Metabolomic analysis of biochemical changes in the tissue and urine of proteoglycan-induced spondylitis in mice after treatment with moxibustion

Xiao Xu,Ya-Nan Shi,Rong-Yun Wang,Cai-Yan Ding,Xiao Zhou,Yu-Fei Zhang,Zhi-Ling Sun,Zhi-Qin Sun,Qiu-Hua Sun 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.1

Background: Moxibustion is widely used in East Asian countries to manage the symptom of rheumatic diseases. The aim of this study was to identify potential metabolic profiles of moxibustion on relieving ankylosing spondylitis (AS) mice through UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS metabolomic study. Methods: Thirty-two female Balb/c mice were randomized into healthy control (HC), AS model, moxibustion at acupuncture points (MA) in AS model, and moxibustion at non-acupuncture points (MNA) AS model groups. Moxibustion was administered daily at GV4, bilateral BL23 and bilateral ST36 acupuncture points for four weeks in the MA group. The overall health status, the thickness of hind paws and the tissue concentrations of IL-1β, PGE2, IL-6 and TNF-α were assessed. The UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS was used to explore the perturbations of endogenous metabolites in tissue and urine of AS model mice intervened by moxibustion. Results: Compared with the AS group, the overall health status was significantly improved after 4-week moxibustion intervention (p < 0.05). The results also showed that MA significantly reduced the levels of paw thickness and decreased the levels of four cytokines in the tissue (p < 0.01). Thirty-seven endogenous metabolites identified by the OPLS-DA were considered to be contributing to therapeutic effects of moxibustion. Moreover, metabolic pathway analysis further revealed that the identified metabolites were mainly involved in TCA cycle, Lipid metabolism, Amino Acid metabolism, Intestinal flora metabolism and Purine metabolism. Conclusions: UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS based metabolomics approach, as a novel and powerful tool, can help us to gain the insights into potential mechanisms of action of moxibustion for AS.

Morphology control of mesoporous Cu₂O by reductants and its photocatalytic activity

Chu, Xiao-Zhong,Cheng, Zhi-Peng,Zhao, Yi-Jiang,Xu, Ji-Ming,Li, Mei-Sheng,Hu, Lei,Zhou, Shou-Yong,Wu, Fei-Yue,Lee, Chang-Ha Elsevier 2017 CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL Vol.43 No.11

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Mesoporous Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O particles with different morphologies were synthesized via simple one-pot reactions. Effects of reducing agents, dispersant, template, and temperature on the <B>structure</B> of the prepared materials were investigated. Mesoporous flower-shaped Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O materials were obtained at 70℃ using glucose <B>as a reductant</B>. Different hollow microsphere shapes of Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O could be prepared at 40℃ using <B>another type of reductant, ascorbic acid</B>. The results indicated that the uniform morphology of synthesized Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O with mesopores presented a maximum specific surface area of 45.3m<SUP>2</SUP>/g. Furthermore, the as-prepared Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O particles showed good photodegradation efficiencies of methyl orange in the range of 86.0–93.7%, depending on their morphologies.</P>

A Color-Reaction-Based Biochip Detection Assay for RIF and INH Resistance of Clinical Mycobacterial Specimens

( Wen Fei Xue ),( Jing Fu Peng ),( Xiao Li Yu ),( Shu Lin Zhang ),( Boping Zhou ),( Dan Qing Jiang ),( Jian Bo Chen ),( Bing Bing Ding ),( Bin Zhu ),( Yao Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2016 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.26 No.1

The widespread occurrence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis places importance on the detection of TB (tuberculosis) drug susceptibility. Conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) is a lengthy process. We developed a rapid enzymatic color-reaction-based biochip assay. The process included asymmetric multiplex PCR/templex PCR, biochip hybridization, and an enzymatic color reaction, with specific software for data operating. Templex PCR (tem- PCR) was applied to avoid interference between different primers in conventional multiplex- PCR. We applied this assay to 276 clinical specimens (including 27 sputum, 4 alveolar lavage fluid, 2 pleural effusion, and 243 culture isolate specimens; 40 of the 276 were non-tuberculosis mycobacteria specimens and 236 were M. tuberculosis specimens). The testing process took 4.5 h. A sensitivity of 50 copies per PCR was achieved, while the sensitivity was 500 copies per PCR when tem-PCR was used. Allele sequences could be detected in mixed samples at aproportion of 10%. Detection results showed a concordance rate of 97.46% (230/236) in rifampicin resistance detection (sensitivity 95.40%, specificity 98.66%) and 96.19% (227/236) in isoniazid (sensitivity 93.59%, specificity 97.47%) detection with those of DST assay. Concordance rates of testing results for sputum, alveolar lavage fluid, and pleural effusion specimens were 100%. The assay provides a potential choice for TB diagnosis and treatment.

Prevalence and Age, Gender and Geographical Area Distribution of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas in North China from 1985 to 2006

Feng, Xiao-Shan,Yang, Yan-Tong,Gao, She-Gan,Ru, Yi,Wang, Gong-Ping,Zhou, Bo,Wang, Yu-Feng,Zhang, Peng-Fei,Li, Pu-Yu,Liu, Yong-Xuan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

Objective: To establish the prevalence and distribution profile of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) over a 22-yr period in North China. Methods: Using endoscopy for primary diagnosis and histological analysis for the further confirmation, a total of 74,854 ESCC patients aged 20-89 between January 1985 and December 2006 were investigated to analyze the epidemiological profile including prevalence rates, distribution of age-of-onset, gender and geographical area of ESCC in Luoyang, the highest incidence area of North China. Results: A total of 4092 cases of ESCC were finally diagnosed among 74,854 patients who had their first endoscopies. The prevalence among males was higher than that among females (p<0.01), resulting in an overall male:female OR of 1.2 (95%CI, 1.2-1.3). The prevalence in rural areas was higher than in urban areas (p<0.01), resulting in an overall rural:urban OR of 2.6 (95%CI, 2.4-2.9). The rural:urban ORs and the 95% CI increased continuously from 2.6, 2.3-3.0 to 2.7, 2.2-3.3, respectively, for 4 consecutive periods during the 22-yr study period. Moreover, the median age of onset among females was higher than that among males (p<0.01). For both sexes and in both areas, the prevalence rates declined and the median age of onset rose for 4 consecutive periods in the 22-yrs time frame (p<0.01). Conculsions: These data reveal the epidemiological profile of ESCC in the area of North China, and suggest that urban areas and rural people account for a growing proportion of the ESCC patients although the prevalence of ESCC significantly declined and the median age-of-onset postponed over the 22-yrs period. Moreover, the prevalence status of ESCC in rural areas also underlines the need for public health initiatives aimed at reducing risk factors of this fatal disease.

Pretreatment with the Total Flavone Glycosides of Flos Abelmoschus manihot and Hyperoside Prevents Glomerular Podocyte Apoptosis in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Nephropathy

Lei Zhou,Xiao-Fei An,Shi-Chao Teng,Jing-Shun Liu,Wen-Bin Shang,Ai-Hua Zhang,Yang-Gang Yuan,Jiang-Yi Yu 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.5

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is an important diabetic complication, and podocyte apoptosis plays a critical role in the development of DN. In the present study, we examined the preventive effect of the total flavone glycosides of Flos Abelmoschus manihot (TFA) on urinary microalbumin and glomerular podocyte apoptosis in experimental DN rats. The preliminary oral administration of TFA (200 mg/kg/day) for 24 weeks significantly decreased the urinary microalbumin to creatinine ratio and 24-h urinary total protein in streptozotocin-induced DN rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay indicated glomerular cell apoptosis in DN rats was significantly improved by pretreatment with TFA. Furthermore, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and Hoechst 33342 staining suggested preincubation with hyperoside (50 and 200 lg/mL), the major active constituent of TFA, could significantly mitigate cultured podocyte apoptosis induced by the advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Western blot analysis showed that increased caspase-3 and caspase-8 expressions induced by AGEs were also inhibited by pretreatment with hyperoside at both doses. Our results demonstrate that TFA pretreatment can decrease urinary albumin excretion in early-stage DN, which might be accomplished by preventing renal damage and podocyte apoptosis.

Emission properties of sequentially deposited ultrathin CH3NH3PbI3/MoS2 heterostructures

Shao Ziyi,Xiao Junting,Guo Xiao,You Siwen,Zhang Yangyang,Li Mingjun,Song Fei,Zhou Conghua,Xie Haipeng,Gao Yongli,Sun Jiatao,Huang Han 한국물리학회 2022 Current Applied Physics Vol.36 No.-

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials have obtained considerable attention due to their exotic optoelectronic properties and extraordinarily high performance in photovoltaic devices. Herein, we successively converted the ultrathin PbI2/MoS2 into the CH3NH3PbI3/MoS2 heterostructures via CH3NH3I vapor processing. Atomic force microscopy (AFM)、Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) measurements prove the high-quality of the converted CH3NH3PbI3/MoS2. Both MoS2 and CH3NH3PbI3 related photoluminescence (PL) intensity quenching in CH3NH3PbI3/MoS2 implies a Type-II energy level alignment at the interface. Temperature-dependent PL measurements show that the emission peak position shifting trend of CH3NH3PbI3 is opposite to that of MoS2 (traditional semiconductors) due to the thermal expansion and electron-phonon coupling effects. The CH3NH3PbI3/TMDC heterostructures are useful in fabricating innovative devices for wider optoelectronic applications.

IRS-2 Partially Compensates for the Insulin Signal Defects in IRS-1^-/- Mice Mediated by miR-33

Tang, Chen-Yi,Man, Xiao-Fei,Guo, Yue,Tang, Hao-Neng,Tang, Jun,Zhou, Ci-La,Tan, Shu-Wen,Wang, Min,Zhou, Hou-De Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2017 Molecules and cells Vol.40 No.2

Insulin signaling is coordinated by insulin receptor substrates (IRSs). Many insulin responses, especially for blood glucose metabolism, are mediated primarily through Irs-1 and Irs-2. Irs-1 knockout mice show growth retardation and insulin signaling defects, which can be compensated by other IRSs in vivo; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. Here, we presented an Irs-1 truncated mutated mouse ($Irs-1^{-/-}$) with growth retardation and subcutaneous adipocyte atrophy. $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice exhibited mild insulin resistance, as demonstrated by the insulin tolerance test. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity and phosphorylated Protein Kinase B (PKB/AKT) expression were elevated in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipocytes in Irs-1 deficiency. In addition, the expression of IRS-2 and its phosphorylated version were clearly elevated in liver and skeletal muscle. With miRNA microarray analysis, we found miR-33 was down-regulated in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice, while its target gene Irs-2 was up-regulated in vitro studies. In addition, miR-33 was down-regulated in the presence of Irs-1 and which was up-regulated in fasting status. What's more, miR-33 restored its expression in re-feeding status. Meanwhile, miR-33 levels decreased and Irs-2 levels increased in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipocytes of $Irs-1^{-/-}$ mice. In primary cultured liver cells transfected with an miR-33 inhibitor, the expression of IRS-2, PI3K, and phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT) increased while the opposite results were observed in the presence of an miR-33 mimic. Therefore, decreased miR-33 levels can up-regulate IRS-2 expression, which appears to compensate for the defects of the insulin signaling pathway in Irs-1 deficient mice.

Efficacy Analysis of Simplified Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy with High or Conventional Dose and Concurrent Chemotherapy for Patients with Neck and Upper Thoracic Esophageal Carcinoma

Zhu, Wei-Guo,Zhou, Ke,Yu, Chang-Hua,Han, Ji-Hua,Li, Tao,Chen, Xiao-Fei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

For patients with neck and upper thoracic esophageal carcinoma, it is difficult to control lymph node metastases with conventional dose therapy. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of simplified intensity-modulated radiotherapy (sIMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy for 44 patients and boosted high-dose to metastatic lymph nodes. Three radiation treatment volumes were defined: PGTVnd, with which 68.1Gy was delivered in high dose group (hsIMRT group), and 60Gy in the conventional dose group (csIMRT group); PTV1, featuring 63.9Gy in the hsIMRT group and 60Gy in the csIMRT group; PTV2, with 54Gy given to both groups. The sIMRT plan included 5 equi-angular coplanar beams. All patients received the cisplatin and 5-FU regimen concurrently with radiotherapy. The treatment was completed within six weeks and one case with grade three acute bronchitis was observed in hsIMRT group. For esophageal lesions, 80% complete response (CR) and 20% partial response (PR) rates were found in the hsIMRT group, and 79.2% CR, with 20.8% PR, in the csIMRT group; for lymph node lesions, 75% CR and 25% PR rates were observed in the hsIMRT group, with 45.8% and 37.5% respectively in the csIMRT group (P<0.05). The differences in 1-, 2- and 3-year relapse-free survival rates were all statistically significant (P<0.05). The major toxicity observed in both groups was Grade I~II leucopenia. sIMRT can generate a desirable dose distribution in treatment of neck and upper thoracic esophageal carcinoma with a better short-term efficacy. Boosted high dosing to metastatic lymph nodes can increase the relapse-free survival rate.

Medicinal Chemistry : ARTICLE ; Regulation of T-cell activation and migration by the kinase TBK1 during neuroinflammation

( Jia Yi Yu ),( Xiao Fei Zhou ),( Mi Kyoung Chang ),( Mako Nakaya ),( Jae Hoon Chang ),( Yi Chuan Xiao ),( J. William Lindsey ),( Stephanie Dorta Estremera ),( Wei Cao ),( Anna Zal ),( Tomasz Zal ),( 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 2015 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 연구업적집 Vol.25 No.-

Development of an immune or autoimmune response involves T-cell activation in lymphoid organs and subsequent migration to peripheral tissues. Here we show that T-cell-specific ablation of the kinase TBK1 promotes T-cell activation but causes retention of effector T cells in the draininglumph node in a neuroinflammatory autoimmunity model,experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).Atolder ager,the T-cell-conditional TBK1-knockout mice also spontaneously accumulate T cells with activated phenotype.TBK1 contrlos the activation of AKT and its downsream kinase m TIORC1 by a mechanism involving TBK1-stimulated AKT ubiquitination and degradation. The deregulated AKT-mTORC1 signalling in turn contributes to enhanced T-cell activation and impaired effector T-cell egress from draining lymph nodes. Treatment of mice with a small-molecule inhibitor fo TBK1 inhibits EAE induction. These results suggest a role for TBK1 in regulating T-cell migration and establish TBK1 as a regulator of the AKT-mTORC1 signalling axis.

A National Study of Survival Trends and Conditional Survival in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Analysis of the National Population-Based Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Registry

Jia-Wei Lv,Xiao-Dan Huang,Yu-Pei Chen,Guan-Qun Zhou,Ling-Long Tang,Yan-Ping Mao,Wen-Fei Li,Ai-Hua Lin,Jun Ma,Ying Sun 대한암학회 2018 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.50 No.2

Purpose Conditional survival (CS) provides important information on survival for a period of time after diagnosis. Currently, information on CS patterns of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is lacking. We aimed to analyze survival rate over time and estimate CS for NPC patients using a national population-based registry. Materials and Methods Patients diagnosed with NPC between 1973 and 2007 with at least 5-year follow-up were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology End Results registry. Traditional survival rates and crude CS estimates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Risk-adjusted survival curves were plotted from the proportional hazards model using the correct group prognosis method. Results For 7,713 patients analyzed, adjusted baseline 5-year overall survival improved significantly from 36.0% in patients diagnosed in 1973-1979, 41.7% in 1980-1989, 46.6% in 1990- 1999, to 54.7% in 2000-2007 (p < 0.01). CS analysis demonstrated that for every additional year survived, adjusted probability of surviving the next 5 years increased from 66.7% (localized), 54.0% (regional), and 35.3% (distant) at the time of diagnosis, to 83.7% (localized), 75.0% (regional), and 62.2% (distant) for patients who had survived 5 years. Adjusted 5-year CS differed among age, sex, tumor histology, ethnicity, and stage subgroups initially, but converged with time. Conclusion Treatment outcomes of NPC patients have greatly improved over the decades. Increases in CS become more prominent in patients with distant disease than in those with localized or regional disease as patients survive longer. CS provides more dynamic prognostic information for patients who have survived a period of time after diagnosis.