Publications by authors named "Simin Lu"

Background: The role of the gut microbiome in respiratory infections is increasingly recognized. We have found that a gut commensal strain, Bacteroides dorei RX2020 (B. dorei) previously isolated from healthy human fecal microbiota, alleviates influenza virus infection, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Influenza, a highly transmissible acute respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses, is responsible for annual seasonal epidemics and poses a substantial global disease burden. While primarily recognized for its respiratory manifestations, influenza infection exhibits significant extrapulmonary effects, particularly through disrupting gut microbiota composition and compromising intestinal barrier integrity. This study investigates the protective efficacy of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain GUANKE against influenza-associated intestinal pathology in a murine model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Dictamni Cortex (Dictamnus dasycarpus root barks) has been widely applied across Asia for inflammatory dermatological conditions, including eczema, pruritus, allergies, and urticaria. Among the active compounds in Dictamni Cortex, dictamnine exhibits notable anti-inflammatory and antipruritic properties, contributing to its therapeutic effects against skin inflammation. However, dictamnine, a furoquinoline alkaloid, shares a structural framework with linear furanocoumarines such as 8-methoxypsoralen and 5-methoxypsoralen, which are known for their photoactive properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This retrospective study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic evaluation system based on the LASSO-Cox regression model for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing radiochemotherapy.

Methods: Data from 186 patients treated between 2013 and 2019 at three tertiary hospitals in China were analyzed. Patients were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set in a 7:3 ratio.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

GUANKE ( GUANKE) is a Gram-positive bacterium isolated from the feces of healthy volunteers. Whole-genome sequencing analysis (WGS) revealed that the genome of GUANKE consists of one chromosome and two plasmids, with the chromosome harbors 2955 CDS, 66 tRNAs, and 5 rRNAs. The genome is devoid of virulence factors and Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Knee arthrofibrosis, characterized by excessive matrix protein production and deposition, substantially impairs basic daily functions, causing considerable distress and financial burden. However, the underlying pathomechanisms remain unclear. Here, we characterized the heterogeneous cell populations and cellular pathways by combination of flow cytometry and single-cell RNA-seq analysis of synovial tissues from six patients with or without knee arthrofibrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) targets epithelial cells in the respiratory tract, triggering an acute proinflammatory response and chronic lung inflammation. Probiotic supplementation has shown promise in reducing the nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load, diminishing symptom frequency and duration, and mitigating inflammation; thus, it is a potential strategy for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the oral administration of the GUANKE strain, a gram-positive bacterium originally isolated from a healthy individual, on SARS-CoV-2 infection in a human ACE2 transgenic mouse model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED), characterized by markedly reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, vasoconstriction, and a shift toward a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state, is an important contributor to hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is widely involved in cardiovascular development. Przewaquinone A (PA), a lipophilic diterpene quinone extracted from Salvia przewalskii Maxim, inhibits vascular contraction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the sex differences in the development and treatment of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN), a common side effect of the cancer drug paclitaxel, using male and female mice models.
  • Male and female mice were administered paclitaxel and subjected to behavioral tests to evaluate pain levels and the effectiveness of PD-L1 as a potential treatment.
  • Results showed that female mice experienced more severe pain and had higher levels of pain-related proteins (TRPV1 and CGRP) compared to male mice, with PD-L1 showing more significant pain relief in females.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The key to rationally and rapidly designing high-performance materials is the monitoring and comprehension of dynamic processes within individual particles in real-time, particularly to gain insight into the anisotropy of nanoparticles. The intrinsic property of nanoparticles typically varies from one crystal facet to the next under realistic working conditions. Here, we introduce the operando collision electrochemistry to resolve the single silver nanoprisms (Ag NPs) anisotropy in photoelectrochemistry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess the postoperative outcomes of double-level knee derotational osteotomy (KDRO) combined with medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) and to compare it with tibial tuber transfer (TTT) and MPFLR without derotational osteotomy in patients with recurrent patellar instability and a marked torsional deformity.

Methods: From March 2020 to December 2021, patients with torsion deformity (combined femoral torsion [FT] and tibial torsion [TTn] ≥30°) were retrospectively included. The minimum follow-up time was 18 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electrocatalysis is considered promising in renewable energy conversion and storage, yet numerous efforts rely on catalyst design to advance catalytic activity. Herein, a hydrodynamic single-particle electrocatalysis methodology is developed by integrating collision electrochemistry and microfluidics to improve the activity of an electrocatalysis system. As a proof-of-concept, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is electrocatalyzed by individual palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs), with the development of microchannel-based ultramicroelectrodes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

GUANKE is a Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from the feces of healthy volunteer. We have previously shown that GUANKE enhances the efficacy of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and prolongs the duration of vaccine protection by upregulating the IFN pathway and T and B lymphocyte functions of the host. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effects and mechanism of oral administration of Lactobacillus plantarum GUANKE in the influenza (A virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34) infection mouse model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been considered a promising treatment for musculoskeletal disorders. The effects of PRP on clinical outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are controversial.

Objective: To compare subjective outcomes and graft maturity in patients undergoing ACLR with and without postoperative intra-articular PRP injection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction (SICD) is a serious complication of sepsis that is associated with increased mortality. Ferroptosis has been reported in the SICD. TaoHe ChengQi decoction (THCQD), a classical traditional Chinese medicinal formula, has multiple beneficial pharmacological effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Partial nitritation-Anammox (PN/A) process can be restricted when treating high ammonia nitrogen wastewater containing antibiotics. This study aims to explore the response mechanism of the PN/A process under antibiotic stress. Results showed the PN/A process achieved a nitrogen removal rate higher than 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nanofluidic biosensors have been widely used for detection of analytes based on the change of system resistance before and after target-probe interactions. However, their sensitivity is limited when system resistance barely changes toward low-concentration targets. Here, we proposed a strategy to address this issue by means of target-induced change of local membrane potential under relatively unchanged system resistance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To compare the biomechanical effects of augmenting Bankart repair (BR) with either remplissage or dynamic anterior stabilization (DAS) in the treatment of anterior shoulder instability with on-track or off-track bipolar bone loss.

Methods: Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were tested at 60° of glenohumeral abduction in the intact, injury, and repair conditions. Injury conditions included 15% glenoid bone loss with an on-track or off-track Hill-Sachs lesion as previously recommended.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Increasing evidence shows that some probiotics can improve vaccine responses as adjuvants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Pediococcus pentosaceus MIANGUAN (PPM) on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-elicited immune response in mice. Six-week-old female ICR mice were primed and boosted with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intramuscularly at weeks 0 and 4, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Some toxic and refractory pollutants in coal chemical wastewater can penetrate the biochemical treatment systems and cause high concentrations of suspended solids in the effluent, which may obstruct the subsequent advanced treatment. In this project, a submerged ceramic plate membrane system was integrated to the last oxic corridor of an existing multistage anoxic/oxic tank. In the ceramic flat membrane bioreactor, the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) was 102.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most relevant systems of interest to modern chemists rarely consist of a single phase. Real-world problems that require a rigorous understanding of chemical reactivity in multiple phases include the development of wearable and implantable biosensors, efficient fuel cells, single cell metabolic characterization techniques, and solar energy conversion devices. Within all of these systems, confinement effects at the nanoscale influence the chemical reaction coordinate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Myocardial fibrosis is a growing health issue linked to heart attacks (myocardial infarctions), prompting the need for effective treatments.
  • This study explores the effects of a natural compound, ethyl ferulate (EF), on the TGF-receptor 1 (TGFBR1) signaling pathway in the context of myocardial fibrosis after a heart attack.
  • Results showed that EF reduced fibrosis and improved heart function by inhibiting TGFBR1 signaling, both in live mice and in cell cultures, indicating its potential as a therapeutic agent for heart conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF