Improved Fiber Uniformity and Jet Number in Multi-spinneret Electrospinning via Auxiliary Electrode

Yu-Ke Wu,Zong-Jie Li,Jie Fan,Liang Wang,Peng-Fei Zhang,Jian Liu,Yong Liu 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.6

Auxiliary-electrode electrospinning process is a novel technique to improve nanofiber production rate Due to theformation of multiple jets. In the present work, dual-spinneret (DSE) and tri-spinneret electrospinning (TSE) with anauxiliary electrode were employed to evaluate the number of jets and fiber uniformity in this electrospinning process. Theresults showed that all the spinnerets in DSE and TSE with an auxiliary electrode could produce 2-12 jets, which could beadjusted by controlling the process parameters such as applied voltage and injection speed. The number of jets initiallyincreased and then decreased with a rise in applied voltage in these two systems. Moreover, the produced nanofibers weresmaller in size and possessed a more uniform fiber diameter per distribution in comparison to those without the auxiliaryelectrode. This work provides a new insight on mass production of nanofibers and designing electrospinning apparatus.

Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Analysis from a Single-institution

Zeng, Yu-Jie,Liu, Lu,Wu, Heng,Lai, Wei,Cao, Jie-Zhi,Xu, He-Yang,Wang, Jie,Chu, Zhong-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

Background: The gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (GEP-NEN) is the most common type of neuroendocrine neoplasm. We summarized data in our centre to investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnostic methods, therapeutic approaches and prognosis for this neoplasm to increase knowledge of this disease in Asian populations. Method: A total of 122 patients treated at Sun Yet-san Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between January 2000 and December 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Pancreas was the most common site of involvement (65/122, 53.3%); this disease has no special symptoms; positive rates of chromogranin A (CgA) and synaptophysin (Syn) were 81.1% and 87.7%, respectively. The positive rate of Syn had statistical difference among the three grades, but not CgA. Some 68 patients had G1 tumors, 32 G2 tumors and 22 G3 tumors, and Chi-square test showed that higher grading was correlated with worse prognosis (${\chi}^2=32.825$, P=0.0001). A total of 32 patients presented with distant metastasis, and 8 cases emerged during following up. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling showed that the tumor grade (P=0.01), lymphatic metastasis (P=0.025) and distant metastasis (P=0.031) were predictors of unfavorable prognosis. The overall 5-year survival rate was 39.6%, the 5-year survival rate of G1 was 55.7%, and the G2 and G3 were 34.2% and 0%, respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors has risen over the last 12 years. All grades of these diseases metastasize readily, and further research regarding the treatment of patients after radical surgery is needed to prolong disease-free survival.

Ginsenoside Rg3 in combination with artesunate overcomes sorafenib resistance in hepatoma cell and mouse models

Ying-Jie Chen,Jia-Ying Wu,Yu-Yi Deng,Ying Wu,Xiao-Qi Wang,Amy Sze-man Li,Lut Yi Wong,Xiuqiong Fu,Zhi-Ling Yu,Chun Liang 고려인삼학회 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.3

Sorafenib is effective in treating hepatoma, but most patients develop resistance to it. STAT3signaling has been implicated in sorafenib resistance. Artesunate (ART) and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3)have anti-hepatoma effects and can inhibit STAT3 signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluatethe effects of Rg3 in combination with ART (Rg3-plus-ART) in overcoming sorafenib resistance, and toexamine the involvement of STAT3 signaling in these effects. Methods: Sorafenib-resistant HepG2 cells (HepG2-SR) were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-hepatomaeffects of Rg3-plus-ART. A HepG2-SR hepatoma-bearing BALB/c-nu/nu mouse model was used to assessthe in vivo anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. CCK-8 assays and Annexin V-FITC/PI double stainingwere used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Immunoblotting was employed toexamine protein levels. ROS generation was examined by measuring DCF-DA fluorescence. Results: Rg3-plus-ART synergistically reduced viability of, and evoked apoptosis in HepG2-SR cells, andsuppressed HepG2-SR tumor growth in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rg3-plus-ART inhibitedactivation/phosphorylation of Src and STAT3 in HepG2-SR cultures and tumors. The combination alsodecreased the STAT3 nuclear level and induced ROS production in HepG2-SR cultures. Furthermore, overactivation of STAT3 or removal of ROS diminished the anti-proliferative effects of Rg3-plus-ART, andremoval of ROS diminished Rg3-plus-ART's inhibitory effects on STAT3 activation in HepG2-SR cells. Conclusions: Rg3-plus-ART overcomes sorafenib resistance in experimental models, and inhibition of Src/STAT3 signaling and modulation of ROS/STAT3 signaling contribute to the underlying mechanisms. Thisstudy provides a pharmacological basis for developing Rg3-plus-ART into a novel modality for treatingsorafenib-resistant hepatoma.

Comparison of Liver Transplantation and Liver Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Type I and Type II

Jia-Yu Lv,Ning-Ning Zhang,Ya-Wei Du,Ying Wu,Tian-Qiang Song,Ya-Min Zhang,Yan Qu,Yu-Xin Liu,Jie Gu,Ze-Yu Wang,Yi-Bo Qiu,Bing Yang,Da-Zhi Tian,Qing-Jun Guo,Li Zhang,Ji-San Sun,Yan Xie,Zheng-Lu Wang,Xin 연세대학교의과대학 2021 Yonsei medical journal Vol.62 No.1

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of liver transplantation (LT) and liver resection (LR) for hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and to investigate risk factors affecting prognosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 94 HCC patients with PVTT type I (segmental PVTT) and PVTT type II (lobar PVTT) were involvedand divided into LR (n=47) and LT groups (n=47). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were comparedbefore and after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Prognostic factors for RFS and OS were explored. Results: Two treatment groups were well-balanced using IPTW. In the entire cohort, LT provided a better prognosis than LR. Among patients with PVTT type I, RFS was better with LT (p=0.039); OS was not different significantly between LT and LR(p=0.093). In subgroup analysis of PVTT type I patients with α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels >200 ng/mL, LT elicited significantly longermedian RFS (18.0 months vs. 2.1 months, p=0.022) and relatively longer median OS time (23.6 months vs. 9.8 months, p=0.065). Among patients with PVTT type II, no significant differences in RFS and OS were found between LT and LR (p=0.115 and 0.335,respectively). Multivariate analyses showed treatment allocation (LR), tumor size (>5 cm), AFP and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) levels to be risk factors of RFS and treatment allocation (LR), AFP and AST as risk factors for OS. Conclusion: LT appeared to afford a better prognosis for HCC with PVTT type I than LR, especially in patients with AFP levels>200 ng/mL.

Serum Tumor Marker Levels might have Little Significance in Evaluating Neoadjuvant Treatment Response in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

Wang, Yu-Jie,Huang, Xiao-Yan,Mo, Miao,Li, Jian-Wei,Jia, Xiao-Qing,Shao, Zhi-Min,Shen, Zhen-Zhou,Wu, Jiong,Liu, Guang-Yu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.11

Background: To determine the potential value of serum tumor markers in predicting pCR (pathological complete response) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively monitored the pro-, mid-, and post-neoadjuvant treatment serum tumor marker concentrations in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stage II-III) who accepted pre-surgical chemotherapy or chemotherapy in combination with targeted therapy at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between September 2011 and January 2014 and investigated the association of serum tumor marker levels with therapeutic effect. Core needle biopsy samples were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) prior to neoadjuvant treatment to determine hormone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2), and proliferation index Ki67 values. In our study, therapeutic response was evaluated by pCR, defined as the disappearance of all invasive cancer cells from excised tissue (including primary lesion and axillary lymph nodes) after completion of chemotherapy. Analysis of variance of repeated measures and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for statistical analysis of the data. Results: A total of 348 patients were recruited in our study after excluding patients with incomplete clinical information. Of these, 106 patients were observed to have acquired pCR status after treatment completion, accounting for approximately 30.5% of study individuals. In addition, 147patients were determined to be Her-2 positive, among whom the pCR rate was 45.6% (69 patients). General linear model analysis (repeated measures analysis of variance) showed that the concentration of cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 increased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both pCR and non-pCR groups, and that there were significant differences between the two groups (P=0.008). The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of pre-, mid-, and post-treatment CA15-3 concentrations demonstrated low-level predictive value (AUC=0.594, 0.644, 0.621, respectively). No significant differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or CA12-5 serum levels were observed between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.196 and 0.693, respectively). No efficient AUC of CEA or CA12-5 concentrations were observed to predict patient response toward neoadjuvant treatment (both less than 0.7), nor were differences between the two groups observed at different time points. We then analyzed the Her-2 positive subset of our cohort. Significant differences in CEA concentrations were identified between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.039), but not in CA15-3 or CA12-5 levels (p=0.092 and 0.89, respectively). None of the ROC curves showed underlying prognostic value, as the AUCs of these three markers were less than 0.7. The ROC-AUCs for the CA12-5 concentrations of inter-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the estrogen receptor negative HER2 positive subgroup were 0.735 and 0.767, respectively. However, the specificity and sensitivity values were at odds with each other which meant that improving either the sensitivity or specificity would impair the efficiency of the other. Conclusions: Serum tumor markers CA15-3, CA12-5, and CEA might have little clinical significance in predicting neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced breast cancer.

