Publications by authors named "Ke Ren"

The impact of nanoparticle size on the effectiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using sulfurized manganese nanoparticles (MnS@PAA) stabilized with polyacrylic acid (PAA) as a binder was thoroughly investigated. MnS@PAA nanoparticles of varying sizes were synthesized by altering the ratio of ethylene glycol (EG) to diethylene glycol (DEG) during the synthesis process. These nanoparticles exhibited a uniform size distribution and demonstrated high T relaxation rates, along with a notable pH-responsive behavior.

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Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) has emerged as a key immune checkpoint regulating immune responses in the context of cancer. The inhibitory effect of LAG-3-expressing T cells contributes to suppressing anti-tumor immunity and promoting tumor progression. This review discusses the function of LAG-3 in immune suppression, its interactions with ligands, and its potential as a prognostic biomarker for cancers.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma, a common malignancy of the digestive system, typically progresses through a sequence of hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately, tumor. The interaction between gut microbiota, the portal venous system and the biliary tract, referred to as the gut-liver axis, is crucial in understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mechanisms implicated include gut dysbiosis, alterations in microbial metabolites and increased intestinal barrier permeability.

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6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) is considered an emerging contaminant as a substitute for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous childhood neurodevelopmental disorder, the prevalence of which has been significantly increasing globally, possibly due to rising exposure to environmental pollutants. Additionally, the microbe-gut-brain axis plays a crucial role in the development of ASD.

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Inducing trained immunity in macrophages is an increasingly promising strategy for preventing cancer development. However, it has not been investigated whether trained immunity in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) can be initiated for antitumor applications. Here, we provide a practical strategy that utilizes the macrophage membrane (M) to camouflage Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (M@BCG), endowing it with the capability to selectively target tumors and efficiently induce trained immunity for TAMs.

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  • - Endometriosis affects around 176 million women globally and causes chronic pelvic pain, heavy periods, and infertility, highlighting the need for better treatment options due to the limitations of current therapies.
  • - Researchers have developed an injectable magnetic hydrogel nanosystem designed to treat endometriosis by using iron oxide nanoparticles for localized heating and an anti-inflammatory peptide for inflammation control.
  • - In vivo studies showed that this treatment reduced endometriotic lesion volume by 90% and lowered inflammation markers, suggesting it could be a promising non-invasive option for managing endometriosis.
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  • Mammalian milk exosomal miRNAs, like those found in sheep milk, have been shown to help maintain gut immunity and protect the intestinal barrier, but the specific mechanisms are still under study.
  • The research identified two key miRNAs (oar-miR-148a and oar-let-7b) in sheep milk-derived exosomes that target important immune receptors (TLR4 and TRAF1), using experiments to confirm their effects.
  • In mice with chemically induced colitis, administering these sheep exosomes improved symptoms and reduced inflammation by altering the expression of TLR4 and TRAF1, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for these miRNAs in treating colitis.
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Background: Different individuals with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) exhibit substantial heterogeneity in histomorphology, genetic alterations in the proteome, immune cell infiltration patterns, and clinical behavior.

Objectives: This study aims to use single-nucleus sequencing on ten samples (four normal, three clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and three chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC)) to uncover pathogenic origins and prognostic characteristics in patients with RCC.

Methods: By using two algorithms, inferCNV and k-means, the study explores malignant cells and compares them with the normal group to reveal their origins.

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  • Tobacco root-knot nematode (TRKN) disease severely impacts tobacco crops, decreasing both quality and yield, while also altering the soil's microbial diversity and metabolites.
  • The study examined rhizosphere soils from healthy and TRKN-infected tobacco plants to understand differences in microbial communities and metabolites using advanced microbiology and metabolomics techniques.
  • Findings revealed higher bacterial diversity in mildly and moderately diseased soils compared to healthy ones, distinct microbial compositions in different disease stages, and significant changes in soil metabolites, particularly an increase in organic acids in severely diseased soils.
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Background: Surgical intervention involving the pancreas can lead to impaired glucose tolerance and other types of endocrine dysfunction. The scope of pancreatectomy and whether it includes the ventral pancreas are the key factors in the development of postoperative diabetes. The ventral and dorsal pancreases are almost separated in ().

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To investigate the dynamic changes in hippocampal metabolism after microwave radiation using liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and to identify potential biomarkers. Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a sham group and a microwave radiation group. The rats in the microwave radiation group were exposed to 2.

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This study enhances the ultrafast photonics application of tin selenide (SnSe) nanoflakes via copper (Cu) functionalization to overcome challenges such as low conductivity and weak near-infrared (NIR) absorption. Cu functionalization enhances concentration, induces strain, and reduces the bandgap through Sn substitution and Sn vacancy filling with Cu ions. Demonstrated by density functional theory calculations and experimental analyses, Cu-functionalized SnSe exhibits improved NIR optical absorption and superior third-order nonlinear optical properties.

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Background: In recent years, elucidating the actual state of the liver nervous system has attracted attention, owing to clinical needs, such as liver transplantation. Conventional methods for studying the intrahepatic nerve distribution mostly use liver tissue sections, specific markers for immunohistological studies, or anterograde/retrograde tracing in animals. However, knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of intrahepatic innervation is vague or speculative.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder. There is a considerable unmet medical need among those suffering from it.

Hypothesis And Purpose: Given the link between type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and AD, hypoglycemic traditional Chinese medicine formulas (TCMFs) may be a treatment for AD.

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The brain is complex and metabolically active, and the detection of metabolites plays an important role in brain development and diseases. Currently, there is a lack of research on the metabolic spectrum changes in learning and memory impairment, and hippocampal damage induced by microwave radiation from the metabolic perspective. Aiming to provide sensitive indicators for microwave radiation-induced brain damage and establish a foundation for understanding its injury mechanisms, this study employed non-targeted metabolomics to investigate metabolic fluctuations and key metabolic pathway alterations in rats' hippocampal tissue after microwave radiation.

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The development of pure-blue perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) faces challenges of spectral stability and low external quantum efficiency (EQE) due to phase separation in mixed halide compositions. Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) with strong confinement effects are promising alternatives to achieve high-quality pure-blue PeLEDs, yet their performance is often hindered by the poor size distribution and high trap density. A strategy combining thermodynamic control with a polishing-driven ligand exchange process to produce high-quality QDs is developed.

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As protective coatings for the thermal parts of aero-engines, AlCoCrFeNi coatings have good application prospects. In this study, atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) was used to prepare AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy coatings (HECs), which were oxidized from 650 °C to 1000 °C. The mechanism of the oxide layer formation and the internal phase transition were systematically investigated.

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The rapid development of the economy and society is causing an increase in the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) produced by people's daily lives. With the strong support of the Chinese government, incineration power generation has steadily become the primary method of treating MSW, accounting for 79.86%.

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Efficient pure-red emission light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are essential for high-definition displays, yet achieving pure-red emission is hindered by challenges like phase segregation and spectral instability when using halide mixing. Additionally, strongly confined quantum dots (QDs) produced through traditional hot-injection methods face byproduct contamination due to poor solubility of metal halide salts in the solvent octadecene (ODE) at low temperatures. Herein, we introduced a novel method using a benzene-series strongly electrostatic potential solvent instead of ODE to prevent PbI intermediates and promote their dissolution into [PbI].

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Recently, aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) with the superior theoretical capacity, high safety, low prices, and environmental protection, have emerged as a contender for advanced energy storage. However, challenges related to cathode materials, such as dissolution, instability, and structural collapse, have hindered the progress of AZIBs. Here, a novel AZIB is constructed using an oxidized 2D layered MnBiTe cathode for the first time.

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  • The study investigates the neurotoxic effects of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in the brains of T2DM rats to understand how they influence neuroinflammation and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
  • 104 male Wistar rats were used, divided into T2DM and control groups, and they received different GBCAs over 7 weeks, with various methods used to assess Gd deposition and brain effects.
  • Results showed that T2DM rats exposed to gadodiamide had significant behavioral impairments and increased neuroinflammatory markers compared to other groups, indicating a potential neurotoxic impact of GBCAs in diabetes.
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Groundwater quality is related to several uncertain factors. Using multidimensional normal cloud model to reduce the randomness and ambiguity of the integrated groundwater quality evaluation is important in environmental research. Previous optimizations of multidimensional normal cloud models have focused on improving the affiliation criteria of the evaluation results, neglecting the weighting scheme of multiple indicators.

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The use of silicon fertilizer (SF) as a means of remediating cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) pollution has proven to be beneficial. However, the mechanism via which SF enhances soil quality and crop productivity under Cd- and Pb-contaminated soil (S) remains unclear. This study investigated the impacts of chemical fertilizer, mineral SF (MSF), and organic SF (OSF) on microbial community structure, activity of nutrient acquisition enzymes, and growth of tobacco in the presence of S condition.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Ke Ren"

  • - Ke Ren's recent research focuses on innovative therapeutic approaches for various medical conditions, including endometriosis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, emphasizing the need for more effective treatments and the identification of new biomarkers.
  • - The studies also explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of kidney injury in diabetes, the impact of milk-derived exosomes on colitis, and the metabolic changes induced by microwave radiation, indicating a strong interest in understanding disease mechanisms and potential interventions.
  • - Further investigations encompass the integration of nanotechnology in energy solutions, the role of nutritional compounds in health, and advancements in environmental management, showcasing a broad interdisciplinary approach to address both health and ecological challenges.