Clinical Study of Tumor Angiogenesis and Perfusion Imaging Using Multi-slice Spiral Computed Tomography for Breast Cancer

Xu, Na,Lei, Zhen,Li, Xiao-Long,Zhang, Jun,Li, Chen,Feng, Guo-Quan,Li, Di-Nuo,Liu, Jing-Yi,Wei, Qiang,Bian, Ting-Ting,Zou, Tian-Yu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Objectives: To explore the correlation between multi-slice spiral CT (MSCT) perfusion parameters and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as well as matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in breast cancer. Methods: Forty five breast cancer patients and 16 patients with benign breast tumor, both confirmed by pathology examination, were enrolled. All underwent MSCT perfusion imaging to obtain perfusion maps and data for parameters including blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV) and permeability surface (PS). Cancer patients did not receive treatment prior to surgery. The expression of VEGF and MMP-2 were examined with both immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Results: The levels of VEGF and MMP-2 by immunohistochemistry were significantly higher in the breast cancer group (P < 0.01) than the benign tumor group. Relative OD values from Western blotting were also higher in cancer cases (P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean MSCT perfusion parameters (BF, BV, PS) were significantly higher in the breast cancer group (P < 0.01), BF and BV positively correlating with VEGF expression (r = 0.878 and 0.809 respectively, P < 0.01); PS and VEGF and MMP-2 expression were also positively correlated (r= 0.860, 0.786 respectively, P < 0.01). Conclusion: There is a correlation between breast cancer MSCT perfusion parameters and VEGF andMMP-2 expression, which might be useful for detection of breast lesions, qualitative diagnosis of breast cancer, and evaluation of breast cancer treatment.

Characterization of quercetin and its glycoside derivatives in Malus germplasm

Lei Zhang,Qipeng Xu,Yaohua You,Weifeng Chen,Zhengcao Xiao,Pengmin Li,Fengwang Ma 한국원예학회 2018 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.59 No.6

Quercetin and its glycoside derivatives were identifi ed and quantifi ed using high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC)and liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) in the leaves, flowers, and fruits of 22 Malusgenotypes. In all genotypes, small amounts of quercetin aglycone were present, with water-soluble glycoside forms were themost abundant in diff erent Malus plant tissues, including quercetin-3-galactoside, quercetin-3-rutinoside, quercetin-3-glucoside,quercetin-3-xyloside, quercetin-3-arabinoside, and quercetin-3-rhamnoside. Among these six quercetin glycosides,quercetin-3-galactoside was the common form in Malus plants, except in the leaves and flowers of M. ceracifolia and M. magdeburgensis , and in the fruits of M. micromalus ‘Haihong Fruit’, where there was a higher concentration of quercetin-3-glucoside. Among the diff erent tissues tested, leaves contained the highest concentration of quercetin and its glycosides,while fruits contained the lowest concentrations of these compounds. Among the genotypes we analyzed, no specifi c genotypeconsistently contained the highest concentration of quercetin and its glycoside derivatives. M. domestica ‘Honeycrisp’had the highest total compound concentration (approximately 1600 mg kg −1 ), whereas M. hupehensis contained the lowestin its fruits. In contrast, the concentration of total quercetin and its glycosides was more than 5000 mg kg −1 in the leaves ofeight genotypes and greater than 2500 mg kg −1 in the flowers of seven species. In general, the concentration of quercetinand its glycoside derivatives depended on the species and tissue type. These results may provide useful information for theevaluation and selection of edible Malus fruits and the materials for quercetin glycoside extraction.

Up-regulation of NHE8 by somatostatin ameliorates the diarrhea symptom in infectious colitis mice model

Lei, Xuelian,Cai, Lin,Li, Xiao,Xu, Hua,Geng, Chong,Wang, Chunhui The Korean Society of Pharmacology 2018 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.22 No.3

$Na^+/H^+$ exchangers (NHEs) have been shown to be involved in regulating cell volume and maintaining fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. Pooled evidences have suggested that loss of $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger isoform 8 (NHE8) impairs intestinal mucosa. Whether NHE8 participates in the pathology of infectious colitis is still unknown. Our previous study demonstrated that somatostatin (SST) could stimulate the expression of intestinal NHE8 so as to facilitate $Na^+$ absorption under normal condition. This study further explored whether NHE8 participates in the pathological processes of infectious colitis and the effects of SST on intestinal NHE8 expression in the setting of infectious colitis. Our data showed that NHE8 expression was reduced in Citrobacter rodentium (CR) infected mice. Up-regulation of NHE8 improved diarrhea symptom and mucosal damage induced by CR. In vitro, a similar observation was also seen in Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) infected Caco-2 cells. Seglitide, a SST receptor (SSTR) 2 agonist, partly reversed the inhibiting action of EPEC on NHE8 expression, but SSTR5 agonist (L-817,818) had no effect on the expression of NHE8. Moreover, SST blocked the phosphorylation of p38 in EPEC-infected Caco-2 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that enhancement of intestinal NHE8 expression by SST could ameliorate the symptoms of mice with infectious colitis.

Melatonin Attenuates Noise Stress-induced Gastrointestinal Motility Disorder and Gastric Stress Ulcer: Role of Gastrointestinal Hormones and Oxidative Stress in Rats

( Lei Zhang ),( Ji T Gong ),( Hu Q Zhang ),( Quan H Song ),( Guang H Xu ),( Lei Cai ),( Xiao D Tang ),( Hai F Zhang ),( Fang E Liu ),( Zhan S Jia ),( Hong W Zhang ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2015 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.21 No.2

Background/Aims There are increasing evidences for gastrointestinal motility disorder (GIMD) and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress. The present study was to investigate the reversed effect of melatonin on GIMD and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress and potential mechanism. Methods Noise stress was induced on rats, and melatonin (15 mg/kg) was administered to rats by intraperitoneal injection. Differences were assessed in gastric residual rate (GRR), small intestine propulsion rate (SPR), Guth injury score, cortisol, gastrointestinal hormones (calcitonin-gene-related peptide and motilin) and oxidative stress markers (superoxide dismutase and malondialde hyde) in blood plasma as well as gastric mucosa homogenate with or without melatonin. The pathological examination of gastric mucosa was also performed. Results The GRR and SPR were improved by noise stress compared with control (P < 0.05). The pathological examination and Guth injury score revealed gastric stress ulcer. Moreover, the levels of cortisol, motilin and malondialdehyde in blood plasma and malondialdehyde in gastric mucosa homogenate were increased by noise stress (P < 0.05). CGRP and superoxide dismutase activity in both of blood plasma and gastric mucosa homogenate were significantly decreased (P< 0.05). Furthermore, melatonin reversed changes in GRR, SPR, pathological examination, Guth injury score, cortisol, motilin, CGRP, superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05). Conclusions Melatonin is effective in reversing the GIMD and gastric stress ulcer induced by noise stress. The underlying mechanism may be involved in oxidative stress and gastrointestinal hormones. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2015;21:189-199)

Clinical Implications of p57^KIP2 Expression in Breast Cancer

Xu, Xiao-Yin,Wang, Wen-Qian,Zhang, Lei,Li, Yi-Ming,Tang, Miao,Jiang, Nan,Cai, Shou-Liang,Wei, Liang,Jin, Feng,Chen, Bo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.10

Objective: To study the relationship between expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ and prognosis and other clinicopathological parameters in invasive breast cancers. Methods: We assessed the expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ in 89 cases of invasive breast cancer and 20 cases of normal breast tissue by immunohistochemical methods and analyzed the results with SPSS software (ver. 16.0). Result: The positive expression rates of $p57^{KIP2}$ protein in the invasive breast cancers and surrounding normal tissue were 30.3% (27/89) and 65% (13/20), respectively. Cases with no $p57^{KIP2}$ expression exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than those with $p57^{KIP2}$ expression (37.9% vs. 14.8%; P = 0.01). DFS analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+ tumors also exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than the other groups (66.7% vs. 29.2%; P = 0.007), as did $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors (64.3% vs. 22.7%; P = 0.001). Survival analysis revealed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was associated with breast cancer-specific survival overall (P = 0.045, log-rank test). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that individuals with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+tumors experienced significantly worse post-operative survival than those with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2- or other tumors (P = 0.006, log-rank test). $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors were associated with significantly worse post-operative survival than $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53- or other tumors (P = 0.001, log-rank test). Cox regression analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer (P = 0.303). Conclusions: $p57^{KIP2}$ is expressed at low levels in invasive breast cancer and is associated with better overall survival rate and disease-free survival in breast cancer patients, but it was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer. Thus, the connection between $p57^{KIP2}$/p53 and $p57^{KIP2}$/C-erbB-2 may provide biomarkers for breast cancer.

World Health Organization survey on the level of integration of traditional Chinese medicine in Chinese health system rehabilitation services

Lei Fang,Ran-ran Zhu,Zhen Sang,Xiao-ting Xu,Lin-yun Zheng,Yanwei Xiang,Chaoyang Guo,Zhenrui Li,Stephane Alexandre Espinosa,Qi Zhang,Chunlei Shan 한국한의학연구원 2023 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.12 No.2

Background: To meet the growing global demand for rehabilitation services, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched Rehabilitation 2030. This study was commissioned by the WHO to investigate the integration degree of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Chinese health system rehabilitation services and the demand for TCM rehabilitation in China. Methods: Twenty TCM rehabilitation experts and relevant government administrators were invited to complete the questionnaire between September 2019 and January 2022. The development of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCI) rehabilitation in China was assessed primarily based on six different health system components. Results: 26 policies, regulations, and national strategic plans related to TCI rehabilitation were issued by relevant government departments since 2002; notably, 14 policies related to TCI rehabilitation development were intensively introduced from 2016 to 2021. These policies cover the three main areas of financing, infrastructure development, and service delivery. The National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine's investment in TCM clinical capacity infrastructure and scientific research in 2019–2021 increased by 66% compared to 2010–2012, and the average number of TCM hospitals with rehabilitation departments in 2020 increased by 6.5% compared to 2018. The proportion of community health service centers providing TCM services in primary medical and health institutions has increased by 30.8% over the past 10 years. Conclusion: Long-term continuous policies, substantial financial investment, and expansion of the scope of TCI rehabilitation services in primary care institutions have effectively contributed to the rapid development of TCI rehabilitation. However, human resources and financing mechanisms for TCI rehabilitation need further improvement.

Global and Local Moth-flame Optimization Algorithm for UAV Formation Path Planning Under Multi-constraints

Xiao-Jing Wu,Lei Xu,Ran Zhen,Xue-Li Wu 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.3

To improve the global and local search ability of moth-flame optimization algorithm, three optimization strategies are proposed in this paper, namely chaos-based moth initialization, adaptive weighted position update strategy and population diversity improvement strategy. In moth initialization process, chaos-based Logistic map is adopted to improve population diversity. Then, a nonlinear weighting factor is introduced into the spiral function to adaptively balance the global and local search ability. Besides, new moth is generated by population diversity improvement strategy, which improves diversity and optimality of the population. Finally, simulation tests of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) formation under multi-constraints are carried out and comparison results show that the proposed global and local moth-flame optimization algorithm has the superiority in rapidity and optimality in UAV path planning problem compared with the latest path planning algorithms.

Selective transformation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran via catalytic transfer hydrogenation over magnetic zirconium hydroxides

Lei Hu,Mei Yang,Ning Xu,Jiaxing Xu,Shouyong Zhou,Xiao-Zhong Chu,Yijiang Zhao 한국화학공학회 2018 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.35 No.1

An economical and effective approach for the selective transformation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran (DHMF) was developed by catalytic transfer hydrogenation over various magnetic zirconium hydroxides (MZHs). As expected, MZH with a moderate Zr/Fe molar ratio of 2 displayed the highest catalytic activity, resulting in 98.4% HMF conversion and 89.6% DHMF yield at 150 oC for 5 h in the presence of 2-butanol that simultaneously acted as the hydrogen donor and reaction solvent, which was ascribed to its appropriate specific surface area, pore size and acid-base content. Moreover, a plausible reaction mechanism for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of HMF into DHMF over MHZ(Zr/Fe=2) was also proposed, in which the basic hydroxyl groups with the aid of acidic zirconium metal centers were considered to be responsible for the pivotal hydride transfer via a six-membered ring structure.

Overexpression of the AtSTK Gene Increases Salt, PEG and ABA Tolerance in Arabidopsis

Lei Bing,Cui-Cui Feng,Jing-Lan Li,Xiao-Xu Li,Baocun Zhao,Yin-Zhu Shen,Zhan-Jing Huang,Rong-Chao Ge 한국식물학회 2013 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.56 No.6

AtSTK (At5g02800), which is a serine-threonineprotein kinase gene of Arabidopsis thaliana, was cloned, andits function was studied. The study found that the overexpressionof AtSTK could significantly improve the ability of A. thaliana to tolerate salt, PEG, and ABA stresses. RT-PCRanalysis revealed that the expression of the AtSTK genecould be obviously induced by salt, PEG, and ABA. Theexamination of the physiological characteristics showed thatthe overexpression of AtSTK in Arabidopsis significantlyreduced the plasma membrane permeability, significantlyincreased the proline content, and decreased the MDA content. These changes may reflect the physiological mechanismsthrough which AtSTK overexpression improves stress resistancein Arabidopsis. In addition, the overexpression of the AtSTKgene significantly antagonised the inhibitory effect of highconcentrations of exogenous ABA on Arabidopsis seedgermination. The subcellular localisation results showed thatAtSTK is located in both the cytosol and the nucleus. Theexamination of its tissue-specific expression showed thatAtSTK is expressed in various Arabidopsis tissues and isparticularly strongly expressed in the vessels. The signallingpathway analysis indicated that AtSTK might transfer thesalt stress signal in Arabidopsis through the MAPK pathway.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Cold-Adapted Family VIII Esterase from a Biogas Slurry Metagenomic Library

( Xiao Jie Cheng ),( Xu Ming Wang ),( Tian Lei Qiu ),( Mei Yuan ),( Jiang Uang Sun ),( Jun Lian Gao ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.11

A novel esterase gene, est01, was successfully unearthed from a biogas digester microbiota metagenomic library. The 1,194 bp est01 gene encodes a protein of 44,804 Da (designated Est01). The amino acid sequence of Est01 shows only moderate (33%) identity to a lipase/ esterase. Phylogenetic analysis and biochemical characterization confirmed that Est01 is a new member of family VIII esterases. The purified Est01 from recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) showed high hydrolytic activity against short-chain fatty acid esters, suggesting that it is a typical carboxylesterase rather than a lipase. Furthermore, the Est01 was even active at 10°C (43% activity remained), with the optimal temperature at 20°C, and had a broad pH range from 5.0 to 10.0, with the optimal pH of 8.0. These properties suggest that Est01 is a cold-adaptive esterase and could have good potential for low-temperature hydrolysis application.