Publications by authors named "Z-C Zeng"

Long-term durable remission in patients with B cell malignancies following chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy remains unsatisfactory, often due to antigen escape. Malignant B cell transformation and oncogenic growth relies on efficient ATP synthesis, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that YTHDF2 facilitates energy supply and antigen escape in B cell malignancies, and its overexpression alone is sufficient to cause B cell transformation and tumorigenesis.

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  • The study aims to create induced microglia-like cells (iMG) from stem cells in a controlled environment and enhance their functionality by coculturing them with retinal organoids.
  • Researchers established iMG production conditions, stimulated these cells, and compared their characteristics with a standard microglia cell line (HMC3) to understand their immune responses and maturation.
  • The results showed that iMG closely resemble primary human microglia in immune functions, and further maturation with retinal organoids (CC-iMG) led to significant improvements in their cellular activities and properties, potentially aiding future research and therapies related to microglial functions.*
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  • Spectacle lenses with highly aspherical lenslets (HAL) have been shown to slow down the progress of myopia in children, and this study examined their impact on low hyperopic children.
  • A total of 108 Chinese children aged 6-9 were divided into two groups, one receiving HAL lenses and the other single vision lenses, with measurements taken over a year.
  • Results indicated that children in the HAL group experienced less axial length elongation, especially if they wore their lenses for over 30 hours a week, highlighting a correlation between lens wearing time and eye changes.
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Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are associated with enhanced immunity in tumors. However, their formation and functions in colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) remain unclear. Here, we reveal that intra- and peri-tumor mature TLSs (TLS+) are associated with improved clinical outcomes than TLS- tumors.

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  • The study aimed to better understand how medial meniscal posterior root tears heal in goats, focusing on early-stage histologic healing.
  • Eighteen adult goats were divided into three groups to assess different repair techniques after surgery, with evaluations at 12 and 24 weeks for imaging and biomechanical properties.
  • Results showed that the repair method influenced healing quality, with the transosseous suture group showing better outcomes compared to the root tear group, although all samples had weaknesses at the root-meniscus transitions.
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Background And Purpose: The aim was to demonstrate the feasibility, reliability and validity of an in-home remote levodopa challenge test (LCT), as delivered through an online platform, for patients with Parkinson's disease (PwPD).

Methods: Patients with Parkinson's disease eligible for deep brain stimulation surgery screening were enrolled. Participants sequentially received an in-home remote LCT and an in-hospital standard LCT (separated by 2.

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Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is linked to various malignancies and autoimmune diseases, posing a significant global health challenge due to the lack of specific treatments or vaccines. Despite its crucial role in EBV infection in B cells, the mechanisms of the glycoprotein gp42 remain elusive. In this study, we construct an antibody phage library from 100 EBV-positive individuals, leading to the identification of two human monoclonal antibodies, 2B7 and 2C1.

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Objectives: To investigate the changes in the thickness of epithelium and stroma and their relationship with corneal curvature following the cessation of overnight orthokeratology for a period of 1 month.

Methods: This prospective study consecutively included 20 juveniles (20 right eyes) who had undergone overnight orthokeratology for a minimum of one year and were willing to discontinue the treatment. The study measured and compared epithelial and corneal curvature using optical coherence tomography and Medmont topographer at the first day of cessation and 1 month after cessation.

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Background Noninvasive evaluation of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) with multiparametric US is essential, but multicenter studies are lacking. Purpose To evaluate the ability of multiparametric US with attenuation imaging (ATI) and two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE) for predicting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in participants with MAFLD, regardless of hepatitis B virus infection status. Materials and Methods This prospective cross-sectional multicenter study of consecutive adults with MAFLD who underwent multiparametric US with ATI and 2D SWE, as well as liver biopsy, from September 2020 to June 2022 was conducted in 12 tertiary hospitals in China.

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  • A study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of intravenous tirofiban versus alteplase before endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large vessel occlusion.
  • Data was analyzed from two multicenter trials, comparing functional independence and safety outcomes like intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rates between the two treatment groups.
  • Results indicated that tirofiban led to higher rates of functional independence compared to alteplase, and there were no significant differences in safety outcomes between the two treatments.
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Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a global public health concern, as it is known to cause multiple diseases while also being etiologically associated with a wide range of epithelial and lymphoid malignancies. Currently, there is no available prophylactic vaccine against EBV. gB is the EBV fusion protein that mediates viral membrane fusion and participates in host recognition, making it critical for EBV infection in both B cells and epithelial cells.

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Rationale And Objectives: This study aims to develop the best diagnostic model for brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) rupture by using machine learning (ML) algorithms.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively included 353 adult patients with ruptured and unruptured bAVMs. The clinical and radiological data on patients were collected.

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Background And Aims: Female pattern hair loss affects females of all ages with a trend to increase after menopause. This disorder may have significant psychological impact and lead to anxiety and depression.

Objective: In a single center, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, the effects of oral Pycnogenol® intake (3 × 50 mg/day for a total of 6 months) on hair density, scalp microcirculation, and a variety of skin physiological parameters was studied in Han Chinese menopausal women ( = 76) in Shanghai, China.

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The immunity of patients who recover from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be long lasting but persist at a lower level. Thus, recovered patients still need to be vaccinated to prevent reinfection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or its mutated variants. Here, we report that the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine can stimulate immunity in recovered patients to maintain high levels of anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) and anti-nucleocapsid protein (NP) antibody titers within 9 months, and high neutralizing activity against the prototype, Delta, and Omicron strains was observed.

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Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with increased expression of VEGF-A (vascular endothelial growth factor A) and its receptor, VEGFR2 (vascular endothelial growth factor 2), but whether and how activation of VEGF-A signal participates in the pathogenesis of PH is unclear.

Methods: VEGF-A/VEGFR2 signal activation and VEGFR2 Y949-dependent vascular leak were investigated in lung samples from patients with PH and mice exposed to hypoxia. To study their mechanistic roles in hypoxic PH, we examined right ventricle systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pulmonary vasculopathy in mutant mice carrying knock-in of phenylalanine that replaced the tyrosine at residual 949 of VEGFR2 () and mice with conditional endothelial deletion of after chronic hypoxia exposure.

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Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) is a common cause of bloody diarrhea. The pathology of STEC infection derives from two exotoxins-Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) and Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2)-that are secreted by STEC in the gut, from where they are systemically absorbed, causing severe kidney damage leading to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Currently, there is no effective treatment for HUS, and only supportive care is recommended.

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Background: Data from trials investigating the effects and risks of endovascular thrombectomy for the treatment of stroke due to basilar-artery occlusion are limited.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial of endovascular thrombectomy for basilar-artery occlusion at 36 centers in China. Patients were assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, within 12 hours after the estimated time of basilar-artery occlusion to receive endovascular thrombectomy or best medical care (control).

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Rationale: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotype switch from contractile to proliferative phenotype is a pathological hallmark in various cardiovascular diseases. Recently, a subset of long noncoding RNAs was identified to produce functional polypeptides. However, the functional impact and regulatory mechanisms of long noncoding RNAs in VSMCs phenotype switching remain to be fully elucidated.

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SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells requires specific host proteases; however, no successful in vivo applications of host protease inhibitors have yet been reported for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Here we describe a chemically engineered nanosystem encapsulating CRISPR-Cas13d, developed to specifically target lung protease cathepsin L (Ctsl) messenger RNA to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. We show that this nanosystem decreases lung Ctsl expression in normal mice efficiently, specifically and safely.

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Background And Purpose: Patients with stroke etiology of large-artery atherosclerosis were thought to have better collateral circulation compared with patients with other stroke etiologies. We aimed to investigate the association between stroke etiology and collateral circulation with a new quantitative collateral assessment method.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study reviewed data from consecutive patients with proximal anterior artery occlusion who underwent CTP before reperfusion therapy.

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The pandemic of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has raised a new challenges to the scientific and industrious fields after over 1-year spread across different countries. The ultimate approach to end the pandemic is the timely application of vaccines to achieve herd immunity. Here, a novel SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) homodimer was developed as a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate.

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5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is an important epigenetic mark that regulates gene expression. Charting the landscape of 5hmC in human tissues is fundamental to understanding its regulatory functions. Here, we systematically profiled the whole-genome 5hmC landscape at single-base resolution for 19 types of human tissues.

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Background: The mevalonate pathway generates endogenous cholesterol and intermediates including geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). By reducing GGPP production, statins exert pleiotropic or cholesterol-independent effects. The potential regulation of GGPP homeostasis through dietary intake and the interaction with concomitant statin therapy is unknown.

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Introduction: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) have been considered to be significant prognostic indicators in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). This study discusses the prognostic significance of mesenchymal CTCs with PRL-3 (M+ PRL-3+ CTCs) in postoperative patients with CRC.

Methods: We detected CTC subtypes (including epithelial CTCs, biphenotypic epithelial/mesenchymal CTCs, and mesenchymal CTCs) and PRL-3 in CTCs from the peripheral blood samples of 156 patients.

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