Improvement in the Thermal Stability of MHETase by Sequence and Structure-Guided Calculation.

In the degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET) hydrolase (MHETase) plays a crucial role in the complete degradation of PET. Although MHETase was discovered concurrently with PETase, its structural and functional properties are not well understood. To enhance the thermal stability of MHETase, we selected six homologous proteins that share the closest evolutionary relationship for structure-based protein rational design, all exhibiting over 60% amino acid sequence identity with MHETase.

The Effect of Ulinastatin on Sepsis Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Sepsis, a multifaceted disorder, emerges from dysregulated host response to infection, culminating in organ dysfunction and heightened risk of mortality. Present umbrella systematic review was conducted to impart accurate data regarding the effect of urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) alone, UTI in combination with thymosin α1, and UTI in combination with Xuebijing on sepsis and inflammation, 28-day mortality rate survival day, time of mechanical ventilation, length of intensive care unit stay, and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score.

Methods: Relevant studies were searched in international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Library up to March 2024.

Cassava-soybean intercropping alleviates continuous cassava cropping obstacles by improving its rhizosphere microecology.

Introduction: Continuous cropping is the main cause of cassava yield reduction. To find an effective method to alleviate the obstacle of cassava continuous cropping and explore the effect of cassava-soybean intercropping, this study analysed the differences in cassava agronomic traits, yield, soil physicochemical properties, microbial community structure, and metabolites between cassava single cropping (M) and cassava-soybean intercropping (MD) and its effects on continuous cassava cropping soil.

Methods: The correlations between yield, agronomic traits, soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and metabolites were explored, and the effect of the cassava-soybean intercropping model on cassava soil was revealed.

Highly efficient and eco-friendly green quantum dot light-emitting diodes through interfacial potential grading.

As next-generation display technologies, eco-friendly colloidal quantum dot light-emitting diodes have drawn great attention due to their excellent luminescence properties, along with their rapid development. However, practical applications of eco-friendly quantum dot light-emitting device remain challenging, primarily due to the inferior performance of green device, which still lag behind their red and blue counterparts. Herein, we present efficient green device based on interfacial potential-graded ZnSeTe quantum dots.

Congestion Enriches Intra-hepatic macrophages Through Reverse Zonation of CXCL9 in Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells.

Background & Aims: Congestion alters the microenvironment of the liver sinusoid along the portal-central axis. We studied spatial changes in immune cells in the sinusoid that contribute to congestive fibrosis and portal hypertension (PHTN).

Methods: To visualize the distribution of immune cells in congestive hepatopathy (CH), we performed imaging mass cytometry (IMC) on liver tissue from patients with CH, Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD), and controls.

Identification of a Potent and Selective CDK9 Degrader as a Targeted Therapeutic Option for the Treatment of Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents a significant public health challenge due to its increasing incidence and high mortality. Most SCLC patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, and there are limited effective targeted therapies available. In this study, a potent and selective CDK9 degrader, , was developed through PROTAC modification of the CDK9 inhibitor, AT-7519.

Solvent-controlled silver catalyzed radical transformation of α-imino-oxy acids with cyclic aldimines.

A silver-catalyzed cross coupling of cyclic aldimines and α-imino-oxy acids has been developed. The solvent-dependent reaction could selectively deliver either cyclic imine moiety retained nitriles or ring-opened oxonitriles in moderate yields. The mechanistic studies show that the reaction undergoes a radical pathway.

Structural insights into hybridoma-derived neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against Omicron BA.5 and XBB.1.16 variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Unlabelled: The emergence of novel variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to pose an ongoing challenge for global public health services, highlighting the urgent need for effective therapeutic interventions. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a major therapeutic strategy for the treatment of COVID-19 and other viral diseases. In this study, we employed hybridoma technology to generate mAbs that target the BA.

An Extenics-TRIZ integrated RFPS model for different object of design requirements.

Extending product life is one of the effective ways to reduce the waste of resources. However, many unsatisfactory products are scrapped because of a lack of adequate performance. The product should be improved and upgraded innovatively, and the existing upgradable products may create more economic benefits for the longer product life cycles.

Optimizing encephalomyocarditis virus VP1 protein assembly on pseudorabies virus envelope via US9 protein anchoring.

Live herpesvirus-vectored vaccines are critical in veterinary medicine, but they can sometimes offer insufficient protection due to suboptimal antigen expression or localization. Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) is a significant zoonotic threat, with VP1 protein as a key immunogen on its capsid. To enhance immunogenicity, we explored the use of recombinant pseudorabies virus (rPRV) as a vaccine vector against EMCV.

A fully convolutional neural network for the quantification of mitral regurgitation in echocardiography.

Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common form of valvular heart disease (VHD), and the accurate assessment of MR severity is critical for clinical management. However, the quantitative assessment of MR is intricate and time-consuming, posing challenges for physicians in ensuring the precision of the results. Thus, our objective was to create an automated and reproducible artificial intelligence (AI) system.

