Publications by authors named "Weichen Xu"

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, with its pathogenesis incompletely understood. Inflammation, as an important aspect of glaucoma, has attracted increasing attention. In this study, we performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the association between 91 circulating inflammatory proteins and glaucoma.

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Microplastics are plastic particles with sizes of less than 5 mm. The ubiquity of microplastics in the environment has raised serious public health concerns. Microplastics could disturb the composition of the gut microbiota due to both chemical composition and physical interactions, which might further influence the metabolism and immune function of the host.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Platycodon grandiflorus root, is a widely used herb in East Asia for treating respiratory diseases, but research on its oral safety is limited.

Aim Of The Study: This study examines the potential adverse gastrointestinal reactions resulting from excessive consumption of Platycodon grandiflorus root (PR) and its effects on gut microbiota and host co-metabolism.

Materials And Methods: This study evaluated the effects of different doses (1.

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Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) frequently occurs after surgery, resulting in extended hospitalizations, higher healthcare expenses, and potential long-term cognitive impairment. Despite its significant impact, effective preventive and therapeutic strategies for POCD are still lacking. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of POCD.

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Obesity, a surging global health challenge, necessitates effective, accessible and innovative therapeutic models. Here we develop a spatiotemporally controllable microneedle (MN) drug delivery platform for sono-gene therapy to fight obesity. The platform delivers the methoxy polyethylene glycol-polyethyleneimine (mPEG-PEI) modified metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) sonosensitizer and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-activating (CRISPRa)/CRISPRa-uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) system intradermally to adipocytes.

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Purpose: To investigate the distribution of macrophage-like cells (MLCs) across different stages of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).

Methods: A total of 168 eyes from 168 subjects were included. MLCs were imaged by acquiring en face OCT images at depths of 5 to 10 µm on the inner limiting membrane, as well as using B-scan OCT.

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Preclinical studies demonstrating high cure rates with PD1/PD-L1 combinations have led to numerous clinical trials, but emerging results are disappointing. These combined immunotherapies are commonly employed for patients with refractory tumors following prior treatment with cytotoxic agents. Here, we uncovered that the post-chemotherapy tumor presents a unique mechanical microenvironment characterized by an altered extracellular matrix (ECM) elasticity and increased stiffness, which facilitate the development of aggressive tumor phenotypes and confer resistance to checkpoint blocking therapy.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study examined how maternal asthma during pregnancy affects fetal lung development by altering lipid metabolism in the amniotic fluid using a rat model exposed to house dust mites (HDM).
  • The research found that maternal asthma increased inflammatory markers in the fetuses and identified 18 abnormal lipids associated with oxidative stress, which impaired lung development.
  • It suggests that restoring normal lipid metabolism might be a potential treatment strategy for supporting fetal lung development in mothers with asthma.
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Article Synopsis
  • Bile acids (BAs) are made from cholesterol in the liver and help digest fats while also playing a role in regulating metabolism and immune function through interactions with specific receptors.
  • Disruptions in BA processes are linked to various health issues, including cholestasis and autoimmune diseases, while plant compounds like triterpenoids and steroids can influence BA metabolism and signaling.
  • The text discusses recent research on microbial BAs, advances in therapeutic strategies targeting BA functions, and the potential effects of plant compounds on BA-related processes.
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Nanotechnology, an emerging force, has infiltrated diverse domains like biomedical, materials, and environmental sciences. Nano-omics, an emerging fusion, combines nanotechnology with omics, boasting amplified sensitivity and resolution. This review introduces nanotechnology basics, surveys its recent strides in nano-omics, deliberates present challenges, and envisions future growth.

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A wide variety of microorganisms have been closely linked to metal corrosion in the form of adherent surface biofilms. Biofilms allow the development and maintenance of locally corrosive environments and/or permit direct corrosion including pitting corrosion. The presence of numerous genetically distinct microorganisms in the oral environment poses a threat to the integrity and durability of the surface of metallic prostheses and implants used in routine dentistry.

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Background: Asthma is a complex disease with mechanisms involving multiple factors, and there is still a lack of highly effective and low-side-effect drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine Fagopyrum Dibotrys Rhizoma (FDR) has been applied for the treatment of acute and chronic bronchitis as well as bronchial asthma due to its favorable pharmacological activity. However, the exact mechanism of FDR remains unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study examined how exposure to polystyrene microplastics and lead(II) affects the gut microbiome and metabolism in male and female mice, revealing increased intestinal permeability for both sexes.
  • * Significant sex-specific differences were found, especially in gut bacteria and fecal metabolites, with more adverse effects noted in female mice, suggesting that sex differences should be considered in future research on this topic.
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The ALOG ( LSH1 and G1) family proteins, namely, DUF640 domain-containing proteins, have been reported to function as transcription factors in various plants. However, the understanding of the response and function of ALOG family genes during reproductive development and under abiotic stress is still largely limited. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the structural characteristics of ALOG family proteins and their expression profiles during inflorescence development and under abiotic stress in rice.

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Objectives: Although colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality, current diagnostic tests for early-stage CRC and colorectal adenoma (CRA) are suboptimal. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore less invasive screening procedures for CRC and CRA diagnosis.

Methods: Untargeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolic profiling approach was applied to identify candidate metabolites.

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Mounting evidence has shown that the gut microbiota plays a key role in human health. The homeostasis of the gut microbiota could be affected by many factors, including environmental chemicals. Aldicarb is a carbamate insecticide used to control a variety of insects and nematode pests in agriculture.

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As the main saponin component of Platycodon grandiflorum A.DC, Platycodin D has been reported to have an anti-obesity effect. Due to poor oral absorption, the intestinal microflora usually transforms saponins into potential bioactive substances.

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Recently, amino acids other than glycine and taurine were found to be conjugated with bile acids by the gut microbiome in mouse and human. As potential diagnostic markers for inflammatory bowel disease and farnesoid X receptor agonists, their physiological effects and mechanisms, however, remain to be elucidated. A tool for the rapid and comprehensive annotation of such new metabolites is required.

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Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been widely applied for the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases in clinical as it was recognized as a minimally invasive, well-tolerated and easily performed procedure. Lipid analysis of BAL fluid is a comprehensive strategy to observe lipid phenotypes, explore potential biomarkers, and elucidate the biological mechanisms of respiratory diseases. However, the highly diverse concentration of lipids in BAL fluid due to the deviation between the retrieved and injected aliquot volumes during lavage raised a challenge in obtaining high-quality lipidomic data.

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Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) represents an increasing public health concern due to its persistence in the environment and its toxic effects. The gut microbiota is known to produce various metabolites that assist the host to maintain metabolic homeostasis. However, few studies have explored the effects of PFOA on gut-microbiota-related metabolites.

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Research on novel bioactive lipids has garnered increasing interest. Although lipids can be identified by searching mass spectral libraries, the discovery of novel lipids remains challenging as the query spectra of such lipids are not included in libraries. In this study, we propose a strategy to discover novel carboxylic acid-containing acyl lipids by integrating molecular networking with an extended spectral library.

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Autonomic imbalance is a core aspect of stress response that strongly correlates to cardiovascular diseases. Enhanced activity of the central corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) system may result in autonomic imbalance to cause cardiovascular responses in a stress state. Electroacupuncture at PC6 acupoints has been demonstrated to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.

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Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) is an uncommon non-tumorous disease of the spleen. The low morbidity and non-specific clinical symptoms of SANT might cause a misdiagnosis. The present study reported a case of a 31-year-old female with a SANT of the spleen.

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