Protocol for generating in vitro glioma models using human-induced pluripotent- or embryonic-stem-cell-derived cerebral organoids.

In glioma modeling, existing organoid protocols lack the ability to replicate glioma cell invasion and interaction with normal brain tissue. Here, we present a protocol for generating in vitro brain disease models using human-induced pluripotent- or embryonic-stem-cell-derived cerebral organoids (COs). We describe steps for forming glioma organoids by co-culturing forebrain organoids with U-87 MG cells.

Electrostatic potential difference between tumor and paratumor regulates cancer stem cell behavior and prognose tumor spread.

Tumor spread is responsible for most deaths related to cancer. Increasing the accuracy of cancer prognosis is critical to reducing the high mortality rates in cancer patients. Here, we report that the electrostatic potential difference (EPD) between tumor and its paratumor tissue is a prognostic marker for tumor spread.

Ultrafast Charge Transfer 2D MoS /Organic Heterojunction for Sensitive Photodetector.

The 2D MoS with superior optoelectronic properties such as high charge mobility and broadband photoresponse has attracted broad research interests in photodetectors (PD). However, due to the atomic thin layer of 2D MoS , its pure photodetectors usually suffer from inevitable drawbacks such as large dark current, and intrinsically slow response time. Herein, a new organic material BTP-4F with high mobility is successfully stacked with 2D MoS film to form an integrated 2D MoS /organic P-N heterojunction, facilitating efficient charge transfer as well as significantly suppressed dark current.

Initial levels of β-amyloid and tau deposition have distinct effects on longitudinal tau accumulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: To better assist with the design of future clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aid in our understanding of the disease's symptomatology, it is essential to clarify what roles β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and tau tangles play in longitudinal tau accumulation inside and outside the medial temporal lobe (MTL) as well as how age, sex, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 (APOE-ε4), and Klotho-VS heterozygosity (KL-VS) modulate these relationships.

Methods: We divided the 325 Aβ PET-positive (A+) participants into two groups, A+/T- (N = 143) and A+/T+ (N = 182), based on the threshold (1.25) of the temporal meta-ROI 18F-flortaucipir (FTP) standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR).

Preparation of Advanced Multi-Porous Carbon Nanofibers for High-Performance Capacitive Electrodes in Supercapacitors.

The booming demand for energy storage has driven the rapid development of energy storage devices such as supercapacitors, and the research on high-performance electrode materials, a key component of supercapacitors, has gained tremendous attention. In this research, phenolic resin-based multi-porous carbon nanofibers have been prepared by electrospinning, curing, carbonization and activation and then employed as advanced electrode materials in supercapacitors. We demonstrate that the material is nano-scale continuous fiber, and its surface has pore distribution of different sizes.

Multifunctional MoSe @MXene Heterostructure-Decorated Cellulose Fabric for Wearable Thermal Therapy.

A booming demand for wearable electronic devices urges the development of multifunctional smart fabrics. However, it is still facing a challenge to fabricate multifunctional smart fabrics with satisfactory mechanical property, excellent Joule heating performance, highly efficient photothermal conversion, outstanding electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, and superior anti-bacterial capability. Here, a MoSe @MXene heterostructure-based multifunctional cellulose fabric is fabricated by depositing MXene nanosheets onto cellulose fabric followed by a facile hydrothermal method to grow MoSe nanoflakes on MXene layers.

Presynaptic membrane protein dysfunction occurs prior to neurodegeneration and predicts faster cognitive decline.

Introduction: Although presynaptic loss measured by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) is significantly involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the sequential association between CSF GAP-43 and AD-typical neurodegeneration is poorly understood.

Methods: We compared baseline CSF GAP-43 levels (n = 730) and longitudinal CSF GAP-43 changes (n = 327) in various biological stages of AD, and investigated their relationships with cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of residual hippocampal volume, F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, regional gray matter volume and cortical thickness, and cognition.

Results: Elevated CSF GAP43 levels were significantly associated with faster rates of hippocampal atrophy, AD-signature hypometabolism and cortical thinning, and middle temporal gray matter atrophy-related and AD-signature hypometabolism-related cognitive decline.

Bead-jet printing enabled sparse mesenchymal stem cell patterning augments skeletal muscle and hair follicle regeneration.

Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) holds promise to repair severe traumatic injuries. However, current transplantation practices limit the potential of this technique, either by losing the viable MSCs or reducing the performance of resident MSCs. Herein, we design a "bead-jet" printer, specialized for high-throughput intra-operative formulation and printing of MSCs-laden Matrigel beads.

Functional Separators for Long-Life and Safe Li Metal Batteries: A Minireview.

Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) have received extensive research attention in recent years because of their high energy density. However, uncontrollable Li dendrite growth deteriorates the battery life and brings about severe safety hazards. The rational design of battery separators is an effective approach to regulate uniform Li metal deposition towards boosted cycle life and safety of LMBs.

Uniform Lithium Deposition Induced by ZnF(OH) for High-Performance Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile-Based Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium metal batteries are emerging as the next generation of high-density electrochemical energy storage systems because of the ultra-high specific capacity and ultra-low electrochemical potential of the Li metal anode. However, the uneven Li deposition on commercial Cu current collectors result in low Coulombic efficiencies (CEs) and poor cycle life. In this research, we proposed the modification of ZnF(OH) on Cu foils to expand the lifespan.

Oyster culture changed the phosphorus speciation in sediments through biodeposition.

Phosphorus speciation in the sediments is regulated by a series of physicochemical and microbial processes, and directly affects water phosphorus pool. However, the influence of culture activities and microbial metabolism on the sedimentary phosphorus speciation is poorly studied. In this study, we compared the abundance of distinguishable phosphorus phases and other physicochemical properties of sediments from oyster-farming areas and reference areas.

Recent Progress in Rechargeable Sodium Metal Batteries: A Review.

Sodium metal batteries (SMBs) have been widely studied owing to their relatively high energy density and abundant resources. However, they still need systematic improvement to fulfill the harsh operating conditions for their commercialization. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in SMBs in terms of sodium anode modification, electrolyte exploration, and cathode design.

Association of Presynaptic Loss with Alzheimer's Disease and Cognitive Decline.

Objective: Increased presynaptic dysfunction measured by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) growth-associated protein-43 (GAP43) may be observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but how CSF GAP43 increases relate to AD-core pathologies, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline in AD requires further investigation.

Methods: We analyzed 731 older adults with baseline β-amyloid (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET), CSF GAP43, CSF phosphorylated tau181 (p-Tau ), and F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and longitudinal residual hippocampal volume and cognitive assessments. Among them, 377 individuals had longitudinal F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET, and 326 individuals had simultaneous longitudinal CSF GAP43, Aβ PET, and CSF p-Tau data.

A Diluted Electrolyte for Long-Life Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile-Based Anode-Free Li-S Batteries.

Lithium-metal batteries have attracted extensive research attention because of their high energy densities. Developing appropriate electrolytes compatible with lithium-metal anodes is of great significance to facilitate their practical application. Currently used electrolytes still face challenges of high production costs and unsatisfactory Coulombic efficiencies of lithium plating/stripping.

Warming and redistribution of nitrogen inputs drive an increase in terrestrial nitrous oxide emission factor.

Anthropogenic nitrogen inputs cause major negative environmental impacts, including emissions of the important greenhouse gas NO. Despite their importance, shifts in terrestrial N loss pathways driven by global change are highly uncertain. Here we present a coupled soil-atmosphere isotope model (IsoTONE) to quantify terrestrial N losses and NO emission factors from 1850-2020.

Droplet-engineered organoids recapitulate parental tissue transcriptome with inter-organoid homogeneity and inter-tumor cell heterogeneity.

Organoids are expected to function as effective human organ models for precision cancer studies and drug development. Currently, primary tissue-derived organoids, termed non-engineered organoids (NEOs), are produced by manual pipetting or liquid handling that compromises organoid-organoid homogeneity and organoid-tissue consistency. Droplet-based microfluidics enables automated organoid production with high organoid-organoid homogeneity, organoid-tissue consistency, and a significantly improved production spectrum.

Intensifying Upconverted Ultraviolet Emission towards Efficient Reactive Oxygen Species Generation.

Multiphoton upconversion that can convert near-infrared irradiation into ultraviolet emission offers many unique opportunities for photocatalysis and phototherapy. However, the high-lying excited states of lanthanide emitters are often quenched by the interior lattice defects and deleterious interactions among different lanthanides, resulting in weak ultraviolet emission. Here, we describe a novel excitation energy lock-in approach to boost ultraviolet upconversion emission in a new class of multilayer core-shell nanoparticles with a gadolinium-rich core domain.

Translational organoid technology - the convergence of chemical, mechanical, and computational biology.

Successful clinical translation of organoid technology requires insights that extend beyond biology and biochemistry, notably from the fields of mechanical and computational biology. This review highlights recent advances in the organoid field that could potentially accelerate translation. We first review organoid fabrication methods, focusing on engineering approaches that increase organoid reproducibility, controllability, and production ability, as well as the physical conditions, culture media, and extracellular materials that regulate cell signaling and mechanotransduction.

Isotopically characterised N O reference materials for use as community standards.

Rationale: Information on the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide (N O) at natural abundance supports the identification of its source and sink processes. In recent years, a number of mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic techniques have been developed and are increasingly used by the research community. Advances in this active research area, however, critically depend on the availability of suitable N O isotope Reference Materials (RMs).

Vascularized Tumor Spheroid-on-a-Chip Model Verifies Synergistic Vasoprotective and Chemotherapeutic Effects.

Prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) inhibitors have been observed to improve drug distribution in mice tumors via blood vessel normalization, increasing the effectiveness of chemotherapy. These effects are yet to be demonstrated in human cell models. Tumor spheroids are three-dimensional cell clusters that have demonstrated great potential in drug evaluation for personalized medicine.

Biodeposition of oysters in an urbanized bay area alleviates the black-malodorous compounds in sediments by altering microbial sulfur and iron metabolism.

The occurrence of the 'black-malodorous phenomenon' in a waterbody is a clear sign of a highly eutrophic bay, the formation of which is associated with microbial sulfur and iron metabolism in the sediments. Oyster farming restoration has been widely studied as an important method for treating eutrophication and related ecological problems. However, few studies focus on the ecosystem-level consequences of oyster farming concerning microbial sulfur and iron cycles in the sediment.

Rapid personalized chemotherapy recommendation for cancer patients: An interview with Shaohua Ma and two members of his group.

Shaohua Ma, an early-career group leader, and his team talk about their passion for data science and their project published in , where multiplex gene quantification-based "digital markers" are used for extremely rapid evaluation of chemo-drug sensitivity. This method allows quick and personalized chemo-drug recommendations for cancer patients, helping to improve their clinical care and health outcomes.

Multiplex gene quantification as digital markers for extremely rapid evaluation of chemo-drug sensitivity.

Current administrations for precision drug uses are limited in evaluation speed. Here, we propose the use of multiplex gene-based digital markers for the extremely rapid personalized prediction of individual sensitivity to cancer drugs. We first screen the transcriptional profiles by applying two to three gene filters and scoring genes by their impact on drug sensitivity and finalize the gene lists by K-nearest neighbors cross-validation.

Piezoelectric effect enhanced photocatalysis in environmental remediation: State-of-the-art techniques and future scenarios.

Photocatalysis has been widely used as an advanced oxidation process to control pollutants effectively. However, environmental photocatalysis' decontamination efficiency is restricted to the photogenerated electron-hole pairs' rapid recombination. Recently, emerging investigations have been directed to generate internal electric field by piezoelectric effect to enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers for better photocatalytic performance; however, there are still huge knowledge gaps on the rational application of piezo-photocatalysis in environmental remediation and disinfection.

Laser-based bioprinting for multilayer cell patterning in tissue engineering and cancer research.

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is a process for patterning functional materials based on the digital 3D model. A bioink that contains cells, growth factors, and biomaterials are utilized for assisting cells to develop into tissues and organs. As a promising technique in regenerative medicine, many kinds of bioprinting platforms have been utilized, including extrusion-based bioprinting, inkjet bioprinting, and laser-based bioprinting.