Recent Advances in the Tunable Optoelectromagnetic Properties of PEDOTs.

Conducting polymers represent a crucial class of functional materials with widespread applications in diverse fields. Among these, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and its derivatives have garnered significant attention due to their distinctive optical, electronic, and magnetic properties, as well as their exceptional tunability. These properties often exhibit intricate interdependencies, manifesting as synergistic, concomitant, or antagonistic relationships.

Navigating the landscape of neoadjuvant immunotherapy for NSCLC: progress and controversies.

Recently, attention has increasingly centered on non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with immune checkpoint inhibitors application. Numerous clinical studies have underscored the potential of immunotherapy in treating resectable NSCLC, highlighting its role in improving patient outcomes. However, despite these promising results, there is ongoing debate regarding the efficacy of immunological combination therapy strategies, the prevalence of treatment-related side effects, the identification of predictive biomarkers, and various other challenges within the neoadjuvant context.

Identification of Multi-functional Therapeutic Peptides Based on Prototypical Supervised Contrastive Learning.

High-throughput sequencing has exponentially increased peptide sequences, necessitating a computational method to identify multi-functional therapeutic peptides (MFTP) from their sequences. However, existing computational methods are challenged by class imbalance, particularly in learning effective sequence representations. To address this, we propose PSCFA, a prototypical supervised contrastive learning with a feature augmentation method for MFTP prediction.

Chalcogen Bonding Catalysis Enables Ring-Opening of Cyclopropene and Ring Expansion of Aryl Ketones.

Catalytic transformation of carbene species constitutes a fundamental part in organic synthesis, and the research in this direction has been dominated by transition metals while organic catalysts are difficult to mimic such transition-metal-like reactivity. It would significantly advance carbene chemistry if organic catalysts enable achieving classical metal-carbene approaches otherwise unrealizable reactions. Herein, we report that chalcogen bonding catalysis can solve reactivity problem to achieve an elusive Buchner ring expansion of aryl ketones appending a cyclopropene moiety as carbene precursor.

Development of a Nanobody-Alkaline Phosphatase Fusion Protein for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in a Fluorescence Enzyme Immunoassay.

The continuous spread and evolution of severe acute respiratory symptom coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitate the development of convenient and rapid detection methods. In this study, we developed a fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) based on a nanobody (Nb)-alkaline phosphatase (ALP) fusion protein for detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The genetically modified anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD Nb, Nb61, gene was fused with the ALP gene sequences via a flexible linker.

G-protein-coupled receptor 41 in cardiomyocytes: Effect of butyrate on intracellular Ca and sarcomere shortening.

G-protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41) is a Gα-coupled receptor activated by short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Here, we tested that GPR41 is also expressed in cardiomyocytes and exerts a direct negative inotropic effect when activated by SCFA butyrate. Primary cardiomyocytes were isolated from wild-type (WT) and GPR41 knockout (GPR41) adult mice and intracellular Ca concentration and cell shortening were measured using the IonOptix system.

Reciprocal tumor-platelet interaction through the EPHB1-EFNB1 axis in the liver metastatic niche promotes metastatic tumor outgrowth in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Background: The interaction between the metastatic microenvironment and tumor cells plays an important role in metastatic tumor formation. Platelets play pivotal roles in hematogenous cancer metastasis through tumor cell-platelet interaction in blood vessels. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy distinguished by its notable tendency to metastasize to the liver.

Modeling microplastic transport through porous media: Challenges arising from dynamic transport behavior.

Modelling microplastic transport through porous media, such as soils and aquifers, is an emerging research topic, where existing hydrogeological models for (reactive) solute and colloid transport have shown limited effectiveness thus far. This perspective article draws upon recent literature to provide a brief overview of key microplastic transport processes, with emphases on less well-understood processes, to propose potential research directions for efficiently modeling microplastic transport through the porous environment. Microplastics are particulate matter with distinct physicochemical properties.

Fusing a Novel Anti-CTLA-4 Nanobody to the IgG1 Fc Region Strengthens Its Ability to Induce CD8 T Cell-Mediated Immune Responses Against Solid Tumors.

Background: Our previously described a nanobody precisely targeting CTLA-4 and demonstrated that it can promote the antitumor response of adoptive T cells. Here we examined whether fusing it to the IgG1 Fc region would induce stronger, longer-lasting T-cell immune responses after exposure to the dendritic-tumor cell fusions.

Methods: The fusion of nanobody to Fc region was overexpressed in .

Photothermal catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of protolignin.

Photothermal catalysis is a promising strategy to combine the advantages of both thermal-catalysis and photocatalysis. Herein we achieve the protolignin conversion to aromatics via the photothermal catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis process intensified by the in-situ protection strategy. The Pd/TiO at 140 °C with UV irradiation can catalyze the reforming of primary alcohols to aldehydes and active H* species, which further participate in the acetalation protection of the 1,3-diol group of β-O-4 linkage and mediate the hydrogenolysis of C-OAr bonds, respectively.

Rainfall-induced microplastic fate and transport in unsaturated Dutch soils.

Microplastic pollution has become a growing concern in terrestrial ecosystems, with significant implications for environmental and human health. Understanding the fate and transport of microplastics in soil environment is crucial for effective mitigation strategies. This study investigates the dynamics of microplastic (Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), and starch-based biodegradable plastic) transport in unsaturated soils under varying rainfall intensities and soil types, aiming to elucidate the factors influencing their behavior.

Preliminary exploration of the C-3 galloyl group and the B-5' hydroxyl group enhance the biological activity of catechins in alleviating obesity induced by high-fat diet in mice.

Catechins, among the most active components in tea, effectively alleviate obesity. Catechins are primarily classified into four types based on the presence or absence of the C-3 galloyl group and the B-5' hydroxyl group. However, the impact of conformation on the anti-obesity properties of catechins remains unclear.

A novel anti-CTLA-4 nanobody-IL12 fusion protein in combination with a dendritic cell/tumour fusion cell vaccine enhances the antitumour activity of CD8 T cells in solid tumours.

Background: We previously developed a nanobody targeting CTLA-4 and demonstrated that it can boost antitumour T-cell responses in vitro; however, the resulting responses after the injection of T cells into cancer models are usually weak and transient. Here, we explored whether fusing our nanobody to IL-12 would enable it to induce stronger, longer-lasting T-cell immune responses after exposure to immature dendritic cell and tumour cell fusions.

Results: The fusion protein enhanced the response of CD8 T cells to tumour antigens in vitro and led to stronger, more persistent immune responses after the T cells were injected into mice bearing different types of xenografts.

Mechanical Properties and Thermal Decomposition Mechanism of Glycidyl Azide Polyol Energetic Thermoplastic Elastomer Binder with RDX Composite.

To improve the reinforcement effect between a binder and high solid filler in a propellant formula, grafting the bonding group into the binder to form a neutral polymeric is a practically novel approach to improving the interface properties of the propellant. In this work, a glycidyl azide polyol energetic thermoplastic elastomer binder with a -CN bonding group (GAP-ETPE) was synthesized, and the mechanical and thermal decomposition mechanism of GAP-ETPE with Hexogeon (RDX) model propellants were studied. The stress-strain results indicated that the tensile strength and strain of GAP-ETPE/RDX model propellants were 6.

Effects of LDPE and PBAT plastics on soil organic carbon and carbon-enzymes: A mesocosm experiment under field conditions.

Although the effects of plastic residues on soil organic carbon (SOC) have been studied, variations in SOC and soil carbon-enzyme activities at different plant growth stages have been largely overlooked. There remains a knowledge gap on how various varieties of plastics affect SOC and carbon-enzyme activity dynamics during the different growing stages of plants. In this study, we conducted a mesocosm experiment under field conditions using low-density polyethylene and poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) debris (LDPE-D and PBAT-D, 500-2000 μm (pieces), 0%, 0.

A nanobody-guided multifunctional T cell engager promotes strong anti-tumor responses via synergistic immuno-photothermal effects.

Background: T cell-based immunotherapies are facing great challenges in the recruitment and activation of tumor-specific T cells against solid tumors. Among which, utilizing nanobody (Nb) or nanobodies (Nbs) to construct T cell engager has emerged as a more practical potential for enhancing the anti-tumor effectiveness of T cells. Here, we designed a new Nb-guided multifunctional T cell engager (Nb-MuTE) that not only recruited effector T cells into the tumor tissues, but also efficiently activated T cells anti-tumor immunity when synergies with photothermal effect.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on renal function, inflammatory markers, and cognitive functioning in elderly patients undergoing hip replacement surgery.

Objective: To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on renal function, inflammatory markers, and cognitive outcome, and to identify factors influencing early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients undergoing hip replacement surgery.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 162 elderly patients who underwent hip replacement surgery at Cangzhou Central Hospital from March 2022 to May 2023. Patients were divided into a control group (without dexmedetomidine) and an experimental group (with dexmedetomidine).

Genomic insights into prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects: value of CNV-seq and WES in clinical practice.

This study aimed to assess the efficiency of CNV-seq and WES in detecting genetic cause of congenital heart disease (CHDs) in prenatal diagnoses and to compare CNV detection rate between isolated and non-isolated CHD cases. We conducted a retrospective study of 118 Chinese fetuses diagnosed with CHD by prenatal ultrasound. Participants underwent CNV-seq and, if necessary, WES to detect chromosomal and single nucleotide variations.

Characterization of the daucosterol-lecithin complex and its impact on lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemic mice.

This investigation delves into the daucosterol-lecithin complex (DS-LC) and its effects on lipid homeostasis in hyperlipidemic mice. DS-LC was assessed for complexation efficiency, physicochemical properties (UV, XRD, FTIR, SEM, DSC), and its impact on organ health and serum lipid levels. The results revealed that daucosterol formed an effective complex with lecithin at a 2 : 1 ratio, producing a translucent beige DS-LC with distinctive aggregation.