According to Shockley-Queisser's theory, the maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a single-junction Sb 2 S 3 solar cell is up to 28.64%. [2] Owing to the wide band gap (≈1.7 eV), it is also a suitable candidate for tandem solar cell applications. As an emerging solar cell material, its device efficiency has fallen far short of expectations and has remained limited for 8 years. [3] It has been acknowledged that the material processing method plays a vital role in improving device efficiency. In this regard, tremendous efforts have been made in developing film deposition techniques for Sb 2 S 3 absorbers, including hydrothermal, chemical bath deposition (CBD), fast chemical approach, vapor transport deposition, thermal evaporation, rapid thermal evaporation, atomic layer deposition, and closed space sublimation. [4] Among them, the CBD approach is featured as simple operation, low cost and high production capacity, [5] and the systematical survey (Figure 1f) suggested that the overall PCEs of Sb 2 S 3 solar cells are all lower than that reported in 2014 by Choi et al. using CBD method (7.5%). [3] Therefore, CBD is recognized as the most feasible and successful method for chalcogenide film deposition.Sb 2 S 3 as a light-harvesting material has attracted great attention for applications in both single-junction and tandem solar cells. Such solar cell has been faced with current challenge of low power conversion efficiency (PCE), which has stagnated for 8 years. It has been recognized that the synthesis of highquality absorber film plays a critical role in efficiency improvement. Here, using fresh precursor materials for antimony (antimony potassium tartrate) and combined sulfur (sodium thiosulfate and thioacetamide), a unique chemical bath deposition procedure is created. Due to the complexation of sodium thiosulfate and the advantageous hydrolysis cooperation between these two sulfur sources, the heterogeneous nucleation and the S 2releasing processes are boosted. As a result, there are noticeable improvements in the deposition rate, film morphology, crystallinity, and preferred orientations. Additionally, the improved film quality efficiently lowers charge trapping capacity, suppresses carrier recombination, and prolongs carrier lifetimes, leading to significantly improved photoelectric properties. Ultimately, the PCE exceeds 8% for the first time since 2014, representing the highest efficiency in all kinds of Sb 2 S 3 solar cells to date. This study is expected to shed new light on the fabrication of high-quality Sb 2 S 3 film and further efficiency improvement in Sb 2 S 3 solar cells.

SUMMARY The anabolic effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) on bone formation are impaired by concurrent use of anti-resorptive drugs. We found that the release of active transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 during osteoclastic bone resorption is inhibited by alendronate. We showed that mouse Sca-1-positive (Sca-1+) bone marrow stromal cells are a skeletal stem cell subset, which are recruited to bone remodeling sites by active TGF-β1 in response to bone resorption. Alendronate inhibits the release of active TGF-β1 and the recruitment of Sca-1+ skeletal stem cells for the bone formation. The observation was validated in a Tgfb1−/− mouse model, in which the anabolic effects of PTH on bone formation are diminished. The PTH-stimulated recruitment of injected mouse Sca-1+ cells to the resorptive sites was inhibited by alendronate. Thus, inhibition of active TGF-β1 release by alendronate reduces the recruitment of Sca-1+ skeletal stem cells and impairs the anabolic action of PTH in bone.

Stem cell therapy is a promising treatment strategy for ischemic diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) adhere to each other in the bone marrow cavity and in in vitro cultures. We have previously demonstrated that the adhesion between MSCs and EPCs is critical for MSC self-renewal and their multi-differentiation into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. In the present study, the influence of the indirect communication between EPCs and MSCs on the endothelial differentiation potential of EPCs was investigated, and the molecular mechanisms underlying MSC-mediated EPC differentiation were explored. The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is secreted by MSCs, on EPC differentiation via paracrine mechanisms were examined via co-culturing MSCs and EPCs. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of genes and proteins of interest. The present results demonstrated that co-culturing EPCs with MSCs enhanced the expression of cluster of differentiation 31 and von Willebrand factor, which are specific markers of an endothelial phenotype, thus indicating that MSCs may influence the endothelial differentiation of EPCs in vitro. VEGF appeared to be critical to this process. These findings are important for the understanding of the biological interactions between MSCs and EPCs, and for the development of applications of stem cell-based therapy in the treatment of ischemic diseases.

Synthesizing high-quality film with superior morphological, electrical, and defect properties is the basic requirement for obtaining high-efficiency solar cells. Recently, Sb2Se3 is the emerging photovoltaic material with a low-symmetry crystal...

Recently, attention has been focused on the central role of TREM2 in diverse pathologies. However, the role of TREM2 signaling in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly understood. Herein, we systematically investigated the single-cell transcriptomes of human HCC tissues and found that TREM2 was predominantly expressed by a macrophage subpopulation enriched in tumor tissues that resemble lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs). The accumulation of TREM2+ LAM-like cells in HCC was confirmed in two additional cohorts using scRNA-seq analysis and immunohistochemistry. High expression of TREM2 correlated with high infiltrating macrophage abundance and poor prognosis. Based on systematic interrogations of transcriptional profiles and cellular interactions, TREM2+ LAM-like cells were identified to mainly originate from S100A8+ monocytes and represented an immunosuppressive state. TREM2+ LAM-like cells recruited suppressive Treg cells, facilitating microenvironment remodeling. Furthermore, gene regulatory analysis and in vitro functional assays indicated that activation of LXR signaling could promote the reprogramming of TREM2+ LAM-like cells. Correlation analysis of bulk RNA-sequencing data demonstrated that the enrichment of TREM2+ LAM-like cells was an independent indicator of adverse clinical outcomes in HCC patients. Our comprehensive analyses provide deeper insights into the immunosuppressive role of TREM2+ LAM-like cells in HCC.

BackgroundRecent impressive advances in cancer immunotherapy have been largely derived from cellular immunity. The role of humoral immunity in carcinogenesis has been less understood. Based on our previous observations we hypothesize that an immunoglobulin subtype IgG4 plays an essential role in cancer immune evasion.MethodsThe distribution, abundance, actions, properties and possible mechanisms of IgG4 were investigated with human cancer samples and animal tumor models with an extensive array of techniques both in vitro and in vivo.ResultsIn a cohort of patients with esophageal cancer we found that IgG4-containing B lymphocytes and IgG4 concentration were significantly increased in cancer tissue and IgG4 concentrations increased in serum of patients with cancer. Both were positively related to increased cancer malignancy and poor prognoses, that is, more IgG4 appeared to associate with more aggressive cancer growth. We further found that IgG4, regardless of its antigen specificity, inhibited the classic immune reactions of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and complement-dependent cytotoxicity against cancer cells in vitro, and these effects were obtained through its Fc fragment reacting to the Fc fragments of cancer-specific IgG1 that has been bound to cancer antigens. We also found that IgG4 competed with IgG1 in reacting to Fc receptors of immune effector cells. Therefore, locally increased IgG4 in cancer microenvironment should inhibit antibody-mediated anticancer responses and help cancer to evade local immune attack and indirectly promote cancer growth. This hypothesis was verified in three different immune potent mouse models. We found that local application of IgG4 significantly accelerated growth of inoculated breast and colorectal cancers and carcinogen-induced skin papilloma. We also tested the antibody drug for cancer immunotherapy nivolumab, which was IgG4 in nature with a stabilizing S228P mutation, and found that it significantly promoted cancer growth in mice. This may provide an explanation to the newly appeared hyperprogressive disease sometimes associated with cancer immunotherapy.ConclusionThere appears to be a previously unrecognized immune evasion mechanism with IgG4 playing an essential role in cancer microenvironment with implications in cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy.

Covalent organic framework (COF) materials with porous character and robust structure have significant applied implications for Kion battery (KIB) anodes, but they are limited by the low reversible capacity and inferior rate capability. Here, based on theoretical calculations, we identified that a porous bulk COF featuring numerous pyrazines and carbonyls in the π-conjugated periodic skeleton could provide multiple accessible redox-active sites for high-performance potassium storage. Its porous structure with a surface-dominated storage mechanism enabled the fast and stable storage of K-ions. Its insolubility in organic electrolytes and small volumetric change after potassiation ensured a robust electrode for stable cycling. As a KIB anode, this bulk COF demonstrated an unprecedentedly outstanding combination of reversible capacity (423 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C), rate capability (185 mAh g −1 at 10 C), and cyclability. The theoretical simulation and comprehensive characterizations confirmed the active sites are contributed by C�O, C�N, and the cation−π effect.

Antimony chalcogenides (Sb2(SxSe1−x)3, 0 < x < 1) have recently gained popularity due to their excellent photoelectric properties. As a newcomer to thin‐film solar cells, the quality of the as‐prepared absorb layer remains the most difficult challenge, owing to its distinct crystal structure. Here, a solvent‐assisted hydrothermal deposition (SHD) technique is developed for direct deposition of high‐quality Sb2(S,Se)3 films; it is realized that the addition of ethanol can regulate the reaction kinetics by regulating the concentration of the Sb source during the deposition procedure. Impressively, under such conditions, the deposition rate of the target absorb layer slows dramatically, resulting in more suitable features, such as large grain size, smooth surface, and proper bandgap, which are beneficial for constructing high performance solar devices. More importantly, using this newly developed SHD strategy, the defect (SbS1) density of the prepared films decreases by more than one order of magnitude, which is believed to benefit carrier transport. As a result, Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells based on the SHD strategy significantly improve fill factor and short‐circuit current density, yielding a high efficiency of 10.75%. This research offers fresh insights into how to make Sb2(S,Se)3 films and solar cells of higher quality.