Publications by authors named "Li-Fang Xu"

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been widely used for the resection of lung lesions. However, it is difficult to palpate or see small lesions, especially ground-glass opacities (GGOs) during VATS. Thoracoscopic ultrasound has definite value in locating pulmonary parenchymal nodules.

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Backgroud: Cancer-related cognitive impairment is one of the common complications in children with cancer, but our understanding of their experience with cognitive deficits remains limited. From the perspective of parents, this study aimed to explore the distress and demands faced by children with cancer-related cognitive impairment, to provide references for developing targeted intervention strategies for cancer children.

Methods: We used a purposeful sampling method to conduct semi-structured interviews with the parents of 18 children with cancer-related cognitive impairment.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Recent research has identified a SARS-CoV-2-related virus, PCoV-GX/P2V, in pangolins, raising concerns about its potential to infect humans.
  • - PCoV-GX/P2V can effectively replicate in human cells and causes serious lung issues in mice, indicating its pathogenicity.
  • - Current immunity from SARS-CoV-2 may not protect against PCoV-GX/P2V, emphasizing the need for close monitoring to prevent cross-species transmission.
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We recently detected a HKU4-related coronavirus in subgenus Merbecovirus (named pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251T) from a Malayan pangolin. Here we report isolation and characterization of pangolin-CoV-HKU4-P251T, the genome sequence of which is closest to that of a coronavirus from the greater bamboo bat (Tylonycteris robustula) in Yunnan Province, China, with a 94.3% nucleotide identity.

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STING (also known as MITA) is an adaptor protein that mediates cytoplasmic DNA-triggered signaling, and aberrant activation of STING/MITA by cytosolic self-DNA or gain-of-function mutations causes severe inflammation. Here, we show that STING-mediated inflammation and autoimmunity are promoted by RNF115 and alleviated by the RNF115 inhibitor disulfiram (DSF). Knockout of RNF115 or treatment with DSF significantly inhibit systemic inflammation and autoimmune lethality and restore immune cell development in Trex1 mice and STING bone marrow chimeric mice.

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Objective: In view of network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, to explore the targets as well as effect mechanism of the Huanglian Jiangtang formula (including , , rhubarb wine, , , and ) in the type II diabetes therapy.

Methods: TCMSP and Batman database (DB) were used to retrieve the chemical components and action targets of drugs; GeneCards, OMIM, TTD, DrugBank, and other databases were applied to screen the disease targets. We used the UniProt DB to annotate the targets before building the drug-compound-target network with Cytoscape 3.

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The cytosolic DNA sensor cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) plays a critical role in antiviral immunity and autoimmunity. The activity and stability of cGAS are fine-tuned by post-translational modifications. Here, we show that ariadne RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (ARIH1) catalyzes the mono-ISGylation and induces the oligomerization of cGAS, thereby promoting antiviral immunity and autoimmunity.

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Searching for magnetic silicide thin films has long been a hot topic in condensed matter physics and materials science based on their fundamental physics and promising device applications. Here we report a systematic study on the structural, magnetic, and electronic properties of EuSi thin films on the Si(111) surface by calculations. Total energy calculations show that the EuSi thin film in AA stacking is more favorable than that in AB or ABC stacking.

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Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology has shown its power in preventing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Two mRNA vaccines targeting the full-length S protein of SARS-CoV-2 have been authorized for emergency use. Recently, we have developed a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA (mRNA-LNP) encoding the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 (termed ARCoV), which confers complete protection in mouse model.

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Using first-principles calculations, we identify a robust R30° reconstruction of a Si3 trimer bilayer on the Si(111) surface with a La coverage of 2/3 monolayer. Each surface unit cell contains two Si3 trimers and two La atoms, where the upper Si3 trimer is located just above the lower one with a rotation of about 60°, while two La atoms with different heights are distributed between the Si3 trimers and located on the T4 top site of the Si(111) surface, forming a honeycomb-like network structure. We find that the two La atoms have different valence states, La2+ and La3+, respectively.

