Publications by authors named "S-L Cao"

Leaf nitrogen allocation plays a crucial role in determining both photosynthetic function and structural development of plants. However, the effects of drought, salt stress, and their combination on leaf nitrogen allocation, and how these affect mesophyll conductance ( ) and photosynthesis, remain poorly understood. In this study, we first investigated variations in photosynthetic characteristics and leaf nitrogen allocation, and analyzed the relationship between and leaf nitrogen allocation ratios in under drought, salt and combined drought-salt stress.

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Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to analyze risk factors influencing disease progression in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) undergoing microwave ablation (MWA).

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, 889 patients (647 women; median age, 40 years; age range, 14-80 years) who underwent MWA for PTC from June 2015 to December 2022 were enrolled. A least-absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model was employed to identify important factors for disease progression.

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Phenolic compounds are key to plant defence, offering protection as antioxidants, UV shields, and antimicrobials. Their production is largely shaped by environmental conditions. It is believed that plants at lower elevations increase phenolic content to counter herbivory, while those at higher elevations rely on phenolics to manage abiotic stresses, such as climate variability.

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Various anti-aging interventions show promise in extending lifespan, but many are ineffective or even harmful to healthspan. Ginkgolide B (GB), derived from Ginkgo biloba, reduces aging-related morbidities such as osteoporosis, yet its effects on healthspan and longevity have not been fully understood. In this study, we found that continuous oral administration of GB to female mice beginning at 20 months of age extended median survival and median lifespan by 30% and 8.

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Exploring the components of soil organic carbon (SOC) and aggregate stability across different elevations is crucial to assessing the stability of SOC in subtropical forest ecosystems under climate change. In this study, we investigated the spatial variation of active carbon (C) compositions, aggregate distribution, and stability in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations across an elevation gradient from 750 to 1150 m a.s.

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Combination chemotherapy remains essential for clinical management of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Consequently, responses to multiple single agents cannot be delineated at the single patient level, even though some patients might not require all drugs in the combination. Herein, we conduct multi-omic analyses of orthotopic TNBC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) treated with single agent carboplatin, docetaxel, or the combination.

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  • Serratia marcescens Nuclease A (SmNucA) is commonly used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing to remove nucleotide impurities, but its effectiveness drops significantly in high-salt environments (up to 500 mM).
  • Researchers developed a variant called HighSalt NucA, which has four Lys mutations to enhance its ability to bind nucleic acids under these salty conditions, also revealing a new catalytic mechanism.
  • Additional experiments showed that other mutations (involving Arg and various hydrophobic or polar residues) also contribute to salt tolerance, allowing HighSalt NucA to maintain its activity and broaden its application potential in nucleic acid removal processes.
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Rationale And Objectives: Endovascular recanalization has been attempted in patients with symptomatic chronic intracranial large artery occlusion (CILAO), however, the heterogeneity of recanalization outcomes present challenges for the clinical application.

Objective: To determine the radiological features on high-resolution MR imaging (HR-MRI) for predicting successful recanalization of symptomatic CILAO.

Methods: Seventy-three patients with symptomatic CILAO who underwent endovascular recanalization at our center were retrospectively analyzed.

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  • * A total of 670 ticks and 524 blood samples were examined, revealing infection rates of 13.58% for B. burgdorferi s.l., 2.46% for B. miyamotoi, and 4.17% for ALSV; multiple genospecies of B. burgdorferi s.l. were also identified.
  • * The findings suggest that these pathogens may be endemic in the region, with detected
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Background CT deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) improves image quality by reducing noise compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V). However, objective assessment of low-contrast lesion detectability is lacking. Purpose To investigate low-contrast detectability of hypoattenuating liver lesions on CT scans reconstructed with DLIR compared with CT scans reconstructed with ASIR-V in a patient and a phantom study.

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Endocytosis and lysosomal trafficking of cell surface receptors can be triggered by endogenous ligands. Therapeutic approaches such as lysosome-targeting chimaeras (LYTACs) and cytokine receptor-targeting chimeras (KineTACs) have used this to target specific proteins for degradation by fusing modified native ligands to target binding proteins. Although powerful, these approaches can be limited by competition with native ligands and requirements for chemical modification that limit genetic encodability and can complicate manufacturing, and, more generally, there may be no native ligands that stimulate endocytosis through a given receptor.

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New antibacterial compounds are urgently needed, especially for infections caused by the top-priority Gram-negative bacteria that are increasingly difficult to treat. Lipid A is a key component of the Gram-negative outer membrane and the LpxH enzyme plays an important role in its biosynthesis, making it a promising antibacterial target. Inspired by previously reported ortho-N-methyl-sulfonamidobenzamide-based LpxH inhibitors, novel benzamide substitutions were explored in this work to assess their in vitro activity.

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  • - The study focuses on isolating a strain of a fungus from wild fruiting bodies in Guizhou, China, and explores its species identification, cultivation methods, and analysis of polysaccharide and adenosine content.
  • - Mycelia were identified using ITS sequencing, and successful domestication of the fruiting bodies was achieved for the first time, utilizing wheat and rice as cultivation media, with optimized growth parameters determined through experiments.
  • - Results showed specific optimal cultivation conditions, yielding biological efficiencies of 1.880% and 2.115% on wheat and rice, respectively, and highlighting the polysaccharide and adenosine contents in the fruiting bodies, providing insights for future artificial cultivation.
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  • Researchers designed new D-proteins (50-65 residues) that specifically bind to natural L-proteins, which could be useful in biotechnology.
  • These D-proteins showed strong binding affinity to both an artificial L-peptide and important human proteins like TrkA and IL-6, while also effectively inhibiting their signaling in cell studies.
  • The study revealed a high-resolution crystal structure of the D-protein-L-peptide complex, confirming the accuracy of the design method and providing insights into the unique interactions between D-proteins and L-peptides.
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  • The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the need for multivalent vaccines, leading to the development of SCTV01E, a tetravalent COVID-19 vaccine targeting variants Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1.
  • A double-blind placebo-controlled trial showed SCTV01E had a vaccine efficacy of 69.4% against COVID-19 seven days post-vaccination, with higher efficacy rates in preventing symptomatic and all infections at 14 days.
  • The vaccine demonstrated a significant neutralizing antibody response against Omicron BA.5 and had mild reactogenicity, indicating its potential effectiveness against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Objectives: To perform a multi-reader comparison of multiparametric dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) images reconstructed with deep-learning image reconstruction (DLIR) and standard-of-care adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V).

Methods: This retrospective study included 100 patients undergoing portal venous phase abdominal CT on a rapid kVp switching DECT scanner. Six reconstructed DECT sets (ASIR-V and DLIR, each at three strengths) were generated.

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  • CXCR1/2 biomolecules are important in cancer processes like cell growth and inflammation, and they are seen as potential drug targets, particularly in cancers like clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), where they are overexpressed.
  • Researchers developed new compounds called ,-diarylurea analogues that effectively inhibit CXCR1/2, showing promising results in reducing cancer cell invasion, migration, and blood vessel formation in lab tests.
  • The lead compound demonstrated strong anticancer effects with minimal toxicity in animal models, making it a potential candidate for further development as an oral treatment targeting the CXCR1/2 pathway.
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  • The study investigates how radiation therapy (RT) leads to an increase in regulatory T cells (Treg) that inhibit effective cancer treatment by focusing on conventional dendritic cells (cDC), which help maintain Treg levels.
  • Using techniques like transcriptomics and high-dimensional flow cytometry, the researchers identified that radiation enhances certain cDC populations that produce CCL22, a chemokine that recruits Treg, thereby linking this axis to poorer patient outcomes.
  • The findings demonstrate that by blocking CCL22 or depleting Treg, RT effectiveness can be improved; a prototype protein (αEGFR-IFNα) was highlighted for its ability to enhance the immune response and combat tumors
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Here, we describe the identification of an antibiotic class acting via LpxH, a clinically unexploited target in lipopolysaccharide synthesis. The lipopolysaccharide synthesis pathway is essential in most Gram-negative bacteria and there is no analogous pathway in humans. Based on a series of phenotypic screens, we identified a hit targeting this pathway that had activity on efflux-defective strains of .

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Background: Evaluating rupture risk in cerebral arteriovenous malformations currently lacks quantitative hemodynamic and angioarchitectural features necessary for predicting subsequent hemorrhage. We aimed to derive rupture-related hemodynamic and angioarchitectural features of arteriovenous malformations and construct an ensemble model for predicting subsequent hemorrhage.

Methods: This retrospective study included 3 data sets, as follows: training and test data sets comprising consecutive patients with untreated cerebral arteriovenous malformations who were admitted from January 2015 to June 2022 and a validation data set comprising patients with unruptured arteriovenous malformations who received conservative treatment between January 2009 and December 2014.

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  • The acidity of aerosol and cloud water impacts human health, ecosystems, and climate, and varies by region, with the Guanzhong Plain in China showcasing unique influences from human emissions and natural components.* -
  • In this study, cloud water collected at high altitude (Mt. Hua) was found to be alkaline (pH 7.6), contrasting with more acidic particulate matter (pH 3.2), suggesting a need to reconsider previous assumptions about cloud acidity and pollution.* -
  • The research highlighted that while sulfate (SO) is prevalent in particulate matter, its concentration diminishes in cloud water, with an increase in nitrate (NO) and ammonium (NH), and identified a large presence of dicar
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  • A study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of intravenous tirofiban versus alteplase before endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion.
  • Data was analyzed from two multicenter trials, comparing functional independence and safety outcomes like intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rates between the two treatment groups.
  • Results indicated that tirofiban led to higher rates of functional independence compared to alteplase, and there were no significant differences in safety outcomes between the two treatments.
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Rationale And Objectives: This study aimed to non-invasively predict epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status in patients with lung adenocarcinoma using multi-phase computed tomography (CT) radiomics features.

Materials And Methods: A total of 424 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were recruited from two hospitals who underwent preoperative non-enhanced CT (NE-CT) and enhanced CT (including arterial phase CT [AP-CT], and venous phase CT [VP-CT]). Patients were divided into training (n = 297) and external validation (n = 127) cohorts according to hospital.

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A male infant, aged 6 days, was admitted to the hospital due to respiratory distress and systemic desquamative rash after birth. The infant presented with erythema and desquamative rash, respiratory failure, recurrent infections, chronic diarrhea, hypernatremic dehydration, and growth retardation. Comprehensive treatment, including anti-infection therapy, intravenous immunoglobulin administration, and skin care, resulted in improvement of the rash, but recurrent infections persisted.

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Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a common but poorly understood form of heart failure, characterized by impaired diastolic function. It is highly heterogeneous with multiple comorbidities, including obesity and diabetes, making human studies difficult.

Methods: Metabolomic analyses in a mouse model of HFpEF showed that levels of indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a metabolite produced by gut bacteria from tryptophan, were reduced in the plasma and heart tissue of HFpEF mice as compared with controls.

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