Cytosine base editor-DNA binding domain fusions for editing window modulation in the RNP format.

Base editing technologies allow for the precise and efficient installation of defined nucleotide substitutions into a target genome without the introduction of double strand breaks or DNA templates. Here we describe two recombinant, protein format cytosine base editors (CBEs) that efficiently catalyze the installation of cytosine-to-thymine edits, termed "Flexible" and "Precision." Flexible exhibits a wide editing window, while Precision uses a fused single-stranded DNA binding protein to narrow the editing window, lowering the risk of editing multiple cytosine residues at the target site.

Evaluation of intranasal dexmedetomidine on perioperative comfort evaluated using the General Comfort Questionnaire.

Objectives: Impaired clinical comfort has been shown to compromise in-hospital care quality and patient safety metrics. Therefore, optimizing perioperative comfort through evidence-based multimodal interventions has emerged as a paramount clinical priority in contemporary surgical and anesthesia practice. This study aimed to investigate the effects of intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride on comfort improvement in patients who underwent neuraxial anesthesia or nerve block anesthesia and to explore the risk factors for discomfort.

UTADC-Net: Unsupervised Topological-Aware Diffusion Condensation Network for Medical Image Segmentation.

Medical image segmentation plays a crucial role in computer-aided diagnosis and treatment planning. Unsupervised segmentation methods that can effectively leverage unlabeled data bring significant promise in clinical application. However, they remain a challenge task in maintaining anatomical structure topological consistency that often produces anatomical structure breaks, connectivity errors, or boundary discontinuities.

Multiphase MRI radiomics model for predicting microvascular invasion in HCC: Development and clinical validation.

Background And Aims: Accurate preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for treatment planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a multi-phase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics model for predicting MVI in HCC patients.

Methods: This retrospective study included 110 HCC patients (training: = 77; validation: = 33) who underwent preoperative multi-phase MRI.

Sub-Ångstrom Pore Engineering in Carbon Molecular Sieves Realizes Diffusion-Gated Kinetic Sieving of Alkenes from Alkanes.

Sub-Ångstrom pore engineering offers a new paradigm for molecular separations. Here, we report sucrose-derived carbon molecular sieves (CMSs) with precisely tailored sub-Ångstrom slit pores that enable diffusion-gated kinetic sieving for the challenging separation of alkenes from alkanes. The optimized materials, C-Suc-650 and C-Suc-750, set new industry-leading standards for the kinetic separation of CH/CH and CH/CH, respectively.

Efficient and stable removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus from swine manure digestate by coupling high-rate activated sludge and single-stage partial nitritation/anammox-hydroxyapatite processes.

Organic matter stress restricts the efficiency and broader applicability of anammox process for high-nutrient digestate treatment. A high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) process coupled a single-stage partial nitritation/anammox-hydroxyapatite (PN/A-HAP) process was developed to treat swine manure digestate. The coupled processes achieved stable removal efficiencies of 92 % (N), 63 % (P), and 66 % (chemical oxygen demand, COD), respectively.

Construction of an SnS-based heterostructure catalyst for electrochemical CO reduction to formate over a wide potential window.

SnS has emerged as an attractive catalyst for the electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) to formate, while its long-term operational stability is hindered by the self-reduction of Sn and sulfur dissolution. Thus, maintaining high current efficiency across a wide negative potential range to achieve high production rates of formate remains a significant challenge. In this study, we present a heterostructure constructed with SnS and CuS for efficient CORR to formate.

Benchmark Paraffin Adsorption in a Super-Hydrophobic Porous Coordination Polymer with Blade-Like Circular Phenyl Nanotraps.

Selective capture of paraffin from olefin that permits one-step purification of olefin is significantly important, yet developing adsorbents with high selectivity and hydrophobicity remains a daunting challenge. Although aromatic environments can enhance paraffin affinity and hydrophobicity through nonpolar interactions, water adsorption still occurs in regions distant from the aromatic rings, as well as in secondary pores that are always overlooked. Herein, we reported an ultramicroporous porous coordination polymer (ZnFPCP) featuring blade-like circular phenyl paraffin nanotraps.

Human Fibroblast Growth Factor 9 Induces Hair Follicle Cycle Transition via TGF-β/BMP/Smad Pathway.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is a crucial regulator of hair follicle development; however, the precise regulatory role of FGF9 on the biological behavior of hair follicles remains unclear.

Purpose: Explore the effects of recombinant human fibroblast growth factor (rhFGF9) on hair follicle growth and cycle transition in mice, as well as the associated mechanisms.

Methods: We utilized soluble recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 9 (rhFGF9), expressed in Escherichia coli, and injected it into the dorsal skin of mice.

Computational Modeling of the Enzymatic Achmatowicz Rearrangement by Heme-Dependent Chloroperoxidase: Reaction Mechanism, Enantiopreference, Regioselectivity, and Substrate Specificity.

The chloroperoxidase from (CPO) catalyzes the oxidative ring expansion of α-heterofunctionalized furans via the Achmatowicz rearrangement, providing an elegant tool to convert furan rings into complex-prefunctionalized scaffolds. However, the mechanism of this transformation remains unclear. Herein, the CPO-catalyzed reaction of 1-(2-furyl)ethanol () is studied by quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations.

Downregulation of RSAD2 ameliorates keratinocyte hyperproliferation and skin inflammation in psoriasis via the TAK1/NF-κB axis.

Immune cell infiltration and keratinocyte (KC) hyperproliferation are characteristics of psoriasis. Radical S-adenosyl methionine domain-containing 2 (RSAD2) plays an integral role in the innate immune response and is associated with various immune-related diseases. However, RSAD2's expression and role in modulating immune responses in psoriasis remain unexplored.

Rational design of a series of non-centrosymmetric antiperovskite and double antiperovskite borate fluorides.

Non-centrosymmetric (NCS) compounds can exhibit many symmetry-dependent functional properties, yet their rational structure design remains a great challenge. Herein, a strategy to introduce F-centered octahedra to construct a perovskite-type framework filled by π-conjugated [BO] dimers is proposed to obtain NCS compounds. The first examples of antiperovskite or double antiperovskite borate fluorides, [(M/Ba)Ca]F[BO] (M = K, Rb) and [CsBaCa]F[BO], have been successfully designed and synthesized.

The First Kr-Selective Carbon Molecular Sieve for Inverse Adsorption of Krypton Over Xenon at Ambient Temperature.

The efficient adsorption-based separation of krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe) is of paramount importance but is challenged by their similar physicochemical properties. While carbon adsorbents are theoretically promising for Kr/Xe sieving, practical success has remained elusive. Here, a series of ultramicroporous carbon molecular sieves synthesized from sucrose-derived hydrochar is reported.

Planar Group Functionalization of Quasi-Discrete Pores in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Isomeric Separation in Simulated Moving Bed Processes.

The efficient separation of 4-methyl-1-pentene (4MP1) from its structural isomers is crucial for industrial applications but remains challenging due to the similar physicochemical properties of these compounds. This study introduces a novel strategy using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), specifically an engineered variant of ZIF-108, which demonstrates remarkable improvements in the thermodynamic and kinetic properties for 4MP1 separation. By substituting the methyl groups in ZIF-8 with planar nitro groups, we achieved a strategic resizing of the pore windows and cavity dimensions in ZIF-108.

FTDZOA: An Efficient and Robust FS Method with Multi-Strategy Assistance.

Feature selection (FS) is a pivotal technique in big data analytics, aimed at mitigating redundant information within datasets and optimizing computational resource utilization. This study introduces an enhanced zebra optimization algorithm (ZOA), termed FTDZOA, for superior feature dimensionality reduction. To address the challenges of ZOA, such as susceptibility to local optimal feature subsets, limited global search capabilities, and sluggish convergence when tackling FS problems, three strategies are integrated into the original ZOA to bolster its FS performance.

Amodiaquine ameliorates stress-induced premature cellular senescence via promoting SIRT1-mediated HR repair.

