Insect-specific microRNA involved in the development of the silkworm Bombyx mori

Yong Zhang,Xue Zhou,Xie Ge,Jiang-Hao Jiang,Mu-Wang Li,Shi-Hai Jia,Xiao-Nan Yang,Yun-Chao Kan,Xue-Xia Miao,Guo-Ping Zhao,Fei Li,Yong-Ping Huang 한국응용곤충학회 2009 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2009 No.10

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding genes that participate in post-transcription regulation by either degrading mRNA or blocking its translation. It is considered to be very important in regulating insect development and metamorphosis. Insects are the largest group of animals and are extremely valuable in biological and agriculture research. Insects are also important pests to human health and agriculture, and efforts are necessary protect both humans and plants from disease and damage. Despite their importance, insects lag behind mammals, nematodes, and plants in miRNA research. At present, only 279 insect miRNAs have been identified from Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, Bombyx mori, and D. pseudoobscura in miRBase, and most of these miRNAs were computationally predicted without experimental validation. Functional analysis of insect miRNAs has only been conducted in D. melanogaster.

Research on Synchronous Phase Shift Control Strategy of Bilateral Converter in Bidirectional Inductive Power Transfer System

Wang Songcen,Jiang Cheng,Lu Qiang,Xia Chenyang,Wei Nan 대한전기학회 2021 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.16 No.5

It is the key to realize the precise control of power transfer direction and energy to ensure the synchronous phase shift of the bilateral converters in bidirectional inductive power transfer (BD-IPT) system. In order to solve the problem that wireless communication is adopted in bidirectional inductive power transfer system, and the delay caused by the power oscillation aff ects power transfer. A method for synchronizing the control signals of the bilateral converters that track the extreme value of the output DC current is proposed in this paper, and dual phase-shift control is adopted to make the system effi cient when it operates in a wide output power range. First, the power and effi ciency characteristics of the BDIPT system are analyzed in the paper. Next, a method to track the extreme value of the output DC current is designed for synchronization. Then, in order to ensure that the system maintains high-effi ciency operation in a wide power range, a bilateral phase shift control is proposed. Finally, the validity of the scheme is verifi ed through simulation and experiment.

Prognostic Significance of the Peripheral Blood Absolute Monocyte Count in Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Systemic Chemotherapy

Lin, Gui-Nan,Jiang, Xiao-Mei,Peng, Jie-Wen,Xiao, Jian-Jun,Liu, Dong-Ying,Xia, Zhong-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Background: The prognostic significance of the circulating absolute monocyte count (AMC) in patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is uncertain. This study was designed to assess the association of circulating AMC with survival outcomes in patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic HCC receiving systemic chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: Between January 1, 2005 and December 30, 2012, locally advanced or metastatic HCC patients who had Child-Pugh stage A or B disease and received systemic chemotherapy were retrospectively enrolled. Patient features including gender, age, extrahepatic metastasis, Child-Pugh stage, serum alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) level and AMC were collected to investigate their prognostic impact on overall survival(OS). Results: A total of 216 patients were eligible for the study. The optimal cut-off value of AMC for OS analysis was $0.38{\times}10^9/L$. Median OS was 5.84 months in low-AMC group (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.23 to 6.45), and 5.21 months in high-AMC group (95% CI, 4.37 to 6.04; p=0.003). In COX multivariate analysis, elevated AMC remained as an independent prognostic factor for worse OS (HR, 1.578; 95% CI, 1.120 to 2.223, p=0.009). Conclusions: Our results indiicate that circulating AMC is confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with locally advanced or metastatic HCC receiving systemic chemotherapy.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation Evaluation for Rockfall Hazards at the Diversion Tunnel Inlet Slope of Jinchuan Hydropower Station by Using Three-dimensional Terrestrial Scanning Technology

Mao-pu Xia,Hai-bo Li,Nan Jiang,Jun-lin Chen,Jia-wen Zhou 대한토목학회 2023 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.27 No.1

Rockfall is a major geological disaster that frequently occurs on rock slopes in alpine and gorge regions and poses a significant threat to life and property in areas exposed to rockfall hazards. In this study, a methodology is presented for comprehensive rockfall hazard analysis, including data acquisition, source identification, numerical simulation, quantitative assessment and mitigation evaluation. A high-precision and high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) is generated based on the point cloud data obtained by terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and is utilized for rockfall simulation and automatic identification of structural planes. The model parameters are calibrated by three-dimensional (3D) back analysis, and the rockfall motion is simulated based on a probabilistic model and an energy dissipation model. Rockfall mitigation under passive protection is evaluated according to the rockfall interception ratio (RIR), hazard reduction rate (HRR) and statistics of the rockfall characteristics and hazards within the rockfall threat area. Under the influence of construction excavation, the diversion tunnel inlet slope of Jinchuan Hydropower Station has suffered from a series of rockfall events and potential overall instability, which has become a great threat to the construction personnel, equipment and vehicles below the slope. Thus, the presented methodology is applied to thoroughly study the example case of the rockfall events at the inlet slope of the diversion tunnel of Jinchuan Hydropower Station. The advantages, limitations and notes of each link of the presented methodology are discussed, and the suggestion of strengthening the cracked area with integral active support is proposed.

RUIN PROBABILITIES IN THE RISK MODEL WITH TWO COMPOUND BINOMIAL PROCESSES

Zhang, Mao-Jun,Nan, Jiang-Xia,Wang, Sen Korean Society of Computational and Applied Mathem 2008 Journal of applied mathematics & informatics Vol.26 No.1

In this paper, we consider an insurance risk model governed by a compound Binomial arrival claim process and by a compound Binomial arrival premium process. Some formulas for the probabilities of ruin and the distribution of ruin time are given, we also prove the integral equation of the ultimate ruin probability and obtain the Lundberg inequality by the discrete martingale approach.

Ruin probabilities in the risk model with two compound Binomial processes

Mao-Jun Zhang,Jiang-Xia Nan,Sen Wang 한국전산응용수학회 2008 Journal of applied mathematics & informatics Vol.26 No.1

In this paper, we consider an insurance risk model governed by a compound Binomial arrival claim process and by a compound Binomial arrival premium process. Some formulas for the probabilities of ruin and the distribution of ruin time are given, we also prove the integral equation of the ultimate ruin probability and obtain the Lundberg inequality by the discrete martingale approach.

Preclinical investigation of artesunate as a therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma via impairment of glucosylceramidase-mediated autophagic degradation

Chen Wenjia,Ma Zhaochen,Yu Lingxiang,MAO Xia,Ma Nan,Guo Xiaodong,Yin Xiaoli,Jiang Funeng,Wang Qian,Wang Jigang,Fang Mingliang,Lin Na,Zhang Yanqiong 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Artesunate (ART) has been indicated as a candidate drug for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Glucosylceramidase (GBA) is required for autophagic degradation. Whether ART regulates autophagic flux by targeting GBA in HCC remains to be defined. Herein, our data demonstrated that the dramatic overexpression of GBA was significantly associated with aggressive progression and short overall survival times in HCC. Subsequent experiments revealed an association between autophagic activity and GBA expression in clinical HCC samples, tumor tissues from a rat model of inflammation-induced HCC and an orthotopic mouse model, and human HCC cell lines. Interestingly, probe labeling identified GBA as an ART target, which was further verified by both a glutathione-S-transferase pulldown assay and surface plasmon resonance analysis. The elevated protein expression of LC3B, the increased numbers of GFP-LC3B puncta and double-membrane vacuoles, and the enhanced expression of SQSTM1/p62 indicated that the degradation of autophagosomes in HCC cells was inhibited by ART treatment. Both the in vitro and in vivo data revealed that autophagosome accumulation through targeting of GBA was responsible for the anti-HCC effects of ART. In summary, this preclinical study identified GBA as one of the direct targets of ART, which may have promising potential to inhibit lysosomal autophagy for HCC therapy.

Poor Prognosis Significance of Pretreatment Thrombocytosis in Patients with Colorectal Cancer: a Meta-Analysis

Zhao, Jian-Meng,Wang, Yong-Hong,Yao, Nan,Wei, Kong-Kong,Jiang, Lei,Hanif, Shahbaz,Wang, Zi-Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.9

Background: Recently, several studies have reported that elevated platelet counts may be associated with the poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. However, conclusions remain controversial. This meta-analysis was therefore designed to analyze and evaluate the prognostic role of preoperative or pretreatment thrombocytosis in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science to March 29th, 2015. The citation lists of included studies were also hand-searched to identify further relevant trials. To investigate the association between thrombocytosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer, the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival of each studies were obtained. The odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the relation of overall survival (OS) between thrombocytosis and normal platelet counts (PLT). Likewise, disease free survival (DFS) was obtained and evaluated. The analysis was performed and assessed using Review Manager 5.2. Results: A total of 14 studies (N=5,566 participants, 11 including 4,468 for OS, 6 including 1,533 for DFS) were included in this meta-analysis, of which seven (N=3810) defined thrombocytosis as a platelet count ${\geq}400{\times}10^9/L$, and 375 (9.8%) patients exhibited pretreatment thrombocytosis. Thrombocytosis have a close relationship with the poor OS of colorectal cancer compared with normal PLT, with the pooled ORs of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival being 0.41 [95% CI 0.34-0.51; P<0.001], 0.28 [95% CI 0.21-0.38; P<0.001] and 0.26 [95% CI 0.20-0.34; P<0.001], respectively. For DFS, the same results were showed as the pooled ORs of 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival respectively being 0.34 [95% CI 0.24-0.50; P<0.001], 0.31 [95% CI 0.23-0.43; P<0.001] and 0.25 [95% CI 0.18-0.34; P<0.001]. Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that thrombocytosis may predict poor prognosis for patients with colorectal cancer, and platelet counts may be a cost-effective and noninvasive marker.

Blending of Soybean Oil with Selected Vegetable Oils: Impact on Oxidative Stability and Radical Scavenging Activity

Li, Yang,Ma, Wen-Jun,Qi, Bao-Kun,Rokayya, Sami,Li, Dan,Wang, Jing,Feng, Hong-Xia,Sui, Xiao-Nan,Jiang, Lian-Zhou Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Background: Soybean oil may protect against cancer of the breast and prostate. It may also exert beneficial influence in combination with other oils. Here, blends (20%, v/v) of sea buckthorn oil (SEBO), camellia oil (CAO), rice bran oil (RBO), sesame oil (SEO) and peanut oil (PEO) with soybean oil (SBO) were formulated. Materials and Methods: Oxidative stability (OS) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of SBO and blends stored under oxidative conditions ($60^{\circ}C$) for 24 days were studied. By blending with different kinds oils, levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased, while monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content increased. Progression of oxidation was followed by measuring peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine (PAV), conjugated dienes (CD) and conjugated trienes (CT). Results: Inverse relationships were noted between PV and OS at termination of storage. Levels of CD and CT in SBO, and blends, increased with increase in time. The impact of SEO as additives on SBO oxidation was the strongest followed by RBO, CAO, SEBO and PNO. Conclusions: Oxidative stability of oil blends was better than SBO, most likely as a consequence of changes in fatty acids and tocopherols' profile, and minor bioactive lipids found in selected oils. The results suggest that these oil blends could contribute as sources of important antioxidant related to the prevention of chronic diseases associated to oxidative stress, such as in cancer and coronary artery disease.