Search

Commonly used opioids for pain management primarily target the mu opioid receptor. However, mu opioid receptor agonists often come with harmful side effects. Here, the authors report the results of two phase 3 trials of HSK21542 (anrikefon), a highly selective activator of peripheral kappa opioid receptor agonists, for postoperative pain treatment following abdominal surgery.

Currently, there is limited understanding of the molecular subtypes of fumarate hydratase (FH)-deficient renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, the authors employ integrated genomics and transcriptomics to develop a CpG site-specific methylation signature for the identification of FH-deficient RCC, and to identify three distinct molecular subtypes for this rare but highly lethal kidney cancer.

Hongbing Shen, Zuomin Zhou, Yijiang Chen, Zhibin Hu and colleagues report genome-wide association analyses of sporadic non-syndromic congenital heart malformations in Han Chinese populations and identify two risk loci at 1p12 and 4q31.

A large-scale genetic study conducted on European and Asian populations reveals shared genetic variants associated with the most severe form of spermatogenic failure, offering valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of male infertility.

The molecular mechanisms underlying the function of different cellular states in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) remain poorly understood. Here, the authors perform integrated single cell and bulk analysis of GSCs and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is a major cause of male infertility. Here, the authors provide insight into the genetic basis of NOA by identifying three new genetic risk loci in a genome-wide association study and reporting a fourth potential NOA susceptibility locus based on a Drosophilaknockdown experiment.

Transcription elongation is an essential step for gene expression control but remains unclear during spermatogenesis. Here, the authors report that NKAPL, a testis-specific protein distantly related to RNA splicing factors, is a crucial regulator of transcription pause-release.

Analyses of whole-genome sequencing data in children and validation in mouse models show that offspring born from blastocyst-stage embryo transfer have shorter leukocyte telomere lengths.

Here the authors reveal that phase‐separated nuclear CCER1 condensates are required for male fertility by mediating chromatin condensation and histone epigenetic modification, while loss‐of‐function variants of human CCER1 are pathogenic in patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA).

This genome-wide association study on persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among Chinese confirms previously associated genetic loci while discovering a novel protective locus at 8p21.3. The study also demonstrates the nearby gene INST10 suppresses HBV replication in vitro.

Determining the causal variants at GWAS loci is crucial for understanding genetic disease mechanisms. Here, the authors apply MPRA to perform non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) variant-to-function mapping at scale and propose distinct genetic architectures underlying NSCLC susceptibility.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have improved our understanding of the genetic basis of lung adenocarcinoma but known susceptibility variants explain only a small fraction of the familial risk. Here, the authors perform a two-stage GWAS and report 12 novel genetic loci associated with lung adenocarcinoma in East Asians.

The STING-relayed inflammation response has been increasingly identified as one of the key drivers of NAFLD progression. Here the authors show that an E3 ubiquitin ligase, RNF13, can ameliorate NAFLD phenotypes by facilitating the TRIM29-mediated degradation of STING.

Genome-wide association studies in Chinese and Europeans have identified multiple loci associated with congenital heart disease. Here the authors use existing GWAS data to conduct an extended three-stage analysis in Han Chinese and identify four novel loci linked to disease risk in this population.

Thin, freestanding Li metal foils are key to improving the energy density of Li batteries but are difficult to manufacture. Here, authors achieve thin Li foils by mechanical rolling, exploiting tribochemistry to form a protective surface film that improves mechanical and electrochemical properties.

Recovering resources from wastewater sources is an important sustainable development strategy. Here, authors build an electrochemical resource-recovery anaerobic membrane bioreactor for the simultaneous full recovery of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, while demonstrating membrane fouling mitigation.

Two dimensional halide perovskites solar cells have attracted research interest due to their higher stability compared to three dimensional counterparts. Here Hu et al. show that fine tuning of the chemical structure of the spacer cations leads to different packing arrangements and device efficiency.

Cholangiocarcinoma is a heterogenous group of cancers, with large genetic variation seen within subtypes. Here, the authors find 12 significantly mutated genes and 5 focal CNA regions were found in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, and identified METTL14 to have a potential tumour suppressive role.

This randomized trial assessed the effectiveness and safety of single blastocyst transfer vs single cleavage-stage embryo transfer among women with good prognosis. Here, the authors show improved cumulative live birth rates and relatively unfavorable perinatal outcomes after blastocyst transfer.

Regulatory T (T_reg) cells have an important role in age-related diseases and inflammation; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Li et al. identify a T_reg-specific long noncoding RNA, Altre, that binds Yin Yang 1 to regulate liver T_reg mitochondrial function in old mice. Altre deletion accelerates aging-associated liver pathogenesis.

Atomically thick anticorrosion coatings on Cu are desired for future applications, but still at its infancy. Here, the authors report a Janus-doping mechanism in bilayer graphene on Cu substrate that results in an enhanced anticorrosion performance.

Sun and colleagues identify lnc-CTHCC, a cancer-testis lncRNA that binds to hnRNP K, activates YAP1 transcription and promotes hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

The development of brain metastases is a lethal yet poorly understood event in the evolution of many cancers. Here, the authors perform whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing on matched normal, primary and metastatic tissue samples to explore the genomic features of brain metastases in colorectal cancer.

Ding Ma, Xing Xie, Yongyong Shi and colleagues report a genome-wide association study of cervical cancer in the Han Chinese population. They identify two new susceptibility lociat 4q12 and 17q12.

Jiahao Sha, Xinru Wang, Hongbing Shen and colleagues report a genome-wide association study of non-obstructive azoospermia in Chinese men. They identify common variants near three genes (PRMT6, PEX10 and SOX5) associated with this form of male infertility.

Hongbing Shen, Dongxin Lin, Yongyong Shi and colleagues identify two new susceptibility loci for non-cardia gastric cancer. They also confirm three previously reported risk loci for this gastric cancer subtype.

Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) show promise for facilitating cancer risk stratification. Here, the authors performed a large genome-wide association study and develop a PRS for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which could improve risk stratification and personalized screening.

Risk prediction for prognosis in colorectal cancer is an important tool. Here, the authors utilise GWAS from 5 cohorts of colorectal cancer patients, and show a healthy lifestyle is associated with a 7.6% improvement in overall survival among patients with high pathologic and genetic risk.

SOSS–INTAC stimulates promoter-proximal termination of transcription and attenuates R-loops associated with paused RNA polymerase II to prevent R-loop-induced genome instability.

Genes normally expressed in the testis but aberrantly expressed in cancer are termed cancer testis antigens. In this study, the authors catalogue the expression of these genes in 19 different cancer types and correlate expression with some somatically mutated oncogenes.

Dongxin Lin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Chinese populations, identifying nine new susceptibility loci. They also perform a genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis with alcohol consumption, a known risk factor for ESCC.

Hongbing Shen and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Han Chinese populations. They identify two loci newly associated with HBV infection near HLA-C and UBLE2L3 and replicate previous associations at HLA-DP and HLA-DQ.

The distinct genomic and epidemiological features of Chinese lung cancer patients suggest the presence of alternative causal mechanisms. Here, the authors present the genomic landscape of 149 Chinese NSCLC patients and reveal distinct mutational signatures associated with inflammatory microenvironments.

Disulfiram is an FDA-approved drug for treating alcoholism. Wu and colleagues show that disulfiram can be repurposed to efficiently inhibit pyroptosis by specifically blocking gasdermin-mediated pore formation.

Designing an efficient activation function for optical neural networks remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a modulator-detector-in-one graphene/silicon heterojunction ring resonators enabling on-chip reconfigurable activation function devices with phase activation capability for optical neural networks.

A study reports data from the first phase of the Chinese Pangenome Consortium including 116 de novo assemblies from 58 core samples representing 36 minority Chinese ethnic groups.

Invasive early stage lung adenocarcinoma has a heterogeneous prognosis. Here, the authors microdissect malignant pulmonary nodules to invasive and preinvasive components and study the mutations that are common or private between the lesions, allowing them to understand the evolutionary path of the tumours.

Although electrocatalytic water splitting can generating renewable fuels, it is challenging to find water oxidation catalysts that are stable in acid at high current densities. Here, authors explore IrW as oxygen evolution electrocatalysts maintaining high current densities for hundreds of hours.

The formation of junctions between graphene and other materials could aid the development of nanoelectronics. We et al. partially unzip single-walled carbon nanotubes to produce graphene/nanotube junctions that show gate-dependent rectifying behaviour.

Cleft lip is one of the most common congenital birth defects with substantial impairments to quality of life. Here, Sun et al. identify a new locus associated with cleft lip in diverse Chinese populations.