Inhibition of Galectin-3 Expression Could Preserve the Immunoregulatory Function of Mesenchymal Stem Cells During Cell Passaging.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the effective treatments for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) due to their potent immunoregulatory function. Given the limited quantity and high heterogeneity of freshly isolated MSCs, extensive expansion is essential for clinical application. Prolonged passaging of MSCs leads to a decline in therapeutic efficacy, with the underlying mechanisms remaining unclear.

Lobectomy Versus Sub-lobectomy for Clinical Stage IA (≤2 cm) Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Tumour Spread through Air Spaces: A Multi-Centre Retrospective Study.

Objectives: The efficacy of sub-lobectomy for clinical IA (tumours ≤2 cm) lung squamous cell carcinoma with tumour spread through air spaces (STAS) remains unknown. This study compares long-term survival outcomes between sub-lobectomy and lobectomy, aiming to offer pivotal evidence for optimizing resection strategies for clinical IA STAS-positive squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Methods: Consecutive clinical IA STAS-positive squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing surgery between 2010 and 2020 at 7 high-volume institutions across 5 Chinese cities were retrospectively reviewed.

Computational Investigation of a CO Conversion Strategy via Diels-Alder Reaction in a Carbon Capture Solvent.

Molecular-level insights into reactive separations are crucial for the design of new conversion pathways of carbon dioxide (CO). This work explores a postulated pathway that directs CO to undergo inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reactions to produce heterocycles using the CO chemically fixed on water-lean solvent molecules. Density functional theory calculations are applied to evaluate the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies of three types of reactants (1,3-butadiene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene, and 1,2,4,5-tetrazine) with various functional substituents.

Minimally invasive surgery could be attempted with preoperatively predictable difficulty for non-small cell lung cancer after neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy: A large multicenter study.

Background: Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. However, it presents significant surgical challenges, leading to controversy over the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive surgery. This study aims to assess the adequacy of minimally invasive surgery and preoperatively predict its difficulty for non-small cell lung cancer after neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy.

Solvent Screening for Separation Processes Using Machine Learning and High-Throughput Technologies.

As the chemical industry shifts toward sustainable practices, there is a growing initiative to replace conventional fossil-derived solvents with environmentally friendly alternatives such as ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a key role in the discovery and design of novel solvents and the development of green processes. This review explores the latest advancements in AI-assisted solvent screening with a specific focus on machine learning (ML) models for physicochemical property prediction and separation process design.

Influence of counterion substitution on the properties of imidazolium-based ionic liquid clusters.

Due to their unique physiochemical properties that may be tailored for specific purposes, ionic liquids (ILs) have been investigated for various applications, including chemical separations, catalysis, energy storage, and space propulsion. The different cations and anions comprising ILs may be selected to optimize a range of desired properties, such as thermal stability, ionic conductivity, and volatility, leading to the designation of certain ILs as designer "green" solvents. The effect of counterions on the properties of ILs is of both fundamental scientific interest and technological importance.

Exploring the impact of social influence on parents' intention to use institutional childcare: a cross-sectional study.

Background: China is actively responding to low birth rates by developing childcare institutions to alleviate the parenting pressures on families. However, despite strong childcare demand, the enrollment rate remains low. Few studies have explored the role of social influence in parents' childcare decisions.

Pairing a Global Optimization Algorithm with EXAFS to Characterize Lanthanide Structure in Solution.

-average sampling of structures from molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations can be used to predict theoretical extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) signals that closely match experimental spectra. However, AIMD simulations are time-consuming and resource-intensive, particularly for solvated lanthanide ions, which often form multiple nonrigid geometries with high coordination numbers. To accelerate the characterization of lanthanide structures in solution, we employed the Northwest Potential Energy Surface Search Engine (NWPEsSe), an adaptive-learning global optimization algorithm, to efficiently screen first-shell structures.

BCAT1 contributes to the development of TKI-resistant CML.

Purpose: Although most of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients can be effectively treated by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as Imatinib, TKI-resistance still occurs in approximately 15-17% of cases. Although many studies indicate that branched chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism may contribute to the TKI resistance in CML, the detailed mechanisms remains largely unknown.

Method: The cell proliferation, colony formation and in vivo transplantation were used to determined the functions of BCAT1 in leukemogenesis.

A novel costimulatory molecule gene-modified leukemia cell-derived exosome enhances the anti-leukemia efficacy of DC vaccine in mouse models.

Objectives: Leukemia cell-derived exosomes (LEXs), carrying leukemia cell-specific antigens, can serve as a source of antigen for dendritic cell (DC) vaccine loading. However, LEX-targeted DC-based vaccines have demonstrated limited antitumor immune effects in clinical trials, attributed to the low immunogenicity of LEXs and the scant levels of costimulatory molecules on DCs. The costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86, which are crucial to DC function, play a significant role in enhancing immune efficacy.

Tetrameric self-assembling of water-lean solvents enables carbamate anhydride-based CO capture chemistry.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage is a key yet cost-intensive technology for the fight against climate change. Single-component water-lean solvents have emerged as promising materials for post-combustion CO capture, but little is known regarding their mechanism of action. Here we present a combined experimental and modelling study of single-component water-lean solvents, and we find that CO capture is accompanied by the self-assembly of reverse-micelle-like tetrameric clusters in solution.

Endothelial-derived small extracellular vesicles support B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia development.

