Directional light emitters are vital to enhancing the out-coupling efficiency of light-emitting devices. Having asymmetric atomic arrangements or crystalline structures is an important precondition for being directional light emitters; therefore, it is theoretically impossible to achieve directional light emission in quasi-spherical quantum dots with isotropic crystalline structures, such as zinc-blende. Here we discover that this limitation can be lifted by introducing stacking faults, which break the high crystalline symmetry of zinc-blende quantum dots, enabling preferential orientation of transition dipoles and directional light emission. As a result, we achieved enhanced light out-coupling efficiency in light-emitting diodes using zinc-blende quantum dots and obtained high external quantum efficiencies of 34.3% and 31.0% in green CdZnSe- and InP-based quantum dot light-emitting diodes, respectively.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a refractory and serious disease, and there is a need for developing effective clinical treatment strategies. A major cause of pulmonary fibrosis is excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, while the overexpression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) is one of the key drivers of the excessive deposition. Here, we report a targeted DNA triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) liposome (tLipo-TFO1) for pulmonary fibrosis gene therapy to accelerate the clearance of deposited extracellular matrix. tLipo-TFO1 can block the expression of the Serpine1 gene of pulmonary fibrotic cells and thereby downregulate the function of Serpine1-gene-encoded PAI-1 protein. Functional assessments show pulmonary fibrosis-targeting, fibrinolysis-activating effect, as well as significant efficacy in treating pulmonary-fibrosis-bearing mice in vivo. Our study thus suggests that this targeted DNA TFO liposome could be a gene therapy approach for pulmonary fibrosis.

Two-dimensional heterojunctions hold great promise for optoelectronic applications since the unique band structures and interfacial properties. However, conventional fabrication techniques suffer from problems like interface contamination, difficulties in scaling production, and poor process control, leading to degraded and unstable device performance. In this work, we develop a one-step in-situ chemical vapor deposition strategy for the controlled synthesis of high-quality SnS/SnS2 heterostructures. This approach leverages the inherent process control to achieve clean interfaces and scalable production. The designed Au-SnS/SnS2-Au sandwich heterostructure photodetector, comprising bulk SnS and ultrathin SnS2, exhibits a dominant space-charge-limited current mechanism. With bidirectional bias applied, the photocurrent shows a superlinear increase, which is attributed to efficient carrier management behavior. Consequently, this device achieves superior photoresponse: the photoresponsivity of 119.1 mA/W, the detectivity of 5.73 × 1011 Jones, and fast response speed of 16.8 ms. The study not only provides a facile pathway for synthesizing high-quality 2D heterojunctions, but also demonstrates their significant potential for high-performance optoelectronics through the effective interplay material synthesis and device physics.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is a significant driving factor in the occurrence and progression of lung cancer. How to effectively block the abnormal expression of EGFR remains a key issue that urgently needs to be addressed, as it is of vital importance for the effective treatment of this cancer. Here, we report a recombinant targeted bionanoparticle that in vitro expresses Cas9 protein (tBioNP vitro-Cas9) for gene editing of EGFR mutant lung cancer. The nanoparticle was developed by transfection of four plasmids (Gag-Cas9, Gag, sgRNA, VSV-G Azi) into 293T cells to form a type of bionanoparticle and modifying it with a targeted polymer material (DBCO-PEG-FA), and it showed a cancer-targeted property, faster cancer cellular uptake, higher gene editing efficiency with lower off-target effects, and therapy efficacy in mice, indicating a translational prospect. In conclusion, the study provides a recombinant bionanoparticle in vitro expressing a Cas9 gene editing system and offers a potential strategy for gene therapy of EGFR mutant lung cancer.

Cancer patients by immune checkpoint therapy have achieved long-term remission, with no recurrence of clinical symptoms of cancer for many years. Nevertheless, more than half of cancer patients are not responsive to this therapy due to immune exhaustion. Here, we report a novel gene engineered exosome which is rationally designed by engineering PD1 gene and simultaneously enveloping an immune adjuvant imiquimod (PD1-Imi Exo) for boosting response of cancer immune checkpoint blockage therapy. The results showed that PD1-Imi Exo had a vesicular round shape (approximately 139 nm), revealed a significant targeting and a strong binding effect with both cancer cell and dendritic cell, and demonstrated a remarkable therapeutic efficacy in the melanoma-bearing mice and in the breast cancer-bearing mice. The mechanism was associated with two facts that PD1-Imi Exo blocked the binding of CD8+ T cell with cancer cell, displaying a PD1/PDL1 immune checkpoint blockage effect, and that imiquimod released from PD1-Imi Exo promoted the maturation of immature dendritic cell, exhibiting a reversing effect on the immune exhaustion through activating and restoring function of CD8+ T cell. In conclusion, the gene engineered exosome could be used for reversing T cell exhaustion in cancer immunotherapy. This study also offers a promising new strategy for enhancing PD1/PDL1 therapeutic efficacy, preventing tumor recurrence or metastasis after surgery by rebuilding the patients' immunity, thus consolidating the overall prognosis.

All-2D van der Waals (vdW) Schottky heterojunctions provide a new platform for constructing the self-powered photo detector. However, the sophisticated process flow and unintentional introduction of structural defects can severely degrade the device's performance. In this work, a novel Schottky homojunction based on self-assembled 1T/2H MoS2 was reported. Experimental results evidenced that the photo detector exhibited self-powered characteristics. The photovoltaic effects could be observed across a broad spectrum ranging from 380 to 900 nm. Moreover, responsivities (R) of 24.5 mA/W, 29.5 mA/W, and 89 mA/W, and detectivities (D*) of 1.37 x 1011 Jones, 1.65 x 1011 Jones, and 4.98 x 1011 Jones, under UV (380 nm), visible light (550 nm), and nearinfrared (900 nm) light, could be achieved, respectively. And excellent switching response times of 6.2 m s (raise time) and 5 m s (fall time) were also recorded. These results evidence that the Schottky homojunction can be an attractive approach for developing high performance optoelectronic detectors.

With the increasing frequency of ultraviolet (UV) exposure in daily life and the exploration of anti-photoaging strategies, natural plant-derived compounds with anti-skin-aging properties have garnered significant attention. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of zein-chitosan-based nanocarriers in enhancing the bioavailability of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and to elucidate its mechanisms in ameliorating skin photoaging. Utilizing a Balb/c mouse model of photoaging, we monitored skin conditions, analyzed skin barrier function parameters, and observed changes in skin tissue structure and collagen fibers through hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Masson staining. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to assess COL1A1 levels in the skin, while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and NF-kB levels. The effects of orally administered EGCG nanoparticles on UV-induced skin aging were investigated. UV exposure significantly increased skin roughness, impaired skin barrier function, thickened the epidermis, reduced collagen content, decreased antioxidant enzyme activity, and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, MMPs, and NF-kB in the model group compared to the normal control group. EGCG nanoparticles markedly ameliorated these photoaging manifestations, with some indicators showing superior improvement compared to free EGCG. These findings suggest that EGCG nanoparticles exhibit enhanced anti-photoaging effects over free EGCG, highlighting the potential of nanocarriers as a promising strategy to improve the bioavailability of EGCG.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy using programmed cell death 1 (PD1) or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has made significant progress in the treatment of advanced cancers, with some patients achieving long-term remission without clinical recurrence. However, only a minority of colon cancer patients respond to the therapy. Here, we report a protease-cleavable anti-PD-L1 antibody liposome, eLipo anti-PD-L1, for enhancing colon cancer therapy. In vivo, eLipo anti-PD-L1 is cleaved by legumain at colon cancer site into pegylated anti-PD-L1 and cancer-homing doxorubicin liposome. Functional assessments show cancer-targeting, legumain-responding, tumor-penetrating, and immune-activating effects, as well as efficacy in treating colon cancer-bearing mice in vivo. Further mechanistic analysis implicates genes related to T cell differentiation and T cell receptor signaling as potential molecular mediators. Lastly, human colorectal cancer tissue evaluations verify expressions of PD-L1 and legumain, hinting a potential translatability. Our study thus suggests that eLipo anti-PD-L1 may be a feasible vector for co-delivery of immunochemotherapy for colon cancer.

