Publications by authors named "Zihan Qu"

In order to develop low-calorie zein-based desserts with improved stability of the foam interfacial membrane and delayed drainage behavior in food systems, a cold plasma-assisted deamidation and glycosylation (CPDG) technique was used to fabricate zein-stevioside conjugates in this study, and their dose-dependent effects on foam formation, drainage behavior, and interfacial structure were investigated. The results revealed that the CPDG treatment enhanced the viscosity (59.33 mPa·S), foamability (210.

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Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 are common in multiple types of human cancer, leading to the accumulation of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG) and the promotion of tumorigenesis. Here we discovered a novel -2-hydroxyglutarylation by D2HG using chemical proteomics and further revealed distinct chiral preferences for D/L2HG modifications. Notably, we identified two kinases, MRCKA and SLK, modified by D2HG and L2HG respectively, and detected reduced phosphorylation of their substrates, suggesting an inhibitory effect of D/L 2HG modifications on the kinases' activity.

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Pickering emulsion stabilized by food grade nanoparticles with stimulus response as a targeted delivery system for lipophilic bioactive compounds has attracted people's attention. In this study, ferulic acid was used to modify saccharified zein to prepare pH-sensitive nanoparticles for stabilizing Pickering emulsion. The structure, interface behavior, stability of Pickering emulsion and gastrointestinal digestion characteristics of nanoparticles in vitro were studied.

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There is an urgent need for stable, plant-based Pickering foams to address the growing consumer demand for sustainable, low-calorie, aerated sweet foods. This study employed a cold plasma-assisted deamidation and glycosylation (CPDG) approach to promote hydrophilic reassembly of zein, resulting in the formation of sugar derivative-zein conjugates. This was accomplished by coupling deamidated zein with polyhydroxy sugars including sucralose (Suc), maltitol (Mal), mannitol (Man), and stevioside (Ste).

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Objective: This study examines the relationship between Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and cognitive impairment in elderly patients with complex chronic conditions, a link previously unclear.

Design: This is a cross-sectional study.

Material And Methods: The data from 2,366 patients in Catalonia (2013-2017) from the Dryad database.

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Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) lies downstream of the T cell receptor (TCR) and attenuates T cell signaling by dephosphorylating key effector proteins such as LCK, Zap70, and the intracellular region of the TCR. Recent evidence implicates PTPN22 as an exciting target for enabling immunotherapeutic efficacy against cancer. We carried out structural optimization of a benzofuran salicylic acid-based orthosteric PTPN22 inhibitor 8b, using a combination of crystal structure analysis, synthesis, matched molecular pairs analysis, and biochemical and cell-based assays.

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Natural polysaccharides derived from Hemerocallis citrina Baroni exhibit significant biological activity. To enhance extraction efficiency and antioxidant activity, ultrasonic-assised plasma-activated water (PAW) was utilized to extract polysaccharides from Hemerocallis citrina Baroni. PAW demonstrated enhanced permeability and diffusion capabilities due to a reduced percentage of fully hydrogen-bonded structures, along with optimal pH (3.

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Coreopsin is a flavonoid from Coreopsis tinctoria. The inhibition of coreopsin and synergy with acarbose against α-amylase (PPA) or α-glucosidase (SCG) were explored. As a result, coreopsin exhibited stronger inhibition on PPA/SCG than that of acarbose.

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Src Homology 2-containing Inositol 5'-Phosphatase-1 (SHIP-1), encoded by INPP5D, has been identified as an Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk-associated gene through recent genetic and epigenetic studies. SHIP-1 confers AD risk by inhibiting the TREM2 cascade and reducing beneficial microglial cellular processes, including phagocytosis. While several small molecules have been reported to modulate SHIP-1 activity, their limited selectivity and efficacy in advanced models restricted their potential as therapeutic agents or probes for biological studies.

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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between insomnia and cognitive decline to provide insights for clinical interventions and future research.

Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest databases were systematically searched to identify studies on the association between insomnia and cognitive decline published within the last decade. The quality of the included studies was evaluated, followed by data extraction and summary analysis.

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Developing high-quality wide bandgap (WBG) perovskites with ≈1.7 eV bandgap (E) is critical to couple with silicon and create efficient silicon/perovskite tandem devices. The sufferings of large open-circuit voltage (V) loss and unstable power output under operation continuously highlight the criticality to fully develop high-quality WBG perovskite films.

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Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent adverse effect experienced by cancer patients while receiving and after treatment, impacting as many as 90% of individuals. Although CRF is common, the genetic processes responsible for it and their influence on individual vulnerability are not well understood and are still being investigated.

Objective: The primary objective of this scoping review is to identify and assess genes linked to the vulnerability and severity of CRF.

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Article Synopsis
  • Surface passivation effectively reduces trap-state density and non-radiative recombination in perovskite solar cells, but traditional agents may hinder charge transport due to poor conductivity.
  • The study introduces a novel post-treatment method using a blend of two compounds that enhances film crystallinity, molecular packing, and energy band alignment, improving hole extraction and transfer.
  • This approach led to a record 26.0% power conversion efficiency for perovskite solar cells, which retained 81% of their initial efficiency after 450 hours of operation.
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The two-dimensional ferroelectric van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction has been recognized as one of the most promising combinations for emerging ferroelectric memory materials due to its noncovalent bonding and flexible stacking of various materials. In this work, the first-principles calculations were performed to study the stable geometry and electronic structure of α-InSe/α-Te, incorporating the vdW correction via the DFT-D2 method. The reversal of the polarization direction in α-InSe can induce a transition in the heterostructure from metallic to semiconductor, accompanied by a shift from type-III to type-I band alignment.

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Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a powerful technique for label-free spatial mapping of multiple classes of biomolecules in tissue sections. However, differences in desorption and ionization efficiency of different classes of molecules make it challenging to simultaneously map biomolecules at each omics layer in the same tissue sample. Herein, we present a correlative imaging method using nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) MSI, which enables the spatial mapping of lipids, metabolites, peptides, and proteins with cellular-level spatial resolution in a single tissue section.

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Article Synopsis
  • Aberrant RAS/MAPK signaling is common in cancer, leading to drugs targeting this pathway, but resistance mechanisms limit their effectiveness.
  • SHP2 has been identified as a key target for these inhibitors, with new findings revealing that they also inhibit autophagy, contributing to their anticancer effects.
  • The study suggests using SHP2 inhibitors to tackle not only oncogenic RAS signaling but also to combat resistance in cancers like pancreatic and colorectal by employing their dual-targeting capabilities.
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Together with protein tyrosine kinases, protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) control protein tyrosine phosphorylation and regulate numerous cellular functions. Dysregulated PTP activity is associated with the onset of multiple human diseases. Nevertheless, understanding of the physiological function and disease biology of most PTPs remains limited, largely due to the lack of PTP-specific chemical probes.

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Background And Aim: In this study, a deep learning algorithm was used to predict the survival rate of colon cancer (CC) patients, and compared its performance with traditional Cox regression.

Methods: In this population-based cohort study, we used the characteristics of patients diagnosed with CC between 2010 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The population was randomized into a training set (n = 10 596, 70%) and a test set (n = 4536, 30%).

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Background: The prevalence of muscle atrophy in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) presents a significant challenge to healthcare providers, necessitating innovative approaches to management and care. Against this backdrop, this study embarks on a comprehensive review of literature concerning the application of exercise interventions in the nursing care of these patients. Such interventions are critical in addressing the debilitating effects of the condition, which include progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, adversely affecting patient mobility, quality of life, and overall survival.

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Natural products have been playing indispensable roles in the development of lifesaving drug molecules. They are also valuable sources for covalent protein modifiers. However, they often are scarce in nature and have complex chemical structures, which are limiting their further biomedical development.

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The "instant" quality of instant rice noodles is significantly affected by slow rehydration during cooking. This happens as a result of the native rice starch's low ability to gelatinize as well as the high shear and pressure utilized in industries during the widely used extrusion molding process. In order to address this issue, the rice flour was pretreated with mild steam (MS) technology.

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Two-dimensional (2D) Janus materials have attracted considerable attention in photocatalysis owing to their robust redox capability and efficient segregation. In this study, we propose a novel Janus monolayer structure, denoted as PXC (X = As/Sb), exhibiting favorable stability in terms of dynamics, thermal properties, and mechanical characteristics. The PXC monolayers demonstrate a relatively smaller Young's modulus (132.

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Nowadays, two-dimensional (2D) materials with Janus structures evoke much attention due to their unique mechanical and electronic properties. In this work, Janus Pma2-SiXY (X/Y = S/Se/Te, X ≠ Y) ferroelectric monolayers are firstly proposed and systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. These monolayers exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, including small Young's modulus values, negative Poisson's ratios (NPRs) and large critical strains, reflecting their exceptional flexibility and stretchability.

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Covalent inhibition has gained increasing interest in targeting the undruggable protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). However, a systematic method for discovering and characterizing covalent PTP inhibitors has yet to be established. Here, we describe a workflow involving high-throughput screening of covalent fragment libraries and a novel biochemical assay that enables the acquisition of kinetics parameters of PTP inhibition by covalent inhibitors with higher throughput.

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Contemporary strategies in cancer immunotherapy, despite remarkable success, remain constrained by inherent limitations such as suboptimal patient responses, the emergence of drug resistance, and the manifestation of pronounced adverse effects. Consequently, the need for alternative strategies for immunotherapy becomes clear. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) wield a pivotal regulatory influence over an array of essential cellular processes.

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