A preparation and performance study of glass-ceramic glazes derived from blast furnace slag and fly ash

Hong-xia Lu,Man He,Yuan-yuan Liu,Jing-fei Guo,Li-wei Zhang,Deliang Chen,Hai-long Wang,Hong-liang Xu,Rui Zhang 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2011 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.12 No.5

Glass-ceramic glazes have been prepared successfully via crystallization from blast-furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA) fluxed with potash feldspar and borax. The crystalline behavior of glass-ceramic glazes was investigated using differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that the major crystalline phases are anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) and akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7) and crystalline phases disperse well in glassy phases with a uniform size of 1 μm. Glass-ceramic glazes possess low density, low water absorption,perfect stain resistance, acid resistance and alkali resistance. The thermal expansion coefficient of glass-ceramic glazes is steady up to 800 oC with an average value of 7.2 × 10−6 /K. Final results suggest that BFS and FA have potential to be vitrified into economically and environmentally low-cost glass-ceramic glaze materials.

Enhancing mucosal immunity in mice by recombinant adenovirus expressing major epitopes of porcine circovirus-2 capsid protein delivered with cytosine-phosphate-guanosine oligodeoxynucleotides

Hong-tao Chang,Xiu-yuan He,Yu-Feng Liu,Lu Chen,Quan-hai Guo,Qiu-ying Yu,Jun Zhao,Xin-wei Wang,Xia Yang,Chuan-qing Wang 대한수의학회 2014 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.15 No.3

A recombinant replication-defective adenovirus expressingthe major epitopes of porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) capsidprotein (rAd/Cap/518) was previously constructed and shownto induce mucosal immunity in mice following intranasaldelivery. In the present study, immune responses induced byintranasal immunization with a combination of rAd/Cap/518and cytosine-phosphate-guanosine oligodeoxynucleotides(CpG ODN) were evaluated in mice. The levels ofPCV-2-specific IgG in serum and IgA in saliva, lung, andintestinal fluids were significantly higher in the groupimmunized with rAd/Cap/518 and CpG ODN than animalsimmunized with rAd/Cap/518 alone. The frequencies ofIL-2-secreting CD4+ T cells and IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cellswere significantly higher in the combined immunizationgroup than mice immunized with rAd/Cap/518 alone. Thefrequencies of CD3+, CD3+CD4+CD8−, and CD3+CD4−CD8+T cells in the combined immunization group were similar tothat treated with CpG ODN alone, but significantly higherthan mice that did not receive CpG ODN. PCV-2 load afterchallenge in the combined immunization group wassignificantly lower than that in the phosphate-buffered salineplacebo group and approximately 7-fold lower in the grouptreated with CpG ODN alone. These results indicate thatrAd/Cap/518 combined with CpG ODN can enhance systemicand local mucosal immunity in mice, and represent apromising synergetic mucosal vaccine against PCV-2.

Expression and Localization of the spermatogenesis-related gene, Znf230, in mouse testis and spermatozoa during postnatal development

( Hong Xia Song ),( Dan Su Pan Lu ),( Ji Yun Yang ),( Wei Zhang ),( Yuan Yang ),( Yun Qiang Liu ),( Si Zhong Zhang ) 생화학분자생물학회 2008 BMB Reports Vol.41 No.9

EST-SSRs characterization and in-silico alignments with linkage map SSR loci in Grape (Vitis L.) genome

Hong Huang,Xia Xu,Xiaoqin Yang,Shuang Liang,Jiao Wu,Jiang Lu 한국유전학회 2012 Genes & Genomics Vol.34 No.1

11,581 grape (Vitis L.) EST-SSRs were produced and characterized from a total of 381,609 grape ESTs. Among the EST-SSRs, the tri repeat (5,560, 45.4%) represented the most abundant class of microsatellites in grape EST. Most of grape EST-SSR motifs fall within 18-24 bps in length. The EST-SSRs tri- repeats occurred a higher percentage in 5'-end (59.3%) than in 3'-end (48.3%). And EST-SSR tri- repeats had abundant codon repeats for putative amino acid runs as Proline, Arginine in grape ESTs. To better utilizing these markers, 142 of newly developed and validated EST SSR loci as well as 223 linkage map SSR loci were in silico aligned and mapped in grape genome. The orders of these SSR loci in the chromosomal physical locations and in the linkage groups were compared, and about twenty linkage map loci positions were switched or rearranged in grape genome. The EST-SSR markers extended the linkage map in grape genome. The method of in silico mapping reported in this study provided an initial collection for grape mapping resources. This approach offers great opportunities to understand the genetic variations in nucleotide sequences differences in physical map,and genetic recombination in linkage maps, as well as benefits for markers enrichment in a specific grape genome region for fine mapping or QTL mapping.

Differential Expression of IQGAP1/2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and its Relationship with Clinical Outcomes

Xia, Fa-Da,Wang, Zhuo-Lu,Chen, Hong-Xi,Huang, Yun,Li, Jin-Dong,Wang, Zhi-Ming,Li, Xin-Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

Purpose: To investigate IQGAP1 and IQGAP2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and itsassociation with HCC clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes. Methods: IQGAP1 and IQGAP2 mRNA and protein were measured in HCC tissues, para-tumor tissues and normal tissues by RT-PCR and Western blotting. We further examined 150 HCC samples with adjacent para-tumor tissues and 11 normal specimens by immunohistochemistry to evaluate the correlation of IQGAP1 and IQGAP2 with clinicopathological features and prognosis. Results: IQGAP1 mRNA and protein were up-regulated while IQGAP2 mRNA and protein were down-regulated in human HCC tissues compared with para-tumor and normal liver tissues (p<0.05). IQGAP1 expression was higher in primary HCC (122/150, 81.3%) than matched adjacent tissues (30/150, 20%, p<0.001), whereas IQGAP2 was lower (31/150, 20.7% as compared to 112/150, 74.7%, P<0.001). Positive IQGAP1 expression correlated with larger tumor size (p=0.002), advanced TNM stage (p=0.002) and tumor differentiation (III and IV, p=0.034). Negative IQGAP2 expression was significantly associated with larger tumor size (p=0.009), multicentric tumor occurrence (p=0.01), advanced TNM stage (0.009) and tumor differentiation (III and IV, p=0.020). Survival analysis revealed that patients with either IQGAP1+ or IQGAP2-tumors had significantly reduced disease-free survival (p<0.001 and 0.006 respectively) and overall survival (p<0.001 for both). Multivariate analysis showed that IQGAP1/2 switch was an independent prognosis factor for disease-free survival (HR=2.824) and overall survival (HR=2.189). Conclusion: Positive IQGAP1 and negative IQGAP2 expression were closely correlated with tumor progression and could be used as adjunctive biomarkers to improve prognostication for HCC patients.

Study on adsorption characteristics of biochar on heavy metals in soil

Hong Wang,Wen Xia,Ping Lu 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.6

Three kinds of biochars (called poplar branch biochar (PBC), water hyacinth biochar (WHC), and corn straw biochar (CSC)) were prepared in a fixed-bed pyrolyzer at different pyrolysis temperature of 300-700 oC. The effects of biochar species, pyrolysis temperature and biochar addition on adsorption characteristics of typical heavy metals (HMs) of Pb and Zn in vegetable soil (collected from lead-zinc-silver mining area, Nanjing, China) were investigated. The obtained results indicate that WHC presents the best adsorption ability at the same experimental conditions, whose adsorption efficiency on HMs of Zn and Pb is 21.83% and 44.57%, and the relative adsorption capacity of Zn and Pb is 227.65 μg/g and 363.76 μg/g, respectively. The adsorption efficiency of biochar on HMs of Zn and Pb in soil increases gradually with the increasing of pyrolysis temperature. The increasing of biochar addition is beneficial to increase adsorption efficiency of soil HMs, but unhelpful for adsorption capacity.

Thyroid Hormone Reference Intervals among Healthy Individuals In Lanzhou, China

Yan Lu,Wen-Xia Zhang,De-Hong Li,Lian-Hua Wei,Yu-Jun Zhang,Fu-Na Shi,Shen Zhou 대한내분비학회 2023 Endocrinology and metabolism Vol.38 No.3

Background: The common reference intervals (RIs) for thyroid hormones currently used in China are provided by equipment manufacturers. This study aimed to establish thyroid hormone RIs in the population of Lanzhou, a city in the subplateau region of northwest China, and compare them with previous reports and manufacturer-provided values. Methods: In total, 3,123 individuals (1,680 men, 1,443 women) from Lanzhou, an iodine-adequate area of China, perceived ashealthy were selected. The Abbott Architect analyzer was used to determine the serum concentration of thyroid hormones. The 95%RI was estimated using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles as the lower and upper reference limits, respectively. Results: The serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total triiodothyronine (TT3), antithyroglobulin (ATG) antibody,and antithyroid peroxidase (ATPO) antibody levels were significantly correlated with sex (P<0.05). TSH, total thyroxine (TT4), andATPO levels were significantly correlated with age (P<0.05). The serum levels of TSH, ATG, and ATPO in men were significantlylower than in women; in contrast, the serum TT3 level was significantly higher in men than in women (P<0.05). Serum TSH, TT3,TT4, and ATG levels differed across age groups (P<0.05), but no such variation was observed for ATG levels (P>0.05). The established RIs of TSH, ATG, and ATPO in this study differed between sexes (P<0.05). The thyroid hormone RIs established herein wereinconsistent with the manufacturer-provided values. Conclusion: The RIs of thyroid hormones in the healthy population of Lanzhou were inconsistent with those in the manufacturer’smanual. Validated sex-specific values are required for diagnosing thyroid diseases.

Development of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of Nocardia salmonicida, the Causative Agent of Nocardiosis in Fish

( Qun Xia Li ),( Hong Lian Zhang ),( Yi Shan Lu ),( Jia Cai ),( Bei Wang ),( Ji Chang Jian ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.3

Nocardia salmonicida is one of the main pathogens of fish nocardiosis. The purpose of this study was to build a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for the rapid and sensitive detection of N. salmonicida. A set of four primers were designed from the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region of N. salmonicida, and conditions for LAMP were optimized as incubating all the reagents for 60 min at 64°C. LAMP products were judged with agar gel electrophoresis as well as with the naked eye after the addition of SYBR Green I. Results showed the sensitivity of the LAMP assay was 1.68 × 103 CFU/ml (16.8 CFU per reaction) and 10-fold higher than that of PCR. The LAMP method was also effectively applied to detect N. salmonicida in diseased fish samples, and it may potentially facilitate the surveillance and early diagnosis of fish nocardiosis.

Concurrent Weekly Docetaxel Chemotherapy in Combination with Radiotherapy for Stage III and IVA-B Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Wei, Wei-Hong,Cai, Xiu-Yu,Xu, Tao,Zhang, Guo-Yi,Wu, Yong-Feng,Feng, Wei-Neng,Lin, Li,Deng, Yan-Ming,Lu, Qiu-Xia,Huang, Zhe-Li Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Background and Purpose: Cisplatin is the most common chemotherapeutic agent for loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, toxicity is a limiting factor for some patients. We retrospectively compared the efficacy and toxicity of weekly docetaxel-based and cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in loco-regionally advanced NPC. Methods and Materials: Eighty-four patients with Stage III and IVA-B NPCs, treated between 2007 and 2008, were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty received weekly docetaxel-based concurrent chemotherapy, and 43 were given weekly cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was administered using a conventional technique (seven weeks, 2.0 Gy per fraction, total dose 70-74 Gy) with 6-8 Gy boosts for some patients with locally advanced disease. Results: Median follow-up time was 42.3 months (range, 8.6-50.8 months). There were no significant differences in the 3-year loco-regional failure-free survival (85.6% vs. 92.3%; p=0.264), distant failure-free survival (87.0% vs. 92.5%; p=0.171), progression-free survival (85.7% vs. 88.4%; p=0.411) or overall survival (86.5% vs. 92.5%, p=0.298) of patients treated concurrently with docetaxel or cisplatin. Severe toxicity was not common in either group. Conclusions: Weekly docetaxel-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy is potentially effective and has a tolerable toxicity; however, further investigations are required to determine if docetaxel is superior to cisplatin for advanced stage NPC.

CircularRNA_104670 plays a critical role in intervertebral disc degeneration by functioning as a ceRNA

Jian Son,Hong-Li Wang,Ke-Han Song,Zhi-Wen Ding,Hai-Lian Wang,Xiao-Sheng Ma,Fei-Zhou Lu,Xin-Lei Xia,Ying-Wei Wang,Fei-Zou,Jian-Yuan Jiang 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

This study was carried out to explore the roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Differentially expressed circRNAs in IDD and normal NP tissues were identified based on the results of microarray analysis. Bioinformatics techniques were employed to predict the direct interactions of selected circRNAs, microRNAs (miR), and mRNAs. CircRNA_104670 was selected as the target circRNA due to its large multiplier expression in IDD tissues. After luciferase reporter and EGFP/RFP reporter assays, we confirmed that circRNA_104670 directly bound to miR-17-3p, while MMP-2 was the direct target of miR-17-3p. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that circRNA_104670 and miR-17-3p had good diagnostic significance for IDD (AUC circRNA_104670 = 0.96; AUC miRNA-17-3p = 0.91). A significant correlation was detected between the Pfirrmann grade and expression of circRNA_104670 (r = 0.63; p = 0.00) and miR-17-3p (r = −0.62; p = 0.00). Flow-cytometric analysis and the MTT assay showed that interfering with circRNA_104670 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited NP cell apoptosis (p < 0.01), and this inhibition was reduced by interfering with miR-17-3p. Interfering with circRNA_104670 suppressed MMP-2 expression and increased extracellular matrix (ECM) formation, which were also reduced by interfering with miR-17-3p. Finally, an MRI evaluation showed that circRNA_104670 inhibition mice had a lower IDD grade compared with control mice (p < 0.01), whereas circRNA_104670 and miRNA-17-3p inhibition mice had a higher IDD grade compared with circRNA_104670 inhibition mice (p < 0.05). CircRNA_104670 is highly expressed in the NP tissues of IDD and acts as a ceRNA during NP degradation.