Retraction: Iso-pencillixanthone A from a marine-derived fungus reverses multidrug resistance in cervical cancer cells through down-regulating P-gp and re-activating apoptosis.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA09506J.].

Advancements and challenges in brain cancer therapeutics.

Treating brain tumors requires a nuanced understanding of the brain, a vital and delicate organ. Location, size, tumor type, and surrounding tissue health are crucial in developing treatment plans. This review comprehensively summarizes various treatment options that are available or could be potentially available for brain tumors, including physical therapies (radiotherapy, ablation therapy, photodynamic therapy, tumor-treating field therapy, and cold atmospheric plasma therapy) and non-physical therapies (surgical resection, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy).

An NIR-driven biosensor based on the metal-enhanced fluorescence effect and a signal amplification strategy for miRNA detection.

Research has shown that the expression level of microRNA-155 (miRNA-155) is positively correlated with clinical stage and depth of invasion in patients with cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and tends to be highly expressed. Therefore, it is very important to develop sensitive miRNA-155 analysis methods for the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic evaluation of cervical cancer. In this study, a near-infrared light-driven fluorescent biosensor based on the metal-enhanced fluorescence effect of polydopamine-coated upconversion nanoparticle (UP/Au) and two toehold-mediated strand displacement (TMSD) steps was constructed for the detection of miRNA-155.

Near-infrared DNA biosensors based on polysulfonate coatings for the sensitive detection of microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of immune cell differentiation and the immune response during allergic rhinitis (AR). Studies have shown that miRNA-155 is significantly upregulated in AR pathogenesis. Therefore, miRNA-155 can be used as a biomarker for AR diagnosis.

Construction of a zero-dimensional halide perovskite in micron scale towards a deeper understanding of phase transformation mechanism and fluorescence applications.

Zero-dimensional (0D) halide perovskites have garnered significant interest due to their novel properties in optoelectronic and energy applications. However, the mechanisms underlying their phase transformations and fluorescence properties remain poorly understood. In this study, we have synthesized a micron-scale 0D perovskite observable under confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).

Aromatic foldamer-derived transmembrane transporters.

This review is the first to focus on transmembrane transporters derived from aromatic foldamers, with most studies reported over the past decade. These foldamers have made significant strides in mimicking the essential functions of natural ion channel proteins. With their aromatic backbones rigidified by intramolecular hydrogen bonds or differential repulsive forces, this innovative family of molecules stands out for its structural diversity and functional adaptability.

A hot exciton organic glassy scintillator for high-resolution X-ray imaging.

Hot exciton organic scintillators offer promising prospects due to their efficient generation of bright triplet excitons and ultrafast response time, having potential applications in security detection and medical diagnostics. However, fabricating large-area, highly transparent scintillator screens still remains challenging, impeding the realization of high-resolution X-ray imaging. Herein, we firstly demonstrate a novel highly-transparent hot exciton organic glassy scintillator (>87% transmittance @ 450-800 nm), produced using a low-temperature melt-quenching method with 2',5'-difluoro-4,4,4'',4''-tetraphenyl-[1,1':4',1''-terphenyl]-4,4''-diamine (DTPA2F) powder.

Motorizing the buckled blister for rotary actuation.

Snap-through bistability was widely exploited for rapid hopping in micro-electro-mechanical systems and soft robots. However, considerable energy input was required to trigger the transition between discrete buckling states blocked by potential wells. Here a dynamic buckling mechanism of a buckled blister constrained inside an outer ring is explored for eliciting rotary actuation via a localized change of curvature in the blister.

Boosting photothermal conversion through array aggregation of metalloporphyrins in bismuth-based coordination frameworks.

Materials capable of efficiently converting near-infrared (NIR) light into heat are highly sought after in biotechnology. In this study, two new three-dimensional (3D) porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with a -net, CoTCPP-Bi/NiTCPP-Bi, were successfully synthesized. These MOFs feature bismuth carboxylate nodes interconnected by metalloporphyrinic spacers, forming one-dimensional (1D) arrays of closely spaced metalloporphyrins.

Influences of solvents and monomer concentrations on the electrochemical performance and structural properties of electrodeposited PEDOT films: a comparative study in water and acetonitrile.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) has emerged as a promising coating for neural electrodes especially through convenient electrodeposition methods. To investigate the influences of solvents and EDOT monomer concentrations on the electrochemical performance and structural characteristics of PEDOT, both aqueous and acetonitrile solutions were employed with varying monomer concentrations during deposition. The prepared PEDOT films were examined for the surface morphology, electrochemical performance, and chemical structures.

Films of linear conjugated polymer as photoanodes for oxidation reactions.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices hold huge potential to convert solar energy into chemical energy. However, the high cost of raw materials and film processing has hindered its practical use. In this study, we attempt to tackle this issue by fabricating straightforward semiconducting polymer films.

Antitumor effects of a Sb-rich polyoxometalate on non-small-cell lung cancer by inducing ferroptosis and apoptosis.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a class of anionic metal-oxygen clusters with versatile biological activities. Over the past decade, an increasing number of POMs, especially Sb-rich POMs, have been proven to exert antitumor activity. However, the antitumor effects and mechanisms of POMs in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain largely unexplored.

Sialylation-induced stabilization of dynamic glycoprotein conformations unveiled by time-aligned parallel unfolding and glycan release mass spectrometry.

Sialylation, a critical post-translational modification, regulates glycoprotein structure and function by tuning their molecular heterogeneity. However, characterizing its subtle and dynamic conformational effects at the intact glycoprotein level remains challenging. We introduce a glycoform-resolved unfolding approach based on a high-throughput ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) platform.

Recent progress in high-voltage P2-Na TMO materials and their future perspectives.

P2-type layered materials (Na TMO) have become attractive cathode electrodes owing to their high theoretical energy density and simple preparation. However, they still face severe phase transition and low conductivity. Current research on Na TMO is mostly focused on the modification of bulk materials, and the application performances have been infrequently addressed.

Circular RNA-based neoantigen vaccine for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy.

mRNA vaccines are regarded as a highly promising avenue for next-generation cancer therapy. Nevertheless, the intricacy of production, inherent instability, and low expression persistence of linear mRNA significantly restrict their extensive utilization. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) offer a novel solution to these limitations due to their efficient protein expression ability, which can be rapidly generated in vitro without the need for extra modifications.

Efficient hydroxyl radical generation of an activatable phthalocyanine photosensitizer: oligomer higher than monomer and nanoaggregate.

It remains a challenge to develop a single-component organic photosensitizer that efficiently produces hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) without oxygen involvement, especially while maintaining tumor-targeting capability. Herein, we propose an intelligent molecular design strategy whereby a tumor-targeted phthalocyanine is initially ˙OH-free and can be activated by overexpressed β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide sodium salt hydrate (NAD(P)H) in hypoxic tumors to efficiently produce ˙OH under light irradiation. Furthermore, the oligomer models based on the phthalocyanine molecules were constructed by a supramolecular regulation strategy, which were in an intermediate state between monomer and nanoaggregate, to achieve enhanced ˙OH generation.

Ruthenium-doped Ni(OH) to enhance the activity of methanol oxidation reaction and promote the efficiency of hydrogen production.

The coupling of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) to produce clean hydrogen energy with value-added chemicals has attracted substantial attention. However, achieving high selectivity for formate production in the MOR and high faradaic efficiency for H evolution remain significant challenges. In light of this, this study constructs an Ru/Ni(OH)/NF catalyst on nickel foam (NF) and evaluates its electrochemical performance in the MOR and HER under alkaline conditions.

Correction: Halogen-bonded charge-transfer co-crystal scintillators for high-resolution X-ray imaging.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D4SC00735B.].

[(CHN)H](SbF): a polyfluoroantimonite with a strong second harmonic generation effect.

It is of great difficulty to create a new antimonite with second-harmonic-generation (SHG) intensity larger than 6 times that of KDP. In this study, a polyfluoroantimonite strategy has been proposed to explore fluoroantimonites with large nonlinear optical (NLO) coefficients. Under the cooperation of chemical (highly asymmetric π-conjugated organic amine) and physical (viscous reaction medium ethylene glycol) methods, two novel polyfluoroantimonites, namely, (3PC)(SbF) and (3AP)(SbF), have been achieved.

Halogen-bonded charge-transfer co-crystal scintillators for high-resolution X-ray imaging.

The development of high-quality organic scintillators encounters challenges primarily associated with the weak X-ray absorption ability resulting from the presence of low atomic number elements. An effective strategy involves the incorporation of halogen-containing molecules into the system through co-crystal engineering. Herein, we synthesized a highly fluorescent dye, 2,5-di(4-pyridyl)thiazolo[5,4-]thiazole (PyTTz), with a fluorescence quantum yield of 12.

Enantioselective copper-catalyzed B-H bond insertion reaction of α-diazo phosphonates to access chiral α-boryl phosphonates.

Chiral phosphorus-containing compounds find applications across various fields, including asymmetric catalysis, medicinal chemistry, and materials science. Despite the abundance of reported highly enantioselective methods for synthesizing various chiral phosphorus compounds, the enantioselective synthesis of α-boryl phosphorus compounds still remains an unknown territory. Here, we report a method for the construction of chiral α-boryl phosphates by asymmetric B-H insertion reaction using α-diazo phosphates as carbene precursors, cheap and readily available copper salt as the catalyst and chiral oxazoline as the ligand.

Regulating electron transfer and orbital interaction within metalloporphyrin-MOFs for highly sensitive NO sensing.

The understanding of electron transfer pathways and orbital interactions between analytes and adsorption sites in gas-sensitive studies, especially at the atomic level, is currently limited. Herein, we have designed eight isoreticular catechol-metalloporphyrin scaffolds, FeTCP-M and InTCP-M (TCP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-catechol-porphyrin, M = Fe, Co, Ni and Zn) with adjustable charge transfer schemes in the coordination microenvironment and precise tuning of orbital interactions between analytes and adsorption sites, which can be used as models for exploring the influence of these factors on gas sensing. Our experimental findings indicate that the sensitivity and selectivity can be modulated using the type of metals in the metal-catechol chains (which regulate the electron transfer routes) and the metalloporphyrin rings (which fine-tune the orbital interactions between analytes and adsorption sites).