Tuning Adsorbate-Mediated Strong Metal-Support Interaction by Oxygen Vacancy: A Case Study in Ru/TiO2.

The adsorbate-mediated strong metal-support interaction (A-SMSI) offers a reversible means of altering the selectivity of supported metal catalysts, thereby providing a powerful tool for facile modulation of catalytic performance. However, the fundamental understanding of A-SMSI remains inadequate and methods for tuning A-SMSI are still in their nascent stages, impeding its stabilization under reaction conditions. Here, we report that the initial concentration of oxygen vacancy in oxide supports plays a key role in tuning the A-SMSI between Ru nanoparticles and defected titania (TiO2-x). Based on this new understanding, we demonstrate the in-situ formation of A-SMSI under reaction conditions, obviating the typically required CO2-rich pretreatment. The as-formed A-SMSI layer exhibits remarkable stability at various temperatures, enabling excellent activity, selectivity and long-term stability in catalyzing the reverse water gas-shift reaction. This study deepens the understanding of the A-SMSI and the ability to stabilize A-SMSI under reaction conditions represents a key step for practical catalytic applications.

Deciphering visceral adipose tissue regulatory T cells: Key contributors to metabolic health.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) within the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) play a crucial role in controlling tissue inflammation and maintaining metabolic health. VAT Tregs display a unique transcriptional profile and T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, and closely interact with adipocytes, stromal cells, and other immune components within the local VAT microenvironment. However, in the context of obesity, there is a notable decline in VAT Tregs, resulting in heightened VAT inflammation and insulin resistance. A comprehensive understanding of the biology of VAT Tregs is essential for the development of Treg-based therapies for mitigating obesity-associated metabolic diseases. Recent advancements in lineage tracing tools, genetic mouse models, and various single cell "omics" techniques have significantly progressed our understandings of the origin, differentiation, and regulation of this unique VAT Treg population at steady state and during obesity. The identification of VAT-Treg precursor cells in the secondary lymphoid organs has also provided important insights into the timing, location, and mechanisms through which VAT Tregs acquire their distinctive phenotype that enables them to function within a lipid-rich microenvironment. In this review, we highlight key recent breakthroughs in the VAT-Treg field while discussing pivotal questions that remain unanswered.

Rational design of CT-coupled J-aggregation platform based on Aza-BODIPY for highly efficient phototherapy.

Supramolecular engineering is exceptionally appealing in the design of functional materials, and J-aggregates resulting from noncovalent interactions offer intriguing features. However, building J-aggregation platforms remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report 3,5-dithienyl Aza-BODIPYs with a donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) architecture as the first charge transfer (CT)-coupled J-aggregation BODIPY-type platform. The core acceptor moieties in one molecule interact with donor units in neighboring molecules to generate slip-stacked packing motifs, resulting in CT-coupled J-aggregation with a redshifted wavelength up to 886 nm and an absorption tail over 1100 nm. The J-aggregates show significant photoacoustic signals and high photothermal conversion efficiency of 66%. The results obtained in vivo show that the J-aggregates have the potential to be used for tumor photothermal ablation and photoacoustic imaging. This study not only demonstrates Aza-BODIPY with D-A-D as a novel CT-coupled J-aggregation platform for NIR phototherapy materials but also motivates further study on the design of J-aggregation.

Hydrogen Bubbles: Harmonizing Local Hydrogen Transfer for Efficient Plastic Hydro-Depolymerization.

Hydro-depolymerization presents a promising avenue for transforming plastic waste into high-value hydrocarbons, offering significant potential for value-added recycling. However, a major challenge in this method arises from kinetic limitations due to insufficient hydrogen concentration near the active sites, requiring optimal catalytic performance only at higher hydrogen pressures. In this study, we address this hurdle by developing "hydrogen bubble catalysts" featuring Ru nanoparticles within mesoporous SBA-15 channels (Ru/SBA). The distinctive feature of Ru/SBA catalysts lies in their capacity for physical hydrogen storage and chemically reversible hydrogen spillover, ensuring a timely and ample hydrogen supply. Under identical reaction conditions, the catalytic activity of Ru/SBA surpassed that of Ru/SiO2 (no hydrogen storage capacity) by over 4-fold. This substantial enhancement in catalytic performance provides significant opportunities for near atmospheric pressure hydro-depolymerization of plastic waste.

Conserved and specific gene expression patterns in the embryonic development of tardigrades.

Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, are enigmatic organisms characterized by their remarkable resilience to extreme environments despite their simple and compact body structure. To date, there is still much to understand about their evolutionary and developmental features contributing to their special body plan and abilities. This research provides preliminary insights on the conserved and specific gene expression patterns during embryonic development of water bears, focusing on the species Hypsibius exemplaris. The developmental dynamic expression analysis of the genes with various evolutionary age grades indicated that the mid-conserved stage of H. exemplaris corresponds to the period of ganglia and midgut development, with the late embryonic stage showing a transition from non-conserved to conserved state. Additionally, a comparison with Drosophila melanogaster highlighted the absence of certain pathway nodes in development-related pathways, such as Maml and Hairless, which are respectively the transcriptional co-activator and co-repressor of NOTCH regulated genes. We also employed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to investigate the expression patterns of tardigrade-specific genes during embryo development. Our findings indicated that the module containing the highest proportion of tardigrade-specific genes (TSGs) exhibits high expression levels before the mid-conserved stage, potentially playing a role in glutathione and lipid metabolism. These functions may be associated to the ecdysone synthesis and storage cell formation, which is unique to tardigrades.

ACP-DRL: an anticancer peptides recognition method based on deep representation learning.

Cancer, a significant global public health issue, resulted in about 10 million deaths in 2022. Anticancer peptides (ACPs), as a category of bioactive peptides, have emerged as a focal point in clinical cancer research due to their potential to inhibit tumor cell proliferation with minimal side effects. However, the recognition of ACPs through wet-lab experiments still faces challenges of low efficiency and high cost. Our work proposes a recognition method for ACPs named ACP-DRL based on deep representation learning, to address the challenges associated with the recognition of ACPs in wet-lab experiments. ACP-DRL marks initial exploration of integrating protein language models into ACPs recognition, employing in-domain further pre-training to enhance the development of deep representation learning. Simultaneously, it employs bidirectional long short-term memory networks to extract amino acid features from sequences. Consequently, ACP-DRL eliminates constraints on sequence length and the dependence on manual features, showcasing remarkable competitiveness in comparison with existing methods.

Non-Photochemical Origin of Selectivity Difference between Light and Dark Catalytic Conditions.

The interest in introducing light into heterogeneous catalysis is driven not only by the urgent need of replacing fossil energy but also by the promise of controlling product selectivity by light. The product selectivity differences observed in recent studies between light and dark reactions are often attributed to photochemical effects. Here, we report the discovery of a non-photochemical origin of selectivity difference, at essentially the same CO2 conversion rate, between photothermal and thermal CO2 hydrogenation reactions over a Ru/TiO2-x catalyst. While the presence of the photochemical effect from ultraviolet light is confirmed, it merely enhances the catalytic activity. Systematic investigation reveals that the gradual formation of an adsorbate-mediated strong metal-support interaction under catalytic conditions is responsible for the variation in the catalytic selectivity. We demonstrate that differences in product selectivity under light/dark reactions do not necessarily originate from photochemical effects. Our study refines the basis for determining photochemical effects and highlights the importance of excluding non-photochemical effects in mechanistic studies of light-controlled product selectivity.

Comparative analysis of the vaginal bacteriome and virome in healthy women living in high-altitude and sea-level areas.

The vaginal microbiota plays an important role in the health of the female reproductive tract and is closely associated with various pregnancy outcomes and sexually transmitted diseases. Plenty of internal and external factors have strong influence on the changes in a woman's vaginal microbiome. However, the effect of a high-altitude on female vaginal microbiota has not been described. In this study, we characterized the vaginal bacteriome and virome of 13 and 34 healthy women living in high-altitude and sea-level areas, using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing of their vaginal mucus samples. The results revealed that the vaginal bacteriomes of high-altitude individuals are featured by a significant increase of species diversity, depletion of Lactobacillus crispatus, and more abundant of some anaerobic bacteria, such as Chlamydia trachomatis, Mageeibacillus indolicus, Dialister micraerophilus, and Sneathia amnii). In addition, the vagina samples of sea-level subjects harbor more Lactobacillus strains, whereas the anaerobic bacteroidetes strains mostly appeared in high-altitude subjects. Identified and assembled 191 virus operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), there were significant differences in the abundance of 107 vOTUs between the two groups. Together, the results of this study raised the understanding of bacteriome and virome in the vagina of women at different elevations, and demonstrated that the vaginal microbiome is related to the high-altitude geographic adaptation.

Overexpression of high affinity K+ transporter from Nitraria sibirica enhanced salt tolerance of transgenic plants.

Nitraria sibirica Pall is a halophytic shrub growing in desert steppe zones. It exhibits extraordinary adaptability to saline-alkali soil, drought, and sand burial. In this study, the high-affinity K+ transporter NsHKT1 was identified and found to play a key role in salt tolerance in N. sibirica. NsHKT1 was used to improve salt tolerance in a poplar hybrid. The expression characteristics of NsHKT1 were analyzed by transforming Arabidopsis and poplar with the ß-glucuronidase (GUS) gene driven by the NsHKT1 promoter. The results showed that NsHKT1 expression was induced by various abiotic stresses and phytohormones. GUS expression was also detected in the reproductive organs of transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating its function in regulating plant reproductive growth. Transgenic 84 K poplar plants overexpressing NsHKT1 exhibited less damage, higher antioxidant capacity, higher chlorophyll and proline levels, and lower malondialdehyde content compared with non-transgenic plants under salt stress. These results are consistent with the salt tolerance results for transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing NsHKT1, indicating that NsHKT1 plays a key role in salt tolerance in herbaceous and ligneous plants. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry showed a significantly lower leaf Na+ content in transgenic poplar than in the non-transgenic line, revealing that NsHKT1, as a member of HKT family subclass 1, was highly selective to Na+ and prevented shoot Na+ accumulation. Transcriptome analysis indicated that differentially expressed genes in transgenic poplars under salt stress were associated mainly with the isoflavonoid, cutin, suberine, wax, anthocyanin, flavonoid, and cyanoamino biosynthesis pathways, as well as the MAPK signaling pathway, indicating that NsHKT1 not only regulates ion homeostasis but also influences secondary metabolism and signal transaction in transgenic plants.

The Effect of Characteristics of Patient Communication on Physician Feedback in Online Health Communities: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

With the rapid development of e-health and telemedicine, previous studies have explored the relationship between physician-patient communication and patient satisfaction; however, there is a paucity of research on the influence of the characteristics of patient communication on the characteristics of physician feedback. Based on the communication accommodation theory, as well as the computer-mediated communication theory and media richness theory, this study aimed to explore how characteristics of patient communication influence characteristics of physician feedback in online health communities. We employed a crawler software to download the communication data between 1652 physicians and 105,325 patients from the Good Doctor platform, the biggest online health community in China. We built an empirical model using this data and employed a multilevel model to test our hypotheses using Stata and Python software. The results indicate that the amount of patients' rendered information positively influences the physicians' text (α = 0.123, t = 33.147, P < .001) and voice feedback (ß = 0.201, t = 40.011, P < .001). Patients' hope for help signals and the provision of their electronic health records weaken the effect of the amount of patients' rendered information on physicians' text feedback (α = -0.040, t = -24.857, P < .001; α = -0.048, t = -15.784, P < .001), whereas, it strengthened the effect of the amount of patients' rendered information on physicians' voice feedback (ß = 0.033, t = 14.789, P < .001; ß = 0.017, t = 4.208, P < .001). Moreover, the occurrence of high-privacy diseases strengthened the effect of the amount of patients' presented information on physicians' text and voice feedback (α = 0.023, t = 4.870, P < .001; ß = 0.028, t = 4.282, P < .001). This research contributes to the development of computer-mediated communication theories and sheds light on service delivery in the online health community.

Fast analysis of straw proximates based on partial least squares using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid measurement technique based on the spectroscopic absorption bands of specific functional groups within biomass. Its main advantages include simple preparation, precise analysis, and the ability to analyze multiple components simultaneously. Fast analysis of straw proximates (moisture, ash, and fixed carbon) has been investigated by means of NIRS. A total of 144 samples were collected, the spectral data were analyzed by partial least squares (PLS) regression and support vector regression (SVR) with four wavelength selection methods. PLS combined with competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) provided excellent predictive performance for moisture, ash, and fixed carbon. For moisture prediction, the values of RP2, RMSEP and RPD were 0.7202, 0.8196, and 2.11, respectively. For ash prediction, the values of RP2, RMSEP and RPD were 0.9307, 0.5901, and 3.69, respectively. For fixed carbon prediction, the values of RP2, RMSEP and RPD were 0.8504, 0.2735, and 2.76, respectively. Fast analysis of proximates of corn stover was possible using this NIRS system.

Supra-Photothermal CO2 Methanation over Greenhouse-Like Plasmonic Superstructures of Ultrasmall Cobalt Nanoparticles.

Improving the solar-to-thermal energy conversion efficiency of photothermal nanomaterials at no expense of other physicochemical properties, e.g., the catalytic reactivity of metal nanoparticles, is highly desired for diverse applications but remains a big challenge. Herein, a synergistic strategy is developed for enhanced photothermal conversion by a greenhouse-like plasmonic superstructure of 4 nm cobalt nanoparticles while maintaining their intrinsic catalytic reactivity. The silica shell plays a key role in retaining the plasmonic superstructures for efficient use of the full solar spectrum, and reducing the heat loss of cobalt nanoparticles via the nano-greenhouse effect. The optimized plasmonic superstructure catalyst exhibits supra-photothermal CO2 methanation performance with a record-high rate of 2.3 mol gCo -1 h-1 , close to 100% CH4 selectivity, and desirable catalytic stability. This work reveals the great potential of nanoscale greenhouse effect in enhancing photothermal conversions through the combination with conventional promoting strategies, shedding light on the design of efficient photothermal nanomaterials for demanding applications.

Dual functionalized copper nanoparticles for thermoplastics with improved processing and mechanical properties and superior antibacterial performance.

The utilization of metal nanoparticles for antibacterial thermoplastic composites has the potential to enhance the safety of human and animal life by mitigating the spread and transmission of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The dispersion, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of metal nanoparticles directly affect the application performance of the composites. This study focused on achieving amine-carboxyl co-modified copper nanoparticles (Cu-AC) with excellent antioxidant properties and monodispersity through in situ grafting of amine and carboxyl groups onto the surface of copper nanoparticles via ligand interaction. Polyacrylic acid's extended carbon chain structure was utilized to improve its dispersion and antioxidant properties, and its antibacterial properties were synergistically enhanced using secondary amines. It was found that Cu-AC possesses high antibacterial properties, with a minimum inhibition concentration of 0.156 mg mL-1. Antibacterial masterbatches and their composites (polypropylene/Cu) manufactured by melt blending of polypropylene and Cu-AC exhibited excellent antibacterial rates of up to 90% and 99% at 300 ppm and 700 ppm Cu-AC, respectively. Additionally, Cu-AC bolstered the thermal degradation, processing and mechanical properties of polypropylene. The successful implementation of this product substantiates the potential applications of polypropylene/Cu composite materials across diverse industries.

Modulation of the Structure-function Relationship of the "nano-greenhouse effect" towards Optimized Supra-photothermal Catalysis.

Photothermal catalytic CO2 hydrogenation holds great promise for relieving the global environment and energy crises. The "nano-greenhouse effect" has been recognized as a crucial strategy for improving the heat management capabilities of a photothermal catalyst by ameliorating the convective and radiative heat losses. Yet it remains unclear to what degree the respective heat transfer and mass transport efficiencies depend on the specific structures. Herein, the structure-function relationship of the "nano-greenhouse effect" was investigated and optimized in a prototypical Ni@SiO2 core-shell catalyst towards photothermal CO2 catalysis. Experimental and theoretical results indicate that modulation of the thickness and porosity of the SiO2 nanoshell leads to variations in both heat preservation and mass transport properties. This work deepens the understandings on the contributing factor of the "nano-greenhouse effect" towards enhanced photothermal conversion. It also provides insights on the design principles of an ideal photothermal catalyst in balancing heat management and mass transport processes.

Role of lymphotoxin alpha as a new molecular biomarker in revolutionizing tear diagnostic testing for dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease (DED), primarily classified as multifactorial ocular surface disorder, afflicts tens of millions of individuals worldwide, adversely impacting their quality of life. Extensive research has been conducted on tear film analysis over the past decades, offering a range of tests to evaluate its volume, health, and integrity. Yet, early diagnosis and effective treatment for DED continue to pose significant challenges in clinical settings. Nevertheless, by recognizing key phenomena in DED such as ocular surface inflammation, hyperosmolarity, and tear film instability, this article provides a comprehensive overview of both traditional and recently developed methods for diagnosing and monitoring DED. The information serves as a valuable resource not only for clinical diagnosis but also for further research into DED.

Atomistic mechanisms of water vapor-induced surface passivation.

The microscopic mechanisms underpinning the spontaneous surface passivation of metals from ubiquitous water have remained largely elusive. Here, using in situ environmental electron microscopy to atomically monitor the reaction dynamics between aluminum surfaces and water vapor, we provide direct experimental evidence that the surface passivation results in a bilayer oxide film consisting of a crystalline-like Al(OH)3 top layer and an inner layer of amorphous Al2O3. The Al(OH)3 layer maintains a constant thickness of ~5.0 Å, while the inner Al2O3 layer grows at the Al2O3/Al interface to a limiting thickness. On the basis of experimental data and atomistic modeling, we show the tunability of the dissociation pathways of H2O molecules with the Al, Al2O3, and Al(OH)3 surface terminations. The fundamental insights may have practical significance for the design of materials and reactions for two seemingly disparate but fundamentally related disciplines of surface passivation and catalytic H2 production from water.

Transformation of Biofilm to Carbon Sinks after Prolonged Droughts Linked with Algal Biodiversity Change.

Global climate change significantly increased the duration of droughts in intermittent rivers, impacting benthic microbial-mediated biogeochemical processes. However, the impact of prolonged droughts on the carbon contribution of intermittent rivers remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of varying drought gradients (ranging from 20 to 130 days) on benthic biofilms community structure (algae, bacteria, and fungi) and their carbon metabolism functions (ecosystem metabolism and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission fluxes) using mesocosm experiments. Our findings indicate that longer drought durations lead to reduced alpha diversity and community heterogeneity, tighter interdomain networks, and an increased role of stochastic processes in community assembly, with a discernible threshold at around 60 days. Concurrently, the biofilm transforms into a carbon sink following a drought period of 60 days, as evidenced by the transformation of CO2 emission fluxes from 633.25 ± 194.69 to -349.61 ± 277.79 mg m-2 h-1. Additionally, the partial least-squares path model revealed that the resilience of algal communities and network stability may drive biofilm's transformation into a carbon sink, primarily through the heightened resilience of autotrophic metabolism. This study underscores the significance of the carbon contribution from intermittent rivers, as the shift in carbon metabolism functions with increasing droughts could lead to skewed estimations of current riverine carbon fluxes.

Identification of Fangji Huangqi Tang as a potential herbal formula for Sjogren syndrome treatment via network pharmacology and experimental validation.

