miR-140-3p Knockdown Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Fibrogenesis in Hepatic Stellate Cells via PTEN-Mediated AKT/mTOR Signaling

Shi-Min Wu,Tian-Hong Li,Hao Yun,Hong-Wu Ai,Ke-Hui Zhang 연세대학교의과대학 2019 Yonsei medical journal Vol.60 No.6

Purpose: Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and the outcome of various chronic liver diseases. Activationof hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the key event in liver fibrosis. Studies have confirmed that miR-140-3p plays a potential regulatoryeffect on HSC activation. However, whether miR-140-3p mediates the liver fibrosis remains unknown. Materials and Methods: Expression of miR-140-3p was detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Cell proliferation wasmeasured by MTT, while cell apoptosis rate was determined via flow cytometry. Western blot assay was used to detect the expressionof cleaved PARP. The fibrogenic effect was evaluated by expression of α-smooth muscle actin and desmin. Functional experimentswere performed in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-induced HSC-T6 cells with transfection of anti-miR-140-3pand/or siPTEN. Target binding between miR-140-3p and PTEN was predicted by the TargetScan database and identified usingluciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. Results: TGF-β1 induced the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and miR-140-3p expression varied according to HSC-T6 cell activationstatus. Knockdown of miR-140-3p reduced cell proliferation and the expressions of α-SMA and desmin, as well as increasedapoptosis, in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, which could be blocked by PTEN silencing. Additionally, inactivation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway stimulated by miR-140-3p knockdown was abolished when silencing PTEN expression. PTEN was negativelyregulated by miR-140-3p via direct binding in HSC-T6 cells. Conclusion: miR-140-3p is an important mediator in HSC-T6 cell activation, and miR-140-3p knockdown suppresses cell proliferationand fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, indicating that miR-140-3p may be a potential novel molecular targetfor liver fibrosis.

Parameters of the Secondary Electron Yield from Metal

Ai-Gen Xie,Hong-Yan Wu,Jia Xu 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.62 No.5

Based on a simple classical model that primary electrons interact with the electron of lattice by Coulomb force,the condition that lattice scattering is ignored and the energy band of metal, the formula for the average energy required to produce a secondary electron in metal (εm ) as a function of work function was deduced. Based on the physical characteristic of migration and escape of secondary electron and the definition of the probability(Bm) of secondary electrons passing over the surface barrier of metal into the vacuum, the formula for Bm was deduced. In addition, the formula for the ratio of Bm to εm (βBε) was obtained. According to the physical characteristic of secondary electron emission and some relationship between the parameters of secondary electron yield(δ), the formula for the mean escape depth from metal (1/α) was successfully deduced. The 1/α calculated from this formula and the values measured experimentally from some metals were compared, respectively. Finally, we conclude that the formula for 1/α presented in this paper is universal for the estimation of 1/α at any energy, and that the formula for βBε is correct and is important to estimate δ.

Minimum 2-Year Experience with Magnetically Controlled Growing Rods for the Treatment of Early-Onset Scoliosis: A Systematic Review

Ai-Min Wu,Jason Pui Yin Cheung,Kenneth Man Chee Cheung,Jia-Liang Lin,Hai-Ming Jin,Dong Chen,Xiang-Yang Wang,Jie Zhao,Kenny Yat Hong Kwan 대한척추외과학회 2019 Asian Spine Journal Vol.13 No.4

Magnetically controlled growing rods have been used to treat early-onset scoliosis for the last 9 years; however, few studies have been published, with only short-term follow-up. The aim of the present study is to systematically review the outcomes of magnetically controlled growing rods in the treatment of early-onset scoliosis with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Studies were included if patients with early-onset scoliosis (scoliosis diagnosed before 10 years of age) underwent implantation of magnetically controlled growing rods with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. The literature review and data extraction followed the established preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis guidelines. Data of distraction frequency, number of distractions, distracted length, Cobb angle, kyphosis, T1–T12 length, and T1–S1 length preoperatively, postoperatively, and at final follow-up were collected. Data regarding complications and unplanned reoperations were also extracted. The mean values of these parameters were calculated, or pooled meta-analysis was performed if available. Ten articles were included in this systematic review, with a total of 116 patients and a follow-up period between 23 and 61 months. The mean preoperative Cobb angle and kyphosis angle were 60.1° and 38.0°, respectively, and improved to 35.4° and 26.1° postoperatively. At final follow-up, the Cobb and kyphosis angles were maintained at 36.9° and 36.0°, respectively. The average preoperative T1–T12 and T1–S1 lengths were 180.6 mm and 293.6 mm, respectively, and increased to 198.3 mm and 320.3 mm postoperatively. T1–T12 and T1–S1 lengths were 212.3 mm and 339.3 mm at final follow-up, respectively. The overall rate of patients with complications was 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38–0.58) and unplanned reoperation 44% (95% CI, 0.33–0.55) after sensitivity analysis. The current evidence from different countries with a minimum of a 2-year follow-up suggests that magnetically controlled growing rods are an effective technique to treat pediatric scoliosis and promote spine growth. However, nearly half of patients still developed complications or required unplanned reoperations.

Research on the Formulation and Properties of a High-Performance Geopolymer Grouting Material Based on Slag and Fly Ash

Jun Xu,Ai Hong Kang,Zheng Guang Wu,Peng Xiao,Bo Li,Yi Miao Lu 대한토목학회 2021 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.25 No.9

In this paper, a high-performance geopolymer grouting material based on slag and fly ash was developed and the properties were investigated. The fluidity, setting time, compressive strength, water resistance and drying shrinkage were studied to evaluate the workability and mechanical properties of geopolymer grouting material (GGM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze the microstructural performance of GGM. The results show that the concentration of alkaline activator and slag content plays a significant role in properties of GGM and the optimum formula has been obtained. In the course of the study, the effect of concentration of alkaline activator and the content of slag on the workability and mechanical performance of GGM is different. All properties of geopolymer were considered comprehensively, the slag content and concentration of alkaline activator were 70% and 37%, which indicated that the geopolymer grouting material made from slag and fly ash could meet the requirements of concrete reinforcement well and was friendly to the environment.

Gene Silencing of β-catenin by RNAi Inhibits Proliferation of Human Esophageal Cancer Cells by Inducing G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest

Wang, Jin-Sheng,Ji, Ai-Fang,Wan, Hong-Jun,Lu, Ya-Li,Yang, Jian-Zhou,Ma, Li-Li,Wang, Yong-Jin,Wei, Wu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to explore mechanisms underlying the effects of down-regulating ${\beta}$-catenin expression on esophageal carcinoma (EC) cells. Methods: Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were determined using flow cytometry and annexin V apoptosis assay, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine changes in ultrastructure, while expression of cyclin D1 protein and mRNA was detected by western blot and real-time PCR. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1-2 were evaluated by Western blot analysis. PCNA labeling index (LI) was determined by immunocytochemistry. Results: Compared with pGen-3-con transfected and Eca-109 cells, the percentage of G0/G1-phase pGen-3-CTNNB1 transfected cells was obviously increased (P<0.05), with no significant difference among the three groups with regard to apoptosis (P>0.05). pGen-3-CTNNB1 transfected cells exhibited obvious decrease in cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression (P<0.05) and the ultrastructure of Eca-109 cells underwent a significant change after being transfected with pGen-3-CTNNB1, suggesting that down-regulating ${\beta}$-catenin expression can promote the differentiation and maturation. The expression of PCNA and the ERKI/2 phosphorylation state were also down-regulated in pGen-3-CTNNB1 transfected cells (P<0.05). At the same time, the PCNA labeling index was decreased accordingly (P<0.05). Conclusion: Inhibition of EC Eca-109 cellproliferation by down-regulating ${\beta}$-catenin expression could improve cell ultrastructure by mediating blockade in G0/G1 through inhibiting cyclin D1, PCNA and the MAPK pathway (p-ERK1/2).

Decitabine in the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Which Combined with Complex Karyotype Respectively

Gao, Su,Li, Zheng,Fu, Jian-Hong,Hu, Xiao-Hui,Xu, Yang,Jin, Zheng-Ming,Tang, Xiao-Wen,Han, Yue,Chen, Su-Ning,Sun, Ai-Ning,Wu, De-Pei,Qiu, Hui-Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.15

Background: We conducted a study exploring the clinical safety and efficacy of decitabine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), combined with a complex karyotype. Materials and Methods: From April 2009 to September 2013, a total of 35 patients with AML/MDS combined with a complex karyotype diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were included for retrospective analysis. All patients were treated with decitabine alone ($20mg/m^2$ daily for 5 days) or combination AAG chemotherapy (Acla 20mg qod*4d, Ara-C $10mg/m^2$ q12h*7d, G-CSF $300{\mu}g$ qd, the dose of G-CSF adjusted to the amount in blood routinely). Results: In 35 patients, 15 exhibited a complete response (CR), and 6 a partial response (PR), the overall response rate (CR+PR) being 60% (21 of 35). Median disease-free survival was 18 months and overall survival was 14 months. In the 15 MDS patients with a complex karyotype, the CR rate was 53.3% (8 of 15); in 20 AML patients with complex karyotype, the overall response rate was 65% (13 of 20). The response rate of decitabine alone (22 cases) was 56.5% (13 of 22), while in the combination chemotherapy group (13 cases), the effective rate was 61.5% (8 of 13)(P>0.05). There are 15 patients with chromosome 7 aberration, after treatment with decitabine, 7 CR, 3 PR, overall response rate was 66.7% (10 of 15). Of 18 patients with 3 to 5 kinds of chromosomal abnormalities, 66.7% demonstrated a response; of 17 with more than 5 chromosomal abnormalities, 52.9% had a response. In the total of 35 patients, with one course (23 patients) and ${\geq}$two courses (12 patients), the overall response rate was 40.9% and 92.3% (P<0.05). Grade III to IV hematological toxicity was observed in 27 cases (75%). Grade III to IV infections were clinically documented in 7 (20%). Grades I to II non-hematological toxicity were infections (18 patients), haematuria (2 patients), and bleeding (3 patients). With follow-up until September 2013, 7 patients were surviving, 18 had died and 10 were lost to follow-up. In the 6 cases who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) all were still relapse-free survivors. Conclusions: Decitabine alone or combination with AAG can improve outcome of AML/MDS with a complex karyotype, there being no significant difference decitabine in inducing remission rates in patients with different karyotype. Increasing the number of courses can improve efficiency. This approach with fewer treatment side effects in patients with a better tolerance should be employed in order to create an improved subsequent chance for HSCT.

Differential Protein Expression Profile Between CD20 Positive and Negative Cells of the NCI-H929 Cell Line

Geng, Chuan-Ying,Liu, Nian,Yang, Guang-Zhong,Liu, Ai-Jun,Leng, Yun,Wang, Hui-Juan,Li, Li-Hong,Wu, Yin,Li, Yan-Chen,Chen, Wen-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.11

At present, multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease and cologenic cells may be responsible for disease relapse. It has been proposed that CD20+/CD138- NCI-H929 cells could be hallmarks of MM clonogenic cells. Here, the immunology phenotype of NCI-H929 cells is described. Only a small population of CD20+/CD138- cells (<1%) was found in the NCI-H929 cell line, but CD20+/CD138- cells were not detected. We found that CD20+/CD138+ cells were able to exhibit cologenic capacity by colony formation assay and continuous passage culture. Proteins were analyzed by 1D-SDS-PAGE and TMT based quantitative differential liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). 1,082 non-redundant proteins were identified, 658 of which were differentially expressed with at least a 1.5-fold difference. 205 proteins in CD20+ cells were expressed at higher levels and 453 proteins were at lower levels compared with CD20- cells. Most proteins had catalytic and binding activity and mainly participated in metabolic processes, cell communication and molecular transport. These results proved that there are different biological features and protein expression profile between CD20+ and CD20- cells in the NCI-H929 cell line.

Efficacy and safety of herbal medicine (Binafuxi granules) for the common cold with fever: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial

Liu Xuemei,Min Jie,She Bin,Chen Yang,Li Jun,Huang Lei,Chen Ju,Luo Ai,Mei Yang,Li Ting,Wu Yanqing,Chen Daohong,Hongli Zhong,Liu Wei,Mao Bing,Jiang Hongli 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.3

Background: Binafuxi granules are a traditional Uighur medicine (TUM) for treating the common cold with fever. However, high-quality clinical studies supporting its efficacy and safety are lacking. Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II clinical trial, patients with common cold and fever were randomly assigned to a high-dose group, low-dose group, and placebo group in a 1:1:1 ratio. Outcomes were time to fever relief, time to fever clearance, proportion of afebrile patients, time to symptom disappearance, rate of symptom disappearance, effective rate, emergency drug usage and safety assessment. Results: A total of 235 patients were recruited. Of these, 234 were included in the full analysis set (FAS), and 217 were included in the per-protocol set (PPS). In the FAS analysis, the median time to fever relief was 6.00 h, 5.54 h and 10.65 h (P = 0.31) in the high-dose group, low-dose group and placebo group, respectively. The median time to fever clearance was 18.29 h, 20.08 h and 25.00 h (P = 0.0018), respectively, and the proportion of afebrile patients was 92.4%, 89.7% and 71.4% (P = 0.0002), respectively. There was a significant difference in the disappearance time and disappearance rate of all symptoms and of individual symptoms. No serious adverse events were found. Conclusions: Binafuxi granules can dose-dependently shorten the fever course and improve clinical symptoms in patients suffering from the common cold with fever.

Fabrication of Photopolymer Hierarchical Micronanostructures by Coupling Electrospinning and Photolithography for SERS Substrates

Wen-Yi Zhang,Xin-Ze Xiao,Chao Lv,Jia Zhao,Gong Wang,Xuan Gu,Ran Zhang,Bin-Bin Xu,Dan-Dan Zhang,Ai-Wu Li,Yong-Lai Zhang,Hong-Bo Sun 한국고분자학회 2013 Macromolecular Research Vol.21 No.3

Reported here is the fabrication of photopolymer hierarchical micronanostructures through a combinative process of electrospinning and subsequent photolithography. Electrospun SU-8 (epoxy-based negative photoresist)nanofiber films have been patterned into gratings with periods of 100, 200, 300, and 400 μm, respectively. Deposition of a silver nanolayer on these interlaced nanofiber films would lead to the formation of various plasmonic nanostructures,and therefore, giving rise to abundant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) “hot spots”. In the detection of Rhodamine 6G (R6G), probing molecule, the resultant SERS substrates show both high sensitivity and good reproducibility. The SERS enhancement factor could reach as high as ~108, indicating high efficiency. The fabrication of patterned, highly efficient SERS substrates may hold a great promise for the integration of SERS substrates in various microdevices such as microfluidic chips.

PKM2 Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition and Migration upon EGFR Activation

Fan, Fang-Tian,Shen, Cun-Si,Tao, Li,Tian, Chao,Liu, Zhao-Guo,Zhu, Zhi-Jie,Liu, Yu-Ping,Pei, Chang-Song,Wu, Hong-Yan,Zhang, Lei,Wang, Ai-Yun,Zheng, Shi-Zhong,Huang, Shi-Le,Lu, Yin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

Pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) was first found in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its expression has been thought to correlate with prognosis. A large number of studies have demonstrated that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated metastasis, resulting in enhanced malignancy of HCC. However, the roles of PKM2 in HCC EMT and metastasis remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the effects of PKM2 in EGF-induced HCC EMT and elucidate the molecular mechanisms in vitro. Our results showed that EGF promoted EMT in HCC cell lines as evidenced by altered morphology, expression of EMT-associated markers, and enhanced invasion capacity. Furthermore, the present study also revealed that nuclear translocation of PKM2, which is regulated by the ERK pathway, regulated ${\beta}$-catenin-TCF/LEF-1 transcriptional activity and associated EMT in HCC cell lines. These discoveries provide evidence of novel roles of PKM2 in the progression of HCC and potential therapeutic target for advanced cases.