-reactivity with other tested bacteria species.The evaluation of the detection performance of RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a with 47 clinical samples(without culture)from dogs and cats showed that the results of detection were 100%consistent with those of clinical culture and colony sequencing,which was more sensitive than PCR.RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay can quickly and sensitively detect S.pseudintermedius and MRSP in clinical samples without expensive instruments,making it suitable for small veterinary clinics.

Modification of acidity of Mo-Fe/HZSM-5 zeolite via argon plasma treatment

TheNH_(3)-TPDcharacterization wasconducted to confirm that the acidity of Mo-Fe/HZSM-5 zeolite could be selectively modified via the glow discharge plasma treatment.The plasma catalyst treatment could totally change the distribution of aromatic products with higher methane conversion compared to the untreated catalyst.Some polycyclic aromatics such as anthracene,pyrene and phenanthrene were also produced over the plasma treated catalyst,in addition to benzene,toluene and naphthalene,which were normally obtained over the untreated catalyst.