Sublethal effects of beta-cypermethrin on the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Qing-Qing Zhang,Wen-Qiang Li,Zeng-Bin Lu,Li-Li Li,Yi Yu,Chao Li,Xing-Yuan Men 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.3

Rhopalosiphum padi is a sap-sucking aphid and an important pest of wheat that causes considerable yield loss. Beta-cypermethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide, has a broad insecticide spectrum and is considered effective for aphid control, while its residual concentrations may have sublethal effects on R. padi. Here, the sublethal effects of beta-cypermethrin on R. padi were conducted under laboratory conditions. The acute toxicity test showed that LC 10 , LC 20 , and LC 25 of beta-cypermethrin to R. padi adults were 0.003, 0.031 and 0.079 mg L −1 , respectively. The pre-adult survival rate was significantly reduced by all three concentrations. LC 20 significantly extended the development duration of 1st instar nymphs, pre-oviposition period, and oviposition period of R. padi. The adult longevity was also reduced by LC 25 . However, the fecundity did not differ between the betacypermethrin treatment and control. For life table parameters, both the finite rate (λ) and intrinsic rate of increase (r) decreased at LC 10 and LC 20 , as well as the net reproductive rate (R 0 ) reduced at LC 10 and LC 25 , while mean generation time (T) increased at LC 20 . Thus, at the concentrations of beta-cypermethrin tested here, there were negative impacts on R. padi fitness by decreased pre-adult survival rate, λ, r, and R 0 , and delayed the development of some stages and increased T.

Multi - scale Simulation of Energetic Deposition : Form MD Simulation to KMC Simulation

Qing-Yu Zhang 한국진공학회(ASCT) 2002 Journal of Korean Vacuum Science & Technology Vol.6 No.1

The process of energetic deposition has been simulated by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulation. The atomistic mechanisms of film growth in energetic deposition are discussed.

Perioperative Comprehensive Supportive Care Interventions for Chinese Patients with Esophageal Carcinoma: a Prospective Study

Zhang, Xiao-Dan,Zhao, Qing-Yu,Fang, Yi,Chen, Guan-Xuan,Zhang, Hui-Fang,Zhang, Wen-Xiao,Yang, Xiao-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Objective: To assess the effects of perioperative comprehensive supportive care interventions on outcome of Chinese esophageal cancer patients in a prospective study. Methods: 60 patients with primary esophageal carcinoma were randomized into an intervention group (IG, n=31) and a control group (CG, n=29). The Chinese version of symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) was adopted to assess their psychological status. The interventions, including health education, psychological support, stress management, coping strategies and behavior training, were carried out in 3 phases (preoperative, postoperative I and postoperative II), and psychological effects were thereafter evaluated accordingly before surgery, and 1 week, 4 weeks and 24 weeks post-surgery. Medical costs were estimated at discharge. Survival of patients was estimated each year post-surgery. General health status and satisfaction-with-hospital were surveyed by a follow-up questionnaire 4 years post-surgery. Results: All the subjects demonstrated higher scores in the preoperative phase than the normal range of Chinese population concerning 7 psychological domains including somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety and paranoid ideation. Although no significant difference was observed between the two groups at admission, the scores of IG, which tended to decrease at a faster rate, were generally lower than those of CG at weeks 1, 4 and 24 post-surgery. The length of hospital stay and medical costs of IG were significantly less than those of CG and satisfaction-with-hospital was better. However, there was no significant difference in 4-year survival or health status between two groups. Conclusions: Appropriate perioperative comprehensive supportive care interventions help to improve the psychological state of Chinese patients with esophageal carcinoma, to reduce health care costs and to promote satisfaction of patients and their families with hospital.

The evaluation of online course of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Medical Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery international students during the COVID-19 epidemic period

Zhang Qing,He Yi-Jing,Zhu Yu-Hang,Dai Min-Chen,Pan Man-Man,Wu Jia-Qi,Zhang Xian,Gu Ying-Er,Wang Fang-Fang,Xu Xiang-Rong,Qu Fan 한국한의학연구원 2020 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.9 No.3

Background: During the COVID-19 epidemic period, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) course for international students of Medical Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program in Zhejiang University has shifted from traditional classroom to online environment. This study aimed to investigate MBBS international students’ perception on online TCM course, and to assess the online learning efficacy. Methods: A total of 84 MBBS international students attending course of “Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine” during 2020 academic years at Zhejiang University were enrolled in this study. A quantitative questionnaire was respectively completed before and after the TCM course using a pretest–post-test design. By means of two online learning platforms, Learning in ZJU and DingTalk, TCM course was broadcast in both live and archived format to students. Results: A total of 48 participants completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires. The majority of participants preferred face-to-face classroom learning (26, 54.17% of total) when compared with online learning. Students felt that the course had brought in much benefits (mean 3.88, SD 0.87), and they were satisfied with the course content (mean 3.83, SD 0.95). Students’ TCM related knowledge and their behaviors of discussion and consulting were significantly improved by online TCM course (all P < 0.001). Students’ awareness of the necessity of TCM education and their feeling of difficulty in learning TCM were significantly strengthened (P = 0.042, 0.025, respectively). Conclusion: Online learning is a good alternative for TCM course of MBBS international students when classroom learning is suspended, whereas it cannot replace the need for onsite and face-to-face learning.

Prognostic Role of C-reactive Protein in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Yu, Qing,Yu, Xiong-Fei,Zhang, Shou-De,Wang, Hao-Hao,Wang, Hai-Yong,Teng, Li-Song Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

Background: A number of studies have investigated the association between increased pretreatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the prognosis of gastric cancer. However, due to the inconsistent results, whether the serum CRP level can be a prognostic factor in primary gastric cancer remains controversial. Methods: We searched Medline, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for relevant high-quality reports. A meta-analysis was carried out using the included studies to assess the association between pretreatment serum CRP level and overall survival (OS) in patients with gastric cancer. Correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between serum CRP and tumor characteristics such as tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and recurrence. Results: Twelve reports involving 2,597 patients with gastric cancer were included. Primary meta-analysis indicated a significant association between elevated CRP level and poor OS (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.56-2.00). Subgroup analyses showed no single factor could alter the primary results when we divided the included studies by "number of patients", "max follow-up period", "TNM stage", "treatment" and "cut-off value". Correlation analyses showed that serum CRP level was significantly related to TNM stage (OR 2.96, 95% CI 2.22-3.93) and tumor recurrence (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.21-2.71). Conclusions: We demonstrated that increased pretreatment serum CRP level (${\geq}10mg/L$) was significantly associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients, either in early or advanced stages.

A small hairpin RNA targeting myeloid cell leukemia-1 enhances apoptosis in host macrophages infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Fei-yu Wang,Yu-qing Zhang,Xin-min Wang,Chan Wang,Xiao-fang Wang,Jiang-dong Wu,Fang Wu,Wan-jiang Zhang,Le Zhang 한국미생물학회 2016 The journal of microbiology Vol.54 No.4

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) plays an important role in various cell survival pathways. Some studies indicated that the expression of Mcl-1 was upregulated in host cells during infection with the virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain, H37Rv. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of inhibiting Mcl-1 expression both in vivo and in vitro on apoptosis of host macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis using a small hairpin (sh)RNA. Mcl-1 expression was detected by the real time-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy were used to measure host macrophage apoptosis. We found elevated Mcl-1 levels in host macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The expression of Mcl-1 was downregulated efficiently in H37Rv-infected host macrophages using shRNA. Knockdown of Mcl-1 enhanced the extent of apoptosis in H37Rv-infected host macrophages significantly. The increased apoptosis correlated with a decrease in M. tuberculosis colony forming units recovered from H37Rv-infected cells that were treated with Mcl-1-shRNA. Reducing Mcl-1 accumulation by shRNA also reduced accumulation of the anti-apoptotic gene, Bcl-2, and increased expression of the pro-apoptotic gene, Bax, in H37Rv-infected host macrophages. Our results showed that specific knockdown of Mcl-1 expression increased apoptosis of host macrophages significantly and decreased the intracellular survival of a virulent strain of M. tuberculosis. These data indicate that interference with Mcl-1 expression may provide a new avenue for tuberculosis therapy.

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.

Comparative Study between ZOOMit and Conventional Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MRI for Assessing Parotid Gland Abnormalities in Patients with Early- or Mid-Stage Sjögren’s Syndrome

Zhou Qing-Qing,Zhang Wei,Yu Yu-Sheng,Li Hong-Yan,Wei Liang,Li Xue-Song,He Zhen-Zhen,Zhang Hong 대한영상의학회 2022 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.23 No.4

Objective: To compare the reproducibility and performance of quantitative metrics between ZOOMit and conventional intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of early- and mid-stage Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.0 ± 10.8 years; male:female, 2:20) with early- or mid-stage SS and 20 healthy controls (46.9 ± 14.6 years; male:female, 7:13) were prospectively enrolled in our study. ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM MRI were performed simultaneously in all individuals using a 3T scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters - including tissue diffusivity (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) - inter- and intra-observer reproducibility in measuring these parameters, and their ability to distinguish patients with SS from healthy individuals were assessed and compared between ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM methods, appropriately. MR gland nodular grade (MRG) was also examined. Results: Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was better with ZOOMit imaging than with conventional IVIM imaging (ZOOMit vs. conventional, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.897–0.941 vs. 0.667–0.782 for inter-observer reproducibility and 0.891–0.968 vs. 0.814–0.853 for intra-observer reproducibility). Significant differences in ZOOMit f, ZOOMit D*, conventional D*, and MRG between patients with SS and healthy individuals (all p < 0.05) were observed. ZOOMit D* outperformed conventional D* in diagnosing early- and mid-stage SS (area under receiver operating curve, 0.867 and 0.658, respectively; p = 0.002). The combination of ZOOMit D*, MRG, and ZOOMit f as a new diagnostic index for SS, increased diagnostic area under the curve to 0.961, which was higher than that of any single parameter (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Considering its better reproducibility and performance, ZOOMit IVIM may be preferred over conventional IVIM MRI, and may subsequently improve the ability to diagnose early- and mid-stage SS.

Analysis of Small Fragment Deletions of the APC gene in Chinese Patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a Precancerous Condition

Chen, Qing-Wei,Zhang, Xiao-Mei,Zhou, Jian-Nong,Zhou, Xin,Ma, Guo-Jian,Zhu, Ming,Zhang, Yuan-Ying,Yu, Jun,Feng, Ji-Feng,Chen, Sen-Qing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.12

Background: : Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease mainly caused by mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene with almost complete penetrance. These colorectal polyps are precancerous lesions that will inevitable develop into colorectal cancer at the median age of 40-year old if total proctocolectomy is not performed. So identification of APC germline mutations has great implications for genetic counseling and management of FAP patients. In this study, we screened APC germline mutations in Chinese FAP patients, in order to find novel mutations and the APC gene germline mutation characteristics of Chinese FAP patients. Materials and Methods: The FAP patients were diagnosed by clinical manifestations, family histories, endoscope and biopsy. Then patients peripheral blood samples were collected, afterwards, genomic DNA was extracted. The mutation analysis of the APC gene was conducted by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing for micromutations and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for large duplications and/or deletions. Results: We found 6 micromutations out of 14 FAP pedigrees, while there were no large duplications and/or deletions found. These germline mutations are c.5432C>T(p. Ser1811Leu), two c.3926_3930delAAAAG (p.Glu1309AspfsX4), c.3921_3924delAAAA (p.Ile1307MetfsX13), c3184_3187delCAAA(p.Gln1061AspfsX59) and c4127_4126delAT (p.Tyr1376LysfsX9), respectively, and all deletion mutations resulted in a premature stop codon. At the same time, we found c.3921_3924delAAAA and two c.3926_3930delAAAAG are located in AAAAG short tandem repeats, c3184_3187delCAAA is located in the CAAA interrupted direct repeats, and c4127_4128 del AT is located in the 5'-CCTGAACA-3', 3'-ACAAGTCC-5 palindromes (inverted repeats) of the APC gene. Furthermore, deletion mutations are mostly located at condon 1309. Conclusions: Though there were no novel mutations found as the pathogenic gene of FAP in this study, we found nucleotide sequence containing short tandem repeats and palindromes (inverted repeats), especially the 5 bp base deletion at codon 1309, are mutations in high incidence area in APC gene,.

Which Indicator Among Lumbar Vertebral Hounsfield Unit, Vertebral Bone Quality, or Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry-Measured Bone Mineral Density Is More Efficacious in Predicting Thoracolumbar Fragility Fractures?

Bo Zhang,Lu-Ping Zhou,Xian-Liang Zhang,Dui Li,Jia-Qi Wang,Chong-Yu Jia,Hua-Qing Zhang,Liang Kang,Ren-Jie Zhang,Cai-Liang Shen 대한척추신경외과학회 2023 Neurospine Vol.20 No.4

Objective: Hounsfield units (HU), vertebral bone quality (VBQ), and bone mineral density (BMD) can all serve as predictive indicators for thoracolumbar fragility fractures. This study aims to explore which indicator provides better risk prediction for thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Methods: Patients who have received medical attention from The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University for thoracolumbar fragility fractures were selected. A total of 78 patients with thoracolumbar fragility fractures were included in the study. To establish a control group, 78 patients with degenerative spinal diseases were matched to the fracture group on the basis of gender, age, and body mass index. The lumbar vertebral HU, the VBQ, and the BMD were obtained for all the 156 patients through computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The correlations among these parameters were analyzed. The area under curve (AUC) analysis was employed to assess the predictive efficacy and thresholds of lumbar vertebral HU, VBQ, and BMD in relation to the risk of thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Results: Among the cohort of 156 patients, lumbar vertebral HU exhibited a positive correlation with BMD (p < 0.01). Conversely, VBQ showed a negative correlation with HU, BMD (p < 0.05). HU and BMD displayed a favorable predictive efficacy for thoracolumbar fragility fractures (p < 0.01), with HU (AUC = 0.863) showcasing the highest predictive efficacy, followed by the DEXA-measured BMD (AUC = 0.813). VBQ (AUC = 0.602) ranked lowest among the 3 indicators. The thresholds for predicting thoracolumbar fragility fractures were as follows: HU (88),VBQ (3.37), and BMD (0.81). Conclusion: All 3 of these indicators, HU, VBQ, and BMD, can predict thoracolumbar fragility fractures. Notably, lumbar vertebral HU exhibits the highest predictive efficacy, followed by the BMD obtained through DEXA scanning, with VBQ demonstrating the lowest predictive efficacy.