Distinct Effects of Non-absorbed Agents Rifaximin and Berberine on the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Dysbiosis-induced Visceral Hypersensitivity in Rats

Jindong Zhang,Cunzheng Zhang,Tao Zhang,Lu Zhang,Liping Duan 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2023 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.29 No.4

Background/AimsIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is accepted as a disorder of gut-brain interactions. Berberine and rifaximin are non-absorbed antibiotics and have been confirmed effective for IBS treatment, but there is still lack of direct comparison of their effects. This study aims to compare the effect of the 2 drugs on the alteration of gut-brain axis caused by gut microbiota from IBS patients. MethodsGerm-free rats received fecal microbiota transplantation from screened IBS patients and healthy controls. After 14 days’ colonization, rats were administrated orally with berberine, rifaximin or vehicle respectively for the next 14 days. The visceral sensitivity was evaluated, fecal microbiota profiled and microbial short chain fatty acids were determined. Immunofluorescence staining and morphological analysis were performed to evaluate microglial activation. ResultsVisceral hypersensitivity induced by IBS–fecal microbiota transplantation was relieved by berberine and rifaximin, and berberine increased sucrose preference rate. Microbial α-diversity were reduced by both drugs. Compared with rifaximin, berberine significantly changed microbial structure and enriched Lachnoclostridium. Furthermore, berberine but not rifaximin significantly increased fecal concentrations of acetate and propionate acids. Berberine restored the morphological alterations of microglia induced by dysbiosis, which may be associated with its effect on the expression of microbial gene pathways involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Rifaximin affected neither the numbers of activated microglial cells nor the microglial morphological alterations. ConclusionsBerberine enriched Lachnoclostridium, reduced the expression of peptidoglycan biosynthesis genes and increased acetate and propionate. The absence of these actions of rifaximin may explain the different effects of the drugs on microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Effect of Xeroderma Pigmentosum Complementation Group F Polymorphisms on Gastric Cancer Risk and Associations with H.pylori Infection

Zhang, Ji-Shun,Zhang, Chuan,Yan, Xue-Yan,Yuan, Zhi-Fang,Duan, Zhuo-Yang,Gao, Hui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.3

We conducted a hospital case-control study by genotyping four potential functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess the association of Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group F (XPF) with gastric cancer susceptibility, and role of XPF polymorphisms in combination with H.pylori infection in risk definition. A total of 331 patients with gastric cancer and 355 controls were collected. Four SNPs of XPF, rs180067, rs1799801, rs2276466 and rs744154, were genotyped by Taqman real-time PCR method with a 7900 HT sequence detector system. The gastric cancer patients were more likely to have smoking habit, a family history of cancer and H.pylori infection. We did not find any significant difference in the genotype distributions of XPF rs180067, rs1799801, rs2276466 and rs744154 between cases and controls. However, multivariate logistic analysis showed a non-significant decreased risk in patients carrying rs180067 G allele, rs1799801 T allele or rs2276466 T allele genotypes. A non-significant increased risk of gastric cancer was found in individuals carrying the rs744154 GG genotype. Stratification by H.pylori infection and smoking was not significantly different in polymorphisms of XPF rs180067, rs1799801, rs2276466 and rs744154. The four XPF SNPs did not show significant interaction with H.pylori infection and smoking status (P for interaction was 0.35 and 0.18, respectively). Our study indicated that polymorphisms in rs180067, rs1799801, rs2276466 and rs744154 may affect the risk of gastric cancer but further large sample size studies are needed to validate any association.

SMC3 contributes to heart development by regulating super-enhancer associated genes

Zhang Bowen,Zhu Yongchang,Zhang Zhen,Wu Feizhen,Ma Xiaojing,Sheng Wei,Dai Ranran,Guo Zhenglong,Yan Weili,Hao Lili,Huang Guoying,Ma Duan,Hao Bingtao,Ma Jing 생화학분자생물학회 2024 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.56 No.-

Abnormal cardiac development has been observed in individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) due to mutations in genes encoding members of the cohesin complex. However, the precise role of cohesin in heart development remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the indispensable role of SMC3, a component of the cohesin complex, in cardiac development and its underlying mechanism. Our investigation revealed that CdLS patients with SMC3 mutations have high rates of congenital heart disease (CHD). We utilized heart-specific Smc3-knockout (SMC3-cKO) mice, which exhibit varying degrees of outflow tract (OFT) abnormalities, to further explore this relationship. Additionally, we identified 16 rare SMC3 variants with potential pathogenicity in individuals with isolated CHD. By employing single-nucleus RNA sequencing and chromosome conformation capture high-throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing, we revealed that Smc3 deletion downregulates the expression of key genes, including Ets2, in OFT cardiac muscle cells by specifically decreasing interactions between super-enhancers (SEs) and promoters. Notably, Ets2-SE-null mice also exhibit delayed OFT development in the heart. Our research revealed a novel role for SMC3 in heart development via the regulation of SE-associated genes, suggesting its potential relevance as a CHD-related gene and providing crucial insights into the molecular basis of cardiac development.

Diversity and geographic variation of endosymbiotic bacteria in natural populations of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) in China

Zhang Li,Cao Ya,Zhang Li-Jun,Wang Meng-Yao,Wang Xiao-Tong,Yang Xing-Zhuo,Duan Ting-Yu,Yuan Ming-Long 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.3

Bacterial symbionts in aphids are known to benefit the insect host and associated with aphid’s ecological adaptation. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), an important legume pest worldwide, carries at least eight endosymbionts, providing a model system to study insect–bacteria interactions. However, species diversity and geographic variations of endosymbionts are unknown in Chinese populations; therefore, we characterized symbiont communities and diversity of 27 pea aphid samples from 13 geographic populations of China. Via amplicon high-throughput sequencing and diagnostic PCR, we found that bacterial communities of Chinese populations were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Among eight known endosymbionts, five (Buchnera, Serratia, Hamiltonella, Regiella, and Rickettsia) were detected by both methods, with a specific geographical distribution. The obligate symbiont, Buchnera, was present in all aphid samples, while the four facultative symbionts showed a significant geographic variation. Each population was randomly infected with distinct endosymbionts, ranging from three to five species. Serratia and Rickettsia showed relatively higher abundance in central regions of China, Regiella was predominant in eastern and western China, whereas Ham iltonella showed an extremely low abundance and was absent in four populations. Samples grouped by altitudes showed a significant diversity difference, whereas there was no significant difference between red and green body colors. Bacterial community structures of the Chinese pea aphid populations were mainly influenced by environmental factors, other than body colors. These data can guide the development of potential biocontrol techniques against this aphid.

Expression and Clinical Significance of REPS2 in Human Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Zhang, Hang,Duan, Chao-Jun,Zhang, Heng,Cheng, Yuan-Da,Zhang, Chun-Fang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Objective: REPS2 plays important roles in inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and in inducing apoptosis of cancer cells, now being identified as a useful biomarker for favorable prognosis in prostate and breast cancers. The purpose of this study was to assess REPS2 expression and to explore its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: Protein expression of REPS2 in ESCCs and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 120 patients was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patient outcome. Additionally, thirty paired ESCC tissues and four ESCC cell lines and one normal human esophageal epithelial cell line were evaluated for REPS2 mRNA and protein expression levels by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results: REPS2 mRNA and protein expression levels were down-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Low protein levels were significantly associated with primary tumour, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and recurrence (all, P < 0.05). Survival analysis demonstrated that decreased REPS2 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival and disease-free survival (both, P < 0.001), especially in early stage ESCC patients. When REPS2 expression and lymph node metastasis status were combined, patients with low REPS2 expression/lymph node (+) had both poorer overall and disease-free survival than others (both, P < 0.001). Cox multivariate regression analysis further revealed REPS2 to be an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that downregulation of REPS2 may contribute to malignant progression of ESCC and represent a novel prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for ESCC patients.

Hand Gesture Segmentation Method Based on YCbCr Color Space and K-Means Clustering

Zhang Qiu-yu,Lu Jun-chi,Zhang Mo-yi,Duan Hong-xiang,Lv Lu 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.8 No.5

Aiming at the problems that current skin-color detection segmentation technologies have unsatisfied segmentation results under conditions of complex illumination or backgrounds, we present a new method based on YCbCr color space and K-means clustering algorithm for segmentation hand gesture. Firstly, image in RGB color space is converted to YCbCr color space; and then YCbCr color space of image is divided into luminance Y and chrominance Cb and Cr. Lastly, the binary image is achieved by clustering values of chrominance using k-means clustering algorithm, and hand gesture segmentation is completed by conducting morphological process of binary image obtained. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed method can segment hand gestures from complex backgrounds and obtain segmentation results. The phenomena of similar skin color interference and skin color overlapping are solved with this method effectively. In addition, it is robust to illumination condition.

