Publications by authors named "Pengjun Lu"

SnRK kinases, central regulators of plant stress response, remain uncharacterized in -an ancient gymnosperm valued for paclitaxel production. This study aimed to identify the family and elucidate its functional roles. Specifically, we identified genes through genomic analysis and assessed tissue-specific expression via transcriptomics, while regulatory networks were deciphered using WGCNA.

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Introduction: Non-survey-based data sources (e.g. electronic health records, administrative claims) have been used to estimate vaccination coverage among US adults.

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  • The study used the National Immunization Survey data and regression tree methodology to analyze how demographic and geographic factors affected COVID-19 vaccination rates over time, revealing previously unrecognized patterns.
  • Three models were created to track the likelihood of individuals receiving the first vaccine dose, completing the vaccination series, and getting a booster dose, with specific demographic groups showing different propensities based on age, recent vaccinations, and work or school requirements.
  • Key findings included that older adults were more likely to get vaccinated and boosted, individuals who had received other vaccines recently were more likely to start and complete their vaccinations, and those with vaccination requirements from work or school were also more inclined to complete the primary series.
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  • The COVID-19 pandemic has had a more significant negative impact on the health of food system (FS) essential workers compared to other worker categories, with notable disparities among different FS subpopulations.
  • An analysis of data from over 151,000 essential worker respondents revealed that FS workers had lower vaccination rates and requirements for vaccines at work or school compared to non-food system (NFS) workers, despite similar experiences during the vaccination process.
  • The study highlighted variations in vaccination intent and attitudes among unvaccinated FS workers; specifically, food manufacturing and beverage store workers were more open to vaccination, while those in agriculture and forestry showed more reluctance, emphasizing the need for targeted health initiatives.
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  • The Prime Editing (PE) system has potential in plant breeding, particularly for dicots, but experiences low efficiency which limits its application despite its advantages over other gene editing tools.
  • This study aims to address the low PE efficiency in dicots, exploring the use of split PE segments that have shown better results in mammalian cells, with the goal of finding an optimal combination for dicot transformation.
  • The findings indicate that a new multi-modular assembled prime editing system (mPE) significantly improves editing efficiency across various gene sites, achieving better results than the original PE2, especially for multi-base insertions.
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COVID-19 booster dose vaccination has been crucial in ensuring protection against COVID-19 including recently predominant Omicron variants. Because vaccines against newer SARS-CoV- 2 variants are likely to be recommended in future, it will be valuable to understand past booster dose uptake among different demographic groups. Using U.

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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in men and women in the United States (1). Vaccination prevents and controls HPV infection and associated outcomes, including genital warts, precancerous lesions, and certain cancers, such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal (2,3). HPV vaccination in the United States has been recommended for girls since 2006 and for boys since 2011 and requires multiple doses (2,3).

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Introduction/objectives: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes routine vaccination, sufficient sleep, and adequate physical activity as behavioral approaches to reduce the incidence of influenza. We aimed to determine the joint national prevalence of these health behaviors among U.S.

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  • * A study analyzed data from over a million respondents to understand the relationship between healthcare discrimination experiences and COVID-19 vaccination status and intent, revealing notable disparities among different racial and ethnic groups.
  • * Notably, 10.7% of Black respondents reported discrimination in healthcare, which corresponded with a higher likelihood of being unvaccinated, indicating that improving healthcare equity could help reduce health disparities.
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  • The study investigates the prevalence of influenza vaccination hesitancy (IVH) among U.S. adults and its association with various sociodemographic factors and vaccination status.
  • Results showed that 36.9% of adults were hesitant about getting the flu vaccine, with concerns about side effects and a lack of trust in healthcare providers being significant factors.
  • Understanding these hesitancies can help develop targeted interventions to increase flu vaccination rates among different populations.
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Pregnant women* and their infants are at increased risk for serious influenza, pertussis, and COVID-19-related complications, including preterm birth, low-birth weight, and maternal and fetal death. The advisory committee on immunization practices recommends pregnant women receive tetanus-toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during pregnancy, and influenza and COVID-19 vaccines before or during pregnancy. Vaccination coverage estimates and factors associated with maternal vaccination are measured by various surveillance systems.

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COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are safe and maintain protection after receipt of a primary vaccination series and reduce the risk for serious COVID-19-related outcomes, including emergency department visits, hospitalization, and death (1,2). CDC recommended an updated (bivalent) booster for adolescents aged 12-17 years and adults aged ≥18 years on September 1, 2022 (3). The bivalent booster is formulated to protect against the Omicron BA.

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  • A study investigated why many U.S. adults remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, highlighting behavioral and social factors that influence vaccine uptake across different regions.
  • Among over 255,000 respondents, 76% reported receiving at least one vaccine dose, with higher rates in older adults, females, and Asian non-Hispanic individuals.
  • Key drivers for vaccination included feelings of regret about not getting vaccinated, perceived risks of COVID-19, and confidence in vaccine safety, indicating that targeted interventions could improve vaccination rates.
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Introduction: Focusing on subpopulations that express the intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccination but are unvaccinated may improve the yield of COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of 789,658 U.S.

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  • By the end of 2021, 15% of U.S. adults were unvaccinated against COVID-19, prompting a study using K-means clustering to categorize these individuals based on behavioral and social factors influencing their vaccination status.
  • The study analyzed data from over 187,000 participants, identifying three clusters of unvaccinated adults: "Reachable," "Less reachable," and "Least reachable," with the latter group showing the lowest concern about COVID-19 and the least vaccine confidence.
  • The findings can assist public health officials and community leaders in creating targeted vaccination campaigns and inform policymakers about interventions suited for different unvaccinated subgroups.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for all persons >18 years of age. We analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey-Adult COVID Module collected during February 27-March 26, 2022 to assess COVID-19 booster dose vaccination coverage among adults. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess factors associated with vaccination.

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  • This study investigates how the reasons for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19 differ across various regions of the U.S., using data from nearly 532,000 adults between May and December 2021.
  • The research found that by December 2021, 79.3% of adults had received at least one dose of the vaccine, with the Southeast and Midwest having the highest rates of unvaccinated individuals who were either undecided or inclined to get vaccinated.
  • Key factors affecting vaccination rates included varying levels of confidence in the vaccine's safety and importance, suggesting that tailored outreach efforts may be necessary to address these regional disparities.
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  • Influenza has caused significant health impacts from 2010-2020, with millions of illnesses and tens of thousands of deaths, and historical disparities exist in hospitalization and vaccination rates among different racial and ethnic groups compared to non-Hispanic White individuals.!* -
  • An analysis of hospitalization rates from 2009-2022 shows higher rates for non-Hispanic Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic adults, while vaccination coverage in 2021-22 was notably lower for these groups compared to White and non-Hispanic Asian adults.!* -
  • The gap in vaccination rates has persisted over the years, affecting even insured individuals with access to healthcare, indicating a need for targeted public health interventions to
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To explore previous COVID-19 diagnosis and COVID-19 vaccination status among US essential worker groups. We analyzed the US Census Household Pulse Survey (May 26-July 5, 2021), a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 years and older. We compared currently employed essential workers working outside the home with those working at home using adjusted prevalence ratios.

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A tree model identified adults age ≤34 years, Johnson & Johnson primary series recipients, people from racial/ethnic minority groups, residents of nonlarge metro areas, and those living in socially vulnerable communities in the South as less likely to be boosted. These findings can guide clinical/public health outreach toward specific subpopulations.

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  • Employer vaccination requirements significantly increased COVID-19 vaccination rates among healthcare personnel (HCP), with 90.5% of those subject to these requirements being vaccinated compared to only 73.3% of those without.
  • The study utilized a nationally representative sample of US adults, analyzing responses from HCP regarding their vaccination status and attitudes, focusing on how employer requirements influenced these factors.
  • Findings indicated that vaccination requirements helped reduce disparities in vaccine uptake among various sociodemographic groups, particularly among younger HCP, those with lower education levels, and individuals living in poverty or without insurance.
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  • Many individuals with medical conditions face higher risks of severe illness from COVID-19, prompting a study on their vaccination rates in the U.S.
  • The study analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey, revealing that 81.8% of adults with medical conditions had received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 70.3% of those without conditions.
  • A key finding was that provider recommendations significantly influenced vaccination rates, highlighting the need for better access and confidence in obtaining the vaccine among unvaccinated individuals with medical issues.
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Objective: To assess trends in recent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and factors associated with vaccination among adolescents.

Methods: The 2015 to 2020 National Immunization Survey-Teen data were used to assess vaccination trends. Multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted to assess factors associated with vaccination.

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Background: Pregnant and postpartum women are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. We assessed COVID-19 vaccination coverage, intent, and attitudes among women of reproductive age overall and by pregnancy status in the United States.

Methods: Data from the National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module collected during April 22-November 27, 2021, were analyzed to assess COVID-19 vaccination (receipt of ≥1 dose), intent for vaccination, and attitudes towards vaccination among women aged 18-49 years overall and by pregnancy status (trying to get pregnant, currently pregnant, breastfeeding, and not trying to get pregnant or currently pregnant or breastfeeding).

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