Microwave-Sintered Nano-SiC Reinforced 8SiC/Ti-3Cu Composite: Fabrication, Wear Resistance, Antibacterial Function, and Biocompatibility.

The significance of biomedical applications of Ti alloys is best emphasized by their widespread utilization as implantable materials, such as internal supports and bone replacements. Ti alloys are sensitive to fretting wear, which leads to the early failure of Ti implants. Improved wear resistance of such implants is essential to ensure a prolonged implant life.

Biomimetic reactive oxygen/nitrogen nanoscavengers inhibit "ferroptosis storm" and modulate immune targeting for acute kidney injury.

Cisplatin (Cis), a potent chemotherapeutic agent, often causes acute kidney injury (AKI), limiting its clinical efficacy. RONS flares at the AKI site are a key factor in its progression. In this study, leveraging the advantages of cell membrane-coated biomimetic nanocarriers, we developed a multifunctional biomimetic nanodelivery system nano-RONS-sacrificial agent for AKI treatment.

Toxicity and intergenerational accumulation effect of tire wear particles and their leachate on Brachionus plicatilis.

Tire wear particles (TWP) are one of the main sources of microplastic (MP) pollution in the marine environment, causing adverse effects on marine life and attracting increasing attention. This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition of TWP (particles and leachate) and their toxic effects on Brachionus plicatilis. The results showed that Zn and acenaphthene were the most frequently detected compounds in the three TWP treatments.

Periodic Table of Immunomodulatory Elements and Derived Two-Dimensional Biomaterials.

Periodic table of chemical elements serves as the foundation of material chemistry, impacting human health in many different ways. It contributes to the creation, growth, and manipulation of functional metallic, ceramic, metalloid, polymeric, and carbon-based materials on and near an atomic scale. Recent nanotechnology advancements have revolutionized the field of biomedical engineering to tackle longstanding clinical challenges.

Development of the membrane ceiling method for in vitro spermatogenesis.

Spermatogenesis is one of the most complex processes of cell differentiation and its failure is a major cause of male infertility. Therefore, a proper model that recapitulates spermatogenesis in vitro has been long sought out for basic and clinical research. Testis organ culture using the gas-liquid interphase method has been shown to support spermatogenesis in mice and rats.

Expanded Negative Electrostatic Network-Assisted Seawater Oxidation and High-Salinity Seawater Reutilization.

Coastal/offshore renewable energy sources combined with seawater splitting offer an attractive means for large-scale H electrosynthesis in the future. However, designing anodes proves rather challenging, as surface chlorine chemistry must be blocked, particularly at high current densities (). Additionally, waste seawater with increased salinity produced after long-term electrolysis would impair the whole process sustainability.

Extrinsic and intrinsic effects setting viscosity in complex fluids and life processes: the role of fundamental physical constants.

Understanding the values and origin of fundamental physical constants, one of the grandest challenges in modern science, has been discussed in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology. More recently, it was realized that fundamental constants have a biofriendly window set by life processes involving motion and flow. This window is related to intrinsic fluid properties such as energy and length scales in condensed matter set by fundamental constants.

Intramolecular Repulsive Interactions Enable High Efficiency of NIR-II Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens for High-Contrast Glioblastoma Imaging.

Strategies to acquire high-efficiency luminogens that emit in the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) range are still rare due to the impediment of the energy gap law. Herein, a feasible strategy is pioneered by installing large-volume encumbrances in a confined space to intensify the repulsive interactions arising from overlapping electron densities. The experimental results, including smaller coordinate displacement, reduced reorganization energy, and suppressed internal conversion, demonstrate that the repulsive interactions assist in the inhibition of radiationless deactivation.

Advancements in Betulinic Acid-Loaded Nanoformulations for Enhanced Anti-Tumor Therapy.

Betulinic acid (BA) is a natural compound obtained from plant extracts and is known for its diverse pharmacological effects, including anti-tumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-atherosclerotic properties. Its potential in anti-tumor therapy has garnered considerable attention, particularly for the treatment of breast, lung, and liver cancers. However, the clinical utility of BA is greatly hindered by its poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and off-target toxicity.

Molecular Dynamics Study of the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Spider Silk Proteins.

Spider silk is renowned for its exceptional toughness, with the strongest dragline silk composed of two proteins, MaSp1 and MaSp2, featuring central repetitive sequences and nonrepetitive terminal domains. Although these sequences to spider silk's strength and toughness, the specific roles of MaSp1 and MaSp2 at the atomic level remain unclear. Using AlphaFold3 models and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we constructed models of MaSp1 and MaSp2 and validated their stability.

Protective effects of methylnissolin and methylnissolin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside on TNF-α-induced inflammation in human dermal fibroblasts.

Methylnissolin-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (MNG) and methylnissolin (MN) are pterocarpan derivatives that are found in plants, such as Astragalus membranaceus. There are limited existing studies on the potential health benefits of MNG, and currently there is no evidence to suggest that MNG has any impact on skin-aging. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a significant role in skin aging by promoting chronic inflammation, damaging skin cells, and impairing the skin's natural repair mechanisms.

Residual effects of biochar and nano-modified biochar on growth and physiology under saline environment in two different genotype of Oryza sativa L.

Soil salinity is represent a significant environmental stressor that profoundly impairs crop productivity by disrupting plant physiological functions. To mitigate this issue, the combined application of biochar and nanoparticles has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance plant salt tolerance. However, the long-term residual effects of this approach on cereal crops remain unclear.

Trace Cu Doping Enabled High Rate and Long Cycle Life Sodium Iron Phosphate Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

NaFe(PO)(PO) (NFPP) is currently receiving a lot of attention, as it combines the advantages of NaFePO and NaFePO in terms of cost, energy density, and cycle stability. However, the issues of intrinsic poor electronic conductivity and difficult high-purity preparation may impede its practical application. Herein, the pivotal role of Cu doping in strengthening the polyanion structure and improving its electrochemical properties is comprehensively investigated.

Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens Realizing High-Contrast Bioimaging.

A revolutionary transformation in biomedical imaging is unfolding with the advent of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens). These cutting-edge molecules not only overcome the limitations of traditional fluorescent probes but also improve the boundaries of high-contrast imaging. Unlike conventional fluorophores suffering from aggregation-caused quenching, AIEgens exhibit enhanced luminescence when aggregated, enabling superior imaging performance.

EMT-Induced Morphological Variations on Living Cell Membrane Surface.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a drastic and important cellular process by which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype. Herein, we evaluated EMT-induced membrane variations using scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), which allows noninvasive nanoscale visualization. The results showed that the number and size of ruffles on the living cell surface decreased as the EMT progressed.

Enhanced Discriminability of Viral Vectors in Viscous Nanopores.

Achieving safe and efficient gene therapy hinges upon the inspection of genomes enclosed within individual nano-carriers to mitigate potential health risks associated with empty or fragment-filled vectors. Here solid-state nanopore sensing is reported for identifications of intermediate adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors in liquid. The method exploits the phenomenon of translocation slowdown induced by the viscosity of salt water-organic mixtures.

Femtomolar hydrogen sulfide detection via hybrid small-molecule nano-arrays.

Early disease diagnosis hinges on the sensitive detection of signaling molecules. Among these, hydrogen sulfide (HS) has emerged as a critical player in cardiovascular and nervous system signaling. On-chip immunoassays, particularly nanoarray-based interfacial detection, offer promising avenues for ultra-sensitive analysis due to their confined reaction volumes and precise signal localization.

Injectable body temperature responsive hydrogel for encephalitis treatment via sustained release of nano-anti-inflammatory agents.

Skull defects are common in the clinical practice of neurosurgery, and they are easily complicated by encephalitis, which seriously threatens the life and health safety of patients. The treatment of encephalitis is not only to save the patient but also to benefit the society. Based on the advantages of injectable hydrogels such as minimally invasive surgery, self-adaptation to irregularly shaped defects, and easy loading and delivery of nanomedicines, an injectable hydrogel that can be crosslinked in situ at the ambient temperature of the brain for the treatment of encephalitis caused by cranial defects is developed.

Rapid and precise treatment selection for antimicrobial-resistant infection enabled by a nano-dilution SlipChip.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an increasingly severe threat to global health, and AMR-associated infection is one of the leading causes of death around the world. Due to the long turnaround time and the limited flexibility and availability of current antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods, a large portion of patients with bacterial infections are still treated empirically, increasing the risk of mistreatment. To address the demand for precision treatment of bacterial infections, we developed a nano-dilution SlipChip (nd-SlipChip)-based systematic evaluation method, which facilitates rapid, logic feedback for the assessment of antibiotics, antibiotic combinations, and phage therapy.

Strategy and Design of In Situ Activated Protein Hydrolysis Targeted Chimeras.

Protein hydrolysis targeted chimeras (PROTACs) represent a different therapeutic approach, particularly relevant for overcoming challenges associated with traditional small molecule inhibitors. These challenges include targeting difficult proteins that are often deemed "undruggable" and addressing issues of acquired resistance. PROTACs employ the body's own E3 ubiquitin ligases to induce the degradation of specific proteins of interest (POIs) through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

A conserved pilin from uncultured gut bacterial clade TANB77 enhances cancer immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has become a standard anti-cancer treatment, offering durable clinical benefits. However, the limited response rate of ICB necessitates biomarkers to predict and modulate the efficacy of the therapy. The gut microbiome's influence on ICB efficacy is of particular interest due to its modifiability through various interventions.

In situ production and precise release of bioactive GM-CSF and siRNA by engineered bacteria for macrophage reprogramming in cancer immunotherapy.

In the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) predominantly exhibit an immunosuppressive M2 phenotype, which facilitates tumor proliferation and metastasis. Although current strategies aimed at reprogramming TAMs hold promise, their sustainability and effectiveness are limited due to repeated injections. Herein, a bacterial therapy platform containing two engineered strains was developed.

A Prebiotic Route to Lactate from Acetaldehyde, Cyanide and Carbon Dioxide.

The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO) has fluctuated throughout Earth's history. However, the role of CO in prebiotic chemistry has been predominantly and limitedly postulated as a C1 precursor, which can be reduced to carbon monoxide or methane mimicking the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Herein we present neglected roles of CO as an active promoter in accessing biologically important C3-builidng blocks such as lactate, via redox-economic reaction cycles starting from cyanide (C1) and acetaldehyde (C2).

Surface-Functionalizing Strategies for Multiplexed Molecular Biosensing: Developments Powered by Advancements in Nanotechnologies.

Multiplexed biosensing methods for simultaneously detecting multiple biomolecules are important for investigating biological mechanisms associated with physiological processes, developing applications in life sciences, and conducting medical tests. The development of biosensors, especially those advanced biosensors with multiplexing potentials, strongly depends on advancements in nanotechnologies, including the nano-coating of thin films, micro-nano 3D structures, and nanotags for signal generation. Surface functionalization is a critical process for biosensing applications, one which enables the immobilization of biological probes or other structures that assist in the capturing of biomolecules.

Comparison of X-Ray Attenuation Performance, Antimicrobial Properties, and Cytotoxicity of Silicone-Based Matrices Containing BiO, PbO, or BiO/PbO Nanoparticles.

Background: Application of the nanomaterials to preparing X-ray shields and successfully treating multiresistant microorganisms has attracted great attention in modern life.

Objective: This study aimed to prepare flexible silicone-based matrices containing BiO, PbO, or BiO/PbO nanoparticles and select a cost-effective, cytocompatible, and antibacterial/antifungal X-ray shield in clinical radiography.

Material And Methods: In this experimental study, we prepared the nanoparticles by the modified biosynthesis method and fabricated the X-ray shields containing 20 wt% of the nanoparticles.