Publications by authors named "Weilin Zhang"

Restoration of disc height and biomechanical function is essential for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) treatment. Removing abnormal nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue is an important step to facilitate bony fusion during the healing process. We analyzed publicly available single-cell transcriptome data for human normal and degenerative NP to identify genes associated with NP degeneration.

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: SARS-CoV-2 causes a global pandemic, with severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients often experiencing poor prognoses. Severe infection with SARS-CoV-2 is associated with oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. Detecting markers of macromolecular damage caused by OS may provide valuable insights into disease progression.

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Population expansions and contractions out of and into Africa since the early Pleistocene have influenced the course of human evolution. While local- and regional-scale investigations have provided insights into the drivers of Eurasian hominin dispersals, a continental-scale and integrated study of hominin-environmental interactions across Palearctic Eurasia has been lacking. Here, we report high-resolution (up to ∼5-10 kyr sample interval) carbon isotope time series of loess deposits in Central Asia and northwest China, a region dominated by westerly winds, providing unique paleoecological and paleoclimatic records for over ~3.

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The channel model of indoor visible light communication (VLC) is primarily influenced by the receiver's position and orientation. In this study, we decouple the effects of receiver position and orientation, treating them as independent random variables. This decoupling enables a clearer understanding of how each factor independently influences the channel model.

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Background: Nilaparvata lugens is one of the most destructive pests of rice. RNAi-based N. lugens control offers one alternative strategy to traditional chemical insecticides.

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7-Hydroxycoumarin (7-HC) is a natural coumarin compound rich in Chinese herbal medicines and has various pharmacological activities. After oral administration of 7-HC in rodents, its conjugated metabolites 7-hydroxycoumarin-β-D-glucuronide (7-HCG) and 7-hydroxycoumarin sulfate (7-HCS), exhibit high systemic exposure and urinary excretion. Organic anion transporters 1 and 3 (OAT1 and OAT3), mainly expressed in the proximal renal tubules, play an important role in drug-drug interactions and drug-induced kidney injury.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Top-down signals related to pain are processed in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG), and understanding how these signals are regulated can improve our knowledge of pain modulation.
  • - In a mouse model with nerve injury, researchers found a specific circuit from the posterior paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVP) to the rostral zona incerta (ZIr), which then connects to the vlPAG, playing a crucial role in pain hypersensitivity.
  • - Disrupting this PVP→ZIr→vlPAG circuit using advanced techniques can reduce pain behaviors, suggesting it could be a new target for treating neuropathic pain.
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CsPbIBr perovskite solar cell (PSC) is a promising candidate for high-efficiency single-junction and tandem solar cells. However, due to the numerous surface defects of the CsPbIBr film and the mismatch of energy levels at the CsPbIBr/charge transport layer interface, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CsPbIBr PSC is still significantly lower than the theoretical limits. To alleviate those issues, in this work, a carboxylate-based p-type polymer, TTC-Cl, is employed to modify the surface of CsPbIBr layer.

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Objective: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is widely used for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but drug resistance and decreased sensitivity often occur during the treatment, greatly weakening its therapeutic effect. Caveolin-1 (CAV1), a protein related to ferroptosis, is involved in regulating the resistance and sensitivity of various tumor chemotherapies. This study aims to investigate whether CAV1 can regulate the sensitivity of OSCC to cisplatin through ferroptosis.

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Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been extensively suggested to stimulate ethylene production. However, the molecular mechanism by which ROS stimulate ethylene production remains largely unclear. Here, transcriptome profiling was used to verify if ROS could stimulate ethylene production via direct formation of ethylene from ROS.

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Article Synopsis
  • PXY, a receptor kinase in plants, is essential for proper cell division in vascular tissue, particularly under drought conditions.
  • This study focused on two specific PXY genes in hybrid poplar and found they are primarily expressed in the stem's vascular system and linked to drought responses.
  • Overexpressing these PXY genes resulted in increased cambium cell layers and improved drought tolerance, suggesting they help maintain plant growth and resilience in adverse conditions.
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The demands for novel and efficient therapies have gradually increased with the rising concerns of osteoporosis (OP). The most popular method in promoting bone regeneration during osteoporotic conditions consists of loading bioactive materials with different drugs to treat osteoporotic bones by either promoting the process of osteogenesis, or by inhibiting the activity of osteoclasts. By analyzing single cell sequencing results, we found that divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) played a role in OP.

