Stepwise Aggregation Control of PEDOT:PSS Enabled High-Conductivity, High-Resolution Printing of Polymer Electrodes for Transparent Organic Phototransistors.

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) jet printing is a widely employed technology to create high-resolution patterns and thus has enormous potential for circuit production. However, achieving both high conductivity and high resolution in printed polymer electrodes is a challenging task. Here, by modulating the aggregation state of the conducting polymer in the solution and solid phases, a stable and continuous jetting of PEDOT:PSS is realized, and high-conductivity electrode arrays are prepared. The line width reaches less than 5 µm with a record-high conductivity of 1250 S/cm. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are further developed by combining printed source/drain electrodes with ultrathin organic semiconductor crystals. These OFETs show great light sensitivity, with a specific detectivity (D*) value of 2.86 × 1014 Jones. In addition, a proof-of-concept fully transparent phototransistor is demonstrated, which opens up new pathways to multidimensional optical imaging.

Regulating Surface Dipole Moments of TiO2 for the pH-Universal Cathodic Fenton-Like Process.

Although electro-Fenton (EF) processes can avoid the safety risks raised by concentrated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the Fe(III) reduction has always been either unstable or inefficient at high pH, resulting in catalyst deactivation and low selectivity of H2O2 activation for producing hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Herein, we provided a strategy to regulate the surface dipole moment of TiO2 by Fe anchoring (TiO2-Fe), which, in turn, substantially increased the H2O2 activation for •OH production. The TiO2-Fe catalyst could work at pH 4-10 and maintained considerable degradation efficiency for 10 cycles. Spectroscopic analysis and a theoretical study showed that the less polar Fe-O bond on TiO2-Fe could finely tune the polarity of H2O2 to alter its empty orbital distribution, contributing to better ciprofloxacin degradation activity within a broad pH range. We further verified the critical role of the weakened polarity of H2O2 on its homolysis into •OH by theoretically and experimentally investigating Cu-, Co-, Ni-, Mn-, and Mo-anchored TiO2. This concept offers an avenue for elaborate design of green, robust, and pH-universal cathodic Fenton-like catalysts and beyond.

Clinical characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying bladder cancer in individuals with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Patients with spinal cord injury have a relatively high risk for bladder cancer and often complicated with bladder cancer in advanced stages, and the degree of aggressiveness of malignancy is high. Most of the literature is based on disease clinical features while, our study reviews the clinical characteristics and molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury patients with bladder cancer, so that it might help clinicians better recognize and manage these patients. METHOD: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Embase, using retrieval type like ("Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction" OR "Spinal cord injury" OR "Spinal Cord Trauma") AND ("bladder cancer" OR "bladder neoplasm" OR "bladder carcinoma" OR "Urinary Bladder Neoplasms" OR "Bladder Tumor"). In Web of Science, the retrieval type was searched as "Topic", and in PubMed and Embase, as "All Field". The methodological quality of eligible studies and their risk of bias were assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. This article is registered in PROSPERO with the CBD number: CRD42024508514. RESULT: In WOS, we searched 219 related papers, in PubMed, 122 and in Embase, 363. Thus, a total of 254 articles were included after passing the screening, within a time range between 1960 and 2023. A comprehensive analysis of the data showed that the mortality and incidence rates of bladder cancer in spinal cord injury patients were higher than that of the general population, and the most frequent pathological type was squamous cell carcinoma. In parallel to long-term urinary tract infection and indwelling catheterization, the role of molecules such as NO, MiR 1949 and Rb 1. was found to be crucial pathogenetically. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the risk of bladder cancer in SCI patients, comprehensively addressing the clinical characteristics and related molecular mechanisms. However, given that there are few studies on the molecular mechanisms of bladder cancer in spinal cord injury, further research is needed to expand the understanding of the disease.

LncRNA SNHG26 promotes gastric cancer progression and metastasis by inducing c-Myc protein translation and an energy metabolism positive feedback loop.

Metastasis is a bottleneck in cancer treatment. Studies have shown the pivotal roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating cancer metastasis; however, our understanding of lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) remains limited. RNA-seq was performed on metastasis-inclined GC tissues to uncover metastasis-associated lncRNAs, revealing upregulated small nucleolar RNA host gene 26 (SNHG26) expression, which predicted poor GC patient prognosis. Functional experiments revealed that SNHG26 promoted cellular epithelial-mesenchymal transition and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SNHG26 was found to interact with nucleolin (NCL), thereby modulating c-Myc expression by increasing its translation, and in turn promoting energy metabolism via hexokinase 2 (HK2), which facilitates GC malignancy. The increase in energy metabolism supplies sufficient energy to promote c-Myc translation and expression, forming a positive feedback loop. In addition, metabolic and translation inhibitors can block this loop, thus inhibiting cell proliferation and mobility, indicating potential therapeutic prospects in GC.

High-speed and large-scale intrinsically stretchable integrated circuits.

Intrinsically stretchable electronics with skin-like mechanical properties have been identified as a promising platform for emerging applications ranging from continuous physiological monitoring to real-time analysis of health conditions, to closed-loop delivery of autonomous medical treatment1-7. However, current technologies could only reach electrical performance at amorphous-silicon level (that is, charge-carrier mobility of about 1 cm2 V-1 s-1), low integration scale (for example, 54 transistors per circuit) and limited functionalities8-11. Here we report high-density, intrinsically stretchable transistors and integrated circuits with high driving ability, high operation speed and large-scale integration. They were enabled by a combination of innovations in materials, fabrication process design, device engineering and circuit design. Our intrinsically stretchable transistors exhibit an average field-effect mobility of more than 20 cm2 V-1 s-1 under 100% strain, a device density of 100,000 transistors per cm2, including interconnects and a high drive current of around 2 µA µm-1 at a supply voltage of 5 V. Notably, these achieved parameters are on par with state-of-the-art flexible transistors based on metal-oxide, carbon nanotube and polycrystalline silicon materials on plastic substrates12-14. Furthermore, we realize a large-scale integrated circuit with more than 1,000 transistors and a stage-switching frequency greater than 1 MHz, for the first time, to our knowledge, in intrinsically stretchable electronics. Moreover, we demonstrate a high-throughput braille recognition system that surpasses human skin sensing ability, enabled by an active-matrix tactile sensor array with a record-high density of 2,500 units per cm2, and a light-emitting diode display with a high refreshing speed of 60 Hz and excellent mechanical robustness. The above advancements in device performance have substantially enhanced the abilities of skin-like electronics.

Material and microbial perspectives on understanding the role of biochar in mitigating ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion.

With the increasing adoption of carbon-based strategies to enhance methanogenic processes, there is a growing concern regarding the correlation between biochar properties and its stimulating effects on anaerobic digestion (AD) under ammonia inhibition. This study delves into the relevant characteristics and potential mechanisms of biochar in the context of AD system under ammonia inhibition. The introduction of optimized biochar, distinguished by rich CO bond, abundant defect density, and high electronic capacity, resulted in a significant reduction in the lag period of anaerobic digestion system under 5.0 g/L ammonia stress, approximately by around 63 % compared to the control one. Biochar helps regulate the community structure, promotes the accumulation of acetate-consuming bacteria, in the AD system under ammonia inhibition. More examinations show that biochar promotes direct interspecies electron transfer in AD system under ammonia inhibition, as evidenced by diminished levels of bound electroactive extracellular polymeric substances, increased abundance of electroactive bacteria, and notably, the up-regulation of direct interspecies electron transfer associated genes, including the conductive pili and Cytochrome C genes, as revealed by meta-transcriptomic analysis. Additionally, gene expression related to proteins associated with ammonium detoxification were found to be up-regulated in systems supplemented with biochar. These findings provide essential evidence and insights for the selection and potential engineering of effective biochar to enhance AD performance under ammonia inhibition.

Serum secreted phosphoprotein 1 level is associated with plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease.

Background: Vulnerable plaque was associated with recurrent cardiovascular events. This study was designed to explore predictive biomarkers of vulnerable plaque in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: To reveal the phenotype-associated cell type in the development of vulnerable plaque and to identify hub gene for pathological process, we combined single-cell RNA and bulk RNA sequencing datasets of human atherosclerotic plaques using Single-Cell Identification of Subpopulations with Bulk Sample Phenotype Correlation (Scissor) and Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). We also validated our results in an independent cohort of patients by using intravascular ultrasound during coronary angiography. Results: Macrophages were found to be strongly correlated with plaque vulnerability while vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), fibrochondrocyte (FC) and intermediate cell state (ICS) clusters were negatively associated with unstable plaque. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) in the turquoise module was highly correlated with both the gene module and the clinical traits. In a total of 593 patients, serum levels of SPP1 were significantly higher in patients with vulnerable plaques than those with stable plaque (113.21 [73.65 - 147.70] ng/ml versus 71.08 [20.64 - 135.68] ng/ml; P < 0.001). Adjusted multivariate regression analysis revealed that serum SPP1 was an independent determinant of the presence of vulnerable plaque. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve was 0.737 (95% CI 0.697 - 0.773; P < 0.001) for adding serum SPP1 in predicting of vulnerable plaques. Conclusion: Elevated serum SPP1 levels confer an increased risk for plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease.

Dietary therapy of the herbal porridge improves the symptoms of functional dyspepsia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial.

This study (ISRCTN17174559) aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of a kind of herbal porridge (Hou Gu Mi Xi) on the clinical symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD). This was a single-center, single-dose, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial involving 64 participants with FD (35 cases and 29 controls) for 2 months of intervention and 1 month of follow-up. The 7-point Global Overall Symptom Scale (GOSS), 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), and other indicators were assessed at baseline (day 0), at days 15, 30, and 60 of treatment, and at follow-up 1 month after the end of the intervention. Many participants with FD achieved remission of their epigastric symptoms at follow-up on the 90th day after treatment with herbal porridge compared to the placebo group (45.71% vs. 20.69%, p = .036). Furthermore, herbal porridge appeared to be effective in improving the quality of life of participants with FD, which was reflected in the rising SF-36 scores for physical role, bodily pain, emotional role, and mental health. Although adverse events were reported, there was no overall difference in the number of adverse events between the two groups (p = .578). Herbal porridge is another effective and safe method for improving the symptoms and quality of life in patients with FD.

Voltage-gated sodium channel gene mutation and P450 gene expression are associated with the resistance of Aphis spiraecola Patch (Hemiptera: Aphididae) to lambda-cyhalothrin.

Aphis spiraecola Patch is one of the most economically important tree fruit pests worldwide. The pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin is commonly used to control A. spiraecola. In this 2-year study, we quantified the resistance level of A. spiraecola to lambda-cyhalothrin in different regions of the Shaanxi province, China. The results showed that A. spiraecola had reached extremely high resistance levels with a 174-fold resistance ratio (RR) found in the Xunyi region. In addition, we compared the enzymatic activity and expression level of P450 genes among eight A. spiraecola populations. The P450 activity of A. spiraecola was significantly increased in five regions (Xunyi, Liquan, Fengxiang, Luochuan, and Xinping) compared to susceptible strain (SS). The expression levels of CYP6CY7, CYP6CY14, CYP6CY22, P4504C1-like, P4506a13, CYP4CZ1, CYP380C47, and CYP4CJ2 genes were significantly increased under lambda-cyhalothrin treatment and in the resistant field populations. A L1014F mutation in the sodium channel gene was found and the mutation rate was positively correlated with the LC50 of lambda-cyhalothrin. In conclusion, the levels of lambda-cyhalothrin resistance of A. spiraecola field populations were associated with P450s and L1014F mutations. Our combined findings provide evidence on the resistance mechanism of A. spiraecola to lambda-cyhalothrin and give a theoretical basis for rational and effective control of this pest species.

Trichinella spiralis cathepsin B bound and degraded host's intestinal type I collagen.

Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease that poses threats to human health, the meat industry, food safety, and huge financial losses. The critical stage of Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection is the invasion of intestinal larvae into the host's intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). T. spiralis Cathepsin B (TsCB) specifically interacts with IECs to facilitate the invasion of larvae. This study aims to look at how TsCB affects mouse IECs. TsCB was successfully cloned, expressed, and characterized, demonstrating its natural cysteine protease hydrolysis activity. A total of 140 proteins that interact with rTsCB were identified by GST pull-down combined with LC-MS/MS, including type I collagen, an essential component of the host's intestinal epithelial barrier system and intimately related to intestinal epithelial damage. TsCB transcription and expression levels rise, whereas type I collagen in the host's intestinal mucosa declines when the T. spiralis larvae invaded. Besides, it was discovered that TsCB bound to and degraded type I collagen of the host's intestine. This research can serve as a foundation for clarifying how T. spiralis invades the host's intestinal barrier and might provide information on potential targets for the creation of novel treatments to treat parasite illnesses.

Development and evaluation of a bivalent vaccine based on recombinant newcastle disease virus expressing infectious bursal disease virus VP2L-CH3-CH4 in SPF chickens.

Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) are two viral infectious diseases that are extremely damaging to the poultry industry and are widespread throughout the world. It is necessary to develop a safe and effective vaccine against IBD and ND because vaccination is an effective preventive measure. It has been discovered that recombinant proteins expressed by an expression system in which a fragment of mammalian Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fragment crystallizable (Fc) is linked to a segment of a gene have antibody-like properties that increase the exogenous protein's serum half-life. Heavy chain constant region 3 and heavy chain constant region 4 (CH3-CH4) of Avian Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is structurally very similar to mammalian Ig G Fc. In this study, a bivalent vaccine rClone30-VP2L-CH3-CH4-GMCSF was developed by using NDV rClone30-chGM-CSF vector to produce VP2L-CH3-CH4 fusion protein. The vaccine has been given to 14-day-old specific pathogen free (SPF) free chickens to test whether it has the potential to prevent IBD and ND. Anti-IBDV and anti-NDV antibody levels in serum were evaluated using ELISA and HI, respectively, and the contents of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and B cells in leukocytes were determined via flow cytometry. The contents and mRNA transcription levels of four inflammatory factors, IL-1ß, IL-4, IFN-γ and chGM-CSF, were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR respectively. The results showed that after vaccination with the rClone30-VP2L-CH3-CH4-GMCSF vaccine, the levels of anti NDV and anti IBDV antibodies in chickens were significantly higher than those of the rClone30 vaccine and commercial vaccines. Meanwhile, the contents and transcription levels of inflammatory factors in chickens inoculated with rClone30-VP2L-CH3-CH4-GMCSF were significantly increased, and the proliferation response of B cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was also stronger. However, the rClone30-VP2L-CH3-CH4-GMCSF vaccine had no significant advantage over the rClone30-VP2L-GMCSF vaccine in any of the above-mentioned features. In summary, rClone30-VP2L-CH3-CH4-GMCSF can stimulate the body to produce a stronger immune response, showing its potential to be considered as vaccine against IBD and ND, but the addition of CH3-CH4 did not improve the vaccine's immune effect as expected. The research lays the foundation for developing vaccines for other infectious viral diseases and avoids a unrealistic vaccine optimization method.

Association Between Different Metabolic Markers and Metabolic Syndrome in an Outpatient Hyperuricemia Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Hyperuricemia (HUA) is often associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the role of different metabolic markers in the screening of MetS in out-patients with hyperuricemia is unclear. The study aims to investigate the relationship between different metabolic indexes and MetS. Methods: A total of 399 hyperuricemia patients from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from 2022 to 2023 were included in this study. We collected demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical data on each subject. And calculate serum uric acid-to-creatinine ratio (SUA/Cr), serum uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (UHR), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (THR), and triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index. Binary logistic regression modeling was performed to explore the association between different metabolic markers and MetS. Results: Out of the 399 subjects, 28.3% had MetS. UHR, THR, and TyG index were significantly higher in the MetS group than those in the control group (p<0.05), which were associated with an increased risk of MetS. However, SUA/Cr was not associated with MetS (p>0.05). TyG index had a stronger relationship with the risk of MetS (OR 5.476, 95% CI 2.210-13.569, p<0.001). The cut-off with the biggest Youden index of the TyG index was 9.13 and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.719. Conclusion: A high TyG index is associated with an increased risk of MetS in HUA patients. These findings might help screen MetS in individuals with HUA and could be more standardized management of patients with high uric acid in outpatient clinics.

[Relationship Between Precipitation, River Water, and Groundwater Conversion in the Upper Reaches of Xilin River During the Rainy Season].

To deeply understand the hydrological cycle process and the transformation mechanism of different water bodies in the grassland inland river basin, the atmospheric precipitation, river water, and groundwater in the Xilin River Basin were taken as the research objects, the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes were analyzed, and the multi-scale spatio-temporal characteristics were analyzed to explore the quantitative transformation relationship between different water bodies in the basin. The results showed that:① the Xilin River Basin had an obvious inland semi-arid climate, the atmospheric precipitation was the main source of recharge for the river water and groundwater, and the groundwater and river water experienced different degrees of non-equilibrium evaporation at the same time. ② The isotopic composition of the river water showed the characteristics of depletion in spring and autumn and enrichment in summer and showed a trend of increasing from upstream to downstream in space. The variation in δ18O in shallow and deep groundwater during the growing season was basically the same, and the main difference between the two occurred at the end of the growing season, that is, the former tended to be stable, whereas the latter showed an upward trend, which reflected that the deep groundwater had a lagged response to the infiltration and recharge of atmospheric precipitation and surface water, and both of them were depleted gradually from southeast to northwest in space. ③ Based on the estimation results of the endmember mixing model, the average recharge ratio of atmospheric precipitation and shallow groundwater to river water in summer was 52.69% and 47.31%, respectively, indicating that shallow groundwater was an important recharge source of river water in the inland river basin even during the rainy season. The results of this study provide theoretical guidance for water resource regulation and ecological environment protection in a typical semi-arid grassland inland river basin.

[Molecular mechanism of sleep deprivation-induced body injury and traditional Chinese medicine prevention and treatment: a review].

Sleep occupies one-third of a person's lifetime and is a necessary condition for maintaining physiological function and health. With the increase in social and economic pressures, the growing use of electronic devices and the accelerated aging process of the population, insufficient sleep and its hazards have drawn widespread attention from researchers in China and abroad. Sleep deprivation refers to a decrease in sleep or a severe lack of sleep due to various reasons. Previous studies have found that sleep deprivation can cause extensive damage to the body, including an increased incidence and mortality rate of neuropathic diseases in the brain, cardiovascular diseases, imbalances in the gut microbiota, and other multi-organ diseases. The mechanisms underlying the occurrence of multi-system and multi-organ diseases due to sleep deprivation mainly involve oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and impaired immune function in the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), sleep deprivation falls into the category of sleepiness, and long-term sleepiness leads to Yin-Yang imbalance, resulting in the consumption of Qi and damage to the five Zang-organs. The appropriate treatment should focus on tonifying deficiency, reinforcing healthy Qi, and harmonizing Yin and Yang. TCM is characterized by a wide variety and abundant resources, and it has minimal side effects and a broad range of applications. Numerous studies have shown that TCM drugs and prescriptions not only improve sleep but also have beneficial effects on liver nourishment, intelligence enhancement, and kidney tonification, effectively preventing and treating the body injury caused by sleep deprivation. Given the increasing prevalence of sleep deprivation and its significant impact on body health, this article reviewed sleep deprivation-mediated body injury and its mechanism, summarized and categorized TCM compound prescriptions and single drugs for preventing and treating body injury, with the aim of laying the foundation for researchers to develop effective drugs for preventing and treating body injury caused by sleep deprivation and providing references for further exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying the body injury caused by sleep deprivation.

A new prognostic model of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on Cloud-least squares support vector machine.

Background: In view of the low accuracy of the prognosis model of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), this study aimed to optimize the least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) algorithm to determine the uncertain prognostic factors using a Cloud model, and consequently, to establish a new high-precision prognosis model of ESCC. Methods: We studied 4,771 ESCC patients(training samples) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and 635 ESCC patients(validation samples) from the Henan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDC) database, with the same exclusion criteria and inclusion criteria for both databases, and obtained permission to obtain a research data file in the SEER database from the National Cancer Institute. The independent risk factors were analyzed using the log-rank method, survival curves, univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. Finally, the independent prognostic factors were used to construct the nomogram, random forest and Cloud-LSSVM prognostic models were utilized for validation. Results: The overall median survival time of the SEER database was 14 months (HCDC samples was 46 months), the mean survival time was 26.5 months (HCDC samples was 36.8 months), and the 3-year survival rate was 65.8%. This is because most of the patients with Henan samples are early ESCC, and most of the Seer patients are T3 and T4 people. The multivariate Cox analysis showed that age at diagnosis (P<0.001), sex (P=0.001), race (P=0.002), differentiation grade (P<0.001), pathologic T category (P<0.001), and pathologic M category (P<0.001) were the factors affecting the prognosis of ESCC patients. The SEER data and HCDC database results showed that the accuracy of the Cloud-LSSVM (C-index =0.71, 0.689) model is higher than the differentiation grade (C-index =0.548, 0.506), random forest (C-index =0.649, 0.498), and nomogram (C-index =0.659, 0.563). This new model can realize the unity of the randomness and fuzziness of the Cloud model and utilize the powerful learning and non-linear mapping abilities of LSSVM. Conclusions: Due to the difference of clans between training samples and test samples, the accuracy of prediction is generally not high, but the accuracy of Cloud-LSSVM model is much higher than other models. The new model provides a clear prognostic superiority over the random forest, nomogram, and other models.

Supramolecular interface decoration on a polymer conductor for an intrinsically stretchable near-infrared photodiode.

Stretchable photodiodes with near-infrared (NIR) response face the challenge of material deficiency. A supramolecular cathode with excellent optical, tensile and electrical properties was proposed. Together with a stretchable organic heterojunction, we developed an intrinsically stretchable NIR photodiode with high detectivity over 1011 Jones and that remained functional under 100% strain.

MicroRNAs and their regulators: Potential therapeutic targets in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex and progressive disease characterized by pulmonary arterial remodeling. Despite that current combination therapy has shown improvement in morbidity and mortality, a better deciphering of the underlying pathological mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed to combat PAH. MicroRNA, the critical element in post-transcription mechanisms, mediates cellular functions mainly by tuning downstream target gene expression. Meanwhile, upstream regulators can regulate miRNAs in synthesis, transcription, and function. In vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that miRNAs and their regulators are involved in PAH. However, the miRNA-related regulatory mechanisms governing pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular dysfunction remain elusive. Hence, this review summarized the controversial roles of miRNAs in PAH pathogenesis, focused on different miRNA-upstream regulators, including transcription factors, regulatory networks, and environmental stimuli, and finally proposed the prospects and challenges for the therapeutic application of miRNAs and their regulators in PAH treatment.

Soft and stretchable organic bioelectronics for continuous intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring during microsurgery.

In microneurosurgery, it is crucial to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the nerve through continuous intraoperative identification of neural anatomy. To this end, here we report the development of a translatable system leveraging soft and stretchable organic-electronic materials for continuous intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. The system uses conducting polymer electrodes with low impedance and low modulus to record near-field action potentials continuously during microsurgeries, offers higher signal-to-noise ratios and reduced invasiveness when compared with handheld clinical probes for intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring and can be multiplexed, allowing for the precise localization of the target nerve in the absence of anatomical landmarks. Compared with commercial metal electrodes, the neurophysiological monitoring system allowed for enhanced post-operative prognoses after tumour-resection surgeries in rats. Continuous recording of near-field action potentials during microsurgeries may allow for the precise identification of neural anatomy through the entire procedure.

Heat shock protein TaHSP17.4, a TaHOP interactor in wheat, improves plant stress tolerance.

Adaptation to drought and salt stresses is a fundamental part of plant cell physiology and is of great significance for crop production under environmental stress. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that play a crucial role in folding, assembling, translocating, and degrading proteins. However, their underlying mechanisms and functions in stress tolerance remain elusive. Here, we identified the HSP TaHSP17.4 in wheat by analyzing the heat stress-induced transcriptome. Further analysis showed that TaHSP17.4 was significantly induced under drought, salt, and heat stress treatments. Intriguingly, yeast-two-hybrid analysis showed that TaHSP17.4 interacts with the HSP70/HSP90 organizing protein (HOP) TaHOP, which plays a significant role in linking HSP70 and HSP90. We found that TaHSP17.4- and TaHOP-overexpressing plants have a higher proline content and a lower malondialdehyde content than wild-type plants under stress conditions and display strong tolerance to drought, salt, and heat stress. Additionally, qRT-PCR analysis showed that stress-responsive genes relevant to reactive oxygen species scavenging and abscisic acid signaling pathways were significantly induced in TaHSP17.4- and TaHOP-overexpressing plants under stress conditions. Together, our findings provide insight into HSP functions in wheat and two novel candidate genes for improvement of wheat varieties.

A Stretchable Polymer Conductor Through the Mutual Plasticization Effect.

Intrinsically stretchable conductors play key roles in the dynamic interfacing of electronic devices with soft human tissues. However, it is difficult to simultaneously achieve high electrical conductivity and mechanical stretchability. Here, highly stretchable and conductive thin film electrodes are prepared by combining PEDOT:PSS and a mutually plasticized polymer dopant. Notably, harsh acid treatment for conductivity enhancement is avoided, and good solvent tolerance and high optical transparency are realized, all of which are essential to device fabrication. A transparent electrochromic display is further developed that can bear stretching up to 80% strain, demonstrating its promising application in next-generation optoelectronics.