Publications by authors named "Fugui Zhang"

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for humans, playing a critical role in the functioning of the immune system. The global prevalence of dietary Se deficiency is a significant public health concern, largely attributed to the low levels of Se present in crops. The sufficient Se in plants and humans is determined by the presence of stable Se sources in the soil.

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  • Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is the second most produced oilseed worldwide, but pod shattering during harvesting causes significant yield losses.* -
  • A study identified 37 BnaGH28 genes in rapeseed and categorized them into five groups, revealing similarities in their properties and expression profiles.* -
  • Notably, two genes in group E, BnaA07T0199500ZS and BnaC06T0206500ZS, showed increased expression with specific hormone treatments and were linked to enhanced pod shattering resistance.*
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  • Rapeseed (B. napus) is prone to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), which negatively impacts seed weight and oil content; this study investigates the role of SDR genes in seed dormancy.
  • A total of 142 BnaSDR genes were identified across 19 chromosomes, with distinct gene clusters and subfamilies showing similar characteristics and expression patterns.
  • Specifically, certain BnaSDR genes in subgroup D had higher expression levels in weak dormancy lines, suggesting a significant link between these genes and seed dormancy in B. napus.
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  • - This study compares the effects of preoperative CT vs. PET/CT on staging and survival outcomes for patients with clinical stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), involving 659 patients from 2008-2013.
  • - Results showed that patients who underwent PET/CT had better five-year disease-free survival (12.6 years vs. 6.9 years) and overall survival (13.9 years vs. 10.5 years) compared to those who only had CT scans.
  • - The study concluded that using preoperative PET/CT improves accurate staging and treatment decisions, leading to better long-term survival outcomes for resectable NSCLC patients.
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In this paper, three new important aspects of rotary electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting technology (RE-VEH) are concerned and investigated: (i) vibro-electric coupling mechanism of the RE-VEH system is studied through theoretical modeling; (ii) quantitative analysis of system parameters based on numerical simulation method is carried out for the optimal design of RE-VEH; and (iii) dynamic power output performance of the RE-VEH system in free vibration is discussed. The parameter adjusting methods of the RE-VEH system in free vibration mode are obtained through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The experimental results show that the power output performance of RE-VEH in free vibration mode matches the numerical simulation results.

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Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase () is a key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and is essential for the formation of plants' color. In this study, 26 genes were identified using 6 genes as reference. The physicochemical properties, subcellular localization, and conserved structure of proteins were analyzed; the evolutionary relationship, collinearity analysis, and expression characteristics of genes were studied; and the correlation between the expression level of genes and anthocyanin content in rape petals were analyzed.

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Objective: Delirium (acute brain syndrome) is a common and serious neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by an acute decline in cognitive function. However, there is no effective treatment clinically. Here we investigated the potential effect of jujuboside A (JuA, a natural triterpenoid saponin) on cognitive impairment in delirium.

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Background & Aims: Temporal oscillations in intestinal nutrient processing and absorption are coordinated by the local clock, which leads to the hypothesis that the intestinal clock has major impacts on shaping peripheral rhythms via diurnal nutritional signals. Here, we investigate the role of the intestinal clock in controlling liver rhythmicity and metabolism.

Methods: Transcriptomic analysis, metabolomics, metabolic assays, histology, quantitative (q)PCR, and immunoblotting were performed with Bmal1-intestine-specific knockout (iKO), Rev-erba-iKO, and control mice.

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In the last decade, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized the standard of treatment for solid tumors. Despite success in several immunogenic tumor types evidenced by improved survival, ICB remains largely unresponsive, especially in "cold tumors" with poor lymphocyte infiltration. In addition, side effects such as immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are also obstacles for the clinical translation of ICB.

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An accumulation of heavy metals in soil poses a risk to the ecological environment and human health. In this study, the concentrations of heavy metals in soil and crops were examined in a lead-zinc mining area in Guizhou Province, China. The distribution and sources of heavy metals were analyzed using GIS spatial mapping.

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  • Researchers studied the morphological variations of a specific organism to uncover the genomic variations tied to complex traits, particularly the "heading" trait in cabbage.
  • A comparative population genomics analysis revealed significant structural variations (SVs) linked to heading, identifying 1205 SVs that affect 545 genes and point to key candidate genes involved in this trait.
  • The study confirmed six crucial candidate genes through RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR experiments, providing insight into the genetic mechanisms behind the formation of heading in cabbage.
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  • Rapeseed is a vital oil and vegetable crop but suffers from various stresses, such as low temperature and pathogens, which can significantly affect its yield.
  • The glyoxalase I (GLYI) and glyoxalase II (GLYII) enzymes play a key role in detoxifying harmful metabolites, crucial for the stress tolerance of plants.
  • This study identified and analyzed the glyoxalase gene families in rapeseed, revealing their distribution, expression in different tissues, and response to environmental stresses, which could aid in enhancing the crop's resistance to adverse conditions.
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Background: Tissue engineering of skin and mucosa is essential for the esthetic and functional reconstruction of individuals disfigured by trauma, resection surgery, or severe burns while overcoming the limited amount of autograft and donor site morbidity.

