Sodium butyrate reduces high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis through upregulation of hepatic GLP-1R expression

Da Zhou,Yuan-Wen Chen,Ze-Hua Zhao,Rui-Xu Yang,Feng-Zhi Xin,Xiao-Lin Liu,Qin Pan,Huiping Zhou,Jian-Gao Fan 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has a broad spectrum of biological activity by regulating metabolic processes via both the direct activation of the class B family of G protein-coupled receptors and indirect nonreceptor-mediated pathways. GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists have significant therapeutic effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and steatohepatitis (NASH) in animal models. However, clinical studies indicated that GLP-1 treatment had little effect on hepatic steatosis in some NAFLD patients, suggesting that GLP-1 resistance may occur in these patients. It is wellknown that the gut metabolite sodium butyrate (NaB) could promote GLP-1 secretion from intestinal L cells. However, it is unclear whether NaB improves hepatic GLP-1 responsiveness in NAFLD. In the current study, we showed that the serum GLP-1 levels of NAFLD patients were similar to those of normal controls, but hepatic GLP-1R expression was significantly downregulated in NAFLD patients. Similarly, in the NAFLD mouse model, mice fed with a high-fat diet showed reduced hepatic GLP-1R expression, which was reversed by NaB treatment and accompanied by markedly alleviated liver steatosis. In addition, NaB treatment also upregulated the hepatic p-AMPK/p-ACC and insulin receptor/ insulin receptor substrate-1 expression levels. Furthermore, NaB-enhanced GLP-1R expression in HepG2 cells by inhibiting histone deacetylase-2 independent of GPR43/GPR109a. These results indicate that NaB is able to prevent the progression of NAFL to NASH via promoting hepatic GLP-1R expression. NaB is a GLP-1 sensitizer and represents a potential therapeutic adjuvant to prevent NAFL progression to NASH.

Long Term Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of N₀ Stage Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: a Single Institutional Experience with 610 Patients

Sun, Jian-Da,Chen, Chuang-Zhen,Chen, Jian-Zhou,Li, Dong-Sheng,Chen, Zhi-Jian,Zhou, Ming-Zhen,Li, De-Rui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Treatment responses of $N_0$ stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma were firstly analyzed comprehensively to evaluate long term outcomes of patients and identify prognostic factors. A total of 610 patients with $N_0$ NPC, undergoing definitive radiotherapy to their primary lesion and prophylactic radiation to upper neck, were reviewed retrospectively. Concomitant chemotherapy was administrated to 65 out of the 610. Survival rates of the patients were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Prognostic factors were identified by the Cox regression model. The study revealed the 5-year and 10-year overall, disease-free, disease-specific, local failure-free, regional failure-free, locoregional failure-free and distant metastasis-free survival rates to be 78.7% and 66.8%, 68.8% and 55.8%, 79.9% and 70.4%, 81.2% and 72.5%, 95.8% and 91.8%, 78.3% and 68.5%, 88.5% and 85.5%, respectively. There were 192 patients experiencing failure (31.5%) after radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Of these, local recurrence, regional relapse and distant metastases as the first event of failure occurred in 100 (100/610, 16.4%), 15(15/610, 2.5%) and 52 (52/610, 8.5%), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that T stage was the only independent prognostic factor for patients with $N_0$ NPC (P=0.000). Late T stage (P=0.000), male (P=0.039) and anemia (P=0.007) were independently unfavorable factors predicting disease-free survival. After treatment, satisfactory outcome wasgenerally achieved in patients with $N_0$ NPC. Local recurrence represented the predominant mode of treatment failure, while T stage was the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Late T stage, male gender, and anemia independently predicted lower possibility of the disease-free survival.

Common Genetic Variations in the MUC5AC Gene are Not Related to Helicobacter pylori Serologic Status

Zhou, Cheng-Jiang,Zhang, Liu-Wei,Gao, Fang,Zhang, Bin,Wang, Ying,Chen, Da-Fang,Jia, Yan-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.24

Several lines of evidence suggest that MUC5AC genetic polymorphisms might confer susceptibility to H. pylori infection and therefore gastric cancer risk. We here assessed the association of common polymorphisms in the MUC5AC gene with H. pylori seroprevalence using an LD-based tagSNP approach in a north-western Chinese Han population. A total of 12 tagSNPs were successfully genotyped among 281 unrelated ethnic Han Chinese who had no cancer history, and no identifiable gastric disease or genetic disease. No significant association between any alleles, genotypes or haplotypes and H. pylori seroprevalence was observed. Our results suggest that common genetic variations in MUC5AC gene might not make a major contribution to the risk of H. pylori infection.

Effect of Introducing EMG Biofeedback to a Finger Extensor Facilitation Training Device for Hemiplegic Patients after Strokes

Da Shuhan,Hirofumi Tanabe,Yoshifumi Morita,Zhou Peichen 제어로봇시스템학회 2019 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2019 No.10

Biofeedback systems have been developing rapidly in recent years as rehabilitation methods for hemiplegic stroke patients. To investigate the value of such systems for the rehabilitation of these patients, we complemented the Useful and Ultimate Rehabilitation System PARKO (UR-System-PARKO) with a biofeedback system that had an A-BA- B design, to see if together, patients saw more improvement in a shorter timespan in the control of the extensor muscles in their hands. The biofeedback system was tested without therapist participation. We evaluated the effectiveness of each training trial by recording electromyography (EMG) signals for the extensor and flexor digitorum muscles. By comparing the EMG values from each trial, we were able to conclude that the training with the UR-System-PARKO became more effective when the biofeedback system was applied. This also demonstrated that, by using a biofeedback system, it would be possible for stroke hemiplegic patients to conduct highly efficient self-rehabilitation.

Association Analysis of Common Genetic Variations in MUC5AC Gene with the Risk of Non-cardia Gastric Cancer in a Chinese Population

Zhou, Cheng-Jiang,Zhang, Liu-Wei,Gao, Fang,Zhang, Bin,Wang, Ying,Chen, Da-Fang,Jia, Yan-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

Several lines of evidence suggest that genetic variation in MUC5AC gene might contribute to the risk of gastric cancer. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the relationship between common genetic variations in MUC5AC gene and non-cardia gastric cancer using an LD-based tagSNP approach in Baotou, north-western China. We genotyped 12 tagSNPs by TaqMan method among 288 cases with non-cardia gastric cancer and 281 normal controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for non-cardia gastric cancer risk in association with alleles, genotypes and haplotypes. We observed that the frequencies of rs3793964 C allele and rs11040869 A allele were significantly lower in cases than in controls. Meanwhile, minor allele homozygotes of rs3793964 and rs11040869 were significantly associated with a decreased risk of non-cardia gastric cancer when compared with their major allele homozygotes. Furthermore, a statistically significantly protective effect of rs885454 genotypes on non-cardia gastric cancer was also observed (for CT vs. CC: OR=0.581, 95%CI=0.408-0.829; for CT/TT vs. CC: OR=0.623, 95%CI=0.451-0.884). Our results indicated that some common genetic variations in the MUC5AC gene might have effects on the risk of non-cardia gastric cancer in our studied population.

Potential influence of nutrients intake by adults on the population dynamics of Athetis lepigone (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Zhou Yayuan,Song Peng,Luo Dan,Feng Zhaoyang,Wang Da,He Yunzhuan 한국응용곤충학회 2023 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.26 No.2

Athetis lepigone is an important pest on corn, but little is known about the nutritional requirements of adult A. lepigone and how nutrients affect their reproduction and longevity. Here, we explored the effects of different nutrients on the reproduction, longevity, and population growth of A. lepigone. Carbohydrates were beneficial for adult reproduction and longevity, with feeding 5% sucrose having the best effect by resulting in an average of 424.83 eggs per female. When females consumed carbohydrates, the net reproductive rate (R 0 ) and the intrinsic rate of increase (r m ) were higher. However, the fecundity of adults fed only amino acids and high concentration fat emulsion decreased significantly, with an average of 60 to 160 eggs per female. The main food source of Lepidoptera insects is the nectar from flowering plants in the field. Due to compound planting patterns, flowering plants are widely distributed around farmland. The nectar secreted by them usually contains rich carbohydrates, which can be provided for adults. Therefore, we must also consider the potential impact of flowering plants on A. lepigone, in order to improve pest control efficiency.

HGFK1 is Associated with a Better Prognostis and Reverses Inhibition by Gefitinib in NSCLC Cases

Zhou, Xiao-Hui,Tang, Li-Na,Yue, Lu,Min, Da-Liu,Yang, Yi,Huang, Jian-An,Shen, Zan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Purpose: Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading worldwide source of cancer-related deaths. Although some drugs targeting EGFR mutations have been developed, most advanced cases are still incurable. New targets for anticancer drugs are demanded. The kringle 1 domain of hepatocellular growth factor alpha chain (HGFK1) is a potent anti-angiogenesis factor. It has also emerged as a potential anticancer factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of HGFK1 protein in patients with NSCLC has not been reported to date. Method: Here, we assessed HGFK1 expression by Western blotting in 103 cases with advanced NSCLC to investigate the impact of HGFK1 on survival. Results: Results revealed 33 (30.1%) patients were classified as high expressors, this being significantly associated with less remote metastasis (P = 0.002) but not with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.062). There was also a significant association between HGFK1 expression and tumor size (P = 0.025) as well as clinical stage (P = 0.012). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that both overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of patients with HGFK1 expression were longer than those of patients without HGFK1 expression (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001 respectively). HGFK1 reversed gefitinib inhibition in the resistent NSCLC cell line A431/GR but did not inhibit the proliferation of NSCLC cells A431 and A431/GR directly. Reversion of gefitinib inhibition in A431/GR cells by HGFK1 was related to decreased phosphorylation of ERK and STAT5. Conclusions: HGFK1 may be a useful prognostic factor of advanced NSCLC patients and a potential drug for gefitinib resistant patients.

Shear-strengthening of RC continuous T-beams with spliced CFRP U-strips around bars against flange top

Chaoyang Zhou,Da Ren,Xiaonian Cheng 국제구조공학회 2017 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.64 No.1

To upgrade shear performance of reinforced concrete (RC) beams, and particularly of the segments under negative moment within continuous T-section beams, a series of original schemes has been proposed using carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) U-shaped strips for shear-strengthening. The current work focuses on one of them, in which CFRP U-strips are wound around steel bars against the top of the flange of a T-beam and then spliced on its bottom face in addition to being bonded onto its sides. The test results showed that the proposed scheme successfully provided reliable anchorage for U-strips and prevented premature onset of shear failure due to FRP debonding. The governing shear mode of failure changed from peeling of CFRP to its fracture or crushing of concrete. The strengthened specimens displayed an average increase of about 60% in shear capacity over the unstrengthened control one. The specimen with a relatively high ratio and uniform distribution of CFRP reinforcement had a maximum increase of nearly 75% in strength as well as significantly improved ductility. The formulas by various codes or guidelines exhibited different accuracy in estimating FRP contribution to shear resistance of the segments that are subjected to negative moment and strengthened with well-anchored FRP U-strips within continuous T-beams. Further investigation is necessary to find a suitable approach to predicting load-carrying capacity of continuous beams shear strengthened in this way.

E-Selectin S128R Polymorphism is Associated with Cancer Risk: a Meta-analysis

Cheng, Da-Ye,Hao, Yi-Wen,Zhou, Wen-Ling,Ma, Yi-Ran Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: Genetic factors have been shown to play an important role in the development of cancers. However, individual studies may fail to completely demonstrate complicated genetic relationships because of small sample size. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of E-selectin Ser128Arg (S128R) with cancer risk. Materials and Methods: A literature search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, SpringerLink, EBSCO, Wanfang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was carried out to identify studies of the association between E-selectin S128R polymorphism and cancer risk. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were used to assess the strength of association. Results: A total of eight studies involving 1,675 cancer cases and 2,285 controls were included in the meta-analysis. In overall populations, S128R polymorphism seemed to be associated with cancer risk (Arg allele vs Ser allele: OR=1.65, 95%CI =1.33-2.04, p<0.01; Arg/Arg+Arg/Ser vs Ser/Ser: OR=1.87, 95%CI =1.48-2.36, p<0.01; Arg/Ser vs Ser/Ser: OR=1.80, 95%CI =1.51-2.14, p<0.01). Similarly, subgroup analysis by ethnicity and source of control also revealed that this polymorphism was related to cancer risk. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that there was association between the E-selectin S128R polymorphism and the risk of cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this association.

Hypoxia Induced Multidrug Resistance of Laryngeal Cancer Cells via Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α

Li, Da-Wei,Dong, Pin,Wang, Fei,Chen, Xin-Wei,Xu, Cheng-Zhi,Zhou, Liang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

Objectives: To investigate whether hypoxia has an effect on regulation of multidrug resistance (MDR) to chemotherapeutic drugs in laryngeal carcinoma cells and explore the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$). Methods: Laryngeal cancer cells were cultured under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The sensitivity of the cells to multiple drugs and levels of apoptosis induced by paclitaxel were determined by MTT assay and annexin-V/propidium iodide staining analysis, respectively. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression was blocked by RNA interference. The expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ gene was detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. The value of fluorescence intensity of intracellular adriamycin accumulation and retention in cells was evaluated by flow cytometry. Results: The sensitivity to multiple chemotherapy agents and induction of apoptosis by paclitaxel could be reduced by hypoxia (P<0.05). A the same time, the adriamycin releasing index of cells was increased (P<0.05). However, resistance acquisition subject to hypoxia in vitro was suppressed by down-regulating HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression. Conclusion: HIF-$1{\alpha}$ could be considered as a key regulator for mediating hypoxia-induced MDR in laryngeal cancer cells via inhibition of drug-induced apoptosis and decrease in intracellular drug accumulation.