Simultaneous detection and quantification of free phenol and three structural isomers of cresol in human blood using gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and their medical reference value ranges.

Free phenol and cresol isomers in human samples have drawn interest, particularly in the field of forensic toxicology. In this study, a simultaneous analytical method for the detection of unchanged phenol and three structural isomers of cresol in human blood was developed using GC-MS/MS. This method was applied to authentic human heart and peripheral vein blood samples obtained from a fatal intoxication case involving accidental exposure to liquified phenol containing cresol isomers.

Efficient Formaldehyde Degradation in Electro-Fenton Systems: Modulating HER/ORR Competition on Carbon Cathodes via Hydrophobic Modification.

Electro-Fenton (EF) has been proven to be an efficient method for formaldehyde degradation. Notably, the cathode in the EF system inevitably undergoes the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during operation. The excessive accumulation of H not only creates safety hazards but also, during its generation process, occupies oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) active sites and competes with ORR for electrons, thereby severely restricting both HO synthesis efficiency and formaldehyde degradation performance.

Claudin-1, a Biomarker of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transformation, Enhances Lipid Metabolism in Colorectal Cancer Cells to Promote Tumor Metastasis.

Claudin-1 (CLDN1), a vital tight junction protein, is linked to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells. In this study, multi-omics including expression profiles of colorectal cancer (CRC) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, colon expression profiles from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database, and the expression profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE251845 were combined and analyzed. We screened for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC and identified 218 intersected genes related to EMT.

Granzyme B activated near-infrared-II ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe for early detection of tumor response to immunotherapy.

Non-invasive optical imaging tools for early detecting anti-tumor immune responses are crucial for precision cancer immunotherapy. However, current probes often suffer from low imaging depth, single imaging channel, and inadequate quantification, hindering their in vivo applications. Here we develop a rare-earth-based NIR-II fluorescence ratiometric nanoprobe (DCGA) for in vivo real-time, precise, and non-invasive visualization of granzyme B (GzmB) activity, a key effector in T cell-mediated antitumor immunity, for early prediction of immunotherapy efficacy.

Elimination of Intraspecific Competition Does Not Improve Maize Leaf Physiological and Biochemical Responses to Topsoil Degradation.

Soil degradation limits maize grain yield, but the mechanisms by which leaf functions respond to topsoil depth and their contributions to yield are unclear. We quantified the response mechanisms of leaf functions to topsoil depth with topsoil depths of 10 cm (S), 20 cm (S), 30 cm (S), 40 cm (S), and 50 cm (S) and planting densities of 15,000 plants ha (D, the plant spacing was 111.1 cm and there was no mutual influence between individuals) and 75,000 plants ha (D).

Stable manipulating objects with unknown surface morphology via integration of magnetic artificial muscle and adhesive structures.

Compared with conventional manipulating methods, such as vacuum suction, electromagnetic adsorption, and mechanical clamping, gecko-inspired adhesives possess the ability of attaching on various surfaces with extensive applications in space operation, industrial manufacturing, etc. However, adhesive structures with high adhesion on one certain surface may lose their adhesive performance when gripping another surface. Achieving a good adhesion on objects with unknown surface morphology in a simple way is still a great challenge for gecko-inspired adhesives.

The GSA Family in 2025: A Broadened Sharing Platform for Multi-Omics and Multimodal Data.

The Genome Sequence Archive family (GSA family) provides a comprehensive suite of database resources for archiving, retrieving, and sharing multi-omics data for the global academic and industrial communities. It currently comprises four distinct database members: the Genome Sequence Archive (GSA, https://ngdc.cncb.

Zebrafish Kat7b can up-regulate Nek7 to promote the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway inhibited by β-sitosterol.

Activation of the NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is critical in the innate immune response. However, the role of lysine acetyltransferase 7 (Kat7) in NLRP3 inflammasome activation in teleost fish remains unreported. In this study, we firstly cloned the kat7b gene from zebrafish (Danio rerio) and investigated its role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation and disease resistance.

Isoliensinine inhibits mitophagy and sensitizes T cell malignancies for STING-mediated NK clearance.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage and accumulation activate the cGAS-STING DNA-sensing pathway, which promotes immune clearance of tumor cells. Maintenance of the cytosolic level of mtDNA is key to sustain immune activation. T cell malignancies (T-CMs) are a general name of diseases with abnormal clonal proliferation of T lymphocytes at various stages.

AI-based diagnosis of acute aortic syndrome from noncontrast CT.

The accurate and timely diagnosis of acute aortic syndrome (AAS) in patients presenting with acute chest pain remains a clinical challenge. Aortic computed tomography (CT) angiography is the imaging protocol of choice in patients with suspected AAS. However, due to economic and workflow constraints in China, the majority of suspected patients initially undergo noncontrast CT as the initial imaging testing, and CT angiography is reserved for those at higher risk.

The value and application of a poorly differentiated cluster-based Ezrin marginal score system in the prognostic assessment of colorectal cancer.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the distribution of Ezrin-positive cells in poorly differentiated cluster (PDC) of colorectal cancer (CRC), and its correlation with both traditional and auxiliary pathological indicators, including E-cadherin and tumor-stroma ratio (TSR), as well as patient prognosis.

Methods: We selected 59 patients with stage I-III who underwent radical surgery to observe the expression of CRC under hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. This study establishes the poorly differentiated cluster-based Ezrin marginal score (PDC-EMS), which quantifies the tendency of Ezrin-positive cells to accumulate at the margins of PDC, to evaluate the validity and superiority of this assessment method.

An Efficient Targeted Drug Design Method Using Framework of Multiscale Encoder-Decoder.

This paper describes a targeted drug design method based on a framework of multiscale encoder-decoder. Encoders are used to encode target gene and protein features. A decoder is used to design drugs based on target features.

Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in serum biomarker negative hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

PurposeTo explore the ultrasound features and the diagnostic values of CEUS LI-RADS and World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine (WFUMB) - European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) criteria in serum biomarker negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM).MethodsA total of 161 patients with pathologically diagnosed alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-negative HCC and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-negative CRLM were retrospectively enrolled, including 101 HCC patients and 60 CRLM patients. The clinical characteristics and ultrasound characteristics of all cases were analyzed and lesions were categorized via two criteria.

Inverse design and uniformity optimization of diffractive waveguides for AR-HUD using neural networks.

Surface relief grating waveguides are widely used in augmented reality (AR) devices such as AR glasses. However, the rapid design and optimization of such waveguides remain challenging, particularly in large-scale devices such as augmented reality head-up displays. We propose a method for optimizing the brightness uniformity of waveguide exit pupils using deep neural networks.

Visible Pleural Retraction is a Prognostic Marker in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Visceral pleural invasion (VPI) has been established as a significant prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which affects decisions on surgery method; however, there are currently no effective ways to confirm VPI in a timely manner. We hypothesized that visible pleural retraction (VPR) may correlate with VPI and share similar prognostic significance, thereby providing real-time guidance for surgical decision making. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of VPR.

Histone lactylation regulates DOCK4 to control heat nociception and supports Dynein-mediated Nav1.7 trafficking.

Heat nociception involves thermosensors like transient receptor potential channel V1 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, but their loss only partially impairs heat sensing, suggesting other mechanisms. Autism frequently involves abnormal pain perception, but its mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (Dock4), an autism susceptibility gene, is decreased in DRG neurons across multiple pain models via histone H4K8 lactylation.

Dynamic changes of resistance genes and carbohydrate enzyme genes in different agricultural waste fermentation beds based on metagenomics analysis.

