Comparison of Direct and Extraction Immunoassay Methods With Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Measurement of Urinary Free Cortisol for the Diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome

Mu Danni,Fang Jiadan,Yu Songlin,Ma Yichen,Cheng Jin,Hu Yingying,Song Ailing,Zhao Fang,Zhang Qi,Qi Zhihong,Zhang Kui,Xia Liangyu,Qiu Ling,Zhu Huijuan,Cheng Xinqi 대한진단검사의학회 2024 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.44 No.1

Background: Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurement is the initial diagnostic test for Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We compared UFC determination by both direct and extraction immunoassays using Abbott Architect, Siemens Atellica Solution, and Beckman DxI800 with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition, we evaluated the value of 24-hr UFC measured by six methods for diagnosing CS. Methods: Residual 24-hr urine samples of 94 CS and 246 non-CS patients were collected. A laboratory-developed LC-MS/MS method was used as reference. UFC was measured by direct assays (D) using Abbott, Siemens, and Beckman platforms and by extraction assays (E) using Siemens and Beckman platforms. Method was compared using Passing–Bablok regression and Bland–Altman plot analyses. Cut-off values for the six assays and corresponding sensitivities and specificities were calculated by ROC analysis. Results: Abbott-D, Beckman-E, Siemens-E, and Siemens-D showed strong correlations with LC-MS/MS (Spearman coefficient r=0.965, 0.922, 0.922, and 0.897, respectively), while Beckman-D showed weaker correlation (r=0.755). All immunoassays showed proportionally positive bias. The areas under the curve were 0.975 for Abbott-D, 0.972 for LC-MS/MS, 0.966 for Siemens-E, 0.948 for Siemens-D, 0.955 for Beckman-E, and 0.877 for Beckman-D. The cut-off values varied significantly (154.8–1,321.5 nmol/24 hrs). Assay sensitivity and specificity ranged from 76.1% to 93.2% and from 93.0% to 97.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Commercially available immunoassays for measuring UFC show different levels of analytical consistency compared to LC-MS/MS. Abbott-D, Siemens-E, and Beckman-E have high diagnostic accuracy for CS.

Research progress and the prospect of CO2 hydrogenation with dielectric barrier discharge plasma technology

Zhang Ziyi,Ding Honglei,Zhou Qi,Pan Weiguo,Qiu Kaina,Mu Xiaotian,Ma Junchi,Zhang Kai,Zhao Yuetong 한국탄소학회 2023 Carbon Letters Vol.33 No.4

In recent years, people are increasingly interested in CO2 hydrogenation to produce value-added chemicals and fuels (CH4, CH3OH, etc.). In the quest for an efficient treatment in CO2 methanation and methanolization, several technologies have been practiced, and DBD plasma technology gain attention due to its easily handling, mild operating conditions, strong activation ability, and high product selectivity. In addition, its reaction mechanism and the effect of packing materials and reaction parameters are still controversial. To address these problems efficiently, a summary of the reaction mechanism is presented. A discussion on plasma-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation including packing materials, reaction parameters, and optimizing methods is addressed. In this review, the overall status and recent findings in DBD plasma-catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation are presented, and the possible directions of future development are discussed.

Pilot Symbol Assisted Weighted Data Fusion Scheme for Uplink Base-Station Cooperation System

( Zhe Zhang ),( Jing Yang ),( Jiankang Zhang ),( Xiaomin Mu ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2015 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.9 No.2

Base Station Cooperation (BSC) has been a promising technique for combating the Inter-Cell Interference (ICI) by exchanging information through a high-speed optical fiber back-haul to increase the diversity gain. In this paper, we propose a novel pilot symbol assisted data fusion scheme for distributed Uplink BSC (UBSC) based on Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. Furthermore, the proposed scheme exploits the pre-defined pilot symbols as the sample of transmitted symbols to constitute a sub-optimal Weight Calculation (WC) model. To circumvent the non-linear programming problem of the proposed sub-optimal model, DE algorithm is employed for searching the proper fusion weights. Compared with the existing equal weights based soft combining scheme, the proposed scheme can adaptively adjust the fusion weights according to the accuracy of cooperative information, which remains the relatively low computational complexity and back-haul traffic. Performance analysis and simulation results show that, the proposed scheme can significantly improve the system performance with the pilot settings of the existing standards.

Molybdenum Dioxide-Anchored Graphene Foam as a Negative Electrode Material for Supercapacitors

Xuemei Mu,Xiaozhi Liu,Ke Zhang,Jian Li,Jinyuan Zhou,ER-QING XIE,Zhenxing Zhang 대한금속·재료학회 2016 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.12 No.2

Molybdenum dioxide nanoparticles of diameter 100 nm were anchoreduniformly to a three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam using an ultrasonicationassisteddeposition method. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopyindicated that the molybdenum dioxide nanoparticles had a monoclinic crystalstructure. The 3D graphene/MoO2 nanoparticle composite showed excellentpseudocapacitive ability as its specific capacitance reached 404 F g−1 at a scanrate of 2 mV s−1 in the negative potential range, −1.0 to −0.2 V, in a neutralsolution. Overall, the 3D graphene/MoO2 nanoparticle composite has greatpotential as an anode material for the next generation of high-performancesupercapacitors.

CD64 Expression Is Increased in Patients with Severe Acute Pancreatitis: Clinical Significance

( Hao Zhang ),( Xian Long Ling ),( Yu Yun Wu ),( Mu Han Lu ),( Hong Guo ),( Peng Bin Zhang ),( Xiao Yan Zhao ),( Shi Ming Yang ) 대한소화기학회 2014 Gut and Liver Vol.8 No.4

Background/Aims: Upregulated CD64 expression on neutrophils is the most useful marker for acute bacterial infections and systemic inflammation. However, it is unknown whether CD64 is involved in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP). This study was designed to determine whether CD64 is implicated in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and thus, is a suitable marker for SAP. Methods: SAP was induced in rats with an intraperitoneal injection of L-arginine. CD64 expression in the rat pancreas was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, the CD64 mRNA expression in peripheral blood leukocytes from 21 patients with mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and 10 patients with SAP was investigated at the time of admission and during remission by qRT-PCR. Results: CD64 mRNA and protein expression in the pancreas was significantly higher in rats with SAP, compared to the controls. The CD64 expression was higher in the patients with SAP than in the patients with MAP. During remission, CD64 mRNA decreased in both the MAP and SAP patients. The area under the curve of CD64 expression for the detection of SAP was superior to both the Ranson and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores. Conclusions: The CD64 level was significantly increased in correlation with the disease severity in SAP and may act as a useful marker for predicting the development of SAP. (Gut Liver 2014;8:445-451)

Gastrin stimulates pancreatic cancer cell directional migration by activating the Gα12/13–RhoA–ROCK signaling pathway

Ganggang Mu,Qianshan Ding,Hongyan Li,Li Zhang,Lingli Zhang,Ke He,Lu Wu,Yunchao Deng,Dongmei Yang,Lianlian Wu,Ming Xu,Jie Zhou,Honggang Yu 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

The mechanism by which gastrin promotes pancreatic cancer cell metastasis is unclear. The process of directing polarized cancer cells toward the extracellular matrix is principally required for invasion and distant metastasis; however, whether gastrin can induce this process and its underlying mechanism remain to be elucidated. In this study, we found that gastrin-induced phosphorylation of paxillin at tyrosine 31/118 and RhoA activation as well as promoted the metastasis of PANC-1 cancer cells. Depletion of Gα12 and Gα13 inhibited the phosphorylation of paxillin and downstream activation of GTP-RhoA, blocked the formation and aggregation of focal adhesions and facilitated polarization of actin filaments induced by gastrin. Suppression of RhoA and ROCK also exhibited identical results. Selective inhibition of the CCKBR–Gα12/13–RhoA–ROCK signaling pathway blocked the reoriented localization of the Golgi apparatus at the leading edge of migrated cancer cells. YM022 and Y-27632 significantly suppressed hepatic metastasis of orthotic pancreatic tumors induced by gastrin in vivo. Collectively, we demonstrate that gastrin promotes Golgi reorientation and directional polarization of pancreatic cancer cells by activation of paxillin via the CCKBR–Gα12/13–RhoA–ROCK signal pathway.

Optimization of Mix Proportion of Self-compacting Concrete Based on Single Fluid Model

Xiuzhi Zhang,Chong Zhang,Mengdi Bi,Haibo Yang,Hailong Sun,Ru Mu 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.3

The study aims to optimize the mix proportion of self-compacting concrete according to the workability and compressive strength. Firstly, based on computational fluid dynamics, the flowability and filling ability of self-compacting concrete were simulated by the single-fluid model to verify the single-fluid model. And then, the simulation of casting a pre-cambered composite beam was carried out. In the end, the mix proportion was optimized considering the filling ability and the compressive strength of self-compacting concrete. The results showed that increasing sand rate can improve the workability and decrease the rheological parameters of self-compacting concrete. The mixture with a 45% sand ratio in the case of 3% silica fume alone or 43% sand ratio in the case of 30% granulated blast furnace slag and 3% silica fume had adequate filling ability and excellent long term compressive strength. Moreover, the model can be used to simulate the filling ability and passing capacity of self-compacting concrete and the maximum error between the simulation results and the actual measured value is 4.80%. When the concrete mixture is considered to be uniform, namely, without considering the effect of the aggregates, the single-fluid model can simulate the casting of self-compacting concrete.

Insect-specific microRNA involved in the development of the silkworm Bombyx mori

Yong Zhang,Xue Zhou,Xie Ge,Jiang-Hao Jiang,Mu-Wang Li,Shi-Hai Jia,Xiao-Nan Yang,Yun-Chao Kan,Xue-Xia Miao,Guo-Ping Zhao,Fei Li,Yong-Ping Huang 한국응용곤충학회 2009 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2009 No.10

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding genes that participate in post-transcription regulation by either degrading mRNA or blocking its translation. It is considered to be very important in regulating insect development and metamorphosis. Insects are the largest group of animals and are extremely valuable in biological and agriculture research. Insects are also important pests to human health and agriculture, and efforts are necessary protect both humans and plants from disease and damage. Despite their importance, insects lag behind mammals, nematodes, and plants in miRNA research. At present, only 279 insect miRNAs have been identified from Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori, and D. pseudoobscura in miRBase, and most of these miRNAs were computationally predicted without experimental validation. Functional analysis of insect miRNAs has only been conducted in D. melanogaster.

“中国式现代化”的理论解读与政策分析

장무휘(Mu-Hui Zhang) 대한중국학회 2023 중국학 Vol.85 No.-

MicroRNA-375 is a therapeutic target for castration-resistant prostate cancer through the PTPN4/STAT3 axis

Gan Junqing,Liu Shan,Zhang Yu,He Liangzi,Bai Lu,Liao Ran,Zhao Juan,Guo Madi,Jiang Wei,Li Jiade,Li Qi,Mu Guannan,Wu Yangjiazi,Wang Xinling,Zhang Xingli,Zhou Dan,Lv Huimin,Wang Zhengfeng,Zhang Yanqiao,Q 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

The functional role of microRNA-375 (miR-375) in the development of prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. Previously, we found that plasma exosomal miR-375 is significantly elevated in castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) patients compared with castration-sensitive PCa patients. Here, we aimed to determine how miR-375 modulates CRPC progression and thereafter to evaluate the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hucMSC)-derived exosomes loaded with miR-375 antisense oligonucleotides (e-375i). We used miRNA in situ hybridization technique to evaluate miR-375 expression in PCa tissues, gain- and loss-of-function experiments to determine miR-375 function, and bioinformatic methods, dual-luciferase reporter assay, qPCR, IHC and western blotting to determine and validate the target as well as the effects of miR-375 at the molecular level. Then, e-375i complexes were assessed for their antagonizing effects against miR-375. We found that the expression of miR-375 was elevated in PCa tissues and cancer exosomes, correlating with the Gleason score. Forced expression of miR-375 enhanced the expression of EMT markers and AR but suppressed apoptosis markers, leading to enhanced proliferation, migration, invasion, and enzalutamide resistance and decreased apoptosis of PCa cells. These effects could be reversed by miR-375 silencing. Mechanistically, miR-375 directly interfered with the expression of phosphatase nonreceptor type 4 (PTPN4), which in turn stabilized phosphorylated STAT3. Application of e-375i could inhibit miR-375, upregulate PTPN4 and downregulate p-STAT3, eventually repressing the growth of PCa. Collectively, we identified a novel miR-375 target, PTPN4, that functions upstream of STAT3, and targeting miR-375 may be an alternative therapeutic for PCa, especially for CRPC with high AR levels.