Integrative bioinformatics approach identifies novel drug targets for hyperaldosteronism, with a focus on SHMT1 as a promising therapeutic candidate.

Primary aldosteronism (PA), characterized by autonomous aldosterone overproduction, is a major cause of secondary hypertension with significant cardiovascular complications. Current treatments mainly focus on symptom management rather than addressing underlying mechanisms. This study aims to discover novel therapeutic targets for PA using integrated bioinformatics and experimental validation approaches.

Overrated energy storage performances of dielectrics seriously affected by fringing effect and parasitic capacitance.

Dielectric capacitors are vital for modern power and electronic systems, and accurate assessment of their dielectric properties is paramount. However, in many prevailing reports, the fringing effect near electrodes and parasitic capacitance in the test circuit were often neglected, leading to overrated dielectric performances. Here, the serious impacts of the fringing effect and parasitic capacitance are investigated both experimentally and theoretically on different dielectrics including AlO, SrTiO, etc.

PiERF1 regulates cold tolerance in Plumbago indica L. through ethylene signalling.

Ethylene is a signalling factor that plays a key role in the response of plants to abiotic stresses, such as cold stress. Recent studies have shown that the exogenous application of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC), an ethylene promoter, affects plant cold tolerance. The cold-responsive specific gene DREB plays a crucial role in enhancing cold tolerance in plants by activating several cold-responsive (COR) genes.

Exploring Liraglutide's mechanism in reducing renal fibrosis: the Fsp1-CoQ10-NAD(P)H pathway.

Studies have confirmed that elevated glucose levels could lead to renal fibrosis through the process of ferroptosis. Liraglutide, a human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, is a potential treatment option for diabetes. This study aimed to examine the potential of liraglutide (LIRA) in inhibiting ferroptosis and reducing high glucose-induced renal fibrotic injury in mice, and whether the Fsp1-CoQ10-NAD(P)H signal pathway is a mechanism for this effect.

Two-component system GrpP/GrpQ promotes pathogenicity of uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 by upregulating type 1 fimbria.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a major cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Invasion into bladder epithelial cells (BECs) on the bladder luminal surface via type 1 fimbria is the first critical step in UPEC infection. Although type 1 fimbria expression increases during UPEC invasion of BECs, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Chromosome-level genome assembly, annotation, and population genomic resource of argali (Ovis ammon).

Argali stands as the largest species among wild sheep in Central and East Asia, with a concerning rate of decline estimated at 30%. The intraspecific taxonomy of argali remains contentious due to limited genomic data and unclear geographic separation. In this study, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation for the Tibetan argali (O.

Photocatalytic production and biological activity of D-arabino-1,4-lactone from D-fructose.

Lactones play crucial roles in various fields, such as pharmaceuticals, food, and materials science, due to their unique structures and diverse biological activities. However, certain lactones are difficult to obtain in large quantities from natural sources, necessitating their synthesis to study their properties and potential. In this study, we investigated the photocatalytic conversion of D-fructose, a biomass-derived and naturally abundant sugar, using a TiO photocatalyst under light irradiation in ambient conditions.

CFH-synthon enables asymmetric radical difluoroalkylation for synthesis of chiral difluoromethylated amines.

The difluoromethyl group is a crucial fluorinated moiety with distinctive biological properties, and the synthesis of chiral CF₂H-containing analogs has been recognized as a powerful strategy in drug design. To date, the most established method for accessing enantioenriched difluoromethyl compounds involves the enantioselective functionalization of nucleophilic and electrophilic CF₂H synthons. However, this approach is limited by lower reactivity and reduced enantioselectivity.

Time-varying 3D optical torque via a single beam.

The spin angular momentum (SAM) plays a significant role in light-matter interactions. It is well known that light carrying SAM can exert optical torques on micro-objects and drive rotations, but 3D rotation around an arbitrary axis remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate full control of the 3D optical torque acting on a trapped microparticle by tailoring the vectorial SAM transfer.

Sequential addition of cations increases photoluminescence quantum yield of metal nanoclusters near unity.

Photoluminescence is one of the most intriguing properties of metal nanoclusters derived from their molecular-like electronic structure, however, achieving high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of metal core-dictated fluorescence remains a formidable challenge. Here, we report efficient suppression of the total structural vibrations and rotations, and management of the pathways and rates of the electron transfer dynamics to boost a near-unity absolute PLQY, by decorating progressive addition of cations. Specifically, with the sequential addition of Zn, Ag, and Tb into the 3-mercaptopropionic acids capped Au nanoclusters (NCs), the low-frequency vibration of the metal core progressively decreases from 144.

Remote photobiomodulation ameliorates behavioral and neuropathological outcomes in a rat model of repeated closed head injury.

Repeated closed-head injuries (rCHI) from activities like contact sports, falls, military combat, and traffic accidents pose a serious risk due to their cumulative impact on the brain. Often, rCHI is not diagnosed until symptoms of irreversible brain damage appear, highlighting the need for preventive measures. This study assessed the prophylactic efficacy of remote photobiomodulation (PBM) targeted at the lungs against rCHI-induced brain injury and associated behavioral deficits.