Purpose: We aimed to determine whether a combination of Gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel scaffold alone or loaded with either dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and/or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) could improve skin wound healing in rats.

Materials And Methods: Four 10 mm full-thickness skin defects were created on the dorsum of 15 Sprague-Dawley rats.

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Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a gaseous mediator that plays versatile roles in plant growth and stress responses. However, the regulatory functions of HS in plant responses to aluminum (Al) stress remain elusive. We observed that application of 20 μM of NaHS (HS donor) or 0.

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Heavy metal pollution of soil in agricultural areas is the most prominent environmental pollution problem in China, seriously affecting human health and food security. It has become one of the environmental problems to which all sectors of society attach great importance. Soil heavy metals in the weathering area of hazardous geological bodies in southwest China have naturally high background attributes.

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Delirium is a common and serious neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized with acute cognitive and attentional deficits, however, the effective therapies are lacking. Here, using mouse models of delirium, we investigated the effects of tangeretin (TAN, a natural flavonoid) on cognitive impairment by assessing object preference with novel object recognition (NOR) test and spontaneous alternation with Y maze test. We found that TAN, as a RORα/γ agonist, prevented cognitive decline in delirious mice as evidenced by a normal novel object preference and increased spontaneous alternation.

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CYP2E1 plays an important role in drug metabolism and drug-induced hepatotoxicity. Here, we aimed to investigate a potential role for the nuclear receptor REV-ERBα in regulation of CYP2E1 expression and acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity, and to determine the underlying mechanisms.Regulatory effects of REV-ERBα on CYP2E1 expression were assessed (using mice) and (using AML12 and HepG2 cells).

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  • Vascular endothelial cells (VECs), particularly human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), are thought to primarily use glycolysis for energy, even in low-oxygen situations.
  • In a study simulating extreme ischemia (low oxygen and nutrients), researchers found that HUVECs shifted to extensive aerobic respiration with increased activity in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and reduced glycolysis.
  • The findings suggest that while HUVECs rely on a so-called "ischemic TCA cycle" for survival under harsh conditions, this process can produce toxic byproducts that lower cell viability, indicating a complex balance between energy production and cell health.
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Improved understanding of the etiologies of delirium, a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome, would facilitate the disease prevention and treatment. Here, the authors invesitgate the role of circadian rhythms in the pathogenesis of delirium. They observe perturbance of circadian rhythms in mouse models of delirium and disrupted clock gene expression in patients with delirium.

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  • * Researchers conducted whole-genome resequencing of 418 rapeseed accessions to identify genetic factors that influence agronomic traits, discovering 628 associated loci and candidate genes for 56 important traits.
  • * The study highlighted significant mutations in genes like the ribosome recycling factor (BnRRF) that relate to seed weight, providing valuable insights for future genomic-assisted breeding of rapeseed.
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Carbonatite and basalt are widely distributed in southwest China, and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are associated with the naturally high background properties. It is important to carry out ecological risk assessments and identify potential sources of PTEs. A total of 3180 soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected in Hezhang county, a typical high background area of PTEs with the parent lithology of carbonatite and basalt.

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Autophagy has been extensively studied and occurs in many biological settings. However, a question remains as to whether ischemia enhances Beclin-1/LC3-II-dependent macroautophagy in vascular endothelial cells, as has been previously thought. Furthermore, the effect of the level of autophagy on cell or skin flap survival still requires elucidation.

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The attachment and colonization process of microorganisms on a carrier is an interdisciplinary research field. Through a series of physical, chemical, and biological actions, the microorganisms can eventually reproduce on the carrier. This article introduces biofilm start-up and its applications, and explores the current issues to look forward to future development directions.

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Hybrid flocculant polyacrylamide-ferric chloride (PAM-FeCl) was developed to improve the dewaterability of sewage sludge and the dewatering performance, properties of treated sludge, composition and morphology distribution of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) were investigated. The physicochemical properties of the PAM-FeCl were characterized, and its effectiveness as a sludge conditioner was evaluated. The results indicated that PAM-FeCl conditioning was able to promote sludge dewaterability.

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