Acupuncture reduces nicotine-induced norepinephrine release in the hypothalamus via the solitary NMDA receptor/NOS pathway

Liu, Hong Feng,Zhao, ZhengLin,Zhang, Jie,Wu, Yi Yan,Jiao, Yu,Wu, Tong,Kim, Sang Chan,Lee, Bong Hyo,Fan, Yu,Lee, Chul Won,Kim, Young Woo,Yang, Chae Ha,Zhu, Xiao Dong,Zhao, Rong Jie Elsevier 2019 Neuroscience Letters Vol.705 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Noradrenergic projections from the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) are involved in nicotine (Nic) dependence. Nic induces hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) release through <I>N</I>-methyl-<SMALL>D</SMALL>-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and nitric oxide in the NTS. However, acupuncture attenuates Nic withdrawal-induced anxiety. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of acupuncture on Nic-induced hypothalamic NE release. Rats received an intravenous infusion of Nic (90 μg/kg, over 60 s) and extracellular NE levels in the PVN were determined by in vivo microdialysis. Immediately after Nic administration, the rats were bilaterally treated with acupuncture at acupoint HT7 (Shen-Men) or PC6 (Nei-Guan), or a non-acupoint (tail) for 60 s. Acupuncture at HT7, but not at PC6 or the tail, significantly reduced Nic-induced NE release. However, this was abolished by a post-acupuncture infusion of either NMDA or sodium nitroprusside into the NTS. Additionally, acupuncture at HT7, but not the control points, prevented Nic-induced plasma corticosterone secretion and inhibited Nic-induced increases in the phosphorylation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and endothelial NOS in the NTS. These findings suggest that acupuncture at HT7 reduces Nic-induced NE release in the PVN via inhibition of the solitary NMDAR/NOS pathway.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Acupuncture inhibited nicotine-induced hypothalamic norepinephrine release. </LI> <LI> Acupuncture diminished nicotine-induced plasma corticosterone secretion. </LI> <LI> Acupuncture reversed nicotine-induced phosphorylation of solitary nNOS and eNOS. </LI> <LI> NMDA abolished acupunctural effects on nicotine-induced norepinephrine release. </LI> <LI> NO abolished acupunctural effects on nicotine-induced norepinephrine release. </LI> </UL> </P>

BMB : Reports ; An inhibitory role of NEK6 in TGFβ/Smad signaling pathway

( Jie Zuo ),( Haijie Ma ),( Hao Cai ),( Yanhua Wu ),( Wei Jiang ),( Long Yu ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2015 BMB Reports Vol.48 No.8

The NEK6 (NIMA-related kinases 6) is reported to play po-tential roles in tumorigenesis. Although it is suggested to function in several cellular pathways, the underlying mechanism in tumorigenesis is still largely unknown. In the present study, we discovered interaction of NEK6 with Smad4, a key member of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway. Over-expression of NEK6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines suppresses TGFβ- mediated transcription activity in a kinase activity-dependent manner. In addition, NEK6 suppresses the cell growth arrest induced by TGFβ. Mechanically, NEK6 blocks nuclear translocation of Smad4, which is essential for TGF β function. Moreover, we identified that NEK6 could be regulated by TGFβ and hypoxia. Our study sheds new light on the roles of NEK6 in canonical TGFβ/Smad pathway and tum-origenesis. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(8): 473-478]

Facile Self-Assembly of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles@WS2 Nanosheets: A Promising Candidate for Supercapacitor Electrode

Yu Dai,Xiao Wu,Dawei Sha,Ming Chen,Han Zou,Jie Ren,Jingjing Wang,Xuehua Yan 대한금속·재료학회 2016 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.12 No.6

Graphene-like dichalcogenides with huge surface area and nanostructuredtransition metal oxides with extraordinarily high theoretical capacities could becomposited as promising electrode candidates for supercapacitors. In this work,monolayer and few-layers WS2 nanosheets were exfoliated by combination ofball-milling and sonication. A facile strategy for the hierarchical self-assembly ofFe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4NPs) on WS2 nanosheets was developed to synthesizeFe3O4NPs@WS2 nanocomposites via hydrothermal method. Fe3O4NPs areuniformly dispersed on the WS2 nanosheets without aggregation. The particlesize of Fe3O4NPs is about 3 nm. The nanocomposite shows strong enhancementsof electrochemical behaviors. This self-assembly synthesis strategy may havegreat prospects for other 0D/2D nanocomposites in supercapacitors and otherenergy devices.

Impact of fatty liver on long-term outcomes in chronic hepatitis B: a systematic review and matched analysis of individual patient data meta-analysis

Yu Jun Wong,Vy H. Nguyen,Hwai-I Yang,Jie Li,Michael Huan Le,Wan-Jung Wu,Nicole Xinrong Han,Khi Yung Fong,Elizabeth Chen,Connie Wong,Fajuan Rui,Xiaoming Xu,Qi Xue,Xin Yu Hu,Wei Qiang Leow,George Boon-B 대한간학회 2023 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.29 No.3

Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and fatty liver (FL) often co-exist, but natural history data of this dual condition (CHB-FL) are sparse. Via a systematic review, conventional meta-analysis (MA) and individual patient-level data MA (IPDMA), we compared liver-related outcomes and mortality between CHB-FL and CHB-no FL patients. Methods: We searched 4 databases from inception to December 2021 and pooled study-level estimates using a random- effects model for conventional MA. For IPDMA, we evaluated outcomes after balancing the two study groups with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) on age, sex, cirrhosis, diabetes, ALT, HBeAg, HBV DNA, and antiviral treatment. Results: We screened 2,157 articles and included 19 eligible studies (17,955 patients: 11,908 CHB-no FL; 6,047 CHB-FL) in conventional MA, which found severe heterogeneity (I2=88–95%) and no significant differences in HCC, cirrhosis, mortality, or HBsAg seroclearance incidence (P=0.27–0.93). IPDMA included 13,262 patients: 8,625 CHB-no FL and 4,637 CHB-FL patients who differed in several characteristics. The IPTW cohort included 6,955 CHB-no FL and 3,346 CHB-FL well-matched patients. CHB-FL patients (vs. CHB-no FL) had significantly lower HCC, cirrhosis, mortality and higher HBsAg seroclearance incidence (all P≤0.002), with consistent results in subgroups. CHB-FL diagnosed by liver biopsy had a higher 10-year cumulative HCC incidence than CHB-FL diagnosed with non-invasive methods (63.6% vs. 4.3%, P<0.0001). Conclusions: IPDMA data with well-matched CHB patient groups showed that FL (vs. no FL) was associated with significantly lower HCC, cirrhosis, and mortality risk and higher HBsAg seroclearance probability.

Direct Observation of the Redistribution of Sulfur and Polysufides in Li-S Batteries During the First Cycle by In Situ X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy

Yu, Xiqian,Pan, Huilin,Zhou, Yongning,Northrup, Paul,Xiao, Jie,Bak, Seongmin,Liu, Mingzhao,Nam, Kyung-Wan,Qu, Deyang,Liu, Jun,Wu, Tianpin,Yang, Xiao-Qing Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley Sons) 2015 ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS Vol.5 No.16