Metagenomics analysis of the gut microbiome in healthy and bacterial pneumonia forest musk deer

Wei Zhao,Ziwei Ren,Yan Luo,Jianguo Cheng,Jie Wang,Yin Wang,Zexiao Yang,Xueping Yao,Zhijun Zhong,Wei Yang,Xi Wu 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.1

Background The forest musk deer (FMD, Moschus berezovskii) is an threatened species in China. Bacterial pneumonia was found to seriously restrict the development of FMD captive breeding. Historical evidence has demonstrated the relationship between immune system and intestinal Lactobacillus in FMD. Objective We sought to elucidate the diferences in the gut microbiota of healthy and bacterial pneumonia FMD. Methods The bacterial pneumonia FMD was demonstrated by bacterial and pathological diagnosis, and the gut microbiome of healthy and bacterial pneumonia FMD was sequenced and analysed. Results There are three pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus equinus and Trueperella pyogenes) isolated from the bacterial pneumonia FMD individuals. Compared with the healthy group, the abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the pneumonia group was changed, and a high level of Proteobacteria was found in the pneumonia group. In addition, a higher abundance of Acinetobacter (p=0.01) was observed in the population of the pneumonia group compared with the healthy group. Several potentially harmful bacteria and disease-related KEGG subsystems were only found in the gut of the bacterial pneumonia group. Analysis of KEGG revealed that many genes related to type IV secretion system, type IV pilus, lipopolysaccharide export system, HTH-type transcriptional regulator/antitoxin MqsA, and ArsR family transcriptional regulator were signifcantly enriched in the metagenome of the bacterial pneumonia FMD. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that the gut microbiome was signifcantly altered in the bacterial pneumonia group. Overall, our research improves the understanding of the potential role of the gut microbiota in the FMD bacterial pneumonia.

A Novel Missense Mutation of Keratin 17 Gene in a Chinese Family with Steatocystoma Multiplex

( Wei Wei Ha ),( Jing Wang ),( Wen Wang ),( Hong Yang Fu ),( Hua Yang Tang ),( Xian Fa Tang ),( Jun Zhu ),( Xian Yong Yin ),( Sen Yang ),( Xue Jun Zhang ) 대한피부과학회 2013 Annals of Dermatology Vol.25 No.4

Video Learning Enhances Financial Literacy: A Systematic Review Analysis of the Impact on Video Content Distribution

Yin Yin KHOO,Mohamad Rohieszan RAMDAN,Rohaila YUSOF,Chooi Yi WEI 한국유통과학회 2023 유통과학연구 Vol.21 No.9

Purpose: This study aims to examine the demographic similarities and differences in objectives, methodology, and findings of previous studies in the context of gaining financial literacy using videos. This study employs a systematic review design. Research design, data and methodology: Based on the content analysis method, 15 articles were chosen from Scopus and Science Direct during 2015-2020. After formulating the research questions, the paper identification process, screening, eligibility, and quality appraisal are discussed in the methodology. The keywords for the advanced search included “Financial literacy”, “Financial Education”, and “Video”. Results: The results of this study indicate the effectiveness of learning financial literacy using videos. Significant results were obtained when students interacted with the video content distribution. The findings of this study provide an overview and lead to a better understanding of the use of video in financial literacy. Conclusions: This study is important as a guide for educators in future research and practice planning. A systematic review on this topic is the research gap. Video learning was active learning that involved student-centered activities that help students engage with financial literacy. By conducting a systematic review, researchers and readers may also understand how extending an individual's financial literacy may change after financial education.

RBM24 exacerbates bladder cancer progression by forming a Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p feedback loop

Yin Yue-Wei,Liu Kai-Long,Lu Bao-Sai,Li Wei,Niu Ya-Lin,Zhao Chen-Ming,Yang Zhan,Guo Ping-Ying,Qi Jin-Chun 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

RNA–binding motif protein 24 (RBM24) acts as a multifunctional determinant of cell fate, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation during development by regulating premRNA splicing and mRNA stability. It is also implicated in carcinogenesis, but the functions of RBM24 in bladder cancer (BC) remain unclear. In the present study, we revealed that RBM24 was upregulated in BC tissues. Importantly, we found that a higher level of RBM24 was correlated with poor prognosis in BC patients. Overexpression of RBM24 promoted BC cell proliferation, while depletion of RBM24 inhibited BC cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, RBM24 positively regulated Runx1t1 expression in BC cells by binding to and enhancing Runx1t1 mRNA stability. Furthermore, Runx1t1 in turn promoted RBM24 expression by interacting with the transcription factor TCF4 and suppressing the transcription of miR-625-5p, which directly targets RBM24 and suppresses RBM24 expression. RBM24-regulated BC cell proliferation was moderated via the Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p feedback loop. These results indicate that the RBM24/Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p positive feedback loop participates in BC progression. Disruption of this pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy for BC treatment.

Evaluating the Competitiveness for Major International Airports in Northeast Asia

Wei-Yin Eie,홍정열,박동주 대한토목학회 2019 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.23 No.2

The rapid growth of air passenger demand and competition among major international airports in Asia has raised governments’ attention to re-examine their dual-airport or multiple-airport policy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current development and determine the factors influencing the competitive strength of routes between the international hub airports in Northeast Asia and other airports at local cities based on passenger demand, airlines, and airport attributes. A demand competitive indicator is proposed to present the competitiveness and connectivity of selected routes connecting to Narita and Incheon International Airports. In order to clarify the relationship between the demand competitive indicator and components, we used a multivariate regression approach. The results of the analysis show that air passengers in local cities could more convenient connections using Incheon as the hub airport for reaching destination overseas. While Korean airline companies have applied and operated for the routes between Incheon Airport and local airports in Japan, which attracts air passengers to use Incheon as hub airport for their overseas itineraries, Narita offered limited domestic flight service but focuses its operation connecting to most major airports in Japan with higher passenger demand.

Identity Based Proxy Re-encryption Scheme under LWE

( Wei Yin ),( Qiaoyan Wen ),( Wenmin Li ),( Hua Zhang ),( Zheng Ping Jin ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2017 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.11 No.12

The proxy re-encryption allows an intermediate proxy to convert a ciphertext for Alice into a ciphertext for Bob without seeing the original message and leaking out relevant information. Unlike many prior identity based proxy re-encryption schemes which are based on the number theoretic assumptions such as large integer factorization and discrete logarithm problem. In this paper, we first propose a novel identity based proxy re-encryption scheme which is based on the hardness of standard Learning With Error(LWE) problem and is CPA secure in the standard model. This scheme can be reduced to the worst-case lattice hard problem that is able to resist attacks from quantum algorithm. The key step in our construction is that the challenger how to answer the private query under a known trapdoor matrix. Our scheme enjoys properties of the non-interactivity, unidirectionality, anonymous and so on. In this paper, we utilize primitives include G-trapdoor for lattice and sample algorithms to realize simple and efficient re-encryption.

In Vivo Detection of Lipid-Core Plaques by Coronary CT Angiography: A Head-to-Head Comparison with Histologic Findings

Wei-hua Yin,Yan Zhang,Xiang-nan Li,Hong-yue Wang,Yun-qiang An,Yang Sun,Zhi-hui Hou,Yang Gao,Bin Lu,Zhe Zheng 대한영상의학회 2020 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.21 No.2

Objective: We sought to distinguish lipid plaques using a CT quantitative pixel density histogram, based on the pathological diagnosis of lipid cores as the gold standard. Materials and Methods: Eight patients awaiting heart transplantation due to end-stage coronary heart disease underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) spectroscopy prior to heart transplantation; coronary artery pathological analysis was performed for all patients. Lipid-core plaques were defined pathologically as manifesting a lipid core diameter > 200 μm, a circumference > 60 degrees, and a cap thickness < 450 μm. The percentage distributions of CT pixel attenuation ≤ 20, 30, 40, and 50 HU were calculated using quantitative histogram analysis. Results: A total of 271 transverse sections were co-registered between CCTA and pathological analysis. Overall, 26 lipid cores and 16 fibrous plaques were identified by pathological analysis. There was no significant difference in median CT attenuation between the lipid and fibrous plaques (51 HU [interquartile range, 46–63] vs. 57 HU [interquartile range, 50–64], p = 0.659). The median percentage of CT pixel attenuation ≤ 30 HU accounted for 11% (5–17) of lipid-core plaques and 0% (0–2) of fibrous plaques (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the method for diagnosing lipid plaques by the average CT pixel attenuation ≤ 30 HU were 80.8% and 87.5%, respectively. The area under the receiver operator characteristics curve was 0.898 (95% confidence interval: 0.765–0.970; 3.0% was the best cut-off value). The diagnostic performance was significantly higher than those of the average pixel CT attenuation percentages ≤ 20, 40, and 50 HU and the mean CT attenuation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In in vivo conditions, with the pathological lipid core as the gold standard, quantification of the percentage of average CT pixel attenuation ≤ 30 HU in the histogram can be useful for accurate identification of lipid plaques.

Inhibition of microRNA-214 promotes epithelial mesenchymal transition process and induces interstitial cystitis in postmenopausal women by upregulating Mfn2

Jian-Wei Lv,Wei Wen,Chen Jiang,Qi-Bo Fu,Yin-Jun Gu,Ting-Ting Lv,Zhen-Dong Li,Wei Xue 생화학분자생물학회 2017 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.49 No.-

Our study aims to investigate the roles that microRNA-214 (miR-214) plays in the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and the development of interstitial cystitis (IC) in postmenopausal women by targeting Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2). IC bladder tissues and adjacent normal bladder tissues were collected from postmenopausal women. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was conducted. The target relationship between miR-214 and Mfn2 was determined by a dual luciferase reporter gene assay. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) were extracted from postmenopausal rats and assigned to the blank, mimics, miR-214 inhibitors, mimics negative control (NC), inhibitors NC, Mfn2 siRNA, miR-214 inhibitors and Mfn2 siRNA groups. Exosomes secreted by transfected ADMSCs were instilled into the bladders of postmenopausal rats. The expression of miR-214 and Mfn2 mRNA and EMT markers was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. It was confirmed that Mfn2 was the target gene of miR-214 in IC. Compared with the normal bladder tissues, miR-214 decreased, but Mfn2 increased in IC bladder tissues. Compared with the blank group, the expression of miR-214 and the expression levels of N-cadherin, Fibronectin, Twist1, Snail and Vimentin mRNA and protein increased, whereas the expression levels of Mfn2, E-cadherin and ZO-1 mRNA and protein decreased in the miR-214 mimics and Mfn2 groups. The expression of MiR-214 and the expression levels of N-cadherin, Fibronectin, Twist1, Snail and Vimentin mRNA and protein decreased, whereas the expression levels of Mfn2, E-cadherin and ZO-1 mRNA and protein increased in the miR-214 inhibitors group. Our findings indicate that the inhibition of miR-214 promotes the EMT process and contributes to bladder wall fibrosis by up-regulating Mfn2, thus leading to the occurrence of IC in postmenopausal women.

APSS-ASJ Best Clinical Research Award: Is There a Difference between Patients’ and Parents’ Perception of Physical Appearance in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis?

Chris Yin Wei Chan,Siti Mariam Abd Gani,Min Yuen Lim,Chee Kidd Chiu,Mun Keong Kwan 대한척추외과학회 2019 Asian Spine Journal Vol.13 No.2

Study Design: Prospective study. Purpose: To compare patients’ and parents’ perceptions of physical attributes (PAs) of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients and to report any correlations between their perceptions and Scoliosis Research Society-22r (SRS-22r) scores. Overview of Literature: Few studies have looked into the differences between patients’ and parents’ perceptions of their appearance. Methods: AIS patient–parent pairs (n=170) were recruited. The patients’ and parents’ perceptions of six PAs were evaluated: waist asymmetry (WA), rib hump (RH), shoulder asymmetry (SA), neck tilt, breast asymmetry (BrA), and chest prominence. These PAs were ranked, and an aggregate PA (Agg-PA) score was derived from a score assigned to the attribute (6 for the most important PA and 1 for the least important). The patients also completed the SRS-22r questionnaire. Results: Ninety-nine patients (58.2%) and 71 patients (41.8%) had thoracic and lumbar major curves, respectively. WA was ranked first by 54 patients (31.8%) and 50 parents (29.4%), whereas RH was ranked first by 50 patients (29.4%) and 38 parents (22.4%). The overall Agg-PA scores were similar for patients and parents (p>0.05). However, for thoracic major curves (TMCs) >40°, a significant difference was noted between the Agg-PA scores of patients and parents for SA (3.5±1.6 vs. 4.2±1.6, p=0.041) and BrA (3.0±1.6 vs. 2.2±1.3, p=0.006). For TMCs <40°, a significant difference was found between the Agg-PA scores of patients and parents for WA (3.7±1.6 vs. 4.4±1.5, p=0.050). BrA was negatively correlated with total SRS-22r score. Conclusions: There were no significant differences between patients and parents in their ranking of the most important PAs. For TMCs >40°, there were significant differences in the Agg-PA for SA and BrA. Pa¬tients were more concerned about BrA and parents were more concerned about SA. Patients’ perception of the six PAs had weak correlation with SRS-22r scores.

Construction of a Shuttle Vector for Heterologous Expression of a Novel Fungal a-Amylase Gene in Aspergillus oryzae

( Yanchen Yin ),( Youzhi Mao ),( Xiaolie Yin ),( Bei Gao ),( Dongzhi Wei ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.7

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae is a well-known expression host used to expresshomologous and heterologous proteins in a number of industrial applications. To facilitate higher yields of proteins of interest, we constructed the pAsOP vector to express heterologous proteins in A. oryzae. pAsOP carries a selectable marker, pyrG, derived from Aspergillus nidulans, and a strong promoter and a terminator of the amyB gene derived from A. oryzae. pAsOP transformed A. oryzae efficiently via the PEG-CaCl2-mediated transformation method.As proof of concept, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was successfully expressed in A. oryzae transformed by pAsOP-GFP. Additionally, we identified a novel fungal α-amylase (PcAmy) gene from Penicillium sp. and cloned the gene into the vector. After transformation by pAsOPPcAmy, the α-amylase PcAmy from Penicillium sp. was successfully expressed in a heterologous host system for the first time. The α-amylase activity in the A. oryzae transformant was increased by 62.3% compared with the untransformed A. oryzae control. ThePcAmy protein produced in the system had an optimum pH of 5.0 and optimum temperature of 30oC. As a cold-adapted enzyme, PcAmy shows potential value in industrial applications because of its high catalytic activity at low temperature. Furthermore, the expression vector reported in this study provides promising utility for further scientific research and biotechnological applications.