The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition

Microplastics pollution of agricultural soil is a global environmental concern because of its potential risk to food security and human health. Although many studies have tested the direct effects of microplastics on growth of Eruca sativa Mill., little is known about whether these effects are regulated by fertilization and weed competition in field management practices. Here, we performed a greenhouse experiment growing E. sativa as target species in a three-factorial design with two levels of fertilization (low versus. high), two levels of weed competition treatments (weed competition versus no weed competition) and five levels of microplastic treatments (no microplastics, Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate [PBAT], Polybutylene succinate [PBS], Polycaprolactone [PCL] or Polypropylene [PP]). Compared to the soil without microplastics, PBS and PCL reduced aboveground biomass and leaf number of the E. sativa. PBS also resulted in increased root allocation and thicker roots in E. sativa. In addition, fertilization significantly mitigated the negative effects of PBS and PCL on aboveground biomass of E. sativa, but weed competition significantly promoted these effects. Although fertilization alleviated the negative effect of PBS on aboveground biomass, such alleviation became weaker under weed competition than when E. sativa grew alone. The results indicate that the effects of specific polymer types on E. sativa growth could be regulated by fertilization, weed management, and even their interactions. Therefore, reasonable on-farm management practices may help in mitigating the negative effects of microplastics pollution on E. sativa growth in agricultural fields.

Adsorption Behavior of NO and NO2 on Two-Dimensional As, Sb, and Bi Materials: First-Principles Insights

To address the most significant environmental challenges, the quest for high-performance gas sensing materials is crucial. Among numerous two-dimensional materials, this study investigates the gas-sensitive capabilities of monolayer As, Sb, and Bi materials. To compare the gas detection abilities of these three materials, we employ first-principles calculations to comprehensively study the adsorption behavior of NO and NO2 gas molecules on the material surfaces. The results indicate that monolayer Bi material exhibits reasonable adsorption distances, substantial adsorption energies, and significant charge transfer for both NO and NO2 gases. Therefore, among the materials studied, it demonstrates the best gas detection capability. Furthermore, monolayer As and Sb materials exhibit remarkably high capacities for adsorbing NO and NO2 gas molecules, firmly interacting with the gas molecules. Gas adsorption induces changes in the material's work function, suggesting the potential application of these two materials as catalysts.

[New progress in the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma]

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a kind of cancer with a strong invasion, a high incidence rate and mortality, and a poor prognosis. At the time of diagnosis, most patients are already in the advanced stages of a tumor and have lost the chance for radical surgical treatment. Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treatment has a gradual transition from systemic chemotherapy to targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and combination therapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy combination therapy, such as combination with bevacizumab monoclonal antibodies and other drugs, or combination with TACE, HAIC, radiotherapy, ablation, and other treatment methods. Combination therapy has significant synergistic effects and thus has already become a future treatment trend for hepatocellular carcinoma. An immunotherapy-based combination therapy plan will run through the whole process of systemic therapy, which is expected to bring better survival benefits to patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This article reviews the latest research progress in aspects of the first-line treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Advanced detection of cervical cancer biomarkers using engineered filamentous phage nanofibers

Cervical cancer is a major global health concern, characterized by its high incidence and mortality rates. The detection of tumor markers is crucial for managing cancer, making treatment decisions, and monitoring disease progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PDL-1) are key targets in cervical cancer therapy and valuable biomarkers in predicting treatment response and prognosis. In this study, we found that combining the measurement of VEGF and soluble PDL-1 can be used for diagnosing and evaluating the progression of cervical cancer. To explore a more convenient approach for detecting and assessing cervical cancer, we designed and prepared an engineered fd bacteriophage, a human-safe viral nanofiber, equipped with two peptides targeting VEGF and PD-L1. The dual-display phage nanofiber specifically recognizes and binds to both proteins. Utilizing this nanofiber as a novel capture agent, we developed a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. This method shows significantly enhanced detection sensitivity compared to conventional ELISA methods, which use either anti-VEGF or anti-PD-L1 antibodies as capture agents. Therefore, the phage dual-display nanofiber presents significant potential in detecting cancer markers, evaluating medication efficacy, and advancing immunotherapy drug development. KEY POINTS: • The combined measurement of VEGF and soluble Programmed Death-Ligand 1(sPD-L1) demonstrates an additive effect in the diagnosis of cervical cancer. Fd phage nanofibers have been ingeniously engineered to display peptides that bind to VEGF and PD-L1, enabling the simultaneous detection of both proteins within a single assay • Genetically engineered phage nanofibers, adorned with two distinct peptides, can be utilized for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer and can be mass-produced cost-effectively through bacterial infections • Employing dual-display fd phage nanofibers as capture probes, the phage ELISA method exhibited significantly enhanced detection sensitivity compared to traditional sandwich ELISA. Furthermore, phage ELISA facilitates the detection of a single protein or the simultaneous detection of multiple proteins, rendering them powerful tools for protein analysis and diagnosis across various fields, including cancer research.

Homeostatic Solid Solution Reaction in Phosphate Cathode: Breaking High-Voltage Barrier to Achieve High Energy Density and Long Life of Sodium-Ion Batteries

The stable phase transformation during electrochemical progress drives extensive research on vanadium-based polyanions in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), especially Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 (NVP). And the electron transfer between V3+/4+ redox couple in NVP could be generally achieved, owing to the confined crystal variation during battery service. However, the more favorable V4+/5+ redox couple is still in hard-to-access situation due to the high barrier and further brings about the corresponding inefficiency in energy densities. In this work, the multilevel redox in NVP frame (MLNP) alters reaction pathway to undergo homeostatic solid solution process and breaks the high barrier of V4+/5+ at high voltage, taking by progressive transition metal (V, Fe, Ti, and Cr) redox couple. The diversified reaction paths across diffusion barriers could be realized by distinctive release/uptake of inactive Na1 site, confirmed by the calculations of density functional theory. Thereby its volume change is merely 1.73% during the multielectron-transfer process (≈2.77 electrons). MLNP cathode could achieve an impressive energy density of 440 Wh kg-1 , driving the leading development of MLNP among other NASICON structure SIBs. The integration of multiple redox couples with low strain modulates the reaction pathway effectively and will open a new avenue for fabricating high-performance cathodes in SIBs.

Electrochemiluminescent assay based on Co-MOF and TiO2 for determination of bisphenol A

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for determining bisphenol A (BPA) was prepared based on titanium dioxide (TiO2) and Co-MOF. TiO2 is a co-reaction promoter that amplifies the ECL signal in the Ru(bpy)32+-trinpropylamine (TPrA) system. When the electrode is modified with Co-MOF the ECL signal is significantly enhanced. This is because Co-MOF can not only be used as a co-reaction accelerator but also as a carrier to adsorb more luminescent substances. Possible mechanisms for amplifying the original signal through the synergistic action of the two substances are investigated. The ECL strength decreases with increasing concentrations of BPA, and the amount of BPA can be determined by the change in ECL signal strength (ΔI). Under optimal experimental conditions, the linear range of BPA was 2.0 × 10-10 to 2.0 × 10-5 M, with a determination limit of 6.7 × 10-11 M (3σ/m). The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the signal for ten consecutive measurements was 1.5%. The sensor can be used to detect BPA in bottled samples with recoveries of 96 to 105%.

Hierarchical Porous Aerogels With Multiple Adsorptive Interactions for Dye Wastewater Purification

Aerogels present a huge potential for removing organic dyes from printing and dyeing wastewater (PDW). However, the preparation of aerogels with multiple dye adsorption capabilities remains a challenge, as many existing aerogels are limited to adsorbing only a single type of dye. Herein, a composite aerogel (CG/T-rGO) with the addition of carboxymethyl chitosan, gelatin and tannic acid reduced graphene oxide (T-rGO) was synthesized by freeze-drying technology. The electrostatic interactions between dye molecular and GEL/CMCS (CG) networks, as well as the supramolecular interactions (H-bonds, electrostatic interactions and π-π stacks) between T-rGO, have endowed the aerogel with the ability to adsorb multiple types of dye, such as methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). Results exhibited that the prepared CG/T-rGO aerogel possessed strong mechanical strength and a porous 3D network structure with a porosity of 96.33 %. Using MB and MO as adsorbates, the adsorption capacity (88.2 mg/g and 66.6 mg/g, respectively) and the mechanism of the CG/T-rGO aerogel were investigated. The adsorption processes of aerogel for MB and MO were shown to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, indicating the chemical adsorption of a monolayer. The proposed aerogel in this work has promising prospects for dye removal from PDW.

scMGCN: A Multi-View Graph Convolutional Network for Cell Type Identification in scRNA-seq Data

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data reveal the complexity and diversity of cellular ecosystems and molecular interactions in various biomedical research. Hence, identifying cell types from large-scale scRNA-seq data using existing annotations is challenging and requires stable and interpretable methods. However, the current cell type identification methods have limited performance, mainly due to the intrinsic heterogeneity among cell populations and extrinsic differences between datasets. Here, we present a robust graph artificial intelligence model, a multi-view graph convolutional network model (scMGCN) that integrates multiple graph structures from raw scRNA-seq data and applies graph convolutional networks with attention mechanisms to learn cell embeddings and predict cell labels. We evaluate our model on single-dataset, cross-species, and cross-platform experiments and compare it with other state-of-the-art methods. Our results show that scMGCN outperforms the other methods regarding stability, accuracy, and robustness to batch effects. Our main contributions are as follows: Firstly, we introduce multi-view learning and multiple graph construction methods to capture comprehensive cellular information from scRNA-seq data. Secondly, we construct a scMGCN that combines graph convolutional networks with attention mechanisms to extract shared, high-order information from cells. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the scMGCN on various datasets.

Dielectric Design of High Dielectric Constant Poly(Urea-Urethane) Elastomer for Low-Voltage High-Mobility Intrinsically Stretchable All-Solution-Processed Organic Transistors

Stretchable organic transistors for skin-like biomedical applications require low-voltage operation to accommodate limited power supply and safe concerns. However, most of the currently reported stretchable organic transistors operate at relatively high voltages. Decreasing their operational voltage while keeping the high mobility still remains a key challenge. Here, the study presents a new dielectric design to achieve high-dielectric constant poly(urea-urethane) (PUU) elastomer, by incorporating a flexible small-molecular diamine crosslinking agent 4-aminophenyl disulfide (APDS) into the main chain of (poly (propylene glycol), tolylene 2,4-diiso-cyanate terminated) (PPG-TDI). Compared with commercial elastomers, the PUU elastomer as dielectric of the stretchable organic transistors shows the outstanding advantages including lower surface roughness (0.33 nm), higher adhesion (45.18 nN), higher dielectric constant (13.5), as well as higher stretchability (896%). The PUU dielectric enables the intrinsically stretchable, all-solution-processed organic transistor to operate at a low operational voltage down to -10 V, while preserving a substantial mobility of 1.39 cm2  V-1  s-1 . Impressively, the transistor also demonstrates excellent electrical stability under repeated switching of 10 000 cycles, and remarkable mechanical robustness when stretched up to 100%. The work opens up a new molecular engineering strategy to successfully realize low-voltage high-mobility stretchable all-solution-processed organic transistors.

Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Carbon Dioxide Reduction using a Bioinspired Nickel Molecular Catalyst

Inspired by natural enzymes, this study presents a nickel-based molecular catalyst, [Ni‖ (N2 S2 )]Cl2 (NiN2 S2 , N2 S2 =2,11-dithia[3,3](2,6)pyridinophane), for the photochemical catalytic reduction of CO2 under visible light. The catalyst was synthesized and characterized using various techniques, including liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), UV-Visible spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The crystallographic analysis revealed a slightly distorted octahedral coordination geometry with a mononuclear Ni2+ cation, two nitrogen atoms and two sulfur atoms. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction experiments were performed in homogeneous conditions using the catalyst in combination with [Ru(bpy)3 ]Cl2 (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) as a photosensitizer and 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (BIH) as a sacrificial electron donor. The catalyst achieved a high selectivity of 89 % towards CO and a remarkable turnover number (TON) of 7991 during 8 h of visible light irradiation under CO2 in the presence of phenol as a co-substrate. The turnover frequency (TOF) in the initial 6 h was 1079 h-1 , with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 1.08 %. Controlled experiments confirmed the dependency on the catalyst, light, and sacrificial electron donor for the CO2 reduction process. These findings demonstrate this bioinspired nickel molecular catalyst could be effective for fast and efficient photochemical catalytic reduction of CO2 to CO.

The efficacy and safety of immune-checkpoint inhibitors plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs) combined with chemotherapy are emerging as an effective first-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, reports on the magnitude of effectiveness and safety are conflicting.

METHODS

Relevant articles published before February 2022 were searched in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. The study included all randomized controlled trials that evaluated ICIs with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy for the treatment of NSCLC. Among the outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs).

RESULTS

Our meta-analysis included a total of 12 studies. Overall analysis indicated that ICIs plus chemotherapy could significantly improve OS (HR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.74-0.84; I2 = 44.4%, P = 0.055), PFS (HR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.59-0.67; I2 = 75.3%, P = 0.000), and ORR (RR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.27-1.73; I2 = 79.0%, P = 0.000) when compared to chemotherapy treatments. Subgroup analysis showed that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy significantly improved OS, PFS, and ORR when compared with chemotherapy with decreased grade 1-2 TRAEs. In addition, female patients with nonsquamous histology might receive more OS benefit from ICIs plus chemotherapy when compared to chemotherapy alone. Despite the fact that CTLA-4 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy increased PFS, there were no benefits gained in OS nor ORR. When PD-L1/CTLA-4 inhibitors were added to chemotherapy, the risk of grade 3-5 adverse events increased whereas PD-1 inhibitors did not.

CONCLUSIONS

ICIs plus chemotherapy, compared with chemotherapy, were associated with significantly improved PFS, ORR, and OS in NSCLC therapy. However, PD-L1/CTLA-4 inhibitors plus chemotherapy could increase the risk of grade 3-5 adverse events, but not PD-1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy.

A Time-Varying Mixture Integer-Valued Threshold Autoregressive Process Driven by Explanatory Variables

In this paper, a time-varying first-order mixture integer-valued threshold autoregressive process driven by explanatory variables is introduced. The basic probabilistic and statistical properties of this model are studied in depth. We proceed to derive estimators using the conditional least squares (CLS) and conditional maximum likelihood (CML) methods, while also establishing the asymptotic properties of the CLS estimator. Furthermore, we employed the CLS and CML score functions to infer the threshold parameter. Additionally, three test statistics to detect the existence of the piecewise structure and explanatory variables were utilized. To support our findings, we conducted simulation studies and applied our model to two applications concerning the daily stock trading volumes of VOW.

Connecting the mechanisms of tumor sex differences with cancer therapy

Sex differences in cancer incidence and survival are constant and pronounced globally, across all races and all age groups of cancer types. In 2016, after the National Institutes of Health proposed a policy of utilizing sex as a biological variable, researchers started paying more attention to the molecular mechanisms behind gender variations in cancer. Historically, most previous studies investigating sex differences have been centered on gonadal sex hormones. Nevertheless, sex differences also involve genetic and molecular pathways that run throughout the entire process of cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and treatment response, in addition to sex hormones. In particular, there is significant gender dimorphism in the efficacy and toxicity of oncology treatments, including conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as the emerging targeted therapies and immunotherapy. To be clear, not all mechanisms will exhibit gender bias, and not all gender bias will affect cancer risk. Our goal in this review is to discuss some of the significant sex-related changes in fundamental cancer pathways. To this purpose, we summarize the differential impact of gender on cancer development in three dimensions: sex hormones, genetics, and epigenetics, and focus on current hot subjects including tumor suppressor function, immunology, stem cell renewal, and non-coding RNAs. Clarifying the essential mechanisms of gender differences will help guide the clinical treatment of both sexes in tumor radiation and chemotherapy, medication therapy with various targets, immunotherapy, and even drug development. We anticipate that sex-differentiated research will help advance sex-based cancer personalized medicine models and encourage future basic scientific and clinical research to take sex into account.

Sulfonated Polyimide Membranes Constructed by Main-Chain and Molecular-Network Engineering Strategy for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Excessive swelling is one important factor that leads to high fuel permeability and limited operating concentration of methanol for proton exchange membranes. Herein, a collaborative strategy of main-chain and molecular-network engineering is applied to lower swelling ratio and improve methanol resistance for highly sulfonated polyimide. Two m-phenylenediamine monomers (4-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-vinylphenoxy)benzene-1,3-diamine and 4,6-bis(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-vinylphenoxy)benzene-1,3-diamine) with tetrafluorostyrol groups are designed and synthesized. Two series of cross-linked sulfonated polyimides (CSPI-Ts, CSPI-Bs) are prepared from the two diamines, 4,4'-diaminostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylicdianhydride. The rigid main-chain structure is cornerstone for wet CSPI-Ts and CSPI-Bs remaining stable at elevated temperatures. The introduction of hydrophobic cross-linked network further improves their dimensional stability and methanol resistance. CSPI-Ts and CSPI-Bs show obviously improved performances containing high proton conductivity (121 ± 0.27-158 ± 0.35 S cm-1 ), low swelling ratio (9.6 ± 0.40%-16.1 ± 0.01%) and methanol permeability (4.14-7.69 × 10-7 cm2 s-1 ) at 80 °C. The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is assembled from CSPI-T-10 with balanced properties, and it exhibits high maximum power density (PDmax ) of 82.3 and 72.6 mW cm-2 in 2 and 10 m methanol solution, respectively. The ratio of PDmax in 10 m methanol solution to the value in 2 m methanol solution is as high as 88%. The CSPI-T-10 is promising proton exchange membrane candidate for DMFC application.

Mechanical behavior and microstructure of porcine brain tissues under pulsed electric fields

Pulsed electric fields are extensively utilized in clinical treatments, such as subthalamic deep brain stimulation, where electric field loading is in direct contact with brain tissue. However, the alterations in brain tissue's mechanical properties and microstructure due to changes in electric field parameters have not received adequate attention. In this study, the mechanical properties and microstructure of the brain tissue under pulsed electric fields were focused on. Herein, a custom indentation device was equipped with a module for electric field loading. Parameters such as pulse amplitude and frequency were adjusted. The results demonstrated that following an indentation process lasting 5 s and reaching a depth of 1000 μm, and a relaxation process of 175 s, the average shear modulus of brain tissue was reduced, and viscosity decreased. At the same amplitude, high-frequency pulsed electric fields had a smaller effect on brain tissue than low-frequency ones. Furthermore, pulsed electric fields induced cell polarization and reduced the proteoglycan concentration in brain tissue. As pulse frequency increased, cell polarization diminished, and proteoglycan concentration decreased significantly. High-frequency pulsed electric fields applied to brain tissue were found to reduce impedance fluctuation amplitude. This study revealed the effect of pulsed electric fields on the mechanical properties and microstructure of ex vivo brain tissue, providing essential information to promote the advancement of brain tissue electrotherapy in clinical settings.

Applications of nanomaterials in anti-VEGF treatment for ophthalmic diseases

Angiogenesis has been determined to be essential in the occurrence and metastasis of diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), choroidal neovascularization (CNV), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), tumor, etc. However, the clinical use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) drugs is currently limited due to its high cost, potential side effects, and need for repeated injections. In recent years, nanotechnology has shown promising results in inhibiting neovascularization and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) or inflammatory factors. Some nanomaterials can also act as vehicles for drug delivery, such as lipid nanoparticles and PLGA. The process of angiogenesis and its molecular mechanism are discussed in this article. At the same time, this study aims to systematically review the research progress of nanotechnology and offer more treatment options for neovascularization-related diseases in clinical ophthalmology.

Rapid Synthesis of Trimetallic Nanozyme for Sustainable Cascaded Catalytic Therapy via Tumor Microenvironment Remodulation

Tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanozyme-catalyzed cancer therapy shows great potential due to its specificity and efficiency. However, breaking the self-adaption of tumors and improving the sustainable remodeling TME ability remains a major challenge for developing novel nanozymes. Here, a rapid method is developed first to synthesize unprecedented trimetalic nanozyme (AuMnCu, AMC) with a targeting peptide (AMCc), which exhibits excellent peroxidase-like, catalase-like, and glucose oxidase-like activities. The released Cu and Mn ions in TME consume endogenous H2 O2 and produce O2 , while the AMCccatalyzes glucose oxidation reaction to generate H2 O2 and gluconic acid, which achieves the starvation therapy by depleting the energy and enhances the chemodynamic therapy effect by lowering the pH of the TME and producing extra H2 O2 . Meanwhile, the reactive oxygen species damage is amplified, as AMCc can constantly oxidize intracellular reductive glutathione through the cyclic valence alternation of Cu and Mn ions, and the generated Cu+ elevate the production of ·OH from H2 O2 . Further studies depict that the well-designed AMCc exhibits the excellent photothermal performance and achieves TME-responsive sustainable starvation/photothermal-enhanced chemodynamic synergistic effects in vitro and in vivo. Overall, a promising approach is demonstrated here to design "all-in-one" nanozyme for theranostics by remodeling the TME.

EGFR-Activated JAK2/STAT3 Pathway Confers Neuroprotection in Spinal Cord Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Evidence from High-Throughput Sequencing and Experimental Models

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion (SCI/R) injury. Through RNA-Seq high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, we found that EGFR was downregulated in the spinal cord of SCI/R mice and may function via mediating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. In vitro cell experiments indicated that overexpression of EGFR activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and reduced neuronal apoptosis levels. In vivo animal experiments further confirmed this conclusion, suggesting that EGFR inhibits SCI/R-induced neuronal apoptosis by activating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby improving SCI/R-induced spinal cord injury in mice. This study revealed the molecular mechanisms of SCI/R injury and provided new therapeutic strategies for treating neuronal apoptosis.

Solvent-Exchange Triggered Solidification of Peptide/POM Coacervates for Enhancing the On-Site Underwater Adhesion

Peptide-based biomimetic underwater adhesives are emerging candidates for understanding the adhesion mechanism of natural proteins secreted by sessile organisms. However, there is a grand challenge in the functional recapitulation of the on-site interfacial spreading, adhesion and spontaneous solidification of native proteins in water using peptide adhesives without applied compressing pressure. Here, a solvent-exchange strategy was utilized to exert the underwater injection, on-site spreading, adhesion and sequential solidification of a series of peptide/polyoxometalate coacervates. The coacervates were first prepared in a mixed solution of water and organic solvents by rationally suppressing the non-covalent interactions. After switching to a water environment, the solvent exchange between bulk water and the organic solvent embedded in the matrix of the peptide/polyoxometalate coacervates recovered the hydrophobic effect by increasing the dielectric constant, resulting in a phase transition from soft coacervates to hard solid with enhanced bulk cohesion and thus compelling underwater adhesive performance. The key to this approach is the introduction of suitable organic solvents, which facilitate the control of the intermolecular interactions and the cross-linking density of the peptide/polyoxometalate adhesives in the course of solidification under the water line. The solvent-exchange method displays fascinating universality and compatibility with different peptide segments.

Revealing Size-Dependency of Ionic Liquid to Assist Perovskite Film Formation Mechanism for Efficient and Durable Perovskite Solar Cells

Ionic liquids (ILs) are extensively utilized for the manipulation of crystallization kinetics of perovskite, morphology optimization, and defect passivation for the fabrication of highly efficient and stable devices. However, comparing ILs with different chemical structures and selecting the appropriate ILs from the many types available to enhance perovskite device performance remains a challenge. In this study, a range of ILs containing different sizes of anions are introduced as additives for assisting in film formation in perovskite photovoltaics. Specifically, ILs with various sizes significantly affects the strength of chemical interaction between ILs and perovskite composition, inducing varying degrees of conversion of lead iodide to perovskite as well as the formation of perovskite films with markedly disparate grain sizes and morphology. Theoretical calculations in conjunction with experimental measurements revealed that small-sized anion can more effectively reduce defect density by filling halide vacancies within perovskite bulk materials, resulting in suppression of charge-carrier recombination, an extended photoluminescence lifetime, and significantly improved device performance. Boosted by ILs with appropriate size, the champion power conversion efficiency of 24.09% for the ILs-treated device is obtained, and the unencapsulated devices retain 89.3% of its original efficiency under ambient conditions for 2000 h.

Imaging findings can't mean everything in the era of immunotherapy: a case report and literature review

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) play an important role in the treatment of cancers. However, immunotherapy can also induce atypical response patterns, including pseudoprogression, which is challenging to clinicians. We reported a case of non-small-cell lung cancer showing so-called pseudoprogression during the treatment of pembrolizumab and the patient benefited clinically from continued treatment with ICIs. Therefore, beside imaging evaluation, the assessment of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score, numerical rating scale score of cancer pain, tumor markers levels, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio should be used for response evaluation of tumors in the era of immunotherapy. And more accurate evaluation methods and reliable information are urgently needed to better understand the pseudoprogression.

Rhodanine Derivatives Containing 5-Aryloxypyrazole Moiety as Anti-inflammatory and Anticancer Agents

In this study, a series of rhodanine derivatives containing 5-aryloxypyrazole moiety were identified as potential agents with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Most of the synthesized compounds demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. Notably, compound 7 g (94.1 %) exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity compared with the reference drugs celecoxib (52.5 %) and hydrocortisone (79.4 %). Compound 7 g, at various concentrations, effectively inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot results showed that compound 7 g could prevents LPS-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in macrophages. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay suggested that 7 g is a promising compound capable of blocking the downstream signaling of COX-2. In summary, these findings indicate that compound 7 g could be a promising candidate for further investigation.

Decoupled Design for Highly Efficient Perchlorate Anion Intercalation and High-Energy Rechargeable Aqueous Zn-Graphite Batteries

Seeking new cathode chemistry with high onset potential and compatibility with electrolytes has become a challenge for aqueous Zn ion batteries. Anion intercalation in graphite (4.5 V vs Li+ /Li) possesses the potentiality but usually shows a competitive relationship with oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in aqueous solutions. Herein, a decoupled design is proposed to optimize a full utilization of perchlorate ion intercalation in graphite cathode by pH adjustment. Benefiting from the decoupled design, high Coulombic efficiency is obtained by decelerating the kinetic of OER in acidic media. The decoupled Zn-graphite battery exhibits a wide potential window of 2.01 V, as well as an attractive energy density of 231 Wh kg-1 . In addition, a Zn-graphite battery withSO 4 2 - ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2 - }$ insertion is assembled, which demonstrates the capability of the proposed decoupled strategy to integrate novel electrode chemistries for high-performance aqueous Zn-based energy storage systems.

Hollow Cavity CaO2 @Polydopamine Nanocomposites for pH-Responsive Ca2+ -Enhanced Efficient Mild Hyperthermia in the NIR-II Region

Second near-infrared (NIR-II) mild photothermal therapy with higher tissue penetration depth and less damage to healthy tissues is emerging as an attractive antitumor modality, but its therapeutic efficiency is dramatically suppressed by the resistance of heat shock proteins (HSPs). As a widely explored photothermal agent, the application of polydopamine (PDA) in the NIR-II region is hampered by low photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, its PCE in the NIR-II region is improved by developing novel hollow cavity CaO2 @PDA nanocomposites through chelation-induced diffusion of inner core Ca2+ to the shell PDA to facilitate multiple reflections of laser in the cavity. Upon pH-responsive degradation of CaO2 , its structure is transformed into a stacked "nano-mesh" with excellent light absorption and an enlarged effective irradiation area. Overloading of Ca2+ ions not only induces downregulation of HSPs but also enhances interference of light on membrane potential, which further aggravate mitochondrial dysfunction and reduce the thermotolerance of tumor cells, promoting efficient mild hyperthermia of PDA in the NIR-II region.