Plasma biomarkers of amyloid, tau, astrogliosis, and axonal injury in a mixed memory clinic cohort.

Introduction: Studies have shown that blood biomarkers can differentiate dementia disorders. However, the diagnosis of dementia still relies primarily on cerebrospinal fluid and imaging modalities. The new disease-modifying treatments call for more widely applicable biomarkers.

In-Situ Formation of Three-Dimensional Network Intrinsic Microporous Ladder Polymer Membranes with Ultra-High Gas Separation Performance and Anti-Trade-Off Effect.

The global quest for clean energy and sustainable processes makes advanced membrane extremely attractive for energy-intensive industrial gas separations. Here, we disclosed a series of ultra-high-performance gas separation membranes (PIM-3D-TB) from novel network polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) that combine the advantages of solution processible PIM and small pore size distribution (PSD) of porous organic polymers (POP), which was synthesized by in situ copolymerization of triptycene-2,6-diamine as linear part and triptycene-2,6,13(14)-triamine (TTA) as crosslinker. The resulting PIM-3D-TB membranes demonstrated outstanding separation properties that outperformed the latest trade-off lines for H/CH and O/N.

Functional Polyolefins and Composites.

Polyolefins are simple hydrocarbons that require additional chemical modifications or functional additives to give them custom functions. Recent research in the development of functional polyolefins has surpassed the traditional approach of simply improving surface properties by incorporating polar moieties. Creating custom functionalized polyolefins by using specific functional units has attracted increasing attention.

Metabolism and metabolomics in senescence, aging, and age-related diseases: a multiscale perspective.

The pursuit of healthy aging has long rendered aging and senescence captivating. Age-related ailments, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders, pose significant threats to individuals. Recent studies have shed light on the intricate mechanisms encompassing genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics in the processes of senescence and aging, as well as the establishment of age-related pathologies.

circ_0004662 contributes to colorectal cancer progression by interacting with hnRNPM.

Circular (circ)RNAs participate in colorectal cancer (CRC) occurrence and progression. However, the role of hsa_circ_0004662 (circ_0004662) in CRC remains unknown. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR noted high expression of circ_0004662 in CRC compared with normal colorectal epithelial cells.

Plasma N-terminal tau fragment is an amyloid-dependent biomarker in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Novel fluid biomarkers for tracking neurodegeneration specific to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are greatly needed.

Methods: Using two independent well-characterized cohorts (n = 881 in total), we investigated the group differences in plasma N-terminal tau (NT1-tau) fragments across different AD stages and their association with cross-sectional and longitudinal amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, tau tangles, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline.

Results: Plasma NT1-tau significantly increased in symptomatic AD and displayed positive associations with Aβ PET (positron emission tomography) and tau PET.

Dipolar wavevector interference induces a polar skyrmion lattice in strained BiFeO films.

Skyrmions can form regular arrangements, so-called skyrmion crystals (SkXs). A mode with multiple wavevectors q then describes the arrangement. While magnetic SkXs, which can emerge in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, are well established, polar skyrmion lattices are still elusive.

Control of water for high-yield and low-cost sustainable electrochemical synthesis of uniform monolayer graphene oxide.

With the rapid development of graphene industry, low-cost sustainable synthesis of monolayer graphene oxide (GO) has become more and more important for many applications such as water desalination, thermal management, energy storage and functional composites. Compared to the conventional chemical oxidation methods, water electrolytic oxidation of graphite-intercalation-compound (GIC) shows significant advantages in environmental-friendliness, safety and efficiency, but suffers from non-uniform oxidation, typically ~50 wt.% yield with ~50% monolayers.

Exploring early postoperative core symptoms in Chinese patients with primary liver cancer: a cross-sectional and longitudinal network analysis.

Background: Patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) experience a range of symptoms in the early postoperative period. Symptoms include cancer-related symptoms and adverse effects of treatment. Exploring the core symptoms and their dynamics in the early post-hepatectomy patients may help provide better symptom management programs.

Maternal ELL3 loss-of-function leads to oocyte aneuploidy and early miscarriage.

Up to an estimated 10% of women experience miscarriage in their lifetimes. Embryonic aneuploidy is a leading cause for miscarriage, infertility and congenital defects. Here we identify variants of ELL3, a gene encoding a transcription elongation factor, in couples who experienced consecutive early miscarriages due to embryonic aneuploidy.

Moderate full-fat and low-fat yoghurt consumption correlates with reduced mortality risk: a large-scale prospective analysis.

Background: Yoghurt is a commonly consumed fermented food recommended by many guidelines. Yoghurt consumption can contribute to the intake of multiple nutrients and reduce the risk of several diseases. However, prospective evidence is limited on the associations between full/low-fat yoghurt consumption and mortality risk.

Time-resolved spectroscopy uncovers deprotonation-induced reconstruction in oxygen-evolution NiFe-based (oxy)hydroxides.

Transition-metal layered double hydroxides are widely utilized as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), undergoing dynamic transformation into active oxyhydroxides during electrochemical operation. Nonetheless, our understanding of the non-equilibrium structural changes that occur during this process remains limited. In this study, utilizing in situ energy-dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy and machine learning analysis, we reveal the occurrence of deprotonation and elucidate the role of incorporated iron in facilitating the transition from nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe LDH) into its active oxyhydroxide.

Gypsum heterogenous nucleation pathways regulated by surface functional groups and hydrophobicity.

Gypsum (CaSO·2HO) plays a critical role in numerous natural and industrial processes. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms governing the formation of gypsum crystals on surfaces with diverse chemical properties remain poorly understood due to a lack of sufficient temporal-spatial resolution. Herein, we use in situ microscopy to investigate the real-time gypsum nucleation on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) terminated with -CH, -hybrid (a combination of NH and COOH), -COOH, -SO, -NH, and -OH functional groups.

Realizing low voltage-driven bright and stable quantum dot light-emitting diodes through energy landscape flattening.

Solution-processed quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) hold great potential as competitive candidates for display and lighting applications. However, the serious energy disorder between the quantum dots (QDs) and hole transport layer (HTL) makes it challenging to achieve high-performance devices at lower voltage ranges. Here, we introduce "giant" fully alloy CdZnSe/ZnSeS core/shell QDs (size ~ 19 nm) as the emitting layer to build high-efficient and stable QLEDs.

High-performance solid-state proton gating membranes based on two-dimensional hydrogen-bonded organic framework composites.

Biological ion channels exhibit strong gating effects due to their zero-current closed states. However, the gating capabilities of artificial nanochannels have typically fallen short of biological channels, primarily owing to the larger nanopores that fail to completely block ion transport in the off-states. Here, we demonstrate solid-state hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks-based membranes to achieve high-performance ambient humidity-controlled proton gating, accomplished by switching the proton transport pathway instead of relying on conventional ion blockage/activation effects.

Spontaneous curvature in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures consist of different 2D crystals with diverse properties, constituting the cornerstone of the new generation of 2D electronic devices. Yet interfaces in heterostructures inevitably break bulk symmetry and structural continuity, resulting in delicate atomic rearrangements and novel electronic structures. In this paper, we predict that 2D interfaces undergo "spontaneous curvature", which means when two flat 2D layers approach each other, they inevitably experience out-of-plane curvature.

Electrochromism via reversible electrodeposition of solid iodine.

Electrochromic materials were discovered in the 1960s when scientists observed reversible changes between the light and dark states in WO thin films under different voltages. Since then, researchers have identified various electrochromic material systems, including transition metal oxides, polymer materials, and small molecules. However, the electrochromic phenomenon has rarely been observed in non-metallic elemental substances.

Pathways to usage intention of mobile health apps among hypertensive patients: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

The efficacy of mHealth apps in managing hypertension has been proven; however, low usage intention remains a significant challenge, warranting an in-depth exploration of the influencing factors. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing hypertensive new users' intention to use mobile health applications through a cross-sectional survey. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to investigate the combinations of various determinants, including technology acceptance, adoption factors, compliance behavior initiation factors, and time motivation factors for decision making.

Crucial role of the cGAS N terminus in mediating flowable and functional cGAS-DNA condensate formation via DNA interactions.

The DNA-sensing protein cGAS plays a pivotal role in the innate immune response and pathogenesis of various diseases. DNA triggers liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and enhances the enzymatic activity of cGAS. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the disordered N terminus remain unclear.

Photoelectron Imaging and Photodetachment Spectroscopy for the Cryogenically Cooled Cyanocyclopentadienide Anion.

The cyano-cyclopentadiene molecule (CN-CH) has attracted significant interest since its detection in the interstellar medium, but the radical (CN-CH) and anionic (CN-CH) forms of cyano-cyclopentadiene have not been studied. The cyano-cyclopentadienyl radical (CN-Cp) has a strong dipole moment, rendering it an ideal system for vibrational and rotational spectroscopy. We report an investigation of the cryogenically cooled cyano-cyclopentadienide anion (CN-Cp) using high-resolution photoelectron imaging, photodetachment spectroscopy, and resonant photoelectron imaging.

Stiffness Tunable Magnetic Actuators Based on Shape Memory Polymer/NdFeB Composite for Segmental Controllable Motion.

Soft magnetic robots have attracted extensive research interest recently due to their fast-transforming ability and programmability. Although the inherent softness of the matrix materials enables dexterity and safe interactions, the contradiction between the easy shape transformation of the soft matrices and load carrying capacity, as well as the difficulty of independently controllable motion of individual segments, severely limits its design space and application potentials. Herein, we have proposed a strategy to adjust the modulus of shape memory polymer composite embedded with hard magnetic particles by Joule heating of printed circuit, which can reversibly change the stiffness from 4.

Strong and Fireproof Regenerated Wood a Combined Phosphorylation-Surface Nanofibrillation and Ionic Cross-Linking Strategy.

To reduce the environmental impact of plastics, an increasing number of high-performance sustainable materials have emerged. Among them, wood-based high-performance structural materials have gained growing attention due to their outstanding mechanical and thermal properties. Here, we introduce phosphate groups onto the wood veneers for surface nanofibrillation, effectively altering both the molecular structure and surface morphology of wood, which enhances the interactions between wood veneers and endows the wood with excellent fire resistance properties.

Dual-Grid and Mixed-Precision Methods for Accelerating Plane-Wave Hybrid Functional Electronic Structure Calculations.

Hybrid functionals that incorporate exact Hartree-Fock exchange (HFX) into density functional theory (DFT) are crucial for accurately predicting the electronic structures of extended systems in condensed-matter physics and materials science. Although the exact exchange contributes only a small fraction of the total energy, HFX calculations in hybrid functionals demand significant computational resources. Here, we introduce dual-grid and mixed-precision techniques, based on two low-rank approximations, adaptively compressed exchange (ACE) and interpolative separable density fitting (ISDF) methods, to significantly improve the computational efficiency of plane-wave hybrid functional calculations in the software package PWDFT (plane wave density functional theory).

Efficacy and safety of chemotherapy combined with iodine-125 seed brachytherapy for intermediate and advanced oncogenic driver gene-negative non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided iodine-125 seed brachytherapy in conjunction with chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone for the management of intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lacking oncogenic driving genes.

Methods And Materials: Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 128 patients diagnosed with intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received iodine-125 combined with chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone due to the absence of oncogenic driver gene mutations. The patients in two groups were compared at 6-month follow-up for objective remission rate (ORR), Disease control rate (DCR), local progression-free survival (LPFS), overall survival (OS), clinical symptom improvement, and adverse events.

Polymer-based vaccines for substance use disorders: Targeting ketamine and methamphetamine with protein-free hyperbranched polyethyleneimine carriers.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) present a critical global health challenge, as current treatment options often prove insufficient, particularly for substances like ketamine and methamphetamine. In this study, we developed a novel immunotherapeutic strategy utilizing protein-free, polymer-based vaccines, with hyperbranched polyethylenimine (Hb-PEI) as a carrier to enhance immune specificity and remove the production of non-specific antibodies. Haptens for ketamine and methamphetamine were covalently conjugated to the Hb-PEI carrier, along with the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonist 1V209, to stimulate targeted humoral immune responses.