About

I am a social scientist who studies the impact of information technologies on humans and organizations. My current research focuses on human-AI collaboration and mindful interactions with smartphones, particularly the impact of technologies on human experiences. My work has been published at many top journals and conference proceedings across disciplines of information systems, management, and computer science. My research on online community design and Wikipedia collaboration was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Research topics

• Food science
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Biochemistry
• Immunology
• Genetics
• Medicine
• Biotechnology

Selected publications

• Vitamin E in Plants: Biosynthesis Pathways, Biofortification Strategies, and Regulatory Dynamics

  International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2025-04-04 · 9 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Vitamin E, mainly encompassing tocopherols and tocotrienols, is an essential antioxidant synthesized in the photosynthetic tissues of plants and photosynthetic bacteria, as well as in certain algae, yet dietary intake often falls short of recommended levels. Although synthetic supplements are available, natural vitamin E demonstrates higher bioavailability, creating a need for biofortification strategies to enrich crops with this nutrient. Recent advances in molecular genetics have elucidated key components of the vitamin E biosynthesis pathway, uncovering complex regulatory mechanisms and expanding opportunities for genetic enhancement. This review integrates current advances in vitamin E biosynthesis, novel gene discovery, diverse biofortification strategies, and insights into transporter-mediated regulation to enhance tocopherol and tocotrienol levels in staple crops. By aligning these advances, this review provides a framework to drive innovative biofortification efforts, positioning vitamin E enrichment as a sustainable solution for improved human and animal health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Preoperative Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a Novel Predictive Factor for Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients Following Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Propensity-matched Study

  Zeitschrift für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie · 2025-11-12

  article

  Delirium is a common complication in elderly patients after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Malnutrition is common in the elderly and is closely associated with developing postoperative delirium (POD). Therefore, preoperative assessment of the patient's nutritional status is necessary. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a reliable indicator of nutritional status in the elderly population, but the relationship with postoperative delirium is not clear.The aim of this study was to determine the effect of preoperative GNRI on postoperative delirium.We reviewed 688 elderly patients who underwent primary elective THA at our medical center between 2013 and 2023. Delirium was diagnosed by reviewing postoperative medical records during hospitalization, using diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV and the Confusion Assessment Method. Propensity matching was used to match patients in the delirium and non-delirium groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between GNRI and postoperative delirium. The validity of the GNRI for predicting POD was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the optimal prediction threshold was calculated.When matched, the GNRI was significantly higher for the delirium group than the non-delirium group (89.0 ± 8.0 vs. 99.8 ± 8.1, p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, GNRI was an independent risk factor for POD, and the incidence of POD increased with lower GNRI (OR 0.846, 95% CI 0.792-0.904, p < 0.001). The results of the ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.827 and a prediction cut-off of 95.7 for the GNRI (sensitivity: 85.7%, specificity: 68.6%).In elderly patients, a lower GNRI was significantly associated with the occurrence of POD after THA. Assessing GNRI prior to THA in elderly patients may be effective in predicting the risk of POD.

  PublisherDOI

• Macrophage-derived exosomes in cancer: a double-edged sword with therapeutic potential

  Journal of Nanobiotechnology · 2025-04-26 · 15 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Solid cancer contains a complicated communication network between cancer cells and components in the tumor microenvironment (TME), significantly influencing the progression of cancer. Exosomes function as key carriers of signaling molecules in these communications, including the intricate signalings of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) on cancer cells and the TME. With their natural lipid bilayer structures and biological activity that relates to their original cell, exosomes have emerged as efficient carriers in studies on cancer therapy. Intrigued by the heterogeneity and plasticity of both macrophages and exosomes, we regard macrophage-derived exosomes in cancer as a double-edged sword. For instance, TAM-derived exosomes, educated by the TME, can promote resistance to cancer therapies, while macrophage-derived exosomes generated in vitro have shown favorable potential in cancer therapy. Here, we depict the reasons for the heterogeneity of TAM-derived exosomes, as well as the manifold roles of TAM-derived exosomes in cancer progression, metastasis, and resistance to cancer therapy. In particular, we emphasize the recent advancements of modified macrophage-derived exosomes in diverse cancer therapies, arguing that these modified exosomes are endowed with unique advantages by their macrophage origin. We outline the challenges in translating these scientific discoveries into clinical cancer therapy, aiming to provide patients with safe and effective treatments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Interaction Between Vasculogenic Mimicry and the Immune System: Mechanistic Insights and Dual Exploration in Cancer Therapy

  Cell Proliferation · 2025-01-26 · 10 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) represents a novel form of angiogenesis discovered in numerous malignant tumours in recent years. Unlike traditional angiogenesis, VM facilitates tumour blood supply independently of endothelial cells by enabling tumour cells to form functional vascular networks. This phenomenon, where tumour cells replace endothelial cells to form tubular structures, plays a pivotal role in tumour growth and metastasis. Tumour progression is influenced by a variety of factors, including immune components. The immune system serves as a critical defence mechanism by identifying and eliminating abnormal entities, such as tumour cells. This inevitably reminds us of the intricate connection between the immune system and VM. Indeed, in recent years, some studies have shown that immune responses and related immune cells play different regulatory roles in the formation of VM. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive discussion on the mechanisms underlying VM formation, its interplay with the immune system, and the potential of leveraging immunotherapy to target VM.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The research progress on meningeal metastasis in solid tumors

  Discover Oncology · 2025-02-28 · 4 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Meningeal metastasis (MM), particularly Leptomeningeal metastases (LM), represents the advanced stage of solid tumors and poses a significant threat to patients' lives. Moreover, it imposes a substantial burden on society. LM represents the ultimate and most fatal stage of solid tumors, inflicting devastating consequences on patients and imposing a substantial burden on society. The incidence of LM continues to rise annually, emphasizing the urgent need for early recognition and treatment initiation in individuals with LM to significantly extend overall patient survival. Despite rapid advancements in current LM detection and treatment methods, the diagnosis of LM remains constrained by several limitations such as low diagnostic efficiency, the therapeutic outcomes remain suboptimal. Furthermore, there is currently no universally recognized industry standard for LM treatment, further underscoring its status as an unresolved challenge in tumor management. Additionally, progress towards elucidating the mechanisms underlying MM has stagnated. Therefore, this review aims to comprehensively summarize recent research advances pertaining to MM in solid tumors by elucidating its underlying mechanisms, exploring diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers while addressing existing research challenges.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dual-Aspect Active Learning with Domain-Adversarial Training for Low-Resource Misinformation Detection

  Mathematics · 2025-05-25 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  The rapid spread of misinformation threatens public safety and social stability. Although deep learning-based detection methods have achieved promising results, their effectiveness heavily relies on large amounts of labeled data, limiting their applicability in low-resource scenarios. Existing approaches, such as domain adaptation and metalearning, attempt to transfer knowledge from related source domains but often fail to fully address the challenges of data scarcity and annotation costs. Moreover, traditional active learning strategies typically focus solely on textual uncertainty, overlooking domain-specific discrepancies and the critical role of affective information in misinformation content. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a dual-aspect active learning framework with domain-adversarial training (DDT), tailored for low-resource misinformation detection. The framework integrates a dual-aspect sampling strategy that jointly considers textual and affective features to select samples that are both informative (diverse from labeled data) and uncertain (near decision boundaries). Additionally, a domain-adversarial training module is employed to extract domain-invariant representations, mitigating distribution shifts between source and target domains. Experimental results on multiple benchmark datasets demonstrate that DDT consistently outperforms baseline methods in low-resource settings, enhancing the robustness and generalizability of misinformation detection models.

  PublisherDOI

• The TET3/GATA6 Axis Drives Lipid Metabolism and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (Adv. Sci. 37/2025)

  Advanced Science · 2025-10-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Copper in cancer: friend or foe? Metabolism, dysregulation, and therapeutic opportunities

  Cancer Communications · 2025-02-13 · 26 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Abstract Copper, one of the essential nutrients for the human body, acts as an electron relay in multiple pathways due to its redox properties. Both deficiencies and excesses of copper lead to cellular fragility. Therefore, it can manifest pro‐ and anti‐cancer properties in tumors. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the copper activity within the cell. We have thoughtfully summarized the metabolic activities of copper from a macro and micro perspective. Cuproptosis, as well as other forms of cell death, is directly or indirectly interfered with by Cu 2+ , causing cancer cell death. Meanwhile, we did pan‐cancer analysis of cuproptosis‐related genes to further clarify the roles of these genes. In addition, copper has been found to be involved in multiple pathways within the metastasis of cancer cells. Given the complexity of copper's role, we are compelled to ask: is copper a friend or a foe? Up to now, copper has been used in various clinical applications, including protocols for measurement of copper concentration and bioimaging of radioactive 64 Cu. But therapeutically it is still a continuation of the old medicine, and new possibilities need to be explored, such as the use of nanomaterials. Some studies have also shown that copper has considerable interventional power in metabolic cancers, which provides the great applications potential of copper therapy in specific cancer types. This paper reviews the dual roles played by cuproptosis in cancer from the new perspectives of oxidative stress, cell death, and tumor metastasis, and points out the value of its application in specific cancer types, summarizes the value of its testing and imaging from the perspective of clinical application as well as the current feasible options for the new use of the old drugs, and emphasizes the prospects for the application of nano‐copper.

  PublisherDOI

• [Analysis of Risk Factors for Meningeal Metastasis in Patients 
with Lung Adenocarcinoma Following Non-surgical Interventions].

  PubMed · 2025-04-20

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Meningeal metastasis (MM) is a form of malignant metastasis where tumor cells spread from the primary site to the pia mater, dura mater, arachnoid, subarachnoid space, and other cerebrospinal fluid compartments. Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor types with MM. MM not only signifies that the lung cancer has progressed to an advanced stage but also leads to a range of severe clinical symptoms due to meningeal involvement. Currently, the risk factors associated with the development of MM are not fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for MM in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) who underwent non-surgical interventions, in order to identify LUAD patients at high risk for MM. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of patients diagnosed with LUAD at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2020 to July 2024. Missing data were imputed using multiple imputation methods, and risk factors were identified through LASSO, univariate, and multivariate Logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 170 patients with LUAD were included in this study and divided into two groups: 87 patients with MM and 83 patients without MM. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses revealed that younger age at diagnosis (P=0.004), presence of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) L858R gene mutation (P=0.008), and concurrent liver metastasis at baseline (P=0.004) were independent risk factors for developing MM in LUAD patients who did not undergo surgical intervention. Conversely, higher baseline globulin levels (P=0.039) and the presence of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene mutation (P=0.040) were associated with a reduced risk of MM development. CONCLUSIONS: Age at diagnosis, EGFR L858R mutation status, ALK gene mutation status, concurrent liver metastasis, globulin levels at baseline were significantly associated with the risk of developing MM in patients with LUAD patients who did not undergo surgical intervention. For patients diagnosed at a younger age, carrying the EGFR L858R mutation, or presenting with baseline liver metastasis, early implementation of tertiary prevention strategies for MM is crucial. Regular monitoring of MM status should be conducted in these high-risk groups.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Intratumorial Microbiome in Prostate Cancer: A Decontamination Study

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jian Zhang

  52 shared

• Xinwei Han

  First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University

  45 shared

• Siyuan Weng

  First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University

  38 shared

• Hui Xu

  Nanjing Agricultural University

  36 shared

• Peng Luo

  Zhujiang Hospital

  31 shared

• Quan Cheng

  Central South University

  27 shared

• Zaoqu Liu

  Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College

  24 shared

• Yuyuan Zhang

  22 shared

Labs

• Yuqing Ren LabPI

Awards & honors

• Carlson School Outstanding Teaching Award (2017 and 2021)
• Master of Applied Business Analytics Faculty of the Year Awa…
• Global DBA Teaching Award (2024)
• Carlson School Outstanding Service Award (2023)