DNA damage is considered to be a potentially unifying driver of ageing, and the stalling of DNA damage repair accelerates the cellular senescence. However, augmenting DNA repair has remained a great challenge due to the intricate repair mechanisms specific for multiple types of lesions. Herein, we miniaturized our modified detecting system for homologous recombination (HR) into a 96-well-based platform and performed a high-throughput chemical screen for FDA-approved drugs.

LncRNA LINC01664 promotes cancer resistance through facilitating homologous recombination-mediated DNA repair.

The intracellular responses to DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair are crucial for genomic stability and play an essential role in cancer resistance. In addition to canonical DSB repair proteins, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be involved in this sophisticated network. In the present study, we performed a loss-of-function screen for a customized siRNA Premix Library to identify lncRNAs that participate in homologous recombination (HR) process.

Unspecific peroxygenase enabled formation of azoxy compounds.

Enzymes are making a significant impact on chemical synthesis. However, the range of chemical products achievable through biocatalysis is still limited compared to the vast array of products possible with organic synthesis. For instance, azoxy products have rarely been synthesized using enzyme catalysts.

Recovery of ammonia nitrogen from simulated reject water by bipolar membrane electrodialysis.

Ammonia monohydrate (NH·HO) is an important chemical widely used in industrial, agricultural, and pharmaceutical fields. Reject water is used as the raw material in self-built bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) to produce NH·HO. The effects of electrode materials, membrane stack structure, and operating conditions (current density, initial concentrations of the reject water, and initial volume ratio) on the BMED process were investigated, and the economic costs were analyzed.

Bleomycin induces senescence and repression of DNA repair via downregulation of Rad51.

Background: Bleomycin, a potent antitumor agent, is limited in clinical use due to the potential for fatal pulmonary toxicity. The accelerated DNA damage and senescence in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) is considered a key factor in the development of lung pathology. Understanding the mechanisms for bleomycin-induced lung injury is crucial for mitigating its adverse effects.

Reaction engineering blocks ether cleavage for synthesizing chiral cyclic hemiacetals catalyzed by unspecific peroxygenase.

Hemiacetal compounds are valuable building blocks in synthetic chemistry, but their enzymatic synthesis is limited and often hindered by the instability of hemiacetals in aqueous environments. Here, we show that this challenge can be addressed through reaction engineering by using immobilized peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita (AaeUPO) under neat reaction conditions, which allows for the selective C-H bond oxyfunctionalization of environmentally significant cyclic ethers to cyclic hemiacetals. A wide range of chiral cyclic hemiacetal products are prepared in >99% enantiomeric excess and 95170 turnover numbers of AaeUPO.

Quasi-Discrete Pore Engineering via Ligand Racemization in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Thermodynamic-Kinetic Synergistic Separation of Propylene and Propane.

The adsorptive separation of propylene and propane offers an energy-efficient alternative to the conventional cryogenic distillation technology. However, developing porous adsorbents with both high equilibrium and kinetic selectivity remains extremely challenging due to the similar size and physical properties of these gases. Herein, this work reports a ligand racemization strategy to construct quasi-discrete pores in MOFs for a synergistically enhanced thermodynamic and kinetic separation performance.

Rapid start-up of an innovative pilot-scale staged PN/A continuous process for enhanced nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate via robust NOB elimination and efficient biomass retention.

The start-up and stable operation of partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) treatment of mature landfill leachate (MLL) still face challenges. This study developed an innovative staged pilot-scale PN/A system to enhance nitrogen removal from MLL. The staged process included a PN unit, an anammox upflow enhanced internal circulation biofilm (UEICB) reactor, and a post-biofilm unit.

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of low-level HBV DNA screening in occult hepatitis B infection donors: A study from Shandong Blood Center, China.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of individual-donation nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT) in detecting occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among -HBc positive blood donors, compared to minipool nucleic acid testing (MP-NAT).

Methods: The present study analyzed data from the Shandong Blood Center in China during the period from January 2018 to June 2022, where HBsAg-negative blood donors were screened using the 6-sample minipool nucleic acid testing (6-sample MP NAT) method. NAT-positive samples underwent subsequent -HBc and -HBs testing.