Taguchi Approach for Anti-heat Stress Prescription Compatibility in Mice Spleen Lymphocytes In Vitro

Xiao-yu Zhu,Gui-lin Cheng,Feng-hua Liu,Jin Yu,Yu-jie Wang,Tong-quan Yu,Jian-qin Xu,Ming Wang 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.7

Heat stress (HS) may induce immunosuppression as well as inhibit the proliferation of lymphocytes. This study evaluated the effects on immune function of our prescription on splenic lymphocytes under HS as well as its compatibility. The effects of four herbal extracts from Agastache rugosa, Atractylodes lancea, Cortex Phellodendri, and Gypsum Fibrosum on heat treated splenic lymphocytes were investigated and the compatibility of the prescription was also explored by using the Taguchi method. This study revealed changes in proliferation by traditional Chinese medicines of splenic lymphocytes after HS. Proliferation in the HS group was significantly lower than the control group. Under HS, the effects of higher concentrations of Agastache rugosa (100 and 200 μg/mL), Atractylodes lancea (100 and 200 μg/mL), Cortex Phellodendri (50 and 100 μg/mL) and Gypsum Fibrosum (100 and 200 μg/mL) caused a significant increase on ConA/LPS-induced proliferation of lymphocytes than lower concentrations. We, therefore, conclude that the prescription of traditional Chinese medicines may recover splenic lymphocytes from the immunosuppression induced by HS. The Taguchi design, which allows rapid and high efficiency for the selection of the best conditions for our prescription on HS-treated splenic lymphocytes, demonstrated that Agastache rugosa (200 μg/mL), Atractylodes lancea (200 μg/mL), Cortex Phellodendri (100 μg/mL) and Gypsum Fibrosum (100 μg/mL)were the optimal conditions for the prescription. The validation experiment confirmed that our composition in optimum extraction conditions enhanced effects on ConA or LPS-stimulated lymphocytes under HS. The results showed that the Taguchi optimization approach is a suitable method for optimization of the composition of prescription.

Effects of a traditional Chinese medicine formula and its extraction on muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs, porcine cell proliferation and isoforms of myosin heavy chain gene expression in myocytes

Yu, Qin Ping,Feng, Ding Yuan,He, Xiao Jun,Wu, Fan,Xia, Min Hao,Dong, Tao,Liu, Yi Hua,Tan, Hui Ze,Zou, Shi Geng,Zheng, Tao,Ou, Xian Hua,Zuo, Jian Jun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2017 Animal Bioscience Vol.30 No.11

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine formula (TCMF) on muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs and the effects of the formula's extract (distilled water, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extraction) on porcine cell proliferation and isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) gene expression in myocytes. Methods: In a completely randomized design, ninety pigs were assigned to three diets with five replications per treatment and six pigs per pen. The diets included the basal diet (control group), TCMF1 (basal diet+2.5 g/kg TCMF) and TCMF2 (basal diet+5 g/kg TCMF). The psoas major muscle was obtained from pigs at the end of the experiment. Muscle fiber characteristics in the psoas major muscle were analyzed using myosin ATPase staining. Cell proliferation was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) dye and cytometry. Isoforms of MyHC gene expression were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: The final body weight and carcass weight of finishing pigs were increased by TCMF1 (p<0.05), while the psoas major muscle cross-sectional area was increased by TCMF (p<0.05). The cross-sectional area and diameter of psoas major muscle fiber Ι, IIA, and IIB were increased by TCMF2 (p<0.05). The cross-sectional area and fiber diameter of psoas major muscle fiber IIA and IIB were increased by diet supplementation with TCMF1 (p<0.05). Psoas major muscle fiber IIA and IIB fiber density from the pigs fed the TCMF1 diet and the type IIB fiber density from the pigs fed the TCMF2 diet were lower compared to pigs fed the control diet (p<0.05). Pigs fed TCMF2 had a higher composition of type Ι fiber and a lower percentage of type IIB fiber in the psoas major muscle (p<0.05). The expression levels of MyHC Ι, MyHC IIa, and MyHC IIx mRNA increased and the amount of MyHC IIb mRNA decreased in the psoas major muscle from TCMF2, whereas MyHC Ι and MyHC IIx mRNA increased in the psoas major muscle from TCMF1 (p<0.05). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ $coactivator-1{\alpha}$ and CaN mRNA expression in the psoas major muscle were up-regulated by TCMF (p<0.05). Porcine skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation was promoted by $4{\mu}g/mL$ and $20{\mu}g/mL$ TCMF water extraction (p<0.05). Both $1{\mu}g/mL$ and $5{\mu}g/mL$ of TCMF water extraction increased MyHC IIa, MyHC IIb, and MyHC IIx mRNA expression in porcine myocytes (p<0.05), while MyHC Ι mRNA expression in porcine myocytes was decreased by $5{\mu}g/mL$ TCMF water extraction (p<0.05). Porcine myocyte MyHC Ι and MyHC IIx mRNA expression were increased, and MyHC IIa and MyHC IIb mRNA expression were down-regulated by $5{\mu}g/mL$ TCMF ethyl acetate extraction (p<0.05). MyHC Ι and MyHC IIa mRNA expression in porcine myocytes were increased, and the MyHC IIb mRNA expression was decreased by $1{\mu}g/mL$ TCMF ethyl acetate extraction (p<0.05). Four isoforms of MyHC mRNA expression in porcine myocytes were reduced by $5{\mu}g/mL$ TCMF petroleum ether extraction (p<0.05). MyHC IIa mRNA expression in porcine myocytes increased and MyHC IIb mRNA expression decreased by $1{\mu}g/mL$ in a TCMF petroleum ether extraction (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results indicated that TCMF amplified the psoas major muscle cross-sectional area through changing muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs. This effect was confirmed as TCMF extraction promoted porcine cell proliferation and affected isoforms of MyHC gene expression in myocytes.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Psychological Effects of Overactive Bladder in Chinese University Students

Yu Liang,Guo Wei Si,Hui Jie Hu,Zhen Wei Zhang,Cui Ping Song,Qi Feng Dou,Jian Guo Wen 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2022 International Neurourology Journal Vol.26 No.4

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of overactive bladder (OAB) in young adults and to explore the influence of OAB on mental health. Methods: Between October 2019 and January 2020, 14,010 anonymous questionnaires were distributed to freshmen at 2 universities in Henan, China. The students came from all over the country. The questionnaire included general items and information necessary to calculate the overactive bladder symptom score, the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, Self-Esteem Scale (SES) score, and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) score. The relationships between the prevalence of OAB and its risk factors were evaluated. Results: The overall prevalence of OAB was 6.0%, with 4.3% of participants characterized as having dry OAB and 1.7% as having wet OAB. The prevalence of mild OAB was 5.5%, and that of moderate OAB was 0.5%; no severe OAB was observed. Higher prevalence rates of OAB were found among women, respondents with constipation, and respondents with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) (P <0.05). Compared to healthy controls, the OAB group exhibited a higher mean SDS score (52.12±8.986 vs. 47.71±9.399, P<0.001) and mean PSQI score (5.28±2.486 vs. 4.27±2.431, P<0.001), but a lower mean SES score (27.78±3.599 vs. 29.57±4.109, P<0.001). Conclusions: OAB significantly affects the mental health of young adults. Female sex, constipation, and PNE are risk factors for OAB.

Effect of hanging-type sand fence on characteristics of wind-sand flow fields

Jian-jun Cheng,Jia-qiang Lei,Sheng-yu Li,Hai-feng Wang 한국풍공학회 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.5

