Serum BMP-2 Up-regulation as an Indicator of Poor Survival in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Fei, Zheng-Hua,Yao, Cheng-Yun,Yang, Xiao-Lei,Huang, Xin-En,Ma, Sheng-Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.9

Purpose: High levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMPs) have been reported in patients with lung cancer. This study was conducted to assess correlations between serum BMP-2 levels and prognostic outcome in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Blood samples from 84 patients with advanced NSCLC and 42 healthy controls were analyzed and quantitated for serum BMP-2 levels before and after two cycles of chemotherapy using a commercially available ELISA kit. Results: The median level of BMP-2 was 146.9 pg/ml in patients with NSCLC vs. 87.7 pg/ml in healthy controls (P<0.01). A significant correlation was observed between pretreatment serum BMP-2 level and ECOG PS, disease stage and number of organs with metastases (P<0.05). Serum BMP-2 level decreased significantly in patients who achieved objective response after two cycles of chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis showed that increased BMP-2 level and advanced clinical stage were significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Thes erum BMP-2 level is positively correlated with clinical stage, ECOG PS and metastatic burden and may serve as an independent negative predictor for prognosis. Decreased BMP-2 after chemotherapy could be a reliable marker for efficacy of treatment.

Trans-Membrane Transport of n-Octadecane by Pseudomonas sp. DG17

Fei Hua,Hong Qi Wang,Yi Li,Yi Cun Zhao 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.6

The trans-membrane transport of hydrocarbons is an important and complex aspect of the process of biodegradation of hydrocarbons by microorganisms. The mechanism of transport of 14C n-octadecane by Pseudomonas sp. DG17,an alkane-degrading bacterium, was studied by the addition of ATP inhibitors and different substrate concentrations. When the concentration of n-octadecane was higher than 4.54 μmol/L, the transport of 14C n-octadecane was driven by a facilitated passive mechanism following the intra/extra substrate concentration gradient. However, when the cells were grown with a low concentration of the substrate, the cellular accumulation of n-octadecane, an energy-dependent process, was dramatically decreased by the presence of ATP inhibitors, and n-octadecane accumulation continually increased against its concentration gradient. Furthermore, the presence of non-labeled alkanes blocked 14C n-octadecane transport only in the induced cells, and the trans-membrane transport of n-octadecane was specific with an apparent dissociation constant Kt of 11.27 μmol/L and Vmax of 0.96μmol/min/mg protein. The results indicated that the transmembrane transport of n-octadecane by Pseudomonas sp. DG17 was related to the substrate concentration and ATP.

Exploration of temperature effect on videogrammetric technique for displacement monitoring

Hua-Fei Zhou,Lin-Jun Lu,Zhao-Yi Li,Yi-Qing Ni 국제구조공학회 2020 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.25 No.2

There has been a sustained interest towards the non-contact structural displacement measurement by means of videogrammetric technique. On the way forward, one of the major concerns is the spurious image drift induced by temperature variation. This study therefore carries out an investigation into the temperature effect of videogrammetric technique, focusing on the exploration of the mechanism behind the temperature effect and the elimination of the temperature-caused measurement error. 2D videogrammetric measurement tests under monotonic or cyclic temperature variation are first performed. Features of measurement error and the casual relationship between temperature variation and measurement error are then studied. The variation of the temperature of digital camera is identified as the main cause of measurement error. An excellent linear relationship between them is revealed. After that, camera parameters are extracted from the mapping between world coordinates and pixels coordinates of the calibration targets. The coordinates of principle point and focal lengths show variations well correlated with temperature variation. The measurement error is thought to be an outcome mainly attributed to the variation of the coordinates of principle point. An approach for eliminating temperature-caused measurement error is finally proposed. Correlation models between camera parameters and temperature are formulated. Thereby, camera parameters under different temperature conditions can be predicted and the camera projective matrix can be updated accordingly. By reconstructing the world coordinates with the updated camera projective matrix, the temperature-caused measurement error is eliminated. A satisfactory performance has been achieved by the proposed approach in eliminating the temperature-caused measurement error.

Genetic variations in the bitter taste receptor gene TAS2R38 are related to cigarette smoking behavior in Han Chinese smokers

Qi Fei-Yan,Zhu Zhou-Hai,Li Meng,Guan Ying,Peng Qi-Yuan,Lu She-Ming,Liu Zhi-Hua,Wang Ming-Feng,Miao Ming-Ming,Chen Zhang-Yu,Li Xue-Mei,Bai Jie,Yao Jian-Hua 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.11

Background: Smoking behavior is influenced by multiple genes, including the bitter taste gene TAS2R38. It has been reported that the correlation between TAS2R38 and smoking behavior has ethnicity-based differences. However, the TAS2R38 status in Chinese smokers is still unclear. Objective: This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between genetic variations in TAS2R38 (A49P, V262A and I296V) and smoking behaviors in the Han Chinese population. Methods: The haplotype analyses were performed and smoking behavior questionnaire was completed by 1271 individuals. Genetic association analyses for smoking behavior were analyzed using chi-square test. Further, for investigating the molecular mechanism of TAS2R38 variants effect on smoking behavior, we conducted TAS2R38-PAV and TAS2R38-AVI expression plasmids and tested the cellular calcium assay by cigarette smoke compounds stimulus in HEK293. Results: Significant associations of genetic variants within TAS2R38 were identified with smoking behavior. We found a higher PAV/PAV frequency than AVI/AVI in moderate and high nicotine dependence (FTND ≥ 4; X2 = 4.611, 1 df, p = 0.032) and strong cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference (X2 = 4.5383, 1 df, p = 0.033) in participants. Furthermore, in the in vitro cellular calcium assay, total particle matter (TPM), N-formylnornicotine and cotinine, existing in cigarette smoke, activated TAS2R38-PAV but not TAS2R38-AVI-transfected cells. Conclusion: Our data highlights that genetic variations in TAS2R38 are related to smoking behavior, especially nicotine dependence and cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference. Our findings may encourage further consideration of the taste process to identify individuals susceptible to nicotine dependence, particularly Han Chinese smokers.

Characterization of the TAK1 gene in Apis cerana cerana (AccTAK1) and its involvement in the regulation of tissue-specific development

( Fei Meng ),( Ming Jiang Kang ),( Li Liu ),( Lu Luo ),( Bao Hua Xu ),( Xing Qi Guo ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2011 BMB Reports Vol.44 No.3

TGF-β activated kinase-1 (TAK1) plays a pivotal role in developmental processes in many species. Previous research has mainly focused on the function of TAK1 in model organisms, and little is known about the function of TAK1 in hymenoptera insects. Here, we isolated and characterized the TAK1 gene from Apis cerana cerana. Promoter analysis of AccTAK1 revealed the presence of transcription factor binding sites related to early development. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments revealed that AccTAK1 was expressed at high levels in fourth instar larvae, primarily in the abdomen, in the intestinal wall cells of the midgut and in the secretory cells of the salivary glands. In addition, AccTAK1 expression in fourth instar larvae could be dramatically induced by treatment with pesticides and organic solvents. These observations suggest that AccTAK1 may be involved in the regulation of early development in the larval salivary gland and midgut. [BMB reports 2011; 44(3): 187-192]

