Artificial Nanovesicles Derived from Cells: A Promising Alternative to Extracellular Vesicles.

As naturally secreted vesicles by cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs) play essential roles in modulating cell-cell communication and have significant potential in tissue regeneration, immune regulation, and drug delivery. However, the low yield and uncontrollable heterogeneity of EVs have been obstacles to their widespread translation into clinical practice. Recently, it has been discovered that artificial nanovesicles (NVs) produced by cell processing can inherit the components and functions of the parent cells and possess similar structures and functions to EVs, with significantly higher yields and more flexible functionalization, making them a powerful complement to natural EVs.

DNA nanotechnology-based strategies for minimising hybridisation-dependent off-target effects in oligonucleotide therapies.

Targeted therapy has emerged as a transformative breakthrough in modern medicine. Oligonucleotide drugs, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), have made significant advancements in targeted therapy. Other oligonucleotide-based therapeutics like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) systems are also leading a revolution in targeted gene therapy.

LOX-1-Based Assembly Layer on Devices Surface to Promote Endothelial Repair and Reduce Complications for In Situ Interventional Plaque.

Rapid endothelialization and functional recovery are considered as promising methods to extend the long-term effectiveness of cardiovascular implant materials. LOX-1 participates in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis and is highly expressed in a variety of cells involved in atherosclerosis, hence it is feasible to accelerate the recovery of endothelial function and inhibit the development of existing plaques by regulating LOX-1. Herein, the surface is modified with Poly I, a LOX-1 inhibitor, using rich amino dendritic macromolecules (PAMAM) as the linker coating, to against the pathological microenvironment.

Dose-responsive effects of endothelial cell-sourced exosomes on vascular cell proliferation and phenotype transition.

Endothelial cell-sourced exosomes are potential participants in the process of atherosclerosis, and their function is mainly affected by concentration. By studying the effects of exosome concentrations on vascular cells, atherosclerosis can be better intervened. In this study, exosomes with concentrations of 0, 0.

Tough and self-adhesive zwitterionic hydrogels with mechano-responsive release of bFGF for tympanic membrane repair.

The tympanic membrane (TM) is constantly in a state of vibrating. However, there is currently a lack of drug-delivery scaffolds suitable for the dynamic environment of TM perforation. In this study, a mechano-responsive tough hydrogel was developed.

Role of Non-Binding T63 Alteration in IL-18 Binding.

Engineered interleukin-18 (IL-18) has attracted interest as a cytokine-based treatment. However, knowledge-based mutagenesis of IL-18 has been reported for only a few regions of the protein structures, including binding sites I and II. When coupled with the binding region mutant (E6K), the non-binding residue of IL-18, Thr63 (T63), has been shown to increase the flexibility of the binding loop.

Investigating the Relationship Between the Emulsification Parameters and Physical-Chemical Properties of Poly(D,L-lactic acid) Particles for Dermal Fillers.

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PDLLA) particles have been applied as dermal fillers for soft-tissue augmentation because they can induce foreign-body reactions, resulting in fibroblast proliferation and collagen formation. Although PLLA and PDLLA fillers are safe and biocompatible, clinical complications such as nodules and granulomas have been reported, possibly due to incomplete reconstitution. PDLLA particles were prepared via emulsification in this study, and three stirring speeds were investigated when adding PDLLA into carboxymethyl cellulose solution.

Insight into the Amelioration Effect of Nitric Acid-Modified Biochar on Saline Soil Physicochemical Properties and Plant Growth.

Soil salinization is a major factor threatening global food security. Soil improvement strategies are therefore of great importance in mitigating the adverse effect of salt stress. Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of biochar (BC) and nitric acid-modified biochar (HBC) (1%, 2%, and 3%; m/m) on the properties of salinized soils and the morphological and physiological characteristics of pakchoi.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi-Assisted Phytoremediation: A Promising Strategy for Cadmium-Contaminated Soils.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been shown to play a major role in regulating the accumulation, transport, and toxicity of cadmium (Cd) in plant tissues. This review aims to highlight the current understanding of the mechanisms by which AMF alleviate Cd toxicity in plants. Cd accumulation in agricultural soils has become an increasing global concern due to industrial activities and the use of phosphatic fertilizers.

Bioinspired Spatial Compartment of Substrate Molecules and Catalytic Counting Entities in Hierarchical MOFs Initiated for a Dual-Mode Glycoprotein Assay.

Living cell systems possess multiple isolated compartments that can spatially confine complex substances and shield them from each other to allow for feedback reactions. In this work, a bioinspired design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with well-defined multishelled matrices was fabricated as a hierarchical host for multiple guest substances including fluorogenic molecules and catalytic nanoparticles (NPs) at the separated locations for the development of a dual-mode glycoprotein assay. The multispatial-compartmental zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) constituents were synthesized via epitaxial shell-by-shell overgrowth to guide the integration and spatial organization of host guests.

Design dimensions of electrocutaneous warning stimulation patterns in workplace safety devices.

Warning of workers in dangerous situations is crucial. With the aim of deriving practical parameters for an electrocutaneous warning stimulation, we explore the design dimensions of pulse intervals, amplitudes, and locations of electrocutaneous stimulation in a study on healthy volunteers. Using biphasic rectangular current pulses on the upper right arm of 81 healthy participants, they evaluated temporal perception with varying intervals, ranging from 200 ms down to 0.

IoT-Based Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring System and Validation of Its Effectiveness in Hospital Environments.

Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is the most common adverse medical event that affects patients. Internationally, healthcare workers (HCWs) are monitored for hand hygiene compliance to reduce HAI risk. While direct observation is considered the gold standard for monitoring, it has several disadvantages.

A Self-Cascading Catalytic Therapy and Antigen Capture Scaffold-Mediated T Cells Augments for Postoperative Brain Immunotherapy.

The recruitment of T lymphocytes holds great potential for suppressing the most aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) recurrence with immunotherapy. However, the phenomenon of immune privilege and the generally low immunogenicity of vaccines often reduce the presence of lymphocytes within brain tumors, especially in brain tumor recurrence clusters. In this study, an implantable self-cascading catalytic therapy and antigen capture scaffold (CAS) that can boost catalytic therapy efficiency at post-surgery brain tumor and capture the antigens via urethane-polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol (PU-EO-PO) segments are developed for postoperative brain immunotherapy.

Effect of protein corona on drug release behavior of PLGA nanoparticles.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles are highly attractive for drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and potential for controlled release and targeting. Despite these outstanding properties, challenges remain for clinical translation as nanomedicines. One significant factor to address is highlighting the protein corona structure and its effect on the drug release behavior.

Feasibility of computed tomography-derived surgical margin assessment in an ex vivo sublobar lung resection model.

Objectives: Computed tomography imaging of a sublobar resection specimen may inform intraoperative surgical margin assessment. However, consistency with final pathological margins has not been previously evaluated. In this study, we investigated the concordance between surgical margin measurements by computed tomography versus pathology measurements using an ex vivo sublobar lung resection model.

AAV Systems and Mouse Models for Investigating Ectopic Expression of Neurod1 in Transduced Cells at Subacute and Chronic Times Post-Ischemic Stroke.

Ectopic expression of neurogenic factors in vivo has emerged as a promising approach for replacing lost neurons in disease models. The use of neural basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors via non-propagating virus-like particle systems, including retrovirus, lentivirus, and adeno-associated virus (AAV), has been extensively reported. For in vivo experiments, AAVs are increasingly used due to their low pathogenicity and potential for translatability.

Virtual Reality Portable Perimetry and Home Monitoring of Glaucoma: Retention and Compliance over a 2-year Period.

Purpose: To evaluate long-term retention, compliance, and performance of glaucoma patients using a virtual reality portable perimeter to monitor visual fields (VFs) at home.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal, cohort study.

Subjects: Twenty-five glaucoma patients with stable and reliable VFs (average age 67.

Clinical and biomarker analyses of SHR-1701 combined with famitinib in patients with previously treated advanced biliary tract cancer or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: a phase II trial.

Advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have poor prognoses and limited treatment options. Here, we conducted this first-in-class phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SHR-1701, a bifunctional fusion protein targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), combined with famitinib, a multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced BTC or PDAC who failed previous standard treatment (trial registration: ChiCTR2000037927). Among 51 enrolled patients, the BTC cohort showed an objective response rate (ORR) of 28% (including 2 complete responses) and a disease control rate (DCR) of 80%, with a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 5.

Innovative bioinspired hydrogel scaffolds enabling in-situ hybrid nanoflower integration for dual-mode acetylcholinesterase inhibitor profiling.

This study introduces an innovative bioinspired hydrogel scaffold tailored to facilitate the in-situ integration of hybrid nanoflowers (HNFs) into the sensing interface, thereby establishing a versatile dual-mode platform for the sensitive profiling of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, a pivotal aspect in the pursuit of Alzheimer's disease therapeutics. Mimicking the tenacious anchoring of natural tree roots, our design employs magnetic bead imprinting with Strep-Tactin-coated magnetic beads (STMBs) to shape the hydrogel, which is then complemented by the integration of AChE-specific aptamers. This configuration creates a stable and biomimetic environment that nurtures HNF growth, thereby enhancing the binding integrity of HNFs with sensing interfaces.

3D electron microscopy for analyzing nanoparticles in the tumor endothelium.

Delivering medical agents to diseased tissues has been challenging, leading researchers to study the in vivo transport process in the body for improving delivery. Many imaging techniques exist for mapping the distribution of medical agent-carrying nanoparticles in tissues, but they cannot capture the three-dimensional context of tissues with single nanoparticle resolution. Here, we developed 3DEM-NPD, a three-dimensional electron microscopy (3D EM) machine learning strategy to image and map single nanoparticle distributions (NPD) in tissues.

Regenerative Potential Nanomedicine of Adipocyte Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes in Senescent Skin Tissue.

Introduction: Skin is the first-line barrier defense against infection, irradiation, and toxins, but is prone to natural aging (intrinsic aging) and environmental factors (extrinsic aging). Hence, there is an increasing urgency to explore an effective treatment for aging skin. This study was focused on testing the potential of utilizing adipocyte stem cell derived exosomal as nanomedicine to regenerate the dermal layer and counteract signs of skin aging.

Heterogeneity-driven phenotypic plasticity and treatment response in branched-organoid models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

In patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), intratumoural and intertumoural heterogeneity increases chemoresistance and mortality rates. However, such morphological and phenotypic diversities are not typically captured by organoid models of PDAC. Here we show that branched organoids embedded in collagen gels can recapitulate the phenotypic landscape seen in murine and human PDAC, that the pronounced molecular and morphological intratumoural and intertumoural heterogeneity of organoids is governed by defined transcriptional programmes (notably, epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity), and that different organoid phenotypes represent distinct tumour-cell states with unique biological features in vivo.

Distinct Proteomic Brain States Underlying Long-Term Memory Formation in Aversive Operant Conditioning.

Long-term memory (LTM) formation relies on protein synthesis; however, the full complement of proteins crucial to LTM formation remains unknown in any system. Using an aversive operant conditioning model of aerial respiratory behavior in the pond snail mollusk, (), we conducted a transcriptome-guided proteomic analysis on the central nervous system (CNS) of LTM, no LTM, and control animals. We identified 366 differentially expressed proteins linked to LTM formation, with 88 upregulated and 36 downregulated in LTM compared to both no LTM and controls.