Publications by authors named "X.-J. Xu"

Clinical application of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells is complicated by limited targeting of cancer types, as well as the time-consuming and costly manufacturing process. We develop CD70-targeted, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CAR-natural killer (NK) (70CAR-iNK) cells as an approach for universal immune cell therapy. Besides the CD70-targeted CAR molecule, 70CAR-iNK cells are modified with CD70 gene knockout, a high-affinity non-cleavable CD16 (hnCD16), and an interleukin (IL)-15 receptor α/IL-15 fusion protein (IL15RF).

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Background: Cervical cancer is associated with persistent infection of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Prophylactic HPV vaccines have been recommended and have significant efficacy in preventing cervical cancer. Multivalent HPV vaccines have a better preventative effect on HPV-related diseases.

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Background: Cardiac ischemia/reperfusion disrupts plasma membrane integrity and induces various types of programmed cell death. The ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) proteins, particularly AAA-ATPase Vps4a (vacuolar protein sorting 4a), play an essential role in the surveillance of membrane integrity. However, the role of ESCRT proteins in the context of cardiac injury remains unclear.

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  • Early neurological deterioration (END) is linked to poor outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), and the study investigates how the drug evolocumab can help prevent this condition by lowering LDL cholesterol levels.
  • The research was a clinical trial with AIS patients divided into two groups: one receiving evolocumab combined with atorvastatin and the other receiving atorvastatin alone, assessing outcomes like END rates and inflammatory markers over 7 days.
  • Results showed that the combination therapy group had significantly lower rates of END (13.2% vs. 24.3%) and a much higher LDL cholesterol target achievement rate (74.3% vs. 14.7%), indicating the effectiveness of evolocumab in this context.
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Background: Lack of a dedicated thrombectomy device for cerebral venous thrombosis hinders the recanalization ability of endovascular treatment (EVT). Novel NiTi-braided stent retriever (Venous-TD) is a dedicated venous sinus thrombectomy device. This study aims to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Venous-TD.

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  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of cancer treatment, can cause serious side effects, including immune-related myocarditis (irMyocarditis), which can be fatal.
  • Researchers studied immune responses in the heart, tumor, and blood of 28 patients with irMyocarditis using advanced techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing and T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing.
  • Their findings showed an increase in certain immune cells in the heart tissue of irMyocarditis patients and identified specific TCR clones associated with severe cases, shedding light on the disease's biology and potential biomarkers.
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Background: Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of cardiovascular diseases. Clinical studies indicate that loss-of-function ASGR1 (asialoglycoprotein receptor 1) is significantly associated with lower plasma cholesterol levels and reduces cardiovascular disease risk. However, the effect of ASGR1 on atherosclerosis remains incompletely understood; whether inhibition of ASGR1 causes liver injury remains controversial.

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  • Renal denervation (RDN) was tested in a sham-controlled trial in China to see if it can effectively lower blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients on medication.
  • The study involved 217 participants, showing that those who underwent RDN experienced a significantly greater reduction in 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP (by -13.0 mm Hg) compared to the placebo group (by -3.0 mm Hg).
  • Overall, RDN was found to be safe, as only one minor complication occurred, and it effectively reduced both ambulatory and office BP at the 6-month mark compared to the sham procedure.
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  • * A new thermosensitive poloxamer-based gel that can be imaged with x-ray and ultrasound was developed, using microbubbles to enhance visibility.
  • * This gel aids in precise drug delivery by allowing for better imaging integration, potentially improving targeting and reducing radiation exposure during cancer treatments.
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CelTOS is a malaria vaccine antigen that is conserved in Plasmodium and other apicomplexan parasites and plays a role in cell-traversal. The structural basis and mechanisms of CelTOS-induced protective immunity to parasites are unknown. Here, CelTOS-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 7g7 and 4h12 demonstrated multistage activity, protecting against liver infection and preventing parasite transmission to mosquitoes.

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  • A prediction model was developed to identify patients without prostate cancer (non-PCa) who have high-risk biopsy results, with the aim of reducing unnecessary biopsies.
  • The study involved 1580 patients, with key predictors for non-PCa including age, prostate volume, and PSA density, leading to a nomogram that demonstrated high accuracy in predicting outcomes.
  • The nomogram showed a strong potential to avoid unnecessary biopsies while only slightly increasing the risk of missing actual cases of prostate cancer, thus enhancing clinical decision-making.
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  • Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammation of the esophagus, and a study analyzed patient and physician surveys to understand its clinical characteristics and impact on quality of life.
  • The study included 1001 patients, with 36% experiencing dysphagia despite treatment, revealing similar demographics and clinical features between those with and without dysphagia.
  • Patients with dysphagia reported more symptoms, greater impacts on daily activities, and increased anxiety compared to the overall patient population, highlighting the need for better awareness and treatment options for this condition.
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Ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are seeing widespread use in mRNA delivery, notably in SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. However, the expansion of mRNA therapies beyond COVID-19 is impeded by the absence of LNPs tailored for diverse cell types. In this study, we present the AI-Guided Ionizable Lipid Engineering (AGILE) platform, a synergistic combination of deep learning and combinatorial chemistry.

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Circadian rhythm is a master process observed in nearly every type of cell throughout the body, and it macroscopically regulates daily physiology. Recent clinical trials have revealed the effects of circadian variation on the incidence, pathophysiological processes, and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. Furthermore, core clock genes, the cell-autonomous pacemakers of the circadian rhythm, affect the neurovascular unit-composing cells in a nonparallel manner after the same pathophysiological processes of ischemia/reperfusion.

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Intratumoral injections have the potential for enhanced cancer treatment efficacy while reducing costs and systemic exposure. However, intratumoral drug injections can result in substantial off-target leakage and are invisible under standard imaging modalities like ultrasound (US) and x-ray. A thermosensitive poloxamer-based gel for drug delivery was developed that is visible using x-ray imaging (computed tomography (CT), cone beam CT, fluoroscopy), as well as using US by means of integrating perfluorobutane-filled microbubbles (MBs).

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Despite the potential of oral immunotherapy against food allergy, adverse reactions and loss of desensitization hinder its clinical uptake. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is implicated in the increasing prevalence of food allergy, which will need to be regulated to enable for an effective oral immunotherapy against food allergy. Here we report an inulin gel formulated with an allergen that normalizes the dysregulated ileal microbiota and metabolites in allergic mice, establishes allergen-specific oral tolerance and achieves robust oral immunotherapy efficacy with sustained unresponsiveness in food allergy models.

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) has different epidemiology in Chinese vs. Western patients, but there are few studies of CLL/SLL in large populations of Chinese patients. ALPINE is a global phase 3 trial investigating Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors zanubrutinib vs.

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Background: Poly (ADP- ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) has been increasingly adopted for metastatic castration-resistance prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients with homologous recombination repair deficiency (HRD). However, it is unclear which PARPi is optimal in mCRPC patients with HRD in 2nd -line setting.

Method: We conducted a systematic review of trials regarding PARPi- based therapies on mCRPC in 2nd -line setting and performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA).

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Background: This study aimed to investigate the safety and feasibility of indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence (ICG-NIR) fluorescence-guided video-endoscopic inguinal lymphadenectomy (VEIL) for rectal cancer with inguinal lymph node metastasis (ILNM).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 11 patients with rectal cancer who underwent ICG-NIR fluorescence-guided VEIL, assessing various parameters such as operation time, intraoperative bleeding, number of harvested lymph nodes, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and follow-up.

Results: Regarding surgical procedures for ILNM, unilateral surgery was performed in 7 cases (54.

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Leveraging AAVs' versatile tropism and labeling capacity, we expanded the scale of in vivo CRISPR screening with single-cell transcriptomic phenotyping across embryonic to adult brains and peripheral nervous systems. Through extensive tests of 86 vectors across AAV serotypes combined with a transposon system, we substantially amplified labeling efficacy and accelerated in vivo gene delivery from weeks to days. Our proof-of-principle in utero screen identified the pleiotropic effects of Foxg1, highlighting its tight regulation of distinct networks essential for cell fate specification of Layer 6 corticothalamic neurons.

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  • The study focuses on the aging behavior and life prediction of rubber composites used in high-voltage transmission lines, particularly ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) spacer composites.
  • Findings indicate that aging increases oxidation in the material, leading to rougher surfaces and changes in mechanical properties, such as increased hardness but decreased flexibility.
  • A life prediction model estimates that these rubber composites can last approximately 8.4 years at 20 °C, providing essential insights for ensuring the safety and durability of transmission line components.
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  • * Research shows a thermophilic archaeal TnpB can efficiently edit genes in its natural environment, having different requirements for cell death and gene editing.
  • * This TnpB can recognize various transposon-adjacent motifs (TAMs), allowing for precise editing of single nucleotides while maintaining high targeting specificity, thereby enhancing gene editing potential across different CRISPR-Cas systems.
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Mental disorders are the leading contributors to the globally nonfatal burden of disease. This study was aimed to estimate the burden of mental disorders in Asian countries. Based on GBD 2019, the prevalence and disability-adjusted life of years (DALYs) rates with 95% uncertainty intervals (UI) were estimated in Asian countries.

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Purpose: Previous studies have explored the role of immune cells on osteonecrosis. This Mendelian randomization (MR) study further assessed 731 immunocyte phenotypes on osteonecrosis, whether a causal relationship exists, and provides some evidence of causality.

Methods: The 731 immunocyte phenotypes and osteonecrosis data used in this study were obtained from their respective genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

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