CONSTRUCTING CONFIGURATIONAL INDICATORS FOR CREATING INDUSTRIAL TOURISM VALUE: A TOURISM-VALUE-CHAIN APPLICATION

Fei-Hsin Huang,Yi-Jin Ye,Li-Hua Hsin 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Value creation is essential for successfully operating a firm and becomes a critical issue for realizing cross-firm competition and industrial performance distinctions. Tourism scholars have viewed tourism value-chain (TVC) as a useful tool to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of performance through controlling the impact factors in tourism products and services. However, few extant studies focus on the works of performance measurement in the tourism industry. This study applies Yilmaz and Bititci’s (2006 a, b) concept to develop novel performance measurement and value creation indicators for industrial tourism and customers through a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The QCA approach considers asymmetric relationships—reporting conditions that are sufficient or necessary to cause an outcome condition. QCA allows exploring the causal-effect relationship between the variables. In-depth interview with five senior managers and five customers were conducted. The QCA results showed that industrial tourism and customer performance indicators have complex links with value creation. The main theoretical contributions of this study extends through four stages of TVC on both manufacturing and industrial tourism, developing causal-effect connections of industrial tourism, and customer performance on value creation. The study describes how proprietors and service providers promoted brand identification and firm’s reputation for achieving industrial tourism value. The findings beneficially provide practical implications for proprietors and customers for applying performance indicators once aiming to develop an appropriate marketing strategy and create industrial tourism and customer values.

Communities of ammonia oxidizers at different stages of Spartina alterniflora invasion in salt marshes of Yangtze River estuary

Fei Xia,Jemaneh Zeleke,Qiang Sheng,Ji-Hua Wu,Zhe-Xue Quan 한국미생물학회 2015 The journal of microbiology Vol.53 No.5

Spartina alterniflora, an aggressive invasive plant species at the estuarine wetlands of China’s coasts, has become a major threat to the natural ecosystems. To understand its potential influence on nitrification processes, the community structures and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were investigated using 454-pyrosequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in S. alterniflora invading salt marsh sediments at the Yangtze River estuary in Chongming island, Shanghai, China. Copy numbers of archaeal and bacterial ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes did not show accordant shifts with S. alterniflora invasion in the two sampling sites. However, the copy numbers of archaeal amoA gene were higher in summer than in spring. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that more than 90% of the archaeal and 92% of the bacterial amoA gene sequences were closely related to marine group I.1a and the clusters 13 and 15 in Nitrosospira lineage, respectively. The effect of different seasons (spring and summer) was important for the abundance variation of AOA, while different stages of S. alterniflora invasion did not show significant effect for both AOA and AOB. Variation of AOA community was significantly related to total carbon (TC) and sulfate concentration (P < 0.05), whereas the AOB community was significantly related to sulfate concentration, total nitrogen (TN), TC and pH (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the abundance and diversity of ammonia oxidizing microbial communities were not strongly affected by S. alterniflora invasion.

Angiopoietin-1 and Angiopoietin-2 Expression Imbalance Influence in Early Period After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Hua Gu,Zhen-Hai Fei,Yi-Qi Wang,Jian-Guo Yang,Chao-Hui Zhao,Yong Cai,Xing-Ming Zhong 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2016 International Neurourology Journal Vol.20 No.4

Purpose: Microvascular endothelial integrity is important for maintaining the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) disrupts this integrity, making the BBB dysfunctional—an important pathophysiological change after SAH. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) regulate microvascular permeability by balancing each other’s expression. Methods: This study investigated the dynamics of Ang-1 and Ang-2 expression after SAH and the protective effect of Ang-1 on BBB functioning using an endovascular puncture model of rat SAH. The Ang-1 and Ang-2 expression in brain tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, Western blotting was used to estimate Ang-1 and Ang-2 concentration and to compare them at 6–72 hours post-SAH cortex and hippocampus. Evans blue viability assay was used to evaluate BBB permeability, and neurological testing was implemented to evaluate neurological impairment during SAH. Results: It was found that following SAH, Ang-1 expression decreases and Ang-2 expression increases in the cortex, hippocampus, and microvessels. The Ang-1/Ang-2 ratio decreased as quickly as 6 hours after SAH and reached its lowest 1 day after SAH. Finally, it was found that exogenous Ang-1 reduces SAH-associated BBB leakage and improves neurological function in post-SAH rats. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the equilibrium between Ang-1 and Ang-2 is broken in a period shortly after SAH, and the treatment of exogenous Ang-1 injection alleviates neurological dysfunctions through decreasing BBB destruction.

