In situ vaccination (ISV) triggers antitumor immune responses using the patient's own cancer antigens, yet limited neoantigen release hampers its efficacy. Our novel combination therapy involves low-dose local cisplatin followed by ISV with a TLR7/8/9 agonist formulation (CR108), in which CR108 boosts and sustains the antitumor responses induced by the cisplatin-released neoantigens. In mouse models, the cisplatin+CR108 combination significantly outperformed cisplatin or CR108 alone in abrogating established 4T1 and B16 tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel plays a key role in pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the role of Piezo2 in PH remains unclear.
Methods: Endothelial cell (EC)-specific knockout (, Tek-Cre; ) rats and primarily cultured pulmonary microvascular ECs were used to determine the role of Piezo2 in PH.
Background Gallium 68 (Ga) pentixafor has emerged as a potential C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)-targeted radiotracer for neuroendocrine tumor, yet its application in Cushing disease remains uncertain. Purpose To assess the diagnostic accuracy and value of Ga-pentixafor PET/MRI in localizing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumors in Cushing disease. Materials and Methods A prospective single-center study was conducted from March 2023 to February 2024 in participants with Cushing disease scheduled for surgical pituitary tumor resection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAroma is a crucial determinant of rice taste quality, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) playing a key role in defining this characteristic. However, limited research has explored the dynamic changes in these aromatic substances during the ripening stages of rice grains. In this study, we analyzed VOCs in rice grains across four ripening stages post-flowering using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmuno-oncology has revolutionized cancer treatment, with NKG2A emerging as a novel target for immunotherapy. The blockade of NKG2A using the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monalizumab has been shown to enhance the responses of both NK cells and CD8+ T cells. However, monalizumab has demonstrated limited efficacy in in vitro cytotoxic assays and clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
January 2025
Background: The development of aortic dissection (AD) is closely associated with inflammation. The Trem2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2)/Tyrobp (TYRO protein tyrosine kinase-binding protein) signaling pathway critically regulates innate immunity and has emerged as an important target in cardiovascular diseases; however, its role in AD remains unclear.
Methods: Transcriptome data from human and mouse ADs were used to perform differentially expressed gene-based protein-protein interaction network analyses.
Due to their extraordinary properties, particularly the presence of an inherent electric field that effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers, Janus two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit strong light absorption and high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency, making them promising candidates for photocatalytic water splitting applications. In this study, we conducted first-principles calculations to investigate the layers XWZAZ' (X = S, Se, Te; A = Si, Ge; Z, Z' = N, P, As; Z ≠ Z'). Out of 36 possible structures, 25 were found to be stable in terms of their dynamic, thermal, and mechanical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganic anion transporting polypeptides (OATP, gene symbol ) are well-recognized key determinants for the absorption, distribution, and excretion of a wide spectrum of endogenous and exogenous compounds including many antineoplastic agents. It was therefore proposed as a potential drug target for cancer therapy. In our previous study, it was found that low-dose X-ray and carbon ion irradiation both upregulated the expression of OATP family member OATP1A2 and in turn, led to a more dramatic killing effect when cancer cells were cotreated with antitumor drugs such as methotrexate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTerpenoids of substantial industrial interest are mainly obtained through direct extraction from plant sources. Recently, microbial cell factories or in vitro enzymatic biosystems have emerged as promising alternatives for terpenoid production. Here, we report a route for the synthesis of α-farnesene based on an in vitro enzyme cascade reaction using methanol as an inexpensive and renewable C1 substrate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAberrant DNA methylation patterns have been used for cancer detection. However, DNA hemi-methylation, present at about 10% CpG dinucleotides, has been less well studied. Here we show that a majority of differentially hemi-methylated regions (DHMRs) in liver tumor DNA or plasma cells free (cf) DNA do not overlap with differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of the same samples, indicating that DHMRs could serve as independent biomarkers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: An association between female sex hormones and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been reported in epidemiological studies. However, a solid causal relationship has not been established. Therefore, we performed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to explore the causal association between genetically predicted female sex hormone exposure, especially estrogen, and IBD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Less than half of the patients are diagnosed when the cancer is locally advanced. Several studies have shown that intelectin-1 () can serve as a key prognostic and therapeutic target for CRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) has different epidemiology in Chinese vs. Western patients, but there are few studies of CLL/SLL in large populations of Chinese patients. ALPINE is a global phase 3 trial investigating Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors zanubrutinib vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The reoccurrence of successive waves of SARS-CoV-2 variants suggests the exploration of more vaccine alternatives is imperative. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is a virus vector exhibiting excellent safety as well as efficacy for vaccine development. Here, a series of recombinant MVAs (rMVAs) expressing monomerized or trimerized S proteins from different SARS-CoV-2 variants are engineered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) has endocrine-disrupting properties and may affect blood pressure. Endogenous hormones also play a crucial role in the progression of hypertension. However, their interaction with hypertension remains to be explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Observational studies suggest that voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) may lower HIV risk among men who have sex with men (MSM). A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is needed to confirm this.
Objective: To assess the efficacy of VMMC in preventing incident HIV infection among MSM.