Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Migration of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells Is Driven by Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in an HIF-1alpha/beta-Catenin-Dependent Pathway

Yong Luo,Ling Lan,Yong-Guang Jiang,Jia-Hui Zhao,Ming-Chuan Li,Neng-Bao Wei,Yun-Hua Lin 한국분자세포생물학회 2013 Molecules and cells Vol.36 No.2

Although cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a crucial role in seeding the initiation of tumor progression, they do not always possess the same potent ability as tumor metastasis. Thus, precisely how migrating CSCs occur, still remains unclear. In the present study, we first comparatively analyzed a series of prostate CSCs, which exhibited a dynamically increasing and disseminating ability in nude mice. We observed that the transcriptional activity of HIF-1 and -catenin became gradually elevated in these stem cells and their epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristic altered from an epithelial type to a mesenchymal type. Next, we further used cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which were cultured from surgically re-sected tissues of prostate cancer (PCa) to stimulate prostate CSCs. Similar results were reconfirmed and showed that the protein levels of both HIF-1 and -catenin were markedly improved. In addition, the EMT phenotype displayed a homogenous mesenchymal type, accompanied with increased aggressive potency in vitro. Most importantly, the aforementioned promoting effect of CAFs on prostate CSCs was completely repressed after “silencing” the activity of -catenin by transfection of stem cells with ShRNA. Taken together, our observations suggest that prostate migrating CSCs, with a mesenchymal phenotype, could be triggered by CAFs in a HIF-1alpha/beta-catenin-depen-dent signaling pathway.

A Generalized Formula for Elastic Shear Buckling of Trapezoidal Corrugated Web Girder

Hong-Guang Luo,Li-Ying Peng,Chan-Tao Zhang,Cheng-Xiu Cai 대한토목학회 2020 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.24 No.10

Trapezoidal corrugated web girder is widely used. The elastic shear buckling stress is an important parameter in the design and calculation of trapezoidal corrugated web girder. Accordingly, much research has been devoted on the analysis of typical elastic global shear buckling, elastic local buckling and elastic interactive shear buckling, and the corresponding formulae existing in a variety of literature. The results of finite element analysis suggest that there is a certain deviation in the calculated values based on classical elastic shear buckling formulae. The boundary conditions of corrugated web play an important role in the calculation of elastic shear buckling. And it is found that the shear buckling modes of the actual trapezoidal corrugated web may be called the atypical buckling, which is different from typical local buckling, global buckling and interactive buckling. The existence of the atypical buckling may result in some calculation deviations for the existing formulae of elastic shear buckling. Based on the classical elastic shear buckling formulae, a generalized formula for elastic shear buckling of trapezoidal corrugated web girder is obtained by numerical simulation. It intuitively reflects the relationships among various buckling modes. The formula has high calculation reference value and will promote the research of elastic shear buckling of trapezoidal corrugated web girder.

New Insights into Autonomic Nerve Preservation in High Ligation of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery in Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

Yang, Xiao-Fei,Li, Guo-Xin,Luo, Guang-Heng,Zhong, Shi-Zhen,Ding, Zi-Hai Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Aim: To take a deeper insight into the relationship between the root of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) and the autonomic nerve plexuses around it by cadaveric anatomy and explore anatomical evidence of autonomic nerve preservation in high ligation of the IMA in laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. Methods: Anatomical dissection was performed on 11 formalin-fixed cadavers and 12 fresh cadavers. Anatomical evidence-based autonomic nerve preservation in high ligation of the IMA was performed in 22 laparoscopic curative resections of colorectal cancer. Results: As the upward continuation of the presacral nerves, the bilateral trunks of SHP had close but different relationships with the root of the IMA. The right trunk of SHP ran relatively far away from the root of IMA. When the apical lymph nodes were dissected close to the root of the IMA along the fascia space in front of the anterior renal fascia, the right trunk of SHP could be kept in suit under the anterior renal fascia. The left descending branches to SHP constituted a natural and constant anatomical landmark of the relationship between the root of IMA and the left autonomic nerves. Proximal to this, the left autonomic nerves surrounded the root of the IMA. Distally, the left trunk of the SHP departed from the root of IMA under the anterior renal fascia. When high ligation of the IMA was performed distal to it, the left trunk of SHP could be preserved. The distance between the left descending branches to SHP and the origin of IMA varied widely from 1.3 cm to 2.3 cm. Conclusions: The divergences of the bilateral autonomic nerve preservation around the root of the IMA may contribute to provide anatomical evidence for more precise evaluation of the optimal position of high ligation of the IMA in the future.

Bone Morphogenetic Protein 9 Overexpression Reduces Osteosarcoma Cell Migration and Invasion

Zilan Lv,Ya-guang Weng,Dandan Yang,Jie Li,Min Hu,Min Luo,Xiaoqin Zhan,Peipei Song,Chen Liu,Huili Bai,Baolin Li,Yang Yang,Yingying Chen,Qiong Shi 한국분자세포생물학회 2013 Molecules and cells Vol.36 No.2

Transforming growth factor- (TGF-) is known to pro-mote tumor migration and invasion. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the TGF- family expressed in a variety of human carcinoma cell lines. The role of bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9), the most powerful osteogenic factor, in osteosarcoma (OS) progression has not been fully clarified. The expression of BMP9 and its receptors in OS cell lines was analyzed by RT-PCR. We found that BMP9 and its receptors were expressed in OS cell lines. We further investigated the influence of BMP9 on the biological behaviors of OS cells. BMP9 overexpression in the OS cell lines 143B and MG63 inhibited in vitro cell migration and invasion. We further investigated the ex-pression of a panel of cancer-related genes and found that BMP9 overexpression increased the phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 proteins, increased the expression of ID1, and reduced the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in OS cells. BMP9 silencing induced the opposite effects. We also found that BMP9 may not affect the chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12)/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) axis to regulate the invasiveness and metastatic capacity of OS cells. Interestingly, CXCR4 was expressed in both 143B and MG63 cells, while CXCL12 was only detected in MG63 cells. Taken together, we hypothesize that BMP9 inhibits the migration and invasiveness of OS cells through a Smad-dependent pathway by downregulating the expression and activity of MMP9.

Morphological Characteristics of Normal and Gynandromorphic Hyalomma asiaticum Schulze and Schlottke, 1930

Ze Chen,You-quan Li,Qiao-Yun Ren,Jin Luo,Yonghong Hu,Kai Li,Guang-Yuan Liu,Jian-xun Luo,Jingze Liu,Hong Yin 대한기생충학열대의학회 2015 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.53 No.3

Gynandromorphic ticks are extremely rare, and often attract parasitologists’ attention. During our examination of tick specimens, an engorged gynandromorph of Hyalomma asiaticum was noticed. This is the first record of gynandromorphic ticks from China. In this study, several important morphological structures of normal and gynandromorphic H. asiaticum were analyzed. Comparing to the normal H. asiaticum, the gynandromorphic specimen was a typical bipartite protogynander. Its right side showed normal female characteristics, whereas the left side had normal male traits. Different from other gynandromorphic ticks containing 1 anus, this tick reported here had 2 complete anuses, and the anus of the male part had a single adanal plate.

Strange quark mass effect on the structure of hybrid stars

Xu, Jian-Feng,Luo, Yan-An,Li, Lei,Peng, Guang-Xiong World Scientific Publishing Company 2018 International Journal of Modern Physics E Vol.27 No.1

<P>We study the strange quark mass effect on the phase diagram of strong interaction and the structure of compact stars with a thermodynamically enhanced perturbative QCD model by matching quark matter onto nuclear matter using the Gibbs conditions. It is found that the mass effect of strange quark matter can obviously stiffen the equation of state of mixed phases and result in more massive hybrid stars (HSs), while that usually lowers the maximum mass of pure quark stars. Given reasonable model parameters, the maximum mass of HSs can reach two times the solar mass and the stars always have mixed-phase core in a considerably wide range of model parameters.</P>

New Compounds from Euphorbia helioscopia and Absolute Configuration Determination by Computational Methods

Jiangbo He,Hua-Jie Zhu,Gui-Fen Luo,Guang-Ming Liu,Yan Li,Hao Chen,Shaopeng Chen,Xin Lu,Guochun Zhou,Yong-Xian Cheng 대한화학회 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.8

The whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia is an important traditional Chinese medicine. Fom its BuOH soluble extract,one new lactam (1), three new terpenoids (2-4) including a new naturally occurring compound, and three known compounds were isolated. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic evidences. In particular, the absolute configurations of side chain of compounds 1 and 2 were determined using computational methods.

Sputum Metabolomic Profiling Reveals Metabolic Pathways and Signatures Associated With Inflammatory Phenotypes in Patients With Asthma

Liu Ying,Zhang Xin,Zhang Li,Oliver Brian G,Wang Hong Guang,Liu Zhi Peng,Chen Zhi Hong,Wood Lisa,Hsu Alan Chen-Yu,Xie Min,McDonald Vanessa,Wan Hua Jing,Luo Feng Ming,Liu Dan,Li Wei Min,Wang Gang 대한천식알레르기학회 2022 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.14 No.4

Purpose: The molecular links between metabolism and inflammation that drive different inflammatory phenotypes in asthma are poorly understood. We aimed to identify the metabolic signatures and underlying molecular pathways of different inflammatory asthma phenotypes. Methods: In the discovery set (n = 119), untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) was applied to characterize the induced sputum metabolic profiles of asthmatic patients with different inflammatory phenotypes using orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and pathway topology enrichment analysis. In the validation set (n = 114), differential metabolites were selected to perform targeted quantification. Correlations between targeted metabolites and clinical indices in asthmatic patients were analyzed. Logistic and negative binomial regression models were established to assess the association between metabolites and severe asthma exacerbations. Results: Seventy-seven differential metabolites were identified in the discovery set. Pathway topology analysis uncovered that histidine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism as well as phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis were involved in the pathogenesis of different asthma phenotypes. In the validation set, 24 targeted quantification metabolites were significantly expressed between asthma inflammatory phenotypes. Finally, adenosine 5′-monophosphate (adjusted relative risk [adj RR] = 1.000; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.000–1.000; P = 0.050), allantoin (adj RR = 1.000; 95% CI = 1.000–1.000; P = 0.043) and nicotinamide (adj RR = 1.001; 95% CI = 1.000–1.002; P = 0.021) were demonstrated to predict severe asthma exacerbation rates. Conclusions: Different inflammatory asthma phenotypes have specific metabolic profiles in induced sputum. The potential metabolic signatures may identify therapeutic targets in different inflammatory asthma phenotypes.

SYNTHESIS OF YTTRIA-STABILIZED CUBIC ZIRCONIA NANOCRYSTALS BY ULTRASONIC–MICROWAVE ROUTE

JIAN-DONG WANG,CHONG-XIAO LUO,YI LU,GUANG-MING LI,JIN-KU LIU 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2010 NANO Vol.5 No.5

The yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nanocrystals with uniform size, high purity, and high degree of crystallinity, were prepared by ultrasonic–microwave-assisted method. The structure, optical properties and morphologies of YSZ nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis absorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SEM and TEM images of the YSZ nanocrystals indicate that the product is a mono-dispersion structure with an average particle size of about 25 nm.

Nomogram for predicting overall survival in children with neuroblastoma based on SEER database

Song-Wu Liang,Gang Chen,Yi-Ge Luo,Peng Chen,Jin-Han Gu,Qiong-Qian Xu,Yi-Wu Dang,Li-Ting Qin,Hui-Ping Lu,Wen-Ting Huang,Zhi-Guang Huang,Li Gao,Jia-Bo Chen 대한외과학회 2020 Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research(ASRT) Vol.99 No.2

Purpose: This study was performed to establish and validate a nomogram for predicting the overall survival in children with neuroblastoma. Methods: The latest clinical data of neuroblastoma in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was extracted from 2000 to 2016. The cases included were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. The survival curves were drawn with a Kaplan-Meier estimator to investigate the influences of certain single factors on overall survival. Also, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to further select the prognostic variables for neuroblastoma. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves were used to evaluate the accuracy of the nomogram. Results: In total, 1,262 patients were collected and 8 independent prognostic factors were achieved, including patients’ age, sex, race, tumor grade, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, tumor site, and tumor size. Then we constructed a nomogram by using the data of the training cohort with 886 cases. Subsequently, the nomogram was validated internally and externally with 886 and 376 cases, respectively. The internal validation revealed that the area under the curves (AUC) of ROC curves of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were 0.69, 0.78, and 0.81, respectively. Accordingly, the external validation also showed that the AUC of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were all ≥0.69. Both methods of validation demonstrated that the predictive calibration curves were consistent with standard curves. Conclusion: The nomogram possess the potential to be a new tool in predicting the survival rate of neuroblastoma patients.