Chemical Characterization and Antitumor Activity of an Exopolysaccharide from Pholiota Squarrosa Quel. AS 5.245

Hai-zhen Zhao,Juan Wang,Fengxia Lv,Xiaomei Bie,Zhaoxin Lu 한국식품과학회 2015 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.24 No.2

A water-soluble exopolysaccharide (PESP-1) was extracted and purified using DEAE Sephadex A-50 and Sephadex G-100 columns from a submerged culture broth of Pholiota squarrosa Quel. AS 5.245. PEPS-1 was investigated for antitumor activity against Heps tumors implanted in mice. An inhibition rate of 78.46% at a dosage of 100 mg/kg was observed. PEPS-1 significantly (p<0.05) increased the relative spleen/thymus indices of Heps tumor-bearing mice at a dosage of 100 mg/kg, compared with controls. Antitumor properties were probably related to stimulation of the immune response. Preliminary physicochemical analysis identified PEPS-1 as a heteropolysaccharide mainly containing D-mannose, D-glucose and D-galactose at molar ratios of 50:33:18. Small amounts of D-rhamnose and D-xylose were also detected. The average Mw of PEPS-1 was 3.26×104 Da. Structural features probably played an important role in the antitumor activity of PEPS-1.

Transcriptome characterization and gene expression analysis related to immune response in Gynaephora qinghaiensis pupae

Hai-Zhen Wang,Xin Zhong,Gu-Ren Zhang,Xin Liu,Li Gu 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.2

Gynaephora qinghaiensis is a pest on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) that has led to substantial destruction of grassland vegetation. Its pupae are also natural hosts of parasitic wasp. Sexual dimorphism in immune responses is prevalent in vertebrates and invertebrates. However, sexual dimorphism in immune responses of insects, particularly G. qinghaiensis, is poorly understood at the transcriptional level. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing in male and female pupae of G. qinghaiensis. A total of 118,357,040 clean reads were obtained and assembled into 114,944 unigenes. To explore the difference of immune responses in pupae of both sexes (male and female) of G. qinghaiensis. based on transcriptional level, we characterized the expression profiles of candidate transcripts in the two sexes of G. qinghaiensis. A total of 3,469 unigenes (1,888 up-regulated and 1,581 down-regulated genes) were differentially expressed in pupae of both sexes. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 263 unigenes related to immune responses were found in the two sexes in G. qinghaiensis; of these, 202 were up-regulated and 61 were down-regulated in the female pupae compared to male pupae. This indicates there were some differences in the expression of immune-related genes between male and female G. qinghaiensis pupae. Therefore, we speculated that the differences in immune responses also likely exsited in pupae of both sexes. Our report provides a valuable genomic resource for further studies of Gynaephora and improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying immunological differences between male and female insects.

Glutathione-S-Transferase Polymorphisms (GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1) and Acute Leukemia Risk in Asians: a Meta-analysis

Tang, Zhen-Hai,Zhang, Chi,Cheng, Pan,Sun, Hong-Min,Jin, Yu,Chen, Yuan-Jing,Huang, Fen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

The association between glutathione-S-transferase polymorphisms (GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1) and risk of acute leukemia in Asians remains controversial. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the precise association in 23 studies identified by a search of PubMed and several other databases, up to December 2013. Using random or fixed effects models odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Heterogeneity across studies was assessed, and funnel plots were constructed to test for publication bias. The meta-analysis showed positive associations between GST polymorphisms (GSTM1 and GSTT1 but not GSTP1) and acute leukemia risk [(OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.18-1.83); (OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.07-1.62); (OR=1.01, 95% CI 0.84-1.23), respectively] and heterogeneity between the studies. The results suggested that the GSTM1 null genotype and GSTT1null genotype, but not the GSTP1 polymorphism, might be a potential risk factors for acute leukemia. Further well-designed studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Meteorological driven factors of population growth in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), in rice paddies

Xiao‐Zhen Li,Yi ZOU,Hai-Yan YANG,Hai-Jun XIAO,Jian-Guo WANG 한국곤충학회 2017 Entomological Research Vol.47 No.5

Growth of brown planthopper (BPH) (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) in rice paddies is mainly driven by meteorological factors under similar management practices. By analyzing field investigation and meteorological data collected from 2008 to 2013 in Nanchang, China, we show that BPH population densities and monthly growth rates (BGR) changed greatly from May to October, and these changes were closely associated with meteorological factors. Stepwise regression and path analysis indicated average speed of winds (AW) in June and lowest temperature (LT) in July were the first factors entering analysis, which interpreted 46.20% and 31.90% of their influences on BGR. While highest temperature (HT) in August and average temperature (AT) in September were the most important factors affecting BGR, but their direct path coefficients were all smaller than their corresponding indirect path coefficients. In October, relative humidity (RH), AW and number of raining days (RD) had significant effects on BGR. According to the sum of each meteorological factor entering stepwise regression analysis sequences, we found AW had the utmost effect on BPH growth, followed by AT and RH, but LT and RD least. The work demonstrate dynamic meteorological factors driving BPH growth and outbreak in rice paddies, which would facilitate the development of durable approaches for forecasting and controlling this destructive rice pest.

Sexual dimorphism-related gene expression analysis based on the transcriptome in Gynaephora qinghaiensis, a pest of grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Wang Hai-Zhen,Zhang Ru-yi,Yuyu-Li,Liu Xin 한국응용곤충학회 2023 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.26 No.2

Gynaephora qinghaiensis is a pest in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) that seriously harms grassland vegetation. Sexual dimorphism (SD) is common in insects, but its molecular mechanism at the tran scriptome level in insects, especially in G. qinghaiensis, has not been reported. In this study, we conducted transcriptome analysis of pupae and adults of the two sexes (male and female) of G. qinghaiensis. A total of 204,557,900 clean reads assembled into 114,944 unigenes were obtained by RNA-Seq. To explore differences in the transcriptome levels of molecular characteristics related to SD between the two sexes of G. qinghaiensis, gene expression profiling was performed. A total of 88 differentially expressed unigenes related to sex determination were found in the pupae of G. qinghaiensis; of these, 74 were upregulated and 14 were downregulated in the female pupae compared to the male pupae. Forty-five unigenes related to sex determination were found in the adults of G. qinghaiensis; of these, 15 were upregulated and 30 were downregulated in the female adults compared to the male adults. This indicated some differences in the expression of genes involved in sex deter mination between male and female individuals of G. qinghaiensis. Therefore, we speculated that sex-determining genes may play an important role in the formation of sexual dimorphism in G. qinghaiensis. Our report provides a valuable genomic resource for further studies of grassland caterpillars and improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism between male and female insects.

A Functional SNP in the MDM2 Promoter Mediates E2F1 Affinity to Modulate Cyclin D1 Expression in Tumor Cell Proliferation

Yang, Zhen-Hai,Zhou, Chun-Lin,Zhu, Hong,Li, Jiu-Hong,He, Chun-Di Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Background: The MDM2 oncogene, a negative regulator of p53, has a functional polymorphism in the promoter region (SNP309) that is associated with multiple kinds of cancers including non-melanoma skin cancer. SNP309 has been shown to associate with accelerated tumor formation by increasing the affinity of the transcriptional activator Sp1. It remains unknown whether there are other factors involved in the regulation of MDM2 transcription through a trans-regulatory mechanism. Methods: In this study, SNP309 was verified to be associated with overexpression of MDM2 in tumor cells. Bioinformatics predicts that the T to G substitution at SNP309 generates a stronger E2F1 binding site, which was confirmed by ChIP and luciferase assays. Results: E2F1 knockdown downregulates the expression of MDM2, which confirms that E2F1 is a functional upstream regulator. Furthermore, tumor cells with the GG genotype exhibited a higher proliferation rate than TT, correlating with cyclin D1 expression. E2F1 depletion significantly inhibits the proliferation capacity and downregulates cyclin D1 expression, especially in GG genotype skin fibroblasts. Notably, E2F1 siRNA effects could be rescued by cyclin D1 overexpression. Conclusion: Taken together, a novel modulator E2F1 was identified as regulating MDM2 expression dependent on SNP309 and further mediates cyclin D1 expression and tumor cell proliferation. E2F1 might act as an important factor for SNP309 serving as a rate-limiting event in carcinogenesis.

LEACH Protocol based Two-Level Clustering Algorithm

Zhen-rui Peng,Hong Yin,Hai-tang Dong,Hui Li 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Hybrid Information Techno Vol.8 No.10

For wireless sensor networks, it is difficult to balance the energy distribution and reduce the energy consumption in the data transmission process. On the basis of the original LEACH protocol and level technique, a new method of cluster heads collection and two-level clustering transmission is proposed. By controlling the distances among the cluster heads, the uniform distribution of cluster heads is satisfied. And then using two-level mode, the data are transmitted to the base station. LEACH is compared with the improved method about the remaining energy and alive nodes. Simulation results show that the improved method can reduce the network consumption energy greatly and lengthens the network lifetime efficiently.

Deformation Response Induced by Surcharge Loading above Shallow Shield Tunnels in Soft Soil

Zhen Huang,Hai Zhang,Helin Fu,Shaokun Ma,Ying Liu 대한토목학회 2020 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.24 No.8

In the case of sudden surcharge loading, shallow shield tunnels in areas with soft soil experience substantial deformation responses. It is very important to understand the different loading modes and control measures above the shallow shield tunnels in soft soil for improving the safety of tunnel structure and reducing the influence of deformation. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical model of shallow shield tunnels in soft soil is established with FLAC3D. Ground and tunnel deformations are analyzed under different loading modes, and the effects of different deformation control measures are also studied. The numerical simulations in this paper show that the surface and tunnel deformation responses vary when induced by different loading modes above shallow shield tunnels in soft soil. After surface hardening with a 20-cm-thick layer of C20 concrete, the surface settlement is effectively controlled, and the uneven longitudinal settlement of the tunnel vault is improved. However, controlling the height of the surcharge is the most direct deformation control method. When the height of the surcharge is reduced from 6 m to 4 m and 2 m, the maximum ground settlement is reduced by 37.8% and 69.4%, respectively, and the maximum longitudinal settlement of the tunnel vault is reduced by 35.3% and 65.2%, respectively. During the operation of shallow shield tunnel in soft soil area, sudden surcharge loading should not be allowed. In the inevitable case, the surcharge loading on one side of the tunnel should be prevented and the surcharge loading height should be strictly limited.

Development of New Endovascular Devices for Aneurysm Treatment

Zhen Yu Jia,Hai Bin Shi,Shigeru Miyachi,Sun Moon Hwang,Jae Jon Sheen,Yun Sun Song,Joong-Goo Kim,Deok Hee Lee,Dae Chul Suh 대한뇌졸중학회 2018 Journal of stroke Vol.20 No.1

Since the first use of the Guglielmi detachable coil system for cerebral aneurysm embolization in 1990, various endovascular methods have been developed to treat large numbers of aneurysms. The main strategic and technical modifications introduced to date include balloon-assisted coilembolization, stent-assisted coil embolization, flow diverters, and flow disrupters. The development and introduction of such devices have been so persistent and rapid that new devices are being approved worldwide even before the earlier ones become available in some countries. However, even if some patient populations may possibly benefit from earlier introduction of new devices, the approval authorities should balance the available evidence of the safety and effectiveness of novel devices. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent innovations in endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms and a brief review of market access policies and regulations for importing high-risk medical devices, such as those used for endovascular aneurysm management, which correspond to class III devices, as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We focus on the current situation in Korea and compare it with that in other Asian countries, such as China and Japan.

A Harmony Search Based Low-Delay and Low-Energy Wireless Sensor Network

Zhen-Rui Peng,Hong Yin,Hai-Tang Dong,Hui Li,An Pan 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Future Generation Communi Vol.8 No.2

Aiming at different service quality requirements under different circumstances of wireless sensor network (WSN), harmony search (HS) algorithm is used to solve the low-delay and low-energy double-objective optimization problem in wireless sensor networks. First, analyze the low-delay and low-energy model, and establish the objective function. Then, use the priority-based path encoding algorithm to update harmony memory iteratively while searching the optimal path. Finally, simulation of 100-node network is carried out by using Matlab. The results show that sensor network data transmission path can be controlled according to the users’ needs of delay and power.