Sichuan Normal University

The emerging fields of synthetic biology and gene therapy rely on delivery systems to introduce the nucleic acids and proteins into recipient cells. Hence, the development of delivery tools with high specificity, strong manufacturability, and low immunogenicity can advance these fields. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the development of delivery systems for proteins and nucleic acids. First, we outline viral vector-based delivery tools, including lentivirus, adenovirus, and adeno-associated virus-based delivery technologies, discussing their advantages and limitations. Next, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of non-viral vector-based delivery tools, including delivery strategies based on lipid nanoparticles, polyethyleneimine, exosomes, cell-penetrating peptides, virus-like particles, gold nanoparticles, and mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Lastly, we examine the specific principles and functional potential of novel delivery systems, including the Arc, PNMA2, SEND, PVC, and Coacervate systems. Overall, this review provides a systematic assessment of the mechanisms of action, current application progress, and future prospects for viral vectors, non-viral vectors, and novel delivery tools. Moreover, this review will serve as a reference for technological development and theoretical research in the fields of synthetic biology and gene therapy.

Although contemporary models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have primarily emphasized fear, recent accounts suggest that abnormal disgust learning may also contribute to OCD pathology, particularly in contamination-related OCD (C-OCD). The present study examined the neural correlates of disgust learning in individuals with elevated contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while 28 participants high in contamination-related obsessive-compulsive symptoms (HC) and 30 participants low in such symptoms (LC) completed disgust acquisition and extinction tasks. Behavioral measures included unconditioned stimulus (US) expectancy and conditioned stimulus (CS) disgust ratings, alongside electrophysiological indices of conditioned disgust. During acquisition, the HC group showed higher US expectancy for the CS+ than the LC group. At the neural level, both groups showed larger P3 amplitudes to the CS+ than to the CS-, indicating enhanced attentional significance. However, the HC group exhibited smaller overall P3 amplitudes than the LC group, which may reflect greater avoidance during disgust learning. During extinction, US expectancy differences between the CS+ and CS- remained evident in both groups, whereas P3 differences were no longer observed, suggesting a dissociation between self-reported and neural responses. Overall, these findings indicate that individuals with elevated contamination fear show enhanced disgust acquisition and altered neural processing during disgust learning, which may help clarify how maladaptive disgust responses are formed and maintained in contamination-related OCD.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) offer high theoretical capacity, intrinsic safety, and cost-effectiveness, yet their practical deployment is hindered by anisotropic zinc deposition and dendrite formation arising from kinetic disparities among different crystallographic planes. In this work, we demonstrate that uridine (UR), an organic molecule bearing multiple carbonyl and hydroxyl functional groups, selectively adsorbs onto the Zn(101) crystal plane via coordination through its oxygen atoms, forming a dynamic protective interfacial layer. Electrochemical characterization reveals that the Zn||Zn symmetrical cell achieves an ultra-long lifespan exceeding 3500 h at 0.5 mA cm^-2 and 0.5 mAh cm^-2, while Zn//Cu half-cell maintains a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.41% over 1800 cycles at 1 mA cm^-2 and 1 mAh cm^-2. Furthermore, full-cell evaluations confirm the broad applicability of UR additives. The Zn//V₆O₁₃ cell retains 93.71% of its initial capacity after 3000 cycles at 10 A g^-1, and the Zn//AC@I₂ cell maintains 85.71% capacity retention after 40,000 cycles at 50C. These findings highlight the efficacy of UR in guiding crystal-plane-selective zinc deposition and demonstrate its potential as a universal additive strategy for achieving long-term stability in AZIBs.