Publications by authors named "Zihan Xu"

A modified enzyme fragment complementation assay has been designed and validated as a turn-on biosensor for nucleic acid detection in dilute aqueous solution. The assay is target sequence-agonistic and uses fragments of NanoBiT, the split luciferase reporter enzyme, that are esterified enzymatically at their C-termini to steramers, sterol-linked oligonucleotides. The Drosophila hedgehog autoprocessing domain, DHhC, serves as the self-cleaving enzyme for the NanoBiT-steramer bioconjugations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) affects the development and maturation of oocyte in Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).The objective of our study was to examine the impact of S100A11 on granulosa cells in individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome. We found that the S100A11 level was higher in the ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS patients and ovarian tissue of PCOS mouse models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sulfate reduction has long been considered a leading cause of hydrogen sulfide (HS) emissions from composting, causing serious air pollution and health threats. HS biogenesis through cysteine cleavage is a known pathway for bacteria to resist oxidative stress. However, whether the biogenesis pathway exacerbates HS emission during composting with dramatic temperature changes and oxidative stress is largely unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The interface issue poses a limitation on the fast charging of solid-state batteries (SSBs), with the high-impedance non-Faraday electric field serving as a pivotal factor. However, the mechanism of fast-charging capability degradation triggered by the dynamic evolution of non-Faraday electric fields remains unclear due to the lack of particle-scale nondestructive detection techniques. Here, we dissect the generation and elimination processes of non-Faradaic electric field in segments using the developed operando cryogenic transmission X-ray microscopy (Cryo-TXM).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The vast and complex nature of human genomic sequencing data presents challenges for effective analysis. This review aims to investigate the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) and transformer architectures, in deciphering genomic codes, focusing on tokenization, transformer models, and regulatory annotation prediction. This review aims to assess data and model accessibility in the most recent literature, gaining a better understanding of the existing capabilities and constraints of these tools in processing genomic sequencing data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Polyurethane (PU) grouting materials play a crucial role in trenchless rehabilitation with their mechanical properties significantly influenced by the cross-linking degree and cross-linking uniformity. This study investigates the effects of inhomogeneous cross-linking on the mechanical behavior of PU, an area that remains underexplored. We developed PU molecular models with varying cross-linking degrees and cross-linking uniformity, quantitatively described by the parameter .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent respiratory condition and a leading cause of mortality, with acute exacerbations (AECOPD) significantly complicating its management and prognosis. Despite the development of various prognostic prediction models for patients with AECOPD, their performance and clinical applicability remain unclear, necessitating a systematic review to evaluate these models and provide guidance for their future improvement and clinical use.

Method: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, EMBASE, and Medline were searched for studies published from their inception until February 5, 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: β-sitosterol is a natural plant steroidal compound with anti-cancer properties against various tumors. This work attempts to explore the inhibitory effect of β-sitosterol on the progression of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and further analyze its targets.

Methods: In this work, we applied network pharmacology to obtain the components and targets of Ganoderma spore powder.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Embedded Dynamic RAM (eDRAM) is crucial for high-performance processors, with a new type called heterogeneous 2T-eDRAM combining silicon and molybdenum disulfide (MoS) to solve retention issues.
  • The low OFF current of the MoS write transistor allows for significantly improved data retention while the Si read transistor enhances high drive current, leading to a 1000x better retention and 100x higher sense margin than previous types.
  • A novel 3D design stacking MoS on Si increases integration density, achieving 6000 s data retention, a 35 μA/μm sense margin, and speeds of 5 ns, representing a major leap in memory technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Given the crucial role of abnormal homeostasis in tumor cells for maintaining their growth, it may be more efficient with less effort to develop anti-tumor strategies that target multiple combined mechanisms by disrupting intracellular homeostasis. Here, a copper-based nanoinducer (CGBH NNs) with multiple enzyme-like activities is designed and constructed to induce disulfidptosis-enhanced pyroptosis through disrupting multiple intracellular homeostasis for effective tumor immunotherapy. Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), CGBH NNs can disrupt intracellular glucose homeostasis and inhibit NADPH production, leading to accumulation of cystine, which further blocked the substrate and key enzyme for synthesizing glutathione.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13-C) specifically for individuals with chronic spinal cord injury, involving 284 participants from a rehabilitation center and social media.
  • Results indicated that the PAM-13-C had strong internal consistency and reliable test-retest performance, confirming its effectiveness in measuring patient activation.
  • The findings suggest that PAM-13-C is a valid tool for evaluating the engagement of patients with spinal cord injuries in China, with minor floor and ceiling effects reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recent guidelines have recognized several factors, including blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), smoking, and physical activity, as key contributors to stroke risk. However, the impact of simultaneous management of these risk factors on stroke susceptibility in individuals with hypertension remains ambiguous. This study involved 238 388 participants from the UK Biobank, followed up from their recruitment date until April 1, 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Gas therapy, a burgeoning clinical treatment modality, has garnered widespread attention to treat a variety of pathologies in recent years. The advent of nanoscale gas drug therapy represents a novel therapeutic strategy, particularly demonstrating immense potential in the realm of oncology. This comprehensive review navigates the landscape of gases endowed with anti-cancer properties, including hydrogen (H), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), oxygen (O), sulfur dioxide (SO), hydrogen sulfide (HS), ozone (O), and heavier gases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using persulfate system can effectively remove organic pollutants. However, dissolved organic matter (DOM) has multiple effects on AOPs efficiency, and the influence of DOMs from natural sources on AOPs is still unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of soil DOM (SDOM) and fertilizer DOM (FDOM) on tetracycline (TC) removal by persulfate systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study presents a long-wavelength fluorescent probe CNC for the detection of ClO in vitro and in vivo. Upon interaction with ClO, this probe exhibited a significant increase in fluorescence, with a significant Stokes shift (169 nm), lower detection limit (1.38 μM), high sensitivity and selectivity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new cleaning material, Hectorite@NHCO(CH)CH, was developed to effectively detect mycotoxins in yak ghee, particularly high-fat food matrices.
  • * A modified QuEChERS-HPLC-MS/MS method was created to extract mycotoxins from sesame oil in yak ghee, utilizing Hectorite@NHCO(CH)CH to eliminate interfering substances before analysis.
  • * The method demonstrated excellent accuracy and precision, with limits of detection and quantitation ranging from 0.10 to 18.62 μg/kg and up to 62.07 μg/kg, respectively, as well as recoveries between 72.2% and 113.9%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Japan's EQS-CAL framework addresses chemical and waste impacts on aquatic ecosystems to promote biodiversity and maintain food supply.
  • Key practices include classifying aquatic organisms by adaptability, implementing a risk-based chemical screening, and recommending a five-step method for setting water quality criteria based on sensitive species.
  • The framework serves as a model for other regions to strengthen their own aquatic life water quality systems, supporting healthier environments and biodiversity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Bioimaging with shortwave infrared (SWIR) dyes (1000-2000 nm) allows for greater depth and contrast when compared to visible and near-infrared-I dyes (700-900 nm).
  • This study focuses on developing a new panel of hemicyanine-based fluorescent dyes, featuring adjustable absorbance and emission wavelengths for enhanced imaging capabilities.
  • The selected dye includes a clickable azido group, facilitating high-quality imaging of blood vessels in living mice, which aids in the precise detection of brain and lung cancer with minimal optical interference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pulmonary fibrosis is a lethal interstitial lung disease, for which current treatments are inadequate in halting its progression. A significant factor contributing to the development of fibrosis is insufficient autophagy, which leads to increased fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition. However, treatments aimed at upregulating autophagy often cause further lung pathology due to the disruption of epithelial cell balance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the effectiveness of various PET/CT parameters in predicting survival outcomes for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
  • A total of 262 DLBCL patients were analyzed, revealing that metabolic tumor volume (MTV) is the best prognostic indicator compared to other parameters, showing significant associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
  • The findings suggest incorporating MTV into risk assessments could enhance current patient stratification using the International Prognostic Index (IPI), potentially improving treatment guidance in clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resveratrol has been reported to promote immunity and decrease oxidative stress, but which demonstrates biphasic effects relied on the use concentration. In this study, the effects of diet supplement with a relative high concentration of resveratrol (0.32 mg/kg) on metabolism, antioxidation and apoptosis of liver were investigated in Siberian sturgeon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fabrication of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) materials based on organic photosensitizers has garnered considerable attention within functional textiles. However, the UV- or narrow-band absorption range of the photosensitizers results in poor photon utilization of the fabrics, limiting the photodynamic efficiency and wasting solar energy. In this study, a broadband light-driven antibacterial cellulose fabric (CF-ZnPc/NAD) was developed by loading carboxyl-modified zinc(II) phthalocyanine photosensitizer (CAZnPc) and cationic 1,8-naphthalimide fluorescent molecule (NAD) on the fabric via covalent binding and electrostatic adsorption assembly, facilitating the intermolecular π-π coupling and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) process.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study describes the synthesis and characterization of a novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe RBNE based on a hybrid rhodamine dye, which shows excellent optical capability for detecting and imaging ONOO in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) mouse model. The probe RBNE undergoes hydrazine redox-process, and subsequently the spirocyclic structure's opening, resulting in a turn-on fluorescence emission with the presence of ONOO, which exhibits several excellent features, including a significant Stokes shift of 108 nm, near-infrared emission at 668 nm, a lower detection limit of 56 nM, low cytotoxicity, and excellent imaging ability for ONOO both in vitro and in vivo. The presented study introduces a novel optical tool that has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of peroxynitrite (ONOO) behaviors in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two quinoxaline dyes utilized in copper-electrolyte-based dye-sensitized solar cells (Cu-DSSCs) are theoretically investigated to analyze the impact of alkyl chains on dye performance. The investigation shows that ZS4, known for its record efficiency of up to 13.2 %, exhibits higher electron coupling and fewer binding sites for dye-[Cu(tmby)] interaction compared to ZS5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Redox-active transition metal oxides (TMOs) play crucial roles in diverse energy storage and conversion technologies, such as batteries and pseudocapacitors. These materials show intricate electrochemical charge storage processes, encompassing both bulk ion-intercalation, typical of battery electrodes, and pseudocapacitive-like behavior localized near the surfaces. However, understanding the underlying mechanisms of charge storage in redox-active TMOs is challenging due to the coexistence of these behaviors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF