Publications by authors named "Xiaoyan Ma"

Background: Protein energy wasting (PEW) is prevalent in adult maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Concurrently, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a leading cause of mortality in MHD patients. However, the relationship between PEW and CVD in MHD patients remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) are commonly associated with an adverse prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This makes them key targets for the treatment of HCC. Studies have shown that the clinical efficacy of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib alone in treating HCC is limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of modifiable lifestyle behaviors on the association between sleep patterns and chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk.

Methods: This study included 294,215 UK Biobank participants initially without CKD, followed until 13 October 2023. Sleep patterns were derived from five sleep factors, including sleep duration, chronotype, insomnia, snoring, and daytime dozing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Placental development is a multifaceted process critical for a fruitful pregnancy, reinforced by a complex network of molecular pathways that synchronize trophoblast migration, differentiation, and overall placental function. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the key signaling pathways, such as Wnt, Notch, TGF-β, and VEGF, which play fundamental roles in trophoblast proliferation, invasion, and the complicated process of placental vascular development. For instance, the Wnt signaling pathway is essential to balance trophoblast stem cell proliferation and differentiation, while Notch signaling stimulates cell fate decisions and invasive behavior.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ion-selective membranes serve as key materials for reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology in osmotic energy harvesting, and the search for a class of membranes that are economical, highly robust, and sustainable has been a relentless goal for researchers. In this work, all-natural biomass membranes (reed membranes) are often used as a flute diaphragm, which makes the flute produce a brighter and crisper sound, presenting high strength and elasticity. Ultrathin natural reed membranes (thickness of ≈4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inducing differentiation of leukemia cells into dendritic cells (DC) is pivotal to reshaping the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here, we report the synthesis of , an erlotinib-gold(I) complex, which directly prompts the differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells into DCs. A patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model underscores the potent anti-AML activity of .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The polypropylene (PP) separator in lithium-ion batteries is prone to thermal runaway, which limits its use in devices like electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
  • Researchers discovered that applying hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) on the PP separator allows it to form a chiral nematic liquid crystal phase, enhancing battery safety by improving temperature distribution during operation.
  • The new HPMC-coated separator not only prevents thermal runaway during extreme testing but also demonstrates excellent cycling stability, allowing batteries to function effectively for over 1000 cycles, indicating a promising direction for future lithium-ion battery research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

One of the hallmarks of cancer is high levels of DNA replication stress and defects in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathways, which are critical for maintaining genomic integrity. Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) is a key regulator of the DDR machinery and an attractive therapeutic target, with multiple ATR inhibitors holding significant promise in ongoing clinical studies. Herein, we describe the discovery and characterization of ART0380 (), a potent and selective ATR inhibitor with a compelling in vitro and in vivo pharmacological profile currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical studies in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors as monotherapy and in combination with DNA-damaging agents (NCT04657068 and NCT05798611).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Previous research identified three types of multi-component mixtures based on hormesis concentration-response curves and toxicity analysis methods.
  • This study assessed the acute and long-term toxicity of six pollutants and 12 mixtures using microplate toxicity analyses, exploring the relationship between variance and effect ratios.
  • Findings showed that acute toxicity types were consistent across short-duration and long-term exposure, indicating that chronic toxicity predictions can be based on acute toxicity results for multi-component mixtures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The cotton-melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) is a major global pest, and this study focused on assembling its genome to explore its adaptability. * Using advanced sequencing techniques, researchers created a nearly complete genome assembly for one haplotype (Hap4) and discovered extensive repetitive DNA, particularly on the X chromosome, which contributed to an increase in genome size compared to other haplotypes. * The study revealed significant genetic variations among different haplotypes that influence gene expression and identified a male-specific gene of fungal origin, providing insights for further comparative genomic analyses of the aphid's adaptation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is critical global pest threatening crops and leading to agricultural losses. Wolbachia is an intracellular symbiotic bacterium in insects, which can regulate the growth and development of the host through various ways. In a prior study, Wolbachia was found to be transferred to whitefly and induce fitness changes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the under-researched characteristics of dissolved organic matter generated from microplastics (MPs) during advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in water treatment.
  • It utilizes Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) to analyze how different UV-based AOPs affect the aging and fragmentation of MPs, revealing that UV/Cl AOP is the most effective for generating MPs-DOM.
  • Key findings include that the chemical structure of MPs influences their behavior in AOPs, with PVC exhibiting the highest release of MPs-DOM, while different treatment methods affect disinfection byproducts formation and the nature of the DOM produced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Prostate cancer is a major health issue for men, highlighting the need for improved detection and treatment options, with HSP90AB1 and PARP1 identified as potential targets.
  • - The study showed that reducing HSP90AB1 levels made prostate cancer cells more sensitive to the PARP inhibitor olaparib, and combining olaparib with celastrol (an HSP90 inhibitor) led to significantly decreased cell survival and enhanced DNA damage.
  • - Findings suggest that the concurrent targeting of HSP90AB1 and PARP1, particularly through the combination of celastrol and olaparib, could be an effective new strategy for treating prostate cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nanotechnology aligns with the requirements of sustainable development of agriculture, and nano-pesticides offer a promising approach to controlling agricultural pests and increasing productivity. Non-target predators also play a crucial role in pest controls and enhancing the efficacy of pesticide on target organisms. Reducing the toxicity of pesticides to non-target organisms is key to of coordinating chemical control and biological control methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To determine the synergistic effect and mechanism of AO/854, a new Bloom syndrome protein (BLM) helicase inhibitor, and cisplatin (CDDP), a DNA-crosslinking agent, cell viability assays, neutral comet assays, and Western blotting (WB) were performed on prostate cancer (PCa) cells. According to our findings, combining AO/854 and CDDP enhanced the antiproliferative capabilities of PC3 cell lines. As evidenced by the upregulation of γH2AX, cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3, and BAX/Bcl-2, AO/854 dramatically increased PC3 apoptosis and DNA damage induced by CDDP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kinship testing, which involves genotyping genetic markers and comparing their profiles between individuals, holds significant applications in forensic science. However, the prevalent use of independent markers often lacks the discriminatory power to distinguish pedigrees belong to the same kinship class. While numerous studies have attempted to address this challenge through diverse approaches, the testing efficacy of high-density SNP microarrays in combination with the likelihood approach remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is an unaddressed need due to the absence of novel treatments. Recent studies demonstrated that fingolimod and siponimod have neuroprotective effects in several neuropsychiatric disorders; however, their pharmacological mechanisms are unclear. The objective of this study was to identify potential molecular mechanisms of fingolimod and siponimod for improving cognition of schizophrenia through network pharmacology and molecular docking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Immune nutrition, as an integral component of nutritional support therapy, has garnered significant attention and research in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. Recent advancements in nutritional formulas containing components such as glutamine, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and arginine have led to the development of what is now termed immune nutrition or pharmacological nutrition. These formulations go beyond traditional nutritional support, functioning more like nutritional supplements with pharmacological effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study looked at how personal strength and support from friends and family affect how older adults do everyday things.
  • Researchers studied over 3,000 older adults and found that, over four years, many had a harder time with daily activities.
  • They discovered that older adults with good personal strength who lacked social support struggled more, while those with strong support fared better, especially if they had good personal strength.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein phosphorylation is a pivotal post-translational modification modulating various cellular processes. In Gram-positive bacteria, the protein arginine kinase McsB, along with its activator McsA, has a key role in labeling misfolded and damaged proteins during stress. However, the activation mechanism of McsB by McsA remains elusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Protein Energy Wasting (PEW) has high incidence in adult hemodialysis patients and refers to a state of decreased protein and energy substance. It has been demonstrated that PEW highly affects the quality of survival and increases the risk of death. Nevertheless, its diagnostic criteria are complex in clinic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Establishment of a new method for improved shoot tip cryopreservation is crucial to facilitate the long-term preservation of plant germplasm as well as the use of cryotherapy for pathogen eradication. The present study reported a vitrification (V) cryo-foil method for shoot tip cryopreservation and virus eradication in apple. Shoot tip regrowth levels after cryopreservation were comparable among V cryo-foil (53 %), V cryo-plate (46 %) and conventional droplet vitrification (Dr-vi, 48 %).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF