Identification and removal of a cryptic impurity in pomalidomide-PEG based PROTAC.

Chemically induced dimerization is a powerful tool for studying protein function, wherein the IMiD (the "immunomodulatory drug") class of PROTAC molecules with a PEG linker is frequently used to promote targeted protein degradation. The standard protocol for their synthesis involves nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 4-fluorothalidomide with a PEG-amine. We report herein the identification of a commonly ignored impurity generated in this process.

Lab-in-Cell: A Covalent Photosensitizer Reverses Hypoxia and Evokes Ferroptosis and Pyroptosis for Enhanced Anti-Tumor Immunity.

Photodynamic immunotherapy presents a non-invasive strategy characterized by spatiotemporal control and minimal side effects to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD). This approach significantly enhances the release of tumor-associated antigens and damage-associated molecular patterns, thereby improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes. However, hypoxia and antioxidant defenses at tumor sites considerably diminish the efficacy of photodynamic immunotherapy.

Comparative impact of exercise variants on depressive symptoms in cancer patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to conduct a network meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of various forms of exercise as an intervention for post-cancer depression and to provide a guiding program based on evidence-based medicine for subsequent clinical practice.

Methods: This review was registered on the PROSPERO website with ID CRD42023485407. Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were comprehensively searched to obtain published articles from the establishment of the database until October 7, 2023.

Dual-Band High-Throughput and High-Contrast All-Optical Topology Logic Gates.

Optical computing offers advantages such as high bandwidth and low loss, playing a crucial role in signal processing, communication, and sensing applications. Traditional optical logic gates, based on nonlinear fibers and optical amplifiers, suffer from poor robustness and large footprints, hindering their on-chip integration. All-optical logic gates based on topological photonic crystals have emerged as a promising approach for developing robust and monolithic optical computing systems.

Associations between class-level factors and student physical activity during physical education lessons in China.

Background: The purpose of this study is to explore the association between class-level factors, such as lesson start time, class size, lesson location, PE content, and PE context, and student engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during PE lessons in both elementary and middle schools.

Methods: A total of 284 PE lessons from ten schools in Shanghai, Eastern China, were included in the study. Students' MVPA during PE lessons was recorded using accelerometry, and lesson context was evaluated using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT).

An AIE fungal vacuole membrane probe toward species differentiation, vacuole formation visualization, and targeted photodynamic therapy.

Vacuoles are unique organelles of fungi. The development of probes targeting the vacuoles membrane will enable visualization of physiological processes and precise diagnosis and therapy. Herein, a zwitterionic molecule, MXF-R, comprising of an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizing unit and an antibiotic moxifloxacin, was found capable of specifically imaging vacuole membrane and using for targeted antifungal therapy.

A hand-held in-situ nucleic acid detection device based on dual-function GHz acoustofluidic resonator.

Microfluidic-based nucleic acid testing (NAT) has been proven as an alternative approach for in-situ and rapid NA detection. However, these on-chip methods still require complex peripherals, which contradict the purpose of point-of-care (POC) applications. One of the major challenges is the integration of NA purification and amplification in a miniaturized setup with high mass and heat transfer efficiency.

Multiple Broadband Infrared Topological Photonic Crystal Valley States Based on Liquid Crystals.

Spectral tunable technology has to meet the requirements of strong robustness and wide spectral range. We propose a method for the transmission and manipulation of infrared topological photonic crystal valley states based on tunable refractive index method that exhibits broad-spectrum and multi-band characteristics, along with a tunable emission angle. With this structure, different rotational directions of vortex light sources can independently excite the K valley and K' valley within the frequency band ranging from 75.

Compact VHF/UHF Ultrawideband Discone Antenna with Consistent Pattern.

A compact VHF/UHF ultrawideband discone antenna with consistent patterns is proposed in this article. The proposed antenna consists of a disk, a modified cone, an inverted cone, four shorting probes, and two sleeves. To improve the radiation angular distortion at high frequencies, two sleeves are inserted into the discone antenna.

Investigating the differential therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells at various passages in osteoarthritis treatment.

This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) from different passages (P3, P8, and P13) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and explore the underlying mechanisms. The hUC-MSCs from each passage were characterized and evaluated for their stemness, migration, proliferation, and marker expression. Rats with OA were treated with hUC-MSCs from each passage, and the therapeutic effects were assessed based on knee swelling, discomfort, and pathological examination of the knee joint.

Water-Involved Carbon-Nitrogen Triple-Bond Monomer Based Polymerization toward Processable Functional Polyamides under Ambient Conditions.

Polyamide plays a pivotal role in engineering thermoplastics. Constrained by the harsh conditions and arduous procedures for its industrial synthesis, developing facile synthesis of polyamides is still challengeable and holds profound significance. Herein, we successfully utilized water as one of the monomers to synthesize functional polyamides under ambient conditions.

