An Emerging Role for Circular RNAs in Osteoarthritis

Chen-Xi Yu,Shui Sun 연세대학교의과대학 2018 Yonsei medical journal Vol.59 No.3

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are currently classed as non-coding RNAs that, unlike the better known canonical linear RNAs, form acovalently closed continuous loop without 5’ or 3’ polarities. With the development of high throughput sequencing technology, alarge number of circRNAs have been discovered in many species. More importantly, growing evidence suggests that circRNAs areabundant, evolutionally conserved, and relatively stable in cells and tissues. Strikingly, recent studies have discovered that circRNAscan serve as microRNA sponges, interact with RNA-binding protein, and regulate gene transcription, as well as proteintranslation. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease. CircRNAs are differentially expressed inOA cartilage. Moreover, some circRNAs are involved in multiple pathological processes during OA, mainly extracellular matrixdegradation, inflammation, and apoptosis. In this review, we briefly delineate the biogenesis, characteristics, and biofunctions ofcircRNAs, and then, focus on the role of circRNAs in the occurrence and progression OA.

Hispidin attenuates bleomycin‑induced idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis via an anti‑oxidative effect in A549 cells

Ren Chen-Xi,Jin Xin,Xie Dan-Ping,Guo Xiao-Yu,Yu Li-Yun,Cui Yu-Dong,Kwon Taeho,Sun Hu-Nan 한국응용생명화학회 2021 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.64 No.5

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious and irreversible chronic lung disease. Bleomycin (BLM) is an anticancer drug, which can cause severe lung toxicity. The main target of oxidative stress-induced lung injury is alveolar epithelial cells, which lead to interstitial fibrosis. The present study investigated whether hispidin (HP), which has excellent antioxidant activity, attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via anti-oxidative effects in A549 cells. We found that hispidin reduced bleomycin-induced fibrosis of A549 cells by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Taken together, our data suggest that hispidin has therapeutic potential in preventing bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Plant Virome Analysis by the Deep Sequencing of Small RNAs of Fritillaria thunbergii var. chekiangensis and the Rapid Identification of Viruses

Lu-xi Chen,Hang-kai Pan,Yu-tian Tao,Dang Yang,Hui-min Deng,Kai-jie Xu,Wen-bin Chen,Jun-min Li 한국식물병리학회 2022 Plant Pathology Journal Vol.38 No.5

Thunberg fritillary (Fritillaria thunbergii), a perennial used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is a members of the family Liliaceae. The degeneration of germplasm is a severe problem in the production of Fritillaria thunbergii var. chekiangensis. However, no information about viral infections of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis has been reported. In this study, we sequenced the small RNAs of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis from leaves and bulbs, and viruses were identified using a phylogenetic analysis and BLAST search for sequence. In addition, multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to rapidly detect viruses in this variety. Our study first reported that five viruses infected F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis. Among them, fritillary virus Y (FVY), lily mottle virus (LMoV), Thunberg fritillary mosaic virus (TFMV), and hop yellow virus (HYV) had been reported in F. thunbergii, while apple stem grooving virus was first reported in the genus Fritillaria. A multiplex RT-PCR method was developed to rapidly test the four viruses FVY, LMoV, TFMV, and HYV in F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis. Our results provide a better understanding of the infection of F. thunbergii var. chekiangensis by viruses and a basic reference for the better design of suitable control measures.

Study of the Band-gap Structure of a 1D-photonic Crystal by Using Different Numerical Approaches

Liang-Yao Chen,Jian-Bo Chen,Yue-Rui Chen,Yan Shen,Wei-Xi Zhou,Jiu-Chun Ren,Yu-Xiang Zheng 한국물리학회 2010 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.56 No.4

Comparative studies between the transfer matrices method (TMM) and plane wave method (PWM) approaches have been performed on 1D photonics crystal under different conditions to show the differences between these two kinds of calculations. TMM is suitable for the design of 1D photonic crystal device with high precision and is in good agreement with experimental results, but is not suitable for the 2D and 3D photonic structures which are limited by the complicated boundary conditions at micro interfaces. The result based on the PWM approach to deal approximately with the photonic structure in approximation has not yet been strictly verified by experiment, not even for 1D photonic crystal structures. More efforts will be required to explore its validation under all physical conditions to enhance its application.

Is transurethral needle ablation of prostate out of fashion? Outcomes of single session office-based transurethral needle ablation of prostate in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia

Yu Xi Terence Law,Wei Jing Kelven Chen,Liang Shen,Wei Jin Chua 대한비뇨의학회 2019 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.60 No.5

Purpose: Transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Compared to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), office-based TUNA is an attractive alternative as it is minimally invasive and avoids general anaesthesia. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of single session office-based TUNA. Materials and Methods: Data of 121 patients who had undergone TUNA was retrieved from June 2008 to March 2017. Patients were followed-up with visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12-months with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL) scoring and uroflowmetry. Results: Patients were 39 to 85 years old. The prostate volumes were 20.00 to 96.90 mL with a median of 26.95 mL. The median IPSS score pre-TUNA was 19, median QOL score pre-TUNA was 4 and median maximum urinary flow (Qmax) pre-TUNA was 10.3 mL/s. There is 65% improvement of IPSS post-TUNA (p<0.001). There is 75% improvement of QOL post-TUNA QOL (p<0.001). There is 35% improvement of Qmax post-TUNA Qmax (p<0.001). The mean relapse-free survival for TUNA is 6.123 years. The 1st, 3rd, and 5th year relapse-free survival rate were 91.7%, 76.6% and 63.7% respectively. Conclusions: Our study is the first to investigate the use of a single-setting office-based TUNA requiring minimal sedation in the Asian community. Complication rates were low in our series, with no associated mortality. When applied to selected patients, TUNA is an effective and reasonably safe alternative for the treatment of symptomatic BPH.

