Publications by authors named "Hai-jun Liu"

Article Synopsis
  • Kernel dehydration rate (KDR) significantly influences maize harvesting and kernel quality, but its mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • Researchers discovered a quantitative trait locus (QTL) called qKDR1, which regulates the expression of a peptide gene, RPG, that produces a micropeptide (microRPG1) impacting KDR through ethylene signaling pathways.
  • Knockout experiments showed that loss of microRPG1 leads to quicker KDR, while overexpression or applying the micropeptide slows it down, providing insight for future maize breeding strategies.
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  • A new toolkit has been created to facilitate whole genome alignment, processing, and analysis as long-read sequencing technologies advance, making individual complete genomes more accessible.
  • This toolkit supports various formats and offers features like alignment-based variant calling and visualization, enabling effective population-level genome analysis.
  • Developed in Rust for efficiency and safety, the software is free and open-source, available on GitHub, and capable of handling large datasets of numerous genomes.
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To investigate the value of prognostic nutrition index (PNI) and systemic immunoinflammatory index (SII) for predicting pathological responses of patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). The clinicopathological data of 326 patients with advanced GC who received NACT in Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University (The First People's Hospital of Changde City) from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected. The SII and PNI of patients were calculated.

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  • Classic genome-wide association studies (GWAS) investigate links between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and specific traits but often struggle to yield reliable results due to confounding factors like environmental influences and complex genetics.
  • Advanced GWAS models have been developed to improve the detection of true genotype-phenotype associations by offering more flexibility and better statistical power, yet they remain underutilized in comparison to traditional methods.
  • This review aims to summarize the benefits of these advanced models and encourage plant biologists to adopt them for more effective GWAS in studying complex traits.
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The application of oncolytic peptides has become a powerful approach to induce complete and long-lasting remission in multiple types of carcinomas, as affirmed by the appearance of tumor-associated antigens and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in large quantities, which jumpstarts the cancer-immunity cycle. However, the ATP breakdown product adenosine is a significant contributor to forming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which substantially weakens peptide-driven oncolytic immunotherapy. In this study, a lipid-coated micelle (CA@TLM) loaded with a stapled oncolytic peptide (PalAno) and an adenosine 2A receptor (A2AR) inhibitor (CPI-444) is devised to enact tumor-targeted oncolytic immunotherapy and to overcome adenosine-mediated immune suppression simultaneously.

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  • Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep and can lead to cognitive issues due to intermittent lack of oxygen, but the exact reasons for these cognitive problems are still not fully understood.
  • Oxidative stress from intermittent hypoxia is highlighted as a key factor contributing to cognitive dysfunction in OSAS, with various treatments showing different effectiveness, particularly Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.
  • The review emphasizes the need for further research on the relationship between oxidative stress and cognitive dysfunction in OSAS, aiming to improve understanding and find new treatment strategies for better clinical intervention.
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  • - The study focuses on improving the stability and performance of Molybdenum carbide (MoC) materials as catalysts for water-splitting, which have previously struggled with durability in alkaline conditions.
  • - A new method was developed to create Ni-doped MoC nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) that protect the reactive cores from corrosion and enhance catalytic properties.
  • - The resulting NiMoC-NCNTs show impressive oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance with a low overpotential of 310 mV and maintain stability for 50 hours, thanks to improved electron transfer between the nanoparticles and the NCNTs.
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Objective: To explore the therapeutic effect of multiple small diameter drilling combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) under C-arm X-raylocalization in patients with early osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH).

Methods: A total of 106 cases of early ONFH patients admitted from May 2015 to May 2017 were retrospectively selected as the study subjects. According to different treatment methods, the patients were divided into observation group and control group, 53 cases in each group.

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The dense stroma of desmoplastic tumor limits nanotherapeutic penetration and hampers the antitumor immune response. Here, we report a denaturation-and-penetration strategy and the use of tin monosulfide nanoparticles (SnSNPs) as nano-sonosensitizers that can overcome the stromal barrier for the management of desmoplastic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). SnSNPs possess a narrow bandgap (1.

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  • The research focuses on improving hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts for hydrogen-powered clean technologies, addressing existing challenges in efficiency and stability.
  • A novel approach combining ligand modulation with cobalt (Co) doping enhances the catalytic activity and durability of the 1T-MoS catalyst by optimizing its structure and interactions with hydrogen.
  • Experimental results show that the Co-1T-MoS -bpe catalyst significantly outperforms the traditional Pt/C catalyst in an anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer, demonstrating its potential in practical applications for sustainable hydrogen production.
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Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a critical role in the immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment (TME), yet in situ engineering of TAMs for enhanced tumor immunotherapy remains a significant challenge in translational immuno-oncology. Here, we report an innovative nanodrug-delivering-drug (STNSP@ELE) strategy that leverages two-dimensional (2D) stanene-based nanosheets (STNSP) and β-Elemene (ELE), a small-molecule anticancer drug, to overcome TAM-mediated immunosuppression and improve chemo-immunotherapy. Our results demonstrate that both STNSP and ELE are capable of polarizing the tumor-supportive M2-like TAMs into a tumor-suppressive M1-like phenotype, which acts with the ELE chemotherapeutic to boost antitumor responses.

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  • The study focuses on improving oxygen evolution reaction (OER) efficiency through electronic regulation and surface reconstruction of electrocatalysts, specifically using a codoped Fe O catalyst.
  • A cost-effective electrocatalyst made from Co,S atomic pairs doped in Fe O is developed, allowing for controlled surface reconstruction and stable electronic properties during the OER process.
  • The resulting catalyst shows outstanding performance with a low overpotential, favorable Tafel slope, and long-term stability, indicating its potential for practical applications in water-splitting technologies.
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PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are an emerging class of promising therapeutic modalities that selectively degrade intracellular proteins of interest by hijacking the ubiquitin-proteasome system. However, the lack of techniques to efficiently transport these degraders to targeted cells and consequently the potential toxicity of PROTACs limit their clinical applications. Here, a strategy of nanoengineered PROTACs, that is, Nano-PROTACs, is reported, which improves the bioavailability of PROTACs and maximizes their capacity to therapeutically degrade intracellular oncogenic proteins for tumor therapy.

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  • Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an innovative therapeutic approach aimed at eliminating hard-to-target harmful proteins, marked by the introduction of proteolysis-targeting chimeric (PROTAC) molecules.
  • Despite the advancements in TPD technologies, challenges such as unwanted side effects and issues with delivery systems have hindered their overall effectiveness.
  • The integration of TPD with nanotechnology shows potential for enhancing safety and therapeutic benefits, with the review focusing on new TPD strategies, their clinical applications, and future trends in TPD nanomedicine.
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Surgical resection remains a mainstay in the treatment of malignant solid tumors. However, the use of neoadjuvant treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, phototherapy, and immunotherapy, either alone or in combination, as a preoperative intervention regimen, have attracted increasing attention in the last decade. Early randomized, controlled trials in some tumor settings have not shown a significant difference between the survival rates in long-term neoadjuvant therapy and adjuvant therapy.

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Despite its prevalence in the management of peripheral tumors, compared to surgery and radiation therapy, chemotherapy is still a suboptimal intervention in fighting against brain cancer and cancer brain metastases. This discrepancy is mainly derived from the complicatedly physiological characteristic of intracranial tumors, including the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and limited enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect attributed to blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB), which largely lead to insufficient therapeutics penetrating to tumor lesions to produce pharmacological effects. Therefore, dependable methodologies that can boost the efficacy of chemotherapy for brain tumors are urgently needed.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the fertilization capability of White Bengal Tiger frozen-thawed completely immotile spermatozoa after interspecific intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with bovine oocytes. The fertilization status of presumptive zygotes was assessed 18 h after ICSI by immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. The fertilization rate was 34.

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Early-stage brain metastasis of breast cancer (BMBC), due to the existence of an intact blood-brain barrier (BBB), is one of the deadliest neurologic complications. To improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for BMBC, a Trojan horse strategy-based nanocarrier has been developed by integrating the cell membrane of a brain-homing cancer cell and a polymeric drug depot. With the camouflage of a MDA-MB-231/Br cell membrane, doxorubicin-loaded poly (D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticle (DOX-PLGA@CM) shows enhanced cellular uptake and boosted killing potency for MDA-MB-231/Br cells.

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  • Researchers developed a nanoparticle-based immune system activator (NISA) to enhance breast cancer immunotherapy by using mesoporous silica nanoparticles with mouse IgG3 Fc fragments.
  • NISA is designed to activate the innate immune system components, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, by releasing Fc fragments in tumor environments through MMP-2 enzyme action.
  • The study demonstrated that NISA effectively stimulates the immune response and exhibits strong antitumor effects in breast cancer models in mice.
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CoP is one of the most promising catalysts for catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction. The foremost issue is how to improve intrinsic activity by regulating electronic structure at the molecular level. Herein, utilizing selective combination of EDTA and Co, an amorphous-crystalline CoP with lower valence cobalt and hollow porous structure which induced by dual ligand environment is successfully synthesized via microwave heating and following phosphating process.

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  • - Heteroatom doping improves the electronic properties of transition metal phosphides, enhancing efficiency in hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), but traditional methods can be complex and harsh.
  • - A new ion-exchange strategy allows for even doping of Mo and V into Ni-Co phosphides under gentle conditions while preserving their nanoneedle structure.
  • - Mo-doped NiCoP demonstrates superior performance compared to V-doped variants and even surpasses the activity of platinum catalysts, highlighting the potential of this method for developing effective catalysts.
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  • The study discusses a method to enhance the efficiency of electrocatalysts used in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by using fluorine (F) anion doping, transforming NiMoO@MNF into an amorphous state to improve activity.* -
  • This method involves a simple molten salt strategy that creates a nanorod structure with many active sites, promoting better mass transfer, gas release, and the dynamic movement of F species for better catalytic performance.* -
  • The modified F-NiMoO@MNF demonstrates superior OER performance with a low overpotential of 188 mV and a Tafel slope of 33.8 mV dec, along with improved hydrogen evolution due to optimized
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Unlabelled: Small-sized trastuzumab-targeted micelles (T-MP) were engineered using a surfactant-stripping approach that yielded concentrated phthalocyanines with strong near infrared absorption. T-MP accumulated more in the lymph node (LN) metastases of orthotopic colorectal cancer compared to the micelles conjugated with control IgG. Following surgical resection of the primary tumor, minimally invasive photothermal treatment of the metastatic LN with T-MP, but not the control micelles, extended mouse survival.

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer is limited by tumor hypoxia. Platinum nanoparticles (nano-Pt) as a catalase-like nanoenzyme can enhance PDT through catalytic oxygen supply. However, the cytotoxic activity of nano-Pt is not comprehensively considered in the existing methods to exert their multifunctional antitumor effects.

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Crops feed the world's population and shape human civilization. The improvement of crop productivity has been ongoing for almost 10,000 years and has evolved from an experience-based to a knowledge-driven practice over the past three decades. Natural alleles and their reshuffling are long-standing genetic changes that affect how crops respond to various environmental conditions and agricultural practices.

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