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, recurrent gastrointestinal disorder with elusive etiology. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-23 have emerged as key proinflammatory mediators/cytokines in IBD pathogenesis. Ustekinumab (UST), targeting IL-12 and IL-23, has demonstrated promising efficacy and safety in the treatment of IBD.

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Background: Recently, there has been a concerted effort within medical schools to depart from conventional lecture-based learning approaches to alternative teaching methods such as team-based learning (TBL) and problem-based learning (PBL), with the aim of enhancing both student engagement and instructional efficacy. Despite this shift, a comprehensive review that directly compares the impacts of PBL and TBL methods in medical education is lacking. This study seeks to address this gap by conducting a meta-analysis that compares the effects of TBL and PBL in the context of medical education.

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The ability of mutations to facilitate adaptation is central to evolution. To understand how mutations can lead to functional adaptation in a complex molecular machine, we created a defective version of the T4 clamp-loader complex, which is essential for DNA replication. This variant, which is ∼5,000-fold less active than the wild type, was made by replacing the catalytic domains with those from another phage.

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Disc degeneration often leads to a highly prevalent symptom known as low back pain. Healthy nucleus pulposus tissue exhibited a hypoxic environment devoid of blood vessels, while degenerated nucleus pulposus experienced hypoxic deterioration and the formation of new blood vessels. In this study, the expression of important genes like HIF-2α was found to vary between normal and degenerated nucleus pulposus cells when compared to the hypoxic surroundings.

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The pursuit of high-performance and long-lasting protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) is impeded by the lack of efficient and enduring proton conductors. Conventional research approaches, predominantly based on a trial-and-error methodology, have proven to be demanding of resources and time-consuming. Here, this work reports the findings in harnessing high-throughput computational methods to expedite the discovery of optimal electrolytes for PCECs.

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Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic indicators of primary pulmonary adenoid cystic carcinoma (PACC).

Methods: Clinical data were collected from 64 primary PACC patients and analyzed retrospectively at the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, the West China Hospital of Sichuan University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, and the Bishan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2003 to August 2023. The 64 patients (28 males and 36 females) were aged from 20 to 73 years, with a median age of 49 years and an average age of 49.

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Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis (AS). Some reports have shown that homocysteine (Hcy) could accelerate the development of AS by promoting endothelial cell senescence. miRNAs were widely involved in the pathophysiology of HHcy.

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Despite substantial advancements in screening, surgery, and chemotherapy, colorectal cancer remains the second most lethal form of the disease. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling is a critical driver facilitating the malignant transformation of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. In this study, deregulated miRNAs that could play a role in colon cancer are analyzed and investigated for specific functions using cancer cells and using a subcutaneous xenograft model.

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Reversible proton-conducting solid oxide cells (R-PSOCs) have the potential to be the most efficient and cost-effective electrochemical device for energy storage and conversion. A breakthrough in air electrode material development is vital to minimizing the energy loss and degradation of R-PSOCs. Here we report a class of triple-conducting air electrode materials by judiciously doping transition- and rare-earth metal ions into a proton-conducting electrolyte material, which demonstrate outstanding activity and durability for R-PSOC applications.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifaceted, chronic, progressive autoimmune disease. This study aims to explore the potential benefits of an enhanced drug delivery system utilizing optimized Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA) vectors in RA management. We evaluated the levels of miR-1124-3p and AGO1 in RA tissues and cell lines using qPCR, WB, and immunofluorescence.

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Postoperative comprehensive treatment has become increasingly important in recent years. This study was to repair tissue defects resulting from the removal of diseased tissue and to eliminate or inhibit the recurrence and metastasis of residual tumors under the condition of reducing the systemic side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. To address these challenges, multifunctional scaffolds based local drug delivery systems will be a promising solution.

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