Directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into pancreatobiliary co-progenitor-like population.

Progress in uncovering the causes of extrahepatic biliary diseases and developing new therapies has been constrained by the inaccessibility of donor tissue and a lack of experimental models. Although hepatic, intrahepatic biliary, and pancreatic 2D/3D models have been successfully established from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), in vitro generation of extrahepatic biliary cells remains a major challenge, due to the absence of developmental cues. Here we report a de novo method for directed differentiation of human PSCs (both embryonic and induced) into pancreato-biliary progenitors-like cells (PBPLCs).

Development of New Blood Immunoassay and Biomarkers for Tau in the Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Post-translational modifications, such as truncation facilitated by proteases and phosphorylation mediated by protein kinases, play pivotal roles in Tau protein function and cellular processes. The detection of distinct Tau forms in plasma has garnered significant interest in the scientific and translational communities. We discovered monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using the hybridoma technique by immunizing mice with different Tau proteins.

VIPR1 induces cuproptosis and inhibits the HIF-1α pathway in colon cancer.

Cuproptosis, a recently characterized form of programmed cell death, has been implicated in tumor progression; however, its specific role in colon cancer remains poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the potential involvement of cuproptosis-related genes in the development and progression of colon cancer. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with cuproptosis in colon cancer were identified through bioinformatics analysis of the GSE4183 and GSE74602 datasets.

Nanozymes in Bone Regeneration: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Applications.

Nanozymes, an emerging class of nanomaterials, demonstrate enzyme-like activities and have significantly broadened the enzyme mimicry field by extending it from organic to inorganic materials. Their affordability, multifunctionality, and enhanced stability under harsh conditions position them as potential replacements for natural enzymes in various applications. Nanozymes have demonstrated tremendous application potential in orthopedic diseases including osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, bone regeneration, bacteria-related infections, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteosarcoma.

Visible-Light-Driven C-3 Selenocyanation of Indoles with Elemental Selenium and TMSCN.

We develop a photocatalyst-free, visible-light-driven three-component reaction of indole, elemental selenium, and TMSCN in air at room temperature to synthesize indole 3-selenocyanoates. This protocol features eco-friendly, photocatalyst-free, elemental selenium, and TMSCN serves as the source of "SeCN". Notably, the gram-scale reaction and product derivatizations demonstrated the practicality and effectiveness of this synergistic protocol.

Electroacupuncture at Baliao Points Attenuates Visceral Hypersensitivity in Irritable Bowel Syndrome via Gut-Microbiota-Mast Cell-TPRV1 Axis Modulation.

Background: Visceral hypersensitivity (VH) is a key pathophysiological feature of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), contributing to chronic abdominal pain and discomfort. While electroacupuncture (EA) has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating IBS symptoms, the mechanisms underlying its effects at the Baliao acupoint remain unclear.

Methods: In this translational study, we enrolled 40 IBS patients (gender-balanced, aged 30-60 years) who received standardized EA treatment at Baliao acupoints, with pain intensity assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) scoring.

One-Dimensional Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks Enable Real-Time Chemiresistive Detection of Thermal Runaway Gases.

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry has raised concerns about battery thermal runaway, which poses serious safety risks. Real-time detection of characteristic gases is crucial for early warning, but there is a lack of highly sensitive and selective gas-sensing materials, especially for carbon monoxide (CO) detection at room temperature in oxygen-free environments. Here, a novel one-dimensional (1D) conductive metal-organic framework (MOF) is synthesized as a highly sensitive and selective room-temperature CO gas-sensing material for battery thermal runaway detection.

Significant Effects of EDTA/EDTA in ZSM-5 Zeolites: From Crystallization Mechanism to Product Morphology and Catalytic Performance.

The application of EDTA exerted a governing effect on the synthesis of ZSM-5 zeolites. Analytical results revealed that EDTA presented as EDTA and EDTA in alkaline systems. Herein, EDTA served as the mineralized agent for dissolving amorphous gel into soluble Si-Al species, while EDTA acted as an electrostatic cross-linker, assembling with -butylamine and soluble Si-Al species into "Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Sphere.

RNA Sequencing Provides Insight Into Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis.

Objectives: Determination of differential gene expression in idiopathic subglottic stenosis.

Methods: Subglottic and tracheal tissues were collected from 19 prospectively recruited patients with laryngotracheal stenosis undergoing surgery: 11 patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) and 8 patients with post-intubation laryngotracheal stenosis (iLTS). Total RNA was extracted from specimens.

Chairside-applicable MS/FGelMA hydrogel with enhanced osteogenesis and mechanical adaptability for alveolar ridge preservation.

Current alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) materials face unresolved trade-offs between mechanical stability, bioactivity, and clinical operability. To address this, we developed a fish-derived methacrylated gelatin (FGelMA) hydrogel composited with magnesium silicate (MS) microparticles combining the low immunogenicity of FGelMA with the dual osteo-angiogenic potential of MS. To characterize the physical properties of this material, the composite hydrogels (MS/FGelMA) were tested using a mechanical tester and a rheometer, and then its biocompatibility and osteogenic properties were analyzed using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in a three-dimensional environment.

Sustainable and Direct Upcycling of Waste Graphite Anodes via Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have flourished in power and energy storage, followed by the waste batteries that are pouring into the market. For waste graphite anode, how to deal with high efficiency, high economic efficiency, and low environmental pollution has become a huge challenge. In the work, a deep eutectic solvent (DES), with a low melting point, low cost, and natural environmental protection, is applied as a green reagent to realize the sustainable and direct upcycling of waste graphite.

Liproxstatin-1 improves boar sperm quality during liquid preservation at 17°C, associated with reduction of oxidative stress and ferroptosis markers.

Objective: The plasma membrane of boar sperm is notably enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). During extended liquid storage of boar semen at 17°C, reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from lipid peroxidation progressively accumulate within sperm cells. Concurrently, the onset of ferroptosis is initiated by the disruption of intracellular redox homeostasis, characterized by an imbalance between the production and elimination of lipid-derived ROS.

Enhancing Molecular Contrastive Prediction by Recognizing Metric Distribution Separation.

Molecular machine learning has attracted much attention in molecular property prediction and AI-aided Drug Discovery. Recent advancements have significantly improved the efficiency and speed of searching for potential drug candidates. The primary challenge in molecular property prediction is how to transfer potential knowledge from known molecules to a large set of unseen candidates.

Link between TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB levels, inflammation, and infectious preterm birth in pregnant women.

Infectious preterm delivery is a serious health problem in pregnant women. The pathogenesis of infectious preterm delivery is associated with the alterations of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and other inflammatory factors. This study investigates the correlation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and inflammatory factors with infectious preterm labor in pregnant women.

The Longitudinal Association Between Intrinsic Capacity and Functional Ability in Older Adults: Comparing Findings from the Cross-Lagged Panel Model and the Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model.

Background: Intrinsic Capacity (IC) is a multidimensional construct defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although IC has been established as a significant predictor of functional decline in older adults, emerging evidence suggests that functional impairment may, in turn, accelerate the degradation of IC, indicating a potential bidirectional relationship. Therefore, this study aims to systematically examine the potential bidirectional relationship between IC and functional ability.

[Moxibustion combined with low-dose tadalafil for diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction: A prospective, single-center, three-arm randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of moxibustion (Mox) combined with low-dose tadalafil (TAD) in the treatment of diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (DMED) with the syndrome of Qi deficiency and blood stasis.

Methods: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we selected 90 patients with DMED for this trial and equally randomized them into a Mox, a TAD, and a Mox combined with TAD (Mox+TAD) group to be treated by mild Mox applied to the acupoints Zusanli, Sanyinjiao and Yinlingquan qd alt, oral medication with low-dose TAD at 5 mg per dose qd, and combination of the above two therapies, respectively, all for 4 weeks. We obtained from the patients their IIEF-5 scores, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms scores, Erectile Hardness Scale (EHS) scores, corpus cavernosal hemodynamic indexes, and the peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI) of the corpus cavernosal arteries before and after treatment, and compared them among the three groups.

Association between thyroid function and thyroid homeostasis parameters and the prevalence and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality of chronic kidney disease: a population-based study.

Background: To evaluate the relationship between thyroid function and thyroid homeostasis parameters with the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and furtherly explore the all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among individuals with CKD using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012.

Methods: This study included 8,526 adults, including 1,625 patients with CKD. Thyroid function included serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Analysis of the therapeutic effect of online haemodiafiltration on delayed methotrexate excretion combined with acute kidney injury in children: a real-world study.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of online haemodiafiltration (HDF) in the treatment of delayed methotrexate (MTX) excretion and acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with hematological malignancies after chemotherapy.

Methods: Children diagnosed with hypermethotrexatemia combined with acute kidney injury and receiving blood purification treatment during high-dose methotrexate(HD-MTX) chemotherapy for leukemia/lymphoma in a hospital from January 2019 to August 2023 were divided into CRRT group and HDF group. The rate of decrease in MTX blood concentration, drug-related adverse reactions, renal function recovery time and hospitalization related economic costs were compared between the HDF group and CRRT group.

Blood cell perturbation responses mediate the causal relationship between the gut microbiota and asthma: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease presenting with a wide range of phenotypes. While prior studies have highlighted the importance of gut microbiota in asthma development, the extent of their influence varies. The exact causal links between gut microbiota and asthma remain to be fully understood, and the role of blood cell perturbation responses as potential mediators in this relationship remains unclear.

FSP1 and CoQ10 have the potential to serve as biomarkers for severe preeclampsia.

Background: Severe preeclampsia is a condition that poses a threat to pregnant women and fetuses, which requires prompt treatment and intervention. The ferroapoptosis suppressor protein 1(FSP1)-ubiquinone10 (CoQ10)-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) pathway, a recently identified pathway that inhibits ferroptosis, is parallel to the cystine/glutathione (GSH) /GPX4 pathway. However, its expression in pregnant women with severe preeclampsia has not yet been investigated.

Recent Advances in Sodium Iron Sulfate Cathodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries: Crystal Structure, Synthesis, and Performance.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have shown promising application prospect in large-scale energy storage systems and low-speed electrical vehicle due to the rich abundance of sodium on earth, similar working principle with lithium-ion batteries, and potentially better low-temperature performance. Exploring low-cost and high-performance cathode materials is the key to promote the practical application of SIBs. Among various SIBs cathode materials, sodium iron sulfate (NFS) compounds stand out due to their stable three-dimensional (3D) framework structure, high operating voltage, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness.

Biomass-derived carbon dots for the initiation of conventional radical and ATRP-based photopolymerization processes.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using carbon nanodots (CDs) as a component photoinitiator to initiate photopolymerization. These systems support conventional radical photopolymerization and light-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (photo-ATRP), emphasizing single-component (Type I initiators) and multicomponent systems, which involve at least two reaction partners, specifically, the Type II CD initiator. The latter can function in both photoinduced conventional radical polymerization and photo-ATRP.

Tuberous sclerosis complex 2 deficiency in cardiomyocytes exacerbates cardiac remodeling in diabetic mice.

Background: Based on gene expression profiles from the BioGPS database, Tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc2) exhibited the highest expression in mouse cardiac tissues. Herein, we investigated the potential functional role of Tsc2 in diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Methods And Results: Cardiac-specific Tsc2 deletion exacerbated myocardial fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

Sideband suppression method for fiber optic phased array coherent LiDAR echo signal based on periodic matching.

The sideband effect of fiber optic phased array coherent LiDAR seriously reduces the accuracy of target frequency detection. A sideband suppression method based on periodic matching is proposed, for the first time, to improve the frequency detection accuracy. Firstly, a theoretical model of sideband amplitude based on the periodic matching method is established, and the influences of different periodic matching modes on the time-frequency distribution uniformity and the sideband amplitude of the echo signal are simulated and studied.

Biogeochemical Pathways of Phytate-P Utilization in Soil: Plant and Microbial Strategies.

Phytate (salts of -inositol-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate) constitutes a large portion of the organic phosphorus in most soils, but its strong interactions with soil minerals and organic matter limit its availability to plants. Phytate can be used by plants only after it is desorbed from the soil matrix, with the inorganic P being released by phytases via cleavage of its phosphomonoester bonds. While plant phytases function primarily in its internal phytate remobilization, the role of microbial phytases in facilitating phytate-P utilization by plants remains poorly understood.