Self-assembled nanoformulations of paclitaxel for enhanced cancer theranostics

Chemotherapy has occupied the critical position in cancer therapy, especially towards the post-operative, advanced, recurrent, and metastatic tumors. Paclitaxel (PTX)-based formulations have been widely used in clinical practice, while the therapeutic effect is far from satisfied due to off-target toxicity and drug resistance. The caseless multi-components make the preparation technology complicated and aggravate the concerns with the excipients-associated toxicity. The self-assembled PTX nanoparticles possess a high drug content and could incorporate various functional molecules for enhancing the therapeutic index. In this work, we summarize the self-assembly strategy for diverse nanodrugs of PTX. Then, the advancement of nanodrugs for tumor therapy, especially emphasis on mono-chemotherapy, combinational therapy, and theranostics, have been outlined. Finally, the challenges and potential improvements have been briefly spotlighted.

Detection of Exogenous γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid in Rat Blood Exosomes / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To find a method to distinguish exogenous gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) from endogenous GHB by establishing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) based on exosome for quantitative detection of GHB in the rat blood.@*METHODS@#Adult male SD rats were divided into 1 h, 5 h, 10 h administration group and control group. After 1 h, 5 h and 10 h of single precursor of GHB gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) intraperitoneal injection in administration groups, 5 mL blood was collected from the abdominal aorta. Meanwhile, the control group was given a same dose of normal saline, and 5 mL blood was collected at 1 h. Among the 5 mL blood, 0.5 mL was directly detected by HPLC-MS after pretreatment, and exosomes were extracted from the remaining blood by differential centrifugation and detected.@*RESULTS@#The concentration of GHB in the control group was (87.36±33.48) ng/mL, and the concentration with administration at 1 h, 5 h and 10 h was (110 400.00±1 766.35) ng/mL, (1 479.00±687.01) ng/mL and (133.60±12.17) ng/mL, respectively. The results of exosome detection showed that no peak GHB signal was detected in the control group and the 10 h administration group, and the concentrations of GHB at 1 h and 5 h administration groups were (91.47±33.44) ng/mL and (49.43±7.05) ng/mL, respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#GHB was detected in blood exosome by UPLC-MS, which indicated that exogenous GHB could be detected in plasma exosomes, while endogenous GHB could not be detected, suggesting that this method may be used as a basis to determine whether there is exogenous drug intake.

Culture of pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and organoids / 中华肝脏病杂志

Liver is one of the most important organs in the human body. Liver diseases are also a major threat to human health and longevity. Hepatic decompensation treatment is quite difficult due to multiple reasons. Extracorporeal liver support devices are unable to solve this problem, and there is a severe shortage of orthotopic liver transplant donors. Study of pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and organoids can determine not only hepatocyte fate, but also liver development, regeneration mechanisms, and pathophysiology. Furthermore, it can be used for drug screening in order to provide a stable source of functional hepatocytes for future transplantation therapy. Culture of pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and organoids has a self-organizing process similar to liver development, i.e., starting with changes in several key factors, and eventually forming functionally complex cells/organs. This paper introduces the main methods and progress of pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and organoids, with hope to provide clues for future research.

Knockdown of Homeobox D12 Inhibits 7 Factor-Induced Somatic Cell Reprogramming / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Differentiated cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by overexpressing defined transcription factors. The process of reprogramming requires the interaction of various transcription factors to regulate the transformation of cell fate. Hoxd12 (Homeobox D12) is one of the transcription factors regulating the embryonic development of vertebrates, and it plays an outstanding role in the development of the limb, body axis formation, and cell signal transduction. However, any roles of Hoxd12 may play in the somatic cell reprogramming and the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have not been reported. In this study, we firstly used 7 factors (Sall4-Esrrb-Jdp2-Glis1-Mkk6-Nanog-Kdm2b) and Yamanaka factors (Oct4-Klf4-Sox2) as the research model, combined with RNA interference (shRNA) and gene overexpression, to explore the mechanism of Hoxd12 in somatic cell reprogramming. Moreover, we used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to construct Hoxd12 knockout embryonic stem cell lines, and combined embryoid body formation (EB) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to explore the function of Hoxd12 in the pluripotency of ESCs. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Knocking down of Hoxd12 inhibits 7 factor-induced reprogramming (

Application of Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate Combined with Tropisetron in Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting under Microvascular Decompression of Hemifacial Spasm / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To evaluate the effect of methylprednisolone sodium succinate combined with tropisetron on postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV)under microvascular decompression of hemifacial spasm.Methods From January to June 2019,485 patients undergoing microvascular decompression for facial spasm at Department of Neurosurgery,Peking University People's Hospital were randomly assigned into two groups with random number table method.For group A(n=242),2 ml saline was administrated by intravenous drip before induction and 5 mg tropisetron after operation.For group B(n=243),40 mg methylprednisolone sodium succinate was administrated by intravenous drip before induction and 5 mg tropisetron after operation.The anesthesia time,operation time,and incidence of PONV in 0-24 h and 24-48 h were recorded for the comparison of the remedial treatment rate of nausea and vomiting between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in age,gender,smoking history,body mass index value,American Society of Anesthesiologists score,medical history,surgical side,PONV history,operation time or anesthesia time between the two groups(all P > 0.05).The incidence of PONV in group A was 35.5% and 18.2% during 0-24 h and 24-48 h,respectively,which was significantly higher than that(18.5%,χ

Repression of SIRT5 is Involved in RIP140-mediated Metabolic Dysregulation in Cardiomyocytes / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

[Objective]To investigate the effect of desuccinylase Sirtuin5 (SIRT5) on receptor-interacting protein 140 (RIP140)- mediated metabolic dysfunction in cardiomyocytes.[Methods]RIP140 was overexpressed by Adenovirus infection and SIRT5 was overexpressed by plasmid transfection. RIP140 and SIRT5 were knocked down by siRNA interference. The expression of RIP140 and SIRT5 were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. The transcription levels of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes were detected by qRT-PCR. Mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester(TMRE)fluorescence anl?ysis. Cellular oxygen consumption and ATP production were investigated by assay kits. All data are from at least three independent ex?periments.[Results]RIP140 overexpression significantly attenuated SIRT5 expression(P<0.05),whereas knockdown of endogenous RIP140 elevated SIRT5 expression(P<0.05)in cardiomyocytes. Superabundant RIP140 also induced hypersuccinylation of mitochon?drial proteins,suggesting RIP140 could repress the desuccinylase activity of SIRT5. Moreover,SIRT5 overexpression reversed RIP140-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and energy metabolic impairment ,such as repression of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes(P<0.05),decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.05),as well as reduction of cellular oxygen consumption(P<0.05)and ATP production(P<0.05). Furthermore,the regulation of RIP140 on SIRT5 was dependent on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptorα(PPARα)in cardiomyocytes.[Conclusion]RIP140 induces mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic impairment through repression of SIRT5 in cardiomyocytes.

Viscoelastic properties of adjacent segments during prolonged flexion after anterior intervertebral fusion / 医用生物力学

Objective To analyze the viscoelastic properties of adjacent segments after anterior fusion under prolonged flexion, and further reveal the mechanism of accelerated adjacent segment degeneration after intervertebral fusion. Methods The same prolonged flexion lasted 30 minutes was applied on the two-level ovine lumbar specimen before and after anterior fusion respectively, and the moment relaxation and viscoelastic deformation of adjacent segments were measured. The moment relaxation curves from two groups were then fitted to obtain the quantitative viscoelastic results. Results After fusion，the initial and final moment in two groups significantly increased by 30.68% and 34.34%, and the viscoelastic deformation of the adjacent segments increased by 28.21%. The Prony model could perfectly fit the moment relaxation curves (R2=99.50%). The integral stiffness significantly increased by 47.82% and 31.14% for two groups, while the viscoelasticity significantly decreased by 27.19% and 28.16%, respectively(P<0.05). Conclusions After intervertebral fusion, to maintain the same posture with the same time, the joints should bear larger loads than before. The viscoelastic deformation of adjacent segments becomes larger, which increases the risk of instability or injury, and further leads to the accelerated degeneration of adjacent segments. The mechanism of quasi-static daily loading on adjacent segment degeneration should be focused in clinical research.

Load rate of facet joints at the adjacent segment increased after fusion / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The cause of the adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after fusion remains unknown. It is reported that adjacent facet joint stresses increase after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. This increase of stress rate may lead to tissue injury. Thus far, the load rate of the adjacent segment facet joint after fusion remains unclear.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Six C2-C7 cadaveric spine specimens were loaded under four motion modes: Flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral bending, with a pure moment using a 6° robot arm combined with an optical motion analysis system. The Tecscan pressure test system was used for testing facet joint pressure.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The contact mode of the facet joints and distributions of the force center during different motions were recorded. The adjacent segment facet joint forces increased faster after fusion, compared with intact conditions. While the magnitude of pressures increased, there was no difference in distribution modes before and after fusion. No pressures were detected during flexion. The average growth velocity during extension was the fastest and was significantly faster than lateral bending.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>One of the reasons for cartilage injury was the increasing stress rate of loading. This implies that ASD after fusion may be related to habitual movement before and after fusion. More and faster extension is disadvantageous for the facet joints and should be reduced as much as possible.</p>

Experimental study on the half-squat parachute landing for driving and validating the inverse dynamic simulation / 医用生物力学

Objective To provide data for establishing, driving and validating the inverse dynamics model of AnyBody Modeling System, the simulated half squat parachute landing experiment was designed and relevant data were collected. Method The subject was required to jump from a 0.32 m high platform to simulate the half squat parachute landing. The kinematic parameter of lower extremity joint, the ground reaction force and the surface electromyogram (SEMG) of four main muscles in the lower extremity joint were measured simultaneously. Results The angle changes of hip, knee and ankle along with time in three anatomical planes, the ground reaction force of right foot and the trajectory of the center of pressure were collected within 1 second just before and after the subject landing. These data would be used to drive the muscleskeletal model, while the data for measuring electromyogram activity would be used to validate the model. Conclusions The experiment meets the requirement of muscleskeletal model analysis, which can be used for further study of half squat parachute landing.

A seroepidemiologic analysis of hepatitis B in Sichuan province / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the changes of hepatitis B infection rates,before and after the hepatitis B vaccine Was included into EPI.and to evaluate the effect of immunization which would lead to the development of a more appropriate hepatitis B control strategy.Methods Seroepidemiologic method,with multi-section random sampling method were chosen.14 sites from 8 counties were involved.2-4 ml of the vein blood was drawn from all the individuals engaged in the study including 3806 samples.HBsAg,anti-HBs.anti-Hbe of the samples were tested with ELISA.Results Standardized positive rates of HBsAg and HBsAb were found as 7.05%and 29.77%respectively with the overall infection rate of HBV as 40.30%.The hepatitis B vaccine coverage of the children under 15 years was 70.73%and the positive rates for both HBsAg and anti-HBS were 2.62%and 56.68%.respectively.The coverage of hepatitis B vaccine among children under 3 years was 83.44%and the positive rates of both HBsAg and anti-HBs were 1.47%and 67.69%respectively.hepatitis B vaccine coverage of children under 3 years was 85.77%.with positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs as 1.78%and 75.44%respectively.Conclusion Results from our study revealed that since the introduction of hepatitis B vaccination,the prevalence rates of HBsAg and HBV infeetion had an obvious decline,especially in children aged under 15 years of old,suggesting that some changes had occurred in the epidemic characteristics ofhepatitis B in Sichuan.

The immunogenicity and safety of 10 microg recombination yeast hepatitis B vaccine applied in expanded population / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the feasibility of the 10 microg recombination yeast hepatitis B vaccine in the expanded applicable population group aged 5 - 18.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>People with both HBsAg and anti-HBs negative were selected to take two-stage clinical experiment and the safety and immunogenicity were observed. Safety observation was conducted in 925 subjects, while 568 for immunogenicity. The observation group (aged 5 - 18) included 493 subjects, and (age > 18) 75 enrolled in control group. For the observation group, there were three sub-groups including a child group (141, aged 5 - 6), early youth group (177, aged 12 - 13), and youth group (175, aged 16 - 18). Both groups were administered with 10 microg recombination yeast hepatitis B vaccines with 3 doses at 0 month, 1st month, 6th month. To assess the immunogenicity, the vaccination reactions were observed during the following 4 weeks in order to assess the vaccine safety. The blood samples were taken during 4 - 6 weeks after fully vaccinated, and then anti-HBs were tested with RIA and analyzed by comparing the positive rate of anti-HBs, the geometric mean titer (GMT) and the protective rate between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both observation and control group didn't show any general reactions, adverse events following immunization (AEFI) or coincidental cases when observed at 0.5 h, 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks after being vaccinated. The result of serum test showed, the positive rates of child group, early youth group, youth group and control group were respectively 100.00% (141/141), 97.18% (172/177), 98.29% (172/175) and 89.33% (67/75); the GMTs of anti-HBs were respectively 440.28, 875.38, 467.80, 131.06 U/L; the protective rates were respectively 100.00% (141/141), 97.18% (172/177), 97.14% (170/175) and 86.67% (65/75). The positive rate, GMT and protective rate of the experimental group were all higher than that of control group (chi(2)(positive rate) = 12.77, 5.12, 7.99; t(GMT) = 3.89, 4.13, 5.91; chi(2)(protective rate) = 16.81, 8.60, 8.44; P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This vaccine could be expanded to 5 - 18 year-old population with safety and effectiveness, the positive rate and protective rate of anti-HBs were both higher than that of control group.</p>