Mechanically Stable and Damage Resistant Freestanding Ultrathin Silver Nanowire Films with Closely Packed Crossed-Lamellar Structure.

One-dimensional (1D) functional nanowires are widely used as nanoscale building blocks for assembling advanced nanodevices due to their unique functionalities. However, previous research has mainly focused on nanowire functionality, while neglecting the structural stability and damage resistance of nanowire assemblies, which are critical for the long-term operation of nanodevices. Biomaterials achieve excellent mechanical stability and damage resistance through sophisticated structural design.

Saliva Proteome, Metabolome and Microbiome Signatures for Detection of Alzheimer's Disease.

As the burden of Alzheimer's disease (AD) escalates with an ageing population, the demand for early and accessible diagnostic methods becomes increasingly urgent. Saliva, with its non-invasive and cost-effective nature, presents a promising alternative to cerebrospinal fluid and plasma for biomarker discovery. : In this study, we conducted a comprehensive multi-omics analysis of saliva samples ( = 20 mild cognitive impairment (MCI), = 20 Alzheimer's disease and age- and = 40 gender-matched cognitively normal individuals), from the South Australian Neurodegenerative Disease (SAND) cohort, integrating proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiome data with plasma measurements, including pTau181.

Structural insights into the enzymatic breakdown of azomycin-derived antibiotics by 2-nitroimdazole hydrolase (NnhA).

The antibiotic 2-nitroimidazole (2NI) or azomycin, used for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis and imaging tumor hypoxia, requires activation by bacterial nitroreductases for its antibiotic and cytotoxic effect. Mycobacterium sp. JS330 produces 2-nitroimidazole nitrohydrolase (NnhA) that circumvents 2NI activation, conferring 2NI resistance by hydrolysing it to nitrite and imidazol-2-one (IM2O) instead.

Seminal fluid proteins in the Queensland fruit fly: Tissue origins, effects of mating and comparative genomics.

In many insect species, the ability of males to inhibit their mates from remating is an important component of fitness. This ability is also essential for the effective management of insect pests, including tephritid fruit flies, using the Sterile Insect Technique. Here we apply transcriptomics and proteomics to male reproductive tissues before and after mating to characterize components of semen that might mediate remating inhibition in Queensland fruit fly.

[Characteristics, Sources, and Health Risk Changes of Heavy Metal Pollution Carried by PM in Beijing and Evaluation of Policy Effectiveness].

To evaluate the effectiveness of air pollution prevention and control measures in Beijing, this study measured the content of 13 metal elements, including seven heavy metal elements [As, Cd, Co, Cr（Ⅵ）, Ni, Pb, and V], through daily PM sampling （ = 934） in the urban area of Beijing for four years. We analyzed the interannual changes in the concentration levels of various metals and the differences between heating and non-heating seasons, used a positive definite matrix factorization （PMF） model for quantitative source analysis, and used health risk assessment methods to evaluate the health risks of six metals. The results showed that, except for a few metal elements such as Cr（Ⅵ） and Ni, which showed an increase in concentration in individual years, the overall concentration of each element showed a downward trend.

Clinical Diagnostic Significance of Combined Measurement of Lipoprotein(a) and Neck Circumference in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the clinical diagnostic significance of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and neck circumference (NC) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Chengde Central Hospital from September 2021 to June 2023, enrolling 791 patients with suspected CHD who underwent selective coronary angiography (CAG). Patients were categorized into CHD and non-CHD groups based on the severity of arterial narrowing.

Amorphous-Crystalline Interface Induced Internal Electric Fields for Electrochromic Smart Window.

Balancing optical modulation and response time is crucial for achieving high coloration efficiency in electrochromic materials. Here, internal electric fields are introduced to titanium dioxide nanosheets by constructing abundant amorphous-crystalline interfaces, ensuring large optical modulation while reducing response time and therefore improving coloration efficiency. Aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) reveals the presence of numerous amorphous-crystalline phase boundaries in titanium dioxide nanosheets.

Decay and Termite Resistance of Wood Modified by High-Temperature Vapour-Phase Acetylation (HTVPA), a Simultaneous Acetylation and Heat Treatment Modification Process.

High-temperature vapour-phase acetylation (HTVPA) is a simultaneous acetylation and heat treatment process for wood modification. This study was the first investigation into the impact of HTVPA treatment on the resistance of wood to biological degradation. In the termite resistance test, untreated wood exhibited a mass loss (ML) of 20.

The complete mitochondrial genome of enigmatic mycoparasitic fungus .

The complete mitochondrial genome of I. Saar, is unveiled in this research for the first time. It covers 76,643 base pairs (bp) and exhibits a guanine-cytosine (GC) content of 23%.

Clinical Value of the Diagonal Earlobe Crease in Patients with Chest Pain for Diagnosing Coronary Heart Disease.

Purpose: To investigate the clinical application value of diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) in patients with chest pain for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD) and to construct a risk model by multivariate logistic regression.

Patients And Methods: Our trial enrolled prospectively and consecutively 706 chest pain patients with suspected CHD between January 2021 to June 2023 from Chengde Central Hospital. According to coronary angiography results, they were categorized into the CHD (n=457) and non-CHD groups (n=249).

Stress-induced ordering evolution of 1D segmented heteronanostructures and their chemical post-transformations.

Investigations of one-dimensional segmented heteronanostructures (1D-SHs) have recently attracted much attention due to their potentials for applications resulting from their structure and synergistic effects between compositions and interfaces. Unfortunately, developing a simple, versatile and controlled synthetic method to fabricate 1D-SHs is still a challenge. Here we demonstrate a stress-induced axial ordering mechanism to describe the synthesis of 1D-SHs by a general under-stoichiometric reaction strategy.

Manipulating Hetero-Nanowire Films for Flexible and Multifunctional Thermoelectric Devices.

Flexible thermoelectric devices hold significant promise in wearable electronics owing to their capacity for green energy generation, temperature sensing, and comfortable wear. However, the simultaneous achievement of excellent multifunctional sensing and power generation poses a challenge in these devices. Here, ordered tellurium-based hetero-nanowire films are designed for flexible and multifunctional thermoelectric devices by optimizing the Seebeck coefficient and power factor.

Biomimetic Multimodal Receptors for Comprehensive Artificial Human Somatosensory System.

Electronic skin (e-skin) capable of acquiring environmental and physiological information has attracted interest for healthcare, robotics, and human-machine interaction. However, traditional 2D e-skin only allows for in-plane force sensing, which limits access to comprehensive stimulus feedback due to the lack of out-of-plane signal detection caused by its 3D structure. Here, a dimension-switchable bioinspired receptor is reported to achieve multimodal perception by exploiting film kirigami.

Toxicity studies of condensed fuzheng extract in mice and rats.

Unlabelled: Nutritional supplements have been used to improve immune function. Condensed fuzheng extract (CFE) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula that is predominantly made from sheep placenta, Bunge, and Collett & Hemsl. However, the toxicological profile of CFE has not been determined.

Cholecystokinin and cholecystokinin-A receptor: An attractive treatment strategy for biliary dyskinesia?

Biliary dyskinesia is a relatively common gastrointestinal disease that is increasing in incidence as living standards improve. However, its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear, hindering the development of therapeutic drugs. Recently, "Expression and functional study of cholecystokinin-A receptors on the interstitial Cajal-like cells of the guinea pig common bile duct" demonstrated that cholecystokinin (CCK) regulates the contractile function of the common bile duct through interaction with the CCK-A receptor in interstitial Cajal-like cells, contributing to improving the academic understanding of biliary tract dynamics and providing emerging directions for the pathogenesis and clinical management of biliary dyskinesia.

[Impacts of Human Activities on the Net Primary Productivity of Vegetation in Chengde's Transitional Region from Plateau to Plain in the Context of Climate Change].

Chengde's transitional region from plateau to plain is located in the transition zone of agriculture and livestock and is extremely sensitive to climate change and human activities. This study used the net primary productivity(NPP) of vegetation as an evaluation index to quantify the degree impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation change in the region. The Thornthwaite Memorial model was used to calculate the potential NPP, and the actual NPP was obtained based on MODIS NPP remote sensing images, using the difference between the actual and potential NPPs to express the amount of change in NPP owing to human activities.

The impact of superselective adrenal artery embolization on renal function in patients with primary aldosteronism: a prospective cohort study.

Superselective adrenal artery embolization (SAAE) is an effective treatment for patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). However, the impact of SAAE on renal function in the PA population remains uncertain. We investigated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes-specific percentiles of eGFR residuals in 182 PA patients treated with SAAE in a prospective cohort from Nanchang SAAE in treating PA registry study.

Assessing the Long-Term Creep Behaviour of Hydrothermally Treated Japanese Cedar Wood Using the Short-Term Accelerated Stepped Isostress Method.

In this study, short-term accelerated creep tests were conducted using the stepped isostress method (SSM) to investigate the impact of hydrothermal treatment on the long-term creep behaviour of Japanese cedar wood and to determine optimal hydrothermal treatment conditions. The results showed that SSM can effectively predict the creep behaviour of hydrothermally treated wood. Among the treatment conditions tested, Japanese cedar wood treated hydrothermally at 180 °C for 4 h exhibited higher flexural strength retention (91%) and moisture excluding efficiency (MEE) (44%) and demonstrated superior creep resistance compared to untreated wood.

Second Chern crystals with inherently non-trivial topology.

Chern insulators have been generalized to many classical wave systems and thereby lead to many potential applications such as robust waveguides, quantum computation and high-performance lasers. However, the band structure of a material can be either topologically trivial or non-trivial, depending on how the crystal structure is designed. Here, we propose a second Chern crystal in a four-dimensional parameter space by introducing two extra synthetic translation dimensions.

Phylogeny, Taxonomy and Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Reproductive Traits of Gomphoid Fungi (Gomphaceae, Gomphales).

Although functional ecology is a well-established field, our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological significance of the reproductive traits in macrofungi is still limited. Here, we reconstructed a phylogeny tree of gomphoid fungi in the narrower sense, including the species of the genera and and used it to uncover the evolution of reproductive traits. Our analyses indicated that fungal fruit bodies and spores did not enlarge at a steady rate over time.

The Correlation Between Aldosterone and Leukocyte-Related Inflammation: A Comparison Between Patients with Primary Aldosteronism and Essential Hypertension.

Background: Hypertension patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) have a higher risk of cardiovascular complications than blood pressure-matched essential hypertension (EH) patients. The cause may be closely related to inflammation. We explored the correlations between leukocyte-related inflammation parameters and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in PA patients and clinical characteristics-matched EH patients.