Distinct immune microenvironment of venous tumor thrombus in hepatocellular carcinoma at single-cell resolution.

Background Aims: Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) worsens the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by increasing intrahepatic dissemination and inducing portal vein hypertension. However, the immune characteristics of PVTT remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the immune microenvironment in PVTT.

Synthesis, anticancer and antibacterial evaluation of novel spiramycin-acylated derivatives.

Spiramycin and its derivatives are commonly used antimicrobials, and its derivative, carrimycin, has recently been found to have good anticancer potential. Here, we found that the 4''-OH of spiramycin can be selectively acylated, resulting in a series of novel spiramycin derivatives with a structure similar to carrimycin. Anticancer studies showed that most of the derivatives exhibited moderate to good anti-proliferative activity against four cancer cell lines, including HGC-27, HT-29, HCT-116 and HeLa, especially compound 14, which has the strongest activity against HGC-27 cells with an IC value of 0.

Characteristics of cytokines/chemokines associated with disease severity and adverse prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Background: Cytokines and chemokines as crucial participants in innate immune response play significant roles during SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet excessive immune response exacerbates the severity of COVID-19.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the involvement of which cytokines/chemokines in the cytokine storm of COVID-19, as well as the changes in cytokine/chemokine levels during the course of COVID-19, simultaneously exploring the diagnostic and prognostic value of the relevant cytokines/chemokines for COVID-19.

Methods: Flow cytometry was employed to detect the levels of cytokines and chemokines in the serum of 50 COVID-19 patients.

CoSe QDs/SnO PCNFs with high catalytic conversion kinetics towards high-efficiency Li-S batteries.

The redox reactions occurring at positive electrode of the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries involve several key electrocatalytic processes that significantly impact the overall performance of the electrochemical energy storage system. This study presents a heterogeneous catalytic composite material composed of CoSe quantum dots (QDs) integrated with SnO nanosheets, which enhances the overall ionic conductivity and accessibility of active sites within the cathode. This controlled migration effectively traps polysulfides within the cathode, reducing their dissolution into the electrolyte and mitigating the shuttle effect.

Development of Komagataella phaffii as a cell factory for efficient de novo production of β-caryophyllene.

β-Caryophyllene is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene found in a large number of plants around the world. It has anti-inflammatory, anticancer and analgesic biological activities associated with its important medicinal value, and has also attracted attention in the field of bioenergy with high energy density. Due to the low amount of β-caryophyllene in plants and complex purification process, microbial biosynthesis is considered as a promising alternative for the industrial development of β-caryophyllene.

Surface Plasmon-Driven Versatile Enhancement of Chemosensing.

Chemo-sensors have deeply integrated into various facets of our daily lives. To further satisfy the increasing performance demand, the current attempts are mainly centered on materials science approaches, usually involving time-& labor-consuming structure designing, synthesis, and modification. To date, it remains largely unexplored to enhance sensing material performance at the fundamental physical level by strategic exploitation of optical properties.

The effect of visual acuity measurement on triage effectiveness in an ophthalmic emergency department.

Purpose: The effect of pre-triage visual acuity (VA) measurement on triage accuracy in a busy ophthalmic casualty department was investigated as a possible means to improve triage quality.

Methods: All 576 patients attending the accident and emergency department (A&E) at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) over a period of 4 days were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. Patients were assigned to two groups: those who underwent a VA measurement prior to triage (n = 242) and a control group who did not have a VA measurement (n = 234).

Hierarchical multi-label classification model for science and technology news based on heterogeneous graph semantic enhancement.

In the context of high-quality economic development, technological innovation has emerged as a fundamental driver of socio-economic progress. The consequent proliferation of science and technology news, which acts as a vital medium for disseminating technological advancements and policy changes, has attracted considerable attention from technology management agencies and innovation organizations. Nevertheless, online science and technology news has historically exhibited characteristics such as limited scale, disorderliness, and multi-dimensionality, which is extremely inconvenient for users of deep application.

Impact of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Diabetic Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: To assess the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-I) on cardiac remodeling and prognosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: In this single-center retrospective active-comparator study, consecutive diabetic AMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2021 and 2023 were enrolled. Patients were divided into SGLT2-I users and non-SGLT2-I users based on discharge medications.

Adjusting Interface Action and Spacing for Control of Particle Potential.

As the core issue of physical chemistry, how to acquire, control, even adjust surface charging of colloidal particle is far from being completely understood. So poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA) is first introduced with different chain lengths onto crude anatase titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles (150-200 nm) through two-step surface modification. Along with rising basic nonionic polyisobutylene succinimide (PIBS) concentration, those modified TiO nanoparticles (TiO-NH-PLMA) with the low grafting amount (0.

Influence of particle morphology on solar thermal conversion performance and sensible heat storage capacity: A case study of TiO@Go binary nanofluid.

Photothermal catalytic hydrogen production driven by the full spectrum of outdoor solar radiation, represents a highly promising and efficient approach for hydrogen generation. This method is widely anticipated by researchers due to its potential to enhance photon utilization efficiency at the reaction source. However, limited attention has been devoted to the variations in photothermal conversion performance of particle reaction suspensions caused by objective fluctuations of solar irradiation, especially when the morphology of the nanostructure changes, which is a crucial factor for practical applications in hydrogen production.

Single-port robotic transanal minimally invasive surgery (SPR-TAMIS): another giant leap forward?

Aim: Minimally invasive transanal platforms are now the standard of care for select low-risk rectal tumours. However, existing platforms come with persistent technical challenges. The da Vinci SP Surgical System™ offers a new alternative designed to work effectively in narrow spaces.

Nonlinear optical physics at terahertz frequency.

Terahertz (THz) waves have exhibited promising prospects in 6G/7G communications, sensing, nondestructive detection, material modulation, and biomedical applications. With the development of high-power THz sources, more and more nonlinear optical effects at THz frequency and THz-induced nonlinear optical phenomena are investigated. These studies not only show a clear physics picture of electrons, ions, and molecules but also provide many novel applications in sensing, imaging, communications, and aerospace.

Vertically Aligned Ultrathin CoNi-LDH@NiS@MXCF Core-Shell Heterostructure for Flexible Supercapacitor Electrodes and Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

A multilayer core-shell heterostructure with CoNi-LDH as the core and NiS nanosheets as the shell is deposited on MXene-coated carbon nanofibers by electrospinning and electrochemical deposition. This unique structure not only combines highly conductive and hydrophilic one-dimensional carbon nanofibers but also exposes abundant two-dimensional reactive sites and multiple ion diffusion channels to maximize material utilization, enhance electron transfer kinetics, accelerate Faraday reaction, high capacitance and strong stability. The CNNS@MXCF electrode exhibits outstanding electrochemical characteristics, including a capacity of 1441.

Performance and mechanisms of nitrogen removal from low-carbon source wastewater in an iron-carbon coupled biofilm airlift internal circulation sequencing batch reactor.

An iron-carbon coupled biofilm airlift internal circulation sequencing batch reactor (IC-SBR) was constructed to treat low-carbon source wastewater. Single-factor experiments were used to determine the optimal operating conditions for the IC-SBR, with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 h, a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 3 mg/L, a C/N ratio of 3, and an influent NH-N concentration of 50 mg/L, with average removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN) and total organic carbon (TOC) of 78.06% and 97.

Establishment and application of a one-step multiplex real-time PCR assay for detection of A, B, and C subtypes of avian metapneumovirus.

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) represents a significant threat to the poultry industry, exhibiting a high degree of genetic diversity. Of these, the aMPV types A (aMPV-A), B (aMPV-B) and C (aMPV-C) are frequently detected in Chinese waterfowl and live poultry markets. Therefore, the rapid and accurate identification of these subtypes is of paramount importance in order to halt the spread of the disease.

An enhancer-promoter-transcription factor module orchestrates plant immune homeostasis by constraining camalexin biosynthesis.

Effective plant defense against pathogens relies on highly coordinated regulation of immune gene expression. Enhancers, as cis-regulatory elements, are indispensable determinants of dynamic gene regulation, but the molecular functions in plant immunity are not well understood. In this study, we identified a novel enhancer, CORE PATTERN-INDUCED ENHANCER 35 (CPIE35), which is rapidly activated upon pathogenic elicitation and negatively regulates antifungal resistance through modulating WRKY15 expression.