Browse Articles

Chirality‐Encoded Biomaterials Regulate Local and Systemic Immune Responses in Transplantation

ABSTRACT Biomaterial‐based immune modulation offers an opportunity to achieve localized graft acceptance without systemic immunosuppression. Here, we demonstrate that molecular chirality within microporous annealed particle (MAP) hydrogels governs innate and adaptive immune responses in skin transplantation and is associated with modulation of alloimmune outcomes. By engineering injectable MAP scaffolds composed of microgels crosslinked with L‐ or D‐peptides, we show that chirality directs early antigen‐presenting cell (APC) activation and trafficking in draining lymph nodes, leading to distinct T cell polarization profiles. A mixed‐chirality formulation (R‐MAP) composed of L‐ and D‐microgels is associated with reduced APC co‐stimulatory signaling (MHC II, CD80, CD86) and preserves graft architecture and tissue integration in syngeneic transplants. In fully allogeneic skin grafts, local mixed‐chirality MAP implantation is associated with reduced donor‐specific antibody (DSA) formation and attenuated antimaterial and antidonor IgG responses, achieving sustained attenuation of humoral alloimmunity within the experimental conditions studied. These findings establish stereochemical control of biomaterial composition as a design principle for modulating APC‐T‐B cell crosstalk, linking local material cues to systemic immune outcomes. Mixed‐chirality MAP scaffolds thus provide a versatile platform for spatially confined, chirality‐guided immunomodulation, with implications for transplantation, regenerative medicine, and biomaterial‐driven tolerance strategies.

TRPV1 Activation via a Three‐Stage Adaptive Heat‐Absorbing Hydrogel Drives Neurovascular–Immune Coupling

ABSTRACT Impaired neurovascular–immune coupling severely hampers chronic wound healing. Although the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel represents a promising therapeutic target, its therapeutic application remains limited by imprecise activation. Here, we developed a three‐stage adaptive and heat‐absorbing hydrogel (termed HMCG) that enables programmable and localized TRPV1 activation under near‐infrared (NIR) irradiation. HMCG forms reversible boronate ester bonds between PVA and TSPBA, enabling a sol–aerosol–gel adaptive with sprayable handling, self‐adaptation, and conformal coverage of complex wound topologies. This dynamic behavior ensures close biointerface contact and controlled thermal regulation during stimulation. Embedded Ca‐gallic acid metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) act as photon‐thermal converters, where ligand‐metal charge transfer and π–π stacking drive rapid nonradiative relaxation, leading to efficient and controllable heat absorption. Brief NIR exposure triggers the sustained release of capsaicin and Ca 2+ , elevating the local temperature to 43°C, within the TRPV1 activation window and with a reduced risk of nonspecific thermal overstimulation. Together, the tri‐stage adaptive design helps buffer heat, maintains topological adaptability, and synchronizes mild photothermal and biochemical cues. This controlled light‐heat‐chemical coupling supports the restoration of neurovascular–immune coupling and promotes tissue regeneration in diabetic skin lesion models, establishing a controlled, programmable platform for TRPV1‐targeted regenerative therapy.

Wide‐Temperature Full‐Color Electrophoretic Colloidal Crystal Displays With High Color Saturation

ABSTRACT Electrophoretic colloidal crystal displays (ECCDs) hold great potential in next‐generation sustainable, low‐energy full‐color reflective displays, yet their practical development has been hindered by sluggish switching dynamics and poor operability at low temperatures. Here, we report a wide‐temperature, low‐power electrophoretic color display based on tailored carbon shell‐coated polystyrene nanospheres (PS@C) in a modified deep‐eutectic‐solvent (MDES) dielectric medium. Under an applied electric field, PS@C nanospheres form highly ordered 3D colloidal crystals with ideal stopbands due to their narrow size distribution and high effective refractive index (∼1.67). Mimicking melanin‐based photonic structures in peacock feathers, the PS@C nanospheres enable vivid structural colors with high purity and brightness. The system exhibits dynamic color switching from a dark‐brown off‐state to full‐color states. It also enables reversible red‐to‐blue color modulation over a spectral range of 160 nm, with a fast tuning rate of ∼267 nm s −1 . The MDES‐mediated ECCD demonstrates reliable device operation over a wide temperature range from 45°C down to −20°C. This presents unique application prospects in fields such as cold‐chain logistics displays and outdoor electronic tags in cold regions.

Maternal cafeteria diet intake influences offspring development in Wistar rats: a pilot study

Performance evaluation of Pt- and Pd-based catalysts on nickel & copper foams for methanol combustion in a microreactor

The role of serum biochemical markers in early prediction of complicated appendicitis: a single-center retrospective analysis

Histopathological predictors of renal outcomes in idiopathic membranous nephropathy with a focus on global sclerotic glomeruli ratio

Abstract Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN) shows variable renal outcomes, and reliable histologic markers for risk stratification are limited. The global sclerotic glomeruli ratio (GSGR) may reflect chronic kidney damage and help predict progression, but its prognostic value and optimal threshold remain unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 322 patients with biopsy-proven idiopathic MN from the Turkish Society of Nephrology-Glomerular Diseases Study Group registry, excluding those with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 15 mL/min/1.73 m² at diagnosis or insufficient data. GSGR was calculated as the percentage of globally sclerotic glomeruli among total glomeruli. Histopathological parameters, including exudative glomerular changes, tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (TA/IF), and vascular alterations, were semi-quantitatively graded according to the Renal Pathology Atlas (Fogo, 2022). Specifically, TA/IF was graded as: Grade 0 (< 5%), Grade 1 (5–25%), Grade 2 26–50%, and Grade 3 (> 50%) of cortical area involvement. Exudative changes were defined as intracapillary leukocyte accumulation and hyaline deposits in ≥ 25% of non-sclerotic glomeruli. The primary composite outcome was ≥ 50% eGFR decline from baseline, progression to eGFR < 15 mL/min/1.73 m², dialysis initiation, or kidney transplantation. Median follow-up was 60 months (IQR 48–72). Thirty patients (9.3%) reached the composite outcome. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified a GSGR threshold of 15.7% (AUC 0.956; sensitivity 93.3%; specificity 82.7%). Patients with GSGR ≥ 15.7% had significantly higher event rates (35.1% vs. 1.2%; p  < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, high GSGR, exudative changes, and response to immunosuppressive therapy independently predicted adverse outcomes. These associations remained significant across treatment subgroups. Sensitivity analyses confirmed these associations across multiple model specifications. Anti-PLA2R positivity correlated with higher baseline proteinuria but not independently with renal outcomes. A GSGR ≥ 15.7% is a strong, independent predictor of renal progression in idiopathic MN. Incorporating GSGR and exudative changes into risk stratification may improve prognostic assessment and therapeutic decision-making.

Multi-objective forest succession planning algorithm: a new metaheuristic algorithm for multi-objective operation optimization of marine power plants

Tungsten-doped polypyrrole/activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor: design, fabrication, and performance evaluation

Assumption of an expanded carbon black nanoparticle by interphase and tunneling zones to simulate the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites

Construction of an intelligent interpretation and change detection system based on UAV remote sensing for landscape architectural heritage conservation

Single-atom-engineered perovskite enables near-theoretical-rate hydroxyl radical electrogeneration

Abstract Electrochemical advanced oxidation that directly activates O 2 through the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to generate hydroxyl radicals (•OH) offers a sustainable strategy for degrading persistent organic pollutants. However, prevailing approaches typically rely on a stepwise process involving the 2e⁻ ORR to produce H 2 O 2 followed by 1e⁻ activation. High barriers associated with intermediate desorption and inter-site transfer consequently limit the •OH yield. Here, we construct a single-active-site architecture in the perovskite oxide Pr 1.0 Sr 1.0 Fe 0.5 Zn 0.25 Mo 0.25 O 4-δ (PSFZM) that enables a direct three-electron ORR pathway for efficient •OH generation. The Zn δ ⁺ single active center selectively stabilizes *OOH and *H 2 O 2 through weak orbital interactions, while an adjacent Mo atom polarizes the O atoms of adsorbed H 2 O 2 , promoting cleavage of the peroxide bond at the active site. This strategy avoids intermediate desorption and migration, enabling continuous proton-coupled electron transfer. The catalyst achieves a •OH production rate of 821 μmol h⁻ 1 and an O 2 utilization of 37.7%, metrics competitive with previously reported systems. In a membrane-free flow cell that uses gaseous O 2 directly, the •OH generation efficiency reaches 64.7%. By combining atomic-level catalyst design with reactor engineering, this work establishes a scalable platform for sustainable wastewater treatment.

Upwind terrestrial influences on soil moisture variability across South America

Abstract Soil moisture across South America exhibits coherent spatial patterns shaped by upwind terrestrial conditions, yet their downwind propagation remains poorly quantified. We develop an observation-driven framework integrating atmospheric transport trajectories with deep learning to estimate vegetation’s contribution to downwind soil moisture. The transport-informed model outperforms a local-only baseline, with upwind information contributing 67% of predictive power, of which vegetation explains 15%. This vegetation-mediated influence is enhanced over agricultural zones, forming hotspots aligned with land-cover change and drought exposure. The cross-regional influence is organized along major transport corridors and varies non-linearly with climate. In humid forests, downwind moisture supply is highly sensitive to vegetation change, with canopy degradation associated with reduced soil moisture; in semi-arid regions, initial greening is associated with increases, but further greening weakens or reverses the effect. These results quantify vegetation–soil moisture teleconnections, with implications for land–atmosphere coupling in Earth system models and hydrological consequences of land-use and climate change.

Ground-based radar unveils natural electron Bernstein waves in the ionosphere of Earth

Synthesis of ZIF-62 Glass and Solid-state Lithium Superconductor Composite Membranes for Electrodialytic Lithium Extraction

A prehistoric East-Asian Yersinia pestis genome and a ~5.3 ka trans-Eurasian expansion of plague

Receptor allostery promotes context-specific Sonic Hedgehog signaling during embryonic development

Abstract Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling functions in temporal- and context-dependent manners to pattern diverse tissues during embryogenesis. The signal transducer Smoothened (SMO) is induced by sterols, oxysterols, and arachidonic acid (AA) through binding pockets in its extracellular cysteine-rich domain (CRD) and 7-transmembrane (7TM) bundle. In vitro analyses suggest SMO signaling is allosterically enhanced by combinatorial ligand binding to these pockets, but in vivo evidence of SMO allostery is lacking. Herein, we map an AA binding pocket at the top of the 7TM bundle and show that its disruption attenuates SHH- and sterol-stimulated SMO induction. A knock-in mouse model of compromised AA binding reveals that homozygous mutant mice are cyanotic, exhibit perinatal lethality, and display congenital heart disease. Surviving mutants demonstrate pulmonary maldevelopment and fail to thrive. Neurodevelopment is unaltered in these mice, suggesting that context-specific allosteric regulation of SMO signaling allows for precise tuning of pathway activity during cardiopulmonary development.

Counteranion-mediated dynamic kinetic asymmetric fluorination to access sulfur-stereogenic center

Navigating optimal solar-wind trade-offs under climate change

Izalontamab Brengitecan (Iza-Bren), a First-in-Class EGFR-HER3 Bispecific Antibody-Drug Conjugate in Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: Results From a Phase Ib Study

PURPOSE Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains one of the most aggressive malignancies, with limited treatment options beyond frontline chemo-immunotherapy. Izalontamab brengitecan (iza-bren, BL-B01D1) is a first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugate cotargeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3). We expanded the SCLC cohort to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of iza-bren in patients with extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC). METHODS This open-label, multicenter, dose-expansion phase Ib study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05194982 ) enrolled patients with ES-SCLC who had progressed on prior systemic therapies. Patients received iza-bren 2.5 mg/kg once daily on days 1 and 8 of each 3-week cycle. The primary end points were objective response rate (ORR) and safety/tolerability. Secondary end points included disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Exploratory end point included the assessment of potential associations between EGFR/HER3 expression and clinical outcomes. RESULTS As of December 5, 2024, 52 patients were enrolled. The ORR was 48.1% (95% CI, 34.0 to 62.4), with a median PFS of 4.1 months (95% CI, 3.0 to 5.5) and a median OS of 12.2 months (95% CI, 9.1 to 13.2). In patients who received iza-bren as second-line treatment (n = 22), the ORR was 72.7% (95% CI, 49.8 to 89.3), median PFS 6.2 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 8.2), and median OS 15.0 months (95% CI, 8.7 to not reached). The most common treatment-related adverse events were hematologic toxicities (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and leukopenia). Exploratory biomarker analysis suggested that positive HER3 expression may be associated with better treatment response. CONCLUSION Iza-bren showed encouraging antitumor activity in relapsed ES-SCLC, particularly in the second-line setting. A phase III randomized controlled trial of iza-bren compared with topotecan (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06500026 ) is ongoing.