Smart self-transforming nano-systems for overcoming biological barrier and enhancing tumor treatment efficacy.

Nanomedicines need to overcome multiple biological barriers in the body to reach the target area. However, traditional nanomedicines with constant physicochemical properties are not sufficient to meet the diverse and sometimes conflicting requirements during in vivo transport, making it difficult to penetrate various biological barriers, resulting in suboptimal drug delivery efficiency. Smart self-transforming nano-systems (SSTNs), capable of altering their own physicochemical properties (including size, charge, hydrophobicity, stiffness, morphology, etc.

Bioactive hydrogel formulations for regeneration of pathological bone defects.

Bone defects caused by osteoporosis, infection, diabetes, post-tumor resection, and nonunion often cause severe pain and markedly increase morbidity and mortality, which remains a significant challenge for orthopedic surgeons. The precise local treatments to these pathological complications is essential to avoid poor or failed bone repair. Hydrogel formulations serve as injectable innovative platforms that overcome microenvironmental obstacles and as delivery systems for controlled release of various bioactive substances to bone defects in a targeted manner.

Latest advancements and trends in biomedical polymers for disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical application.

Biomedical polymers are at the forefront of medical advancements, offering innovative solutions in disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical use due to their exceptional physicochemical properties. This review delves into the characteristics, classification, and preparation methods of these polymers, highlighting their diverse applications in drug delivery, medical imaging, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. We present a thorough analysis of the recent advancements in biomedical polymer research and their clinical applications, acknowledging the challenges that remain, such as immune response management, controlled degradation rates, and mechanical property optimization.

Optimizing interventional therapy: A homogeneous lipiodol formulation of Tirapazamine and Sorafenib responsive to post-embolization microenvironment.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the principal treatment option for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the hypoxic microenvironment following TACE can promote angiogenesis and suppress tumor ferroptosis, resulting in an unfavorable prognosis. Tirapazamine (TPZ), a hypoxia-activated prodrug with specific cytotoxicity for hypoxic cells, making it a potential candidate for TACE.

Molecular Mechanisms and Strategies for Inducing Neuronal Differentiation in Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly invasive brain tumor, and traditional treatments combining surgery with radiochemotherapy have limited effects, with tumor recurrence being almost inevitable. Given the lack of proliferative capacity in neurons, inducing terminal differentiation of GBM cells or glioma stem cells (GSCs) into neuron-like cells has emerged as a promising strategy. This approach aims to suppress their proliferation and self-renewal capabilities through differentiation.

The evening complex component ELF3 recruits H3K4me3 demethylases to repress PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 and 5 in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), light and circadian clock signaling converge on PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) 4 and 5 to produce a daily rhythm of hypocotyl elongation. PIF4 and PIF5 expression is repressed at dusk by the evening complex (EC), consisting of EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3), ELF4, and LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX). Here, we report that ELF3 recruits the JUMONJI (JMJ) H3K4me3 demethylases JMJ17 and JMJ18 to the PIF4 and PIF5 loci in the evening to remove their H3K4me3 marks.

Attenuation of Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in Traumatic Brain Injury via Inhibition of NKCC1 Cotransporter: Insights into the NF-κB/NLRP3 Signaling Pathway.

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), inhibition of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter1 (NKCC1) has been observed to alleviate damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the underlying mechanism for this effect remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which inhibiting the NKCC1 attenuates disruption of BBB integrity in TBI.

A functional cardiac patch promotes cardiac repair by modulating the CCR2 cardiac-resident macrophage niche and their cell crosstalk.

C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) cardiac-resident macrophages (CCR2 cRMs) are known to promote cardiac repair after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the substantial depletion and slow recovery of CCR2 cRMs pose significant barriers in cardiac recovery. Here, we construct a functional conductive cardiac patch (CCP) that can provide exogenously elastic conductive microenvironment and induce endogenously reparative microenvironment mediated by CCR2 cRMs for MI repair.

Targeting pancreatic cancer glutamine dependency confers vulnerability to GPX4-dependent ferroptosis.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) relies heavily on glutamine (Gln) utilization to meet its metabolic and biosynthetic needs. How epigenetic regulators contribute to the metabolic flexibility and PDAC's response and adaptation to Gln scarcity in the tumor milieu remains largely unknown. Here, we elucidate that prolonged Gln restriction or treatment with the Gln antagonist, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), leads to growth inhibition and ferroptosis program activation in PDAC.

Adult bi-paternal offspring generated through direct modification of imprinted genes in mammals.

Imprinting abnormalities pose a significant challenge in applications involving embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and animal cloning, with no universal correction method owing to their complexity and stochastic nature. In this study, we targeted these defects at their source-embryos from same-sex parents-aiming to establish a stable, maintainable imprinting pattern de novo in mammalian cells. Using bi-paternal mouse embryos, which exhibit severe imprinting defects and are typically non-viable, we introduced frameshift mutations, gene deletions, and regulatory edits at 20 key imprinted loci, ultimately achieving the development of fully adult animals, albeit with a relatively low survival rate.

Muscle-derived small extracellular vesicles induce liver fibrosis during overtraining.

The benefits of exercise for metabolic health occur in a dose-dependent manner. However, the adverse effects of overtraining and their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that overtraining induces hepatic fibrosis.

Redirecting glucose flux during in vitro expansion generates epigenetically and metabolically superior T cells for cancer immunotherapy.

Cellular therapies are living drugs whose efficacy depends on persistence and survival. Expansion of therapeutic T cells employs hypermetabolic culture conditions to promote T cell expansion. We show that typical in vitro expansion conditions generate metabolically and functionally impaired T cells more reliant on aerobic glycolysis than those expanding in vivo.

