Analysis and Monitoring of Indoor Radon Concentrations of 37 Kindergartens - Beijing Municipality, China, 2023.

Introduction: Radon (Rn or radon) is a radioactive gas emitted from building materials, foundations, and soil. Children are especially susceptible to radon exposure, underscoring the need to assess indoor radon levels in kindergartens. This study monitored radon concentrations in 37 Beijing kindergartens from June to October 2023.

Noninvasive Evaluation of Tumoral PD-L1 Using a Novel Tc-Labeled Nanobody Tracer with Rapid Renal Clearance.

The expression level of PD-L1 in tumor tissue is considered one of the effective biomarkers to guide PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Quantifying whole-body PD-L1 expression by SPECT imaging may help in selecting patients that potentially respond to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Nanobody is the smallest antibody fragment with antigen-binding ability that is well suited for radionuclide imaging.

Myoglobin-loaded gadolinium nanotexaphyrins for oxygen synergy and imaging-guided radiosensitization therapy.

Gadolinium (Gd)-coordinated texaphyrin (Gd-Tex) is a promising radiosensitizer that entered clinical trials, but temporarily fails largely due to insufficient radiosensitization efficacy. Little attention has been given to using nanovesicles to improve its efficacy. Herein, Gd-Tex is transformed into building blocks "Gd-Tex-lipids" to self-assemble nanovesicles called Gd-nanotexaphyrins (Gd-NTs), realizing high density packing of Gd-Tex in a single nanovesicle and achieving high Gd-Tex accumulation in tumors.

Preclinical evaluation and pilot clinical study of [Ga]Ga-THP-APN09, a novel PD-L1 targeted nanobody radiotracer for rapid one-step radiolabeling and PET imaging.

Purpose: Programmed cell death protein-1/ligand-1 (PD-1/L1) blockade has been a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but there is still a lack of effective methods to screen patients. Here we report a novel  Ga-labeled nanobody [ Ga]Ga-THP-APN09 for PET imaging of PD-L1 status in mouse models and a first-in-human study in NSCLC patients.

Methods: [ Ga]Ga-THP-APN09 was prepared by site-specific radiolabeling, with no further purification.

HER2-targeted dual radiotracer approach with clinical potential for noninvasive imaging of trastuzumab-resistance caused by epitope masking.

The decreased HER2-accessibility by epitope masking is a primary trastuzumab-resistance mechanism. In this study, we developed a HER2-targeted dual radiotracer approach to predict the HER2-trastuzumab engagement noninvasively. Two novel HER2-specific VHHs, MIRC208 and MIRC213, were acquired by immunizing alpaca with human HER2 protein, and were site-specifically labeled with Tc.

Functional Immune Cell-Derived Exosomes Engineered for the Trilogy of Radiotherapy Sensitization.

The limited efficacy of radiotherapy leads to radio-resistance and high rates of tumor recurrence and metastasis, which is caused by tumor hypoxia, rapid DNA damage repair, and especially the suppressive immune microenvironment of tumor. Lots of immune cell-derived exosomes can regulate antitumor immunity, but their application in enhancing radiotherapy is rarely studied. Herein, as a model of concept, M1 macrophage-derived exosomes (M1Exos) is engineered as effective radiotherapy sensitizers, realizing the trilogy of radiotherapy sensitization: 1) M1Exos is engineered to express catalases on the inside of membrane, which can effectively relieve tumor hypoxia, and enhance DNA damage.

IgG-Binding Nanobody Capable of Prolonging Nanobody-Based Radiotracer Plasma Half-Life and Enhancing the Efficacy of Tumor-Targeted Radionuclide Therapy.

Nanobodies have been developed rapidly as targeted probes for molecular imaging owing to their high affinity, outstanding tissue penetration, and rapid blood clearance. However, the short retention time at the tumor site limits their application in targeted radionuclide therapy. In this study, we designed a dual-targeting nanobody referred to as MIRC213-709, which can specifically bind to the HER2 receptor in tumor cell lines with high affinity (by nanobody MIRC213) and endogenous IgG in plasma to prolong the half-life by the MIRC213 C-terminal fusion nanobody, MIRC709.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound-Responsive and Ultrastable Cerasomal Perfluorocarbon Nanodroplets for Alleviating Tumor Multidrug Resistance and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Hypoxia is a hostile hallmark of most solid tumors, which often leads to multidrug resistance (MDR) and causes the failure of chemotherapy. Hypoxia also promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), leading to acceleration of tumor metastasis. Many chemotherapeutic drugs can further exacerbate hypoxia and thus promote metastasis.

Monoclonal-Antibody-Templated Gold Nanoclusters for HER2 Receptors Targeted Fluorescence Imaging.

HER2 receptor-specific monoclonal-antibody-templated gold nanoclusters, Herceptin-templated Au NCs (Her-Au NCs), have been successfully obtained via "green" synthesis. This strategy allows the fluorescent gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) formed in the three-dimensional structure of Herceptin without destroying the high specificity and affinity to HER2 receptors. The Her-Au NCs have been found to be superior compared to Cy3-Herceptin in the fluorescence emission (λ = 645 nm) and the photostability under high-intensity UV irradiation or long-time storage.

Host-Guest Polypyrrole Nanocomplex for Three-Stimuli-Responsive Drug Delivery and Imaging-Guided Chemo-Photothermal Synergetic Therapy of Refractory Thyroid Cancer.

Despite the good prognosis of the low-risk thyroid cancer, there are no truly effective treatments for radioactive iodine-refractory thyroid cancer. Herein, a novel theranostic nanoplatform, as well as a smart doxorubucin (DOX) delivery system is fabricated. Gelatin-stabilized polypyrrole nanoparticles are reported for the first time.

Lectin-Mediated pH-Sensitive Doxorubicin Prodrug for Pre-Targeted Chemotherapy of Colorectal Cancer with Enhanced Efficacy and Reduced Side Effects.

Doxorubicin (DOX) has been clinically used as a broad-spectrum chemotherapeutic agent for decades, but its clinical application is hindered by the lack of tumour specificity, severe cardiotoxicity and haematotoxicity. Pre-targeted strategies are highly tumour-specific, therapeutic approaches. Herein, a novel pre-targeted system was constructed, aiming to enhance anticancer efficacy of DOX and maximally reduce its side effects.

Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Silver Nanoparticles As a Nanoplatform for in Vivo Imaging Applications.

An efficient chemical reduction protocol has been developed for the synthesis of hyaluronic acid-coated silver nanoparticles (HA-Ag NPs) that are spherical, ultrasmall and monodisperse. The as-synthesized HA-Ag NPs not only exhibited excellent long-term stability and low cytotoxicity but also could be used as a nanoplatform for X-ray computed tomography (CT) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging after being radiolabeled with Tc.

Progesterone induces the expression of lipocalin-2 through Akt-c-Myc pathway during mouse decidualization.

Lipocalin-2 (Lcn2) is a small glycoprotein involved in a number of biological processes such as inflammation and antibacterial response. In our study, Lcn2 is expressed in the subluminal stromal cells at implantation site on day 5 of pregnancy. The expression of Lcn2 in stromal cells is under the control of progesterone through Akt-c-Myc signaling pathway.