Decrypting the phylogeny and metabolism of microbial dark matter in green and red Antarctic snow.

Antarctic snow harbors diverse microorganisms, including pigmented algae and bacteria, which create colored snow patches and influence global climate and biogeochemical cycles. However, the genomic diversity and metabolic potential of colored snow remain poorly understood. We conducted a genome-resolved study of microbiomes in colored snow from 13 patches (7 green and 6 red) on the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica.

Unveiling the immunomodulator role of plasma oxidized lipids in SA-AKI progression: a CRRT perspective.

Background: Plasma oxidized lipids are intimately linked to immune regulation as bioactive mediators. However, it is not clear whether they are related to the progression of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) and the effect of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). This study intends to explore the changes in certain oxidized lipid during CRRT treatment and their correlation with the immune microenvironment and prognosis by analyzing plasma oxidative lipidomics.

iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium: an in vitro platform to reproduce key cellular phenotypes and pathophysiology of retinal degenerative diseases.

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy is a significant cause of human blindness worldwide, occurring in polygenic diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and monogenic diseases such as Stargardt diseases (STGD1) and late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD). The patient-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived RPE (iRPE) model exhibits many advantages in understanding the cellular basis of pathological mechanisms of RPE atrophy. The iRPE model is based on iPSC-derived functionally mature and polarized RPE cells that reproduce several features of native RPE cells, such as phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) and replenishment of visual pigment.

Positron Emission Tomography Imaging of Cathepsin B in Tumors with Activable Small Molecule Tracers.

Cathepsin B (CTB) is overexpressed in several types of tumors, and precise evaluation of the CTB activity can offer a promising method for the early diagnosis of tumors. In this study, two CTB-activated positron emission tomography (PET) tracers, and , were developed for sensitive and specific detection of CTB. Both tracers undergo a click condensation between 2-cyano-6-aminobenzothiazole (CBT) and cysteine (Cys) to form a cyclization product, thereby enhancing and prolonging the PET signal in tumors.

Significant enhancement in the magnetic properties of CrTe nanosheets by atom substitution doping.

Ferromagnetic CrTe nanocrystals, with their high spin-orbit coupling and low symmetry, have attracted considerable attention as rare-earth-free magnetic nanomaterials due to their potential to achieve high magnetic anisotropy. However, their relatively low values of remanence () and saturation () magnetisation limit their energy product, making them unsuitable for practical applications. Herein, we report a straightforward one-pot heat-injection technique for the synthesis of high-remanence hexagonal CrTe nanosheets by heterogeneous doping with atoms of M (M = V, Mn and Se).

Bandgap regulation and doping modification of Ga Cr Se nanosheets.

GaSe, an important direct wide bandgap semiconductor with excellent optoelectronic properties, has wide application potential in the fields of photodetectors, photoelectric sensors and solar cells. Herein, we describe the synthesis of GaSe semiconductor nanoparticles using a high temperature organic liquid phase method. Post-annealing treatment at different temperatures can not only improve the crystallinity of GaSe nanoparticles, but also regulate its optical band gap ranging from 2.

Legumain-Triggered Macrocyclization of Radiofluorinated Tracer for Enhanced PET Imaging.

Enhancing the accumulation and retention of small-molecule probes in tumors is an important way to achieve accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy. Enzyme-stimulated macrocyclization of small molecules possesses great potential for enhanced positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of tumors. Herein, we reported an F-labeled radiotracer for legumain detection in vivo.

The Influence of CD40/CD40L, MMP2/MMP9 on Uterine Artery Blood Flow and Their Expression in Recurrent Miscarriage.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the expression levels of soluble CD40L (sCD40L), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) in the serum of patients experiencing recurrent abortion and their impact on uterine artery blood flow.

Methods: A cohort of 200 patients with recurrent abortion was selected for this investigation. The levels of sCD40L, MMP2, and MMP9 in serum were assessed using ELISA, while ultrasound was employed to measure the pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) in uterine artery blood flow.

RPGR is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase RAB37 required for retinal function via autophagy regulation.

Although the small GTPase RAB37 acts as an organizer of autophagosome biogenesis, the upstream regulatory mechanism of autophagy via guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-guanosine triphosphate (GTP) exchange in maintaining retinal function has not been determined. We found that retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that activates RAB37 by accelerating GDP-to-GTP exchange. RPGR directly interacts with RAB37 via the RPGR-RCC1-like domain to promote autophagy through stimulating exchange.

The regulation of CuSNPs' interface for further enhancing mechanical and photothermal conversion properties of chitosan/@CuSNPs hybrid fibers.

Our previous study has demonstrated that the microstructure of copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNPs) can be controlled to enhance mechanical and photothermal conversion properties of chitosan (CS)/CuSNPs hybrid fibers. However, achieving optimal dispersion and compatibility of CuSNPs within a CS matrix remains a challenge, this study aims to improve dispersion and compatibility by modifying the CuSNPs' interface, thereby enhancing mechanical and photothermal conversion properties of hybrid fibers. The interfaces of @CuSNPs (CuS@Xylan NPs, CuS@SA NPs, and CuS@PEG NPs) contain hydroxyl groups, facilitating the hydrogen bonds formation with the CS matrix.

Controlled construction of 2D hierarchical core-shell ZnO/MnO nanosheets on Nitinol fiber with enhanced adsorption performance for selective solid-phase microextraction of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples.

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an important class of potentially toxic persistent organic pollutants in environmental water. Their concentrations are usually too low to allow for direct determination with analytical instruments, and the preconcentration is required prior to instrumental analysis. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is considered as a high-performance green sample preparation technique for volatile and non-volatile organic compounds due to its high enrichment factor.

A novel top-down strategy for in situ construction of vertically oriented hexagonal NiCr LDHs nanosheet arrays with intercalated sulfate ions on Nichrome fiber for selective solid-phase microextraction of phenolic compounds in water samples.

Background: Phenolic compounds (PCs) are a class of polar aromatic pollutants with high toxicity in environmental water. Generally the efficient sample preparation is essential for the quantification of ultra-trace target PCs in real water sample before appropriative instrumental analysis. SPME is a convenient, solvent-free and time-saving miniaturized technique and has been recognized as a green alternative to conventional extraction techniques.

Cathepsin B-Activated PET Tracer for Tumor Imaging.

Cathepsin B, a lysosomal protease, is considered as a crucial biomarker for tumor diagnosis and treatment as it is overexpressed in numerous cancers. A stimulus-responsive scaffold has been reported to detect the activity of a variety of tumor-associated enzymes. In this work, a small-molecule PET tracer () was developed by combining an scaffold with a cathepsin B-specific recognition substrate Cit-Val.

Unraveling the mystery of antibiotic resistance genes in green and red Antarctic snow.

Antarctic snow is a thriving habitat for a diverse array of complex microorganisms, and can present in different colors due to algae blooms. However, the potential role of Antarctic snow as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) has not been studied. Using metagenomic sequencing, we studied ARGs in green-snow and red-snow on the Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica.

FGL1 Promotes Tumor Immune Escape in Stomach Adenocarcinoma via the Notch Signaling Pathway.

Immune escape is the major reason for immunotherapy failure in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). We tried to reveal the underlying mechanism of FGL1 influencing STAD in this study. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to analyze the expression of FGL1, the signaling pathways affected by FGL1, and the relation between FGL1 and immune cell infiltration.

Biochemical Insights into a Novel Family 2 Glycoside Hydrolase with Both β-1,3-Galactosidase and β-1,4-Galactosidase Activity from the Arctic.

A novel GH2 (glycoside hydrolase family 2) β-galactosidase from sp. BSi20584 was successfully expressed in with a stable soluble form. The recombinant enzyme (rMaBGA) was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and characterized extensively.

Plasma oxidative lipidomics reveals signatures for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.

Background: Oxidized lipids are essential bioactive lipid mediators generated during infection that regulate oxidative stress and the inflammatory response, but their signatures in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) are poorly understood. This study analyzed the oxidative lipidomics of plasma from patients with SA-AKI to reveal the underlying biomarkers and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in sepsis.

Materials: A total of 67 patients with SA-AKI and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) participated in this prospective cohort study.

Power Line Extraction and Tree Risk Detection Based on Airborne LiDAR.

Transmission lines are the basis of human production and activities. In order to ensure their safe operation, it is essential to regularly conduct transmission line inspections and identify tree risk in a timely manner. In this paper, a power line extraction and tree risk detection method is proposed.