Displaying publications 61 - 80 of 159 in total

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  1. Fulltext Egg characteristics vary longitudinally in Arctic shorebirds
    Liu J, Chai Z, Wang H, Ivanov A, Kubelka V, Freckleton R, et al.
    iScience, 2023 Jun 16;26(6):106928.
    PMID: 37305692 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106928
    Arctic environments are changing rapidly and if we are to understand the resilience of species to future changes, we need to investigate alterations in their life histories. Egg size and egg shape are key life-history traits, reflecting parental investment as well as influencing future reproductive success. Here we focus on egg characteristics in two Arctic shorebirds, the Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and the Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii). Using egg photos that encompass their full breeding ranges, we show that egg characteristics exhibit significant longitudinal variations, and the variation in the monogamous species (Dunlin) is significantly greater than the polygamous species (Temminck's stint). Our finding is consistent with the recent "disperse-to-mate" hypothesis which asserts that polygamous species disperse further to find mates than monogamous species, and by doing so they create panmictic populations. Taken together, Arctic shorebirds offer excellent opportunities to understand evolutionary patterns in life history traits.
  2. Factors Associated with Sarcopenia among Elderly Individuals Residing in Community and Nursing Home Settings: A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis
    Liu J, Zhu Y, Tan JK, Ismail AH, Ibrahim R, Hassan NH
    Nutrients, 2023 Oct 11;15(20).
    PMID: 37892411 DOI: 10.3390/nu15204335
    To investigate the factors associated with sarcopenia in elderly individuals residing in nursing homes and community settings, we conducted a systematic search of databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane, up to May 2023. We incorporated a total of 70 studies into our analysis. Our findings revealed that the prevalence of sarcopenia in nursing homes ranged from 25% to 73.7%, while in community settings, it varied from 5.2% to 62.7%. The factors associated with sarcopenia in both nursing homes and community settings included male gender, BMI, malnutrition, and osteoarthritis. In community settings, these factors comprised age, poor nutrition status, small calf circumference, smoking, physical inactivity, cognitive impairment, diabetes, depression and heart disease. Currently, both the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) and the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) standards are widely utilized in nursing homes and community settings, with the EWGSOP standard being more applicable to nursing homes. Identifying factors associated with sarcopenia is of paramount significance, particularly considering that some of them can be modified and managed. Further research is warranted to investigate the impact of preventive measures on these factors in the management of sarcopenia among elderly individuals residing in nursing homes and community settings.
  3. Fulltext Cucurbit[n]uril-Based Microcapsules Self-Assembled within Microfluidic Droplets: A Versatile Approach for Supramolecular Architectures and Materials
    Liu J, Lan Y, Yu Z, Tan CS, Parker RM, Abell C, et al.
    Acc Chem Res, 2017 Feb 21;50(2):208-217.
    PMID: 28075551 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00429
    Microencapsulation is a fundamental concept behind a wide range of daily applications ranging from paints, adhesives, and pesticides to targeted drug delivery, transport of vaccines, and self-healing concretes. The beauty of microfluidics to generate microcapsules arises from the capability of fabricating monodisperse and micrometer-scale droplets, which can lead to microcapsules/particles with fine-tuned control over size, shape, and hierarchical structure, as well as high reproducibility, efficient material usage, and high-throughput manipulation. The introduction of supramolecular chemistry, such as host-guest interactions, endows the resultant microcapsules with stimuli-responsiveness and self-adjusting capabilities, and facilitates hierarchical microstructures with tunable stability and porosity, leading to the maturity of current microencapsulation industry. Supramolecular architectures and materials have attracted immense attention over the past decade, as they open the possibility to obtain a large variety of aesthetically pleasing structures, with myriad applications in biomedicine, energy, sensing, catalysis, and biomimicry, on account of the inherent reversible and adaptive nature of supramolecular interactions. As a subset of supramolecular interactions, host-guest molecular recognition involves the formation of inclusion complexes between two or more moieties, with specific three-dimensional structures and spatial arrangements, in a highly controllable and cooperative manner. Such highly selective, strong yet dynamic interactions could be exploited as an alternative methodology for programmable and controllable engineering of supramolecular architectures and materials, exploiting reversible interactions between complementary components. Through the engineering of molecular structures, assemblies can be readily functionalized based on host-guest interactions, with desirable physicochemical characteristics. In this Account, we summarize the current state of development in the field of monodisperse supramolecular microcapsules, fabricated through the integration of traditional microfluidic techniques and interfacial host-guest chemistry, specifically cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n])-mediated host-guest interactions. Three different