Modulating mTOR-dependent astrocyte substate transitions to alleviate neurodegeneration.

Traditional approaches to studying astrocyte heterogeneity have mostly focused on analyzing static properties, failing to identify whether subtypes represent intermediate or final states of reactive astrocytes. Here we show that previously proposed neuroprotective and neurotoxic astrocytes are transitional states rather than distinct subtypes, as revealed through time-series multiomic sequencing. Neuroprotective astrocytes are an intermediate state of the transition from a nonreactive to a neurotoxic state in response to neuroinflammation, a process regulated by the mTOR signaling pathway.

A novel photoelectrochemical biosensor for sensitive detection of nucleic acids based on recombinase polymerase amplification and 3D-array titania nanorods.

Nucleic acids detection is essential for diagnosing pathogens; however, traditional methods usually face challenges such as low sensitivity, lengthy reaction times, and strict temperature requirements. This study develops a novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor that integrates recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with a 3D-array titania (TiO) nanorods nanorod electrode, addressing the challenge of achieving sensitive detection of RPA-amplified nucleic acids products, thereby enabling earlier and more reliable pathogen detection. The biosensor utilizes a triple-binding mode involving FITC antibodies, target nucleic acids, and an HRP-streptavidin sandwich structure, significantly improving the bio-functionalization of the electrode surface.

Common and rare genetic variation intersects with ancestry to influence human skin and plasma carotenoid concentrations.

Carotenoids are dietary bioactive compounds with health effects that are biomarkers of fruit and vegetable intake. Here, we examine genetic associations with plasma and skin carotenoid concentrations in two rigorously phenotyped human cohorts (n=317). Analysis of genome-wide SNPs revealed heritability to vary by genetic ancestry (h=0.

Research Progress of Regulatory Cell Death in Coronary Microembolization.

Coronary microembolization (CME) is defined as atherosclerotic plaque erosion, spontaneous rupture, or rupture of the plaque while undergoing interventional therapy resulting in the formation of tiny emboli that obstruct the coronary microcirculatory system. For percutaneous coronary intervention, CME is a major complication, with a periprocedural incidence of up to 25%. Recent studies have demonstrated that regulatory cell death (RCD) exerts a profound influence on CME through its modulation of inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, cell death, and angiogenesis.

Exploiting Mitochondria by Triggering a Faulty Unfolded Protein Response Leads to Effective Cardioprotection.

This study investigates the role of Fundc1 in cardiac protection under high-altitude hypoxic conditions and elucidates its underlying molecular mechanisms. Using cardiomyocyte-specific knockout ( ) mice, we demonstrated that deficiency exacerbates cardiac dysfunction under simulated high-altitude hypoxia, manifesting as impaired systolic and diastolic function. Mechanistically, we identified that Fundc1 regulates cardiac function through the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mito-UPR) pathway.

Ocean as source or sink for legacy persistent organic pollutants.

With the phase-out of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the ocean's role is evolving, potentially acting as both a reservoir and a source. This study investigates the air-sea fluxes of the first banned POPs, such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), using literature from Web of Science up to 2023. OCP and PCB concentrations in air and seawater show significant spatiotemporal variability.

Fast detection of protein kinase B in chrysin treated colorectal cancer cells using a novel multicore microfiber biosensor.

Rapid and accurate determination of target proteins in cells provide essential diagnostic information for early detection of diseases, evaluation of drug responses, and the study of pathophysiological mechanisms. Traditional Western blotting method has been used for the determination, but it is complex, time-consuming, and semi-quantitative. Here, a tapered seven-core fiber (TSCF) biosensor was designed and fabricated.

A reflection-spectroscopy measured skin carotenoid score strongly correlates with plasma concentrations of all major dietary carotenoid species except for lycopene.

Skin carotenoids can be measured non-invasively using spectroscopy methods to provide a biomarker of total dietary carotenoid and carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetable intake. However, the degree to which skin carotenoid biomarkers reflect intakes of specific carotenoids must be determined for specific devices. Previously, findings were mixed regarding the correlation between reflection spectroscopy (RS)-assessed skin carotenoids and individual plasma carotenoid concentrations.

A negatively charged region within carboxy-terminal domain maintains proper CTCF DNA binding.

As an essential regulator of higher-order chromatin structures, CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a highly conserved protein with a central DNA-binding domain of 11 tandem zinc fingers (ZFs), which are flanked by amino (N-) and carboxy (C-) terminal domains of intrinsically disordered regions. Here we report that CRISPR deletion of the entire C-terminal domain of alternating charge blocks decreases CTCF DNA binding but deletion of the C-terminal fragment of 116 amino acids results in increased CTCF DNA binding and aberrant gene regulation. Through a series of genetic targeting experiments, in conjunction with electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), circularized chromosome conformation capture (4C), qPCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq), and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), we uncovered a negatively charged region (NCR) responsible for weakening CTCF DNA binding and chromatin accessibility.

Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Hypertension and Their Impact on Target Organs.

Hypertension is the predominant cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) globally, and essential hypertension (EH) represents a significant public health challenge due to its multifactorial etiology involving complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. However, the pathogenesis of EH is still unclear. Hypertension is a dysregulation in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and sympathetic nervous system, both regulating saline homeostasis and cardiovascular function.

Silencing of the Gene via dsRNA Affects Root Development and Growth in the Invasive Weed .

("mile-a-minute" weed) is a global invasive alien weed that can cause severe damage to agroforestry ecosystems and significant agricultural losses worldwide. Although chemical, manual, or mechanical control methods are widely used to control , RNA interference (RNAi)-based biocontrol methods have rarely been reported for this species. The () gene, encoding an auxin response factor, plays an essential role in embryonic root initiation in .

Analysis of volatile compounds in Xiangjiao baijiu from different storage containers and years based on HS-GC-IMS and DI-GC-MS.

The volatile compounds in 16 different storage containers and years of Xiangjiao Baijiu (XJBJ) were compared and analyzed via direct injection (DI) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and headspace extraction (HS) coupled with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) for the first time. Through HS-GC-IMS analysis, it was found that the succession rules of 14 compounds such as furfural during aging process. A total of 60 compounds were identified using DI-GC-MS.

Nonlinear optical physics at terahertz frequency.

Terahertz (THz) waves have exhibited promising prospects in 6G/7G communications, sensing, nondestructive detection, material modulation, and biomedical applications. With the development of high-power THz sources, more and more nonlinear optical effects at THz frequency and THz-induced nonlinear optical phenomena are investigated. These studies not only show a clear physics picture of electrons, ions, and molecules but also provide many novel applications in sensing, imaging, communications, and aerospace.

Habitat fragmentation mediates the mechanisms underlying long-term climate-driven thermophilization in birds.

Climatic warming can shift community composition driven by the colonization-extinction dynamics of species with different thermal preferences; but simultaneously, habitat fragmentation can mediate species' responses to warming. As this potential interactive effect has proven difficult to test empirically, we collected data on birds over 10 years of climate warming in a reservoir subtropical island system that was formed 65 years ago. We investigated how the mechanisms underlying climate-driven directional change in community composition were mediated by habitat fragmentation.

Development and Field Deployment of a ppb-Level SO/NO Dual-Gas Sensor System for Agricultural Early Fire Identification.

Sulfur dioxide (SO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) are chemical indicators of crop straw combustion as well as significant atmospheric pollutants. It is challenging to promptly detect natural "wildfires" during agricultural production, which often lead to uncontrollable and substantial economic losses. Moreover, both "wildfires" and artificial "straw burning" practices pose severe threats to the ecological environment and human health.

Projecting the Potential Global Distribution of Sweetgum Inscriber, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Concerning the Host Under Climate Change Scenarios.

is a newly discovered bark beetle in China that significantly threatens the American sweetgum . In recent years, this pest has spread from its original habitat to many surrounding cities, causing substantial economic and ecological losses. Considering the wide global distribution of its host, , this pest is likely to continue to spread and expand.

Challenges in classifying cavitation: Correlating high-speed optical imaging and passive acoustic mapping of cavitation dynamics.

Both the biological effects and acoustic emissions generated by cavitation are functions of bubble dynamics. Monitoring of acoustic emissions is therefore desirable to improve treatment safety and efficacy. The relationship between the emission spectra and bubble dynamics is, however, complex.

Conversion, prediction, and application of strength and stiffness parameters for grouted reconstructed rock mass.

Ultrasonic detection has emerged as a rapid method for acquiring rock mass sound velocity and converting it into an elastic modulus parameter, a pivotal technique for investigating the in-situ mechanical properties of rock masses. Despite its significance, accurately deducing rock mass strength from elastic modulus remains a formidable challenge and a pressing issue in the realm of protorock parameter research. This study introduces an innovative artificial intelligence-driven methodology for transforming elastic modulus and strength parameters specific to coal measures through rigorous data analysis and experimental validation.

Understanding Pt Active Sites on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanocages for Industrial Hydrogen Evolution with Ultralow Pt Usage.

Engineering microstructures of Pt and understanding the related catalytic mechanism are critical to optimizing the performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, Pt dispersion and coordination are precisely regulated on hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNCs) by a thermal-driven Pt migration, from edge-hosted Pt-NCl single sites in the initial Pt/hNCNC-70 °C catalyst to Pt clusters/nanoparticles and back to in-plane Pt-NC single sites. Thereinto, Pt-NCl presents the optimal HER activity (6 mV@10 mA cm) while Pt-NC shows poor HER activity (321 mV@10 mA cm) due to their different Pt coordination.

Picometer-scale OAM interferometry using an adaptive polar transform algorithm.

A phase demodulation algorithm based on an adaptive polar transform is proposed that can achieve picometer-scale measurements in orbital angular momentum (OAM) interferometry. The proposed algorithm converts the rotational movement in a petal-shaped interference pattern into translational movement of the grayscale projection curves, so that can be easily measured using correlation operations to determine the pixel displacement in determining the rotation angle. Displacements ranging from -120 nm to 120 nm have been measured for various topological charges, with a minimum average deviation of 0.

Comprehensive assessment of cellular senescence in intestinal immunity and biologic therapy response in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disorder characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation and immune dysregulation. Despite a clear association between cellular senescence and chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, the mechanisms underlying cellular senescence in UC remain unclear. We screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with cellular senescence in multiple UC datasets, performed immune infiltration analysis, and constructed clinical diagnostic models.

Inducible CCR2+ nonclassical monocytes mediate the regression of cancer metastasis.

A major limitation of immunotherapy is the development of resistance resulting from cancer-mediated inhibition of host lymphocytes. Cancer cells release CCL2 to recruit classical monocytes expressing its receptor CCR2 for the promotion of metastasis and resistance to immunosurveillance. In the circulation, some CCR2-expressing classical monocytes lose CCR2 and differentiate into intravascular nonclassical monocytes that have anticancer properties but are unable to access extravascular tumor sites.

Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins shield mice from peanut allergy by modulation of gut microbiota: A novel approach for peanut allergy management.

Background: Food allergies, particularly peanut (PN) allergies, are a growing concern, with fatal anaphylaxis incidents often reported. While palforzia is the sole FDA-approved drug for managing PN allergies, it is not universally effective.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the potential of Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins (GpS) as a novel therapeutic agent for PN allergy through modulation of gut microbiota, addressing the limitations of current treatments.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease influences blood pressure components, lipid profile and cardiovascular diseases: Evidence from a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder associated with a range of cardiovascular and metabolic complications. However, the relationship between GERD and blood pressure components, lipid profile, and cardiovascular diseases remains unclear.

Methods: Leveraging genetic variants associated with GERD as instrumental variables, we performed this Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.

Wireless Powered Surface Acoustic Wave Platform for Achieving Integrated Functions of Fogging/Icing Protection and Monitoring.

In this study, we introduced an integrated approach using piezoelectric thin film-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) and wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies, designed for both passive monitoring and active defogging/icing functions. We systematically investigated the resonant frequency shifts of ZnO/glass SAW devices, establishing their correlations with variations in humidity and temperature under cold conditions. Acoustic waves generated through the ZnO/glass SAW device were used for defogging and deicing functions with effects of RF powers and acousto-heating thoroughly evaluated.