miR-140-3p Knockdown Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Fibrogenesis in Hepatic Stellate Cells via PTEN-Mediated AKT/mTOR Signaling

Shi-Min Wu,Tian-Hong Li,Hao Yun,Hong-Wu Ai,Ke-Hui Zhang 연세대학교의과대학 2019 Yonsei medical journal Vol.60 No.6

Purpose: Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and the outcome of various chronic liver diseases. Activationof hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the key event in liver fibrosis. Studies have confirmed that miR-140-3p plays a potential regulatoryeffect on HSC activation. However, whether miR-140-3p mediates the liver fibrosis remains unknown. Materials and Methods: Expression of miR-140-3p was detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Cell proliferation wasmeasured by MTT, while cell apoptosis rate was determined via flow cytometry. Western blot assay was used to detect the expressionof cleaved PARP. The fibrogenic effect was evaluated by expression of α-smooth muscle actin and desmin. Functional experimentswere performed in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-induced HSC-T6 cells with transfection of anti-miR-140-3pand/or siPTEN. Target binding between miR-140-3p and PTEN was predicted by the TargetScan database and identified usingluciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. Results: TGF-β1 induced the activation of HSC-T6 cells, and miR-140-3p expression varied according to HSC-T6 cell activationstatus. Knockdown of miR-140-3p reduced cell proliferation and the expressions of α-SMA and desmin, as well as increasedapoptosis, in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, which could be blocked by PTEN silencing. Additionally, inactivation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway stimulated by miR-140-3p knockdown was abolished when silencing PTEN expression. PTEN was negativelyregulated by miR-140-3p via direct binding in HSC-T6 cells. Conclusion: miR-140-3p is an important mediator in HSC-T6 cell activation, and miR-140-3p knockdown suppresses cell proliferationand fibrogenesis in TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells, indicating that miR-140-3p may be a potential novel molecular targetfor liver fibrosis.

Power-loss Characterization of MnZn Ferrite Substituted with NiO Oxide

Shi-Yuan Tong,Jenn-Ming Wu,Mean-Jue Tung,Yu-Ting Huang,Min-Da Yang,Yen-Ping Wang 한국자기학회 2010 한국자기학회 학술연구발표회 논문개요집 Vol.2010 No.12

Sphingolipid composition and metabolism differ in three auchenorrhynchous pests of rice

Zhang Min-Jing,Shi Xiao-Xiao,Bai Yue-Liang,Zhou Wen-Wu,Zhu Zeng-Rong 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.3

Sphingolipids (SPLs), a group of membrane and intracellular lipids, mediate numerous cellular processes. The composition and metabolism of sphingolipids varies according to species and the sphingolipid studies of insects, as compared to mammals, are not yet clear. In the current study, we subjected three auchenorrhynchous insects, including whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera, small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus, and green rice leafhopper (GRLH), Nephotettix cincticeps, as representative rice pests for sphingolipid analysis. We performed sphingolipid species profiling using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and isolated sphingolipid metabolic genes from their transcriptomic data. C14-, C16-, C18- and C20-sphingoid base were detected in both planthoppers, but no C14- sphingoid base was found in GRLH. The planthoppers had more abundant sphingosine-1-phosphates (Sph-1-P) and ceramides than leafhopper. A total of 14, 13 and 16 sphingomyelin species were found in SBPH, WBPH and GRLH, respectively. The composition of sphingomyelin species varied in three insects. Coordinated with the abundance in sphingomyelin species, the leafhopper possessed more sphin gomyelinase (SMase) gene isoforms for metabolism of different sphingomyelins than planthoppers. The phylo genetic analysis showed the three tested insects all possessed one potential neutral-SMase homologue, whereas SBPH and GRLH both had another potential acid-SMase homologue. This study is a comprehensive sphingoli pidomic analysis, suggesting that sphingolipid profiles significantly differed among the three insects. By providing information of sphingolipid metabolic gene homologues of these three insects, our findings will contribute to the further sphingolipid studies of auchenorrhynchous insects and provide a research foundation for rice pest management.

Hollow-structured Pd/TiO2 as a dual functional photocatalyst for methyl orange oxidation and selective reduction of nitrate into nitrogen

Wen-Min Wang,Shi-Jer Tseng,Yu-Shuan Huang,Qian-Yuan Wu,Wen-Long Wang,Jerry J. Wu 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.119 No.-

Nitrate pollution in wastewater has posed a threat to human health and the environment. Photocatalyticreduction is a promising technology to remove nitrate due to its high adaptability, low cost, and high efficiency. However, there is a great challenge to design photocatalyst with high nitrate reduction and highselectivity of nitrogen (N2) yield. In this study, a novel hollow-structured Pd/TiO2 (PHT1) photocatalyst issynthesized with large specific surface area (SBET) and pore volume, strong UV adsorption, high reductionpotential than nitrate to nitrite, high charge transfer rate, and low electron-hole recombination rate. PHT1 exhibits a superior photocatalytic activity on the removal of methyl orange and nitrate. In addition,PHT1 exhibits high N2 selectivity (>95 %). A lower pH can promote the reduction of nitrate and the selectivityof N2 by PHT1. Electrons (e-) and CO2– are the main active species for nitrate reduction with OH asauxiliary radicals. Three main pathways for nitrate reduction are proposed: i) the reaction with formicacid under acidic conditions; ii) the reduction by electrons and the loaded Pd of photocatalyst to captureelectrons to inhibit electron-hole recombination; iii) the reduction by CO2 – generated from formic acidoxidation by OH.

Comparative Study of Bioactive Constituents in Crude and Processed Glycyrrhizae radix and Their Respective Metabolic Profiles in Gastrointestinal Tract In Vitro by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI/MS Analyses

Wen-wu Huang,Xiaobo Li,Meng Yue Wang,Hai-ming Shi,Ying Peng,Chong-sheng Peng,Min Zhang,Yue Li,Jing Lu 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.11

Two HPLC methods with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI/MS), respectively, were developed to investigate the differences of chemical constituents and their metabolism in gastrointestinal tract in vitro between two decoctions of crude and processed Glycyrrhizae radix. Total of eleven constituents (liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, licuraside, isoliquiritin, ononin, glycyrrhizin, liquiritigenin-7,4'-diglucoside, licorice saponin A3, 22β-acetoxylglycyrrhizic acid, licorice saponin G2, and yunganoside E2) were identified in the two decoctions, whereas lower contents of these constituents were usually found in the decoction of processed G. radix. Furthermore, these constituents were metabolized into their respective aglycons in human intestinal bacteria juice, and the metabolism ratios were all higher in processed G. radix decoction. No change was found in artificial gastric or intestinal juice. This study revealed that the processing can alter the contents of main constituents in crude G. radix and their metabolism in gastrointestinal tract, in which intestinal bacteria play an important role in the metabolism of licorice constituents.

Convenient Synthesis of N-Methylpyrrolidine-2-thione and Some Thioamides

Zong, Zhi-Min,Peng, Yao-Li,Liu, Zhi-Gang,Zhou, Shi-Lu,Wu, Lin,Wang, Xiao-Hua,Wei, Xian-Yong,Lee, Chul Wee 한국화학공학회 2003 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.20 No.2

The synthesis of thioamides and thiolactams, which are used as important organic intermediates, has attracted great attention. However, expensive reagents, severe reaction conditions and low yields of the target products made conventional methods inconvenient and economically infeasible. To overcome these disadvantages, we investigated a new process for synthesizing thioamides and thiolactams. We examine thermal reactions of CS_2 with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinones, formylamide, acetamide and N, N-dimethylformylamide, respectively. The results show that under optimum conditions N-methylpyttolidine-2-thione and the corresponding thioamides can be obtained in good to excellent yields by the above thionation reactions.

Investigation of defects in SiCp/A356 composites made by a stir casting method

Han Jian-min,Wu Zhao-ling,Cui Shi-hai,Li Wei-Jing,DuYong-ping 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2007 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.8 No.1

A stir casting method is one of the most competitive methods for fabricating SiC particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites because of its low cost with competitive quality. However, defects formed in the composites during the fabrication process will deteriorate their properties. Different kinds of defects such as black inclusions related to agglomerated SiC, silver spots related to Al-Fe-Si phases, white inclusions related to Al2O3 and porosity related to gas and SiC agglomeration are investigated in this paper. Based on these investigations, a technique for improving the quality of SiCp/A356 composites fabricated by a stir casting method is proposed. A SiCp/A356 composite with few defects and good properties was fabricated with the improved stir casting process. A stir casting method is one of the most competitive methods for fabricating SiC particle reinforced aluminum matrix composites because of its low cost with competitive quality. However, defects formed in the composites during the fabrication process will deteriorate their properties. Different kinds of defects such as black inclusions related to agglomerated SiC, silver spots related to Al-Fe-Si phases, white inclusions related to Al2O3 and porosity related to gas and SiC agglomeration are investigated in this paper. Based on these investigations, a technique for improving the quality of SiCp/A356 composites fabricated by a stir casting method is proposed. A SiCp/A356 composite with few defects and good properties was fabricated with the improved stir casting process.

Artificial Intelligence in the Prediction of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors on Endoscopic Ultrasonography Images: Development, Validation and Comparison with Endosonographers

Lu Yi,Wu Jiachuan,Hu Minhui,Zhong Qinghua,Er Limian,Shi Huihui,Cheng Weihui,Chen Ke,Liu Yuan,Qiu Bingfeng,Xu Qiancheng,Lai Guangshun,Wang Yufeng,Luo Yuxuan,Mu Jinbao,Zhang Wenjie,Zhi Min,Sun Jiachen 거트앤리버 소화기연관학회협의회 2023 Gut and Liver Vol.17 No.6

Background/Aims: The accuracy of endosonographers in diagnosing gastric subepithelial lesions (SELs) using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is influenced by experience and subjectivity. Artificial intelligence (AI) has achieved remarkable development in this field. This study aimed to develop an AI-based EUS diagnostic model for the diagnosis of SELs, and evaluated its efficacy with external validation. Methods: We developed the EUS-AI model with ResNeSt50 using EUS images from two hospitals to predict the histopathology of the gastric SELs originating from muscularis propria. The diagnostic performance of the model was also validated using EUS images obtained from four other hospitals. Results: A total of 2,057 images from 367 patients (375 SELs) were chosen to build the models, and 914 images from 106 patients (108 SELs) were chosen for external validation. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the model for differentiating gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and non-GISTs in the external validation sets by images were 82.01%, 68.22%, 86.77%, 59.86%, and 78.12%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy in the external validation set by tumors were 83.75%, 71.43%, 89.33%, 60.61%, and 80.56%, respectively. The EUS-AI model showed better performance (especially specificity) than some endosonographers. The model helped improve the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of certain endosonographers. Conclusions: We developed an EUS-AI model to classify gastric SELs originating from muscularis propria into GISTs and non-GISTs with good accuracy. The model may help improve the diagnostic performance of endosonographers. Further work is required to develop a multi-modal EUS-AI system.

Fluorine-Substituted Dithienylbenzodiimide-Based n-Type Polymer Semiconductors for Organic Thin-Film Transistors

Feng, Kui,Zhang, Xianhe,Wu, Ziang,Shi, Yongqiang,Su, Mengyao,Yang, Kun,Wang, Yang,Sun, Huiliang,Min, Jie,Zhang, Yujie,Cheng, Xing,Woo, Han Young,Guo, Xugang American Chemical Society 2019 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.11 No.39

<P>Imide functionalization is one of the most effective approaches to develop electron-deficient building blocks for constructing n-type organic semiconductors. Driven by the attractive properties of imide-functionalized dithienylbenzodiimide (TBDI) and the promising device performance of TBDI-based polymers, a novel acceptor with increased electron affinity, fluorinated dithienylbenzodiimide (TFBDI), was designed with the hydrogen replaced by fluorine on the benzene core, and the synthetic challenges associated with this highly electron-deficient fluorinated imide building block are successfully overcome. TFBDI showed suppressed frontier molecular orbital energy levels as compared with TBDI. Copolymerizing this new electron-withdrawing TBDI with various donor co-units afforded a series of n-type polymer semiconductors TFBDI-T, TFBDI-Se, and TFBDI-BSe. All these TFBDI-based polymers exhibited a lower-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy level than the polymer analogue without fluorine. When applied in organic thin-film transistors, three polymers showed unipolar electron transport with large on-current/off-current ratios (<I>I</I><SUB>on</SUB>/<I>I</I><SUB>off</SUB>) of 10<SUP>5</SUP>-10<SUP>7</SUP>. Among them, the selenophene-based polymer TFBDI-Se with the deepest-positioned LUMO and optimal chain stacking exhibited the highest electron mobility of 0.30 cm<SUP>2</SUP> V<SUP>-1</SUP> s<SUP>-1</SUP>. This result demonstrates that the new TFBDI is a highly attractive electron-deficient unit for enabling n-type polymer semiconductors, and the fluorination of imide-functionalized arenes offers an effective approach to develop more electron-deficient building blocks in organic electronics.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Association Between ERCC2 Polymorphisms and Glioma Risk: a Meta-analysis

Huang, Li-Ming,Shi, Xi,Yan, Dan-Fang,Zheng, Min,Deng, Yu-Jie,Zeng, Wu-Cha,Liu, Chen,Lin, Xue-De Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.11

ERCC2 is an essential component of the nucleotide excision repair pathway which is involved in the effective maintenance of genome integrity. Association studies on ERCC2 polymorphisms and glioma risk have yielded inconclusive results. This meta-analysis was performed to gain a better insight into the relationship between ERCC2 polymorphisms and glioma risk. A systematic literature search updated to December 2, 2013 was performed in the Pubmed and EMBASE databases. Crude pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to estimate the association between ERCC2 polymorphisms and glioma risk under a suitable effect model according to heterogeneity. All analyses were performed using Review Manager 5 (version 5.2) and STATA (version 12.0). The combined results demonstrated rs13181 to be significantly associated with glioma risk (G allele versus T allele: OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.05-1.26, P=0.002; dominant model: OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.07-1.39, P=0.002; recessive model: OR=1.18, 95% CI=0.98-1.41, P=0.070). We also found that rs13181 acts in an allele dose-dependent manner (GG versus TT: OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.07-1.57, P=0.009; TG versus TT: OR=1.20, 95%=CI 1.05-1.37, P=0.009; trend test, P=0.004). However, no evidence was found in analyses for the association between other 3 ERCC2 polymorphisms (rs238406, rs1799793, and rs1052555) and susceptibility to glioma development. Our meta-analysis suggests that rs13181 is significantly associated with glioma risk in an allele dose-dependent manner, whereas, 3 other ERCC2 polymorphisms (rs238406, rs1799793, and rs1052555) may have no influence.