Paneth cell metaplasia (PCM), long viewed as a consequence of chronic inflammation in ulcerative colitis, may also help protect and repair the intestine, according to researchers at Science Tokyo. The study found that inflammation increases IL-22 signaling, which promotes PCM and the production of REG3A, a protein that helps heal the intestinal lining. The findings suggest PCM may be a protective response but should be monitored because persistent PCM could increase cancer risk.

Researchers have identified a simple and inexpensive chemical additive that overcomes a major hurdle in developing fluoride shuttle batteries, a high-energy alternative to conventional lithium-ion technologies.

By adding potassium tetrafluoroborate to a liquid electrolyte, the team significantly increased the availability of active fluoride ions without permanently trapping them, enabling reversible battery cycling.

This minimal and highly scalable approach provides a new design strategy for stable liquid electrolytes, paving the way for cost-effective and sustainable high-energy storage systems.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have determined the molecular origin of line tension for a water nanodroplet on a surface. This tension is the force along the droplet edge where liquid, solid, and gas phases meet. Computational studies showed that at complete wetting, collapse of tetrahedral order in liquid water causes the line tension to change sign. An ice bilayer did not wet a hydrophilic surface, showing that local order can outweigh surface chemistry.