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Biomedical subjects

Tao Zeng

Publications and source records attributed to Tao Zeng.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Decoupled Synthesis Pathway via Precursor Functionalization Stabilizes High-Voltage Nickel-Based Cathodes.

Nickel-based layered cathodes are promising candidates for high-performance, high-energy lithium-ion batteries, yet their high-voltage application is jointly limited by synthesis-inherited structural defects and an unstable lattice oxygen framework. Here, we show that both limitations can be overcome by decoupled synthesis pathway (DSP) via La/Nb oxalate functionalization of the Ni0.6Co0.1Mn0.3(OH)2 precursor. Unlike the conventional coupled synthesis pathway (CSP) where precursor dehydration and Li2CO3 decomposition overlap in temperature, the DSP introduces a low‑temperature decomposition of La/Nb oxalates at 200°C, which effectively avoids localized contact between the precursor and Li2CO3 and shifts Li2CO3-related reactions to high temperatures. This allows sequential precursor dehydroxylation, rock‑salt (RS) intermediate formation, and layered‑phase transformation over a broad temperature window. The resulting LiNi0.6Co0.1Mn0.3O2 cathode with La/Nb functionalization (NCM-LN) features a uniform surface LaNiO3 perovskite heterostructure and a Nb‑doped layered bulk with suppressed RS and spinel defects. Consequently, under 4.5 V operation (vs. Li+/Li), NCM-LN exhibits homogeneous Li+ (de)intercalation, and a stabilized oxygen framework. In graphite||NCM-LN full cells, NCM-LN retains 80.1% of its capacity after 2000 cycles at 1C, substantially outperforming the pristine cathode. This decoupling strategy is broadly effective across various Ni‑based systems, providing a generalizable route toward high‑energy, long‑life cathode materials.

decoupled synthesis pathway↗

Single-cell multi-omics dissects transcript isoform and immune repertoire dynamics in human immunosenescence.

Immunosenescence, a major hallmark of systemic aging, refers to the progressive functional decline of the immune system. This decline not only compromises host defense and immunological memory but also fuels chronic inflammation and tissue degeneration (collectively known as inflammaging). While single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has revealed transcriptomic alterations associated with immune aging, analyses restricted to transcript abundance fail to capture deeper regulatory layers, such as transcript isoform diversity and the remodeling of immune receptor repertoires. To address this limitation, we present a human peripheral immune single-cell multi-omics atlas that integrates gene expression, transcript isoform diversity, and immune receptor repertoires. By combining single-cell full-length transcriptome sequencing (scCycloneSEQ), short-read scRNA-seq, and single-cell immune receptor sequencing (scTCR/BCR-seq), we systematically profiled peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors aged 30-40 and 60-70 years. Our analyses uncovered extensive age-related remodeling of immune cell composition, functional states, and TCR/BCR diversity. Notably, we found that CD4+ effector memory T cells exhibited widespread differential isoform usage (DIU), 3'UTR length variation, and a marked reshaping of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clonotypes-all of which were closely associated with aging-related inflammation and cellular senescence. This multi-omics atlas delineates key molecular features of immunosenescence and provides a high-resolution resource for deciphering the regulatory architecture underlying immune aging.

TCR/BCR↗

Full-length single-cell spatial transcriptomics reveals spatial and cell-type-specific transcript isoforms in the primate brain.

The primate brain exhibits complex RNA alternative splicing heterogeneity crucial for functional complexity, yet systematic spatial isoform characterization has been lacking. We developed Fullscope-seq, a full-length single-molecule large field-of-view spatial transcriptomics sequencing method at single-cell resolution, based on programmed concatenation cDNA for multiple long-read sequencing platforms. Applying Fullscope-seq to the macaque brain, we uncovered thousands of genes exhibiting differential transcript usage (DTU) across cortical layers, cell types and brain regions. Fullscope-seq resolved hundreds of major isoform switches across distinct brain regions and identified DTUs between superficial and deep cortical layers. Cortical layer-specific DTUs showed cell-composition dependence, whereas regional DTUs were regulated according to both cellular composition and spatial contexts. These isoform variations showed substantial enrichment for neuropsychiatric disorder-associated genes and were conserved across platforms and species. Our study establishes a scalable framework for spatial isoform analysis and provides a resource for understanding transcriptomic diversity in complex tissues.

Animals↗

Surface structure and stability of MoSx model clusters.

Density functional theory (DFT) computations have been carried out to study the structure and stability of MoSx clusters with the change of sulfur coverage at both Mo and S edges. DFT shows that adding sulfur to the Mo edge is always exothermic. However, deleting corner sulfur from the S edge is exothermic for 67 and 50% sulfur coverages, while deleting edge sulfur from the S edge is endothermic for 33 and 0% sulfur coverages. On the basis of the computed free energies along a wide range of H2S/H2 ratios, it is found that there are two stable structures with 33 and 50% sulfur coverages on the Mo edge by having 100% sulfur coverage on the S edge and one stable structure with 67% sulfur coverage on the S edge by having 0% sulfur coverage on the Mo edge. Under fully sulfiding atmosphere or at a very high H2S/H2 ratio, triangle MoSx structures with 100% sulfur coverage on the Mo edge are computed to be more stable than those with 100% sulfur coverage on the S edge, in agreement with the observation of scanning tunneling microscopy. In addition, the effects of cluster sizes on the surface structures are discussed.

Journal Article↗

Density functional theory study of triangular molybdenum sulfide nanocluster and CO adsorption on it.

