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Abstract CF2-containing compounds hold significant potential in drug discovery, organic synthesis, and materials science. However, synthesizing various CF2-containing building blocks from a single compound remains challenging. Here, we present a Cu-catalyzed, switchable defluoroborylation and hydrodefluorination of trifluoromethylated alkynes, yielding four types of CF2-containing compounds. The chemo- and regio-selective sp2/sp3 1,2-diborylation and sp2 monoborylation of 1-(trifluoromethyl)alkynes are controlled by adjusting the solvent and ligand quantity. Additionally, altering the base allows selective generation of gem-difluoroalkenes or difluoromethylalkenes. Notably, our method prevents over-defluorination of the CF3 group on unsaturated C-C bonds during nucleophilic additions, preserving the pharmaceutically valuable CF2 group. Experimental data and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate the regioselectivities of Cu-Bpin addition and the regulatory role of the ligand in selective deborylation processes.

Abstract Multipartite quantum steering, a unique resource for asymmetric quantum network information tasks, is very fragile to the inevitable decoherence, which makes it useless for practical purposes. It is thus of importance to understand how it decays in the presence of noise channels. We study the dynamic behaviors of genuine tripartite steering, reduced bipartite steering, and collective steering of a generalized three-qubit W state when only one qubit interacts independently with the amplitude damping channel (ADC), phase damping channel (PDC) or depolarizing channel (DC). Our results provide the region of decoherence strength and state parameters that each type of steering can survive. The results show that these steering correlations decay the slowest in PDC and some non-maximally entangled states more robust than the maximally entangled ones. Unlike entanglement and Bell nonlocality, the thresholds of decoherence strength that reduced bipartite steering and collective steering can survive depend on the steering direction. In addition, we find that not only one party can be steered by a group system, but also two parties can be steered by a single system. There is a trade-off between the monogamy relation involving one steered party and two steered parties. Our work provides comprehensive information about the effect of decoherence on multipartite quantum steering, which will help to realize quantum information processing tasks in the presence of noise environments.

Abstract Nonlocal quantum correlations, such as quantum entanglement, quantum steering, and Bell nonlocality, are crucial resources for quantum information tasks. How to protect these quantum resources from decoherence is one of the most urgent problems to be solved. Here, we investigate the evolution of these correlations in the correlated squeezed generalized amplitude damping (SGAD) channel and propose a scheme to protect them with weak measurement (WM) and quantum measurement reversal (QMR). Compared with the results of the uncorrelated SGAD channel, we find that when $$n=1$$ n = 1 , correlation and squeezing effects can prolong the survival time of quantum entanglement, Bell nonlocality, and quantum steering by about 152 times, 207 times, and 10 times, respectively. In addition, local WM and QMR can effectively recover the disappeared nonlocal quantum correlations either in uncorrelated or completely correlated SGAD channels. Moreover, we find that these initial nonlocal quantum correlations could be drastically amplified under the correlated channel. And the steering direction can be flexibly manipulated either by changing the channel parameters or the strength of WM and QMR. These results not only make a step forward in suppressing decoherence and enhancing quantum correlation in noise channels, but also help to develop relevant practical applications.

Abstract Cuproptosis is an emerging mode of programmed cell death for tumor suppression but sometimes gets resisted by tumor cells resist under specific mechanisms. Inhibiting copper transporter ATPase (ATP7A) was found to disrupt copper ion homeostasis, thereby enhancing the effect of cuproptosis and eventually inhibiting tumor invasion and metastasis. In this study, we develop a multifunctional nanoplatfrom based on Cu9S8 (CAPSH), designed to enhance cuproptosis in tumor cells by specifically targeting ATP7A interference, while combining thermodynamic therapy with immune effects. The release of copper ions from CAPSH and the copper homeostasis interference by siRNA cooperatively increases the concentration of copper ions in tumor cells, which induces effectively cuproptosis and activates immune responses for suppressing development and metastasis of tumor. This nanoplatform simultaneously regulates cuproptosis from both principles of onset and development, facilitating the application of cuproptosis in tumor therapy.

Abstract Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have emerged as an effective treatment for osteoporosis. However, the specific mechanism underlying their therapeutic efficacy remains controversial. Herein, we confirm the pro-osteogenic effects of 15 Hz and 0.4-1 mT low-frequency sinusoidal EMFs (SEMFs) on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Subsequent miRNA sequencing reveal that miR-34b-5p is downregulated in both the 0.4 mT and 1 mT SEMFs-stimulated groups. To clarify the role of miR-34b-5p in osteogenesis, BMSCs are transfected separately with miR-34b-5p mimic and inhibitor. The results indicate that miR-34b-5p mimic transfection suppress osteogenic differentiation, whereas inhibition of miR-34b-5p promote osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. In vivo assessments using microcomputed tomography, H&E staining, and Masson staining show that miR-34b-5p inhibitor injections alleviate bone mass loss and trabecular microstructure deterioration in ovariectomy (OVX) rats. Further validation demonstrates that miR-34b-5p exerts its effects by regulating STAC2 expression. Modulating the miR-34b-5p/STAC2 axis attenuate the pro-osteogenic effects of low-frequency SEMFs on BMSCs. These studies indicate that the pro-osteogenic effect of SEMFs is partly due to the regulation of the miR-34b-5p/STAC2 pathway, which provides a potential therapeutic candidate for osteoporosis.

Abstract Mounting evidence showed that HER2-Low breast cancer patients could benefit from the novel anti-HER2 antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) treatment, which pointed the way towards better therapy for HER2-Low patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinicopathological features, along with chemotherapeutic effects and survival outcomes of HER2-Low and HER2-Zero in TNBC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). We retrospectively evaluated 638 triple-negative breast cancer patients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy between August 2014 and August 2022. Pathologic complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes were analyzed in HER2-Low cohort, HER2-Zero cohort and the overall patients, respectively. In the entire cohort, 342 (53.6%) patients were HER2-Low and 296 (46.4%) patients were HER2-Zero. No significant difference was found between HER2-Low and HER2-Zero patients based on all the clinical–pathological characteristics. 143 cases (22.4%) achieved pCR after NACT in the overall TNBC patients. The pCR rate of the HER2-Low patients and the HER2-Zero patients was 21.3% and 23.6%, respectively, exhibiting no statistical difference (p = 0.487). The survival of pCR group after NACT significantly improved compared to non-pCR group either in HER2-Low patients or in HER2-Zero patients. Although we found that patients with HER2-Low had longer DFS than patients with HER2-Zero, there was no considerable difference (p = 0.068). However, HER2-Low patients had a dramatically longer OS than HER2-Zero patients (p = 0.012). The data from present study confirmed the clinical importance of HER2-Low expression in TNBC. Further effort is needed to determine whether HER2-Low could be a more favorable prognostic marker for individual treatment.

Abstract Our previous study has shown that ATP action on P2X7R could be the second signal to induce the onset of gouty arthritis. However, the functional changes of P2X7R single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the effects of ATP-P2X7R-IL-1β signaling pathway and uric acid remained unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between the functional change of P2X7R containing the Ala348 to Thr polymorphisms (rs1718119) and the pathogenesis of gout. First, 270 gout patients and 70 hyperuricemic patients (without gout attack history in recent 5 years) were recruited for genotyping. In addition, the changes of ATP-induced pore formation were assessed in HEK-293T cells overexpressing different mutants in P2RX7, and the effects on P2X7R-NLRP3-IL-1β pathway activation were explored in P2RX7 overexpression THP-1 cells. The risk allele for gout was A at rs1718119, and the AA and AG genotypes exhibited a higher risk of gout. Furthermore, Ala348 to Thr mutants increased P2X7-dependent ethidium+ bromide uptake, upregulated IL-1β and NLRP3 levels as compared to the wild-type. We suggest that genetic polymorphisms of P2X7R containing the Ala348 to Thr are associated with the increased risk of gout, showing an enhanced gain-of-function effect on the development of this disease.

Abstract Rapid thermal annealing is an effective way to improve the optical properties of semiconductor materials and devices. In this paper, the emission characteristics of GaAs0.92Sb0.08/Al0.3Ga0.7As multiple quantum wells, which investigated by temperature-dependent photoluminescence, are adjusted through strain and interfacial diffusion via rapid thermal annealing. The light-hole (LH) exciton emission and the heavy-hole (HH) exciton emission are observed at room temperature. After annealing, the LH and HH emission peaks have blue shift. It can be ascribed to the variation of interfacial strain at low annealing temperature and the interfacial diffusion between barrier layer and well layer at high annealing temperature. This work is of great significance for emission adjustment of strained multiple quantum wells.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy efficacy has still limitations. Here, the authors generate a vaccine that integrates CD274 siRNA into the L1 protein of human papillomavirus, which cooperates with ICB by activating innate immunity in breast cancer models.

Targeting tumors with bacteria as vehicles for metabolite therapy suffers from low efficiency and robustness. Here, the authors combine carbon nitride with nitric oxide generation enzyme-positive E. coli for photo-controlled metabolite therapy (PMT) and observe increased effects both in vitro and in tumor-bearing mice.