Boosting Solar-Driven CO2 Conversion to Ethanol via Single-Atom Catalyst with Defected Low-Coordination Cu-N2 Motif.

In this paper, we report a high-performance carbon nitride supported Cu single-atom catalyst featuring defected low-coordination Cu-N2 motif (Cu-N2-V). Lead many recently reported photocatalysts and its Cu-N3 and Cu-N4 counterparts, Cu-N2-V exhibits superior photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction to ethanol, delivering 69.8 µmol g-1 h-1 ethanol production rate, 97.8% electron-based ethanol selectivity, and a yield of ~10 times higher than Cu-N3 and Cu-N4. Revealed by the extensive experimental investigation combined with the DFT calculation, the superior photoactivity of Cu-N2-V stems from its unique defected Cu-N2 configuration. Firstly, Cu in Cu-N2-V exist in Cu+/Cu2+ dual valence states, although predominantly in Cu+. The Cu+ sites support CO2 activation and the Cu+/Cu2+ sites are conducive for strong *CO adsorption and subsequent *CO-*CO dimerization enabling C-C coupling. Secondly, the Cu sites in Cu-N2-V are rich in electrons and thus highly active. Together they dictate the rate-determining step on CO2 photoreduction to ethanol and lower the Gibbs free energy change. Furthermore, the defected configuration also promotes light adsorption and charge separation efficiency. Collectively, these make Cu-N2-V an effective and high-performance catalyst for solar-driven CO2 conversion to ethanol. This study also reveals the valence state change of Cu in Cu-N2-V during the CO2 photoreduction reaction.

Expanding the clinical phenotype and genetic spectrum of GEMIN5 disorders: Early-infantile developmental and epileptic encephalopathies.

BACKGROUND: Several biallelic truncating and missense variants of the gem nuclear organelle-associated protein 5 (GEMIN5) gene have been reported to cause neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cerebellar atrophy, intellectual disability, and motor dysfunction. However, the association between biallelic GEMIN5 variants and early-infantile developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (EIDEEs) has not been reported. PURPOSE: This study aimed to expand the phenotypic spectrum of GEMIN5 and explore the correlations between epilepsy and molecular sub-regional locations. METHODS: We performed whole-exome sequencing in two patients with EIDEE with unexplained etiologies. The damaging effects of variants were predicted using multiple in silico tools and modeling. All reported patients with GEMIN5 pathogenic variants and detailed neurological phenotypes were analyzed to evaluate the genotype-phenotype relationship. RESULTS: Novel biallelic GEMIN5 variants were identified in two unrelated female patients with EIDEE, including a frameshift variant (Hg19, chr5:154284147-154284148delCT: NM_015465: c.2551_c.2552delCT: p.(Leu851fs*30)), a nonsense mutation (Hg19, chr5:154299603-154299603delTinsAGA: NM_015465: c.1523delTinsAGA: p.(Leu508*)), and two missense variants (Hg19, chr5:154282663T > A: NM_015465: c.2705T > A: p.(Leu902Gln) and Hg19, chr5:154281002C > G: NM_015465: c.2911C > G: p.(Gln971Glu)), which were inherited from asymptomatic parents and predicted to be damaging or probably damaging using in silico tools. Except p.Leu508*, all these mutations are located in tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain. Our two female patients presented with seizures less than 1 month after birth, followed by clusters of spasms. Brain magnetic resonance imaging suggests dysgenesis of the corpus callosum and cerebellar hypoplasia. Video electroencephalogram showed suppression-bursts. Through a literature review, we found 5 published papers reporting 48 patients with biallelic variants in GEMIN5. Eight of 48 patients have epilepsy, and 5 patients started before 1 year old, which reminds us of the relevance between GEMIN5 variants and EIDEE. Further analysis of the 49 GEMIN5 variants in those 50 patients demonstrated that variants in TPR-like domain or RBS domain were more likely to be associated with epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: We found novel biallelic variants of GEMIN5 in two individuals with EIDEE and expanded the clinical phenotypes of GEMIN5 variants. It is suggested that the GEMIN5 gene should be added to the EIDEE gene panel to aid in the clinical diagnosis of EIDEE and to help determine patient prognosis.

A Redox-Triggered Autophagy-Induced Nanoplatform with PD-L1 Inhibition for Enhancing Combined Chemo-Immunotherapy.

Epirubicin (EPI) alone can trigger mildly protective autophagy in residual tumor cells, resulting in an immunosuppressive microenvironment. This accelerates the recurrence of residual tumors and leads to antiprogrammed death ligand 1 (anti-PD-1)/PD-L1 therapy resistance, posing a significant clinical challenge in tumor immunotherapy. The combination of checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and amplifying autophagy presents an innovative approach to tumor treatment, which can prevent tumor immune escape and enhance therapeutic recognition. Herein, we aimed to synthesize a redox-triggered autophagy-induced nanoplatform with SA&EA-induced PD-L1 inhibition. The hyaluronic acid (HA) skeleton and arginine segment promoted active nanoplatform targeting, cell uptake, and penetration. The PLGLAG peptide was cleaved by overexpressing matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in the tumor microenvironment, and the PD-L1 inhibitor D-PPA was released to inhibit tumor immune escape. The intense autophagy inducers, STF-62247 and EPI, were released owing to the cleavage of disulfide bonds influenced by the high glutathione (GSH) concentration in tumor cells. The combination of EPI and STF induced apoptosis and autophagic cell death, effectively eliminating a majority of tumor cells. This indicated that the SA&EA nanoplatform has better therapeutic efficacy than the single STF@AHMPP and EPI@AHMPTP groups. This research provided a way to set up a redox-triggered autophagy-induced nanoplatform with PD-L1 inhibition to enhance chemo-immunotherapy.

Putative rhamnogalacturonan-II glycosyltransferase identified through callus gene editing bypasses embryo lethality.

Rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II) is a structurally complex and conserved domain of the pectin present in the primary cell walls of vascular plants. Borate crosslinking of RG-II is required for plants to grow and develop normally. Mutations that alter RG-II structure also affect crosslinking and are lethal or severely impair growth. Thus, few genes involved in RG-II synthesis have been identified. Here we developed a method to generate viable loss-of-function Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants in callus tissue via CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. We combined this with a candidate gene approach to characterize the male gametophyte defective 2 (MPG2) gene that encodes a putative family GT29 glycosyltransferase. Plants homozygous for this mutation do not survive. We showed that in the callus mutant cell walls, RG-II does not crosslink normally because it lacks 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) and thus cannot form the α-L-Rhap-(1→5)-α-D-kdop-(1→ sidechain. We suggest that MGP2 encodes an inverting RG-II CMP-ß-Kdo transferase (RCKT1). Our discovery provides further insight into the role of sidechains in RG-II dimerization. Our method also provides a viable strategy for further identifying proteins involved in the biosynthesis of RG-II.

Rapid determination of starch and alcohol contents in fermented grains by hyperspectral imaging combined with data fusion techniques.

Starch and alcohol serve as pivotal indicators in assessing the quality of lees fermentation. In this paper, two hyperspectral imaging (HSI) techniques (visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) and NIR) were utilized to acquire separate HSI data, which were then fused and analyzed toforecast the starch and alcohol contents during the fermentation of lees. Five preprocessing methods were first used to preprocess the Vis-NIR, NIR, and the fused Vis-NIR and NIR data, after which partial least squares regression models were established to determine the best preprocessing method. Following, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling, successive projection algorithm, and principal component analysis algorithms were used to extract the characteristic wavelengths to accurately predict the starch and alcohol levels. Finally, support vector machine (SVM)-AdaBoost and XGBoost models were built based on the low-level fusion (LLF) and intermediate-level fusion (ILF) of single Vis-NIR and NIR as well as the fused data. The results showed that the SVM-AdaBoost model built using the LLF data afterpreprocessing by standard normalized variable was most accurate for predicting the starch content, with an R P 2 $\ R_P^2$ of 0.9976 and a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0992. The XGBoost model built using ILF data was most accurate for predicting the alcohol content, with an R P 2 $R_P^2$ of 0.9969 and an RMSEP of 0.0605. In conclusion, the analysis of fused data from distinct HSI technologies facilitates rapid and precise determination of the starch and alcohol contents in fermented grains.

Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles regulate macrophage polarization: role and therapeutic perspectives.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important cell-to-cell communication mediators. This paper focuses on the regulatory role of tumor-derived EVs on macrophages. It aims to investigate the causes of tumor progression and therapeutic directions. Tumor-derived EVs can cause macrophages to shift to M1 or M2 phenotypes. This indicates they can alter the M1/M2 cell ratio and have pro-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects. This paper discusses several key points: first, the factors that stimulate macrophage polarization and the cytokines released as a result; second, an overview of EVs and the methods used to isolate them; third, how EVs from various cancer cell sources, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, lung carcinoma, breast carcinoma, and glioblastoma cell sources carcinoma, promote tumor development by inducing M2 polarization in macrophages; and fourth, how EVs from breast carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, lungs carcinoma, and glioblastoma cell sources carcinoma also contribute to tumor development by promoting M2 polarization in macrophages. Modified or sourced EVs from breast, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer can repolarize M2 to M1 macrophages. This exhibits anti-tumor activities and offers novel approaches for tumor treatment. Therefore, we discovered that macrophage polarization to either M1 or M2 phenotypes can regulate tumor development. This is based on the description of altering macrophage phenotypes by vesicle contents.

Identification and Characterization of long non-coding RNAs in Mammary Gland Tissues of Chinese Holstein Cows.

LncRNAs (Long non-coding RNA) is an RNA molecule with a length more than 200bp. LncRNAs can directly act on mRNA, thus affecting the expression of downstream target genes and proteins, and widely participate in many important physiological and pathological regulation processes of the body. In this study, RNA-Seq was performed to detect lncRNAs from mammary gland tissues of 3 Chinese Holstein cows, including 3 cows at 7 days before calving and the same 3 cows at 30 days postpartum (early lactation stage). A total of 1,905 novel lncRNAs were detected, 57.3% of the predicted lncRNAs are ≥ 500bp and 612 lncRNAs are intronic lncRNAs. The exon number of lncRNAs ranged from 2 to 10. A total of 96 lncRNAs were significantly differentially expressed between two stages, which 47 were upregulated and 49 were downregulated. Pathway analysis found that target genes were mainly concentrated on the ECM-receptor interaction, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and TGF-beta signaling pathway. This study revealed the expression profile and characteristics of lncRNAs in the mammary gland tissues of Holstein cows at non-lactation and early lactation period, and providing a basis for studying the functions of lncRNAs in Holstein cows during different lactation periods.

Developing integrated person-centered care quality indicators for home health agencies in Shanghai, China: A modified Delphi-analytic hierarchy process study.

OBJECTIVES: To develop person-centered integrated care quality indicators for home health agencies in Shanghai, China. DESIGN: The study combined the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Delphi consultation questionnaire was distributed to experts in home healthcare in Shanghai, China. A panel of experts with experience in home healthcare in Shanghai, China, was selected. Purposive sampling was used to choose experts. In this study, ten experts were selected from within sub-fields of home healthcare, including nursing, health policy, quality improvement, person-centered care (PCC), and integrated care. RESULTS: The authority coefficient (Cr) in this study was 0.835. The coordination degree of experts' opinions, which is expressed by Kendall coordination coefficient W (a higher value, better coordination of the item), ranged from 0.352 to 0.386 (p < 0.001). The consistency ratio (CR) values for each level were less than 0.1. The quality indicator system included three first-level indicators, 15 second-level indicators, and 56 third-level indicators. CONCLUSIONS: A person-centered integrated care quality indicator system was developed for home health agencies. The findings from this study enable nurses, managers, and policymakers in home and community-based settings to evaluate person-centered integrated care quality using a robust framework. In addition, these indicators can also be used as a standardized tool to guide the development of long-term care services and supports (LTSS) for home-bound elderly.

Discovery of Antibacterial Compounds against Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri from a Marine Fungus Aspergillus terreus SCSIO 41202 and the Mode of Action.

Citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), is a severe citrus disease. Currently, copper-containing pesticides are widely used to manage this disease, posing high risks to the environment and human health. This study reports the discovery of naturally occurring anti-Xcc compounds from a deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus terreus SCSIO 41202, and the possible mode of action. The ethyl acetate extract of A. terreus was subjected to bioassay-guided isolation, resulting in the discovery of eight anti-Xcc compounds (1-8) with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.078 to 0.625 mg/mL. The chemical structures of these eight metabolites were determined by integrative analysis of various spectroscopic data. Among these compounds, Asperporonin A (1) and Asperporonin B (2) were identified as novel compounds with a very unusual structural skeleton. The electronic circular dichroism was used to determine the absolute configurations of 1 and 2 through quantum chemical calculation. A bioconversion pathway involving pinacol rearrangement was proposed to produce the unusual compounds (1-2). Compound 6 exhibited an excellent anti-Xcc effect with a MIC value of 0.078 mg/mL, which was significantly more potent than the positive control CuSO4 (MIC = 0.3125 mg/mL). Compound 6 inhibited cell growth by disrupting biofilm formation, destroying the cell membrane, and inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. In vivo tests indicated that compound 6 is highly effective in controlling citrus canker disease. These results indicate that compounds 1-8, especially 6, have the potential as lead compounds for the development of new, environmentally friendly, and efficient anti-Xcc pesticides.

Can artemisinin and its derivatives treat malaria in a host-directed manner?

Malaria is caused by an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, Plasmodium, and is transmitted through vectors. It remains a substantial health burden, especially in developing countries, leading to significant socioeconomic losses. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved various antimalarial medications in the past two decades, the increasing resistance to these medications has worsened the situation. The development of drug resistance stems from genetic diversity among Plasmodium strains, impeding eradication efforts. Consequently, exploring innovative technologies and strategies for developing effective medications based on the host is crucial. Artemisinin and its derivatives (artemisinins) have been recommended by the WHO for treating malaria owing to their known effectiveness in killing the parasite. However, their potential to target the host for malaria treatment has not been investigated. This article concisely reviews the application of host-directed therapeutics, potential drug candidates targeting the host for treating malaria, and usage of artemisinins in numerous diseases. It underscores the importance of host-directed interventions for individuals susceptible to malaria, suggests the potential utility of artemisinins in host-directed malaria treatments, and posits that the modulation of host proteins with artemisinins may offer a means of intervening in host-parasite interactions. Further studies focusing on the host-targeting perspective of artemisinins can provide new insights into the mechanisms of artemisinin resistance and offer a unique opportunity for new antimalarial drug discovery.

Porcine nasal septum cartilage-derived decellularized matrix promotes chondrogenic differentiation of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells without exogenous growth factors.

BACKGROUND: In the domain of plastic surgery, nasal cartilage regeneration is of significant importance. The extracellular matrix (ECM) from porcine nasal septum cartilage has shown potential for promoting human cartilage regeneration. Nonetheless, the specific biological inductive factors and their pathways in cartilage tissue engineering remain undefined. METHODS: The decellularized matrix derived from porcine nasal septum cartilage (PN-DCM) was prepared using a grinding method. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HuMSCs) were cultured on these PN-DCM scaffolds for 4 weeks without exogenous growth factors to evaluate their chondroinductive potential. Subsequently, proteomic analysis was employed to identify potential biological inductive factors within the PN-DCM scaffolds. RESULTS: Compared to the TGF-ß3-cultured pellet model serving as a positive control, the PN-DCM scaffolds promoted significant deposition of a Safranin-O positive matrix and Type II collagen by HuMSCs. Gene expression profiling revealed upregulation of ACAN, COL2A1, and SOX9. Proteomic analysis identified potential chondroinductive factors in the PN-DCM scaffolds, including CYTL1, CTGF, MGP, ITGB1, BMP7, and GDF5, which influence HuMSC differentiation. CONCLUSION: Our findings have demonstrated that the PN-DCM scaffolds promoted HuMSC differentiation towards a nasal chondrocyte phenotype without the supplementation of exogenous growth factors. This outcome is associated with the chondroinductive factors present within the PN-DCM scaffolds.

Accumulation of γδT cells in the decidua is promoted by RANKL which upregulates ICAM-1 via NF-κB.

