Cancer-targeted fucoidan­iron oxide nanoparticles for synergistic chemotherapy/chemodynamic theranostics through amplification of P-selectin and oxidative stress.

A combination of chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is being developed to improve the theranostic efficacy and biological safety of current therapies. However, most CDT agents are restricted due to complex issues such as multiple components, low colloidal stability, carrier-associated toxicity, insufficient reactive oxygen species generation, and poor targeting efficacy. To overcome these problems, a novel nanoplatform composed of fucoidan (Fu) and iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles (NPs) was developed to achieve chemotherapy combined with CDT synergistic treatment with a facile self-assembling manner, and the NPs were made up of Fu and IO, in which the Fu was not only used as a potential chemotherapeutic but was also designed to stabilize the IO and target P-selectin-overexpressing lung cancer cells, thereby producing oxidative stress and thus synergizing the CDT efficacy. The Fu-IO NPs exhibited a suitable diameter below 300 nm, which favored their cellular uptake by cancer cells. Microscopic and MRI data confirmed the lung cancer cellular uptake of the NPs due to active Fu targeting. Moreover, Fu-IO NPs induced efficient apoptosis of lung cancer cells, and thus offer significant anti-cancer functions by potential chemotherapeutic-CDT.

Diatom-inspired self-assembly for silica thin sheets of perpendicular nanochannels.

HYPOTHESIS: Multistage silicate self-organization into light-weight, high-strength, hierarchically patterned diatom frustules carries hints for innovative silica-based nanomaterials. With sodium silicate in a biomimetic sol-gel system templated by a tri-surfactant system of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodium dodecylsulfate, and poly(oxyethylene-b-oxypropylene-b-oxyethylene) (P123), mesoporous silica nanochannel plates with perpendicular channel orientation are synthesized. The formation process, analogous to that of diatom frustules, is postulated to be directed by an oriented self-assembly of the block copolymer micelles shelled with charged catanionic surfactants upon silication. EXPERIMENTS: The postulated formation process for the oriented silica nanochannel plates was investigated using time-resolved small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS) and freeze fracture replication transmission electron microscopy (FFR-TEM). FINDINGS: With fine-tuned molar ratios of the anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants, the catanionic combination and the nonionic copolymer form charged, prolate ternary micelles in aqueous solutions, which further develop into prototype monolayered micellar plates. The prolate shape and maximized surfactant adsorption of the complex micelles, revealed from combined SAXS/SANS analysis, are of critical importance in the subsequent micellar self-assembly upon silicate deposition. Time-resolved SAXS and FFR-TEM indicate that the silicate complex micelles coalesce laterally into the prototype micellar nanoplates, which further fuse with one another into large sheets of monolayered silicate micelles of in-plane lamellar packing. Upon silica polymerization, the in-plane lamellar packing of the micelles further transforms to 2D hexagonal packing of vertically oriented silicate channels. The unveiled structural features and their evolution not only elucidate the previously unresolved self-assembly process of through-thickness silica nanochannels but also open a new line of research mimicking free-standing frustules of diatoms.

A Novel Use of Umbilical Perinatal Graft in Subungual Exostosis Resection.

Nail pathologies have a broad range of origin and may sometimes be complicated in presentation or clinical course, specifically when the pathology remains recalcitrant after treatment. In this case report we discuss a pathologic disorder that was initially misdiagnosed as a pyogenic granuloma surrounding an ingrown nail but was later found to be a benign neoplastic bone growth, Dupuytren exostosis, also known as a subungual exostosis. Operative treatment was deemed appropriate for the patient, and the exostosis was resected, leaving a soft-tissue void at the distal toe. The remaining void was filled with a perinatal graft, the use of which has been deemed effective anecdotally in both chronic and acute lower-extremity wounds but has not been widely discussed in the lower-extremity literature. This graft was placed to aid in wound healing over a potentially difficult wound bed. As amniotic, chorionic, and umbilical grafts become more prevalent in lower-extremity surgery, its antitumor effects should be further explored and published. This is the first case report, to our knowledge, of the successful use of a perinatal graft in the setting of a bone tumor, and it demonstrates that certain benign neoplasms can be treated with resection and placement of a perinatal graft while helping to prevent chronic wounds at surgical sites.

Hierarchically Porous Carbon Materials from Self-Assembled Block Copolymer/Dopamine Mixtures.

Hierarchically porous carbon materials with interconnected frameworks of macro- and mesopores are desirable for electrochemical applications in biosensors, electrocatalysis, and supercapacitors. In this study, we report a facile synthetic route to fabricate hierarchically porous carbon materials by controlled macro- and mesophase separation of a mixture of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene) and dopamine. The morphology of mesopores is tailored by controlling the coassembly of PS-b-PEO and dopamine in the acidic tetrahydrofuran-water cosolvent. HCl addition plays a critical role via enhancing the charge-dipole interactions between PEO and dopamine and suppressing the clustering and chemical reactions of dopamine in solution. As a result, subsequent drying can produce interpenetrated PS-b-PEO/DA mixtures without forming dopamine microsized crystallites. Dopamine oxidative polymerization induced by solvent annealing in NH4OH vapor enables the formation of percolating macropores. Subsequent pyrolysis to selectively remove the PS-b-PEO template from the complex can produce hierarchically porous carbon materials with interconnected frameworks of macro- and mesopores when pyrolysis is implemented at a low temperature or when DA is a minor component.

Nickel-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Alkylation of Aroyl Fluorides Assisted by Lewis-Acidic Organoboranes.

Herein, nickel-catalyzed decarbonylative C-F bond alkylation of aroyl fluorides with organoboron reagents is reported. Aroyl fluorides are more chemically stable than the corresponding aroyl chlorides and can be readily synthesized from the corresponding carboxylic acids. The fluoronickel intermediate formed via oxidative addition interacts with Lewis-acidic trialkylboranes, and the subsequent decarbonylative alkylation proceeds. This new synthetic methodology allows 1,2-bifunctionalization of aromatic carboxylic acids via palladium-catalyzed ortho-C-H arylation. In addition, an unprecedented 1,4-nickel migration on ortho-arylated aroyl fluorides was observed. As a demonstration of the synthetic utility of the present reaction, the sequential 1-alkyl-2-arylation of 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid was accomplished via chemoselective alkylation at a fluorocarbonyl moiety and the subsequent C-O bond arylation at an acetoxy group.

Design of wearable and wireless multi-parameter monitoring system for evaluating cardiopulmonary function.

The 6-minute walking test (6MWT) is the test most commonly used to evaluate cardiopulmonary function in patients with respiratory or heart disease. However, there was previously no integrated monitoring system available to simultaneously record both the real-time cardiopulmonary physiological parameters and the walking information (i.e., walking distance, speed, and acceleration) during the 6MWT. In this study, then, a wearable and wireless multi-parameter monitoring system was proposed to simultaneously monitor oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rhythm, and the walking information during the 6MWT. A multi-parameter detection algorithm was also designed to estimate the heart rate effectively. The results of the study indicate that this system was able to reveal the dynamic changes and differences in walking speed and acceleration during the 6MWT. As such, the system has the potential to provide a more integrated approach to monitoring cardiopulmonary parameters and walking information simultaneously during the 6MWT. The proposed system warrants further investigation as an assistive assessment tool in evaluating cardiopulmonary function and may be widely applied in cardiopulmonary-related and sports medicine applications in the future.

Wireless Monitoring System for Oral-Feeding Evaluation of Preterm Infants.

The oral feeding disorder is one of the important indicators for the high risk group of neurodevelopment delay. The procedure of oral feeding requires the coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing activities, and it is the most complex sensorimotor process for newborn infants. Premature infants often uneasily complete the procedure of oral feeding. However, the evaluation of the oral feeding disorders and severity are usually dependent on the subjective clinical experience of the physician. Monitoring the sucking-swallowing-breathing activities directly is difficult for preterm infants. In this study, a wireless monitoring system for oral-feeding evaluation of full term and preterm infants was proposed to objectively and quantitatively evaluate the coordination of suck-swallow-respiration function during oral feeding. Moreover, the ratios of the swallowing and breathing event numbers to the sucking event number were defined to evaluate the coordination of suck-swallow-respiration function during oral feeding. Finally, the system performance was validated and the coordination of suck-swallow-respiration function for full term and preterm infants during oral feeding was also investigated.