Publications by authors named "Shihong Zhong"

Nitrogen (N) is one of the three major elements required for plant growth and development. It is of great significance to study the effects of different nitrogen application levels on the growth and root exudates of Phlomoides rotata, and can provide a theoretical basis for its scientific application of fertilizer to increase production. In this study, Phlomoides rotata were grown under different nitrogen conditions for two months.

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It is well established that humoral immunity targeting hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) plays a critical role in viral clearance and clinical cure. However, the functional changes in HBsAg-specific B cells before and after achieving functional cure remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized circulating HBsAg-specific B cells and identified functional shifts and B-cell epitopes directly associated with HBsAg loss.

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Tibetan medicine Bang Jian refers to a range of botanical drugs within the genus. It serves as a prominent traditional Tibetan botanical drug primarily found in the ethnic minority regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. Traditionally, the dried flowers of Bang Jian, known as "Longdanhua" have been employed in Tibetan medicine to address detoxification, pharyngeal relief, acute and chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, lung infections, pulmonary fibrosis, and throat disorders.

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Background: Gut microbiota is crucial for immune homeostasis and is associated with the prognosis of chronic hepatitis B infection. Peyer's patches (PPs), characterized by intestinal mucosa localization, are involved in the gut microbiota-mediated immune response. However, whether and how PPs orchestrate gut microbiota-modulated anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) response remain elusive.

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Background: The identification and enumeration of medicinal plants at high elevations is an important part of accurate yield calculations. However, the current assessment of medicinal plant reserves continues to rely on field sampling surveys, which are cumbersome and time-consuming. Recently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing and deep learning (DL) have provided ultrahigh-resolution imagery and high-accuracy object recognition techniques, respectively, providing an excellent opportunity to improve the current manual surveying of plants.

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The authenticity and quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) directly impact clinical efficacy and safety. Quality assessment of traditional Chinese medicine (QATCM) is a global concern due to increased demand and shortage of resources. Recently, modern analytical technologies have been extensively investigated and utilized to analyze the chemical composition of TCM.

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Background & Aims: Treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) efficiently suppresses viral replication in patients with chronic HBV infection, yet HBV relapses frequently upon NA withdrawal; the detailed immunomodulatory compounds for sustained viral control of HBV upon NA interruption have yet to be fully clarified. This study aimed to elucidate the role of T cells specific for distinct HBV peptides in sustained response upon discontinuation of antiviral treatment.

Methods: A total of 48 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B receiving NA treatment and withdrawal were included longitudinally in a retrospective and prospective cohort.

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Background And Aim: Long-term maintenance of viral control, even HBsAg loss, remains a challenge for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients undergoing nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) discontinuation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between HBV-specific T-cell responses targeting peptides spanning the whole proteome and clinical outcomes in CHB patients after NA discontinuation.

Approach And Results: Eighty-eight CHB patients undergoing NA discontinuation were classified as responders (remained relapse-free up to 96 weeks) or relapsers (relapsed patients who underwent NA retreatment for up to 48 weeks and reachieved stable viral control).

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Objectives: Dissecting the underlying mechanism of T cells remodeling mediated by interferon α (IFN-α) is indispensable for achieving an optimum therapeutic response in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, little is known about B cells in this process. This study aims to elucidate the roles of B cells in IFN-α-mediated anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) cellular immunity.

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The elimination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is partially facilitated by the prophylactic HB vaccine. As the loss of seroprotection over time remains a conundrum for long-lasting protection, a comprehensive dynamic analysis of immunogenic targets of the HB vaccine will provide novel insights into the improvement and design of potential targets. In this study, 36 healthy subjects without prior history of hepatitis B infection and negative for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) were enrolled.

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Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a leading cause of hepatic inflammation and damage. The pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is predominantly mediated by persistent intrahepatic immunopathology. With the characterization of unique anatomical and immunological structure, the liver is also deemed an immunological organ, which gives rise to massive cytokines and chemokines under pathogenesis conditions, having significant implications for the progression of HBV infection.

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Identification of immunogenic targets against hepatitis B virus (HBV)-encoded proteins will provide crucial advances in developing potential antibody therapies. In this study, 63 treatment-naïve patients with chronic HBV infection and 46 patients who achieved hepatitis B surface antigen loss (sAg loss) following antiviral treatment were recruited. Moreover, six patients who transitioned from the hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic infection phase (eAgCInf) to the hepatitis phase (eAgCHep) were enrolled from real-life clinical practice.

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Persistent antigen exposure during chronic hepatitis B infection leads to exhausted immune responses, thus impeding viral control. In recent years, immunometabolism opens new therapeutic possibilities for the modulation of immune responses. Herein, we investigated the immunomodulatory effect of L-carnitine (L-Cn) on immune cells in chronic HBV infection.

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Background: The outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is significantly affected by host immune response; herein, we aim to dissect the effect of L-carnitine (L-Cn) on germinal center (GC)-related immune cells and the influence on the prognosis of HBV infection.

Methods: In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed in patients with chronic HBV infection and a hydrodynamic injection mouse model.

Results: In vitro assays revealed that L-Cn significantly reduced GC-related immune responses and enhanced immunosuppressive profiles.

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Zha-xun is widely used in Tibetan medicine and is also an international traditional medicine. This study believes that the black organic matter constituting Zha-xun is mainly stored in the rocks. The exudation points of Zha-xun mostly distribute on the cliffs of high mountains, which makes it difficult to evaluate its resource distribution and storage area.

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Background: Shilajit is a commonly used Tibetan medicine, and its water extract is mainly used for various heat-related syndrome, especially that of stomach, liver and kidney. Shilajit is found to exudate from rocks of cliff at an altitude of 2000-4000 m as a water-soluble mixture of black paste and animal feces of spp. spp.

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Background: Tibetan medicine (TM) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are two independent traditional medical systems. Due to geographical factors, the development of Tibetan medicinal theory is relatively independent, but there are still many shared-use medicines in TM and TCM. However, a thorough and comparative study on those medicines is still absent.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzed the growth, clonal propagation, and sexual reproduction parameters of Acanthopanax giraldii to understand its population ecology.
  • There was a significant correlation found between clonal ramets, fruit production, and new shoot production, highlighting the importance of both sexual and clonal reproduction for the species' survival.
  • Key ecological factors, particularly illumination and canopy density, influenced the growth types, with denser canopies shifting growth strategies and affecting seed germination and colonization.
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BACKGROUND Photoaging is the main cause of extrinsic skin aging. Daily exposure to ultraviolet A (UVA) accelerates the process of photoaging. The present study aimed to understand the role of concentrated growth factors (CGF) on UVA irradiated human skin cells.

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Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) that accumulates in the surface soil of railway rock-cut slopes may migrate to nearby croplands. It is important to determine whether backfill soil type influences the transportation of Cd and Pb in the surface soil. Representative rock-cut slopes, backfill soil of 100% rock fragments, 100% agricultural soil, and 50% agricultural soil and 50% rock fragments (n = 2 for each type) were selected.

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Artificial soil on railway rock-cut slopes may be considerably contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), which may migrate to nearby croplands and pose substantial risks to human and animal health. We investigate the influence of three types of revegetation modes - herbs (HS); herbs and shrubs (HSS); and herbs, shrubs, and trees (HSTS) - on the transportation of these heavy metals in soils. Six representative rock-cut slopes were chosen, and the vegetation, pollutant concentration, phytostabilization, and simulated rainfall were investigated.

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In the present study, 11 non-anthocyanin polyphenols, gallic acid, protocatechuate, vanillic acid, syringic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate-were firstly screened and identified from blueberries using an ultra performance liquid chromatography⁻time of flight mass spectrography (UPLC-TOF/MS) method. Then, a sample preparation method was developed based on vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. The microextraction conditions, including the amount of ethyl acetate, the amount of acetonitrile and the solution pH, were optimized through the multi-objective response surface methodology and desirability function approach.

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Zha-xun is widely used in Tibetan medicine and is also an international traditional medicine. This article would summarize the use status and research progress of Zha-xun by various ethnic groups all over the world, and the results show that it has various synonyms but most of them imply its most characteristic feature-outflow from the rock; Zha-xun resources are distributed in various places of the world, and its bearing spots are closely related to the geological structure; there are sharp arguments on the origins of Zha-xun, mainly including the minerals origin, biological fossils origin, biological origin, etc. Zha-xun has multiple functions and is mainly used to treat stomach disease, liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis in China, and premature ejaculation, impotence, vaginitis embolism in foreign countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • This article investigates how Acanthopanax giraldii reacts to varying shading intensities to optimize its artificial cultivation.
  • The study analyzes factors like photosynthesis, physiology, and submicroscopic structure across different shading treatment groups, revealing that light intensity significantly impacts the plant's photosynthetic rate.
  • Research findings show that lower light conditions led to reduced stomatal and non-stomatal limitations, affecting various biochemical activities, which suggests A. giraldii can adapt to changing environmental conditions to maintain yield and quality.
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Article Synopsis
  • A method for simultaneously determining the contents of several compounds (sesamoside, menthyl chloride, etc.) was developed using LIPLC analysis with a specific column and mobile phase.
  • The method demonstrated good separation, high precision, and strong specificity with recovery rates between 96.61% and 100.4%.
  • It was found that different habitats influenced the content of the compounds, while storage for one year significantly reduced sesamoside levels.
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