Cav3.2 T-Type Ca2+ Channel-Dependent Activation of ERK in Paraventricular Thalamus Modulates Acid-Induced Chronic Muscle Pain.

Chen, Wen-Kwei,Liu, Ingrid Y,Chang, Ya-Ting,Chen, Yong-Cyuan,Chen, Chih-Cheng,Yen, Chen-Tung,Shin, Hee-Sup,Chen, Chien-Chang The Society 2010 The Journal of neuroscience Vol.30 No.31

<P>Treatments for chronic musculoskeletal pain, such as lower back pain, fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain syndrome, remain inadequate because of our poor understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these conditions. Although T-type Ca(2+) channels (T-channels) have been implicated in peripheral and central pain sensory pathways, their role in chronic musculoskeletal pain is still unclear. Here, we show that acid-induced chronic mechanical hyperalgesia develops in Ca(v)3.1-deficient and wild-type but not in Ca(v)3.2-deficient male and female mice. We also show that T-channels are required for the initiation, but not maintenance, of acid-induced chronic muscle pain. Blocking T-channels using ethosuximide prevented chronic mechanical hyperalgesia in wild-type mice when administered intraperitoneally or intracerebroventricularly, but not intramuscularly or intrathecally. Furthermore, we found an acid-induced, Ca(v)3.2 T-channel-dependent activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in the anterior nucleus of paraventricular thalamus (PVA), and prevention of the ERK activation abolished the chronic mechanical hyperalgesia. Our findings suggest that Ca(v)3.2 T-channel-dependent activation of ERK in PVA is required for the development of acid-induced chronic mechanical hyperalgesia.</P>

HE4 as a Serum Biomarker for ROMA Prediction and Prognosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Chen, Wen-Ting,Gao, Xiang,Han, Xiao-Dian,Zheng, Hui,Guo, Lin,Lu, Ren-Quan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Background and Purpose: Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has been suggested to be a novel biomarker of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The present study aimed to evaluate and compare HE4 with the commonly used marker, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), in prediction and therapy-monitoring of EOC. Patients and Methods: Serum HE4 concentrations from 123 ovarian cancer patients and 174 controls were measured by Roche electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA). Risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) values were calculated and assessed. In addition, the prospects of HE4 detection for therapy-monitoring were evaluated in EOC patients. Results: The ROMA score could classify patients into high- and low-risk groups with malignancy. Indeed, lower serum HE4 was significantly associated with successful surgical therapy. Specifically, 38 patients with EOC exhibited a greater decline of HE4 compared with CA125. In contrast, elevation of HE4 better predicted recurrence (of 46, 11 patients developed recurrence, and with it increased HE4 serum concentrations) and a poor prognosis than CA125. Conclusions: This study suggests that serum HE4 levels are closely associated with outcome of surgical therapy and disease prognosis in Chinese EOC patients.

Comparison of the trometamol-balanced solution with two other crystalloid solutions for fluid resuscitation of a rat hemorrhagic model

Wen-Ting Ting,Ru-Wen Chang,Chih-Hsien Wang,Yih-Sharng Chen,Jih-Jong Lee 대한수의학회 2020 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.21 No.1

Currently, the optimal resuscitation fluid remains debatable. Therefore, in the present study, we designed a trometamol-balanced solution (TBS) for use as a resuscitation fluid for hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock was induced in 18 male Wistar-Kyoto rats, which were assigned to normal saline (NS), Ringer's solution (RS), and TBS groups. During the hemorrhagic state, their hemodynamic parameters were recorded using an Abbott i-STAT analyzer with the CG4+ cartridge (for pH, pressure of carbon dioxide, pressure of oxygen, total carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, base excess, oxygen saturation, and lactate), the CG6+ cartridge (for sodium, potassium, chloride, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, hematocrit, and hemoglobin), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (calcium, magnesium, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, and albumin). Similar trends were found for the parameters of biochemistries, electrolytes, and blood gas, and they revealed no significant changes after blood withdrawal-induced hemorrhagic shock. However, the TBS group showed more effective ability to correct metabolic acidosis than the NS and RS groups. TBS was a feasible and safe resuscitation solution in this study and may be an alternative to NS and RS for resuscitation in hemorrhagic shock patients without liver damage.

Identification of a Novel Human Lysophosphatidic Acid Acyltransferase, LPAAT-theta, Which Activates mTOR Pathway

( Wen Wen Tang ),( Jian Yuan ),( Xin Ya Chen ),( Xiu Ting Gu ),( Kun Tian Luo ),( Jie Li ),( Bo Wan ),( Ying Li Wang ),( Long Yu ) 생화학분자생물학회 2006 BMB Reports Vol.39 No.5

Enhancement of Aggregation-Induced Emission in Dye-Encapsulating Polymeric Micelles for Bioimaging

Wu, Wen-Chung,Chen, Ching-Yi,Tian, Yanqing,Jang, Sei-Hum,Hong, Yuning,Liu, Yang,Hu, Rongrong,Tang, Ben Zhong,Lee, Yi-Ting,Chen, Chin-Ti,Chen, Wen-Chang,Jen, Alex K.-Y. WILEY-VCH Verlag 2010 Advanced Functional Materials Vol.20 No.9

<P>Three amphiphilic block copolymers are employed to form polymeric micelles and function as nanocarriers to disperse hydrophobic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN), into aqueous solution for biological studies. Compared to their virtually non-emissive properties in organic solutions, the fluorescence intensity of these AIE dyes has increased significantly due to the spatial confinement that restricts intramolecular rotation of these dyes and their better compatibility in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. The effect of the chemical structure of micelle cores on the photophysical properties of AIE dyes are investigated, and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the green-emitting donor (HPS) to the red-emitting acceptor (NPAFN) is explored by co-encapsulating this FRET pair in the same micelle core. The highest fluorescence quantum yield (∼62%) could be achieved by encapsulating HPS aggregates in the micelles. Efficient energy transfer (>99%) and high amplification of emission (as high as 8 times) from the NPAFN acceptor could also be achieved by spatially confining the HPS/NPAFN FRET pair in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. These micelles could be successfully internalized into the RAW 264.7 cells to demonstrate high-quality fluorescent images and cell viability due to improved quantum yield and reduced cytotoxicity.</P> <B>Graphic Abstract</B> <P>Highly efficient fluorescence probes are achieved through the encapsulation of aggregation-induced emission molecules, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN) in the core of polymeric micelles. Bright fluorescence cell images are shown with tunable colors of green directly from HPS aggregates and red through efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from HPS aggregates to NPAFN aggregates. <img src='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content.gif' alt='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content'> </P>

Male hypogonadism caused by a homozygous missense mutation of the LHB gene

( Jie Chen ),( Wen-ting Yi ),( Yuan-Qing Cui ),( Wen-ting Wang ),( Xiong Wang ) 대한내과학회 2021 The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine Vol.36 No.6

Combination of Tumor Volume and Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Improved Prognostic Stratification of Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Era: A Large-Scale Cohort Study

Qiu-Yan Chen,Shao-Yan Guo,Lin-Quan Tang,Tong-Yu Lu,Bo-Lin Chen,Qi-Yu Zhong,Meng-Sha Zou,Qing-Nan Tang,Wen-Hui Chen,Shan-Shan Guo,Li-Ting Liu,Yang Li,Ling Guo,Hao-Yuan Mo,Rui Sun,Dong-Hua Luo,Chong Zha 대한암학회 2018 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.50 No.3

Purpose Little is known about combination of the circulating Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) DNA and tumor volume in prognosis of stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients in the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era. We conducted this cohort study to evaluate the prognostic values of combining these two factors. Materials and Methods By Kaplan-Meier, we compare the differences of survival curves between 385 patients with different EBV DNA or tumor volume levels, or with the combination of two biomarkers mentioned above. Results Gross tumor volume of cervical lymph nodes (GTVnd, p < 0.001) and total tumor volume (GTVtotal, p < 0.001) were both closely related to pretreatment EBV DNA, while gross tumor volume of nasopharynx (GTVnx, p=0.047) was weakly related to EBV DNA. EBV DNA was significantly correlated with progress-free survival (PFS, p=0.005), locoregional-free survival (LRFS, p=0.039), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS, p=0.017), while GTVtotal, regardless of GTVnx and GTVnd, had a significant correlation with PFS and LRFS. The p-values of GTVtotal for PFS and LRFS were 0.008 and 0.001, respectively. According to GTVtotal and pretreatment EBV DNA level, patients were divided into a low-risk group (EBV DNA 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal < 30 cm3; EBV DNA 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal  30 cm3; or EBV DNA > 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal < 30 cm3) and a high-risk group (EBV DNA > 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal  30 cm3). When patients in the low-risk group were compared with those in the high-risk group, 3-year PFS (p=0.003), LRFS (p=0.010), and DMFS (p=0.031) rates were statistically significant. Conclusion Pretreatment plasma EBV DNA and tumor volume were both closely correlated with prognosis of stage II NPC patients in the IMRT era. Combination of EBV DNA and tumor volume can refine prognosis and indicate for clinical therapy.

Nomogram for predicting overall survival in children with neuroblastoma based on SEER database

Song-Wu Liang,Gang Chen,Yi-Ge Luo,Peng Chen,Jin-Han Gu,Qiong-Qian Xu,Yi-Wu Dang,Li-Ting Qin,Hui-Ping Lu,Wen-Ting Huang,Zhi-Guang Huang,Li Gao,Jia-Bo Chen 대한외과학회 2020 Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research(ASRT) Vol.99 No.2

Purpose: This study was performed to establish and validate a nomogram for predicting the overall survival in children with neuroblastoma. Methods: The latest clinical data of neuroblastoma in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was extracted from 2000 to 2016. The cases included were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. The survival curves were drawn with a Kaplan-Meier estimator to investigate the influences of certain single factors on overall survival. Also, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to further select the prognostic variables for neuroblastoma. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves were used to evaluate the accuracy of the nomogram. Results: In total, 1,262 patients were collected and 8 independent prognostic factors were achieved, including patients’ age, sex, race, tumor grade, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, tumor site, and tumor size. Then we constructed a nomogram by using the data of the training cohort with 886 cases. Subsequently, the nomogram was validated internally and externally with 886 and 376 cases, respectively. The internal validation revealed that the area under the curves (AUC) of ROC curves of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were 0.69, 0.78, and 0.81, respectively. Accordingly, the external validation also showed that the AUC of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were all ≥0.69. Both methods of validation demonstrated that the predictive calibration curves were consistent with standard curves. Conclusion: The nomogram possess the potential to be a new tool in predicting the survival rate of neuroblastoma patients.

Effects of Low Temperature and Lactate on Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Ting Chen,Yan Zhou,Wen-Song Tan 한국생물공학회 2009 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.14 No.6

A functional relationship between the growth and the progression of events associated with osteogenic differentiation of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) has been a fundamental question, which remains unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of low temperature and lactate individually, and in combination on the growth and osteogenic differentiation of hAMSCs. It was shown that the growth of hAMSCs in growth medium was inhibited by both low-cultivation temperature and lactate. By extending culture period at low temperature, cell growth declined gradually, while the ALP expression and calcium deposition increased progressively. However, the growth of hAMSCs induced in osteogenic medium at 37oC was markedly enhanced by additional lactate. The ALP expression and calcium deposition, on the contrary, were significantly depressed. Furthermore, the synergistic actions of long-term low temperature and lactate resulted in more intense inhibition on both cell growth and osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, these findings may imply the co-contribution of the culture environment on the selective manipulation on the growth capacity and osteogenic differentiation potential of hAMSCs A functional relationship between the growth and the progression of events associated with osteogenic differentiation of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) has been a fundamental question, which remains unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of low temperature and lactate individually, and in combination on the growth and osteogenic differentiation of hAMSCs. It was shown that the growth of hAMSCs in growth medium was inhibited by both low-cultivation temperature and lactate. By extending culture period at low temperature, cell growth declined gradually, while the ALP expression and calcium deposition increased progressively. However, the growth of hAMSCs induced in osteogenic medium at 37oC was markedly enhanced by additional lactate. The ALP expression and calcium deposition, on the contrary, were significantly depressed. Furthermore, the synergistic actions of long-term low temperature and lactate resulted in more intense inhibition on both cell growth and osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, these findings may imply the co-contribution of the culture environment on the selective manipulation on the growth capacity and osteogenic differentiation potential of hAMSCs

High-strength concrete deep beams with web openings strengthened by carbon fiber reinforced plastics

Wen-Yao Lu,Hsin-Wan Yu,Chun-Liang Chen,Shen-Lung Liu,Ting-Chou Che 사단법인 한국계산역학회 2015 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.15 No.1

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) on the shear strengths of deep beams with web openings. A total of 18 high-strength concrete deep beams with web openings were tested. Twelve were externally wrapped with four layers of CFRP, six of them strengthened in the horizontal direction and the others in the vertical direction. The parameters of the configuration of CFRP, the sizes of the openings and the locations of the openings were covered in this study. The test results indicates the shear strengths of deep beams with openings sized 60×40 mm were about 16% higher than that with openings sized 68×68 mm. For deep beams with openings sized 60×40 mm, the lower the locations of openings the higher the shear strengths were. The test results also indicate the shear strengths of deep beams with web openings strengthened by CFRP wrapped in the vertical direction can be enhanced by about 10%. However, the shear strengths of deep beams with web openings strengthened by CFRP wrapped in the horizontal direction can only be enhanced by about 6%. The shear strengths of deep beam, with different size and location of web openings and strengthened by different configuration of CFRP can be reasonably predicted by the empirical formulas of Kong and Sharp.