Publications by authors named "Mengkai Yang"

Information on contamination status of tetrabromobisphenol, and triazine-based novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in sediment environment is very rare. Here, by use of high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS), we developed an analytical method for determination of three tetrabromobisphenol, and two triazine-based FRs in sediment samples. By applying this method for analysis of n = 6 sediment samples from a flame retardant manufacturing factory, we observed that total concentrations of 6 NBFRs (∑NBFRs) ranged from 7.

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Osteosarcoma (OS), a malignant bone tumor with limited treatment options, exhibits low sensitivity to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT). Through genomics and transcriptomics analyses, we identify a subgroup of OS with methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) deletion, which contributes to ICT resistance, leading to a "cold" tumor microenvironment. MTAP-deleted OS relies on methionine metabolism and is sensitive to methionine intervention, achieved through either dietary restriction or inhibition of methionine adenosyltransferase 2a (MAT2A), a key enzyme in methionine metabolism.

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Background: Chemoresistance poses a significant challenge in the treatment of osteosarcoma (OS). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators of cancer biology. Despite accumulating evidence linking dysregulation of lncRNAs to chemoresistance, the specific regulatory functions and complexities involved in lncRNA-mediated modulation of doxorubicin-based chemotherapy in OS remain understudied.

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Limited information is available regarding the pollution status of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in the environment of the Yellow River estuary. Here, n = 51 sediment samples were collected from the Yellow River estuary in 2021, and further analyzed by using the integrated target, suspect, and feature fragment-dependent nontarget OPE screening strategy developed in our laboratory. Among the 30 target OPEs, 19 were detectable in at least one of the analyzed samples, with total concentrations (ΣOPEs) ranging from of 41.

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Osteosarcoma derives from primitive bone-forming mesenchymal cells and is the most common primary bone malignancy. Therapeutic targeting of osteosarcoma has been unsuccessful; therefore, identifying novel osteosarcoma pathogenesis could offer new therapeutic options. CDK7 is a subunit within the general transcription factor TFIIH.

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Article Synopsis
  • Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent issue, with diagnosis relying on subjective assessments and X-ray evaluations that can vary between doctors.
  • In this study, researchers compared five machine learning methods, particularly a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), to predict OA severity from X-ray data gathered from two hospitals.
  • The use of CNN also involves generating attention maps to illustrate key radiological features influencing predictions, enhancing transparency and potentially increasing trust in automated diagnostic tools, while also alleviating workload for clinicians, especially in underserved regions.
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Tendon adhesion formation is associated with the aberrant expression of many genes, and interfering with the expression of these genes can prevent adhesion and promote tendon repair. Recent studies have found that silencing the transforming growth factor β-1 () gene can reduce the occurrence of tendon adhesions. The development of tissue engineering and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology have provided new solutions for tendon repair.

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Objectives: Aseptic loosening (AL) is the most common reason of total hip arthroplasty (THA) failure and revision surgery. Osteolysis, caused by wear particles released from implant surfaces, has a vital role in AL. Although previous studies suggest that wear particles always lead to osteoblast programmed death in the process of AL, the specific mechanism remains incompletely understood and osteoblast ferroptosis maybe a new mechanism of AL.

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  • Achilles tendon rupture often leads to poor recovery due to ineffective healing and fibrosis, which limits tendon motion.
  • Macrophages, particularly M2 type, play a significant role in the healing process after tendon injuries by releasing exosomes containing circRNA-Ep400.
  • Increased levels of circRNA-Ep400 in these exosomes stimulate peritendinous fibrosis by downregulating miR-15b-5p and upregulating fibroblast growth factors, indicating potential new treatment strategies for improving tendon injury recovery.
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  • Osteosarcoma is a common and aggressive bone cancer with limited treatment options; however, NHWD-870, a BET inhibitor, shows promising results in suppressing tumor growth and promoting cell death.
  • The study reveals that NHWD-870 disrupts the interaction between BRD4 and GP130, weakening the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, which plays a role in cancer progression.
  • In preclinical models, NHWD-870 not only inhibits osteosarcoma growth but also affects osteoclast activity, suggesting it could be an effective treatment for bone-related cancers by breaking the cycle of tumor growth and bone loss.
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Osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, which mainly occurs in teenagers. Recent studies have shown that tumor-infiltrating immune cells play an important role in the progression of OS. In the present study, we identified two immune subtypes of OS (referred to as high and low immune cell infiltration subtypes, respectively) based on immune-related gene sets using TARGET and GEO cohort datasets.

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Background: The function of H3F3A G43W mutation, which has been observed in almost all GCTB, remains poorly characterized. Breakthrough in malignant GCTB has been trapped by the lack of clinical available drugs, limited canonical patient samples and paucity of fidelity preclinical models.

Methods: Tumor samples obtained from a malignant GCTB was implanted in immunodeficient mice for the generation of PDX.

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Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone cancer in adolescents and lung metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with OS. However, the molecular mechanisms that promote OS growth and metastasis remain unknown.

Methods: We investigated the expression of myosin light chain kinase family members between metastasis and non-metastasis patients in the TARGET database and ensured that only myosin light chain kinase family member 4 (MYLK4) had higher expression in metastatic osteosarcoma patients.

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Glycolysis ensures energy supply to cancer cells, thereby facilitating tumor progression. Here, we identified glycolysis-related genes that could predict the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma. We examined 198 glycolysis-related genes that showed differential expression in metastatic and non-metastatic osteosarcoma samples in the TARGET database, and identified three genes (P4HA1, ABCB6, and STC2) for the establishment of a risk signature.

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Despite the growing recognition of metabolic reprogramming as an important hallmark of cancer in the past few years, the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic alterations during tumorigenesis remain unclear. In this study, we identified a critical role of Her4 in rewiring cancer metabolism toward tumor-promoting metabolic processes, including increased glycolysis, glutaminolysis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and oxidative phosphorylation, which may in part cooperate to promote tumorigenesis. We found that overexpression of Her4 promoted the stabilization of c-Myc through a CIP2A-mediated increase in c-Myc phosphorylation and GSK3β-mediated decrease in c-Myc phosphorylation, both of which decreased c-Myc degradation.

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Aging drives the accumulation of senescent cells (SnCs) by secreting factors that cause the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), including stem cells in the bone marrow, which contribute to aging-related bone degradation. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a serious chronic injury disease, and increasing age is a major risk factor. The accumulation of SnCs may accelerate the development of OA, and the accumulation of SnCs may benefit from its resistance to apoptotic stimuli.

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Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a common malignant cancer in children and adolescents and has a cure rate that has not improved in the last two decades. CYT997 (lexibulin) is a novel potent microtubule-targeting agent with various anticancer activities, such as proliferation inhibition, vascular disruption, and cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction, in multiple cancers. However, the direct cytotoxic mechanisms of CYT997 have not yet been fully characterized.

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Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) aging seriously affects its function in stem cell transplantation for treatment. Extensive studies have focused on how to inhibit senescence in MSCs. However, the mechanism of senescence in MSC was not clear.

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