As the global transition to renewable energy intensifies, the search for high-performance batteries and efficient electrocatalysts has become a critical race against time. Traditionally, discovering these materials required years of "trial-and-error" laboratory experiments. Now, a comprehensive review published in the journal ENGINEERING Energy by researchers from Tongji University reveals how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally shifting this paradigm.

Xuebijing injection (XBJ), a clinically widely used traditional Chinese medicine formulation, ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI) through multi-target synergy. It inhibits inflammation and ferroptosis by directly binding to five key proteins (PKM2, ENO1, PBK, EIF3I, Keap1), suppressing the MAPK/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling axis, restoring alveolar barrier integrity and immune homeostasis, providing new mechanistic evidence and therapeutic prospects for ALI treatment.

A novel TGFβ3 signaling cascade drives metastatic progression in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) by rewiring succinate metabolism. In a SMAD3/4-independent manner, TGFβ3 promotes assembly of the SMAD2/ETV4/CARM1 transcriptional complex, which epigenetically activates sulfide quinone oxidoreductase (SQOR) to trigger mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming and succinate accumulation. Accumulated succinate acts as a paracrine signal to induce smooth muscle cell (SMC)-to-endothelial-like cell (ELC) transdifferentiation, fostering stromal remodeling and vascular niche formation for metastasis. Structure-based virtual screening identifies L-chicoric acid as a specific inhibitor that disrupts SMAD2-ETV4 interaction, blocking the metabolic axis and suppressing MIBC metastasis, highlighting this pathway as a promising therapeutic target.

A team of researchers from China Pharmaceutical University and King's College London has identified MT2A as a key biomarker and candidate host target that connects zinc dysregulation to COVID-19 mortality. A PRISMA-guided meta-analysis of 1,972 hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed that zinc supplementation reduced mortality (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.36–0.64). Multi-omics integration further revealed that MT2A, enriched in myeloid lineages, is closely associated with COVID-19 severity, viral entry/processing pathways, and innate immune sensing, with its expression peaking early after infection, providing new insights for biomarker-guided stratification and host-directed intervention strategies.

Substrate inhibition is a longstanding bottleneck in microbial fermentation, particularly in lactic acid bacteria, where excessive substrate concentrations can paradoxically suppress growth and product formation. Conventional models, such as Haldane type formulations, are widely used but remain largely phenomenological, limiting their interpretability and predictive power for process optimization. Bridging this gap requires models that not only fit experimental data but also capture the underlying biological mechanisms.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) exhibit excellent catalytic performance due to their unique two-dimensional (2D) layered structure, adjustable chemical composition, and tunable interlayer ion types and contents. However, when employed as a catalyst, LDH materials still suffer from several drawbacks, such as poor electrical conductivity and a tendency to agglomerate. To further improve their catalytic performance, a variety of effective modification strategies have been adopted, including electronic structure modulation, morphological control, and interface engineering.

A research team has mapped how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape cardiac arrest care, from early warning and emergency response to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and recovery after survival. By reviewing 114 studies involving more than 9.57 million patients, the study shows that artificial intelligence is most often used to predict cardiac arrest, guide resuscitation decisions, and estimate post-arrest outcomes. The findings suggest that artificial intelligence could become a practical tool for identifying high-risk patients earlier, supporting time-critical decisions during resuscitation, and improving post-arrest care, while also highlighting the need for stronger real-world validation before these tools can be widely adopted in emergency medicine.