Publications by authors named "Ci Huang"

The yak () has exceptional hypoxia resilience, making it an ideal model for studying high-altitude adaptation. Here, we investigated the effects of oxygen concentration on yak cardiac fibroblast proliferation and the underlying molecular regulatory pathways using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and metabolic analyses. Decreased oxygen levels significantly inhibited cardiac fibroblast proliferation and activity.

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The transcription factor NbTFIISL, a TFIIS-like protein in Nicotiana benthamiana, plays a critical role in facilitating bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) infection. BaMV infections significantly downregulate NbTFIISL expression, with transcript levels reduced to 38% by 7 days post-inoculation. Virus-induced gene silencing of NbTFIISL impaired BaMV accumulation, reducing coat protein levels to ~45% and leading to smaller GFP-labelled infection foci.

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Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is a crucial factor in determining meat quality, yet yak meat is typically characterized by low IMF levels. The epigenetic mechanisms underlying IMF deposition, particularly the role of super-enhancers (SEs), remain poorly understood. RNA-seq identified 66 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and 56 DE pri-miRNAs in yak longissimus dorsi with varying IMF contents.

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This study provides an in-depth exploration of the mechanisms by which vitamin C enhances interfacial stability in organic solar cells (OSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In OSCs, vitamin C interacts with ZnO (O-H···O and C═O···Zn) and Y6 (O-H···F), forming a robust interface. The ZnO/vitamin C devices maintained 80% of their original efficiency (T lifetime) for 4437 h for PM6:Y6 (binary) and 6028 h for PM6:Y6:PCBM (ternary) at 65 °C in a N atmosphere.

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Background And Aims: Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for improving survival in patients with chronic hepatitis. The GALAD algorithm combines gender (biological sex), age, α-fetoprotein (AFP), agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3), and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) for HCC detection. Similarly, the GAAD algorithm incorporates gender (biological sex), age, AFP, and PIVKA-II.

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Background: Sleeping sickness (gambiense human African trypanosomiasis, gHAT) is a vector-borne disease targeted for global elimination of transmission (EoT) by 2030. There are, however, unknowns that have the potential to hinder the achievement and measurement of this goal. These include asymptomatic gHAT infections (inclusive of the potential to self-cure or harbour skin-only infections) and whether gHAT infection in animals can contribute to the transmission cycle in humans.

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Over the past decade, considerable progress has been made in the control, elimination, and eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Despite these advances, most NTD programs have recently experienced important setbacks; for example, NTD interventions were some of the most frequently and severely impacted by service disruptions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Mathematical modeling can help inform selection of interventions to meet the targets set out in the NTD road map 2021-2030, and such studies should prioritize questions that are relevant for decision-makers, especially those designing, implementing, and evaluating national and subnational programs.

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Lifestyle modification is the standard of care for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of a short-term lifestyle modification program in the disease course of Taiwanese nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients with paired biopsies. All patients received a 6-month, strict multidisciplinary program of lifestyle modifications led by physicians, dieticians, and nursing staff.

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Accurate classification of membrane proteins like ion channels and transporters is critical for elucidating cellular processes and drug development. We present DeepPLM_mCNN, a novel framework combining Pretrained Language Models (PLMs) and multi-window convolutional neural networks (mCNNs) for effective classification of membrane proteins into ion channels and ion transporters. Our approach extracts informative features from protein sequences by utilizing various PLMs, including TAPE, ProtT5_XL_U50, ESM-1b, ESM-2_480, and ESM-2_1280.

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The incidence of T-cell lymphoma (TCL) has been continually increasing in Taiwan and the United States (US) in recent years. This epidemiological study using population-based registry data aimed to determine the incidence patterns of common subtypes of TCL in Taiwan from 2008-2020 and compare them with those in the US and the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population. Subtypes included angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL); extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal or other type (ENKTL); peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS); and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

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The immune response of patients with chronic liver disease tends to be lower after receiving their second coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine dose, but the effect of a third vaccine dose on their immune response is currently unknown. We recruited 722 patients without previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection from three hospitals. The patients received homologous (MMM) and heterologous (AZAZBNT, AZAZM) boosters, where AZ, BNT, and M denoted the AZD1222, BNT162b2, and mRNA-1273 vaccines, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • The World Health Organization has issued interim guidance for eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV), and a study was conducted to demonstrate "treatment as prevention" in hemodialysis patients.
  • A universal screening in 22 hemodialysis centers revealed a significant number of patients with HCV, and the majority linked to treatment achieved a sustained virological response.
  • The follow-up screening showed a dramatic decrease in HCV viremia rates and demonstrated that effectively treating patients can prevent new infections and reinfections within the hemodialysis population.
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Article Synopsis
  • * The study involved multidisciplinary outreach screening and onsite treatment, resulting in 64.3% of psychiatric patients receiving HCV mass screening, with 4.9% testing positive for the virus.
  • * Ultimately, 95.8% of patients who engaged with the healthcare system completed the treatment with a 100% success rate in eliminating detectable HCV, showcasing the effectiveness of this patient-centered approach.
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The IR spectra of benzoic acid (BA), (BA)(HO) and (BA)(HO) ( = 1, 2) clusters, and their ring-deuterated isotopologues in the 2800-3750 cm region were measured with IR-vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy under the jet-cooled condition. For (BA)(HO) and (BA)(HO), only a single isomer was observed for each species, whereas for (BA)(HO) and (BA)(HO), more than one isomers were present. The observed IR spectra were very complex and showed similar structures between (BA)(HO) and their ring-deuterated isotopologues (BA-)(HO) for specific values of and .

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Background And Aim: The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and its interplay with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in terms of liver disease severity is elusive.

Methods: A mass surveillance program was conducted in a viral hepatitis endemic area. The objective was to identify MAFLD/non-MAFLD subjects with advanced liver disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • Unawareness of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant barrier to controlling HBV and is linked to more severe cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at diagnosis.
  • The study analyzed 501 patients with HBV-related HCC and found that 21% were unaware of their HBV infection, characterized by younger age, poorer liver function, and more advanced HCC stages compared to aware patients.
  • The lack of regular surveillance among both aware and unaware patients was associated with more severe HCC, emphasizing the need for improved education and proactive monitoring to enhance patient outcomes.
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Background And Aims: Disease severity across the different diagnostic categories of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains elusive. This study assessed the fibrosis stages and features of MAFLD between different items. We also aimed to investigate the associations between advanced fibrosis and risk factors.

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Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is a wafer-surface-polishing planarization technique based on a wet procedure that combines chemical and mechanical forces to fully flatten materials for semiconductors to be mounted on the wafer surface. The achievement of devices of a small nano-size with few defects and good wafer yields is essential in enabling IC chip manufacturers to enhance their profits and become more competitive. The CMP process is applied to produce many IC generations of nanometer node, or those of even narrower line widths, for a better performance and manufacturing feasibility.

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Background: Human African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by trypanosomes among which Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is responsible for a chronic form (gHAT) in West and Central Africa. Its elimination as a public health problem (EPHP) was targeted for 2020. Côte d'Ivoire was one of the first countries to be validated by WHO in 2020 and this was particularly challenging as the country still reported around a hundred cases a year in the early 2000s.

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Human African trypanosomiasis, caused by the gambiense subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei (gHAT), is a deadly parasitic disease transmitted by tsetse. Partners worldwide have stepped up efforts to eliminate the disease, and the Chadian government has focused on the previously high-prevalence setting of Mandoul. In this study, we evaluate the economic efficiency of the intensified strategy that was put in place in 2014 aimed at interrupting the transmission of gHAT, and we make recommendations on the best way forward based on both epidemiological projections and cost-effectiveness.

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Au coated magnetic polyphosphazene (MPCTP) composite particles (MPCTP@Au) were fabricated with sensitive SERS activity. The MPCTP particles were generated by coating polyphosphazene on FeO nanoparticles through precipitation polycondensation of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and phloroglucinol. MPCTP@Au composite particles were obtained by deposition of Au nanoparticles on MPCTP by the reduction of HAuCl.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for controlling the pandemic, but the serological response in Taiwanese patients with different comorbidities is not well understood.
  • A study enrolled 824 uninfected subjects who received various COVID-19 vaccines and measured their antibody levels post-vaccination, finding common vaccination patterns among participants.
  • Results showed that factors like age, sex, vaccination type, and comorbidity scores significantly affected antibody levels, indicating that higher comorbidity scores are linked to lower neutralizing antibody responses.
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Objectives: Gaps in linkage-to-care remain the barriers toward hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in the directly-acting-antivirals (DAA) era, especially during SARS Co-V2 pandemics. We established an outreach project to target HCV micro-elimination in HCV-hyperendemic villages.

Methods: The COMPACT provided "door-by-door" screening by an "outreach HCV-checkpoint team" and an "outreach HCV-care team" for HCV diagnosis, assessment and DAA therapy in Chidong/Chikan villages between 2019 and 2021.

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Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) is a deadly vector-borne, neglected tropical disease found in West and Central Africa targeted for elimination of transmission (EoT) by 2030. The recent pandemic has illustrated how it can be important to quantify the impact that unplanned disruption to programme activities may have in achieving EoT. We used a previously developed model of gHAT fitted to data from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country with the highest global case burden, to explore how interruptions to intervention activities, due to e.

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Background/aim: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The combination of chemotherapeutics working with different mechanisms enhances the therapeutic effects and delays the development of resistance. This study investigated the anticancer effect of the combination of ribociclib (LEE011) and irinotecan (SN38) on CRC cells.

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