Publications by authors named "Liu Ze"

Background: Studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiome-immune system-brain axis plays an important role in neurological disorders. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota influences the occurrence and progression of anxiety disorders, with potential involvement of immune cells. We aimed to investigate the causal impact of gut microbiota on anxiety disorders and identify potential immune cell mediators.

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The accumulation and discharge amount of coal gangue are substantial, occupying significant land resources over time. Utilizing coal gangue as subgrade filler can generate notable economic and social benefits. Coal gangue coarse-grained soil (CGSF) was used to conduct a series of large-scale vibration compaction tests and large-scale triaxial tests.

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Background And Objective: There is no satisfactory treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) because of poor tolerance of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. Supplemental oxygen therapy has been shown to reduce hypoxemia and is well tolerated in patients with ILD. However, little is known about the effect of nocturnal oxygen supplementation (NOS) on OSA in patients with ILD.

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Tumors require ample protein synthesis to grow, and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, as critical translation factors, are expected to support cancer progression. Unexpectedly, overexpression of seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS) suppresses primary tumor growth of breast cancer. However, the effects of SerRS on metastasis have not been studied.

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Objective: This study investigates the MRI characteristics of primary and metastatic adult granulosa cell tumor with normal estrogen levels (AGCT-NEL) to enhance clinical understanding and diagnostic accuracy of this disease.

Methods: We collected clinical data from 10 patients with AGCT-NEL, confirmed by pathology, treated at our hospital from January 2016 to January 2024. We retrospectively analyzed the MRI features of primary and metastatic lesions from aspects such as shape, edge characteristics, MRI signal, and enhancement features.

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A simple, rapid, and visual approach is developed to perform diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by employing smart bifunctional DNA (bfDNA) sensors, exonuclease III, concatermers of CuO nanoparticles (CuONPs), and gold NPs (AuNPs) aggregation [AuNPs agglutination (AA)], namely, the bfDEC-AA method. The bfDNA sensors serve as probes for identifying 16S rRNA genes of bacterium or 18S rRNA of fungus and as mediators connecting the concatermers of CuONPs. The AA as a signal source is triggered by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry.

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Objective: The objective is to generate reliable Ki parametric images from 18F-FDG total-body PET with clinically acceptable scan durations using Patlak and shallow machine learning algorithms, under conditions of limited computational and data resources.

Approach: We proposed a robust and fast algorithm named Patlak-KXD to generate Ki images from dynamic PET images with shortened scan durations. In the training phase, K-means is employed to generate a Ki-balanced training dataset.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study aims to create reliable K parametric images from a shorter [F]FDG total-body PET scan using a self-supervised neural network algorithm, avoiding the need for extensive full-dynamic PET training.
  • The researchers developed a self-supervised algorithm (SN-Patlak) that combines a neural network with the Patlak method, using a modified fitting approach to handle limitations in data from short scans.
  • Results show that K images generated from a 10-minute PET scan using SN-Patlak are comparable to those from a standard method over a 40-minute scan, indicating the algorithm's strong reliability and effectiveness for clinical use.
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  • The study highlights increasing concerns about microplastics (MPs) in remote areas, particularly in wildlife reserves like Zhalong National Nature Reserve, where they pose risks to ecosystems.
  • Researchers found high levels of MPs in both surface water (738 particles/L) and sediments (7332 particles/kg), along with evidence of MPs in the feces and feathers of Red-crowned cranes, a migratory species.
  • The study emphasizes the importance of understanding the co-exposure of MPs with heavy metals (like Cr, Cd, and As), revealing that such co-exposure increases ecological risks and can help develop better environmental impact assessments and policy frameworks.
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Background: Recently, an increasing number of immigrants and asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) have settled in both Canada and the United States. The poor oral health status prevalent among this population is a significant issue. Oral health professionals in both countries should understand newcomers' experiences with oral health care services to become more culturally competent.

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Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been used as a potential nanocarrier for photosensitizers (PSs), which have demonstrated a great deal of promise in achieving an effective photodynamic therapy (PDT) for deep-seated tumors. However, overcoming biological barriers to achieve mitochondria-targeted PDT remains a major challenge. Herein, CD44- and mitochondria-targeted photodynamic nanosystems were fabricated through the self-assembly of hyaluronic acid-conjugated-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-diethylenetriamine-grafted-(chlorin e6-dihydrolipoic acid-(3-carboxypropyl)triphenylphosphine bromide) polymeric ligands (HA-c-mPEG-Deta--(Ce6-DHLA-TPP)) and NaErF:Tm@NaYF core-shell UCNPs (termed CMPNs).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Stroke causes metabolic changes that can be linked to specific metabolites, with hypoxanthine identified as a key player related to brain injury and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption.
  • - A study employed advanced techniques like Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to compare serum samples from ischemic stroke patients and healthy controls, revealing significant increases in hypoxanthine levels in stroke patients.
  • - Experiments using mouse models and human blood vessel organoids showed that elevated hypoxanthine leads to endothelial cell injury via a process called pyroptosis, driven by excess calcium within the cells, ultimately contributing to the worsening of stroke outcomes.
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Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered attention from researchers for their high theoretical capacity, safety, and low cost. However, the uncontrolled growth of zinc (Zn) dendrites and spontaneous corrosion reactions on the Zn anode significantly compromise the cycle life of AZIBs. This paper proposes the utilization of a novel zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-N) material with zincophilicity and hydrophilicity for modifying the Zn anode of AZIBs.

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Background: Despite recent therapeutic advances, combating cancer resistance remains a formidable challenge. The 78-kilodalton glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), a key stress-inducible endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone, plays a crucial role in both cancer cell survival and stress adaptation. GRP78 is also upregulated during SARS-CoV-2 infection and acts as a critical host factor.

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This study explored Mason pine-derived hydrochar (MPHC) as an effective adsorbent and persulfate (PS) activator for degrading bisphenol A (BPA). Increasing MPHC dosage from 0.25 to 2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Landfill leachate, the liquid that comes from garbage, has harmful substances like ammonium and micropollutants (tiny pollutants).
  • Researchers created a special system called an expanded clay aggregates packed biofilm column (EBC) that helps break down these harmful substances using a combination of natural processes and ozone treatment.
  • After just over two months, they found that this method was super effective, achieving 85% nitrogen removal and completely getting rid of a specific micropollutant called carbamazepine.
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  • The text discusses a woody shrub belonging to the Asteraceae family and details its chloroplast genome, which is 152,934 base pairs long and consists of specific regions including large and small single-copy regions as well as inverted repeats.
  • It identifies 114 unique genes within this chloroplast genome, including 80 protein-coding genes, four rRNA genes, and 30 tRNA genes.
  • Phylogenetic analysis shows that this shrub is closely related to other plants in the Vernonieae tribe, and this study marks the first report of its chloroplast genome, adding valuable genomic data for its genus.
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Concrete compressive strength testing is crucial for construction quality control. The traditional methods are both time-consuming and labor-intensive, while machine learning has been proven effective in predicting the compressive strength of concrete. However, current machine learning-based algorithms lack a thorough comparison among various models, and researchers have yet to identify the optimal predictor for concrete compressive strength.

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  • Marine biological fouling is a significant challenge for ships, leading to major economic losses, prompting the development of new antifouling solutions.* -
  • Researchers created microcapsules combining 4,5-dichloro-2-octyl-isothiazolone with sodium alginate and chitosan, enhanced with silver nanoparticles, to produce advanced antifouling coatings.* -
  • The resulting coatings demonstrated impressive properties, including high water repellency and strong antibacterial action, making them ideal for maritime applications like transportation and underwater facilities.*
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This study was conducted to compare the changes in different clinical scores and imaging indexes of patients who underwent robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) and manual total knee arthroplasty (M-TKA). PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Embase were searched according to PRISMA guidelines in June 2024. Search terms included "robot-assisted", "manual" and "total knee arthroplasty".

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Atmospheric transport drives the widespread distribution of microplastic (MP) in various ecosystems, posing a growing potential threat to environmental safety and human health. Understanding the source and fate of atmospheric MPs is thus crucial to constrain MP's widespread exposure. However, the source-sink dynamics of atmospheric MPs, especially in remote areas, are uncertain, and their transport routes have yet to be identified.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers used in situ electron microscopy to observe how low-melting-point metal nanorods can stretch significantly—up to 786%—without breaking, especially at a temperature close to their melting point.
  • They found that even very small nanorods, around 143 nm in diameter, display unique mechanical properties, including notable size-related differences in stress before breaking.
  • By combining experiments with simulations, they developed a model explaining these behaviors, which could help in designing and processing metals for use in high-temperature situations.
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AAV-PHP.eB is an artificial adeno-associated virus (AAV) that crosses the blood-brain barrier and targets neurons more efficiently than other AAVs when administered systematically. While AAV-PHP.

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The 78-kDa glucose regulated protein (GRP78) commonly upregulated in a wide variety of tumors is an important prognostic marker and a promising target for suppressing tumorigenesis and treatment resistance. While GRP78 is well established as a major endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone with anti-apoptotic properties and a master regulator of the unfolded protein response, its new role as a regulator of oncoprotein expression is just emerging. MYC is dysregulated in about 70 % of human cancers and is the most commonly activated oncoprotein.

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