Enabling high-performance multivalent metal-ion batteries: current advances and future prospects.

The battery market is primarily dominated by lithium technology, which faces severe challenges because of the low abundance and high cost of lithium metal. In this regard, multivalent metal-ion batteries (MVIBs) enabled by multivalent metal ions ( Zn, Mg, Ca, Al, ) have received great attention as an alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion batteries) due to the high abundance and low cost of multivalent metals, high safety and higher volumetric capacities. However, the successful application of these battery chemistries requires careful control over electrode and electrolyte chemistries due to the higher charge density and slower kinetics of multivalent metal ions, structural instability of the electrode materials, and interfacial resistance, This review comprehensively explores the recent advancements in electrode and electrolyte materials as well as separators for MVIBs, highlighting the potential of MVIBs to outperform Li-ion batteries regarding cost, energy density and safety.

Progranulin Plays a Protective Role in Pneumococcal Meningitis by Inhibiting Pyroptosis.

Objective: Pneumococcal meningitis is a serious infectious disease with a high mortality rate and a global presence, and survivors have different degrees of neurological sequelae as a consequence of the host response to the infection. Progranulin (PGRN) is a multifunctional autocrine growth factor that is also a major immunoregulator. We want to investigate the role for PGRN in Pneumococcal meningitis in vivo and in vitro.

Maladaptive Peripheral Ketogenesis in Schwann Cells Mediated by CBR Contributes to Diabetic Neuropathy.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of diabetes. Although studies have previously investigated metabolic disruptions in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the exact metabolic mechanisms underlying DPN remain largely unknown. Herein, a specific form of metabolic remodeling involving aberrant ketogenesis within Schwann cells (SCs) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetes mellitus is identified.

Subcellular Cavitation Bubbles Induce Cellular Mechanolysis and Collective Wound Healing in Ultrasound-Inflicted Cell Ablation.

Focused ultrasound (FUS) has been widely adopted in medical and life science researches. Although various physical and biological effects of FUS have been well-documented, there is still a lack of understanding and direct evidence on the biological mechanism of therapeutic cell ablation caused by high-intensity ultrasound (HIFU) and the subsequent wound healing responses. This study develops an enclosed cell culture device that synergistically combines non-invasive FUS stimulation and real-time, on-the-fly live-cell imaging, providing an in vitro platform to explore short and long-term biological effects of ultrasound.

The Negative Role of Proton Insertion on the Lifetime of Vanadium-Based Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Vanadium oxides are attracted cathodes for aqueous zinc batteries owing to their high capacity. However, the limited cyclability of vanadium-based oxide cathodes, especially at low current densities, impedes their practical application. Here, it is revealed that proton insertion is responsible for the limited lifetime of vanadium oxides.

Circularly Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diode Based on Device Functional Layer Materials.

Circularly polarized light-emitting devices have found extensive application prospects in 3D displays and optoelectronic information. Among them, circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLED), as a rising star of circularly polarized light-emitting devices, achieved good research results. However, the preparation of CP-OLED with a high electroluminescence asymmetry factor and high external quantum efficiency is a hot and difficult research topic.

Nanotherapies Based on ROS Regulation in Oral Diseases.

Oral diseases rank among the most prevalent clinical conditions globally, typically involving detrimental factors such as infection, inflammation, and injury in their occurrence, development, and outcomes. The concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells has been demonstrated as a pivotal player in modulating these intricate pathological processes, exerting significant roles in restoring oral functionality and maintaining tissue structural integrity. Due to their enzyme-like catalytic properties, unique composition, and intelligent design, ROS-based nanomaterials have garnered considerable attention in oral nanomedicine.

Supramolecular Modulation of Tumor Microenvironment Through Host-Guest Recognition and Metal Coordination to Potentiate Cancer Chemoimmunotherapy.

The massive amount of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO-1) in tumor cells and tumor-associated immune cells forms a feedback loop that maintains immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM) and causes immune escape, resulting in the poor prognosis of platinum chemotherapeutics. However, the effective systemic administration of platinum drugs and IDO-1 inhibitors is strictly limited by their distinct chemical construction, different pharmacokinetic profiles, and heterogeneous distributions. Herein, a novel supramolecular method with the capability to modulate tumor microenvironment is proposed aiming at potentiating the antitumor efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy.

Structural Insights into the Substrate Recognition of Ginsenoside Glycosyltransferase Pq3-O-UGT2.

Ginsenosides are a group of tetracyclic triterpenoids with promising health benefits, consisting of ginseng aglycone attached to various glycans. Pq3-O-UGT2, an important UDP-dependent glycosyltransferase (UGT), catalyzes the production of Ginsenoside Rg3 and Rd by extending the glycan chain of Ginsenoside Rh2 and F2, respectively, with higher selectivity for F2. However, the mechanism underlying its substrate recognition remains unclear.

Defective Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Accelerates Skeletal Muscle Aging by Impairing Autophagy/Myogenesis.

Background: Regenerative capacity of skeletal muscles decreases with age. Deficiency in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is associated with skeletal muscle weakness as well as epithelial cell senescence. However, whether and how CFTR plays a role in skeletal muscle regeneration and aging were unclear.

Wetting and Spreading Behaviors of Impacting Metal Droplet Regulated by 2D Ultrasonic Field.

The wetting and spreading behaviors of metal droplets on solid substrates are critical aspects of additive manufacturing. However, the inherent characteristics of metal droplets, including high surface tension, elevated viscosity, and extreme temperatures, pose significant challenges for wetting and spreading on nonwetting substrates. Herein, this work proposes a strategy that employs a two-dimensional (2D) orthogonal ultrasonic field to construct a vibration deposition substrate with radial vibration amplitude gradient, thereby enhancing the wettability and adhesive strength of impacting metal droplets ejected by a piezoelectric micro-jet device.

Nuclear to Cytoplasmic Transport Is a Druggable Dependency in HDAC7-driven Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Immunotherapy has gained approval for use in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), yet only a subset of patients (10-20%) experience meaningful benefits, underscoring the urgent need for more effective therapeutic approaches. This work discovers a distinct HDAC7-high SCLC phenotype characterized by enhanced proliferative potential, which recurs across various subtypes and serves as a predictor of poorer survival outcomes. By analyzing public datasets, this work finds a strong correlation between c-Myc and HDAC7.

Multiscale Collaborative Optimization for Composite Solid Electrolyte to Achieve High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

Composite solid electrolytes (CSEs) possess significant advantages over individual polymer or inorganic solid electrolytes. However, conventional CSEs suffer from multiple scale issues, including interruptions in ionic transport pathways, incompatibility at heterogeneous interface, and the excessive thickness of electrolytes. Herein, a novel CSE with ultrathin structure (22 µm) based on the strategy of multiscale collaborative optimization (MC-CSE) is designed.

PRDX6 Prevents NNMT Ubiquitination and Degradation as a Nonenzymatic Mechanism to Promote Ovarian Cancer Progression.

Cancer cells cope with oxidative stress for their proliferation and metastasis by equipping antioxidant systems, among which the antioxidant enzymes peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) play crucial roles. However, whether PRDXs exhibit nonenzymatic functions remains unclear. Here, it is shown that the 1-cysteine PRDX (PRDX6) upregulates nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) to promote the growth and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells, independently of PRDX6's enzymatic activities.

Identification and functional characterization of UDP-glycosyltransferase genes involved in cyetpyrafen resistance in Panonychus citri (McGregor).

Background: Cyetpyrafen is a newly developed acaricide. The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor), is an important citrus pest that has developed resistance to cyetpyrafen. Uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) have been widely reported to be associated with resistance to multiple acaricides.

Temporal Association Cortex Gates Sound-Evoked Arousal from NREM Sleep.

Sound-evoked wakefulness from sleep is crucial in daily life, yet its neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. It is found that CaMKIIα+ neurons in the temporal association cortex (TeA) of mice are not essential for natural awakening from sleep. However, optogenetic activation of these neurons reliably induces wakefulness from non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep but not from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Extraction and Purification, Synthesis, Structure-activity Relationships, Pharmacological Effects and Mechanisms of Phillyrin: A Review.

Phillyrin (PHI) is one of the main active components in Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl, belonging to the class of lignans, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antiviral, antibacterial, weight loss and other pharmacological effects, involving a variety of potential signaling pathways, such as TLR, NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, NRF2, PPAPs signaling pathways. The review search systematically and comprehensively CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, Web of Science and other databases, screened nearly 100 relevant literature in the past five years, and summarized and evaluated the information of PHI extraction and purification, pharmacological activity, potential mechanism and structure-activity relationship.

Comparative transcriptomics and metabolomics provide insight into degeneration-related physiological mechanisms of Morchella importuna after long-term preservation.

Ascomycetes fungi are often prone to degeneration. Agricultural production of the prized ascomycete mushroom Morchella importuna (black morel) typically suffers from reduced yield and malformed ascocarps owing to culture degeneration. This study compared M.

A modulatory role of CG methylation on gene expression in soybean implicates its potential utility in breeding.

Cytosine methylation (mCG) is an important heritable epigenetic modification, yet its functions remain to be fully defined in important crops. This study investigates mCG in soybean following the loss-of-function mutation of two GmMET1 genes. We generated knockout mutants of GmMET1s by CRISPR-Cas9 and conducted comprehensive methylome and transcriptome analyses.

Mussel-Like Silk Fibroin Hydrogel With Skin Compliance Soft Electrode for Wearable Devices.

Flexible wearable electronic devices, capable of real-time physiological monitoring for personalized health management, are increasingly recognized for their convenience, comfort, and customization potential. Despite advancements, challenges persist for soft electrodes due to the skin's complex surface, biocompatibility demands, and modulus mismatch. In response, a mussel-inspired polydopamine-nanoclay-silk fibroin hydrogel (DA-C-SFH) is introduced, synthesized via a two-step process.

Overcoming Challenges in Plant Biomechanics: Methodological Innovations and Technological Integration.

Plant biomechanics, an emerging interdisciplinary field, plays an irreplaceable role in revealing the structure-function relationships in plant life processes. This field integrates classical mechanical theories with modern biological methods, providing novel perspectives for plant phenotype research and offering significant theoretical guidance for crop breeding, cultivation management, and ecological protection. This review comprehensively examines existing research from three dimensions: research perspectives, methodologies, and content.

Piezoelectric Biomaterial with Advanced Design for Tissue Infection Repair.

Bacterial infection has become the most dangerous factor in tissue repair, which strongly affects the tissue regeneration efficiency and wellness of patients. Piezoelectric materials exhibit the outstanding advantage of producing electrons without external power supply. The ability of electron enrichment and reactive oxygen species generation through noninvasive stimulations enables piezoelectric materials the potential applications of antibacterial.

Untwisting Strategy of MOF Nanosheets in Ultrathin Film Membrane for High Molecular Separation Performance.

Oriented 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes hold considerable promise for industrial separation processes. Nevertheless, the lattice misalignment caused by the twisted stacking of 2D nanosheets reduces the in-plane pore size and exerts a significant impact on the membrane separation performance. Precisely regulating the stacking pattern of oriented 2D MOF membranes remains a significant challenge.