Fangji Huangqi Tang (FHT) is a well-known Chinese herbal formula that is prescribed as treatment for rheumatoid diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic targets, efficacy, and safety of FHT in the treatment of Sjogren's syndrome (SS). The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SS. Further, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed to explore the potential biological functions of the DEGs. Subsequently, an FHT-herb-active compound-target network was constructed to identify the relationship between the active compounds in FHT and the related targets. Then, enrichment analysis involving the DEGs and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed to analyze the biological functions of potential targets and screen hub genes. Further, molecular docking was employed to verify the binding affinity between the active compounds and the hub targets, and in vivo experiments involving NOD/LtJ mice were conducted to verify the therapeutic effects of FHT on SS-like symptoms. Finally, inhibition of PIK3CK/Akt pathway by FHT was validated by WB and rt-qPCR. A total of 1836 DEGs were identified in SS based on the GSE159574 dataset, and 114 targets of the active compounds in FHT were screened. Further, via network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking, six active compounds and five hub targets were obtained, and enrichment analysis showed that the anti-SS effect of FHT was predominantly associated with immune cells, such as T cells and neutrophils. In vivo, FHT effectively reduced lymphocyte infiltration foci, increased saliva flow rate, and inhibited increases in the levels of SS-related autoantibodies (anti-SSA and anti-SSB). Furthermore, the biosafety of FHT was verified via the serological examination of liver and kidney function. WB and rt-qPCR analysis confirmed that FHT could inhibit the expression of PIK3CG and the activation of PIK3CG/Akt pathway. Via network pharmacological analysis, molecular docking, and in vivo verification, we demonstrated the multicomponent and multitarget characteristics of FHT in SS treatment, thereby providing novel insights into the pathogenesis of SS and the therapeutic targets of FHT for SS.

Endocarditis induced by M. morganii in an immunocompetent patient without underlying valvular abnormalities.

Background: The gram-positive cocci is the most common pathogens of infective endocarditis (IE), and it is rarely induced by gram negative bacteria. Only one prior case has been described, in which a patient reported with IE caused by M. morganii, who suffered from multiple myeloma and received high dosages of corticosteroids, chemotherapy and immunomodulatory agents. IE is seldom diagnosed in patients without underlying valvular abnormalities. The most important risk factors of IE are intravenous drug abuse, implanted foreign material and central venous catheterization. Case summary: We describe a case of 34-year-old patient presented to the hospital with recurrent fever and pneumonia since 5 months. He was diagnosed with infective endocarditis with tricuspid vegetation by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Two blood culture tests demonstrated the growth of M. morganii, which was further confirmed by a NGS test, as well as a culture of vegetation from the tricuspid. All the evidence confirmed that M. morganii was the causative pathogen of the endocarditis in this case. The IE in an immunocompetent patient without underlying valvular abnormalities had been cured with broad antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention. Conclusion: This was a unique case of IE induced by an extremely rare agent in an immunocompetent patient without underlying valvular abnormalities. Broad-antibiotics with ß-lactam enzyme inhibition should be used on time for M. morganii induced IE with bacteraemia. The operation to curette the vegetation and repair the tricuspid was also an important way to cure the endocarditis in the patient without underlying valvular abnormalities and with repeated episodes of blood stream and lung infections.

Obesity-induced dysregulation of skin-resident PPARγ+ Treg cells promotes IL-17A-mediated psoriatic inflammation.

Obesity is a major risk factor for psoriasis, but how obesity disrupts the regulatory mechanisms that keep skin inflammation in check is unclear. Here, we found that skin was enriched with a unique population of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). PPARγ drove a distinctive transcriptional program and functional suppression of IL-17A+ γδ T cell-mediated psoriatic inflammation. Diet-induced obesity, however, resulted in a reduction of PPARγ+ skin Treg cells and a corresponding loss of control over IL-17A+ γδ T cell-mediated inflammation. Mechanistically, PPARγ+ skin Treg cells preferentially took up elevated levels of long-chain free fatty acids in obese mice, which led to cellular lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Harnessing the anti-inflammatory properties of these PPARγ+ skin Treg cells could have therapeutic potential for obesity-associated inflammatory skin diseases.