Publications by authors named "Rongzhen Zhang"

The natural process of photosynthesis involves a series of consecutive energy transfers, but achieving more steps of efficient energy transfer and photocatalytic organic conversion in artificial light-harvesting systems (ALHSs) continues to pose a significant challenge. In the present investigation, a range of ALHSs showcasing a sophisticated three-step energy transfer mechanism is designed, which are meticulously crafted using pillar[5]arene (WP[5]) and p-phenylenevinylene derivative (PPTPy), utilizing host-guest interactions as energy donors. Three distinct types of fluorescent dyes, namely Rhodamine B (RhB), Sulforhodamine 101 (SR101), and Cyanine 5 (Cy5), are employed as acceptors of energy.

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Background/objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a diagnosis that incorporates a heterogeneous set of neurodegenerative processes into a single progressive and uniformly fatal disease making the development of a uniformly applicable therapeutic difficult. Recent multinational ALS natural history incidence studies have identified systemic chronic activation of the innate immune system as a major risk factor for developing ALS. Persistent immune activation in patients with ALS leads to loss of muscle and lowering of serum creatinine.

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The frequency of virus-associated cancers is growing worldwide, especially in resource-limited settings. One of the biggest challenges in cancer research among people living with HIV (PLWH) has been understanding how infection with both HIV and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) promotes the pathogenesis of Kaposi sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer among PLWH worldwide and a significant public health problem in regions with high prevalence of HIV such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) provides samples for research, including dried blood spots (DBS) that were collected from large clinical epidemiology studies of KSHV and KS in PLWH conducted more than a decade ago in SSA.

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The valorization of toluene offers a dual solution by addressing its environmental impact while also facilitating the synthesis of a diverse array of valuable fine chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates, thus ensuring both ecological sustainability and economic viability. We report herein a synergistic approach that harmonizes hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under mild condition and low catalyst loading, which enables the efficient synthesis of a broad spectrum of esteemed benzoic acid derivatives and aryl ketones through the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene derivatives. Mechanistic elucidation reveals that the HAT reagent anthraquinone has both the capabilities to abstract hydrogen atoms and the ability to generate singlet oxygen (O) during energy transfer with triplet oxygen (O), and the combination of these two potencies significantly improves the catalytic efficiency of the reaction.

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NAD-dependent 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7α-HSDH) and NADPH-dependent 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (7β-HSDH) are involved in the biosynthesis of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). To realize the one-pot synthesis of CDCA to UDCA through NAD-NADH cycling, we aimed to improve the binding ability of Hyphomicrobium sp. 7β-HSDH to NADH.

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Exploring effective remodeling strategies to further improve the productivity of high-yield strains is the goal of biomanufacturing. However, the lack of insight into host-specific metabolic networks prevents timely identification of useful engineering targets. Here, multidimensional engineering strategies were implemented to optimize the global metabolic network for improving l-threonine production.

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Multiple neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by aberrant proteinaceous accumulations of tau. Here, we report a RING-in-between-RING-type E3 ligase, TRIAD3A, that functions as an autophagy adaptor for tau. TRIAD3A(RNF216) is an essential gene with mutations causing age-progressive neurodegeneration.

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Benzaldehydes are indispensable building blocks in chemistry. However, the selective oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde remains an ongoing challenge due to the low oxidation potential of benzaldehyde compared to toluene. We report herein a mild protocol that combines hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) with encapsulated air conditions and suitable catalyst loading for selective oxidation of toluene with high selectivity as well as good functional-group tolerance and a broad substrate scope for the synthesis of various high-value aromatic aldehydes.

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L-threo-p-nitrophenylserine (component 2) is an important intermediate during synthesis of chloramphenicol. However, its biosynthesis is limited by enzyme activity and stereoselectivity. In this study, we achieved a breakthrough in the high-efficiency production of 2 by employing engineered Chitiniphilus shinanonensis L-threonine transaldolase (ChLTTA) in conjunction with a by-product elimination system within a one-pot reaction.

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Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute to neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) after vascular injury, a common feature of vascular remodelling disorders. Suramin is known to exert antitumour effects by inhibiting the proliferation of various tumour cells; however, its effects and mechanism on VSMCs remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of suramin on human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) and NIH to examine its suitability for the prevention of vascular remodelling disorders.

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Solid-state distillation is a distinctive process for extracting the baijiu aroma compounds that determine the flavor character of baijiu. In this study, the changes in various chemical properties of the aroma compounds in three classical baijiu fermented grain distillation processes were analyzed. The changes in the aroma compounds in the instantaneous distillates were quantified and correlation analyzes were conducted.

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l---methylsulfonylphenylserine (compound ) is the main intermediate of florfenicol, and its efficient synthesis has been the subject of current research. Herein, l-threonine transaldolase (LTTA) was rationally designed based on the sequence-structure-function relationship. A mutant M4 (Asn35Ser/Thr352Asn) could produce 35.

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Carbon dots (CDs) are a type of carbon-based luminescent material with a zero-dimensional structure and a size of less than 10 nm, which are composed of sp/sp hybrid carbon nuclei and surface functional groups. Because CDs has strong photoluminescence and good light absorption in the ultraviolet and near visible regions, it is an excellent candidate for photocatalytic applications. However, the use of nonmetallic doped CDs as photosensitizers for direct photocatalytic organic reactions has been limited to several scattered reports.

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Article Synopsis
  • Aerogels are excellent thermal insulators but struggle in textiles due to their fragility and processing issues.
  • Researchers developed a new aerogel fiber with a protective stretchy layer, allowing it to stretch up to 1000% while maintaining its insulation properties and durability.
  • The resulting fiber is lightweight, washable, and can be used to create thinner sweaters that perform similarly to down jackets, opening doors for multifunctional textile applications.
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In recent years, there has been a notable surge of interest in the fields of organic and pharmaceutical research about photocatalysts (PCs) and photosensitizers (PSs). In this study, a 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) molecule adorned with quaternary ammonium (TMB) functionality was meticulously designed and synthesized. This compound has remarkable characteristics such as exceptional water solubility, great optical qualities, and commendable photostability.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the link between high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-TnI) levels and the prognosis of patients experiencing chest pain but without obstructive coronary artery disease, highlighting its importance in patient management.
  • - Data from 489 hospitalized patients were analyzed, revealing that over half had elevated hs-TnI, which was correlated with older age, higher prevalence of certain heart conditions, and reduced myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR).
  • - Elevated hs-TnI was significantly associated with worse health outcomes, with factors like male gender and reduced MBFR identified as notable risks for composite cardiovascular events among these patients.
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  • The study investigates how oxidative stress controls natamycin production in Streptomyces, revealing that cholesterol oxidase SgnE plays a crucial role in this process.
  • It demonstrates that the enzyme SgnE produces hydroxycholesterol (HO), which initiates a cascade of redox-dependent interactions that regulate the expression of genes involved in natamycin biosynthesis.
  • The protein OxyR acts as a redox switch, working with another regulator, SgnR, to adjust the transcription of natamycin-related genes depending on the oxidative state, ultimately providing insights for enhancing antibiotic production by managing intracellular redox levels.
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DNA sensors play crucial roles in inflammation and have been indicated to be involved in antitumor or tumorigenesis, while it is still unclear whether DNA sensors have potential roles in the prognosis and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases were used to analyze RNA sequencing data and clinical information. A total of 14 DNA sensors were collected and performed consensus clustering to determine their molecular mechanisms in HCC.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a clinical diagnosis used to define a neurodegenerative process that involves progressive loss of voluntary muscle function and leads to death within 2-5 years after diagnosis, in most cases because of respiratory function failure. Respiratory vital capacity (VC) measurements are reproducible and strong predictors of survival. To understand the role of the innate immune response in progressive VC loss we evaluated ALS clinical trial and biomarker results from a 6-month phase 2 study of NP001, a regulator of innate immune function.

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Harmful cyanobacterial blooms occur worldwide and pose a great threat to aquatic ecosystems and public health. The application of algicidal bacteria represents an eco-friendly strategy for controlling harmful cyanobacterial blooms; thus, searching for a high efficiency of algicidal bacteria has been becoming an important and continuous task in science. Herein, we identified a bacterial strain coded sp.

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