Survival and Performance of Two Cellulose-Degrading Microbial Systems Inoculated into Wheat Straw-Amended Soil

( Pei Pei Li ),( Dong Dong Zhang ),( Xiao Juan Wang ),( Xiao Fen Wang ),( Zong Jun Cui1 ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2012 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.22 No.1

A cellulose-degrading composite microbial system containing a mixture of microbes was previously shown to demonstrate a high straw-degrading capacity. To estimate its potential utilization as an inoculant to accelerate straw biodegradation after returning straw to the field, two cellulose-degrading composite microbial systems named ADS3 and WSD5 were inoculated into wheat straw-amended soil in the laboratory. The microbial survival of the inoculant was confirmed by a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis, whereas the enhancement of straw degradation in soil was assessed by measuring the mineralization of the soil organic matter and the soil cellulase activity. The results indicated that most of the DGGE bands from ADS3 were detected after inoculation into straw-amended autoclaved soil, yet only certain bands from ADS3 and WSD5 were detected after inoculation into straw-amended non-autoclaved soil during five weeks of incubation; some bands were detected during the first two weeks after inoculation, and then disappeared in later stages. Organic matter mineralization was significantly higher in the soil inoculants ADS3 and WSD5 than in the uninoculated controls during the first week, yet the enhanced degradation did not persist during the subsequent incubation. Similar to the increase in soil organic matter, the cellulase activity also increased during the first week in the ADS3 and WSD5 treatments, yet decreased during the remainder of the incubation period. Thus, it was concluded that, although the survival and performance of the two inoculants did not persist in the soil, a significant enhancement of degradation was present during the early stage of incubation.

Role of Nucleation-Promoting Factors in Mouse Early Embryo Development

Wang, Qiao-Chu,Liu, Jun,Wang, Fei,Duan, Xing,Dai, Xiao-Xin,Wang, Teng,Liu, Hong-Lin,Cui, Xiang-Shun,Sun, Shao-Chen,Kim, Nam-Hyung Cambridge University Press 2013 Microscopy and microanalysis Vol.19 No.3

<B>Abstract</B><P>During mitosis nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs) bind to the Arp2/3 complex and activate actin assembly. JMY and WAVE2 are two critical members of the NPFs. Previous studies have demonstrated that NPFs promote multiple processes such as cell migration and cytokinesis. However, the role of NPFs in development of mammalian embryos is still unknown. Results of the present study show that the NPFs JMY and WAVE2 are critical for cytokinesis during development of mouse embryos. Both JMY and WAVE2 are expressed in mouse embryos. After injection of JMY or WAVE2 siRNA, all embryos failed to develop to the morula or blastocyst stages. Moreover, using fluorescence intensity analysis, we found that the expression of actin decreased, and multiple nuclei were observed within a single cell indicating that NPFs-induced actin reduction caused the failure of cell division. In addition, injection of JMY and WAVE2 siRNA also caused ARP2 degradation, indicating that involvement of NPFs in development of mouse embryos is mainly through regulation of ARP2/3-induced actin assembly. Taken together, these data suggested that WAVE2 and JMY are involved in development of mouse embryos, and their regulation may be through a NPFs-Arp2/3-actin pathway.</P>

Annual Financial Impact of Thyroidectomies for Nodular Thyroid Disease in China

Liu, Xiao-Yun,Zhu, Li-Jun,Cui, Dai,Wang, Zhi-Xiao,Chen, Huan-Huan,Duan, Yu,Shen, Mei-Ping,Zhang, Zhi-Hong,Wang, Xiao-Dong,Chen, Jia-Wei,Alexander, Erik Karl,Yang, Tao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

A large proportion of patients with thyroid nodules in China undergo thyroidectomy in order to get confirmatory histology diagnosis. The financial impact of this modality remains to be investigated. To evaluate rationality of performing thyroidectomy without a routine FNA preoperatively from the economic perspective, we conducted a retrospective, observational study of all archival thyroidectomies with records of cost per stay (CPS), cost per day (CPD) and length of stay (LOS) from 2008 to 2013 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. We compared all the parameters between cancer and non-cancer thyroidectomies. We recruited 6, 140 thyroidectomies with valid records of CPS, CPD and LOS in this period. The CPS of cancer thyroidectomy was significantly higher than non-cancer thyroidectomy. The percentage of cancer thyroidectomy increased from 26.5% to 41.6%. The percentage of annual cost of cancer thyroidectomies rose from 30.2% to 45.2%. The LOS for cancer and non-cancer thyroidectomy decreased while the CPD increased in the past six years. The estimated national cost in 2012 for all thyroidectomies would be USD 1.86 billion with USD 1.09 billion for non-cancer thyroidectomies. We have witnessed great improvement in the healthcare for patients with thyroid nodules in China. However, given limited healthcare resources, currently thyroid FNA for more precise preoperative diagnosis may help to curb the rapidly increasing demand in healthcare costs in the future for nodular thyroid disease in China.

Lycium barbarum Polysaccharide Extracted from Lycium barbarum Leaves Ameliorates Asthma in Mice by Reducing Inflammation and Modulating Gut Microbiota

Fang Cui,Chun-li Shi,Xiao-jing Zhou,Wang Wen,Xiao-ping Gao,Li-ying Wang,Bin He,Mei Yin,Jia-qing Zhao 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Journal of medicinal food Vol.23 No.7

This study was designed to explore the impact of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on inflammation and gut microbiota in mice with allergic asthma. Mice were divided into four groups: control group, OVA (ovalbumin) group, Con+LBP group, OVA+LBP group. After 28 days of LBP intervention, mice were euthanized and associated indications were investigated. Histopathological examination demonstrated that LBP reduced lung injury. The results of our current study provide evidence that supplementation with LBP in asthmatic mice decreases TNF, IL-4, IL-6, MCP-1, and IL-17A in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Sequencing and analysis of gut microbiota indicated that compared with the OVA group, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were increased, but Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Alistipes, and Clostridiales were decreased in the OVA+LBP group. We also found that gut microbiota were related to inflammation-related factors. Therefore, we speculate that LBP may improve allergic asthma by altering gut microbiota and inhibiting inflammation in mice.

Alu Tandem Sequences Inhibit GFP Gene Expression by Triggering Chromatin Wrapping

Xiu Fang Wang,Xiao Yan Wang,Jing Liu,Jing Jing Feng,Wen Li Mu,Xiao Juan Shi,Qin Qing Yang,Xiao Cui Duan,Ying Xie,Zhan Jun Lu 한국유전학회 2009 Genes & Genomics Vol.31 No.3

Alu elements belonging to the short interspersed nuclear elements (SINE) of repetitive elements are present in more than one million copies which altogether represent 10% of the whole human genome. In this study, the roles of Alu tandem sequences in the process of GFP gene (GFP) expression and packing into chromatin of its DNA were studied. To detect the effect of Alu repeats on gene expression, different copies of Alus were inserted GFP downstream respectively in pEGFP-C1 vector. We found that Alu sequences decreased the amount of GFP transcription, the percentage of GFP positive cells and the accessibility to DNase I in length-dependent manner. Inserting Alu caused the production of higher-molecular-mass RNA, indicating Alu sequence did not induce premature transcriptional termination. Tight packing chromatins keep silent and resist to DNase I digestion, which is a general phenomenon. We suggested that head and tail tandem Alu sequences suppressed GFP expression in length dependent manner by triggering chromatin packing.

Anticancer Activity of Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L) Merr Extracts is Associated with Inhibition of NF-κB Activity and Decreased Erk1/2 and Akt Phosphorylation

Wang, Hua-Qian,Li, Dong-Li,Lu, Yu-Jing,Cui, Xiao-Xing,Zhou, Xiao-Fen,Lin, Wei-Ping,Conney, Allan H.,Zhang, Kun,Du, Zhi-Yun,Zheng, Xi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

Acanthopanax trifoliatus (L) Merr (AT) is commonly used as an herbal medicine and edible plant in some areas of China and other Asian countries. AT is thought to have anticancer effects, but potential mechanisms remain unknown. To assess the anticancer properties of AT, we exposed prostate cancer cells to AT extracts and assessed cell proliferation and signaling pathways. An ethanol extract of AT was suspended in water followed by sequential extraction with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. PC-3 cells were treated with different concentrations of each extract and cell viability was determined by the MTT and trypan blue exclusion assays. The ethyl acetate extract of the ethanol extract had a stronger inhibitory effect on growth and a stronger stimulatory effect on apoptosis than any of the other extracts. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the ethyl acetate extract suppressed the transcriptional activity of NF-${\kappa}B$, increased the level of caspase-3, and decreased the levels of phospho-Erk1/2 and phospho-Akt. This is the first report on the anticancer activity of AT in cultured human prostate cancer cells. The results suggest that AT can provide a plant-based medicine for the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.

Diagnostic Value of Superoxide Dismutase in Tuberculous and Malignant Pleural Effusions

Wang, Xin-Feng,Wu, Yan-Hua,Jiao, Jin,Guan, Cui-Ping,Yang, Xiao-Guang,Wang, Mao-Shui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.2

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in tuberculous pleural effusions (TPEs) and malignant pleural effusions (MPEs). Pleural effusion (PE) samples from 100 patients were classified on the basis of diagnosis as TPE (n=57) and MPE (n=43). The activity of SOD was determined by pyrolgallol assay. A significant difference was observed in SOD activity (P<0.01) between TPE and MPE, levels of being significantly higher in TPE compared to MPE. With a threshold value of 41 U/L, the area under the ROC curve was 0.653, SOD had a sensitivity of 61.4% and a specificity of 61.0% for differential diagnosis. Thus, SOD activity in PE was not a good biomarker in differentiating TPE and MPE. To the best of our knowledge, five SOD isoforms may be present in PE. Identification of which SOD contributes to the difference of SOD level between TPE and MPE is very important for illustrating mechanisms and improving the differential diagnostic value.

Coloration and Decoloration of Textiles Using a TiO2 Composite Pigment

Xiao Wang,Yunzhe Xie,Cheng Huang,Yongzhu Cui,Lihua Lyu,Yuping Zhao,Ju Wei 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.7

A colorable pigment was prepared by dye adsorption onto titanium dioxide and subsequent silane coating. The effects of pH value, dye concentration, and adsorption times on dye adsorption were discussed. Large adsorption capacity of an anionic dye was obtained at pH value of 2 and the adsorption process was well described by the Langmuir isotherm model. Good dyeability and color fastness of pigment dyed fabric were achieved in the normal life cycle under sunlight. The decoloration of pigment was realized through photocatalytic degradation of dye molecules by titanium dioxide under ultraviolet irradiation when reusing the pigment dyed textiles after disposal. The new absorption peaks in the FTIR spectrum at 2924.95 cm-1, 1714.91 cm-1, 1461.17 cm-1, and 1289 cm-1 verified silane modification. Silane modification improved fixation of dyes onto the pigment and immobilization of pigments onto substrates. The close attachment of silane coating layer to titanium dioxide was conducive to photodegradation of dye molecules in the pigment.

RALY RNA Binding Protein-like Reduced Expression is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cui, Zhi-Wen,Xia, Ye,Ye, Yi-Wang,Jiang, Zhi-Mao,Wang, Ya-Dong,Wu, Jian-Ting,Sun, Liang,Zhao, Jun,Fa, Ping-Ping,Sun, Xiao-Juan,Gui, Yao-Ting,Cai, Zhi-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between expression of RALYL and clinical characteristics. In 41 paired samples of ccRCCs and adjacent normal tissues, we used real-time qPCR to evaluate the expression of RALYL mRNA. RALYL protein levels were determined in 146 samples of ccRCC and 37 adjacent normal tissues by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was used to explore the relationships between expression of RALYL and the clinical characteristics (gender, age, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, survival times and survival outcome) in ccRCC. In addition, these patients were follow-up period 64 months (range: 4~116months) to investigate the influence on prognosis. We found significantly differences between ccRCC tissues and normal tissues (p<0.001, paired-sample t test) in mRNA levels of RALYL. Immunohistochemistry analyses in 146 ccRCC samples and 37 adjacent normal tissues showed significantly lower RALYL protein levels in ccRCC samples (${\chi}^2$-test, p<0.001), inversely correlating with tumour size (p=0.024), T stage (0.005), N stage (p<0.001) as well as M stage (p=0.019), but not age (p=0.357) and gender (p=0.348). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that people with lower level of RALYL expression had a poorer survival rate than those with a higher level of RALYL expression, significantly different by the log-rank test (p=0.011). Cox regression analysis indicated that RALYL expression (p=0.039), N stage (p=0.008) and distant metastasis (p<0.001) were independent prognosis factors for the overall survival of ccRCC patients. We demonstrated that the expression of RALYL was significantly low in ccRCC and correlated with a poor prognosis in a large number of clinical samples. Our findings showed that RALYL may be a potential therapeutic target as well as a poor prognostic factor.

ODV-Associated Proteins of the <i>Pieris rapae</i> Granulovirus

Wang, Xiao-Feng,Zhang, Bao-Qin,Xu, Hai-Jun,Cui, Ying-Jun,Xu, Yi-Peng,Zhang, Min-Juan,Han, Yeon Soo,Lee, Yong Seok,Bao, Yan-Yuan,Zhang, Chuan-Xi American Chemical Society 2011 JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH Vol.10 No.6

<P><I>Alphabaculovirus</I> (lepidopteran-specific nucleopolyhedroviruses, NPV) and <I>Betabaculovirus</I> (granuloviruses, GV) are two main genera of the family Baculoviridae. The virion proteomes of <I>Alphabaculovirus</I> have been well studied; however, the <I>Betabaculovirus</I> virion compositions remain unclear. <I>Pieris rapae</I> granulovirus (PrGV) can kill larvae of <I>P. rapae</I>, a worldwide and important pest of mustard family crops. In this study, the occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-associated proteins of PrGV were identified using three mass spectrometry (MS) approaches. The MS analyses demonstrated that 47 proteins were present in PrGV-ODV. Of the 47 PrGV-ODV proteins, 33 have homologues identified previously in other baculovirus ODV/BVs, whereas 14 (P10, Pr21, Pr29, Pr35, Pr42, Pr54, P45/48, Pr83, Pr84, Pr89, Pr92, Pr111, Pr114 and FGF3) were newly identified ODV proteins. Seven of the 14 newly identified ODV proteins are specific to <I>Betabaculovirus</I>, including Pr35, Pr42, Pr54, Pr83, Pr84, Pr111 and Pr114. Furthermore, the data derived from these MS approaches were validated by immunoblotting analysis using antisera prepared from 11 randomly selected recombinant PrGV-ODV proteins (including 5 <I>Betabaculovirus</I>-unique proteins). Comparison analyses revealed the similar and different compositions between <I>Betabaculovirus</I> and <I>Alphabaculovirus</I> virions, which deepen our understanding of the baculovirus virion structure and provide helpful information on <I>Betabaculovirus</I>–host interaction studies.</P><P>We used three mass spectrometry (MS) approaches to identify the occlusion-derived virus (ODV)-associated proteins of the <I>Pieris rapae</I> Granulovirus. A total of 47 proteins were identified; 14 of them were first identified in the ODV, and 7 are specific to Granulovirus.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/jprobs/2011/jprobs.2011.10.issue-6/pr2000804/production/images/medium/pr-2011-000804_0002.gif'></P>