FANGHAO SUN¹, WENCHAO ZHAO¹, LIANSHENG ZHANG², HONGGUI MA¹, JIAN ZHOU¹, YOUGAN CHEN¹, JIANQUAN HOU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.4, pp. 639-647, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.013053

Abstract Recent studies suggested that LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP-1) is a promising therapeutic target for renal cell cancer (RCC). This study aimed to explore the role of LASP-1 in RCC. For this purpose, LASP-1 expression in RCC tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and gene expression were detected by CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay, and Western blot analysis. The results showed that LASP-1 was highly expressed in RCC, and its expression level,t was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and tumor, nodes, and metastases (TNM) stage. The knockdown of LASP-1 expression significantly inhibited… More >

Talha Niaz¹, Joseph T. Poterucha¹, Jonathan N. Johnson^1,2, Cecilia Craviari¹, Thomas Nienaber¹, Jared Palfreeman¹, Frank Cetta^1,2, Donald J. Hagler^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.12, No.3, pp. 261-269, 2017, DOI:10.1111/chd.12429

Abstract Background: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) occurs both as an isolated cardiac lesion and in association with congenital heart defects (CHD). Their aim was to identify the incidence and morphology of BAV in patients with coexisting CHD and compare their disease progression to patients with isolated BAV.
Methods: The Mayo Clinic echocardiography database was retrospectively analyzed to identify pediatric and young adult patients (≤22 years) who were diagnosed with BAV from 1990 to 2015. The morphology of BAV was determined from the echocardiographic studies before any intervention.
Results: Overall, 1010 patients with BAV were identified, 619 (61%) with isolated BAV and… More >

Melissa S.W. Yamauchi^1,2, Michael D. Puchalski^1,2, Hsin Ti Weng¹, Nelangi M. Pinto^1,2, Susan P. Etheridge^1,2, Angela P. Presson¹, Lloyd Y. Tani^1,2, L. LuAnn Minich^1,2, Richard V. Williams^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.13, No.3, pp. 432-439, 2018, DOI:10.1111/chd.12591

Abstract Background: Disease progression of an isolated bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) in children is poorly understood and adult management guidelines may not be applicable. Thus, we sought to evaluate disease progression of pediatric isolated BAV and its relationship to current management practices.
Methods: Children with a BAV and ≤mild aortic stenosis (AS) and/or aortic regurgitation (AR) at the time of initial evaluation were included in this retrospective cohort study (1/2005-12/ 2014). Outcomes included change in z-scores for aortic root and ascending aorta diameters, cardiac interventions, adverse outcomes, recommended follow-up interval, and frequency of cardiac imaging studies at each follow up evaluation,… More >

Xuefeng Xi¹, Victor S. Sheng^{1, 2, *}, Shuhui Yang³, Baochuan Fu¹, Zhiming Cui¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.63, No.1, pp. 163-181, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2020.06992

Abstract The pattern of thematic progression, reflecting the semantic relationships between contextual two sentences, is an important subject in discourse analysis. We introduce a new corpus of Chinese news discourses annotated with thematic progression information and explore some computational methods to automatically extracting the discourse structural features of simplified thematic progression pattern (STPP) between contextual sentences in a text. Furthermore, these features are used in a hybrid approach to a major discourse analysis task, Chinese coreference resolution. This novel approach is built up via heuristic sieves and a machine learning method that comprehensively utilizes both the top-down STPP features and the… More >

Rui Lv¹, Liang Wang¹, Dalin Tang^1,*,2

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 27-28, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.06829

Abstract Medical imaging and image-based computational modeling have been used by many researchers in recent years to quantify atherosclerotic plaque morphological and biomechanical characteristics and predict the coronary plaque growth and rupture processes. However, it has been hard to validate model predictions due to imaging resolution limitation, lack of clinical events and plaque rupture data. This article reviews recent advances in coronary plaque research over the past decade, including medical imaging techniques represented by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), computational modeling and their applications in plaque progression and vulnerability analyses and predictions. The clinical application and future development… More >

Yahui Zhang¹, Hui Wang^1,2, Zhouming Mai^1,2, Jianhang Du^1,2,3,*, Guifu Wu^1,2,3

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 85-86, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05836

Abstract Enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) is an effective therapy to provide beneficial assistance for the failing heart by reducing cardiac afterload and increasing blood flow perfusion noninvasively. The technique of EECP involves the use of the EECP device to inflate and deflate a series of compression cuffs wrapped around the patient’s calves, lower thighs, and upper thighs. As the result, the enhanced flow perfusion is derived from the device’s propelling blood from veins of lower body to arteries of upper body and increases the blood supply for the important organs and brain. In the ACCF/AHA Guideline and ESC Guideline on… More >

Xiaoya Guo¹, Dalin Tang^1,2,*, David Molony³, Chun Yang², Habib Samady³, Jie Zheng⁴, Gary S. Mintz⁵, Akiko Maehara⁵, Jian Zhu⁶, Genshan Ma⁶, Mitsuaki Matsumura⁵, Don P. Giddens^3,7

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 75-76, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05743

Abstract Atherosclerotic plaque progression is generally considered to be closely associated with morphological and mechanical factors. Plaque morphological information on intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images could complement each other and provide for more accurate plaque morphology. Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) models combining IVUS and OCT were constructed to obtain accurate plaque stress/strain and flow shear stress data for analysis. Accuracy and completeness of imaging and advanced modeling lead to accurate plaque progression predictions.
In vivo IVUS and OCT coronary plaque data at baseline and follow-up were acquired from left circumflex coronary and right coronary artery of one… More >

Zhiyong Li^1,2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 29-30, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.06308

Abstract In this article, we summarize our previous work in imaging-based computational modelling and simulation of the interaction between blood flow and atherosclerotic plaque. We also discussed our recent developments in multiphysical modelling of plaque progression and destabilization. Significance and translation of the modelling study to clinical practice are discussed in order to better assess plaque vulnerability and accurately predict a possible rupture. More >

J. J. Wentzel^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 7-8, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05696

Abstract The pathophysiology of atherosclerosis is complex and multifactorial, involving systemic risk factors and biomechanical stimuli. Atherosclerotic plaques predominantly form in regions that are exposed to low shear stress of the blood at the vessel wall, whereas regions of moderate and high shear stress are generally protected. For more than 20 years, my research group performs studies to investigate the role of shear stress in atherosclerotic plaque formation and rupture in coronary and carotid arteries of patients and laboratory animals. For that reason, new technology was developed to 3D reconstruct arteries based on fusion of multiple invasive and non-invasive imaging modalities.… More >

Hala Abdulaziz M ALWARTHAN¹, Mohammad Saud AL ANAZI¹, Narasimha R. PARINE¹, Ramesa Shafi BHAT^1,*, Ghadah ALAMRO¹, Ftoon ALJARBOU¹, Sooad K AL-DAIHAN¹

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.2, pp. 51-58, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.07019

Abstract Tankyrase1 plays an essential role in cancer progression by regulating telomere length. The study aimed to determine expression of TNKS1 and its regulation in colorectal cancer (CRC) in 20 samples from Saudi patients. mRNA expression of TNKS1 in CRC and paired normal tissues was measured by qRT-PCR. Epigenetic modification of TNKS1 promoter was determined by methylation-specific PCR while somatic mutation was analyzed by Sanger sequencing in exon 10 of the gene. All cancerous and normal tissues expressed TNKS1, but level of expression in CRC tissues was significantly associated with tumor stage though no other parameters; age, gender, and tumor location,… More >