Given the invasiveness of colonoscopy and the limited sensitivity and specificity of carcinoembryonic antigen for colon cancer detection, we developed a laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) method based on a polyethersulfone film-based laser-induced graphene (PES-LIG) array. The PES-LIG is fabricated by one-step CO2 laser scribing on a PES film and can be directly used as an LDI substrate without any modification. Its layered structure facilitates the desorption/ionization of small-molecule metabolites, enabling uniform detection (RSD = 4.12%) with fmol-level sensitivity, high salt tolerance (S/N = 5319.8 for 1 nmol cellobiose in saturated NaCl solution), and low background. This method requires no matrix mixing, and a single circular LIG spot of 3 mm diameter can be produced in only ∼12 s. In a single experiment, a single PES film (76 mm × 25 mm) yielded a total of 94 LIG spots, with a material cost of only ∼0.04 USD. Thus, this approach enables rapid and high-throughput mass spectrometric analysis. Through computer-controlled laser scanning, PES-LIG arrays can be rapidly prepared and were applied to serum metabolomics of colon cancer. A total of 209 samples (106 colon cancer patients and 103 age-matched healthy controls) were analyzed, and 18 metabolites exhibited significant intergroup differences, revealing colon cancer-associated metabolic reprogramming. A neural network model constructed from these metabolic fingerprints achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 98.3% in blind validation. This work provides a low-cost, high-throughput strategy for non-invasive detection of colon cancer and offers a new high-performance substrate for LDI-MS technology.

Rapid and sensitive detection of Candida albicans is important for early diagnosis and timely management of fungal infections. Here, we report a precursor-integrated strategy for constructing a flexible Zn-containing laser-induced graphene/cysteamine biointerface, denoted as LIG-ZnO/Cys, functionalized with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) for the direct detection of intact C. albicans cells. Sodium lignosulfonate was used as a renewable biomass-derived carbon precursor, enabling direct laser formation of a porous conductive LIG framework without a separate carbon-material deposition step. Meanwhile, Zn-containing species were incorporated into the precursor and retained after laser treatment as dispersed Zn-containing domains, which are conservatively referred to as ZnO-related domains in this work, providing Zn-associated sites for subsequent interfacial functionalization. The resulting amino-functionalized surface enabled glutaraldehyde-mediated immobilization of amino-modified ssDNA probes. SEM, EDS, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and EIS verified the morphology, composition, surface chemistry, and stepwise assembly of the interface. Target-cell-associated interfacial blocking generated a signal-off DPV response over 1.0 × 10[0]-1.0 × 10[6] CFU mL[-1], with a theoretical detection limit of 1.01 CFU mL[-1]. The sensor showed good tolerance to the tested small-molecule interferents, a preferential response toward C. albicans, and satisfactory recoveries in the tested biological matrices.

Efficient carrier extraction at the CZTSSe/CdS heterojunction is essential for high-performance CZTSSe solar cells. However, the uneven distribution of nucleation sites on polycrystalline CZTSSe often leads to nonuniform CdS nucleation and growth, resulting in defect-rich heterojunctions and enhanced interfacial recombination. Herein, we report a small molecule thiol self-assembled interlayer (thiol-SAI) strategy to regulate CdS nucleation and growth on CZTSSe through the directional interaction between thiol-containing molecules and the absorber surface. By comparing thiol molecules bearing hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, and sulfonic acid terminal groups, sodium 2-mercaptoethanesulfonate (Mesna) is identified as the most effective interfacial modifier. The thiol group (-SH) anchors onto the CZTSSe surface to form a Mesna SAI with outward-oriented sulfonic acid functionalities. This interlayer significantly improves surface wettability and promotes uniform heterogeneous nucleation, enabling the growth of a compact, highly crystalline, and low-defect CdS buffer layer with enhanced grain-boundary coverage. Consequently, interfacial recombination is suppressed, and the heterojunction recombination activation energy increases from 59.27 to 69.50 meV. As a result, the power conversion efficiency is improved from 11.50% to 12.93%. This work demonstrates that thiol-SAI-assisted interface engineering provides an effective strategy for coordinating buffer-layer growth with heterojunction quality, offering a general molecular-level approach for optimizing charge extraction in solution-processed thin-film solar cells.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition whereby hyperglycemia induces structural, functional, and metabolic changes in the heart, leading to cardiac dysfunction. The renin-angiotensin system plays a pivotal role in the progression of DCM. Ligustrazine (LIG) is an alkaloid from the Chuanxiong plant that has long been used as a "food medicine". The stewed rhizomes, which contain LIG as a major constituent, have proven benefits and have been extensively studied for their anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties; however, their role in DCM remains unclear. Additionally, whether combining LIG with telmisartan (TEL), an AT1R blocker, offers greater cardiac protection is unclear. The animal experimentation included a single streptozotocin-55 mg/kg, i.p. injection for disease induction. Four weeks post-induction, animals received respective treatments for 4 weeks: Normal control (NC), diabetic control (DC), DC+LIG40 (40 mg/kg, i.p.), DC+LIG80 (80 mg/kg, i.p.), NC+LIG80, DC+T10 (10 mg/kg, p.o.), and DC+LIG40+ T5. The heart and blood samples were collected to assess cardiac markers, including LDH, CK-MB, ANP, and BNP. Cardiac electrical and hemodynamic changes, as well as histological, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and apoptotic assays were performed. A combination of LIG40 and TEL5 provided greater cardiac protection, with a significant improvement in cardiac electrical rhythm and hemodynamics, accompanied by a marked reduction in UPR[ER], myocardial apoptosis, and fibrosis, indicating the efficacy of the combination therapy. Combining LIG, a phytopharmaceutical, with TEL offers greater efficacy in DCM, provides a novel therapeutic strategy, and is compelling and holds value in treating DCM.

Maize (Zea mays L.) stalk cell wall composition is a key determinant of forage digestibility, lodging resistance, and biomass utilization efficiency. Although previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci associated with lignin (LIG), cellulose (CEL), and hemicellulose (HC), advances in genomic resources provide an opportunity to revisit existing phenotypic datasets at substantially higher resolution. Here, we re-analyzed a maize association panel consisting of 341 diverse inbred lines using an expanded genotype dataset containing 10.77 million SNPs, two derived compositional indices (CEL/HC and [LIG/(CEL + HC)], and six complementary GWAS models. Across all traits and models, we identified 855 unique significant SNPs associated with 579 candidate genes. Among the traits examined, LIG/(CEL + HC) yielded the greatest number of associations, suggesting that indices representing the relative balance among cell wall components may better capture the genetic architecture of cell wall composition than individual component measurements alone. Integration of multiple GWAS models with functional enrichment, haplotype, and selective sweep analyses prioritized three biologically relevant candidate genes encoding a MYB58 transcription factor, the glycosyltransferase Xt9, and a putative xyloglucan 6-xylosyltransferase. Haplotype analysis revealed significant effects of Xt9 and the xyloglucan 6-xylosyltransferase on cell wall composition, while selective sweep analysis identified Xt9 as a target of repeated selection during maize domestication, ecological adaptation, and modern breeding. Although these candidate genes provide promising targets for future investigation, the associations identified here are based on a single association panel and require functional and independent population validation. Collectively, our results demonstrate how high-density genotyping combined with complementary GWAS models can refine candidate associations and generate testable hypotheses from existing phenotypic datasets.

The main protease (MPro) of coronaviruses (CoVs) is an essential enzyme involved in viral replication and represents an attractive target for antiviral drug discovery. Based on the similar binding pocket residues within the MPro of different CoVs, this study aimed to identify potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 MPro from PDB ID 6M2N using integrated computational approaches. Interaction-based pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening, molecular docking, MM-GBSA binding energy calculation, and molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) were performed using BIOVIA Discovery Studio. The validated pharmacophore model was utilized to screen the ZINC database, followed by docking and 100 ns MDS analyses of the top-ranked compounds. The pharmacophore model 01 demonstrated favorable predictive performance (AUC = 0.781). Virtual screening identified 483 compounds, from which 15 compounds were selected for docking studies. Among them, ZINC95473654 (Lig-1), ZINC95473725 (Lig-2), and ZINC08792368 (Lig-3) exhibited strong binding affinity toward MPro. Lig-1 demonstrated the best docking score and binding free energy, along with stable interactions with key catalytic residues HIS41, CYS145, and GLU166. MDS analyses further confirmed that Lig-1, Lig-2 and Lig-3 maintained stable conformations. The hydrogen bond distance monitoring and post MDS-MM-GBSA results suggest Lig-1 followed by Lig-3 as an inhibitor for MPro and persistent intermolecular interactions throughout the 100 ns simulation period. The findings suggest that Lig-1, followed by Lig-3, may serve as promising computational lead compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 MPro, representing promising candidates for further experimental validation.

With the growing global demand for sustainable polymeric materials, bio-based non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPU) have attracted considerable attention as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional polyurethanes. However, simultaneously achieving high performance and multifunctionality in NIPU remains challenging. Although nanocellulose (NCs) and lignin (Lig) have been widely employed as bio-based fillers, their potential synergistic effects in NIPU systems remain insufficiently understood. In this study, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) was converted into cyclic carbonate soybean oil (CSBO) using a deep eutectic solvent (DES)-catalyzed system. The CSBO was then cured with 4,4'-dithiodianiline diamine (DDA) to construct a dynamic dual-network NIPU. Subsequently, NCs and Lig were incorporated as reinforcing components to fabricate NCs/Lig/NIPU composites. The results demonstrated that the synergistic incorporation of NCs and Lig substantially enhanced the overall performance of the composites, including their mechanical properties, thermal stability, and surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the synergistic effects of dynamic disulfide exchange and multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions endowed the composites with excellent shape-memory behavior and self-healing capability. These composites also exhibited good cyclic stability. These features highlight the strong potential of NCs/Lig/NIPU composites for intelligent packaging applications. Overall, this study provides a promising strategy for constructing high-performance, multifunctional bio-based polyurethane materials and offers further insights into the synergistic reinforcement mechanisms of natural components in bio-based NIPU systems.

In this study, poly(urethane methacrylate) (PUM)-lignin (Lig) polymeric adsorbent in the form of microspheres was synthesized and evaluated for the removal of metal ions such as Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and C.I. Basic Yellow 40 (BY40) dye from aqueous solutions. The performance of the PUM adsorbent without lignin was also described. PUM and PUM-Lig were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to confirm the successful incorporation of lignin and to assess their thermal stability, chemical structure, morphology, and surface properties. Equilibrium uptake of Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and BY40 was described by the Freundlich isotherm model rather than the Langmuir, Temkin, or Dubinin-Radushkevich ones with the following affinity: Cu(II) > Zn(II) > BY40 > Ni(II). The experimental equilibrium sorption capacities ranged from 78.0 to 152.2 mg/g. The effect of NaCl, Na2SO4, and surfactants CTAB, TX100 on Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and BY40 was investigated. The effective desorption of Cu(II) and BY40 from adsorbents was performed using 1 M HCl, 1 M H2SO4, 1 M HNO3, and 1 M HCl or 1 M NaCl in 50% v/v methanol.

While additive manufacturing is widely recognized for enabling geometric complexity, its transformative potential lies in direct fabrication of functional devices with integrated sensing, actuation, and electronic capabilities. Although fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most widely used additive manufacturing technologies, it remains largely limited to producing structural components. Direct laser scribing (DLS) on polyether ether ketone (PEEK) to produce laser-induced graphene (LIG) offers a promising route to overcome this limitation. PEEK is a high-performance, carbon-rich precursor for laser-induced graphitization, while LIG provides direct-written conductivity, piezoresistivity, and electrothermal functionality. In this study, we present an integrated FFF-DLS platform with a self-developed G-code post-processor that enables in situ, layer-by-layer alternating PEEK deposition and LIG graphitization within a single manufacturing process, providing an automated route to fabricating multifunctional PEEK devices with spatially registered, programmable LIG networks. Building on this platform, a series of fabrication characterizations were conducted. Using the optimized fabrication parameters, we further demonstrated the versatility of the platform in directly fabricating functional devices for multiple applications, including Joule heating, temperature sensing, and strain sensing, used in aerospace and biomedical areas.

Anthropogenic activities are driving an increasing flux of rare earth elements (REE) into environmental compartments, raising concerns about their biological impact, particularly on microorganisms that sustain ecosystem functioning. Here, we provide a systematic assessment of the toxicity of all 16 REE toward Pseudomonas putida KT2440, a soil bacterium that can use these metals as enzyme cofactors. Dose-response growth inhibition assays revealed high sensitivity to light REE. Toxicity correlated strongly with ionic radius, with IC50 values ranging from 0.3 µM for lanthanum to 10 µM for scandium. Serial propagation of P. putida under gradually increasing REE stress yielded resistant populations, from which two stably resistant strains were isolated. Genome resequencing showed that both strains carried a single mutation in uxpB, encoding an alkaline phosphatase. Gene deletion and overexpression experiments, together with phosphatase activity measurements, confirmed the involvement of uxpB in REE resistance. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism of tolerance to REE, suggesting that mutations enhancing phosphatase activity promote phosphate release from organic phosphorus compounds, thereby reducing REE bioavailability through phosphate-mediated complexation and/or immobilization.

This work introduces a dual-modality analytical platform based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) for the label-free, noninvasive detection of the prostate cancer biomarker sarcosine in human urine. The tunable porosity and high conductivity of LIG enable its bifunctional application as both a sensitive electrochemical electrode and an efficient matrix for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). Functionalized with sarcosine oxidase and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), the platform leverages the strengths of both modalities: the AuNPs/LIG electrode provides rapid electrochemical screening with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 2 μM, while the LDI-MS modality offers highly selective, matrix-free confirmation with an enhanced ultralow LOD of 500 nM. Both modalities share a wide linear range (5-50 μM), falling well below the clinical urinary threshold of 20 μM. By combining speed and simplicity from electrochemical sensing with the high sensitivity and molecular specificity of MS analysis on a single device, this platform demonstrates the orthogonal capabilities of LIG for robust, pretreatment-free cancer biomarker diagnostics.

Breast cancer is a complex heterogeneous disease that continues to impose a substantial global burden on women's health. Analysis of ESR1 gene expression using non-invasive liquid biopsy has significant prognostic value, serving as an indicator of poor prognosis and overall survival (OS) in patients with ER[+]/HER-2[-] (Estrogen Receptor[+]/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2[-]) breast cancer. This underscores the need for a reliable detection method for disease monitoring. However, existing detection approaches struggle to simultaneously provide simplicity, rapid analysis, high accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, highlighting the need for DNA biosensors. UV laser induced graphene (UV-LIG) electrodes were produced by laser scribing of polyimide sheets subjected to UV-ozone treatment, providing a hydrophilic, activated surface that enhances cationic PLL adsorption. The successful fabrication of the UV-LIG-based DNA biosensor was confirmed by SEM, TEM, and XPS analyses. Under optimized conditions, chronoamperometric measurements exhibited a well-defined linear relationship between current density response and the logarithm of ESR1 target concentration over a range of 10 aM to 1 nM, with a detection limit of 2.5 aM and a quantification limit of 8.3 aM, without requiring any labeling procedures. The biosensor also demonstrated satisfactory performance in serum-based analysis, confirming its robustness against matrix interferences. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent selectivity for discriminating single-nucleotide mismatches.

Moisture-electric generators (MEGs) are emerging as promising green power sources for distributed micro-devices. However, achieving stable and reproducible electrical output remains a major challenge, largely due to the lack of a unified material platform that allows systematic control over ion-gradient design. Herein, a novel composite-engineering strategy is proposed that integrates proton- and anion-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) with a hydrophilic, laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes in a single-step fabrication process. This approach provides the tailored construction of both mono-ionic and hetero-ionic gradient configurations within the same polymer system, offering a compatible platform to decipher the relationships between ion concentration and bilayer structure for device performance. The optimized MEG delivers a high short-circuit current density of 1 mA cm[-] [2], a maximum power density of 43.3 µW cm[-] [2], and an integrated open-circuit voltage up to 6.26 V. Crucially, scalable MEG arrays maintain a stable output of 2 V and 1 µA cm[-2] after 5 days of continuous operation, demonstrating exceptional long-term stability. Optimized MEGs (arrays) can further power electronics and sense humidity, enabling self-sustaining water-electric cycling for autonomous IoT systems. This work establishes a material-level design framework for high-performance, durable moisture-driven energy generation.

Translating laser‑induced graphene (LIG) from rigid planar films to wearable textiles has been limited by substrate transfer steps that fracture the porous carbon architecture. Here, we report laser‑induced functionalized fibers (LIFF), a transfer‑free strategy that directly writes graphitic carbon onto polyimide (PI) fiber substrates via laser irradiation, forming an in situ 3D conductive network. By optimizing defocus distance (z = -0.5 mm) and pulse density (PPI/DPI), we achieve subsurface graphitization and continuously program surface wettability without chemical or plasma treatment. This allows tuning from hydrophobic (>120°, 650 PPI/DPI) to superhydrophilic (<5°, 1500 PPI/DPI), the first demonstration on fibrous PI. Hydrophobic LIFF in configuration (knitted) serves as a strain sensor (gauge factor GF = 25), while in a non‑stretchable configuration (woven), it provides a temperature sensor (0.181% °C[-] [1]). Hydrophilic LIFF (woven) enables a humidity sensor (0.585% RH[-] [1]) and a pH sensor (-68 mV pH[-] [1]). All sensors are integrated into a wound dressing with Bluetooth low energy (BLE) micro-device, validated in artificial wound fluid. An in vitro cytotoxicity assessment (L929 fibroblasts, CCK‑8, 24-72 h) confirms >90% viability. This LIFF platform establishes a design principle in which laser parameters simultaneously govern graphitization, surface energy, and cross-sensitivity, eliminating fabrication trade-offs that constrain current LIG-based wound sensors.