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Distinct dendritic cell subsets are associated with immune dysfunction and clinical severity in sickle cell anemia

Exogenous creatine supplementation promotes tumor metastasis via megakaryocyte creatine kinase B-STAT5B signaling

Abstract Creatine supplementation is widely used in sports and increasingly popular among exercising individuals. Although the physiological role of creatine has been extensively studied, the creatine biology in pathological conditions remains poorly understood. Here we report that exogenous creatine supplementation promotes tumor metastasis via platelet activation mechanism in various mouse models and humans. Mechanistically, creatine supplementation increases megakaryocyte creatine levels and upregulates creatine kinase B (CKB). Unbiased phosphoproteomics reveals that a CKB-downstream, non-canonical STAT5B phosphorylation instigates various platelet functional genes, leading to hyperactive, metastasis-promoting platelets. Megakaryocyte-specific knockout of the creatine transporter Slc6a8 or Stat5b , as well as pharmacological inhibition of STAT5, ablates the creatine-augmented platelet hyperactivity and prevents consequent metastasis in mice. Importantly, creatine supplementation in healthy volunteers results in hyperactive peripheral platelets that increase metastasis risks. Together, our study sheds mechanistic insights into the creatine-induced metastasis and provides an anti-metastatic therapeutic paradigm by targeting megakaryocyte creatine metabolism.

<i>In Situ</i> and <i>Operando</i> Studies as Mechanistic Toolbox for Redox Flow Batteries, Redox Targeting, and CO ₂ Capture Systems: Progress and Perspective

Integrated dry hole, seismic, and structural analysis improves hydrocarbon exploration in the Egyptian Northern Red Sea basin

Abstract This study evaluates the hydrocarbon potential of Egypt’s Northern Red Sea through an integrated workflow combining geochemical, petrophysical, and seismic datasets. Dry Hole Analysis (DHA) was conducted on 14 wells, with detailed investigation of three representative failures (RSOX-94-1, QUSEIR_B_1X, and MIKAWA-1) to assess the relationship between structural trapping and petroleum system effectiveness. Geochemical results indicate variable source rock potential, with Total Organic Carbon (TOC) values ranging from 0.3% to 1.2%, corresponding to poor-to-fair source quality. These values are interpreted as residual organic richness due to the advanced thermal maturity of the Lower Miocene succession. Optical kerogen analysis reveals a predominance of woody kerogen (80–90%) with minor herbaceous components, indicating a mainly gas-prone petroleum system with limited localized oil potential. Thermal maturity data show a complex burial history, with Tmax values suggesting immature to early mature conditions at shallower depths (~ 2100 m), whereas vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values between 2.04% and 3.49% indicate overmature conditions within deeper Lower Miocene intervals. Petrophysical evaluation identifies reservoir intervals within the Belayim, Kareem, and Rudeis formations, characterized by average porosities of 6–9%, although reservoir continuity is constrained by facies variability and syn-rift structural compartmentalization. Seismic interpretation reveals widespread fault-controlled traps analogous to productive rift basins, but quantitative failure analysis indicates that trap integrity and hydrocarbon charge represent the principal exploration risks. RSOX-94-1 failed primarily due to fault-related seal breach and hydrocarbon leakage, whereas MIKAWA-1 was limited by insufficient hydrocarbon charge despite the presence of a valid structural trap. The integration of geochemical screening, reservoir characterization, and structural risk assessment provides a refined framework for frontier exploration in the Northern Red Sea and highlights key geological factors controlling exploration success in this underexplored rift basin.

Stretchable multimodal deformation sensor with self-mode recognition by a single Hall sensor

Impact of Metal Heterogeneity on Multivariate and High-Entropy MOF SBUs

Basin-scale community assembly of particle-associated and free-living bacteria in the Pacific Ocean

Single-particle atomic-scale strain-gradient engineering for high-performance fuel cells

Reappraising Dichloromethane: Uncovering a Hidden Coupling Reagent for Activating Carboxylic Acids in Direct Amide Synthesis

Dual-Spatially Confined Assembly of DNA Nanowall Stiffens Tumor Cells to Enhance Adoptive T-Cell Immunotherapy

Andes Virus — A Clinical Review

Post-quantum secure server-aided password-based authentication using Module-LWE

Abstract Password-based authentication systems remain the most widely used method for user verification despite being highly susceptible to offline dictionary attacks. To mitigate such attacks, server-aided password-based authentication schemes utilize an independent server, which helps to harden the credentials to be stored on the website database. Existing server-aided password-based authentication schemes rely on number-theoretic assumptions that are vulnerable to quantum-enabled adversaries and incorporate complex computations such as bilinear pairings, exponentiation, and Zero-Knowledge Proofs. In this work, we introduce a novel post-quantum secure server-aided password-based authentication scheme based on the Module Learning With Errors (M-LWE) problem. A defining feature of our protocol is its complete operational transparency as it integrates with existing web interfaces without requiring users to modify their login behaviour or perform additional computation. To ensure long-term resilience, our scheme includes a transparent key rotation mechanism that allows service providers to update the entire credential database with a fresh secret key without user intervention. We provide a formal security analysis in the Real-or-Random (RoR) framework. This analysis demonstrates that our protocol’s resistance to offline dictionary attacks reduces to the underlying hardness of the M-LWE problem, and the system achieves forward secrecy through a key rotation mechanism. Through an optimized Number Theoretic Transformation (NTT)-based implementation for faster polynomial multiplications, our empirical analysis demonstrates high computational efficiency, with average registration and authentication latencies of 0.88 ms and 0.96 ms, respectively.

WDM-enabled multi-core parallel programmable photonic signal processor

Accelerated Directional Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Enabled by Intrinsic Dipole Field in Biomimetic α-Helical Structure

A Regional Measles Outbreak — South Carolina, 2025–2026

Analysis of radio frequency interference affecting S-band RNSS receiver

Thiourea-derived coating enabled lithium-rich manganese oxide positive electrode in solid-state batteries

Abstract Solid-state batteries employing lithium-rich manganese oxide positive electrodes are a highly promising candidate for next-generation high-energy-density energy storage systems. However, the practical deployment of lithium-rich manganese oxide positive electrodes is hindered by several critical challenges, including poor initial-cycle reversibility, rapid capacity decay, structural collapse due to oxygen release, and interfacial instability at high potentials. Here, we introduce a thiourea-derived surface modification strategy for lithium-rich manganese oxide positive electrodes, which significantly enhances the electrochemical performance of solid-state batteries (SSBs). The modified lithium-rich manganese oxide positive electrodes exhibit an initial discharge capacity of 220.2 mAh g −1 , an initial Coulombic efficiency of 84.83 %, and capacity retention of 97 % after 600 cycles at 1 C under 4.6 V (vs. Li + /Li). The improved cycling performance is shown to be attributed to a dual modification of lithium-rich manganese oxide particles, i.e., the application of sub-nm-thick S-rich coating layer and formation of a spinel-like structure in the surface near proximity, which prevents oxygen-related degradation and accelerates Li + transport, respectively. These findings present a scalable surface modification strategy that potentially addresses key limitations of lithium-rich manganese oxide-based SSBs, paving the way for the development of stable, high-energy-density batteries.

Entropy-Driven Assembly of Low-Density Superlattices via Shape Camouflage

Research on key components for railway freight vehicles based on improved real-time object detection methods

IL7-Receptor–Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy for T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia