Activated tissue-resident macrophages contribute to hair cell insults in noise-induced hearing loss in mice.

Macrophages serve as the primary immune cell population and assume a pivotal role in the immune response within the damaged cochleae. Yet, the origin and role of macrophages in response to noise exposure remain controversial. Here, we take advantage of Ccr2 Cx3cr1 dual-reporter mice to identify the infiltrated and tissue-resident macrophages.

A BRD4-Targeting Photothermal Agent for Controlled Protein Degradation.

BRD4 protein plays a pivotal role in cell cycle regulation and differentiation. Disrupting the activity of BRD4 has emerged as a promising strategy for inhibiting the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Herein, we introduced a BRD4-targeting photothermal agent for controlled protein degradation, aiming to enhance low-temperature photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer treatment.

A small-molecule Fenton reagent for self-augmented chemodynamic therapy by intelligently regulating intracellular acidosis.

A small-molecule Fenton reagent, integrating ferrocene with a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, was designed to intelligently regulate intracellular acidosis for self-augmented chemodynamic therapy. Acidosis coupled with up-regulated ROS levels demonstrated potent cytotoxicity and effective tumor suppression.

A Golgi Apparatus-Targeted Photothermal Agent with Protein Anchoring for Enhanced Cancer Photothermal Therapy.

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is central in shuttling proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to different cellular areas. Therefore, targeting the GA to precisely destroy its proteins through local heat could induce apoptosis, offering a potential avenue for effective cancer therapy. Herein, a GA-targeted photothermal agent based on protein anchoring is introduced for enhanced photothermal therapy of tumor through the modification of near-infrared molecular dye with maleimide derivative and benzene sulfonamide.

Electrical stimulation of cochlear implant promotes activation of macrophages and fibroblasts under inflammation.

Objectives: The implanted electrodes deliver electric signals to spiral ganglion neurons, conferring restored hearing of cochlear implantation (CI) recipients. Postimplantation intracochlear fibrosis, which is observed in most CI recipients, disturbs the electrical signals and impairs the long-term outcome of CI. The macrophages and fibroblasts activation is critical for the development of intracochlear fibrosis.

A hypoxia-activated photothermal agent inhibits multiple heat shock proteins for low-temperature photothermal therapy.

A near-infrared (NIR) organic photothermal agent (PTA) to inhibit three types of heat shock proteins (HSPs) was synthesized, which could be activated under hypoxic conditions for low-temperature photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer.

A heat shock protein-inhibiting molecular photothermal agent for mild-temperature photothermal therapy.

A heat shock protein-inhibiting photothermal agent (PTA) with endoplasmic reticulum targeting was synthesized to reduce the thermal resistance and enhance the effect of mild-temperature photothermal therapy (PTT).

Fabrication of betamethasone micro- and nanoparticles using supercritical antisolvent technology: In vitro drug release study and Caco-2 cell cytotoxicity evaluation.

Poor solubility limits the pharmacological activities of betamethasone (BM), including its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. To improve the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of BM, supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technology was used to prepare BM microparticles and BM-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solid dispersion nanoparticles. The effects of temperature, pressure, solution feeding rate, and drug concentration on particle formation were investigated using both single-factor and orthogonal experimental methods, and the optimal preparation process was screened.

Imaging strategies for monitoring the immune response.

Real-time monitoring of the immune response can be used to evaluate the immune status of the body and to distinguish immune responders and non-responders, so as to better guide immunotherapy. Through direct labelling of immune cells and imaging specific biomarkers of different cells, the activation status of immune cells and immunosuppressive status of tumor cells can be visualized. The immunotherapeutic regimen can then be adjusted accordingly in a timely manner to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.

A protein-conjugated photosensitizer with mitochondrial targeting for enhanced photodynamic therapy.

A protein-conjugated photosensitizer with mitochondrial targeting ability was synthesized to enhance the therapeutic effects of PDT. The ROS produced by the photosensitizer under laser irradiation could effectively destroy key intracellular proteins and disrupt mitochondrial redox homeostasis, thereby causing mitochondrial dysfunction and irreversible cell death.

An active tumor-targeting organic photochemotherapy agent with naproxen for enhanced cancer therapy.

An active tumor-targeting organic photochemotherapy agent the combination of a an organic photothermal material and a naproxen prodrug was developed to precisely kill cancer cells and suppress the inflammatory response induced by cell necrosis; , and experiments illustrated its low cytotoxicity and excellent tumor inhibitory effect.

GSH-Responsive Nanoprodrug to Inhibit Glycolysis and Alleviate Immunosuppression for Cancer Therapy.

Blocking energy metabolism of cancer cells and simultaneously stimulating the immune system to perform immune attack are significant for cancer treatment. However, how to potently deliver different drugs with these functions remains a challenge. Herein, we synthesized a nanoprodrug formed by a F127-coated drug dimer to inhibit glycolysis of cancer cells and alleviate the immunosuppressive microenvironment.

ATP-triggered mitochondrial cascade reactions for cancer therapy with nanoscale zeolitic imidazole framework-90.

Chemotherapy, the most conventional modality for cancer therapy, usually brings serious side effects because of the low cancer-therapeutic specificity and bioavailability. It is of great significance for cancer treatment to develop new effective strategies to regulate biochemical reactions in organelles, enhance the specificity of chemotherapeutic drugs and reduce their side effects. We report herein a zeolitic imidazole framework-90 (ZIF-90) based nanoplatform, which was used to initiate a series of mitochondrial cascade reactions using ATP as a molecular switch for cancer therapy.

Stimuli-activated molecular photothermal agents for cancer therapy.

Taking advantage of activatable and imaging-guided properties, stimuli-activated molecular photothermal agents (MPTAs) have drawn great attention in photothermal therapy (PTT) over the past decades. In this review, the recent progress in the study of stimuli-activated MPTAs is summarized from different stimuli, including pH, bioactive small molecules, and enzymes. The features and challenges of stimuli-activated MPTAs are also discussed.

Dual-targeted photothermal agents for enhanced cancer therapy.

Photothermal therapy, in which light is converted into heat and triggers local hyperthermia to ablate tumors, presents an inherently specific and noninvasive treatment for tumor tissues. In this area, the development of efficient photothermal agents (PTAs) has always been a central topic. Although many efforts have been made on the investigation of novel molecular architectures and photothermal materials over the past decades, PTAs can cause severe damage to normal tissues because of the poor tumor aggregate ability and high irradiation density.

Avoiding False Positive Signals: A Powerful and Reliable Au-Se Dual-Color Probe.

Nucleic acids as the important tumor markers play a crucial role in the identification of cancer. Various kinds of probes such as gold nanoparticles and graphene oxide have been explored to detect different nucleic acid markers. However, the existing probes are mostly used to detect a single tumor marker and susceptible to harsh conditions in the complex and dynamic physiological environment, which may lead to false positive results and greatly limit the sensing performance of the probe.

A Protein-Binding Molecular Photothermal Agent for Tumor Ablation.

Photothermal therapy usually requires a high power density to activate photothermal agent for effective treatment, which inevitably leads to damage to normal tissues and inflammation in tumor tissues. Herein, we rationally design a protein-binding strategy to build a molecular photothermal agent for photothermal ablation of tumor. The synthesized photothermal agent can covalently bind to the thiol groups on the intracellular proteins.

A portable point-of-care testing system to diagnose lung cancer through the detection of exosomal miRNA in urine and saliva.

A lung cancer diagnostic kit (LCDK) with the advantages of low cost, easy operation and high sensitivity for the rapid diagnosis of lung cancer was developed. The proposed LCDK is able to noninvasively discriminate lung cancer using clinical salivary and urine samples in a short period of time.

Regioselective intramolecular Markovnikov and anti-Markovnikov hydrofunctionalization of alkenes via photoredox catalysis.

Highly regioselective Markovnikov hydrofunctionalization of alkenes was successfully realized via photoredox catalysis by introducing a urea group and fine tuning the hydrogen atom transfer catalysts. The anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of alkenes was also achieved with high yields and stereoselectivities in this work.

Asymmetric kinetic resolution of sulfides for the construction of unsymmetric sulfides and chiral 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles.

A range of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles accessed using para-quinone methides derived from isatins with thiols were used for the formation of unsymmetrical disulfides, and 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles with a chiral quaternary carbon center and unsymmetric disulfides could also be directly obtained with high selectivities catalyzed by chiral phosphines in one step.

A two-photon fluorescent probe for ratiometric visualization of hypochlorous acid in live cells and animals based on a selenide oxidation/elimination tandem reaction.

Utilizing the oxidation/elimination tandem reaction of the α-phenylseleno carbonyl moiety, a two-photon fluorescent probe for ratiometric visualization of hypochlorous acid was developed. Its superior sensing performance and practical applications were well demonstrated.

Hydrogen bond directed aerobic oxidation of amines via photoredox catalysis.

An application of H-bonding interactions for directing the α-C-H oxidation of amines to amides and amino-ketones catalyzed by an organic photocatalyst is reported. The high efficiency of this method is demonstrated by the aerobic oxidation of pyrrolidines, diarylamines and benzylamines bearing urea groups with high yields and a wide substrate scope.

Interleukin-6 deficiency facilitates myocardial dysfunction during high fat diet-induced obesity by promoting lipotoxicity and inflammation.

Objective: Obesity is associated with metabolic disorder and chronic inflammation that plays a crucial role in cardiovascular diseases. IL-6 is involved in regulating obesity-related lipid metabolism and inflammation. In this study, we sought to determine the role of IL-6 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced cardiomyopathy and explore the signaling pathway.

Visible light-induced cyclization reactions for the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolines and 1,2,4-triazoles.

A novel method for concisely synthesizing 1,2,4-triazolines via [3+2] cyclization under visible light is reported. These compounds can be easily converted into 1,2,4-triazoles under basic or photoredox conditions. The application of the 1,2,4-triazoles was also investigated via mild operations.

Joint Feature Selection and Subspace Learning for Cross-Modal Retrieval.

Cross-modal retrieval has recently drawn much attention due to the widespread existence of multimodal data. It takes one type of data as the query to retrieve relevant data objects of another type, and generally involves two basic problems: the measure of relevance and coupled feature selection. Most previous methods just focus on solving the first problem.