Publications by authors named "L-J Sun"

Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) are diverse and abundant microalgae, and many of them are found in marine intertidal environments. Here, we present a new marine epizoic diatom isolated from Euspira gilva Philippi in intertidal area of Beihai city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, named Ceratanaulus alaris L.J.

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Background: Previous trials have failed to demonstrate the benefits of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery for patients with carotid or middle cerebral artery occlusion. However, little evidence has focused on the effect of age on prognosis. This study aimed to explore whether EC-IC bypass surgery can provide greater benefits than medical therapy alone in specific age groups.

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This retrospective cohort study evaluated the comparative vaccine effectiveness (cVE) of licensed standard-dose cell-based versus egg-based influenza vaccines in preventing influenza hospitalization among adults 18-64 years during the 2022-2023 season. The cohort included eligible Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who received ≥ 1 dose of influenza vaccine (n = 848,334). The adjusted cVE against influenza hospitalization was -10.

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Background: Currently, validated biomarkers for assessing hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) are lacking. We aimed to validate a test combining GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and UCH-L1 (ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1) to indicate the absence of HT after IVT.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with stroke treated with IVT from 16 hospitals.

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  • Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a significant concern for heart disease, but there's currently no effective treatment to minimize this type of heart damage.
  • This study recruited patients with acute myocardial infarction to examine the impact of plasma RIPK3 levels before and after treatment, using both patient data and lab experiments on cells and mouse models.
  • Elevated RIPK3 levels post-treatment were linked to worse outcomes, and experiments showed that RIPK3 worsens heart injury by triggering inflammation, suggesting its role as a damaging molecule that could be targeted for therapy.
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  • Dual immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using CTLA4 and PD-(L)1 inhibitors shows improved anti-tumor effectiveness and immune toxicity compared to PD-(L)1 inhibitors alone in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
  • Patients with mutations in STK11 and/or KEAP1 genes benefit more from the combination treatment compared to those receiving only PD-(L)1 inhibitors, as shown in the POSEIDON trial.
  • The loss of KEAP1 serves as a strong predictor for the success of dual ICB, as it leads to a more favorable outcome by changing the tumor's immune environment to better engage CD4 and CD8 T cells for anti-tumor activity. *
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Background: Shotgun metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is widely used to detect pathogens in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). However, mNGS is complex and expensive. This study explored the feasibility of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) in distinguishing lower respiratory tract infections in clinical practice.

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Background: Long-term effects of individualized acupuncture in persons with chronic neck pain (CNP) remain unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pressure pain, sensory-based individualized acupuncture for relieving CNP.

Design: A 24-week multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial.

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  • Influenza significantly impacts older adults, necessitating updated data on vaccine effectiveness within this group.
  • A study at Kaiser Permanente Southern California assessed the comparative vaccine effectiveness of high-dose, adjuvanted, and standard-dose cell-based influenza vaccines against the standard-dose egg-based vaccine among individuals aged 65 and older.
  • Results indicated that both high-dose and adjuvanted vaccines offered better protection against influenza-related medical encounters and hospitalization compared to the standard-dose egg-based vaccine during the 2022-2023 flu season.
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Human health risks from particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM) highlight the role of urban trees as bio-filters in air pollution control. However, whether the size and composition of particles captured by various tree species differ or not remain unclear.

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  • The study investigates the genetic basis of supraventricular tachycardias, focusing on atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and atrioventricular accessory pathways/reciprocating tachycardia (AVAP/AVRT).
  • Through multiancestry meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies, researchers identified significant genetic loci associated with AVNRT and AVAP/AVRT, implicating specific genes in these cardiac conditions.
  • The results suggest that gene regions related to ion channels and cardiac development play crucial roles in susceptibility to supraventricular tachycardias, potentially influencing other cardiovascular issues such as atrial fibrillation
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The Hendra and Nipah viruses (HNVs) are highly pathogenic pathogens without approved interventions for human use. In addition, the interaction pattern between the attachment (G) and fusion (F) glycoproteins required for virus entry remains unclear. Here, we isolate a panel of Macaca-derived G-specific antibodies that cross-neutralize HNVs via multiple mechanisms.

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  • Researchers analyzed genetic data from nearly 1 million individuals to create a comprehensive catalogue of human protein-coding variations, shedding light on gene function and the frequency of rare coding variants.
  • The study identified over 10 million missense and 1.1 million loss-of-function variants, discovering 1,751 novel genes with rare biallelic loss-of-function variants and 3,988 genes intolerant to these variants.
  • They estimate that 3% of people carry a clinically significant genetic variant and provide public access to their data to enhance genetic interpretation and support precision medicine.
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Background: Gastric emptying (GE), with wide inter-individual but lesser intra-individual variations, is a major determinant of postprandial glycaemia in health and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, it is uncertain whether GE of a carbohydrate-containing liquid meal is predictive of the glycaemic response to physiological meals, and whether antecedent hyperglycaemia influences GE in T2D. We evaluated the relationships of (i) the glycaemic response to both a glucose drink and mixed meals with GE of a 75 g glucose drink, and (ii) GE of a glucose drink with antecedent glycaemic control, in T2D.

