Publications by authors named "Weifeng Li"

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of the most promising biomass-based chemicals that is used to produce many kinds of important compounds. Especially, the selective conversion of HMF to 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA), an important chemical feedstock, has high industrial significance but is technically challenging. In this study, we present a high-performance photocatalyst for selective oxidation of HMF to HMFCA.

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  • - The study investigates Panlongqi Tablet (PLQT), a traditional Chinese medicine containing 29 herbs, for its therapeutic effects on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and aims to uncover its molecular mechanisms of action.
  • - Researchers used a rat model of RA to assess PLQT's effectiveness and employed network analysis and molecular docking to identify its active ingredients, which include flavonoids and alkaloids, and their roles in inflammation and immune response.
  • - Results showed PLQT significantly alleviated RA symptoms without side effects, targeting inflammatory responses in macrophages and T lymphocytes, and reducing angiogenesis associated with the disease.
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This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the IL-28B SNP rs8099917 genotype, miRNA-122 expression, and the immune mechanism of ACR after LT using anti-HCV antibody calibration. A total of 45 patients with HCV received LT. IL-28B SNP rs8099917 genotyping was used to divide patients into TT and GT groups.

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The addition of aluminum particles to a gel propellant has garnered attention through its potential for enhancing fuel properties. In order to enhance the energy performance of gel propellants, it is imperative to prepare gel propellants with high concentrations of aluminum. However, high-concentration aluminum-containing gels encounter two challenges.

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  • Bletilla striata is a perennial herb known for its medicinal properties, including promoting wound healing and having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
  • This study used chemometric methods to analyze the relationship between the chemical composition of 20 different extracts of Bletilla striata and their antioxidant activities, revealing significant variations in quality among samples.
  • Key compounds identified, such as coelonin, gymnoside IX, and dactylorhin A, were found to have strong correlations with antioxidant activity, providing valuable insights for future quality evaluation and control of this herb.
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Background: The clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in myocardial infarction (MI) is severely hampered by their poor survival. Pretreatment is a key strategy that has been adopted to promote their therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the benefit of growth differentiation factor 15-pretreated MSCs (GDF15-MSCs) in enhancing cardiac repair following MI and to determine the underlying mechanisms.

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Previous studies have indicated a strong correlation between disturbances in blood pressure (BP) circadian rhythm and major cardiovascular adverse events. Similarly, blood pressure variability (BPV) has been closely linked to cerebral small vessel disease and leukoaraiosis. This study aims to investigate the relationship between BP rhythm and BPV with the short-term prognosis of patients with Type A aortic dissection, offering insights for targeted perioperative nursing interventions and improving patient outcomes.

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  • Hypoxemia is a serious issue for patients with acute aortic dissection (AAD), affecting outcomes; this study evaluates the best oxygenation methods for these patients in the emergency department.
  • The research involved 187 AAD patients with hypoxemia, comparing treatments using nasal cannulas, Venturi masks, and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV).
  • Results showed that NIPPV significantly reduced intubation rates and hospital stays, while also improving survival rates in the short term compared to other oxygenation methods.
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Due to past massive usage and persistent nature, pentachlorophenol (PCP) residues are prevalent in environments, posing a potential threat to various organisms such as sessile filter-feeding bivalves. Although humoral immunity and its crosstalk with cellular one are crucial for the maintaining of robust antimicrobic capability, little is known about the impacts of PCP on these critical processes in bivalve mollusks. In this study, pathogenic bacterial challenge and plasma antimicrobic capability assays were carried out to assess the toxic effects of PCP on the immunity of a common bivalve species, blood clam (Tegillarca granosa).

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Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is one of the most extensively used brominated flame retardants and its increasing use in consumer products has raised concerns about its ecotoxicity. Given the ubiquity of TBBPA in aquatic environments, it is inevitable that these chemicals will enter the olfactory chambers of fish via water currents. Nevertheless, the olfactory toxicity of TBBPA to aquatic organisms and the underlying toxic mechanisms have yet to be elucidated.

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  • Carbon monoxide (CO) poses serious health and environmental risks, making its detection crucial, particularly during thermal runaway in lithium batteries.
  • The paper reviews advancements in CO sensors, focusing on electrochemical, optical, and resistive materials, especially low-dimensional materials that enhance sensitivity due to their large surface area.
  • Sensors are categorized into electrical and optical signal types, with the aim of improving CO detection methods for better early warning, monitoring, and protection of human health and industrial safety.
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Purpose: Multiple studies have reported models for predicting early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver resection (LR). However, these models are too complex to use in daily practice. We aimed to develop a simple model.

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Background: The study seeks to assess serum neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in paediatric narcolepsy-diagnosed patients. Moreover, it aims to explore the correlation between NfL levels and the severity of narcolepsy symptoms, sleep quality, and manifestations of anxiety and depression.

Methods: This retrospective analysis included 98 paediatric narcolepsy cases and 100 controls matched for age and gender.

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Disulfide bonds, covalently formed by sulfur atoms in cysteine residues, play a crucial role in protein folding and structure stability. Considering their significance, artificial disulfide bonds are often introduced to enhance protein thermostability. Although an increasing number of tools can assist with this task, significant amounts of time and resources are often wasted owing to inadequate consideration.

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  • The study investigates how organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) affect lipid membranes in bacteria and cells, highlighting their role as significant environmental contaminants.
  • Results show that larger OPFRs, like triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), cause substantial damage to membrane integrity due to their ability to form nanoclusters, leading to severe toxicity.
  • In contrast, smaller OPFRs like triethyl phosphate (TEP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) show weaker interactions and cause minimal membrane disturbance, indicating the importance of molecular structure in determining toxicity levels.
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Aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) is a cardiovascular disease that poses a severe threat to life and has high morbidity and mortality rates. Clinical and animal-based studies have irrefutably shown that fluoroquinolones, a commonly prescribed antibiotic for treating infections, significantly increase the risk of AAD. Despite this, the precise mechanism by which fluoroquinolones cause AAD remains unclear.

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Although mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is involved in aging and aging-related diseases, its role in the regulation of human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) senescence has not been investigated. This study aimed to determine the role of ALDH2 in regulating MSC senescence and illustrate the potential mechanisms. MSCs were isolated from young (YMSCs) and aged donors (AMSCs).

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Accurate protein-ligand binding poses are the prerequisites of structure-based binding affinity prediction and provide the structural basis for in-depth lead optimization in small molecule drug design. However, it is challenging to provide reasonable predictions of binding poses for different molecules due to the complexity and diversity of the chemical space of small molecules. Similarity-based molecular alignment techniques can effectively narrow the search range, as structurally similar molecules are likely to have similar binding modes, with higher similarity usually correlated to higher success rates.

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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a critical hospital-acquired infection following non-cardiac surgeries, leading to poor outcomes. This study identifies VAP risk factors in non-cardiac surgical patients and determines the causative pathogens. A retrospective analysis with 1:4 propensity-score matching was conducted on patients in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) from 2010 to 2020 at a private tertiary medical center.

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Background: In the past, many researchers have studied the correlation between quantitative parameters of computed tomography (CT) and parameters of pulmonary function test (PFT) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with good results. Most of these studies have focused on the whole-lung level. In this study, we analyzed the biphasic CT lung volume parameters and the percentage of emphysema volume in different lobes of the lungs of patients with different grades of COPD and assessed their relationship with different lung function indices.

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Abnormal proliferation, migration, and foam cell formation of Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) each play a role in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). Schisandrin (Sch) is the active lignan ingredient with broad-spectrum pharmacological effects. However, the role of Sch in the AS process is not clear.

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Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a severe complication of sepsis, however, its exact mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to evaluate whether clusterin is essential to the development of SAE during the aging process of astrocytes. In the study, septic mice were established with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and lipopolysaccharides were applied to astrocytes in vitro.

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Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is a pivotal treatment for end-stage liver disease. However, bloodstream infections (BSI) in the post-operative period present a significant threat to patient survival. This study aims to identify risk factors for post-LT BSI and crucial prognostic indicators for mortality among affected patients.

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Natural products have been widely recognized in clinical treatment because of their low toxicity and high activity. It is worth paying attention to modifying the biopolymer into nanostructures to give natural active ingredients additional targeting effects. In this study, based on the multifunctional modification of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), a nanoplatform encapsulating the unstable drug (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) was designed to deliver to atherosclerotic plaques.

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