Increased Circulating CXCL10 in Non-Segmental Vitiligo Concomitant with Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and Alopecia Areata

( Li Zhang ),( Xinya Xu ),( Shujun Chen ),( Yuli Kang ),( Xiuxiu Wang ),( Chengfeng Zhang ),( Leihong Xiang ) 대한피부과학회 2019 Annals of Dermatology Vol.31 No.4

Background: Vitiligo is a common acquired pigmentary disease caused by destruction of epidermal melanocytes in underlying autoimmune response. Few studies have been focused on the role of chemokines in non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) concomitant with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and alopecia areata (AA). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the best serum biomarker for predictive role in the progression of vitiligo and to evaluate the influence of AA and/or AITD on vitiligo by using the biomarker. Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited 45 NSV patients: 14 without either AITD or AA, 12 with AITD, 11 with AA, and 8 with both AITD and AA. Serum levels of CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL12, CXCL13, and CXCL16 were analyzed by ELISA. CXCR3 mRNA expression was detected on PBMCs by RT-PCR. Improvement was evaluated using repigmentation scales. Results: Serum CXCL10 levels, along with the expression of CXCR3 mRNA were higher in NSV patients with AITD or AA alone than in those without AITD or AA. Moreover, serum CXCL10 levels, along with the expression of CXCR3 mRNA were higher in NSV patients with both AITD and AA than in those with AITD or AA alone. Poorer repigmentation was observed in NSV patients with both AA and AITD than in those with AA or AITD alone. Conclusion: CXCL10 could be a biomarker to predict the progression of NSV. Dermatologists should pay much attention to those NSV patients concomitant with AITD and/or AA, for comorbidity might lead to more active autoimmune reaction. (Ann Dermatol 31(4) 393∼402, 2019)

Effect of Octadecylamine Modified Graphene on Thermal Stability, Mechanical Properties, and Gas Barrier Properties of Brominated Butyl Rubber

Xinya Yang,Yong Zhang,Yan Xu,Steven Gao,Sharon Guo 한국고분자학회 2017 Macromolecular Research Vol.25 No.3

Graphene oxide (GO) was modified with octadecylamine (ODA) in ethyl alcohol solution to obtain GOODA hybrid. GO-ODA/brominated butyl rubber (BIIR) composites were obtained by solution mixing, in which GO-ODA was well dispersed in nano-sized as confirmed by transmission electron microscope images. The GO-ODA/ BIIR composites had much better mechanical properties than BIIR. The stress at 300% extension of BIIR increased 230% after the addition of 10 phr GO-ODA. The improved mechanical properties benefited from the strong interaction between GO-ODA and BIIR. The heat resistance of GO-ODA/BIIR composites was improved with increasing GOODA loading. GO-ODA/BIIR nanocomposites had better gas barrier properties than BIIR, and the gas transmission rate of GO-ODA/BIIR (10/100) nanocomposite was only 21.2% of that of BIIR. The improved mechanical, heat resistance and gas barrier properties bring BIIR the potential to be used in a wider range of application areas.

Are opportunities to equalize elite high schools discriminatory? Evidence from a quasi-experimental design

Liu Xinya,Qin Fei,Zhou Xuehan,Hu Xuan,Zhang Yu 서울대학교 교육연구소 2020 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.21 No.3

While education equality is considered crucial for broader social equality, policies that aim to equalize educational resources are sometimes suspected of discriminating against high achievers. Such potential discrimination should be examined empirically to provide robust evidence for policymakers and the broader public. Using a quasi-experimental design and longitudinal dataset, this paper reports on research which has investigated potential discrimination arising from China’s high school quota admission policy, which is considered a successful initiative for distributing high achievers across middle schools in ways that equalize achievement, and hence improves overall quality. The results presented in this paper indicate there is basically no such discrimination after controlling for self-selection bias. The paper also reveals the broader value of evaluating potential discrimination as part of similar forms of education development.

Variation in limonin and nomilin content in citrus fruits of eight varieties determined by modified HPLC

Shengjia Huang,Xinya Liu,Bo Xiong,Xia Qiu,Guochao Sun,Xiaojia Wang,Xu Zhang,Zhixiang Dong,Zhihui Wang 한국식품과학회 2019 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.28 No.3

The nomilin and limonin content in citrus fruitsof different varieties was determined at fruit growth andmaturation stages by HPLC. The results showed that thetwo limonoids can be separated, identified, and quantifiedin citrus fruits within 10 min by the developed method. Themethod exhibited good precision, repeatability, stability,and recovery rate. The content of limonin and nomilin inmost citrus fruits presented an increasing trend initially,and then decreased during fruit growth and maturation; apeak was observed at the young fruit or fruit expansionstage. The dropped fruits also contained some amount oflimonoids, suggesting their industrial application. Thevariation and cluster analyses results revealed that theorange varieties contained the highest amount of limonoidsat the mature stage. The results of this study will enablebetter use of citrus limonoids.

Structural investigations of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and trimethylolpropane (TMP)-based polyurethane prepolymer

Yong He,Xinfang Zhang,Jie Chang,Huanqin Chen,Xinya Zhang 한국공업화학회 2012 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.18 No.5

Polyurethane prepolymer prepared from nonequivalent amounts of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) over trifunctional trimethylolpropane (TMP) was followed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Steric hindrance of TMP was considered as the main factor affecting the molar mass distribution, especially in the higher molecular weight region. An optimum reaction condition was the initial NCO/OH ratio of 3 and the reaction temperature of 50 8C. Then polyurethane prepolymer could be purified through the thin film evaporator with excellent properties. A combination of mass spectrometry (MS) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was employed to identify and confirm the individual compounds presented from GPC analysis.

Enalapril maleate as a green accelerator for zinc phosphating coating on low-carbon steel

Weishan Wang,Yuqin Tian,Aojue Ke,Haowei Huang,Huifang Shen,Xinya Zhang 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.120 No.-

In this study, enalapril maleate (EM), a green ingredient of an antihypertensive drug, was selected as anaccelerator for phosphate coating promoting on low-carbon steel. The scanning electron microscope(SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), 3D morphologies, coating weight, coating thickness and free acidity(FA) as well as total acidity (TA) were characterized to analyze the coating performance. Copper sulfatetitration, potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) wereperformed to evaluate corrosion resistance of phosphate coatings. The DFT computations were appliedto explore the phosphating promoting mechanism. The results show that the EM optimal concentrationis 1.6 g/L which lowers the operating temperature (form 80 ℃ to 40 ℃), generates the smoothest (Ra = 2. 85 lm), the heaviest (28.35 g/cm2) and the thinnest (21.6 lm) coating, and reduces the corrosion ratefrom 1.099 mpy of blank to 0.0246 mpy. The density functional theory (DFT) results confirm that EMadsorbs on low-carbon steel by electrophilic sites (N10) as well as nucleophilic sites (C10), forms nucleatedparticles preferentially and accelerates the growth of crystals. Therefore, EM is a green organic compoundwith high phosphating promotion efficiency which has potential application prospects inindustrial phosphating.

Antifungal bio-coating of endotracheal tube built by overexpressing MCP1 gene of Saccharomyces boulardii and employing hydrogel as a “house” antagonize Candida albicans

Yunyun Wei,Jianfeng Qiu,Ziqiang Han,Xuanyi Wang,Hui Zhang,Xinya Hou,Xiangwei Lv,Xiaolong Mao 한국생체재료학회 2023 생체재료학회지 Vol.27 No.00

Background For some ICU patients, an artificial airway must be established with an endotracheal tube, but Candida albicans can easily adhere to the tube surface and form a biofilm, leading to potentially life threatening fungal infections. Therefore, it is urgent to prevent and reduce C. albicans infections introduced by the endotracheal tube. However, there are few antifungal drugs effective against C. albicans, and each of these drugs may have adverse effects on human cells. Saccharomyces boulardii is regarded as an alternative strategy to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans, but it is affected by environmental stress. We hypothesized that it is feasible to strengthen the antagonistic ability of S. boulardii via encapsulating and genetically modification. Methods In this study, a bioactive material carrying the overexpressed MCP1 gene of Saccharomyces boulardii was constructed based on one-step photo-crosslinking. This material achieved spatial growth control of S. boulardii by encapsulating each S. boulardii cell within a hydrogel pore. The bioactive material was coated on an endotracheal tube and tested for its ability to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans. Additionally, the material’s antagonistic activity towards C. albicans was evaluated by detecting intracellular Adenosine-triphosphate content, reactive oxygen species level and the activity of antioxidative enzymes. Tissue invasion experiment was executed to further evaluate the antiadhesion ability of S. boulardii bio-coating. Results Encapsulating the overexpression of MCP1 by S. boulardii in hydrogel pores enhanced the viability of probiotics in the presence of high salt and oxidation stress. When used as the coating of an endotracheal tube, the S. boulardii bioactive material efficiently inhibited the adhesion of C. albicans by impairing the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase and disturbing mitochondrial functions. In vivo, the S. boulardii bioactive material coating displayed good biocompatibility and reduced the host tissue invasion and virulence of C. albicans. Conclusions The integration of genetic modification and immobilization model breaks the bottleneck of previous application of microorganisms, and provides a new way to prevent fungal infections introduced by endotracheal tubes.