Cross-sectional geometry dependence of spontaneous phase transformation of copper nanowires

Xiao-Yu Sun,Wen-Ping Wu,Xue-Lin Dong,Yuan-Jie Xu 한국물리학회 2015 Current Applied Physics Vol.15 No.3

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the spontaneous phase transformation of copper nanowires. It is found that the spontaneous phase transformation exhibits distinct dependence on the cross-sectional geometry of the nanowires and can lead to the reconstruction of atoms into different atomistic configurations, e.g., pure hexagonal-close-packed crystals, fivefold deformation twins, and core/shell structures. For single-crystal copper nanowires, the critical crosssectional size, above which no spontaneous phase transformation can occur, is determined. The physical mechanisms underlying the complicated transformation behavior are analyzed from the viewpoints of energy and stresses.

Metabolomic analysis of biochemical changes in the tissue and urine of proteoglycan-induced spondylitis in mice after treatment with moxibustion

Xiao Xu,Ya-Nan Shi,Rong-Yun Wang,Cai-Yan Ding,Xiao Zhou,Yu-Fei Zhang,Zhi-Ling Sun,Zhi-Qin Sun,Qiu-Hua Sun 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.1

Background: Moxibustion is widely used in East Asian countries to manage the symptom of rheumatic diseases. The aim of this study was to identify potential metabolic profiles of moxibustion on relieving ankylosing spondylitis (AS) mice through UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS metabolomic study. Methods: Thirty-two female Balb/c mice were randomized into healthy control (HC), AS model, moxibustion at acupuncture points (MA) in AS model, and moxibustion at non-acupuncture points (MNA) AS model groups. Moxibustion was administered daily at GV4, bilateral BL23 and bilateral ST36 acupuncture points for four weeks in the MA group. The overall health status, the thickness of hind paws and the tissue concentrations of IL-1β, PGE2, IL-6 and TNF-α were assessed. The UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS was used to explore the perturbations of endogenous metabolites in tissue and urine of AS model mice intervened by moxibustion. Results: Compared with the AS group, the overall health status was significantly improved after 4-week moxibustion intervention (p < 0.05). The results also showed that MA significantly reduced the levels of paw thickness and decreased the levels of four cytokines in the tissue (p < 0.01). Thirty-seven endogenous metabolites identified by the OPLS-DA were considered to be contributing to therapeutic effects of moxibustion. Moreover, metabolic pathway analysis further revealed that the identified metabolites were mainly involved in TCA cycle, Lipid metabolism, Amino Acid metabolism, Intestinal flora metabolism and Purine metabolism. Conclusions: UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS based metabolomics approach, as a novel and powerful tool, can help us to gain the insights into potential mechanisms of action of moxibustion for AS.

Molecular cloning and characterization of two novel DREB genes encoding dehydration-responsive element binding proteins in halophyte Suaeda salsa

Xiao-Bo Sun,Hong-Xiang Ma,Xin-Ping Jia,Yu Chen,Xiao-Qing Ye 한국유전학회 2015 Genes & Genomics Vol.37 No.2

The dehydration-responsive element-binding(DREB) proteins play an important role in regulatingexpression of stress-inducible genes under abiotic stresses. In this study, two genes encoding putative DREB proteins,named SsDREBa and SsDREBb, were cloned from halophyteSuaeda salsa L. using RACE method. The deducedSsDREBa and SsDREBb proteins contain a typical AP2/ERF domain. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogeneticanalysis revealed that the two SsDREB genes of S. salsa were highly similar in AP2/ERF domains at thenucleotide and amino acid levels and belong to the A-6subgroup of the DREB transcription factor subfamily. Asubcellular localization assay showed that both SsDREBslocalized to the nucleus. Yeast one-hybrid experimentstestified that both proteins were able to specifically bind tothe DRE sequence and activate the expression of the downstreamHIS reporter gene in yeast. Quantitative real-timePCR analysis demonstrated that under normal conditions,the expression level of SsDREBa was the most high in theroots and no SsDREBa mRNAs were detected in the stems;SsDREBb expressed at relatively higher levels in the leavesthan in the roots and stems. The expression of SsDREa andSsDREBb genes in S. salsa roots and leaves was remarkablyinduced by high-salt and dehydration treatments, butnot by cold and ABA, and exhibited stronger induction inroots and leaves, respectively. These results indicate thatthe SsDREBa and SsDREBb are novel stress-responsivetranscription factors, which are involved in the drought andhigh-salt stress responses through ABA-independent pathwaysand could be used for production of stress-toleranttransgenic crops.

Association of Six Susceptibility Loci with Prostate Cancer in Northern Chinese Men

Zhang, Yu-Rong,Xu, Yong,Yang, Kuo,Liu, Ming,Wei, Dong,Zhang, Yao-Guang,Shi, Xiao-Hong,Wang, Jian-Ye,Yang, Fan,Wang, Xin,Liang, Si-Ying,Zhao, Cheng-Xiao,Wang, Fei,Chen, Xin,Sun, Liang,Zhu, Xiao-Quan,Zh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Background/Aim: Six prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility loci were identified in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in populations of European decent. However, the associations of these 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with PCa has remained tobe clarified in men in Northern China. This study aimed to explore the loci associated with PCa risk in a Northern Chinese population. Methods: Blood samples and clinical information of 289 PCa patients and 288 controls from Beijing and Tianjin were collected. All risk SNPs were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-high resolution melting curve technology and gene sequencing. Associations between PCa and clinical covariates (age at diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen [PSA], Gleason score, tumor stage, and level of aggressiveness) and frequencies of alleles and genotypes of these SNPs were analyzed using genetic statistics. Results: Among the candidate SNPs, 11p15 (rs7127900, A) was associated with PCa risk (P = 0.02, odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.46). Genotypes showed differences between cases and controls on 11p15 (rs7127900, A), 11q13 (rs7931342, T), and HNF1B (rs4430796, A) (P = 0.03, P = 0.01, and P = 0.04, respectively). The genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) was positively associated with an increased Gleason score (P = 0.04, OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.02-4.55). Patients carrying TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) were negatively associated with an increased body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.03, OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.21-0.92) while those with AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) were more likely to have PSA increase (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Our study suggests that 11p15 (rs7127900, A) could be a susceptibility locus associated with PCa in Northern Chinese. Genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) could be related to an increased Gleason score, AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) could be associated with PSA increase, and TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) could be negatively associated with an increased BMI in Chinese men with PCa.

Gypenoside XVII protects against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury by inhibiting ER stress – induced mitochondrial injury

Yingli Yu,MinWang,Rongchang Chen,Xiao Sun,Guibo Sun,Xiaobo Sun 고려인삼학회 2021 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.45 No.6

Background: Effective strategies are dramatically needed to prevent and improve the recovery frommyocardialischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Direct interactions between the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum(ER) during heart diseases have been recently investigated. This study was designed to explore the cardioprotectiveeffects of gypenoside XVII (GP-17) against I/R injury. The roles of ER stress, mitochondrial injury,and their crosstalk within I/R injury and in GP-17einduced cardioprotection are also explored. Methods: Cardiac contractility function was recorded in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. The effects ofGP-17 on mitochondrial function including mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, reactiveoxygen species production, and respiratory function were determined using fluorescence detection kitson mitochondria isolated from the rat hearts. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used to explore the effects ofGP-17 on hypoxia/reoxygenation. Results: We found that GP-17 inhibits myocardial apoptosis, reduces cardiac dysfunction, and improvescontractile recovery in rat hearts. Our results also demonstrate that apoptosis induced by I/R is predominantlymediated by ER stress and associated with mitochondrial injury. Moreover, the cardioprotectiveeffects of GP-17 are controlled by the PI3K/AKT and P38 signaling pathways. Conclusion: GP-17 inhibits I/R-induced mitochondrial injury by delaying the onset of ER stress throughthe PI3K/AKT and P38 signaling pathways.

Colorectal Cancer Concealment Predicts a Poor Survival: A Retrospective Study

Li, Xiao-Pan,Xie, Zhen-Yu,Fu, Yi-Fei,Yang, Chen,Hao, Li-Peng,Yang, Li-Ming,Zhang, Mei-Yu,Li, Xiao-Li,Feng, Li-Li,Yan, Bei,Sun, Qiao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Objectives: Understanding the situation of cancer awareness which doctors give to patients might lead to prognostic prediction in cases of of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Subsets of 10,779 CRC patients were used to screen the risk factors from the Cancer Registry in Pudong New Area in cancer awareness, age, TNM stage, and gender. Survival of the patients was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and assessed by Cox regression analysis. The views of cancer awareness in doctors and patients were surveyed by telephone or household. Results: After a median observation time of 1,616 days (ranging from 0 to 4,083 days) of 10,779 available patients, 2,596 of the 4,561 patients with cancer awareness survived, whereas 2,258 of the 5,469 patients without cancer awareness and 406 of the 749 patients without information on cancer awareness died of the disease. All-cause and cancer-specific survival were poorer for the patients without cancer awareness than those with (P < 0.001 for each, log-rank test). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that cancer concealment cases had significantly lower cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.299; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.200-1.407)and all-cause survival (HR = 1.324; 95 % CI: 1.227-1.428). Furthermore, attitudes of cancer awareness between doctors and patients were significantly different (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Cancer concealment, not only late-stage tumor and age, is associated with a poor survival of CRC patients.

8q24 rs4242382 Polymorphism is a Risk Factor for Prostate Cancer among Multi-Ethnic Populations: Evidence from Clinical Detection in China and a Meta-analysis

Zhao, Cheng-Xiao,Liu, Ming,Xu, Yong,Yang, Kuo,Wei, Dong,Shi, Xiao-Hong,Yang, Fan,Zhang, Yao-Guang,Wang, Xin,Liang, Si-Ying,Zhao, Fan,Zhang, Yu-Rong,Wang, Na-Na,Chen, Xin,Sun, Liang,Zhu, Xiao-Quan,Yuan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Background: Evidence supporting an association between the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and prostate cancer (PCa) risk has been reported in North American and Europe populations, though data from Asian populations remain limited. We therefore investigated this association by clinical detection in China, and meta-analysis in Asian, Caucasian and African-American populations. Materials and Methods: Blood samples and clinical information were collected from ethnically Chinese men from Northern China with histologically-confirmed PCa (n=335) and from age-matched normal controls (n=347). The 8q24 (rs4242382) gene polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-high-resolution melting analysis. We initially analyzed the associations between the risk allele and PCa and clinical covariates. A meta-analysis was then performed using genotyping data from a total of 1,793 PCa cases and 1,864 controls from our study and previously published studies in American and European populations, to determine the association between PCa and risk genotype. Results: The incidence of the risk allele was higher in PCa cases than controls (0.222 vs 0.140, $P=7.3{\times}10^{-5}$), suggesting that the 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism was associated with PCa risk in Chinese men. The genotypes in subjects were in accordance with a dominant genetic model (ORadj=2.03, 95%CI: 1.42-2.91, $Padj=1.1{\times}10^{-4}$). Presence of the risk allele rs4242382-A at 8q24 was also associated with clinical covariates including age at diagnosis ${\geq}65$ years, prostate specific antigen >10 ng/ml, Gleason score <8, tumor stage and aggressive PCa, compared with the non-risk genotype ($P=4.6{\times}10^{-5}-3.0{\times}10^{-2}$). Meta-analysis confirmed the association between 8q24 rs4242382-A polymorphism and PCa risk (OR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.39-1.88, $P=1.0{\times}10^{-5}$) across Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. Conclusions: The replicated data suggest that the 8q24 rs4242382-A variation might be associated with increased PCa susceptibility in Asian, Caucasian and African American populations. These results imply that this polymorphism may be a useful risk biomarker for PCa in multi-ethnic populations.

Modeling of ion diffusion coefficient in saturated concrete

Xiao-Bao Zuo,Wei Sun,Cheng Yu,Xu-Rong Wan 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2010 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.7 No.5

This paper utilizes the modified Davis model and the mode coupling theory, as parts of the electrolyte solution theory, to investigate the diffusivity of the ion in concrete. Firstly, a computational model of the ion diffusion coefficient, which is associated with ion species, pore solution concentration, concrete mix parameters including water-cement ratio and cement volume fraction, and microstructure parameters such as the porosity and tortuosity, is proposed in the saturated concrete. Secondly, the experiments, on which the chloride diffusion coefficient is measured by the rapid chloride penetration test,have been carried out to investigate the validity of the proposed model. The results indicate that the chloride diffusion coefficient obtained by the proposed model is in agreement with the experimental result. Finally, numerical simulation has been completed to investigate the effects of the porosity, tortuosity, water-cement ratio, cement volume fraction and ion concentration in the pore solution on the ion diffusion coefficients. The results show that the ion diffusion coefficient in concrete increases with the porosity, water-cement ratio and cement volume fraction, while we see a decrease with the increasing of tortuosity. Meanwhile, the ion concentration produces more obvious effects on the diffusivity itself, but has almost no effects on the other ions.

Alkaline responsive self-healing nanocontainer composite reverse osmosis membrane by layer self-assembly: Enhanced permeable and chlorine resistance properties

Xiao Xie,Qian Yang,Qiong Sun,Na Song,Liyan Yu,Lifeng Dong 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.113 No.-

Low water flux and poor chlorine resistance have become barriers to the applications of polyamidereverse osmosis (RO) membranes. Here, we design and develop a novel RO membrane with high permeabilityand self-healing chlorine resistance capability by doping alkaline-responsive polymer nanocontainersinto the polyamide layer. The nanocontainer is prepared through chemical adsorption andelectrostatic self-assembly with titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the core, calcium alginate (CA) and chitosan(CS) as the repair materials, and polyaspartic acid (PASP) as the responsive shell. In addition to increasingwater transport through the channels, the PASP shell of the nanocontainer reacts with alkali during conventionalalkaline cleaning and thereby the CA and CS are released to precisely repair the chlorinatedpolyamide and restore the NaCl rejection of the RO membrane. Upon release of the nanocontainer,TiO2 is also exposed to make the membrane antibacterial. The nanocontainer doping significantlyenhances surface roughness of the RO membrane, and the water permeability of the thin-film nanocompositemembrane doped with 0.005 wt% nanocontainers is increased by 43.71% to 5.03 L/m2 h bar comparedwith the blank membrane, while performing an excellent NaCl rejection of 98.02% and maintaining95.95% after 8000 ppm h active chlorine treatment and alkaline cleaning process.

Protective Effect of Dandelion Extracts on Ethanol-Induced Acute Hepatotoxicity in C57BL/6 Mice

Xiao-Yu Liu,Jie Ma,Chung-Mu Park,Hee-Kyung Chang,Young-Sun Song 한국식품영양과학회 2008 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.13 No.4

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) has been widely used as an anti-inflammatory agent in oriental medicine. In the current study, we investigated the protective effect, and the possible mechanism, of dandelion extracts against ethanol-induced acute hepatotoxicity in C57BL/6 mice. Dandelion water and ethanol extract was administered at 2 g/㎏ body weight (BW) once daily for 7 consecutive days, whereas control and ethanol groups received water by gavage. Ethanol (50% ethanol; 6 g/㎏ BW) was administered 12 hr before sacrificing the mice in order to generate liver injury. Significantly increased serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities as well as liver triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels were attenuated by dandelion supplementation. In addition, dandelion extracts not only enhanced alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and anti-oxidative enzyme activities, but reduced lipid peroxidation. Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP 2E1), one of the critical enzymes xenobiotic metabolism, expression was lower with ethanol treatment but restored by dandelion supplementation. These results were confirmed by improved histopathological changes in fatty liver and hepatic lesions induced by ethanol. In conclusion, dandelion could protect liver against ethanol administration by attenuating of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.