Rapid Detection and Monitoring Therapeutic Efficacy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Using a Novel Real-Time Assay

( Jiang Li Juan ),( Wen Juan Wu ),( Hai Wu ),( Son Sik Ryang ),( Jian Zhou ),( Wei Wu ),( Tao Li ),( Jian Guo ),( Hong Hai Wang ),( Shui Hua Lu ),( Yao Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2012 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.22 No.9

We combined real-time RT-PCR and real-time PCR (R/P) assays using a hydrolysis probe to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC)-specific 16S rRNA and its rRNA gene (rDNA). The assay was applied to 28 nonrespiratory and 207 respiratory specimens from 218 patients. Total nucleic acids (including RNA and DNA) were extracted from samples, and results were considered positive if the repeat RT-PCR threshold cycle was ≤35 and the ratio of real-time RT-PCR and real-time PCR load was ≥1.51. The results were compared with those from existing methods, including smear, culture, and real-time PCR. Following resolution of the discrepant results between R/P assay and culture, the overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) of all samples (including nonrespiratory and respiratory specimens) were 98.2%, 97.2%, 91.7%, and 99.4%, respectively, for R/P assay, and 83.9%, 89.9%, 72.3%, and 94.7%, respectively, for real-time PCR. Furthermore, the R/P assay of four patient samples showed a higher ratio before treatment than after several days of treatment. We conclude that the R/P assay is a rapid and accurate method for direct detection of MTBC, which can distinguish viable and nonviable MTBC, and thus may guide patient therapy and public health decisions.

Understanding of Globalization and Transnational Chinese Cinema

WU Juan 중국영화포럼 2014 영화중국 Vol.1 No.1

This year, a landmark film co-production treaty between the UK and China was signed, by looking back the Chinese cinema in UK, analysis the reasons for film co-production, this essay explores how globalization influenced Chinese cinema and what is the availability of Chinese cinema.

The Storytelling Rhythms of Chinese and Korean Films

WU JUAN 국제문화기술진흥원 2020 International Journal of Advanced Culture Technolo Vol.8 No.4

In literature it is not only the meaning of words which matters, but also their texture matters i.e. their rhythm, colour and style are relevant and none of these natures can be reduced to an item of information. The texture is also important in film languages, especially the rhythm. In order to make the storytelling rhythm visible, a new concept of ‘the Rhythm Chart Analysis Method (RCAM)’ has been devised in this research and used for analysis. By analyzing original films and remakes in Korean and Chinese, one can find out that different countries have different storytelling rhythms i.e. the same story can be told in different rhythms. The central idea in Korean films is portrayed at the end, which is a typical characteristic of Korean films. And as the defining moment does not occur suddenly the audience can naturally get immersed into the story. But Chinese films communicate with the audience in a more direct way. It directly mentions characteristics of each actor in such a way that it is telling rather than showing. The information of the movie is given to the audience in the initial stages of the movie. Rhythm is as important as story and information. And through this we can find out the cultural differences from the different storytelling rhythms.

중국문화연구에 대한 상호텍스트적 접근 — 〈사천의 선인〉과 〈스틸라이프〉를 중심으로

오연(Wu, Juan) 중국문화연구학회 2021 중국문화연구 Vol.- No.53

The aim of this paper is to expand the scope of Chinese cultural studies through the perspective of intertextuality. It is intended to supplement the limitations of regional and cultural researches which have been conducted as mutual academic research, thereby conducting cultural researches on the theme of ‘relationship’. The view of this paper is based on the dialogic relationship in historical and cultural contexts of Bakhtin, and Kristeva’s intertextuality which is on the same line as dialogics. A careful analysis of two works, one by Bertolt Brecht, a wellknown German playwright, which is entitled 〈The Good Person of Szechwan(1943)〉 and the other from a Chinese film entitled 〈Still Life(2006)〉, will clearly reveal their dialogic relationship. The German playwright Bertolt Brecht used the theater as a forum for social critique. He was influenced by a wide variety of sources from Chinese, Japanese and many more. He intends to make a referential use of the advantages of Chinese drama. The play 〈The Good Person of Szechwan〉 is one of Brecht’s most intercultural plays, blending his fascinations for Chinese theatricality and German politics. Jia Zhangke, a Chinese film director who created 〈Still Life〉, was much influenced by Brecht. The flim 〈Still Life〉 is an example of this kind of Interculturalism. The background of creation is different, but the creative techniques of the two works, the power relationship, and ideology in the works are closely interlinked. Many new things can be discovered in this dialogic relationship, which would otherwise be ignored simply by concentrating on one text. Polyphony, which can be found in de-subjective, decentralized, and de-nationalized relationships, shows new possibilities for interpretation and creation. In the future, it will be necessary to pay attention to the cross-cultural landscape in which tradition, modernity, and different countries interact together to form new cultures in various genres.

헤어질 결심으로 환대를 해체하기

오연(Wu Juan) 한국영화학회 2023 영화연구 Vol.- No.96

중국 MZ세대의 한국 이미지 재현 연구 - 서울 시티워크(Citywalk) 이미지를 중심으로

吳娟(Juan Wu) 중국어문논역학회 2024 中國語文論譯叢刊 Vol.- No.55

In vitro Antioxidant Activities of Proanthocyanidins Extracted from the Lotus Seedpod and Ameliorative Effects on Learning and Memory Impairment in Scopolamine-induced Amnesia Mice

Juan Xiao,Shuyi Li,Yong Sui,Xiaopeng Li,Qian Wu,Ruifen Zhang,Mingwei Zhang,Bijun Xie,Zhida Sun 한국식품과학회 2015 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.24 No.4

The antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins extracted from the lotus seedpods (LSPC) in vitro and ameliorative effects on memory impairment induced using scopolamine in mice were studied. 2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and cellular antioxidant activity assays revealed a potent LSPC antioxidant activity. Y-maze and step-down avoidance testing showed that LSPC administration at 30, 60, and 90 mg/kg ameliorated memory impairment. LSPC improved glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, inhibited activities of monoamine oxidase-B, total nitric oxide synthase, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, and acetylcholinesterase, and had no influence on inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide levels in the brain. LSPC ameliorated scopolamineinduced memory impairment based on improvement of the antioxidant system and cholinergic activity, which may be associated with potent antioxidant ability.

