Comparing nanoparticle polymeric micellar paclitaxel and solvent-based paclitaxel as first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: an open-label, randomized, multicenter, phase III trial

BACKGROUND

Polymeric micellar paclitaxel (pm-Pac) is a novel Cremophor EL-free, nanoparticle micellar formulation of paclitaxel. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between pm-Pac plus cisplatin and solvent-based paclitaxel (sb-Pac) plus cisplatin in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 448 stage IIIB to IV NSCLC patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive six 3-week cycles of either pm-Pac (230 mg/m²) plus cisplatin (70 mg/m²; n = 300), followed by dose escalation of pm-Pac to 300 mg/m² from the second 3-week cycle if prespecified toxic effects were not observed after the first cycle, or sb-Pac (175 mg/m²) plus cisplatin (70 mg/m²; n = 148). The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR) assessed by independent review committees (IRCs). The secondary end points included IRC-assessed progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.

RESULTS

Patients in the pm-Pac-plus-cisplatin group showed significant improvements in IRC-assessed ORR compared with those in the sb-Pac-plus-cisplatin group (50% versus 26%; rate ratio 1.91; P < 0.0001). Additionally, subgroup analysis showed that a higher ORR was consistently observed in both squamous and nonsquamous histological types. IRC-assessed median PFS was significantly higher in the pm-Pac-plus-cisplatin group than in the sb-Pac-plus-cisplatin group (6.4-month versus 5.3-month; hazard ratio 0.63; P = 0.0001). Median OS was not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of treatment-related serious adverse events (9% versus 18%; P = 0.0090) was significantly lower in the pm-Pac-plus-cisplatin group than in the sb-Pac-plus-cisplatin group.

CONCLUSION

Pm-Pac plus cisplatin yielded superior ORR and PFS along with a favorable safety profile and should become an option for patients with advanced NSCLC.

CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02667743; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02667743.

ANO1 regulates cardiac fibrosis via ATI-mediated MAPK pathway

Cardiac fibrosis is associated with most of heart diseases, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. Anoctamin-1 (ANO1), a calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs) protein, plays a critical role in various pathophysiological processes. In the current study, we identified ANO1 expression in myocardial infarction (MI) model of rat and verified the role of ANO1 in cardiac fibrosis using transcriptomics combined with RNAi assays. we found that ANO1 expression was increased during the first two weeks, and decreased in the third week after MI. Fluorescence double labeling showed that ANO1 was mainly expressed in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and displayed an increased expression in CFs with proliferation tendency. The proliferation and secretion of CFs were markedly inhibited by knockdown of ANO1. RNA-Seq showed that most of the downregulation genes were related to the proliferation of CFs and cardiac fibrosis. After ANO1 knockdown, the expressions of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and cell nuclear proliferation antigen were markedly reduced, and the phosphorylation levels of MEK and ERK1/2 was decreased significantly, indicating that ANO1 regulate cardiac fibrosis through ATIR-mediated MAPK signaling pathway. These findings would be useful for the development of therapeutic strategies targeting ANO1 to treat and prevent cardiac fibrosis.

Intercalation Pseudocapacitive Zn2+ Storage with Hydrated Vanadium Dioxide toward Ultrahigh Rate Performance

The weak van der Waals interactions enable ion-intercalation-type hosts to be ideal pseudocapacitive materials for energy storage. Here, a methodology for the preparation of hydrated vanadium dioxide nanoribbon (HVO) with moderate transport pathways is proposed. Out of the ordinary, the intercalation pseudocapacitive reaction mechanism is discovered for HVO, which powers high-rate capacitive charge storage compared with the battery-type intercalation reaction. The main factor is that the defective crystalline structure provides suitable ambient spacing for rapidly accommodating and transporting cations. As a result, the HVO delivers a fast Zn²⁺ ion diffusion coefficient and a low Zn²⁺ diffusion barrier. The electrochemical results with intercalation pseudocapacitance demonstrate a high reversible capacity of 396 mAh g^-1 at 0.05 A g^-1 , and even maintain 88 mAh g^-1 at a high current density of 50 A g^-1 .

