Nitroxide radical contrast agents for safe magnetic resonance imaging: progress, challenges, and perspectives.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered one of the most valuable diagnostic technologies in the 21st century. To enhance the image contrast of anatomical features, MRI contrast agents have been widely used in clinical MRI diagnosis, especially those based on gadolinium, manganese, and iron oxide. However, these metal-based MRI contrast agents show potential toxicity to patients, which urges researchers to develop novel MRI contrast agents that can replace metal-based MRI contrast agents.

MTFAP: a comprehensive platform for predicting and analyzing master transcription factors.

Master transcription factors (MTFs) activate gene expression in pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by binding to enhancers and super-enhancers, which precisely control ESC fate. Compelling evidence reveals a strong correlation between the operation of MTFs and the initiation and progression of cancer. Nevertheless, the challenge of identifying MTFs imposes a barrier for researchers.

CICADA: a circRNA effort toward the ghost proteome.

Recent studies have confirmed that certain circRNAs encode proteins that are integral to various biological functions. In this study, we present CICADA, an algorithm specifically designed to assess the protein-coding potential and coding products of circRNAs at high throughput, which enables the identification of previously unknown circRNA-encoded proteins. By harnessing the potential of this algorithm, we identified a variety of functional, protein-coding circRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and established circRNA translation profiles for diverse types of cancer.

Lauric acid-mediated gelatin/hyaluronic acid composite hydrogel with effective antibacterial and immune regulation for accelerating MRSA-infected diabetic wound healing.

The infected diabetic wound healing is an increasingly severe healthcare problem worldwide. Bacterial infection and the inflammatory microenvironment hinder diabetic wound healing. Meanwhile, the combination of inhibiting bacterial growth and promoting macrophage polarization in the wound microenvironment is beneficial for treating diabetic wounds.

Intelligent microneedle patch based on functionalized alginate and chitosan for long-term self-regulated insulin delivery.

Severely diabetic patients need insulin input to maintain the body's glycemic balance. However, traditional injection methods are often associated with poor adherence and an increased risk of hypoglycemia. Microneedle technology offers a promising solution by minimizing pain and trauma during insulin administration.

Biomass-Derived Organonanomaterials as Contrast Agents for Efficient Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular imaging tool that is valuable for the early detection and monitoring of malignancies because it does not involve radiation and is noninvasive. Metal-based contrast agents (CAs) are commonly used in clinical settings despite concerns about the toxicity of free metals. Therefore, finding alternative nontoxic imaging probes is vital.

A deep-learning system for diagnosing ectopic eruption.

Objectives: To construct a diagnostic model for mixed dentition using a multistage deep-learning network to predict potential ectopic eruption in permanent teeth by integrating dentition segmentation into the process of automatic classification of dental development stages.

Methods: A database was established by reviewing 1576 anonymous panoramic radiographs of children aged 6-12 years, collected at the Stomatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. These radiographs were categorised as normal or ectopic eruption, with expert diagnoses serving as a benchmark for training and evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Long-term trend of dust event duration over Northwest China.

Dust events in Northwest China have become more variable under regional climate change. Prior research has largely overlooked the spatial-temporal distribution of dust event duration (DED) and its long-term trend. This study systematically analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of DED in Northwest China and explored their associated factors using satellite-derived air quality datasets during 2000-2021.

Microneedle transdermal drug delivery as a candidate for the treatment of gouty arthritis: Material structure, design strategies and prospects.

Gouty arthritis (GA) is caused by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposition. GA is difficult to cure because of its complex disease mechanism and the tendency to reoccur. GA patients require long-term uric acid-lowering and anti-inflammatory treatments.

Navigating ESKAPE Pathogens: Considerations and Caveats for Animal Infection Models Development.

The misuse of antibiotics has led to the global spread of drug-resistant bacteria, especially multi-drug-resistant (MDR) ESKAPE pathogens (, , , , , and species). These opportunistic bacteria pose a significant threat, in particular within hospitals, where they cause nosocomial infections, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. To comprehensively explore ESKAPE pathogenesis, virulence, host immune response, diagnostics, and therapeutics, researchers increasingly rely on necessitate suitable animal infection models.

Farmland pest recognition based on Cascade RCNN Combined with Swin-Transformer.

Agricultural pests and diseases pose major losses to agricultural productivity, leading to significant economic losses and food safety risks. However, accurately identifying and controlling these pests is still very challenging due to the scarcity of labeling data for agricultural pests and the wide variety of pest species with different morphologies. To this end, we propose a two-stage target detection method that combines Cascade RCNN and Swin Transformer models.

Customization of Manganese Oxide Cathodes via Precise Electrochemical Lithium-Ion Intercalation for Diverse Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Manganese oxide-based aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are attractive energy storage devices, owing to their good safety, low cost, and ecofriendly features. However, various critical issues, including poor conductivity, sluggish reaction kinetics, and unstable structure still restrict their further development. Oxygen defect engineering is an effective strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of manganese oxides, but challenging in the accurate regulation of oxygen defects.

Advanced lithography materials: From fundamentals to applications.

The semiconductor industry has long been driven by advances in a nanofabrication technology known as lithography, and the fabrication of nanostructures on chips relies on an important coating, the photoresist layer. Photoresists are typically spin-coated to form a film and have a photolysis solubility transition and etch resistance that allow for rapid fabrication of nanostructures. As a result, photoresists have attracted great interest in both fundamental research and industrial applications.

Effects of lactic acid and ascorbic acid electrostatic spraying on the physicochemical attributes and microbial diversity of beef aged at mild temperature (10 °C).

This study aimed to clarify the effect of electrostatic spraying of lactic acid (LE) and ascorbic acid (AE) on vacuum-packaged beef aged at 10 °C. The physicochemical attributes, flavor profiles, and microbial diversities were evaluated. Beef steaks were electrostatically sprayed twice with 4% LE, 0.

Mussel-inspired near-infrared light-responsive gelatin-based hydrogels for enhancing MRSA-infected wound healing.

Infected wound management is a great challenge to healthcare, especially in emergencies such as accidents or battlefields. Hydrogels as wound dressings can replace or supplement traditional wound treatment strategies, such as bandages or sutures. It is significant to develop novel hydrogel-based wound dressings with simple operation, inexpensive, easy debridement, effective antibacterial, biocompatibility, etc.

Schizandrin A induces non-small cell lung cancer apoptosis by suppressing the epidermal growth factor receptor activation.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the biological mechanism of Schizandrin A (SchA) inducing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) apoptosis.

Methods: The reverse molecular docking tool "Swiss Target Prediction" was used to predict the targets of SchA. Protein-protein interaction analysis was performed on potential targets using the String database.

Association between testosterone levels and RigiScan parameters of patients with erectile dysfunction.

Background: It is difficult to diagnose hypogonadism because of the lack of objective assessments of erectile dysfunction (ED), which is caused by hypogonadism.

Aim: To provide a new approach for diagnosing hypogonadism, this study evaluated the efficacy of nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity (NPTR) testing with RigiScan for patients with ED with and without hypogonadism.

Methods: From June 2021 to February 2023, 133 patients with ED (62 with hypogonadism and 71 without) underwent NPTR testing at the Department of Andrology.

Characteristics of Lactic Acid Bacteria as Potential Probiotic Starters and Their Effects on the Quality of Fermented Sausages.

The aim of this study was to explore the potential of commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as probiotic starters in fermented sausages. We initially investigated the growth activity, acid production capability, and tolerance to fermentation conditions of , , and . All three LAB strains proved viable as starters for fermented sausages.

Electrostatic-Interaction-Aided Microneedle Patch for Enhanced Glucose-Responsive Insulin Delivery and Three-Meal-Per-Day Blood-Glucose Regulation.

The phenylborate-ester-cross-linked hydrogel microneedle patch (MNP) was promising in the diabetic field for the glucose-responsive insulin-delivering property and simple fabrication process. However, the unfit design of the charging microneedle network limited the improvement of blood-glucose regulating performances. In this work, insulin-loaded phenylborate-ester-cross-linked MNPs, with the polyzwitterion property, were constructed based on the modified ε-polylysine and poly(vinyl alcohol).

Chromatin regulator SMARCAL1 modulates cellular lipid metabolism.

Biallelic mutations of the chromatin regulator SMARCAL1 cause Schimke Immunoosseous Dysplasia (SIOD), characterized by severe growth defects and premature mortality. Atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia are common among SIOD patients, yet their onset and progression are poorly understood. Using an integrative approach involving proteomics, mouse models, and population genetics, we investigated SMARCAL1's role.

The effect of tranexamic acid on intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing brain meningioma resections: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been proven to prevent thrombolysis and reduce bleeding and blood transfusion requirements in various surgical settings. However, the optimal dose of TXA that effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding and blood product infusion in patients undergoing neurosurgical resection of meningioma with a diameter ≥ 5 cm remains unclear.

Methods: This is a single-center, randomized, double-blinded, paralleled-group controlled trial.

Tough adhesion enhancing strategies for injectable hydrogel adhesives in biomedical applications.

Injectable hydrogel adhesives have gained widespread attention due to their ease of use, fast application time, and suitability for minimally invasive procedures. Several biomedical applications depend on tough adhesion between hydrogel adhesives and tissues, including wound closure and healing, hemostasis, tissue regeneration, drug delivery, and wearable electronic devices. Compared with bulk hydrogel adhesives formed ex situ, injectable hydrogel adhesives are more difficult to achieve strong adhesion strength due to a further balance of cohesion and adhesion while maintaining their flowability.

Barnacle-Inspired Wet Tissue Adhesive Hydrogels with Inherent Antibacterial Properties for Infected Wound Treatment.

Currently, antibiotics are the most common treatment for bacterial infections in clinical practice. However, with the abuse of antibiotics and the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, the use of antibiotics has faced an unprecedented challenge. It is imminent to develop nonantibiotic antimicrobial agents.