Nanomaterial-based synergistic strategies for combating dental caries: progress and perspectives.

Dental caries, as the predominant global oral disease, remains a critical public health issue worldwide, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. However, common caries prevention approaches (, oral health education, mechanical plaque removal, and delivery of fluoride agents) are still insufficient for optimal caries management, and therefore, alternative regimens that can supplement existing strategies are highly warranted. Nanomaterials exhibit considerable potential in combating cariogenic pathogens and biofilms owing to their promising antimicrobial capacity, improved penetration into biofilms, targeted precision delivery, and versatile physicochemical properties.

The concept of cone opponency may extend beyond accommodation, to myopiagenesis and emmetropization, for a better peripheral defocus lens.

Myopia has ever-rising prevalence in the past few decades globally. Its pathogenesis is still not adequately elucidated especially at the signal transduction level. For the environmental risk factors, there is a large body of fragmented knowledge about the visual inputs for accommodation, myopiagenesis and emmetropization, with the latter two being essentially local processes.

From mundane to classic: Sinomenine as a multi-therapeutic agent.

Sinomenine is an active substance extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Sinomenium acutum. Sinomenine has been shown to mediate a wide range of pharmacological actions and is known to possess good anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, antitumor, neuroprotective, antiarrhythmic and other pharmacological effects. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and the association between the targets and the pharmaceutical effects on different diseases is crucial to the discovery and design of new treatment strategies.

The anti-aging mechanism of ginsenosides with medicine and food homology.

With the acceleration of global aging and the rise in living standards, the achievement of healthy aging is becoming an imperative issue globally. Ginseng, a medicinal plant that has a long history of dietary intake and remarkable medicinal value, has become a research hotspot in the field of food and medicine. Ginsenosides, especially protopanaxadiol-type saponins and protopanaxatriol-type saponins, are among the most important active ingredients in ginseng.

A cell-impermeable luminogenic probe for near-infrared imaging of prostate-specific membrane antigen in prostate cancer microenvironments.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) imaging probes are a promising tool for the diagnosis and image-guided surgery of prostate cancer (PCa). However, PSMA-specific luminescence probes for PCa detection and heterogeneity studies with high imaging contrast are lacking. Here, we report the first near-infrared (NIR) iridium(III) complex for the wash-free and specific imaging of PSMA in PCa cells and spheroids.

Prospect of targeting lysine methyltransferase NSD3 for tumor therapy.

Nuclear receptor binding SET domain protein 3 (NSD3) has recently been recognized as a new epigenetic target in the fight against cancer. NSD3, which is amplified, overexpressed or mutated in a variety of tumors, promotes tumor development by regulating the cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA repair and EMT. Therefore, the inhibition, silencing or knockdown of NSD3 are highly promising antitumor strategies.

Active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine for enhancing the effect of tumor immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses our own immune system to fight cancer. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has antitumor activity and can enhance host immunity. This article briefly describes the immunomodulatory and escape mechanisms in tumors, as well as highlights and summarizes the antitumor immunomodulatory activities of some representative active ingredients of TCM.

Dehydroeburicoic Acid, a Dual Inhibitor against Oxidative Stress in Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a complicated disease which can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma; however, there is a lack of satisfactory therapeutics. Dehydroeburicoic acid (DEA) (), a triterpenoid isolated from , has been reported to act against ALD, but its mechanisms of action are still not clear. In this study, we report for the first time the use of DEA () as a dual inhibitor of the Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction (PPI) and GSK3β in an in vitro ALD cell model.

Interference reduction isothermal nucleic acid amplification strategy for COVID-19 variant detection.

Common reference methods for COVID-19 variant diagnosis include viral sequencing and PCR-based methods. However, sequencing is tedious, expensive, and time-consuming, while PCR-based methods have high risk of insensitive detection in variant-prone regions and are susceptible to potential background signal interference in biological samples. Here, we report a loop-mediated interference reduction isothermal nucleic acid amplification (LM-IR-INA) strategy for highly sensitive single-base mutation detection in viral variants.

Nanocarriers for effective delivery: modulation of innate immunity for the management of infections and the associated complications.

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Innate immune cells can recognize invading pathogens through recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). The recognition of PAMPs by PRRs triggers immune defense mechanisms and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6.

Homocysteine-targeting compounds as a new treatment strategy for diabetic wounds via inhibition of the histone methyltransferase SET7/9.

