Publications by authors named "J-J Zhang"

Exceptionally diverse type V CRISPR-Cas systems provide numerous RNA-guided nucleases as powerful tools for DNA manipulation. Two known Cas12e nucleases, DpbCas12e and PlmCas12e, are both effective in genome editing. However, many differences exist in their in vitro dsDNA cleavage activities, reflecting the diversity in Cas12e's enzymatic properties.

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Background: Differences in the quality of hospitals where Black and White patients receive coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery have been documented. We examined the contributions of physician networks to the gap.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of all Medicare fee-for-service Black and White patients undergoing elective CABG during 2017 to 2019; the primary care physicians and cardiologists treating them for 12 months before surgery (the patients' physician network); and CABG-performing hospitals within 100 miles of each patient.

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Background: The assessment of potential health effects of switching from cigarette smoking to non-combustible tobacco products has important implications for public health and regulatory decisions. Robust epidemiological evidence requires long-term follow-up of a large number of individuals. Real-world evidence derived from health records has the potential to help fill the gap in the interim.

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Background: Risk profile of recurrence may influence the effect of antiplatelet therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel-aspirin initiated within 72 hours after symptom onset for acute mild stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack stratified by risk profile.

Methods: This is a secondary post hoc analysis of the INSPIRES (Intensive Statin and Antiplatelet Therapy for Acute High-risk Intracranial or Extracranial Atherosclerosis) randomized clinical trial that enrolled patients 35 to 80 years old with acute mild ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack between 2018 and 2022.

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Diamond is an exceptional material with great potential across various fields owing to its interesting properties. However, despite extensive efforts over the past decades, producing large quantities of desired ultrathin diamond membranes for widespread use remains challenging. Here we demonstrate that edge-exposed exfoliation using sticky tape is a simple, scalable and reliable method for producing ultrathin and transferable polycrystalline diamond membranes.

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Background: Whether maternal hypertension contributes to the enhanced susceptibility to vascular remodeling in adult offspring through epigenetic mechanisms remains unclear. We aimed to address this gap in the literature using a transgenerational mouse model.

Methods: Gestational hypertension was induced in pregnant mice using chronic angiotensin II infusion.

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Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a key treatment for severe aortic stenosis, especially for patients unsuitable for surgery. Since its introduction in 2002, TAVI has advanced significantly due to improvements in imaging, operator skills, and device engineering. Despite these innovations, challenges in device sizing and positioning remain, complicating outcome predictions.

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Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has gained attention in cardiac electrophysiology, but data on its application to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia are limited. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of PFA and its combination with radiofrequency ablation for treating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, single-arm study was conducted across 8 centers in China.

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Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic, severe mental illness with a significant socio-economic burden. The early recognition of BD requires reliable and valid instruments.

Objective: We evaluated the psychometric attributes of the Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Interview and Scale-Full Prospective (BPSS-FP)-Chinese version.

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Necroptosis is a highly regulated form of necrotic cell death that plays an essential role in pathogen defense and tissue homeostasis. Abnormal regulation of the necroptotic pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human diseases, including cancer, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) serves as a crucial regulator of the necroptotic signaling pathway and has been identified as a potential therapeutic target.

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Purpose: To assess the quality and presence of spin bias in the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses that evaluated the outcomes of using hip arthroscopy for the treatment of hip pathology in the setting of borderline hip dysplasia.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched using the terms "borderline hip dysplasia" and "systematic review" or "meta-analysis." Forty-one initial studies were identified, and 12 met the inclusion criteria.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The huR83C mouse model replicates the disease phenotype and has been used to test the effectiveness of BEAM-301, a treatment that utilizes lipid nanoparticles and adenine base editing to correct the harmful G6PC1-R83C variant.
  • * BEAM-301 has shown the ability to correct about 60% of the variant in liver cells, restore blood sugar control, improve overall health, and increase survival rates in mice, indicating its potential as a therapeutic option for patients with this specific genetic mutation
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Fluoride contamination in surface and ground water poses significant health risks, necessitating a low-energy, cost-effective removal method. Herein, an ultrafiltration (UF) adsorptive membrane doped with lanthanum (La)-based coconut shell biochar was synthesized to effectively remove fluoride ions. Based on the results of adsorption and membrane separation performance, it was found that La-based biochar showed a significantly higher adsorption capacity (126.

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RNAs represent a class of programmable biomolecules capable of performing diverse biological functions. Recent studies have developed accurate RNA three-dimensional structure prediction methods, which may enable new RNAs to be designed in a structure-guided manner. Here, we develop a structure-to-sequence deep learning platform for the de novo generative design of RNA aptamers.

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  • Metastatic disease is a major cause of cancer-related deaths, yet its tumor microenvironment is not well understood due to technical challenges in studying it.
  • This research created a comprehensive map of 67 tumor biopsies from 60 metastatic breast cancer patients, using advanced techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing and various spatial expression assays to analyze tumor characteristics.
  • Key findings included identifying different macrophage spatial patterns, three phenotypes of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and gene expression linked to T cell presence or absence, highlighting the study's potential for clinical insights.
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Trop2 (trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2) is overexpressed in multiple malignancies and is closely associated with poor prognosis, thus positioning it as a promising target for pan-cancer therapies. Despite the approval of Trop2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), challenges such as side effects, drug resistance, and limited efficacy persist. Recent studies have shown that the dimeric forms of Trop2 are crucial for its oncogenic functions, and the binding epitopes of existing Trop2-targeted drugs lie distant from the dimerization interface, potentially limiting their antitumor efficacy.

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  • Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are linked to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, with specific mutations in the ALK1 gene causing related disorders (hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2).
  • Researchers used a variety of advanced techniques, including single-cell transcriptomics and electron microscopy, to analyze the effects of deleting the ALK1 gene in endothelial cells in mice, discovering significant vascular issues like leakage and abnormal growths.
  • The study identified a new cell type, termed arterial-lymphatic-like endothelial cells, formed after ALK1 deletion, with SOX17 being a crucial factor in their development; inhibiting the MDM2 protein showed promise in reducing the severity of AV
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Numerous Deep Learning (DL) classification models have been developed for a large spectrum of medical image analysis applications, which promises to reshape various facets of medical practice. Despite early advances in DL model validation and implementation, which encourage healthcare institutions to adopt them, a fundamental questions remain: how can these models effectively handle domain shift? This question is crucial to limit DL models performance degradation. Medical data are dynamic and prone to domain shift, due to multiple factors.

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  • This study explores how the patterns of fragmented cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma can serve as potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis through liquid biopsies.* -
  • Researchers found that cfDNA fragments located near nucleosomes are shorter and have distinct features, making them useful for targeting tumor-derived cfDNA in cancer patients.* -
  • By creating new cfDNA metrics and applying machine learning, the study developed diagnostic models with high accuracy (0.95 AUC), sensitivity (85.1%), and specificity (95%) for detecting cancer.*
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  • The study investigated the occurrence of actionable gene fusions in a large group of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from China, analyzing data from 5,534 patients.
  • Findings revealed that only 0.98% (54 patients) had actionable gene fusions, with one specific fusion being the most common (38.9% of fusions).
  • The prevalence of these fusions was notably higher in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) and in colon cancer compared to rectal cancer, suggesting that specific genetic markers can enhance fusion detection rates for better clinical decision-making.
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  • Dual immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using CTLA4 and PD-(L)1 inhibitors shows improved anti-tumor effectiveness and immune toxicity compared to PD-(L)1 inhibitors alone in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
  • Patients with mutations in STK11 and/or KEAP1 genes benefit more from the combination treatment compared to those receiving only PD-(L)1 inhibitors, as shown in the POSEIDON trial.
  • The loss of KEAP1 serves as a strong predictor for the success of dual ICB, as it leads to a more favorable outcome by changing the tumor's immune environment to better engage CD4 and CD8 T cells for anti-tumor activity. *
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  • Scientists created a computer program called ReportGuidedNet that helps find brain problems in MRI scans by using information from radiology reports.
  • They tested this program on thousands of brain scans from different hospitals and compared it to another program called PlainNet that didn’t use report info.
  • ReportGuidedNet did a much better job at diagnosing brain conditions and understanding where to look on the scans, making it more reliable and easier to explain its findings.
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The prevalence of many chronic noncommunicable diseases has been steadily rising over the past six decades. During this time, over 350,000 new chemical substances have been introduced to the lives of humans. In recent years, the epithelial barrier theory came to light explaining the growing prevalence and exacerbations of these diseases worldwide.

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  • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) causes abnormal growth of blood stem cells, making it challenging to treat with CAR-T cell therapies due to harmful effects on normal cells.
  • Researchers modified the CD123 antigen on healthy stem cells using advanced gene-editing techniques (base and prime editing) to protect them from CAR-T attacks while preserving their function.
  • The modified stem cells showed resistance to CAR-T cell lysis in humanized mice, providing an innovative approach for effectively treating relapsed AML.
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  • An interatrial shunt is being studied as a potential treatment for heart failure, aimed at lowering left atrial pressure and improving symptoms and outcomes for patients.
  • In a clinical trial involving 508 patients, participants were randomly assigned to receive either the shunt or a placebo, with their progress tracked over a maximum of two years.
  • Results showed that while the shunt had no major safety issues, it did not significantly improve overall effectiveness compared to the placebo, although it appeared to reduce adverse cardiovascular events in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.
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