• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.730-735
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• 2012

p13 gene was first described in Leucania separata multinuclear polyhedrosis virus (Ls-p13) several years ago, but the function of P13 protein has not been experimentally investigated to date. In this article, we indicated that the expression of p13 from Heliothis armigera single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (Ha-p13) was regulated by both early and late promoter. Luciferase assay demonstrated that the activity of Ha-p13 promoter with hr4 enhancer was more than 100 times in heterologous Sf9 cells than that in nature host Hz-AM1 cells. Both Ls-P13 and Ha-P13 are transmembrane proteins. Confocal microscopic analysis showed that both mainly located in the cytoplasm membrane at 48 h. Results of RNA interference indicated that Ha-p13 was a killing-associated gene for host insects H. armigera. The AcMNPV acquired the mentioned killing activity and markedly accelerate the killing rate when expressing Ls-p13. In conclusion, p13 is a killing associated gene in both homologous and heterologous nucleopolyhedrovirus.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4271-4274
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• 2014

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key step during embryonic morphogenesis and plays an important role in drug resistance and metastasis in diverse solid tumors. We previously reported that 48 h treatment of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin could induce EMT in human gastric cancer BGC-823 cells. However, the long term effects of this transient drug treatment were unknown. In this study we found that after 48 h treatment with $0.1{\mu}g/ml$ doxorubicin, most cells died during next week, while a minor population of cells survived and formed colonies. We propagated the surviving cells in drug free medium and found that these long term cultured drug survival cells (abbreviated as ltDSCs) retained a mesenchymal-like cell morphology, and expressed high levels of EMT-related molecules such as vimentin, twist and ${\beta}$-catenin. The expression of chromatin reprogramming factors, Oct4 and c-myc, were also higher in ltDSCs than parental cells. We further demonstrated that the protein level of p300 was upregulated in ltDSCs, and inhibition of p300 by siRNA suppressed the expression of vimentin. Moreover, the ltDSCs had higher colony forming ability and were more drug resistant when compared to parental cells. Our results suggested that an epigenetic mechanism is involved in the EMT of ltDSCs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6737-6743
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• 2014

It is reported that sinomenine (SIN) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) both are effective for colon cancer, but their cooperative suppressive effects and toxicity remain to be clarified in detail. This study aimed to determine suppressive effects and toxicity of sinomenine (SIN) plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on LoVo colon carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. CCK-8, Hoechst 33258 staining and an annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis kit were used to detect suppressive effects. Western blotting was applied to investigate the essential mechanism underlying SIN and 5-FU-induced apoptosis. SIN or 5-FU or both were injected into nude mice, and then suppressive effects and side effects were observed. SIN plus 5-FU apparently inhibited the proliferation of LoVo cells and induced apoptosis. Moreover the united effects were stronger than individually (p<0.05). The results of annexin V-FITC/PI staining and Hoechst 33258 staining showed that the percentage of apoptotic cells induced by SIN and 5-FU combined or alone was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). Expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was up-regulated and down-regulated respectively. SIN or 5-FU significantly inhibited effects on the volume of tumour xenografts and their combined suppressive effects were stronger (p<0.05). No obvious side effects were observed. It was apparent that the united effects of SIN and 5-FU on the growth of colorectal carcinoma LoVo cells in vitro and in vivo were superior to those using them individually, and it did not markedly increase the side effects of chemotherapy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1784-1793
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• 2015

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of tributyrin (TB) on the growth performance, pro-inflammatory cytokines, intestinal morphology, energy status, disaccharidase activity, and antioxidative capacity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A total of 160 one-day-old Cobb broilers were allocated to 1 of 4 treatments, with 4 replicated pens per treatment and 10 birds per pen. The experiment consisted of a $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangements of treatments with TB supplementation (0 or 500 mg/kg) and LPS challenge (0 or $500{\mu}g/kg$ body weight [BW]). On days 22, 24, and 26 of the trial, broilers received an intraperitoneal administration of $500{\mu}g/kg$ BW LPS or saline. Dietary TB showed no effect on growth performance. However, LPS challenge decreased the average daily gain of broilers from day 22 to day 26 of the trial. Dietary TB supplementation inhibited the increase of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (in the jejunum and ileum), interleukin-6 (in the duodenum and jejunum), and prostaglandin $E_2$ (in the duodenum) of LPS-challenged broilers. Similar inhibitory effects of TB in the activities of total nitric oxide synthase (in the ileum) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (in the jejunum) were also observed in birds challenged with LPS. Additionally, TB supplementation mitigated the decrease of ileal adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate and total adenine nucleotide and the reduction of jejunal catalase activity induced by LPS. Taken together, these results suggest that the TB supplementation was able to reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and improve the energy status and anti-oxidative capacity in the small intestine of LPS-challenged broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.750-756
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• 2010

Two trials were conducted to study the effects of two Chinese herbal polysaccharides, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) and Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS), and one Chinese herbal saponin, Acantbepanax senticosus saponin (ASS), on the immunity and growth performance of weaned pigs. Experiment 1 was a 14-day growth assay, in which 32 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; ii) 0.05% APS; iii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight; and iv) 0.05% mixture of APS, ASS, and ABPS in a ratio of 1:1:1 by weight. Blood samples were collected on day 14 to determine plasma parameters. Feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency were also determined. Experiment 2 was a 21-day immunity assay, in which 16 weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of two dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; and ii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight. On day 21, pigs were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 3 h later blood samples were collected and analyzed for lymphocyte proliferation as well as interleukin 6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol levels. In Experiment 1, feeding Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin increased growth performance of the pigs. The effects of the mixture of APS and ASS were especially notable, as there was a significant improvement in growth performance compared with the control (p<0.05). The plasma concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG), nitric oxide (NO), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were increased in all treatments groups, with the mixture of APS and ASS increasing the level of IgG and NOS significantly (p<0.05), compared with the control. There was no difference in the NO level between the control and treatment groups (p>0.05). In Experiment 2, Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin showed immunostimulating effects. The level of cortisol, GH, and IGF-I were significantly increased (p>0.05), and the level of IL-6 showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the APS and ASS treatment after the LPS challenge. The mixture of APS and ASS could stimulate the blood lymphocyte proliferation significantly whether the LPS was injected or not (p<0.05). These results show that Chinese herbal extracts can improve growth performance and stimulate immunity of weaned pigs. A mixture of APS and ASS, compared with APS alone, could be a new kind of immunostimulant for weaned pigs, which could result in greater positive effects on their growth performance and immunity.

• Journal of Korean Vacuum Science & Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.84-87
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• 2002

The Si$_{1-x}$ Gex/Si surface alloy (x = 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5), which are prepared by solid source MBE and have the SiGe epilayer thickness of 50$\AA$, are annealed with different parameters. The surface structure analyses of the heterostructure samples are made on a triple-axis X-ray diffractometer in grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) geometry. It has been found that with different annealing time (1.5h, 18h, 64h) and annealing temperature (550 $^{\circ}C$, 750 $^{\circ}C$), the SiGe epilayer experienced different strain relaxation process, which was deduced from the GIXRD measurements of the in-plane (220) diffraction peak of Si(001) substrate and the relevant (220) surface diffraction of SiGe epilayer. The results show that the stress relieving and the lateral strain relaxation in the SiGe/Si heterostructure can be promoted by correct annealing, which is very helpful for the preparation of SiGe/Si strained superlattice with fine strain crystallization..

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.481-492
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• 2020

Twenty-two corrosion-damaged columns were simulated through accelerated steel corrosion tests. Eight specimens were directly tested to failure under axial load, and the remaining specimens were tested after concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) strengthening. This study aimed to investigate the damage of RC columns after corrosion and their restoration and enhancement after strengthening. The research parameters included different corrosion degrees of RC columns, diameter-to-thickness ratio of steel tube and the strengthening concrete strength. Experimental results showed that CFST strengthening method could change the failure mode of corrosion-damaged RC columns from brittleness to ductility. In addition to the bearing capacity provided by the strengthening materials, it can also provide an extra 26.7% amplification because of the effective confinement provided by steel tubes. The influence of corrosion on reinforcement and concrete was quantitatively analysed and considered in the design formula. The proposed formula accurately predicted the bearing capacity of the strengthened columns with a maximum error of only 7.68%.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4793-4799
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• 2012

Hypoxia is commonly featured during glioma growth and plays an important role in the processes underlying tumor progression to increasing malignancy. Here we compared the gene expression profiles of rat C6 malignant glioma cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions by cDNA microarray analysis. Compared to normoxic culture conditions, 180 genes were up-regulated and 67 genes were down-regulated under hypoxia mimicked by $CoCl_2$ treatment. These differentially expressed genes were involved in mutiple biological functions including development and differentiation, immune and stress response, metabolic process, and cellular physiological response. It was found that hypoxia significantly regulated genes involved in regulation of glycolysis and cell differentiation, as well as intracellular signalling pathways related to Notch and focal adhesion, which are closely associated with tumor malignant growth. These results should facilitate investigation of the role of hypoxia in the glioma development and exploration of therapeutic targets for inhibition of glioma growth.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.833-852
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• 2015

Self-compacting Concrete Filled steel Tubes (SCFT), which combines the advantages of steel and concrete materials, can be applied to strengthen the RC columns. In order to investigate the eccentric loading behavior of the strengthened columns, this paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on them. The experimental results showed that the use of SCFT is interesting since the ductility and the bearing capacity of the RC columns are greatly improved. And the performance of strengthened columns is significantly affected by four parameters: column section type (circular and square), wall thickness of the steel tube, designed strength grade of strengthening concrete and initial eccentricity. In the numerical program, a generic fiber element model which takes in account the effect of confinement is developed to predict the behavior of the strengthened columns subjected to eccentric loading. After the fiber element analysis was verified against experimental results, a simple design formula based on the model is proposed to calculate the ultimate eccentric strength. Calibration of the calculated results against the test results shows that the design formula closely estimates the ultimate capacities of the eccentrically compressed strengthened columns by 5%.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.137-143
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• 2013

To improve annular jet pump (AJP) performance, new ways named constant rate of velocity/pressure change method (CRVC/CRPC) were adopted to design its diffuser. The design formulas were derived according to the assumption of linear velocity/pressure variation in the diffuser. Based on the two-dimensional numerical simulations, the effect of the diffuser profile and the included angle on the pump performance and the internal flow details has been analyzed. The predicted results of the RNG k-epsilon turbulence model show a better agreement with the experiment data than that of the standard and the realizable k-epsilon turbulence models. The AJP with the CRPC diffuser produces a linear pressure increase in the CRPC diffuser as expected. The AJP with CRPC/CRVC diffuser has better performance when the diffuser included angle is greater or the diffuser length is shorter. Therefore, the AJP with CRPC/CRVC diffuser is suitable for applications requiring space limitation and weight restriction.