In brief: The mechanism underlying the accumulation of γδT cells in the decidua, which helps maintain maternal-fetal immunotolerance in early pregnancy, is unknown. This study reveals that DSC-derived RANKL upregulates ICAM-1 expression via the NF-κB pathway to enable γδT cell accumulation in the early decidua. Abstract: Decidual γδT (dγδT) cells help maintain maternal-fetal immunotolerance in early pregnancy. However, the mechanism underlying the accumulation of γδT cells in the decidua is unknown. Previous work showed that RANKL upregulated intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in decidual stromal cells (DSCs), and Rankl knockout mice had limited dγδT cell populations. In this study, we measured the expression levels of RANKL/RANK and ICAM-1 in DSCs, in addition to the integrins of ICAM-1 on dγδT cells, and the number of dγδT cells from patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and normal pregnant women in the first trimester. RSA patients showed significantly decreased RANKL/RANK and ICAM-1/CD11a signaling in decidua, and a decreased percentage of dγδT cells, which was positively correlated with DSC-derived RANKL and ICAM-1. Next, an in vitro adhesion experiment showed that the enhanced attraction of human DSCs to dγδT cells after RANKL overexpression was almost completely aborted by anti-ICAM-1. Furthermore, Rankl knockout mice showed a significant reduction in NF-κB activity compared with wild-type controls. Finally, we applied a selective NF-κB inhibitor named PDTC to validate the role of NF-κB in RANKL-mediated ICAM-1 upregulation. Taken together, our data show that DSC-derived RANKL upregulates ICAM-1 expression via the NF-κB pathway to enable γδT cell accumulation in the early decidua. A reduction in RANKL/ICAM-1 signaling in DSCs may result in insufficient accumulation of γδT cells in decidua and, in turn, RSA.

Prediction of vascular complications in free flap reconstruction with machine learning.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the risk factors of vascular complications following free flap reconstruction and to develop a clinical auxiliary assessment tool for predicting vascular complications in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction leveraging machine learning methods. METHODS: We reviewed the medical data of patients who underwent free flap reconstruction at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University retrospectively from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis was used to screen risk factors. A training data set was generated and augmented using the synthetic minority oversampling technique. Logistic regression, random forest and neural network, models were trained, using this dataset. The performance of these three predictive models was then evaluated and compared using a test set, with four metrics, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: A total of 570 patients who underwent free flap reconstruction were included in this study, 46 of whom developed postoperative vascular complications. Among the models tested, the neural network model exhibited superior performance on the test set, achieving an AUC of 0.828. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that preoperative hemoglobin levels, preoperative fibrinogen levels, operation duration, smoking history, the number of anastomoses, and peripheral vascular injury as statistically significant independent risk factors for vascular complications post-free flap reconstruction. The top five predictive factors in the neural network were fibrinogen content, operation duration, donor site, body mass index (BMI), and platelet count. CONCLUSION: Hemoglobin levels, fibrinogen levels, operation duration, smoking history, and anastomotic veins are independent risk factors for vascular complications following free flap reconstruction. These risk factors enhance the ability of machine learning models to predict the occurrence of vascular complications and identify high-risk patients. The neural network model outperformed the logistic regression and random forest models, suggesting its potential to aid clinicians in early identification of high-risk patients thereby mitigating patient suffering and improving prognosis.

Naringenin alleviates liver fibrosis by triggering autophagy-dependent ferroptosis in hepatic stellate cells.

Inhibition of activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a promising approach for treating liver fibrosis, and the ferroptosis has emerged as a pivotal mechanism to achieve this inhibition. The effects of naringenin, a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties, have not been thoroughly examined in liver fibrosis. Therefore, we used cholestasis model to study the effect of naringenin on liver fibrosis. Our findings demonstrated a significant exacerbation of liver tissue damage and fibrosis in mice subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL), accompanied by a substantial upregulation of fibrogenesis-related gene expression. Notably, naringenin administration markedly alleviated liver injury and fibrosis in these mice. Furthermore, naringenin exhibited inhibitory effects on the activation of HSCs, concurrently inducing ferroptosis. Importantly, naringenin significantly increased autophagic activity in HSCs. This effect was counteracted by co-administration of the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, leading to a notable reduction in naringenin-induced HSC ferroptosis. In BDL model mice, naringenin demonstrated a mitigating effect on liver fibrosis, suggesting a potential correlation with naringenin-induced ferroptosis of HSCs. These results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of naringenin-induced ferroptosis and highlight autophagy-dependent ferroptosis as a promising therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis.

Generalized Born-Huang expansion under macroscopic quantum electrodynamics framework.

Born-Huang expansion is the cornerstone for studying potential energy surfaces and non-adiabatic couplings (NACs) in molecular systems. However, the traditional approach is insufficient to describe the molecular system, which strongly interacts with quantum light. Inspired by the work by Schäfer et al., we develop the generalized Born-Huang expansion theory within a macroscopic quantum electrodynamics (QED) framework. The theory we present allows us to describe electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations in dielectric media and incorporate the effects of dressed photons (or polaritons) into NACs. With the help of the generalized Born-Huang expansion, we clearly classify electronic nuclear NACs, polaritonic nuclear NACs, and polaritonic electronic NACs. Furthermore, to demonstrate the advantage of the macroscopic QED framework, we estimate polaritonic electronic NACs without any free parameter, such as the effective mode volume, and demonstrate the distance dependence of the polaritonic electronic NACs in a silver planar system. In addition, we take a hydrogen atom in free space as an example and derive spontaneous emission rates from photonic electronic NACs (polaritonic electronic NACs are reduced to photonic electronic NACs). We believe that this work not only provides an avenue for the theoretical exploration of NACs in a nucleus-electron-polariton coupled system but also offers a more comprehensive understanding for molecules coupled with quantum light.

[Determination of 222 pesticide residues in olive oil by fully automatic QuEChERS pre-treatment instrument coupled with gas chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry].

Pesticide residues may be present in olive oil because pesticides are applied to olive trees during their cultivation and growth for pest prevention and some of these pesticides are not easily degraded. Studies on pesticide residues in olive oil have mainly focused on the detection of single types of pesticide residues, and reports on the simultaneous detection of multiple pesticide residues are limited. At present, hundreds of pesticides with different polarities and chemical properties are used in practice. In this study, an analytical method based on fully automatic QuEChERS pretreatment instrument coupled with gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS) was established for the rapid determination of 222 pesticide residues in olive oil. The effects of acetonitrile acidification concentration, n-hexane volume, oscillation time, centrifugation temperature, and purification agent on the determination of the 222 pesticide residues were investigated. First, ions with good responses and no obvious interference were selected for quantification and characterization. The purification process was then developed by setting the parameters of the fully automatic QuEChERS pretreatment instrument to optimal values. The sample was extracted with acetonitrile containing 2% formic acid, and the supernatant was purified by centrifugation in a centrifuge tube containing 400 mg N-propylethylenediamine (PSA), 400 mg octadecylsilane-bonded silica gel (C18), and 1200 mg anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The purified solution was blown dry with nitrogen and then fixed with ethyl acetate for instrumental analysis. Finally, a matrix standard solution was used for quantification. The method was validated in terms of matrix effects, linear ranges, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), accuracies, and precisions. The results showed that 86.04% of the 222 pesticides had linear ranges of 0.02-2.00 µg/mL, 10.81% had linear ranges of 0.10-2.00 µg/mL, and 3.15% had linear ranges of 0.20-2.00 µg/mL. The pesticide residues showed good relationships within their respective linear ranges, and the correlation coefficients (R2) were greater than 0.99. The LODs of all tested pesticides ranged from 0.002 to 0.050 mg/kg, and their LOQs ranged from 0.007 to 0.167 mg/kg. Among the 222 pesticides determined, 170 pesticides had LOQs of 0.007 mg/kg while 21 pesticides had LOQs of 0.017 mg/kg. At the three spiked levels of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8 mg/kg, 79.58% of all tested pesticides had average recoveries of 70%-120% while 65.92% had average recoveries of 80%-110%. In addition, 93.54% of all tested pesticides had relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=6)<10% while 98.35% had RSDs (n=6)<20%. The method was applied to 14 commercially available olive oil samples, and seven pesticides were detected in the range of 0.0044-0.0490 mg/kg. The residues of fenbuconazole, chlorpyrifos, and methoprene did not exceed the maximum limits stated in GB 2763-2021. The maximum residual limits of molinate, monolinuron, benalaxyl, and thiobencarb have not been established. The method utilizes the high mass resolution capability of TOF-MS, which can improve the detection throughput while ensuring good sensitivity. In addition, high-resolution and accurate mass measurements render the screening results more reliable, which is necessary for the high-throughput detection of pesticide residues. The use of a fully automatic QuEChERS instrument in the pretreatment step reduces personnel errors and labor costs, especially when a large number of samples must be processed, thereby offering significant advantages over other approaches. Moreover, the method is simple, rapid, sensitive, highly automatable, accurate, and precise. Thus, it meets requirements for the high-throughput detection of pesticide residues in olive oil and provides a reference for the development of detection methods for pesticide residues in other types of oils as well as the automatic pretreatment of complex matrices.

