Macrophage microRNA-146a is a central regulator of the foreign body response to biomaterial implants

Host recognition and immune-mediated foreign body response (FBR) to biomaterials can adversely affect the functionality of implanted materials. To identify key targets underlying the generation of FBR, here we perform analysis of microRNAs (miR) and mRNAs responses to implanted biomaterials. We found that (a) miR-146a levels inversely affect macrophage accumulation, foreign body giant cell (FBGC) formation, and fibrosis in a murine implant model; (b) macrophage-derived miR-146a is a crucial regulator of the FBR and FBGC formation, as confirmed by global and cell-specific knockout of miR-146a; (c) miR-146a modulates genes related to inflammation, fibrosis, and mechanosensing; (d) miR-146a modulates tissue stiffness near the implant during FBR; and (e) miR-146a is linked to F-actin production and cellular traction force induction, which are vital for FBGC formation. These novel findings suggest that targeting macrophage miR-146a could be a selective strategy to inhibit FBR, potentially improving the biocompatibility of biomaterials.

Unraveling TIMP1: a multifaceted biomarker in colorectal cancer

Background: The pathogenic genes of colorectal cancer (CRC) have not yet been fully elucidated, and there is currently a lack of effective therapeutic targets. This study used bioinformatics methods to explore and experimentally validate the most valuable biomarkers for colorectal cancer and further investigate their potential as targets. Methods: We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset and screened out hub genes. ROC curve and univariate Cox analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset revealed the most diagnostically and prognostically valuable genes. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) experiments were then conducted to validate the expression level of these selected genes in colorectal cancer. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to evaluate the enriched signaling pathways associated with the gene. Using the CIBERSORT algorithm in R software, we analyzed the immune infiltrating cell abundance in both high and low gene expression groups and examined the gene's correlation with immune cells and immune checkpoints. Additionally, we performed drug sensitivity analysis utilizing the DepMap database, and explored the correlation between gene expression levels and ferroptosis based on the The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. Results: The study identified a total of 159 DEGs, including 7 hub genes: SPP1, MMP1, CXCL8, CXCL1, TIMP1, MMP3, and CXCL10. Further analysis revealed TIMP1 as the most valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer, with IHC experiments verifying its high expression. Additionally, GSEA results showed that the high TIMP1 expression group was involved in many cancer signaling pathways. Analysis of the TCGA database revealed a positive correlation between TIMP1 expression and infiltration of macrophages (M0, M1, M2) and neutrophils, as well as the expression of immune checkpoint genes, including CTLA-4 and HAVCR2. Drug sensitivity analysis, conducted using the DepMap database, revealed that colorectal cancer cell lines exhibiting elevated levels of TIMP1 expression were more responsive to certain drugs, such as CC-90003, Pitavastatin, Atuveciclib, and CT7001, compared to those with low levels of TIMP1. Furthermore, TIMP1 expression was positively correlated with that of ferroptosis-related genes, such as GPX4 and HSPA5. Conclusion: TIMP1 can be used as a biomarker for colorectal cancer and is associated with the immunological microenvironment, drug sensitivity, and ferroptosis inhibition in this disease.

Micromechanical characterizations and viscoelastic modeling reveal elastic and viscoelastic heterogeneities in ovarian tissue and the significant viscoelastic contribution to the apparent elastic modulus determined by AFM indentation

Ovarian follicles develop in a highly regulated mechanical microenvironment and disruptions to the microenvironment may cause infertility. However, the viscoelastic properties of the ovarian tissue are not well studied. Here, we characterize both the elastic and viscoelastic properties of ovarian tissue from both reproductively older and younger domestic cats using atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation and viscoelastic models of stress relaxation. Importantly, our analyses reveal the apparent elastic modulus obtained from the conventional AFM indentation measurement is significantly higher than the intrinsic elastic modulus and insignificantly different from the equivalent elastic modulus that is the summation of the intrinsic elastic modulus and the viscoelastic contribution to modulus at time 0. Interestingly, the ovarian cortex of both reproductive age groups has a higher apparent/intrinsic modulus than that of the medulla. Furthermore, two different kinetics of stress relaxation are identified with rate constants of ∼1 s and ∼20-40 s, respectively. Moreover, the rate constant of the slow kinetics is significantly different between the cortex and medulla in the reproductively older ovaries. Finally, these mechanical heterogeneities appear to follow the heterogeneous distribution of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the ovary. These findings may be invaluable to the development of biomimetic follicle culture for treating infertility. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This study investigates not only elastic but also the viscoelastic heterogeneity in both reproductively younger and older ovarian tissues for the first time. Further, by combining AFM indentation measurement and viscoelastic modeling, we show the apparent elastic modulus conventionally reported in the literature for AFM indentation measurement is the summation of the intrinsic elastic modulus and a significant viscoelastic contribution to the modulus at time 0. This is an important consideration for others who use this method to quantify biomaterial properties. In addition, the possible connection between the mechanical and compositional heterogeneities is explored. These findings may be invaluable for designing biomaterials to recapitulate the mechanical environment of the ovary and possibly many other organs for biomimetic tissue engineering.

In-situ cryo-immune engineering of tumor microenvironment with cold-responsive nanotechnology for cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy that deploys the host's immune system to recognize and attack tumors, is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, its efficacy is greatly restricted by the immunosuppressive (i.e., immunologically cold) tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we report an in-situ cryo-immune engineering (ICIE) strategy for turning the TME from immunologically "cold" into "hot". In particular, after the ICIE treatment, the ratio of the CD8+ cytotoxic T cells to the immunosuppressive regulatory T cells is increased by more than 100 times in not only the primary tumors with cryosurgery but also distant tumors without freezing. This is achieved by combining cryosurgery that causes "frostbite" of tumor with cold-responsive nanoparticles that not only target tumor but also rapidly release both anticancer drug and PD-L1 silencing siRNA specifically into the cytosol upon cryosurgery. This ICIE treatment leads to potent immunogenic cell death, which promotes maturation of dendritic cells and activation of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells as well as memory T cells to kill not only primary but also distant/metastatic breast tumors in female mice (i.e., the abscopal effect). Collectively, ICIE may enable an efficient and durable way to leverage the immune system for combating cancer and its metastasis.

