Publications by authors named "Jiahui Cai"

Argonaute 2 (Ago2) is a crucial enzyme in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, essential for gene silencing via the cleavage of target messenger RNA (mRNA) mediated by microRNA (miRNA) or small interfering RNA (siRNA). The activity of Ago2 is a significant biomarker for various diseases, including cancer and viral infections, necessitating precise monitoring techniques. Traditional methods for detecting Ago2 activity are often cumbersome and lack the necessary sensitivity and specificity for low-abundance targets in complex samples.

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Background: New Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations without a race adjustment were developed to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We aimed to compare the performance of five CKD-EPI eGFR equations, with or without race, in predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and all-cause mortality in Black Americans from the Jackson Heart Study.

Methods: JHS is an ongoing population-based prospective cohort study of African Americans in the Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area.

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Y chromosome genes play a vital role in sex difference of cancer. The dysregulation and functional implications of Y chromosome genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains elusive. Here, we analyze the Y chromosome gene signature and identify TMSB4Y as an emerging prognostic predictor in male ESCC.

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Auxins play crucial regulatory roles in plants coping with cadmium (Cd) stress. However, the regulatory mechanism by which auxins alleviate Cd toxicity in tomato seedlings remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that exposure to Cd stress leads to dynamic changes in the auxin response in tomato roots, characterized by an initial increase followed by a subsequent weakening.

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Detecting early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and precancerous lesions is critical for improving survival. Here, we conduct whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on 460 cfDNA samples from patients with non-metastatic ESCC or precancerous lesions and matched healthy controls. We develop an expanded multimodal analysis (EMMA) framework to simultaneously identify cfDNA methylation, copy number variants (CNVs), and fragmentation markers in cfDNA WGBS data.

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Objective: To examine socio-demographic disparities in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the association between food insecurity and mental health among US adults overall and communities vulnerable to food insecurity.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2020-2021 National Health Interview Survey of 57,456 US adults. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between food insecurity and anxiety or depression symptoms in overall US adults and subgroups including young adults (18-34 years), females, Hispanic people, non-Hispanic Black people, individuals with prior COVID-19 infection, the unemployed, low-income participants, participants with children, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants.

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The inflammatory response is one of the general symptoms that accompany tumorigenesis, the pro-inflammatory factors cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and COX-2-derived prostaglandin-2 (PGE-2) in the inflammatory environment surrounding tumors possess promoting tumor development, metastasis and angiogenesis effects. In addition, the hypoxic environment of tumors severely limits the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this study, a universal extracellular-intracellular 'on-demand' release nanomedicine DOX@PDA-ICG@MnO@GN-CEL was developed for the combined fight against malignant tumors using a spatiotemporal controlled gelatin coated polydopamine (PDA@GN) as the carrier and loaded with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX), the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG), the PDT enhancer MnOand the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (CEL) individually.

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Background: Studies on the association between e-cigarette use and mental health are mostly among adolescents and young adults, leaving limited evidence of this association among general US adults. Besides, few studies have examined how e-cigarette use or dual use of e-cigarette and combustible cigarette is related to cognitive function.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 56,734 adults from the 2020-2021 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed.

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Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive epithelial malignancy with poor prognosis. Interestingly, ESCC is strongly characterized by a male-predominant propensity. Our previous study showed that androgen receptor (AR) orchestrated a transcriptional repression program to promote ESCC growth, but it remains unclear whether AR can also activate oncogenic signaling during ESCC progression.

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Due to the highly environment-dependent biodegradation and uncontrolled degradation period, the long-run feasibility and effectiveness of biodegradable polymers are extensively questioned to solve plastics waste accumulation and pollution problems. This work physically incorporated lipase PS from Burkholderia cepacian on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and embedded it in polycaprolactone (PCL) to construct stable and controllable interfacial microenvironment between CNC and PCL for the reinforcement and controllable self-driven biodegradation. The physical adsorption of lipase PS on CNC was studied by monitoring the surface charge and particle size.

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To examine recent trends in unmet health care needs among US adults, cross-sectional data of 93,047 adults from 2019 to 2021 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. The weighted prevalence and changes in prevalence of cost-related or COVID-19-related unmet health care needs were estimated, first overall and then stratified by socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of cost-related unmet health care needs was 8.

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Background: Studies have established associations between combustible cigarette use and diabetes. However, there is limited evidence on the association between e-cigarette use or dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes and diabetes.

Method: With cross-sectional data of 5101 U.

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Objective: To develop a logistic regression model that combines clinical and radiological parameters for prediction of complicated appendicitis.

Methods: 248 patients with histologically proven uncomplicated (n = 214) and complicated (n = 34) acute appendicitis were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had undergone a presurgical abdominal and/or pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan, assessed by two radiologists.

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Article Synopsis
  • Abl is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that plays a role in various diseases, including rheumatic immune disorders, and contains specific domains for binding to proteins.* -
  • Researchers used a synthetic proline-rich peptide called p41 and modified it by changing certain residues to enhance its binding affinity to Abl's SH3 domain.* -
  • Several new peptoid variants showed significantly improved binding strength to the Abl SH3 domain and demonstrated a high selectivity for Abl compared to other tyrosine kinases.*
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Purpose: Examine associations between e-cigarette use or dual use of e-cigarette and combustible cigarette and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 5121 U.S.

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There has been great interest in the enzymatic cascade amplification strategy for the electrochemical detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). In this work, we designed a highly efficient enzymatic cascade reaction based on a multiwalled carbon nanotubes-chitosan (MWCNTs-CS) composite for detection of CTCs. A high electrochemical effective surface area was obtained for a MWCNTs-CS-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for loading glucose oxidase (GOD), as well as a high loading rate and high electrical activity of the enzyme.

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Objective: This study aimed to determine whether sarcopenia affects the all-cause mortality rate of patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Research Design And Methods: The clinic-based observational study included 217 patients treated at the Department of Endocrinology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University during a 4-year period. All subjects underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine their body composition during hospitalization.

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Background: The hippocampus is a heterogeneous structure, comprising histologically and functionally distinguishable hippocampal subfields. The volume reductions in hippocampal subfields have been demonstrated to be linked with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of our study is to investigate the hippocampal subfields' genetic architecture based on the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data set.

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Background: This study aims to examine how the presence of chronic conditions or positive COVID-19 infection (as exposures) is related to food insecurity (as an outcome) in the older population and whether there is a dose-response relationship between the number of chronic conditions and the severity of food insecurity.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 17,977 older adults (≥ 65 years) from the 2020-2021 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Chronic conditions included physical health conditions (i.

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Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with food insecurity and the association between food insecurity and COVID-19 infection using a nationally representative sample in the U.S.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 61,050 adults (aged ≥18 years) from the 2020 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly heritable disease. The morphological changes of cortical cortex (such as, cortical thickness and surface area) in AD always accompany by the change of the functional connectivity to other brain regions and influence the short- and long-range brain network connections, causing functional deficits of AD. In this study, the first hypothesis is that genetic variations might affect morphology-based brain networks, leading to functional deficits; the second hypothesis is that protein-protein interaction (PPI) between the candidate proteins and known interacting proteins to AD might exist and influence AD.

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Background: Using a nationally representative sample, this study aimed to examine (1) socio-demographic and health-related disparities in cognitive impairment, (2) the association between food insecurity and cognitive impairment, and (3) the mediation role of anxiety or depression in the pathway between food insecurity and cognitive impairment.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 28,508 adults from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate associations with cognitive impairment.

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Introduction: Lung cancer can be masked by coexisting stable tuberculosis lesions, which may result in delayed lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Information about pulmonary tuberculosis patients who are at high-risk of developing lung cancer is scarce. We aimed to examine the value of chest computed tomography (CT) in evaluating lung cancer in a lobe affected by stable pulmonary tuberculosis in middle-aged and elderly patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study introduces a novel "Dandelion"-like double-chamber drug delivery system aimed at efficiently treating malignant tumors by enabling the sequential release of drugs with varying solubilities.
  • The system utilizes mesoporous silica nanoparticles to encapsulate a chemotherapy drug (doxorubicin) and a photosensitizer (chlorin e6), allowing for controlled drug release upon specific near-infrared laser irradiations.
  • The results show that this innovative platform significantly enhances treatment effectiveness by combining photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and chemotherapy, thus successfully addressing key challenges in cancer treatment.
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Chemo-thermotherapy, as a promising cancer combination therapy strategy, has attracted widespread attention. In this study, a novel aptamer functionalized thermosensitive liposome encapsulating hydrophobic drug quercetin was fabricated as an efficient drug delivery system. This aptamer-functionalized quercetin thermosensitive liposomes (AQTSL) combined the merits of high-loading yield, sustained drug release, long-term circulation in the body of PEGylated liposomes, passive targeting provided by 100-200 nm nanoparticles, active targeting and improved internalization effects offered by AS1411 aptamer, and temperature-responsive of quercetin release.

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