Biomedical subjects

Di Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Di Zhang.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Influence of Repeated-Sprint Bout Duration in Sprint Interval Training Intervention on Physical Performance Adaptations of Young Volleyball Players.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of repeated-sprint training (RST) with varying bout durations on the physical fitness adaptations of young male volleyball players. Forty athletes were randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups performing RST with varying bout durations and similar repetition volumes, all executed at maximal effort. The 3-sec group (n = 10) completed two sets of 30 bouts, the 6-sec group (n = 10) performed two sets of 15 bouts, and the 9-sec group (n = 10) carried out two sets of 10 bouts, each adhering to a 1:3 work to rest ratio. An active control group (n = 10) engaged solely in regular volleyball training without the RST intervention. Physical fitness measures-including countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ), 10-m and 20-m linear sprints, T-test change-of-direction speed (T-CODS), reactive strength index (RSI), and the Wingate anaerobic power test-were assessed pre- and post-a 6-week training intervention (i.e., 18 sessions). All RST groups showed significant post-intervention improvements in physical fitness (main effect of time, p = 0.001), with greater adaptations compared with the control group and effect sizes ranging from small to very large. The 3-sec bout group demonstrated greater gains in CMVJ, 10-m and 20-m sprint performance, RSI, and peak power output compared with the 9-sec group (all, p < 0.05). Conversely, the 9-sec group exhibited superior adaptations in T-CODS and mean power output relative to the 3-sec group (all, p < 0.05). In conclusion, the 3-sec group experienced greater enhancements in explosive and sprint performances, while the 9-sec group showed superior gains in change of direction and mean power output. These findings indicate that manipulation of sprint-bout duration in RST can be used to optimize distinct performance adaptations in young volleyball players.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Bridging Organ-on-a-Chip and Omics: A Multi-Dimensional Frontier in Biomedical Research.

Organ-on-a-Chip (OOC) technology offers a powerful platform for replicating human tissue-specific microenvironments, thereby narrowing the translational gap between conventional biomedical models and actual human physiology. Concurrently, omics technologies deliver comprehensive molecular-level insights into biological systems. This review highlights the transformative potential of integrating OOC platforms with high-throughput omics methodologies. We systematically examine the classification, structural configurations, and engineering principles underlying OOC systems, alongside the defining attributes of key omics domains-genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. The convergence of dynamic OOC models with advanced omics technologies enables high-resolution, multi-dimensional analyses across numerous biomedical applications, including drug metabolism, disease mechanisms, environmental toxicity assessments, and host-microbiome interactions. This interdisciplinary integration is driving a paradigm shift in precision and translational medicine. However, several challenges remain to be addressed, such as the development of whole-organ mimetics, adaptation of sample collection techniques, and real-time artificial intelligence-based integration of biosensor data with multi-omics datasets. Addressing these hurdles will be vital for unlocking the full potential of this technological synergy in biomedical science.

Multiomics↗

PubMed2026

Identification and evaluation of glutamine-related gene characteristics based on multi-omics to predict the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC), a prevalent malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract, ranks among the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Its clinical course is marked by high fatality and poor prognosis. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying CRC initiation and recurrence is therefore critical for identifying novel therapeutic targets. METHODS: This study incorporated two datasets, TCGA-CRC and GSE17537. A total of 84 glutamine metabolism-related genes (GMRGs) were identified, and differential expression analysis was conducted using the TCGA-CRC dataset. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was applied to determine gene modules most strongly associated with GMRG scores. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was utilized to characterize key cellular clusters and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between high and low glutamine metabolism (GM) groups. Overlapping GMRGs were visualized using the ggVennDiagram package in R. A CRC risk prediction model was developed through Cox proportional hazards and LASSO regression analyses, with performance evaluated by ROC curves. Cell type enrichment across 64 immune and stromal populations was assessed via xCell, and intergroup differences were tested using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. TIDE scores were used to estimate immunotherapy responsiveness, while oncoPredict facilitated drug sensitivity profiling. PCOLCE2 expression in CRC was validated by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Its functional role was examined through CCK-8 assays, invasion and migration tests, flow cytometry, and glutamate quantification. RESULTS: ScRNA-seq analysis identified two key cell populations and 437 DEGs associated with GM status. WGCNA pinpointed the MEgreen module as most significantly correlated with GMRG scores, encompassing 1075 genes. Integration of DEGs, module genes, and GM-related DEGs yielded 60 candidate genes for downstream analysis. A GMRG-based prognostic model comprising six genes (SRPX, CXCL1, GPX3, PCOLCE2, CLU, SEMA3E) demonstrated strong predictive performance. Prognostic gene expression correlated with immune and stromal infiltration patterns, as indicated by Spearman correlation analysis. The high-risk group exhibited diminished predicted response to immunotherapy (TIDE scores). Drug sensitivity analysis identified four compounds—Dasatinib-51, WH-4-023-56, TWS-119-366, and LDN-193189-478—with elevated efficacy in high-risk CRC cases. PCOLCE2 expression was significantly reduced in CRC tissues. Functional assays revealed that PCOLCE2 knockdown did not substantially affect cell proliferation but significantly impaired invasion and migration in CRC cells, increased apoptosis, and suppressed both glutamine uptake and glutamate production—highlighting its oncogenic role. CONCLUSION: Six GMRGs—SRPX, CXCL1, GPX3, PCOLCE2, CLU, and SEMA3E—were identified as key components of a robust prognostic model for CRC. These findings offer valuable insights into CRC pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies. Notably, this study provides the first evidence implicating PCOLCE2 as a tumor-promoting factor in CRC.

Glutamine↗

PubMed2025

The new frontier in understanding human and mammalian brain development.

Neurodevelopmental disorders that cause cognitive, behavioural or motor impairments affect around 15% of children and adolescents worldwide1, with diagnoses of profound autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increasing in the USA and contributing to a major economic burden2,3. Yet the origins and mechanisms of these conditions remain poorly understood, limiting progress in therapies. Comprehensive cell atlases of the developing human brain, alongside those of model organisms such as mice and non-human primates, are now providing high-resolution measures of gene expression, cell-type abundance and spatial distribution. In this Perspective, we highlight recent studies that have identified novel developmental cell populations, revealed conserved and divergent patterns of cell genesis, migration and maturation across species, and begun testing hypotheses that link them to processes ranging from transcriptional control of cell fate specification to the emergence of complex behaviours. We present remaining conceptual and technical challenges and provide an outlook on how further studies of human and mammalian brain development can empower a deeper understanding of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Future efforts expanding to additional developmental stages, including adolescence, as well as whole-brain, multimodal and cross-species integration, will yield new insights into how development shapes the brain. These atlases promise to serve as essential references for unravelling mechanisms of brain function and disease vulnerability, and for advancing precision medicine.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Interleukin-6 related signaling pathways as the intersection between chronic diseases and sepsis.

Sepsis is associated with immune dysregulated and organ dysfunction due to severe infection. Clinicians aim to restore organ function, rather than prevent diseases that are prone to sepsis, resulting in high mortality and a heavy public health burden. Some chronic diseases can induce sepsis through inflammation cascade reaction and Cytokine Storm (CS). Interleukin (IL)-6, the core of CS, and its related signaling pathways have been considered as contributors to sepsis. Therefore, it is important to study the relationship between IL-6 and its related pathways in sepsis-related chronic diseases. This review generalized the mechanism of sepsis-related chronic diseases via IL-6 related pathways with the purpose to take rational management for these diseases. IL-6 related signaling pathways were sought in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and retrieved protein-protein interaction in the Search for Interaction Genes tool (STRING). In PubMed and Google Scholar, the studies were searched out, which correlating to IL-6 related pathways and associating with the pathological process of sepsis. Focused on the interactions of sepsis and IL-6 related pathways, some chronic diseases have been studied for association with sepsis, containing insulin resistance, Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), Alzheimer disease (AD), and atherosclerosis. This article summarized the inflammatory mechanisms of IL-6 cross-talked with other mediators of some chronic diseases in vitro, animal models, and human experiments, leading to the activation of pathways and accelerating the progression of sepsis. The clinicians should be highlight to this kind of diseases and more clinical trials are needed to provide more reliable theoretical basis for health policy formulation.

Humans↗

PubMed2024

In vivo editing of lung stem cells for durable gene correction in mice.

In vivo genome correction holds promise for generating durable disease cures; yet, effective stem cell editing remains challenging. In this work, we demonstrate that optimized lung-targeting lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) enable high levels of genome editing in stem cells, yielding durable responses. Intravenously administered gene-editing LNPs in activatable tdTomato mice achieved >70% lung stem cell editing, sustaining tdTomato expression in >80% of lung epithelial cells for 660 days. Addressing cystic fibrosis (CF), NG-ABE8e messenger RNA (mRNA)-sgR553X LNPs mediated >95% cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) DNA correction, restored CFTR function in primary patient-derived bronchial epithelial cells equivalent to Trikafta for F508del, corrected intestinal organoids and corrected R553X nonsense mutations in 50% of lung stem cells in CF mice. These findings introduce LNP-enabled tissue stem cell editing for disease-modifying genome correction.

Animals↗