Publications by authors named "R-Z Liu"

Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction and angiographically obstructive non-culprit lesions are at high risk for recurrent major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). However, it remains largely unknown whether events are due to stenosis severity or due to the underlying high-risk lesion morphology.

Methods: Between January 2017 and December 2021, 1312 patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent optical coherence tomography of all the 3 main epicardial arteries after successful percutaneous coronary intervention.

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Background Interest in microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) use for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is rising; however, ablation outcomes in patients with SHPT are not well characterized. Purpose To assess the response of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels to US-guided parathyroid MWA and RFA and the safety of these treatments in participants with SHPT. Materials and Methods This prospective multicenter cohort study, conducted from September 2017 to March 2022, included participants with SHPT.

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The recent worldwide outbreaks of mpox prioritize the development of a safe and effective mRNA vaccine. The contemporary mpox virus (MPXV) exhibits changing virological and epidemiological features, notably affecting populations already vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Herein, we profile the immunogenicity of AR-MPXV5, a penta-component mRNA vaccine targeting five specific proteins (M1R, E8L, A29L, A35R, and B6R) from the representative contemporary MPXV clade II strain, in both naive and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected nonhuman primates.

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Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has gained attention in cardiac electrophysiology, but data on its application to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia are limited. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of PFA and its combination with radiofrequency ablation for treating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, single-arm study was conducted across 8 centers in China.

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Rationale And Objectives: To explore the value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and mean apparent propagator (MAP) magnetic resonance imaging histogram analysis in evaluating the grade and proliferative activity of meningiomas.

Materials And Methods: A total of 134 meningioma patients were prospectively included and underwent magnetic resonance diffusion imaging. The whole-tumor histogram parameters were extracted from multiple functional maps.

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Background: The effect of embolization of the middle meningeal artery in patients with subacute or chronic subdural hematoma is uncertain.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, open-label, randomized trial in China, involving patients with symptomatic nonacute subdural hematoma with mass effect. Patients were assigned to undergo burr-hole drainage or receive nonsurgical treatment at the surgeon's discretion, and patients in each group were then randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to undergo middle meningeal artery embolization with liquid embolic material or to receive usual care.

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  • A study was conducted to find out the best systolic blood pressure targets for patients over 50 with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, comparing intensive treatment (target <120 mm Hg) to standard treatment (target <140 mm Hg) over 5 years.
  • Out of 12,821 patients, the intensive treatment group had a lower average systolic blood pressure after one year (121.6 mm Hg) compared to the standard group (133.2 mm Hg), resulting in significantly fewer major cardiovascular events.
  • Despite the lower overall events in the intensive group, there were more cases of symptomatic hypotension and hyperkalemia, but the rates of serious adverse events were similar in both groups.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate how effective time-intensity curve (TIC) analysis and subjective visual assessment of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) are when combined with the Ovarian-Adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) for diagnosing adnexal lesions with solid components.
  • Conducted at multiple centers from September 2021 to December 2022, the study analyzed 180 lesions from 175 women, comparing diagnostic performances using receiver operating characteristic curves.
  • Results showed that integrating CEUS with O-RADS significantly improved diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.86) compared to O-RADS alone (AUC 0.78), and both CEUS assessment methods (TIC and subjective assessment
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  • Cervical artery dissection (CeAD) is a leading cause of ischemic strokes in young adults, and this study explored the effects of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) on patients with CeAD and stroke symptoms.
  • Analyzed data from the STOP-CAD study, it found that IVT significantly improved functional independence after 90 days in patients without increasing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage.
  • The results suggest that IVT is a beneficial treatment for eligible patients with CeAD, aligning with current medical guidelines on its use.
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  • The study investigates how the compound probiotic VSL#3 affects the metabolism of various cytochrome P450 enzyme probe drugs in male Wistar rats.
  • Results show that VSL#3 alters the gut microbiota, leading to significant increases in the bioavailability of certain drugs, like omeprazole, while decreasing the bioavailability of others like tolbutamide and chlorpropamide.
  • Additionally, the administration of VSL#3 impacted gene expression related to drug metabolism and intestinal structure, suggesting that probiotics can influence how drugs are processed in the body.
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  • - Prostaglandin I, produced by COX in endothelial cells, can cause vasodilation in some blood vessels while paradoxically leading to endothelium-dependent constriction (EDC) in others, particularly in diseases like hypertension, though the effects of PGIS deficiency on EDC and related cardiovascular issues are not well understood.
  • - The study utilized various mouse models, including wild-type and genetically modified knockouts, to measure the impact of PGIS deficiency and assess vasomotor responses, indicating alterations in nitric oxide production and signaling.
  • - Results showed that PGIS deficiency worsened EDC and led to increases in blood pressure and cardiac issues over time, but additional removal of the thromboxane receptor improved vascular function and reduced
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The ability to recognize the body sizes of sheep is significantly influenced by posture, especially without artificial fixation, leading to more noticeable changes. This study presents a recognition model using the Mask R-CNN convolutional neural network to identify the sides and backs of sheep. The proposed approach includes an algorithm for extracting key frames through mask calculation and specific algorithms for head-down, head-up, and jumping postures of Ujumqin sheep.

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Background: A considerable number of gastric cancer (GC) patients cannot receive benefits from current treatments. We aimed to identify possible biomarkers of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in GC patients, which may help guide precision medicine-based decision-making.

Methods: RNA sequencing data, copy number variations (CNVs) data, and single nucleotide variant (SNV) data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA) database.

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Background And Objectives: Surgery is widely performed for refractory epilepsy in patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS), but reports on its effectiveness are limited. This study aimed to analyze seizure, motor, and cognitive outcomes of surgery in these patients and to identify factors associated with the outcomes.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective observational study using data from patients with SWS and refractory epilepsy who underwent epilepsy surgery between 2000 and 2020 at 16 centers throughout China.

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  • This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of combining bevacizumab with carboplatin and paclitaxel (CP) as a first-line treatment for stage III/IV ovarian cancer in Chinese patients after surgery.
  • Results showed that patients receiving bevacizumab + CP had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 22.6 months, significantly longer than the 12.3 months for those on placebo + CP.
  • The safety profile indicated that treatment-related severe side effects were more common in the bevacizumab group (94%) compared to the placebo group (68%), but the drug's overall safety was consistent with previous findings.
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Background: Hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is a T helper 17 cell response-driven disease, and PD-1 (programmed cell death 1)/PD-L1 (programmed cell death-ligand 1) inhibitor-associated pulmonary hypertension has been reported recently. This study is designed to explore whether the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway participates in HPH via regulating endothelial dysfunction and T helper 17 cell response.

Methods: Lung tissue samples were obtained from eligible patients.

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Background: Bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) is a preferred first-line treatment option for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Whether the addition of the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody isatuximab to the VRd regimen would reduce the risk of disease progression or death among patients ineligible to undergo transplantation is unclear.

Methods: In an international, open-label, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 3:2 ratio, patients 18 to 80 years of age with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who were ineligible to undergo transplantation to receive either isatuximab plus VRd or VRd alone.

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  • The outbreak of mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, presents a significant challenge to global health.
  • Researchers studied antibody levels in individuals vaccinated before the immunization program ended and discovered two monoclonal antibodies (hMB621 and hMB668) that target the B6 protein of the virus.
  • These antibodies showed strong binding and neutralization capabilities against related viruses, and animal tests indicated they provide effective protection against the vaccinia virus, highlighting their potential in treating mpox and other orthopoxvirus infections.
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In the nucleus, biological processes are driven by proteins that diffuse through and bind to a meshwork of nucleic acid polymers. To better understand this interplay, we present an imaging platform to simultaneously visualize single protein dynamics together with the local chromatin environment in live cells. Together with super-resolution imaging, new fluorescent probes, and biophysical modeling, we demonstrate that nucleosomes display differential diffusion and packing arrangements as chromatin density increases whereas the viscoelastic properties and accessibility of the interchromatin space remain constant.

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  • G protein-coupled receptors, especially galanin receptors (GALRs), are significant in understanding atrial fibrillation (AF), with spexin identified as a unique ligand affecting these receptors.
  • Research involving genetically modified mice showed that the absence of spexin increased the likelihood of AF and disrupted potassium currents and calcium handling in heart cells.
  • The study concluded that spexin lowers AF risk by inhibiting the phosphorylation of CREB, leading to decreased expression of specific channels and improved cardiac function.
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Glucocorticoids are key components of the standard-of-care treatment regimens for B-cell malignancy. However, systemic glucocorticoid treatment is associated with several adverse events. ABBV-319 is a CD19-targeting antibody-drug conjugate engineered to reduce glucocorticoid-associated toxicities while possessing 3 distinct mechanisms of action (MOA) to increase therapeutic efficacy: (1) antibody-mediated delivery of a glucocorticoid receptor modulator (GRM) payload to activate apoptosis, (2) inhibition of CD19 signaling, and (3) enhanced fragment crystallizable (Fc)-mediated effector function via afucosylation of the antibody backbone.

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Real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) are now being routinely used in epidemiology, clinical practice, and post-approval regulatory decisions. Despite the increasing utility of the methodology and new regulatory guidelines in recent years, there remains a lack of awareness of how this approach can be applied in clinical pharmacology and translational research settings. Therefore, the American Society of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT) held a workshop on March 21st, 2023 entitled "Advancing the Utilization of Real-World Data (RWD) and Real-World Evidence (RWE) in Clinical Pharmacology and Translational Research.

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Background Noninvasive evaluation of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) with multiparametric US is essential, but multicenter studies are lacking. Purpose To evaluate the ability of multiparametric US with attenuation imaging (ATI) and two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE) for predicting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in participants with MAFLD, regardless of hepatitis B virus infection status. Materials and Methods This prospective cross-sectional multicenter study of consecutive adults with MAFLD who underwent multiparametric US with ATI and 2D SWE, as well as liver biopsy, from September 2020 to June 2022 was conducted in 12 tertiary hospitals in China.

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