Engineering Peptide-Based Molecular Baits for Targeted Fishing and Protein Profiling of Exosomes as a Liquid Biopsy for Gastrointestinal Adenocarcinoma.

High-performance isolation of exosomes as a promising liquid biopsy target is of great importance for both fundamental research and clinical applications. This is, however, challenged by the prevalent heterogeneity of exosomes and the highly complex nature of biosamples. Here, we introduce the use of a CD81-targeting peptide as a building block for tailoring molecular baits for exosome isolation and payload analysis in clinical biofluids.

The value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) caused by infection is a disease state characterized by complex pathogens and remains a diagnostic dilemma. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology is a promising diagnostic tool for identifying pathogenic microbes of FUO caused by infection. Little is known about the clinical impact of mNGS in the etiological diagnosis of FUO.

Robust collection and processing for label-free single voxel proteomics.

With advanced mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, genome-scale proteome coverage can be achieved from bulk tissues. However, such bulk measurement lacks spatial resolution and obscures tissue heterogeneity, precluding proteome mapping of tissue microenvironment. Here we report an integrated wet collection of single microscale tissue voxels and Surfactant-assisted One-Pot voxel processing method termed wcSOP for robust label-free single voxel proteomics.

Metabolic pathway and genetically causal links of 1,400 circulating metabolites on the risk of intracranial aneurysms and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background: The rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) leads to aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), which is associated with significant disability and mortality rates. This study aims to identify metabolic markers causally linked to the occurrence of IAs and aSAH through Mendelian randomization (MR), thereby offering novel predictive and therapeutic targets.

Methods: We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on IAs and aSAH, analyzing 1,400 metabolomic indices from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) cohort (n = 8,299).

The association between sarcopenic obesity, sarcopenia and functional dependence, malnutrition, and mortality: the phenomenon of obesity paradox in sarcopenic obesity.

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between four phenotypes of sarcopenia/obesity in older individuals and functional disability, malnutrition, and all-cause mortality. This study is a cross-sectional study, survival is 3 years. A total of 487 Chinese older adults were included with 283 (58.

Knowledge Distillation-Enhanced Behavior Transformer for Decision-Making of Autonomous Driving.

Autonomous driving has demonstrated impressive driving capabilities, with behavior decision-making playing a crucial role as a bridge between perception and control. Imitation Learning (IL) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) have introduced innovative approaches to behavior decision-making in autonomous driving, but challenges remain. On one hand, RL's policy networks often lack sufficient reasoning ability to make optimal decisions in highly complex and stochastic environments.

Cockpit-Llama: Driver Intent Prediction in Intelligent Cockpit via Large Language Model.

The cockpit is evolving from passive, reactive interaction toward proactive, cognitive interaction, making precise predictions of driver intent a key factor in enhancing proactive interaction experiences. This paper introduces Cockpit-Llama, a novel language model specifically designed for predicting driver behavior intent. Cockpit-Llama predicts driver intent based on the relationship between current driver actions, historical interactions, and the states of the driver and cockpit environment, thereby supporting further proactive interaction decisions.

High fructose levels inhibit the proliferation of cardiomyocytes via the Notch1 signaling pathway.

Fructose, as a natural and simple sugar, is not significantly harmful to the human body when consumed in moderation and can provide energy for the body. High-fructose diets have been linked to an increased risk of a range of metabolic disorders, including hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. These conditions are known to be associated with an elevated risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases.

Novel functional eQTL-SNPs associated with susceptibility to occupational pulmonary fibrosis: A multi-stage study.

Aim: Identifying the common functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that can both affect the susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and silicosis.

Methods: We first integrated the genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of IPF and silicosis to obtain the shared SNPs. Following this, functional expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL)-SNPs were identified by the GTEx database.

CXCL5 as a biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis: A comprehensive clinical evaluation.

Objectives: Sepsis, a critical condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, has high morbidity and mortality rates. Timely diagnosis and treatment are vital for improving patient outcomes. This study explores the potential role of CXCL5 in the diagnosis, severity assessment, and prognosis of sepsis.

Oxyglutamate Carrier Alleviates Cerebral Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury by Regulating Mitochondrial Function.

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported to participate in the pathophysiological processes of cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury, which include reduced energy homeostasis, increased generation of oxidative stress species (ROS) and the release of apoptotic factors. Oxyglutamate carrier (OGC) is an important carrier protein on the inner mitochondrial membrane that can transport metabolites from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria. The role of OGC in cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) remains unknown.

Advancements in nanohydroxyapatite: synthesis, biomedical applications and composite developments.

Nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) is distinguished by its exceptional biocompatibility, bioactivity and biodegradability, qualities attributed to its similarity to the mineral component of human bone. This review discusses the synthesis techniques of nHA, highlighting how these methods shape its physicochemical attributes and, in turn, its utility in biomedical applications. The versatility of nHA is further enhanced by doping with biologically significant ions like magnesium or zinc, which can improve its bioactivity and confer therapeutic properties.

Effects of Substitution of Wheat Straw by Giant Reed on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Parameters, Nutrient Digestibility, and Antioxidant Properties of Sheep.

The development and utilization of unconventional forage resources is crucial to alleviating the current situation of shortage of forage resources. Giant reed () is a promising forage resource from the Poaceae family, one of the largest herbaceous plants globally, with fast growth, high biomass yield, and strong ecological adaptability. However, there are still very few reports on the use of giant reed in livestock and poultry production.

Exploration of small-molecule inhibitors targeting Hsp110 as novel therapeutics.

The heat shock protein (HSP) 110 family has a key role as a unique class of molecular chaperones maintaining cellular proteostasis in eukaryotes. Abnormal activation of Hsp110 has been implicated in several diseases. Given its important role in pathogenesis, Hsp110 has become a novel drug target for disease diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Uranium Extraction from Seawater via Hydrogen Bond Porous Organic Cages.

Uranium (U), a high-performing, low-emission energy source, is driving sustainable economic growth. Herein, we synthesized two crystalline phases (HPOC-α and β) by an unreported amidoxime organic cage used for uranium capture. The revealed crystal structures and uranium adsorption test showed that accessible functional groups were essential to uranyl ions sorption.

STC1 encapsulated in small extracellular vesicles from laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells induces CD8 T cell dysfunction by reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages into M2-like macrophages.

Background: Tumor-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) play an essential role in reprogramming the tumor microenvironment. Metabolic reprogramming is an essential prerequisite for M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). This M2 phenotype is closely related to the immune dysfunction of CD8 T cells and subsequent tumor progression.

Hemodynamic evaluation of symptomatic and asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis using cerebral angiographic images: an exploratory study.

Background: Previous studies suggest that it may be inappropriate to determine treatment strategies solely based on the degree of stenosis for patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). In order to better risk stratify patients with ICAS, we developed a novel non-invasive fractional flow (FF) calculation technique based on intracranial angiography (Angio-FF) to assess the hemodynamics for patients with ICAS. This study aims to investigate the difference in FF between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with ICAS and its potential optimal threshold.

Robust low threshold full-color upconversion lasing in rare-earth activated nanocrystal-in-glass microcavity.

Visible light microlasers are essential building blocks for integrated photonics. However, achieving low-threshold (μW), continuous-wave (CW) visible light lasing at room temperature (RT) has been a challenge because of the formidable requirement of population inversion at short wavelengths. Rare-earth (RE)-activated microcavities, featuring high-quality factor (Q) and small mode volume of whispering gallery modes, offer a great opportunity for achieving infrared-to-visible upconversion (UC) lasing.

Emerging phospholipid-targeted affinity materials for extracellular vesicle isolation and molecular profiling.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and small molecular metabolites have emerged as an attractive paradigm for understanding and interfering physiological and pathological processes. To this end, selective and efficient separation approaches are highly demanded to obtain target EVs from complicated biosamples. With increasing knowledges on EV lipids, recent years have witnessed rapid advances of phospholipid-targeted affinity materials and platforms for high-performance isolation and analysis of EVs.

Personalized Human Astrocyte-Derived Region-Specific Forebrain Organoids Recapitulate Endogenous Pathological Features of Focal Cortical Dysplasia.

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental malformation, the underlying mechanisms of which remain largely elusive. In this study, personalized dorsal and ventral forebrain organoids (DFOs/VFOs) are generated derived from brain astrocytes of patients with FCD type II (FCD II). The pathological features of dysmorphic neurons, balloon cells, and astrogliosis are successfully replicated in patient-derived DFOs, but not in VFOs.

Sex hormones and immune regulation in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women, with immune regulation playing a critical role in its progression and treatment response. This review explores the interplay between sex hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone, and immune regulation in ovarian cancer. We delve into the mechanisms by which these hormones influence immune cell function, modulate immune checkpoints, and alter the tumor microenvironment.

Molecular and metabolic landscape of adenosine triphosphate-induced cell death in cardiovascular disease.

The maintenance of intracellular and extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels plays a pivotal role in cardiac function. In recent years, burgeoning attention has been directed towards ATP-induced cell death (AICD), revealing it as a distinct cellular demise pathway triggered by heightened extracellular ATP concentrations, distinguishing it from other forms of cell death such as apoptosis and necrosis. AICD is increasingly acknowledged as a critical mechanism mediating the pathogenesis and progression of various cardiovascular maladies, encompassing myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, and diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Extraction of lignin from lignocellulosic biomass (bagasse) as a green corrosion inhibitor and its potential application of composite metal framework organics in the field of metal corrosion protection.

With increasing awareness of environmental protection, additional attention has been given to environmentally friendly metal anticorrosion research. In this paper, the green organic corrosion inhibitor sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) was extracted from bagasse waste, and a Ce-MOF@SLS smart anticorrosive film containing the inhibitor was prepared on the surface of an aluminum alloy by in situ electrodeposition. The material was characterized by SEM, EDS, FT-IR, XRD and XPS, and its corrosion resistance was tested with EIS and neutral salt spray tests.

Dual-domain superoxide dismutase: In silico prediction directed combinatorial mutation for enhanced robustness and catalytic efficiency.

The robustness and catalytic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) are still the main factors limiting their application in industrial fields. This study aims to further improve the properties of a natural thermophilic iron/manganese dual-domain SOD (Fe/Mn-SODA fused with N-terminal polypeptide) from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans NG80-2 (GtSOD) by modifying its each domain using in-depth in silico prediction analysis as well as protein engineering. First, computational analysis of the N-terminal domain and GtSODA domain was respectively performed by using homologous sequence alignment and virtual mutagenesis.