Publications by authors named "QingZhong Zhao"

Article Synopsis
  • Osteosarcoma is a common cancer in children with a poor outlook; researchers developed five predictive models using super-enhancer-related genes to better understand prognosis and treatment.
  • The study found that these gene signatures correlate with the effectiveness of chemotherapy and revealed that the TNFRSF11B gene plays a crucial role in osteosarcoma's cell growth and spread.
  • Targeting TNFRSF11B with a specific inhibitor showed promise in reducing osteosarcoma growth, suggesting the potential use of super-enhancer-related genes for improving treatment strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • An unintended dural tear (DT) is the most common complication during lumbar spine surgery, particularly in unilateral biportal endoscopic techniques (UBE), which are increasingly used for degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine.
  • A study analyzing data from 608 UBE patients revealed that 3.95% experienced DT, mostly addressed through suture repair or rest, with no severe complications reported.
  • The study identified significant risk factors for DT, including older age, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), the method of surgery (specifically unilateral laminotomy with bilateral decompression), and whether the surgery was a revision rather than a primary procedure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Osteosarcoma (OS) is a serious bone cancer predominantly seen in children and adolescents, with survival rates showing little improvement over time; the study investigates the impact of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) on patient prognosis.
  • - Researchers identified seven subtypes of TAMs, with a focus on proangiogenic TAMs (Angio-TAMs) which were linked to significant survival differences among OS patients, and developed a prognostic model using eight associated genes.
  • - The study found that patients with high Angio-TAM scores had shorter survival times, and this gene signature could serve as a potential biomarker and target for new therapies in treating osteosarcoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a frequent primary malignant bone tumor, with a poor prognosis. Necroptosis is strongly correlated with OS and may be an influential target for treating OS. This study's objective was to establish a necroptosis-related gene (NRG) prognostic signature that could predict OS prognosis and guide OS treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant tumor found mainly in teenagers and young adults. Patients have very little long-term survival. controls tumor initiation and progression by regulating the expression of its target genes; thus, constructing a risk signature of osteosarcoma target gene set will benefit the evaluation of both treatment and prognosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). By analysing genetic variation at the mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite loci for 148 individuals, we identified three populations along the Yangtze River, each one connected to a group of admixed ancestry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Social behaviors are poorly known for the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Here, group composition and dispersal patterns of the YFP population living in the Poyang Lake were studied by parentage-based pedigree analyses using 21 microsatellite loci and a 597 bp segment of the mitochondrial DNA control region. In this study, 21 potential mother-offspring pairs and six potential father-offspring pairs (including two potential parents-offspring pairs) were determined, among which 12 natural mother-offspring groups and a maternal group of three generations were found.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ecological surveys have indicated that the population of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) is becoming increasingly small and fragmented, and will be at high risk of extinction in the near future. Genetic conservation of this population will be an important component of the long-term conservation effort. We used a 597 base pair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and 11 microsatellite loci to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of the YFP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to determine the causative agent of diarrhea in an endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). From the fecal material collected from this porpoise Robinsoniella peoriensis was isolated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A moribund juvenile Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) with skin lesions and ulceration was found in Dongting Lake, China. Pathologic examination, electron microscopy, and polymerase chain reaction of liver tissue revealed widely distributed necrotic lesions, sinusoidal dilatation, congestion and herpes-like virus particles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The aim of this study was to determine the bacteria present in the fecal material of the endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis. Fecal samples were collected from 12 Yangtze finless porpoises living in the wild at Poyang Lake, located in Jiangxi Province, China. To determine the bacterial diversity, a 16S rRNA gene clone library using the bacterial PCR primers fD1 and rP2, was prepared.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most male mammals in temperate regions demonstrate seasonal sexual behaviors that coincide with seasonal variations in gonadal activities and androgen hormones. The Yangtze finless porpoise is a temperate freshwater cetacean species and an obvious seasonal breeder. To investigate the relationship between sexual behavior and gonadal activity in this animal, testicular size (volume) and structure (ultrasonogram pixel intensity) of two adult male porpoises (AF, AB) and one sub-adult male (TT) were longitudinally monitored from November 2008 to November 2009.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The endangered Yangtze finless porpoise is found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its adjoining big lakes. To explore the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genetic diversity and allelic distribution patterns across its range, we investigated variation at DQB exon 2. From 76 porpoises, we identified 18 DQB sequences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The band-edge exciton fine structure of wurtzite CdSe nanocrystals is investigated by a plane-wave pseudopotential method that includes spin-orbit coupling, screened electron-hole Coulomb interactions, and exchange interactions. Large-scale, systematic simulations have been carried out on quantum dots, nanorods, nanowires, and nanodisks. The size and shape dependence of the exciton fine structure is explored over the whole diameter-length configuration space and is explained by the interplay of quantum confinement, intrinsic crystal-field splitting, and electron-hole exchange interactions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: As the sole freshwater subspecies of finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), the Yangtze finless porpoise (N. p. asiaeorientalis) lives only in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its appended Poyang and Dongting Lakes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF