Drought inhibits thermomorphogenesis via salicylic acid-mediated suppression of ELF3 phase separation.

Plants are constantly exposed to environmental changes and must respond carefully to ensure survival and growth. Under high temperatures, many plants exhibit a series of morphological and developmental adjustments, including increased hypocotyl and petiole elongation. These adaptations, collectively termed thermomorphogenesis, promote transpiration and water loss, thereby enhancing evaporative cooling.

Persistent Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) Infection in the Placenta of Pregnant Women.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the primary route of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection. Although formula feeding reduces breastfeeding-associated transmission, MTCT still occurs, implicating pregnancy or delivery as key transmission windows. In this study, placental tissues from nine HTLV-1-positive mothers were analyzed using DNA/RNAscope, revealing low HTLV-1 DNA and RNA levels and a low RNA/DNA ratio, consistent with latent infection in the placenta and potentially explaining the low MTCT rate.

Gut microbial signatures in type 2 diabetes are highly associated with geographic region, diet habits and common comorbidities: Insights from a bioinformatics analysis of Chinese population.

Aims: Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes (T2D) development and their association with multiple host factors. This study aimed to explore the differences in gut microbiota between T2D patients and non-diabetic controls, and to estimate the relationship between host factors and specific microbial signatures in T2D.

Methods: 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on fecal samples from 508 T2D patients and 1,538 controls in a Chinese population.

CRISPR/Cas9-Engineered Triple-Fusion Reporter Gene Imaging System for Monitoring Transplanted Neural Progenitor Cells in Ischemic Stroke.

Background Neural progenitor cell therapy holds great potential for repairing brain damage induced by ischemic stroke, and molecular imaging plays a crucial role in evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of neural progenitor cell transplantation. However, the presence of the blood-brain barrier significantly limits the effectiveness of such imaging methods. Purpose To enable long-term monitoring of transplanted human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) in a rat model of ischemic stroke by combining a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-engineered triple-fusion (TF) reporter gene system with a noninvasive adenosine agonistic micelle (AM)-based probe delivery strategy.

Mitophagy Activation by N-Acetylcysteine Protects against Mic60 Deficiency-Induced Auditory Neuropathy.

Auditory neuropathy (AN) is a sensorineural hearing loss that impairs speech perception, but its mechanisms and treatments remain limited. Mic60, essential for the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system, is linked to neurological disorders, yet its role in the auditory system remains unclear. We demonstrate that Mic60 mice develop progressive hearing loss from 6 months of age, with reduced auditory brainstem response amplitudes despite preserved outer hair cell function, consistent with AN.

Protective Effects of Luteolin on -Induced Injury: An In Vitro Study with Porcine Vascular Endothelial Cells.

(GPS) is a conditional pathogen that colonizes the upper respiratory tract in pigs and causes Glässer's disease, resulting in high morbidity and mortality in piglets. GPS infection increases the vascular endothelial permeability, but the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Luteolin (Lut) is a naturally occurring flavonoid found in plants such as vegetables, herbs, and fruits, but its potential to treat the increased vascular endothelial permeability caused by GPS infection has not been evaluated.

A Method for Accurate Quantification of N-Enriched Nitric Oxide with Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer.

Nitric oxide (NO), a key nitrogen cycle intermediate, is an important atmospheric pollutant. However, a reliable method for the accurate determination of NO remains scarce. Here, we report a novel isotopic approach employing acidified potassium iodide (KI) to reduce NO to NO, which is then quantified via a membrane inlet mass spectrometer (MIMS).

Unrecognised rural-urban disparities in epidemiology of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in the representative area of China.

Background: The unexpectedly increased burden of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) continues in China, and the differences between rural and urban areas remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the prevalence and risk factors in rural areas of China.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the most densely populated area with highly unbalanced development differences in China (Guangdong Province) as a representative sample, and multistage stratified random sampling was performed.

Organic solar cells with 21% efficiency enabled by a hybrid interfacial layer with dual-component synergy.

The cathode interfacial layer (CIL) critically influences electron extraction and charge recombination, thereby playing a pivotal role in organic solar cells (OSCs). However, most state-of-the-art CILs are constrained by limited conductivity, high recombination and poor morphology, which collectively hinder device efficiency and stability. Here we report an inorganic-organic hybrid CIL (AZnO-F3N), developed by a dual-component synergy strategy, which integrates organic material PNDIT-F3N with two-dimensional amorphous zinc oxide.

The correlation among occupational stress, coping style and depressive symptoms in 2083 Chinese manufacturing workers.

BackgroundChinese manufacturing workers have been carrying out repetitive, monotonous and fast-paced operations for a long time, long working hours and maintaining the same working posture, dense assembly lines, crowded working space, etc., resulting in various physical and mental health problems of workers.ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the mental health of Chinese manufacturing workers and investigate the correlation among occupational stress, coping style and depressive symptoms.

The Role of APOA-I in Alzheimer's Disease: Bridging Peripheral Tissues and the Central Nervous System.

Lipid metabolism disorders represent a significant risk factor for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Apolipoprotein E (APOE) has been regarded as a pivotal regulator of lipid homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS), with polymorphic alleles identified as genetic risk factors for late-onset AD. Despite advances in APOE research and the development of numerous pharmaceutical approaches targeting distinct APOE isoforms, there remain limited treatment approaches for AD that focus on lipid metabolic homeostasis.

Cytoskeletal Proteins and Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis: Focusing on the Interplay with Tau Pathology.

The aggregation of Tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), is associated with cognitive decline. Recent studies have revealed that neuronal cytoskeletal instability drives early AD pathogenesis. The physiological interaction between tau and the microtubule (MT) is crucial for maintaining axonal transport and stability.

Lineage recording in monoclonal gastruloids reveals heritable modes of early development.

Mammalian stem cells possess a remarkable capacity for self-organization, a property that underlies increasingly sophisticated models of early development. However, even under carefully controlled conditions, stem cell-derived models exhibit substantial "inter-individual" heterogeneity. Focusing on gastruloids, a powerful model of the early posterior embryo , we sought to investigate the origins of this heterogeneity.

Unveiling the biogeography of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes (AOPs) in the South China Sea: Novel lineages and their ecological niches.

Ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes (AOPs) are key drivers of nitrification in the ecosystem. Despite their pivotal role in nitrogen cycling, the diversity and niche specialization of AOPs in marine sediments are poorly resolved. In this study, high-throughput amplicon analysis of the amoA gene was employed to investigate the diversity, community structure and distribution of AOPs in surface sediments of the South China Sea (SCS).

TAC-C uncovers open chromatin interaction in crops and SPL-mediated photosynthesis regulation.

Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) direct precise gene expression for development and environmental response, yet their spatial organization in crops is largely unknown. We introduce transposase-accessible chromosome conformation capture (TAC-C), a method integrating ATAC-seq and Hi-C to capture fine-scale chromatin interactions in four major crops: rice, sorghum, maize, and wheat. TAC-C reveals a strong association between chromatin interaction frequency and gene expression, particularly emphasizing the conserved roles of chromatin interaction hub anchors and hub genes across crop species.

Fluorescence Visualization of Strain by Tetraphenylethylene/Ruthenium Complex Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework Assemblies.

Dynamic visualization of strain and its distribution in materials are still challenging. Herein, dual-fluorophore three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D-COFs) and the PEGylated 3D-COFs (PEG-3D-COFs) were synthesized for the construction of physically interacted assemblies to realize fluorescence imaging on not only strain distribution but also strain-related surface friction and flow velocity distributions in various media including polymer elastomers, organic or aqueous dispersions. The responsiveness arises from the controllability of the aggregation structure of 3D-COFs and PEG-3D-COFs, showing concentration-dependent morphology and photoluminescence, and meanwhile having a concentration-deformation equivalence on the structural evolution dynamics which drives the color change of the COF emission in the solids and liquids with high sensitivity and reversibility, whenever the superstructure of the COF assemblies is affected by the applied strain on the matrices.

Deciphering Intercellular Communication of the Immune Landscape within Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Microenvironment at Single-Cell Resolution.

