Environmental microplastic and phthalate esters co-contamination, interrelationships, co-toxicity and mechanisms. A review.

Plastics have been pervasive in society for decades, causing extensive environmental contamination. The co-occurrence of microplastics (MPs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in the environment has significant implications for the global population. This review focuses on the simultaneous presence of MPs and PAEs, exploring co-pollution, leaching, adsorption, correlation, and co-toxicity.

Aptamers for nanobodies: A nontoxic alternative to toxic ochratoxin A in immunoassays.

To measure toxins using immunoassays, hazardous toxin standards need to be added for quantification. To solve this problem, we propose to use aptamers as competitors to replace toxin standards. In this work, aptamers specific for ochratoxin A (OTA) nanobodies were selected using a DNA library containing a 36 nucleotide random region.

Progress in building clinically relevant patient-derived tumor xenograft models for cancer research.

Patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models, a method involving the surgical extraction of tumor tissues from cancer patients and subsequent transplantation into immunodeficient mice, have emerged as a pivotal approach in translational research, particularly in advancing precision medicine. As the first stage of PDX development, the patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) models implant tumor tissue in mice in the corresponding anatomical locations of the patient. The PDOX models have several advantages, including high fidelity to the original tumor, heightened drug sensitivity, and an elevated rate of successful transplantation.

Protein post-translational modifications: A key factor in colorectal cancer resistance mechanisms.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Despite advances in treatment, drug resistance remains a critical impediment. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate protein stability, localization, and activity, impacting vital cellular processes.

The application of Aptamer in biomarker discovery.

Biomarkers are detectable molecules that can reflect specific physiological states of cells, organs, and organisms and therefore be regarded as indicators for specific diseases. And the discovery of biomarkers plays an essential role in cancer management from the initial diagnosis to the final treatment regime. Practically, reliable clinical biomarkers are still limited, restricted by the suboptimal methods in biomarker discovery.

Investigation on acquired palbociclib resistance by LC-MS based multi-omics analysis.

Palbociclib is a specific CDK4/6 inhibitor that has been widely applied in multiple types of tumors. Different from cytotoxic drugs, the anticancer mechanism of palbociclib mainly depends on cell cycle inhibition. Therefore, the resistance mechanism is different.

Proteomics reveals that cell density could affect the efficacy of drug treatment.

cell biology study plays a fundamental role in biological and drug development research, but the repeatability and accuracy of cell studies remain to be low. Various uncertainties during the cell culture process could introduce bias into drug research. In this study, we evaluate the potential effects and underlying mechanisms induced by cell number differences in the cell seeding process.

Aptamer nucleotide analog drug conjugates in the targeting therapy of cancers.

Aptamers are short single-strand oligonucleotides that can form secondary and tertiary structures, fitting targets with high affinity and specificity. They are so-called "chemical antibodies" and can target specific biomarkers in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is usually used for the enrichment and selection of aptamers, and the targets could be metal ions, small molecules, nucleotides, proteins, cells, or even tissues or organs.

Nucleic acid therapy in pediatric cancer.

The overall survival, progress free survival, and life quality of cancer patients have improved due to the advance in minimally invasive surgery, precision radiotherapy, and various combined chemotherapy in the last decade. Furthermore, the discovery of new types of therapeutics, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and immune cell therapies have facilitated both patients and doctors to fight with cancers. Moreover, in the context of the development in biocompatible and cell type targeting nano-carriers as well as nucleic acid-based drugs for initiating and enhancing the anti-tumor response have come to the age.

Engineering Alendronate-Composed Iron Nanochelator for Efficient Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Treatment.

Iron is an essential element for various cellular metabolism. Cancer cells also have high requirement of iron in their proliferation, invasion, and metastasis processes. Alendronate (ALN), a kind of FDA-approved bisphosphonates with metal-chelating capability, is initially certified to selectively bind to intracellular Fe theoretically and experimentally in this study.

Targeting loop3 of sclerostin preserves its cardiovascular protective action and promotes bone formation.

Sclerostin negatively regulates bone formation by antagonizing Wnt signalling. An antibody targeting sclerostin for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis was approved by the U.S.

Therapeutic evaluation of palbociclib and its compatibility with other chemotherapies for primary and recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Recent genomic analyses revealed that druggable molecule targets were only detectable in approximately 6% of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, a dependency on dysregulated CDK4/6-cyclinD1 pathway signaling is an essential event in the pathogenesis of NPC. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a specific CDK4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, and its compatibility with other chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of NPC by using newly established xenograft models and cell lines derived from primary, recurrent, and metastatic NPC.

Nondestructive quantification of single-cell nuclear and cytoplasmic mechanical properties based on large whole-cell deformation.

The mechanical properties of cell nuclei have been recognized to reflect and modulate important cell behaviors such as migration and cancer cell malignant tendency. However, these nuclear properties are difficult to characterize accurately using conventional measurement methods, which are often based on probing or deforming local sites over a nuclear region. The corresponding results are sensitive to the measurement position, and they are not decoupled from the cytoplasmic properties.

A PD-L1 Aptamer Selected by Loss-Gain Cell-SELEX Conjugated with Paclitaxel for Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND The clinical challenges of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) includes the lack of targeted therapy and chemoresistance. TNBC has relatively high PD-L1 expression, and PD-L1 antibody in combination with nab-paclitaxel has been approved by FDA for TNBC treatment. Aptamers, also termed chemical antibody, are widely used in targeted drug delivery.

Discovery of G-quadruplex-forming sequences in SARS-CoV-2.

The outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been declared a global health emergency. G-quadruplex structures in genomes have long been considered essential for regulating a number of biological processes in a plethora of organisms. We have analyzed and identified 25 four contiguous GG runs (G2NxG2NyG2NzG2) in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome, suggesting putative G-quadruplex-forming sequences (PQSs).

Elasticity-Modulated Microbeads for Classification of Floating Normal and Cancer Cells Using Confining Microchannels.

Engineered microbeads have a wide range of applications in cancer research including identification, characterization, and sorting of cancer cells. In particular, the microbead-based cancer identification techniques are mainly based on the known genetic or biochemical biomarkers; and detection specificity is yet to be improved. On the other hand, it has been discovered that biomechanical properties of cancer cells such as cell-body elasticity can be considered as cancer biomarkers.

Clinical analysis of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 in patients with in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention.

In-stent restenosis (ISR) is the most common complication associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although some studies have reported an association between lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) and ISR, not enough clinical validation data are available to support this link. Here, we report our cross-sectional study aimed at exploring the feasibility of LOX-1 as a biomarker for the prognostic diagnosis of patients undergoing PCI.

A water-soluble nucleolin aptamer-paclitaxel conjugate for tumor-specific targeting in ovarian cancer.

Paclitaxel (PTX) is among the most commonly used first-line drugs for cancer chemotherapy. However, its poor water solubility and indiscriminate distribution in normal tissues remain clinical challenges. Here we design and synthesize a highly water-soluble nucleolin aptamer-paclitaxel conjugate (NucA-PTX) that selectively delivers PTX to the tumor site.

Potential Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications of Oligonucleotide Aptamers in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer related deaths in women. Currently, with the development of early detection, increased social awareness and kinds of treatment options, survival rate has improved in nearly every type of breast cancer patients. However, about one third patients still have increased chances of recurrence within five years and the five-year relative survival rate in patients with metastasis is less than 30%.

Development of Cell-SELEX Technology and Its Application in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) is a process involving the progressive isolation of high selective ssDNA/RNA from a combinatorial single-stranded oligonucleotide library through repeated rounds of binding, partitioning and amplification. SELEX-derived single-stranded DNA/RNA molecules, called aptamers, are selected against a wide range of targets, including purified proteins, live cells, tissues, microorganisms, small molecules and so on. With the development of SELEX technology over the last two decades, various modified SELEX processes have been arisen.

A Mini-Review for Cancer Immunotherapy: Molecular Understanding of PD-1/PD-L1 Pathway & Translational Blockade of Immune Checkpoints.

Interference of the binding of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has become a new inspiring immunotherapy for resisting cancers. To date, the FDA has approved two PD-1 monoclonal antibody drugs against cancer as well as a monoclonal antibody for PD-L1. More PD-1 and PD-L1 monoclonal antibody drugs are on their way in clinical trials.

[Modulation of cellular transcriptional factors by human bocavirus 1 nonstructural protein NP1].

Objective: We studied the regulating effect of human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) nonstructural protein NP1 on the activity of cellular transcription factors and the expression of inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and IL-6.

Methods: The modulation of NP1 was measured by the Dual Luciferase Reporter Assay System and the expression of cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 was detected by ELISA and Real-time PCR. The luciferase based mammalian two-hybrid system was used to analyze whether the function of NP1 protein aroused from oligomerization.

Key elements of the human bocavirus type 1 (HBoV1) promoter and its trans-activation by NS1 protein.

Background: Human bocavirus (HBoV), a parvovirus, is suspected to be an etiologic agent of respiratory disease and gastrointestinal disease in humans. All mRNAs of HBoV1 are transcribed from a single promoter.

Methods: In this study, we constructed EGFP and luciferase reporter gene vectors under the control of the HBoV1 full promoter (nt 1-252) and its mutated variants, respectively.

The nonstructural protein NP1 of human bocavirus 1 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in Hela cells.

Human bocavirus type 1 (HBoV1) is a newly identified pathogen associated with human respiratory tract illnesses. Previous studies demonstrated that proteins of HBoV1 failed to cause cell death, which is considered as a possible common feature of bocaviruses. However, our work showed that the NP1 of HBoV1 induced apoptotic cell death in Hela cells in the absence of viral genome replication and expression of other viral proteins.