Generalizable Organic-to-Aqueous Phase Transfer of a Au Nanocluster with Luminescence Enhancement and Robust Photocatalysis in Water.

For the majority of gold nanoclusters (NCs), their water insolubility, low photoluminescence (PL) intensity, and less understood photostability are three critical factors that limit their application in the biomedical and photocatalysis fields. In this study, we report a polymer wrapping method for phase transfer of organic soluble NCs into aqueous phase without degrading the electronic and optical properties, and such materials are further demonstrated for robust photocatalysis in water. We first synthesized a Au(DMBT) NC (DMBT = 2,4-dimethylbenzenethiolate) and found that the aromatic ligands confer a greatly enhanced antioxidation capability of the NC compared to the Au(CHT) counterpart (CHT = cyclohexanethiolate), with the critical role of aromatic ligand interactions identified by X-ray crystallography.

The risk factors for low back pain following oblique lateral interbody fusion: focus on sarcopenia.

Background: Sarcopenia had been identified as a factor influencing the postoperative outcomes of lumbar surgery. The effect of sarcopenia on the surgical outcomes in patients who underwent oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) had not yet been examined.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the association between sarcopenia and postoperative low back pain (LBP) in patients following OLIF and provide recommendations for surgical strategy.

Resistance to Striga parasitism through reduction of strigolactone exudation.

Parasitism with Striga poses a major threat to global food production. Striga germination and growth rely on strigolactones (SLs) exuded by crop roots under phosphate (Pi)-deficient conditions, although the mechanism of this host-parasite interaction remains elusive. In this study, transcriptomic and functional analyses of sorghum treated with Pi deficiency or the SL GR24 identify two ABC transporter G (ABCG) transporters of SL, Sorghum biocolor strigolactones transporter 1 (SbSLT1) and SbSLT2.

Increasing rice yield with low ammonia volatilization by combined application of controlled-release blended fertilizer and densification.

Controlled-release blended fertilizer (CRBF) and densification can increase rice yield and nitrogen (N) efficiency. However, the effects of CRBF combined with densification on rice yield, N absorption, economic benefits of fertilization, and ammonia volatilization loss remain unclear. A 2-year field experiment was conducted using five treatments: no N (control, CK), conventional N application (farmer's fertilization practice, FFP), optimal N application (OPT), single basal application of CRBF (CRBF), and CRBF combined with densification (CRFDP).

Co-Ni/C Composite Derived from N, S-Codoped Graphene Decorate Metal-Organic Framework toward Microwave Attenuation.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit highly adjustable porosity, structure, and versatility, properties that render them promising for electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption applications. However, the impedance matching of these composites is poor in practical applications, thereby compromising their EMW absorption performance. In this study, a novel EMW absorbing composite was synthesized by a solution-thermal method combined with a subsequent pyrolysis process.

Protective effects of wogonin in the treatment of central nervous system and degenerative diseases.

Wogonin, an O-methylated flavonoid extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis, has demonstrated profound neuroprotective effects in a range of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. This review elucidates the pharmacological mechanisms underlying the protective effects of wogonin in CNS diseases, including ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases, and CNS infections. Wogonin modulates key signaling pathways, such as the MAPK, NF-κB, and ROS pathways, contributing to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic properties.

A Susceptible Cell-Selective Delivery (SCSD) of mRNA-Encoded Cas13d Against Influenza Infection.

To bolster the capacity for managing potential infectious diseases in the future, it is critical to develop specific antiviral drugs that can be rapidly designed and delivered precisely. Herein, a CRISPR/Cas13d system for broad-spectrum targeting of influenza A virus (IAV) from human, avian, and swine sources is designed, incorporating Cas13d mRNA and a tandem CRISPR RNA (crRNA) specific for the highly conserved regions of viral polymerase acidic (PA), nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix (M) gene segments, respectively. Given that the virus targets cells with specific receptors but is not limited to a single organ, a Susceptible Cell Selective Delivery (SCSD) system is developed by modifying a lipid nanoparticle with a peptide mimicking the function of the hemagglutinin of influenza virus to target sialic acid receptors.

Genetic Diversity and Fingerprinting of 231 Mango Germplasm Using Genome SSR Markers.

Mango ( L.) (2n = 40) is an important perennial fruit tree in tropical and subtropical regions. The lack of information on genetic diversity at the molecular level hinders efforts in mango genetic improvement and molecular marker-assisted breeding.

Effects of fine particulate matter and its chemical constituents on influenza-like illness in Guangzhou, China.

Background: Although the link between fine particulate matter (PM) and influenza-like illness (ILI) is well established, the effect of the chemical constituents of PM on ILI remains unclear. This study aims to explore this effect in Guangzhou, China.

Methods: Daily data on ILI cases, PM levels, and specific PM constituents (black carbon [BC], chlorine [Cl], ammonia [NH], nitrate [NO], and sulfate [SO]) in Guangzhou, China, were collected for the period of 2014-2019.

Item response theory for the color-picture version of Boston naming test in a Chinese sample with neurodegenerative diseases.

Background: Although Boston Naming Test has been thoroughly validated at a global level, there is limited assessment of item-level properties using modern psychometric methods.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the construct validity and item-level properties of the color-picture version of Boston Naming Test (CP-BNT) in a Chinese cohort with neurodegenerative diseases.

Methods: This retrospective study included 424 participants, consisting of 118 normal controls, 152 with Alzheimer's disease, 101 with primary progressive aphasia, and 53 with other neurodegenerative diseases.

Investigating the shared genetic architecture of osteoarthritis and frailty: a genome-wide cross-trait analysis.

Observational studies suggest a link between osteoarthritis (OA) and frailty, but the shared genetic architecture and causal relationships remain unclear. We analyzed X-ray and F-FDG PET/CT images in frail and non-frail individuals and conducted genetic correlation analyses using Linkage Disequilibrium Score Regression (LDSC) based on recent Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) for OA and frailty. We identified pleiotropic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through Cross-Phenotype Association (CPASSOC) and Colocalization (COLOC) analyses and investigated genetic overlaps using Multi-marker Analysis of GenoMic Annotation (MAGMA).

Corrigendum: Radiosynthesis and identification of a molecular probe I-FAPI targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.

Identifying cardiovascular disease risk in the U.S. population using environmental volatile organic compounds exposure: A machine learning predictive model based on the SHAP methodology.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality globally. Environmental pollutants, specifically volatile organic compounds (VOCs), have been identified as significant risk factors. This study aims to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict CVD risk based on VOC exposure and demographic data using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) for interpretability.

A radioactive and fluorescent dual modality cysteine cathepsin-B activity-based probe for the detection and treatment evaluation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Activated macrophages are key effector cells and specific markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Cysteine cathepsin B (CTS-B) is highly expressed in macrophages and positively associated with RA activity and severity. This study aims to evaluate an activity-based multi-modality diagnostic agent, Ga-BMX2, which targets CTS-B to visualize the arthritis activity and evaluate the treatment efficacy.

, Fusion-Free, Multiplexed Detection of Small Extracellular Vesicle miRNAs for Cancer Diagnostics.

Tumor-derived small extracellular vesicle (sEV) microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging biomarkers for cancer diagnostics. Conventional sEV miRNA detection methods necessitate the lysis of sEVs, rendering them laborious and time-consuming and potentially leading to damage or loss of miRNAs. Membrane fusion-based detection of sEV miRNAs involves the preparation of probe-loaded vesicles (, liposomes or cellular vesicles), which are typically sophisticated and require specialist equipment.

Radiosynthesis and identification of a molecular probe I-FAPI targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Purpose: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is highly expressed in the mesenchyme of most malignant epithelial tumors, while its expression is low in normal tissues. FAP inhibitors (FAPIs) bind specifically to FAP and are used for tumor-targeted diagnosis and therapy. The aim of this study was to radiosynthesize a novel molecular probe I-FAPI and evaluate its targeting and biological characteristics.

Too little or too much? Exploring the effectiveness of different policies in air pollution control from technical and non-technical pathways.

Most environmental policy studies focus on the technical pathway effect but ignore the non-technical pathway. This paper analyzes the synergistic governance effects of three types of environmental policies on the technical and non-technical pathways. The super-efficient slacks-based measure-data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) assesses the green total factor productivity, while the Malmquist index decomposes into pure technical efficiency.