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This study aimed to investigate the effects of age on the peak ratio (PR) of ophthalmic artery (OA) Doppler.The initial peak velocity (P1), second peak velocity (P2) and PR of OA were detected by color Doppler ultrasonography in 147 healthy subjects. All of the subjects were divided into 6 groups (G1-G6) according to the age.

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Manganese and manganese silicide as promising candidates for spintronic applications have attracted great interest in recent years. Here, we adopt Sr-induced Si(111)-(3 × 2) honeycomb-chain channel (HCC) surface as a template and perform a systematical study on the structural stability and magnetic and electronic properties of Mn-doped Sr/Si(111)-(3 × 2) HCC surfaces by ab initio calculations. Our energetic and kinetic results show two robust inserting structures M and H, where Mn atoms are located below the honeycomb Si chain and on the top or hollow site of the Si(111) surface.

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Alkaline-earth metal (Ca, Sr, and Ba) induced Si(111)-(3 × 2) honeycomb chain-channel (HCC) surfaces have been systematically studied by means of ab initio calculations. The large adsorption energy and anisotropic diffusion energy barriers ensure the high structural stability of the one-dimensional HCC structure. Electronic band structures and band-decomposed charge density distributions reveal that the first conduction band and the third valence band level are contributed by the surface Si and metal atoms, while the top first and second valence bands are caused by the bulk silicon atoms.

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Background: Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications and its clinical features are well characterized, it is difficult to replicate the OSA hypoxic model in humans. We aimed to establish an experimental rabbit model for chronic OSA and to explore its application to measure blood pressure (BP), myocardial systolic function, and oxidative stress.

Methods: The rabbit model for OSA was established by repeatedly closing the airway and then reopening it.

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Objective: To explore the anti-tumor activity of tanshinone IIA in combined with cyclophosphamide against Lewis mice with lung cancer and the effect on cellular immune function.

Methods: Lewis tumor cells were inoculated subcutaneously into the right armpit of mice in each group (n = 20) to establish Lewis lung cancer mice model. After model establishment, mice in the model group were given normal saline by lavage, qd.

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Background: Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is among the most common congenital malformations. The etiology of NSCL/P remains poorly characterized owing to its complex genetic heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to identify genetic variants that increase susceptibility to NSCL/P.

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In this study, we sought to determine the association between environmental factors and nonsyndromic cleft of the lip and/or palate (NSCLP) to understand the etiology of the disease. A total of 200 NSCLP cases and 327 controls were recruited at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Xuzhou City. We conducted face-to-face interviews with the mothers of both cases and controls.

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To identify whether androgen receptor (AR) antagonism by cypermethrin involves interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced ligand-independent AR signaling, we have developed the AR reporter gene assay. The reporter gene plasmid pMMTV-chloramphenicol transferase (CAT) was transfected into LNCaP cells. IL-6 increased expression of MMTV-CAT significantly (P<0.

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To clarify whether the mechanism of androgen receptor (AR) antagonism of the pyrethroid pesticide cypermethrin associates with the interactions between the AR and corepressors silencing mediator for thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT) and nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR), we have developed the mammalian two-hybrid assays. The AR N-terminal domain 1-660 amino acid residues were subcloned into the plasmid pVP16 to construct VP16-ARNTD. The C-terminal receptor interaction domains (RIDs) of SMRT and NCoR were used to construct pM-SMRT and pM-NCoR.

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Article Synopsis
  • A high-performance capillary electrophoresis method was developed to create fingerprints of Citrus aurantium for quality control.
  • The method utilized a specific electrolyte solution, applied a voltage of 16 kV, and successfully extracted 12 distinct peaks from the samples.
  • The results showed that the fingerprints from different locations were highly similar, indicating that this method is reliable for ensuring the quality of Citrus aurantium.
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