Identification and characterization of heat shock proteins in a parasitic wasp Chouioia cuneae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Li‐Na Pan,Feng-ZhuWANG,Xin-Yue ZHANG,Yan-Ni ZHAO,Geng-Ping ZHU,Min LI 한국곤충학회 2018 Entomological Research Vol.48 No.3

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known to be induced in response to various stress factors. Although HSPs have been studied in a number of insects, not much is known about HSPs in the natural enemies of insects, especially parasitoids. In this study, we identified and characterized five full‐length HSP genes (Cchsp40, Cchsp60, Cchsp70, Cchsp83, and Cchsp90) from an endoparasitic chalcid wasp, Chouioia cunea, which parasitizes the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea pupae, a worldwide pest. The expression of Cchsps in response to temperature, pesticide stresses and UV radiation were also investigated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). The results showed that all five Cchsps were induced in response to hot and cold temperatures. Four pesticides induced the abundant expression of Cchsp70, Cchsp83 and Cchsp90 while ultraviolet radiation up‐regulated Cchsp40, Cchsp70, Cchsp83 and Cchsp90. These results indicate the different transcriptional profiles of the five different Cchsps in response to various abiotic stresses. The findings of this study provide insights into the response of C. cunea to abiotic stresses and insight into the use of this parasitoid in biological control strategies.

Hypoglycemic triterpenes from <i>Gynostemma pentaphyllum</i>

Wang, Jun,Ha, Thi Kim Quy,Shi, Yan-Ping,Oh, Won Keun,Yang, Jun-Li Elsevier 2018 Phytochemistry Vol.155 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>To search for bioactive gypenosides and their analogues, a saponin enriched fraction and its hydrolyzate from <I>Gynostemma pentaphyllum</I> were phytochemically investigated. Fractionation by diverse chromatographic methods, including HPLC, Sephadex LH-20, silica gel, and C18 reverse phase silica gel, led to the isolation and purification of twelve triterpenes, including five undescribed and seven known. The chemical structures of all compounds were determined as analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS), infrared spectrum (IR), optical rotation, and chemical transformations. Among all isolates, nine compounds possessed a rare dammarane triterpenoid framework with A-ring modified. The relative configurations of three compounds were determined by 2D NMR for the first time. The absolute configurations of four compounds were determined by the modified Mosher's method. Two of all isolated compounds significantly enhanced 2-deoxy-2-[(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)amino]-D-glucose (2-NBDG) uptake and Glucose Transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation via activating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) signaling pathway. This study provided the potential candidates for the development of antidiabetic agents.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> <I>Gynostemma pentaphyllum</I> is a traditional medicinal and edible plant in China. </LI> <LI> Five undescribed triterpenes were isolated. </LI> <LI> The modified Mosher's method was used to determine the absolute configurations. </LI> <LI> Their hypoglycemic activity was evaluated in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. </LI> <LI> This study provided the potential candidates for antidiabetic agents. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>Five undescribed and nine known triterpenes were isolated from the hydrolyzate and extract of <I>Gynostemma pentaphyllum.</I> Their hypoglycemic activity was evaluated.</P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

No Association Between the USP7 Gene Polymorphisms and Colorectal Cancer in the Chinese Han Population

Li, Xin,Wang, Yang,Li, Xing-Wang,Liu, Bao-Cheng,Zhao, Qing-Zhu,Li, Wei-Dong,Chen, Shi-Qing,Huang, Xiao-Ye,Yang, Feng-Ping,Wang, Quan,Wang, Jin-Fen,Xiao, Yan-Zeng,Xu, Yi-Feng,Feng, Guo-Yin,Peng, Zhi-Ha Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Colorectal cancer (CRC), now the third most common cancer across the world, is known to aggregate in families. USP7 is a very important protein with an important role in regulating the p53 pathway, which is critical for genomic stability and tumor suppression. We here genotyped eight SNPs within the USP7 gene and conducted a case-control study in 312 CRC patients and 270 healthy subjects in the Chinese Han population. No significant associations were found for any single SNP and CRC risk. Our data eliminate USP7 as a potential candidate gene towards for CRC in the Han Chinese population.

Applicability Analysis of Microseismic Technology in Tunnel Water Inrush Monitoring

Yan-hao Chen,Shuai Cheng,Li-Ping Li,Jun-yan Yang,Hong-liang Liu,Wen-feng Tu 대한토목학회 2021 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.25 No.7

Water inrush disaster is one of the most serious geological disasters in tunnel construction. There are still some problems in the existing researches, such as the activity information of surrounding rock is difficult to obtain, the mechanism of water inrush disaster is unclear, the correlation between water inrush disaster and microseismic (MS) information is missing, which have caused the water inrush disaster to be passively controlled. Combining with the practical experience of tunnel engineering, the application problems of MS technology in tunnel engineering is summarized, which provides ideas for monitoring of surrounding rock activity. The formation mechanism of water inrush disaster caused by rock mass fracturing and filling medium instability has been revealed. The MS characteristics of the water inrush channel in different water inrush disasters have also been revealed. The MS response characteristics of water inrush and rockburst disasters are compared, which provides guidance for the improvement of MS monitoring technology and the analysis of effective MS information. The compression failure test of limestone under saturated and natural conditions is carried out. The results show that the presence of water weakens the ability of rock to store energy. The acoustic emission (AE) phenomenon is weaker in the process of saturated limestone failure, which increases the difficulty of AE monitoring. The number of AE events of natural limestone and saturated limestone shows a slow increase to a sudden increase in the process stress loading, which can be regarded as an important precursor of rock failure.

