Photosynthetic microalgae play an important role in solar-to-chemical energy conversion on Earth, but the increasing solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation seriously reduces the biological photosynthesis. Here, we developed a one-step approach to construct cell-in-shell hybrid structure by using direct adsorption of CeO nanoparticles onto cells. The engineered CeO nanoshell can efficiently protect the enclosed Chlorella cell due to its excellent UV filter property, which can also eliminate UV-induced oxidative stress. The experiments demonstrate that the resulted algae-CeO composites can guarantee their biological photosynthetic process and efficiency even under UV. This study follows a feasible strategy to protect living organisms by using functional nanomaterials to improve their biological functions.

Biomineralization of collagen fibers is regulated by non-collagenous proteins and small biomolecules, which are essential in bone and teeth formation. In particular, small biomolecules such as succinic acid (SA) exist...

Photobiological hydrogen production plays a vital role in generating clean renewable energy owing to its low energy consumption and environmental friendliness. Although materials-induced Chlorella aggregates have been developed to achieve sustained photobiological hydrogen production under normal aerobic conditions, the yield is relatively low and equals only 0.42 % of the light-to-H energy-conversion efficiency. Herein, we report that only 0.5 vol % dimethyl sulfoxide in an aqueous environment significantly enhances the H yield produced by aggregated Chlorella, reaching 0.69 % of the light-to-H energy-conversion efficiency. This improvement can be attributed to an increase in the cellular respiration rate by dimethyl sulfoxide, which results in a decrease in the oxygen content inside the aggregates and, ultimately, to the activation of more hydrogenases. More generally, this strategy consists of a functional enhancement in organism-material hybrids by using small molecules.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) with rhabdoid (mRCC‐R) and sarcomatoid (mRCC‐S) differentiations. Materials and Methods In this single‐institutional cohort study, we included patients with RCC with rhabdoid (RCC‐R) and sarcomatoid (RCC‐S) differentiation, who were treated with TKIs after metastasis at our institute from 2013 to 2021. Patient characteristics, treatments, and clinical outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Results We identified 111 patients with RCC‐R or RCC‐S differentiations, of which 23 patients were included in the final analysis. Of the 23 patients, 10 (43.5%) were grouped as mRCC‐R and 13 (56.5%) as mRCC‐S. At a median follow‐up of 40 months, mRCC‐R and mRCC‐S progressed in 7 of 10 and 12 of 13 patients, respectively. In addition, four and eight patients died in the mRCC‐R and mRCC‐S groups, respectively. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) of the two groups was 19 months (mRCC‐R: 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.08–33.92) and 7 months (mRCC‐S: 95% CI 2.03–11.96), while the median overall survival (OS) was 32 months and 21 months, respectively. mRCC‐S had a worse prognosis than mRCC‐R. Based on the univariate Cox regression model, single metastasis or multiple metastasis of tumor, rhabdoid differentiation, and sarcomatoid differentiation were predictors of PFS but not OS. Conclusion The efficacy of TKIs in the treatment of mRCC‐R and mRCC‐S may be different.