High migratory potential of fall armyworm in West Africa despite stable temperatures and widely available year-round habitats.

The fall armyworm (FAW), an important migratory pest native to the Americas, was first detected in a nonnative region (West Africa) in 2016. In the following years, it quickly spread to multiple regions worldwide. FAW exhibits long-distance seasonal migration in both the Americas and Asia, primarily to take advantage of suitable seasonal habitats as they appear along the migratory pathways.

Molecular ferroelectric self-assembled interlayer for efficient perovskite solar cells.

The interfacial molecular dipole enhances the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by facilitating improved charge extraction. However, conventional self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) face challenges like inadequate interface coverage and weak dipole interactions. Herein, we develop a strategy using a self-assembled ferroelectric layer to modify the interfacial properties of PSCs.

Caregiver's experiences with a mobile-based educational program and its impact on dietary treatment compliance of children with methylmalonic acidemia: an online survey.

Background: Compliance to highly restrictive diets is critical for children with Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA), and their caregivers play a prominent role in children's dietary treatment from early childhood through to adulthood. Despite lots of efforts by the multidisciplinary medical team to ensure the smooth implementation of dietary treatment, restricting dietary protein remains particularly challenging for children with MMA. This study aimed to assess dietary treatment compliance in children with MMA and evaluate the impact of WeChat-based parent education on compliance.

Enhancing hepatocellular carcinoma therapy with DOX-loaded SiO nanoparticles via mTOR-TFEB pathway autophagic flux inhibition.

Chemotherapeutic drugs often fail to provide long-term efficacy due to their lack of specificity and high toxicity. To enhance the biosafety and reduce the side effects of these drugs, various nanocarrier delivery systems have been developed. In this study, we loaded the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) and an MRI contrast agent into silica nanoparticles, coating them with pH-responsive and tumor cell-targeting polymers.

Foliar application of 24-epibrassinolide enhances leaf nicotine content under low temperature conditions during the mature stage of flue-cured tobacco by regulating cold stress tolerance.

Background: Low temperatures disrupt nitrogen metabolism in tobacco, resulting in lower nicotine content in the leaves. 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) is a widely used plant growth regulator known for its roles in enhancing cold tolerance and nitrogen metabolism. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether EBR enhances leaf nicotine content under low temperature conditions during the mature stage of flue-cured tobacco.

Photothermal Material-Based Solar-Driven Cogeneration of Water and Electricity: An Efficient and Promising Technology.

With the increasing demand for fresh-water and electricity in modern society, various technologies are being explored to obtain fresh-water and electricity. Due to advances in materials science, solar-driven interfacial evaporation (SDIE) systems have attracted widespread attention because they require only solar energy, and possess a high evaporation rate and little pollution. The researchers combined energy harvesting measures into the system to output electricity, further improving energy utilization.

[Clinical significance of molecular classification and hereditary phenotypic characteristics in endometrial carcinoma].

To analyze the clinical significance of molecular classification and hereditary phenotype in endometrial carcinoma (EC) based on high throughput sequencing (NGS). 97 EC samples were collected retrospectively from December 2019 to October 2022 in China-Japan Friendship Hospital. NGS technique was used to analyze the molecular classification, POLE hypermutation, microsatellite high Instability/mismatch repair dysfunction (MSI-H/MMRd), P53 protein abnormality (P53 abn), and non-specific molecular profile (NSMP).

Impact of Functional Fluorinated Porphyrins on the Efficiency and Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells.

Additives play a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and carefully designed additives contribute to major breakthroughs in device performance. In this study, a series of novel A-π-A-type porphyrin derivatives-PPH-1, PPH-2, and PPF-1-are synthesized, each incorporating pyridyl groups, specifically engineered to function as passivation agents for PSCs. The electron-withdrawing properties of fluorine in PPF-1 increase the molecular polarity, thereby strengthening its interaction with the perovskite and enhancing the passivation efficacy.

Purification, crystal structural characterization of porcine kidney dipeptidyl peptidase IV (PkDPP-IV) and its interaction with oyster derived inhibitory peptide ILAPPER.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) is an important target enzyme for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Increasing researchers try to screen DPP-IV inhibitory peptides while the cost of DPP-IV is high. In this study, PkDPP-IV was efficiently purified by acid precipitation, ammonium sulfate salting out and gel filtration chromatography with a purification of 283.

Behavioral and molecular neurotoxicity of thermally degraded polystyrene in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Microplastics are pervasive environmental contaminants found across diverse ecosystems, inducing toxic effects in a wide range of organisms. However, the neurotoxic effects of thermally degraded polystyrene (T-PS) and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly unexplored. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans was exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of T-PS (0.

Unignorable environmental risks: Insight into differential responses between biofilm and plastisphere in sulfur autotrophic denitrification system upon exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds.

Concerns of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) and microplastics (MPs) as emerging containments accumulating in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have attracted much attention. Plastisphere with distinctive microbial communities might also be the repository for pathogens and resistance genes (RGs). Thus, the effects of three representative QACs with different concentrations on biofilm and plastisphere were studied in sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) system.

Shape-controlled asymmetric bowl-like PDA@Au substrates for sensitive SERS detection of anabolic androgenic steroids.

The widespread accumulation of androgenic steroid endocrine disruptors in water and food has garnered increasing attention due to their significant risks to ecosystems and human health. These steroids, which cannot be completely eliminated, highlight the urgent need for advanced detection technologies. In this study, we present a novel emulsion-induced interface-anisotropic assembly strategy to synthesize bowl-like mesoporous polydopamine (PDA) particles, which exhibit high sensitivity in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection.

