In a review buplished in MedComm, the author highlights the critical role of metabolomics in identifying therapeutic targets for drug discovery. Metabolomics can capture phenotypic changes induced by exogenous compounds, offering a valuable approach beyond traditional protein-level focus. The review outlines various metabolomics-based methods, such as dose-response metabolomics and stable isotope-resolved metabolomics, which can identify key enzymes and metabolic pathways affected by drugs. The author emphasizes importance of metabolomics in advancing disease mechanism understanding and accelerating targeted drug development, while acknowledging current challenges in the field.

A research team led by Prof. HU Li at the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has revealed that parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) preferentially encode pain intensity and drive nociceptive-evoked gamma oscillations (GBOs).

A new study reveals the rising burden of liver cancer, highlighting the significant impact of metabolic risk factors like obesity, in addition to viral hepatitis.

Wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors hold great promise for in-situ, real-time monitoring and accurately assessing the health status of hot-end components. However, the thin-film electrode as the SAW sensor core unit with excellent high-temperature conductivity, stability, and oxidation resistance is still a challenge, especially in ultra-high temperature harsh environments. Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) method has attracted great attention because of the advantages of rapid preparation of film and adjustable thickness of film. PDC SiHfBCN ceramics have been proved promising ceramics for ultra-high-temperature applications due to excellent high-temperature stability and oxidation resistance up to 1500 °C. However, the high-temperature electrical conductivity of PDC SiHfBCN ceramic coating, especially above 1000 °C, have not been reported yet. The relationship between microstructure and electrical conductivity at high temperatures was established to explain the conductive mechanism for the first time.

Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly and powerful oxidant that is used in a variety of industries. At industry-scale, it is currently manufactured using a process called anthraquinone oxidation-reduction process, but researchers are searching for a better way. An electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a safe, clean, and reliable method, but an effective catalyst has yet to be identified and adopted widely because of low selectivity.

Computer vision is used in many sectors for its ability to monitor and analyze visual data in ways that extend past what human vision can do. This includes the medical, agricultural, and industrial sectors where, for example, early tumor detection, early pest detection and fine quality control can save both money and, most importantly, lives. For computer vision one of the most challenging functions is camouflage object detection (COD), the ability to recognize, identify and analyse an object in an image or video that is difficult to differentiate from its background. Since 2023 there has been a surge in research on COD in conjunction with the use of deep learning, a type of machine learning. This has created a large pool of research that has not yet been surveyed. To address this a research group at Duke University and Tsinghua University has undertaken an extensive review of the COD literature to catalogue, review and analyze the current state of the field. 

Cortinarius species are widely distributed in the world and constitute a diverse group of ectomycorrhizal fungi that are associated with a broad range of plant hosts. The species diversity of this genus has been investigated in China, but it remains poorly understood, especially in subtropical regions. In this study, one new section, six novel species, one new combination, one new name, and one new record of Cortinarius are reported from subtropical China based on the morphological and molecular evidences. Cortinarius lilacinicarpus, C. sinocalaisopus, C. sinosalor, and C. vividus spp. nov., C. orientisalor nom. nov., and C. illibatus are typical species of the section Delibuti. Cortinarius macroflavicapus sp. nov. belongs to Macroflavicapi sect. nov., a new section in the subgenus Dermocybe. Cortinarius tianbaoyanensis sp. nov. and C. dryadicola comb. nov. belong to section Spilomei. Detailed descriptions, basidiocarps, and microscopic photographs are provided for these species. In addition, C. leptospermorum comb. nov. in section Pauperae, subgenus Dermocybe is proposed.

The article introduces a novel method for generating coherent light over an octave-spanning range at the nanoscale using phase-matching-free down-conversion in gallium selenide and niobium oxide diiodide crystals. This technique produces a broad spectral range (565 to 1906 nm) with nanometer-scale thickness and low excitation power, offering high efficiency. It holds potential for compact, versatile ultra-broadband light sources, with applications in metrology, spectroscopy, and telecommunications.

A research team led by Prof. WAN Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a dual-functional reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with enhanced antibacterial and antiadhesion properties. The membrane demonstrates broad-spectrum, sustained antibacterial activity, as well as resistance to various foulants. These properties make it suitable for water purification, seawater desalination, and high-salinity wastewater treatment, among other applications.

Researchers investigated the microwave heating characteristics in a single-mode microwave system by using Multiphysics numerical simulations. The key findings provided a theoretical basis for comprehending microwave-heating processes in single-mode reactors and clarify the common microwave-specific effects encountered in laboratory settings.