Effect of Sophora flavescens on the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine in rats

Lei Shi,Xue-Liang Dang,Xin-You Liu,Hua-Mei Wei,Meng-Meng Yang,Yan Zhang 대한약학회 2014 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.37 No.12

Carbamazepine (CBZ), an antiepilepticwith narrow therapeutic window, is a substrate ofCYP 3A4 which metabolizes CBZ to carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZE). CBZE is an active and toxicitymetabolite, and it is a substrate of MRP-2. UsingCBZ for a long time can cause hepatic injury. Sophora flavescens (SF) is a medicinal herb used forthe protected hepatic injury. This study investigatedthe acute and chronic effects of SF on the pharmacokineticsof CBZ in rats. The concentrations of CBZand CBZE in plasma and tissues were determined byHPLC method. The results showed that SF whichsignificantly decreased the AUC0-t of CBZ, increasedCBZE conversely. Tissue analysis showed that theconcentrations of CBZ and CBZE in brain and liverwere decreased by SF. In addition, the distribution ofCBZE in kidney was reduced significantly, whichinfluenced the CBZE excretion and increased the drugtoxic potentially. Results in the current study suggestthat patients using CBZ might be cautioned in the useof SF extract or Sophora-derived products. Meanwhile,patients receiving drugs which are substrates ofCYP 3A4 and/or MRP-2 should be advised of thepotential herb–drug interaction to reduce the risk oftherapeutic failure or increased toxicity of conventionaldrug therapy.

Is Surgical Resection Justified for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus? (A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis)

( Liang Lei ),( Xin-fei Xu ),( Jiong-jie Yu ),( Ju-dong Li ),( Zhen-li Li ),( Jun Han ),( Han Zhang ),( Hao Xing ),( Han Wu ),( Ming-da Wang ),( Chao Li ),( Zheng Wang ),( Feng Shen ),( Meng-chao Wu ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is very poor. According to the BCLC treatment recommendations, sorafenib or other palliative treatment (PT) is recommended as the first-line therapy when it happens. In real world, however, a significant number of selected patients with HCC and PVTT suffered from surgical resection (SR). Methods: PubMed, Embase, Medline and Cochrane library were searched for studies comparing SR with PT (including TACE, sorafenib, etc.) for HCC with PVTT, which were published before September 2017. Results: 4,810 patients from 7 studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis, which divided into the SR group (n = 2,344) and the PT group (n = 2476). When compared with the PT group, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates of the SR group were 0.56 (95% CI 0.52-0.60, P=0.03), 0.56 (95% CI 0.53-0.59, P<0.001) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.54-0.57, P<0.001). For subgroup analysis, when compared with the mere TACE group, the pooled HR for the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates of the SR group were 0.54 (95% CI 0.43-0.67, P=0.81), 0.75 (95% CI 0.65-0.87, P=0.25) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.67-0.88, P=0.25). Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated SR had better OS than TACE or other palliative therapy for HCC with PVTT. SR may be suitable as the first-line treatment for selected patients with resectable HCC and removable PVTT.

Image-based Concrete Cracks Identification under Complex Background with Lightweight Convolutional Neural Network

Qingcheng Meng,Lei Hu,Da Wan,Mingjian Li,Haojie Wu,Xin Qi,Yongding Tian 대한토목학회 2023 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.27 No.12

Cracks are important indexes to evaluate the health status of concrete structures. To accurately and automatically identify the cracks of concrete structures, and solve the time-consuming and labor-intensive limits of manual detection methods, this paper proposed an image-based concrete cracks identification method based on a lightweight Convolutional Neural Network, which includes three modules: crack classification, semantic segmentation and quantitative calculation of crack geometric size. Firstly, the S_MobileNet was used to classify cracks, exclude irrelevant regions, and reduce the interference of non-crack images; Secondly, the optimized method SM-UNet based on the U-Net network was employed to segment the detected crack image at the pixel level; Finally, based on the results of crack semantic segmentation, image post-processing technology was used to realize the quantitative calculation of crack geometric size parameters, which provides a basis for crack damage assessment of concrete structures. The experimental results show that this study provides a solution for the automatic detection of crack images and high-precision measurement of crack size, which has an important value in scientific research and engineering application.

Four-Hour Fasting for Semifluids and 2-Hour Fasting for Water Improves the Patient Experience of Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Cai Meng-Xi,Gao Ye,Li Li,Feng Wen,Wang Yi-Lin,Li Zhao-Shen,Xin Lei,Wang Luo-Wei 거트앤리버 소화기연관학회협의회 2023 Gut and Liver Vol.17 No.3

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate the comfort, safety, and endoscopic visibility during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) afforded by a modified 4-hour semifluid and 2-hour water (“4+2”) fasting protocol. Methods: In this parallel group, endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial, outpatients undergoing unsedated diagnostic EGD from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM were randomly assigned to either a “4+2” protocol group or a conventional fasting group. The participants’ comfort during the fasting period and procedure was measured using the visual analog scale, and mucosal visibility was measured by endoscopists using the total visibility score. Satisfaction was defined as a visual analog scale score of ≤3. The primary outcome was the participants’ comfort during fasting. Results: One hundred and six and 108 participants were randomized to the “4+2” protocol and control groups, respectively. Participants’ comfort before EGD was significantly higher in the “4+2” protocol group measured by both the proportion of satisfaction (86.8% vs 63.9%, p=0.002) and the visual analog scale score (median [interquartile range]: 1.0 [1.0–2.0] vs 3.0 [1.0–4.0], p<0.001). The proportion of satisfaction during EGD also significantly improved (59.4% vs 45.4%, p=0.039) in the “4+2” protocol group. The total visibility score was unaffected by the fasting protocol (5.0 [4.0–5.0] vs 4.0 [4.0–5.0], p=0.266). No adverse events were observed during the study. Conclusions: The “4+2” protocol was more comfortable and provided equal mucosal visibility and safety compared with conventional fasting for unsedated EGD. (

Technical and Clinical Aspects of Diagnostic Single-Balloon Enteroscopy in the First Decade of Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

( Ye Gao ),( Lei Xin ),( Yi-tong Zhang ),( Xiao-rong Guo ),( Qian-qian Meng ),( Zhao-shen Li ),( Zhuan Liao ) 대한소화기학회 2021 Gut and Liver Vol.15 No.2

Background/Aims: Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) has been widely used in diagnosing small bowel disease. We conducted this study to systematically appraise its technical and clinical performance. Methods: Studies on SBE published by September 2018 were systematically searched. Technical and clinical performance data were collected and analyzed with descriptive or meta-analysis methods. Results: In total, 54 articles incorporating 4,592 patients (6,036 procedures) were included. Regarding technical parameters, the pooled insertion depths (IDs) for anterograde and retrograde SBE were 209.2 cm and 98.1 cm, respectively. The pooled retrograde ID in Asian countries was significantly greater than that in Western countries (129.0 cm vs 81.1 cm, p<0.001). The pooled anterograde and retrograde procedure times were 57.6 minutes and 65.1 minutes, respectively. The total enteroscopy rate was 21.9%, with no significant difference between Asian and Western countries. Clinically, the pooled diagnostic yield of SBE was 62.3%. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) was the most common indication (50.0%), with a diagnostic yield of 59.5%. Vascular lesions were the most common findings in Western OGIB patients (76.9%) but not in Asian ones (31.0%). The rates of severe and mild adverse events were 0.5% and 2.5%, respectively. Conclusions: SBE is technically efficient and is clinically effective and safe, but total enteroscopy is relatively difficult to achieve with this technique. Etiologies of OGIB in Asian countries differ from those in Western countries. (Gut Liver 2021;15:262-272)

Effects of Home Nursing Intervention on the Quality of Life of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma after Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy

Shi, Ru-Chun,Meng, Ai-Feng,Zhou, Weng-Lin,Yu, Xiao-Yan,Huang, Xin-En,Ji, Ai-Jun,Chen, Lei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.16

Background: The effects of home nursing intervention on the quality of life in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy and chemotherapy are unclear. According to the characteristics of nursing home patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, we should continuously improve the nursing plan and improve the quality of life of patients at home. Materials and Methods: We selected 180 patients at home with NPC after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (90 patients each). The experimental group featured intervention with an NPC home nursing plan, while the control group was given routine discharge and outpatient review. Nursing intervention for patients was mainly achieved by regular telephone follow-up and home visits. We use the quality of life scale (QOL-C30), anxiety scale (SAS) and depression scale (SDS) to evaluate these patients before intervention, and during follow-up at 1 month and 3 months after the intervention. Results: Overall health and quality of life were significantly different between the groups (p<0.05), Emotional function score was significantly higher after intervention (p<0.05), as were cognitive function and social function scores after 3 months of intervention (p<0.05). Scores of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, appetite and constipation were also significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). Rates of anxiety and depression after 3 months of intervention were 11.1%, 22.2% and 34.4%, 53.3%, the differences being significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: NPC home nursing plan could effectively improve overall quality of life, cognitive function, social function (after 3 months) of patients, but improvement regarding body function is not suggested. Fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, appetite, constipation were clearly improved. We should further pursue a personalized, comprehensive measurements for nursing interventions and try to improve the quality of life of NPC patients at home.

The antibacterial activity of E. coli bacteriophage lysin lysep3 is enhanced by fusing the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens bacteriophage endolysin binding domain D8 to the C-terminal region

Shuang Wang,Jingmin Gu,Meng Lv,Zhimin Guo,Guangmou Yan,Ling Yu,Chongtao Du,Xin Feng,Wenyu Han,Changjiang Sun,Liancheng Lei 한국미생물학회 2017 The journal of microbiology Vol.55 No.5

Bacteriophage endolysin is one of the most promising antibioticsubstitutes, but in Gram-negative bacteria, the outermembrane prevents the lysin from hydrolyzing peptidoglycansand blocks the development of lysin applications. Theprime strategy for new antibiotic substitutes is allowing lysinto access the peptidoglycan from outside of the bacteria byreformation of the lysin. In this study, the novel Escherichiacoli (E. coli) phage lyase lysep3, which lacks outside-in catalyticability, was fused with the N-terminal region of theBacillus amyloliquefaciens lysin including its cell wall bindingdomain D8 through the best manner of protein fusionbased on the predicted tertiary structure of lysep3-D8 to obtainan engineered lysin that can lyse bacteria from the outside. Our results showed that lysep3-D8 could lyse both Gramnegativeand Gram-positive bacteria, whereas lysep3 and D8have no impact on bacterial growth. The MIC of lysep3-D8on E. coli CVCC1418 is 60 μg/ml; lysep3-D8 can inhibit thegrowth of bacteria up to 12 h at this concentration. The bactericidalspectrum of lysep3-D8 is broad, as it can lyse of allof 14 E. coli strains, 3 P. aeruginosa strains, 1 Acinetobacterbaumannii strain, and 1 Streptococcus strain. Lysep3-D8 hassufficient bactericidal effects on the 14 E. coli strains testedat the concentration of 100 μg/ml. The cell wall binding domainof the engineered lysin can destroy the integrity of theouter membrane of bacteria, thus allowing the catalytic domainto reach its target, peptidoglycan, to lyse the bacteria. Lysep3-D8 can be used as a preservative in fodder to benefitthe health of animals. The method we used here proved to bea successful exploration of the reformation of phage lysin.

Halomonas alkalitolerans sp. nov., a Novel Moderately Halophilic Bacterium Isolated from Soda Meadow Saline Soil in Daqing, China

Shuang Wang,Qian Yang,Zhi-Hua Liu,Lei Sun,Dan Wei,Jun-Zheng Zhang,Jin-Zhu Song,Yun Wang,Jia Song,Jin-Xia Fan,Xian-Xin Meng,Wei Zhang 한국미생물학회 2011 The journal of microbiology Vol.49 No.1

A moderately halophilic bacterial strain 15-13^T, which was isolated from soda meadow saline soil in Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, China, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. The cells of strain 15-13^T were found to be Gram-negative, rod-shaped, and motile. The required growth conditions for strain 15-13^T were: 1-23% NaCl (optimum, 7%), 10-50°C (optimum, 35°C), and pH 7.0-11.0 (optimum, pH 9.5). The predominant cellular fatty acids were C18:1 ω7c (60.48%) and C16:0 (13.96%). The DNA G+C content was 67.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons indicated that strain 15-13^T clustered within a branch comprising species of the genus Halomonas. The closest phylogenetic neighbor of strain 15-13^T was Halomonas pantelleriensis DSM 9661^T (98.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between the novel isolated strain and H. pantelleriensis DSM 9661^T was 33.8%. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic data, strain 15-13^T represents a novel species of the genus Halomonas, for which the name Halomonas alkalitolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain for this novel species is 15-13^T (=CGMCC 1.9129^T =NBRC 106539^T).

An Estimation Method of Consolidation and Settlement of Soil Mass in Dredger Fill Area Based on SBAS-InSAR

( Qing-bo Yu ),( Qing Wang ),( Xue-xin Yan ),( Tian-liang Yang ),( Meng Yao ),( Kai Zhou ),( Xin-lei Huang ),( Jian-ping Chen ) 대한지질공학회 2019 대한지질공학회 학술발표회논문집 Vol.2019 No.2

The land subsidence poses a nonnegligible threat to production and life, especially in dredger fill area. The essence of land subsidence is soil consolidation. Better evaluation of the degree of soil consolidation presents significant progress for predicting land subsidence. In this study, SBAS-InSAR was conducted to Chenjia town, the typical dredger fill area in Chongming East Shoal, Shanghai. SAR data and precise Orbit data were collected from the ESA satellite Sentinel-1 in recent 2 years with approximately one month intervals. the relationship curve of cumulative subsidence with time is obtained after processing. On this basis, the final settlement and soil consolidation can be estimated by applying the method proposed by Professor Huang Wenxi of China. The results show that: The subsidence rate is faster than 20 mm/a; The estimated final settlement is 26.6-52.9 mm, and the corresponding consolidation degree is 54.6 % on average; Soil mass has not yet been fully consolidated and it still takes a long time to achieve stability. In conclusion, the method proposed in this study can provide a clearer understanding of the consolidation degree, and a new reference for the evaluation and prevention of land subsidence. Future research will focus on longer monitoring time to enrich and improve the method. Acknowledgements This work was financially supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 41820104001, 41430642 and 41627801) and the Key Laboratory of Land Subsidence Monitoring and Prevention, Ministry of Land and Resources (Grant No. KLLSMP201801).

Distinctions Between Clinicopathological Factors and Prognosis of Alpha-fetoprotein Negative and Positive Hepatocelluar Carcinoma Patients

Xu, Jia,Liu, Chang,Zhou, Lei,Tian, Feng,Tai, Ming-Hui,Wei, Ji-Chao,Qu, Kai,Meng, Fan-Di,Zhang, Ling-Qiang,Wang, Zhi-Xin,Zhang, Jing-Yao,Chang, Hu-Lin,Liu, Si-Nan,Xu, Xin-Shen,Song, Yan-Zhou,Liu, Jun,Z Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.2

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a significant marker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, some proportion of liver cancer patients are AFP-negative (AFP ${\leq}$20ng/ml). In order to study the differences between clinicopathological factors and prognosis of alpha-fetoprotein negative and positive patients, a total of 114 cases (41 AFP-negative and 73 AFP-positive) were selected for our research. By systematically statistical analysis, the results demonstrated that compared with AFP-negative patients, AFP-positive examples were more likely to feature cirrhosis nodules, non-complete neoplasm capsules, and a poor Edmondson-steiner grade. Furthermore, AFP-negative patients demonstrated a favorable long-term prognosis. By univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with Cox's proportional hazards model, multiple tumors were found to be independent risk factors for worse survival of AFP negative patients; however, less tumor-free margins, multiple tumors and Edmondson-steiner grades III/IV, proved to be independent risk factors leading to a poor prognosis of AFP positive cases. Finally, we can infer that high levels of AFP signify a highly malignant tumor and unfavorable prognosis.