A Hybrid Organo-Nanotheranostic Platform of Superlative Biocompatibility for Near-Infrared-Triggered Fluorescence Imaging and Synergistically Enhanced Ablation of Tumors.

The quest for an all-organic nanosystem with negligible cytotoxicity and remarkable in vivo tumor theranostic capability is inescapably unending. Hitherto, the landscape of available photothermal agents is dominated by metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) with attendant in vivo negatives. Here, an all-organic-composed theranostic nanosystem with outstanding biocompatibility for fluorescence image-guided tumor photothermal therapy, and as a potential alternative to metal-based photothermal agents is developed. This is rationally achieved by compartmentalizing indocyanine green (ICG) in glycol chitosan (GC)-polypyrrole (PP) nanocarrier to form hybrid ICG@GC-PP NPs (≈65 nm). The compartmentalization strategy, alongside the high photothermal conversion ability of PP jointly enhances the low photostability of free ICG. Advantageously, ICG@GC-PP is endowed with an impeccable in vivo performance by the well-known biocompatibility track records of its individual tri organo-components (GC, PP, and ICG). As a proof of concept, ICG@GC-PP NPs enables a sufficiently prolonged tumor diagnosis by fluorescence imaging up to 20 h post-injection. Furthermore, owing to the complementary heating performances of PP and ICG, ICG@GC-PP NPs-treated mice by one-time near-infrared irradiation exhibit total tumor regression within 14 days post-treatment. Therefore, leveraging the underlying benefits of this study will help to guide the development of new all-organic biocompatible systems in synergism, for safer tumor theranostics.

Facile synthesis of Au@Mn3O4 magneto-plasmonic nanoflowers for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and photothermal therapy of cancer.

The integration of advanced diagnostic contrast agents with versatile therapeutic drugs is an effective method for cancer treatment. However, combining various biocompatible theranostic modalities into a single platform at the nanoscale is a challenging assignment. In this work, we report a simple chemical synthetic route for producing a homogeneous hybrid nanoflower shaped morphology based on Au@Mn3O4 magneto-plasmonic nanomaterials. The synthetic mechanism of the nanoflowers is well-matched with the heteroepitaxial growth phenomena by which the nano-petals of Mn3O4 generated on the surface of the Au core. The food and drug administration (FDA) in the USA approved the use of triblock polymer Pluronic F-127 to enhance the biocompatibility of Au@Mn3O4 hybrid nanoflowers. The prepared hybrid nanoflowers produce a significant photothermal heating effect with a thermal transduction efficiency of 38%, comparable to the nanorods and nanoparticles of gold (Au). The hybrid junction reveals promising optical and magnetic properties and the prepared Au@Mn3O4 nanoflowers not only exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption to produce excellent photothermal efficacy under irradiation with an 808 nm NIR laser, but also demonstrate a significant T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) image enhancement in vitro and in vivo. The histopathology assessments indicate only negligible toxicity of the nanoflowers to major organs. Therefore, the hybrid Au@Mn3O4 nanoflowers exhibit great potential in T1-weighted MR-imaging and photothermal therapy, opening up new possibilities for synthesizing novel bio-compatible, homogeneous, and shape controllable nanostructures with multifunctional applications.

Recovery from AKI and short- and long-term outcomes after lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients with AKI after lung transplantation are at increased risk for CKD and death. Whether patients who completely recover from AKI have improved long-term outcome compared with patients who do not completely recover remains unknown. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: This study retrospectively evaluated data on 657 patients who underwent lung transplantation from 1997 to 2009. Outcomes analyzed were the incidence of renal recovery after AKI and the association of this recovery with short- and long-term mortality. AKI was defined by an absolute increase in serum creatinine of ≥0.3 mg/dl or a percent increase in serum creatinine of ≥50% from baseline at any time during the first 2 weeks after transplantation. RESULTS: Four hundred twenty-four (65%) patients experienced AKI in the first 2 weeks after transplantation. Of these patients, complete renal recovery occurred in 142 (33%) patients. The incidence of in-hospital complications was similar between patients who recovered renal function and patients without recovery. At 1 year, the cumulative incidence of CKD was 14% and 22% (P=0.10) and patient survival rate was 81% and 76% (P=0.20) in patients with complete recovery from AKI and patients without recovery, respectively. Patients with completely recovered AKI had similar risk-adjusted long-term mortality compared with patients who did not recover (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]=1.42 [1.15-2.05] versus 1.53 [1.01-2.00]). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who recover completely from early AKI after lung transplantation have a similar risk for CKD and long-term mortality compared with patients who do not recover.