Publications by authors named "Liu-Hua Zhou"
Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) could facilitate cardiomyocyte proliferation, however, its role on mitochondrial function in I/R injury remains unknown.
Methods: To investigate the role of CHK1 on mitochondrial function following I/R injury, cardiomyocyte-specific knockout/overexpression mouse models were generated.
Article Synopsis
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs), particularly circIGF1R, are identified as crucial for cardiac regeneration and show potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in heart disease.
- circIGF1R expression is higher in neonatal hearts but decreases with maturation; it is up-regulated after cardiac injury and linked to improved outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
- Mechanistically, circIGF1R promotes heart cell proliferation and reduces heart damage by interacting with DDX5, triggering the β-catenin signaling pathway, which enhances levels of growth-related proteins cyclin D1 and c-Myc.
Article Synopsis
- The peroxisome is an organelle that plays a key role in various metabolic functions, and PEX3 is a crucial regulator of these processes.
- Researchers found that knocking out PEX3 specifically in heart cells (Pex3-KO) leads to an imbalance in redox homeostasis and disrupts heart cell growth and development.
- The study suggests that PEX3 aids in heart repair by affecting plasmalogen metabolism and influencing the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway, indicating it could be an innovative target for therapies aimed at repairing heart damage.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effects of rhCHK1, a recombinant protein, on improving heart cell survival and growth after ischemia/reperfusion injury in pigs, with findings suggesting enhanced cardiac repair and function.
- Researchers found that injecting rhCHK1 not only stimulated heart cell division and reduced inflammation within days but also improved overall heart function and minimized damage over a month post-injury.
- The mechanism behind these effects involves CHK1 binding to and activating specific sites on the PKM2 protein, leading to changes in metabolism that support heart cell renewal and repair processes.
Article Synopsis
- CHK1-targeted cancer therapies can increase the risk of heart problems, especially when combined with gemcitabine, but the exact reasons for this are not well understood.
- The study used human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and mouse models to investigate the cardiotoxic effects caused by these treatments, finding that they led to mitochondrial damage and heart dysfunction.
- The research highlighted the importance of mitochondrial CHK1, which helps maintain mitochondrial function, and suggested that boosting levels of SIRT3 could be a promising strategy to protect against heart damage related to these cancer therapies.
Article Synopsis
- Adult mammals struggle with heart regeneration after injury, while neonatal mice can fully recover their heart tissue within a week.
- Understanding factors that enhance the growth of heart cells (cardiomyocytes) is vital for creating effective cardiac regeneration treatments.
- This study found that the protein MNK2 significantly boosts cardiomyocyte proliferation, both in lab settings and in living mice, by activating a pathway involving eIF4E and cyclin D1, highlighting MNK2 as a promising target for heart repair therapies.
Article Synopsis
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by binding to messenger RNAs, and miR-133b has been found to be downregulated in various cancers, including bladder cancer.
- The study discovered that lower levels of miR-133b in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines are linked to worse patient survival, while transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) is overexpressed and associated with advanced cancer stages.
- Overexpressing miR-133b shows potential benefits, such as reducing cancer cell invasion and enhancing chemosensitivity, suggesting a new pathway involving miR-133b, TAGLN2, and the cell cycle that could be targeted for bladder cancer treatments.
Article Synopsis
- The text serves to correct previously published information in the article with DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170729.
- It likely addresses specific errors or inaccuracies that were identified after the original publication.
- The correction may include updated data, methods, or conclusions to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the findings presented in the original article.
Article Synopsis
- Bladder cancer (BC) is a serious tumor of the urinary system with high mortality rates due to a lack of specific biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment.
- This study utilized weighted gene coexpression network analysis on miRNA data from BC patients to find key miRNAs associated with cancer progression and identified several functional pathways they influence.
- The research revealed novel prognostic miRNAs that could improve understanding of BC development, potentially serving as biomarkers for prognosis or targets for treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the potential of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in peripheral blood as non-invasive biomarkers for acute rejection (AR) in kidney transplants.
- Researchers analyzed lncRNA expression profiles in 150 blood samples from both pediatric and adult transplant recipients to identify differences between those experiencing AR and those who are not.
- They identified 23 lncRNAs common to both groups that could effectively distinguish AR cases, and created a risk score using two significant lncRNAs that showed strong diagnostic performance, making them promising candidates for AR detection in kidney transplant patients.
Article Synopsis
- A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) in preventing contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients receiving intravascular contrast.
- The study analyzed 16 randomized controlled trials involving 2,175 patients and found that RIC significantly reduced the incidence of CI-AKI and major adverse cardiovascular events.
- Both types of RIC, known as remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPrC) and remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPoC), were effective, and perioperative hydration may enhance RIC's benefits.
Article Synopsis
- Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, and this study focused on analyzing microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles to distinguish between tumors with mutant and wild-type mutation statuses.
- The researchers identified 33 differentially expressed miRNAs, 11 of which were significantly associated with overall survival in patients with wild-type status, contributing to a newly developed mutation-specific miRNA signature.
- This miRNA signature, involving 11 key miRNAs, has the potential to act as a new prognostic biomarker for ccRCC patients, potentially aiding in patient management and treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) on improving kidney transplant graft function using data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Six RCTs with a total of 651 kidney transplant recipients were analyzed, showing that RIC could potentially reduce the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF), although the results were not statistically significant.
- The study concluded that while RIC might have some protective effects on kidney grafts, more comprehensive and larger RCTs are needed to confirm its clinical benefits.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to develop an animal model to better understand primary premature ejaculation using ejaculation distribution theory.
- Researchers used ovariectomized female rats and monitored various mating behaviors of male rats during several sessions.
- Results indicated that male rats with rapid ejaculation had significantly shorter ejaculation latency and lower intromission frequency, suggesting this model could help investigate the mechanisms behind premature ejaculation.
Article Synopsis
- - Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) is a prevalent kidney cancer subtype, and the study focused on 58 untreated chRCC patients to explore their genome-wide microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles.
- - A total of 105 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues, with an impressive 96.3% accuracy in distinguishing samples based on miRNA signatures.
- - Specific miRNAs, particularly mir-191, mir-19a, mir-210, and mir-425, were linked to patient survival outcomes, with mir-210 identified as a significant independent factor for recurrence-free survival (RFS).
Article Synopsis
- Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) helps protect the kidneys from damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), although the exact mechanisms are still not fully understood.* -
- In a study with male Sprague-Dawley rats, different treatment groups were established to assess how IPC affects renal function, blood flow, and key nitric oxide synthase levels following vascular clamping.* -
- Results showed that IPC significantly improved kidney function and blood flow, linked to increased levels of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS/iNOS) and nitric oxide (NO), though these benefits were negated when nitric oxide production was inhibited.*
Papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) is the second most prevalent subtype of kidney cancers. In the current study, we analyzed the global microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in pRCC, with the aim to evaluate the relationship of miRNA expression with the progression and prognosis of pRCC.A total of 163 treatment-naïve primary pRCC patients were identified from the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and included in this retrospective observational study.
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- The study investigates the effect of high-dose erythropoietin (EPO) on kidney graft function after transplantation, aiming to clarify its efficacy due to inconclusive findings from previous trials.
- A meta-analysis of 4 randomized controlled trials involving 356 patients showed a trend towards reduced delayed graft function in the EPO group, but it wasn't statistically significant.
- The results suggest that while high-dose EPO might help protect kidney function, it does not significantly raise the risk of adverse events compared to placebo.
A tumor-specific microRNA signature predicts survival in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol
July 2015
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers analyzed miRNA expression profiles from tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues in ccRCC patients, applying various statistical analyses to establish correlations with survival rates.
- * A total of 147 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, leading to the creation of a tumor-specific signature of 22 miRNAs, which was validated as an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC.
Article Synopsis
- Human cancers rely on vascularization for growth, invasion, and metastasis, with endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) playing a key role in this process.
- Recent studies show an increase in circulating EPCs (CEPCs) in cancer patients, linking their levels to clinical outcomes and making them a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis.
- The review emphasizes the need for improved detection methods and more extensive clinical research to better understand the role and significance of CEPCs in cancer treatment and outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the link between HLA-G 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and cancer risk, finding mixed results in existing research.
- - An analysis of 14 studies involving over 2,300 cancer patients revealed no overall significant association, but suggested a notable connection for Asian populations and breast cancer cases.
- - The findings imply that HLA-G polymorphism may affect cancer risk, particularly for breast cancer among Asians, indicating a need for further comprehensive studies to confirm these results.
Article Synopsis
- * In a study using an orthotopic RCC model, researchers discovered that levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPCs) and various angiogenic factors were elevated in RCC patients compared to healthy individuals.
- * The research showed that EPC levels were higher in adjacent nonmalignant kidney tissue than in tumor tissue, suggesting that mobilized EPCs could be important for RCC neovascularization and may serve as biomarkers for predicting disease progression.
Article Synopsis
- A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of local anaesthetics for treating premature ejaculation (PE), using data from reliable medical databases.
- The analysis included a total of 566 patients treated with local anaesthetics and 388 with placebos, demonstrating a significant increase in intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) after treatment.
- While local anaesthetics showed beneficial outcomes in ejaculatory control and sexual satisfaction, they were associated with a higher rate of local side effects compared to placebos.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to test a new method for preventing Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections using a long-acting antibacterial material in mice by simulating intercourse.
- Two transmission scenarios were created – male-female and female-male – to evaluate the effectiveness of the antibacterial treatment versus a control group receiving only water.
- Results showed that the group treated with the antibacterial material had significantly lower rates of gonorrhea infection and fewer immune cells in their vaginal samples compared to the control group, indicating the treatment's potential effectiveness.