Publications by authors named "Z-Z Wu"

In situ vaccination (ISV) triggers antitumor immune responses using the patient's own cancer antigens, yet limited neoantigen release hampers its efficacy. Our novel combination therapy involves low-dose local cisplatin followed by ISV with a TLR7/8/9 agonist formulation (CR108), in which CR108 boosts and sustains the antitumor responses induced by the cisplatin-released neoantigens. In mouse models, the cisplatin+CR108 combination significantly outperformed cisplatin or CR108 alone in abrogating established 4T1 and B16 tumors.

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Background: Mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel plays a key role in pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the role of Piezo2 in PH remains unclear.

Methods: Endothelial cell (EC)-specific knockout (, Tek-Cre; ) rats and primarily cultured pulmonary microvascular ECs were used to determine the role of Piezo2 in PH.

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Background Gallium 68 (Ga) pentixafor has emerged as a potential C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)-targeted radiotracer for neuroendocrine tumor, yet its application in Cushing disease remains uncertain. Purpose To assess the diagnostic accuracy and value of Ga-pentixafor PET/MRI in localizing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumors in Cushing disease. Materials and Methods A prospective single-center study was conducted from March 2023 to February 2024 in participants with Cushing disease scheduled for surgical pituitary tumor resection.

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Aroma is a crucial determinant of rice taste quality, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) playing a key role in defining this characteristic. However, limited research has explored the dynamic changes in these aromatic substances during the ripening stages of rice grains. In this study, we analyzed VOCs in rice grains across four ripening stages post-flowering using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS).

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Immuno-oncology has revolutionized cancer treatment, with NKG2A emerging as a novel target for immunotherapy. The blockade of NKG2A using the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monalizumab has been shown to enhance the responses of both NK cells and CD8+ T cells. However, monalizumab has demonstrated limited efficacy in in vitro cytotoxic assays and clinical trials.

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  • A study was conducted to find out the best systolic blood pressure targets for patients over 50 with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, comparing intensive treatment (target <120 mm Hg) to standard treatment (target <140 mm Hg) over 5 years.
  • Out of 12,821 patients, the intensive treatment group had a lower average systolic blood pressure after one year (121.6 mm Hg) compared to the standard group (133.2 mm Hg), resulting in significantly fewer major cardiovascular events.
  • Despite the lower overall events in the intensive group, there were more cases of symptomatic hypotension and hyperkalemia, but the rates of serious adverse events were similar in both groups.
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  • Hemorrhagic transformation is a serious complication of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke, and this study aimed to understand its impact on clinical outcomes by evaluating different hemorrhage patterns.
  • The research analyzed data from the Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study and defined symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and asymptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (aICH) based on established criteria, examining their associations with patient outcomes.
  • Results showed that 17.8% of participants experienced intracranial hemorrhage, with sICH significantly linked to worse outcomes, including death and major disability, while aICH also posed risks, though to a lesser extent.
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Background: The development of aortic dissection (AD) is closely associated with inflammation. The Trem2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2)/Tyrobp (TYRO protein tyrosine kinase-binding protein) signaling pathway critically regulates innate immunity and has emerged as an important target in cardiovascular diseases; however, its role in AD remains unclear.

Methods: Transcriptome data from human and mouse ADs were used to perform differentially expressed gene-based protein-protein interaction network analyses.

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  • - Intracranial neural electrodes offer valuable insights for research and treatment of neurological diseases but require invasive surgery, which can harm brain tissue and disrupt functions.
  • - New endovascular neural devices present a less invasive alternative but currently lack the capability to capture single-unit activity in larger animals and humans, limiting their clinical use.
  • - The ultraflexible implantable neural electrode (uFINE-I) demonstrates successful implantation in sheep, recording high-resolution neural activity with minimal tissue damage, paving the way for future applications in brain-machine interfaces and neurological treatments.
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Due to their extraordinary properties, particularly the presence of an inherent electric field that effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers, Janus two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit strong light absorption and high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency, making them promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting applications. In this study, we conducted first-principles calculations to investigate the layers XWZAZ' (X = S, Se, Te; A = Si, Ge; Z, Z' = N, P, As; Z ≠ Z'). Out of 36 possible structures, 25 were found to be stable in terms of their dynamic, thermal, and mechanical properties.

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  • Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe disease linked to damage in blood vessels of the lungs and involves the degradation of important proteins, such as BMPR2, by the enzyme cathepsin L, leading to cell death through a process called pyroptosis.
  • Research showed that cathepsin L levels are significantly higher in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, and its inhibition in animal models of PH improved conditions related to the disease, including reduced pressure in the heart and enhanced blood vessel health.
  • The study concludes that cathepsin L contributes to the progression of PH by degrading BMPR2, which triggers a cascade leading to programmed cell death in endothelial cells, highlighting a potential therapeutic target for treating PH.
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  • Preliminary results from a phase I clinical trial show positive outcomes for a patient receiving autologous transplantation of chemically induced pluripotent stem cell-derived islets (CiPSC islets) to treat type 1 diabetes.
  • After 75 days post-transplant, the patient achieved sustained insulin independence, and their time-in-target glycemic range significantly improved from 43.18% to 96.21%.
  • At the 1-year mark, the patient maintained stable glycemic control, with over 98% time-in-target and glycated hemoglobin levels around 5%, indicating the need for further studies on CiPSC-islet transplantation.
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  • Scientists wanted to understand brain tissues in newborns by measuring myelin and iron using a new method called quantitative susceptibility mapping.
  • They had 69 healthy newborns get MRI scans to see how these materials showed up in different parts of the brain.
  • The results showed differences in brain signals: myelin had a lower signal in some areas while iron had a higher signal in others, helping to reveal how these substances are distributed in newborn brains.
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Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATP, gene symbol ) are well-recognized key determinants for the absorption, distribution, and excretion of a wide spectrum of endogenous and exogenous compounds including many antineoplastic agents. It was therefore proposed as a potential drug target for cancer therapy. In our previous study, it was found that low-dose X-ray and carbon ion irradiation both upregulated the expression of OATP family member OATP1A2 and in turn, led to a more dramatic killing effect when cancer cells were cotreated with antitumor drugs such as methotrexate.

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Terpenoids of substantial industrial interest are mainly obtained through direct extraction from plant sources. Recently, microbial cell factories or in vitro enzymatic biosystems have emerged as promising alternatives for terpenoid production. Here, we report a route for the synthesis of α-farnesene based on an in vitro enzyme cascade reaction using methanol as an inexpensive and renewable C1 substrate.

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Aberrant DNA methylation patterns have been used for cancer detection. However, DNA hemi-methylation, present at about 10% CpG dinucleotides, has been less well studied. Here we show that a majority of differentially hemi-methylated regions (DHMRs) in liver tumor DNA or plasma cells free (cf) DNA do not overlap with differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of the same samples, indicating that DHMRs could serve as independent biomarkers.

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Introduction: An association between female sex hormones and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been reported in epidemiological studies. However, a solid causal relationship has not been established. Therefore, we performed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the causal association between genetically predicted female sex hormone exposure, especially estrogen, and IBD.

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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Less than half of the patients are diagnosed when the cancer is locally advanced. Several studies have shown that intelectin-1 () can serve as a key prognostic and therapeutic target for CRC.

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  • * Analyzes single-cell samples from 22 CRC patients to reveal that certain T cell populations (exhausted T cells and tumor-reactive-like T cells) play key roles in treatment efficacy and show changes post-PD-1 blockade.
  • * Suggests that a higher presence of specific blood-associated T cells and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II signatures in CD8 T cells are associated with better treatment outcomes, offering insights into immune dynamics.
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  • The study evaluates the effectiveness of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with localized EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through a phase 2 trial involving 18 participants.
  • Interim results show that while many patients had positive radiological responses, only 44% reached major pathological response, and there were no cases of complete response.
  • The research indicates that certain T cell populations are linked to resistance against immunotherapy and suggests that monitoring circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) could help identify patients less likely to respond to such treatments.
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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) has different epidemiology in Chinese vs. Western patients, but there are few studies of CLL/SLL in large populations of Chinese patients. ALPINE is a global phase 3 trial investigating Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors zanubrutinib vs.

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Unlabelled: The reoccurrence of successive waves of SARS-CoV-2 variants suggests the exploration of more vaccine alternatives is imperative. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a virus vector exhibiting excellent safety as well as efficacy for vaccine development. Here, a series of recombinant MVAs (rMVAs) expressing monomerized or trimerized S proteins from different SARS-CoV-2 variants are engineered.

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Background: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) has endocrine-disrupting properties and may affect blood pressure. Endogenous hormones also play a crucial role in the progression of hypertension. However, their interaction with hypertension remains to be explored.

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Background: Observational studies suggest that voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) may lower HIV risk among men who have sex with men (MSM). A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is needed to confirm this.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of VMMC in preventing incident HIV infection among MSM.

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