Publications by authors named "M-K Sun"

A novel class of SiO aerogel-based resin composite with a self-formed foamy structure and an extremely low thermal conductivity, as well as excellent fire resistance, was fabricated via a room temperature and atmospheric pressure route. The self-formed foamy structure was achieved by utilizing SiO aerogel particles not only as a thermal insulative functional additive filler but also as nano-sized solid particles in a Picking emulsion system, adjusting the surface tension as a stabilizer at the interface between the two immiscible phases (liquid and air in this case). The results of foamy structure analyses via scanning electron microscopy, micro-CT, and N adsorption-desorption isotherms validate the successful generation of a micro-scale porous structure with the enhancement of the aerogel nano-scale solid particles at the wall as a stabilizer.

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This research enhances the thermal safety of hydrophobic silica aerogel (HSA) by integrating layered double oxides (LDOs). XRD and FTIR confirm that the introduction of LDOs does not affect the formation of SA. The LDO/SA composites demonstrate a low density (0.

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Background: Women who had preeclampsia (a history of preeclampsia) have a >4-fold risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with women who had an uncomplicated pregnancy (history of healthy pregnancy). Despite the remission of clinical symptoms after pregnancy, vascular endothelial dysfunction persists postpartum, mediated in part by exaggerated Ang II (angiotensin II)-mediated constriction. However, the role of vasodilatory ATRs (Ang II type 2 receptors) in this dysfunction is unknown.

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  • - The study focused on myofibroblasts and how a vaccine targeting fibroblast activation protein (FAP) might help reduce cardiac fibrosis in mice with chronic cardiac stress.
  • - Mice were vaccinated with a FAP peptide while undergoing continuous treatment with angiotensin II and phenylephrine, resulting in a significant decrease in both cardiac fibrosis and the number of myofibroblasts.
  • - The findings suggest that the FAP vaccine is a promising therapeutic option for cardiac fibrosis without causing harmful side effects in other injury models, indicating its potential for future treatments.
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  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) often recurs after catheter ablation, and the study investigates how changes in the pulmonary vein (PV) structure, highlighted by artificial intelligence (AI), relate to this recurrence.* -
  • Two AI models were used to analyze CT images from 809 patients, examining features of primary and secondary PV branches to determine their link to AF recurrence post-ablation.* -
  • The findings suggest that morphological features of primary PV branches have a significant association with AF recurrence, indicating potential pathways for improving patient outcomes after ablation.*
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Phase change materials (PCMs) are promising for thermal energy storage due to their high latent enthalpy and constant phase change temperature. However, organic PCMs suffer from leaking, low thermal conductivity, and flammability. Herein, high thermal conductivity, photothermal and flame-proof docosane microcapsules with melamine-formaldehyde (MF) and polypyrrole (PPy) (C-CMFP) were reported with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) stabilized Pickering emulsion droplets as templates through in-situ polymerization.

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Several gallylenes [LGaM(THF)] stabilized by an α-diimine ligand (L=[(2,6-iPrCH)NC(Ph)] ; M=Li, n=3, 3-Li; M=Na, n=4, 3-Na; M=K, n=1, 3-K) were prepared, which display diverse reactivities toward carbon dioxide and its sulfurized analogues. The reaction of 3 with CO yielded a trimeric carbonate complex [{LGa(CO)}{μ-K(THF)}] (4) and a dinuclear oxo-carbonate complex [K(THF)][LGa(μ-CO)(μ-O)GaL] (5) in one pot through reductive disproportionation of CO. For CS, two ethenetetrathiolate gallium complexes, [M(Solv)][LGa(μ-CS)GaL] (M=Na, Solv=THF, 6; M=K, Solv=DME, 7), were obtained via reductive coupling of CS.

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Most cancers and neoplastic progenitor cells have elevated telomerase activity and preservation of telomeres that promote cellular immortality, making telomerase a rational target for the treatment of cancer. Imetelstat is a first-in-class, 13-mer oligonucleotide that binds with high affinity to the template region of the RNA component of human telomerase and acts as a competitive inhibitor of human telomerase enzymatic activity. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, exposure-response analyses, efficacy, and safety of imetelstat have been evaluated in vitro, in vivo, and clinically in solid tumor and hematologic malignancies, including lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms.

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  • * Out of 31 patients, 55% showed a significant drop in tumor activity (major pathologic response), along with increased immune cell presence in the tumors.
  • * Findings indicate that this combination therapy not only activates various immune responses but is also linked to specific genetic markers in immune cells and changes in gut microbiota, suggesting potential pathways for enhancing treatment outcomes.
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  • Plant-specialized metabolism is a rich source of bioactive compounds, like monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs), known for their health benefits including anticancer and neuroactive properties.
  • The types of MIAs, particularly pachysiphine derivatives, have promising medical applications but are found in very low quantities in certain plant species, and there is a lack of genomic data needed to enhance their production.
  • This study presents the genome sequence of the toad tree (Tabernaemontana elegans) and identifies genes that can synthesize pachysiphine, leading to engineered MIAs in yeast, thus paving the way for better production of these valuable compounds for pharmaceutical use.
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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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  • BamA is a crucial part of the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM) that helps insert proteins into the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria like E. coli.
  • Researchers used in vitro selection techniques to find peptide macrocycles that can disrupt BamA's function by binding to different conformational states, specifically Peptide Targeting BamA-1 (PTB1) and Peptide Targeting BamA-2 (PTB2).
  • These findings are important for developing new antibiotics targeting BamA and could also be applied to discover modulators for other similar proteins in the future.
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Background: Atrial fibrillation GWAS (genome-wide association studies) identified significant associations for rs1152591 and linked variants in the gene encoding Nesprin-2, which connects the nuclear membrane with the cytoskeleton.

Methods: Reporter gene vector transfection and CRISPR-Cas9 editing were used to identify the causal variant regulating the expression of . After knockdown or overexpression in human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, nuclear phenotypes were assessed by imaging and atomic force microscopy.

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For patients with locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC), first-line (1L) treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) followed by avelumab 1L maintenance (1LM) is a recommended therapy per treatment guidelines in patients without disease progression. However, contemporary real-world (rw) data among patients receiving this treatment are necessary to understand clinical outcomes and optimal treatment sequencing. This retrospective cohort study analyzed rw treatment patterns and clinical outcomes, including overall survival (rwOS) and progression-free survival (rwPFS), in patients with la/mUC receiving avelumab 1LM.

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The sediment content and transport rate of rivers are crucial indicators reflecting soil erosion, water quality, and water resource management in a region. Studying changes in river sediment transport rates within a basin is essential for evaluating water quality, restoring water ecosystems, and implementing soil and water conservation measures. This study focused on the Shule River Basin and utilized various methods such as moving average, cumulative anomaly, Mann-Kendall mutation test, Mann-Kendall (M-K) trend test, Sen's slope estimation, Correlation analysis, wavelet analysis, R/S analysis, ARCGIS10.

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PTPN2 (protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2, or TC-PTP) and PTPN1 are attractive immuno-oncology targets, with the deletion of Ptpn1 and Ptpn2 improving response to immunotherapy in disease models. Targeted protein degradation has emerged as a promising approach to drug challenging targets including phosphatases. We developed potent PTPN2/N1 dual heterobifunctional degraders (Cmpd-1 and Cmpd-2) which facilitate efficient complex assembly with E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4, and mediate potent PTPN2/N1 degradation in cells and mice.

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Introduction: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and dementia disproportionately burden patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The association between CHIP and cognitive impairment in CKD patients is unknown.

Methods: We conducted time-to-event analyses in up to 1452 older adults with CKD from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort who underwent CHIP gene sequencing.

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  • The study focuses on enhancing flame resistance in bio-based materials, specifically cellular structures used for thermal insulation.
  • A one-pot method is developed to create lignocellulosic composites using a flame-retardant complex made of phytic acid (PA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI), improving their mechanical properties and reducing flammability.
  • While the thermal insulation performance slightly decreases, the modified composites demonstrate significantly better mechanical characteristics and are suggested as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional insulation materials in construction.
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  • Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) is linked to poorer heart health outcomes in people with coronary artery disease, but how stress affects heart function is not fully understood.
  • This study involved 735 patients and looked at their heart rate variability (HRV) during stress to see if low HRV indicates autonomic dysfunction associated with MSIMI.
  • Results showed that patients with low HRV during stress had significantly higher odds of experiencing MSIMI, suggesting that stress-related autonomic dysfunction could contribute to heart issues in these patients.
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In the realm of thermal interface materials (TIMs), high thermal conductivity and low density are key for effective thermal management and are particularly vital due to the growing compactness and lightweight nature of electronic devices. Efficient directional arrangement is a key control strategy to significantly improve thermal conductivity and comprehensive properties of thermal interface materials. In the present work, drawing inspiration from natural leaf and branch structures, a simple-to-implement approach for fabricating oriented thermal conductivity composites is introduced.

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  • * A mixed-effects model was created to analyze how different factors like demographics and health conditions affect the drug's pharmacokinetics using data from 424 patients across seven clinical trials.
  • * The final model found that factors such as sex, disease type, and dosage impact drug clearance and volume in the body, but generally suggests that body-weight-based dosing is appropriate without needing individual dose adjustments for most patients.
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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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Experimental studies were conducted on four extended end-plate joints subjected to cyclic loading at the column top, investigating the evolving patterns of the joints' mechanical performance. The paper provides a detailed analysis and discussion of the test joints' failure modes, ductility, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation capacity. The Mann-Kendall (M - K) trend analysis tool was applied to the mechanical response curves, identifying key performance evolution points (evolution initiation point and overall yield point ).

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The excessive depositions of β-amyloid (Aβ) and abnormal level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered as the important pathogenic factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Strategies targeting only one of them have no obvious effects in clinic. In this study, a multifunctional nanocarrier CICe@M-K that crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) efficiently was developed for inhibiting Aβ aggregation and scavenging ROS synchronously.

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The simple and low-cost construction of a 3D network structure is an ideal way to prepare high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials. Herein, a series of carbon skeleton/carbon nanotubes/NiZnC composites (CS/CNTs/NiZnC) are successfully prepared by in situ growth of NiZnC and CNTs on 3D melamine sponge carbon. With the increase of precursor, NiZnC nanoparticles nucleate and catalyze the generation of CNTs on the surface of the carbon skeleton.

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