Theranostics through Utilizing Cherenkov Radiation of Radioisotope Zr-89 with a Nanocomposite Combination of TiO2 and MnO2

Cherenkov radiation (CR) derived from the decay of diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides is currently being studied by the scientific community to determine if these emissions can be harnessed for cancer detection and therapy. While Cherenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) has been studied in the preclinical and clinical settings, Cherenkov radiation-induced cancer therapy (CRICT) is a relatively new area of research that harnesses the emitted photons to kill cancer cells through free radical generation and DNA damage. Nanoparticles seem well suited for developing a theranostic platform that would allow researchers to visualize therapy delivery and also generate the reactive oxygen species necessary to kill cancer cells. Herein, we report the preparation of an ⁸⁹Zr-TiO₂-MnO₂ nanocomposite that incorporates transferrin onto the nanoparticle surface to enhance cancer cell growth inhibition. The incorporation of the positron emission tomography (PET) radioisotope ⁸⁹Zr (half-life: 3.3 days) allowed for the detection of the nanoparticle using PET and for the creation of Cherenkov emissions that interacted with the nanoparticle surface to generate free radicals for therapy delivery. After preparation, these systems were observed to be stable in various media and provided excellent tumor growth control after being intratumorally injected into mice bearing CT-26 tumors. These results demonstrate that a therapeutically efficient CRICT platform can be generated using commercially available and affordable materials.

The prevalence of negative attitudes towards nurses and depressive symptoms in nurses working in cardiology departments in Malopolska region, preliminary results

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Introduction

A significant increase in negative attitudes towards nurses accompanied by exacerbation of depressive symptoms in nurses working in cardiology departments have been observed.

Objective

The assessment of the intensity of negative attitudes towards nurses and depressive symptoms experienced by nurses working in cardiology departments in Malopolska region.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between 2020 and 2022. It was carried out in a group of 130 nurses working in conservative cardiology departments and 72 nurses working in interventional cardiology departments. The nurses were randomly selected from the register of hospital employed nurses of Malopolska Regional Chamber of Nurses and Midwives. The incidence and intensity of negative experiences at work were determined based on NAQ (The Negative Acts Questionnaire) and the incidence and intensity of depressive symptoms were measured by means of Beck’s depression scale.

Results

Among all the nurses surveyed 58% of them experienced some negative attitudes and the exacerbation of mild, moderate and severe depressive symptoms was observed in 37.1%, 18.3% and 4.5% of respondents respectively; no significant differences were found between conservative cardiology departments and interventional cardiology departments. A positive correlation was observed between the exacerbation of depressive symptoms and negative attitudes towards nurses r=0.335, p<0.001, and this correlation was stronger in interventional cardiology departments r=0.397, p<0.001. The risk of developing depressive symptoms was 3.4 times higher in nurses exposed to negative attitudes than in those who did not experience such behaviours (95% CI: 1.61-7.62).

Conclusions

The results of this study show that nurses working in cardiology departments in Malopolska region are exposed to negative attitudes and suffer from exacerbated depressive symptoms, which might affect the quality of the patient care they provide.