Publications by authors named "Zhi-Cheng Hu"
Distribution and Environmental Preference of Potential Mercury Methylators in Paddy Soils across China.
Environ Sci Technol
February 2025
The neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg) is produced mainly from the transformation of inorganic Hg by microorganisms carrying the gene pair. Paddy soils are known to harbor diverse microbial communities exhibiting varying abilities in methylating inorganic Hg, but their distribution and environmental drivers remain unknown at a large spatial scale. Using gene amplicon sequencing, this study examined Hg-methylating communities from major rice-producing paddy soils across a transect of ∼3600 km and an altitude of ∼1300 m in China.
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- Organ shape in plants and animals usually develops during the early stages of growth, but some examples show that shapes can be altered later through reshaping processes, like in Capsella fruit.
- Research reveals that the heart shape of Capsella fruits is created through specific changes in cell growth and division after fertilization, driven by a mechanism involving auxin and a crucial regulatory element.
- This regulatory element, found in the promoter of the CrSTM gene, allows for a self-reinforcing loop that helps control the shape transformation of the fruit, indicating a shared molecular process across different species in the Brassicaceae family.
Polarized auxin transport regulates fruit shape determination by promoting anisotropic cell growth. Angiosperms produce organs with distinct shape resultant from adaptive evolution. Understanding the cellular basis underlying the development of plant organ has been a central topic in plant biology as it is key to unlock the mechanisms leading to the diversification of plants.
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- Legacy-contaminated sites can leak mercury into the environment, which is harmful to both nature and people.
- When it rains a lot (especially frequently), mercury moves deeper into the soil more than when it rains heavily but less often.
- Rain also helps certain microbes turn mercury into a more toxic form called methylmercury, which can create bigger problems for the environment.
The imbalance of nutrient elements in paddy soil could affect biogeochemical processes; however, how the key elements input influence microbially-driven conversion of mercury (Hg) to neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) remains virtually unknown. Herein, we conducted a series of microcosm experiments to explore the effects of certain species of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) on microbial MeHg production in two typical paddy soils (yellow and black soil). Results showed that the addition of C alone into the soils increased MeHg production approximately 2-13 times in the yellow and black soils; while the combined addition of N and C mitigated the C- promoting effect significantly.
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- The text outlines a method for testing SUMOylation of target proteins in plants through the use of DEX-inducible tagged proteins.
- It details the construction of FLAG-tagged plasmids that can be used to induce protein overexpression.
- The protocol allows for SUMOylation assays in specific cells or tissues and can also be used for proteins that are lethal when overexpressed, with further information provided in a reference to Dong et al. (2020).
Ablation strategies for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
J Geriatr Cardiol
November 2020
Background: Catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) has significantly evolved over the past decade. However, different ablation strategies showed inconsistency in acute and long-term outcomes.
Methods: We searched the databases of Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library through October 17, 2019 for studies describing the clinical outcomes of VT ablation in ARVC.
Relationship between red blood cell distribution width levels and atrial fibrillation in hypertensive patients.
J Geriatr Cardiol
August 2020
Background: Information on the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with essential hypertension are scarce. The study aimed to assess the relationship between AF and RDW in hypertensive patients.
Methods: We enrolled 432 hypertensive patients, including 350 AF patients and 82 patients as controls.
Correlations between low thyroid function and incidence of atrial fibrillation in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Chronic Dis Transl Med
March 2020
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), analyzing a cohort of 806 patients.
- Results show that hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid condition among these patients, with higher rates of AF detected in individuals with both overt and subclinical hypothyroidism, along with significant differences in thyroid hormone levels between AF and non-AF groups.
- The findings suggest that lower levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), higher free thyroxine (FT4), and increased thyrotropin (TSH) levels are independently associated with a higher incidence of AF,
TIEG1 Represses Smad7-Mediated Activation of TGF-β1/Smad Signaling in Keloid Pathogenesis.
J Invest Dermatol
May 2017
Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling plays a key role in excessive fibrosis and keloid formations. Smad7 is a negative feedback regulator that prevents activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling. However, the regulatory mechanism for Smad7 in the keloid pathogenic process remains elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffectiveness and safety of negative-pressure wound therapy for diabetic foot ulcers: a meta-analysis.
Plast Reconstr Surg
July 2014
Article Synopsis
- - The authors performed a meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness and safety of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for diabetic foot ulcers, analyzing studies published until February 2013.
- - Results from eight studies involving 669 patients showed that NPWT significantly improved healing rates, reduced ulcer size, and shortened healing times compared to standard wound care, with fewer major amputations.
- - The conclusion indicates NPWT is a more efficient treatment for diabetic foot ulcers while maintaining a comparable safety profile to standard therapies.
Context: Searching for polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) respiratory burst inhibitors is an important topic in the treatment of human diseases associated with inflammation.
Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effects of phenolics isolated from Artocarpus styracifolius Pierre (Moraceae) on respiratory burst induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA).
Materials And Methods: The anti-respiratory burst activities of eight phenolics (20 µM) were assessed by determining luminol-dependent chemiluminiscence in rat PMNs.
Article Synopsis
- - This study aims to identify proteins associated with keloids by comparing protein expression between keloid skin and normal skin using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.
- - Researchers analyzed skin samples from 8 keloid patients and 3 normal controls, discovering 40 significant protein spots with differences in abundance, including 20 that were up-regulated and 12 that were down-regulated.
- - The findings highlight various proteins related to different functions such as signaling, immunity, and the extracellular matrix, potentially paving the way for understanding keloid formation and developing new treatments.
Background: Methylprednisolone has been demonstrated to decrease inflammation, and it may protect organs from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study aimed to investigate the effects of methylprednisolone on diabetic myocardial I/R injury.
Methods: Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into five groups (n = 8 in each group) including a sham operation (sham) group, I/R group, diabetic sham operation (DMS) group, diabetic I/R (DM-I/R) group and methylprednisolone intervention (MP + DM-I/R) group.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the effectiveness of early escharectomy combined with composite razor-thin skin grafting and acellular dermal matrix scaffolding for treating deep facial burns.
- Early intervention was performed on 16 patients, and by the 12th day post-surgery, the composite skin grafts had a success rate of 97.3%, resulting in normal-looking skin with minimal scarring for most.
- The approach is particularly beneficial for patients with limited donor skin and shows promising outcomes in enhancing facial appearance and texture following severe burns.