THE EFFECT OF REGULA EXERCISE FOR FUNTIONAL HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance difference in walking, stair descent and ascent, sit-to-stand, and stand-to-sit, between elderlies who exercise regularly and those who don’t. Twenty elderlies participated in this study (8 males and 12 females). All tests were assessed using a 10-camera Vicon system. The visual3D software was used to analyse data. A positive correlation exists between movement time of stair descent and anterior-posterior balance ability. The negative correlations exist between movement time of stair descent and ascent and balance ability in lateral-medial. A significant difference in balance ability of stair decent exists between those with regular exercise and those without. According to the ACSM principle, regular exercise can indeed reduce the chance of falling in the elderly

Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides Induce Macrophage-Like Differentiation in Human Leukemia THP-1 Cells via Caspase and p53 Activation

Differentiation therapy by induction of tumor cells is an important method in the treatment of hematological cancers such as leukemia. Tumor cell differentiation ends cancer cells' immortality, thus stopping cell growth and proliferation. In our previous study, we found that fucose-containing polysaccharide fraction F3 extracted from Ganoderma lucidum can bring about cytokine secretion and cell death in human leukemia THP-1 cells. This prompted us to further investigate on how F3 induces the differentiation in human leukemia cells. We integrated time-course microarray analysis and network modeling to study the F3-induced effects on THP-1 cells. In addition, we determined the differentiation effect using Liu's staining, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assay, flow cytometer, western blotting and Q-PCR. We also examined the modulation and regulation by F3 during the differentiation process. Dynamic gene expression profiles showed that cell differentiation was induced in F3-treated THP-1 cells. Furthermore, F3-treated THP-1 cells exhibited enhanced macrophage differentiation, as demonstrated by changes in cell adherence, cell cycle arrest, NBT reduction and expression of differentiation markers including CD11b, CD14, CD68, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and myeloperoxidase. In addition, caspase cleavage and p53 activation were found to be significantly enhanced in F3-treated THP-1 cells. We unraveled the role of caspases and p53 in F3-induced THP-1 cells differentiation into macrophages. Our results provide a molecular explanation for the differentiation effect of F3 on human leukemia THP-1 cells and offer a prospect for a potential leukemia differentiation therapy

The study on the strategies of choosing music schools from the viewpoint of Kansei engineering

This research is to apply the kansei engineering to the study of choosing music schools. The purpose is to help parents select the perceptual characteristics and priorities of environment elements which are suitable for children to learn music. In this study, the combinations of Nagai method (5W1H), AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process), ISM (Interpretive Structural Modeling) and GRA (Grey Relational Analysis) are used to clarify the development characteristics of music schools, and establish feasible options and assessment models. It is hoped to provide good references for the parents who wish to let their children engaged in music education

Performance Improvements of Selective Emitters by Laser Openings on Large-Area Multicrystalline Si Solar Cells

This study focuses on the laser opening technique used to form a selective emitter (SE) structure on multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si). This technique can be used in the large-area (156 × 156 mm2) solar cells. SE process of this investigation was performed using 3 samples SE1–SE3. Laser fluences can vary in range of 2–5 J/cm2. The optimal conversion efficiency of 15.95% is obtained with the SE3 (2 J/cm2 fluence) after laser opening with optimization of heavy and light dopant, which yields a gain of 0.48%abs compared with that of a reference cell (without fluence). In addition, this optimal SE3 cell displays improved characteristics compared with other cells with a higher average value of external quantum efficiency (EQEavg = 68.6%) and a lower average value of power loss (Ploss = 2.33 mW/cm2). For the fabrication of solar cells, the laser opening process comprises fewer steps than traditional photolithography does. Furthermore, the laser opening process decreases consumption of chemical materials; therefore, the laser opening process decreases both time and cost. Therefore, SE process is simple, cheap, and suitable for commercialization. Moreover, the prominent features of the process render it effective means to promote overall performance in the photovoltaic industry

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides in human monocytic leukemia cells: from gene expression to network construction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Ganoderma lucidum </it>has been widely used as a herbal medicine for promoting health and longevity in China and other Asian countries. Polysaccharide extracts from <it>Ganoderma lucidum </it>have been reported to exhibit immuno-modulating and anti-tumor activities. In previous studies, F3, the active component of the polysaccharide extract, was found to activate various cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-<it>α</it>. This gave rise to our investigation on how F3 stimulates immuno-modulating or anti-tumor effects in human leukemia THP-1 cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we integrated time-course DNA microarray analysis, quantitative PCR assays, and bioinformatics methods to study the F3-induced effects in THP-1 cells. Significantly disturbed pathways induced by F3 were identified with statistical analysis on microarray data. The apoptosis induction through the DR3 and DR4/5 death receptors was found to be one of the most significant pathways and play a key role in THP-1 cells after F3 treatment. Based on time-course gene expression measurements of the identified pathway, we reconstructed a plausible regulatory network of the involved genes using reverse-engineering computational approach.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results showed that F3 may induce death receptor ligands to initiate signaling via receptor oligomerization, recruitment of specialized adaptor proteins and activation of caspase cascades.</p