The gut-brain axis underlying hepatic encephalopathy in liver cirrhosis.

Up to 50-70% of patients with liver cirrhosis develop hepatic encephalopathy (HE), which is closely related to gut microbiota dysbiosis, with an unclear mechanism. Here, by constructing gut-brain modules to assess bacterial neurotoxins from metagenomic datasets, we found that phenylalanine decarboxylase (PDC) genes, mainly from Ruminococcus gnavus, increased approximately tenfold in patients with cirrhosis and higher in patients with HE. Cirrhotic, not healthy, mice colonized with R.

GSE: A global-local storage enhanced video object recognition model.

The presence of substantial similarities and redundant information within video data limits the performance of video object recognition models. To address this issue, a Global-Local Storage Enhanced video object recognition model (GSE) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the model incorporates a two-stage dynamic multi-frame aggregation module to aggregate shallow frame features.

Cross-species recognition of two porcine coronaviruses to their cellular receptor aminopeptidase N of dogs and seven other species.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) and transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV), the two causative agents of porcine diarrhea, have been reported to be at risk of cross-species transmission, including to humans. However, the potential host range in which these two CoVs interact remains unclear. We screened 16 animal counterparts for porcine aminopeptidase N (APN), the receptor of PDCoV and TGEV, and found that APNs from eight of 17 animals could bind to the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of PDCoV and TGEV.

TiCT MXene Composite with Much Improved Stability for Superior Humidity Sensors.

MXenes have attracted tremendous attention in electromagnetic interference shielding, energy storage, and gas and humidity detections because of their ultralarge surface area and abundant functional groups. However, their poor stability against hydration and oxidation makes them challenging for long-term storage and applications. Herein, we proposed and demonstrated a TiCT MXene composite-based humidity sensor, of which the stability is pronouncedly enhanced by introducing an O adsorption competitor of extracted bentonite (EB).

Bioactive Silk Revolution: Harnessing Curcuminoid Dye and Chitosan for Superior Antimicrobial Defence and UV Shielding.

Background/objectives: The use of natural colourants is gaining attention due to their biocompatibility and functional benefits. This study introduces a different approach using turmeric ( L.) dye extract combined with chitosan to significantly enhance the antibacterial and UV-shielding properties of silk.

Bacterial Community Structure and Environmental Driving Factors in the Surface Sediments of Six Mangrove Sites from Guangxi, China.

Mangroves, as blue carbon reservoirs, provide a unique habitat for supporting a variety of microorganisms. Among these, bacteria play crucial roles in the biogeochemical processes of mangrove sediments. However, little is known about their community composition, spatial distribution patterns, and environmental driving factors, particularly across the large geographical scales of mangrove wetlands.

Niche Expansion Has Increased the Risk of Fisher LaSalle Invasions at the Global Scale.

Invasive alien species often undergo shifts in their ecological niches when they establish themselves in environments that differ from their native habitats. Fisher LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), specifically, has caused huge economic losses to trees in Australia. The global spread of cultivation has allowed to threaten plantations beyond its native habitat.

Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Purine Compounds Synergistically Inducing Larval Settlement in Using Multi-Group Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis.

Most benthic marine invertebrates exhibit a characteristic biphasic life cycle, consisting of a planktonic larval stage followed by a benthic adult stage [...

Electrochemical destruction of PFAS at low oxidation potential enabled by CeO electrodes utilizing adsorption and activation strategies.

The persistence and ecological impact of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water sources necessitate effective and energy-efficient treatment solutions. This study introduces a novel approach using cerium dioxide (CeO) electrodes enhanced with oxygen vacancy (O) to catalyze the defluorination of PFAS. By leveraging the unique affinity between cerium and fluorine-containing species, our approach enables adsorptive preconcentration and catalytic degradation at low oxidation potentials (1.

Elucidating Binding Selectivity in Cyclin-Dependent Kinases 4, 6, and 9: Development of Highly Potent and Selective CDK4/9 Inhibitors.

CDK4/6 inhibitors are effective in treating HR/HER2 breast cancer but face limitations due to therapeutic resistance and hematological toxicity, particularly from strong CDK6 inhibition. To address these challenges, designing selective inhibitors targeting specific cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) members could offer clinical advantages and broaden CDK inhibitor indications. However, the highly conserved binding pockets of CDKs complicate selective targeting.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Global, regional, and national burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risks: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Background: The global burden of metabolic diseases is increasing, but estimates of their impact on primary liver cancer are uncertain. We aimed to assess the global burden of primary liver cancer attributable to metabolic risk factors, including high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, between 1990 and 2021.

Methods: The total number and age-standardized rates of deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from primary liver cancer attributable to each metabolic risk factor were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2021.

Source Material Design for Realizing >50% Indium-Saving Transparent Electrode toward Sustainable Development of Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells.

Indium (In) reduction is a hot topic in transparent conductive oxide (TCO) research. So far, most strategies have been focused on reducing the layer thickness of In-based TCO films and exploring TCOs. However, no promising industrial solution has been obtained yet.

Efferocytosis: The Janus-Faced Gatekeeper of Aging and Tumor Fate.

From embryogenesis to aging, billions of cells perish daily in mammals. The multistep process by which phagocytes engulf these deceased cells without eliciting an inflammatory response is called efferocytosis. Despite significant insights into the fundamental mechanisms of efferocytosis, its implications in disorders such as aging and cancer remain elusive.

Dietary Methionine Restriction Alleviates Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease Mice via Sex-Dependent Modulation on Gut Microbiota and Tryptophan Metabolism: A Multiomics Analysis.

Plant-based foods with low methionine contents have gained increasing interest for their potential health benefits, including neuroprotective effects. Methionine restriction (MR) linked to a plant-based diet has been shown to mitigate neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) through mechanisms that involve the gut microbiota. In this study, a 16-week MR diet (0.

Identification of a Potent CDK8 Inhibitor Using Structure-Based Virtual Screening.

Pulmonary fibrosis is excessive scarring of the lung tissues. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) has been implicated in pulmonary fibrosis due to its ability to induce the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promote epithelial cell migration. Cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) can mediate the TGF-β signaling pathways and could function as an alternative therapeutic target for treating pulmonary fibrosis.

Anatomical basis and clinical application of the dorsal metacarpal cutaneous branch flap of radial digital artery of index finger.

Objective: This study explored the surgical technique and clinical application of the dorsal metacarpal cutaneous branch flap of the radial digital artery of the index finger.

Methods: Through the anatomical dissection of 10 hand specimens, we examined the origin and characteristics of the artery and its branches towards the hand dorsum. Furthermore, the soft tissue defects of the index finger in 12 patients admitted to our hospital between 2017 and 2021 were surgically repaired using the dorsal metacarpal cutaneous branch flap of the radial digital artery of the index finger.

Silver-coated PMMA nanoparticles-on-a-mirror substrates as high-performance SERS sensors for detecting infinitesimal molecules.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology has attracted more and more attention due to its high sensitivity, low water interference, and quick measurement. Constructing high-performance SERS substrates with high sensitivity, uniformity and reproducibility is of great importance to put the SERS technology into practical application. In this paper, we report a simple fabrication process to construct dense silver-coated PMMA nanoparticles-on-a-mirror SRES substrates.

An antibody cocktail targeting two different CD73 epitopes enhances enzyme inhibition and tumor control.

CD73, an ectoenzyme responsible for adenosine production, is often elevated in immuno-suppressive tumor environments. Inhibition of CD73 activity holds great promise as a therapeutic strategy for CD73-expressing cancers. In this study, we have developed a therapeutic anti-human CD73 antibody cocktail, HB0045.

Embodied neuromorphic synergy for lighting-robust machine vision to see in extreme bright.

Proper exposure settings are crucial for modern machine vision cameras to accurately convert light into clear images. However, traditional auto-exposure solutions are vulnerable to illumination changes, splitting the continuous acquisition of unsaturated images, which significantly degrades the overall performance of underlying intelligent systems. Here we present the neuromorphic exposure control (NEC) system.

Bisphenol A degradation by manganese oxides at circumneutral pH: Quantitative evaluation of dissolved Mn(III) species with pyrophosphate.

Although trivalent manganese (Mn(III)) species have been recognized as crucial intermediates in the degradation of organic contaminants by Mn oxides, quantitative research on their specific roles remains scarce. Our study investigated the degradation processes of an organic pollutant, Bisphenol A (BPA), by dissolved Mn(III) and Mn(III)-bearing oxides, and elucidated the differences of the underlying mechanisms and reaction pathways between several Mn oxides and dissolved Mn(III). Our results indicated that BPA degradation rates with Mn(III)-bearing oxides alone follow the order: δ-MnO ≫ γ-MnOOH > MnO.

Mechanically Stable and Damage Resistant Freestanding Ultrathin Silver Nanowire Films with Closely Packed Crossed-Lamellar Structure.

One-dimensional (1D) functional nanowires are widely used as nanoscale building blocks for assembling advanced nanodevices due to their unique functionalities. However, previous research has mainly focused on nanowire functionality, while neglecting the structural stability and damage resistance of nanowire assemblies, which are critical for the long-term operation of nanodevices. Biomaterials achieve excellent mechanical stability and damage resistance through sophisticated structural design.

Revolutionising Cancer Immunotherapy: Advancements and Prospects in Non-Viral CAR-NK Cell Engineering.

The recent advancements in cancer immunotherapy have spotlighted the potential of natural killer (NK) cells, particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced NK cells. These cells, pivotal in innate immunity, offer a rapid and potent response against cancer cells and pathogens without the need for prior sensitization or recognition of peptide antigens. Although NK cell genetic modification is evolving, the viral transduction method continues to be inefficient and fraught with risks, often resulting in cytotoxic outcomes and the possibility of insertional mutagenesis.

The interplay of factors in metabolic syndrome: understanding its roots and complexity.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an indicator and diverse endocrine syndrome that combines different metabolic defects with clinical, physiological, biochemical, and metabolic factors. Obesity, visceral adiposity and abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance (IR), elevated blood pressure, endothelial dysfunction, and acute or chronic inflammation are the risk factors associated with MetS. Abdominal obesity, a hallmark of MetS, highlights dysfunctional fat tissue and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Research on muck conditioning for EPB shield tunnelling in composite formation.

Compared with simple formations, EPB (earth pressure balance) shield tunnelling in composite formations encounters severe problems with muck conditioning and require improved muck conditioning technology to fulfil expectations for continuous and efficient excavation. In the Nanchang Metro Line 4 Project, a water-rich sand-argillaceous siltstone composite formation is encountered. With a high moisture content and complex composite formation ratio, it is quite difficult to determine the optimum muck conditioning scheme, and thus, muck spewing accidents frequently occur during the tunnelling process.