Modification of C-doped a-SiO2 after Swift Heavy-Ion Irradiation

Zhi-Guang Wang,Cun-Bao Liu,Hang Zang,Kong-Fang Wei,Cun-Feng Yao 한국물리학회 2009 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.55 No.6

Amorphous SiO2 (a-SiO2) thin films were thermally grown on single-crystalline silicon. These a-SiO2/Si samples were first implanted (C-doped) with 100-keV carbon ion at room temperature (RT) at a dose of 5.0 × 1017 C-ions/cm2 and were then irradiated at RT by using 853 MeV Pb ions at doses of 5.0 × 1011, 1.0 × 1012, 2.0 × 1012, and 5.0 × 1012 Pb-ions/cm2, respectively. The microstructures and the photoluminescence (PL) properties of these samples induced by Pb ions were investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. We found that high-energy Pb-ion irradiation could induce the formation of a new phase and a change in the PL property of C-doped a-SiO2/Si samples. The relationship between the observed phenomena and the ion irradiation parameters is briefly discussed. Amorphous SiO2 (a-SiO2) thin films were thermally grown on single-crystalline silicon. These a-SiO2/Si samples were first implanted (C-doped) with 100-keV carbon ion at room temperature (RT) at a dose of 5.0 × 1017 C-ions/cm2 and were then irradiated at RT by using 853 MeV Pb ions at doses of 5.0 × 1011, 1.0 × 1012, 2.0 × 1012, and 5.0 × 1012 Pb-ions/cm2, respectively. The microstructures and the photoluminescence (PL) properties of these samples induced by Pb ions were investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. We found that high-energy Pb-ion irradiation could induce the formation of a new phase and a change in the PL property of C-doped a-SiO2/Si samples. The relationship between the observed phenomena and the ion irradiation parameters is briefly discussed.

Expression profiles of microRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep by deep sequencing

Zhi-Jin Liu,Cun-Yuan Li,Xiao-Yue Li,Yang Yao,Wei Ni,Xiang-Yu Zhang,Yang Cao,Wureli Hazi,Dawei Wang,Renzhe Quan,Shuting Yu,Yuyu Wu,Songmin Niu,Yulong Cui,Yaseen Khan,Shengwei Hu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2019 Animal Bioscience Vol.32 No.6

Objective: MicroRNAs are a class of endogenous small regulatory RNAs that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Recent studies on miRNAs are mainly focused on mice, human and pig. However, the studies on miRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep are not comprehensive. Methods: RNA-seq technology was used to perform genomic analysis of miRNAs in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. Targeted genes were predicted using miRanda software and miRNA-mRNA interactions were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. To further investigate the function of miRNAs, candidate targeted genes were enriched for analysis using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Results: The results showed total of 1,086 known miRNAs and 40 new candidate miRNAs were detected in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. In addition, 345 miRNAs (151 up-regulated, 94 down-regulated) were differentially expressed. Moreover, miRanda software was performed to predict targeted genes of miRNAs, resulting in a total of 2,833 predicted targets, especially miR-381 which targeted multiple muscle-related mRNAs. Furthermore, GO and KEGG pathway analysis confirmed that targeted genes of miRNAs were involved in development of skeletal muscles. Conclusion: This study supplements the miRNA database of sheep, which provides valuable information for further study of the biological function of miRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle.

Effects of photoperiod on nutrient digestibility, hair follicle activity and cashmere quality in Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats

Chong Zhi Zhang,Hai Zhou Sun,Sheng Li Li,Dan Sang,Chun Hua Zhang,Lu Jin,Marco Antonini,Cun Fa Zhao 아세아·태평양축산학회 2019 Animal Bioscience Vol.32 No.4

Objective: This study investigated the effects of photoperiod on nutrient digestibility, hair follicle (HF) activity and cashmere quality in Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats. Methods: Twenty-four female (non-pregnant) Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats aged 1 to 1.5 years old with similar live weights (mean, 20.36±2.63 kg) were randomly allocated into two groups: a natural daily photoperiod group (NDPP group:10 to 16 h light, n = 12) and a short daily photoperiod group (SDPP group: 7 h light:17 h dark, n = 12). All the goats were housed in individual pens and fed the same diets from May 15 to October 15, 2015. The digestibility of crude protein (CP), dry matter (DM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were measured in different months, along with secondary hair follicle (SHF) activity, concentration of melatonin (MEL), and cashmere quality. Results: Although there was no significant difference in the live weights of goats between the SDPP and NDPP groups (p>0.05), the CP digestibility of goats in the SDPP group was significantly increased compared to the NDPP group in July, September, and October (p<0.05). For the DM and NDF digestibility of goats, a significant increase (p<0.05) was found during in September in the SDPP group. Furthermore, compared to the NDPP group, the SHF activity in July, the MEL concentration in July, and the cashmere fiber length and fiber weight in October were significantly increased in the SDPP group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The cashmere production of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats was increased without obvious deleterious effects on the cashmere fibers in the SDPP group (metabolizable energy, 8.34 MJ/kg; CP, 11.16%; short daily photoperiod, 7 h light:17 h dark).

PKM2 Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition and Migration upon EGFR Activation

Fan, Fang-Tian,Shen, Cun-Si,Tao, Li,Tian, Chao,Liu, Zhao-Guo,Zhu, Zhi-Jie,Liu, Yu-Ping,Pei, Chang-Song,Wu, Hong-Yan,Zhang, Lei,Wang, Ai-Yun,Zheng, Shi-Zhong,Huang, Shi-Le,Lu, Yin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

Pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) was first found in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its expression has been thought to correlate with prognosis. A large number of studies have demonstrated that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated metastasis, resulting in enhanced malignancy of HCC. However, the roles of PKM2 in HCC EMT and metastasis remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the effects of PKM2 in EGF-induced HCC EMT and elucidate the molecular mechanisms in vitro. Our results showed that EGF promoted EMT in HCC cell lines as evidenced by altered morphology, expression of EMT-associated markers, and enhanced invasion capacity. Furthermore, the present study also revealed that nuclear translocation of PKM2, which is regulated by the ERK pathway, regulated ${\beta}$-catenin-TCF/LEF-1 transcriptional activity and associated EMT in HCC cell lines. These discoveries provide evidence of novel roles of PKM2 in the progression of HCC and potential therapeutic target for advanced cases.

Separation of arenols from a low-temperature coal tar by liquid-liquid extraction

Hua-Shuai Gao,Zhi-Min Zong,Zheng Yang,Dao-Guang Teng,Xiu-Hua Sun,Li Yan,Xian-Yong Wei,Qing-Jie Guo,Tian-Sheng Zhao,Hong-Cun Bai 한국화학공학회 2020 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.37 No.5

Low-temperature coal tar (LTCT) is a sticky liquid mixture produced mainly from coal pyrolysis, which contains various value-added chemicals (VACs). Liquid-liquid extraction is considered as one of the green and effective ways to explore the organic composition and separate the VACs from LTCT. Herein, petroleum ether, methanol, and carbon disulfide were used to extract arenols from a LTCT. As a result, the relative content and absolute content of arenols extracted from the LTCT are ca. 96.3% and 85.9%, respectively. Among them, p-cresol is predominant, accounting for 22.2%. The isolated contents of arenols are up to 84.6%. Moreover, a kilogram-scale operation was carried out under the same conditions, which offers a potential application in industrial production.

Modification of Fe/Cu Multilayers under 2-MeV Xe20+ Irradiation

Kong-Fang Wei,Zhi-Guang Wang,Jie Gou,Yan-Bin Sheng,Gen-Ming Jin,Hang Zang,Cun-Feng Yao,Yi-Zhun Ma,Tie-Long Shen 한국물리학회 2009 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.55 No.6

