Publications by authors named "Xiu-fang Zhang"

Article Synopsis
  • Biochar is a special material that helps capture carbon and keep it stable, making it useful for improving soil.
  • This study looked at different types of biochar made from things like sewage and chicken poop, and how they change over time in soil.
  • Scientists found that certain minerals in biochar can protect carbon from being lost, while some minerals might actually cause more carbon to be lost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Astrocyte aerobic glycolysis provides vital trophic support for central nervous system neurons. However, whether and how astrocytic metabolic dysregulation contributes to neuronal dysfunction in intellectual disability (ID) remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate a causal role for an ID-associated SNX27 mutation (R198W) in cognitive deficits involving reshaping astrocytic metabolism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, is one of the critical risk factors for early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), implicating key roles for chromosome 21-encoded genes in the pathogenesis of AD. We previously identified a role for the deubiquitinase USP25, encoded on chromosome 21, in regulating microglial homeostasis in the AD brain; however, whether USP25 affects amyloid pathology remains unknown. Here, by crossing 5×FAD AD and Dp16 DS mice, we observed that trisomy 21 exacerbated amyloid pathology in the 5×FAD brain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Mongolian population, residing in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe, has a complex genetic history that reflects influences from both ancient Eastern Eurasian farmers and hunter-gatherers, as well as Western Steppe herders and Iranian farmers.* -
  • A study of 42 individuals from Inner Mongolia revealed three distinct genetic clusters, showing diverse ancestry linked to both Eastern and Western Eurasian groups, illustrating how historical migrations have shaped the modern genetic landscape of Mongolians.* -
  • Analysis indicates that major genes related to the immune system and alcohol tolerance have experienced positive selection, while correlations between genetic variations and ancestry suggest significant historical interactions among different Eurasian populations.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, the immunomodulatory effect of sea buckthorn (SBT) pulp oil was elucidated in immunosuppressed Balb/c mice induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX). The results showed that SBT pulp oil could reverse the decreasing trend of body weight, thymus/spleen index and hematological parameters induced by CTX. Compared with immunosuppressive mice induced by CTX, SBT pulp oil could enhance NK cytotoxicity, macrophage phagocytosis, and T lymphocyte proliferation, and regulate the proportion of T cell subsets in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), and promote the production of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-12 and TNF-α in the intestines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SDS is widely used in sample preparation for proteomic research. However, SDS is incompatible with LC and electrospray ionization. SDS depletion is therefore required ahead of LC-MS analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the genetic diversity and ancestry of Mongolian and Kazakh populations, highlighting the ethnic variations based on geographic and tribal differences.
  • By analyzing over 690,000 genetic markers from individuals, researchers identified distinct genetic clusters in Mongolians and found significant ancestry from both West Eurasian and East Asian groups, particularly from Bronze Age and Neolithic populations.
  • The results suggest that the genetic landscape of these populations has been shaped by historical migrations, admixture events, and agricultural expansion over the past several centuries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the most important world-wide fiber crop but salt stress limits cotton production in coastal and other areas. Growth regulation factors (GRFs) play regulatory roles in response to salt stress, but their roles have not been studied in cotton under salt stress.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most post-stroke patients experience upper limb functionality challenges. Emergent therapies using upper limb-based robot machines present opportunities to resolve the limitations inherent in Occupational therapy such as increased therapist-patient exhaustion, monotonous methods, and so forth. The aim of this parallel trial was to compare the effects of the upper limb robotic training with matched Occupational therapy training on upper limb function and independence-related quality of life in post-stroke patients within the Brunnstrom arm motor recovery stages 1 to 4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Eutrophic aquaculture ponds are important methane (CH) sources. In order to quantify CH emission characteristics and its influencing factors over aquaculture ponds, we conducted several intensive observations over two ponds located in Quanjiao County, Anhui Province, in 2018. The ebullition and diffusion flux of CH were measured in two seasons (winter and spring) using the inverted-funnel and bulk diffusion model, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Neuropilins (Nrps) are a new type of broad-spectrum tumor marker. Currently, a method for accurate simultaneous quantification of Nrps is not available. We aimed to develop a bead-based and duplexed flow cytometric assay that could be used for accurate and simultaneous quantification of Nrp1 and Nrp2 for scientific research or clinical diagnosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions in precipitation are good tracers and can provide unique information about the water cycle. Precipitation samples were collected at the Nanjing, Liyang, Yixing, and Dongshan sites in 2016, and the HDO and HO compositions of precipitation were measured. The temporal variability of HDO and HO compositions and deuterium-excess of precipitation were analyzed, and the influence of the water vapor source and local evaporation on stable isotopic composition of precipitation were discussed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, transformation and death. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP1) has an inhibitory effect on the p38MAPK and JNK pathways, but it is unknown whether it plays a role in Aβ-induced oxidative stress and neuronal inflammation. In this study, PC12 cells were infected with MKP1 shRNA, MKP1 lentivirus or control lentivirus for 12 hours, and then treated with 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A nanostructured CoO/BiVO composite photoanode was synthesized using a facile electrospinning method and applied to photoelectrochemical (PEC) degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) with the assistance of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Results show that PMS obviously enhanced the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of BPA by the CoO/BiVO composite photoanode. When at 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To quantify the ratio of CH ebullition to total flux in subtropical shallow ponds, the CH flux at the water-air interface was measured using the inverted-funnel and water equilibrium methods in two small ponds in Quanjiao, Anhui Province from July 28 to August 13, 2016. The average CH ebullition fluxes were 121.78 and 161.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cotton fiber is proposed to share some similarity with the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf trichome, which is regulated by the MYB-bHLH-WD40 transcription complex. Although several MYB transcription factors and WD40 family proteins in cotton have been characterized, little is known about the role of bHLH family proteins in cotton. Here, we report that GhDEL65, a bHLH protein from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), is a functional homologue of Arabidopsis GLABRA3 (GL3) and ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (EGL3) in regulating trichome development.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cotton fibres are unusually long, single-celled epidermal seed trichomes and a model for plant cell growth, but little is known about the regulation of fibre cell elongation. Here we report that a homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP) transcription factor, GhHOX3, controls cotton fibre elongation. GhHOX3 genes are localized to the 12th homoeologous chromosome set of allotetraploid cotton cultivars, associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fibre length.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prophenoloxidase (tyrosinase) widely distributed in invertebrates and vertebrates, and plays a crucial role in the innate immune. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of a tyrosinase-like (designated AmphiTYR) was cloned from amphioxus Branchiostoma japonicum by PCR techniques. The full-length cDNA of AmphiTYR is 2314 bp, and its predicted open-reading frame codes for a protein of 544 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of approximately 60.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as a pathogen causing many serious diseases in humans and animals and is one of the most common etiological agents of clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of genes encoding clfA, fnbA, fnbB, cap5, cap8, hla, hlb, nuc, sea, and tst of S. aureus strains (n = 39) isolated from bovine clinical mastitis in Guangxi by polymerase chain reaction amplification.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess the feasibility of gray-scale contrast-enhanced ultrasound for characterizing thyroid nodules.

Methods: Forty thyroid nodules from 35 patients were studied both by conventional techniques and gray-scale contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Of the nodules examined, 15 were benign and 25 malignant.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

with chitosan in situ using a chemical method and a porous structure obtained was then lyophilized. Preosteoblast MC 3T3-E1 the scaffolds was examined after staining it with Wright's stain. Their proliferation was assessed using MTZ assay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Three different porous scaffolds were tested. The first two were prepared by sintering bovine bone. The third scaffold was prepared using three-dimensional gel-lamination, a new rapid prototyping method, and was named as hydroxyapatite artificial bone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of real-time tissue elastography (RTE) in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with breast lumps (135 lesions) were examined with B-mode imaging, color Doppler flowing imaging (CDFI) and RTE. The elastogram was graded using 5-score evaluating method.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Receptor protein-tyrosine kinases (RPTKs) are tightly regulated during normal cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation, and metabolism. Recently, a RPTK-like molecule named novel oncogene with kinase-domain (NOK) has been cloned and characterized. Overexpression of NOK caused severe cellular transformation as well as tumorigenesis and metastasis in nude mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF