Molecular engineering of supramolecular polymer adhesive with confined water and a single crown ether.

Here, we report a water-induced supramolecular polymer adhesive formed from confined water and an intrinsically amphiphilic macrocyclic self-assembly in a nanophase-separated structure. The selenium-containing crown ether macrocycle, featuring a strong hydrophilic hydrogen-bond receptor (selenoxide) and a synergistic hydrophobic selenium-substituted crown core, confines water within a segregated, interdigitated architecture. While water molecules typically freeze around 0 °C, the confined water in this supramolecular polymer remains in a liquid-like state down to -80 °C.

Corrigendum to "Selenium enhancement strategy under precise fertilization in foxtail millet rhizosphere" [Heliyon Volume , Issue 11, 15 June 2024, e32764].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.

Predicting incident dementia in community-dwelling older adults using primary and secondary care data from electronic health records.

Predicting risk of future dementia is essential for primary prevention strategies, particularly in the era of novel immunotherapies. However, few studies have developed population-level prediction models using existing routine healthcare data. In this longitudinal retrospective cohort study, we predicted incident dementia using primary and secondary care health records at 5, 10 and 13 years in 144 113 Scottish older adults who were dementia-free prior to 1st April 2009.

Technical considerations regarding saliva sample collection to achieve comparable protein identification and detection via one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis among humans.

Background And Aims: Recently, demands towards identifying various molecules in support of stress detection and potential clinical utilization are dramatically increasing. Moreover, the accuracy with which researchers quantify these informative molecules is now far more improved when compared to the past. As RNA or protein markers are conventionally detected via repeated invasive procedures from blood, it is critical to develop secure technologies to obtain the desired information via less stressful methodologies, such as saliva collection.

Patient, Caregiver, and Provider Perspectives on Improving Provider-Patient Interactions in Hemodialysis: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Improving interactions between people receiving hemodialysis and health care providers of facility-based hemodialysis care is a top priority for patients, caregivers, and health care providers.

Objective: To identify challenges for high-quality clinical interactions in facility-based hemodialysis care as well as potential solutions.

Design: Multicentre qualitative study using focus groups and semi-structured interviews to elicit the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and health care providers.

Causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines, metabolites, and ulcers of lower limb: A Mendelian randomization study.

Inflammatory cytokines are key indicators affecting the development of ulcers of lower limb. The causal role of inflammatory cytokines in ulcers of lower limb and whether this can be mediated by metabolites remain unknown. We conducted a two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the causal effect of inflammatory cytokines on ulcers of lower limb and the mediating role of metabolites in the association between inflammatory cytokines and ulcers of lower limb.

A Moldable, Tough Mineral-Dominated Nanocomposite as a Recyclable Structural Material.

Flexible hybrid minerals, primarily composed of inorganic ionic crystal nanolines and a small amount of organic molecules, have significant potential for the development of sustainable structural materials. However, the weak interactions and insufficient crosslinking among the inorganic nanolines limit the mechanical enhancement and application of these hybrid minerals in high-strength structural materials. Inspired by tough biominerals and modern reinforced concrete structures, this study proposes introducing an aramid nanofiber (ANF) network as a flexible framework during the polymerization of calcium phosphate oligomers (CPO), crosslinked by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA).

Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth.

Rapid growth in bio-logging-the use of animal-borne electronic tags to document the movements, behaviour, physiology and environments of wildlife-offers opportunities to mitigate biodiversity threats and expand digital natural history archives. Here we present a vision to achieve such benefits by accounting for the heterogeneity inherent to bio-logging data and the concerns of those who collect and use them. First, we can enable data integration through standard vocabularies, transfer protocols and aggregation protocols, and drive their wide adoption.

Polyphenol oxidase mediated (-)-epigallocatechin gallate stabilized protein in body wall of Apostichopus japonicus: Characteristics and structure.

Heat treatment is the most common processing method in Apostichopus japonicus (A. japonicus) processing. However, improper heat treatment can lead to the degradation of protein.

Research Participants' Engagement and Retention in Digital Health Interventions Research: Protocol for Mixed Methods Systematic Review.

Background: Digital health interventions have become increasingly popular in recent years, expanding the possibilities for treatment for various patient groups. In clinical research, while the design of the intervention receives close attention, challenges with research participant engagement and retention persist. This may be partially due to the use of digital health platforms, which may lack adequacy for participants.

Precise Synthesis of 4.75 V-Tolerant LiCoO with Homogeneous Delithiation and Reduced Internal Strain.

The rapid advancements in 3C electronic devices necessitate an increase in the charge cutoff voltage of LiCoO to unlock a higher energy density that surpasses the currently available levels. However, the structural devastation and electrochemical decay of LiCoO are significantly exacerbated, particularly at ≥4.5 V, due to the stress concentration caused by more severe lattice expansion and shrinkage, coupled with heterogeneous Li intercalation/deintercalation reactions.

Telemedicine in cancer care: lessons from COVID-19 and solutions for Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare delivery, especially cancer care. Telemedicine emerged as an important tool to reduce disease transmission risks, maintain continuity of care, and improve accessibility. This study explores temporary measures during the pandemic as well as challenges and facilitators for integrating telemedicine into the European healthcare landscape in five case countries, focusing on cancer care.

Nanogap-Assisted SERS/PCR Biosensor Coupled Machine Learning for the Direct Sensing of in Food.

() is the primary risk factor in food safety. Herein, a nanogap-assisted surface-enhanced Raman scattering/polymerase chain reaction (SERS/PCR) biosensor coupled with a machine-learning tool was developed for the direct and specific sensing of S. aureus in milk.

Programmable trans-splicing riboregulators for complex cellular logic computation.

Synthetic genetic circuits program the cellular input-output relationships to execute customized functions. However, efforts to scale up these circuits have been hampered by the limited number of reliable regulatory mechanisms with high programmability, performance, predictability and orthogonality. Here we report a class of split-intron-enabled trans-splicing riboregulators (SENTRs) based on de novo designed external guide sequences.

Deficiency in NPC2 results in disruption of mitochondria-late endosome/lysosomes contact sites and endo-lysosomal lipid dyshomeostasis.

Dysfunction of the endo-lysosomal intracellular Cholesterol transporter 2 protein (NPC2) leads to the onset of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC), a lysosomal storage disorder. Metabolic and homeostatic mechanisms are disrupted in lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) hence we characterized a cellular model of NPC2 knock out, to assess alterations in organellar function and inter-organellar crosstalk between mitochondria and lysosomes. We performed characterization of lipid alterations and confirmed altered lysosomal morphology, but no overt changes in oxidative stress markers.

A cross-entropy corrected hybrid multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory for complex molecular systems.

Hybrid density functionals, such as B3LYP and PBE0, have achieved remarkable success by substantially improving over their parent methods, namely Hartree-Fock and the generalized gradient approximation, and generally outperforming the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) that is more expensive. Here, we extend the linear scheme of hybrid multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (HMC-PDFT) by incorporating a cross-entropy ingredient to balance the description of static and dynamic correlation effects, leading to a consistent improvement on both exchange and correlation energies. The B3LYP-like translated on-top functional (tB4LYP) developed along this line not only surpasses the accuracy of its parent methods, the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and the original MC-PDFT functionals (tBLYP and tB3LYP), but also outperforms the widely used complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2).

Geometric series exists in nature: Evidence from sorted area sequences of floral parts and leaves.

The concept of a geometric series (GS) plays an important role in mathematics. However, it has been neglected in describing biological size series. Herein, we show that a GS describes the nonreproductive (perianth) parts of the flowers of four Magnoliaceae species and two Rosaceae species and the leaves of 60 Alangium chinense and 60 Shibataea chinensis shoots.

Strain-tunable optoelectronic and photocatalytic properties of 2D GaN/MoSiP heterobilayers: potential optoelectronic/photocatalytic materials.

Herein, we propose a new GaN/MoSiP van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructure constructed by vertically stacking GaN and MoSiP monolayers. Its electronic, optical, and photocatalytic properties are explored DFT++BSE calculations. The calculated binding energy and phonon spectrum demonstrated the material's high stabilities.

Insight on the optimized electronic structure of carbon nitride on ultrafast water treatment via photocatalytic activation of ferrate.

Ferrate (Fe(VI)) is a widely used water purifier and is easily affected by external factors. Given that the actual water environment conditions are complicated, this study designed an oxygen-doped carbon nitride (CNO) with rich electron sites to explore whether direct electron transfer promotes the degradation efficiency of Fe(VI) for pollutants under visible light. For comparison, we also prepared phosphorus-doped carbon nitride (CNP), which has electron-deficient sites and indirect electron transfer.

Associations between health, productive performance and oral fluid biomarkers in commercial pig farms.

Background: Oral fluid contains analytes that may be reflective of health and welfare in pig herds. Additionally, oral fluid collection is a more convenient and cost-effective option when compared to blood sampling, increasing the potential of oral fluid as a non-invasive alternative tool. While a growing number of biomarkers can be measured in porcine oral fluid, the use of these analytes to compare commercial herds in veterinary practice is still limited.

Zinc finger proteins facilitate adaptation of a global insect pest to climate change.

Background: Global climate change significantly impacts ecosystems, particularly through temperature fluctuations that affect insect physiology and behavior. As poikilotherms, insect pests such as the globally devastating diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme heat events, necessitating effective adaptive mechanisms.

Results: Here we demonstrate the roles of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) in mediating thermal adaptability in DBM.

Molecular Hydrogen as a Potential Adjunctive Therapy to Improve Renal Function and Reduce Fatigue in an Elderly Patient With Chronic Comorbidities: A Case Report.

Background/aim: Hydrogen therapy has demonstrated potential as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory intervention, particularly in the management of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and autoimmune conditions. This case report presents the possible therapeutic benefits of molecular hydrogen capsule treatment in enhancing renal function and alleviating chronic fatigue in an elderly female with coronary artery disease (CAD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) complicated by nephropathy, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of adjunctive hydrogen therapy in an elderly patient with multiple chronic comorbidities.

Precision Assessment of Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis: A Case Report on Integrating Clinical Course, Immunophenotyping, and Comprehensive Symptomatology in a Pediatric Patient With Adjunctive Hydrogen Therapy.

Background/aim: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, though rare, is the most common form of autoimmune encephalitis, predominantly affecting young individuals, particularly females. Standard treatments include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), and plasmapheresis, with rituximab recommended for those unresponsive to first-line therapies. However, reliable biomarkers for clinical assessment remain elusive.