Multilayers with a structure of Si/[Fe(10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)]5 were deposited on Si(100) substrates and then irradiated at room temperature by using 2-MeV Xe20+. The modifications of the multilayers were characterized using a depth profile analysis of the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) data and the evolution of crystallite structures of the multilayers were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The AES depth profiles indicated that de-mixing of the Fe and the Cu layers was observed at low ion fluences, but inter-mixing of the Fe and the Cu layers was found at high ion fluences and destroyed the layered structure of the multilayers. The obtained XRD patterns showed that, after irradiation by 2-MeV Xe20+ at 2 × 1016 ions/cm2, the peaks of the multilayers related to a Cu-based fcc solid solution and an Fe-based bcc solid solution phase became visible, which implied that the inter-mixing at the Fe/Cu interface resulted in the formation of new phases. A possible mechanism of modification in the Fe/Cu multilayers induced by ion irradiation is briefly discussed. Multilayers with a structure of Si/[Fe(10 nm)/Cu(10 nm)]5 were deposited on Si(100) substrates and then irradiated at room temperature by using 2-MeV Xe20+. The modifications of the multilayers were characterized using a depth profile analysis of the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) data and the evolution of crystallite structures of the multilayers were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The AES depth profiles indicated that de-mixing of the Fe and the Cu layers was observed at low ion fluences, but inter-mixing of the Fe and the Cu layers was found at high ion fluences and destroyed the layered structure of the multilayers. The obtained XRD patterns showed that, after irradiation by 2-MeV Xe20+ at 2 × 1016 ions/cm2, the peaks of the multilayers related to a Cu-based fcc solid solution and an Fe-based bcc solid solution phase became visible, which implied that the inter-mixing at the Fe/Cu interface resulted in the formation of new phases. A possible mechanism of modification in the Fe/Cu multilayers induced by ion irradiation is briefly discussed.

Expression profiles of circular RNAs in sheep skeletal muscle

Cao, Yang,You, Shuang,Yao, Yang,Liu, Zhi-Jin,Hazi, Wureli,Li, Cun-Yuan,Zhang, Xiang-Yu,Hou, Xiao-Xu,Wei, Jun-Chang,Li, Xiao-Yue,Wang, Da-Wei,Chen, Chuang-Fu,Zhang, Yun-Feng,Ni, Wei,Hu, Sheng-Wei Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.10

Objective: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newfound class of non-coding RNA in animals and plants. Recent studies have revealed that circRNAs play important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, autophagy and apoptosis during development. However, there are few reports about muscle development-related circRNAs in livestock. Methods: RNA sequencing analysis was employed to identify and annotate circRNAs from longissimus dorsi of sheep. Reverse transcription followed by real-time quantitative (q) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis verified the presence of these circRNAs. Targetscan7.0 and miRanda were used to analyse the interaction of circRNA-microRNA (miRNA). To investigate the function of circRNAs, an experiment was conducted to perform enrichment analysis hosting genes of circRNAs using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways. Results: About 75.5 million sequences were obtained from RNA libraries of sheep skeletal muscle. These sequences were mapped to 729 genes in the sheep reference genome. We identified 886 circRNAs, including numerous circular intronic RNAs and exonic circRNAs. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of several circRNAs. Real-Time RT-PCR analysis exhibited resistance of sheep circRNAs to RNase R digestion. We found that many circRNAs interacted with muscle-specific miRNAs involved in growth and development of muscle, especially circ776. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that hosting genes of circRNAs was involved in muscle cell development and signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study provides comprehensive expression profiles of circRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle. Our study offers a large number of circRNAs to facilitate a better understanding of their roles in muscle growth. Meanwhile, we suggested that circ776 could be analyzed in future study.

Characteristic Trend Analysis of Cancer Patients Hospitalized in Shanxi Tumor Hospital for the First Time during 2001 and 2010

Zhang, Wen-Li,Wang, Yan,Han, Cun-Zhi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.9

To observe and analyze the characteristic trend of cancer patients hospitalized for the first time in Shanxi Tumor Hospital from 2001 to 2010, clinical data including case number, age, gender, and frequency of different tumor occurrences were collected and statistically analyzed. Results: (i) From 2001 to 2010, the number of cancer patients hospitalized for the first time increased by 1.3-fold; (ii) The patient overall average age also increased from 51.8 to 54.4, for males from 55.5 to 58.7 and females from 48.4 to 51.1, respectively. (iii) Male patients accounted for 43-48% and females accounted for 52-57% of the total. The percentage of female patients was higher than that of male patients in every year and showed an upward trend over the years, while that of the males showed a downward trend (${\chi}^2=7.031$, p=0.008); (iv) Among the top 6 most common cancers, lung, cervical, esophageal, colorectal and breast cancers tended to increase over the years (p<0.05), but not gastric cancer (p=0.423). Conclusions: (i) The number of cancer patients hospitalized for the first time during the past 10 years increased year by year, and was higher for female than male; (ii) the average age of patients increased year after year and was greater for male than female; (iii) the number of patients with lung cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer increased over years.

ATM Signaling Pathway Is Implicated in the SMYD3-mediated Proliferation and Migration of Gastric Cancer Cells

Wang, Lei,Wang, Qiu-Tong,Liu, Yu-Peng,Dong, Qing-Qing,Hu, Hai-Jie,Miao, Zhi,Li, Shuang,Liu, Yong,Zhou, Hao,Zhang, Tong-Cun,Ma, Wen-Jian,Luo, Xue-Gang The Korean Gastric Cancer Association 2017 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.17 No.4

Purpose: We previously found that the histone methyltransferase suppressor of variegation, enhancer of zeste, trithorax and myeloid-nervy-deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1 domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a potential independent predictive factor or prognostic factor for overall survival in gastric cancer patients, but its roles seem to differ from those in other cancers. Therefore, in this study, the detailed functions of SMYD3 in cell proliferation and migration in gastric cancer were examined. Materials and Methods: SMYD3 was overexpressed or suppressed by transfection with an expression plasmid or siRNA, and a wound healing migration assay and Transwell assay were performed to detect the migration and invasion ability of gastric cancer cells. Additionally, an MTT assay and clonogenic assay were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, and a cell cycle analysis was performed by propidium iodide staining. Furthermore, the expression of genes implicated in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pathway and proteins involved in cell cycle regulation were detected by polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. Results: Compared with control cells, gastric cancer cells transfected with si-SMYD3 showed lower migration and invasion abilities (P<0.05), and the absence of SMYD3 halted cells in G2/M phase and activated the ATM pathway. Furthermore, the opposite patterns were observed when SMYD3 was elevated in normal gastric cells. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that the absence of SMYD3 could inhibit the migration, invasion, and proliferation of gastric cancer cells and halt cells in G2/M phase via the ATM-CHK2/p53-Cdc25C pathway. These findings indicated that SMYD3 plays crucial roles in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells and may be a useful therapeutic target in human gastric carcinomas.

ATM Signaling Pathway Is Implicated in the SMYD3-mediated Proliferation and Migration of Gastric Cancer Cells

Lei Wang,Qiu-Tong Wang,Yu-Peng Liu,Qing-Qing Dong,Hai-Jie Hu,Zhi Miao,Shuang Li,Yong Liu,Hao Zhou,Tong-Cun Zhang,Wen-Jian Ma,Xuegang Luo 대한위암학회 2017 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.17 No.4

Purpose: We previously found that the histone methyltransferase suppressor of variegation, enhancer of zeste, trithorax and myeloid-nervy-deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1 domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a potential independent predictive factor or prognostic factor for overall survival in gastric cancer patients, but its roles seem to differ from those in other cancers. Therefore, in this study, the detailed functions of SMYD3 in cell proliferation and migration in gastric cancer were examined. Materials and Methods: SMYD3 was overexpressed or suppressed by transfection with an expression plasmid or siRNA, and a wound healing migration assay and Transwell assay were performed to detect the migration and invasion ability of gastric cancer cells. Additionally, an MTT assay and clonogenic assay were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, and a cell cycle analysis was performed by propidium iodide staining. Furthermore, the expression of genes implicated in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pathway and proteins involved in cell cycle regulation were detected by polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. Results: Compared with control cells, gastric cancer cells transfected with si-SMYD3 showed lower migration and invasion abilities (P<0.05), and the absence of SMYD3 halted cells in G2/M phase and activated the ATM pathway. Furthermore, the opposite patterns were observed when SMYD3 was elevated in normal gastric cells. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that the absence of SMYD3 could inhibit the migration, invasion, and proliferation of gastric cancer cells and halt cells in G2/M phase via the ATM-CHK2/p53-Cdc25C pathway. These findings indicated that SMYD3 plays crucial roles in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells and may be a useful therapeutic target in human gastric carcinomas.