Teijin (Japan)

Graphite nanosheets with highly oriented conductive coatings have been developed to guide uniform zinc deposition in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). By leveraging mechanical ball milling and chemical functionalization, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups are grafted onto graphite nanosheets. The graphite nanosheets’ slurry is coated on copper foil using shear force, ensuring the coating thickness is smaller than the graphite nanosheet diameter to promote horizontal alignment, which contributes to the formation of the (002)-oriented structure of the conductive coating. The resulting Cu@C current collector exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and abundant zincophilic sites from rich oxygen-containing groups, promoting uniform Zn2+ distribution around the anode and guiding Zn2+ uniform transport along the (002) plane and zinc epitaxial growth. Structural characterization confirms the formation of two-dimensional, highly oriented graphite nanosheets on the copper substrate. Electrochemical tests reveal that Zn||Cu@C asymmetric cells achieve outstanding cycling stability and high Coulombic efficiency over thousands of cycles at various current densities, while Zn||Cu cells suffer from dendrite formation and rapid performance decay. Full cells with MnO2 cathodes further demonstrate improved capacity, rate performance, and charge-transfer kinetics when paired with Cu@C anodes. This work provides a practical strategy for crystal-plane-guided zinc deposition, offering insights into the design of long-life and high-performance zinc-ion batteries.

The effects of bisphosphonate pretreatment on the bone anabolic effects of abaloparatide (ABL) in mice were investigated. Mice were administered alendronate (ALN) at different doses for 21 days, followed by 28 days of ABL. ABL increased femoral bone mineral density at all ALN doses, with effects equal to or greater than those observed in mice without ALN. Histological analysis demonstrated that ABL increased ALPase- and PHOSPHO1-positive osteoblasts, irrespective of ALN pretreatment. However, the increase in TRAP-positive osteoclasts by ABL was attenuated at higher ALN doses. These findings suggest that ABL promotes bone formation in mice, independently of ALN pretreatment.

To perform RHD gene detection on a blood sample with serological weak D phenotype. A specimen received by the People's Hospital of Zhijin County was serologically identified by the microcolumn gel method and saline method. RHD gene detection was conducted by the PCR-SSP method, and the full sequence determination of the 10 exons amplified was performed. The sequencing results were compared with the ISBT database to determine the genotype. Bioinformatics tool was used to predict the functional damage of mutant proteins, and Alphafold-3 was used for tertiary structural modeling of wild-type and mutant RhD proteins, and the structures of the two proteins were compared and analyzed to explore the reasons why mutations lead to weak serological manifestations. The patient's genotype was identified as RHD*DV.5/RHD*01N.01 heterozygote, with the complete deletion of RHD genes on one chromosome, unable to express the D antigen. On the other chromosome, a G>A mutation occurred at the 697th base of the 5th exon, resulting in a partial D phenotype. This mutation causes internal hydrogen bond changes at the 233 position of RhD protein, resulting in a change in the conformation of the protein, affecting binding to the corresponding antibody. The patient is a heterozygous mutant individual with RHD*DV.5/RHD*01N.01, exhibiting a partial D phenotype serologically. This variation is extremely rare and has been scarcely reported globally.

Accurately predicting novel compound-protein interactions (CPIs) is essential for accelerating drug discovery. The generalizability of machine learning-based CPI prediction models relies significantly on the availability and diversity of CPI datasets. To maximize data utility, particularly for highly confidential datasets maintained by industries, federated learning (FL)—which integrates multi-site data while preserving privacy—has emerged as a promising approach. Nonetheless, its effectiveness when applied to heterogeneous data from diverse molecular domains, a common real-world scenario, remains unclear, thereby limiting its broader adoption. This study evaluates FL for CPI prediction using datasets spanning multiple chemical and protein domains, providing practical guidance for optimizing the FL approach. Results indicate that the FL model enhanced out-of-domain prediction performance but was surpassed by local models for in-domain data under data heterogeneity. Drawing on these findings, a new strategy was developed to achieve robust performance for in- and out-of-domain tasks: a similarity-guided ensemble that combines the global FL model with fine-tuned models based on each client's local data. This method demonstrated effectiveness with real-world industry data, including samples from the public database and 13 pharmaceutical companies. Cumulatively, these findings offer practical guidance for implementing FL in contemporary drug discovery processes.

過敏性腸症候群（irritable bowel syndrome: IBS）は腹痛と便通異常を特徴とし，一般人口の5～20%が罹患すると報告されている．様々な治療法が存在するものの患者満足度が十分とは言い難く，新しい治療法が望まれている．本研究では，痛覚などの侵害刺激情報を伝達するAδ線維とC線維の活動を抑制するとされるphotobiomodulation（PBM）をIBSへ適応できるか検討した．拘束ストレスモデルラットを使用し，大腸痛覚過敏に対するPBMの有効性を検討した．PBMの光源として半導体レーザを使用した．群はNon-stress + Sham群，Stress + Sham群，Stress + PBM群の3群とし，Stress + PBM群にはL6後根神経節へ経皮的にPBMを5分間ずつ両側に行った．PBM条件は2回の試験で計5種類（平均パワー1,000，460，70，18，3.5 mW）を用いた．PBM後にバロスタットカテーテルを挿入し，30分間の順化後，60 mmHgで膨張させた状態で腹筋収縮回数を5分間測定した．その結果，460 mW，70 mW，18 mWで有意な収縮抑制が認められたが，1,000 mWおよび3.5 mWでは有意差がみられなかった．これらの結果は，PBMが拘束ストレス由来の大腸痛覚過敏を改善し，IBS治療への適応を示唆するものである．PBMは，Aδ，C線維が関わる様々な疾患へ適応できる可能性がある．

Layered titanium acid (H2TiO3 or HTO) has been extensively utilized as a lithium-ion sieve in studies on lithium extraction from salt lake brines. However, the actual lithium uptake by layered HTO, commonly known through an ion exchange mechanism, is much lower than the theoretical value. The hypothesis is that there is a clear need to further elucidate the mechanism of lithium-ion adsorption for the purpose of guiding the design of a lithium ion sieve (LIS). In this study, lithium adsorption on layered HTO as a function of pH was investigated to gain deeper insight into its underlying adsorption mechanism. Lithium adsorption was found to increase significantly with pH, in particular, at pH 14. To comprehend this strong pH dependency, thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) techniques were used to analyze the state of HTO layers before and after lithium adsorption. Surprisingly, HTO surfaces at pH 14 exhibited fewer hydration layers and a higher abundance of hydroxyl groups compared with values at lower pH values. Characterization of HTO before and after lithium adsorption using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed an anatase type of TiO2 in HTO at pH 14. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) measurements showed a significant alteration in the configuration of hydroxyl groups within HTO layers after Li+ adsorption at pH 14, distinguishing it from the behavior observed at other pH values. These findings demonstrate that lithium adsorption occurs predominantly through LiOH molecules, which displace interlayer water molecules. The results from density functional theory (DFT) calculations align well with our experimental findings. This research provides a more profound understanding of lithium adsorption in multilayer LIS materials and a scientific basis for the design of innovative multilayer structures for the extraction of lithium from salt lake brines.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is known for its ability to reduce parameters of diabetes, but its effects on prediabetic subjects have been scarcely studied. To assess the efficacy of Momordica charantia supplementation in a prediabetic population on markers of glucose homeostasis. Two randomized controlled studies were conducted to assess the effect of bitter gourd supplementation in a prediabetic population. Study 1 was a 4-week cross-over intervention trial (n=30), with freeze-dried bitter gourd (BG) fruit juice (2.4g/day) or a cucumber-based control product (CC). Study 2 was a parallel trial (n=38) lasting 12 weeks, with freeze-dried whole fruits (3.6g/day) or a cucumber-based matched control supplement. Effects on fasting plasma glucose (FPG), insulin, HbA1c, fructosamine, postprandial glucose after an oral glucose tolerance test, and several safety biomarkers were also analyzed in both trials before and after the interventions. In Study 1, no significant differences were found between the bitter gourd and placebo interventions. However, a reduction in FPG in subjects with higher baseline values were found following bitter gourd supplementation, which was not observed in the control group. However, in Study 2, we observed significant reductions of FPG (p=0.014), fasting insulin (p=0.007), and HOMA-IR (p=0.003) after a 12-week intervention with the bitter gourd supplement. In addition, between treatment analysis resulted in significant effects on FPG levels (p=0.026) and HOMA-IR (p=0.045) with no significant effects on other biomarkers related to glucose metabolism. On average, bitter gourd intervention reduced FPG by ∼0.05mmol/L per week, whereas FPG remained unchanged following placebo. In both studies, there were no indications of health risks or side effects from consumption of the supplements. Results suggest that supplementation with bitter gourd fruit can have positive effects on fasting plasma glucose and insulin among prediabetic subjects when provided over an extended period of at least 12 weeks.

Foam stability critically determines the efficiency of the mineral flotation process. Although the mixed amine Gemini surfactant/anionic surfactants exhibit excellent flotation performance, atomic-level investigations of the mechanism of their impact on foam stability remain limited. This study employs molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the self-aggregation behavior of mixed amine Gemini surfactant/sodium oleate (NaOl) systems with varying spacer chain lengths at the air/water interface. The structural parameters of self-aggregation, surface tension, synergistic energy, and diffusion coefficient of water molecules were calculated in detail. The results of molecular dynamics simulations indicated that synergistic adsorption between surfactants occurred. Compared with single amine Gemini surfactant systems, the mixed surfactant systems exhibited an enhanced interfacial activity. The spacer chain length significantly affected the adsorption configurations of the mixed surfactant at the air/water interface. For spacer chains containing fewer than five methylene groups, carboxyl groups preferentially adsorbed between two intramolecular amine groups, forming independently clustered aggregates. Conversely, longer spacer chains promoted adsorption between carboxyl groups and intermolecular amine groups, forming interconnected network-like aggregates. Both structural configurations constrained interfacial water mobility, thereby reducing the liquid flow rate between foam films, suppressing water loss and enhancing the mechanical stability of flotation foams.