Dual-ferroptosis induction-based microneedle patches for enhanced chemodynamic/photothermal combination therapy against triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a refractory subtype of breast cancer due to its resistance to various therapeutic strategies. In this study, we introduce a "brake-release and accelerator-pressing" approach to engineer a microneedle patch embedded with copper-doped Prussian blue nanoparticles (Cu-PB) and the ferroptosis inducer sorafenib (SRF) for raised chemodynamic (CDT)/photothermal (PTT) combination therapy against TNBC. Upon transdermal insertion, the dissolving microneedles swiftly disintegrate and facilitate the release of SRF.

Association between bisphenol A exposure and dental caries in U.S. population: insights from the NHANES survey.

Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) primarily occurs through diet, but its impact on oral health, especially dental caries, remains underexplored. Data from a nationally representative sample of 5,566 participants aged 12-65 years were analyzed. Dental caries were assessed using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surfaces (DMFS) indices, while BPA exposure was measured via urine concentrations adjusted for creatinine.

Effectiveness of thulium versus diode lasers in oral soft tissue surgery: a randomized clinical study.

Objectives: To comprehensively compare and evaluate the relative effectiveness of thulium laser and diode laser in oral soft tissue surgery procedures.

Methods: Thirty-three participants who needed oral soft tissue surgery, encompassing frenectomy and gingivectomy, were recruited and subsequently randomized into two groups including 14 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. The experimental group was treated with thulium fiber laser, while the control group was treated with the diode laser (980 nm).

Mg²⁺-modified corncob biochar and natural zeolite significantly enhanced simultaneous N and P recovery from livestock wastewater.

Livestock and poultry farming effluents (LPFE) have become a significant source of pollution in the agricultural water environment, with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) being the major pollutants. The use of inexpensive Mg2+ -modified materials as crystallization carriers can enhance the struvite crystallization and precipitation reaction, enabling efficient recovery of N and P nutrients from LPFE. In this study, Mg2+ -modified corncob biochar (CCBC-Mg) and Mg2+ -modified natural zeolite (NZ-Mg) were assessed for their simultaneous recovery of N and P from LPFE.

Disparities in Fungal Diagnostic Capacity Across Chinese Hospitals: A Nationwide Survey Highlighting Gaps in Molecular Testing and GDP-Linked Inequalities.

Background: With the increasing incidence of fungal infection in China, the need for rapid and accurate diagnosis of mycosis is crucial. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the diagnosis capacity for mycosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted across all 31 provincial-level regions in China from August 2023 to April 2024.

A Peripheral Mechanism of Depression: Disturbed Intestinal Epithelial Per2 Gene Expression Causes Depressive Behaviors in Mice with Circadian Rhythm Disruption via Gut Barrier Damage and Microbiota Dysbiosis.

Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is a potential risk factor for the development of depression. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclarified. Here, it is found that in CRD model mice showing significant depressive-like behaviors, the expression rhythm of Period 2 (Per2), an important rhythm gene, is disrupted in intestinal epithelium, which results in defect of gut barrier integrity and gut microbiota disturbance, accompanied by peripheral and neuroinflammation, deficit in hippocampal neurogenesis, and impairment of excitatory neurotransmission.

Chinese herbal formula Huoxiang Zhengqi Qral liquid for atopic dermatitis: The CHARM randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is an unmet treatment need and a lack of efficacy evidence for Huoxiang Zhengqi (HXZQ) oral liquid for atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objectives: To assess the therapeutic efficacy and safety profile of HXZQ therapy in adult Chinese patients with AD or eczema.

Methods: In the CHARM study (a multi-center, double-blind, randomized controlled trial), randomized participants with mild AD or eczema received HXZQ or a placebo for 4 weeks randomly.

P/S Codoped Bamboo-Based Hard Carbon Anode Material Achieves High-Performance Sodium Ion Storage.

Hard carbon, as a promising negative electrode material for sodium-ion batteries, is currently attracting significant attention. However, it confronts issues of low capacity and inadequate rate performance, posing hindrances and potential risks in the utilization of sodium-ion batteries. The doping of heteroatoms can improve the energy density, the rate performance, and the surface properties of sodium-ion battery anode materials.

Advances in Quantum Defect Embedding Theory.

Quantum defect embedding theory (QDET) is a many-body embedding method designed to describe condensed systems with correlated electrons localized within a given region of space, for example spin defects in semiconductors and insulators. Although the QDET approach has been successful in predicting the electronic properties of several point defects, several limitations of the method remain. In this work, we propose multiple advances to the QDET formalism.

The Structural Regulation and Properties of Energetic Materials: A Review.

Structural regulation is of great significance for improving the comprehensive performance of energetic materials (EMs). The structural regulation and properties of EMs were summarized. For single-component EMs, particle size control focuses on quality consistency and industrial scalability, morphology modification mainly improves sphericity through monomers or aggregates and explores the possibility of layered energetic materials in improving mechanical properties, and polycrystalline regulation suppresses metastable phases and explores novel crystalline forms using simulation-guided design.

Cascaded quadratic nonlinear compensation of small-scale self-focusing in a kHz, 100-mJ picosecond laser.

In pursuing kHz high-power picosecond lasers, small-scale self-focusing becomes an inevitable nonlinear effect as the peak intensity increases. By utilizing cascaded quadratic nonlinear effects to introduce a nonlinear phase with controllable sign and magnitude on the initial fundamental wave, an equivalent nonlinear refractive index is generated. This property can be used to compensate for the nonlinear phase accumulated during beam propagation, thus mitigating self-focusing.

Cardamonin inhibits the growth and stemness of osteosarcoma stem cells by inducing autophagy and inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Cardamonin (CDN) has been shown to have promising anticancer effects against osteosarcoma (OS). Nevertheless, the molecular processes of it are still not well understood. Our investigation revealed that CDN has significant cytotoxic effects and diminishes cell viability in OS.

DNA and Chromosome Damage in BEAS-2B Cells Following Air-Liquid Interface Exposure to Whole Gasoline Engine Exhaust.

Whole-component gasoline engine exhaust (GEE) has been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans, where DNA and chromosome damage may play a key role. This study evaluated DNA and chromosome damage induced by GEE in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells using an air-liquid interface (ALI) exposure system. Following exposure to GEE at different dilution ratios, the cell relative viability (CRV), the percentage of DNA in the comet tail (TailDNA%), γ-H2AX protein expression, and chromosome damage for BEAS-2B cells were assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, the alkaline comet assay, Western Blotting, and cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay, respectively.

Effect of lipopolysaccharide on ganglioside expression in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived kidney organoids.

An organoid is a self-organizing, three-dimensional (3D), stem cell-derived structure that closely mimics the structural, cellular, and functional properties of specific organs or tissues. Organoids are widely utilized for assessing drug efficacy, safety, and industrial chemical toxicity. The purpose of this study was to generate a kidney organoid from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and establish a sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) model by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Mechanical signaling via β2 integrin decouples T cell proliferation and differentiation for generating stem cell-like CAR T cells.

Downstream of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, proliferation and differentiation programs are thought to be linked to maintain T cell homeostasis. This biology, however, also leads to the in vitro generation of suboptimal chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Here, we show that proliferation and differentiation programs can be decoupled by fibrin matrix-based mechanical signaling, leading to abundant generation of undifferentiated stem cell-like CAR (stem-CAR) T cells.

Non-invasive prediction of the secondary enucleation risk in uveal melanoma based on pretreatment CT and MRI prior to stereotactic radiotherapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a radiomic model to non-invasively predict the risk of secondary enucleation (SE) in patients with uveal melanoma (UM) prior to stereotactic radiotherapy using pretreatment computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study encompasses a cohort of 308 patients diagnosed with UM who underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) using the CyberKnife system (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) between 2007 and 2018. Each patient received comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluations, including assessment of visual acuity, anterior segment examination, fundus examination, and ultrasonography.

Zebrafish selection strategy for the first zebrafish cultivation experiment on the Chinese space station.

With the continuous advancement of space exploration activities, the development of Biological Life Support Systems (BLSS) has become crucial for supporting long-duration space missions. This paper focuses on preparation process for the multifunctional closed aquatic ecosystem (CAES) experiment based on Ceratophyllum, zebrafish, and microorganisms, conducted in the Life and Ecological Science Experiment Cabinet of the Chinese Space Station. Given the complexity and high difficulty of the experimental objectives, the selection of zebrafish individuals is critical.

First-Principles Framework for the Prediction of Intersystem Crossing Rates in Spin Defects: The Role of Electron Correlation.

Optically active spin defects in solids are promising platforms for quantum technologies. Here, we present a first-principles framework to investigate intersystem crossing processes, which represent crucial steps in the optical spin-polarization cycle used to address spin defects. Considering the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond as a case study, we demonstrate that our framework effectively captures electron correlation effects in the calculation of many-body electronic states and their spin-orbit coupling and electron-phonon interactions, while systematically addressing finite-size effects.

One-pot tailored synthesis of highly monodisperse β-1,3-glucan from sucrose driven by an in vitro self-assembled dual-enzyme system via spy chemistry.

β-1,3-Glucan exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities. However, its broader application has been constrained by current production methods that are uneconomical, inefficient, and environmentally unfriendly. Here, we developed an efficient bottom-up synthesis system for β-1,3-glucan employing thermostable sucrose phosphorylase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis and β-1,3-glucan phosphorylase from Thermosipho africanus using sucrose as a substrate and generating glucose-1-phosphate as a key intermediate.

Controlled Crystallization Kinetics via Conjugated Organic Spacers Enables Ordered Epitaxial Growth of Two-Step Deposited Tin-based Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin-based perovskite films typically exhibit random crystal orientations, with significant accumulation of defects acting as charge recombination centers, which severely limit device performance. Furthermore, the disordered two-dimensional (2D) perovskite significantly impacts the subsequent crystal growth of three-dimensional (3D) perovskite through epitaxial growth mechanism, while the insulating properties of bulky spacer cations impede out-of-plane charge transport. Herein, we have innovatively developed a facile quasi-epitaxial growth strategy by introducing 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)ethanamine hydroiodide (NEAI) with reinforced π-conjugation interaction to construct orientationally aligned 2D perovskite, which acts as a template for 3D perovskite with (100)-dominant facet orientation.

Social media addiction as the central mediating variable to explore the mechanism between physical exercise and sleep quality.

In recent years, the sleep quality of college students has garnered increasing attention from scholars. Physical activity, as a healthy lifestyle, has been extensively investigated in relation to the sleep quality of college students. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship warrant further exploration.

Integrative Single-Cell Analysis Reveals Iron Overload-Induced Senescence and Metabolic Reprogramming in Ovarian Endometriosis-Associated Infertility.

Endometriosis, particularly ovarian endometriosis (OE), is a major cause of infertility, often associated with reduced oocyte quality and impaired ovarian function. Iron overload plays a key role in OE progression. This study investigates the effects of iron overload on follicular function in OE-associated infertility (OEI).

Efficacy Analysis of TACE Combined with Lenvatinib and PD-1 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus-Related Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: To explore the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA on the efficacy of triple therapy [transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), lenvatinib, and programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors] in the treatment of HBV-related unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC).

Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data on triple therapy for HBV-related u-HCC from January 2020 to January 2024 at Xiangyang Central Hospital. Patients with HBV-DNA ≤ 1000 IU/mL were designated the low HBV-DNA level group, and patients with HBV-DNA > 1000 IU/mL were designated the high HBV-DNA level group.