Plasma Folate and Vitamin B ₁₂ Levels in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Cui, Lian-Hua,Quan, Zhen-Yu,Piao, Jin-Mei,Zhang, Ting-Ting,Jiang, Meng-Hui,Shin, Min-Ho,Choi, Jin-Su MDPI 2016 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES Vol.17 No.7

<P>Folate and vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> involved in the one-carbon metabolism may play a key role in carcinogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through influencing DNA integrity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels with HCC in a case-control study on 312 HCC patients and 325 cancer-free controls. Plasma concentrations of folate and vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> in all the subjects were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Meanwhile, the information of HCC patients’ clinical characteristics including tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, tumor size and tumor markers were collected. The patients of HCC had significantly lower folate levels than those of controls; there was no significant difference in the mean of plasma vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> levels. We also observed an inverse association between the levels of plasma folate and HCC: the adjusted odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence intervals (CI)) of HCC from the highest to lowest quartile of folate were 0.30 (0.15–0.60), 0.33 (0.17–0.65), and 0.19 (0.09–0.38). Compared to the subjects in the lowest quartile of plasma vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB>, only the subjects in the highest quartile of vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> exhibited a significant positive relationship with HCC, the adjusted OR was 2.01 (95% CI, 1.02–3.98). HCC patients with Stage III and IV or bigger tumor size had lower folate and higher vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> levels. There was no significant difference in the mean plasma folate levels of the HCC cases in tumor markers status (AFP, CEA and CA19-9 levels), whereas patients with higher CEA or CA19-9 levels retained significantly more plasma vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> than those with normal-CEA or CA19-9 level. In conclusion, plasma folate and vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> levels could be associated with HCC, and might be used as predictors of clinical characteristics of HCC patients. However, further prospective studies are essential to confirm the observed results.</P>

A New Method of Producing a Natural Antibacterial Peptide by Encapsulated Probiotics Internalized with Inulin Nanoparticles as Prebiotics

( Lian-hua Cui ),( Chang-guo Yan ),( Hui-shan Li ),( Whee-soo Kim ),( Liang Hong ),( Sang-kee Kang ),( Yun-jaie Choi ),( Chong-su Cho ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2018 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.28 No.4

Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, which lead to synergistic benefits in host welfare. Probiotics have been used as an alternative to antibiotics. Among the probiotics, Pediococcus acidilactici (PA) has shown excellent antimicrobial activity against Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) as a major poultry pathogen and has improved the production performances of animals. Inulin is widely used as a prebiotic for the improvement of animal health and growth. The main aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of inulin nanoparticle (IN)-internalized PA encapsulated into alginate/chitosan/alginate (ACA) microcapsules (MCs) for future in vivo application. The prepared phthalyl INs (PINs) were characterized by DLS and FE-SEM. The contents of phthal groups in the PINs were estimated by 1H-NMR measurement as 25.1 mol.-%. The sizes of the PINs measured by DLS were approximately 203 nm. Internalization into PA was confirmed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The antimicrobial activity of PIN-internalized probiotics encapsulated into ACA MCs was measured by coculture antimicrobial assays on SG. PIN-internalized probiotics had a higher antimicrobial ability than that of ACA MCs loaded with PA/inulin or PA. Interestingly, when PINs were treated with PA and encapsulated into ACA MCs, as a natural antimicrobial peptide, pediocin was produced much more in the culture medium compared with other groups with inulin-loaded ACA MCs and PA encapsulated into ACA MCs.

Optimization of the construction scheme of the cable-strut tensile structure based on error sensitivity analysis

Lian-meng Chen,Dong Hu,Hua Deng,Yu-hong Cui,Yi-yi Zhou 국제구조공학회 2016 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.21 No.5

Optimization of the construction scheme of the cable-strut tensile structure based on error sensitivity analysis is studied in this paper. First, the element length was extracted as a fundamental variable, and the relationship between element length change and element internal force was established. By setting all pre-stresses in active cables to zero, the equation between the pre-stress deviation in the passive cables and the element length error was obtained to analyze and evaluate the error effects under different construction schemes. Afterwards, based on the probability statistics theory, the mathematical model of element length error is set up. The statistical features of the pre-stress deviation were achieved. Finally, a cable-strut tensile structure model with a diameter of 5.0 m was fabricated. The element length errors are simulated by adjusting the element length, and each member in one symmetrical unit was elongated by 3 mm to explore the error sensitivity of each type of element. The numerical analysis of error sensitivity was also carried out by the FEA model in ANSYS software, where the element length change was simulated by implementing appropriate temperature changes. The theoretical analysis and experimental results both indicated that different elements had different error sensitivities. Likewise, different construction schemes had different construction precisions, and the optimal construction scheme should be chosen for the real construction projects to achieve lower error effects, lower cost and greater convenience.

Lack of Effects of Dietary Folate Intake on Risk of Breast Cancer: An Updated Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies

Liu, Meng,Cui, Lian-Hua,Ma, Ai-Guo,Li, Na,Piao, Jin-Mei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

Background: Epidemiological findings are controversial relating to the relationship between dietary folate intake and the risk of breast cancer. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to clarify this association. Materials and Methods: PUBMED, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases were searched for all relevant literature published in English from January 1, 1966 to August 2013. Summary relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed or random effects model. Results: Dietary folate intake was not significantly associated with the risk of breast cancer. The combined RR with 95%CI for the highest vs. lowest category dietary intake of folate [fifteen studies; 1,836,566 participants and 24,083 patients with breast cancer] was 0.98 (0.90-1.05). Among subgroup analysis by menstrual status, hormonal status and the consumption of alcohol, methionine and vitamin B12, no significant association was observed for the dietary intake of folate and the risk of breast cancer. Dose-response analysis showed that a 220 ${\mu}g/day$ increment in dietary folate intake was not associated with the risk of breast cancer. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that dietary folate intake has no significant effect on the risk of breast cancer.

Endophytic Trichoderma gamsii YIM PH30019: a promising biocontrol agent with hyperosmolar, mycoparasitism, and antagonistic activities of induced volatile organic compounds on root-rot pathogenic fungi of Panax notoginseng

Chen, Jin-Lian,Sun, Shi-Zhong,Miao, Cui-Ping,Wu, Kai,Chen, You-Wei,Xu, Li-Hua,Guan, Hui-Lin,Zhao, Li-Xing The Korean Society of Ginseng 2016 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.40 No.4

Background: Biocontrol agents are regarded as promising and environmental friendly approaches as agrochemicals for phytodiseases that cause serious environmental and health problems. Trichoderma species have been widely used in suppression of soil-borne pathogens. In this study, an endophytic fungus, Trichoderma gamsii YIM PH30019, from healthy Panax notoginseng root was investigated for its biocontrol potential. Methods: In vitro detached healthy roots, and pot and field experiments were used to investigate the pathogenicity and biocontrol efficacy of T. gamsii YIM PH30019 to the host plant. The antagonistic mechanisms against test phytopathogens were analyzed using dual culture, scanning electron microscopy, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Tolerance to chemical fertilizers was also tested in a series of concentrations. Results: The results indicated that T. gamsii YIM PH30019 was nonpathogenic to the host, presented appreciable biocontrol efficacy, and could tolerate chemical fertilizer concentrations of up to 20%. T. gamsii YIM PH30019 displayed antagonistic activities against the pathogenic fungi of P. notoginseng via production of VOCs. On the basis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, VOCs were identified as dimethyl disulfide, dibenzofuran, methanethiol, ketones, etc., which are effective ingredients for antagonistic activity. T. gamsii YIM PH30019 was able to improve the seedlings' emergence and protect P. notoginseng plants from soil-borne disease in the continuous cropping field tests. Conclusion: The results suggest that the endophytic fungus T. gamsii YIM PH30019 may have a good potential as a biological control agent against notoginseng phytodiseases and can provide a clue to further illuminate the interactions between Trichoderma and phytopathogens.

The Effect of Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism on Lipid Levels in Korean Adults

신민호,Kim Hee Nam,Cui Lian Hua,Kweon Sun Seog,박경수,Heon Heo,Nam Hae Sung,Jeong Seul Ki,정은경,최진수 대한의학회 2005 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.20 No.3

Oral Immunization of FMDV Vaccine Using pH-Sensitive and Mucoadhesive Thiolated Cellulose Acetate Phthalate Microparticles

이호빈,윤소연,비제이,오서호,Lian-Hua Cui,Chang Guo Yan,강상기,최윤재,조종수 한국조직공학과 재생의학회 2018 조직공학과 재생의학 Vol.15 No.1

Several barriers such as gastric pH, enzymatic degradation and rapid transit should be overcome to orally deliver antigens for taking up by epithelial microfold cells in Peyer’s patches of small intestine. To solve the above mentioned problems, we designed pH-sensitive and mucoadhesive polymeric microparticles (MPs) prepared by double emulsion technique using cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) to enhance immune response of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus (FMDV) subunit vaccine. Thiolation of CAP improved mucoadhesive property of CAP to prolong the MPs transit time through the gastrointestinal tract. Thiolated CAP (T-CAP) also slowed down antigen release in acidic pH of stomach but released more antigens in neutral pH of small intestine due to the pH-sensitivity of the T-CAP. Oral immunization of a chimerical multi-epitope recombinant protein as the FMD subunit vaccine via T-CAP MPs effectively delivered the vaccine to Peyer’s patches eliciting mucosal IgA response. It will make a step forward into a promising oral subunit vaccine development in livestock industry.

Prediction of Lung Cancer Based on Serum Biomarkers by Gene Expression Programming Methods

Yu, Zhuang,Chen, Xiao-Zheng,Cui, Lian-Hua,Si, Hong-Zong,Lu, Hai-Jiao,Liu, Shi-Hai Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.21

In diagnosis of lung cancer, rapid distinction between small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors is very important. Serum markers, including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA), neurone specific enolase (NSE) and Cyfra21-1, are reported to reflect lung cancer characteristics. In this study classification of lung tumors was made based on biomarkers (measured in 120 NSCLC and 60 SCLC patients) by setting up optimal biomarker joint models with a powerful computerized tool - gene expression programming (GEP). GEP is a learning algorithm that combines the advantages of genetic programming (GP) and genetic algorithms (GA). It specifically focuses on relationships between variables in sets of data and then builds models to explain these relationships, and has been successfully used in formula finding and function mining. As a basis for defining a GEP environment for SCLC and NSCLC prediction, three explicit predictive models were constructed. CEA and NSE are requentlyused lung cancer markers in clinical trials, CRP, LDH and Cyfra21-1 have significant meaning in lung cancer, basis on CEA and NSE we set up three GEP models-GEP 1(CEA, NSE, Cyfra21-1), GEP2 (CEA, NSE, LDH), GEP3 (CEA, NSE, CRP). The best classification result of GEP gained when CEA, NSE and Cyfra21-1 were combined: 128 of 135 subjects in the training set and 40 of 45 subjects in the test set were classified correctly, the accuracy rate is 94.8% in training set; on collection of samples for testing, the accuracy rate is 88.9%. With GEP2, the accuracy was significantly decreased by 1.5% and 6.6% in training set and test set, in GEP3 was 0.82% and 4.45% respectively. Serum Cyfra21-1 is a useful and sensitive serum biomarker in discriminating between NSCLC and SCLC. GEP modeling is a promising and excellent tool in diagnosis of lung cancer.

Role of P14 and MGMT Gene Methylation in Hepatocellular Carcinomas: a Meta-analysis

Li, Cheng-Cheng,Yu, Zhuang,Cui, Lian-Hua,Piao, Jin-Mei,Liu, Meng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.16

Background: This meta-analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between methylation of the P14 and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) genes and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases to identify relevant studies that analysed HCC tissues for P14 and MGMT gene methylation status; we then performed a meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to evaluate the association between gene methylation and the risk of HCC. Results: Ten studies that assessed P14 gene methylation in 630 HCC tumour tissues and nine studies analysing MGMT methylation in 497 HCC tumour tissues met our inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis revealed that the rate of P14 methylation was significantly higher in HCCs than in adjacent tissues (OR 3.69, 95%CI 1.63-8.35, p=0.002), but there was no significant difference in MGMT methylation between HCC and adjacent tissues (OR 1.76, 95%CI 0.55-5.64, p=0.34). A subgroup analysis according to ethnicity revealed that P14 methylation was closely related to the risk of HCC in Chinese and Western individuals (Chinese, OR 7.74, 95%CI 1.36-44.04, p=0.021; Western, OR 3.60, 95%CI 1.49-8.69, p=0.004). Furthermore, MGMT methylation was not correlated with the risk of HCC in Chinese individuals (OR 2.42, 95%CI 0.76-7.73, p=0.134). The combined rate of P14 methylation was 35% (95%CI 24-48%) in HCC tumour tissues and 11% (95%CI 4-27%) in adjacent tissues, whereas the combined rate of MGMT methylation was 15% (95%CI 6-32%) in HCC and 10% (95%CI 4-22%) in adjacent tissues. Conclusions: These results suggest that the risk of HCC is related to P14 methylation, but not MGMT methylation. Therefore, P14 gene methylation may be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC.

Glutathione-S-transferase (GSTM1, GSTT1) Null Phenotypes and Risk of Lung Cancer in a Korean Population

Piao, Jin-Mei,Shin, Min-Ho,Kim, Hee Nam,Cui, Lian-Hua,Song, Hye-Rim,Kweon, Sun-Seog,Choi, Jin-Su,Kim, Young-Chul,Oh, In-Jae,Kim, Kyu-Sik Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate any association of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes with the risk of lung cancer in a South Korean population. Methods: We conducted a large-scale, population-based case-control study including 3,933 lung cancer cases and 1,699 controls. Genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1 were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and smoking, we did not find any association between GSTM1 or GSTT1 and LC risk in women. However, in men, the GSTM1 and GSTTI null genotypes were borderline associated with risk (OR=1.18, 95% CI=0.99-1.41 for GSTM1, OR=1.18, 95% CI=0.99-1.41 for GSTT1), and combined GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes conferred an increased risk for LC in men (OR=1.39, 95% CI=1.08-1.78). The OR for the GSTT1 null genotype was greater in subjects aged 55 years old or younger (OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.09-1.92 for men; OR=1.36, 95% CI=0.97-1.90 for women), than in those over age 55 (OR=1.03, 95% CI=0.83-1.27 for men; OR=0.86, 95% CI=0.66-1.12 for women) in both genders (p for interaction <0.05). Conclusions: In the Korean population, the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes are risk factors for LC in men; the GSTT1 null genotype has a more prominent effect on LC risk in younger people (age 55 years and under) than in older individuals.