Parkinson’s Disease with Fatigue: Clinical Characteristics and Potential Mechanisms Relevant to α-Synuclein Oligomer

Li-Jun Zuo,Shu-Yang Yu,Fang Wang,Yanghui Xia,Ying-Shan Piao,Yang Du,Teng-Hong Lian,Rui-Dan Wang,Qiu-Jin Yu,Ya-Jie Wang,Xiao-Min Wang,Piu Chan,Sheng-Di Chen,Yongjun Wang,Wei Zhang 대한신경과학회 2016 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.12 No.2

Background and Purpose The aim of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics and potential mechanisms relevant to pathological proteins in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who experience fatigue. Methods PD patients (n=102) were evaluated using a fatigue severity scale and scales for motor and nonmotor symptoms. The levels of three pathological proteins—α-synuclein oligomer, β-amyloid (Aβ)1-42, and tau—were measured in 102 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from these PD patients. Linear regression analyses were performed between fatigue score and the CSF levels of the above-listed pathological proteins in PD patients. Results The frequency of fatigue in the PD patients was 62.75%. The fatigue group had worse motor symptoms and anxiety, depression, and autonomic dysfunction. The CSF level of α-synuclein oligomer was higher and that of Aβ1-42 was lower in the fatigue group than in the non-fatigue group. In multiple linear regression analyses, fatigue severity was significantly and positively correlated with the α-synuclein oligomer level in the CSF of PD patients, after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions PD patients experience a high frequency of fatigue. PD patients with fatigue have worse motor and part nonmotor symptoms. Fatigue in PD patients is associated with an increased α-synuclein oligomer level in the CSF

Study on mechanism of macro failure and micro fracture of local nearly horizontal stratum in super-large section and deep buried tunnel

Li, Shu-cai,Wang, Jian-hua,Chen, Wei-zhong,Li, Li-ping,Zhang, Qian-qing,He, Peng Techno-Press 2016 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.11 No.2

The stability of surrounding rock will be poor when the tunnel is excavated through nearly horizontal stratum. In this paper, the instability mechanism of local nearly horizontal stratum in super-large section and deep buried tunnel is revealed by the analysis of the macro failure and micro fracture. A structural model is proposed to explain the mechanics of surrounding rock collapse under the action of stress redistribution and shed light on the macroscopic analytical approach of the stability of surrounding rock. Then, some highly effective formulas applied in the tunnel engineering are developed according to the theory of mixed-mode micro fracture. And well-documented field case is made to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed analytical methods of mixed-mode fracture. Meanwhile, in order to make the more accurate judgment about yield failure of rock mass, a series of comprehensive failure criteria are formed. In addition, the relationship between the nonlinear failure criterion and $K_I$ and $K_{II}$ of micro fracture is established to make the surrounding rock failure criterion more comprehensive and accurate. Further, the influence of the parameters related to the tension-shear mixed-mode fracture and compression-shear mixed-mode fracture on the propagation of rock crack is analyzed. Results show that ${\sigma}_3$ changes linearly with the change of ${\sigma}_1$. And the change rate is related to ${\beta}$, angle between the cracks and ${\sigma}_1$. The proposed simple analytical approach is economical and efficient, and suitable for the analysis of local nearly horizontal stratum in super-large section and deep buried tunnel.

Evolution of ALPPS: The Simpler, Safer and Effective One---TELPP

( Shu You Peng ),( Xu An Wang ),( Cong Yun Huang ),( You Yong Zhang ),( Jiang Tao Li ),( De Fei Hong ),( Xiu Jun Cai ),( Yi Fang Wang ),( Xiao Liang ),( Jian Wei Wang ) 대한간학회 2017 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2017 No.1

Aims: The characteristic of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy(ALPPS) carries high mortality and morbidity. There is room for improvement. We suggest Terminal Branches Portal Vein Embolization (TBPVE) as a way to compart the liver. As a result, only a single surgical operation is required.This method is termed Terminal branches portal vein Embolization Liver Partition Planned hepatectomy (TELPP). Methods: Patients with unresectable primary or metastatic liver tumor were performed with TELPP. The procedure of TELPP was that in addition to PVE, embolization agent was infused to the terminal branches of portal vein of S5,S8 or S4. CT scan was taken one or two weeks later, and standard liver volume(SLV), FLR and FLR/SLV are calculated. Two weeks later when the FLR and liver function is appropriate, open or laparoscopic hepatectomy is performed. Results: The study included 11patients including hepatocellular carcinoma: n =8, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: n = 1, hilarcholangiocarcinoma: n =1, colorectal liver metastasis: n =1. After a waiting period of 14 days, the volume of theFLR had increased from 382mlto 578ml, representing a median volume increase of 51% (range =32.5%-86.7%). Of the 11patients with hepatectomy, right hemihepatectomy (n=2), extended right hemihepatectomy (n=5), right trisecmentectomy(2), extended left hemihepatectomy (n=1) and left trisecmentectomy(1). No patient died, and no serve perioperative morbidity occurred. Conclusions: ALPPS and all modifications need two-stage operations with a high morbidity and mortality rate. It seems that TELPP is very promising. It has the merit of ALPPS as extraordinarily rapid increasement of FLRvolume, yet the morbidity and mortality is much lower, owing to the fact that unlike ALPPS, there is no two liver raw surfaces left behind in the abdominal cavity to produce bile leak, as only single surgical operation is required

Combining Genome Shuffling with Streptomycin Resistance to Improve Poly-γ-L-diaminobutanoic Acid Production in Bacillus pumilus

Shu Li,Liang Wang,Nan Wang,Wei Cong 한국생물공학회 2021 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.26 No.4

A breeding approach combining genome shuffling with streptomycin resistance was developed in this research to improve the poly-γ-L-diaminobutanoic acid (γ-PAB) production in Bacillus pumilus LS-1. By this unique strategy, recombinants from the third round of genome shuffling could tolerate 18 μg/L of streptomycin and exhibited higher γ-PAB yield as 152.2 mg/L in shakeflask fermentation, 3-fold over the parent. In batch fermentation, B. pumilus GS3-9 could produce γ-PAB as high as 1284.7 mg/L in two days, 2.4-fold higher than the control, which was the highest productivity ever reported. In addition, the optimal pH in B. pumilus for γ-PAB synthesis was changed after atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis and protoplast fusion, because lower pH environment is favorable for accumulation of intracellular ATP. Some key enzymes in GS3-9 showed higher activities than those in parent, suggesting a greater flux to TCA circle and DAP pathway, which was a reason for enhanced γ-PAB production.

Influence of fracture characters on flow distribution under different Reynold numbers

Wang, Jing,Li, Shu-Cai,Li, Li-Ping,Gao, Cheng-Lu Techno-Press 2018 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.14 No.2

Water inrush through the destruction of water resisting rock mass structure was divided into direct water inrush, key block water inrush and splitting water inrush. In the direct water inrush, the Reynolds numbers has a significant effect on the distribution of the water flow and vortex occurred in the large Reynolds numbers. The permeability coefficient of the fracture is much larger than the rock, and the difference is between 104 and 107 times. The traditional theory and methods are not considering the effect of inertia force. In the position of the cross fracture, the distribution of water flow can only be linearly distributed according to the fracture opening degree. With the increase of Reynolds number, the relationship between water flow distribution and fracture opening is studied by Semtex.

Impact of the COVID-19 vaccine booster strategy on vaccine protection: a pilot study of a military hospital in Taiwan

Wang Yu-Li,Cheng Shu-Tsai,Shen Ching-Fen,Huang Shu-Wei,Cheng Chao-Min 대한백신학회 2023 Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research Vol.12 No.4

Purpose: The global fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has led to widespread vaccination efforts, yet the optimal dosing schedule for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines remains a subject of ongoing research. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of administering two booster doses as the third and fourth doses at different intervals to enhance vaccine protection. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at a military regional hospital operated by the Ministry of National Defense in Taiwan. A cohort of vaccinated individuals was selected, and their vaccine potency was assessed at various time intervals following their initial vaccine administration. The study participants received booster doses as the third and fourth doses, with differing time intervals between them. The study monitored neutralizing antibody titers and other relevant parameters to assess vaccine efficacy. Results: Our findings revealed that the potency of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine exhibited a significant decline 80 days after the initial vaccine administration. However, a longer interval of 175 days between booster injections resulted in significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers. The individuals who received the extended interval boosters exhibited a more robust immune response, suggesting that a vaccine schedule with a 175-day interval between injections may provide superior protection against SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of optimizing vaccine booster dosing schedules to maximize protection against SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate that a longer interval of 175 days between the third and fourth doses of the vaccine can significantly enhance the neutralizing antibody response, potentially offering improved protection against the virus. These findings have important implications for vaccine distribution and administration strategies in the ongoing battle against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Further research and large-scale trials are needed to confirm and extend these findings for broader public health implications.

Study on the mechanism of desulfurization and denitrification catalyzed by TiO2 in the combustion with biomass and coal

Shu Qin Wang,Ming-Zhu Liu,Li-Li Sun,Wei Liang Cheng 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.6

The effects of Ca/S molar ratio, catalyst type, catalyst dosage, temperature on desulfurization and denitrification efficiency were investigated in the coal-powder combustion with corn cobs as biomass. The thermal characteristics of Shanxi coal and corn cob blends with V-TiO2 were evaluated by thermogravimetric analyzer. The catalytic mechanisms of V-TiO2 on combustion, desulfurization and denitrification were discussed, suggesting that the mechanisms are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results show that the control parameters of the ideal desulfurization and denitrification efficiency should follow that the dosage of V-TiO2 catalyst is 8% with a Ca/S ratio of 2.3 at a treatment temperature 850 oC. Meanwhile, the combustion efficiency could be effectively improved with the mixture of corn cob and V-TiO2. The thermal characteristics of coal char and corn cob char blends with V-TiO2 were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis and derivative thermogravimetry methods to discuss the heterogeneous NO reduction mechanisms. The results show that the biomass chars were more active than coal chars in reducing NO, and the specific surface area of the chars was increased with V-TiO2, which indicates that V-TiO2 exhibits significant influence on catalytic combustion, desulfurization and denitrification.

Expression of Endogenous Hypoxia Markers in Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Li, Yu-Zhu,Li, Shu-Ling,Li, Xia,Wang, Li-Jie,Wang, Jiu-Ling,Xu, Jia-Wen,Wu, Zhi-Hong,Gong, Li,Zhang, Xiao-Dan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Objective: To investigate the expression of endogenous hypoxia-related markers identified as being involved in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC). Methods: We performed immunohistochemical staining of hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$), glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), on tissue sections of 25 VSCC patients, 10 vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) patients and 12 healthy controls. Results: HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression was found in all sections, with no significant difference between controls, VIN and VSCC sections (all P<0.05). Glut-1 expression was found in 25% of control, 90% of VIN and 100% of VSCC sections. A significant difference between control and VIN or VSCC was observed (all P<0.05), while no difference was found between VIN and VSCC sections (P>0.05). CA-9 expression was negative in control sections, but it was found in 30% of VIN sections and 52% of VSCC sections with strong staining. Similarly, CA-9 expression also showed obvious differences between controls and VIN or VSCC sections (all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between VIN and VSCC (P>0.05). There were only 25% of control sections with weak VEGF expression, while strong staining was found in about 60% of VIN sections and 25% of VSCC sections (all P<0.05). In addition, a difference was also found between VIN and VSCC sections (P<0.05). Conclusion: Expression of endogenous hypoxia markers (HIF-$1{\alpha}$, GLUT-1, CA-9 and VEGF) might be involved in the malignant progression of VSCC.

Multi-Phase MPCA Modeling and Application Based on an Improved Phase Separation Method

Shu Wang,Yu-Qing Chang,Zhen Zhao,Fu-Li Wang 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2012 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.10 No.6

Regarding the multi-phase characteristic of batch process, a new phase separation method is developed in this paper. The method realizes a 3-step sub-phase separation of the batch process using the retained principal components number, loading matrixes and principal component matrixes, which can adequately reflect the features variation of the process. In line with the different features and clas-sification step, automatic identification of ‘burrs’ and transition phases has been expounded. The pro-posed method can directly separate the stable phases and transition phases in the batch process, and deduce high-precision transition phase models. Based on the proposed method, the MPCA modeling and online monitoring is applied in the injection molding process. The experimental results have veri-fied the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Auricular acupressure promotes uterine involution after cesarean section: A randomized controlled trial

Shu-xin Wang,Jing-chun Zeng,Ting Li,Wan-lan Zhang,Yan-fang Li,Run-jin Zhou,Zi-jun Liu,Yu-ling Liu,Xun Zhuang,Rui Zhang,Li-ming Lu,Guo-hua Lin 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.3

Background: Postpartum subinvolution of the uterus is a more common condition after cesarean section. Auricular acupressure (AA) is widely used for the treatment of postpartum diseases. However, few studies have explored the effects of AA as a treatment of uterine involution following cesarean section to date. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of AA for uterine involution after cesarean section. Methods: A total of 109 women who underwent cesarean section participated in this study. They were randomly allocated to either real AA or sham AA in a 1:1 ratio by a computer program. For 3 days, the real AA and sham AA groups received treatment 3 times daily. A series of assessments at 42 days after cesarean section, namely on the uterine size, the incidence of hydrometra, the first anal exsufflation time, bleeding volume at 6 hours, bleeding volume at 6–24 hours along with other general assessments were carried out. Results: A total of 89 women completed the study. The uterine size at 42 days after a cesarean section was 6.3 cm smaller in the real AA group than in the sham AA group (P < 0.01). The incidence of hydrometra on day 42 postpartum was lower in the real AA group than in the sham AA group (P < 0.01). The lochia duration and the first anal exsufflation time after cesarean section were shorter in the real AA group than in the sham AA group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: AA improves uterine involution after cesarean section. Trial registration: ChiCTR1800015569.