Publications by authors named "J-Z Ma"

Background: CDK4/6 inhibitors are highly valued, but the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) associated with CDK4/6 inhibitors is not clear.

Objective: Our aim was therefore to assess the risk of developing CVAEs associated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), along with a pharmacovigilance study of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.

Methods: Eligible CVAEs were extracted from the ClinicalTrials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a genetic disease characterized by protoporphyrin IX-mediated painful phototoxicity. Currently, options for the management of EPP-associated phototoxicity are limited and no oral medication is available. Here, we investigated a novel therapy against EPP-associated phototoxicity by targeting the ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), the efflux transporter of protoporphyrin IX.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Neuraminidase (NA) is a key glycoprotein in the influenza virus that aids in replication, yet existing vaccines mainly target hemagglutinin (HA) instead of NA despite evidence linking NA antibodies to disease resistance.
  • - Research showed that recombinant NA (rNA) is effective in eliciting immune responses in naïve mice and ferrets, even among those with existing immunity.
  • - When rNA was added to a traditional HA-based vaccine, it significantly enhanced NA-specific immune responses in ferrets without compromising HA-specific immunity, suggesting a potential improvement in vaccine effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In tomato, sugar content is highly correlated with consumer preferences, with most consumers preferring sweeter fruit. However, the sugar content of commercial varieties is generally low, as it is inversely correlated with fruit size, and growers prioritize yield over flavour quality. Here we identified two genes, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) calcium-dependent protein kinase 27 (SlCDPK27; also known as SlCPK27) and its paralogue SlCDPK26, that control fruit sugar content.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on improving nanovaccines for COVID-19 by using icosahedral DNA origami particles to closely mimic the size and shape of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • By varying the arrangement and quantity of receptor binding domain (RBD) antigens on the DNA origami surface, researchers found that these modifications significantly enhance B cell activation.
  • The optimized nanovaccines not only induce stronger and longer-lasting immune responses in female mouse models but also provide broader protection against various virus mutations compared to traditional mRNA vaccines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Atheroprotective shear stress preserves endothelial barrier function, while atheroprone shear stress enhances endothelial permeability. Yet, the underlying mechanisms through which distinct flow patterns regulate EC integrity remain to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of Kindlin-2, a key component of focal adhesion and endothelial adherens junctions crucial for regulating endothelial cell (EC) integrity and vascular stability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to create a nomogram using ultrasound data to predict the aggressiveness of thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC) by analyzing diverse radiomics features.
  • A total of 471 patients were analyzed, with training and validation cohorts from different institutions, and various predictive factors such as age, nodule size, and elasticity measurements were used to develop the nomogram.
  • The final nomogram showed strong predictive capabilities with AUC values exceeding 0.890 in different validation cohorts, indicating it outperformed traditional ultrasound methods and offers significant clinical utility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a significant concern for heart disease, but there's currently no effective treatment to minimize this type of heart damage.
  • This study recruited patients with acute myocardial infarction to examine the impact of plasma RIPK3 levels before and after treatment, using both patient data and lab experiments on cells and mouse models.
  • Elevated RIPK3 levels post-treatment were linked to worse outcomes, and experiments showed that RIPK3 worsens heart injury by triggering inflammation, suggesting its role as a damaging molecule that could be targeted for therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * This study introduces a method to improve the stability of these catalysts by anchoring nickel sites within dealuminated Beta zeolite, which enhances metal-support interactions.
  • * Using advanced techniques like X-ray absorption spectroscopy and isotopic experiments, the research explains how the synthesis method increases the performance and durability of the Ni catalysts by reducing unwanted byproducts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive pulmonary neuroendocrine malignancy featured by cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), limited benefit from immunotherapy, and poor survival. The spatial heterogeneity of TIME significantly associated with anti-tumor immunity has not been systemically studied in SCLC. We performed ultra-high-plex Digital Spatial Profiling on 132 tissue microarray cores from 44 treatment-naive limited-stage SCLC tumors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This Voices piece will highlight the impact of artificial intelligence on algorithm development among computational biologists. How has worldwide focus on AI changed the path of research in computational biology? What is the impact on the algorithmic biology research community?

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Noninvasive and accurate biomarkers of neurologic Wilson disease (NWD), a rare inherited disorder, could reduce diagnostic error or delay. Excessive subcortical metal deposition seen on susceptibility imaging has suggested a characteristic pattern in NWD. With submillimeter spatial resolution and increased contrast, 7T susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) may enable better visualization of metal deposition in NWD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most lethal cardiovascular diseases. The loss of cardiomyocytes and the degradation of the extracellular matrix leads to high ventricular wall stress, which further drives the pathological thinning of the ventricular wall during MI. Injecting biomaterials to thicken the infarct ventricular wall provides mechanical support, thereby inhibiting the continued expansion of the heart.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • HPV 16 and 18 are linked to various cancers, and although preventative vaccines exist, there is a pressing need for therapeutic vaccines to treat existing HPV infections.
  • The study introduces a new mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine, mHTV-03E2, formulated in lipid nanoparticles, which effectively triggers strong immune responses in mice, resulting in reduced tumor growth and improved survival rates.
  • Moreover, mHTV-03E2 shows promise when used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, enhancing its effectiveness in fighting cancers associated with HPV16 and HPV18 infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Myocardial fibers surrounding right cardiac veins (RCVs) and their role in accessory pathways (APs) have been under-researched, leading to a study of six cases identified from a larger patient group.
  • Using advanced mapping techniques, the researchers categorized the venography of RCVs into three patterns, which correlated with specific ECG characteristics.
  • The study found that APs could be effectively treated, with no recurrences during follow-up, highlighting the unique features of RCV-APs and their distant atrial insertions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is high blood pressure in the lungs that originates from structural changes in small resistance arteries. A defining feature of PAH is the inappropriate remodeling of pulmonary arteries (PA) leading to right ventricle failure and death. Although treatment of PAH has improved, the long-term prognosis for patients remains poor, and more effective targets are needed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death among children, yet evidence on stroke incidence and prognosis in this population is largely neglected worldwide. The aim of this study was to estimate the latest burden of childhood stroke, as well as trends, risk factors, and inequalities from 1990 to 2019, at the global, regional, and national levels.

Methods: The Global Burden of Disease 2019 study was utilized to evaluate the prevalence, incidence, years lived with disability, years of life lost (YLLs), and average annual percentage changes in stroke among populations aged 0 to 19 years from 1990 to 2019.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lung cancer is a deeply malignant tumor with high incidence and mortality. Despite the rapid development of diagnosis and treatment technology, abundant patients with lung cancer are still inevitably faced with recurrence and metastasis, contributing to death. Lymphatic metastasis is the first step of distant metastasis and an important prognostic indicator of non-small cell lung cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evaluating rupture risk in cerebral arteriovenous malformations currently lacks quantitative hemodynamic and angioarchitectural features necessary for predicting subsequent hemorrhage. We aimed to derive rupture-related hemodynamic and angioarchitectural features of arteriovenous malformations and construct an ensemble model for predicting subsequent hemorrhage.

Methods: This retrospective study included 3 data sets, as follows: training and test data sets comprising consecutive patients with untreated cerebral arteriovenous malformations who were admitted from January 2015 to June 2022 and a validation data set comprising patients with unruptured arteriovenous malformations who received conservative treatment between January 2009 and December 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied two medications, ibrutinib and zanubrutinib, used to treat certain blood cancers and found that zanubrutinib has fewer heart-related side effects.
  • In a group of patients taking zanubrutinib, reports of issues like irregular heartbeats and high blood pressure were lower compared to those taking ibrutinib.
  • Overall, zanubrutinib appears to be a safer option for patients who need these types of treatments, as fewer people stopped taking it due to heart problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) is a membrane-bound transporter responsible for the efflux of various xenobiotics and endobiotics, including protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), an intermediate in the heme biosynthesis pathway. Certain genetic mutations and chemicals impair the conversion of PPIX to heme and/or increase PPIX production, leading to PPIX accumulation and toxicity. In mice, deficiency of ABCG2 protects against PPIX-mediated phototoxicity and hepatotoxicity by modulating PPIX distribution.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An important method that coal-fired power plants use to realise low-cost zero discharge of desulfurisation wastewater (FGD wastewater) is to utilise wet slag removal systems. However, the high Cl content of FGD wastewater in wet slag removal systems causes environmental damage. In this study, the corrosion behaviour of the inner guide wheel material, 20CrMnTi, was studied using dynamic weight loss and electrochemical methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oncogenic mutations were identified decades ago, yet the selective inhibition of specific KRAS mutant proteins represents an ongoing challenge. Recent progress has been made in targeting certain P-loop mutant proteins, in particular KRAS G12C, for which the covalent inhibition of the GDP state via the Switch II pocket is now a clinically validated strategy. Inhibition of other KRAS mutant proteins such as KRAS G13D, on the other hand, still requires clinical validation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF