Publications by authors named "Xiaowei Chen"

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is critical for early embryo development and is meticulously regulated by epigenetic modifications. H3K4me3 is a transcription-permissive histone mark preferentially found at promoters, but its distribution across genome features remains incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the genome-wide enrichment of H3K4me3 during early embryo development and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in both sheep and mice.

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Inflammation stimulation regulates the activity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) through direct-sensing and cytokine-mediation. It is known that HSCs directly sense lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a classical infection-related inflammatory signal, via toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and subsequently become active. However, the mechanism underlying the activity change of HSCs induced by LPS remains incompletely disclosed.

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Viral infections in swine, such as African swine fever (ASF), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), have a significant impact on the swine industry. Despite the significant progress in the recent efforts to develop effective vaccines against viral diseases in swine, the search for new protective vaccination strategy remains a challenge. The antigenic epitope, acting as a fundamental unit, can initiate either a cellular or humoral immune response.

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Introduction: The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) arginine-47-histidine (R47H) mutation is a significant risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) with unclear mechanisms. Previous studies focused on microglial amyloid-β (Aβ) phagocytosis with less attention on the impact of TREM2 mutation on blood monocytes.

Methods: Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) models were used to assess the contribution of blood monocytes carrying TREM2 mutation to AD.

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Viruses wield significant influence over microbial communities and ecosystem function in marine environments. However, the selection of viral life strategies and their impacts on microbial communities remains enigmatic. In this study, we utilized a large-scale macrocosm, established using water samples from a marine coastal region, to enable community-level investigation.

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Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the global influenza seasonal patterns due to nonpharmaceutical interventions. This study aims to describe the influenza seasonal characteristics in the first two seasons after lifting COVID-19 NPIs and assess shifts before, during, and after the pandemic.

Methods: We analyzed country-specific weekly influenza data (2011-2024) from WHO FluNet and collected COVID-19 NPI timing from official announcements.

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It has long been a decades-old dogma that image perception is mediated solely by rods and cones, while intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) are responsible only for non-image-forming vision, such as circadian photoentrainment and pupillary light reflexes. Surprisingly, we discovered that ipRGC activation enhances the orientation selectivity of layer 2/3 neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) of mice by both increasing preferred-orientation responses and narrowing tuning bandwidth. Mechanistically, we found that the tuning properties of V1 excitatory and inhibitory neurons are differentially influenced by ipRGC activation, leading to a reshaping of the excitatory/inhibitory balance that enhances visual cortical orientation selectivity.

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in SLE. Proliferative and pure membranous LN have different prognoses and may require different treatments.

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Aim: To assess the potential association between the TyG index and the risk of abnormal UACR. Additionally, we aimed to determine the role and degree of influence of inflammatory biomarkers between the TyG index and abnormal UACR.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 1021 participants from a health management center between 2021 and 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the importance of the uterus and its biomechanical properties in supporting healthy pregnancies, identifying how alterations can lead to complications.
  • Researchers analyzed the nonhuman primate (NHP) uterus at different stages of pregnancy to understand its micro-mechanical properties and composition.
  • Key findings showed distinct stiffness and hydration levels in the endometrium-decidua layer, with NHP uterine properties closely resembling human data, affirming NHPs as useful models for human uterine biomechanical studies.
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Exogenous neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation has become one of the most promising treatment methods for chronic stroke. Recent studies have shown that most ischemia-reperfusion model rats recover spontaneously after injury, which limits the ability to observe long-term behavioral recovery. Here, we used a severe stroke rat model with 150 minutes of ischemia, which produced severe behavioral deficiencies that persisted at 12 weeks, to study the therapeutic effect of neural stem cells on neural restoration in chronic stroke.

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In order to meet the requirements of rapid evaluation of high-energy lasers for practical applications, this paper constructs scaling laws for Gaussian beams propagation through the atmosphere. Firstly, the beam spreading due to single effects including diffraction, optical turbulence and thermal blooming is scaled to identify suitable scaling factors. Then, the scaling functions of the effective radius with multi-effect interaction are established step by step, and the scaling exponents are fixed by genetic algorithm.

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Many apicomplexan parasites have a chloroplast-derived apicoplast containing several metabolic pathways. Recent studies have greatly expanded our understanding of apicoplast biogenesis and metabolism while also raising new questions. Here, we review recent progress on the biological roles of individual metabolic pathways, focusing on two medically important parasites, Plasmodium spp.

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KCTD10, a member of the potassium channel tetramerization domain (KCTD) family, is implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and functions as a substrate recognition component within the RING-type ubiquitin ligase complex. A rare de novo variant of KCTD10, p.C124W, was identified in schizophrenia cases, yet its underlying pathogenesis remains unexplored.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading neurodegenerative disorder without effective treatments. The nonlinear dynamic nature of AD pathophysiology suggested that multiple pharmacological actions of anti-AD drugs should be elucidated. 9-Methylfascaplysin (9-MF) was previously designed and synthesized as a novel anti-AD candidate.

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Significance: Diverse behaviors rely on coordinated activity and multi-regional functional connectivity within astrocyte-neuronal networks. However, current techniques for simultaneously measuring astrocytic and neuronal activities across multiple brain regions during behaviors remain limited.

Aim: We propose a multi-fiber solution that can simultaneously record activities of astrocyte-neuronal networks across multiple regions during behaviors.

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Article Synopsis
  • Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin condition, but its underlying molecular causes are still not well understood.
  • This study aimed to identify metabolic changes in both serum and skin of AD-like mice, comparing them to healthy controls to find potential biomarkers and explore AD mechanisms.
  • Results revealed significant differences in 220 skin and 94 serum metabolites, suggesting specific biomarkers linked to AD, which could help in developing targeted clinical treatments.
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Atrial fibrillation (AF) pharmaceutical treatment strategy on when to start rhythm control has been debated for decades. In early studies, these 2 strategies exhibited equivalent efficacy; however, more recent studies based on CHADS-VASc score indicated that early rhythm control (ERC) is more beneficial than UC. We hypothesized that ERC might benefit persons with AF in other cardiovascular outcomes, regardless of the CHADS-VASc score.

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In this study, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and multicopper oxidase (MCO) of W155 with histamine degradation ability were expressed. The mulberry fruit wine (MFW) histamine degradation abilities of GAPDH and MCO were 20.81% and 37.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Plant-based diets are becoming more popular for their health benefits and lower environmental impact, leading to innovative food products like plant protein-based HIPE gels made solely from wheat gluten.
  • - The study developed stable HIPE gels by mixing wheat gluten in a vinegar-water solution, identifying that vinegar concentrations of 5% to 20% and wheat gluten concentrations of 1.0% to 7.5% are effective for gel formation.
  • - The resulting HIPE gels showed desirable properties such as shear thinning, viscoelasticity, and good thixotropic recovery, making them suitable for creating a textured, egg-free mayonnaise alternative.
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  • The rumen microbiota is crucial for the health of animals, influencing their evolution and function, particularly in Tibetan sheep and Hu sheep.
  • Research utilized advanced technologies to compare the microstructure of rumen epithelium, fermentation parameters, and metabolic characteristics between the two sheep breeds.
  • Findings reveal that Tibetan sheep have superior rumen adaptations with greater nipple height and cuticle thickness, which enhances their digestion and absorption capabilities, particularly in high-altitude environments.
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EfpA, the first major facilitator superfamily (MFS) protein identified in (Mtb), is an essential efflux pump implicated in resistance to multiple drugs. EfpA-inhibitors have been developed to kill drug-tolerant Mtb. However, the biological function of EfpA has not yet been elucidated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (nICT) has significantly impacted the treatment of operable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), though the factors affecting tumor response are still being explored.
  • Single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing showed that a specific type of exhausted CD8 T cells (CXCL13CD8 Tex cells) is prevalent in pre-treatment tumors and is linked to better responses to nICT.
  • The study also identifies immune markers associated with treatment resistance, such as certain fibroblasts and macrophages, suggesting a complex tumor environment that may influence how patients respond to nICT.
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Identifying novel therapeutic targets for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a key goal in liver cancer research. Even though long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) do not code proteins, they could regulate the expression of functional genes and thus mediate disease development. The aim of this study was to estimate the role of lncRNA POLR2J4 (POLR2J4) in the progression of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) to pinpoint a potential biomarker.

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Background: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) pulp oil is rich in functional components; however, low water solubility and stability limit its applications. This study fabricated sea buckthorn pulp oil microcapsules using whey protein isolate (WPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), sodium caseinate (NaCN), gum arabic (GA), starch sodium octenylsuccinate (OSAS) and SPI mixed with chitosan (CHI).

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