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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XEC variant, a recombinant of JN.1 progeny, shows increased viral fitness and pathogenicity. Here, the authors show that the nucleocapsid mutation R204P enhances inflammation and suggest a growing role of non-spike mutations in viral evolution.

Recent Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants independently acquire 5 key Spike mutations. Here, the authors evaluate the evolutionary importance of the 5 mutations and characterize the virological properties of variant BQ.1.1 harboring all 5 mutations.

XBB is the first recombinant, globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine the variant’s origins and virological properties, showing it is the first example of SARS-CoV-2 improving its fitness through recombination.

The surface aggregation states of the amphiphilic diblock copolymer films, which are consistent with polyacrylates and polystyrene, were examined. The hydrophilic polyacrylates presented a lower surface free energy (γ) at room temperature, resulting in surface segregation. A perpendicular microdomain orientation was achieved after thermal annealing above the glass transition temperature of both components. As the annealing temperature increased, the surface became hydrophobic while maintaining this orientation due to polystyrene segregation. The key to this process is appropriate thermal annealing, considering the entropic contribution to γ from differences in molecular motion between the two components.

Thanks to its immunosuppressive activity and complex molecular architecture, the natural product palau’amine has attracted continuous attention over a number of years. Here, the authors report a new synthetic strategy which includes the formation of multiple rings in a single key step.

XBB.1.5 of SARS-CoV-2 is a descendant of XBB.1 and has mutations in spike and ORF8, making it more infectious to humans. Here, the authors examined in detail the differences in virological properties of the two variants.

Ito et al. present CoVFit, an AI model that predicts variant fitness (transmissibility) from spike protein sequences alone. They further demonstrate its utility in forecasting viral evolution via single amino acid mutations.

JN.1 lineage is a globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine structural insights into the BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike dynamics to help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralizing-antibody evasion.

Amphiphilic block copolymers poly[(2-ethoxyethyl vinyl ether)-block-(2-methoxyethyl vinyl ether)] (EOVE-b-MOVE) induce the ring assembly of silica nanospheres (SNSs, ca. 15 nm) in the liquid phase. Nanorings form with appropriate polymer concentration, pH and temperature. EOVE-b-MOVEs with varying block lengths successfully induce the ring assembly of SNSs, whereas a random copolymer fails, indicating that polymer’s molecular structure critically affects the assembly mode of SNSs. Interestingly, SNSs of a larger size (ca. 30 nm) one-dimensionally assemble into nanochains with these block copolymers under otherwise identical conditions.

Highly efficient synthesis of heteroarm star-shaped polymers containing independent stimuli-responsive moieties was demonstrated using a one-pot arm-linking method via base-assisting living cationic polymerization. The linking reaction of mixed two or more kinds of living polymers with a divinyl compound successfully yielded heteroarm star polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions. Furthermore, this methodology was expanded to polar functional monomers, producing a heteroarm star-shaped polymer with amino-containing and thermosensitive arms. The obtained heteroarm star-shaped polymers exhibited their unique stimuli-responsive behaviors in water or their film surfaces.

The effect of polymer design on the interfacial structure and physical properties of polymer films in water based on a poly(vinyl ether) platform with hydrophilic side-chains was examined to construct bioinert interfaces. Hydrophilic surfaces were prepared by utilizing the preferential segregation of a rubbery component in a diblock copolymer film with a glassy component, crosslinking a hydrophilic polymer, and designing an interfacial modifier with a special architecture. Interfacial structure and physical properties controlled by polymer design play important roles in determining bioinert properties.

A total of 1074 patients with a history of ischemic stroke enrolled in The Recurrent Stroke Prevention Clinical Outcome (RESPECT) Study were assigned to intensive blood pressure (BP) control group (blood pressure < 120/80 mmHg) or standard blood pressure control group (blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg) and were followed up for a mean of 3.9 years. Seventy-eight first recurrent strokes occurred, including 70 ischemic stroke and 8 intracerebral hemorrhage. Intensive treatment did not change annual risk of ischemic stroke (1.74% vs. 1.75%, P = 0.999), but markedly reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke (0.00% vs. 0.39%, P = 0.005). Beneficial effect of intensive BP control were observed for risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the patients with a history of ischemic stroke.

The virological and pathological features of Omicron subvariants are compared in in vitro cellular and airway-on-a-chip and in vivo hamster models.

The interfacial dynamics of the segment of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) terminated with elemental blocks containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), namely PPMP (PMAPOSS-b-PMMA-b-PMAPOSS), was much slower than that of the conventional PMMA. The number of platelets adhered to the PPMP film was dependent on the pre-immersion time in phosphate-buffered saline before the platelet seeding, and these results could be explained in terms of the aggregation states of water at the interface.