Prediction and Monitoring of the Construction Vibration Effect on an Adjacent Old Long Span Double-Convex Arch Bridge

Yu-xiong Liang,Qing-song Feng,Mei-zhen Fu,Bi-tao Wu,Jian-fei Lu,Guo-xi Tang 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.5

Ground vibrations caused by the construction of impact drilling piles may affect adjacent bridges, so corresponding prediction and monitoring are necessary to ensure the safety of bridges. In this study, the construction near an existing long-span double-convex arch bridge is taken as a case study to investigate different layouts of construction machines emanating harmful ground vibrations to the existing adjacent bridge by numerical simulations and monitoring. The peak acceleration and velocity acquired from numerical simulations, and monitoring were successfully used to implement impact drilling pile construction near the existing bridge. The results show that there are good consistencies between the monitoring and numerical simulation results, and the vibration acceleration of the foundation of abutments and piers are mainly derived from the vibration caused by the construction within a distance of 50 m, while the construction beyond 50 m has little effect on the old bridge. The numbers and locations of machines near the same foundation may have a weakening or strengthening effect on the peak acceleration and velocity due to destructive and constructive interference of waves, which can help to control the effects of the vibrations of the existing adjacent bridge.

LAB Fermentation Improves Production of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Withania somnifera Extract and Its Metabolic Signatures as Revealed by LC-MS/MS

( Jinhui Yu ),( Yun Geng ),( Han Xia ),( Deyuan Ma ),( Chao Liu ),( Rina Wu ),( Junrui Wu ),( Shengbo You ),( Yuping Bi ) 한국미생물생명공학회 2022 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.32 No.4

In this study we investigated the effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation on the ingredients and anti-oxidant activity of Withania somnifera extract. Four strains of LAB could proliferate normally in medium containing W. somnifera extract after the pH reached 3.1~3.5. LAB fermentation increased the content of alcohols and ketones, endowing the extract with the characteristic aroma of fermentation. Compared to the control, the DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging rates in the fermented samples were significantly improved, ranging from 48.5% to 59.6% and 1.2% to 6.4%. The content of total phenols was significantly increased by 36.1% during the fermentation of mixed bacteria. Moreover, the original composition spectrum of the extract was significantly changed while the differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were closely related to bile secretion, tryptophan metabolism and purine metabolism. Therefore, LAB fermentation can be used as a promising way to improve the flavor and bioactivity of the extracts of W. somnifera, making the ferments more attractive for use as functional food.

Antiviral Effect of Retro-2.1 against Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 In Vitro

( Wenwen Dai ),( Yu Wu ),( Jinpeng Bi ),( Jingyu Wang ),( Shuai Wang ),( Wei Kong ),( Julien Barbier ),( Jean-christophe Cintrat ),( Feng Gao ),( Zhengran Jiang ),( Daniel Gillet ),( Weiheng Su ),( Ch 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2018 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.28 No.6

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection has been a public health concern worldwide. It is the leading cause of genital herpes and a contributing factor to cervical cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. No vaccine is available yet for the treatment of HSV-2 infection, and routinely used synthetic nucleoside analogs have led to the emergence of drug resistance. The small molecule Retro-2^cycl has been reported to be active against several pathogens by acting on intracellular vesicle transport, which also participates in the HSV-2 lifecycle. Here, we showed that Retro-2.1, which is an optimized, more potent derivative of Retro-2^cycl, could inhibit HSV-2 infection, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of 5.58 μM and 6.35 μM in cytopathic effect inhibition and plaque reduction assays, respectively. The cytotoxicity of Retro-2.1 was relatively low, with a 50% cytotoxicity concentration of 116.5 μM. We also preliminarily identified that Retro-2.1 exerted the antiviral effect against HSV-2 by a dual mechanism of action on virus entry and late stages of infection. Therefore, our study for the first time demonstrated Retro-2.1 as an effective antiviral agent against HSV-2 in vitro with targets distinct from those of nucleoside analogs.

IL-12 Regulates B7-H1 Expression in Ovarian Cancer-associated Macrophages by Effects on NF-κB Signalling

Xiong, Hai-Yu,Ma, Ting-Ting,Wu, Bi-Tao,Lin, Yan,Tu, Zhi-Guang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Background and Aim: B7-H1, a co-inhibitory molecule of the B7 family, is found aberrantly expressed in ovarian cancer cells and infiltrating macrophage/dendritic-like cells, and plays a critical role in immune evasion by ovarian cancer. IL-12, an inducer of Th1 cell development, exerts immunomodulatory effects on ovarian cancer. However, whether IL-12 regulates B7-H1 expression in human ovarian cancer associated-macrophages has not been clarified. Therefore, we investigated the effects of IL-12 on the expression of B7-H1 in ovarian cancer-associated macrophages and possible mechanisms. Methods: PMA induced THP-1-derived macrophages or human monocyte-derived macrophages were treated with recombinant IL-12 (rIL-12) or infected with adenovirus carrying human IL-12 gene (Ad-IL-12-GFP) for 24 h, then cocultured with the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line for another 24 h. Macrophages were collected for real-time PCR and Western blot to detect the expression of B7-H1, and activation of the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway. Moreover, supernatants were collected to assay for IL-12, IFN-${\gamma}$ and IL-10 by ELISA. In addition, monocyte-derived macrophages treated with IFN-${\gamma}$ were cocultured with SKOV3 and determined for the expression of B7-H1. Furthermore, the expression of B7-H1 in monocyte-derived macrophages was also evaluated after blocking NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling. Results: The expression of B7-H1 was significantly upregulated in monocyte-derived macrophages treated with rIL-12 or Ad-IL-12-GFP compared with the control groups (p<0.05), accompanied by a remarkable upregulation of IFN-${\gamma}$ (p<0.05), a marked downregulation of IL-10 (p<0.05) and activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling. However, the upregulation of B7-H1 was inhibited by blocking the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway (p<0.05). Expression of B7-H1 was also increased (p<0.05) in monocyte-derived macrophages treated with IFN-${\gamma}$ and cocultured with SKOV3. By contrast, the expression of B7-H1 in THP-1-derived macrophages was significantly decreased when treated in the same way as monocyte-derived macrophages (p<0.05), and IL-10 was also significantly decreased but IFN-${\gamma}$ was almost absent. Conclusions: IL-12 upregulates the expression of B7-H1 in monocyte-derived macrophages, which is possible though inducing the secretion of IFN-${\gamma}$ and further activating the NF-${\kappa}B$ signal pathway. However, IL-12 downregulates the expression of B7-H1 in THP-1-derived macrophages, associated with a lack of IFN-${\gamma}$ and inhibition of expression of IL-10.

Comprehensive evaluation of natural enemy dominant species of Breuipalpus oboyats in tea garden in autumn and winter

Zhang Lin,Sun Jiazhao,Wu Xiaomeng,Xu Yu,Bi Shoudong,Zou Yunding 한국곤충학회 2021 Entomological Research Vol.51 No.12

The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the dominant natural enemies of Breuipalpus oboyats in autumn and winter tea gardens. The relationship between natural enemies and B.oboyats in time and space was studied by niche analysis and geostatistics combined with angular cosine coefficient method. According to the comparison of the sum of closeness index, it is found that the top three natural enemies (from large to small) that are most closely related to B.oboyats in the “Nongkangzao” tea garden are Plexippus paykulli, Clubiona japonicola,and Xysticus ephippiafus; “Pingyangtezao” tea garden are X.ephippiafus, Plexippus setipet,andOxyopes sertatus. In front of the two tea gardens, one of the three natural enemies is the same. The evaluation of the comprehensive closeness index of the two tea gardens shows that the top three natural enemies most closely related to B.oboyats are X.ephippiafus, P.paykulli, and O.sertatus. X.ephippiafus is the most important natural enemy of B.oboyats in tea gardens in autumn and winter; the dominant natural enemies of the same pests in different varieties of tea gardens in the same area are often different.

The role of ginsenoside Rb1, a potential natural glutathione reductase agonist, in preventing oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells

Fan, Hui-Jie,Tan, Zhang-Bin,Wu, Yu-Ting,Feng, Xiao-Reng,Bi, Yi-Ming,Xie, Ling-Peng,Zhang, Wen-Tong,Ming, Zhi,Liu, Bin,Zhou, Ying-Chun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.2

Background: Oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis is a key pathological process in ischemic heart disease. Glutathione reductase (GR) reduces glutathione disulfide to glutathione (GSH) to alleviate oxidative stress. Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) prevents the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes; however, the role of GR in this process is unclear. Therefore, the effects of GRb1 on GR were investigated in this study. Methods: The antiapoptotic effects of GRb1 were evaluated in H9C2 cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, annexin V/propidium iodide staining, and Western blotting. The antioxidative effects were measured by a reactive oxygen species assay, and GSH levels and GR activity were examined in the presence and absence of the GR inhibitor 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the binding of GRb1 to GR. The direct influence of GRb1 on GR was confirmed by recombinant human GR protein. Results: GRb1 pretreatment caused dose-dependent inhibition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced cell apoptosis, at a level comparable to that of the positive control N-acetyl-L-cysteine. The binding energy between GRb1 and GR was positive (-6.426 kcal/mol), and the binding was stable. GRb1 significantl reduced reactive oxygen species production and increased GSH level and GR activity without altering GR protein expression in H9C2 cells. Moreover, GRb1 enhanced the recombinant human GR protein activity in vitro, with a half-maximal effective concentration of ≈2.317 μM. Conversely, 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea co-treatment significantly abolished the GRb1's apoptotic and antioxidative effects of GRb1 in H9C2 cells. Conclusion: GRb1 is a potential natural GR agonist that protects against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells.

The role of ginsenoside Rb1, a potential natural glutathione reductase agonist, in preventing oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells

Hui-Jie Fan,Zhang-Bin Tan,Yu-Ting Wu,Xiao-Reng Feng,Yi-Ming Bi,Ling-Peng Xie,Wen-Tong Zhang,Zhi Ming,Bin Liu,Ying-Chun Zhou 고려인삼학회 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.2

Background: Oxidative stress-induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis is a key pathological process inischemic heart disease. Glutathione reductase (GR) reduces glutathione disulfide to glutathione (GSH) toalleviate oxidative stress. Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) prevents the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes; however,the role of GR in this process is unclear. Therefore, the effects of GRb1 on GR were investigated in thisstudy. Methods: The antiapoptotic effects of GRb1 were evaluated in H9C2 cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, annexin V/propidium iodide staining, and Western blotting. Theantioxidative effects were measured by a reactive oxygen species assay, and GSH levels and GR activitywere examined in the presence and absence of the GR inhibitor 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the binding of GRb1 toGR. The direct influence of GRb1 on GR was confirmed by recombinant human GR protein. Results: GRb1 pretreatment caused dose-dependent inhibition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced cellapoptosis, at a level comparable to that of the positive control N-acetyl-L-cysteine. The binding energybetween GRb1 and GR was positive ( 6.426 kcal/mol), and the binding was stable. GRb1 significantlyreduced reactive oxygen species production and increased GSH level and GR activity without altering GRprotein expression in H9C2 cells. Moreover, GRb1 enhanced the recombinant human GR protein activityin vitro, with a half-maximal effective concentration of z2.317 mM. Conversely, 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea co-treatment significantly abolished the GRb1’s apoptotic and antioxidative effects of GRb1in H9C2 cells. Conclusion: GRb1 is a potential natural GR agonist that protects against oxidative stresseinducedapoptosis of H9C2 cells.

Screening and Anti-virulent Study of N-Acyl Homoserine Lactones DNA Aptamers against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Quorum Sensing

Zu-Guo Zhao,Yun Mei Yu,Bi Yu Xu,Shuang-Shuang Yan,Jun-Fa Xu,Fang Liu,Guo-Ming Li,Yuan Lin Ding,Shu Qing Wu 한국생물공학회 2013 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.18 No.2

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a quorum sensing (QS) system regulates the expression of many virulence factors. N-acyl homoserine lactone (HSL) is the signal molecule of QS system. In order to find a novel HSL binder to interfere with QS signaling and to attenuate P. aeruginosa virulence, an amino lactam surrogate (ALS) of HSL was used as a target to screen HSL aptamers with the technique of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). Eight HSL aptamers with high affinities for 3O-C12-HSL (20 nM ≤ Kd < 35 nM) or C4-HSL (25 nM < Kd < 50 nM) were finally obtained. In vitro QS-inhibiting study of P. aeruginosa showed that HSL aptamers could inhibit virulence in a dose-dependent manner. ALSap-8 which bound C4-HSL primarily acted on the rhl system and inhibited the secretion of pyocyanin. ALSap-5 which bound 3O-C12-HSL not only showed strong inhibitory activity on biofilm formation as well as secretions of LasA protease and LasB elastase, but also reduced pyocyanin secretion. Since the las system is capable of activating the rhl system mildly, we speculated that ALSap-5 can simultaneously interfere with the las and rhl systems. High-affinity aptamers against HSL in this study are novel QS and virulence-inhibitors, and may have potential as drug candidates for the treatment of P. aeruginosa infection.

Stigma and Efficacy of Zhizhu Kuanzhong Capsules Versus Doxepin in the Treatment of Refractory Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Qian-Qian Wang,Li Cheng,Bi-Yu Wu,Hong-Yi Qiu,Ping Xu,Bo Wang,Xiu-Juan Yan,Sheng-Liang Chen 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2023 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.29 No.3

Background/AimsStigma related with antidepressants is prevalent in patients with functional dyspepsia. It affects medication compliance and efficacy. Herbal medicine acquired a deep-rooted cultural identity in relieving dyspeptic symptoms in Asians. The research was designed to compare the effectiveness of Zhizhu Kuanzhong capsules (ZZKZ) versus doxepin hydrochloride (doxepin) on alleviating stigma and medication nonadherence among patients with refractory FD (rFD). MethodsPatients with rFD from February 2021 to February 2022 were randomly allocated to receive either doxepin (n = 56) or ZZKZ (n = 57) combined with omeprazole for 4 weeks. Medication possession ratio (MPR), the disease- and medication-associated stigma were analyzed. The scales were utilized to assess dyspeptic symptoms (Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire) and psychological conditions (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire). ResultsThe MPR values for ZZKZ were significantly higher than those for doxepin (P < 0.001). The stigma scores decreased in ZZKZ group while increased in doxepin group compared to baseline after treatment. The proportion of patients showing ZZKZ-associated stigma was significantly lower than doxepin-associated stigma (P < 0.001). The MPR values were negatively correlated with post-treatment stigma scores in both groups (P < 0.001). Dyspeptic symptoms and psychological condition were improved in both groups after treatment, with no significant difference on post-treatment Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, or Patient Health Questionnaire scores between 2 groups. ConclusionZZKZ is superior to doxepin in alleviating stigma and medication non-adherence, with comparable efficacy in improving dyspeptic symptoms and psychological condition of patients with rFD.