Oocyte quality is the key limiting factor of female fertility. However, compared with other species, the research and understanding of human oocyte quality and human reproductive health is limited. This review will highlight the current understanding of the physiological and pathological factors on human oocyte quality and discuss the potential treatments. In physiology, researchers discuss the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, granulosa cells, key subcellular structures, maternal mRNA homeostasis, the extracellular matrix, maternal microenvironment, and multi-omics resources related to human oocyte quality. In pathology, they reviewed the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal defects, ovarian dysfunction including premature ovarian insufficiency and polycystic ovary syndrome, human oocyte development defects, and aging. Furthermore, they outline the emerging scientific prospects and challenges for future mechanisms exploration and clinical treatment. This review seeks to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms regulating human oocyte quality and to provide novel insights into clinical female infertility characterized by defects in oocyte quality and oocyte development.

Acute stroke in pregnancy and puerperium (ASPP) can be life-threatening and clinically difficult to manage. A new study by researchers in China presents a comprehensive research protocol to investigate the potential risk factors of ASPP, risk of recurrent strokes during future pregnancies and impact of ASPP on the development of offspring. This research provides a robust framework to gain vital insights into the maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with ASPP.

Delayed complications following stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare and poorly understood. This case report describes a patient who developed cyst formation ten years after SRS, which later progressed to a chronic encapsulated expanding hematoma (CEEH). The study highlights a likely pathophysiological link between cyst formation and CEEH and emphasizes the importance of complete surgical removal to prevent recurrence and ensure long-term resolution of such late-onset complications.

The pilot work of the 10K Chinese People Genomic Diversity Project (10K_CPGDP) has uncovered a complex genetic admixture landscape and biological adaptations among ethno-linguistically diverse groups in the Silk Road region of China. In this study, 1,207 individuals from four linguistically diverse groups were sequenced or genotyped, and a population split between Northwest Chinese minority ethnic groups and Han Chinese dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period was observed. The research provides new insights into the genetic architecture and adaptative history of these groups, shedding light on their genomic and phenotypic diversity and the complex evolutionary influences on human disease and health.

Professor Gang He’s group at Xi’an Jiaotong University synthesized zwitterion-modified NDI derivatives via the atmospheric pressure method. Electrostatic repulsion between molecules regulates the stacking mode. The synergy of zwitterions improves solubility, enhances aromaticity and decomposition resistance. The constructed battery shows no significant capacity decay after long-term cycling at high concentration. These findings are published in National Science Review.

Hadrons are bound by quarks and gluons through the strong interaction. Their properties at low energies are non-perturbative, especially because of the phenomenon of quark confinement. According to quark model, hadrons consist of two or three quarks, called mesons and baryons, respectively. Exotic hadrons, like those formed by four, five or more quarks are allowed by Quantum Chromodynamics, QCD. Since 2003, many exotic mesons have been observed, as the X(3872), Tcc(3875) and so on. Regarding exotic baryons, the \Lambda(1405), discovered in the late 1950s in bubble chamber experiments, has been one of the most controversial states. This is because this resonance has unusual properties as its two-pole structure, which makes it an ideal exotic baryon candidate. To gain insights on the properties of the Lambda(1405), researchers extracted the quark mass dependence of this state from a recent LatticeQCD simulation, or QCD in the discretized space-time, and confirm its two-pole structure.

A groundbreaking study reveals how strain rate influences anthracite crack characteristic Sstress under dynamic loading, offering a predictive model to assess crack stress thresholds. This research provides critical insights into damage evolution mechanisms, advancing strategies to predict and mitigate catastrophic events like rock bursts in underground mining.

How do piezoelectric actuators perform under extreme conditions such as high temperatures, strong vibrations, and nanoscale precision tasks?

In a review published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers examine their use in five major areas including positioning and alignment, biomedical devices, microrobotics, vibration mitigation, and advanced manufacturing.

The study highlights recent progress in materials, control methods, and system design that could support the development of more reliable and efficient precision technologies.

All-inorganic perovskite materials exhibit exceptional thermal stability and promising candidates for tandem devices, while their application is still in the initial stage. Here, a metal halide doping strategy was implemented to enhance device performance and stability for inverted CsPbI₃ perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are ideal for integration into perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. The lanthanide compound terbium chloride (TbCl₃) was employed to improve buried interface between [4-(3,6-Dimethyl-9H-carbazol-9-yl) butyl] phosphonic acid (Me-4PACz) and perovskite layer, thereby enhancing the crystallinity of CsPbI₃ films and passivating non-radiative recombination defects. Thus, the inverted CsPbI₃ PSCs achieved an efficiency of 18.68% and demonstrated excellent stability against water and oxygen. Meanwhile, remarkable efficiencies of 29.40% and 25.44% were, respectively, achieved in four-terminal (4T) and two-terminal (2T) perovskite/silicon mechanically tandem devices, which are higher efficiencies among reported all-inorganic perovskite-based tandem solar cells. This study presents a novel approach for fabricating highly efficient and stable inverted all-inorganic PSCs and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells.