TiN Boosting the Oxygen Reduction Performance of Fe-N-C through the Relay-Catalyzing Mechanism for Metal-Air Batteries.

Metal-air batteries desire highly active, durable, and low-cost oxygen reduction catalysts to replace expensive platinum (Pt). The Fe-N-C catalyst is recognized as the most promising candidate for Pt; however, its durability is hindered by carbon corrosion, while activity is restricted due to limited oxygen for the reaction. Herein, TiN is creatively designed to be hybridized with Fe-N-C (TiN/Fe-N-C) to relieve carbon corrosion and absorb more oxygen when catalyzing oxygen reduction.

Spatially aligned graph transfer learning for characterizing spatial regulatory heterogeneity.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) technologies facilitate the exploration of cell fates or states within tissue microenvironments. Despite these advances, the field has not adequately addressed the regulatory heterogeneity influenced by microenvironmental factors. Here, we propose a novel Spatially Aligned Graph Transfer Learning (SpaGTL), pretrained on a large-scale multi-modal SRT data of about 100 million cells/spots to enable inference of context-specific spatial gene regulatory networks across multiple scales in data-limited settings.

Discovery of Fluorescent Probe ABDS-2 for Farnesoid X Receptor Modulator Characterization and Cell-Based Imaging.

The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) regulates key physiological processes, such as bile acid homeostasis and lipid metabolism, making it an important target for drug discovery. However, the overactivation of FXR often leads to adverse effects. This study presents the development of a novel fluorescent probe utilizing the computer-aided drug design (CADD) approach to optimize linkers between more potent warhead and FITC fluorescent groups.

Optimizing genome editing efficiency in via a CRISPR/Cas9n-mediated editing system.

is an important bioresource to produce various antibacterial natural products, however, the time-consuming and labor-intensive genome editing toolkits hindered the construction and application of engineered strains, and this study aimed to establish an efficient CRISPR/Cas9n genome editing system in . Initially, the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing tool was employed to replace those awkward genome editing tools that relied on homologous recombination, while the off-target Cas9 exhibited high toxicity to Sf01. Therefore, the nickase mutation D10A, high-fidelity mutations including N497A, R661A, Q695A, and Q926A, and thiostrepton-induced promotor P were incorporated into the Cas9 expression cassette, which reduced its toxicity.

The wheat NLR pair RXL/Pm5e confers resistance to powdery mildew.

Powdery mildew poses a significant threat to global wheat production and most cloned and deployed resistance genes for wheat breeding encode nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors. Although two genetically linked NLRs function together as an NLR pair have been reported in other species, this phenomenon has been relatively less studied in wheat. Here, we demonstrate that two tightly linked NLR genes, RXL and Pm5e, arranged in a head-to-head orientation, function together as an NLR pair to mediate powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Stress Relaxation for Lead Iodide Nucleation in Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells.

Porous lead iodide (PbI) film is crucial for the complete reaction between PbI and ammonium salts in sequential-deposition technology so as to achieve high crystallinity perovskite film. Herein, it is found that the tensile stress in tin (IV) oxide (SnO) electron transport layer (ETL) is a key factor influencing the morphology and crystallization of PbI films. Focusing on this, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiOTf) is used as an interfacial modifier in the SnO/PbI interface to decrease the tensile stress to reduce the necessary critical Gibbs free energy for PbI nuclei formation.

Global Protein Interactome Mapping in Rice Using Barcode-Indexed PCR Coupled with HiFi Long-Read Sequencing.

Establishing the protein-protein interaction network sheds light on functional genomics studies by providing insights from known counterparts. However, the rice interactome has barely been studied due to the lack of massive, reliable, and cost-effective methodologies. Here, the development of a barcode-indexed PCR coupled with HiFi long-read sequencing pipeline (BIP-seq) is reported for high throughput Protein Protein Interaction (PPI)identification.

Two-dimensional inverse double sandwich CoB: strain-induced non-magnetic to ferromagnetic transition.

A full-scale structural search was performed using density functional theory calculations and a universal structural prediction evolutionary algorithm. This produced a lowest energy two-dimensional (2D) CoB structure. The CoB-1 global minimum structure has unusual inverse double sandwich features.

Intermittent Fasting Ameliorates β-Amyloid Deposition and Cognitive Impairment Accompanied by Decreased Lipid Droplet Aggregation Within Microglia in an Alzheimer's Disease Model.

Scope: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia, lack of effective therapeutic interventions. In this study, we investigate the impact of intermittent fasting (IF), an alternative strategy of calorie restriction, on cognitive functions and AD-like pathology in a transgenic mouse model of AD.

Methods And Results: APP/PS1 mice at 6 months were randomly allocated to two dietary groups: one receiving ad libitum (AL) feeding and the other undergoing IF for 1 month.

Platelet membrane biomimetic nanomedicine induces dual glutathione consumption for enhancing cancer radioimmunotherapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most common treatments for cancer. However, intracellular glutathione (GSH) plays a key role in protecting cancer from radiation damage. Herein, we have developed a platelet membrane biomimetic nanomedicine (PMD) that induces double GSH consumption to enhance tumor radioimmunotherapy.

Utilizing Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing for Rapid, Accurate, and Cost-Effective Pathogen Detection in Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical impact of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) in patients with suspected lower respiratory tract infections.

Methods: Following propensity score matching, we compared the diagnostic performances of tNGS and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). Furthermore, the diagnostic performance of tNGS was compared with that of culture, and its clinical impact was assessed.

F-FDG PET/CT findings in a mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma patient coexisting with primary myelofibrosis.

A 61-year-old male presented with hematemesis and melena. Biopsy and immunohistochemistry confirmed mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in the posterior wall of the gastric antrum, prompting further evaluation with F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). In addition to elevated uptake in the gastric antrum, F-FDG PET/CT showed diffuse uptake in multiple bone marrow, initially suspected to indicate bone marrow involvement by lymphoma.

Virus-like particle: a nano-platform that delivers cancer antigens to elicit an anti-tumor immune response.

Virus-like particles (VLPs), as a unique form of nanocarrier, predominantly encompass hollow protein shells that exhibit analogous morphology and structure to naturally occurring viruses, yet devoid of genetic material. VLPs are considered safe, easily modifiable, and stable, making them suitable for preparation in various expression systems. They serve as precise biological instruments with broad applications in the field of medical biology.

Targeting the chemokines in acute graft-versus-host disease.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) constitutes a critical therapeutic approach for patients with malignant hematological disorders. Nevertheless, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), one of the most prevalent complications associated with HSCT, remains a leading contributor to non-relapse mortality. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the interplay between chemokines and their receptors in the context of acute GVHD.

A novel pulse-current waveform circuit for low-energy consumption and low-noise transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Introduction: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is widely used for the noninvasive activation of neurons in the human brain. It utilizes a pulsed magnetic field to induce electric pulses that act on the central nervous system, altering the membrane potential of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex to treat certain mental diseases. However, the effectiveness of TMS can be compromised by significant heat generation and the clicking noise produced by the pulse in the TMS coil.

A case report of hypospadias combined with polyorchidism.

Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation of the reproductive system; however, to date, no cases of hypospadias complicated by polyorchidism have been reported in the literature. This article reports a case of a 1-year-old boy presenting with hypospadias, who was also diagnosed with polyorchidism combined with cryptorchidism. Preoperative Doppler ultrasound revealed two testes on the right side, and an atrophic testis on the left.

Selenium in cancer management: exploring the therapeutic potential.

Selenium (Se) is important and plays significant roles in many biological processes or physiological activities. Prolonged selenium deficiency has been conclusively linked to an elevated risk of various diseases, including but not limited to cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, Keshan disease, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The intricate relationship between selenium status and health outcomes is believed to be characterized by a non-linear U-shaped dose-response curve.

Exploring the relationship between illness perception, self-transcendence, and demoralization in patients with lung cancer: A latent profile and mediation analysis.

Objective: This study examined the heterogeneity of illness perceptions in patients with lung cancer and evaluated the mediating role of self-transcendence in the relation between illness perception and demoralization.

Methods: A convenience sample of 477 patients with lung cancer was selected from three tertiary hospitals in Wuhan, China, between January and June 2024. Participants completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Self-Transcendence Scale, and Demoralization Scale.

The role of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in initiating mitochondrial damage and inflammation in wasp-venom-induced acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury induced by stings from multiple wasps is a medical emergency and is a driving factor of acute renal dysfunction. Numerous studies have shown that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) play a key role in ischemia-reperfusion injury-, cisplatin-, and sepsis-induced acute kidney injury. However, the role of mtROS and its underlying mechanisms in wasp-venom-induced acute kidney injury remain inconclusive.

Research focus and theme evolution on enhanced external counterpulsation: A bibliometric analysis.

Aims: The study delved into the identification of key research areas and evolving trends within the domain of Enhanced External Counterpulsation, aiming to gain comprehensive insights into the subject matter.

Methods: Utilizing the sophisticated search parameter of 'topic' (TS) on the Web of Science (WoS) database, the necessary information was retrieved. This research employed an array of tools for effective data extraction, analysis, and visualization, which included Microsoft Excel for tabular management, HistCite Pro for citation analysis, GunnMap for geographical mapping, BibExcel for bibliometric assessments, and VOSviewer for network visualization purposes.

Strategies for specific multimodal imaging of cancer-associated fibroblasts and applications in theranostics of cancer.

Fibroblast activating protein (FAP) is up-regulated in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) of more than 90 % of tumor microenvironment and also highly expressed on the surface of multiple tumor cells like glioblastoma, which can be used as a specific target for tumor diagnosis and treatment. At present, small-molecule radiotracer targeting FAP with high specificity exhibit limited functionality, which hinders the integration of theranostics as well as multifunctionality. In this work, we have engineered a multifunctional nanoplatform utilizing organic melanin nanoparticles that specifically targets FAP, facilitating both multimodal imaging and synergistic therapeutic applications.

A data-driven machine learning algorithm to predict the effectiveness of inulin intervention against type II diabetes.

Introduction: The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has increased in recent years. Alongside traditional pharmacological treatments, nutritional therapy has emerged as a crucial aspect of T2DM management. Inulin, a fructan-type soluble fiber that promotes the growth of probiotic species like and , is commonly used in nutritional interventions for T2DM.

Unveiling the Origin of Copper Accumulation in Plasma with Aging.

Aging is intricately linked to various diseases including cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic irregularities. Copper (Cu) overexposure has been found to be linked to many diseases during aging, particularly neurodegenerative diseases. Meanwhile, as an essential element, Cu has been implicated in key processes associated with aging, raising questions about its role in age-related health issues.

Correlations of anterior and posterior corneal parameters in Chinese myopic patients: a retrospective multicenter study.

Background: Whether the correlations between anterior and posterior corneal parameters vary according to different conditions is unknown. We aimed to investigate the anterior-to-posterior correlations of corneal parameters according to different refractive status and anterior segment dimension.

Methods: A total of 8,365 myopic eyes undergoing refractive surgery between 2017 and 2019 from multiple ophthalmic centers were consecutively included in the study.

Dual-layer detector spectral computed tomography quantitative parameters for predicting pathological complete remission after neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a common cancer among women worldwide, and although the use of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for BC has become more widespread, there is no standardized prediction of the efficacy of NAT for BC. This study aimed to evaluate the value of quantitative parameters of dual-layer detector spectral computed tomography (DLCT) in predicting whether BC patients can achieve pathological complete response (pCR) after NAT.

Methods: Patients who were first diagnosed with BC in Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute and received only NAT before surgery were selected for participation in this study.