A modern scientific perspective on the flavor and functional properties of diverse teas in traditional cuisine "tea-flavored fish": From macroscopic quality to microscopic variations.

The historical appreciation of tea dates back to ancient times, while technological limitations have long hindered in-depth exploration of its flavor complexity and functional attributes. This study investigated the effects of various teas on a traditional delicacy, "tea-flavored fish", using teas processed via traditional methods. Analysis of functional components revealed that processing and fermentation reduced catechin levels (186.

Non-linear dose-response relationship between uterine artery pulsatility index and risk of preeclampsia in early pregnancy: A secondary analysis based on a nested cohort study.

Background: Previous studies have shown that higher uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) values in early pregnancy have predictive value for the risk of preeclampsia (PE). However, the sensitivity and specificity of this marker remain controversial. This study aims to explore further the association between UtA-PI in early pregnancy and the incidence of preeclampsia.

Tunning valence state of cobalt centers in Cu/Co-CoO for significantly boosting water-gas shift reaction.

Dual active sites with synergistic valence state regulation under oxidizing and reducing conditions are essential for catalytic reactions with step-wise mechanisms to modulate the complex adsorption sites of reactant molecules on the surfaces of heterogeneous catalysts with maximized catalytic performances, but it has been rarely explored. In this work, uniformly dispersed CuCo alloy and CoO nanosheet composite catalysts with dual active sites are constructed, which shows huge boost in activity for catalyzing water-gas shift reaction (WGSR), with a record high reaction rate reaching 204.2 μmol g s at 300 °C for CuCoO amongst the reported Cu-based and Co-based catalysts.

USP1 promotes pancreatic cancer progression and autophagy by deubiquitinating ATG14.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by extremely poor prognosis, high mortality and limited therapeutic strategy. Autophagy is hyperactivated in PDAC and targeting autophagy are emerging as promising therapeutic strategies. The dysfunction of deubiquitinase USP1 results in tumorigenesis and chemotherapy resistance.

Chimeric antigen receptor with novel intracellular modules improves antitumor performance of T cells.

The excessive cytokine release and limited persistence represent major challenges for chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy in diverse tumors. Conventional CARs employ an intracellular domain (ICD) from the ζ subunit of CD3 as a signaling module, and it is largely unknown how alternative CD3 chains potentially contribute to CAR design. Here, we obtained a series of CAR-T cells against HER2 and mesothelin using a domain comprising a single immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif from different CD3 subunits as the ICD of CARs.

Heparan sulfate acts in synergy with tight junction through STAT3 signaling to maintain the endothelial barrier and prevent lung injury development.

Damage to glycocalyx and tight junction are key determinants of endothelial permeability, which is the main pathological feature of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the effect of glycocalyx heparan sulfate (HS) on tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1 has not been revealed. In this study, the mice exposed to LPS results showed that FITC-albumin infiltration, HS shedding, and tight junction protein impairment were most severe at 6 h of LPS treatment compared with those in other treatment times.

Microenvironmental modulation breaks intrinsic pH limitations of nanozymes to boost their activities.

Functional nanomaterials with enzyme-mimicking activities, termed as nanozymes, have found wide applications in various fields. However, the deviation between the working and optimal pHs of nanozymes has been limiting their practical applications. Here we develop a strategy to modulate the microenvironmental pHs of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes by confining polyacids or polybases (serving as Brønsted acids or bases).

Interaction of L-proline with water and ice: Implications for Litopenaeus Vannamei Cryoprotection during temperature fluctuation.

Temperature fluctuations can negatively affect the quality of frozen shrimp. Research on novel cryoprotectants to replace traditional agents (phosphate, etc.) has become a hotspot.

Bio-inspired piezoelectric stick-slip actuation: Synergistic bridge-type and leveraged amplification mechanism via rowing-motion mimicry.

This paper presents the development of a new bionic piezoelectric stick-slip actuator (PSSA). This actuator is designed to simulate the human rowing motion. By synergizing a lever amplification structure with a bridge amplification mechanism, the design not only mimics the rowing motion, where the lever amplification structure acts like an oar and the bridge amplification mechanism resembles the force exerted by a person operating the oar, but also suppresses the problem of backward displacement in traditional PSSAs.

The Intrinsic Fluorescence of Peptide Self-Assemblies Across pH Levels.

The regulation of solution pH on the structural and optical properties of peptide self-assemblies remains a critical yet unresolved issue in peptide research. This study investigates the heptapeptide Ac-IHIHIQI-NH and its intrinsic fluorescence across a range of pH levels, demonstrating that variations in pH lead to significant changes in the morphology of the self-assembled structures. While the position of the fluorescence emission remains constant-due to the stability provided by the hydrogen bonding network of the peptide backbone-the intensity of the fluorescence exhibits a direct correlation with the degree of self-assembly.

Engineering an Escherichia coli surface display platform based on an autotransporter from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: Autodisplay of enzymes with low to high molecular weight.

Surface display technology has garnered significant attention for preparing efficient whole cell catalysts, while reported carrier proteins still cannot meet the demand to display various passenger domains, especially for those with high molecular weight. This study demonstrates that the autotransporter of esterase Est7 (E7AT) from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia played a decisive role in its efficient surface display. Guided by the original signal peptide, the surface display ratio of Est7 was determined as 89.

Constructing AgO/Ag2O Electrocatalysts with Highly Exposed and Tightly Contacted Active Facets for Efficient Oxygen Evolution.

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the elucidation of their underlying mechanisms are crucial for overcoming the low efficiency of hydrogen production through the electrolysis of water. Utilizing the electrochemical anodic oxidation method, a series of silver-based electrocatalysts (Ag-x, where x signifies the applied direct current (DC) voltage, x = 0, 5, 10, 15) were prepared employing metallic silver wire as the anode under DC voltages. The resulting silver-based electrodes have been oxidized and reconstructed, yielding AgO/Ag2O composite on the surface.

The battle between infectious bronchitis virus and innate immunity: A mini review.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the causative agent of infectious bronchitis (IB), leading to acute or persistent infections in poultry. IBV triggers innate immune response, and the production of interferon (IFN) varies depending on the viral strains and host cell types. To evade the host immune system, IBV has developed numerous immune escape strategies.

In Silico Enzymolysis-Guided Mining of Aminopeptidases with Molecular Insights into Their Substrate Specificity Mechanism.

The palatability of protein-based food heavily relies on aminopeptidases with the ability for bitter peptides degradation. However, there is a lack of methods for rational mining of aminopeptidases toward different proteins as well as the evolution direction for substrate specificity remaining unclear. In this study, an in silico simulated enzymolysis-based method for aminopeptidases mining was developed with protein as a model.

Integrating bioinformatics and experimental validation to Investigate IRF1 as a novel biomarker for nucleus pulposus cells necroptosis in intervertebral disc degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a prevalent spinal disorder and the principal cause of lower back pain (LBP). Diverse forms of programmed cell death (PCD) have been identified as the key phenotypes of the disease and have the potential to serve as new indicators for the diagnosis and prognosis of IDD. However, the mechanism underlying necroptosis in IDD remains unclear.

Molecular mechanisms of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) toxicity: Insights from various biological systems.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is a ubiquitous brominated flame retardant extensively incorporated into a wide range of products. As its utilization has escalated, its environmental exposure risks have concomitantly increased. The molecular properties of TBBPA allow it to persist in the environment and within organisms.

Replacing traditional coffee appraisers with inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS): From manual sensory evaluation to scientific analysis.

Scientific development provides opportunities to replace many traditional manual methods to achieve more accurate results and higher efficiency. To scientifically ascertain the geographical origin of coffee, this study develops a method for the rapid determination of 16 inorganic elements in coffee using microwave digestion combined with the ICP-MS internal standard method. Principal component analysis (PCA), Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA), and Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) are employed to analyze 40 coffee samples from three production areas of Pu'er, Baoshan, and Wanning.

Flexible Working Arrangements and Fertility Intentions: A Survey Experiment in Singapore.

This study examines how young, unmarried, working people's fertility intention is shaped by future scenarios where flexible working arrangements (FWAs) are the default. The unmarried population remains to be an under-studied part of the working population at reproductive ages, who nevertheless becomes increasingly significant for fertility research due to rising ages at marriage and the first birth. Despite significant public anticipation regarding the potential of FWAs to facilitate work-family balance and fertility, there is little research on the effects of FWAs on fertility intentions.

Artificial Cascade Transformation Biosystem for One-Pot Biomanufacturing of Odd-Numbered Neoagarooligosaccharides and d-Tagatose through Wiser Agarose Utilization.

The application of agarose oligosaccharides has garnered great attention, with their biological activities varying among different structures. However, it still meets a great bottleneck for the targeted production of odd-numbered neoagarooligosaccharides (NAOSs), such as neoagarotriose (NA3), due to the lack of one-step hydrolases. In this work, the α-agarase AgaA33 and β-galactosidase BgaD were synergistically used to prepare NA3 with agarose as a substrate.

A bright cyan fluorescence calcium indicator for mitochondrial calcium with minimal interference from physiological pH fluctuations.

Genetically Encoded Calcium (Ca) indicators (GECIs) are indispensable tools for dissecting intracellular Ca signaling and monitoring cellular activities. Mitochondrion acts as a Ca sink and a central player for maintaining Ca homeostasis. Accurately monitoring Ca transients within the mitochondrial matrix that undergo constant pH fluctuations is challenging, as signals of most currently available GECIs suffer from artifacts induced by physiological pH variations.

Repurposed genipin targeting UCP2 exhibits antitumor activity through inducing ferroptosis in glioblastoma.

Uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2) controls the antioxidant response and redox homeostasis in cancer and is considered a potent molecular target for cancer treatment. However, the specific mechanism of UCP2 inhibition and its role in glioblastoma (GBM) have not yet been elucidated. Here, we attempt to identify a UCP2 inhibitor and study the underlying molecular mechanism in GBM.

A comprehensive review of structure-activity relationships and effect mechanisms of polyphenols on heterocyclic aromatic amines formation in thermal-processed food.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are potent carcinogenic substances mainly generated in thermal-processed food. Natural polyphenols have been widely used for inhibiting the formation of HAAs, whereas the effect of natural polyphenols on HAAs formation is complex and the mechanisms are far from being clearly elucidated. In order to clarify the comprehensive effect of polyphenols on HAAs, this review focused on the structure-activity relationships and effect mechanisms of polyphenols on the formation of HAAs.

Lensless On-Chip Chemiluminescence Imaging for High-Throughput Single-Cell Heterogeneity Analysis.

High-throughput single-cell heterogeneity imaging and analysis is essential for understanding complex biological systems and for advancing personalized precision disease diagnosis and treatment. Here, we present a miniaturized lensless chemiluminescence chip for high-throughput single-cell functional imaging with subcellular resolution. With the sensitive chemiluminescence sensing and wide field of view of contact lensless imaging, we demonstrated the chemiluminescent imaging of over 1000 single cells, and their membrane glycoprotein and the high-throughput single-cell heterogeneity of membrane protein imaging were examined for precision analysis.