No abstract

No abstract

Abstract-A modified two-element Yagi-Uda antenna with tunable beams in the H-plane (including four significant beams: forward, backward, omni-directional, and bi-directional beams) is presented. These tunable beams are achieved by simply adjusting the short-circuit position of the transmission line connected to the parasitic element. The principle of operation is investigated by examining the current relations between the driven and parasitic elements. Measured results of a fabricated prototype are presented and discussed.

Objective To investigate the independent risk factors and potential predictors of bladder cancer-related ischemic stroke (BCRIS). Methods This was a multi-center retrospective study including patients with active bladder cancer and acute ischemic stroke without traditional stroke risk factors (BCRIS group), and sex- and age-matched patients with active bladder cancer alone (control group). Data were collected between January 2006 and December 2018. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for BCRIS. The predictive performance of these risk factors was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Records were retrospectively reviewed from 60 BCRIS patients and 120 bladder cancer controls. Univariate analysis revealed that serum D-dimer and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and the platelet and neutrophil counts were significantly higher in BCRIS patients compared with controls. Multivariate analysis identified the three above-mentioned variables as independent risk factors for BCRIS. The product of all three factors gave the largest area under the ROC curve. Conclusions Elevated serum D-dimer and CEA levels and increased platelet count were independent risk factors for BCRIS, and the cut-off value based on the product of the three independent risk factors (≥2,640,745.29) could serve as a potential predictor of BCRIS.

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a surrogate marker of acute inflammatory lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Data from experiments suggest that apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays an important role in the antiinflammatory and immunological process in MS/EAE. Recent researches have shown that lack of ApoE leads to loss of cerebrovascular integrity and BBB breakdown causing neuronal injury. Cerebrovascular effects of ApoE might be another important element resulting to more susceptibility to MS/EAE. However, there is no direct evidence that ApoE dependently contributes to maintaining BBB integrity in EAE. In this study, we induced EAE in ApoE-/- mice and wild-type mice. During EAE, our results show that lack of ApoE increased the Evan's blue (EB) permeability of BBB. Furthermore, deficiency of ApoE upregulated MMP-9 expression activity but decreased the expression of endothelial cell tight junction integral proteins claudin-5 and occludin. Our result also suggests that the protective role of ApoE in EAE by maintaining BBB integrity could be another interesting therapeutic target at MS/EAE.

No abstract

Background Ischemic stroke in cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis. However, the specific biomarkers of cancer-associated ischemic stroke (CaIS) have not been well defined. Material/Methods A retrospective study was conducted on PCaIS patients. Clinical data and laboratory and imaging findings were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors for PCaIS. A multiple model combining the independent risk factors of PCaIS was developed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results A total of 83 PCaIS patients and 83 prostate cancer (PCa) patients were included. PCaIS patients had higher levels of D-dimer, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and total prostate-specific antigen (T-PSA). In the multivariate analysis, D-dimer [OR=1.001, 95% CI: 1.00,1.00, P =0.002], NLR [OR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.04,1.22, P =0.005], and T-PSA [OR=6.275, 95% CI: 2.57,15.31, P <0.001] were independent risk factors of PCaIS. Additionally, the AUC of the multiple model of PCaIS was 0.815 (95% CI, 0.750–0.869), with sensitivity of 81.71% and specificity of 70.21%. Conclusions Elevated levels of D-dimer and T-PSA and increased NLR are independent risk factors of PCaIS. The multiple model of PCaIS can be a specific biomarker and is a reliable predictor of development of PCaIS.

GATA transcription factors perform conserved and essential roles during animal development, including germ-layer specification, hematopoiesis, and cardiogenesis. The evolutionary history and the changes in selection pressures following duplication of the six GATA family members in vertebrates have not been completely understood. Recently, we explored multiple databases to find GATAs in different vertebrate species. Using these sequences, we have performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods, and statistical tests of tree topologies, to ascertain the phylogenetic relationship and selection pressures among GATA proteins. Seventy-one full-length cDNA sequences from 24 vertebrate species were extracted from multiple databases. By phylogenetic analyses, we investigated the origin, conservation, and evolution of the GATAs. Six GATA genes in vertebrates might be formed by gene duplication. The inferred evolutionary transitions that separate members which belong to different gene clusters correlated with changes in functional properties. Selection analysis and protein structure analysis were combined to explain Darwinian selection in GATA sequences and these changes brought putative biological significance. 26 positive selection sites were detected in this process. This study reveals the evolutionary history of vertebrate GATA paralogous and positively selected sites likely relevant for the distinct functional properties of the paralogs. It provides a new perspective for understanding the origin and evolution and biological functions of GATAs, which will help to uncover the GATAs' biological roles, evolution and their relationship with associated diseases; in addition, other complex multidomain families and also larger superfamilies can be investigated in a similar way.