Publications by authors named "Zhuqing Li"

Objective: To evaluate the protective effects of gentiopicroside (GPS) against reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in endothelial cells, aiming to reduce atherosclerosis.

Methods: Eight-week-old male ApoE-deficient mice were randomly divided into 2 groups (n=10 per group): the vehicle group and the GPS treatment group. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks.

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Breast cancer is the predominant malignancy with the majority of cases are characterized as HR+/HER2-subtype. Although cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) have shown remarkable efficacy in treating this subtype when combined with endocrine therapy, the development of resistance to these inhibitors remains a significant clinical obstacle. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore innovative therapies and decipher the underlying mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6i.

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Background: Established evidences have demonstrated that hypertension was associated with the cognitive impairment. But the associations between the duration of hypertension exposure and cognitive performance are still inconclusive.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the association between the duration of hypertension diagnosis and cognitive performance in older adults by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2014).

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Cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) play a pivotal role in cell cycle and cancer development. Targeting CDK4/6 has demonstrated promising effects against breast cancer. However, resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i), such as palbociclib, remains a substantial challenge in clinical settings.

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To systematically analyze the damage caused by bedrock and overburden layer slope under seismic action, a set of large-scale shaking table test was designed and completed. Interpolation of the acceleration amplification coefficient, Hilbert-Huang transform and transfer function was adopted. The damage mechanisms of the bedrock and overburden layer slopes under seismic action are systematically summarized in terms of slope displacement, acceleration field, vibration amplitude, energy, vibration frequency, and damage level.

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In this study, bibliometric analysis was carried out to comprehend the global research trends, hotspots, scientific frontiers, and output characteristics of the links between dendritic cells (DCs) and allergic diseases from 2004 to 2023. Publications and their recorded information were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). VOSviewer and Citespace were used to visualize the hotspots and trends of research area.

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Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is the end stage of lung injury and chronic lung diseases that results in diminished lung function, respiratory failure, and ultimately mortality. Despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of this disease remains elusive, and effective therapeutic options are currently limited, posing a significant clinical challenge. In addition, research on traditional Chinese medicine and naturopathic medicine is hampered by several complications due to complex composition and lack of reference compounds.

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Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a widespread allergic airway disease that results from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors and affects approximately 10%-40% of the global population. Pollen is a common allergen, and exposure to pollen can cause epigenetic changes. However, the mechanism underlying pollen-induced DNA methylation changes and their potential effects on the allergic march are still unclear.

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The objective of this study was to identify critical pathways associated with allergic constitution. Shared genes among allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma (AA), and atopic dermatitis (AD) were extracted from the GWAS catalog. RNA-seq data of AR, AA, and AD from gene expression omnibus (GEO) database were preprocessed and subjected to differential gene expression analysis.

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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory respiratory disease. Early-life antibiotic exposure is a unique risk factor for the incidence and severity of asthma later in life. Perturbations in microbial-metabolite-immune interaction caused by antibiotics are closely associated with the pathogenesis of allergy and asthma.

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects over 422 million people globally. Patients with DM are subject to a myriad of complications, of which diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the most common with ∼25% chance of developing these wounds throughout their lifetime. Currently there are no therapeutic RNAs approved for use in DFUs.

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Objectives: Renal denervation (RDN) has been proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure (BP) in patients, but previous studies have had short follow-ups and have not examined the effects of RDN on major cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of RDN in the long-term treatment of hypertension and to determine if it has an effect on cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: All patients with resistant hypertension who underwent RDN between 2011 and 2015 at Tianjin First Central Hospital were included in the study.

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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease with no cure. Bufotalin (BT), an active component extracted from Venenum Bufonis, has been prescribed as a treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases. However, whether BT has antifibrotic properties has never been investigated.

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Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is a serious cardiovascular stressor for patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). Data on the effects of cardiovascular diseases on pediatric LT is limited. No study on LT for pediatric patients with ESLD combined with congenital heart disease (CHD) has been reported from mainland China.

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Background: More efficient instruments for body constitution identification are needed for clinical practice. We aimed to develop the short-form version of the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ) and evaluate for health management.

