Crystallographic Customization of Zinc Anode for High Performance Aqueous Metal Batteries.

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) are an energy storage system that is expected to replace traditional lithium batteries. However, the practical application of AZMBs is hampered by some inherent drawbacks. Herein, an amino acid additive with a screening property is introduced.

Protein-Induced Electrochemiluminescence Enhancement of Tetraphenylvinyl Derivatives for Ultrasensitive Bioanalysis.

Herein, the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-loaded tetrakis[4-(4'-cyanophenyl)phenyl]ethane nanoaggregates (NAs) (BSA@TBPE-(CN) NAs) as a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter were first prepared, which exhibited superior ECL performance via the newly defined protein-induced ECL enhancement. Impressively, BSA not only restricted the intramolecular motions by its hydrophobic cavity to improve optical radiation for enhancing ECL efficiency but also promoted the electrochemical excitation of BSA@TBPE-(CN) NAs in which amino acid residues of BSA altered the surface states and narrowed the energy gap of BSA@TBPE-(CN) NAs for further boosting the ECL efficiency. Furthermore, the BSA@TBPE-(CN) NAs displayed a more dispersed state due to electrostatic repulsion caused by its considerable negative charges, which was conducive to reacting more fully with coreactants for improving ECL emission.

Deciphering the Underlying Mechanism of the Fourth Entity in Medium-Entropy NiCoFeMP toward Boosting Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis.

High-/medium-entropy materials have been explored as promising electrocatalysts for water splitting due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art materials face the dilemma of explaining the enhancement mechanism, which is now limited to theoretical models or an unclear cocktail effect. Herein, a medium-entropy NiCoFeMnP with an advanced hierarchical particle-nanosheet-tumbleweed nanostructure has been synthesized via simple precursor preparation and subsequent phosphorization.

Coherent Charge Transfer Reveals a Different Theoretical Limit of Power Conversion Efficiency in Organic Solar Cells.

The hopping charge transfer (CT) theory is used to explain the dynamics of traditional donor-acceptor (D-A) devices in organic solar cells (OSCs). But it is not applicable to the unconventional OSCs inspired by photosynthesis, referred to as Z-devices. In this study, we establish a universal heterojunction CT model in OSCs, based on the reported coherent CT in photosynthesis.

Engineering a Ce Promoter into a Three-Dimensional Porous MoC@NC Heterostructure for Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis via Weakening the Mo-H Bond Strength.

The pursuit of highly efficient electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of paramount importance for water splitting. However, it is still a formidable task in MoC-based materials because of the agglomeration and strong Mo-H binding of MoC units. Herein, a novel CeOCl-CeO/MoC heterostructure nesting within a three-dimensional porous nitrogen-doped carbon matrix has been designed and used for catalyzing HER via simultaneous morphology and heterointerface engineering.

Oxide Derivatives of NbCT MXene and Their Application as Electron Transport Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells: Unraveling the Oxidation Process and Functionalization.

In the realm of photovoltaic research, 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes) have gained significant interest due to their exceptional photoelectric capabilities. However, the instability of MXenes due to oxidation has a direct impact on their practical applications. In this work, the oxidation process of NbCT MXene in aqueous systems is methodically simulated at the atomic level and nanosecond timescales, which elucidates the structural variations influenced by the synergistic effects of water and dissolved oxygen, predicting a transition from metal to semiconductor with 44% C atoms replaced by O atoms in NbCT.

Influence of reduced-port laparoscopic surgery on perioperative indicators, postoperative recovery, and serum inflammation in patients with colorectal carcinoma.

Background: Conventional five-port laparoscopic surgery, the current standard treatment for colorectal carcinoma (CRC), has many disadvantages.

Aim: To assess the influence of reduced-port laparoscopic surgery (RPLS) on perioperative indicators, postoperative recovery, and serum inflammation indexes in patients with CRC.

Methods: The study included 115 patients with CRC admitted between December 2019 and May 2023, 52 of whom underwent conventional five-port laparoscopic surgery (control group) and 63 of whom underwent RPLS (research group).

Aptamer-Functionalized Magnetic TiC Based Nanoplatform for Simultaneous Enrichment and Detection of Exosomes.

Exosomes are nanovesicles secreted by cells, which play a crucial role in various pathological processes. Exosomes have shown great promise as tumor biomarkers because of the abundant secretion during tumor formation. The development of a convenient, efficient, and cost-effective method for simultaneously enriching and detecting exosomes is of utmost importance for both basic research and clinical applications.

Glutathionylation of a glycolytic enzyme promotes cell death and vigor loss during aging of elm seeds.

