Hong Liu

Bio: Hong Liu is an academic researcher from Shandong University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Materials science. The author has an hindex of 100, co-authored 1905 publications receiving 57561 citations. Previous affiliations of Hong Liu include Shanghai University & Guangzhou University.

Effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors on anemia in patients with CKD: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials including 2804 patients

Abstract: Hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) are orally active first-in-class new generation drugs for renal anemia. This extensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was designed to provide clear information on the efficacy and safety of HIF-PHIs on anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Searches included PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library database up to October 2019. RCTs of patients with CKD comparing HIF-PHIs with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) or placebo in the treatment of anemia. The primary outcome was hemoglobin change from baseline (Hb CFB); the secondary outcomes included iron-related parameters and the occurrence of each adverse event. 26 trials in 17 articles were included, with a total of 2804 dialysis or patients with CKD. HIF-PHIs treatment produced a significant beneficial effect on Hb CFB compared with the placebo group (MD, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.02). However, this favored effect of HIF-PHIs treatment was not observed in subgroup analysis among trials compared with ESAs (MD, 0.06; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.31). The significant reduction in hepcidin by HIF-PHIs was observed in all subgroups when compared with the placebo group, whereas this effect was observed only in NDD-CKD patients when compared with ESAs. HIF-PHIs increased the risk of nausea (RR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.06 to 4.53) and diarrhea (RR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.92). We conclude that orally given HIF-PHIs are at least as efficacious as ESAs treatment to correct anemia short term in patients with CKD. In addition, HIF-PHIs improved iron metabolism and utilization in patients with CKD.

CCN3 suppresses TGF-β1-induced extracellular matrix accumulation in human mesangial cells in vitro.

Abstract: Glomerular sclerosis is characterized by mesangial cell proliferation and progressive extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation. CCN3 belongs to the CCN family of matrix proteins; increasing evidence suggests that CCN3 is an endogenous negative regulator of the ECM and fibrosis. However, the exact role of CCN3 in the accumulation of ECM remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of CCN3 on TGF-β1-induced production of ECM in human mesangial cells (HMCs) in vitro. Treatment with TGF-β1 (0.5-2.0 ng/mL) suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of CCN3 in HMCs in dose- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, treatment with TGF-β1 significantly increased the expression of the two markers of renal fibrosis, fibronectin (FN) and type I collagen (COLI), in HMCs. Moreover, treatment with TGF-β1 significantly decreased the expression of metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and markedly increased the expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in HMCs. Pretreatment of HMCs with exogenous CCN3 (5-500 ng/mL) or overexpression of CCN3 significantly attenuated TGF-β1-induced changes in FN, COLI, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in HMCs. These results suggest that CCN3 suppresses TGF-β1-induced accumulation of ECM in HMCs. CCN3 may have potential as a novel therapeutic target for alleviating glomerulosclerosis.

Fabrication of a uniform Au nanodot array/monolayer graphene hybrid structure for high-performance surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Abstract: Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a powerful tool for sensing, which can detect a broad range of chemical and biological analytes at the single-molecule level. In this work, a hybrid structure of Au nanodot array and high-quality graphene monolayer is used as SERS substrate, which integrates the electromagnetic enhancement from Au nanodots and chemical enhancement from monolayer graphene. The fabricated SERS substrates consist of uniform round top shape Au nanodot array with coverage of 36.9% where their diameter and gap distribution ranges from ~ 33 to ~ 42 nm and from ~ 22 to ~ 28 nm. The hybrid Au nanodot array/monolayer Gr SERS substrate exhibited a 4.67 times enhanced Raman signal compared to Au nanodots without Gr at the R6G concentration of 10−6 M. The detection limit of R6G is achieved as low as 4.69 × 10−9 M on the Au nanodot array/Gr SERS substrate. These experiments demonstrate a facile approach to fabricate hybrid metal nanostructure/2D materials SERS substrate for biomedical and environmental sensing and provide a clue for high-performance optoelectronic devices.

MoS2-wrapped Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanospheres towards efficient photocatalytic H2 generation and CO2 reduction

Abstract: Herein, a series of MoS2-wrapped Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanospheres with different MoS2 content were fabricated via a two-step hydrothermal route. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared MoS2/Mn0.2Cd0.8S composites for H2 production and reduction of CO2 under visible light irradiation was investigated. The results demonstrated that the ultra-thin MoS2 nanosheets were uniformly wrapped on the surface of cauliflower-like Mn0.2Cd0.8S nanospheres, and an intimate interfacial contact was formed between MoS2 and Mn0.2Cd0.8S. The MoS2/Mn0.2Cd0.8S hybrids exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with the pristine Mn0.2Cd0.8S. The optimal MoS2 loading content was determined to be 3.0 wt%, giving a H2 production rate of 335.02 μmol h−1 and a CH3OH production rate of 2.13 μmol h−1, which were around 5.1 and 5.4 times that of bare Mn0.2Cd0.8S, respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity was predominantly attributed to the intimate contacts between Mn0.2Cd0.8S and MoS2, which facilitated the transfer and separation of the photoexcited charge carriers. Moreover, the as-synthesized MoS2/Mn0.2Cd0.8S composites also showed excellent stability. This study demonstrates the great potential of MoS2-wrapped Mn0.2Cd0.8S as a noble-metal-free catalyst for photocatalytic energy conversion.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

The chemistry of two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets

Abstract: Ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are fundamentally and technologically intriguing. In contrast to the graphene sheet, they are chemically versatile. Mono- or few-layered TMDs - obtained either through exfoliation of bulk materials or bottom-up syntheses - are direct-gap semiconductors whose bandgap energy, as well as carrier type (n- or p-type), varies between compounds depending on their composition, structure and dimensionality. In this Review, we describe how the tunable electronic structure of TMDs makes them attractive for a variety of applications. They have been investigated as chemically active electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and hydrosulfurization, as well as electrically active materials in opto-electronics. Their morphologies and properties are also useful for energy storage applications such as electrodes for Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.