Recent advance of high-quality perovskite nanostructure and its application in flexible photodetectors.

Flexible photodetectors (PDs) have garnered increasing attention for their potential applications in diverse fields, including weather monitoring, smart robotics, smart textiles, electronic eyes, wearable biomedical monitoring devices, and so on. Notably, perovskite nanostructures have emerged as a promising material for flexible PDs due to their distinctive features, such as a large optical absorption coefficient, tunable band gap, extended photoluminescence decay time, high carrier mobility, low defect density, long exciton diffusion lengths, strong self-trapped effect, good mechanical flexibility, and facile synthesis methods. In this review, we first introduce various synthesis methods for perovskite nanostructures and elucidate their corresponding optical and electrical properties, encompassing quantum dots, nanocrystals, nanowires, nanobelts, nanosheets, single-crystal thin films, polycrystalline thin films, and nanostructured arrays. Furthermore, the working mechanism and key performance parameters of optoelectronic devices are summarized. The review also systematically compiles recent advancements in flexible PDs based on various nanostructured perovskites. Finally, we present the current challenges and prospects for the development of perovskite nanostructures-based flexible PDs.

NONO promotes gallbladder cancer cell proliferation by enhancing oncogenic RNA splicing of DLG1 through interaction with IGF2BP3/RBM14.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly malignant and rapidly progressing tumor of the human biliary system, and there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic targets and modalities. Non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO) is an RNA-binding protein involved in the regulation of transcription, mRNA splicing, and DNA repair. NONO expression is elevated in multiple tumors and can act as an oncogene to promote tumor progression. Here, we found that NONO was highly expressed in GBC and promoted tumor cells growth. The dysregulation of RNA splicing is a molecular feature of almost all tumor types. Accordingly, mRNA-seq and RIP-seq analysis showed that NONO promoted exon6 skipping in DLG1, forming two isomers (DLG1-FL and DLG1-S). Furthermore, lower Percent-Spliced-In (PSI) values of DLG1 were detected in tumor tissue relative to the paraneoplastic tissue, and were associated with poor patient prognosis. Moreover, DLG1-S and DLG1-FL act as tumor promoters and tumor suppressors, respectively, by regulating the YAP1/JUN pathway. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common and abundant RNA modification involved in alternative splicing processes. We identified an m6A reader, IGF2BP3, which synergizes with NONO to promote exon6 skipping in DLG1 in an m6A-dependent manner. Furthermore, IP/MS results showed that RBM14 was bound to NONO and interfered with NONO-mediated exon6 skipping of DLG1. In addition, IGF2BP3 disrupted the binding of RBM14 to NONO. Overall, our data elucidate the molecular mechanism by which NONO promotes DLG1 exon skipping, providing a basis for new therapeutic targets in GBC treatment.

Doping Engineering of Conductive Polymers and Their Application in Physical Sensors for Healthcare Monitoring.

Physical sensors have emerged as a promising technology for real-time healthcare monitoring, which tracks various physical signals from the human body. Accurate acquisition of these physical signals from biological tissue requires excellent electrical conductivity and long-term durability of the sensors under complex mechanical deformation. Conductive polymers, combining the advantages of conventional polymers and organic conductors, are considered ideal conductive materials for healthcare physical sensors due to their intrinsic conductive network, tunable mechanical properties, and easy processing. Doping engineering has been proposed as an effective approach to enhance the sensitivity, lower the detection limit, and widen the operational range of sensors based on conductive polymers. This approach enables the introduction of dopants into conductive polymers to adjust and control the microstructure and energy levels of conductive polymers, thereby optimizing their mechanical and conductivity properties. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of doping engineering methods to improve the physical properties of conductive polymers and highlights their applications in the field of healthcare physical sensors, including temperature sensors, strain sensors, stress sensors, and electrophysiological sensing. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities associated with conductive polymer-based physical sensors in healthcare monitoring are discussed.

Monolayer Organic Crystals for Ultrahigh Performance Molecular Diodes.

Molecular diodes are of considerable interest for the increasing technical demands of device miniaturization. However, the molecular diode performance remains contact-limited, which represents a major challenge for the advancement of rectification ratio and conductance. Here, it is demonstrated that high-quality ultrathin organic semiconductors can be grown on several classes of metal substrates via solution-shearing epitaxy, with a well-controlled number of layers and monolayer single crystal over 1 mm. The crystals are atomically smooth and pinhole-free, providing a native interface for high-performance monolayer molecular diodes. As a result, the monolayer molecular diodes show record-high rectification ratio up to 5 × 108 , ideality factor close to unity, aggressive unit conductance over 103 S cm-2 , ultrahigh breakdown electric field, excellent electrical stability, and well-defined contact interface. Large-area monolayer molecular diode arrays with 100% yield and excellent uniformity in the diode metrics are further fabricated. These results suggest that monolayer molecular crystals have great potential to build reliable, high-performance molecular diodes and deeply understand their intrinsic electronic behavior.

Enhancing organic cathodes of aqueous zinc-ion batteries via utilizing steric hindrance and electron cloud equalization.

Polyaniline (PANI), with merits of high electronic conductivity and capacity, is a promising material for zinc (Zn)-ion batteries. However, its redox window in Zn batteries is often limited, mainly due to the oxidative degradation at high potentials-in which imine groups can be attacked by water molecules. Here, we introduce phytic acid, a kind of supermolecule acid radical ion, as a dopant and electrolyte additive. Various in/ex situ analyses and theoretical calculations prove that the steric hindrance effect can prevent electroactive sites from the attack by water molecules. Meanwhile, the redox reaction can be stabilized by an even distribution of electron cloud due to the conjugated structure of phenazine groups. Accordingly, the assembled Zn-PANI battery can allow stable and long-term charge-discharge reactions to occur at a potential as high as 2.0 V with a discharged plateau of 1.5 V, and it also shows high rate performance and stable long cycle life (75% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 10 A g-1).

Hydrogel-Based Bioelectronics and Their Applications in Health Monitoring.

Flexible bioelectronics exhibit promising potential for health monitoring, owing to their soft and stretchable nature. However, the simultaneous improvement of mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and signal-to-noise ratio of these devices for health monitoring poses a significant challenge. Hydrogels, with their loose three-dimensional network structure that encapsulates massive amounts of water, are a potential solution. Through the incorporation of polymers or conductive fillers into the hydrogel and special preparation methods, hydrogels can achieve a unification of excellent properties such as mechanical properties, self-healing, adhesion, and biocompatibility, making them a hot material for health monitoring bioelectronics. Currently, hydrogel-based bioelectronics can be used to fabricate flexible bioelectronics for motion, bioelectric, and biomolecular acquisition for human health monitoring and further clinical applications. This review focuses on materials, devices, and applications for hydrogel-based bioelectronics. The main material properties and research advances of hydrogels for health monitoring bioelectronics are summarized firstly. Then, we provide a focused discussion on hydrogel-based bioelectronics for health monitoring, which are classified as skin-attachable, implantable, or semi-implantable depending on the depth of penetration and the location of the device. Finally, future challenges and opportunities of hydrogel-based bioelectronics for health monitoring are envisioned.

Biomimetic Flexible Sensors and Their Applications in Human Health Detection.

Bionic flexible sensors are a new type of biosensor with high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and reliability to achieve detection in complex natural and physiological environments. They provide efficient, energy-saving and convenient applications in medical monitoring and diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and detection and identification. Combining sensor devices with flexible substrates to imitate flexible structures in living organisms, thus enabling the detection of various physiological signals, has become a hot topic of interest. In the field of human health detection, the application of bionic flexible sensors is flourishing and will evolve into patient-centric diagnosis and treatment in the future of healthcare. In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of bionic flexible devices for human health detection applications and a comprehensive summary of the research progress and potential of flexible sensors. First, we evaluate the working mechanisms of different classes of bionic flexible sensors, describing the selection and fabrication of bionic flexible materials and their excellent electrochemical properties; then, we introduce some interesting applications for monitoring physical, electrophysiological, chemical, and biological signals according to more segmented health fields (e.g., medical diagnosis, rehabilitation assistance, and sports monitoring). We conclude with a summary of the advantages of current results and the challenges and possible future developments.

