Noninvasive On-Skin Biosensors for Monitoring Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus represents a major global health issue, driving the need for noninvasive alternatives to traditional blood glucose monitoring methods. Recent advancements in wearable technology have introduced skin-interfaced biosensors capable of analyzing sweat and skin biomarkers, providing innovative solutions for diabetes diagnosis and monitoring. This review comprehensively discusses the current developments in noninvasive wearable biosensors, emphasizing simultaneous detection of biochemical biomarkers (such as glucose, cortisol, lactate, branched-chain amino acids, and cytokines) and physiological signals (including heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat rate) for accurate, personalized diabetes management.

Ballistic diffusion fronts in biomolecular condensates.

Biomolecular condensates in cells compartmentalize vital processes by enriching molecules through molecular recognition. However, it remains elusive how transport occurs in biomolecular condensates and how it relates to their dynamic and/or viscoelastic state. We show that the transport of molecules in DNA model condensates does not follow classical Fickian diffusion, which has a blurry front with a square root of time dependence.

An orally administered gene editing nanoparticle boosts chemo-immunotherapy in colorectal cancer.

Chemoresistance and immunosuppression are common obstacles to the efficacy of chemo-immunotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) and are regulated by mitochondrial chaperone proteins. Here we show that the disruption of the tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) gene, which encodes a mitochondrial chaperone in tumour cells, causes the translocation of cyclophilin D in tumour cells. This process results in the continuous opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, which enhances chemotherapy-induced cell necrosis and promotes immune responses.

Single-Crystal Diamond Nanowires Embedded with Platinum Nanoparticles for High-Temperature Solar-Blind Photodetector.

Diamond, an ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor material, is promising for solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors in extreme environments. However, when exposed to high-temperature conditions, diamond photodetector surfaces are unavoidably terminated with oxygen, leading to low photoresponsivity. To address this limitation, single-crystalline diamond nanowires (DNWs) embedded with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were developed using Pt film deposition followed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) homoepitaxial growth.

Inversion of supramolecular chirality by photo-enhanced secondary nucleation.

Understanding how molecules in solution begin to nucleate and grow into defined aggregates remains an outstanding mechanistic challenge. This is because the nucleation process is affected by a number of physicochemical factors that act simultaneously and whose individual contributions are hard to disentangle. Here, we demonstrate how residual aggregates in a molecular dispersion state affect the nucleation kinetics and the resulting self-assembly pathway.

Nanoscopic cross-grain cation homogenization in perovskite solar cells.

Multiscale cation inhomogeneity has been a major hurdle in state-of-the-art formamidinium-caesium (FA-Cs) mixed-cation perovskites for achieving perovskite solar cells with optimal power conversion efficiencies and durability. Although the field has attempted to homogenize the overall distributions of FA-Cs in perovskite films from both plan and cross-sectional views, our understanding of grain-to-grain cation inhomogeneity and ability to tailor it-that is, spatially resolving the FA-Cs compositional difference between individual grains down to the nanoscale-are lacking. Here we reveal that as fundamental building blocks of a perovskite film, individual grains exhibit cationic compositions deviating from the prescribed ideal composition, severely limiting the interfacial optoelectronic properties and perovskite layer durability.

Ferroelectricity with concomitant Coulomb screening in van der Waals heterostructures.

Interfacial ferroelectricity emerges in non-centrosymmetric heterostructures consisting of non-polar van der Waals (vdW) layers. Ferroelectricity with concomitant Coulomb screening can switch topological currents or superconductivity and simulate synaptic response. So far, it has only been realized in bilayer graphene moiré superlattices, posing stringent requirements to constituent materials and twist angles.

Bottom-up synthetic immunology.

Infectious diseases and cancer evade immune surveillance using similar mechanisms. Targeting immune mechanisms using common strategies thus represents a promising avenue to improve prevention and treatment. Synthetic immunology can provide such strategies by applying engineering principles from synthetic biology to immunology.

In vivo magnetogenetics for cell-type-specific targeting and modulation of brain circuits.

Neuromodulation technologies are crucial for investigating neuronal connectivity and brain function. Magnetic neuromodulation offers wireless and remote deep brain stimulations that are lacking in optogenetic- and wired-electrode-based tools. However, due to the limited understanding of working principles and poorly designed magnetic operating systems, earlier magnetic approaches have yet to be utilized.

Transient Response and Ionic Dynamics in Organic Electrochemical Transistors.

The rapid development of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) has ushered in a new era in organic electronics, distinguishing itself through its application in a variety of domains, from high-speed logic circuits to sensitive biosensors, and neuromorphic devices like artificial synapses and organic electrochemical random-access memories. Despite recent strides in enhancing OECT performance, driven by the demand for superior transient response capabilities, a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between charge and ion transport, alongside electron-ion interactions, as well as the optimization strategies, remains elusive. This review aims to bridge this gap by providing a systematic overview on the fundamental working principles of OECT transient responses, emphasizing advancements in device physics and optimization approaches.

A DNA robotic switch with regulated autonomous display of cytotoxic ligand nanopatterns.

The clustering of death receptors (DRs) at the membrane leads to apoptosis. With the goal of treating tumours, multivalent molecular tools that initiate this mechanism have been developed. However, DRs are also ubiquitously expressed in healthy tissue.

