The first direct detection of spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. diversity in ticks from Ningxia, northwestern China.

Background: Tick-borne infectious diseases caused by the spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) have continuously emerging, with many previously unidentified SFGR species reported. The prevalence of SFGRs in northwestern China remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of SFGRs and Anaplasma species by analyzing tick samples collected from the Ningxia region.

Tantalum-stabilized ruthenium oxide electrocatalysts for industrial water electrolysis.

The iridium oxide (IrO) catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction used industrially (in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers) is scarce and costly. Although ruthenium oxide (RuO) is a promising alternative, its poor stability has hindered practical application. We used well-defined extended surface models to identify that RuO undergoes structure-dependent corrosion that causes Ru dissolution.

Beyond Aromas: Exploring the Development and Potential Applications of Electroencephalography in Olfactory Research-From General Scents to Food Flavor Science Frontiers.

Olfaction is crucial to our dietary choices and significantly influences our emotional and cognitive landscapes. Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms is pivotal, especially through the use of electroencephalography (EEG). This technology has strong temporal resolution, allowing it to capture the dynamics of neural responses to odors, bypassing the need for subjective interpretations.

Incidence and outcome of hepatitis D virus infection in people with HIV in the era of tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy.

Background: Tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves survival in HBV-coinfected people with HIV (PWH). We investigated the incidence of HDV infection and its clinical impact in HBV-coinfected PWH in the era of tenofovir-containing ART.

Methods: Between 2011 and 2022, HBV-coinfected PWH were included and followed until December 2023.

Automated high-resolution 3D inspection methods for sealant applications in aerospace based on line structured light.

Gluing is a critical step in aircraft sealing assembly, with glue profile inspection serving as the final quality assurance measure to ensure consistency and accuracy of the sealant coating, allowing timely detection and correction of defects to maintain assembly integrity and safety. Currently, existing glue inspection systems are limited to basic inspection capabilities, lack result digitization, and exhibit low efficiency. This paper proposes a 3D inspection technology for sealant coating quality based on line-structured light, enabling automated and high-precision inspection of sealant thickness, sealant width, positional accuracy, and overlap joint sealant contour through geometric computation.

Electroacupuncture Ameliorated Locomotor Symptoms in MPTP-Induced Mice Model of Parkinson's Disease by Regulating Autophagy via Nrf2 Signaling.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent and challenging neurodegenerative disorder, and may involve impaired autophagy. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is crucial for regulating autophagy-related genes, maintaining cellular homeostasis. Electroacupuncture (EA), a complementary and alternative therapy for PD, has gained widespread clinical application.

Diagnosis and treatment recommendations for glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome.

Background: Glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS) was initially reported by De Vivo and colleagues in 1991. This disease arises from mutations in the SLC2A1 and presents with a broad clinical spectrum. It is a treatable neuro-metabolic condition, where prompt diagnosis and initiation of ketogenic dietary therapy can markedly enhance the prognosis.

Discovery of HZS60 as a Novel Brain Penetrant NMDAR/TRPM4 Interaction Interface Inhibitor with Improved Activity and Pharmacokinetic Properties for the Treatment of Cerebral Ischemia.

The death signaling complex comprising extrasynaptic NMDAR and TRPM4 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Targeting the protein-protein interactions between NMDAR and TRPM4 represents a promising therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke. Herein, we describe the discovery of a novel series of NMDAR/TRPM4 interaction interface inhibitors aimed at enhancing neuroprotective efficacy and optimizing pharmacokinetic profiles.

Construction of ternary TiO/CdS/IrO heterostructure photoanodes for efficient glycerol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution.

A TiO/CdS heterostructure has been widely investigated as a potential photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for hydrogen evolution. However, the efficiency and stability still remain challenging due to the sluggish reaction dynamics for water oxidation and easy photocorrosion of CdS. Here we report a ternary TiO/CdS/IrO heterostructure with IrO as a hole transport layer for PEC glycerol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution.

Tetraspanin CD81 serves as a functional entry factor for porcine circovirus type 2 infection.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated disease, clinically resulting in immunosuppression and co-infections with other pathogens in infected pigs. The mechanism of PCV2 infection remains unclear. In this study, we firstly found that the tetraspanin CD81 in PK-15 cells interacts with PCV2 Cap protein by using virus overlay protein-binding assay combined with mass spectrometry.

Highly Diastereoselective Access to Densely Functionalized Piperidine Cores of Influenza Endonuclease Inhibitors via a Metal-Free S1 Approach.

A novel, highly diastereoselective, and metal-free synthesis of multisubstituted piperidines via an S1 approach is reported in this study. The method allows for the preparation of highly functionalized compounds with exceptional diastereomeric selectivities and consistently reproducible yields. These compounds are of significant interest due to their remarkable biological activities toward influenza endonuclease.

Optical and Electrical Dual-Mode Detection of a Carcinogenic Substance Based on Synergy of Liquid Crystals and Ionic Liquids.

Visual, sensitive, and selective detection of carcinogenic substances is highly desired in portable health protection and practical medicine production. However, achieving this goal presents significant challenges with the traditional single-mode sensors reported so far, as they have limited sensing mechanisms and provide only a single output signal. Here, we report an effective optical and electrical dual-mode sensor for the visual, sensitive, and selective detection of -nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), a typical volatile carcinogenic substance, leveraging the synergy of ionic liquid-doped liquid crystals (IL-LC).

Early Identification of Myocardial Microstructural Alterations in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with in Vivo Cardiac Diffusion-Tensor Imaging.

Purpose To explore the diffusion characteristics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using in vivo cardiac diffusion-tensor imaging (cDTI) and to determine whether cDTI could help identify abnormal myocardium beyond cardiac MRI findings of fibrosis and hypertrophy. Materials and Methods In this prospective study conducted from April to August 2023, participants with HCM and healthy volunteers were enrolled for cardiac MRI evaluation, including cine, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), T1 mapping, and cDT imaging, using a 3.0-T scanner.

Magnesium/methanol-d1: a practical reductive deuteration system for the deuterium labeling of α,β-unsaturated esters, nitriles and amides.

The use of magnesium and methanol in the reduction of various functional groups has been well established. In this study, we present a reductive deuteration system using Mg/CHOD, which successfully facilitates the conversion of α,β-unsaturated esters, amides, and nitriles to their saturated counterparts. This protocol achieves good yields and high degrees of deuterium incorporation, while avoiding defunctionalization in the presence of various functional groups.

Multifunctional DNA nanomaterials: a new frontier in rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis and treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains a challenging autoimmune disease due to its complex and heterogeneous pathophysiology, which complicates therapeutic and diagnostic efforts. Advances in DNA nanotechnology have introduced DNA nanomaterials as promising tools to overcome these barriers. This review focuses on three primary categories of DNA nanomaterials applied in RA: DNA nanostructures, DNA aptamers, and DNA-modified nanoparticles.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Semen Associated with Repeated Measures of Semen Quality in Healthy Adult Men.

Although epidemiological studies have explored the association between poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations and semen quality, existing findings are often inconsistent. Our work aimed to explore the association of PFAS in plasma and semen with repeated measures of semen quality parameters in healthy adults. Plasma was collected at the initial recruitment and semen was collected at least once within five predetermined intervals during an approximately 3-month period.

Accurate DFT simulation of complex functional materials: Synergistic enhancements achieved by SCAN meta-GGA.

Complex functional materials are characterized by intricate and competing bond orders, making them an excellent platform for evaluating the newly developed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional. In this study, we explore the effectiveness of SCAN in simulating the electronic properties of displacive ferroelectrics (BaTiO3 and PbTiO3) and magnetoelectric multiferroics (BiFeO3 and YMnO3), which encompass a broad spectrum of bonding characteristics. Due to a significant reduction in self-interaction error, SCAN manifests its improvements over the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) method in three aspects: SCAN predicts more accurate ionicity, produces more compact orbitals, and better captures d-orbital anisotropy.

Tunable phase behaviors of diblock copolyelectrolytes under alternating electric fields: A coarse-grained molecular dynamics study.

Diblock copolyelectrolytes have significant potential in applications such as solid-state single-ion conductors, but precisely controlling their nanostructures for efficient ion transport remains a challenge. In this study, we explore the phase behavior and microphase transitions of AX BY-type diblock copolyelectrolytes under alternating electric fields using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. We systematically investigate the effects of various electric field features, including unipolar and bipolar square-waves, as well as offset and non-offset sine-waves, focusing on how field strength and period influence the self-assembling morphology of the copolyelectrolytes.

Discovery of SMD-3236: A Potent, Highly Selective and Efficacious SMARCA2 Degrader for the Treatment of SMARC4-Deficient Human Cancers.

SMARCA2 is an attractive synthetic lethal target in human cancers with mutated, inactivated SMARCA4. We report herein the discovery of highly potent and selective SMARCA2 PROTAC degraders, as exemplified by SMD-3236, which was designed using a new, high-affinity SMARCA ligand and a potent VHL-1 ligand. SMD-3236 achieves DC < 1 nM and > 95% against SMARCA2 and >2000-fold degradation selectivity over SMARCA4.

Overview of current research on traditional Chinese medicine in skin disease treatment: a bibliometric analysis from 2014 to 2024.

Context: Recent research has revealed significant advancements in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for skin diseases. However, there is a lack of visualization analysis within this research domain.

Objective: To analyze the research directions and advancements in TCM research in skin diseases.

Predicting miscibility in binary compounds: a machine learning and genetic algorithm study.

The combination of data science and materials informatics has significantly propelled the advancement of multi-component compound synthesis research. This study employs atomic-level data to predict miscibility in binary compounds using machine learning, demonstrating the feasibility of such predictions. We have integrated experimental data from the Materials Project (MP) database and the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD), covering 2346 binary systems.