Unveiling a Tunable Moiré Bandgap in Bilayer Graphene/hBN Device by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy.

Over the years, great efforts have been devoted in introducing a sizable and tunable band gap in graphene for its potential application in next-generation electronic devices. The primary challenge in modulating this gap has been the absence of a direct method for observing changes of the band gap in momentum space. In this study, advanced spatial- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy technique is employed to directly visualize the gap formation in bilayer graphene, modulated by both displacement fields and moiré potentials.

NanoTrackThera Platform for Real-Time, In Situ Monitoring of Tumor Immunotherapy and Photothermal Synergistic Efficacy.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, posing a significant threat to human health. Although immunotherapy has shown promise in cancer treatment, its efficacy is often compromised by tumor immune evasion, which hinders treatment outcomes. Therefore, combining immunotherapy with other therapeutic approaches to enhance its effectiveness has become an increasingly accepted strategy in clinical practice.

High-Modulus Homochiral Torsional Oxide Ceramic Artificial Muscles.

Fiber-based artificial muscles are soft actuators used to mimic the movement of human muscles. However, using high modulus oxide ceramics to fabricate artificial muscles with high energy and power is a challenge as they are prone to brittle fracture during torsion. Here, a ceramic metallization strategy is reported that solves the problem of low torsion and low ductility of alumina (AlO) ceramics by chemical plating a thin copper layer on alumina filaments.

NEDD4-Mediated GSNOR Degradation Aggravates Cardiac Hypertrophy and Dysfunction.

Background: The decrease in S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) leads to an elevation of S-nitrosylation, thereby exacerbating the progression of cardiomyopathy in response to hemodynamic stress. However, the mechanisms under GSNOR decrease remain unclear. Here, we identify NEDD4 (neuronal precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4) as a novel molecule that plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy, by modulating GSNOR levels, thereby demonstrating significant therapeutic potential.

Monocyte-Derived cxcl12 Guides a Directional Migration of Blood Vessels in Zebra Fish.

Background: Sprouting blood vessels, reaching the aimed location, and establishing the proper connections are vital for building vascular networks. Such biological processes are subject to precise molecular regulation. So far, the mechanistic insights into understanding how blood vessels grow to the correct position are limited.

HA198 mutations in H9N2 avian influenza: molecular dynamics insights into receptor binding.

Introduction: The H9N2 avian influenza virus is widely disseminated in poultry and poses a zoonotic threat, despite vaccination efforts. Mutations at residue 198 of hemagglutinin (HA) are critical for antigenic variation and receptor-binding specificity, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study explores the molecular mechanisms by which mutations at the HA 198 site affect the antigenicity, receptor specificity, and binding affinity of the H9N2 virus.

ITGAX promotes gastric cancer progression via epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway.

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 800,000 fatalities annually. ITGAX (Integrin alpha X) is closely associated with immune cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells. Its involvement in gastric cancer was identified through an analysis of The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, which highlighted as one of four key gastric cancer-related genes.

Altered Atlas of Exercise-Responsive MicroRNAs Revealing miR-29a-3p Attacks Armored and Cold Tumors and Boosts Anti-B7-H3 Therapy.

Increasing evidence has shown that physical exercise remarkably inhibits oncogenesis and progression of numerous cancers and exercise-responsive microRNAs (miRNAs) exert a marked role in exercise-mediated tumor suppression. In this research, expression and prognostic values of exercise-responsive miRNAs were examined in breast cancer (BRCA) and further pan-cancer types. In addition, multiple independent public and in-house cohorts, in vitro assays involving multiple, macrophages, fibroblasts, and tumor cells, and in vivo models were utilized to uncover the tumor-suppressive roles of miR-29a-3p in cancers.

Progress in the Study of Intratumoral Microorganisms in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The intratumoral microbiota, an integral part of liver tumors, has garnered significant attention from researchers due to its role in tumor development regulation and impact on cancer treatment. Intratumoral microorganism not only influences tumorigenesis and progression, but also serves as potential biomarkers and targets for tumor therapy. Targeted manipulation of these microorganisms holds great promise for personalized liver cancer treatment.

Catalytic ozonation of dimethyl phthalate by Ti-MCM-41 in water.

A Ti-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve catalyst was prepared by a hydrothermal method. Nitrogen adsorption desorption, XRD, TEM and SEM characterization results showed that the catalyst had a large specific surface area, a regular hexagonal pore structure, and titanium doping was uniformly dispersed in MCM-41 molecular sieves. The amount of titanium doping, reaction temperature, and the initial solution pH had important effects on the catalytic ozonation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) by Ti-MCM-41.

Effects of biological agents on rhizosphere microecological environment and nutrient availability for rice.

As the world's population grows, pursuing sustainable agricultural production techniques to increase crop yields is critical to ensuring global food security. The development and application of biological agents is of great significance in promoting the sustainable development of agriculture. This study aimed to investigate the role of JZ (compound microbial agent) and MZ (biological agent made from plant materials) in improving the rhizosphere microecological environment and nutrient availability for rice.

Microbial communities in the phyllosphere and endosphere of Norway spruce under attack by .

species complex has been regarded as the most destructive disease agent of conifer trees in boreal forests. Tree microbiome can regulate the plant-pathogen interactions by influencing both host resistance and pathogen virulence. Such information would help to improve the future health of forests and explore strategies to enhance ecosystem stability.

An AI recognition method for children's clinical operative pain by skin potential (SP) signal.

Objective And Rationale: Children's clinical pain phenotypes are complex, and there is a lack of objective biological diagnostic markers and cognitive patterns. Detecting physiological signals through wearable devices simplifies disease diagnosis and holds the potential for remote medical applications.

Method And Results: This research established a pain recognition model based on AI skin potential (SP) signal analysis.

Second primary non-myeloid malignancies following intensive treatment for adult acute myeloid leukaemia: a Danish population-based cohort study.

Background: Second primary malignancies (SPMs) are a well-known, long-term complication of antineoplastic treatment. This nationwide cohort study examined the risk of non-myeloid SPMs in survivors of adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) treated with intensive chemotherapy and, in some cases, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT), compared to a matched general population.

Methods: Patients with incident AML between 2000 and 2018, alive and aged 18-70 years two years after start of intensive chemotherapy, were included and matched 1:10 to comparators from the general Danish population on sex, age, and the Nordic Multimorbidity Index.

Viral-based gene therapy clinical trials for immune deficiencies and blood disorders from 2013 until 2023 - an overview.

Gene therapy (GT) as a groundbreaking approach holds promise for treating many diseases including immune deficiencies and blood disorders. GT can benefit patients suffering from these diseases, especially those without matched donors or who are at risk after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Due to all the advances in the field of GT, its main challenge is still gene delivery.

Local Climate Might Amplify Economic and Environmental Impacts of Electric Vehicles in China.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are crucial for addressing the intertwined challenges of climate change and air pollution. The multiaspect benefits of EVs are highly dependent on local climate conditions, yet the impacts of regional heterogeneity in the context of future climate change remain unclear. Here, we develop a systemic modeling framework integrating fleet modeling, emission projection, index decomposition analysis, and detailed cost assessment to identify local drivers and potential trade-offs behind electrification.

BSA/PEI/GOD modified cellulose nanocrystals for construction of hydrogel-based flexible glucose sensors for sweat detection.

With the miniaturization, integration and intelligence of sweat electrochemical sensor technology, hydrogel flexible sensors have demonstrated immense potential in the field of real-time and non-invasive personal health monitoring. However, it remains a challenge to integrate excellent mechanical properties, self-healing properties, and electrochemical sensing capabilities into the preparation of hydrogel-based flexible sensors. The utilization of CBPG (cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)@bovine serum albumin (BSA)@polyethyleneimine (PEI) glucose oxidase (GOD) nanomaterial) as both an enhancing phase and sensor probe within a hydrogel matrix, with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) serving as the primary network constituent, has been proposed as a non-invasive technique for monitoring trace glucose levels in sweat.

Free-Hand Endoscopic Full-Thickness Resection for Duodenal Subepithelial Lesions.

Background And Aim: This work aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of free-hand endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) for duodenal subepithelial lesions (SELs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 105 patients with duodenal SELs who underwent free-hand EFTR. Free-hand EFTR means no other devices (over-the-scope clip or full-thickness resection device) are required.

Single-cell profiling of SLC family transporters: uncovering the role of SLC7A1 in osteosarcoma.

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, characterized by high disability and mortality rates. Over the past three decades, therapeutic outcomes have plateaued, underscoring the critical need for innovative therapeutic targets. Solute carrier (SLC) family transporters have been implicated in the malignant progression of a variety of tumors, however, their specific role in osteosarcoma remains poorly understood.

Spatial deconvolution from bulk DNA methylation profiles determines intratumoral epigenetic heterogeneity.

Background: Intratumoral heterogeneity emerges from accumulating genetic and epigenetic changes during tumorigenesis, which may contribute to therapeutic failure and drug resistance. However, the lack of a quick and convenient approach to determine the intratumoral epigenetic heterogeneity (eITH) limit the application of eITH in clinical settings. Here, we aimed to develop a tool that can evaluate the eITH using the DNA methylation profiles from bulk tumors.

The influence of baseline platelet on mortality risk in stroke and cancer patients: a cross-sectional analysis of the NHANES database.

Background: Platelet count and function may be closely related to survival and prognosis of stroke and cancer. However, little is known on the impact of platelet count on the patients with a history of stroke and cancer. This study aimed to examine the association between baseline platelet level and all-cause mortality in this population using a cross-sectional analysis.

Sex-specific effects of prenatal bisphenol A exposure on transcriptome-interactome profiles of autism candidate genes in neural stem cells from offspring hippocampus.

Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting chemical, is increasingly linked to the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigates the effects of prenatal BPA exposure on neural stem cells (NSCs) from the hippocampi of rat offspring, a brain region critical for neurodevelopment and implicated in ASD. Pregnant rats were administered with BPA or vehicle control once daily via oral gavage from gestational day 1 until parturition.

Thiophene Copolymer Donors Containing Ester-Substituted Thiazole for Organic Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells have seen significant progress in the past 2 decades with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 20% but mostly based on high-cost photovoltaic materials. Polythiophenes (PTs) without a fused-ring structure are good candidates as low-cost donor materials, deserving more attention for studying. In this work, ester-substituted thiazole (E-Tz) was explored as the electron-withdrawing unit to design PTs, and further optimization on the fluorinated/nonfluorinated donor segment contents via copolymerization strategy was simultaneously performed, yielding polymer donors of PTETz-100F, PTETz-80F, and PTETz-0F.

Quasi-static and dynamic compression behavior of stacked pyramidal lattice structures with I-beam struts.

This study investigates the quasi-static and dynamic compression performance of a newly designed stacked pyramidal lattice (SPL) structure composed of struts that resemble I-beams. These novel lattice structures are 3D-printed considering three different stacking sequences, and their stiffness, strength, and energy absorption properties are experimentally assessed through low-velocity impact (1.54 m/s) and quasi-static compression tests.

Dairy consumption has a partial inverse association with systolic blood pressure and hypertension in populations with high salt and low dairy diets: cross-sectional data analysis from the Iwaki Health Promotion Project.

The prevalence of hypertension in Japan remains high, owing to the high salt content of the typical Japanese diet. Dairy-based foods may reduce blood pressure and hypertension risk. However, dairy consumption is low in Japan, and the relationships between dairy intake and blood pressure or the mechanisms by which dairy products affect blood pressure are not fully understood.