22 results on '"Huitao Zhang"'
Search Results
2. A spider mating plug functions to protect sperm.
- Author
-
He Jiang, Yongjia Zhan, Qingqing Wu, Huitao Zhang, Matjaž Kuntner, and Lihong Tu
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Mating plugs in animals are ubiquitous and are commonly interpreted to be products of mating strategies. In spiders, however, mating plugs may also take on functions beyond female remating prevention. Due to the vagaries of female genital (spermathecal) anatomy, most spiders face the problem of having to secure additional, non-anatomical, protection for transferred sperm. Here, we test the hypothesis that mating plugs, rather than (or in addition to) being adaptations for mating strategies, may serve as sperm protection mechanism. Based on a comparative study on 411 epigyna sampled from 36 families, 187 genera, 330 species of entelegyne spiders, our results confirm the necessity of a sperm protection mechanism. We divided the entelegyne spermathecae into four types: SEG, SED, SCG and SCD. We also studied detailed morphology of epigynal tracts in the spider Diphya wulingensis having the SEG type spermathecae, using 3D-reconstruction based on semi thin histological series section. In this species, we hypothesize that two distinct types of mating plug, the sperm plug and the secretion plug, serve different functions. Morphological details support this: sperm plugs are formed on a modified spermathecal wall by the spilled sperm, and function as a temporary protection mechanism to prevent sperm from leaking and desiccating, while secretion plugs function in postcopulation both as a permanent protection mechanism, and to prevent additional mating. Furthermore, with the modified spermathecal wall of S2 stalk, the problem of shunt of sperm input and output, and the possibility of female multiple mating have been resolved. Variation in spermathecal morphology also suggests that the problem of sperm protection might be resolved in different ways in spiders. Considering mating plugs of varying shapes and origins in the vast morphospace of spiders, we conclude that mating plugs might serve different purposes that relate both to mating strategies, as well as to sperm protection.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. A method for material decomposition and quantification with grating based phase CT.
- Author
-
Shiwo Deng, Yining Zhu, Huitao Zhang, Qian Wang, Peiping Zhu, Kai Zhang, and Peng Zhang
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Material decomposition (MD) is an important application of computer tomography (CT). For phase contrast imaging, conventional MD methods are categorized into two types with respect to different operation sequences, i.e., "before" or "after" image reconstruction. Both categories come down to two-step methods, which have the problem of noise amplification. In this study, we incorporate both phase and absorption (PA) information into MD process, and correspondingly develop a simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART). The proposed method is referred to as phase & absorption material decomposition-SART (PAMD-SART). By iteratively solving an optimization problem, material composition and substance quantification are reconstructed directly from absorption and differential phase projections. Comparing with two-step MD, the proposed one-step method is superior in noise suppression and accurate decomposition. Numerical simulations and synchrotron radiation based experiments show that PAMD-SART outperforms the classical MD method (image-based and dual-energy CT iterative method), especially for the quantitative accuracy of material equivalent atomic number.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Comparative morphology refines the conventional model of spider reproduction.
- Author
-
Yongjia Zhan, He Jiang, Qingqing Wu, Huitao Zhang, Zishang Bai, Matjaž Kuntner, and Lihong Tu
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Our understanding of spider reproductive biology is hampered by the vast anatomical diversity and difficulties associated with its study. Although authors agree on the two general types of female spider genitalia, haplogyne (plesiomorphic) and entelegyne (apomorphic), our understanding of variation within each group mostly concerns the external genital part, while the internal connections with the reproductive duct are largely unknown. Conventionally and simplistically, the spermathecae of haplogynes have simple two-way ducts, and those of entelegynes have separate copulatory and fertilization ducts for sperm to be transferred in and out of spermathecae, respectively. Sperm is discharged from the spermathecae directly into the uterus externus (a distal extension of the oviduct), which, commonly thought as homologous in both groups, is the purported location of internal fertilization in spiders. However, the structural evolution from haplo- to entelegyny remains unresolved, and thus the precise fertilization site in entelegynes is ambiguous. We aim to clarify this anatomical problem through a widely comparative morphological study of internal female genital system in entelegynes. Our survey of 147 epigyna (121 examined species in 97 genera, 34 families) surprisingly finds no direct connection between the fertilization ducts and the uterus externus, which, based on the homology with basal-most spider lineages, is a dead-end caecum in entelegynes. Instead, fertilization ducts usually connect with a secondary uterus externus, a novel feature taking over the functional role of the plesiomorphic uterus externus. We hypothesize that the transition from haplo- to entelegyny entailed not only the emergence of the two separate duct systems (copulatory, fertilization), but also involved substantial morphological changes in the distal part of the oviduct. Thus, the common oviduct may have shifted its distal connection from the uterus externus to the secondary uterus externus, perhaps facilitating discharge of larger eggs. Our findings suggest that the conventional model of entelegyne reproduction needs redefinition.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. MALDI-MS-based biomarker analysis of extracellular vesicles from human lung carcinoma cells
- Author
-
Chao Zhao, Wei Li, Zitong Yu, Qian Luo, Renjie Zhang, Huitao Zhang, Hui Yang, and Shi Hu
- Subjects
0303 health sciences ,biology ,Cell growth ,Chemistry ,General Chemical Engineering ,010401 analytical chemistry ,S100A10 ,General Chemistry ,medicine.disease ,01 natural sciences ,RPS27A ,0104 chemical sciences ,Ribosome assembly ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cell culture ,Cancer cell ,biology.protein ,medicine ,Cancer research ,Lung cancer ,Fetal bovine serum ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are actively secreted by mammalian cells. They are increasingly recognized as promising circulating biomarkers of disease progression. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is currently one of the most powerful techniques for the rapid analysis of biological samples, especially for discovering biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. It is unclear what cell culture medium components and EV isolation methods are suitable for MALDI-TOF MS analysis. Using a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549), we investigated and optimized the critical experimental conditions for EVs' protein profiling by combining differential ultracentrifugation and MALDI-TOF MS. The results demonstrated that medium components and ultracentrifugation procedures to extract EVs played important roles in MS detection. Compared with EV-depleted serum and normal serum medium, conditioned medium with 2% fetal bovine serum in this study maintained cell proliferation and displayed significant protein profiling of EVs. RPS27A (ribosomal protein), which plays an essential role in mRNA translation and ribosome assembly for the differentiation of cancer cells, was detected from the EVs of lung cancer cells associated with cancer cell migration and invasion. We also found the known tumor diagnosis marker, which is S100A10_S100 calcium-binding protein A10. Therefore, MALDI-TOF MS-based EV analysis with optimized experimental protocols can contribute to future development of rapid screening techniques of protein biomarkers associated with early cancer diagnosis.
- Published
- 2021
6. Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on the Microbial Composition of Upper Airway
- Author
-
Changli Tu, Xiaobin Zheng, Huitao Zhang, Jing Liu, Pengfei Pang, Yingjian Liang, Zhenguo Wang, Yiming Wang, Xiaojun Hu, Hong Shan, and Zhonghe Li
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Pharmacology ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Opportunistic infection ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,030106 microbiology ,Microbial composition ,macromolecular substances ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,biology.organism_classification ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Infectious Diseases ,medicine ,Pharmacology (medical) ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Airway ,Bacteria ,Coronavirus - Abstract
Methods Forty-four COVID-19 patients (severe/critical: N = 8, non-severe: N = 36) were examined by next generation sequencing (NGS) of nasopharyngeal test paper to observe the effect of novel coronavirus infection to the microbial composition in upper airway. Results In these nasopharyngeal test paper samples, 38 kinds of bacteria, 10 kinds of viruses except SARS-CoV-2, nine kinds of fungi and three kinds of atypical pathogens had been found. There was some difference in microbial composition in the upper airway between severe and non-severe cases. Summary These results are important for us to study the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the local microbial composition of upper airway and prevent opportunistic infection in severe patients.
- Published
- 2020
7. Olmesartan Medoxomil, An Angiotensin II-Receptor Blocker, Ameliorates Renal Injury In db/db Mice
- Author
-
Ye Zhu, Ze-Liang Li, Weiping Zhu, Tongxia Cui, Huitao Zhang, Ao Ding, Hua Zhang, and Hui Yang
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Pharmacology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Kidney ,Angiotensin receptor ,business.industry ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Renal function ,medicine.disease ,Streptozotocin ,Angiotensin II ,Diabetic nephropathy ,03 medical and health sciences ,030104 developmental biology ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Internal medicine ,Diabetes mellitus ,Drug Discovery ,Medicine ,business ,Olmesartan ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and also a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Olmesartan medoxomil (OM) is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) and has been shown to exhibit renoprotective effects on a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Yet, whether OM affects DN progression and renal injury in db/db mice, a type 2 diabetic murine model, has not been established. Methods Wild-type (n = 15) and db/db mice (n = 15) were treated with control saline or OM via oral gavage. The physiological and biochemical parameters were evaluated and histological examinations of kidney specimens were performed. Results Compared with saline-treated db/db mice, db/db mice administered with OM showed ameliorated diabetic physiological and biochemical parameters. In addition, OM decreased urinary albumin excretion and plasma creatinine level in db/db mice. Moreover, histologically, OM reduced glomerular hypertrophy and injury, and also ameliorated tubular injury, thus suggesting that OM improves renal function and minimizes renal pathological deterioration in db/db mice. Conclusion Our study reveals a beneficial role of OM in ameliorating DN in db/db mice, which is associated with its renoprotective function.
- Published
- 2019
8. CYP1A1 methylation mediates the effect of smoking and occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons co-exposure on oxidative DNA damage among Chinese coke-oven workers
- Author
-
Bin Zhang, Yingying Niu, Xuejing Li, Jisheng Nie, Ye Fu, Hongjie Zhang, Huitao Zhang, Aimin Yang, Jin Yang, and Yanli Liu
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,China ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Coke oven ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Oxidative dna damage ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,lcsh:RC963-969 ,Occupational Exposure ,Internal medicine ,Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ,medicine ,polycyclic compounds ,Humans ,Deoxyguanosine ,Cytochrome P4501A1 ,0303 health sciences ,DNA methylation ,business.industry ,Research ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,030311 toxicology ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,Methylation ,Middle Aged ,Pah exposure ,Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ,Oxidative Stress ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Endocrinology ,chemistry ,Oxidative DNA damage ,lcsh:Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene ,Pyrosequencing ,Female ,Co exposure ,business ,DNA Damage - Abstract
Background Multiple factors, including co-exposure between lifestyle and environmental risks, are important in susceptibility to oxidative DNA damage. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether Cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) methylation can mediate the co-exposure effect between smoking and occupational polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in development of oxidative DNA damage. Methods We explored the associations between smoking and occupational PAH co-exposure effect, CYP1A1 methylation and oxidative DNA damage among 500 workers from a coke-oven plant in China. Urine biomarkers of PAH exposure (1-hydroxypyrene, 1-OHP; 2-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-NAP; 2-hydroxyfluorene, 2-FLU; and 9-hydroxyphenanthren, 9-PHE) and a marker of oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy- 2′- deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. CYP1A1 methylation was measured by pyrosequencing. Finally, mediation analysis was performed to investigate whether CYP1A1 methylation mediated smoking and occupational PAH co-exposure effect on oxidative DNA damage. Results We observed significant associations of smoking and 1-OHP co-exposure with CYP1A1 hypomethylation (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.01–3.47) and high 8-OHdG (OR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.14–3.97). There was a significant relationship between CYP1A1 hypomethylation and high 8-OHdG (1st vs. 3rd tertile = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.01–2.47, P for trend = 0.046). In addition, mediation analysis suggested CYP1A1 hypomethylation could explain 13.6% of effect of high 8-OHdG related to smoking and 1-OHP co-exposure. Conclusions Our findings suggested that the co-exposure effect of smoking and occupational PAH could increase the risk of oxidative DNA damage by a mechanism partly involving CYP1A1 hypomethylation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-019-0508-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
- Published
- 2019
9. Mediation effect of AhR expression between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and oxidative DNA damage among Chinese occupational workers
- Author
-
Yanli Liu, Jisheng Nie, Ye Fu, Jinzhu Zhao, Yingying Niu, Hongjie Zhang, Huitao Zhang, Jin Yang, and Aimin Yang
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,China ,Mediation (statistics) ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Urinary system ,Naphthols ,010501 environmental sciences ,Toxicology ,01 natural sciences ,law.invention ,Oxidative dna damage ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Asian People ,Naphthalenesulfonates ,law ,Occupational Exposure ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Deoxyguanosine ,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ,Coke ,Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Carcinogen ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Aspartic Acid ,Fluorenes ,Pyrenes ,biology ,Chemistry ,General Medicine ,Aryl hydrocarbon receptor ,030210 environmental & occupational health ,Pollution ,Reverse transcriptase ,Oxidative Stress ,Endocrinology ,Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon ,8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine ,Carcinogens ,biology.protein ,Environmental Pollutants ,DNA Damage - Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are well-known to be carcinogenic and the mechanisms that it contributes to oxidative DNA damage and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent induction are also well understood. However, little is known about the associations between PAH exposure, AhR expression, and oxidative DNA damage. We investigated their associations of AhR expression and oxidative DNA damage related to PAH exposure among 310 workers from a coke-oven plant in China. Urine biomarkers of PAH exposure (2-hydroxynaphthalene, 2-NAP; 2-hydroxyfluorene, 2-FLU; 9-hydroxyphenanthren, 9-PHE; and 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-OHP) and a marker of oxidative damage (8-hydroxy- 2′- deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. AhR expression in venous blood was measured by reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that increasing levels of urinary 1-OHP was positively associated with high 8-OHdG (OR (95% CI) was 4.01 (1.41–11.45) for 4th quartile, compared with 1st quartile, P for trend = 0.013). The similar associations were also found between urinary 1-OHP and high-AhR expressions (4th vs. 1st quartile = 3.50, 95% CI: 1.24–9.87, P for trend = 0.029). A significant association between AhR expression and high 8-OHdG was also found (4th vs. 1st quartile = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.05–5.70, P for trend = 0.027). In addition, mediation analysis showed the AhR expression could explain 35.9% of the association of oxidative DNA damage related to PAH exposure. Our findings implicated that the association between PAH exposure and oxidative DNA damage may be mediated by AhR expression among Chinese occupational workers.
- Published
- 2018
10. Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Mizoribine in Chinese Renal Transplant Recipients
- Author
-
Qing-Ling Fu, Huitao Zhang, B. Ren, Long-shan Liu, Su-xiong Deng, Jiajia Jiang, Ji-guang Fei, C. Wang, Likun Chen, Jiang Qiu, Guanghao Chen, and J. Li
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Population ,030232 urology & nephrology ,Urology ,Renal function ,Absorption (skin) ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Models, Biological ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Asian People ,Pharmacokinetics ,Humans ,Medicine ,education ,Aged ,Distribution Volume ,Transplantation ,education.field_of_study ,Mizoribine ,business.industry ,Bayes Theorem ,Middle Aged ,Kidney Transplantation ,Transplant Recipients ,Confidence interval ,Female ,Surgery ,Ribonucleosides ,business ,Immunosuppressive Agents ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Background We calculated the population pharmacokinetics of mizoribine in adult Chinese patients and compared the parameters with those of Japanese patients to determine whether there are any ethnic differences in blood concentration transition between these 2 populations. Methods The blood concentrations of mizoribine in 21 Chinese patients who were administered mizoribine after renal transplantation were measured at 304 time points. The absorption lag time, absorption rate constant, apparent distribution volume, and oral clearance were thereafter calculated and compared with the respective Japanese references. Results The absorption lag time, absorption rate constant, and apparent distribution volume calculated in this study were, respectively, 0.353 hour, 0.856 hour−1, and 0.776 L/kg. The oral clearance was calculated as 2.18 times the creatinine clearance using creatinine clearance as a function. The absorption rate constant, apparent distribution volume, and oral clearance are determinants of the maximum blood concentration, trough, and area under the blood concentration time curve. The relative absorption rate constant, apparent distribution volume, and oral clearance were 0.9-, 0.9-, and 1.2-fold, respectively, in Chinese patients compared with those in Japanese patients. These values are within the confidence limit, suggesting that there is no significant PK difference between the 2 ethnic groups. Conclusions Results of this study showed no ethnic difference in blood mizoribine concentration transition between Chinese and Japanese patients. In addition, the population pharmacokinetic parameters obtained in this study are useful in determining the initial dosage or in the Bayesian analysis of mizoribine concentrations using scarce time points.
- Published
- 2018
11. Effect of Early Immunosuppression Therapy on De Novo Anti–Human-Leukocyte-Antigen Antibody After Kidney Transplantation
- Author
-
Huitao Zhang, Gan Huang, Yuxin Zheng, Shuang Wang, Wuguo Deng, Qing-Ling Fu, Chun-Zhi Wang, Ronghai Deng, J. Li, Long-shan Liu, and Huiting Huang
- Subjects
Adult ,Graft Rejection ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.medical_treatment ,030232 urology & nephrology ,030230 surgery ,Gastroenterology ,Mycophenolic acid ,Cohort Studies ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,HLA Antigens ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Humans ,Transplantation, Homologous ,Dosing ,Prospective cohort study ,Kidney transplantation ,Autoantibodies ,Retrospective Studies ,Transplantation ,business.industry ,Graft Survival ,Hazard ratio ,Retrospective cohort study ,Immunosuppression ,Mycophenolic Acid ,medicine.disease ,Kidney Transplantation ,Calcineurin ,Female ,Surgery ,business ,Immunosuppressive Agents ,medicine.drug - Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of immunosuppression therapy early after kidney transplantation, particularly exposure of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), on posttransplantation de novo HLA antibody production. Methods A single-center retrospective cohort study was performed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, enrolling the kidney transplant or pancreas-kidney transplant recipients who had surgery between January 2010 and February 2016. Results A total of 214 recipients were included in the study with a median follow-up period of 1.06 years. A total of 30 recipients (14.0%) were positive in HLA antibody detection posttransplant with a median follow-up period of 1.46 years. Ten recipients (4.7%) lost their allograft function during follow-up, and 6 of them (60%) developed de novo HLA antibody after graft failure. Multivariate analysis showed that acute rejection significantly increased the risk of de novo HLA antibody (hazard ratio [HR], 2.732). Intensified MPA dosing therapy reduced the risk by 59.8% (HR, 0.402); low-dose CNI therapy increased the risk by 33.3% (HR, 1.333), and the effect of extremely low-dose CNI therapy was even larger (HR, 2.242). Conclusion The risk of de novo HLA antibody can be decreased by reducing the risk of acute rejection. A tendency was seen in low-dose CNI therapy to increase the risk of de novo HLA antibody, but intensified MPA dosing therapy may provide an umbrella protection effect by reducing the risk. Prospective study was required to confirm the effects.
- Published
- 2018
12. Silica/antibody-conjugated microcomb electrode sensor for cardiac biomarker analysis
- Author
-
Thangavel Lakshmipriya, Huitao Zhang, Yuan Seng Wu, Haitao Li, Jing Li, Xingzhou Zhao, Shujiang Song, Subash C. B. Gopinath, Zihan Xue, and Jinpeng Xu
- Subjects
010302 applied physics ,Detection limit ,medicine.medical_specialty ,biology ,Chemistry ,02 engineering and technology ,General Chemistry ,Gold standard (test) ,Conjugated system ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,medicine.disease ,01 natural sciences ,Silica nanoparticles ,Internal medicine ,0103 physical sciences ,medicine ,Cardiology ,biology.protein ,Interdigitated electrode ,General Materials Science ,Biomarker Analysis ,Myocardial infarction ,Antibody ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI), which is generally known as a heart attack, occurs when there is a lack of blood supply to the heart. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly used for the initial screening of MI but is not sufficiently sensitive. With ECG, cardiac biomarkers help to efficiently assess MI. The cardiac troponin I level has a high correlation with MI and is one of the gold standard biomarkers to identify MI. This study focuses on detecting cardiac troponin I by its parent antibody on a microcomb interdigitated electrode (IDE) sensor. To improve the detection, silica nanoparticles (SiNps) were complexed with antibody and immobilized on the IDE sensing surface. Amine-modified SiNps help to hold more antibodies on the sensing surface and interact with more cardiac troponin I molecules, leading to sensitive detection with a limit of detection of 1 fM (24 pg/mL). Moreover, the control proteins were failed to specifically interact, indicating the genuine detection of cardiac troponin I. This study helps to more easily and efficiently quantify the cardiac troponin I level to diagnose MI.
- Published
- 2021
13. A method for material decomposition and quantification with grating based phase CT
- Author
-
Peiping Zhu, Qian Wang, Yining Zhu, Huitao Zhang, Shi-Wo Deng, Peng Zhang, and Kai Zhang
- Subjects
Computer science ,Contrast Media ,Optical Analysis ,Computed tomography ,01 natural sciences ,Diagnostic Radiology ,030218 nuclear medicine & medical imaging ,Synchrotron Radiation ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Signal Amplification ,Tomography ,Multidisciplinary ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Refractive Index ,Phantoms, Imaging ,Radiology and Imaging ,Applied Mathematics ,Simulation and Modeling ,Physics ,Electromagnetic Radiation ,Phase-contrast imaging ,Bone Imaging ,Physical Sciences ,Engineering and Technology ,Medicine ,Algorithm ,Algorithms ,Research Article ,Imaging Techniques ,Iterative method ,Science ,Phase (waves) ,Neuroimaging ,Iterative reconstruction ,Research and Analysis Methods ,010309 optics ,03 medical and health sciences ,Diagnostic Medicine ,0103 physical sciences ,medicine ,Humans ,Computer Simulation ,Chemical Characterization ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Computed Axial Tomography ,X-Ray Radiography ,Noise ,Simultaneous Algebraic Reconstruction Technique ,Signal Processing ,Tomography, X-Ray Computed ,Mathematics ,Neuroscience - Abstract
Material decomposition (MD) is an important application of computer tomography (CT). For phase contrast imaging, conventional MD methods are categorized into two types with respect to different operation sequences, i.e., “before” or “after” image reconstruction. Both categories come down to two-step methods, which have the problem of noise amplification. In this study, we incorporate both phase and absorption (PA) information into MD process, and correspondingly develop a simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART). The proposed method is referred to as phase & absorption material decomposition-SART (PAMD-SART). By iteratively solving an optimization problem, material composition and substance quantification are reconstructed directly from absorption and differential phase projections. Comparing with two-step MD, the proposed one-step method is superior in noise suppression and accurate decomposition. Numerical simulations and synchrotron radiation based experiments show that PAMD-SART outperforms the classical MD method (image-based and dual-energy CT iterative method), especially for the quantitative accuracy of material equivalent atomic number.
- Published
- 2021
14. Myocardial infarction biomarker C-reactive protein detection on nanocomposite aptasensor
- Author
-
Jing Li, Xingzhou Zhao, Haitao Li, Shujiang Song, Huitao Zhang, and Jinpeng Xu
- Subjects
Aptamer ,Biomedical Engineering ,Myocardial Infarction ,Early detection ,Metal Nanoparticles ,Bioengineering ,Biosensing Techniques ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Nanocomposites ,Limit of Detection ,Drug Discovery ,Troponin I ,medicine ,Humans ,Myocardial infarction ,Electrodes ,biology ,Chemistry ,Process Chemistry and Technology ,C-reactive protein ,General Medicine ,Electrochemical Techniques ,Aptamers, Nucleotide ,medicine.disease ,C-Reactive Protein ,Interdigitated electrode ,biology.protein ,Molecular Medicine ,Biomarker (medicine) ,Gold ,Biomarkers ,Biotechnology ,Biomedical engineering - Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) is considered as one of the major life-threatening health issues worldwide. Growing number of cases every year is demanding rapid, portable, and early detection by the sensing devices for the identification of MI. This research work introduces a modified interdigitated electrode (IDE) sensing surface constructed with single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCN) to detect the cardiac biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP-specific aptamer was conjugated with gold nanoparticle and attached on SWCN-constructed IDE surface. This probe-modified sensing surface has reached the limit of CRP detection to 10 pM on a linear regression curve with the regression coefficient of R² = 0.9223 [y = 0.9198x - 0.4326]. Further, control molecules, such as random aptamer sequence and nontarget cardiac biomarker (Troponin I), did not show the current response, indicating the specific CRP detection. This sensing strategy helps to detect the lower level of CRP and diagnose the MI at its earlier stages.
- Published
- 2020
15. Long noncoding RNA ZFAS1 silencing alleviates rheumatoid arthritis via blocking miR-296-5p-mediated down-regulation of MMP-15
- Author
-
Ning Jia, Jing Zheng, Youyou Zhou, Huitao Zhang, Juan Liao, Peiying Zeng, Weiping Zhu, and Lin Lin
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Male ,Immunology ,Arthritis ,Down-Regulation ,Biology ,Cell Line ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Downregulation and upregulation ,In vivo ,microRNA ,Databases, Genetic ,medicine ,Immunology and Allergy ,Gene silencing ,Animals ,Humans ,RNA, Small Interfering ,Pharmacology ,Gene knockdown ,Binding Sites ,Matrix Metalloproteinase 15 ,medicine.disease ,Arthritis, Experimental ,Synoviocytes ,In vitro ,Long non-coding RNA ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,MicroRNAs ,030104 developmental biology ,RNAi Therapeutics ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Cancer research ,Disease Progression ,Joints ,RNA Interference ,RNA, Long Noncoding ,Signal Transduction - Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease, deprives patients' walking ability and reduces their life quality worldwide. Though recent studies have indicated the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ZFAS1 in several diseases, however, its role in RA remains uncharacterized. The present study aimed to unravel the the effect of ZFAS1 on RA. Herein, the RA mouse model and the human RA synoviocyte MH7A cell lines stimulated with TNF-α were established. ZFAS1 was next determined to be highly expressed in the mice with RA-like symptoms and TNF-α-stimulated MH7A cells while inhibiting ZFAS1 was demonstrated to promote proliferation and suppress apoptosis of MH7A cells. Furthermore, ZFAS1 knockdown exerted anti-inflammation effect in vitro and in vivo and reduced the arthritis index value. Moreover, RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified the binding of ZFAS1 to microRNA (miR)-296-5p as well as the binding of miR-296-5p to matrix metalloproteinase-15 (MMP-15). Of note, ZFAS1 could bind miR-296-5p to up-regulate the expression of MMP-15. Our results from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated silencing ZFAS1 mitigated RA-like symptoms such as inflammation and hyperplasia via miR-296-5p-dependent inhibition of MMP-15. Taken altogether, our study confirmed that ZFAS1 involved in RA progression by competitively binding to miR-296-5p and regulating MMP-15 expression.
- Published
- 2020
16. Survey of Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Suspected and Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 During Hospitalization and Isolation
- Author
-
Zhonghe Li, Yilan Chen, Juan Wang, Xiaohua Gong, Fei Li, Meifang Mai, Dongliang Xia, Huitao Zhang, and Xinming Guo
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Isolation (health care) ,business.industry ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Anxiety ,In patient ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Depression (differential diagnoses) - Abstract
Objective: To observe the anxiety and depression experienced by patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 during hospitalization and isolation.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed with 66 patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from February 9, 2020, to February 22, 2020. The data collected including sex, age, education level, and nucleic acid test results. Anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders were evaluated using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale (PSQI), respectively. Statistical analysis: SPSS 23.0 software was used for data processing, and multifactor logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors. Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlations among the observed indicators; P Results: The incidences of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders in the suspected case group were 18.2%, 18.2%, and 39.4%; the incidences of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders in the diagnosed group were 42.4%, 57.6%, and 69.7%. The incidence of sleep disorders was higher than the domestic norm, and the difference was statistically significant (P P Conclusion: Patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19, especially people aged 50 years and over, have significant anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. Anxiety, depression and sleep disorders in patients with confirmed cases are more serious than those in patients with suspected cases. It is necessary to focus on the psychological state of such patients, actively conduct psychological counseling, and reduce their anxiety and depression.
- Published
- 2020
17. Smoking modify the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure on oxidative damage to DNA in coke oven workers
- Author
-
Hongjie Zhang, Wubin Wang, Yanfeng Fan, Huitao Zhang, Jin Yang, and Yanli Liu
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,0301 basic medicine ,China ,Coke oven ,Urinary system ,Air Pollutants, Occupational ,Patient Health Questionnaire ,010501 environmental sciences ,complex mixtures ,01 natural sciences ,Oxidative damage ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Age Distribution ,Risk Factors ,Occupational Exposure ,medicine ,Humans ,Food science ,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ,Lung cancer ,Coke ,Carcinogen ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Guanosine ,Heavy smoking ,Smoking ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Oxidative Stress ,Logistic Models ,030104 developmental biology ,chemistry ,Air Pollution, Indoor ,Environmental chemistry ,Population study ,Female ,DNA ,DNA Damage - Abstract
Coke oven emissions containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are predominant toxic constituents of particulate air pollution that have been linked to increased risk of lung cancer. Numerous epidemiological studies have suggested that oxidative DNA damage may play a pivotal role in the carcinogenic mechanism of lung cancer. Little is known about the effect of interaction between PAHs exposure and lifestyle on DNA oxidative damage. The study population is composed by coke oven workers (365) and water treatment workers (144), and their urinary levels of four PAH metabolites and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were determined. Airborne samples of exposed sites (4) and control sites (3) were collected, and eight carcinogenic PAHs were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. The median values of the sum of eight carcinogenic PAHs and BaP in exposed sites were significantly higher than control sites (P
- Published
- 2017
18. Comparative morphology refines the conventional model of spider reproduction
- Author
-
He Jiang, Qingqing Wu, Matjaž Kuntner, Huitao Zhang, Lihong Tu, Yongjia Zhan, and Zishang Bai
- Subjects
Male ,0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Uterus ,01 natural sciences ,Internal fertilization ,Animal Cells ,Abdomen ,Medicine and Health Sciences ,Electron Microscopy ,Comparative Anatomy ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,Reproduction ,Eukaryota ,Spiders ,Anatomy ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Oviduct ,Medicine ,Female ,Scanning Electron Microscopy ,Cellular Types ,Genital Anatomy ,Research Article ,endocrine system ,Arthropoda ,Science ,Biology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Models, Biological ,010603 evolutionary biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Spermatheca ,Arachnida ,Reproductive biology ,medicine ,Animals ,Sex organ ,Spider ,urogenital system ,Reproductive System ,Organisms ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Animal Structures ,Cell Biology ,Invertebrates ,Sperm ,Germ Cells ,030104 developmental biology ,Fertilization ,Zoology ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Our understanding of spider reproductive biology is hampered by the vast anatomical diversity and difficulties associated with its study. Although authors agree on the two general types of female spider genitalia, haplogyne (plesiomorphic) and entelegyne (apomorphic), our understanding of variation within each group mostly concerns the external genital part, while the internal connections with the reproductive duct are largely unknown. Conventionally and simplistically, the spermathecae of haplogynes have simple two-way ducts, and those of entelegynes have separate copulatory and fertilization ducts for sperm to be transferred in and out of spermathecae, respectively. Sperm is discharged from the spermathecae directly into the uterus externus (a distal extension of the oviduct), which, commonly thought as homologous in both groups, is the purported location of internal fertilization in spiders. However, the structural evolution from haplo- to entelegyny remains unresolved, and thus the precise fertilization site in entelegynes is ambiguous. We aim to clarify this anatomical problem through a widely comparative morphological study of internal female genital system in entelegynes. Our survey of 147 epigyna (121 examined species in 97 genera, 34 families) surprisingly finds no direct connection between the fertilization ducts and the uterus externus, which, based on the homology with basal-most spider lineages, is a dead-end caecum in entelegynes. Instead, fertilization ducts usually connect with a secondary uterus externus, a novel feature taking over the functional role of the plesiomorphic uterus externus. We hypothesize that the transition from haplo- to entelegyny entailed not only the emergence of the two separate duct systems (copulatory, fertilization), but also involved substantial morphological changes in the distal part of the oviduct. Thus, the common oviduct may have shifted its distal connection from the uterus externus to the secondary uterus externus, perhaps facilitating discharge of larger eggs. Our findings suggest that the conventional model of entelegyne reproduction needs redefinition.
- Published
- 2019
19. Higher Incidence of Renal Allograft Glomerulonephritis in Living-Related Donor Kidney Transplantation
- Author
-
Long-shan Liu, Su-xiong Deng, C. Wang, Qing-Ling Fu, Y. Dai, Huitao Zhang, Yunyi Xiong, J. Li, and Rongrong Deng
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Time Factors ,030232 urology & nephrology ,Urology ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,Organ transplantation ,Nephropathy ,Diabetic nephropathy ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Glomerulonephritis ,Risk Factors ,Living Donors ,Medicine ,Humans ,Transplantation, Homologous ,Kidney transplantation ,Proportional Hazards Models ,Retrospective Studies ,Transplantation ,business.industry ,Incidence (epidemiology) ,Incidence ,Graft Survival ,Glomerulonephritis, IGA ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Kidney Transplantation ,Obstructive Nephropathy ,surgical procedures, operative ,Surgery ,Female ,business - Abstract
Glomerulonephritis recurrence has emerged as one of the leading causes of allograft loss. We aimed to investigate the effect of living-related and deceased donation on the incidence of renal allograft glomerulonephritis and its effect on renal allograft survival.Adult renal allograft recipients with primary glomerulonephritis were enrolled. Transplantation date was from Feb 2004 to Dec 2015. Exclusion criteria included combined organ transplantation, structural abnormality, diabetic nephropathy, hypertension nephropathy, obstructive nephropathy, and primary uric acid nephropathy. The incidence of biopsy-proven allograft glomerulonephritis was compared between the living-related donor group and the deceased donor group. Graft survival was assessed with Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the effect of posttransplant glomerulonephritis on graft outcome.There were 525 living-related donor kidney transplant recipients (LRKTx) and 456 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (DDKTx) enrolled. The incidence of IgA nephropathy was 8.8% in the LRKTx group and 1.3% in the DDKTx group (P .001); the incidence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was 3.8% in the LRKTx group and 1.5% in the DDKTx group (P = .03). FSGS increased the risk of graft failure compared with non-FSGS (hazard ratio [HR], 3.703 [1.459-9.397]; P = .006). IgA nephropathy increased the risk of graft failure by over 5 times 5 years after kidney transplantation compared with non-IgA nephropathy, but it did not affect early allograft survival (HR for ≥5 years, 6.139; 95% CI, 1.766-21.345; P = .004; HR for 5 years, 0.385 [0.053-2.814]; P = .35).Higher incidence of IgA nephropathy and FSGS in renal allograft was observed in living-related donor kidney transplantation compared with deceased donor kidney transplantation. De novo or recurrent IgA nephropathy and FSGS impaired long-term renal allograft survival.
- Published
- 2018
20. A large enantiornithine bird from the Lower Cretaceous of China and its implication for lung ventilation
- Author
-
Defeng Chen, Zihui Zhang, Lianhai Hou, and Huitao Zhang
- Subjects
Rib cage ,biology ,Enantiornithes ,Jiufotang Formation ,Anatomy ,musculoskeletal system ,biology.organism_classification ,Cretaceous ,Time of death ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Thoracic vertebrae ,medicine ,Mesozoic ,Lung ventilation ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
The Enantiornithes were the most taxonomically diverse bird group in the Mesozoic. Most of the known taxa are from Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Jehol Group in north-eastern China. A new specimen from the Jiufotang Formation in Jianchang, Liaoning Province, is described here; being a subadult individual at the time of death it had reached a relatively large size. The presence of uncinate processes, bicapitate and forked vertebral ribs, sternal ribs that were all of similar length, as well as the location of parapophyses and diapophyses on the thoracic vertebrae, may imply a rigid and volume-constant lung, and less efficient lung ventilation in enantiornithines. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 113, 820–827. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: Jianchang – Jiufotang Formation – Liaoning province – respiratory apparatus – ribs – thoracic vertebrae.
- Published
- 2014
21. Bovine parathyroid hormone enhances osteoclast bone resorption by modulating V-ATPase through PTH1R
- Author
-
Zhuo Li, Xinling Liang, Bin Zhang, Li Zhang, Jianchao Ma, Huitao Zhang, Zhonghe Li, Weiping Zhu, Wei Shi, Shuangxin Liu, and Sijia Li
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases ,Parathyroid hormone ,Osteoclasts ,Biology ,vacuolar-type H+ adenosine triphosphatase ,Bone resorption ,Bone remodeling ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mice ,Western blot ,Osteoclast ,Bone Marrow ,Internal medicine ,Genetics ,medicine ,V-ATPase ,Animals ,Humans ,Bone Resorption ,Receptor ,Receptor, Parathyroid Hormone, Type 1 ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,General Medicine ,Articles ,Resorption ,030104 developmental biology ,Endocrinology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Gene Expression Regulation ,Parathyroid Hormone ,proton pump ,osteoclast ,Cattle ,Bone Remodeling ,Macrolides - Abstract
The vacuolar-type H+ adenosine triphosphatase (V-ATPase) plays an important role in cellular acidification and bone resorption by osteoclasts. However, the direct effect of bovine parathyroid hormone (bPTH) on V-ATPase has not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of bPTH on V-ATPase and osteoclasts. Osteoclasts from bone marrow (BM)-derived monocytes of C57BL/6 mice were cultured with or without bPTH. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the V-ATPase a3-subunit and d2-subunit (by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis), V-ATPase activity (using the V type ATPase Activity Assay kit) and the bone resorption function of osteoclasts (by bone resorption assay) were examined following treatment with various concentrations of bPTH (0.1, 1.0, 10 and 100 ng/ml) alone or with bPTH and its inhibitor, bafilomycin A1. Furthermore, the expression of parathyroid hormone (PTH) receptors in osteoclasts was also detected. The results revealed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of V-ATPase a3-subunit and d2-subunit increased in a dose‑dependent manner, paralleling the level of bPTH present. In addition, an increase in the concentration of bPTH was accompanied by the increased resorption capability of osteoclasts, whereas bone resorption was inhibited in the presence of bafilomycin A1. In addition, we confirmed the existence of parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) in osteoclasts using three different methods (RT-qPCR, western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining). We found that bPTH enhanced the bone resorption capability of osteoclasts by modulating the expression of V-ATPase subunits, intracellular acidification and V-ATPase activity. Thus, we propose that PTH has a direct effect on osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and that this effect is mediated through PTH1R, thus contributing to bone remodeling.
- Published
- 2015
22. Expression and clinical evidence of miR-494 and PTEN in non-small cell lung cancer
- Author
-
Nan Chen, Juan Wang, Yi-feng Liao, Huitao Zhang, Hongyu Zhang, Hongtao Chen, and Tianze Liu
- Subjects
Oncology ,Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,In situ hybridization ,Kaplan-Meier Estimate ,Biology ,Malignancy ,Disease-Free Survival ,Internal medicine ,Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ,medicine ,Carcinoma ,Biomarkers, Tumor ,Tensin ,PTEN ,Humans ,Clinical significance ,Lung cancer ,In Situ Hybridization ,Aged ,Neoplasm Staging ,Aged, 80 and over ,PTEN Phosphohydrolase ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Prognosis ,Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ,MicroRNAs ,Lymphatic Metastasis ,biology.protein ,Immunohistochemistry ,Female - Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the expression and clinical significance of miR-494 and PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immunohistochemistry for PTEN and in situ hybridization (ISH) for miR-494 were performed in 92 NSCLC tissues and 10 normal lung tissues to detect their expression, and correlation between their expression with clinical characteristics and prognosis was analyzed. The expression of miR-494 was significantly higher in NSCLC than in normal lung tissues (P = 0.004). The positive expression of PTEN protein in the lung carcinoma tissues was significantly lower than that in the normal lung tissues (P = 0.013), while the level of miR-494 expression was negatively correlated with PTEN expression (r = −0.577, P
- Published
- 2014
Catalog
Discovery Service for Jio Institute Digital Library
For full access to our library's resources, please sign in.