Nanjing University

About: Nanjing University is a education organization based out in Nanjing, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Adsorption. The organization has 85961 authors who have published 105504 publications receiving 2289036 citations. The organization is also known as: NJU & Nanking University.

Targeting VEGF/VEGFR to Modulate Antitumor Immunity.

Abstract: In addition to the crucial role in promoting the growth of tumor vessels, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is also immunosuppressive. VEGF can inhibit the function of T cells, increase the recruitment of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and hinder the differentiation and activation of dendritic cells (DCs). Recent studies have investigated the role of antiangiogenic agents in antitumor immunity, especially in recent 3 years. Therefore, it is necessary to update the role of targeting VEGF/VEGFR in antitumor immunity. In this review, we focus on the latest clinical and preclinical findings on the modulatory role of antiangiogenic agents targeting VEGF/VEGFR in immune cells, including effector T cells, Tregs, MDSCs, DCs, tumor-associated macrophages, and mast cells. Our review will be potentially helpful for the development of combinations of angiogenesis inhibitors with immunological modulators.

Linearized augmented Lagrangian and alternating direction methods for nuclear norm minimization

Abstract: The nuclear norm is widely used to induce low-rank solutions for many optimization problems with matrix variables. Recently, it has been shown that the augmented Lagrangian method (ALM) and the alternating direction method (ADM) are very efficient for many convex programming problems arising from various applications, provided that the resulting subproblems are sufficiently simple to have closed-form solutions. In this paper, we are interested in the application of the ALM and the ADM for some nuclear norm involved minimization problems. When the resulting subproblems do not have closed-form solutions, we propose to linearize these subproblems such that closed-form solutions of these linearized subproblems can be easily derived. Global convergence of these linearized ALM and ADM are established under standard assumptions. Finally, we verify the effectiveness and efficiency of these new methods by some numerical experiments.

Atmospheric new particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines in a Chinese megacity

Abstract: Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) is an important global phenomenon that is nevertheless sensitive to ambient conditions. According to both observation and theoretical arguments, NPF usually requires a relatively high sulfuric acid (H2SO4) concentration to promote the formation of new particles and a low preexisting aerosol loading to minimize the sink of new particles. We investigated NPF in Shanghai and were able to observe both precursor vapors (H2SO4) and initial clusters at a molecular level in a megacity. High NPF rates were observed to coincide with several familiar markers suggestive of H2SO4-dimethylamine (DMA)-water (H2O) nucleation, including sulfuric acid dimers and H2SO4-DMA clusters. In a cluster kinetics simulation, the observed concentration of sulfuric acid was high enough to explain the particle growth to ~3 nanometers under the very high condensation sink, whereas the subsequent higher growth rate beyond this size is believed to result from the added contribution of condensing organic species. These findings will help in understanding urban NPF and its air quality and climate effects, as well as in formulating policies to mitigate secondary particle formation in China.

ROS play a critical role in the differentiation of alternatively activated macrophages and the occurrence of tumor-associated macrophages

Abstract: Differentiation to different types of macrophages determines their distinct functions. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote tumorigenesis owing to their proangiogenic and immune-suppressive functions similar to those of alternatively activated (M2) macrophages. We report that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is critical for macrophage differentiation and that inhibition of superoxide (O(2-)) production specifically blocks the differentiation of M2 macrophages. We found that when monocytes are triggered to differentiate, O(2-) is generated and is needed for the biphasic ERK activation, which is critical for macrophage differentiation. We demonstrated that ROS elimination by butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and other ROS inhibitors blocks macrophage differentiation. However, the inhibitory effect of ROS elimination on macrophage differentiation is overcome when cells are polarized to classically activated (M1), but not M2, macrophages. More importantly, the continuous administration of the ROS inhibitor BHA efficiently blocked the occurrence of TAMs and markedly suppressed tumorigenesis in mouse cancer models. Targeting TAMs by blocking ROS can be a potentially effective method for cancer treatment.