Ion transport and ultra-efficient osmotic power generation in boron nitride nanotube porins.

Nanotube porins form transmembrane nanomaterial-derived scaffolds that mimic the geometry and functionality of biological membrane channels. We report synthesis, transport properties, and osmotic energy harvesting performance of another member of the nanotube porin family: boron nitride nanotube porins (BNNTPs). Cryo-transmission electron microscopy imaging, liposome transport assays, and DNA translocation experiments show that BNNTPs reconstitute into lipid membranes to form functional channels of ~2-nm diameter. Ion transport studies reveal ion conductance characteristics of individual BNNTPs, which show an unusual C1/4 scaling with ion concentration and pronounced pH sensitivity. Reversal potential measurements indicate that BNNTPs have strong cation selectivity at neutral pH, attributable to the high negative charge on the channel. BNNTPs also deliver very large power density up to 12 kW/m2 in the osmotic gradient transport experiments at neutral pH, surpassing that of other BNNT-based devices by two orders of magnitude under similar conditions. Our results suggest that BNNTPs are a promising platform for mass transport and osmotic power generation.

Synthesis and Upconversion Luminescence Fine-tuning of Yb3+/Ho3+-Doped Indium and Gallium Oxide Nanoparticles.

Rare earth (RE) dopants can modulate the bandgap of oxides of indium and gallium and provide extra upconversion luminescence (UCL) abilities. However, relevant UCL fine-tuning strategies and energy mechanisms have been less studied. In this research, InGaO, Ho3+ monodoped and Yb3+/Ho3+ codoped In2O3, and Ho3+ monodoped Yb3Ga5O12 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a solvothermal method. The effects of Yb3+ and Ho3+ dopants on the crystal structures, UCL properties, and optical bandgaps of the oxides were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UCL spectroscopy, and measurements of decay times, pump power dependence, and transmittance spectra. The crystal structures of oxide products of indium and gallium were significantly modified with RE dopants. In2O3 and Yb3Ga5O12 were selected as the host materials. For Yb3+/Ho3+ codoped In2O3 NPs, there existed energy transfers from the defect states of In2O3 to Ho3+ and from Yb3+ to Ho3+. With a fixed Ho3+ concentration, In2O3:0%Yb3+,2%Ho3+ NPs showed the optimal UCL properties mainly due to In2O3-Ho3+ energy transfer and Ho3+-Yb3+ energy-back-transfer, while with a fixed Yb3+ concentration, In2O3:5%Yb3+,3%Ho3+ NPs with a slight Yb2O3 impurity and Yb3Ga5O12:2%Ho3+ NPs did mainly due to Ho3+-Ho3+ cross-relaxation. Besides, the optical bandgaps of In2O3 and Yb3Ga5O12 were noticeably broadened with RE dopants. These findings can offer feasible directions for the synthesis and UCL fine-tuning of RE-doped oxides of indium and gallium and improve their multifunction application prospects in the fields of semiconductor and UCL nanomaterials.

Total bilirubin modified the association between diabetes and stroke: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND: Total bilirubin (TBIL) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to determine whether elevated TBIL could modify the association between diabetes and stroke. METHOD: Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016. TBIL was stratified by median (10.3 µmol/L). The association between diabetes and stroke was quantified using multivariable logistic regression models. The cut-off concentration for the presence of TBIL modification effects was identified by Johnson-Neyman analyses. Mediation analyses were performed to determine the influence of TBIL on mediating factors that mediate the relationship between diabetes and stroke. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study included 16 130 participants, with the mean age of 46.8±0.4 years and 48.5% of men. Diabetes was associated with the presence of stroke at TBIL <10.3 µmol/L (OR=2.19, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.05) but not at TBIL ≥10.3 µmol/L (OR=1.27, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.88) after adjustment for confounders. Above associations were significantly different between the two TBIL concentrations (P for interaction=0.03). Moreover, the modification effect of TBIL specifically occurred in men (P for interaction=0.02) rather than in women (P for interaction=0.08). The cut-off concentration for the presence of TBIL modification effects was 17.05 µmol/L. Additionally, the TBIL of ≥10.3 µmol/L inhibited mediating effects of hypersensitive C reactive protein (mediating effect=0.03, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.22, P=0.72) and systemic immune-inflammation index (mediating effect=0.01, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.04, P=0.29) as compared with the TBIL of <10.3 µmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated TBIL modified the association between diabetes and stroke through inhibiting mediating effects of inflammatory factors.

Bi-Pt Heterojunction Cascade Reaction Platform for Sono-Immunotherapy of Tumors via PANoptosis and Ferroptosis.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) represents a promising, noninvasive, and precise treatment modality for tumors, demonstrating significant potential in clinical applications. However, the efficiency of sonosensitizers in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) is often limited by rapid electron-hole recombination. In this study, BiF3@BiOI is synthesized via a co-precipitation method, followed by in-situ reduction to decorate it with Pt nanoparticles, resulting in BiF3@BiOI@Pt-PVP (BBP) nanocomposite for enhancing SDT efficacy. The formation of the BiF3@BiOI heterojunction enhances charge separation ability. The decoration of Pt nanoparticles narrows the bandgap and alters the band positions and Fermi level of BBP, which can effectively mitigate the rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs and facilitate a cascade reaction of ROS, thereby improving ROS generation efficiency with ultrasound excitation. Additionally, bismuth ions in BBP and the generated holes consume glutathione, exacerbating cellular oxidative damage, and triggering PANoptosis and ferroptosis. Furthermore, Pt nanoparticles demonstrate peroxidase-like activity, catalyzing endogenous hydrogen peroxide to oxygen. These functions are helpful against tumors for alleviating hypoxic conditions, reshaping the microenvironment, modulating immune cell infiltration capacity, and enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy. The dual strategy of forming heterojunctions and sensitization with noble metals effectively enhances the efficacy of sono-catalytic therapy-induced immune activation in tumor treatment.

Innovation and challenges of artificial intelligence technology in personalized healthcare.

As the burgeoning field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to permeate the fabric of healthcare, particularly in the realms of patient surveillance and telemedicine, a transformative era beckons. This manuscript endeavors to unravel the intricacies of recent AI advancements and their profound implications for reconceptualizing the delivery of medical care. Through the introduction of innovative instruments such as virtual assistant chatbots, wearable monitoring devices, predictive analytic models, personalized treatment regimens, and automated appointment systems, AI is not only amplifying the quality of care but also empowering patients and fostering a more interactive dynamic between the patient and the healthcare provider. Yet, this progressive infiltration of AI into the healthcare sphere grapples with a plethora of challenges hitherto unseen. The exigent issues of data security and privacy, the specter of algorithmic bias, the requisite adaptability of regulatory frameworks, and the matter of patient acceptance and trust in AI solutions demand immediate and thoughtful resolution .The importance of establishing stringent and far-reaching policies, ensuring technological impartiality, and cultivating patient confidence is paramount to ensure that AI-driven enhancements in healthcare service provision remain both ethically sound and efficient. In conclusion, we advocate for an expansion of research efforts aimed at navigating the ethical complexities inherent to a technology-evolving landscape, catalyzing policy innovation, and devising AI applications that are not only clinically effective but also earn the trust of the patient populace. By melding expertise across disciplines, we stand at the threshold of an era wherein AI's role in healthcare is both ethically unimpeachable and conducive to elevating the global health quotient.

Self-Assembling and Pore-Forming Peptoids as Antimicrobial Biomaterials.

Bacterial infections have been a serious threat to mankind throughout history. Natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their membrane disruption mechanism have generated immense interest in the design and development of synthetic mimetics that could overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of AMPs, such as their susceptibility to proteolytic degradation and low bioavailability. Herein, by exploiting the self-assembly and pore-forming capabilities of sequence-defined peptoids, we discovered a family of low-molecular weight peptoid antibiotics that exhibit excellent broad-spectrum activity and high selectivity toward a panel of clinically significant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Tuning the peptoid side chain chemistry and structure enabled us to tune the efficacy of antimicrobial activity. Mechanistic studies using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), bacterial membrane depolarization and lysis, and time-kill kinetics assays along with molecular dynamics simulations reveal that these peptoids kill both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria through a membrane disruption mechanism. These robust and biocompatible peptoid-based antibiotics can provide a valuable tool for combating emerging drug resistance.

Size Reduction to Enhance Crystal-to-Liquid Phase Transition Induced by E-to-Z Photoisomerization Based on Molecular Crystals of Phenylbutadiene Ester.

Harnessing the photoinduced phase transitions in organic crystals, especially the changes in shape and structure across various dimensions, offers a fascinating avenue for exact spatiotemporal control, which is crucial for developing future smart devices. In our study, we report a new photoactive molecular crystal made from (E)-2-(3-phenyl-allylidene)malonate ((E)-PADM). When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light at 365 nm, this compound experiences an E-to-Z photoisomerization in liquid solution and a crystal-to-liquid phase transition in solid crystals. Remarkably, nanoscopic crystalline rods boost their melting rate and degree compared to bulk crystals, indicating that miniaturization enhances the photoinduced melting effect. Our results demonstrate a simple approach to rapidly drive molecular crystals into liquids via photochemical reactions and phase transitions.

U-shaped association between triglyceride glucose-body mass index with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in US adults with osteoarthritis: evidence from NHANES 1999-2020.

The association between insulin resistance (IR) and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality among osteoarthritis (OA) patients remains uncertain. This study aims to clarify the correlation between a novel marker of IR, the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI), and the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in OA patients. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 1999 to 2020 were analyzed. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and restricted cubic spline plots were employed to elucidate the association between the TyG-BMI index and the risk of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular mortality in OA patients. Additionally, subgroup analysis was conducted to explore potential interactions and identify populations at elevated risk of mortality. The study cohort comprised 4097 OA patients who were followed up for a period of 20 years, during which 1197 cases of all-cause mortality and 329 cases of mortality attributed to cardiovascular disease were recorded. Our findings revealed a U-shaped nonlinear relationship between the TyG-BMI index and the risk of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular mortality in OA patients, with the lowest mortality risk thresholds identified at 282 and 270, respectively. Moreover, surpassing these thresholds was associated with a 3% increase in the risk of all-cause mortality and a 5% increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality for every 10-unit increment in TyG-BMI level. Among American OA patients, a U-shaped nonlinear relationship exists between the TyG-BMI index and the risk of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular mortality. These findings underscore the significant role of IR in the progression of OA.

Characterization of a novel mitophagy-related 5-genes signature for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) and the ensuing heart failure (HF) remain the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. One of the strategies to combat MI and HF lies in the ability to accurately predict the onset of these disorders. Alterations in mitochondrial homeostasis have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this regard, perturbations to mitochondrial dynamics leading to impaired clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria have been previously established to be a crucial trigger for MI/HF. In this study, we found that MI patients could be classified into three clusters based on the expression levels of mitophagy-related genes and consensus clustering. We identified a mitophagy-related diagnostic 5-genes signature for MI using support vector machines-Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE) and random forest, with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of the predictive model at 0.813. Additionally, the single-cell transcriptome and pseudo-time analyses showed that the mitoscore was significantly upregulated in macrophages, endothelial cells, pericytes, fibroblasts and monocytes in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, while sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) exhibited remarkable increase in the infarcted (ICM) and non-infarcted (ICMN) myocardium samples dissected from the left ventricle compared with control samples. Lastly, through analysis of peripheral blood from MI patients, we found that the expression of SQSTM1 is positively correlated with troponin-T (P < 0.0001, R = 0.4195, R2 = 0.1759). Therefore, this study provides the rationale for a cell-specific mitophagy-related gene signature as an additional supporting diagnostic for CVDs.

Correlation of BUB1 and BUB1B with the development and prognosis of endometrial cancer.

This study aimed to evaluate the expression and clinical significance of budding uninhibited by benzimidazole 1 (BUB1) and BUB1 mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase B (BUB1B) in endometrial carcinoma (EC). BUB1 and BUBIB expressions were evaluated by bioinformatics. Protein expression, clinical features, prognosis and immune cell infiltration were explored in 20 EC tumors. siRNA was used to evaluate BUB1 and BUBIB function in EC cells. BUB1 and BUBIB were highly expressed in 26 cancers. BUB1 was associated with overall survival (OS) in eight cancers and disease-free survival in ten; BUB1B was associated with OS in nine cancers and DFS in eleven. BUB1 and BUBIB exhibited high frequencies of gene changes (mainly mutations, > 5%) in cancer. BUB1 was negatively correlated and BUB1B was positively correlated with cancer-associated fibroblasts and endothelial cell infiltration. BUB1 and BUBIB knockdown decreased migration and invasion in EC cells. High BUB1 expression correlated with tumor malignant phenotypes (P < 0.05). High BUB1 mRNA expression reduced OS (P = 0.00036) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.0011). High BUB1B mRNA expression reduced OS (P = 0.0024). BUB1/BUB1B correlated with activated CD8 + T and CD4 + T cell infiltration. BUB1 and BUBIB are highly expressed and correlated with clinicopathological characteristics in EC. BUB1 and BUBIB are potential prognosis markers and immunotherapy targets.

Development and evaluation of immunological effects of a DNA vaccine encoding phosphoketolase family protein against Nocardia seriolae in hybrid snakehead.

Fish nocardiosis is a chronic disease mainly caused by Nocardia seriolae, which occurs in a variety of economically cultured freshwater and marine fish. Studies have shown that DNA vaccine is an effective treatment to protect fish from bacterial infection. In our previous experiment, an in vivo-induced gene of N. seriolae, encoding phosphoketolase (PK) family protein, was identified by in vivo-induced antigen technology. In the present study, the antigenic gene encoding PK family protein was analyzed by bioinformatics and further inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1-myc-his-A for DNA vaccine development. The immunological effects of pcDNA-PK DNA vaccine were assessed in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata ♀ × Channa argus ♂), showing induction in several serum enzyme activity parameters (including LZM, SOD, ACP and AKP), increasing in specific-antibody IgM levels, as well as up-regulation in six immune-related genes (CD4, CD8α, TNFα, IL-1ß, MHCIα and MHCIIα). Moreover, an immune-protection with a relative survival rate was provided at 53.82 % following artificial challenge with N. seriolae in vaccinated fish in comparison to the control group. In summary, these results indicate that pcDNA-PK DNA vaccine could boost strong immune responses in hybrid snakehead and show preferably protective efficacy against N. seriolae, which may be applied in aquaculture to control fish nocardiosis.

Nonlinear associations of systemic immune-inflammation index with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in US adults with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease. However, the relationship between the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and the prognosis of RA patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between inflammatory biomarker SII and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in RA patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database spanning from 1999 to March 2020. We assessed the association between the SII and all-cause as well as cardiovascular mortality in RA patients employing multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and restricted cubic spline plots. Receiver operating characteristic curves were employed to evaluate the prognostic capacity of SII in predicting outcomes in both the RA patients and the general population, alongside its predictive performance compared to other markers. This study comprised 2247 RA patients and a control cohort of 29,177 individuals from the general population. Over a 20-year follow-up period, 738 all-cause deaths and 215 deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease were documented in RA patients. We observed a nonlinear positive correlation between the SII and both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in RA patients. Of significance, at an SII level of 529.7, the hazard ratio reached 1, signifying a transition from low to high mortality risk. Moreover, subgroup analysis did not reveal any potential interactions. Our study findings indicate a nonlinear positive correlation between the inflammatory biomarker SII and both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with RA.

CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dot-Based WORM Memory Device with Intrinsic Ternary States.

The migration of mobile ionic halide vacancies is usually considered detrimental to the performance and stability of perovskite optoelectronic devices. Taking advantage of this intrinsic feature, we fabricated a CsPbI3 perovskite quantum dot (PQD)-based write-once-read-many-times (WORM) memory device with a simple sandwich structure that demonstrates intrinsic ternary states with a high ON/OFF ratio of 103:102:1 and a long retention time of 104 s. Through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, we proved that the resistive switching is achieved by the migration of mobile iodine vacancies (VIs) under an electric field to form conductive filaments (CFs). Using in situ conductive atomic force microscopy, we further revealed that the multilevel property arises from the different activation energies for VIs to migrate at grain boundaries and grain interiors, resulting in two distinct pathways for CFs to grow. Our work highlights the potential of CsPbI3 PQD-based WORM devices, showcasing intrinsic multilevel properties achieved in a simple device structure by rationally controlling the drift of ionic defects.

Association between preoperative persistent hyperglycemia and postoperative delirium in geriatric hip fracture patients.

BACKGROUND: The management of preoperative blood glucose levels in reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium (POD) remains controversial. This study aims to investigate the impact of preoperative persistent hyperglycemia on POD in geriatric patients with hip fractures. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed medical records of patients who underwent hip fracture surgery at a tertiary medical institution between January 2013 and November 2023. Patients were categorized based on preoperative hyperglycemia (hyperglycemia defined as ≥ 6.1mmol/L), clinical classification of hyperglycemia, and percentile thresholds. Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching analysis (PSM) were employed to assess the association between different levels of preoperative glucose and POD. Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore potential interactions. RESULTS: A total of 1440 patients were included in this study, with an incidence rate of POD at 19.1% (275/1440). Utilizing multiple logistic analysis, we found that patients with hyperglycemia had a 1.65-fold increased risk of experiencing POD compared to those with normal preoperative glucose levels (95% CI: 1.17-2.32). Moreover, a significant upward trend was discerned in both the strength of association and the predicted probability of POD with higher preoperative glucose levels. PSM did not alter this trend, even after meticulous adjustments for potential confounding factors. Additionally, when treating preoperative glucose levels as a continuous variable, we observed a 6% increase in the risk of POD (95% CI: 1-12%) with each 1mmol/L elevation in preoperative glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: There exists a clear linear dose-response relationship between preoperative blood glucose levels and the risk of POD. Higher preoperative hyperglycemia was associated with a greater risk of POD. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT06473324.

Broadening bandgaps in a multi-resonant piezoelectric metamaterial plate via bandgap merging phenomena.

Locally resonant metamaterials usually have narrow bandgaps, which significantly limits their applications in realistic engineering environments. In this paper, an optimization method based on the genetic algorithm is proposed to broaden bandgaps in multi-resonant piezoelectric metamaterial through the merging of multiple separated bandgaps. Using the effective medium theory, the equivalent bending stiffness and dispersion relationship of a metamaterial plate are first obtained. Then, the criteria for determining the bandgap ranges for the two cases with and without damping are provided and analyzed. Furthermore, based on the bandgap merging phenomena, an optimization method for widening the bandgap is proposed based on the genetic algorithm. By investigating the bandgap widening effects in cases without and with damping, it is found that, when there is no damping, the bandgap can only be slightly widened; while after introducing damping into the transfer functions, the bandgap can be significantly widened by more than 200%. The bandgap widening effects are verified by comparing with finite element simulation results.

Exercise therapy in the application of sleep disorders.

Sleep disorders often accompany neurological injuries, significantly impacting patient recovery and quality of life.The efficacy and adherence of traditional treatment methods have certain limitations. Exercise has been found to be a highly beneficial treatment method, capable of preventing and alleviating neurological injuries and sleep disorders. This article reviews relevant research findings from both domestic and international sources over the past few decades, systematically summarizing and analyzing the application of exercise therapy in sleep disorders,strategy of exercise intervention program and the potential molecular mechanisms by which exercise therapy improves sleep disorders. Shortcomings in current research and suggestions are presented, providing a reference for future in-depth studies on exercise interventions for sleep disorders.

Mediating effect of adiponectin between free fatty acid and tumor necrosis factor-α in patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Increased free fatty acid (FFA) promotes adiponectin secretion in healthy subjects and induces inflammation in diabetes. Given the potential pro-inflammatory role of adiponectin in "adiponectin paradox", we performed this study in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to assess the association of FFA with adiponectin and to investigate whether adiponectin mediates FFA-related inflammation. METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted of adult patients with T2DM. FFA, adiponectin, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were assayed from fasting venous blood after overnight fasting for at least 8 h. Multivariable linear regression analysis and restricted cubic splines (RCS) analysis were performed to identify the association between FFA and adiponectin. Mediation analysis was performed to determine the mediating effect of adiponectin on the association between FFA and TNF-α. RESULTS: This study included 495 participants, with 332 males (67.1%) and a mean age of 47.0 ± 11.2 years. FFA was positively associated with adiponectin (b = 0.126, 95%CI: 0.036-0.215, P = 0.006) and was the main contributor to the increase of adiponectin (standardized b = 0.141). The RCS analysis demonstrated that adiponectin increased with FFA when FFA was less than 0.7 mmol/L but did not further increase thereafter (Poverall < 0.001 and Pnon-linear < 0.001). In addition, adiponectin mediated the association between FFA and TNF-α. The mediating effect was 0.08 (95%CI: 0.03-0.13, P = 0.003) and the mediating effect percentage was 26.8% (95%CI: 4.5-49.2, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with T2DM, FFA was positively associated with adiponectin when FFA was less than 0.7 mmol/L. Elevated adiponectin mediated FFA-related inflammation. This study may provide insights into the pro-inflammatory effect of adiponectin in T2DM.

Molecular transport enhancement in pure metallic carbon nanotube porins.

Nanofluidic channels impose extreme confinement on water and ions, giving rise to unusual transport phenomena strongly dependent on the interactions at the channel-wall interface. Yet how the electronic properties of the nanofluidic channels influence transport efficiency remains largely unexplored. Here we measure transport through the inner pores of sub-1 nm metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotube porins. We find that water and proton transport are enhanced in metallic nanotubes over semiconducting nanotubes, whereas ion transport is largely insensitive to the nanotube bandgap value. Molecular simulations using polarizable force fields highlight the contributions of the anisotropic polarizability tensor of the carbon nanotubes to the ion-nanotube interactions and the water friction coefficient. We also describe the origin of the proton transport enhancement in metallic nanotubes using deep neural network molecular dynamics simulations. These results emphasize the complex role of the electronic properties of nanofluidic channels in modulating transport under extreme nanoscale confinement.

Layer-Dependent Electromechanical Response in Twisted Graphene Moiré Superlattices.

The coupling of mechanical deformation and electrical stimuli at the nanoscale has been the subject of intense investigation in the realm of materials science. Recently, twisted van der Waals (vdW) materials have emerged as a platform for exploring exotic quantum states. These states are intimately tied to the formation of moiré superlattices, which can be visualized by directly exploiting the electromechanical response. However, the origin of the response, even in twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG), remains unsettled. Here, employing lateral piezoresponse force microscopy (LPFM), we investigate the electromechanical responses of marginally twisted graphene moiré superlattices with different layer thicknesses. We observe distinct LPFM amplitudes and spatial profiles in tBLG and twisted monolayer-bilayer graphene (tMBG), exhibiting effective in-plane piezoelectric coefficients of 0.05 and 0.35 pm/V, respectively. Force tuning experiments further underscored a marked divergence in their responses. The contrasting behaviors suggest different electromechanical couplings in tBLG and tMBG. In tBLG, the response near the domain walls is attributed to the flexoelectric effect, while in tMBG, the behaviors can be comprehended within the context of the piezoelectric effect. Our results not only provide insights into electromechanical and corporative effects in twisted vdW materials with different stacking symmetries but may also offer a way to engineer them at the nanoscale.

Glutathione and acid dual-responsive bismuth-based nanosensitizer for chemo-mediated cancer sonodynamic therapy.

Chemotherapeutic agents hold significant clinical potential in combating tumors. However, delivering these drugs to the tumor site for controlled release remains a crucial challenge. In this study, we synthesize and construct a glutathione (GSH) and acid dual-responsive bismuth-based nano-delivery platform (BOD), aiming for sonodynamic enhancement of docetaxel (DTX)-mediated tumor therapy. The bismuth nanomaterial can generate multiple reactive oxygen species under ultrasound stimulation. Furthermore, the loading of DTX to form BOD effectively reduces the toxicity of DTX in the bloodstream, ensuring its cytotoxic effect is predominantly exerted at the tumor site. DTX can be well released in high expression of GSH and acidic tumor microenvironment. Meanwhile, ultrasound can also promote the release of DTX. Results from bothin vitroandin vivoexperiments substantiate that the synergistic therapy involving chemotherapy and sonodynamic therapy significantly inhibits the growth and proliferation of tumor cells. This study provides a favorable paradigm for developing a synergistic tumor treatment platform for tumor microenvironment response and ultrasound-promoted drug release.