Cationic surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals: Toward tailoring dispersion and interface in carboxymethyl cellulose films

Li, Mei-Chun,Mei, Changtong,Xu, Xinwu,Lee, Sunyoung,Wu, Qinglin Elsevier 2016 Polymer Vol.107 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The present work describes the development of high performance cellulose nanocrystals/carboxymethyl cellulose (CNC/CMC) films through a rational design of CNC surface chemistry. Considering the anionic surface nature of CMC, surface cationization of CNCs was performed in order to build strong interfacial bonding by electrostatic attraction and form uniform dispersion state by electrostatic repulsion. Nanocomposite films were fabricated by dispersing the CNCs and cationically modified CNCs (mCNCs) in CMC matrix through solution casting. The resultant CNC/CMC and mCNC/CMC films were then evaluated in terms of processability, mechanical properties and fracture surface morphology. Results showed that the reinforcing capacity of mCNCs was greatly dependent on its substitution degree. High substitution degree was favorable for obtaining mCNC/CMC film with uniform dispersion and superior mechanical properties. The observed distinctive reinforcing phenomena from CNCs and mCNCs in CMC matrix were interpreted in terms of dispersion state and interfacial bonding based on the fracture surface morphology.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Cationic cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are synthesized through etherification. </LI> <LI> Substitution degree (DS) is tuned by controlling water content in reaction system. </LI> <LI> Cationic CNCs are firstly used to reinforce carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) films. </LI> <LI> The DS of cationic CNCs plays critical role on their dispersion in CMC films. </LI> <LI> Superior reinforcement of CMC films is achieved using cationic CNCs with higher DS. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

KLF4 suppresses the tumor activity of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells via the regulation of SMAD signaling and SOX2 expression

Li, Xue Mei,Kim, Soo Jung,Hong, Dong-Kyun,Jung, Kyoung Eun,Choi, Chong Won,Seo, Young-Joon,Lee, Jeung-Hoon,Lee, Young,Kim, Chang-Deok Elsevier 2019 Biochemical and biophysical research communication Vol.516 No.4

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that plays a role in terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. There are conflicting reports regarding the role of KLF4 in tumor development, with both the tumor suppressive and/or oncogenic properties depending on different conditions and cell types. In this study, we investigated the functional importance of KLF4 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Immunohistochemistry showed that KLF4 expression was relatively low in SCC lesion compared to normal epidermis. To examine the effects of KFL4, we transduced SCC lines (SCC12 and SCC13 cells) with the KLF4-expressing recombinant adenovirus. Overexpression of KLF4 significantly decreased cell proliferation and colony forming activity. In addition, overexpression of KLF4 markedly reduced invasive potential, along with the downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related molecules. In a mechanistic study, KLF4 inhibited SOX2, of which expression is critical for tumor initiation and growth of SCC. Further investigations indicated that SOX2 expression is induced by TGF-β/SMAD signaling, and that overexpression of KLF4 inhibited SMAD signaling via upregulation of SMAD7, an important inhibitory SMAD molecule. Based on these data, KLF4 plays a tumor suppressive role in cutaneous SCC cells.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Overexpression of KLF4 decreased the cell proliferation, colony forming activity, invasion and EMT potential in cutaneous SCC cells. </LI> <LI> Overexpression of KLF4 decreased SOX2 level via inhibition of SMAD2 phosphorylation. </LI> <LI> Overexpression of KLF4 inhibited SMAD signaling via upregualtion of SMAD7, an inhibitory SMAD molecule. </LI> </UL> </P>

Colorectal Cancer Concealment Predicts a Poor Survival: A Retrospective Study

Li, Xiao-Pan,Xie, Zhen-Yu,Fu, Yi-Fei,Yang, Chen,Hao, Li-Peng,Yang, Li-Ming,Zhang, Mei-Yu,Li, Xiao-Li,Feng, Li-Li,Yan, Bei,Sun, Qiao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Objectives: Understanding the situation of cancer awareness which doctors give to patients might lead to prognostic prediction in cases of of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Subsets of 10,779 CRC patients were used to screen the risk factors from the Cancer Registry in Pudong New Area in cancer awareness, age, TNM stage, and gender. Survival of the patients was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and assessed by Cox regression analysis. The views of cancer awareness in doctors and patients were surveyed by telephone or household. Results: After a median observation time of 1,616 days (ranging from 0 to 4,083 days) of 10,779 available patients, 2,596 of the 4,561 patients with cancer awareness survived, whereas 2,258 of the 5,469 patients without cancer awareness and 406 of the 749 patients without information on cancer awareness died of the disease. All-cause and cancer-specific survival were poorer for the patients without cancer awareness than those with (P < 0.001 for each, log-rank test). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that cancer concealment cases had significantly lower cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.299; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.200-1.407)and all-cause survival (HR = 1.324; 95 % CI: 1.227-1.428). Furthermore, attitudes of cancer awareness between doctors and patients were significantly different (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Cancer concealment, not only late-stage tumor and age, is associated with a poor survival of CRC patients.

T-SPOT.TB for Detection of Tuberculosis Infection among Hematological Malignancy Patients and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Qin, Li-Li,Wang, Qin-Rong,Wang, Qian,Yao, Hong,Wen, Li-Jun,Wu, Li-Li,Ping, Na-Na,Xie, Jun-Dan,Chen, Mei-Yu,Chen, Su-Ning Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

The diagnosis of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is recommended in hematological malignancy patients and before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Guidelines for the prevention and management of infectious complications of solid organ transplantation, 2004). Compared to traditional methods such as tuberculin skin test (TST), T-SPOT.TB has been shown to be more specific. In the present study we enrolled 536 patients for whom T-SPOT.TB was performed, among which 295 patients also received the TST test. The agreement (79%) between T-SPOT.TB and TST was poor (x=0.274, P<0.001). The patients with positive T-SPOT.TB results numbered 62 (11.6%), in which only 20 (48.8%) of the 41 receiving the TST test had positive results. A majority of the patients with T-SPOT.TB positive results had some other evidence ofTB, such as TB history, clinical symptoms and an abnormal chest CT scan. Active TB was found in 9 patients, in which 2 had negative TST results. We followed up the patients and no one developed active TB. Our study suggested that the T-SPOT.TB may be more useful for screening LTBI and active TB in hematological malignancy patients and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients than the TST test.

Dietary exposure and human risk assessment of phthalate esters based on total diet study in Cambodia

Cheng, Zhang,Li, Han-Han,Wang, Hong-sheng,Zhu, Xue-Mei,Sthiannopkao, Suthipong,Kim, Kyoung-Woong,Yasin, Mohamed Salleh Mohamed,Hashim, Jamal Hisham,Wong, Ming-Hung Elsevier 2016 Environmental research Vol.150 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Phthalate esters are used in a wide variety of consumer products, and human exposure to this class of compounds is widespread. Nevertheless, studies on dietary exposure of human to phthalates are limited. In this study, to assess the daily intakes of phthalate esters and the possible adverse health impacts, different food samples were collected from three areas of Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world. The ∑phthalate ester concentrations in Kampong Cham, Kratie and Kandal provinces ranged from 0.05 to 2.34 (median 0.88) μgg<SUP>−1</SUP>, 0.19–1.65 (median 0.86) μgg<SUP>−1</SUP> and 0.24–3.05 (median 0.59) μgg<SUP>−1</SUP> wet weight (ww), respectively. Di-2-Ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) were the predominant compounds among all foodstuffs. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of phthalate esters for the general population in Kampong Cham, Kratie and Kandal was 34.3, 35.6 and 35.8μgkg<SUP>−1</SUP> bw d<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively. The dietary daily intake of DEHP, benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) in Kampong Cham, Kratie and Kandal were below the tolerable daily intakes (TDI) imposed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and reference doses (RfD) imposed by The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Rice contributed the greatest quantity of DEHP to the daily intake in Cambodia so may deserve further exploration. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the occurrence and the daily intakes of phthalate esters in Cambodia.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Phthalate esters concentration in daily foodstuffs collected from Cambodia. </LI> <LI> Investigate the bioaccessbility of phthalate esters via the foodstuffs consumption. </LI> <LI> Health risk evaluation of dietary exposure to phthalate esters. </LI> </UL> </P>

