Enhanced Antioxidation and UV-Absorption Ability of Industrial Lignin via Promoting Phenolic Contents and Hydrophilicity.

Lignin possesses unique natural antioxidation and UV-absorption abilities, making it a promising ingredient for sunscreen. However, the industrial lignin produced from pulping or bioethanol production generally shows low efficiency due to the limited phenolic hydroxyl content and poor compatibility with sunscreen, respectively. To address this issue, a molten salt hydrate treatment process was carried out for the selective cleavage of ether bonds in industrial lignin.

Enhanced Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Cellulose via Synergistic Catalysis of Solid Acid and Molten Salt Hydrates Solvent.

Producing 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) from abundant and renewable cellulose is a practical method for lignocellulosic biomass valorization. Nonetheless, the high crystallinity of cellulose restricts the accessibility of catalysts, and the complex reaction pathway generally results in the formation of intermediate by-products and 5-HMF degradation. Molten salt hydrates (MSHs) are unique in dissolving crystalline cellulose and their weak Brønsted acidity can facilitate cellulose hydrolysis to glucose.

Lignin Ultrafiltration Fractionation and Self-Assembly to Monodisperse Nanoparticles for Photonic Materials.

Lignin, a natural aromatic polymer, is a promising candidate for sustainable photonic materials. However, its heterogeneity hinders uniform nanoparticle production. This study employs membrane ultrafiltration to fractionate alkaline lignin into five molecular weight fractions (UL1-UL5) and synthesizes lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) via antisolvent self-assembly.

Transformable Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Oxygen Vacancy-Rich MnO@Hydroxyapatite Nanospheres for Highly Efficient Cancer Sonodynamic Immunotherapy.

Despite the promise of sonodynamic therapy (SDT)-mediated immunotherapy, the anticancer efficacy of current sonosensitizers is greatly limited by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and their inability to selectively respond to it. Herein, oxygen vacancy-rich MnO@hydroxyapatite (Ca(PO)(OH)) core-shell nanospheres (denoted as O-MO@CPO) as an advanced TME-responsive sonosensitizer for sonodynamic immunotherapy is demonstrated. The O-MO@CPO maintains its structural integrity under neutral conditions but dissolves the pH-sensitive hydroxyapatite shell under acidic TME to release active oxygen vacancy-rich MnO core, which reinvigorates HO consumption and hypoxia alleviation due to its catalase-like activity.

Fractionation of High-Yield Noncondensed Lignin and Glucan Oligomers from Lignocellulose in a Novel Biphasic System.

Effective fractionation of lignocellulose into hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin is the precondition for full-component valorization. Generally, harsh reaction conditions are used to improve fractionation efficiency, which leads to severe lignin condensation and inhibits its value-added applications. To address this issue, a novel biphasic system consisting of molten salt hydrates (MSHs) and n-butanol was developed for birch fractionation.

The effects of low-carbohydrate diet on glucose and lipid metabolism in overweight or obese patients with T2DM: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The dual burden of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and obesity is a critical public health issue. Low-carbohydrate diets have emerged as a potential intervention, yet clinical evidence remains inconclusive.

Purpose: This meta-analysis assesses the impact of low-carbohydrate diets on metabolic profiles in overweight or obese T2DM patients, aiming to guide clinical practice.

Plasmonic MOF for Highly Selective SERS Sensing of Trace Mercury (II) in Complex Matrices.

Developing Ag-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensors for detecting Hg(II) has garnered significant research interest due to their unparalleled selectivity, which is brought by the specific Ag-Hg amalgamation reaction. However, existing sensors perform unsatisfactorily in the trace detection of Hg(II) because the low concentration of Hg(II) does not have the redox potential sufficient to amalgamate with Ag. To address this challenge, a plasmonic MOF SERS sensor is developed, nanoetched Ag@UiO-68-SMe, by integrating the enormous Raman enhancement effects of nanoetched Ag with the selective enrichment function of UiO-68-SMe into single entity.

25-year trajectories of physical activity and atrial fibrillation risk: results from the ARIC study.

Background: The relationship between serial changes in physical activity and the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) has been rarely studied.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between changes in physical activity over time and the incidence of AF.

Methods: A total of 11,828 participants without AF at baseline (visit 1: 1987-1989) from the ARIC Study were included.

Fractionation of lignin from corncob with high-yield p - coumaric acid production in deep eutectic solvents followed by pyrolysis to produce monophenols.

Two distinctive aromatic units, p - coumarate and ferulate, exist in corncob lignin, which have the potential to yield p - coumaric acid (pCA) and ferulic acid (FA). Although pCA and FA are primarily extracted from corncob lignin utilizing strong acids and bases, extremely acidic or alkaline conditions result in the disruption of the aromatic unit structure of the residual lignin. Herein, lactic acid coupled with choline chloride was utilized as acidic deep eutectic solvent (DES), while KCO with glycerin was used as alkaline DES, thereby facilitating the extraction of pCA, FA and lignin from corncob in a mild environment.

New Insight into Industrial Lignin Intermolecular Force Heterogeneity Mitigation: Monodispersed Lignin Colloidal Sphere Synthesis and Full Biomass Photonic Material Preparation.

Industrial lignin is an underutilized resource from the pulping industry due to its high heterogeneity. The transformation of industrial lignin into monodispersed lignin colloidal spheres (LCSs) for the preparation of advanced biomass photonic materials is particularly appealing, because of their unique biocompatibility. However, the LCSs synthesized from industrial lignin generally show a wide size distribution and thus limit this specific application.

A Tumor-Activatable Liposomal Nanoprobe for Selective Visualization of Metastatic Lymph Nodes.

The precise identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) during surgery and assessment of their benign status is crucial for accurate tumor staging and optimal treatment strategizing. Currently, a deficiency exists in non-invasive in vivo diagnostic techniques that can accurately pinpoint SLNs during surgery while simultaneously evaluating their benign status. Here, a tumor-activatable liposomal nanoprobe (nTAL) is developed, remotely loaded with clinically approved photosensitizer, methyl aminolevulinate (MAL), to noninvasively visualize the tumor metastasis lymph nodes (LNs) with precision.

Functional analysis and validation of oncodrive gene AP3S1 in ovarian cancer through filtering of mutation data from whole-exome sequencing.

Background: High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most aggressive and prevalent subtype of ovarian cancer and accounts for a significant portion of ovarian cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite advancements in cancer treatment, the overall survival rate for HGSOC patients remains low, thus highlighting the urgent need for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and for identifying potential therapeutic targets. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying somatic mutations and alterations across the entire exome, thus providing valuable insights into the genetic drivers and molecular pathways underlying cancer development and progression.

Comparison of left- and right-sided colorectal cancer to explore prognostic signatures related to pyroptosis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies, and pyroptosis exerts an immunoregulatory role in CRC. Although the location of the primary tumor is a prognostic factor for patients with CRC, the mechanisms of pyroptosis in left- and right-sided CRC remain unclear.

Methods: Expression and clinical data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases.

Juan-tong-yin potentially impacts endometriosis pathophysiology by enhancing autophagy of endometrial stromal cells via unfolded protein reaction-triggered endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Endometriosis (EMs) is characterized by inflammatory lesions, dysmenorrhea, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. Single-target medications often fail to provide systemic therapeutic results owing to the complex mechanism underlying endometriosis. Although traditional Chinese medicines-such as Juan-Tong-Yin (JTY)-have shown promising results, their mechanisms of action remain largely unknown.

A follicle-stimulating hormone receptor-targeted near-infrared fluorescent probe for tumor-selective imaging and photothermal therapy.

Late detection, peritoneal dissemination, chemoresistance and weak response to targeted therapeutics lead to high mortality in ovarian cancer. More efficient and specific tumor imaging and therapeutic agents are needed to improve the resection rate of surgery and to eliminate residual disease. The expression patterns of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor make it a suitable target for ovarian cancer.

Carbon-Restricted Anoxic Zone as an Overlooked Anammox Hotspot in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.

The anoxic zone serves as the core functional unit in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs). Unfortunately, in most cases, the downstream range of the anoxic zone is severely lacking in available organic carbon and thus contributes little to the removal of nutrients. This undesirable range is termed the "carbon-restricted anoxic zone", representing an insurmountable drawback for traditional MWWTPs.

Targeted Imaging of Endometriosis and Image-Guided Resection of Lesions Using Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogue-Modified Indocyanine Green.

Objective: In this study, we utilized gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue-modified indocyanine green (GnRHa-ICG) to improve the accuracy of intraoperative recognition and resection of endometriotic lesions.

Methods: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) expression was detected in endometriosis tissues and cell lines via immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The in vitro binding capacities of GnRHa, GnRHa-ICG, and ICG were determined using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.

Structural and surface engineering promotes Zn-ion energy storage capability of commercial carbon cloth.

Aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (AZHSCs) combining the advantages of high-energy batteries and high-power supercapacitors see a bright future, but they still suffer from the poor capacity of carbonic cathodes. Herein, a functionalized porous carbon cloth (denoted as FPCC) electrode is demonstrated based on commercial carbon cloth (denoted as CC) tuning by structural and surface engineering. The constructed exfoliated porous carbon layer and the negatively charged functionalized interface not only increase the electrical double layer capacitance but also favor the chemical adsorption of Zn2+ to obtain additional pseudocapacitance.

Cerebral proliferative angiopathy in pediatric age presenting as neurological disorders: A case report.

Background: Cerebral proliferative angiopathy (CPA) is a rare subtype of arteriovenous malformation. It is extremely rare in pediatric patients and has serious implications for developing children. However, reports of these disorders worldwide are limited, and no uniform reference for diagnosis and treatment options exists.

Nonplanar π-Conjugated Sulfur Heterocyclic Quinone Polymer Cathode for Air-Rechargeable Zinc/Organic Battery with Simultaneously Boosted Output Voltage, Rate Capability, and Cycling Life.

π-conjugated organic compounds with a good charge transfer ability and rich redox functional groups are promising cathode candidates for air-rechargeable aqueous Zn-based batteries (AAZBs). However, the output voltage of even the state-of-the-art π-conjugated organic cathodes lies well below 0.8 V, resulting in insufficient energy density.

Association between dietary vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification among the US adults.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality, and vascular calcification has been highly correlated with CVD events. Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been shown to predict subclinical CVD and incident CVD events. However, the relationship between vitamin C and abdominal aortic calcification remains unclear.

Promoting OH Adsorption and Diffusion Enables Ultrahigh Capacity and Rate Capability of Nickel Sulfide Cathode for Aqueous Alkaline Zn-Based Batteries.

Aqueous alkaline Zn-based batteries (AAZBs) possess great promise for large-scale applications thanks to their higher discharging plateau and unique reaction mechanism. However, the capacity and rate capability of Ni-based cathodes are still unsatisfactory due to their insufficient OH adsorption and diffusion ability. Herein, heterostructured Ni S /Ni(OH) nanosheets with outstanding electrochemical performance are synthesized via a facile chemical etching strategy.

Chronic stress induces meiotic arrest failure and ovarian reserve decline via the cAMP signaling pathway.

Chronic stress is suspected to be a causal factor of female subfertility; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that chronic stress inhibited the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway, leading to ovarian reserve decline in mice. A chronic stress model was constructed using restraint stress for 8 weeks.