A new study published in eGastroenterology, led by Professor Heather Armstrong from University of Alberta and collaborators, reports that impaired fibre-fermenting capacity of gut microbiota in multiple sclerosis (MS) may convert typically beneficial β-fructan fibres into pro-inflammatory triggers. Patients with paediatric-onset MS showed reduced β-fructan intake and diminished microbial fermentation potential. In germ-free mouse models, unfermented β-fructans exacerbated neuroinflammation, demyelination, and disease severity. These findings highlight a microbiome-dependent dietary effect and suggest that personalised fibre intake strategies may be necessary in MS management.

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) calls for effective solutions such as phage therapy. In China, phage therapy has been implemented in over 30 hospitals, treating more than 500 patients with multidrug-resistant infections. Phage therapy can currently be developed through two pathways: as a novel biomedical technology or as a new drug. However, regulatory ambiguity persists due to a lack of standardized quality criteria and clear approval frameworks. This article proposes a "standards first, pathway pilots, and industry cultivation" strategy. Key recommendations include developing national quality control guidelines for therapeutic phage preparations and clarifying the detailed guidelines for approval policies for new biomedical technologies, biologics, and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). These efforts aim to enable safe and effective clinical translation, positioning China as a frontrunner in phage therapy and making significant contributions to the global response against AMR.

High-resolution X-ray imaging is essential for medical diagnostics, security screening, and industrial non-destructive testing. However, conventional powder-polymer composite scintillator films usually require large thicknesses to ensure sufficient X-ray attenuation and brightness, while particle aggregation and interfacial heterogeneity inevitably cause severe light scattering and reduce imaging resolution. To address this challenge, a research team developed two optically homogeneous hybrid metal halide glasses, MTP₂SbCl₅ and MTP₂MnCl₄, through a scalable low-temperature melt-quenching strategy. These transparent glass scintillators exhibit visible–near-infrared transmittance up to ~90%, near-complete X-ray attenuation at 1 mm thickness, light yields of 5819 and 19232 photons MeV⁻¹, and high spatial resolutions of 18.8 and 22.5 lp mm⁻¹, respectively. Beyond imaging, the glasses also show excellent irradiation stability, reversible glass–crystal–glass transition, low-temperature self-healing, and tunable radioluminescence from green to orange-red, opening a new pathway toward recyclable, large-area, high-resolution, and color-visualized X-ray imaging platforms.

The study unveiled a novel regulation strategy that exhibits exceptional performance in gas sensing applications. This advanced material demonstrates outstanding selectivity, rapid response, and ultrahigh sensitivity, particularly in detecting ammonia (NH₃) molecules. The research, led by a team from East China University of Science and Technology, provides new insights into the gas sensing mechanisms of MXenes and introduces a synergistic strategy to optimize their performance.

The inherent structural instability and insufficient catalytic efficiency of enzymes may affect the reliability and sensitivity of enzyme-based immunosensors, especially in ultra-trace analysis. While covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer excellent immobilization support due to their structural tunability and stability, conventional physical adsorption risks enzyme leakage, and their dense shells hinder mass transfer. Recent advances in defect engineering allow precise modulation of COF-enzyme interactions, enabling optimized enzyme conformation and activity, providing a promising platform for high-performance biosensors.

This study explores how healthy young adults’ brains adapt to visual occlusion during walking. Using Bangerter foils, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), and pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs), it finds that walking activated key visuomotor pathways. Visual impairment strengthens functional connectivity between the right precentral and middle frontal gyri as compensation. The findings offer new potential targets for motor rehabilitation in low-vision populations.

Flow diversion devices (FDDs) are commonly used to treat intracranial aneurysms, but their long-term safety is not well understood. A new paper published in the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal finds that FDDs provide long-lasting relief from aneurysms, with a very low rate of complications beyond 18 months post-surgery. Multiple overlapping FDDs increase complication risks and relapse, so clinicians must avoid such procedures where possible.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is associated with disrupted gut microbiome metabolites. Researchers reveal that butyrate, administered as tributyrin, alleviates pain by restoring histone acetylation and reversing gene regulatory changes in the brain. The team identified key genes involved in pain modulation, such as Nop14 using a mouse model as well as single-cell multi-omics sequencing. Targeting butyrate-related epigenetic pathways may offer a promising non-opioid strategy for treating TMJ pain.

A newly identified molecular pathway helps maintain the integrity of the bones in the skull and the face. Using mouse models, the study showed that loss of PTH1R signaling in periodontal cells triggers abnormal cementum overgrowth, severe periodontal ligament damage, and pathological tooth-bone fusion known as ankylosis. The findings uncover previously unknown mechanisms regulating adult periodontal tissue maintenance and may support future therapies for eruption disorders, ankylosis, and other periodontal diseases linked to abnormal mineralization.