Ovarian Ablation Using Goserelin Improves Survival of Premenopausal Patients with Stage II/III Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer without Chemotherapy-Induced Amenorrhea

Juan Zhou,San-Gang Wu,Jun-Jie Wang,Jia-Yuan Sun,Fengyan Li,Qin Lin,Huan-Xin Lin,Zhen-Yu He 대한암학회 2015 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.47 No.1

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the value of ovarian ablation using goserelin inpremenopausal patients with stage II/III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer withoutchemotherapy-induced amenorrhea (CIA). Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the data of breast patients treated between October 1999 andNovember 2007 without CIA. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for calculation of thesurvival rate. Log rank method and Cox regression analysis were used for univariate andmultivariate prognostic analysis. ResultsThe median follow-up period was 61 months. Initially, 353 patients remained without CIAafter chemotherapy and 98 among those who received goserelin and tamoxifen (TAM). Inunivariate analysis, goserelin improved locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (98.9%vs. 94.1%, p=0.041), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (85.4% vs. 71.9%, p=0.006),disease-free survival (DFS) (85.4% vs. 71.6%, p=0.005), and overall survival (OS) (93.5%vs. 83.5%, p=0.010). In multivariate analysis, goserelin treatment was an independentfactor influencing DMFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.603; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.228 to2.092; p=0.001), DFS (HR, 1.606; 95% CI, 1.231 to 2.096; p=0.001), and OS (HR, 3.311;95% CI, 1.416 to 7.742; p=0.006). In addition, treatment with goserelin resulted in significantlyimproved LRFS (p=0.039), DMFS (p=0.043), DFS (p=0.036), and OS (p=0.010) inpatients aged < 40 years. In patients aged  40 years, goserelin only improved DMFS(p=0.028) and DFS (p=0.027). ConclusionOvarian ablation with goserelin plus TAM resulted in significantly improved therapeuticefficacy in premenopausal patients with stage II/III hormone receptor-positive breast cancerwithout CIA.

Enhanced Acid Tolerance in Lactobacillus casei by Adaptive Evolution and Compared Stress Response during Acid Stress

Juan Zhang,Chongde Wu,Guocheng Du,Jian Chen 한국생물공학회 2012 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.17 No.2

This study aimed to improve the acid tolerance of Lactobacillus casei Zhang and compare the stress response of the parental strain and the acid-resistant mutant during acidic conditions. Adaptive evolution was conducted for 70 days to generate acid-tolerant L. casei. The evolved mutant lb-2 exhibited more than a 60% increase in biomass as well as a 13.6 and 65.6% increase in concentrations of lactate and acetate, respectively, when cultured at pH 4.3 for 64 h. Lactic acid tolerances of the parental strain and the evolved mutant were determined. As a result,the evolved mutant showed a 318-fold higher survival rate than that of the parental strain. Physiological analysis showed that the evolved mutant exhibited higher intracellular pH (pHi), NH4+ concentration and lower inner membrane permeability than that of the parental strain during acid stress. Moreover, higher amounts of intracellular arginine and aspartate were also detected in lb-2under acid stress. Validation of the relationship between the acid tolerance and the intracellular arginine and aspartate accumulation was conducted by experiments that showed the survival of L. casei at pH 3.3 was improved 1.36-,2.10-, or 3.42-fold by the addition of 50 mM aspartate,arginine or both of them, respectively. Taken together,results presented here not only supply an effective way to select acid-resistant strains for the food industry, but also contribute to reveal the mechanisms of acid tolerance and provide new strategies to enhance the industrial utility and health-promoting properties of this species.

Interactions Between MTHFR C677T - A1298C Variants and Folic Acid Deficiency Affect Breast Cancer Risk in a Chinese Population

Wu, Xia-Yu,Ni, Juan,Xu, Wei-Jiang,Zhou, Tao,Wang, Xu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Background: Our objective was to evaluate the MTHFR C677T-A1298C polymorphisms in patients with breast cancer and in individuals with no history of cancer, to compare the levels of genetic damage and apoptosis under folic acid (FA) deficiency between patients and controls, and to assess associations with breast cancer. Methods: Genetic damage was marked by micronucleated binucleated cells (MNBN) and apoptosis was estimated by cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay (CBMN). PCR-RFLP molecular analysis was carried out. Results: The results showed significant associations between the MTHFR 677TT or the combined MTHFR C677T-A1298C and breast cancer risk (OR = 2.51, CI = 0.85 to 7.37, p = 0.08; OR = 4.11, CI = 0.78 to 21.8, p < 0.001). The MNBN from the combined MTHFR C677T-A1298C was higher and the apoptosis was lower than that of the single variants (p < 0.05). At 15 to 60 nmol/L FA, the MNBN in cases with the TTAC genotype was higher than controls (p < 0.05), whereas no significant difference in apoptosis was found between the cases and controls after excluding the genetic background. Conclusions: Associations between the combined MTHFR C677T-A1298C polymorphism and breast cancer are possible from this study. A dose of 120 nmol/L FA could enhance apoptosis in cases with MTHFR C677T-A1298C. Breast cancer individuals with the TTAC genotype may be more sensitive to the genotoxic effects of FA deficiency than controls.