FGF20 Secreted From Dermal Papilla Cells Regulate the Proliferation and Differentiation of Hair Follicle Stem Cells in Fine-Wool Sheep.

Wool traits determine the market value of fine-wool sheep, and wool fibre-breaking elongation (fibres can be stretched or elongated before they break) is one of the important wool traits. The interaction between hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and dermal papilla cells (DPCs) determines hair follicle development in fine wool sheep, thereby directly influencing wool traits. A genome-wide association study based on pre-sequencing data identified FGF20, which was significantly associated with wool fibre-breaking elongation.

Reduced-dose deep learning iterative reconstruction for abdominal computed tomography with low tube voltage and tube current.

Background: The low tube-voltage technique (e.g., 80 kV) can efficiently reduce the radiation dose and increase the contrast enhancement of vascular and parenchymal structures in abdominal CT.

Genome-wide screen and multi-omics analysis reveal participate in the biosynthesis of safflower flavonoid glycosides.

Safflower, an economic crop, is renowned for its flowers, which are widely used in medicines for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and in dyes for food and industry. The utility of safflower depends on its flavonoid glycosides. Therefore, the biosynthesis of safflower flavonoid glycosides has been a focus of attention, but the present mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Distinct interspecies thermal resistance strategies exhibited by euplanktonic, tychoplanktonic and benthic diatoms under marine heatwaves.

Extreme climate events, such as marine heatwaves (MHWs), are expected to occur more frequently and intensely in the future, resulting in a substantial impact on marine life. The way that diatoms respond to MHWs may have crucial effects on global primary production and biogeochemical cycles. Euplanktonic diatoms appear to benefit from MHWs directly, but this phenomenon needs an explanation.

Research Progress on Cyclic-Peptide Functionalized Nanoparticles for Tumor-Penetrating Delivery.

A key challenge in cancer treatment is the effective delivery of drugs into deep regions of tumor tissues, which are impermeable due to abnormal vascular network, increased interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), abundant extra cellular matrix (ECM), and heterogeneity of tumor cells. Cyclic peptides have been used for the surface engineering of nanoparticles to enhance the tumor-penetrating efficacy of drugs. Compared with other surface ligands, cyclic peptides are more easily produced by automated chemical synthesis, and they are featured by their higher binding affinity with their targets, tumor selectivity, stability against degradation, and low toxicity.

Strengthened High-Concentration Quasi-Solid Electrolytes for Lithium Metal with Ultralong Stable Cyclability.

The lithium metal batteries coupled with nickel-rich LiNiCoMnO ( > 0.7) cathodes hold promise for surpassing the current energy density limit of lithium-ion batteries. However, conventional electrolytes containing free active solvents are highly susceptible to decomposition, particularly at the interfaces of lithium anode and high-voltage cathode.

Efficacy and safety of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells versus placebo added to second-line therapy in patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease: a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, phase 2 trial.

Background: Failure of systemic corticosteroid therapy is common in patients with newly diagnosed acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) above grade II. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used as a tolerable and potentially effective second-line therapy for steroid-refractory aGVHD (SR-aGVHD); however, well-designed, prospective, controlled studies are lacking.

Methods: This multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory phase 2 study enrolled patients with SR-aGVHD above grade II from 7 centres.

Miniaturized, portable gustation interfaces for VR/AR/MR.

Gustation is one of the five innate sensations for humans, distinguishing from vision, auditory, tactile, and olfaction, as which is a close and chemically induced sense. Despite the fact that a handful of gustation display technologies have been developed, the new technologies still pose significant challenges in miniaturization of the overall size for portability, enriching taste options within a limited working area, supporting natural human-device interaction, and achieving precisely controlled taste feedback. To address these issues, here, we report a set of intelligent and portable lollipop-shaped taste interfacing systems covering from 2 to 9 different taste options for establishing an adjustable taste platform in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) environments.

Seasonal changes of species- and guild-based benthic diatom communities in the transitional water zone of the Yellow River Delta.

Benthic diatoms serve as exemplary indicators for the assessment of ecological conditions in freshwater ecosystems. However, an approach to assessing and managing transitional water zones by benthic diatoms is relatively less. This study entailed a detailed analysis and comparison of the seasonal dynamics in species- and guild-based benthic diatom communities and their driving factors in a small-scale transitional water zone of the Yellow River Delta.

Co-Mn Complex Oxide Nanoparticles as Potential Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging Agents for Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and age-related lung disease that has few treatment options. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the introduction and development of IPF. In the present study, we developed multifunctional Cobalt (Co)-Manganese (Mn) complex oxide nanoparticles (Co-MnNPs), which can scavenge multiple types of ROS.

The role of gut microbiota in a generalist, golden snub-nosed monkey, adaptation to geographical diet change.

Changes in diet causing ecological stress pose a significant challenge to animal survival. In response, the gut microbiota, a crucial part of the host's digestive system, exhibits patterns of change reflective of alterations in the host's food component. The impact of temporal dietary shifts on gut microbiota has been elucidated through multidimensional modeling of both food component and macronutrient intake.

Reported higher general early-life bullying victimization is uniquely associated with more eating pathology and poor psychosocial well-being in Chinese sexual minority men.

General early-life bullying victimization has been used as an early-life marker of eating and body image disturbances and poor psychosocial well-being later in life. We expand existing research in this area to Chinese sexual minority (SM) men, a vulnerable and under-researched subgroup, by considering associations of general early-life bullying victimization with current eating and body image disturbances and poor psychosocial well-being. We assessed demographics, general early-life bullying victimization, past appearance teasing, current thinness- and muscularity-oriented eating and body image disturbances, and current psychosocial well-being in Chinese SM men (N = 433).

A high-quality genome of the early diverging tychoplanktonic diatom Paralia guyana.

The diatom Paralia guyana is a tychoplanktonic microalgal species that represents one of the early diverging diatoms. P. guyana can thrive in both planktonic and benthic habitats, making a significant contribution to the occurrence of red tide events.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the regulation of miR-19b on inflammation in bovine mammary epithelial cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various biological processes where they regulate the expression of mRNAs. Bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) are functional cells that mediate mammary inflammatory immunity. Although numerous miRNAs regulate the function of bMECs, the role of miR-19b in bMECs has not been reported.

Antioxidant Function and Application of Plant-Derived Peptides.

With the development of society and the improvement of people's health consciousness, the demand for antioxidants is increasing. As a natural antioxidant with no toxic side effects, antioxidant peptides are widely used in food, cosmetics, medicine, and other fields because of their strong antioxidant capacity and easy absorption by the human body. Plant-derived antioxidant peptides have attracted more attention than animal-derived antioxidant peptides because plants are more diverse than animals and produce a large number of protein-rich by-products during the processing of their products, which are the main source of antioxidant peptides.

Melatonin Rinsing Treatment Associated with Storage in a Controlled Atmosphere Improves the Antioxidant Capacity and Overall Quality of Lemons.

Antioxidant capacity is one of the most important biological activities in fruits and vegetables and is closely related to human health. In this study, 'Eureka' lemons were used as experimental materials and stored at 7-8 °C MT (melatonin, 200 μmol, soaked for 15 min) and CA (controlled atmosphere, 2-3% O + 15-16% CO) individually or in combination for 30 d. The changes in lemon fruits' basic physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and antioxidant capacities were studied.

Multimodal investigation of dynamic brain network alterations in autism spectrum disorder: Linking connectivity dynamics to symptoms and developmental trajectories.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with disrupted brain connectivity, yet a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic neural underpinnings remains lacking. This study employed concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) techniques to investigate dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) patterns and neurovascular characteristics in children with ASD. We also explored associations between neurovascular characteristics and the developmental trajectory of adaptive behavior in individuals with ASD.

Organic Dye Molecule Intercalated Prussian Blue for Simultaneously Enhancing Coloration Efficiency and Energy Storage Capacity in Electrochromic Battery.

The dual-functional device combining electrochromic properties and energy storage has gained numerous attentions in the field of energy-saving smart electronics. However, achieving simultaneous optimization of coloration efficiency and energy storage capacity of materials poses a significant challenge. This study presents a novel approach by incorporating methyl orange into Prussian blue channels (PB-MO films) to adjust the internal electronic structure of Prussian blue.

Novel Amorphous Nitride-Halide Solid Electrolytes with Enhanced Performance for All-Solid-State Batteries.

Solid electrolytes (SEs) in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are garnering considerable attention for their potential applications in next-generation energy storage systems. Amorphous SEs with dual-anion hold great promise for achieving favorable performance, such as high ionic conductivity and good compatibility with electrodes within ASSBs. Here, we discover a family of amorphous nitride-halide SEs, LiMClN (M=Ta or La, 1≤3x≤1.

Nanoprobe Based on Novel NIR-II Quinolinium Cyanine for Multimodal Imaging.

NIR-II imaging has the advantages of high sensitivity, spatiotemporal resolution, and high penetration depth, thereby serving as a potential alternative to conventional imaging methods. Herein, a novel NIR-II dye IR-1010 (λ/λ = 1010/1058 nm) is reported with high quantum yield (3.08%) and good stability, by incorporating p-methoxyphenyl groups into a quinolinium cyanine dye.