Percutaneous Sacroplasty for Painful Sacral Metastases Involving Multiple Sacral Vertebral Bodies: Initial Experience with an Interpedicular Approach

Qing-Hua Tian,He-Fei Liu,Tao Wang,Ying-Sheng Cheng,Chun-Gen Wu 대한영상의학회 2019 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.20 No.6

Objective: To report our initial experience of percutaneous sacroplasty (PSP) with an interpedicular approach for treating painful sacral metastases involving multiple sacral vertebral bodies. Materials and Methods: This study prospectively enrolled 10 consecutive patients (six men and four women; mean age, 56.3 ± 13.8 years) who underwent PSP for painful sacral metastases involving multiple sacral vertebral bodies from March 2017 to September 2018. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, Oswestry disability index (ODI) values, and the number of opioids prescribed to the patients were assessed before and after PSP. The procedure duration, length of hospitalization, and complications were also recorded. Results: Mean VAS and ODI declined significantly from 6.90 ± 1.20 and 74.40 ± 5.48 before the procedure to 2.70 ± 1.34 and 29.60 ± 14.57 after the procedure, respectively (p < 0.01). The median number of opioids prescribed per patient decreased from 2 (interquartile range [IQR] 1–3) pre-procedure to 1 (IQR 0–3) post-procedure (p < 0.01). Nine of the 10 patients showed no or decreased opioid usage, and only 1 patient showed unchanged usage. The mean procedure duration was 48.5 ± 3.0 minutes. The average length of hospitalization was 4.7 ± 1.7 days. Extraosseous cement leakage occurred in three cases without causing any clinical complications. Conclusion: PSP with an interpedicular approach is a safe and effective treatment in patients with painful sacral metastases involving multiple sacral vertebral bodies and can relieve pain and improve mobility.

MicroRNA-101 Inhibits Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Promotes Apoptosis by Regulating Cyclooxygenase-2 in Hela Cervical Carcinoma Cells

Huang, Fei,Lin, Chen,Shi, Yong-Hua,Kuerban, Gulinar Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

Aim: Although aberrant miRNA expression has been documented, altered miR-101 expression in cervical cancer and its carcinogenic effects and mechanisms remain unexplored. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of miR-101 alteration in cervical carcinogenesis. Methods: Expression of miR-101 was examined by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) in Hela cells. After modulating miR-101 expression using miR-101 mimics, cell growth, apoptosis and proliferation, and migration were tested separately by MTT or flow cytometry and cell wound healing assay and protein expression was detected by qRT-PCR. The expression of COX-2 in Hela cell was also examined by immunohistochemical staining and the correlation with miR-101 expression was analysed. Results: The miR-101 demonstrated significantly low expression in Hela cell. When we transfected miR-101 mimics into Hela cells, the modulation of miR-101 expression remarkably influenced cell proliferation, cycling and apoptosis: 1) The expression of microRNA-101 tended to increase after transfection; 2) Overexpression of miR-101 was able to promote cell apoptosis, the apoptosis rate being markedly higher (97.6%) than that seen pre-transfection (12.2%) (P<0.05); 3) The miR-101 negatively regulates cell migration and invasion, scratch results being lower ($42.7um{\pm}2um$) than that observed pre-transfection ($181.4um{\pm}2um$); 4) miRNA-101 inhibits the proliferation of Hela cells as well as the level of COX-2 protein, which was negatively correlated with miR-101 expression. Conclusions: Overexpression of miR-101 has obvious inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Thus reduced miR-101 expression could participate in the development of cervical cancer at least partly through loss of inhibition of target gene COX-2, which probably occurs in a relative late phase of carcinogenesis. Our data suggest an important role of miR-101 in the molecular etiology of cancer and indicate potential application of miR-101 in cancer therapy.