A research team investigated how high-volume fly ash replacement affects concrete’s early-age characteristics and hardening properties. Tests with 0%–60% fly ash replacing cement show that fly ash improves flowability but delays early hydration. While early strength drops with higher fly ash, 10%–40% replacement delivers superior long-term mechanical performance. The team recommends 40% fly ash as the optimal cement replacement, balancing environmental sustainability, cost efficiency, and structural performance for green concrete engineering.

Published in Mycology, research by an international team details the isolation (guided by bioactivity and DeepSAT), structural elucidation, and biological evaluations for metabolites from the endophytic fungus Stagonosporopsis sp. YZHH-J-1, including three new anthraquinone derivatives stagonoquinones A−C (1−3), along with eleven known analogues.

These findings establish a critical proinflammatory axis involving matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP12) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) that mediates community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin-induced pulmonary pathology, uncovering potential therapeutic targets for mitigating Mycoplasma pneumoniae -associated respiratory disease.

Researchers analyzing paired bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from healthy adults found that bone marrow serves as a major reservoir of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactive memory CD4⁺ T cells. It contains markedly higher absolute numbers of these cells and is enriched for polyfunctional memory T cells capable of producing multiple cytokines, a profile associated with stronger recall responses. These findings may help inform future strategies to better understand and prevent VZV reactivation.

Researchers at Gansu Agricultural University discovered that Alternaria alternata uses chitin deacetylases (CDAs) to modify its cell wall, effectively hiding from the host’s immune system to facilitate infection.