Angiotensin Ⅱ is a key regulator of blood pressure and an important biomarker in vascular disease, but meaningful comparison of laboratory results depends on reliable measurement standards. Researchers have now developed a candidate reference material for angiotensin Ⅱ using two independent analytical approaches. The methods produced highly consistent results, while further testing showed good homogeneity, long-term stability, and low measurement uncertainty. Verification against an internationally recognized reference material provided additional support for the assigned value. The new material could provide laboratories with a common benchmark for method validation, quality control, and more comparable angiotensin Ⅱ measurements.

Low-quality brines represent an abundant and valuable resource for sustainable lithium supply, but their high Mg²⁺ concentrations and high Mg²⁺/Li⁺ ratios make the separation of Mg²⁺ and Li⁺ particularly challenging. A research team at Tsinghua University has developed a polyelectrolyte-intercalated graphene oxide membrane with tunable interlayer spacing, in which the effective interlayer gallery width was controlled through counter-ion adsorption, enabling efficient Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation under high Mg²⁺ concentrations and high Mg²⁺/Li⁺ ratios through practical pressure-driven filtration.

Stable quantum dot (QD) inks are critical yet challenging for advancing the efficiency and scalability of solution-processed optoelectronic devices. PbS-PbI₂ QDs are attractive for their superior passivation and inter-dot coupling, but require strongly-coordinating alkylamine solvents which continuously etch the QDs and lead to rapid ink degradation. Research teams from Northeast Normal University in China and Jeonbuk National University in Korea reported a vapor-assisted pre-solvation strategy, extending the storage-lifetime of PbS-PbI₂ QDs over 60 days, ensuring outstanding thermal robustness and demonstrating scalable manufacturing potential of QDs.

Cu-doped Er₂O₃ catalysts (Cu-Er₂O₃-x) are synthesized to overcome kinetic, selectivity and proton supply issues of CO₂RR to CH₄. Cu doping creates a strong built-in electric field (BIEF) via charge redistribution, shortening *H-catalyst distance, boosting water dissociation and optimizing *CHO adsorption. The best Cu-Er₂O₃-6 reaches 60.79% CH₄ Faradaic efficiency with stable performance over 24 h. Characterizations and DFT verify BIEF accelerates proton transfer and lowers the barrier of the rate-determining *CHO→*CH₂O step. This work proposes a BIEF regulation strategy to design high-selectivity CH₄ electrocatalysts for carbon neutrality.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading cause of low back pain. Conventional therapeutic strategies are limited by single-target intervention and poor clinical efficacy, highlighting the urgent demand for multifunctional nanotherapeutics that synergistically target the complex pathological environment of IDD. MnB-RLG, an interfacial electron-regulated multifunctional nanozyme, exerts synergistic therapeutic effects against IDD through metabolic-redox regulation, providing a potential disease-modifying approach for the clinical management of IDD.

Ankylosing spondylitis causes persistent back pain, spinal stiffness, and progressive functional impairment, with a substantial proportion of patients failing to achieve adequate disease control with current biologic therapies - creating a critical unmet need for more durable and effective long-term treatments. Dual inhibition of IL-17A and IL-17F provides an optimized therapeutic approach to suppress amplified inflammatory signaling that drives axial inflammation and irreversible spinal damage. In a pivotal 52-week Phase III trial, XKH004, an innovative China-developed dual-target IL‑17A/F monoclonal antibody, yielded robust, sustained improvements in disease activity, physical function, pain relief, and quality of life in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. These long-term clinical outcomes validate XKH004’s potent efficacy and favorable safety profile, establishing it as a promising next-generation biologic option for refractory and suboptimally controlled ankylosing spondylitis.

Achieving high hardness and toughness simultaneously remains a major challenge in advanced structural ceramics. Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics provide a promising platform because their α, β, and γ polymorphs exhibit complementary strengthening and toughening characteristics. However, differences in transformation kinetics and rapid volume shrinkage during phase transitions hinder the formation of uniform multiphase microstructures with strong interfacial bonding. Here, a novel phase-transition-regulated precipitation–densification strategy was developed to construct triphase Silicon nitride in-situ composite ceramics with synergistic mechanical properties. This approach provides a new pathway for overcoming the hardness–toughness trade-off and advancing high-performance structural ceramics for demanding engineering applications.

^99mTc-HMPAO leukocyte scintigraphy is an improved, lower-radiation method playing a critical role in early diagnosis and subsequent monitoring of the rare and serious disease of necrotizing external otitis (NEO). Results, though garnered through a small study, show high specificity and sensitivity for diagnosis and later monitoring of disease progression or recurrence.

This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of integrative and complementary treatments for vitiligo. Evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that interventions such as Ginkgo biloba, topical turmeric, fire needle therapy, and microneedling-assisted drug delivery may improve repigmentation, reduce lesion area, or stabilize disease progression. These approaches were generally well tolerated, with mostly mild and manageable adverse events. Although the findings support their potential as adjunctive options, the overall certainty of evidence remains limited. The study therefore provides an updated evidence-based perspective on how complementary strategies may be incorporated into individualized vitiligo management.