Publications by authors named "Kuan Hu"

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) constitute a superfamily of phosphohydrolytic enzymes that regulate intracellular second messenger signaling by hydrolyzing cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Among the 11 subfamilies of PDEs, phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1) stands out due to its broad implications in central and peripheral pathologies. There are three subtypes of PDE1: PDE1A, PDE1B, and PDE1C.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study explores how managing water content can enhance the electrochemical performance of vanadium oxide cathodes in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) using experimental methods and density flooding theory (DFT) calculations.
  • DFT predictions suggest that a balanced amount of structural water improves electrical conductivity and zinc ion diffusion, which were validated through the synthesis of AlVO-1.6 H2O.
  • The resulting material achieved an initial capacity of 316 mAh/g and retained 97.6% capacity after 2000 cycles, indicating that controlling water content is key to developing high-performance battery cathodes.
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Purpose: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells (PC) in the bone marrow (BM). B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is predominantly expressed in malignant plasma cells, and associated with the proliferation, survival, and progression of various myeloma cells. Given these important roles, BCMA emerges as an ideal target antigen for MM therapy.

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This study investigates the electrochemical properties of MgVO/VO composites for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries (AZIBs) using both Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and experimental validation. DFT analysis reveals significant electron mobility and reactivity at the MgVO/VO interface, enhancing Zn storage capabilities. This theoretical prediction is confirmed experimentally by synthesizing a novel MgVO/VO composite that demonstrates superior electrochemical performance compared to pristine phases.

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Advancing cathode materials is crucial for the broader application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) in energy storage systems. This study presents amorphous H/VO (HVO), a novel cathode material engineered by substituting H for Mg in MgVO (MgVO), designed to enhance performance of ZIBs. Initial exploration of MgVO through ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed a favorable Mg and Zn exchange mechanism.

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Objective: To explore the effect of the "internet + health education system" in nursing care after stapler circumcision.

Methods: A total of 260 patients underwent stapler circumcision in the Outpatient Department of our hospital from January 2022 to July 2022, of whom 130 received routine nursing after operation (the control group), and the other 130 internet + medical nursing service based on the internet + health education system (the experimental group). We followed up the patients on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 30th day after surgery, recorded their Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores within 24 hours postoperatively, their satisfaction scores with surgery and nursing, the incidence of complications and falloff of the stapler nails, and compared them between the two groups.

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Background: In clinical practice, the vast array of potential drug combinations necessitates swift and accurate assessments of pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions (DDIs), along with recommendations for adjustments. Current methodologies for clinical DDI evaluations primarily rely on basic extrapolations from clinical trial data. However, these methods are limited in accuracy owing to their lack of a comprehensive consideration of various critical factors, including the inhibitory potency, dosage, and type of the inhibitor, as well as the metabolic fraction and intestinal availability of the substrate.

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Ubiquitination was considered to be a crucial factor in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) development. Herein, we identified Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 8 (USP8) as a key regulator for promoting the tumorigenesis of iCCA cell via stabilizing OGT. USP8 was overexpressed in human tumor tissues and correlated with worse survival.

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Atherosclerosis, a chronic disease associated with metabolism, poses a significant risk to human well-being. Currently, existing treatments for atherosclerosis lack sufficient efficiency, while the utilization of surface-modified nanoparticles holds the potential to deliver highly effective therapeutic outcomes. These nanoparticles can target and bind to specific receptors that are abnormally over-expressed in atherosclerotic conditions.

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The immunosuppressive microenvironment of malignant tumors severely hampers the effectiveness of anti-tumor therapy. Moreover, abnormal tumor vasculature interacts with immune cells, forming a vicious cycle that further interferes with anti-tumor immunity and promotes tumor progression. Our pre-basic found excellent anti-tumor effects of c-di-AMP and RRx-001, respectively, and we further explored whether they could be combined synergistically for anti-tumor immunotherapy.

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The buildup of plaques in atherosclerosis leads to cardiovascular events, with chronic unresolved inflammation and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) being major drivers of plaque progression. Nanotherapeutics that can resolve inflammation and scavenge ROS have the potential to treat atherosclerosis. Here we demonstrate the potential of black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNSs) as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

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Introduction: Intrahepatic cholelithiasis is a common disease for which laparoscopic liver resection is one of the treatment options. Here is a case of a patient who developed atypical complications after liver resection.

Case Presentation: A 59-year-old patient with intrahepatic cholelithiasis underwent laparoscopic left hemihepatectomy in our hospital.

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Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a serine protease characterized by its high expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and near absence in adult normal tissues and benign lesions. This unique expression pattern positions FAP as a prospective biomarker for targeted tumor radiodiagnosis and therapy. The advent of FAP-based radiotheranostics is anticipated to revolutionize cancer management.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most highly debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, which affects millions of people worldwide, and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations have been involved in the pathogenesis of PD. Developing a potent LRRK2 positron emission tomography (PET) tracer would allow for in vivo visualization of LRRK2 distribution and expression in PD patients. In this work, we present the facile synthesis of two potent and selective LRRK2 radioligands [C] ([C]PF-06447475) and [F] ([F]PF-06455943).

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Wearable biosensors have gained huge interest due to their potential for real-time physiological information. The development of a non-invasive blood glucose device is of great interests for health monitoring in reducing the diabetes incidence. Here, we report a sandwich-structured biosensor that is designed for glucose levels detection by using sweat as the means of monitoring.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary hepatic liver cancer. Dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin activation is closely related to the progression of cancer. Nevertheless, the mechanism that sustains the abnormal expression of β-catenin in HCC has yet to be identified.

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Radiotracers and medical imaging equipment are the two main keys to molecular imaging. While radiotracers are of great interest to research and industry, medical imaging equipment technology is blossoming everywhere. Total-body PET/CT (TB-PET/CT) has emerged in response to this trend and is rapidly gaining traction in the fields of clinical oncology, cardiovascular medicine, inflammatory/infectious diseases, and pediatric diseases.

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The identification of effective drug targets and the development of bioactive molecules are areas of high need in cancer therapy. The phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha/beta isoform (PITPα/β) has been reported to play an essential role in integrating phosphoinositide trafficking and lipid metabolism in diverse cellular processes but remains unexplored as a potential target for cancer treatment. Herein, data analysis of clinical cancer samples revealed that PITPα/β expression is closely correlated with the poor prognosis.

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Flexible sensors are capable of converting multiple human physiological signals into electrical signals for various applications in clinical diagnostics, athletics, and human-machine interaction. High-performance flexible strain sensors are particularly desirable for sensitive, reliable, and long-term monitoring, but current applications are still constrained due to high response threshold, low recoverability properties, and complex preparation methods. In this study, we present a stable and flexible strain sensor by a cost-effective self-assemble approach that demonstrates remarkable sensitivity (2169), ultrafast response and recovery time (112 ms), and wide dynamic response range (0-50%), as confirmed in human pulse and human-computer interaction.

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Background: The difference in the prognoses between treatment with surgical therapy and continuation of local-plus-systemic therapy following successful down-staging of intermediate-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Methods: Data of 405 patients with intermediate-advanced HCC treated at 30 hospitals across China from January 2017 to July 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received local-plus-systemic therapy and were divided into the surgical (n = 100) and nonsurgical groups (n = 305) according to whether they received surgical therapy.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal and aggressive human malignancy. The present study examins the anti-tumor effects of deubiquitylating enzymes (DUB) inhibitors in HCC. It is found that the inhibitor of ubiquitin specific peptidase 8 (USP8) and DUB-IN-3 shows the most effective anti-cancer responses.

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Orexin 2 receptors (OXR) represent a vital subtype of orexin receptors intricately involved in the regulation of wakefulness, arousal, and sleep-wake cycles. Despite their importance, there are currently no positron emission tomography (PET) tracers available for imaging the OXR in vivo. Herein, we report [C] ([C]OX-2201) and [C] ([C]OX-2202) as novel PET ligands.

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Epigenetic regulators and posttranslational modifications of proteins play important roles in various kinds of cancer cell death, including ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death. However, the interplay of chromatin modifiers and deubiquitinase (DUB) in ferroptosis remains unclear. Here, we found that ubiquitin-specific protease 5 (USP5) is regarded as a bona fide DUB of lymphoid-specific helicase (LSH), a DNA methylation repressor, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

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Programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 are particularly interesting immune checkpoint proteins for human cancer treatment. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging allows for the dynamic monitoring of PD-L1 status during tumor progression, thus informing patients' response index. Herein, we report the synthesis of two linear peptide-based radiotracers, [Cu]/[Ga]HKP2201 and [Cu]/[Ga]HKP2202, and validate their utility for PD-L1 visualization in preclinical models.

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