Drug-Free Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Enable Suppression of Cancer Metastasis and Confer Survival Advantages to Mice with Tumor Xenografts.

Despite advancements in nanomedicine for drug delivery, many drug-loaded nanoparticles reduce tumor sizes but often fail to prevent metastasis. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have attracted attention as promising nanocarriers. Here, we demonstrated that MSN-PEG/TA 25, with proper surface modifications, exhibited unique antimetastatic properties.

Analysis of effectiveness and outcome of traumatic brain injury treatment in ED during COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter in Taiwan.

The coronavirus disease 2019 has become a threat to global healthcare because of its rapid spread and evolution. In severe cases, the initial management of the disease is mainly supportive therapy and mechanical ventilation. Therefore, we investigated whether a modified emergency department workflow affects the efficacy will influence the efficacy and patient outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Taiwan.

Functional Peptide-Loaded Gelatin Nanoparticles as Eyedrops for Cornea Neovascularization Treatment.

Background: Corneal neovascularization (NV) is a process of abnormal vessel growth into the transparent cornea from the limbus and can disturb the light passing through the cornea, resulting in vision loss or even blindness. The use of nanomedicine as an effective therapeutic formulation in ophthalmology has led to higher drug bioavailability and a slow drug release rate. In this research, we designed and explored the feasibility of a new nanomedicine, gp91 ds-tat (gp91) peptide-encapsulated gelatin nanoparticles (GNP-gp91), for inhibiting corneal angiogenesis.

Binary colloidal crystals (BCCs) modulate the retina-related gene expression of hBMSCs - A preliminary study.

Surface topography-induced lineage commitment of human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) has been reported. However, this effect on hBMSC differentiation toward retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-like cells has not been explored. Herein, a family of cell culture substrates called binary colloidal crystals (BCCs) was used to stimulate hBMSCs into RPE-like cells without induction factors.

Correlation between drug sensitivity profiles of circulating tumour cell-derived organoids and clinical treatment response in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly aggressive and has poor prognosis. There are few biomarkers to inform treatment decisions, and collecting tumour samples for testing is challenging.

Methods: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) from patients with PDAC liquid biopsies were expanded ex vivo to form CTC-derived organoid cultures, using a laboratory-developed biomimetic cell culture system.

Nucleus Near-Infrared (nNIR) Irradiation of Single A549 Cells Induces DNA Damage and Activates EGFR Leading to Mitochondrial Fission.

There has been great interest in identifying the biological substrate for light-cell interaction and their relations to cancer treatment. In this study, a near-infrared (NIR) laser is focused into the nucleus (nNIR) or cytoplasm (cNIR) of a single living cell by a high numerical aperture condenser to dissect the novel role of cell nucleus in mediating NIR effects on mitochondrial dynamics of A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells. Our analysis showed that nNIR, but not cNIR, triggered mitochondrial fission in 10 min.

A Few-Shot Learning Approach Assists in the Prognosis Prediction of Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound for the Local Control of Bone Metastatic Lesions.

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) constitutes a noninvasive treatment strategy to ablate deep-seated bone metastases. However, limited evidence suggests that, although cytokines are influenced by thermal necrosis, there is still no cytokine threshold for clinical responses. A prediction model to approximate the postablation immune status on the basis of circulating cytokine activation is thus needed.

Harnessing Focal Adhesions to Accelerate p53 Accumulation and Anoikis of A549 Cells Using Colloidal Self-Assembled Patterns (cSAPs).

Extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tumor microenvironment (TME), including topography and biological molecules, is crucial in cancer cell attachment, growth, and even the sensitivity to the chemo and cell drugs treatment. This study hypothesizes that mimic ECM structures can alter the attachment and drug sensitivity of cancer cells. A family of artificial ECM called colloidal self-assembled patterns (cSAPs) was fabricated to mimic tumor ECM structures.

Analysis of neurosurgical procedures with unplanned reoperation for quality improvement: A 5-year single hospital study.

The unplanned return to the operating room rate is a quality metric for assessing hospital performance. This study aimed to evaluate the cause, incidence, and time interval of unplanned returns in index neurosurgical procedures within 30 days of the initial surgery as an internal audit. We retrospectively analyzed neurosurgical procedures between January 2015, and December 2019, in a single regional hospital.

Ex Vivo Expanded Circulating Tumor Cells for Clinical Anti-Cancer Drug Prediction in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

The advanced-stage head and neck cancer (HNC) patients respond poorly to platinum-based treatments. Thus, a reliable pretreatment method for evaluating platinum treatment response would improve therapeutic efficiency and outcomes. This study describes a novel strategy to predict clinical drug responses in HNC patients by using eSelect, a lab-developed biomimetic cell culture system, which enables us to perform ex vivo expansion and drug sensitivity profiling of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Molecular Interplays Between Cell Invasion and Radioresistance That Lead to Poor Prognosis in Head-Neck Cancer.

Background: Cancer metastasis and recurrence after radiotherapy are the significant causes of poor prognosis in head-neck cancer (HNC). Clinically, it is commonly found that patients with either condition may accompany the outcome of the other. We hypothesized that HNC cells might exhibit a cross-phenotypic attribute between cell invasion and radioresistance.

Panel biomarkers associated with cancer invasion and prognostic prediction for head-neck cancer.

Cell invasion leading to metastasis is a major cause of treatment failure in head-neck cancers (HNCs). Identifying prognostic molecules associated with invasiveness is imperative for clinical applications. A systemic approach was used to globally survey invasion-related genes, including transcriptomic profiling, pathway analysis, data mining and prognostic assessment using TCGA-HNSC dataset.

Molecular Mechanisms of Chemotherapy Resistance in Head and Neck Cancers.

Chemotherapy resistance is a huge barrier for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients and therefore requires close attention to understand its underlay mechanisms for effective strategies. In this review, we first summarize the molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance that occur during the treatment with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel/paclitaxel, including DNA/RNA damage repair, drug efflux, apoptosis inhibition, and epidermal growth factor receptor/focal adhesion kinase/nuclear factor-κB activation. Next, we describe the potential approaches to combining conventional therapies with previous cancer treatments such as immunotherapy, which may improve the treatment outcomes and prolong the survival of HNC patients.

Chemoradiotherapy for Inoperable Carotid Body Leiomyosarcoma: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Vascular leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare tumor and is associated with poor prognosis among leiomyosarcoma. Surgical resection remains the main treatment option. But outcome of definitive treatment with chemoradiotherapy in inoperable patients is not clear.

1,3-Alternate Calix[4]arene Functionalized With Pyrazole and Triazole Ligands as a Highly Selective Fluorescent Sensor for Hg and Ag Ions.

We report here the synthesis of a 1,3-alternate calix[4]arene , with bis-pyrazolylmethylpyrenes on the one end and bis-triazolylmethylphenyls on the other end, as a homoditropic fluorescent sensor for both Hg and Ag ions. Calix[4]arene , with lower-rim bis-pyrazolylmethylpyrenes in cone conformation, was also synthesized as a control compound. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra were used for metal ions screening, and we found that both ligands and showed strong excimer emission of pyrenes when they are as a free ligand in CHCl/MeOH (v/v, 3:1) solution; however, they both showed a high selectivity toward Hg and Ag ions with strong fluorescence quenching and yet with different binding ratios.

A Combined Systemic Strategy for Overcoming Cisplatin Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer: From Target Identification to Drug Discovery.

Cisplatin is the first-line chemotherapy agent for head and neck cancer (HNC), but its therapeutic effects are hampered by its resistance. In this study, we employed systemic strategies to overcome cisplatin resistance (CR) in HNC. CR cells derived from isogenic HNC cell lines were generated.

Ex Vivo Expansion and Drug Sensitivity Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells from Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents one of the most aggressive malignancies among cancer types. Not only tumor sample availability is limited, but also the ability for tumor cells to rapidly acquire drug resistance are the rate-limiting bottlenecks for overall survival in current clinical settings. A liquid biopsy capable of capturing and enriching circulating tumor cells (CTCs), together with the possibility of drug screening, is a promising solution.

Physical Cues in the Microenvironment Regulate Stemness-Dependent Homing of Breast Cancer Cells.

Tissue-specific microenvironmental factors contribute to the targeting preferences of metastatic cancers. However, the physical attributes of the premetastatic microenvironment are not yet fully characterized. In this research, we develop a transwell-based alginate hydrogel (TAH) model to study how permeability, stiffness, and roughness of a hanging alginate hydrogel regulate breast cancer cell homing.

Prognostic signature associated with radioresistance in head and neck cancer via transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses.

Background: Radiotherapy is an indispensable treatment modality in head and neck cancer (HNC), while radioresistance is the major cause of treatment failure. The aim of this study is to identify a prognostic molecular signature associated with radio-resistance in HNC for further clinical applications.

Methods: Affymetrix cDNA microarrays were used to globally survey different transcriptomes between HNC cell lines and isogenic radioresistant sublines.

Image-guided study of inter-fraction and intra-fraction set-up variability and margins in reverse semi-decubitus breast radiotherapy.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the inter-fraction set-up error and intra-fraction motion during reverse semi-decubitus (RSD) breast radiotherapy, and to determine a planning target volume (PTV) margin.

Material And Methods: Pre- and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were prospectively acquired at fractions 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 14 for 30 patients who underwent RSD breast radiotherapy. Online correction for initial set-up error greater than 5 mm or 2° was performed and post-correction CBCT was acquired.

Delayed Malposition of Central Venous Catheter Induced Mediastinum Hematoma With Innominate Vein Perforation.

Central venous catheterization (CVC) is a common invasive procedure. Although it is a relatively safe procedure, severe complications occurred sometimes. One of the most serious complications is large vessel perforation.