Publications by authors named "Chun-Wei Chen"
Endometriosis is a debilitating disease affecting 190 million women worldwide and the greatest single contributor to infertility. The most broadly accepted etiology is that uterine endometrial cells retrogradely enter the peritoneum during menses, implant and form invasive lesions in a process analogous to cancer metastasis. However, over 90% of women suffer retrograde menstruation, but only 10% develop endometriosis, and debate continues as to whether the underlying defect is endometrial or peritoneal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tangshenning (TSN) is a safe and effective formula to treat diabetic nephropathy (DN), and clinical studies have demonstrated that its therapeutic effects are related to oxidative stress improvements in patients. Herein, this study aims to explore the potential mechanism of how TSN alleviates diabetic renal tubular injury.
Methods: The ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) was used to identify the chemical composition and serum components of TSN.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers used momentum-dependent electron energy-loss spectroscopy (q-EELS) to study these changes at different temperatures and found that the effective mass (m*) decreases, making electrons move about 20% faster as the CDW strength increases toward 100 K.
- * The study highlights CuTe as an important material for investigating CDW phenomena and related correlations, with q-EELS being an effective tool for such research.
Article Synopsis
- A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan investigated the relationship between Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection and the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), colon cancer (CC), and rectal cancer (RC).
- The findings showed that HCV-uninfected patients had the lowest incidence of CRC, while both HCV-treated and untreated groups demonstrated similar, higher incidences.
- The study identified various risk factors, including age over 49, male sex, and diabetes, as significant contributors to cancer development among HCV-infected individuals, highlighting the complexity of cancer risk factors related to HCV.
Article Synopsis
- Reduced responsiveness to chemotherapy in precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) can be identified by the presence of minimal residual disease cells after 28 days of treatment, which is influenced by the supportive bone marrow microenvironment.
- The study found that these drug-tolerant cells showed significant changes in their glycocalyx, including shifts in glycan structures and reduced sialylation, indicating how their surface proteins might adapt to survive chemotherapy.
- Specific proteins, such as HLA-DRA and CD38, were identified as having differential glycosylation patterns, suggesting that these changes in glycosylation could be potential targets for developing new treatments against drug-resistant leukemia.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates how ferroelectric catalysts can change their catalytic activities by switching electric polarizations, using layered bismuth oxyselenide (L-BiOSe) microreactors.
- It introduces a new method called selective-area ionic liquid gating to control the direction of dipole orientation in L-BiOSe, leading to variations in catalytic reactions, with upward polarization favoring oxygen evolution and downward polarization favoring hydrogen evolution.
- The research demonstrates that by integrating L-BiOSe microreactors with different polarizations, it is possible to achieve overall water splitting, highlighting the potential for designing catalysts that can switch surface polarizations.
Article Synopsis
- Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are emerging materials in nanophotonics due to their unique optical properties and thin 2D structure, making them suitable for advanced light absorption and emission.
- The integration of TMDC monolayers with a specially designed metasurface enhances the connection between light and matter, significantly improving light emission quality and efficiency.
- This research highlights the potential of using membrane metasurfaces to reduce radiation loss and boost the light-matter interaction in TMDCs, paving the way for innovative 2D material-based nanophotonic and quantum devices.
Article Synopsis
- Soft-matter photonic crystals, specifically blue-phase liquid crystals (BPLCs), show promise for various photonic and biochemical applications but face challenges in creating large monocrystalline structures.
- Traditional methods take hours for crystal growth and often fail to align molecules effectively post-crystallization.
- This research introduces a new approach where applying an electric field allows for quick formation of large-area monocrystalline BPLCs in minutes, leading to diverse crystal symmetries and stable structures that enhance their potential uses.
Article Synopsis
- Recent advancements in Yb-doped silicate fibers have enabled anti-Stokes-fluorescence cooling, helping mitigate thermal issues in fiber lasers and amplifiers.
- A new silica fiber with a core rich in aluminum and phosphorus achieved a temperature drop of -0.25 K using 0.5 W of power, setting new records for cooling efficiency (3.3% at low pump power and 2.8% at peak cooling).
- The study found a critical quenching concentration of 79 wt.% and a background absorption loss of 15 dB/km, with an average Yb concentration of 4.2 wt.%, marking it among the best in silica glass.
Article Synopsis
- Recent research highlights the use of electronic polarizations, like ferroelectric and spin polarizations, to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic reactions, specifically for reducing carbon dioxide (CO).
- The study focuses on a 2D layered crystal called copper indium thiophosphate (CuInPS), showing that controlling ferroelectric polarization through phase transitions and electrical poling significantly enhances CO reduction efficiency.
- The research also investigates the role of spin electrons by introducing sulfur vacancies and applying a magnetic field to further boost CO reduction performance, utilizing advanced characterization techniques to understand these enhancements.
Article Synopsis
- - The study explored how having an autoimmune disease (AD) affects the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent surgery, specifically hepatectomies.
- - Out of over 5,500 patients analyzed from 2002 to 2018, those with AD showed similar overall survival and disease-free survival rates compared to those without AD, with no significant difference in mortality or recurrence risks.
- - The conclusion suggests that autoimmune diseases do not worsen outcomes for HCC patients post-surgery, indicating that candidates for liver resections should not be deterred by the presence of an AD.
Article Synopsis
- This text indicates a correction to a previously published article.
- The specific article is identified by its DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109122.
- The correction ensures that the information or data presented in the article is accurate and up to date.
Article Synopsis
- The study addresses the challenge of producing large-area thin films of 2D materials while maintaining their unique properties and uniformity.
- It reveals that a simple technique using water and alcohol solvents allows for the self-assembly of organized 2D nanosheets on a water surface, leading to the quick formation of large, uniform monolayers.
- This method is applicable to various 2D materials and enables high-quality transfers onto different substrates, facilitating the mass production of large-size 2D nanofilms and membranes with excellent electronic and optical properties.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the relationship between estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) and body mass index (BMI) as predictors for new-onset diabetes in a large cohort from Rich Healthcare in China, involving over 211,000 participants.
- A logistic regression analysis identified several high-risk factors for diabetes, including BMI, ePWV, and other health indicators, with 4,174 new diabetes cases diagnosed over an average follow-up of 3.12 years.
- The results indicate that using both ePWV and BMI together significantly improves the predictive accuracy for developing diabetes, achieving a higher area under the ROC curve (0.822) than either metric alone.
Article Synopsis
- Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant global health risk, making the use of adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery crucial for reducing recurrence and improving survival, especially in intermediate-stage patients.
- This study investigates the genetic mechanisms influencing the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 226 intermediate-stage CRC patients who received surgery followed by treatment.
- Key findings highlight the genetic variant -rs62139523, particularly the "A/G" genotype, as a promising biomarker that predicts better survival outcomes in these patients, though its efficacy varies based on certain demographic and clinical factors.
Article Synopsis
- The DNA damage response is crucial for keeping our genes intact, and its disruption is often linked to cancer development, with PPM1D acting as a key negative regulator.
- Researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to find vulnerabilities in cancer cells with mutations in PPM1D, identifying superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) as a promising target.
- The study showed that PPM1D-mutant cells have high levels of reactive oxygen species and struggle with oxidative stress, suggesting that targeting SOD1 could be a new treatment approach for these types of cancers.
Article Synopsis
- - Mutations in NMD factors are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, and deleting the NMD factor Upf2 in mouse neural progenitor cells leads to microcephaly, showing NMD's importance in early brain development.
- - Upf2 knockout extends the cell cycle for radial glia progenitor cells and hampers the formation of upper-layer neurons, indicating that NMD plays a significant role in regulating these cells.
- - Using CRISPRi, researchers found that knocking down Trp53 can mitigate the effects of Upf2KO without completely reversing NMD inhibition, highlighting a specific pathway where NMD affects cell cycle dynamics and brain size through TRP53 target degradation.
Article Synopsis
- Aging leads to a dominance of specific variants of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in blood cell production, which may negatively impact health due to their differentiated progeny.* -
- Somatic mutations in the DNMT3A gene are linked to this clonal dominance, and interactions with high-fat diets (HFD) were studied in mice to understand their combined effects.* -
- The research found that reduced DNMT3A in the context of HFD promotes weight gain and inflammation by triggering pro-inflammatory pathways and abnormal DNA methylation during the differentiation of myeloid cells.*
Article Synopsis
- Epigenetic dysregulation is linked to various cancers, particularly leukemias, and the study explores the role of Tudor domains in leukemia progression and treatment.
- Researchers used a CRISPR screen to find SGF29, a vital part of acetyltransferase complexes, which is important for gene expression and the development of leukemia.
- The study introduced a new strategy called CRISPR-SADD for drug discovery, helping to identify a promising inhibitor that targets SGF29's Tudor domain and shows effectiveness against leukemia, suggesting broad applicability for future drug development.
A novel class of inhibitors that disrupts the stability of integrin heterodimers identified by CRISPR-tiling-instructed genetic screens.
Nicole M Mattson Anthony K N Chan Kazuya Miyashita Elizaveta Mukhaleva Wen-Han Chang Renee Chen Bryan Chen Jianjun Chen Chun-Wei Chen
Nat Struct Mol Biol
March 2024
Article Synopsis
- The researchers used CRISPR screens to identify critical integrin proteins, ITGAV and ITGB5, that are vital for cancer cell growth in various cancer models.* -
- They developed a new drug discovery method called CRISPR-TICA, which combines CRISPR gene tiling and computer-aided design to find potential drug candidates like Cpd_AV2, targeting a specific pocket on ITGAV.* -
- Treatment with Cpd_AV2 leads to the breakdown of the integrin αVβ5 complex and triggers cell death, showcasing a novel therapeutic strategy focused on disrupting integrin signaling.*
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on the role of Methyltransferase 16 (METTL16) in liver cancer stem cells (CSCs), revealing its significant involvement in the development and maintenance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) while having a lesser effect on normal liver development.
- - Using various experimental models, the researchers found that depleting METTL16 reduced CSC frequency and hindered HCC initiation and progression, indicating METTL16's essential role in cancer biology.
- - The research highlights METTL16 as a key regulator of ribosomal RNA maturation and mRNA translation, identifying eIF3a as a target, providing insights for potential therapeutic developments against liver cancer.
Article Synopsis
- * Involving 1,272 heart failure patients from NHANES data, the research utilized Cox regression and survival analysis, revealing that those in the highest ePWV group had a significantly elevated risk of death compared to the lowest group.
- * The findings conclude that ePWV can be a valuable prognostic tool in assessing mortality risks in heart failure patients, suggesting that monitoring arterial stiffness may be beneficial for improving patient outcomes.
Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as promising candidates for efficient energy harvesting from ionic gradients. However, the exploration of robust 2D atomically thin nanopore membranes, which hold sufficient ionic selectivity and high ion permeability, remains challenging. Here, the single-layer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanopores are demonstrated as various high-performance ion-gradient nanopower harvesters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Overcoming nonlinear optical effects in high-power optical fibers is crucial for achieving a smooth output beam, traditionally limited to single-mode fibers.
- The experimental approach of wavefront-shaping coherent light for multimode fibers significantly increases the power threshold for stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) while allowing control over the output beam profile.
- This technique is efficient and robust, offers strong SBS suppression by broadening the Brillouin spectrum, and has potential applications in directed energy, remote sensing, and gravitational-wave detection.