• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 2022

The cohesive non-swelling soil (CNS) cushion technology has been widely applied in the subgrade and slope improvement at expansive soil regions. However, the mechanism of the inhibition effect of the CNS layer on expansive soil (ES) has not been fully understood. We performed four outdoor model tests to further understand the inhibition effect, including different kinds of upper layer and thickness, under the unidirectional seepage condition. The swelling deformation, soil pressure, and electrical resistivity were constantly monitored during the saturation process. It is found that when a CNS layer covered the ES layer, the swelling deformation and electrical resistivity of the ES layer decreased significantly, especially the upper part. The inhibition effect of the CNS layer increases with the increase of CNS thickness. The distribution of vertical and lateral soil pressure also changed with the covering of a CNS layer. The electrical resistivity can be an effective index to describe the swelling deformation of ES layer and analyze the inhibition effect of the CNS layer. Overall, the CNS deadweight and the ion migration are the major factors that inhibit the swelling deformation of expansive soil.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.470-477
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• 2022

Background: Upfront surgery followed by systemic treatment is recommended to treat clinical stage I-IIA small cell lung cancer (SCLC), but data on the clinical outcomes are sparse. Thus, this study evaluated the stage migration and long-term prognosis of surgically treated clinical stage I-IIA SCLC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 49 patients with clinical stage I-IIA SCLC who underwent upfront surgery between 2000 and 2020. Additionally, we re-evaluated the TNM (tumor-node-metastasis) staging according to the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for lung cancer. Results: The clinical stages of SCLC were cIA in 75.5%, cIB in 18.4%, and cIIA in 6.1% of patients. A preoperative histologic diagnosis was made in 65.3% of patients. Lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection were performed in 77.6% and 83.7% of patients, respectively. The pathological stages were pI in 67.3%, pII in 24.5%, pIII in 4.1%, and pIV in 4.1% of patients. The concordance rate between clinical and pathological stages was 44.9%, and the upstaging rate was 49.0%. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 67.8%. No significant difference in OS was found between stages pI and pII. However, the OS for stages pIII/IV was significantly worse than for stages pI/II (p<0.001). Conclusion: In clinical stage I-IIA SCLC, approximately half of the patients were pathologically upstaged, and OS was favorable after upfront surgery, particularly in pI/II patients. The poor prognosis of pIII/IV patients indicates the necessity of intensive preoperative pathologic mediastinal staging.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.613-624
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• 2022

A study of the evolution of overburden fractures under the solid-fluid coupling state was conducted based on the geological and mining characteristics of the coal seam depth, weak strata cementation, and high-intensity mining in the mining areas of West China. These mining characteristics are key to achieving water conservation during mining or establishing groundwater reservoirs in coal mines. Based on the engineering background of the Daliuta Coal Mine, a non-hydrophilic simulation material suitable for simulating the weakly cemented rock masses in this area was developed, and a physical simulation test was carried out using a water-sand gushing test system. The study explored the spatial distribution and dynamic evolution of the fractured zone in the mining overburden under the coupling of stress and seepage. The experimental results show that the mining overburden can be vertically divided into the overall migration zone, the fracture extension zone and the collapse zone; additionally, in the horizontal direction, the mining overburden can be divided into the primary fracture zone, periodic fracture zone, and stop-fracture zone. The scope of groundwater flow in the overburden gradually expands with the mining of coal seams. When a stable water inrush channel is formed, other areas no longer generate new channels, and the unstable water inrush channels gradually close. Finally, the primary fracture area becomes the main water inrush channel for coal mines. The numerical simulation results indicate that the overlying rock breaking above the middle of the mined-out area allows the formation of the water-conducting channel. The water body will flow into the fracture extension zone with the shortest path, resulting in the occurrence of water bursting accidents in the mining face. The experimental research results provide a theoretical basis for the implementation of water conservation mining or the establishment of groundwater reservoirs in western mining areas, and this theoretical basis has considerable application and promotion value.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.418-426
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• 2022

Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy is one of the promising anticancer treatments. It shows a high overall response rate with complete response to blood cancer. However, there is a limitation to solid tumor treatment. Additionally, this currently approved therapy exhibits side effects such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. Alternatively, bispecific antibody is an innovative therapeutic tool that simultaneously engages specific immune cells to disease-related target cells. Since programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an immune checkpoint molecule highly expressed in some cancer cells, in the current study, we generated αCD3xαPD-L1 bispecific antibody (BiTE) which can engage T cells to PD-L1⁺ cancer cells. We observed that the BiTE-bound OT-1 T cells effectively killed cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. They substantially increased the recruitment of effector memory CD8⁺ T cells having CD8⁺CD44⁺CD62L^low phenotype in tumor. Interestingly, we also observed that BiTE-bound polyclonal T cells showed highly efficacious tumor killing activity in vivo in comparison with the direct intravenous treatment of bispecific antibody, suggesting that PD-L1-directed migration and engagement of activated T cells might increase cancer cell killing. Additionally, BiTE-bound CAR-T cells which targets human Her-2/neu exhibited enhanced killing effect on Her-2-expressing cancer cells in vivo, suggesting that this could be a novel therapeutic regimen. Collectively, our results suggested that engaging activated T cells with cancer cells using αCD3xαPD-L1 BiTE could be an innovative next generation anticancer therapy which exerts simultaneous inhibitory functions on PD-L1 as well as increasing the infiltration of activated T cells having effector memory phenotype in tumor site.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.219-226
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• 2023

Furanocoumarin 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) is the parent compound that naturally occurs in traditional medicinal plants used historically. 8-MOP has been employed as a photochemotherapeutic component of Psoralen + Ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy for the treatment of vitiligo and psoriasis. Although the role of 8-MOP in PUVA therapy has been studied, little is known about the effects of 8-MOP alone on human gastric cancer cells. In this study, we observed anti-proliferative effect of 8-MOP in several human cancer cell lines. Among these, the human gastric cancer cell line SNU1 is the most sensitive to 8-MOP. 8-MOP treated SNU1 cells showed G1-arrest by upregulating p53 and apoptosis by activating caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner, which was confirmed by loss-of-function analysis through the knockdown of p53-siRNA and inhibition of apoptosis by Z-VAD-FMK. Moreover, 8-MOP-induced apoptosis is not associated with autophagy or necrosis. The signaling pathway responsible for the effect of 8-MOP on SNU1 cells was confirmed to be related to phosphorylated PI3K, ERK2, and STAT3. In contrast, 8-MOP treatment decreased the expression of the typical metastasis-related proteins MMP-2, MMP-9, and Snail in a p53-independent manner. In accordance with the serendipitous findings, treatment with 8-MOP decreased the wound healing, migration, and invasion ability of cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, combination treatment with 8-MOP and gemcitabine was effective at the lowest concentrations. Overall, our findings indicate that oral 8-MOP has the potential to treat early human gastric cancer, with fewer side effects.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.640-647
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• 2023

The skin, the largest organ in the body, undergoes age-related changes influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The primary external factor is photoaging which causes hyperpigmentation, uneven skin surface, deep wrinkles, and markedly enlarged capillaries. In the human dermis, it decreases fibroblast function, resulting in a lack of collagen structure and also decreases keratinocyte function, which compromises the strength of the protective barrier. In this study, we found that treatment with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) had no toxicity to skin fibroblasts and GABA enhanced their migration ability, which can accelerate skin wound healing. UVB radiation was found to significantly induce the production of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), but treatment with GABA resulted in the inhibition of MMP-1 production. We also investigated the enhancement of filaggrin and aquaporin 3 in keratinocytes after treatment with GABA, showing that GABA can effectively improve skin moisturization. In vivo experiments showed that oral administration of GABA significantly improved skin wrinkles and epidermal thickness. After the intake of GABA, there was a significant decrease observed in the increase of skin thickness measured by calipers and erythema. Additionally, the decrease in skin moisture and elasticity in hairless mice exposed to UVB radiation was also significantly restored. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of GABA as functional food material for improving skin aging and moisturizing.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.547-554
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to identify the relationship between bovine brucellosis prevalence, farmers' knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP), and social factors on migratory draft cattle and smallholder dairy farms in the central dry zone of Myanmar. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 migratory and 38 dairy cattle farms between August 2020 and February 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to identify farmers' behaviors. Bulk milk was sampled and tested using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA). STATA 17 was used for all the analyses. Results: Migratory cattle farms had a higher farm level brucellosis prevalence (14.8%) than dairy farms (2.6%; χ² = 3.75; df = 1; p = 0.05). Only 2.8% of the farmers had knowledge about brucellosis, while 39.1% and 41.6% had attitudes and farm practices with respect to brucellosis, respectively in the study area. Socio-economic attribute of training in animal husbandry (p<0.01), raising system (p<0.01), practice of separating the aborted cow (p<0.01) were negatively associated to brucellosis. The overall farm level brucellosis prevalence was strongly associated with cattle herd size (p = 0.01), free movement grazing practices (p<0.01), practice of self-removal of placental debris without using personal protective equipment (p<0.01) and farmers' attitudes towards eating cow placenta debris (p<0.01). Conclusion: Farmers had little knowledge of brucellosis. Attitudes and practices differed significantly between migratory and dairy farmers. Training and extension programs are necessary to make farmers aware of their KAP situation since livestock migration and the custom of eating cow placental debris contribute to the spread of brucellosis. Persistent efforts are required to reduce the adverse effects of brucellosis. Therefore, the study suggests that a feasible control intervention and public awareness campaigns need to be conducted regarding methods of preventing human exposure to brucellosis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.14.1-14.26
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• 2024

The inflammatory response during cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) involves immune and non-immune cell cooperation to contain and eliminate Leishmania parasites. The orchestration of these responses is coordinated primarily by CD4⁺ T cells; however, the disease outcome depends on the Th cell predominant phenotype. Although Th1 and Th2 phenotypes are the most addressed as steers for the resolution or perpetuation of the disease, Th17 cell activities, especially IL-17 release, are recognized to be vital during CL development. Th17 cells perform vital functions during both acute and chronic phases of CL. Overall, Th17 cells induce the migration of phagocytes (neutrophils, macrophages) to the infection site and CD8⁺ T cells and NK cell activation. They also provoke granzyme and perforin secretion from CD8⁺ T cells, macrophage differentiation towards an M2 phenotype, and expansion of B and Treg cells. Likewise, immune cells from the inflammatory infiltrate have modulatory activities over Th17 cells involving their differentiation from naive CD4⁺ T cells and further expansion by generating a microenvironment rich in optimal cytokines such as IL-1β, TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-21. Th17 cell activities and synergies are crucial for the resistance of the infection during the early and acute stages; however, if unchecked, Th17 cells might lead to a chronic stage. This review discusses the synergies between Th17 cells and the inflammatory infiltrate and how these interactions might destine the course of CL.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.19
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• 2021

Macrophages are important for the first line of defense against microbial pathogens. Integrin CD11b, which is encoded by Itgam, is expressed on the surface of macrophages and has been implicated in adhesion, migration, and cell-mediated cytotoxicity. However, the functional impact of CD11b on the inflammatory responses of macrophages upon microbial infection remains unclear. Here, we show that CD11b deficiency resulted in increased susceptibility to sepsis induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection by enhancing the pro-inflammatory activities of macrophages. Upon infection with MRSA, the mortality of Itgam knockout mice was significantly higher than that of control mice, which is associated with increased production of TNF-α and IL-6. In response to MRSA, both bone marrow-derived macrophages and peritoneal macrophages lacking CD11b produced elevated amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide. Moreover, CD11b deficiency upregulated IL-4-induced expression of anti-inflammatory mediators such as IL-10 and arginase-1, and an immunomodulatory function of macrophages to restrain T cell activation. Biochemical and confocal microscopy data revealed that CD11b deficiency augmented the activation of NF-κB signaling and phosphorylation of Akt, which promotes the functional activation of macrophages with pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory phenotypes, respectively. Overall, our experimental evidence suggests that CD11b is a critical modulator of macrophages in response to microbial infection.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.303-343
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• 2024

Globalization and the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the post-pandemic context continue to play a critical role in shaping the workforce of emerging countries. In Vietnam, evidence obtained during the pandemic revealed that the well-being of employees, especially migrant workers, was extremely poor due to both work and non-work factors. This paper examines the most significant factors that impact the well-being of workers employed by various FDI companies in two Vietnamese industrial parks. The survey evidence (n=200) shows that worker well-being is influenced by seven key factors categorized in three dimensions, namely material stressors, social stressors, and human stressors. A further qualitative analysis of 60 participants provides an understanding of the ways in which each factor affects workers' well-being and how elements of well-being in the Vietnamese context are different compared with other countries. Low salaries, lack of social support, work-life imbalance due to job demands, and the interplay between these three determinants significantly affect the overall well-being of workers. In the current business climate, it is important to have well-targeted policies that encourage high-tech investments as well as persuade domestic firms to address low salaries and economic migration. To manage valuable human resources and keep competitive advantages, foreign firms need to authentically implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives focusing on workers' benefits, especially providing workforce housing. This will bring about win-win outcomes of improved employee well-being and business sustainability.