Publications by authors named "Cheng-Kai Zhou"

Article Synopsis
  • A new antimicrobial peptide called SR25 can kill both good (Gram-positive) and bad (Gram-negative) bacteria without them becoming resistant.
  • Scientists created a special gel using SR25 to help heal infected wounds, especially for diabetic patients.
  • The research shows that SR25 works in two ways to attack bacteria, making it very effective in treating infections caused by tough germs like E. coli and MRSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Trained immunity is when the immune system becomes really good at responding to infections after being activated, but sometimes it can cause problems if it responds too much.
  • In this study, researchers found that certain immune responses were stronger in special immune cells after being exposed to heat-killed C. albicans, which is a type of fungus.
  • They discovered that a medicine called dihydroartemisinin can help calm down these strong immune responses, which might help treat diseases caused by overactive immune systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Clostridium perfringens is a harmful germ that can cause food safety problems and is tricky for farmers to deal with.
  • Researchers found that a special immune response called "trained immunity" helps protect against this germ, using a signaling pathway called mTOR.
  • By using a heat-killed fungus to train immune cells, they discovered that this training boosts the immune response, allowing the body to fight off the infection better.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacterial persister cells, a sub-population of dormant phenotypic variants highly tolerant to antibiotics, present a significant challenge for infection control. Investigating the mechanisms of antibiotic persistence is crucial for developing effective treatment strategies. Here, we found a significant association between tolerance frequency and previous infection history in bovine mastitis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pure cultures of chicken intestinal microbial species may still be crucial and imperative to expound on the function of gut microbiota, and also contribute to the development of potential probiotics and novel bioactive metabolites from gut microbiota. In this study, we isolated and identified 507 chicken intestinal bacterial isolates, including 89 previously uncultured isolates. Among these, a total of 63 strains, belonging to , , , , , and , exhibited antibacterial activity against .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interferon-inducible protein 204 (IFI204) is an intracellular DNA receptor that can recognize DNA viruses and intracellular bacteria. Extracellular traps (ETs) have been recognized as an indispensable antimicrobial barrier that play an indispensable role in bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections. However, how ETs form and the mechanisms by which IFI204 function in Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia are still unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a cytosolic DNA sensor or directly recognizes bacterial cyclic dinucleotides, which is required for the detection of microbial infection. Extracellular traps (ETs) are known to be part of the antimicrobial defense system. However, the implication of STING in ETs formation during microbial infection remains unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

STING (Stimulator of interferon genes) is known as an important adaptor protein or direct sensor in the detection of nucleotide originating from pathogens or the host. The implication of STING during pulmonary microbial infection remains unknown to date. Herein, we showed that STING protected against pulmonary infection by suppressing necroptosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic di[5-(4'-amidophenyl)-10,15,20- tris(4'-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin trisodium salt] (Gd-DTPA-2APTSPP) was synthesized by the reaction of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic dianhydride with 5-(4'-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4'-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin and subsequently chelation with gadolium chloride.

Methods: This gadolinium complex was characterized and its properties in vitro and in vivo were also evaluated. Compared with Gd-DTPA, Gd-DTPA-2APTSPP possessed high relaxivity r1, low cytotoxicity to HeLa cells and high enhanced signal intensities of the VX2 carcinoma in rabbits for a prolonged time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Porphyrin-containing polyaspartamide ligands (APTSPP-PHEA-DTPA) were synthesized by the incorporation of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and 5-(4'-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4'-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin, trisodium salt (APTSPP) into poly-α,β-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-l-aspartamide] (PHEA). These ligands were further reacted with gadolinium chloride to produce macromolecule-gadolinium complexes (APTSPP-PHEA-DTPA-Gd). Experimental data of (1)H NMR, IR, UV and elemental analysis evidenced the formation of the polyaspartamide ligands and gadolinium complexes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objective: Differential diagnosis of malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) from benign ones is difficult based on imaging manifestations. This study was to assess dynamic enhancement patterns of SPNs detected with multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT), correlate SPN manifestations of MDCT to the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD), thus to explore the potential value of MDCT imaging in the diagnosis of SPNs.

Methods: Fifty pathologically and one clinically confirmed patients with SPNs (diameter View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To study the mechanism of inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by Bletilla colloid.

Methods: Human Hep-G2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells were cultured and treated with Bletilla colloid of different concentrations. Pure culture of Hep-G2 cells was used as control and pure culture medium without Hep-G2 cell was used as blank control.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF