NODAL SOLUTIONS FOR AN ELLIPTIC EQUATION IN AN ANNULUS WITHOUT THE SIGNUM CONDITION

Chen, Tianlan,Lu, Yanqiong,Ma, Ruyun Korean Mathematical Society 2020 대한수학회보 Vol.57 No.2

This paper is concerned with the global behavior of components of radial nodal solutions of semilinear elliptic problems -Δv = λh(x, v) in Ω, v = 0 on ∂Ω, where Ω = {x ∈ R^N : r₁ < |x| < r₂} with 0 < r₁ < r₂, N ≥ 2. The nonlinear term is continuous and satisfies h(x, 0) = h(x, s₁(x)) = h(x, s₂(x)) = 0 for suitable positive, concave function s₁ and negative, convex function s₂, as well as sh(x, s) > 0 for s ∈ ℝ \ {0, s₁(x), s₂(x)}. Moreover, we give the intervals for the parameter λ which ensure the existence and multiplicity of radial nodal solutions for the above problem. For this, we use global bifurcation techniques to prove our main results.

Preclinical investigation of artesunate as a therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma via impairment of glucosylceramidase-mediated autophagic degradation

Chen Wenjia,Ma Zhaochen,Yu Lingxiang,MAO Xia,Ma Nan,Guo Xiaodong,Yin Xiaoli,Jiang Funeng,Wang Qian,Wang Jigang,Fang Mingliang,Lin Na,Zhang Yanqiong 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Artesunate (ART) has been indicated as a candidate drug for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Glucosylceramidase (GBA) is required for autophagic degradation. Whether ART regulates autophagic flux by targeting GBA in HCC remains to be defined. Herein, our data demonstrated that the dramatic overexpression of GBA was significantly associated with aggressive progression and short overall survival times in HCC. Subsequent experiments revealed an association between autophagic activity and GBA expression in clinical HCC samples, tumor tissues from a rat model of inflammation-induced HCC and an orthotopic mouse model, and human HCC cell lines. Interestingly, probe labeling identified GBA as an ART target, which was further verified by both a glutathione-S-transferase pulldown assay and surface plasmon resonance analysis. The elevated protein expression of LC3B, the increased numbers of GFP-LC3B puncta and double-membrane vacuoles, and the enhanced expression of SQSTM1/p62 indicated that the degradation of autophagosomes in HCC cells was inhibited by ART treatment. Both the in vitro and in vivo data revealed that autophagosome accumulation through targeting of GBA was responsible for the anti-HCC effects of ART. In summary, this preclinical study identified GBA as one of the direct targets of ART, which may have promising potential to inhibit lysosomal autophagy for HCC therapy.

Investigation of bipolar matrix based mixed host in highly efficient green delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes

Zheng Yanqiong,Peng Junbiao,Tang Jie,Li Weiguang,Chen Juncong,Wang Chao,Zhang Jianhua,Wei Bin,Li Xifeng 한국물리학회 2021 Current Applied Physics Vol.22 No.-

The mixed cohosts of electron transport host (E-host): 4,40-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP) have been comparatively investigated for an efficient green fluorescent organic light emitting diode (OLED) doped with a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter (4s,6s)-2,4,5,6-tetra(9H-carbazol-9-yl)isophthalonitrile (4CzIPN). The E-host:CBP systems significantly enhance the electroluminescent (EL) properties. After doping Ehost, the lifetime of the emissive layer decreases and the surface becomes smoother, together with the impedance decreases for one magnitude and the hole-injection depresses. The charge balance and improved interface both contribute to the EL performance enhancement. Here we develop a universal mixed host system suitable to most of emitters.

Nodal solutions for an elliptic equation in an annulus without the signum condition

Tianlan Chen,Yanqiong Lu,Ruyun Ma 대한수학회 2020 대한수학회보 Vol.57 No.2

This paper is concerned with the global behavior of components of radial nodal solutions of semilinear elliptic problems \[-\Delta v=\lambda h(x, v)\ \ \text{in}\ \Omega,\ \ \ v=0\ \ \text{on}\ \partial\Omega, \] where $\Omega=\{x\in \mathbb{R}^N: r_1<|x|<r_2\}$ with $0<r_1<r_2,\ N\geq2$. The nonlinear term is continuous and satisfies $h(x, 0)=h(x, s_1(x))=h(x, s_2(x))=0$ for suitable positive, concave function $s_1$ and negative, convex function $s_2$, as well as $sh(x, s)>0$ for $s\in\mathbb{R}\setminus\{0, s_1(x), s_2(x)\}$. Moreover, we give the intervals for the parameter $\lambda$ which ensure the existence and multiplicity of radial nodal solutions for the above problem. For this, we use global bifurcation techniques to prove our main results.

Endophytic bacterial and fungal microbiota in different cultivars of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Li Hong,Chengliang Yan,Tang Yanqiong,Ma Xiang,Chen Yinhua,Chen Songbi,Lin Min,Liu Zhu 한국미생물학회 2020 The journal of microbiology Vol.58 No.7

Endophytes colonize tissues of healthy host plants and play a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, little attention has been paid to the endophytes of tuber crops such as cassava, which is used as a staple food by approximately 800 million people worldwide. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity and composition of endophytic bacterial and fungal communities in different cassava cultivars using high-throughput sequencing. Although no significant differences in richness or diversity were observed among the different cassava cultivars, the community compositions were diverse. Two cultivars (SC124 and SC205) tolerant to root rot exhibited similar community compositions, while two other cultivars (SC10 and SC5), which are moderately and highly susceptible to root rot, respectively, harboured similar community compositions. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Ascomycota dominated the endophyte assemblages, with Weissella, Serratia, Lasiodiplodia, Fusarium, and Diaporthe being the predominant genera. The differentially abundant taxonomic clades between the tolerant and susceptible cultivars were mainly rare taxa, such as Lachnoclostridium_5, Rhizobium, Lampropedia, and Stenotrophomonas. These seemed to be key genera that affected the susceptibility of cassava to root rot. Moreover, the comparison of KEGG functional profiles revealed that ‘Environmental adaptation’ category was significantly enriched in the tolerant cultivars, while ‘Infectious diseases: Parasitic’ category was significantly enriched in the susceptible cultivars. The present findings open opportunities for further studies on the roles of endophytes in the susceptibility of plants to diseases.

Comparison of Radiological Tumor Response Based on iRECIST and RECIST 1.1 in Metastatic Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Programmed Cell Death-1 Inhibitor Therapy

Zheng Bingjie,Shin Ji Hoon,Li Hailiang,Chen Yanqiong,Guo Yuan,Wang Meiyun 대한영상의학회 2021 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.22 No.3

Objective: To evaluate the radiological tumor response patterns and compare the response assessments based on immunebased therapeutics Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (iRECIST) and RECIST 1.1 in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (mccRCC) patients treated with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. Materials and Methods: All mccRCC patients treated with PD-1 inhibitors at Henan Cancer Hospital, China, between January 2018 and April 2019, were retrospectively studied. A total of 30 mccRCC patients (20 males and 10 females; mean age, 55.6 years; age range, 37–79 years) were analyzed. The target lesions were quantified on consecutive CT scans during therapy using iRECIST and RECIST 1.1. The tumor growth rate was calculated before and after therapy initiation. The response patterns were analyzed, and the differences in tumor response assessments of the two criteria were compared. The intra- and inter-observer variabilities of iRECIST and RECIST 1.1 were also analyzed. Results: The objective response rate throughout therapy was 50% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32.1–67.9) based on iRECIST and 30% (95% CI: 13.6–46.4) based on RECIST 1.1. The time-to-progression (TTP) based on iRECIST was longer than that based on RECIST 1.1 (median TTP: not reached vs. 170 days, p = 0.04). iRECIST and RECIST 1.1 were discordant in 8 cases, which were evaluated as immune-unconfirmed PD based on iRECIST and PD based on RECIST 1.1. Six patients (20%, 6/30) had pseudoprogression based on iRECIST, of which four demonstrated early pseudoprogression and two had delayed pseudoprogression. Significant differences in the tumor response assessments based on the two criteria were observed (p < 0.001). No patients demonstrated hyperprogression during the study period. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that the iRECIST criteria are more capable of capturing immune-related atypical responses during immunotherapy, whereas conventional RECIST 1.1 may underestimate the benefit of PD-1 inhibitors. Pseudoprogression is not rare in mccRCC patients during PD-1 inhibitor therapy, and it may last for more than the recommended maximum of 8 weeks, indicating a limitation of the current strategy for immune response monitoring.