Publications by authors named "Lichun Liu"

The high expense associated with electrocatalysts poses a challenge to the advancement of a hydrogen-based energy economy. The utilization of nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts that are easily prepared and cost-effective is imperative for the future sustainability of a hydrogen society. The semiconductive MoO has been identified as a promising nonprecious electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

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Silicon (Si) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, but its large volume expansion during cycling poses a challenge for the binder design. In this study, a novel gelatin binder is designed and prepared with a helical crosslinked network structure. This gelatin binder is prepared by enzymatic crosslinking and immersion in Hofmeister salt solution, which induces the formation of network and helical secondary structures.

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The Zn dendrite limits the practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries in the large-scale energy storage systems. To suppress the growth of Zn dendrites, a zinc ionophore of hydroxychloroquine (defined as HCQ) applied in vivo treatment is investigated as the electrolyte additive. HCQ dynamically regulates zinc ion concentration in the outer Helmholtz layer, promoting even Zn plating at the anode/electrolyte interface.

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A novel copper nanoparticle variant, denoted as CuNi NPs, which incorporate Ni atoms in an atomically dispersed manner, has been successfully synthesized via a straightforward one-pot electrochemical codeposition process. These nanoparticles were subsequently employed as an anode to facilitate the oxidation of furfural, leading to the production of hydrogen gas. Voltammetric measurements revealed that the inclusion of trace amounts of Ni atoms in the nanoparticles resulted in a pronounced synergistic electronic effect between Cu and Ni.

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Background: Although combining a low-protein diet (LPD) with oral nutritional supplements increases treatment adherence and nutritional status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the effect of this combination approach in older adults remains unclear. This study examined the impact of a 6% low-protein formula (6% LPF) with diet counseling in older adults with stage 3-5 CKD.

Methods: In this three-month randomized controlled study, 66 patients (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.

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Tropomyosin (TM) is the major allergen in shrimp that is known to be the primary trigger for shrimp-induced food allergy. Our previous reports suggest that glycation could reduce the allergenicity of TM and the reduction of allergenicity is largely dependent on the sources of saccharides. This investigation aimed to investigate the glycation of TM by glucose and maltotriose as well as the effects of glycation on the allergenicity of TM.

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Background: Necroptosis is a novel form of controlled cell death that contributes to the progression of various illnesses. Nonetheless, the function and significance of necroptosis in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remain unknown and require further investigation.

Methods: We utilized single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) data to assess the expression patterns of necroptosis in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on 159 necroptosis-related genes.

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Plastic electrodes are desirable for the rapid development of flexible organic electronics. In this article, a plastic electrode has been prepared by employing traditional conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and plastic substrate polyethersulfone (PES). The completed electrode (Denote as HC-PEDOT:PSS) treated by 80% concentrated sulfuric acid (HSO) possesses a high electrical conductivity of over 2673 S/cm and a high transmittance of over 90% at 550 nm.

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Utilizing solar and mechanical vibration energy for catalytic CO reduction and HO oxidation is emerging as a promising way to simultaneously generate renewable energy and mitigate climate change, making it possible to integrate two energy resources into a reaction system for artificial piezophotosynthesis. However, the practical applications are hindered by undesirable charge recombination and sluggish surface reaction in the photocatalytic and piezocatalytic processes. This study proposes a dual cocatalyst strategy to overcome these obstacles and improve the piezophotocatalytic performance of ferroelectrics in overall redox reactions.

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Using solar energy to enhance the transformation rate of organic molecules is a promising strategy to advance chemical synthesis and environmental remediation. Plasmonic nanoparticles responsive to sunlight show great promise in the catalysis of chemical reactions. In this work, we used a straightforward wet-chemistry method to synthesize plasmonic octahedral gold nanoparticles (NPs) coated with thin molybdenum oxide (MoO), Au@MoONPs, which exhibited strong surface plasmon resonance in a broad wavelength range.

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Here, the rational design of complex PtAu double nanoframes (DNFs) for plasmon-enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is reported. The synthetic strategy for the DNFs consists of on-demand multiple synthetic chemical toolkits, including well-faceted Au growth, rim-on selective Pt deposition, and selective Au etching steps. DNFs are synthesized by utilizing Au truncated octahedrons (TOh) as a starting template.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tramadol, a drug often used for cancer pain relief, shows potential antitumor effects on endometrial cancer cells, which needs further investigation.
  • The study revealed that tramadol can inhibit cell growth, induce cell death, and disrupt mitochondrial function in endometrial cancer cells.
  • Additionally, tramadol enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin and cisplatin, suggesting its potential as a supportive treatment in endometrial cancer therapy.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with clinical presentation and prognostic heterogeneity. Ferroptosis is a regulated non-apoptotic cell death program implicated in the occurrence and progression of various diseases. Therefore, we aimed to explore ferroptosis-related molecular subtypes in ASD and further illustrate the potential mechanism.

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Genomic selection in plants and animals has become a standard tool for breeding because of the advantages of high accuracy and short generation intervals. Implementation of this technology is hindered by the high cost of genotyping and other factors. The aim of this study was to determine an optional marker density panel and reference population size for using genomic selection of goats, with speculation on the number of QTLs that affect the important economic traits of goats.

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Background: Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a familial hereditary disorder that lacks available therapy. Therefore, the identification of novel biomarkers and key mechanisms related to FRDA progression is urgently required.

Methods: We identified the up-regulated and down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in children and adult FRDA from the GSE11204 dataset and intersected them to determine the co-expressed DEGs (co-DEGs).

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The dietary advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute to the development of major chronic diseases. Maillard reactions are the main mechanism for AGEs formation but their formation involving ascorbic acid (AA) is far from being fully understood. This study investigated the effect of pH (6-10) and temperature (65, 100 and 120 ℃) on AGEs formation in three model systems: glucose (Glu) + lysine (Lys), AA + Lys and Glu + Lys + AA.

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Background: Most reproductive system studies suggest the protective effects of vitamin D, but vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are growing global health issues. The present study investigates the association between vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and gynecologic diseases to identify illness risks at different serum vitamin D levels in Taiwan.

Methods: A total of 7699 female adults aged ≥20 years with results for both serum vitamin D and gynecologic-associated diseases were drawn from the Taiwan MJ cohort.

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Antiangiogenic therapy, such as bevacizumab (BEV), has improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in high-risk patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) according to several clinical trials. Clinically, no reliable molecular biomarker is available to predict the treatment response to antiangiogenic therapy. Immune-related proteins can indirectly contribute to angiogenesis by regulating stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment.

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Epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) are fatal and obstinate among gynecological malignancies in advanced stage or relapsed status, with serous carcinomas accounting for the vast majority. Unlike EOCs, borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs), including serous BOTs, maintain a semimalignant appearance. Using gene ontology (GO)-based integrative analysis, we analyzed gene set databases of serous BOTs and serous ovarian carcinomas for dysregulated GO terms and pathways and identified multiple differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in various aspects.

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The formation mechanism of furan has been studied extensively in model systems, however, furan formation in real foods are complex and far from being fully understood. In this study, the effects of acid-regulating agent (citric acid), sugar addition (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and thickening agents (xanthan gum, κ-carrageenan and pectin) on furan levels in strawberry jams were studied; meanwhile the formation pathway of furan in canned strawberry jam was proposed by carbon module labeling (CAMOLA) technique. Our results suggested low pH promoted furan formation in strawberry jam.

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The pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of ovarian low malignant potential (LMP) tumors or borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) have not been fully elucidated to date. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment for this disease, and diagnosis is mainly made by histopathology to date. However, there is no integrated analysis investigating the tumorigenesis of BOTs with open experimental data.

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In this study, volatile components of 40 Chinese fermented vinegar samples, made from different raw materials, starters, and processing technologies, were collected from different geographic origins in China (Shanxi, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Fujian Province) and their volatile components were analyzed by headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Sixty-two aroma compounds have been identified by NIST library combined with retention index, mainly including esters, heterocyclics, acids, aldehydes, and ketones. In addition, multivariate analysis including principal component analysis and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were carried out to discriminate vinegars based on their composition of volatile components.

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South Asian immigrant women make up the largest visible minority in Canada, where visible minorities include persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour, and approximately half of these women are above the age of 35. Few studies have investigated the factors that impact the midlife transition for these women. This study aims to identify the facilitators and barriers experienced by South Asian immigrant women during the midlife transition.

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Background: Cardiotocography is a common method of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) for fetal well-being. Data-driven analyses have shown potential for automated EFM assessment. For this preliminary study, we used a novel artificial intelligence method based on fully convolutional networks (FCNs), with deep learning for EFM evaluation and correct recognition, and its possible role in evaluation of nonreassuring fetal status.

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In this study, we collected 308 serum samples from 17 to 20 year old first-year university students who were recruited from Lanzhou University in China a few days after their enrollment to measure the serum Pb, Cd, Hg, and As levels, and specific questionnaires for age, sex, settlement and dietary structure were designed. A 3-D atmospheric transport model was used to simulate the atmospheric concentration and dry deposition across China based on gridded Pb emission inventory to examine the association between the spatial distribution of serum concentrations and environmental fates of Pb. The mean serum Pb, Cd, Hg, and As concentrations averaged over all participating young students were 21.

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