Myocarditis associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

Following the start of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the adverse events of myocarditis and pericarditis were linked mainly to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by the regulatory authorities worldwide. COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to several million people and the risk of myocarditis post COVID-19 vaccination has been characterised in great detail. At the present time the research data available are scarce and there is still no clear understanding of the biological mechanism/s responsible for this disease.

Vacuum levitation and motion control on chip.

By isolating from the environment and precisely controlling mesoscopic objects, levitation in vacuum has evolved into a versatile technique that has already benefited diverse scientific directions, from force sensing and thermodynamics to materials science and chemistry. It also holds great promise for advancing the study of quantum mechanics in the unexplored macroscopic regime. However, most current levitation platforms are complex and bulky.

Leakage Proof, Flame-Retardant, and Electromagnetic Shield Wood Morphology Genetic Composite Phase Change Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting.

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer a promising solution to address the challenges posed by intermittency and fluctuations in solar thermal utilization. However, for organic solid-liquid PCMs, issues such as leakage, low thermal conductivity, lack of efficient solar-thermal media, and flammability have constrained their broad applications. Herein, we present an innovative class of versatile composite phase change materials (CPCMs) developed through a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis approach, leveraging the inherent anisotropy and unidirectional porosity of wood aerogel (nanowood) to support polyethylene glycol (PEG).

Vaccine adjuvants: current status, research and development, licensing, and future opportunities.

Vaccines represent one of the most significant inventions in human history and have revolutionized global health. Generally, a vaccine functions by triggering the innate immune response and stimulating antigen-presenting cells, leading to a defensive adaptive immune response against a specific pathogen's antigen. As a key element, adjuvants are chemical materials often employed as additives to increase a vaccine's efficacy and immunogenicity.

A charge-dependent long-ranged force drives tailored assembly of matter in solution.

The interaction between charged objects in solution is generally expected to recapitulate two central principles of electromagnetics: (1) like-charged objects repel, and (2) they do so regardless of the sign of their electrical charge. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the solvent plays a hitherto unforeseen but crucial role in interparticle interactions, and importantly, that interactions in the fluid phase can break charge-reversal symmetry. We show that in aqueous solution, negatively charged particles can attract at long range while positively charged particles repel.

COVID-19 vaccines and adverse events of special interest: A multinational Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN) cohort study of 99 million vaccinated individuals.

Background: The Global COVID Vaccine Safety (GCoVS) Project, established in 2021 under the multinational Global Vaccine Data Network™ (GVDN®), facilitates comprehensive assessment of vaccine safety. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of adverse events of special interest (AESI) following COVID-19 vaccination from 10 sites across eight countries.

Methods: Using a common protocol, this observational cohort study compared observed with expected rates of 13 selected AESI across neurological, haematological, and cardiac outcomes.

Design Strategies for Aqueous Zinc Metal Batteries with High Zinc Utilization: From Metal Anodes to Anode-Free Structures.

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage due to the excellent safety, environmental friendliness, natural abundance, high theoretical specific capacity, and low redox potential of zinc (Zn) metal. However, several issues such as dendrite formation, hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and passivation of Zn metal anodes cause irreversible loss of the active materials. To solve these issues, researchers often use large amounts of excess Zn to ensure a continuous supply of active materials for Zn anodes.

Reversible optical data storage below the diffraction limit.

Colour centres in wide-bandgap semiconductors feature metastable charge states that can be interconverted with the help of optical excitation at select wavelengths. The distinct fluorescence and spin properties in each of these states have been exploited to show storage of classical information in three dimensions, but the memory capacity of these platforms has been thus far limited by optical diffraction. Here we leverage local heterogeneity in the optical transitions of colour centres in diamond (nitrogen vacancies) to demonstrate selective charge state control of individual point defects sharing the same diffraction-limited volume.

Metal-Organic Gel Leading to Customized Magnetic-Coupling Engineering in Carbon Aerogels for Excellent Radar Stealth and Thermal Insulation Performances.

Metal-organic gel (MOG) derived composites are promising multi-functional materials due to their alterable composition, identifiable chemical homogeneity, tunable shape, and porous structure. Herein, stable metal-organic hydrogels are prepared by regulating the complexation effect, solution polarity and curing speed. Meanwhile, collagen peptide is used to facilitate the fabrication of a porous aerogel with excellent physical properties as well as the homogeneous dispersion of magnetic particles during calcination.

A rhythmically pulsing leaf-spring DNA-origami nanoengine that drives a passive follower.

Molecular engineering seeks to create functional entities for modular use in the bottom-up design of nanoassemblies that can perform complex tasks. Such systems require fuel-consuming nanomotors that can actively drive downstream passive followers. Most artificial molecular motors are driven by Brownian motion, in which, with few exceptions, the generated forces are non-directed and insufficient for efficient transfer to passive second-level components.

Breaking through the basement membrane barrier to improve nanotherapeutic delivery to tumours.

An effective nanotherapeutic transport from the vasculature to the tumour is crucial for cancer treatment with minimal side effects. Here we demonstrate that, in addition to the endothelial barrier, the tumour vascular basement membrane surrounding the endothelium acts as a formidable mechanical barrier that entraps nanoparticles (NPs) in the subendothelial void, forming perivascular NP pools. Breaking through this basement membrane barrier substantially increases NP extravasation.