An Improved Method for Rapid Preparation of Oligodendrocytespecific Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody

Tao Wang,Wei Wang,Lintao Jia,Xin Bu,Fang Wang,Libo Yao,Bin Zhang 한국생물공학회 2011 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.16 No.3

Antibodies are important tools in the study of protein function and diagnostic tests. However, traditional antiserum preparation requires a time-consuming immunization protocol and subsequent purification of polyclonal antibodies. In this study, a rapid and efficient method for polyclonal antibody preparation has been developed. Juxtanodin (JN) and silent information regulator-2 (Sirt2),both of which are oligodendrocyte-specific proteins, were used for antibody preparation. The N-terminal 170 amino acids of JN (JN170) and amino acids 231-351 of Sirt2 (Sirt2-121) were expressed as GST-tagged proteins from a pET-41a(+) vector in E. coli strain BL21 (DE3) cells. The fusion proteins were purified and used to immunize rabbits following both a traditional protocol, in which antigen was presented biweekly, and a modified rapid protocol, in which the immunization on day 1 was boosted on days 5and 28. ELISA, Western blot analysis and immunofluorescent staining showed that antibodies produced via the rapid protocol could recognize these two oligodendrocytespecific proteins in vitro and in the rat central nervous system (CNS), respectively, similar to those produced with the traditional protocol. Thus, our study provides a novel rapid method to prepare high specificity antibodies via a modified immunization protocol and subsequent antibody purification.

Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcomas in Late Adolescence and Adults: A Study of 37 Patients

Tao, Hai-Tao,Hu, Yi,Wang, Jin-Liang,Cheng, Yao,Zhang, Xin,Wang, Huan,Zhang, Su-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Background: Extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma (EES)/primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET) are rare soft tissue sarcomas. Prognostic factors and optimal therapy are still unconfirmed. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on patients to explore the clinic characteristics and prognostic factors of this rare disease. A total of 37 patients older than 15 years referred to our institute from Jan., 2002 to Jan., 2012 were reviewed. The characteristics, treatment and outcome were collected and analyzed. Results: The median age was 28 years (range 15-65); the median size of primary tumours was 8.2 cm (range 2-19). Sixteen patients (43%) had metastatic disease at the initial presentation. Wide surgical margins were achieved in 14 cases (38%). Anthracycline or platinum-based chemotherapy was performed on 29 patients (74%). Radiotherapy was delivered in 13 (35%). At a median follow-up visit of 24 months (range 2-81), the media event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 15.8 and 30.2 months, respectively. The 3-year EFS and OS rates were 24% and 43%, respectively. Metastases at presentation and wide surgical margins were significantly associated with OS and EFS. Tumour size was significantly associated with OS but not EFS. There were no significant differences between anthracycline and platinum based chemotherapy regarding EFS and OS. Conclusions: EES/PNET is a malignant tumour with high recurrence and frequent distant metastasis. Multimodality therapy featuring wide surgical margins, aggressive chemotherapy and adjuvant local radiotherapy is necessary for this rare disease. Platinum-based chemotherapy can be used as an adjuvant therapy.

Development and Validation of Nomograms to Provide Individualized Predictions of Sur-vival Benefits from Surgery in Patients with Intermediate/Advanced Hepatocel-lular Carcinoma

( Wen-tao Yan ),( Jia-he Wang ),( Ming-da Wang ),( Zheng Wang ),( Bing Quan ),( Ya-hao Zhou ),( Wei-min Gu ),( Hong Wang ),( Ting-hao Chen ),( Tian Yang ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: According to the BCLC treatment guidelines, surgery does not be recommended for intermediate/advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In real world, however, liver resections are often performed in patients with intermediate/ advanced but resectable HCC, especially in the East. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated multicentric data of 1,325 patients newly diagnosed with intermediate/advanced HCC who underwent curative resection. We randomly divided the subjects into development (n = 875) and validation (n = 450) samples. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were developed and separately validated on the basis of patients’ clinicopathological variables assessed for associations with 1-year recurrence and 3-year mortality. The discriminatory accuracy of these models was compared with conventional tools by analyzing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: He statistical nomograms built based on performance status, Child-Pugh grade, portal hypertension, preoperative alpha-fetoprotein level, tumor rupture, largest tumor diameter, tumor number, macrovascular and microvascular invasion, and satellites had good calibration and discriminatory abilities, with c-indices of 0.70 (1-year recurrence) and 0.68 (3-year survival), respectively. These models showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit and discrimination abilities in the validation cohort (c-index, 0.68 for 1-year recurrence and 0.69 for 3-year survival). The areas under the ROC curve using these nomograms exceeded those of traditional staging systems, indicating superior discriminatory capability (c-indices, 0.60-0.63 and 0.56-0.62, respectively). Conclusions: Our proposed online nomograms, which present graphically postoperative prognostic models for recurrence and survival in patients with intermediate/advanced but resectable HCC, offer valuable guidance to surgeons and hepatologists for individually predicting survival benefits from surgery and planning recurrence surveillance and adjuvant therapy.

Analysis, Design, and Implementation of a High-Performance Rectifier

Wang, Chien-Ming,Tao, Chin-Wang,Lai, Yu-Hao The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2016 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.16 No.3

A high-performance rectifier is introduced in this study. The proposed rectifier combines the conventional pulse width modulation, soft commutation, and instantaneously average line current control techniques to promote circuit performance. The voltage stresses of the main switches in the rectifier are lower than those in conventional rectifier topologies. Moreover, conduction losses of switches in the rectifier are certainly lower than those in conventional rectifier topologies because the power current flow path when the main switches are turned on includes two main power semiconductors and the power current flow path when the main switches are turned off includes one main power semiconductor. The rectifier also adopts a ZCS-PWM auxiliary circuit to derive the ZCS function for power semiconductors. Thus, the problem of switching losses and EMI can be improved. In the control strategy, the controller uses the average current control mode to achieve fixed-frequency current control with stability and low distortion. A prototype has been implemented in the laboratory to verify circuit theory.

Comparison of Presentation and Clinical Outcome between Children and Young Adults with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Wang, Jian-Tao,Huang, Rui,Kuang, An-Ren Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.17

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presentation, clinical course and outcome between children and young adults with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) treated in our hospital. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 145 patients with DTC who underwent surgery followed by radioiodine and thyroid hormone (TSH) suppression were retrospectively reviewed. The follow up was between January 2006 and June 2012. These patients consisted of 38 children (age${\leq}18y$) and 107 young adult patients (age${\leq}30y$). The clinical characteristics and outcome were analyzed and compared, and the progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: At initial diagnosis, a greater degree of extra thyroidal extension was found in children than adults patients (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to the tumor size and the presence of lymph node or distant metastasis (p=0.172, p=0.050 and p=0.068, respectively). The extent of surgery and the cumulative or mean dose of radioiodine were similar in both groups. During the follow up, the overall survival rate was 100% for both groups, and the PFS rate was similar in children and in young adults group (log rank test, ${\chi}^2$=0.126, p=0.723). Conclusions: In comparison to the young adult patients, DTC in children presents with more aggressive behavior, but outcomes are similar between the two groups after the intensive management of surgery followed by radioiodine and TSH suppression therapy.

Tunable Bandgap of Monolayer Black Phosphorus by Using Vertical Electric Field: a DFT Study

Tao Wang,Yan Liu,Qing Guo,Bin Zhang,Kuang Sheng,Can Li,You Yin 한국물리학회 2015 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.66 No.6

Using a ab initio plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method based on the generalized gradientapproximation (GGA), we investigate the bandgap tuning in monolayer black phosphorus byapplying external electric fields perpendicular to the layers. The bandgap continuously decreaseswith increasing applied electric fields, eventually rendering them metallic. We use the giant Starkeffect, which is essentially characterized by an interlayer spacing to explain the rate of change ofthe bandgap with the applied external field. The atomic distance and charges also contribute to thesemiconductor-to-metal transition. Our investigations show the bandgap change for the fabricationof novel electronic and photonic devices.

The Efficacy of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy on Nocturia in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Tao Wang,Wei Huang,Huantao Zong,Yong Zhang 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2015 International Neurourology Journal Vol.19 No.3

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on nocturia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: A literature review was performed to identify all published clinical trials of CPAP for the treatment of nocturia. The search included the following databases: MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. The reference lists of the retrieved studies were also investigated. Results: Five publications involving a total of 307 patients were used in the analysis, which compared the number of incidents of nocturia before and after CPAP treatment. We found that patients with OSA and nocturia who were treated with CPAP had a significant decrease in the frequency of nocturia and the volume of urine associated with it. The mean number of nocturia incidents (standardized mean difference [SMD], –2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], –2.42 to –2.15; P<0.00001) and the associated urine volume (SMD, –183.12; 95% CI, –248.27 to –117.98; P<0.00001) indicated that CPAP was effective. Besides, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (SMD, –5.88; 95% CI, –6.56 to –5.21; P<0.00001) and the CPAP apnea-hypopnea index (SMD, –31.57; 95% CI, –33.87 to –29.28; P<0.00001) indicated that CPAP significantly improved the quality of sleep. Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicates that CPAP maybe an effective treatment for reducing nocturia associated with OSA and improving the quality of life of such patients.

Codon Optimization, Soluble Expression and Purification of PE_PGRS45 Gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Preparation of Its Polyclonal Antibody Protein

( Tao Xu ),( Minying Li ),( Chutong Wang ),( Meili Yuan ),( Xianyou Chang ),( Zhongqing Qian ),( Baiqing Li ),( Meiqun Sun ),( Hongtao Wang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2021 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.31 No.11

Studies have demonstrated that PE_PGRS45 is constitutively expressed under various environmental conditions (such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, and low pH) of the in vitro growth conditions examined, indicating that PE_PGRS45 protein is critical to the basic functions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there are few reports about the biochemical function and pathogenic mechanism of PE_PGRS45 protein. The fact that this M. tuberculosis gene is not easily expressed in E. coli may be mainly due to the high content of G+C and the use of unique codons. Fusion tags are indispensable tools used to improve the soluble expression of recombinant proteins and accelerate the characterization of protein structure and function. In the present study, His6, Trx, and His6-MBP were used as fusion tags, but only MBP-PE_PGRS45 was expressed solubly. The purification using His6-MBP tag-specific binding to the Ni column was easy to separate after the tag cleavage. We used the purified PE_PGRS45 to immunize New Zealand rabbits and obtained anti- PE_PGRS45 serum. We found that the titer of polyclonal antibodies against PE_PGR45 was higher than 1:256000. The result shows that purified PE_PGRS45 can induce New Zealand rabbits to produce high-titer antibodies. In conclusion, the recombinant protein PE_PGRS45 was successfully expressed in E. coli and specific antiserum was prepared, which will be followed by further evaluation of these specific antigens to develop highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for tuberculosis.

Optimal Consensus Control for Heterogeneous Nonlinear Multiagent Systems with Partially Unknown Dynamics

Tao Wang,Hao Fu,Jinbin Li,Yaodong Zhang,Xinfeng Zhou,Xin Chen 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2019 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.17 No.9

This paper focuses on an optimal consensus problem for heterogeneous discrete-time nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) with partially unknown dynamics. For those systems, it is difficult to obtain the solution of the coupled Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations, which is necessary to address the optimal consensus problem. A new hierarchical and distributed optimal control strategy is developed to derive the near solution of the HJB equations. Its control structure consists of the model reference adaptive control (MRAC) layer and distributed control layer. In the MRAC layer, the adaptive feedforward and feedback controller is designed to make the states of followers converge to ones of their corresponding reference models. Then, the optimal consensus problem of heterogeneous MASs is formulated as that of homogeneous MASs. In the distributed control layer, an online distributed value iteration algorithm is proposed to approximate the optimal solution of the HJB equations for reference models. Thereby, the optimal consensus is also achieved for the heterogeneous MASs. The two convergence properties are analyzed to demonstrate the MRAC performance and the optimal consensus, respectively. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Anesthetic Management and Outcomes of Endovascular Treatment of Basilar Artery Occlusion: Results From the ATTENTION Registry

Tao Chunrong,Yuan Guangxiong,Xu Pengfei,Wang Hao,Zhou Peiyang,Yi Tingyu,Li Kai,Cui Tao,Gao Jun,Li Rui,Sun Jun,Zhang Chao,Wang Li,Liu Tianlong,Song Jianlong,Yin Yamei,Nguyen Thanh N.,Li Qing,Hu Wei 대한뇌졸중학회 2023 Journal of stroke Vol.25 No.3

Background and Purpose To examine the clinical and safety outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) with different anesthetic modalities. Methods This was a retrospective analysis using data from the Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion (ATTENTION) registry. Patients were divided into two groups defined by anesthetic modality performed during EVT: general anesthesia (GA) or non-general anesthesia (non-GA). The association between anesthetic management and clinical outcomes was evaluated in a propensity score matched (PSM) cohort and an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) cohort to adjust for imbalances between the two groups. Results Our analytic sample included 1,672 patients from 48 centers. The anesthetic modality was GA in 769 (46.0%) and non-GA in 903 (54.0%) patients. In our primary analysis with the PSM-based cohort, non-GA was comparable to GA concerning the primary outcome (adjusted common odds ratio [acOR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 1.25; <i>P</i>=0.91). Mortality at 90 days was 38.4% in the GA group and 35.8% in the non-GA group (adjusted risk ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.08; <i>P</i>=0.44). In our secondary analysis with the IPTW-based cohort, the anesthetic modality was significantly associated with the distribution of modified Rankin Scale at 90 days (acOR: 1.45 [95% CI: 1.20 to 1.75]). Conclusion In this nationally-representative observational study, acute ischemic stroke patients due to BAO undergoing EVT without GA had similar clinical and safety outcomes compared with patients treated with GA. These findings provide the basis for large-scale randomized controlled trials to test whether anesthetic management provides meaningful clinical effects for patients undergoing EVT.