Publications by authors named "Ben Zhao"

Rapid and non-destructive diagnosis of plant nitrogen (N) status is crucial to optimize N management during the growth of summer maize. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous wavelet analysis (CWA) in estimating the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI), to determine the most suitable wavelet analysis method, and to identify the most sensitive wavelet features across the visible to near-infrared spectrum (325-1,025 nm) for accurate NNI estimation. Field experiments were conducted across two sites (Kaifeng and Weishi) during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons using four summer maize cultivars (XD20, ZD958, DH661, and DH605) under varying N application rates (0, 80, 160, 240, and 320 kg N ha).

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LI-RADS Treatment Response Algorithm (TRA) version 2024 (v2024) introduced separate algorithms for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) viability after radiation and nonradiation locoregional therapies (LRT). The nonradiation algorithm incorporated MRI-based ancillary features to optionally upgrade lesions from LR-TR Equivocal to LR-TR Viable. To compare the diagnostic performance of LI-RADS Nonradiation TRA v2024 with LI-RADS TRA version 2017 (v2017) and modified RECIST (mRECIST) for evaluating HCC response to LRT on MRI, with attention to the impact of ancillary features.

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  • * Researchers developed a novel therapy using E. coli-derived outer membrane vesicles with a nerve-binding peptide and a Trk inhibitor to specifically target tumor-associated nerves.
  • * This approach effectively disrupts nerve signaling and alters macrophage behavior, reducing nerve growth and enhancing chemotherapy effectiveness against pancreatic cancer.
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  • Severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (SOVCF) often lead to additional injuries, specifically endplatedisc complex (EDC) injuries, complicating treatment options like percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP), which provides pain relief but may not effectively restore vertebral height.
  • This study compared the effectiveness of a newer treatment called percutaneous functional spinal unit cementoplasty (PFSUP) against PKP in treating SOVCF complicated by EDC injury by evaluating pain relief and quality of life through patient surveys, alongside imaging studies to assess any complications like cement leakage.
  • Results showed that while PFSUP took longer and involved more radiation exposure, it had a significantly lower rate of cement leakage compared to PKP
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Objectives: To evaluate signal enhancement ratio (SER) for tissue characterization and prognosis stratification in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with quantitative histopathological analysis (QHA) as the reference standard.

Methods: This retrospective study included 277 PDAC patients who underwent multi-phase contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI and whole-slide imaging (WSI) from three centers (2015-2021). SER is defined as (SI - SI)/(SI - SI), where SI, SI and SI represent the signal intensity of the tumor in pre-contrast, early-, and late post-contrast images, respectively.

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Background: Undetectable occult liver metastases block the long-term survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study aimed to develop a radiomics-based model to predict occult liver metastases and assess its prognostic capacity for survival.

Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically proven with PDAC were recruited retrospectively from five tertiary hospitals between January 2015 and December 2020.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC exhibits strong inter-tumor heterogeneity, with different biological characteristics closely associated with prognosis. In addition, patients with HCC often distribute at different stages and require diverse treatment options at each stage.

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Objectives: To develop and validate a machine learning model based on contrast-enhanced CT to predict the risk of occurrence of the composite clinical endpoint (hospital-based intervention or death) in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding (AVB).

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 330 cirrhotic patients with AVB between January 2017 and December 2020 from three clinical centers. Contrast-enhanced CT and clinical data were collected.

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To popularize the complete replacement of natural sand with manufactured sand, a study was performed to determine the effect of adding polypropylene fibres (PPFs) to increase the bending strength and carbonization resistance of manufactured sand concrete (MSC). A 2 × 3 factorial design with the content and length of PPF as variables was used to establish a carbonization depth prediction model and a response surface model (RSM). The phase composition and microstructure of polypropylene-fibre-reinforced manufactured sand concrete (PPF-MSC) were analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

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Accurate and timely nitrogen (N) scheduling requires knowledge of in-season crop N deficit. Therefore, understanding the association between crop growth and crop N demand during its growth period is imperative for fine-tuning N scheduling decisions to actual crop N demand and to enhance N use efficiency. The concept of the critical N dilution curve has been employed to assess and quantify the intensity and time of crop N deficit.

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  • Building structures in harsh marine environments face issues like cracking and corrosion, affecting their durability, leading to the need for improved materials.
  • The study investigates Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) enhanced with various dosages and types of Cementitious Capillary Crystalline Waterproofing materials (CCCWs) to optimize their mechanical strength and impermeability.
  • Results indicated that 1.0% dosage of XYPEX-type CCCW significantly enhanced the PE-ECC's mechanical properties (compressive strength of 53.8 MPa) and minimal permeation height, marking it as the most effective option compared to other types and doses.
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Introduction: Extreme weather has occurred more frequently in recent decades, which results in more frequent drought disasters in the maize growing season. Severe drought often decreases remarkably plant growth and yield of maize, and even reduces significantly the quality of maize production, especially for waxy maize.

Results: To study the changes in plant growth, fresh ear yield, and fresh grain quality of waxy maize under water deficits occurring at different growth stages, and further strengthen the field water management of waxy maize, water deficit experiments were carried out under a rain shelter in 2019 and 2020.