Isolation of Chemical Constituents from the Aerial Parts of Verbascum thapsus and Their Antiangiogenic and Antiproliferative Activities

Yan-Li Zhao,Yong-Ping Yang,Si-Feng Wang,Yang Li,Qiu-Xia He,Ke-Chun Liu,Xiao-Li Li 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.5

Phytochemical investigation of Verbascum thapsus led to the isolation and identification of one new iridoid compound named verbathasin A, along with ten known compounds. The structure and relative stereochemistry of verbathasin A were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data. All the isolates except 10-deoxyeucommiol and ajugol were tested for antiangiogenic and antiproliferative activities, and compounds luteolin and 3-O-fucopyranosylsaikogenin F showed promising antiproliferative activities, with an obvious effect of inducing apoptosis of A549 lung cancer cells.

Elevated Platelets Enhance Cancer Cell Migration, Promote Hematogenous Metastasis and Associate with a Poor Prognosis in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cases

Li, Yan,Miao, Li-Yun,Xiao, Yong-Long,Cai, Hou-Rong,Zhang, De-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Although correlations between platelets and lung cancer has been recognized, effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis remain to be determined in detail. In the present study, wound healing assays revealed a role of platelets in NSCLC cell migration. Thus the mean migration rate of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells was significantly elevated after co-culture with platelets ($81.7{\pm}0.45%$ vs $41.0{\pm}3.50%$, P<0.01). Expression of GAPDH was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to study the effect of platelets on NSCLC cell proliferation. The result showed that the proliferation of A549 and SPC-A1 cells was not affected. Mouse models were established by transfusing A549 cells and SPC-A1 cells into mice lateral tail veins. We found tumor metastasis nodules in lungs to be increased significantly after co-transfusion with platelets (in A549, $4.33{\pm}0.33$ vs $0.33{\pm}0.33$, P=0.01; in SPC-A1, $2.67{\pm}0.33$ vs $0.00{\pm}0.00$, P=0.01). In addition, consecutive inoperable patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC (TNM stage III or IV) between January 2009 and December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Using the Kaplan-Meier method, NSCLC patients with a high platelet counts demonstrated a significantly shorter progression free survival compared with those with a low platelet count (> $200{\times}10^9/L$, 3 months versus ${\leq}200{\times}10^9/L$, 5 months, P=0.001). An elevated platelet count was also identified as an independent prognostic factor by Cox regression analysis for prgression free survival (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.46; P=0.006). This study suggested that platelets might contribute to the hematogenous metastatic process by promoting cancer cell migration, which eventually affects the prognosis of NSCLC.

Relation between Ki-67, ER, PR, Her2/neu, p21, EGFR, and TOP II-α Expression in Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer Patients and Correlations with Prognosis

Yan, Jian,Liu, Xiao-Long,Han, Lu-Zhe,Xiao, Gang,Li, Ning-Lei,Deng, Yi-Nan,Yin, Liang-Chun,Ling, Li-Juan,Yu, Xiao-Yuan,Tan, Can-Liang,Huang, Xiao-Ping,Liu, Li-Xin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.2

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of the transcription factor Ki-67, ER, PR, Her2/neu, p21, EGFR, and TOP II-${\alpha}$ in the tumor tissue of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC); in addition, we examined correlations between these markers. Two hundred and sixteen IDC patients, who were not previously been treated with chemo- or radiotherapy, were included in the study. All tumors were grade I-III. Expression of molecular markers was determined by immunohistochemical analysis on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Follow-up data were collected for 3 months to 10 years and analyzed for tumor recurrence, survival time, and prognostic risk factors. We determined Ki-67 expression correlates with the expression of ER, PR, HER-2, EGFR, and TOP-${\alpha}$, as well as lymph node involvement, high tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, high tumor stage, and high TNM stage in IDC. Positive Ki-67 expression was a risk factor for rapid tumor recurrence and may help tumor progression, leading to poor prognosis in IDC. Ki-67 was directly correlated with EGFR, TOP II-${\alpha}$, lymph node involvement, high tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, high tumor stage, and high TNM stage in the hormone receptor subtypes of breast cancer. In triple negative breast cancer, Ki-67 correlated with TOP II-${\alpha}$. Expression of Ki-67 correlated with that of ER, PR, HER-2, EGFR, TOP II-${\alpha}$, and p21. In addition, the biomarker Ki-67 has a role as a prognostic factor and indicates a poor prognosis in IDC.

Development of self-centring energy-dissipative rocking columns equipped with SMA tension braces

Yan-Wen Li,Michael C.H. Yam,Ping Zhang,Ke Ke,Yan-Bo Wang 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.82 No.5

Energy-dissipative rocking (EDR) columns are a class of seismic mitigation device capable of dissipating seismic energy and preventing weak-story failure of moment resisting frames (MRFs). An EDR consists of two hinge-supported steel columns interconnected by steel dampers along its height. Under earthquakes, the input seismic energy can be dissipated by plastic energy of the steel dampers in the EDR column. However, the unrecoverable plastic deformation of steel dampers generally results in residual drifts in the structural system. This paper presents a proof-of-concept study on an innovative device, namely self-centring energy-dissipative rocking (SC-EDR) column, aiming at enabling self-centring capability of the EDR column by installing a set of shape memory alloy (SMA) tension braces. The working mechanism of the SC-EDR column is presented in detail, and the feasibility of the new device is carefully examined via experimental and numerical studies considering the parameters of the SMA bar diameter and the steel damper plate thickness. The seismic responses including load carrying capacities, stress distributions, base rocking behaviour, source of residual deformation, and energy dissipation are discussed in detail. A rational combination of the steel damper and the SMA tension braces can achieve excellent energy dissipation and self-centring performance.

Red, green, and blue fluorescent folate-receptor-targeting carbon dots for cervical cancer cellular and tissue imaging

Li, Shihao,Jiang, Jie,Yan, Yinan,Wang, Ping,Huang, Gang,Kim, Nam hoon,Lee, Joong Hee,He, Dannong Elsevier 2018 Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for Vol.93 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Folate receptor targeted photo-luminescent quantum carbon dots (Fr-CDs) were successfully prepared from folic acid and phenylenediamine isomers through hydrothermal approaches. Fr-CDs were spherical particles smaller than 10 nm, and emit stable green, blue and red luminescence under ultraviolet region excitation (λex = 365 nm) with maximum emissive lengths at 530, 429, and 612 nm. And the corresponding photoluminescence quantum yield as 15.4%, 12.6% and 16.2% respectively. Up-converted photoluminescent properties in near infrared 800 nm spectral region located in green, blue and yellow region. In-vitro studies showed Fr-CDs had almost none cytotoxicity (cell viability over 80%) and high affinitive to the Hela celline highly-expressed-folate-receptor membranes, and lighted on cytoplasm as the fluorescent marker. It displayed long luminescent-stability with PL intensity above 90% in ultraviolet illuminant exposure over 24 h. In in-vivo studies, Fr-CDs were internalized and accumulated in targeted cancer tissues of cervical carcinoma and the emitting fluorescence maintains over 30 min.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Multicolor carbon dots was prepared from folic acid and phenylenediamin isomers. </LI> <LI> These carbon dots exhibit targeting abilities with high affinity to ovarian cancer cells and tissues. </LI> <LI> Ultra-violet and near-infrared light excited photo-luminescent spectrums were investigated, and related quantum yield was calculated. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>FA-doped CDs can effectively target ovarian cancer cells and aggregate in ovarian tumor tissue in a short 15 min.</P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Effect of Blending Modifications for Phenylethynyl-terminated Polyimides

Ping Yu,Min-zhao Xue,Yan-gang Liu,Xue Yang,Li-jing Pan,Yan-li Zhang,Wei Wang 한국섬유공학회 2020 Fibers and polymers Vol.21 No.2

A reactive diluent (ODA-PEPA) and a flexible phenylethynyl-terminated imide oligomer (PEI-PEPA) were designed and synthesized based on the 2,3,3',4'-diphenyl ether tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (a-ODPA), 3,4'-oxydianiline(3,4'-ODA), and 4-phenylethynylphthalic anhydride (PEPA). Solution blended systems with the addition of 5, 10, and 15 wt% ODA-PEPA to PEI-PEPA oligomer and their cured resin systems were prepared. Results showed that ODA-PEPA is semi-crystalline in nature. The Tg values of cured resins were improved from 273 oC to 280 oC by the addition of ODA-PEPA, due to the higher crosslink densities. In addition, rheological properties of blends showed lower melt viscosity and wider processing window, revealing improved melt processabilities for potential application in making advanced composites. The isothermal viscosity in 280 oC of PEI-PEPA containing 15 wt% ODA-PEPA reactive diluent decreased by two thirds, due to the low molecular weight of ODA-PEPA. The cured blends demonstrated high thermal stability and heat resistance. 5 wt% thermal decomposition temperatures (Td5) of the cured blends were above 549 oC and 547 oC in N2 and air atmosphere, respectively. The char yield reported at 800 oC in N2 atmosphere increased from 58.8% to 63.7 % with the addition of ODAPEPA. Meanwhile, the cured polyimides blends possessed good bond strength (> 9.3 MPa).