Publications by authors named "Fu-hua Liu"

Article Synopsis
  • MAIT cells are significantly depleted in HIV-1 infected individuals, even with effective treatment, and this study investigates why.
  • The research utilized various methods, including flow cytometry and RNA sequencing, to analyze MAIT cell characteristics in 127 HIV-1 patients, revealing that these cells show signs of high activation and increased pyroptosis (a form of inflammatory cell death).
  • Findings indicate that aggravated pyroptosis in MAIT cells is linked to systemic T-cell activation and intestinal damage, and that proinflammatory cytokines are elevated in these patients, suggesting that the loss of MAIT cells potentially worsens HIV-1 disease progression.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze T cell profiles from 14 HIV-1 infected individuals, including both treatment-naive and those on antiretroviral therapy, along with a comparison group of healthy donors.
  • The findings highlighted a significant loss of naive T cells and ongoing inflammation in treatment-naive individuals, while some immune functions showed partial recovery in those on antiretroviral therapy.
  • The research identified specific T cell clusters linked to poor immune responses, providing valuable insights into HIV-1 pathogenesis and potential therapeutic interventions.
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In cancer treatment, the unsatisfactory solid-tumor penetration of nanomaterials limits their therapeutic efficacy. We employed an in vivo self-assembly strategy and designed polymer-peptide conjugates (PPCs) that underwent an acid-induced hydrophobicity increase with a narrow pH-response range (from 7.4 to 6.

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Nanotherapeutics have encountered some bottleneck problems in cancer therapy, such as poor penetration and inefficient accumulation in tumor site. We herein developed a novel strategy for deep tissue penetration in molecular level and near-infrared (NIR) laser guided in situ self-assembly to solve these challenges. For the proof-of-concept study, we synthesized the polymer-peptide conjugates (PPCs) composed of (i) poly(β-thioester) as thermoresponsive backbone, (ii) functional peptides (cytotoxic peptide and cell-penetrating peptide), and (iii) the NIR molecule with photothermal property.

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Peptide nanodrugs have been developed as promising antitumor chemotherapeutics because they partially overcome the drawbacks of free peptide drugs, but insufficient tumor penetration and interference of peptide function limit their further application. In this work, we have developed multifunctional peptide conjugated dendrimers for improving tumor penetration, cancer cell-specific peptide delivery and anticancer ability. The cytotoxic peptide KLAK, cell-penetrating peptide TAT and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)-sensitive peptide-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were conjugated onto dendrimers by one-pot synthesis to gain PKT-S-PEG.

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To date, numerous nanosystems have been developed as antibiotic replacements for bacterial infection treatment. However, these advanced systems are limited owing to their nontargeting accumulation and the consequent side effects. Herein, transformable polymer-peptide biomaterials have been developed that enable specific accumulation in the infectious site and long-term retention, resulting in enhanced binding capability and killing efficacy toward bacteria.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on a type of polymeric nanocarrier that changes structure in response to stimuli, which is crucial for releasing drugs inside cells in a controlled manner.
  • Researchers developed a conjugate called RGD-Dex/NPBA-P18, using a special pH-responsive spacer to monitor structural changes via photoacoustic signals.
  • The findings showed that these nanoparticles could effectively enter cells and respond to the acidic environments inside, providing a noninvasive method to track their structural changes in real-time.
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Group 2 allergen of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 2 (Der p2) induces airway inflammation without protease activity, and elevated nerve growth factor (NGF) levels are also found in this inflammation. How the allergen Der p2 regulates NGF release via reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce inflammation remains unclear. In the present study, intratracheal administration of Der p2 to mice led to inflammatory cell infiltration, mucus gland hyperplasia, and NGF upregulation in the bronchial epithelium, as well as elevated ROS and NGF production in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids.

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Objective: To evaluate the possible side-effects after injecting hydrophilic polyacrylamide gel for augmentation of the soft-tissue.

Methods: Fifteen patients with some side-effects after injecting the hydrophilic polyacrylamide gel had been undergoing for the treatment in our unit from 2000 to 2001. Their symptoms were analyzed and the specimen of the tissue was also removed for pathologic examination.

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