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Basalt fiber (BF) has received much attention in recent years for engineering practice and scientific research related to basalt fiber reinforced concrete (BFRC) due to its advantageous mechanical properties and cost-effectiveness. By researching its performance characteristics after cryogenic freeze-thaw cycles, the advantages of BFRC's mechanical properties can be further exploited in order to expand its application scope. The effects of the fiber volume fraction, temperature gradient, and number of freeze-thaw cycles on the compressive strength, toughness index, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, etc.

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Irrigation management is one of most critical factors influencing soil NO and CO emissions in dryland agriculture. To explore the effects of irrigation systems and levels on the mitigation of NO and CO emissions from maize fields and to determine the balance among greenhouse gases (GHG) emission, water-saving and grain yield, a two-year field experiment was conducted in the North China Plain (NCP) during the growing seasons of 2018 and 2019. Two irrigation systems (i.

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In order to study the effect of polypropylene fibers on the frost resistance of natural sand and machine-made sand concrete, polypropylene fibers (PPF) of different volumes and lengths were mixed into natural sand and machine-made sand concrete, respectively. The freeze-thaw cycle test was carried out on polypropylene-fiber-impregnated natural sand concrete (PFNSC) and polypropylene-fiber-impregnated manufactured sand concrete (PFMSC), respectively, and the apparent structural changes before and after freezing and thawing were observed. Its strength damage was analyzed.

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Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy is a well-established first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We investigated whether polymorphisms of genes involved in immune regulation signaling are related to the clinical outcome of mCRC patients treated with bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. In this study, we genotyped 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in IFN-γ/IFNGRs/JAKs/STATs/PD-L1 pathway by using DNA from blood samples of 141 mCRC patients treated with first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy.

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  • Accurate assessment of nitrogen demand is crucial for managing corn canopy structure and optimizing production, with the study focusing on key metrics like nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) and nitrogen deficit content (NDC) under various nitrogen treatments.
  • Field experiments in Henan, China, with multiple nitrogen rates showed that nitrogen fertilization significantly impacted yield, biomass, and leaf area index, revealing complex relationships between NNI, NDC, plant nitrogen productivity (PNP), and light interception (FIPAR) during different growth stages.
  • Findings indicated that as nitrogen supply increased, PNP values decreased while FIPAR values increased in plant layers, and the NNI showed stronger predictive power than NDC for evaluating corn's nitrogen status and productivity.
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The tumor immune microenvironment (TME) represents a key determinant for responses to cancer treatment. However, the immune phenotype of highly proliferative gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NEN) is still largely elusive. In this retrospective study, we characterized the TME of high-grade (G3, Ki-67 > 20%) GEP-NEN.

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The non-destructive estimation of plant nitrogen (N) status is imperative for timely and in-season crop N management. The objectives of this study were to use canopy cover (CC) to establish the empirical relations between plant growth indices [shoot dry matter (SDM), leaf area index (LAI), shoot N accumulation (SNA), shoot nitrogen concentration (SNC)], and CC as well as to test the feasibility of using CC to assess N nutrition index (NNI) from Feekes 3 to Feekes 6 stages of winter wheat. Four multi-locational (2 sites), multi-cultivars (four cultivars), and multi-N rates (0-300 kg N ha) field experiments were carried out during 2016 to 2018 seasons.

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Background: Although radiation therapy for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) is very effective in some patients, treatment resistance limits its efficacy. Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) can affect tumor responsiveness and sensitivity to radiation in several cancer types. Herein, we studied the underlying function of IGF1R in the resistance of advanced CRC to radiation therapy and the possible use of drugs targeting IGF1R to overcome this resistance in patients with CRC.

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Background: The liver is the most common target for metastatic colorectal cancer. Changes of the local hepatic niche due to hepatic diseases such as cirrhosis decrease the incidence of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Hepatic niche heterogeneity could influence the risk of hepatic metastasis.

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Importance: Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy combined with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor/vascular endothelial growth factor therapy is the standard first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer followed by low-intensity maintenance therapy to balance the clinical efficacy and adverse effects (AEs). However, there have been concerns about the AEs of capecitabine plus cetuximab as a maintenance therapy in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the biological activity and safety of capecitabine plus cetuximab as a novel maintenance therapy for RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer.

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Oncogenic mutations are encountered in more than 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. MEK inhibition has failed to procure any clinical benefits in mutant RAS-driven cancers including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To identify potential resistance mechanisms underlying MEK inhibitor (MEKi) resistance in PDAC, we investigated lysosomal drug accumulation in PDAC models both in vitro and in vivo.

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Postpartum hemorrhage is considered to be a serious complication in patients with pernicious placenta. Approaches employing abdominal aortic balloon occlusion to control hemorrhage are extremely effective for such patients. The present study analyzed 9 patients with pernicious placenta previa in a single hospital from June 2016 to November 2017.

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Rapid and non-destructive diagnostic tools to accurately assess crop nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) are imperative for improving crop nitrogen (N) diagnosis and sustaining crop production. This study was aimed to develop the relationships among NNI, leaf N gradient, chlorophyll meter (CM) readings gradient, and positional differences chlorophyll meter index [PDCMI, the ratio of CM readings between different leaf layers (LLs) of crop canopy] and to validate the accuracy and stability of these relationships across the different LLs, years, sites, and cultivars. Six multi-N rates (0-320 kg ha) field experiments were conducted with four summer maize cultivars (Zhengdan958, Denghai605, Xundan20, and Denghai661) at two different sites located in China.

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