Porous carbon-nanostructured electrocatalysts for zinc-air batteries: from materials design to applications.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are pivotal in the evolution of sustainable energy storage solutions, distinguished by their high energy density and minimal environmental footprint. The oxygen electrode, which relies on sophisticated porous carbon materials, is critical to operational efficiency. This review scrutinizes oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes in ZABs through advanced porous carbon applications.

Elucidating the effects of hofmeister salts on the formation mechanism and biocompatibility of lysozyme-hyaluronic acid complexes.

This study aimed to investigate the morphologies, biocompatibility, and formation mechanism of lysozyme-hyaluronic acid complexes in the presence of various Hofmeister salts. During the complexation of lysozyme (Lys) and hyaluronic acid (HA), salts can control the formation of colloidal nanoparticles, amyloid-like aggregates, and amorphous aggregates. Circular dichroism spectra revealed that the α-helix content of Lys involved in complexation significantly increased from 21.

Effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on oligodendrocyte lineage cells and myelination in mice: Age and subregion differences.

Adolescence is an important phase for the structural and functional development of the brain. The immaturity of adolescent brain development is associated with high susceptibility to exogenous disturbances, including alcohol. In this study, the acquisition of conditioned place preference (CPP) in adolescent mice by alcohol (2 g/kg) and the parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV interneurons), oligodendrocyte lineage cells (OPCs), and myelination in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were assessed.

Exploring the mechanism of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi in the regulation of obesity.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi is a traditional medicinal and edible homologous plant rich in flavonoids, triterpenes, saponins, polysaccharides and other chemical components. At present, studies have shown that Pueraria lobata radix (PR) has the effect of lowering blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity and inhibiting obesity.

Coordinate-aware three-dimensional neural network for lower extremity arterial stenosis classification in CT angiography.

Background: Lower Extremity Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) is an effective non-invasive diagnostic tool for lower extremity artery disease (LEAD). This study aimed to develop an automatic classification model based on a coordinate-aware 3D deep neural network to evaluate the degree of arterial stenosis in lower extremity CTA.

Methods: This retrospective study included 277 patients who underwent lower extremity CTA between May 1, 2017, and August 31, 2023.

Asymmetric photoenzymatic incorporation of fluorinated motifs into olefins.

Enzymes capable of assimilating fluorinated feedstocks are scarce. This situation poses a challenge for the biosynthesis of fluorinated compounds used in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. We developed a photoenzymatic hydrofluoroalkylation that integrates fluorinated motifs into olefins.

Volume-Metallization 3D-Printed Polymer Composites.

3D printing polymer or metal can achieve complicated structures while lacking multifunctional performance. Combined printing of polymer and metal is desirable and challenging due to their insurmountable mismatch in melting-point temperatures. Here, a novel volume-metallization 3D-printed polymer composite (VMPC) with bicontinuous phases for enabling coupled structure and function, which are prepared by infilling low-melting-point metal (LM) to controllable porous configuration is reported.

Ribosomal Incorporation of Lithocholic Acid into Peptides for the Discovery Of Peptide-Lithocholic Acid Hybrid Macrocyclic Peptides.

Peptide-bile acid hybrids offer promising drug candidates due to enhanced pharmacological properties, such as improved protease resistance and oral bioavailability. However, it remains unknown whether bile acids can be incorporated into peptide chains by the ribosome to produce a peptide-bile acid hybrid macrocyclic peptide library for target-based screening. In this study, we achieved the ribosomal incorporation of lithocholic acid (LCA)-d-tyrosine into peptide chains.

Mitochondrial RelA empowers mtDNA G-quadruplex formation for hypoxia adaptation in cancer cells.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) G-quadruplexes (G4s) have important regulatory roles in energy metabolism, yet their specific functions and underlying regulatory mechanisms have not been delineated. Using a chemical-genetic screening strategy, we demonstrated that the JAK/STAT3 pathway is the primary regulatory mechanism governing mtDNA G4 dynamics in hypoxic cancer cells. Further proteomic analysis showed that activation of the JAK/STAT3 pathway facilitates the translocation of RelA, a member of the NF-κB family, to the mitochondria, where RelA binds to mtDNA G4s and promotes their folding, resulting in increased mtDNA instability, inhibited mtDNA transcription, and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction.

Porcine lung tissue slices: a culture model for PRCV infection and innate immune response investigations.

Respiratory coronaviruses (RCoVs) significantly threaten human health, necessitating the development of an ex vivo respiratory culture system for investigating RCoVs infection. Here, we successfully generated a porcine precision-cut lung slices (PCLSs) culture system, containing all resident lung cell types in their natural arrangement. Next, this culture system was inoculated with a porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), exhibiting clinical features akin to humans who were infected by SARS-CoV-2.

Photoenzymatic Asymmetric Hydroamination for Chiral Alkyl Amine Synthesis.

Chiral alkyl amines are common structural motifs in pharmaceuticals, natural products, synthetic intermediates, and bioactive molecules. An attractive method to prepare these molecules is the asymmetric radical hydroamination; however, this approach has not been explored with dialkyl amine-derived nitrogen-centered radicals since designing a catalytic system to generate the aminium radical cation, to suppress deleterious side reactions such as α-deprotonation and H atom abstraction, and to facilitate enantioselective hydrogen atom transfer is a formidable task. Herein, we describe the application of photoenzymatic catalysis to generate and harness the aminium radical cation for asymmetric intermolecular hydroamination.

Non-modular fatty acid synthases yield distinct N-terminal acylation in ribosomal peptides.

Recent efforts in genome mining of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) have expanded the diversity of post-translational modification chemistries. However, RiPPs are rarely reported as hybrid molecules incorporating biosynthetic machinery from other natural product families. Here we report lipoavitides, a class of RiPP/fatty-acid hybrid lipopeptides that display a unique, putatively membrane-targeting 4-hydroxy-2,4-dimethylpentanoyl (HMP)-modified N terminus.

Hydraulic-driven adaptable morphing active-cooling elastomer with bioinspired bicontinuous phases.

The active-cooling elastomer concept, originating from vascular thermoregulation for soft biological tissue, is expected to develop an effective heat dissipation method for human skin, flexible electronics, and soft robots due to the desired interface mechanical compliance. However, its low thermal conduction and poor adaptation limit its cooling effects. Inspired by the bone structure, this work reports a simple yet versatile method of fabricating arbitrary-geometry liquid metal skeleton-based elastomer with bicontinuous Gyroid-shaped phases, exhibiting high thermal conductivity (up to 27.

Discovery of Novel Coumarin-quinolinium Derivatives as Pan-KRAS Translation Inhibitors by Targeting 5'-UTR RNA G-Quadruplexes.

Hyperactivated KRAS mutations fuel tumorigenesis and represent attractive targets for cancer treatment. While covalent inhibitors have shown clinical benefits against the KRAS mutant, advancements for non-G12C mutants remain limited, highlighting the urgent demand for pan-KRAS inhibitors. RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) in the 5'-untranslated region of mRNA can regulate KRAS translation, making them promising targets for pan-KRAS inhibitor development.

Selective Separation of Chalcopyrite from Pyrite Using Sodium Humate: Flotation Behavior and Adsorption Mechanism.

Flotation separation of chalcopyrite from pyrite using lime or cyanides as depressants results in serious problems, such as the blockage of pipelines and environmental pollution. Eco-friendly organics are a future trend for beneficiation plants. In this research, the eco-friendly organic depressant sodium humate (SH) was chosen as a depressant to separate chalcopyrite from pyrite by flotation.

Remote stereocontrol with azaarenes via enzymatic hydrogen atom transfer.

Strategies for achieving asymmetric catalysis with azaarenes have traditionally fallen short of accomplishing remote stereocontrol, which would greatly enhance accessibility to distinct azaarenes with remote chiral centres. The primary obstacle to achieving superior enantioselectivity for remote stereocontrol has been the inherent rigidity of the azaarene ring structure. Here we introduce an ene-reductase system capable of modulating the enantioselectivity of remote carbon-centred radicals on azaarenes through a mechanism of chiral hydrogen atom transfer.

Fabrication of targeted and pH responsive lysozyme-hyaluronan nanoparticles for 5-fluorouracil and curcumin co-delivery in colorectal cancer therapy.

Green nanotechnology is considered a promising method to construct functional materials with significant anticancer activity, while overcoming the shortcomings of traditional synthesis process complexity and high organic solvents consumption. Thus, in this study, we report for the first time the rational design and green synthesis of functionalized 5-fluorouracil and curcumin co-loaded lysozyme-hyaluronan composite colloidal nanoparticles (5-Fu/Cur@LHNPs) for better targeted colorectal cancer therapy with minimized side effects. The functionalized 5-Fu/Cur@LHNPs exhibit stabilized particle size (126.

TGF-β1 reduces the differentiation of porcine IgA-producing plasma cells by inducing IgM B cells apoptosis via Bax/Bcl2-Caspase3 pathway.

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) performs a critical role in maintaining homeostasis of intestinal mucosa regulation and controls the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of many immune cells. In this study, we discovered that the infection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a coronavirus, upregulated TGF-β1 expression via activating Tregs. Besides, recombinant porcine TGF-β1 decreased the percentage of CD21 B cells within the lymphocyte population in vitro.

PEDV promotes the differentiation of CD4T cells towards Th1, Tfh, and Treg cells via CD103DCs.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) can infect all ages of pigs, particularly newborn piglets with a mortality almost reaching to 80-100%, causing significant economic losses to the global pig industry. The mucosal immune response is crucial for PEDV prevention, in which specific dendritic cells (DCs) and differentiated T cells play vital roles. In this study, CD103DCs were differentiated successfully with retinoic acid (RA) treatment in vitro.

Utilization and Mechanisms of Tannic Acid as a Depressant for Chalcopyrite and Pyrite Separation.

Current flotation practices using lime or cyanide as depressants in chalcopyrite and pyrite separation have significant disadvantages, such as substantial reagent consumption, high slurry pH, and environmental hazards. This work aimed to explore the utilization and mechanisms of tannic acid (TA) as an eco-friendly alternative to lime or cyanide in chalcopyrite-pyrite separation. Flotation results showed that TA selectively depressed pyrite yet allowed chalcopyrite to float at neutral or alkaline pH.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Amides by a Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Wolff Rearrangement.

The enantioselective addition of potent nucleophiles to ketenes poses challenges due to competing background reactions and poor stereocontrol. Herein, we present a method for enantioselective phosphoric acid catalyzed amination of ketenes generated from α-aryl-α-diazoketones. Upon exposure to visible light, the diazoketones undergo Wolff rearrangement to generate ketenes.

Analysis of the Ability of a Distal Tibial Anatomical Locking Plate to Capture the Distal Tibial Fragments in Patients with Pilon Fractures.

Objective: Although pilon fractures are rare in clinical practice, they are difficult to treat because of their complexity. Effective fixation of the fracture fragment is the key to the treatment of pilon fractures. Plate osteosynthesis is common clinically, but there are many types of plates and the evaluation of the effect of fixation plates is not comprehensive.

Systematic study on lysozyme-hyaluronan complexes: Multi-spectroscopic characterization and molecular dynamics simulation.

This study systematically investigated the complexation mechanism of lysozyme (LYS) and hyaluronan (HA) as well as their complex-formation process using multi-spectroscopy combined with molecular dynamics simulation. Overall, the results demonstrated that electrostatic interaction provides the primary self-assembly driving forces for LYS-HA complex formation. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that the LYS-HA complexes formation primarily alters the α-helix and β-sheet structures of LYS.