Melatonin Attenuates Noise Stress-induced Gastrointestinal Motility Disorder and Gastric Stress Ulcer: Role of Gastrointestinal Hormones and Oxidative Stress in Rats

( Lei Zhang ),( Ji T Gong ),( Hu Q Zhang ),( Quan H Song ),( Guang H Xu ),( Lei Cai ),( Xiao D Tang ),( Hai F Zhang ),( Fang E Liu ),( Zhan S Jia ),( Hong W Zhang ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2015 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.21 No.2

Background/Aims There are increasing evidences for gastrointestinal motility disorder (GIMD) and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress. The present study was to investigate the reversed effect of melatonin on GIMD and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress and potential mechanism. Methods Noise stress was induced on rats, and melatonin (15 mg/kg) was administered to rats by intraperitoneal injection. Differences were assessed in gastric residual rate (GRR), small intestine propulsion rate (SPR), Guth injury score, cortisol, gastrointestinal hormones (calcitonin-gene-related peptide and motilin) and oxidative stress markers (superoxide dismutase and malondialde hyde) in blood plasma as well as gastric mucosa homogenate with or without melatonin. The pathological examination of gastric mucosa was also performed. Results The GRR and SPR were improved by noise stress compared with control (P < 0.05). The pathological examination and Guth injury score revealed gastric stress ulcer. Moreover, the levels of cortisol, motilin and malondialdehyde in blood plasma and malondialdehyde in gastric mucosa homogenate were increased by noise stress (P < 0.05). CGRP and superoxide dismutase activity in both of blood plasma and gastric mucosa homogenate were significantly decreased (P< 0.05). Furthermore, melatonin reversed changes in GRR, SPR, pathological examination, Guth injury score, cortisol, motilin, CGRP, superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05). Conclusions Melatonin is effective in reversing the GIMD and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress. The underlying mechanism may be involved in oxidative stress and gastrointestinal hormones. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2015;21:189-199)

MiR-886-5p Inhibition Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis of MCF7 Cells

Zhang, Lei-Lei,Wu, Jiang,Liu, Qiang,Zhang, Yan,Sun, Zhu-Lei,Jing, Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.4

Background and Aims: To explore the molecular mechanisms of miR-886-5p in breast cancer., we examined roles in inhibiting growth and migration of MCF-7 cells. Methods: MiR-886-5p mimics and inhibitors were used to express or inhibit MiR-886-5p, respectively, and MTT and clone formation assays were used to determine the survival and proliferation. Hoechst 33342/ PI double staining was applied to detect apoptosis. The expression of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, MT1-MMP, VEGF-C and VEGF-D was detected by Western blotting, and the levels of MMP2 and MMP9 secreted from MCF-7 cells were assessed by ELISA. MCF-7 cell migration was determined by wound healing and Transwell assays. Results: We found that the growth of MCF-7 cells was inhibited upon decreasing miR-886-5p levels. Inhibiting miR-866-5p also significantly induced apoptosis and decreased the migratory capacity of these cells. The expression of VEGF-C, VEGF-D, MT1-MMP, MMP2, and MMP9 was also found to be decreased as compared to controls. Conclusions: Our data show that downregulation of miR-886-5p expression in MCF-7 cells could significantly inhibit cell growth and migration. This might imply that inhibiting miR-886-5p could be a therapeutic strategy in breast cancer.

Anomalous magnetization jumps in granular Pb superconducting films

Zhang An-Lei,Jiang Wan-Yan,Chen Xing-Hong,Zhang Xiao-Ke,Lu Wen-Lai,Chen Fei,Feng Zhen-Jie,Cao Shi-Xun,Zhang Jin-Cang,Ge Jun-Yi 한국물리학회 2022 Current Applied Physics Vol.35 No.-

In granular superconductors, the grain boundaries are closely related to the vortex dynamics and the macroscopic superconducting properties. In our research, Pb films with different grain sizes were prepared by tuning the substrate temperature. With the grain size decreasing, Pb films are prone to feature the anomalous magnetization jumps in the M − T curves, while in the M − H curves flux avalanche happens. Both phenomena appear in the same region of the H − T phase diagram and thus are considered to have the same origin. The further theoretical analysis shows that with grain size decreasing the pinning mechanism evolves from a mixed δTc and δl pinning to the δl pinning mechanism. The results shed light on the study of pinning mechanism for granular superconductors and is beneficial to the potential application of manipulating vortex pinning by regulation of intrinsic defects.

Chinese Society of Allergy Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis

Lei Cheng,Jianjun Chen,Qingling Fu,Shaoheng He,Huabin Li,Zheng Liu,Guolin Tan,Zezhang Tao,Dehui Wang,Weiping Wen,Rui Xu,Yu Xu,Qintai Yang,Chonghua Zhang,Gehua Zhang,Ruxin Zhang,Yuan Zhang,Bing Zhou,Do 대한천식알레르기학회 2018 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.10 No.4

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem that causes major illnesses and disabilities worldwide. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of AR has increased progressively over the last few decades in more developed countries and currently affects up to 40% of the population worldwide. Likewise, a rising trend of AR has also been observed over the last 2-3 decades in developing countries including China, with the prevalence of AR varying widely in these countries. A survey of self-reported AR over a 6-year period in the general Chinese adult population reported that the standardized prevalence of adult AR increased from 11.1% in 2005 to 17.6% in 2011. An increasing number of original articles and imporclinical trials on the epidemiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis, management and comorbidities of AR in Chinese subjects have been published in international peer-reviewed journals over the past 2 decades, and substantially added to our understanding of this disease as a global problem. Although guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in Chinese subjects have also been published, they have not been translated into English and therefore not generally accessible for reference to non-Chinese speaking international medical communities. Moreover, methods for the diagnosis and treatment of AR in China have not been standardized entirely and some patients are still treated according to regional preferences. Thus, the present guidelines have been developed by the Chinese Society of Allergy to be accessible to both national and international medical communities involved in the management of AR patients. These guidelines have been prepared in line with existing international guidelines to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of AR in China.

Preparation and Characterization of a Novel Hyperbranched Poly(aryl ether ketone) Terminated with Cobalt Phthalocyanine to be Used for Oxidative Decomposition of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol

Lei Lei,Yunhe Zhang,Xiujie Li,Jianxin Mu,Guibin Wang,Zhenhua Jiang,Shuling Zhang 한국고분자학회 2010 Macromolecular Research Vol.18 No.4

A novel hyperbranched poly(aryl ether ketone) terminated with cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc-T-HPAEK)was prepared using 1,3,5-tris[4-(4-fluorobenzoyl) phenoxy] benzene (B3), as a ‘core’ molecule, 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (6F-BPA) as an A2 monomer, and cobalt phthalocyanine as an end-capping reagent. CoPc-THPAEK showed good solubility, thermal stability and catalytic activity in the oxidative decomposition of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) under H2O2 or KHSO5. Moreover, the oxidative effect of KHSO5 was superior to that of H2O2,and the catalytic activity of CoPc-T-HPAEK was much higher than that of linear poly(aryl ether ketone) terminated with cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc-T-LPAEK) and linear poly(aryl ether ketone) with a cobalt phthalocyanine pendant unit (CoPc-S-LPAEK).

Association between Polymorphisms of MSTN and MYF5 Genes and Growth Traits in Three Chinese Cattle Breeds

Zhang, R.F.,Chen, H.,Lei, C.Z.,Zhang, C.L.,Lan, X.Y.,Zhang, Y.D.,Zhang, H.J.,Bao, B.,Niu, H.,Wang, X.Z. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.12

The objective of this study was to assess the association of polymorphisms in MSTN and MYF5 genes with growth traits in three Chinese cattle breeds. Only one homozygous animal with BB genotype at MSTN locus was observed in Jiaxian population which was at Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium (p<0.05). The frequencies of allele A at MSTN locus and allele B at MYF5 locus in the three Chinese breeds were 0.9550/0.9730/0.9720 and 0.8275/0.7581/0.7523, respectively. Allele A at MSTN locus and allele B at MYF5 locus were dominant in these three populations. No statistically significant differences in growth traits were observed between the genotypes of the Jiaxian breed at MSTN and MYF5 loci and the Nanyang breed at MYF5 locus. However, there were statistically significant differences between the genotypes at MSTN locus of the Nanyang breed for WH, HG, HGI and HGBLR (p<0.05), and of the Qinchuan breed for BLI (p<0.05). The SNP in MYF5 had significant effects on WH and HHC of Qinchuan animals (p<0.05). These results suggest that MSTN and MYF5 are strong candidate genes that influence growth traits in cattle. Other SNPs of MSTN and MYF5 or other linked genes should also be studied, which could lead to the development of selection plans to improve the performance of Chinese cattle and also promote the breeding of genuine beef cattle in China.

An experimental study on positioning conformance control of starch gelant in the heterogeneous porous media by using CT technology

Lei Zhang,Hongming Xu,Chunsheng Pu,Guangyu Yuan,Guangyao Leng,Chunlei Zhang 한국공업화학회 2017 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.54 No.-

In order to increase the economic efficiency of conformance control in the time of low oil price, a gelant should be injected into the specified location (positioning conformance control) to improve the swept volume in the maximum extent in the heterogeneous oil reservoir. For this purpose, an in-situ crosslinking polymer gelant (it is consisting of modified starch, acrylamide, N, N'- methylene diacrylamide, and potassium persulfate) is taken as the object of study by CT scan. Based on the dynamic and visible images of fluids distribution in the porous media, the gelant can be used to achieve the positioning conformance control because it can almost maintain a whole slug during transportation in porous media. According to the relationship of transportation distance and injection volume of the gelant in porous media, the gelant can be displaced to the specified location in porous media. In addition, the characteristics of water flooding of heterogeneous porous media before and after positioning conformance control are studied by CT scan, which can investigate the function of positioning conformance control and the extent of improving the swept volume in the heterogeneous reservoirs. The experimental results in this paper can provide theoretical guidance for the practical application of positioning conformance control in the heterogeneous oil reservoirs.

Effect of basicity and B₂O₃ on the viscosity and structure of fluorine-free mold flux

Zhang, Lei,Wang, Wanlin,Xie, Senlin,Zhang, Kaixuan,Sohn, Il Elsevier 2017 Journal of non-crystalline solids Vol.460 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The effect of basicity (weight ratio of CaO/SiO<SUB>2</SUB>) and B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> on the viscosity and structure of Fluorine-free mold flux for the casting of medium carbon steels was conducted in this article, through the rotating cylinder method combined with the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results showed that, with the increase of basicity, the viscosity of mold flux was attenuated dramatically, and then kept constant or slight increased in the low temperature region. The reason could be explained as the degree of polymerization (DOP) of the network structure was first reduced significantly with the addition of basicity, and then the further depolymerization is less pronounced with the further increase of basicity. Beside the formation of high melting point substance leads to the slight increase of viscosity. Moreover, it suggested that the viscosity of mold flux is decreased with the addition of B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> content, due to the fact that B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> is a low melting point oxide which could substantially lower the break temperature of mold flux. The result of FTIR indicated B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> acts as network former, and tends to form [BO<SUB>3</SUB>]-trihedral and [BO<SUB>4</SUB>]-tetrahedral structural units, which would connect with each other to form some simple network structure such as diborate or pentaborate. With the addition of B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB>, the free oxygen ions (O<SUP>2−</SUP>) would depolymerize the diborate structural unit, and the depolymerized diborate would link again with free [BO<SUB>3</SUB>]-trihedral to form complex pentaborate groups. Moreover, the effect of above addition on the apparent activation energy for viscous flow and break temperature of mold flux also were discussed. The results obtained in this paper provide the detailed study of the structure evolution of Fluorine-free mold flux when B<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> is added.</P>

A Novel Kinetic Analysis of Crystallization of Polypropylene (PP) in Dynamically-vulcanized PP/Ethylene-propylene-diene Rubber (EPDM) Blends Using an In-situ Measurement Technique

Lei Hu,Bin Yang,Yan-Li Deng,Fei-Xue Lu,Ru Xia,Zheng-Zhi Zheng,Ji-Bin Miao,Jia-Sheng Qian,Chuan-Ru Zhang,Peng Chen,Yu-Chuan Zhang 한국고분자학회 2017 폴리머 Vol.41 No.4

The effects of cooling medium temperatures and plastic/rubber ratios on solidification and crystallization kinetics of dynamically-vulcanized polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (PP/EPDM) blends were investigated with the aid of an in-situ measurement technique. The cooling medium temperature heavily influenced the solidification kinetics primarily due to a combination of latent heat liberated from the molten polymer and the heat transferred away via the metallic wall during the cooling period. Interestingly, the parameter C in three-parameter model was not only affected by the material properties, but also by the cooling condition, different from the previous literature. The crystallization kinetics analysis indicated that the effect of EPDM in the blends consisted of both nucleation-promoting effect (low EPDM loading) and steric effect (higher EPDM loading). The present kinetic analysis may be helpful to further studies on improving the product performances for industrial applications.

An Acid-/Base-Degradable Epoxy Resin Cured by 1,3,5-Triacroylamino- hexahydro-s-triazine Derivative

Lei Wang,Shijing Yan,Lei Zhang,Yuliang Mai,Weihao Li,Hao Pang 한국고분자학회 2021 Macromolecular Research Vol.29 No.7

The degradation and recycling of waste epoxy resin products is an urgent environmental problem. To solve this issue, we use acid-/base-degradable 1,1’,1"- (1,3,5-hexahydro-s-triazine-1,3,5-triyl) tris(3-ethylamino-propan-1-one) (TAHT-EA) as curing agent to introduce the hexahydro-s-triazine (HT) ring structure into the cross-linking network to prepare degradable epoxy resin. Specifically, 1,3,5-triacryloylhexahydro- 1,3,5-triazine (TAHT) and ethylamine quickly complete the Aza-Michael addition reaction at the interface of chloroform and water droplets under the catalysis of water. The FTIR spectra, NMR spectrum and mass spectrum show that mono- and bis-addition products of ethylamine coexist in the product in which the content of the primary addition product reaches 97%. TAHT-EA can be decomposed by acid and base solutions. Through NMR analysis of the degradation products, it can be explained that the degradation mechanisms are different. The breaking of amide bonds and HT rings in acid solution and the cracking of amide bonds in base solution are speculated to be the main mechanisms under these two different circumstances, respectively. We tested the mechanical, thermal and degradation properties of the epoxy resin cured by TAHT-EA, and compared it with the epoxy resin cured by 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane and triethylenetetramine. TAHT-EA-cured epoxy resin shows comparable mechanical properties with Young’s modulus up to 2.05 GPa and tensile strength up to 70.9 MPa. What is more, it degrades completely by 1 M H+/OH- solution at 60℃ within 36 h. Nevertheless, it exhibited a relatively low crosslinked density (633 mol/m3) and low heat resistance (the initial decomposition temperature is lower than 205℃). Overall, TAHT-EA cured epoxy resin has the potential to gradually replace traditional thermosetting resin, thereby solving the environmental problems caused by discarded epoxy resin products.