3D-printed bone scaffolds unlock superelasticity and tunable performance
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Oct-2025 08:11 ET (28-Oct-2025 12:11 GMT/UTC)
Recently, Prof. Jian LU's team (City University of Hong Kong, CityU HK) has engineered breakthrough 3D-printed artificial bone scaffolds. These superelastic scaffolds achieve a high recoverable strain (6% – 7%) and feature on-demand tuning of modulus, strength, permeability, and more. This advancement enables site-specific adaptive solutions for complex bone defects while offering valuable inspirations for multifunctional metamaterials across engineering fields.
Flexible electronic skin (E-skin) sensors offer innovative solutions for detecting human body signals, enabling human–machine interactions and advancing the development of intelligent robotics. Electrospun nanofibers are particularly well-suited for E-skin applications due to their exceptional mechanical properties, tunable breathability, and lightweight nature. Nanofiber-based composite materials consist of three-dimensional structures that integrate one-dimensional polymer nanofibers with other functional materials, enabling efficient signal conversion and positioning them as an ideal platform for next-generation intelligent electronics. Here, this review begins with an overview of electrospinning technology, including far-field electrospinning, near-field electrospinning, and melt electrospinning. It also discusses the diverse morphologies of electrospun nanofibers, such as core–shell, porous, hollow, bead, Janus, and ribbon structure, as well as strategies for incorporating functional materials to enhance nanofiber performance. Following this, the article provides a detailed introduction to electrospun nanofiber-based composite materials (i.e., nanofiber/hydrogel, nanofiber/aerogel, nanofiber/metal), emphasizing their recent advancements in monitoring physical, physiological, body fluid, and multi-signal in human signal detection. Meanwhile, the review explores the development of multimodal sensors capable of responding to diverse stimuli, focusing on innovative strategies for decoupling multiple signals and their state-of-the-art advancements. Finally, current challenges are analyzed, while future prospects for electrospun nanofiber-based composite sensors are outlined. This review aims to advance the design and application of next-generation flexible electronics, fostering breakthroughs in multifunctional sensing and health monitoring technologies.
Objective
There are limited data on the use of the creation tuberculin skin test (C-TST) for detecting tuberculosis (TB) infection (TBI) in individuals under 18 years of age. We conducted a study to assess the diagnostic accuracy of C-TST in this population.
Methods
A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted across 4 tertiary hospitals in China to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the C-TST in detecting TBI in individuals under 18 years of age. Participants with suspected pulmonary TB, extrapulmonary TB, or non-TB pulmonary disease were enrolled. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of the C-TST. Secondary outcomes included the consistency among C-TST, the traditional tuberculin skin test (TST), and T-SPOT.TB assays in different subgroups, as well as the safety of C-TST. Each participant underwent all 3 tests simultaneously: T-SPOT.TB assay, TST, and C-TST.
Results
C-TST showed a sensitivity of 83.0 % (95 % CI, 68.7 %–91.9 %), while TST and T-SPOT.TB demonstrated sensitivities of 80.9 % (95 % CI, 66.3 %–90.4 %) and 76.6 % (95 % CI, 61.6 %–87.2 %), respectively. The specificities of C-TST, TST, and T-SPOT.TB were 100 % (95 % CI, 91.9 %–100 %), 98.0 % (95 % CI, 87.8 %–99.9 %), and 100 % (95 % CI, 90.9 %–100 %), respectively. The consistency between C-TST and T-SPOT.TB was high (kappa = 0.847). No serious adverse events (AEs) were reported.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that C-TST is a reliable and safe diagnostic tool for detecting TBI in children and adolescents. It shows higher sensitivity than both T-SPOT.TB and the traditional TST, with no associated serious AEs. Therefore, C-TST is an effective and safe option for diagnosing TBI in this age group.
Osteocalcin (OCN), a non-collagenous protein synthesized by osteoblasts, is integral to bone mineralization and demonstrates significant effects on metabolic and neurological functions. Its undercarboxylated form, Glu-OCN, has emerged as a key regulator of glucose metabolism in diabetes, bone density in osteoporosis (OP), and lipid metabolism in conditions such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Additionally, Glu-OCN is implicated in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases through its roles in neurotransmitter synthesis and vascular calcification, respectively. This review examines the essential functions of Glu-OCN in the management of metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders, emphasizing its significance as both a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target. While findings to date are promising, most studies remain observational. Advanced detection methodologies and extensive longitudinal studies are urgently needed to elucidate the mechanisms and clinical applications of Glu-OCN. Advancements in this area could facilitate the integration of Glu-OCN into personalized medicine approaches, improving early diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment monitoring.
Peking University, September 2, 2025: A groundbreaking study by researchers from Wuhan University, York University (UK), and Peking University has uncovered how Escherichia coli (E. coli) persister bacteria survive antibiotics by protecting their genetic instructions. The work, published in Nature Microbiology, offers new hope for tackling chronic, recurring infections.
A new review in eGastroenterology highlights how single-cell transcriptomics is revolutionizing our understanding of acute liver injury and regeneration. By profiling individual liver cells and mapping their spatial interactions, researchers have identified fetal-like and migratory hepatocytes, distinct hepatic stellate cell states, zone-specific endothelial cell responses, and macrophage heterogeneity critical for repair (e.g., Trem2⁺ macrophages with unique roles in inflammation and recovery). These findings point to new therapeutic targets for liver diseases.
Wind and solar energy are central to China’s pursuit of carbon neutrality and energy transition. From a system-wide perspective, this study examines the future development of wind power, photovoltaic (PV), and concentrated solar power (CSP), covering forecasting methodologies, power system flexibility, energy storage integration, and cross-sector coupling. By 2060, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar is projected to reach 5,496–7,662 GW, accounting for more than 83% of the nation’s total capacity. Despite progress in technological maturity and cost reduction, challenges remain in terms of limited generation efficiency, high storage costs, insufficient grid flexibility, and policy coordination. This paper further proposes a sustainable development roadmap centered on wind–solar synergies.
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, China must address the complex challenge of decarbonizing key industrial sectors, including steel, cement, petrochemicals, and non-ferrous metals. This review presents a comprehensive evaluation of major decarbonization technologies across these core sectors, including energy efficiency, clean electrification, hydrogen alternatives, feedstock substitution, recycling, carbon removal, and digitalization. Staged projections highlight the central role of different technologies in achieving industrial decarbonization: energy efficiency improvement (EEI) and feedstock substitution and waste recycling (FSWR) technologies before 2035, the accelerated deployment of clean electricity and green hydrogen between 2035 and 2050, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) from 2050 onward. The review further offers policy recommendations to support technological advancement, promote large-scale deployment, and integrate low-carbon solutions into industrial development pathways.