Publications by authors named "Wenqi Zheng"
Background: Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) diagnosis still faces many difficulties and challenges. Some studies have shown that pleural interleukin -27 (IL-27) had a diagnostic potential for TPE. However, their findings are not always consistent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study investigated carbapenem-resistant strains of Bacteroides fragilis from a hospital in China, using techniques like whole genome sequencing and biofilm formation assays to analyze their characteristics.
- - Out of 49 strains tested, 42.86% were resistant to carbapenems, and biofilm production ability was significantly lower in resistant strains compared to sensitive ones.
- - All resistant strains contained the cfiA gene linked to carbapenem resistance, showing increased expression levels; however, none carried the bft gene, which was found in many sensitive strains.
Unlabelled: Carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent (CR-hvKP) strains present a significant global public health threat due to their high mortality rates. This study investigated the genomic characteristics of seven ST11-K1 CR-hvKP isolates harboring highly homologous KPC-2-encoding multidrug-resistance plasmids. The strains were isolated from a Chinese tertiary hospital between 2017 and 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - A new metal-organic framework (MOF) has been developed to effectively purify methane (CH) from natural gas and coal mine methane, which is important for the chemical industry but traditionally difficult to achieve.
- - The MOF can be produced easily at room temperature and demonstrates exceptional separation performance, achieving a purity level of 154.7 cm³/g for methane in a mix of methane, ethane, and propane, and a higher capacity for methane compared to nitrogen.
- - Detailed analysis using single-crystal X-ray data and molecular simulations revealed that the MOF utilizes multiple hydrogen bonds and specific interactions between the gases and its structure, making it a promising material for high-capacity methane purification.
Article Synopsis
- - Oxide-water interfaces are crucial for various natural and industrial reactions, but understanding at a molecular level is limited due to challenges in studying these concealed surfaces.
- - Researchers developed a new method using in situ sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy to investigate silica-water interactions, revealing unexpected reaction pathways.
- - The study uncovered a surface reconstruction caused by the deprotonation of hydroxyl groups, leading to unusual silicon structures, which changes the understanding of aqueous silica chemistry and opens avenues for studying other oxide-water interfaces.
Article Synopsis
- - The study evaluates the effectiveness of pleural fluid complement C1q for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) specifically in elderly patients, as previous research primarily focused on younger individuals.
- - Researchers analyzed pleural fluid samples from patients with undiagnosed pleural effusions, finding that elderly TPE patients had higher C1q levels compared to those without TPE.
- - The results indicated that C1q has low diagnostic accuracy for TPE in older adults, with a sensitivity of 44% and specificity of 79% at a threshold of 100 mg/L.
Immunogenicity and transmission-blocking potential of quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase in .
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
September 2024
Background: Transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) can effectively prevent the community's spread of malaria by targeting the antigens of mosquito sexual stage parasites. At present, only a few candidate antigens have demonstrated transmission-blocking activity (TBA) potential in . Quiescin-sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX) is a sexual stage protein in the rodent malaria parasite and is associated with a critical role in protein folding by introducing disulfides into unfolded reduced proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTumor markers determination in malignant pleural effusion: pearls and pitfalls.
Clin Chem Lab Med
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- Serum and pleural fluid tumor markers are important tools for diagnosing malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and understanding their role can improve patient management.
- The article discusses key factors, including when to evaluate these markers, which ones are most useful, and how to interpret their levels and ratios to improve diagnostic accuracy.
- It emphasizes the need for careful study designs and considerations to effectively use tumor markers in estimating cancer risks and making clinical decisions.
Background: Serum pro-gastrin releasing peptide (proGRP) is a well-recognized diagnostic marker for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Pleural effusion is common in patients with advanced SCLC. The diagnostic accuracy of pleural proGRP for malignant pleural effusion (MPE) has not yet been established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApolipoprotein E in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion: a prospective diagnostic test accuracy study.
Expert Rev Respir Med
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the use of apolipoprotein E (apoE) levels in diagnosing undetermined pleural effusion in patients.
- Researchers evaluated 152 patients by measuring pleural fluid apoE levels and assessing its diagnostic accuracy through ROC curves and decision curve analysis.
- The findings suggest that lower apoE levels are seen in heart failure patients, with apoE showing moderate diagnostic value, particularly declining in accuracy for older patients.
Background: The efficacy of Vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy (VAT) in the treatment of () is controversial.
Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of VAT in the Chinese population.
Methods: This prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label, and two-stage study was conducted at 23 centers in Fujian, China (May 2021-April 2022).