Seed deterioration during storage is a major problem in agricultural and forestry production and for germplasm conservation. Our previous studies have shown that a mitochondrial outer membrane protein VOLTAGE-DEPENDENT ANION CHANNEL (VDAC) is involved in programmed cell death-like viability loss during the controlled deterioration treatment (CDT) of elm (Ulmus pumila L.) seeds, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Assessing recent recurrence after hepatectomy for hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma by a predictive model based on sarcopenia.

Background: Sarcopenia may be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following hepatectomy. But traditional single clinical variables are still insufficient to predict recurrence. We still lack effective prediction models for recent recurrence (time to recurrence < 2 years) after hepatectomy for HCC.

Association of cardiovascular disease prevalence with BMD and fracture in men with T2DM.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are predisposed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Bone mineral density (BMD) is linked to CVD, but most studies focused on women. Our analysis aims to explore the association of BMD and fracture with the prevalence of CVD in men with T2DM.

Comparison of fungal bacterial infections in the medical intensive liver unit: Cause or corollary for high mortality?

Background: Due to development of an immune-dysregulated phenotype, advanced liver disease in all forms predisposes patients to sepsis acquisition, including by opportunistic pathogens such as fungi. Little data exists on fungal infection within a medical intensive liver unit (MILU), particularly in relation to acute on chronic liver failure.

Aim: To investigate the impact of fungal infections among critically ill patients with advanced liver disease, and compare outcomes to those of patients with bacterial infections.

Zirconium-containing nanoscale coordination polymers for positron emission tomography and fluorescence-guided cargo delivery to triple-negative breast tumors.

Nanoscale coordination polymer (NCP) is a class of hybrid materials formed by self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands through coordination. The applications of NCP in biomedicine are quite extensive due to the diversity choice of metal ions and organic ligands. Here we designed Zr-P1 NCP based on Zr selected as metal ion nodes and tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl) ethylene as bridging ligands.

Association between Perceived Stress and Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome in an Elderly Population: Rugao Longevity and Aging Study.

Introduction: Previous studies have indicated a correlation between perceived stress and cognitive decline. However, it remains unknown whether high levels of perceived stress can result in motoric cognitive risk (MCR) syndrome. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress and MCR in a community-based population.

Zwitterion Dual-Modification Strategy for High-Quality NiO and Perovskite Films for Solar Cells.

Nickel oxide (NiO) has been limited in use as a hole transport layer for its low conduction, surface defects, and redox reactions with the perovskite layer. To address these issues, the incorporation of zwitterion L-tryptophan (Trp) is proposed at the NiO/Trp interface. The carboxyl group of Trp effectively passivates the surface positive defects of NiO, thereby improving its optical and electrical properties.

The power and the promise of synthetic lethality for clinical application in cancer treatment.

Synthetic lethality is a phenomenon wherein the simultaneous deficiency of two or more genes results in cell death, while the deficiency of any individual gene does not lead to cell death. In recent years, synthetic lethality has emerged as a significant topic in the field of targeted cancer therapy, with certain drugs based on this concept exhibiting promising outcomes in clinical trials. Nevertheless, the presence of tumor heterogeneity and the intricate DNA repair mechanisms pose challenges to the effective implementation of synthetic lethality.

MALT1 Protease Regulates T-Cell Immunity via the mTOR Pathway in Oral Lichen Planus.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a T cell-mediated immune mucosal disease of unknown pathogenesis. Whether mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein 1 (MALT1), an intracellular signaling protein, is involved in the T-cell immune dysfunction of OLP remains elusive. MALT1 expression in local and peripheral T cells of OLP and controls was analyzed using immunohistochemistry, multiplex immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry.

Trust Beyond Border: Lightweight, Verifiable User Isolation for Protecting In-Enclave Services.

Due to the absence of in-enclave isolation, today's trusted execution environment (TEE), specifically Intel's Software Guard Extensions (SGX), does not have the capability to securely run different users' tasks within a single enclave, which is required for supporting real-world services, such as an in-enclave machine learning model that classifies the data from various sources, or a microservice (e.g., data search) that performs a very small task (within sub-seconds) for a user and therefore cannot afford the resources and the delay for creating a separate enclave for each user.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on highly catalytic CNTs/TiCT MXenes composite counter electrode.

Establishing stable and efficient Pt-free counter electrodes (CEs) is an important challenge for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). TiCT MXene, with its high catalytic activity and conductivity, has gained attention as a CE in DSSCs. The focus of this paper is on the preparation of TiCT decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite electrode materials (CNTs/TiCT), and testing their performance as CEs in DSSCs.