De novo assembled transcriptome of horned gall aphid, Schlechtendalia chinensis Bell, suggest changes in functional gene expression during host alternation

Si‐Liang Wang,Zi-Xiang YANG,Pu YANG,Chuan Xi Zhang 한국곤충학회 2016 Entomological Research Vol.46 No.5

The horned gall aphid, Schlechtendalia chinensis Bell, is the most economically valuable galling aphid. It accounts for approximately 75% of Chinese gallnut production, which is important for medical and chemical purposes. The horned gall aphid feeds on the Chinese sumac tree, Rhus chinensis, during the summer, induces galls, and overwinters on the moss Plagiomnium spp. However, the sequence information of S. chinensis is limited, and the functional gene expression changes during host alternation remain obscure. In this study, the transcriptome of the horned gall aphid was sequenced using high‐throughput sequencing technology. Approximately 49 million reads were obtained and were assembled into 99 366 transcripts and 47 400 unigenes. Annotation was performed using a BLAST search against primary databases such as NCBI nr and Swiss‐Prot, as well as enrichment analysis by GO, KOG and KEGG. Differentially expressed genes between spring and autumn migrant aphids were compared, and the expression levels of many genes related to detoxification, digestion and other functional genes were found to have changed, reflecting the adaptation ability of horned gall aphids in different seasons and hosts. Functional genes in wax biosynthesis were upregulated in spring migrant aphids. This study analyzed the expression profile difference between spring and autumn migrant aphids to approach the real functional genes change during host alternation. The transcriptome provides a basis to understanding the functional genes during gall aphid host alternation and the related physiological and molecular characteristics.

Susceptibility Loci Associations with Prostate Cancer Risk in Northern Chinese Men

Wang, Na-Na,Xu, Yong,Yang, Kuo,Wei, Dong,Zhang, Yao-Guang,Liu, Ming,Shi, Xiao-Hong,Liang, Si-Ying,Sun, Liang,Zhu, Xiao-Quan,Yang, Yi-Ge,Tang, Lei,Zhao, Cheng-Xiao,Wang, Xin,Chen, Xin,Hui, Juan,Zhang, Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Background: KLK3 gene products, like human prostate-specific antigen (PSA), are important biomarkers in the clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). G protein-coupled receptor RFX6, C2orf43 and FOXP4 signaling plays important roles in the development of PCa. However, associations of these genes with PCa in northern Chinese men remain to be detailed. This study aimed to investigate their impact on occurrence and level of malignancy. Methods: All subjects were from Beijing and Tianjin, including 266 cases with prostate cancer and 288 normal individuals as controls. We evaluated associations between clinical covariates (age at diagnosis, prostate specific antigen, Gleason score, tumor stage and aggressive) and 6 candidate PCa risk loci, genotyped by PCR- high resolution melting curve and sequencing methods. Results: Case-control analysis of allelic frequency of PCa associated with PCa showed that one of the 6 candidate risk loci, rs339331 in the RFX6 gene, was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.57-0.94, P = 0.013) in northern Chinese men. In addition, subjects with CX (CC+TC) genotypes had a decreased risk for prostrate cancer compared to those carrying the TT homozygote (OR =0.64, 95% CI = 0.45- 0.90, P = 0.008). The TT genotype of 13q22 (rs9600079, T) was associated with tumor stage (P=0.044, OR=2.34, 95% CI=0.94-5.87). Other SNPs were not significantly associated with clinical covariates in prostate cancer (P > 0.05). Conclusions. rs339331 in the RFX6 gene may be associated with prostate cancer as a susceptibility locus in northern Chinese men.

Composition Dependence of Structural and Magnetic Properties of Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)

Ying-Hua Liang,Ping-Zhan Si,Ting-Ting Qi,Xin-You Wang,Fei-Yang Wang,Qiong Wu,Hong-Liang Ge,Jihoon Park,Chul-Jin Choi 한국자기학회 2024 Journal of Magnetics Vol.29 No.1

Both Mn₄C (=Mn₃MnC) and Mn₃GaC have been studied previously. However, the reports on Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) with intermediate compositions are very rare. In this work, the structure and magnetic properties of Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C prepared by using solid state reaction were studied systematically. High purity anti-perovskitetype Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C were obtained in the composition range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5, above which Mn₂₃C₆ precipitates and the fraction of Mn₂₃C₆ in the samples increases with increasing x. The structural stability, lattice parameters, and room temperature saturation magnetization of ferromagnetic Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) decreases with increasing x. The Curie temperature of Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) increases with increasing x. Most Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C with varied x exhibit near-zero coercivity and zero remanent magnetization. This work indicates that the temperature coefficient of magnetization of Mn<SUB>3+x</SUB>Ga<SUB>1-x</SUB>C may be tuned by tuning the fraction of the Ga atoms.

Association of Six Susceptibility Loci with Prostate Cancer in Northern Chinese Men

Zhang, Yu-Rong,Xu, Yong,Yang, Kuo,Liu, Ming,Wei, Dong,Zhang, Yao-Guang,Shi, Xiao-Hong,Wang, Jian-Ye,Yang, Fan,Wang, Xin,Liang, Si-Ying,Zhao, Cheng-Xiao,Wang, Fei,Chen, Xin,Sun, Liang,Zhu, Xiao-Quan,Zh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Background/Aim: Six prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility loci were identified in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in populations of European decent. However, the associations of these 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with PCa has remained tobe clarified in men in Northern China. This study aimed to explore the loci associated with PCa risk in a Northern Chinese population. Methods: Blood samples and clinical information of 289 PCa patients and 288 controls from Beijing and Tianjin were collected. All risk SNPs were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-high resolution melting curve technology and gene sequencing. Associations between PCa and clinical covariates (age at diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen [PSA], Gleason score, tumor stage, and level of aggressiveness) and frequencies of alleles and genotypes of these SNPs were analyzed using genetic statistics. Results: Among the candidate SNPs, 11p15 (rs7127900, A) was associated with PCa risk (P = 0.02, odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.46). Genotypes showed differences between cases and controls on 11p15 (rs7127900, A), 11q13 (rs7931342, T), and HNF1B (rs4430796, A) (P = 0.03, P = 0.01, and P = 0.04, respectively). The genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) was positively associated with an increased Gleason score (P = 0.04, OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.02-4.55). Patients carrying TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) were negatively associated with an increased body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.03, OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.21-0.92) while those with AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) were more likely to have PSA increase (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Our study suggests that 11p15 (rs7127900, A) could be a susceptibility locus associated with PCa in Northern Chinese. Genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) could be related to an increased Gleason score, AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) could be associated with PSA increase, and TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) could be negatively associated with an increased BMI in Chinese men with PCa.

Autophagy Involvement in Olanzapine-Mediated Cytotoxic Effects in Human Glioma Cells

Wang, Yi-Xuan,Xu, Shu-Qing,Chen, Xiang-Hui,Liu, Rui-Si,Liang, Zhong-Qin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of olanzapine on growth inhibition as well as autophagy in glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. The proliferation of both LN229 and T98 glioma cells, measured by MTT assay, was suppressed in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. Moreover, apoptosis of both cells was significantly increased with the treatment of olanzapine as evidenced by increased Bcl-2 expression, Hoechst 33258 staining and annexinV-FITC/PI staining. Olanzapine treatment also enhanced activation of autophagy with increased expression of LC3-II, expression of protein p62, a substrate of autophagy, being decreased. The growth inhibition by olanzapine in both glioma cell lines could be blocked by co-treatment with 3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor. Furthermore, olanzapine effectively blocked the growth of subcutaneous xenografts of LN229 glioma cells in vivo. The increased level of protein LC3-II and decreased level of p62 followed by a decreased level of Bcl-2, suggesting that autophagy may contribute to apoptosis. In addition, reduced proliferation of glioma cells was shown by a decrease of Ki-67 staining and increased caspase-3 staining indicative of apoptosis in mouse xenografts. These results indicated that olanzapine inhibited the growth of glioma cells accompanied by induction of autophagy and apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Olanzapine-induced autophagy plays a tumor-suppressing role in glioma cells.

Factors Associated with Psychological Characteristics in Patients with Hepatic Malignancy before Interventional Procedures

Wang, Zi-Xuan,Yuan, Chang-Qing,Guan, Jun,Liu, Si-Liang,Sun, Chun-Hui,Kim, Seong-Hwan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.1

Objective: To investigate the psychological characteristics of hepatic malignancy patients before interventional procedures and assess associations with related factors. Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients requiring interventional procedure for hepatic malignancy were asked to complete a survey of health knowledge and psychological symptom on health knowledge questionnaire and SCL-90 before interventional procedure. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the association of various demographic, clinical and health knowledge factors with the presence of psychological symptoms in patients. Results: Eight psychological symptom scores, i.e. somatization, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobia, paranoid ideations and psychotic states, were significantly higher than the normal range (P< 0.001). Of 213 cases in the study, 49 families (23.00%) concealed the diagnoses of hepatic carcinoma from patients; 135 patients (63.38%) described the prognosis of the disease correctly. It was demonstrated that the correlations between psychological symptoms and related factors, i.e. age, gender, education, interventional procedure times and health knowledge, were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Psychological distress is severe in hepatic malignancy patients before interventional procedures. Age, gender, education, interventional procedure times and health knowledge are associated with psychological symptoms which are significant different from the normal range in Chinese.

Mechanical behavior of stud shear connectors embedded in HFRC

Yu-Liang He,Xu-Dong Wu,Yiqiang Xiang,Yu-Hang Wang,Li-Si Liu,Zhi-Hai He 국제구조공학회 2017 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.24 No.2

Hybrid-fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) may provide much higher tensile and flexural strengths, tensile ductility, and flexural toughness than normal concrete (NC). HFRC slab has outstanding advantages for use as a composite bridge potential deck slab owing to higher tensile strength, ductility and crack resistance. However, there is little information on shear connector associated with HFRC slabs. To investigate the mechanical behavior of the stud shear connectors embedded in HFRC slab, 14 push-out tests (five batches) in HFRC and NC were conducted. It was found that the stud shear connector embedded in HFRC had a better ductility, higher stiffness and a slightly larger shear bearing capacity than those in NC. The experimentally obtained ultimate resistances of the stud shear connectors were also compared against the equations provided by GB50017 2003, ACI 318-112011, AISC 2011, AASHTO LRFD 2010, PCI 2004, and EN 1994-1-1 (2004), and an empirical equation to predict the ultimate shear connector resistance considering the effect of the HFRC slabs was proposed and validated by the experimental data. Curve fitting was performed to find fitting parameters for all tested specimens and idealized load-slip models were obtained for the specimens with HFRC slabs.

Chinese herbal medicine for myasthenia gravis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Zhu Si-jia,Wang Rui-ting,Yu Ze-yu,Zheng Ruo-Xiang,Liang Chang-Hao,Zheng You-you,Fang Min,Han Mei,Liu Jian-ping 한국한의학연구원 2022 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.11 No.2

Background: Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a disorder of neuromuscular transmission bringing mild ocular weakness to severe generalized muscle weakness and disability. The conventional treatments have longterm side effects, and Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) have shown possible effect and safety for MG patients, but the existing evidence was not robust enough and the results were out of date. Methods: Searching for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted in 7 databases and clinical trial registries until July 2021. The Risk of Bias (ROB) 2 tool was used to assess the study quality and GRADE was used to assess the quality of whole evidence. Meta-analyses were conducted and the results were presented as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Nineteen RCTs (1283 participants) testing 13 kinds of CHM with adequate randomization were included and six RCTs investigating Compound Huangqi were included in the meta-analyses. In addition to conventional treatment, nine CHMs reduced symptom scores of MG. Compound Huangqi plus conventional treatment (pyridostigmine bromide or prednisone or both) reduced the symptom scores compared with conventional treatment (MD=-3.56, 95%CI -4.86 to -2.26). Less adverse events happened in the CHM groups (3/247 in the CHM groups, 52/245 in the control groups, RR=0.13, 95%CI 0.06 to 0.30, 9RCTs, a total of 492 participants). The effect on quality of life was inconsistent. Conclusion: Nine CHMs could probably bring benefit for MG symptom improvement. Moderate to low certainty of evidence supported Compound Huangqi added-on conventional treatment probably bring extra benefit of improving MG symptoms. Adding CHMs could be safer than giving only conventional treatment. Study registration: The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42016032718).

The Design of Wireless Sensor Network Gateway based on ZigBee and GPRS

Yanan Wang,Lingling Si,Shuo Liang 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of Future Generation Communi Vol.7 No.2

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.