Publications by authors named "Shufen Li"

Monitoring acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and its inhibitor is crucial yet challenging for the early diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases. In this study, we present Au nanoparticle decorated CoAl layered double hydroxide monolayer (Au@CoAl-LDH-m) as a peroxidase-like (POD) nanozyme for the sensitive colorimetric detection of AChE and its inhibitor, thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). Remarkably, the Au@CoAl-LDH-m nanozyme can catalyze the oxidation of chromogenic substrates through its POD-like activity, which is effectively inhibited by thiocholine (TCh, a catalytic product of AChE), thereby enabling detection of AChE and TPP through a visible colorimetric readout.

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  • A clinical trial compared the effectiveness and safety of gemcitabine plus capecitabine (GX) versus gemcitabine plus carboplatin (GC) in treating advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients.
  • The results showed that while median progression-free survival (PFS) was similar, the GC regimen was more effective, particularly in patients with high tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
  • The GX regimen is still considered for patients who might struggle with the side effects associated with the GC treatment, particularly hematological toxicity.
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Background: Bipolar disorder is a complex polygenic disorder that is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania, the heterogeneity of which is likely complicated by epigenetic modifications that remain to be elucidated.

Methods: We performed transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood RNA from monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant for bipolar disorder to identify disease-associated differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs (DE-lncRNAs), which were further validated in the PsychENCODE brain RNA-seq dataset. We then performed behavioral tests, electrophysiological assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and PCR to investigate the function of DE-lncRNAs in the mouse and cell models.

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Recently, research on the plant-based oleogels, has gained significant attention as a promising approach for oil formulation. In this research, emulsion-templated technique utilizing millet prolamin (MP) as oleogelator was employed for crafting edible oleogels from various vegetable oils of varying degree of unsaturation. The focus of the study was to examine the formation process, structural characteristics, rheological properties, and lipid digestion of these oleogels.

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  • Viruses have evolved mechanisms to break down cellular proteins to enhance their infection and disease-causing ability, and the non-structural protein NSs from Rift Valley fever virus plays a crucial role in this process.
  • The NSs protein forms helical structures that work as an E3 ligase, specifically targeting and degrading the TFIIH complex, which is important for antiviral immunity.
  • The degradation of the TFIIH complex by NSs leads to a significant weakening of the host's immune response and facilitates the virus's ability to cause disease, while also showing potential for targeting other proteins in the cell.
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Infection of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne zoonotic virus, triggers severe inflammatory pathogenesis but the underlying mechanism of inflammation activation is currently unclear. Here, we report that the non-structural protein NSs of RVFV triggers mitochondrial damage to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome leading to viral pathogenesis in vivo. It is found that the host transcription inhibition effect of NSs causes rapid down-regulation of myeloid cell leukemia-1(MCL-1), a pro-survival member of the Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma protein 2) protein family.

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  • Enhancing drought tolerance in crops is vital for improving yields when water is scarce, and this study focuses on the maize gene ZmDST44, which is regulated by a specific miRNA.
  • The research shows that ZmDST44 mRNA is cleaved by the miRNA, and overexpressing this gene in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize significantly boosts drought tolerance in these plants.
  • Transgenic plants with ZmDST44 displayed lower MDA levels, more proline, and higher expression of drought-responsive genes, indicating that ZmDST44 could be targeted for genetic engineering to create crops better adapted to drought conditions.
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Background: The causes of migraine remain unclear. Evidence suggests that the MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways play a role in migraine pathogenesis. However, studies on genetic polymorphisms in the two pathways associated with migraine are still limited.

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  • A study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of pyrotinib combined with metronomic vinorelbine for patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer who did not respond to trastuzumab treatment.
  • The trial involved 36 patients and reported a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 13.5 months, with an overall response rate (ORR) of 38.9% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 83.3%.
  • Common side effects included diarrhea and vomiting, but no severe adverse events were noted, indicating a promising treatment option for these patients.
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Observational studies have suggested an association between air pollutants and congenital malformations; however, conclusions are inconsistent and the causal associations have not been elucidated. In this study, based on publicly available genetic data, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to explore the associations between particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.

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Background: Previous studies had found that the mechanical methods were as effective as pharmacological methods in achieving vaginal delivery. However, whether balloon catheter induction is suitable for women with severe cervical immaturity and whether it will increase the related risks still need to be further explored.

Research Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Foley catheter balloon for labor induction at term in primiparas with different cervical scores.

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Peripheral nerve blockade (PNB) is a common treatment to relieve postoperative pain. However, local anesthetics alone have a short duration of action and severe side effects during postoperative analgesia. In order to overcome these limitations, the present study reported an injectable hydrogel with a drug slow-release profile for regional nerve blockade.

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Background: The relationship between hormonal fluctuations in the reproductive system and the occurrence of low back pain (LBP) has been widely observed. However, the causal impact of specific variables that may be indicative of hormonal and reproductive factors, such as age at menopause (ANM), age at menarche (AAM), length of menstrual cycle (LMC), age at first birth (AFB), age at last live birth (ALB) and age first had sexual intercourse (AFS) on low back pain remains unclear.

Methods: This study employed Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) using publicly available summary statistics from Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and FinnGen Consortium to investigate the causal links between hormonal and reproductive factors on LBP.

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Lipid deposition has been considered one of the key factors in the occurrence of valvular heart disease (VHD) and a great potential target for the diagnosis of VHD. However, the development of lipid imaging technologies and efficient lipid specific probes is in urgent demand. In this work, we have prepared a lipid droplets (LDs) targeted fluorescence probe CPTM based on a push-pull electronic structure for the imaging of diseased aortic valves.

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Fluorescent probes that specifically targeting Lipid droplets (LDs) have shown potential in biological imaging. Albeit, their in vivo applications are limited due to the hydrophobicity, low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and LDs-specificity. Thus, we designed a novel probe namely MeOND, and a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nano-platform to improve in vivo LDs-specific imaging.

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  • Isatropolone C is a compound with a complex tricyclic structure derived from a specific microbial species and has been shown to dimerize into di-isatropolone C in methanol.
  • The NMR analysis of di-isatropolone C reveals a new cyclopentane ring connecting two isatropolone C molecules and provides insights into the configuration of its chiral carbons using advanced quantum calculations.
  • Both isatropolone C and di-isatropolone C have been found to induce autophagy in HepG2 liver cancer cells, indicating their potential biological significance.
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  • * Researchers found that applying GAs to female spinach plants can completely convert them to male, along with the discovery that silencing a protein called SpGAI, which regulates GA signaling, produces a similar masculine effect.
  • * Additionally, SpGAI interacts with a transcription factor, SpSTM, and both proteins play roles in repressing female flower development, suggesting a molecular pathway (SpGAI-SpSTM-SpPI) responsible for sexual conversion in dioecious plants.
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Background: The causes of some stillbirths are unclear, and additional work must be done to investigate the risk factors for stillbirths.

Objective: To apply the International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) for antepartum stillbirth at a referral center in eastern China.

Methods: Antepartum stillbirths were grouped according to the cause of death according to the International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) criteria.

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Background: Major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD) are complex genetic mental illnesses. Their non-Mendelian features, such as those observed in monozygotic twins discordant for SCZ or BPD, are likely complicated by environmental modifiers of genetic effects. 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is an important epigenetic mark in gene regulation, and whether it is linked to genetic variants that contribute to non-Mendelian features remains largely unexplored.

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The complexity, degradability, and stability of drug delivery systems are crucial factors for clinical application. Herein, a glutathione (GSH)-responsive polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated nanogel conjugated with doxorubicin (Dox) was prepared based on a linker with disulfide bonds, PEG, and Dox using a one-pot method. FT-IR and UV-vis analyses confirmed that all raw materials were incorporated in the Dox-conjugated nanogel structure.

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DNA methylation plays a critical role in the modulation of gene expression. The role of DNA methylation in sex determination was investigated in spinach. The differentiated cytosine CpG methylation profiles of CCGG motifs were assessed with methylation sensitivity amplification polymorphism (MSAP) in spinach.

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  • Transposable elements (TEs) and satellite DNAs contribute to the evolution of sex chromosomes in non-recombining genome regions, particularly in the dioecious plant under study, which has XX/XYY sex chromosomes.
  • The research involved next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics, revealing that the female and male genomes contain 68.30% and 66.78% repetitive sequences, respectively, with a notable presence of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons.
  • The study identified three novel satellite DNAs with unique distributions on the X, Y, and Y chromosomes, suggesting that the XYY chromosomes may have originated from a centric fission event, thus enhancing the understanding of repetitive sequences in the plant's genome
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The sex-determining-region (SDR) may offer the best prospects for studying sex-determining gene, recombination suppression, and chromosome heteromorphism. However, current progress of SDR identification and cloning showed following shortcomings: large near-isogenic lines need to be constructed, and a relatively large population is needed; the cost of whole-genome sequencing and assembly is high. Herein, the X/Y chromosomes of Spinacia oleracea L.

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Background: Long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) are ubiquitous and make up the majority of nearly all sequenced plant genomes, whereas their pivotal roles in genome evolution, gene expression regulation as well as their epigenetic regulation are still not well understood, especially in a large number of closely related species.

Results: Here, we analyzed the abundance and dynamic evolution of LTR-RTs in 54 species from an economically and agronomically important family, Fabaceae, and also selected two representative species for further analysis in expression of associated genes, transcriptional activity and DNA methylation patterns of LTR-RTs. Annotation results revealed highly varied proportions of LTR-RTs in these genomes (5.

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Sex chromosomes have evolved independently in many different plant lineages. Here, we describe reference genomes for spinach (Spinacia oleracea) X and Y haplotypes by sequencing homozygous XX females and YY males. The long arm of 185-Mb chromosome 4 carries a 13-Mb X-linked region (XLR) and 24.

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