Greatly Enhanced CTC Culture Enabled by Capturing CTC Heterogeneity Using a PEGylated PDMS-Titanium-Gold Electromicrofluidic Device with Glutathione-Controlled Gentle Cell Release

The circulating tumor cells (CTCs, the root cause of cancer metastasis and poor cancer prognosis) are very difficult to culture for scale-up in vitro, which has hampered their use in cancer research/prognosis and patient-specific therapeutic development. Herein, we report a robust electromicrofluidic chip for not only efficient capture of heterogeneous (EpCAM+ and CD44+) CTCs with high purity but also glutathione-controlled gentle release of the CTCs with high efficiency and viability. This is enabled by coating the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface in the device with a 10 nm gold layer through a 4 nm titanium coupling layer, for convenient PEGylation and linkage of capture antibodies via the thiol-gold chemistry. Surprisingly, the percentage of EpCAM+ mammary CTCs can be as low as ∼35% (∼70% on average), showing that the commonly used approach of capturing CTCs with EpCAM alone may miss many EpCAM- CTCs. Furthermore, the CD44+ CTCs can be cultured to form 3D spheroids efficiently for scale-up. In contrast, the CTCs captured with EpCAM alone are poor in proliferation in vitro, consistent with the literature. By capture of the CTC heterogeneity, the percentage of stage IV patients whose CTCs can be successfully cultured/scaled up is improved from 12.5% to 68.8%. These findings demonstrate that the common practice of CTC capture with EpCAM alone misses the CTC heterogeneity including the critical CD44+ CTCs. This study may be valuable to the procurement and scale-up of heterogeneous CTCs, to facilitate the understanding of cancer metastasis and the development of cancer metastasis-targeted personalized cancer therapies conveniently via the minimally invasive liquid/blood biopsy.

Metformin Bicarbonate-Mediated Efficient RNAi for Precise Targeting of TP53 Deficiency in Colon and Rectal Cancers

Colon and rectal cancers are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States and effective targeted therapies are in need for treating them. Our genomic analyses show hemizygous deletion of TP53, an important tumor suppressor gene, is highly frequent in both cancers, and the 5-year survival of patients with the more prevalent colon cancer is significantly reduced in the patients with the cancer harboring such deletion, although such reduction is not observed for rectal cancer. Unfortunately, direct targeting TP53 has been unsuccessful for cancer therapy. Interestingly, POLR2A, a gene essential for cell survival and proliferation, is almost always deleted together with TP53 in colon and rectal cancers. Therefore, RNA interference (RNAi) with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to precisely target/inhibit POLR2A may be an effective strategy for selectively killing cancer cells with TP53 deficiency. However, the difficulty of delivering siRNAs specifically into the cytosol where they perform their function, is a major barrier for siRNA-based therapies. Here, metformin bicarbonate (MetC) is synthesized to develop pH-responsive MetC-nanoparticles with a unique "bomb" for effective cytosolic delivery of POLR2A siRNA, which greatly facilitates its endo/lysosomal escape into the cytosol and augments its therapeutic efficacy of cancer harboring TP53 deficiency. Moreover, the MetC-based nanoparticles without functional siRNA show notable therapeutic effect with no evident toxicity or immunogenicity.

Noncovalent reversible binding-enabled facile fabrication of leak-free PDMS microfluidic devices without plasma treatment for convenient cell loading and retrieval

The conventional approach for fabricating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices is a lengthy and inconvenient procedure and may require a clean-room microfabrication facility often not readily available. Furthermore, living cells can't survive the oxygen-plasma and high-temperature-baking treatments required for covalent bonding to assemble multiple PDMS parts into a leak-free device, and it is difficult to disassemble the devices because of the irreversible covalent bonding. As a result, seeding/loading cells into and retrieving cells from the devices are challenging. Here, we discovered that decreasing the curing agent for crosslinking the PDMS prepolymer increases the noncovalent binding energy of the resultant PDMS surfaces without plasma or any other treatment. This enables convenient fabrication of leak-free microfluidic devices by noncovalent binding for various biomedical applications that require high pressure/flow rates and/or long-term cell culture, by simply hand-pressing the PDMS parts without plasma or any other treatment to bind/assemble. With this method, multiple types of cells can be conveniently loaded into specific areas of the PDMS parts before assembly and due to the reversible nature of the noncovalent bonding, the assembled device can be easily disassembled by hand peeling for retrieving cells. Combining with 3D printers that are widely available for making masters to eliminate the need of photolithography, this facile yet rigorous fabrication approach is much faster and more convenient for making PDMS microfluidic devices than the conventional oxygen plasma-baking-based irreversible covalent bonding method.

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The stability of noncovalent PDMS-PDMS binding is dependent on the binding energy instead of the binding strength.

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The noncovalent binding of a special formulation of PDMS is sufficient for reversible assembly of leak-free microfluidic devices.

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The noncovalent binding method enables loading multiple types of cells into PDMS parts before assembling into the final device.

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The PDMS device can be easily dissembled due to the reversible nature of the noncovalent binding for retrieving cells.

Clinical efficacy of different approaches for laparoscopic intersphincteric resection of low rectal cancer: a comparison study

Background

The operative results of different approaches for the laparoscopic intersphincteric resection (LAISR) of low rectal cancer vary, and the patient characteristics associated with the best outcomes for each procedure have not been reported. We compared the efficacy of different approaches for LAISR of low rectal cancer and discussed the surgical indications for each approach.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed data from 235 patients with low rectal cancer treated via LAISR from October 2010 to September 2016. Patients underwent either the transabdominal approach for ISR (TAISR, n = 142), the transabdominal perineal approach for ISR (TPAISR, n = 57), or the transanal pull-through approach for ISR (PAISR, n = 36).

Results

The PAISR and TAISR groups exhibited shorter operation times and less intraoperative blood loss than the TPAISR group. The anastomotic distance was shorter in the PAISR and TPAISR groups than in the TAISR group. No differences in the ability to perform radical resection, overall complications, postoperative recovery, Wexner score recorded 12 months after ostomy closure, 3-year disease-free survival, local recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, or overall survival (OS) were observed among the three groups.

Conclusions

TAISR, TPAISR, and PAISR have unique advantages and do not differ in terms of operation safety, patient outcomes, or anal function. TPAISR requires a longer time to complete and is associated with more bleeding and a slower recovery of anal function. PAISR should be considered when TAISR cannot ensure a negative distal margin and the tumor and BMI are relatively small; otherwise, TPAISR is required.

Targeting and clearance of senescent foamy macrophages and senescent endothelial cells by antibody-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for alleviating aorta atherosclerosis

Senescent cells drive atherosclerosis at all stages and contribute to cardiovascular disease. However, the markers in these senescent aortic plaques have not been well studied, creating a huge obstacle in the exploration of a precise and efficient system for atherosclerosis treatment. Recently, CD9 has been found to induce cellular senescence and aggravated atherosclerotic plaque formation in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE^-/-) mice. In the present study, this result has been leveraged to develop CD9 antibody-modified, hyaluronic acid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a hyaluronidase-responsive drug release profile. In invitro models of senescent foamy macrophages and senescent endothelial cells stimulated with oxidized high-density-lipoprotein, the CD9 antibody-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles exhibit high cellular uptake; reduce the reactive oxygen species level, high-density lipoprotein oxidation, and production of TNF-α and IL-6; and attenuate the senescence process, contributing to improved cell viability. In vivo experiment demonstrated that these nanoparticles can successfully target the senescent lesion areas, deliver the anti-senescence drug rosuvastatin to the senescent atherosclerotic plaques (mainly endothelial cells and macrophages), and alleviate the progression of atherosclerosis in ApoE^-/- mice. By providing deep insight regarding the markers in senescent atherosclerotic plaque and developing a nano-system targeting this lesion area, the study proposes a novel and an accurate therapeutic approach for mitigating atherosclerosis through senescent cell clearance.

Anti-CTLA-4 antibody-functionalized dendritic cell-derived exosomes targeting tumor-draining lymph nodes for effective induction of antitumor T-cell responses

The therapeutic efficacy of current cancer vaccines is far from optimal, mainly because of insufficient induction of antigen-specific T cells and because tumor cells can hijack immunosuppressive mechanisms to evade the immune responses. Generating specific, robust, and long-term immune responses against cancer cells and the attenuating of immunosuppressive factors are critical for effective cancer vaccination. Recently, the engineering of exosomes specifically bind to T cells, and then stimulating tumor-specific T-cell immune responses has emerged as a potential alternative strategy for cancer vaccination. In this study, we generated a bifunctional exosome combining the strategy of vaccination and checkpoint blockade. Exosomes prepared from Ovalbumin (OVA)-pulsed, activated dendritic cells were modified with anti-CTLA-4 antibody (EXO-OVA-mAb) to block this inhibitory molecule and to enhance the specificity of the exosomes toward T cells. Our study provides a unique strategy for functionalizing exosome membrane with anti-CTLA-4 antibody via lipid-anchoring method to synergize efficacy of cancer vaccination and immune checkpoint blockade against the tumor. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We designed T-cell-targeting exosomes (EXO-OVA-mAb) decorated with costimulatory molecules, MHCs, antigenic OVA peptide, and anti-CTLA-4 antibody, combining the strategies of vaccines and checkpoint blockade. The exosomes showed enhanced binding to T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes, effectively induced T-cell activation, and improved the tumor homing of effector T cells, ultimately significantly restraining tumor growth. Thus, EXO-OVA-mAb greatly facilitates T-cell targeting, induces a strong tumor-specific T-cell response, and increased the ratio of effector T cells/regulatory T cells within tumors, resulting in appreciable tumor growth inhibition.

Hyaluronic acid wreathed, trio-stimuli receptive and on-demand triggerable nanoconstruct for anchored combinatorial cancer therapy

Hyaluronic acid (HA) assisted effective internalization into CD44 receptor-overexpressing cancer cells, which could offer an excellent cytotoxic profile and tumor alterations. In this study, duo-photothermal agents (copper sulfide (CuS) and graphene oxide (GO)), chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin (DOX)), and targeting moiety (HA) were incorporated into a complexed nanoconstruct for trio-responsive chemo-phototherapy. The nanosystem (CuS(DOX)-GO-HA) was demonstrating its responsive drug release and escalated photothermal behavior. The hyperthermia and photodynamic effect were observed along with efficient ROS generation in the presence of dual photosensitizers. The in vivo biodistribution and photothermal profile reflected a high accumulation and retention of the nanoconstruct in the tumor. Importantly, nanoconstructs effectively inhibit tumor growth based on tumor volume analysis and the altered expression of apoptosis, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis markers. Collectively, these findings suggest that this nanoconstruct has excellent antitumor effects in CD44 overexpressed cells showing the potential for clinical translation in the future.

Artificial Nanoscale Erythrocytes from Clinically Relevant Compounds for Enhancing Cancer Immunotherapy

Because of enhanced efficacy and lower side effects, cancer immunotherapies have recently been extensively investigated in clinical trials to overcome the limitations of conventional cancer monotherapies. Although engineering attempts have been made to build nanosystems even including stimulus nanomaterials for the efficient delivery of antigens, adjuvants, or anticancer drugs to improve immunogenic cancer cell death, this requires huge R&D efforts and investment for clinically relevant findings to be approved for translation of the nanosystems. To this end, in this study, an air-liquid two-phase electrospray was developed for stable bubble pressing under a balance between mechanical and electrical parameters of the spray to continuously produce biomimetic nanosystems consisting of only clinically relevant compounds [paclitaxel-loaded fake blood cell Eudragit particle (Eu-FBCP/PTX)] to provide a conceptual leap for the timely development of translatable chemo-immunotherapeutic nanosystems. This was pursued as the efficacy of systems for delivering anticancer agents that has been mainly influenced by nanosystem shape because of its relevance to transporting behavior to organs, blood circulation, and cell-membrane interactions. The resulting Eu-FBCP/PTX nanosystems exhibiting phagocytic and micropinocytic uptake behaviors can confer better efficacy in chemo-immunotherapeutics in the absence and presence of anti-PD-L1 antibodies than similar sized PTX-loaded spherical Eu particles (Eu-s/PTX).

