Publications by authors named "Jia Zhuo"

Lithium-sulfur batteries are considered powerful candidates for the next generation of advanced energy-storage systems owing to their high energy density and theoretical specific capacity. However, their practical commercial feasibility has been hampered by their sluggish kinetics and severe shuttle effect. Hence, a novel hybrid comprising NiCo-LDH-derived CoNiTe nanoparticles grafted on 3D carbon sheets was rationally constructed through facile steps and served as a functional separator modifier for a lithium-sulfur battery.

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In the proximal tubules of the kidney, angiotensin II (ANG II) binds and activates ANG II type 1 (AT) receptors to stimulate proximal tubule Na reabsorption, whereas atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binds and activates natriuretic peptide receptors (NPR) to inhibit ANG II-induced proximal tubule Na reabsorption. These two vasoactive systems play important counteracting roles to control Na reabsorption in the proximal tubules and help maintain blood pressure homeostasis. However, how AT and NPR receptors interact in the proximal tubules and whether natriuretic effects of NPR receptor activation by ANP may be potentiated by deletion of AT (AT) receptors selectively in the proximal tubules have not been studied previously.

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Alopecia areata (AA) is a non-scarring hair loss disorder. Alopecia totalis (AT) and alopecia universalis (AU) are the severe subtypes of AA. Age of onset before 6 years of age, disease duration of more than 1 year, and extensive alopecia involving more than 50% of the scalp (including AT or AU) suggest a poorer prognosis.

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The rapid growth in the portion of the aging population has led to a consequent increase in demand for biomedical hydrogels, together with an assortment of challenges that need to be overcome in this field. Smart hydrogels can autonomously sense and respond to the physiological/pathological changes of the tissue microenvironment and continuously adapt the response according to the dynamic spatiotemporal shifts in conditions. This along with other favorable properties, make smart hydrogels excellent materials for employing toward improving the precision of treatment for age-related diseases.

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Cardiovascular disease is a pathology that exhibits well-researched biological sex differences, making it possible for physicians to tailor preventative and therapeutic approaches for various diseases. Hypertension, which is defined as blood pressure greater than 130/80 mmHg, is the primary risk factor for developing coronary artery disease, stroke, and renal failure. Approximately 48% of American men and 43% of American women suffer from hypertension.

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  • This study aimed to determine if the consistency of venous tumor thrombus (VTT) affects the prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
  • Researchers analyzed data from 190 RCC patients with VTT and found that 76.3% had solid VTT while 23.7% had friable VTT, but there were no significant survival differences based on VTT consistency.
  • The overall conclusion is that VTT consistency does not serve as a prognostic risk factor for overall survival or progression-free survival in RCC patients, indicating that other factors may be more relevant.
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  • The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a key hormonal system that regulates water and sodium balance, blood flow to the kidneys, and blood vessel constriction, impacting overall blood pressure levels.
  • When RAS is overactive, such as through increased angiotensin II (Ang II), it can lead to hypertension and damage to organs, with Ang II receptors also contributing to cardiovascular and kidney diseases independently of blood pressure.
  • Recent research highlights the complex roles of various RAS components, showing that some can have protective effects (like angiotensin 1-7) against the harmful effects of Ang II, while studies on gene-deleted mice reveal specific functions of Ang II receptors in different cell types in the cardiovascular
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Most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) choose hemodialysis as their treatment of choice. Thus, upper-extremity veins provide a functioning arteriovenous access to reduce dependence on central venous catheters. However, it is unknown whether CKD reprograms the transcriptome of veins and primes them for arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failure.

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It has been our pleasure to have been able to develop two special issues within the International Journal of Molecular Sciences: Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System in Pathologies and Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System in Metabolism & Disease [...

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Objectives: The vesicoprostatic muscle (VPM) is a longitudinal smooth muscle that originates from the trigone of the bladder or the opening of the ureter and is involved in urination as part of the detrusor apron. We explored the effect of VPM reconstruction on immediate and early recovery of urinary continence in patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP).

Patients And Methods: A total of 523 patients with localized prostate cancer were enrolled from June 2018 to June 2020.

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Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has a global prevalence of 25% of the population and is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD ranges from simple steatosis (non-alcoholic fatty liver) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Hepatic macrophages, specifically Kupffer cells (KCs) and monocyte-derived macrophages, act as key players in the progression of NAFLD.

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Industrial agglomeration does not only promote economic and social prosperity of urban agglomeration, but also increases industrial pollution, which poses a health risk to the general public. The Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration in western China is characterized by industrial agglomeration and serious industrial pollution. Based on the county panel data of the Lanzhou-Xining urban agglomeration in western China from 2010 to 2018, a research of the impacts of industrial agglomeration on industrial pollutant emissions was conducted by using spatial analysis technology and spatial econometric analysis.

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In the 21st century, the tension between economic growth, resources and the environment in countries around the world is increasing, and the sustainable development of the economy and society is under great pressure. Green development has become the only way for countries to promote sustainable development. Generally, capitalist countries achieve their green development goals through increasingly strict environmental protection regulations, technological upgrading, industrial upgrading and global transfer based on market mechanisms and legal environments.

