Publications by authors named "Zhe Zhong"

B cell maturation depends on cognate interactions between the T and B cells. Upon interaction with CD40 ligand (CD40L) on T cells, CD40 delivers costimulatory signals alongside B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling to regulate affinity maturation and antibody class switch. Mutations affecting CD40-CD40L interactions cause abnormal antibody responses in immunodeficiencies known as X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (X-HIgM).

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Article Synopsis
  • - Antibodies are generated by naive B cells turning into plasma cells in germinal centers (GCs) of lymphoid tissues, and patients with B cell lymphoma undergoing immunotherapy have reduced antibody production, leading to higher infection rates and weaker vaccine responses.
  • - Current research models struggle to effectively mimic long-term GC functions and assess B cell responses, prompting the development of synthetic hydrogels that replicate the lymphoid tissue environment to support human GCs from various blood sources.
  • - The new immune organoid systems maintain critical B cell functions longer and offer unique immune programming features; however, they show less effectiveness with lymphoma-derived B cells, indicating a rapid method for studying immune responses and B cell-related disorders.
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Aims: The incidence of recurrent gliomas is high, exerting low survival rates and poor prognoses. Transcription factor AP-2α has been reported to regulate the progression of primary glioblastoma (GBM). However, the function of AP-2α in recurrent gliomas is largely unclear.

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To compare surface roughness and bacterial colonization of Streptococcus mutans to 3D printed (3DP), milled (M), and conventional (CV) acrylic resin. Thirty-six discs (n equals 12 per group) were fabricated from 3DP, M, and CV materials. One surface of sample was polished (Po); the opposite surface was left unpolished (UPo).

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that affects millions of people throughout the world. Cuproptosis is a newly discovered form of programmed cell death linked to several neurological disorders. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms of Cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in PD remain unknown.

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Introduction: The relationship between depression and adherence to regular dilated fundus examination (DFE) in patients with diabetes remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between depression and adherence to annual or biennial DFE among individuals with diabetes.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database from 2005 to 2016 which contains information on demographics, clinical characteristics, health-related factors, and the time since last DFE.

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B cell maturation in germinal centers (GCs) depends on cognate interactions between the T and B cells. Upon interaction with CD40 ligand (CD40L) on T cells, CD40 delivers co-stimulatory signals alongside B cell antigen receptor (BCR) signaling to regulate affinity maturation and antibody class-switch during GC reaction. Mutations in CD40L disrupt interactions with CD40, which lead to abnormal antibody responses in immune deficiencies known as X-linked Hyper IgM syndrome (X-HIgM).

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease globally. Levodopa (L-dopa) has been the cornerstone for treating Parkinson's since the 1960s. However, complications such as "wearing-off" and dyskinesia inevitably appear with disease progression.

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Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) ensures that tumor cells escape T-cell-mediated tumor immune surveillance. However, gliomas are characteristic of the low immune response and high-resistance therapy, it is necessary to understand molecular regulatory mechanisms in glioblastoma, especially the limited regulation of PD-L1 expression. Herein, we show that low expression of AP-2α is correlated with high expression of PD-L1 in high-grade glioma tissues.

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Ischemic stroke (IS) produces a powerful inflammatory cascade in the brain, resulting in the occurrence of neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is triggered not only by resident immune cells, but also by neutrophils, macrophages, and T lymphocytes infiltrating the peripheral immune system. The disruption of the blood-brain barrier appears to exacerbate inflammatory infiltrates after IS.

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Background: The aim of this study was to construct crosslinked polylysine-hyaluronic acid microspheres (pl-HAM) ladened with gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) and explore its biologic behavior in soft tissue regeneration.

Methods: The effects of the crosslinked pl-HAM on the biocompatibility and the recruitment of L-929 cells and GMSCs were detected in vitro. Moreover, the regeneration of subcutaneous collagen tissue, angiogenesis and the endogenous stem cells recruitment were investigated in vivo.

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Glycoengineered bacteria have emerged as a cost-effective platform for rapid and controllable biosynthesis of designer conjugate vaccines. However, little is known about the engagement of such conjugates with naïve B cells to induce the formation of germinal centers (GC), a subanatomical microenvironment that converts naïve B cells into antibody-secreting plasma cells. Using a three-dimensional biomaterials-based B-cell follicular organoid system, we demonstrate that conjugates triggered robust expression of hallmark GC markers, B cell receptor clustering, intracellular signaling, and somatic hypermutation.

