Publications by authors named "ZhengFeng Zhang"

Autotetraploid rice is a useful germplasm for polyploid rice breeding in improving nutritional values. Nevertheless, underlying mechanism of starch and lipid accumulation in tetraploid rice caryopsis remains largely unknown. Here, regulatory mode of starch and triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis during grain-filling stage in diploid and tetraploid indica rice varieties 9311 was investigated.

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Macroscale superlubricity has attracted considerable attention as a promising strategy to minimize frictional energy dissipation and achieve near-zero wear. However, realizing macroscale superlubricity with prolonged durability remains an immense challenge, particularly on engineering steels. Current superlubricants render steel surfaces susceptible to corrosion, causing severe wear and superlubrication failure.

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  • * The procedure was guided using fluoroscopy, but shortly after, she lost consciousness and became quadriplegic, leading to her transfer for treatment which included standard therapy and alternative methods like acupuncture.
  • * Remarkably, despite the initial severity of her condition, she experienced significant neurological recovery over eight months, regaining normal strength in her limbs with only minor residual symptoms.
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Approximately 70% of patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapies develop treatment resistance. Thus, there is a need for the identification of additional immunotherapeutic targets. CD49a is a membrane protein expressed on NK cells and T cells.

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Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) is indispensable for studying the structures, dynamics, and interactions of insoluble proteins in native or native-like environments. While ssNMR includes numerous nonselective techniques for general analysis, it also provides various selective methods that allow for the extraction of precise details about proteins. This perspective highlights three key aspects of selective methods: selective signals of protein segments, selective recoupling, and site-specific insights into proteins.

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  • - The study explores the [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of carbon dioxide with heavy imine analogues using theoretical methods, revealing that these analogues can effectively interact with CO, except for the carbon-based imine.
  • - It highlights that the interaction involves a bond formation between the occupied p-Ï€ orbital of the heavy imine and the vacant p-Ï€* orbital of CO, emphasizing the role of electronic interactions in the capture process.
  • - The research indicates that the activation barrier for these reactions is influenced by the deformation energy of CO and that the singlet-triplet energy splitting is a crucial factor in determining the reaction's energetics.
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  • This study focuses on B2G14G14' molecules, which are unique four-membered-ring compounds containing boron and heavy group 14 elements like silicon, germanium, tin, and lead.
  • Using advanced computational methods like density functional theory and natural bond orbital analysis, the research reveals that these molecules exhibit a strong Ï€ single bond between certain atoms, while the σ bond between them is very weak.
  • The analysis further shows that these compounds possess both σ-aromaticity and Ï€-aromaticity, highlighting their interesting chemical properties.
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  • The study investigates how different chemical elements (Group 13 and Group 15) affect the reactivity of a carbazolation reaction involving phenylacetylene using theoretical methods like density functional theory.
  • The research finds that the size of the atomic radius of the catalysts can impact the reaction’s efficiency, as smaller or larger atoms hinder proper orbital overlap, increasing activation energy and slowing the reaction.
  • Among the Lewis acids tested, all except Tl(CF) were found to effectively catalyze the reaction, and only N-carbazole was expected to participate in the reaction when catalyzed by B(CF), supporting Hammond's postulate which suggests that earlier transition states lead to lower activation energy.
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Study Design: A prospective study.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of vertebral artery (VA) occlusion and whether anterior spinal artery (ASA) is occluded in cervical facet dislocation.

Setting: University hospital, China.

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  • Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an important technique for analyzing the structures and movements of insoluble proteins, particularly through complex multi-dimensional correlation experiments.
  • The introduction of a new method called POST-C4 (PC4) improves the efficiency of Cα-Cβ correlations, requiring less radio-frequency power while being stable and effective under specific conditions.
  • Comparative tests show that PC4 enhances these correlations by up to 50% compared to existing methods, addressing a critical need in structural biology for better C-C correlation techniques.
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Incomplete combustion yields a significant byproduct, known for its high toxicity to humans: gas phase carbon monoxide (CO). This study utilized several advanced theoretical methods to examine the factors contributing to the activation energy involved in CO capture by a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) and to forecast the potential success of the CO capture reaction. The current theoretical findings indicate that among the four-membered-ring Group-13/N-FLP and B/Group-15-FLP molecules, only the B/N-based FLP-type molecule effectively captures CO, considering both thermodynamics and kinetics.

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Purpose: Comparing the efficacy and safety of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with or without hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) in HBV-related advanced HCC and exploring prognostic predictors of the combined regimen.

Patients And Methods: A total of 194 patients diagnosed with HBV-related advanced HCC between 2020 and 2022 were included in the study, including 99 in the HAIC combined with PD-1 inhibitors plus TKIs (HPT group) and 95 in the PD-1 inhibitors plus TKIs (PT group). The efficacy was evaluated according to the tumor response rate and survival, and the safety was evaluated according to the adverse events.

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Computational exploration using the density functional theory framework (M06-2X-D3/def2-TZVP) was undertaken to investigate the [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between a five-membered-ring heterocyclic carbene analogue (; G14 = group 14 element) and a heavy acetylene molecule (). It was theoretically observed that exclusively , , and demonstrate the capacity to participate in the [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with the triply bonded . In addition, only three heavy acetylenes (, , and ) can catalyze the [1 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with .

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Objective: This study was designed to investigate the clinical features, treatment modalities, and risk factors influencing neurological recovery in patients who underwent scoliosis correction with delayed postoperative neurological deficit (DPND).

Methods: Three patients with DPND were identified from 2 central databases for descriptive analysis. Furthermore, all DPND cases were retrieved from the PubMed and Embase databases.

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Background: The HAP, Six-and-Twelve, Up to Seven, and ALBI scores have been substantiated as reliable prognostic markers in patients presenting with intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment. Given this premise, our research aims to assess the predictive efficacy of these models in patients with intermediate and advanced HCC receiving a combination of TACE and Apatinib. Additionally, we have conducted a meticulous comparative analysis of these four scoring systems to discern their respective predictive capacities and efficacies in combined therapy.

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Air pollution levels tend to be higher in urban areas than in surrounding rural areas, and this air pollution has a negative effect on human health. However, the spatiotemporal patterns of urban-rural air pollution differences and the determinants of these differences remain unclear. Here, we calculate the Urban Air Pollution Island (UAPI) intensity for PM and PM on a monthly, seasonal, and annual scale for 2273 cities in China from 2000 to 2020.

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  • Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis and plant growth; a mutated rapeseed variety with yellow leaves and reduced chlorophyll was studied to understand its traits.
  • The study identified specific gene mutations affecting chlorophyll synthesis and resulted in unique protein changes, linked to light energy utilization and heat dissipation efficiency.
  • Findings highlight potential genetic targets for enhancing photosynthesis and light tolerance in crops, informing future agricultural practices.
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The low-oxidation-state silicon-catalyzed hydroboration of isocyanates with pinacolborane (HBpin) using the NHC-silyliumylidene cation catalyst [(IMe)SiH]I (, IMe = :C{N(Me)C(Me)}) is described. In the catalysis, the Si lone pair electrons activate isocyanates, and the latter react with HBpin to form -boryl formamides at room temperature. Catalyst further activates -boryl formamides at 70 °C, the intermediates of which react with HBpin to form -boryl methylamines and (pinB)O.

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Lipocalins constitute a conserved protein family that binds to and transports a variety of lipids while fatty acid desaturases (FADs) are required for maintaining the cell membrane fluidity under cold stress. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether plant lipocalins promote FADs for the cell membrane integrity under cold stress. Here, we identified the role of OsTIL1 lipocalin in FADs-mediated glycerolipid remodeling under cold stress.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor of the digestive system that poses a serious threat to human life and health. Chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used in the clinic have limited efficacy and heavy adverse effects. Therefore, it is imperative to find effective and safe alternatives, and natural polysaccharides (NPs) fit the bill.

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Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with first-line therapy in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) and explore the biomarkers affecting the prognosis of immunotherapy, to construct a nomogram for the prediction of survival.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to include a total of 209 patients with advanced BTC treated in the first line from 2018 to 2022, divided into a combination therapy group (n = 129) and a chemotherapy-only group (n = 80) according to whether ICIs were applied in combination. Univariate and multifactorial COX regression analyses were performed on variables that may affect prognosis to identify independent influences on patient prognosis, and this was used to create nomograms, which were then prospectively validated and calibrated.

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The emission of SO gas by industrialized societies contributes to the occurrence of acid rain in natural environments. In this study, we put forward a theoretical investigation into the capture reactions of SO. Our analysis centers on the energy profiles of intramolecular 1,2-cyclohexylene-bridged FLP-associated molecules.

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  • The compound Bis(1-adamantyl)phosphanylsilylene (1) was heated with various alkynes under microwave conditions, leading to the creation of SiP-heterocycles (3a-d) that exhibit fluorescence and unique isomerization properties from silirene intermediates.
  • Additionally, reacting compound 1 with AdC≡P produced a heavy form of cyclopentadiene (4), a process that involves breaking a rarely seen Si(II)-P bond in silylene chemistry.
  • This study highlights new chemical transformations and properties associated with silylene derivatives, advancing the understanding of their reactivity and applications.
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Objective: The treatment of biliary tract (BTC) cancer remains relatively limited, especially in the setting of advanced BTC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown some effects in a variety of solid tumors, but their efficacy and safety in patients with advanced BTC are still elusive, which require in-depth analysis.

Methods: The clinical information of 129 patients diagnosed with advanced BTC between 2018 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

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