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The roles of angiotensin II (Ang II) AT1 (AT1a) receptors and its downstream target Na+/H+ exchanger 3 (NHE3) in the proximal tubules in the development of two-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertension have not been investigated previously. The present study tested the hypothesis that deletion of the AT1a receptor or NHE3 selectively in the proximal tubules of the kidney attenuates the development of 2K1C hypertension using novel mouse models with proximal tubule-specific deletion of AT1a receptors or NHE3. 2K1C Goldblatt hypertension was induced by placing a silver clip (0.

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Background: This study aimed to explore the appropriate location of renal tumors for retroperitoneal approach.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 1040 patients with renal tumor who were treated at our institution from Janurary 2015 to June 2020 and had underwent retroperitoneal robotic assisted-laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (rRAPN). Clinical features and postoperative outcomes were evaluated.

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Purpose: Abnormal placentation is a spectrum disorder that includes creta, increta, and percreta; the term placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders is used as a broad term to describe all of these conditions. PAS can lead to life-threatening hemorrhage. The predictive value of cervical length (CL) in patients with PAS remains controversial.

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Purpose: The placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) score calculated by the scoring system may predict patients with PAS. We aim to find the relationship between estimated blood loss and the PAS score. Further, find the inflection point, identify PAS patients with placenta previa who were at risk for major bleeding.

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Livestock production is greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensive, and thus the increasing international trade of livestock products in recent decades has resulted in increased embodied emissions. Considering the varying emission intensity in production in different countries and the expected further increase in livestock product trade in the future, it becomes crucial to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of such embodied GHG emissions for climate change mitigation in the livestock sector. In this study, we aimed to address such gaps and analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns and network characteristics of GHG emissions embodied in the international trade of seven major categories of livestock products among 228 world economies during 1986-2017.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over the past 10-15 years, the understanding of angiotensin II formation in the kidney has evolved, highlighting local synthesis of angiotensinogen and prorenin, with implications for how these components interact within renal tissues.
  • Angiotensin II has multiple metabolites and interacts with different receptors, with some, like angiotensin II type 2 and Mas receptors, offering protective effects on the kidneys, while AT1 receptors can have harmful effects.
  • The review emphasizes the importance of renal RAS activity and how various existing and novel drugs influence renal angiotensin formation, potentially leading to protective cardiovascular effects and improved kidney health.
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The sodium (Na)/hydrogen (H) exchanger 3 (NHE3) is one of the most important Na/H antiporters in the small intestines of the gastrointestinal tract and the proximal tubules of the kidney. The roles of NHE3 in the regulation of intracellular pH and acid-base balance have been well established in cellular physiology using techniques. Localized primarily on the apical membranes in small intestines and proximal tubules, the key action of NHE3 is to facilitate the entry of luminal Na and the extrusion of intracellular H from intestinal and proximal tubule tubular epithelial cells.

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Compared with the near-infrared-I spectral window (NIR-I, 650-950 nm), a newly developed imaging and treatment window with a 1000-1700 nm range (defined as the NIR-II bio-window) has attracted much attention owing to its higher spatiotemporal resolution, increased tissue penetration depth and therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we designed a nanotheranostic platform (HC-AB NPs) loading ammonia borane (AB) into hollow carbon nanoparticles (HCs) for NIR-II photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided NIR-II hydrogenothermal therapy. Importantly, by exploiting the characteristics of beta zeolite as a hard template and a template-carbonization-corrosion process, the prepared HCs have excellent NIR-II absorption performance and AB loading capacity.

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Contrary to public perception, hypertension remains one of the most important public health problems in the United States, affecting 46% of adults with increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and kidney diseases. The mechanisms underlying poorly controlled hypertension remain incompletely understood. Recent development in the approach to study gain or loss of function of a particular gene has significantly helped advance our new insights into the role of proximal tubule angiotensin II (Ang II) and its AT (AT) receptors in basal blood pressure control and the development of Ang II-induced hypertension.

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In the second near-infrared (NIR-II) biowindow, multimodal optical imaging-guided precise antitumor therapy is a novel strategy for high-efficiency tumor theranostics, however, the all-in-one dual NIR-II photoacoustic (NIR-II PA) and NIR-II fluorescence (NIR-II FL) nanoprobes have been rarely reported mainly due to the short of a simple and universal design approach. Herein, a NIR-II PA/NIR-II FL imaging-adjustable nanozyme (HSC-2) is designed and developed to guide precise photothermal-catalytic synergistic therapy. Based on the ionic liquids adsorption capacity, the electronic structure of zeolite nano-Beta (three dimensional 12-ring pore system and large surface area) can be turned from the indirect band gap to direct band gap via doping carbon in the framework, resulting in outstanding NIR-II FL emission characteristics.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and affects a significant portion of the adult population, with many requiring treatment but only half responding effectively.
  • Research is focusing on understanding the complex mechanisms behind poorly controlled hypertension, particularly in relation to kidney function.
  • Recent studies highlight the role of the angiotensin II (Ang II) system within kidney cells, identifying new pathways that could be targeted for better management of hypertension.
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