Cold-Responsive Nanoparticle Enables Intracellular Delivery and Rapid Release of Trehalose for Organic-Solvent-Free Cryopreservation

Conventional cryopreservation of mammalian cells requires the use of toxic organic solvents (e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide) as cryoprotectants. Consequently, the cryopreserved cells must undergo a tedious washing procedure to remove the organic solvents for their further applications in cell-based medicine, and many of the precious cells may be lost or killed during the procedure. Trehalose has been explored as a nontoxic alternative to traditional cryoprotectants. However, mammalian cells do not synthesize trehalose or express trehalose transporters in their membranes, and the lack of an approach for the efficient intracellular delivery of trehalose has been a major hurdle for its use in cell cryopreservation. In this study, a cold-responsive polymer (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butyl acrylate)) is utilized to synthesize nanoparticles for the encapsulation and intracellular delivery of trehalose. The trehalose-laden nanoparticles can be efficiently taken up by mammalian cells. The nanoparticles quickly and irreversibly disassemble upon cold treatment, enabling the controlled and rapid release of trehalose from the nanoparticles inside cells. The latter is confirmed by an evident increase in cell volume upon cold treatment. This rapid cold-triggered intracellular release of trehalose is crucial to developing a fast protocol to cryopreserve cells using trehalose. Cells with intracellular trehalose delivered using the nanoparticles show comparable postcryopreservation viability compared to that of cells treated with DMSO, eliminating the need for the tedious and cell-damaging washing procedure required for using the DMSO-cryopreserved cells in vivo. This cold-responsive nanoparticle may greatly facilitate the use of trehalose as a nontoxic cryoprotectant for banking cells and tissues to meet their high demand by modern cell-based medicine.

Development of Folate-Functionalized PEGylated Zein Nanoparticles for Ligand-Directed Delivery of Paclitaxel

In this study, we investigated the active targeted delivery of a hydrophobic drug, paclitaxel (PTX), via receptor-mediated endocytosis by folate receptors expressed on cancer cells using a protein-based nanoparticle system. PTX was loaded on zein nanoparticles and conjugated with folate (PTX/Zein-FA) to estimate its chemotherapeutic efficacy in folate receptor-expressing KB cancer cells. PTX/Zein-FA nanoparticles were successfully developed, with a nanoparticle size of ~180 nm and narrow polydispersity index (~0.22). Accelerated release of PTX in an acidic environment was observed for PTX/Zein-FA. An in vitro cellular study of PTX/Zein-FAs in KB cells suggested that PTX/Zein-FA improved the cytotoxic activity of PTX on folate receptors overexpressed in cancer cells by inducing proapoptotic proteins and inhibiting anti-apoptotic proteins. In addition, PTX/Zein-FA exhibited anti-migratory properties and could alter the cell cycle profile of KB cells. A549 cells, which are folate receptor-negative cancer cells, showed no significant enhancement in the in vitro cellular activities of PTX/Zein-FA. We describe the antitumor efficacy of PTX/Zein-FA in KB tumor-bearing mice with minimum toxicity in healthy organs, and the results were confirmed in comparison with free drug and non-targeted nanoparticles.

Regulatory T Cells Tailored with pH-Responsive Liposomes Shape an Immuno-Antitumor Milieu against Tumors

Cell-based delivery platforms have received great interest in recent years and have been indicated as a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. Despite their wide applications in the clinical and preclinical stages, their concomitant viability and efficacy remain major issues. Herein, a strategy for harnessing regulatory T (Treg) cells is developed as an actively targeting drug-delivery system to transport drug-loaded liposomes to the desired tumor sites via conjugating liposomes on the surface of Treg cells. Under the guidance of tumor-oriented chemokines, liposome-anchored Treg cells can be leveraged to migrate and infiltrate the acidic tumor microenvironment, where pH-sensitive liposomes release the loaded cargos [comprising interleukin-2, programmed cell death ligand 1 antibody (PD-L1), and imiquimod], provoke dramatic dendritic cell maturation, block the PD-1/PD-L1 immune-checkpoint, elevate the frequency of infiltrating CD8⁺ effector T cells, and collectively contribute to potent inhibition of in situ and metastatic tumors. Here, the findings suggest a potential approach that offers a simple, robust, and safe insight into the tuning of Treg cells as an encouraging vector for augmenting cancer immunotherapy.

Tailored Black Phosphorus for Erythrocyte Membrane Nanocloaking with Interleukin-1α siRNA and Paclitaxel for Targeted, Durable, and Mild Combination Cancer Therapy

Several therapeutic nanosystems have been engineered to remedy the shortcomings of cancer monotherapies, including immunotherapy (stimulating the host immune system to eradicate cancer), to improve therapeutic efficacy with minimizing off-target effects and tumor-induced immunosuppression. Light-activated components in nanosystems confer additional phototherapeutic effects as combinatorial modalities; however, systemic and thermal toxicities with unfavorable accumulation and excretion of nanoystem components now hamper their practical applications. Thus, there remains a need for optimal multifunctional nanosystems to enhance targeted, durable, and mild combination therapies for efficient cancer treatment without notable side effects.

Methods: A nanosystem constructed with a base core (poly-L-histidine [H]-grafted black phosphorus [BP]) and a shell (erythrocyte membrane [EM]) is developed to offer a mild photoresponsive (near-infrared) activity with erythrocyte mimicry. In-flight electrostatic tailoring to extract uniform BP nanoparticles maintains a hydrodynamic size of <200 nm (enabling enhanced permeability and retention) after EM cloaking and enhances their biocompatibility.

Results: Ephrin-A2 receptor-specific peptide (YSA, targeting cancer cells), interleukin-1α silencing small interfering RNA (ILsi, restricting regulatory T cell trafficking), and paclitaxel (X, inducing durable chemotherapeutics) are incorporated within the base core@shell constructs to create BP-H-ILsi-X@EM-YSA architectures, which provide a more intelligent nanosystem for combination cancer therapies.

Conclusion: The in-flight tailoring of BP particles provides a promising base core for fabricating <200 nm EM-mimicking multifunctional nanosystems, which could be beneficial for constructing smarter nanoarchitectures to use in combination cancer therapies.

Aerosol technique-based carbon-encapsulated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy

Near-infrared (NIR)-responsive drug delivery systems have enhanced tumor ablative efficiency through permeation and retention effects. Graphene oxide (GO) has shown great potential both in photothermal therapy and in drug delivery. Thus, in this study, we designed an ambient spark-generated GO, wrapped on topotecan (TPT)-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN-NH2-TPT-CGO), to function as an efficient platform for pH-dependent sustained release of TPT. HMSN-NH2-TPT-CGO also exhibited a combined chemo-photothermal effect within a single carrier system. This developed system was stable with a uniform particle size (∼190 nm) and was demonstrated to possess a sufficient heat-absorbing capacity to induce tumor cell ablation. We performed the ablation of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo in combination with photothermal therapy and chemotherapy using the spark-generated functional GO and HMSN. The prepared nanocarriers demonstrated high cellular uptake, apoptosis, and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. In vivo study using the MDA-MB-231 xenograft model revealed the ultraefficient tumor ablative performance of HMSN-NH2-TPT-CGO compared with that of free TPT, with no toxic effect on vital organs. Altogether, the optimized nanocarriers presented a significant potential to act as a vehicle for cancer treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first study that uses spark-generated graphene oxide nanoflakes to cover the topotecan (TPT)-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) to treat breast cancer. Dense silica was used as a hard template to prepare the HMSNs attributing to a high drug payload. The concentration of Na₂CO₃ was precisely controlled to minimize the silica etching time within 70 min. The use of the nanographene flakes served a dual purpose, first, by acting as a capping agent to prevent the premature release of drug and, second, by serving as a nano heater that significantly ablates the tumor cells. The prepared nanocarriers (NCs) exhibited effective and enhanced in vitro and in vivo apoptosis, as well as significant tumor growth inhibition even after 15 days of treatment time, with no toxic effect to the vital organs. The NCs enhanced in vitro tumor cell killing effects and served as an effective carrier for in vivo tumor regression, thereby highlighting the enormous potential of this system for breast cancer therapy.

Transferrin-Conjugated Polymeric Nanoparticle for Receptor-Mediated Delivery of Doxorubicin in Doxorubicin-Resistant Breast Cancer Cells

In this study, a transferrin (Tf)-conjugated polymeric nanoparticle was developed for the targeted delivery of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (Dox) in order to overcome multi-drug resistance in cancer treatment. Our objective was to improve Dox delivery for producing significant antitumor efficacy in Dox-resistant (R) breast cancer cell lines with minimum toxicity to healthy cells. The results of our experiments revealed that Dox was successfully loaded inside a transferrin (Tf)-conjugated polymeric nanoparticle composed of poloxamer 407 (F127) and 123 (P123) (Dox/F127&P123-Tf), which produced nanosized particles (~90 nm) with a low polydispersity index (~0.23). The accelerated and controlled release profiles of Dox from the nanoparticles were characterized in acidic and physiological pH and Dox/F127&P123-Tf enhanced Dox cytotoxicity in OVCAR-3, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-231(R) cell lines through induction of cellular apoptosis. Moreover, Dox/F127&P123-Tf inhibited cell migration and altered the cell cycle patterns of different cancer cells. In vivo study in MDA-MB-231(R) tumor-bearing mice demonstrated enhanced delivery of nanoparticles to the tumor site when coated in a targeting moiety. Therefore, Dox/F127&P123-Tf has been tailored, using the principles of nanotherapeutics, to overcome drug-resistant chemotherapy.

Folate-targeted nanostructured chitosan/chondroitin sulfate complex carriers for enhanced delivery of bortezomib to colorectal cancer cells

Folate-targeting self-assembled nanoparticles (NPs) using biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymers chitosan (Cs) and chondroitin sulfate (Chs) were developed to address the major challenge in cancer treatment, the selective delivery of nanoparticles to the target site. In this study, we successfully incorporated a hydrophobic drug, bortezomib (Bor), into folic acid (FA)-conjugated Cs/Chs self-assembled NPs (Bor/Cs/Chs-FA) for colorectal cancer therapy. The particle size and polydispersity index of Bor/Cs/Chs-FA were ∼196.5 ± 1.2 nm and ∼0.21 ± 0.5, respectively. A pH-dependent release profile was observed, facilitating cancer cell-targeted drug release under an acidic tumor microenvironment. Moreover, in vitro data revealed enhanced cellular uptake and apoptosis in folate receptor-expressing colorectal cancer cells (HCT-116 and HT-29) as compared to that in lung cancer cells (A549), which do not express folate receptors. Furthermore, intravenous administration of Bor/Cs/Chs-FA in a HCT-116 bearing xenograft mouse model showed that the NPs were a safe and effective drug delivery system. The results suggest that folate-targeted nanoparticle can be effectively applied for efficient chemotherapy of colorectal cancer.

