TRPC6 suppresses liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation via CaMK4-CREB pathway.

Background And Purpose: Genetic ablation or inhibition of the cation channel TRPC6 is protective against renal, cardiac and intestinal fibrosis. However, TRPC6 expression is decreased in patients with liver diseases. Here, we explored the role of TRPC6 in liver fibrosis and the underlying mechanism.

Effectively Guiding Cell Elongation and Alignment by Constructing Micro/Nano Hierarchical Patterned Titania on Titanium Substrate.

Based on the innate sensitivity of cell to substrate topographical cues, modulating cell-directed growth behavior is crucial for promoting tissue repair and reconstruction. Although photolithography technology has been extensively employed to fabricate a variety of anisotropic patterned structures to guide cell growth, it remains a great challenge to design high-resolution micro/nano hierarchical structures directly onto medical titanium (Ti)-based implants. Herein, we present a rapid, reliable and reproducible approach combining photolithography and hydrothermal technology to construct a micro/nano hierarchical structure including anisotropic micro-strips and a porous structure composed of TiO nanotubes features.

Therapeutic potential of SOX family transcription factors in osteoarthritis.

Background: As the worldwide population ages, osteoarthritis has significantly increased. This musculoskeletal condition has become a pressing global health issue and thus, prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis have become the primary focus of domestic and international research. Scholarly investigations of the molecular mechanisms that are related to the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis have shed light on the pathological causes of this condition to a certain extent, providing a foundation for its prevention and treatment.

Multifunctional Fluorescent Probe for Simultaneous Detection of ATP, Cys, Hcy, and GSH: Advancing Insights into Epilepsy and Liver Injury.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a critical intracellular energy currency that plays a key role in various cellular processes and is closely associated with numerous diseases. Similarly, biothiols such as glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), and homocysteine (Hcy) are integral to many physiological and pathological processes due to their strong redox properties. Simultaneous discrimination and detection of ATP and biothiols offer valuable insights into the pathogenesis of conditions such as epilepsy and liver injury.

Photothermal-Responsive Soluble Microneedle Patches for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Therapy.

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a leading cause of evaporative dry eye disease, presenting a challenge for targeted treatment. Traditional topical ocular drug delivery methods often fail to effectively reach the meibomian glands (MGs). To address this, the study has developed a soluble microneedles (MN) patch comprising poly(vinyl alcohol), cyclodextrin modified polyacrylic acid, and new indocyanine green.

Interactions Between Bacterivorous Nematodes and Bacteria Reduce NO Emissions.

Trophic interactions in micro-food webs, such as those between nematodes and their bacterial prey, affect nitrogen cycling in soils, potentially changing nitrous oxide (NO) production and consumption. However, how nematode-mediated changes in soil bacterial community composition affect soil NO emissions is largely unknown. Here, microcosm experiments are performed with the bacterial feeding nematode Protorhabditis to explore the potential of nematodes in regulating microbial communities and thereby soil NO emissions.

α-Lipoic Acid Ameliorates Arsenic-Induced Lipid Disorders by Promoting Peroxisomal β-Oxidation and Reducing Lipophagy in Chicken Hepatocyte.

Liver disease poses a significant threat to global public health, with arsenic (As) recognized as a major environmental toxin contributing to liver injury. However, the specific mechanisms and the protective effects of α-lipoic acid (LA) remain unclear. Therefore, this study employs network toxicology and network pharmacology to comprehensively analyze the hepatotoxic mechanism of As and the hepatoprotective mechanism of LA, and further verifies the mechanisms of peroxisomal β-oxidation and lipophagy in the process.

Activation of Nuclear Receptor CAR: A Pathway to Delay Aging through Enhanced Capacity for Xenobiotic Resistance.

Environmental factors are linked to aging and age-related diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that enhancing body's resistance to xenobiotics might be an anti-aging strategy. The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) regulates drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, coordinating metabolism and immune responses to adapt to stress triggered by exogenous exposure.

Redox-Induced Stabilization of AMBRA1 by USP7 Promotes Intestinal Oxidative Stress and Colitis Through Antagonizing DUB3-Mediated NRF2 Deubiquitination.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with oxidative stress and redox signaling disruption. It is recently reported that proautophagic autophagy/beclin-1 regulator 1 (AMBRA1) is a positive modulator of the NF-κB pathway that promotes intestinal inflammation. However, its effect on intestinal redox state and whether AMBRA1 is regulated by oxidative stress remain unknown.

Lactobacillus johnsonii Generates Cyclo(pro-trp) and Promotes Intestinal Ca Absorption to Alleviate CKD-SHPT.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a high risk of developing secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), which may cause organ dysfunction and increase patient mortality. The main clinical interventions for CKD-SHPT involve calcium supplements to boost absorption, but ineffective for some patients, and the reasons remain unclear. Here, CKD mice are divided into high and low groups based on intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels.

Enhancing Immunomodulation and Osseointegration of Bone Implants via Thrombin-Activated Platelet-Rich Plasma Self-Assembly.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is characterized by elevated concentrations of growth factors that facilitate bone repair. Nonetheless, the effective integration of PRP with bone implants and the sustained release of its active constituents pose significant challenges. In this study, thrombin is grafted onto the surface of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) via an N,N'-Disuccinimidyl Carbonate (DSC) linker and the retained enzymatic activity of thrombin enables the controlled activation of PRP self-assembly, resulting in the formation of a functional bio-gel layer.

Precursor-Induced Growth of Highly-Oriented Nanowire Arrays.

The unique optical, electrical, and thermal properties of 1D nanowires have sparked significant interest in growing high-quality 1D materials. Nanowire arrays and aligned growth offer scalability and maintain anisotropic properties, making them promising for research and applications. However, mass-producing high-quality nanowire arrays remains a challenge.

Targeting Mesothelin Enhances Personalized Neoantigen Vaccine Induced Antitumor Immune Response in Orthotopic Pancreatic Cancer Mouse Models.

The immunosuppressive microenvironment in pancreatic cancer, characterized by low tumor-specific T cells and excessive fibrosis, limits the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Here, three datasets and multi-immunofluorescence staining of tissue microarrays in pancreatic cancer indicate that mesothelin (MSLN) expression negatively correlates with cytotoxic T cells in tumor. Anti-MSLN antibody (αMSLN) treatment of pancreatic cancer in vivo can significantly increase T cell infiltration.

Structural Basis and Mechanism of a Unique Haemophore in the Haem-Iron Acquisition by Riemerella anatipestifer.

Several bacterial pathogens employ haemophores to scavenge haem from host haemoprotein to obtain an iron source. However, no homologues of well-characterized haemophores are found in Riemerella anatipestifer, a bacterium belonging to the order Flavobacteriales that encodes haem uptake systems. Herein, a unique haemophore RhuH is characterized in this bacterium.

Inversion of Circularly Polarized Luminescence in the Left-Handed Chitosan-Templated Co-assemblies.

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials are attractive due to their unique applications in fields such as 3D displays, information encryption, and chiroptical switches. Natural biomolecules-based CPL materials are gaining plenty of attention due to their chiral diversity and sustainability. However, it is still challenging to construct CPL materials with opposite CPL signs from a single natural biomolecule due to its inherent chirality.

Integrating Humidity-Resistant and Colorimetric COF-on-MOF Sensors with Artificial Intelligence Assisted Data Analysis for Visualization of Volatile Organic Compounds Sensing.

Direct visualization and monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sensing processes via portable colorimetric sensors are highly desired but challenging targets. The key challenge resides in the development of efficient sensing systems with high sensitivity, selectivity, humidity resistance, and profuse color change. Herein, a strategy is reported for the direct visualization of VOCs sensing by mimicking human olfactory function and integrating colorimetric COF-on-MOF sensors with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted data analysis techniques.

A Dual-Pipeline Lactate Removal Strategy to Reverse Vascular Hyperpermeability for the Management of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Sepsis.

Sepsis is an underappreciated yet severe threat to human life, marked by organ dysfunction and high mortality resulting from disordered inflammatory responses to blood infection. Unfortunately, no specific drugs are available for effective sepsis treatment. As a pivotal biomarker for sepsis, lactate levels are closely related to vascular permeability and sepsis-associated mortality.

Unveiling the Li/Electrolyte Interface Behavior for Dendrite-Free All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries by Operando Nano-Focus WAXS.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based solid composite electrolytes suffer from poor conductivity and lithium dendrite growth, especially toward the metallic lithium metal anode. In this study, succinonitrile (SN) is incorporated into a PEO composite electrolyte to fabricate an electrode-compatible electrolyte with good electrochemical performance. The SN-doped electrolyte successfully inhibits the lithium dendrite growth and facilitates the SEI layer formation, as determined by the operando nanofocus wide-angle X-ray scattering (nWAXS), meanwhile, stably cycled over 500 h in Li/SN-PEO/Li cell.

MOF Nanosheet Enable Accelerated Redox Kinetics and Ultralow Overpotential for Light-Assisted Li-CO Battery.

Lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries have attracted much attention due to their high energy density, low cost, and carbon sequestration. However, the sluggish conversion kinetics between CO₂ and the discharge product lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) have hindered their practical applications. Herein, a flower-like photosensitive metal-organic framework (FJU-115-NS) has been employed as a cathodic electrocatalyst for Li-CO₂ batteries.

MXene-Based Flexible Memory and Neuromorphic Devices.

As the age of the Internet of Things (IoTs) unfolds, along with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), traditional von Neumann-based computing systems encounter significant challenges in handling vast amounts of data storage and processing. Bioinspired neuromorphic computing strategies offer a promising solution, characterized by features of in-memory computing, massively parallel processing, and event-driven operations. Compared to traditional rigid silicon-based devices, flexible neuromorphic devices are lightweight, thin, and highly stretchable, garnering considerable attention.

Global Research Hotspots and Trends in Advances of the Ilizarov Technique: A Bibliometric Mapping.

Objective: An updated bibliometric analysis is needed to address the lack of comprehensive understanding of Ilizarov technique's research trends and hotspots, fostering collaboration and technology adoption. CiteSpace was utilized to perform co-citation analyzes on authors, countries, institutions, journals and cited journals, authors and cited literature, along with keywords. This approach aimed to identify leaders, collaborating institutions, and research hotspots associated with the Ilizarov technique, while also predicting future development trends.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots Prepared via Microchannel Method for Visual Detection of Copper Ions.

Copper ions (Cu) play a crucial role in biological processes; however, excessive intake can result in severe health problems. Current methods for detecting copper ions are both expensive and complex. Therefore, there is a need for efficient and straightforward visual detection methods.

Experimental Realization of On-Chip Surface Acoustic Wave Metasurfaces at Sub-GHz.

Metasurfaces, consisting of subwavelength-thickness units with different wave responses, provide an innovative possible method to manipulate elastic and acoustic waves efficiently. The application of metasurfaces to manipulate on-chip surface acoustic wave (SAW) at sub-GHz frequencies requires further exploration since their wave functions are highly demanded in nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), sensing, communications, microfluid control and quantum processing. Here, the experimental realization of on-chip SAW metasurfaces is reported, consisting of gradient submicron niobium (Nb) rectangular pillars positioned on a 128°Y-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO) substrate that operate at hundreds of megahertz.

A Transformative Wearable Corneal Microneedle Patch for Efficient Therapy of Ocular Injury and Infection.

Ocular injury and infection are significant causes of vision impairment and blindness globally. Effective treatment is, however, challenging due to the physical barrier of the cornea, which restricts drug penetration in the eye, as well as the presence of eye injury that necessitates continuous delivery of growth factors on the ocular surface for cornea healing. Here, we introduce a transformative wearable corneal microneedle (MN) patch designed for efficient therapy of ocular injury and infection.