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  1. Yan W, Vadivelu V, Maspolim Y, Zhou Y
    Waste Manag, 2021 Feb 01;120:221-229.
    PMID: 33310598 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.11.047
    Anaerobic digestion is a promising way for resource recovery from waste cooking oil (WCO) due to its high bio-methanation potential. In-situ mild alkaline (pH 8) enhanced two-stage continuous stirred tank reactors (ALK-2-CSTRs) were implemented to explore its efficiency in co-digesting WCO and sewage sludge with stepwise increase of WCO in the co-substrates. Results demonstrate that the ALK-2-CSTRs effectively promoted methane yield from the co-substrates via promoting hydrolysis, long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) degradation and protecting methanogens from exposure to high concentration of LCFAs directly. The maximum methane yield of the ALK-2-CSTRs is 39.2% higher than that of a single stage CSTR system at the optimal feed mixture of 45:55 (WCO:SS [VS]). The thermophilic operation applied to the stage-1 of the ALK-2-CSTRs failed to improve the methane yield when the methanogenic performance was stable; while upon WCO overloaded, the elevated temperature mitigated the deterioration of methanogenesis by stimulating the bioconversion of the toxic LCFAs, especially the unsaturated oleic acid. Microbial community analysis reveals the ALK-2-CSTRs stimulated the growth of lipolytic bacteria and hydrogenotrophic methanogens, which suggests the hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathway was promoted. Cost evaluation demonstrates the economical superiority of the ALK-2-CSTR over the prevailing strategies developed for enhancing methane yield from the co-substrates.
  2. Rafieerad A, Yan W, Sequiera GL, Sareen N, Abu-El-Rub E, Moudgil M, et al.
    Adv Healthc Mater, 2019 08;8(16):e1900569.
    PMID: 31265217 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201900569
    Inflammation is tightly linked to tissue injury. In regenerative medicine, immune activation plays a key role in rejection of transplanted stem cells and reduces the efficacy of stem cell therapies. Next-generation smart biomaterials are reported to possess multiple biologic properties for tissue repair. Here, the first use of 0D titanium carbide (Ti3 C2 ) MXene quantum dots (MQDs) for immunomodulation is presented with the goal of enhancing material-based tissue repair after injury. MQDs possess intrinsic immunomodulatory properties and selectively reduce activation of human CD4+ IFN-γ+ T-lymphocytes (control 87.1 ± 2.0%, MQDs 68.3 ± 5.4%) while promoting expansion of immunosuppressive CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ regulatory T-cells (control 5.5 ± 0.7%, MQDs 8.5 ± 0.8%) in a stimulated lymphocyte population. Furthermore, MQDs are biocompatible with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived fibroblasts. Finally, Ti3 C2 MQDs are incorporated into a chitosan-based hydrogel to create a 3D platform with enhanced physicochemical properties for stem cell delivery and tissue repair. This composite hydrogel demonstrates increased conductivity while maintaining injectability and thermosensitivity. These findings suggest that this new class of biomaterials may help bridge the translational gap in material and stem cell-based therapies for tissue repair and treatment of inflammatory and degenerative diseases.
  3. 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 

  4. Zhang Y, Yan W, Collins MA, Bednar F, Rakshit S, Zetter BR, et al.
    Cancer Res, 2013 Oct 15;73(20):6359-74.
    PMID: 24097820 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-1558-T
    Pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest human malignancies, is almost invariably associated with the presence of an oncogenic form of Kras. Mice expressing oncogenic Kras in the pancreas recapitulate the stepwise progression of the human disease. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 is often expressed by multiple cell types within the tumor microenvironment. Here, we show that IL-6 is required for the maintenance and progression of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions. In fact, the lack of IL-6 completely ablates cancer progression even in presence of oncogenic Kras. Mechanistically, we show that IL-6 synergizes with oncogenic Kras to activate the reactive oxygen species detoxification program downstream of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling cascade. In addition, IL-6 regulates the inflammatory microenvironment of pancreatic cancer throughout its progression, providing several signals that are essential for carcinogenesis. Thus, IL-6 emerges as a key player at all stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis and a potential therapeutic target.
  5. Liang J, Xiong S, He C, Song Z, Yang S, Ma D, et al.
    Aquat Toxicol, 2023 Dec;265:106774.
    PMID: 38000134 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106774
    Micro- and nano-plastics (MPs/NPs) are characterized by their small size and extensive surface area, making them global environmental pollutants with adverse effects on organisms at various levels, including organs, cells, and molecules. Freshwater organisms, such as microalgae, emerging plants, zooplankton, benthic species, and fish, experience varying impacts from MPs/NPs, which are prevalent in both terrestrial and aquatic inland environments. MPs/NPs significantly impact plant physiological processes, including photosynthesis, antioxidant response, energy metabolism, and nitrogen removal. Extended exposure and ingestion to MPs/NPs might cause metabolic and behavioral deviations in zooplankton, posing an extinction risk. Upon exposure to MPs/NPs, both benthic organisms and fish display behavioral and metabolic disturbances, due to oxidative stress, neural toxicity, intestinal damage, and metabolic changes. Results from laboratory and field investigations have confirmed that MPs/NPs can be transported across multiple trophic levels. Moreover, MPs/NPs-induced alterations in zooplankton populations can impede energy transfer, leading to food scarcity for filter-feeding fish, larvae of benthic organism and fish, thus jeopardizing aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, MPs/NPs can harm the nervous systems of aquatic organisms, influencing their feeding patterns, circadian rhythms, and mobility. Such behavioral alterations might also introduce unforeseen ecological risks. This comprehensive review aims to explore the consequences of MPs/NPs on freshwater organisms and their interconnected food webs. The investigation encompasses various aspects, including behavioral changes, alterations in physiology, impacts on metabolism, transgenerational effects, and the disruption of energy transfer within the ecosystem. This review elucidated the physiological and biochemical toxicity of MPs/NPs on freshwater organisms, and the ensuing risks to inland aquatic ecosystems.
  6. Yan W, Ge HM, Wang G, Jiang N, Mei YN, Jiang R, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2014 Dec 23;111(51):18138-43.
    PMID: 25425666 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1417304111
    The Pictet-Spengler (PS) reaction constructs plant alkaloids such as morphine and camptothecin, but it has not yet been noticed in the fungal kingdom. Here, a silent fungal Pictet-Spenglerase (FPS) gene of Chaetomium globosum 1C51 residing in Epinephelus drummondhayi guts is described and ascertained to be activable by 1-methyl-L-tryptophan (1-MT). The activated FPS expression enables the PS reaction between 1-MT and flavipin (fungal aldehyde) to form "unnatural" natural products with unprecedented skeletons, of which chaetoglines B and F are potently antibacterial with the latter inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. A gene-implied enzyme inhibition (GIEI) strategy has been introduced to address the key steps for PS product diversifications. In aggregation, the work designs and validates an innovative approach that can activate the PS reaction-based fungal biosynthetic machinery to produce unpredictable compounds of unusual and novel structure valuable for new biology and biomedicine.
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