Bioactive Coatings for Cardiovascular Stents: Modulating Immune Response for Enhanced Performance.

Cardiovascular disorders remain a leading cause of death worldwide, and the use of contemporary stents is paving the way for a profound shift in the field of cardiology. In the surgical process postimplantation, the graft or stent and host-immune interaction play a significant role in the healing process, thus it is a major challenge in healthcare. To address these challenges, recent advancements have introduced bioactive coatings with specialized modifications in stents to enhance their interaction with surrounding environment.

A Water-Efficient Artificial Phytoextraction Technology for the Remediation of Cesium-Contaminated Soil Inspired by Plant Transpiration and the Hydrologic Cycle.

Cesium ions (Cs) are notable radioactive contaminants hazardous to humans and the environment. Among various remediation methods, adsorption is a practical way to remove Cs from water, and Prussian blue (PB) is well-known as an efficient Cs adsorbent. Although various PB derivatives have been proposed to treat Cs-contaminated water, soil remediation is still challenging due to the limited mobility of pollutants in soil.

The cardiac pacemakers: A paradigm of robustness in evolutionary biology.

The cardiac pacemaker activity is formed from multiple interlocking physiological networks, any one of which can generate rhythm. The interlocking is reciprocal so that they automatically replace each other. In such interlocking control systems, the association scores for individual components are necessarily low, even though causation, measured by the electric current carried by the relevant ion channels, is large.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Pollutants Using Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Emerging contaminants (ECs), such as pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and endocrine disruptors, pose persistent threats to human and ecological health due to their refractory nature. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are attractive crystalline porous materials for photocatalytic environmental remediation. Their high surface area, tunable structures, and stability complement the sustainable and efficient nature of photocatalysis, demonstrating great potential for treating ECs.

Short-term memory errors are strongly associated with a drift in neural activity in the posterior parietal cortex.

Understanding the neural mechanisms behind short-term memory (STM) errors is crucial for unraveling cognitive processes and addressing deficits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. This study examines whether STM errors arise from misrepresentation of sensory information or decay in these representations over time. Using 2-photon calcium imaging in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of mice performing a delayed match-to-sample task, we identified a subset of PPC neurons exhibiting both directional and temporal selectivity.

Tissue-specific iron levels modulate lipid peroxidation and the FLASH radiotherapy effect.

Iron is vital to living cells, playing a key role in cellular respiration, DNA synthesis, and various metabolic functions. Importantly, cancer cells have a higher dependency on iron compared to normal cells to support their rapid growth and survival. Due to this fact, tumors are more vulnerable to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death.

Post-functionalization of polyethers by photoinduced C-H amidation via polar-radical relay.

The C-H functionalization of polymers enables the direct incorporation of new functional groups into polymer backbones, presenting significant opportunities for the upcycling of commodity polymers. However, developing reactions that achieve selective functionalization while preserving the intrinsic features of polymers and avoiding undesirable structure deformation remains a considerable challenge. In this study, we present a transition metal-free post-functionalization approach for polyethers via a photoinduced α-C-H amidation reaction.

Thick ZnS Shells on CsPbBr Quantum Dots by Colloidal-Atomic Layer Deposition for Enhanced Photoluminescence and Stability.

The colloidal-atomic layer deposition (c-ALD) method is employed to grow a zinc sulfide (ZnS) shell on CsPbBr perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) to form CsPbBr/ZnS core/shell heterostructures to address the intrinsic stability challenges of PeQDs. The c-ALD process offers layer by layer control over the thickness of the shell, enabling uniform and conformal encapsulation, which significantly passivates the surface defects and enhances the optical properties of the PeQDs. This approach significantly improves photoluminescence quantum yield, increases environmental stability, and prolongs the average radiative lifetime of the CsPbBr PeQDs.

Triboelectric self-powered soft robotics: paving the way towards a sustainable future.

The integration of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) into soft robotic systems marks a significant advancement toward autonomous, self-powered, and environmentally responsive machines. TENGs offer lightweight, flexible structures capable of efficiently converting mechanical energy into electricity, supporting both on-board power generation and active sensing. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in TENG-powered soft robotics, emphasizing developments in actuation, sensing, locomotion, and intelligent interaction.

Advancements in Understanding Catalyst Reconstruction During Electrochemical CO Reduction.

Electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) has received great attention to solve CO- induced global warming and carbon neutrality. It is essential to enhance the electrochemical CORR selectivity, activity, and long-term stability for sustainable manufacturing of specific chemicals via CORR. To produce multi-carbon (C) chemicals, Cu-based heterogeneous catalysts have been developed in terms of defect engineering, morphological design, and facet control.

Inflammatory cytokine-primed MSC-derived extracellular vesicles ameliorate acute lung injury via enhanced immunomodulation and alveolar repair.

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by excessive inflammation and alveolar damage, arising from pathogens or systemic insults such as sepsis, and can progress to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Despite its severity, effective pharmacological treatments remain unavailable, and current clinical interventions are limited to supportive care such as mechanical ventilation. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have emerged as promising candidates for lung repair, but insufficient immunosuppressive capacity often limits their efficacy.

Directional postural sway tendencies and static balance among community-dwelling older adults with depression and without cognitive impairment.

Background: Depression is prevalent among older adults and is known to negatively affect balance, ultimately leading to falls. However, few studies have investigated the effect of depression on static balance metrics beyond postural sway distance and area of older adults without mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Aims: To investigate if postural sway distance, sway area, medial-lateral (ML) sway range, anterior-posterior (AP) sway range, and center-of-pressure (COP) sway speed variability differed between non-cognitively impaired older adults with minimal-to-no depression (Minimally Depressive group) and mild-to-severe depression (Mildly-to-Severely Depressive group).

Nasal Aβ42 mirrors brain amyloid dynamics and cognitive decline across the Alzheimer's disease continuum.

Early, non-invasive assessment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression remains a key challenge. This study evaluated whether nasal amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) levels reflect brain amyloid dynamics and cognitive decline. Nasal discharge from 161 individuals, ranging from cognitively unimpaired to AD dementia, was analyzed using ELISA, alongside neuropsychological assessments and amyloid PET imaging.

Evidence for orbital Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state in the bulk limit of 2H-NbSe.

The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state is an unusual superconducting phase that survives beyond the Pauli paramagnetic limit through spatial modulation of the order parameter. An even more exotic variant-the orbital FFLO state-was recently reported in thin flakes of 2H-NbSe, involving the interplay of Ising spin-orbit coupling and orbital pair breaking. Here, we report thermodynamic signatures consistent with an orbital FFLO state in bulk 2H-NbSe, based on high-resolution magnetization and torque measurements under strictly parallel to the NbSe basal plane.

Multifunctional electronic skin integrating dual-mode optical and pressure sensors for caregiving robots.

Advancements in artificial intelligence have broadened the capabilities of robots, particularly in caregiving applications that are essential for aging societies facing a growing shortage of human caregivers. Humanoid caregiving robots require sophisticated sensing systems to perform delicate tasks such as monitoring vital signs and providing physical assistance without causing discomfort. In particular, functionalities such as close-range proximity sensing, tactile feedback, and physiological and electrophysiological signal monitoring are essential for ensuring safe and effective caregiving.

Astrocyte priming enhances microglial Aβ clearance and is compromised by APOE4.

The innate immune system can develop a form of memory called priming, where prior exposure to a stimulus enhances subsequent responses. While well-characterized in peripheral immunity, its function in brain-resident cells such as astrocytes under non-disease conditions remains unclear. Here we show that human astrocytes derived from the induced pluripotent stem cells of healthy female donors, but not microglia, acquire a primed state following transient immune stimulations.

Accurate Assessments of the Electronic Structures of Ultrathin PtSe: Bandgap Quantification and Critical Thickness for the Metal-Semiconductor Transition.

Ultrathin PtSe, a member of the group-10 transition metal dichalcogenides, has emerged as a promising two-dimensional material due to its layer-dependent, tunable bandgap. Notably, a unique semiconductor-to-metal transition is predicted as the layer number of this material increases; however, pinpointing the exact critical thickness for this transition and reliably quantifying the energy gaps of the semiconducting layers remain formidable challenges. In this work, all-van der Waals assembled multiprobe schemes and planar tunnel junctions are employed to systematically investigate the thickness-sensitive charge transport properties and energy gaps of ultrathin PtSe films.

Empirical evidence for the functional benefit of intra-specific wing shape variation in a sedentary bird, the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica).

This study investigates the intraspecific variation in wingtip shape and its effects on aerodynamic forces and flight capabilities with the Oriental Magpies as a model species. Characterized by short and rounded wings, Oriental Magpies are highly sedentary and exhibit wingtip shape variations between juveniles and adults, as well as between males and females due to physiological changes during breeding. Analysis of 115 individuals revealed a significant interaction between sex and age in the location of the wingtip, with adult females exhibiting wings with backward-shifted wingtips than other sex and age categories.

Assessing Long-Term Stored Tissues for Multi-Omics Data Quality and Proteogenomics Suitability.

As research into cancer biology progresses, multiomics analyses have become essential for unraveling its molecular complexities. However, sample availability remains a challenge due to factors such as collection procedures and long-term storage effects. Archived samples present an opportunity to expand multiomics studies, but concerns persist regarding storage duration's impact on data reliability.

Material decomposition-based improved normalized metal artifact reduction method (MD-NMAR) in photon counting CT.

Photon counting computed tomography (PCCT) acquires multiple images of different energy ranges from a single computed tomography (CT) scan. It provides us with spatial and spectral information not available from conventional CT, making it possible for further analysis in the metal artifacts reduction (MAR). This study aims to develop a method to reduce metal artifacts in PCCT using material decomposition.

Surface Tension-Guided Drop-and-Spread Inkjet Printing for Additive Fabrication of CNT Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors.

Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNT FETs) are highly regarded in nanoelectronics for their superior electrical properties, yet their broader adoption in nanotechnology is hindered by challenges in scalable fabrication. These challenges are primarily related to controlling nanotube density and achieving consistent alignment at electrode junctions for large-scale production. Here, we present a novel in-place inkjet printing technique to construct CNT FETs, ensuring controlled numbers of connected CNTs.

Elevated plasma levels of alpha-synuclein are dispensable for Parkinson's disease pathology.

Although α-synuclein levels are elevated in the blood plasma of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, it remains unclear whether blood-derived α-synuclein directly contributes to PD. To investigate this, we developed a novel mouse model in which human α-synuclein levels are increased in the blood. Despite a significant increase in α-synuclein in the blood, no noticeable behavioral abnormalities were observed in aged mice.

Pelota-mediated ribosome-associated quality control counteracts aging and age-associated pathologies across species.

Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) is a pivotal biological process that governs the fidelity of messenger RNA (mRNA) homeostasis and protein synthesis. Defects in RQC are implicated in cellular dysfunction and proteotoxicity, but their impact on aging remains elusive. Here, we show that Pelota, the ribosome rescue factor, promotes longevity and protects against age-related pathological phenotypes in multiple metazoan species.

Targeted Selenite Adsorption Using Defective Fe-BTC: Effective in Acidic and Alkaline Conditions.

Amorphous Fe-BTC, characterized by entirely defective metal nodes, has been employed for the effective adsorption of toxic selenite anions from aqueous solutions. Remarkably, Fe-BTC maintains high adsorption efficiency across a broad pH range (2-12), achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 491 mg g, ranking among the highest recorded for adsorbents, including MOFs. The adsorption process involves distinct chemical interactions depending on pH: weak and variable interactions under acidic conditions (pH 2) and strong, diverse coordination modes under alkaline conditions (pH 11).

Recent Progress on the Development of Intrinsically Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices.

Intrinsically stretchable electroluminescent (is-EL) devices, whose components are made of mechanically soft and stretchable materials, are gaining significant attention as promising solutions for intrinsically stretchable displays. Compared to conventional stretchable devices with strain-distributing geometries, such as island-bridge or buckling structures, is-EL devices offer simpler device designs, enhanced mechanical reliability, and improved pixel density. This review highlights recent advancements in the development of is-EL devices, classifying them into two categories: alternating-current-driven electroluminescence devices (ACELs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).