Orbital-Tailoring Strategy via Dual-Defect Engineering in P-FeTe@NC Synergizes Polysulfide Adsorption-Conversion for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The polysulfide shuttling and sluggish sulfur redox kinetics hinder the commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, the fabrication of phosphorus (P)-doped iron telluride (FeTe) nanoparticles with engineered Te vacancies anchored on nitrogen (N)-doped carbon (C) (P-FeTe@NC) is presented as a multifunctional sulfur host. Theoretical and experimental analyses show that Te vacancies create electron-deficient Fe sites, which chemically anchor polysulfides through enhanced Fe─S covalent interactions.

Discovery of Novel Drug-Conjugate Molecule with Dual p53-MDM2 and TOP1 Inhibition for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

The blocking interaction between p53 and its negative regulator MDM2 is an engaging therapeutic strategy for antitumor drug development, and there are several drug candidates of p53-MDM2 inhibitors in clinical trials. In the present study, novel drug conjugates of p53-MDM2 inhibitors and topoisomerase I (TOP1) inhibitors have been designed based on bioinformatics analysis results of ten tumor tissues. Among them, showed potent antiproliferative activity against three cell lines HCT116, SJSA-1, and A549, with the strongest p53-MDM2 and TOP1 inhibitory activity.

Harnessing Dual Hydrogen Bonding and Lewis Acid-Base Interactions for Bio-Inspired Symmetry-Breaking Electrolytes in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) offer a safe, cost-effective alternative for large-scale energy storage but are hindered by zinc dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), and unstable electrode-electrolyte interfaces. These challenges largely stem from strong dipole interactions between symmetric water molecules and Zn, which destabilize the electric double layer (EDL) and trigger parasitic reactions. Drawing inspiration from biological systems that use asymmetric molecular interactions to regulate aqueous environments, we introduce isobutyramide (IAM) as a multifunctional electrolyte additive.

Multifunctional Sulfalene additive regulates crystallization dynamics toward inverted perovskite solar cells with enhanced efficiency and stability.

The uncontrolled rapid crystallization inherent in one-step solution process for perovskite films preparation often results in poor crystalline quality and compromised stability, presenting a major obstacle to achieving high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). To overcome this challenge, we propose a multifunctional additive strategy employing Sulfalene (SL), a sulfonyl-based molecule with dual π-conjugated rings, to precisely regulate crystallization dynamics and produce a high-quality crystalline perovskite film. Experimental results show that the electron-rich oxygen atoms in SL form robust coordination bonds with undercoordinated Pb, effectively modulating crystallization dynamics and extending the crystallization process.

Animal models for connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease: Current status and future directions.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) significantly contributes to connective tissue disease (CTD) mortality. Although guidelines for managing CTD-associated ILD (CTD-ILD) exist, many patients respond poorly to treatment owing to two key factors: (1) incomplete understanding of subtype-specific pathogenic mechanisms, and (2) reliance on therapies adapted from systemic sclerosis or nonpulmonary rheumatic diseases, which fail to address the unique pathophysiology of distinct CTD-ILD subtypes. This hinders personalized treatment and underscores the need for robust preclinical models that accurately replicate disease-specific mechanisms.

An enhanced gene function analysis platform for Gastrodia Elata integrating further omics data and analysis tools.

Gastrodia elata, the dried tuber of the Gastrodia orchid, is a valued traditional Chinese medicine with important medicinal and dietary benefits. The growing multi-omics data demands an updated platform to include the latest G.elata genome and transcriptome, thereby enhancing gene function analysis for researchers.

Cationic and Homoleptic Copper(I)-Thiazol-2-ylidenes: Highly Reactive Thiazole N-Heterocyclic Carbenes σ-Lewis Acid Catalysts.

Air- and moisture-stable cationic homoleptic Cu(I) thiazol-2-ylidene complexes are developed as highly efficient σ-Lewis acid catalysts, outperforming imidazol-2-ylidenes in the alkynylation of ketones without requiring stoichiometric Cu-acetylides. These complexes exhibit exceptional operational simplicity and robustness, enabling key C-C bond formation. Structural insights and DFT studies highlight their enhanced reactivity and stability.

Endogenous formation of Fe-bearing particles and their differentiation from exogenous exposure.

Accurately distinguishing between the endogenous formation and exogenous exposure of Fe-bearing particles (e.g., magnetic Fe particles) within biological organisms is the prerequisite for scientifically evaluating their health risks.

Spatial Proteomics Using BiFCPL Identifies Regulators of DMV Formation Involved in Coronavirus Replication.

β-Coronaviruses hijack host factors to remodel host endo-membranes to form double membrane vesicles (DMVs), which act as central hubs for the replication of viral genomes. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying DMV formation is critical for developing effective antiviral strategies and has garnered significant attention. However, the host factors involved in DMV formation remain scanty.

Disease Prevention Measures Affect the Ideal Mate Standards by Altering the Activation of Behavioral Immune System.

Human mate selection is a critical precursor to reproduction and involves three key dimensions: physical attractiveness, resources, and good parenting. The behavioral immune system influences these mate standards, with pathogen threats increasing emphasis on physical attractiveness as health indicators. This study investigated whether modern disease prevention measures, such as sterile medical gloves, can affect individuals' ideal mate standards by altering behavioral immune system activation.

Solvent Polarity Triggered Rapidly Reversible Quadruple-Mode Luminescence Adjustment in 0D Hybrid Antimony Halides.

Zero-dimension (0D) organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides are highly attractive as smart responsive luminescent materials, but the multiple-mode luminescence switch is rarely achieved and intrinsic solvochromism mechanism is unclear. Herein, we report a yellowish-green-emitting (MeBzN)SbCl (MeBzN: trimethylbenzyl ammonium) single crystal, revealing quadruple/triple-mode luminescence switch with rapid response time (<1 s) and excellent recyclability (≥ 100 cycles) when triggered by moderately-polar and strongly-polar solvents. Significantly, the intrinsic solvochromism mechanism is systematically proposed, of which the reversibly multiple-mode luminescence tuning is closely related to solvent polarity, the moderate polarity can lead to luminescence redshift from 560 to 670 nm due to the increase of dipole moment for inorganic polyhedron.

An Activated Gasdermin Mimicking Polymer for Antitumor Immunity.

Synthetic polymers with protein-like functions have the potential to revolutionize the way of modulating physiological processes. Pyroptosis, a form of gasdermin-driven programmed necrosis, is widely viewed as a promising strategy to ignite antitumor immunity. Yet, the intrinsic silence or absence of gasdermins (GSDMs) in tumor cells and the complex intracellular activation process limit its wider applications.

Biological Function of Medium-Chain Fatty Acids and Their Application in Aquatic Animals: A Review.

Medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides (MCTs) possess antibacterial, antiviral, nutritional, and other biological activities and have demonstrated significant application potential in humans and terrestrial animals. In recent years, with the development of the green aquaculture industry, MCTs have been gradually applied to aquaculture animals, which can enhance growth performance, improve flesh quality, regulate lipid metabolism, boost immune activity, and modulate the intestinal flora, thereby improving the production efficiency of aquaculture. This paper elaborates in detail on the biological activities of MCTs and their applications in aquatic animals, providing a theoretical and practical basis for the application of MCTs in aquaculture.

Group-common and individual-specific effects of structure-function coupling in human brain networks with graph neural networks.

The human cerebral cortex is organized into functionally segregated but synchronized regions bridged by the structural connectivity of white matter pathways. While structure-function coupling has been implicated in cognitive development and neuropsychiatric disorders, it remains unclear to what extent the structure-function coupling reflects a group-common characteristic or varies across individuals, at both the global and regional brain levels. By leveraging two independent, high-quality datasets, we found that the graph neural network accurately predicted unseen individuals' functional connectivity from structural connectivity, reflecting a strong structure-function coupling.

Association between body fat distribution and female stress urinary incontinence: a cross-sectional study with the NHANES 2011-2018.

Background: The android to gynoid ratio (A/G ratio) reflects the distribution of abdominal fat relative to gluteofemoral fat and may affect stress urinary incontinence (SUI) by increasing pelvic floor load due to elevated intra-abdominal pressure. However, its direct relationship with SUI remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to explore whether a higher A/G ratio is linked to increased SUI prevalence in American women aged ≥20 years.

Learning effective nonlinear operator for high speed optical compensation system.

Optical communication systems, which form the backbone of modern communication networks, are often hindered by impairments arising from both linear and nonlinear Kerr effects during signal transmission. While Chromatic Dispersion Compensation (CDC) mitigates linear distortions, existing digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms focus on addressing nonlinear Kerr effects. Current compensation architectures, including post-processing compensation (PPC) and digital back-propagation (DBP), each have limitations: PPC's separate handling of linear and nonlinear effects reduces compensation accuracy, while DBP's iterative nature incurs high computational complexity.

Ultrasensitive Mechanoluminescence of Pr-Doped Perovskite Oxide for 3D Strain Sensing and Visualization.

Owing to the unique mechano-optical response, mechanoluminescence (ML) materials possess dynamic, sensitive, visual, and recoverable strain sensing capabilities. However, the dilemma of lacking outstanding ML materials with high detection precision under micro deformations still exists, thereby hindering advanced applications in multi-angle and multidimensional scenarios. Herein, a novel Pr-doped perovskite oxide (NaTaO:Pr)-based composite elastic thin film is developed, which achieves ultrasensitive ML responses to both microscale compressive and tensile strains.

Genetic dissection of two elite japonica varieties reveals founder transmission and selection in breeding.

Understanding the genetic basis of elite rice varieties is conducive to the strategic utilization of genetic resources in modern breeding programs. To elucidate the genetic component and transmission across pedigrees, we investigated two elite inbred japonica varieties, Huruan1212 (HR1212) and Hugeng137 (HG137), through whole-genome sequencing with an average depth of 38.2× and pedigree analysis.

Domain Interactions in a Chimeric Dual-domain Lysin Lead to Broad Bactericidal Activity.

Phage-derived lysins represent a novel, non-traditional therapeutic agent against multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, engineering lysins with broad host range remain poorly addressed. Previously, we reported that the chimeric lysin ClyR, which harbors the CHAP catalytic domain of PlyC lysin (PlyCAC) and the SH3b cell-wall binding domain of PlySs2 lysin (PlySb), exhibits an expanded host range.

Research on biliary atresia and epigenetic factors from the perspective of transcriptomics: identification of key genes and experimental validation.

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe pediatric liver disease. However, the role of epigenetic factors in its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify key genes associated with BA and epigenetic factors, as well as to explore potential therapeutic drugs, thereby offering new insights into the treatment of this condition.

Transcriptomic analysis of the effect of dietary melatonin on liver immunity in rice field eel (Monopterus albus).

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the dietary effects of melatonin, particularly in relation to its ability to regulate the immune system. A total of 360 fish were fed with different concentrations of melatonin (0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 mg/kg) for 70 days. The activities of antioxidant and immune-related enzymes in the liver showed that at a concentration of 120 mg/kg, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, lysozyme, and alkaline phosphatase were significantly increased, while the content of malondialdehyde and the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were decreased (p < 0.

METTL3-mediated m A modification facilitates Nectin-4-induced VNN1 upregulation and promotion of ESCC progression.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. N6-methyladenosine (m A) RNA modification plays a role in tumorigenesis, but its contributions to ESCC and the regulation of cell adhesion molecules such as Nectin-4 are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigate the role and the regulatory mechanisms of Nectin-4 in ESCC, particularly regarding the influence of m A modification and its downstream metabolic effects.

HybridKla: a hybrid deep learning framework for lactylation site prediction.

Lysine lactylation (Kla), a novel lactate-derived post-translational modification, is involved in a myriad of biological processes and complex diseases. While several computational methods have been developed to identify Kla sites, these approaches still suffer from small datasets. In this work, we collected 23 984 Kla sites in 7297 proteins from the literature to construct the benchmark dataset.

WTAP-mediated mA methylation of circRNA_404908 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression.

N6-methyladenosine (mA) RNA methylation and circular RNA have been demonstrated to exert a crucial role in diverse malignant tumors, such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Nevertheless, the precise regulatory mechanism through which mA-modified circRNA impacts ESCC remains to be elucidated. Herein, we discovered that the methyltransferase Wilms' tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP) is highly expressed in ESCC and is correlated with a poor prognosis.