Publications by authors named "Xiangru Liu"

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) uniquely combines optical resolution with ultrasonic penetration capabilities. However, conventional focused Gaussian beam excitation presents inherent limitations in detection visibility and spatial resolution. Although increasing optical NA can partially mitigate these constraints, it inevitably compromises working distance (WD) and depth of field (DoF) and thus poses challenges for large-volume imaging.

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New bistricyclic aromatic enes (BAEs) with a faster conformational transition were synthesized to improve the fabrication efficiency of BAE-based piezochromic films. Through ultrathin design, our 5-μm-thick BAE-based films can conform to non-planar surfaces and minimize disruption to the original interfacial pressure, improving the precision for mapping interfacial pressure distribution.

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Butyrate-producing Clostridium spp. play fundamental roles in maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis by producing short-chain fatty acids. However, exploration of the strain resources and their probiotic effects remains limited.

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Introduction: Uricase replacement therapy is a promising approach for managing hyperuricemia and gout but is hindered by challenges such as short blood circulation time, reduced catalytic activity, and excessive hydrogen peroxide (HO) production. These limitations necessitate innovative strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Methods: We designed and synthesized RBC@SeMSN@Uri, a red blood cell-coated biomimetic self-cascade bioreactor, which encapsulates uricase (Uri) and a selenium-based nano-scavenger (SeMSN) within RBC membranes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ion-conductive hydrogels are vital for flexible electronics but face challenges in maintaining high ionic conductivity and stability in varying humidity.
  • The study introduces a new elastic and conductive hydrogel made from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and high HSO content, utilizing a thermally controlled cross-linking method to overcome stability issues.
  • The resulting hydrogel shows impressive ionic conductivity and resilience, maintaining performance across different humidity levels and demonstrating potential as a stretchable Joule heater for flexible electronic applications.
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Zebrafish serve as valuable models for research on growth, immunity, and gut microbiota due to their genomic similarities with mammals, transparent embryos developed in a relatively clean chorion environment, and extremely rapid development of larvae compared to rodent models. Germ-free (GF) zebrafish (Danio rerio) are crucial for evaluating pollutant toxicity and establishing human-like disease models related to microbial functions. In comparison to conventionally raised (CR) models (fish in common husbandry), GF zebrafish allow for more accurate manipulation of the host microbiota, aiding in determining the causal relationship between microorganisms and hosts.

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Speckle-correlation optical scattering imaging (SCOSI) has shown the potential for non-invasive biomedical diagnostic applications, which directly utilizes the scattering patterns to reconstruct the deep and non-line-of-sight objects. However, the course of the translation of this technique to preclinical biomedical imaging applications has been postponed by the following two facts: 1) the field of view of SCOSI was significantly limited by the optical memory effect, and 2) the molecular-tagged functional imaging of the biological tissues remains largely unexplored. In this work, a proof-of-concept design of the first-generation widefield functional SCOSI (WF-SCOSI) system was presented for simultaneously achieving mesoscopic mapping of fluid morphology and flow rate, which was realized by implementing the concepts of scanning synthesis and fluorescence scattering flowmetry.

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The presence of heavy metal ions in water environments has raised significant concerns, necessitating practical solutions for their complete removal. In this study, a combination of adsorption and electrocoagulation (ADS + EC) techniques was introduced as an efficient approach for removing high concentrations of nickel ions (Ni) from aqueous solutions, employing low-cost sunflower seed shell biochar (SSSB). The combined techniques demonstrated superior removal efficiency compared to individual methods.

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Photoacoustic microscope (PAM) with a low-optical NA suffers from a limited view along the optical axis, due to the coherent cancellation of acoustic pressure waves after being excited with a smoothly focused beam. Using larger-NA (NA > 0.3) objectives can readily overcome the limited-view problem, while the consequences are the shallow working distance and time-consuming depth scanning for large-volume imaging.

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is known for forming bacterial biofilms that confer increased antimicrobial resistance. Combining antibiotics with antibiofilm agents is an alternative approach, but the antibiofilm ability of prodigiosin (PG), a potential antibiotic synergist, against antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) remains to be understood. The antibiofilm activity of PG against 29 clinical AMR strains was evaluated using crystal violet staining, and its synergistic effects with vancomycin (VAN) was confirmed using the checkerboard test.

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Prodigiosin (PG) is a secondary metabolite of microorganisms with anticancer, antimalarial, antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects. However, the modulatory effects on gut microbiome and intestinal immune microenvironment have never been explored in the ulcerative colitis (UC) mice model. In this study, 2.

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nFeO was prepared from waste iron slag and loaded onto air stone (named magnetic air stone or MAS in the following text). The main component of air stone is carborundum. To study the magnetic effects of MAS on denitrification, a biofilm reactor was built, and its microbial community structure and electron transfer in denitrification were analyzed.

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Traditional herbal medicine (THM) is used worldwide for its safety and effectiveness against various diseases. Huoxiang Zhengqi (HXZQ) is an extensively used Chinese THM formula targeting gastrointestinal disordered gastroenteritis regulating the intestinal microbiome/immuno-microenvironment. However, the specific mechanisms remain largely unexplored, besides as a lifestyle drug, its safety on the gut microbiome homeostasis has never been investigated.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The research focuses on a cost-effective method for removing copper and nickel ions from wastewater using activated green waste tea residue (AGWTR) without the need for chemical activation, combined with electrocoagulation techniques.
  • - The process achieved remarkable removal efficiencies of 100% for copper and 99.99% for nickel, with various operating parameters optimized for effectiveness.
  • - Characterization of the adsorbent indicated its potential in recycling metal-related industrial wastes, offering a sustainable waste-to-green solution for water pollution control.
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This study elucidated copper (Cu) transport and trafficking mechanisms at the cellular interface using the Cu-resistant strain Klebsiella oxytoca CAV 1374. The optimum conditions for biosorption were determined by investigating uptake rates due to initial pH, initial Cu concentrations, and maximum tolerated concentrations (MTC) of Cu. Cellular fraction analysis and depth-profiling XPS were used to comprehensively evaluate the spatial-temporal distribution of Cu on cellular interfaces during biosorption.

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Rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RAFLS) proliferate abnormally and resist apoptosis. Geldanamycin (GA) and other HSP90 inhibitors have emerged as promising therapeutic agents that inhibited cancer cell growth. In this study, we explored the effects of HSP90 inhibitor, GA, on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced proliferation and apoptosis of RAFLS, and the underlying mechanism.

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The vibrational frequencies of three substituted 4-thioflavones in the ground state have been calculated using the Hartree-Fock and density functional method (B3LYP) with 6-31G* and 6-31+G** basis sets. The structural analysis shows that there exists H-bonding in the selected compounds and the hydrogen bond lengths increase with the augment of the conjugate parameters of the substituent group on the benzene ring. A complete vibrational assignment aided by the theoretical harmonic wavenumber analysis was proposed.

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