The assistive role of an internal fluid circulatory device in ureteroscopic lithotripsy: a randomized, controlled and prospective study.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of a newly designed in-house assistive internal fluid circulatory device in ureteroscopic lithotripsy for ureteral stones.

Methods: In this study, 97 patients were assigned to the trial group and underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy with an in-house newly designed assistive internal fluid circulatory device; 96 patients were assigned to the control group and underwent traditional ureteroscopic lithotripsy without the assistive device. The primary outcome was the final stone-free rate (SFR) at 1-month post-surgery.

Tranexamic acid in a mouse model of cerebral amyloid angiopathy: setting the stage for a novel stroke treatment approach.

Background: Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) commonly occurs in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Amyloid also initiates plasminogen activation and might promote sICH.

Objectives: As amyloid-driven plasmin formation can be blocked by tranexamic acid (TXA), we aimed to evaluate the biodistribution and long-term consequences of TXA on brain amyloid-beta (Aβ) levels, inflammation, and neurologic function in APP/PS1 mice.

Lipid-based lyotropic liquid crystalline phase transitions as a novel assay platform using birefringence as the visual signal output.

Amphiphilic lipids can often form various lipid-based lyotropic liquid crystalline phases when they are exposed to aqueous environments, which includes the inverse hexagonal (H), inverse cubic (V), inverse discontinuous cubic (I) and lamellar (L) phases. Their different interactions with crossed-polarised light make some phases appear bright and some dark, which offers great potential in developing a novel universal assay platform using birefringence as the visual signal output. Here, we have developed a novel strategy for constructing an assay platform using lyotropic liquid crystalline phases as the signal transducer and using changes in their birefringence upon exposure to lipase as the signal output.

PEGylation and surface functionalization of liposomes containing drug nanocrystals for cell-targeted delivery.

Liposomal formulations have important therapeutic applications in anti-cancer treatments but current formulations suffer from serious side effects, high dosage requirements and prolonged treatment. In this study, PEGylated azide-functionalized liposomes containing drug nanocrystals were investigated with the aim of increasing the drug payload and achieving functionalization for targeted delivery. Liposomes were characterized using cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), small and ultra-small angle neutron scattering (SANS/USANS) and small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS).