Publications by authors named "XiaoQian Feng"

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a coronary artery-related disease that seriously threatens human life and is the leading cause of sudden death worldwide, where a lack of nutrients and oxygen leads to an inflammatory response and death of cardiomyocytes. Ferroptosis is a form of non-apoptotic cell death associated with metabolic dysfunction, resulting in abnormal breakdown of glutamine and iron-dependent accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during metabolism. However, the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of MI and the function of Klotho and KRAS on ferroptosis during MI remain unclear.

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Micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) are an emerging type of contaminants that are widely present in the environments that people live in. MNPs can enter the human body in a variety of pathways, but the three main ones are through dietary intake, air inhalation, and skin contact. However, it has been discovered that medical plastics used in medical activities also pose potential risks to MNPs exposure as exposure pathways are continuously refined and clarified.

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  • MRL/lpr mice, which typically develop autoimmune symptoms similar to systemic lupus erythematosus due to FAS-mediated apoptosis issues, were studied to understand the role of EAF2 in this process.
  • Researchers created EAF2-deficient mice and found that this deficiency led to reduced symptoms like lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and nephritis while also extending the mice's lifespan.
  • The study concluded that the lack of EAF2 causes B cells to become hyperactivated but ultimately die off faster due to changes in gene expression, helping reduce autoimmune responses in these mice.
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Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disorder with impaired bone microstructure and increased bone fractures, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients. Among various bisphosphonates prescribed for managing osteoporosis, minodronic acid (MA) is the most potent inhibitor of bone context resorption. However, oral MA tablet is the only commercialized dosage form that has extremely low bioavailability, severe adverse reactions, and poor patient compliance.

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  • * The study focused on five patients with specific NFKB2 mutations, demonstrating that those with frameshift mutations had truncated proteins and significant immune system deficiencies, such as B-cell lymphopenia and hypogammaglobulinemia.
  • * Laboratory tests showed that naïve B cells from some patients had decreased survival and activation abilities, highlighting intrinsic defects in their B cells due to NFKB2 mutations, even though class switch recombination remained unaffected.
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The broad spread of micro(nano)plastics (MNPs) has garnered significant attention in recent years. MNPs have been detected in numerous human organs, indicating that they may also be hazardous to humans. The toxic effects of MNPs have been demonstrated in marine species and experimental animals.

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  • RHOH is a small GTPase found mainly in immune cells, and its deficiency is linked to serious health issues like lung disease and T cell defects.
  • A 21-year-old male with a specific genetic variant (RHOH c.245G>A) experienced recurrent severe infections, revealing low counts of essential immune cells (CD4 T, B, NK cells) and hypoimmunoglobulinemia.
  • This variant leads to impaired activation of T cells, reduced RHOH protein expression, and disrupted interaction with ZAP70, indicating a link between the mutation and T cell dysfunction.
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Obesity poses a significant threat to various health conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attack, with the gut microbiota playing a crucial role in maintaining the body's energy balance. We identified a novel probiotic fungal strain, JSA 18 ), which was isolated from yak milk and was found to possess anti-obesity properties. Additionally, CGMCC 8198 (LP8198) from our previous study was also included to evaluate its anti-obesity properties.

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  • Disruptions in gene expression related to the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) could lead to kidney problems in children, yet understanding the GBM's role in pediatric kidney diseases requires more research.
  • The study focused on key GBM components like Collagen IV, Laminin, and Integrin across common pediatric kidney diseases, revealing specific changes in their expression.
  • Findings showed increased expression of certain proteins in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS), while reduced levels were noted in other conditions like IgA nephropathy and lupus nephritis, indicating structural changes in the GBM common to various childhood kidney diseases.
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Microplastics (100 nm-5 mm) and nanoplastics (<100 nm) collectively referred to as micro(nano)plastics (MNPs), which are emerging pollutants all over the world. Environmental differences affect its distribution. The content of MNPs differs between urban and rural environments, according to previous studies.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks among the top causes of mortality globally. Gut inflammation is one crucial risk factor that augments CRC development since patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease have an increased incidence of CRC. The role of immunoglobulin (Ig)A in maintaining gut homeostasis and preventing inflammation has been well established.

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Background: Although primary membranous nephropathy (pMN) associated with podocyte autoantibodies (POS) is becoming well-known, the molecular characteristics of the specific type of pMN that is negative for podocyte autoantibodies (NEG) is still unclear.

Methods: We performed single-cell transcriptome sequencing and single-cell B cell receptor sequencing on circulating CD19 cells and kidney cells of a NEG paediatric patient with pMN. The single-cell datasets of POS patients and healthy control individuals were included for integrative analysis.

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Rapid and effective simultaneous removal of algal and extracellular organic matter (EOM) is essential for algal blooms water emergency treatment. In this study, a composite material was prepared by physical and chemical interaction between La-montmorillonite (La-MMT) and Mg/Al-layered double hydroxide (LDHs), and its removal effect of algal and extracellular organic matters (EOM) was investigated. The results showed that the removal rate of chlorophyll a () was 96.

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Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a relatively rare and serious presentation of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) (NS-IgAN). Previous research has suggested that the pathogenesis of NS-IgAN may involve circulating immune imbalance and kidney injury; however, this has yet to be fully elucidated. To investigate the cellular and molecular status of NS-IgAN, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and kidney cells from pediatric patients diagnosed with NS-IgAN by renal biopsy.

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H is one of the promising renewable energy sources, but its production and transportation remain challenging. Distributed H production using liquid H carriers is one of the ideal ways of H utilization. Among common H carriers, ethanol is promising as it has high H content and can be derived from renewable bio-energy sources such as sucrose, starch compounds, and cellulosic biomass.

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Spiral artery remodeling is the process by which the uterine vessels become large bore low resistance conduits, allowing delivery of high volumes of maternal blood to the placenta to nourish the developing fetus. Failure of this process is associated with the pathophysiology of most of the major obstetric complications, including late miscarriage, fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. However, the point at which remodeling 'fails' in these pathological pregnancies is not yet clear.

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Peripheral blood immune cells have different molecular characteristics at different stages of the whole lifespan. Knowledge of circulating immune cell types and states from children to centenarians remains incomplete. We profiled peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of multiple age groups with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), involving the age ranges of 1-12 (G1), 20-30(G2), 30-60(G3), 60-80(G4), and >110 years (G5).

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  • - Researchers discovered a recurrent mutation in the IRF4 gene, identified as p.T95R, linked to an autosomal dominant combined immunodeficiency (CID) in seven patients from six different families, leading to severe vulnerability to opportunistic infections and low antibody levels.
  • - The mutation caused significant defects in the maturation of B cells and alterations in T cell populations, resulting in impaired immune responses, as demonstrated in both human patients and a knock-in mouse model with similar symptoms.
  • - The altered IRF4 protein exhibited unusual behaviors, including stronger DNA binding but reduced activity on typical target genes, while also activating noncanonical genes, showcasing a complex interaction that disrupts normal immune function and leads to disease.
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Elimination of autoreactive developing B cells is an important mechanism to prevent autoantibody production. However, how B cell receptor (BCR) signaling triggers apoptosis of immature B cells remains poorly understood. We show that BCR stimulation up-regulates the expression of the lysosomal-associated transmembrane protein 5 (LAPTM5), which in turn triggers apoptosis of immature B cells through two pathways.

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Ferroptosis therapy by catalyzing the Fenton reaction has emerged as a promising tumor elimination strategy for lung adenocarcinoma (ADC). However, the unsatisfactory Fenton reaction efficiency, strong intracellular antioxidant system, and insufficient lung drug accumulation limits the ferroptosis therapeutic effect. To address these issues, an inhalable nanoreactor was proposed by spontaneously adsorbing biomimetic protein corona (PC) composed of matrix metalloproteinase 2 responsive gelatin and glutamate (Glu) on the surface of cationic nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) core loaded with ferrocene (Fc) and fluvastatin.

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Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets emerged as promising 2D nanomaterial that have been applied to eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, their applications are limited by intrinsic ambient instability. Here, the ε-poly-l-lysine (ε-PL)-engineered BP nanosheets are constructed via simple electrostatic interaction to cater the demand for passivating BP with amplified antibacterial activity.

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  • Nanoparticles (NPs) are being explored for cancer therapy, but effective single administration methods are lacking.
  • Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) have been created to locally deliver dual-functionalized PLGA nanoparticles (HD10 NPs) that combine chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT), enhancing the effectiveness of low-dose chemotherapy.
  • Testing on tumor-bearing mice showed that HD10 NPs delivered via DMNs produced the best anti-tumor effects, especially when combined with PTT, leading to complete tumor elimination and better safety profiles.
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Membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs) are antimicrobials or anticarcinogens that present a general killing mechanism through the physical disruption of cell membranes, in contrast to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, which act on precise targets such as DNA or specific enzymes. Owing to their rapid action, broad-spectrum activity, and mechanisms of action that potentially hinder the development of resistance, MDPs have been increasingly considered as future therapeutics in the drug-resistant era. Recently, growing experimental evidence has demonstrated that MDPs can also be utilized as adjuvants to enhance the therapeutic effects of other agents.

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Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a transmembrane glycoprotein located on the cell membrane, is specifically and highly expressed in prostate cancer (PCa). Besides, its expression level is related to tumor invasiveness. As a molecular target of PCa, PSMA has been extensively studied in the past two decades.

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