Dijet Resonance Search with Weak Supervision Using sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions in the ATLAS Detector

This Letter describes a search for narrowly resonant new physics using a machine-learning anomaly detection procedure that does not rely on signal simulations for developing the analysis selection. Weakly supervised learning is used to train classifiers directly on data to enhance potential signals. The targeted topology is dijet events and the features used for machine learning are the masses of the two jets. The resulting analysis is essentially a three-dimensional search A→BC, for m_{A}∼O(TeV), m_{B},m_{C}∼O(100  GeV) and B, C are reconstructed as large-radius jets, without paying a penalty associated with a large trials factor in the scan of the masses of the two jets. The full run 2 sqrt[s]=13  TeV pp collision dataset of 139  fb^{-1} recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider is used for the search. There is no significant evidence of a localized excess in the dijet invariant mass spectrum between 1.8 and 8.2 TeV. Cross-section limits for narrow-width A, B, and C particles vary with m_{A}, m_{B}, and m_{C}. For example, when m_{A}=3  TeV and m_{B}≳200  GeV, a production cross section between 1 and 5 fb is excluded at 95% confidence level, depending on m_{C}. For certain masses, these limits are up to 10 times more sensitive than those obtained by the inclusive dijet search. These results are complementary to the dedicated searches for the case that B and C are standard model bosons.

A nitric oxide-releasing hydrogel for enhancing the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for hindlimb ischemia

Therapeutic angiogenesis with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is promising for the clinical treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the heterogeneous proangiogenic nature of MSCs is a key challenge in developing more effective treatments with MSCs for therapeutic angiogenesis purposes. Here, we propose to enhance the therapeutic function of human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) in hindlimb ischemia therapy by using nitric oxide (NO)-releasing chitosan hydrogel (CS-NO). Our data showed that the co-transplantation of CS-NO hydrogel with hP-MSCs remarkably improved the grafting of hP-MSCs and ameliorated the functional recovery of ischemic hindlimbs. Moreover, we found that the neovascularization of damaged hindlimbs was significantly increased after co-transplanting CS-NO hydrogel and hP-MSCs, as confirmed by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Further analysis revealed an endothelial-like status transformation of hP-MSCs in the presence of NO, which was identified as a potential mechanism contributing to the enhanced endothelium-protective and proangiogenic capacities of hP-MSCs that promote angiogenesis in mouse models of hindlimb ischemia. In conclusion, this study provides a promising approach for using NO hydrogel to improve the proangiogenic potency of MSCs in ischemic diseases, and the strategy used here facilitates the development of controlled-release scaffolds for enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of MSCs in angiogenic therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The heterogeneous proangiogenic nature of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a key challenge in developing more effective treatments with MSCs for therapeutic angiogenesis purposes. In this study, we investigated whether nitric oxide (NO)-releasing chitosan hydrogel (CS-NO) could improve the proangiogenic potency of MSCs in ischemic diseases. Our results revealed an endothelial-like status transformation of human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) in the presence of NO, which was identified as a potential mechanism contributing to the enhanced endothelium-protective and proangiogenic capacities of hP-MSCs that promote angiogenesis in mouse models of hindlimb ischemia. The strategy for enhancing the pro-angiogenic activity of MSCs with biomaterials provides a practical idea for overcoming the challenges associated with the clinical application of MSCs in therapeutic angiogenesis.

[Application and clinical study of clonal heterogeneity analysis in acute myeloid leukemia]

目的

探讨急性髓系白血病（AML）的克隆异质性特征及其临床价值。

方法

采用高通量测序技术靶向检测2016年1月至2019年6月河南省肿瘤医院收治的465例AML患者的68种相关基因，将检出的基因突变位点根据变异等位基因频率（VAF）及同期流式细胞学结果进行克隆异质性分析，并分析其与预后的关系。

结果

338例（81.4%）初诊患者检出基因突变，其中携带DNMT3A、NRAS和RUNX1突变患者出现2个及以上克隆比例显著增加（DNMT3A：χ²=15.231, P<0.001；NRAS：χ²=19.866, P<0.001；RUNX1：χ²=23.647, P<0.001）。不同年龄组间克隆数差异有统计学意义（χ²=17.505, P=0.022），其中>60岁患者携带2个和≥3个克隆的比例增加。初诊患者与复发或继发AML患者间克隆分布差异具有统计学意义（χ²=11.302, P=0.010），且患者多克隆的比例随预后危险度增加而逐渐增加（χ²=17.505, P=0.022）。而主克隆分析中，RUNX1突变标志的主克隆比例较高（χ²=4.527, P=0.033）。克隆异质性与疗效相关分析显示，携带3个及以上克隆患者的总生存（OS）期和无进展生存（PFS）期均远低于其他患者（OS：χ²=13.533，P=0.004；PFS：χ²=9.817，P=0.020），而在中危组患者中，克隆数目多的患者其PFS期显著缩短（χ²=10.883，P=0.012）。Cox回归多因素分析显示，携带3个及以上克隆为影响预后的独立危险因素，其OS期和PFS期显著短于无克隆患者（OS：HR=3.296，95%CI 1.568~6.932，P=0.002；PFS：HR=3.241，95%CI 1.411~7.440，P=0.006）。

结论

克隆异质性可反映肿瘤的生物学特性，提示其耐药性、难治性及侵袭性，可进一步用来评估疗效和AML中危组患者的预后。

In vivo two-photon microscopy reveals the contribution of Sox9+ cell to kidney regeneration in a mouse model with extracellular vesicle treatment

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to stimulate regeneration in the treatment of kidney injury. Renal regeneration is also thought to be stimulated by the activation of Sox9+ cells. However, whether and how the activation mechanisms underlying EV treatment and Sox9+ cell-dependent regeneration intersect is unclear. We reasoned that a high-resolution imaging platform in living animals could help to untangle this system. To test this idea, we first applied EVs derived from human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) to a Sox9-CreERT2; R26mTmG transgenic mouse model of acute kidney injury (AKI). Then, we developed an abdominal imaging window in the mouse and tracked the Sox9+ cells in the inducible Sox9-Cre transgenic mice via in vivo lineage tracing with two-photon intravital microscopy. Our results demonstrated that EVs can travel to the injured kidneys post intravenous injection as visualized by Gaussia luciferase imaging and markedly increase the activation of Sox9+ cells. Moreover, the two-photon living imaging of lineage-labeled Sox9+ cells showed that the EVs promoted the expansion of Sox9+ cells in kidneys post AKI. Histological staining results confirmed that the descendants of Sox9+ cells contributed to nephric tubule regeneration which significantly ameliorated the renal function after AKI. In summary, intravital lineage tracing with two-photon microscopy through an embedded abdominal imaging window provides a practical strategy to investigate the beneficial functions and to clarify the mechanisms of regenerative therapies in AKI.

Improved Constraints on Sterile Neutrino Mixing from Disappearance Searches in the MINOS, MINOS+, Daya Bay, and Bugey-3 Experiments

Searches for electron antineutrino, muon neutrino, and muon antineutrino disappearance driven by sterile neutrino mixing have been carried out by the Daya Bay and MINOS+ collaborations. This Letter presents the combined results of these searches, along with exclusion results from the Bugey-3 reactor experiment, framed in a minimally extended four-neutrino scenario. Significantly improved constraints on the θ_{μe} mixing angle are derived that constitute the most constraining limits to date over five orders of magnitude in the mass-squared splitting Δm_{41}^{2}, excluding the 90% C.L. sterile-neutrino parameter space allowed by the LSND and MiniBooNE observations at 90% CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}<13  eV^{2}. Furthermore, the LSND and MiniBooNE 99% C.L. allowed regions are excluded at 99% CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}<1.6 eV^{2}.

CP Properties of Higgs Boson Interactions with Top Quarks in the tt[over ¯]H and tH Processes Using H→γγ with the ATLAS Detector

A study of the charge conjugation and parity (CP) properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and top quarks is presented. Higgs bosons are identified via the diphoton decay channel (H→γγ), and their production in association with a top quark pair (tt[over ¯]H) or single top quark (tH) is studied. The analysis uses 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Assuming a CP-even coupling, the tt[over ¯]H process is observed with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The measured cross section times H→γγ branching ratio is 1.64_{-0.36}^{+0.38}(stat)_{-0.14}^{+0.17}(sys)  fb, and the measured rate for tt[over ¯]H is 1.43_{-0.31}^{+0.33}(stat)_{-0.15}^{+0.21}(sys) times the Standard Model expectation. The tH production process is not observed and an upper limit on its rate of 12 times the Standard Model expectation is set. A CP-mixing angle greater (less) than 43 (-43)° is excluded at 95% confidence level.

[Clonal heterogeneity and its prognostic significance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To explore the characteristics and clinical significance of clonal heterogeneity in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL). Methods: From January 2016 to June 2019, 170 newly diagnosed ALL patients were enrolled in the Department of Hematology, Henan Cancer Hospital, including 93 males and 77 females, with a median age of 17 (2-80) years. Fifty-two ALL-related genes were detected by high-throughput sequencing technique. The clonal heterogeneity of mutations was analyzed according to the variant allele frequency (VAF) and the results of flow cytometry. The prognostic value of mutations was also evaluated. Results: Gene mutations were detected in 121 (71.2%, 121/170) patients, of which 2 or more clones were detected in 18 (52.9%, 18/34) T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, while only 23 (16.9%, 23/136) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients were positive of multiple mutations (P<0.01).Gene mutation-related clonal heterogeneity analysis showed that 2 or more clones were frequent in patients with NOTCH1 mutations (13/19 patients) (P<0.01). Event free survival (EFS) in patients with 3 or more clones was significantly lower than other patients (χ(2)=10.330, P=0.016). Child ALL patients had similar result, that multiple clones predicted lower overall survival (OS) and EFS (OS: χ(2)=7.974, P=0.047; EFS: χ(2)=10.860, P=0.013). Conclusion: Clonal heterogeneity in ALL patients is closely related to the different origin of lymphocyte lineages and the age of onset, which may reveal the nature of the disease and predict the clinical outcome.

Search for Heavy Higgs Bosons Decaying into Two Tau Leptons with the ATLAS Detector Using pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

A search for heavy neutral Higgs bosons is performed using the LHC Run 2 data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. The search for heavy resonances is performed over the mass range 0.2-2.5 TeV for the τ^{+}τ^{-} decay with at least one τ-lepton decaying into final states with hadrons. The data are in good agreement with the background prediction of the standard model. In the M_{h}^{125} scenario of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, values of tanβ>8 and tanβ>21 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for neutral Higgs boson masses of 1.0 and 1.5 TeV, respectively, where tanβ is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the two Higgs doublets.

[Performance of high-risk HPV typing test in early diagnosis of cervical cancer]