Laterally excited bulk wave resonators demonstrate outstanding electromechanical coupling coefficient (Keff2) suitable for the design of wideband filters. However, it has not been commercialized due to the spurious modes and low temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF). In this paper, a near spurious-free 6 GHz resonator (SW-BAR) is proposed with single-sided wavy edges in the aperture direction. The SW-BAR suppress high-order harmonics in the area of the electrodes by confining the formation of standing waves. The design is fabricated using a 316 nm Z-cut lithium niobate thin film with an 18 mu m pitch (P). Measurements of the fabricated devices feature the spurious-free A1 mode with a high resonance frequency (fs) of 5.932 GHz, Keff2 of 22.19%, and Bode_Qmax of 283. In addition, the TCF of the proposed structure has improved from -73.58 to -57.36 ppm degrees C-1 since the suppression of high-order harmonics at fs. The near spurious-free SW-BAR shows fascinating prospects for high-performance RF filters in 5G/6G communication.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a traumatic lung disease characterized by excessive proliferation of lung fibroblasts and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix. There is clinical need for the development of efficient drug delivery system to treat this severe disorder. Here, we report a recombinant PD1 liposome loaded with nintedanib (rLipo nidanib) for pulmonary fibrosis therapy. The functional verification shows that it can target the lung fibroblast, inhibit the proliferation of lung fibroblast, reduce dense fibrosis areas and collagen deposition, and extend the survival period of the pulmonary fibrosis-bearing mice. The mechanism study reveals that it reduces the phosphorylated growth factor receptors and expression of PD-L1 in lung fibroblast, and blocks the binding between PD1 on immune cell and PD-L1 on lung fibroblast. The study hints a new approach for enhancing therapy efficacy of pulmonary fibrosis by targeted drug delivery along with immunoblockade strategy.

Adiponectin (APN) is a secreted adipokine that plays a key role in modulating energy and bone metabolism, as well as regulating inflammatory responses. The overexpression of APN has been proposed as a potential therapeutic strategy for treating obesity and related disorders. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are promising vectors for transporting messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) molecules. This study tested whether delivering a stabilized version of adiponectin mRNA (APN mRNA) using lipid nanoparticles could reduce fat formation and promote bone repair in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that transfection with APN-LNP upregulated the mRNA and protein expression of APN, while inhibiting adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. APN-LNP enhanced osteogenic gene expression in MC3T3-E1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also reduced matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression in receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, suggesting an anti-resorptive effect. In vivo, a femoral fracture model was established to explore the application of APN-LNP in promoting bone healing in diet-induced obese mice. Micro-computed tomography and histology analysis indicated that intravenous injection with APN-LNP promoted bone healing. Fasting blood glucose and body weight were decreased in the APN-LNP group. Moreover, APN-LNP increased bone sialoprotein and runt-related transcription factor 2 expression in contralateral femurs, as well as interleukin-10 expression in white adipose tissues. Thus, our study provides promising preclinical data on the potential use of APN-LNP for treating bone disorders in obesity.

Fish quality is a big-picture issue because of the possible presence of many chemical and biological pollutants, that may affect fish leading to environmental and health hazards. In this regard, researchers focus on developing efficient strategies for evaluating fish quality in terms of safety and freshness. Fish safety is determined based on assessing various pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, dyes, and drugs, in fish tissue. Additionally, fish freshness evaluation is based on assessing some indicators including xanthine, hypoxanthine, uric acid, and histamine. Many chromatographic methods can assess all of these chemical indicators to evaluate the fish quality. However, these methods are expensive and often require sophisticated steps. Thus, electrochemical methods based on noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) NPs, and their composites as electrode modifiers were investigated as potential replacements for the chromatographic ones. These materials showed high catalytic activity and electrical conductivity compared to the other electrode modifiers. In this review, we spotlight the role of NMNPs and MOF NPs in evaluating the quality of fish samples as a food source. Overall, NMNPs and MOF NPs are considered promising electrode materials for the electrochemical monitoring of fish quality.

With the global aging population and rising tumor incidence, central nervous system degenerative diseases and brain tumors have emerged as critical threats to human health. Leveraging the biological properties of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the development of dual-mediated brain-targeted liposomes via receptor-mediated and adsorption-mediated mechanisms holds promise for overcoming limitations such as lysosomal entrapment and saturation in single-receptor systems, thereby enabling efficient brain drug delivery. In this study, we constructed two types of dual-mediated liposomes using the BBB-specific ligand RVGP and cell-penetrating peptide R9 through distinct strategies: the monoligand liposome RVGPR9-SSL (incorporating both ligands as a single conjugate) and the biligand liposome RVGP-R9-SSL (displaying ligands as separate moieties). An in-depth comparative analysis of their BBB permeability and transport mechanisms was performed. Results demonstrate that RVGPR9-SSL circumvents lysosomal degradation via an endoplasmic reticulum-mediated transport pathway, exhibiting superior brain-targeted delivery efficiency and an excellent safety profile. These findings establish RVGPR9-SSL as an efficient brain-targeted drug delivery system with broad therapeutic potential for central nervous system disorders. Moreover, this study provides critical insights for the rational design of next-generation dual-mediated brain-targeted liposomal systems.

Our study examines the CO detection capabilities of pristine biphenylene (BP) and transition-metal-doped BP (M-BPx, x = 1 or 2), a novel two-dimensional nano-carbon material. Despite BP's potential in toxic gas detection, its low CO adsorption energy (Eads) of 0.134 eV limits its application. Utilizing a combined strategy of high-throughput computational screening and DFT technique, we accurately identified the ground state configurations of CO-adsorbed M-BPx (M = Sc, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, and Zn) and confirmed M doping significantly boosts BP's CO adsorption ability, with Eads values ranging from 2.809 to 8.206 eV. This improvement is supported by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and ionic d-p bonding interactions observed in electron localization functions, densities of state (DOS), and bond population analysis. Additionally, CO adsorption induces notable DOS changes in the M-BPx systems, validating the potential of M-BPx as suitable materials for CO detection. Notably, Zn-BP2 show notable work function shift after CO adsorption (0.36 eV), outperforming pristine BP's 0.30 eV shift, and favorable recovery time (8.940 s). These shifts underscore the potential of Zn-BP2 for work function-based high-temperature CO sensor, marking it as a promising material for sensitive CO detection.

The alloy-type material Sb is widely used in the anode materials of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical specific capacity. However, its serious volume expansion problem during alloying/dealloying of Li+ limits its practical application. In this work, C-Sb composite was constructed as anode material of LIBs by electrospinning route for the first time, Sb was introduced into the polyacrylonitrile-based hard carbon and coal tar pitch-based soft carbon composite amorphous carbon fiber with a diameter of 300–600 nm, which realized high cycling stability. The C-Sb-2 (the mass ratio of polyacrylonitrile to Sb source is 1:2) electrode displayed charge capacities of 1098.5, 930.3, 841.7, 753.5, 643.9 and 545.8 mAh·g−1 at 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1 and 2 A·g−1, respectively. And when the current density returned to 0.1 A·g−1, the charge capacity was 939.3 mAh·g−1, revealing good stability and reversibility. The introduction of Sb into the amorphous carbon improved its conductivity and addressed the volume expansion issue of high specific capacity Sb during charge/discharge. Ex-situ XRD analysis confirmed the high reversibility of the C-Sb-2 during charging and discharging. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the gradual enhancement of the interface interaction between SbxLiy and amorphous carbon (AMC) with increasing lithium content, contributing to the anchoring of alloy nanoparticles on the AMC surface and buffering the volume change of the alloy. Moreover, the gradual lithiation of Sb facilitated the electron transfer from SbxLiy to AMC. These findings hold promise for designing lithium storage materials with exceptional performance, highlighting the potential of C-Sb composites as anode materials for efficient next-generation lithium storage.

Reasonable design of cost-effective counter electrode (CE) catalysts for triiodide (I3−) reduction reaction (IRR) by simultaneously combining heteroatom doping and facet engineering is highly desired in iodine-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but really challenging. Herein, the density function theory (DFT) calculations were first conducted to demonstrate that the Fe-doped NiSe (111) showed an appropriate adsorption energy for I3−, increased number of metal active sites, reinforced charge-transfer ability, and strong interaction between 3d states of metal sites and 5p state of I1 atoms in I3−, compared to NiSe (111). Based on this finding, the well-defined Fe-NiSe octahedron with exposed (111) plane (marked as Fe-NiSe (111)) and NiSe octahedron with the same exposed plane (named as NiSe (111)) are controllably synthesized. When the as-prepared Fe-NiSe (111) and NiSe (111) worked as CE catalysts, Fe-NiSe (111) exhibits improved electrochemical performance with higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) than NiSe (111), providing new opportunity to replace precious Pt for DSSCs.

The abuse of kanamycin (KAN) poses an increasing threat to human health by contaminating agricultural and animal husbandry products, drinking water, and more. Therefore, the sensitive detection of trace KAN residues in real samples is crucial for monitoring agricultural pollution, ensuring food safety, and diagnosing diseases. However, traditional assay techniques for KAN rely on bulky instruments and complicated operations with unsatisfactory detection limits. Herein, we developed a novel label-free aptasensor to achieve ultrasensitive detection of KAN by constructing mesoporous DNA-cobalt@carbon nanofibers (DNA-Co@C-NFs) as the recognizer. Leveraging the extended π-conjugation structure, prominent surface area, and abundant pores, the Co@C-NFs can effectively load aptamer strands via π-π stacking interactions, serving as KAN capturer and reporter. Due to the change in DNA configuration upon binding KAN, this aptasensor presented an ultralow detection limit and ultra-wide linear range, along with favorable precision and selectivity. Using real tap water, milk, and human serum samples, the aptasensor accurately reported trace KAN levels. As a result, this convenient and rapid autosensing technique holds promise for onsite testing of other antibiotic residues in agriculture, food safety, and clinical diagnosis.

Background/purpose: History of periodontitis is a well-documented risk indicator of peri-implantitis. However, the influence of severity of periodontitis is still unclear, especially for severe periodontitis. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of periimplant disease and analyze the risk indicators in patients with treated severe periodontitis. Materials and methods: A total of 182 implants from 88 patients (44 males and 44 females) with severe periodontitis with a mean fellow -up period of 76.5 months were enrolled in this study. Patient and implant information, and periodontal and peri-implant conditions were collected to evaluate the prevalence of peri-implant disease and risk indicators. Results: The prevalence of peri-implantitis was 9.1% and 6.6% at the patient-level and implantlevel. The prevalence of peri-implant mucositis was 76.1% and 51.1% at the patient-level and implant-level. Risk indicators of peri-implantitis included older age (OR: 1.132), poor proximal cleaning habits (OR: 14.218), implants in anterior area (OR: 10.36), poor periodontal disease control (OR: 12.76), high peri-implant plaque index (OR: 4.27), and keratinized tissue width (KTW) <2 mm (OR: 19.203). Conclusion: Implants in patients with severe periodontitis after periodontal treatment and maintenance show a low prevalence (9.1%) of peri-implantitis and a relatively high prevalence (76.2%) of peri-implant mucositis. Patient age, peri-implant proximal cleaning habits, implant position, periodontal disease control, peri-implant plaque index, and KTW are associated with prevalence of peri-implantitis. 2023 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).