Methods: First, the short forms were developed through expert survey, classical test theory (CTT), and modern item response (IRT) based on the CCMQ.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) are crucial for cell cycle regulation and are targeted in breast cancer treatment; however, many patients develop resistance to these inhibitors like palbociclib.
  • Researchers discovered that the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is activated in resistant breast cancer cells through a chemical modification called O-GlcNAcylation, which enhances mitotic processes and resistance to treatment.
  • Clinical studies showed that MITF activation is present in tumors from patients who resist palbociclib, suggesting that targeting MITF or its O-GlcNAcylation could be a new strategy for overcoming resistance in breast cancer therapy.
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Article Synopsis
  • Neoadjuvant radiotherapy is commonly used to treat colorectal cancer (CRC), but resistance to this treatment can lead to failure; identifying genes responsible for this resistance may help develop better treatments and prognostic tools.
  • Researchers identified a gene called SUMO specific peptidase 5 (SENP5) as a key player in radioresistance in CRC patients, discovering that higher levels of SENP5 correlate with decreased sensitivity to radiotherapy.
  • Experiments showed that reducing SENP5 levels significantly enhances radiosensitivity in CRC cells and that targeting SENP5 could improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy, positioning it as a promising prognostic marker and treatment target.
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Objectives: COVID-19 survivors suffer from persistent mental distress and impaired quality of life (QOL) after recovery from the infection. However, the symptom-symptom interaction between these psychological variables remained unexplored. The present study aimed to determine the symptom network of mental distress (depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and post-traumatic stress disorder) and their association with QOL among 535 COVID-19 survivors 1 year after hospital discharge.

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Heavy-ion radiation received during radiotherapy as well as the heavy-ion radiation received during space flight are equally considered harmful. Our previous study showed that TLR4 low toxic agonist, monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), alleviated radiation injury resulting from exposure to low-LET radiation. However, the role and mechanism of MPLA in heavy-ion-radiation injury are unclear.

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Objective: There are subclinical cardiac abnormalities (SCA) in children with biliary atresia (BA). However, data on the consequences of these cardiac changes after liver transplantation (LT) remain controversial in the pediatric field. We aimed to determine the relationship between outcomes and the subclinical cardiac abnormalities in pediatric patients with BA based on two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) parameters.

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Maslinic acid (MA) is a pentacyclic triterpene obtained from the peel of olives that exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in several conditions. Our previous study revealed that MA exerted a cardioprotective effect by repressing inflammation and apoptosis during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). However, data regarding the antioxidative effects of MA on MIRI remains limited.

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Here, we present a protocol for the integration of human skin onto the backs of diabetic immunodeficient mice, providing a versatile in vivo model for mimicking and studying mechanisms involved in impaired cutaneous wound healing. This protocol includes instructions for the grafting of human skin, induction of diabetes using streptozotocin and wounding/post-wounding care of immunodeficient mice, as well as suggested downstream tissue analyses. This preclinical mouse model can be used to validate the efficacy of newly developed wound dressings.

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Article Synopsis
  • Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the early loss of ovarian function before age 40, with genetic factors being responsible for 20-25% of cases, highlighting the need for better clinical diagnostics.
  • A study using next-generation sequencing on 500 Chinese Han patients identified 61 pathogenic variations across 19 genes, initially recognizing 58 of these variants in POI patients and pinpointing FOXL2 as the most common gene associated.
  • The research suggests that while some genetic variations lead to isolated POI, others may cause more severe effects when multiple genes are involved, indicating a complex genetic architecture behind POI.
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Research Question: Is deficiency of IL-22 associated with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)?

Design: Levels of IL-22 and IL-22BP, IL-22-producing T cells, and IL22RA1/IL10R2 expression were measured and compared among 29 patients with POI, 42 with precursor stage of POI (pre-POI) and 46 control women. Correlation of serum IL-22 and IL-22 CD4 T subsets with ovarian reserve markers were further analyzed.

Results: IL-22 levels in serum significantly differed among control women and patients with pre-POI and POI, with the lowest concentrations in POI group (p = .

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