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Background and Objectives: The incidence of stroke among young adults was rising globally, but the death burden of stroke in young adults in China is lacking. We aimed to examine the temporal trends in mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) caused by stroke among young adults from 2005 to 2020 across China., Methods: Based on the data from the National Mortality Surveillance System in China, we estimated the number and age-standardized rate of mortality and YLLs due to stroke and its subtypes among young adults aged 15-49 years during 2005-2020, for both China and its 31 mainland provinces., Results: During 2005-2020, the age-standardized mortality rate of stroke among young adults aged 15-49 years in China decreased by 21.0%, from 5.9/100,000 to 4.7/100,000, and the YLL rate decreased from 286.9/100,000 to 229.5/100,000. The age-standardized mortality rate among young adults due to intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) showed a significant downward trend with a decrease of 26.3% while that of ischemic stroke (IS) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) decreased by 4.5% and 0.6%, respectively. In 2020, the mortality rate of ICH was 3.5 times higher than that of IS (3.3/100,000 vs 0.9/100,000) among young adults in China. The male/female ratio of age-standardized mortality rate of stroke in young adults increased from 2.0 in 2005 to 3.1 in 2020. The age-standardized mortality rate of IS and SAH in young men increased by 11.0% and 2.5%, respectively. In 2020, Tibet (18.4/100,000), Jilin (10.4/100,000), and Qinghai (8.3/100,000) were the top 3 provinces holding the highest age-standardized mortality rate due to stroke among young adults. Tibet was found to have the highest mortality rate due to ICH and SAH while that of IS was higher in northeast China., Discussion: In China, the death burden caused by ICH among young adults was substantially higher than that of IS. The increasing death burden of IS and SAH among young men requires special attention. Evidence-based intervention strategies are needed to improve the outcomes of stroke and alleviate the death burden due to stroke among young adults in Chinese population.

The development of novel materials for electrodes with high energy densities is essential to the advancement of energy storage technologies. In this study, N-doped layered porous carbon with ZIF-67-derived binary CoFe 2 O 4 -Fe particles was successfully fabricated by the pyrolysis of an Fe-based chitosan (CS) hydrogel mixed with ZIF-67 particles. Various characterization techniques were employed to assess the performance of the prepared porous CoFe 2 O 4 -Fe@NC composite. This composite exhibits excellent performance owing to the effective combination of multivalent CoFe 2 O 4 -Fe particles derived from ZIF-67 with N-doped porous carbon substances with a high surface area, which helps to accelerate ion and charge transfer. The specific capacitance of the CoFe 2 O 4 -Fe@NC composite carbonized at 700 °C reached 3960.9F/g at 1 A/g. When this composite is combined with activated carbon (AC) to construct an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC), a density of energy of up to 84.9 W h kg -1 is attained at a power capacity of 291.6 W kg -1 . Moreover, this composite maintained a capacitance retention of up to 94.9 % after 10,000 cycles. This work offers new perspectives on high-performance supercapacitors and their applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Biomedical event causal relation extraction (BECRE), as a subtask of biomedical information extraction, aims to extract event causal relation facts from unstructured biomedical texts and plays an essential role in many downstream tasks. The existing works have two main problems: i) Only shallow features are limited in helping the model establish potential relationships between biomedical events. ii) Using the traditional oversampling method to solve the data imbalance problem of the BECRE tasks ignores the requirements for data diversifying. This paper proposes a novel biomedical event causal relation extraction method to solve the above problems using deep knowledge fusion and Roberta-based data augmentation. To address the first problem, we fuse deep knowledge, including structural event representation and entity relation path, for establishing potential semantic connections between biomedical events. We use the Graph Convolutional Neural network (GCN) and the predicated tensor model to acquire structural event representation, and entity relation paths are encoded based on the external knowledge bases (GTD, CDR, CHR, GDA and UMLS). We introduce the triplet attention mechanism to fuse structural event representation and entity relation path information. Besides, this paper proposes the Roberta-based data augmentation method to address the second problem, some words of biomedical text, except biomedical events, are masked proportionally and randomly, and then pre-trained Roberta generates data instances for the imbalance BECRE dataset. Extensive experimental results on Hahn-Powell's and BioCause datasets confirm that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance compared to current advances., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chiral phenyllactic acid (PLA) is a new type of antiseptic agent and a valuable precursor for active ingredients in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. In this study, we designed a multi-enzyme cascade that combined stereocomplementary d- and l-lactate dehydrogenases with threonine aldolase, phenylserine dehydratase, and formate dehydrogenase for the one-pot conversion of achiral glycine and benzaldehyde to synthesize d-PLA and l-PLA. To overcome the imbalance of multi-enzymes in a single cell, two enzyme modules, overexpressing four enzymes, were assembled in Escherichia coli cells to construct whole-cell catalysis systems (WCCSs). Furthermore, by optimizing reaction conditions and components, recombinant E. coli (WCCS 26) was able to produce 100 mM d-PLA with >99 % ee using a fed-batch strategy, while E. coli (WCCS 60) produced 47.2 mM l-PLA with >99 % ee. This study presents a sustainable and efficient method for synthesizing chiral PLAs from food-grade achiral starting materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Drought severely affects crop growth and yields. Stomatal regulation plays an important role in plant response to drought stress. Light-activated plasma membrane-localized proton ATPase (PM H + -ATPase) mainly promoted the stomatal opening. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a dominant role in the stomatal closure during drought stress. It is not clear how PM H + -ATPase is involved in the regulation of ABA-induced stomatal closure. We found that a CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE RELATED KINASE 1 (ZmCRK1), and its mutant zmcrk1 exhibited slow water loss in detached leaves, high-survival rate after drought stress, and sensitivity to stomatal closure induced by ABA. The ZmCRK1 overexpression lines are opposite. ZmCRK1 interacted with the maize PM H + -ATPase ZmMHA2. ZmCRK1 phosphorylated ZmMHA2 at the Ser-901 and inhibited its proton pump activity. ZmCRK1 overexpression lines and zmmha2 mutants had low H + -ATPase activity, resulting in impaired ABA-induced H + efflux. Taken together, our study indicates that ZmCRK1 negatively regulates maize drought stress response by inhibiting the activity of ZmMHA2. Reducing the expression level of ZmCRK1 has the potential to reduce yield losses under water deficiency., (© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

User-friendly in-field sensing protocol is crucial for the effective tracing of intended analytes under less-developed countries or resources-limited environments. Nevertheless, existing sensing strategies require professional technicians and expensive laboratory-based instrumentations, which are not capable for point-of-care on-site analyses. To address this issue, artificial intelligence handheld sensor has been designed for direct reading of Ni 2+ and EDTA in food samples. The sensing platform incorporates smartphone with machine learning-driven application, 3D-printed handheld device, and cellulose paper microfluidic chip stained with ratiometric red-green-emission carbon dots (CDs). Intriguingly, Ni 2+ introduction makes green fluorescent (FL) of CDs glow but red FL fade because of the coordination of Ni 2+ with CDs verified by density functional theory (DFT), concurrently manifesting continuous FL colour transition from red to green. Subsequent addition of EDTA renders FL of CDs-Ni 2+ recover owing to the capture of Ni 2+ from CDs by EDTA based on strong chelation effect of EDTA on Ni 2+ confirmed via DFT, accompanying with a noticeable colour returning from green to red. Inspired by above FL phenomena, CDs-based cellulose paper microfluidic chips are first fabricated to facilitate point-of-care testing of Ni 2+ and EDTA. Designed fully-automatic handheld sensor is utilized to directly output Ni 2+ and EDTA concentration in water, milk, spinach, bread, and shampoo based on wide linear ranges of 0-48 μM and 0-96 μM, and low limits of detection of 0.274 μM and 0.624 μM, respectively. The proposed protocol allows for speedy straightforward on-site determination of target analytes, which will trigger the development of automated and intelligent sensors in near future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Shaomin Shuang reports that funding was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Bianxiang Zhang reports that funding was provided by Central Guidance Local Science and Technology Development Fund Project. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pretraining on large-scale datasets can boost the performance of object detectors while the annotated datasets for object detection are hard to scale up due to the high labor cost. What we possess are numerous isolated filed-specific datasets, thus, it is appealing to jointly pretrain models across aggregation of datasets to enhance data volume and diversity. In this paper, we propose a strong framework for utilizing Multiple datasets to pretrain DETR-like detectors, termed METR, without the need for manual label spaces integration. It converts the typical multi-classification in object detection into binary classification by introducing a pre-trained language model. Specifically, we design a category extraction module for extracting potential categories involved in an image and assign these categories into different queries by language embeddings. Each query is only responsible for predicting a class-specific object. Besides, to adapt our novel detection paradigm, we propose a Class-wise Bipartite Matching strategy that limits the ground truths to match queries assigned to the same category. Extensive experiments demonstrate that METR achieves extraordinary results on either multi-task joint training or the pretrain & finetune paradigm. Notably, our pre-trained models have high flexible transferability and increase the performance upon various DETR-like detectors on COCO val2017 benchmark. Our code is publicly available at: https://github.com/isbrycee/METR., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival in patients with stage I pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, stratified according to pathologic risk factors., Methods: A total of 259 patients with stage I pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical resection were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were categorized into groups with and without pathologic risk based on the presence of perineural and/or lymphovascular invasion. Subset Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the recurrence-free survival and overall survival., Results: Adjuvant chemotherapy did not significantly prolong recurrence-free survival (P = .213) but increased overall survival (P = .019) in patients with stage I pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. In subgroup analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved recurrence-free survival (P = .037) and overall survival (P = .007) in patients with pathologic risk (n = 160). However, patients without pathologic risk (n = 99) showed no enhancement of recurrence-free survival (P = .870) and overall survival (P = .413) after adjuvant chemotherapy. Subset multivariate analyses indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy was an independent favorable prognostic factor in patients with pathologic risk but not in those without pathologic risk., Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma may provide survival benefits specifically to patients with pathologic risk., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest/Disclosure The authors have indicated that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the content of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As an essential macronutrient, phosphorus (P) is often a limiting nutrient because of its low availability and mobility in soils. Drought is a major environmental stress that reduces crop yield. How plants balance and combine P-starvation responses (PSRs) and drought resistance is unclear. In this study, we identified the transcription factor ZmPHR1 as a major regulator of PSRs that modulates phosphate (Pi) signaling and homeostasis. We found that maize zmphr1 mutants had reduced P concentration and were sensitive to Pi starvation, whereas ZmPHR1-OE lines displayed elevated Pi concentration and yields. In addition, 57% of PSR genes and nearly 70% of ZmPHR1-regulated PSR genes in leaves were transcriptionally responsive to drought. Under moderate and early drought conditions, the Pi concentration of maize decreased, and PSR genes were up-regulated before drought-responsive genes. The ZmPHR1-OE lines exhibited drought-resistant phenotypes and reduced stomatal apertures, whereas the opposite was true of the zmphr1 mutants. ZmPT7-OE lines and zmspx3 mutants, which had elevated Pi concentration, also exhibited drought resistance, but zmpt7 mutants were sensitive to drought. Our results suggest that ZmPHR1 plays a central role in integrating Pi and drought signals and that Pi homeostasis improves the ability of maize to combat drought., (© 2024 The Author(s). Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Skeletal tissue development and regeneration in mammals are intricate, multistep, and highly regulated processes. Various signaling pathways have been implicated in the regulation of these processes, including redox. Redox signaling is the signal transduction by electron transfer reactions involving free radicals or related species. Redox homeostasis is essential to cell metabolic states, as the ROS not only regulates cell biological processes but also mediates physiological processes. Following a bone fracture, redox signaling is also triggered to regulate bone healing and regeneration by targeting resident stromal cells, osteoblasts, osteoclasts and endothelial cells. This review will focus on how the redox signaling impact the bone development and bone regeneration.

Background: As an initial treatment for primary membranous nephropathy (PMN), there remains a significant proportion of patients for whom rituximab is not fully effective. Here, we aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of obinutuzumab as initial treatment in patients with PMN., Methods: In this observational case series, patients diagnosed with PMN and treated with obinutuzumab as initial treatment were included. Treatment response was assessed by 24-h urine total protein (24 h UTP) and serum albumin, and immunologic remission was assessed by phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibodies., Results: Twelve patients with PMN receiving obinutuzumab as initial treatment were included. Over 6 months, a statistically significant reduction in 24 h UTP levels (p = 0.003) and an increase in serum albumin levels were observed (p < 0.001). By the 6-month follow-up, two patients (16.7%) achieved complete remission, eight (66.6%) reached partial remission, and two (16.7%) showed no remission. Immunological remission was observed in 44.4% of evaluable patients (n = 9) after 3 months, increasing to 100% (6/6) at 6 months. Except for cases 1, 2, and 3, the total B cell counts in the remaining patients fell to less than 5 cells/μL before the administration of the second dose of obinutuzumab, including seven patients with counts as low as 0 cells/μL. Mild to moderate treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were reported in 58.3% (7/12) of the patients. No serious TRAEs were reported., Conclusions: Obinutuzumab demonstrates promising potential as an initial treatment for PMN, with good effectiveness and a manageable safety profile. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings., (© 2024 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Developing non-passivating and fully integrated electrode arrays for point-of-care testing of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is crucial, as the serum level of CEA is closely associated with colorectal cancer. Herein, we propose a simple, low-cost, and eco-friendly template-assisted filtration method for the scalable preparation of carbon nanotube-bridged Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene (MX@CNT) electrode arrays with a conductive network. Furthermore, we fabricate a homogeneous electrochemical (HEC) sensor for CEA detection by integrating a magnetic-bead-based alkaline phosphatase-linked immunoassay (MB-aElisa), which enables the in-situ generation of the electroactive substance 1-naphthol (1-NP). Benefiting from the unique electrochemical characteristics of a MX@CNT electrode array, such as ultra-low background signal and superior electrocatalytic activity towards the hydrolyzed 1-NP, the MB-aElisa-based HEC sensor specifically measures CEA within a detection range spanning from 0.005 to 1.0 ng mL -1 , achieving a detection limit of 1.6 pg mL -1 . Subsequently, this biosensing prototype is successfully utilized for the detection of CEA in serum specimens obtained from colorectal cancer patients. More importantly, the integration of MB-aElisa with a MX@CNT electrode array not only marks a significant advancement but also enables the creation of a one-step homogeneous electrochemical immunosensing platform, serving as a paradigm for the highly sensitive and selective measurement of trace tumor markers in complex biological samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Deep reinforcement learning (RL) typically requires a tremendous number of training samples, which are not practical in many applications. State abstraction and world models are two promising approaches for improving sample efficiency in deep RL. However, both state abstraction and world models may degrade the learning performance. In this article, we propose an abstracted model-based policy learning (AMPL) algorithm, which improves the sample efficiency of deep RL. In AMPL, a novel state abstraction method via multistep bisimulation is first developed to learn task-related latent state spaces. Hence, the original Markov decision processes (MDPs) are compressed into abstracted MDPs. Then, a causal transformer model predictor (CTMP) is designed to approximate the abstracted MDPs and generate long-horizon simulated trajectories with a smaller multistep prediction error. Policies are efficiently learned through these trajectories within the abstracted MDPs via a modified multistep soft actor-critic algorithm with a λ -target. Moreover, theoretical analysis shows that the AMPL algorithm can improve sample efficiency during the training process. On Atari games and the DeepMind Control (DMControl) suite, AMPL surpasses current state-of-the-art deep RL algorithms in terms of sample efficiency. Furthermore, DMControl tasks with moving noises are conducted, and the results demonstrate that AMPL is robust to task-irrelevant observational distractors and significantly outperforms the existing approaches.

