Publications by authors named "L-F Xu"

Rationale And Objectives: To evaluate the performance of deep learning (DL) reconstructed MRI in terms of image acquisition time, overall image quality and diagnostic interchangeability compared to standard-of-care (SOC) MRI.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study recruited participants between July 2023 and August 2023 who had spinal discomfort. All participants underwent two separate MRI examinations (Standard and accelerated scanning).

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Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease, and is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). More than 1 billion people worldwide are thought to harbor an M.

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  • Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an incurable cancer despite available therapies, with T-cell bispecific antibodies (TCBs) targeting BCMA and GPRC5D showing promise but facing issues like resistance and relapse due to antigen loss.
  • Forimtamig is a novel GPRC5D-targeting TCB that works more effectively than traditional formats by forming stable immunological connections, leading to better tumor cell destruction and T cell activation in preclinical studies.
  • Current research is exploring forimtamig in clinical trials for relapsed and refractory MM patients, both alone and alongside traditional care and new therapies, to enhance treatment outcomes and prevent relapses.
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  • Immune rejection due to mismatched human leucocyte antigens (HLAs) poses a significant challenge for allogeneic cell therapies.
  • Current methods to create 'universal' immune-compatible cells can lead to problems like genomic instability or cell damage.
  • By targeting a specific super-enhancer linked to HLA-I expression in mesenchymal stromal cells, researchers were able to reduce HLA-I on the cell surface, enhancing their survival in a humanized mouse model and improving therapeutic outcomes in acute lung injury.
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  • High levels of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F), along with microbial pathogens, are a significant public health risk in semiarid regions, affecting over 240 million people, including those in Pakistan.
  • Groundwater around coal mines in Quetta shows concerning concentrations of As (0.2-16.6 µg/L) and F (0.4-18.5 mg/L), with mining areas experiencing even higher levels and various geochemical factors influencing these contaminants.
  • A health risk assessment indicates that over 64% of groundwater samples exceed WHO guidelines for As and F, posing greater carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks to children, highlighting a critical need for improved water quality and management.
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  • The study aimed to determine if completely removing the recipient's Descemet membrane reduces endothelial cell loss (ECL) after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for patients with iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome.
  • It was a randomized controlled trial that compared two groups of patients: one receiving full Descemet stripping and the other undergoing a standard technique.
  • Results showed that those in the entire stripping group experienced significantly lower ECL rates after 9 months, suggesting this technique could help manage ICE syndrome better, although overall visual acuity and complication rates were similar between the two groups.
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Background: Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) on echocardiography is a sensitive yet clinically significant marker of myocardial dysfunction. Reduced LV GLS is prevalent in adults with chronic kidney disease and hypertension and is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. It may be a biomarker of chronic kidney disease-associated myocardial dysfunction in children, but data are limited.

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  • Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) can help assess the difficulty of performing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients with chronic total occlusion (CTO) by analyzing plaque characteristics through radiomics.
  • The study involved 551 patients, and the developed radiomics model demonstrated a higher predictive ability for guidewire success than existing models, showing an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 in external testing.
  • The effectiveness of the radiomics model relies on factors like the presence of calcification, the location of the CTO, the involvement of adjacent branches, and the experience level of the operators performing the procedure.
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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) has different epidemiology in Chinese vs. Western patients, but there are few studies of CLL/SLL in large populations of Chinese patients. ALPINE is a global phase 3 trial investigating Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors zanubrutinib vs.

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The article "MiRNA-215-5p alleviates the metastasis of prostate cancer by targeting PGK1", by J.-Y. Chen, L.

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  • F-53B, a type of PFAS widely used in industry, is known to harm various organs but its effects on bone health have not been studied until now.
  • This research focused on how maternal exposure to F-53B during pregnancy affects the bone growth and development of mouse offspring.
  • Findings revealed that F-53B exposure leads to impaired bone growth, osteoporosis, and disruption of key bone metabolism processes in male offspring, potentially through the IGF-1 signaling pathway.
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Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), as pollutants, can cause palpable environmental and health impacts around the world, as endocrine disruptors, can disrupt endocrine homeostasis and increase the risk of diseases. Chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate (F-53B), as a substitute for PFAS, was determined to have potential toxicity. Puberty is the stage when sexual organs develop and hormones change dramatically, and abnormal uterine development can increase the risk of uterine lesions and lead to infertility.

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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and therefore the identification of the modifiable risk factors [such as exposure to vapors, gases, dust and fumes (VGDF)] for accelerate disease progression has important significance.

Methods: We conducted COPD surveillance in six cities of southern China between 2014 and 2019. We recorded the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, respiratory symptoms, occupational exposure to VGDF and other covariates by using a structured questionnaire.

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Background: Brain ischemia-reperfusion injury is a complex process, and neuroinflammation is an important secondary contributing pathological event. Neutrophils play major roles in ischemic neuroinflammation. Once activated, neutrophils express formyl peptide receptors (FPRs), which are special receptors of a class of chemoattractants and may be potential targets to regulate the activity of neutrophils and control cerebral ischemic injury.

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Sonic hedgehog (SHH) and heat shock protein 90β (HSP90β) have been implicated in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) but their molecular mechanisms of action remain elusive. We find that HSP90β is a key SHH downstream molecule for promoting NASH process. In hepatocytes, SHH reduces HSP90β ubiquitylation through deubiquitylase USP31, thus preventing HSP90β degradation and promoting hepatic lipid synthesis.

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In the metal plating industry, F-53B has been widely used for almost half a century as a replacement for perfluorooctane sulfonate. However, F-53B can reach the food chain and affect human health. Pregnant women have distinct physiological characteristics and may thus be more sensitive to the toxicity of F-53B.

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Aims: A therapeutic strategy for chronic heart failure (HF) is to lower resting heart rate (HR). Ivabradine is a well-known HR-lowering agent, but limited prospective data exist regarding its use in Chinese patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ivabradine in Chinese patients with chronic HF.

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  • The study evaluates the BNT162b2 vaccine's effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 infection and severe illness in children and adolescents, focusing on the Delta and Omicron variants.
  • It involved analyzing data from over 77,000 adolescents during the Delta phase and 167,000 children and adolescents during the Omicron phase, comparing vaccinated individuals to those unvaccinated.
  • Results showed the vaccine was extremely effective (98.4%) during the Delta period, while the effectiveness during the Omicron period dropped to around 74.3%, with no significant impact on cardiac complications among vaccinated individuals.
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Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a predictive biomarker for poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 inhibitor (PARPi) sensitivity. Routine HRD testing relies on identifying BRCA mutations, but additional HRD-positive patients can be identified by measuring genomic instability (GI), a consequence of HRD. However, the cost and complexity of available solutions hamper GI testing.

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Background: The pathogenesis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is multifactorial and growing evidence has indicated that hematological disorders are involved. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) has recently been associated with an increased risk of both hematological malignancies and cardiovascular diseases. However, the prevalence and clinical relevance of CHIP in patients with CTEPH remains unclear.

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The blood proteome holds great promise for precision medicine but poses substantial challenges due to the low abundance of most plasma proteins and the vast dynamic range of the plasma proteome. Here we address these challenges with NUcleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay (NULISA™), which improves the sensitivity of traditional proximity ligation assays by ~10,000-fold to attomolar level, by suppressing assay background via a dual capture and release mechanism built into oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies. Highly multiplexed quantification of both low- and high-abundance proteins spanning a wide dynamic range is achieved by attenuating signals from abundant targets with unconjugated antibodies and next-generation sequencing of barcoded reporter DNA.

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Background: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies with different risk levels. However, preoperative risk assessment of PTC is still a challenge in the worldwide. Here, the authors first report a Preoperative Risk Assessment Classifier for PTC (PRAC-PTC) by multidimensional features including clinical indicators, immune indices, genetic feature, and proteomics.

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant glioma. However, the current systemic drugs cannot completely cure GBM. Casticin is a methoxylated flavonol compound isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine Vitex rotundifolia L.

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Background: The development of new therapies for malignant gliomas has been stagnant for decades. Through the promising outcomes in clinical trials of oncolytic virotherapy, there is now a glimmer of hope in addressing this situation. To further enhance the antitumor immune response of oncolytic viruses, we have equipped a modified oncolytic adenovirus (oAds) with a recombinant interferon-like gene (YSCH-01) and conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the safety and efficacy of this modification compared to existing treatments.

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Gene fusions involving tumor protein p63 gene (TP63) occur in multiple T and B cell lymphomas and portend a dismal prognosis for patients. The function and mechanisms of TP63 fusions remain unclear, and there is no target therapy for patients with lymphoma harboring TP63 fusions. Here, we show that TP63 fusions act as bona fide oncogenes and are essential for fusion-positive lymphomas.

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