A Flexible Piezocapacitive Pressure Sensor with Microsphere-Array Electrodes.

Flexible pressure sensors that emulate the sensation and characteristics of natural skins are of great importance in wearable medical devices, intelligent robots, and human-machine interfaces. The microstructure of the pressure-sensitive layer plays a significant role in the sensor's overall performance. However, microstructures usually require complex and costly processes such as photolithography or chemical etching for fabrication. This paper proposes a novel approach that combines self-assembled technology to prepare a high-performance flexible capacitive pressure sensor with a microsphere-array gold electrode and a nanofiber nonwoven dielectric material. When subjected to pressure, the microsphere structures of the gold electrode deform via compressing the medium layer, leading to a significant increase in the relative area between the electrodes and a corresponding change in the thickness of the medium layer, as simulated in COMSOL simulations and experiments, which presents high sensitivity (1.807 kPa-1). The developed sensor demonstrates excellent performance in detecting signals such as slight object deformations and human finger bending.

Triboelectric Nanogenerators Based on 2D Materials: From Materials and Devices to Applications.

Recently, there has been an increasing consumption of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas in both industrial production and daily life. This high demand for non-renewable energy sources has prompted researchers to investigate sustainable and renewable energy alternatives. The development and production of nanogenerators provide a promising solution to address the energy crisis. Triboelectric nanogenerators, in particular, have attracted significant attention due to their portability, stability, high energy conversion efficiency, and compatibility with a wide range of materials. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have many potential applications in various fields, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Additionally, by virtue of their remarkable physical and chemical properties, two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), MXenes, and layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have played a crucial role in the advancement of TENGs. This review summarizes recent research progress on TENGs based on 2D materials, from materials to their practical applications, and provides suggestions and prospects for future research.

Pancancer Analysis Revealed the Value of RAC2 in Immunotherapy and Cancer Stem Cell.

Objective: To investigate the oncogenic effect and clinical significance of RAC2 in pancarcinoma from the perspective of tumor immunity and cancer stem cell. Methods: After in-depth mining of TCGA, GEO, UCSC, and other databases, basic information of the RAC2 gene and its expression in tumor tissues as well as the relationship between RAC2 and tumor were analyzed based on survival, mutation, immune microenvironment, tumor stemness, and enrichment analysis on related pathways. Results: RAC2 mRNA expression was increased in most tumor tissues and was associated with their prognosis. Compared to normal tissues, the RAC2 mutation rate was higher in patients with skin melanoma, uterine sarcoma, and endometrial cancer. RAC2 had a strong relation with immune cell infiltration, immunomodulators, immunotherapy markers, cancer stem cell of THYM, and immune-related pathways. Conclusions: This study explored the potential importance of RAC2 in the prognosis, immunotherapy, and cancer stem cell of 33 cancers, laying the foundation for mechanistic experiments and its future application in clinical practice. However, the results using bioinformatics methods could be affected by the differences in patients across databases. Thus, the present results were preliminary and required further experimental validation.

Ponicidin inhibited gallbladder cancer proliferation and metastasis by decreasing MAGEB2 expression through FOXO4.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most aggressively malignant tumor in the bile duct system. The prognosis for patients with GBC is extremely poor. Ponicidin is a diterpenoid compound extracted and purified from the traditional Chinese herb Rabdosia rubescens, and showed promising anti-cancer effects in a variety of tumors. However, Ponicidin has not been investigated in GBC. METHODS: CCK-8, colony formation assay and EdU-488 DNA synthesis assay were performed to investigate the effect of Ponicidin on GBC cells proliferation. Cell invasion and migration assays and wound-healing assay were used to explore the effect of Ponicidin on invasion and migration ability of GBC cells. mRNA-seq was adopted to explore the underlying mechanisms. Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were conducted to detect the protein level. CHIP assay and dual-luciferase assay were used to validate binding motif. Nude mouse model of GBC was used to assess the anti-tumor effect and safety of Ponicidin. RESULTS: Ponicidin inhibited the proliferation and cell invasion and migration of GBC cells in vitro. Moreover, Ponicidin exerted anti-tumor effects by down-regulating the expression of MAGEB2. Mechanically, Ponicidin upregulated the FOXO4 expression and promoted it to accumulate in nucleus to inhibit the transcript of MAGEB2. Furthermore, Ponicidin suppressed tumor growth in the nude mouse model of GBC with excellent safety. CONCLUSION: Ponicidin may be a promising agent for the treatment of GBC effectively and safely.

