Periostin-mediated NOTCH1 activation between tumor cells and HSCs crosstalk promotes liver metastasis of small cell lung cancer.

Background: Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), with the liver being a predominant site for distal metastasis. Despite this clinical significance, mechanisms underlying the interaction between SCLC and liver microenvironment, fostering metastasis, remain unclear.

Methods: SCLC patient tissue array, bioinformatics analysis were performed to demonstrate the role of periostin (POSTN) in SCLC progression, metastasis, and prognosis.

Elucidating Manganese Single-Atom Doping: Strategies for Fluorescence Enhancement in Water-Soluble Red-Emitting Carbon Dots and Applications for FL/MR Dual Mode Imaging.

The absence of the enhancement of fluorescence in carbon dots (CDs) through doping with transition metal atoms (TMAs) hinders the advancement of multi-modal bio-imaging CDs with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Herein, Mn-atomically-doped R-CDs (R-Mn-CDs) with a high PLQY of 41.3% in water is presented, enabling efficient in vivo dual-mode fluorescence/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

BiWO@CuO-GO bio-heterojunction spray for accelerating chronic diabetic wound repairment with bilaterally enhanced sono-catalysis and glycolytic inhibition antisepsis.

Chronic diabetic wound poses a pressing global healthcare challenge, necessitating an approach to address issues such as pathogenic bacteria elimination, blood sugar regulation, and angiogenesis stimulation. Herein, we engineered a BiWO@CuO-GOx bio-heterojunction (BWCG bio-HJ) with exceptional cascade catalytic performance and impressive sonosensitivity to remodel the wound microenvironment and expedite the diabetic wound healing. Specifically, the Z-scheme junctions of BiWO@CuO significantly augmented carrier separation dynamics, leading to the highly efficient generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon US irradiations.

A Versatile Method for Preparation of BrCOFs Aerogels and Efficient Functionalization via Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) aerogels solve the restrictions on processability and application caused by the insolubility and non-fusibility of powders while avoiding the inaccessibility of pore structures by dense stacking. At the current start-up stage where COFs aerogels are scarce and difficult to synthesize, design of generalized synthetic methods play an indispensable role in guiding and developing COFs aerogels. Moreover, evolving the functionality of COF aerogels is equal vital, which achieves higher performance and broader practical applications.

Revealing Fibrosis Genes as Biomarkers of Ulcerative Colitis: A Bioinformatics Study Based on ScRNA and Bulk RNA Datasets.

Objective: This study aimed to uncover biomarkers associated with fibroblasts to diagnose ulcerative colitis (UC) and predict sensitivity to TNFα inhibitors.

Methods: We identified fibrosis-related genes by analyzing eight bulk RNA and one single-cell RNA sequencing dataset from UC patients. Three machine learning algorithms were employed to identify common significant genes.

Neuropeptide Precursor VGF Promotes Liver Metastatic Colonization of Gαq Mutant Uveal Melanoma by Facilitating Tumor Microenvironment via Paracrine Loops.

Uveal melanoma (UM), the predominant primary ocular malignancy, often progresses to liver metastasis with limited therapeutic options. The interplay of the tumor microenvironment, encompassing secreted soluble factors, plays a crucial role in facilitating liver metastasis. In this study, the role is elucidated of the neural growth factor-inducible gene (VGF), a secreted neuropeptide precursor, in Gαq mutant UM.

A MYC-STAMBPL1-TOE1 positive feedback loop mediates EGFR stability in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The role of STAM binding protein-like 1 (STAMBPL1), a Lys-63 linkage-specific deubiquitinase, in hepatocellular carcinoma has remained elusive. Here, we report the functions of STAMBPL1 in modulating the stability of the protein and mRNA of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). STAMBPL1 deficiency attenuates liver tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo.

Activation of the G Protein-Coupled Bile Acid Receptor TGR5 Modulates the HCP5/miR-139-5p/DDIT4 Axis to Antagonize Cervical Cancer Progression.

A growing body of evidence indicates that the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor, TGR5, plays a critical role in multiple physiological processes ranging from metabolic disorders to cancers. However, the biological functions of TGR5 in cervical cancer (CC) have not been elucidated. Here, using knockout mice, we found that a deficiency of TGR5 leads to greater sensitivity to the progression of cervical inflammation.

[Advances in synthesis of succinic acid using yeast cell factories].

Succinic acid is an important C4 platform compound that serves as a raw material for the production of 1,4-butanediol, tetrahydrofuran, and biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene succinate (PBS). Compared to the traditional petrochemical-based route that uses maleic anhydride as a raw material, the microbial fermentation method for producing succinic acid offers more sustainable economic value and environmental friendliness. Yeasts with good acid tolerance can achieve low-pH fermentation of succinic acid, significantly reducing the cost of product extraction.

van der Waals-bonded graphene clusters enhance thermal conductivity of phase-change materials for advanced thermal energy management.

Organic phase-change materials possess immense application potential, but their low thermal conductivity (≤0.5 W m K) severely limits the thermal energy charge/discharge rate, impeding their practical implementation in the field of advanced energy. While incorporating thermally conductive fillers into the phase-change matrix can address this issue, achieving a thermal conductivity exceeding 10 W m K at a filler content below 30 vol% remains challenging, attributed to the absence of a well-designed filler interface and structure.

Preparation of sp carbon-bonded π-conjugated COF aerogels by ultrasound-assisted mild solvothermal reaction for multi-functional applications.

Molding COFs into aerogels from monomers can establish interpenetrating spatial network structures on the centimeter scale that increase the accessibility of dominant pore channels and the convenience of real application, which radically gets rid of the difficult reprocessing problems of insoluble and non-fusible powder COFs. However, the construction of bulk COF structures and achieving crystallinity are often incompatible, especially with sp carbon-based COFs, whose powder synthesis has been quite demanding. Herein, for the first time, we report an efficient method to prepare sp carbon-linked π-conjugated DFB-TMTA-COF (DT-COF) aerogels by an ultrasound-assisted mild solvothermal technique and freeze-drying.

Farnesoid X Receptor: Effective alleviation of rifampicin -induced liver injury.

Antituberculosis drugs induce pharmacologic cholestatic liver injury with long-term administration. Liver injury resulting from rifampicin is potentially related to the bile acid nuclear receptor Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR). To investigate this, cholestasis was induced in both wild-type (C57BL/6N) mice and FXR knockout (FXR-null) mice through administration of rifampicin (200 mg/kg) via gavage for 7 consecutive days.

Wheat yield and grain-filling characteristics due to cultivar replacement in the Haihe Plain in China.

Background: The Haihe Plain plays an important role in wheat production and food security in China and has experienced continuous cultivar replacement since the 1950s.This study assessed the evolution of the yield and grain-filling characteristics of the main winter wheat cultivars in the Haihe Plain over the last seven decades (1950s to date).

Methods: Cultivar characterization indicated that the increase in yield was negatively affected by spike number and positively affected by the number of kernels per spike before the 2000s and kernel weight after the 2000s.

Integrating Multipolar Structures and Carboxyl Groups in sp-Carbon Conjugated Covalent Organic Frameworks for Overall Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production.

The direct production of hydrogen peroxide (HO) through photocatalytic reaction via HO and O is considered as an ideal approach. However, the efficiency of HO generation is generally limited by insufficient charge and mass transfer. Covalent organic framework (COFs) offer a promising platform as metal-free photocatalyst for HO production due to their potential for rational design at the molecular level.

Metal ion interference therapy: metal-based nanomaterial-mediated mechanisms and strategies to boost intracellular "ion overload" for cancer treatment.

Metal ion interference therapy (MIIT) has emerged as a promising approach in the field of nanomedicine for combatting cancer. With advancements in nanotechnology and tumor targeting-related strategies, sophisticated nanoplatforms have emerged to facilitate efficient MIIT in xenografted mouse models. However, the diverse range of metal ions and the intricacies of cellular metabolism have presented challenges in fully understanding this therapeutic approach, thereby impeding its progress.

Population genetic structure of Culex tritaeniorhynchus in different types of climatic zones in China.

Background: Culex tritaeniorhynchus is widely distributed in China, from Hainan Island in the south to Heilongjiang in the north, covering tropical, subtropical, and temperate climate zones. Culex tritaeniorhynchus carries 19 types of arboviruses. It is the main vector of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), posing a serious threat to human health.

Design of High-Performance Formyl-Functionalized COF Aerogels as Quasi-Solid Lithium Battery Electrolyte by a Solvent Substitution Strategy.

Covalent organic framework (COF) aerogels with functional groups offer exceptional processability and functionality for various applications. These hierarchical porous materials combine the advantages of COFs with the benefits of aerogels, overcoming the limitations of conventional insoluble and nonfusible COF powders. However, achieving both high crystallinity and shape retention remains a challenge for functionalized COF aerogels.

Heparan sulfate-dependent phase separation of CCL5 and its chemotactic activity.

Secreted chemokines form concentration gradients in target tissues to control migratory directions and patterns of immune cells in response to inflammatory stimulation; however, how the gradients are formed is much debated. Heparan sulfate (HS) binds to chemokines and modulates their activities. In this study, we investigated the roles of HS in the gradient formation and chemoattractant activity of CCL5 that is known to bind to HS.

2D Materials-Based Thermal Interface Materials: Structure, Properties, and Applications.

The challenges associated with heat dissipation in high-power electronic devices used in communication, new energy, and aerospace equipment have spurred an urgent need for high-performance thermal interface materials (TIMs) to establish efficient heat transfer pathways from the heater (chip) to heat sinks. Recently, emerging 2D materials, such as graphene and boron nitride, renowned for their ultrahigh basal-plane thermal conductivity and the capacity to facilitate cross-scale, multi-morphic structural design, have found widespread use as thermal fillers in the production of high-performance TIMs. To deepen the understanding of 2D material-based TIMs, this review focuses primarily on graphene and boron nitride-based TIMs, exploring their structures, properties, and applications.

Ultrastrong and ductile medium-entropy alloys via hierarchical ordering.

Long-range ordered phases in most high-entropy and medium-entropy alloys (HEAs/MEAs) exhibit poor ductility, stemming from their brittle nature of complex crystal structure with specific bonding state. Here, we propose a design strategy to severalfold strengthen a single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc) NiCoFeV MEA by introducing trigonal κ and cubic L1 intermetallic phases via hierarchical ordering. The tri-phase MEA has an ultrahigh tensile strength exceeding 1.

The comparison of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI LI-RADS for nodules ≤2 cm in patients at high risk for HCC: a prospective study.

Objectives: To investigate the consistency of LI-RADS of CEUS and EOB-MRI in the categorization of liver nodules ≤2cm in patients at high risk for HCC.

Methods: Patients at high risk for HCC with nodules ≤2cm who underwent CEUS and EOB-MRI in our hospital were prospectively enrolled. The CEUS images and EOB-MRI imaging of each liver nodule were observed to evaluate inter-observer consistency and category according to CEUS LI-RADS V2017 and CT/MRI LI-RADS V2017 criteria double blinded.

Bile acid-microbiota crosstalk in hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a hepatotropic non-cytopathic virus characterized by liver-specific gene expression. HBV infection highjacks bile acid metabolism, notably impairing bile acid uptake via sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), which is a functional receptor for HBV entry. Concurrently, HBV infection induces changes in bile acid synthesis and the size of the bile acid pool.

Preliminary study on diagnosis of gallbladder neoplastic polyps based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound and grey scale ultrasound radiomics.

Objective: Neoplastic gallbladder polyps (GPs), including adenomas and adenocarcinomas, are considered absolute indications for surgery; however, the distinction of neoplastic from non-neoplastic GPs on imaging is often challenging. This study thereby aimed to develop a CEUS radiomics nomogram, and evaluate the role of a combined grey-scale ultrasound and CEUS model for the prediction and diagnosis of neoplastic GPs.

Methods: Patients with GPs of ≥ 1 cm who underwent CEUS between January 2017 and May 2022 were retrospectively enrolled.