Mechanically active small intestinal submucosa hydrogel for accelerating chronic wound healing.

The treatment of chronic wounds is still a challenge worldwide. Here, inspired by mechanically induced embryonic wound healing, we design a mechanically active small intestinal submucosa based hydrogel (SIS-PNIPAm). The mechanical activity, biocompatibility, and bioactivity (angiogenesis and immunoregulation) of the SIS-PNIPAm hydrogel enable the fast healing of diabetic rat full-thickness wounds.

Rationally designed rapamycin-encapsulated ZIF-8 nanosystem for overcoming chemotherapy resistance.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles are widely reported as a pH-sensitive drug delivery carrier with high loading capacity for tumor therapy. However, the mechanism of intracellular corrosion of ZIF-8 and the corresponding biological effects especially for autophagy response have been rarely reported. Herein, the as-synthesized ZIF-8 was demonstrated to induce mTOR independent and pro-death autophagy.

Enhancing tumor chemotherapy and overcoming drug resistance through autophagy-mediated intracellular dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Autophagy may represent a common cellular response to nanomaterials. In the present study, it was demonstrated that zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZON)-elicited autophagy contributes to tumor cell killing by accelerating the intracellular dissolution of ZONs and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In particular, ZONs could promote Atg5-regulated autophagy flux without the impairment of autophagosome-lysosome fusion, which is responsible for ZON-elicited cell death in cancer cells.

Brucine Suppresses Vasculogenic Mimicry in Human Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-231.

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) with the pattern of endothelial independent tubular structure formation lined by aggressive tumor cells mimics regular tumor blood vessels to ensure robust blood supply and correlates with the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of malignant tumors, which was demonstrated to be a major obstacle for resistance to antiangiogenesis therapy. Therefore, it is urgent to discover methods to abrogate the VM formation of tumors, which possesses important practical significance for improving tumor therapy. Brucine is a traditional medicinal herb extracted from seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica L.

Directing osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by cell-secreted decellularized extracellular matrixes from different cell types.

Cell-secreted decellularized extracellular matrixes (D-ECM) are promising for conferring bioactivity and directing cell fate to facilitate tissue regeneration. A cell sheet is a good shape for obtaining D-ECM after decellularization. In this study, cell sheets derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), MC3T3 osteoblasts, and L929 fibroblasts were decellularized, the three types of D-ECMs obtained were investigated for their capabilities in inducing osteogenic differentiation of re-seeded BMSCs.

Regenerating infected bone defects with osteocompatible microspheres possessing antibacterial activity.

Treatment of infected bone defects still remains a formidable clinical challenge, and the design of bone implants with both anti-bacterial activity and -osteogenesis effects is nowadays regarded as a powerful strategy for infection control and bone healing. In the present study, bioresorbable porous-structured microspheres were fabricated from an amphiphilic block copolymer composed of poly(l-lactide) and poly(ethyl glycol) blocks. After being surface coated with mussel-inspired polydopamine, the microspheres were loaded with nanosilver via the reduction of silver nitrate and apatite via biomineralization in sequence.

The Ethyl Acetate Extract of Kitam. Leaves Inhibited Cervical Cancer Cell Proliferation via Induction of Autophagy.

Kitam. belongs to the Compositae family and has been traditionally used for the prevention of cancer, diabetes, and inflammation in China. Previous studies had indicated that the ethyl acetate extract of Kitam.

[Molecular Research of Acid-Generating Microbial Communities in Abandoned Ores in the Waste Dump of an Iron Mine in Anhui Province].

The waste dump of an iron mine in Anhui Province has been abandoned for several decades. Pyrite in the exposed waste ores is oxidized by acidophiles and large amounts of metal ions and HSO are released, resulting in the formation of an acid mine drainage (AMD) lake since 1970s. Besides the lake, there are also some small-scale AMD adjacent to the newly deposited waste ore.

Photoluminescent polyphosphazene nanoparticles for in situ simvastatin delivery for improving the osteocompatibility of BMSCs.

Nanomedicines have found promising applications in regulating the biological behaviors of cells because of the cell endocytosis effect. To enhance the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs), which is one of the key issues in relation to bone regeneration, a biodegradable simvastatin-bearing polyphosphazene prodrug was synthesized and made into nanoparticles (NPs). At the same time, photoluminescent tryptophan ethyl ester and hydrolyzable glycine ethyl ester were introduced as co-substituted side groups onto the polyphosphazene backbone.

Persistency of Enlarged Autolysosomes Underscores Nanoparticle-Induced Autophagy in Hepatocytes.

The diverse biological effects of nanomaterials form the basis for their applications in biomedicine but also cause safety issues. Induction of autophagy is a cellular response after nanoparticles exposure. It may be beneficial in some circumstances, yet autophagy-mediated toxicity raises an alarming concern.

Giant Cellular Vacuoles Induced by Rare Earth Oxide Nanoparticles are Abnormally Enlarged Endo/Lysosomes and Promote mTOR-Dependent TFEB Nucleus Translocation.

Many nanomaterials are reported to disrupt lysosomal function and homeostasis, but how cells sense and then respond to nanomaterial-elicited lysosome stress is poorly understood. Nucleus translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) plays critical roles in lysosome biogenesis following lysosome stress induced by starvation. The authors previously reported massive cellular vacuolization, along with autophagy induction, in cells treated with rare earth oxide (REO) nanoparticles.

2-Oxindole Acts as a Synthon of 2-Aminobenzoyl Anion in the K2CO3-Catalyzed Reaction with Enones: Preparation of 1,4-Diketones Bearing an Amino Group and Their Further Transformations.

A convenient approach for the synthesis of 1,4-diketones bearing an amino group has been developed through the K2CO3-catalyzed reaction of 2-oxindoles with enones with the assistance of atmospheric O2 via sequential Michael addition-oxidation-ring-cleavage process. The further intramolecular reaction leads to the formation of benzoazepinone, quinoline, and 3-oxindole derivatives.

Differential ERK activation during autophagy induced by europium hydroxide nanorods and trehalose: Maximum clearance of huntingtin aggregates through combined treatment.

Accelerating the clearance of intracellular protein aggregates through elevation of autophagy represents a viable approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In our earlier report, we have demonstrated the enhanced degradation of mutant huntingtin protein aggregates through autophagy process induced by europium hydroxide nanorods [EHNs: Eu(III)(OH)3], but the underlying molecular mechanism of EHNs mediated autophagy was unclear. The present report reveals that EHNs induced autophagy does not follow the classical AKT-mTOR and AMPK signaling pathways.

Diagnosis and treatment of a patient with Kimura's disease associated with nephrotic syndrome and lymphadenopathy of the epitrochlear nodes.

Background: Kimura's disease (KD) is a slowly progressing rare, benign inflammatory disorder of the soft tissues. It typically presents as subcutaneous tumor-like nodules, located most frequently in the head and neck region. KD is often accompanied by increased peripheral eosinophilia and elevated levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E.

Accelerating the clearance of mutant huntingtin protein aggregates through autophagy induction by europium hydroxide nanorods.

Autophagy is one of the well-known pathways to accelerate the clearance of protein aggregates, which contributes to the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. Although there are numerous reports that demonstrate the induction of autophagy with small molecules including rapamycin, trehalose and lithium, however, there are few reports mentioning the clearance of aggregate-prone proteins through autophagy induction by nanoparticles. In the present article, we have demonstrated that europium hydroxide [Eu(III)(OH)3] nanorods can reduce huntingtin protein aggregation (EGFP-tagged huntingtin protein with 74 polyQ repeats), responsible for neurodegenerative diseases.

Transdermal delivery of human epidermal growth factor facilitated by a peptide chaperon.

Peptide chaperon TD1 was discovered to facilitate several proteins' transdermal delivery via topical co-administration. To design a practical, safe system for advanced transdermal peptide, a novel method was carried out. Human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) was selected as the model biological agent and a fusion protein: TD1-hEGF was designed.

2,6-Dichloro-N-(4-methyl-phen-yl)benzamide.

In the title compound, C(14)H(11)Cl(2)NO, the two benzene rings are non-coplanar [dihedral angle = 60.9 (3)°]. In the crystal, an amide N-H⋯O hydrogen bond links the mol-ecules into chains which extend along (001).

Serial expression of the truncated fragments of the nucleocapsid protein of CCHFV and identification of the epitope region.

The Crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a geographically widespread fatal pathogen. Identification of the epitope regions of the virus is important for the diagnosis and epidemiological studies of CCHFV infections. In this study, expression vectors carrying series truncated fragments of the NP (nucleocapsid protein) gene from the S fragment of CCHFV strain YL04057 were constructed.