Researchers have found widespread exposure to primary aromatic amines (PAAs), toxic chemicals used in industry and consumer products, among the Chinese population. The study indicates that these chemicals may damage DNA, especially in non-adults and smokers, raising long-term health concerns.

This study found interesting, complex and important interactive effects among meteorological factors and ambient air pollutants on influenza incidences in Huaian, China.

The paper proposes a generic risk theory that treats risk as information produced by human cognition. It introduces a quantitative descriptive model linking spontaneous risk perception and analytical risk cognition through disparities between target and realistic value expectations, outlines conditions for when perception occurs, and connects the framework to decision-making and potential AI-enabled implementations.

A study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts investigates how drying temperatures affect sulfoethylated kraft lignin (SEKL), a sulfonated derivative with applications in textiles, construction, and wastewater treatment. Using nuclear magnetic resonance, XPS, and chromatography, researchers revealed that freeze-drying maintains maximum solubility, charge density, and sulfonic acid group content. In contrast, oven drying induces alkylation and hydrolysis reactions that reduce functionality. The findings highlight the importance of optimizing drying conditions to tailor lignin properties for industrial applications.

This study investigates the impact of synonymous gene recoding, specifically codon optimization (CO) and codon-pair optimization (CPO), on the properties of human ADAMTS13 protein. By comparing wild-type (WT) ADAMTS13 with CO and CPO variants, the researchers aimed to elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying the biogenesis of these recoded proteins and their implications for therapeutic applications.

Zwitterionic materials with covalently tethered cations and anions have great potential as electrolyte additives for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to their appealing intrinsic characteristics and merits. However, the impact of cationic and anionic moieties within zwitterions on enhancing the performance of AZIBs remains poorly understood. Herein, three zwitterions, namely carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA), sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA), and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), were selected as additives to investigate their different action mechanisms in AZIBs. All three zwitterions have the same quaternary ammonium as the positively charged group, but having different negatively charged segments, i.e., carboxylate, sulfonate, and phosphate for CBMA, SBMA, and MPC, respectively. By systematical electrochemical analysis, these zwitterions all contribute to enhanced cycling life of Zn anode, with MPC having the most pronounced effect, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of positively quaternary ammonium group and unique negatively phosphate groups. As a result, the Zn//Zn cell with MPC as additive in ZnSO₄ electrolyte exhibits an ultralong lifespan over 5000 h. This work proposes new insights to the future development of multifunctional zwitterionic additives for remarkably stable AZIBs.

A Chinese research team has found that human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is highly expressed in urothelial carcinoma, and its expression level is closely related to the pathological grade of the tumor. This discovery provides an important basis for precise targeted therapy of urothelial carcinoma and is expected to promote the optimization of related treatment regimens.

This study proposes a novel and sustainable method for fabricating 3D-printed carbon-based electrodes for electrochemical wastewater treatment. We prepared B,N-doped carbon electrodes with hierarchical porosity and a significantly enhanced surface area-to-volume ratio (up to 180%) compared to non-optimized analogues using a synergistic combination of 3D printing, phase inversion, and microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. This process allows the metal-free growth of vertically aligned carbon nanostructures directly onto polymer-derived substrates, resulting in a 20-fold increase in the electrochemically active surface area. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were used to improve mass transport and reduce pressure drop. Electrochemical characterization demonstrated that the optimized electrodes performed significantly better, achieving 4.7-, 4-, and 6.5-fold increases in the degradation rates of atenolol, metoprolol, and propranolol, respectively, during electrochemical oxidation. These results highlight the efficacy of the integrated fabrication and simulation approach in producing high-performance electrodes for sustainable wastewater treatment applications.