Publications by authors named "S-J Huang"

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas, which can lead to complications such as pancreatic necrosis. The modified computed tomography severity index (MCTSI) is a widely used tool for assessing the severity of AP, particularly the extent of pancreatic necrosis. The accurate and timely assessment of the necrosis volume is crucial in guiding treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes.

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Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a promising drug modality substantially expanding in both the discovery space and clinical development. Assessing the biotransformation of ADCs and is important in understanding their stability and pharmacokinetic properties. We previously reported biotransformation pathways for the anti-B7H4 topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC, AZD8205, puxitatug samrotecan, that underpin its structural stability using an intact protein liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) approach.

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Background And Purpose: Epilepsy, a globally prevalent neurological disorder, necessitates precise identification of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) for effective surgical management. While the individual utilities of FDG PET and FMZ PET have been demonstrated, their combined efficacy in localizing the epileptogenic zone remains underexplored. We aim to improve the non-invasive prediction of epileptogenic zone (EZ) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) by combining FDG PET and FMZ PET with statistical feature extraction and machine learning.

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There is a new awareness of the widespread nature of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its connection to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This has catalyzed collaboration between cardiologists, hepatologists, endocrinologists, and the wider multidisciplinary team to address the need for earlier identification of those with MASLD who are at increased risk for CVD. The overlap in the pathophysiologic processes and parallel prevalence of CVD, metabolic syndrome, and MASLD highlight the multisystem consequences of poor cardiovascular-liver-metabolic health.

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Microsatellite instability (MSI) detection using tumor tissue is a well-established prognostic and predictive biomarker for certain types of cancers. However, tumor tissue samples are less convenient to obtain than blood plasma samples. The main challenge facing next-generation sequencing-based MSI detection in blood plasma samples is the ultralow signal/noise ratio in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA).

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KRAS is an important oncogenic driver which is mutated in numerous cancers. Recent advances in the selective targeting of KRAS mutants via small molecule inhibitors and targeted protein degraders have generated an increase in research activity in this area in recent years. As such, there is a need for new assay platforms to profile next generation inhibitors which improve on the potency and selectivity of existing drug candidates, while evading the emergence of resistance.

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Background: CDK4/6 inhibitors are highly valued, but the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) associated with CDK4/6 inhibitors is not clear.

Objective: Our aim was therefore to assess the risk of developing CVAEs associated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), along with a pharmacovigilance study of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.

Methods: Eligible CVAEs were extracted from the ClinicalTrials.

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Rationale And Objectives: The correlation between collateral circulation and futile recanalization (FR) is still controversial, and few studies have explored the influence of comprehensive cerebral collateral circulation on FR after endovascular stroke treatment. Therefore, based on cerebral collateral recycle (CCR) status, we aimed to establish an effective scoring system to identify the probability of FR.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

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Hepatic steatosis is a central phenotype in multi-system metabolic dysfunction and is increasing in parallel with the obesity pandemic. We use a translational approach integrating clinical phenotyping and outcomes, circulating proteomics, and tissue transcriptomics to identify dynamic, functional biomarkers of hepatic steatosis. Using multi-modality imaging and broad proteomic profiling, we identify proteins implicated in the progression of hepatic steatosis that are largely encoded by genes enriched at the transcriptional level in the human liver.

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Article Synopsis
  • APOE is the main genetic factor influencing the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but how different forms of this protein affect that risk and the role of associated lipids is not fully understood.
  • Research shows that a specific form of ApoE, called lipApoE2, binds less effectively to LDL receptors compared to lipApoE3 and lipApoE4, which may protect against neurodegenerative lipid build-up in neurons.
  • Additionally, the presence of certain fatty acids with ApoE can lead to increased cellular damage, particularly in the brains of mice with the APOE4 variant, highlighting the potential protective role of decreased interactions between lipApoE and LDL receptors in reducing Alzheimer's risk.
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DNA degradation (Dnd) is a widespread bacterial antiphage defence system that relies on DNA phosphorothioate (PT) modification for self/non-self discrimination and subsequent degradation of unmodified DNA. Phages employ counterstrategies to evade host immunity, but anti-Dnd immunity has not been characterized. Here we report an immune evasion protein encoded by the Salmonella phage JSS1 that contributes to subverting Dnd and other defence systems.

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[F]FE-PE2I PET is a promising alternative to single positron emission computed tomography-based dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging in Parkinson's disease. While the excellent discriminative power of [F]FE-PE2I PET has been established, so far only one study has reported meaningful associations between motor severity scores and DAT availability. In this study, we use high-resolution (∼3 mm isotropic) PET to provide an independent validation for the clinical correlates of [F]FE-PE2I imaging in separate cross-sectional (28 participants with Parkinson's disease, Hoehn-Yahr: 2 and 14 healthy individuals) and longitudinal (initial results from 6 participants with Parkinson's disease with 2-year follow-up) cohorts.

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Purpose: To evaluate the surveillance value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for detecting distant metastasis and indicating systemic therapeutic efficacy in conjunctival melanoma (CoM).

Design: Retrospective, observational case series.

Methods: From July 2021 to June 2023, 30 CoM patients in our center underwent plasma ctDNA assessment, out of which 12 individuals presented with distant metastases.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study compared transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with traditional surgery in low-risk patients under 75 years old with severe aortic stenosis to evaluate safety and effectiveness over three years.* -
  • Results showed that TAVR patients had similar overall mortality rates but significantly fewer disabling strokes (0.6%) compared to surgery patients (2.9%), while TAVR also resulted in better valve performance.* -
  • Both treatment options had comparable low rates of valve reinterventions, but TAVR patients experienced higher rates of pacemaker implantation (21.0% vs. 7.1%).*
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Purpose: This study aimed to assess the drug risk of drug-related keratitis and track the epidemiological characteristics of drug-related keratitis.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the U.S.

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Glycan-mediated interactions play a crucial role in biology and medicine, influencing signalling, immune responses, and disease pathogenesis. However, the use of glycans in biosensing and diagnostics is limited by cross-reactivity, as certain glycan motifs can be recognised by multiple biologically distinct protein receptors. To address this specificity challenge, we report the enzymatic synthesis of a 150-member library of site-specifically fluorinated Lewis analogues ('glycofluoroforms') using naturally occurring enzymes and fluorinated monosaccharides.

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The family of Ras-like GTPases consists of over 150 different members, regulated by an even larger number of guanine exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) that comprise cellular switch networks that govern cell motility, growth, polarity, protein trafficking, and gene expression. Efforts to develop selective small molecule probes and drugs for these proteins have been hampered by the high affinity of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and lack of allosteric regulatory sites. This paradigm was recently challenged by the discovery of a cryptic allosteric pocket in the switch II region of K-Ras.

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Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)1 degrades tryptophan, obtained through dietary intake, into immunoregulatory metabolites of the kynurenine pathway. Deficiency or blockade of IDO1 results in the enhancement of autoimmune severity in rodent models and increased susceptibility to developing autoimmunity in humans. Despite this, therapeutic modalities that leverage IDO1 for the treatment of autoimmunity remain limited.

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Background: Intravenous thrombolysis is a standard treatment of acute ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of combining intravenous thrombolysis with argatroban (an anticoagulant agent) or eptifibatide (an antiplatelet agent) are unclear.

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, three-group, adaptive, single-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial at 57 sites in the United States.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study emphasizes the importance of identifying specific molecules linked to heart failure (HF) among numerous human disease associations, focusing on the circulating proteome.
  • It explores key biological pathways connected to HF, such as fibrosis, inflammation, metabolism, and hypertrophy, using clinical evaluations and patient outcomes.
  • Additionally, the research uncovers a variety of genes involved in HF that have not previously been highlighted in large genomic studies, showcasing the need for proteomic analysis alongside transcriptomic approaches to better inform understanding and treatment of heart conditions.
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Population pharmacokinetic (PK) models are widely used to inform drug development by pharmaceutical companies and facilitate drug evaluation by regulatory agencies. Developing a population PK model is a multi-step, challenging, and time-consuming process involving iterative manual model fitting and evaluation. A tool for fully automatic model development (AMD) of common population PK models is presented here.

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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of synthetic organic chemicals of global concern. A group of 36 scientists and regulators from 18 countries held a hybrid workshop in 2022 in Zürich, Switzerland. The workshop, a sequel to a previous Zürich workshop held in 2017, deliberated on progress in the last five years and discussed further needs for cooperative scientific research and regulatory action on PFASs.

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Spatial genomic technologies include imaging- and sequencing-based methods (1-3). An emerging subcategory of sequencing-based methods relies on a surface coated with coordinate-associated DNA barcodes, which are leveraged to tag endogenous nucleic acids or cells in an overlaid tissue section (4-7). However, the physical registration of DNA barcodes to spatial coordinates is challenging, necessitating either high density printing of coordinate-specific oligonucleotides or sequencing/probing of randomly deposited, oligonucleotide-bearing beads.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored the relationship between the vaginal microbiome (VM) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, revealing distinct microbiome characteristics across different HPV infection groups.
  • Conducted between August and December 2022, it involved 185 women screened for HPV during routine gynecological exams, who were categorized based on their HPV status (negative, high-risk, low-risk, etc.).
  • Key findings indicated that HPV-positive individuals showed significant differences in microbiome diversity compared to HPV-negative individuals, suggesting that HPV infections may disrupt the balance of vaginal bacteria and contribute to cervical lesions.
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Background: Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) significantly affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL), presenting greater challenges than those faced by the healthy population and other chronic disease sufferers. Current research lacks comprehensive integration of this critical issue.

Objective: This study explores HRQOL in IEI patients, identifies impacting factors, and advocates for increased research focus on their quality of life.

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