Prediction and analysis of hub genes between glioblastoma and low-grade glioma using bioinformatics analysis.

ABSTRACT: Gliomas are an intractable tumor in the central nervous system. The present study aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and low-grade gliomas (LGG) in order to investigate the mechanisms of different grades of gliomas. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to identify DEGs between GBM and LGG, and 2641 genes have been found differentially expressed. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used to determine the related functions and pathways of DEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network extracted a total of 444 nodes and 1953 interactions, and identified the top 6 hub genes in gliomas. The microarray data of the datasets GSE52009 and GSE4412, which were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, were used to externally validate DEGs expression levels. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database which was based on TCGA was used to explore the survival of hub genes in LGG and GBM. Additionally, the Oncomine database and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database were used to validate the mRNA expression level and prognostic value of hub genes. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) identified further hub genes-related pathways. In summary, through biological information and survival analysis, 6 hub genes may be new biomarkers for diagnosis and for guiding the choice of treatment strategies for different grades of gliomas.

Research on the water-entry attitude of a submersible aircraft.

BACKGROUND: The water entry of a submersible aircraft, which is transient, highly coupled, and nonlinear, is complicated. After analyzing the mechanics of this process, the change rate of every variable is considered. A dynamic model is build and employed to study vehicle attitude and overturn phenomenon during water entry. Experiments are carried out and a method to organize experiment data is proposed. The accuracy of the method is confirmed by comparing the results of simulation of dynamic model and experiment under the same condition. RESULTS: Based on the analysis of the experiment and simulation, the initial attack angle and angular velocity largely influence the water entry of vehicle. Simulations of water entry with different initial and angular velocities are completed, followed by an analysis, and the motion law of vehicle is obtained. To solve the problem of vehicle stability and control during water entry, an approach is proposed by which the vehicle sails with a zero attack angle after entering water by controlling the initial angular velocity. With the dynamic model and optimization research algorithm, calculation is performed, and the optimal initial angular velocity of water-entry is obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of simulations confirms that the effectiveness of the propose approach by which the initial water-entry angular velocity is controlled.

Health and well-being factors associated with international business travel.

BACKGROUND: International travel by US business travelers is continuing to increase with the globalization of the economy. The objective of this study was to determine if the frequency and duration of international business travel is associated with differences in travelers' health and well-being. This study expands our limited knowledge of the impact of long-haul travel on healthy lifestyle choices and traveler's perceptions of their health and well-being. METHODS: 12,942 unique health risk appraisal (HRA) records of US employees of a multinational corporation were analyzed according to self-reported (objective and subjective) travel history and lifestyle habits. RESULTS: Comparing 2,962 international travelers and 9,980 non-travelers, international business travel was significantly associated with a lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, excess alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, and diminished confidence to keep up with the pace of work. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated both positive and negative associations on the health risks and well-being of a large sample of US-based international business travelers from an US multinational company. This study identifies targeted areas for pretrip screening and counseling to proactively address potential negative effects of travel and may assist in the design of corporate travel health and employee assistance programs.

Reassessing the relationship between ozone and short-term mortality in U.S. urban communities.

Time-series studies that use daily mortality and ambient ozone concentrations exhibit estimates of ozone effects that are variable across cities. We investigate this intercity variability, as well as the sensitivity of the ozone- mortality associations to modeling assumptions and choice of daily ozone metric, based on reanalysis of data from the National Morbidity, Mortality and Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS). Previous work from NMMAPS reported a statistically significant association between ambient 24-h ozone and short-term mortality when averaged across 98 U.S. cities. Separation of ozone health associations from effects due to weather and co-pollutants is central to their interpretation. We examined the sensitivity of city-specific ozone-mortality estimates to adjustments for confounders and effect modifiers, showing substantial sensitivity. We examined ozone-mortality associations in different concentration ranges, finding a larger incremental effect in higher ranges, but also larger uncertainty. Alternative ozone exposure metrics defined by maximum 8-h averages or 1-h maxima show different ozone-mortality associations that cannot be explained by simple scaling relationships. The emphasis in earlier studies based on NMMAPS has been on the reporting of "national" effects, together with prediction intervals that suggest that these national values are precisely estimated. Our view is that ozone-mortality associations, based on time-series epidemiologic analyses of daily data from multiple cities, reveal still-unexplained inconsistencies and show sensitivity to modeling choices and data selection that contribute to serious uncertainties when epidemiological results are used to discern the nature and magnitude of possible ozone-mortality relationships or are applied to risk assessment.

[Application and results of Robicsek procedure for dilated ascending aorta associated with aortic valve disease].

OBJECTIVE: To introduce the Robicsek procedure and summarize its short to mid-term results for patients with dilatation of the ascending aorta associated with aortic valve disease. METHODS: From December 2002 to June 2006, 30 patients with a moderately dilated ascending aorta [mean diameter, (46.7+/-3.1) mm] underwent concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR) or repairing and reinforced aortoplasty with a well-tailored Dacron vascular graft. Follow-up was obtained on all patients with ultrasonic cardiography (UCG) or computed tomography (CT) scan and was (18.0+/-10.5) months. RESULTS: The total average cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) time was (103.4+/-21.7) min (80-151 min), and aortic arrest time was (73.0+/-21.6) min (48-120 min), whereas the average CPB time and aortic arrest time of 19 patients who underwent the isolated Robicsek procedure were only (91.3+/-8.9) min (80-118 min) and (61.6+/-11.3) min (48-82 min). No mortality occurred in the hospital. During follow-up of 18 months, no recurrent ascending aortic dilatation and dissection were observed, and the average aortic diameter was reduced to (33.7+/-2.5) mm. Sixteen of the 30 patients were diagnosed as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). The ascending aortic media were histologically abnormal in 23 patients. CONCLUSION: Considering the underlying wall deficiency and the homodynamic stress, the Robicsek operation should be an optimal choice to those patients with a mild to moderate dilated ascending aorta caused by aortic valve lesion. Compared with the Bentall and David procedures, the Robicsek procedure could achieve the same or even better clinical results with less operative time and risks.

[Clinical analysis of pregnancy and postpartum cardiovascular complications in Marfan syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the management of pregnancy and cardiovascular complications in women with Marfan syndrome (MFS). METHODS: From October 1994 to September 2006, 30 patients with MFS undergoing cardiovascular surgery were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: In the labor of 46 offsprings given birth by 30 women, 5 cases (11%) were performed elective cesarean section because of the existence of aortic complication, and 12 (26%) were diagnosed as MFS. The gestation in two patients was terminated due to deterioration of aortic abnormalities during their third trimester, and they received surgical treatment with Bentall procedure. Two developed acute aortic dissection during labor and post delivery respectively. With the manipulation of anticoagulation peripartum, one who had the implantation with mechanical prosthesis went through pregnancy and delivery uneventfully. The average duration between delivery and cardiovascular surgery was (15 +/- 9) years. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal delivery can be done safely in patients with the MFS who do not have or have mild cardiovascular system abnormalities, aortic dissection, or other important cardiac abnormalities, cesarean section should be the preferred method of delivery. Women with MFS are at increased risk for dissection and congestive heart failure during pregnancy and should be counseled before pregnancy about these risks, as well as the inheritance of the condition.