Fabrication Tough and Electrically Conductive Graphene-Based Nanocomposite Gels with Self-Oscillating Performance

Jie Ren,Xuemiao Wang,Aixia Zhang,Lan Zhang,Lingling Zhao,Yan Li,Wu Yang 한국고분자학회 2020 Macromolecular Research Vol.28 No.13

Stimulus-responsive polymer gel materials were studied and applied widely in many fields in recent years. However, the poor electrically conductive property and even with poor toughness largely limit their extensive applications in more expanded fields. Herein, we report a novel kind of self-oscillating gels poly(acrylamide-coacrylic acid-co-Fe(phen)3)/reduced graphene oxide (poly(AM-co-AC-co-Fe(phen)3)/ RGO) with excellent electrical conductivity, and compressive strength via an in-situ polymerization accompanied by an ultrasonic assisted method. The dispersed reduced graphene oxide (RGO) improved the conductive and mechanical properties of the prepared materials remarkably. The conductivity of gel reached to 16.88 S·m-1 with the content of 0.34 wt% RGO and the maximum fracture pressure was 4.1 MPa, which is as high as human cartilage. Besides, the prepared gels exhibited the self-oscillating behavior in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) solution free of catalyst. Therefore, the prepared materials have potential applications as artificial cartilage and soft electron instrument.

Which Indicator Among Lumbar Vertebral Hounsfield Unit, Vertebral Bone Quality, or Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry-Measured Bone Mineral Density Is More Efficacious in Predicting Thoracolumbar Fragility Fractures?

Bo Zhang,Lu-Ping Zhou,Xian-Liang Zhang,Dui Li,Jia-Qi Wang,Chong-Yu Jia,Hua-Qing Zhang,Liang Kang,Ren-Jie Zhang,Cai-Liang Shen 대한척추신경외과학회 2023 Neurospine Vol.20 No.4

Objective: Hounsfield units (HU), vertebral bone quality (VBQ), and bone mineral density (BMD) can all serve as predictive indicators for thoracolumbar fragility fractures. This study aims to explore which indicator provides better risk prediction for thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Methods: Patients who have received medical attention from The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University for thoracolumbar fragility fractures were selected. A total of 78 patients with thoracolumbar fragility fractures were included in the study. To establish a control group, 78 patients with degenerative spinal diseases were matched to the fracture group on the basis of gender, age, and body mass index. The lumbar vertebral HU, the VBQ, and the BMD were obtained for all the 156 patients through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The correlations among these parameters were analyzed. The area under curve (AUC) analysis was employed to assess the predictive efficacy and thresholds of lumbar vertebral HU, VBQ, and BMD in relation to the risk of thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Results: Among the cohort of 156 patients, lumbar vertebral HU exhibited a positive correlation with BMD (p < 0.01). Conversely, VBQ showed a negative correlation with HU, BMD (p < 0.05). HU and BMD displayed a favorable predictive efficacy for thoracolumbar fragility fractures (p < 0.01), with HU (AUC = 0.863) showcasing the highest predictive efficacy, followed by the DEXA-measured BMD (AUC = 0.813). VBQ (AUC = 0.602) ranked lowest among the 3 indicators. The thresholds for predicting thoracolumbar fragility fractures were as follows: HU (88),VBQ (3.37), and BMD (0.81). Conclusion: All 3 of these indicators, HU, VBQ, and BMD, can predict thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Notably, lumbar vertebral HU exhibits the highest predictive efficacy, followed by the BMD obtained through DEXA scanning, with VBQ demonstrating the lowest predictive efficacy.

Increased impact of heat domes on 2021-like heat extremes in North America under global warming

Xing Zhang,Tianjun Zhou,Wenxia Zhang,Liwen Ren,Jie Jiang,Shuai Hu,Meng Zuo,Lixia Zhang,Wenmin Man 한국기상학회 2023 한국기상학회 학술대회 논문집 Vol.2023 No.4

Mini-Array of Multiple Tumor-associated Antigens (TAAs) in the Immunodiagnosis of Esophageal Cancer

Qin, Jie-Jie,Wang, Xiao-Rui,Wang, Peng,Ren, Peng-Fei,Shi, Jian-Xiang,Zhang, Hong-Fei,Xia, Jun-Fen,Wang, Kai-Juan,Song, Chun-Hua,Dai, Li-Ping,Zhang, Jian-Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Sera of cancer patients may contain antibodies that react with a unique group of autologous cellular antigens called tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). The present study aimed to determine whether a mini-array of multiple TAAs would enhance antibody detection and be a useful approach in esophageal cancer detection and diagnosis. Our mini-array of multiple TAAs consisted of eleven antigens, p53, pl6, Impl, CyclinB1, C-myc, RalA, p62, Survivin, Koc, CyclinD1 and CyclinE full-length recombinant proteins. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to detect autoantibodies against eleven selected TAAs in 174 sera from patients with esophageal cancer, as well as 242 sera from normal individuals. In addition, positive results of ELISA were confirmed by Western blotting. In a parallel screening trial, with the successive addition of antigen to a final total of eleven TAAs, there was a stepwise increase in positive antibody reactions. The eleven TAAs were the best parallel combination, and the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing esophageal cancer was 75.3% and 81.0%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 74.0% and 82.0%, respectively, indicating that the parallel assay of eleven TAAs raised the diagnostic precision significantly. In addition, the levels of antibodies to seven antigens, comprising p53, Impl, C-myc, RalA, p62, Survivin, and CyclinD1, were significantly different in various stages of esophageal cancer, which showed that autoantibodies may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of esophageal cancer. All in all, this study further supports our previous hypothesis that a combination of antibodies might acquire higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of certain types of cancer. A customized mini-array of multiple carefully-selected TAAs is able to enhance autoantibody detection in the immunodiagnosis of esophageal cancer and autoantibodies to TAAs might be reference indicators of clinical stage.

A national survey on how to improve traditional Chinese medicine learning internationally: Perceptions from both teachers and students

Zhu Yu-Hang,Yan Wu,Hao Zhang,Yanfei Zhao,Yule Ren,Wei Hu,Pan Li,Huiyi Wang,Ying Wang,Boda Zhang,Yujie Wang,Hongwen Yuan,Jiping Zhang,Wenqiang Li,Yufang Zhao,Jie Zhao,Yedong Shi,Yanye Shu,Xiao Zhang,Ya 한국한의학연구원 2022 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.11 No.4

Background With the increasing popularity of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by the global community, how to teach basic knowledge of TCM to international students and improve the teaching quality are important issues for teachers of TCM. The present study was to analyze the perceptions from both students and teachers on how to improve TCM learning internationally. Methods A cross-sectional national survey was conducted at 23 universities/colleges across China. A structured, self-reported on-line questionnaire was administered to 34 Chinese teachers who taught TCM course in English and to 1016 international undergraduates who were enrolled in the TCM course in China between 2017 and 2021. Results Thirty-three (97.1%) teachers and 900 (88.6%) undergraduates agreed Chinese culture should be fully integrated into TCM courses. All teachers and 944 (92.9%) undergraduates thought that TCM had important significance in the clinical practice. All teachers and 995 (97.9%) undergraduates agreed that modern research of TCM is valuable. Thirty-three (97.1%) teachers and 959 (94.4%) undergraduates thought comparing traditional medicine in different countries with TCM can help the students better understand TCM. Thirty-two (94.1%) teachers and 962 (94.7%) undergraduates agreed on the use of practical teaching method with case reports. From the perceptions of the undergraduates, the top three beneficial learning styles were practice (34.3%), teacher's lectures (32.5%), case studies (10.4%). The first choice of learning mode was attending to face-to-face teaching (82.3%). The top three interesting contents were acupuncture (75.5%), Chinese herbal medicine (63.8%), and massage (55.0%). Conclusion To improve TCM learning among international undergraduates majoring in conventional medicine, integration of Chinese culture into TCM course, comparison of traditional medicine in different countries with TCM, application of the teaching method with case reports, and emphasization of clinical practice as well as modern research on TCM should be fully considered.

A Novel Quality Evaluation Index and Strategies to Identify Scenting Quality of Jasmine Tea Based on Headspace Volatiles Analysis

Jie Lin,Ying Chen,Pan Zhang,Mingxing Ren,Hairong Xu,Xiaochang Wang 한국식품과학회 2013 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.22 No.2

Jasmine tea is quite popular in daily consumption and beverage industry, and scenting quality and synthetic artificial oil are crucial issues of its quality control. The headspace volatile profiles of jasmine tea samples were analyzed by headspace-solid phase microextraction (HSSPME)coupled with GC-MS. Twenty-nine volatile compounds were determined as ‘common components’ that should exist in jasmine scented teas. Potential correlation was discovered between quality grade of jasmine tea and the ratio of peak area percentage of α-farnesene, (Z)-3-hexenyl benzoate, methyl anthranilate, and indole to that of linalool. This ratio was denoted as ‘jasmine tea flavor’ (JIF) index,a novel index for quality evaluation of jasmine tea. JTF index and common components could provide a good identification of well-scented, poor-scented, and not-scented jasmine teas. Moreover, carrier compounds might be a clear evidence for identifying fake jasmine teas that were added with synthetic fragrance oil.

Five new sesquiterpene lactones from Inula hupehensis

Jie Ren,Jiang Jiang Qin,Xiangrong Cheng,Shi Kai Yan,Hui Zi Jin,Wei Dong Zhang 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.11

Four new pseudoguaianolides (1–4), one newguaianolide (5), together with ten known compounds(6–15) were isolated from the aerial parts of Inula hupehensis. Their structures were elucidated mainly on the basisof 1D and 2D spectroscopic methods and circular dichroismanalysis. In addition, compounds 1–10 and 13 weretested for their inhibitory effects against LPS-induced NOproduction in RAW264.7 macrophages. Compounds 2, 6, 8and 9 exhibited significant inhibitory activities with IC50values in the range of 0.6–6.6 lM.

Mir-326 potentiates radiosensitivity of cervical squamous cell carcinoma through downregulating SMO expression in the Hedgehog signaling pathway

Zhang Junqin,Li Yaxing,Ren Yanan,Han Hua,Li Jie 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.8

Background: Radiotherapy resistance affects the therapeutic effect of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Smoothened (Smo) is an anticancer target of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway and its mutation is related to drug resistance. Objective: To explore the roles of miR-326 and Smoothened (SMO) on radiation resistance in patients with cervical carcinoma. Methods: Expression of miR-326 and SMO in cervical cancer tissue and radioresistant cell lines were analyzed. The radiation response with the expression of miR-326 was evaluated in tissue and cells. Bioinformatics analysis and literature review were performed to explore the target of miR-326. The regulation of miR-326 to SMO mRNA was verified through the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: Patients with poor radiation response have lower miR-326 and higher SMO expression. Upregulation of miR-326 decreased SMO expression and its downstream proteins but does not affect the proliferation of CSCC cells. The upregulation of miR-326 increased radiation sensitivity of the CSCC cell through downregulating SMO and its downstream proteins in the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. Conclusions: miR-326 may predict the treatment response to radiation, and upregulating miR-326 may improve the treatment response to radiation.

Diagnostic value of Thyroglobulin Measurement with Fine-needle Aspiration Biopsy for Lymph Node Metastases in Patients with a History of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Zhang, Hai-Shan,Wang, Ren-Jie,Fu, Qing-Feng,Gao, Shi,Sun, Bu-Tong,Sun, Hui,Ma, Qing-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.24

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of FNA-Tg for detecting lymph node metastases in patients with a history of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Materials and Methods: A total of 58 patients with DTC diagnosis and evidence of single or multiple suspicious cervical lymph nodes were assessed. All underwent total or near-total thyroidectomy with (35 cases) or without (23 cases) radioiodine (RAI) ablation, followed by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy. A total of 68 lymph nodes were examined by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) for both cytological examination and FNA-Tg measurement. Serum Tg and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) levels were also measured. Diagnostic performance including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of FNAC and FNA-Tg were calculated and compared. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to estimate the relationship between FNA-Tg and serum TgAb. Results: The FNA-Tg levels were significantly higher with DTC metastatic lymph nodes (median 927.7 ng/mL, interquartile range 602.9 ng/mL) than non-metastatic lymph nodes (median 0.1 ng/mL, interquartile range 0.4 ng/mL) (p<0.01). Considering 1.0 ng/mL as a threshold value for FNA-Tg, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of FNA-Tg were 95.7%, 95.5%, 95.6%, 97.8% and 91.3%, respectively. The sensitivity and accuracy of the combination of FNAC and FNA-Tg were significantly higher than that of FNAC alone (p<0.05). The diagnostic performance of FNA-Tg was not significantly different between cases with or without RAI ablation, and the serum TgAb levels did not interfere with FNA-Tg measurements. Conclusions: Measurement of FNA-Tg is useful. The combination of FNAC and FNA-Tg is more sensitive and accurate for detecting lymph node metastases in patients with a history of DTC than FNAC alone. Serum TgAbs appear to be irrelevant for measurement of FNA-Tg.

Identification and Functional Analysis of the Chain Length Determinant Gene ste8 Involved in the Biosynthesis of Ebosin by Streptomyces sp.139

( Zhang Yang ),( Xiao Hua Li ),( Xiao Qaing Qi ),( Jun Jie Shan ),( Rong Jiang ),( Lian Hong Guo ),( Ren Zhang ),( Yuan Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.11

Ebosin, a novel exopolysaccharide produced by Streptomyces sp. 139, has obvious antirheumatic arthritis activity in vivo, and its biosynthesis gene cluster (ste), consisting of 27 open reading frames, has been identified. This paper reports our study of the gene functionality of ste8, the predicted protein product of which is homologous to some bacterial chain length determinant Wzz proteins. For characterization of Ste8, ste8 was cloned and expressed in the mutant strain E. coli 086:H2 (Δwzz). The functional complementation of wzz by ste8 was demonstrated by the restoration of wild-type lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and increased levels of serum resistance of E. coli 086:H2 (Δwzz) (pET30a-ste8). To examine the function of ste8 in ebosin biosynthesis, the gene was knocked out with a double crossover via homologous recombination. The molecular weight of the ebosin derivative EPS-8m produced by the mutant Streptomyces sp. 139 (ste8-) was much lower than that of ebosin, and the binding activity of EPS-8m for IL-1R decreased significantly compared with ebosin. These results demonstrate that ste8 encodes a chain length determinant (Wzz) that functions in ebosin biosynthesis.