Multi-domain Security Authentication Protocol for Hybrid Cloud

Zhang Qikun,Zhang Lei,Gan Yong,Duan zhaolei,Zheng Jun 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Security and Its Applicat Vol.9 No.8

In recent years, with the high-speed development of cloud computing and its universal application, the cloud security technology is more and more important. In cloud computing, it is mainly through the resource sharing and collaborative action to meet the demand for an unlimited access speed, unlimited storage space and a reliable resource protection for users. For the secure access resources among different domains in cloud network, today most Cloud Computing Systems provide data security and mutual authentication with asymmetric and traditional public key cryptography. For these researches, the authentication process is cumbersome, and the certificate management is complex, which would bring some inconvenience for mutual authentication among servers or users in a Hybrid Cloud. This paper provides a security authentication protocol among multiple domains. It adopts the direct product decomposition and linear mapping technology of cyclic group to achieve mutual authentication between members in multi-domain systems or heterogeneous networks. Extensive security and performance analysis show that the proposed schemes have the advantages of in security, computation consumption and Communication consumption. It is suitable for safety authentication in large-scale Cloud computing environment.

Clinical Significance of SH2B1 Adaptor Protein Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Zhang, Hang,Duan, Chao-Jun,Chen, Wei,Wang, Shao-Qiang,Zhang, Sheng-Kang,Dong, Shuo,Cheng, Yuan-Da,Zhang, Chun-Fang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

The SH2B1 adaptor protein is recruited to multiple ligand-activated receptor tyrosine kinases that play important role in the physiologic and pathologic features of many cancers. The purpose of this study was to assess SH2B1 expression and to explore its contribution to the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: SH2B1 expression in 114 primary NSCLC tissue specimens was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patients' outcome. Additionally, 15 paired NSCLC background tissues, 5 NSCLC cell lines and a normal HBE cell line were evaluated for SH2B1 expression by RT-PCR and immunoblotting, immunofluorescence being applied for the cell lines. Results: SH2B1 was found to be overexpressed in NSCLC tissues and NSCLC cell lines. More importantly, high SH2B1 expression was significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor size, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and recurrence respectively. Survival analysis demonstrated that patients with high SH2B1 expression had both poorer disease-free survival and overall survival than other patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that SH2B1 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with NSCLC. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the SH2B1 protein may contribute to the malignant progression of NSCLC and could offer a novel prognostic indicator for patients with NSCLC.

Robust Unit Commitment with Virtual Synchronous Renewables

Zhang Wei-Chao,Sheng Wanxing,Duan Qing,Sha Guanglin,Zhang Yao,Huang Hanyan,Yan Xiangwu 대한전기학회 2022 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.17 No.6

With the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources and the consequent displacement of synchronous generators, the frequency stability of power systems deteriorates since RESs cannot participate in active power and frequency control. By emulating the outer characteristics of SGs and deloading a controllable margin, RESs can also keep headroom and provide frequency responses. This paper focuses on incorporating virtual synchronous renewables into the unit commitment to optimize the joint scheduling of energy production and spinning reserves. First, based on the interval representation of renewable uncertainty, the renewable output is decomposed into the stochastic and dispatchable portions. The dispatchable portion, defi ned as VSRs, can keep deterministic regulation headroom and participate in power balance regulation. Second, a robust security-constrained unit commitment model is proposed to achieve optimal scheduling in face of multiple uncertainties. The fl exibility of the pumped-storage hydro station is also considered. Third, the solution strategies which linearize the nonlinear terms in the objective function and constraints are introduced. Finally, the correctness and eff ectiveness of the robust unit commitment model are tested and verifi ed in the modifi ed 39-bus system.

A Dynamic Gesture Trajectory Recognition Based on Key Frame Extraction and HMM

Zhang Qiu-yu,Lv Lu,Zhang Mo-yi,Duan Hong-xiang,Lu Jun-chi 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.8 No.6

Aiming at changing high computational complexity, underdeveloped real time, low recognition rate of dynamic gesture recognition algorithms, this paper present a real-time dynamic gesture trajectory recognition method based on key frame extraction and HMM. Key frames are selected without keeping track of all the details of one dynamic gesture, which is based on difference degree between frames. The trajectory data stream, sorted by the time-warping algorithm, is used to construct the Hidden Markov Method model of dynamic gesture. Finally, optimal transition probabilities are employed to implement dynamic gesture recognition. The result of this experiment implies that this method has high robustness and real time. The average recognition rate of dynamic gesture (0~9) is up to 87.67%, and average time efficiency is 0.46s.