Purpose: The bone marrow niche plays an important role in leukemia development. However, the contributions of different niche components to leukemia development and their underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear.

Method: Cre/LoxP-based conditional knockout technology was used to delete VPS33B or ANGPTL2 gene in niche cells.

Electric-Field-Induced Assembly of an Ionic Liquid-Water Interphase Enables Efficient Heavy Metal Electrosorption.

Controlling ion desolvation, transport, and charge transfer at the electrode-electrolyte interface (EEI) is critical to enable the rational design of the efficient and selective separation of targeted heavy metals and the decontamination of industrial wastewater. The main challenge is to sufficiently resolve and interrogate the desolvation of solvated metal ions and their subsequent electroreduction at the EEI and establish pathways to modulate these intermediate steps to achieve efficient energy transfer for targeted reactive separations. Herein, we obtained a predictive understanding of modulating the desolvation and electrosorption of Pb cations using the hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIMCl) in aqueous electrolyte.

Toward Self-Healing Concrete Infrastructure: Review of Experiments and Simulations across Scales.

Cement and concrete are vital materials used to construct durable habitats and infrastructure that withstand natural and human-caused disasters. Still, concrete cracking imposes enormous repair costs on societies, and excessive cement consumption for repairs contributes to climate change. Therefore, the need for more durable cementitious materials, such as those with self-healing capabilities, has become more urgent.

Enhancing CO Transport Across a PEEK-Ionene Membrane and Water-Lean Solvent Interface.

Efficient direct air capture (DAC) of CO will require strategies to deal with the relatively low concentration in the atmosphere. One such strategy is to employ the combination of a CO -selective membrane coupled with a CO capture solvent acting as a draw solution. Here, the interactions between a leading water-lean carbon-capture solvent, a polyether ether ketone (PEEK)-ionene membrane, CO , and combinations were probed using advanced NMR techniques coupled with advanced simulations.

Influence of surface and intermolecular interactions on the properties of supported polyoxometalates.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) with localized radical or open-shell metal sites have the potential to be used as transformative electronic spin based molecular qubits (MQs) for quantum computing (QC). For practical applications, MQs have to be immobilized in electronically or optically addressable arrays which introduces interactions with supports as well as neighboring POMs. Herein, we synthesized Keggin POMs with both tungsten (W) and vanadium (V) addenda atoms.

Neuroprotective Effects of an Edible Pigment Brilliant Blue FCF against Behavioral Abnormity in MCAO Rats.

Ischemic stroke leads to hypoxia-induced neuronal death and behavioral abnormity, and is a major cause of death in the modern society. However, the treatments of this disease are limited. Brilliant Blue FCF (BBF) is an edible pigment used in the food industry that with multiple aromatic rings and sulfonic acid groups in its structure.

Advanced Theory and Simulation to Guide the Development of CO Capture Solvents.

Increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases due to industrial activity have led to concerning levels of global warming. Reducing carbon dioxide (CO) emissions, one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect, is key to mitigating further warming and its negative effects on the planet. CO capture solvent systems are currently the only available technology deployable at scales commensurate with industrial processes.

Amphilic Water-Lean Carbon Capture Solvent Wetting Behavior through Decomposition by Stainless-Steel Interfaces.

A combined experimental and theoretical study has been carried out on the wetting and reactivity of water-lean carbon capture solvents on the surface of common column packing materials. Paradoxically, these solvents are found to be equally able to wet hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. The solvents are amphiphilic and can adapt to any interfacial environment, owing to their inherent heterogeneous (nonionic/ionic) molecular structure.

9-Methylfascaplysin exerts anti-ischemic stroke neuroprotective effects via the inhibition of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in rats.

Objectives: This study was aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of 9-methylfascaplysin, a novel marine derivative derived from sponge, against middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO)-induced motor impairments, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in rats.

Methods: Neurological and behavioral tests were used to evaluate behavioral changes. The 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to determine infarct size and edema extent.

Subtle changes in hydrogen bond orientation result in glassification of carbon capture solvents.

Water-lean CO capture solvents show promise for more efficient and cost-effective CO capture, although their long-term behavior in operation has yet to be well studied. New observations of extended structure solvent behavior show that some solvent formulations transform into a glass-like phase upon aging at operating temperatures after contact with CO. The glassification of a solvent would be detrimental to a carbon-capture process due to plugging of infrastructure, introducing a critical need to decipher the underlying principles of this phenomenon to prevent it from happening.

Hydrogen Bonding Enhances the Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Benzaldehyde in the Aqueous Phase.

The hydrogenation of benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol on carbon-supported metals in water, enabled by an external potential, is markedly promoted by polarization of the functional groups. The presence of polar co-adsorbates, such as substituted phenols, enhances the hydrogenation rate of the aldehyde by two effects, that is, polarizing the carbonyl group and increasing the probability of forming a transition state for H addition. These two effects enable a hydrogenation route, in which phenol acts as a conduit for proton addition, with a higher rate than the direct proton transfer from hydronium ions.

Molecular-Level Overhaul of γ-Aminopropyl Aminosilicone/Triethylene Glycol Post-Combustion CO -Capture Solvents.

Capturing carbon dioxide from post-combustion gas streams is an energy-intensive process that is required prior to either converting or sequestering CO . Although a few commercial 1st and 2nd generation aqueous amine technologies have been proposed, the cost of capturing CO with these technologies remains high. One approach to decrease costs of capture has been the development of water-lean solvents that aim to increase efficiency by reducing the water content in solution.