In hypoxia and hyperglycemia, SET7/9 plays an important role in controlling HIF-1α methylation and regulating the transcription of HIF-1α target genes, which are responsible for angiogenesis and wound healing. Here, we report the Ir(III) complex Set7_1a bearing acetonitrile (ACN) ligands as a SET7/9 methyltransferase inhibitor and HIF-1α stabilizer. Interestingly, Set7_1a could engage SET7/9 and strongly inhibit SET7/9 activity, especially after preincubation with homocysteine (Hcy), which is elevated in diabetes.

Interference Reduction Biosensing Strategy for Highly Sensitive microRNA Detection.

MicroRNAs are potential biomarkers for human cancers and other diseases due to their roles as post-transcriptional regulators for gene expression. However, the detection of miRNAs by conventional methods such as RT-qPCR, in situ hybridization, northern blot-based platforms, and next-generation sequencing is complicated by short length, low abundance, high sequence homology, and susceptibility to degradation of miRNAs. In this study, we developed a nicking endonuclease-mediated interference reduction rolling circle amplification (NEM-IR-RCA) strategy for the ultrasensitive and highly specific detection of miRNA-21.

Nicking enzyme-free strand displacement amplification-assisted CRISPR-Cas-based colorimetric detection of prostate-specific antigen in serum samples.

Immunosorbent assay is the gold standard diagnostic technique for the detection of protein biomarkers. However, this technique tends to have low sensitivity and requires laborious manipulation. Although advanced CRISPR-Cas-based biosensors offer advantages of simplicity, low cost and high accuracy, the synergy of using CRISPR-Cas-assisted dual signal amplification system for rapid diagnosis of protein biomarkers remains scarce.

COVID-19: Update on Its Ocular Involvements, and Complications From Its Treatments and Vaccinations.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) came under the attention of the international medical community when China first notified the World Health Organization of a pneumonia outbreak of then-unknown etiology in Wuhan in December 2019. Since then, COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has appalled the world by spreading at a pandemic speed. Although ophthalmologists do not directly engage in the clinical care of COVID-19 patients, the ophthalmology community has become aware of the close ties between its practice and the pandemic.

A bioactive ligand-conjugated iridium(III) metal-based complex as a Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction inhibitor against acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury.

Hepatotoxicity caused by an overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) is the leading reason for acute drug-related liver failure. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a protein that helps to regulate redox homeostasis and coordinate stress responses via binding to the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1). Targeting the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction has recently emerged as a potential strategy to alleviate liver injury caused by APAP.

A small molecule HIF-1α stabilizer that accelerates diabetic wound healing.

Impaired wound healing and ulcer complications are a leading cause of death in diabetic patients. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a cyclometalated iridium(III) metal complex 1a as a stabilizer of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). In vitro biophysical and cellular analyses demonstrate that this compound binds to Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) and inhibits the VHL-HIF-1α interaction.

COVID-19: Ocular Manifestations and the APAO Prevention Guidelines for Ophthalmic Practices.

The World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 a "Pandemic" on March 11, 2020. As of June 1, 2020, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 has infected >6.2 million people and caused >372,000 deaths, including many health care personnel.

A Long-Lived Phosphorescence Amplification System Integrated with Graphene Oxide and a Stable Split G-Quadruplex Protector as an Isothermal "Off-On" Biosensor for the HBV Gene.

Hepatitis B is a life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chronic HBV infection is a major global health issue, causing an estimated 750,000 of deaths annually. Despite intense interest of biomedical and clinical researchers, the lack of an accurate, selective, and simple diagnostic approach for the early stage of the disease remains a major challenge.

COVID-19: Special Precautions in Ophthalmic Practice and FAQs on Personal Protection and Mask Selection.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2, was first reported in December 2019. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020 and as of April 17, 2020, 210 countries are affected with >2,000,000 infected and 140,000 deaths. The estimated case fatality rate is around 6.

Aurone derivatives as Vps34 inhibitors that modulate autophagy.

We report in this study the identification of a natural product-like antagonist () of Vps34 as a potent autophagy modulator structure-based virtual screening. Aurone derivative strongly inhibited Vps34 activity in cell-free and cell-based assays. Significantly, prevents autophagy in human cells induced either by starvation or by an mTOR inhibitor.

A portable oligonucleotide-based microfluidic device for the detection of VEGF in a three-step suspended-droplet mode.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165), an important glycosylated protein from the VEGF family, is a type of signal protein highly associated with the development and progression of cancers. In this work, we designed a G-quadruplex-based aptasensing platform for the sensitive and selective detection of VEGF165 in aqueous solution and red blood cell solution. A long-lived phosphorescence iridium(iii) complex (1) with promising photophysical properties and a large Stokes shift was chosen as a selective G-quadruplex probe.