Publications by authors named "Shengnan Xu"

Given the variability in the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blocking therapy among patients and tumor types, development of noninvasive methods for longitudinal assessment of immune cell function and early tumor response is crucial for precision immunotherapy. CD137 (4-1BB), a marker of activated T cells, plays a significant role in immunotherapy. However, its potential as an imaging biomarker for activated T cells in the tumor microenvironment has not been explored.

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  • - The American Heart Association (AHA) created a new metric called Life's Essential 8 (LE8) to encourage cardiovascular health, but its link to depression symptoms hasn't been explored yet.
  • - Using data from the NHANES (2005-2018), researchers analyzed over 25,000 U.S. adults to see if there was a connection between LE8 scores and depression.
  • - They found that higher LE8 scores correlated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms, suggesting that better cardiovascular health may help reduce depression risk among adults.
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Ethanol can directly or indirectly lead to cognitive and mental disorders. The long-term intake of alcohol can directly affect the distribution of gut microbiota. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is a natural bacterium isolated from healthy human intestines that has the function of preventing cytokine-induced cell apoptosis and protecting cell barriers.

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Wetlands play a vital role in regulating the global carbon cycle, providing biodiversity, and reducing flood risks. These functions maintain ecological balance and ensure human well-being. Timely, accurate monitoring of wetlands is essential, not only for conservation efforts, but also for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Rib/channel dimensions significantly affect mass transfer, product water discharge, and electron transport. Aiming for high-power density stacks, bipolar plate thickness has been continually reduced, and microflow fields with the width and height smaller than 1 mm currently lack thorough experimental study. In this article, three stainless-steel plates were designed and fabricated, featuring rib/channel widths of 0.

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C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is an attractive target for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Here, we aimed to develop a new CXCR4-targeted PET tracer, and to investigate the translational potential for noninvasive imaging of CXCR4 expression in various cancer entities through preclinical and pilot clinical studies. [F]AlF-NOTA-QHY-04 was synthesized and evaluated by cellular uptake, blocking and biolayer interferometry studies .

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  • - The study investigates the role of Early Growth Response 1 (Egr1) in regulating vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and the progression of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD).
  • - Using mouse models, researchers found that Egr1 expression increased in TAAD conditions and its knockout reduced the severity of TAAD by preventing VSMC phenotypic switching.
  • - The findings suggest that Egr1 promotes the harmful changes in VSMCs by enhancing the expression of Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5), indicating that targeting Egr1 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for TAAD.
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  • Researchers studied the toxicity of 6PPD-Q, an antioxidant used in rubber production, on zebrafish larvae at varying concentrations, finding that while hatchability remained normal, there were significant reductions in body length and swimming distance.
  • At the highest tested concentration, 6PPD-Q negatively affected the development of dopaminergic neurons and altered neurotransmitter levels, highlighting potential impacts on neurological function.
  • The study also indicated that ghrelin's upregulation could mitigate some of the behavioral deficits caused by 6PPD-Q, suggesting a possible therapeutic pathway to address its toxic effects.
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  • Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a growing concern, highlighting the need for new antimicrobial treatments.
  • Research focused on new compounds based on honokiol that showed significant antibacterial effects against MRSA while minimizing harm to human cells (low hemolytic activity).
  • The study revealed these compounds work by targeting and disrupting bacterial cell membranes, leading to increased reactive oxygen species and cellular damage, suggesting they could be promising alternatives to existing antibiotics like vancomycin.
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  • The study looks at how well a special type of scan, called [F]AlF-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT, can predict different kinds of breast cancer.
  • Researchers tested this on 53 patients and found that certain types of breast cancer showed more signs on the scan than others.
  • Results showed that some cancer types, like triple-negative, had a strong signal on the scan, which means the scan can help doctors understand what type of breast cancer a patient might have.
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The incidence of aortic dissection (AD) is steadily increasing, driven by the rising prevalence of chronic conditions such as hypertension and the global aging of the population. Oxidative stress emerges as a pivotal pathophysiological mechanism contributing to the progression of AD. Oxidative stress triggers apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells, reshapes the extracellular matrix (ECM), and governs ECM degradation and remodeling, subsequently impacting aortic compliance.

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Background: Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease whose pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated, and vaccination is the only effective method for protecting against rabies virus infection. Most inactivated vaccines are produced using Vero cells, which are African green monkey kidney cells, to achieve large-scale production. However, there is a potential carcinogenic risk due to nonhuman DNA contamination.

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  • Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a severe complication of diabetes, linked to changes in O-GlcNAc modification, but its specific role in DR is not fully established.
  • This research investigates the impact of regulating O-GlcNAc through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, using both in vitro and in vivo models to explore potential clinical treatment avenues for DR.
  • Findings indicate that high glucose levels increase O-GlcNAc modifications, leading to retinal degeneration, but activating AMPK can counteract these detrimental effects, suggesting a protective mechanism through AMPK activation.
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Background: Several scholarly publications have thoroughly examined the significant role of autophagy in the pathogenesis, progression, and treatment of retinal diseases. This research utilized bibliometric analysis to identify the primary areas of focus and emerging trends within the discipline and offer a comprehensive summary.

Methods: The research articles and reviews regarding autophagy and retinal diseases from 2009-01-01 to 2022-12-31 were from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC).

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Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) has become a serious threat to human public health and global economic development, and there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial agents. Flavonoids are the largest group of plant secondary metabolites, and the anti- and anti-MRSA activities of flavonoids have now been widely reported. The aim of this Review is to describe plant-derived flavonoid active ingredients and their effects and mechanisms of inhibitory activity against MRSA in order to provide insights for screening novel antimicrobial agents.

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Objective: Hypothyroidism, characterized by reduced thyroid hormone levels, and endometrial cancer, a prevalent gynecological malignancy, have been suggested to have a potential association in previous observational studies. However, the causal relationship between them remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between hypothyroidism and endometrial cancer using a bilateral Mendelian randomization approach.

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Exposure to chronic psychosocial stress is a risk factor for metabolic disorders. Because dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) and cysteinyl cathepsin K (CTSK) play important roles in human pathobiology, we investigated the role(s) of DPP4 in stress-related adipocyte differentiation, with a focus on the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/adiponectin-CTSK axis in vivo and in vitro. Plasma and inguinal adipose tissue from non-stress wild-type (DPP4), DPP4-knockout (DPP4) and CTSK-knockout (CTSK) mice, and stressed DPP4, DPP4, CTSK, and DPP4 mice underwent stress exposure plus GLP-1 receptor agonist exenatide loading for 2 weeks and then were analyzed for stress-related biological and/or morphological alterations.

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  • Chronic psychological stress (CPS) increases the risk of thrombosis in cardiovascular diseases, potentially by upregulating cysteine cathepsin K (CTSK) in stressed tissues.
  • In experiments with mice, chronic stress led to increased thrombus formation and endothelial cell damage, along with elevated levels of specific proteins related to inflammation and apoptosis associated with vascular injury.
  • Targeting CTSK through pharmacological and genetic methods reduced stress-induced thrombosis, suggesting that CTSK may be a promising therapeutic target for conditions caused by chronic stress.
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Glutamine metabolism plays a pivotal role in cancer progression, immune cell function, and the modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Dysregulated glutamine metabolism has been implicated in cancer development and immune responses, supported by mounting evidence. Cancer cells heavily rely on glutamine as a critical nutrient for survival and proliferation, while immune cells require glutamine for activation and proliferation during immune reactions.

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Two-photon excitation (TPE) microscopy with near-infrared (NIR) emission has emerged as a promising technique for deep-tissue optical imaging. Recent developments in fluorescence lifetime imaging with long-lived emission probes have further enhanced the spatial resolution and precision of fluorescence imaging, especially in complex systems with short-lived background signals. In this study, two innovative lysosome-targeting probes, Cz-NA and tCz-NA, are introduced.

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Different motor learning methods (explicit or analogy learning) show different effects on motor performance stability, and reinvestment propensity plays an important role in motor performance stability. This study aimed to explore whether reinvestment propensity, that is, movement self-consciousness (MS-C) and conscious motor processing (CMP) as two dimensions, played a moderating role in the relationship between motor learning methods and motor performance stability. A total of 78 participants were randomly assigned to either the explicit or analogy learning group and their reinvestment propensity was measured.

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Purpose: Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a severe side effect of radiotherapy (RT) for thoracic malignancies and we currently lack established methods for the early detection of RILI. In this study, we synthesized a new tracer, [F]AlF-NOTA-QHY-04, targeting C-X-C-chemokine-receptor-type-4 (CXCR4) and investigated its feasibility to detect RILI.

Methods: An RILI rat model was constructed and scanned with [F]AlF-NOTA-QHY-04 PET/CT and [F]FDG PET/CT periodically after RT.

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The burden of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in China is significant and growing, and this is reflected in high rates of T2DM in the city of Ningbo, China. Consequent impacts on morbidity, mortality, healthcare expenditure, and health-related quality of life, make this a problem of the utmost importance to address. One way to improve T2DM outcomes is to address lifestyle behaviours that may affect prognosis and complications, such as physical activity levels, dietary habits, smoking status, and alcohol intake.

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  • Researchers are working on new mRNA vaccines to fight cancer, inspired by their success in stopping COVID-19.
  • These vaccines may work better and have fewer side effects than older treatments, and some early tests show good results.
  • However, there are challenges like how different tumors are and how to give the vaccine properly, so scientists are studying ways to solve these problems for better use in the future.
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