Establishment of MS LOC platform and its pilot application in clinical lipidomics.

Lipidomics has demonstrated significant potential for disease diagnosis and prediction. The development and optimization of a robust mass spectrometry (MS) platform for lipidome analysis is critically important, as it can facilitate biomarker discovery, cohort testing, and performance evaluation in clinical lipidomics studies. In this work, we developed a high-throughput and reliable platform, termed MS Lab on a Chip (MS LOC), which integrates the MetArray chip, an automated lipidomics pretreatment protocol, and the reflectron matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) instrument.

Mollugin inhibits IL-1β production by reducing zinc finger protein 91-regulated Pro-IL-1β ubiquitination and inflammasome activity.

Background: Rubia cordifolia L. has been formally included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and utilized for centuries as a traditional Chinese medicine. Mollugin, a quinone compound, is a major active compound extracted from Rubia cordifolia L.

Plasmonic-based electrochromic materials and devices.

The development of electrochromic (EC) materials has paved the way for a wide range of devices, such as smart windows, color displays, optical filters, wearable camouflages, among others. However, the advancement of electrochromism faces a significant hurdle due to its poor stability and limited color options. This lack of stability is primarily attributed to the substantial alteration in the dielectric properties of EC materials during cycling.

Calcineurin-fusion facilitates cryo-EM structure determination of a Family A GPCR.

Advances in singe-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have made it possible to solve the structures of numerous Family A and Family B G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in complex with G proteins and arrestins, as well as several Family C GPCRs. Determination of these structures has been facilitated by the presence of large extramembrane components (such as G protein, arrestin, or Venus flytrap domains) in these complexes that aid in particle alignment during the processing of the cryo-EM data. In contrast, determination of the inactive state structure of Family A GPCRs is more challenging due to the relatively small size of the seven transmembrane domain (7TM) and to the surrounding detergent micelle that, in the absence of other features, make particle alignment impossible.

A Wide Color Gamut and Noniridescent Zinc-Anode Asymmetric Electrochromic Device for Self-Sustaining Color-Adaptive Bio-Camouflage System.

Inspired by camouflage-colored organisms, the development of bio-camouflage systems using electrochromic (EC) technology has gained significant interest. However, existing EC systems struggle with achieving a wide color gamut, noniridescent colors, and self-sustainability. Herein, a self-sustainable color-adaptive bio-camouflage system integrating EC and nanogenerator (NG) technologies, enabling environmental color adaptation, and thermal regulation without an external power source is proposed.

Identification of the Vulnerability of Atherosclerotic Plaques by a Photoacoustic/Ultrasonic Dual-Modal cRGD Nanomolecular Probe.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of using cRGD-GNR-PFP-NPs to assess plaque vulnerability in an atherosclerotic plaque mouse model by dual-modal photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging.

Methods: A nanomolecular probe containing gold nanorods (GNRs) and perfluoropentane (PFP) coated with the cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) peptide were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation and carbodiimide methods. The morphology, particle size, potential, cRGD conjugation and absorption features of the nanomolecular probe were characterized, along with its in vitro phase transformation and photoacoustic/ultrasonic dual-modal imaging properties.

Lattice Manipulation with Di-Tertiary Ammonium Spacer in Bismuth Bromide Perovskite Directs Efficient Charge Transport and Suppressed Ion Migration for Photodetector Applications.

Bismuth halide hybrid perovskites have emerged as promising alternatives to their lead halide homologs because of high chemical stability, low toxicity, and structural diversity. However, their advancements in optoelectronic field are plagued with poor charge transport, due to considerable microstrain triggered by bulky spacer. Herein, the di-tertiary ammonium spacer (N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,4-butanediammonium, TMBD) is explored to direct stable 1D bismuth bromide lattice structure with relaxed microstrain.

The Pathophysiology of Portal Hypertension.

This article reviews the pathophysiology of portal hypertension that includes multiple mechanisms internal and external to the liver. This article starts with a review of literature describing the cellular and molecular mechanisms of portal hypertension, microvascular thrombosis, sinusoidal venous congestion, portal angiogenesis, vascular hypocontractility, and hyperdynamic circulation. Mechanotransduction and the gut-liver axis, which are newer areas of research, are reviewed.

Alterations of Myocardial Mitochondrial Morphology and Function in a Canine Model of Premature Ventricular Contractions-Induced Cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Changes in myocardial mitochondrial morphology and function in premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)-induced cardiomyopathy (PVCCM) remain poorly studied. Here, we investigated the effects of PVCs with different coupling intervals (CIs) on myocardial mitochondrial remodelling in a canine model of PVCCM.

Methods And Results: Twenty-one beagles underwent pacemaker implantation and were randomised into the sham (n = 7), short-coupled PVCs (SCP, n = 7), and long-coupled PVCs (LCP, n = 7) groups.