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Context: Although spiritual intervention is crucial in the care of childhood cancer patients (CCPs), its effectiveness has not yet been systematically evaluated.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of existing spiritual interventions on psychological, spiritual outcomes, and quality of life (QoL) in CCPs.

Methods: We searched eight databases to identify relevant randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies.

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Background: There is a major need for effective, well-tolerated treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in clinic. radix (AR; Huangqi) and radix (AS; Danggui) have been frequently used in the treatment of IPF. This study aimed to reveal the pharmacological effects and the mechanisms of the action of an AR-AS combination in treating IPF.

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Many vaccines, including those using recombinant antigen subunits, rely on adjuvant(s) to enhance the efficacy of the host immune responses. Among the few adjuvants clinically approved, QS-21, a saponin-based immunomodulatory molecule isolated from the tree bark of (QS) is used in complex formulations in approved effective vaccines. High demand of the QS raw material as well as manufacturing scalability limitation has been barriers here.

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Mutations in OTOFERLIN (OTOF) lead to the autosomal recessive deafness 9 (DFNB9). The efficacy of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated OTOF gene replacement therapy is extensively validated in Otof-deficient mice. However, the clinical safety and efficacy of AAV-OTOF is not reported.

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OTOF mutations are the principal causes of auditory neuropathy. There are reports on Otof-related gene therapy in mice, but there is no preclinical research on the drug evaluations. Here, Anc80L65 and the mouse hair cell-specific Myo15 promoter (mMyo15) are used to selectively and effectively deliver human OTOF to hair cells in mice and nonhuman primates to evaluate the efficacy and safety of OTOF gene therapy drugs.

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  • PDAC tumors have various genetic mutations and often don’t respond well to treatments, highlighting the need for better drug delivery systems.
  • Researchers developed a dual targeted extracellular vesicle (dtEV) that can carry high amounts of therapeutic RNA to effectively reduce large PDAC tumors in mice.
  • The dtEVs are engineered with a specific protein for targeting and, when combined with low-dose chemotherapy like Gemcitabine, significantly suppress tumor growth and improve survival in mouse models.
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The recent success of mRNA therapeutics against pathogenic infections has increased interest in their use for other human diseases including cancer. However, the precise delivery of the genetic cargo to cells and tissues of interest remains challenging. Here, we show an adaptive strategy that enables the docking of different targeting ligands onto the surface of mRNA-loaded small extracellular vesicles (sEVs).

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  • Regenerative medicine in tissue engineering often depends on expensive stem cell therapies and high doses of growth factors, posing risks of side effects.
  • Researchers introduced therapeutic small extracellular vesicles (t-sEVs), containing human VEGF-A and BMP-2 mRNAs, within a special injectable hydrogel to promote bone healing in rats with severe femur fractures.
  • Using a novel cellular method to produce t-sEVs from human adipose-derived stem cells, this approach allows for targeted and controlled release of therapeutic agents, enhancing bone regeneration while minimizing side effects in other body parts.
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  • The Pharma Proteomics Project is a large-scale research initiative analyzing blood protein profiles from over 54,000 UK Biobank participants to understand links between genetics and health.
  • The project identifies significant genetic associations with proteins, revealing many novel interactions and highlighting ancestry-specific variations, along with insights into disease mechanisms and potential drug targets.
  • By making their findings publicly accessible, the consortium aims to advance research in biomarker development and therapeutic strategies, enhancing our understanding of how genetic factors influence health outcomes.
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Biologic drug discovery pipelines are designed to deliver protein therapeutics that have exquisite functional potency and selectivity while also manifesting biophysical characteristics suitable for manufacturing, storage, and convenient administration to patients. The ability to use computational methods to predict biophysical properties from protein sequence, potentially in combination with high throughput assays, could decrease timelines and increase the success rates for therapeutic developability engineering by eliminating lengthy and expensive cycles of recombinant protein production and testing. To support development of high-quality predictive models for antibody developability, we designed a sequence-diverse panel of 83 effector functionless IgG1 antibodies displaying a range of biophysical properties, produced and formulated each protein under standard platform conditions, and collected a comprehensive package of analytical data, including in vitro assays and in vivo mouse pharmacokinetics.

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