Publications by authors named "Zhi Ouyang"

Article Synopsis
  • Cardiovascular disease, particularly atherosclerosis (AS), poses a significant global health issue, with vulnerable plaques directly linked to acute cardiovascular events, prompting the investigation of Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) and its role in plaque progression.
  • Using ApoE atherosclerosis mouse models, researchers found that mice on a high-fat diet and with partial carotid artery ligation exhibited the most severe plaque accumulation and vulnerability after 16 weeks, indicated by increased lipid/foam cells and specific proteins related to inflammation and tissue remodeling.
  • The study concluded that higher expression levels of SDC-1 in the atherosclerosis models were positively correlated with plaque vulnerability, positioning SDC-1 as a potential biomarker for assessing the severity
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Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold promise for regenerative medicine, particularly for bone tissue engineering. However, directing MSC differentiation towards specific lineages, such as osteogenic, while minimizing undesired phenotypes remains a challenge. Here, we investigate the influence of micropatterns on the behavior and lineage commitment of rat bone marrow-derived MSCs (rBMSCs), focusing on osteogenic differentiation.

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Mitochondria, essential organelles orchestrating cellular metabolism, have emerged as central players in various disease pathologies. Recent research has shed light on mitohormesis, a concept proposing an adaptive response of mitochondria to minor disturbances in homeostasis, offering novel therapeutic avenues for mitochondria-related diseases. This comprehensive review explores the concept of mitohormesis, elucidating its induction mechanisms and occurrence.

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The mechanical environment of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) encompasses a wide range of curvatures due to variations in blood vessel diameters. Integrins, key mediators of cell-matrix interactions, establish connections between the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton, influencing diverse cellular behaviors. In this study, we explored the impact of spatial confinement on human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) cultured within three-dimensional hydrogel microgrooves of varying curvatures and the underlying role of integrins in mediating cellular responses.

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Objective: To construct microscale rectangular hydrogel grooves and to investigate the morphology and alignment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) under spatial constraints. Vascular endothelial cell morphology and alignment are important factors in vascular development and the maintenance of homeostasis.

Methods: A 4-arm polyethylene glycol-acrylate (PEG-acrylate) hydrogel was used to fabricate rectangular microgrooves of the widths of 60 μm, 100 μm, and 140 μm.

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Organoids are three-dimensional structures formed by self-organizing growth of cells , which own many structures and functions similar with those of corresponding organs. Although the organoid culture technologies are rapidly developed and the original cells are abundant, the organoid cultured by current technologies are rather different with the real organs, which limits their application. The major challenges of organoid cultures are the immature tissue structure and restricted growth, both of which are caused by poor functional vasculature.

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Introduction: The temperature control of magnetic hyperthermia therapy mainly relies on circulating water cooling and regulating magnetic field intensity, which increases complexity in clinical applications. Using magnetic materials with appropriate Curie temperature has become an effective means to solve temperature monitoring and potentially achieve self-regulating temperature.

Methods: A self-temperature-regulating FeZrB magnetic material was prepared.

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COVID-19 pandemic appeared summer surge in 2022 worldwide and this contradicts its seasonal fluctuations. Even as high temperature and intense ultraviolet radiation can inhibit viral activity, the number of new cases worldwide has increased to >78% in only 1 month since the summer of 2022 under unchanged virus mutation influence and control policies. Using the attribution analysis based on the theoretical infectious diseases model simulation, we found the mechanism of the severe COVID-19 outbreak in the summer of 2022 and identified the amplification effect of heat wave events on its magnitude.

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We previously demonstrated that anisodamine hydrobromide (Ani HBr) ameliorates septic organ injury induced by lipopolysaccharide. The present study is aimed to explore the role of Ani HBr in protecting of organs against inflammation and oxidative stress in septic rats induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). A total of forty-two rats were randomly divided into sham (sham operation), septic shock (CLP), Ani HBr, atropine and racemic anisodamine (Rac Ani) groups.

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Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease initiated by endothelial activation, in which lipoprotein, cholesterol, extracellular matrix, and various types of immune and non-immune cells are accumulated and formed into plaques on the arterial wall suffering from disturbed flow, characterized by low and oscillating shear stress. Foam cells are a major cellular component in atherosclerotic plaques, which play an indispensable role in the occurrence, development and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. It was previously believed that foam cells were derived from macrophages or smooth muscle cells, but recent studies have suggested that there are other sources of foam cells.

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Studies have shown that periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a distinctive form of cerebral white matter injury that pertains to myelination disturbances. Maternal inflammation is a main cause of white matter injury. Intrauterine inflammation cellular will be propagated to the developing brain by the entire maternal-placental-fetal axis, and triggers neural immune injury.

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This study assessed the dynamics of lakes in the north Tanggula Mountains in Tibet (NT area) and predicted the spatial changes. We used object-oriented classification and a spectral-angle vector change detection method to generate ecosystem distribution data for the NT area at five-year interval between 2000 and 2015. Based on this dataset, we measured the spatial pattern of lake dynamics and related geophysical and meteorological factors.

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In tropical areas, a large number of natural forests have been transformed into other plantations, which affected the water conservation function of terrestrial ecosystems. In order to clari-fy the effects of land use changes on soil water conservation function, we selected four typical land use types in the central mountainous region of Hainan Island, i.e.

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Based on the estimation of carbon cost from afforestation in project boundary and carbon leakage out of boundary in the construction period of "Grain for Green" Program (GGP) (2000-2010), the annual variance and composition of the carbon cost and carbon leakage, as well as characters of variance of net carbon sequestration were analyzed for GGP and respective program regions. Results showed that the carbon costs in northwest region, southwest region, northeast region, north region and central south and east region were 3.38, 3.

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