• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2018

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced macrophage foam cell formation and apoptosis play critical roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx) is an antioxidant that potently protects various cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death. However, the protective effect of Trx on ox-LDL-induced macrophage foam cell formation and apoptosis has not been studied. This study aims to investigate the effect of recombinant human Trx (rhTrx) on ox-LDL-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and elucidate the possible mechanisms. RhTrx significantly inhibited ox-LDL-induced cholesterol accumulation and apoptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages. RhTrx also suppressed the ox-LDL-induced overproduction of lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor (LOX-1), Bax and activated caspase-3, but it increased the expression of Bcl-2. In addition, rhTrx markedly inhibited the ox-LDL-induced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Furthermore, anisomycin (a p38 MAPK activator) abolished the protective effect of rhTrx on ox-LDL-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, and SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) exerted a similar effect as rhTrx. Collectively, these findings indicate that rhTrx suppresses ox-LDL-stimulated foam cell formation and macrophage apoptosis by inhibiting ROS generation, p38 MAPK activation and LOX-1 expression. Therefore, we propose that rhTrx has therapeutic potential in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.2889-2894
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• 2013

A new complex [$Ni(phen)(C_9H_8Br_2NO_3)_2{\cdot}2CH_3OH{\cdot}2H_2O$] [phen: 1,10-phenanthroline $C_9H_8Br_2NO_3$: 3,5-dibromo-L-tyrosine] was synthesized and characterized by IR, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. X-ray crystallography shows that Ni(II) ion is six-coordinated. The Ni(II) ion coordinates with four nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms from three ligands, forming a mononuclear Ni(II) complex. The crystal crystallizes in the Orthorhombic system, space group $P2_12_12$ with a = 12.9546 ${\AA}$, b = 14.9822 ${\AA}$, c = 9.9705 ${\AA}$, V = 1935.2 ${\AA}$, Z = 1, F(000) = 1008, S = 0.969, ${\rho}_{calcd}=1.742g{\cdot}cm^{-3}$, ${\mu}=4.688mm^{-1}$, $R_1$ = 0.0529 and $wR_2$ = 0.0738 for 3424 observed reflections (I > $2{\sigma}(I)$). Theoretical study of the title complex was carried out by density functional theory (DFT) method and the B3LYP method employing the $6-3l+G^*$ basis set. The energy gap between HOMO and LUMO indicates that this complex is prone to interact with DNA. CCDC: 908041.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.976-980
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• 2010

A series of arylacetylene resins with siloxane units were synthesized by the condensation reactions of m-diethynylbenzene magnesium reagents with various $\alpha,\omega$-bis(chloro)dimethylsiloxanes. These resins are liquids and are miscible with common organic solvents at room temperature. The structures of the resins were characterized by FT-IR, $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR, $^{29}Si$ NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The thermal behaviors of the resins were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These resins have good processability. They can be thermally cross-linked through the ethynyl groups to produce cured resins. The thermal and thermooxidative stabilities of the cured resins were studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The cured resins possess high thermal and thermooxidative stability. Their decomposition occurs at above $500^{\circ}C$ in both $N_2$ and air. With increasing the length of siloxane units in the resins, the thermal stability of the cured resins decreases in $N_2$. When the cured resins were sintered above $1450^{\circ}C$ under argon, hard and glassy SiOC ceramics were obtained. These SiOC ceramics have the decomposition temperatures at 5% weight loss above $800^{\circ}C$ in air.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2017

Soybean agglutinin (SBA) is an anti-nutritional factor of soybean, affecting cell proliferation and inducing cytotoxicity. Integrins are transmembrane receptors, mediating a variety of cell biological processes. This research aims to study the effects of SBA on cell proliferation and cell cycle progression of the intestinal epithelial cell line from piglets (IPEC-J2), to identify the integrin subunits especially expressed in IPEC-J2s, and to analyze the functions of these integrins on IPEC-J2 cell cycle progression and SBA-induced IPEC-J2 cell cycle alteration. The results showed that SBA lowered cell proliferation rate as the cell cycle progression from G0/G1 to S phase (P < 0.05) was inhibited. Moreover, SBA lowered mRNA expression of cell cycle-related gene CDK4, Cyclin E and Cyclin D1 (P < 0.05). We successfully identified integrins ${\alpha}2$, ${\alpha}3$, ${\alpha}6$, ${\beta}1$, and ${\beta}4$ in IPEC-J2s. These five subunits were crucial to maintain normal cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in IPEC-J2s. Restrain of either these five subunits by their inhibitors, lowered cell proliferation rate, and arrested the cells at G0/G1 phase of cell cycle (P < 0.05). Further analysis indicated that integrin ${\alpha}2$, ${\alpha}6$, and ${\beta}1$ were involved in the blocking of G0/G1 phase induced by SBA. In conclusion, these results suggested that SBA lowered the IPEC-J2 cell proliferation rate through the perturbation of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, integrins were important for IPEC-J2 cell cycle progression, and they were involved in the process of SBA-induced cell cycle progression alteration, which provide a basis for further revealing SBA anti-proliferation and anti-nutritional mechanism.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.276-284
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• 2021

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether a dietary vitamin E (VE) supplement could alleviate any detrimental effects of aged corn on lipid metabolism and antioxidant status in laying hens. Methods: The experiment consisted of a 2×3 factorial design with two corn types (normal corn and aged corn (stored for 4 yr) and three concentrations of VE (0, 20, and 100 IU/kg). A total of 216 Lohmann laying hens (50 wk of age) were randomly allocated into six treatment diets for 12 wk. Each treatment had 6 replicates of 6 hens per replicate. Results: The results show that aged corn significantly decreased the content of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p<0.05), and reduced chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1) mRNA expression (p<0.05) in the liver compared to controls. Diet with VE did not alter the content of crude fat and cholesterol (p>0.05), or acetyl-CoA carboxylase, lipoprotein lipase, fatty acid synthase or CMKLR1 mRNA expression (p>0.05) in the liver among treatment groups. Aged corn significantly increased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p<0.05) and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (p<0.05) in the liver. The VE increased the content of MDA (p<0.05) but decreased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in serum (p<0.01) and in the ovaries (p<0.05). Adding VE at 20 and 100 IU/kg significantly increased GSH-Px activity (p<0.05) in liver and in serum (p<0.01), 100 IU/kg VE significantly increased SOD activity (p<0.05) in serum. Aged corn had no significant effects on GSH-Px mRNA or SOD mRNA expression (p<0.01) in the liver and ovaries. Addition of 100 IU/kg VE could significantly increase SOD mRNA expression (p<0.01) in the liver and ovary. Conclusion: Aged corn affected lipid metabolism and decreased the antioxidant function of laying hens. Dietary VE supplementation was unable to counteract the negative effects of aged corn on lipid metabolism. However, addition of 100 IU/kg VE prevented aged corninduced lipid peroxidation in the organs of laying hens.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.144-155
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• 2023

Objective: Adipocyte differentiation is regulated by a variety of functional genes and noncoding RNAs. However, the role of miRNAs in lipid deposition of goat white adipose tissue is still unclear. Therefore, this study revealed the miRNA expression profile in goat subcutaneous adipocytes by sRNA-seq. Methods: The miRNA expressed in goat subcutaneous preadipocytes and the mature adipocytes were sequenced by sRNA-seq. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DEm) were screened and gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia for genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function combined with oil red O staining, Bodipy staining, and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were utilized to determine the effect of miR-133a-3p on adipocyte differentiation. Results: A total of 218 DEm were screened out. The target genes of these DEm were significantly enriched in GO items such as biological regulation and in KEGG terms such as FAK signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. qPCR verified that the expression trend of miRNA was consistent with miRNA-seq. The gain-of-function or loss-of-function of miR-133a-3p showed that it promoted or inhibited the accumulation of lipid droplets, and CCAAT enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) and C/EBPβ were extremely significantly up-regulated or down-regulated respectively (p<0.01), the loss-of-function also led to a significant down-regulation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) (p<0.01). Conclusion: This study successfully identified miRNAs expression patterns in goat subcutaneous adipocytes, and functional identification indicates that miR-133a-3p is a positive regulator of the differentiation process of goat subcutaneous adipocytes. Our results lay the foundation for the molecular mechanism of lipid deposition in meat-source goats from the perspective of miRNA.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2773-2784
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• 2023

It is essential to evaluate the blasting-enhanced permeability (BEP) feasibility of a low-permeability sandstone-type uranium deposit. In this work, the mineral composition, reservoir physical properties and rock mechanical properties of samples from sandstone-type uranium deposits were first measured. Then, the reformability evaluation method was established by the analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight method (AHP-EWM) and the fuzzy mathematics method. Finally, evaluation results were verified by the split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) experiment and permeability test. Results show that medium sandstone, argillaceous sandstone and siltstone exhibit excellent reformability, followed by coarse sandstone and fine sandstone, while the reformability of sandy mudstone is poor and is not able to accept BEP reservoir stimulation. The permeability improvement and the distribution of damage fractures before and after the SHPB experiment confirm the correctness of evaluation results. This research provides a reformability evaluation method for the BEP of the low-permeability sandstone-type uranium deposit, which contributes to the selection of the appropriate regional and stratigraphic horizon of the BEP and the enhanced ISL of the low-permeability sandstone-type uranium deposit.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.4274-4281
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• 2023

Blanket is of vital importance for engineering application of the fusion reactor. Nuclear heat deposition in materials is the main heat source in blanket structure. In this paper, the three-dimensional method for thermal-hydraulics/neutronics coupling analysis is developed and applied for the full-scale module of the helium-cooled ceramic breeder tritium breeding blanket (HCCB TBB) designed for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The explicit coupling scheme is used to support data transfer for coupling analysis based on cell-to-cell mapping method. The coupling algorithm is realized by the user-defined function compiled in Fluent. The three-dimensional model is established, and then the coupling analysis is performed using the paralleled Coupling Analysis of Thermal-hydraulics and Neutronics Interface Code (CATNIC). The results reveal the relatively small influence of the coupling analysis compared to the traditional method using the radial fitting function of internal heat source. However, the coupling analysis method is quite important considering the nonuniform distribution of the neutron wall loading (NWL) along the poloidal direction. Finally, the structure optimization of the blanket is carried out using the coupling method to satisfy the thermal requirement of all materials. The nonlinear effect between thermal-hydraulics and neutronics is found during the blanket structure optimization, and the tritium production performance is slightly reduced after optimization. Such an adverse effect should be thoroughly evaluated in the future work.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.445-450
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• 2014

Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is frequently highly expressed in tumor cells, contributing to the acquisition of several phenotypic cancer hallmarks. GRP78 expression is also positively correlated with tumor metastasis, and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell invasion via increasing cell motility, however, other mechanisms involving the prometastatic roles of GRP78 remain to be elucidated. Here we report that forced GRP78 expression promotes colon cancer cell migration and invasion through upregulating MMP-2, MMP-9 and especially uPA production. These effects of GRP78 are mediated by enhancing the activation of ${\beta}$-catenin signaling. Interestingly, we identify that GRP78 interacts with uPA both in the cells and in the culture medium, suggesting that GRP78 protein is likely to directly facilitate uPA secretion via protein-protein interaction. Taken together, our findings demonstrate for the first time that besides stimulation of cell motility, GRP78 can act by increasing proteases production to promote tumor cell invasion.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.1033-1037
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• 2008

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of chromium picolinate (CrPic) on growth hormone (GH) secretion and pituitary GH mRNA expression in finishing pigs. Forty eight crossbred pigs with an initial body weight of 65.57 kg (SD = 1.05) were blocked by body weight and randomly assigned to two treatments with three replicates. Each group was fed the diet supplemented with or without $200{\mu}g/kg$ chromium from CrPic for 40 days. The results showed that average daily gain of pigs was increased by 9.84% (p<0.05), and longissimus muscle area was increased by 17.29% (p<0.05) with the supplementation of CrPic. The results of GH dynamic secretion showed that supplemental CrPic increased the mean level and peak value of GH by 36.58% (p<0.05) and 26.60% (p<0.05), respectively, while there was no significant effect on basal value, peak amplitude and peak duration. Pituitary mRNA expression of GH was not significantly influenced by supplemental CrPic. These results indicated that CrPic increased pigs GH secretion without change of pituitary GH mRNA expression.