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Activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (ABC-DLBCLs) are characterized by constitutive activation of nuclear factor κB driven by the B-cell receptor (BCR) and Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways. However, BCR-pathway-targeted therapies have limited impact on DLBCLs. Here we used >1,100 DLBCL patient samples to determine immune and extracellular matrix cues in the lymphoid tumour microenvironment (Ly-TME) and built representative synthetic-hydrogel-based B-cell-lymphoma organoids accordingly.

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Objective: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is secondary to stroke, and is a significant burden for patients, their families and society as a whole. Our study aimed to investigate the predictive value of β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42) and hemoglobin (Hb) in the diagnosis of PSCI.

Methods: 120 patients were selected and then assigned to either the PSCI group, Alzheimer's disease (AD) group or post-stroke cognitive normal (PSCN) group.

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Purpose: To evaluate the microbial air quality during dental clinical procedures in a large clinical setting with increasing patient capacity.

Methods: This was a single-center, observational study design evaluating the microbial air quality and aerosol distribution during normal clinical sessions at 5% (sessions 1 and 2) and at > 50% (session 3) treatment capacity of dental aerosol generating procedures. Sessions 1 and 2 were evaluated on the same day with a 30-minute fallow time between the sessions.

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Background: The diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease (PD) remain complex, which is especially problematic for nonmovement disorder experts. A test is required to establish a diagnosis of PD with improved accuracy and reproducibility.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of tests using sniffer dogs to diagnose PD.

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Memory B cells originate in response to antigenic stimulation in B-cell follicles of secondary lymphoid organs where naive B cells undergo maturation within a subanatomical microenvironment, the germinal centers. The understanding of memory B-cell immunology and its regulation is based primarily on sophisticated experiments that involve mouse models. To date, limited evidence exists on whether memory B cells can be successfully engineered ex vivo, specifically using biomaterials-based platforms that support the growth and differentiation of B cells.

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Objective: To develop a low shrinkage, hydrophobic, degradation-resistant, antimicrobial dental composite using a fluorinated acrylate, and a difunctional oxirane.

Methods: The effects of a fluorinated acrylate (2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl acrylate; PFOEA), a difunctional oxirane (EPALLOY™ 5001; EP5001), and a three-component initiator system (camphorquinone/ethyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate/4-Isopropyl-4'-methyldiphenyl iodonium Tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) borate; CQ/EDMAB/Borate) on bisphenol A glycidyl dimethacrylate: triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (BisGMA:TEGDMA) composite surface hardness, degree of monomer-to-polymer conversion, hydrophobicity, translucency, mechanical properties, polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage stress, degradation, water imbibition, and antimicrobial properties were determined.

Results: Overall the experimental composites had comparable mechanical properties and lower volumetric polymerization shrinkage and shrinkage stress as compared to BisGMA:TEGDMA controls.

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Background: Although observational studies have suggested that prior intravitreal therapy may predict posterior capsule rupture (PCR) during cataract surgery, this finding is still controversial.

Objective: This study aimed to summarize current evidence on the association between prior intravitreal injection (IVI) and PCR during cataract surgery.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed up to October 27, 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common type of lung cancer, often leading to poor outcomes when it spreads to the brain.
  • A study analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and primary lung tumor samples from 1082 LUAD patients, revealing significant genetic differences such as high rates of EGFR mutations and specific copy number variations related to key cancer genes.
  • The findings suggest unique genomic traits in the CSF, including lower tumor mutation burden but increased copy number instability, which may play crucial roles in the development of brain metastases in LUAD patients.
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  • The study aimed to assess how age and bone microstructure impact strain around dental implants in young and older mice under pressure.
  • Young mice on a normal calcium diet exhibited stable bone density and strain levels, while older mice on a low calcium diet had significantly poorer bone quality and higher strain intensity.
  • Increasing the implant diameter reduced the risk of overload, showing that bone structure deterioration amplifies strain during compressive loads in older mice.
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Gut microbiota is closely related to the Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. Additionally, aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) is central to PD pathogenesis. Here we identified the further mechanisms of gut microbiota in PD.

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Background: loss of the interdental papillae leads to the formation of a black triangle, which compromises smile esthetics and contributes to food impaction and plaque accumulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) and compare it to that of physiological saline solution in the restoration of deficient gingival papillae and .

Methods: Twenty-four patients with 68 deficient gingival papillae were recruited for this clinical trial with a split-mouth design.

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Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, American Society for Testing and Materials level 3 and level 2 medical face masks (MFMs) have been used for most health care workers and even for the first responders owing to a shortage of N95 respirators. However, the MFMs lack effective peripheral seal, leading to concerns about their adequacy to block aerosol exposure for proper protection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the peripheral seal of level 3 and level 2 MFMs with a 3-dimensional (3D-) printed custom frame.

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