Tryptophan Supplements Promote Pregnancy Success in Mice Challenged with Pseudorabies Virus (PRV) by Regulating the Expression of Systemic Cytokines, Immunoglobulins, PRV-Specific Protein Profiles, and Toll-Like Receptors

Shixiu Qiu,Zhengfeng Fang,De Wu,Yan Lin,Lianqiang Che 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.7

Tryptophan (Trp) plays an important role in regulating the maternal immune response, a key determinant of the success or failure of pregnancy, but whether Trp supplements can prevent a pseudorabies virus (PRV)-induced failure of pregnancy remains unknown. This study examined the effect of three dietary Trp levels (0.25%, 0.35%, and 0.5%) on the immunity and reproduction of PRV-challenged pregnant mice. PRV challenge resulted in decreased live embryo numbers, live litter sizes, and serum progesterone and interleukin (IL)-10 concentrations, but increased the levels of serum immunoglobulins (Igs) (PRV-specific antibody [IgG, IgA, and IgM]) and IL-1β. Live embryo numbers, live litter sizes, serum progesterone concentration, and IgG and PRV-specific antibody levels on day 9 of pregnancy were all increased dose-dependently by Trp inclusion in the diet of PRV-challenged mice. Increased Trp levels in PRV-challenged mice promoted the up-regulation of uterine and embryonic indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase expression, but attenuated the up-regulation of uterine and embryonic Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 and TLR9 expression and increased serum interferon-γ concentration. Collectively, Trp supplements might improve reproductive performance of PRV-challenged pregnant mice by down-regulating TLR expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis, by up-regulating PRV-specific antibody and immunoglobulin synthesis, and by elevating the concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines and progesterone.

Determination of Optimal Irrigation Rate and Time for Various Soils Using Hydraus-1d Model

Po Li,Feiqing Wu,Zhengfeng Wu,Kefeng Zhang 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

Substitution of soybean meal with detoxified Jatropha curcas kernel meal: Effects on performance, nutrient utilization, and meat edibility of growing pigs

Li, Yang,Chen, Ling,Zhang, Yuhui,Wu, Jianmei,Lin, Yan,Fang, Zhengfeng,Che, Lianqiang,Xu, Shengyu,Wu, De Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.6

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with different levels of detoxified Jatropha curcas kernel meal (DJM) in growing pig diets on growth performance, nutrients digestibility and meat edibility. Methods: A total of 144 pigs with initial body weight of $20.47{\pm}1.44kg$, were randomly allocated to 6 dietary treatments with 6 replications per treatment and 4 pigs per replication for a period of 79 days. Six diets (DJM0, DJM15, DJM30, DJM45, DJM60, and DJM75) were formulated using DJM to replace 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, and 75% of SBM. From d 37 to 42, feces and urine were total collected from six barrows in each treatment. At day 79, thirty-six pigs were slaughtered for sampling. The feed intake and weight gain were recorded, while the intestinal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, nutrient digestibility and the content of residual phorbol esters in muscles were determined. Results: The results showed that increasing the replacement of SBM with DJM decreased the parameters including body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, gain-to-feed ratio, weight and villus heights of duodenum, villus height and villus height/crypt depth of jejunum, digestive enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase, and trypsin) activities, and nutrients digestibility (nitrogen deposition, digestibility of nitrogen, energy digestibility, and total nitrogen utilization) (linear, p<0.05; quadratic, p<0.05) and there was no significant difference among DJM0, DJM15, and DJM30 in all measured indices. The highest diarrhea morbidity was observed in DJM75 (p<0.05). Phorbol esters were not detected in pig muscle tissues. Conclusion: The DJM was a good protein source for pigs, and could be used to replace SBM up to 30% (diet phorbol esters concentration at 5.5 mg/kg) in growing pig diets with no detrimental impacts on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and meat edibility.

Evaluation of the susceptibility of coal to spontaneous combustion by a TG profile subtraction method

Yulong Zhang,Sheng Xue,Junfeng Wang,Yue Wu,Zhengfeng Li,Liping Chang 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.3

−It is imperative to have an in-depth understanding of the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen during low-temperature oxidation, as the reaction is the main source responsible for the self-heating and spontaneous combustion of coal. As low-temperature oxidation of coal involves a series of physical and chemical process and many parallel reactions, it is difficult to directly investigate the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen by conventional analytical method. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen based on the mass change. By means of the subtraction analysis method of TGA, the TG-subtraction curves were obtained by subtracting the TG-N2 curves from the TG-air curves. The results indicate that a TG-subtraction curve can better reflect the intrinsic reaction of coal oxidation than a TG-air curve by eliminating the influence of evaporation of water and thermal decomposition of inherent oxygen-containing groups. In terms of the rate of mass increase, the intrinsic reactions can be divided into three stages: slow oxidation stage, advanced oxidation stage and rapid oxidation stage. The activation energy at each of the stages, obtained by Coats and Redfern’s model, can be used to as a technical parameter to evaluate the proneness of coal spontaneous combustion. The optimum experiment conditions were also developed to study low-temperature coal oxidation with the subtraction method of TGA.

MicroRNA-375 is a therapeutic target for castration-resistant prostate cancer through the PTPN4/STAT3 axis

Gan Junqing,Liu Shan,Zhang Yu,He Liangzi,Bai Lu,Liao Ran,Zhao Juan,Guo Madi,Jiang Wei,Li Jiade,Li Qi,Mu Guannan,Wu Yangjiazi,Wang Xinling,Zhang Xingli,Zhou Dan,Lv Huimin,Wang Zhengfeng,Zhang Yanqiao,Q 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

The functional role of microRNA-375 (miR-375) in the development of prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. Previously, we found that plasma exosomal miR-375 is significantly elevated in castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) patients compared with castration-sensitive PCa patients. Here, we aimed to determine how miR-375 modulates CRPC progression and thereafter to evaluate the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hucMSC)-derived exosomes loaded with miR-375 antisense oligonucleotides (e-375i). We used miRNA in situ hybridization technique to evaluate miR-375 expression in PCa tissues, gain- and loss-of-function experiments to determine miR-375 function, and bioinformatic methods, dual-luciferase reporter assay, qPCR, IHC and western blotting to determine and validate the target as well as the effects of miR-375 at the molecular level. Then, e-375i complexes were assessed for their antagonizing effects against miR-375. We found that the expression of miR-375 was elevated in PCa tissues and cancer exosomes, correlating with the Gleason score. Forced expression of miR-375 enhanced the expression of EMT markers and AR but suppressed apoptosis markers, leading to enhanced proliferation, migration, invasion, and enzalutamide resistance and decreased apoptosis of PCa cells. These effects could be reversed by miR-375 silencing. Mechanistically, miR-375 directly interfered with the expression of phosphatase nonreceptor type 4 (PTPN4), which in turn stabilized phosphorylated STAT3. Application of e-375i could inhibit miR-375, upregulate PTPN4 and downregulate p-STAT3, eventually repressing the growth of PCa. Collectively, we identified a novel miR-375 target, PTPN4, that functions upstream of STAT3, and targeting miR-375 may be an alternative therapeutic for PCa, especially for CRPC with high AR levels.

A triage strategy in advanced ovarian cancer management based on multiple predictive models for R0 resection: a prospective cohort study

Zheng Feng,Hao Wen,Zhaoxia Jiang,Shuai Liu,Xingzhu Ju,Xiaojun Chen,Lingfang Xia,Junyan Xu,Rui Bi,Xiaohua Wu 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.5

Objective: To present the surgical outcomes of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC) since the implementation of a personalized approach and to validate multiple predictive models for R0 resection. Methods: Personalized strategies included: 1) Non-invasive model: preoperative clinico-radiological assessment according to Suidan criteria with a predictive score for all individuals. Patients with a score 0–2 were recommended for primary debulking surgery (PDS, group A), or otherwise were counseled on the choices of PDS, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC, group B) or staging laparoscopy (S-LPS). 2) Minimally invasive model: S-LPS with a predictive index value (PIV) according to Fagotti. Individuals with a PIV <8 underwent PDS (group C) or otherwise received NAC (group D). Intraoperative assessment (with Eisenkop, peritoneal cancer index [PCI], and Aletti scores) and surgical results were prospectively collected. Results: Between September 2015 and August 2017, 161 pathologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer patients were included. A total of 52 (32.3%) patients had a predictive score of 0–2, and 109 (67.7%) patients had a score ≥3. Among these individuals, 41 (25.5%) patients received S-LPS. Finally, 110 (68.3%) patients underwent PDS (A+C), and 51 (31.7%) patients received NAC (B+D). The R0 resection rates in PDS and NAC patients were 56.4% and 60.8%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of Suidan criteria was 0.548 for group (A+C). The AUC of Fagotti score was 0.702 for group C. The AUC of Eisenkop, PCI, and Aletti scores were 0.808, 0.797, and 0.524, respectively. Conclusion: The Suidan criteria were not effective in these AEOC patients. S-LPS was helpful in decision-making for PDS and should be endorsed in the future.