Objective: To evaluate the performance of High-risk HPV typing detection in cervical cancer screening. Methods: A total of 3 231 women were recruited as the subjects of cervical cancer screening from Jiyuan city of Henan provinces from June to July 2017. All women underwent HPV DNA test. The women with cytological examination ≥ASCUS or cytological examination negative and HPV 16/18 positive underwent colposcopy biopsy and pathological examination. Pathological diagnosis was used as the gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value(NPV) as well as corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) of HR-HPV and HPV 16/18 were calculated. Results: The mean age of 3 231 subjects selected in this study was 46.84±10.00 (21-64) years old. 524 subjects had the positive results of HR-HPV, including 91 of HPV16 and 15 of HPV18. Pathological test result CIN2+ was the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of HR-HPV for cervical precancer lesions screening were 93.75 (95%CI: 79.85-98.27) and 84.56% (95%CI: 83.26-85.77), respectively. To compared with HR-HPV, HPV16/18 had low sensitivity (65.63%, 95%CI: 48.31-79.59)and higher specificity (97.44%, 95%CI: 96.83-97.93). After age stratification by age 30 and 45, the sensitivity of HPV 16/18 was same with HR-HPV (100%, 95%CI: 34.24-100.00), the specificity of HPV 16/18 was higher than HR-HPV (98.71%, 95%CI: 96.27-99.56 vs 84.48%, 95%CI: 79.27-88.58) in<30 age group.The sensitivity of HR-HPVin 30-45 and ≥45 age group were higher than HPV16/18 (85.71%, 95%CI: 48.69-97.43 vs 71.43%, 95%CI: 35.89-91.78, 95.65%, 95%CI: 79.01-99.23 vs 60.87%, 95%CI: 40.79-77.84), but the specificity werelower than HPV16/18 (86.89%, 95%CI: 84.58-88.90 vs 98.51%, 95%CI: 97.51-99.11、83.49%, 95%CI: 81.81-85.04 vs 96.80%, 95%CI: 95.94-97.48). Conclusions: HR-HPV detection has relatively high sensitivity and specificity in cervical cancer screening. For >30 years old women, HR-HPV is more recommended in cervical cancer screening. Therefore, HR-HPV detection is an effective method for cervical cancer screening.

Liraglutide Attenuates Myocardial Fibrosis via Inhibition of AT1R-Mediated ROS Production in Hypertensive Mice

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide has been reported to exert cardioprotective effects, but its effect on cardiac fibrosis remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of liraglutide on cardiac fibrosis and potential mechanisms.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice (3-month old) were randomly divided into control, hypertension, and hypertension + liraglutide groups. The hypertensive state was created by infusion of Ang II (100 ng/kg·min) for 4 weeks through subcutaneously implanted osmotic pumps. The control mice were infused with saline. Mice were also given vehicle or liraglutide (400 μg/kg·day). Blood pressure (BP), blood sugar, myocardial fibrosis, AT1R expression, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured. To further elucidate the mechanisms of fibrosis, mouse cardiac fibroblasts were isolated and treated with liraglutide (300 nM/L) or losartan (10 μM) for 3 hours, followed by Ang II (10^-7 M) for additional 12 hours. Reactive oxygen species production and expressions of collagen-1 and -3 were measured.

RESULTS

Liraglutide reduced BP and blood sugar but did not affect the body weight of the hypertensive mice. Liraglutide also inhibited collagen accumulation, AT1R expression, and ROS generation in the hearts of the hypertensive mice. In in vitro studies, pretreatment with liraglutide and losartan (as control) markedly inhibited Ang II-induced ROS production and collagen expression in the cultured cardiac fibroblasts.

CONCLUSION

Liraglutide reduces myocardial fibrosis in the hypertensive mice, which appears to be dependent on at least in part inhibition of ROS production.

Extracellular vesicles derived from human placental mesenchymal stem cells alleviate experimental colitis in mice by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent cells that can be applied to the treatment of immune disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The therapeutic effects of MSCs have been mostly attributed to the secretion of soluble factors with paracrine actions, such as extracellular vesicles (EVs), which may play a relevant role in the repair of damaged tissues. In the present study, a mouse model of colitis was induced with the use of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). EVs derived from human placental mesenchymal stem cells (hP‑MSCs) were used for the treatment of colitis by in situ injection. Clinical scores were applied to verify the therapeutic effects of EVs on mice with colitis. Inflammation in the colon was evaluated by measuring the levels of various inflammatory cytokines. The content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by the use of molecular imaging methods for real‑time tracking and the therapeutic effects of EVs on mucosal healing in mice with colitis were evaluated. The results revealed that the injection of EVs regulated the balance of pro‑inflammatory and anti‑inflammatory cytokines in colon tissue. Treatment with EVs also suppressed oxidative stress by decreasing the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and ROS. Histological analysis further confirmed that the EVs significantly promoted mucosal healing, as reflected by the promotion of the proliferation of colonic epithelial cells and the maintenance of tight junctions. Taken together, the findings of the present study demonstrated that EVs derived from hP‑MSCs alleviated TNBS‑induced colitis by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress. These findings may provide a novel theoretical basis for the EV‑based treatment of IBD.

Hollow Plasma Acceleration Driven by a Relativistic Reflected Hollow Laser

In order to address the present difficulty in experimentally generating the relativistic Laguerre-Gaussian laser, primarily due to damage caused to optical modulators, a high-reflectivity phase mirror is applied in the femtosecond petawatt laser system to generate a relativistic hollow laser at the highest intensity of 6.3×10^{19}  W/cm^{2} for the first time. A simple optical model is used to verify that the vortex laser may be generated in this new scheme; using such a relativistic vortex laser, the hollow plasma drill and acceleration are achieved experimentally and proven by particle-in-cell simulations. With the development of the petawatt laser, this scheme opens up possibilities for the convenient production of the relativistic hollow laser at high repetition and possible hollow plasma acceleration, which is important for a wide range of applications such as the generation of radiation sources with orbital angular momentum, fast ignition for inertial confinement fusion, and jet research in the astrophysical environment.

Novel GLI3 Mutations in Chinese Patients with Non-syndromic Post-axial Polydactyly

BACKGROUND

Polydactyly, characterized by supernumerary digits in the upper or lower extremities, is the most common congenital digital abnormalities. It derives from the defective patterning of anteroposterior axis of the developing limb, with various etiology and clinical heterogeneity. The patients with post-axial polydactyly type A (PAPA) have the typical symptom of a well-formed supernumerary digit outside the fifth digit.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of present study was to identify the causative mutations of two unrelated Han Chinese patients with non-syndromic PAPA.

METHODS

Two unrelated Han Chinese patients and 100 ethnicity-matched, unrelated normal controls were recruited for this study. BGISEQ-500 exome sequencing was performed in the two patients, followed by validation in the patients and 100 controls by using Sanger sequencing.

RESULTS

Two mutations in the GLI family zinc finger 3 gene (GLI3), including a frameshift mutation c.3437_3453delTCGAGCAGCCCTGCCCC (p.L1146RfsX95) and a nonsense mutation c.3997C>T (p.Q1333X), were identified in two patients but were absent in the 100 healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

The two GLI3 mutations, p.L1146RfsX95 and p.Q1333X, may account for non-syndromic PAPA in the two patients, respectively. The findings of this study may expand the mutational spectrum of GLI3-PAPA and provide novel insights into the genetic basis of polydactyly.

Anti-CD19 mAb-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles effectively deliver doxorubicin to B-lymphoblastic leukemia cells

B-Lymphoblastic leukemia (B-LL) is the most common childhood hematological malignancy. Although its overall prognosis is good, the outcome after relapse is poor. CD19 is highly expressed on the membrane of most malignant B-cells, and was shown to be a promising therapeutic target of B-LL. In this present work, we designed and synthesized a novel drug carrier, anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSA-CD19 NPs). Doxorubicin (DOX) was well encapsulated into the HSA-CD19 NPs to form an anticancer nanodrug DOX/HSA-CD19. DOX/HSA-CD19 was preferentially uptaken by CD19⁺ B-LL cell line KOPN-8. DOX/HSA-CD19 showed strong antiproliferative effect on KOPN-8 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.1 μg/mL. Further, proapoptotic Bax and caspase-3 were significantly elevated, but antiapoptotic Bcl2 was reduced in DOX/HSA-CD19 treated KOPN-8 cells, indicating the activation of the apoptosis pathway by the nanodrug. By contrast, DOX/HSA-CD19 did not show affinity to CD19-monocytic cell line, U937, and did not affect its proliferation. Collectively, HSA-CD19 NPs are a kind of effective novel drug carrier, and DOX/HSA-CD19 is a promising antitumor nanodrug for the treatment of B-LL.

Constructing the Efficient Ion Diffusion Pathway by Introducing Oxygen Defects in Mn2O3 for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Mn-based cathodes are admittedly the most promising candidate to achieve the practical applications of aqueous zinc-ion batteries because of the high operating voltage and economic benefit. However, the design of Mn-based cathodes still remains challenging because of the vulnerable chemical architecture and strong electrostatic interaction that lead to the inferior reaction kinetics and rapid capacity decay. These intrinsic drawbacks need to be fundamentally addressed by rationally decorating the crystal structure. Herein, an oxygen-defective Mn-based cathode (Oc_u-Mn₂O₃) is designed via a doping low-valence Cu-ion strategy. The oxygen defect can modify the internal electric field of the material and enhance the substantial electrostatic stability by compensating for the nonzero dipole moment. With the merits of oxygen deficiency, the Oc_u-Mn₂O₃ electrode exhibits the significant diffusion coefficient in the range from 1 × 10^-6 to 1 × 10^-8, and good rate performance. In addition, the Oc_u-Mn₂O₃ maintains the highly reversible cyclic stability with the capacity retention of 88% over 600 cycles. The charge storage mechanism is explored as well, illustrating that the oxygen defects can improve the electrochemical active sites of H⁺ insertion, achieving a better charge-storage capacity than Mn₂O₃.

IGF-1C hydrogel improves the therapeutic effects of MSCs on colitis in mice through PGE2-mediated M2 macrophage polarization

Background: Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapies hold great promise for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In order to optimize and maximize the therapeutic benefits of MSCs, we investigated whether cotransplantation of a chitosan (CS)-based injectable hydrogel with immobilized IGF-1 C domain peptide (CS-IGF-1C) and human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) could ameliorate colitis in mice. Methods: IGF-1C hydrogel was generated by immobilizing IGF-1C to CS hydrogel. Colitis was induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) in mice. We initially applied hP-MSCs and CS-IGF-1C hydrogel for the treatment of colitis by in situ injection, and molecular imaging methods were used for real-time imaging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and tracking of transplanted hP-MSCs by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Furthermore, the effects of CS-IGF-1C hydrogel on prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) secretion of hP-MSCs and polarization of M2 macrophages were investigated as well. Results: The CS-IGF-1C hydrogel significantly increased hP-MSC proliferation and promoted the production of PGE₂ from hP-MSCs in vitro. Moreover, in vivo studies indicated that the CS-IGF-1C hydrogel promoted hP-MSC survival as visualized by BLI and markedly alleviated mouse colitis, which was possibly mediated by hP-MSC production of PGE₂ and interleukin-10 (IL-10) production by polarized M2 macrophages. Conclusions: The CS-IGF-1C hydrogel improved the engraftment of transplanted hP-MSCs, ameliorated inflammatory responses, and further promoted the functional and structural recovery of colitis through PGE₂-mediated M2 macrophage polarization. Molecular imaging approaches and therapeutic strategies for hydrogel application provide a versatile platform for exploring the promising therapeutic potential of MSCs in the treatment of IBD.

[Effects of maslinic acid on isoproterenol-induced myocardial fibrosis in mice]

Objective: To investigate the effect of maslinic acid (MA) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial fibrosis in mice. Methods: ISO was used to induce myocardial fibrosis in adult male C57BL/6 mice, and MA was administered for two weeks to detect the effects of MA on cardiac function and fibrosis. Molecular changes of fibrosis markers and signaling pathways were detected by RT-PCR and western blotting. Phosphate buffer saline (PBS), PBS+SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor), PBS+MA, ISO, ISO+SB203580, ISO+MA were added to the primary cultured rat fibroblasts. Cells were collected after 48 h for subsequent detection. Results: In this study, the mouse model of myocardial fibrosis was successfully established. The left ventricular faction shortening (FS) and maximum rate of rise and maximum rate of fall of pressure in left ventricular chamber (±dp/dt) of the ISO+MA group were significantly higher than those of the ISO group ((35.1±1.8)% vs (28.5±2.6)%, (7 256±153) mmHg/s vs (6 402±240) mmHg/s, (7 156±163) mmHg/s vs (6 319±219) mmHg/s, all P<0.05). The levels of interstitial and perivascular collagen deposition in the ISO+MA group were higher than those in the ISO group (P<0.05), the relative mRNA levels of COL-1, COL-3 and TGF-β in the ISO+MA group were significantly lower than those in the ISO group, with the relative expression levels of 1.70±0.24 vs 3.69±0.34, 1.72±0.56 vs 4.84±0.82, 1.52±0.19 vs 2.64±0.29, respectively (all P<0.05). The phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK, Smad3 and protein expression level of TGF-β1 in ISO+MA group were lower than those in ISO group (relative expression levels were 1.67±0.35 vs 2.61±0.58, 1.68±0.23 vs 2.52±0.19,1.56±0.15 vs 2.48±0.26, respectively, all P<0.05). The results of in vitro cell experiments showed that the mRNA levels of COL-1, COL-3 and TGF-β in the SB203580 and MA groups were significantly lower than those in the ISO group (relative expression levels were 2.25±0.51, 2.16±0.48 vs 5.29±1.21; 1.58±0.34, 1.69±0.29 vs 4.97±1.32; 1.41±0.31, 1.55±0.38 vs 3.53±0.56, respectively, all P<0.05). The phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK and Smad3 in the SB203580 MA groups was significantly lower than those in the ISO group, and the protein expression level of TGF-β1 was lower than that in the ISO group (1.81±0.18, 1.77±0.16 vs 2.56±0.32; 1.85±0.21, 1.81±0.17 vs 2.48±0.37; 1.84±0.24, 1.72±0.17 vs 2.52±0.29, all P<0.05). Conclusion: Maslinic acid can inhibit the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, thereby preventing the canonical TGF-β1/Smads fibrosis signaling pathway to achieve an anti-fibrosis role.

Measurement of the Lund Jet Plane Using Charged Particles in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

The prevalence of hadronic jets at the LHC requires that a deep understanding of jet formation and structure is achieved in order to reach the highest levels of experimental and theoretical precision. There have been many measurements of jet substructure at the LHC and previous colliders, but the targeted observables mix physical effects from various origins. Based on a recent proposal to factorize physical effects, this Letter presents a double-differential cross-section measurement of the Lund jet plane using 139  fb^{-1} of sqrt[s]=13  TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector using jets with transverse momentum above 675 GeV. The measurement uses charged particles to achieve a fine angular resolution and is corrected for acceptance and detector effects. Several parton shower Monte Carlo models are compared with the data. No single model is found to be in agreement with the measured data across the entire plane.

Non-invasive prediction of fetal growth restriction by whole-genome promoter profiling of maternal plasma DNA: a nested case-control study

Objective

To predict fetal growth restriction (FGR) by whole‐genome promoter profiling of maternal plasma.

Design

Nested case–control study.

Setting

Hospital‐based.

Population or Sample

810 pregnancies: 162 FGR cases and 648 controls.

Methods

We identified gene promoters with a nucleosome footprint that differed between FGR cases and controls based on maternal plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) nucleosome profiling. Optimal classifiers were developed using support vector machine (SVM) and logistic regression (LR) models.

Main outcome measures

Genes with differential coverages in promoter regions through the low‐coverage whole‐genome sequencing data analysis among FGR cases and controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis (area under the curve [AUC], accuracy, sensitivity and specificity) was used to evaluate the performance of classifiers.

Results

Through the low‐coverage whole‐genome sequencing data analysis of FGR cases and controls, genes with significantly differential DNA coverage at promoter regions (−1000 to +1000 bp of transcription start sites) were identified. The non‐invasive ‘FGR classifier 1’ (C_FGR1) had the highest classification performance (AUC, 0.803; 95% CI 0.767–0.839; accuracy, 83.2%) was developed based on 14 genes with differential promoter coverage using a support vector machine.

Conclusions

A promising FGR prediction method was successfully developed for assessing the risk of FGR at an early gestational age based on maternal plasma cfDNA nucleosome profiling.

Tweetable abstract

A promising FGR prediction method was successfully developed, based on maternal plasma cfDNA nucleosome profiling.

A promising FGR prediction method was successfully developed, based on maternal plasma cfDNA nucleosome profiling.