Expression of Concern: One-pot synthesis of acid-degradable polyphosphazene prodrugs for efficient tumor chemotherapy

Expression of Concern for 'One-pot synthesis of acid-degradable polyphosphazene prodrugs for efficient tumor chemotherapy' by Na Zhou et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2020, 8, 10540-10548, https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TB01992E.

Expression of concern: Intelligent nanoflowers: a full tumor microenvironment-responsive multimodal cancer theranostic nanoplatform

Expression of concern for 'Intelligent nanoflowers: a full tumor microenvironment-responsive multimodal cancer theranostic nanoplatform' by Xunan Jing et al., Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 15508-15518, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR04768A.

NIR Plasmonic Nanozymes: Synergistic Enhancement Mechanism and Multi-Modal Anti-Infection Applications of MXene/MOFs

Nanozymes are considered as the promising antimicrobial agents due to the enzyme-like activity for chemo-dynamic therapy (CDT). However, it remains a challenge to develop novel nanozyme systems for achieving stimuli-responsive, and efficient nanozyme catalysis with multimodal synergistic enhancement. In this work, a near-infrared (NIR) plasmonic-enhanced nanozyme catalysis and photothermal performance for effective antimicrobial applications are proposed. A Ti3 C2 MXene/Fe-MOFs composite (MXM) with NIR plasmonic-enhanced CDT combined with photothermal properties is successfully developed by loading metal-organic framework (MOF) nanozymes onto Ti3 C2 MXene. The mechanism of NIR induced localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-enhanced CDT and photothermal therapy (PTT) is well explained through activation energy (Ea ), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence analysis experiments, and finite element simulation. It reveals that MXene nanosheets exhibit NIR plasmon exciters and generate hot electrons that can transfer to the surface of Fe-MOFs, promoting the Fenton reaction and enhances CDT. While the photothermal heating of MXene produced by LSPR can also boost the CDT of Fe-MOFs under NIR irradiation. Both in vitro and in vivo experimental results demonstrate that LSPR-induced MXM system has outstanding antimicrobial properties, can promote angiogenesis and collagen deposition, leading to the accelerated wound healing.

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anti-Inflammatory Nanoplatform for Effective Management of Infected Wounds

Burn wound healing continues to pose significant challenges due to excessive inflammation, the risk of infection, and impaired tissue regeneration. In this regard, an antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory nanocomposite (called HPA) that combines a nanosystem using hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and the natural polyphenol of Phloretin with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is developed. HPA effectively disperses AgNPs to mitigate any toxicity caused by aggregation while also showing the pharmacological activities of Phloretin. During the initial stage of wound healing, HPA rapidly releases silver ions from its surface to suppress bacterial activity. Moreover, these nanoparticles are pH-sensitive and degrade efficiently in the acidic infection microenvironment, gradually releasing Phloretin. This sustained release of Phloretin helps scavenge overexpressed reactive oxygen species in the infected microenvironment area, thus reducing the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The antibacterial activity, free radical clearance, and regulation of inflammatory factors of HPA through in vitro experiments are validated. Additionally, its effects using an infectious burn mouse model in vivo are evaluated. HPA is found to promote collagen deposition and epithelialization in the wound area. With its synergistic antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as favorable biocompatibilities, HPA shows great promise as a safe and effective multifunctional nanoplatform for burn injury wound dressings.

Development of a Deep Eutectic Solvent-Assisted Kaempferol Hydrogel: A Promising Therapeutic Approach for Psoriasis-like Skin Inflammation

Psoriasis is an incurable inflammatory skin disease that is mediated by the immune system. Although kaempferol has been known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, its therapeutic effectiveness is often limited due to its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. To address these challenges, we developed a promising kaempferol hydrogel (DK-pGEL) using Pluronic F127 and a deep eutectic solvent (DES) with varying concentrations of kaempferol. In this study, we first evaluated the rheological properties and viscosity of the DK-pGEL hydrogel. The G' of DK-pGEL (∼14 kPa) hydrogels was significantly lower than the control group (∼30 kPa) at 37 °C. The DK-pGEL hydrogel exhibited ideal fluidity and viscosity at 37 °C, as demonstrated by its shear-thinning behavior. Moreover, the DK-pGEL hydrogel showed controlled release characteristics with a drug release of 97.43 ± 5.37 μg/mL over 60 h. Furthermore, in vitro antioxidant experiments revealed that DK-pGEL exhibited significant radical scavenging ability against the DPPH-radical (96.27 ± 0.37%), ABTS-radical (98.11 ± 0.79%), hydroxyl-radical (66.36 ± 1.01%), and superoxide-radical (90.52 ± 0.79%) at a concentration of 250 μg/mL kaempferol. Additionally, DK-pGEL exhibited notable cellular antioxidant effects by inhibiting reactive oxygen species generation. Cell viability assays (CCK8) and live/dead cell assays were conducted to assess the cytotoxicity of DK-pGEL. The results showed that DK-pGEL could effectively inhibit HaCaT cell proliferation without causing significant cytotoxicity. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of DK-pGEL, an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model of psoriasis-like lesions was employed. Remarkably, the DK-pGEL hydrogel could significantly reduce the psoriasis area and severity index score, improve the histopathology induced by IMQ, and downregulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-17A) in the skin tissue. These findings demonstrate that the DES-assisted kaempferol hydrogel holds promise as a topical drug delivery system for psoriasis treatment.

Outcomes of Consolidative Thoracic Radiation within First-Line Chemoimmunotherapy in Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Results from a Single Cancer Center

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Thoracic radiation (TRT) benefits local control undoubtedly and survival with some minor controversy in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) patients undergoing radiotherapy in the chemoradiotherapy era. However, whether TRT could further enhance the benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) maintenance on outcomes in the immunotherapy era is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of consolidative TRT in ES-SCLC patients receiving first-line chemoimmunotherapy followed by immunotherapy maintenance.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Outcomes of patients who were treated with first-line chemo-immunotherapy followed by ICIs maintenance for ES-SCLC were reviewed. Based on TRT or not, patients were allocated to TRT group or non-TRT group. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and local-recurrence free survival (LRFS) were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test.

RESULTS

A total of 100 patients with no progressive disease after 4 cycles of chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed between January 2020 and December 2021 and were allocated into TRT group (n = 47) and non-TRT group (n = 53). The median follow-up time was 20.3 months. The median PFS and OS in TRT were 9.1 months and 21.8 months, versus 8.8 months (p = 0.93) and 24.3 months (p = 0.63), respectively, in non-TRT. ICIs agents consisted of Durvalumab (59.0%) and Atezolizumab (41.0%). The median dose of TRT is 50 Gy (IQR: 45 - 54), while the median interval time from chemotherapy completion to TRT was 31 days (IQR: 12 - 44.5). Only 10 (21.3%) patients terminated ICIs in the period of TRT. The rate of intrathoracic progression after the first-line therapy in TRT significantly decreased compared to that with non-TRT (20.0% versus 55.9%, p = 0.003). The median LRFS time in TRT was not reached, but significantly longer than 10.8 months in non-TRT (HR = 0.27, p < 0.01). Second-line chemotherapy significantly prolonged survival compared to that with chemo-free patients (mOS: 24.5 vs. 21.4 months, p = 0.026). The subgroup analysis showed a trend of patients with brain metastases benefit from TRT (21.8 versus 13.7 months, HR 0.61, p = 0.38) while liver metastases did not (13.3 versus 15.0 months, HR 1.80, p = 0.21). Of 47 patients with TRT, only 10.6% of patients experienced grade 3 radiation-induced pneumonitis, while no grade 4 or 5 adverse events occurred. None of patients experienced grade ≥ 3 treatment-related cardiac events.

CONCLUSION

Consolidative TRT in the period of immunotherapy maintenance followed first-line chemo-immunotherapy did not prolong OS and PFS but increased LRFS in ES-SCLC.

Polyphosphazene nanodrugs for targeting delivery and inflammation responsive release of curcumin to treat acute lung injury by effectively inhibiting cytokine storms

An excessive inflammatory response induced by cytokine storms is the primary reason for the deterioration of patients with acute lung injury (ALI). Though natural polyphenols such as curcumin (CUR) have anti-inflammation activity for ALI treatment, they often have limited efficacy due to their poor solubility in water and oxidising tendency. This study investigates a highly cross-linked polyphosphazene nano-drug (PHCH) developed by copolymerisation of CUR and acid-sensitive units (4-hydroxy-benzoic acid (4-hydroxy-benzylidene)-hydrazide, D-HBD) with hexachlorotripolyphosphonitrile (HCCP) for improved treatment of ALI. PHCH can prolong the blood circulation time and targeted delivery into lung inflammation sites by enhancing CUR's water dispersion and anti-oxidant properties. PHCH also demonstrates the inflammation-responsive release of CUR in an inflammation environment due to the acid-responsive degradation of hydrazine bonds and triphosphonitrile rings in PHCH. Therefore, PHCH has a substantial anti-inflammation activity for ALI treatment by synergistically improving CUR's water-solubility, bioavailability and biocompatibility. As expected, PHCH attenuates the cytokine storm syndrome and alleviates inflammation in the infected cells and tissues by down-regulating several critical inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8). PHCH also decreases the expression of p-p65 and C-Caspase-1, inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasomes and suppressing NF-κB signalling pathways. The administrated mice experiments confirmed that PHCH accumulation was enhanced in lung tissue and showed the efficient scavenging ability of reactive oxygen species (ROS), effectively blocking the cytokine storm and alleviating inflammatory damage in ALI. This smart polyphosphazene nano-drug with targeting delivery property and inflammation-responsive release of curcumin has excellent potential for the clinical treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including ALI.

Curcumin-Containing Polyphosphazene Nanodrug for Anti-Inflammation and Nerve Regeneration to Improve Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury

The microenvironment of excessive inflammation and the activation of apoptotic signals are primary barriers to neurological recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI). Thus, long-lasting anti-inflammation has become an effective strategy to navigate SCI. Herein, a curcumin (CUR)-containing nanosystem (FCTHPC) with high drug loading efficiency was reported via assembling hydrophobic CUR into cross-linked polyphosphazene (PPZ), and simultaneous loading and coordinating with porous bimetallic polymers for greatly enhanced the water-solubility and biocompatibility of CUR. The nanosystem is noncytotoxic when directing its biological activities. By inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6) and apoptotic proteins (C-caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2), which may be accomplished by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, the versatile FCTHPC can significantly alleviate the damage to tissues and cells caused by inflammation and apoptosis in the early stage of SCI. In addition, the long-term in vivo studies had demonstrated that FCTHPC could effectively inhibit the formation of glial scars, and simultaneously promote nerve regeneration and myelination, leading to significant recovery of spinal cord function. This study emphasises the promise of the biocompatible CUR-based nanosystem and provides a fresh approach to effectively treat SCI.

Polyphosphazene-derived P/S/N-doping and carbon-coating of yolk-shelled CoMoO4 nanospheres towards enhanced pseudocapacitive lithium storage

Transition metal oxides as potentialanodes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) possess high theoretical capacity but suffer from large volume expansion and poor conductivity. To overcome these drawbacks, we designed and fabricated polyphosphazene-coated yolk-shelled CoMoO₄ nanospheres, in which polyphosphazene with abundant C/P/S/N species was readily converted into carbon shells and provided P/S/N dopants. This resulted in the formation of P/S/N co-doped carbon-coated yolk-shelled CoMoO₄ nanospheres (PSN-C@CoMoO₄). The PSN-C@CoMoO₄ electrode exhibits superior cycle stability of 439.2 mA h g^-1at 1000 mA g^-1after 500 cycles and rate capability of 470.1 mA h g^-1at 2000 mA g^-1. The electrochemical and structural analyses reveal that PSN-C@CoMoO₄ with yolk-shell structure, coated with carbon and doped with heteroatom not only greatly enhances the charge transfer rate and reaction kinetics, but also efficiently buffers the volume variation upon lithiation/delithiation cycling. Importantly, the use of polyphosphazene as coating/doping agent can be a general strategy for developing advanced electrode materials.

