NIR-responsive injectable nanocomposite hydrogels with enhanced angiogenesis for promoting full-thickness wound healing

Angiogenesis plays a vital role in the treatment of full-thickness wounds. Deferoxamine (DFO) has been employed to promote neovascularization, however, smart drug delivery systems are needed to optimize its utilization. In this study, an injectable extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking hydrogel (HOG@P&D) was developed by leveraging the dynamic Schiff base and hydrogen bonds among a chitosan derivative (HACC), oxidized alginate (OSA), gelatin, and DFO-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles (P&D) for efficient wound healing. The incorporation of P&D enables HOG@P&D to respond to near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, converting laser energy into heat to trigger an on-demand, rapid release of DFO, thereby effectively enhancing angiogenesis. In vitro tube formation assays revealed that the number of meshes in the HOG@P&D group was fourfold higher than that of the control group. Additionally, HOG@P&D exhibited superior mechanical properties, tissue adhesion, and injectability, allowing it to cover wounds seamlessly. This hydrogel also demonstrated antibacterial and antioxidant properties, creating a conducive microenvironment for wound healing. In vivo studies further confirmed that HOG@P&D promoted angiogenesis and mitigated inflammation by upregulating angiogenic growth factor expression, thereby accelerating full-thickness wound healing. This nanocomposite hydrogel shows significant potential as a high-performance wound dressing.

Liquid biopsy in lung cancer: The role of circulating tumor cells in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis

Despite numerous therapeutic advancements, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Therefore, the identification of cancer at an early stage is becoming a significant subject in contemporary oncology. Despite significant advancements in early detection tactics in recent decades, they continue to provide challenges because of the inconspicuous symptoms observed during the early stages of the primary tumor. Presently, tumor biomarkers and imaging techniques are extensively employed across different forms of cancer. Nevertheless, every approach has its own set of constraints. In certain instances, the detriments outweigh the advantages. Hence, there is an urgent need to enhance early detection methods. Currently, liquid biopsy is considered more flexible and not intrusive method in comparison to conventional test for early detection. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial components of liquid biopsy and have a pivotal function in the spread and formation of secondary tumors. These indicators show great promise in the early identification of cancer. This study presents a comprehensive examination of the methodologies employed for the isolation and enrichment of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in lung cancer. Additionally, it explores the formation of clusters of CTCs, which have a pivotal function in facilitating the effective dissemination of cancer to distant organs. In addition, we discuss the importance of CTCs in the detection, treatment, and prognosis of lung cancer.

The expression and clinical significance of cytokines Th1, Th2, and Th17 in ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND

This study was to analyze the levels of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokines in peripheral blood samples from ovarian cancer (OC) patients.

METHODS

Ninty-five OC patients including 45 OC and 50 benign ovarian disease (BOD) were selected at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from October 2021 to March 2022; 46 healthy participants were simultaneously selected at Taizhou Municipal Hospital as healthy controls (HC). The expressions of Th1, Th2 and Th17 were compared in all participants. Marker levels were analyzed with age, histological type, tumor size, ovarian number and clinical stage of OC.

RESULTS

The IL6 and IL8 levels were significantly higher in OC compared to BOD and HC (p < 0.00). The IL-4 expression was significantly higher in OC compared to HC (p < 0.00). The expressions of IL2, IL6 and IL10 were significantly higher in pathological stage III-IV OC compared with pathological stage I-II OC (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the levels of IL-2 and IL-10 were significantly higher in OC with bilateral ovaries than in OC with single ovary (p < 0.05). AUCs of different markers were to diagnose OC. The findings also implied that the expressions of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were significantly different between OC and control groups (p < 0.05), while the levels of IL-2, IL-4, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-1β and IL-5 between the two groups were not different (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In peripheral blood from OC patients, the immune system was more dysregulated and immune cells produced more cytokines with contrasting actions. These data showed significant clinical implications for the diagnosis of OC.

Long noncoding RNA ZEB1-AS1 acts as an oncogene in osteosarcoma by epigenetically activating ZEB1

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be dysregulated in many disease states and have pivotal roles in various pathophysiological processes. However, the expression, roles and potential mechanism of lncRNA ZEB1-AS1 in osteosarcoma are still unknown. In this study, we measured ZEB1-AS1 expression and the results showed that ZEB1-AS1 was upregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cells. Increased expression of ZEB1-AS1 is correlated with larger tumor size, progressed Enneking stage, tumor metastasis, worse recurrence-free and overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. Functional experiments showed that enhanced expression of ZEB1-AS1 promotes osteosarcoma cells proliferation and migration. By contrast, ZEB1-AS1 knockdown inhibits osteosarcoma cells proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, ZEB1-AS1 directly binds and recruits p300 to the ZEB1 promoter region, induces an open chromatin structure, and activates ZEB1 transcription. There is a significant correlation between the expression of ZEB1-AS1 and ZEB1 in osteosarcoma tissues. ZEB1 depletion abrogates the roles of ZEB1-AS1 on the proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma cells. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that ZEB1-AS1 functions as an oncogene in osteosarcoma via epigenetically activating ZEB1 and could be a potential target for osteosarcoma treatment.

[Detection of differentially expressed proteins in the semen of oligospermia patients by SELDI-TOF-MS technology]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the spectrometric semen protein profiling of oligospermia patients and healthy controls by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS), and to establish a semen marker pattern for the diagnosis of oligospermia.

METHODS

Semen samples of 33 oligospermia patients and 31 healthy controls were collected on the CM01O proteinchip. The spectrometric protein profiling was detected by SELDI-TOF-MS and the data analyzed by Biomarker Pattern Software provided by Ciphergen Corp. A primary diagnostic model of oligospermia was established and evaluated by blind test with the 33 patients and 31 healthy controls.

RESULTS

A total of 185 protein peaks were detected at the molecular range of 2000-20,000, among which 23 showed significant differences between oligospermia patients and healthy controls (P < 0.05). The diagnostic model consisted of 3 protein peaks, with a sensitivity of 90.9% (30/33) and a specificity of 93.6% (29/31). And the double-blind test generated a sensitivity of 87.8% (29/33) and a specificity of 90.3% (28/31).

CONCLUSION

The diagnostic model was successfully established by SELDI-TOF-MS, which could be applied to the differentiation of the spectrometric protein profiling patterns of oligospermia patients and healthy controls.

Animal vaccine revolution: Nanoparticle adjuvants open the future of vaccinology

In recent years, the rapid development of nanoparticle adjuvants has greatly facilitated the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in humans and animals. The remarkable success of mRNA nanovaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has accelerated the advancement of nanoparticle adjuvant technologies in the era of precision medicine. Significant progress has been made in researching nanovaccines for major animal infectious diseases, such as porcine epidemic diarrhea, avian influenza, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, bovine viral diarrhea, foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and Newcastle disease. This article reviews the nanoparticle adjuvants under investigation for animal use, emphasizing their diverse mechanisms of action and immunological properties, and analyzes the physicochemical factors influencing their immune-enhancing effects. On this basis, we discuss future prospects and key challenges that need to be addressed, aiming to provide valuable references for the development of novel animal vaccine adjuvants.

Microbial communities associated with the skin, gill, and gut of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

The microbiota inhabiting the surface of fish mucosal tissue play important roles in the nutrition, metabolism and immune system of their host. However, most investigations on microbial symbionts have focused on the fish gut, but the microbiota associated with external mucosal tissues (such as the skin and gill) is poorly understood. This study characterised the traits and dynamic of microbial communities associated with the skin, gill and gut of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) culturing with net enclosures or pens at different sampling times (with seasonal transition). Results revealed the structure and function of microbial communities differed according to the mucosal tissues of large yellow croaker. The richness and diversity of microbiota in the skin were significantly higher than that in the gill and gut. Discriminative microbial taxa such as Psychrobacter in the skin, Enterobacterales in the gill, and Fusobacterium in the gut, and discriminative predictive functions were identified in the skin, gill and gut. Furthermore, different environmental-related factors (such as sampling time/season and culture method) had impacts on the fish microbiota differently. The diversity and composition of microbiota associated with the skin, gill and gut changed over time, and the difference in skin microbiota across sampling times was most significant among the three tissues. The culture method significantly impacted the diversity and composition of skin microbiota, but no significant difference was found in the gill and gut microbiota between net enclosure and net pen. These results indicated that the skin microbiota of large yellow croaker was more diverse and affected by environmental-related factors than other tissues. This study provides new insights into the structure, environmental response pattern, and relationship with host health of microbiota associated with the mucosal tissues of large yellow croaker.