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Enantioselective dearomative single-atom skeletal editing of benzofurans
Assessment of hepatic steatosis during rat liver regeneration after 70% partial hepatectomy using stereology and MRI-PDFF
Global remodeling of ADP-ribosylation by PARP1 suppresses influenza A virus infection
Data-driven vehicle stability control via co-simulation of digital twin and constrained MPC
Structure–dynamics decoupling in soft-colloid suspensions
Abstract The accepted paradigm in materials science is that the internal structure of a material determines its macroscopic properties. This connection is reflected in the particle dynamics, which are known to become slower at length scales comparable to the mean interparticle distance. This implies that the q -dependent relaxation time, with q the magnitude of the scattering wave vector, correlates with the structure factor of the material. This is known as de Gennes narrowing in simple atomic liquids, and is a behavior also seen in colloidal suspensions, where the quantities at play are more easily accessible experimentally. We here find that this familiar correlation can breakdown for soft-colloid suspensions. In both experiments and simulations, we find that the q -dependent relaxation time of the suspension does not follow the structure factor, but that instead, it remains unchanged relative to the length scale at which it is measured. We justify this unusual behavior by alluding to single-particle elasticity and how this aspect allows additional relaxation pathways for the characteristic time of the suspension to remain unaffected by the suspension structure. Our findings challenge the prevailing wisdom that the structure of a material unequivocally determines its properties.
Metformin mitigates aortic valve degeneration in an ex vivo three-dimensional tissue model
Abstract Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a prevalent valvular disorder that lacks effective pharmacological treatments. Metformin, an oral anti-diabetic drug, has been suggested to protect valvular interstitial cells (VICs) from calcification, but its role in preventing organic phosphate-induced degeneration in VICs and aortic valve (AV) leaflets remains unclear. Using an ex vivo three-dimensional tissue model, we induced degeneration with organic phosphate-rich conditions in ovine VICs and AV leaflets. Metformin treatment reduced calcium deposition, as assessed by alizarin red staining (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), and preserved reduced opacity of AV leaflet ( p < 0.01). It inhibited early osteogenic differentiation, evidenced by reduced alkaline phosphatase activity (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), and mitigated gene expression of myofibroblastic markers. Furthermore, metformin improved proliferation (VICs: p < 0.0001; AV leaflets: p < 0.05), lowered lactate dehydrogenase levels (VICs: p < 0.01; AV leaflets: p < 0.001), preserved extracellular matrix architecture, and ameliorated extracellular matrix remodeling at gene expression level. AMPK phosphorylation was increased in both VICs (28%, p < 0.001) and AV leaflets (21%, p < 0.05) under pro-degenerative conditions and metformin treatment. In conclusion, metformin protects against organic phosphate-induced degeneration in both VICs and AV leaflets, highlighting its therapeutic potential in CAVD.
A modular quantum processor made using phosphorus atoms in silicon
Segmented filamentous bacteria undergo a structural transition at their adhesive tip during unicellular to filament development
Abstract Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) are intestinal commensals that promote immune system development and pathogen protection through intimate attachment to the ileal epithelium. Attachment occurs via the tip of unicellular teardrop-shaped SFB, called intracellular offsprings (IOs), before outgrowth into filaments. To characterize this critical stage of the SFB life cycle, we imaged SFB using cryo-electron microscopy and tomography. IOs were surrounded by a repetitive surface (S)-layer that became replaced by disordered hair-like structures specifically at the IO tip. During outgrowth into filaments, the S-layer was exchanged for a morphologically distinct repetitive hair-like layer. The bacterial structures and morphological transition were conserved across SFB from mouse and rat origin, while growth of mouse-SFB under non-attachment conditions in a heterologous host affected the SFB tip length and relative proportion of the tip stages. Moreover, a major Th17 and B cell antigen, while being a ubiquitous cell wall-associated protein, was immunologically accessible only at the filament tip, underscoring the unique properties of the tip structure. This study identifies an IO-specific S-layer and reveals a conserved developmental transition of the SFB tip surface including the transient appearance of structures consistent in location and timing with being involved in host cell attachment.
HOES: an efficient multi-evolutionary expert system for deep learning model optimization in time series prediction
Brain-wide resting-state fMRI network dynamics elicited by activation of single thalamic input
Alterations in iron status predict cardiac response to blood transfusion in $$\beta$$-thalassemia major
Mechanism for water formation on rocky exoplanets demonstrated in the lab
Structural insights into the coordinated regulation of the SLAH family in Arabidopsis thaliana
Tamoxifen triggers a transcriptional switch from proliferation to differentiation in the circumvallate taste epithelium in mice
Abstract The tamoxifen-inducible Cre-loxP system is an indispensable experimental tool in life sciences for inducing spatiotemporally controlled genetic recombination in the target tissues of living animals. The use of this technology is expected to increase in taste research. However, the direct effects of tamoxifen on taste buds remain largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that tamoxifen reduces cell supply to the taste buds in a dose-dependent manner. RNA sequencing of the circumvallate epithelium revealed that tamoxifen induced a transcriptional shift from proliferation to differentiation. The genes regulating the cell cycle were downregulated, whereas genes promoting the differentiation of epithelial cells and keratinocytes were upregulated. Within taste buds, Shh was downregulated in immature precursor cells, whereas cell type-specific genes were broadly upregulated in mature taste bud cells. Notably, transcription factors driving taste cell type differentiation, such as Pou2f3 , Ascl1 , and Nkx2-2 , were induced, suggesting that tamoxifen activates transcription to promote the differentiation of all cell types in taste buds, rather than activating particular signaling pathways in specific cell types. These findings indicate that tamoxifen rapidly triggers a transcriptional switch from proliferation to differentiation in the circumvallate taste epithelium, highlighting a potential confounding effect in taste research that employs tamoxifen administration.
The Nature Podcast festive spectacular 2025
Broadband acousto-optic modulators on Silicon Nitride
Association between red cell distribution width to albumin ratio and short-term mortality in patients with septic myocardial injury: a multicenter analysis
Borate driven heterogeneous networks for porous elastomers with improved tribological and mechanical performances
Abstract Porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers produced using conventional phase separation methods often suffer from limited tribological and mechanical properties. In this study, we present a general approach for the fabrication of porous elastomers with borate-driven heterogeneous networks, which leverage the borate at the two-phase boundary to stabilize the phases, without the need for additives such as surfactants. Pure porous elastomers are created by removing the alcoholysis phases, with precisely controllable pore structure and mechanical performance. Interestingly, under saltwater lubrication, an atypical corrosion–lubrication phenomenon occurs on the porous elastomers, reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate by over 95 and 90%, respectively. Additionally, unique mechanical advantages, such as 1250% of stretch, were predictively imparted to the elastomers by various boric acid functional groups. Our method is generally applicable to various PDMS systems and offers a novel approach for designing pure porous materials for water-lubricated components and flexible sensors.