A hanging-type sand-retaining wall is a very common sand-blocking fence structure used to prevent sand movement. This type of wall is widely used along the Qinghai–Tibet and Gobi desert railways in Xinjiang, Western China. To analyze the characteristics of wind-sand flow fields under the effect of such a sand fence structure, a wind tunnel test and a field test were carried out. The wind tunnel test showed the zoning characteristics of the flow fields under the effect of the hanging-type sand-retaining wall, and the field test provided the sediment transport data for effective wind-proof interval and the sand resistance data in the front and behind the sand-retaining wall. The consistency of the wind-sand flow fields with the spatial distribution characteristic of wind-carried sand motion was verified by the correspondences of the acceleration zone in the flow field and the negative elevation points of the percentage variations of the sand collection rate. The spatial distribution characteristic of the field sand collection data further showed the spatial structural characteristic of the sandy air currents under the action of the hanging-type sand-retaining wall and the sand resistance characteristic of the sand-retaining wall. This systematic study on the wind-sand flow fields under the control of the hanging-type sand-retaining wall provides a theoretical basis for the rational layout of sand control engineering systems and the efficient utilization of a hanging-type sand-retaining wall.

Load-Balancing Rendezvous Approach for Mobility-Enabled Adaptive Energy-Efficient Data Collection in WSNs

( Jian Zhang ),( Jian Tang ),( Zhonghui Wang ),( Feng Wang ),( Gang Yu ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2020 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.14 No.3

The tradeoff between energy conservation and traffic balancing is a dilemma problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). By analyzing the intrinsic relationship between cluster properties and long distance transmission energy consumption, we characterize three node sets of the cluster as a theoretical foundation to enhance high performance of WSNs, and propose optimal solutions by introducing rendezvous and Mobile Elements (MEs) to optimize energy consumption for prolonging the lifetime of WSNs. First, we exploit an approximate method based on the transmission distance from the different node to an ME to select suboptimal Rendezvous Point (RP) on the trajectory for ME to collect data. Then, we define data trans-mission routing sequence and model rendezvous planning for the cluster. In order to achieve optimization of energy consumption, we specifically apply the economic theory called Di-minishing Marginal Utility Rule (DMUR) and create the utility function with regard to energy to develop an adaptive energy consumption optimization framework to achieve energy effi-ciency for data collection. At last, Rendezvous Transmission Algorithm (RTA) is proposed to better tradeoff between energy conservation and traffic balancing. Furthermore, via collabo-rations among multiple MEs, we design Two-Orbit Back-Propagation Algorithm (TOBPA) which concurrently handles load imbalance phenomenon to improve the efficiency of data collection. The simulation results show that our solutions can improve energy efficiency of the whole network and reduce the energy consumption of sensor nodes, which in turn prolong the lifetime of WSNs.

Structure-based functional site recognition for p21-activated kinase 4

Jian Wang,Gang Wang,Yu Sha,Dong-Mei Zhao,Feng Li,Mao-Sheng Cheng 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.12

Recently, many molecular modeling methodsare being developed to better understand the principlesunderlying protein folding. In the present study, fullyflexible dinucleotides d(pApA), d(pApC), d(pApG),d(pApT), d(pCpA), d(pCpC), d(pCpG), d(pCpT), d(pGpA),d(pGpC), d(pGpG), d(pGpT), d(pTpA), d(pTpC), d(pTpG)and d(pTpT) were docked onto the surface of p21-activatedkinase 4 (PAK4) kinase domain. The results showedthat automated docking was a useful tool to identify thefunctional sites of PAK4 and it may provide a theoreticalbasis for the interaction data obtained from previousexperiments. Therefore, structure-based docking with fullyflexible dinucleotide probes might be a good tool to predictand annotate the functional sites of enzymes.

Expression of ER, PR, C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 in Endometrial Carcinoma and their Relationships with the Clinicopathological Features

Yu, Cui-Ge,Jiang, Xiang-Yang,Li, Bin,Gan, Lu,Huang, Jian-Feng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.15

Background: To analyze the expression of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 in endometrial carcinoma (EC) and their relationships with the clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: Sixty-seven EC samples, 53 normal endometrial samples and 53 atypical hyperplasia endometrial samples were all selected in Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital from Jun., 2012 to Jun., 2014. The expression of ER, PR, C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 in EC tissue, normal endometrial tissue and atypical hyperplasia endometrial tissue was respectively detected using immunohistochemical SP method. The relationships between the expression of ER, PR, C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 and the patients' clinicopathological features as well as their correlations in EC tissue were also analyzed. Results: The positive expression rates of ER and PR in EC tissue were 44.8% and 41.8%, respectively, dramatically lower than in atypical hyperplasia endometrial tissue and normal endometrial tissue (P<0.01). The positive expression rates of C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 in EC tissue were 80.6% and 64.2%, respectively, significantly higher than in atypical hyperplasia endometrial tissue and normal endometrial tissue (P<0.01). In EC tissue, the expression of ER and PR was closely associated with the differentiated degrees and depth of myometrial invasion (P<0.05), while that of C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 with the clinical staging, differentiated degrees, depth of myometrial invasion and presence or absence of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis further displayed that the expression of ER was positively correlated with PR (r=0.393, P=0.001), but negatively with C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 (r=-0.469, P=0.000; r=-0.329, P=0.007); The expression of PR was negatively correlated with C-erbB-2 and Ki-67 (r=-0.273, P=0.025; r=-0.251, P=0.041), but that of C-erbB-2 positively with Ki-67 (r=0.342, P=0.005). Conclusions: Abnormal expression of ER, PR, C-erbB2 and Ki-67 might play an important role in endometrial malignant transformation and cell differentiation, so their joint detection is likely to be a comprehensive combination of immune factors, which is of great importance for EC prognosis.

Preparation, self-assembly and performance modulation of gold nanoparticles decorated ferrocene-containing hybrid block copolymer multifunctional materials

Jian-Guo Zhang,Xue-Yin Zhang,Hua Yu,Yan-Ling Luo,Feng Xu,Ya-Shao Chen 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.65 No.-

Gold nanoparticles decorated stimuli-responsive copolymer hybrids, poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl ferrocenecarboxylate)-block-poly(N-isopropylacryamide) decorated with gold nanoparticles, were synthesized through two-step successive RAFT and ensuing in-situ reduction. The hybrids could self-assemble into interesting micelle structures from globular, wormlike to rodlike shapes by altering the quality and compositions of solvents and ionic strength, and exhibited multifunctionality including quasi-reversible electrochemical behavior, redox-stress responsiveness and temperature sensitivity. The physicochemical and electrochemical properties were modulated by tailor-making the system compositions and redox reaction. The copolymer hybrids were expected to broaden their applications in nanobiomedicine including targeted drug carriers and magnetic resonance imaging, optical, electrochemical catalyst, optoelectronics and sensors etc.

Prediction and Monitoring of the Construction Vibration Effect on an Adjacent Old Long Span Double-Convex Arch Bridge

Yu-xiong Liang,Qing-song Feng,Mei-zhen Fu,Bi-tao Wu,Jian-fei Lu,Guo-xi Tang 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.5

Ground vibrations caused by the construction of impact drilling piles may affect adjacent bridges, so corresponding prediction and monitoring are necessary to ensure the safety of bridges. In this study, the construction near an existing long-span double-convex arch bridge is taken as a case study to investigate different layouts of construction machines emanating harmful ground vibrations to the existing adjacent bridge by numerical simulations and monitoring. The peak acceleration and velocity acquired from numerical simulations, and monitoring were successfully used to implement impact drilling pile construction near the existing bridge. The results show that there are good consistencies between the monitoring and numerical simulation results, and the vibration acceleration of the foundation of abutments and piers are mainly derived from the vibration caused by the construction within a distance of 50 m, while the construction beyond 50 m has little effect on the old bridge. The numbers and locations of machines near the same foundation may have a weakening or strengthening effect on the peak acceleration and velocity due to destructive and constructive interference of waves, which can help to control the effects of the vibrations of the existing adjacent bridge.

In situ atomic-scale observation of monolayer graphene growth from SiC

Yu, Kaihao,Zhao, Wen,Wu, Xing,Zhuang, Jianing,Hu, Xiaohui,Zhang, Qiubo,Sun, Jun,Xu, Tao,Chai, Yang,Ding, Feng,Sun, Litao Springer-Verlag 2018 NANO RESEARCH Vol.11 No.5