Explore the vast range of titles available.

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent age-related degenerative joint disease and is closely linked to obesity. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that altered lipid metabolism in chondrocytes, particularly enhanced fatty acid oxidation (FAO), contributes to osteoarthritis progression. Excessive FAO causes acetyl-CoA accumulation, thereby altering protein-acetylation profiles, where the core FAO enzyme HADHA is hyperacetylated and activated, reciprocally boosting FAO activity and exacerbating OA progression. Mechanistically, elevated FAO reduces AMPK activity, impairs SOX9 phosphorylation, and ultimately promotes its ubiquitination-mediated degradation. Additionally, acetyl-CoA orchestrates epigenetic modulation, affecting multiple cellular processes critical for osteoarthritis pathogenesis, including the transcriptional activation of MMP13 and ADAMTS7. Cartilage-targeted delivery of trimetazidine, an FAO inhibitor and AMPK activator, demonstrates superior efficacy in a mouse model of metabolism-associated post-traumatic osteoarthritis. These findings suggest that targeting chondrocyte-lipid metabolism may offer new therapeutic strategies for osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is closely linked to obesity. Here, the authors show that lipid overload in chondrocytes boosts fatty acid oxidation, fueling disease progression via SOX9 degradation and epigenetic dysregulation.

The jungles of Linyun and Longlin Autonomous Prefecture, located in the heart of the southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, are home to the oldest tea trees ( Camellia sinensis ) in the world. In the absence of regular annual rings, radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating is one of the most powerful tools that can assist in the determination of the ages and growth rates of these plants. In this work, cores were extracted from large ancient tea trees in a central Longlin rain forest; extraction of carbon was performed with an automated sample preparation system. The 14 C levels in the tree cores were measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the University of Tsukuba. These measurements indicated that contrary to conventional views, the ages of trees in these forests range up to ~700 years, and the growth rate of this species is notably slow, exhibiting a long-term radial growth rate of 0.039±0.006 cm/yr. It was demonstrated that 14 C analyses provide accurate determination of ages and growth rates for subtropical wild tea trees.

As a required sample preparation method for 14C graphite, the Zn-Fe reduction method has been widely used in various laboratories. However, there is still insufficient research to improve the efficiency of graphite synthesis, reduce modern carbon contamination, and test other condition methodologies at Guangxi Normal University (GXNU). In this work, the experimental parameters, such as the reduction temperature, reaction time, reagent dose, Fe powder pretreatment, and other factors, in the Zn-Fe flame sealing reduction method for 14C graphite samples were explored and determined. The background induced by the sample preparation process was (2.06 ± 0.55) × 10–15, while the 12C– beam current were better than 40μA. The results provide essential instructions for preparing 14C graphite of ∼1 mg at the GXNU lab and technical support for the development of 14C dating and tracing, contributing to biology and environmental science.

As a required sample preparation method for 14 C graphite, the Zn-Fe reduction method has been widely used in various laboratories. However, there is still insufficient research to improve the efficiency of graphite synthesis, reduce modern carbon contamination, and test other condition methodologies at Guangxi Normal University (GXNU). In this work, the experimental parameters, such as the reduction temperature, reaction time, reagent dose, Fe powder pretreatment, and other factors, in the Zn-Fe flame sealing reduction method for 14 C graphite samples were explored and determined. The background induced by the sample preparation process was (2.06 ± 0.55) × 10 –15 , while the 12 C – beam current were better than 40μA. The results provide essential instructions for preparing 14 C graphite of ∼1 mg at the GXNU lab and technical support for the development of 14 C dating and tracing, contributing to biology and environmental science.

A new system for preparing 14C samples was established for a compact accelerator mass spectrometer (GXNU-AMS) at Guangxi Normal University. This sample preparation system consists of three units: a vacuum maintenance unit, a CO2 purification unit, and a CO2 reduction unit, all of which were made of quartz glass. A series of radiocarbon (14C) preparation experiments were conducted to verify the reliability of the system. The recovery rate of graphite obtained was more than 80%. The carbon content in the commercial toner and wood sample was linearly fitted to the CO2 pressure in the measurement unit of the system. The results showed a good linear relationship, indicating that the reliability of the sample preparation system. AMS measurements were conducted on a batch of standard, wood, and dead graphite samples prepared using this system. The results showed that the beam current of 12C- for each sample was more than 40 μA, the carbon contamination introduced during the sample preparation process was ∼ 2 × 10–15, and that the new sample preparation system is compact, low-contamination, and efficient and meets the GXNU-AMS requirements for 14C samples.

Dear Editor, Lysine crotonylation is a posttranslational modifi- cation （PTM） of histone proteins originally identified by Tan et al. [1]. This novel evolutionarily conserved histone modification was identified on 28 lysine sites on various histones [1]. Lysine crotonylation occurs primar- ily on the ε-amino group of lysine, but its planar orien- tation and four-carbon length distinguish it from lysine acetylation. Histone crotonylation specifically labels the enhancers and transcription starting sites of active genes in both the human somatic cell genome and the murine male germ cell genome. Histone crotonylation, like acetylation.

Rapid economic development and accelerated urbanization have prompted large numbers of rural adults to migrate to cities for better job opportunities, leaving a large population of rural school-age children behind in their hometowns. The absence of parental affection and the breakdown of family functions have created significant challenges for the behavioral health of left-behind children, placing a crucial responsibility on rural education. This study employed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to identify the demands of rural education among left-behind children. Applying the Kano model to analyze these demands revealed that, among 25 demand indicators, 6 were classified as must-be quality, 8 as one-dimensional quality, 6 as attractive quality, and 5 as indifferent quality. Subsequently, the AHP was used to identify the weight of each demand indicator. The study results identified and ranked the key demands in rural education that support the behavioral health of left-behind children, providing a basis for rural schools and teachers to formulate targeted strategies, and offering an operational pathway for promoting the behavioral health of left-behind children from the perspective of demand, thereby advancing the sustainable development of both the behavioral health of left-behind children and the rural education system.

This study explores the differences in oxidation color, oxidation products, and high-temperature oxidation resistance between TA1 and Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) titanium alloys following a 50 h oxidation treatment at 450 °C and 750 °C. A combination of analytical techniques—optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and micro-Vickers hardness testing—was employed to characterize the morphology of the oxide layers, elemental distribution, phase composition, and microhardness variations. The results reveal that at 450 °C, both alloys develop relatively compact oxide films. TA1 exhibits a yellow–gray coloration, while TC4 displays a characteristic blue–violet interwoven color. At 750 °C, however, the oxide layers become porous and prone to spallation, with a brown appearance and predominance of TiO2. XPS analysis confirms that Ti4+ (TiO2) is the dominant oxidation state on both alloy surfaces at 750 °C, with TC4 showing a significantly higher content of Al2O3. Microhardness measurements indicate that high-temperature oxidation increases the hardness of both alloys, with TC4 consistently exhibiting higher hardness than TA1. TC4 demonstrates superior oxidation resistance: at 450 °C, it forms a denser oxide layer with lower oxygen uptake, while at 750 °C, its oxide layer thickens more significantly, likely due to increased brittleness and spallation. This study underscores the profound impact of high-temperature oxidation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of titanium alloys and highlights the critical role of oxide layer density and stability in determining oxidation resistance. These findings provide valuable insights for the application of TA1 and Ti-6Al-4V alloys in high-temperature environments.

The mechanical integrity of shipbuilding steel under demanding maritime service conditions is a pivotal factor for ensuring the structural safety and operational longevity of vessels. This research employs laser shock peening (LSP) to augment the surface performance of AH32 steel and carries out a comprehensive analysis of the influence and underlying mechanisms of LSP on both the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the material. The results indicate that the LSP treatment successfully introduced a high magnitude residual compressive stress (−162 MPa) at the surface of AH32 steel. Additionally, the surface hardness of LSP-1 and LSP-2 increased by 7.3% and 14.7%, respectively. The tensile test results indicate that Sample LSP-2 achieved a 25.8% improvement in elongation while exhibiting only a 5.9% reduction in ultimate tensile strength. Friction and wear tests demonstrated that the average coefficient of friction for the samples treated with LSP decreased by approximately 18%, while the wear rate reduced significantly by over 40%.

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D) onset is a complex, organized biological process with multilevel regulation, and its physiopathological mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. This study aims to find out the key drivers and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of T2D through multi-omics analysis. Methods The datasets used in the experiments comprise three groups: (1) genomic (2) transcriptomic, and (3) epigenomic categories. Then, a series of bioinformatics technologies including Marker set enrichment analysis (MSEA), weighted key driver analysis (wKDA) was performed to identify key drivers. The hub genes were further verified by the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Curve analysis, proteomic analysis, and Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The multi-omics network was applied to the Pharmomics pipeline in Mergeomics to identify drug candidates for T2D treatment. Then, we used the drug-gene interaction network to conduct network pharmacological analysis. Besides, molecular docking was performed using AutoDock/Vina, a computational docking program. Results Module-gene interaction network was constructed using MSEA, which revealed a significant enrichment of immune-related activities and glucose metabolism. Top 10 key drivers ( PSMB9, COL1A1, COL4A1, HLA-DQB1, COL3A1, IRF7, COL5A1, CD74, HLA-DQA1, and HLA-DRB1 ) were selected by wKDA analysis. Among these, COL5A1, IRF7, CD74 , and HLA-DRB1 were verified to have the capability to diagnose T2D, and expression levels of PSMB9 and CD74 had significantly higher in T2D patients. We further predict the co-expression network and transcription factor (TF) binding specificity of the key driver. Besides, based on module interaction networks and key driver networks, 17 compounds are considered to possess T2D-control potential, such as sunitinib. Conclusions We identified signature genes, biomolecular processes, and pathways using multi-omics networks. Moreover, our computational network analysis revealed potential novel strategies for pharmacologic interventions of T2D.