Background: Serum carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50) is an auxiliary diagnostic marker for various solid tumors, but it remains unclear whether CA50 in pleural fluid can assist in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid CA50 for MPE in pleural effusion patients with undetermined causes.
Methods: This study prospectively recruited pleural effusion patients with undetermined causes who visited the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University between September 2018 and July 2021.
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the potential of CXCR3 ligands, specifically CXCL9 and CXCL11, as biomarkers for diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), highlighting their low cost and less invasive nature.
- Conducted in two Chinese centers, the double-blind study analyzed pleural fluid from patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion, measuring levels of CXCL9 and CXCL11 for diagnostic accuracy using ROC curves and decision curve analysis.
- Results showed that both CXCL9 and CXCL11 were significantly elevated in TPE patients, exhibiting high diagnostic accuracy, particularly in the Changshu Center, with their levels influenced by age and upregulated in response to BCG treatment in macrophages
The elucidation of the precise structure of fucan sulfate is essential for understanding the structure-activity relationship and promoting potential biomedical applications. In this work, the structure of a distinct fucan sulfate fraction V (PmFS in Ref 15 and FSV in Ref 16 → PFV) from Pattalus mollis was investigated using an oligosaccharide mapping approach. Six size-homogeneous fractions were purified from the mild acid hydrolyzed PFV and identified as fucitols, disaccharides and trisaccharides by 1D/2D NMR and MS analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is challenging for pulmonologists. Adenosine deaminase (ADA), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin-27 (IL-27) have some limitations for diagnosing TPE. Soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) had a high diagnostic value for TPE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The prognosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is poor. A timely and accurate diagnosis is the prerequisite for managing MPE patients. Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) is a diagnostic tool for MPE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of malignant pleural effusion (MPE), and serum HE4 is a promising diagnostic marker.
- The study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid HE4 in patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion across two cohorts, using a double-blind, prospective design.
- Results showed that pleural fluid HE4 levels were significantly higher in MPE compared to benign effusions, with moderate sensitivity and high specificity, indicating its potential clinical utility in diagnosing MPE.
Diagnostic value of nucleic acid amplification tests for tuberculous pleural effusion.
Future Microbiol
September 2023
Article Synopsis
- - Diagnosing tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) is difficult due to the limitations of traditional methods like pleural fluid staining, culture, and biopsy, which can be invasive and time-consuming.
- - Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) offer a quicker and less invasive alternative for TPE diagnosis.
- - This review discusses the accuracy of various NAATs for TPE, highlighting findings from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on tests such as GeneXpert and loop-mediated isothermal amplification.
Background: The in vitro stability assessment is essential for investigating the diagnostic accuracy of pleural biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate the long-term stability of pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) at -80°C to -70°C. In addition, we analyzed the effects of frozen storage on the diagnostic accuracy of CEA for malignant pleural effusion (MPE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates the Cancer ratio (CR), a diagnostic marker for malignant pleural effusion (MPE), focusing on how age might affect its accuracy.
- Two cohorts were analyzed, showing that CR's diagnostic ability tends to decrease as patients age, with specific accuracy rates (AUCs) reported as 0.60 and 0.63.
- The findings suggest that while CR is a potential diagnostic tool for MPE, its effectiveness is limited in older patients, indicating the need for careful consideration in clinical applications.
Article Synopsis
- Pleural fluid carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a key marker for diagnosing malignant pleural effusion (MPE), and recent studies explored the diagnostic potential of the PF to serum CEA ratio and delta CEA (PF minus serum CEA).
- A study involving two cohorts (BUFF and SIMPLE) found that MPE patients exhibited significantly higher levels of PF CEA, serum CEA, CEA ratio, and delta CEA, but statistical differences in diagnostic accuracy between the markers were not significant.
- The conclusion indicated that the CEA ratio and delta CEA do not enhance the diagnosis of MPE beyond PF CEA alone, thus recommending against their use in clinical settings.
The screening performance of urine flow cytometry parameters (e.g., white blood cell and bacteria) for urinary tract infection (UTI) has been widely recognized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a well-recognized diagnostic marker for heart failure (HF) in patients with dyspnea or pleural effusion (PE). The effects of age on the diagnostic accuracy of NT-proBNP in dyspneic patients are widely known; however, whether its diagnostic accuracy is affected by age in patients with PE remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the influence of age on the diagnostic accuracy of serum NT-proBNP for HF in patients with PE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) affects the outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC cells released exosomes to suppress the antitumor activity of TAMs. MiR-146a is a critical regulator in TAM polarization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF