Critical effects of long non-coding RNA on fibrosis diseases

Yue Zhang,Gang Luo,Yi Zhang,Mengjie Zhang,Jian Zhou,Weiwu Gao,Xiuyun Xuan,Xia Yang,Di Yang,Zhiqiang Tian,Bing Ni,Jun Tang 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

The expression or dysfunction of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is closely related to various hereditary diseases, autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases and tumors. LncRNAs were also recently recognized as functional regulators of fibrosis, which is a secondary process in many of these diseases and a primary pathology in fibrosis diseases. We review the latest findings on lncRNAs in fibrosis diseases of the liver, myocardium, kidney, lung and peritoneum. We also discuss the potential of diseaserelated lncRNAs as therapeutic targets for the clinical treatment of human fibrosis diseases.

Comparison of Liver Transplantation and Liver Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Type I and Type II

Jia-Yu Lv,Ning-Ning Zhang,Ya-Wei Du,Ying Wu,Tian-Qiang Song,Ya-Min Zhang,Yan Qu,Yu-Xin Liu,Jie Gu,Ze-Yu Wang,Yi-Bo Qiu,Bing Yang,Da-Zhi Tian,Qing-Jun Guo,Li Zhang,Ji-San Sun,Yan Xie,Zheng-Lu Wang,Xin 연세대학교의과대학 2021 Yonsei medical journal Vol.62 No.1

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of liver transplantation (LT) and liver resection (LR) for hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and to investigate risk factors affecting prognosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 94 HCC patients with PVTT type I (segmental PVTT) and PVTT type II (lobar PVTT) were involvedand divided into LR (n=47) and LT groups (n=47). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were comparedbefore and after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Prognostic factors for RFS and OS were explored. Results: Two treatment groups were well-balanced using IPTW. In the entire cohort, LT provided a better prognosis than LR. Among patients with PVTT type I, RFS was better with LT (p=0.039); OS was not different significantly between LT and LR(p=0.093). In subgroup analysis of PVTT type I patients with α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels >200 ng/mL, LT elicited significantly longermedian RFS (18.0 months vs. 2.1 months, p=0.022) and relatively longer median OS time (23.6 months vs. 9.8 months, p=0.065). Among patients with PVTT type II, no significant differences in RFS and OS were found between LT and LR (p=0.115 and 0.335,respectively). Multivariate analyses showed treatment allocation (LR), tumor size (>5 cm), AFP and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) levels to be risk factors of RFS and treatment allocation (LR), AFP and AST as risk factors for OS. Conclusion: LT appeared to afford a better prognosis for HCC with PVTT type I than LR, especially in patients with AFP levels>200 ng/mL.

Edaphovirga cremea gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Codonopsis clematidea

Jin-Yan Xue,Meng-Yue Zhang,Yu Zhang,Juan Cheng,Li-Cheng Liu,Ying-Ying Wu,Tian-Yuan Zhang,Yi-xuan Zhang 한국미생물학회 2019 The journal of microbiology Vol.57 No.5

A Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, nonspore- forming, coccoid or rod-shaped and creamy-pigmented bacterium, designated SYP-B2100T, was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Codonopsis clematidea in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The optimal growth occurred at 28°C, pH 5.0, in the absence of NaCl. The cells tested positive in catalase and methyl red tests but negative in oxidase, urease, gelatinase, milk coagulation, and peptonisation, H2S production, nitrate reduction, and Voges-Proskauer tests. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The major cellular fatty acids were C16:0 and summed feature 8. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain SYP-B2100T was the most similar to that of Rahnella inusitata DSM 30078T (96.9%) within the family Enterobacteriaceae. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SYP-B2100T was 50.3 mol%. The combined data from the phylogenetic, morphological, physiological, biochemical, and chemotaxonomic analyses presented in this study support the conclusion that strain SYP-B2100T represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Edaphovirga cremea gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is SYPB2100T (= CGMCC 1.5857T = DSM 105170T = KCTC 62024T).

An Aircraft's Parameter Identification Algorithm Based on Cloud Model Optimization

Zhang Wei,Liu Yi-lei,Guo Da-Peng,Khayyam Masood,Tian Jing 제어로봇시스템학회 2014 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2014 No.10

The maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method has been extensively applied to identifying the parameters of an aircraft. But it has to derive sensitivity equations in advance and solve sensitivity matrices, thus being complicated for its application and easily reaching locally optimal solutions. The paper proposes an aircraft"s parameter identification algorithm, which optimizes the ML function with the cloud model optimization theory in accordance with the ML estimation principle, thus obtaining the values of the parameters to be identified. The algorithm does not have to derive sensitivity matrices, has no high requirements for initial values and is little affected by noise. Thus it is easy to apply, can be optimized by the cloud model and have rather fast convergence and nice global search capability and thus not easily reaching locally optimal solutions. The Twin Otter airplane is used as a numerical example to verify the algorithm. The numerical results show that the parameter identification algorithm is easy to implement, has good identification precision and fast convergence and does not reach locally optimal solutions.

Seismic Performance of RC Circular Columns Strengthened with Self-compacting Concrete-Filled Steel Tubes

Zhang Zhaoqiang,Yuxin Yi,Tian Liao,Xiaowei Li 한국강구조학회 2023 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.23 No.4

To investigate the seismic performance of RC circular column strengthened with self-compacting concrete (SCC) -filled steel tubes (SCFST), nine specimens of height 1200 mm, varying with a cross-section shape of steel tube (external diameter: 218 mm, cross-section dimensions: 200 mm × 200 mm) were tested under axial load and cyclic lateral load. Three parameters, including the axial compression ratio, the cross-section shape of steel tube, and the embedding rebars ratio, were considered in the tests. The failure mode, hysteresis curves, skeleton curves, ductility, stiffness degradation, and energy-dissipation capacity were analysed. Experimental results showed that the bearing capacity and stiffness of the strengthened column were 5.4 and 9.08 times than that of the unstrengthened column respectively, and the improvement ratio of ductility and energy dissipation reached 123% and 85.7% respectively. The bearing capacity and stiffness of the square SCFST strengthened column was enhanced by 28.57% and 42.11% respectively, compared with the circular SCFST strengthened column. With the designed axial compression ratio increasing, the bearing capacity, initial stiffness, and energy dissipation capacity of strengthened columns increased by 17–39%, 21–60%, and 15–40% respectively, but the ductility coefficient decreased by 8.56–32.4%. The bearing capacity and energy dissipation of the specimen with an embedding rebars ratio of 0.06% increased by 7.5% and 9.31% respectively, but the ductility decreased by 12.81%. When the embedding rebars ratio was 0.1%, the reinforcement effect can be basically negligible.

Experimental Study on Thermal Catalytic Degradation of SF6 Waste Gas by Metal Phosphate

Zhang Xiaoxing,Li Xiaohan,Wang Yi,Meng Fei,Zou Yi,Tian Shuangshuang,Cui Zhaolun 대한전기학회 2023 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.18 No.2

In recent years, SF6 has been widely used in the electrical industry. The amount of SF6 waste gas produced by the corresponding gas insulated equipment is increasing year by year. However, SF6 has high global warming potential and long atmospheric life. Proper treatment of SF6 waste gas is particularly important for environmental protection. Thermal degradation can effectively eliminate the greenhouse effect caused by direct emission of SF6. In this paper, AlPO4, Zr3(PO4)4 and CePO4 were used as catalysts to degrade SF6/air mixture gas (The concentration of SF6 is 15%) at 800 °C. The concentration of SF6 gas was detected by gas chromatography (GC), and the gas decomposition products of SF6 were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology and composition of the catalyst were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the three kinds of metal phosphates can promote the decomposition of SF6 gas, among which CePO4 had the best catalytic degradation effect, and the degradation rate of SF6 reached 84.7% in 12 h. The main products of SF6 gas thermal catalytic degradation include SF4, S2F10, SO2F2, SOF2, SiF4 and SO2 gas, etc. SEM scanning image shows that there were some objects adsorbed on the surface of CePO4 catalyst after the experiment. XPS spectra showed that Si and F elements were added to the catalyst. According to the binding energy, SiF4 was adsorbed on the catalyst. After the experiment, CeF3 was produced by CePO4 catalyst. Different catalysts have their own selectivity to the decomposition products of SF6, which is convenient for the treatment of products, and it is of great significance to eliminate the greenhouse effect caused by the waste gas of SF6.

CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI Polymorphism and Liver Cancer Risk among East Asians: a Huge Review and Meta-analysis

Tian, Zhong,Li, Yi-Ling,Zhao, Lin,Zhang, Chen-Liang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.10

Published data on any association between the CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI (c1/c2) polymorphism and liver cancer risk among east Asians are inconclusive. The aim of this Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) review and meta-analysis was to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship. A literature search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of science and CBM databases from inception through July 2012 was conducted. Twelve case-control studies were included with a total of 1,552 liver cancer cases and 1,763 healthy controls. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association under five genetic models. When all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, the results showed that the c2 allele and the c2 carrier (c2/c2 + c2/c1) of RsaI/PstI polymorphism were associated with decreased risk of liver cancer among east Asians (c2 vs. c1: OR = 0.75, 95%CI: 0.59-0.95, P = 0.016; c2/c2 + c2/c1 vs. c1/c1: OR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.58-1.00, P = 0.050). In the stratified analysis by country, significant associations were observed between RsaI/PstI polymorphism and decreased risk of liver cancer among the Chinese population (c2 vs. c1: OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.54-0.91, P = 0.007; c2/c2 + c2/c1 vs. c1/c1: OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.54-0.95, P = 0.020), but not among Japanese and Korean populations. Results from the current meta-analysis indicates that the c2 allele of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI (c1/c2) polymorphism may be a protective factor for HCC among east Asians, especially among China populations.

Residential Radon and Lung Cancer Risk: An Updated Meta-analysis of Case-control Studies

Zhang, Zeng-Li,Sun, Jing,Dong, Jia-Yi,Tian, Hai-Lin,Xue, Lian,Qin, Li-Qiang,Tong, Jian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Background: Numbers of epidemiological studies assessing residential radon exposure and risk of lung cancer have yielded inconsistent results. Methods: We therefore performed a meta-analysis of relevant published case-control studies searched in the PubMed database through July 2011 to examine the association. The combined odds ratio (OR) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. Subgroup and dose-response analyses were also performed. Results: We identified 22 case-control studies of residential radon and lung cancer risk involving 13,380 cases and 21,102 controls. The combined OR of lung cancer for the highest with the lowest exposure was 1.29 (95% CI 1.10-1.51). Dose-response analysis showed that every 100 Bq/$m^3$ increment in residential radon exposure was associated with a significant 7% increase in lung cancer risk. Subgroup analysis displayed a more pronounced association in the studies conducted in Europe. Studies restricted to female or non-smokers demonstrated weakened associations between exposure and lung cancer. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides new evidence supporting the conclusion that residential exposure to radon can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer in a dose-response manner.

Identification and expression analysis of the E2F/DP genes under salt stress in Medicago truncatula

Tian-Yi Ma,Jing Guo,Zi-Wei Li,Shu-Yong Zhang,Guo-Ting Liang 한국유전학회 2014 Genes & Genomics Vol.36 No.6

Cell cycle control in plants converges on theRb/E2F/DP pathway, which is regulated by cyclin-dependentkinases. Plants can coordinate their cell cycles duringsalt stress to benefit their growth and development. However,the mechanism underlying cell cycle control undersalt stress is still unclear. Here, we identified five predictedE2F/DP genes in the Medicago truncatula genome,including three E2Fs, one DP, and one DEL. The conserveddomains of the E2F/DP proteins were relativelywell conserved with those of Arabidopsis thaliana andOryza sativa. Intron/exon organization analyses indicatedthat Medtr;E2Fc and Medtr;DPa gained/lost introns in theconserved domains during recent evolutionary process. Furthermore, an expression analysis showed that thesegenes were expressed with varied transcription levels in allof the tissues tested. Contrasting gene expression changesin response to salt treatment in salt-tolerant versus saltsensitivegenotypes indicated that Medtr;DPa might be acandidate gene underlying the salt tolerance. This studywill contribute to the understanding of the E2F/DP transcriptionfactors in M. truncatula and of the mechanismorganizing cell cycle regulation and salt stress.

Use of Clozapine for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Findings of the 2006 Research on the China Psychotropic Prescription Studies

Tian-Mei Si,Yun-shu Zhang,Liang Shu,Ke-Qing Li,Xie-He Liu,Qi-Yi Mei,Gao-Hua Wang,Pei-Shen Bai,Li-Ping Ji,Xian-Sheng Cheng,Cui Ma,Jian-Guo Shi,Hong-Yan Zhang,Hong Ma,Xin Yu 대한정신약물학회 2012 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.10 No.2

Objective: Clozapine is one of the most commonly used antipsychotic drugs in China. To date, few studies have investigated the patterns the prescription of clozapine nationwide. The present study examined these patterns in China in 2006 and identified the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the use of clozapine. Methods: Using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure, we surveyed 5,898 patients with schizophrenia in 10provinces with differing levels of economic development. Results: Overall, clozapine had been prescribed for 31.9% (n=1,883) of the patients; however we found considerable variation among the 10 provinces. The frequency of clozapine use was highest in Sichuan (39.3%) and lowest in Beijing (17.3%). The mean daily dose of clozapine was 210.36±128.72 mg/day, and 25.1% of the patients were treated with clozapine in combination with other antipsychotics. Compared with the group not receiving clozapine, clozapine-user had been treated for longer durations and had experienced a greater number of relapses and hospitalizations. Furthermore, those in the clozapine-user had lower family incomes, were less able to seek psychiatric services, and more likely to be male and have a positive family history of schizophrenia. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age, sex, professional help-seeking behaviors, duration of illness, economic status, educational level, and clinical manifestations were associated with the use of clozapine. Conclusion: Clozapine use is common in China. However, use of the antipsychotic varies among provinces, and demographic and clinical factors play important roles in the prescription of clozapine.