Fu Jen Catholic University

About: Fu Jen Catholic University is a education organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 6842 authors who have published 9512 publications receiving 171005 citations. The organization is also known as: FJU & Fu Jen.

VEGFA Upregulates FLJ10540 and Modulates Migration and Invasion of Lung Cancer via PI3K/AKT Pathway

Abstract: Background Lung adenocarcinoma is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women in the world. Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rates with an overall 5-year survival of only 15%. This high mortality is probably attributable to early metastasis. Although several well-known markers correlated with poor/metastasis prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients by immunohistochemistry was reported, the molecular mechanisms of lung adenocarcinoma development are still not clear. To explore novel molecular markers and their signaling pathways will be crucial for aiding in treatment of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Methodology/Principal Findings To identify novel lung adenocarcinoma-associated /metastasis genes and to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms of these targets in lung cancer progression, we created a bioinformatics scheme consisting of integrating three gene expression profile datasets, including pairwise lung adenocarcinoma, secondary metastatic tumors vs. benign tumors, and a series of invasive cell lines. Among the novel targets identified, FLJ10540 was overexpressed in lung cancer tissues and is associated with cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, we employed two co-expression strategies to identify in which pathway FLJ10540 was involved. Lung adenocarcinoma array profiles and tissue microarray IHC staining data showed that FLJ10540 and VEGF-A, as well as FLJ10540 and phospho-AKT exhibit positive correlations, respectively. Stimulation of lung cancer cells with VEGF-A results in an increase in FLJ10540 protein expression and enhances complex formation with PI3K. Treatment with VEGFR2 and PI3K inhibitors affects cell migration and invasion by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, knockdown of FLJ10540 destabilizes formation of the P110-α/P85-α-(PI3K) complex, further supporting the participation of FLJ10540 in the VEGF-A/PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusions/Significance This finding set the stage for further testing of FLJ10540 as a new therapeutic target for treating lung cancer and may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies that are able to block the PI3K/AKT pathway in lung cancer cells.

Environmental impact and sustainability study on biofuels for transportation applications

Abstract: A review on lifecycle analysis of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission for various biofuel vehicles has been performed. Four potential vehicular biofuels are simulated: corn ethanol, switchgrass ethanol, soybean biodiesel, and bio-hydrogen from corn ethanol. A fuel-cycle model developed at Argonne National Laboratory, called the GREET model, is employed to evaluate the biomass-to-tank (BTT) energy and emissions impacts of various biofuels. The fuel economies of three types of vehicles, i.e., flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), diesel vehicles (DVs), and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are also determined using the simulation tools in MATLAB/Simulink. The effects of replacing conventional gasoline vehicles (GVs) by the aforementioned biofuel vehicles on the lifecycle GHG emission and energy consumption are examined. The results showed that the FFVs fueled with an ethanol fuel blend of 85% switchgrass ethanol and 15% gasoline (E85) have the greatest benefits in GHG emission reduction by 59.4%, but suffer from 101.3% total energy consumption compared to the baseline system.

Effects of potassium supplementation on the recovery of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis

Abstract: Potassium supplements have been recommended to hasten recovery and prevent cardiopulmonary complications in patients with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP). However, this recommendation has not yet been proven efficacious. Thirty-two patients with acute attacks of TPP over a 3-year-period were divided into 2 groups. Group A (n = 12) was a control group treated with normal saline infusion 125 mL/hr only. Group B (n = 20) received intravenous KCl administration at a rate of 10 mmol/hr in normal saline 125 mL/hr. During the attack and for 6 hours after muscle recovery, hemodynamics were continuously recorded and muscle strength and plasma K+ concentration were measured hourly. The sex, age, muscle strength, thyroid function, biochemical values including plasma K+ levels, as well as the time from attack to therapy (3.6 ± 1.6 v 3.3 ± 1.0 hr) were not significant between the 2 groups. However, recovery time was significantly shorter in the KCl group than the control (6.3 ± 3.8 v 13.5 ± 7.5 hr, P < .01). Rebound hyperkalemia greater than 5.5 mmol/L occurred in 40% patients receiving KCl. The dose of KCl administered and peak K+ concentration were positively correlated (r = 0.85, P < .001). In conclusion, KCl therapy proves to help the recovery of paralysis in TPP associated with rebound hyperkalemia. KCl supplementation should be given as small as possible (<10 mmol/hr) to avoid rebound hyperkalemia unless there are cardiopulmonary complications.