Transcriptome profiling of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) discovers candidate regulators of the cold stress respo

Xiao‑Xiao Gong,Bing‑Yu Yan,Jin Hu,Cui‑Ping Yang,Yi‑Jian Li,Jin‑Ping Liu,Wen‑Bin Liao 한국유전학회 2018 Genes & Genomics Vol.40 No.11

Tropical plant rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is the sole source of commercial natural rubber and low-temperature stress is the most important limiting factor for its cultivation. To characterize the gene expression profiles of H. brasiliensis under the cold stress and discover the key cold stress-induced genes. Three cDNA libraries, CT (control), LT2 (cold treatment at 4 °C for 2 h) and LT24 (cold treatment at 4 °C for 24 h) were constructed for RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and gene expression profiling. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to validate the RNA-Seq and gene differentially expression results. A total of 1457 and 2328 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in LT2 and LT24 compared with CT were respectively detected. Most significantly enriched KEGG pathways included flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis, Pentose and glucuronate interconversions, phenylalanine metabolism and starch and sucrose metabolism. A total of 239 transcription factors (TFs) were differentially expressed following 2 h or/and 24 h of cold treatment. Cold-response transcription factor families included ARR-B, B3, BES1, bHLH, C2H, CO-like, Dof, ERF, FAR1, G2-like, GRAS, GRF, HD-ZIP, HSF, LBD, MIKC-MADS, M-type MADS, MYB, MYB-related, NAC, RAV, SRS, TALE, TCP, Trihelix, WOX, WRKY, YABBY and ZF-HD. The genome-wide transcriptional response of rubber tree to the cold treatments were determined and a large number of DEGs were characterized including 239 transcription factors, providing important clues for further elucidation of the mechanisms of cold stress responses in rubber tree.

Use of antibiotics and other treatments in Chinese adults with acute cough: An online survey

Xiao-yang Hu,Ru-yu Xia,Michael Moore,Beth Stuart,Wen Ling-Zi,Bertrand Graz,Lai Lily,Liu Jian-Ping,Yu-tong Fei,Merlin Willcox 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.1

Background: Acute respiratory tract infections are common worldwide and there has been a rapid in- crease in antibiotic consumption. This study aimed to identify use of various treatments and their as- sociation with the use of antibiotics and patient reported clinical recovery in Chinese adults with acute cough. Methods: An online survey recruiting people who had recently experienced cough was conducted. Their sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, treatments received and their perceived changes in symptoms were collected. Factors influencing avoidance of antibiotics and improvement in symptoms were explored. Results: A total of 22,787 adults with recent acute cough completed the questionnaire, covering all 34 province-level administrative units in China. Most respondents were male (68.0%), young (89.4%, aged 18–45), educated to university/degree or postgraduate level (44.6%), with a median cough severity of 6/10 on a numerical rating scale. Nearly half of the participants (46.4%) reported using antibiotics, among which 93.1% were for presumed upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Pharmacies (48.8%) were the most common source of antibiotics. Fewer patients took antibiotics after taking CHM (14.9%), compared to those who started with home remedies (18.0%), or allopathic non-antibiotic medication (25.0%). An- tibiotics, allopathic non-antibiotic medications, CHM and home remedies were all perceived beneficial in relieving cough. Conclusions: Chinese adult responders report use of a considerable variety of treatments alone or in combination for acute cough. Patient-reported clinical recovery was similar regardless of treatment. There is likely a high proportion of inappropriate use of antibiotics for treatment of simple acute cough. As the majority of respondents did not use antibiotics as a first-line, and use of CHM was associated with relief of cough symptoms and reduction in the use of antibiotics, this presents an important opportunity for prudent antibiotic stewardship in China.

Knockdown of the olfactory co-receptor Orco impairsmate recognition in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Xiao-Ming Liu,Bang-Xian Zhang,Shi-Guang Li,Xiang-Jun Rao,Dong-MingWang,Xiao-Xuan Hu,Su Liu 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.2

The yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a common insect pest that damages stored grain. The insect olfactory co-receptor (Orco) is a transmembrane protein localized on the surface of the dendrites of olfactory sensory neurons and plays an essential role in the olfactory perception. In this study, an Orco ortholog (named as Tmol\Orco) inT.molitorwas characterized. The deduced amino acid sequence of Tmol\Orco shared significant high identities with Orcos in other insect species from distinct Orders. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that Tmol\Orco was predominantly expressed in the antennae of both male and female adults, and the difference between male antennae and female antennae was not significant. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) directly against the Tmol\Orco mRNA was synthesized and injected into the T. molitor male adults, RT-qPCR results demonstrated that the transcription level of Tmol\Orco was significantly reduced at 6 d after the injection. The mate-seeking behavior of Tmol\Orco-silenced beetles was significantly inhibited. Compare to the control individuals, the percentage of Tmol\Orco-silenced beetles successfully find mateswas significantly decreased and the average time they spent for searching were significantly increased. These results provided first direct evidence that suppression of Tmol\Orco transcription contributes to the decline in mate recognition of T. molitor

Relationship Between the SER Treatment Period and Prognosis of Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer

Xiao, Xiao-Guang,Wang, Shu-Jing,Hu, Li-Ya,Chu, Qian,Wei, Yao,Li, Yang,Mei, Qi,Chen, Yuan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Purpose: To explore the relationship between SER (time between the start of any treatment and the end of radiation therapy) and the survival of patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. Materials and Methods: Between 2008 and 2013, 135 cases of limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) treated with consecutively curative chemoradiotherapy were included in this retrospective analysis. In terms of SER, patients were divided into early radiotherapy group (SER<30 days, n=76) and late radiotherapy group ($SER{\geq}30$ days, n=59) with a cut-off of SER 30 days. Outcomes of the two groups were compared for overall survival. Results: For all analyzable patients, median follow-up time was 23.8 months and median overall survival time was 16.8 months. Although there was no significant differences in distant metastasis free survival between the two groups, patients in early radiotherapy group had a significantly better PFS (p=0.003) and OS (p=0.000). Conclusions: A short SER may be a good prognostic factor for LD-SCLC patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Diffusion Weighted Imaging for Differentiating Benign from Malignant Orbital Tumors: Diagnostic Performance of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Based on Region of Interest Selection Method

Xiao-Quan Xu,Hao Hu,Guo-Yi Su,Hu Liu,Hai-Bin Shi,Fei-Yun Wu 대한영상의학회 2016 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.17 No.5

Objective: To evaluate the differences in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements based on three different region of interest (ROI) selection methods, and compare their diagnostic performance in differentiating benign from malignant orbital tumors. Materials and Methods: Diffusion-weighted imaging data of sixty-four patients with orbital tumors (33 benign and 31 malignant) were retrospectively analyzed. Two readers independently measured the ADC values using three different ROIs selection methods including whole-tumor (WT), single-slice (SS), and reader-defined small sample (RDSS). The differences of ADC values (ADC-ROIWT, ADC-ROISS, and ADC-ROIRDSS) between benign and malignant group were compared using unpaired t test. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine and compare their diagnostic ability. The ADC measurement time was compared using ANOVA analysis and the measurement reproducibility was assessed using Bland-Altman method and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Malignant group showed significantly lower ADC-ROIWT, ADC-ROISS, and ADC-ROIRDSS than benign group (all p < 0.05). The areas under the curve showed no significant difference when using ADC-ROIWT, ADC-ROISS, and ADC-ROIRDSS as differentiating index, respectively (all p > 0.05). The ROISS and ROIRDSS required comparable measurement time (p > 0.05), while significantly shorter than ROIWT (p < 0.05). The ROISS showed the best reproducibility (mean difference ± limits of agreement between two readers were 0.022 [-0.080–0.123] x 10-3 mm2/s; ICC, 0.997) among three ROI methods. Conclusion: Apparent diffusion coefficient values based on the three different ROI selection methods can help to differentiate benign from malignant orbital tumors. The results of measurement time, reproducibility and diagnostic ability suggest that the ROISS method are potentially useful for clinical practice.

Study on Residual Stress Releasing of 316L Stainless Steel Welded Joints by Ultrasonic Impact Treatment

Xiao-Dong Hu,Chongbin Ma,Yicheng Yang,Qingliang Zeng 한국강구조학회 2020 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.20 No.3

In this paper, the eff ect of ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) on the residual stress of 316L welded butt-joint was investigated. Firstly, the temperature fi eld distribution in the welded joint was simulated based on the double-ellipsoidal heat source model, and the residual stresses were calculated by a sequential coupling thermo-mechanical fi nite element method. Subsequently, based on the theory of transient contact mechanics, the eff ects of UIT on releasing of the welding residual stress was analyzed. The microstructure of the weld metal before and after the UIT treatment was compared to study the infl uence of UIT. The results show that the maximum residual stresses in the weld metal and heat aff ected zones are released due to the dislocation multiplication during the UIT, and this eff ect on the weld metal is more remarkable than that on the heat aff ected zones. The results of numerical simulation of UIT are consistent with the corresponding experimental results. After UIT, the transverse and longitudinal tensile stresses near the fusion line are changed to compressive stresses.

Study on Traditional Chinese Medicine against Liver Fibrosis

Hu, Xiao-Ping,Son, Chang-Gue,Shin, Jang-Woo,Cho, Jung-Hyo,Cho, Chong-Kwan,Yoo, Hwa-Seung,Lee, Yeon-Weol Research Institute of Korean Medicine 2006 한의학연구소 논문집 Vol.15 No.2

간섬유화는 다양한 만성 간질환에 기인하는 간실질의 결합조직의 과도한 증식을 말하며, 간경화로 발전하는 중간과정이다. 중국과 한국에는 많은 간섬유화 환자가 있지만 현재까지 서양의학에서 간섬유화를 효과적으로 치료할 수 있는 치료법은 발견되지 않고 있다. 최근 수년간 중국전통의학의 임상과 실험연구에서 많은 발전이 있었다. 전통의학이론을 바탕으로 활혈거어(活血祛瘀), 익기(益氣)의 효능이 있는 한약제가 항섬유화 효능을 보였다. 전통중국의학에서 간섬유화에 대한 일반적인 치료는 유효 성분, 단방 및 복방 처방의 세 부분으로 나뇐다. 우리는 중국전통의학에서 간섬유화의 효과적인 치료와 관련된 작용기작을 소개하였다.

Study on the Rooting of Gerbera jamesonii in Vitro in Media without Argar

Xiao Hong Wang,Xiao Feng Tan,Fang Ming Hu 한국원예학회 2006 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Bending of steel fibers on partly supported elastic foundation

Hu, Xiao Dong,Day, Robert,Dux, Peter Techno-Press 2001 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.12 No.6

Fiber reinforced cementitious composites are nowadays widely applied in civil engineering. The postcracking performance of this material depends on the interaction between a steel fiber, which is obliquely across a crack, and its surrounding matrix. While the partly debonded steel fiber is subjected to pulling out from the matrix and simultaneously subjected to transverse force, it may be modelled as a Bernoulli-Euler beam partly supported on an elastic foundation with non-linearly varying modulus. The fiber bridging the crack may be cut into two parts to simplify the problem (Leung and Li 1992). To obtain the transverse displacement at the cut end of the fiber (Fig. 1), it is convenient to directly solve the corresponding differential equation. At the first glance, it is a classical beam on foundation problem. However, the differential equation is not analytically solvable due to the non-linear distribution of the foundation stiffness. Moreover, since the second order deformation effect is included, the boundary conditions become complex and hence conventional numerical tools such as the spline or difference methods may not be sufficient. In this study, moment equilibrium is the basis for formulation of the fundamental differential equation for the beam (Timoshenko 1956). For the cantilever part of the beam, direct integration is performed. For the non-linearly supported part, a transformation is carried out to reduce the higher order differential equation into one order simultaneous equations. The Runge-Kutta technique is employed for the solution within the boundary domain. Finally, multi-dimensional optimization approaches are carefully tested and applied to find the boundary values that are of interest. The numerical solution procedure is demonstrated to be stable and convergent.

Reduction of trial-to-trial variability in functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals by accounting for resting-state functional connectivity.

Hu, Xiao-Su,Hong, Keum-Shik,Ge, Shuzhi Sam SPIE--the International Society for Optical Engine 2013 Journal of biomedical optics Vol.18 No.1

<P>The reduction of trial-to-trial variability (TTV) in task-evoked functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals by considering the correlated low-frequency spontaneous fluctuations that account for the resting-state functional connectivity in the brain is investigated. A resting-state session followed by a task-state session of a right hand finger-tapping task has been performed on five subjects. Significant ipsilateral and bilateral resting-state functional connectivity has been detected at the subjects' motor cortex using the seed correlation method. The correlation coefficients obtained during the resting-state are used to reduce the TTV in the signals measured during the task sessions. The results suggest that correlated spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations contribute significantly to the TTV in the task evoked fNIRS signals.</P>