Elevated Serum Levels of Visfatin in Patients with Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

( Na Cao ),( Tao Chen ),( Zai Pei Guo ),( Meng Meng Li ),( Xiao Yan Jiao ) 대한피부과학회 2014 Annals of Dermatology Vol.26 No.3

Background: Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is an immune complex-mediated disease predominantly characterized by the deposition of circulating immune complexes containing immunoglobulin A (IgA) on the walls of small vessels. Although the pathogenesis of HSP is not yet fully understood, some researchers proposed that B-cell activation might play a critical role in the development of this disease. Objective: To investigate the serum levels of visfatin (pre-B-cell colony- enhancing factor), B-cell-activating factor (BAFF), and CXCL13, and to analyze their association with disease severity. Methods: The serum levels of visfatin, BAFF, and CXCL13 were measured by using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 43 patients with HSP and 45 controls. The serum levels of IgA anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) were detected by using a double-antigen sandwich ELISA. Results: Levels of visfatin but not BAFF and CXCL13 were significantly elevated in the sera of patients with HSP in the acute stage, and restored to normal levels in the convalescent stage. Furthermore, serum levels of visfatin were significantly higher in patients with HSP having renal involvement than in those without renal involvement. Serum levels of visfatin were correlated with the severity of HSP and serum concentration of ACA-IgA. Conclusion: We show for the first time that the serum levels of visfatin are abnormally elevated in patients with HSP. Visfatin may be associated with the pathogenesis of HSP. (Ann Dermatol 26(3) 303∼307, 2014)

A systematic review of predictors of international students’ cross-cultural adjustment in China: current knowledge and agenda for future research

Cao, Chun,Meng, Qian 서울대학교 교육연구소 2022 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.23 No.1

China has emerged as one of the leading destinations for international students, attracting growing research interest in examining their cross-cultural adjustment. Our study moved beyond prior work by offering the first systematic review on predictors of international student adjustment in China, with all its three domains taken into consideration: psychological, sociocultural and academic adjustment. Based on the 33 reviewed articles, a wide range of predictors were identified. Guided by the Job Demands-Resources Model, these predictors were categorized into six broad clusters: demographics, personal resources, contextual resources, personal demands/barriers, contextual demands/resources, and other variables. The reviewed studies placed more emphasis on predictors in resources clusters than on those in demands/barriers clusters. Research strengths, gaps and inconsistencies in the literature were identified and discussed. Accordingly, an agenda was developed to highlight opportunities for theoretical and empirical advancement for future research.

Structural and functional properties of Maillard-reacted casein phosphopeptides with different carbohydrates

Meng Yuan,Yu Cao,Haoyang Zheng,Kunlin Chen,Yuping Lu,Jing Wang,Liqin Zhu,Ming Chen,Zhipeng Cai,Yonggen Shen 한국식품과학회 2024 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.33 No.7

This study used glucose, fructose, maltose and dextran to explore the effects of different carbohydrates on the Maillard reaction of casein phosphopeptides (CPP). The color parameter results showed that heating time from 1 to 5 h led to brown color, which was consistent with the observed increased in browning intensity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results verified that four carbohydrates reacted with CPP to produce Maillard conjugates. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the Maillard reaction changed the tertiary structure of CPP by decreasing the intrinsic fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity compared with the CPP-carbohydrate mixture. At the same time, the Maillard reaction effectively improved the emulsifying properties, reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging activity of CPP. Furthermore, this study also found that glucose and fructose improved CPP more than maltose and dextran. Therefore, monosaccharides have good potential in modifying CPP via the Maillard reaction.

Transcriptomic analysis reveal the responses of dendritic cells to VDBP

Cao Biwei,Wen Tao,Wei Meng,Xiong Yuan,Liu Wan,Zhu Li,Zhou Jing 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.10

Background: Vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) is an essential plasma carrier protein, which plays possible roles in reproductive health, disease and so on. However, the effects of VDBP on immunity have not been fully studied and the pertinent literatures remain very limited. Objective: In this study, we introduced the exogenous VDBP into DC2.4 and established a stable DC2.4/VDBP cell line to explore the role of this gene in immunity. Methods: Dendritic cells (DCs), as the most effective antigen presenting cells (APC) found so far, are directly involved in regulating some innate immunity. In order to evaluate the biological role of VDBP in DCs, we stably overexpressed VDBP in DCs, and conducted Cell Counting Kit‑8 (CCK-8 kit) and flow cytometry to detect changes in cell function. CCK-8 kit was used to monitor the viability of DCs after gene overexpression, and flow cytometry was used to detect changes in cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. Subsequently, in order to reveal the mechanism of VDBP regulating DCs, we adopted RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results: CCK-8 results revealed VDBP successfully inhibited viability of DCs. Besides, we found that overexpression of this gene greatly promoted apoptosis and obviously altered the cell cycle distribution of DCs in G1 and G2 phases. Moreover, RNA-seq was carried out and 151 differently expression genes (DEGs) were obtained. In addition, gene differential expression analysis showed that most of them were uniformly enriched in immunity-related pathways. Conclusion: These results indicated that VDBP greatly repressed proliferation, facilitated apoptosis and changed cell cycle in DCs via altering the expression levels of gene associated with their cellular immunity.

論明末言情小說觀及其發展段落

曹萌 中國語文硏究會 1997 中國語文論叢 Vol.12 No.-

本文從社會思潮, 士人心態變化及小說理論和創作諸方面分析描述了明末這一歷史時期言情小說觀的發生發展. 認爲萬曆四十年至崇禎十七年(1612-1644年)的言情小說觀經過了1612年至1620年的理論準備期, 1621年至1624年的理論表述期和1624年到1644年的創作傾向體現期這三個內容各異的發展段落. 文章從理論表述的小說思想和創作中所體現出的小說思想傾向兩方面, 較爲具體, 系統地整理分析了明末言情小說觀, 幷由比揭示出其中所包含的藝術思想進展的某些探層意蘊, 和言情小說觀變化的某些複雜原因.

Axial compressive behavior of high strength concrete-filled circular thin-walled steel tube columns with reinforcements

Meng Chen,Yuxin Cao,Ye Yao 국제구조공학회 2023 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.88 No.1

In this study, circular thin-walled reinforced high strength concrete-filled steel tube (RHSCFST) stub columns with various tube thicknesses (i.e., 1.8, 2.5 and 3.0mm) and reinforcement ratios (i.e., 0, 1.6%, 2.4% and 3.2%) were fabricated to explore the influence of these factors on the axial compressive behavior of RHSCFST. The obtained test results show that the failure mode of RHSCFST transforms from outward buckling and tearing failure to drum failure with the increasing tube thickness. With the tube thickness and reinforcement ratio increased, the ultimate load-carrying capacity, compressive stiffness and ductility of columns increased, while the lateral strain in the stirrup decreased. Comparisons were also made between test results and the existing codes such as AIJ (2008), BS5400 (2005), ACI (2019) and EC4 (2010). It has been found that the existing codes provide conservative predictions for the ultimate load-carrying capacity of RHSCFST. Therefore, an accurate model for the prediction of the ultimate load-carrying capacity of circular thin-walled RHSCFST considering the steel reinforcement is developed, based on the obtained experimental results. It has been found that the model proposed in this study provides more accurate predictions of the ultimate load-carrying capacity than that from existing design codes.

Brain Imaging Study on the Pathogenesis of Depression & Therapeutic Effect of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Meng Qi,Zhang Aixia,Cao Xiaohua,Sun Ning,Li Xinrong,Zhang YunQiao,Wang Yanfang 대한신경정신의학회 2020 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.17 No.7

Objective Predefining the most effective treatment for patients with depressive disorders remains a problem. We will examine the differential brain regions of gray matter (GM) in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and the relationship between changes in their volume and the efficacy of early antidepressant treatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Methods 159 never-medicated patients with first-episode MDD and 53 normal control subjects (NCs) were enrolled. The brains were scanned by MRI and measured with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)s, and the non-responder group and responder group were obtained. The patients were analyzed by voxel-based morphological (VBM) and SPSS software. Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed for the difference between the responder group and the non-responder group in the differential brain regions, and Pearson correlations were computed between volume size and HAMD score reduction rate.Results Smaller GM volume of the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the orbital parts of the right medial frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus were observed in MDD versus the NCs. The non-responder group demonstrated a significant volume reduction at the right STG compared with the responders, but no corresponding change in orbital part of right medial frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. ROC analysis showed that Accuracy=71.2%. There was a positive correlation between the STG gray matter volume and the HAMD-17 score reduction rate (r=0.347, p=0.002).Conclusion The study results confirmed the local changes in brain structure in MDD and may initially predict the early treatment response produced by SSRIs as antidepressants.

Plasma treatment of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for lipase immobilization

Xun Cao,Rui Zhang,Wei-min Tan,Ce Wei,Jing Wang,Ze-meng Liu,Ke-quan Chen,Ping-Kai Ouyang 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.5

Plasma-modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were used as a support to immobilize lipase. The effects of vacuum plasma treatment power, vacuum plasma treatment time, immobilization temperature, immobilization time, and initial protein concentration of the lipase on the amount of lipase immobilized and on the subsequent activity of the immobilized lipase were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption capacity of the plasma-modified MWNTs could reach 0.15 g/g and that the maximal enzyme activity of the immobilized lipase was 520U/g under optimized conditions. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the properties of the plasma-modified MWNTs and plasma-modified MWNTslipase, and the results showed that the lipase was successfully immobilized on the plasma-modified MWNTs. Also, the MWNTs-lipase produced an esterification rate of approximately 47% in the synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-aliphatic esters.

DISCOVERY OF THE IMMUNE RELATED GENES IN RESPONSE TO WHITE SPOT SYNDROME VIRUS INFECTION IN CHINESE SHRIMP Fenneropenaeus chinensis THROUGH MICROARRAY

Xianhong Meng,Jie Kong,Xiaoli Shi,Qingyin Wang,Kun Luo,Sheng Luan,Baoxiang Cao,Ning Liu 한국수산과학회 양식분과 2015 한국수산과학회 양식분과 학술대회 Vol.2015 No.5

Angle-sensitive Pixels Based on Subwavelength Compound Gratings

Yunlong Meng,Xuemei Hu,Cheng Yang,Xinyu Shen,Xueyun Cao,Lankun Lin,Feng Yan,Tao Yue 한국광학회 2022 Current Optics and Photonics Vol.6 No.4

In this paper, we present a new design for angle-sensitive pixels (ASPs). The proposed ASPs take advantage of subwavelength compound gratings to capture the light angle, which enables pixel size to reach the wavelength scale of 0.7 μm × 0.7 μm. The subwavelength compound gratings are implement-ed by the wires of the readout circuit inherent to the standard complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor manufacturing process, thus avoiding additional off-chip optics or post-processing. This technique allows the use of two pixels for horizontal or vertical angle detection, and can determine the light’s angle in the range from −45° to +45°. The proposed sensor enables surface-profile reconstruction of mi-croscale samples using a lensless imaging system.