Publications by authors named "Z-H Yang"

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging is a viable approach to promote corneal epithelium wound healing. This study created a single-component hydrogel (HA Gel) with a novel dual-functionalized hyaluronic acid derivative (HA-GA-PBA) containing gallol and phenylboronic acid (PBA) moieties. Both of these moieties were dual-functional.

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Microsatellite instability (MSI) detection using tumor tissue is a well-established prognostic and predictive biomarker for certain types of cancers. However, tumor tissue samples are less convenient to obtain than blood plasma samples. The main challenge facing next-generation sequencing-based MSI detection in blood plasma samples is the ultralow signal/noise ratio in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA).

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Approximately 20% of patients with shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). We investigated the role of gut microbiota in shingle- and PHN-related pain. Patients with shingles or PHN exhibited significant alterations in their gut microbiota with microbial markers predicting PHN development among patients with shingles.

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Rationale And Objectives: Patients with a low Agatston score often present with clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease, despite having minimal calcium deposits. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of low-dose non-contrast cardiac CT with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) radiomics for predicting coronary artery plaques, using CCTA as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 459 patients with suspected coronary artery disease and a coronary artery calcium score < 100 Agatston units, who were treated between June 2021 and December 2023 at a tertiary hospital.

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Background And Objectives: Randomized trials have proven the benefit of endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute large ischemic stroke. This study was to characterize the effect of time to treatment on benefit of EVT vs medical management (MM) among patients with large ischemic stroke.

Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of the Endovascular Therapy in Acute Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusive Patients with a Large Infarct Core randomized trial.

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  • This study aimed to evaluate and compare the health utility scores from different countries' EQ-5D-Y-3L value sets among adolescents in China, focusing on measuring health status in junior high school students aged 10-18.
  • Over 97,000 students participated in a survey from July to September 2021 across 16 cities in Shandong province, assessing the validity and agreement of these value sets.
  • Findings revealed that the Indonesian value set scored the highest in health utility, while the scores from Asian countries were generally higher than those from European countries, indicating good agreement and strong correlations among the different value sets.
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Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) triggers tumor ferroptosis. However, most patients are unresponsive to ICB. Tumors might evade ferroptosis in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

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Mature microRNAs (miRNAs) are short, single-stranded RNAs that bind to target mRNAs and induce translational repression and gene silencing. Many miRNAs discovered in animals have been implicated in diseases and have recently been pursued as therapeutic targets. However, conventional pharmacological screening for candidate small-molecule drugs can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

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Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) serves as a major source of protein and oil for humans and animals.

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  • The KCNQ1+KCNE1 potassium channel is vital for heart stress adaptation, where β-adrenergic stimulation enhances its activity via phosphorylation, essential for managing increased heart rates.
  • Variants in the KCNQ1 gene can lead to long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), with some mutations making patients more susceptible to serious heart risks, but the details of how phosphorylation affects channel function and cAMP sensitivity are still unclear.
  • Research using techniques like patch clamp and induced pluripotent stem cells revealed key molecular features in LQT1 variants and identified a small molecule, ML277, that can restore function in high-risk mutations by targeting the phosphorylation axis of the channel.
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Recent single-arm studies involving neoadjuvant camrelizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, plus chemotherapy for resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-ESCC) have shown promising results. This multicenter, randomized, open-label phase 3 trial aimed to further assess the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant camrelizumab plus chemotherapy followed by adjuvant camrelizumab, compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. A total of 391 patients with resectable thoracic LA-ESCC (T1b-3N1-3M0 or T3N0M0) were stratified by clinical stage (I/II, III or IVA) and randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to undergo two cycles of neoadjuvant therapy.

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  • Duplication plays a crucial role in molecular evolution and various diseases; researchers have developed a tool called Amplification Editing (AE) for precise DNA duplication.
  • AE can duplicate substantial portions of human genomes, ranging from 20 bp to 100 Mb, with varying efficiencies depending on the size of the duplication.
  • This tool has the potential to create microduplications in disease-related areas within embryonic stem cells, paving the way for advancements in cellular and animal model research.
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  • - SARS-CoV-2 is continuously evolving, posing challenges to existing vaccines and treatments, which has led to the development of a new pipeline for creating effective VHH antibodies and bispecifics to neutralize various virus variants.
  • - High-affinity VHH antibodies were discovered through targeted phage library techniques, resulting in a bispecific construct that effectively combats multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, showing enhanced resistance to antigenic escape.
  • - The new tetravalent bispecific platform enables speedy development and production of antibodies, providing flexible and potent responses to emerging variants, making it a promising method for ongoing viral management.
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Background: This study aimed to quantify the global stroke burden attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index in adults aged ≥55 years using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study.

Methods: We extracted data on stroke mortality, disability-adjusted life years, and risk factor exposure from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for people aged ≥55 years. We calculated the population-attributable fraction and absolute number of stroke cases and disability-adjusted life years attributable to low physical activity and high body mass index by location, age group, sex, and year.

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As an important structure for maintaining the hoop tension of the medial meniscus of the knee joint, the posterior root is receiving increasing attention. Medial meniscus posterior root tear is an important reason for the occurrence, development, and kinematics changes of knee osteoarthritis. It is necessary to repair the posterior root of meniscus for restoring joint kinematics and improving clinical efficacy.

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Many behaviors require the coordinated actions of somatic and autonomic functions. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. By opto-stimulating different populations of descending spinal projecting neurons (SPNs) in anesthetized mice, we show that stimulation of excitatory SPNs in the rostral ventromedial medulla (rVMM) resulted in a simultaneous increase in somatomotor and sympathetic activities.

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Background: Preeclampsia is a significant pregnancy disorder with an unknown cause, mainly attributed to impaired spiral arterial remodeling.

Methods: Using RNA sequencing, we identified key genes in placental tissues from healthy individuals and preeclampsia patients. Placenta and plasma samples from pregnant women were collected to detect the expression of TPBG (trophoblast glycoprotein).

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Purpose: We aimed to describe RAS mutations in gynecologic cancers as they relate to clinicopathologic and genomic features, survival, and therapeutic implications.

Experimental Design: Gynecologic cancers with available somatic molecular profiling data at our institution between February 2010 and August 2022 were included and grouped by RAS mutation status. Overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariable analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard model.

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Electro-optical effect-based liquid crystal devices have been extensively used in optical modulation techniques, in which the Kerr coefficient reflects the sensitivity of the liquid crystals and determines the strength of the device's operational electric field. The Peterlin-Stuart theory and the O'Konski model jointly indicate that a giant Kerr coefficient could be obtained in a material with both a large geometrical anisotropy and an intrinsic polarization, but such a material is not yet reported. Here we reveal a ferroelectric effect in a monolayer two-dimensional mineral vermiculite.

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Background: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of worldwide death and disability, with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator being the sole effective treatment, albeit with a limited treatment window. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is emerging as the major DNA-sensing pathway to invoke immune responses in neuroinflammatory disorders.

Methods: By performing a series of neurobehavioral assessments, electrophysiological analysis, high-throughput sequencing, and cell-based assays based on the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse stroke model, we examined the effects and underlying mechanisms of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the cGAS-STING pathway on long-term post-stroke neurological functional outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Bietti crystalline corneoretinal dystrophy is a genetic retinal disease linked to CYP4V2 mutations, causing blindness, and currently has no treatment.
  • - A clinical trial (NCT04722107) tested a gene therapy called rAAV2/8-hCYP4V2 in 12 participants, showing mostly mild side effects, and achieved improvements in vision for 77.8% of patients by day 180.
  • - The trial results indicated a positive safety profile and significant visual acuity improvements, supporting further research and development of this gene therapy (ZVS101e).
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Drug resistance poses a significant challenge in the development of effective therapies against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we identified two double mutations, M49K/M165V and M49K/S301P, in the 3C-like protease (3CLpro) that confer resistance to a novel non-covalent inhibitor, WU-04, which is currently in phase III clinical trials (NCT06197217). Crystallographic analysis indicates that the M49K mutation destabilizes the WU-04-binding pocket, impacting the binding of WU-04 more significantly than the binding of 3CLpro substrates.

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Background Microwave ablation (MWA) is currently under preliminary investigation for the treatment of multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and has shown promising treatment efficacy. Compared with surgical resection (SR), MWA is minimally invasive and could preserve thyroid function. However, a comparative analysis between MWA and SR is warranted to draw definitive conclusions.

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Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a potent immunostimulatory cytokine mainly produced by antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells, macrophages) and plays an important role in innate and adaptive immunity against cancers.

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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most important pathogens causing respiratory tract infection in humans, especially in infants and the elderly. The identification and structural resolution of the potent neutralizing epitopes on RSV fusion (F) protein enable an "epitope-focused" vaccine design. However, the display of RSV F epitope II on the surface of the widely-used human hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) has failed to induce neutralizing antibody response in mice.

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