Metal-Dependent Cell Death in Renal Fibrosis: Now and in the Future.

Renal fibrosis is a common final pathway underlying nearly almost all progressive kidney diseases. Metal ions are essential trace elements in organisms and are involved in important physiological activities. However, aberrations in intracellular metal ion metabolism may disrupt homeostasis, causing cell death and increasing susceptibility to various diseases.

A Dual-Branch Residual Network with Attention Mechanisms for Enhanced Classification of Vaginal Lesions in Colposcopic Images.

Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN), linked to HPV infection, is a condition that is often overlooked during colposcopy, especially in the vaginal vault area, as clinicians tend to focus more on cervical lesions. This oversight can lead to missed or delayed diagnosis and treatment for patients with VAIN. Timely and accurate classification of VAIN plays a crucial role in the evaluation of vaginal lesions and the formulation of effective diagnostic approaches.

Encourage or Reject Employee Involvement: Value Creation in Human Resource Management in the AI Era-An Evolutionary Game Analysis of Enterprises and Employees.

In the context of globalization and rapid technological advancement, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought new opportunities and challenges to Human Resource Management (HRM). This study constructs an evolutionary game model to explore the strategy choices and evolutionary paths of enterprises and employees in HRM value co-creation with AI involvement. We numerically simulated the dynamic evolution of strategies under different scenarios, revealing the equilibrium characteristics of strategic interactions between enterprises and employees in the AI context.

Relationship Between Problematic Smartphone Use and Graduate Students' Research Self-Efficacy: A Moderated Mediation Model.

As Generation Z youth grow up with the Internet, problematic smartphone use is growing more prevalent. This study administered questionnaires containing measures such as the Mobile Phone Addiction Index, the Research Self-Efficacy Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Stress Mindset Measure. The survey targeted 2278 graduate students and explored the mechanism through which problematic smartphone use affects research self-efficacy (RSE).

Exploration of Key Regulatory Factors in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Continuous Osteogenic Differentiation via Transcriptomic Analysis.

Background/objectives: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess the remarkable ability to differentiate into various cell types, including osteoblasts. Understanding the molecular mechanisms governing MSC osteogenic differentiation is crucial for advancing clinical applications and our comprehension of complex disease processes. However, the key biological molecules regulating this process remain incompletely understood.

Highly efficient metal-free electrochemical membrane enables zero-valent sulfur recovery from thiourea wastewater.

Electrochemical recovery of zero-valent sulfur (S) from thiourea (TU) wastewater offers a promising waste-to-value strategy that expects to promote the sulfur resource cycle in water treatment but still suffer from electrode poisoning and sulfur over-oxidation. Herein, we designed a metal-free CNT electrochemical membrane for selective oxidation of thiourea and recovery of S. We found that defect sites on the carbon nanotube surface enable direct electron transfer for thiourea oxidation and may form carbon-sulfur bridge bonds, thereby facilitating the generation of S and urea.

Characterization of metalaxyl-induced notochord toxicity based on biochemical and transcriptomics in zebrafish (Danio rerio) model.

Metalaxyl is an acylanilide systemic fungicide that is widely applied and can readily enter ecosystems through leaching and soil runoff. This research utilized zebrafish as a model organism to thoroughly investigate the detrimental impacts of environmentally relevant levels of metalaxyl on the development of the notochord in zebrafish embryos and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms through transcriptomics, pharmacological intervention and molecular biological detection. The preliminary results demonstrated that metalaxyl induced significant modifications in the developmental parameters of zebrafish embryos.

Identification and experimental validation of diagnostic and prognostic genes CX3CR1, PID1 and PTGDS in sepsis and ARDS using bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis and machine learning.

Background: Sepsis is an uncontrolled reaction to infection that causes severe organ dysfunction and is a primary cause of ARDS. Patients suffering both sepsis and ARDS have a poor prognosis and high mortality. However, the mechanisms behind their simultaneous occurrence are unclear.

Zebrafish as a model system for studying reproductive diseases.

Reproductive system diseases have become a major health challenge facing humans, so extensive investigations are needed to understand their complex pathogenesis and summarize effective treatments. In the study of reproductive diseases, mice are the most commonly used animal model. However, the cost and time required to establish mouse animal models are high.

High Molecular-Weight Organics as Precursors for Toxic Iodinated Disinfection Byproducts during Chloramination.

Iodinated DBPs (I-DBPs), many more toxic than regulated chlorinated and/or brominated DBPs, are a major challenge in the supply of safe drinking water. While over 800 DBPs have been identified, the occurrence and precursors of toxic I-DBPs remain poorly understood. Herein, natural organic matter from two raw drinking waters was fractionated using ultrafiltration membranes into different groups based on molecular weight (MW).

Comprehensive analysis of scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveals the non-cardiomyocytes heterogeneity and novel cell populations in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common causes of heart failure. Infiltration and alterations in non-cardiomyocytes of the human heart involve crucially in the occurrence of DCM and associated immunotherapeutic approaches.

Methods: We constructed a single-cell transcriptional atlas of DCM and normal patients.

Connexin 43 contributes to perioperative neurocognitive disorder by attenuating perineuronal net of hippocampus in aged mice.

Background: Perioperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) is a prevalent form of cognitive impairment in elderly patients following anesthesia and surgery. The underlying mechanisms of PND are closely related to perineuronal nets (PNNs). PNNs, which are complexes of extracellular matrix primarily surrounding neurons in the hippocampus, play a critical role in neurocognitive function.

Predicting largest expected aftershock ground motions using automated machine learning (AutoML)-based scheme.

Aftershocks can cause additional damage or even lead to the collapse of structures already weakened by a mainshock. Scarcity of in-situ recorded aftershock accelerograms heightens the need to develop synthetic aftershock ground motions. These synthesized motions are crucial for assessing the cumulative seismic demand on structures subjected to mainshock-aftershock sequences.

Research on the self-efficacy and resilience of female graduate students in the era of artificial intelligence: analysis of the mechanism of mobile phone dependence, anxiety and mentoring relationship.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the employment situation on the anxiety levels and research self-efficacy of graduate students, with a particular focus on female graduate students. The study aims to understand how the use of AIGC tools, which has become more frequent among those with lower research self-efficacy, affects anxiety and research resilience. Additionally, the research explores the role of the mentoring relationship in influencing the psychological and academic experiences of female graduate students.

DNA-damage orchestrates self-renewal and differentiation via reciprocal p53 family and Hippo/Wnt/TGF-β pathway activation in embryonic stem cells.

The mechanism by which DNA-damage affects self-renewal and pluripotency remains unclear. DNA damage and repair mechanisms have been largely elucidated in mutated cancer cells or simple eukaryotes, making valid interpretations on early development difficult. Here we show the impact of ionizing irradiation on the maintenance and early differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Tumor microenvironment-responsive engineered hybrid nanomedicine for photodynamic-immunotherapy via multi-pronged amplification of reactive oxygen species.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is promising in cancer therapy by accelerating tumor cell death, whose therapeutic efficacy, however, is greatly limited by the hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the antioxidant defense. Amplification of oxidative stress has been successfully employed for tumor therapy, but the interactions between cancer cells and the other factors of TME usually lead to inadequate tumor treatments. To tackle this issue, we develop a pH/redox dual-responsive nanomedicine based on the remodeling of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) for multi-pronged amplification of ROS (ZnPP@FQOS).

Expert consensus on pulpotomy in the management of mature permanent teeth with pulpitis.

Pulpotomy, which belongs to vital pulp therapy, has become a strategy for managing pulpitis in recent decades. This minimally invasive treatment reflects the recognition of preserving healthy dental pulp and optimizing long-term patient-centered outcomes. Pulpotomy is categorized into partial pulpotomy (PP), the removal of a partial segment of the coronal pulp tissue, and full pulpotomy (FP), the removal of whole coronal pulp, which is followed by applying the biomaterials onto the remaining pulp tissue and ultimately restoring the tooth.

METTL3 modulates colonic epithelium integrity via maintaining the self-renewal and differentiation of Lgr5+ stem cell.

The development and homeostasis of intestinal epithelium are mediated by actively proliferating Lgr5+ stem cells, which possess a remarkable self-renewal and differentiation capacity. Recently, our study demonstrated that m6A methylation was essential for the survival of colonic stem cells. Here, we show that METTL3 expression is downregulated in the colon mucosa in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and strongly associated with the differentiation and maturation of goblet cells during inflammation.

Regulation of important natural products biosynthesis by WRKY transcription factors in plants.

Background: Plants produce abundant natural products, among which are species-specific and diversified secondary metabolites that are essential for growth and development, as well as adaptation to adversity and ecology. Moreover, these secondary metabolites are extensively utilized in pharmaceuticals, fragrances, industrial materials, and more. WRKY transcription factors (TFs), as a family of TFs unique to plants, have significant functions in many plant life activities.

Predicting Plaque Regression Based on Plaque Characteristics Identified by Optical Coherence Tomography: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven, systemic immune-inflammatory disease characterized by the accumulation of plaque within the arterial walls. Plaque regression can occur following appropriate treatment interventions. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a high-resolution imaging modality, is frequently employed to assess plaque morphology.

A powerful but frequently overlooked role of thermodynamics in environmental microbiology: inspirations from anammox.

Thermodynamics has long been applied in predicting undiscovered microorganisms or analyzing energy flows in microbial metabolism, as well as evaluating microbial impacts on global element distributions. However, further development and refinement in this interdisciplinary field are still needed. This work endeavors to develop a whole-cycle framework integrating thermodynamics with microbiological studies, focusing on representative nitrogen-transforming microorganisms.

NIR-Activated Hydrogel with Dual-Enhanced Antibiotic Effectiveness for Thorough Elimination of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Antibiotic resistance has become a critical health crisis globally. Traditional strategies using antibiotics can lead to drug-resistance, while inorganic antimicrobial agents can cause severe systemic toxicity. Here, we have developed a dual-antibiotic hydrogel delivery system (PDA-Ag@Levo/CMCS), which can achieve controlled release of clinical antibiotics levofloxacin (Levo) and classic nanoscale antibiotic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), effectively eliminating drug-resistant .