Concentration of Microparticles/Cells Based on an Ultra-Fast Centrifuge Virtual Tunnel Driven by a Novel Lamb Wave Resonator Array.

The µTAS/LOC, a highly integrated microsystem, consolidates multiple bioanalytical functions within a single chip, enhancing efficiency and precision in bioanalysis and biomedical operations. Microfluidic centrifugation, a key component of LOC devices, enables rapid capture and enrichment of tiny objects in samples, improving sensitivity and accuracy of detection and diagnosis. However, microfluidic systems face challenges due to viscosity dominance and difficulty in vortex formation.

Enhancing regenerative potential: A comprehensive review of stem cell transplantation for sports-related neuronal injuries, with a focus on spinal cord injuries and peripheral nervous system damage.

Neuronal injuries, as one of the consequences of sports-related incidents, exert a profound influence on the athletes' future, potentially leading to complete immobility and impeding their athletic pursuits. In cases of severe damage inflicted upon the spinal cord (SC) and peripheral nervous systems (PNS), the regenerative process is notably compromised, rendering it essentially inefficient. Among the pivotal therapeutic approaches for the enhancement and prevention of secondary SC injuries (SCI), stem cell transplantation (SCT) stands out prominently.

Acoustofluidic manipulation for submicron to nanoparticles.

Particles, ranging from submicron to nanometer scale, can be broadly categorized into biological and non-biological types. Submicron-to-nanoscale bioparticles include various bacteria, viruses, liposomes, and exosomes. Non-biological particles cover various inorganic, metallic, and carbon-based particles.

C-type lectin 4 of Toxocara canis activates NF-ĸB and MAPK pathways by modulating NOD1/2 and RIP2 in murine macrophages in vitro.

Toxocara canis is a parasitic zoonose that is distributed worldwide and is one of the two pathogens causing toxocariasis. After infection, it causes serious public health and safety problems, which pose significant veterinary and medical challenges. To better understand the regulatory effects of T.

Physics-informed shape optimization using coordinate projection.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is revolutionizing classical engineering society, offering novel approaches to material and structural design and analysis. Among various scientific machine learning techniques, physics-informed neural network (PINN) has been one of the most researched subjects, for its ability to incorporate physics prior knowledge into model training. However, the intrinsic continuity requirement of PINN demands the adoption of domain decomposition when multiple materials with distinct properties exist.

Single-cell landscape of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a highly aggressive malignant soft tissue tumor with a poor prognosis; however, the identity and heterogeneity of tumor populations remain elusive. Here, eight major cell clusters were identified through the RNA sequencing of 79,569 individual cells of UPS. UPS originates from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and features undifferentiated subclusters.

SAL vibration estimation and compensation based on triangular interferometric signals.

Synthetic aperture Ladar (SAL) is an extension of synthetic aperture technology in the optical frequency band. Owing to the short wavelength of lasers, the system has high-resolution, high-data-rate, and refined imaging capabilities, which has potential in high-resolution observation fields such as ground observation and space target observation. However, the short wavelength of lasers also makes SAL severely sensitive to vibrations even on the micron order which cause azimuth defocusing and range cell migration.

On recycling earth pressure balance shield muck with residual foaming agent: defoaming and antifoaming investigations.

Earth pressure balance (EPB) shield is increasingly employed in metro tunnel construction, and causes a series of environmental, safety, and resource waste problems due to the disposal of a considerable amount of muck. In situ recycling of EPB shield muck is an effective solution, whereas the foam is generated by residual foaming agents used as the muck conditioning material during tunnelling, which often adsorbs clay particles and overflows the flocculation tank. To achieve defoaming and antifoaming during the reuse of muck, this study prepared novel eco-friendly silicone oil-polyether defoamers by condensation, compounding, and shear emulsification.

Bioconjugation and Reaction-Induced Tumor Therapy via Alkynamide-Based Thiol-Yne Click Reaction.

Ferroptosis is associated with the occurrence and development of many diseases, which is the result of an imbalance in cellular metabolism and oxidation-reduction balance. Therefore, it is an effective therapeutic strategy that simultaneously regulating the intracellular oxidation-reduction system. Herein, a click reaction of alkynylamide with thiol groups in the presence of amine or in PBS (pH = 7.

Neural invertible variable-degree optical aberrations correction.

Optical aberrations of optical systems cause significant degradation of imaging quality. Aberration correction by sophisticated lens designs and special glass materials generally incurs high cost of manufacturing and the increase in the weight of optical systems, thus recent work has shifted to aberration correction with deep learning-based post-processing. Though real-world optical aberrations vary in degree, existing methods cannot eliminate variable-degree aberrations well, especially for the severe degrees of degradation.