Publications by authors named "Chai K"

TIMP-1 (Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-1) is a protein involved in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. It is recognized as a significant biomarker for cancer diagnosis. This study aimed to develop and characterize a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptamer targeting human TIMP-1 protein with high affinity and specificity.

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Crystal violet (CV) is a disinfectant and antifungal agent used in aquaculture that plays a vital role in treating aquatic diseases and sterilizing water. However, its potential for strong toxicity, including carcinogenicity and mutagenicity, upon accumulation in the body raises concerns regarding its safe use. Therefore, there is a growing need for the quantitative detection of CV in its early application stages to ensure human safety.

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Background And Hypothesis: A static predictive model relying solely on baseline clinicopathological data cannot capture the heterogeneity in predictor trajectories observed in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). To address this, we developed and validated a dynamic survival prediction model using longitudinal clinicopathological data to predict end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), with death as a competing risk.

Methods: We trained a sequence of random survival forests using a landmarking approach and optimized the model with a pre-specified prediction horizon of 5 years.

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Background: Frailty poses a considerable public health challenge because of its association with negative health consequences. Although obesity is recognized as a contributor to frailty, conventional measures fail to adequately account for the effects of visceral adiposity. The study aimed to investigate the associations between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) or lipid accumulation product (LAP) and frailty.

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JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202511000-00034/figure1/v/2024-12-20T164640Z/r/image-tiff Previous studies have shown that the compound (E)-2-(3,4-dihydroxystyryl)-3-hydroxy-4H-pyran-4-one (D30), a pyromeconic acid derivative, possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits amyloid-β aggregation, and alleviates scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment, similar to the phase III clinical drug resveratrol. In this study, we established a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease via intracerebroventricular injection of fibrillar amyloid-β to investigate the effect of D30 on fibrillar amyloid-β-induced neuropathology.

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The calcium-activated K3.1 channel plays a crucial role in T-cell immune response. Genetic manipulation of T-cells to upregulate the expression of K channels has been shown to boost T-cell cytotoxicity in cancer.

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  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a major global health challenge, with the study focusing on estimating direct healthcare costs in Australia for non-dialysis patients.
  • Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from Western Australia, the research compared healthcare costs for individuals with CKD to those without, covering various healthcare services and expressing costs in 2023 AUD.
  • Findings revealed that in 2019, CKD accounted for an $8.3 billion cost in Australia, with the highest yearly costs linked to later stages of CKD but a significant number of early-stage cases contributing to the overall financial burden, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies.
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In recent years, the incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing globally. Early stage of the disease can obtain a better clinical prognosis from surgery and endocrine therapy. The progression of advanced stage varies significantly between individuals, with some patients developing metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after standardized treatment.

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  • A study investigated the link between low transthyretin (prealbumin) levels and mortality or hospital readmissions among elderly inpatients, enrolled between September 2018 and April 2019 in Beijing.
  • A total of 636 elderly participants were analyzed, and it was found that those with low transthyretin levels (below the 5th percentile) had more than double the risk (hazard ratio 2.25) of dying or being readmitted compared to those with normal levels.
  • The study concluded that low transthyretin concentration is an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in elderly men, but this correlation was not observed in elderly women.
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The neonatal increase in circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) is crucial for testicular development. In male pigs, blood LH levels start to increase approximately 1 week after birth and return to basal level by 5-6 weeks of age. This study tested the hypothesis that neonatal treatment with a combination of estrogens and androgens suppresses LH secretion and thereby inhibits testicular development.

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  • - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver condition in China linked to insulin resistance and genetics, prompting an analysis of traditional Chinese medicines alongside Western treatments to determine their effectiveness in improving liver health.
  • - The study included 77 randomized controlled trials with 7770 patients, focusing on clinical efficacy rates and blood lipid levels as primary outcomes, using various statistical tools for analysis.
  • - Results showed that Huazhi Rougan granules combined with Western medications had the highest efficacy rate (81.7%) and significantly improved blood lipids, while Danning tablets were most effective when used alone, demonstrating high clinical efficacy as well.
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Introduction: Optimal management of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) requires surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identification of antiviral therapy candidates, but few dedicated CHB surveillance models have been described. Kaiser Permanente Northern California developed a systematic CHB surveillance and management program in 2012. We report the results of the program's performance over the initial 8-year period.

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Monolayer MoTe and WTe within the two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) material family exhibit broad potential for application in optoelectronic devices owing to their direct band gap characteristics. In this work, upon alloying these materials into a monolayer system denoted as Mo W Te, intriguing alterations are observed in the electronic and optoelectronic properties. The photoelectric attributes of these alloys can be tailored by manipulating the respective ratios of molybdenum to tungsten (Mo/W).

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Chitin nanofibril (ChiNF) is a promising building block used to fabricate chitin fibers, films or gels via self-assembly from its aqueous suspension. Although mechanical strengthening of its assembled structures has made great advances, the unsatisfactory water-resistance is still a crucial obstacle to practical application and even rarely referred to. Herein, ChiNF was prepared via deacetylation-ultrasonication treatment and the strategies of molecule-bridging, heat-treatment and deacidifying that aiming to improve the strength and water-resistance of its assembled films were evaluated.

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  • Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism, and a specific type of protein modification called malonylation is linked to this process and cancer growth, though its role is not fully understood.
  • Research on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) showed reduced levels of malonyl-CoA and a general decline in protein malonylation, but increased malonylation of the protein nucleolin (NCL) was found in HCC samples.
  • NCL's malonylation encourages its movement in the cell, allowing it to bind to AKT mRNA and enhance AKT production, which is crucial for HCC cell proliferation; reducing AKT levels effectively slowed down the growth of these cancer cells.
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Background: Combining antitumor proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm) with radiotherapy and chemotherapy can effectively improve tumor cure rates and enhance patients' quality of life. Gastric cancer (GC) severely endangers public health. Despite satisfactory therapeutic effects achieved by using antitumor pCm to treat GC, its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

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The Envelope (E) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an integral structural protein in the virus particles. However, its role in the assembly of virions and the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet to be elucidated, including whether the function of E protein is regulated by post-translational modifications. In the present study, we report that SARS-CoV-2 E protein is palmitoylated at C40, C43, and C44 by palmitoyltransferases zDHHC3, 6, 12, 15, and 20.

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  • The study used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the links between inflammatory or autoimmune skin diseases and thyroid diseases.
  • Genetic data was analyzed from a large sample of participants with various skin conditions and thyroid disorders to assess risks.
  • Key findings indicated that atopic dermatitis (AD), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) significantly increase the risk of hypothyroidism, while bullous pemphigoid (BP) lowers that risk; no causal effects were found for hyperthyroidism.
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  • Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health issues worldwide, impacting the lives of millions, with a strong need for personalized treatment approaches.
  • The study analyzed data from 46,938 patients to evaluate the effectiveness of community mental health treatments using the Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) and aimed to identify reliable predictors of treatment outcomes.
  • Machine learning models were developed to predict treatment success based on pre-treatment K10 scores and health service interactions, showing moderate performance, highlighting the importance of ongoing patient monitoring and better data collection for improved predictions.
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Electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation (EAO) is an attractive alternative to the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction in electrochemical hydrogen evolution cells. However, the development of high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts is a major challenge. Herein, we developed a nitrogen-doped bimetallic oxide electrocatalyst (WO-N/NF) by a one-step hydrothermal method for the selective electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzoic acid in alkaline electrolytes.

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Serious infection is common in patients with multiple myeloma due to immune deficiency from the underlying disease and/or its treatment. Immunoglobulin replacement is one approach to reduce infection risk in these patients. However, few real-world data exist on its use in patients with myeloma.

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  • Hg is a highly toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the food chain, posing health risks, which highlights the need for effective detection methods.
  • The study developed a sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor using a selective probe and the double coffee ring effect to improve detection of Hg, achieving a low limit of 208.71 fM.
  • Practical applications were demonstrated by successfully detecting Hg in various water and food samples, with results presented in an intuitive pizza-shaped mapping image for easy understanding.
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Background: Qi deficiency and phlegm dampness (QPD) is one of the most common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). This study aimed to identify syndrome-specific biomarkers for LUAD with QPD syndrome.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from LUAD patients with QPD, LUAD patients with non-QPD (N-QPD), and healthy control (H) were collected and analyzed with RNA-seq to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs).

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Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are characterized by a high mortality rate and clinical incidence. Bairui granules (BG), which employ a method of heat elimination and detoxification, have demonstrated benefits in the treatment of infectious respiratory diseases.

Methods: A computerized search of 6 databases was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) relevant to the treatment of RTIs with BG up to November 30, 2023.

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  • * The interactions between its components show that choline chloride is more solubilized by ethylene glycol than the reverse, which contributes to the formation of this solvent type.
  • * Analysis of the solvent's microstructure reveals that different functional groups in ethylene glycol play key roles in shaping the solvent's properties, affecting how easily compounds diffuse and interact within the mixture.
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