A systematic density functional theory study has been carried out on the structure and stability of triangular molybdenum sulfide (MoS(x)()) models. On the basis of the structural and energetic comparison, the triangle Mo(28)S(84) (VII) cluster has been identified as a reasonable structure for triangular MoS(x)() model. Under reductive atmosphere, the most stable structure has bridging sulfur on edge sites and two H(2)S at each corner site. It is found that CO adsorption at the corner site represents the most stable conformation. Along with other stretching modes, the computed frequency at 2102 cm(-1) for CO at the corner agrees perfectly with the experimental observation.

Journal Article↗

Density functional theory study of CO adsorption on molybdenum sulfide.

CO adsorption on four MoSx (stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric) clusters has been investigated by using density functional method. It is found that CO prefers adsorption on the coordinatively unsaturated (1010) surface. The adsorption energy of high coverage shows the additivity as compared with that of one CO adsorption, and there is no significant repulsive interaction between the end-on adsorbed CO probes. The computed CO stretching frequencies (2000-2080 cm(-1)) agree perfectly with the experimental data (a broad band centered at 2070 cm(-1) with a tail extent to 2000 cm(-1)). No bridged CO adsorption is favored energetically under high CO concentration, and this might explain the catalytic ability of MoSx for C1 products instead of higher hydrocarbons and alcohols.

Journal Article↗

The effect of prenatal morphine exposure on memory consolidation in the chick.

The central nervous system exhibits remarkable plasticity in early life and can be altered significantly by prenatal morphine exposure. Previous studies show that prenatal morphine exposure may alter the capacity for learning and memory in post-partum chicks. The one-trial passive avoidance learning paradigm with 1-day-old chicks is an excellent model to study several mechanisms of memory formation, including STM, ITM, and LTM. The following represents our investigation of the effect of prenatal morphine exposure on learning and memory deficits in the chick. In these experiments, morphine was injected into the airspace of eggs (20 mg/kg) and the one-trial passive avoidance learning paradigm was used to test the effect of prenatal morphine exposure on memory consolidation. The data suggest that chicks injected with morphine daily from E12 to E16 had significantly impaired long-term memory at 120 min after training (p<0.001) but not intermediate-term memory at 30 min after training.

Animals↗

Age-related effects of bilateral frontal eye fields lesions on rapid eye movements during REM sleep in rhesus monkeys.

Rapid eye movement (REM) is one of the most characteristic features of REM sleep, but the mechanisms underlying its regulation remain unclear. The present study aims to investigate whether the frontal eye field (FEF) is involved in the regulation of the rapid eye movements during REM sleep. To address this question, we ablated the FEF in four rhesus monkeys and observed the effects of the lesions on sleep architecture. After lesions, two adult monkeys did not show any lesion effect. However, in the other two adolescent monkeys, both the total duration and percentage of the rapid eye movements during REM sleep were decreased moderately. The result suggests that the relation between the FEF and the regulation of the rapid eye movements during REM sleep may be affected by age factor, also indicating that both the functions of the FEF and the mechanisms underlying the control of rapid eye movements during REM sleep might not be the same throughout the whole life span of an animal.

Age Factors↗

Therapeutic effects of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system in the treatment of idiopathic menorrhagia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in the treatment of idiopathic menorrhagia. DESIGN: Measurements of menstrual blood loss (MBL), hemoglobin, and serum ferritin before and after LNG-IUS insertion. SETTING: National Research Institute for Family Planning and Beijing Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China. PATIENT(S): Thirty-four patients with MBL over 80 mL. INTERVENTION(S): Insertion of the LNG-IUS on cycle days 5-7 and follow-up at 3-month intervals for 3 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Measurement of MBL, serum ferritin, and hemoglobin for evaluation of efficacy of treatment. RESULT(S): A significant reduction of MBL to 23.4 mL (78.7% decrease), 26.4 mL (83.8% decrease), 2.7 mL (97.7% decrease), and 13.7 mL (85.0% decrease) at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively. After 6 months, one-third of the patients experienced amenorrhea, and one-fourth, spotting. Hemoglobin increased significantly from 121.5 g/L preinsertion to 135.5 g/L after 36 months, while serum ferritin levels increased significantly from 21.9 ng/mL before insertion to 92.8 ng/mL after 36 months. In women using the LNG-IUS for 3-4 years, the E2 levels in 20 samples were 239.4 pmol/L, P levels were 11.1 nmol/L, and serum LNG levels were maintained at an average of 511 pmol/L. CONCLUSION(S): The significant reduction of MBL and the increase in hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels in the treatment of menorrhagia with the LNG-IUS has great implications for women's reproductive health, particularly in developing countries.

Adult↗

3p14 and 9p21 loss is a simple tool for predicting second oral malignancy at previously treated oral cancer sites.

Treatment induces reactive changes that often resemble low-grade dysplasia at former oral cancer sites, complicating histopathological assessment. We tested a set of microsatellite markers shown previously to be predictive of progression for oral premalignant lesions for the ability to predict development of second oral malignancy (SOM). Sixty-eight oral leukoplakia at former cancer sites (with known outcome, 36 progressed to SOM) were evaluated for loss of heterozygosity at 19 loci on seven chromosome arms. 3p and/or 9p loss in these posttreatment leukoplakia was associated with a 26.3-fold increase in risk of developing SOM compared with those that retained both of these arms (P < 0.001), with 60% of cases with loss of heterozygosity developing SOM in 2 years. In contrast, histological diagnosis (moderate or severe dysplasia versus hyperplasia or mild dysplasia) had only a 1.7-fold increase in risk (P = 0.11). The identification of 3p and 9p loss in posttreatment lesions could serve as a simple and direct test for stratifying risk of SOM development.

Adolescent↗