Recent advances in graphitic carbon nitride-based nanocomposites for energy storage and conversion applications.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has gained significant attention as a promising nonmetallic semiconductor photocatalyst due to its photochemical stability, favorable electronic properties, and efficient light absorption. Nevertheless, its practical applications are hindered by limitations such as low specific surface area, rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, poor electrical conductivity, and restricted photo-response ranges. This review explores recent advancements in the synthesis, modification and application of g-C3N4 and its nanocomposites with a focus on addressing these challenges.

High Entropy: A General Strategy for Broadening the Operating Temperature of Magnetic Refrigeration.

Lattice distortion and disorder in the chemical environment of magnetic atoms within high-entropy compounds present intriguing issues in the modulation of magnetic functional compounds. However, the complexity inherent in high-entropy disordered systems has resulted in a relative scarcity of comprehensive investigations exploring the magnetic functional mechanisms of these alloys. Herein, we investigate the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) of the high-entropy intermetallic compound GdTbDyHoErCo.

Peripheral Evolution of Tanshinone IIA and Cryptotanshinone for Discovery of a Potent and Specific NLRP3 Inflammasome Inhibitor.

Natural products (NPs) continue to serve as an invaluable source in drug discovery, and peripheral evolution of NPs is a highly efficient evolution strategy. Herein, we describe a unified "methyl to amide" peripheral evolution of Tanshinone IIA and Cryptotanshinone for discovery of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors. There were 54 compounds designed and prepared, while the chemoinformatic analysis revealed that these evolved NP analogues occupy a unique chemical space.

Cell-type-specific networks during hippocampal seizures at the micro- and macroscale.

Epilepsy is a network disorder, involving neural circuits at both the micro- and macroscale. While local excitatory-inhibitory imbalances are recognized as a hallmark at the microscale, the dynamic role of distinct neuron types during seizures remain poorly understood. At the macroscale, interactions between key nodes within the epileptic network, such as the central median thalamic nucleus (CMT), are critical to the, hippocampal epileptic process.

Rapid Charge Transfer Endowed by Heteroatom Doped Z-Scheme Van Der Waals Heterojunction for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Constructing heterojunctions between phase interfaces represents a crucial strategy for achieving excellent photocatalytic performance, but the absence of sufficient interface driving force and limited charge transfer pathway leads to unsatisfactory charge separation processes. Herein, a doping-engineering strategy is introduced to construct a In─N bond-bridged InS nanocluster modified S doped carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets Z-Scheme van der Waals (VDW) heterojunctions (InS/CNS) photocatalyst, and the preparation process just by one-step pyrolysis using the pre-coordination confinement method. Specifically, S atoms doping enhances the bond strength of In─N and forms high-quality interfacial In─N linkage which serves as the atomic-level interfacial "highway" for improving the interfacial electrons migration, decreasing the charge recombination probability.

Superhydrophobic Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Substrates for Sensitive Detection of Trace Nanoplastics in Water.

Nanoplastics, emerging as pervasive environmental pollutants, pose significant threats to ecosystems and human health due to their small size and potential toxicity. However, detecting trace levels of nanoplastics remains challenging because of limitations in the current analytical methods. Herein, we propose a method that combines superhydrophobic enrichment with SERS analysis for detecting trace nanoplastics in aqueous environments.

Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell PERK/ATF4 ER stress signaling protects against abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a life-threatening cardiovascular disease for which there is a lack of effective therapy preventing aortic rupture. During AAA formation, pathological vascular remodeling is driven by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dysfunction and apoptosis, for which the mechanisms regulating loss of VSMCs within the aortic wall remain poorly defined. Using single-cell RNA-Seq of human AAA tissues, we identified increased activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response pathway, PERK/eIF2α/ATF4, in aortic VSMCs resulting in upregulation of an apoptotic cellular response.

Regulation of Zinc Hydroxide Sulfate Growth Environment for Stable Zinc Anode/Electrolyte Interfaces.

Metallic Zn is a promising anode for high-safety, low-cost, and large-scale energy storage systems. However, it is strongly hindered by unstable electrode/electrolyte interface issues, including zinc dendrite, corrosion, passivation, and hydrogen evolution reactions. In this work, an in situ interface protection strategy is established by turning the corrosion/passivation byproducts (zinc hydroxide sulfates, ZHSs) into a stable hybrid protection layer.

Engineering perfluoroarenes for enhanced molecular barrier effect and chirality transfer in solutions.

Noncovalent forces have a significant impact on photophysical properties, and the flexible employment of weak forces facilitates the design of novel luminescent materials with a variety of applications. The arene-perfluoroarene (AP) force, as one type of π-hole/π interaction, shows unique directionality, involving an electron-deficient π-hole interacting with a π-electron-rich region, facilitating precise orientation and stabilization in supramolecular structures. Here we present an amination engineering protocol to build a perfluoroarene library based on an octafluoronaphthalene skeleton with various steric and electronic properties.

Micro-Electro Nanofibrous Dressings Based on PVDF-AgNPs as Wound Healing Materials to Promote Healing in Active Areas.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an innovative solution for chronic wounds in high-mobility areas, such as joints, where conventional treatments are hindered by passive healing mechanisms and the need for immobilization. By designing a micro-electro-Nanofiber dressing composed of piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) integrated with antimicrobial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), this research aims to address the dual challenges of promoting effective wound healing and maintaining joint mobility.

Methods: Herein, we developed a novel micro-electro-Nanofiber dressing using electrospinning technology, incorporating polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).

Novel target and cofactor repertoire for the transcriptional regulator JTY_0672 from BCG.

(Mtb) is the pathogenic agent of tuberculosis (TB). Intracellular survival plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Mtb in a manner that is dependent on an array of transcriptional regulators for Mtb. However, the functionality of JTY_0672, a member of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators, remains unknown.

Application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of post-stroke infections: a case series study using multiple sample types.

Background: Metagenomic high-throughput sequencing (mNGS) represents a powerful tool for detecting nucleic acids from various pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites, in clinical samples. Despite its extensively employed in the pathogen diagnosis for various infectious diseases, its application in diagnosing stroke-related infection, and its potential impact on clinical decision-making, anti-infection treatment, clinical intervention, and patient prognosis remain insufficiently explored. Additionally, while mNGS offers promising potential, it facts limitations related to sensitivity, specificity, cost, and standardization, which could influence its integration into routine clinical practice.

Comparing the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic minimally invasive surgery and traditional surgery for early-stage breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

Background: Early-stage breast cancer requires effective surgical interventions. This meta-analysis compares the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic minimally invasive surgery (EMIS) with traditional surgery, such as modified radical mastectomy.

Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and the Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome model, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library until July 19, 2023.

Comparative Foliar Atmospheric Mercury Accumulation across Functional Types in Temperate Trees.

Vegetation assimilation of atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) represents the largest dry deposition pathway in global terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated Hg accumulation mechanisms in deciduous broadleaves and evergreen needles, focusing on how ecophysiological strategies─reflected by δC, δO, leaf mass per area, and leaf dry matter content-mediated Hg accumulation. Results showed that deciduous leaves exhibited higher total Hg (THg) concentrations and accumulation rates (THg), which were 85.

Clinical and Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain characteristics of tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus in Changping District, Beijing, China.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for tuberculosis (TB), However, limited research exists on their clinical and strain characteristics. This study aims to investigate the correlation between these factors in TB-DM patients in Changping District.  METHODS: Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and drug susceptibility tests (DST) were performed on culture-positive strains.

Genomic selection strategies to overcome genotype by environment interactions in biosecurity-based aquaculture breeding programs.

Background: Family-based selective breeding programs typically employ both between-family and within-family selection in aquaculture. However, these programs may exhibit a reduced genetic gain in the presence of a genotype by environment interactions (G × E) when employing biosecurity-based breeding schemes (BS), compared to non-biosecurity-based breeding schemes (NBS). Fortunately, genomic selection shows promise in improving genetic gain by taking within-family variance into account.

Field-particle energy transfer during chorus emissions in space.

Chorus waves are some of the strongest electromagnetic emissions naturally occurring in space and can cause radiation that is hazardous to humans and satellites. Although chorus waves have attracted extreme interest and been intensively studied for decades, their generation and evolution remain highly debated. Here, in contrast to the conventional expectation that chorus waves are governed by planetary magnetic dipolar fields, we report observations of repetitive, rising-tone chorus waves in the terrestrial neutral sheet, where the effects of the magnetic dipole are absent.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of tetraploid Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus).

Chinese cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, and has high nutritional and economic value. 'Duiying' is a Chinese cherry variety local to Beijing, and has better performance than sweet cherry in terms of disease resistance. However, disease resistance resources of 'Duiying' have not been fully exploited partially due to the lack of a high-quality genome.

Densely populated macrocyclic dicobalt sites in ladder polymers for low-overpotential oxygen reduction catalysis.

Dual-atom catalysts featuring synergetic dinuclear active sites, have the potential of breaking the linear scaling relationship of the well-established single-atom catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction; however, the design of dual-atom catalysts with rationalized local microenvironment for high activity and selectivity remains a great challenge. Here we design a bisalphen ladder polymer with well-defined densely populated binuclear cobalt sites on Ketjenblack substrates. The strong electron coupling effect between the fully-conjugated ladder structure and carbon substrates enhances the electron transfer between the cobalt center and oxygen intermediates, inducing the low-to-high spin transition for the 3d electron of Co(II).

Trends in certifications of overall vision impairment and that due to diabetic retinopathy/maculopathy in England and Wales, 2009/2010 to 2019/2020: a retrospective database analysis.

Objectives: This study aims to report the trends in the certification of both sight impairment (SI) and severe sight impairment (SSI) in England and Wales during the period of 2010 to 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on diabetic retinopathy/maculopathy as the key causative factor.

Design: Retrospective database analysis.

Association between chest pain and risk of depression in patients with or without coronary heart disease.

Background: Research on the relationship between chest pain and depression risk in patients with or without coronary heart disease (CHD) is limited.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2018. The diagnoses of chest pain and CHD were based on self-reports from participants, while depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

Benzene-induced hematotoxicity enhances the self-renewal ability of HSPCs in Mll-Af9 mice.

Patients with benzene-induced leukemia undergo a continuous transformation from myelosuppression to malignant proliferation. However, the underlying mechanisms in this process remain unknown. Our previous studies have shown that the pathways involved in self-renewal capacity of bone marrow (BM) cells in Mll-Af9 mice exposed to benzene for life are significantly activated after severe blood toxicity.

Hyaluronic acid-mediated targeted nano-modulators for activation of pyroptosis for cancer therapy through multichannel regulation of Ca overload.

Calcium-based nanomaterials-mediated Ca overload-induced pyroptosis and its application in tumor therapy have received considerable attention. However, the calcium buffering capacity of tumor cells can maintain mitochondrial calcium homeostasis, so it is important to effectively disrupt this homeostasis to activate pyroptosis. Here, a nano-modulator CUR@CaCO-PArg@HA (CCAH) was developed to regulate calcium overload in multiple channels and activate pyroptosis.

Mechanism and therapeutic potential of hippo signaling pathway in type 2 diabetes and its complications.

Loss of pancreatic islet cell mass and function is one of the most important factors in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hyperglycemia-induced lesions in other organs are also associated with apoptosis or hyperproliferation of the corresponding tissue cells. The Hippo signaling pathway is a key signal in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation and apoptosis, which has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Excessive activation of the Hippo signaling pathway under high glucose conditions triggered apoptosis and decreased insulin secretion in pancreatic islet cells, while dysregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway in the cells of other organ tissues led to proliferation or apoptosis and promoted tissue fibrosis, which aggravated the progression of diabetes mellitus and its complications.