Achieving High Solid-Liquid Ratio through Competitive Coordination towards Efficient Recovery of Metals from Spent Batteries.

The recycling of critical metals from spent lithium-ion batteries represents a significant step towards meeting the enhancing resource requirements in the new energy industry. Nevertheless, achieving effective leaching of metals from the stable metal-oxygen (MO6) structure of spent ternary cathodes and separation of metal products simultaneously still remained a huge challenge towards industrial applications. Herein, a competitive coordination strategy was proposed to design a novel deep eutectic solvent (DESs), which improved both leaching and selective metal recycling capacity even at high solid-liquid ratio (1:10).

Early detection of colorectal cancer using aberrant circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA fragmentomics.

Background: Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is crucial for improving the survival rates of patients.

Objective: We aimed to develop a novel strategy for early CRC detection using the fragmentomic features of circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA).

Design: Here, a total of 1147 participants, including 478 healthy controls (HCs), 112 patients with advanced adenomas (AAs) and 557 patients with CRC, were enrolled from five hospitals and plasma samples were collected for capture-based ccf-mtDNA sequencing.

Lhx2 specifically expressed in hepatic stellate cells promotes liver regeneration and inhibits liver fibrosis.

Background And Aims: Promoting liver regeneration while inhibiting fibrogenesis represented an attractive strategy for treating liver diseases, with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) being crucial to both processes. This study aimed to identify specific targets in HSCs that simultaneously facilitated regeneration and suppressed fibrosis, and elucidated their molecular mechanisms.

Approach And Results: Through comparing acute and chronic liver injury mouse models induced by CCl4 injections, we revealed that HSCs exhibited dual functionality, expressing pro-regenerative and pro-fibrogenic genes following injury.

Synergistic interactions between gut microbiota and short chain fatty acids: Pioneering therapeutic frontiers in chronic disease management.

Microorganisms in the gut play a pivotal role in human health, influencing various pathophysiological processes. Certain microorganisms are particularly essential for maintaining intestinal homeostasis, reducing inflammation, supporting nervous system function, and regulating metabolic processes. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a subset of fatty acids produced by the gut microbiota (GM) during the fermentation of indigestible polysaccharides.

Sub-nanometer Pt Nanowires with Disordered Shells for Highly Active Elelctrocatalytic Oxidation of Formic Acid.

Controlled synthesis of one-dimensional materials at atomic-scale dimensions represents a milestone in nanotechnology, offering the potential to maximize atom utilization while enhancing catalytic performance. However, achieving structural stability and durability at such fine scales requires precise control over material structure and local chemical environment. Here, we introduce dimethylamine (DMA) as a small-molecule modifier, in contrast to conventional long-chain surfactants, to interact with surface Pt atoms.

Not only the top: Type I topoisomerases function in multiple tissues and organs development in plants.

Background: DNA topoisomerases (TOPs) are essential components in a diverse range of biological processes including DNA replication, transcription and genome integrity. Although the functions and mechanisms of TOPs, particularly type I TOP (TOP1s), have been extensively studied in bacteria, yeast and animals, researches on these proteins in plants have only recently commenced.

Aim Of Review: In this review, the function and mechanism studies of TOP1s in plants and the structural biology of plant TOP1 are presented, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the current research status of this essential enzyme.

Establishment of three new species of Rhabdoblatta Kirby, 1903 (Blattodea, Blaberidae, Epilamprinae) from China on the basis of molecular and morphological data.

Combining the results of morphological identification and molecular species delimitation (ABGD), with newly sequenced 23 COI fragments from three new species and seven known species of Rhabdoblatta, we describe three species of Rhabdoblatta, namely Rhabdoblatta maculosa Guo et Che, sp. n., Rhabdoblatta equalisinensis Guo et Che, sp.

Self-Supervised Super-Resolution of 2D Pre-clinical MRI Acquisitions.

Animal models are pivotal in disease research and the advancement of therapeutic methods. The translation of results from these models to clinical applications is enhanced by employing technologies which are consistent for both humans and animals, like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), offering the advantage of longitudinal disease evaluation without compromising animal welfare. However, current animal MRI techniques predominantly employ 2D acquisitions due to constraints related to organ size, scan duration, image quality, and hardware limitations.

The selection of target areas for orbital imaging, as well as the application of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid orbital imaging, clinical factors, alkaline phosphatase, and thyrotropin receptor antibodies in the staging and grading of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, are subjects of research.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) are in the active phase and explore their correlations with various clinical factors, serological tests, and orbital imaging parameters studied. It also aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of different target areas in orbital imaging for assessing TAO inflammatory activity according to the American NOSPECS classification. Patients were stratified based on their NOSPECS grade to determine statistical differences among different stages.

3D preoperative plan assisted total knee arthroplasty after knee arthrodesis with patella absence: a case report.

Purpose: The conversion of knee arthrodesis to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a challenging procedure. This article aims to report a case of fusion knee with patellar absence who was converted to TKA and has achieved good results.

Methods: The patient, a 23 years old Tibetan Buddhist monk, sustained a left knee joint injury at the age of 12 due to a car accident, leading to subsequent knee arthrodesis at 18 years old as a result of recurrent severe infections.

Chinese herbal medicine-derived extracellular vesicles as novel biotherapeutic tools: present and future.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid bilayer-enclosed biological particles that are secreted by almost all living cells including animals, plants, and microorganisms. Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) have a long history of using plant-based remedies to treat and prevent human diseases. Chinese herbal medicine-derived extracellular vesicle (CHMEV) generic term refers to nanoscale membrane structures isolated from medicinal plants such as ginseng, ginger, and Panax notoginseng.

Systematic Review of Studies Investigating Hospital Readmissions in Pediatric Oncology.

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesize evidence on hospital readmissions among pediatric oncology patients, focusing on the indications, risk factors, and proposed strategies to prevent readmissions.

Method: The review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Databases including Embase, Medline, Scopus, Mendeley, and Google Scholar were searched.

Hierarchically mimicking outer tooth enamel for restorative mechanical compatibility.

Tooth enamel, and especially the outer tooth enamel, is a load-resistant shell that benefits mastication but is easily damaged, driving the need for enamel-restorative materials with comparable properties to restore the mastication function and protect the teeth. Synthesizing an enamel analog that mimics the components and hierarchical structure of natural tooth enamel is a promising way to achieve these comparable mechanical properties, but it is still challenging to realize. Herein, we fabricate a hierarchical enamel analog with comparable stiffness, hardness, and viscoelasticity as natural enamel by incorporating three hierarchies of outer tooth enamel based on hierarchical assembly of enamel-like hydroxyapatite hybrid nanowires with polyvinyl alcohol as a matrix.

A cross-section study of the comparison of plasma inflammatory cytokines and short-chain fatty acid in patients with depression and schizophrenia.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCH) are common and severe mental disorders that are mainly diagnosed depending on the subjective identification by psychiatrists. Finding potential objective biomarkers that can distinguish these two diseases is still meaningful.

Methods: In the present study, we investigate the differences in plasma inflammatory cytokines and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) among patients with MDD (n = 24) and SCH (n = 24), and gender- and age-matched healthy controls (HC, n = 27) and identify potential plasma biomarkers.

Advancing gastric cancer treatment: nanotechnology innovations and future prospects.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, particularly prevalent in Asia, especially in China, where both its incidence and mortality rates are significantly high. Meanwhile, nanotechnology has demonstrated great potential in the treatment of GC. In particular, nanodrug delivery systems have improved therapeutic efficacy and targeting through various functional modifications, such as targeting peptides, tumor microenvironment responsiveness, and instrument-based methods.

Constructing a highly sensitive duplex immunoassay using AuNPs and AgNPs as nanolabels for investigating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition occurring on circulating tumor cells with lung cancer patients.

Transformation of epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) is an important event in the process of tumor initiation, invasion and metastasis. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are one kind of important markers in the field of liquid tumor biopsy, whose number and phenotype represent the occurrence and progression of tumors. Therefore, it is our interest to investigate the epithelial mesenchymal transition process occurring on the surface of CTCs.

Alternative splicing modulates chromatin interactome and phase separation of the RIF1 C-terminal domain.

RIF1 (RAP1 interacting factor) fulfills diverse roles in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA replication, and nuclear organization. RIF1 is expressed as two splice variants, RIF1-Long (RIF1-L) and RIF1-Short (RIF1-S), from the alternative splicing (AS) of Exon 32 (Ex32) which encodes a 26 aa Ser/Lys-rich cassette peptide in the RIF1 C-terminal domain (CTD). Here we demonstrate that Ex32 inclusion was repressed by DNA damage and oncogenesis but peaked at G/M phase of the cell cycle.

Medium-entropy Zr-Nb-Ti alloys with low magnetic susceptibility, high yield strength, and low elastic modulus through spinodal decomposition for bone-implant applications.

Medium-entropy Zr-Nb-Ti (ZNT) alloys are being extensively investigated as load-bearing implant materials because of their exceptional biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, and low magnetic susceptibility. Nevertheless, enhancing their yield strength while simultaneously decreasing their elastic modulus presents a formidable obstacle, significantly constraining their broader utilization as metallic biomaterials. In this study, three medium-entropy ZNT alloys, i.

Research on the Mechanisms of Phytohormone Signaling in Regulating Root Development.

Phytohormones are organic compounds produced in trace amounts within plants that regulate their physiological processes. Their physiological effects are highly complex and diverse. They influence processes ranging from cell division, elongation, and differentiation to plant germination and rooting.

From starvation to depression: unveiling the link between the great famine and late-life depression.

Background: The Great Famine in China from 1959 to 1961 is recognized as one of the most severe social and public health disasters of the 20th century, with profound long-term impacts on the health of survivors, particularly on their mental health. Early-life malnutrition and psychological trauma are considered to contribute to a range of health issues in adulthood, including depression.

Objective: This study aims to explore how the experience of the Chinese Great Famine from 1959 to 1961 affects the risk of depressive symptoms among the elderly.

Enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation via in-situ AIS/ZIS high-low junctions.

The I-III-VI QDs Ag-In-S (AIS) exhibits excellent properties in photocatalysis because of the adjustable band gap, wide light absorption range, and multiple active sites. Introducing homologous or heterogeneous ions not only derives the composition into quaternary/ quinary quantum dots but also generates new sulfide QDs to form composites, which is an effective strategy to promote photoactivity. In this work, we in-situ synthesized the AIS/ZIS (AgInS/ZnInS) composite photocatalyst by introducing Zn and changing the reaction temperature.

SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 Reference Intervals for Apparently Healthy Chinese Adults: a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: This study aimed to establish reference intervals for two biomarkers actively utilized in routine annual medical check-ups in China: squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYRFA 21-1), and to understand the influence of age, gender, and benign nodule(s) on their levels.

Methods: This prospective multicenter cross-sectional study continuously enrolled apparently healthy adults attending annual medical check-ups at three sites in 2019. Serum SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays.

Triptolide induces hepatotoxicity by promoting ferroptosis through Nrf2 degradation.

Background: Triptolide (TP), a principal active substance from Tripterygium wilfordii, exhibits various pharmacological effects. However, its potential hepatotoxicity has always been a significant concern in clinical applications.

Purpose: This research aimed to explore the involvement of ferroptosis in TP-mediated hepatic injury and the underlying mechanisms.