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Diagnostic and therapeutic illumination on internal organs and tissues with high controllability and adaptability in terms of spectrum, area, depth, and intensity remains a major challenge. Here, we present a flexible, biodegradable photonic device called iCarP with a micrometer scale air gap between a refractive polyester patch and the embedded removable tapered optical fiber. ICarP combines the advantages of light diffraction by the tapered optical fiber, dual refractions in the air gap, and reflection inside the patch to obtain a bulb-like illumination, guiding light towards target tissue. We show that iCarP achieves large area, high intensity, wide spectrum, continuous or pulsatile, deeply penetrating illumination without puncturing the target tissues and demonstrate that it supports phototherapies with different photosensitizers. We find that the photonic device is compatible with thoracoscopy-based minimally invasive implantation onto beating hearts. These initial results show that iCarP could be a safe, precise and widely applicable device suitable for internal organs and tissue illumination and associated diagnosis and therapy.

Tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) is a ubiquitin E3 ligase that regulates important biological processes. However, the role of TRAF6 in cardiac hypertrophy remains unknown. Here, we show that TRAF6 levels are increased in human and murine hypertrophied hearts, which is regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Cardiac-specific Traf6 overexpression exacerbates cardiac hypertrophy in response to pressure overload or angiotensin II (Ang II) challenge, whereas Traf6 deficiency causes an alleviated hypertrophic phenotype in mice. Mechanistically, we show that ROS, generated during hypertrophic progression, triggers TRAF6 auto-ubiquitination that facilitates recruitment of TAB2 and its binding to transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), which, in turn, enables the direct TRAF6–TAK1 interaction and promotes TAK1 ubiquitination. The binding of TRAF6 to TAK1 and the induction of TAK1 ubiquitination and activation are indispensable for TRAF6-regulated cardiac remodelling. Taken together, we define TRAF6 as an essential molecular switch leading to cardiac hypertrophy in a TAK1-dependent manner., TRAF6 is a ubiquitin E3 ligase regulating a number of biological processes. Here the authors show that ROS, generated during pathological cardiac stress, induces TRAF6 auto-ubiquitination and activation, promoting its interaction with and ubiquitination of TAK1 that contributes to development of cardiac hypertrophy.

Although pathological cardiac hypertrophy represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this disease is still poor. Here, we demonstrate that suppressor of IKKɛ (SIKE), a negative regulator of the interferon pathway, attenuates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in rodents and non-human primates in a TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1)/AKT-dependent manner. Sike-deficient mice develop cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, whereas Sike-overexpressing transgenic (Sike-TG) mice are protected from hypertrophic stimuli. Mechanistically, SIKE directly interacts with TBK1 to inhibit the TBK1-AKT signalling pathway, thereby achieving its anti-hypertrophic action. The suppression of cardiac remodelling by SIKE is further validated in rats and monkeys. Collectively, these findings identify SIKE as a negative regulator of cardiac remodelling in multiple animal species due to its inhibitory regulation of the TBK1/AKT axis, suggesting that SIKE may represent a therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure., Identifying pathways that cause pathological cardiac hypertrophy holds great therapeutic potential. Here the authors discover one such pathway and show that SIKE, an inhibitor of interferon signalling, prevents pathological but not physiological cardiac hypertrophy by interacting with TBK1 and modulating the TBK1/AKT signalling in rodents and monkeys.

The recently identified avian-originated influenza H7N9 virus causes severe pulmonary disease and may lead to death in humans. Currently, treatment options for the prevention and control of fatal H7N9 infections in humans remain limited. Here we characterize two human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs), HNIgGA6 and HNIgGB5, by screening a Fab antibody phage library derived from patients who recovered from H7N9 infection. Both antibodies exhibit high neutralizing activity against H7N9 virus in cells. Two amino acids in the receptor-binding site, 186V and 226L, are crucial for the binding of these two HuMAbs to viral haemagglutinin antigens. Prophylaxis with HNIgGA6 and HNIgGB5 confers significant immunity against H7N9 virus in a mouse model and significantly reduces the pulmonary virus titre. When administered post infection, therapeutic doses of the HuMAbs also provide robust protection against lethality. These antibodies might represent a potential alternative or adjunct to H7N9 pandemic interventions.

One promising technique for working toward practical photonic quantum technologies is to implement multiple operations on a monolithic chip, thereby improving stability, scalability and miniaturization. The on-chip spatial control of entangled photons will certainly benefit numerous applications, including quantum imaging, quantum lithography, quantum metrology and quantum computation. However, external optical elements are usually required to spatially control the entangled photons. Here we present the first experimental demonstration of on-chip spatial control of entangled photons, based on a domain-engineered nonlinear photonic crystal. We manipulate the entangled photons using the inherent properties of the crystal during the parametric downconversion, demonstrating two-photon focusing and beam-splitting from a periodically poled lithium tantalate crystal with a parabolic phase profile. These experimental results indicate that versatile and precise spatial control of entangled photons is achievable. Because they may be operated independent of any bulk optical elements, domain-engineered nonlinear photonic crystals may prove to be a valuable ingredient in on-chip integrated quantum optics.