Achieving Ultrasmall Prussian Blue Nanoparticles as High-Performance Biomedical Agents with Multifunctions

Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs), which belong to the iron-based metal-organic frameworks, are important biomedical agents. Reducing the size of PBNPs can bring improved functional properties, but unfortunately, has been a long-standing challenge. Herein, sub-5 nm ultrasmall PBNPs (USPBNPs) were successfully synthesized by using ethanol/water mixture as the solvent and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the surface capping agent. Adjusting the ethanol/water ratio is not only able to control the nucleation time and size of PBNPs but also tune the conformation of PVP molecules so as to prevent interparticle attachment and enlargement. At an ethanol/water ratio of 3:1, highly stable USPBNPs with a size of ∼3.4 nm were synthesized. Due to their large specific surface area, they demonstrated high peroxidase-like and catalase-like activities, which outperform PBNPs synthesized by a conventional method. In addition, they also showed a high longitudinal relaxation rate (r₁) of 1.3 mM^-1 S^-1, suggesting their potential to be used as T₁ MRI agent.

Indocyanine Green Assembled Nanobubbles with Enhanced Fluorescence and Photostability

Indocyanine green (ICG) is a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye for extensive biomedical application. However, its fluorescence intensity is limited by its poor aqueous stability and concentration-dependent aggregation. To overcome these limitations, ICG self-assembled nanobubbles (ICG-NBs) with an average size of 244.6 nm are fabricated. In the ICG-NB assembled structures, the ICG molecules are arrayed on the gas-liquid interface by the hydrophobic interaction with the gas core and hydrophilic heads with water. Results show that ICG-NBs exhibited good monodispersity and excellent fluorescence and size stability. Compared with ICG solution, the ICG-NBs indicate the enhanced quantum yield and fluorescence intensity. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra and fluorescence lifetime measurement demonstrate that the ICG molecule assembled NBs could result in the changes of molecular vibration and time-resolved intensity decays of ICG. Thus, the ICG-NBs could be more beneficial for optical imaging in clinical applications in the future.

Diagnostic value of miRNA-122 in Kawasaki disease

OBJECTIVE

To explore the expression pattern and diagnostic value of microRNA-122 (miRNA-122) in childhood Kawasaki disease (KD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 150 children with KD were included in the KD group. During the same period, 150 children with respiratory infection complicated with fever and without myocardial involvement were included in the control group.  Serum level of miRNA-122 in children with acute phase of KD and those in the control group was detected. The relationship between serum level of miRNA-122 and clinical features of KD was analyzed by Pearson correlation test. ROC curves were depicted to assess the diagnostic value of miRNA-122 in KD.

RESULTS

Serum level of miRNA-122 was higher in the KD group than controls. In the acute phase of KD, the serum level of miRNA-122 was positively correlated to CRP and NT-proBNP, while negatively correlated to the sodium level. The specificity and sensitivity of miRNA-122 in diagnosing KD was 78.67% and 84.67%, respectively (AUC=0.8861, cut-off value=2.905).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum level of miRNA-122 is significantly enhanced in the acute phase of KD, and highly expressed miRNA-122 is related to systematic inflammation. MiRNA-122 may be used as a diagnostic hallmark of KD.

Deep thought of COVID-19 based on Diamond Princess's quarantine and home quarantine

Not Available.

QSAR studies on hepatitis C virus NS5A protein tetracyclic inhibitors in wild type and mutants by CoMFA and CoMSIA

Several 3D-QSAR models were built based on 196 hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein inhibitors. The bioactivity values EC₉₀ for three types of inhibitors, the wild type (GT1a) and two mutants (GT1a Y93H and GT1a L31V), were collected to build three datasets. The programs OMEGA and ROCS were used for generating conformations and aligning molecules of the dataset, respectively. Each dataset was randomly divided into a training set and a test set three times to reduce the contingency of only one random selection. QSAR models were computed by comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA). For the datasets GT1a, GT1a Y93H, and GT1a L31V, the best models CoMFA-INDX, CoMSIA-SEHA, and CoMSIA-SEHA showed an r² value of 0.682 ± 0.033, 0.779 ± 0.036, and 0.782 ± 0.022 on the test sets, respectively. From the contour maps of the three best models, we summarized the favourable and unfavourable substituents on the tetracyclic core, the Z group, the proline group, and the valine group of inhibitors. We guessed the mutants could change the electrostatic surfaces of the wild type active pocket. In addition, we used ECFP analyses to find important substructures and could intuitively understand the results from QSAR models.

HER2 exon 20 insertions in non-small-cell lung cancer are sensitive to the irreversible pan-HER receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor pyrotinib

BACKGROUND

Effective targeted therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) mutations remains an unmet need. This study investigated the antitumor effect of an irreversible pan-HER receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, pyrotinib.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using patient-derived organoids and xenografts established from an HER2-A775_G776YVMA-inserted advanced lung adenocarcinoma patient sample, we investigated the antitumor activity of pyrotinib. Preliminary safety and efficacy of pyrotinib in 15 HER2-mutant NSCLC patients in a phase II clinical trial are also presented.

RESULTS

Pyrotinib showed significant growth inhibition of organoids relative to afatinib in vitro (P = 0.0038). In the PDX model, pyrotinib showed a superior antitumor effect than afatinib (P = 0.0471) and T-DM1 (P = 0.0138). Mice treated with pyrotinib displayed significant tumor burden reduction (mean tumor volume, -52.2%). In contrast, afatinib (25.4%) and T-DM1 (10.9%) showed no obvious reduction. Moreover, pyrotinib showed a robust ability to inhibit pHER2, pERK and pAkt. In the phase II cohort of 15 patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC, pyrotinib 400 mg resulted in a objective response rate of 53.3% and a median progression-free survival of 6.4 months.

CONCLUSION

Pyrotinib showed activity against NSCLC with HER2 exon 20 mutations in both patient-derived organoids and a PDX model. In the clinical trial, pyrotinib showed promising efficacy.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02535507.

Moderate cooling coprecipitation for extremely small iron oxide as a pH dependent T1-MRI contrast agent

Iron based nanomedicine (IBNM) has been one powerful diagnostic tool as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent (CA) in the clinic for years. Conventional IBNMs are generally employed as T₂-MRI CAs, but most of them are constrained in clinical indication expansion by magnetic susceptibility artifacts. In comparison, extremely small iron oxide (ESIO) with a core size less than 5 nm has demonstrated the T₁-MRI effect, which provides prospects for a Gd-based agent alternative. Nevertheless, currently developed ESIOs for T₁-MRI CAs always require harsh conditions such as a high temperature and high boiling point reagent. Moreover, very few of the currently developed ESIOs meet the stringent pharmaceutical standard. Herein, on the basis of a crystal nuclear precipitation-dissolution equilibrium mechanism and outer/inner sphere T₁-MRI theory, monodisperse ESIOs with an average size of 3.43 nm (polydispersity index of 0.104) are fabricated using a moderate cooling procedure with mild coprecipitation reaction conditions. The as-synthesized ESIOs display around 3-fold higher T₁ MRI signal intensity than that of commercial Ferumoxytol (FMT), comparable to that of Gd-based CAs in vitro. Additionally, the T₁-MRI performance of the ESIOs is pH dependent and delivers bright signal augmentation. Eventually, the internalization into mesenchymal stem cells of the ESIO is realized in the absence of a transferring agent. Considering the identical structure and composition of the ESIOs as compared to that of FMT, they could meet the pharmaceutical criteria, thus providing great potential as T₁-MRI Cas, for instance as stem cell tracers.

Validation of growth-related quantitative trait loci markers in different Exopalaemon carinicauda families for marker-assisted selection

We detected growth-related QTL and associated markers from the backcross population of Exopalaemon carinicauda in the previous study. Based on our previous study, the 47 SNP markers associated with candidate growth trait QTL were selected to analyze the association between these markers and body weight (BW), body length and abdominal segment length traits in four different populations including wild population, a full-sib family, a half-sib family and a backcross population for evaluating their potential application of marker-assisted selection in E. carinicauda. The general linear model (GLM) and mixed linear model were applied and the associations between SNP loci and three growth-related traits verified. The results showed that the Marker79268 and Marker100644 were significantly associated with the BW trait in more than three populations by the GLM method. The Marker100644 was significantly associated with BW in the full-sib family, half-sib family and backcross populations by the GLM and mixed linear model methods. Our findings will provide useful SNP markers to go forward to improve growth performance through more refined marker-assisted selection in E. carinicauda.

Magnetic internal heating-induced high performance Prussian blue nanoparticle preparation and excellent catalytic activity

A magnetic internal heating single-precursor approach was exploited to fabricate higher quality Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) with excellent crystallinity, dispersibility and uniformity. Furthermore, the magnetic properties and MRI contrast effect were improved. Subsequently, significantly increased nanoenzyme activity has been demonstrated.

Influenza a virus and Streptococcus pneumonia coinfection potentially promotes bacterial colonization and enhances B lymphocyte depression and reduction

Influenza has frequently been epidemic in recent years. However, the mechanisms of severe pneumonia with postinfluenza Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) secondary infection have not been fully understood. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of pneumonia in postinfluenza A virus (IAV) infection via a mouse model. Mice were intranasally inoculated with SP three days after IAV inoculation. We then collected samples at three time points to dynamically observe the pathological progression. In IAV infection alone, lymphocyte infiltration and widened alveolar intervals were observed. In the blood, levels of the CD19+, CD19+CD21+ and CD19+CD79β+B lymphocyte subpopulations were reduced, and IFN-γ and IL-10 were elevated. Slight atrophy was seen in the spleen, which was due to splenic B lymphocyteinitiated apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. When SP infection occurred after IAV infection, the pulmonary inflammation was significantly aggravated; a fair number of lymphocytes and neutrophils infiltrated simultaneously with exfoliated bronchial epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, widened alveolar septum and hemorrhaging. Increasing edema fluid and bacteria accumulated in the alveolar cavity. Decreased CD19+, CD19+CD21+ and CD19+CD79β+B lymphocyte subpopulations and increased interferon gamma (IFN-γ) or interleukin 10 (IL-10) were more prominent compared to those with viral infection alone. Spleen atrophy resulting from coinfection was more obvious because of massive splenic B lymphocyte apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway compared to viral infection alone. This study shows that although inflammation caused by SP infection alone was temporary, preceding IAV infection provided favorable conditions for SP colonization and multiplication by destroying lung structure and suppressing humoral immunity. Synergistic IAV-SP coinfection is likely to facilitate more SP colonization and promote B lymphocyte-suppression and reduction. Eventually, the pneumonia worsened.

Direct percutaneous puncture digital-subtraction-angiography-based classification and treatment selection for soft-tissue arteriovenous malformations of maxillofacial region: a retrospective study

Treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) should be individualized based on the imaging findings. A total of 117 AVM cases were categorized into three types based on the angio-architectural characteristics: Type I (n=14, no draining vein or diameter of the draining vein <2mm); Type II (n=64, draining vein diameter 2-6mm); and Type III (n=39, draining vein diameter >6mm). Subjects were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups: Group A (n=59) received multipoint percutaneous ethanol injection (MPEI), while Group B (n=58) received super-selective angiograms followed by embolization with gelfoam (EFAG) plus MPEI. Patients were followed up for 2-6 years. A significant between-group difference with respect to treatment outcomes was observed only for Type III cases (P<0.05). Direct percutaneous puncture digital-subtraction-angiography-guided classification of AVMs provides easy-to-follow guidelines for its clinical management. EFAG plus MPEI with reduced procedure time and the amount of ethanol should be used for Type III AVMs.

Progress in Applications of Prussian Blue Nanoparticles in Biomedicine

Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) with favorable biocompatibility and unique properties have captured the attention of extensive biomedical researchers. A great progress is made in the application of PBNPs as therapy and diagnostics agents in biomedicine. This review begins with the recent synthetic strategies of PBNPs and the regulatory approaches for their size, shape, and uniformity. Then, according to the different properties of PBNPs, their application in biomedicine is summarized in detail. With modifiable features, PBNPs can be used as drug carriers to improve the therapeutic efficacy. Moreover, the exchangeable protons and adsorbability enable PBNPs to decontaminate the radioactive ions from the body. For biomedical imaging, photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging based on PBNPs are summarized, as well as the strategies to improve the diagnostic effectiveness. The applications related to the photothermal effects and nanoenzyme activities of PBNPs are described. The challenges and critical factors for the clinical translation of PBNPs as multifunctional theranostic agents are also discussed. Finally, the future prospects for the application of PBNPs are considered. The aim of this review is to provide a better understanding and key consideration for rational design of this increasingly important new paradigm of PBNPs as theranostics.