The F-box Protein KIB1 Mediates Brassinosteroid-Induced Inactivation and Degradation of GSK3-like Kinases in <i>Arabidopsis</i>

Zhu, Jia-Ying,Li, Yuyao,Cao, Dong-Mei,Yang, Hongjuan,Oh, Eunkyoo,Bi, Yang,Zhu, Shengwei,Wang, Zhi-Yong Elsevier 2017 Molecular cell Vol.66 No.5

<P><B>Summary</B></P> <P>The glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) family kinases are central cellular regulators highly conserved in all eukaryotes. In <I>Arabidopsis</I>, the GSK3-like kinase BIN2 phosphorylates a range of proteins to control broad developmental processes, and BIN2 is degraded through unknown mechanism upon receptor kinase-mediated brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. Here we identify KIB1 as an F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of BIN2 while blocking its substrate access. Loss-of-function mutations of KIB1 and its homologs abolished BR-induced BIN2 degradation and caused severe BR-insensitive phenotypes. KIB1 directly interacted with BIN2 in a BR-dependent manner and promoted BIN2 ubiquitination in vitro. Expression of an F-box-truncated KIB1 caused BIN2 accumulation but dephosphorylation of its substrate BZR1 and activation of BR responses because KIB1 blocked BIN2 binding to BZR1. Our study demonstrates that KIB1 plays an essential role in BR signaling by inhibiting BIN2 through dual mechanisms of blocking substrate access and promoting degradation.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> KIB1 is an essential positive regulator in brassinosteroid signaling </LI> <LI> KIB1 mediates BR-induced ubiquitination and degradation of GSK3 kinase BIN2 </LI> <LI> KIB1 binding to BIN2 prevents BIN2-substrate interaction and promotes BIN2 degradation </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical Abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Cellulose Nanocrystals and Polyanionic Cellulose as Additives in Bentonite Water-Based Drilling Fluids: Rheological Modeling and Filtration Mechanisms

Li, Mei-Chun,Wu, Qinglin,Song, Kunlin,De Hoop, Corneils F.,Lee, Sunyoung,Qing, Yan,Wu, Yiqiang American Chemical Society 2016 INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH - Vol.55 No.1

<P>This research aims to develop low cost, sustainable, environmentally friendly, and high performance water-based drilling fluids (WDFs) using bentonite (BT), polyanionic cellulose (PAC), and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). The effect of concentration of BT, PAC, and CNCs on the rheological and filtration properties of PAC/CNC/BT-WDFs was investigated. Eight empirical rheological models were applied to fit quantitatively the fluid properties. Results showed that the presence of PAC, CNCs, and BT improved the rheological and filtration properties of the WDFs. Among the eight empirical rheological models, the Sisko model performed the best in simulating the rheological behavior of the fluids. At the same concentration level of PAC and CNCs, CNCs had more impact on the rheological properties, whereas PAC had more influence on the filtration property. The incorporation of PAC resulted in very low permeable filter cakes, leading to the excellent filtration property. The combined use of PAC and CNCs yielded better rheological and filtration properties.</P>

Randomized Control Study of Nedaplatin or Cisplatin Concomitant with Other Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Li, Chun-Hong,Liu, Mei-Yan,Liu, Wei,Li, Dan-Dan,Cai, Li Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Objective: To observe the short-term efficacy, long-term survival time and adverse responses with nedaplatin (NDP) or cisplatin (DDP) concomitant with other chemotherapy in treating non-small cell lung cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective, randomized, control study was conducted, in which 619 NSCLC patients in phases III and IV who were initially treated and re-treated were randomly divided into an NDP group (n=294) and a DDP group (n=325), the latter being regarded as controls. Chemotherapeutic protocols (CP/DP/GP/NP/TP) containing NDP or DDP were given to both groups. Patients in both groups were further divided to evaluate the clinical efficacies according to initial and re-treatment stage, pathological pattern, type of combined chemotherapeutic protocols, tumor stage and surgery. Results: The overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the NDP group were 48.6% and 95.2%, significantly higher than in the DDP group at 35.1% and 89.2%, respectively (P<0.01). In NSCLC patients with initial treatment, squamous carcinoma and phase III, there were significant differences in ORR and DCR between the groups (P<0.05), while ORR was significant in patients with adenocarcinoma, GP/TP and in phase IIIa (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference in DCR in patients in phase IIIb (P<0.05). According to the statistical analysis of survival time of all patients and of those in clinical phase III, the NDP group survived significantly longer than the DDP group (P<0.01). The rates of decreased hemoglobin and increased creatinine, nausea and vomiting in the NDP group were evidently lower than in DDP group (P<0.05). Conclusion: NDP concomitant with other chemotherapy is effective for treating NSCLC, with higher clinical efficacy than DDP concomitant with chemotherapy, with advantages in prolonging survival time and reducing toxic and adverse responses.

Magnolol Inhibits iNOS, p38 Kinase, and NF-κB/Rel in Murine Macrophages

Mei Hong Li,In Youp Chang,Ho Jin You,Dae Sik Jang,Jin Sook Kim,Young Jin Jeon 한국독성학회 2006 Toxicological Research Vol.22 No.3

We demonstrate that magnolol, a hydroxylated biphenyl compound isolated from Magnolia officinalis, inhibits LPS-induced expression of iNOS gene in RAW 264.7 cells (murine macrophage cell line). Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with magnolol inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide production in a dose-related manner. RT-PCR analysis showed that the decrease of NO was due to the inhibition of iNOS gene expression. Western immunoblot analysis of phosphorylate p38 kinase showed magnolol significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 kinase which is important in the regulation of iNOS gene expression. The specific p38 inhibitor SB203580 abrogated the LPSinduced NO generation and iNOS expression, whereas the selective MEK-1 inhibitor PD98059 did not affect the NO induction. Immunostaining of p65 and reporter gene assay showed that magnolol inhibited NF-κ/Rel nuclear translocation and transcriptional activation, respectively. Collectively, this series of experiments indicates that magnolol inhibits iNOS gene expression by blocking NF-κ/Rel and p38 kinase signaling. Due to the critical role that NO release plays in mediating inflammatory responses, the inhibitory effects of magnolol on iNOS suggest that magnolol may represent a useful anti-inflammatory agent.

Comparison of Valerenic Acids and Valepotriates Production According to the Culture Conditions for Cultured Roots of Valeriana fauriei var. dasycarpa Hara

Li, Mei-Yang,Ahn, Jun-Cheul,Kim, Kwang-Soo,Kim, Ok-Tae,Park, Yoon-Jung,Hwang, Baik The Korean Society of Medicinal Crop Science 2006 韓國藥用作物學會誌 Vol.14 No.2

We established a practical method for rapid and large-scale production of Valeriana fauriei var. dasycarpa Hara roots by bioreactor culture and confirmed valerenic acids and valepotriates production. We also compared valerenic acids and valepotriates production patterns according to various media conditions. Among the media tested, B5 medium gave the maximum biomass production of 101 g fresh weight, which was a 5.03-fold multiplication rate obtained 4 weeks after inoculation of 20 g of fresh weight. The best production of total valerenic acids $(7.86\;mg/l)$ and valepotriates $(8.96\;mg/l)$ was B5 medium.