Immunostimulatory gene therapy combined with checkpoint blockade reshapes tumor microenvironment and enhances ovarian cancer immunotherapy.

Immune evasion has made ovarian cancer notorious for its refractory features, making the development of immunotherapy highly appealing to ovarian cancer treatment. The immune-stimulating cytokine IL-12 exhibits excellent antitumor activities. However, IL-12 can induce IFN- release and subsequently upregulate PDL-1 expression on tumor cells.

Identification and Validation of Glomeruli Cellular Senescence-Related Genes in Diabetic Nephropathy by Multiomics.

Accumulating evidence indicates that cellular premature senescence of the glomerulus, including endothelial cells, mesangial cells, and podocytes leads to diabetic nephropathy (DN), and DN is regarded as a clinical model of premature senescence. However, the role of cellular senescence-associated genes in the glomerulus in DN progression remains unclear. Therefore, this work aims to identify and validate potential cellular aging-related genes in the glomerulus in DN to provide novel clues for DN treatment based on anti-aging.

Metabolic reprogramming of proinflammatory macrophages by target delivered roburic acid effectively ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic inflammatory disorder that usually affects joints. It was found that roburic acid (RBA), an ingredient from anti-RA herb Gentiana macrophylla Pall., displayed strong anti-inflammatory activity.

Efficacy and safety of esketamine for sedation among patients undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patients who undergo gastrointestinal endoscopy often require propofol-based sedation combined with analgesics. At present, the efficacy and safety of esketamine as an adjunct to propofol for sedation during endoscopic procedures in patients remains controversial. Moreover, there is no universal agreement regarding the appropriate dose of esketamine supplementation.

Human Serum Albumin-enriched Clopidogrel Bisulfate Nanoparticle Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

Purpose: Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains a leading cause of mobility and mortality among patients with ischemic stroke. This study aims to develop a human serum albumin (HSA)-enriched nanoparticle platform for solubilizing clopidogrel bisulfate (CLP) for intravenous administration, and to explore the protective effect of HSA-enriched nanoparticles loaded with CLP (CLP-ANPs) against cerebral I/R injury in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model.

Methods: CLP-ANPs were synthesized via a modified nanoparticle albumin-bound technology, lyophilized, and then characterized by morphology, particle size, zeta potential, drug loading capacity, encapsulation efficiency, stability and in vitro release kinetics.

Degradable Temperature-Sensitive Hydrogel Loaded with Heparin Effectively Prevents Post-Operative Tissue Adhesions.

Tissue adhesions could occur following surgeries, and severe tissue adhesions can lead to serious complications. Medical hydrogels could be applied at surgical sites as a physical barrier to prevent tissue adhesion. For practical reasons, spreadable, degradable, and self-healable gels are highly demanded.

A cross-sectional study on knowledge and behavior regarding medication usage among guardians of left-behind children: evidence from China.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge and behavior of medication use among guardians of left-behind children (LBC) and non-left-behind children (NLBC).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chengdu, the major city of southwestern China from May 2020 to August 2020. A logistic regression model was conducted to assess medication-related knowledge and behavior of guardians between the LBC group and NLBC group, adjusted for confounders.

Curcumin and Its Analogs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment: Challenges and Expectations.

Researchers have made crucial advances in understanding the pathogenesis and therapeutics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), improving our understanding of lung tumor biology and progression. Although the survival of NSCLC patients has improved due to chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, overall NSCLC recovery and survival rates remain low. Thus, there is an urgent need for the continued development of novel NSCLC drugs or combination therapies with less toxicity.

Effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on bone health and offspring growth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Whether vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy is beneficial to bone health and offspring growth remains controversial. Moreover, there is no universal agreement regarding the appropriate dose and the time of commencement of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy.

Objective: We aimed to systematically review the effects of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on bone development and offspring growth.

Live Macrophage-Delivered Doxorubicin-Loaded Liposomes Effectively Treat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer is often aggressive and resistant to various cancer therapies, especially corresponding targeted drugs. It is shown that targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor sites could enhance treatment outcome against triple-negative breast cancer. In this study, we exploited the active tumor-targeting capability of macrophages by loading doxorubicin-carrying liposomes on their surfaces biotin-avidin interactions.

A Simple and Sensitive UPLC-UV Method for Simultaneous Determination of Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, and Rifampicin in Human Plasma and Its Application in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.

As the first-line clinical drugs for tuberculosis (TB), isoniazid (INH), pyrazinamide (PZA), and rifampicin (RMP) are playing important roles for preventing the rapid spread of TB. Precise quantification of these drugs in biological samples is crucial to evaluate or improve the efficacy of advanced TB drug delivery systems, which are designed for reducing drug resistance, minimizing side effects, etc. Herein, a simple and sensitive method based on UPLC-UV was established and investigated for simultaneous quantification of PZA, INH, and RMP in human plasma and was applied to anti-TB drug therapeutic drug monitoring.

Co-Delivery of Paclitaxel and shMCL-1 by Folic Acid-Modified Nonviral Vector to Overcome Cancer Chemotherapy Resistance.

Acquired chemoresistance presents a major clinical impediment, which is an urgent problem to be solved. Interestingly, myeloma cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) and folate receptor expression levels are higher in chemotherapy-resistant patients than in pretreatment patients. In this study, a multifunctional folic acid (FA)-targeting core-shell structure is presented for simultaneous delivery of shMCL-1 and paclitaxel (PTX).

Curcumin and Its Analogs as Potential Epigenetic Modulators: Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications.

Background: The pathobiology of diabetes and associated complications has been widely researched in various countries, but effective prevention and treatment methods are still insufficient. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins caused by an absence of insulin or insulin resistance, which mediates an increase of oxidative stress, release of inflammatory factors, and macro- or micro-circulation dysfunctions, ultimately developing into diverse complications.

Summary: In the last decade through pathogenesis research, epigenetics has been found to affect metabolic diseases.

Use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for paediatric Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the management of paediatric Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph+ALL).

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: Electronic searches were conducted on CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SIOP, ASPHO, ASCO, ASH and four Chinese databases from inception to 8 March 2020.

Polymer Vector Loading Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein Gene for Colon Cancer Therapy.

Gene therapy has been widely studied in colon cancer treatment. However, effective delivery of genes is a limitation for clinical applications. In the research, DOATP/mPEG-PLA-mPEG (DPLP) nanoparticles carrying the vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein plasmid (pVSVMP) was used for colon cancer therapy, resulting in high transfection efficiency and expression efficiency in CT26 cells.

Co-Delivery of Docetaxel and Curcumin via Nanomicelles for Enhancing Anti-Ovarian Cancer Treatment.

Introductions: Ovarian cancer is a stubborn malignancy of gynecological system with a high mortality rate. Docetaxel (DTX), the second-generation of anti-tumor drug Taxane, has shown superior efficacy over classic paclitaxel (PTX) in certain cancers. However, its clinical application is hindered by poor bioavailability.

Comparison of dexmedetomidine with chloral hydrate as sedatives for pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Dexmedetomidine (Dex) and chloral hydrate (CH) are the most frequently used sedative agents in pediatric patients. We aimed to systematically review the literature comparing the efficacy and safety of Dex and CH for sedation in pediatric patients.

Methods: Seven electronic databases and 3 clinical trial registry platforms were searched for articles published prior to October 2019.

A comparative evaluation of dexmedetomidine and midazolam in pediatric sedation: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analysis.

Background: The present study with trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted to evaluate comprehensively the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine and midazolam in pediatric sedation, and to investigate whether the outcomes achieved the required information size to draw the conclusions.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2019. All randomized controlled trials used dexmedetomidine and midazolam in pediatric sedation were enrolled.

Correction: A fast-dissolving microneedle array loaded with chitosan nanoparticles to evoke systemic immune responses in mice.

Correction for 'A fast-dissolving microneedle array loaded with chitosan nanoparticles to evoke systemic immune responses in mice' by Zhilin Li et al., J. Mater.

Comparison of effects and safety in providing controlled hypotension during surgery between dexmedetomidine and magnesium sulphate: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Effectiveness of controlled hypotension has been proven in alleviating intraoperative bleeding. Many recent studies emphasized the efficacy of dexmedetomidine and magnesium in providing controlled hypotension during various surgeries. The present meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to evaluate comprehensively the effects and safety of these two medications.

A fast-dissolving microneedle array loaded with chitosan nanoparticles to evoke systemic immune responses in mice.

Microneedle (MN) arrays offer an alternative approach to hypodermic injection via syringe needles. In this work, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-based fast dissolving MN arrays were developed in which the needle tips were loaded with chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) for coencapsulation of a model antigen, ovalbumin (OVA), and an adjuvant, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG). After insertion into the skin, these MN arrays fully dissolved within 3 min to release antigen and adjuvant co-loaded NPs rapidly in the epidermal layer.

Team-based learning pedagogy enhances the quality of Chinese pharmacy education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Recent years have witnessed the wide application of team-based learning(TBL) pedagogy in Chinese pharmacy education. However, the relevant systematic review evaluating the effects of such new pedagogical approach has not been established. The present study was designed to examine systematically the effect of using TBL approach in pharmacy education in China.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of remifentanil versus different pharmacological approaches on prevention of etomidate-induced myoclonus: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Myoclonus was considered as one conundrum in etomidate induction, which led to multiple risks during clinical anesthesia. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of pretreatment with remifentanil to different pharmacological approaches on reducing etomidate-induced myoclonus. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from the inception to October 2018.