Compound glycyrrhizin injection for improving liver function in children with acute icteric hepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Liang Shi-Bing,Hou Wen-Bin,Zheng Ruo-Xiang,Liang Chang-Hao,Yan Li-Jiao,Wang Hao-Nan,Cao Hui-Juan,Han Mei,Robinson Nicola,Liu Jian-Ping 한국한의학연구원 2022 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.11 No.1

Background: Compound glycyrrhizin injection (CGI) is a preparation with glycyrrhizin as the main active ingredient extracted from licorice. As clinical trials suggest that CGI is effective in improving liver function for acute icteric hepatitis in children (AIHC), this systematic review aimed to evaluate and verify its therapeutic effects and safety. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from their inception to 15 May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing therapeutic effects and safety of CGI for AIHC were included. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. Primary outcomes were indexes related to liver function, including total bilirubin (TBiL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). RevMan 5.4 software was used for data analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the online GRADEpro tool. Results: Six RCTs involving 608 children were included. The overall bias was assessed as having “high risk of bias” in all trials. All trials compared the combination of CGI and conventional western medicine (CWM) with CWM alone. Regarding the effects of CGI for AIHC, results showed that CGI plus CWM was superior to CWM alone in reducing the levels of TBiL (mean difference (MD) = -8.19 mmol/L, 95% CI -9.86 to -6.53), ALT (MD = -24.09 U/L, 95% CI -30.83 to -17.34) and AST (MD = -18.67 U/L, 95% CI -21.88 to -15.45). No trial reported adverse events. The certainty of the evidence for outcomes were all evaluated as low or very low. Conclusion: CGI may have adjuvant therapeutic effects on improving the liver function of children with AIHC. There is no evidence to determine the safety of CGI for AIHC. As current evidence is weak, further well-designed RCTs are required for verification of the therapeutic effects of CGI. Background: Compound glycyrrhizin injection (CGI) is a preparation with glycyrrhizin as the main active ingredient extracted from licorice. As clinical trials suggest that CGI is effective in improving liver function for acute icteric hepatitis in children (AIHC), this systematic review aimed to evaluate and verify its therapeutic effects and safety. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from their inception to 15 May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing therapeutic effects and safety of CGI for AIHC were included. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. Primary outcomes were indexes related to liver function, including total bilirubin (TBiL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). RevMan 5.4 software was used for data analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the online GRADEpro tool. Results: Six RCTs involving 608 children were included. The overall bias was assessed as having “high risk of bias” in all trials. All trials compared the combination of CGI and conventional western medicine (CWM) with CWM alone. Regarding the effects of CGI for AIHC, results showed that CGI plus CWM was superior to CWM alone in reducing the levels of TBiL (mean difference (MD) = -8.19 mmol/L, 95% CI -9.86 to -6.53), ALT (MD = -24.09 U/L, 95% CI -30.83 to -17.34) and AST (MD = -18.67 U/L, 95% CI -21.88 to -15.45). No trial reported adverse events. The certainty of the evidence for outcomes were all evaluated as low or very low. Conclusion: CGI may have adjuvant therapeutic effects on improving the liver function of children with AIHC. There is no evidence to determine the safety of CGI for AIHC. As current evidence is weak, further well-designed RCTs are required for verification of the therapeutic effects of CGI.

Enhanced Metal-Insulator Transition Performance in Scalable Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films Prepared Using a Moisture-Assisted Chemical Solution Approach

Liang, Weizheng,Gao, Min,Lu, Chang,Zhang, Zhi,Chan, Cheuk Ho,Zhuge, Lanjian,Dai, Jiyan,Yang, Hao,Chen, Chonglin,Park, Bae Ho,Jia, Quanxi,Lin, Yuan American Chemical Society 2018 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.10 No.9

