Evidence of two genetically different lymphotropic herpesviruses present among red deer, sambar, and milu herds in China

Hongwei Zhu,Huitao Liu,Xin Yu,Jianlong Zhang,Linlin Jiang,Guozhong Chen,Zhibin Feng,Youzhi Li,Tao Feng,Xingxiao Zhang 대한수의학회 2018 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.19 No.5

Herpesvirus infections in Cervidae are a serious threat affecting some deer species worldwide. In our attempt to identify malignant catarrhal fever-associated herpesviruses in deer herds, ten gammaherpesviral DNA fragments were identified in five species of deer in herds in China by using a pan-herpesvirus polymerase chain reaction assay targeting viral DNA polymerase. Notably, in sambar (Rusa unicolor), a novel gamma-2 herpesvirus was identified that showed a close relationship with fallow deer lymphotropic herpesvirus (LHV), while the other fragments were phylogenetically grouped together with Elk-LHV. Determination of whether these viruses have any clinical implication in these deer species should be undertaken urgently.

Association of High Expression of Mitochondrial Fission Regulator 2 with Poor Survival of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Hongwei Li,Xingzhuang Zhu,Wei Zhang,Wenjie Lu,Chuan Liu,Jinbo Ma,Rukun Zang,Yipeng Song 대한암예방학회 2021 Journal of cancer prevention Vol.26 No.4

Mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) is associated with mitochondrial fission, while few studies have assessed the associations between MTFR2 expression and clinical characteristics or prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we compared the expression of MTFR2 in 6 ESCC tumors and relative normal tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). To assess the effect of MTFR2 expression on clinicopathologic characteristics and survival, 115 paraffin embedded ESCC tissue samples were assessed by IHC staining. Furthermore, the association between clinicopathological properties and MTFR2 expression in patients with ESCC was examined. The survival analysis was performed using the Cox regression models. We found that MTFR2 expression was significantly increased in ESCC tumors compared with normal esophageal epithelial cells. IHC analysis of 115 paraffin embedded ESCC tumor specimens of the patients showed that the expression of MTFR2 was significantly associated with clinical stage (P < 0.001), tumor classification (P < 0.001), histological grade (P < 0.001), and other clinicopathological characteristics. Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that MTFR2 expression was inversely correlated with the survival of ESCC patients. In conclusion, the expression of MTFR2 is significantly associated with clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of ESCC. Thus, MTFR2 expression could serve as a potentially important prognostic biomarker and clinical target for patients with ESCC. Key Words MTFR2, Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Immunohistochemistry, Prognosis

Glycine alleviated diquat-induced hepatic injury via inhibiting ferroptosis in weaned piglets

Hua Hongwei,Xu Xiao,Tian Wei,Li Pei,Zhu Huiling,Wang Wenjun,Liu Yulan,Xiao Kan 아세아·태평양축산학회 2022 Animal Bioscience Vol.35 No.6

Objective: The beneficial effects of glycine were tested in piglets with diquat-induced hepatic injury. Methods: Thirty-two piglets were assigned by a 2×2 factorial experimental design including glycine supplementation and diquat challenge. After 3 weeks of feeding with a basic diet or a 1% glycine supplemented diet, piglets were challenged with diquat or saline. After 1 week later, the piglets were slaughtered and samples were collected. Results: Our results indicated that glycine alleviated diquat induced morphological hepatic injury, decreased the activities of plasma alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and glutamyl transpeptidase in the piglets under diquat challenge, and increased total antioxidant capacity and antioxidative enzyme activity significantly. Adding glycine enhanced the concentrations of hepatic adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that diquat induced clear hepatocytes ferroptosis and its effect could be alleviated by glycine to a certain degree. Moreover, glycine significantly affected mRNA and protein expression of ferroptosis-related signals in the liver. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that glycine attenuated liver damage via inhibiting ferroptosis. Objective: The beneficial effects of glycine were tested in piglets with diquat-induced hepatic injury.Methods: Thirty-two piglets were assigned by a 2×2 factorial experimental design including glycine supplementation and diquat challenge. After 3 weeks of feeding with a basic diet or a 1% glycine supplemented diet, piglets were challenged with diquat or saline. After 1 week later, the piglets were slaughtered and samples were collected.Results: Our results indicated that glycine alleviated diquat induced morphological hepatic injury, decreased the activities of plasma alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and glutamyl transpeptidase in the piglets under diquat challenge, and increased total antioxidant capacity and antioxidative enzyme activity significantly. Adding glycine enhanced the concentrations of hepatic adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that diquat induced clear hepatocytes ferroptosis and its effect could be alleviated by glycine to a certain degree. Moreover, glycine significantly affected mRNA and protein expression of ferroptosis-related signals in the liver.Conclusion: These results demonstrated that glycine attenuated liver damage via inhibiting ferroptosis.

Effect of In-situ TiC particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties ofAl8.5Fe1.4V1.7Si aluminum alloy

Baohong Zhu,Yong’an Zhang,Baiqing Xiong,Hongwei Liu,Likai Shi,Songxiao Hui 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2006 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.7 No.2

Heat-resistant Al-Fe-V-Si aluminum alloys enhanced by in-situ TiC particles have been prepared by spray forming process with suitable process parameters. Research results show that the microstructure of the as-deposited alloy is fine and homogeneous. In-situ TiC particles prevent the unstable phases from coming into being. On the other hand, the TiC particles increase the volume fraction of heat-resistant phases. So the mechanical properties of the reinforced alloy by in-situ TiC particles are better than that of Al-Fe-V-Si alloy without the TiC particles. The hot extrusion temperature is also an important parameter to be considered. It is proved better to extrude the alloy at lower temperature. The tensile strength of the alloy without TiC particles is about 435 MPa at room temperature and is about 204 MPa at 350oC. However, when the alloy is enhanced by in-situ TiC particles, the strength of alloy is about 482 MPa at room temperature and is about 224 MPa at 350oC.

Numerical Modeling of Creep Degradation of Natural Soft Clays under One-dimensional Condition

Qi-Yin Zhu,Zhen-Yu Yin,Dong-Mei Zhang,Hongwei Huang 대한토목학회 2017 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.21 No.5

Creep degradation is a common phenomenon of natural soft clays. This paper focuses on developing a one-dimensional constitutive model considering the influence of bond degradation on the creep behavior for natural soft clays. First, conventional oedometer creep tests are studied and a creep based structure indicator ϖ denoting the difference between the creep coefficient of the reconstituted samples and that of intact samples is proposed. Then, the creep coefficient of intact clay is formulated by this indicator and the intrinsic creep coefficient corresponding to reconstituted clay. This formula is then incorporated into a one-dimensional creep model to describe the creep degradation behavior induced by bond degradation. The model parameters can be determined in a straightforward way from oedometer tests which leads to an easy application of the model for practice. Furthermore, coupled with the consolidation theory, the model is used to simulate oedometer tests at constant strain rate as well as long-term creep tests on sensitive Batiscan clay. The destructuration effects on the evolution of creep coefficient are analyzed. The comparisons between experimental and numerical results show that the proposed model can precisely describe the creep degradation behavior induced by destructuration of natural soft clay under one-dimensional loading.

Fabrication of Novel CuO Films with Nanoparticles-Aggregated Sphere-Like Clusters on ITO and Their Nonenzymatic Glucose Sensing Applications

Fang Sun,Hongwei Jiang,Ruihua Zhu,Dan Wang 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2017 NANO Vol.12 No.2

In this work, novel nanoparticles-aggregated CuO sphere-like clusters were successfully synthesized on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass through a facile two-step procedure consisting of the fabrication of Cu2O films directly grown on ITO surface by electrodeposition, and subsequent calcinations of Cu2O films leading to the formation of CuO films. The morphology and structure of as-synthesized samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the size of nanoparticles constituting sphere-like clusters structure obtained at 200℃ is much smaller than that of obtained at other temperature, which can provide large surface area for catalytic reaction. The CuO/ITO electrode was applied to detect glucose by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometric detection (i - t). It was found that the obtained CuO films modified ITO electrode exhibited a much higher electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of glucose in an alkaline medium through heat treatment of 200℃. A favorable performance with a high sensitivity of 1841.5544 µA mM-1 cm-2 to glucose ranging from 1.0 x 10-6 M to 5.0 x 10-4 M, a low operating potential of 0.35V versus Ag/AgCl and a fast amperometric response (within 3 s) were achieved on such CuO/ITO electrode. It also showed outstanding long-term stability and good reproducibility. Notably, poisoning by chloride ions and interference from ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetaminophen were negligible. Therefore, the nanoparticles-aggregated CuO sphere-like clusters would be a promising candidate electrode material for the development of nonenzymatic glucose sensors.

Validation of the Thyrotoxicosis-associated Insomnia Model Induced by Thyroxine through Sympathetic Stimulation: Face, Construct and Predictive Perspectives

Zhifu Ai,Hongwei He,Tingting Wang,Liling Chen,Chunhua Huang,Changlian Chen,Pengfei Xu,Genhua Zhu,Ming Yang,Yonggui Song,Dan Su 한국뇌신경과학회 2021 Experimental Neurobiology Vol.30 No.6

Insomnia has become a common central nervous system disease. At present, the pathogenesis of insomnia is not clear. Animal models can help us understand the pathogenesis of the disease and can be used in transformational medicine. Therefore, it is very necessary to establish an appropriate model of insomnia. Clinical data show that insomnia patients with high levels of thyroxine and often accompanied by cardiovascular problems, a common mechanism underlying all of these physiological disruptions is the sympathetic nervous system. Combined with the characteristics of chronic onset of clinical insomnia, an insomnia model induced by long-term intraperitoneal injection of thyroid hormone has been created in our laboratory. In this paper, the insomnia-like state of the model was evaluated based on three validity criteria. Face validity has been demonstrated in metabolism, the Morris water maze, electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG). Structure validity has been proved by the results of targeted metabolomics. After treatment with diazepam, a commonly used clinical anti-insomnia drug, the above physiological and pathological disorders were reversed. The results of comprehensive analysis show that the established thyrotoxicosis-associated insomnia model meets the validity requirement to establish an appropriate animal model of insomnia. The model presented in this article might help to study pathogenetic mechanisms of clinical insomnia, as well as to test promising methods of insomnia treatment.

Molecular evolutionary analysis reveals Arctic-like rabies viruses evolved and dispersed independently in North and South Asia

Xin Yu,Hongwei Zhu,Yongheng Bo,Youzhi Li,Jianlong Zhang,Linlin Jiang,Guozhong Chen,Xingxiao Zhang,Yongjun Wen 대한수의학회 2021 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.22 No.1

Background: Arctic-like (AL) lineages of rabies viruses (RABVs) remains endemic in some Arctic and Asia countries. However, their evolutionary dynamics are largely unappreciated. Objectives: We attempted to estimate the evolutionary history, geographic origin and spread of the Arctic-related RABVs. Methods: Full length or partial sequences of the N and G genes were used to infer the evolutionary aspects of AL RABVs by Bayesian evolutionary analysis. Results: The most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) of the current Arctic and AL RABVs emerged in the 1830s and evolved independently after diversification. Population demographic analysis indicated that the viruses experienced gradual growth followed by a sudden decrease in its population size from the mid-1980s to approximately 2000. Genetic flow patterns among the regions reveal a high geographic correlation in AL RABVs transmission. Discrete phylogeography suggests that the geographic origin of the AL RABVs was in east Russia in approximately the 1830s. The ancestral AL RABV then diversified and immigrated to the countries in Northeast Asia, while the viruses in South Asia were dispersed to the neighboring regions from India. The N and G genes of RABVs in both clades sustained high levels of purifying selection, and the positive selection sites were mainly found on the C-terminus of the G gene. Conclusions: The current AL RABVs circulating in South and North Asia evolved and dispersed independently.

pH-sensitive drug controlled release core/shell fibers fabricated by combination of electrospinning and photopolymerization

Xiao-lei Zhu,Hongwei Zhang,Jun Nie,Guiping Ma 한국공업화학회 2017 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.45 No.-

pH-sensitive drug loaded core shellfibers were fabricated by a combination of electrospinning and UVphoto-polymerization. Combretastatin A4 (CA4) was selected as the model drug loaded in PLA to test thepH-sensitivity property of the core shellfibers. The morphology of thefibers was studied by scanningelectron microscopy (SEM), and the core shell structure of thefibers was confirmed by transmissionelectron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The drug release assay wastested via the UV–vis spectrophotometer, and the pH-sensitivity of core shellfibers was tested by drugrelease assay under pH 5.0 and 7.4.

Insulin resistance and overweight prolonged fertility-sparing treatment duration in endometrial atypical hyperplasia patients

Bingyi Yang,Liying Xie,Hongwei Zhang,Qin Zhu,Yan Du,Xuezhen Luo,Xiaojun Chen 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.3

Objective: Our previous study showed that insulin resistance (IR) was related to endometrial hyperplasia as well as endometrial cancer. But the exact impact of IR on fertility-sparing treatment in endometrial hyperplasic disease is unclear. This study investigated how IR affects fertility-sparing treatment in endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) patients. METHODS: The 151 EAH patients received fertility-sparing treatment were retrospectively investigated. All patients received high-dose progestin combined with hysteroscopy. Therapeutic effects were evaluated by hysteroscopy every 3 months during the treatment. RESULTS: The median age was 33.0 years old (range, 21-54 years old). Sixty-one patients (40.4%) were insulin resistant. Three patients were excluded from the analysis because they chose hysterectomy within 3 months after initiation of progestin treatment. The 141 out of 148 (95.3%) patients achieved complete response (CR). No difference was found in cumulative CR rate between those with or without IR (90.2% vs. 95.6%, p=0.320). IR significantly affected therapeutic duration to achieve CR (8.1±0.5 months with IR vs. 6.1±0.4 months without IR, p=0.004). Overweight (body mass index [BMI]≥25 kg/m²) was associated with higher risk of treatment failure (odds ratio=5.61; 95% confidence interval=1.11-28.35; p=0.040) and longer therapeutic duration to achieve CR (7.6±0.5 months vs. 6.3±0.4 months, p=0.019). EAH patients with both IR and overweight (IR+BMI+) had the longest therapeutic time compared with other patients (8.8±0.6 months vs. 5.6±0.7, 6.3±0.4, and 6.4±0.8 months for IR-BMI+, IR-BMI-, and IR+BMI-, respectively, p=0.006). CONCLUSION: IR and overweight were associated with longer therapeutic duration in EAH patients receiving progestin-based fertility-sparing treatment.