Publications by authors named "Yanfang Zhu"

Background: The activation of macrophages or microglia in patients' whole body or local eyes play significant roles in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Mitochondrial function regulates the inflammatory polarization of macrophages. Therefore, the common mechanism of mitochondrial related genes (MRGs) and macrophage polarisation related genes (MPRGs) in DR is explored in our study to illustrate the pathophysiology of DR.

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Layered transition metal oxide (NaTMO) cathodes are considered highly appropriate for the practical applications of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to their facile synthesis and high theoretical capacity. Generally, the phase evolution behaviors of NaTMO during solid-state reactions at high temperature closely related to their carbon footprint, prime cost, and the eventual electrochemical properties, while the thermal stability in various desodiated states associated with wide temperature fluctuations are extremely prominent to the electrochemical properties and safety of SIB devices. Therefore, in this review, the influences of sintering conditions such as pyrolysis temperature, soaking time, and cooling rates on the phase formation patterns of NaTMO are summarized.

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is attracting widespread attention as a promising strategy for tumor treatment. However, the efficacy of PDT is severely limited by the insufficient tissue penetration depth of the light source and low reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency. Herein, the metal doping strategy is reported to construct a series of defect-rich M-doped amorphous CoMo-layered double hydroxide (a-M-CoMo-LDH, M = Mn, Cu, Al, Ni, Mg, Zn) photosensitizers (PSs) for NIR-II PDT.

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Background: Pathologic tissue remodeling with scarring and tissue rigidity has been demonstrated in inflammatory, autoimmune, and allergic diseases. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic disease that is diagnosed and managed by repeated biopsy procurement, allowing an understanding of tissue fibroblast dysfunction. While EoE-associated tissue remodeling causes clinical dysphagia, food impactions, esophageal rigidity, and strictures, molecular mechanisms driving these complications remain under investigation.

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Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are regarded as competitive candidates for the next generation of electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems due to their low cost and abundant sodium resources. Layered oxide cathodes have attracted much interest owing to their simple preparation process, high specific capacity and environmental friendliness. However, undesired cation migration during electrochemical reactions can lead to irreversible phase transitions and structural degradation of layered oxide cathode materials, resulting in a sharp decrease in specific capacity and energy density.

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Patients with metastatic ovarian cancer (OvCa) have a 5-year survival rate of <30% due to the persisting dissemination of chemoresistant cells in the peritoneal fluid and the immunosuppressive microenvironment in the peritoneal cavity. Here, we report that intraperitoneal administration of β-glucan and IFNγ (BI) induced robust tumor regression in clinically relevant models of metastatic OvCa. BI induced tumor regression by controlling fluid tumor burden and activating localized antitumor immunity.

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Mn-based layered oxide cathodes have attracted widespread attention due to high capacity and low cost, however, poor air stability, irreversible phase transitions, and slow kinetics inhibit their practical application. Here, we propose a universal interfacial reconstruction strategy based on converting residual alkali to tunnel phase NaMnO for addressing the above mentioned issue simultaneously, using O3 NaNiFeMnO@2 mol % NaMnO (NaNFM@NMO) as the prototype material. The optimized material exhibits an initial capacity and energy density comparable with lithium-ion batteries.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metabolic disorders contribute to diabetic vascular complications, particularly diabetic retinopathy, which is a major cause of blindness in working-age adults.
  • Researchers found high levels of O-GlcNAc modification in retina endothelial cells of individuals with diabetic retinopathy, and inhibiting this modification can improve vascular issues.
  • The study highlights how the O-GlcNAc modification affects the Hippo pathway proteins YAP and TAZ, promoting dysfunction through a process involving glucose metabolism and suggests targeting this pathway might offer new therapeutic options.
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  • The study looks at a problem with abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye that can cause vision loss, especially when current treatments don't work well for some patients.
  • Researchers tested a new approach using a drug that inhibits Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) to see if it could help reduce inflammation and improve eye health.
  • The results showed that BTK inhibition reduced harmful blood vessel growth and inflammation without hurting the retina, suggesting this method could be a promising new treatment for eye diseases.
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Coenzyme A (CoA) is synthesized from pantothenate, L-cysteine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and plays a vital role in diverse physiological processes. Protein acylation is a common post-translational modification (PTM) that modifies protein structure, function and interactions. It occurs via the transfer of acyl groups from acyl-CoAs to various amino acids by acyltransferase.

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Hypertensive vascular disease (HVD) is a major health burden globally and is a comorbidity commonly associated with other metabolic diseases. Many factors are associated with HVD including obesity, diabetes, smoking, chronic kidney disease, and sterile inflammation. Increasing evidence points to neutrophils as an important component of the chronic inflammatory response in HVD.

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As a typical tunnel oxide, NaMnO features excellent electrochemical performance and outstanding structural stability, making it a promising cathode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, it suffers from undesirable challenges such as surface residual alkali, multiple voltage plateaus, and low initial charge specific capacity. Herein, an internal and external synergistic modulation strategy is adopted by replacing part of the Mn with Ti to optimize the bulk phase and construct a Ti-containing epitaxial stabilization layer, resulting in reduced surface residual alkali, excellent Na transport kinetics and improved water/air stability.

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Article Synopsis
  • High-voltage LiNiMnO (LNMO) is a promising material for lithium-ion battery cathodes but faces issues like cycling stability and manganese dissolution.* -
  • A new micro-nano porous spherical structure of LNMO was developed, enhancing stability and promoting efficient lithium transport during charging and discharging.* -
  • This innovative cathode shows impressive performance, with a discharge capacity of 136.7 mA h g, 90.6% capacity retention after 500 cycles, and a strategy that offers fresh insights into designing cathode materials.*
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The prevalence of "long COVID" is just one of the conundrums highlighting how little we know about the lung's response to viral infection, particularly to syndromecoronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), for which the lung is the point of entry. We used an in vitro human lung system to enable a prospective, unbiased, sequential single-cell level analysis of pulmonary cell responses to infection by multiple SARS-CoV-2 strains. Starting with human induced pluripotent stem cells and emulating lung organogenesis, we generated and infected three-dimensional, multi-cell-type-containing lung organoids (LOs) and gained several unexpected insights.

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Background: On June 30, 2021, China received certification from the World Health Organization for malaria elimination. However, this certification does not signify the absence of malaria within China. Due to the increasing frequency of international exchanges and collaborations, the threat of imported malaria persists in China.

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Patients with metastatic ovarian cancer (OvCa) have a 5-year survival rate of less than 30% due to persisting dissemination of chemoresistant cells in the peritoneal fluid and the immunosuppressive microenvironment in the peritoneal cavity. Here, we report that intraperitoneal administration of β-glucan and IFNγ (BI) induced robust tumor regression in clinically relevant models of metastatic OvCa. BI induced tumor regression by controlling fluid tumor burden and activating localized antitumor immunity.

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Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) causes severe visual impairment. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), soluble CD59 (sCD59), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1) are potential therapeutic agents for nAMD, which target angiogenesis and the complement system. Using the AAV2/8 vector, two bi-target gene therapy agents, AAV2/8-PEDF-P2A-sCD59 and AAV2/8-sFLT-1-P2A-sCD59, were generated, and their therapeutic efficacy was investigated in laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and Vldlr mouse models.

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High temperatures are a major stress factor that limit the growth of Pinellia ternata. WRKY proteins widely distribute in plants with the important roles in plant growth and stress responses. However, WRKY genes have not been identified in P.

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Cobalt substitution for manganese sites in NaMnO initiates a dynamic structural evolution process, yielding a composite cathode material comprising intergrown P2 and P3 phases. The novel P2/P3 composite cathode exhibits a reversible phase transition process during Na extraction/insertion, showcasing its attractive battery performance in sodium-ion batteries.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists are studying P3-layered transition oxide cathodes because they can hold a lot of energy and work quickly for sodium-ion batteries.
  • However, they have a problem where their performance decreases over time due to changes in their structure and the movement of manganese particles.
  • To fix this, researchers created a special material that combines P3 with another structure (spinel), which helps the batteries last longer and perform better.
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Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Briet., a valuable herb native to China, is susceptible to the "sprout tumble" phenomenon because of high temperatures, resulting in a significant yield reduction.

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Layered transition metal oxides (NaTMO) possess attractive features such as large specific capacity, high ionic conductivity, and a scalable synthesis process, making them a promising cathode candidate for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, NaTMO suffer from multiple phase transitions and Na/vacancy ordering upon Na insertion/extraction, which is detrimental to their electrochemical performance. Herein, we developed a novel cathode material that exhibits an abnormal P2-type structure at a stoichiometric content of Na up to 1.

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Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between age of myopia onset and high myopia and to explore if age of onset mediated the associations of high myopia with parental myopia and time spent on electronics.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 1118 myopic patients aged 18 to 40. Information was obtained via a detailed questionnaire.

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