Chung Yuan Christian University

About: Chung Yuan Christian University is a education organization based out in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Fuzzy logic. The organization has 9819 authors who have published 11623 publications receiving 213139 citations. The organization is also known as: Tiong-gôan-tāi-ha̍k & CYCU.

Inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside is independent of AMP-activated protein kinase.

Abstract: Recent studies suggest AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme involved in energy homeostasis, might be a novel signaling pathway in regulating inflammatory response, but the precise intracellular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we have demonstrated that 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide riboside (AICAR), an activator of AMPK, inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in macrophages and microglial cells at the gene transcription level. Data obtained from electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and promoter activity assay have further confirmed the ability of AICAR to block LPS-mediated NF-kappaB, AP-1, CREB, and C/EBPbeta activation. However, AICAR did not affect LPS-mediated IKK, ERK, and p38 activation. Regardless of the ability of AICAR to activate AMPK, the inhibitory effects of AICAR on iNOS and COX-2 expression were not associated with AMPK. An adenosine kinase inhibitor 5'-iodotubercidin, which effectively abolished AMPK activation caused by AICAR, did not reverse the anti-inflammatory effect of AICAR. Moreover, another AMPK activator metformin was not able to mimic the effects of AICAR. Direct addition of AICAR in EMSA assay interrupted binding of NF-kappaB, CREB, and C/EBPbeta to specific DNA elements. Taken together, this study demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory effects of AICAR against LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 gene transcription are not associated with AMPK activation, but might be resulting from the direct interference with DNA binding to transcription factors.

Supramolecular Assembly of Calcium Metal−Organic Frameworks with Structural Transformations

Abstract: Six new calcium metal−organic frameworks [Ca(BDC)(DMF)(H2O)] (1), [Ca(ABDC)(DMF)] (2), [Ca3(BTC)2(DMF)2(H2O)2]·3H2O (3), [Ca(H2dhtp)(DMF)] (4), [Ca(H2dhtp)(DMF)2] (5), and one modification of [Ca(H2dhtp)2(H2O)2] (6), (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide; BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate anion; ABDC = 2-aminobenzene-1,4-dicarboxylate anion; BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate anion; H2dhtp = 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate anion) were synthesized from calcium ions and aromatic carboxylic acids by solvothermal reactions and microwave-assisted solvothermal reactions. The single crystal structure analysis showed that all complexes display three-dimensional structures containing various inorganic motifs with helical or straight one-dimensional inorganic chains (1−3), pentagonal bipyramidal dimers (4 and 6), or discrete octahedra (5) connected through organic linkers and forming DMF- or water-coordinated neutral frameworks. It is also interesting that compounds 1−5 undergo dissolution/reorganization reactions comprising a break...

Strong Decays of Charmed Baryons in Heavy Hadron Chiral Perturbation Theory: An Update

Abstract: We first give a brief overview of the charmed baryon spectroscopy and discuss their possible structure and spin-parity assignments in the quark model. With the new Belle measurement of the widths of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}_{c}(2455)$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}_{c}(2520)$ and the recent CDF measurement of the strong decays of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2595)$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2625)$, we give updated coupling constants in heavy hadron chiral perturbation theory. We find ${g}_{2}=0.56{5}_{\ensuremath{-}0.024}^{+0.011}$ for $P$-wave transitions between $s$-wave and $s$-wave baryons, and ${h}_{2}$, one of the couplings responsible for $S$-wave transitions between $s$-wave and $p$-wave baryons, is extracted from ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2595{)}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ to be $0.63\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07$. It is substantially enhanced compared to the old value of order 0.437. With the help from the quark model, two of the couplings ${h}_{10}$ and ${h}_{11}$ responsible for $D$-wave transitions between $s$-wave and $p$-wave baryons are determined from ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}_{c}(2880)$ decays. There is a tension for the coupling ${h}_{2}$ as its value extracted from ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}(2595{)}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ will imply ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}(2790{)}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\pi}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}(2815{)}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Xi}}}_{c}^{*}\ensuremath{\pi}$ rates slightly above the current limits. It is conceivable that SU(3) flavor symmetry breaking can help account for the discrepancy.

Counterion-Activated Nanoactuator: Reversibly Switchable Killing/Releasing Bacteria on Polycation Brushes

Abstract: A strategy to release attached bacteria from surface-grafted bactericidal poly((trimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate chloride) (pTMAEMA) brushes has been proposed. The pTMAEMA brushes were fabricated via the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization for contact killing of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The bacteria-conditioning surfaces, afterward, were washed with electrolyte solutions containing anions with different lipophilic characteristic, charge density, polarity and adsorbility to quaternary ammonium groups in polymers. Because of the special ion-pairing interactions, the interfacial properties, including wettability and ζ-potential, can be manipulated in a controlled manner. Therefore, the counterion-assisted modulation of pTMAEMA brushes facilitates the bacterial release and regeneration of antimicrobial polymer films. The physicochemical properties of polymer brushes and their interactions with counterions were charac...