Plug-and-Play Nanorization of Coarse Black Phosphorus for Targeted Chemo-photoimmunotherapy of Colorectal Cancer

Because of their extraordinary physical properties and biocompatibility, black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets (NSs) have been intensively employed in chemo-phototherapies, such as plasmonic inorganic nanoparticles or graphene NSs, over the past few years. However, most biomedical studies using BP NSs are only concerned with the optical property of BP NSs to repeatedly demonstrate chemo-phototherapeutic efficacies, although BP NSs have different properties from inorganic nanoparticles or graphene NSs, such as corrugated crystal structure, hydrophilicity, and biodegradability. Moreover, it is still a challenging issue to efficiently fabricate uniform BP NSs for clinical translation because of the top-down nature of fabrication, despite the easy preparation of coarse BP flakes. It is thus essential to explore their most suitable bioapplications as well as suggest an easy-to-access strategy to produce uniform BP NSs for realization as advanced therapeutic materials. To rationalize these issues, this report introduces a plug-and-play nanorization, ultrasonic bubble bursting, of coarse BP flakes for continuous BP NS production, and the resulting uniform NSs (∼40 nm lateral dimension, ∼0.15 polydispersity index) were used as base materials to load drug (doxorubicin), targeting agent (chitosan-polyethylene glycol), and cancer growth inhibitor (programmed death ligand 1 and small interfering RNA) for achieving efficacious chemo-photoimmunotherapy of colorectal cancer.

Combination of NIR therapy and regulatory T cell modulation using layer-by-layer hybrid nanoparticles for effective cancer photoimmunotherapy

The efficacy of combined near-infrared (NIR) and immune therapies for inhibiting tumor growth and recurrence has gained increasing research attention. Regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment constitute a major obstacle in achieving robust CD8⁺ T cell antitumor immunotherapy. In the present study, we designed a photoimmunotherapy-based strategy involving a combination of photothermal and photodynamic therapies, followed by Treg cell suppression, for eliciting an immune response with IR-780- and imatinib-loaded layer-by-layer hybrid nanoparticles. Methods: The layer-by-layer hybrid nanoparticles were prepared through electrostatic interactions. Their photothermal effect, photodynamic effect as well as their effect on inhibiting Treg cells' suppressive function were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Their antitumor effect was evaluated using B16/BL6 and MC-38 tumor-bearing mice. Results: The layer-by-layer hybrid nanoparticles, which were pH-sensitive, enabled the release of IR-780 dye for NIR-induced photothermal and photodynamic effects, and the release of imatinib-loaded glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor family-related protein/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (GITR-PLGA) nanoparticles to initiate antitumor immunotherapy. The photothermal and photodynamic effects caused by IR-780 under NIR exposure resulted in direct tumor apoptosis/necrosis and the production of tumor-associated antigen, promoted dendritic cell maturation, and enhanced the presentation of tumor-associated antigen to T cells, while the imatinib-loaded GITR-PLGA cores reduced the suppressive function of Treg cells, and consequently activated effective CD8⁺ T cells towards tumors. Conclusion: With the significant photothermal, photodynamic and immunotherapies, the system successfully eradicated tumor growth, diminished tumor recurrence, and improved survival in vivo. The proposed nanoparticles provide a novel and versatile approach to boost antitumor photoimmunotherapy.

Polyamino Acid Layer-by-Layer (LbL) Constructed Silica-Supported Mesoporous Titania Nanocarriers for Stimuli-Responsive Delivery of microRNA 708 and Paclitaxel for Combined Chemotherapy

Cellular Fas-associated protein with death domain-like interleukin-1β-converting enzyme-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), often strongly expressed in numerous cancers, plays a pivotal role in thwarting apoptosis and inducing chemotherapy resistance in cancer. An integrated approach combining chemotherapy with suppression of c-FLIP levels could prove paramount in the treatment of cancers with c-FLIP overexpression. In this study, we utilized a polymeric layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of silica-supported mesoporous titania nanoparticles (MTNst) to co-deliver paclitaxel (PTX) and microRNA 708 (miR708) for simultaneous chemotherapy and c-FLIP suppression in colorectal carcinoma. The resulting LbL miR708/PTX-MTNst showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity in HCT-116 and DLD-1 colorectal carcinoma cell lines, which was remarkably superior to that of free PTX or LbL PTX-MTNst. LbL miR708/PTX-MTNst strongly inhibited c-FLIP expression and resulted in increased expression of proapoptotic proteins. In DLD-1 xenograft tumor-bearing mice, the nanoparticles accumulated in the tumor, resulting in remarkable tumor regression, with the PTX and miR708-loaded nanoparticles showing significantly greater inhibitory effects than the free PTX or PTX-loaded nanoparticles. Immunohistochemical analyses of the tumors further confirmed the remarkable apoptotic and antiproliferative effects of the nanoparticles, whereas organ histology reinforced the biocompatibility of the system. Therefore, the LbL miR708/PTX-MTNst system, owing to its ability to deliver both chemotherapeutic drug and inhibitory miRNA to the tumor site, shows great potential to treat colorectal carcinoma in clinical settings.

Folate receptor-mediated celastrol and irinotecan combination delivery using liposomes for effective chemotherapy

Drug targeting using functionalized nanoparticles provides a new standard in anticancer therapy. Liposomes, safe and effective drug delivery carriers, can incorporate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs for combination chemotherapy treatment of cancers. The objectives of the current study were to synthesize and test the effectiveness of a nanotechnology-based strategy utilizing folic acid (FA)-conjugated liposomes that incorporate both celastrol (Cs) and irinotecan (Ir) for targeted breast cancer therapy. Our results revealed the successful preparation of Cs and Ir-loaded folate-targeted liposomes (Lipo/Cs/Ir-FA) with a small particle size (∼190 nm) and polydispersity index (∼0.10). The formulation exhibited higher drug release profiles for both Ir and Cs at pH 5.0 compared to those at physiological pH, favoring cancer cell-targeted release. Furthermore, in vitro cell studies showed high uptake and enhanced apoptosis in folate receptor-positive breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231), but not in folate receptor-negative lung cancer cells (A549). Moreover, an in vivo study in a mouse tumor model using MDA-MB-231 xenografts supported effective drug delivery behavior of the folate-conjugated liposomes by selective targeting of tumor tissue and minimizing systemic adverse effects. Therefore, our formulation could provide an effective therapy for targeted cancer treatment.

Regulatory T cell-targeted hybrid nanoparticles combined with immuno-checkpoint blockage for cancer immunotherapy

Immunosuppression in tumor microenvironments induced by regulatory T (Treg) cells is regarded a critical mechanism of tumor immune escape and poses a major impediment to cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we developed tLyp1 peptide-conjugated hybrid nanoparticles for targeting Treg cells in the tumor microenvironment. The tLyp1 peptide-modified hybrid nanoparticles presented good stability and effective targeting to Treg cells, and they enhanced the effect of imatinib in downregulating Treg cell suppression through inhibition of STAT3 and STAT5 phosphorylation. In addition, an in vivo study revealed high tumor accumulation of the hybrid nanoparticle. Specifically, prolonged survival rate, enhanced tumor inhibition, reduced intratumoral Treg cells, and elevated intratumoral CD8⁺ T cells against tumor were observed when combined with checkpoint-blockade by using anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 antibody. This study provided groundwork for a repertoire of nanoparticle-based drugs for targeting and modulating Treg cell function in the tumor microenvironment and for improving antitumor immunotherapy.

Metabolic Biomarkers of Aging and Aging-related Diseases in Chinese Middle-Aged and Elderly Men

BACKGROUND

Aging is an acknowledged risk factor for most chronic diseases and functional impairments. The practicability of potential biomarkers of aging remains unsure. Moreover, biomarkers related to certain geriatric diseases, such as carotid atherosclerosis and multiple co-morbidities are less understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the definite relationship between metabolic biomarkers and aging-related diseases.

METHODS

Eighty-five male adults aged fifty years or older from the general population were enrolled. Plasma metabolic biomarkers, including fourteen amino acids and thirty-six acylcarnitines, were measured by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Bivariate correlation analysis was employed to estimate the correlations between variables and age, and also to evaluate the relationship between metabolic biomarkers and aging-related diseases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was conducted to judge the diagnostic efficiency of potential metabolic biomarkers for co-morbidities.

RESULTS

Certain metabolic biomarkers were strongly positively correlated with age, such as tetradecenoylcarnitine (C14:1), microalbumin-urine creatinine ratio (UACR), dodecenoylcarnitine (C12:1) and citrulline (p < 0.001). Carotid atherosclerosis and co-morbidities were positively correlated with aging (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, hydroxytetradecanoylcarnitine (C14OH) remained positively correlated with carotid plague area. Besides, citrulline had diagnostic power for co-morbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Citrulline may be a promising metabolic biomarker in the middle-aged and elderly men. Larger-scale and long-term studies are needed to confirm our findings.

RKIp inhibits the migration and invasion of human prostate cancer PC-3M cells through regulation of extracellular matrix

Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) plays a pivotal role in several intracellular signaling cascades and has been implicated as a metastasis suppressor in multiple cancer cells including prostate cancer cells, but the mechanism is not very clear. In this study, we investigated the effect of RKIP on cell proliferation, migration and invasion using human prostate cancer PC-3M cells as a model system. Our results indicate that RKIP does not effect cell proliferation in PC-3M cells, but inhibits both cell migration and cell invasion. In association with this inhibitory effect, RKIP down-regulates matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), cathepsin B and urinary plasminogen activator (uPA). Also RKIP has the ability to regulate the expression of E-cadherin. But ectopic expression of RKIP does not affect the level of the Snail protein. As it has been indicated here, RKIP inhibits the migration and invasion ability of human prostate cancer cells through regulation of the extracellular matrix. These findings provide new mechanistic insight how RKIP suppresses metastasis in vitro.

Adjuvant chemotherapy in completely resected stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer

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Background: We evaluate effect of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy on overall survival after complete resection of stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods: From Jan.1999 to Dec. 2003, a total of 150 stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer patients randomly received four cycles of chemotherapy (NVB25mg/m2, D1,D5 or paclitaxel 175mg/m2, D1 / carboplatin AUC=5, D1) or observation after operation. Results: The median survival for the 150 patients was 879 days, with a 1-year survival rate of 81%, 3-year survival rate of 43%, and 5-year survival rate of 28%.There was significant difference in median survival between chemotherapy and control group (897 days vs 821 days p=0.04), and also there was significant difference in 5-year survival rate (30% vs 24% p<0.05). The most common site of recurrence was brain. 26% (39/150) of patients recurred in the brain as their first site, 22% (18/79) for chemotherapy group, 29% (21/71) for control group. The median survival time for brain metastasis patients between chemotherapy and control group is no difference (812 days vs 512 days, p=0.122), but there was significant difference in 2-year survival rate (66.71% vs 37.6% p<0.05). Conclusions: Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy dose significantly improves median survival among completely resected stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer patients, and significantly improves 5-year survival rate. It dose not decrease incidence of brain metastasis but postpone the time of brain metastasis in chemotherapy group.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Differential responses of antioxidative system to chilling and drought in four rice cultivars differing in sensitivity

Responses of antioxidative defense systems to chilling and drought stresses were comparatively studied in four cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L.) differing in sensitivity, two of them (Xiangnuo no. 1 and Zimanuo) are tolerant to chilling but sensitive to drought and the other two (Xiangzhongxian no. 2 and IR50) are tolerant to drought but sensitive to chilling. The seedlings of rice were transferred into growth chamber for 5 d at 8 degrees C as chilling treatment, or at 28 degrees C as control, or at 28 degrees C but cultured in 23% PEG-6000 solution as drought stress treatment. Under drought stress the elevated levels of electrolyte leakage, contents of H(2)O(2) and total thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) in Xiangzhongxian no. 2 and IR50 are lower than those in Xiangnuo no. 1 and Zimanuo. On the contrary, Xiangnuo no. 1 and Zimanuo have much lower level of electrolyte leakage, H(2)O(2) and TBARS than Xiangzhongxian no. 2 and IR50 under chilling stress. Activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and ascorbate-peroxidase (APX)) and contents of antioxidants (ascorbaic acid and reduced glutathione) were measured during the stress treatments. All of them were enhanced greatly until 3 d after drought stress in the two drought-tolerant cultivars, or after chilling stress in the two chilling-tolerant cultivars. They all were decreased at 5 d after stress treatments. On the other hand, activities of antioxidant enzymes and contents of antioxidants were decreased greatly in the drought-sensitive cultivars after drought stress, or in the chilling-sensitive cultivars after chilling stress. The results indicated that tolerance to drought or chilling in rice is well associated with the enhanced capacity of antioxidative system under drought or chilling condition, and that the sensitivity of rice to drought or chilling is linear correlated to the decreased capacity of antioxidative system.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours overexpress fatty acid synthase

Fatty acid synthase (FASN), a key enzyme for de novo lipogenesis, is overexpressed in many malignant tumours and is associated with aggressive biological behaviour. FASN expression and its possible relationship with more aggressive behaviour in gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) have not been addressed to date. Here, FASN expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 60 primary GISTs (28 low/intermediate risk and 32 high risk) and seven metastatic GISTs. Sixteen smooth muscle gastrointestinal tumours were used as controls. FASN was overexpressed in 36 of 60 GISTs (60%): in 12 of 28 (42%) low/intermediate-risk GISTs and in 24 of 32 (75%) high-risk GISTs (p<0.05). Two primary and seven metastatic GISTs and five GIST cell lines (GIST882, GIST430, GIST522, GIST62, and GIST48), analysed by western blot, showed variable FASN expression. Most metastatic samples expressed high levels of FASN protein. Additionally, seven of 60 GISTs showed a proliferation rate higher than 10% by Ki67 and all of them expressed FASN (p<0.04). Finally, proliferation and apoptosis were investigated after FASN silencing in GIST882 cells, which displayed the highest FASN expression. siRNA-mediated FASN knock-down inhibited expression of the proliferation marker cyclin A, whereas no changes in p27 and cleaved PARP expression were seen. It is concluded that FASN is preferentially overexpressed in high-risk and metastatic GISTs, and that its overexpression likely contributes to cell proliferation.

dsRNA enhances eotaxin-3 production through interleukin-4 receptor upregulation in airway epithelial cells

The exacerbation of asthma during viral infections is mainly explained by neutrophils infiltrating into the airways. However, enhanced functions of eosinophils are also observed. The aim of this study was to reveal the mechanism of how eosinophils are activated during and after viral infection of the airways, using a model of viral infection. A synthetic double-stranded RNA, poly inosinic-cytidyric acid (poly(IC)), was transfected to a human airway epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) and the primary bronchial epithelial cells, to mimic a viral infection. The production of chemokines from the cells was investigated. The transfection of poly(IC), alone, marginally affected the eotaxin-3 production of the cells. However, the transfection of poly(IC) prior to interleukin (IL)-4 stimulation enhanced eotaxin-3 production. Poly(IC) transfection increased mRNA and protein expressions of IL-4 receptor (R)alpha and IL-2Rgamma, components of the IL-4R. In BEAS-2B cells, IL-4-mediated phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription six was enhanced in poly(IC) transfected cells. This was reversed by the addition of anti-IL-4Ralpha antibody, suggesting the role of an increased number of IL-4 receptors in enhanced IL-4-induced eotaxin-3 production. Poly(IC)-induced upregulation of IL-4Ralpha was inhibited by treatment with cycloheximide or dexamethasone. In conclusion, these results suggest that viral airway infection may enhance interleukin-4-induced eotaxin-3 production through upregulation of the interleukin-4 receptor in airway epithelial cells.

A comparative study of quantitative structure-activity relationship methods based on gallic acid derivatives

By using hologram quantitative structure-activity relationship (HQSAR) and comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) methods, the relationships between the structures of 49 gallic acid derivatives and their analgesic activity have been investigated to yield statistically reliable models with considerable predictive power. The best HQSAR model was generated using atoms, bond and connectivity as fragment distinction parameters and fragment size 5-7 from a hologram length of 307 with 3 components. High conventional r2 (r2 = 0.825) and cross-validation r2 (r2(cv) = 0.726) values were obtained. CoMFA analyses varying lattice size and location, grid spacing, probe charges and using, Tripos standard and Indicator force field were performed. The best model was developed with 4 components using sp3-hybridized carbon atom with +1.0 charge as probe, grid spacing (2 A), lattice offset (1.0, 3.0, -2.5). The CoMFA model showed a conventional correlation coefficient r2 of 0.889 and across-validation r2(cv) equals to 0.633. The robustness and predictive ability of the HQSAR and CoMFA models have been validated by means of an external test set. The results indicate that both models possess high statistical quality in the prediction of analgesic potency of novel gallic acid analogs.

[Skip metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes in non-small cell lung cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain if any difference exists in clinical characteristics between resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with either skip or ordinary mediastinal lymph node metastases.

METHODS

Among 176 patients with stage IIIAN2 disease between 1982-1994 treated in our hospital, 53 had no metastasis at the hilar lymph nodes [skip(+) group] while 123 had [skip(-) group]. To investigate the extent of nodal involvement, the mediastinal lymph nodes were divided into three regions.

RESULTS

In the skip(+) group, mediastinal node metastasis was found in only one region in 49 of the 53 patients(92.4%), whereas 45 of the 123 patients(36.6%) from the skip (-) group revealed medinastinal metastasis at two or three regions The overall survival rate at 5 years after operation was 29.3% in the skip(+) group and 12.2% in the skip (-) group (P = 0.038). Furthermore, regarding patients with mediactint node metantion in one region, the skip(+) group had a better prognosis than the skip (-) group (32.1% vs 15.3%, P = 0.042).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that patients with skip mediastinal lymph node metastases represent a unique subgroup of N2 disease.