Evaluation of the effect of Ela tablets in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy based on rat experiments and screening strategy for quality markers of Ela tablets targeting aldose reductase.

Ela tablets (ALP) is a traditional Uyghur medicinal formulation comprising 9 herbs. Clinical applications have demonstrated its potential in treating diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, its specific medicinal effects and pharmacodynamic components have not been elucidated.

Interpretable identification of cancer genes across biological networks via transformer-powered graph representation learning.

Graph representation learning has been leveraged to identify cancer genes from biological networks. However, its applicability is limited by insufficient interpretability and generalizability under integrative network analysis. Here we report the development of an interpretable and generalizable transformer-based model that accurately predicts cancer genes by leveraging graph representation learning and the integration of multi-omics data with the topologies of homogeneous and heterogeneous networks of biological interactions.

Structural Similarity in Natural Products Leading to Sample Misidentification: A Case Study of the Bisbenzylisoquinoline Alkaloids Oxyacanthine and Berbamine.

The similar structures of natural compounds and the absence of NMR data for commercial products raise the risk of misidentification. This work reports a case in which purchased samples labeled as "berbamine" from 14 suppliers are oxyacanthine (). The NMR data of all purchased samples were consistent.

Capturing short-range and long-range dependencies of nucleotides for identifying RNA N6-methyladenosine modification sites.

N-methyladenosine (mA) plays a crucial role in enriching RNA functional and genetic information, and the identification of mA modification sites is therefore an important task to promote the understanding of RNA epigenetics. In the identification process, current studies are mainly concentrated on capturing the short-range dependencies between adjacent nucleotides in RNA sequences, while ignoring the impact of long-range dependencies between non-adjacent nucleotides for learning high-quality representation of RNA sequences. In this work, we propose an end-to-end prediction model, called mASLD, to improve the identification accuracy of mA modification sites by capturing the short-range and long-range dependencies of nucleotides.

PbSiOCl and PbCaSiO: Two Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Materials Exhibit a Moderate Second Harmonic Generation Response.

Finding novel efficient nonlinear optical materials with large second-order nonlinearity for the UV spectral range remains a formidable challenge, especially for silicate systems. Using a high-temperature solid reaction in a tight vacuum environment, two ultraviolet nonlinear optical materials with a moderate second harmonic generation (SHG) response have been created: PbSiOC and PbCaSiO. The SHG values they computed are roughly 2.

The New Paradigm of Ligand Substitution-Driven Enhancement of Anisotropy from SO Units in Short-Wavelength Region.

For non-π-conjugated [SO] units, it is challenging to generate sufficient birefringence, owing to the high symmetry of the regular tetrahedron. Unlike the traditional trial-and-error approach, we propose a new paradigm for birefringence engineering to tune the optical properties based on [SO] units. Through the strategy of ligand substitution, we can predict its effect on the band gap and anisotropy.

Enabling Multicolor Information Encryption: Oleylammonium-Halide-Assisted Reversible Phase Conversion between CsPbX and CsPbX Nanocrystals.

Recently, halide perovskites have been recognized for their thermochromic characteristics, showing significant potential in information encryption applications. However, the limited luminescence color gamut hinders the encryption of complex multicolor information. Herein, for the first time, multicolor thermochromic perovskites with luminescence covering the entire visible spectrum have been designed.

An integrated transcriptomic analysis of brain aging and strategies for healthy aging.

Background: It is been noted that the expression levels of numerous genes undergo changes as individuals age, and aging stands as a primary factor contributing to age-related diseases. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether there are common aging genes across organs or tissues, and whether these aging genes play a pivotal role in the development of age-related diseases.

Methods: In this study, we screened for aging genes using RNAseq data of 32 human tissues from GTEx.

Emergent Mid-Infrared Nonlinear Optical Candidates With Targeted Balance Performances.

Infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal materials exert a crucial role in laser technology, which is extensively utilized in the fields of medical laser, long-distance laser communication, infrared laser guidance, etc. Currently, the commercially available infrared NLO crystals are diamond-like structural crystals AgGaQ (Q = S, Se) and ZnGeP. However, their applications are significantly limited owing to their inherent drawbacks, such as low laser damage thresholds and narrow band gaps.

Sesquiterpene lactones from Seriphidium transiliense and their anti-inflammation activity.

Six undescribed sesquiterpene lactones (1-6) and fifteen known compounds (7-21) were isolated from Seriphidium transiliense. The chemical structures were determined by extensive NMR spectroscopic data, HRESIMS, ECD and X-ray diffraction. Among the known compounds, twelve known compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant, including taurine (9), 11-epitaurin (10), α-santonin (11), artesin (13), 11-epiartesin (14), 1α-hydroxy-3β-acetoxyeudesm-4-en-6β, 7α, 11βH-12, 6-olide (15), 1α-hydroxy-3β-acetoxyeudesm-4-en-6β, 7α, 11αH-12, 6-olide (16), artegallin (17), 8α-hydroxytaurin (18), 8α-acetoxytaurine (19), methyl-4α-hydroxy-11(13)-eudesmen-12-oatesaniculamoid D (20), and saniculamoid D (21).

Artificial intelligence guided search for van der Waals materials with high optical anisotropy.

The exploration of van der Waals (vdW) materials, renowned for their unique optical properties, is pivotal for advanced photonics. These materials exhibit exceptional optical anisotropy, both in-plane and out-of-plane, making them an ideal platform for novel photonic applications. However, the manual search for vdW materials with giant optical anisotropy is a labor-intensive process unsuitable for the fast screening of materials with unique properties.

Structural modification of hydroxyborates by adjusting the number of shared oxygen atoms and hydroxyl groups for further performance enhancement.

In recent years, hydroxyborates with excellent properties have attracted much attention. Through dedicated efforts, three new hydroxyborates-KBO(OH), CsBO(OH), and CsBO(OH)-have been successfully synthesized in a closed system. The ultraviolet (UV) cut-off edges of both KBO(OH) and CsBO(OH) are below 200 nm, indicating their potential as candidates for deep-ultraviolet (DUV) materials.

Microwave-Powered Liquid Metal Degradation of Polyolefins.

Upcycling waste plastics is highly promising to tackle global white pollution while achieving sustainable development. However, prevailing approaches often encounter challenges in scalable engineering practices due to either insufficient plastic upcycling capability or arduousness in the separation, recovery, and purification of catalysts, which inevitably augments the cost of plastic upcycling. Here, the microwave-powered liquid metal synergetic depolymerization is presented to facilitate low-cost plastic upcycling.

Bifunctional Design of Ferroelectric-Order and Band-Engineering in Cu:KTN Crystal for Extended Self-Powered Photoelectric Response.

Photoelectric conversion in ferroelectric crystals can support many important applications in modern on-chip technology, but suffering from two problems, low responsive current and narrow responsive range. Especially, wide-gap ferroelectric oxides are only active at short-wavelength ultraviolet region with weak photocurrent at nanoampere levels. Here, a bifunctional design strategy of ferroelectric-order and electronic-band to improve the photocurrent and extend the responsive range simultaneously, is proposed.

High-Entropy Thermistor Ceramics (LaNd)(ZrSn)O ( = Sm, Eu, Gd, or Dy) with High Sensitivity for High-Temperature Measurements.

A series of high-entropy pyrochlore ceramics, specifically (LaNd)(ZnSn)O ( = Sm, Eu, Gd, or Dy), have been synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. Their potential as high-temperature thermistors was investigated by analyzing electrical and aging properties at elevated temperatures. Characterization using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy confirms that these ceramics are dense, single-phase solid solutions with a pyrochlore structure.

Three new monoterpenes compounds isolated from Seriphidium terrae-albae exerted anti-inflammatory effects through the JAK/STAT and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Three new monoterpenes compounds (5S, 8S)-5-(2E-butenyl)-8-methyl propionate-cyclopentanone (1), 1-Oxy, 10-keto-α-myrcene hydroxide (2), (3R,4R)-3-hydroxy-4-isobutenyl-cyclopentyl ester (3), along with eleven known small molecular compounds such as monoterpenes (1-7, 14), coumarin (10), and other small molecular compounds (8, 9, 11-13) were isolated from Seriphidium terrae-albae. The structures were elucidated by NMR, HRESIMS, ECD calculations, and X-ray crystallography. Anti-inflammatory activity test results showed that 9 compounds were detected to inhibit NO secretion by mouse macrophage Raw 264.

Experimental investigation the effect of bamboo micro filler on performance of bamboo-sisal-E-glass fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix hybrid composites.

The numerous advantages of natural fiber reinforced hybrid composites, such as their light weight, biodegradability, recyclability, availability, and low cost, have brought them to the forefront for various structural applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of varying the weight fractions of bamboo micro filler on the tensile, flexural, impact, and water absorption properties of the Sisal-Bamboo-E-glass fiber reinforced epoxy matrix hybrid composite prepared by manual hand layup method. To enhance the bond between natural and synthetic fibers and reduce the hydrophilic nature of natural fibers, bamboo and sisal fibers were treated with 5 % NaOH for 6 and 8 h, respectively.

Computer-Aided Development of New Nonlinear Optical Materials.

Exploring new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is an urgent need for advanced photoelectric technologies. However, the discovery of new materials with targeted properties is time-consuming, and involves various challenges by the traditional trial-and-error experiments. Recently, the theoretical prediction-guided structural design has been demonstrated as a feasible way for efficiently developing new NLO materials, and a large number of NLO candidates with excellent optical properties have been explored.

Shape Effect of Polymer-Based Multilayer Microcapsules on Cellular Internalization.

The intracellular fate of drug carriers had received extensive attention, which was profoundly influenced by the shapes of carriers. However, it has not been fully addressed due to the lack of effective strategies to prepare carriers with different shapes and the interference of other parameters (such as stiffness and chemistry of the shaped particle and the different cell lines). In this work, polymer-based microcapsules with different shapes (spherical, peanut, dumbbell, and cubic) but the same surface chemistry were engineered through the alternative deposition of polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) onto the sacrificial CaCO templates with different well-defined shapes.

Nanoconfined electrostatic interaction for efficient anion sieving in graphene oxide membranes.

Controllable ion transport and precise ion sieving are crucial for sustainable water treatment and resource recovery. 2D materials, including graphene oxide (GO) with tunable nanochannels, are emerging as ideal material platforms to develop ion sieving membranes. However, accurate ion sieving remains challenging due to the swollen and enlarged interlayer spacing of GO membranes in aqueous solution, resulting in the non-selective of small ions.

CaAlBO: borate with a graphene-like layer featuring two types of topological six-membered rings induced by [AlO] units.

A novel borate CaAlBO, with two types of topological six-membered rings (6-MRs) in its graphene-like layer, was successfully fabricated by introducing [AlO] tetrahedra. The 6-MRs [BAlO] in CaAlBO can be identified as unique ones, and CaAlBO exhibits a new fundamental building block [BO] greatly enriching the structural diversity of B-O configurations.

The improvement of gel properties and volatiles for frozen egg white melted assisted with ultrasound.

The variation in thawing time, deterioration behavior, secondary structure, surface hydrophobicity, and average particle size of frozen egg whites (EW) thawed with or without ultrasound were characterized to evaluate the effect of ultrasound on the gel properties and volatiles of egg white thermogel (EWG). The texture, water holding capacity, etc., gel properties and microstructure were well maintained in frozen EW thawed by ultrasound (UEW) resulted from the mitigation of deterioration behavior due to shorter melting time (reduced 91.

Rapid and accurate bacteria identification through deep-learning-based two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers a distinctive vibrational fingerprint of the molecules and has led to widespread applications in medical diagnosis, biochemistry, and virology. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI-enabled Raman spectroscopic techniques, as a promising avenue for biosensing applications, have significantly boosted bacteria identification. By converting spectra into images, the dataset is enriched with more detailed information, allowing AI to identify bacterial isolates with enhanced precision.

Structural diversity, biological activities and biosynthetic pathways of [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] amide alkaloid dimers from Piperaceae: An updated review.

The Piperaceae family is distributed widely in tropical and subtropical areas. It encompasses around 5 genera and over 3000 species. They are distinguished by the substantial chemical diversity and potential medicinal applications.

Comparative extraction of antioxidant proteins from whole frogs ( Pollas).

The forest frog ( Pollas) is a traditional medicinal source rich in active protein compounds. In order to extract these compounds, six extraction methods were employed, including freeze-thaw and stirring techniques. Three different solvents were utilized in this process: 0.