Publications by authors named "Tian-Lei Zhang"
Article Synopsis
- Konjac is a plant from the Araceae family primarily grown in southwestern China and is popular for weight loss.
- In June 2022, a leaf blight affecting about 20% of a 200-ha konjac plantation was reported in Hunan Province, linked to warm, humid weather conditions.
- Researchers isolated eleven fungal strains from infected plants, identifying three representative isolates through genetic sequencing of specific genes to confirm their identity.
Article Synopsis
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a serious condition in newborns with high rates of morbidity and limited treatment options, leading researchers to study it in neonatal rats.
- The study used a specific rat model to compare effects of hypoxic-ischemic reperfusion brain injury versus simple hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, revealing that mitochondrial proteins and signs of ferroptosis were prevalent in the reperfusion model.
- Results indicated that reperfusion worsens brain injury while also triggering protective responses related to ferroptosis, suggesting new directions for treatment and understanding of the condition in neonates.
Article Synopsis
- The text references a correction related to a specific academic article identified by the DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166177.
- This indicates that there was an error or oversight in the original publication that needed addressing.
- Such corrections are important for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of academic research.
Value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in children with severe infectious diseases.
Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the effectiveness of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting pathogens in children with severe infections at a hospital in Wenzhou from mid-2018 to late 2020.
- Out of 29 children analyzed, mNGS identified pathogens in 20 cases (69% detection rate), while conventional culture only detected 2 cases (7% detection rate), showing that mNGS is significantly more effective.
- mNGS demonstrated higher sensitivity for pathogen detection, revealing various pathogens that conventional methods missed, making it a superior diagnostic tool for severe infectious diseases in pediatric patients.
Article Synopsis
- Metabolomics is being used to understand how geniposide can protect against alcoholic liver disease (ALD) caused by chronic alcohol consumption.
- Geniposide treatment resulted in lower levels of liver damage markers and reduced cell death in liver tissues, alongside significant alterations in various metabolites related to ALD.
- The study highlights the effectiveness of using advanced techniques like UPLC-Q/TOF-MS and pathway analysis to uncover the therapeutic mechanisms of natural products, suggesting new targets for ALD treatment.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates how obacunone, a natural compound, inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells (22RV1) through a non-targeted cell metabolomics approach.
- The researchers identified 21 metabolites and highlighted key metabolic pathways involved, including those related to nicotinate, phenylalanine, and tryptophan metabolism.
- Overall, the findings suggest that functional metabolomics can enhance our understanding of how substances like obacunone affect cancer cells, potentially aiding in drug discovery.
Cell metabolomics identify regulatory pathways and targets of magnoline against prostate cancer.
J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci
December 2018
Article Synopsis
- Prostate cancer is commonly treated with traditional chemotherapy, which often has toxic effects and can lead to drug resistance.
- Natural drugs, particularly Cortex Phellodendri, show promise in treating prostate cancer due to their lower toxicity and high efficiency.
- A study focusing on the main component, magnoline, revealed it significantly inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells by affecting metabolic pathways crucial for the energy and nutrition necessary for cell proliferation.
Article Synopsis
- Potamogeton is a complex group of aquatic plants with significant morphological and ecological diversity, making its classification challenging.
- Phylogenetic analysis typically relies on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), but previous studies reveal high homoplasy, leading to inconsistencies in phylogenies, as observed in this research comparing rbcL and ITS datasets.
- This study introduces a new barcode, PHYB, to clarify these phylogenetic discrepancies, successfully confirming six plant hybrids and suggesting that a combination of multiple genetic markers, including ITS and PHYB, may enhance species identification and phylogenetic resolution in Potamogeton.
Article Synopsis
- The steroid hormone ecdysone is crucial for insect molting and metamorphosis, synthesized in the prothoracic gland (PG) with specific enzymes involved in its production.
- This study identifies Antennapedia (Antp) and POU-M2 as key regulators that enhance the expression of steroidogenic enzyme genes by binding to specific regulatory elements in their promoters.
- Down-regulating Antp or POU-M2 disrupts ecdysone levels and leads to failed metamorphosis, highlighting the importance of these homeodomain proteins in insect development.