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STUDY QUESTION Do distinct subpopulations of decidual stromal cells (DSCs) exist and if so, are given subpopulations enriched in recurrent miscarriage (RM)? SUMMARY ANSWER Three subpopulations of DSCs were identified from which inflammatory DSCs (iDSCs) and glycolytic DSCs (glyDSCs) are significantly enriched in RM, with implicated roles in driving decidual inflammation and immune dysregulation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY DSCs play crucial roles in establishing and maintaining a successful pregnancy; dysfunction of DSCs has been considered as one of the key reasons for the development of RM. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We collected 15 early decidual samples from five healthy donors (HDs) and ten RM patients to perform single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). A total of 43 RM patients and 37 HDs were enrolled in the validation cohort. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Non-immune cells and immune cells of decidual tissues were sorted by flow cytometry to perform scRNA-seq. We used tissue microarrays (TMA) to validate three distinct subpopulations of DSCs. The expression of inflammatory and glycolytic proteins by DSCs was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC). Different subsets of decidual NK (dNK) cells and macrophages were also validated by multicolor flow cytometry and mIHC. Cell ligand–receptor and spatial analyses between DSCs and immune cells were analyzed by mIHC. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE We classify the DSCs into three subtypes based on scRNA-seq data: myofibroblastic (myDSCs), inflammatory (iDSCs) and glycolytic (glyDSCs), with the latter two being significantly enriched in RM patients. The distribution patterns of DSC subtypes in the RM and HD groups were validated by mIHC. Single-cell analyses indicate that the differentiation of iDSCs and glyDSCs may be coupled with the degrees of hypoxia. Consequently, we propose a pathological model in which a vicious circle is formed and fueled by hypoxic stress, uncontrolled inflammation and aberrant glycolysis. Furthermore, our results show that the inflammatory SPP1+ macrophages and CD18+ dNK cells are preferentially increased in the decidua of RM patients. Cell ligand–receptor and mIHC spatial analyses uncovered close interactions between pathogenic DSCs and inflammatory SPP1+ macrophages and CD18+ NK cells in RM patients. LARGE SCALE DATA The raw single-cell sequence data reported in this paper were deposited at the National Omics Data Encyclopedia (www.biosino.org), under the accession number OEP002901. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The number of decidual samples for scRNA-seq was limited and in-depth functional studies on DSCs are warranted in future studies. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Identification of three DSC subpopulations opens new avenues for further investigation of their roles in RM patients. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (No. XDB29030302), Frontier Science Key Research Project (QYZDB-SSW-SMC036), Chinese Academy of Sciences; National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFE0200600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31770960), Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2019SHZDZX02, HS2021SHZX001), and Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (17411967800). All authors report no conflict of interest.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted great attention as templates for preparation of functional porous materials owing to their adjustable structures, rich porosity, and controllable components. However, collapsed templates during the conversion process hinder their application and synthesis of derivatives. In this study, we demonstrate a novel two-step etching strategy during which amorphous MOF microspheres are initially transformed into nickel hydroxide and then subsequently transformed into microspherical nickel phosphates. Through this strategy, the prepared nickel phosphates maintain the microspherical morphology of MOFs but with no MOF residuals, exhibiting ultrahigh specific surface area, uniform pore size, and good structural robustness. Examined as a supercapacitor electrode, they show an outstanding specific capacity of 820 C g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and remarkable cycling stability of 88% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor constructed utilizing reduced graphene cross-linked with p-phenylenediamine oxide (PPD-rGO) as the cathode displays a preeminent energy density of 64.56 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 507 W kg-1. This strategy has important significance in guiding the preparation of high-performance MOF-derived electrodes.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)2/7 heterodimer shows greater efficacy in enhancing bone regeneration. However, the precise mechanism and the role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling network in BMP2/7-driven osteogenesis remain ambiguous. In this study, we evaluated the effects of BMP2/7 heterodimers on osteoblastic differentiation in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), with the aim to elaborate how MAPKs might be involved in this cellular process by treatment of rat BMSCs with BMP2/-7 with a special signal-pathway inhibitor. We found that BMP2/7 heterodimer induced a much stronger osteogenic response in rat BMSCs compared with either homodimer. Most interestingly, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) demonstrated a highly sustained phosphorylation and activation in the BMP2/7 heterodimer treatment groups, and inhibition of ERK cascades using U0126 special inhibitor that significantly reduced the activity of ALP and calcium mineralization to a substantial degree in rat BMSCs treated with BMP2/7 heterodimers. Collectively, we demonstrate that BMP2/7 heterodimer shows a potent ability to stimulate osteogenesis in rat BMSCs. The activated ERK signaling pathway involved in this process may contribute partially to an increased osteogenic potency of heterodimeric BMP2/7 growth factors.