Microbiome-metabolomics analysis of the effects of decreasing dietary crude protein content on goat rumen mictobiota and metabolites

Zhu Wen,Liu Tianwei,Deng Jian,Wei Cong Cong,Zhang Zi Jun,Wang Di Ming,Chen Xing Yong 아세아·태평양축산학회 2022 Animal Bioscience Vol.35 No.10

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of decreasing dietary crude protein content on rumen fermentation, mictobiota, and metabolites in goats. Methods: In an 84-day feeding trial, a total of twelve male Anhui white goat kids with initial body weight 15.9±1.13 kg were selected and randomly classified into two groups, feeding a normal crude protein diet (14.8% CP, NCP) or a low crude protein diet (12.0% CP, LCP). At the end of the experimental trial (on day 84), six animals were randomly selected from each group and were slaughtered to collect rumen fluid samples for the analysis of rumen fermentation parameters, microbiome, and metabolome. Results: The concentrations of ammonia-nitrogen, total volatile fatty acid, acetate, and propionate were decreased (p<0.05) in the LCP group in comparison with those in the NCP group. The abundances of genera Prevotella, Campylobacter, Synergistetes, and TG5, which were associated with nitrogen metabolism, were lower (p<0.05) in the LCP group compared with those in the NCP group. The levels of 78 metabolites (74 decreased, 4 increased) in the rumen fluid were altered (p<0.05) by the treatment. Most of the ruminal metabolites that showed decreased levels in the LCP group were substrates for microbial protein synthesis. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that vitamin B6 metabolism was significantly different (p<0.05) in rumen fluid between the two treatments. Conclusion: Decreased dietary protein level inhibited rumen fermentation through microbiome and metabolome shifts in goat kids. These results enhance our understanding of ruminal bacteria and metabolites of goat fed a low protein diet. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of decreasing dietary crude protein content on rumen fermentation, mictobiota, and metabolites in goats.Methods: In an 84-day feeding trial, a total of twelve male Anhui white goat kids with initial body weight 15.9±1.13 kg were selected and randomly classified into two groups, feeding a normal crude protein diet (14.8% CP, NCP) or a low crude protein diet (12.0% CP, LCP). At the end of the experimental trial (on day 84), six animals were randomly selected from each group and were slaughtered to collect rumen fluid samples for the analysis of rumen fermentation parameters, microbiome, and metabolome.Results: The concentrations of ammonia-nitrogen, total volatile fatty acid, acetate, and propionate were decreased (p<0.05) in the LCP group in comparison with those in the NCP group. The abundances of genera Prevotella, Campylobacter, Synergistetes, and TG5, which were associated with nitrogen metabolism, were lower (p<0.05) in the LCP group compared with those in the NCP group. The levels of 78 metabolites (74 decreased, 4 increased) in the rumen fluid were altered (p<0.05) by the treatment. Most of the ruminal metabolites that showed decreased levels in the LCP group were substrates for microbial protein synthesis. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that vitamin B6 metabolism was significantly different (p<0.05) in rumen fluid between the two treatments.Conclusion: Decreased dietary protein level inhibited rumen fermentation through microbiome and metabolome shifts in goat kids. These results enhance our understanding of ruminal bacteria and metabolites of goat fed a low protein diet.

Sex-related Differences in DNA Copy Number Alterations in Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Zhu, Zhong-Zheng,Wang, Dong,Cong, Wen-Ming,Jiang, Hongmei,Yu, Yue,Wen, Bing-Ji,Dong, Hui,Zhang, Xiao,Liu, Shu-Fang,Wang, Ai-Zhong,Zhu, Guanshan,Hou, Lifang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.1

Background: Males have a higher prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than females in general, but the reasons for the sex disparity are still obscure. DNA copy number alteration (CNA) is a major feature of solid tumors including HCC, but whether CNA plays a role in sex-related differences in HCC development has never been evaluated. Methods: High-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to examine 17 female and 46 male HCC patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Shanghai, China. Two-tailed Fisher's exact or ${\chi}^2$ tests was used to compare CNAs between females and males. Results: The overall frequencies and patterns of CNAs in female and male cases were similar. However, female HCC tumors presented more copy number gains compared to those in males on 1q21.3-q22 (76.5% vs. 37.0%, P = 0.009), 11q11 (35.3% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.0002) and 19q13.31-q13.32 (23.5% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.004), and loss on 16p11.2 (35.3% vs. 6.5%, P = 0.009). Relative to females, male cases had greater copy number loss on 11q11 (63.0% vs. 17.6%, P = 0.002). Further analyses showed that 11q11 gain correlated with 19q13.31-q13.32 gain (P = 0.042), 11q11 loss (P = 0.011) and 16p11.2 loss (P = 0.033), while 1q21.3-q22 gain correlated with 19q13.31-q13.32 gain (P = 0.046). Conclusions: These findings suggest that CNAs may play a role in sex-related differences in HBVassociated HCC development.

Effect of cadmium exposure on antioxidant enzyme catalase in different tissues of Acrossocheilus fasciatus

Yong-Qiang Zhao,Guo-Di Liu,Cong-Cong Hou,Ying-Li Han,Jun-Quan Zhu,Jun-Quan Zhu 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2016 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.12 No.3

Catalase (CAT) is an essential antioxidant in organisms, its can eliminate hydrogen peroxides produced in the cellular environment. Previous studies have focused mainly on the functions of CAT by pathogen challenge, but the functions of CAT by metals stress remain unclear. In order to investigate the function of CAT in Acrossocheilus fasciatus (AfCat), we cloned CAT complete cDNA sequences and analyzed its functions by cadmium (Cd) stress. qPCR analysis illustrated that the expression of CAT changed rapidly and dynamically in response to Cd from 0.05 mg L-1 to 1.25 mg L-1. Enzyme activity assay result showed that CAT activity was up-regulated significantly in response to Cd from 0.05 mg L-1 to 1.25 mg L-1. Histochemistry analysis showed that the structure of liver, testis and kidney were severely damaged by exposed to Cd of 1.25 mg L-1. Collectively, the results of our study indicate that AfCat may play an indispensable role in maintaining redox balance under Cd exposure, but AfCat expression will be inhibited when Cd accumulation reaches to the critical concentration. This study will illuminate the potential functions of AfCat in the defense mechanisms of reproductive and metabolic systems under Cd exposure in A. fasciatus.

Semantic Mapping Based on Image Feature Fusion in Indoor Environments

Cong Jin,Armagan Elibol,Pengfei Zhu,Nak Young Chong 제어로봇시스템학회 2021 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2021 No.10

It is of the utmost importance for the robot to understand human semantic instructions in human-robot interaction. Combining semantic information with SLAM-based maps leads to a semantic map. Deep neural networks are able to extract useful information from the robot’s visual information. In this paper, we integrate the RGB feature information extracted by the classification network and the detection network to improve the robot’s scene recognition ability and make the acquired semantic information more accurate. The image segmentation algorithm labels the areas of interest in the metric map. Furthermore, the fusion algorithm is incorporated to obtain the semantic information of each area, and the detection algorithm recognizes the key objects in the area. We have demonstrated an efficient combination of semantic information with the occupancy grid map toward accurate semantic mapping.

Efficacy and Safety of Bevacizumab in Chinese Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Zhu, Li-Ming,Zhao, Ya-Zhen,Ju, Hai-Xing,Liu, Lu-Ying,Chen, Lei,Liu, Bi-Xia,Xu, Qi,Luo, Cong,Ying, Jie-Er,Yang, Yun-Shan,Zhong, Hai-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.16

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods: In a single-center, observational study of 91 Chinese patients with mCRC who received bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy was conducted. Objective response rates (ORRs), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse events were recorded, and the relationships between various clinical factors and PFS or OS were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Treatment with bevacizumab and chemotherapy was effective and tolerable. Univariate analysis showed that PFS and OS were significantly associated with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG-PS) score, duration of bevacizumab exposure, and whether chemotherapy was continued after discontinuation of bevacizumab treatment. A multivariate analysis showed that the duration of bevacizumab exposure and whether chemotherapy was continued after discontinuation of bevacizumab were independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS. Conclusion: In Chinese mCRC population, the shorter the duration of exposure to bevacizumab and chemotherapy, the worse the prognosis is.

Numerical study on the cavitating flow through poppet valves concerning the influence of flow instability on cavitation dynamics

Cong Yuan,Lisha Zhu,Shiqi Liu,Du Zunling,He Li 대한기계학회 2022 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.36 No.2

The flow dynamics of the cavitating jet through poppet valves inevitably suffers from the influence of varying openness, but the relevant mechanism remains unclear. Hence, the present study conducts a numerical study on the cavitating flow phenomenon inside poppet valves with two valve seat structures, in order to examine the flow mechanisms underlying varying cavitation phenomenon at different openness. According to the results, the overall cavitation distribution as well as the morphology feature follows a similar pattern due to the same inception mechanism irrelevant of the openness amount. However, examination of the dynamic behaviors confirms discernable variation in 2 coupling effects between flow instability and cavitation. The flow separation at the poppet trailing edge produces non-cavitation flow instability at 0.4 mm openness and attached cavitation at 0.8 mm, which amalgamate with upstream-shed vortex cavitation. The stably attached cavitation within the chamfered groove at 0.4 mm, as the source of non-cavitation flow instability, and the detached cavitation at 0.6 and 0.8 mm openness produce vortex cavitation at the free shearing side. The substantial variation in these two coupling effects contributes sensibly to the increase in the overall cavitation intensity. Meanwhile, the weakened coupling effect between the free shearing vortex and wall shearing vortex, as a consequence of increased potential core thickness at larger openness, leads to the attenuated vortex cavitation at the wall poppet side. Additionally, the vortex cavitation at free shearing side has a larger size in the chamfered valve seat case, due to the coupling of shed flow instability with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. As a conclusion, the inception mechanism for the cavitation remains unchanged with openness, while the difference in flow instabilities as well as the associated coupling effects with cavitation contributes to the variation in cavitation intensity.

Inhibition of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1-Induced Sebum Production by Bilobetin in Cultured Human Sebocytes

( Cong Wang ),( Yul-lye Hwang ),( Xue Mei Li ),( Soo Jung Kim ),( Ming Ji Zhu ),( Jeung-hoon Lee ),( Ri-hua Jiang ),( Chang Deok Kim ) 대한피부과학회 2019 Annals of Dermatology Vol.31 No.3

Background: Sebocytes are the major cells of sebaceous gland. The essential role of sebocytes is the production of sebum, a specific lipid mixture, that covers the body surface and provides the barrier function. At puberty, sebum production increases under the effects of various stimuli including androgens and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Excessive sebum production changes the microenvironment surrounding hair follicle, often leading to the onset of acne. Objective: We previously performed screening test using cultured human sebocytes, and found that bilobetin had a potential for inhibiting lipid production. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effects of bilobetin on IGF-1-induced lipogenesis in sebocytes. Methods: We pretreated simian virus 40 T (SV40T)-transformed sebocytes with bilobetin then stimulated with IGF-1. Effects of bilobetin on lipogenesis of sebocytes were examined by thin layer chromatography and Western blot. Results: Bilobetin markedly inhibited IGF-1- induced lipid production in sebocytes, especially in terms of production of squalene and wax ester. Supporting these results, bilobetin showed significant inhibitory effect on squalene synthase promoter activity. In addition, bilobetin significantly down-regulated lipogenic transcription factors such as sterol response element binding protein (SREBP)-1 and SREBP-2. To delineate the possible action mechanism, we investigated the effect of bilobetin on intracellular signaling. As a result, bilobetin inhibited IGF-1-induced phosphorylation of AKT. Conclusion: Together, these results suggest that bilobetin has an inhibitory potential on sebum production in sebocytes, being applicable for acne treatment. (Ann Dermatol 31(3) 294∼299, 2019)

Corrosion Damage Behavior of Prestressed Rock Bolts under Aggressive Environment

Jiebing Zhu,Xiaowei Wang,Cong Li,Bo Lu 대한토목학회 2019 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.23 No.7

The corrosion of prestressed rock bolts (PRBs) has become a serious problem threatening the durability of prestressed anchorage structures during their service. This paper aims to investigate the corrosion damage mechanisms of the free lengths of PRBs subjected to an aggressive environment. During the experiment period, the corrosion behavior of the rock bolts was analyzed considering the influence of prestress under different pH (4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) amounts and several oxygen flow rates (OFR, 0 cm3/min, 40 cm3/min, 80 cm3/min, 120 cm3/min, and 160 cm3/min). Based on the electrochemical analysis, a corrosion rate (CR) development model of the PRBs related to the OFR was developed. The results indicated that the prestress had a great influence on the corrosion of the rock bolts. In the process of corrosion, the PRBs were in an activated state, and no passivation region was formed all the time. The corrosion degree of PRBs increased remarkably with an OFR ranging from 0 cm3/min to 80 cm3/min, and then it reached a threshold value. Additionally, the CR increment was insensitive to the OFR when the pH value was constant. It was observed that the loss rate of the ultimate elongation was larger than the other mechanical properties such as the ultimate tensile load loss rate and the elastic modulus. The effective stress loss of the PRBs under different conditions indicated that more attention is needed to be given to the specimens immersed in solutions with an OFR greater 40 cm3/min and pH lower than 6.

Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Lanzhou, China

Wei Cong,Si-Yang Huang,Dong-Hui Zhou,Xiao-Xuan Zhang,Nian-Zhang Zhang,Quan Zhao,Xing-Quan Zhu 대한기생충학열대의학회 2013 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.51 No.3

Identification and evaluation of reference genes for gene expression analysis in the weevil pest Pagiophloeus tsushimanus using RT-qPCR

Chen Cong,Li Shouyin,Zhu Han,Fan Binqi,Wang Yan,Hao Dejun 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.2

Pagiophloeus tsushimanus is a newly and specialist wood-boring beetle of Cinnamomum camphora in China. RTqPCR is an accurate quantitative method to quantify target genes expression, which relies on suitable reference genes for data normalization. Reference genes must to be stably expressed under specific experimental conditions. No suitable reference genes of P. tsushimanus have been reported so far. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and evaluate suitable reference genes for the study of functional genes of this pest. In this research, the expression stability of eight candidate reference genes (RPS3, 18S rRNA, GAPDH, TBP, RPL10, UBQ, GST, and RPS27A) were systematically evaluated in P. tsushimanus by five algorithms (geNorm, BestKeeper, NormFinder, delta C q , and RefFinder) under different developmental stages, various tissues, and insects reared on different plants, and validated by the olfactory key gene odorant binding protein 33 (PtsuOBP33). The results showed that three stable reference genes combination were necessary for quantitative analysis of target gene. RPS3, RPL10, and UBQ were the optimal reference genes combination for gene expression analysis of developmental stages, while RPL10, RPS3, and 18S rRNA were recommended for different tissues, and 18S rRNA, TBP, and RPS3 were recommended for insects reared on different plants. The results indicated that suitable reference genes should be screened out for gene expression analysis under different conditions. This paper systematically analyzed and obtained suitable reference genes in P. tsushimanus for the first time, which would contribute to the functional analysis of genes and the in-depth mining of genetic resources in it.