strategies, colloidal particle-driven assembly, interfacial condensation-driven assembly and electrostatic interaction-driven assembly, are classified and discussed in detail, presenting the methodology involved in each microcapsule formation process. We highlight the state-of-the-art in design and control over structural complexity with desirable functionality, as well as promising applications, such as cargo delivery stemming from the assembled microcapsules. On account of its dynamic nature, the CB[n]-mediated host-guest complexation has demonstrated efficient response toward various external stimuli such as UV light, pH change, redox chemistry, and competitive guests. Herein, we also demonstrate different microcapsule modalities, which are engineered with CB[n] host-guest chemistry and also can be disrupted with the aid of external stimuli, for triggered release of payloads. In addition to the overview of recent achievements and current limitations of these microcapsules, we finally summarize several perspectives on tunable cargo loading and triggered release, directions, and challenges for this technology, as well as possible strategies for further improvement, which will lead to substainitial progress of host-guest chemistry in supramolecular architectures and materials.
  4. Fulltext Chromosome-level genome assembly of the silver pomfret Pampus argenteus
    Wei J, Xiao Y, Liu J, Herrera-Ulloa A, Loh KH, Xu K
    Sci Data, 2024 Feb 23;11(1):234.
    PMID: 38395996 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03070-0
    Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788) is one of the major fishery species in coastal China. Pampus argenteus has a highly specialized morphology, and its declining fishery resources have encouraged massive research efforts on its aquacultural biology. In this study, we reported the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of P. argenteus obtained by integrating Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C sequencing techniques. The final size of the genome was 518.06 Mb, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 20.47 and 22.86 Mb, respectively. The sequences were anchored and oriented onto 24 pseudochromosomes based on Hi-C data corresponding to the 24-chromatid karyotype of P. argenteus. A colinear relationship was observed between the P. argenteus genome and that of a closely related species (Scomber japonicus). A total of 24,696 protein-coding genes were identified from the genome, 98.9% of which were complete BUSCOs. This report represents the first case of high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly for P. argenteus and can provide valuable information for future evolutionary, conservation, and aquacultural research.
  5. Fulltext Boldine improves endothelial function in diabetic db/db mice through inhibition of angiotensin II-mediated BMP4-oxidative stress cascade
    Lau YS, Tian XY, Mustafa MR, Murugan D, Liu J, Zhang Y, et al.
    Br J Pharmacol, 2013 Nov;170(6):1190-8.
    PMID: 23992296 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12350
    Boldine is a potent natural antioxidant present in the leaves and bark of the Chilean boldo tree. Here we assessed the protective effects of boldine on endothelium in a range of models of diabetes, ex vivo and in vitro.
  6. Feasibility analysis of treating breast cancer patients with breast-conserving surgery via a periareolar incision combined with non-lipolytic suspension-type mastoscopy
    Liu J, He G, Zhang Y, Wong MP, Chu J, Kong L, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jul 26;13(1):12129.
    PMID: 37495629 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39199-y
    The purpose is to analyze and compare postoperative recovery and complication incidence between a periareolar incision combined with Suspension-type Mastoscopic Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (SMALND) and traditional inflated Mastoscopic Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (MALND). This was a randomized trial conducted from June 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022, in the Department of Second Breast Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, and the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, in accordance with the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. Overall, 126 patients diagnosed and treated for early-stage breast cancer were selected to undergo periareolar-incision breast-conserving surgery. Those patients who underwent periareolar-incision surgery combined with SMALND formed the observation group (SMALND Group), while those who underwent periareolar-incision surgery combined with traditional inflation became MALND Group. In the two groups, paired data "t" was used to examine, analyze, and compare the postoperative daily drainage volume and drain removal time, while paired data "χ2" was used to examine, analyze, and compare the incidences of postoperative upper limb edema and paresthesia. There were 64 cases in the SMALND Group and 62 cases in the MALND Group. Between the two clusters, no differences were found in age, clinical staging, BMI, and breast cancer classification (P > 0.05). The intraoperative surgery time of the SMALND Group was 43.37 ± 6.27 min while that of the MALND Group was longer: 45.72 ± 4.25 min (P 
  7. The effects of plyometric training on physical fitness and skill-related performance in female basketball players: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    Cao S, Wang Z, Guo J, Geok SK, Sun H, Liu J
    Front Physiol, 2024;15:1386788.
    PMID: 39027901 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1386788
    OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the effects of plyometric training (PT) on physical fitness and skill-related performance in female basketball players.

    METHOD: Five databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar, were used to select articles published up to 20 December 2023, using a combination of keywords related to PT and female basketball players. The risk of bias and the certainty of evidence in included articles were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB2) tool and "The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation" (GRADE).

    RESULTS: Ten studies were included for the systematic review, and eight for the meta-analysis, totalling 246 female basketball players aged 14.5-22.5 years. Most of these players were highly trained. Most of the included studies exhibited concerns regarding the risk of bias. The PT programs lasted 4-8 weeks, conducted 2-3 sessions per week, with sessions lasting 20-90 min and including 29-190 jumps. In the systematic review, most studies showed that PT significantly improved performance in countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), Sargent jump, standing long jump, lateral hop, medicine ball throw, t-Test, Illinois agility, lane agility drill, linear 20-m sprint, stable and dynamic leg balance, dribbling, passing, shooting, and various basketball-specific tests, as well as increased muscle volume and thigh cross-sectional area. However, some studies showed PT to induce no significant changes in performance during CMJ, t-Test, Illinois agility, knee extensor/flexor strength, linear sprint, and single leg balance tests. In the meta-analysis, CMJ height (ES = 0.37; p = 0.036), vertical jump (VJ) peak power (ES = 0.57; p = 0.015), VJ peak velocity (ES = 0.26; p = 0.004), and t-Test performance time (ES = 0.32; p = 0.004) were significantly improved with small effects following PT.

    CONCLUSION: The effect of PT on performance in female basketball players was mixed. Most studies indicated that PT could improve various measures of physical fitness and skill-related performance, but performance remained unchanged in some tests. More studies with established tests are needed to investigate the effect of PT on female basketball players in the future.

    SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://inplasy.com/, Identifier INPLASY2023120078.

  8. Incidence and mortality trends of neglected tropical diseases and malaria in China and ASEAN countries from 1990 to 2019 and its association with the socio-demographic index
    Liu Q, Yan W, Qin C, Du M, Wang Y, Liu M, et al.
    Glob Health Res Policy, 2023 Jun 23;8(1):22.
    PMID: 37349771 DOI: 10.1186/s41256-023-00306-1
    BACKGROUND: People in China and the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are affected by neglected tropical diseases and malaria (NTDM). In this study, we aimed to assess the current status and trends of NTDM burden from 1990 to 2019 in China and ASEAN countries, and also explore the association of NTDM burden with socio-demographic index (SDI).

    METHODS: The data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 (GBD 2019) results were used. Absolute incidence and death number, and age-standardized incidence and mortality rate (ASIR and ASMR) of NTDM in China and ASEAN were extracted. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and join-point regression in the rates quantified the trends. Nonlinear regression (second order polynomial) was used to explore the association between SDI and ASRs.

    RESULTS: The ASIR of NTDM increased in China, Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, at a speed of an average 4.15% (95% CI 3.83-4.47%), 2.15% (1.68-2.63%), 1.03% (0.63-1.43%), and 0.88% (0.60-1.17%) per year. Uptrends of ASIR of NTDM in recent years were found in China (2014-2017, APC = 10.4%), Laos (2005-2013, APC = 3.9%), Malaysia (2010-2015, APC = 4.3%), Philippines (2015-2019, APC = 4.2%), Thailand (2015-2019, APC = 2.4%), and Vietnam (2014-2017, APC = 3.2%, all P 

  9. Temporal and spatial convergence: the major depressive disorder burden attributed to intimate partner violence against women
    Guo P, Wang R, Li J, Qin Y, Meng N, Shan L, et al.
    Eur J Psychotraumatol, 2024;15(1):2386226.
    PMID: 39355978 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2024.2386226
    Background: There is a strong causal relationship between intimate partner violence and major depressive disorder, which partly endangers women's safety across the life course and potentially affects the development of future generations. The international community has placed a high priority on addressing the intimate partner violence and the resulting burden of mental illness. Data collection needs to be captured across the temporal trend and spatial distribution for major depressive disorder attributed to intimate partner violence, to reflect the priorities and expectations of survivors.Method: This research obtained raw disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) information for major depressive disorder attributed to intimate partner violence from the Global Burden of Disease 2019. Using estimated annual percentage change and two-way fixed effects models, a secondary spatio-temporal analysis of the age-standardized DALYs rate from 1990 to 2019 was performed.Results: In 2019, DALYs lost among women experiencing major depressive disorder (3.16 million) accounted for 37.18% of the DALYs lost worldwide due to intimate partner violence. The age-standardized DALYs rate of major depressive disorder attributed to intimate partner violence was 108.57 per 100,000. The highest was concentrated in the menopausal transition (45-55), with 133.61 per 100,000, and particularly distributed in Uganda (429.31 per 100,000). The early reproductive period (15-19) showed the increasing age-standardized DALYs rate from 1990 to 2019, which was mainly driven by Malaysia (3.73% per year). Furthermore, countries with higher initial levels of the age-standardized DALYs rate were growing faster than those with lower levels.Conclusions: The burden of major depressive disorder attributed to intimate partner violence showed biological and spatial inequality, prioritized intervention should be targeted at vulnerable stage women in their early reproductive period and menopausal transition. Combined political, socio-cultural as well as medical measures to prevent violence and treat major depressive disorder should be implemented and developed.
  10. Analysis of human ambulation as a chaotic time-series: with nonlinear dynamics tools
    Al Kouzbary M, Al Kouzbary H, Liu J, Shasmin HN, Arifin N, Osman NAA
    Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin, 2024 Sep 04.
    PMID: 39230205 DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2024.2399023
    The aim of the present study is to investigate the complexity and stability of human ambulation and the implications on robotic prostheses control systems. Fourteen healthy individuals participate in two experiments, the first group run at three different speeds. The second group ascended and descended stairs of a five-level building block at a self-selected speed. All participants completed the experiment with seven inertial measurement units wrapped around the lower body segments and waist. The data were analyzed to determine the fractal dimension, spectral entropy, and the Lyapunov exponent (LyE). Two methods were used to calculate the long-term LyE, first LyE calculated using the full size of data sets. And the embedding dimensions were calculated using Average Mutual Information (AMI) and the False Nearest Neighbor (FNN) algorithm was used to find the time delay. Besides, a second approach was developed to find long-term LyE where the time delay was based on the average period of the gait cycle using adaptive event-based window. The average values of spectral entropy are 0.538 and 0.575 for stairs ambulation and running, respectively. The degree of uncertainty and complexity increases with the ambulation speed. The short term LyEs for tibia orientation have the minimum range of variation when it comes to stairs ascent and descent. Using two-way analysis of variance we demonstrated the effect of the ambulation speed and type of ambulation on spectral entropy. Moreover, it was shown that the fractal dimension only changed significantly with ambulation speed.
  11. Promoting role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and biochar on nitrogen retention and degradation of PBAT plastics during composting
    Wang L, Qi Y, Cao L, Song L, Hu R, Li Q, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2024 Dec 15;363(Pt 2):125228.
    PMID: 39486677 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125228
    Since the increasing number of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)-based plastics entering the environment, the search for sustainable treatment methods has become a primary focus of contemporary research. Composting offers a novel approach for managing biodegradable plastics. However, a significant challenge in the composting process is how to control nitrogen loss and enhance plastic degradation. In this context, the effect of various additives on nitrogen retention, PBAT plastics degradation, and microbial community dynamics during composting was investigated. The findings revealed that the addition of nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azotobacter vinelandii and biochar (AzBC) significantly improved nitrogen retention and accelerated PBAT rupture within 40 days of composting. Specifically, the PBAT degradation rate in the AzBC group reached 29.6%, which increased by 12.14% (P 
  12. Enhanced hydrophobic interaction between fish (Cyprinus carpio L.) scale gelatin and curcumin: Mechanism study
    Li H, Wan Mustapha WA, Tian G, Dong N, Zhao F, Zhang X, et al.
    Food Chem, 2024 Jan 15;431:137102.
    PMID: 37579608 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137102
    To enhance the solubility of hydrophobic nutrients, the hydrophobicity of fish scale gelatin hydrolysate (FSGH) was increased with moderate acid or alkali hydrolysis. Acid-induced FSG hydrolysate (AcFSGH) at 3 h showed a superior curcumin loading efficiency (18.30 ± 0.38 μg/mL) among all FSGHs. Compared with FSG, the proportion of hydrophobic amino acids (from 41.1% to 46.4%) and the hydrophobic interaction (from 12.72 to 20.10 mg/mL) was significantly increased in the AcFSGH. Meanwhile, the transformation of the α-helix (from 12.8% to 4.9%) to the β-sheet (from 29.0% to 42.8%) was also observed in the AcFSGH. Based on the observation in the molecular weight and morphological analysis, AcFSGH acquired the best hydrophobic interaction with curcumin, presumably due to the formation of the flexible structure of the linear hydrolyzates. The above results call for an investigation of the role of FSG hydrolysate in the synthesis of nanoparticles loaded with bioactive lipophilic compounds.
  13. Fulltext Estimation of body segmental orientation for prosthetic gait using a nonlinear autoregressive neural network with exogenous inputs
    Tham LK, Al Kouzbary M, Al Kouzbary H, Liu J, Abu Osman NA
    Phys Eng Sci Med, 2023 Dec;46(4):1723-1739.
    PMID: 37870729 DOI: 10.1007/s13246-023-01332-6
    Assessment of the prosthetic gait is an important clinical approach to evaluate the quality and functionality of the prescribed lower limb prosthesis as well as to monitor rehabilitation progresses following limb amputation. Limited access to quantitative assessment tools generally affects the repeatability and consistency of prosthetic gait assessments in clinical practice. The rapidly developing wearable technology industry provides an alternative to objectively quantify prosthetic gait in the unconstrained environment. This study employs a neural network-based model in estimating three-dimensional body segmental orientation of the lower limb amputees during gait. Using a wearable system with inertial sensors attached to the lower limb segments, thirteen individuals with lower limb amputation performed two-minute walk tests on a robotic foot and a passive foot. The proposed model replicates features of a complementary filter to estimate drift free three-dimensional orientation of the intact and prosthetic limbs. The results indicate minimal estimation biases and high correlation, validating the ability of the proposed model to reproduce the properties of a complementary filter while avoiding the drawbacks, most notably in the transverse plane due to gravitational acceleration and magnetic disturbance. Results of this study also demonstrates the capability of the well-trained model to accurately estimate segmental orientation, regardless of amputation level, in different types of locomotion task.
  14. Fulltext The influence of big five personality traits on anxiety: The chain mediating effect of general self-efficacy and academic burnout
    Wu X, Zhang W, Li Y, Zheng L, Liu J, Jiang Y, et al.
    PLoS One, 2024;19(1):e0295118.
    PMID: 38166098 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295118
    BACKGROUND: As an important factor affecting personal health, anxiety has always been valued by people. Prior research has consistently shown that personality traits is associated with anxiety level,but little is known about the inner mechanism of this relationship. To fill the gap, the present research aims to explore the chain mediating role of general self-efficacy and academic burnout in the relationship between big five personality and anxiety.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed from September to November 2022. Self-reported questionnaires including the Big Five Personality Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, College Student's academic burnout Scale, Generalized Anxiety Scale and demographic characteristics were distributed to 2505 college students in a university in Hebei Province, of which 2,471 were valid. Statistical analysis was carried out through SPSS26.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro.

    RESULTS: Results showed four of the big five personality characters (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness) were negatively correlated with anxiety. Neuroticism was positively correlated with anxiety. Moreover, general self-efficacy was found to be negatively correlated with academic burnout and anxiety; academic burnout was positively correlated with anxiety. Finally, general self-efficacy and academic burnout mediated the relationship between personality traits (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness) and anxiety.

    CONCLUSIONS: Personality traits (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness) could influence anxiety through the chain mediating effects of general self-efficacy and academic burnout. Interventions focusing on anxiety reduction may be successful in increasing general self-efficacy and decreasing students' academic burnout.

  15. Fulltext Research hotspots and trends in healthcare workers' resilience: A bibliometric and visualized analysis
    Yang L, Li Z, Lei Y, Liu J, Zhang R, Lei W, et al.
    Heliyon, 2024 Aug 15;10(15):e35107.
    PMID: 39170181 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35107
    BACKGROUND: The resilience of healthcare workers has gained increasing attention, yet comprehensive studies focusing on recent trends and developments are scarce. We conducted an extensive bibliometric analysis from inception to 2023 to address this gap.

    METHODS: Publications on healthcare workers' resilience were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analysis was conducted with CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica, focusing on annual publications, country/region, institution, journal, author, keyword analysis, and reference co-citation analysis related to resilience in healthcare workers.

    RESULTS: The analysis included 750 documents, revealing a general upward trend in publications across 67 countries/regions, 1,251 institutions, and 3,166 authors. The USA and China emerged as the top contributors, with 192 and 168 publications, respectively. Based on keyword analysis and reference co-citation analysis, the focus areas include the Resilience Scale, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs and their resilience, and nurse resilience.

    CONCLUSION: This study highlights the growing interest in healthcare workers' resilience by using bibliometric and visualization techniques for effective analysis. This paper will enhance scholars' understanding of the dynamic evolution of healthcare workers' resilience and identify emerging research topics.

  16. miR-584-5p Regulates MSMO1 to Modulate the AKT/PI3K Pathway and Inhibit Breast Cancer Progression
    Li X, Liu J, He L, Tian M, Xu Y, Peng B
    Protein Pept Lett, 2025 Feb 11.
    PMID: 39950465 DOI: 10.2174/0109298665339026250114070523
    INTRODUCTION: Endogenous microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of tumor progression, making their role in breast cancer an important area of investigation.

    METHOD: This study examined the regulation of MSMO1 by miR-584-5p in breast cancer cells. Using bioinformatics and Western blotting, we confirmed MSMO1 expression in breast cancer cells and evaluated its effects on cell migration, invasion, and the AKT signaling pathway. In vivo experiments further supported these findings. The interaction between miR-584-5p and MSMO1 was validated through luciferase reporter assays, while functional studies highlighted the impact of miR-584-5p on cancer progression.

    RESULT: Our findings revealed that MSMO1 is upregulated in breast cancer, enhancing cell migration and invasion. Silencing MSMO1 diminished AKT pathway activity, and luciferase assays confirmed MSMO1 as a direct target of miR-584-5p.

    CONCLUSION: Overexpression of miR-584-5p suppressed migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. In summary, miR-584-5p is likely to modulate MSMO1 and subsequently regulate the AKT/ PI3K pathway, presenting a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

  17. Construction of fish scale (Cyprinus carpio L.) gelatin-fatty acid conjugate for loading curcumin: Effect of alkyl chain length on the interaction and stability
    Li H, Wang Y, Mustapha WAW, Zhang X, Zeng F, Liu J
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2025 Feb 06.
    PMID: 39922348 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.140757
    A fish scale (FS) gelatin-fatty acid conjugate (GFC) with alkyl chain lengths of 8-18 was constructed to increase the aqueous solubility of curcumin. The effect of alkyl chain length on the interaction between GFC and curcumin was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence spectroscopy (FS), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The surface hydrophobicity (from 4987 ± 223.79 to 9982 ± 262.78) and curcumin loading capacity (from 8.20 ± 0.54 to 31.18 ± 1.41 μg/mg) of the GFC exhibited significant enhancements through increasing alkyl chain lengths from 8 to 18. This was accompanied by a reduction in particle size (from 661.5 ± 28.9 to 329.7 ± 6.6 nm) and ζ-potential (from -2.7 ± 0.92 to -26.8 ± 0.27). FS and ITC confirmed that GOC shared an optimal binding constant (Ka, 2.40 × 108 L·mol-1 and 3.47 × 105 M-1) and binding site (n, 1.45 and 2.276) with curcumin among GFCs. Increasing GFC's alkyl chain length also boosted the stability of entrapped curcumin against the thermal environment and ultraviolet radiation. These results could be beneficial for gelatin-based nanocarrier development and application.
  18. Warming and UV Radiation Alleviate the Effect of Virus Infection on the Microalga Emiliania huxleyi
    Fu Q, Huang R, Li F, Beardall J, Hutchins DA, Liu J, et al.
    Plant Cell Environ, 2025 Mar;48(3):1829-1841.
    PMID: 39494748 DOI: 10.1111/pce.15262
    The marine microalga Emiliania huxleyi is widely distributed in the surface oceans and is prone to infection by coccolithoviruses that can terminate its blooms. However, little is known about how global change factors like solar UV radiation (UVR) and ocean warming affect the host-virus interaction. We grew the microalga at 2 temperature levels with or without the virus in the presence or absence of UVR and investigated the physiological and transcriptional responses. We showed that viral infection noticeably reduced photosynthesis and growth of the alga but was less harmful to its physiology under conditions where UVR influenced viral DNA expression. In the virus-infected cells, the combination of UVR and warming (+4°C) led to a 13-fold increase in photosynthetic carbon fixation rate, with warming alone contributing a change of about 5-7-fold. This was attributed to upregulated expression of genes related to carboxylation and light-harvesting proteins under the influence of UVR, and to warming-reduced infectivity. In the absence of UVR, viral infection downregulated the metabolic pathways of photosynthesis and fatty acid degradation. Our results suggest that solar UV exposure in a warming ocean can reduce the severity of viral attack on this ecologically important microalga, potentially prolonging its blooms.
  19. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic value of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and/or computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics in head and neck cancer
    Wang B, Liu J, Xie J, Zhang X, Wang Z, Cao Z, et al.
    Clin Radiol, 2024 Oct;79(10):757-772.
    PMID: 38944542 DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2024.05.016
    AIM: Radiomics involves the extraction of quantitative data from medical images to facilitate the diagnosis, prognosis, and staging of tumors. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the efficacy of radiomics in prognostic applications for head and neck cancer (HNC) in recent years. It undertakes a systematic review of prognostic models specific to HNC and conducts a meta-analysis to evaluate their predictive performance.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study adhered rigorously to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for literature searches. The literature databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus were systematically searched individually. The methodological quality of the incorporated studies underwent assessment utilizing the radiomics quality score (RQS) tool. A random-effects meta-analysis employing the Harrell concordance index (C-index) was conducted to evaluate the performance of all radiomics models.

    RESULTS: Among the 388 studies retrieved, 24 studies encompassing a total of 6,978 cases were incorporated into the systematic review. Furthermore, eight studies, focusing on overall survival as an endpoint, were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the estimated random effect of the C-index for all studies utilizing radiomics alone was 0.77 (0.71-0.82), with a substantial degree of heterogeneity indicated by an I2 of 80.17%.

    CONCLUSIONS: Based on this review, prognostic modeling utilizing radiomics has demonstrated enhanced efficacy for head and neck cancers; however, there remains room for improvement in this approach. In the future, advancements are warranted in the integration of clinical parameters and multimodal features, balancing multicenter data, as well as in feature screening and model construction within this field.

  20. Effects of azide on electron transport of exoelectrogens in air-cathode microbial fuel cells
    Zhou X, Qu Y, Kim BH, Choo PY, Liu J, Du Y, et al.
    Bioresour Technol, 2014 Oct;169:265-70.
    PMID: 25062537 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.07.012
    The effects of azide on electron transport of exoelectrogens were investigated using air-cathode MFCs. These MFCs enriched with azide at the concentration higher than 0.5mM generated lower current and coulomb efficiency (CE) than the control reactors, but at the concentration lower than 0.2mM MFCs generated higher current and CE. Power density curves showed overshoot at higher azide concentrations, with power and current density decreasing simultaneously. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that azide at high concentration increased the charge transfer resistance. These analyses might reflect that a part of electrons were consumed by the anode microbial population rather than transferred to the anode. Bacterial population analyses showed azide-enriched anodes were dominated by Deltaproteobacteria compared with the controls. Based on these results it is hypothesized that azide can eliminate the growth of aerobic respiratory bacteria, and at the same time is used as an electron acceptor/sink.
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