The TL1A-DR3 Axis in Asthma: Membrane-Bound and Secreted TL1A Co-Determined the Development of Airway Remodeling

Zhang Jintao,Zhang Dong,Pan Yun,Liu Xiaofei,Xu Jiawei,Qiao Xinrui,Cui Wenjing,Dong Liang 대한천식알레르기학회 2022 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.14 No.2

Purpose: Tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A (TL1A), especially its secreted form, has been shown to contribute to eosinophilic inflammation and mucus production, cardinal features of asthma, through its receptor, death receptor 3 (DR3). However, the role of the TL1A-DR3 axis in asthma, especially in terms of airway remodeling, has not yet been fully understood. Methods: The present study investigated the expression and secretion of TL1A in the lung and human bronchial epithelial cells. DR3 small interfering RNA (siRNA), TL1A siRNA, and truncated plasmids were used respectively to identify the function of the TL1A-DR3 axis in vitro. To further validate the roles of the TL1A-DR3 axis in asthma, we collected airway biopsies and sputa from asthmatic patients and constructed a mouse model following rTL1A administration, DR3 knockdown, and TL1A knockout, the asthma-related inflammatory response and the pathological changes in airways were analyzed using various experimental methods. Associated signaling pathways downstream of TL1A knockout in the mouse model were analyzed using RNA sequencing. Results: TL1A, especially its non-secreted form (nsTL1A) was involved in the remodeling process in asthmatics’ airways. Knockdown of TL1A or its receptor DR3 decreased the expression of fibrosis-associated protein in BEAS-2B cells. Reversely, overexpression of nsTL1A in airway epithelial cells facilitated the transforming growth factor-β-induced remodeling progress. In the asthma mouse model, activating the TL1A-DR3 axis contributes to airway inflammation, remodeling, and tissue destruction. Reciprocally, DR3 knockdown or TL1A knockout partly reverses airway remodeling in the asthma model induced by ovalbumin. Conclusions: Our results confirm differential TL1A expression (including its secreted and non-secreted form) in asthma, which modulates remodeling. The shared mechanism of action by which nsTL1A and secreted TL1A exert their effects on asthma development might be mediated via the nuclear factor-κB pathway. The TL1A-DR3 axis presents a promising therapeutic target in asthma.

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MIRA FASTBACK MODEL IN EXPERIMENT AND CFD

Yingchao Zhang,Jintao Zhang,Kaiguang Wu,Zijie Wang,Zhe Zhang 한국자동차공학회 2019 International journal of automotive technology Vol.20 No.4

The lasting high fuel cost has recently inspired the resurgence in drag reduction research for vehicles, which calls for a thorough understanding of the vehicle wake. The acknowledged MIRA fastback vehicle model is characterized by similar real vehicle geometry, thus it is especially suitable for the above purpose. In spite of a considerable number of previous investigations, our knowledge of flow around this model remains incomplete. This paper aims to visit turbulent flow structure behind this model. An investigation has been conducted to measure the near wake flow structure of the MIRA 1/8 scale mode, using both Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) experimental method and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation method. In order to capture the flow structure accurately, PIV measurement was performed in different sections along three orthogonal directions, and the CFD method acquired additional simulation results to catch the better flow status. Through the maps of the time-averaged vorticity, the instantaneous vorticity and the handled velocity vector from the PIV and CFD methods, we found out the formation mechanism of the transient flow of fastback model and summed up the schematic of flow structure. This study not only analyzed the vortex shedding characteristics of turbulent near wake, but more importantly provided insight into the complex three-dimensional features of the flow structure in the wakes of MIRA fastback model.

PS-PNIPAm Nanoparticles-based Photonic Hydrogels for Solvent Sensing

Tian Zhang,Xiaolu Jia,Jintao Zhu 한국고분자학회 2016 한국고분자학회 학술대회 연구논문 초록집 Vol.41 No.2

Numerical semi-empirical modeling of lidar attenuation characteristics in atmosphere

Tan Zhuangbin,Zhang Yan,Yang Yang,Chen Jintao,Qu Chengzhi,Ma Feifan 한국물리학회 2022 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.81 No.12

Long-distance measurement of lidar is a critical problem in various felds, such as airborne lidar detection, surveying, and mapping. Attenuation characteristic is the key factor afecting the lidar detection capability. However, some long-distance measurement methods based on the widely used and validated theoretical models are usually inefcient, while others relying on empirical models have limited applications due to experimental difculties. This study proposes a semi-empirical model of long-distance measurement based on the Beer–Lambert–Bouguer law adopting mathematical methods. Compared to the theoretical model, the calculation efciency of the semi-empirical model we constructed has been improved by more than two orders of magnitude, and the accuracy can reach more than 98% of the theoretical model. Compared to other empirical models, its accuracy is closer to the theoretical model, and the computational efciency is similar. It can be more efectively applied to the actual long-distance detection scene.

Cuprum Metal-Organic-Framework and Polyacrylonitrile-Derived Cu-N-C Electrocatalyst for Application in Zinc-Air Batteries

Yajun Zhao,Jintao Chen,Xiaorui Li,Jiaqing Zhang,Yanan Li,Yajun Zhao,Liye Cao,Xiaoshi Jin 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2020 NANO Vol.15 No.02

Cu-N-C electrocatalyst was successfully prepared with Cu-BTC and polyacrylonitrile as templates by electrospinning and in-situ growth method. The effect of various N-doped content on the electrochemical performance of the catalyst were investigated and the Cu-N-C-0.25 exhibited the best OER/ORRcatalytic activities. When it was applied to the cathode of the zinc-air batteries, the power density of Cu-N-C-0.25 was 209.1 mW cm -2, which exceeded that of the commercial Pt/C + IrO2 hybrid catalyst (157 mW cm -2). The excellent electrochemical performance may be attributed to large number of active sites and high specific surface area on Cu-N-C electrocatalyst. It will be a promising alternative to precious metal catalysts containing Pt, Ir or Ru and their oxides.

Suppression of SPARC Ameliorates Ovalbumin-induced Airway Remodeling via TGFβ1/Smad2 in Chronic Asthma

Pan Yun,Zhang Dong,Zhang Jintao,Liu Xiaofei,Xu Jiawei,Zeng Rong,Cui Wenjing,Liu Tian,Wang Junfei,Dong Liang 대한천식알레르기학회 2024 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.16 No.1

Purpose: Airway remodeling is a critical feature of asthma. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), which plays a cardinal role in regulating cell-matrix interactions, has been implicated in various fibrotic diseases. However, the effect of SPARC in asthma remains unknown. Methods: We studied the expression of SPARC in human bronchial epithelial cells and serum of asthmatics as well as in the lung tissues of chronic asthma mice. The role of SPARC was examined by using a Lentivirus-mediated SPARC knockdown method in the ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mice. The biological processes regulated by SPARC were identified using RNA sequencing. The function of SPARC in the remodeling process induced by transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) was conducted by using SPARC small interfering RNA (siRNA) or recombinant human SPARC protein in 16HBE cells. Results: We observed that SPARC was up-regulated in human bronchial epithelia of asthmatics and the asthmatic mice. The levels of serum SPARC in asthmatics were also elevated and negatively correlated with the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity ratio (FVC) (r = −0.485, P < 0.01) and FEV1 (%predicted) (r = −0.425, P = 0.001). In the chronic asthmatic mice, Lentivirus-mediated SPARC knockdown significantly decreased airway remodeling and airway hyper-responsiveness. According to gene set enrichment analysis, negatively enriched pathways found in the OVA + short hairpin-SPARC group included ECM organization and collagen formation. In the lung function studies, knockdown of SPARC by siRNA reduced the expression of remodeling-associated biomarkers, cell migration, and contraction by blocking the TGFβ1/Smad2 pathway. Addition of human recombinant SPARC protein promoted the TGFβ1-induced remodeling process, cell migration, and contraction in 16HBE cells via the TGFβ1/Smad2 pathway. Conclusions: Our studies provided evidence for the involvement of SPARC in the airway remodeling of asthma via the TGFβ1/Smad2 pathway.

Transparent Photothermal Hydrogels for Wound Visualization and Accelerated Healing

Ge Xie,Lianbin Zhang,Jintao Zhu 한국고분자학회 2022 한국고분자학회 학술대회 연구논문 초록집 Vol.47 No.1

Experimental investigation on shear capacity of partially prefabricated steel reinforced concrete columns

Yong Yang,Yang Chen,Jintao Zhang,Yicong Xue,Ru-yue Liu,Yunlong Yu 국제구조공학회 2018 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.28 No.1

This paper experimentally and analytically elucidates the shear behavior and shear bearing capacity of partially prefabricated steel reinforced concrete (PPSRC) columns and hollow partially prefabricated steel reinforced concrete (HPSRC) columns. Seven specimens including five PPSRC column specimens and two HPSRC column specimens were tested under static monotonic loading. In the test, the influences of shear span aspect ratio and difference of cast-in-place concrete strength on the shear behavior of PPSRC and HPSRC columns were investigated. Based on the test results, the failure pattern, the loaddisplacement behavior and the shear capacity were focused and analyzed. The test results demonstrated that all the column specimens failed in shear failure mode with high bearing capacity and good deformability. Smaller shear span aspect ratio and higher strength of inner concrete resulted in higher shear bearing capacity, with more ductile and better deformability. Furthermore, calculation formula for predicting the ultimate shear capacity of the PPSRC and HPSRC columns were proposed on the basis of the experimental results.

Silver-exchanged heteropolyacid catalyst (Ag1H2PW): An efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and fructose

Yongshen Ren,Bing Liu,Zehui Zhang,Jintao Lin 한국공업화학회 2015 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.21 No.1

Three kinds of silver-exchanged phosphotungstic acid catalysts were prepared and used for the synthesisof potential biofuel 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF). It was found that the partially silver exchangedphosphotungstic acid (Ag1H2PW) showed the best catalytic activity among silver exchangedphosphotungstic acids prepared. The highest EMF yield of 88.7% was obtained from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF) at 100 8C after 10 h. Furthermore, Ag1H2PW also showed high catalytic activity for theone-pot conversion of fructose into EMF with a yield of 69.5%. In addition, Ag1H2PW could be reusedseveral times without a significant loss of its catalytic activity.

Improving acoustic determinations of the Boltzmann constant with mass spectrometer measurements of the molar mass of argon

Yang, Inseok,Pitre, Laurent,Moldover, Michael R,Zhang, Jintao,Feng, Xiaojuan,Kim, Jin Seog BUREAU INTERNATIONAL DES POIDS ET MESURES 2015 METROLOGIA -BERLIN- Vol.52 No.5

<P>We determined accurate values of <I>ratios</I> among the average molar masses <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> of 9 argon samples using two completely-independent techniques: (1) mass spectrometry and (2) measured ratios of acoustic resonance frequencies. The two techniques yielded mutually consistent ratios (RMS deviation of 0.16   ?   10<SUP>−6</SUP> <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> from the expected correlation) for the 9 samples of highly-purified, commercially-purchased argon with values of <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> spanning a range of 2   ?   10<SUP>−6</SUP> <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB>. Among the 9 argon samples, two were traceable to recent, accurate, argon-based measurements of the Boltzmann constant <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB> using primary acoustic gas thermometers (AGT). Additionally we determined our absolute values of <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> traceable to two, completely-independent, isotopic-reference standards; one standard was prepared gravimetrically at KRISS in 2006; the other standard was isotopically-enriched <SUP>40</SUP>Ar that was used during NIST’s 1988 measurement of <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB> and was sent to NIM for this research. The <I>absolute</I> values of <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> determined using the KRISS standard have the relative standard uncertainty <I>u</I><SUB>r</SUB>(<I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB>)  =  0.70   ?   10<SUP>−6</SUP> (Uncertainties here are one standard uncertainty.); they agree with values of <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> determined at NIM using an AGT within the uncertainty of the comparison <I>u</I><SUB>r</SUB>(<I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB>)  =  0.93   ?   10<SUP>−6</SUP>. If our measurements of <I>M</I><SUB>Ar</SUB> are accepted, the difference between two, recent, argon-based, AGT measurements of <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB> decreases from (2.77   ?   1.43)  ?  10<SUP>−6</SUP> <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB> to (0.16   ?   1.28)  ?  10<SUP>−6</SUP> <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB>. This decrease enables the calculation of a <I>meaningful</I>, weighted average value of <I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB> with a uncertainty <I>u</I><SUB>r</SUB>(<I>k</I><SUB>B</SUB>)  ≈  0.6   ?   10<SUP>−6</SUP>.</P>