The latest issue of Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts (2025, 10, 295-309) surveys four millennia of cellulose sutures and concludes that newly engineered nanocellulose and oxidized regenerated cellulose fibers lose more than half their tensile strength in only seven days—fast enough to qualify as absorbable under ISO standards. The Chinese–Iranian team behind the survey demonstrates wet-spun cellulose nanofibril (CNF) threads reaching 1 877 MPa when blended with chitosan, while interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation (IPC) embeds antibiotics or growth factors directly into the filament core. In vivo rodent data reveal smaller inflammatory footprints and 1.7-fold higher collagen deposition than silk or Vicryl controls, suggesting the plant-based threads could soon move from bench to bedside.

Reporting in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, researchers outline a closed-loop concept: a glutaraldehyde-cross-linked chitosan/carboxymethyl-cellulose sponge first adsorbs Cr³⁺, Al³⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ from simulated tannery liquor at pH 4, obeying Langmuir kinetics. Instead of conventional acid desorption, the metal-laden gel is simply swollen, sheared and added to the re-tanning bath where its wide-molecular-weight fragments and coordinated metals raise shrinkage temperature by up to 8 °C and increase tear strength 40 %. The tactic eliminates a disposal step while cutting virgin chrome demand.

This study uncovers a new molecular mechanism by which the E3 ubiquitin ligase PIAS4 orchestrates pluripotency exit and lineage commitment in porcine embryonic stem cells (pESCs). Using a genome-wide CRISPR screening approach, the researchers identified PIAS4 as a critical regulator that modulates histone H3K4me3 marks via SUMOylation-mediated stabilization of KDM5B. Loss of PIAS4 impaired stem cell differentiation, disrupted lineage specific gene programs, and altered mesendoderm specification through LEFTY2–SMAD signaling. These findings not only provide fundamental insight into porcine stem cell biology but also pave the way for applications in livestock breeding, artificial meat production, and regenerative medicine.

This study developed a metal-drug self-delivery nanomedicine (FDAH) to enhance chemotherapy/chemodynamic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Leveraging a core of iron-based nanoparticles co-loaded with two clinical drugs, Doxorubicin (DOX) and Plerixafor (AMD3100), and an outer shell of hyaluronic acid (HA), the system enables targeted drug delivery and combats therapeutic resistance. After intravenous administration, the HA shell prolongs blood circulation, facilitating tumor accumulation via the EPR effect and subsequent cellular uptake through HA/CD44-specific interactions. Inside tumor cells, the iron ions mediate chemodynamic therapy by triggering the Fenton reaction to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which disrupts redox homeostasis and sensitizes cells to DOX. Simultaneously, AMD3100 blocks the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis to alleviate immunosuppression and enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy. This work demonstrates that targeting the immunosuppressive microenvironment with a CXCR4-inhibiting nanoplatform can effectively synergize chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy for improved HCC treatment.

The senescence of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells is involved in osteoporosis. The combination of dasatinib and quercetin has been explored to alleviate bone loss by efficiently reducing senescent cell populations. However, senolytic therapy by dasatinib and quercetin requires a precise ratio for better therapeutic effects, which is hard to achieve by oral administration. Meanwhile, the poor water solubility of these compounds limits their bioavailability, and their non-specific action could hamper effective penetration and targeting within relevant tissues. Herein, we developed alendronate-functionalized liposomes carrying dasatinib and quercetin (Aln-Lipo-DQ), focusing mainly on senescence-associated osteoporosis induced by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Alendronate helps liposomes deliver dasatinib and quercetin to the femur and tibias, effectively removing senescent cells from bone tissue and increasing bone volume fraction from 5.05% to 11.95% in the chemotherapy-induced osteoporosis mouse model. We also found a 2.91-fold increase in bone volume fraction in Aln-Lipo-DQ treated groups compared to the control in radiotherapy models. This selectively targeting bone and reducing senescent cells holds great promise for cancer treatment-related and senescence-associated bone disorders.

No-tillage with total green manure mulching can optimize maize root structure by improving soil water content and soil temperature environment. NTG increased maize photosynthetic capacity and grain yield. The relationship between SWC, ST, root length, photosynthetic characteristics, and grain yield was expounded.

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a research team led by Professor Sung Jae Kim from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has developed a new energy-harvesting water purification system capable of producing both purified water and hydrogen simultaneously.

This innovative technology removes impurities from saline water while reducing hydrogen ions at the electrode to generate hydrogen gas. The system integrates desalination and water electrolysis into a single process, thereby minimizing energy loss compared to conventional water-purification systems.

Designed as a compact and modular unit, the system allows for flexible scalability through the assembly of multiple modules. This makes the technology highly promising for resource-limited environments, such as spacecraft, disaster areas, and remote military sites where clean water and energy supplies are strictly limited.

Supported by the Korea Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the SNU Energy Initiative (SNUEI), the study has been published online in Communications Materials (Nature Portfolio, 2025), a leading journal in the field of materials science.