Publications by authors named "Zhijun Bai"

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency represent critical public health concerns on a global scale. Due to the increase in indoor activities, the role of dietary intake of vitamin D has become increasingly prominent. However, previous studies have focused solely on a single food item.

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Background: Aflatoxin B (AFB), a potent carcinogen produced by species, is a prevalent contaminant in oil crops, with prolonged exposure associated with liver damage. Home-made peanut oil (HMPO) produced by small workshops in Guangzhou is heavily contaminated with AFB. Despite the enactment of the Small Food Workshops Management Regulations (SFWMR), no quantitative assessment has been conducted regarding its impact on food contamination and public health.

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A sensitive, straightforward, and environmentally sustainable method was developed and validated for the quantification of 13 PBDEs in chicken eggs using gas chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The QuEChERS approach, combined with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), was applied for sample preparation. Egg samples were extracted with acetonitrile and purified using Z-Sep + adsorbent.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The researchers compared various extraction methods and determined that supported liquid extraction was the most efficient for quantifying PBDEs, achieving good sensitivity and reproducibility with specific detection limits.
  • * Applying this method to 111 healthy adults showed that more than 90% had detectable PBDE levels, with BDE-47 and BDE-183 being the most commonly found, particularly in males.
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Background: Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that has caused major health problems. Variations in dengue virus (DENV) genes are important features of epidemic outbreaks. However, the associations of DENV genes with epidemic potential have not been extensively examined.

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Environmental antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have received much attention, while the characteristics of ARGs carried by particulate matter (PM) as a function of urban functional region are almost unknown. In this study, ARGs carried by PM and PM in an urban hospital, a nearby urban community and the nearest suburban community were detected using metagenomics. In total, 643 ARG subtypes belonging to 22 different ARG types were identified.

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is a spore-forming gastrointestinal pathogen that can cause life-threatening diseases. Here, a simple and effective assay to detect was developed, using cross-priming amplification (CPA). Amplicons were detected using disposable cartridges that contained nucleic acid detection strips.

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To determine the evolutionary and phylodynamic history of DENV-1 in Guangdong, the strains detected between 1985 and 2015 were determined with phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses of the E gene. Three DENV-1 genotypes (I, V, and VI) were circulating in Guangdong, and genotype I was detected most frequently. The evolutionary rate of DENV-1 was estimated to be 1.

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Physical binding-mediated organic dye direct-labelling of proteins could be a promising technology for bio-nanomedical applications. Upon binding, it was found that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) occurred between donor bovine serum albumin (BSA; an amphiphilic protein) and acceptor fluoresceinamine (FA; a hydrophobic fluorophore), which could explain fluorescence quenching found for BSA. FRET efficiency and the distance between FA and BSA tryptophan residues were determined to 17% and 2.

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Background: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is usually caused by Enterovirus 71(EV71), and Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) in Guangzhou, the biggest city of South China. However, Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) were observed increased dramatically from 2010-2012.

Methods: In order to understand and to describe the epidemiologic and genetic characteristics of CV-A6, specimens of 5482 suspected HFMD cases were collected and examined by real-time fluorescence PCR.

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High-spin states of (84)Sr are populated through the reaction (70)Zn ((18)O, 4n) (84)Sr at the beam energy of 75 MeV. The measurements of excitation functions, γ-γ coincidences, directional correlations of oriented states (DCO) ratios and γ-transition intensities are performed using eight anticompton HPGe detectors and one planar HPGe detector. Based on the experimental results, we establish a new level scheme of (84)Sr, in which 12 new states and nearly 30 new γ-transitions are identified in the present work.

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In 2010, the first complete genome sequence of a dengue virus serotype 4 genotype II strain was reported in Guangzhou, China. Here, we report another isolated strain belonging to the genotype II. Our results will offer help to dengue virus control and precautions.

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In 2009, dengue virus serotype 3 (DENV-3) was first detected in Guangzhou, China. In this study, we identified another isolated strain belonging to genotype II. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the GZ/10476/2012 strain has a close relationship with the DENV-3 genotype II from Southeast Asian strains.

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Background: After an absence of 29 years, dengue virus type 3 (DENV-3) re-emerged in Guangzhou in 2009 and again in 2010. However, the geographical route by which the virus entered the city, and how it has changed genetically, remain unclear. Therefore, we carried out a comprehensive investigation into the molecular characteristics of the DENV-3 involved.

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Background: Endemic dengue virus type 3 (DENV-3) infections have not been reported in Canton, China, since 1980. In March 2009, DENV-3 was isolated for the second time, occurring about 30 years after the previous circulation. In August, 3 other cases emerged.

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Background: Dengue virus (DENV) infection is the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral infection in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Guangzhou has the ideal environment for DENV transmission and DENV epidemics have been reported in this region for more than 30 years.

Methods: Information for DENV infection cases in Guangzhou from 2001 to 2010 were collected and analyzed.

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Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member in the family Reoviridae, is a re-emerging animal disease infecting cattle and sheep. With its recent outbreaks in Europe, there is a pressing need for efficacious antivirals. We presented here the identification and characterization of a novel virostatic molecule against BTV, an aminothiophenecarboxylic acid derivative named compound 003 (C003).

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Human mannan-binding lectin (MBL) plays a pivotal role in innate immunity. Substantial literature supports the belief that three point mutations, CGT52TGT, GGC54GAC and GGA57GAA, in the collagen-like region (CLR) of the human MBL gene, are associated with increased susceptibility to infection, autoimmunity and carcinogenesis. To investigate the mechanisms of MBL deficiency, human wild-type and three variant MBL genes were expressed in COS-7 and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells.

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To investigate molecular epidemiology of dengue viruses (DENV) in southern China, a total of 14 dengue isolates were collected in southern China during each epidemic year between 1978 and 2006 and their full-length genome sequences were obtained by using RT-PCR method. The E gene sequences from additional 6 dengue fever patients in Guangzhou in 2006 were also obtained by using RT-PCR method. Combined with DENVs sequences published in GenBank, phylogenetic analysis and recombination analysis were performed.

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Nitinol wires have been widely used in many biomedical applications, such as cardiovascular stent due to their superelasticity and shape memory effect. However, their corrosion properties and the related biocompatibility are not well understood, and the reported results are controversial. In this study, we evaluate the pitting corrosion property of nitinol, titanium, nickel, and 316L stainless steel (316LSS) wires with different surface roughnesses in a saline solution at 37 °C.

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Objective: To analyze and trace the infection source the envelope (E) gene of the new emerged type 3 dengue virus in Guangzhou in 2009.

Methods: Sera were collected from patients infected with local dengue fever. Dengue virus was cultured and isolated by C6/36 cells.

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An approach to quantifying adsorbed protein layers at the protein/metal interface through spectroscopic ellipsometry using an in situ technique is described. A combinatorial binary Cu(1-x)Al(x) (0 View Article and Find Full Text PDF