Clinical Study of Thalidomide Combined with Dexamethasone for the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Chen, Hai-Fei,Li, Zheng-Yang,Tang, Jie-Qing,Shen, Hong-Shi,Cui, Qing-Ya,Ren, Yong-Ya,Qin, Long-Mei,Jin, Ling-Juan,Zhu, Jing-Jing,Wang, Jing,Ding, Jie,Wang, Ke-Yuan,Yu, Zi-Qiang,Wang, Zhao-Yue,Wu, Tian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the efficacy and safety of different doses of thalidomide (Thal) plus dexamethasone (Dex) as the initial therapy in elderly patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: Clinical data of 28 elderly patients with newly diagnosed MM who underwent the TD regimen as the initial therapy were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the maximal sustained dose of Thal: lower dose (group A) and higher dose (group B). The overall response rate (ORR), progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AES) were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 28 patients were followed up with a median of 18 months. The ORR was 60.1%. The median response time and PFS were 2.0 and 17.0 months, respectively. The mean sustained dose of Thal in group B was significantly higher than group A (292.9 mg v 180.4 mg, P=0.01). There was no significantly difference in ORR (57.1% v 64.3%, P=1.00) and PFS (9.63months v 17.66 months, P=0.73) between groups A and B. During the follow up, only five patients died (<40%) and, therefore, median OS values were not available. It is estimated, however, that the mean survival time in the two groups was 35.6 and 33.4 months (P>0.05), respectively. All of the patients tolerated the treatment well. The incidence of AES in patients with a grading above 3 in group B was significantly higher than in group A (P=0.033). Conclusions: The TD regimen results in a high response rate and manageable AES as the initial therapy in elderly patients with MM. TD should be considered as the front line regimen for the treatment of elderly patients with MM in areas with financial constraints. The clinical response can be achieved at a low dose Thal with minimal toxicity.

G Protein–Coupled Receptor 30 Mediates the Anticancer Effects Induced by Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Yue Zhao,Meng-Fei Zhao,Mei-Lin Yang,Tian-Yu Wu,Cong-Jian Xu,Jing-Mei Wang,Chao-Jun Li,Xi Li 대한암학회 2020 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.52 No.3

Purpose: While numerous epidemiological studies have indicated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anticancer properties in various cancers, the effects and mechanisms of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in ovarian cancer cell growth are poorly understood. Materials and Methods: ES2 ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells and SKOV3 adenocarcinoma cells were treated with palmitic acid or EPA, followed by flow cytometry and cell counting to measure apoptosis and proliferation, respectively. A modified protein lipid overlay assay was used to further verify whether EPA was a ligand of G protein–coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) in ES2 cells. The levels of apoptosis-related genes, phosphorylated AKT, and phosphorylated ERK1/2 were detected to explore the underlying mechanism. Finally, inhibitory effect of EPA on tumor growth via GPR30 was determined in vitro and in vivo. Results: EPA suppressed ES2 ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells growth via GPR30, a novel EPA receptor, by inducing apoptosis. As a ligand of GPR30, EPA activated the GPR30-cAMP– protein kinase A signaling pathway. When GPR30 was suppressed by siRNA or its inhibitor G15, the antiproliferative action of EPA was impaired. Furthermore, EPA inhibited tumor growth by blocking the activation of AKT and ERK. In the mouse xenograft model, EPA decreased tumor volume and weight through GPR30 by blocking tumor cell proliferation. Conclusion: These results confirm that EPA is a tumor suppressor in human ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells and functions through a novel fatty acid receptor, GPR30, indicating a mechanistic linkage between omega-3 fatty acids and cancers.

Effect of Postmortem Phases on Lamb Meat Quality: A Physicochemical, Microstructural and Water Mobility Approach

Yue Ge,Dequan Zhang,Huimin Zhang,Xin Li,Fei Fang,Ce Liang,Zhenyu Wang 한국축산식품학회 2021 한국축산식품학회지 Vol.41 No.5

To investigate the effect of postmortem phases on lamb meat quality, the physicochemical quality, microstructure and water mobility of oyster cut, short loin, knuckle and silverside muscles from Small-Tail Han sheep were evaluated in the pre-rigor, rigor mortis and post-rigor phases. Pre-rigor lamb meat had higher pH and water holding capacity (WHC), whereas lower CIE L*, b*, hue angle values than rigor mortis and postrigor meat (p<0.05). The Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values were higher in rigor mortis short loin and silverside than their pre-rigor and post-rigor counterparts, pre-rigor short loin had lower WBSF value than its post-rigor counterpart (p<0.05). Muscle fibers shrank laterally and longitudinally during the onset of rigor mortis. Rigor mortis and postrigor lamb meat exhibited wide I-bands, dark A-bands, short sarcomeres and large intermyofibrillar spaces. The shift of immobilized water to free water and repulsion from the intra-myofibrillar space to the extracellular space result in the increase of water loss in rigor mortis and post-rigor lamb meat. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that rigor mortis and post-rigor lamb meat had similar quality properties but different from pre-rigor lamb meat. In conclusion, the lamb meat in the pre-rigor phase had good tenderness, color and WHC. The results of this research could provide some theoretical references for lamb meat production and processing.

Construction and Characterization of Full-Length cDNA Library and Expressed Sequence Tags Analysis in Developing Seeds of Vegetable Soybean

Li-Fei Yang,Jun-Yi Gai,Yue-Lin Zhu,Gang Chen,Guo-Ping Wei,Cong Wang,Qian-Qian Liu 한국원예학회 2009 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.50 No.1

The objectives of this paper were to construct a full-length cDNA library and identify genes encoding high quality proteins in developing seeds of vegetable soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The construction of full-length cDNA library was essential for screening and cloning of novel genes. Using vegetable soybean variety ‘NN99-10’ as an experimental material, a full-length cDNA library from the developing seeds was constructed by switching mechanism at 5’-end of RNA transcript (SMART) approach. Total RNA from different developmental stages of seeds was purified. Double strand cDNA was synthesized by SMART method and the cDNA fragments were ligated to the pBluescript II SK vector. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli by electroporation and a cDNA library of developing seeds was successfully constructed. By counting the number of colonies, the titer of the primary cDNA library was 7.6×10? cfuㆍ㎖<SUP>-1</SUP>, and that of the amplified library was 2.4×10<SUP>12</SUP> cfuㆍ㎖<SUP>-1</SUP>. Electrophoresis gel results indicated that most of the cDNA inserts were ranged from 0.40 to 2.0 kb, with an average size of larger than 800 bp. Randomly picked clones showed that the recombination rate was above 99%. These evidences showed that the cDNA library constructed was a full-length library with high quality, and could be used to screen the genes encoding high quality proteins. A total of 206 randomly selected positive clones were successfully sequenced, and 73% of them contained full-length coding regions. Based on bioinformatics analysis of the sequences, we obtained 192 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from 206 cDNA positive clones. Eight important genes which might be involved in seed quality were identified, and two of their genes were identified to be related to the allergenicity of seed proteins. The full-length cDNA library constructed in this research has laid the foundation for the further cloning of novel genes and the revealed EST sequences have enriched our knowledge of the function genes of vegetable soybean seeds.

Construction and Characterization of Full-length cDNA Library and Expressed Sequence Tags Analysis in Developing Seeds of Vegetable Soybean

Li-Fei Yang,Jun-Yi Gai,Yue-Lin Zhu,Gang Chen,Guo-Ping Wei,Cong Wang,Qian-Qian Liu 한국원예학회 2008 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Vitamin D Improves Intestinal Barrier Function in Cirrhosis Rats by Upregulating Heme Oxygenase-1 Expression

Peng-fei Wang,Dan-hua Yao,Yue-yu Hu,Yousheng Li 한국응용약물학회 2019 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.27 No.2

Intestinal barrier dysfunction always accompanies cirrhosis in patients with advanced liver disease and is an important contributor facilitating bacterial translocation (BT), which has been involved in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and its complications. Several studies have demonstrated the protective effect of Vitamin D on intestinal barrier function. However, severe cholestasis leads to vitamin D depletion. This study was designed to test whether vitamin D therapy improves intestinal dysfunction in cirrhosis. Rats were subcutaneously injected with 50% sterile CCl4 (a mixture of pure CCl4 and olive oil, 0.3 mL/100 g) twice a week for 6 weeks. Next, 1,25(OH)2D3 (0.5 μg/100 g) and the vehicle were administered simultaneously with CCl4 to compare the extent of intestinal histologic damage, tight junction protein expression, intestinal barrier function, BT, intestinal proliferation, apoptosis, and enterocyte turnover. Intestinal heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and oxidative stress were also assessed. We found that vitamin D could maintain intestinal epithelial proliferation and turnover, inhibit intestinal epithelial apoptosis, alleviate structural damage, and prevent BT and intestinal barrier dysfunction. These were achieved partly through restoration of HO-1 and inhibition of oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that vitamin D ameliorated intestinal epithelial turnover and improved the integrity and function of intestinal barrier in CCl4-induced liver cirrhotic rats. HO-1 signaling activation was involved in these above beneficial effects.

Construction and Characterization of a Full-length cDNA Library and Identification of Genes Involved in Salinity Stress in Wild Eggplant (Solanum torvum Swartz)

Gang Chen,Hua Wang,Jun-Yi Gai,Yue-Lin Zhu,Li-Fei Yang,Qian-Qian Liu,Gong-Chen Zhang,Guo-Hu Chen 한국원예학회 2012 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.53 No.2

The objectives of this paper were to construct a full-length cDNA library and to isolate genes that confer salt tolerance from the leaves of salinity-tolerant wild eggplant variety, ‘Torvum Vigor’ (Solanum torvum Swartz). A full-length cDNA library from the leaves was successfully constructed by a switching mechanism at 5’-end of RNA transcript (SMART) approach and a long-distance PCR (LD-PCR) technique. The titer of the primary cDNA library was 3.6 ×106 cfu・mL-1 and that of the amplified library was 1.2 × 1010 cfu・mL-1. Gel electrophoresis results showed that most of the cDNA inserts ranged from 0.40 to 2.5 kb, with a recombination rate of 99%. A total of 427 randomly selected positive clones were sequenced. After removing the unsuccessful reads, 364 datasets were obtained and have been submitted to the NCBI Nucleotide Sequence Database under GenBank accession numbers JK265131-JK265494. Among the 364 submitted sequences, 74.45% of them contained full-length coding regions. BLASTX analysis revealed that 62.36% of the ‘Torvum Vigor’ expressed sequence tags (ESTs) possessed homology to known or putative proteins of other organisms. Seven genes that might be responsible for the encoding of known proteins in other organisms were identified to confer salt tolerance. This evidence demonstrated that the cDNA library constructed was a full-length library of high quality. It could be a useful resource for further research in the cloning of stress-related genes, which could be utilized in the genetic improvement of vegetable crops using transgenic technology.

Multiple Impairments in Male Reproduction 1 (mimr1), a Novel Male-Sterile Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, Shows Several Defects in Male Reproductive Development

Hai-Yan Chen,Yue-Feng Guan,Xue-Yong Huang,Yu-Ting Wu,Fen-Fei Wang,Ju-Fang Gao,Que Zhou,Zhong-Nan Yang,Jia-Yao Liu,Hong-Xia Zhang 한국식물학회 2012 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.55 No.3

We have characterized a new male-sterile mutant in Arabidopsis that exhibits conditional sterility but has restored fertility when drought-stressed. This mutant,multiple impairments in male reproduction 1 (mimr1),shows pleiotropic defects in both vegetative and reproductive development. Examination with dissecting and scanning electron microscopes revealed that its pollen grains are not effectively released from the anther locule after dehiscence, and anther differentiation is defective. Growth of the style and stamen filaments are also abnormal. Histological analysis demonstrated that these phenomena are due not only to a noticeably reduced extension of the stamen but also greater elongation of the pistil. Genetic analysis indicated that mimr1 is a single locus recessive nuclear mutant. The mutation can be mapped to a locus strongly linked to a 1200-kb region on Chromosome 3. Meta-analysis of expression patterning presented several candidate genes in that region. No mutants with similar phenotypes have previously been reported, suggesting that mimr1 is a novel male-sterile locus. Characterization of MIMR1 will provide further insights into the molecular basis for the development of plant reproductive organs.

IRS-2 Partially Compensates for the Insulin Signal Defects in IRS-1−/−Mice Mediated by miR-33

Chen-Yi Tang,Xiao-Fei Man,Yue Guo,Hao-Neng Tang,Jun Tang,Ci-La Zhou,Shu-Wen Tan,Min Wang,Hou-De Zhou 한국분자세포생물학회 2017 Molecules and cells Vol.40 No.2

Insulin signaling is coordinated by insulin receptor substrates (IRSs). Many insulin responses, especially for blood glucose metabolism, are mediated primarily through Irs-1 and Irs-2. Irs-1 knockout mice show growth retardation and insulin signaling defects, which can be compensated by other IRSs in vivo; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. Here, we presented an Irs-1 truncated mutated mouse (Irs-1−/−) with growth retardation and subcutaneous adipocyte atrophy. Irs-1−/− mice exhibited mild insulin resistance, as demonstrat-ed by the insulin tolerance test. Phosphatidylino-sitol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity and phosphorylated Protein Kinase B (PKB/AKT) expression were elevated in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcu-taneous adipocytes in Irs-1 deficiency. In addition, the expression of IRS-2 and its phosphorylated version were clearly elevated in liver and skeletal muscle. With miRNA microarray analysis, we found miR-33 was down-regulated in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of Irs-1−/− mice, while its target gene Irs-2 was up-regulated in vitro studies. In addition, miR-33 was down-regulated in the presence of Irs-1 and which was up-regulated in fasting status. What’s more, miR-33 restored its expression in re-feeding status. Meanwhile, miR-33 levels decreased and Irs-2 levels increased in liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipocytes of Irs-1−/− mice. In primary cultured liver cells transfected with an miR-33 inhibitor, the expression of IRS-2, PI3K, and phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT) increased while the opposite results were observed in the presence of an miR-33 mimic. Therefore, decreased miR-33 levels can up-regulate IRS-2 expression, which appears to compensate for the defects of the insulin signaling pathway in Irs-1 deficient mice.

Obstacle-negotiation performance on challenging terrain for a parallel legwheeled robot

Kang Xu,Shou-Kun Wang,Binkai Yue,Jun-Zheng Wang,Fei Guo,Zhihua Chen 대한기계학회 2020 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.34 No.1

High obstacle-negotiation performance of quadruped robots for the challenging terrain is strongly demanded in some fields, including payload delivery and disaster relief. In this study, a parallel leg-wheeled robot with the high mobility performance on targeted types of rough terrain is proposed. In contrast to other obstacle-negotiating robots, the strength of this robot is that it has adequate over-obstacle capabilities with a horizontal body in terms of different obstacle shapes, which mainly derives from the multi-DOF (degree of freedom) flexible locomotion of legs and the independent actuated wheels as end effectors. Particularly for a steep terrain where a large inertia robot negotiates it with low efficiency and stability, the proposed step-over gait, combined with static gait and wheeled locomotion, improves the overobstacle efficiency and maintains pose stability. Finally, simulations and experiments verify the performance on negotiating the diverse obstacles with level body over challenging terrain.