Improving Clinician-Patient Communication Alleviates Stigma in Patients With Functional Dyspepsia Receiving Antidepressant Treatment

( Xiu-juan Yan ),( Hong-yi Qiu ),( Qing-qing Luo ),( Bo Wang ),( Ping Xu ),( Chen-feng Ji ),( Sheng-liang Chen ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2022 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.28 No.1

Background/Aims Antidepressants are effective in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD). However, stigma associated with FD and antidepressants may affect treatment adherence. This study aims to explore possible communication strategies to alleviate stigma and improve adherence in patients with FD. Methods In this randomized, single-center, and single-blind trial, 160 patients with FD initiating antidepressant treatment were recruited. Different communication strategies were performed when prescribing antidepressants. Participants in Group 1 were told that brain is the “headquarters” of gut, and that antidepressants could act as neuromodulators to relieve symptoms of FD through regulating the functions of gut and brain. Participants in Group 2 were told that antidepressants were empirically effective for FD. Stigma scores, medication-related stigma, treatment compliance, and efficacy were analyzed. Results After 8-week antidepressant treatment, the proportion of patients with FD with decreased stigma scores in Group 1 was significantly higher than in Group 2 (internalized stigma: 64.10% vs 12.00%; perceived stigma: 55.13% vs 13.33%; P < 0.01). Medication-related stigma was lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P < 0.05 for 3 of 4 questions). Concurrently, patients in Group 1 had better treatment compliance (0.71 ± 0.25 vs 0.60 ± 0.25, P < 0.01) and efficacy. In Group 1, participants with decreased post-treatment stigma scores showed better treatment compliance and efficacy than those with non-decreased scores. Decrease in stigma scores positively correlated with treatment compliance. Conclusion Improving knowledge of patients with FD of the disease and antidepressants via proper communication may be an effective way to alleviate stigma and promote adherence. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2022;28:95-103)

중요도 맵과 Mean Shift 알고리즘을 이용한 와인 라벨 검출

진연연 ( Yan-juan Chen ),이명은 ( Myung-eun Lee ),김수형 ( Soo-hyung Kim ) 한국정보처리학회 2011 한국정보처리학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.18 No.1

본 논문은 중요도 맵과 Mean Shift 알고리즘을 이용하여 모바일 폰 영상 내의 와인 라벨 검출 방법을 제안한다. Mean Shift 알고리즘은 비모수적 클러스터링 기술로 클러스터의 수에 대한 사전 지식이 없이도 클러스터링이 가능한 알고리즘인데 실행 시간이 많이 필요한 단점이 있다. 이러한 문제를 해결하기 위해서 입력 칼라 와인 영상에 Saliency Map을 먼저 적용하고 영상의 두드러진 영역을 찾는다. 다음으로 Mean Shift 알고리즘을 이용한 분할 결과에서 얻은 칼라 마스크를 따라 빈도가 가장 높은 칼라영역을 찾고 와인 라벨 영역을 검출한다. 실험결과를 통하여 제안된 방법을 모바일 폰을 이용하여 획득된 다양한 와인 영상의 라벨 영역을 효율적으로 검출할 수 있음을 볼 수 있다.

The discovery of potent immunostimulatory CpG-ODNs widely distributed in bacterial genomes

Juan Liu,Yan Wei,Yongling Lu,Yangyuling Li,Qian Chen,Yan Li 한국미생물학회 2020 The journal of microbiology Vol.58 No.2

Oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides (CpG-ODN) can be specifically recognized by Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), provoking innate immune responses. Designed according to this structural feature, many synthetic phosphorothioate CpG-ODNs successfully activate macrophages. However, it is difficult to find potent stimulatory CpG-DNA fragments in microbial genomes. Therefore, whether microbial CpG-DNA substantially contributes to infectious and immune diseases remains controversial. In this study, high-throughput scanning was carried out for thousands of bacterial genomes with bioinformatics tools to comprehensively evaluate the distribution of CpG-DNA fragments. A random sampling test was then performed to verify their immunostimulatory properties by experiments in vitro and in vivo. Natural TLR9-dependent and potent stimulatory CpG-DNA fragments were found in microbial genomes. Interestingly, highly conserved stimulatory CpG-DNA fragments were found in 16S and 23S rDNA sequences with multiple copies, while others were species-specific. Additionally, we found that the reported active motifs were mostly nonstimulatory in natural CpG fragments. This evidence indicates that the previous structural descriptions of functional CpG-ODNs are incomplete. Our study has assessed the distribution of microbial CpG-DNA fragments, and identified natural stimulatory CpG-DNA fragments. These findings provide a deeper understanding of CpG-ODN structures and new evidence for microbial DNA inflammatory function and pathogenicity.

Well-designed Te/SnS₂/Ag artificial nanoleaves for enabling and enhancing visible-light driven overall splitting of pure water

Yan, Changzeng,Xue, Xiaolan,Zhang, Wenjun,Li, Xiaojie,Liu, Juan,Yang, Songyuan,Hu, Yi,Chen, Renpeng,Yan, Yaping,Zhu, Guoyin,Kang, Zhenhui,Kang, Dae Joon,Liu, Jie,Jin, Zhong unknown 2017 Nano energy Vol.39 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>To produce hydrogen and oxygen from photocatalytic overall splitting of pure water provides a promising green route to directly convert solar energy to clean fuel. However, the design and fabrication of high-efficiency photocatalyst is challenging. Here we present that by connecting different nanostructures together in a rational fashion, components that cannot individually split water into H<SUB>2</SUB> and O<SUB>2</SUB> can work together as efficient photocatalyst with high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) energy conversion efficiency and avoid the use of any sacrificial reagent. Specifically, Te/SnS<SUB>2</SUB>/Ag artificial nanoleaves (ANLs) consist of ultrathin SnS<SUB>2</SUB> nanoplates grown on Te nanowires and decorated with numerous Ag nanoparticles. The appropriate band structure of Te/SnS<SUB>2</SUB> p-n junctions and the surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles synergistically enhance the quantum yield and separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs. As a result, Te/SnS<SUB>2</SUB>/Ag ANLs enable visible-light driven overall water-splitting without any sacrificial reagent and exhibit high H<SUB>2</SUB> and O<SUB>2</SUB> production rates of 332.4 and 166.2μmolh<SUP>−1</SUP>, respectively. Well-preserved structure after long-term measurement indicates its high stability. It represents a feasible approach for direct H<SUB>2</SUB> production from only sunlight, pure water, and rationally-designed ANL photocatalysts.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Te/SnS<SUB>2</SUB>/Ag ANLs heterostructure is prepared to catalyze overall water splitting. </LI> <LI> The catalyst show impressive H<SUB>2</SUB> and O<SUB>2</SUB> production rate under visible light. </LI> <LI> The structure and efficiency of catalyst shows no degradation after 10 days. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Combined transcriptome and proteome analyses reveal differences in the longissimus dorsi muscle between Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle

Yan, XiangMin,Wang, Jia,Li, Hongbo,Gao, Liang,Geng, Juan,Ma, Zhen,Liu, Jianming,Zhang, Jinshan,Xie, Penggui,Chen, Lei Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.9

Objective: With the rapid development of proteomics sequencing and RNA sequencing technology, multi-omics analysis has become a current research hotspot. Our previous study indicated that Xinjiang brown cattle have better meat quality than Kazakh cattle. In this study, Xinjiang brown cattle and Kazakh cattle were used as the research objects. Methods: Proteome sequencing and RNA sequencing technology were used to analyze the proteome and transcriptome of the longissimus dorsi muscle of the two breeds of adult steers (n = 3). Results: In this project, 22,677 transcripts and 1,874 proteins were identified through quantitative analysis of the transcriptome and proteome. By comparing the identified transcriptome and proteome, we found that 1,737 genes were identified at both the transcriptome and proteome levels. The results of the study revealed 12 differentially expressed genes and proteins: troponin I1, crystallin alpha B, cysteine, and glycine rich protein 3, phosphotriesterase-related, myosin-binding protein H, glutathione s-transferase mu 3, myosin light chain 3, nidogen 2, dihydropyrimidinase like 2, glutamate-oxaloacetic transaminase 1, receptor accessory protein 5, and aspartoacylase. We performed functional enrichment of these differentially expressed genes and proteins. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes results showed that these differentially expressed genes and proteins are enriched in the fatty acid degradation and histidine metabolism signaling pathways. We performed parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) verification of the differentially expressed proteins, and the PRM results were consistent with the sequencing results. Conclusion: Our study provided and identified the differentially expressed genes and proteins. In addition, identifying functional genes and proteins with important breeding value will provide genetic resources and technical support for the breeding and industrialization of new genetically modified beef cattle breeds.

Lysosome Inhibition Reduces Basal and Nutrient-Induced Fat Accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Rui Lu,Juan Chen,Fangbin Wang,Lu Wang,Jian Liu,Yan Lin 한국분자세포생물학회 2022 Molecules and cells Vol.45 No.9

A long-term energy nutritional imbalance fundamentally causes the development of obesity and associated fat accumulation. Lysosomes, as nutrient-sensing and lipophagy centers, critically control cellular lipid catabolism in response to nutrient deprivation. However, whether lysosome activity is directly involved in nutrient-induced fat accumulation remains unclear. In this study, worm fat accumulation was induced by 1 mM glucose or 0.02 mM palmitic acid supplementation. Along with the elevation of fat accumulation, lysosomal number and acidification were also increased, suggesting that lysosome activity might be correlated with nutrient-induced fat deposition in Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, treatments with the lysosomal inhibitors chloroquine and leupeptin significantly reduced basal and nutrient-induced fat accumulation in C. elegans. The knockdown of hlh-30, which is a critical gene in lysosomal biogenesis, also resulted in worm fat loss. Finally, the mutation of aak-2, daf-15, and rsks-1showed that mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex-1) signaling mediated the effects of lysosomes on basal and nutrient-induced fat accumulation in C. elegans. Overall, this study reveals the previously undescribed role of lysosomes in overnutrition sensing, suggesting a new strategy for controlling body fat accumulation.

Antifungal activity of 3-acetylbenzamide produced by actinomycete WA23-4-4 from the intestinal tract of Periplaneta americana

Xia Fang,Juan Shen,Jie Wang,Zhi-li Chen,Pei-bin lin,Zhi-yu Chen,Lin-yan Liu,Huan-xiong Zeng,Xiao-bao Jin 한국미생물학회 2018 The journal of microbiology Vol.56 No.7

Actinomycetes are well-known for producing numerous bioactive secondary metabolites. In this study, primary screening by antifungal activity assay found one actinomycete strain WA23-4-4 isolated from the intestinal tract of Periplaneta americana that exhibited broad spectrum antifungal activity. 16S rDNA gene analysis of strain WA23-4-4 revealed close similarity to Streptomyces nogalater (AB045886) with 86.6% sequence similarity. Strain WA23-4-4 was considered as a novel Streptomyces and the 16s rDNA sequence has been submitted to GenBank (accession no. KX291006). The maximum antifungal activity of WA23-4-4 was achieved when culture conditions were optimized to pH 8.0, with 12% inoculum concentration and 210 ml ISP2 medium, which remained stable between the 5th and the 9th day. 3-Acetyl benzoyl amide was isolated by ethyl acetate extraction of WA23- 4-4 fermentation broth, and its molecular formula was determined as C9H9NO2 based on MS, IR, 1H, and 13C NMR analyses. The compound showed significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 (MIC: 31.25 μg/ml) and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 (MIC: 31.25 μg/ml). However, the compound had higher MIC values against Trichophyton rubrum ATCC 60836 (MIC: 500 μg/ml) and Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 96918 (MIC: 1,000 μg/ml). SEM analysis showed damage to the cell membrane of Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and to the mycelium of Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 after being treatment with 3-acetyl benzoyl amide. In conclusion, this is the first time that 3-acetyl benzoyl amide has been identified from an actinomycete and this compound exhibited antifungal activity against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404.

A DFT study of the geometrical structures and electronic properties of CumMn (m + n = 6, M = Fe, Co, Ni) clusters

Wang Su Juan,Zhou Dan,Hu Yan Fei,Tang Cui Ming,Wang Qiao Zhi,Chen Shun Ling 한국물리학회 2021 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.79 No.3

In this work, we investigated bimetallic CumMn (m + n = 6, M = Fe, Co, Ni) clusters on the basis of the density functional theory at the M06L level. While changing the structure and composition, our team studied the geometrical structures, relative stabilities and electronic magnetic moments of these clusters. We found that the average atomic binding energies vary linearly with the number of doping atoms in the CumFen and the CumNin clusters. The values of electron affinity (EA) and the ionization potential (IP) for the CumNin clusters are closer to those of pure Cu clusters compared with the others. A negative value of the EA is only seen in CumFen clusters. The electronic magnetic moments of these clusters indicate that most of them exhibit a local minimum when doped with three atoms. Moreover, we further analyzed the HOMO–LUMO gaps, the natural population, and the geometrical structures.

Intracranial Artery Calcifcation and Its Clinical Signifcance

Xiaohong Wu,Xiang-Yan Chen,Li Juan Wang,Ka Sing Wong 대한신경과학회 2016 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.12 No.3

Intracranial arterial calcifcation (IAC) is an easily identifable entity on plain head computed tomography scans. Recent studies have found high prevalence rates for IAC worldwide, and this may be associated with ischemic stroke and cognitive decline. Aging, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and chronic kidney disease have been found to be associated with IAC. Te severity of IAC can be assessed using diferent visual grading scales or various quantitative methods (by measuring volume or intensity). An objective method for assessing IAC using consistent criteria is urgently required to facilitate comparisons between multiple studies involving diverse populations. Tere is accumulating evidence from clinical studies that IAC could be utilized as an indicator of intracranial atherosclerosis. However, the pathophysiology underlying the potential correlation between IAC and ischemic stroke—through direct arterial stenosis or plaque stability—remains to be determined. More well-designed clinical studies are needed to explore the predictive values of IAC in vascular events and the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Synthesis and application of 8-hydroxyquinoline modified magnetic mesoporous carbon for adsorption of multivariate metal ions from aqueous solutions

Wenlu Guo,Xiangguo Meng,Yan Liu,Liang Ni,Zhaoyong Hu,Rui Chen,Minjia Meng,Yun Wang,Juan Han,Min Luo 한국공업화학회 2015 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.21 No.1

The new 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) modified magnetic mesoporous carbon (8-HQ-Ni-CMK-3) wasprepared and applied for adsorption of multivariate metal ions from aqueous solution. The preparedadsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electronmicroscopy, transmission electron microscope, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, elementalanalysis, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The static adsorption behaviors toward multivariatemetal ions on graphite, the modified graphite by 8-HQ, magnetic mesoporous carbon, and 8-HQ-Ni-CMK-3 were compared, which showed that 8-HQ-Ni-CMK-3 had excellent adsorption capacity. Theremoval of multivariate metal ions using 8-HQ-Ni-CMK-3 by fixed-bed column was further investigated.