Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). IV. Refined System Parameters, Transit Timing Variations, and Orbital Stability of the Transiting Planetary System HAT-P-25

Wang, Xian-Yu,Wang, Songhu,Hinse, Tobias C.,Li, Kai,Wang, Yong-Hao,Laughlin, Gregory,Liu, Hui-Gen,Zhang, Hui,Wu, Zhen-Yu,Zhou, Xu,Zhou, Ji-Lin,Hu, Shao-Ming,Wu, Dong-Hong,Peng, Xi-Yan,Chen, Yuan-Yuan Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2018 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pa Vol.130 No.988

Galectin-9 Acts as a Prognostic Factor with Antimetastatic Potential in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Zhang, Zhao-Yang,Dong, Jia-Hong,Chen, Yong-Wei,Wang, Xian-Qiang,Li, Chong-Hui,Wang, Jian,Wang, Guo-Qiang,Li, Hai-Lin,Wang, Xue-Dong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Considerable research has been conducted concerning galectin-9 and carcinomas, but little information is available about any relation with the hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we employed a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting galectin-9 to down-regulate the expression in HepG2 cells. As a result, after galectin-9 expression was reduced, cell aggregation was suppressed, while other behaviour such as the proliferation, adhesion and invasion to ECM, cell-endothelial adhesion and transendothelial invasion of the cells were markedly enhanced. When tumors of 200 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were tested for galectin-9 expression by immunohistochemistry, binding levels demonstrated intimate correlations with the histopathologic grade, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and intrahepatic metastasis (P<0.05). Moreover, survival analysis indicated that patients with galectin-9 expression had much longer survival time than those with negative lesions, and the Log-rank test indicated that this difference was statistical significant (P<0.0001). The Cox proportional hazards model suggested that negative galectin-9 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma represented a significant risk factor for patient survival. We propose that galectin-9 might be a new prognostic factor with antimetastatic potential in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Crocin alleviates neurotoxicity induced by bupivacaine in SH-SY5Y cells with inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling

Lin Lili,Chen Zhen,Li Jun,Peng Jianye,Wang Jian,Feng Mingjun,Liu Tiancheng,Zhang Mengli,Wu Xian,Ai Fen,Shen Caijie 한국유전학회 2024 Genes & Genomics Vol.46 No.1

Background Bupivacaine, a common local anesthetic, can cause neurotoxicity and permanent neurological disorders. Crocin has been widely reported as a potential neuroprotective agent in neural injury models. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of crocin underlying bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity. Method Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were treated with bupivacaine and/or crocin for 24 h, followed by detecting cell viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The effect of crocin or bupivacaine on SH-SY5Y cell proliferation was measured by Ki67 immunofluorescence assay. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins and the markers in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were examined using western blot analysis. The activities of caspase 3, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were tested using respective commercial assay kits. Flow cytometry analysis was executed for detecting SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis. Result Crocin attenuated bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, crocin inhibited SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis induced by bupivacaine via repressing the activity of caspase-3, reducing Bax expression, and elevating Bcl-2 expression. Moreover, crocin mitigated oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells by increasing the content of CAT, SOD, GSH-Px and reducing the content of MDA. Additionally, crocin protected against bupivacaine-induced dephosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β. The protective effects of crocin against bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells were counteracted by the Akt inhibitor. Conclusion These results suggested that crocin may exert a neuroprotective function by promoting cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis and oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells. Thus, crocin might become a promising drug for the treatment of bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity. Background Bupivacaine, a common local anesthetic, can cause neurotoxicity and permanent neurological disorders. Crocin has been widely reported as a potential neuroprotective agent in neural injury models. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of crocin underlying bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity. Method Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were treated with bupivacaine and/or crocin for 24 h, followed by detecting cell viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The effect of crocin or bupivacaine on SH-SY5Y cell proliferation was measured by Ki67 immunofluorescence assay. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins and the markers in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were examined using western blot analysis. The activities of caspase 3, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were tested using respective commercial assay kits. Flow cytometry analysis was executed for detecting SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis. Result Crocin attenuated bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, crocin inhibited SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis induced by bupivacaine via repressing the activity of caspase-3, reducing Bax expression, and elevating Bcl-2 expression. Moreover, crocin mitigated oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells by increasing the content of CAT, SOD, GSH-Px and reducing the content of MDA. Additionally, crocin protected against bupivacaine-induced dephosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β. The protective effects of crocin against bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells were counteracted by the Akt inhibitor. Conclusion These results suggested that crocin may exert a neuroprotective function by promoting cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis and oxidative stress in SH-SY5Y cells. Thus, crocin might become a promising drug for the treatment of bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity.

Cervical Cancer Screening and Analysis of Potential Risk Factors in 43,567 Women in Zhongshan, China

Wang, Ying,Yu, Yan-Hong,Shen, Keng,Xiao, Lin,Luan, Feng,Mi, Xian-Jun,Zhang, Xiao-Min,Fu, Li-Hua,Chen, Ang,Huang, Xiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Objective: The objective of this study was to establish a program model for use in wide-spread cervical cancer screening. :Methods: Cervical cancer screening was conducted in Zhongshan city in Guangdong province, China through a coordinated network of multiple institutes and hospitals. A total of 43,567 women, 35 to 59 years of age, were screened during regular gynecological examinations using the liquid-based ThinPrep cytology test (TCT). Patients who tested positive were recalled for further treatment. Results: The TCT-positive rate was 3.17%, and 63.4% of these patients returned for follow-up. Pathology results were positive for 30.5% of the recalled women. Women who were younger than 50 years of age, urban dwelling, low-income, had a history of cervical disease, began having sex before 20 years of age, or had sex during menstruation, were at elevated risk for a positive TCT test. The recall rate was lower in women older than 50 years of age, urban dwelling, poorly educated, and who began having sex early. Ahigher recall rate was found in women 35 years of age and younger, urban dwelling, women who first had sex after 24 years of age, and women who had sex during menstruation. The positive pathology rate was higher in urban women 50 years of age and younger and women who tested positive for human papillomavirus. Conclusion: An effective model for large-scale cervical cancer screening was successfully established. These results suggest that improvements are needed in basic education regarding cervical cancer screening for young and poorly educated women. Improved outreach for follow-up is also necessary to effectively control cervical cancer.

Adaptive Slicing Method for Three-Dimensional Microstructures with Free-Form Surfaces in Two Photon Polymerization Microfabrication

Xian Jing,Kaixuan Wang,Jieqiong Lin,Peng Liu,Yudi Kan,Xu Zheng,Jie Sun,Yingchun Li 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.1

Slicing reference data and adaptive slicing algorithm are the key issues to find out appropriate layer thicknesses of three-dimensional (3D) microstructures with free-form surface in two photon polymerization (TPP). In the present work, an adaptive slicing method (ASM) was proposed to improve the fabricating efficiency of 3D microstructures with free-form surface in TPP microfabrication. In the proposed method, slicing reference data were obtained by intersecting a series of vertical planes with the triangular patch format along characteristic directions. Maximum acceptable chordal height played a role as judging criteria to obtain appropriate layer thicknesses. What's more, typical 3D microstructures with free-form surfaces were fabricated with uniform slicing method (USM) and the proposed ASM, respectively. The comparison results showed that the proposed method effectively improved fabricating efficiency, guaranteeing an acceptable surface quality at the same time. This work was expected to provide references for improving fabrication efficiency of complex 3D microstructures in TPP.

Computational Prediction of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease MicroRNAs in Domestic Animals

Wang, Hai Yang,Lin, Zi Li,Yu, Xian Feng,Bao, Yuan,Cui, Xiang-Shun,Kim, Nam-Hyung Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2016 Animal Bioscience Vol.29 No.6

As the most common neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are two of the main health concerns for the elderly population. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been used as biomarkers of infectious, genetic, and metabolic diseases in humans but they have not been well studied in domestic animals. Here we describe a computational biology study in which human AD- and PD-associated miRNAs (ADM and PDM) were utilized to predict orthologous miRNAs in the following domestic animal species: dog, cow, pig, horse, and chicken. In this study, a total of 121 and 70 published human ADM and PDM were identified, respectively. Thirty-seven miRNAs were co-regulated in AD and PD. We identified a total of 105 unrepeated human ADM and PDM that had at least one 100% identical animal homolog, among which 81 and 54 showed 100% sequence identity with 241 and 161 domestic animal miRNAs, respectively. Over 20% of the total mature horse miRNAs (92) showed perfect matches to AD/PD-associated miRNAs. Pigs, dogs, and cows have similar numbers of AD/PD-associated miRNAs (63, 62, and 59). Chickens had the least number of perfect matches (34). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses suggested that humans and dogs are relatively similar in the functional pathways of the five selected highly conserved miRNAs. Taken together, our study provides the first evidence for better understanding the miRNA-AD/PD associations in domestic animals, and provides guidance to generate domestic animal models of AD/PD to replace the current rodent models.

Size effect in transverse mechanical behavior of one-dimensional nanostructures

Li, Xian-Fang,Wang, Bao-Lin,Tang, Guo-Jin,Lee, Kang Yong Elsevier 2011 Physica E, Low-dimensional systems & nanostructure Vol.44 No.1

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>This paper develops the classical strain gradient elasticity theory to investigate the scale-dependent mechanical behavior of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures. A governing differential equation with two scale parameters is derived, where the curvature of the deflection and the higher-order bending moment are introduced as a pair of additional geometrical constraint and natural loading. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of bending deformation, free vibration and buckling of cantilever nanowires or free-standing nanocolumns. Obtained results are compared with experimental data of carbon nanotube ropes and nanowires available in the literature and they agree well, showing that transverse mechanical properties of nanowires such as bending stiffness are scale-dependent. The model proposed also indicates that the evaluated natural frequencies and critical buckling strains exhibit noticeable size effects. Bending stiffness, natural frequency and buckling load increase as the nanowire diameter drops down. The influence of rotary inertia of cross-section is also analyzed.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P><P>► A governing equation for bending dynamics of nanowires is established. ► Reduced Young's modulus is scale-dependent for the radius of gyration in nano-order. ► The computed natural frequencies become larger than those of their counterparts in large scale. ► Buckling load or critical strain is enhanced for nanowires with small diameter. ► Theoretical predictions are in consistency with experimental findings.</P>

Size effects of the bending stiffness of nanowires

Li, Xian-Fang,Wang, Bao-Lin,Lee, Kang Yong American Institute of Physics 2009 JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS - Vol.105 No.7

<P>This paper studies the size effect in the transverse deformation of nanowires or nanoropes subjected to flexural bending. Based on the classic strain-gradient theory, a continuum approach is proposed, in which the strain energy was expressed in terms of the linear strains and strain gradients, and two additional phenomenological internal parameters were introduced. The governing equation for the flexural deformation of the nanowires was derived according to the principle of minimum potential energy. In particular, the deformations of the nanowires under two support conditions were determined explicitly, i.e., a cantilever nanowire and a fixed nanowire. Numerical examples were demonstrated to indicate the dependence of the effective modulus and bending stiffness upon the nanowire diameter and aspect ratio. The predictions given by the present model are consistent very well with the experimental measurements reported in the recent literature. The proposed model can be further used to explain the size effect in other properties of nanowires such as dynamics and thermal properties, among others. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3103322]</P>

nonstop glumes (nsg), a novel mutant affects spikelet development in rice

Nan Wang,Yun-Feng Li,Xian-Chun Sang,Ying-Hua Ling,Fang-Ming Zhao,Zheng-Lin Yang,Guang-Hua He 한국유전학회 2013 Genes & Genomics Vol.35 No.2

The spikelet is a unique structure of grass plants,and its development involved with complicated molecular regulation network. nsg (nonstop glumes) mutant affecting spikelet development was identified from EMS-treated Jinhui10(Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica.). Mutant plants had normal glumes (inner rudimentary glume, empty glumes and lemma/palea) and pedicel at the early flowering stage, but had longer ones at later stage. An extra glume-like organ was found in 84 %of mutant individuals. The number of stamens decreased in most mutant individuals whereas three stigmas or two carpels were found in some mutant individuals. The mutant phenotype suggests that NSG is involved in the whole rice spikelet development. NSG was mapped to a 15 kb region on the chromosome 4. According to sequence analysis, a gene encoding a protein with C2H2 domain exhibited a 13 bp insertion, causing a frame shift in genomics DNA and cDNA in nsg. This gene was identified as the candidated gene of NSG. The mutation of NSG influenced the transcription level of some floral hometic genes. The expression of OsMADS4, OsMADS16, DL and OsMADS3 decreased distinctly, and OsMADS1 increased in nsg panicle, suggests that NSG affected spikelet development through influencing the expression of floral hometic genes.

Crystallization and melting behavior of polypropylene in b-PP/polyamide 6 blends containing PP-g-MA

Zhidan Lin,Zixian Guan,Baofeng Xu,Chao Chen,Guangheng Guo,Jiaxian Zhou,Jiaming Xian,Lin Cao,Yueliang Wang,Mingqing Li,Wei Li 한국공업화학회 2013 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.19 No.2

In this research, we used a twin-screw extruder to melt and blend PP-g-MA compatibilizer with bpolypropylene (PP)/polyamide 6 (PA6). The influences of the PA6 and PP-g-MA contents in PP/PA6 blends on crystallization and melting behavior of PP phase and morphology were investigated. The results showed that, when PP-g-MA copolymer was added to the b form of nucleated PP/PA6 blends, the anhydride groups in PP-g-MA and PA6 terminal amine groups react to form PP-g-PA graft copolymer in a two-phase interface. This reduces the interfacial tension, improves the interfacial adhesion, and reduces the size of PA6 domains in the blend. The generated PP-g-PA graft copolymer wrapped PA6 phase and buried the anhydride groups of PP-g-MA. When the proportion of PP-g-MA and PA6 was between 0.5 and 0.75, there was no longer interfering to the formation of b-crystals in the PP phase. The content of bcrystal of PP phase in blends was found to reach as large as 85.9%.