Correlation between rearing temperature and the dual cellulolytic system of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and its intestinal microenvironment

Wen-Hui Zeng,Zhi-Qiang Li,Bing-Rong Liu,Qiu-Jian Li,Jun-Hong Zhong 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.1

The lower termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is an important model species for studying the dual cellulolytic system of termites. The effect of rearing temperature on the interaction between the intestinal symbiont community and the host in lignocelluloses digestion was investigated by assaying the activity and gene expression of cellulase, and monitoring the population size of intestinal protozoan community, which was followed by rearing C. formosanus at a temperature gradient (15–37 °C) for 3 d. The results showed that the rearing temperature of C. formosanus had a much greater impact on cellulase activity and gene transcription of the intestinal symbiont than on the host. The transcriptional variations of endogenous and symbiotic cellulase genes presented mutual complement and restrained when C. formosanus living in high temperature environment (32 and 37 °C). Additionally, the optimum survival temperature of Pseudotrichonympha grassii Koidzumi (22 °C) was found lower than that of Holomastigotoides mirabile Koidzumi (28 °C) and Spirotrichonympha leidyi Koidzumi (28 °C).The optimum rearing temperature for cellulase activity and protozoan survival of C. formosanus was found much lower than its optimum temperature for feeding. These findings provide a novel glimpse into host-symbiotic mutualism in lower termite digestion.

Schistosomiasis Combined with Colorectal Carcinoma Diagnosed Based on Endoscopic Findings and Clinicopathological Characteristics: A Report on 32 Cases

Liu, Wei,Zeng, Hong-Ze,Wang, Qi-Ming,Yi, Hang,Mou, Yi,Wu, Chun-Cheng,Hu, Bing,Tang, Cheng-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

Aims and Background: To improve understanding of the relationship between schistosome-related enteropathy and colorectal carcinoma with particular focus on endoscopic findings and clinicopathological characteristics of colonic schistosomiasis. Materials and Methods: All cases of intestinal schistosomiasis diagnosed at West China Hospital, Chengdu, China, between October 2006 and October 2012 were included in this study. A total of 179 cases of colonic schistosomiasis diagnosed through colonoscopy and pathological examinations were collected for analysis and the demographics, symptoms, endoscopic findings and clinicopathological characteristics were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Of the 179 colonic schistosomiasis patients, 32 combined with colorectal cancer (CRC) were found, between the ages of 44 and 85 years (24 males, 75%). These 32 lesions were classified as 12 endophytic/ulcerative (37.5%), 10 exophytic/fungating (31.2%), 4 annular (12.5%), 3 giant polypus (9.4%), and 3 IIc (superficial depressed type) (9.4%). The segments of rectum and sigmoid colon were involved in 19 patients (59.4%) and 6 patients (18.8%), respectively. The histopathologic types were classified as follows: 30 welldifferentiated adenocarcinomas, one mucinous adenocarcinoma and one poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The pathological findings suggest colorectal malignancy with deposited schistosome ova. Conclusions: Chronic schistosomal infestation has a probable etiological role in promoting genesis of colorectal neoplasms.

Characterizing Size and Porosity of Hollow Nanoparticles: SAXS, SANS, TEM, DLS, and Adsorption Isotherms Compared

Chen, Zhi Hong,Kim, Chanhoi,Zeng, Xiang-bing,Hwang, Sun Hye,Jang, Jyongsik,Ungar, Goran American Chemical Society 2012 Langmuir Vol.28 No.43

<P>A combination of experimental methods, including transmission and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS and GISAXS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and N<SUB>2</SUB> adsorption–desorption isotherms, was used to characterize SiO<SUB>2</SUB>/TiO<SUB>2</SUB> hollow nanoparticles (HNPs) of sizes between 25 and 100 nm. In the analysis of SAXS, SANS, and GISAXS data, the decoupling approximation and the Percus–Yevick structure factor approximation were used. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, <I>t</I>-plot, and a spherical pore model based on Kelvin equation were applied in the treatment of N<SUB>2</SUB> isotherms. Extracted parameters from the scattering and TEM methods are the average outer and inner diameters and polydispersity. Good agreement was achieved between different methods for these extracted parameters. Merits, advantages, and disadvantages of the different methods are discussed. Furthermore, the combination of these methods provided us with information on the porosity of the shells of HNPs and the size of intrawall pores, which are critical to the applications of HNPs as drug delivery vehicles and catalyst supports.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/langd5/2012/langd5.2012.28.issue-43/la302236u/production/images/medium/la-2012-02236u_0010.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/la302236u'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>

The Effects of Puerarin on CYP2D6 and CYP1A2 Activities In Vivo

Jiao Zheng,Bin Chen,Bing Jiang,Ling Zeng,Zhi-Rong Tang,Lan Fan,Hong-Hao Zhou 대한약학회 2010 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.33 No.2

Ge-gen (Radix Puerariae) is used in traditional oriental medicine for various medicinal purposes. The drug is the root of a wild leguminous creeper, Pueraria lobata (Willd) Ohwi. It possesses a high content of avonoid derivatives, the most abundant of which is puerarin. Our goal was to find the effect of puerarin on cytochrome P450 enzymes in vivo. The study was conducted in 18 male volunteers of different genotypes (CYP2D6 *1/*1, *1/*10, *10/*10). Plasma was obtained at 6 h after oral administration and urine was collected from 0 to 8 h after probe drug administration. The logarithm value of metabolic rate decrease from -0.0055 ± 0.1887 to -0.1754 ± 0.2411 implied puerarin inhibited activity of CYP2D6. There was no significant relationship between the inhibition with the CYP2D6 genotypes. The paraxanthin/caffeine ratio in the plasma sample at 6th hour was increased by 30 ± 47% (p = 0.003), implied puerarin induced the activity of CYP1A2. While puerarin used together with the substrates of both enzymes, drug interaction worth the attention and at sometimes precautions are needed.

Analysis on Robust Passivity of Uncertain Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delays via Free-Matrix-Based Integral Inequality

Shen-Ping Xiao,Hong-Hai Lian,Hong-Bing Zeng,Gang Chen,Wei-Hua Zheng 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2017 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.15 No.5

This paper investigates the robust delay-dependent passivity problem of neural networks (NNs) with time-varying delays and parameter uncertainties. A suitable augmented Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF) with triple integral term, which takes full use of the neuron activation function conditions and the information of time-delay in integral term, is constructed. Furthermore, by utilizing integral inequality proposed recently and the combining reciprocally convex method to estimate the derivative of the LKF, some less conservative robust passivity conditions are derived in terms of LMI. The superiority of presented approaches are demonstrated via two classic numerical examples.

Improved Stability Criteria for Discrete-time Delay Systems via Novel Summation Inequalities

Shen-Ping Xiao,Linxing Xu,Hong-Bing Zeng,Kok Lay Teo 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2018 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.16 No.4

This paper is concerned with the stability analysis of linear discrete time-delay systems. New discrete inequalities for single summation and double summation are presented to estimate summation terms in the forward difference of Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF), which are more general than some commonly used summation inequalities. Through the construction of an augmented LKF, improved delay-dependent stability criteria for discrete time-delay systems are established. Based on this, a time-delayed controller is derived for linear discrete time-delay systems. Finally, the advantages of the proposed criteria are revealed from the solutions of the numerical examples.

Stability and L2-gain Analysis for Impulsive Delay Systems via Two-sided Looped-functional

Jian-Zhong Li,Yan-Yu Zhang,Hong-Bing Zeng 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.3

This paper investigates the problems of stability and L2-gain for impulsive systems with time-delay. Inspired by the two-sided looped-functional method, a Lyapunov-like functional is established. Distinct from the previous researches, the information of the whole intervals x(t+k) to x(t) and x(t) to x(tk+1) is completely exploited by the functional. Besides, a more advanced integral inequality is used and several integrals of the state are augmented, which are helpful to reduce the conservativeness. Based on the proposed method, sufficient criteria for stability and L2-gain are obtained. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effect and the advantages of the proposed method.