Publications by authors named "Yan-Jun Liu"

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 T (UBE2T) is a crucial E2 enzyme in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), playing a significant role in the ubiquitination of proteins and influencing a wide range of cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, invasion, and metabolism. Its overexpression has been implicated in various malignancies, such as lung adenocarcinoma, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and ovarian cancer, where it correlates strongly with disease progression. UBE2T facilitates tumorigenesis and malignant behaviors by mediating essential functions such as DNA repair, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and the activation of oncogenic signaling pathways.

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Background: Lung ultrasound-guided alveolar recruitment manoeuvres (RMs) may reduce the lung ultrasound score. However, whether the use of this strategy can reduce the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in the adult obese population has not yet been tested.

Methods/design: This is a single-centre, two-arm, prospective, randomised controlled trial.

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While tumor organoids have revolutionized cancer research by recapitulating the cellular architecture and behaviors of real tumors in vitro, their lack of functional vasculature hinders their attainment of full physiological capabilities. Current efforts to vascularize organoids are struggling to achieve well-defined vascular networks, mimicking the intricate hierarchy observed in vivo, which restricts the physiological relevance particularly for studying tumor progression and response to therapies targeting the tumor vasculature. An innovative vascularized patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs)-on-a-chip with hierarchical, tumor-specific microvasculature is presented, providing a versatile platform to explore tumor-vascular dynamics and antivascular drug efficacy.

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Manipulating circular dichroism in chiral metasurfaces has been increasingly important for a wide range of polarization-sensitive photonic applications. However, simple methods for presenting chiral nanostructures with tunable and considerable chiroptical responses in the near-infrared-I regime remains underexplored. Herein, two sheets of suspended symmetric bilayer metagratings fabricated single-step electron beam lithography are stacked into a moiré metasurface with its circular dichroism value reaching up to 20.

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The maintenance of genomic integrity in rapidly proliferating cells is a substantial challenge during embryonic development. Although numerous cell-intrinsic mechanisms have been revealed, little is known about genome-protective effects and influences of developmental tissue microenvironments on tissue-forming cells. Here we show that fetal liver hepatocytes provide protection to haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) genomes.

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Protein arginine methyltransferase 7 (PRMT7), a type III methyltransferase responsible solely for arginine mono-methylation, plays a critical role in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Recent studies have highlighted its aberrant expression or mutation in various cancers, implicating it in tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug resistance. Consequently, PRMT7 has emerged as a promising target for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

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In the last decade, research has clarified the binding interactions between immunoglobulin E (IgE) and its high-affinity receptor, the FcεRI alpha chain (FcεRI). The formation of the IgE-FcεRI complex is crucial in the context of atopic allergies, linking allergen recognition to cellular activation and disease manifestation. Consequently, pharmacological strategies that disrupt these interactions are vital for managing atopic conditions.

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Compared to mechanical ones, liquid crystal (LC) beam deflectors present several advantages, such as non-mechanical control, compactness, and low power consumption, making them a viable alternative. In this work, we demonstrate an LC-based polarization-dependent, electrically tunable beam deflector, which is a composite blazed grating fabricated using a single-step photopolymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) technique. We investigated the effect of different factors on the performance of the deflector, including the thickness of the upper substrate, the grating period, and the cell gap.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Virtual screening of over 100,000 compounds identified 12 potential inhibitors, with compound 4 showing the most promise in blocking KDM7A's activity, leading to reduced breast cancer stem cells and cell cycle arrest.
  • * The research also highlights MKRN1 as a significant gene influenced by KDM7A, further revealing the potential of compound 4 as an effective treatment option for both drug-resistant and sensitive triple-negative breast cancer.
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Berberine (BBR), a widely recognized traditional Chinese medicine, has attracted considerable attention for its promising anti-inflammatory effects. The activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) effectively safeguards against organ damage stemming from sepsis-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. This study examined the potential of BBR in alleviating sepsis-induced acute gastric injury, with a particular focus on elucidating whether its mechanism of action involves the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.

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Cells can adapt to diverse topographical substrates through contact guidance, which regulates the cellular and nuclear morphologies and functions. How adaptive deformation of the cell body and nucleus coordinates to protect genetic material within mechanical microenvironments remains poorly understood. In this study, we engineered micrometer-level narrow-spacing micropillars to mimic constricted extracellular topographies in vivo, enabling us to explore variances in the nuclear architecture, cytoskeleton distribution, and chromatin conformation.

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with high mortality and drug resistance and no targeted drug available at present. Compound , a staurosporine alkaloid derived from sp. NBU3142 in a marine sponge, exhibits potent anti-TNBC activity.

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  • - The study explores how soil minerals, particularly iron oxyhydroxides, affect the adsorption of hydrochar-derived dissolved organic matter (HDOM), showing that high molecular weight and oxidized compounds are preferentially absorbed while lower quality compounds stay in water.
  • - Using advanced mass spectrometry and toxicogenomics assays, it was found that original HDOM exposure primarily causes oxidative and DNA-related stresses in cells, but filtration through iron minerals reduces genotoxicity significantly.
  • - The selective absorption by iron minerals can alter the biotoxic impacts of HDOM, potentially affecting microbial community dynamics and ecological functions in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
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  • Collective cell migration (CCM) is crucial for various biological processes like embryonic development, blood vessel formation, and tumor progression, but the specific mechanisms, especially regarding how leader cells are formed, are not well understood.
  • This study identifies a signaling pathway that regulates the cleavage of angiomotin (AMOT), showing that when AMOT is cleaved, it promotes leader cell formation and enhances the motility of cells within a group.
  • The cleavage of AMOT switches the cells from being tightly connected (which restricts movement) to a more fluid state that facilitates collective and coordinated migration, highlighting its role as a regulator in CCM.
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Jumonji domain-containing protein D3 (JMJD3) is a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that specifically removes transcriptional repression marks di- and tri-methylated groups from lysine 27 on histone 3 (H3K27me2/3). The erasure of these marks leads to the activation of some associated genes, thereby influencing various biological processes, such as development, differentiation, and immune response. However, comprehensive descriptions regarding the relationship between JMJD3 and inflammation are lacking.

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We propose an innovative design for interdigital transducers (IDTs), enabling phase modulation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a dislocated electrode structure. By designing the size and arrangement of these dislocated IDTs, a novel type of Airy SAWs can be generated, exhibiting self-accelerating, self-bending, and self-healing characteristics. The acceleration of the generated Airy SAW is 0.

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Monogeneans of the genus Dactylogyrus Diesing, 1850, the largest genus in the family Dactylogyridae, mostly parasitize the gills of cyprinoid hosts; however, only 3 Dactylogyrus' mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are studied so far. The aim of this research is to extend our understanding of the mitogenomes of Dactylogyrus. We sequenced the mitogenomes of D.

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Cell migration is a fundamental and functional cellular process, influenced by a complex microenvironment consisting of different cells and extracellular matrix. Recent research has highlighted that, besides biochemical cues from the microenvironment, physical cues can also greatly alter cellular behavior. However, due to the complexity of the microenvironment, little is known about how the physical interactions between migrating cells and surrounding microenvironment instructs cell movement.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme 5 (UBC5) is being studied as a potential target for therapies related to various diseases, particularly cancers, due to its key roles in processes like apoptosis and DNA repair.
  • Research on UBC5 has been slower compared to other ubiquitin-coupled enzymes, yet it's shown to be crucial in ubiquitinating proteins linked to disease and cellular homeostasis.
  • Recent insights into the similarities between UBC5 and its homologues (UBC1 and UBC4) are improving our understanding of how UBC5 functions in protein degradation and cellular regulation, highlighting its importance in disease treatment strategies.
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The emergence of microfluidic devices integrated with nanostructures enables highly efficient, flexible and controllable biosensing, among which zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructure-based fluorescence detection has been demonstrated to be a promising methodology due to its high electrical point and unique fluorescence enhancement properties. The optimization of microfluidic synthesis of ZnO nanostructures for biosensing on chip has been in demand due to its low cost and high efficiency, but still the flow-induced growth of ZnO nanostructures is not extensively studied. Here, we report a simple and versatile strategy that could manipulate the local flow field by creating periodically arranged micropillars within a straight microchannel.

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  • * A new system was developed using a suspended twisted stacking metasurface and PbS quantum dots, showing strong optical chirality and high dissymmetry in circular polarization.
  • * This technique allows manipulation of light emission by changing the surrounding medium's refractive index, paving the way for applications in anticounterfeiting, biosensing, and advanced imaging technologies.
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  • This study examined the presence of endocrine-disrupting ultraviolet-absorbing compounds (UVACs) in marine invertebrates often found in personal care products and packaging.
  • Researchers used advanced techniques to identify 16 UVACs, achieving high accuracy and precision in their measurements.
  • Their findings showed that UVACs, particularly benzophenone and benzophenone-3, were widely found in marine samples, raising concerns about their impact on health and the environment.
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  • - Licorice, specifically the Glycyrrhiza genus, has a long history of medicinal use, with its active component Glycyrrhizin (GLY) recognized for various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
  • - Current research focuses on GLY's antiviral effects, but it also shows substantial antibacterial activity by inhibiting bacterial growth and enhancing host immune responses, which may help combat bacterial infections.
  • - The paper reviews GLY's mechanisms against pathogenic bacteria, its role in immune regulation, and suggests that combining it with other antibiotics could improve treatment for drug-resistant bacteria, supported by extensive research from various scientific databases.
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  • Cellular movement is crucial for key biological processes, influencing both single-cell activities like division and the collective behavior of cells in tissues for proper development.
  • This movement also plays a significant role in diseases, particularly in cancer metastasis, highlighting its importance in understanding pathology.
  • The text discusses various experimental methods and analytical tools designed to study and quantify the nuances of cell migration, covering both traditional and modern computational techniques.
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