EasyMetagenome: A user-friendly and flexible pipeline for shotgun metagenomic analysis in microbiome research.

Shotgun metagenomics has become a pivotal technology in microbiome research, enabling in-depth analysis of microbial communities at both the high-resolution taxonomic and functional levels. This approach provides valuable insights of microbial diversity, interactions, and their roles in health and disease. However, the complexity of data processing and the need for reproducibility pose significant challenges to researchers.

Tumor-targeted near-infrared/ultraviolet-triggered photothermal/gas therapy nanoplatform for effective cancer synergistic therapy.

The integration of photothermal therapy (PTT) and gas therapy (GT) on a nanoplatform shows great potential in cancer treatment. In this paper, a tumor-targeted near-infrared/ultraviolet (NIR/UV) triggered PTT/GT synergistic therapeutic nanoplatform, PB-CD-PLL(NF)-FA, was designed based on Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles, 5-chloro-2-nitrobenzotrifluoro (NF)-grafted polylysine (PLL(NF)), and folic acid (FA). PB serves as a core to load PLL(NF) through host-guest interaction and can further modify FA.

A scalable solar-driven photocatalytic system for separated H and O production from water.

Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting offers a sustainable pathway to produce green hydrogen, yet its practical application encounters several challenges including inefficient photocatalysts, sluggish water oxidation, severe reverse reactions and the necessity of separating produced hydrogen and oxygen gases. Herein, we design and develop a photocatalytic system composed of two separate reaction parts: a hydrogen evolution cell containing halide perovskite photocatalysts (MoSe-loaded CH(NH)PbBrI) and an oxygen evolution cell containing NiFe-layered double hydroxide modified BiVO photocatalysts. These components are bridged by a I/I redox couple to facilitate electron transfer, realizing efficient overall water splitting with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 2.

Hyaluronic acid-mediated targeted nano-modulators for activation of pyroptosis for cancer therapy through multichannel regulation of Ca overload.

Calcium-based nanomaterials-mediated Ca overload-induced pyroptosis and its application in tumor therapy have received considerable attention. However, the calcium buffering capacity of tumor cells can maintain mitochondrial calcium homeostasis, so it is important to effectively disrupt this homeostasis to activate pyroptosis. Here, a nano-modulator CUR@CaCO-PArg@HA (CCAH) was developed to regulate calcium overload in multiple channels and activate pyroptosis.

Strain hysteresis and Mullins effect of rubber vulcanizates with a reversible sacrificial network.

The incorporation of reversible sacrificial bonds is an important strategy for enhancing the mechanical properties of elastomers. However, the research on the viscoelasticity of vulcanized rubber with a reversible sacrificial bond network lags seriously. In this paper, the effects of metal coordination bonds on the mechanical properties of butadiene-styrene-vinylpyridine rubber vulcanizates (VPR) were systematically investigated.

Deciphering bioprocess responses in organic phosphorus mineralization to different antibiotic stresses: Interaction mechanisms mediated by microbial succession and extracellular polymeric substances and regulatory patterns.

Understanding the impacts and mechanisms of different antibiotics on organic phosphorus (OP) mineralization is crucial for promoting the rational utilization of resources and protecting the ecological environment. In this study, the effects of four commonly used antibiotics (sulfadiazine, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and ampicillin) on the mineralization of OP were explored using16S rRNA gene sequencing technology. The results showed that ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and ampicillin negatively affected the mineralization capacity of OP, whereas sulfadiazine positively influenced OP mineralization.

Multifunctional-hierarchical flexible metasurface with simultaneous low infrared emissivity, broadband microwave absorption, and dynamic visible camouflage.

Sophisticated multispectral detectors have made single-band camouflage materials ineffective, consequently leading to significant advancements in metasurfaces that possess both infrared (IR), radar, and visible stealth capabilities. However, the mutual constraints of stealth principles across different bands and the demand for environment-adaptive camouflage raise challenges to existing multispectral compatible stealth solutions. Here a multifunctional-hierarchical flexible metasurface (MHFM) including an infrared suppression layer (IRSL), three microwave absorbing layers (MAL), an environmental adaptation layer (EAL), and a total reflective sheet (TRS), was designed to simultaneously achieve IR, radar, and dynamic visible stealth.

Potassium persulfate enhances humification of chicken manure and straw composting: The perspective of rare and abundant microbial community structure and ecological interactions.

Improper disposal of organic solid waste results in serious environmental pollution. Aerobic composting provides an environmentally friendly treatment method, but improving humification of raw materials remains a challenge. This study revealed the effect of different concentrations of potassium persulfate (PP) on humification of chicken manure and straw aerobic composting and the underlying microbial mechanisms.

The therapeutic efficacy of different configuration nano-polydopamine drug carrier systems with photothermal synergy against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor worldwide. Considering its special anatomical site and the progressive resistance to chemotherapy drugs, the development of more effective, minimally invasive and precise treatment methods is urgently needed. Nanomaterials, given their special properties, can be used as drug carrier systems to improve the therapeutic effect and reduce the adverse effects.

Structural changes in eloquent cortex secondary to glioma in sensorimotor area.

This study aims to investigate the structural reorganization in the sensorimotor area of the brain in patients with gliomas, distinguishing between those with impaired and unimpaired strength. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region of interest (ROI) analysis, gray matter volumes (GMV) were compared in the contralesional primary motor gyrus, primary sensory gyrus, premotor area, bilateral supplementary motor area, and medial Brodmann area 8 (BA8). The results revealed that in patients with right hemisphere gliomas, the right medial BA8 volume was significantly larger in the impaired group than in the unimpaired group, with both groups exceeding the volume in 16 healthy controls (HCs).

Effect of combined bacteria on the flax dew degumming process: Substance degradation sequence and changes in functional bacteria taxa.

In this study, 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy techniques were used to analyze the mechanisms driving the sequence of degradation of gummy substances by the microbial community and hydrolytic enzymes during the flax dew degumming process. The results revealed that the inoculation of combined bacteria induced quorum sensing, modulated hydrolytic enzyme production, and reshaped the community structure. Lignin-degraded genera (Pseudomonas and Sphingobacterium) were enriched, and the relative abundances of pectin- and cellulose-degraded genera (Chryseobacterium) decreased in the early degumming stages.

A multifunctional cascade enzyme system for enhanced starvation/chemodynamic combination therapy against hypoxic tumors.

Starvation therapy has shown promise as a cancer treatment, but its efficacy is often limited when used alone. In this work, a multifunctional nanoscale cascade enzyme system, named CaCO@MnO-NH@GOx@PVP (CMGP), was fabricated for enhanced starvation/chemodynamic combination cancer therapy. CMGP is composed of CaCO nanoparticles wrapped in a MnO shell, with glucose oxidase (GOx) adsorbed and modified with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

Association between muscular tissue desaturation and acute kidney injury in older patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Present study was designed to investigate the association between muscular tissue desaturation and acute kidney injury (AKI) in older patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Method: A total of 253 patients (≥ 65 years old) who underwent abdominal surgery with expected duration ≥ 2 h were enrolled. Muscular tissue oxygen saturation (SmtO) was monitored at quadriceps and bilateral flanks during surgery.

Association of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios with the emergence delirium in pediatric patients after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: an observational prospective study.

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate potential risk factors for emergence delirium (ED) in pediatric patients after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A).

Methods: This prospective, single-center observational study enrolled children aged 3-7 years who underwent T&A under general anesthesia. ED was assessed according to DSM-IV or V criteria.

Projection Stereolithography 3D-Printed Bio-Polymer with Thermal Assistance.

A stereolithography process with thermal assistance is proposed in this work to address the tradeoff between the flowability and the high concentration of solute loadings at room temperature, through which the improved performance of polymers prepared using stereolithography 3D printing can be achieved. For the experiment, polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) with a high molecular weight of 4000 is adopted to improve the mechanical properties of 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). For the polymer of HEMA, the highest soluble concentration of PEGDA is about 20 wt% at 25 °C (room temperature) while the concentration could be raised up to 40 wt% as the temperature increases to 60 °C.

Early intervention improves clinical responses to seasonal allergic rhinitis by stimulation in sphenopalatine ganglion (Xinwu acupoint).

Objective: To examine the efficacy of early intervention (4 weeks before pollen dispersal) with sphenopalatine ganglion (Xinwu acupoint) stimulation in patients with allergies after the onset of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized and unblinded half-open study. Forty-one SAR volunteers were randomly assigned to either the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) acupuncture plus supplementary acupuncture (SPG group) or the sham-SPG acupuncture plus supplementary acupuncture (SA group) stimulation 4 weeks before the onset of allergy season.

Molecular regulatory mechanisms of erythropoiesis and related diseases.

The metabolism of cells and blood circulation allow for the constant production and destruction of red blood cells. Erythrocyte formation allows red blood cells to regenerate, which is crucial for maintaining the equilibrium of the organism. Erythrocyte formation is a multi-step, intricate process with distinct structural and functional characteristics at each stage.

Bidirectional wide-angle waveguide grating antennas with flat-top far-field patterns for optical phased arrays.

To build advanced all solid-state LiDAR, optical phased arrays (OPAs) with a large field of view are highly desirable. As a critical building block, a wide-angle waveguide grating antenna is proposed here. Instead of aiming at the elimination of downward radiation of waveguide grating antennas (WGAs) to improve efficiencies, we in turn utilize the downward radiation and double the range of beam steering.

Isolation, Characterization and Immunomodulatory Activity Evaluation of Chrysolaminarin from the Filamentous Microalga .

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences in the accumulation capacity of chrysolaminarin among six species and to isolate this polysaccharide for immunomodulatory activity evaluation. The results showed that was the most productive strain with the highest content and productivity of chrysolaminarin, which were 17.20% (% of dry weight) and 50.

A small microring array that performs large complex-valued matrix-vector multiplication.

As an important computing operation, photonic matrix-vector multiplication is widely used in photonic neutral networks and signal processing. However, conventional incoherent matrix-vector multiplication focuses on real-valued operations, which cannot work well in complex-valued neural networks and discrete Fourier transform. In this paper, we propose a systematic solution to extend the matrix computation of microring arrays from the real-valued field to the complex-valued field, and from small-scale (i.

Development of an integrated predictive model for postoperative glioma-related epilepsy using gene-signature and clinical data.

Background: This study aimed to develop an integrated model for predicting the occurrence of postoperative seizures in patients with diffuse high-grade gliomas (DHGGs) using clinical and RNA-seq data.

Methods: Patients with DHGGs, who received prophylactic anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) for three months following surgery, were enrolled into the study. The patients were assigned randomly into training (n = 166) and validation (n = 42) cohorts.

Overexpression of PtoMYB115 improves lignocellulose recalcitrance to enhance biomass digestibility and bioethanol yield by specifically regulating lignin biosynthesis in transgenic poplar.

Background: Woody plants provide the most abundant biomass resource that is convertible for biofuels. Since lignin is a crucial recalcitrant factor against lignocellulose hydrolysis, genetic engineering of lignin biosynthesis is considered as a promising solution. Many MYB transcription factors have been identified to involve in the regulation of cell wall formation or phenylpropanoid pathway.

Association of homotopic areas in the right hemisphere with language deficits in the short term after tumor resection.

Objective: It is important to identify language deficit and recovery in the week following a tumor resection procedure. The homotopic Broca's area and the superior longitudinal fasciculus in the right hemisphere participate in language functional compensation. However, the nodes in these structures, as well as their contributions to language rehabilitation, remain unknown.

Decreasing distance from tumor to the language network causes language deficit.

Preoperative language deficits are associated with alterations in the language networks of patients with gliomas. This study investigated how gliomas affect language performance by altering the language network. Ninety patients with lower-grade gliomas were included, and their preoperative language performance was evaluated using the Western Aphasia Battery.