Publications by authors named "Xiao-Nan Zheng"

Article Synopsis
  • Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite in warm-blooded animals and humans, with current treatments like pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine having significant limitations, prompting a search for safer, more effective options.
  • This study focused on glabridin, a natural compound from a medicinal plant, finding it to be low in toxicity while effectively inhibiting T. gondii growth and altering its structure.
  • The results showed that glabridin improved survival rates in infected mice and affected T. gondii's metabolism, suggesting a promising new treatment avenue for this parasite.
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Background: Toxoplasma gondii oocysts, excreted in cat feces, pose a significant health risk to humans through contaminated soil and water. Rapid and accurate detection of T. gondii in environmental samples is essential for public health protection.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focuses on a pathogenic parasite that infects about one third of the global population and analyzes specific proteins (MICs) important for its survival and function.
  • Researchers utilized the CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create gene knockout strains to examine the roles of 11 selected genes presumed to be involved in the parasite’s microneme structure.
  • Results indicated that while most of the proteins were correctly localized in the microneme, two were incorrectly predicted; however, deleting these genes did not significantly affect the parasite's growth or ability to infect, suggesting they may have roles in other life stages or genetic variations of the parasite.
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Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular opportunistic pathogenic protozoan that poses serious threats, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. In the absence of a robust prophylactic measure, the mitigation and management of toxoplasmosis present formidable challenges to public health. We recently found that GRA72 plays an important role in parasitophorous vacuole (PV) morphology, growth and virulence of T.

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Robot-assisted surgery has evolved into a crucial treatment for prostate cancer (PCa). However, from its appearance to today, brain-computer interface, virtual reality, and metaverse have revolutionized the field of robot-assisted surgery for PCa, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Especially in the context of contemporary big data and precision medicine, facing the heterogeneity of PCa and the complexity of clinical problems, it still needs to be continuously upgraded and improved.

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Article Synopsis
  • Eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) are essential for starting protein translation in the apicomplexan parasite, and this study used CRISPR-Cas9 to delete six specific eIFs to assess their roles.
  • Four eIFs were found in the cytoplasm, one in the apicoplast, and one in both the basal complex and the cytoplasm, indicating diverse localization within the cell.
  • While most deletions didn't affect the parasite's ability to invade or replicate, the deletion of the TGGT1_286090 gene hindered the parasite's ability to transform into a different form and suggests its potential as a target for future drug or vaccine development.
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Article Synopsis
  • Toxoplasma gondii relies on an intracellular parasitophorous vacuole (PV) for nutrient acquisition and protein trafficking, which is vital for its survival and growth.
  • The study identifies GRA47 as a key protein that helps maintain the PV's structure and function, impacting parasite growth and virulence, and reveals that it interacts with another protein, GRA72.
  • Experiments showed that manipulating the genes of various GRA proteins affected the PV's morphology and function, suggesting they work together in distinct ways to optimize nutrient uptake, which is critical for the parasite's adaptability in diverse host environments.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers created a gene knockout strain (RHΔ) to study the role of the HAD2a gene, finding that it is crucial for the parasite's replication and virulence.
  • * Vaccination with the RHΔ strain showed promising results in mice, providing partial to strong protection against various strains of the disease, indicating its potential as a candidate for developing more effective vaccines.
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Background: Cell metabolism plays a pivotal role in tumor progression, and targeting cancer metabolism might effectively kill cancer cells. We aimed to investigate the role of hexokinases in prostate cancer (PCa) and identify a crucial target for PCa treatment.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, online tools and clinical samples were used to assess the expression and prognostic role of ADP-dependent glucokinase (ADPGK) in PCa.

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  • SR proteins, particularly SR2, play a crucial role in splicing pre-mRNAs, but their impact on disease-causing pathogens hasn't been well studied.
  • Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to investigate SR2's function and found it localized in the nucleus during certain life stages of a parasite.
  • Deleting SR2 from different parasite strains significantly reduced their virulence and brain cyst burden, indicating that SR2 could be a potential target for treating toxoplasmosis.
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The Zinc finger protein (ZFP) family is widely distributed in eukaryotes and interacts with DNA, RNA, and various proteins to participate in many molecular processes. In the present study, the biological functions of eight ZFP genes in the lytic cycle and the pathogenicity of were examined using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Immunofluorescence showed that four ZFPs (RH248270-HA, RH255310-HA, RH309200-HA, and RH236640-HA) were localized in the cytoplasm, and one ZFP (RH273150-HA) was located in the nucleus, while the expression level of RH285190-HA, RH260870-HA, and RH248450-HA was undetectable.

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Pathogenicity of the zoonotic pathogen Toxoplasma gondii largely depends on the secretion of effector proteins into the extracellular milieu and host cell cytosol, including the dense granule proteins (GRAs). The protein-encoding gene TGME49_299780 was previously identified as a contributor to parasite fitness. However, its involvement in parasite growth, virulence and infectivity in vitro and in vivo remains unknown.

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Tumor mRNA vaccines have been developed for over 20 years. Whether mRNA vaccines could promote a clinical benefit to advanced cancer patients is highly unknown. PubMed and Embase were retrieved from January 1, 2000 to January 4, 2023.

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The analysis of the subcellular localization and function of dense granule proteins (GRAs) is of central importance for the understanding of host-parasite interaction and pathogenesis of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Here, we identified 15 novel GRAs and used C-terminal endogenous gene tagging to determine their localization at the intravacuolar network (IVN), parasitophorous vacuole (PV), or PV membrane (PVM) in the tachyzoites and at the periphery of the bradyzoites-containing cysts. The functions of the 15 genes were examined in type I RH strain and 5 of these genes were also evaluated in the cyst-forming type II Pru strain.

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Several calcium-binding proteins including calcium-dependent protein kinases play important roles in several facets of the intracellular infection cycle of the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. However, the role of the calcium-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF) domain-containing proteins (CBDPs) remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the functions of four CBDP genes in T.

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Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has shown promising results in patients with locally advanced penile cancer. However, no consensus exists on its applications for locally advanced penile cancer. Thus, it is unclear which kind of chemotherapy regimen is the best choice.

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This study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of holmium laser technologies (HoL-Ts) and photoselective greenlight vaporization (PVP) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and to perform a meta-analysis according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines on PubMed, EMBASE, ClinicalTrial.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to August 2019. Functional outcomes, perioperative parameters, and complications were included and analyzed.

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Biochemical recurrence (BCR) is important for measuring the oncological outcomes of patients who undergo radical prostatectomy (RP). Whether transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has negative postoperative effects on oncological outcomes remains controversial. The primary aim of our retrospective study was to determine whether a history of TURP could affect the postoperative BCR rate.

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To evaluate the Efficacy and safety of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors as a medical therapy for distal ureteral calculi by means of a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). We searched the Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published before May, 2017. Stone passage rate as the primary outcome.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acupuncture has been studied as a treatment for acute cerebral hemorrhage, but its timing in relation to effectiveness has not been widely researched.
  • In this study, rat models of cerebral hemorrhage were used to investigate the impact of acupuncture administered at different intervals (3, 9, 24, and 48 hours post-hemorrhage) on brain tissue changes and neurobehavioral outcomes.
  • Results indicated that earlier acupuncture (3- and 9-hour groups) significantly improved histopathology and neurological function compared to later treatments, suggesting that timely acupuncture could better protect brain tissue after an acute hemorrhage.
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Background: Chemotherapy is one of the major means for control of malignancies, with cisplatin (CDDP) as one of the main agents, widely used for the treatment of various malignant solid tumors. However, prevention of hepatotoxicity from cisplatin is one of the urgent issues in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of pu-erh tea on hepatotoxicity through body weight and tissue antioxidant parameters like, liver coefficient, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), malondialdehyde(MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and light microscopic evaluation by histological findings.

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