Iron dysregulation and ferroptosis are associated with pulmonary fibrosis: Insight from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, systemic sclerosis, and COVID-19 patients.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is the leading cause of death in many lung diseases due to inflammation, tissue damage, infection, or other contributing factors. Iron metabolism and ferroptosis have been reported to participate in some PF diseases, but the universality remains elusive.

Methods: Herein, comparative studies were conducted among idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), immune-associated systemic sclerosis (SSc), and infectious COVID-19.

Tuning Microenvironment over Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Enzyme Immobilization and Sensitive Immunoassay.

Immobilizing enzymes within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) enables enzymes to act against extreme environments. However, immobilized enzymes usually face confined and inappropriate microenvironments, resulting in decreased bioactivity and significantly affecting their practical applications. Herein, we propose a functionalized hierarchically porous MOF (HP-MOFs) for efficient enzyme immobilization.

Molecule-Responsive SERS Sensors for Urine Diagnosis of Kidney Diseases Enhanced by Neural Networks.

Early diagnosis of kidney disease is crucial for treatment and prognosis. Compared with kidney biopsy, a noninvasive urine-based diagnosis method of kidney disease can be more convenient and less painful for patients. Urine is closely associated with kidney disease, including nephritis, kidney failure, and kidney cancer.

Atomic Ga Site Enables Photonanozymes with Specific Inhibition Modes for Primary Drug Screening.

Enzyme inhibition plays a crucial role in drug discovery by governing interactions between molecules and distinct enzymatic sites, facilitating the identification of early drug candidates. However, most nanozymes have been limited to single active site inhibition models, leaving gaps in understanding inhibitor interactions and their dynamic modulation by external stimuli. Hence, an in-depth understanding of nanozyme inhibition across different functional domains, particularly under external stimuli like light irradiation, remains challenging.

[Effects of the photovoltaic-earthworm model and organic material application on soil quality].

We investigated the effects of earthworm and organic material application methods on soil quality on slopes where photovoltaic panels are installed, aiming to explore a new model for promoting sustainable development of photovoltaic agriculture and improving soil quality. We proposed the photovoltaic-earthworm model, which involves breeding with high medicinal value in the soil under photovoltaic panels. There were four treatments: surface application of cow manure between photovoltaic panels to breed earthworms (Out+S), surface application of cow manure under photovoltaic panels to breed earthworms (In+S), mixed application of cow manure between photovoltaic panels to breed earthworms (Out+M), and mixed application of cow manure under photovoltaic panels to breed earthworms (In+M), with the bare land as the control (CK).

Atomically Dispersed Metal Interfaces for Analytical Chemistry.

ConspectusEngineering sensing interfaces with functional nanomaterials have aroused great interest in constructing novel analytical platforms. The good catalytic abilities and physicochemical properties allow functional nanomaterials to perform catalytic signal transductions and synergistically amplify biorecognition events for efficient target analysis. However, further boosting their catalytic performances poses grand challenges in achieving more sensitive and selective sample assays.

Second coordination sphere regulates nanozyme inhibition to assist early drug discovery.

Early drug discovery is a time- and cost-consuming task requiring enzymes. Although nanozymes with metal sites akin to metallocofactors display similar activities, the lack of proximal amino acids hinders them from more adequately mimicking enzymes for drug discovery purposes. Hence, the rational design of the nanozyme second coordination sphere is desirable yet remains challenging.

Ultrafast fragmentation dynamics of carbon dioxide trication induced by an intense laser field: Transient deformation route vs direct Coulomb repulsion.

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the detailed fragmentation process of CO23+→ CO2+ + O+ induced by an intense laser field. Through multicoincidence fragment measurements together with ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, we find that a transient deformation route appears in competition with the expected Coulomb explosion. The AIMD simulations visually demonstrate that CO23+ undergoes several bending vibrations in ∼50-480 fs, and in the final dissociation stages, the electron density distribution in three-dimensional space migrates from the O ion to the C ion, while the bond strength rapidly decreases to 0, resulting in bond breaking assisted by the asymmetric stretching vibrations.

Tuning Atomically Dispersed Metal Sites in Nanozymes for Sensing Applications.

Nanozymes with atomically dispersed metal sites (ADzymes), especially single-atom nanozymes, have attracted widespread attention in recent years due to their unique advantages in mimicking the active sites of natural enzymes. These nanozymes not only maximize exposure of catalytic sites but also possess superior catalytic activity performance, achieving challenging catalytic reactions. These advantages position ADzymes as highly promising candidates in the field of sensing and biosensing.

Photo-enhanced UiO-66/Au Nanoparticles with High Phosphatase-Like Activity for Rapid Degradation and Detection of Paraoxon.

The severe environmental and human health hazards posed by organophosphorus compounds underscore the pressing need for advancements in their degradation and detection. However, practical implementation is impeded by prolonged degradation durations and limited efficiency. Herein, an effective interfacial modification approach is proposed involving the integration of photoactive Au nanoparticles (NPs) onto metal-organic frameworks, resulting in the synthesis of UiO-66/Au NPs exhibiting enhanced hydrolysis activity under light excitation.

Three-Dimensional SERS-Active Hydrogel Microbeads Enable Highly Sensitive Homogeneous Phase Detection of Alkaline Phosphatase in Biosystems.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a biomarker for many diseases, and monitoring its activity level is important for disease diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we used the microdroplet technology combined with an laser-induced polymerization method to prepare the Ag nanoparticle (AgNP) doped hydrogel microbeads (HMBs) with adjustable pore sizes that allow small molecules to enter while blocking large molecules. The AgNPs embedded in the hydrogel microspheres can provide SERS activity, improving the SERS signal of small molecules that diffuse to the AgNPs.

Hydroxyl Spillover in Fe-Se Dual-Site Catalysts for Mixed Plastics Assay.

The complex composition of real plastic wastes poses a significant challenge for their large-scale disposal. A responsive on-site compositional analysis of plastics is informative in choosing downstream processing methods. Nanocatalyst-based assay kit is highly qualified for this scene; however, there remain no efficient nanocatalysts for plastics due to their highly inert chemistry.

Ru-OH-Zr Site over Metal-Organic Frameworks Boosts Coreactant Activation for Efficient Electrochemiluminescence.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising electrochemiluminescent (ECL) nanoemitters. Great endeavors have been made to optimize the inherent luminescent properties, yet most MOFs suffer from poor coreactant activation ability, resulting in limited ECL. Therefore, it is urgent to integrate and design efficient catalytic centers within MOFs.

Mechanisms of anthraquinone dye Vat Blue 4 biodegradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa WYT and genotoxicity assessment of its transformation products.

Dye biodegradation products may cause genotoxicity, raising concerns about the safety of bioremediated water. The underlying biotransformation mechanism and related genotoxicity during anthraquinone degradation remain unclear. In this study, we employed Pseudomonas aeruginosa WYT (PaWYT) to investigate the biotransformation of Vat Blue 4 (VB4), a dye with a typical anthraquinone structure and low bioavailability.

Simulation study on hydrogen concentration distribution in hydrogen blended natural gas transportation pipeline.

Hydrogen is a clean energy source, and blending it with natural gas in existing pipeline networks is a key transition solution for transportation cost reduction. However, during the transportation process, a non-uniform distribution of hydrogen concentration occurs in the pipeline due to gravity. Therefore, it is necessary to study the hydrogen concentration distribution law of hydrogen-blended natural gas in pipelines.

Prenatal ozone exposure is associated with children overweight and obesity: Evidence from the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort.

Prenatal ozone (O) exposure may disrupt normal offspring growth. However, epidemiological evidence that prenatal O exposure affects the physical development of offspring early in life is far from adequate. A total of 4909 maternal-child pairs from the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort were included.

Revealing mitochondrial microenvironmental changes triggered by ferroptosis regulation.

Ferroptosis is a unique form of iron-dependent cell death characterized by dramatic ultrastructural changes in mitochondria. Since mitochondria are intracellular energy factories and binding sites for producing reactive oxygen species, there is increasing evidence that mitochondria are closely related to ferroptosis and play a crucial role in the regulation and execution of ferroptosis. The pH of the mitochondrial microenvironment is an important parameter for cellular physiological activities.

MGAT4A/Galectin9-Driven N-Glycosylation Aberration as a Promoting Mechanism for Poor Prognosis of Endometrial Cancer with TP53 Mutation.

Emerging evidence recognizes aberrant glycosylation as the malignant characteristics of cancer cells, but little is known about glycogenes' roles in endometrial carcinoma (EC), especially the most aggressive subtype carrying TP53 mutations. Using unsupervised hierarchical clustering, an 11-glycogene cluster is identified to distinguish an EC subtype associated with frequent TP53 mutation and worse prognosis. Among them, MGAT4A (alpha-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 4-β-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase A) emerges as the most consistently overexpressed glycogene, contributing to EC aggressiveness.

Super-Resolution Microscopic Imaging of Lipid Droplets in Living Cells via Carbonized Polymer Dot-Based Polarity-Responsive Nanoprobe.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic subcellular organelles that participate in various physiological processes, and their abnormality can also lead to various diseases. Tracing the dynamics of LDs in living cells will be valuable for understanding cell physiological states. Here, we employed a structured light illumination super-resolution imaging assisted with a carbonized polymer dot (CPD)-based fluorescence nanoprobe to track the travel paths of LDs and other organelles.

Nanozyme-Based Microfluidic Chip System for pH-Regulated Pretreatment and Sensitive Sensing.

Nanozymes, possessing nanomaterial properties and catalytic activities, offer great opportunities to design sensitive analytical detection systems. However, the low interference resistance of nanozymes poses a significant limitation on the precise detection of target substances. Herein, a nanozyme-based microfluidic chip system for pH-regulated pretreatment and sensitive sensing of cysteine (Cys) is reported.

Identification of Molecular Profile of Cell Membrane via Magnetic Plasmonic Nanoprobe.

Cell membranes are primarily composed of lipids, membrane proteins, and carbohydrates, and the related studies of membrane components and structures at different stages of disease development, especially membrane proteins, are of great significance. Here, we investigate the chemical signature profiles of cell membranes as biomarkers for cancer cells via label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). A magnetic plasmonic nanoprobe was proposed by decorating magnetic beads with silver nanoparticles, allowing self-driven cell membrane-targeted accumulation within 5 min.

In Situ Defect Engineering of Fe-MIL for Self-Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Activity.

Defect engineering is an effective strategy to enhance the enzyme-like activity of nanozymes. However, previous efforts have primarily focused on introducing defects via de novo synthesis and post-synthetic treatment, overlooking the dynamic evolution of defects during the catalytic process involving highly reactive oxygen species. Herein, a defect-engineered metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozyme with mixed linkers is reported.

Artificial-Cofactor-Mediated Hydrogen and Electron Transfer Endows AuFe/Polydopamine Superparticles with Enhanced Glucose Oxidase-Like Activity.

Various applications related to glucose catalysis have led to the development of functional nanozymes with glucose oxidase (GOX)-like activity. However, the unsatisfactory catalytic activity of nanozymes is a major challenge for their practical applications due to their inefficient hydrogen and electron transfer. Herein, we present the synthesis of AuFe/polydopamine (PDA) superparticles that exhibit photothermal-enhanced GOX-like activity.

Grain-Boundary-Rich Ceria Metallene Nanozyme with Abundant Metal Site Pairs Boosts Phosphatase-like Activity.

Natural phosphatases featuring paired metal sites inspire various advanced nanozymes with phosphatase-like activity as alternatives in practical applications. Numerous efforts to create point defects show limited metal site pairs, further resulting in insufficient activity. However, it remains a grand challenge to accurately engineer abundant metal site pairs in nanozymes.

In-droplet multiplex immunoassays for hypoxia-induced single-cell cytokines.

Cytokine expression is an important biomarker in understanding hypoxia microenvironments in tumor growth and metastasis. In-droplet-based immunoassays performed above the target cell membrane were employed to track the cytokines of single cells with the aid of three types of immuno-nanoprobes (one capture nanoprobe and two reporter nanoprobes). Single cells and nanoprobes were co-packaged in water-in-oil microdroplets (about 100 μm in diameter) using a cross-shaped microfluidic chip.