A Wide-Range-Response Piezoresistive-Capacitive Dual-Sensing Breathable Sensor with Spherical-Shell Network of MWCNTs for Motion Detection and Language Assistance.

It is still a challenge for flexible electronic materials to realize integrated strain sensors with a large linear working range, high sensitivity, good response durability, good skin affinity and good air permeability. In this paper, we present a simple and scalable porous piezoresistive/capacitive dual-mode sensor with a porous structure in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) embedded on its internal surface to form a three-dimensional spherical-shell-structured conductive network. Thanks to the unique spherical-shell conductive network of MWCNTs and the uniform elastic deformation of the cross-linked PDMS porous structure under compression, our sensor offers a dual piezoresistive/capacitive strain-sensing capability, a wide pressure response range (1-520 kPa), a very large linear response region (95%), excellent response stability and durability (98% of initial performance after 1000 compression cycles). Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were coated on the surface of refined sugar particles by continuous agitation. Ultrasonic PDMS solidified with crystals was attached to the multi-walled carbon nanotubes. After the crystals were dissolved, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were attached to the porous surface of the PDMS, forming a three-dimensional spherical-shell-structure network. The porosity of the porous PDMS was 53.9%. The large linear induction range was mainly related to the good conductive network of the MWCNTs in the porous structure of the crosslinked PDMS and the elasticity of the material, which ensured the uniform deformation of the porous structure under compression. The porous conductive polymer flexible sensor prepared by us can be assembled into a wearable sensor with good human motion detection ability. For example, human movement can be detected by responding to stress in the joints of the fingers, elbows, knees, plantar, etc., during movement. Finally, our sensors can also be used for simple gesture and sign language recognition, as well as speech recognition by monitoring facial muscle activity. This can play a role in improving communication and the transfer of information between people, especially in facilitating the lives of people with disabilities.

Porous Structural Microfluidic Device for Biomedical Diagnosis: A Review.

Microfluidics has recently received more and more attention in applications such as biomedical, chemical and medicine. With the development of microelectronics technology as well as material science in recent years, microfluidic devices have made great progress. Porous structures as a discontinuous medium in which the special flow phenomena of fluids lead to their potential and special applications in microfluidics offer a unique way to develop completely new microfluidic chips. In this article, we firstly introduce the fabrication methods for porous structures of different materials. Then, the physical effects of microfluid flow in porous media and their related physical models are discussed. Finally, the state-of-the-art porous microfluidic chips and their applications in biomedicine are summarized, and we present the current problems and future directions in this field.

Ultralow contact resistance in organic transistors via orbital hybridization.

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are of interest in unconventional form of electronics. However, high-performance OFETs are currently contact-limited, which represent a major challenge toward operation in the gigahertz regime. Here, we realize ultralow total contact resistance (Rc) down to 14.0 Ω âˆ™ cm in C10-DNTT OFETs by using transferred platinum (Pt) as contact. We observe evidence of Pt-catalyzed dehydrogenation of side alkyl chains which effectively reduces the metal-semiconductor van der Waals gap and promotes orbital hybridization. We report the ultrahigh performance OFETs, including hole mobility of 18 cm2 V-1 s-1, saturation current of 28.8 µA/µm, subthreshold swing of 60 mV/dec, and intrinsic cutoff frequency of 0.36 GHz. We further develop resist-free transfer and patterning strategies to fabricate large-area OFET arrays, showing 100% yield and excellent variability in the transistor metrics. As alkyl chains widely exist in conjugated molecules and polymers, our strategy can potentially enhance the performance of a broad range of organic optoelectronic devices.

P300 Interacted With N-Myc and Regulated Its Protein Stability via Altering Its Post-Translational Modifications in Neuroblastoma.

MYCN amplification is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in neuroblastoma (NB), but its protein product cannot be directly targeted because of protein structure. Thus, this study aimed to explore novel ways to indirectly target N-Myc by regulating its post-translational modifications (PTMs) and therefore protein stability. N-Myc coimmunoprecipitation combined with HPLC-MS/MS identified 16 PTM residues and 114 potential N-Myc-interacting proteins. Notably, both acetylation and ubiquitination were identified on lysine 199 of N-Myc. We then discovered that p300, which can interact with N-Myc, modulated the protein stability of N-Myc in MYCN-amplified NB cell lines and simultaneously regulated the acetylation level and ubiquitination level on lysine-199 of N-Myc protein in vitro. Furthermore, p300 correlated with poor prognosis in NB patients. Taken together, p300 can be considered as a potential therapeutic target to treat MYCN-amplified NB patients, and other identified PTMs and interacting proteins also provide potential targets for further study.

Recent progress on performances and mechanisms of carbon dots for gas sensing.

Carbon dots (CDs), as an attractive zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterial with unique photoluminescent merits, have recently exhibited significant application potential in gas sensing as a result of their excellent optical/electronic characteristics, high chemical/thermal stability, and tunable surface states. CDs exhibit strong light absorption in the ultraviolet range and tunable photoluminescence characteristics in the visible range, which makes CDs an effective tool for optical sensing applications. Optical gas sensor based on CDs have been investigated, which generally responds to the target gas by corresponding changes in optical absorption or fluorescence. Moreover, electrical gas sensor and quartz crystal microbalance sensor whose sensing layer involves CDs have also been designed. Electrical gas sensor exhibits an increase or a decrease in electrical current, capacitance, or conductance once exposed to the target gas. Quartz crystal microbalance sensor responds to the target gas with a frequency shift. CDs greatly promote the absorption of the target gas and improve the sensitivity of both sensors. In this review, we aim to summarize different types of gas sensors involving CDs, and sensing performances of these sensors for monitoring diverse gases or vapors, as well as the mechanisms of CDs in different types of sensors. Moreover, this review provides the prospect of the potential development of CDs based gas sensors.

Inhibition of XPO1 impairs cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation by triggering p53 intranuclear accumulation.

BACKGROUND: XPO1 mediates the nuclear export of several proteins, mainly tumor suppressors. KPT-330 (Selinexor) is a selective inhibitor of XPO1 that has demonstrated good therapeutic effects in hematologic cancers. METHODS: We used TCGA and GTEx pan-cancer database to evaluate XPO1 mRNA expression in various tumors. Cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay were used to analyze the in vitro antitumor effects of XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330. Western blot was performed to explore the specific mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that XPO1 was highly expressed across a range of cancers and associated with poor prognosis in hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors. We revealed that the XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330 triggered the nuclear accumulation of the p53 protein and significantly disrupted the proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma cells. Mechanistically, the XPO1 inhibitor, KPT-330, reduced BIRC6 expression by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway to decrease p53 degradation and improve its stability. CONCLUSION: Therefore, XPO1 may be a potential therapeutic target in cholangiocarcinoma, mediated by its effects on KPT-330.

Pan-Cancer Analysis of TLE3 Revealed Its Value in Tumor Microenvironment and Prognosis.

Background: Transducin-like enhancer of split 3 (TLE3), a member of the TLE gene family, is related to tumor genesis and progression. However, whether TLE3 played a crucial role in the whole pan-cancer remained unknown. Methods: Comprehensive analysis of TCGA, GEO, and GTEx data with an online tool, and R language was performed to explore the relationship of TLE3 expression between prognosis, gene mutation, protein phosphorylation, DNA methylation, tumor microenvironment, and related pathways in 33 tumors. Results: TLE3 was high-expressed in most tumors, and TLE3 expression and the prognosis of some tumor types were significantly correlated. The level of TLE3 expression in 33 cancer types was closely associated with DNA methylation. High-level phosphorylation sites of Tle3, such as S267 and S217, may promote cancers. In terms of the tumor microenvironment, TLE3 affected a wide variety of cancers, especially PRAD and LIHC, and TLE3 may act on them via immune-related pathways. Conclusions: The current work provided the first comprehensive investigation of TLE3 in a pan-cancer study, highlighting the role of TLE3 in the tumor immune microenvironment, and also determined the potential of TLE3 as a prognostic, immunotherapy response, and diagnostic biomarker in many cancers. However, the present results were preliminary and required further validation as this study was based on bioinformatics analyses.

Versatile self-assembled electrospun micropyramid arrays for high-performance on-skin devices with minimal sensory interference.

On-skin devices that show both high performance and imperceptibility are desired for physiological information detection, individual protection, and bioenergy conversion with minimal sensory interference. Herein, versatile electrospun micropyramid arrays (EMPAs) combined with ultrathin, ultralight, gas-permeable structures are developed through a self-assembly technology based on wet heterostructured electrified jets to endow various on-skin devices with both superior performance and imperceptibility. The designable self-assembly allows structural and material optimization of EMPAs for on-skin devices applied in daytime radiative cooling, pressure sensing, and bioenergy harvesting. A temperature drop of ~4 °C is obtained via an EMPA-based radiative cooling fabric under a solar intensity of 1 kW m-2. Moreover, detection of an ultraweak fingertip pulse for health diagnosis during monitoring of natural finger manipulation over a wide frequency range is realized by an EMPA piezocapacitive-triboelectric hybrid sensor, which has high sensitivity (19 kPa-1), ultralow detection limit (0.05 Pa), and ultrafast response (≤0.8 ms). Additionally, EMPA nanogenerators with high triboelectric and piezoelectric outputs achieve reliable biomechanical energy harvesting. The flexible self-assembly of EMPAs exhibits immense potential in superb individual healthcare and excellent human-machine interaction in an interference-free and comfortable manner.

Inhibition of XPO1 with KPT-330 induces autophagy-dependent apoptosis in gallbladder cancer by activating the p53/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly aggressive malignant cancer in the biliary system with poor prognosis. XPO1 (chromosome region maintenance 1 or CRM1) mediates the nuclear export of several proteins, mainly tumor suppressors. Thus, XPO1 functions as a pro-oncogenic factor. KPT-330 (Selinexor) is a United States Food and Drug Administration approved selective inhibitor of XPO1 that demonstrates good therapeutic effects in hematologic cancers. However, the function of XPO1 and the effect of KPT-330 have not been reported in GBC. METHODS: We analyzed the correlation between XPO1 expression levels by q-PCR and clinical features of GBC patients. Cell proliferation assays were used to analyze the in vitro antitumor effects of XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330. mRNA sequencing was used to explore the underlying mechanisms. Western blot was performed to explore the relationship between apoptosis and autophagy. The in vivo antitumor effect of KPT-330 was investigated in a nude mouse model of gallbladder cancer. RESULTS: We found that high expression of XPO1 was related to poor prognosis of GBC patients. We observed that XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330 inhibited the proliferation of GBC cells in vitro. Furthermore, XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330 induced apoptosis by reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential and triggering autophagy in NOZ and GBC-SD cells. Indeed, XPO1 inhibitor KPT-330 led to nuclear accumulation of p53 and activated the p53/mTOR pathway to regulate autophagy-dependent apoptosis. Importantly, KPT-330 suppressed tumor growth with no obvious toxic effects in vivo. CONCLUSION: XPO1 may be a promising prognostic indicator for GBC, and KPT-330 appears to be a potential drug for treating GBC effectively and safely.