Defect-assisted surface modification of a g-CN@WC heterostructure for tetracycline degradation: DFT calculations, degradation pathways, and nematode-based ecological assessment.

Eliminating hazardous antibiotics from aquatic environments has become a major concern in recent years. Tetracycline (TC) compounds pose a challenge for the selective degradation of harmful chemical groups. In this study, we successfully designed carbon vacancies in a gCN@WC (GW) heterostructure for the effective removal of TC pollutants under visible light.

High-Density Lipoprotein Lipid and Protein Cargo and Cholesterol Efflux Capacity Before and After Bariatric Surgery.

Background: Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is inversely associated with incident cardiovascular events, independent of HDL cholesterol. Obesity is characterized by low HDL cholesterol and impaired HDL function, such as CEC. Bariatric surgery, including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG), broadly leads to improved cardiovascular outcomes, but impacts on risk factors differ by procedure, with greater improvements in weight loss, blood pressure, and glycemic control after RYGB, but greater improvements in HDL cholesterol and CEC levels after SG.

Two new strains of Streptomyces with metabolic potential for biological control of pear black spot disease.

Background: Pear black spot is caused by Alternaria tenuissima. It is one of the diseases of concern limiting pear production worldwide. Existing cultivation methods and fungicides are not sufficient to control early blight.

Early detection of bacterial pneumonia by characteristic induced odor signatures.

Introduction: The ability to detect pathogenic bacteria before the onsets of severe respiratory symptoms and to differentiate bacterial infection allows to improve patient-tailored treatment leading to a significant reduction in illness severity, comorbidity as well as antibiotic resistance. As such, this study refines the application of the non-invasive Secondary Electrospray Ionization-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (SESI-HRMS) methodology for real-time and early detection of human respiratory bacterial pathogens in the respiratory tract of a mouse infection model.

Methods: A real-time analysis of changes in volatile metabolites excreted by mice undergoing a lung infection by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pneumoniae were evaluated using a SESI-HRMS instrument.

Stabilizing Polyoxometalate for Enhanced OER Performance Using a Porous Manganese Oxide Support.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical challenge in electrocatalytic water splitting, hindered by high energy demands and slow kinetics. Polyoxometalates (POMs), recognized for their unique redox capabilities, structural archetypes, and molecular precision, are promising candidates for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Yet, their application is hindered by high water solubility, causing rapid degradation and efficiency loss under harsh OER conditions.

Optimizing Acidic Oxygen Evolution with Manganese-Doped Ruthenium Dioxide Assembly.

Ruthenium dioxide (RuO) is one of the promising catalysts for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, designing RuO catalysts with good activity and stability remains a significant challenge. In this work, we propose the manganese (Mn)-doped RuO assembly as a catalyst for the OER with improved activity and stability.

Exploring Compactness and Dynamics of Apomyoglobin.

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) approach has become a valuable analytical complement to traditional methods. HDX-MS allows the identification of dynamic surfaces in proteins. We have shown that the introduction of various mutations into the amino acid sequence of whale apomyoglobin (apoMb) leads to a change in the number of exchangeable hydrogen atoms, which is associated with a change in its compactness in the native-like condition.

Probing the synergistic effect of metal-organic framework derived Co-Nx rich interwoven hierarchical porous carbon tube encapsulated dual redox active nanoalloy for high-performance Zn-air battery and supercapacitor applications.

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) with high-performance and stability is desirable for encouraging the transition of the technology from academia to industries. However, achieving this balance remains a formidable challenge, primarily due to the requirement of robust, earth-abundant reversible oxygen electrocatalyst. The present study introduces a simple strategy to synthesize Co-N rich nanoalloy with N-doped porous carbon tubes (NiCo@NPCTs).

DNA methylation-based predictors of metabolic traits in Scottish and Singaporean cohorts.

Exploring the molecular correlates of metabolic health measures may identify their shared and unique biological processes and pathways. Molecular proxies of these traits may also provide a more objective approach to their measurement. Here, DNA methylation (DNAm) data were used in epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) and for training epigenetic scores (EpiScores) of six metabolic traits: body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist-hip ratio, and blood-based measures of glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol in >17,000 volunteers from the Generation Scotland (GS) cohort.

Neurofilament Light Chain as a Discriminator of Disease Activity Status in MOG Antibody-Associated Disease.

Background And Objectives: In patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), acute disease activity is generally identified through medical history, neurologic examination, and imaging. However, these may be insufficient for detecting disease activity in specific conditions. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) after clinical attacks and to assess their utility in discriminating attacks from remission in patients with MOGAD.

IGF-1 c.258 A > G synonymous mutation ameliorates senile osteoporosis.

Senile osteoporosis (SOP) is a multifactorial, age-related progressive phenomenon with a considerable morbidity and mortality. IGF-1 is an important regulator of bone reconstruction and metabolism throughout life. Nevertheless, our previous study unexpectedly found there is no change in the peak bone mass with a altered IGF-1 gene expression leaded by IGF-1 c.

The CoNi@C/MoC i-MXene Derived from Novel (MoR)GaC (R = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Lu) Nanolaminations for Electrochemical Application in Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Supercapacitance.

2D MoC i-MXene is highly promising for electrochemical applications. Here, a synthetic strategy is reported, enabling the uniform distribution of carbon-coated CoNi (CoNi@C) nanoparticles on the vacancy-ordered MoC i-MXene nanosheets, thereby fully exposing the active sites of CoNi@C. First, five novel Ga-containing (MoR)GaC (R = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Lu) i-MAX phases are synthesized as the precursor and found to be crystallized into Cmcm structure, followed by hydrothermal etching and delamination.

Efficacy and safety of prucalopride in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation stratified by age, body mass index, and renal function: a post hoc analysis of phase III and IV, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies.

Background: Prucalopride (1 or 2 mg once daily) is approved for treating adults with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC).

Objectives: We determined the effect of age, body mass index (BMI), and renal function on the efficacy and safety of prucalopride in adults with CIC.

Design: Data were pooled from six 12-week, phase III-IV clinical studies in adults who received prucalopride (1 or 2 mg once daily) or placebo for CIC.

Association of mitochondrial haplogroup H with reduced risk of type 2 Diabetes among Gulf Region Arabs.

Background: Numerous studies have linked mitochondrial dysfunction to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) by affecting glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells and reducing oxidative phosphorylation in insulin-responsive tissues. Given the strong genetic underpinnings of T2D, research has explored the connection between mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, specific variants, and the risk and comorbidities of T2D. For example, haplogroups F, D, M9, and N9a have been linked to an elevated risk of T2D across various populations.

Synergistic Phase and Structural Engineering for Enhanced Zinc Storage in VO@N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers.

Vanadium-based oxide cathodes are promising energy-storage systems for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) because of their high energy density and safety, and low cost. However, their limited ion/electron transfer rates and rapid capacity decay pose challenges to their practical application. To overcome these limitations, VO nanoparticles are developed with surface oxygen vacancies integrated with N-doped carbon nanofibers (VO@NCNFs), using an electrospinning method combined with an in situ oxidation/reduction strategy.

The role of glucagon-like peptides in osteosarcopenia.

Various metabolic abnormalities, including obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperthyroidism and low vitamin D levels, have been linked to both osteopenia and sarcopenia. Osteosarcopenia is also commonly observed in older age groups, notably in postmenopausal women. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a labile incretin secreted from the intestinal L-cells, stimulates insulin secretion and sensitivity, making it an effective anti-diabetic medication.

Integrated Carbon Nanotube and Ketoenamine-Linked Covalent Organic Framework with Positive Charge Structure as High-Performance Capacitive Materials.

A series of composite materials, ETB@CNT (ETB@CNT10, ETB@CNT20, ETB@CNT30, ETB@CNT40, ETB@CNT50) with different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) contents are successfully prepared by using one-pot method. Compared with the pure ET-B-COF, which is a ketoenamine-linked covalent organic framework (COF) with a positive charge structure, CNTs can effectively improve the electrochemical performance of ET-B-COF, and the specific capacitance increased with the increase of the mass of carbon nanotubes added during the preparation process. Among them, ETB@CNT40 exhibits the best electrochemical performance (37.

Combining mechanical ball-milling with melt-polymerization to fabricate polyimide covalent organic frameworks towards high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

Melt-polymerization and mechanical ball-milling were combined to achieve the facile mass production of polyimide covalent organic frameworks (COFs) towards high-performance sodium-ion batteries. The as-obtained COFs were demonstrated with high utilization of active sites (>83.0%) and COFs with smaller pore sizes were proved to deliver better performance with a specific capacity of 213.

Cycling alpha cells in regenerative drug-treated human pancreatic islets may serve as key beta cell progenitors.

Diabetes results from an inadequate number of insulin-producing human beta cells. There is currently no clinically available effective means to restore beta cell mass in millions of people with diabetes. Although the DYRK1A inhibitors, either alone or in combination with GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) or transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily inhibitors (LY), induce beta cell replication and increase beta cell mass, the precise mechanisms of action remain elusive.

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the charge storage performance of NiSbO and its reduced graphene oxide composite - a comparative analysis.

We report the electrochemical charge storage performance of NiSbO, obtained through a solid-state reaction method, and a detailed comparison with its reduced graphene oxide composite. Intriguingly, the composite, NiSbO-reduced graphene oxide, yielded a large capacitance of 952.38 F g, at a mass-normalized-current of 1 A g, which is at least 4-fold higher than that of the bare NiSbO.