Excessive retinoic acid inhibit mouse embryonic palate mesenchymal cell growth through involvement of Smad signaling

Zengli Yu,Xiaozhuan Liu,Zhan Gao,Zhitao Li,Jun Yin,Yuchang Tao,Lingling Cui,Zengli Yu 한국통합생물학회 2017 Animal cells and systems Vol.21 No.1

All-trans retinoic acid (atRA), the oxidative metabolite of retinoic acid (RA), is essential for palatogenesis. Overdose RA is capable of inducing cleft palate in mice and humans. Normal embryonic palatal mesenchymal (EPM) cell growth is crucial for shelf growth. Smad signaling is involved in many biological processes. However, it is not much clear if atRA could affect Smad signaling during EPM cells growth. In this study, the timed pregnant mice with maternal administration of 100 mg/kg body weight of RA by gastric intubation were cervical dislocation executed to evaluate growth changes of palatal shelves by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. At the same time, a primary mouse EPM (MEPM) cell culture model was also established. MEPM cells were treated with atRA (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5 and 10 μM) for 24, 48 and 72 h. The results indicated that the sizes of the shelves were smaller than those in control. AtRA inhibited MEPM cell growth with both increasing concentration and increasing incubation time, especially at 72 h in vitro. Moreover, atRA significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of Smad7 (P < .05), but the mRNA and protein expression levels of PCNA were reduced (P < .05). We also found atRA inhibited phosphorylation of Smad2 compared with untreated group (P < .05). However, the protein and mRNA levels of Smad2 did not change both in atRA-treated and untreated group (P > .05). We demonstrated that RA induced inhibition of MEPM cell growth that could cause cleft palate partly by down-regulation of Smad pathway.

A Comprehensive Review of Emerging Computational Methods for Gene Identification

Yu, Ning,Yu, Zeng,Li, Bing,Gu, Feng,Pan, Yi Korea Information Processing Society 2016 Journal of information processing systems Vol.12 No.1

Gene identification is at the center of genomic studies. Although the first phase of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project has been claimed to be complete, the annotation of the functional elements is far from being so. Computational methods in gene identification continue to play important roles in this area and other relevant issues. So far, a lot of work has been performed on this area, and a plethora of computational methods and avenues have been developed. Many review papers have summarized these methods and other related work. However, most of them focus on the methodologies from a particular aspect or perspective. Different from these existing bodies of research, this paper aims to comprehensively summarize the mainstream computational methods in gene identification and tries to provide a short but concise technical reference for future studies. Moreover, this review sheds light on the emerging trends and cutting-edge techniques that are believed to be capable of leading the research on this field in the future.

“Advocate Goodness of Human Nature to Anyone Coming across”: Analysis on “Good Nature Theory” of Mencius

( Zeng Zhen-yu ) 성균관대학교 유교문화연구소 2013 儒敎文化硏究(中文版) Vol.0 No.19

孟子人性論的基本觀點爲"人性善"或"性善",業已成爲"國民常識"。在這一常識的背後,隱伏著深度的誤讀與曲解。孟子從個體生命體驗和形式邏輯層面反複證明的一個觀點爲――人性有善端。仁義禮智"四端"源自天,存諸人心爲"立命"。人性之善是與善惡相對之善,善不是絶對之善。但是,孟子從未否定"性"有惡端。人性有惡端是眞理,惡具有實質義。硏究孟子人性學說,在方法論上應當遵循"以孟釋孟"原則,在文本釋讀與思想詮釋上,應當區別"君子所性"與"性"兩個槪念。在"君子所性"層面,孟子刻意强調君子與禽獸的"幾希"之別,君子在應然意義上當以"四端"爲性,而不可以"食色"爲性;但在"性"或"人性"層面,孟子幷沒有否定"性"或"人性"有惡端, "大體"與"小體"同在於人心。盡管君子在功夫論層面不將"味"、"色"、"聲"、"臭"稱之爲性,但芸芸衆生之"性"還是蘊含"味"、"色"、"聲"、"臭"。秦漢以降,曆代學人之所以對孟子人性學說理解不一,大多在於未厘淸"君子所性"與"性"兩個槪念的區別。 Mencius’ view on human nature can be summarized as “goodness of human nature” or “goodness of nature”; however, it is seriously misread and distorted when it becomes a “common sense of all the people.” Human nature can be a good starting point - Since Mencius, it has been proven time after time from the aspects of life-experience and of formal logic. The starting points of “humanity, righteousness, propriety and wisdom” come from Heaven (tian 天),1 and are internalized in human heart. The goodness of human nature is, however, not an absolute concept but a relative one, opposite to badness. Mencius, nevertheless, had never denied bad starting points of human nature; for him, bad starting points also truly and substantially lie within human nature. When studying and analyzing Mencius’s theory of human nature, “interpreting Mencius by Mencius” should be adopted as a methodological principle. In interpreting text and thought of Mencius, the distinction between “nature” and “nature for the exemplary person” must also be stressed. On the level of the exemplary person, Mencius deliberately emphasizes “little difference” between nature of the exemplary person and that of animals. As a matter of course, the exemplary person should take “four starting points” as his nature instead of “food and sex.” On the other side, since Mencius does not deny the bad starting points from the aspect of nature or human nature, he also maintains that “the excellent parts 大体” and “the common parts 小体” co-exist within one human heart. From a view of Gongfulun 功夫论 (accomplishment of cognizing things), the exemplary person excludes “taste,” “sex,” “sounds,” and “smell” from one’s nature, but for common people, on the contrary, such bodily functions and desires are still included in their nature. Since Qin and Han dynasties, scholars presented various interpretations on Mencius’ notion of human nature, but most of them had neglected the distinction between “nature” and “nature for the exemplary person.” [Article in Chinese]

The Blood Oxygenation T2* Values of Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas as Measured by 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Association with Tumor Stage

Yu-lian Tang,Xiao-ming Zhang,Zhi-gang Yang,Yu-cheng Huang,Tian-wu Chen,Yan-li Chen,Fan Chen,Nan-lin Zeng,Rui Li,Jiani Hu 대한영상의학회 2017 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.18 No.4

Objective: To explore the association between the blood oxygenation T2* values of resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) and tumor stages. Materials and Methods: This study included 48 ESCC patients and 20 healthy participants who had undergone esophageal T2*-weighted imaging to obtain T2* values of the tumors and normal esophagi. ESCC patients underwent surgical resections less than one week after imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to identify the association between T2* values of ESCCs and tumor stages. Results: One-way ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls tests revealed that the T2* value could differentiate stage T1 ESCCs (17.7 ± 3.3 ms) from stage T2 and T3 tumors (24.6 ± 2.7 ms and 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, respectively; all ps < 0.001). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed the suitable cutoff T2* value of 21.3 ms for either differentiation. The former statistical tests demonstrated that the T2* value could not differentiate between stages T2 and T3 (24.6 ± 2.7 ms vs. 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, respectively, p > 0.05) or between N stages (N1 vs. N2 vs. N3: 24.7 ± 6.9 ms vs. 25.4 ± 4.5 ms vs. 26.8 ± 3.9 ms, respectively; all ps > 0.05). The former tests illustrated that the T2* value could differentiate anatomic stages I and II (18.8 ± 4.8 ms and 26.9 ± 5.9 ms, respectively) or stages I and III (27.3 ± 3.6 ms). ROC analysis depicted the same cutoff T2* value of 21.3 ms for either differentiation. In addition, the Student’s t test revealed that the T2* value could determine grouped T stages (T0 vs. T1–3: 17.0 ± 2.9 ms vs. 25.2 ± 6.2 ms; T0–1 vs. T2–3: 17.3 ± 3.0 ms vs. 27.1 ± 5.3 ms; and T0–2 vs. T3: 18.8 ± 4.2 ms vs. 27.8 ± 5.6 ms, all ps < 0.001). ROC analysis indicated that the T2* value could detect ESCCs (cutoff, 20 ms), and discriminate between stages T0–1 and T2–3 (cutoff, 21.3 ms) and between T0–2 and T3 (cutoff, 20.4 ms). Conclusion: The T2* value can be an additional quantitative indicator for detecting ESCC except for stage T1 cancer, and can preoperatively discriminate between some T stages and between anatomic stages of this tumor.

Key Technologies of Supercapacitor Energy Storage System of IP Transmitter

Zeng, Zhihui,Wang, Xiaowei,Wei, Yanfang,Hu, Zhiguo,Yu, Yangxiao,Zhang, Zhigang The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2019 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.19 No.1

A practical application of a supercapacitor energy storage system in a polarization instrument is proposed on the basis of the energy storage requirements of an induced polarization (IP) transmitter for geophysical exploration. We focused on the energy storage system of a supercapacitor, the topology of the power converter, and the system control strategy as key technologies, and we performed theoretical research and experimental tests on the system and developed an experimental platform. The experiments validated the theoretical research on the key technologies of the supercapacitor energy storage system and demonstrated the effectiveness of the innovation. Results showed that the storage system is efficient and satisfies the energy storage needs of the IP transmitter.

Association of the Glutathione S-transferase T1 Null Genotype with Risk of Gastric Cancer: a Meta-analysis in Asian Populations

Zeng, Yan,Bai, Jian,Deng, Li-Cong,Xie, Yu-Ping,Zhao, Fen,Huang, Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.3

Background: A large number of studies have been published to investigate the association between the null genotype of glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) with gastric cancer. However, the results were inconsistent and conflicting. The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between this polymorphism in the GSTT1 gene and gastric cancer risk in Asian populations by meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Chinese Biomedical database (CBM), Weipu database, Wanfang database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI). Statistical analysis was conducted by using Review Manager 5.3. Results: Thirty-nine studies with a total of 7,737 gastric cancer cases and 10,823 controls were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of total studies showed that the null genotype in GSTT1 was associated with increased risk of gastric cancer in Asians (OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.08-1.31, p=0.0002). Subgroup analysis showed a significant relationship between GSTT1 null genotype and gastric cancer in East-Asians, as well as in subgroup analysis of hospital-based design. On subgroup analysis by smoking status, alcohol status, Helicobacter pylori infection status, and histology type, no significant association of this polymorphism with susceptibility to gastric cancer was found. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results showed that the null genotype of GSTT1 is significantly associated with an increased risk in gastric cancer in Asian populations.

Effects of raw meat and process procedure on N^ε-carboxymethyl-lysine and N^ε-carboxyethyl-lysine formation in meat products

Yu, Ligang,Gao, Chang,Zeng, Maomao,He, Zhiyong,Wang, Linxiang,Zhang, Shuang,Chen, Jie 한국식품과학회 2016 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.25 No.4

This work aimed to investigate the effects of stored raw meat and process procedures on $N^{\varepsilon}$-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and $N^{\varepsilon}$-carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL) generation in meat products. Meat products of raw pork were sterilized and pasteurized at different storage times (0-4 months) and the CML/CEL contents were determined. The results showed that the extent of lipid and protein oxidation of raw pork increased with increasing storage time. A linear correlation was found between thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances value/carbonyl content and CML/CEL in sterilized meat products, indicating that stored raw pork could promote CML/CEL formation under high temperature processing. Furthermore, mild heating temperatures seemed to favor CML formation, while high temperature could accelerate CEL generation. Therefore, formation kinetics of CML and CEL might be different for different process procedures. These results suggested that stored raw meat and processing temperature could significantly affect CML and CEL generation in meat products.

Deep Learning in Genomic and Medical Image Data Analysis: Challenges and Approaches

Yu, Ning,Yu, Zeng,Gu, Feng,Li, Tianrui,Tian, Xinmin,Pan, Yi Korea Information Processing Society 2017 Journal of information processing systems Vol.13 No.2

Artificial intelligence, especially deep learning technology, is penetrating the majority of research areas, including the field of bioinformatics. However, deep learning has some limitations, such as the complexity of parameter tuning, architecture design, and so forth. In this study, we analyze these issues and challenges in regards to its applications in bioinformatics, particularly genomic analysis and medical image analytics, and give the corresponding approaches and solutions. Although these solutions are mostly rule of thumb, they can effectively handle the issues connected to training learning machines. As such, we explore the tendency of deep learning technology by examining several directions, such as automation, scalability, individuality, mobility, integration, and intelligence warehousing.

BET inhibitors synergize with sunitinib in melanoma through GDF15 suppression

Zeng Furong,Li Yayun,Meng Yu,Sun Huiyan,Yi He,Yin Mingzhu,Chen Xiang,Deng Guangtong 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Targeting bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins has shown a promising therapeutic effect on melanoma. The development of strategies to better kill melanoma cells with BET inhibitor treatment may provide new clinical applications. Here, we used a drug synergy screening approach to combine JQ1 with 240 antitumor drugs from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug library and found that sunitinib synergizes with BET inhibitors in melanoma cells. We further demonstrated that BET inhibitors synergize with sunitinib in melanoma by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, BET inhibitors sensitize melanoma cells to sunitinib by inhibiting GDF15 expression. Strikingly, GDF15 is transcriptionally regulated directly by BRD4 or indirectly by the BRD4/IL6/STAT3 axis. Xenograft assays revealed that the combination of BET inhibitors with sunitinib causes melanoma suppression in vivo. Altogether, these findings suggest that BET inhibitor-mediated GDF15 inhibition plays a critical role in enhancing sunitinib sensitivity in melanoma, indicating that BET inhibitors synergize with sunitinib in melanoma.

Experimental study on the Markstein length and laminar burning velocity of CH4 /RP-3 mixture

Yu Liu,Rui Luo,Zhen Sun,Wen Zeng,Baodong Chen,S. S. Chung 대한기계학회 2017 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.31 No.11

Experimental studies were performed to investigate the effects of methane addition on the combustion characteristics of Chinese RP-3 kerosene/air mixture. Experiments were in a combustion vessel and the influences of methane addition on the flame propagation characteristic, Markstein length and laminar burning velocity of CH 4 /RP-3/air mixture at initial temperature of 420 K, initial pressure of 0.1 MPa, equivalence ratios of 0.8-1.3 and methane additions of 0.0-0.8 were investigated. Results show that with the increase of equivalence ratio, the flame front of RP-3/air mixture becomes unstable and a cellular flame structure is observed when the equivalence ratio increases to 1.3, but at the equivalence ratio of 1.3, the increased methane addition can make the flame front stable significantly. With the increase of equivalence ratio from 0.8 to 1.3, laminar burning velocities of CH 4 /RP-3/air mixture first increase and then decrease; the effect of methane addition on laminar burning velocity is not evident at the equivalence ratios of 0.9-1.1, but when the equivalence ratio is larger than 1.1, laminar burning velocities with methane addition of 0.8 are always the slowest. The Markstein length decreases with the increase of equivalence rati; at equivalence ratio of 0.8 the Markstein length decreases with the increase of methane addition, and with the increase of equivalence ratio the influence of methane addition on Markstein length becomes less significant and irregular.