Publications by authors named "Z-J Zhang"

Background: Anecdotal experience suggests that WHO Safer Surgery Checklist has become a 'tickbox' exercise, resulting in variable team engagement and efficacy.

Aims: To observe the quality and completeness of 'Time Out', together with the level of team engagement during obstetrics and gynaecology procedures.

Materials And Methods: Observational study where the following data were collected during 'Time Out': % of the 19 items correctly responded to after 'challenge'.

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Multivariate longitudinal ordinal and continuous data exist in many scientific fields. However, it is a rigorous task to jointly analyse them due to the complicated correlated structures of those mixed data and the lack of a multivariate distribution. The multivariate probit model, assuming there is a multivariate normal latent variable for each multivariate ordinal data, becomes a natural modeling choice for longitudinal ordinal data especially for jointly analysing with longitudinal continuous data.

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Background: Cardiac fibrosis, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the myocardium, is an important target for heart disease treatments. (paternally expressed gene 3) is an imprinted gene expressed from the paternal allele, and de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) is a crucial pathway for nucleotide synthesis. However, the roles of PW1 and DNPB in ECM production by cardiac fibroblasts during myocardial ischemia are not yet understood.

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Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) inhibitors have been approved for treating renal anemia yet have failed clinical testing for inflammatory bowel disease because of a lack of efficacy. Here we used a multimodel multimodal generative artificial intelligence platform to design an orally gut-restricted selective PHD1 and PHD2 inhibitor that exhibits favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles in preclinical studies. ISM012-042 restores intestinal barrier function and alleviates gut inflammation in multiple experimental colitis models.

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The recent worldwide outbreaks of mpox prioritize the development of a safe and effective mRNA vaccine. The contemporary mpox virus (MPXV) exhibits changing virological and epidemiological features, notably affecting populations already vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Herein, we profile the immunogenicity of AR-MPXV5, a penta-component mRNA vaccine targeting five specific proteins (M1R, E8L, A29L, A35R, and B6R) from the representative contemporary MPXV clade II strain, in both naive and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected nonhuman primates.

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  • The study aimed to evaluate how tourniquet usage impacts surgical time, muscle injury, and pain after ACL reconstruction.
  • Researchers conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, extracting data on various factors such as operative time and postoperative pain across seven studies with 471 participants.
  • Findings indicated that tourniquet use reduced surgery duration but was linked to increased muscle injury markers (higher CPK levels) and greater postoperative pain and blood loss.
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  • - Neuraminidase (NA) is a key glycoprotein in the influenza virus that aids in replication, yet existing vaccines mainly target hemagglutinin (HA) instead of NA despite evidence linking NA antibodies to disease resistance.
  • - Research showed that recombinant NA (rNA) is effective in eliciting immune responses in naïve mice and ferrets, even among those with existing immunity.
  • - When rNA was added to a traditional HA-based vaccine, it significantly enhanced NA-specific immune responses in ferrets without compromising HA-specific immunity, suggesting a potential improvement in vaccine effectiveness.
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  • - This clinical trial compared the safety and effectiveness of an inhaled COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV-IH) against an intramuscular vaccine (BNT-IM) in 540 vaccinated adults in Malaysia from September 2022 to May 2023.
  • - While Ad5-nCoV-IH exhibited lower immunogenicity (with a GMC ratio of 0.22) compared to BNT-IM, it resulted in fewer adverse drug reactions (39.26% vs. 64.68%) and no serious side effects were documented.
  • - Both vaccines demonstrated similar efficacy against COVID-19 variants, but the study concluded that Ad5-nCoV-IH did not meet the non
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Background: Emerging evidence has underscored the crucial role of infiltrating immune cells in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development and progression. With the implementation of screening programs, the incidence of early-stage NSCLC is rising. However, the high risk of recurrence and poor survival rates associated with this disease necessitate a deeper understanding of the TIME and its relationship with driver alterations.

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  • Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are linked to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, with specific mutations in the ALK1 gene causing related disorders (hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2).
  • Researchers used a variety of advanced techniques, including single-cell transcriptomics and electron microscopy, to analyze the effects of deleting the ALK1 gene in endothelial cells in mice, discovering significant vascular issues like leakage and abnormal growths.
  • The study identified a new cell type, termed arterial-lymphatic-like endothelial cells, formed after ALK1 deletion, with SOX17 being a crucial factor in their development; inhibiting the MDM2 protein showed promise in reducing the severity of AV
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  • The study aimed to assess how effective and safe the RLRL treatment is in slowing the progression of high myopia in children aged 7 to 12 years with significant nearsightedness (≥ -6.00 D).
  • Conducted as a multicenter, randomized, and single-blind clinical trial, 202 children were divided into two groups: one receiving RLRL treatment plus standard spectacles, and the other receiving only standard spectacles over a 12-month period.
  • Results showed that the group receiving RLRL experienced a reduction in both axial length and spherical equivalent refraction, indicating less progression of myopia compared to the control group, along with some positive changes in choroidal and retinal thickness.
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  • Identifying cryptic pockets in proteins can reveal hidden binding sites, offering new avenues for drug development, particularly in challenging targets such as KRAS, which was thought to be "undruggable."
  • The discovery of the Switch-II cryptic pocket in the KRAS mutant has led to FDA-approved cancer treatments, highlighting the clinical relevance of these pockets.
  • A novel approach using weighted ensemble molecular dynamics simulations was employed to explore these cryptic pockets in KRAS, analyzing over 400 microseconds of simulations and validating the method's ability to predict binding sites while examining the mechanics of ligand interactions.
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  • Dual immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using CTLA4 and PD-(L)1 inhibitors shows improved anti-tumor effectiveness and immune toxicity compared to PD-(L)1 inhibitors alone in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
  • Patients with mutations in STK11 and/or KEAP1 genes benefit more from the combination treatment compared to those receiving only PD-(L)1 inhibitors, as shown in the POSEIDON trial.
  • The loss of KEAP1 serves as a strong predictor for the success of dual ICB, as it leads to a more favorable outcome by changing the tumor's immune environment to better engage CD4 and CD8 T cells for anti-tumor activity. *
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  • Monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) from the kratom plant, like mitragynine and speciogynine, show potential for treating pain and addiction, with a complex historical use in Southeast Asia as pain relief and a stimulant.* -
  • The researchers successfully engineered yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to produce these MIAs by reconstructing a synthetic pathway that converts a precursor compound, achieving a yield of around 290 μg/L.* -
  • The study also opens up avenues for optimizing production further and creating new derivatives of mitragynine with potential uses in drug development, establishing a platform for biomanufacturing these compounds.*
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Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs are important therapeutics for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Ecnoglutide (XW003) is a novel, long-acting GLP-1 analog. We conducted a Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolling 145 adults with T2DM.

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The clinical use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) for cancer immunotherapy is limited by severe toxicity. Emerging IL-2 therapies with reduced IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2Rα) binding aim to mitigate toxicity and regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion but have had limited clinical success. Here, we show that IL-2Rα engagement is critical for the anti-tumor activity of systemic IL-2 therapy.

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Background: Influenza remains a global public health concern. Understanding the vaccination-induced response in an aging population, which is susceptible and at high risk, is essential for disease prevention and control. Here, we report findings on the safety and immunogenicity of a quadrivalent influenza split-virion vaccine (15 µg/subtype/0.

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Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Elevated intracardiac pressures and myocyte stretch in heart failure trigger the release of counter-regulatory natriuretic peptides, which act through their receptor (NPR1) to affect vasodilation, diuresis and natriuresis, lowering venous pressures and relieving venous congestion. Recombinant natriuretic peptide infusions were developed to treat heart failure but have been limited by a short duration of effect.

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Polymeric elastomers are extensively employed to fabricate implantable medical devices. However, implantation of the elastomers can induce a strong immune rejection known as the foreign body response (FBR), diminishing their efficacy. Herein, we present a group of immunocompatible elastomers, termed easy-to-synthesize vinyl-based anti-FBR dense elastomers (EVADE).

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Background: Developing guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of common cancers in China based on the evidence-based practice, the availability of diagnosis and treatment products, and the up-to-date advances in precision medicine is one of the basic tasks of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer (CSCO BC) Committee.

Methods: Protocols with high evidence level and good availability are used as the Level I recommendations; protocols with relatively high evidence level but slightly lower expert consensus or with poor availability are used as the Level II recommendations; and protocols that are clinically applicable but with low evidence level are regarded as the Level III recommendations. Based on the findings of clinical research at home and abroad and the opinions of CSCO BC experts, the CSCO BC guidelines determine the levels of recommendations for clinical application.

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Ruzotolimod (Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist, RG7854) is an oral, small molecule immuno-modulator activating the TLR 7 and is being evaluated in patients with CHB. As with other TLR7 agonists, the study drug-related adverse events of flu-like symptoms have been reported in some participants during phase I studies with ruzotolimod. An exploratory analysis of the relationship between pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) and flu-like symptoms was performed in participants from two phase I studies including both healthy volunteers and NUC-suppressed CHB patients who received either single or multiple ascending doses of orally administered ruzotolimod.

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  • A recent clinical trial studied the Chinese traditional medicine Qiliqiangxin (QLQX) in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) to evaluate its effectiveness and safety.
  • The trial involved over 3,100 patients across 133 hospitals in China and found that QLQX significantly reduced hospitalizations for heart failure and cardiovascular deaths compared to a placebo.
  • Overall, while QLQX showed promising results in improving heart failure outcomes, there was no significant difference in all-cause mortality or adverse events compared to the placebo group.
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The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor and tumor-associated antigen abnormally expressed in various types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and gastric cancer. HER2 overexpression is highly correlated with increased tumor aggressiveness, poorer prognosis, and shorter overall survival. Consequently, multiple HER2-targeted therapies have been developed and approved; however, only a subset of patients benefit from these treatments, and relapses are common.

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  • The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights the need for multivalent vaccines, leading to the development of SCTV01E, a tetravalent COVID-19 vaccine targeting variants Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1.
  • A double-blind placebo-controlled trial showed SCTV01E had a vaccine efficacy of 69.4% against COVID-19 seven days post-vaccination, with higher efficacy rates in preventing symptomatic and all infections at 14 days.
  • The vaccine demonstrated a significant neutralizing antibody response against Omicron BA.5 and had mild reactogenicity, indicating its potential effectiveness against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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