SAR and QSAR models of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibitors

Cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) is one isoform of COX, and it is a main target of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It is important to develop efficient and selective COX-1 inhibitors. In this work, 12 classification models for 1530 cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) inhibitors were built by support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT) and random forest (RF) methods. The best classification model (model 1A) was built by SVM with MACCS fingerprints. The classification accuracies for the training and test sets were 99.67% and 97.39%, respectively. The Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of the test set was 0.94. We also divided the 1530 COX-1 inhibitors into nine subsets according to their different scaffolds using Kohonen's self-organizing map (SOM). In addition, six quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for 181 COX-1 inhibitors whose IC₅₀ were measured by enzyme immunoassay were built by multiple linear regression (MLR) and SVM. The best QSAR model (model 5A) was built by SVM with CORINA Symphony descriptors. The correlation coefficients of the training and test sets are 0.93 and 0.84, respectively. The models built in this study can be obtained from the authors.

Clofazimine improves clinical outcomes in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

We carried out a randomized multicentre study in China to investigate whether the clofazimine would improve the efficacy of the standardized regimen in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

METHODS

Patients with MDR-TB managed in 17 TB specialist hospitals in China between September 2009 and September 2011 were randomly assigned to the treatment groups at enrolment. In the intervention group, 100 mg clofazimine per day was added to the standardized regimen. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with successful outcomes.

RESULTS

From the 156 patients that were screened, 74 were assigned to the control group and 66 to the clofazimine group. Of the 66 cases analysed for clinical outcome in the clofazimine group, 36 patients were cured, and seven completed treatment, yielding a favourable outcome rate of 65.1%. The proportion of patients with favourable outcomes receiving the control regimen was 47.3% (35/74), which was significantly lower than that in the clofazimine group (p 0.034, relative risk 0.661, 95% CI 0.243-0.949).

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of clofazimine to the standard regimen improved the treatment of MDR-TB.

Ferumoxytol of ultrahigh magnetization produced by hydrocooling and magnetically internal heating co-precipitation

Ferumoxytol, which is originally intended for MRI and anemia treatment, is currently the only inorganic nanodrug approved by FDA for clinical application in vivo. Common ferumoxytol seems incapable of meeting the requirements for diverse applications. Thus, the development of a novel strategy based on co-precipitation to produce ferumoxytol with high quality is an imminent task. Herein, we proposed a physically assisted strategy, namely hydrocooling and magnetically internal heating co-precipitation, to optimize the properties of ferumoxytol and thus significantly enhance its magnetic performance. Magnetization of the newly developed ferumoxytol can reach 104-105 emu g-1 Fe, which is the highest value among the reported results. It has been found that the crystalline structures of the newly developed ferumoxytol have been greatly improved on the basis of pharmaceutical quality criteria.

IL6 derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes chemoresistance via CXCR7 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Various factors and cellular components in the tumor microenvironment are key drivers associated with drug resistance in many cancers. Here, we analyzed the factors and molecular mechanisms involved in chemoresistance in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We found that interleukin 6 (IL6) derived mainly from cancer-associated fibroblasts played the most important role in chemoresistance by upregulating C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 7 (CXCR7) expression through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3/nuclear factor-κB pathway. CXCR7 knockdown resulted in the inhibition of IL6-induced proliferation and chemoresistance. In addition, CXCR7 silencing significantly decreased gene expression associated with stemness, chemoresistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and suppressed the proliferation ability of ESCC cells in three-dimensional culture systems and angiogenesis assay. In clinical samples, ESCC patients with high expression of CXCR7 and IL6 presented a significantly worse overall survival and progression-free survival upon receiving cisplatin after operation. These results suggest that the IL6-CXCR7 axis may provide a promising target for the treatment of ESCC.