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Microproteins are a novel class of bioactive polypeptides that are encoded by small open reading frames (smORFs). Emerging evidence has demonstrated that these microproteins possess significant roles and undertake essential regulatory functions in living organisms. Meanwhile, several microproteins exhibit variable expression and distinct regulation in disease and healthy cells, revealing potential therapeutic interventions. A promising strategy to characterize microproteins and investigate their pathological association is through identification of microprotein‐protein interactions (MPIs), emphasizing the value of chemical biology tools for mapping MPIs. In this study, we applied twin‐strep tagging and TurboID proximity labeling strategies to unveil complicated cellular networks for microproteins. Encouraged by the success of both approaches in identifying the well‐studied CYREN‐Ku70/Ku80 complex, we investigated an uncharacterized FAM229B microprotein and found that it interacts with the thyroid receptor‐interacting protein 6 (TRIP6) and may regulate its nuclear translocation. Our study demonstrated that twin‐strep tagging and TurboID labeling strategies exhibited encouraging performance in identifying bona fide microprotein interacting partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As key performance indicators, the water absorption and mechanical strength of ceramics are highly associated with sintering temperature. Lower sintering temperatures, although favorable for energy saving in ceramics production, normally render the densification degree and water absorption of as-prepared ceramics to largely decline and increase, respectively. In the present work, 0.5 wt.% MnO2, serving as an additive, was mixed with aluminosilicate ceramics using mechanical stirring at room temperature, achieving a flexural strength of 58.36 MPa and water absorption of 0.05% and lowering the sintering temperature by 50 °C concurrently. On the basis of the results of TG-DSC, XRD, MIP, and XPS, etc., we speculate that the MnO2 additive promoted the elimination of water vapor in the ceramic bodies, effectively suppressing the generation of pores in the sintering process and facilitating the densification of ceramics at a lower temperature. This is probably because the MnO2 transformed into a liquid phase in the sintering process flows into the gap between grains, which removed the gas inside pores and filled the pores, suppressing the generation of pores and the abnormal growth of grains. This study demonstrated a facile and economical method to reduce the porosity and enhance the densification degree in the practical production of aluminosilicate ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report a previously unrecognized syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder associated with biallelic loss-of-function variants in the RBM42 gene. The patient is a 2-year-old female with severe central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities, hypotonia, hearing loss, congenital heart defects, and dysmorphic facial features. Familial whole-exome sequencing (WES) reveals that the patient has two compound heterozygous variants, c.304C>T (p.R102*) and c.1312G>A (p.A438T), in the RBM42 gene which encodes an integral component of splicing complex in the RNA-binding motif protein family. The p.A438T variant is in the RRM domain which impairs RBM42 protein stability in vivo. Additionally, p.A438T disrupts the interaction of RBM42 with hnRNP K, which is the causative gene for Au-Kline syndrome with overlapping disease characteristics seen in the index patient. The human R102* or A438T mutant protein failed to fully rescue the growth defects of RBM42 ortholog knockout ΔFgRbp1 in Fusarium while it was rescued by the wild-type (WT) human RBM42. A mouse model carrying Rbm42 compound heterozygous variants, c.280C>T (p.Q94*) and c.1306_1308delinsACA (p.A436T), demonstrated gross fetal developmental defects and most of the double mutant animals died by E13.5. RNA-seq data confirmed that Rbm42 was involved in neurological and myocardial functions with an essential role in alternative splicing (AS). Overall, we present clinical, genetic, and functional data to demonstrate that defects in RBM42 constitute the underlying etiology of a new neurodevelopmental disease which links the dysregulation of global AS to abnormal embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The relationship between the levels of the first 24-h PaCO2 and the prognosis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) remains unclear, and the first 24-h optimal target for PaCO2 is currently inconclusive. This study was performed to investigate the correlation between PaCO2 and all-cause mortality for SAE patients, establish a reference range of the initial 24-hour PaCO2 for clinicians in critical care, and explain the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of abnormal PaCO2 levels as a higher mortality risk factor for SAE. Methods: The baseline information and clinical data of patients were extracted from the fourth edition Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database (MIMIC-IV 2.0). Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to assess the relationship between PaCO2 and all-cause mortality of SAE. Additionally, restricted cubic splines, Kaplan-Meier Survival analyses, propensity score matching (PSM) analyses, and subgroup analyses were conducted. Results: A total of 5471 patients were included in our cohort. In the original and matched cohort, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that normocapnia and mild hypercapnia may be associated with a more favorable prognosis of SAE patients, and survival analysis supported the findings. In addition, a U-shaped association emerged when examining the initial 24-hour PaCO2 levels in relation to 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day mortality using restricted cubic splines, with an average cut-off value of 36.3mmHg (P for nonlinearity<0.05). Below the cut-off value, higher PaCO2 was associated with lower all-cause mortality, while above the cut-off value, higher PaCO2 was associated with higher all-cause mortality. Subsequent subgroup analyses revealed similar results for the subcohort of GCS≤8 compared to the original cohort. Additionally, when examining the subcohort of GCS>8, a L-shaped relationship between PaCO2 and the three clinical endpoints emerged, in contrast to the previously observed U-shaped pattern. The findings from the subcohort of GCS>8 suggested that patients experiencing hypocapnia had a more unfavorable prognosis, which aligns with the results obtained from corresponding multivariate logistic regression analyses. Conclusion: The retrospective study revealed the association between the first 24-h PaCO2 and all-cause mortality risk (30-day, 60-day, and 90-day) for patients with SAE in ICU. The range (35mmHg-50mmHg) of PaCO2 may be the optimal target for patients with SAE in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sample preparation strategies were compared according to 6 categories of plant-derived foodstuffs. • Detection methods based on liquid chromatography were summarized and discussed. • Limitations were summarized and new directions were proposed for future advancement. Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are the most widely used insecticides globally. They can contaminate or migrate into foodstuffs and exert severe neonic toxicity on humans. Therefore, lots of feasible analytical methods were developed to assure food safety. Nevertheless, there is a lack of evaluation that the impacts of food attributes on the accurate determination of NEOs. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of sample preparation methods regarding 6 categories of plant-derived foodstuffs. Currently, QuEChERS as the common strategy can effectively extract NEOs from plant-derived foodstuffs. Various enrichment technologies were developed for trace levels of NEOs in processed foodstuffs, and multifarious novel sorbents provided more possibility for removing complex matrices to lower matrix effects. Additionally, detection methods based on liquid chromatography were summarized and discussed in this review. Finally, some limitations were summarized and new directions were proposed for better advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing the Cd-free electron transport layer (ETL) is a crucial subject in the field of antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) solar cells. At present, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the Cd-free Sb 2 Se 3 solar cell is still substantially lower than that of CdS-based devices. It is significant to reveal the electron transfer features in Sb 2 Se 3 /CdS heterojunction and Sb 2 Se 3 /Cd-free ETL heterojunction for development of a Cd-free Sb 2 Se 3 solar cell with high PCE. In this work, Sb 2 Se 3 /Cd heterojunction and Sb 2 Se 3 /ZnO heterojunction were systematically investigated from the view of PCE, trap state passivation, interface charge separation, and carrier kinetics on a picosecond time scale. Experimental results demonstrate that electron transfer at Sb 2 Se 3 /CdS and Sb 2 Se 3 /ZnO occurs on a comparable time scale with time constants of 1.38-3.42 and 1.91-3.17 ps, respectively. The PCE gap between the Cd-based device and the Cd-free device is mainly determined by the passivation effect. The excellent passivation effect of CdS on Sb 2 Se 3 ensure the high electron transfer efficiency at Sb 2 Se 3 /CdS heterojunction. Our results reveal the key challenges in improving the performance of Cd-free Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells.

As a common environmental pollutant and an important breath biomarker for several diseases, it is essential to develop a hydrogen sulfide gas sensor with a low-ppb level detection limit to prevent harmful gas exposure and allow early diagnoses of diseases in low-resource settings. Gold doped/decorated tungsten trioxide (Au-WO 3 ) nanofibers with various compositions and crystallinities were synthesized to optimize H 2 S-sensing performance. Systematically experimental results demonstrated the ability to detect 1 ppb H 2 S with a response value ( R air / R gas ) of 2.01 using a 5 at % Au-WO 3 nanofibers with average grain sizes of around 15 nm. Additionally, energy barrier difference of sensing materials in air and nitrogen (Δ E b ) and power law exponent ( n ) were determined to be 0.36 eV and 0.7, respectively, at 450 °C indicating that O - is predominately ionic oxygen species and adsorption of O - significantly altered the Schottky barrier between the grain. Such quantitative analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of H 2 S detection mechanism.