Publications by authors named "Defang Li"

Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggest that imbalanced macronutrient composition would increase the risk of chronic diseases. However, previous studies that predominantly focused on individual macronutrients often failed to thoroughly elucidate this complex association.

Objectives: This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the relationship between macronutrient clusters and all-cause mortality.

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Growing research indicates that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are pivotal in the development and advancement of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our research pinpointed LINC01547 as a notable lncRNA that was significantly downregulated in Hep3B cells treated with bufotalin, whereas it exhibited elevated expression levels in HCC tumor tissues. Further study found that silencing LINC01547 markedly suppressed proliferation, induced apoptosis, and inhibited migration and invasion in Hep3B and HepG2 cells.

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  • Aromatic amino acids, like tyrosol, are important for industries such as food and pharmaceuticals, but current production methods have limitations.
  • The study explored how to boost tyrosol production using epigenetic modifications and optimizing its biosynthetic pathway.
  • Key modifications included overexpressing specific genes, deleting others, and ultimately developing a strain that produced significantly more tyrosol (954.69 mg/L), marking a 61.7-fold increase in yield.
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Fatty acids (FAs) and their derivatives are versatile chemicals widely used in various industries. Synthetic biology, using microbial cell factories, emerges as a promising alternative technology for FA production. To enhance the production capacity of these microbial chassis, additional engineering strategies are imperative.

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The search for a synthesis method to create longer ZnO NWAs with high-quality vertical alignment, and the investigation of their electrical properties, have become increasingly important. In this study, a hydrothermal method for growing vertically aligned arrays of ZnO nanowires (NWs) using localized heating was utilized. To produce longer NWs, the temperature environment of the growth system was optimized with a novel reaction container that provided improved thermal insulation.

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  • PROTACs are engineered molecules designed to selectively degrade specific proteins, but there are currently no options targeting the MDM2 protein linked to tumors.
  • AS1411 is an aptamer that targets nucleolin, a protein found in high levels on tumor cells, and has been modified to recruit MDM2 for degradation.
  • The study introduces a new PROTAC, AS1411-VH032, which links AS1411 with VH032 to induce tumor-specific degradation of MDM2, effectively shrinking tumors without side effects, and also develops a homo-PROTAC, homoAS1411, for further tumor-specific action.
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Synthetic biology using microbial chassis is emerging as a powerful tool for the production of natural chemicals. In the present study, we constructed a microbial platform for the high-level production of a sesquiterpene from , 5--jinkoheremol, which exhibits strong fungicidal activity. First, the mevalonate and sterol biosynthesis pathways were optimized in engineered yeast to increase the metabolic flux toward the biosynthesis of the precursor farnesyl pyrophosphate.

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Background: Amino acids are crucial for nutrition and metabolism, regulating metabolic pathways and activities vital to organismal health and stability. Glycine and histidine act as potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents; however, limited knowledge exists regarding the associations between these amino acids and hyperlipidemia and hypertension. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between dietary glycine and histidine, and hyperlipidemia and hypertension.

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Bombinin-BO1 (BO1), a bombinin peptide derived from the skin secretion of , exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. To date, the anticancer effect of BO1 remains unclear. This study confirmed cytotoxicity of BO1 on hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inducing S-phase cycle block and apoptosis.

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Purpose: Osteosarcoma is a primary bone tumor lacking optimal clinical treatment options. Tumor-associated macrophages in the tumor microenvironment are closely associated with tumor development and metastasis. Studies have identified the macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) as a specific receptor expressed in macrophages.

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Evidence shows that tropomodulin 1 (TMOD1) is a powerful diagnostic marker in the progression of several cancer types. However, the regulatory mechanism of TMOD1 in tumor progression is still unclear. Here, we showed that TMOD1 was highly expressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) specimens, and TMOD1-silencing inhibited cell proliferation by inducing autophagy in AML THP-1 and MOLM-13 cells.

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Excessive heavy metal contaminants in soils have serious ecological and environmental impacts, and affect plant growth and crop yields. Phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly means of lowering heavy metal concentrations in soils. In this study, we analyzed phenotypic and physiological traits, and the transcriptome and metabolome, of sheepgrass (Leymus chinensis) exposed to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), or zinc (Zn).

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Background: Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a global digestive system disease and one of the important causes of gastric cancer. The incidence of CAG has been increasing yearly worldwide.

Purpose: This article reviews the latest research on the common causes and future therapeutic targets of CAG as well as the pharmacological effects of corresponding clinical drugs.

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Terpenoids are a class of structurally complex, naturally occurring compounds found predominantly in plant, animal, and microorganism secondary metabolites. Classical terpenoids typically have carbon atoms in multiples of five and follow well-defined carbon skeletons, whereas noncanonical terpenoids deviate from these patterns. These noncanonical terpenoids often result from the methyltransferase-catalyzed methylation modification of substrate units, leading to irregular carbon skeletons.

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Excessive bone resorption caused by upregulated osteoclast activity is a key factor in osteoporosis pathogenesis. Farrerol is a typical natural flavanone and exhibits various pharmacological actions. However, the role and mechanism of action of farrerol in osteoclast differentiation regulation remain unclear.

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Converting M2 macrophages into an M1 phenotype in the tumor microenvironment, provides a new direction for tumor treatment. Here, we further report CVPW-1, a new polysaccharide of 1.03 × 10 Da that was isolated from Coriolus versicolor.

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Resina Draconis is a traditional Chinese medicine, with the in-depth research, its medicinal value in anti-tumor has been revealed. Loureirin A is extracted from Resina Draconis, however, research on the anti-tumor efficacy of Loureirin A is rare. Herein, we investigated the function of Loureirin A in melanoma.

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Tetrandrine (TET) possesses multiple pharmacological activities and could suppress tumor proliferation via PI3K pathway inhibition. However, inferior antitumor activity and potential toxicity limit its clinical application. In the present study, a series of 14-sulfonamide and sulfonate TET derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for biological activities.

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  • Kenaf is effective for cleaning up cadmium (Cd) from contaminated farmland due to its high biomass and resilience to Cd stress.
  • A hydroponic study was performed, testing different nitrogen (N) forms (NH-N, NO-N, urea-N) and concentrations to see their effects on kenaf growth and Cd absorption under Cd stress.
  • Results indicated that nitrogen type significantly influenced plant growth and Cd uptake, with 2 mM of NO-N being the most effective for increasing biomass and Cd accumulation, while NH-N reduced Cd levels but improved the movement of Cd within the plant.
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Boronate rearrangements, such as the Matteson and Petasis reactions, are valuable metal-free reactions for the transfer of the carbo group on boron to intramolecular electrophilic sites. However, only highly reactive electrophiles are suitable, and ketones are too inactive for those boronate rearrangements due to the high energy barriers. We disclose here the 1,3-boronate rearrangement to ketones, for which a high energy barrier (44.

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The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Rehmanniae Radix (RR) refers to the fresh or dried root tuber of the plant Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch of the family Scrophulariaceae. As a traditional Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), it possesses multiple effects, including analgesia, sedation, anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-tumor, immunomodulation, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular regulation, and nerve damage repair, and it has been widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, scientists have extensively studied the active components and pharmacological effects of RR.

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Developing new varieties of natural fibers that can grow throughout the year is very crucial to replace and avoid the bad effect of synthetic fiber. As a result of its beneficial role in protecting plants from abiotic stressors, melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) has gained recognition as a novel plant growth regulator. This study aimed to investigates the role of exogenous melatonin (200 μM) on two varieties of and in response to low-temperature stress (8 °C) for different periods of treatment (0, 24, 36, and 48 h) based on biochemical properties, and antioxidant system.

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  • The Hippo signaling pathway regulates organ size and is linked to liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with its key components like Yap and Taz being critical in cancer promotion.
  • Recent research has identified the Hippo pathway as a promising target for drug development, focusing on how Yap/Taz contribute to tumor growth, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy.
  • The review emphasizes the interactions between the Hippo pathway and other cancer-related pathways, providing insights into their roles in HCC progression and potential therapeutic strategies.
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