Publications by authors named "Zheng Shimin"

Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a form of inflammatory irritable bowel disease, is characterized by a recurrent and persistent nonspecific inflammatory response. Polydatin (PD), a natural stilbenoid polyphenol with potent properties, exhibits unexpected beneficial effects beyond its well-documented anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. In this study, we presented evidence that PD confers protection against dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis.

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  • Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in rural areas can lead to negative health outcomes and strain healthcare resources, highlighting the need for targeted strategies by local policymakers.
  • A study involving 82 participants aged 62 to 74 in Northeast Tennessee assessed factors contributing to social isolation and loneliness using established scales and logistic regression analysis.
  • Results showed that longer residency in the county and resource barriers increased the likelihood of social isolation, while interest in intergenerational activities reduced it; boredom and lack of knowledge about community services significantly increased loneliness.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammation that gradually leads to cartilage degradation. Prolonged chondrocyte oxidative stress contributes to the development of diseases, including chondrocyte apoptosis, cartilage matrix degradation, and aggravation of articular cartilage damage. Bilirubin (BR) possesses strong antioxidant properties by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and potent protection effects against inflammation.

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  • The study aimed to explore factors related to vision impairment (VI) and age-related eye disease (ARED) in older adults, along with their frequency of eye exams.
  • Conducted in March 2023, the research involved 166 adults aged 50 and older and utilized logistic regression to identify barriers to eye care services.
  • Key findings revealed that factors such as traveling more than 10 miles to see an eye care provider, facing barriers to access, and having limited exposure to eye health information significantly increased the likelihood of experiencing VI and ARED.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by cartilage destruction, synovitis, and osteophyte formation. Disease-modifying treatments for OA are currently lacking. Because inflammation mediated by an imbalance of M1/M2 macrophages in the synovial cavities contributes to OA progression, regulating the M1 to M2 polarization of macrophages can be a potential therapeutic strategy.

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  • A systematic review was conducted to analyze the global transmission rates of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, following PRISMA guidelines and utilizing data from four major databases until January 2021.
  • Out of 4923 records, 15 studies involving 3917 close contacts of asymptomatic cases were included, revealing a pooled transmission rate of 1.79% for asymptomatic individuals, which is significantly lower than rates for presymptomatic (5.02%) and symptomatic infections (5.27%).
  • The study found that transmission rates were higher in household settings (4.22%) compared to non-household settings (1.03%), and asymptomatic transmission rates were lower in China (1.82%) than in other
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  • This study investigates the prevalence of low birthweight (LBW) babies in the U.S. and how it relates to maternal sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle behaviors.
  • The analysis used data from the National Survey of Children's Health between 2016 and 2021, revealing that LBW affected approximately 9.31% of infants, with higher rates among younger and Black mothers.
  • The findings highlight significant racial and age-related disparities in LBW risks, emphasizing the need for targeted healthcare reforms to address these issues and improve health outcomes for marginalized populations.
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  • - A high-fat diet is linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, not just in individuals consuming it, but also in their offspring as a result of maternal dietary choices during pregnancy.
  • - The maternal high-fat diet triggers an inflammatory response in both the mother’s and the offspring’s colorectal tissues, leading to the activation of inflammatory pathways like NF-κb and the release of inflammatory cytokines.
  • - Offspring of mothers on a high-fat diet experience disrupted intestinal development and barrier function due to inherited inflammatory factors, increasing their risk for colorectal cancer through persistent inflammation and cellular changes.
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  • Birds infected with Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) experience immunosuppression, affecting their immune organs like the thymus, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen.
  • The study investigates how the TLR-3/IFN-β pathway is disrupted in chickens by analyzing changes in immune response at various time points after infection.
  • Results indicate that TLR-3, IRF-7, and NF-κB p65 levels change significantly during early REV infection, with a later decrease in NF-κB p65 correlating with reduced IFN-β levels, highlighting a complex interaction in the immune response.
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  • Scientists found that a substance called ox-LDL, which is higher in people with colorectal cancer who eat a lot of fat, might be linked to the cancer's development.
  • They studied how ox-LDL affects certain immune cells called macrophages, which can influence cancer growth.
  • Their results showed that ox-LDL makes these macrophages increase specific markers that could help identify cancer cells, suggesting it plays a role in fat-related colorectal cancer.
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  • - HIV self-testing (HIVST) is found to increase testing frequency among men who have sex with men (MSM), but its effect on sexual risk behaviors remains uncertain.
  • - A study in Hunan Province, China, involved 230 HIV-negative MSM, who were divided into two groups: one received standard HIV testing, while the other also received free HIV self-test kits for a year.
  • - Results showed no significant changes in consistent condom use or the number of sexual partners between the two groups, indicating that providing free HIVST kits does not promote risky sexual behaviors and should be integrated into HIV prevention strategies for sexual minority men.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease caused by joint inflammation. Its occurrence and development depend on a continuous inflammation environment. The activated M1 macrophages play a critical role in the inflammatory response of OA.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive chronic inflammation that leads to cartilage degeneration. OA Patients are commonly given pharmacological treatment, but the available treatments are not sufficiently effective. The development of sustained-release drug delivery systems (DDSs) for OA may be an attractive strategy to prevent rapid drug clearance and improve the half-life of a drug at the joint cavity.

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This study compared the immunogenicity of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines between people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-negative individuals. We recruited 120 PLWH and 53 HIV-negative individuals aged 18-59 years who had received an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in two Chinese cities between April and June 2021. Blood samples were tested for immunogenicity of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

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Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) is a type C avian retrovirus that causes immunosuppression, dwarf syndrome, and lymphoma in infected hosts. In this study, we used tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to characterize protein alterations in chicken bursa of Fabricius, before and after REV infection at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Our data showed that 1,127, 999, 910, and 1,138 differentially expressed proteins were significantly altered at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after REV infection, respectively.

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Reticuloendothelial virus (REV) is widely found in many domestic poultry areas and results in severe immunosuppression of infected chickens. This increases the susceptibility to other pathogens, which causes economic losses to the poultry industry. The aim of our study was to determine whether polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [Poly (I: C)] treatment could inhibit REV replication in chicken macrophage-like cell line, HD11.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with worse outcomes. We assessed the impact of CKD on guideline directed coronary revascularization and outcomes among STEMI patients. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample dataset from 2012-2014 was used to identify patients with STEMI using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes.

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This study operationalized the five dimensions of health care access in the context of contraceptive service provision and used this framework to examine access to contraceptive care at health department (HD) (Title X funded) and federally qualified health center (FQHC) (primarily non-Title X funded) clinics in South Carolina and Alabama. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017/18 that assessed clinic-level characteristics, policies, and practices related to contraceptive provision. Provision of different contraceptive methods was examined between clinic types.

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Background: Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) is a retrovirus that causes severe immunosuppression in poultry. Animals grow slowly under conditions of oxidative stress. In addition, long-term oxidative stress can impair immune function, as well as accelerate aging and death.

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Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association of Per and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and markers of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Methods: Using data (n = 6652) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2012, generalized linear models were used to examine the association between PFAS and inflammatory (ferritin, alkaline phosphatase, C-reactive protein, absolute neutrophil count and lymphocyte count) and oxidative stress (serum bilirubin, albumin and iron) per unit exposure to PFAS while adjusting for covariates. Study participants were those ≥20 years of age.

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  • * The prevalence of HIV testing was found to be 20.34%, with females more likely to get tested (53.97%) compared to males (32.63%).
  • * Key factors associated with higher rates of HIV testing included being older at first sexual intercourse, having multiple sexual partners, being female, using contraceptives, and achieving good academic grades (mostly A's or B's).
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Purpose: Despite the wide usage of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS 2.0) in psychiatry research and clinical practice, there was limited knowledge on its proxy reliability among people with mental disorders. This paper aimed to compare the 12-item WHODAS 2.

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BarH‑like homeobox 2 (BARX2), a homeobox gene, is associated with several types of cancers. The present study aimed to determine whether DNA methylation downregulates BARX2 expression and whether BARX2 is associated with suppression of gastric carcinogenesis. BARX2 protein expression in normal and cancerous gastric tissues and various gastric cancer (GC) cell lines was detected using immunohistochemical and western blot assays.

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Evidence for putative pathophysiological mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including peripheral inflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, white matter alterations, and abnormal synaptic overgrowth, indicate a possible involvement of neuroinflammation in the disorder. Neuroinflammation plays a role in the development and maintenance of the dendritic spines involved in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmission, and also influences blood-brain permeability. Cytokines released from microglia can impact the length, location or organization of dendritic spines on excitatory and inhibitory cells as well as recruit and impact glial cell function around the neurons.

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Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) infection of multiple avian species can lead to a number of diseases such as runting syndrome, immunosuppression and oncogenesis, causing major economic losses. MicroRNAs play important roles in post-transcriptional regulation, effectively inhibiting protein synthesis, and participating in many biological processes in cells, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, lipometabolism, virus infection and replication, and tumorigenesis. Based on our previous high-throughput sequencing results, we explore the regulatory mechanisms of microRNA-155(miR-155) in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) in response to REV infection.

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