Lili Wang - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Lili Wang
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2006
Previous studies have suggested that Ca 2ϩ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) can m... more Previous studies have suggested that Ca 2ϩ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) can modulate opioid tolerance and dependence via its action on learning and memory. In this study, we examined whether CaMKII could directly regulate opioid tolerance and dependence. CaMKII activity was increased after the treatment with morphine (100 mg/kg s.c. or 75 mg s.c. of morphine/pellet/mouse); the effect exhibited a temporal correction with the development of opioid tolerance and dependence. In mice treated with morphine (100 mg/kg s.c.)
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu Chinese Acupuncture Moxibustion, Nov 1, 2013
To observe the efficacy in cervical headache of acupuncture combined with fire needling and the s... more To observe the efficacy in cervical headache of acupuncture combined with fire needling and the simple acupuncture therapy. One hundred and eighty cases were randomized into an acupuncture plus fire needling group (group A) and an acupuncture group (group B), 90 cases in each one. Baihui (GV 20), Wangu (GB 12), Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10) and Neck-Jiaji (EX-B 2) were selected in the two groups. In group A, the fire needling technique was applied to all the above points before acupuncture with filiform needles. In group B, the acupuncture therapy was used only. The treatment was given once a day, the efficacy was compared between the two groups after 20 treatments. The total effective rate was 95.6% (86/90) in group A and was 84. 4% (76/90) in group B, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P<0.05). VAS were 7.44+/-1.26 and 0.73+/-l. 44 before and after treatment in group A separately, those were 7.56+/-1.07 and 2. 56+/-2. 99 in group B, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P<0.01). The difference in VAS after treatment was significant between the two groups. In group A, the follow-up visit was conducted at 3 months and 6 months after treatment for the cured cases. The total recurrence rate in the patients without bony pathological changes was 14.8% (4/27) and that in the patients with bony pathological changes was 43. 5% (10/23), there was significant difference between them (P<0. 05). The combined therapy of fire needling technique and filiform needle acupuncture improves the efficacy and sustains the efficacy especially on cervical headache without bony pathological changing.
Polymer, 2008
A series of carboxylic acid functionalized hybrid linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) deriv... more A series of carboxylic acid functionalized hybrid linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) derived from methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and variant generation dendrons from 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid were synthesized and employed as CaCO 3 crystallization growth modifiers. Mainly spherical vaterite particles of gradually reduced sizes were produced with the increase of the polymer additive concentration and/or the dendron segment generation number, while the incorporated polymer organic components in the particles increased for the promoted binding efficiency and ever enhanced adsorption ability. A higher mineralization temperature resulted in significantly larger particle size and partly calcite formation. Under the same molar concentration of carboxylic acid, the same size level particles were obtained which manifested the crucial role of the functional group, meanwhile, the slight decrease of the spherical vaterite diameters with increasing generation number and especially the formation of particular pine-cone shaped calcite crystals also revealed the significant effect of the architectural structure of variant generations and some special characters of the hybrid LDBC structures.
Nature communications, 2015
The drug-loading properties of nanocarriers depend on the chemical structures and properties of t... more The drug-loading properties of nanocarriers depend on the chemical structures and properties of their building blocks. Here we customize telodendrimers (linear dendritic copolymer) to design a nanocarrier with improved in vivo drug delivery characteristics. We do a virtual screen of a library of small molecules to identify the optimal building blocks for precise telodendrimer synthesis using peptide chemistry. With rationally designed telodendrimer architectures, we then optimize the drug-binding affinity of a nanocarrier by introducing an optimal drug-binding molecule (DBM) without sacrificing the stability of the nanocarrier. To validate the computational predictions, we synthesize a series of nanocarriers and evaluate systematically for doxorubicin delivery. Rhein-containing nanocarriers have sustained drug release, prolonged circulation, increased tolerated dose, reduced toxicity, effective tumour targeting and superior anticancer effects owing to favourable doxorubicin-binding ...
Acta biomaterialia, Jan 21, 2015
Four coumarin-containing telodendrimers (denoted as P-I, P-II, P-III and P-IV) were designed and ... more Four coumarin-containing telodendrimers (denoted as P-I, P-II, P-III and P-IV) were designed and synthesized to self-assemble into the corresponding nanoparticles. Of those, two nanoparticles (P-II and P-IV micelles) were screened and selected for targeted drug delivery of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy camptothecin (SN-38), a prominent and efficacious anticancer agent, for the treatment of colon cancers. The nanoparticle encapsulation significantly increased the solubility of SN-38 in aqueous solution. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed the size of these SN-38 nanoparticles to be around 50 nm, and rod-shaped micelles were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These two novel nanoformulations of SN-38/P-II and SN-38/P-IV were found to exhibit similar in vitro cytotoxic activity against colon cancer cells as the free drug (SN-38 in DMSO) and were 500-fold more potent than Irinotecan (a prodrug of SN-38). In addition, near infrared fluorescent (NIRF) optical imaging was utiliz...
Molecular pharmaceutics, Jan 18, 2015
Certain natural products such as gambogic acid (GA) exhibit potent anti-tumor effects. Unfortunat... more Certain natural products such as gambogic acid (GA) exhibit potent anti-tumor effects. Unfortunately, administration of these natural products is limited by their poor solubility in conventional pharmaceutical solvents and toxic side effects. In this study, a series of telodendrimers, composed of linear polyethylene glycol (PEG)-blocking-dendritic oligomer of cholic acid (CA) and vitamin E (VE), have been designed with architectures optimized for efficient delivery of GA and other natural anticancer compounds. Two of the telodendrimers with segregated CA and VE domains self-assembled into stable cylindrical and/or spherical nanoparticles (NPs) after being loaded with GA as observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which correlated with the dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis of sub-30 nm particle sizes. A very high GA loading capacity (3:10 drug/polymer w/w) and sustained drug release were achieved with the optimized telodendrimers. These novel nanoformulations of G...
European journal of pharmacology, Jan 10, 2010
MJ15, a novel cannabinoid CB(1) receptor selective antagonist was discovered. In receptor binding... more MJ15, a novel cannabinoid CB(1) receptor selective antagonist was discovered. In receptor binding assays, MJ15 displayed a high affinity for rat cannabinoid CB(1) receptor (K(i)=27.2 pM, and IC(50)=118.9 pM), but a much lower affinity for rat cannabinoid CB(2) receptor (only 46% inhibition at 10 microM). At the cellular level, the IC(50) values against activation of cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors induced by Win55212-2 in specially designed EGFP-CB(1)_U2OS and EGFP-CB(2)_U2OS cells were 0.11 microM and >10 microM, respectively. In addition, MJ15 dose-dependently blocked Win55212-2 mediated increase of intracellular Ca(2+) levels in hippocampal cells and reversed the inhibitory effects of cannabinoid CB(1) receptor agonist on forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in CHO cells expressing the human cannabinoid CB(1) receptor. In animal experiments, MJ15 demonstrated remarkable effects from 20 to 40 mg/kg, including promoted the small intestine peristalsis in ICR mice ...
Solid-State Electronics, 2012
ABSTRACT SnO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 200 °C using stannic chlori... more ABSTRACT SnO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 200 °C using stannic chloride hydrate and sodium hydroxide as starting materials. The as-synthesized nanoparticles and nanosheets are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gas response, selectivity, and response speed were optimized by varying the morphology of the sensing materials and operation temperature. Most importantly, the SnO2 nanosheets sensor exhibits high response, low detection limit and fast response to ethanol. The gas response of the SnO2 nanosheets to 100 ppm ethanol was 39.6 at 300 °C, which was 3.6 and 6.1 times higher than that of the nanospheres-like and the nanoparticles, respectively. Response and recovery times were 1 and 9 s when the sensor was exposed to 20 ppm ethanol at an operating temperature of 300 °C.
Optics Communications, 2008
Tm 3+ /Er 3+ /Yb 3+ tri-doped CaF 2 phosphors were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The p... more Tm 3+ /Er 3+ /Yb 3+ tri-doped CaF 2 phosphors were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and up-conversion (UC) emission spectra. After annealing, the phosphors emitted white light under a 980 nm continuous wave diode laser (CW LD 2 W) excitation. As the excitation power density changed in the range of 20-260 W/cm 2 , the chromaticity coordinates of the UC light of the phosphor Ca 0.885 Tm 0.005 Er 0.01-Yb 0.1 F 2 fell well in the white region of the 1931 CIE diagram. For the proportion of red, green and blue (RGB) in white light is strict, key factors for achieving UC white light, such as host materials, rare earth ions doping concentrations, annealing temperatures, as well as the excitation power densities, were investigated and discussed.
International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience, 2012
Spina bifida is a complex congenital malformation resulting from failure of fusion in the spinal ... more Spina bifida is a complex congenital malformation resulting from failure of fusion in the spinal neural tube during embryogenesis. However, the cellular mechanism underlying spina bifida is not fully understood. Here, we investigated cell apoptosis in whole embryos and proliferation of neural progenitor cells in the spinal neural tube during neurulation in all-trans retinoic acid (atRA)-induced spina bifida in fetal rats. Cell apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay on whole-mount and serially sectioned samples of rat embryos with spina bifida. Cell proliferation of lumbo-sacral neural progenitor cells was assessed by staining for the mitotic marker Ki67 and pH3. We found an excess of apoptosis in the neuroepithelium of embryos with spina bifida, which became more marked as embryos progress from E11 to E13. Conversely, there was a reduction in cell proliferation in spina bifida embryos, with a progressively greater difference from controls with stage from E11 to 13. Thus, atRA-induced...
Proceedings of the 9th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks - IPSN '10, 2010
Troubleshooting unresponsive sensor nodes is a significant challenge in remote sensor network dep... more Troubleshooting unresponsive sensor nodes is a significant challenge in remote sensor network deployments. This paper introduces the tele-diagnostic powertracer, an in-situ troubleshooting tool that uses external power measurements to determine the internal health condition of an unresponsive host and the most likely cause of its failure. We developed our own low-cost power meter with low-bandwidth radio to report power measurements and findings, hence allowing remote (i.e., tele-) diagnosis. The tool was deployed and tested in a remote solar-powered sensing network for acoustic and visual environmental monitoring. It was shown to successfully distinguish between several categories of failures that cause unresponsive behavior including energy depletion, antenna damage, radio disconnection, system crashes, and anomalous reboots. It was also able to determine the internal health conditions of an unresponsive node, such as the presence or absence of sensing and data storage activities (for each of multiple sensors). The paper explores the feasibility of building such a remote diagnostic tool from the standpoint of economy, scale and diagnostic accuracy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper that presents a remote diagnostic tool that uses power measurements to diagnose sensor system failures.
Optical Materials, 2008
Pumped with a 980-nm diode laser, violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence was presented in Y... more Pumped with a 980-nm diode laser, violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence was presented in Y 0.83 Yb 0.15 Er 0.02 F 3 nanocrystals. Observed emissions at 318 nm and 379 nm were affirmed coming from a four-photon excitation process. In comparison with a bulk sample having the same chemical compositions, the nanocrystals had a markedly enhanced ability of emitting violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence. By employing Tm 3+ ions as structural probes in the samples, we found that the enhancement could be attributed to the decrease of Judd-Ofelt parameter X 2 . A model for revealing the four-photon excitation process was proposed based on spectral analysis.
Physical review letters, Jan 4, 2015
Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T_{c}) superconductivity in cuprates ... more Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T_{c}) superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent complexity of their multilayered crystal structure. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we report on layer-by-layer probing of the electronic structures of all ingredient planes (BiO, SrO, CuO_{2}) of Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+δ} superconductor prepared by argon-ion bombardment and annealing technique. We show that the well-known pseudogap (PG) feature observed by STM is inherently a property of the BiO planes and thus irrelevant directly to Cooper pairing. The SrO planes exhibit an unexpected van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, while the CuO_{2} planes are exclusively characterized by a smaller gap inside the PG. The small gap becomes invisible near T_{c}, which we identify as the superconducting gap. The above results constitute severe constraints on any microscopic model for high T_{c} superconductivity in cuprates.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008
One-dimensional Mn 2+ -doped Zn 2 SiO 4 microbelts and microfibers were prepared by a simple and ... more One-dimensional Mn 2+ -doped Zn 2 SiO 4 microbelts and microfibers were prepared by a simple and cost-effective electrospinning process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), ...
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008
A growth mechanism was proposed for YF3 nanocrystals forming in the quaternary reverse microemuls... more A growth mechanism was proposed for YF3 nanocrystals forming in the quaternary reverse microemulsion system with water/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/cyclohexane/1-pentanol. In the proposed mechanism, primary particles are formed by constant collision, fusion, and ...
Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2014
Microsphere concentrations are needed to assign equivalent reference fluorophores (ERF) units to ... more Microsphere concentrations are needed to assign equivalent reference fluorophores (ERF) units to microspheres used in quantitative flow cytometry. A flow cytometer with a syringe based sample delivery system was evaluated for the measurement of the concentration of microspheres contained in a vial of lyophilized microspheres certified by BD Biosciences to contain 50,600 microspheres. The concentration was measured by counting the number of microspheres contained in the volume delivered by the flow cytometer and dividing the number by the volume. The syringe volume was calibrated both in the delivery and draw modes, and the results of the volume calibration were summarized by two calibration lines. The delivered volume was obtained by dividing the number of recorded events by the concentration of microsphere count standard in the sample tube. The draw volume was obtained by weighting the sample tube before and after the draw. The slope of the draw volume calibration line was equal to 1.00 with an offset of -13 µL. The slope of the delivered volume calibration was 0.93 suggesting a systematic volume-dependent bias, which can be rationalized as an effect of suspension flow in capillaries. When the sample volume was set to values between 150 µL and 300 µL, both calibration curves gave similar results suggesting that a good estimate of the true delivered volume can be obtained by subtracting 13 µL from the delivered volume indicated by the syringe settings. The number of microspheres in the volume was obtained by passing the suspension contained in the volume through a laser beam and counting the number of events in which the signals from the scattering and fluorescence detectors exceeded threshold values. Measurements were performed with the lyophilized microspheres made by BD Biosciences and fluorescein microspheres (expired reference material RM 8640) in three buffers: a phosphate buffer saline (PBS), a buffer containing PBS and 0.05 % BSA (bovine serum albumin) by mass, and a buffer containing PBS and 0.05 % TWEEN 20 detergent solution (P1379 Sigma-Aldrich) by mass. It was found that the concentration of count standard was significantly higher in the PBS+BSA buffer relative to the value obtained in PBS buffer. Values for PBS+0.05 % TWEEN 20 buffer were intermediate. The effect of buffer on the measured microsphere concentration was reported previously. The suggested procedure for the measurement of the concentration of microspheres with the flow cytometer is to use PBS+0.05 % BSA buffer, accumulate data for a delivered volume of 150 µL to 300 µL, and reduce the indicated delivered volume by 13 µL when performing the concentration calculation. The procedure was tested on a mixture of lyophilized microspheres and RM 8640 microspheres. The resulting lyophilized microsphere concentration was consistent with the certified value. The RM 8640 concentration determined using the suggested procedure was consistent with the concentration value determined using the relative method with the lyophilized microspheres as the reference. The uncertainties, obtained from one standard deviation of repeated measurements, were about 4 %.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009
NaYF 4 hexagonal microprisms and microrods with different aspect ratios have been prepared via a ... more NaYF 4 hexagonal microprisms and microrods with different aspect ratios have been prepared via a simple hydrothermal route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays were used to characterize the samples. The influences of reaction temperature and the molar ratio of NaF to Y 3+ on the crystal phases and shapes of final products have been studied in detail. The aspect ratios of products increase gradually with the increase of reaction temperature and NaF/Y 3+ molar ratio. The growth mechanisms of crystals prepared under the different conditions are presented systematically. More importantly, the systematical investigation on the luminescence properties of -NaYF 4 :xEu 3+ (x ) 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 mol %) with hexagonally microprismatic morphology shows the characteristic emissions of Eu 3+ ( 5 D J -7 F J′ , J, J′ ) 0, 1, 2, 3). Under the excitation of single wavelength light of 397 nm, the luminescence colors of the corresponding products can be tuned feasibly from bluish white to yellow to red by changing the doping concentration of Eu 3+ . This merit of multicolor emissions in the visible region endows this kind of materials with potential application in the field of light display systems, lasers, and optoelectronic devices.
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2012
Hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microspheres have been synthesized with good uniformity ... more Hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microspheres have been synthesized with good uniformity by a surfactant-free hydrothermal route and subsequent heat treatment. This method requires high concentrations of a nickel precursor (0.2 M) and introduction of a trace amount of Au nanoparticles into the reaction system. The hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microsphere comprises several nanorods and nanosheets. To demonstrate the usage of such hierarchical hybrid nanomaterials, a gas sensor has been fabricated from the as-synthesized Au-loaded NiO microspheres and investigated for acetone detection. The Au-loaded NiO sensor exhibits significantly improved sensing performances in terms of high sensitivity, low detection limit, better selectivity, rapid response, and good reproducibility in comparison with pure NiO. The effects of Au loading on the acetone-sensing properties of hierarchical NiO microspheres have been investigated.
ChemInform, 2009
ABSTRACT ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance t... more ABSTRACT ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2013
ABSTRACT The flower-like pristine (ZnO) and PdO-decorated ZnO (PdO-ZnO) materials with hierarchic... more ABSTRACT The flower-like pristine (ZnO) and PdO-decorated ZnO (PdO-ZnO) materials with hierarchical structure were synthesized by a surfactant-free hydrothermal route and subsequent heat treatment. This method requires high concentrations of a zinc precursor (0.1 M) and introduction of an amount of PdO nanoparticles into the reaction system. The flower-like ZnO nanostructures comprises many aggregative rods with the diameter of about 200 nm. Having fabricated gas sensors based on the pristine and PdO-decorated flower-like ZnO, we find that the PdO-ZnO sensor exhibits a response of 100 ppm C7H8 and C2H5OH, which is about 4–5 times higher than that of pristine ZnO at the optimal operating temperature of 240 and 320 °C. The enhanced sensing performance demonstrates that the distinct increases in response are attributed to the sensitisation effect of PdO. The effects of PdO decorating on the sensing properties of flower-like ZnO structures have been investigated.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2006
Previous studies have suggested that Ca 2ϩ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) can m... more Previous studies have suggested that Ca 2ϩ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) can modulate opioid tolerance and dependence via its action on learning and memory. In this study, we examined whether CaMKII could directly regulate opioid tolerance and dependence. CaMKII activity was increased after the treatment with morphine (100 mg/kg s.c. or 75 mg s.c. of morphine/pellet/mouse); the effect exhibited a temporal correction with the development of opioid tolerance and dependence. In mice treated with morphine (100 mg/kg s.c.)
Zhongguo Zhen Jiu Chinese Acupuncture Moxibustion, Nov 1, 2013
To observe the efficacy in cervical headache of acupuncture combined with fire needling and the s... more To observe the efficacy in cervical headache of acupuncture combined with fire needling and the simple acupuncture therapy. One hundred and eighty cases were randomized into an acupuncture plus fire needling group (group A) and an acupuncture group (group B), 90 cases in each one. Baihui (GV 20), Wangu (GB 12), Fengchi (GB 20), Tianzhu (BL 10) and Neck-Jiaji (EX-B 2) were selected in the two groups. In group A, the fire needling technique was applied to all the above points before acupuncture with filiform needles. In group B, the acupuncture therapy was used only. The treatment was given once a day, the efficacy was compared between the two groups after 20 treatments. The total effective rate was 95.6% (86/90) in group A and was 84. 4% (76/90) in group B, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P<0.05). VAS were 7.44+/-1.26 and 0.73+/-l. 44 before and after treatment in group A separately, those were 7.56+/-1.07 and 2. 56+/-2. 99 in group B, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P<0.01). The difference in VAS after treatment was significant between the two groups. In group A, the follow-up visit was conducted at 3 months and 6 months after treatment for the cured cases. The total recurrence rate in the patients without bony pathological changes was 14.8% (4/27) and that in the patients with bony pathological changes was 43. 5% (10/23), there was significant difference between them (P<0. 05). The combined therapy of fire needling technique and filiform needle acupuncture improves the efficacy and sustains the efficacy especially on cervical headache without bony pathological changing.
Polymer, 2008
A series of carboxylic acid functionalized hybrid linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) deriv... more A series of carboxylic acid functionalized hybrid linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) derived from methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) and variant generation dendrons from 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid were synthesized and employed as CaCO 3 crystallization growth modifiers. Mainly spherical vaterite particles of gradually reduced sizes were produced with the increase of the polymer additive concentration and/or the dendron segment generation number, while the incorporated polymer organic components in the particles increased for the promoted binding efficiency and ever enhanced adsorption ability. A higher mineralization temperature resulted in significantly larger particle size and partly calcite formation. Under the same molar concentration of carboxylic acid, the same size level particles were obtained which manifested the crucial role of the functional group, meanwhile, the slight decrease of the spherical vaterite diameters with increasing generation number and especially the formation of particular pine-cone shaped calcite crystals also revealed the significant effect of the architectural structure of variant generations and some special characters of the hybrid LDBC structures.
Nature communications, 2015
The drug-loading properties of nanocarriers depend on the chemical structures and properties of t... more The drug-loading properties of nanocarriers depend on the chemical structures and properties of their building blocks. Here we customize telodendrimers (linear dendritic copolymer) to design a nanocarrier with improved in vivo drug delivery characteristics. We do a virtual screen of a library of small molecules to identify the optimal building blocks for precise telodendrimer synthesis using peptide chemistry. With rationally designed telodendrimer architectures, we then optimize the drug-binding affinity of a nanocarrier by introducing an optimal drug-binding molecule (DBM) without sacrificing the stability of the nanocarrier. To validate the computational predictions, we synthesize a series of nanocarriers and evaluate systematically for doxorubicin delivery. Rhein-containing nanocarriers have sustained drug release, prolonged circulation, increased tolerated dose, reduced toxicity, effective tumour targeting and superior anticancer effects owing to favourable doxorubicin-binding ...
Acta biomaterialia, Jan 21, 2015
Four coumarin-containing telodendrimers (denoted as P-I, P-II, P-III and P-IV) were designed and ... more Four coumarin-containing telodendrimers (denoted as P-I, P-II, P-III and P-IV) were designed and synthesized to self-assemble into the corresponding nanoparticles. Of those, two nanoparticles (P-II and P-IV micelles) were screened and selected for targeted drug delivery of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy camptothecin (SN-38), a prominent and efficacious anticancer agent, for the treatment of colon cancers. The nanoparticle encapsulation significantly increased the solubility of SN-38 in aqueous solution. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed the size of these SN-38 nanoparticles to be around 50 nm, and rod-shaped micelles were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These two novel nanoformulations of SN-38/P-II and SN-38/P-IV were found to exhibit similar in vitro cytotoxic activity against colon cancer cells as the free drug (SN-38 in DMSO) and were 500-fold more potent than Irinotecan (a prodrug of SN-38). In addition, near infrared fluorescent (NIRF) optical imaging was utiliz...
Molecular pharmaceutics, Jan 18, 2015
Certain natural products such as gambogic acid (GA) exhibit potent anti-tumor effects. Unfortunat... more Certain natural products such as gambogic acid (GA) exhibit potent anti-tumor effects. Unfortunately, administration of these natural products is limited by their poor solubility in conventional pharmaceutical solvents and toxic side effects. In this study, a series of telodendrimers, composed of linear polyethylene glycol (PEG)-blocking-dendritic oligomer of cholic acid (CA) and vitamin E (VE), have been designed with architectures optimized for efficient delivery of GA and other natural anticancer compounds. Two of the telodendrimers with segregated CA and VE domains self-assembled into stable cylindrical and/or spherical nanoparticles (NPs) after being loaded with GA as observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which correlated with the dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis of sub-30 nm particle sizes. A very high GA loading capacity (3:10 drug/polymer w/w) and sustained drug release were achieved with the optimized telodendrimers. These novel nanoformulations of G...
European journal of pharmacology, Jan 10, 2010
MJ15, a novel cannabinoid CB(1) receptor selective antagonist was discovered. In receptor binding... more MJ15, a novel cannabinoid CB(1) receptor selective antagonist was discovered. In receptor binding assays, MJ15 displayed a high affinity for rat cannabinoid CB(1) receptor (K(i)=27.2 pM, and IC(50)=118.9 pM), but a much lower affinity for rat cannabinoid CB(2) receptor (only 46% inhibition at 10 microM). At the cellular level, the IC(50) values against activation of cannabinoid CB(1) and CB(2) receptors induced by Win55212-2 in specially designed EGFP-CB(1)_U2OS and EGFP-CB(2)_U2OS cells were 0.11 microM and >10 microM, respectively. In addition, MJ15 dose-dependently blocked Win55212-2 mediated increase of intracellular Ca(2+) levels in hippocampal cells and reversed the inhibitory effects of cannabinoid CB(1) receptor agonist on forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in CHO cells expressing the human cannabinoid CB(1) receptor. In animal experiments, MJ15 demonstrated remarkable effects from 20 to 40 mg/kg, including promoted the small intestine peristalsis in ICR mice ...
Solid-State Electronics, 2012
ABSTRACT SnO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 200 °C using stannic chlori... more ABSTRACT SnO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 200 °C using stannic chloride hydrate and sodium hydroxide as starting materials. The as-synthesized nanoparticles and nanosheets are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gas response, selectivity, and response speed were optimized by varying the morphology of the sensing materials and operation temperature. Most importantly, the SnO2 nanosheets sensor exhibits high response, low detection limit and fast response to ethanol. The gas response of the SnO2 nanosheets to 100 ppm ethanol was 39.6 at 300 °C, which was 3.6 and 6.1 times higher than that of the nanospheres-like and the nanoparticles, respectively. Response and recovery times were 1 and 9 s when the sensor was exposed to 20 ppm ethanol at an operating temperature of 300 °C.
Optics Communications, 2008
Tm 3+ /Er 3+ /Yb 3+ tri-doped CaF 2 phosphors were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The p... more Tm 3+ /Er 3+ /Yb 3+ tri-doped CaF 2 phosphors were synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and up-conversion (UC) emission spectra. After annealing, the phosphors emitted white light under a 980 nm continuous wave diode laser (CW LD 2 W) excitation. As the excitation power density changed in the range of 20-260 W/cm 2 , the chromaticity coordinates of the UC light of the phosphor Ca 0.885 Tm 0.005 Er 0.01-Yb 0.1 F 2 fell well in the white region of the 1931 CIE diagram. For the proportion of red, green and blue (RGB) in white light is strict, key factors for achieving UC white light, such as host materials, rare earth ions doping concentrations, annealing temperatures, as well as the excitation power densities, were investigated and discussed.
International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience, 2012
Spina bifida is a complex congenital malformation resulting from failure of fusion in the spinal ... more Spina bifida is a complex congenital malformation resulting from failure of fusion in the spinal neural tube during embryogenesis. However, the cellular mechanism underlying spina bifida is not fully understood. Here, we investigated cell apoptosis in whole embryos and proliferation of neural progenitor cells in the spinal neural tube during neurulation in all-trans retinoic acid (atRA)-induced spina bifida in fetal rats. Cell apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay on whole-mount and serially sectioned samples of rat embryos with spina bifida. Cell proliferation of lumbo-sacral neural progenitor cells was assessed by staining for the mitotic marker Ki67 and pH3. We found an excess of apoptosis in the neuroepithelium of embryos with spina bifida, which became more marked as embryos progress from E11 to E13. Conversely, there was a reduction in cell proliferation in spina bifida embryos, with a progressively greater difference from controls with stage from E11 to 13. Thus, atRA-induced...
