MiR-29a-loaded nanoparticles alleviate inflammatory bowel disease via Sgk1/Foxo3a axis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease with a long course, numerous complications, and high disability, and its incidence continues to grow worldwide. microRNA-29a (miR-29a) has the potential to regulate inflammation and fibrosis. However, identifying the targets and designing suitable delivery vectors remain major obstacles in the development of miRNA-based drugs.

Breaking the Conversion Limit in an Intercalation-Type Cathode by Loosening Aqueous Cation Coordination.

Intercalation-type cathodes continue to dominate aqueous multivalent ion storage, despite higher theoretical capacities being available from conversion reactions involving multiple electron transfer. Pushing intercalation-type cathodes into conversion is certainly desirable, conventionally with great sacrificing cycling-stability, kinetics, and discharge potential. To date, limited progress has been achieved in overcoming this longstanding and formidable performance trade-off.

Surveillance of the Genetic Signature in Circulating Tumor DNA for Guiding Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Urothelial Carcinoma: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Urothelial carcinoma is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, with a poor 5-year survival rate. As genomics is the backbone of the precision medicine paradigm, the genetic signature in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a pivotal biomarker for detecting early-stage cancer and molecular residual disease (MRD).

Objective: We aim to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a ctDNA-based sequencing approach for detecting MRD and guiding adjuvant chemotherapy in postoperative urothelial carcinomas.

Core-Shell Catalysts with Superhydrophobicity for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Kinetics in Zinc-Air Batteries.

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) operating in gas-solid-liquid three-phase systems suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics and low power output, which severely hinder their commercialization. To address these challenges, an integrated strategy is proposed combining core-shell heterophase catalytic species with superhydrophobic properties. The H─CoFe─CNT catalyst, featuring carbon nanotube-grown hollow cubic carbon cages, incorporates metal carbide@metal core-shell heterophase catalytic species and exhibits superhydrophobicity.

Development of a host-signature-based machine learning model to diagnose bacterial and viral infections in febrile children.

Background: Early aetiological diagnosis is critical for the management of febrile children with infectious illness, as it strongly influences the choice of appropriate medication and can affect a child's complications and outcome. New diagnostic strategies based on host genes have recently been developed and have achieved high accuracy and clinical practicability. In this study, through integrative bioinformatics analysis, we aimed to construct artificial neural network (ANN, multilayer perceptron) and random forest (RF) models based on host gene signatures to diagnose bacterial or viral (B/V) infection in febrile children.

A sprayable exosome-loaded hydrogel with controlled release and multifunctional synergistic effects for diabetic wound healing.

Diabetic wound healing is hindered by bacterial infections, oxidative stress, impaired vascularization, and chronic inflammation. Conventional dressings, limited by static drug release and single-functionality, fail to dynamically match the varying demands of different healing stages and dressing replacement frequencies. This study developed a multifunctional sprayable hydrogel dressing (Exo@AMCN) by photocrosslinking methacrylated decellularized dermal matrix co-loaded with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (hUCMSC-Exo) and β-cyclodextrin-borneol inclusion complexes (CN).

Bioengineered Bile Duct for Liver Regenerative Medicine and Bile Duct Reconstruction.

Bioengineered tubular bile ducts are an emerging strategy in liver regenerative medicine and extrahepatic bile duct reconstruction, offering potential solutions to address biliary diseases and improve outcomes in liver transplantation. Disorders of the biliary system, such as biliary atresia, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and bile duct injury, often result in irreversible damage and cannot be adequately treated with conventional therapies. This review explores the latest advancements in the bioengineering of both intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts, focusing on approaches that leverage cholangiocyte biology, stem cell technologies, and biomaterial innovations.

Sensing characteristics of integrated fiber Bragg grating sensors for high-temperature strain measurement.

This study explored the response characteristics of fiber optic high-temperature strain sensors to axial strains under varying thermal conditions. The sensor assembly integrated a Type II fine-core pure silica fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with a Type I Ge-doped regenerative fiber Bragg grating (RFBG). The matrix's condition number was optimized by leveraging differential sensitivities to temperature and strain, combined with 2×2 matrix demodulation techniques, resulting in a substantial improvement in measurement accuracy.

Liquid resistance in underwater laser propulsion.

To investigate liquid resistance in underwater laser propulsion, we conducted underwater propulsion experiments with cylindrical titanium targets of identical mass but varying propulsion areas through high-speed photography. An analytical formula was derived to elucidate the relationship among the kinetic energy of the target, the energy of the bubble induced on the target's propulsion surface, and the energy loss due to liquid resistance. The results indicate that during the process of underwater laser propulsion, the liquid resistance experienced by the target before achieving a stable velocity is directly proportional to both its velocity and the area of its propulsion surface.

The study of the relationship between physical activity and gestational diabetes mellitus in the second trimester of pregnancy: a dose-response analysis with the restricted cubic spline model.

Background: Previous studies have shown that higher levels of physical activity (PA) are generally associated with a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). however, evidence regarding the dose-response relationship remains limited. This study aims to investigate the dose-response relationship between PA and GDM during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Somatostatin and its receptors involvement in sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity: a narrative review.

As a widely used pediatric anesthetic, sevoflurane presents a paradoxical neurodevelopmental risk during vulnerable brain maturation periods. This review synthesizes emerging evidence on sevoflurane-induced developmental neurotoxicity, with a focus on somatostatin (SST)-SSTR4 signaling and its downstream effects on synaptic integrity. Key findings reveal that sevoflurane exposure disrupts excitatory-inhibitory balance by upregulating hippocampal SST expression, suppressing glutamatergic synaptic markers (vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGLUT1), PSD95), and impairing cAMP/PKA signaling-a pathway essential for AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity.

Technical evaluation of Turbuhaler use in children with bronchial asthma: combination of a checklist and inhalation parameters.

Background: The Turbuhaler is a dry powder inhaler (DPI) that is commonly used in the treatment of asthmatic patients aged 5 years and above. Nevertheless, the technique of using the Turbuhaler in the real world remains ambiguous. This study aims to evaluate techniques in using Turbuhaler by combining a checklist with inhalation parameters and to investigate the association between the patient characteristics and inhaler technique.

Sarcopenia defined by multidimensional factors and its prognostic role in heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the impact of sarcopenia-defined by reductions in muscle mass, strength, and/or function-on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF), thereby informing more effective management strategies.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted through 14 February 2025, using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI to identify prospective and retrospective cohort studies involving HF patients diagnosed with sarcopenia based on Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS), European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2), or Ishii criteria. Data extraction was performed using standardized forms, and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).

Special solvation effects of mixed water and alcohols revealed by molecular aggregation.

Owing to their green nature, good miscibility and tunable polarity, alcohols are widely used as popular co-solvents of water in supramolecular assembly. Intriguingly, the solvation properties of water/alcohol mixtures often show a complex dependence on the composition. Herein, the unusual solvation effects of water and alcohol mixtures are elucidated by examining the aggregation motif changes of amphiphilic polycycles bearing more polar side chains.

Preparation of branched starch by α-amylase and thermophilic glycogen branching enzyme modification.

Maltogenic α-amylase (MA, EC 3.2.1.

BBOX1 is a Metabolic Checkpoint that Mediates Metastatic Cancer Cell Evasion from Immunosurveillance by Natural Killer Cells.

Primary tumors constantly shed cancer cells into the circulation, yet only a fraction of these cells manages to give rise to metastatic tumors. Successful metastatic seeding and growth appears to depend on metabolic changes within cancer cells. Here, using a metabolism-focused CRISPR screen in a spontaneous metastasis model, we found that expression of the enzyme γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase 1 (BBOX1) in a subpopulation of tumor cells in various carcinomas enables immune evasion.

Performing Path Integral Molecular Dynamics Using an Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Molecular Simulation Framework.

This study employed an artificial intelligence-enhanced molecular simulation framework to enable efficient path integral molecular dynamics (PIMD) simulations. Owing to its modular architecture and high-throughput capabilities, the framework effectively mitigates the computational complexity and resource-intensive limitations associated with conventional PIMD approaches. By integrating machine learning force fields (MLFFs) into the framework, we rigorously tested its performance through two representative cases: a small-molecule reaction system (double-proton transfer in the formic acid dimer) and a bulk-phase transition system (water-ice phase transformation).

Therapeutic efficacy of a galactoglucan from in constipation: modulation of aquaporin signaling and intestinal barrier.

Introduction: Constipation is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder demanding effective therapeutic strategies. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of polysaccharide (PCP-g), a novel galactoglucan, against sucralfate-induced constipation murine model, focusing on intestinal motility, fecal parameters, aquaporin signaling, and gut microbiota modulation.

Methods: PCP-g was purified from and its physicochemical properties were characterized.

Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Denitroaristolochic Acids: Structural Insights and Mechanistic Implications in Nephrotoxicity.

The efficient synthetic routes and evaluates cytotoxic profiles of denitroaristolochic acids II-V (DAA-II-V) were demonstrated in this study. Based on retrosynthetic analysis, a modular synthetic strategy was developed through Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, Wittig reaction, and bismuth triflate-catalyzed intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization to efficiently construct the phenanthrene core. Process optimization significantly improved yields: aryl bromide intermediate A reached 50.

Prot2Chat: protein large language model with early fusion of text, sequence, and structure.

Motivation: Proteins are of great significance in living organisms. However, understanding their functions encounters numerous challenges, such as insufficient integration of multimodal information, a large number of training parameters, limited flexibility of classification-based methods, and the lack of systematic evaluation metrics for protein question answering systems. To tackle these issues, we propose the Prot2Chat framework.

Electron Donors in the Intertwined Interface Restore Oxy-Substituted Selenides.

Nature chose selenium as the antioxidant element center in proteins, permitting the reversible conversion of organic bioenzymes between oxidized and selenized forms. Despite the importance of such antielectronegativity reversibility, it has not yet been demonstrated in inorganic selenides. We report an unexpected example showing that oxy-substituted sites in metal selenides can be restored to selenized forms reversibly by mild electrochemical manipulation in a copper aqueous solution.

Histology image analysis of 13 healthy tissues reveals molecular-histological correlations.

Gene expression is an important process in which genes guide the synthesis of proteins, and molecular-level differences often lead to individual phenotypic variations. Combining molecular information at the nano-level with phenotypic information at the micron level can allow for the identification of a series of gene-level biomarkers related to image phenotypes and provide a more comprehensive way to understand the impact of genes on cell morphology. Currently, most studies in imaging genomics focus on tumors.

SARS-CoV-2-Induced Phosphorylation of HSPA9 at Ser627: Potential Implications for Mitochondrial Function, Cell Cycle Regulation, and Immune Evasion.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs), particularly those in the HSP70 family, play essential roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and orchestrating stress responses, including those triggered by viral infections. Based on data mining of published datasets and experimental characterization, this study identified HSPA9 phosphorylation at serine 627 (S627) as a potential regulatory site associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings demonstrate that phospho-S627 HSPA9 enhances mitochondrial function and mass, potentially meeting the elevated energy demands of viral replication.

Fe-doped MOF nanoparticles: the LIFR and BMP4 dual-signaling pathways activated regulator for in vitro expansion of mouse embryonic stem cells.

In the cultivation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and mitotically inactive mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are usually used to maintain the self-renewal and pluripotency of mESCs. However, the high cost of LIF and the immunogenicity of MEFs limit their clinical application in stable culture and large-scale expansion of mESCs. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue a low-cost, convenient, and safe alternative.