Publications by authors named "Zhixun Zhao"

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is highly infectious and lacks cross-protection among serotypes, with antibodies playing a key role in antiviral immunity. To map conserved epitopes on the FMDV surface that exhibit cross-serotype reactivity, we constructed a pig-specific B-cell receptor (BCR) library through single B-cell sorting and high-throughput sequencing. This led to the identification of 16 broadly reactive, non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), with 10 targeting VP2 (pOTB-1, pOTB-10, pOTB-13, pOTB-33, pOTB-37, pONY-14, pONY-17, pONY-23, pONY-30, pONY-60) and 6 targeting VP3 (pOTB-6, pOTB-11, pOTB-22, pOTB-23, pONY-3, pONY-59).

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The E2 subunit vaccine has been considered a promising alternative to an attenuated classical swine fever (CSF) vaccine. However, it fails to induce a good cellular immune response. Given that immunogenic adjuvants can regulate the cellular immunity to achieve a maximum efficacy against antigens, immunostimulatory effects of porcine IL-28B on the CSF virus (CSFV) E2 subunit vaccine were evaluated in the present study.

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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between lymph node yield (LNY) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with T1 colorectal cancer (CRC) via data from two large cohorts.

Methods: We analyzed data from 4186 patients in the SEER cohort (2010-2015) and 533 patients from CHCAMS (2014-2019). Patients were categorized into two groups based on whether their LNY was above or below the guideline-recommended threshold of 12 nodes.

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Background: Randomized studies have demonstrated that laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection is not inferior to open abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer.

Aims: Evaluate the immediate and extended results of laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection versus open abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer.

Methods: From January 2006 to December 2017, a total of 1852 patients with rectal cancer who had undergone abdominoperineal resection were enrolled in this investigation.

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The hardness of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) significantly influences their suitability for various applications, but traditionally, enhancing hardness reduces toughness. Herein a method is introduced that leverages hybrid soft segments to fine-tune the hardness of TPEs without compromising their exceptional toughness. Through the selective copolymerization of polytetramethylene ether glycols (PTMEGs) at various molecular weights, supramolecular poly(urethane-urea) TPEs are molecularly engineered to cover a wide spectrum of hardness while retaining good toughness.

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Neutralizing antibodies provide vital protection against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). The virus neutralization test (VNT) is a gold standard method for the detection of neutralizing antibodies. However, its application is limited due to the requirement for live virus and unsuitability for large-scale serological surveillance.

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Background: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic impact of lymph node metastasis (LNM) on patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) and elucidate the underlying immune mechanisms using multiomics profiling.

Methods: We enrolled patients with CRLM from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cohort and a multicenter Chinese cohort, integrating bulk RNA sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing and proteomics data. The cancer-specific survival (CSS) and immune profiles of the tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs), primary tumors and liver metastasis were compared between patients with and without LNM.

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Objective: This study investigates the impact of Titin (TTN) gene mutations on radiotherapy sensitivity in rectum adenocarcinoma (READ) by examining changes in the tumour immune microenvironment.

Methods: Data on gene expression and mutations in READ were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. Bioinformatics analysis explored the correlation between TTN mutations and immune cell infiltration.

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Non-structural protein 2 (NSP2) of PRRSV is highly variable and plays crucial roles in the virus's life cycle. To elucidate the function of NSP2 during PRRSV infection, we identified SH3KBP1 as an NSP2-interacting host protein using mass spectrometry. Exogenous SH3KBP1 expression significantly inhibited PRRSV replication by enhancing IFN-I and related ISGs production.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the challenge of isolating broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), which has seven distinct serotypes and lacks cross-protection.
  • By vaccinating pigs with serotypes O and A, researchers identified 10 bnAbs through analysis of a large number of B cell clones, showing that sequential vaccination can induce cross-serotype bnAbs.
  • The bnAbs mainly target a conserved motif on a viral protein to inhibit cell attachment, while one specific bnAb (pOA-2) binds to a new viral structure, revealing the importance of B-cell mutations in achieving effective neutralization.
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: Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a highly infectious pathogen that affects a wide range of mammals and imposes a significant economic burden on the global pig industry. The viral envelope of PRV contains several glycoproteins, including glycoprotein E (gE) and glycoprotein B (gB), which play critical roles in immune recognition, vaccine development, and diagnostic procedures. Mutations in these glycoproteins may enhance virulence, highlighting the need for updated vaccines.

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Article Synopsis
  • MDA5 is a key receptor that helps the body's immune system detect and respond to viral infections by sensing double-stranded RNA and triggering type I interferon production.
  • RNF144B interacts with MDA5, adding specific ubiquitin chains to it, which leads to MDA5's removal through autophagy—a cellular cleanup process.
  • Mice lacking RNF144B show increased production of interferon and reduced viral replication, resulting in better survival rates against EMCV infections compared to normal mice, highlighting RNF144B's role as a negative regulator of antiviral responses.
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Article Synopsis
  • PRRSV is a significant threat to the global swine industry, and this study identifies Nitazoxanide (NTZ) as a strong inhibitor against the virus in both laboratory and live swine models.
  • High-Throughput Screening revealed 16 potential anti-PRRSV compounds, with NTZ showing notable effectiveness in reducing the virus's spread and associated health issues in pigs.
  • The study also discovered that Tizoxanide (TIZ), a metabolite of NTZ, enhances the sensitivity of the IFN-β pathway, hinting at its role in how NTZ fights the virus.
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Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) presents a formidable viral challenge in swine husbandry. Confronting the constraints of existing veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines, this investigation centers on Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) as a prospective clinical suppressant for the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). The study adopts an integrated methodology to evaluate CAPE's antiviral attributes.

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Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype A is antigenically most variable within serotypes. The structures of conserved and variable antigenic sites were not well resolved. Here, a historical A/AF72 strain from A22 lineage and a latest A/GDMM/2013 strain from G2 genotype of Sea97 lineage were respectively used as bait antigen to screen single B cell antibodies from bovine sequentially vaccinated with A/WH/CHA/09 (G1 genotype of Sea97 lineage), A/GDMM/2013 and A/AF72 antigens.

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Background: The tumour-draining lymph node (TDLN) plays a pivotal role in the suppression of malignant tumour, however, the immunological profile and prognostic differences between large TDLN (L-TDLN) and small TDLN (S-TDLN) in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear.

Methods: We conducted a study using data from the Chinese National Cancer Center (CNCC) database, identifying 837 CRC patients with non-metastatic TDLN, and categorised them into L-TDLN and S-TDLN groups. The long-term survival outcomes and adjuvant therapy efficacy were compared between the two groups.

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Many clinical applications require medical image harmonization to combine and normalize images from different scanners or protocols. This paper introduces a Transformer-based MR image harmonization method. Our proposed method leverages the self-attention mechanism of the Transformer to learn the complex relationships between image patches and effectively transfer the imaging characteristics from a source image domain to a target image domain.

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Transverse colon cancer accounts for about 10% of all colonic cancers. The resection of cancers in the transverse colon is technically more challenging, compared with other cancer locations in the colon because the variable anatomy of the middle colic vessels demands excellent surgical skills and the anatomical location of the transverse colon is related to major organs. We report a novel laparoscopic technique for the first time used in surgery of transverse colon cancer which combines a total intracorporeal anastomosis with natural orifice specimen extraction to solve the problems of traditional laparoscopic surgery.

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Introduction: This study aimed to compare the short-term and survival outcomes in laparoscopic low rectal cancer surgery with three different specimen extraction techniques, and whether it affects loop ileostomy closure.

Materials And Methods: A consecutive series of patients with low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic low anterior resection plus protective loop ileostomy (LAR-PLI) were enrolled. Three main techniques, namely specimen extraction through auxiliary incision (EXAI), specimen extraction through stoma incision (EXSI), and specimen eversion and extra-abdominal resection (EVER), were employed.

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Senecavirus A (SVA) is an emerging viral pathogen related to vesicular disease and neonatal mortality in swine, which results in enormous economic losses to the global swine industry. The clinical signs of SVA are indistinguishable from those of other vesicular diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, which is an economically devastating animal disease. Therefore, development of a rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic method for the detection of SVA infection is critical for the prevention and control of SVA and would help to rule out other exotic diseases.

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Background: An innovative instrument for laparoscopy using indocyanine green (ICG) allows easy detection of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in lateral pelvic lymph nodes (LPLNs). Here, we investigated the safety and efficacy of lateral pelvic SLN biopsy (SLNB) using ICG fluorescence navigation in advanced lower rectal cancer and evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of this technique to predict the status of LPLN.

Methods: From April 1, 2017 to December 1, 2020, we conducted lateral pelvic SLNB using ICG fluorescence navigation during laparoscopic total mesorectal excision and lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LLND) in 23 patients with advanced low rectal cancer who presented with LPLN but without LPLN enlargement.

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Purpose: Total laparoscopic anterior resection (tLAR) has been gradually applied in the treatment of rectal cancer (RC). This study aims to develop a scoring system to predict the surgical difficulty of tLAR.

Methods: RC patients treated with tLAR were collected.

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Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease of cloven-hoofed animals. Vaccination and surveillance against non-structure protein (NSP) are the most efficacious and cost-effective strategy to control this disease. Therefore, vaccine purity control is vital for successful prevention.

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