Stress-induced organismal death is genetically regulated by the mTOR-Zeste-Phae1 axis.

All organisms are exposed to various stressors, which can sometimes lead to organismal death, depending on their intensity. While stress-induced organismal death has been observed in many species, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of stress-induced organismal death in the fruit fly .

The Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes on the Attenuation of Dry Eye Disease in Sjögren Syndrome Animal Model.

Background: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease delineated by excessive lymphocyte infiltration to the lacrimal or salivary glands, leading to dry eye and dry mouth. Exosomes secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are known to have anti-inflammatory and tissue regeneration abilities. This study endeavored to demonstrate the effect of MSC-derived exosomes on the clinical parameter of dry eyes and associated pathology in SS mouse model.

Characterization and Development of Salt-Resistant Aspergillus oryzae for Marine-Derived Enzyme Expression.

Marine-derived enzymes often show distinct physiological properties and great potential for industrial use. Salt ions may improve the stability and expression efficiency of marine enzymes, which requires salt-resistant host based expression platform. Aspergillus oryzae of good protein expression and secretion was evaluated and explored for this purpose.

Cost Effectiveness of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine and Live-Attenuated Vaccine Against Herpes Zoster for Adults Aged 50 and Over in China.

Objective: Two vaccines against herpes zoster (HZ) are currently authorized for use in China: the adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) and live-attenuated Zoster Vaccine Live (ZVL). The significant disparities in prices and efficacy between the two vaccines necessitate an evaluation of their relative value in order to make an informed choice. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative cost effectiveness of RZV, ZVL, and no vaccination for older adults at different ages from the societal perspective.

Assessment of Ecological and Human Health Risk Associated with Toxic Metals from the Consumption of Vegetables Exposed to Low Quality Irrigation Water of Industrial Zones in Semi-arid Regions.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the toxic metals (TMs) pollution, bioaccumulation and its potential health risk via consumption of different vegetables irrigated by different water sources released from industrial estates of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Water (fresh and waste), soil and vegetables samples were collected in triplicates and acid digested. Digestion of samples were followed by evaporation and filtration and then assessed for TMs via atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

Design, Optimization, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Tapinarof Analogues as AHR Agonists for Topical Psoriasis Treatment.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the quality of life of patients. The aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) plays a pivotal role in maintaining the skin barrier integrity. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the structure-activity relationship of Tapinarof analogues.

Collisional Excitation of HCN by CO to Refine the Modeling of Cometary Comae.

We present the first dataset of collisional (de)-excitation rate coefficients of HCN induced by CO, one of the main perturbing gases in cometary atmospheres. The dataset spans the temperature range of 5-50 K. It includes both state-to-state rate coefficients involving the lowest ten and nine rotational levels of HCN and CO, respectively, and the so-called "thermalized" rate coefficients over the rotational population of CO at each kinetic temperature.

TCRdb 2.0: an updated T-cell receptor sequence database.

T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire sequencing allows researchers to analyze millions of TCRs, providing unparalleled precision in understanding immune responses and enabling broad applications. However, existing TCR-related databases are based on a limited number of samples. Here, we present TCRdb2.

Effect of Clays on the Spontaneous Imbibition Behavior of Surfactant Solutions in Shale Oil Reservoirs.

Surfactant-enhanced spontaneous imbibition is a proven method of enhancing oil recovery from shale reservoirs. However, a significant knowledge gap concerning the impact of clay minerals on surfactant-enhanced imbibition in shale reservoirs remains. Therefore, this study first analyzed the mineral composition and pore structure of the shale reservoirs.

New Cyclic Lipopeptide Compounds for Efficiently Inhibiting Cellular Inflammation and Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease, and a large number of patients do not respond well to existing treatment strategies. Our previous report has discovered that the cyclic lipopeptide (CLP) daptomycin (DAP) has a good suppressive arthritis activity in mice. In this study, we have designed and synthesized five novel DAP-derived CLPs by structural optimization on the loop of DAP and further studied their anti-RA effects in vitro and in vivo.

Directed message passing neural networks enhanced graph convolutional learning for accurate polymer density prediction.

Polymer density is a critical factor influencing material performance and industrial applications, and it can be tailored by modifying the chemical structure of repeating units. Traditional polymer density characterization methods rely heavily on domain expertise; however, the vast chemical space comprising over one million potential polymer structures makes conventional experimental screening inefficient and costly. In this study, we proposed a machine learning framework for polymer density prediction, rigorously evaluating four models: neural networks (NNs), random forest (RF), XGBoost, and graph convolutional neural networks (GCNNs).

Structure of Organoboron Dyes and Multiphoton Absorption: Insights from Theory.

Computer simulations play an essential role in the interpretation of experimental multiphoton absorption spectra. In addition, models derived from theory allow for the establishment of "structure-property" relationships. This work contributes to these efforts and presents the results of an analysis of two- and three-photon absorptions for a set comprising 450 conjugated molecules performed at the CAM-B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level.

Recent Progress In Organic High-Temperature Photothermal Materials.

Organic high-temperature photothermal materials (T > 100 °C) have demonstrated significant application values because of their ability to exceed the temperature limits of traditional organic photothermal materials, enabling spatiotemporally controllable long-distance heating and high-temperature conversion of laser or sunlight. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in organic high-temperature photothermal materials, mainly including organic small molecule and polymer materials. Their photothermal conversion mechanisms and the factors influencing their performance as well as their applications, including photo controlled ignition/deflagration, photothermal induced actuators, photo controlled metal processing, and concentrated sunlight energy conversion were elaborated.

Cell-Stress-Free Percutaneous Bioelectrodes.

Wearable bioelectronics have advanced dramatically over the past decade, yet remain constrained by their superficial placement on the skin, which renders them vulnerable to environmental fluctuations and mechanical instability. Existing microneedle (MN) electrodes offer minimally invasive access to dermal tissue, but their rigid, bulky design-often 100 times larger and 10,000 times stiffer than dermal fibroblasts-induces pain, tissue damage, and chronic inflammation, limiting their long-term applicability. Here, a cell-stress-free percutaneous bioelectrode is presented, comprising an ultrathin (<2 µm), soft MN (sMN) that dynamically softens via an effervescent structural transformation after insertion.

Truxenone-Based Covalent Organic Framework/Carbon Nanotube Composite for High-Performance Low-Temperature Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Low-temperature rechargeable batteries face great challenges due to the sluggish reaction kinetics. Redox covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with porous structures provide a viable solution to accelerate the ionic diffusion and reaction kinetics at low temperatures. However, the applications of COFs in low-temperature batteries are still at their infancy stage.

Diverse Perovskite Solar Cells: Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives.

Perovskite materials have revolutionized optoelectronics by virtue of their tunable bandgaps, exceptional optoelectronic properties, and structural flexibility. Notably, the state-of-the-art performance of perovskite solar cells has reached 27%, making perovskite materials a promising candidate for next-generation photovoltaic technology. Although numerous reviews regarding perovskite materials have been published, the existing reviews generally focus on individual material systems (e.

Synergistic Ni-Co Metal Nodes in a Conjugated MOF-Modified Separator for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) hold great potential as next-generation energy storage systems due to their high theoretical energy density and relatively low cost. However, their practical application is hindered by issues such as the shuttle phenomenon caused by soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), slow redox reaction rates, and unsatisfactory cycling stability. In this study, novel conjugated metal-organic frameworks, MM″(HHTP) (M, M″ = Ni, Co, Cu) is reported, as a functional coating on polypropylene (PP) separators.

Machine Learning-Enhanced Design of 2D TM(HXBHYB)@MOF-Based Single-Atom Catalysts for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

This study integrates machine learning (ML) and density functional theory (DFT) to systematically investigate the oxygen electrocatalytic activity of two-dimensional (2D) TM(HXBHYB) (HX/YB = HIB (hexaaminobenzene), HHB (hexahydroxybenzene), HTB (hexathiolbenzene), and HSB (hexaselenolbenzene)) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). By coupling transition metals (TM) with the above ligands, stable 2D TM(HXBHYB)@MOF systems were constructed. The Random Forest Regression (RFR) model outperformed the others, revealing the intrinsic relationship between the physicochemical properties of 2D TM(HXBHYB)@MOF and their ORR/OER overpotentials.

Comparison of parametric and hybrid methods for estimating mean survival time in clinical study.

The mean survival time (MST) is usually estimated as the area under the curve of the estimated survival function obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method. However, when the maximum observed survival time is censored, the MST cannot be estimated because the survival function does not reach zero. In such cases, parametric and hybrid methods are used to estimate the MST.

Taxonomic revision of the critically endangered big-headed turtles (Reptilia: Testudines: Platysternidae Gray, 1869), with description of a new species.

The big-headed turtle ( ), currently the only extant member of the genus and the family Platysternidae, has undergone severe population declines driven by poaching, illegal trade, and habitat loss, leading to its classification as Critically Endangered (CR) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Despite its conservation status, persistent taxonomic ambiguities and unresolved phylogenetic relationships have hindered effective protection and management. This study integrated evidence from genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mitochondrial DNA sequences ( , ), and morphological data to reconstruct the phylogeny and phylogeography of and revise its taxonomy.

Omaveloxolone promotes macrophage M2 polarization by activating the NRF2-Keap1 pathway and improves myocardial remodeling induced by pressure overload.

Nuclear factor erythrocyte 2-associated factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important transcriptional regulator that plays a protective role in myocardial remodeling. Omaveloxolone (Omav) acts as an activator of Nrf2 and plays a protective role by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of Omav in myocardial remodeling and investigate the potential mechanism involved.

KDM4A-induced tumor senescence enhances the efficacy of immunotherapy by inhibiting AGT-PHB1 axis-mediated mitophagy in colorectal cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can re-active the immune response and induce a complete response in mismatch repair-deficient and microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC). However, most CRCs exhibit proficient mismatch repair and microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) phenotypes with limited immunotherapy response because of sparse intratumoral CD8 T-lymphocyte infiltration. Cellular senescence has been reported to involve immune cell infiltration through a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).

Protocols for Preparing Novel Amylose-Lipid-Polyphenol Complexes with Antioxidant Activities.

Resistant starches with additional functionalities, such as starch-polyphenol complexes, are generating great interest due to the increasing incidence of diet-related diseases. However, preparing these complexes remains a major challenge due to the incompatible structures of many natural phenolic compounds. Herein, three protocols were compared for preparing novel amylose (AM) complexes with polyphenol quercetin (Q) in the presence of lauric acid (LA).

Vertically Stacked Boron Nitride/Graphene Heterostructure for Tunable Antiresonant Hollow-Core Fiber.

Incorporating atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials with optical fibers expands their potential for optoelectronic applications. Recent advancements in chemical vapor deposition have enabled the batch production of these hybrid fibers, paving the way for practical implementation. However, their functionality remains constrained by the integration of a single 2D material, restricting their versatile performance.

Boosted photocatalytic water splitting over a direct Z-scheme CdTe/CN van der Waals heterojunction: a first-principles insight into photocatalytic activity.

The quest for sustainable and clean energy sources has led to significant research into photocatalytic water splitting, a process that converts solar energy into hydrogen fuel. This study demonstrates constructing a high-performance CdTe/CN van der Waals heterojunction for solar-driven water splitting hydrogen evolution. The proposed CdTe/CN heterojunction, investigated using first-principles calculations, integrates favorable structural stability and features a direct bandgap of 1.