Publications by authors named "Xiaojun Zhong"

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of early weaning (EW) on the growth performance, gastrointestinal development, serum parameters, and metabolomics of Hu sheep lambs. Twenty-four male Hu lambs were initially ewe-reared. A total of 12 lambs were weaned at 30 d of age (D30) as the EW group, and the remaining 12 lambs were weaned at 45 d of age (D45) as the control (CON) group.

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The gut-liver axis and its interactions are essential for host physiology. Thus, we examined the jejunal microbiota, fermentation parameters, digestive enzymes, morphology, and liver metabolic profiles in different growth development lambs to investigate the liver-gut axis's role in their development. One hundred male Hu lambs of similar birth weight and age were raised under the same conditions until they reached 180 days of age.

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Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a significant food-borne pathogen that causes economic and public health problems worldwide, can produce two types of flagella, the single polar flagellum responsible for swimming in a liquid environment and the lateral flagella (laf) that enable the bacteria to swarm on the tops of solid surfaces. The polar flagellar genes are expressed either in liquid or on a surface, however, laf genes would only be activated by surface sensing. In this study, the molecular mechanism of surface sensing activating laf gene expression in V.

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This study investigated the impact of tea polyphenols on serum indices, rumen microorganisms, rumen metabolism, and liver metabolism in Hu sheep. Sixty healthy lambs, aged three months and with similar average weights, were chosen and randomly assigned to control (CON), TP400, TP800, and TP1200 groups, each consisting of fifteen lambs. The control group received a basal diet, while the experimental groups were provided with basal diet supplemented with 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg, and 1200 mg/kg of tea polyphenols, respectively.

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The objective of this experiment was to explore the effects of three-way hybridization on rumen microbes and metabolites in sheep using rumen metagenomics and metabolomics. Healthy Hu and CAH (Charolais × Australian White × Hu) male lambs of similar birth weight and age were selected for short-term fattening after intensive weaning to collect rumen fluid for sequencing. Rumen metagenomics diversity showed that Hu and CAH sheep were significantly segregated at the species, KEGG-enzyme, and CAZy-family levels.

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Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an important gram-positive pathogen and an emerging zoonotic pathogen that causes meningitis in swine and humans. Although several virulence factors have been characterized in S.

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One of the greatest challenges encountered by enteric pathogens is responding to rapid changes of nutrient availability in host. However, the mechanisms by which pathogens sense gastrointestinal signals and exploit available host nutrients for proliferation remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a two-component system in Vibrio parahaemolyticus, TtrRS, which senses environmental tetrathionate and subsequently activates the transcription of the ttrRS-ttrBCA-tsdBA gene cluster to promote V.

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Asthenospermia is a predominant cause of male infertility, and antioxidant supplements can be effective in treating asthenospermia. We demonstrate the antioxidant potential of traditional Chinese medicine, the Yishenhuoxue (YSHX) formula, in treating polyglycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii (GTW)-induced asthenospermia in rats. Fifty male rats were randomly divided into the normal, model, and treatment groups.

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Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of induction chemotherapy (IC) combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC).

Methods: A total of 217 patients diagnosed with LA-NPC at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, including 67 who received IC combined with anti-PD-1 and 150 who received IC, were retrospectively enrolled. Efficacy was evaluated at the end of the IC cycles and one month after radiotherapy based on RECIST v1.

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This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three-way hybrid sheep and Hu sheep on serum indicators, rumen fermentation, rumen enzyme activity, and microorganisms in sheep. Healthy and similar birth weights from three groups (Hu, = 11; Charolais × Australian White × Hu, CAH, = 11; Charolais × Dorper × Hu, CDH, = 11) were selected to be fed by the ewes until 45 days of age. Subsequently, they were weaned intensively and underwent short-term fattening for 3 months along with selected male lambs fed intensively.

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Soil is an essential part of the animal habitat and has a large diversity of microbiota, while the animal body was colonized by a complex bacterial community; so far, the relationship between the animal host microbial community and the soil microbial ecosystem remains largely unknown. In this study, 15 white rhinoceros from three different captive grounds were selected and the bacterial community of the gut, skin, and environment of these rhinoceros were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing technology. Our results showed that and were the predominant phyla in the gut microbiome, whereas skin and environment samples share similar microbiome profiles and are dominated by the phyla of , , and .

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Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera. Effective intestinal colonization is a key step for V. cholerae pathogenicity and transmission.

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Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a significant food-borne pathogen that is found in diverse aquatic habitats. Quorum sensing (QS), a signaling system for cell-cell communication, plays an important role in V. parahaemolyticus persistence.

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Although estrogen is predominantly related to the maintenance of reproductive functioning in females, it mediates various physiological effects in nearly all tissues, especially the central nervous system. Clinical trials have revealed that estrogen, especially 17β-estradiol, can attenuate cerebral damage caused by an ischemic stroke. One mechanism underlying this effect of 17β-estradiol is by modulating the responses of immune cells, indicating its utility as a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke.

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The diagnosis and treatment of cancer of unknown primary site (CUP) present with difficulties and produce a poor prognosis. The current study presents the case of a patient with CUP in the mandibular region was treated with docetaxel and lobaplatin chemotherapy, and vascular embolization of the tumor. The tumor size was markedly reduced and the patient's quality of life improved following radiotherapy.

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South China tigers (, SC) are the most threatened tiger subspecies in the world. All the living SCs are captive in zoos or reserves and depend on artificial feeding. The composition of the gut microbiome plays an important role in sustaining the health of the host.

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Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen with a wide distribution in the world that causes economic and public health problems. Here, we isolated 152 V. parahaemolyticus strains from shellfish, shrimp, crab, and snails from 5 provinces in East China, and analyzed the genetic diversity, population structure, and virulence profiles of these isolates.

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Article Synopsis
  • Serotype 2 (SS2) is a zoonotic pathogen linked to diseases in pigs and cases of severe human illness, specifically streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
  • The study identified an RNA-binding protein (RbpA) with an S1 domain that enhances SS2's ability to adhere to host cells and increases its pathogenicity.
  • A proteomic analysis revealed 145 differentially expressed proteins, including key virulence factors, and demonstrated that RbpA influences gene expression through various post-transcriptional mechanisms, shedding light on bacterial pathogenicity.
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Objective: This study investigated whether differences in the induction chemotherapy (IC) cycle number and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) affect survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC).

Methods: The survival outcomes of 386 consecutive LA-NPC patients treated between January 2015 and March 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare treatment groups defined by IC< 3 or ≥3 IC cycles followed by radiotherapy with or without AC (i.

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In recent decades, infections caused by the opportunistic fungus have increased, especially in patients with immunodeficiency. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of action of sanguinarine (SAN) against both and . SAN exhibited antifungal activity against clinical isolates, with MICs in the range of 112.

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Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a significant foodborne pathogen that causes economic and public health problems worldwide and has a high capacity to adapt to diverse environments and hosts. The second messenger cyclic diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP) allows bacteria to shift from a planktonic form to a communal multicellular lifestyle and plays an important role in bacterial survival and transmission. Here, we characterized single-domain c-di-GMP synthetases in V.

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Background: Combination CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy has been shown to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the real-world benefit of first-line combination therapy in this cohort and to correlate treatment efficacy with neutropenia, a common toxicity of CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Methods: This study included HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or mBC patients who were treated with palbociclib plus endocrine therapy, mainly letrozole, between 1 January 2015 and 1 March 2018.

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Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous genetic elements that play an essential role in multidrug tolerance and virulence . So far, little is known about the TA systems in . In this study, the Xress-MNTss TA system, composed of the MNTss toxin in the periplasmic space and its interacting Xress antitoxin, was identified in .

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is one of the most important food-borne pathogens that cause economic and public health problems worldwide. Quorum sensing (QS) is a way for the cell-cell communication between bacteria that controls a wide spectrum of processes and phenotypic behaviors. In this study, we performed a systematic research of LuxR family regulators in and found that they influence the bacterial growth and biofilm formation.

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