Experimental-Computational Investigation of the Elastic Modulus of Mortar under Sulfate Attack.

External sulfate attack is an important factor causing a decrease in the mechanical properties of cement-based materials. In this paper, a computational prediction model of elastic modulus, considering the characteristics of sulfate corrosion from outside to inside and the influence of the interface transition zone (ITZ), was established to predict the elastic modulus of mortar under the external sulfate attack. Firstly, the backscattered electron (BSE) images of mortar and the algorithm of image threshold segmenting were used to determine a reasonable thickness of corroded ITZ.

Mesoscale Finite Element Modeling of Mortar under Sulfate Attack.

In this paper, a 2D mesoscale finite element (FE) numerical model of mortar, considering the influence of the ITZ, was proposed to evaluate the corrosion of mortar in sodium sulfate. On the mesoscale, the corroded mortar was regarded as a three-phase composite material composed of sand, cement paste, and an interface transition zone (ITZ). Firstly, the volume fractions and mechanical parameters (elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and strength) of the mesoscale phases were obtained.

The prognostic role and reduced expression of FOXJ2 in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

The current study aimed to investigate the potential role of the FOXJ2 (forkhead box J2) protein in the pathology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Western blotting was performed to determine the expression levels of FOXJ2 in HCC tissues and HCC cells. Specimens from 110 patients with HCC undergoing hepatic resection were evaluated for FOXJ2 expression using an immunohistochemical assay.

TGF-β induces HLA-G expression through inhibiting miR-152 in gastric cancer cells.

Background: Mounting evidences have showed the important role of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in immunological surveillance of tumors. Some studies have also indicated human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G-associated immune escape involving TGF-β management in gastric cancer (GC). However, the mechanism underlying it is unclear.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR promotes HLA-G expression via inhibiting miR-152 in gastric cancer cells.

Recent studies have shown that the long non-coding RNA HOTAIR plays critical roles in tumor biology, including cancer progression and metastasis. However, the potential biological role HOTAIR in tumor escape remains undefined. Here, HOTAIR expression was measured in sixty paired gastric cancer (GC) tissue samples by real-time PCR, and then subjected to correlation analysis with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G levels which show close links with tumor escape mechanisms.

[Quantitative analysis of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA for monitoring of recurrence and metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after radiotherapy].

Background & Objective: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Recently, it was reported that EBV DNA could be detected in the plasma or serum of NPC patients, but the clinical significance of EBV DNA concentration for monitoring of tumor recurrence and metastasis in NPC patients after radiotherapy has not been reported. This study was designed to quantitatively analyze the plasma EBV DNA concentration in NPC patients after radiotherapy, and to evaluate its application for monitoring of tumor recurrence and metastasis.