중국 본토, 진폐증이 없는 석탄분진 근로자의 '삶의 질'

Yu, Hong-Mei,Ren, Xiao-Wei,Chen, Qian,Zhao, Jing-Yi,Zhu, Ting-Juan,Guo, Zhi-Xi 대한산업보건협회 2009 산업보건 Vol.250 No.-

Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Potato Plants Expressing IbMYB1, a Sweet Potato Transcription Factor

( Yu Jie Cheng ),( Myoung Duck Kim ),( Xi Ping Deng ),( Sang Soo Kwak ),( Wei Chen ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.12

IbMYB1, a transcription factor (TF) for R2R3-type MYB TFs, is a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis during storage of sweet potatoes. Anthocyanins provide important antioxidants of nutritional value to humans, and also protect plants from oxidative stress. This study aimed to increase transgenic potatoes` (Solanum tuberosum cv. LongShu No.3) tolerance to environmental stress and enhance their nutritional value. Transgenic potato plants expressing IbMYB1 genes under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to as SM plants) were successfully generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Two representative transgenic SM5 and SM12 lines were evaluated for enhanced tolerance to salinity, UV-B rays, and drought conditions. Following treatment of 100 mM NaCl, seedlings of SM5 and SM12 lines showed less root damage and more shoot growth than control lines expressing only an empty vector. Transgenic potato plants in pots treated with 400 mM NaCl showed high amounts of secondary metabolites, including phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, compared with control plants. After treatment of 400 mM NaCl, transgenic potato plants also showed high DDPH radical scavenging activity and high PS II photochemical efficiency compared with the control line. Furthermore, following treatment of NaCl, UV-B, and drought stress, the expression levels of IbMYB1 and several structural genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis such as CHS, DFR, and ANS in transgenic plants were found to be correlated with plant phenotype. The results suggest that enhanced IbMYB1 expression affects secondary metabolism, which leads to improved tolerance ability in transgenic potatoes.

Sclareol production in the moss Physcomitrella patens and observations on growth and terpenoid biosynthesis

Xi-Wu Pan,Lei Han,Yu-Hua Zhang,Dong-Fang Chen,Henrik Toft Simonsen 한국식물생명공학회 2015 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.9 No.3

The moss Physcomitrella patens was engineered to produce the diterpenoid sclareol, an important precursor for the synthesis of ambergris substitutes for the perfume industry. The best total yield of sclareol was 2.84 mg/g dry weight (2.28 mg/l culture) obtained after 18 days of cultivation in liquid media (extracted from both media and cell pellet). The two active sclareol synthase genes were integrated in a random fashion, and linked with the ribosomal skip 2A under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. We conclude that moss can produce sclareol and utilize the ribosomal skip 2A. In addition, we observed growth impairment in all our sclareol-producing lines and moss lines knocked out in the endogenous diterpene synthase (copalyl/kaurene synthase—PpCPS/KS). A RT-PCR study, with ubiquitin as the best reference gene, showed that there was a down-regulation of the transcription of the terpenoid biosynthetic genes in the PpCPS/KS knock out moss. This down-regulation was recovered by the introduction of the two sclareol synthases, suggesting that the regulation of the general terpenoid biosynthesis is very flexible and can be amended in future biotechnological engineering.

Quality of the Institution and Multilateral Financial Institutions in the Success of Public-Private Partnership: Evidence and an Institutional Design

Yu LUO,Yuchao PENG,Xi CHEN 한국무역학회 2019 한국무역학회 국제학술대회 Vol.2019 No.08

Based on data of 2485 PPP projects in 46 developing countries from 2002 to 2013, we empirically investigate the effect of institutional factors and international financial institutions in the success of PPP projects. We find out that: (1) Countries with more positive experiences are more likely to succeed the following PPP project; (2) PPP projects are more likely to fail with higher degree of private sectors’ risk sharing; quality of institution influences the success of PPP by directly influencing private sectors’ risk sharing; (3) Institutional quality of the investment destination has mixed impact on the degree of private sectors’ risk sharing in PPP projects; specifically, increased rule of law, higher bureaucratic effectiveness, stronger control over corruption and better support to private sectors’ development are more likely to encourage private entities to shoulder more risks within the partnership, however, the democracy level of counties presents the contrary effect;(4) Multilateral financial institutions are positive factors to private sectors during choosing risk structure.

Effect of Sub-Structure and Precipitation Behavior on Mechanical Properties of Al–xCu–Li Alloys

Yu‑zhuo Li,Guang‑jun Zeng,Ding‑ding Lu,Zhen‑zhen Liu,San‑xi Deng,Peng‑cheng Ma,Yong‑lai Chen,Rui‑feng Zhang,Jin‑feng Li 대한금속·재료학회 2023 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.29 No.11

The tensile properties and microstructure of extruded and cold rolled 2A55 Al–Li alloys with different Cu content werestudied. After solution treatment, the strength of extruded sheets is slightly higher than that of cold rolled sheets due to strongdeformation texture and high density of substructure. However, the strength change order is different with the increase of Cucontent with T6-24 h. The extruded sample with higher Cu content have higher strength due to many dense T1precipitates. The δ′/θ′/δ′ composite precipitates and θ′ precipitates suppress the formation of T1precipitates, which cause cold rolled samplewith higher Cu content shows lower strength. Additionally, many fine T1precipitates nucleate at the sub-grain boundariesformed in the extrusion process, which have a significant effect on the mechanical property.