Association of adjuvant radiotherapy with long-term overall and recurrence-free survival following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter propensity-matched study

Xiao-Xue GOU,Hong-Yun SHI,Chao LI,Zheng-Liang CHEN,Wei OUYANG,Li-Yang SUN,Timothy M. PAWLIK,Wan Yee LAU,Feng SHEN,Jun XUE,Tian YANG 한국간담췌외과학회 2022 Annals of hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery Vol.26 No.-

Increased Serotonin Signaling Contributes to the Warburg Effect in Pancreatic Tumor Cells Under Metabolic Stress and Promotes Growth of Pancreatic Tumors in Mice

Jiang, Shu-Heng,Li, Jun,Dong, Fang-Yuan,Yang, Jian-Yu,Liu, De-Jun,Yang, Xiao-Mei,Wang, Ya-Hui,Yang, Min-Wei,Fu, Xue-Liang,Zhang, Xiao-Xin,Li, Qing,Pang, Xiu-Feng,Huo, Yan-Miao,Li, Jiao,Zhang, Jun-Feng Elsevier 2017 Gastroenterology Vol.153 No.1

<P><B>Background & Aims</B></P> <P>Desmoplasia and poor vascularity cause severe metabolic stress in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs). Serotonin (5-HT) is a neuromodulator with neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine functions that contributes to tumorigenesis. We investigated the role of 5-HT signaling in the growth of pancreatic tumors.</P> <P><B>Methods</B></P> <P>We measured the levels of proteins that regulate 5-HT synthesis, packaging, and degradation in pancreata from Kras<SUP>G12D/+</SUP>/Trp53<SUP>R172H/+</SUP>/Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mice, which develop pancreatic tumors, as well as in PDAC cell lines and a tissue microarray containing 81 human PDAC samples. We also analyzed expression levels of proteins involved in 5-HT synthesis and degradation by immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray containing 311 PDAC specimens, and associated expression levels with patient survival times. 5-HT level in 14 matched PDAC tumor and non-tumor tissues were analyzed by ELISA. PDAC cell lines were incubated with 5-HT and cell survival and apoptosis were measured. We analyzed expression of the 5-HT receptor HTR2B in PDAC cells and effects of receptor agonists and antagonists, as well as HTR2B knockdown with small hairpin RNAs. We determined the effects of 5-HT stimulation on gene expression profiles of BxPC-3 cells. Regulation of glycolysis by 5-HT signaling via HTR2B was assessed by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation analyses, as well as by determination of the extracellular acid ratio, glucose consumption, and lactate production. Primary PDACs, with or without exposure to SB204741 (a selective antagonist of HTR2B), were grown as xenograft tumors in mice, and SB204741 was administered to tumor-bearing KPC mice; tumor growth and metabolism were measured by imaging analyses.</P> <P><B>Results</B></P> <P>In immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray of PDAC specimens, increased levels of TPH1 and decreased level of MAOA, which regulate 5-HT synthesis and degradation, correlated with stage and size of PDACs and shorter patient survival time. We found levels of 5-HT to be increased in human PDAC tissues compared with non-tumor pancreatic tissues, and PDAC cell lines compared with non-transformed pancreatic cells. Incubation of PDAC cell lines with 5-HT increased proliferation and prevented apoptosis. Agonists of HTR2B, but not other 5-HT receptors, promoted proliferation and prevented apoptosis of PDAC cells. Knockdown of HTR2B in PDAC cells, or incubation of cells with HTR2B inhibitors, reduced their growth as xenograft tumors in mice. We observed a correlation between 5-HT and glycolytic flux in PDAC cells; levels of metabolic enzymes involved in glycolysis, the phosphate pentose pathway, and hexosamine biosynthesis pathway increased significantly in PDAC cells following 5-HT stimulation. 5-HT stimulation led to formation of the HTR2B–LYN–p85 complex, which increased PI3K–Akt–mTOR signaling and the Warburg effect by increasing protein levels of MYC and HIF1A. Administration of SB204741 to KPC mice slowed growth and metabolism of established pancreatic tumors and prolonged survival of the mice.</P> <P><B>Conclusions</B></P> <P>Human PDACs have increased levels of 5-HT, and PDAC cells increase expression of its receptor, HTR2B. These increases allow for tumor glycolysis under metabolic stress and promote growth of pancreatic tumors and PDAC xenograft tumors in mice.</P>

Wireless Synchronous Transfer of Power and Reverse Signals

Yang Li,Yumei Li,Shaojie Feng,Qingxin Yang,Weihao Dong,Jingtai Zhao,Ming Xue 전력전자학회 2019 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.19 No.3

Wireless power transfer via coupled magnetic resonances has been a hot research topic in recent years. In addition, the number of related devices has also been increasing. However, reverse signals transfer is often required in addition to wireless power transfer. The structure of the circuit for a wireless power transfer system via coupled magnetic resonances is analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of both parallel compensation and series compensation are listed. Then the compensation characteristics of the inductor, capacitor and resistor were studied and an appropriate compensation method was selected. The reverse signals can be transferred by controlling the compensation of the resistor. In addition, it can be demodulated by extracting the change of the primary current. A 3.3 MHz resonant frequency with a 100 kHz reverse signals transfer system platform was established in the laboratory. Experimental results demonstrate that wireless power and reverse signals can be transferred synchronously.

Construction of Mammalian Cell Expression Vector for pAcGFP-bFLIP(L) Fusion Protein and Its Expression in Follicular Granulosa Cells

Yang, Run Jun,Li, Wu Feng,Li, Jun Ya,Zhang, Lu Pei,Gao, Xue,Chen, Jin Bao,Xu, Shang Zhong Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.3

FLICE inhibitory protein (FLIP) is one of the important anti-apoptotic proteins in the Fas/FasL apoptotic path which has death effect domains, mimicking the pro-domain of procaspase-8. To reveal the intracellular signal transduction molecules involved in the process of follicular development in the bovine ovary, we cloned the c-FLIP(L) gene in bovine ovary tissue with the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), deleted the termination codon in its cDNA, and directionally cloned the amplified c-FLIP(L) gene into eukaryotic expression vector pAcGFP-Nl, including AcGFP, and successfully constructed the fusion protein recombinant plasmid. After identifying by restrictive enzyme BglII/EcoRI and sequencing, pAcGFP-bFLIP(L) was then transfected into follicular granulosa cells, mediated by Lipofectamine 2000, the expression of AcGFP observed and the transcription and expression of c-FLIP(L) detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. The results showed that the cattle c-FLIP(L) was successfully cloned; the pAcGFPbFLIP(L) fusion protein recombinant plasmid was successfuly constructed by introducing a BglII/EcoRI cloning site at the two ends of the c-FLIP(L) open reading frame and inserting a Kozak sequence before the start codon. AcGFP expression was detected as early as 24 h after transfection. The percentage of AcGFP positive cells reached about 65% after 24 h. A 1,483 bp transcription was amplified by RT-PCR, and a 83 kD target protein was detected by Western blot. Construction of the pAcGFP-bFLIP(L) recombinant plasmid should be helpful for further understanding the mechanism of regulation of c-FLIP(L) on bovine oocyte formation and development.

Field testing of earth pressures in a large-scale natural loess slope

Yang Kong,Huai-ning Ruan,Xue-feng Huang,Zhen-de Zhu 대한토목학회 2018 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.22 No.7

An in-situ large-scale earth pressure test was undertaken in a natural loess slope in Lanzhou, China. A 14.5-m-high natural slopewas gradually cut into a vertical slope through a series of eight slope cutting work conditions. By pre-installing re-bar meters andcutting slope unloading, the real earth pressure distribution law and potential slip surface development mechanism, along with thevariation of the Slope Cutting Depth (SCD), were obtained under the condition that each point in the free surface can moveindependently and freely. Earth pressure increases slowly at first and then decreases sharply along the Slope Excavating Depth(SED). The increase rate for 9.0 to 10.4 m is 3 to 4 times as much as the former conditions, so the self-stability height of the slope is9.0 to 10.4 m. The unsaturated natural loess shear outlet of the slope is always located at the H/3 (where H is the natural slope height)position, so the slip surface does not pass through the bottom of the slope. The measured values of unsaturated vertical slope earthpressures are far less than the values calculated by Rankine’s earth pressure theory – especially the size and position of the maximumearth pressure.

A damage localization method based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) for plates

Yang, Zhi-Bo,Yu, Jin-Tao,Tian, Shao-Hua,Chen, Xue-Feng,Xu, Guan-Ji Techno-Press 2018 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.22 No.5

Boundary effect and the noise robustness are the two crucial aspects which affect the effectiveness of the damage localization based on the mode shape measurements. To overcome the boundary effect problem and enhance the noise robustness in damage detection, a simple damage localization method is proposed based on the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) for the mode shape of composite plates. In the proposed method, the boundary effect problem is addressed by the decomposition and reconstruction of mode shape, and the noise robustness in enhanced by the noise filtering during the decomposition and reconstruction process. Numerical validations are performed on plate-like structures for various damage and boundary scenarios. Validations show that the proposed method is accurate and effective in the damage detection for the two-dimensional structures.

Analytical solution for natural frequency of monopile supported wind turbine towers

Xue-Ning Rong,Ri-Qing Xu,Heng-Yu Wang,Su-Yang Feng 한국풍공학회 2017 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.25 No.5

In this study an analytical expression is derived for the natural frequency of the wind turbine towers supported on flexible foundation. The derivation is based on a Euler-Bernoulli beam model where the foundation is represented by a stiffness matrix. Previously the natural frequency of such a model is obtained from numerical or empirical method. The new expression is based on pure physical parameters and thus can be used for a quick assessment of the natural frequencies of both the real turbines and the small-scale models. Furthermore, a relationship between the diagonal and non-diagonal element in the stiffness matrix is introduced, so that the foundation stiffness can be obtained from either the p-y analysis or the loading test. The results of the proposed expression are compared with the measured frequencies of six real or model turbines reported in the literature. The comparison shows that the proposed analytical expression predicts the natural frequency with reasonable accuracy. For two of the model turbines, some errors were observed which might be attributed to the difference between the dynamic and static modulus of saturated soils. The proposed analytical solution is quite simple to use, and it is shown to be more reasonable than the analytical and the empirical formulas available in the literature.

High-efficiency organic solar cells based on a small-molecule donor and a low-bandgap polymer acceptor with strong absorption

Yang, Yankang,Qiu, Beibei,Chen, Shanshan,Zhou, Qiuju,Peng, Ying,Zhang, Zhi-Guo,Yao, Jia,Luo, Zhenghui,Chen, Xiaofeng,Xue, Lingwei,Feng, Liuliu,Yang, Changduk,Li, Yongfang The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for e Vol.6 No.20

<P>Solution-processed organic solar cells (OSCs) have been attracting more and more attention for a series of well-known advantages, and power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 11% have been reported. However, the highest PCE of the OSCs based on small molecule donor/polymer acceptor blends is only 4.82%, which was much lower than those of other types of OSCs due to weak absorption of the polymer acceptor and the unbalanced charge carrier mobility of the small molecule donor and the polymer acceptor. Here, we fabricated small molecule donor/polymer acceptor-based OSCs using the wide bandgap SM1 and DR3TBDTT as the small molecular donor and the low-bandgap n-type conjugated polymer PZ1 as the polymer acceptor. With the treatment of a solvent additive, which can promote the absorption intensity, enhance the carrier mobility and suppress the charge carrier recombination, the SM1-based devices and the DR3TBDTT-based devices show PCEs of 3.97% and 5.86%, respectively. It is worth mentioning that the PCE of 5.86% is the state-of-the-art efficiency for OSCs based on the small molecular donor/polymer acceptor system.</P>

Improved antimicrobial effect of ginseng extract by heat transformation

Xue, Peng,Yao, Yang,Yang, Xiu-shi,Feng, Jia,Ren, Gui-xing The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.2

Background: The incidence of halitosis has a prevalence of 22-50% throughout the world and is generally caused by anaerobic oral microorganisms, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Clostridium perfringens, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Previous investigations on the structure-activity relationships of ginsenosides have led to contrasting results. Particularly, the antibacterial activity of less polar ginsenosides against halitosis-related bacteria has not been reported. Methods: Crude saponins extracted from the Panax quinquefolius leaf-stem (AGS) were treated at $130^{\circ}C$ for 3 h to obtain heat-transformed saponins (HTS). Five ginsenoside-enriched fractions (HTS-1, HTS-2, HTS-3, HTS-4, and HTS-5) and less polar ginsenosides were separated by HP-20 resin absorption and HPLC, and the antimicrobial activity and mechanism were investigated. Results: HPLC with diode-array detection analysis revealed that heat treatment induced an extensive conversion of polar ginsenosides (-Rg1/Re, -Rc, -Rb2, and -Rd) to less polar compounds (-Rg2, -Rg3, -Rg6, -F4, -Rg5, and -Rk1). The antimicrobial assays showed that HTS, HTS-3, and HTS-4 were effective at inhibiting the growth of F. nucleatum, C. perfringens, and P. gingivalis. Ginsenosides-Rg5 showed the best antimicrobial activity against the three bacteria, with the lowest values of minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. One major reason for this result is that less polar ginsenosides can more easily damage membrane integrity. Conclusion: The results indicated that the less polar ginsenoside-enriched fraction from heat transformation can be used as an antibacterial agent to control halitosis.

Wireless Synchronous Transfer of Power and Reverse Signals

Li, Yang,Li, Yumei,Feng, Shaojie,Yang, Qingxin,Dong, Weihao,Zhao, Jingtai,Xue, Ming The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2019 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.19 No.3

Wireless power transfer via coupled magnetic resonances has been a hot research topic in recent years. In addition, the number of related devices has also been increasing. However, reverse signals transfer is often required in addition to wireless power transfer. The structure of the circuit for a wireless power transfer system via coupled magnetic resonances is analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of both parallel compensation and series compensation are listed. Then the compensation characteristics of the inductor, capacitor and resistor were studied and an appropriate compensation method was selected. The reverse signals can be transferred by controlling the compensation of the resistor. In addition, it can be demodulated by extracting the change of the primary current. A 3.3 MHz resonant frequency with a 100 kHz reverse signals transfer system platform was established in the laboratory. Experimental results demonstrate that wireless power and reverse signals can be transferred synchronously.