Publications by authors named "Zhuang Jia"

Background: Chinese rural students have been documented to have relatively delayed cognitive development. From an ecological system perspective, empirical studies have identified the significant effect of the proximal environment on Chinese rural students' cognitive development. Yet, little do we know the mechanism behind that.

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Objectives: This study aims to investigate the use of sodium iodide (NaI), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethyl alcohol, and ethyl acetate as cone-beam CT (CBCT) contrast agents for diagnosing cracked teeth. The optimal delay time for detecting the number of crack lines beyond the dentino-enamel junction (Nd), the number of cracks extending from the occlusal surface to the pulp cavity (Np), and the depth of the crack lines was explored.

Methods: 14 human extracted cracked teeth were collected, 12 were used for enhanced scanning, and 2 were used for exploring the characteristic of crack lines.

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Objectively and efficiently measuring physical activity is a common issue facing the fields of medicine, public health, education, and sports worldwide. In response to the problem of low accuracy in predicting energy consumption during human motion using accelerometers, a prediction model for asynchronous energy consumption in the human body is established through various algorithms, and the accuracy of the model is evaluated. The optimal energy consumption prediction model is selected to provide theoretical reference for selecting reasonable algorithms to predict energy consumption during human motion.

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Article Synopsis
  • Rice is sensitive to cold stress, which negatively impacts its yield and quality, and the genetic mechanisms for cold adaptation are not fully understood.
  • Researchers found two specific genetic variations in a gene (OsSEH1) that may help the japonica subspecies of rice adapt better to cold compared to the indica subspecies.
  • The study reveals that a transgenic japonica line shows improved cold tolerance by regulating certain genes, which helps manage stress-related processes and could aid in breeding cold-resistant rice varieties.
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Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis and systematic review on the association between anticholinergic medication uses and the risk of pneumonia in elderly adults.

Materials And Methods: Medical databases were searched included PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and Google Scholar (up to December 7, 2022). Studies evaluating association between anticholinergic medication uses and the risk of pneumonia in elderly adults were included.

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Vigorous-intensity leisure-time physical activity, such as marathon, has become increasingly popular, but its effect on immune functions and health is poorly understood. Here, we performed scRNA-seq analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after a bout of symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) test or marathon. Time-series single-cell analysis revealed the detailed series of landscapes of immune cells in response to short and long vigorous-intensity activities.

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Sugar metabolites not only act as the key compounds in tea plant response to stress but are also critical for tea quality formation during the post-harvest processing of tea leaves. However, the mechanisms by which sugar metabolites in post-harvest tea leaves respond to mechanical stress are unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of mechanical stress on saccharide metabolites and related post-harvest tea genes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Plants adapt to cold stress through various physiological and metabolic changes, and this study identifies a specific gene involved in rice that helps regulate cold tolerance.* -
  • Analysis showed that rice plants with a knocked-out version of this gene had lower antioxidant enzyme activity and less flavonoids, which are important for managing reactive oxygen species (ROS) during cold stress compared to normal plants.* -
  • Combining transcriptome and metabolome data revealed that this gene influences the expression of defense-related genes and affects hormones like abscisic acid (ABA), playing a crucial role in how rice plants cope with cold temperatures.*
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Food fortification is an effective strategy to address vitamin A (VitA) deficiency, which is the leading cause of childhood blindness and drastically increases mortality from severe infections. However, VitA food fortification remains challenging due to significant degradation during storage and cooking. We utilized an FDA-approved, thermostable, and pH-responsive basic methacrylate copolymer (BMC) to encapsulate and stabilize VitA in microparticles (MPs).

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Soil microorganisms play an indispensable role in plant growth and are widely used to promote plant growth. However, poor microbial strains are homogeneous. The heavy application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to agricultural soil has adversely affected the soil flora, necessitating the regulation of the soil flora to maintain soil health.

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Background: Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is a metabolic enzyme that catalyzes the methylation of nicotinamide (NAM) to generate 1-methyl nicotinamide (MNAM). Although previous studies have shown that NNMT is frequently dysregulated to promote the onset and progression of many malignancies, its expression profile, prognostic value and function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still unknown.

Methods: We used untargeted metabolomics based on mass spectrometry to analyze potential metabolite differences between tumors and matched adjacent normal tissues in 40 OSCC patients.

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The oral cavity is the initial chamber of digestive tract; the saliva swallowed daily contains an estimated 1.5 × 10 oral bacteria. Increasing evidence indicates that periodontal pathogens and subsequent inflammatory responses to them contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers have developed innovative microrobots by combining antibiotic-loaded nanoparticles with neutrophil membranes and microalgae to enhance drug delivery in the lungs.
  • These hybrid microrobots display impressive movement speed and prolonged retention in lung tissues, allowing for effective treatment when injected into test animals.
  • In experiments with mice suffering from pneumonia, the microrobots significantly decreased bacterial levels and improved survival rates, demonstrating their potential for use in critical care environments.
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Objectives: Evaluating the diagnostic efficiency of deep learning models to diagnose vertical root fracture in vivo on cone-beam CT (CBCT) images.

Materials And Methods: The CBCT images of 276 teeth (138 VRF teeth and 138 non-VRF teeth) were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. The diagnostic results of these teeth were confirmed by two chief radiologists.

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Gliomas are a group of the most aggressive primary central nervous system tumors with limited treatment options. The abnormal expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is related to the prognosis of glioma. However, the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-associated lncRNAs in glioma prognosis has not been reported.

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HIV-1 is a major global health challenge. The development of an effective vaccine and a therapeutic cure are top priorities. The creation of vaccines that focus an antibody response toward a particular epitope of a protein has shown promise, but the genetic diversity of HIV-1 stymies this progress.

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Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have become one of the most promising thin-film solar cell materials owing to their remarkable photovoltaic properties. However, nonradiative recombination of carriers usually leads to inferior performance of perovskite (PVK) devices. Interface modification is one of the effective ways to improve separation of charges for perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

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Background: Identification of small pulmonary nodules is challenging in a limited intrathoracic field during minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and preoperative localization is required. Various techniques have been reported with some failure and complications. Here, we compare the feasibility and safety between electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopic marking and computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous marking using indocyanine green (ICG) and iopamidol.

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Transforming natural cells into functional biocompatible robots capable of active movement is expected to enhance the functions of the cells and revolutionize the development of synthetic micromotors. However, present cell-based micromotor systems commonly require the propulsion capabilities of rigid motors, external fields, or harsh conditions, which may compromise biocompatibility and require complex actuation equipment. Here, we report on an endogenous enzyme-powered Janus platelet micromotor (JPL-motor) system prepared by immobilizing urease asymmetrically onto the surface of natural platelet cells.

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Therapeutic enzymes used for genetic disorders or metabolic diseases oftentimes suffer from suboptimal pharmacokinetics and stability. Nanodelivery systems have shown considerable promise for improving the performance of enzyme therapies. Here, we develop a cell membrane-camouflaged metal-organic framework (MOF) system with enhanced biocompatibility and functionality.

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Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful tool for gene silencing that has been used for a wide range of biomedical applications, but there are many challenges facing its therapeutic use in vivo. Here, we report on a platelet cell membrane-coated metal-organic framework (MOF) nanodelivery platform for the targeted delivery of siRNA in vivo. The MOF core is capable of high loading yields, and its pH sensitivity enables endosomal disruption upon cellular uptake.

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Micronutrient deficiencies affect up to 2 billion people and are the leading cause of cognitive and physical disorders in the developing world. Food fortification is effective in treating micronutrient deficiencies; however, its global implementation has been limited by technical challenges in maintaining micronutrient stability during cooking and storage. We hypothesized that polymer-based encapsulation could address this and facilitate micronutrient absorption.

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Immunostimulatory agents, including adjuvants, cytokines, and monoclonal antibodies, hold great potential for the treatment of cancer. However, their direct administration often results in suboptimal pharmacokinetics, vulnerability to biodegradation, and compromised targeting. More recently, encapsulation into biocompatible nanoparticulate carriers has become an emerging strategy for improving the delivery of these immunotherapeutic agents.

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Active transport of gas molecules is critical to preserve the physiological functions of organisms. Oxygen, as the most essential gas molecule, plays significant roles in maintaining the metabolism and viability of cells. Herein, we report a nanomotor-based delivery system that combines the fast propulsion of acoustically propelled gold nanowire nanomotors (AuNW) with the high oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cell membrane-cloaked perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions (RBC-PFC) for active intracellular delivery of oxygen.

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Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common kidney cancer and includes several molecular and histological subtypes with different clinical characteristics. The combination of DNA methylation and gene expression data can improve the classification of tumor heterogeneity, by incorporating differences at the epigenetic level and clinical features.

Methods: In this study, we identified the prognostic methylation and constructed specific prognosis-subgroups based on the DNA methylation spectrum of RCC from the TCGA database.

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