Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Naringin in Chronic Pulmonary Neutrophilic Inflammation in Cigarette Smoke-Exposed Rats

Yi-Chu Nie,Hao Wu,Pei-Bo Li,Yu-Long Luo,Kang Long,Li-Ming Xie,Jian-Gang Shen,Wei-Wei Su 한국식품영양과학회 2012 Journal of medicinal food Vol.15 No.10

Naringin, a well-known flavanone glycoside of grapefruit and citrus fruits, was found to be as an effective anti-inflammatory compound in our previous lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mouse model via blockading activity of nuclear factor κB. The current study sought to explore the anti-inflammatory effects of naringin on chronic pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced rats. Seventy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into seven groups to study the effects of CS with or without various concentrations of naringin or saline for 8 weeks. The results revealed that naringin supplementation at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg significantly increased body weight of CS-induced rats as compared to that in the CS group. Moreover, naringin of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg prevented CS-induced infiltration of neutrophils and activation of myeloperoxidase and matrix metalloproteinase-9, in parallel with suppression of the release of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8 (IL-8). IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was significantly suppressed after CS exposure, but dose dependently elevated by naringin. The results from hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that naringin dose dependently reduced CS-induced infiltration of inflammatory cells, thickening of the bronchial wall, and expansion of average alveolar airspace. In conclusion, our data suggest that naringin is an effective anti-inflammatory compound for attenuating chronic pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation in CS-induced rats.

Lattice Ti Structures with Low Rigidity But Compatible Mechanical Strength: Design of Implant Materials for Trabecular Bone

Wen-Ming Chen,Yi Min Xie,Gabriele Imbalzano,Jianhu Shen,Shanqing Xu,이성재,Peter Vee Sin Lee 한국정밀공학회 2016 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.17 No.6

The development of porous metals to alleviate the effects of stress shielding in bone will help improve the function of metallic biomaterials in orthopaedic applications. A critical step in advancing this technology is to design metallic structures with low rigidity that is comparable with bone tissue, but with good mechanical strength. In this study, porous titanium (Ti) structures with periodic cell topologies were designed to achieve tunable mechanical properties. The versatility of the design scheme was demonstrated by examining lattice designs with different stiffness properties achieved by using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. The fabricated porous Ti exhibited a low modulus of 1.05 GPa but a high compressive strength of 55 MPa. Large deformation analysis using digital image correlation (DIC) technique indicated uniform strain patterns at micro-trusses, suggesting the overall high quality of the structure with absence of local flaws. A functionally-graded stiffness design was further investigated by varying the diameters of micro-trusses within the structure. A stiffness graded material may be favourable for anatomical site that has strong depthdependent variations, such as in trabecular bone microstructures.

Comprehensive profiles and diagnostic value of menopausal-specific gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer

Hou Ming-Feng,Ou-Yang Fu,Li Chung-Liang,Chen Fang-Ming,Chuang Chieh-Han,Kan Jung-Yu,Wu Cheng-Che,Shih Shen-Liang,Shiau Jun-Ping,Kao Li-Chun,Kao Chieh-Ni,Lee Yi-Chen,Moi Sin-Hua,Yeh Yao-Tsung,Cheng Chi 생화학분자생물학회 2021 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.53 No.-

In Western countries, breast cancer tends to occur in older postmenopausal women. However, in Asian countries, the proportion of younger premenopausal breast cancer patients is increasing. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in breast cancer. However, studies on the gut microbiota in the context of breast cancer have mainly focused on postmenopausal breast cancer. Little is known about the gut microbiota in the context of premenopausal breast cancer. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the gut microbial profiles, diagnostic value, and functional pathways in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Here, we analyzed 267 breast cancer patients with different menopausal statuses and age-matched female controls. The α-diversity was significantly reduced in premenopausal breast cancer patients, and the β-diversity differed significantly between breast cancer patients and controls. By performing multiple analyses and classification, 14 microbial markers were identified in the different menopausal statuses of breast cancer. Bacteroides fragilis was specifically found in young women of premenopausal statuses and Klebsiella pneumoniae in older women of postmenopausal statuses. In addition, menopausal-specific microbial markers could exhibit excellent discriminatory ability in distinguishing breast cancer patients from controls. Finally, the functional pathways differed between breast cancer patients and controls. Our findings provide the first evidence that the gut microbiota in premenopausal breast cancer patients differs from that in postmenopausal breast cancer patients and shed light on menopausal-specific microbial markers for diagnosis and investigation, ultimately providing a noninvasive approach for breast cancer detection and a novel strategy for preventing premenopausal breast cancer.

UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS Analysis for Steaming Times-dependent Profiling of Steamed Panax quinquefolius and its Ginsenosides Transfromations induced by Repetitious Steaming

Bai-Shen Sun,Ming-Yang Xu,Zheng Li,Yi-Bo Wanag,Chang-Keun Sung 고려인삼학회 2012 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.36 No.3

The metabolic profiles of Panax quinquefolius and its associated therapeutic values are critically affected by the repetitious steaming times. The times-dependent steaming effect of P. quinquefolius is not well-characterized and there is also no official guidelilne on its times of steaming, In this paper, a UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method was developed for the qualitative profiling of multi-parametric metabolic changes of raw P. quinquefolius durilng the repetitious steaming process. Our method was successful in discriminating the differentially multi-steamed herbs. Meantime, the repetitious steaming-inducing chemical transformations in the preparation of black American ginseng (American ginseng that was subjected to 9 cycles of steaming treatment) were evaluated by this UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS based chemical profiling method. Under the optimized UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS conditions, 29 major ginsenosides were unambiguously identified and/or tentatively assigned in both raw and multi-steamed P. quinquefolius within 19 min, among them 18 ginsenosides were detected to bo newly generated during the preparatory process of black American ginseng. The mechanisms involved were further deduced to be hydrolysis, dehydration, decarboxylation and addition reactions of the original ginsenosiders in raw P. quinquefolius through analyzing 9 cycles of steaming extracts of 14 pure reference ginsenosides. Our novel steaming times-dependent metabolic profiling represents the paradigm shift in the global quality control of multi-steamed P. quinquefolius products.

Optimal Lot-sizing and Pricing with Markdown for a Newsvendor Problem

Jen-Ming Chen,Yi-Shen Chen,Mei-Chen Chien 대한산업공학회 2008 Industrial Engineeering & Management Systems Vol.7 No.3

This paper deals with the joint decisions on pricing and ordering for a monopolistic retailer who sells perishable goods with a fixed lifetime or demand period. The newsvendor-typed problem is formulated as a twoperiod inventory system where the first period represents the inventory of fresh or new-arrival items and the second period represents the inventory of items that are older but still usable. Demand may be for either fresh items or for somewhat older items that exhibit physical decay or deterioration. The retailer is allowed to adjust the selling price of the deteriorated items in the second period, which stimulates demand and reduces excess season-end or stale inventory. This paper develops a stochastic dynamic programming model that solves the problem of preseason decisions on ordering-pricing and a within-season decision on markdown pricing. We also develop a fixed-price model as a benchmark against the dual-price dynamic model. To illustrate the effect of the dual-price policy on expected profit, we conduct a comparative study between the two models. Extension to a generalized multi-period model is also discussed.

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS Analysis for Steaming Times-dependent Profiling of Steamed Panax quinquefolius and Its Ginsenosides Transformations Induced by Repetitious Steaming

Sun, Bai-Shen,Xu, Ming-Yang,Li, Zheng,Wang, Yi-Bo,Sung, Chang-Keun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2012 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.36 No.3

The metabolic profiles of Panax quinquefolius and its associated therapeutic values are critically affected by the repetitious steaming times. The times-dependent steaming effect of P. quinquefolius is not well-characterized and there is also no official guideline on its times of steaming. In this paper, a UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS method was developed for the qualitative profiling of multi-parametric metabolic changes of raw P. quinquefolius during the repetitious steaming process. Our method was successful in discriminating the differentially multi-steamed herbs. Meantime, the repetitious steaming-inducing chemical transformations in the preparation of black American ginseng (American ginseng that was subjected to 9 cycles of steaming treatment) were evaluated by this UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS based chemical profiling method. Under the optimized UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS conditions, 29 major ginsenosides were unambiguously identified and/or tentatively assigned in both raw and multi-steamed P. quinquefolius within 19 min, among them 18 ginsenosides were detected to be newly generated during the preparatory process of black American ginseng. The mechanisms involved were further deduced to be hydrolysis, dehydration, decarboxylation and addition reactions of the original ginsenosides in raw P. quinquefolius through analyzing mimic 9 cycles of steaming extracts of 14 pure reference ginsenosides. Our novel steaming times-dependent metabolic profiling approach represents the paradigm shift in the global quality control of multi-steamed P. quinquefolius products.

Characterization of Ecdysteroid UDP-Glucosyltransferase Gene Promoter from Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus

Xing-Jia Shen,Yong-Zhu Yi,Shun-Ming Tang,Zhi-Fang Zhang,Yi-Ren Li,Jia-Lu He,Xiang-Fu Wu 한국잠사학회 2004 International Journal of Industrial Entomology Vol.8 No.2

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase gene (egt) promoter fragments of different lengths were amplified from BmNPV ZJ-8 genomic DNA by PCR. Reporter plasmids pBmegt542-luc, pBmegt309-luc and pBmegt159- luc with luciferase (luc) driven by egt promoters were constructed. Both in vitro and in vivo expressions showed that BmNPV egt promoter activity requires the transactivation of viral factor(s), and expression of luc was detected earliest at 24 hrs post infection (pi). BmNPV ZJ-8 homologous region 3 (hr3) increased the expression of luc by over 1,600-fold. Molting hormone of 1.0 ~ 2.0 mg/ml can dramatically down regulate expression of luc. Juvenile hormone analogue of 0.5 ~ 2.0 mg/ml increased expression of luc by 145.8% to 75.7%. Deletion assay revealed that the promoter fragment of 159 bp contains the basal promoter structure; Promoter fragments of 309 bp and 542 bp showed similar but much higher transcriptional activities than that of 159 bp, suggesting that nucleotide from -159 to -309 nt upstream the translation initiation site harbors the main cis-acting elements.

Optimal Lot-sizing and Pricing with Markdown for a Newsvendor Problem

Chen, Jen-Ming,Chen, Yi-Shen,Chien, Mei-Chen Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers 2008 Industrial Engineeering & Management Systems Vol.7 No.3

This paper deals with the joint decisions on pricing and ordering for a monopolistic retailer who sells perishable goods with a fixed lifetime or demand period. The newsvendor-typed problem is formulated as a two-period inventory system where the first period represents the inventory of fresh or new-arrival items and the second period represents the inventory of items that are older but still usable. Demand may be for either fresh items or for somewhat older items that exhibit physical decay or deterioration. The retailer is allowed to adjust the selling price of the deteriorated items in the second period, which stimulates demand and reduces excess season-end or stale inventory. This paper develops a stochastic dynamic programming model that solves the problem of preseason decisions on ordering-pricing and a within-season decision on markdown pricing. We also develop a fixed-price model as a benchmark against the dual-price dynamic model. To illustrate the effect of the dual-price policy on expected profit, we conduct a comparative study between the two models. Extension to a generalized multi-period model is also discussed.

Characterization of Ecdysteroid UDP-Glucosyltransferase Gene Promoter from Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus

( Xing Jia Shen ),( Yong Zhu Yi ),( Shun Ming Tang ),( Zhi Fang Zhang ),( Yi Ren Li ),( Jia Lu He ),( Xiang Fu Wu ) 한국잠사학회 2007 International Journal of Industrial Entomology Vol.8 No.2

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus(BmNPV) ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase gene (egt) promoter fragments of different lengths were amplified from BmNPV ZJ-8 genomic DNA by PCR. Reporter plasmids pBmegt542-luc, pBmegt309-luc and pBmegtl59-luc with luciferase (luc) driven by egt promoters were constructed. Both in vitro and in vivo expressions showed that BmNPV egt promoter activity requires the transactivation of viral factor(s), and expression of luc was detected earliest at 24 hrs post infection (pi). BmNPV ZJ-8 homologous region 3 (hr3) increased the expression of luc by over 1,600-fold. Molting hormone of 1.0∼2.0㎍/㎖ can dramatically down regulate expression of luc. Juvenile hormone analogue of 0.5∼2.0㎍/㎖ increased expression of luc by 145.8% to 75.7%. Deletion assay revealed that the promoter fragment of 159 bp contains the basal promoter structure; Promoter fragments of 309 bp and 542 bp showed similar but much higher transcriptional activities than that of 159 bp, suggesting that nucleotide from -159 to -309 nt upstream the translation initiation site harbors the main cis-acting elements.

Proteomic Analysis of Salt Stress Responses in Rice Shoot

Xiao-Juan Li,Ming-Feng Yang,Yi Zhu,Yu Liang,Shi-Hua Shen 한국식물학회 2011 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.54 No.6

To gain a better understanding of the mechanism of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in response to salt stress, we performed a proteomics analysis of rice in response to 250 mM NaCl treatment using shoots of 3-day-old nascent seedlings. The changes of protein patterns were monitored with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Of 57 protein spots showing changes in abundance in response to salt stress, 52 were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The identified proteins were classified into eight functional categories. Several novel salt stress-responsive proteins, including protein synthesis inhibitor I, photosystem II stability/assembly factor HCF136, trigger factor-like protein and cycloartenol-C24-methyltransferase are upregulated upon salt stress. In order to figure out the different and similar molecular mechanism among salt and other stresses,regulation of some salt responsive proteins under other abiotic stress (cold and dehydration) and abscisic acid application was also analyzed. The possible molecular mechanism of rice seedlings in response to salinity and other stresses were discussed.