Publications by authors named "Ke Meng"

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and aggressive tumor. Sorafenib is the first-line treatment for patients with advanced HCC, but resistance to sorafenib has become a significant challenge in this therapy. Cancer stem cells play a crucial role in sorafenib resistance in HCC.

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Dorper sheep is popular among farming enterprises with strong adaptability, disease resistance, and roughage tolerance, and an unique characteristic of natural shedding of wool. In a large number of observations on experimental sheep farms, it was found that the wool of some sheep still had not shed after May, thus manual shearing was required. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of normal hair follicles (HFs) development is crucial to revealing the improvement of sheep wool-related traits and mammalian skin-related traits.

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The mechanisms underlying the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) therapy are incompletely understood. Here, by immune profiling responding PD-1CD8 T (T) cell populations from patients with advanced melanoma, we identified differential programming of T cells in response to combination therapy, from an exhausted toward a more cytotoxic effector program. This effect does not occur with anti-PD-1 monotherapy.

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Energy level alignment at metal/organic semiconductors (OSCs) interface governs electronic processes in organic electronics devices, making its precise determination essential for understanding carrier transport behaviors and optimizing device performance. However, it is proven that accurately characterizing the energy barrier at metal/OSC interface under operational conditions remains challenging due to the technical limitations of traditional methods. Herein, through integrating highly-improved device constructions with an ingenious derivative-assisted data processing method, this study demonstrates an in-device ballistic-electron-emission spectroscopy using hot-electron transistors to accurately characterize the energy barrier at metal/OSC interface under in-operando conditions.

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Intramolecular noncovalent interaction (INCI), a crucial strategy for effectively enhancing molecular planarity and extending π-electron delocalization in organic semiconductors (OSCs), has played an increasingly important role in optoelectronic applications. However, though the INCI formation is regularly considered to improve the device performance by literature, there is no feasible approach to directly and reliably characterizing its formation in practical-OSC films thus far. Here in this study, by theoretical analysis and calculation, the generation of INCIs in OSCs is found, normally consisting of relatively heavy elements, such as O···Se, O···S, N···S interactions, etc.

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  • The study addresses the lack of understanding and research on essential thrombocythemia (ET) and prefibrotic primary myelofibrosis (pre-PMF) in individuals under 18, calling attention to diagnostic and treatment issues.
  • A large cohort analysis revealed immunophenotypic abnormalities as new clonal markers in childhood ET and pre-PMF, alongside unique mutational profiles compared to adults.
  • Key findings show that venous thrombosis and specific immunophenotypic abnormalities are risk factors for disease progression, with significant differences in treatment practices and outcomes between childhood and adult cases.
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Objective: The sub-acromioclavicular (SAC) decompression is often performed during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. However, the impact of SAC decompression on patients with postoperative shoulder stiffness (POSS) are controversial and unclear. This study is aim to evaluate the impact of additional sub-acromioclavicular (SAC) decompression during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair on the postoperative shoulder stiffness (POSS) in patients.

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Organic semiconductors (OSCs) are featured by weak spin-orbit coupling due to their light chemical element composition, which enables them to maintain spin orientation for a long spin lifetime and show significant potential in room-temperature spin transport. Carrier mobility and spin lifetime are the two main factors of the spin transport performance of OSCs, however, their ambiguous mechanisms with molecular structure make the development of spintronic materials really stagnant. Herein, the effects of halogen substitution in bay-annulated indigo-based polymers on carrier mobility and spin relaxation have been systematically investigated.

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  • Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are gaining attention as a non-invasive liquid biopsy method due to their ability to transport various biomolecules and their accessibility.
  • The review covers the origins of EVs, their isolation techniques, and their diverse contents—like nucleic acids and proteins—that play crucial roles in cell communication and could serve as biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
  • It emphasizes how using integrated multi-omics approaches (combining genomics, transcriptomics, etc.) can help identify new biomarkers, advancing the diagnosis and prognosis of CVDs.
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  • - Testosterone disrupts wildlife and ecosystems by significantly impairing reproductive functions, particularly at concentrations above 0.01 μg/L, which causes reduced brood size and germ cell counts.
  • - The study reveals that testosterone's reproductive toxicity primarily affects sperm formation and offspring number through specific genes involved in sex determination.
  • - A protective reference dose for ecological risk assessment of testosterone is identified as 1.160 ng/L, helping to set thresholds for its reproductive toxicity effects.
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  • The study aimed to investigate how exposure to multiple heavy metals in urine is linked to high remnant cholesterol (HRC), a marker for cardiovascular risk, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018.
  • Researchers analyzed urine samples from 5,690 participants to measure ten types of heavy metals and assessed HRC through blood samples, applying various statistical methods to understand the relationships.
  • Key findings indicated that exposure to barium, cadmium, mercury, and lead was positively correlated with increased HRC, with the effects being stronger in younger adults, males, and those with higher body mass index, highlighting the need for public health initiatives to reduce heavy metal exposure for
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  • In the quasi-two-dimensional superconductor NbSe, the transition temperature decreases significantly in monolayer form, while for the Bi-2212 superconductor, it remains consistent with the bulk version.
  • Recent research focused on ultrathin flakes of iron-based superconductors CsCaFeAsF and CaKFeAs reveals that the superconducting temperature in monolayer CsCaFeAsF is about 20% lower than its bulk version, and three-layer CaKFeAs shows a 46% decrease.
  • The study further investigates the relationship between dimensionality, anisotropy, and coherence length to establish patterns in how these factors influence superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional materials.
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The study aimed to assess the predictive value of blood urea nitrogen (BUN)-to-albumin ratio (BA-R) for in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing emergency surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Patients who were diagnosed with ATAAD and underwent emergency surgery within 48 hours of onset at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2021 were included in this study. The primary endpoint of this study was postoperative in-hospital mortality (POIM).

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  • Molecular semiconductors (MSCs) show potential for spintronic applications due to their long spin lifetimes, primarily influenced by their weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC).
  • Unlike previous beliefs that molecular isomerism had little effect on spin transport, new findings demonstrate significant differences in spin-transport performance between ITIC and its isomer BDTIC.
  • The study identifies that noncovalent-conformational locks (NCLs) in BDTIC enhance SOC, leading to shorter spin lifetimes, emphasizing the need to consider structural isomer effects in designing efficient MSCs.
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  • Plastic mulch films in agriculture accumulate in soils, prompting research on earthworm gut bacteria's ability to degrade various plastic types, including low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polylactic acid (PLA).
  • A 180-day study found no degradation of LDPE and other tested plastics, but PLA showed potential reduction in molecular weight when treated with Streptomyces fulvissimus (SF).
  • Under specific conditions, such as 30 °C and low carbon levels, SF and its mixture with Rhodococcus jostii (RJ) significantly enhanced PLA degradation, indicating that competition between strains may inhibit effectiveness.
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  • The study aimed to investigate how metabolic and inflammatory factors are related to the risk of developing thyroid nodules by analyzing health data from 2020 to 2021 for 931 adults.
  • Five specific indicators, including fasting blood glucose and blood pressure, were found to be positively associated with thyroid nodules, while high-density lipoproteins showed a negative association.
  • The research concluded that higher levels of combined metabolic and inflammatory factors correlate with a greater risk of thyroid nodules, particularly in males and older individuals, with systolic blood pressure being the most significant contributor.
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  • - The text discusses advancements in skin-interfaced biosensing systems that can monitor health by detecting physiological and biochemical signals, but current methods face issues like weak interfaces and irritation from adhesives.
  • - A new skin-attachable, multifunctional device patch has been developed using a simple, cost-effective laser scribing technique that combines adhesive materials to improve sensitivity and functionality.
  • - This innovative device allows for real-time analysis of sweat biomarkers and monitoring of biological signals, all while being stretchable and capable of energy harvesting and communication, making it a versatile tool for health management.
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Respiratory signals are critical clinical diagnostic criteria for respiratory diseases and health conditions, and respiratory sensors play a crucial role in achieving the desired respiratory monitoring effect. High sensitivity to a single factor can improve the reliability of respiratory monitoring, and maintaining the hygiene of the sensors is also important for daily health monitoring. Herein, we propose a flexible Au-modified anatase titanium dioxide resistive respiratory sensor, which can be mechanically compliantly attached to curved surfaces for respiratory monitoring in different modalities (i.

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2D perovskites have shown great potential toward stable and efficient photovoltaic devices. However, the crystal orientation and phase impurity issues of 2D perovskite films originating from the anisotropic crystal structure and specific growth mechanism have demoted their optoelectronic performances. Here, the surface crystallization modulation technique is introduced to fabricate the high-quality 2D perovskite films with both vertical crystal orientation and high phase purity by regulating the crystallization dynamics.

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  • * Existing sensors for these bioanalytes often lack sensitivity or are complicated to produce, but new advancements introduce a simple method for creating effective titanium dioxide thin films.
  • * The developed TiO film, combined with a carbon cloth electrode, provides high specificity and sensitivity for detecting dopamine, tyrosine, and paracetamol, and can be integrated into wearable devices for real-time health monitoring.
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  • Spintronic devices are essential for research and practical applications, but traditional methods can cause damage and contamination, hurting performance and creating unreliable results.
  • A new polymer-assistant strain-restricted transfer technique offers a solution by allowing safe and precise transfer of ferromagnetic electrodes onto channel materials without altering their properties.
  • This innovative technique enhances the quality and consistency of spintronic devices across various types of materials, supporting advancements in both academic research and practical technology.
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  • - The study used a Mendelian Randomization approach to explore the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), focusing on how factors like education and income may influence genetic susceptibility to AD and the role of inflammation in this process.
  • - Results showed that higher educational attainment and better household income were linked to a decreased risk of AD, with educational years having a significant causal effect on lowering this risk.
  • - C-reactive protein (CRP) was identified as a mediating factor in the relationship between educational attainment and AD risk, suggesting that inflammation may play a role in how SES impacts Alzheimer's disease.
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Carbamazepine is an antiepileptic drug commonly used in pregnant women, during which the physiological changes may affect its efficacy. The aim of this study was to establish a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of carbamazepine and its active metabolite carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, and simulate maternal and fetal pharmacokinetic changes of carbamazepine and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide in different trimesters and propose dose adjustment. We established pregnancy PBPK models for carbamazepine and carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide in PK-Sim® and Mobi® and validated the models with observed data from clinical reports.

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