<P>Vanadium dioxide (VO<SUB>2</SUB>) is a strong-correlated metal-oxide with a sharp metal-insulator transition (MIT) for a range of applications. However, synthesizing epitaxial VO<SUB>2</SUB> films with desired properties has been a challenge because of the difficulty in controlling the oxygen stoichiometry of VO<SUB><I>x</I></SUB>, where <I>x</I> can be in the range of 1 < <I>x</I> < 2.5 and V has multiple valence states. Herein, a unique moisture-assisted chemical solution approach has been developed to successfully manipulate the oxygen stoichiometry, to significantly broaden the growth window, and to significantly enhance the MIT performance of VO<SUB>2</SUB> films. The obvious broadening of the growth window of stoichiometric VO<SUB>2</SUB> thin films, from 4 to 36 °C, is ascribed to a self-adjusted process for oxygen partial pressure at different temperatures by introducing moisture. A resistance change as large as 4 orders of magnitude has been achieved in VO<SUB>2</SUB> thin films with a sharp transition width of less than 1 °C. The much enhanced MIT properties can be attributed to the higher and more uniform oxygen stoichiometry. This technique is not only scientifically interesting but also technologically important for fabricating wafer-scaled VO<SUB>2</SUB> films with uniform properties for practical device applications.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Resveratrol pretreatment alleviates NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated cardiomyocyte pyroptosis by targeting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling cascade in coronary microembolization-induced myocardial damage

Chang-Jun Luo,Tao Li,Hao-Liang Li,You Zhou,Lang Li 대한약리학회 2023 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.27 No.2

Percutaneous coronary intervention and acute coronary syndrome are both closely tied to the frequently occurring complication of coronary microembolization (CME). Resveratrol (RES) has been shown to have a substantial cardioprotective influence in a variety of cardiac diseases, though its function and potential mechanistic involvement in CME are still unclear. The forty Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four groups randomly: CME, CME + RES (25 mg/kg), CME + RES (50 mg/kg), and sham (10 rats per group). The CME model was developed. Echocardiography, levels of myocardial injury markers in the serum, and histopathology of the myocardium were used to assess the function of the cardiac muscle. For the detection of the signaling of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB along with the expression of pyroptosisrelated molecules, ELISA, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting were used, among other techniques. The findings revealed that myocardial injury and pyroptosis occurred in the myocardium following CME, with a decreased function of cardiac, increased levels of serum myocardial injury markers, increased area of microinfarct, as well as a rise in the expression levels of pyroptosis-related molecules. In addition to this, pretreatment with resveratrol reduced the severity of myocardial injury after CME by improving cardiac dysfunction, decreasing serum myocardial injury markers, decreasing microinfarct area, and decreasing cardiomyocyte pyroptosis, primarily by blocking the signaling of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and also reducing the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Resveratrol may be able to alleviate CME-induced myocardial pyroptosis and cardiac dysfunction by impeding the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the signaling pathway of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB

Inhibition of Transient Receptor Potential Melastain 7 Enhances Apoptosis Induced by TRAIL in PC-3 cells

Lin, Chang-Ming,Ma, Ji-Min,Zhang, Li,Hao, Zong-Yao,Zhou, Jun,Zhou, Zhen-Yu,Shi, Hao-Qiang,Zhang, Yi-Fei,Shao, En-Ming,Liang, Chao-Zhao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.10

Transient receptor potential melastain 7 (TRPM7) is a bifunctional protein with dual structure of both ion channel and protein kinase, participating in a wide variety of diseases including cancer. Recent researches have reported the mechanism of TRPM7 in human cancers. However, the correlation between TRPM7 and prostate cancer (PCa) has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential the role of TRPM7 in the apoptosis of PC-3 cells, which is the key cell of advanced metastatic PCa. In this study, we demonstrated the influence and potential function of TRPM7 on the PC-3 cells apoptosis induced by TNF-related apoptosis inducing-ligand (TRAIL). The study also found a novel up-regulated expression of TRPM7 in PC-3 cells after treating with TRAIL. Suppression of TRPM7 by TRPM7 non-specific inhibitors ($Gd^{3+}$ or 2-aminoethoxy diphenylborate (2-APB) ) not only markedly eliminated TRPM7 expression level, but also increased the apoptosis of TRAIL-treated PC-3 cells, which may be regulated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway accompany with up-regulated expression of cleaved Caspase-3, (TRAIL-receptor 1, death receptors 4) DR4, and (TRAIL-receptor 2, death receptors 5) DR5. Taken together, our findings strongly suggested that TRPM7 was involved in the apoptosis of PC-3 cells induced by TRAIL, indicating that TRPM7 may be applied as a therapeutic target for PCa.

A critical review on ammonium recovery from wastewater for sustainable wastewater management

Ye, Yuanyao,Ngo, Huu Hao,Guo, Wenshan,Liu, Yiwen,Chang, Soon Woong,Nguyen, Dinh Duc,Liang, Heng,Wang, Jie Elsevier 2018 Bioresource technology Vol.268 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The growing global population’s demand for ammonium has triggered an increase in its supply, given that ammonium plays a crucial role in fertilizer production for the purpose of food security. Currently, ammonia used in fertilizer production is put through what is known as the industrial Haber Bosch process, but this approach is substantially expensive and requires much energy. For this reason, looking for effective methods to recover ammonium is important for environmental sustainability. One of the greatest opportunities for ammonium recovery occurs in wastewater treatment plants due to wastewater containing a large quantity of ammonium ions. The comprehensively and critically review studies on ammonium recovery conducted, have the potential to be applied in current wastewater treatment operations. Technologies and their ammonium recovery mechanisms are included in this review. Furthermore the economic feasibility of such processes is analysed. Possible future directions for ammonium recovery from wastewater are suggested.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Growing global population ultimately calls for ammonium recovery. </LI> <LI> Wastewater is considered as the renewable resource for the ammonium recovery. </LI> <LI> The bioelectrochemical system can efficiently and effectively recover ammonium. </LI> <LI> Mechanism and technology of ammonium recovery were summarized. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Formation of Solid-Solution Cu-to-Cu Joints Using Ga Solder and Pt under Bump Metallurgy for Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuits

Shih-kang Lin,Hao-miao Chang,Cheng-liang Cho,Yu-chen Liu,Yi-kai Kuo 대한금속·재료학회 2015 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.11 No.4

Three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits (ICs) are the most important packaging technology for next-generation semiconductors. Cu-to-Cu throughsilicon via interconnections with micro-bumps are key components in the fabrication of 3D ICs. However, significant reliability concerns have been raised due to the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds in the entire 3D IC joints. This study proposes a Ga-based Cu-to-Cu bonding technology with Pt under bump metallurgy (UBM). A systematic analysis of reactive wetting between Ga solders and polycrystalline, single-crystalline, and Ptcoated Cu substrates was conducted. Pt UBM as a wetting layer was identified to be a key component for Ga-based Cu-to-Cu bonding. Pt-coated Cu substrates were bonded using Ga solders with various Ga-to-Pt ratios (n) at 300°C. When n ≥ 4, the Cu/Pt/Ga/Pt/Cu interface evolves to Cu/facecentered cubic (fcc)/γ1-Cu9Ga4/fcc/Cu, Cu/fcc/γ1-Cu9Ga4 + Ga7Pt3/fcc/Cu, and finally Cu/fcc + Ga7Pt3/Cu structures. The desired ductile solid solution joint formed with discrete Ga7Pt3 precipitates. When n ≤ 1, a Cu/Ga7Pt3/Cu joint formed without Cu actively participating in the reactions. The reaction mechanism and microstructure evolution were elaborated with the aid of CALPHAD thermodynamic modeling.

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Terrabacter ginsenosidimutans sp. nov. β-Glucosidase That Transforms Ginsenoside Rb1 into the Rare Gypenosides XVII and LXXV

An, Dong-Shan,Cui, Chang-Hao,Lee, Hyung-Gwan,Wang, Liang,Kim, Sun Chang,Lee, Sung-Taik,Jin, Fengxie,Yu, Hongshan,Chin, Young-Won,Lee, Hyeong-Kyu,Im, Wan-Taek,Kim, Song-Gun American Society for Microbiology 2010 Applied and environmental microbiology Vol.76 No.17

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P>A new β-glucosidase from a novel strain of <I>Terrabacter ginsenosidimutans</I> (Gsoil 3082<SUP>T</SUP>) obtained from the soil of a ginseng farm was characterized, and the gene, <I>bgpA</I> (1,947 bp), was cloned in <I>Escherichia coli</I>. The enzyme catalyzed the conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 {3-<I>O</I>-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-20-<I>O</I>-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-20(<I>S</I>)-protopanaxadiol} to the more pharmacologically active rare ginsenosides gypenoside XVII {3-<I>O</I>-β-d-glucopyranosyl-20-<I>O</I>-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-20(<I>S</I>)-protopanaxadiol}, gypenoside LXXV {20-<I>O</I>-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl]-20(<I>S</I>)-protopanaxadiol}, and C-K [20-<I>O</I>-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-20(<I>S</I>)-protopanaxadiol]. A BLAST search of the <I>bgpA</I> sequence revealed significant homology to family 3 glycoside hydrolases. Expressed in <I>E. coli</I>, β-glucosidase had apparent <I>Km</I> values of 4.2 ± 0.8 and 0.14 ± 0.05 mM and <I>V</I>max values of 100.6 ± 17.1 and 329 ± 31 μmol·min<SUP>−1</SUP>·mg of protein<SUP>−1</SUP> against <I>p</I>-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside and Rb1, respectively. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of the two glucose moieties attached to the C-3 position of ginsenoside Rb1, and the outer glucose attached to the C-20 position at pH 7.0 and 37°C. These cleavages occurred in a defined order, with the outer glucose of C-3 cleaved first, followed by the inner glucose of C-3, and finally the outer glucose of C-20. These results indicated that BgpA selectively and sequentially converts ginsenoside Rb1 to the rare ginsenosides gypenoside XVII, gypenoside LXXV, and then C-K. Herein is the first report of the cloning and characterization of a novel ginsenoside-transforming β-glucosidase of the glycoside hydrolase family 3.</P>

Chinese herbal medicine for myasthenia gravis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Zhu Si-jia,Wang Rui-ting,Yu Ze-yu,Zheng Ruo-Xiang,Liang Chang-Hao,Zheng You-you,Fang Min,Han Mei,Liu Jian-ping 한국한의학연구원 2022 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.11 No.2

Background: Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a disorder of neuromuscular transmission bringing mild ocular weakness to severe generalized muscle weakness and disability. The conventional treatments have longterm side effects, and Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) have shown possible effect and safety for MG patients, but the existing evidence was not robust enough and the results were out of date. Methods: Searching for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted in 7 databases and clinical trial registries until July 2021. The Risk of Bias (ROB) 2 tool was used to assess the study quality and GRADE was used to assess the quality of whole evidence. Meta-analyses were conducted and the results were presented as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Nineteen RCTs (1283 participants) testing 13 kinds of CHM with adequate randomization were included and six RCTs investigating Compound Huangqi were included in the meta-analyses. In addition to conventional treatment, nine CHMs reduced symptom scores of MG. Compound Huangqi plus conventional treatment (pyridostigmine bromide or prednisone or both) reduced the symptom scores compared with conventional treatment (MD=-3.56, 95%CI -4.86 to -2.26). Less adverse events happened in the CHM groups (3/247 in the CHM groups, 52/245 in the control groups, RR=0.13, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.30, 9RCTs, a total of 492 participants). The effect on quality of life was inconsistent. Conclusion: Nine CHMs could probably bring benefit for MG symptom improvement. Moderate to low certainty of evidence supported Compound Huangqi added-on conventional treatment probably bring extra benefit of improving MG symptoms. Adding CHMs could be safer than giving only conventional treatment. Study registration: The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42016032718).

Current Scaling and Electron Heating in a GaN/AlGaN Two-Dimensional Electron System

Kuang Yao Chen,Li-Hung Lin,Chin-An Chang,Chi-Te Liang,N. C. Chen,P. H. Chang,Wen-Jang Shiue,Zhi-Hao Sun 한국물리학회 2007 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.50 No.6

A GaN/AlGaN two-dimensional electron system (2DES) has been prepared on a Si substrate, and the electron heating effect in the 2DES has been studied experimentally by using the resistance of the 2DES as a self-thermometer. The relation $T_e$ $\sim$ $I^{1.42}$ was obtained, which is in contrast to $T_e$ $\sim$ $I^{0.5}$ in the spin-split resistivity peaks in a GaAs/AlGaAs 2DES. A possible reason for this is discussed

Electron-Electron Interactions in a Two-Dimensional Electron Systemin an Al0.15Ga0.85N/GaN Heterostructure Grown on p-Type Si

Jian-Zhe Huang,Li-Hung Lin,Chin-An Chang,Chi-Te Liang,Kuang Yao Chen,Kui-Ming Chen,N. C. Chen,P. H. Chang,Shiou-Shian Han,Zhi-Hao Sun 한국물리학회 2007 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.50 No.3

We report on experimental studies of an Al$_{0.15}$Ga$_{0.85}$N/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor structure grown on a $p$-type Si (111) substrate. This structure is compatible with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology and, thus, has great potential device applications. The low-temperature magnetoresistivity shows a parabolic dependence on the applied perpendicular magnetic field. This effect is ascribed to electron-electron interaction (EEI) effects in a weakly-disordered two-dimensional system. Our experimental results agree with the EEI theory when the correction term in the ballistic region has been subtracted.