Publications by authors named "Zou H"

Article Synopsis
  • Previous research shows that gut microbiota may impact pregnancy outcomes, but its role in premature rupture of membranes (PROM) remains unclear.
  • A two-sample Mendelian Randomization study using genetic data from large databases found associations between certain gut microbiota and the risk of PROM.
  • Results indicated that specific beneficial gut bacteria reduce PROM risk, while some pathogens increase it, highlighting the potential importance of gut microbiota in maternal health.
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Unlabelled: Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are widely distributed in eukaryotes, and in plants, they regulate many biological processes, such as cell differentiation, development, metabolism, and stress responses. Few studies have focused on the roles of bHLH transcription factors in regulating growth, development, and stress responses in maize (), even though such information would greatly benefit maize breeding programs. In this study, we cloned the maize transcription factor gene (Gene ID: 100193615, GRMZM2G008691).

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Background: The Bucephalidae is a large family of digenean trematodes but most previous analyses of its phylogenetic position have relied on a single mitochondrial gene or morphological features. Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) remain unavailable for the entire family. To address this, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of Dollfustrema vaneyi and analyzed the phylogenetic relationships with other trematodes.

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The creatine kinase system is crucial for maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and plays a role in regulating locomotor behavior in organisms, but its significance in the regulating the motionless behavior in olive flounder is limited. In the first experiment of this study, elevated levels of creatine kinase (CK) activity in the spinal cord were detected in the juvenile group (JG) flounder compared to the adult group (AG) flounder. In the second experiment, to further confirm the involvement of CK in the locomotor behavior, the adult flounder was given an intraperitoneal injection of creatine (150 mg/kg), while the flounder in the control group received a saline solution.

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Antiviral drugs have garnered considerable attention, particularly in the global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, amid heightened concerns regarding environmentally acquired antiviral resistance. A comprehensive understanding of their transport in subsurface environments is imperative for accurately predicting their environmental fate and risks. This study investigated the mobility and retention characteristics of six COVID-19 antiviral drugs in saturated quartz sand columns.

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Article Synopsis
  • A Gram-positive bacterium can cause serious human infections like anthracnose, making the detection of its spore biomarker, dipicolinic acid (DPA), critically important.
  • Researchers developed Eu(III)-coordination polymers (Eu-CPs) using a simple one-pot hydrothermal method that enhance fluorescence for DPA detection, showing a strong linear relationship between fluorescence intensity and DPA concentration.
  • The new technique not only achieved a low detection limit (15.23 nM) but also effectively monitored DPA release from Bacillus subtilis spores, highlighting its potential for anthrax risk management and further understanding of microorganisms.
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  • - The study examines how Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) can enhance exercise performance by reducing oxidative stress, particularly in mice subjected to exhaustive swimming.
  • - Through metabolic changes assessed via nuclear magnetic resonance-based (NMR) metabolomics, researchers found that TMAO significantly prolonged swimming time and altered several key metabolic pathways in skeletal muscle, including increases in beneficial metabolites like 3-hydroxybutyrate and taurine.
  • - These findings suggest that TMAO supplements might improve exercise capacity, paving the way for further research on nutritional strategies to enhance athletic performance.
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Pathogen contamination is a severe problem in maintaining food safety in the cold chain. Cold plasma (CP) is a novel non-thermal disinfection method that can be applied for the bacterial inactivation of food in appropriate contexts. Currently, research on CP used on food at cold chain temperatures is rare.

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  • Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a growing global health issue, with environmental factors like outdoor artificial light at night (LAN) potentially influencing it.
  • A study involving 15,477 adults examined the impact of LAN on MetS and its components, finding that increased LAN exposure correlated with higher odds of MetS and issues like elevated blood pressure and triglycerides.
  • Notably, individuals who didn't engage in regular exercise were more significantly affected by LAN exposure, indicating that lifestyle factors may modify the risk associated with MetS.
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Objective: To explore the clinical value of assessing early postoperative blood lipid metabolism levels in predicting anastomotic leakage (AL) after esophageal cancer (EC) surgery.

Methods: The clinical data of EC patients who underwent surgery at the Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from May 2021 to May 2023 were retrospectively studied. Totally, 28 patients who developed AL were included in the AL group, while 110 patients who did not develop AL were included in the non-AL group.

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Royal jelly (RJ) is a natural food product with nutritional value and anticancer activity. However, their effects on gastric cancer are unclear. Here, we show that treatment with 5-320 μg/mL of RJ, ethanol extract (RJEE), and protein hydrolyzate (RJPH) decreased the viability of MKN-28 gastric cancer cells, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 123.

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  • Pedestrian two-stage crossings are designed to improve safety and efficiency at busy intersections by allowing pedestrians to cross in two separate stages, handling one direction of traffic at a time.
  • This paper introduces a new model using Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) to analyze pedestrian behavior during these crossings, leveraging fluid dynamics principles to assess aspects like speed and density.
  • The study reveals that PINNs provide better predictions of pedestrian flow compared to traditional methods, offering valuable insights for enhancing pedestrian safety and facilitating interactions with autonomous vehicles in smart transportation systems.
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Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, particularly affecting low- and middle-income countries. Food environments may be linked with the risk of CVD; however, current study findings regarding their relationship are inconsistent. A systematic review of their associations is needed to guide interventions to improve cardiovascular health.

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Objective: This study aimed to explore the mediating roles of mindfulness and illness perception in the effects of a social media-based Mindfulness psyCho-behAvioRal intErvention (MCARE) on depressive and anxiety symptoms among patients with ACS.

Methods: This study conducted a secondary longitudinal mediation analysis using data from a randomized controlled trial of the MCARE grogram in patients with ACS. Participants were recruited at two tertiary hospitals in Jinan, China.

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Spin and valley are two fundamental properties of electrons in crystals. The similarity between them is well understood in valley-contrasting physics established decades ago in two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene-with broken inversion symmetry, the two valleys in graphene exhibit opposite orbital magnetic moments, similar to the spin-1/2 behaviors of electrons, and opposite Berry curvature that leads to a half topological charge. However, valley-contrasting physics has never been explored in 3D crystals.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ginsenoside Rb, a compound with various biological effects, is mainly metabolized by gut microbiota, but its pharmacokinetics in relation to these microbes are not well understood.
  • A 30-day supplementation study in rats showed that Rb significantly altered the gut microbiome and changed how Rb was absorbed and cleared from the body.
  • The research found an increase in Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and specific glycoside hydrolase families in the gut, indicating a complex relationship between these microbes and the metabolism of Rb.
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Environmental pollution poses a significant challenge to the poultry industry, leading to substantial losses and adverse effects on the health, production, and performance of avian species. In recent years, there has been growing interest in exploring natural compounds with potential protective effects against cadmium (Cd)-induced toxicity. Luteolin (LUT), a flavonoid found in various plants, has been studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor with the third and second highest incidence and mortality rates among various malignant tumors. Despite significant advancements in the present therapy for CRC, the majority of CRC cases feature proficient mismatch repair/microsatellite stability and have no response to immunotherapy. Therefore, the search for new treatment options holds immense importance in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

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Background: Male factory workers in China are vulnerable to HIV transmission. Commercial and nonmarital noncommercial contacts are the driving forces of heterosexual HIV transmission among male factory workers in China. There is a lack of effective HIV interventions for male factory workers in China.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study reviewed the effectiveness and safety of Rituximab (RTX) in treating IgA vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN), involving 41 patients analyzed up to December 29, 2023.* -
  • Results showed stabilization of renal function and normalization of urinalysis post-RTX treatment, with 40% of patients able to stop using glucocorticoids and high remission rates (92.7% overall and 46.3% complete remission).* -
  • Remarkably, child patients treated with RTX had a higher complete remission rate (76.9%) compared to adults (32.1%), indicating RTX may be particularly beneficial for younger patients.*
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  • The accumulation of CD8 T cells plays a significant role in liver injury and inflammation during metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
  • Empagliflozin (EMPA), a medication that inhibits SGLT2, showed effectiveness in reducing CD8 T cell levels and improving liver conditions in mice with MASH.
  • EMPA works by increasing β-hydroxybutyric acid, which inhibits factors that activate CD8 T cells, indicating that targeting these immune cells could be a promising approach for treating MASH in both mice and humans.
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  • - The text introduces a new method called Knowledge Reinforced Explainable Next Basket Recommendation (KRE-NBR), which aims to predict what items users might add to their next shopping basket while also providing explanations for those recommendations.
  • - Unlike existing black-box models, KRE-NBR emphasizes the importance of user satisfaction by generating explainable recommendations specifically tailored for both individual consumers and business users.
  • - The method uses a basket-based knowledge graph to create detailed user embeddings and applies reinforcement learning for generating both recommendations and their explanations, demonstrating superior performance compared to other leading techniques in experiments with actual data.
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Objectives: Noise risk control or management based on noise level has been documented, but noise risk management based on a combination of noise level and noise's temporal structure is rarely reported. This study aimed to develop a framework for industrial noise risk management based on noise kurtosis (reflecting noise's temporal structure) and its adjustment for the noise level.

Design: A total of 2805 Chinese manufacturing workers were investigated using a cross-sectional survey.

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Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and lethal carcinoma. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) serve key regulatory functions in pancreatic cancer. Ferroptosis was induced by erastin treatment and analyzed by examining malondialdehyde (MDA), iron, Fe and glutathione (GSH).

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