Publications by authors named "Y-H Cheng"

Background: Xalnesiran, a small interfering RNA molecule that targets a conserved region of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome and silences multiple HBV transcripts, may have efficacy, with or without an immunomodulator, in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Methods: We conducted a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, controlled, adaptive, open-label platform trial that included the evaluation of 48 weeks of treatment with xalnesiran at a dose of 100 mg (group 1), xalnesiran at a dose of 200 mg (group 2), xalnesiran at a dose of 200 mg plus 150 mg of ruzotolimod (group 3), xalnesiran at a dose of 200 mg plus 180 μg of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (group 4), or a nucleoside or nucleotide analogue (NA) alone (group 5) in participants with chronic HBV infection who had virologic suppression with NA therapy. The primary efficacy end point was hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss (HBsAg level, <0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chinese materia medica (CMM) has a long history and extensive experience in treating ischemic stroke. Wen Ezhu, the rhizome of Curcuma wenyujin Y.H.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, highlighting how natural selection has allowed beneficial changes in the virus to thrive and spread globally.
  • By analyzing over 496,000 Omicron sequences, researchers identified significant mutations in the Spike (S) protein that enhance the virus's ability to infect hosts and evade immune responses.
  • One key finding is the P1263L substitution in the Spike protein that increases viral entry and boosts the efficacy of mRNA vaccines, providing insights for vaccine optimization against COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated trends in liver cancer incidence in Hong Kong, Sweden, and the United States from the 1970s to 2021, using statistical methods to analyze data.
  • Hong Kong experienced a steady decrease in liver cancer rates, while Sweden and the U.S. saw increases, with the U.S. showing a recent decline since 2015 primarily in hepatocellular carcinoma cases.
  • The differences in trends across these regions might stem from varying causes and the effectiveness of preventive measures implemented in each population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Dermal blood vessels beneath the epidermis play critical roles in epidermal homeostasis and are functionally divided into several types, such as capillaries. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a powerful tool for the non-invasive assessment of dermal vasculature. However, the classification of vessel types has been limited.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Spatial transcriptomics (ST) technologies allow for in-depth gene expression analysis at a very fine scale, but traditional methods face challenges due to complex tissue structures and irregular cell shapes.
  • The new method, FICTURE, offers a segmentation-free approach that can analyze large-scale transcriptome data with submicron precision, making it compatible with different types of ST data.
  • FICTURE is significantly more efficient than existing methods and improves our understanding of intricate tissue architectures in challenging areas like vascular and fibrotic tissues, enhancing the exploration of high-resolution spatial transcriptomics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Size-dependent phagocytosis is a well-characterized phenomenon in monocytes and macrophages. However, this size effect for preferential gene delivery to these important cell targets has not been fully exploited because commonly adopted stabilization methods for electrostatically complexed nucleic acid nanoparticles, such as PEGylation and charge repulsion, typically arrest the vehicle size below 200 nm. Here, we bridge the technical gap in scalable synthesis of larger submicron gene delivery vehicles by electrostatic self-assembly of charged nanoparticles, facilitated by a polymer structurally designed to modulate internanoparticle Coulombic and van der Waals forces.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Colchicine has been approved to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with coronary heart disease on the basis of its potential benefits demonstrated in the COLCOT (Colchicine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial) and LoDoCo2 (Low-Dose Colchicine 2) studies. Nevertheless, there are limited data available about the specific impact of colchicine on coronary plaques.

Methods: This was a prospective, single-center, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a genetic neurological disorder with no current effective treatment, linked to mutations in the SLC20A2 gene.
  • Researchers identified five new genetic variants in the SLC20A2 gene that disrupt normal splicing of its pre-mRNA, leading to dysfunctional protein production.
  • The use of splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) not only helped restore functional SLC20A2 expression in affected cells but also showed promise in reducing brain calcification and controlling phosphorus levels in animal models, highlighting a potential therapeutic approach for PFBC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The rising global aging population underscores the urgency of maintaining the health and well-being of the elderly while reducing the healthcare burden. Anti-aging probiotics have emerged as a promising strategy. This study identified a novel anti-senescence probiotic, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS117 (PS117).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is caused by loss of expression of paternally expressed genes in the human 15q11.2-q13 imprinting domain. A set of imprinted genes that are active on the paternal but silenced on the maternal chromosome are intricately regulated by a bipartite imprinting center (PWS-IC) located in the PWS imprinting domain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cardiometabolic disease has become a major health burden worldwide, with sharply increasing prevalence but highly limited therapeutic interventions. Emerging evidence has revealed that arachidonic acid derivatives and pathway factors link metabolic disorders to cardiovascular risks and intimately participate in the progression and severity of cardiometabolic diseases. In this review, we systemically summarized and updated the biological functions of arachidonic acid pathways in cardiometabolic diseases, mainly focusing on heart failure, hypertension, atherosclerosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, and diabetes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery typically necessitates the use of multiple ports. The new single-port robotic system (da Vinci SP system) platform is designed to perform uniportal surgery. The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of the da Vinci SP system when used for anatomical lung resection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is a T helper 17 cell response-driven disease, and PD-1 (programmed cell death 1)/PD-L1 (programmed cell death-ligand 1) inhibitor-associated pulmonary hypertension has been reported recently. This study is designed to explore whether the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway participates in HPH via regulating endothelial dysfunction and T helper 17 cell response.

