Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 157 in total

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  1. Sun M, Han S, Liu Y
    Afr J Reprod Health, 2024 Aug 31;28(8):99 107.
    PMID: 39225496 DOI: 10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i8.10
    In East Asia, where several countries are among the top emitters of carbon dioxide globally, the need to address the dual challenges of reducing carbon footprints and ensuring health security is paramount. Against this backdrop, this study used a descriptive analysis to provide a comparative assessment of the carbon footprints and the level of health security in East Asia using secondary data, sourced from the World Development Indicators. The findings from the study show that it is only North Korea that its average carbon footprint of every person is less than 2.3 tons. However, China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea are currently lagging behind in meeting the SDG 13 target. Meanwhile, North Korea recorded the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the region. Despite the fact that South Korea and Japan were the highest emitter of CO2, the duo had the lowest under five mortality, infant mortality, incidence of TB alongside the highest life expectancies which surpassed the regional performance. In view of the above, the policymakers in Asia and the rest of the countries with health insecurity should emulate the policymakers in Japan and South Korea by making adequate investment in health, education, and standard of living of their citizens.
  2. Xie A, Wang H, Huang J, Sun M, Chen L
    Infect Agent Cancer, 2024 Dec 18;19(1):64.
    PMID: 39696440 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-024-00628-w
    BACKGROUND/AIMS: microRNAs (miRNAs) contribute to tumorigenesis, progression and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). miR-3191 is a newly discovered miRNA, and its function and mechanism of action in biological processes and diseases are not completely understood.

    METHODS: miR-3191 expression is determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Knockdown and overexpression of miR-3191 influence the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells, which is measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, Colony Formation assay and Cell metastasis assay. Protein expression is estimated by Western blot. The interplay between miR-3191 and target is validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

    RESULTS: Here, we show that miR-3191 is upregulated in HCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. Mechanistically, p21-activated protein kinase 6 (PAK6) was identified as a direct target of miR‑3191 in HCC. PAK6 knockdown partially recovered interference of miR‑3191‑induced decrease in cell proliferation and invasion. The accuracy of HCC patient prognosis could be improved by employing a combination of miR-3191 and PAK6 values.

    CONCLUSIONS: miR-3191 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells via targeting PAK6 and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target.

  3. Qi Y, Hamzah SH, Gu E, Wang H, Xi Y, Sun M, et al.
    Nutrients, 2021 Jul 28;13(8).
    PMID: 34444765 DOI: 10.3390/nu13082605
    School gardening activities (SGA) combined with physical activities (PA) may improve childhood dietary intake and prevent overweight and obesity. This study aims to evaluate the effect of SGA combined with PA on children's dietary intake and anthropometric outcomes. We searched studies containing randomized controlled trials up to January 2021 in Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and the EBSCO database on this topic for children aged 7 to 12 years. Fourteen studies met the requirements for meta-analysis (n = 9187). We found that SGA has no obvious effect on improving children's BMI (WMD = -0.49; p = 0.085; I2 = 86.3%), BMI z-score (WMD = -0.12; p = 0.235; I2 = 63.0%), and WC (WMD = -0.98; p = 0.05; I2 = 72.9%). SGA can effectively improve children's FVs (WMD = 0.59, p = 0.003, I2 = 95.3%). SGA combined with PA can significantly increase children's FVs but cannot greatly improve weight status. Although more studies on this topic are needed to prove the effectiveness of this method, the results of our review show that both SGA and SGA combined with PA has a modest but positive impact of reducing BMI and WC outcomes but can significantly increase children's FVs.
  4. Zhao L, Yu M, Sun M, Xue X, Wang T, Cao W, et al.
    Molecules, 2017 Nov 10;22(11).
    PMID: 29125569 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22111935
    A reliable, rapid analytical method was established for the characterization of constituents of the ethanol extract of geopropolis (EEGP) produced by Malaysian stingless bees-Heterotrigona itama-by combining ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS). Based on known standards, the online METLIN database, and published literature, 28 compounds were confirmed. Phenolic acids, flavones, triterpenes and phytosterol were identified or tentatively identified using characteristic diagnostic fragment ions. The results indicated that terpenoids were the main components of EEGP, accompanied by low levels of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and phytosterol. Two major components were further purified by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (PHPLC) and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as 24(E)-cycloart-24-ene-26-ol-3-one and 20-hydroxy-24-dammaren-3-one. These two triterpenes, confirmed in this geopropolis for the first time, are potential chemical markers for the identification of geopropolis from Malaysian stingless bees, H. itama.
  5. Ma N, Sun M, Shi H, Xue L, Zhang M, Yang W, et al.
    Foods, 2023 Oct 20;12(20).
    PMID: 37893744 DOI: 10.3390/foods12203853
    Salmonella infection has emerged as a global health threat, causing death, disability, and socioeconomic disruption worldwide. The rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella is of great significance in guaranteeing food safety. Herein, we developed a colorimetric/fluorescent dual-mode method based on a DNA-nanotriangle programmed multivalent aptamer for the sensitive detection of Salmonella. In this system, aptamers are precisely controlled and assembled on a DNA nanotriangle structure to fabricate a multivalent aptamer (NTri-Multi-Apt) with enhanced binding affinity and specificity toward Salmonella. The NTri-Multi-Apt was designed to carry many streptavidin-HRPs for colorimetric read-outs and a large load of Sybr green I in the dsDNA scaffold for the output of a fluorescent signal. Therefore, combined with the magnetic separation of aptamers and the prefabricated NTri-Multi-Apt, the dual-mode approach achieved simple and sensitive detection, with LODs of 316 and 60 CFU/mL for colorimetric and fluorescent detection, respectively. Notably, the fluorescent mode provided a self-calibrated and fivefold-improved sensitivity over colorimetric detection. Systematic results also revealed that the proposed dual-mode method exhibited high specificity and applicability for milk, egg white, and chicken meat samples, serving as a promising tool for real bacterial sample testing. As a result, the innovative dual-mode detection method showed new insights for the detection of other pathogens.
  6. Wang X, Soh KG, Samsudin S, Li L, Liu C, Sun M, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2025 Jan 13;15(1):1763.
    PMID: 39800767 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-83161-5
    This review aims to conduct a meta-analysis of the impact of high-intensity training (HIT) on athlete jumping performance. As of May 2024, we conducted a comprehensive search on PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and EBSCOhost databases in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Use the PEDro scale to evaluate the methodological quality of the included study. Meta-analysis of random effects model calculations. Conduct subgroup analysis (participant age, gender, training experience, intervention length and frequency). 18 high-quality studies met the inclusion criteria, including 490 athletes aged between 6 and 27 years old. The results showed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has a moderate effect on athlete jumping performance (ES = 0.918), while high-intensity functional training (HIFT) has a small effect on athlete jumping performance (ES = 0.581). The sub analysis of moderating variables includes 19 datasets. Compared with the control group, HIT has a positive impact on the jumping performance of athletes. The training experience, age, gender, intervention frequency, and intervention length of participants did not have a significant impact on the jumping performance of athletes, indicating the applicability of HIT as a training method. However, more extensive exercise experiments are needed to obtain stronger evidence.
  7. Sun M, Soh KG, Ma S, Wang X, Zhang J, Yaacob AB
    PLoS One, 2025;20(2):e0316846.
    PMID: 39983087 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316846
    BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported on the impact of Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) training on the performance of soccer players. However, there is still controversy regarding the results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to accurately assess the effects of SAQ training on the performance of soccer players.

    METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search on March 15, 2024, using Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies were established based on the PICOS framework: (i) Population-healthy soccer players; (ii) Intervention-SAQ training; (iii) Comparison condition (conventional training or traditional training); (iv) Outcome-physical performance (speed, agility, strength, etc.); (v) Study design-randomized controlled trials. The PEDro scale was employed to evaluate the methodological quality of each study, and a random-effects model was used for the meta-analysis.

    RESULTS: A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic literature review. One study with low PEDro score was excluded, and one was excluded based on Cochrane bias risk assessment. Finally, 9 studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 498 soccer players. Overall, the results indicated a significant impact of SAQ training on physical qualities and dribbling speed among soccer players. Specifically, there was a moderate effect size for sprint performance (5m, 10m, 20m) (ES = 0.75; p < 0.01), change of direction ability (COD) (ES = 0.35; p < 0.001), power (vertical and horizontal jumps) (ES = 0.67; p < 0.01), while flexibility showed no significant impact (ES = 0.11; p > 0.05). Moreover, change-of-direction dribbling demonstrated a significant effect (ES = 0.58; p < 0.01).

    CONCLUSION: Overall, SAQ training effectively enhances speed, COD, explosiveness, and change-of-direction dribbling specific performance in adolescent soccer players, particularly in sprinting. However, it does not have an advantage in improving flexibility. Further high-quality studies encompassing a broader range of exercises are needed to fully determine the effectiveness of SAQ training in improving other physical qualities and technical skills of soccer players, as well as ultimately enhancing match performance.

  8. Xiang X, Wang Y, Huang G, Huang J, Gao M, Sun M, et al.
    J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2023 Mar;227:106244.
    PMID: 36584773 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2022.106244
    OBJECTIVE: 17β-estradiol (17β-E2) has been implicated in activating autophagy by upregulating SIRT3 (Sirtuin 3) expression, thereby inhibiting the senescence of vascular endothelial cells. Herein, we further examined the molecular mechanisms that regulate SIRT3 expression in 17β-E2-induced autophagy.

    METHODS: Reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction was employed to measure the expression of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1), microRNAs (miRNAs), and SIRT3, and the dual-luciferase assay was used to determine their interaction. Electron microscopy observes autophagosomes, green fluorescent protein-microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (GFP-LC3) staining, and immunoblot analysis with antibodies against LC3,beclin-1, and P62 were conducted to measure autophagy. Cellular senescence was determined using immunoblot analysis with anti-phosphorylated retinoblastoma and senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining.

    RESULTS: Women with higher estrogen levels (during the 10-13th day of the menstrual cycle or premenopausal) exhibit markedly higher serum levels of PVT1 than women with lower estrogen levels (during the menstrual period or postmenopausal). The dual-luciferase assay showed that PVT1 acts as a sponge for miR-31, and miR-31 binds to its target gene, SIRT3. The 17β-E2 treatment increased the expression of PVT1 and SIRT3 and downregulated miR-31 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Consistently, PVT1 overexpression suppresses miR-31 expression, promotes 17β-E2-induced autophagy, and inhibits H2O2-induced senescence. miR-31 inhibitor increases SIRT3 expression and leads to activation of 17β-E2-induced autophagy and suppression of H2O2-induced senescence.

    CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that 17β-E2 upregulates PVT1 gene expression and PVT1 functions as a sponge to inhibit miR-31, resulting in the upregulation of SIRT3 expression and activation of autophagy and subsequent inhibition of H2O2-induced senescence in HUVECs.

  9. Qiao Z, Xue L, Sun M, Ma N, Shi H, Yang W, et al.
    J Agric Food Chem, 2024 Jan 10;72(1):857-864.
    PMID: 38134022 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c07582
    Salmonellosis continues to impose a significant economic burden globally. Rapid and sensitive detection of Salmonella is crucial to preventing the outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, yet it remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a dual-functional tetrahedron multivalent aptamer assisted amplification-free CRISPR/Cas12a assay was developed for Salmonella detection. In the system, the aptamer was programmatically assembled on the tetrahedral DNA nanostructure to fabricate a multivalent aptamer (TDN-multiApt), which displayed a 3.5-fold enhanced avidity over the monovalent aptamer and possessed four CRISPR/Cas12a targeting fragments to amplify signal. Therefore, TDN-multiApt could directly activate Cas12a to achieve the second signal amplification without any nucleic acid amplification. By virtue of the synergism of high avidity and cascaded signal amplifications, the proposed method allowed the ultrasensitive detection of Salmonella as low as 7 cfu mL-1. Meanwhile, this novel platform also exhibited excellent specificity against target bacteria and performed well in the detection of various samples, indicating its potential application in real samples.
  10. Li Y, Sun M, Tian X, Bao T, Yu Q, Ma NL, et al.
    J Nutr Biochem, 2024 Nov;133:109709.
    PMID: 39053860 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2024.109709
    Gut microbiota dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption are key events associated with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced systemic metabolic disorders. Gymnemic acid (GA) has been reported to have an important role in alleviating HFD-induced disorders of glycolipid metabolism, but its regulatory role in HFD-induced disorders of the gut microbiota and gut barrier function has not been elucidated. Here we showed that GA intervention in HFD-induced hamsters increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing microbes including Lactobacillus (P
  11. Ng WH, Johnston EK, Tan JJ, Bliley JM, Feinberg AW, Stolz DB, et al.
    Elife, 2022 Jan 12;11.
    PMID: 35018887 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.67872
    The extensive crosstalk between the developing heart and lung is critical to their proper morphogenesis and maturation. However, there remains a lack of models that investigate the critical cardio-pulmonary mutual interaction during human embryogenesis. Here, we reported a novel stepwise strategy for directing the simultaneous induction of both mesoderm-derived cardiac and endoderm-derived lung epithelial lineages within a single differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) via temporal specific tuning of WNT and nodal signaling in the absence of exogenous growth factors. Using 3D suspension culture, we established concentric cardio-pulmonary micro-Tissues (μTs), and expedited alveolar maturation in the presence of cardiac accompaniment. Upon withdrawal of WNT agonist, the cardiac and pulmonary components within each dual-lineage μT effectively segregated from each other with concurrent initiation of cardiac contraction. We expect that our multilineage differentiation model will offer an experimentally tractable system for investigating human cardio-pulmonary interaction and tissue boundary formation during embryogenesis.
  12. Tang C, Yang M, Fang Y, Luo Y, Gao S, Xiao X, et al.
    Nat Plants, 2016 05 23;2(6):16073.
    PMID: 27255837 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2016.73
    The Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is an economically important tropical tree species that produces natural rubber, an essential industrial raw material. Here we present a high-quality genome assembly of this species (1.37 Gb, scaffold N50 = 1.28 Mb) that covers 93.8% of the genome (1.47 Gb) and harbours 43,792 predicted protein-coding genes. A striking expansion of the REF/SRPP (rubber elongation factor/small rubber particle protein) gene family and its divergence into several laticifer-specific isoforms seem crucial for rubber biosynthesis. The REF/SRPP family has isoforms with sizes similar to or larger than SRPP1 (204 amino acids) in 17 other plants examined, but no isoforms with similar sizes to REF1 (138 amino acids), the predominant molecular variant. A pivotal point in Hevea evolution was the emergence of REF1, which is located on the surface of large rubber particles that account for 93% of rubber in the latex (despite constituting only 6% of total rubber particles, large and small). The stringent control of ethylene synthesis under active ethylene signalling and response in laticifers resolves a longstanding mystery of ethylene stimulation in rubber production. Our study, which includes the re-sequencing of five other Hevea cultivars and extensive RNA-seq data, provides a valuable resource for functional genomics and tools for breeding elite Hevea cultivars.
  13. Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2016 Feb 19;116(7):071801.
    PMID: 26943527 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.071801
    A search for narrow resonances in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV is presented. The invariant mass distribution of the two leading jets is measured with the CMS detector using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.4  fb^{-1}. The highest observed dijet mass is 6.1 TeV. The distribution is smooth and no evidence for resonant particles is observed. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section for narrow resonances with masses above 1.5 TeV. When interpreted in the context of specific models, the limits exclude string resonances with masses below 7.0 TeV, scalar diquarks below 6.0 TeV, axigluons and colorons below 5.1 TeV, excited quarks below 5.0 TeV, color-octet scalars below 3.1 TeV, and W^{'} bosons below 2.6 TeV. These results significantly extend previously published limits.
  14. Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2016 Jan 22;116(3):032301.
    PMID: 26849587 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.032301
    The production cross sections of the B^{+}, B^{0}, and B_{s}^{0} mesons, and of their charge conjugates, are measured via exclusive hadronic decays in p+Pb collisions at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC. The data set used for this analysis corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 34.6  nb^{-1}. The production cross sections are measured in the transverse momentum range between 10 and 60  GeV/c. No significant modification is observed compared to proton-proton perturbative QCD calculations scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions. These results provide a baseline for the study of in-medium b quark energy loss in Pb+Pb collisions.
  15. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Asilar E, Bergauer T, Brandstetter J, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2018 Apr 06;120(14):142301.
    PMID: 29694144 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.142301
    The relative yields of ϒ mesons produced in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV and reconstructed via the dimuon decay channel are measured using data collected by the CMS experiment. Double ratios are formed by comparing the yields of the excited states, ϒ(2S) and ϒ(3S), to the ground state, ϒ(1S), in both Pb-Pb and pp collisions at the same center-of-mass energy. The double ratios, [ϒ(nS)/ϒ(1S)]_{Pb-Pb}/[ϒ(nS)/ϒ(1S)]_{pp}, are measured to be 0.308±0.055(stat)±0.019(syst) for the ϒ(2S) and less than 0.26 at 95% confidence level for the ϒ(3S). No significant ϒ(3S) signal is found in the Pb-Pb data. The double ratios are studied as a function of collision centrality, as well as ϒ transverse momentum and rapidity. No significant dependencies are observed.
  16. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2020 Sep 04;125(10):102001.
    PMID: 32955327 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.102001
    The first study of charm quark diffusion with respect to the jet axis in heavy ion collisions is presented. The measurement is performed using jets with p_{T}^{jet}>60  GeV/c and D^{0} mesons with p_{T}^{D}>4  GeV/c in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) and proton-proton (pp) collisions at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The radial distribution of D^{0} mesons with respect to the jet axis is sensitive to the production mechanisms of the meson, as well as to the energy loss and diffusion processes undergone by its parent parton inside the strongly interacting medium produced in Pb-Pb collisions. When compared to Monte Carlo event generators, the radial distribution in pp collisions is found to be well described by pythia, while the slope of the distribution predicted by sherpa is steeper than that of the data. In Pb-Pb collisions, compared to the pp results, the D^{0} meson distribution for 4
  17. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Bergauer T, Dragicevic M, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2020 Oct 09;125(15):152001.
    PMID: 33095627 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.152001
    Using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1} collected by the CMS experiment in 2016-2018, the B_{s}^{0}→X(3872)ϕ decay is observed. Decays into J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} and K^{+}K^{-} are used to reconstruct, respectively, the X(3872) and ϕ. The ratio of the product of branching fractions B[B_{s}^{0}→X(3872)ϕ]B[X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}] to the product B[B_{s}^{0}→ψ(2S)ϕ]B[ψ(2S)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}] is measured to be [2.21±0.29(stat)±0.17(syst)]%. The ratio B[B_{s}^{0}→X(3872)ϕ]/B[B^{0}→X(3872)K^{0}] is found to be consistent with one, while the ratio B[B_{s}^{0}→X(3872)ϕ]/B[B^{+}→X(3872)K^{+}] is two times smaller. This suggests a difference in the production dynamics of the X(3872) in B^{0} and B_{s}^{0} meson decays compared to B^{+}. The reported observation may shed new light on the nature of the X(3872) particle.
  18. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2018 May 18;120(20):202005.
    PMID: 29864318 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.202005
    A search for resonancelike structures in the B_{s}^{0}π^{±} invariant mass spectrum is performed using proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at sqrt[s]=8  TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7  fb^{-1}. The B_{s}^{0} mesons are reconstructed in the decay chain B_{s}^{0}→J/ψϕ, with J/ψ→μ^{+}μ^{-} and ϕ→K^{+}K^{-}. The B_{s}^{0}π^{±} invariant mass distribution shows no statistically significant peaks for different selection requirements on the reconstructed B_{s}^{0} and π^{±} candidates. Upper limits are set on the relative production rates of the X(5568) and B_{s}^{0} states times the branching fraction of the decay X(5568)^{±}→B_{s}^{0}π^{±}. In addition, upper limits are obtained as a function of the mass and the natural width of possible exotic states decaying into B_{s}^{0}π^{±}.
  19. Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Ambrogi F, Asilar E, Bergauer T, et al.
    Phys Rev Lett, 2018 May 18;120(20):201801.
    PMID: 29864370 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.201801
    A search for narrow resonances decaying to bottom quark-antiquark pairs is presented, using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=8  TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7  fb^{-1}. The search is extended to masses lower than those reached in typical searches for resonances decaying into jet pairs at the LHC, by taking advantage of triggers that identify jets originating from bottom quarks. No significant excess of events is observed above the background predictions. Limits are set on the product of cross section and branching fraction to bottom quarks for spin 0, 1, and 2 resonances in the mass range of 325-1200 GeV. These results improve on the limits for resonances decaying into jet pairs in the 325-500 GeV mass range.
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