Publications by authors named "Gang Zhai"

Genome editing has the potential to improve growth and traits of aquatic animals. Assessment of the feeding habits of the genetically modified farmed fish is necessary, as this is closely related to the assessment of their growth performance, which is one of the most important economic traits. Previously, we developed a novel strategy to produce all-female (AF) common carp (+/-;XX genotype) with genome editing, which exhibited a growth advantage compared to the control carp (including control male and female carp).

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Background: The incidence of duodenal adenocarcinoma is increasing, with limited studies on this disease published. This multicenter retrospective study aimed to analyze the clinicopathologic features of duodenal adenocarcinoma and identify prognostic factors for postoperative survival.

Methods: Demographic characteristics, clinicopathologic features, treatment outcomes, and survival of patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma undergoing surgical treatment at 16 Chinese medical centers from 2012 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.

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Fish show variation in feeding habits to adapt to complex environments. However, the genetic basis of feeding preference and the corresponding metabolic strategies that differentiate feeding habits remain elusive. Here, by comparing the whole genome of a typical carnivorous fish ( Günther) with that of herbivorous fish, we identify 250 genes through both positive selection and rapid evolution, including taste receptor () and We demonstrate that is required for carnivore preference in -deficient zebrafish and in a diet-shifted grass carp model.

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Testosterone is closely associated with lipid metabolism and known to affect body fat composition and muscle mass in males. However, the mechanisms by which testosterone acts on lipid metabolism are not yet fully understood, especially in teleosts. In this study, -/- zebrafish ( ) exhibited excessive visceral adipose tissue (VAT), lipid content, and up-regulated expression and activity of hepatic lipogenesis (DNL) enzymes.

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Natural and synthetic environmental estrogens (EEs) are widespread and have received extensive attention. Our previous studies demonstrated that depletion of the cytochrome P450 17a1 gene (cyp17a1) leads to all-testis differentiation phenotype in zebrafish and common carp. In the present study, cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish with defective estrogen biosynthesis were used for the evaluation of EEs, as assessed by monitoring vitellogenin (vtg) expression.

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The regulatory mechanism of gonadal sex differentiation, which is complex and regulated by multiple factors, remains poorly understood in teleosts. Recently, we have shown that compromised androgen and estrogen synthesis with increased progestin leads to all-male differentiation with proper testis development and spermatogenesis in cytochrome P450 17a1 (cyp17a1)-/- zebrafish. In the present study, the phenotypes of female-biased sex ratio were positively correlated with higher Fanconi anemia complementation group L (fancl) expression in the gonads of doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (dmrt1)-/- and cyp17a1-/-;dmrt1-/- fish.

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The mechanism of fish gonadal sex differentiation is complex and regulated by multiple factors. It has been widely known that proper steroidogenesis in Leydig cells and sex-related genes in Sertoli cells play important roles in gonadal sex differentiation. In teleosts, the precise interaction of these signals during the sexual fate determination remains elusive, especially their effect on the bi-potential gonad during the critical stage of sexual fate determination.

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Objective: To report the prevalence and contributing factors of undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a population from Northeastern China.

Subjects/methods: A total of 800 subjects from the Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study were enrolled. A questionnaire assessing incentives and barriers to diagnosis of DR was administered.

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Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. This study aimed at reporting the disease burden of CRC in China from 1990 to 2019 and predicting the trend of mortality burden over the next 10 years.

Methods: The age-period-cohort model was implemented to analyze the trends of mortality from CRC in China from 1990 to 2019, and the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to predict the trends of CRC incidence and mortality from 2020 to 2029.

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Purpose: To report the vision-related quality of life in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) in a population-based study.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 1,659 subjects with type 2 diabetes. Questionnaires were administered to assess the patient's vision-related quality of life.

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There are several technical challenges and public issues concerning genome editing applications before they become viable in commercial aquaculture. Recently, we developed a novel strategy to generate all-female (AF) common carp, which exhibited a growth advantage over the control carp, using genetic editing through single gene-targeting manipulation. Here, we found that the body weight of the AF common carp was higher by 22.

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Background: Sexually dimorphic mating behaviors differ between sexes and involve gonadal hormones and possibly sexually dimorphic gene expression in the brain. However, the associations among the brain, gonad, and sexual behavior in teleosts are still unclear. Here, we utilized germ cells-free tdrd12 knockout (KO) zebrafish, and steroid synthesis enzyme cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish to investigate the differences and interplays in the brain-gonad-behavior axis, and the molecular control of brain dimorphism and male mating behaviors.

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Glucose metabolism in fish remains a controversial area of research as many fish species are traditionally considered glucose-intolerant. Although energy homeostasis remodeling has been observed in fish with inhibited fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO), the effects and mechanism of the remodeling caused by blocked glucose uptake remain poorly understood. In this study, we blocked glucose uptake by knocking out in zebrafish.

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Introduction: 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25[OH]VD) is a hormone known for its key roles in calcium absorption and nutrient metabolism. In teleost fishes, 1α,25(OH)VD insufficiency causes impaired glucose metabolism and lipid oxidation. However, the cascade and mechanisms of 1α,25(OH)VD and the vitamin d receptor (VDR) signaling are unclear.

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Introduction: Topical hemostatic agents have been used to reduce bleeding rates after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric cancer. However, to date, no review has summarized evidence on their efficacy.

Material And Methods: PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar were searched for studies comparing bleeding rates after ESD with and without local hemostatic agents.

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Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an essential effector of the growth hormone (GH)/IGF1 axis for somatic growth regulation in mammals. However, its functions have not been thoroughly investigated in zebrafish . In this study, the -deficient zebrafish model was developed using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique.

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Aim: To determine the incidence, progression and regression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), with corresponding risk factors, in a northeastern Chinese population of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Among 2006 patients who completed baseline examinations in 2012-2013 and underwent re-examination after a mean interval of 21.2 months, 1392 patients with gradable fundus photographs for both baseline and follow-up examinations were included.

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Unlike the Cytochrome P450, family 17, subfamily A, member 1 (Cyp17a1), which possesses both 17α-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activities involved in the steroidogenic pathway that produces androgens and estrogens, Cytochrome P450, family 17, subfamily A, polypeptide 2 (Cyp17a2) possesses only 17α-hydroxylase activity and is known essential for the synthesis of cortisol. Besides with expressed in testes and ovaries, where the is mainly expressed, is also expressed in the interrenal gland in fish. Until now, the roles of in fish, especially in sexual traits development and hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, are poorly studied.

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In this systematic review, we highlight the differences between the male and female zebrafish brains to understand their differentiation and their use in studying sex-specific neurological diseases. Male and female brains display subtle differences at the cellular level which may be important in driving sex-specific signaling. Sex differences in the brain have been observed in humans as well as in non-human species.

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Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of diabetic subjects with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and those without DR (NDR) in an urban community in Northeast China, as well as their risk factors in subjects with DR and NDR.

Methods: A community-based survey involving 1,662 subjects was conducted in Fushun, China, between July 2012 and May 2013. The subjects included diabetics with DR ( = 783) and those NDR ( = 879), and questionnaires were completed to collect information about their sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics.

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Aim: To report the prevalence of depression and its association with vision-related quality of life and social support in a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) population.

Methods: Patients were recruited from a community-based study, Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study (FS-DIRECT), conducted between July 2012 and May 2013 in China. Depression was assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).

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Disruption of androgen signaling is known to cause testicular malformation and defective spermatogenesis in zebrafish. However, knockout of , a key enzyme responsible for the androgen synthesis, in -/- male zebrafish paradoxically causes testicular hypertrophy and enhanced spermatogenesis. Because Cyp17a1 plays key roles in hydroxylation of pregnenolone and progesterone (P4), and converts 17α-hydroxypregnenolone to dehydroepiandrosterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone to androstenedione, we hypothesize that the unexpected phenotype in -/-; ()-/- zebrafish may be mediated through an augmentation of progestin/nuclear progestin receptor (nPgr) signaling.

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Purpose: To describe the prevalence and risk factors for refractive errors in a northeastern Chinese population with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Subjects (age ≥30 years) from a community-based study, the Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study, were enrolled. All subjects underwent comprehensive ocular examinations, including autorefraction.

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Aim: To estimate the prevalence of diabetic macular edema (DME) and clinically significant macular edema (CSME), and to assess their risk factors in a population with type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) located in northeast China.

Methods: Patients were included from the Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study (FS-DIRECT), a community-based study conducted in northeast China. The presence of DME and CSME was determined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) retinopathy scale of fundus photographs.

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Purpose: To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetic retinopathy (DR), as well as the association between MetS and retinal vessel caliber, among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in north-eastern China.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Patients And Methods: The patients were recruited from a community-based study, the Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study (FS-DIRECT).

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