Near-Infrared Laser Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve in Guinea Pigs

Tian Guan,Jian Wang,Muqun Yang,Kai Zhu,Yong Wang,Guohui Nie 한국광학회 2016 Current Optics and Photonics Vol.20 No.2

This study has investigated the feasibility of 980-nm low-energy pulsed near-infrared laser stimulationto evoke auditory responses, as well as the effects of radiant exposure and pulse duration on auditoryresponses. In the experiments, a hole was drilled in the basal turn of the cochlea in guinea pigs. An opticalfiber with a 980-nm pulsed infrared laser was inserted into the hole, orientating the spiral ganglion cellsin the cochlea. To model deafness, the tympanic membrane was mechanically damaged. Acousticallyevoked compound action potentials (ACAPs) were recorded before and after deafness, and optically evokedcompound action potentials (OCAPs) were recorded after deafness. Similar spatial selectivity between opticaland acoustical stimulation was found. In addition, OCAP amplitudes increased with radiant exposure,indicating a photothermal mechanism induced by optical stimulation. Furthermore, at a fixed radiantexposure, OCAP amplitudes decreased as pulse duration increased, suggesting that optical stimulation mightbe governed by the time duration over which the energy is delivered. Thus, the current experiments havedemonstrated that a 980-nm pulsed near-infrared laser with low energy can evoke auditory neural responsessimilar to those evoked by acoustical stimulation. This approach could be used to develop optical cochlearimplants.

Radish phospholipids hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase provides protection against hydroperoxide-mediated injury in mouse 3T3 fibroblasts

( Tian Li ),( Guan Lan Liu ),( Ming Xing Duan ),( Jin Yuan Liu ) 생화학분자생물학회 2009 BMB Reports Vol.42 No.10

OK-432 Suppresses Proliferation and Metastasis by Tumor Associated Macrophages in Bladder Cancer

Tian, Yuan-Feng,Tang, Kun,Guan, Wei,Yang, Tao,Xu, Hua,Zhuang, Qian-Yuan,Ye, Zhang-Qun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.11

OK-432, a Streptococcus-derived anticancer immunotherapeutic agent, has been applied in clinic for many years and achieved great progress in various cancers. In the present study, we investigated its anticancer effect on bladder cancer through tumor associated macrophages (TAMs). MTS assay validated OK-432 could inhibit proliferation in both T24 and EJ bladder cell lines. OK-432 also induced apoptosis of bladder cancer cells in vitro. Consequently, we demonstrated that OK-432 could suppress the bladder cancer cells migration and invasion by altering the EMT-related factors. Furthermore, using SD rat model, we revealed that OK-432 inhibited tumor growth, suppressed PCNA expression and inhibited metastasis in vivo. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that OK-432 inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis through inducing macrophages to secret cytokines in bladder cancer.

Electric Stimulation Hyperthermia Relieves Inflammation via the Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3-Toll Like Receptor 4 Pathway in a Prostatitis Rat Model

Guan Qun Zhu,전승환,이규원,Wen Jie Tian,조혁진,하유신,홍성후,이지열,문명건,문성희,김세웅,배웅진 대한남성과학회 2020 The World Journal of Men's Health Vol.38 No.3

Purpose: Chronic prostatitis (CP), including chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS), is the most commonly encountered manifestation of prostatitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of electric stimulation hyperthermia treatment (ESHT) on CP/CPPS and to explore the underlying mechanism. Materials and Methods: RWPE-2 cells with lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation and a prostatitis rat model induced by 17β-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone underwent sham, electric stimulation, or ESHT treatment. Four weeks later, cells, supernatants, and rat prostates were collected for analysis using immunohistochemistry, Western blots, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: We found that ESHT improved prostatitis in vivo and attenuated inflammation in vitro. ESHT significantly induced suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) expression and subsequently promoted HSP70. It attenuated inflammation through decreased expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa B, and subsequent inflammatory cytokines. ESHT also inhibited apoptosis and released growth factor in tissue affected by prostatitis. Conclusions: ESHT improved CP/CPPS and reversed pathologic changes of prostatitis by inhibiting the SOCS3-TLR4 pathway.

