Novel and Effective Almagate Enema for Hemorrhagic Chronic Radiation Proctitis and Risk Factors for Fistula Development

Yuan, Zi-Xu,Ma, Teng-Hui,Zhong, Qing-Hua,Wang, Huai-Ming,Yu, Xi-Hu,Qin, Qi-Yuan,Chu, Li-Li,Wang, Lei,Wang, Jian-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.2

Radiation proctitis is a common complication after radiotherapy for pelvic malignant tumors. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of novel almagate enemas in hemorrhagic chronic radiation proctitis (CRP) and evaluate risk factors related to rectal deep ulcer or fistula secondary to CRP. All patients underwent a colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis of CRP and symptoms were graded. Typical endoscopic and pathological images, risk factors, and quality of life were also recorded. A total of 59 patients were enrolled. Gynecological cancers composed 93.1% of the primary malignancies. Complete or obvious reduction of bleeding was observed in 90% (53/59) patients after almagate enema. The mean score of bleeding improved from 2.17 to 0.83 (P<0.001) after the enemas. The mean response time was 12 days. No adverse effects were found. Moreover, long-term successful rate in controlling bleeding was 69% and the quality of life was dramatically improved (P=0.001). The efficacy was equivalent to rectal sucralfate, but the almagate with its antacid properties acted more rapidly than sucralfate. Furthermore, we firstly found that moderate to severe anemia was the risk factor of CRP patients who developed rectal deep ulcer or fistulas (P= 0.015). We also found abnormal hyaline-like thick wall vessels, which revealed endarteritis obliterans and the fibrosis underlying this disease. These findings indicate that almagate enema is a novel effective, rapid and well-tolerated method for hemorrhagic CRP. Moderate to severe anemia is a risk factor for deep ulceration or fistula.

First-Principles Study of the Influence of Zirconium on the Diffusion of Uranium Defects in Uranium Dioxide

Huan Wang,Yu Zou,Zhong Zhang,Kai-Yuan Wang,Huan An,Chang-Yong Zhan,Jun Wang,Jian-Chun Wu 한국물리학회 2019 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.74 No.8

The migration properties of uranium vacancies and interstitials in zirconium-doped uranium dioxide are studied by using density functional theory (DFT) and the climbing-image nudge elastic band (CI-NEB) method. The strong correlations among uranium $5f$ electrons were described by using a spherically averaged Hubbard parameter. In the model, the zirconium atoms are introduced by replacing the uranium atoms at the nearest and the next nearest neighbor sites along the diffusion path of uranium defects. The doping with zirconium obviously reduces the migration barriers for defects in uranium dioxide. The effect of doping with zirconium on the diffusion of uranium defects decreases with increasing distance between the zirconium dopant and the uranium defects. Further, we investigated the lattice distortion and the electron transfer associated with the migration of uranium defects, and we analyzed the physical origin of the reduction in the migration barriers caused by zirconium doping.

Effect of Dietary β-1,3/1,6-glucan Supplementation on Growth Performance, Immune Response and Plasma Prostaglandin E₂, Growth Hormone and Ghrelin in Weanling Piglets

Wang, Zhong,Guo, Yuming,Yuan, Jianmin,Zhang, Bingkun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.5

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan on growth performance, immunity and endocrine responses of weanling piglets. One hundred and eighty weanling piglets (Landrace$\times$Large White, $7.20{\pm}0.25kg$ BW and $28{\pm}2$ d of age) were randomly fed 1 of 5 treatment diets containing dietary ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan supplemented at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg for 4 wks. Each treatment was replicated in 6 pens containing 6 pigs per pen. On d 14 and 28, body weight gain, feed consumption and feed efficiency were recorded as measures of growth performance. Peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) were measured to study the effect of dietary ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan supplementation on immune function. Plasma prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), growth hormone (GH) and ghrelin were measured to investigate endocrine response to ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan supplementation. Our results suggest that average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency had a quadratic increase trend with dietary ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan supplementation from d 14 to 28, whereas it had no significant effect on average daily feed intake (ADFI). The treatment group fed with 50 mg/kg dietary ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan supplementation showed a numerical increase in ghrelin, a similar change trend with ADG and no significant effect on GH. Lymphocyte proliferation indices, serum IgG and plasma PGE2 concentrations varied linearly with dietary supplementation levels of ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan on d 14. Higher levels of ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan may have a transient immuno-enhancing effect on the cellular and humoral immune function of weanling piglets via decreased PGE2. Taking into account both immune response and growth performance, the most suitable dietary supplementation level of ${\beta}$-1,3/1,6-glucan is 50 mg/kg for weanling piglets.

Interaction of Coping Styles and Psychological Stress on Anxious and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Breast Cancer Patients

Wang, Xi,Wang, Shu-Sen,Peng, Rou-Jun,Qin, Tao,Shi, Yan-Xia,Teng, Xiao-Yu,Liu, Dong-Gen,Chen, Wei-Qing,Yuan, Zhong-Yu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Purpose: This study aimed to assess possible interactive effects of coping styles and psychological stress on depression and anxiety symptoms in Chinese women shortly after diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods: Four hundred and one patients with breast cancer were face-to-face interviewed by trained research staff according to a standardized questionnaire including information on socio-demographic characteristics, psychological stress, coping styles, and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Interactive effects were assessed by hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results: There were significant associations of the four domains of psychological stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms except for the relationship between "worrying about health being harmed" and depressive symptoms. "Abreaction coping behavior" and "escaping coping behavior" significantly increased the level of both anxiety and depressive symptoms; whereas an "active coping style" reswulted in significant decrease. The interaction of "active coping behavior" with "worrying about health being harmed" significantly increased the risk of the anxiety symptoms, while adopting "self-relaxing coping behavior" was associated with significant decrease. The interaction of "worry about daily life and social relationship being restricted" with "escaping coping behavior" significantly increased the risk of the depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that certain coping styles might moderate the association of psychological stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms in Chinese women with breast cancer.

Optimization of algal lipid extraction by mixture of ethyl acetate and ethanol via response surface methodology for biodiesel production

Zhong-Ming Wang,Weidong Lu,Md Asraful Alam,Ying Pan,William Junior Nock,Zhen-Hong Yuan 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.9

The effects of extraction time, extraction temperature, solvent to biomass ratio and solvent composition on lipid yield from lyophilized Chlorococcum sp. biomass using a mixture of ethyl acetate and ethanol (EAE), a new proposed solvent, were studied. Subsequently, the process conditions of extraction by EAE were optimized using Box- Behnken design (BBD). The results revealed that the extraction temperature had the greatest effect on lipid extraction efficiency, followed by volume ratio of ethyl acetate to ethanol (EA/E) and extraction time. The largest lipid extraction yield of 15.74% was obtained under the following extraction conditions: 40mL solvents per gram of biomass for 270 min with gentle stirring at 80 oC by EAE with an EA/E of 1.0. Furthermore, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid were the most abundant fatty acids in the lipids extracted, indicating the great potential of the proposed lipid extraction procedure for microalgae-based biodiesel production.

Self-assembly and Mechanism of L-Alanine-based Dihydrazide Derivative as Excellent Gelator of Organic Solvents

Wang, Chuan-Sheng,Wang, Xiao-Hong,Li, Zhi-Yuan,Wei, Wei,Shi, Zhong-Liang,Sui, Zhi-Tong Korean Chemical Society 2011 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.32 No.4

A new organogelator, L-Alanine dihydrazide derivative can self-assemble in various organic solvents and turned them into thermally reversible physical supramolecular organogels at extremely low concentrations (< 2 wt %). The gel-sol phase transition temperatures ($T_{GS}$) were determined as a function of gelator concentration and the corresponding enthalpies (${\Delta}H_g$) were extracted. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements revealed that the interspaces of fiber-like network structures were diminished with the increasing of the LMOG concentration. FT-IR spectroscopy studies revealed that hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interaction were the driving forces for the formation of the gels. Based on the data of XRD and molecular modeling, the possible packing modes for the formation of organogelator aggregates were proposed.

Intraoral Acupuncture for Sialorrhea in Stroke Patients: a Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Wang Jin-Jin,Shao Meng-Meng,Zhou Xue-Zhen,Lin Zu-Chen,Li Hai-Yan,Yuan Zheng-Zhong,Ma Qin-Qin,Li Fang,Fu Wen-Bin 사단법인약침학회 2024 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.17 No.3

Importance: Post-stroke sialorrhea (PSS) refers to excessive saliva flowing out the lip border after a stroke. PSS negatively affects patient self-image and social communication and may lead to depression. Limited evidence supports the link between excessive salivation and PSS. No large-scale, strictly controlled randomized controlled trials have shown the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating PSS patients. Objective: We aim to compare the effects of intraoral and sham acupuncture in PSS patients and explore relationships among salivation and drooling severity and frequency and swallowing function in stroke patients. Design: Clinical study protocol, SPIRIT compliant. Setting: Prospective, single-center, randomized, and sham-controlled trial. Population: We will recruit 106 PSS patients to receive 4-week intraoral or sham acupuncture. Additionally, 53 stroke patients without PSS will undergo a conventional 4-week treatment program to compare salivation between PSS and non-PSS patients. Exposures: Intraoral or sham acupuncture. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main evaluation index will be the 3-minute saliva weight (3MSW), comparing changes in 3MSW from baseline to weeks 4 and 8. Secondary assessment indices will include the “Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale” and “Functional Oral Intake Scale.” Results: The results from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Conclusion: Comparing effects of intraoral and sham acupuncture in PSS patients, this study may contribute important evidence for future PSS treatment and provide valuable insights into whether salivation issues in stroke patients are attributed to heightened salivary secretion or dysphagia.

Application of Amidase to the Reduction of Stickies in Recycled OCC Pulp

Yuan-Shing Perng,Xiang-Huai Sean Wang,Zhong-Ji Wu,Meng-Kuan Hsiao,Eugene I-Chen Wang 한국펄프·종이공학회 2016 한국펄프·종이공학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.2016 No.10

The putative polysaccharide synthase AfCps1 regulates Aspergillus fumigatus morphogenesis and conidia immune response in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages

Wang Sha,Yuan Anjie,Zeng Liping,Hou Sikai,Wang Meng,Li Lei,Cai Zhendong,Zhong Guowei 한국미생물학회 2021 The journal of microbiology Vol.59 No.1

Aspergillus fumigatus is a well-known opportunistic pathogen that causes invasive aspergillosis (IA) infections with high mortality in immunosuppressed individuals. Morphogenesis, including hyphal growth, conidiation, and cell wall biosynthesis is crucial in A. fumigatus pathogenesis. Based on a previous random insertional mutagenesis library, we identified the putative polysaccharide synthase gene Afcps1 and its paralog Afcps2. Homologs of the cps gene are commonly found in the genomes of most fungal and some bacterial pathogens. Afcps1/cpsA is important in sporulation, cell wall composition, and virulence. However, the precise regulation patterns of cell wall integrity by Afcps1/cpsA and further effects on the immune response are poorly understood. Specifically, our in-depth study revealed that Afcps1 affects cell-wall stability, showing an increased resistance of ΔAfcps1 to the chitinmicrofibril destabilizing compound calcofluor white (CFW) and susceptibility of ΔAfcps1 to the β-(1,3)-glucan synthase inhibitor echinocandin caspofungin (CS). Additionally, deletion of Afcps2 had a normal sporulation phenotype but caused hypersensitivity to Na+ stress, CFW, and Congo red (CR). Specifically, quantitative analysis of cell wall composition using high-performance anion exchange chromatography- pulsed amperometric detector (HPAEC-PAD) analysis revealed that depletion of Afcps1 reduced cell wall glucan and chitin contents, which was consistent with the downregulation of expression of the corresponding biosynthesis genes. Moreover, an elevated immune response stimulated by conidia of the ΔAfcps1 mutant in marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) during phagocytosis was observed. Thus, our study provided new insights into the function of polysaccharide synthase Cps1, which is necessary for the maintenance of cell wall stability and the adaptation of conidia to the immune response of macrophages in A. fumigatus.

Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Data of the Chinese Medicinal Fungus Cordyceps liangshanensis Reveal Its New Systematic Position in the Family Ophiocordycipitaceae

( Yao Wang ),( Yong-dong Dai ),( Zhong-lin Yang ),( Rui Guo ),( Yuan-bing Wang ),( Zhu L. Yang ),( Lei Ding ),( Hong Yu ) 한국균학회 2021 Mycobiology Vol.49 No.4

A cordycipitoid fungus infecting Hepialidae sp. in Nepal was supposed to be identical to Cordyceps liangshanensis, originally described from southwestern China, and thus, transferred to the genus Metacordyceps or Papiliomyces in previous studies. However, our multi-gene (nrSSU-nrLSU-tef-1a-rpb1-rpb2) phylogenetic and morphological studies based on the type specimen and additional collections of C. liangshanensis revealed that the fungus belongs to the genus Ophiocordyceps (Ophiocordycipitaceae). Therefore, a new combination O. liangshanensis was made, and a detailed description of this species was provided.