Publications by authors named "Wenlong Chen"

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use is an established carcinogen to the nasal cavity, lip, and oropharynx, however, few studies have examined cancer risks in older African women among whom SLT use is common. We investigated snuff use and the risk of site-specific cancers among 15,336 newly diagnosed female cancer patients in the Johannesburg Cancer Study, South Africa. We designed case-control comparisons across multiple cancer outcomes: (a) known SLT-associated cancers; (b) other tobacco-related cancers and (c) genital cancers owing to intravaginal snuff use.

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The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its Omicron subvariants drastically amplifies transmissibility, infectivity, and immune escape, mainly due to their resistance to most neutralizing antibodies. Thus, exploring the mechanisms underlying antibody evasion is crucial. Although the full-length native form of antibody, immunoglobulin G (IgG), offers valuable insights into the neutralization, structural investigations primarily focus on the fragment of antigen-binding (Fab).

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The tea plant () is a unique beverage crop worldwide, but its yield and quality are adversely affected by . However, the response mechanisms of tea plants to stress remain poorly known. Herein, we present the life table of on resistant (W016) and susceptible (HJY) tea cultivars, demonstrating that the fitness of on W016 was lower than that on HJY.

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Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed among women in South Africa, with the aggressive triple-negative subtype comprising approximately 15% of breast cancers in this population. South Africa has the largest population of people with HIV in the world. This study aims to evaluate the association between HIV status and the proportion of patients with breast cancer with the triple-negative subtype.

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Detection of light chain (LC) monoclonal gammopathies (MG) traditionally relies on serum free LC (FLC) κ, λ, and their ratio (κ/λ) reference ranges based on a mostly White population. We investigated FLC values in a racially diverse population by screening 10,035 individuals for heavy chain MG, identifying 9,028 negative cases whose FLC were measured. Participants included 4,149 from the PROMISE Study (US, n=2,383; South Africa, n=1,766) and 4,879 from the Mass General Brigham Biobank, with 44% self-identifying as Black.

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Since each material has a unique ability to lose or obtain electrons, specific triboelectric signals are produced when triboelectric materials are in contact with different objects. Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices show great potential for use as tactile sensors; nevertheless, analyzing the structure-function relationship of functionalized triboelectric sensing interfaces under environmental conditions and improving the sensing stability and accuracy through the design of hydrophobic structure on the triboelectric material surface remain major challenges in the development of intelligent sensing networks. Compared with the traditional rigid micronanostructure, the elastic micronanostructure strategy is applied to achieve both hydrophobicity and stability of triboelectric materials based on the template method in this work.

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The selective incorporation of a deuterium atom into small molecules with high selectivity is highly valuable for medical and chemical research. Unfortunately, this remains challenging due to the complete deuteration caused by commonly used hydrogen isotope exchange strategies. We report the development of a photocatalytic selective monodeuteration protocol utilizing C-C bond as the unconventional functional handle.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a significant contributor to pain and disability worldwide. Pain is the main complaint of OA patients attending the clinic and has a large impact on their quality of life and economic standards. However, existing treatments for OA-related pain have not been shown to achieve good relief.

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Article Synopsis
  • Shape-controlled alloy nanoparticle catalysts improve performance in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in liquid half-cells, but face challenges in fuel cell applications due to harsher operating conditions.* -
  • A new strategy was developed to limit atomic diffusion in surface layers, allowing for the selective transformation of platinum-iron nanowires into stable intermetallic structures at low temperatures.* -
  • This surface engineering approach enhances membrane electrode assembly (MEA) stability by reducing iron loss by 50% while maintaining high catalytic activity, showing promise for practical fuel cell applications with shape-controlled catalysts.*
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Men of African descent have the highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, yet the genetic basis of prostate cancer in African men has been understudied. We used genomic data from 3,963 cases and 3,509 controls from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda to infer ancestry-specific genetic architectures and fine-map disease associations. Fifteen independent associations at 8q24.

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  • Researchers tested a 9-gene panel and additional gene testing for breast cancer in South African women of various ancestries, finding a total of 60 pathogenic variants across 331 participants.
  • The study highlighted that though the prevalence of pathogenic variants was similar across all ancestry groups, variants of uncertain significance (VUS) were more common in Black African and Mixed Ancestry participants.
  • African genomic data can help reclassify a notable percentage (27%) of these uncertain variants, although the expanded testing primarily resulted in a high number of VUS and few actionable findings.
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Exploring the impact of low-temperature storage on the fitness of natural enemy insects is crucial for practical field applications because this parameter directly influences their potential for population growth and effective pest control. Eocanthecona furcellata (Wolff) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is widely used in biological pest control. This study aimed to identify optimal storage stages, temperatures, and durations for E.

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In this paper, the preparation of a transparent superhydrophobic composite coating with a thermal insulation function using antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles is proposed, which has advantages of being mass-producible and low-cost. In short, nanosilica and ATO are used as raw materials for constructing rough structures, and superhydrophobic coatings are obtained by mixing and adding binders after modification of each, which are then applied to the surface of various substrates by spraying to obtain a transparent superhydrophobic coating with a heat-insulating function. The specific role of each nanoparticle is discussed through comparative experiments that illustrate the mechanism by which the two particles construct rough structures.

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In view of the cracking, sag, and damage of sheath caused by the load effect and external force impact of power cable, the echo parameters of cable sheath damage detection based on the characteristics of torsional guided wave propagation are studied in this work. According to the Navier displacement equilibrium equation, the dispersion curve of a magnetostrictive guided wave of the cable sheath was solved, and the T(0,1) mode with a group velocity of 1198.8 m/s and no dispersion was selected.

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Type I photodynamic therapy (PDT) is attracting increasing interest as an effective solution to the poor prognosis of patients with hypoxic tumors. The development of functional type I photosensitizers is limited by a lack of feasible strategies to systematically modulate electron transfer (ET) in photosensitization. Herein, we present an easily accessible approach for the preparation of nanophotosensitizers with self-assembly-integrated tumor-targeting and ET programming towards boosting tumor type I PDT.

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Purpose: Prostate cancer disproportionately affects men of African descent, yet their representation in tissue-based studies is limited. This multinational, multicenter pilot study aims to establish the groundwork for collaborative research on prostate cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: The Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate network formed a pathologist working group representing eight institutions in five African countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study is the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) focusing on urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) populations, involving nearly 18,000 participants.
  • Researchers identified two significant genetic loci associated with UACR, one in residents of SSA and another in non-resident individuals of African ancestry.
  • The findings highlight the limited transferability of polygenic scores across different populations, underscoring the importance of diverse genetic studies to understand kidney disease susceptibility in underrepresented groups.
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  • * It compares sediment samples from low-water-level rivers, tidal waterways, and enclosed rivers, finding that low-water-level sediments have better pollutant degradation capabilities and lower pollution levels.
  • * The research reveals that specific microbial processes occur in different sediment types, with low-water-level environments promoting beneficial microbes, which help prevent the buildup of unpleasant black odorous substances.
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Background: Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death, particularly in developing countries. WHO screening guidelines recommend human papilloma virus (HPV) detection as a means to identify women at risk of developing cervical cancer. While HPV testing identifies those at risk, it does not specifically distinguish individuals with neoplasia.

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Limax maximus, or great gray slug, is a common agriculture pest. The pest infests crops during their growth phase, creating holes in vegetable leaves, particularly in seedlings and tender leaves. A study was conducted to assess the insecticidal activity of Ageratina adenophora extract against these slugs.

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) proteins may elicit antibody responses in the process toward HPV-related malignancy. However, HPV seroepidemiology in noncervical HPV-related cancers remains poorly understood, particularly in populations with a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Using a glutathione S-transferase-based multiplex serology assay, antibodies against E6, E7 and L1 proteins of HPV16 and HPV18 were measured in sera of 535 cases of noncervical HPV-related cancers (anal (n = 104), vulval (n = 211), vaginal (n = 49), penile (n = 37) and oropharyngeal (n = 134)) and 6651 non-infection-related cancer controls, from the Johannesburg Cancer Study that recruited Black South African with newly diagnosed cancer between 1995 and 2016.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, and good therapeutic results are often difficult to obtain due to its complex pathogenesis and diverse causative factors. After decades of research and exploration of OA, it has been progressively found that subchondral bone is essential for its pathogenesis, and pathological changes in subchondral bone can be observed even before cartilage lesions develop. Osteoclasts, the main cells regulating bone resorption, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of subchondral bone.

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Background: Breast cancer (BRCA) is a common malignancy in women, and its resistance to immunotherapy is a major challenge. Abnormal expression of genes is important in the occurrence and development of BRCA and may also affect the prognosis of patients. Although many BRCA prognosis model scores have been developed, they are only applicable to a limited number of disease subtypes.

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​ Liang & Cai, 1999, a genus of atyid shrimp, is endemic to China and distributed only in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. We describe here the thirteen species of , and the first cave-dweller of the genus, , collected from a limestone cave in Shilin County, Yunnan Province. This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the completely degraded pigment and eyes, the extremely long rostrum, the rostral formula and the absence of sexual dimorphism of the third and fourth pereiopods.

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Channeled spectropolarimetry (CSP) has emerged as a notable technique due to its unique capacity to instantaneously measure either the polarization state of light or the Mueller matrix of a sample over a broad spectral range. Leveraging the quasi-linear relation between phase retardances of thick birefringent retarders and wavenumber, the target signal undergoes wavelength encoding. For the first time, we present a theoretical framework for the general CSP from a perspective of information theory.

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