Precision Evaluation of Three-dimensional Feature Points Measurement by Binocular Vision

Guan Xu,Xiaotao Lin,Jian Su,Hongda Pan,Guangdong Tian 한국광학회 2011 Current Optics and Photonics Vol.15 No.1

Binocular-pair images obtained from two cameras can be used to calculate the three-dimensional (3D) world coordinate of a feature point. However, to apply this method, measurement accuracy of binocular vision depends on some structure factors. This paper presents an experimental study of measurement distance, baseline distance, and baseline direction. Their effects on camera reconstruction accuracy are investigated. The testing set for the binocular model consists of a series of feature points in stereo-pair images and corresponding 3D world coordinates. This paper discusses a method to increase the baseline distance of two cameras for enhancing the accuracy of a binocular vision system. Moreover, there is an inflexion point of the value and distribution of measurement errors when the baseline distance is increased. The accuracy benefit from increasing the baseline distance is not obvious, since the baseline distance exceeds 1000 mm in this experiment. Furthermore, it is observed that the direction errors deduced from the set-up are lower when the main measurement direction is similar to the baseline direction.

Effects of Continuous Straw Returning on Soil Functional Microorganisms and Microbial Communities

Guan Yunpeng,Wu Meikang,Che Songhao,Yuan Shuai,Yang Xue,Li Siyuan,Tian Ping,Wu Lei,Yang Meiying,Wu Zhihai 한국미생물학회 2023 The journal of microbiology Vol.61 No.1

This study examined the changes in soil enzymatic activity, microbial carbon source metabolic diversity, and straw decomposition rates in paddy fields treated with 1, 2, or 3 years of straw returning (SR1–SR3). The soil’s ability to decompose straw and cellulolytic bacteria increased with the number of treatment years (1: 31.9% vs. 2: 43.9% vs. 3: 51.9%, P < 0.05). The numbers of Azotobacter, Nitrobacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and inorganic phosphate bacteria increased progressively with the numbers of straw returning years. Cellulolytic bacteria and inorganic phosphate bacteria were significantly positively correlated with the decomposition rate (r = 0.783 and r = 0.375, P < 0.05). Based on 16S sequencing results, straw returning improved the microbial diversity of paddy soils by increasing unclassified bacteria and keeping dominant soil microorganism populations unchanged. The relative importance of individual microbial taxa was compared using random forest models. Proteobacteria, ammoniating bacteria, and potassium dissolving bacteria contributed to peroxidase activity. The significant contributors to phosphate monoesterase were Acidobacteriota, Desulfobacterota, ammoniating bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and potassium-dissolving bacteria. Proteobacteria, ammoniating bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and potassium-dissolving bacteria contributed to urease activity. Desulfobacterota, ammoniating bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and potassium-dissolving bacteria contributed to the neutral invertase activity. In conclusion, soil microbial community structure and function were affected within 2 years of straw returning, which was driven by the combined effects of soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, available potassium, and pH. With elapsing straw returning years, soil properties interacted with soil microbial communities, and a healthier soil micro-ecological environment would form.

Protective Effect of Ultra Low Molecular Weight Heparin on Glutamate-Induced Apoptosis in Cortical Cells

Tian-Gui Yu,Qing-Zhu Zhang,Zhi-Guo Zhang,Wei-Wei Wang,Sheng-Li Ji,Guan-Hua Du 연세대학교의과대학 2008 Yonsei medical journal Vol.49 No.3

Purpose: To investigate the effect of ultra low molecular weight heparin (ULMWH) on glutamate induced apoptosis in rat cortical cells and to explore the possible mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Cell viability was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Apoptosis was first analyzed with Hoechst 33258 and then confirmed by DNA fragmentation. The concentration of free intracellular calcium ([Ca²+]i) was determined with fura-2/AM fluorometry. The expression of Bcl-2 family protein and caspase-3 were evaluated with Western blot. Results: Typical apoptotic morphological change in rat cortical cells treated with 100μmol/L glutamate for 24h was detected by Hoechst 33258 staining, which was then confirmed by the DNA ladder of agarose gel electrophoresis. The apoptotic rate of the glutamate treated cells was up to 33.21%, and 24 h of treatment with glutamate increased [Ca²+]i, down-regulated Bcl-2 expression, up-regulated Bax expression, and increased caspase-3 activation in rat cortical cells. Our research demonstrated that ULMWH pretreatment can prevent the glutamate- induced apoptosis, attenuate the increase of [Ca²+]i not only in medium containing Ca²+ but also in Ca²+-free medium, up-regulate the expression of Bcl-2, down-regulate the expression of Bax, and decrease caspase-3 activation. Conclusion: ULMWH has neuroprotective capacity to antagonize glutamate-induced apoptosis in cortical cells, through decrease of Ca²+ release and modulation of apoptotic processes.

Application of Multilocus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) for Accurate Identification of Legionella spp. Isolated from Municipal Fountains in Chengdu, China, Based on 16S rRNA, mip, and rpoB Genes

Wang Guan,Ying Xu,Da-li Chen,Jia-nan Xu,Yu Tian,Jian-ping Chen 한국미생물학회 2012 The journal of microbiology Vol.50 No.1

Legionellosis (Legionnaires’ disease; LD) is a form of severe pneumonia caused by species of Legionella bacteria. Because inhalation of Legionella-contaminated aerosol is considered the major infection route, routine assessments of potential infection sources such as hot water systems, air-conditioner cooling water, and municipal fountains are of great importance. In this study, we utilized in vitro culture and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) targeting 16S rRNA, mip, rpoB, and mip-rpoB concatenation to isolate and identify Legionella spp. from 5 municipal fountains in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. Our results demonstrated that 16S rRNA was useful for initial identification, as it could recognize isolates robustly at the genus level, while the genes mip, rpoB, and mip-rpoB concatenation could confidently discriminate Legionella species. Notably, the three subspecies of L. pneumophila could be distinguished by the analysis based on rpoB. The serotyping result of strain CD-1 was consistent with genetic analysis based on the concatenation of mip and rpoB. Despite regular maintenance and sanitizing methods, 4 of the 5 municipal fountains investigated in this study were positive for Legionella contamination. Thus, regularly scheduled monitoring of municipal fountains is urgently needed as well as vigilant disinfection. Although the application of MLSA for inspection of potential sites of infection in public areas is not standard procedure, further investigations may prove its usefulness.

Quisqualis indica extract for men with lower urinary tract symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

신동호,Guan Qun Zhu,Wen Jie Tian,안순태,전승환,조혁진,하유신,홍성후,이지열,김세웅,문두건,배웅진 대한비뇨의학회 2023 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.64 No.1

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Quisqualis indica in men with moderate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Materials and Methods: A total of 135 subjects with International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of 8–19 were randomized in 2 centers from June 2018 to April 2019. Patients were assigned into one of the three groups: a low-dose group (LG, 1,000 mg Q. indica), a high-dose group (HG, 2,000 mg Q. indica) or a placebo group (PG). The primary endpoint was the change of IPSS at the end of treatment from baseline. Secondary end points included the changes of prostate specific antigen, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual volume (PVR) and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), with drug safety. Results: 113 patients were able to finish the study. Compared to the PG, total IPSS in the LG and the HG was significantly improved at 6 weeks and 12 weeks. For IPSS subscores, LG showed improvements in all except for urgency and quality of life at 6 weeks. HG showed improvements in incomplete emptying and frequency at 6 weeks and 12 weeks along with improvements in intermittency, straining, and quality of life at 12 weeks. For IIEF-5 subscores, orgasmic function and overall satisfaction improved in HG when compared to PG at 12 weeks. Lastly, increase of Qmax and decrease of PVR was observed at 6 weeks in LG. Conclusions: 12-week treatment with Q. indica has a therapeutic effect and is well tolerated in patients with LUTS.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for pyrrolidine-alkaloid-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in a patient with situs inversus totalis and portal vein thrombus

Yu-Guan Xie,Chen Xu,Hai-Bin Shi,Sheng Liu,Wei Yang,Wei Tian,Wei-Zhong Zhou 소화기인터벤션의학회 2023 International journal of gastrointestinal interven Vol.12 No.1

We here report a rare case of pyrrolidine-alkaloid-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (PA-HSOS) complicated with situs inversus totalis and portal vein thrombus (PVT). The patient had abdominal distention and ascites, which were not responsive to conservative medical treatment or peritoneal drainage. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was successfully performed in the patient via the left internal jugular vein approach. After the procedure, abdominal distension and ascites gradually resolved. The TIPS procedure could be considered as a useful treatment for PA-HSOS patients with PVT.