Monomeric, Oligomeric, Polymeric, and Supramolecular Cyclodextrins as Catalysts for Green Chemistry.

This review comprehensively covers recent developments of cyclodextrin-mediated chemical transformations for green chemistry. These cyclic oligomers of glucose are nontoxic, eco-friendly, and recyclable to accomplish eminent functions in water. Their most important feature is to form inclusion complexes with reactants, intermediates, and/or catalysts.

Visualization of Modified Bisarylbutadiyne-Tagged Small Molecules in Live-Cell Nuclei by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy.

Visualizing the distribution of small-molecule drugs in living cells is an important strategy for developing specific, effective, and minimally toxic drugs. As an alternative to fluorescence imaging using bulky fluorophores or cell fixation, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging combined with bisarylbutadiyne (BADY) tagging enables the observation of small molecules closer to their native intracellular state. However, there is evidence that the physicochemical properties of BADY-tagged analogues of small-molecule drugs differ significantly from those of their parent drugs, potentially affecting their intracellular distribution.

Multiple serum anti-glutamate receptor antibody levels in clozapine-treated/naïve patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Background: Glutamatergic function abnormalities have been implicated in the etiology of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), and the efficacy of clozapine may be attributed to its impact on the glutamate system. Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting the involvement of immune processes and increased prevalence of antineuronal antibodies in TRS. This current study aimed to investigate the levels of multiple anti-glutamate receptor antibodies in TRS and explore the effects of clozapine on these antibody levels.

Engineering CD3/CD137 Dual Specificity into a DLL3-Targeted T-Cell Engager Enhances T-Cell Infiltration and Efficacy against Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive cancer for which immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have had only limited success. Bispecific T-cell engagers are promising therapeutic alternatives for ICI-resistant tumors, but not all patients with SCLC are responsive. Herein, to integrate CD137 costimulatory function into a T-cell engager format and thereby augment therapeutic efficacy, we generated a CD3/CD137 dual-specific Fab and engineered a DLL3-targeted trispecific antibody (DLL3 trispecific).

Examining How Interaural Differences Owing to Head Rotation during Walking Improve the Distance of Auditory Obstacle Perceptions among Individuals with Visual Impairment: A Case Study in Small-Scale Blind Group.

The ability of individuals with visual impairment to recognize an obstacle by hearing is called "obstacle sense". This ability is facilitated while they are moving, though the exact reason remains unknown. This study aims to clarify which acoustical factors may contribute to obstacle sense, especially obstacle distance perception.

Formation of an instantaneous nick for highly efficient adenylation of oligonucleotides by ligase without subsequent jointing.

By forming a nick at the adenylation site instantaneously, nucleic acids are efficiently adenylated by T4 DNA ligase. The subsequent ligation is successfully suppressed in terms of rapid conversion of the instantaneous nick to a more stable gap. It is helpful to understand enzymatic ligation dynamics, and the adenylated products can be used for various practical applications.

Mutational signature, cancer driver genes mutations and transcriptomic subgroups predict hepatoblastoma survival.

Background: Hepatoblastoma is the most frequent pediatric liver cancer. The current treatments lead to 80% of survival rate at 5 years. In this study, we evaluated the clinical relevance of molecular features to identify patients at risk of chemoresistance, relapse and death of disease.

Spectral Splitting Solar Cells Consisting of a Mesoscopic Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cell and an Inverted Narrow-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cell.

In comparison to monolithic perovskite/perovskite double-junction solar cells, a four-terminal spectrum-splitting system is a simple method to obtain a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) because it has no constraints of unifying the structures of the top and bottom cells. In this work, utilizing the fact that low-bandgap Sn-Pb bottom cells work the best in p-i-n while Pb-based wide-bandgap top cells work better in an n-i-p architecture, a wide-bandgap ( = 1.61 eV) perovskite solar cell with a mesoscopic structure and a narrow-bandgap ( = 1.

Circular economy strategies for mitigating metals shortages in electric vehicle batteries under China's carbon-neutral target.

Concerns over supply risks of critical metals used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries are frequently underscored as impediments to the widespread development of EVs. With the progress to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 for China, projecting the critical metals demand for EV batteries and formulating strategies, especially circular economy strategies, to mitigate the risks of demand-supply imbalance in response to potential obstacles are necessary. However, the development scale of EVs in the transport sector to achieve China's carbon neutrality is unclear, and it remains uncertain to what extent circular economy strategies might contribute to the reduction of primary raw materials extraction.

Intralesional pentraxin 3 increases with atherosclerotic disease progression, but may protect from thrombosis: Friend or foe?

Aim: To investigate the role of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in atherosclerotic disease progression and plaque destabilization, as well as in coronary restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy (DCA).

Materials And Methods: PTX3 contents of early and advanced atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta obtained at autopsy were determined by ELISA and Western blot. Also, coronary plaques of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stable angina pectoris (SAP) obtained by DCA were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for PTX3.

G-Quadruplexes in Human Telomere: Structures, Properties, and Applications.

G-quadruplexes, intricate four-stranded structures composed of G-tetrads formed by four guanine bases, are prevalent in both DNA and RNA. Notably, these structures play pivotal roles in human telomeres, contributing to essential cellular functions. Additionally, the existence of DNA:RNA hybrid G-quadruplexes adds a layer of complexity to their structural diversity.

Ce-based solid-phase catalysts for phosphate hydrolysis as new tools for next-generation nanoarchitectonics.

This review comprehensively covers synthetic catalysts for the hydrolysis of biorelevant phosphates and pyrophosphates, which bridge between nanoarchitectonics and biology to construct their interdisciplinary hybrids. In the early 1980s, remarkable catalytic activity of Ce ion for phosphate hydrolysis was found. More recently, this finding has been extended to Ce-based solid catalysts (CeO and Ce-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)), which are directly compatible with nanoarchitectonics.

External-quantum-efficiency enhancement in quantum-dot solar cells with a Fabry-Perot light-trapping structure.

In this work, we have experimentally investigated the impact of light trapping on the performance of InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) solar cells. To increase the amount of absorbed near-infrared photons, we fabricated a thin-film QD solar cell with a backside mirror where the positions of the QD layers were matched with the intensity peaks of one of the Fabry-Perot (FP) resonances in this structure to enable enhanced QD absorption near 1192 nm. We demonstrate that the external quantum efficiency at a given FP resonance wavelength of such an InAs/GaAs-based QD solar cell can be increased by an order of magnitude over solar cells without FP resonance by optimally positioning the QD layers.

A Novel Approach for Designing a Sub-Bandgap in CuGa(S,Te) Thin Films Assisted with Numerical Simulation of Solar Cell Devices for Photovoltaic Application.

As a well-explored chalcopyrite material, copper gallium sulfide CGS has been considered a potential material for solar cell absorber layers. However, its photovoltaic attributes still require to be improved. In this research, a novel chalcopyrite material, copper gallium sulfide telluride CGST, has been deposited and verified as a thin film absorber layer to fabricate high-efficiency solar cells by experimental testing and numerical simulations.

The Co-Design/Co-Development and Evaluation of an Online Frailty Check Application for Older Adults: Participatory Action Research with Older Adults.

Frailty is an age-related condition characterized by a decline in physical capacity with an increased vulnerability to stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was considerable progression in frailty in older adults. Therefore, an online frailty check (FC) is required for continuous screening, especially acceptable to older adults.

Sex differences in the association of treatment-resistant schizophrenia and serum interleukin-6 levels.

Background: Low-grade inflammation and altered inflammatory markers have been observed in treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of the pro-inflammatory cytokines linked with TRS and receives increasing attention. Previous studies showed that patients with TRS might have higher IL-6 levels compared with healthy individuals and treatment-responsive patients.

Enhanced Hot-Phonon Bottleneck Effect on Slowing Hot Carrier Cooling in Metal Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots with Alloyed A-Site.

A deep understanding of the effect of the A-site cation cross-exchange on the hot-carrier relaxation dynamics in perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) has profound implications on the further development of disruptive photovoltaic technologies. In this study, the hot carrier cooling kinetics of pure FAPbI (FA , CH(NH ) ), MAPbI (MA , CH NH ), CsPbI (Cs , Cesium) and alloyed FA MA PbI , FA Cs PbI , and MA Cs PbI QDs are investigated using ultrafast transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. The lifetimes of the initial fast cooling stage (<1 ps) of all the organic cation-containing PQDs are shorter than those of the CsPbI QDs, as verified by the electron-phonon coupling strength extracted from the temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra.

Exosome and exosomal contents in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe mental disorder that affects approximately 1% general population worldwide and poses a considerable burden to society. Despite decades of research, its etiology remains unclear, and diagnosis remains challenging due to its heterogeneous symptoms. Exosomes play a crucial role in intercellular communication, and their contents, including nucleotides, proteins and metabolites, have been linked to various diseases.

Actions of Thiols, Persulfides, and Polysulfides as Free Radical Scavenging Antioxidants.

The essential roles of thiol compounds as redox signaling mediators and protectors have been established. Recently, the roles of persulfides and polysulfides as mediators involved in numerous physiological processes have been revealed. Recently, it became possible to detect and measure persulfides and polysulfides in human fluids and tissues and their physiological functions, including cellular signaling and protection against oxidative stress, have been reported, but the underlying mechanisms and dynamics remain elusive.