Electro-driven direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide.

As Li-ion batteries are increasingly being deployed in electric vehicles and grid-level energy storage, the demand for Li is growing rapidly. Extracting lithium from alternative aqueous sources such as geothermal brines plays an important role in meeting this demand. Electrochemical intercalation emerges as a promising Li extraction technology due to its ability to offer high selectivity for Li and its avoidance of harsh chemical regenerants.

Effects of group communication norms on daily steps in a team-based financial incentive mobile phone intervention in Shanghai, China.

Background: Mobile technology offers great potential for physical activity promotion, especially by facilitating online communication, however, the impact of group communication norms on intervention effectiveness remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect on daily steps of a team-based social norms-related intervention using a mobile application.

Methods: The 13-week quasi-experimental study was conducted in Shanghai, China, from September to November 2019, involving 2,985 employees from 32 worksites.

The brain structure underlying the nonlinear association between early-life tobacco smoke exposure and the risk for cognitive decline and dementia in adulthood: a large prospective cohort study.

Background: The impacts of early-life tobacco smoke exposure, including exposure during pregnancy and the initiation of smoking during childhood and adolescence, on cognitive decline and the risk of dementia in later life have not been investigated.

Methods: We used data from the UK Biobank (UKB) to assess early-life tobacco exposure, including in utero exposure and the age at which smoking was initiated. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were employed to gauge the relationships between early-life tobacco smoke exposure and both the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in adulthood.

Clinical Features of Primary Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis.

Objectives: Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma (PPAS) is a rare disease with unclear clinical manifestations. Advances in imaging devices have improved diagnostic capabilities, potentially affecting clinical characteristics and overall survival (OS); however, details remain unclear. This study conducted a pooled analysis of case reports and series to analyse the clinical characteristics and OS of PPAS in the era of advanced medical devices.

Intravenous tenecteplase bridging reperfusion ameliorates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by improving microvascular circulation in rats.

Background: Endovascular treatment (EVT) alone was not demonstrated to be non-inferior to intravenous alteplase bridging EVT in acute large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke. Using cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury model, intravenous tenecteplase (TNK) was administrated after ischemia followed by reperfusion at various time points.

Objectives: To investigate whether intravenous TNK bridging EVT vs EVT alone could improve I/R injury, and this effect may be associated with the time from TNK to reperfusion.

Transcription factors PHR1 and PHR1-like 1 regulate ABA-mediated inhibition of seed germination and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis.

Low phosphate (LP) availability significantly impacts crop yield and quality. PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE1 (PHR1) along with PHR1-like 1 (PHL1) act as a key transcriptional regulator in a plant's adaptive response to LP conditions. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in how plants respond to environmental stresses like salinity and drought.

Effect of different crosslinking agents on carboxymethyl chitosan-glycyrrhizic acid hydrogel: Characterization and biological activities comparison.

Hydrogels were widely utilized in biomedical applications, with their mechanical properties and drug release behavior largely dependent on the type and degree of crosslinking. In this study, the effects of anhydrous ferrous chloride (Fe), 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS), and polyvinyl alcohol/borax (PVA/Borax) on the properties of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and glycyrrhizic acid (GA) hydrogels were investigated. The GA-CMCS-based hydrogels (GFC, GEDC, GPBC) were prepared and their Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and rheological properties were analyzed.

Highly expressed VGLL3 in keloid fibroblasts promotes glycolysis and collagen production via the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects and related mechanisms of Vestigial-like family member 3 (VGLL3) on keloid fibroblast (KF) proliferation, apoptosis, collagen production, and glycolysis.

Methods: Western blot, qRT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry were used for determining VGLL3 expression. KF viability, proliferation, and apoptosis were assessed using CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, and flow cytometry.

Designing a microbial factory suited for plant chloroplast-derived enzymes to efficiently and green synthesize natural products: Capsanthin and capsorubin as examples.

Specific cellular microenvironment, multi-enzyme complex and expensive essential cofactor make the biological manufacturing of plant chloroplast natural products (PCNPs) extremely challenging. The above difficulties have hampered the biosynthesis of capsanthin and capsorubin in the past 30 years. Here, we take capsanthin and capsorubin as examples to design an innovative microbial factory to promote the heterologous synthesis of PCPNs.

Developing a dual-antibody Sandwich ELISA and LFIA for detecting the cashew allergen Ana o 3 in foods.

Cashews are popular snacks but pose risks to allergic individuals due to Ana o 3 protein. Rapid, accurate detection methods for Ana o 3 are limited. This study developed two detection methods for Ana o 3 allergen.

MEF2C mitigates coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease by enhancing endothelial barrier function through KLF2 regulation.

Coronary artery lesions constitute a significant complication of Kawasaki disease (KD) and represents one of the primary etiologies of acquired cardiovascular disease in pediatric populations. In the present study, we observed a downregulation of MEF2C expression in the whole blood of KD patients and in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) during the pathophysiological progression of KD. Furthermore, transcriptomic data analysis, in conjunction with observations from HCAECs stimulated with KD serum, indicates that the downregulation of MEF2C in KD is correlated with increased inflammatory levels and the activation of inflammatory pathways.

Plasma myeloperoxidase interactions with cadmium, lead, arsenic, and selenium and their impact on chronic kidney disease.

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is an oxidative stress biomarker, with elevated MPO levels linked to chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Metal exposure is a risk factor for CKD, and is also correlated to MPO expression, with specific MPO genotypes linked to MPO expression. Therefore, we examined whether MPO plasma levels or MPO polymorphisms were linked to CKD, and explored whether these factors modified associations between CKD and metal concentrations.