Waste fermentation bed materials from pig farms are often used as organic fertilizers; however, they are a significant source of microorganisms carrying antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs). Microbes from fermentation bed materials readily introduce ARGs into the soil, causing environmental pollution. We designed four treatments, including RH (rice husk 100 %), RS (rice stalks 50 %, sawdust 40 %, and rice husk 10 %), CS (corn stalks 50 %, sawdust 40 %, and rice husk 10 %), and CTS (cotton stalks 50 %, sawdust 40 %, and rice husk 10 %).

Multigrain Ruthenium Nanocrystals with Enriched (10 1) Facets for Enhanced Hydrogen Oxidation in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Ruthenium-based materials are promising alternatives to expensive platinum for the anodic hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), but face stability issues due to the strong oxophilicity. Here, an oxidation-resistant ruthenium multigrain catalyst is reported that exposes rich (10 1) facets for high-performing HOR catalysis in alkaline electrolytes. The catalyst exhibits a high kinetic current density of 61 mA cm at an overpotential of 50 mV, which is 25.

User engagement in a digital health intervention designed for young people who have experienced technology-assisted sexual abuse (i-Minds trial).

Background: Technology-assisted sexual abuse (TASA) mostly involves the production and non-consensual sharing of sexual images; however, evidence-based support for young people (YP) who have experienced TASA is scant. Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) have the potential to increase access to support and provide timely therapeutic input in a familiar format to YP. However, studies describing engagement with DHIs is nascent.

Blind Recognition Algorithm of Multi-Carrier Composite Modulation Signal Based on Multi-Dimensional Time-Frequency Superimposed Spectrum.

The existing multi-carrier composite modulation recognition methods have failed to effectively integrate inner and outer modulation characteristics, thereby limiting the potential for improving recognition performance under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. To address this issue, this paper proposes a multi-carrier composite signal modulation recognition algorithm based on a multi-dimensional time-frequency superimposed spectrum (MD-TFSS) with integrated inner and outer features, which can recognize composite modulation signals in the set {BPSK-PM, QPSK-PM, BPSK-QPSK-PM, BPSK-BPSK-PM, QPSK-QPSK-PM}. The proposed method constructs a dual spectrum through multiplying an inner modulation spectrum and a squared spectrum, then combines the inner modulation dual spectrum with the outer modulation time-frequency diagram in dual-channel mode to form MD-TFSS features.

Identification of two novel imidazole-derived GABA agonists butomidate and tf-etomidate in e-cigarette liquids.

Purpose: Recently, a number of abuse and intoxication cases involving imidazole-derived GABA agonists etomidate and its analogs have been reported in China. During our recent screening of e-cigarette liquids, we encountered two novel etomidate analogs that have not previously been reported. This study aims to present the analytical procedures used to identify these compounds, along with detailed data obtained under various instrumental conditions.

Do Language Model Agents Align with Humans in Rating Visualizations? An Empirical Study.

Large language models (LLMs) show potential in understanding visualizations and may capture design knowledge. However, their ability to predict human feedback remains unclear. To explore this, we conduct three studies evaluating the alignment between LLM-based agents and human ratings in visualization tasks.

"It's like having a friend in your pocket." the service user experience of the Actissist digital health intervention for early psychosis: a qualitative study.

Background: Understanding service users’ experience of using digital health interventions (DHIs) is essential for facilitating engagement. The Actissist app is a DHI for psychosis based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles, co-produced in collaboration with individuals with lived experience of psychosis. This qualitative study aimed to explore participants’ experiences with the Actissist app by analysing exit interviews from those who received the intervention during the Actissist 2.

Impact of white goosefoot, sunflower, wheat, and soybean on the developmental and fecundity performance of the beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

The beet webworm Loxostege sticticalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is an invasive and polyphagous pest, posing a severe threat to food security, agriculture, and animal production. In this study, we examined the biological parameters of L. sticticalis on four host plants: white goosefoot, Chenopodium album (Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), sunflower, Helianthus annuus L (Asterales: Compositae), wheat, Triticum aestivum L (Poales: Poaceae), and soybean, Glycine max (L.