Concentration-Bias-Free Discrimination of Single Nucleotide Variants Using Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification and Mismatch-Guided DNA Assembly.

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques are promising alternatives to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplifying and detecting nucleic acids under resource-limited conditions. While many isothermal amplification strategies, such as recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), offer comparable sensitivity to PCR, they often lack the specificity and robustness for discriminating single nucleotide variants (SNVs), mainly due to the uncontrolled production of massive amplicons. Herein, we introduce a mismatch-guided DNA assembly (MGDA) approach capable of discriminating SNVs in the presence of high concentrations of wild-type (WT) interferences.

Mitochondrial diseases: from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic advances.

Mitochondria are essential for cellular function and viability, serving as central hubs of metabolism and signaling. They possess various metabolic and quality control mechanisms crucial for maintaining normal cellular activities. Mitochondrial genetic disorders can arise from a wide range of mutations in either mitochondrial or nuclear DNA, which encode mitochondrial proteins or other contents.

Construction of a 'civilised smoking environment': a novel strategy undermining tobacco control efforts in China.

Objective: In 2018, the Chinese tobacco industry initiated the nationwide 'civilised smoking environment' campaign via a 5-year action plan. The goal of this study was to analyse content of reports regarding this topic as evidence to policy-makers to prevent interference from the tobacco industry.

Methods: A search of WiseNews, a Chinese media information service provider, for reports regarding the 'civilised smoking environment' between January 2018 and December 2022.

Comparison of the clinicopathological characteristics of children with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with/without infection at diagnosis.

Background: Infectious episodes contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Renal involvement, also known as ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (AGN), is frequently observed in AAV. Little is known about whether co-infection at initial diagnosis is associated with renal outcome and prognosis in children with AGN.

Image-Based Phenotypic Profiling Enables Rapid and Accurate Assessment of EGFR-Activating Mutations in Tissues from Lung Cancer Patients.

Determining mutations in the kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is critical for the effectiveness of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in lung cancer. Yet, DNA-based sequencing analysis of tumor samples is time-consuming and only provides gene mutation information on EGFR, making it challenging to design effective EGFR-TKI therapeutic strategies. Here, we present a new image-based method involving the rational design of a quenched probe based on EGFR-TKI to identify mutant proteins, which permits specific and "no-wash" real-time imaging of EGFR in living cells only upon covalent targeting of the EGFR kinase.

Can earlobe stimulation serve as a sham for transcutaneous auricular vagus stimulation? Evidence from an alertness study following sleep deprivation.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has garnered increasing attention as a safe and effective peripheral neuromodulation technique in various clinical and cognitive neuroscience fields. However, there is ongoing debate about whether the commonly used earlobe control interferes with the objective assessment of taVNS regulatory effects. This study aims to further explore the regulatory effects of taVNS and earlobe stimulation (ES) on alertness levels and physiological indicators following 24 h of sleep deprivation (SD), based on previous findings that both taVNS and ES showed significant positive effects.

Hyperglycemia-responsive nitric oxide-releasing biohybrid cryogels with cascade enzyme catalysis for enhanced healing of infected diabetic wounds.

Diabetic wound infections are a frequent complication for diabetic patients, and conventional treatment for combating diabetic wound infections relies on antibiotics. However, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics have led to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, making these infections challenging to treat. Thus, there is an urgent need for alternative strategies to effectively manage diabetic wound infections.

Phage-mediated virulence loss and antimicrobial susceptibility in carbapenem-resistant .

Bacteriophages, known for their ability to kill bacteria, are hampered in their effectiveness because bacteria are able to rapidly develop resistance, thereby posing a significant challenge for the efficacy of phage therapy. The impact of evolutionary trajectories on the long-term success of phage therapy remains largely unclear. Herein, we conducted evolutionary experiments, genomic analysis, and CRISPR-mediated gene editing, to illustrate the evolutionary trajectory occurring between phages and their hosts.

Melatonin Affects Peucedanum praeruptorum Vegetative Growth and Coumarin Synthesis by Modulating the Antioxidant System, Photosynthesis, and Endogenous Hormones.

The dried root of Peucedanum praeruptorum is often used medicinally and has high pyran- and furanocoumarin content. Although exogenous melatonin (MT) impacts the regulation of plant growth, stress responses, secondary metabolism, etc., it remains unclear whether MT regulates the vegetative growth and development of P.

[Corrigendum] Abnormal expression of SIRTs in psoriasis: Decreased expression of SIRT 1‑5 and increased expression of SIRT 6 and 7.

Following the publication of the above article, the authors contacted the Editorial Office to explain that three pairs of the western blots featured in Fig. 4 on p. 165 had inadvertently been duplicated in this figure.

Tensile stress induced osteogenesis of periodontal ligament cells via Piezo1 mediated TAZ-Cbfα1 signaling.

Objective: Cyclic tensile stress (CTS) is known to induce osteogenesis of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs), in which the molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the role of the mechanosensitive calcium channel Piezo1 in the osteogenesis of PDLCs under tensile strain, as well as the signal regulation of the TAZ-Cbfα1 pathway in this process.

Design: PDLCs were isolated from periodontal ligament tissues and subjected to CTS.

Fabricating High-Efficiency Sb(S,Se) Solar Cells by Novel Additive-Assisted Longitudinal Component Engineering.

Antimony selenosulfide (Sb(S,Se)) solar cells have achieved an efficiency of over 10.0%. However, the uncontrollable hydrothermal process makes preparing high-quality Sb(S,Se) thin films a bottleneck for efficient Sb(S,Se) solar cell.

Genomic Insights into Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence of Isolated from Chongqing, China.

() is a pathogen of significant concern in food due to its ability to survive and multiply under harsh environmental conditions, such as high osmotic pressure, low temperatures, and freezing. This bacterium can cause listeriosis, a severe infection particularly dangerous for high-risk groups including newborns, pregnant women, and immunocompromised patients, due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiological characteristics of isolated in Chongqing, southwest China.

An Immunomodulatory Hydrogel Featuring Antibacterial and Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Properties for Treating Periodontitis in Diabetes.

Periodontal disease is a multifactorial, bacterially induced inflammatory disorder characterized by progressive destruction of periodontal tissues. Additionally, diabetes mellitus exacerbates periodontitis, resulting in expedited resorption of periodontal bone. However, methods such as mechanical debridement, anti-inflammatory medications, and surgical approaches often fail to eradicate local infections and inflammation, complicating the reconstruction of periodontal tissue structures.

Neutrophil extracellular traps promote tumor chemoresistance to anthracyclines.

The microenvironment plays an important role in promoting tumor cell chemoresistance, but the mechanisms responsible for this effect are not clear. Here, using models of multiple myeloma (MM) and solid cancers, we demonstrate a novel mechanism mediated by neutrophils, a major cell population in the bone marrow (BM), that protects cancer cells from chemotherapeutics. We show that in response to tumor-derived soluble factors, BM neutrophils release their DNA in the form of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

Latex microspheres lateral flow immunoassay with smartphone-based device for rapid detection of Cryptococcus.

Cryptococcus is a pathogenic fungus that poses a threat to human health. Conventional detection methods have limited the rapid and accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of Cryptococcus, affecting early diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we developed a Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) platform that integrates lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) with smartphones, enabling both rapid qualitative and quantitative detection of Cryptococcus.

Cross-Generational Exposure to Low-Density Polyethylene Microplastics Induced Hyperactive Responses in Offsprings.

The extensive application of plastic products in daily human life has led to the accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in agricultural soil. However, little is known about the cross-generational toxicity of MPs on terrestrial invertebrates. In this study, two-generational was exposed to low-density polyethylene (LDPE, 0-5%, w/w) for 98 days to reveal the cross-generational toxicity and the underlying mechanisms.

Self-powered SbS photodetectors with efficient carrier transport enabled by compact vertical TiO nanorods.

Antimony sulfide (SbS) photodetectors (PDs) possess extensive application prospects. Efficient carrier transport of a PD significantly affects the detectivity and response speed. Herein, we propose an all-inorganic self-powered SbS PD based on vertical TiO nanorods (NRs).

Transcriptome-based analysis of key functional genes in the triterpenoid saponin synthesis pathway of Platycodon grandiflorum.

Background: Platycodon grandiflorum (P. grandiflorum) is a commonly used medicinal plant in China. Transcriptome sequencing studies of different tissues of P.