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Defence against pathogens relies on intracellular nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) in plants. Hormone signaling including abscisic acid (ABA) pathways are activated by NLRs and play pivotal roles in defence against different pathogens. However, little is known about how hormone signaling pathways are activated by plant immune receptors. Here, we report that a plant NLR Sw-5b mimics the behavior of the ABA receptor and directly employs the ABA central regulator PP2C-SnRK2 complex to activate an ABA-dependent defence against viral pathogens. PP2C4 interacts with and constitutively inhibits SnRK2.3/2.4. Behaving in a similar manner as the ABA receptor, pathogen effector ligand recognition triggers the conformational change of Sw-5b NLR that enables binding to PP2C4 via the NB domain. This receptor-PP2C4 binding interferes with the interaction between PP2C4 and SnRK2.3/2.4, thereby releasing SnRK2.3/2.4 from PP2C4 inhibition to activate an ABA-specific antiviral immunity. These findings provide important insights into the activation of hormone signaling pathways by plant immune receptors. Huang et al. show how plant Sw-5b NLR mimics the ABA receptor to activate ABA-dependent antiviral immunity via the PP2C-SnRK2 complex. They reveal that Sw-5b NLR induces ABA accumulation, upregulates ABA response genes, and triggers defense against viral infections by releasing SnRK2 from  PP2C inhibition.

Flexible aqueous zinc batteries (FAZBs) with high safety and environmental friendliness are promising smart power sources for smart wearable electronics. However, the bare zinc anode usually suffers from damnable dendrite growth and rampant side reaction on the surface, greatly impeding practical applications in FAZBs. Herein, a composite polymer interface layer is artificially self‐assembled on the surface of the zinc anode by graft‐modified fluorinated monomer (polyacrylic acid‐2‐(Trifluoromethyl)propenoic acid, PAA‐TFPA), on which an organic–inorganic hybrid (PAA‐Zn/ZnF2) solid electrolyte interface (SEI) with excellent ionic conductivity is formed by interacting with Zn2+. Both the pouch cell and fiber zinc anode exhibit excellent plating/stripping reversibility after protecting by this organic–inorganic SEI, which can be stably cycled more than 3000 h in symmetric Zn||Zn cells or 550 h in fiber Zn||Zn cells. Additionally, this interface layer preserves zinc anode with excellent mechanical durability under various mechanical deformation (stably working for another 1200 h after bending 100 h). The corresponding PAA‐Zn/ZnF2@Zn||MnO2 full cell displays an ultra‐long life span (79% capacity retention after 3000 cycles) and mechanical robustness (85% of the initial capacity for another 3000 cycles after bending 100 times). More importantly, the as‐assembled cells can easily power smart wearable devices to monitor the user's health condition. A composite polymer interface layer is artificially self‐assembled on the surface of the zinc anode; this in situ SEI shows favorable mechanical strength and electrochemical performance. The ZnF2 as a rigid layer efficiently inhibits dendrite growth, and the PAA serves as a flexible layer that releases the stresses during bending. The zinc anode exhibits excellent plating/stripping reversibility after protecting by this organic–inorganic SEI.

Summary Plants use intracellular nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) to recognize pathogen‐encoded effectors and initiate immune responses. Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), which has been found to infect >1000 plant species, is among the most destructive plant viruses worldwide. The Sw‐5b is the most effective and widely used resistance gene in tomato breeding to control TSWV. However, broad application of tomato cultivars carrying Sw‐5b has resulted in an emergence of resistance‐breaking (RB) TSWV. Therefore, new effective genes are urgently needed to prevent further RB TSWV outbreaks. In this study, we conducted artificial evolution to select Sw‐5b mutants that could extend the resistance spectrum against TSWV RB isolates. Unlike regular NLRs, Sw‐5b detects viral elicitor NSm using both the N‐terminal Solanaceae‐specific domain (SD) and the C‐terminal LRR domain in a two‐step recognition process. Our attempts to select gain‐of‐function mutants by random mutagenesis involving either the SD or the LRR of Sw‐5b failed; therefore, we adopted a stepwise strategy, first introducing a NSmRB‐responsive mutation at the R927 residue in the LRR, followed by random mutagenesis involving the Sw‐5b SD domain. Using this strategy, we obtained Sw‐5bL33P/K319E/R927A and Sw‐5bL33P/K319E/R927Q mutants, which are effective against TSWV RB carrying the NSmC118Y or NSmT120N mutation, and against other American‐type tospoviruses. Thus, we were able to extend the resistance spectrum of Sw‐5b; the selected Sw‐5b mutants will provide new gene resources to control RB TSWV.

Sw‐5b is an effective resistance gene used widely in tomato to control tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), which causes severe losses in crops worldwide. Sw‐5b confers resistance by recognizing a 21‐amino‐acid peptide region of the viral movement protein NSm (NSm21, amino acids 115–135). However, C118Y or T120N mutation within this peptide region of NSm has given rise to field resistance‐breaking (RB) TSWV isolates. To investigate the potential ability of TSWV to break Sw‐5b‐mediated resistance, we mutagenized each amino acid on NSm21 and determined which amino acid mutations would evade Sw‐5b recognition. Among all alanine‐scan mutants, NSmP119A, NSmW121A, NSmD122A, NSmR124A, and NSmQ126A failed to induce a hypersensitive response (HR) when coexpressed with Sw‐5b in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. TSWV with the NSmP119A, NSmW121A, or NSmQ126A mutation was defective in viral cell‐to‐cell movement and systemic infection, while TSWV carrying the NSmD122A or NSmR124A mutation was not only able to infect wild‐type N. benthamiana plants systemically but also able to break Sw‐5b‐mediated resistance and establish systemic infection on Sw‐5b‐transgenic N. benthamiana plants. Two improved mutants, Sw‐5bL33P/K319E/R927A and Sw‐5bL33P/K319E/R927Q, which we recently engineered and which provide effective resistance against field RB isolates carrying NSmC118Y or NSmT120N mutations, recognized all NSm21 alanine‐substitution mutants and conferred effective resistance against new experimental RB TSWV with the NSmD122A or NSmR124A mutation. Collectively, we determined the key residues of NSm for Sw‐5b recognition, investigated their potential RB ability, and demonstrated that the improved Sw‐5b mutants could provide effective resistance to both field and potential RB TSWV isolates. Two artificially improved Sw‐5b resistance gene mutants confer effective resistance to potential resistance‐breaking isolates of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus.

Using photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) technology is a powerful way to solve the energy shortage. In this study, a hexagonal hollow tubular nitrogen-doped carbon (N−C)-coated In 2 O 3 /CdZnS heterojunction photocatalyst was in situ synthesized using a simple oil bath heating method. Results show that the PHE rate of N−C/In 2 O 3 /CdZnS (∼22.87 µmol h −1 ) is ∼2.4 times that of pristine CdZnS (∼9.49 µmol h −1 ) and ∼54.5 times that of pristine In 2 O 3 (∼0.42 µmol h −1 ). After four cycles, the PHE rate can still retain more than 90% of the original. Its excellent photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the following aspects: (1) the N−C layer acts as an electron transport bridge, which ensures the efficient electron transfer of the photocatalytic reaction; (2) the hollow tubular structure enhances the light reflection and absorption; (3) the N−C/In 2 O 3 /CdZnS heterostructure improves the carrier recombination and photocorrosion; (4) the large specific surface area and mesoporous structure provide a large number of reactive sites. This study provides a novel idea for designing visible-light-type heterojunction catalysts.

Outside front cover image: The bare zinc anode usually suffers from damnable dendrite growth and rampant side‐reaction on the surface, greatly impeding practical applications in flexible aqueous zinc batteries. Herein, a composite polymer interface layer is artificially self‐assembled on the surface of the zinc anode by graft‐modified fluorinated monomer, on which an organic‐inorganic hybrid solid electrolyte interface (SEI) with excellent ionic conductivity is formed by interacting with Zn2+. After the protection of the organic‐inorganic SEI, the battery shows excellent electrochemical performance. (https://doi.org/10.1002/smm2.1212)

Highlights Microneedles (MNs) are used extensively for treating skin diseases due to their capability to provide less-invasive targeted drug delivery. Intelligent MNs can be fabricated from biocompatible materials with specialized properties, thereby providing improved treatment efficacy. Currently, there are limitations in the clinical application of MNs, highlighting the significance of further investigation to facilitate the translation of this innovative technology into patient treatment contexts. The use of microneedles (MNs) has been established as an effective transdermal drug delivery strategy that has been extensively deployed for treating various diseases, including skin diseases. MNs can surpass the constraints of conventional drug delivery methods by their superior safety and efficacy through precise targeting, while simultaneously enabling painless delivery. Currently, MNs are increasingly used as carriers for drug delivery, with the loading of insoluble drugs to improve their treatment efficiency or combining with bioactive substances for the construction of an efficient drug delivery system to maximize the effects of bioactive substances. The methods used for preparation MNs are diverse, enabling them to meet the requirements of most applications. The emergence of MNs has addressed the shortcomings associated with insoluble drugs, expanded the applications of bioactive substances, and improved their use in clinical practice. This review summarizes current information on the application of MNs in a variety of skin diseases, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, alopecia, hypertrophic scarring, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, acne, and skin infections. The current clinical applications and future opportunities for MNs in the treatment of skin diseases are also discussed. Despite substantial progress in the clinical application of MNs as delivery vectors, issues such as low drug loading and poor mechanical strength during MNs preparation remain the main challenges. Therefore, clinical implementation of MNs-based therapies remains limited, highlighting key opportunities for future research.

In recent years, people have paid increasing attention to food safety. Various types of food hazards are present in food, including pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, toxins, heavy metals, etc. Food hazards pose a significant threat to human health, so there is an urgent need to develop rapid and accurate detection methods. In this paper, a Pt/PDA composite material with a hollow structure was designed and synthesized, and it was used as a nanozyme to establish a new colorimetric detection platform for bisphenol A (BPA). The results of the catalytic performance study show that the prepared Pt/PDA has both oxidase-like and peroxidase-like catalytic activities. Based on the phenomenon that the presence of BPA inhibits the oxidation of TMB, a new method for the colorimetric detection of BPA using Pt/PDA + TMB + H 2 O 2 was constructed. There is a linear relationship between the absorbance of Ox-TMB at 448 nm and the concentration of BPA. The linear range for the detection of BPA is between 1.5 and 850 μM, and the detection limit is 1.23 μM. This method has high selectivity when detecting BPA.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are becoming more and more popular all over the world. However, quality issues of TCM may lead to medical incidents in practice and therefore quality control is essential to TCM. In this review, the state of TCM in European Pharmacopoeia are compared with that in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, and herbal drugs that are not considered as TCM and not elaborated by TCM working party at European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Health Care (EDQM) but present in both European Pharmacopoeia and Chinese Pharmacopoeias are also discussed. Different aspects in quality control of TCM including origins, identification, tests and assays, as well as sample preparation, marker selection and TCM processing are covered to address the importance of establishing comprehensive quality standard of TCM. Furthermore, advanced analytical techniques for quality control and standard establishment of TCM are also reviewed.

Background This study explored the optimal time interval between staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) to minimize early complications of the second TKA and maximise the long-term function of the first and second knees. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 266 patients who underwent staged BTKA between 2013 and 2018. Groups 1–4 had time intervals between BTKAs of 1–6, 6–12, 12–18, and 18–24 months, respectively. Demographics, postoperative complications within 90 days of the second TKA, Knee Society Score (KSS), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score were compared among the groups. Results In total, 54, 96, 75, and 41 patients were assigned to groups 1–4, respectively. Although group 1 had the highest overall complication rate (11.11%), there was no significant difference in the complication rate among the four groups. Also, no significant differences were found among the four groups in functional and patient-reported outcomes, in either the first or second knee at 5 years postoperatively, including KSS-knee, KSS-function, WOMAC-pain, WOMAC-stiffness, and WOMAC-physical function. The interval between BTKA did not influence complications or the function of the second knee. The TKA type (posterior-stabilised vs. medial-pivot) and age did not correlate significantly with any scores. Conclusions There was no group difference in early complications of the second TKA, and postoperative function was equivalent between the two knees and did not vary by the interval between surgeries. The results of this study give surgeons and patients more choices. If patients cannot tolerate severe symptoms in the contralateral knee after the first TKA, the second TKA should be performed as early as possible. If knee joint function is not well recovered after the first TKA, and patients are anxious to undergo the second TKA, surgeons can advise patients to postpone the operation based on these results.