Biomimetic Localized Gel Electrolyte for Practical Zinc Anode.

Incompatible electrode/electrolyte interface often leads to dendrite growth, parasitic reactions and corrosion, posing significant challenges to the application of Zn anodes. Herein, we introduce a biomimetic antifreeze protein localized gel electrolyte (ALGE) with multifunctional capabilities to address these issues by combining electrolyte modification with interface optimization. ALGE modifies the Zn2+ solvation structure and the hydrogen-bond network adjacent to zinc anode, effectively suppressing hydrogen evolution.

Pore lipid modifications modulate MscS nanopore for enhanced single-molecule sensing.

Modifying transmembrane channels is essential for enhancing functionality. Current modification methods often require chemical reactions or protein engineering, which can increase technical complexity and workload. The inner transmembrane region of MscS can bind lipid molecules, referred to as pore lipids, offering an opportunity for fine-tuning channel properties and improving sensing performance.

Low hydrostatic pressure promotes functional homeostasis of nucleus pulposus cells through the TRPV4/CRT/FA complex axis.

The low hydrostatic pressure in the intervertebral disc plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the disc environment, particularly in supporting the physiological functions of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. TRPV4, a baroreceptor in the intervertebral disc, is primarily responsible for converting extracellular pressure signals into intracellular chemical signals.

Insights into the catalytic mechanism of archaeal peptidoglycan endoisopeptidases from methanogenic phages.

Archaeal peptidoglycan, a crucial component of the cell walls of Methanobacteria and Methanopyri, enhances the tightness of methanogenic cells and their resistance to known lytic enzymes and antibiotics. Although archaeal peptidoglycan endoisopeptidases (Pei) can reportedly degrade archaeal peptidoglycan, their biochemistry is still largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the activity and catalytic properties of the endoisopeptidases PeiW and PeiP using synthesized isopeptides identical to natural substrates.

Utilizing MOFs Melt-Foaming to Design Functionalized Carbon Foams for 100% Deep-Discharge and Ultrahigh Capacity Sodium Metal Anodes.

Meltable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer significant accessibility to chemistry and moldability for developing carbon-based materials. However, the scarcity of low melting point MOFs poses challenges for related design. Here, we propose a MOFs melt-foaming strategy toward Ni single atoms/quantum dots-functionalized carbon foams (NiSA/QD@CFs).

Exploring the mechanism of action of Modified Simiao Powder in the treatment of osteoarthritis: an study.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and the leading musculoskeletal disorders in adults. Modified Simiao Powder (MSMP) has been widely used in the treatment of OA with remarkable clinical ecaciousness.

Objective: This study aimed to elucidate underlying mechanisms of MSMP in OA by employing network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, due to the unclear mode of action.

Effect of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Derived miR-26b on Chondrocytes of Osteoporosis Rats.

Objective: Osteoporosis is a common bone disease. miR-26b regulates OA-induced osteogenesis and induces osteoporosis. miR-26b is elevated in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) during bone formation; however, we haven't fully revealed whether it is directly involved in this process, which was the aim of this study.

An Internally Attached Aptameric Graphene Nanosensor for Sensitive Vasopressin Measurement in Critical Patient Monitoring.

This paper presents an aptameric graphene nanosensor for rapid and sensitive measurement of arginine vasopressin (AVP) toward continuous monitoring of critical care patients. The nanosensor is a field-effect transistor (FET) with monolayer graphene as the conducting channel and is functionalized with a new custom-designed aptamer for specific AVP recognition. Binding between the aptamer and AVP induces a change in the carrier density in the graphene and resulting in measurable changes in FET characteristics for determination of the AVP concentration.

The association between circulating CD34+CD133+ endothelial progenitor cells and reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in the Framingham Heart Study.

Aim: Endothelial dysfunction has been associated with both cerebrovascular pathology and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the connection between circulating endothelial cells and the risk of AD remains uncertain. The objective was to leverage data from the Framingham Heart Study to investigate various circulating endothelial subtypes and their potential correlations with the risk of AD.

Potential molecular mechanisms of Huangqin Tang for liver cancer treatment by network pharmacology and molecular dynamics simulations.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the mechanism of Huangqin Tang in treating liver cancer.

Methods: Active ingredients and corresponding targets of Huangqin Tang were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database. Differentially expressed genes in liver cancer were identified from mRNA expression data.

Alzheimer's disease early screening and staged detection with plasma proteome using machine learning and convolutional neural network.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as the prevalent progressive neurodegenerative disease, precipitating cognitive impairment and even memory loss. Amyloid biomarkers have been extensively used in the diagnosis of AD. However, amyloid proteins offer limited information about the disease process and accurate diagnosis depends on the presence of a substantial accumulation of amyloid deposition which significantly impedes the early screening of AD.

[Design and practice of biological reaction engineering flipped classroom in applied undergraduate colleges].

This study aims to explore and refine the teaching aspects of a flipped classroom approach for biological reaction engineering. The study encompasses three iterations of teaching practice, focusing on key elements such as theme content selection, implementation process, evaluation and effectiveness. By integrating relevant industry and societal topics with course's professional knowledge, students are encouraged to independently collect data, analyze and discuss findings, and present their work in group.

Molecular mechanism of the one-component regulator RccR on bacterial metabolism and virulence.

The regulation of carbon metabolism and virulence is critical for the rapid adaptation of pathogenic bacteria to host conditions. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, RccR is a transcriptional regulator of genes involved in primary carbon metabolism and is associated with bacterial resistance and virulence, although the exact mechanism is unclear. Our study demonstrates that PaRccR is a direct repressor of the transcriptional regulator genes mvaU and algU.

Direct and Continuous Monitoring of Multicomponent Antibiotic Gentamicin in Blood at Single-Molecule Resolution.

Point-of-care monitoring of small molecules in biofluids is crucial for clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, the inherent low degree of recognition of small molecules and the complex composition of biofluids present significant obstacles for current detection technologies. Although nanopore sensing excels in the analysis of small molecules, the direct detection of small molecules in complex biofluids remains a challenge.

Bedside electrical impedance tomography to assist the management of pulmonary embolism: A case report.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common worldwide disease with high mortality. Timely diagnosis and management of PE could significantly improve clinical outcomes. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a novel noninvasive technique to monitor lung perfusion and help detect PE at the bedside.

Optimal Selection of Sampling Points within Sewer Networks for Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Applications.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has great potential to monitor community public health, especially during pandemics. However, it faces substantial hurdles in pathogen surveillance through WBE, encompassing data representativeness, spatiotemporal variability, population estimates, pathogen decay, and environmental factors. This paper aims to enhance the reliability of WBE data, especially for early outbreak detection and improved sampling strategies within sewer networks.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulator PvrA binds simultaneously to multiple pseudo-palindromic sites for efficient transcription activation.

Tetracycline repressor (TetR) family regulators (TFRs) are the largest group of DNA-binding transcription factors and are widely distributed in bacteria and archaea. TFRs play vital roles in controlling the expression of various genes and regulating diverse physiological processes. Recently, a TFR protein Pseudomonas virulence regulator A (PvrA), was identified from Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the transcriptional activator of genes involved in fatty acid utilization and bacterial virulence.

The impact of blood MCP-1 levels on Alzheimer's disease with genetic variation of UNC5C and NAV3 loci.

Background: Previous study shows that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), which is implicated in the peripheral proinflammatory cascade and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, modulates the genetic risks of AD in established AD loci.

Methods: In this study, we hypothesized that blood MCP-1 impacts the AD risk of genetic variants beyond known AD loci. We thus performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the logistic regression via generalized estimating equations (GEE) and the Cox proportional-hazards models to examine the interactive effects between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and blood MCP-1 level on AD in three cohorts: the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP).

Advances in the adenylation domain: discovery of diverse non-ribosomal peptides.

Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases are mega-enzyme assembly lines that synthesize many clinically useful compounds. As a gatekeeper, they have an adenylation (A)-domain that controls substrate specificity and plays an important role in product structural diversity. This review summarizes the natural distribution, catalytic mechanism, substrate prediction methods, and in vitro biochemical analysis of the A-domain.

Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

Cerebrovascular damage coexists with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and increases AD risk. However, it is unclear whether endothelial progenitor cells reduce AD risk via cerebrovascular repair. By using the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) offspring cohort, which includes data on different progenitor cells, the incidence of AD dementia, peripheral and cerebrovascular pathologies, and genetic data (n = 1,566), we found that elevated numbers of circulating endothelial progenitor cells with CD34+CD133+ co-expressions had a dose-dependent association with decreased AD risk (HR = 0.

Ion selectivity and gating behavior of the CorA-type channel Bpss1228.

Magnesium is an essential element to sustain all forms of life. Total intracellular magnesium content is determined by the balance of magnesium influx and efflux. CorA is a divalent selective channel in the metal ion transport superfamily and is the major Mg uptake pathway in prokaryotes and eukaryotic mitochondria.

Hexavalent Chromium Exposure Induces Intestinal Barrier Damage Activation of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway and NLRP3 Inflammasome in Ducks.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a dangerous heavy metal which can impair the gastrointestinal system in various species; however, the processes behind Cr(VI)-induced intestinal barrier damage are unknown. Forty-eight healthy 1-day-old ducks were stochastically assigned to four groups and fed a basal ration containing various Cr(VI) dosages for 49 days. Results of the study suggested that Cr(VI) exposure could significantly increase the content of Cr(VI) in the jejunum, increase the level of diamine oxidase (DAO) in serum, affect the production performance, cause histological abnormalities (shortening of the intestinal villi, deepening of the crypt depth, reduction and fragmentation of microvilli) and significantly reduced the mRNA levels of intestinal barrier-related genes (ZO-1, occludin, claudin-1, and MUC2) and protein levels of ZO-1, occludin, cand laudin-1, resulting in intestinal barrier damage.