Potential Therapeutic Targets for the Primary Gallbladder Carcinoma: Estrogen Receptors

Zhang, Ling-Qiang,Zhang, Xiu-De,Xu, Jia,Wan, Yong,Qu, Kai,Zhang, Jing-Yao,Wang, Zhi-Xin,Wei, Ji-Chao,Meng, Fan-Di,Tai, Ming-Hui,Zhou, Lei,Liu, Chang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.4

Gallbladder carcinoma, the most frequent malignant neoplasm of the biliary tract system, has always been considered to feature late clinical presentation and diagnosis, limited treatment options and an extremely poor prognosis. In recent years, while the incidence of gallbladder cancer has appeared to be on the increase, the available treatment methods have not greatly improved survival of the affected patients. Thus, exploring new therapeutic targets for this devastating disease is an urgent matter at present. Epidemical studies have demonstrated that the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma exhibits a distinct gender bias, affecting females two to three times more than males, pointing to crucial roles of estrogen. It is well known that estrogen acts on target tissues by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs), which are mainly divided into three subtypes, $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$ and $ER{\gamma}$. $ER{\alpha}$ and $ER{\beta}$ appear to have overlapping but also unique even opposite biological effects. As important pathogenic mediators, ERs have been considered to relate to several kinds of tumors. In gallbladder carcinoma tissue, ERs have been shown to be positively expressed, and ERs expression levels are associated with differentiation and prognosis of this cancer. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms of estrogen inducing growth of gallbladder carcinoma remain poorly understood. On the base of the current investigations, we deduce that estrogen participates in promotion of gallbladder carcinoma by influencing the formation of gallstones, stimulating angiogenesis, and promoting abnormal proliferation. Since ERs mediate the carcinogenic actions of estrogen in gallbladder, and therapy targeting ERs may provide new directions for gallbladder carcinoma. Therefore, it should be stressed that ERs are potential therapeutic targets for gallbladder carcinoma.

A magnetostrictive self-powered biosensor based on Au-BaTiO3-FeGa & PDMS

Qiang Zhang,Meng Xu,Yan Liu,Chunyan Zhang,Rui Zhang,Zhiyuan Fu,Jianlong Ji,Riguang Zhang,Shengbo Sang 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.117 No.-

Piezoelectric flexible sensors have been used to detect biomolecules such as sweat and glucose because oftheir passive, simple structure and high sensitivity. This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric Au-BaTiO3-FeGa & PDMS biosensor in which magnetostrictive deformation amplifies the surface stress generatedby biomolecules combining on the thin film. The modification process of bovine serum albumin(BSA) binding with the sensor was initially determined by the first principles approach. Then, the sensingmechanism was verified by finite-element simulation. Based on the simulation results, flexible Au-BaTiO3-FeGa & PDMS biosensors were prepared, modified, and measured. The structure, modification,and detection of the sensors were analyzed by digital microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry(FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The responses ofthe biosensors detecting different BSA solution concentrations under magnetic fields were then investigated. Experimental results indicate that the biosensor has the highest sensitivity under a magnetic fieldof 30 mT.

A Potent Brucella abortus 2308 Δery Live Vaccine Allows for the Differentiation between Natural and Vaccinated Infection

Junbo Zhang,Shuanghong Yin,Fei Guo,Ren Meng,Chuangfu Chen,Hui Zhang,Zhi-qiang Li,Qiang Fu,Huijun Shi,Shengwei Hu,Wei Ni,Tiansen Li,Ke Zhang 한국미생물학회 2014 The journal of microbiology Vol.52 No.8

Brucellosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease that causes animal and human diseases. However, the current Brucella abortus vaccines (S19 and RB51) are deficient; they can cause abortion in pregnant animals. Moreover, when the vaccine S19 is used, tests cannot differentiate natural from vaccinated infection. Therefore, a safer and more potent vaccine is needed. A Brucella abortus 2308 ery promoter mutant (Δery) was constructed to overcome these drawbacks. The growth of the Δery mutant was significantly attenuated in macrophages and mice and induced high protective immunity in mice. Moreover, Δery induced an anti-Brucellaspecific IgG (immunoglobulin G) response and stimulated the expression of interferon-gamma (INF-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Furthermore, the expression of EryA antigen allowed for the serological differentiation between natural and vaccinated infection in mice. These results indicate that the Δery mutant is a potential attenuated live vaccine candidate against virulent Brucella abortus 2308 (S2308) infection.

New Insights Into Refractory Chronic Cough and Unexplained Chronic Cough: A 6-Year Ambispective Cohort Study

Zhang Mengru,Morice Alyn H.,Si Fengli,Zhang Li,Chen Qiang,Wang Shengyuan,Zhu Yiqing,Xu Xianghuai,Yu Li,Qiu Zhongmin 대한천식알레르기학회 2023 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.15 No.6

Purpose: Only limited studies have depicted the unique features and management of refractory chronic cough (RCC) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC). These led to the initiation of this study, which reported the demographic characteristics, manifestations, and long-term outcomes on a large series of consecutive RCC/UCC patients, providing a guideline-led real-world clinical experience. Methods: Retrospective baseline information was obtained from Clinical Research Database (January 2016 to May 2021). At least 6 months after the last clinic visit, included subjects were prospectively followed up. Results: Three hundred and sixty-nine RCC and UCC patients (199 females, 53.9%) were analyzed. The median cough duration was 24.0 (12.0–72.0) months. Laryngeal symptoms were reported in 95.9% of the patients. The common triggers for coughing were talking (74.9%), pungent odors (47.3%), eating (45.5%), and cold air (42.8%). RCC was considered in 38.2%, and the remainder of 228 patients had UCC, with an equal sex distribution (P = 0.66). Among the 141 RCCs, 90.8% (128) had refractory reflux cough, which was more responsive to current treatments (P < 0.01). Although most features and test results between RCC and UCC were similar, UCC was more commonly inappropriately treated (P < 0.01). Nineteen (7.7–41.1) months after the final clinic visit, 31.2% still coughed persistently, while 68.8% reported cough improvement or remission. RCC reported more favorable treatment outcomes (including cough improvement, control, and spontaneous remission) than UCC (P < 0.01). Coughs with long duration before the initial cough clinic visit (P < 0.01), frequent urinary incontinence (P < 0.01), and being sensitive to “talking” (P < 0.01) or “cold air” (P < 0.01) were less likely to be solved. Conclusions: The current treatments only improve cough symptoms in two-thirds of patients. Clinical indicators for treatment failure were those coughing for long duration and being sensitive to “talking” or “cold air.”

Design of LPG Remote Cargo Operation Simulator with Automatic Bargaining Function

Zhang Qiang,Zhou Xinwei 국제이네비해양경제학회 2019 International Journal of e-Navigation and Maritime Vol.13 No.1

Liquefied gas carrier cargo handling operations are critical to ship safety. In order to improve the quality and efficiency of cargo handling of liquefied gas carriers, the loading and unloading operation of the liquefied gas carrier was studied and a set of LPG remote cargo operation simulator with automatic bargaining function was designed. Introducing the components of the simulator: the console unit and the simulated cargo tank unit in brief, the design ideas and specific functions of the automatic barge and remote control of the core part of the system are introduced in detail. The simulator feasibility verification is carried out by comparing the error between the actual loading and unloading operation with the system simulation loading and unloading operation. The simulation training functions verification is carried out by testing people who use the simulator for training. The final results show that the error is within the acceptable range, and people who use the simulator for training can pass an authoritative comprehensive exam. It is shown that that the system can simulate the important operations in the cargo handling process and has an excellent training effect.

Effects of Copper Oxide and Carbon Nanotubes on Thermal Stability of Silicone Rubber Nanocomposites

Qiang Zhang,Lu Bai,Junping Zheng 한국고분자학회 2016 폴리머 Vol.40 No.2

Silicone rubber (SR) filled with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), copper oxide (CuO) and CuO modified CNTs (CuO-CNTs) were prepared to detect the effects of these additives on thermal stability of SR by thermogravimetric analysis and tensile testing before and after aging. Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method was also employed to analyze the thermal degradation kinetics. The results indicated that all the additives could increase the initial thermal degradation temperature and thermal oxidative aging properties of SR and a synergistic effect was found in CuO-CNTs/SR. Meanwhile, activation energies of SR filled with additives increased significantly relative to neat SR and found to be optimal for CuO-CNTs/SR with activation energy increasing to 231.29, 121.68 kJ·mol-1 larger than that of blank sample. It is because that CNTs and CuO could promote each other to capture the free radicals generated by thermal oxidative reaction of the methyl side groups and thereby terminate the process.

THE BIG WORD EFFECT: IMPACT OF USING BIG WORDS ON BACKERS’ FUNDING BEHAVIOR IN CROWDFUNDING

Qiang Zhang,Yeyi Liu,Yuanyuan Liu,Dionysius Ang 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2023 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2023 No.07

Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular fundraising tool where project creators solicit capital from potential backers in return for monetary rewards or presales of products/services. Potential backers in crowdfunding are looking for potential cues to reduce uncertainty and predict new venture success when making their capital contributions. To increase their funding success, project creators strategically use project descriptions as a marketing tool to attract potential backers and funding.

Sonication-Assisted Synthesis of Molybdenum Disulfide Aerogel for the Electrode Materials of Supercapacitors

Qiang Zhang,Wenyuan He,Yinmin Wang,Dazhao Pei,Xue Jun Zheng 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.5

The sonication processing was added in front of the freeze-drying as an intermediate processing before the molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) aerogel was synthesized. It is distinguishing with the traditional hydrothermal reaction to combine the sonication processing and freeze-drying in our method. The structure, morphology, specific surface area and pore size distribution were characterized, and the electrochemical performances were measured in 0.5M Na2SO4 electrolyte for the MoS2 aerogel and flower-like MoS2. As for comparison, they are of porous structure and microsphere structure, and their specific surface areas are 55.14 m2 g -1 and 38.12 m2 g -1. The specific capacitances are 166.7 F g -1 and 119.2 F g -1 at the scan rate of 5 mV s -1, and the capacity retentions are 87.7% and 81.6% after 3000 charge/discharge cycles. For the enhanced mechanism, the high specific surface of the MoS2 aerogel causes high specific capacitance, and the unique porous structure could buffer volume expansion to improve retention ability during charge/discharge processes. The MoS2 aerogel may thus be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

Time-Discretization of Delayed Multi-Input Nonlinear System Using A new algorithm

Zhang Qiang(장강),Zheng Zhang(장정),Sung Jung Kim(김성중),Kil To Chong(정길도) 대한전기학회 2007 정보 및 제어 심포지엄 논문집 Vol.2007 No.4

Influence of Adipocytokines and Periprostatic Adiposity Measurement Parameters on Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness

Zhang, Qiang,Sun, Li-Jiang,Qi, Jun,Yang, Zhi-Gang,Huang, Tao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.4

Background: The relationship between obesity and prostate cancer aggressiveness is controversial in recent studies, partly because BMI is the only generally applied marker of obesity. Our study aimed at evaluating the correlation of periprostatic fat (PF) on magnatic resonance imaging (MRI) and adipocytokines with prostate cancer aggressiveness. Patients and method: A total of 184 patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) were analyzed retrospectively; different fat measurements on MRI slices and levels of adipocytokines were compared with the clinical and pathologic factors using SSPS ver.13.0. Result: The PF rates showed a statistically significant variation (p=0.019, 0.025) among groups, that is to say, more adipose tissue was distributed in periprostatic areas of high risk patients. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age revealed a statistically association between the PF, the ratio and the risk of having high-risk disease (p=0.031, 0.024). The levels of IL-6, leptin and c-reactive protein (CRP) significantly increased with the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, and also with PF and its ratio. The strongest correlation was seen between IL-6 and PF (Pearson r coefficient=0.67, P<0.001). No association was observed between adipocytokines and BMI. Conclusion: Periprostatic adiposity not only affects prostate cancer aggressiveness, but also influences the secretion of adipocytokines. IL-6, PF and CRP have promoting effects on progression of prostate cancer.