Akkermansia muciniphila supplementation in patients with overweight/obese type 2 diabetes: Efficacy depends on its baseline levels in the gut.

Akkermansia muciniphila is a promising target for managing obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), but human studies are limited. We conducted a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 58 participants with overweight or obese T2D, who received A. muciniphila (AKK-WST01) or placebo, along with routine lifestyle guidance.

Significance of TYMS Polymorphism rs3819102 as a Prognostic Marker for Nonsmoking Lung Cancer Patients of the Han Ethnicity in China.

Introduction: With high incidence and mortality rates, lung cancer is now one of the most common cancers in the world. The 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients is very low, and predicting the prognosis of lung cancer patients and using it to develop treatment strategies and interventions is important for prolonging the survival time of patients. Folate metabolism involves various aspects such as methylation of DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, etc.

Psychological resilience, dyadic coping, and dyadic adjustment in couples dealing with cervical cancer in Northwest China: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between dyadic coping and dyadic adjustment in patients with cervical cancer and their spouses in northwest China, and explore the mediating role of psychological resilience in this relationship.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to October 2024 in two tertiary hospitals in Xinjiang Province, China; 260 patients with cervical cancer and their spouses were enrolled. Participants independently completed demographic and clinical questionnaires as well as Chinese versions of the Resilience Scale, Dyadic Coping Inventory, and Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale.

Exploration of symptom cluster patterns and their trajectory in esophageal cancer surgery patients.

Purpose: To investigate symptom burden and symptom cluster trajectories in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer.

Methods: A convenience sample of 210 patients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer was included from July to December 2023. The symptoms of the patients were evaluated at the following time points: preoperatively (T0), 1-3 days postoperatively (T1), 7 days postoperatively (T2), 1 month postoperatively (T3), and 3 months postoperatively (T4).

Interpretable data-driven chemometric approach for predicting non-optically active water quality parameters using ultraviolet-visible-near infrared absorption spectroscopy and physical-chemical measurements.

Non-optically active water quality parameters (NAWQPs) are essential for surface water quality assessments, although automated monitoring methods are time-consuming, include labor-intensive chemical pretreatment, and pose challenges for high spatiotemporal resolution monitoring. Advancements in spectroscopic techniques and machine learning may address these issues. We integrated ultraviolet-visible-near infrared absorption spectroscopy with physical-chemical measurements to predict total nitrogen (TN), dissolved oxygen (DO), and total phosphorus (TP) in the Yangtze River Basin, China.

Structural dynamics of camel milk proteins during digestion: Insights from 2D homo correlation and 2D hetero-correlation spectroscopy.

This study investigates camel milk protein structural dynamics during digestion using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Two-Dimensional Infrared (2D-IR) homo-correlation and hetero-correlation analysis. The synchronous 2DIR homo-correlation map reveals that NH bending and C-N stretching vibrations (amide II) are sensitive to digestion, indicating significant impacts on secondary structures. The asynchronous 2DIR homo-correlation indicates a stepwise process, where initial disruptions in NH interactions precede changes in CO stretching vibrations (amide I), highlighting the sequence of structural alterations during protein unfolding and degradation.

Raman spectra of pyromorphite, vanadinite and mimetite at high pressures and high temperatures.

High-pressure and high-temperature Raman spectra of natural pyromorphite, vanadinite and mimetite were measured up to 11 GPa and 973 K, respectively. No phase transition was observed within the temperature and pressure ranges in this study. Raman modes for pyromorphite, vanadinite and mimetite vary with temperature or pressure linearly.

Detection of biogenic amines using a ylidenemalononitrile enamine-based fluorescence probe: Applications in food quality control.

Biogenic amines (BAs) are a class of nitrogen-containing natural organic compounds. Elevated levels of BAs are a reliable indicator of food spoilage and pose a significant risk to human health. Thus, the development of real-time sensors for BAs monitoring is crucial.

Evaluation of forest eco-efficiency: A transformation of ecological value quantity perspective.

Numerous beneficial products and services are offered by forest ecosystem. However, studies on the efficiency transformation perspective of forest ecological value are relatively few. This study accounts for material supply, ecological service, and cultural value when calculating the gross forest ecological economic product (GFEEP).

Carbon dioxide, global boiling, and climate carnage, from generation to assimilation, photocatalytic conversion to renewable fuels, and mechanism.

The increasing CO concentration in the atmosphere has substantial impacts on the global temperature. For energy sustainability and minimization of the effects of global warming, an approach to understand CO capturing and a carbon neutral culture is extremely essential in the present circumstances. The CO emission from vehicles and industries can be minimized using energy cost-effective techniques and can be converted more selectively into reusable fuels via thermochemical, electrochemical, photochemical, photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, biological and inorganic carbonate-based approaches.

Plant-microbiome interactions for enhanced crop production under cadmium stress: A review.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that has detrimental effects on agriculture crops and human health. Both natural and anthropogenic processes release Cd into the environment, elevating its contents in soils. Under Cd stress, strong plant-microbiome interactions are important in improving crop production, but a systematic review is still missing.

NOD-like receptor protein 3 inhibition by MCC950 improves the cognitive function of rats with sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of MCC950 in a rat model of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Adult male rats were randomly assigned to 12 groups according to the surgery or treatment received and evaluation times. The SAE model was established using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method.

SMARCA2 protein: Structure, function and perspectives of drug design.

SMARCA2 is an ATPase that regulates chromatin structure via ATP pathways, controlling cell division and differentiation. SMARCA2's bromodomain and ATPase domain, crucial for chromatin remodeling and cell regulation, are therapeutic targets in cancer treatment. This review explores the role of SMARCA2 in cancer development by studying its protein structure and physiological functions.