Proceedings of the 9th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Information Processing in Sensor Networks - IPSN '10, 2010
Troubleshooting unresponsive sensor nodes is a significant challenge in remote sensor network dep... more Troubleshooting unresponsive sensor nodes is a significant challenge in remote sensor network deployments. This paper introduces the tele-diagnostic powertracer, an in-situ troubleshooting tool that uses external power measurements to determine the internal health condition of an unresponsive host and the most likely cause of its failure. We developed our own low-cost power meter with low-bandwidth radio to report power measurements and findings, hence allowing remote (i.e., tele-) diagnosis. The tool was deployed and tested in a remote solar-powered sensing network for acoustic and visual environmental monitoring. It was shown to successfully distinguish between several categories of failures that cause unresponsive behavior including energy depletion, antenna damage, radio disconnection, system crashes, and anomalous reboots. It was also able to determine the internal health conditions of an unresponsive node, such as the presence or absence of sensing and data storage activities (for each of multiple sensors). The paper explores the feasibility of building such a remote diagnostic tool from the standpoint of economy, scale and diagnostic accuracy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper that presents a remote diagnostic tool that uses power measurements to diagnose sensor system failures.
Optical Materials, 2008
Pumped with a 980-nm diode laser, violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence was presented in Y... more Pumped with a 980-nm diode laser, violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence was presented in Y 0.83 Yb 0.15 Er 0.02 F 3 nanocrystals. Observed emissions at 318 nm and 379 nm were affirmed coming from a four-photon excitation process. In comparison with a bulk sample having the same chemical compositions, the nanocrystals had a markedly enhanced ability of emitting violet/ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence. By employing Tm 3+ ions as structural probes in the samples, we found that the enhancement could be attributed to the decrease of Judd-Ofelt parameter X 2 . A model for revealing the four-photon excitation process was proposed based on spectral analysis.
Physical review letters, Jan 4, 2015
Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T_{c}) superconductivity in cuprates ... more Understanding the mechanism of high transition temperature (T_{c}) superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent complexity of their multilayered crystal structure. Using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we report on layer-by-layer probing of the electronic structures of all ingredient planes (BiO, SrO, CuO_{2}) of Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+δ} superconductor prepared by argon-ion bombardment and annealing technique. We show that the well-known pseudogap (PG) feature observed by STM is inherently a property of the BiO planes and thus irrelevant directly to Cooper pairing. The SrO planes exhibit an unexpected van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, while the CuO_{2} planes are exclusively characterized by a smaller gap inside the PG. The small gap becomes invisible near T_{c}, which we identify as the superconducting gap. The above results constitute severe constraints on any microscopic model for high T_{c} superconductivity in cuprates.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008
One-dimensional Mn 2+ -doped Zn 2 SiO 4 microbelts and microfibers were prepared by a simple and ... more One-dimensional Mn 2+ -doped Zn 2 SiO 4 microbelts and microfibers were prepared by a simple and cost-effective electrospinning process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), ...
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008
A growth mechanism was proposed for YF3 nanocrystals forming in the quaternary reverse microemuls... more A growth mechanism was proposed for YF3 nanocrystals forming in the quaternary reverse microemulsion system with water/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/cyclohexane/1-pentanol. In the proposed mechanism, primary particles are formed by constant collision, fusion, and ...
Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2014
Microsphere concentrations are needed to assign equivalent reference fluorophores (ERF) units to ... more Microsphere concentrations are needed to assign equivalent reference fluorophores (ERF) units to microspheres used in quantitative flow cytometry. A flow cytometer with a syringe based sample delivery system was evaluated for the measurement of the concentration of microspheres contained in a vial of lyophilized microspheres certified by BD Biosciences to contain 50,600 microspheres. The concentration was measured by counting the number of microspheres contained in the volume delivered by the flow cytometer and dividing the number by the volume. The syringe volume was calibrated both in the delivery and draw modes, and the results of the volume calibration were summarized by two calibration lines. The delivered volume was obtained by dividing the number of recorded events by the concentration of microsphere count standard in the sample tube. The draw volume was obtained by weighting the sample tube before and after the draw. The slope of the draw volume calibration line was equal to 1.00 with an offset of -13 µL. The slope of the delivered volume calibration was 0.93 suggesting a systematic volume-dependent bias, which can be rationalized as an effect of suspension flow in capillaries. When the sample volume was set to values between 150 µL and 300 µL, both calibration curves gave similar results suggesting that a good estimate of the true delivered volume can be obtained by subtracting 13 µL from the delivered volume indicated by the syringe settings. The number of microspheres in the volume was obtained by passing the suspension contained in the volume through a laser beam and counting the number of events in which the signals from the scattering and fluorescence detectors exceeded threshold values. Measurements were performed with the lyophilized microspheres made by BD Biosciences and fluorescein microspheres (expired reference material RM 8640) in three buffers: a phosphate buffer saline (PBS), a buffer containing PBS and 0.05 % BSA (bovine serum albumin) by mass, and a buffer containing PBS and 0.05 % TWEEN 20 detergent solution (P1379 Sigma-Aldrich) by mass. It was found that the concentration of count standard was significantly higher in the PBS+BSA buffer relative to the value obtained in PBS buffer. Values for PBS+0.05 % TWEEN 20 buffer were intermediate. The effect of buffer on the measured microsphere concentration was reported previously. The suggested procedure for the measurement of the concentration of microspheres with the flow cytometer is to use PBS+0.05 % BSA buffer, accumulate data for a delivered volume of 150 µL to 300 µL, and reduce the indicated delivered volume by 13 µL when performing the concentration calculation. The procedure was tested on a mixture of lyophilized microspheres and RM 8640 microspheres. The resulting lyophilized microsphere concentration was consistent with the certified value. The RM 8640 concentration determined using the suggested procedure was consistent with the concentration value determined using the relative method with the lyophilized microspheres as the reference. The uncertainties, obtained from one standard deviation of repeated measurements, were about 4 %.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009
NaYF 4 hexagonal microprisms and microrods with different aspect ratios have been prepared via a ... more NaYF 4 hexagonal microprisms and microrods with different aspect ratios have been prepared via a simple hydrothermal route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays were used to characterize the samples. The influences of reaction temperature and the molar ratio of NaF to Y 3+ on the crystal phases and shapes of final products have been studied in detail. The aspect ratios of products increase gradually with the increase of reaction temperature and NaF/Y 3+ molar ratio. The growth mechanisms of crystals prepared under the different conditions are presented systematically. More importantly, the systematical investigation on the luminescence properties of -NaYF 4 :xEu 3+ (x ) 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 mol %) with hexagonally microprismatic morphology shows the characteristic emissions of Eu 3+ ( 5 D J -7 F J′ , J, J′ ) 0, 1, 2, 3). Under the excitation of single wavelength light of 397 nm, the luminescence colors of the corresponding products can be tuned feasibly from bluish white to yellow to red by changing the doping concentration of Eu 3+ . This merit of multicolor emissions in the visible region endows this kind of materials with potential application in the field of light display systems, lasers, and optoelectronic devices.
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2012
Hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microspheres have been synthesized with good uniformity ... more Hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microspheres have been synthesized with good uniformity by a surfactant-free hydrothermal route and subsequent heat treatment. This method requires high concentrations of a nickel precursor (0.2 M) and introduction of a trace amount of Au nanoparticles into the reaction system. The hierarchical hollow Au-loaded NiO hybrid microsphere comprises several nanorods and nanosheets. To demonstrate the usage of such hierarchical hybrid nanomaterials, a gas sensor has been fabricated from the as-synthesized Au-loaded NiO microspheres and investigated for acetone detection. The Au-loaded NiO sensor exhibits significantly improved sensing performances in terms of high sensitivity, low detection limit, better selectivity, rapid response, and good reproducibility in comparison with pure NiO. The effects of Au loading on the acetone-sensing properties of hierarchical NiO microspheres have been investigated.
ChemInform, 2009
ABSTRACT ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance t... more ABSTRACT ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.
Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2013
ABSTRACT The flower-like pristine (ZnO) and PdO-decorated ZnO (PdO-ZnO) materials with hierarchic... more ABSTRACT The flower-like pristine (ZnO) and PdO-decorated ZnO (PdO-ZnO) materials with hierarchical structure were synthesized by a surfactant-free hydrothermal route and subsequent heat treatment. This method requires high concentrations of a zinc precursor (0.1 M) and introduction of an amount of PdO nanoparticles into the reaction system. The flower-like ZnO nanostructures comprises many aggregative rods with the diameter of about 200 nm. Having fabricated gas sensors based on the pristine and PdO-decorated flower-like ZnO, we find that the PdO-ZnO sensor exhibits a response of 100 ppm C7H8 and C2H5OH, which is about 4–5 times higher than that of pristine ZnO at the optimal operating temperature of 240 and 320 °C. The enhanced sensing performance demonstrates that the distinct increases in response are attributed to the sensitisation effect of PdO. The effects of PdO decorating on the sensing properties of flower-like ZnO structures have been investigated.