Impact of maternal and offspring smoking and breastfeeding on oesophageal cancer in adult offspring.

Numerous risk factors for oesophageal cancer are linked to lifestyle habits, but the role of early-life factors in its incidence and mortality is unclear. Using UK Biobank data, we explore the association among breastfeeding, maternal smoking, smoking in offspring, and oesophageal cancer risk in adult offspring via multivariable Cox regression. Here, we show that being breastfed, compared with not being breastfed, is associated with a lower risk of oesophageal cancer incidence (HR: 0.

Digital channel-enabled distributed force decoding via small datasets for hand-centric interactions.

Tactile interfaces are essential for enhancing human-machine interactions, yet achieving large-scale, precise distributed force sensing remains challenging due to signal coupling and inefficient data processing. Inspired by the spiral structure of and the processing principles of neuronal systems, this study presents a digital channel-enabled distributed force decoding strategy, resulting in a phygital tactile sensing system named PhyTac. This innovative system effectively prevents marker overlap and accurately identifies multipoint stimuli up to 368 regions from coupled signals.

Artificial intelligence in drug development.

Drug development is a complex and time-consuming endeavor that traditionally relies on the experience of drug developers and trial-and-error experimentation. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly emerging large language models and generative AI, is poised to redefine this paradigm. The integration of AI-driven methodologies into the drug development pipeline has already heralded subtle yet meaningful enhancements in both the efficiency and effectiveness of this process.

A carrier-free ultrasound-responsive polyphenol nanonetworks with enhanced sonodynamic-immunotherapy for synergistic therapy of breast cancer.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is an efficient non-invasive strategy for treating breast cancer. However, the therapeutic efficacy of SDT is greatly limited by various defense mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment, particularly the overexpression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). In this study, based on drug self-delivery systems, a carrier-free ultrasound-responsive polyphenol nanonetwork (GTC) was developed to enhance SDT by inhibiting Bcl-2.

Moisture-driven carbonation kinetics for ultrafast CO mineralization.

CO mineralization, a process where CO reacts with minerals to form stable carbonates, presents a sustainable approach for CO sequestration and mitigation of global warming. While the crucial role of water in regulating CO mineralization efficiency is widely acknowledged, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains elusive. This study employs a combined experimental and atomistic simulation approach to elucidate the intricate mechanisms governing moisture-driven carbonation kinetics of calcium-bearing minerals.

Machine Learning-Driven Prediction, Preparation, and Evaluation of Functional Nanomedicines Via Drug-Drug Self-Assembly.

Small molecules as nanomedicine carriers offer advantages in drug loading and preparation. Selecting effective small molecules for stable nanomedicines is challenging. This study used artificial intelligence (AI) to screen drug combinations for self-assembling nanomedicines, employing physiochemical parameters to predict formation via machine learning.

Unequal Effects of the Lockdown on Mental Health in Shanghai: The Moderating and Mediating Role of Neighborhood Environment and Online Social Connections.

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted population mental health worldwide. Few studies examined how the neighborhood environment and online social connections might influence the social gradient in mental health during the pandemic lockdown. We aim to examine the moderating and mediating role of neighborhood environment and online social connections in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health outcomes.

Charge-transfer complexation of coordination cages for enhanced photochromism and photocatalysis.

Intensified host-guest electronic interplay within stable metal-organic cages (MOCs) presents great opportunities for applications in stimuli response and photocatalysis. Zr-MOCs represent a type of robust discrete hosts for such a design, but their host-guest chemistry in solution is hampered by the limited solubility. Here, by using pyridinium-derived cationic ligands with tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate (BAr) as solubilizing counteranions, we report the preparation of soluble Zr-MOCs of different shapes (1-4) that are otherwise inaccessible through a conventional method.

Flexible electronic-photonic 3D integration from ultrathin polymer chiplets.

The integration of flexible electronics and photonics has the potential to create revolutionary technologies, yet it has been challenging to marry electronic and photonic components on a single polymer device, especially through high-volume manufacturing. Here, we present a robust, chiplet-level heterogeneous integration of polymer-based circuits (CHIP), where several post-fabricated, ultrathin, polymer electronic, and optoelectronic chiplets are vertically bonded into one single chip at room temperature and then shaped into application-specific form factors with monolithic Input/Output (I/O). As a demonstration, we applied this process and developed a flexible 3D-integrated optrode with high-density arrays of microelectrodes for electrical recording and micro light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) for optogenetic stimulation while with unprecedented integration of additional temperature sensors for bio-safe operations and shielding designs for optoelectronic artifact prevention.

Ferrocenyl-Substituted Curcumin Derivatives as Potential SHP-2 Inhibitors for Anticolorectal Cancer: Design, Synthesis and Evaluation.

A panel of ferrocenyl-substituted curcumin derivatives has been designed and synthesized as protein tyrosine phosphatase proto-oncogene SHP-2 inhibitors. Antiproliferative activities of the synthesized compounds were tested against colorectal cancer cell lines (including RKO, SW480, and CT26). Compound showed excellent activities against the tested cell lines with IC values of 5.

Compound FLZ attenuates neuroinflammation through inhibiting Src/PTEN/Akt signaling pathway.

Compound FLZ has neuroprotective effects on Parkinson's disease (PD), while the precise mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that FLZ decreased PTEN/Akt activity in LPS-challenged BV2 cells. Neuroinflammatory responses suppressed by FLZ were abolished when PTEN or Src was inhibited.

Optimal CO intake in metastable water film in mesoporous materials.

The feasibility of carbon mineralization relies on the carbonation efficiency of CO-reactive minerals, which is largely governed by the water content and state within material mesopores. Yet, the pivotal role of confined water in regulating carbonation efficiency at the nanoscale is not well understood. Here, we show that the maximum CO intake occurs at an optimal relative humidity (RH) when capillary condensation initiates within the hydrophilic mesopores.

Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities.

Small-scale continuum robots hold promise for interventional diagnosis and treatment, yet existing models struggle to achieve small size, precise steering, and visualized functional treatment simultaneously, termed an "impossible trinity". This study introduces an optical fiber-based continuum robot integrated imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operation abilities at submillimeter-scale. With a slim profile of 0.

Artificial intelligence-enabled discovery of a RIPK3 inhibitor with neuroprotective effects in an acute glaucoma mouse model.

Background: Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death caused by acute ocular hypertension is an important characteristic of acute glaucoma. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) that mediates necroptosis is a potential therapeutic target for RGC death. However, the current understanding of the targeting agents and mechanisms of RIPK3 in the treatment of glaucoma remains limited.

Genetic analysis of partial duplication of the long arm of chromosome 16.

Background: Pure partial trisomy 16q12.1q22.1 is a rare chromosome copy number variant (CNV).

A bimodal closed-loop neuromodulation implant integrated with ultraflexible probes to treat epilepsy.

Anti-seizure medications and deep brain stimulation are widely used therapies to treat seizures; however, both face limitations such as resistance and the unpredictable nature of seizures. Recent advancements, including responsive neural stimulation and on-demand drug release, have been developed to address these challenges. However, a gap remains, as electrical stimulation provides only transient effects while medication has a delayed onset.

Metabolites limiting predator growth wane with prey biodiversity.

Predator-prey interactions are a major driver of microbiome dynamics, but remain difficult to predict. While several prey traits potentially impact resistance to predation, their effects in a multispecies context remain unclear. Here, we leverage synthetic bacterial communities of varying complexity to identify traits driving palatability for nematodes, a main consumer of bacteria in soil.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients in Hubei Province: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains one of the most significant factors threatening public health security worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing for more than 3 years; however, there are few studies on the clinical characteristics and mortality risk factors in patients with COVID-19 based on comprehensive data from multiple centers.

Methods: A total of 53,030 patients with confirmed COVID-19 from 138 hospitals in Hubei Province were included in this study.

BAMITA: Bayesian multiple imputation for tensor arrays.

Data increasingly take the form of a multi-way array, or tensor, in several biomedical domains. Such tensors are often incompletely observed. For example, we are motivated by longitudinal microbiome studies in which several timepoints are missing for several subjects.