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A wearable hydrogel-based electrochemical platform is presented for on-demand hydrogen gas therapy, enabling localized gas generation, storage and sustained delivery. This device offers a therapeutic modality for treating ischemia–reperfusion heart disease and skin bedsores, expanding bioelectronics applications in gas-phase chemical delivery.

Here the authors design an electrolysis reactor to generate H₂O₂ which could be further catalytically activated by Cu single atoms to yield hydroxyl radicals. Combining the two reactions enables a system that could treat organic wastewater, providing a path toward sustainable advanced oxidation processes.

The number of individuals in a given space influences animal interactions and network dynamics. Here the authors identify general rules underlying density dependence in animal networks and reveal some fundamental differences between spatial and social dynamics.

Oxidative damage to intracellular membrane proteins is critical to cells. Here, the authors use a water-oxidizing photocatalyst, generating ∙OH even under hypoxia, to show that membrane-specific protein oxidation triggers pyroptosis via non-canonical inflammasomes.

Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family 4 (ACSL4)-driven changes in lipid metabolism are shown to modulate the sensitivity of intestinal epithelial cells to ferroptosis, thereby exacerbating inflammatory bowel disease.

Bacterial responses to antibiotics are complex and involve many genetic and biochemical pathways. This Review describes the effects of bactericidal antibiotics on bacterial cellular processes, the associated responses that contribute to killing and recent insights into these processes revealed through the study of biological networks.

Studies have identified that mutations to metabolic enzymes can lead to abnormal biological activity and disease. Here, the authors show that in addition to this, non-enzymatic chemistry could also influence abnormal metabolic processes and disease development.

A study reports whole-genome sequences for 490,640 participants from the UK Biobank and combines these data with phenotypic data to provide new insights into the relationship between human variation and sequence variation.

Lee, Park et al. show that selenium has the ability to directly regulate the redox state of ubiquinone by donating electrons from hydrogen selenide via sulfide quinone oxidoreductase, thus preventing lipid peroxidation.

Single-atom catalysts recently attracted considerable research interest for heterogeneous electrocatalysis, including the oxygen reduction reaction. Now, an intriguing two-step approach towards a less explored atomic nitrogen-coordinated manganese with a high loading density has been developed.

A reactivity-based probe containing an iron-sensitive 1,2,4-trixolane ring conjugated to a small molecule payload combined with a high-throughput immunofluorescence assay enables the selective detection of labile intracellular ferrous iron.

The cystine transporter SLC7A11 protects cancer cells from oxidative stress by supporting glutathione synthesis. Here, the authors show that the expression level of SLC7A11 leads to different outcomes depending on context, so high expression promotes primary tumour growth but promotes disulfide stress under oxidative stress conditions and impairs metastasis.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

In the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, muscle contractions lead to force loss, which is attributed to myofibre damage. Here, the authors show that force loss is instead mediated by a redox circuit involving NOX2, PROX1, myoglobin and cytoplasmic actins, and suggest that it may be a protective mechanism to prevent excessive contraction-induced myofibre damage.

This Review focuses on the inherent advantages of natural resources for room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials, mechanisms and strategies for activating and enhancing the RTP properties of natural resources, as well as the potential applications of these RTP materials.

To survive in oxic environments, all organisms require mechanisms to degrade toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this Review, James Imlay describes the oxidative stress response ofEscherichia coliand considers the damage caused by ROS and the adaptive strategies used by this bacterium to minimize intracellular ROS accumulation.

Despite our continued efforts to assert control over pathogens, more and more bacteria are saying “no” to drugs. It is becoming increasingly apparent that microbial environments, influenced by intracellular and extracellular metabolic processes, modulate antibiotic susceptibility in bacteria. A deeper understanding of these environmental processes may prove crucial for the development of new antibacterial therapies.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

Post-international travel quarantine has been widely implemented to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but the impacts of such policies are unclear. Here, the authors used linked genomic and contact tracing data to assess the impacts of a 14-day quarantine on return to England in summer 2020.

Fe–N–C materials are a promising alternative to platinum for catalysing the oxygen reduction reaction in acidic polymer fuel cells. Now, a ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer study reveals that while these catalysts initially comprise two distinct FeN_x sites, a high-spin FeN₄C₁₂ and a low- or intermediate-spin FeN₄C₁₀, only the latter is durable in operating conditions.

Genetic and testing data from England show that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a transmission advantage over other lineages.

A polymorphism in human TP53 (P47S) that predominantly exists in individuals of African descent affects ferroptosis. Here, the authors show that this results in iron accumulation in macrophages leading to more productive infection by intracellular bacteria but improved anti-inflammatory response to the malarial toxin hemozoin.

Unique surface imperfections serve as an easily identifiable feature in the fight against fraud.

Ewing sarcoma is characterized by the fusion of EWSR1 and FLI1. Here, the authors show that EWSR1-FLI1 increases the activity of the developmental transcription factor SOX6, which promotes tumor growth but also increases sensitivity to oxidative stress.

Hypoxic environments in which anaerobes dwell experience episodic oxygenation, which can be toxic to these organisms, yet many anaerobes have the capacity to tolerate substantial levels of oxygen. In this Review, Lu and Imlay explore the molecular mechanisms by which oxygen impairs anaerobic bacteria and the degree to which anaerobic bacteria protect themselves from oxidative stress.

The authors generated stem cell-derived neurons from combat veterans with and without PTSD and found PTSD-dependent gene expression changes in response to glucocorticoids. This highlights how stress response may be altered in individuals with PTSD.

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug proposed as a treatment for COVID19. Here the results are reported from a randomised trial testing DMF treatment in 713 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. DMF was not associated with any improvement in day 5 outcomes.