Publications by authors named "Zhi-chao Zhang"

Superatoms are special clusters with similar physicochemical properties to individual atoms in the periodic table, which open up new avenues for exploring inexpensive catalysts. Given that the ZrO superatom possesses the same number of valence electrons as a Pd atom, the mechanisms of the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction catalyzed by (ZrO) ( = 1-4) clusters have been investigated and compared with the corresponding Pd ( = 1-4) species to explore superatom-based catalysts for the formation of C-C bonds a density functional theory (DFT) study. It was interesting to find that the catalytic activities of (ZrO) ( = 1-4) towards the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction gradually improved as the cluster size increased.

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  • The continuous search for new cancer treatment methods is crucial due to cancer’s high mortality rate, with immunotherapy being a leading promising option, but challenges like limited immune responses exist.
  • Ferroptosis, a new type of cell death linked to the tumor immune environment, shows potential for improving treatment responses, especially in hard-to-treat tumors.
  • This review explores how RNA m6A modification affects ferroptosis and immune responses, suggesting that understanding this connection could lead to more effective immunotherapies for cancer.
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The exploration of low-cost, efficient, environmentally safe, and selective catalysts for the activation of carbon-halogen bonds has become an important and challenging topic in modern chemistry. With the help of density functional theory (DFT), it is found that phenyl bromide (PhBr) can be efficiently chemisorbed by the AlM (M = Be, Al, C, and P) superatoms via forming highly polarized Al-Br covalent bonds, where the C-Br bonds of PhBr can be effectively activated through the electron transfer from AlM. The different electronic structures of these four AlM superatoms pose a substantial effect on their performances on the activation of PhBr and the catalytic mechanisms of the Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) reaction.

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Related studies have pointed out that Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor 2DL4 (KIR2DL4) was associated with vascular remodeling in early pregnancy, and it might play an important role in immunity. In this study, recurrent implantation failure (RIF)-related GSE58144 dataset was extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Firstly, the immune micro-environment analyses were conducted to analyze the pathogenesis of KIR2DL4 in RIF.

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There is a close relationship between male erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) on the pathogenesis, leading a high comorbidity rate and a need of simultaneous treatment in clinical practice. Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Dapoxetine are first-line oral drugs for ED and PE, respectively. In recent years, multi-country clinical guidelines have provided suggestions and guidance for the combination of these two drugs, with the safety and effectiveness being further explored and verified.

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Without intervention, a considerable proportion of patients with metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) will progress from simple steatosis to metabolism-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), liver fibrosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the molecular mechanisms that control progressive MAFLD have yet to be fully determined. Here, we unraveled that the expression of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase METTL14 is remarkably downregulated in the livers of both patients and several murine models of MAFLD, whereas hepatocyte-specific depletion of this methyltransferase aggravated lipid accumulation, liver injury, and fibrosis.

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The long-term safety and effectiveness of once-daily tadalafil is crucial, but limited data are available in Chinese patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). In this post-marketing, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial with 2-year follow-up, 635 ED cases were randomized to receive daily oral tadalafil 2.5 mg or 5 mg for 3 months, of whom 580 continued once-daily tadalafil 5 mg for 21 months.

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Catalytic conversion of NO and CO into nonharmful gases is of great significance to reduce their adverse impact on the environment. The potential of the WSi superatom to serve as a new cluster catalyst for CO oxidation by NO is examined for the first time. It is found that WSi prefers to adsorb the NO molecule rather than the CO molecule, and the charge transfer from WSi to NO results in the full activation of NO into a physically absorbed N molecule and an activated oxygen atom that is attached to an edge of the hexagonal prism structure of WSi.

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  • * Out of 57 ultrasonographically diagnosed cases, 94.7% were confirmed by surgery, revealing some discrepancies in the initial ultrasound findings regarding the extent of injuries.
  • * The results indicate that ultrasonography is highly accurate for diagnosing RTA and helps plan surgical procedures, leading to good postoperative outcomes without complications like urethral stricture or erectile dysfunction.
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Objective: To explore the effect and potential mechanism of T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK) on autophagy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Methods: Human cSCC cancer tissue and paracancerous tissue samples were collected clinically; immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TOPK, nuclear factor B p65 (NF-B p65), phosphorylated nuclear factor B inhibitor (p-IB), Beclin-1, and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) in cSCC tissue; and immunofluorescence was adopted to detect the coexpression of NF-B p65, p-IB, and TOPK in cSCC tissue. After TOPK silencing or overexpression, SCL-1 and A431 cells were treated with PDTC and 3-MA, respectively.

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  • * The rate of DKP formation depends on the characteristics of the amino acid side chains; charged or polar side chains lead to quicker degradation, while nonpolar alkyl side chains offer more stability to the peptide.
  • * Kinetic analysis reveals complex interactions involving bulky groups on carbon atoms and the role of aromatic rings in stabilizing transition states, with transition states generally being entropically favored but enthalpically disfavored.
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  • - This study aimed to analyze different cell types in the penile tissue of patients with severe erectile dysfunction (ED) at a single-cell level using advanced RNA sequencing techniques.
  • - Researchers found a variety of cell populations, particularly noting that fibroblasts were the most abundant and diverse, and identified a transition from smooth muscle cells to fibroblasts, suggesting fibrosis could hinder normal function.
  • - The results point to significant interactions between various cell types, indicating that inflammation might play a critical role in ED, and call for further research to tailor treatments for this condition.
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  • The study aimed to assess how a history of epididymitis affects the outcomes of microsurgical vasoepididymostomy and spontaneous pregnancy in patients with epididymal obstruction.
  • A total of 205 patients underwent the surgery between 2014 and 2016, with follow-up evaluations conducted every 3 months focusing on semen quality and pregnancy rates.
  • Results showed no significant differences in surgery success rates, sperm quality, or pregnancy rates between those with and without a history of epididymitis, indicating the surgery's effectiveness regardless of epididymitis history.
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  • This study investigates the effectiveness of low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LiESWT) in aiding the recovery of peripheral nerve injuries, particularly focusing on the sciatic nerve in an animal model.
  • LiESWT was administered through a specific probe to promote healing, showing significant improvements in functional recovery of lower extremities and increased presence of nerve fibers and myelin sheaths.
  • The therapy appears to activate Schwann cells, crucial for nerve repair, by enhancing their proliferation and dedifferentiation, which is linked to the activation of the YAP/TAZ signaling pathway.
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Objective: To investigate the value of dual energy CT enterography (DECTE) in evaluating the activity of Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: The endoscopy and imaging data of 29 patients with CD confirmed by clinic and pathology were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical CD activity index (CDAI) was used as the disease activity grouping standard, 29 patients with CD were grouped into activity groups, 18 patients in the active group (CDAI ≥ 150) with 36 intestinal segments, and 11 patients in the remission group (CDAI < 150) with 20 intestinal segments.

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  • Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and mass spectrometry (MS) were utilized to study how different solvents (methanol, ethanol, propanol, and water) influence the formation of diketopiperazine (DKP) from the peptide FPGK at various temperatures.
  • The study found that lower solvent polarity increases the reaction rate and results in a higher abundance of one isomer (the Phe-Pro isomer) as the reaction progresses.
  • The analysis of data using a sequential unimolecular kinetics model revealed that the transition state thermodynamics align closely with the dielectric constants of the solvents, where a lower dielectric constant speeds up the reaction by lowering the enthalpic barrier.
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Objective: To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of point electro-cauterization (PEC) and holmium laser cauterization (HLC) in the treatment of post-ejaculation hematuria.

Methods: From January 2015 to December 2018, 73 patients with post-ejaculation hematuria, aged 24-63 (36.8 ± 4.

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  • The theory that testosterone supplementation therapy (TST) might increase prostate volume and worsen lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is being challenged by new findings.
  • Recent studies suggest that TST does not significantly increase prostate size in patients with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) and may even improve LUTS.
  • Both testosterone deficiency and metabolic syndrome are linked to LUTS, but TST shows potential benefits, especially for patients with higher initial LUTS scores or those with metabolic syndrome, indicating the need for further research on TST's role.
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Objective: To investigate the relationship of miR-140 expression level with the therapeutic effect of decitabine, and to explore whether the molecular mechanism is dependent on the regulation of TLR4 expression.

Methods: Forty-seven patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) were enrolled in our study and divided into decitabine combination treatment group (22 cases) and traditional treatment group (25 cases). The clinical efficacy was compared between these two groups.

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Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC)-based odontogenic regeneration in inflammatory conditions is important in the process of pulpitis. DPSCs have been reported to lose potential for odontogenic regeneration in inflammatory conditions. This study aims to determine the mechanism of impaired odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs in an inflammatory microenvironment.

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  • - The study focuses on accurately predicting the critical nucleus size and nucleation barriers essential for understanding crystal nucleation dynamics, which is complicated by the presence of intermediate states.
  • - The researchers propose a new method that uses single-particle observations to quantify the free energy of crystal nuclei by integrating size and structural order, without needing prior interfacial tension data.
  • - Their findings highlight that intermediate structures in nucleation are determined by thermodynamic factors rather than just kinetics, and they show how supercooling influences the stability and development of these structures, bridging gaps between simulations and experimental outcomes.
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Once-daily tadalafil administration has been well established; however, studies about tadalafil once-daily treatment in the Chinese population are lacking. In this phase 4, postmarketing study, we ascertained the long-term safety and effectiveness of tadalafil 2.5 mg and 5.

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Herein, we investigated the chemical, electrochemical, and spectroscopic characteristics of humic acids (HAs) extracted from sediments of different origin [Ling Qiao river, Xi Xi wetland, Qi Zhen lake (QZ), and Hu Zhou pond in Zhejiang province, China], paying particular attention to their role in the enhancement of nitrate and FeOOH reduction. Notably, the highest C/N ratio (16.16), O/C ratio (1.

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