A case-control study on the relationship between salt intake and salty taste and risk of gastric cancer

AIM: To investigate the relationship between salt intake and salty taste and risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: A 1:2 matched hospital based case-control study including 300 patients with gastric cancer and 600 cancer-free subjects as controls. Subjects were interviewed with a structured questionnaire containing 80 items, which elicited information on dietary, lifestyle habits, smoking and drinking histories. Subjects were tested for salt taste sensitivity threshold (STST) usingconcentrated saline solutions (0.22-58.4 g/L). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Alcohol and tobacco consumption increased the risk of gastric cancer [OR (95% CI) was 2.27 (1.27-4.04) for alcohol and 2.41 (1.51-3.87) for tobacco]. A protective effect was observed in frequent consumption of fresh vegetable and fruit [OR (95% CI) was 0.92 (0.58-0.98) for fresh vegetable and 0.87 (0.67-0.93) for fruit]. Strong association was found between STST ≥ 5 and gastric cancer [OR = 5.71 (3.18-6.72)]. Increased STST score was significantly associated with salted food intake and salty taste preference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A high STST score is strongly associated with gastric cancer risk. STST can be used to evaluate an inherited characteristic of salt preference, and it is a simple index to verify the salt intake in clinic.

A Parameter-Free Approach to Determine the Lagrange Multiplier in the Level Set Method by Using the BESO

A parameter-free approach is proposed to determine the Lagrange multiplier for the constraint of material volume in the level set method.It is inspired by the procedure of determining the threshold of sensitivity number in the BESO method.It first computes the difference between the volume of current design and the upper bound of volume.Then,the Lagrange multiplier is regarded as the threshold of sensitivity number to remove the redundant material.Numerical examples proved that this approach is effective to constrain the volume.More importantly,there is no parameter in the proposed approach,which makes it convenient to use.In addition,the convergence is stable,and there is no big oscillation.

A virtual model of the retina based on histological data as a tool for evaluation of the visual fields

Background:To settle the fundamentals of a numerical procedure that relates retinal ganglion-cell density and threshold sensitivity in the visual field.The sensitivity of a generated retina and visual pathways to virtual stimuli are simulated,and the conditions required to reproduce glaucoma-type defects both in the optic-nerve head(ONH)and visual fields are explored.Methods:A definition of selected structural elements of the optic pathways is a requisite to a translation of clinical knowledge to computer programs for visual field exploration.The program is able to generate a database of normalized visual fields.The relationship between the number of extant receptive fields and threshold sensitivity is plotted for background sensitivity and corresponding automated perimetry.A solution in two planes to the 3D distribution of axons in the ONH is proposed.Visual fields with induced damage in the optic disc are comparable in pattern and quantity to glaucomatous records.Results:The two-level simulation of the ONH facilitates the analysis of optic-cup/retinal defects.We can generate the virtual optic pathways tailored to the age and morphology of the patient’s eye,and it is possible to reproduce glaucomatous damage by“reverse engineering”engineering.The virtual cortical model renders a quantitative relationship between visual defect and neural damage.Conclusions:A two-level computing of the retina/optic nerve facilitates the analysis of neuroretinal defects and can be incorporated to automatic perimeters to facilitate visual field analysis.

Photochemical indicators of ozone sensitivity： application in the Pearl River Delta, China

Surface 03 production has a highly nonlinear relationship with its precursors. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of O3-NOx-VOC-sensitivity regimes complicates the control- decision making. In this paper, the indicator method was used to establish the relationship between 03 sensitivity and assessment indicators. Six popular ratios indicating ozone-precursor sensitivity, HCHO/NOy, H2O2/ HNO3, O3/NOy, O3/NOz, O3/HNO3, and H2O2/NOz, were evaluated based on the distribution of NOx- and VOC-sensitive regimes. WRF-Chem was used to study a serious ozone episode in fall over the Pearl River Delta （PRD）. It was found that the south-west of the PRD is characterized by a VOCsensitive regime, while its north-east is NO y-sensitive, with a sharp transition area between the two regimes. All indicators produced good representations of the elevated ozone hours in the episode on 6 November 2009, with H202/HNO3 being the best indicator. The threshold sensitivity levels for HCHO/NOy, H2O2/HNO3, O3/NOy, O3/NOz, O3/HNO3, and H2O2/NOz were estimated to be 0.41, 0.55, 10.2, 14.0, 19.1, and 0.38, respectively. Threshold intervals for the indicators H2O2/HNO3, O3/ NOy, O3/NOz, O3/HNO3, and H202/NOz were able to identify more than 95% of VOC- and NOx-sensitive grids. The ozone episode on 16 November 16 2008 was used to independently verify the results, and it was found that only H2O2/HNO3 and H2O2/NOz were able to differentiate the ozone sensitivity regime well. Hence, these two ratios are suggested as the most appropriate indicators for identifying fall ozone sensitivity in the PRD. Since the species used for indicators have seasonal variation, the utility of those indicators for other seasons should be investigated in the future work.

A Behavior Level Analytical Method of Electromagnetic Susceptibility for Radio Frequency Receiver

Based on simplified Volterra model, a behavior-level simulation analysis approach of electromagnetic susceptibility （EMS） for radio frequency （RF） receiver is presented in this article. Third order simplified Volterra model is adopted to analyze receiver EMS. A general criterion for EMS is proposed according to EMS response characteristics in frequency domain, and then the simulation flow charts for calculating susceptibility thresholds are given. This approach is superior to the previous EMS analysis method on receiver, which mainly relies on experiments but lack simulation analysis. Take the dual frequency GPS receiver and zero IF receiver interfered by continue wave as examples for in-band and out-of-band susceptibility threshold calculation. Simulation results show that the proposed method is not only valid and effective, but also reduces the internal storage and simulation time, which is suitable to RF receiver EMS analysis and practical in engineering and technology field.