Berberine (BB) has demonstrated significant inhibitory effects on tumorigenesis and progression. However, its clinical application is hindered by challenges such as low bioavailability due to limited cell membrane permeability, nontargeted accumulation away from solid tumors, and increased toxicity associated with intravenous administration. To overcome these challenges, a lipophilic salt-forming strategy was employed to enhance lipophilicity, thereby promoting membrane permeability and targetability for tumor accumulation while simultaneously mitigating the toxicity associated with intravenous injection. In vitro findings revealed an almost 10-fold increase in fluorescence intensity with BB-GA NDs compared to BB alone. Furthermore, selective cytotoxicity against tumor cells exhibited a 4-fold elevation compared to normal cells. In vivo results underscored the remarkable tumor-selective accumulation of BB-GA NDs, effectively mitigating the intravenous injection toxicity associated with pure BB. The self-assembly of binary cooperative nanodrugs utilizing berberine glycyrrhetinic acid salts opens up innovative possibilities for drug delivery systems in traditional Chinese medicine.

The key to fully realizing the potential of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) lies in balancing their inherent local chemical disordering with the long-range ordering required for electrochemical applications. Herein, we synthesized a distinctive L10-(PtIr)(FeMoBi) high-entropy intermetallics (HEIs) exhibiting nanoscale long-range order and atomic scale short-range disorder via a lattice compensation strategy to mitigate the entropy reduction tendency. The (PtIr)(FeMoBi) catalyst exhibited remarkable activity and selectivity of glycollic acid (GA) production via electrocatalytic waste polymer-derived ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR). With a mass activity of 5.2 A mgPt-1 and a Faradic efficiency (FE) for GA of 95 %, it outperformed most previously reported electrocatalysts for selective GA production. The lattice-compensation effect promotes the homogeneity of Pt and Fe actives sites, facilitating co-adsorption of EG and OH and reducing the energy barriers for dehydrogenation and OH-combination processes. This approach effectively avoids the formation of low-active sites commonly encountered in HEA solid solutions, offering a promising avenue for exploring the complex interplay between catalytic activity and HEI structures., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The enzyme-like activity of noble metal nanomaterials has been widely demonstrated. However, as an important noble metal, iridium (Ir) and its alloy nanomaterials have been less studied, particularly regarding the effect of Ir content on enzyme-like activity. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that a low Ir content can greatly improve the peroxidase-like activity of Pt-based nanozymes. When the weight percentage of Ir was 3.45% in trimetallic PtAuIr hollow nanorods (HNRs) and 2.86% in bimetallic PtIr HNRs, their specific activity increased by approximately 70% compared to their PtAu and Pt counterparts, respectively. However, a slightly higher percentage of Ir significantly diminished the enhancement effect on their specific activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the rate-determining step (RDS) energy barrier of the nanozyme with low Ir content is lower than that of the nanozyme with slightly higher Ir content. Furthermore, we studied the kinetic properties of the PtAuIr nanozyme using TMB as the substrate. Its Michaelis-Menten constant ( K m ) and V max were 1.756 mM and 2.152 × 10 -6 M s -1 , respectively. Additionally, a colorimetric detection platform based on the PtAuIr nanozyme was established and applied to detect o -phenylenediamine (OPD), with a detection limit as low as 0.076 μM. This study highlights the important role of the Ir content in Pt-based nanozymes and demonstrates that PtAuIr nanozymes have potential applications in environmental detection.

Exploring the toxicity and metabolic mechanisms of Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) in ruminants can help to develop strategies to prevent or reduce the transfer of the toxin and its metabolites to milk and meat. This study aimed to explore the effects of 3 concentrations of dietary AFB 1 (0, 50, and 500 μg/kg) on hepatic injury and metabolism in Saanen goats via histological examination, Western blot analysis, as well as integrated multi-omics techniques. Eighteen Saanen goats were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments and the AFB 1 challenge lasted for 14 d. Results showed that the liver tissue was enlarged and the relative organ index of the liver was linearly increased with elevated AFB 1 levels. The hepatocyte apoptosis rate was significantly increased after AFB 1 exposure and the Western blotting results revealed that both the external apoptotic pathway and mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway might be involved in AFB 1 -induced hepatocyte apoptosis. There were 251, 269, 154 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 340, 596, 127 significant differential metabolites for the control (C; 0 μg/kg) and low-dose (L; 50 μg/kg), C and high-dose (H; 500 μg/kg), L and H comparisons. The DEGs annotated were mainly involved in the cell part, cell, single-organism process, cellular process, binding, and other functional categories. The identified metabolites primarily belonged to glycerophospholipids, prenol lipids, carboxylic acids and derivatives. Integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics revealed that glycerophospholipids metabolism and choline metabolism in cancer were the most affected pathways related to AFB 1 exposure. The identified differential metabolites, DEGs, and pathways might have played a crucial role in the hepatic injury induced by AFB 1 in goats., (© 2025, The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most complicated chronic inflammatory diseases in women of reproductive age and is one of the primary factors responsible for infertility. There is substantial dispute relating to the pathophysiology of PCOS. Consequently, there is a critical need for further research to identify the factors underlying the pathophysiology of PCOS. Three transcriptome profiles of granulosa cells from patients with PCOS and normal controls were obtained from the gene expression integration database. We also obtained relevant microarrays of granulocytes prepared from PCOS patients and normal controls from the gene expression integration database. Then, we used the R package to perform correlations and identify differences between PCOS and normal controls with regard to immune infiltrating cells and functionality. Subsequently, intersecting genes were identified and risk models were constructed. Finally, the results were validated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR. We identified 8 genes related to cuproptosis (SLC31A1, PDHB, PDHA1, DLST, DLD, DLAT, DBT, and ATP7A) and 5 genes related to m7G (SNUPN, NUDT16, GEMIN5, DCPS, and EIF4E3) that were associated with immune infiltration. Furthermore, the expression levels of DLAT (P = .049) and NUDT16 (P = .024) differed significantly between the PCOS patients and normal controls, as revealed by multifactorial analysis. Both DLAT and NUDT16 were negatively correlated with immune cell expression and function and expression levels were significantly lower in the PCOS group. Finally, real-time PCR and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated that the expression levels of DLAT and NUDT16 were significantly reduced in the granulosa cells of PCOS patients. In conclusion, our findings shed fresh light on the roles of immune infiltration, cuproptosis, and m7G alternations in PCOS. We also provide a reliable biomarker for the pathological classification of PCOS patients., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive tract with a high mortality rate. Erianin has antitumor activity, but the regulatory targets and mechanism of action in pancreatic cancer are unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-pancreatic cancer activity of Erianin and explore its underlying mechanisms., Methods: A network pharmacology approach was used to investigate the mechanism of action of Erianin in pancreatic cancer cells. Cell proliferation was analyzed using CCK8, colony-formation, and EdU proliferation assays. Cell migration was evaluated through wound healing and transwell assays, as well as determination of the protein expression levels of EMT markers and β-catenin. Apoptosis and the cell cycle were measured using flow cytometry and JC-1 staining, respectively. The protein expression levels of p-Rb, CyclinB1, P21, Cleaved-PARP, and Cleaved-Caspase3 were assessed using western blotting. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and bioinformatics analyses were performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying the action of Erianin in pancreatic cancer. Western blotting was used to examine the expression levels of key proteins in the AKT, JNK, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Molecular docking and CETSA were used to test hypotheses. The tumor-suppressive ability of Erianin in vivo was assessed using a tumor-bearing assay in nude mice., Results: Network pharmacology revealed that Erianin inhibited pancreatic cancer through multiple pathways. Erianin significantly inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and migration while promoting intracellular ROS and inducing apoptosis. Mechanistically, Erianin inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation by regulating the AKT/FOXO1 and ASK1/JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathways. In vivo experiments showed that Erianin inhibited subcutaneous tumor growth and promoted tumor tissue apoptosis in nude mice., Conclusions: The component-target-pathway network revealed that Erianin exerted anti-cancer effects through multiple components, targets, and pathways. Erianin inhibited the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells and induced apoptosis through the AKT/FOXO1 and ASK1/JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathways. These results indicate that Erianin is a promising agent for pancreatic cancer treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cervical cancer ranks as the third most prevalent malignancy in women worldwide. The persistence of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection stands out as the foremost risk factor for cervical cancer development. Among the numerous HPV subtypes, HPV16 infection emerges as the primary pathogenic determinant of cervical cancer. To date, no specific drugs have been approved. In this study, we engineered two high-affinity fusion protein targeting HPV16 L1 protein based on the alpaca-derived single-domain antibody 2C12 previously obtained in our laboratory. These two fusion proteins exhibited potent neutralizing activity against HPV16 pseudovirus with IC50 values of 7.8 nM and 6.5 nM, respectively. Molecular docking analysis revealed that 2C12 formed ten pairs of hydrogen bonds with HPV16 L1, among which Arg39 and Thr100 established multiple pairs of hydrogen bonds with HPV16 L1, indicating their crucial roles in antigen-antibody binding process. These structural and biological findings underscore the effective binding capacity of these fusion proteins to HPV16, leading to reduced viral load and providing valuable insights into therapeutic antibody and vaccine development against HPV 16 infection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Bai et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Despite the use of surgical resection and chemotherapy in the clinical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the 5-year survival rates of advanced patients are low. Therefore, more efficient strategies are urgently needed. Herein, a chemo/ferroptosis synergistic therapeutic system-DMEFe nanoparticles (NPs) is established for the treatment of OSCC. To create this system, the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles and further coated with a pH-sensitive metal polyphenol (iron ion and epigallocatechin gallate). These nanoparticles displayed excellent pH-sensitive drug-control release properties, and the release ratio of DOX at pH 5.5 was twice as high than that at pH 7.4. Additionally, DMEF NPs were effectively taken up by the OSCC cell line SSC-25, which greatly impeded the proliferation of these cells. Notably, these nanoparticles increased the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species and effectively exhibited cytotoxity effects. The mechanistic results proved that DMEFe NPs regulated the expression of ferroptosis-related genes to induce ferroptosis of SSC-25 cells. Eventually, this chemo/ferroptosis therapeutic system exhibited remarkable antitumor effects and provided a novel strategy for the treatment of OSCC.

Detecting parts per billion (ppb)-level nitrogen dioxide in high-moisture environments at room temperature without reducing sensing performance is a well-recognized significant challenge for metal oxide-based gas sensors. In this study, metal-organic framework-derived nickel-doped indium oxide (Ni-doped In 2 O 3 ) mesoporous nanorods were prepared by a solvothermal method combined with the calcination process. The sensors prepared using the obtained Ni-doped In 2 O 3 nanorods showcase an ultrahigh response, low detection limit, and excellent selectivity. Moreover, the abundant active sites triggered by nickel doping and the capillary enhancement effect caused by mesopores endow the sensor with ppb-level (20 ppb) NO 2 detection capability in high-moisture environments (95% RH) at room temperature. With the increase in humidity, the carrier concentration of the sensor increases, and the nitric acid generated by nitrogen dioxide dissolved in water can be completely ionized in water and has high conductivity. Therefore, the gas response of the sensors increases with the increase in humidity. This study establishes a promising approach for the development of trace nitrogen dioxide-sensing devices that are resilient in high-humidity environments.

The exploration of two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibiting out-of-plane ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties through interlayer twist/translation or strain, known as sliding ferroelectricity, has become a focal point in the quest for low-power electronic devices, capitalizing on weak van der Waals interactions. Herein, we delve into the behavior of strained bilayer molybdenum disulfide (2L-MoS 2 ) transferred onto a nanocone-patterned substrate. An intriguing observation is the emergence of unexpected vertical ferroelectricity in MoS 2 , irrespective of whether it was prepared using chemical vapor deposition or mechanical exfoliation from the bulk crystal. Such an observation underscores the versatility and reproducibility of the emerging ferroelectricity across different preparation methods. Furthermore, the piezoelectric coefficients recorded are exceptionally high, with the values of 37.54 and 24.80 pm V -1 for monolayer and bilayer MoS 2 , respectively, outperforming most currently discovered 2D piezoelectrics. The presence of room-temperature out-of-plane ferroelectricity in strained 2L-MoS 2 is confirmed through first-principles calculations and piezoresponse force microscopy. This ferroelectric behavior can be attributed to the symmetry breaking and interlayer sliding within the strained 2L-MoS 2 structure. Our findings not only deepen the understanding of ferroelectricity in 2D materials but also offer insights for the design of 2D ferroelectrics, thereby enabling diverse functionalities and applications in ferroelectricity.

In tackling the stability challenge of aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) for large-scale energy storage, the adoption of electrolyte additive emerges as a practical solution. Unlike current trial-and-error methods for selecting electrolyte additives, a data-driven strategy is proposed using theoretically computed surface free energy as a stability descriptor, benchmarked against experimental results. Numerous additives are calculated from existing literature, forming a database for machine learning (ML) training. Importantly, this ML model relies solely on experimental values, effectively addressing the challenge of large solvent molecule models that are difficult to handle with quantum chemistry computation. The interpretable linear regression algorithm identifies the number of heavy atoms in the additive molecule and the liquid surface tension as key factors. Artificial intelligence (AI) clustering categorizes additive molecules, identifying regions with the most significant impact on enhancing battery stability. Experimental verification successfully confirms the exceptional performance of 1,2,3-butanetriol and acetone in the optimal region. This integrated methodology, combining theoretical models, data-driven ML, and experimental validation, provides insights into the rational design of battery electrolyte additives., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounting for 85% of liver cancer-related deaths. Autophagy controls HCC cell growth, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, and stemness. Spermatogenesis and oogenesis basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 2 (Sohlh2) can bind to the E-boxes in the promoter regions of target genes, which are involved in multiple neoplasms. In this study, Sohlh2 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and was related to poor prognosis. Moreover, Sohlh2 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells in vivo and in vitro. However, Sohlh2 silencing inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, Sohlh2 could bind to the promoter of TGM2 and enhance its transcriptional activity, thereby enhancing the autophagy of HCC cells. Furthermore, Sohlh2 protein levels were positively associated with TGM2 expression in HCC tissues. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Sohlh2 can promote HCC progression via TGM2-mediated autophagy, implying that Sohlh2 is a promising candidate for HCC treatment., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aqueous zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) based on the reversible conversion between various iodine species have garnered global attention due to their advantages of fast redox kinetics, good reversibility, and multielectron conversion feasibility. Although significant progress has been achieved in ZIBs with the two-electron I - /I 2 pathway (2eZIBs), their relatively low energy density has hindered practical application. Recently, ZIBs with four-electron I - /I 2 /I + electrochemistry (4eZIBs) have shown a significant improvement in energy density. Nonetheless, the practical use of 4eZIBs is challenged by poor redox reversibility due to polyiodide shuttling during I - /I 2 conversion and I + hydrolysis during I 2 /I + conversion. In this Review, we thoroughly summarize the fundamental understanding of two ZIBs, including reaction mechanisms, limitations, and improvement strategies. Importantly, we provide an intuitive evaluation on the energy density of ZIBs to assess their practical potential and highlight the critical impacts of the Zn utilization rate. Finally, we emphasize the cost issues associated with iodine electrodes and propose potential closed-loop recycling routes for sustainable energy storage with ZIBs. These findings aim to motivate the practical application of advanced ZIBs and promote sustainable global energy storage.

Background: Traditionally, poverty assessment has relied on a single income criterion, which is inadequate in contexts where absolute poverty has been mitigated. This study developed a weighting scheme for the Multidimensional Health Poverty Index (MHPI) based on sustainable livelihood framework (SLF), aimed at enhancing the accuracy of poverty identification in China., Methods: A two-round Delphi process was used to determine the indicators of the index system. The weight of each indicator was calculated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. The multidimensional poverty index incorporates SLF's five dimensions: financial, natural, physical, social, and human capital., Results: The initial 46 indicators formed an indicator pool for the Delphi questionnaire. Based on the final consensus of the expert panel, the Delphi consultation resulted in an index system comprising six first-level and 23 second-level indicators. The weight values of the first-level indicators (economic security, health status, education, social capital, healthcare utilisation, and living conditions) were 0.2715, 0.2593, 0.0855, 0.0657, 0.1812, and 0.1363, respectively., Conclusion: This study established a scientific and effective index to evaluate generate weight for estimating multidimensional health poverty in China. Economic security, health status, and healthcare utilisation are the most crucial aspects of multidimensional health poverty. Moreover, the results indicated that vocational training and social capital should be emphasised., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a global healthcare challenge lacking a simple and affordable detection method. We propose a novel deep learning framework, Eye-AD, to detect Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) using OCTA images of retinal microvasculature and choriocapillaris. Eye-AD employs a multilevel graph representation to analyze intra- and inter-instance relationships in retinal layers. Using 5751 OCTA images from 1671 participants in a multi-center study, our model demonstrated superior performance in EOAD (internal data: AUC = 0.9355, external data: AUC = 0.9007) and MCI detection (internal data: AUC = 0.8630, external data: AUC = 0.8037). Furthermore, we explored the associations between retinal structural biomarkers in OCTA images and EOAD/MCI, and the results align well with the conclusions drawn from our deep learning interpretability analysis. Our findings provide further evidence that retinal OCTA imaging, coupled with artificial intelligence, will serve as a rapid, noninvasive, and affordable dementia detection., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

While high-entropy alloy (HEA) catalysts seem to have the potential to break linear scaling relationships (LSRs) due to their structural complexity, the weighted averaging of properties among multiple principal components actually makes it challenging to diverge from the symmetry dependencies imposed by the LSRs. Herein, we develop a 'surface entropy reduction' method to induce the exsolution of a component with weak affinity for others, resulting in the formation of few-atom-layer metal (FL-M) on the surface of HEAs. These exsolved FL-M surpass the confines of the original configurational space of conventional HEAs, and collaborate with the HEA substrate, serving as geometrically separated active sites for multiple intermediates in a complex reaction. This FL-M-covered HEA shows an outstanding performance for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia (NH 3 ) with a Faradaic efficiency of 92.7%, an NH 3 yield rate of 2.45 mmol h -1 mg cat. -1 , and high long-term stability (>200 h). Our work achieves the precise manipulation of atomic arrangement, thereby expanding both the chemical space occupied by known HEA catalysts and their potential application scenarios., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The molecular mechanisms underlying epitope recognition by T cell receptors (TCRs) are critical for activating T cell immune responses and rationally designing TCR-based therapeutics. Single-cell sequencing techniques vastly boost the accumulation of TCR sequences, while the limitation of available TCR-pMHC structures hampers further investigations. In this study, we proposed a computational pipeline that incorporates structural information and single-cell sequencing data to investigate the epitope-recognition mechanisms for TCRs without identified epitopes. By antigen specificity clustering, we mapped the epitope sequences between epitope-known and epitope-unknown TCRs from COVID-19 patients. One reported SARS-CoV-2 epitope, NQKLIANQF (S 919 - 927 ), was identified for a TCR expressed by 614 T cells (TCR-614). Epitope screening also identified a potential cross-reactive epitope, KLKTLVATA (NSP3 1790 - 1798 ), for a TCR expressed by 204 T cells (TCR-204). By molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we revealed the detailed epitope-recognition mechanisms for both TCRs. The structural motifs responsible for epitope recognition revealed by the MD simulations are consistent with the sequential features recognized by the sequence-based clustering method. We hope that this strategy could facilitate the discovery and optimization of TCR-based therapeutics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To construct and validate a nomogram for prediction of in-hospital postoperative heart failure (PHF) in elderly patients with hip fracture., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The patients aged ≥65 years undergoing hip fracture surgery in Peking University Third Hospital from July 2015 to December 2023 were enrolled. The patients admitted from July 2015 to December 2021 were divided into a development cohort, and the others admitted from January 2022 to December 2023 in to a validation cohort. The patients ' clinical data were collected from the electronic medical record system. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were employed to screen the predictors for PHF in the patients. The R software was used to construct a nomogram. Internal and external validation were performed by the Bootstrap method. The discriminatory ability of the model was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The calibration was evaluated by the calibration plot and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was performed to assess the clinical utility., Results: In the study, 944 patients were eventually enrolled in the development cohort, and 469 were in the validation cohort. A total of 54 (5.7%) patients developed PHF in the deve-lopment cohort, and 18 (3.8%) patients had PHF in the validation cohort. Compared with those from non-PHF group, the patients from PHF group were older, had higher prevalence of heart disease, hypertension and pulmonary disease, had poorer American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification (Ⅲ-Ⅳ), presented with lower preoperative hemoglobin level, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher preoperative serum creatinine, received hip arthroplasty and general anesthesia more frequently. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR =1.071, 95% CI : 1.019-1.127, P =0.008), history of heart disease ( OR =5.360, 95% CI : 2.808-10.234, P < 0.001), preoperative hemoglobin level ( OR =0.979, 95% CI : 0.960-0.999, P =0.041), preoperative serum creatinine ( OR =1.007, 95% CI : 1.001-1.013, P =0.015), hip arthroplasty ( OR =2.513, 95% CI : 1.259-5.019, P =0.009), and general anesthesia ( OR =2.024, 95% CI : 1.053-3.890, P =0.034) were the independent predictors for PHF in elderly patients with hip fracture. Four preoperative predictors were incorporated to construct a preoperative nomogram for PHF in the patients. The AUC values of the nomogram in internal and external validation were 0.818 (95% CI : 0.768-0.868) and 0.873 (95% CI : 0.805-0.929), indicating its good accuracy. The calibration plots and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test (internal validation: χ 2 =9.958, P =0.354; external validation: χ 2 =5.477, P =0.791) showed its satisfactory calibration. Clinical usefulness of the nomogram was confirmed by decision curve analysis., Conclusion: An easy-to-use nomogram for prediction of in-hospital PHF in elderly patients with hip fracture is well developed. This preoperative risk assessment tool can effectively identify patients at high risk of PHF and may be useful for perioperative management optimization.

Eight cyclopenta[b]benzofurans (1, 2, 4, and 5-9) and eight cyclopenta[bc]benzopyrans (3, 10-16), including a revised (4) and three undescribed compounds (1-3), were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Aglaia edulis (Roxb.) Wall. Their structures were determined by a combination of spectral analysis in conjunction with NMR and ECD calculations. Moreover, based on the findings from 13 C NMR calculations and DP4+ statistical analysis, an empirical guideline was established to differentiate the structures of cyclopenta[bc]benzopyrans and cyclopenta[b]benzofurans by aggregating chemical shift data from known compounds. This guideline facilitated the proposal of structural revisions for three previously reported analogs (R-1, R-2, R-3). Biological assay indicated that cyclopenta[b]benzofuran flavalines (2, and 4-8) could significantly inhibit NO production in LPS-induced BV-2 cells with IC 50 values from 0.002 to 0.05 μM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Blockade of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is considered a promising strategy for controlling pathogen infection by enhancing host immune cell function. Eosinophils, which play a crucial role in type 2 immune responses, are essential components of the host defense against helminth infection. Here, we investigate the role of PD-1 in eosinophilia during Trichinella spiralis infection in mice. PD-1-deficient (PD-1 -/- ) mice exhibit delayed expulsion of adult worms and increased muscle larva burdens compared to wild-type mice following infection. Additionally, PD-1 -/- mice display impaired recruitment of eosinophils to parasite-invaded tissues, attributed to decreased upregulation of adhesion molecules on both eosinophils and vascular endothelium after infection. The compromised Th2 cytokine response further contributes to impaired adhesion interactions, affecting eosinophil migration and cytotoxicity against larvae in vitro within T. spiralis-infected PD-1 -/- mice. Our findings demonstrate a positive role for PD-1 in the recruitment of eosinophils, suggesting its involvement in host defense against helminth infection., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, masks proved to be an effective measure in preventing virus transmission. However, many people have reported discomfort and negative perceptions toward wearing masks, especially during physical activity. This study aims to evaluate the discomfort and adverse perceptions related to various mask types among young, healthy adults during light exercise, including sitting, stationary stepping, and stair climbing. The study also examines the extent to which masks influence physiological indicators of physical well-being., Methods: The study was conducted in two stages at the campus hospital of Shantou University. In Stage 1, 20 healthy college students (10 males, 10 females) were recruited to identify the mask with the most substantial physiological and psychological impact among four types: KN 95 respirators, surgical masks, cloth masks, and 3D medical masks. These specific types were chosen due to their widespread use and varying levels of filtration and breathability. In Stage 2, 14 healthy college students (7 males, 7 females) were included to examine the effects of the identified mask across various levels of physical exertion. Subjective perceptions were measured using the Mask-Related Discomfort and Perception Score (MRDPS), and physiological parameters such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and vital capacity were recorded., Results: The KN 95 respirator and cloth mask were associated with the highest MRDPS, indicating significant discomfort among wearers (p < 0.05). The use of KN 95 respirators had the largest impact on MRDPS during stair stepping (β = 10.357, 95% CI [5.755, 14.959]). Physiological parameters showed minor variations across different masks, with KN 95 respirators significantly associated with reduced diastolic blood pressure (β=-7.806, 95% CI [-12.294, -3.318]) and pulse rate (β=-10.661, 95% CI [-18.896, -2.425]) in Stage 1. However, after controlling for exercise pace in Stage 2, wearing a KN 95 respirator did not significantly affect these parameters., Conclusions: KN 95 respirators and cloth masks were found to cause the most discomfort during light physical activity, with males reporting higher discomfort levels than females. While these masks are associated with varying levels of perceived discomfort, their impact on physiological indicators is relatively modest. Future research should include larger and more diverse samples , continuous monitoring of physiological parameters during exercise, and exploration of the underlying mechanisms of gender differences in mask discomfort., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to establish a complete atlas of retinal cells in lens-induced myopia (LIM) and electroacupuncture (EA) intervention by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and to explore the potential mechanism of EA in improving experimental myopia progression in guinea pigs. scRNA-seq is used to assess changes in individual cellular gene levels in the retina of LIM- and EA-treated guinea pigs. In addition, the role of EA in slowing myopia progression by improving retinal mitochondrial function is further investigated. scRNA-seq identified ten cell clusters in the retina of LIM and EA guinea pigs and mitochondrial respiratory chain-related genes in Cones and Muller-glia cells-Cytochrome oxidase subunit III (COX3), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4), and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) are closely related to lens-induced myopia. A comprehensive atlas in the retina of LIM and EA guinea pigs at a single-cell level is established, and the positive role of EA in improving retinal mitochondrial function to slow the experimental myopia progression in guinea pigs is revealed., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The antireflective transmittance-enhancing films have important applications in solar cells and other applications due to their self-cleaning and high light transmittance. However, obtaining high transmittance, highly durable, and superhydrophobic surfaces in a simple and easily accessible way is still a challenge. A simple evaporative coating technique has been proposed that can be used to prepare antireflective superhydrophobic aluminum oxide films using 1 H ,1 H ,2 H ,2 H -perfluoroalkyltriethoxysilanes. The results show that the contact angle of grass-like alumina increased from 99.5° to 155°. The surface energy of grass-like alumina decreased from 17.96 to 1.93 mN/m. The maximum value of light transmittance is close to 98%, and the average transmittance is above 95%. The films have excellent ultraviolet resistance and thermal stability along with relative mechanical and chemical stability. Meanwhile, this method has an excellent capacity for shape preservation. The relationships between the evaporation temperature and time and the light transmittance and hydrophobic angle of the films were also investigated together. This approach has the potential to be extended to large-scale industrial production.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has garnered significant attention in cancer treatment, however, the low-yield reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation from sonosensitizers remains a major challenge. In this study, titanium boride nanosheets (TiB 2 NSs) with photo-enhanced sonodynamic efficiency was fabricated for SDT of glioblastoma (GBM). Compared with commonly-used TiO 2 nanoparticles, the obtained TiB 2 NSs exhibited much higher ROS generation efficiency under ultrasound (US) irradiation due to their narrower band gap (2.50 eV). Importantly, TiB 2 NSs displayed strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect in the second near-infrared (NIR II) window, which facilitated charge transfer rate and improved the separation efficiency of US-triggered electron-hole pairs, leading to photo-enhanced ROS generation efficiency. Furthermore, TiB 2 NSs were encapsulated with macrophage cell membranes (CM) and then modified with RGD peptide to construct biomimetic nanoagents (TiB 2 @CM-RGD) for efficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetrating and GBM targeting. After intravenous injection into the tumor-bearing mouse, TiB 2 @CM-RGD can efficiently cross BBB and accumulate in the tumor sites. The tumor growth was significantly inhibited under simultaneous NIR II laser and US irradiation without causing appreciable long-term toxicity. Our work highlighted a new type of multifunctional titanium-based sonosensitizer with photo-enhanced sonodynamic efficiency for GBM treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Titanium boride nanosheets (TiB 2 NSs) with photo-enhanced sonodynamic efficiency was fabricated for SDT of glioblastoma (GBM). The obtained TiB 2 NSs displayed strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect in the second near-infrared (NIR II) window, which facilitated charge transfer rate and improved the separation efficiency of US-triggered electron-hole pairs, leading to photo-enhanced ROS generation efficiency. Furthermore, TiB 2 NSs were encapsulated with macrophage cell membranes (CM) and then modified with RGD peptide to construct biomimetic nanoagents (TiB 2 @CM-RGD) for efficient blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetrating and GBM targeting. After intravenous injection into the tumor-bearing mouse, TiB 2 @CM-RGD can efficiently cross BBB and accumulate in the tumor sites. The tumor growth was significantly inhibited under simultaneous NIR II laser and US irradiation without causing appreciable long-term toxicity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Plastic debris has recently been proposed as a novel habitat for bacterial colonization, which can raise perturbations in bacterial ecology after burial in riverine sediments. However, community coalescence, as a prevalent process involving the interrelationships of multiple communities and their surrounding environments, has been rarely discussed to reveal the impact of the plastisphere on sedimentary bacterial community. This study analyzed the bacterial community in plastic debris and sediment along the Nujiang River, elucidating the role of the plastisphere in mediating community coalescence in sediments. Our results demonstrated that the plastisphere and sedimentary bacterial communities exhibited distinct biogeography along the river (r = 0.694, p < 0.01). Based on overlapped taxa and SourceTracker, the extent of coalescence between adjacent communities was in following orders: plastic-plastic (0.589) > plastic-sediment (0.561) > sediment-sediment (0.496), indicating the plastisphere promoted bacterial community coalescence along the river. Flow velocity and geographic distance were the major factors driving the plastisphere changes, suggesting that the plastisphere were vulnerable to dispersal. The null model and the neutral model provided additional support for the higher immigration ability of the plastisphere to overcome dispersal limitation, highlighting the potential importance of the plastisphere in community coalescence. Network analysis indicated the critical role of keystone species (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes) in mediating the coalescence between sedimentary bacterial community and the plastisphere. In summary, the plastisphere could mediate the coalescence of bacterial communities by overcoming dispersal limitation, which provides new perspectives on the plastisphere altering bacterial ecology in riverine sediments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Facing the severe problem of microplastic pollution, there is an urgent need to develop biodegradable fibers to replace the petrochemical fibers. Sodium alginate, a biomass polysaccharide, has gained widespread attentions recently for the fiber manufacture. However, the limited mechanical strength of alginate fibers restricts their usages as load-bearing fabrics and reinforcement fibers. Here, we develop a novel strategy to prepare alginate multifilaments using pre-crosslinked sodium alginate solutions. The increase in the pre-crosslinking ratio effectively hinders the disentanglement of sodium alginate chains at high stretches, causing an increase in the shear viscosity of the solution ascertained from the capillarity-driven thinning process from 4.5 Pa·s to 9.9 Pa·s and facilitating the high alignment and orientation of sodium alginate chains. The resultant fibers possess a breaking strength of 474 MPa, elongation at break of 16 %, Young's modulus of 14.4 GPa, and toughness of 51.8 MJ/m 3 , exceeding most biomass fibers without reinforcement additives. The high orientation degree of 0.865 and high spinnability of alginate multifilaments enable their applications in multi-channel encryption fabrics that exhibit distinct information under various optical conditions. This rheological regulation of spinning solutions provides a facile yet effective strategy to enhance the mechanical performance and broaden application scenarios of alginate fibers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anthropogenic activities could significantly increase nutrients loading, especially phosphorus (P), into aquatic systems, leading to eutrophication and disturbance of ecosystems. Detailed investigation of P cycling and its controlling factors in modern lakes could help understand mechanisms behind eutrophication, thus provide suggestions for future environmental management. Here, we investigate evolution history of P and iron (Fe) cycling over the last ∼300 years in west Chaohu Lake, a typical eutrophic lake in East China. The combination of 210 Pb- 137 Cs dating and elemental analysis demonstrates drastic escalation of P input and organic carbon burial since 1960s, coincided with the rapid growth of human population near this region. P phase partitioning data indicate that Fe-bound P (P Fe ) is the predominant P pool of sediments in Chaohu Lake, which also regulates the evolving trend of reactive P (P reac ). Moreover, the highest fraction of P Fe is consistent with observations via P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (P XANES). In addition, Fe speciation results show a principal contribution of Fe (hydr)oxides (Fe ox ) and negligible presence of pyrite, suggesting a generally oxygenated depositional environment, where P could be preferentially sequestrated in sediments in association with Fe oxide minerals. Relatively high molar organic carbon/organic P (C org /P org ) but low C org /P reac ratios also support limited recycling of P reac in west Chaohu Lake. This study reveals that human activities play an important role in leading to the eutrophication of Chaohu Lake. Future environmental management could utilize the coupling of P and Fe oxides to remove P from water column., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), derived from diverse sources and distinguished by their inherent biodegradability, excellent biocompatibility, and facile cellular engulfment due to their rod-like structure, hold great promise as carriers for the development of nano-delivery systems. In this work, highly efficient rod-like CNCs were employed as substrates for grafting glycidyl onto their surfaces through ring-opening polymerization, forming hyperbranched polymers with superior cell uptake properties. Subsequently, 4-vinylbenzeneboronic acid (VB) and poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) were employed as monomers in the polymerization process to fabricate a pH-responsive targeted nano-delivery system, denoted as CNCs-VB-PEGMA, via single electron transfer reactive radical polymerization (SET-LRP) reaction. The CNCs-VB-PEGMA was successfully prepared and used for the loading of curcumin (Cur) to form a pH-responsive nano-delivery system (CNCs-VB-PEGMA-Cur), and the loading rate of Cur was as high as 70.0 %. Studies showed that this drug delivery system could actively targeting liver cancer cells with the 2D cells model and 3D tumor microsphere model, showing efficient liver cancer cell-killing ability. Collectively, the CNCs-VB-PEGMA drug delivery system has potential applications in liver cancer therapy as an actively targeting and pH-responsive drug delivery system., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this phase II study, 47 patients with locally advanced, resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) received three cycles of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, followed by Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery. The primary endpoints were safety and major pathological response (MPR). Key secondary endpoints included complete pathological response (pCR) and survival. No grade ≥3 adverse events or surgical delays occurred during neoadjuvant therapy. Among 46 patients studied for efficacy, the MPR and pCR rates were 72% and 41%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 27.2 months, the 2-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 91% and 89%, respectively. Expansion of TRGC2 + NKT cells in peripheral blood correlated with neoadjuvant treatment effectiveness, which was validated by in vitro organoid experiments and external cancer datasets, and its functional classification and mechanism of action were further explored. These findings show preoperative pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for resectable ESCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition marked by recurrent, unprovoked seizures, involves complex pathophysiological mechanisms. Recent advancements have expanded our understanding from traditional neuronal dysfunction to include neuroimmune interactions and the influence of the brain-gut-bio-axis. This review explores the role of the S100b protein within these contexts, noted for its involvement in neuroinflammatory processes and as a potential biomarker. Furthermore, it discusses the emerging significance of the gut microbiome in modulating neuroimmune responses and seizure activity. The review integrates findings from recent studies, emphasizing the critical role of the S100b signalling pathway and the gut-brain axis in epilepsy pathology. The interplay between neuroimmune mechanisms and gut microbiota offers novel insights and potential therapeutic targets, underlining the need for further research to exploit these connections for clinical benefit., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Higher alcohol synthesis through the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) process was considered a promising route for the efficient utilization of fossil resources could be achieved. The CuCo catalysts were proven to be efficient candidates and attracted much interest. Great efforts have been made to investigate the active sites and mechanisms of CuCo catalysts. However, the industrialized application of CuCo catalysts in this process was still hindered. The poor stability of this catalyst was one of the main reasons. This short review summarized the recent development of active sites on the CuCo catalysts for higher alcohol synthesis, including CuCo alloy particles, CuCo core-shell particles, and unsaturated particles. The complex active sites and their continual changes during the reaction led to the poor stability of the catalysts. The effect of active sites on catalytic performance was discussed. Furthermore, the key factors in fabricating stable CuCo catalysts were proposed. Finally, reasonable proposals were proposed for designing efficient and stable CuCo catalysts in higher alcohol synthesis.

Detecting chemical reaction dynamics at solid-liquid interfaces is important for understanding heterogeneous reactions. However, there is a lack of exploration of interface reaction dynamics from the single-molecule perspective, which can reveal the intrinsic reaction mechanism underlying ensemble experiments. Here, single-event protonation reaction dynamics at a solid-liquid interface are studied in-situ using single-molecule junctions. Molecules with amino terminal groups are used to construct single-molecule junctions. An interfacial cationic state present after protonation is discovered. Real-time electrical measurements are used to monitor the reversible reaction between protonated and deprotonated states, thereby revealing the interfacial reaction mechanism through dynamic analysis. The protonation reaction rate constant has a linear positive correlation with proton concentration, whereas the deprotonation reaction rate constant has a linear negative correlation. In addition, external mechanical forces can effectively regulate the protonation reaction process. This work provides a single-molecule perspective for exploring interface science, which will contribute to the development of heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Rab11A is an important molecule for recycling endosomes and is closely related to the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumors. This study investigated the prognostic and immune significance of Rab11A and validated its potential function and mechanism in breast cancer (BRCA)., Methods: RNA sequencing data for 33 tumors were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between Rab11A expression and immune characteristics. Potential pathways were identified using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology analysis. Immunohistochemical analysis, colony formation assay, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assay, immunofluorescence, and Western blot were used to explore potential function and mechanism., Results: Analysis of the TCGA database showed significant upregulation of Rab11A expression in a variety of cancers. Rab11A was up-regulated in 82.4% of BRCA. High Rab11A expression is associated with poor survival in cancer patients and is a predictor of poor prognosis. CIBERSORT analysis showed that Rab11A was negatively associated with almost all immune cycle activity scores pan-cancer. The results of the TCGA-BRCA cohort were further confirmed by using pathological samples from clinical BRCA patients. The results showed that Rab11A expression was correlated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor expression in BRCA (p < 0.05). Knockdown and overexpression of Rab11A affected the proliferation of BRCA cells. Further mechanistic studies revealed that down-regulation of ER alpha (ERα) and up-regulation of ER beta (ERβ) mediated Rab11A-induced inhibition of BRCA cell proliferation., Conclusion: Rab11A expression in pan-cancer is associated with poor prognosis and immune profile. In particular, in BRCA, Rab11A expression regulates cell proliferation by targeting ERα and ERβ. High Rab11A expression is tightly associated with immune characteristics, tumor microenvironment, and genetic mutations. These results provide a reference for exploring the role of Rab11A in pan-cancer and provide a new perspective for revealing potential therapeutic targets in BRCA., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states, also known as two-component Schrödinger cats, play vital roles in the foundation of quantum physics and the potential quantum applications. Enlargement in size and coherent control of GHZ states are both crucial for harnessing entanglement in advanced computational tasks with practical advantages, which unfortunately pose tremendous challenges as GHZ states are vulnerable to noise. Here we propose a general strategy for creating, preserving, and manipulating large-scale GHZ entanglement, and demonstrate a series of experiments underlined by high-fidelity digital quantum circuits. For initialization, we employ a scalable protocol to create genuinely entangled GHZ states with up to 60 qubits, almost doubling the previous size record. For protection, we take a different perspective on discrete time crystals (DTCs), originally for exploring exotic nonequilibrium quantum matters, and embed a GHZ state into the eigenstates of a tailor-made cat scar DTC to extend its lifetime. For manipulation, we switch the DTC eigenstates with in-situ quantum gates to modify the effectiveness of the GHZ protection. Our findings establish a viable path towards coherent operations on large-scale entanglement, and further highlight superconducting processors as a promising platform to explore nonequilibrium quantum matters and emerging applications., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Salmonella is an important zoonotic pathogen, of which poultry products are important reservoirs. This study analyzed the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and characterization of Salmonella from broiler and laying hen sources in China., Methods: A total of 138 (12.27%) strains of Salmonella were isolated from 1125 samples from broiler slaughterhouses (20.66%, 44/213), broiler farms (18.21%, 55/302), and laying hen farms (6.39%, 39/610). Multiplex PCR was used to identify the serotypes. Antibiotic susceptibility testing to a set of 21 antibiotics was performed and all strains were screened by PCR for 24 selected antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). In addition, 24 strains of Salmonella were screened out by whole-genome sequencing together with 65 released Salmonella genomes to evaluate phylogenetic characteristics, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and plasmid carriage percentages., Results: A total of 11 different serotypes were identified, with the dominance of S . Enteritidis (43/138, 31.16%), S . Newport (30/138, 21.74%), and S . Indiana (19/138, 13.77%). The results showed that S . Enteritidis (34.34%, 34/99) and S . Newport (51.28%, 20/39) were the dominant serotypes of isolates from broilers and laying hens, respectively. The 138 isolates showed the highest resistance to sulfisoxazole (SXZ, 100%), nalidixic acid (NAL, 54.35%), tetracycline (TET, 47.83%), streptomycin (STR, 39.86%), ampicillin (AMP, 39.13%), and chloramphenicol (CHL, 30.43%), while all the strains were sensitive to both tigacycline (TIG) and colistin (COL). A total of 45.65% (63/138) of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, and most of them (61/63, 96.83%) were from broiler sources. The results of PCR assays revealed that 63.77% of the isolates were carrying the quinolone resistance gene qnrD , followed by gyrB (58.70%) and the trimethoprim resistance gene dfrA12 (52.17%). Moreover, a total of thirty-four ARGs, eighty-nine virulence genes, and eight plasmid replicons were detected in the twenty-four screened Salmonella strains, among which S . Indiana was detected to carry the most ARGs and the fewest plasmid replicons and virulence genes compared to the other serotypes., Conclusions: This study revealed a high percentage of multidrug-resistant Salmonella from poultry sources, stressing the importance of continuous monitoring of Salmonella serotypes and antimicrobial resistance in the poultry chain, and emergency strategies should be implemented to address this problem.