Chitosan-based hemostatic sponges as new generation hemostatic materials for uncontrolled bleeding emergency: Modification, composition, and applications

The choice of hemostatic technique is a curial concern for surgery and as first-aid treatment in combat. To treat uncontrolled bleeding in complex wound environments, chitosan-based hemostatic sponges have attracted significant attention in recent years because of the excellent biocompatibility, degradability, hemostasis and antibacterial properties of chitosan and their unique sponge-like morphology for high fluid absorption rate and priority aggregation of blood cells/platelets to achieve rapid hemostasis. In this review, we provide a historical perspective on the use of chitosan hemostatic sponges as the new generation of hemostatic materials for uncontrolled bleeding emergencies in complex wounds. We summarize the modification of chitosan, review the current status of preparation protocols of chitosan sponges based on various composite systems, and highlight the recent achievements on the detailed breakdown of the existing chitosan sponges to present the relationship between their composition, physical properties, and hemostatic capacity. Finally, the future opportunities and challenges of chitosan hemostatic sponges are also proposed.

MIL-101(CuFe) Nanozymes with Excellent Peroxidase-like Activity for Simple, Accurate, and Visual Naked-Eye Detection of SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to every corner of the world and seriously affected our health and daily activities in the past three years; thereby, it is still urgent to develop various simple, quick, and accurate methods for early detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. Nanozymes, a kind of nanomaterial with intrinsic enzyme-mimicking activity, have emerged as a suitable alternative for both therapy and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. Here, ultrasensitive and ultrafast MIL-101(CuFe)-CD147 biosensors are established for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by a simple colorimetric method. A MIL-101(CuFe) metal-organic framework has excellent peroxidase-like activity due to the synergistic effect of Fe and Cu atoms. In addition, the MIL-101(CuFe)-CD147 biosensor shows great potential to detect the various variants of SARS-CoV-2 due to the universal receptor of CD147. The enzyme-based biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 achieves a very low limit of detection (about 3 PFU/mL) within 30 min. Therefore, the present method provides a new generation of an alternative approach for highly sensitive and visual diagnosis of COVID-19.

Correction: Controlled synthesis of water-dispersible and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanomaterials by a microwave-assisted solvothermal method: from nanocrystals to nanoclusters

Correction for ‘Controlled synthesis of water-dispersible and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanomaterials by a microwave-assisted solvothermal method: from nanocrystals to nanoclusters’ by Xunan Jing et al., CrystEngComm, 2017, 19, 5089–5099, https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CE01191A.

All-in-One Theranostic Platforms: Deep-Red AIE Nanocrystals to Target Dual-Organelles for Efficient Photodynamic Therapy

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) nanoparticles have been widely applied in photodynamic therapy (PDT) over the past few years. However, amorphous nanoaggregates usually occur in their preparation, resulting in loose packing with disordered molecular structures. This still allows free intramolecular motions, thus leading to limited brightness and PDT efficiency. Herein, we report deep-red AIE nanocrystals (NCs) of DTPA-BS-F by following the facile method of nanoprecipitation. It is observed that DTPA-BS-F NCs possess not only a high photoluminescence quantum yield value of 8% in the deep-red region (600-850 nm) but also an impressive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency of up to 69%. Moreover, DTPA-BS-F NCs targeting dual-organelles of lysosomes and nucleus to generate ROS are also achieved, thus boosting the PDT effect in cancer therapy both in vitro and in vivo. This work provides high-performance AIE NCs to simultaneously target two organelles for efficient photodynamic therapy, indicating their promising application in all-in-one theranostic platforms.

A Dual-Mode NADH Biosensor Based on Gold Nanostars Decorated CoFe2 Metal-Organic Frameworks to Reveal Dynamics of Cell Metabolism

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is central to metabolism and implicated in various diseases. Herein, nanohybrids of gold nanostars and metal-organic frameworks are devised and demonstrated as a dual-mode NADH sensor, for which colorimetric detection is enabled by its peroxidase-like nanozyme property and Raman detection is realized by its surface-enhanced Raman scattering property with the detection limit as low as 28 pM. More importantly, this probe enables real-time SERS monitoring in living cells, providing a unique tool to investigate dynamic cellular processes involving NADH. Our experiments reveal that metabolism dynamics is accelerated by glucose and is much higher in cancerous cells. The SERS results can also be verified by the colorimetric detection. This sensor provides a new potential to detect biomarkers and their dynamics in situ.

Amino acids and doxorubicin as building blocks for metal ions-driven self-assembly of biodegradable polyprodrugs for tumor theranostics

On-demand designed theranostics nanoagents show promising applications for next-generation precision-and-personalized oncotherapy. Researchers have since aimed to develop nanoplatforms that can efficiently deliver drugs and contrast medium to tumor and release active ingredients in response to tumor microenvironment (TME) conditions. Herein, we propose a modular strategy, and develop a series of nanoplatforms based on metal-coordinated-polyprodrugs for cancer theranostics. The polyprodrugs were synthesized through a click-reaction between amino acid and doxorubicin (DOX) with dipropiolate. The backbones of the polyprodrugs had intrinsic sensitivities to pH and/or GSH, and provided abundant -COOH, -NH2, or -S-S- to chelate with functional metal ions and further self-assembled to form different morphologies. Dicysteine, which contains disulfide bond (-S-S-), was chosen to copolymerize with DOX and triethylene glycol dipropiolate (TEP) to prepare the pH/GSH dual-responsive polyprodrug poly(dicysteine-co-TEP-co-DOX) (pDTD), then separately coordinated with Gd3+, Fe3+, and Mn2+ to construct nanoplatforms pDTD@M (M representing the metal ions). In vitro and in vivo investigations suggest the metal-coordinated-polyprodrug nanoplatforms have good magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ability and efficient tumor-growth inhibition with high safety. The design strategy of nanoplatforms based on metal-coordinated-polyprodrugs provides a new idea for on-demand construction of promising theranostics agents. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Compared to small molecule antitumor drugs, polymeric drugs have high drug loading ratio and are easily enriched at the tumor site to achieve improved therapy efficacy. This work utilizes click reactions to link amino acids with anticancer drugs to produce polymeric drugs that are degraded in response to tumor microenvironment and released small molecule antitumor drugs mainly in tumor sites, and subtly utilizes the coordination of amino acid to chelate MRI functional metal ion to realize enhanced MRI imaging mediated tumor therapy. This strategy provides a new idea for the convenient construction of polymeric drugs for tumor theranostics.

Gold Nanorods/Metal-Organic Framework Hybrids: Photo-Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Activity and SERS Performance for Organic Dyestuff Degradation and Detection

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely used to mimic enzymes for catalyzing chemical reactions; however, low enzyme activity limit their large-scale application. In this work, gold nanorods/metal-organic frameworks (Au NRs/Fe-MOF) hybrids were successfully synthesized for photo-enhanced peroxidase-like catalysis and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The enzyme-like activity of Au NRs/Fe-MOF hybrids was significantly enhanced under localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), because the hot electrons produced on Au NRs surface were transferred into Fe-MOF, activating the Fenton reaction by Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ conversion and preventing the recombination of hot electrons and holes. This photo-enhanced enzyme-like catalytic performance was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), electrochemical analysis, activation energy measurement, and in situ Raman spectroscopy. Afterward, Methylene Blue (MB) was chosen to demonstrate the photo-enhanced peroxidase-like performance of Au NRs/Fe-MOFs. The Au NRs/Fe-MOF caused chemical and electromagnetic enhancement of Raman signals and exhibited a great potential for the detection of toxic chemicals and biological molecules. The detection limit of MB concentration is 9.3 × 10^-12 M. In addition, the Au NRs/Fe-MOF hybrids also showed excellent stability and reproducibility for photo-enhanced peroxidase-like catalysis. These results show that nanohybrids have great potential in many fields, such as sensing, cancer therapy, and energy harvesting.

Retraction: A tumor-microenvironment fully responsive nano-platform for MRI-guided photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapy

Retraction of ‘A tumor-microenvironment fully responsive nano-platform for MRI-guided photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapy’ by Daquan Wang et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2020, 8, 8271–8281, https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TB01373K.

[Vascular endothelial growth factor promotes cancer stemness of triple-negative breast cancer via MAPK/ERK pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in regulating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) stem cells and the possible pathways involved in this regulatory mechanism.

METHODS

The Oncomine database, UALCAN database and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database were used to analyze the expression of VEGF in breast cancer and its association with the molecular subtypes and prognosis of breast cancer. Sphere formation assay was carried out to examine the effects of hVEGF₁₆₅ on sphere formation ability of TNBC MDA-MB-231 cell line; Western blotting and RT-qPCR were performed to detect the expression of the tumor stem cell markers including CD44, c-Myc, Nanog, and ALDH1 and the activation of the related pathways.

RESULTS

Data from the online databases all showed a significant increase of VEGF expression in breast cancer tissues than in the adjacent tissues (P < 0.0001), and its expression level was associated with the molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Specifically, the expression of VEGF was markedly higher in TNBC than in other subtypes of breast cancer. Survival analysis showed that breast cancer patients with a high VEGF expression had a significantly shortened overall survival (P < 0.0001). In the cell experiments, the sphere formation ability of MDA-MB-231 cells was significantly enhanced after treatment with hVEGF₁₆₅ (P=0.0029). Compared with the monolayer cells, MDA-MB-231 spheres showed significantly increased expressions of VEGF, NRP-1, CD44, Nanog and c-Myc. Treatment with hVEGF₁₆₅ resulted in significant time-dependent up-regulation of the expressions of CD44, c-Myc, Nanog and ALDH1 and down-regulation of CD24 expression in the cells. The results of Western blotting demonstrated that treatment with hVEGF₁₆₅ caused significant activation of the ERK/MAPK pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells.

CONCLUSION

VEGF promotes cancer stemness of triple-negative breast cancer possibly through the ERK/MAPK pathway.

pH/ROS Dual-Responsive Polymer-Drug-Based Nanocarriers: Click-Reaction Preparation and Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Chemotherapy and Photodynamic Therapy

In the past decades, polymer-drug conjugates of anticancer agents have gained much attention due to their enhanced aqueous solubility, improved pharmacokinetics, and better drug utilization than their conventional insoluble counterparts. Several polymer-drug conjugates have entered the third phase of clinical trials yet suffer from inherent deficiencies, including uncontrolled drug release and unclear degradation mechanisms. In this study, a pH/reactive oxygen species (ROS) dual-responsive PEG-doxorubicin (DOX) conjugate (denoted as TPD) was synthesized through acyl alkynyl-amine click reaction by PEG dipropiolate (PEGB), amine-terminated thioketal (TKL), and doxorubicin (DOX). Due to the generated ene-amine and thioketal in the backbone, the prepared amphiphilic TPD not only has a high drug loading ratio for photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) but also has the sensitivity to the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) and ROS. Considering the complex conditions of TME, the prepared TPD@Ce6 nanoparticles (NPs) might respond to the relatively low pH and release Ce6 initially, and upon laser radiation, Ce6 produces abundant singlet oxygen (¹O₂) to achieve a programmable accelerated release of DOX and more Ce6 at the tumor site. In addition, the NIR fluorescence of DOX could monitor drug delivery and controlled release. The developed TPD@Ce6 NPs can realize the targeted tumor in combination therapy with negligible cytotoxicity on normal tissues.

Bimetallic Metal-Organic Frameworks: Enhanced Peroxidase-like Activities for the Self-Activated Cascade Reaction

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are significant useful molecular materials as a result of their high surface area and flexible catalytic activities by tuning the metal centers and ligands. MOFs have attracted great attention as efficient nanozymes recently; however, it is still difficult to understand polymetallic MOFs for enzymatic catalysis because of their complicated structure and interactions. Herein, bimetallic NiFe₂ MOF octahedra were well prepared and exhibited enhanced peroxidase-like activities. The synergistic effect of Fe and Ni atoms was systematically investigated by electrochemistry, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, (XPS) and in situ Raman techniques. The electrons tend to transfer from Ni²⁺ to Fe³⁺ in NiFe₂ MOFs, and the resulting Fe²⁺ is ready to decompose H₂O₂ and generate ^·OH by a Fenton-like reaction. After integration with glucose oxidase (GOx), which can downgrade the pH value and generate H₂O₂ by oxidation of glucose, a self-activated cascade reagent is therefore established for efficiently inducing cell death. The changes of cell morphology, DNA, and protein are also successfully recorded during the cell death process by Raman spectroscopy and fluorescence imaging.

Poroid hidradenoma of the scalp in a US Veteran's Administration (VA) patient

Poroid hidradenomas are a rare subtype of hidradenoma. A Veteran’s Administration patient presented with a mobile, cystic scalp lesion. Intraoperatively the mass spontaneously ruptured. We hope clinicians will consider this entity on their differential when treating patients presenting with similar scalp lesions and intraoperative findings.

CircRNA_100395 protects breast carcinoma deterioration by targeting MAPK6

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to uncover the differential expression of circRNA_100395 in breast carcinoma specimens, and its regulatory effect on cancer cell phenotypes. The role of circRNA_100395 in affecting breast carcinoma progression and the molecular mechanism are explored as well.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

CircRNA_100395 expressions in breast carcinoma and paracancerous tissues were detected. The influence of circRNA_100395 level on clinical indicators of breast carcinoma patients was analyzed. In vitro regulations of circRNA_100395 on phenotypes of breast carcinoma cells were examined by CCK-8, colony formation, and transwell assay. The interaction between circRNA_100395 and MAPK6 was confirmed by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay and rescue assays.

RESULTS

CircRNA_100395 was downregulated in breast carcinoma tissues and cell lines. Its level was negatively correlated to tumor staging and tumor size of breast carcinoma. Overexpression of circRNA_100395 in SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 cells weakened proliferative and migratory abilities. MAPK6 was the target gene of circRNA_100395. Overexpression of MAPK6 reversed the anti-cancer effect of circRNA_100395 on breast carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

CircRNA_100395 serves as an anti-cancer gene in breast carcinoma progression by targeting MAPK6, and its level is negatively correlated to tumor staging and tumor size of breast carcinoma. CircRNA_100395 can be utilized as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of breast carcinoma.

Construction of hyperbranched and pH-responsive polymeric nanocarriers by yne-phenol click-reaction for tumor synergistic chemotherapy

In past decades, to improve the chemotherapeutic efficiency and reduce the systemic toxicity of small molecule anti-cancer drugs, polymer-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) have attracted great attention for tumor treatment due to their remarkable biocompatibility and responsive degradation in tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we developed a kind of pH-responsive and degradable hyperbranched polymeric nanocarriers via yne-phenol click-reaction of resveratrol (RSV) with bifunctional n-butyl dipropiolate (BDP) for efficient doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. The natural product RSV with three phenol groups has excellent antioxidant activity and synergetic enhancement for some anticancer drugs such as DOX. RSV tends to attack the alkynyl groups on BDP by nucleophilic addition in the presence of base as catalyst to afford hyperbranched polyprodrug (denoted as RB). PEGylated RB (termed as RBP) were further synthesized to improve the water solubility and prolong blood circulation by the click reaction of propiolate-terminated RB with amino terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-NH₂). Interestingly, the RBP have high DOX loading ratio (∼58.6 %) at neutral pH, but the vinyl-ether bonds in RB could break down at low pH conditions such as acidic TME (extracellular pH∼6.8, endosomes and lysosomes pH∼5.0) that leading to the targeting release of DOX and RSV. Therefore, the developed RBP@DOX nanoparticles exhibited high kill efficiency to tumor cells and slight damage to normal cells due to the effective delivery and release of DOX and RSV in tumor sites and the synergistic enhancement effect of two drugs.

One-pot synthesis of acid-degradable polyphosphazene prodrugs for efficient tumor chemotherapy

In order to improve the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the side effects of anticancer drugs, stimuli-responsive and biodegradable drug-delivery systems have attracted significant attention in the past three decades. Herein, we report acid-responsive and degradable polyphosphazene nano-prodrugs synthesized via a one-pot cross-linking reaction of 4-hydroxybenzhydrazide-modified doxorubicin (BMD) with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP). The phenol groups in the as-synthesized BMD exhibited a high reactivity towards HCCP and in the presence of a basic catalyst the determined drug loading ratio of the nanoparticles, denoted as HCCP-BMD, was up to 85.64%. Interestingly, the hydrazone bonds in BMD and the skeleton of polyphosphazene tended to break down in acidic environments, and the antitumor active drug DOX was found to be released in an acidic tumor microenvironment (pH ∼ 6.8 for extracellular, and pH ∼ 5.0 for endosomes and lysosomes). The resulting HCCP-BMD prodrug exhibited high cytotoxicity to HeLa cells and could effectively suppress tumor growth, with negligible damage to normal tissues. We therefore believe that this acid- degradable polyphosphazene prodrug may offer great potential in various biomedical fields.

Tuning molecular aggregation to achieve highly bright AIE dots for NIR-II fluorescence imaging and NIR-I photoacoustic imaging

Currently, bright aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) with high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) in the NIR-II region are still limited, and thus an efficient strategy to enhance NIR-II fluorescence performance through tuning molecular aggregation is proposed here. The synthesized donor-acceptor tailored AIEgen (DTPA-TBZ) not only exhibits an excellent absorptivity in the NIR-I region, but also good fluorescence signals in the NIR-II region with an emission extending to 1200 nm. Benefiting from such improved intramolecular restriction and aggregation, a significant absolute PLQY value of 8.98% was obtained in solid DTPA-TBZ. Encouragingly, the resulting AIE dots also exhibit a high relative PLQY of up to 11.1% with IR 26 as the reference (PLQY = 0.5%). Finally, the AIE dots were applied in high performance NIR-II fluorescence imaging and NIR-I photoacoustic (PA) imaging: visualization of abdominal vessels, hind limb vasculature, and cerebral vessels with high signal to background ratios was performed via NIR-II imaging; Moreover, PA imaging has also been performed to clearly observe tumors in vivo. These results demonstrate that by finely tuning molecular aggregation in DTPA-TBZ, a good NIR-I absorptivity and a highly emissive fluorescence in the NIR-II region can be achieved simultaneously, finally resulting in a promising dual-modal imaging platform for real-world applications to achieve precise cancer diagnostics.

COVID-19 with bronchogram - a potential indication of prolonged treatment

Novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has widely spread all over the world and seriously threatened people's health. This disease is currently diagnosed by clinical features, chest computed tomography (CT) scan, and nucleic acid test of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Recently, some studies have suggested parenchymal consolidation and air bronchogram in severe cases. However, the effective treatment for COVID-19 patients with bronchogram has not been discussed. Herein, we report a case of 47-year-old woman who suffered from COVID-19 with bronchogram. These findings revealed that the body temperature and clinical laboratory test all returned to normal after this patient received a prolonged treatment. Furthermore, chest CT showed the bronchogram and consolidation resolved and nucleic acid retest of SARS-CoV-2 was also negative. These results provide an important reference for treatment option of COVID-19 with bronchogram.

Comparison of functional outcomes and health-related quality of life one year after treatment in patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer treated with three different reconstruction methods

We evaluated the functional outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 117 patients (who had had primary operations for oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma) using the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire version 4 (UW- QOL V4), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire version 3 (EORTC QLQ-C30 v3) and Head and Neck version 1 (EORTC H&N35 v1). The patients were divided into groups according to the reconstruction techniques used: primary closure, submental island pedicled flap (SIPF), and radial forearm free flap (RFFF). Patients who had reconstruction with RFFF had better HRQoL as measured by swallowing, mastication, speaking, and overall score, than the primary closure group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the RFFF and SIPF groups in overall QOL one year postoperatively. The HRQoL of the SIPF group was also better than that of the primary closure group in terms of mastication, speaking, and loss of appetite. Swallowing, mastication, and speaking are major factors that affect the HRQoL of patients one year after operation for oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Flap reconstruction can improve patients' QoL postoperatively. They can regain their ability to speak and swallow through training, and the importance of this issue must be addressed postoperatively.

Versatile Nanoplatforms with enhanced Photodynamic Therapy: Designs and Applications

As an emerging antitumor strategy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted intensive attention for the treatment of various malignant tumors owing to its noninvasive nature and high spatial selectivity in recent years. However, the therapeutic effect is unsatisfactory on some occasions due to the presence of some unfavorable factors including nonspecific accumulation of PS towards malignant tissues, the lack of endogenous oxygen in tumors, as well as the limited light penetration depth, further hampering practical application. To circumvent these limitations and improve real utilization efficiency, various enhanced strategies have been developed and explored during the past years. In this review, we give an overview of the state-of-the-art advances progress on versatile nanoplatforms for enhanced PDT considering the enhancement from targeting or responsive, chemical and physical effect. Specifically, these effects mainly include organelle-targeting function, tumor microenvironment responsive release photosensitizers (PS), self-sufficient O2 (affinity oxygen and generating oxygen), photocatalytic water splitting, X-rays light stimulate, surface plasmon resonance enhancement, and the improvement by resonance energy transfer. When utilizing these strategies to improve the therapeutic effect, the advantages and limitations are addressed. Finally, the challenges and prospective will be discussed and demonstrated for the future development of advanced PDT with enhanced efficacy.

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in osteoarthritis: a narrative review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complicated degenerative disease that affects whole joint tissue. Currently, apart from surgical approaches to treat late stage OA, effective treatments to reverse OA are not available. Thus, the mechanisms leading to OA, and more effective approaches to treat OA should be investigated. According to available evidence, the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is essential for normal metabolism of joint tissues, but is also involved in development of OA. To provide a wide viewpoint to roles of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in osteoarthritis, a comprehensive literature search was performed using PubMed terms 'PI3K OR AKT OR mTOR' and 'osteoarthritis'. This review highlights the role of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in cartilage degradation, subchondral bone dysfunction, and synovial inflammation, and discusses how this signaling pathway affects development of the disease. We also summarize recent evidences of therapeutic approaches to treat OA by targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, and discuss potential challenges in developing these strategies for clinical treatment of OA.

Deep-Red Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles with High Brightness and Photostability for Super-Resolution in Vitro and in Vivo Imaging Using STED Nanoscopy

To achieve super-resolution imaging in biological research using stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy, organic luminescent materials and their corresponding fluorescent nanoparticles with high brightness and photostability are of great significance. Herein, donor-acceptor-typed DBTBT-4C8 bearing flexible alkyl chains was developed, not only to afford deep-red emission from 600 to 800 nm but also to obtain high fluorescent brightness with the absolute photoluminescence quantum yields of 25%. After that, well-defined and monodispersed spherical nanoparticles using DBTBT-4C8 with bright emission, excellent biocompatibility, and photostability, which can easily mix with amphipathic block polymers, were then produced for super-resolution in vitro and in vivo imaging using STED nanoscopy. The observations showed that in contrast to confocal microscopy with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of ≈400 nm, superior resolution with a significantly improved FWHM value of only 100 nm was achieved in biomedical cell imaging, which was also used to reconstruct three-dimensional images of stained HeLa cells at an ultrahigh resolution. More importantly, by using the prepared fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONPs) in STED nanoscopy, in vivo imaging in glass catfish with largely enhanced resolution was also successfully achieved, demonstrating that these developed deep-red FONPs here are highly suitable for super-resolution in vitro and in vivo imaging using STED nanoscopy.

Continuous phase regulation of MoSe2 from 2H to 1T for the optimization of peroxidase-like catalysis

Simultaneous and synergistic modulation of the crystal phase and disorder in MoSe₂ to dramatically enhance their peroxidase-like activity.

A tumor-microenvironment fully responsive nano-platform for MRI-guided photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapy

Multifunctional intelligent theranostics agents are promising for next-generation oncotherapy.

Association between Statin Use and Physical Function among Older Chinese Inpatients with Type 2 Diabetes

PURPOSE

Multiple statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) risk factors usually coexist in a given older diabetic patient, but the association between statin use and physical function in older Asian persons with T2MD remains uncertain. The present study therefore sought to provide insight into this uncertainty through a focused assessment of statin-associated outcomes in Chinese diabetic adults.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 146 participants with T2MD in the Center of Gerontology and Geriatric, West China Hospital.

MEASUREMENTS

The participants received the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Statin use and other medical data for each patient were determined via assessment of the inpatient hospital information system. Assessments of physical functions included ADLs, IADLs and the Timed "Up and Go" (TUG) test. Multiple regression analyses were then performed in order to determine the relationship between statin utilization and physical function.

RESULTS

The average age of these 146 participants (32 women, 21.9%) was 80.00±5.60 years. At enrollment, 78 (53.4%) of the 146 patients were treated with statins. Among the statin users, 48.7% presented with a lack of TUG ability, which was significantly greater than in non-statin users (27.9%). However, the rates of IADL and ADL disabilities did not differ significantly between groups. In a multiple regression analyses, statin use was associated with a three-fold (95% CI 1.06, 9.51) increase in the risk of TUG inability, after adjusted all covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a significant association between statin use and TUG inability in older Chinese inpatients with diabetes.

Intelligent nanoflowers: a full tumor microenvironment-responsive multimodal cancer theranostic nanoplatform

Although the collaborative therapy of chemotherapy (CT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) is much more efficient for tumor treatment than monotherapies, premature leakage of drugs from nanocarriers and hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment (TME) result in systemic toxicity and suboptimal therapy efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we developed an intelligent nanoflower composite (termed FHCPC@MnO2) by coating functionalized polyphosphazene on superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoclusters and then growing MnO2 nanosheets as an outer shell. The FHCPC@MnO2 nanoflowers with multistage H2O2/pH/GSH-responsive properties could fully exploit TME characteristics, including supernormal glutathione (GSH) levels, low pH and high H2O2, to realize the specific release of drugs in tumors and maximum synergetic therapeutic effects. The MnO2 nanosheets can elevate O2 concentration by catalytic decomposition of H2O2 and can be simultaneously reduced to Mn2+ by overexpressed GSH in the acidic TME. Meanwhile, the inner polyphosphazene containing (bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-disulfide) is GSH- and pH-sensitively biodegradable to release the anticancer drug curcumin (CUR) and photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) in the TME. Therefore, the "triple-responsive" and synergetic strategy simultaneously endows the nanoflowers with specific drug release, relieving hypoxia and the antioxidant capability of the tumor and achieving significant optimization of CT and PDT. In addition, the resulting Mn2+ ions and Fe3O4 core enable in vivo T1/T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while the released Ce6 can simultaneously provide a fluorescence imaging (FL) function. Unsurprisingly, the intelligent nanoflowers exhibited remarkable multimodal theranostic performance both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting their great potential for precision medicine.

pH/redox dual-stimuli-responsive cross-linked polyphosphazene nanoparticles for multimodal imaging-guided chemo-photodynamic therapy

Multifunctional nanodrugs with the integration of precise diagnostic and effective therapeutic functions have shown great promise in improving the efficacy of cancer therapy. We report herein a simple and effective approach to directly assemble an anticancer drug (curcumin), a photodynamic agent (Ce6) and tumor environment-sensitive molecules into cross-linked polyphosphazene and coat on superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoclusters to form discrete nanoparticles (termed as FHCPCe NPs). FHCPCe NPs have high physiological stability and good biocompatibility, and can enhance accumulation in tumor tissue via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Meanwhile, the FHCPCe NPs exhibit an effective performance of dual-modality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) due to the Fe3O4 cores and fluorescence imaging (FL) in the xenografted HeLa tumor because of the fluorescence of Ce6. Importantly, under the conditions of supernormal glutathione levels and acidic microenvironment in tumor tissue, curcumin and Ce6 can be effectively released by the degradation of FHCPCe NPs. Therefore, excellent anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo have been achieved by synergistic chemotherapy/photodynamic therapy (CT/PDT) using multifunctional NPs. Our study highlights the promise of developing multifunctional nanomaterials for accurate multimodal imaging-guided highly sensitive therapy of cancer.

Committee II: Guidelines for cytologic sampling techniques of lung and mediastinal lymph nodes

The Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology has developed a set of guidelines for pulmonary cytology including indications for bronchial brushings, washings, and endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial fine-needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), technical recommendations for cytological sampling, recommended terminology and classification schemes, recommendations for ancillary testing and recommendations for post-cytological management and follow-up. All recommendations are based on the expertise of the authors, an extensive literature review and feedback from presentations at national and international conferences. This document selectively presents the results of these discussions. The present document summarizes recommendations regarding techniques used to obtain cytological and small histologic specimens from the lung and mediastinal lymph nodes including rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE), and the triage of specimens for immunocytochemical and molecular studies.

Human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells combined with an acellular cartilage extracellular matrix scaffold improve cartilage repair compared with microfracture in a caprine model

OBJECTIVE

As a novel and promising seed cell, human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSCs) are widely applied in tissue engineering. However, whether hWJMSCs can better repair and regenerate the articular cartilage in big animals than microfracture (MF, a predominant clinical treatment strategy for damaged cartilage) is unclear. Evaluation of the validity, and safety of hWJMSCs in a caprine model with a full-thickness femoral condyle articular cartilage defect, compared with MF is required.

METHODS

After cultivation and identification, hWJMSCs were seeded in an acellular cartilage extracellular matrix (ACECM)-oriented scaffold to construct cell-scaffold complex. Six goats with full-thickness femoral condyle articular cartilage defects were randomized to MF (microfracture group, MFG) and cell-scaffold complexes (experimental group, EG). At 2 and 4 weeks, joint fluid was used to assess immuno-inflammatory responses. At 6 and 9 months, all goats were euthanized for assessment of morphology, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histology staining, and evaluation of the elasticity modulus and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) contents of the repaired regions.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between the two groups in immuno-inflammatory parameters. MRI demonstrated higher-quality cartilage and complete subchondral bone at defect sites in the EG at 9 months. Histological staining showed that extracellular cartilage, cartilage lacuna and collagen type II levels were higher in the EG compared to the MFG, while the EG exhibited a higher elasticity modulus.

CONCLUSIONS

The hWJMSCs-ACECM scaffold complex achieved better quality repair and regeneration of hyaline cartilage without cartilage-inducing factor, while retaining the structure and functional integrity of the subchondral bone, compared with MF.

Whole exome sequencing as a diagnostic adjunct to clinical testing in fetuses with structural abnormalities

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic yield of prenatal whole exome sequencing (WES) for monogenic disorders in fetuses with structural malformations and normal results on cytogenetic testing, and to describe information on pathogenic variants that is provided by WES.

METHODS

Karyotyping, chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and WES were performed sequentially on stored samples from a cohort of 3949 pregnancies with fetal structural abnormalities detected on ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging, referred between January 2011 and December 2015. Diagnostic rates of the three techniques were investigated overall, for phenotypic subgroups and for proband-only vs fetus-mother-father samples. Information on pathogenic variants was identified by WES.

RESULTS

Overall, 18.2% (720/3949) of fetuses had an abnormal karyotype. Pathogenic copy number variants were detected on CMA in 8.2% (138/1680) of fetuses that had a normal karyotype result. WES performed on a subgroup of 196 fetuses with normal CMA and karyotype results revealed the putative genetic variants responsible for the abnormal phenotypes in 47 cases (24%). The molecular diagnosis rates for fetus-mother-father and proband-only samples were 26.5% (13/49) and 23.1% (34/147), respectively. Variants of uncertain significance were detected in 12.8% (25/196) of fetuses, of which 22 were identified in the fetal proband-only group (15%; 22/147) and three in the fetus-mother-father group (6.1%; 3/49). The incidental finding rate was 6.1% (12/196).

CONCLUSIONS

WES is a promising method for the identification of genetic variants that cause structural abnormalities in fetuses with normal results on karyotyping and CMA. This enhanced diagnostic yield has the potential to improve the clinical management of pregnancies and to inform better the reproductive decisions of affected families. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multifunctional Nanoflowers for Simultaneous Multimodal Imaging and High-Sensitivity Chemo-Photothermal Treatment

Liver cancer is currently among the most challenging cancers to diagnose and treat. It is of prime importance to minimize the side effects on healthy tissues and reduce drug resistance for precise diagnoses and effective treatment of liver cancer. Herein, we report a facile but high-yield approach to fabricate a multifunctional nanomaterial through the loading of chitosan and metformin on Mn-doped Fe₃O₄@MoS₂ nanoflowers. Mn-doped Fe₃O₄ cores are used as simultaneous T₁/T₂ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) agents for sensitive and accurate cancer diagnosis, while MoS₂ nanosheets are used as effective near-infrared photothermal conversion agents for potential photothermal therapy. The surface-functionalized chitosan was able not only to improve the dispersibility of Mn-doped Fe₃O₄@MoS₂ nanoflowers in biofluids and increase their biocompatibility, but also to significantly enhance the photothermal effect. Furthermore, metformin loading led to high suppression and eradication of hepatoma cells when photothermally sensitized, but exhibited negligible effects on normal liver cells. Due to its excellent combination of T₁/T₂ MRI properties with sensitive chemotherapeutic and photothermal effects, our study highlights the promise of developing multifunctional nanomaterials for accurate multimodal imaging-guided, and highly sensitive therapy of liver cancer.

Novel biomolecular information in rotenone-induced cellular model of Parkinson's disease

In order to uncover the remarkable pathogenic genes or molecular pathological process in Parkinson's disease (PD), we employed a microarray analysis upon the cellular PD model induced by rotenone. Compared to the control group, 2174 genes were screened out to be expressed differently in the rotenone-induced group by certain criterion. GO analysis and the pathways analysis showed the significant enrichment of genes that were associated with the biological process of cell cycle, apoptotic process, organelle fusion, mitochondrial lesion, endoplasmic reticulum stress and so on. Among these significant DE genes, some were sorted out to be involved in cell cycle and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. As the PPI network analysis showed, the interaction relationship of the DEGs involved in the process of protein generation in endoplasmic reticulum(ER) was clearly showed up. As a prediction, we emphasized the genes EDEM1, ATF4, TRAF2 might play central roles in the protein misfolding process during the progression of Parkinson's disease and these new-found genes might be the future research focus and therapeutic targets in PD.