Ultra-sensitive liquid crystal-coated microbubble resonator based on a whispering gallery mode for penicillin G detection.

Penicillin G detection is of great significance in medical research and disease diagnosis. Liquid crystal (LC), as a branch of sensitive materials, has a broad application prospect in the field of biosensing. Herein, a liquid crystal-coated silica microbubble resonator (LC-MBR), with high sensitivity for penicillin G detection, has been proposed and demonstrated.

Origin of Enhanced Oxygen Evolution in Restructured Metal-Organic Frameworks for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), praised for structural flexibility and tunability, are prominent catalyst prototypes for exploring oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Yet, their intricate transformations under OER, especially in industrial high-current environments, pose significant challenges in accurately elucidating their structure-activity correlation. Here, we harnessed an electrooxidation process for controllable MOF reconstruction, discovering that Fe doping expedites Ni(Fe) MOF structural evolution, accompanied by the elongation of Ni-O bonds, monitored by in situ Raman and UV/Visible spectroscopy.

Dynamic Foxp3-chromatin interaction controls tunable Treg cell function.

Nuclear factor Foxp3 determines regulatory T (Treg) cell fate and function via mechanisms that remain unclear. Here, we investigate the nature of Foxp3-mediated gene regulation in suppressing autoimmunity and antitumor immune response. Contrasting with previous models, we find that Foxp3-chromatin binding is regulated by Treg activation states, tumor microenvironment, and antigen and cytokine stimulations.

Galectin-3-ITGB1 Signaling Mediates Interleukin 10 Production of Hepatic Conventional Natural Killer Cells in Hepatitis B Virus Transgenic Mice and Correlates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression in Patients.

Background And Aims: The outcomes of HBV infections are related to complex immune imbalances; however, the precise mechanisms by which HBV induces immune dysfunction are not well understood.

Methods: HBV transgenic (HBs-Tg) mice were used to investigate intrahepatic NK cells in two distinct subsets: conventional NK (cNK) and liver-resident NK (LrNK) cells during a chronic HBV infection.

Results: The cNK cells, but not the LrNK cells, were primarily responsible for the increase in the number of bulk NK cells in the livers of ageing HBs-Tg mice.

Correlation between ultrafiltration rate and hemoglobin level and erythropoietin response in hemodialysis patients.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between ultrafiltration rate (UFR) and hemoglobin levels and erythropoietin (EPO) response in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). 225 MHD patients were divided into three groups according to the UFR: < 10 ml/h/kg, 10-13 ml/h/kg, and >13 ml/h/kg. Clinical parameters and prognosis were compared among the groups.

Novel Strategy to Enhance Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Immunosuppression: Harnessing Interferon-Gamma Presentation in Metal-Organic Frameworks Embedded on Heparin/Collagen Multilayers.

The immunomodulatory potential of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) can be boosted when exposed to interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). While pretreating hMSCs with IFN-γ is a common practice to enhance their immunomodulatory effects, the challenge lies in maintaining a continuous IFN-γ presence within cellular environments. Therefore, in this research, we investigate the sustainable presence of IFN-γ in the cell culture medium by immobilizing it in water-stable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [PCN-333(Fe)].

Composition of gut microbiota and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the associations between gut microbiota composition and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. To compare the differences between individuals with or without NAFLD, the standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval were computed for each α-diversity index and relative abundance of gut microbes. The β-diversity indices were summarized in a qualitative manner.

H formation via non-Born-Oppenheimer hydrogen migration in photoionized ethane.

Neutral H formation via intramolecular hydrogen migration in hydrocarbon molecules plays a vital role in many chemical and biological processes. Here, employing cold target recoil ion momentum spectroscopy (COLTRIMS) and pump-probe technique, we find that the non-adiabatic coupling between the ground and excited ionic states of ethane through conical intersection leads to a significantly high yield of neutral H fragment. Based on the analysis of fingerprints that are sensitive to orbital symmetry and electronic state energies in the photoelectron momentum distributions, we tag the initial electronic population of both the ground and excited ionic states and determine the branching ratios of H formation channel from those two states.

Transition Mechanism from the Metastable Two-Dimensional Gel to the Stable Three-Dimensional Crystal of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids.

One important quest for making high quality materials with amphiphiles is to understand how a disordered self-assembly changes to a stable crystalline state. Herein, we addressed the basic question by investigating the phase transition mechanism of imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) [Cmim]Br, using time-resolved small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS-WAXS), differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques. Totally, a hexagonal phase, two lamellar-gel phases, and three lamellar-crystalline phases were observed, showing the special polymorphism of the system.

Integrated Electrocoagulation, Ultrafiltration, Membrane Distillation, and Crystallization for Treating Produced Water.

Produced water (PW) generated from hydraulic fracturing operations was treated using an integrated electrocoagulation, ultrafiltration, membrane distillation, and crystallization process (EC UF MDC). The aim was to determine the viability of this integrated process for maximizing water recovery. The results obtained here indicate that optimizing the various unit operations could lead to increased recovery of PW.

UGRP1-modulated MARCO alveolar macrophages contribute to age-related lung fibrosis.

The aging lungs are vulnerable to chronic pulmonary diseases; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we compared the aging lungs of 20-24-month-old mice with the young of 10-16-week-old mice, and found that aging airway epithelial cells significantly upregulated the expression of uteroglobin-related protein 1 (UGRP1), which was responsible for the higher levels of CCL6 in the aging lungs. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) changed intrinsically with aging, exhibiting a decrease in cell number and altered gene expression.

Free-Standing Two-Dimensional Crystals Formed from Self-Assembled Ionic Liquids.

The fabrication of two-dimensional crystals (2DCs) has attracted very large interest because it creates materials with various surface structural features and special surface properties. Normally, this is limited to sheets networked together with strong covalent or coordination bonds. Against this understanding, we discovered macroscopic scale free-standing 2DCs in the aqueous dispersions of [Cmim]X (X = Br, NO; = 14, 16, 18) using simultaneous synchrotron small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering techniques.

DNA Methylation in Regulatory T Cell Differentiation and Function: Challenges and Opportunities.

As a bona fide epigenetic marker, DNA methylation has been linked to the differentiation and function of regulatory T (Treg) cells, a subset of CD4 T cells that play an essential role in maintaining immune homeostasis and suppressing autoimmunity and antitumor immune response. DNA methylation undergoes dynamic regulation involving maintenance of preexisting patterns, passive and active demethylation, and methylation. Scattered evidence suggests that these processes control different stages of Treg cell lifespan ranging from lineage induction to cell fate maintenance, suppression of effector T cells and innate immune cells, and transdifferentiation.

Blockade of T-cell receptor with Ig and ITIM domains elicits potent antitumor immunity in naturally occurring HBV-related HCC in mice.

Background And Aims: Chronic HBV infection is the leading cause of HCC and a serious health problem in China, East Asia, and North African countries. Effective treatment of HBV-related HCC is currently unavailable. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) blockade in HBV-related HCC.

LC-MS-Based Urine Metabolomics Analysis for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Medulloblastoma.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common type of brain cancer in pediatric patients. Body fluid biomarkers will be helpful for clinical diagnosis and treatment. In this study, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics was used to identify specific urine metabolites of MB in a cohort, including 118 healthy controls, 111 MB patients, 31 patients with malignant brain cancer, 51 patients with benign brain disease, 29 MB patients 1 week postsurgery and 80 MB patients 1 month postsurgery.

Cholesterol Protects the Liquid-Ordered Phase of Raft Model Membranes from the Destructive Effect of Ionic Liquids.

Ionic liquids (ILs), although being a class of promising green solvents, have received many reports on the toxicity to living organisms. In this work, aiming at elucidating the disruptive effect of ILs to cell membrane lipid rafts, we investigated the effect of three 1-octylimidazolium-based ILs on the properties of the liquid ordered phase (L, a commonly used lipid raft model) of egg sphingomyelin (SM)-cholesterol model membrane. We found that, in the absence of cholesterol, a very low IL:SM molar ratio of 0.

Radiomics signature for the prediction of progression-free survival and radiotherapeutic benefits in pediatric medulloblastoma.

Purpose: To develop and validate a radiomics signature for progression-free survival (PFS) and radiotherapeutic benefits in pediatric medulloblastoma.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 253 consecutive children with medulloblastoma from two hospitals. A total of 1294 radiomic features were extracted from the region of tumor on the T1-weighted and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE-T1w) MRI.

Ly49E separates liver ILC1s into embryo-derived and postnatal subsets with different functions.

Type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1s) represent the predominant population of liver ILCs and function as important effectors and regulators of immune responses, but the cellular heterogeneity of ILC1s is not fully understood. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that liver ILC1s could be dissected into Ly49E+ and Ly49E- populations with unique transcriptional and phenotypic features. Genetic fate-mapping analysis revealed that liver Ly49E+ ILC1s with strong cytotoxicity originated from embryonic non-bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), persisted locally during postnatal life, and mediated protective immunity against cytomegalovirus infection in newborn mice.

The distinct effects of two imidazolium-based ionic liquids, [Cmim][OAc] and [Cmim][OAc], on the phase behaviours of DPPC.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are potential green solvents with very broad application prospects. Their toxicity and other biological effects are largely related to their hydrophobic properties. In this work, the effects of two imidazolium-based ILs with either a butyl or a hexyl chain, [Cmim][OAc] or [Cmim][OAc], on the phase behaviours of a representative phospholipid, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), were examined using synchrotron small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry techniques.

Foxp3 enhancers synergize to maximize regulatory T cell suppressive capacity.

T reg cells bearing a diverse antigen receptor repertoire suppress pathogenic T cells and maintain immune homeostasis during their long lifespan. How their robust function is determined genetically remains elusive. Here, we investigate the regulatory space of the cis-regulatory elements of T reg lineage-specifying factor Foxp3.

Transition Mechanism from Nonlamellar to Well-Ordered Lamellar Phases: Is the Lamellar Liquid-Crystal Phase a Must?

Understanding the self-assembly mechanisms of amphiphilic molecules in solutions and regulating their phase behaviors are of primary significance for their applications. To challenge the reported direct phase transitions from nonlamellar to ordered lamellar phases, the self-assembly and phase behavior of the 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride aqueous dispersions were studied using a strategy of isothermal incubation after the temperature jump. A disordered lamellar phase (identified as the lamellar liquid-crystal (L) phase), serving as an intermediate, was found to bridge the transition from a spherical micellar (M) phase to a lamellar-gel (L) phase.

A distal Foxp3 enhancer enables interleukin-2 dependent thymic Treg cell lineage commitment for robust immune tolerance.

Activation of the STAT5 transcription factor downstream of the Interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) induces expression of Foxp3, a critical step in the differentiation of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Due to the pleiotropic effects of IL-2R signaling, it is unclear how STAT5 acts directly on the Foxp3 locus to promote its expression. Here, we report that IL-2 - STAT5 signaling converged on an enhancer (CNS0) during Foxp3 induction.

Urinary protein biomarkers for pediatric medulloblastoma.

Objective: To identify candidate urinary protein biomarkers to distinguish medulloblastoma (MB) patients from healthy patients or benign brain disease control patients.

Methods: The tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled quantitative proteomics approach was used to identify differential proteins in the urinary proteome of 9 pre- and postsurgery MB patients and 9 healthy control patients, respectively. Ingenuity pathway analysis was used for functional annotation of differential proteins.

Nanoheater-tuned whispering gallery mode lasing in liquid-filled hollow microcavities.

An all-optical tunable whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing from the liquid-filled hollow glass microsphere (LFHGM) is proposed and experimentally verified. The LFHGM-based microlaser is prepared by injecting ${{\rm NaNdF}_4}/{\rm dye}$NaNdF/dye co-doped liquid into the HGM, and WGM resonance is obtained under excitation of a 532 nm pulse laser. Since the high-efficiency absorption of the 793 nm continuous-wave laser by ${{\rm NaNdF}_4}$NaNdF nanocrystals (NCs) can result in photothermal effect-induced effective refractive index change of the microcavity, a secondary 793 nm laser is irradiated into the LFHGM to excite the ${{\rm NaNdF}_4}$NaNdF dispersed in the liquid core, thereby realizing a shift of resonant frequencies.