Jiali Dai

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Seizure-inducing brain injury in young mice rapidly converted immature silent synapses into active ones and increased electrical activity in the hippocampus, while the same injury in adult mice had the opposite effect — producing immature synapses and suppressed activity. These opposite responses were matched by distinct changes in receptor proteins at synapses in both age groups. The findings reveal that the young brain's response to severe seizures strengthens neural circuits while the adult brain's response weakens them, which may explain why epilepsy outcomes differ between children and adults.

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Triterpenoids extracted from a medicinal mushroom have strong antioxidant and liver-protective properties but dissolve poorly in water, limiting their use. The compounds were encapsulated in soy protein particles modified by ultrasound and a sugar treatment, which dramatically increased their solubility and raised their free-radical scavenging activity to roughly twice that of the unencapsulated extract in all tests. The delivery system converts a processing challenge into a stable, high-potency ingredient suitable for functional foods and nutraceuticals.

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A signal-processing method using a neural network to enhance noisy time-frequency images was applied to the problem of identifying the modulation type of low-probability-intercept radio signals used by proximity sensors. The denoised images fed into a classification network maintained over 97% recognition accuracy even at signal-to-noise ratios as low as -10 dB, where existing methods struggle. The approach offers a computationally efficient way to classify radar signals in electronic reconnaissance under challenging noise conditions.

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Satellite-derived vegetation data across the Tianshan Mountain economic belt in northwest China from 2000 to 2022 showed a slow overall increase in plant cover, but more than half the region may be at risk of future vegetation decline based on trend analysis. Human activities — primarily changes in land use — accounted for 84% of the variation in vegetation cover, far outweighing the 16% contribution from climate factors like temperature and precipitation. Future ecological policy should focus on managing land use and protecting existing vegetation rather than relying on climate improvement alone.

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Blood samples taken in the first trimester (9-13 weeks) from 34 women who later developed gestational diabetes were compared to matched healthy pregnancies using metabolomics. Fifty-six metabolites differed between the groups, and a combination of three — L-phenylalanine, uracil, and pyroglutamic acid — predicted gestational diabetes with 92% accuracy. These findings identify early metabolic changes that precede diagnosis and offer a foundation for first-trimester screening tests that could allow earlier intervention.

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A new technique called SPIDER-Seq combines viral barcoding, single-cell gene sequencing, and spatial mapping to simultaneously record which brain regions a neuron projects to, what genes it expresses, and where it sits in the brain — applied here to map the mouse prefrontal cortex. The data revealed that neurons project preferentially to regions with reciprocal connections, and that each projection neuron type occupies a specific spatial territory aligned with its wiring pattern. A machine-learning model trained on these data accurately predicted projection targets from gene expression and location, opening a path to predicting brain circuit organization from molecular data.

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In adolescent scoliosis patients, the muscle tissue on the concave (inner curve) side of the spine had more scarring and collagen buildup than the convex side, driven by a signaling molecule called myostatin that converts progenitor cells into fibrous tissue instead of muscle. Injecting myostatin into one side of the back muscles in mice reproduced the asymmetric muscle fibrosis and spinal curvature seen in patients, and blocking myostatin or its downstream signal reduced both the fibrosis and the curvature. Targeting the myostatin pathway could slow or prevent scoliosis progression.

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A national hospital database analysis of 708 patients who developed abdominal compartment syndrome — dangerous pressure buildup in the abdomen — as a complication of acute pancreatitis identified the factors most strongly linked to dying in hospital. Older age, sepsis, and kidney failure each significantly increased the odds of death, while malnutrition, bowel obstruction, and ileus were associated with lower odds, possibly because they prompt earlier intervention. The findings provide practical risk-stratification guidance for managing this high-mortality condition.

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Two families were found to carry mutations in two different blood-clotting inhibitor genes simultaneously — one affecting antithrombin and one affecting protein C — resulting in a severely hypercoagulable state and recurrent vein clots. Genetic sequencing identified the specific inherited mutations in each family, and clotting tests confirmed that all mutation carriers had impaired anticoagulant pathways. Carrying defects in both genes together significantly amplifies thrombosis risk beyond what either mutation causes alone.

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A curved waveguide design on a lithium niobate chip achieved efficient conversion of near-infrared light to half its wavelength across a bandwidth wider than 100 nanometers, setting a new record for normalized conversion efficiency using natural birefringence rather than the more complex periodic-poling technique. The broad bandwidth allows short laser pulses to be converted without distortion. This offers a simpler fabrication path for integrated photonic chips used in optical communications and ultrafast laser applications.

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Researchers developed a computer-vision system that accurately tracks the movement of microscopic beads held in place by laser light, even when the video images have low contrast. By linking the tracked bead orbits to established physics equations, they extracted precise measurements of the trapping forces and the viscosity of the surrounding liquid. The platform provides a practical tool for measuring mechanical properties of fluids at the microscale, which is relevant for studying biological materials and developing lab-on-chip technologies.

