Pirfenidone microcrystals for pulmonary delivery: Regulation of the precipitation behavior in the supercooled droplet.

Pirfenidone (PFD) is one of the first-line drugs for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, while directly delivering PFD to lung showed better efficiency. However, PFD is a non-glass former and easily precipitates into larger-sized crystals that are undesirable for pulmonary delivery. Hence, the fabrication of PFD particles with pulmonary delivery efficiency remains challenging.

Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Liver Carcinoma: The Role of Iron Metabolism and Its Modulation.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant contributor to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Iron, a central co-factor in various metabolic pathways, plays an essential role in liver function, but its dysregulation can lead to severe health consequences. Accumulation of iron within hepatic cells over time is linked to increased liver injury and is strongly associated with sensitive exposure to a range of conditions, including cirrhosis, fibrosis and ultimately, HCC.

Advancements and challenges in stem cell transplantation for regenerative medicine.

Stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising avenue in regenerative medicine, potentially facilitating tissue repair in degenerative diseases and injuries. This review comprehensively examines recent developments and challenges in stem cell transplantation. It explores the identification and isolation of various stem cell types, including embryonic, induced pluripotent, and adult stem cells derived from multiple sources.

Dandelion inspired microparticles with highly efficient drug delivery to deep lung.

Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) embedded dry powder for inhalation (AeDPI) shows higher drug loading and delivery dose for directly treating various lung infections. Inspired by the dandelion, we propose a novel kind of AeDPI microparticle structure fabricated by spray freeze drying technology, which would potentially enhance the alveoli deposition efficiency. When inhaling, such microparticles are expected to be easily broken-up into fragments containing API that acts as 'seed' and could be delivered to alveoli aided by the low density 'pappus' composed of excipient.

Structural and signaling mechanisms of TAAR1 enabled preferential agonist design.

Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) senses a spectrum of endogenous amine-containing metabolites (EAMs) to mediate diverse psychological functions and is useful for schizophrenia treatment without the side effects of catalepsy. Here, we systematically profiled the signaling properties of TAAR1 activation and present nine structures of TAAR1-Gs/Gq in complex with EAMs, clinical drugs, and synthetic compounds. These structures not only revealed the primary amine recognition pocket (PARP) harboring the conserved acidic D for conserved amine recognition and "twin" toggle switch for receptor activation but also elucidated that targeting specific residues in the second binding pocket (SBP) allowed modulation of signaling preference.

Ampere force fiber optic magnetic field sensor using a Fabry-Perot interferometer.

The paper presents a novel fiber-optic vector magnetic field sensor using a Fabry-Perot interferometer, which consists of an optical fiber end face and a graphene/Au membrane suspended on the ceramic ferrule end face. A pair of gold electrodes are fabricated on the ceramic ferrule by femtosecond laser to transmit electrical current to the membrane. Ampere force is generated when an electrical current flows through the membrane in a perpendicular magnetic field.

Nano-Optomechanical Resonators Based on Suspended Graphene for Thermal Stress Sensing.

Nanomechanical resonators made from suspended graphene combine the properties of ultracompactness and ultrahigh detection sensitivity, making them interesting devices for sensing applications. However, nanomechanical systems can be affected by membrane stress. The present work developed an optomechanical resonator for thermal stress sensing.

High-Sensitivity Optical Fiber-Based Glucose Sensor Using Helical Intermediate-Period Fiber Grating.

An all-fiber glucose sensor is proposed and demonstrated based on a helical intermediate-period fiber grating (HIPFG) produced by using a hydrogen/oxygen flame heating method. The HIPFG, with a grating length of 1.7 cm and a period of 35 μm, presents four sets of double dips with low insertion losses and strong coupling strengths in the transmission spectrum.

Versatile Asymmetric Separator with Dendrite-Free Alloy Anode Enables High-Performance Li-S Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) with extremely-high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh kg ) are deemed to be the most likely energy storage system to be commercialized. However, the polysulfides shuttling and lithium (Li) metal anode failure in LSBs limit its further commercialization. Herein, a versatile asymmetric separator and a Li-rich lithium-magnesium (Li-Mg) alloy anode are applied in LSBs.

Preparation and Properties of Blended Composite Film Manufactured Using Walnut-Peptide-Chitosan-Sodium Alginate.

In this study, layer-by-layer assembly was performed to prepare sodium alginate (SA) layer and walnut-peptide-chitosan (CS) bilayer composite films. Genipin was adopted to crosslink CS and walnut peptide. The properties of walnut peptide-CS-SA composite film were determined, and the influence of material ratio on the performance of composite film was explored.

All Fiber-Optic Immunosensors Based on Elliptical Core Helical Intermediate-Period Fiber Grating with Low-Sensitivity to Environmental Disturbances.

An all fiber-optic immunosensor based on elliptical core helical intermediate-period fiber grating (E-HIPFG) is proposed for the specific detection of human immunoglobulin G (human IgG). E-HIPFGs are all-fiber transducers that do not include any additional coating materials or fiber architectures, simplifying the fabrication process and promising the stability of the E-HIPFG biosensor. For human IgG recognition, the surface of an E-HIPFG is functionalized by goat anti-human IgG.

Boosting Polysulfide Catalytic Conversion and Facilitating Li Transportation by Ion-Selective COFs Composite Nanowire for LiS Batteries.

The large-scale application of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) has been impeded by the shuttle effect of lithium-polysulfides (LiPSs) and sluggish redox kinetics since which lead to irreversible capacity decay and low sulfur utilization. Herein, a hierarchical interlayer constructed by boroxine covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with high Li conductivity is fabricated via an in situ polymerization method on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (C@COF). The as-prepared interlayer delivers a high Li ionic conductivity (1.

Nonporous Gel Electrolytes Enable Long Cycling at High Current Density for Lithium-Metal Anodes.

Lithium-metal anodes with high theoretical capacity and ultralow redox potential are regarded as a "holy grail" of the next-generation energy-storage industry. Nevertheless, Li inevitably reacts with conventional liquid electrolytes, resulting in uneven electrodeposition, unstable solid electrolyte interphase, and Li dendrite formation that all together lead to a decrease in active lithium, poor battery performance, and catastrophic safety hazards. Here, we report a unique nonporous gel polymer electrolyte (NP-GPE) with a uniform and dense structure, exhibiting an excellent combination of mechanical strength, thermal stability, and high ionic conductivity.

Methods to Improve Lithium Metal Anode for Li-S Batteries.

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has received a lot of attention because it is characterized by high theoretical energy density (2,600 Wh/kg) and low cost. Though many works on the "shuttle effect" of polysulfide have been investigated, lithium metal anode is a more challenging problem, which leads to a short life, low coulombic efficiency, and safety issues related to dendrites. As a result, the amelioration of lithium metal anode is an important means to improve the performance of lithium sulfur battery.

Synergy of Sulfur/Polyacrylonitrile Composite and Gel Polymer Electrolyte Promises Heat-Resistant Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with high theoretical energy density attract great research attention. Although tremendous efforts have been made, heat tolerance capability of Li-S batteries is a topic rarely touched, although it is essential for practical application. At high temperatures, the dissolution of the polysulfides is aggravated, and the safety issue becomes severe.

Epidemiology, microbiology and therapeutic consequences of chronic osteomyelitis in northern China: A retrospective analysis of 255 Patients.

The study aimed to explore the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of chronic osteomyelitis observed in a northern China hospital. Clinical data of 255 patients with chronic osteomyelitis from January 2007 to January 2014 were collected and analyzed, including general information, disease data, treatment and follow-up data. Chronic osteomyelitis is more common in males and in the age group from 41-50 years of age.

Electroacupuncture alters the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism and immune reaction in liver of hypercholesterolemia mice.

Acupuncture or electroacupuncture (EA) is effective in treating various metabolism disorders. Previously we found that EA at the acupoint, Fenglong (ST40), had the cholesterol-lowering effect and regulated genes expression in liver of hypercholesterolemia mice (M Li and YZ Zhang, Int J Mol Med 2007, 19: 617-629). To explain gene expression associated with EA, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), combined with targeted display (TD), was used and 26 up-regulated and 24 down-regulated genes with known functions were identified in hypercholesterolemia mice liver, some of which are involved in key reactions of lipid metabolism and immune reaction.

Isolation of genes involved in the preventive effect of electroacupuncture at Fenglong acupoint (ST40) on hypercholesterolemia mice by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) combined with negative subtraction chain (NSC) technology.

We have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) at Fenglong acupoint (ST40) has the cholesterol-lowering effect in hypercholesterolemia mice. The present study was designed to study preventive effect of EA at ST40 on hypercholesterolemia. C57BL/6j mice were randomly divided into normal group (NG), hypercholesterolemia group (HG) and EA prevention group (EPG).