Publications by authors named "Qu N"

Background: This paper aimed to investigate the correlation between estradiol and testosterone in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: The research papers on the correlation between estradiol and testosterone on the risk of breast cancer were searched and collected. The time limit is that each database was established until December 2023.

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Background And Purpose: Breast cancer is a leading threat to women's health, with approximately 70% of cases being estrogen receptor-positive. SGK3 is regulated by estrogen and is positively associated with estrogen receptor expression, although its molecular role remains unclear.

Experimental Approach: Proteomics was used to identify SGK3's downstream targets.

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High-entropy alloys (HEAs) with ultrafine grained and high strength can be prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) followed by sintering. Therefore, MA, as a unique solid powder processing method, has many effects on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the sintered bulk HEAs. This work focused on the alloying behavior, morphology, and phase evolution of FeCrNiAl (x = 1.

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Osteoarthritis is caused by damage to the articular cartilage due to bone-on-bone collisions and friction. The length, width, and thickness of the ligaments are expected to change in order to regulate excessive bone-to-bone movement. We aimed to clarify the relationship between ligament morphology and joint surface degeneration in the ankle joints using macroscopic observations and measurements.

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The demand for temperature-robust electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials is escalating due to the varying operational temperatures of electronic devices, which can easily soar up to 100 °C, significantly affecting EMW interference management. Traditional absorbers face performance degradation across broad temperature ranges due to alterations in electronic mobility and material impedance. This study presented a novel approach by integrating semiconductor metal-organic frameworks (SC-MOFs) with paraffin wax (PW), leveraging the precise control of interlayer spacing in SC-MOFs for electron mobility regulation and the introduction of paraffin wax for temperature-inert electromagnetic properties.

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Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the most lethal tumor arising from thyroid follicular epithelium. Lenvatinib is an off-label use option for ATC patients in many countries but an approved prescription in Japan. However, lenvatinib resistance is a substantial clinical challenge.

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Cervical carcinoma has the highest incidence among gynaecological cancers in developing countries where the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is not yet widely used. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the key factors affecting treatment efficacy and cancer prognosis. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) is a marker of CSCs, and its expression is closely related to chemotherapy resistance in cervical carcinoma.

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Article Synopsis
  • Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a challenging and aggressive cancer with a low five-year survival rate, especially at advanced stages, due to high recurrence and resistance to current treatments.
  • Recent advancements in therapy for HNSCC include targeted therapies like EGFR inhibitors, immunotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, and innovative drug delivery methods such as nanotechnology, aimed at enhancing treatment effectiveness.
  • Ongoing research focuses on the tumor microenvironment and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to inform personalized treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes in HNSCC.
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Two types of drimanyl indole fragments of drimentine alkaloids were synthesized and evaluated their in vitro antibacterial activities using minimum inhibitory concentration. Analysis of structure-activity relationship against Ralstonia solanacearum revealed that fragment I exhibited superior inhibitory activity compared to fragment II. Notably, free NH of the indole motif was essential for antibacterial activity, while COH of the drimane skeleton was beneficial for enhancing the inhibitory effect.

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Background: The Mendelian randomization approach has emerged as a powerful tool, leveraging genetic variations as natural random experiments to minimize confounding and infer causality with unique advantages. Previous research has highlighted the crucial roles of gut microbiotas and inflammatory factors in mental-behavioral disorders, albeit to varying degrees. However, the precise causal relationship between gut microbiotas and mental-behavioral disorders remains elusive, and the potential role of inflammatory factors as mediators in this process is unclear.

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Bacterium-like particles (BLPs) have gained significant attention in vaccine development due to their potential as effective immune enhancers and antigen delivery systems. BLPs are generated by boiling lactic acid bacteria in an acidic solution and are devoid of proteins and nucleic acids, offering advantages in terms of ease of preparation, high safety, and good stability. Furthermore, by employing protein anchor (PA), heterogeneous antigens can be efficiently displayed on the surface of BLPs, resulting in enhanced delivery effectiveness.

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Plasmon, the collective oscillations of free electron gas in materials, determines the long-wavelength excitation spectrum and optical response, are pivotal in the realm of nanophotonics and optoelectronics. In this study, using the first-principles calculations, we systematically investigated the dielectric response and plasmon properties of bulk transition-metal monohalides MXs (M = Zr, Mo; X = Cl, F). Due to the strong electronic anisotropy, MXs exhibit a broadband type-II hyperbolic response and direction-dependent plasmon modes.

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The Silk Road Economic Belt has become a pivotal region for China's sustainable development, focusing on the balance between carbon emissions and ecological resilience. Understanding the coordination between these factors is crucial for advancing China's westward economic shift and optimizing urban and demographic structures. This study investigates the coupling and coordination dynamics between carbon emissions and ecological resilience across 15 key cities in the Silk Road Economic Belt, using data from 2008 to 2018.

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Purpose: From 8% to 28% of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) experience recurrence, complicating risk stratification and treatment. We previously identified an inflammatory molecular subtype of PTC associated with poor prognosis. Based on this subtype, we aimed to develop and validate a noninvasive radiomic signature to predict prognosis and treatment response in patients with PTC.

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To investigate the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound combined with microbubble (LIPUS-MB) mediated JNK/c-Jun pathway reversal on multidrug resistance in triple-negative breast cancer and the underlying mechanisms. An orthogonal experiment was designed to screen for the optimal parameters of LIPUS-MB in MDA-MB-231/DOX cells. The CCK-8 assay was used to determine the drug resistance of the cells and to measure their proliferation activity and resistance reversal efficiency at the optimal parameters.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate the immune landscape and immune cell roles in the progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), focusing particularly on the ETV6-RUNX1 genetic alteration common in childhood cases.
  • Using advanced techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers analyzed B progenitor cells from bone marrow samples, identifying specific gene expressions and pathways that may drive rapid cell cycle progression in ALL.
  • Results highlighted distinct clusters of B progenitor cells, particularly one with amplified genes on chromosome 6p that were linked to increased cell cycle activity, underscoring the complexity of immune interactions in the disease's progression.
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Recently, YbCdSb-based Zintl compounds have been widely investigated owing to their extraordinary thermoelectric (TE) performance. However, its p orbitals of anions that determined the valence band structure are split due to crystal field splitting that provides a good platform for band manipulation by doping/alloying and, more importantly, the YbCdSb-based device has yet to be reported. In this work, single-phase YbCdZnSb is successfully obtained through precise chemical composition control.

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Public opinion may influence the adoption of technologies for older adults, yet studies on different contexts of technology for older adults is limited. In an online YouGov survey () with text-and-image vignettes, participants gave more positive ratings of social acceptability, trust, and perceived impact on eldercare when the voice assistant ("VA" system) shown in the vignette performed a functional task (medication adherence) versus when it performed a social task (companionship). The VA received more positive sentiment comments when it appeared to use a machine learning (ML)-based dialogue system compared to when it appeared to be using a rule-based dialogue system.

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Background: Interleukin (IL)-38 belongs to the IL-36 subfamily within the IL-1 family. Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) exhibit higher levels of IL-38 in their intestinal tissue compared to healthy controls, suggesting that IL-38 may play a role in the pathogenesis of IBD. However, IL-38's impact on T cell-mediated immune responses in gastrointestinal inflammation has not been investigated.

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  • Scientists have come up with a new method called PertKGE to help find better drugs by understanding how different compounds interact with proteins in our bodies.
  • This method does a great job, especially when trying to find targets for new drugs or screening compounds that may work well together.
  • They found a special protein that helps a new cancer treatment work better and discovered five new compounds that could be useful in fighting cancer!
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Background: Mammographic density has been associated with breast cancer risk, and is modulated by established breast cancer risk factors, such as reproductive and hormonal history, as well as lifestyle. Recent epidemiological and biological findings underscore the recognized benefits of breastfeeding in reducing breast cancer risk, especially for aggressive subtypes. Current research exploring the association among mammographic density, breastfeeding, and breast cancer is sparse.

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Purpose: To develop and test a radiomics nomogram based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinicopathological factors for predicting the axillary pathologic complete response (apCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients with axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases.

Materials And Methods: A total of 319 patients who underwent MRI examination and received NAC treatment were enrolled from two centers, and the presence of ALN metastasis was confirmed by biopsy pathology before NAC. The radiomics features were extracted from regions of interest of ALNs before (pre-radiomics) and after (post-radiomics) NAC.

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  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children, often showing symptoms like fever and anemia; however, this case presents a unique instance in which a 9-year-old boy only exhibited polyuria.
  • Tests indicated nephrogenic diabetes insipidus rather than primary kidney disease, and a renal biopsy confirmed the presence of lymphocytic infiltration.
  • The case emphasizes that unusual presentations, such as renal diabetes insipidus, in ALL patients should raise suspicion for hematological issues, highlighting the importance of timely bone marrow analysis.
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  • Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with the BRAF mutation leads to worse outcomes, and while BRAF inhibitors may help, drug resistance limits their effectiveness; this study explores how BRAF and DRP1 affect PTC cellular processes including growth and glucose metabolism.
  • The research shows that the BRAF mutation boosts aerobic glycolysis by activating the BRAF/p-ERK/p-DRP1(Ser616) pathway, which enhances cell division and reduces cell death, contributing to the cancer’s aggressiveness.
  • The study suggests that combining a glucose inhibitor (2-DG) with the BRAF inhibitor (dabrafenib) can significantly slow the progression of BRAF-positive PTC, indicating a promising new treatment strategy
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  • - Ageing is a major factor in developing osteoarthritis (OA), and this study examines how phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ1) influences age-related changes in cartilage and bone linked to OA.
  • - Researchers used d-galactose (d-Gal) to induce chondrocyte senescence in rat and mouse models, using various lab techniques to measure cell growth and gene expression, revealing that d-Gal promotes ageing in cartilage and causes abnormalities in subchondral bone.
  • - Findings indicate that decreased PLCγ1 expression in chondrocytes leads to greater senescence and accelerated ageing changes in cartilage and bone; thus, PLCγ1 could be a potential therapeutic target
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