Methods: Lung tissue samples were obtained from eligible patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The study revealed that this exposure significantly reduced the areas under the curves (AUC) of probe substrates for cytochrome P450 enzymes, indicating decreased drug absorption and effectiveness.
  • * Mechanisms for reduced drug absorption were linked to decreased intestinal permeability and impaired gut motility, suggesting potential drug-drug interactions that could lower the effectiveness of coadministered medications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a severe genetic disorder resulting from AIRE deficiency, leading to self-reactive T cells causing autoimmune damage in various organs.
  • The study investigated the role of interferon-γ in APS-1 by analyzing patient samples and conducting experiments with mice, finding that high levels of interferon-γ correlate with disease activity.
  • Treatment with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib significantly reduced interferon-γ levels and improved symptoms in APS-1 patients, suggesting that targeting this pathway may be a viable therapeutic approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite the growing needs in nondialytic alternatives for conservative kidney management, few studies have examined the management of anemia in palliative care (PC) outpatient clinics, which represent the key point of entry for timely access to PC.

Objective: A retrospective study to review for a patient-centered approach in anemia management and symptom control.

Results: Over the study period from July 2020 to March 2023, a total of 158 patients were seen at our renal PC clinic, 47 were included in data analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Visible perivascular spaces (BGPVS) are linked to cerebral small vessel disease and may signal higher future stroke risk based on a large analysis of patient data.
  • The study analyzed 7,778 participants with recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), examining the relationship between BGPVS, CSOPVS, and various health factors.
  • Results indicated that a greater burden of BGPVS correlates with higher risks of ischemic stroke but not intracranial hemorrhage, while CSOPVS showed weaker associations overall.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The pathogenesis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is multifactorial and growing evidence has indicated that hematological disorders are involved. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) has recently been associated with an increased risk of both hematological malignancies and cardiovascular diseases. However, the prevalence and clinical relevance of CHIP in patients with CTEPH remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Dietary fiber, particularly soluble types like RPG, may help regulate hunger and stabilizes blood sugar levels after meals.
  • In a study with 12 healthy participants, different forms of RPG dietary fiber (bread, powder, and capsules) were tested against pectin to measure their effects on appetite, blood glucose, and insulin levels.
  • Results showed that RPG fiber improved bread quality, led to better appetite control, and significantly reduced post-meal blood glucose, with the powder form increasing insulin levels the most, indicating its potential as a beneficial food ingredient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Amivantamab has been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor () exon 20 insertions who have had disease progression during or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Phase 1 data showed the safety and antitumor activity of amivantamab plus carboplatin-pemetrexed (chemotherapy). Additional data on this combination therapy are needed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Remuscularization of the mammalian heart can be achieved after cell transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs). However, several hurdles remain before implementation into clinical practice. Poor survival of the implanted cells is related to insufficient vascularization, and the potential for fatal arrhythmogenesis is associated with the fetal cell-like nature of immature CMs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Light-induced substance conversion is highly promising for creating new radical-based compounds. Herein, we report an Er(III) coordination polymer [Er(CA)(ACA)(DMF)(HO)] (1) and its Y(III)-diluted analogue 1@Y (HCA = 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy--quinone, HACA = 9-anthracene carboxylic acid) with the light-induced transformation of the ligand to a radical. The values of light-transformed products 1a and 1a@Y are higher than those of 1 and 1@Y, respectively, due to the formation of radicals by ultraviolet light irradiation, confirmed by EPR measurement as well.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The increasing antibiotic resistance is the main issue causing () eradication failure. As a nutritional supplement, Egg Yolk Antibody (Ig Y) provides a new approach for infection rescue therapy.

Methods: In this randomized, controlled study, 100 -positive patients with previous eradication treatment were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF