Mitochondrial respiratory complex IV deficiency recapitulates amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is categorized into ~10% familial and ~90% sporadic cases. While familial ALS is caused by mutations in many genes of diverse functions, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of ALS, especially in sporadic ALS (sALS), are largely unknown. Notably, about half of the cases with sALS showed defects in mitochondrial respiratory complex IV (CIV).

Quantitative microbial risk assessment for on-site employees in a wastewater treatment plant and implicated surrounding residents exposed to S. aureus bioaerosols.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have increased dramatically in number due to rapid urbanization. However, these facilities release significant amounts of potentially hazardous airborne microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus bioaerosol, which poses health risks to employees and nearby residents. Therefore, this study estimated the direct exposure risks of bioaerosols in WWTPs using a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) framework evaluated through sensitivity analysis methods.

Early vaccine effectiveness estimates against medically attended laboratory-confirmed influenza based on influenza surveillance, Beijing, China, 2024/25 season.

We estimated early influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the 2024/25 season in outpatients, in Beijing using a test-negative design. A(H1N1)pdm09 dominated (99.3%), all sequenced strains (n = 38) clustered in clade 6B.

Vaccine effectiveness against influenza B/Victoria-associated medically attended influenza-like illness: Beijing, China, 2021-2022 influenza season.

Influenza B/Victoria viruses predominated during the 2021-2022 influenza season in Beijing, China, unlike most northern hemisphere countries, likely due to reduced international travel. We estimated influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against the B/Victoria lineage to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of 2021-2022 influenza VE. Between October 2021 and April 2022, patients aged ≥6 months with influenza-like illness (ILI) visiting outpatient departments in Beijing's influenza virological surveillance system were enrolled.

Nanomaterial-enabled anti-biofilm strategies: new opportunities for treatment of bacterial infections.

Biofilms play a pivotal role in bacterial pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance, representing a major challenge in the treatment of bacterial infections. The limited diffusion and inactivation efficacy of antibiotics within biofilms hinder their clearance, and while increasing dosage may enhance effectiveness, it also promotes antibiotic resistance. Nano-delivery systems that target antimicrobial agents directly to biofilms offer a promising strategy to overcome this challenge.

Leveraging the water-environment-health nexus to characterize sustainable water purification solutions.

Chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) pose critical threats to both public health and the environment, emphasizing the urgent need for effective water treatment measures. Yet, the implementation of such intervention technologies often results in increased energy consumption and adverse environmental consequences. Here, we employ a comprehensive methodology that integrates multiple datasets, assumptions, and calculations to assess the human health and environmental implications of removing various CECs from source water.

Strain Release via Glass Transition Temperature Regulation for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Thermally induced tensile strain that remains in perovskite films after annealing is one of the key reasons for diminishing the performance and operational stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a glass transition temperature (T) regulation (TR) strategy is developed by introducing two polymerizable monomers, 2-(N-3-Sulfopropyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium)ethyl methacrylate (SBMA) and 2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), into the perovskite layer. SBMA and HEA undergo in situ polymerization, which regulates the nucleation and crystal growth of the perovskite film.

Multifunctional Graphdiyne Enables Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells via Anti-Solvent Additive Engineering.

Finding ways to produce dense and smooth perovskite films with negligible defects is vital for achieving high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we aim to enhance the quality of the perovskite films through the utilization of a multifunctional additive in the perovskite anti-solvent, a strategy referred to as anti-solvent additive engineering. Specifically, we introduce ortho-substituted-4'-(4,4″-di-tert-butyl-1,1':3',1″-terphenyl)-graphdiyne (o-TB-GDY) as an AAE additive, characterized by its sp/sp-cohybridized and highly π-conjugated structure, into the anti-solvent.

Programmable trans-splicing riboregulators for complex cellular logic computation.

Synthetic genetic circuits program the cellular input-output relationships to execute customized functions. However, efforts to scale up these circuits have been hampered by the limited number of reliable regulatory mechanisms with high programmability, performance, predictability and orthogonality. Here we report a class of split-intron-enabled trans-splicing riboregulators (SENTRs) based on de novo designed external guide sequences.

A modified adaptive Kalman filter algorithm for the distributed underwater multi-target passive tracking system.

A modified adaptive Kalman filter (AKF) algorithm is proposed to make underwater multi-target tracking with uncertain measurement noise reliable. By utilizing the proposed AKF algorithm with three core points, including an adaptive fading factor, measurement noise covariance adjustment, and an adaptive weighting factor, the unknown measurement noise and state vector can be estimated with good accuracy and robustness. The practical trial data verify this algorithm, and it has proven superior to all traditional algorithms in this Letter based on the results that it reduces the estimated position RMSEs by at least 10.

Impact of ontogeny and spines on the hydrodynamic performance of the Cambrian arthropod .

A metazoan-dominated biological pump was established early in the Phanerozoic, a time that saw the evolution of the first pelagic euarthropod zooplankton such as some species of the Cambrian bivalved euarthropod . Pelagic groups evolved from benthic stock, in many cases through neoteny and retention of characteristics from planktic larval stages. However, brooded eggs and did not have a planktic larval stage, precluding this route into the pelagic realm.

Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness against Influenza A-Associated Outpatient and Emergency-Department-Attended Influenza-like Illness during the Delayed 2022-2023 Season in Beijing, China.

Background: During the 2022-2023 influenza season, the influenza activities in most regions of China were postponed, including Beijing. The unusually delayed influenza epidemic posed a challenge to the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine.

Methods: Using the test-negative design, we evaluated influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) during the 2022-2023 influenza season against influenza A-associated outpatient and emergency-department-attended influenza-like illness (ILI) in Beijing, China, from 9 January to 30 April 2023.

A chiral supramolecular liquid crystal based on pillararene and its application in information encryption.

A chiral supramolecular liquid crystal based on a pillararene mesogen was constructed. The regulation of liquid crystal behavior was achieved through the host-guest interactions between the pillararene-based mesogen and a tetraphenylethylene-containing guest. In addition, this supramolecular liquid crystal system, showing pH-responsive fluorescence emission character, was applied as an information encryption material capable of storing multiple levels of distinct information, thereby enriching the application of liquid crystal materials in the field of information security.

Sono-Triggered Biomimetically Nanoantibiotics Mediate Precise Sequential Therapy of MRSA-Induced Lung Infection.

Bacterial-induced lower respiratory tract infections are a growing global health concern, exacerbated by the inefficacy of conventional antibiotics and delivery methods to effectively target the lower respiratory tract, leading to suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. To address this challenge, this work engineers PBP2a antibody-presenting membrane nanovesicles (AMVs) specifically designed to target the penicillin-binding protein variant on the surface of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Concurrently, this work develops pure ciprofloxacin nanoparticles (NanoCip) that, for the first time, exhibits exceptional self-generated sonodynamic properties, attributed to hydrogen-bond-driven self-assembly, while maintaining their inherent pharmacological efficacy.

Discovery of FO-4-15, a novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivative, ameliorates cognitive impairments in 3×Tg mice by activating the mGluR1/CaMKIIα pathway.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive impairments. Despite the limited efficacy of current treatments for AD, the 1,2,4-oxadiazole structure has garnered significant attention in medicinal chemistry due to its potential impact on mGluR1 and its association with AD therapy. In this study, a series of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the neuroprotective effects in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells.

Income inequality and healthcare utilization of the older adults-based on a study in three provinces and six cities in China.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to gain a more nuanced understanding of the specific impact of income inequality on the utilization of healthcare services for older adults. Additionally, the study aims to elucidate the moderating and mediating roles of public transfer income and psychological health in this context.

Methods: A systematic examination of the impact of income inequality on healthcare utilization among older adults was conducted through field questionnaire surveys in six cities across three major geographical regions (West, Central, and East).

Adenosine kinase protects against acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury by activating autophagy in hepatocytes.

Acute liver injury (ALI) is a common life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate due to liver disease-related death. However, current therapeutic interventions for ALI remain ineffective, and the development of effective novel therapies is urgently needed. Liver samples from patients with drug-induced ALI were collected to detect adenosine kinase (ADK) expression.

Validation and structural exploration of the Chinese version of the Body Talk Scale.

The Body Talk Scale (BTS) measures both negative body talk (including fat talk and muscle talk) and positive body talk across genders. In this study, we translated it into Chinese and assessed its structure, reliability and validity among mainland Chinese residents. Item analyses indicated that no item deletion was necessary for this study, and both exploratory factor analysis (n = 1853) and exploratory graph analysis (n = 1583) supported the three-factor structure of the original scale.

Fugacity- and biotransformation-based mechanistic insights into the trophic transfer of organophosphate flame retardants in a subtropical coastal food web from the Northern Beibu Gulf of China.

The bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in marine ecosystems have attracted great attention in recent research, but our understanding of the trophic transfer mechanisms involved is limited. In this study, we investigated the trophodynamics of OPFRs and their metabolites in a subtropical coastal food web collected from the northern Beibu Gulf, China, and characterized their trophodynamics using fugacity- and biotransformation-based approaches. Eleven OPFRs and all seven metabolites were simultaneously quantified in the shellfish, crustacean, pelagic fish, and benthic fish samples, with total concentrations ranging from 164 to 4.

A study on the performance, structure, composition, and release behavior changes of polybutylene adipate terephthalic acid (PBAT) film during food contact.

Polybutylene adipate terephthalic acid (PBAT) is an emerging biodegradable material in food packaging. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential hazards it could pose to food safety. In this study, the changes of PBAT films during food contact and the release of small molecules were inestigated by a multiscale approach.

Identification and validation of stable reference genes for RT-qPCR analyses of Kobresia littledalei seedlings.

Background: Kobreisa littledalei, belonging to the Cyperaceae family is the first Kobresia species with a reference genome and the most dominant species in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau alpine meadows. It has several resistance genes which could be used to breed improved crop varieties. Reverse Transcription Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) is a popular and accurate gene expression analysis method.

Enhanced Mechanical Strength and Sustained Drug Release in Carrier-Free Silver-Coordinated Anthraquinone Natural Antibacterial Anti-Inflammatory Hydrogel for Infectious Wound Healing.

The persistent challenge of healing infectious wounds and the rise of bacterial resistance represent significant hurdles in contemporary medicine. In this study, based on the natural small molecule drug Rhein self-assembly to form hydrogels and coordinate assembly with silver ions (Ag), a sustained-release carrier-free hydrogel with compact structure is constructed to promote the repair of bacterial-infected wounds. As a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, Ag can avoid the problem of bacterial resistance caused by the abuse of traditional antibiotics.