New Gene Cluster from Thermophile Bacillus fordii MH602 for Conversion of DL-5-Substituted Hydantoins to L-Amino Acids

Yan Zhen Mei,Yong Min Wan,Bing Fang He,Han Jie Ying,Ping Kai Ouyang 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2009 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.19 No.12

Factors that Influence the Presciption of Antipsychotics for Patients with Schizophrenia in China

Tian-Mei Si,Liang Shu,Ke-Qing Li,Xie-He Liu,Qi-Yi Mei,Gao-Hua Wang,Pei-Shen Bai,Li-Ping Ji,Xian-Sheng Chen,Cui Ma,Jian-Guo Shi,Hong-Yan Zhang,Hong Ma,Xin Yu 대한정신약물학회 2011 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.9 No.3

Objective: To investigate the patterns of antipsychotic use in China and to analyze the factors that influence antipsychotic prescriptions. Methods: A standardized survey was conducted from May 20 to 24 2002 in five different regions of China with varying economic levels. The patterns of antipsychotic medication use were analyzed in a sample of 4,779 patients with schizophrenia. The survey gathered information on demographic characteristics, clinical profiles, and antipsychotic medications prescribed. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze factors related to patterns of antipsychotic medication use. Results: A plurality of patients with schizophrenia was treated with clozapine (39%); this was followed by risperidone, sulpride,chlorpromazine, perphenazine, and haloperidol. More than 56.3% of patients were treated with only one atypical antipsychotic. The mean daily dose of chlorpromazine was 365±253 mg (mean±standard deviation), and 6.5% of patients were treated with depot injections of typical antipsychotic medications. A total of 73.7% (n=3,523) of patients with schizophrenia received monotherapy,24.8% (n=1,183) received two antipsychotics, 1.1% (n=52) received three antipsychotics, and one received four different antipsychotics. Patients often simultaneously received other classes of medications including anticholinergic agents, benzodiazepines,β-blockers, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers. Economic status and clinical symptoms were the main factors that contributed to the patterns of antipsychotic prescription. Conclusion: The present study suggests that atypical antipsychotic medications, especially clozapine, are the primary psychiatric treatments of choice in the management of schizophrenia in China. Moreover, the economic status and clinical profile of the patient are the major factors affecting the prescription of antipsychotic medication.

Use of Clozapine for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Findings of the 2006 Research on the China Psychotropic Prescription Studies

Tian-Mei Si,Yun-shu Zhang,Liang Shu,Ke-Qing Li,Xie-He Liu,Qi-Yi Mei,Gao-Hua Wang,Pei-Shen Bai,Li-Ping Ji,Xian-Sheng Cheng,Cui Ma,Jian-Guo Shi,Hong-Yan Zhang,Hong Ma,Xin Yu 대한정신약물학회 2012 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.10 No.2

Objective: Clozapine is one of the most commonly used antipsychotic drugs in China. To date, few studies have investigated the patterns the prescription of clozapine nationwide. The present study examined these patterns in China in 2006 and identified the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the use of clozapine. Methods: Using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure, we surveyed 5,898 patients with schizophrenia in 10provinces with differing levels of economic development. Results: Overall, clozapine had been prescribed for 31.9% (n=1,883) of the patients; however we found considerable variation among the 10 provinces. The frequency of clozapine use was highest in Sichuan (39.3%) and lowest in Beijing (17.3%). The mean daily dose of clozapine was 210.36±128.72 mg/day, and 25.1% of the patients were treated with clozapine in combination with other antipsychotics. Compared with the group not receiving clozapine, clozapine-user had been treated for longer durations and had experienced a greater number of relapses and hospitalizations. Furthermore, those in the clozapine-user had lower family incomes, were less able to seek psychiatric services, and more likely to be male and have a positive family history of schizophrenia. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age, sex, professional help-seeking behaviors, duration of illness, economic status, educational level, and clinical manifestations were associated with the use of clozapine. Conclusion: Clozapine use is common in China. However, use of the antipsychotic varies among provinces, and demographic and clinical factors play important roles in the prescription of clozapine.

Decreased Expression of FADS1 Predicts a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Du, Yong,Yan, Shu-Mei,Gu, Wan-Yi,He, Fan,Huang, Li-Yun,Li, Mei,Yuan, Yan,Chen, Ren-Hui,Zhong, Qian,Li, Man-Zhi,Li, Yong,Zeng, Mu-Sheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.12

FADS1 (fatty acid desaturase 1) plays a crucial role in fatty acid metabolism, and it was recently reported to be involved in tumorigenesis. However, the role of FADS1 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated the expression and clinical pathologic and prognostic significance of FADS1 in ESCC. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that 58.2% (146/251) of the ESCC tissues had low levels of FADS1 expression, whereas 41.8% (105/251) exhibited high levels of FADS1 expression. In positive cases, FADS1 expression was detected in the cytoplasm of cells. Correlation analyses demonstrated that FADS1 expression was significantly correlated with tumor location (p=0.025) but not with age, gender, histological grade, tumor status, nodal status or TNM staging. Furthermore, patients with tumors expressing high levels of FADS1had a longer disease-free survival time (p<0.001) and overall survival time (p <0.001). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that, along with nodal status, FADS1 expression was an independent and significant predictive factor (p<0.001). In conclusion, our study suggested that FADS1 might be a valuable biomarker and potential therapeutic target for ESCC.

Exploring the Cocktail Factor Approach to Generate Salivary Gland Progenitors through Co-Culture Techniques

Zhang Yifei,Yan Shuang,Mei Zi,Zhang He,Ding Chong,Zhang Siqi,Wei Shicheng 한국조직공학과 재생의학회 2024 조직공학과 재생의학 Vol.21 No.5

Background: The derivation of salivary gland (SG) progenitors from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) presents significant potential for developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the existing protocols for inducing SG include limited factors, making it challenging to mimic the in vivo microenvironment of embryonic SGs. Methods: We reported a cocktail factor approach to promote the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC)-derived oral epithelium (OE) into SG progenitors through a three-dimensional co-culture method. Upon confirming that the embryonic SG can promote the differentiation of mESC-derived OE, we performed RNA sequence analysis to identify factors involved in the differentiation of SG progenitors. Results: Our findings highlight several efficient pathways related to SG development, with frequent appearances of four factors: IFN-γ, TGF-β2, EGF, and IGF-1. The combined treatment using these cocktail factors increased the expression of key SG progenitor markers, including Sox9, Sox10, Krt5, and Krt14. However, absence of any one of these cocktail factors did not facilitate differentiation. Notably, aggregates treated with the cocktail factor formed SG epithelial-like structures and pre-bud-like structures on the surface. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study offers a novel approach to developing a differentiation protocol that closely mimics the in vivo microenvironment of embryonic SGs. This provides a foundation for generating PSC-derived organoids with near-physiological cell behaviors and structures. Background: The derivation of salivary gland (SG) progenitors from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) presents significant potential for developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the existing protocols for inducing SG include limited factors, making it challenging to mimic the in vivo microenvironment of embryonic SGs. Methods: We reported a cocktail factor approach to promote the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC)-derived oral epithelium (OE) into SG progenitors through a three-dimensional co-culture method. Upon confirming that the embryonic SG can promote the differentiation of mESC-derived OE, we performed RNA sequence analysis to identify factors involved in the differentiation of SG progenitors. Results: Our findings highlight several efficient pathways related to SG development, with frequent appearances of four factors: IFN-γ, TGF-β2, EGF, and IGF-1. The combined treatment using these cocktail factors increased the expression of key SG progenitor markers, including Sox9, Sox10, Krt5, and Krt14. However, absence of any one of these cocktail factors did not facilitate differentiation. Notably, aggregates treated with the cocktail factor formed SG epithelial-like structures and pre-bud-like structures on the surface. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study offers a novel approach to developing a differentiation protocol that closely mimics the in vivo microenvironment of embryonic SGs. This provides a foundation for generating PSC-derived organoids with near-physiological cell behaviors and structures.

Suppression of Aurora-A oncogenic potential by c-Myc downregulation

Yang, Shangbin,He, Shun,Zhou, Xiaobo,Liu, Mei,Zhu, Hongxia,Wang, Yihua,Zhang, Wei,Yan, Shuang,Quan, Lanping,Bai, Jingfeng,Xu, Ningzhi Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Bion 2010 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.42 No.11

The abnormality of serine/threonine kinase Aurora-A is seen in many types of cancers. Although in physiological context it has been shown to play a vital role in cellular mitosis, how this oncogene contributes to tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that Aurora-A overexpression enhances both the expression level and transcriptional activity of c-Myc. The inhibition of c-Myc expression by RNA interference significantly impaired the oncogenic potential of Aurora-A, resulting in attenuated cellular proliferation and transformation rates as well as fewer centrosomal aberrations. Furthermore, downregulation of c-Myc effectively overcame Aurora-A-induced resistance to cisplatin in esophageal cancer cells. Taken together, our results suggest an important role for c-Myc in mediating the oncogenic activity of Aurora-A, which may in turn allow for future targeting of c-Myc as a potential therapeutic strategy for tumors with Aurora-A overexpression.

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay Targeting the femA Gene for Rapid Detection of Staphylococcus aureus from Clinical and Food Samples

( Xi Hong Zhao ),( Yan Mei Li ),( Myoung Su Park ),( Jun Wang ),( You Hong Zhang ),( Xiao Wei He ),( Fereidoun ),( Forghani ),( Li Wang ),( Guang Chao Yu ),( Deog Hwan Oh ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.2

In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to rapidly detect Staphylococcus aureus strains was developed and evaluated by extensively applying a large number of S. aureus isolates from clinical and food samples. Six primers were specially designed for recognizing eight distinct sequences on the species-specific femA gene of S. aureus. The detection limits were 100 fg DNA/tube and 104 CFU/ml. The LAMP assay was applied to 432 S. aureus strains isolated from 118 clinical and 314 food samples. Total detection rates for the LAMP and polymerase chain reaction assays were 98.4% (306/311) and 89.4% (278/311), respectively.

Optimization of preparation and properties of Gardenia yellow pigment-loaded alginate beads

Yong Liu,Qing Zhou,Yan-Mei He,Xiu-Yun Ma,Lin-Na Liu,Yong-Jian Ke 한국화학공학회 2021 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.38 No.8

Gardenia yellow pigment (GYP) loaded alginate beads were prepared by the ionic gelation technique, and the preparation parameters were optimized by response surface methodology for high encapsulation efficiency. The optimized parameters were alginate concentration of 3.3%, CaCl2 concentration of 2.4%, and GYP concentration of 3.2mg/mL, under which the encapsulation efficiency was 73.61%. The surface morphology and bead size analysis showed that the GYP-loaded alginate beads had a roughly spherical morphology with a wrinkled surface, and their average diameter was 0.87 mm. In vitro release test revealed that the GYP release had a pH-dependent release profile and a two-step release process. The Rigter-Peppas model was the most proper model to assess the GYP release from alginate beads. The release mechanism of GYP at pH 1.2 and 7.4 was non-Fickian transport and case-II transport, respectively. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay indicated that the encapsulated GYP had effectively maintained 82.56% of the antioxidant activity.

Suppression of Aurora-A oncogenic potential by c-Myc downregulation

Shangbin Yang,Shun He,Xiaobo Zhou,Mei Liu,Hongxia Zhu,Yihua Wang,Wei Zhang,Shuang Yan,Lanping Quan,Jingfeng Bai,Ningzhi Xu 생화학분자생물학회 2010 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.42 No.11

The abnormality of serine/threonine kinase Aurora-A is seen in many types of cancers. Although in physiological context it has been shown to play a vital role in cellular mitosis, how this oncogene contributes to tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that Aurora-A overexpression enhances both the expression level and transcriptional activity of c-Myc. The inhibition of c-Myc expression by RNA interference significantly impaired the oncogenic potential of Aurora-A, resulting in attenuated cellular proliferation and transformation rates as well as fewer centrosomal aberrations. Furthermore, downregulation of c-Myc effectively overcame Aurora-A-induced resistance to cisplatin in esophageal cancer cells. Taken together,our results suggest an important role for c-Myc in mediating the oncogenic activity of Aurora-A, which may in turn allow for future targeting of c-Myc as a potential therapeutic strategy for tumors with Aurora-A overexpression.

Raman scattering investigations on Co-doped ZnO epitaxial films: Local vibration modes and defect associated ferromagnetism

Qiang Cao,Shumin He,Yuanyuan Deng,Dapeng Zhu,Xiaodong Cui,Guolei Liu,Huai-Jin Zhang,Shishen Yan,Yanxue Chen,Liangmo Mei 한국물리학회 2014 Current Applied Physics Vol.14 No.5

Raman scattering spectroscopy has been performed on high quality Co-doped ZnO epitaxial films, which were grown on Al2O3 (0001) by oxygen-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Raman measurements revealed two local vibration modes (LVMs) at 723 and 699 cm1 due to the substitution of Co2þ in wurtzite ZnO lattice. The LVM at 723 cm1 is found to be an elemental sensitive vibration mode for Co substitution. The LVM at 699 cm1 can be attributed to enrichment of Co2þ bound with oxygen vacancy, the cobalteoxygen vacancyecobalt complexes, in Zn1xCoxO films associated with ferromagnetism. The intensity of LVM at 699 cm1, as well as saturated magnetization, enhanced after the vacuum annealing and depressed after oxygen annealing.