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A six-month coding curriculum using Scratch and Python was given to 100 primary-school children aged 8-12 while 100 classmates followed the standard curriculum. Children who received coding instruction showed large improvements in problem-solving and computational thinking scores, while the control group showed none. The findings indicate that early programming education strengthens abstract reasoning skills during a developmental window when children are especially receptive to learning algorithmic thinking.

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A deep learning model called TG-SegNet was trained to automatically outline the radiation treatment zone for rectal cancer by combining CT scan images with structured clinical text — including patient details and guideline-specified anatomical regions. Compared to a standard image-only segmentation model, TG-SegNet was more accurate, better adhered to treatment guidelines, and reduced the time clinicians spent correcting the computer-generated outlines by over 80%. Integrating written clinical knowledge with imaging improved both technical accuracy and practical clinical usefulness.

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Adding structured cognitive behavioral therapy to antipsychotic medication with aripiprazole in schizophrenia patients produced significantly greater improvements in psychiatric symptoms, cognitive test scores, depression, anxiety, and quality of life at 3 and 6 months compared to medication alone. Higher frequency and intensity of therapy sessions amplified the benefit, and younger patients with shorter illness duration responded best. The results support combining psychotherapy with medication as the preferred treatment approach for schizophrenia.

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Whole-genome sequencing of a family with three members affected by a Still's disease-like inflammatory syndrome identified a mutation in RIPK3, a cell-death signaling protein, that makes the protein hyperactive. The overactive RIPK3 variant drove excessive cell death and potent inflammatory cytokine production, both of which were suppressed by a RIPK3 inhibitor drug. The findings establish RIPK3 gain-of-function mutations as a cause of familial autoinflammatory disease and open a treatment avenue using existing kinase inhibitors.

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Lymph nodes near affected joints were enlarged in gout patients and in mice given uric acid crystal injections, and uric acid concentrated inside those nodes, suggesting lymphatic vessels actively drain the crystals from inflamed joints. The structure and pumping function of lymphatic vessels were damaged during gout attacks, and blocking lymphatic function with a drug delayed the resolution of inflammation. Lymphatic drainage is therefore both a clearance mechanism for uric acid and a vulnerable system whose impairment can prolong gout flares.

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Eight different ways of measuring cumulative tobacco exposure were compared for how well each predicted survival in over 28,000 lung cancer patients. A metric called logcig-years — calculated from cigarettes per day and years smoked using a logarithmic formula — most consistently predicted both overall survival and lung cancer-specific survival across patient subgroups defined by age, sex, stage, and tumor type. Logcig-years should replace simpler measures like pack-years in clinical and research settings where smoking history informs prognosis.

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A rare genetic variant in the SERPINC1 gene — which provides instructions for making the blood-clotting inhibitor antithrombin — was found to cause an unusual combination of enhanced function under normal conditions but structural instability under stress, predisposing carriers to dangerous clotting episodes. The variant introduces an abnormal sugar attachment in a structurally critical region, making the protein prone to collapsing into an inactive form. Standard clinical tests for antithrombin deficiency would miss this variant, highlighting the need for additional structural assays in patients with unexplained blood clots.

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After spinal cord injury, the damaged tissue creates a hostile environment including acid, reactive oxygen species, enzymes, and inflammation that blocks healing. Smart biomaterials can be designed to sense these specific signals and respond by neutralizing them or releasing drugs on demand precisely at the injury site. This review summarizes how these materials work, what has been tested in preclinical models, and what obstacles remain for bringing them to patients.

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A protein called USP18 that removes a molecular tag from other proteins was found to protect against atherosclerosis by restraining inflammatory signaling in artery-wall immune cells. USP18 binds directly to a signaling protein called TAK1 and strips off tags that would otherwise activate it, dampening the downstream NF-kB inflammation cascade. Reducing USP18 in mice accelerated plaque formation and increased arterial inflammation, identifying USP18 as a natural brake on vascular disease and a potential drug target.

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Researchers built a light-responsive protein complex that shifts its emission to a much longer wavelength than its absorption wavelength — a property useful for biological imaging. Using ultrafast laser measurements, they found that the speed and pathway of the light-triggered proton transfer that drives this shift depends on the pH of the environment and the water network surrounding the protein. The results provide a blueprint for designing pH-sensitive fluorescent biosensors that can report on local chemical conditions inside cells.

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Tenofovir, an antiviral drug used for HIV treatment and prevention, consistently activates the body's interferon immune alarm system in the gut regardless of whether it is taken as a pill or applied as a vaginal or rectal gel. This immune activation persisted across multiple clinical trials and treatment durations, occurring even in people without HIV infection. The finding raises the possibility that long-term tenofovir use may contribute to chronic immune activation and related health complications in people living with HIV.

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Among nearly 3,900 chronic hepatitis B patients who cleared the virus surface antigen — generally considered a functional cure — 128 went on to develop liver cancer over a median follow-up period. Being older than 50, male, having liver cirrhosis, lower platelet counts, lower albumin, and having cleared the antigen due to antiviral treatment rather than spontaneously were the strongest independent risk factors. The resulting six-factor model accurately predicted liver cancer risk at 3, 5, and 10 years, offering a practical tool for deciding which patients still need ongoing cancer surveillance after apparent cure.

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African swine fever virus uses a protein called pC147L to shut down a key antiviral warning system in pig cells without touching other immune defenses. The protein physically blocks the assembly of a signaling complex that would otherwise trigger interferon production, allowing the virus to replicate more freely in pig lung immune cells. Identifying this mechanism reveals pC147L as a potential target for developing vaccines or antiviral strategies against this devastating livestock disease.

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When the solid clumps formed during drinking water treatment sit in settling tanks for extended periods, the organic matter they captured — particularly plant-derived compounds like lignins and tannins — slowly leaches back into the water along with tiny aluminum particles. Over five days, disinfection byproducts formed from this re-released organic matter increased by 27% for known toxic compounds and nearly tripled for unknown ones. More frequent removal of settled solids, mildly acidic water conditions, and separate treatment of storage tank liquid are recommended to keep tap water safer.

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Researchers identified nine RNA-binding proteins that predict survival in breast cancer and used them to build a scoring model that accurately forecasts 3-, 5-, and 9-year survival outcomes. One of those proteins, RPL9, was found to be reduced in breast cancer tumors, and restoring its levels in cancer cell lines slowed growth and promoted cell death. The results establish RPL9 as a tumor suppressor and potential therapeutic target, and provide a clinically useful prognostic tool.

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Lithium-sulfur batteries, which can store far more energy than conventional lithium-ion batteries, are held back by sulfur compounds that dissolve and shuttle between electrodes during cycling. Researchers coated the battery separator with a material combining two metal selenides on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, which chemically traps the dissolving compounds and catalyzes their conversion back to useful products. The modified batteries delivered high initial capacity and lost less than 0.1% capacity per charge cycle over 500 cycles, demonstrating practical durability.

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This commentary argues that vasculitis — inflammation of blood vessels — is caused by multiple distinct biological pathways, not only by immune cells attacking vessel walls as traditionally assumed. Pathways involving infections, complement activation, genetic mutations, and direct tissue injury can all converge on the same end result of vessel inflammation. The authors propose a new classification system that layers biological mechanism on top of the existing vessel-size categories to improve diagnosis and guide more precise treatments.

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A variant of a toxin protein called HlyE is packaged into tiny membrane bubbles released by Avian Pathogenic E. coli, a bacterium that causes serious disease in poultry. When chicken immune cells take up these bubbles, the HlyE-carrying ones trigger cell death through the mitochondrial pathway, while bubbles lacking HlyE do not. This identifies HlyE as a toxin delivered via bacterial vesicles that helps the bacterium evade immune defenses, and points to it as a target for controlling the infection.

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Using gene expression data from human heart tissue and machine-learning methods, researchers identified three genes — GADD45B, STAT3, and SLC7A5 — that are strongly dysregulated in sepsis-related heart failure and can distinguish affected from unaffected hearts with over 95% accuracy. The genes are linked to immune cell infiltration, suppressed cardiac energy metabolism, and a newly proposed regulatory mechanism involving a chemical modification of histones called lactylation. Experimental validation in mice confirmed the gene expression changes, pointing to these three genes as targets for future study.

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Three traditional Chinese herbal pairings containing Astragalus were tested in diabetic kidney disease mice to see which best reduced kidney damage. The Astragalus-Salvia combination most strongly lowered blood sugar, kidney function markers, and urinary protein loss, and most effectively reduced a lipid-oxidation enzyme called PTGS2 while protecting cells from oxidative damage. The Astragalus-Rehmannia pair had moderate effects, and the Astragalus-Dioscorea pair was weakest, indicating that the specific pairing partner significantly determines therapeutic outcome.

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Polyphenols extracted from the inner partition of walnuts — a discarded processing byproduct — reduced fat accumulation, inflammation, and gut barrier damage in mice fed a high-fat diet. They worked by suppressing a liver fat-production pathway and by selectively increasing beneficial gut bacteria while reducing harmful ones. The study provides the first mechanistic evidence supporting walnut septum polyphenols as a cost-effective, waste-derived supplement against obesity.

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Dengue fever, caused by four virus strains transmitted by mosquitoes, has no approved specific antiviral treatment, making alternatives urgently needed. Traditional Chinese Medicine compounds act on multiple viral and host targets simultaneously and have historical use against fever syndromes that closely resemble dengue. This review catalogs the herbs with documented anti-dengue activity and outlines research priorities for turning those compounds into modern therapeutics.

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A novel surgical technique that uses a natural tissue fold near the appendix to reinforce the stapled stump during laparoscopic appendectomy was compared with standard stapling in 351 patients. The buttress technique reduced postoperative complications and shortened hospital stays, particularly in cases of ruptured appendicitis. Using the patient's own tissue costs nothing extra and may offer a safer alternative to commercial reinforcement materials.

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Blood vessel wall cells — not just immune cells — can develop a lasting inflammatory memory after repeated exposure to metabolic stress, a state driven by reprogrammed energy metabolism and chemical marks on DNA that persist even after risk factors are controlled. This cellular memory lowers the threshold for future inflammatory flare-ups and may explain why heart disease risk remains high in patients who have achieved normal cholesterol levels. Drugs that erase these DNA marks or alter cell energy metabolism represent a new avenue for reducing this residual cardiovascular risk.

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Analysis of syphilis incidence across China from 2005 to 2022 showed the rate more than tripled overall, moving through distinct acceleration, slowdown, and decline phases while shifting geographically from coastal provinces to border regions including Tibet and Xinjiang. Higher income per person was linked to more syphilis, while greater density of healthcare workers and facilities was linked to less. The findings call for differentiated prevention strategies focused on high-incidence border and emerging risk areas rather than uniform national policies.

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Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a non-thermal, non-invasive physical treatment that promotes nerve repair by activating cellular pathways involved in calcium signaling, inflammation control, and the production of nerve growth factors. Studies in peripheral and central nerve injury models show it can improve functional recovery. Combining LIPUS with smart biomaterials and drug delivery scaffolds is expanding its potential toward precisely controlled, personalized therapies for nerve damage.

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Fat-derived stem cells engineered to overexpress a protein called SPARC healed skin wounds faster in normal, diabetic, and aging mice and dogs compared to unmodified stem cells. The modified cells promoted new tissue formation, reduced inflammation, stimulated blood vessel growth, and supported hair follicle regrowth. The results support SPARC-enhanced stem cell therapy as a broadly applicable strategy for difficult-to-heal wounds, including those complicated by diabetes or old age.

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Knee arthritis patients whose leg bowing originates in the thigh bone versus the shin bone walk differently, even when the degree of bowing is the same. Patients with thigh-bone-origin deformity took shorter steps and had more restricted movement across multiple joints compared to those with shin-bone-origin deformity. This distinction means rehabilitation after corrective surgery should be tailored to where the deformity starts, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

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Researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,000 psychiatric inpatients and identified specific blood biomarkers associated with elevated suicide risk. Adding those biomarkers to demographic and clinical data in a machine-learning model raised the accuracy of predicting future suicide risk to an area under the curve of 0.808, substantially better than models without biomarkers. The findings suggest that routine lab tests could provide an objective, quantifiable signal to supplement clinical judgment in identifying high-risk patients early.

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A study of over 7,000 U.S. adults found that people who believe the country's political climate is worsening and that the nation is failing its core values report feeling less able to influence politics and less confident in government. Those lower feelings of efficacy translated directly into worse overall well-being and less effective coping with political stress. These effects held across party lines, indicating that political turbulence carries a measurable psychological cost regardless of political affiliation.

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Researchers analyzed brain tumor databases to study a protein called PHF23, finding it is highly elevated in aggressive gliomas and linked to poor survival. They built a scoring system based on PHF23-related genes that accurately predicts patient outcomes and identified a subgroup of tumors with a suppressed immune environment that shields cancer cells from attack despite high mutation loads. A drug called Entospletinib showed promise in computer modeling for disrupting this immune barrier, and silencing PHF23 in lab and mouse experiments slowed tumor growth.

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Researchers built the first genome-wide gene-knockout screening library for tree shrews and used it in brain blood-vessel cells to find host proteins that help Zika virus replicate. They identified a protein called RNF6 that the virus depends on, and showed that removing it greatly reduced infection while adding more of it boosted viral growth. RNF6 works by dampening the cell's antiviral alarm systems and physically binding a key viral protein, making it a potential drug target for blocking Zika's ability to invade the brain.

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Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) devices shape light wavefronts for applications like holographic displays and adaptive optics, but accurately modeling how their pixels produce phase shifts is difficult because neighboring pixels interact. A two-step model combining convolution to capture pixel crosstalk with interpolation to capture molecular interactions predicted diffraction efficiency within about 1% of measured values for standard gratings. Accurate phase modeling enables more precise control of these devices in high-performance optical systems.