Tailoring industrial enzymes for thermostability and activity evolution by the machine learning-based iCASE strategy.

The pursuit of obtaining enzymes with high activity and stability remains a grail in enzyme evolution due to the stability-activity trade-off. Here, we develop an isothermal compressibility-assisted dynamic squeezing index perturbation engineering (iCASE) strategy to construct hierarchical modular networks for enzymes of varying complexity. Molecular mechanism analysis elucidates that the peak of adaptive evolution is reached through a structural response mechanism among variants.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly of three-spotted seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus) with a unique karyotype.

Three-spotted seahorse (Hippocampi trimaculata) is a unique fish with important economic and medicinal values, and its total chromosome number is potentially quite different from other seahorse species. Herein, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly for this special seahorse by integration of MGI short-read, PacBio HiFi long-read and Hi-C sequencing techniques. A 416.

The art and science of translucent color organic solar cells.

The artistic and scientific perspectives of the translucent color organic solar cells (OSCs), made with the emerging narrowband nonfullerene acceptors are explored. The translucent color OSCs, comprising a Fabry-Pérot microcavity optical coupling layer, have a power conversion efficiency of >15% and a maximum transparency of >20% for the three primary colors. The performance-color relationship of the translucent color OSCs is analyzed using a combination of high-throughput optical computing and experimental optimization, allowing light with desired color to pass through, while absorbing enough light to generate electricity.

Surrogate-assisted global and distributed local collaborative optimization algorithm for expensive constrained optimization problems.

This paper presents a surrogate-assisted global and distributed local collaborative optimization (SGDLCO) algorithm for expensive constrained optimization problems where two surrogate optimization phases are executed collaboratively at each generation. As the complexity of optimization problems and the cost of solutions increase in practical applications, how to efficiently solve expensive constrained optimization problems with limited computational resources has become an important area of research. Traditional optimization algorithms often struggle to balance the efficiency of global and local searches, especially when dealing with high-dimensional and complex constraint conditions.

Tailoring pyridine bridged chalcogen-concave molecules for defects passivation enables efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.

Suppressing deep-level defects at the perovskite bulk and surface is indispensable for reducing the non-radiative recombination losses and improving efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, two Lewis bases based on chalcogen-thiophene (n-Bu4S) and selenophene (n-Bu4Se) having tetra-pyridine as bridge are developed to passivate defects in perovskite film. The uncoordinated Pb and iodine vacancy defects can interact with chalcogen-concave group and pyridine group through the formation of the Lewis acid-base adduct, particularly both the defects can be surrounded by concave molecules, resulting in effective suppression charge recombination.

Deterministic patterns in single-cell transcriptomic data.

We report the existence of deterministic patterns in statistical plots of single-cell transcriptomic data. We develop a theory showing that the patterns are neither artifacts introduced by the measurement process nor due to underlying biological mechanisms. Rather they naturally emerge from finite sample size effects.

Inhibited peroxidase activity of peroxiredoxin 1 by palmitic acid exacerbates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in male mice.

Reactive oxygen species exacerbate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by oxidizing macromolecules; yet how they promote NASH remains poorly understood. Here, we show that peroxidase activity of global hepatic peroxiredoxin (PRDX) is significantly decreased in NASH, and palmitic acid (PA) binds to PRDX1 and inhibits its peroxidase activity. Using three genetic models, we demonstrate that hepatic PRDX1 protects against NASH in male mice.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri fermented brown rice alleviates anxiety improves cognition and modulates gut microbiota in stressed mice.

Chronic stress disrupts gut microbiota homeostasis, contributing to anxiety and depression. This study explored the effects of Limosilactobacillus reuteri fermented brown rice (FBR) on anxiety using an ICR mouse chronic mild stress (CMS) model. Anxiety was assessed through body weight, corticosterone levels, neurotransmitter profiles, and behavioral tests.

METTL3 inhibition promotes radiosensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma through regulation of SLC7A11 expression.

Radiotherapy is one of the main treatment modalities for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ferroptosis has been shown to promote the radiosensitivity of HCC cells, but it remains unclear whether epigenetic regulations function in this process. In this study, we found that the overexpression of METTL3 was associated with poor prognosis.

City-level emergy metabolism accounts for China's 281 cities from 2000 to 2020.

Cities exhibit diverse urban metabolism patterns in terms of the natural environment, industrial composition, energy, and material consumption. A chronicled city-level quantification of emergy metabolic flows over time can significantly enhance the understanding of the temporal dynamics and urban metabolism patterns, which provides critical insights for the transitions to sustainability. However, there exists no city-level urban emergy metabolism dataset in China that can support detailed spatial-temporal analysis.

Northern Scandinavian mountains supported by a low-grade eclogitic crustal keel.

Plate tectonics predicts that mountain ranges form by tectono-magmatic processes at plate boundaries, but high topography is often observed along passive margins far from any plate boundary. The high topography of the Scandes range at the Atlantic coast of Fennoscandia is traditionally assumed isostatically supported by variation in crustal density and thickness. Here we demonstrate, by our Silverroad seismic profile, that the constantly ~44 km thick crust instead is homogenous above the Moho, and Pn-velocity abruptly change from 7.