Publications by authors named "Wenzhi Ren"

Detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood has become a promising approach for cancer diagnosis. Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has rapidly developed as a significant detection technology for CTCs, offering high sensitivity and selectivity. Encoded SERS bioprobes have gained attention due to their excellent specificity and ability to identify tumor cells using Raman signals.

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  • * A new system called NW-FPNP/uricase (UOX) is proposed for precise UA regulation, using a biocompatible network that responds to UA levels and dynamically balances UA production and breakdown.
  • * This innovative approach aims to improve treatment safety by preventing drug overdoses and avoiding low uric acid levels, representing a significant advancement in managing UA levels effectively.
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  • - Efficient diagnosis of cancer cells is challenged by similarities in size with white blood cells, but a new system using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) bioprobes and microfluidic chips has been developed to improve identification.
  • - A flower-like CuO@Ag composite was created with high SERS performance, showing stable spectral readings and the capability to detect trace substances, enhanced by its unique properties discovered through advanced simulations and microscopy.
  • - By using a spiral inertial microfluidic chip to separate cancer cells from blood, and employing machine learning techniques, the system accurately differentiates between cancer cells and white blood cells, proving to be a significant step forward in cancer diagnosis.
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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease with an increasing prevalence year over year, and the medications used to treat patients with UC clinically have severe side effects. Oyster peptides (OPs) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as functional foods that can alleviate a wide range of inflammatory conditions. However, the application of oyster peptides in ulcerative colitis is not well studied.

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Breaking the poor permeability of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) caused by the stromal barrier and reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment are significant challenges in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we synthesized core-shell FeO@TiO nanoparticles to act as carriers for loading VISTA monoclonal antibodies to form FeO@TiO@VISTAmAb (FTV). The nanoparticles are designed to target the overexpressed ICIs VISTA in pancreatic cancer, aiming to improve magnetic resonance imaging-guided sonodynamic therapy (SDT)-facilitated immunotherapy.

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Reducing plaque lipid content and enhancing plaque stability without causing extensive apoptosis of foam cells are ideal requirements for developing a safe and effective treatment of atherosclerosis. In this study, we synthesized IR780-Gd-OPN nanomicelles by conjugating osteopontin (OPN) and loading a gadolinium-macrocyclic ligand (Gd-DOTA) onto near-infrared dye IR780-polyethylene glycol polymer. The nanomicelles were employed for mild phototherapy of atherosclerotic plaques and dual-mode imaging with near-infrared fluorescence and magnetic resonance.

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The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing annually, and UC has a serious impact on patients' lives. Polysaccharides have gained attention as potential drug candidates for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) in recent years. Huaier ( Murr) is a fungus that has been used clinically for more than 1000 years, and its bioactive polysaccharide components have been reported to possess immunomodulatory effects, antitumour potential, and renoprotective effects.

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  • * A study found that wheat peptide (WP) can significantly improve symptoms of colitis in mice by increasing body weight and reducing disease severity.
  • * WP was shown to enhance gut health by affecting the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, suggesting its potential as a beneficial dietary addition for IBD patients.
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The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is progressively rising each year, emphasizing the significance of implementing rational dietary interventions for disease prevention. Oats, being a staple agricultural product, are abundant in protein content. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of oat peptides (OPs) in a mouse model of acute colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) and a Caco-2 cell model.

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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic noninfectious intestinal disease that severely affects patients' quality of life. Murrill polysaccharide (ABP) is an effective active ingredient extracted from Murrill (ABM). It has good efficacy in inhibiting tumor cell growth, lowering blood pressure, and improving atherosclerosis.

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Hair loss disorders such as androgenetic alopecia have caused serious disturbances to normal human life. Animal models play an important role in exploring pathogenesis of disease and evaluating new therapies. NIH hairless mice are a spontaneous hairless mouse discovered and bred in our laboratory.

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Mastitis affects the milk quality and yield and is the most expensive disease in dairy cows. Elucidation of the pathogenesis of mastitis is of great importance for disease control. As a medium of intercellular communication, exosomes play key roles in various inflammatory diseases by regulating macrophage polarization.

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Background: Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is the most threatening type of skin cancer. Approximately 55,000 people lose their lives every year due to SKCM, illustrating that it seriously threatens human life and health. Homeodomain-only protein homeobox (HOPX) is the smallest member of the homeodomain family and is widely expressed in a variety of tissues.

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Photothermal therapy (PTT), as an important noninvasive and effective tumor treatment method, has been extensively developed into a powerful cancer therapeutic technique. Nevertheless, the low photothermal conversion efficiency and the limited tissue penetration of typical photothermal therapeutic agents in the first near-infrared (NIR-I) region (700-950 nm) are still the major barriers for further clinical application. Here, we proposed an organic/inorganic dual-PTT agent of synergistic property driven by polydopamine-modified black-titanium dioxide (b-TiO@PDA) with excellent photoconversion efficiency in the second NIR (NIR-II) region (1000-1500 nm).

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The pituitary gland is a key participant in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, as it secretes a variety of hormones and plays an important role in mammalian reproduction. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone(GnRH) signaling molecules can bind to GnRH receptors on the surfaces of adenohypophysis gonadotropin cells and regulate the expression of follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH) and luteinizing hormone(LH) through various pathways. An increasing number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs mediate the regulation of GnRH signaling molecules in the adenohypophysis.

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Amplifying the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level remains an urgent challenge for efficient sonodynamic therapy (SDT) of tumors. Herein, by loading ginsenoside Rk1 with manganese-doped hollow titania (MHT), a Rk1@MHT sonosensitizer was conceived to strengthen the outcome of tumor SDT. The results verify that manganese-doping remarkably elevates the UV-visible absorption and decreases the bandgap energy of titania from 3.

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Since apoptosis of foam, cells can induce plaque instability, reducing intracellular lipid content while protecting foam cells from apoptosis is beneficial for the safe and efficient therapy of atherosclerosis. In this study, osteopontin-coupled polydopamine (PDA-OPN) nanoparticles were synthesized and applied to target mild photothermal therapy (PTT) of atherosclerosis. The results from laser confocal microscopy indicate that PDA-OPN nanoparticles can be specially recognized and absorbed by foam cells.

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Currently, precise ablation of tumors without damaging the surrounding normal tissue is still an urgent problem for clinical microwave therapy of liver cancer. Herein, we synthesized Mn-doped Ti MOFs (Mn-Ti MOFs) nanosheets by in-situ doping method and applied them for microwave therapy. Infrared thermal imaging results indicate Mn-Ti MOFs can rapidly increase the temperature of normal saline, attributing to the porous structure improving microwave-induced ion collision frequency.

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Self-assembled peptide nanomaterials exhibit great potential for applications in materials science, energy storage, nanodevices, analytical science, biomedicine, tissue engineering, and others due to their tailorable ordered nanostructures and unique physical, chemical, and biological properties. Although one-dimensional peptide nanofibers and nanotubes have been widely used for biomedical applications, the design and synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) peptide nanostructures for cancer therapy remain challenging. In this work, we describe the creation of 2D biocompatible peptide nanosheets (PNSs) through molecular self-assembly, which can provide support matrixes for conjugating gold nanorods (AuNRs) to form high-performance 2D nanomaterials for photothermal conversion.

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The regulation of mammalian reproductive activity is tightly dependent on the HPG axis crosstalk, in which several reproductive hormones play important roles. Among them, the physiological functions of gonadotropins are gradually being uncovered. However, the mechanisms by which GnRH regulates FSH synthesis and secretion still need to be more extensively and deeply explored.

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Prolactin (PRL) is an important hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland and plays an important role in the growth, development and reproduction of organisms. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is a common prolactin-releasing factor that regulates the synthesis and secretion of prolactin. In recent studies, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to play a key role in the regulation of pituitary hormones.

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