Ultrastructure structure of antennal sensilla of carabid beetle Carabus elysii Thomson, 1856 (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Wen‐Bo Li,Naiyi Liu,Qin XU,Min Sun,Jie Fang,Shuyan Wang 한국곤충학회 2019 Entomological Research Vol.49 No.2

The sensilla type, number and distribution in male and female adults of Carabus elysii Thomson, 1856 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that there are seven categories and 12 types of sensilla in C. elysii adults: three types of S.Ch, three types of S.T, two types of S.B and one each of B.B, S.Co, S.Ca and S.Cam. There is no difference between male and female in the types of sensilla. Apart from the significant difference in the number and distribution of S.B.2, S.Co and S.Ca between male dorsal and ventral surfaces, there are no significant differences between male and female antennae. In general, the number of sensilla in females is larger than that in males. The results provide a basic reference for future ultrastructure, electrophysiological, and comparative behavioral studies of Carabus species.

Cloning and Expression Analysis of Gonadogenesis-associated Gene SPATA4 from Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

( Bo Wen Liu ),( Shang Feng Liu ),( Shan He ),( Ying Zhao ),( Hong Xia Hu ),( Zhao Wang ) 생화학분자생물학회 2005 BMB Reports Vol.38 No.2

Gonadogenesis is a complicated process which involves multi-gene interactions. A rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gene spermatogenesis associated 4 (SPATA4) was cloned and characterized from adult rainbow trout testis. The cDNA sequence of rainbow trout SPATA4 contains an open reading frame of 1, 081 nucleatides encoding a putative protein of 259 amino acids. The putative protein from rainbow trout shares a 76.8% homology with zebrafish SPATA4. No trans-membrane regions or signal peptide were detected using bioinformatics methods. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that rainbow trout SPATA4 was a nuclear protein with highest possibility (39.1%). Multi-tissue reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to examine the distribution of rainbow trout SPATA4 in eleven organs of adult rainbow trout. The result demonstrated that this gene express specifically in testis and slight amount of expression was detected in ovary. Further analysis of SPATA4 characterization and function in rainbow trout may provide insight into the understanding of gonadogenesis process.

Molecular Cloning and Bioinformatic Analysis of SPATA4 Gene

Liu, Shang-Feng,Ai, Chao,Ge, Zhong-Qi,Liu, Hai-Luo,Liu, Bo-Wen,He, Shan,Wang, Zhao Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biol 2005 Journal of biochemistry and molecular biology Vol.38 No.6

Full-length cDNA sequences of four novel SPATA4 genes in chimpanzee, cow, chicken and ascidian were identified by bioinformatic analysis using mouse or human SPATA4 cDNA fragment as electronic probe. All these genes have 6 exons and have similar protein molecular weight and do not localize in sex chromosome. The mouse SPATA4 sequence is identified as significantly changed in cryptorchidism, which shares no significant homology with any known protein in swissprot databases except for the homologous genes in various vertebrates. Our searching results showed that all SPATA4 proteins have a putative conserved domain DUF1042. The percentages of putative SPATA4 protein sequence identity ranging from 30% to 99%. The high similarity was also found in 1 kb promoter regions of human, mouse and rat SPATA4 gene. The similarities of the sequences upstream of SPATA4 promoter also have a high proportion. The results of searching SymAtlas (http://symatlas.gnf.org/SymAtlas/) showed that human SPATA4 has a high expression in testis, especially in testis interstitial, leydig cell, seminiferous tubule and germ cell. Mouse SPATA4 was observed exclusively in adult mouse testis and almost no signal was detected in other tissues. The pI values of the protein are negative, ranging from 9.44 to 10.15. The subcellular location of the protein is usually in the nucleus. And the signal peptide possibilities for SPATA4 are always zero. Using the SNPs data in NCBI, we found 33 SNPs in human SPATA4 gene genomic DNA region, with the distribution of 29 SNPs in the introns. CpG island searching gives the data about CpG island, which shows that the regions of the CpG island have a high similarity with each other, though the length of the CpG island is different from each other.This research is a fundamental work in the fields of the bioinformational analysis, and also put forward a new way for the bioinformatic analysis of other genes.

Steel Bridge Construction of Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge

Wen-bo Gao,Quan-ke Su,Jin-wen Zhang,Hong-bing Xie,Feng Wen,Fang Li,Ji-zhu Liu 한국강구조학회 2020 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.20 No.5

The 55-km-long Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB) is the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, connecting Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macao at the mouth of the Pearl River Estuary in China, comprising 22.9-km-long steel bridges. HZMB is the leading steel bridge in China, with top-level manufacturing and installation technology. This paper outlines the steel bridge construction experiences of HZMB to provide comparisons for the construction of other long sea-crossing steel bridges at home or abroad. The main considerations of construction constraints, scheme selection, structural and aesthetic design of HZMB are presented, and the following points related to new strategies in the steel bridge construction of HZMB are elaborated: (1) construction quality assurance, (2) automatic manufacturing technology, (3) large segment off shore installation, (4) eco-friendly paint (content limitation of volatile organic compounds) and new multifunctional inspection gantry, and (5) Guss Mastic Asphalt steel deck pavement system. The successful implementation of those strategies shows that the steel bridge construction of HZMB promotes improvement in the overall construction and management level of the Chinese bridge industry. The advanced experience of HZMB has opened up broad prospects for the design and construction of off shore bridge engineering in China.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Antibiotic-Impregnated Shunt Catheters on Anti-Infective Effect of Hydrocephalus Shunt

Zhou, Wen-xiu,Hou, Wen-bo,Zhou, Chao,Yin, Yu-xia,Lu, Shou-tao,Liu, Guang,Fang, Yi,Li, Jian-wen,Wang, Yan,Liu, Ai-hua,Zhang, Hai-jun The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2021 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.64 No.2

Objective : Shunt infection is a common complication while treating hydrocephalus. The antibiotic-impregnated shunt catheter (AISC) was designed to reduce shunt infection rate. A meta-analysis was conducted to study the effectiveness of AISCs in reduction of shunt infection in terms of age, follow-up time and high-risk patient population. Methods : This study reviewed literature from three databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library (from 2000 to March 2019). Clinical studies from controlled trials for shunt operation were included in this analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed based on the patient's age, follow-up time and high-risk population. The fixed effect in RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for this meta-analysis. Results : This study included 19 controlled clinical trials including 10105 operations. The analysis demonstrated that AISC could reduce the infection rate in shunt surgery compared to standard shunt catheter (non-AISC) from 8.13% to 4.09% (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.58; p=0.01; I2=46%). Subgroup analysis of different age groups showed that AISC had significant antimicrobial effects in all three groups (adult, infant, and adolescent). Follow-up time analysis showed that AISC was effective in preventing early shunt infections (within 6 months after implant). AISC is more effective in high-risk population (OR, 0.24;95% CI, 0.14-0.40; p=0.60; I2=0%) than in general patient population. Conclusion : The results of meta-analysis indicated that AISC is an effective method for reducing shunt infection. We recommend that AISC should be considered for use in infants and high-risk groups. For adult patients, the choice for AISC could be determined based on the treatment cost.

Molecular Cloning and Bioinformatic Analysis of SPATA4 Gene

Shang Feng Liu,Chao Ai,Zhong Qi Ge,Hai Luo Liu,Bo Wen Liu,Shan He,Zhao Wang 한국생활환경학회 2005 BMB Reports Vol.38 No.6

Effects of Variants in Proopiomelanocortin and Neuropeptide Y Genes on Growth, Carcass, and Meat Quality Traits in Rabbits

Liu, Wen-Chao,Chen, Shi-Yi,Jia, Xian-Bo,Wang, Jie,Lai, Song-Jia Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2014 Animal Bioscience Vol.27 No.5

Appetite-related neuropeptides proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and Neuropeptide Y (NPY) are essential for regulating feeding behavior and energy homeostasis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of variants in POMC and NPY genes on growth, carcass and meat quality traits in rabbits. A total of six SNPs were identified for POMC (n = 2) and NPY (n = 4) genes by direct sequencing. Three SNPs were subsequently genotyped by using MassArray system (Sequenom iPLEXassay) in 235 individuals, which belong to three meat rabbit breeds, including 93 Ira rabbits; 81 Champagne rabbits and 61 Tianfu black rabbits. The SNP c.112-12G>T was in intron-exon boundaries (intron 1) of POMC gene, and the association analysis showed that individuals with TT genotype had a greater 84 d body weight (BW84), eviscerated weight and semi-eviscerated weight than those with GT genotype (p<0.05); the TT individuals were also higher than those GG in the ripe meat ratio (RMR) (p<0.05). The g.1778G>C SNP, which was in complete linkage with other three SNPs (g.1491G>A, g.1525G>T and g.1530C>T) in intron 1 of NPY gene, was significantly correlated with eviscerated slaughter percentage and semi-eviscerated slaughter percentage in rabbits, and the individuals with CC genotype had a better performance than CG genotype (p<0.05). These findings would provide primary clues for the biological roles of POMC and NPY underlying the rabbit growth-related traits.

Mitochondrial NDUFA4L2 attenuates the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells induced by oxidative stress via the inhibition of mitophagy

Wen-Ning Xu,Huo-Liang Zheng,Run-Ze Yang,Tao Liu,Wei Yu,Xin-Feng Zheng,Bo Li,Sheng-Dan Jiang,Lei-Sheng Jiang 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

The main pathological mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is the programmed apoptosis of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Oxidative stress is a significant cause of IVDD. Whether mitophagy is induced by strong oxidative stress in IVDD remains to be determined. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and mitophagy and to better understand the mechanism of IVDD in vivo and in vitro. To this end, we obtained primary NP cells from the human NP and subsequently exposed them to TBHP. We observed that oxidative stress induced mitophagy to cause apoptosis in NP cells, and we suppressed mitophagy and found that NP cells were protected against apoptosis. Interestingly, TBHP resulted in mitophagy through the inhibition of the HIF-1α/NDUFA4L2 pathway. Therefore, the upregulation of mitochondrial NDUFA4L2 restricted mitophagy induced by oxidative stress. Furthermore, the expression levels of HIF-1α and NDUFA4L2 were decreased in human IVDD. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the upregulation of NDUFA4L2 ameliorated the apoptosis of NP cells by repressing excessive mitophagy, which ultimately alleviated IVDD. These findings show for the first time that NDUFA4L2 and mitophagy may be potential therapeutic targets for IVDD.

Diagnostic Value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in Comparison to Bone Scintigraphy, CT and ¹⁸F-FDG PET for the Detection of Bone Metastasis

Liu, Ning-Bo,Zhu, Lei,Li, Ming-Huan,Sun, Xiao-Rong,Hu, Man,Huo, Zong-Wei,Xu, Wen-Gui,Yu, Jin-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.6

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT for detection of bone metastasis in comparison with the efficacies of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT, CT, $^{18}F$-FDG PET and conventional planar bone scintigraphy in a series of cancer patients. Methods: Five hundred and thirty patients who underwent both $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT and bone scintigraphy within 1 month were retrospectively analyzed. The skeletal system was classified into 10 anatomic segments and interpreted blindly and separately. For each modality, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV were calculated and the results were statistically analyzed. Results: Bone metastases were confirmed in 117 patients with 459 positive segments. On patient-based analysis, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT were significantly higher than bone scintigraphy, CT and $^{18}F$-FDG PET (P<0.05). On segment-based analysis, the sensitivity of CT, bone scintigraphy, $^{18}F$-FDG PET and $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT were 70.4%, 89.5%, 89.1% and 97.8%, respectively (P<0.05, compared with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT). The overall specificity and accuracy of the four modalities were 89.1%, 91.8%, 90.3%, 98.2% and 90.3%, 90.9%, 89.8%, 98.0%, respectively (P<0.05, compared with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT). The PPV and NPV were 89.8%, 87.6%, 85.6%, 97.2% and 85.6%, 93.2%, 92.8%, 98.6%, respectively. Three hundred and twelve lesions or segments were presented as lytic or sclerotic changes on CT images at the corresponding sites of increased $^{18}F$-FDG uptake. In lytic or mixed lesions, the sensitivity of $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT and $^{18}F$-FDG PET were better than bone scintigraphy, while in osteoblastic lesions bone scintigraphy had a similar performance with $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT but better than $^{18}F$-FDG PET alone. Conclusion: Our data allow the conclusion that $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT is superior to planar bone scintigraphy, CT or $^{18}F$-FDG PET in detecting bone metastasis. $^{18}F$-FDG PET/CT may enhance our diagnosis of tumor bone metastasis and provide more information for cancer treatment.

Selective blockade of spinal D2DR by levocorydalmine attenuates morphine tolerance via suppressing PI3K/Akt-MAPK signaling in a MOR-dependent manner

Wen-Ling Dai,Xin-Tong Liu,Yi-Ni Bao,Bing Yan,Nan Jiang,Bo-Yang Yu,Ji-Hua Liu 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Morphine tolerance remains a challenge in the management of chronic pain in the clinic. As shown in our previous study, the dopamine D2 receptor (D2DR) expressed in spinal cord neurons might be involved in morphine tolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, selective spinal D2DR blockade attenuated morphine tolerance in mice by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/serine–threonine kinase (Akt)-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in a μ opioid receptor (MOR)-dependent manner. Levocorydalmine (l-CDL), which exhibited micromolar affinity for D2DR in D2/CHO-K1 cell lines in this report and effectively alleviated bone cancer pain in our previous study, attenuated morphine tolerance in rats with chronic bone cancer pain at nonanalgesic doses. Furthermore, the intrathecal administration of l-CDL obviously attenuated morphine tolerance, and the effect was reversed by a D2DR agonist in mice. Spinal D2DR inhibition and l-CDL also inhibited tolerance induced by the MOR agonist DAMGO. l-CDL and a D2DR small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreased the increase in levels of phosphorylated Akt and MAPK in the spinal cord; these changes were abolished by a PI3K inhibitor. In addition, the activated Akt and MAPK proteins in mice exhibiting morphine tolerance were inhibited by a MOR antagonist. Intrathecal administration of a PI3K inhibitor also attenuated DAMGO-induced tolerance. Based on these results, l-CDL antagonized spinal D2DR to attenuate morphine tolerance by inhibiting PI3K/Akt-dependent MAPK phosphorylation through MOR. These findings provide insights into a more versatile treatment for morphine tolerance.