Short Low Concentration Cisplatin Treatment Leads to an Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition-like Response in DU145 Prostate Cancer Cells

Liu, Yi-Qing,Zhang, Guo-An,Zhang, Bing-Chang,Wang, Yong,Liu, Zheng,Jiao, Yu-Lian,Liu, Ning,Zhao, Yue-Ran Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.3

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the main causes of cancer death, and drug resistance is the leading reason for therapy failure. However, how this occurs is largely unknown. We therrfore aimed to study the response of DU145 cells to cisplatin. Materials and Methods: Du145 prostate cancer cells were treated with a low dose of cisplatin for 24 h and cell viability and number were determined by MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion assay, respectively. The real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to assess responses to cisplatin treatment. Results: After 24h $2{\mu}g/ml$ treatment did not result in significant reduction in cell viability or number. However, it led to enhanced cancer cell invasiveness. E-cadherin mRNA was reduced, and vimentin, Snail, Slug, metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) mRNA expression increased significantly, a feature of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conclusions: Short time low concentration cisplatin treatment leads to elevated invasiveness of DU145 cancer cells and this is possibly due to EMT.

Hysteresis of concrete-filled circular tubular (CFCT) T-joints under axial load

Liu Hongqing,Shao Yongbo,Lu Ning,Wang Qingli 국제구조공학회 2015 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.18 No.3

This paper presents investigations on the hysteretic behavior of concrete-filled circular tubular (CFCT) T-joints subjected to axial cyclic loading at brace end. In the experimental study, four specimens are fabricated and tested. The chord members of the tested specimens are filled with concrete along their full length and the braces are hollow section. Failure modes and load-displacement hysteretic curves of all the specimens obtained from experimental tests are given and discussed. Some indicators, in terms of stiffness deterioration, strength deterioration, ductility and energy dissipation, are analyzed to assess the seismic performance of CFCT joints. Test results indicate that the failures are primarily caused by crack cutting through the chord wall, convex deformation on the chord surface near brace/chord intersection and crushing of the core concrete. Hysteretic curves of all the specimens are plump, and no obvious pinching phenomenon is found. The energy dissipation result shows that the inelastic deformation is the main energy dissipation mechanism. It is also found from experimental results that the CFCT joints show clear and steady stiffness deterioration with the increase of displacement after yielding. However, all the specimens do not perform significant strength deterioration before failure. The effect of joint geometric parameters β and γ of the four specimens on hysteretic performance is also discussed.

Analysis of Mammographic Breast Density in a Group of Screening Chinese Women and Breast Cancer Patients

Liu, Jing,Liu, Pei-Fang,Li, Jun-Nan,Qing, Chun,Ji, Yu,Hao, Xi-Shan,Zhang, Xue-Ning Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Background: A dense breast not only reduces the sensitivity of mammography but also is a moderate independent risk factor for breast cancer. The percentage of Western women with fat breast tissue is higher aged 40 years or older. To a certain extent, mammography as a first choice of screening imaging method for Western women of this group is reasonable. Hitherto, the frequency and age distribution of mammographic breast density patterns among Chinese women had not been characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and age distribution of mammographic breast density patterns among a group of Chinese screening women and breast cancer patients in order to provide useful information for age-specific guidelines for breast cancer screening in Chinese women. Methods: A retrospective review of a total of 3,394 screening women between August and December 2009 and 2,527 breast cancer patients between July 2011 and June 2012 was conducted. Descriptive analyses were used to examine the association between age and breast density. The significance of differences of breast density between the screening women and the breast cancer patients was examined using nonparametric tests. Results: There was a significant inverse relationship between age and breast density overall (r=-0.37, p< 0.01). Breast density of the breast cancer patients in the subgroups of 40-49 years old was greater compared with that of the screening women, the same in those aged 50-54 years and in those 55 years old or older, less than in the screening group. Conclusions: With regard to the Chinese women younger than 55 years old, the diagnostic efficiency of breast cancer screening imaging examinations may be potentially improved by combining screening mammography with ultrasound.

Dietary Factors and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: a Multi-Centre Case-Control Study in China

Liu, Shu-Zheng,Chen, Wan-Qing,Wang, Ning,Yin, Meng-Meng,Sun, Xi-Bin,He, Yu-Tong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.18

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death with an increasing trend in China. Dietary intake is believed to play an important role in pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis. The aim of this paper was to evaluate associations between some dietary factors and risk of pancreatic cancer in a multi-centre case-control study conducted in China. Materials and Methods: Cases (n=323) were ascertained from four provincial cancer hospitals. Controls (n=323) were randomly selected from the family members of patients without pancreatic cancer in the same hospitals, 1:1 matched to cases by gender, age and study center. Data were collected with a questionnaire by personal interview. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Tea intake (OR =0.49; 95%CI: 0.30-0.80) was associated with a half reduction in risk of pancreatic cancer. Reduced vegetable consumption (P trend: 0.04) was significant related to pancreatic cancer. Although no significant association was found for meat and fruit, ORs were all above or below the reference group. A protective effect was found for fruit (OR=1.73 for consumption of 1-2 times/week vs more than 3 times/week; 95%CI: 1.05-2.86). A high intake of meat was associated to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer (OR=0.59 for consumption of 1-2 times/week vs. more than 3 times/week; 95%CI: 0.35-0.97). Conclusions: The present study supports fruit consumption to reduce pancreatic cancer risk and indicates that high consumption of meat is related to an elevated risk. Direct inverse relations with tea and vegetable intake were also confirmed.

Two type III polyketide synthases from Polygonum cuspidatum: gene structure, evolutionary route and metabolites

Lan-Qing Ma,Yan-Wu Guo,Hui-Li Guo,Xing Li,Li-Li Huang,Bo-Ning Zhang,Xiao-Bin Pang,Ben-Ye Liu,Hong Wang 한국식물생명공학회 2013 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.7 No.3

In our recent work (Ma et al., in Planta229(3):457–469, 2009a and 229(4):1077–1086, 2009b),two three-intron type III PKS genes, PcPKS1 and PcPKS2,were isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Phylogenetic and functional analyses revealed PcPKS1 is athree-intron chalcone synthase (CHS) gene, and PcPKS2 isfound to be a three-intron benzalacetone synthase (BAS)gene. The regular CHS encoded by a single intron genehave not been isolated and characterized from P. cuspidatum. In this work a further CHS with one intron (PcPKS3)and a stilbene synthase (STS) gene with three-intron(PcPKS5) were isolated and characterized by functionaland phylogenetic analyses. In comparison with PcPKS1, abifunctional enzyme with both CHS and BAS activity, theenzymatic product of recombinant PcPKS3 was naringenin,bis-noryangonin (BNY) and 4-coumaroyltriacetic acidlactone (CTAL) occurred as side products. The PcPKS5synthesized resveratrol and a trace amount of naringeninfrom p-coumaroyl-CoA. To our knowledge, PcPKS5 is thefirst reported three-intron STS gene in flowering plants. Inthis work, we speculated that this involved a possibleevolutionary route of plant-specific type III PKS superfamilyin P. cuspidatum.

Structure-activity correlations of LiNO3/Mg4AlO5.5 catalysts for glycerol carbonate synthesis from glycerol and dimethyl carbonate

Zhenmin Liu,Junwei Wang,Mao-qing Kang,Ning Yin,Xin-kui Wang,Yisheng Tan,Yulei Zhu 한국공업화학회 2015 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.21 No.1

MgAl hydrotalcite synthesized via co-precipitation method from magnesium and aluminum nitrateswas calcined to produce Mg4AlO5.5 mixed oxides. The oxides were modified by introducing LiNO3 andapplied to the synthesis of glycerol carbonate from glycerol and dimethyl carbonate. The research resultsindicated that LiNO3/Mg4AlO5.5 was an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of glycerol carbonate. The fullconversion of glycerol and 96.28% yield of glycerol carbonate were obtained after reacting at 80 8C for1.5 h in the presence of LiNO3/Mg4AlO5.5. The structure and properties of the catalysts were studied bymeans of XRD, TGA, BET, CO2-TPD and Hammett indicator method. It was found that the basic strengthand the basicity of the catalysts were enhanced after addition of LiNO3. Over Mg4AlO5.5 oxides, LiNO3 waseasily converted to LiAlO2 which constituted new strong basic sites. Too high basic strength and basicityof catalysts may improve the conversion of glycerol at the cost of GC selectivity reduction.

Ionic liquid extraction of silkworm pupa protein and its biological characteristics

Zeng Qing-Lei,Zhang Ning,Zhang Yue-Yue,Xin Xiang-Dong,Attaribo Thomas,Shao Ying,Tang Liu-Mei,Zhang Ran,이광식,진병래,Gui Zhongzheng 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.1

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) pupa protein (SPP) is a high-quality source of animal protein with substantial nutri tional benefits and health value. To develop an efficient extraction method for SPP that is environmentally friendly, we selected choline hydroxide ionic liquid (CH-IL) as the extraction solvent and performed orthogonal experiments to optimize the extraction conditions. We demonstrated that 3% CH-IL, a solid-to-liquid ratio (g/mL) of 1:30, an extraction temperature of 40 ◦ C, and an extraction time of 1 h facilitated the most efficient extraction. Compared to the conventional alkali solubilization–acid precipitation method, the CH-IL extraction increased protein content by 12.14%. Protein structure analysis showed that the β-sheet content increased by 10.98% and that of disulfide bonds reduced by 16.4%. The processing properties of the CH-IL extracted protein showed that the solubility, emulsification, and foaming capacity were enhanced by 82.87%, 15.44%, and 18.97%, respec tively. The physical properties of SPP remarkably improved relative to the increased stretching of the poly peptide chains. The findings of this study provide technical knowledge that will enhance the processing performance of pupal proteins.

Pig Large tumor suppressor2 (Lats2), a novel gene that may regulate the fat reduction in adipocyte

( Qiu Yue Liu ),( Xiao Rong Gu ),( Yi Qiang Zhao ),( Jin Zhang ),( Yao Feng Zhao ),( Qing Yong Meng ),( Guo Heng Xu ),( Xiao Xiang Hu ),( Ning Li ) 생화학분자생물학회 2010 BMB Reports Vol.43 No.2

Damage constitutive model of brittle rock considering the compaction of crack

Gu, Qingheng,Ning, Jianguo,Tan, Yunliang,Liu, Xuesheng,Ma, Qing,Xu, Qiang Techno-Press 2018 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.15 No.5

The deformation and strength of brittle rocks are significantly influenced by the crack closure behavior. The relationship between the strength and deformation of rocks under uniaxial loading is the foundation for design and assessment of such scenarios. The concept of relative crack closure strain was proposed to describe the influence of the crack closure behavior on the deformation and strength of rocks. Considering the crack compaction effect, a new damage constitutive model was developed based on accumulated AE counts. First, a damage variable based on the accumulated AE counts was introduced, and the damage evolution equations for the four types of brittle rocks were then derived. Second, a compaction coefficient was proposed to describe the compaction degree and a correction factor was proposed to correct the error in the effective elastic modulus instead of the elastic modulus of the rock without new damage. Finally, the compaction coefficient and correction factor were used to modify the damage constitutive model obtained using the Lemaitre strain equivalence hypothesis. The fitted results of the models were then compared with the experimental data. The results showed that the uniaxial compressive strength and effective elastic modulus decrease with an increase in the relative crack closure strain. The values of the damage variables increase exponentially with strains. The modified damage constitutive equation can be used to more accurately describe the compressive deformation (particularly the compaction stage) of the four types of brittle rocks, with a coefficient of determination greater than 0.9.

Comparison of Liver Transplantation and Liver Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Type I and Type II

Jia-Yu Lv,Ning-Ning Zhang,Ya-Wei Du,Ying Wu,Tian-Qiang Song,Ya-Min Zhang,Yan Qu,Yu-Xin Liu,Jie Gu,Ze-Yu Wang,Yi-Bo Qiu,Bing Yang,Da-Zhi Tian,Qing-Jun Guo,Li Zhang,Ji-San Sun,Yan Xie,Zheng-Lu Wang,Xin 연세대학교의과대학 2021 Yonsei medical journal Vol.62 No.1

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of liver transplantation (LT) and liver resection (LR) for hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and to investigate risk factors affecting prognosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 94 HCC patients with PVTT type I (segmental PVTT) and PVTT type II (lobar PVTT) were involvedand divided into LR (n=47) and LT groups (n=47). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were comparedbefore and after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Prognostic factors for RFS and OS were explored. Results: Two treatment groups were well-balanced using IPTW. In the entire cohort, LT provided a better prognosis than LR. Among patients with PVTT type I, RFS was better with LT (p=0.039); OS was not different significantly between LT and LR(p=0.093). In subgroup analysis of PVTT type I patients with α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels >200 ng/mL, LT elicited significantly longermedian RFS (18.0 months vs. 2.1 months, p=0.022) and relatively longer median OS time (23.6 months vs. 9.8 months, p=0.065). Among patients with PVTT type II, no significant differences in RFS and OS were found between LT and LR (p=0.115 and 0.335,respectively). Multivariate analyses showed treatment allocation (LR), tumor size (>5 cm), AFP and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) levels to be risk factors of RFS and treatment allocation (LR), AFP and AST as risk factors for OS. Conclusion: LT appeared to afford a better prognosis for HCC with PVTT type I than LR, especially in patients with AFP levels>200 ng/mL.