Discovery of five new species of Allacta from Yunnan and Hainan, China (Blattodea, Pseudophyllodromiidae)

We examined new Allacta materials from Yunnan and Hainan Province, China, and discovered new species using both morphological and molecular species delimitation (ABGD) methods. Five new species are described: A.bifolium Li & Wang, sp. nov., A.hemiptera Li & Wang, sp. nov., A.lunulara Li & Wang, sp. nov., A.redacta Li & Wang, sp. nov., and A.unicaudata Li & Wang, sp. nov. All five species are placed under the hamifera species group. An updated key and checklist of Allacta species from China are provided.

Core-Shell Reactor Partitioning Enzyme and Prodrug by ZIF-8 for NADPH-Sensitive In Situ Prodrug Activation

Enzyme-prodrug therapies have shown unique advantages in efficiency, selectivity, and specificity of in vivo prodrug activation. However, precise spatiotemporal control of both the enzyme and its substrate at the target site, preservation of enzyme activity, and in situ substrate depletion due to low prodrug delivery efficiency continue to be great challenges. Here, we propose a novel core-shell reactor partitioning enzyme and prodrug by ZIF-8, which integrates an enzyme with its substrate and increases the drug loading capacity (DLC) using a prodrug as the building ligand to form a Zn-prodrug shell. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is immobilized in ZIF-8, and the antitumor drug dacarbazine (DTIC) is coordinated and deposited in its outer layer with a high DLC of 43.6±0.8 %. With this configuration, a much higher prodrug conversion efficiency of CYP450 (36.5±1.5 %) and lower IC50 value (26.3±2.6 μg/mL) are measured for B16-F10 cells with a higher NADPH concentration than those of L02 cells and HUVECs. With the tumor targeting ability of hyaluronic acid, this core-shell enzyme reactor shows a high tumor suppression rate of 96.6±1.9 % and provides a simple and versatile strategy for enabling in vivo biocatalysis to be more efficient, selective, and safer.

Patterns of recurrence and outcomes in patients with luminal breast cancer: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Patients with luminal breast cancer have better prognosis and survival rates compared to patients with non-luminal breast cancers, such as basal-like and HER-2 subtypes, owing to the added benefits of adjuvant endocrine therapy. However, local relapses and distant metastasis still frequently occur. In recent years, more studies on breast cancer relapse and metastasis have focused on non-luminal breast cancers despite there being more number of cases of luminal breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, the authors included 387 breast cancer patients with recurrence and metastasis who were treated in their hospital between January 2001 and June 2011, and divided them into luminal and non-luminal groups. The differences in clinical and pathological characteristics, survival rates, and prognostic features after follow-up treatment were retrospectively analyzed in the two groups.

RESULTS

The authors found there was a higher proportion of local recurrence and single bone metastasis in luminal group than in the non-luminal group. The risk of recurrence and metastasis in the luminal group two to five years and after five years post-operation continued to be stable, but the risk in the non-luminal group significantly decreased after two years.

CONCLUSIONS

Luminal breast cancer patients with recurrence or/and metastasis had better prognosis after reasonable treatment. These results are of potential clinical relevance, especially for clinical prognosis monitoring and targeted therapy interventions in patients with luminal breast cancer.

125I-labeled anti-bFGF monoclonal antibody inhibits growth of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the inhibitory efficacy of ¹²⁵I-labeled anti-basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) monoclonal antibody (mAb) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: bFGF mAb was prepared by using the 1G9B9 hybridoma cell line with hybridization technology and extracted from ascites fluid through a Protein G Sepharose affinity column. After labeling with ¹²⁵I through the chloramine-T method, bFGF mAb was further purified by a Sephadex G-25 column. Gamma radiation counter GC-1200 detected radioactivity of ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb. The murine H22 HCC xenograft model was established and randomized to interventions with control (phosphate-buffered saline), ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb, ¹²⁵I plus bFGF mAb, bFGF mAb, or ¹²⁵I. The ratios of tumor inhibition were then calculated. Expression of bFGF, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), platelet-derived growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA was determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS: The purified bFGF mAb solution was 8.145 mg/mL with a titer of 1:2560000 and was stored at -20 °C. After coupling, ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb was used at a 1: 1280000 dilution, stored at 4 °C, and its specific radioactivity was 37 MBq/mg. The corresponding tumor weight in the control, ¹²⁵I, bFGF mAb, ¹²⁵I plus bFGF mAb, and ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb groups was 1.88 ± 0.25, 1.625 ± 0.21, 1.5 ± 0.18, 1.41 ± 0.16, and 0.98 ± 0.11 g, respectively. The tumor inhibition ratio in the ¹²⁵I, bFGF mAb, ¹²⁵I plus bFGF mAb, and ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb groups was 13.6%, 20.2%, 25.1%, and 47.9%, respectively. Growth of HCC xenografts was inhibited significantly more in the ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb group than in the other groups (P < 0.05). Expression of bFGF and FGFR mRNA in the ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb group was significantly decreased in comparison with other groups (P < 0.05). Groups under interventions revealed increased expression of VEGF mRNA (except for ¹²⁵I group) compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION: ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb inhibits growth of HCC xenografts. The coupling effect of ¹²⁵I-bFGF mAb is more effective than the concomitant use of ¹²⁵I and bFGF mAb.

Chronic lung disease in extremely low birth weight infants: a two-year retrospective analysis

To determine the incidence and classification of chronic lung disease (CLD) in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants, a 2-year retrospective analysis was performed. From January 1997 to December 1998, 117 infants weighing less than 1000 g were enrolled. The survival rate beyond 28 days was 60.7% (71/117). CLD was defined as a supplemental oxygen requirement at 28 days of age, with symptoms of persistent respiratory distress and chest radiograph showing characteristic appearance. In addition to the common finding of CLD, infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) had history of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), infants with Wilson-Mikity syndrome (WMS) had no RDS but had early appearance of bubbly lung on chest x-ray, and infants with chronic pulmonary insufficiency of prematurity (CPIP) had only hazy appearance on chest x-ray. The incidence of CLD in infants who survived beyond 28 days was 50.7% (36/71). Among the 36 infants with CLD, 17 (47%) had BPD, 4 (11%) had WMS and 15 (42%) had CPIP. The median (min, max) days of mechanical ventilation were 45 (9, 112), 45.5 (45, 50) and 7.5 (0, 40) days in BPD, WMS and CPIP groups, respectively. The median (min, max) days of oxygen requirement were 73 (28, 120), 149 (70, 211) and 52.5 (38, 90) days, respectively. The infants still requiring oxygen at post-conceptional age of 36 weeks are significantly more in BPD (14 (82.4%)) and in WMS (4 (100%)) than in CPIP (3 (20%)). Two (1 BPD, 1 WMS) were discharged and received oxygen therapy at home. Four infants with BPD died of respiratory failure. CLD includes a wide range of conditions, from BPD or WMS with severe respiratory morbidity and mortality to no residual problems. Such information is important for design of appropriate strategies to prevent CLD.