Publications by authors named "Chenwei Jiang"

A pivotal aspect of molecular motors is their capability to generate load capacity from a single entity. However, few studies have directly characterized the load-resisting force of a single light-driven molecular motor. This research provides a simulation analysis of the load-resisting force for a highly efficient, second-generation molecular motor developed by Feringa et al.

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Owing to the desmoplastic stroma constituted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), few immune cells infiltrate the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Gabapentin can impede the production of ketoacids by CAFs to support cancer cells. However, in our study, we discovered a dose-dependent increase in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) levels in cancer cells in response to gabapentin.

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In this study, we have advanced the field of light-driven molecular rotary motors (LDMRMs) by achieving two pivotal goals: lowering the thermal helix inversion (THI) barrier and extending the absorption wavelength into the visible spectrum. This study involves the structural reengineering of a second-generation visible LDMRM, resulting in the synthesis of a novel class, specifically, 2-((2)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1-cyclopenta[]naphthalen-1-yl)-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1-dibenzo[,]indole-6,9-dicarbonitrile. This redesigned motor stands out with its two photoisomerization stages and two thermal helix inversions, featuring exceptionally low THI barriers (4.

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Article Synopsis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease causing inflammation and cartilage damage in joints, and while current treatments can be effective, they often face issues with drug distribution and side effects due to systemic administration.
  • New local drug delivery technologies, including nanostructures and scaffolds, aim to improve treatment by ensuring more effective drug accumulation at the joint site, enabling controlled release, and reducing the need for higher dosages.
  • The review discusses the current state of therapeutic agents for RA, summarizes innovative delivery systems to enhance treatment efficiency, and explores future challenges and possibilities for local drug delivery in clinical settings.
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  • Hypoxia in rectal cancer leads to resistance against radioimmunotherapy, making it vital to find new methods to improve treatment effectiveness.
  • A novel combination of a catalytic radiosensitizer (DMPtNPS) and a STING agonist (cGAMP) is proposed to enhance radiosensitivity and tackle immune response issues caused by the treatment.
  • In experiments, this combined approach improved the overall effectiveness of the therapy, showing strong results both at the tumor site and in distant tumors, suggesting a promising new direction for rectal cancer treatment.
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Background: Preoperative radiation therapy (preRT) is a fundamental aspect of neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer (RC), but the response to this treatment remains unsatisfactory. The combination of radiation therapy (RT) and immunotherapy (iRT) presents a promising approach to cancer treatment, though the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. The gut microbiota may influence the response to RT and immunotherapy.

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Immuno-virotherapy has emerged as a promising approach for cancer treatment, as it directly and cytotoxically eliminates tumors with systemic immune stimulation. However, the clinical efficacy of this approach remains limited by inappropriate delivery routes, robust antiviral responses, and the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. To address these challenges, we propose a surface engineering strategy that masks oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) with a galactose-polyethylene-glycol (PEG) polymer chain to minimize host antiviral responses and selectively targets tumors by limiting exposure to circulation upon systemic administration.

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Although neoantigen-based cancer vaccines have shown promise in various solid tumors, limited immune responses and clinical outcomes have been reported in patients with advanced disease. Cytosolic transport of neoantigen and adjuvant is required for the activation of intracellular Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cross-presentation to prime neoantigen-specific CD8T cells but remains a significant challenge. In this study, we aimed to develop a virus-like silicon vaccine (V-scVLPs) with a unique spike topological structure, capable of efficiently co-delivering a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific neoantigen and a TLR9 agonist to dendritic cells (DCs) to induce a robust CD8T cell response to prevent orthotopic tumor growth.

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We designed a novel highly efficient light-driven molecular rotary motor theoretically by using electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations, and it showed excellent performance for both photo- and thermal isomerization processes simultaneously. By the small structural modification based on 3-(2,7-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1-inden-1-ylidene)-1-methylindolin-2-one (DDIYM) synthesized by Feringa recently, an oxindole-based light-driven molecular rotary motor, 3-(1,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrocyclopenta[]pyrrol-6(1)-ylidene)-1-methylindolin-2-one (DDPYM), is proposed, which displays a significant electronic push-pull character and weak steric hindrance for double-bond isomerization. The newly designed motor DDPYM shows a remarkable improvement of the quantum yield for both → and → photoisomerization processes, compared to the original motor DDIYM.

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Immunocheckpoint inhibitors combined with Lenvatinib is the first line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but their potency is hampered by the low response rate and adverse events. Herein, a targeted therapeutic strategy through the coassembly of Lenvatinib, Adriamycin, Fe ion, and a natural polyphenol (metallo-nanodrugs) is presented by coordination effect for potentiating tumor vascular normalization and systematic chemo-immunotherapy to effectively inhibit the progression of HCC in both orthotopic model and patients-derived organoids. In mice with orthotopic HCC, the obtained metallo-nanodrugs efficiently increase the drug accumulation in orthotopic tumors and can respond to acidic tumor environment.

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The working mechanism of conventional light-driven molecular rotary motors, especially Feringa-type motors, contains two photoisomerization steps and two thermal helix inversion steps. Due to the existence of a thermal helix inversion step, both the ability to work at lower temperatures and the rotation speed are limited. In this work, a two-stroke light-driven molecular rotary motor, 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrol-6(1H)-ylidene)-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrol-3-one (DDPY), is proposed, which is capable of performing unidirectional and repetitive rotation by only two photoisomerization ( and ) steps.

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Background: Thoracic surgery is one of the most painful surgical steps. An important tool for managing postoperative pain is effective postoperative analgesia. This research aimed at comparing the analgesic roles of three new fascial block techniques in the postoperative period after video-helped thoracoscopic operation (VATS).

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Working cycle of conventional light-driven molecular rotary motors (LDMRMs), especially Feringa-type motors, usually have four steps, two photoisomerization steps, and two thermal helix inversion (THI) steps. THI steps hinder the ability of the motor to operate at lower temperatures and limit the rotation speed of LDMRMs. A three-stroke LDMRM, 2-(2,7-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1-inden-1-ylidene)-1,2-dihydro-3-pyrrol-3-one (DDIY), is proposed, which is capable of completing an unidirectional rotation by two photoisomerization steps and one thermal helix inversion step at room temperature.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The formation of these MLOs is driven by a process called liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), which creates liquid-like microenvironments that facilitate the organization and function of cellular components.
  • * Understanding how MLOs and LLPS influence cellular processes could lead to new therapeutic strategies for treating diseases associated with these mechanisms in the future.
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Ultrasound-guided rhombic intercostal block (RIB) is a novel regional block that provides analgesia for patients who have received video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). The anesthetic characteristics of ultrasound-guided RIB with different concentrations of ropivacaine are not known. This research primarily hypothesizes that ultrasound-guided RIB, given in combination with the same volume of different concentrations of ropivacaine, would improve the whole quality of recovery-40 (QoR-40) among patients with VATS.

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Background: Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) within the nucleus is directly linked to driving gene expression through transcriptional complexes. Histone lysine methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D) is widely present in many cancers. It is known to epigenetically stimulate the expression of genes associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis.

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  • The study compared the pain relief effectiveness of three types of nerve blocks (rhomboid intercostal, erector spinae plane, and serratus anterior blocks) for patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer.
  • It involved 90 patients, who were divided into three groups, with each group receiving a specific nerve block and pain medication post-surgery.
  • Results showed that both the rhomboid intercostal and erector spinae blocks significantly reduced tramadol usage and provided better pain control than the serratus plane block within the first 24 hours after surgery.
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It has been found in recent molecular beam experiments that pyridine molecules photoexcited at 255 nm can abstract hydrogen atoms from hydrogen-bonded water molecules in pyridine-water clusters, resulting in pyridinyl-hydroxyl radical pairs. The reaction could only be detected for clusters containing at least four water molecules. To provide insight into the mechanisms of this reaction, we performed ab initio excited-state trajectory surface-hopping dynamics simulations for two pyridine-water complexes, containing one and four water molecules, respectively, using the second-order algebraic-diagrammatic-construction (ADC(2)) electronic-structure method.

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Unidirectional rotation represents a very important functional feature in photochemistry, such as in the design of light-driven molecular rotary motors. Great attention has recently been devoted to the unidirectional preference of the torsional motion of azobenzene and other molecules. Azoheteroarenes offer functional advantages over their more conventional azobenzene counterparts due to the introduction of heteroaromatic rings.

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Photoisomerization dynamics of a light-driven molecular rotary motor, 9-(2-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]naphthalen-1-ylidene)-9H-fluorene, is investigated with trajectory surface-hopping dynamics at the semiempirical OM2/MRCI level. The rapid population decay of the S excited state for the M isomer is observed, with two different decay time scales (500 fs and 1.0 ps).

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There is a high rate of restenosis after current treatment of atherosclerosis, which is often associated to the damage of the vascular endothelial cell layer during therapeutic process. Lately, it was found that the plaque was related to the local proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) [1, 2]. An RF angioplasty balloon is designed to selectively treat the proliferated region while keeping the intima layer intact.

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The interaction of materials with ultrafast and ultraintense laser pulses is a current frontier of science both experimentally and theoretically. In this review, we briefly discuss some recent theoretical studies by the present authors with our method of semiclassical electron-radiation-ion dynamics (SERID). In particular, Zhou et al.

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Electrostatic potential of a slowly moving ion in quantum plasmas is studied. This potential is composed of the Debye-Hückel potential and the wake potential. The near-field-wake potential is found.

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Using density-functional-based molecular dynamics simulations, we have performed comparative studies of the trans-cis isomerizations of azobenzene and bridged azobenzene (B-Ab) 5,6-dihydrodibenzo[c,g][1,2]diazocine induced by nπ* electronic excitation. The quantum yields found in our calculations, 45% for the bridged azobenzene versus 25% for azobenzene, are consistent with the experiment. Both isomerization processes involve two steps: (1) Starting from the trans structure, each molecule moves on its S(1) excited-state potential energy surface, via rotation around the NN bond, to an avoided crossing near the S(1)/S(0) conical intersection, where de-excitation occurs.

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