Resurfacing promotes antibacterial activity of a lipid A-binding nanobody.

Nanobodies have been pursued as candidates for antimicrobial design due to their small size and versatile binding capacities, but direct antibacterial activity of a nanobody has yet to be described. Here, we employed a bacterial surface display platform to screen a synthetic library of nanobody variants for antimicrobial potential. We identified a candidate that binds the essential lipid A component of gram-negative lipopolysaccharide.

Morphology Tuning for Hard Carbon Nanomaterials by Manipulation of PTCDA Volatilization in the Chemical Vapor Deposition Process.

A facile and low-cost synthesis method for carbon nanomaterials using an organic molecule perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as a precursor is presented. The resulting products exhibit a combination of floccular and fibrous morphologies, along with a low-crystallinity graphitic nanostructure characteristic of hard carbon. The synthesis is carried out by using a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system, during which the pressure changes in the CVD chamber are continuously monitored.

CARE-AD: a multi-agent large language model framework for Alzheimer's disease prediction using longitudinal clinical notes.

Large language models (LLMs) have shown promising capabilities across diverse domains, yet their application to complex clinical prediction tasks remains limited. In this study, we present CARE-AD (Collaborative Analysis and Risk Evaluation for Alzheimer's Disease), a multi-agent LLM-based framework for forecasting Alzheimer's disease (AD) onset by analyzing longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) notes. CARE-AD assigns specialized LLM agents to extract signs and symptoms relevant to AD and conduct domain-specific evaluations-emulating a collaborative diagnostic process.

Separating Cassiterite from Quartz with New Collector 3-(Dodecylthio) Propionic Acid.

Tin, which is primarily extracted from cassiterite, finds extensive applications across various domains. Although compared with gravity separation, flotation offers a broader operational flexibility, commonly used collectors struggle to achieve an optimal balance between selectivity and collectability. In this study, a new collector 3-(dodecylthio) propionic acid (3-DTP) with high selectivity enhanced the separation of cassiterite and quartz.

Orientin Alleviates Oxidative Stress And Apoptosis In Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Via The Lncrna H19/Mir-103-3p/ALDH2/PI3K/AKT Axis.

Background: Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an irreversible cardiovascular complication of diabetes mellitus characterized by detrimental cardiac remodeling. Orientin, a water-soluble flavonoid present in many medicinal plants, exerts various pharmacological effects.

Objectives: To investigate the cardioprotective effects of orientin in diabetic conditions and elucidate the mechanisms associated with non-coding RNAs.

MicroRNA156-SPL13B Module Induces Parthenocarpy Through the Gibberellin Pathway.

Fruit development typically follows pollination and fertilisation. However, parthenocarpy, the formation of seedless fruits, represents an alternative pathway. The fruit that grows from the ovary under unpollinated and/or unfertilised conditions is termed parthenocarpic.

Recyclable Inorganic Subnanowire Plastics.

The recycling and reuse of plastics have become pressing global issues due to the severe environmental impact of white pollution. Developing plastic materials that can achieve highly selective recycling through environmentally friendly and energy-saving methods is urgent. Herein, a new class of dynamically cross-linked inorganic subnanowire (SNW) plastics is developed, which can be efficiently recycled through simple redispersion and hot-pressing processes, without the need for complex conditions, catalysts, or pollutant-generating acid or alkaline solutions.

Gene-MOE: A Sparsely Gated Cancer Diagnosis and Prognosis Framework Exploiting Pan-Cancer Genomic Information.

Improved cancer genomic diagnosis and prognosis are vital to accurate medical therapy. Deep learning methods offered an end-to-end solution to enhance the precision of analysis. With the fast pace of pre-trained Transformer models, it remains uncertain whether some novel approaches such as the sparsely gated mixture of expert (MOE) and self-attention mechanisms can further improve the precision of cancer prognosis and classification.

Underwater bio-inspired optical navigation based on deep learning and ambient light polarization characteristics.

Traditional atmospheric navigation methods are unsuitable for underwater environments due to the skin effect of electromagnetic waves. However, using natural polarization pattern distribution for navigation offers advantages like resistance to interference, low cost, and no cumulative errors. The stability of underwater polarization patterns makes them ideal for underwater navigation.

Semi-elemental versus polymeric formula for enteral nutrition in critically ill patients: a secondary analysis of a multicenter cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Semi-elemental enteral nutrition (EN) might theoretically improve gastrointestinal tolerance in critically ill patients; however, it is associated with an increased risk of diarrhea when delivered postpylorically. This study aimed to assess whether the use of semi-elemental formula compared to polymeric formula may provide benefits in patients receiving gastric tube feeding.

Methods: This is a analysis of data from a multicenter, cluster-randomized, controlled, investigator-initiated trial (NEED trial).

Barriers and facilitators to implementing the Let's Talk about Children intervention in China: A qualitative study.

Background: Evidence-based interventions often fail to translate into practice. This study aims to identify facilitators and barriers that affect the implementation of Let's Talk about Children (LTC), a family-focused intervention for families of children with parental mental illness (COPMI). Furthermore, we aim to offer actionable strategies to scale up LTC in China.

Application of an Environmentally Friendly Depressant Psyllium Seed Gum to Separate Chalcopyrite from Talc: Separation Performance and Depression Mechanism.

Talc exhibits relatively good natural floatability, making it difficult to separate chalcopyrite from talc by using collectors alone. In this present study, a novel environmentally friendly depressant, psyllium seed gum (PSG), was used for the depression of talc in chalcopyrite flotation. The depressing effects of PSG on both chalcopyrite and talc were rigorously examined via flotation investigations, and reagent-induced selective depression of PSG was also elucidated by multiple characterization techniques, including ζ-potential measurements, contact angle determinations, total organic carbon (TOC) adsorption quantification, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses.

Calycosin suppresses the activating effect of granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor-producing T helper cells on macrophages in experimental atherosclerosis.

Background: T cells are contributors to atherosclerosis pathogenesis. Granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-producing T helper (ThGM) cells, a specialized helper T cell subset that highly expresses GM-CSF but lacks other helper T cell markers, could exacerbate atherosclerosis development. Calycosin has been reported to suppress atherosclerosis progression.

Online Adaptable Offline RL With Guidance Model.

Reinforcement learning (RL) has emerged as a promising approach across various applications, yet its reliance on repeated trial-and-error learning to develop effective policies from scratch poses significant challenges for deployment in scenarios where interaction is costly or constrained. In this work, we investigate the offline-to-online RL paradigm, wherein policies are initially pretrained using offline historical datasets and subsequently fine-tuned with a limited amount of online interaction. Previous research has suggested that efficient offline pretraining is crucial for achieving optimal final performance.

Modular assembly of polyoxometalate clusters at the sub-1 nm scale.

Atomic-level manufacturing enables the bottom-up fabrication of nanomaterials with tailored structures and properties. Clusters with atomic precise structures can be used as superatom building blocks to construct superstructures with exceptional properties beyond their individual properties. However, the programmable and large-scale synthesis of cluster assemblies remains challenging.

Climate-driven mercury dynamics in a tropical savanna: Low uptake, pulsed emissions, and weak sequestration.

Savanna ecosystems, spanning approximately 20 million km² globally, play a critical yet understudied role in the global mercury (Hg) cycle. We hypothesized that the unique structural and climatic features of savannas, including open canopies, pronounced seasonal aridity, and elevated temperatures, would drive a unique Hg cycling pattern. This study presented the first comprehensive assessment of Hg dynamics in China's savanna, and showed that the annual average of atmospheric Hg concentration was 2.

L-2-hydroxyglutarate impairs neuronal differentiation through epigenetic activation of expression.

High levels of L- and D-2-hydroxyglutarate, the reduced forms of α-ketoglutarate (αKG), are implicated in human neurodevelopmental disorders and cancer. Both enantiomers exert effects on epigenetics by modulating a family of αKG-dependent dioxygenases involved in histone, DNA and RNA demethylation. L-2HG dehydrogenase (L2HGDH) converts L-2HG to αKG.

Protein levels alter yak rumen microbiota profiles, meat properties, and longissimus dorsi metabolites.

Objective: The study investigated how varying protein levels in low-energy diets affected the microbiota, meat quality, and metabolomics of the imus dorsi muscle in yaks. The aim was to determine the optimal yak diet for growth and meat quality under low-energy conditions.

Methods: Twenty-four adult male yaks were divided into two groups of 12: the Low-energy, Medium-protein (LM) group and the Low-energy, High-protein (LH) group.

Polymer-like Photochromic Tungsten Oxide Sub-1 nm Nanowires.

Photochromic materials are promising in optical information storage, nonlinear optics, nonemissive displays, smart windows, etc. Photochromic transition metal oxides have significant advantages in stability and cost but are limited by poor processability. Herein, tungsten oxide sub-1 nm nanowires (TOSNWs) with a diameter of 0.

[Analysis of Efficacy and Safety of Neoadjuvant Immunochemotherapy in Patients with Stage IB-IIIB Non-small Cell Lung Cancer].

Background: Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy has emerged as an indispensable therapeutic modality for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its clinical application experience remains limited, and the associations between various clinical factors and treatment benefits remain undefined. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in patients with stage IB-IIIB NSCLC in a real-world setting, analyze survival outcomes among subgroups with diverse clinical characteristics, and identify potential clinical predictive factors for pathological response.

Somatic mutations in TBX3 promote hepatic clonal expansion by accelerating VLDL secretion.

Somatic mutations that increase clone fitness or resist disease are positively selected, but the impact of these mutations on organismal health remains unclear. We previously showed that Tbx3 deletion increases hepatocyte fitness within fatty livers. Here, we detected TBX3 somatic mutations in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Short-term effects of modified ultrasonography in laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aims: Laparoscopic hepatectomy is challenging, and ultrasound guidance is an effective aid but lacks standardization. This study aimed to evaluate a modified approach for laparoscopic ultrasonography to enhance surgical outcomes.

Methods: Between January 2020 and August 2023, 122 patients who underwent real-time ultrasound-guided laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled and divided into modified and traditional ultrasonography groups.

Giant Five-Shell Polyoxometalate Cages and the Single-Cluster-Based Nanowire Superstructures.

The preparation of polyoxometalate molecular cages has always been a long-term and challenging pursuit. In this work, we have successfully prepared two unprecedented giant heterogeneous POM-based purely inorganic molecular cages with symmetry, which contain the aggregation of M (M = Ni, Co)-substituted trilacunary {PW} and Mn-bridged {W}. Sodium ions are used as templates to fill the cages.

Somatic loss-of-function mutations in CIDEB reduce hepatic steatosis by increasing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation.

Background & Aims: Somatic and germline CIDEB mutations are associated with protection from chronic liver diseases. The mechanistic basis and whether CIDEB suppression would be an effective therapy against fatty liver disease remain unclear.

Methods: 21 CIDEB somatic mutations were introduced into cells to assess functionality.

Gut microbiota and mercury biotransformation: New perspectives on fish bioaccumulation in China.

China is the largest contributor to global mercury (Hg) emissions and the most predominant producer of fish. However, fish Hg concentrations in China are generally maintained at low levels, with localized "hot spots" in specific regions. The biotransformation of Hg, including methylation and demethylation, has been reported for over 50 years and is recognized as a key driver of Hg bioaccumulation in fish.