Introduction: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a genetic disorder that often leads to end-stage renal disease, with disease progression deeply influenced by the renal microenvironment. This study aims to unravel the critical cellular types and their intricate interactions within the ADPKD microenvironment.

Methods: Leveraging single-cell transcriptome data from seven ADPKD and three healthy human kidney samples, we systematically dissected the cellular landscape of the ADPKD microenvironment.

Single cell analysis identified IFN signaling activation contributes to the pathogenesis of pediatric steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome.

Background: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is a prevalent condition whose recurrence leads to multiple adverse effects. Previous studies on INS pathogenesis primarily focused on immune dysregulation, particularly T-cell changes and their correlation with cytokine shifts. Accumulating evidence suggests that B-cell dysfunction also plays a role.

Advanced and interpretable corneal staining assessment through fine grained knowledge distillation.

The assessment of corneal fluorescein staining is essential, yet current AI models for Corneal Staining Score (CSS) assessments inadequately identify punctate lesions due to annotation challenges and noise, risk misrepresenting treatment responses through "plateau" effects, and highlight the necessity for real-world evaluations to enhance disease severity assessments. To address these limitations, we developed the Fine-grained Knowledge Distillation Corneal Staining Score (FKD-CSS) model. FKD-CSS integrates fine-grained features into CSS grading, providing continuous and nuanced scores with interpretability.

Integration of Bulk RNA and Single-Cell Analyses Reveal Distinct Expression Patterns of Anoikis-Related Genes and the Immunosuppressive Role of NQO1 Macrophages in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Anoikis resistance plays a crucial role in the proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the key genes involved remain to be identified. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value and impact of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) on the immunosuppressive microenvironment in HCC patients through the integration of bulk RNA and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) bioinformatic analysis.

Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks (HOFs) Composite Polymer Electrolyte Enables the Stable Long-Term Cycling of Lithium Metal Batteries with High-Voltage Cathode.

Solid-state lithium batteries have attracted significant interest due to their potential to enhance the safety and energy density of modern energy storage systems. However, challenges such as low ionic conductivity and poor interfacial compatibility have hindered their widespread adoption. In this study, a novel hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) composite polymer electrolyte (HCPG@SPE) is developed by integrating trimesic acid and melamine-based HOFs with a natural polymer matrix composed of gelatin and chitosan.

Single amino acid mutations in histone H3.3 illuminate the functional significance of H3K4 methylation in plants.

Although histone modifications are linked with chromatin activities such as transcription, proofs of their causal importance remain limited. Sequence variants within each histone family expand chromatin diversity and may carry specific modifications, further raising questions about their coordination. Here, we investigate the role of lysine 4 (K4) in two Arabidopsis H3 variants, H3.

Establish a Nomogram Based on Ultrasound Novel Vascularity Characteristics to Differentiate Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma From Follicular Benign Neoplasms.

Purpose: This study aimed to construct a nomogram based on novel ultrasound vascularity features to differentiate follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) from follicular benign neoplasms (FBN).

Methods: A total of 153 patients were included. We evaluated various sonographic features of all nodules and analyzed the diagnostic efficiency of different vascularity patterns for FTC.

Effectiveness of parathyroid autotransplantation during total thyroidectomy and functional recovery post-operation: A retrospective study.

Introduction: Thyroid carcinoma is the most common endocrine malignancy, with total thyroidectomy being a standard treatment. However, this procedure carries a risk of hypoparathyroidism. Parathyroid autotransplantation (PAT) is recommended to prevent postoperative hypoparathyroidism, though its effectiveness and the recovery of parathyroid function remain poorly understood.

Comparative study on the flavor characteristics of diploid and triploid oysters (Crassostrea gigas) before and after breeding.

In this work, the nonvolatile and volatile compounds were analyzed to investigate the effects of breeding and ploidy on the flavor of oysters. The oysters after breeding (November) exhibited enhanced flavor complexity characterized by malty and mushroom aromas, with diploid oysters displaying nutty aroma profiles, whereas triploid oysters demonstrated significantly higher intensity of fruity notes. Among oysters of different periods and ploidy, the November diploid oyster (ND) exhibited the most desirable flavor.