"Cicada Out of the Shell" Deep Penetration and Blockage of the HSP90 Pathway by ROS-Responsive Supramolecular Gels to Augment Trimodal Synergistic Therapy.

Deep penetration and downregulation of heat shock protein (HSP) expression in multimodal synergistic therapy are promising approaches for curing cancer in clinical trials. However, free small-molecule drugs and most drug vehicles have a low delivery efficiency deep into the tumor owing to poor drug penetration and hypoxic conditions at the tumor site. In this study, the objective is to use reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive supramolecular gels co-loaded with the photosensitizer Zn(II) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid (ZnPCS4) and functionalized tetrahedral DNA (TGSAs) (G@P/TGSAs) to enhance deep tissue and cell penetration and block the HSP90 pathway for chemo- photodynamic therapy (PDT) - photothermal therapy (PTT) trimodal synergistic therapy. The (G@P/TGSAs) are injected in situ into the tumor to release ZnPCS4 and TGSAs under high ROS concentrations originating from both the tumor and PDT. TGSAs penetrate deeply into tumor tissues and augment photothermal therapy by inhibiting the HSP90 pathway. Proteomics show that HSP-related proteins and molecular chaperones are inhibited/activated, inhibiting the HSP90 pathway. Simultaneously, the TGSA-regulated apoptotic pathway is activated. In vivo study demonstrates efficient tumor penetration and excellent trimodal synergistic therapy (45% tumor growth inhibition).

Screening of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Genotypes for Salinity Tolerance and Dissecting Determinants of Tolerance Mechanism.

Soil salinity imposes osmotic, ionic, and oxidative stresses on plants, resulting in growth inhibition, developmental changes, metabolic adaptations, and ion sequestration or exclusion. Identifying salinity-tolerant resources and understanding physiological and molecular mechanisms of salinity tolerance could lay a foundation for the improvement of salinity tolerance in rice. In this study, a series of salinity-tolerance-related morphological and physiological traits were investigated in 46 rice genotypes, including Sea Rice 86, to reveal the main strategies of rice in responding to salinity stress at the seedling stage. No genotypes showed the same tolerance level as the two landraces Pokkali and Nona Bokra, which remain the donors for improving the salinity tolerance of rice. However, due to undesirable agronomic traits of these donors, alternative cultivars such as JC118S and R1 are recommended as novel source of salinity tolerance. Correlation and principal component analyses revealed that the salinity tolerance of rice seedlings is not only controlled by growth vigor but also regulated by ion transport pathways such as long-distance Na+ transport, root Na+ sequestration, and root K+ retention. Therefore, such key traits should be targeted in future breeding programs as the strategy of obtaining better Na+ exclusion is still the bottleneck for improving salinity tolerance in rice.

Dual roles of goethite coating on the transport of plastic nanoparticles in heterogeneous porous media: The significance of collector surface roughness.

This study systematically examines the roles of positive goethite on the retention and release of negative plastic nanoparticles (PSNPs) with different surface functional groups (Blank, -COOH, and -NH2). It provides the first evidence for the dual roles of goethite coatings on colloid transport; e.g., increased transport caused by surface morphology modification or decreased transport due to increased surface roughness and charge heterogeneity. Although previous work has shown that goethite-coated sand increases the retention of negative colloids, this work demonstrates that collector surface roughness can also reduce the retention of PSNPs due to increased interaction energy profiles. Nonmonotonic retention of all the different functionalized PSNPs was observed in goethite-coated rough sand, and the magnitude of variations was contingent on the PSNP functionalization, the solution ionic strength (IS), and the goethite coating. The release of PSNPs with IS decrease (phase I) and pH increase (phase II) varied significantly due to differences in energy barriers to detachment, e.g., release in phase I was inhibited in both goethite-coated sands, whereas release in phase II was enhanced in coated smooth sand but completely inhibited in rough sand. The findings of this study provide innovative insight into transport mechanisms for colloidal and colloid-associated contaminants.