The role of macroeconomic policy in export-led growth

노트 : - This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research -Volume Title: Financial Deregulation and Integration in East Asia, NBER-EASE Volume

Whole-body vibration training effect on physical performance and obesity in mice

The purpose of this study was to verify the beneficial effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) training on exercise performance, physical fatigue and obesity in mice with obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into two groups: normal group (n=6), fed standard diet (control), and experimental group (n=18), fed a HFD. After 4-week induction, followed by 6-week WBV of 5 days per week, the 18 obese mice were divided into 3 groups (n=6 per group): HFD with sedentary control (HFD), HFD with WBV at relatively low-intensity (5.6 Hz, 0.13 g) (HFD+VL) or high-intensity (13 Hz, 0.68 g) (HFD+VH). A trend analysis revealed that WBV increased the grip strength in mice. WBV also dose-dependently decreased serum lactate, ammonia and CK levels and increased glucose level after the swimming test. WBV slightly decreased final body weight and dose-dependently decreased weights of epididymal, retroperitoneal and perirenal fat pads and fasting serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, CK, glucose, total cholesterol and triacylglycerol. Therefore, WBV could improve exercise performance and fatigue and prevent fat accumulation and obesity-associated biochemical alterations in obese mice. It may be an effective intervention for health promotion and prevention of HFD-induced obesity

Ample Pairs

We show that the ample degree of a stable theory with trivial forking is preserved when we consider the corresponding theory of belles paires, if it exists. This result also applies to the theory of $H$-structures of a trivial theory of rank $1$.Comment: Research partially supported by the program MTM2014-59178-P. The second author conducted research with support of the programme ANR-13-BS01-0006 Valcomo. The third author would like to thank the European Research Council grant 33882

Topological surface electronic states in candidate nodal-line semimetal CaAgAs

We investigate systematically the bulk and surface electronic structure of the candidate nodal-line semimetal CaAgAs by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional calculations. We observed a metallic, linear, non-$k_z$-dispersive surface band that coincides with the high-binding-energy part of the theoretical topological surface state, proving the topological nontriviality of the system. An overall downshift of the experimental Fermi level points to a rigid-band-like $p$-doping of the samples, due possibly to Ag vacancies in the as-grown crystals.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Sox2, a stemness gene, regulates tumor-initiating and drug-resistant properties in CD133-positive glioblastoma stem cells

AbstractBackgroundGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal type of adult brain cancer and performs outrageous growth and resistance regardless of adjuvant chemotherapies, eventually contributing to tumor recurrence and poor outcomes. Considering the common heterogeneity of cancer cells, the imbalanced regulatory mechanism could be switched on/off and contribute to drug resistance. Moreover, the subpopulation of GBM cells was recently discovered to share similar phenotypes with neural stem cells. These cancer stem cells (CSCs) promote the potency of tumor initiation. As a result, targeting of glioma stem cells has become the dominant way of improving the therapeutic outcome against GBM and extending the life span of patients. Among the biomarkers of CSCs, CD-133 (prominin-1) has been known to effectively isolate CSCs from cancer population, including GBM; however, the underlying mechanism of how stemness genes manipulate CSC-associated phenotypes, such as tumor initiation and relapse, is still unclear.MethodsTumorigenicity, drug resistance and embryonic stem cell markers were examined in primary CD133-positive (CD133+) GBM cells and CD133+ subpopulation. Stemness signature of CD133+ GBM cells was identified using microarray analysis. Stem cell potency, tumorigenicity and drug resistance were also tested in differential expression of SOX2 in GBM cells.ResultsIn this study, high tumorigenic and drug resistance was noticed in primary CD-133+ GBM cells; meanwhile, plenty of embryonic stem cell markers were also elevated in the CD-133+ subpopulation. Using microarray analysis, we identified SOX2 as the most enriched gene among the stemness signature in CD133+ GBM cells. Overexpression of SOX2 consistently enhanced the stem cell potency in the GBM cell lines, whereas knockdown of SOX2 dramatically withdrew CD133 expression in CD133+ GBM cells. Additionally, we silenced SOX2 expression using RNAi system, which abrogated the ability of tumor initiation as well as drug resistance of CD133+ GBM cells, suggesting that SOX2 plays a crucial role in regulating tumorigenicity in CD133+ GBM cells.ConclusionSOX2 plays a crucial role in regulating tumorigenicity in CD133+ GBM cells. Our results not only revealed the genetic plasticity contributing to drug resistance and stemness but also demonstrated the dominant role of SOX2 in maintenance of GBM CSCs, which may provide a novel therapeutic target to overcome the conundrum of poor survival of brain cancers

Development of an orally administered nanoparticle vaccine to combat clostridioides difficile infections

Clostridioides difficile is a gram+, spore forming, toxin producing anaerobe that is found throughout the environment. C. difficile is the leading agent of hospital acquired infections. Symptoms of C. difficile infection can range from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis and if left untreated can lead to death. C. difficile is currently only treated with 3 antibiotics Metronidazole, Vancomycin, and Fidaxomicin. All these antibiotics are non-specific to C. difficile and have the side effect of killing the normal microbiome of the gut. This microbiome helps to keep the body resistant to C. difficile infections, and its destruction can lead to relapses of disease. Ongoing work in our lab is looking at preventing C. difficile infections using a nanoparticle based oral vaccine. In a mouse model of C. difficile infections, we previously demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of a vaccine composed of the receptor-binding domain of C. difficile toxin B (TcdB) with chitosan and poly-g-glutamic acid were effective in inducing antigen-specific IgA and IgG antibodies. Continuing this research, we later demonstrated that rTcdB encapsulated in a polypeptide-based polymer and delivered orally produces a long lasting and robust antibody response. These robust antibody responses to the C. difficile toxin were enough to prevent disease within a mouse model, however, it was not able to reduce bacteria burden leaving the potential for asymptomatic spread and relapses of disease. In my project, I wish to continue this research in two ways. First, by continuing the optimization of the nanoparticle delivery system. To do this we propose using a nanoparticle polymer that specifically targets M-cells lining the intestine and be pH activated. We hypothesize that this will improve antigen immunogenicity and provide better protection against C. difficile infections. Second, evaluate several C. difficile surface proteins immunogenicity in a mouse model. We hypothesize that a two-target approach may decrease the bacterial load and lead to complete protection against C. difficile infections

Proteomic analysis of rhein-induced cyt: ER stress mediates cell death in breast cancer cells

Rhein is a natural product purified from herbal plants such as Rheum palmatum, which has been shown to have anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor metastasis properties. However, the biological effects of rhein on the behavior of breast cancers are not completely elucidated. To evaluate whether rhein might be useful in the treatment of breast cancer and its cytotoxic mechanism, we analyzed the impact of rhein treatment on differential protein expression as well as redox regulation in a non-invasive breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, and an invasive breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, using lysine- and cysteine-labeling two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) combined with MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. This proteomic study revealed that 73 proteins were significantly changed in protein expression; while 9 proteins were significantly altered in thiol reactivity in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The results also demonstrated that rhein-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells mostly involves dysregulation of cytoskeleton regulation, protein folding, the glycolysis pathway and transcription control. A further study also indicated that rhein promotes misfolding of cellular proteins as well as unbalancing of the cellular redox status leading to ER-stress. Our work shows that the current proteomic strategy offers a high-through-put platform to study the molecular mechanisms of rhein-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells. The identified differentially expressed proteins might be further evaluated as potential targets in breast cancer therapy

Adsorption and thermal decomposition of H 2 S on Si(1 0 0)

Abstract Adsorption and thermal decomposition of H 2 S on Si(1 0 0)-2 Â 1 are studied by means of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) with synchrotron radiation. The H 2 S molecule dissociates to form H and HS on the Si surface at adsorption temperature of 115 K. The Si(1 0 0)-2 Â 1 surface structure is conserved upon the adsorption of H 2 S due to bonding of dissociative H and HS on two Si atoms in a dimer without breaking the Si-Si dimer bond. H 2 and SiS are the only desorption products of thermal decomposition of H 2 S with peaks at 780 and 820 K, respectively. On the basis of TPD and XPS results, intermediates involved in decomposition of H 2 S and their adsorption configurations are proposed and discussed

A novel deep intronic variant strongly associates with Alkaptonuria.

Alkaptonuria is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disorder of tyrosine metabolism, which causes ochronosis, arthropathy, cardiac valvular calcification, and urolithiasis. The epidemiology of alkaptonuria in East Asia is not clear. In this study, patients diagnosed with alkaptonuria from January 2010 to June 2020 were reviewed. Their clinical and molecular features were further compared with those of patients from other countries. Three patients were found to have alkaptonuria. Mutation analyses of the homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase gene (HGD) showed four novel variants c.16-2063 A > C, p.(Thr196Ile), p.(Gly344AspfsTer25), and p.(Gly362Arg) in six mutated alleles (83.3%). RNA sequencing revealed that c.16-2063 A > C activates a cryptic exon, causing protein truncation p.(Tyr5_Ile6insValTer17). A literature search identified another 6 patients with alkaptonuria in East Asia; including our cases, 13 of the 18 mutated alleles have not been reported elsewhere in the world. Alkaptonuria is rare in Taiwan and East Asia, with HGD variants being mostly novel and private

Comparison of a Chinese Herbal Medicine (CCH1) and Lactulose as First-Line Treatment of Constipation in Long-Term Care: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, and Placebo-Controlled Trial

Many institutionalized patients and their healthcare providers are dissatisfied with current laxative therapy. This study compared therapeutic efficacy, safety, and laxative cost of an herbal formula (CCH1) and lactulose for long stay patients with constipation. In this double-blind, double-dummy, and placebo-controlled trial, we randomized 93 residents with chronic constipation from two long-term care facilities in Taiwan to receive either CCH1 with lactulose placebo or CCH1 placebo with lactulose for 8 weeks, then followed up for 4 weeks without study medication. Both treatments were effective and well tolerated for patients, but CCH1 produced more spontaneous bowel movements, less rectal treatments, less amount of rescue laxative, and lower laxative cost than lactulose during treatment. No significant differences were found in stool consistency, stool amount, global assessment, and safety concerns. In conclusion, our results suggest that CCH1 may have better efficacy and could be used as an alternative option to lactulose in the treatment of constipation in long-term care