Single-Molecule Mechanoresistivity by Intermetallic Bonding.

The metal-electrode interface is key to unlocking emergent behaviour in all organic electrified systems, from battery technology to molecular electronics. In the latter, interfacial engineering has enabled efficient transport, higher device stability, and novel functionality. Mechanoresistivity - the change in electrical behaviour in response to a mechanical stimulus and a pathway to extremely sensitive force sensors - is amongst the most studied phenomena in molecular electronics, and the molecule-electrode interface plays a pivotal role in its emergence, reproducibility, and magnitude.

Combining gemcitabine and MSC delivering soluble TRAIL to target pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its stroma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) still has a poor response to therapies, partly due to their cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Here, we investigate the synergistic impact of a combinatory approach between a known chemotherapy agent, such as gemcitabine (GEM), and gene-modified human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) secreting the pro-apoptotic soluble (s)TRAIL (sTRAIL MSCs) on both PDAC cells and CAFs. The combo significantly impacts on PDAC survival in 2D and 3D models.

The impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on plants in the scenario of increasing temperatures: The case of Azolla filiculoides Lam.

There are great concerns for the accumulation in the environment of small dimension plastics, such as micro- and nanoplastics. Due to their small size, which facilitates their uptake by organisms, nanoplastics are of particular concern. The toxic effects of nanoplastics on plants are already reported in the literature, however nothing is known, to date, about the possible effects of climate change, in particular of increasing temperatures, on their toxicity for plants.

Stress responses of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa to environmentally relevant concentrations of pharmaceutical ibuprofen: Ecological implications.

Pharmaceuticals like ibuprofen (IBU) entering marine environments are of great concern due to their increasing consumption and impact on wildlife. No information on IBU toxicity to seagrasses is yet available. Seagrasses form key habitats and are threatened worldwide by multiple stressors.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance the detrimental effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cell and plant physiology of (L.) Coss. & Germ. seedlings.

Polystyrene nanoplastics and titanium dioxide nanoparticles are widely spread in all environments, often coexisting within identical frameworks. Both these contaminants can induce negative effects on cell and plant physiology, giving concerns on their possible interaction which could increase each other's harmful effects on plants. Despite the urgency of this issue, there is very little literature addressing it.