An ATPase-Mimicking MXene nanozyme pharmacologically breaks the ironclad defense system for ferroptosis cancer therapy

Anticancer nanomedicines used for ferroptosis therapy generally rely on the direct delivery of Fenton catalysts to drive lipid peroxidation in cancer cells. However, the therapeutic efficacy is limited by the ferroptosis resistance caused by the intracellular anti-ferroptotic signals. Herein, we report the intrinsic ATPase-mimicking activity of a vanadium carbide MXene nanozyme (PVCMs) to pharmacologically modulate the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) program, which is the master anti-ferroptotic mediator in the ironclad defense system in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. The PVCMs perform high ATPase-like activity that can effectively and selectively catalyze the dephosphorylation of ATP to generate ADP. Through a cascade mechanism initiated by falling energy status, PVCMs can powerfully hinder the Nrf2 program to selectively drive ferroptosis in TNBC cells in response to PVCMs-induced glutathione depletion. This study provides a paradigm for the use of pharmacologically active nanozymes to moderate specific cellular signals and elicit desirable pharmacological activities for therapeutic applications.

Targeted inhibition of pyroptosis via a carbonized nanoinhibitor for alleviating drug-induced acute kidney injury

Pyroptosis is a form of pro-inflammatory programmed cell death and it represents a potential therapeutic target for alleviating drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). However, there is a lack of effective and kidney-targeted pyroptosis inhibitors for AKI treatment so far. Herein, we report a pharmacologically active carbonized nanoinhibitor (P-RCDs) derived from 3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene that can preferentially accumulate in the kidneys and ameliorate chemotherapeutic drug-induced AKI by inhibiting pyroptosis. In particular, such a carbonized nanoformulation enables the transfer of desired pyroptosis inhibitory activity as well as the radical eliminating activity to the nanoscale, endowing P-RCDs with a favorable kidney-targeting ability. In cisplatin-induced AKI mice, P-RCDs can not only pharmacologically inhibit GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in renal cells with high efficacy, but also exhibit high antioxidative activity that protects the kidneys from oxidative injury. The present study proposes a feasible but efficacious strategy to construct versatile carbonized nanomedicine for targeted delivery of the desired pharmacological activities.

On-Demand Activatable and Integrated Bioorthogonal Nanocatalyst against Biofilm-Associated Infections

Bioorthogonal chemistry has emerged as a powerful tool for manipulating biological processes. However, difficulties in controlling the exact location and on-demand catalytic synthesis limit its application in biological systems. Herein, this work constructs an activatable bioorthogonal system integrating a shielded catalyst and prodrug molecules to combat biofilm-associated infections. The catalytic species is activated in response to the hyaluronidase (HAase) secreted by the bacteria and the acidic pH of the biofilm, which is accompanied by the release of prodrugs, to achieve the bioorthogonal catalytic synthesis of antibacterial molecules in situ. Moreover, the system can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to disperse bacterial biofilms, enabling the antibacterial molecules to penetrate the biofilm and eliminate the bacteria within it. This study promotes the design of efficient and safe bioorthogonal catalysts and the development of bioorthogonal chemistry-mediated antibacterial strategies.

An Alkaline Nanocage Continuously Activates Inflammasomes by Disrupting Multiorganelle Homeostasis for Efficient Pyroptosis

Pyroptosis has garnered increasing attention because of its ability to trigger robust antitumor immunity. Pyroptosis is initiated by the activation of inflammasomes, which are regulated by various organelles. The collaboration among organelles offers several protective mechanisms to prevent activation of the inflammasome, thereby limiting the induction of efficient pyroptosis. Herein, a multiorganelle homeostasis disruptor (denoted BLL) is constructed by encapsulating liposomes and bortezomib (BTZ) within a layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocage to continuously activate inflammasomes for inducing efficient pyroptosis. In lysosomes, the negatively charged liposomes are released to recruit the NLRP3 inflammasomes through electrostatic interactions. ER stress is induced by BTZ to enhance the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Meanwhile, the BLL nanocage exhibited H+-scavenging ability due to the weak alkalinity of LDH, thus disrupting the homeostasis of the lysosome and alleviating the degradation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by lysosomal-associated autophagy. Our results suggest that the BLL nanocage induces homeostatic imbalance in various organelles and efficient pyroptosis. We hope this work can provide new insights into the design of an efficient pyroptosis inducer by disrupting the homeostatic balance of multiple organelles and promote the development of novel antineoplastic platforms.

MRI-based radiomics model to preoperatively predict mesenchymal transition subtype in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

AIM

To develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiomics model for the preoperative identification of mesenchymal transition (MT) subtype in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred and eighty-nine patients with histopathologically confirmed HGSOC were enrolled retrospectively. Among the included patients, 55 patients were determined as the MT subtype and the remaining 134 were non-MT subtype. After extracting a total of 204 features from T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and contrast-enhanced (CE)-T1WI images, the Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman correlation test, and Boruta algorithm were adopted to select the optimal feature set. Three classifiers, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF), were trained to develop radiomics models. The performance of established models was evaluated from three aspects: discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility.

RESULTS

Seven radiomics features relevant to MT subtypes were selected to build the radiomics models. The model based on the RF algorithm showed the best performance in predicting MT subtype, with areas under the curves (AUCs) of 0.866 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.797-0.936) and 0.852 (95 % CI: 0.736-0.967) in the training and testing cohorts, respectively. The calibration curves, supported with Brier scores, indicated very good consistency between observation and prediction. Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the RF-based model could provide more net benefit, which suggested favorable utility in clinical application.

CONCLUSION

The RF-based radiomics model provided accurate identification of MT from the non-MT subtype and may help facilitate personalised management of HGSOC.

Experimental Limits on Solar Reflected Dark Matter with a New Approach on Accelerated-Dark-Matter-Electron Analysis in Semiconductors

Recently a dark matter-electron (DM-electron) paradigm has drawn much attention. Models beyond the standard halo model describing DM accelerated by high energy celestial bodies are under intense examination as well. In this Letter, a velocity components analysis (VCA) method dedicated to swift analysis of accelerated DM-electron interactions via semiconductor detectors is proposed and the first HPGe detector-based accelerated DM-electron analysis is realized. Utilizing the method, the first germanium based constraint on sub-GeV solar reflected DM-electron interaction is presented with the 205.4  kg·day dataset from the CDEX-10 experiment. In the heavy mediator scenario, our result excels in the mass range of 5-15  keV/c^{2}, achieving a 3 orders of magnitude improvement comparing with previous semiconductor experiments. In the light mediator scenario, the strongest laboratory constraint for DM lighter than 0.1  MeV/c^{2} is presented. The result proves the feasibility and demonstrates the vast potential of the VCA technique in future accelerated DM-electron analyses with semiconductor detectors.

[Clinical application of split liver transplantation: a single center report of 203 cases]

Objective: To investigate the safety and therapeutic effect of split liver transplantation (SLT) in clinical application. Methods: This is a retrospective case-series study. The clinical data of 203 consecutive SLT, 79 living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and 1 298 whole liver transplantation (WLT) performed at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from July 2014 to July 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Two hundred and three SLT liver grafts were obtained from 109 donors. One hundred and twenty-seven grafts were generated by in vitro splitting and 76 grafts were generated by in vivo splitting. There were 90 adult recipients and 113 pediatric recipients. According to time, SLT patients were divided into two groups: the early SLT group (40 cases, from July 2014 to December 2017) and the mature SLT technology group (163 cases, from January 2018 to July 2023). The survival of each group was analyzed and the main factors affecting the survival rate of SLT were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used for survival analysis. Results: The cumulative survival rates at 1-, 3-, and 5-year were 74.58%, 71.47%, and 71.47% in the early SLT group, and 88.03%, 87.23%, and 87.23% in the mature SLT group, respectively. Survival rates in the mature SLT group were significantly higher than those in the early SLT group (χ2=5.560,P=0.018). The cumulative survival rates at 1-, 3- and 5-year were 93.41%, 93.41%, 89.95% in the LDLT group and 87.38%, 81.98%, 77.04% in the WLT group, respectively. There was no significant difference among the mature SLT group, the LDLT group and the WLT group (χ2=4.016, P=0.134). Abdominal hemorrhage, infection, primary liver graft nonfunction,and portal vein thrombosis were the main causes of early postoperative death. Conclusion: SLT can achieve results comparable to those of WLT and LDLT in mature technology liver transplant centers, but it needs to go through a certain time learning curve.

A Self-Adaptive Pyroptosis Inducer: Optimizing the Catalytic Microenvironment of Nanozymes by Membrane-Adhered Microbe Enables Potent Cancer Immunotherapy

Pyroptosis has garnered increasing attention in cancer immunotherapy. Moreover, increasing plasma membrane damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is considered an effective strategy for promoting pyroptosis. However, the current tactics for enhancing membrane rupture in pyroptosis are limited by the inherent drawbacks of ROS and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Herein, a self-adaptive pyroptosis inducer (LPZ) is designed by integrating Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and an enzyme-like metal-organic framework to achieve potent pyroptosis immunotherapy. LPZ can adhere to cancer cell membranes through the interaction between the pili of LGG and the mucin of cancer cells. In particular, the adaptive formula can gradually enhance the ability of nanozymes to produce ROS by creating an acidic microenvironment through anaerobic respiration. These results verify that LPZ could generate high levels of ROS both on the membrane and within cancer cells, leading to pyroptotic cell death and strong antitumor immunity. Meanwhile, LGG are eventually killed by ROS in this process to halt their respiration and prevent potential biosafety concerns. Overall, this work provides new inspiration for the design of self-adaptive nanocatalytic drugs for cancer immunotherapy.

Single-Atom Catalysts Mediated Bioorthogonal Modulation of N6-Methyladenosine Methylation for Boosting Cancer Immunotherapy

Bioorthogonal reactions provide a powerful tool to manipulate biological processes in their native environment. However, the transition-metal catalysts (TMCs) for bioorthogonal catalysis are limited to low atomic utilization and moderate catalytic efficiency, resulting in unsatisfactory performance in a complex physiological environment. Herein, sulfur-doped Fe single-atom catalysts with atomically dispersed and uniform active sites are fabricated to serve as potent bioorthogonal catalysts (denoted as Fe-SA), which provide a powerful tool for in situ manipulation of cellular biological processes. As a proof of concept, the N6-methyladensoine (m6A) methylation in macrophages is selectively regulated by the mannose-modified Fe-SA nanocatalysts (denoted as Fe-SA@Man NCs) for potent cancer immunotherapy. Particularly, the agonist prodrug of m6A writer METTL3/14 complex protein (pro-MPCH) can be activated in situ by tumor-associated macrophage (TAM)-targeting Fe-SA@Man, which can upregulate METTL3/14 complex protein expression and then reprogram TAMs for tumor killing by hypermethylation of m6A modification. Additionally, we find the NCs exhibit an oxidase (OXD)-like activity that further boosts the upregulation of m6A methylation and the polarization of macrophages via producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ultimately, the reprogrammed M1 macrophages can elicit immune responses and inhibit tumor proliferation. Our study not only sheds light on the design of single-atom catalysts for potent bioorthogonal catalysis but also provides new insights into the spatiotemporal modulation of m6A RNA methylation for the treatment of various diseases.

Bioorthogonal Aptamer-ATTEC Conjugates for Degradation of Alpha-Synuclein via Autophagy-Lysosomal Pathway

Autophagosome-tethering compound (ATTEC) technology has recently been emerging as a novel approach for degrading proteins of interest (POIs). However, it still faces great challenges in how to design target-specific ATTEC molecules. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligonucleotides that can recognize their target proteins with high specificity and affinity. Here, ATTEC is combined with aptamers for POIs degradation. As a proof of concept, pathological protein α-synuclein (α-syn) is chosen as the target and an efficient α-syn degrader is generated. Aptamer as a targeting warhead of α-syn is conjugated with LC3B-binding compound 5,7-dihydroxy-4-phenylcoumarin (DP) via bioorthogonal click reaction. It is demonstrated that the aptamer conjugated with DP is capable of clearing α-syn through LC3 and autophagic degradation. These results indicate that aptamer-based ATTECs are a versatile approach to degrade POIs by taking advantage of the well-defined different aptamers for targeting diverse proteins, which provides a new way for the design of ATTECs to degradation of targeted proteins.

MOFs Modulate Copper Trafficking in Tumor Cells for Bioorthogonal Therapy

In situ drug synthesis using the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction has attracted considerable attention in tumor therapy because of its satisfactory effectiveness and reduced side-effects. However, the exogenous addition of copper catalysts can cause cytotoxicity and has hampered biomedical applications in vivo. Here, we design and synthesize a metal-organic framework (MOF) to mimic copper chaperone, which can selectively modulate copper trafficking for bioorthogonal synthesis with no need of exogenous addition of copper catalysts. Like copper chaperones, the prepared ZIF-8 copper chaperone mimics specifically bind copper ions through the formation of coordination bonds. Moreover, the copper is unloaded under the acidic environment due to the dissipation of the coordination interactions between metal ions and ligands. In this way, the cancer cell-targeted copper chaperone mimics can selectively transport copper ions into cells. Regulation of intracellular copper trafficking may inspire constructing bioorthogonal catalysis system with reduced metal cytotoxicity in live cells.

Measurement and analysis of leakage neutron spectra from Lead slab samples with D-T neutrons

The leakage neutron spectra from three different sizes of Lead samples were measured by a TOF technique at 60° and 120°. The essential characteristic properties of the experimental measurement spectra can be reproduced well by MCNP code simulations with the ENDF/B-VIII.0, CENDL-3.2, JENDL-5.0, JEFF-3.3 and TENDL-2021 evaluated nuclear data libraries. The calculated results of JENDL-5.0 and JEFF-3.3 libraries agree better with the experimental data in the whole energy range. The results from ENDF/B-VIII.0 and CENDL-3.2 are overestimated in the 4-9 MeV range at 60° and in the 4-12.5 MeV range at 120°. The differences of the leakage neutron spectra by MCNP simulations using five evaluated nuclear data libraries mainly originate from the differences of the spectrum distributions of neutron reaction channels in these libraries. And the secondary neutron energy distribution and angular distribution from the five libraries have been present to explain it.

Transforming Intratumor Bacteria into Immunopotentiators to Reverse Cold Tumors for Enhanced Immuno-chemodynamic Therapy of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Immunotherapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has an unsatisfactory therapeutic outcome due to an immunologically "cold" microenvironment. Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) was found to be colonized in triple-negative breast tumors and was responsible for the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and tumor metastasis. Herein, we constructed a bacteria-derived outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-coated nanoplatform that precisely targeted tumor tissues for dual killing of F. nucleatum and cancer cells, thus transforming intratumor bacteria into immunopotentiators in immunotherapy of TNBC. The as-prepared nanoparticles efficiently induced immunogenic cell death through a Fenton-like reaction, resulting in enhanced immunogenicity. Meanwhile, intratumoral F. nucleatum was killed by metronidazole, resulting in the release of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). PAMPs cooperated with OMVs further facilitated the maturation of dendritic cells and subsequent T-cell infiltration. As a result, the "kill two birds with one stone" strategy warmed up the cold tumor environment, maximized the antitumor immune response, and achieved efficient therapy of TNBC as well as metastasis prevention. Overall, this strategy based on a microecology distinction in tumor and normal tissue as well as microbiome-induced reversal of cold tumors provides new insight into the precise and efficient immune therapy of TNBC.

Target-Specific Bioorthogonal Reactions for Precise Biomedical Applications

Bioorthogonal chemistry is a promising toolbox for dissecting biological processes in the native environment. Recently, bioorthogonal reactions have attracted considerable attention in the medical field for treating diseases, since this approach may lead to improved drug efficacy and reduced side effects via in situ drug synthesis. For precise biomedical applications, it is a prerequisite that the reactions should occur in the right locations and on the appropriate therapeutic targets. In this minireview, we highlight the design and development of targeted bioorthogonal reactions for precise medical treatment. First, we compile recent strategies for achieving target-specific bioorthogonal reactions. Further, we emphasize their application for the precise treatment of different therapeutic targets. Finally, a perspective is provided on the challenges and future directions of this emerging field for safe, efficient, and translatable disease treatment.

Quantitative and large-format histochemistry to characterize peripheral artery compositional gradients

The femoropopliteal artery (FPA) is a long, flexible vessel that travels down the anteromedial compartment of the thigh as the femoral artery and then behind the kneecap as the popliteal artery. This artery undergoes various degrees of flexion, extension, and torsion during normal walking movements. The FPA is also the most susceptible peripheral artery to atherosclerosis and is where peripheral artery disease manifests in 80% of cases. The connection between peripheral artery location, its mechanical flexion, and its physiological or pathological biochemistry has been investigated for decades; however, histochemical methods remain poorly leveraged in their ability to spatially correlate normal or abnormal extracellular matrix and cells with regions of mechanical flexion. This study generates new histological image processing pipelines to quantitate tissue composition across high-resolution FPA regions-of-interest or low-resolution whole-section cross-sections in relation to their anatomical locations and flexions during normal movement. Comparing healthy ovine femoral, popliteal, and cranial-tibial artery sections as a pilot, substantial arterial contortion was observed in the distal popliteal and cranial tibial regions of the FPA which correlated with increased vascular smooth muscle cells and decreased elastin content. These methods aim to aid in the quantitative characterization of the spatial distribution of extracellular matrix and cells in large heterogeneous tissue sections such as the FPA. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Large-format histology preserves artery architecture. Elastin and smooth muscle content is correlated with distance from heart and contortion during flexion. Cell and protein analyses are sensitive to sectioning plane and image magnification.

[Interaction analysis of the influence of different factors and benzene exposure on workers' alanine aminotransferase]

Objective: To investigate the main factors that influence ALT abnormalities in workers exposed to benzene. Methods: In June 2022, data of 613 enterprises with benzene hazards and 585 enterprises with non-benzene hazards in Tianjin in 2021 were collected, and occupational health examination data of 13018 workers with benzene exposure and 13018 workers with non-benzene exposure were collected, and the region, enterprise type, industry classification and enterprise scale of the employer were analyzed. And occupational health examination data of workers with benzene exposure and non-benzene exposure. The effects of personal general situation, occupational history, enterprise information and benzene exposure on alanine aminotransferase were evaluated by additive interaction. Results: Compared with the group of non-benzene-exposed workers, the personal general conditions, occupational history, company information were higher in the benzene-exposed workers, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The quantitative analysis of additive interaction found that gender (RERI=2.632, 95%CI: 1.966-3.297; AP=0.383, 95%CI: 0.311-0.456; S=1.813, 95%CI: 1.530-2.149), age (RERI=1.142, 95%CI: 0.928-1.356; AP=0.462, 95% CI: 0.371-0.552; S=4.461, 95%CI: 1.800-11.053), length of service (RERI=-1.199, 95%CI: -1.653--0.745; AP=-0.456, 95%CI: -0.640--0.271; S=0.576, 95%CI: 0.479-0.693), region (RERI=0.421, 95% CI: 0.148-0.694; AP=0.161, 95%CI: 0.053-0.268; S=1.350, 95%CI: 1.057-1.726), industry classification (RERI=0.627, 95%CI: 0.345-0.910; AP=0.232, 95%CI: 0.132-0.332; S=1.584, 95%CI: 1.233-2.035) and benzene exposure had a statistically significant additive interaction with abnormal serum ALT. Conclusion: Emphasis should be placed on male workers under the age of 40 in the petrochemical industry, oil storage and transportation, and power production, so as to protect the health of workers more specifically and reduce the risk of disability due to disease.

Value of deep-learning image reconstruction at submillisievert CT for evaluation of the female pelvis

AIM

To assess the value of deep-learning reconstruction (DLR) at submillisievert computed tomography (CT) for the evaluation of the female pelvis, with standard dose (SD) hybrid iterative reconstruction (IR) images as reference.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study enrolled 50 female patients consecutively who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT for clinically indicated reasons. Submillisievert pelvic images were acquired using a noise index of 15 for low-dose (LD) scans, which were reconstructed with DLR (body and body sharp), hybrid-IR, and model-based IR (MBIR). Additionally, SD scans were reconstructed with a noise index of 7.5 using hybrid-IR. Radiation dose, quantitative image quality, overall image quality, image appearance using a five-point Likert scale (1-5: worst to best), and lesion evaluation in both SD and LD images were analysed and compared.

RESULTS

The submillisievert pelvic CT examinations showed a 61.09 ± 4.13% reduction in the CT dose index volume compared to SD examinations. Among the LD images, DLR (body sharp) had the highest quantitative quality, followed by DLR (body), MBIR, and hybrid-IR. LD DLR (body) had overall image quality comparable to the reference (p=0.084) and favourable image appearance (p=0.209). In total, 40 pelvic lesions were detected in both SD and LD images. LD DLR (body and body sharp) exhibited similar diagnostic confidence (p=0.317 and 0.096) compared with SD hybrid-IR.

CONCLUSION

DLR algorithms, providing comparable image quality and diagnostic confidence, are feasible in submillisievert abdominopelvic CT. The DLR (body) algorithm with favourable image appearance is recommended in clinical settings.

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks: new horizons in biomedical applications

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) are an emerging attractive class of highly crystalline porous materials characterized by significant biocompatibility, rich chemical functionalities and well-defined porosity. The unique advantages including metal-free nature and reversible binding manner significantly distinguish HOFs from other porous materials in the biotechnology and biomedical field. However, the relevant HOF studies still remain in their infancy despite the promising and remarkable results that have been presented in recent years. Due to the intricate and dynamic nature of physiological conditions, the major challenge lies in the stability and structural diversity of HOFs in vivo. In this Tutorial Review, we summarize the common building blocks for the construction of HOF-based functional biomaterials and the latest developments in the biological field. Moreover, we highlight current challenges regarding the stability and functionalization of HOFs along with the corresponding potential solutions. This Tutorial Review will have a profound effect in future years on the design and applications of HOF-based biomaterials.

Targeting mitochondrial degradation by chimeric autophagy-tethering compounds

The ability to regulate mitophagy in a living system with small molecules remains a great challenge. We hypothesize that adding fragments specific to the key autophagosome protein LC3 to mitochondria will mimic receptor-mediated mitophagy, thus engaging the autophagy-lysosome pathway to induce mitochondrial degradation. Herein, we develop a general biochemical approach to modulate mitophagy, dubbed mito-ATTECs, which employ chimera molecules composed of LC3-binding moieties linked to mitochondria-targeting ligands. Mito-ATTECs trigger mitophagy via targeting mitochondria to autophagosomes through direct interaction between mito-ATTECs and LC3 on mitochondrial membranes. Subsequently, autophagosomes containing mitochondria rapidly fuse with lysosomes to facilitate the degradation of mitochondria. Therefore, mito-ATTECs circumvent the detrimental effects related to disruption of mitochondrial membrane integrity by inducers routinely used to manipulate mitophagy, and provide a versatile biochemical approach to investigate the physiological roles of mitophagy. Furthermore, we found that sustained mitophagy lead to mitochondrial depletion and autophagic cell death in several malignant cell lines (lethal mitophagy). Among them, apoptosis-resistant malignant melanoma cell lines are particularly sensitive to lethal mitophagy. The therapeutic efficacy of mito-ATTECs has been further evaluated by using subcutaneous and pulmonary metastatic melanoma models. Together, the mitochondrial depletion achieved by mito-ATTECs may demonstrate the general concept of inducing cancer cell lethality through excessive mitochondrial clearance, establishing a promising therapeutic paradigm for apoptosis-resistant tumors.

Priority list of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food chemical contaminants: a docking study and in vitro/epidemiological evidence integration

Diet is an important exposure route of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), but many unfiltered potential EDCs remain in food. The in silico prediction of EDCs is a popular method for preliminary screening. Potential EDCs in food were screened using Endocrine Disruptome, an open-source platform for inverse docking, to predict the binding probabilities of 587 food chemical contaminants with 18 human nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) conformations. In total, 25 contaminants were bound to multiple NHRs such as oestrogen receptor α/β and androgen receptor. These 25 compounds mainly include pesticides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). The prediction results were validated with the in vitro data. The structural features and the crucial amino acid residues of the four NHRs were also validated based on previous literature. The findings indicate that the screening has good prediction efficiency. In addition, the epidemic evidence about endocrine interference of PFASs in food on children was further validated through this screening. This study provides preliminary screening results for EDCs in food and a priority list for in vitro and in vivo research.

Predicting Radiation Esophagitis using 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT in Patients with LA-ESCC Treated with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

This prospective study examined whether 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT can predict the development and severity of radiation esophagitis (RE) in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LA-ESCC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

From June 2021 to March 2022, images were prospectively collected from LA-ESCC patients who underwent 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT examinations before and during radiotherapy. The development of RE was evaluated weekly according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criterion. The target-to-background ratio in blood (TBRblood) was analyzed at each time point and correlated with the onset and severity of RE. Factors that predicted RE were identified by multivariate logistic analyses.

RESULTS

Thirty patients (median age, 66.5 years [interquartile range: 56¨C71 years]; 22 men) were evaluated. Significantly higher TBRblood (during radiotherapy, mean: 3.06 vs 7.11, P = 0.003) and change in TBRblood compared with pre-RT (ΔTBRblood, mean: 0.67 vs 4.81, P = 0.002) were observed in patients with RE than patients without RE. Those with grade 3 RE had a significantly higher TBRblood (during radiotherapy, mean: 4.55 vs 9.66, P = 0.003) and ΔTBRblood (mean: 2.16 vs 7.50, P = 0.003) compared with those with RE

CONCLUSION

The ΔTBRblood on 18F-FAPI-04 PET/CT may be effective at identifying patients at risk for the development of RE, especially grade 3 RE.

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Affiliation(s)

X Hu Department of Radiology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
C Han Department of Surgery II, Breast Cancer Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Jinan, Shandong, China
M Zhang 1.Department of Radiology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China. 2.Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
Z Mu Department of Pathology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
Z Fu Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Jinan, China
J Ren Department of PET/CT Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
K Qiao Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
J Jia Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China 2. Department of Radiology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
J Yu Shandong Cancer Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
S Yuan Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
Y Wei Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China

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A Homing Missile-Like Nanotherapeutic with Single-Atom Catalytic Sites for In Situ Elimination of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens

Intracellular bacterial pathogens hiding in host cells tolerate the innate immune system and high-dose antibiotics, resulting in recurrent infections that are difficult to treat. Herein, a homing missile-like nanotherapeutic (FeSAs@Sa.M) composed of a single-atom iron nanozyme (FeSAs) core coated with infected macrophage membrane (Sa.M) is developed for in situ elimination of intracellular methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Mechanically, the FeSAs@Sa.M initially binds to the extracellular MRSA via the bacterial recognition ability of the Sa.M component. Subsequently, the FeSAs@Sa.M can be transported to the intracellular MRSA-located regions in the host cell like a homing missile under the guidance of the extracellular MRSA to which it is attached, generating highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for intracellular MRSA killing via the enzymatic activities of the FeSAs core. The FeSAs@Sa.M is far superior to FeSAs in killing intracellular MRSA, proposing a feasible strategy for treating intracellular infections by in situ generating ROS in bacterial residing regions.

Chirality-Dependent Reprogramming of Macrophages by Chiral Nanozymes

It is known that extracellular free radical reactive oxygen species (ROS) rather than intracellular ROS plays a non-substitutable role in regulation of tumor-suppressing (M1) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) polarization. However, most therapeutic nanoplatforms mainly provide intracellular ROS and exhibit insufficient accumulation near TAMs, which strongly limits the macrophage-based immunotherapeutic effects. Here we design and synthesize chiral MoS2 /CoS2 nanozymes with peroxidase (POD)-like and catalase (CAT)-like activities to efficiently modulate TAMs polarization and reverse tumor immunosuppression by harnessing their chirality-specific interactions with biological systems. MoS2 /CoS2 nanoparticles coordinated with d-chirality (d-NPs, right-handed) show improved pharmacokinetics with longer circulating half-life and higher tumor accumulation compared with their l (left-handed)- and dl (racemate)-counterparts. Further, d-NPs can escape from macrophage uptake in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with the aid of cell-unpreferred opposite chirality and act as extracellular hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) and oxygen (O2 ) generators to efficiently repolarize TAMs into M1 phenotype. On the contrary, l-NPs showed high cellular uptake due to chirality-driven homologous adhesion between l-NPs and macrophage membrane, leading to limited M1 polarization performance. As the first example for developing chiral nanozymes as extracellular-localized ROS generators to reprogram TAMs for cancer immunotherapy, this study opens an avenue for applications of chiral nanozymes in immunomodulation.

A bimetallic nanoplatform for STING activation and CRISPR/Cas mediated depletion of the methionine transporter in cancer cells restores anti-tumor immune responses

Lack of sufficient cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD8+ T cells) infiltration and dysfunctional state of CD8+ T cells are considered enormous obstacles to antitumor immunity. Herein, we construct a synergistic nanoplatform to promote CD8+ T cell infiltration in tumors while restoring T cell function by regulating methionine metabolism and activating the STING innate immune pathway. The CRISPR/Cas9 system down-regulates the methionine transporter SLC43A2 and restricts the methionine uptake by tumor cells, thereby relieving the methionine competition pressure of T cells; simultaneously, the released nutrition metal ions activate the cGAS/STING pathway. In this work, the described nanoplatform can enhance the effect of immunotherapy in preclinical cancer models in female mice, enhancing STING pathway mediated immunity and facilitating the development of amino acid metabolic intervention-based cancer therapy.

Lactate-Responsive Gene Editing to Synergistically Enhance Macrophage-Mediated Cancer Immunotherapy

Combination therapies involving metabolic regulation and immune checkpoint blockade are considered an encouraging new strategy for cancer therapy. However, the effective utilization of combination therapies for activating tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) remains challenging. Herein, a lactate-catalyzed chemodynamic approach to activate the therapeutic genome editing of signal-regulatory protein α (SIRPα) to reprogram TAMs and improve cancer immunotherapy is proposed. This system is constructed by encapsulating lactate oxidase (LOx) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-mediated SIRPα genome-editing plasmids in a metal-organic framework (MOF). The genome-editing system is released and activated by acidic pyruvate, which is produced by the LOx-catalyzed oxidation of lactate. The synergy between lactate exhaustion and SIRPα signal blockade can enhance the phagocytic ability of TAMs and promote the repolarization of TAMs to the antitumorigenic M1 phenotype. Lactate exhaustion-induced CD47-SIRPα blockade efficiently improves macrophage antitumor immune responses and effectively reverses the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to inhibit tumor growth, as demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo studies. This study provides a facile strategy for engineering TAMs in situ by combining CRISPR-mediated SIRPα knockout with lactate exhaustion for effective immunotherapy.

Nanozyme-Based Supramolecular Self-Assembly As an Artificial Host Defense System For Treatment of Bacterial Infections

The proper functioning of host defense system (HDS) is the key to combating bacterial infection in biological organisms. However, the delicate HDS may be dysfunctional or dysregulated, resulting in persistent infection, tissue damage, or delayed wound healing. Herein, a powerful artificial "host defense system" (aHDS) is designed and constructed for treatment of bacterial infections. First, the aHDS can quickly trap the bacteria by electrostatic interactions. Next, the system can be stimulated to produce large amounts of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and exert strong antibacterial effects, which can further regulate the immune microenvironment, leading to macrophage polarization from M0 to pro-inflammatory phenotype (M1) for synergistic bacteria killing. At the later stages, the system can exhibit excellent antioxidant enzyme-like activities to reprogram the M1 macrophage to anti-inflammatory phenotype (M2) for accelerating wound healing. This powerful aHDS can effectively combat the bacteria and avoid excessive inflammatory responses for the treatment of bacteria-infected wounds.

Dimensionality Engineering of Single-Atom Nanozyme for Efficient Peroxidase-Mimicking

In nature, enzymatic reactions occur in well-functioning catalytic pockets, where substrates bind and react by properly arranging the catalytic sites and amino acids in a three-dimensional (3D) space. Single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) are a new type of nanozymes with active sites similar to those of natural metalloenzymes. However, the catalytic centers in current SAzymes are two-dimensional (2D) architectures and the lack of collaborative substrate-binding features limits their catalytic activity. Herein, we report a dimensionality engineering strategy to convert conventional 2D Fe-N-4 centers into 3D structures by integrating oxidized sulfur functionalities onto the carbon plane. Our results suggest that oxidized sulfur functionalities could serve as binding sites for assisting substrate orientation and facilitating the desorption of H₂O, resulting in an outstanding specific activity of up to 119.77 U mg^-1, which is 6.8 times higher than that of conventional FeN₄C SAzymes. This study paves the way for the rational design of highly active single-atom nanozymes.

Bioorthogonal Disruption of Pyroptosis Checkpoint for High-Efficiency Pyroptosis Cancer Therapy

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that holds great promise in cancer therapy. However, autophagy as the crucial pyroptosis checkpoint and the self-protective mechanism of cancer cells significantly weakens the therapeutic efficiency. Here, a bioorthogonal pyroptosis nanoregulator is constructed to induce pyroptosis and disrupt the checkpoint, enabling high-efficiency pyroptosis cancer therapy. The nanoregulator allows the in situ synthesis and accumulation of the photosensitizer PpIX in the mitochondria of cancer cells to directly produce mitochondrial ROS, thus triggering pyroptosis. Meanwhile, the in situ generated autophagy inhibitor via palladium-catalyzed bioorthogonal chemistry can disrupt the pyroptosis checkpoint to boost the pyroptosis efficacy. With the biomimetic cancer cell membrane coating, this platform for modulating pyroptosis presents specificity to cancer cells and poses no harm to normal tissue, resulting in a highly efficient and safe antitumor treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a disrupting intrinsic protective mechanism of cancer cells for tumor pyroptosis therapy. This work highlights that autophagy as a checkpoint plays a key regulative role in pyroptosis therapy, which would motivate the future design of therapeutic regimens.

An Antibody Engineered Metalloenzyme for Mediating Cell-Cell Communication and Activation of Immuno- and Chemotherapy

Artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) are gaining much attention in life sciences. However, the function of the present ArMs for disease treatment is still in its infancy, which may impede the possible therapeutic potential. Herein, we construct an antibody engineered ArM by using the Fc region of IgG and bioorthogonal chemistry, which endows the ArM with the capability of manipulating cell-cell communication and bioorthogonal catalysis for tumor immuno- and chemotherapy. Specially, Fc-Pd ArM is modified on the cancer cell surface by metabolic glycoengineering to catalyze the bioorthogonal activation of prodrug for tumor chemotherapy. More importantly, the antibody-based ArM can mediate cell-cell communication between cancer cells and NK cells, activating the ADCC effect for immunotherapy. In vivo antitumor applications suggest that the ArM can not only eliminate primary tumor but also inhibit tumor lung metastasis. Our work provides a new attempt to develop artificial metalloenzymes with cell-cell communication the ability for bioorthogonal catalysis and combination therapy.

A Polyoxometalate-Based Pathologically Activated Assay for Efficient Bioorthogonal Catalytic Selective Therapy

Since polyoxometalates (POMs) can undergo reversible multi-electron redox transformations, they have been used to modulate the electronic environment of metal nanoparticles for catalysis. Besides, POMs possess unique electronic structures and acid-responsive self-assembly ability. These properties inspire us to tackle the drawbacks of the well-known copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction when applied in biomedical applications, such as low catalytic efficiency and unsatisfactory disease selectivity in living systems. Herein, we construct the molybdenum (Mo)-based POM nanoclusters doped with Cu (Cu-POM NCs) as a highly efficient bioorthogonal catalyst, which is responsive to pathologically acid and H2S for selective antibiofilm therapy. Leveraging the merits of POM, the Cu-POM NCs exhibit biofilm-responsive self-assemble behavior, efficient CuAAC reactions-mediated in situ synthesis of antibacterial molecules, and NIR-II photothermal effect selectively triggered by H2S in pathogens. It should be noted that the consumption of bacterial H2S at the pathological site by Cu-POM NCs extremely decreases the number of persister bacteria, which is conducive to the inhibition of bacterial tolerance and elimination of biofilms. Unlocked at pathological sites and endowed with NIR-II photothermal property, the constructed POM-based bioorthogonal catalytic platform provides new insights into the design of efficient and selective bioorthogonal catalysts for disease therapy.

Radiomic analysis of MRI for prediction of response to induction chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

AIM

To establish and validate radiomic models for response prediction to induction chemotherapy (IC) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using the radiomic features from pretreatment MRI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective analysis included 184 consecutive NPC patients, 132 in the primary cohort and 52 in the validation cohort. Radiomic features were derived from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1) and T2-weighted imaging (T2-WI) for each subject. The radiomic features were then selected and combined with clinical characteristics to build radiomic models. The potential of the radiomic models was evaluated based on its discrimination and calibration. To measure the performance of these radiomic models in predicting the treatment response to IC in NPC, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were used.

RESULTS

Four radiomic models were constructed in the present study including the radiomic signature of CE-T1, T2-WI, CE-T1 + T2-WI, and the radiomic nomogram of CE-T1. The radiomic signature of CE-T1 + T2-WI performed well in distinguishing response and non-response to IC in patients with NPC, which yielded an AUC of 0.940 (95% CI, 0.885-0.974), sensitivity of 83.1%, specificity of 91.8%, and accuracy of 87.1% in the primary cohort, and AUC of 0.952 (95% CI, 0.855-0.992), sensitivity of 74.2%, specificity of 95.2%, and accuracy of 82.7% in the validation cohort.

CONCLUSION

MRI-based radiomic models could be helpful for personalised risk stratification and treatment in NPC patients receiving IC.

A DNA-Gated and Self-Protected Bioorthogonal Catalyst for Nanozyme-Assisted Safe Cancer Therapy

Transition metal catalysts (TMCs) mediated bioorthogonal uncaging catalysis has sparked increasing interest in prodrug activation. However, due to their "always-on" catalytic activity as well as the complex and catalytic-detrimental intracellular environment, the biosafety and therapeutic efficiency of TMCs are unsatisfactory. Herein, a DNA-gated and self-protected bioorthogonal catalyst has been designed by modifying nanozyme-Pd0 with highly programmable nucleic acid (DNA) molecules to achieve efficient intracellular drug synthesis for cancer therapy.Monolayer DNA molecules could endow the catalyst with targeting and perform as a gatekeeper to achieve selective prodrug activation within cancer cells. Meanwhile, the prepared graphitic nitrogen-doped carbon nanozyme with glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT)-like activities could improve the catalytic-detrimental intracellular environment to prevent the catalyst from being inactivated and sensitize the subsequent chemotherapy. Overall, we believe that our work will promote the development of secure and efficient bioorthogonal catalytic systems and provide new insights into novel antineoplastic platforms.

Improved Measurement of the Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge of neutrinos. In this Letter, the evolution of the flux and spectrum as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and spectrum, as well as the flux evolution with the ^{239}Pu isotopic fraction, are inconsistent with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted inverse-beta-decay spectrum from ^{239}Pu fission does not improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted spectrum due to ^{235}U fission is changed or the predicted ^{235}U, ^{238}U, ^{239}Pu, and ^{241}Pu spectra are changed in equal measure.

[The anatomic zone localization based on biparametric MRI for the prediction of the risk degree of prostate cancer]

Objective: To investigate the anatomic zone localization based on biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) for the prediction of the risk degree in patients with prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 92 patients with prostate cancer confirmed by radical surgery in First Affiliated Hospital, Air Force Medical University, from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected. All patients underwent bpMRI (non-enhanced scan and DWI). According to ISUP grade, those patients were divided into low-risk group [≤grade 2, n=26, aged 71 (64.0, 5.2) years] and high-risk group[≥grade 3, n=66, aged 70.5 (63.0, 74.0) years]. The interobserver consistency test for ADC values was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The differences in total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) between the two groups were compared and the χ² test was used to compare the differences in the risk of prostate cancer in the transitional and peripheral zone. Independent correlation factors for prostate cancer risk were analyzed by logistic regression using high and low risk of prostate cancer as dependent variables, including factors such as anatomical zone, tPSA, apparent diffusion coefficient mean (ADC_mean), apparent diffusion coefficient minimum (ADC_min) and age. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to assess the efficacy of the combined models of anatomical zone, tPSA, and anatomical partitioning+tPSA for diagnosing prostate cancer risk. Results: The ICC values of the ADC_mean and ADC_min between the observers were 0.906 and 0.885, respectively, with good agreement. The tPSA in the low-risk group was lower than that in the high-risk group [19.64 (10.29, 35.18) ng/ml vs 72.42 (24.79, 187.98) ng/ml; P<0.001]; the risk of prostate cancer in the peripheral zone was higher than that in the transitional zone, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Multifactorial regression showed that anatomical zones (OR=0.120, 95%CI:0.029-0.501, P=0.004) and tPSA (OR=1.059, 95%CI:1.022-1.099, P=0.002) were risk factors for prostate cancer risk. The diagnostic efficacy of the combined model (AUC=0.895, 95%CI: 0.831-0.958) was better than the predictive efficacy of the single model for both anatomical partitioning (AUC=0.717, 95%CI:0.597-0.837) and tPSA (AUC=0.801, 95%CI: 0.714-0.887) (Z=3.91, 2.47; all P<0.05). Conclusions: The malignant degree of prostate cancer in peripheral zone was higher than that in transitional zone. Combination of anatomic zone located by bpMRI and tPSA can be used to predict the risk of prostate cancer before surgery, expected to provide support for patients to develop personalized treatment strategies.

Bioorthogonally Activatable Autophagy-Tethering Compounds for Aptamer-Guided Mitochondrial Degradation

Although macroautophagy degradation targeting chimeras (MADTACs) have been demonstrated to be efficient in a broad spectrum from intracellular proteins to macromolecular complexes such as lipid droplets and the mitochondrion, MADTACs still face degradation of uncontrolled protein in normal cells and cause systemic toxicity, thus limiting their therapeutic applications. Herein, we employ bioorthogonal chemistry to develop a spatially controlled MADTACs strategy. Separated warheads display no activity in normal cells but can be activated by aptamer-based Cu nanocatalyst (Apt-Cu³⁰) in tumors specifically. These in situ synthesized chimera molecules (bio-ATTECs) can degrade the mitochondrion in live tumor cells and subsequently induce autophagic cell death, which has been further demonstrated by lung metastasis melanoma murine models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first bioorthogonal activated MADTAC in live cells for inducing autophagic tumor cell death, which may promote the development of cell-specific MADTACs for precision therapeutics by avoiding undesired side effects.

Renal Clearable Quantum Dot-Drug Conjugates Modulate Labile Iron Species and Scavenge Free Radicals for Attenuating Chemotherapeutic Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Chemotherapeutic drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) involves pathologically increased labile iron species in the kidneys that mediate the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce ferroptosis and apoptosis, subsequently driving renal dysfunction. Herein, we report renal clearable quantum dot-drug conjugates (QDCs) composed of carbon quantum dot (CDs), deferoxamine (DFO), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for attenuating chemotherapeutic drug-induced AKI. The CDs component in QDCs can not only provide DFO with high renal specificity to effectively remove the pathological labile iron species in the kidneys to block the source of ROS generation but also exert high antioxidative effects to avoid renal oxidative damage caused by the ROS that have been overproduced. In cisplatin-induced AKI mice, QDCs can inhibit ferroptosis and apoptosis with high efficacy for AKI treatment. This study will provide a new paradigm to realize enhanced therapeutic efficacy for AKI by simultaneously removing the pathological labile iron species and eliminating overproduced ROS in the kidneys to achieve the goal of addressing both symptoms and root causes.

Enantioselective Degrader for Elimination of Extracellular Aggregation-Prone Proteins hIAPP Associated with Type 2 Diabetes

Targeted protein degradation has demonstrated the power to modulate protein homeostasis. For overcoming the limitation to intracellular protein degradation, lysosome targeting chimeras have been recently developed and successfully utilized to degrade a range of disease-relevant extracellular and membrane proteins. Inspired by this strategy, here we describe our proof-of-concept studies using metallohelix-based degraders to deliver the extracellular human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) into the lysosomes for degradation. Our designed metallohelix can bind and inhibit hIAPP aggregation, and the conjugated tri-GalNAc motif can target macrophage galactose-type lectin 1 (MGL1), yielding chimeric molecules that can both inhibit hIAPP aggregation and direct the bound hIAPP for lysosomal degradation in macrophages. Further studies demonstrate that the enhanced hIAPP clearance has been through the endolysosomal system and depends on MGL1-mediated endocytosis. Intriguingly, Λ enantiomers show even better efficiency in preventing hIAPP aggregation and promoting internalization and degradation of hIAPP than Δ enantiomers. Moreover, metallohelix-based degraders also faciltate the clearance of hIAPP through asialoglycoprotein receptor in liver cells. Overall, our studies demonstrate that chiral metallohelix can be employed for targeted degradation of extracellular misfolded proteins and possess enantioselectivity.

Selective Methionine Pool Exhaustion Mediated by a Sequential Positioned MOF Nanotransformer for Intense Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer cells are addictive to exogenous methionine to gear toward tumor proliferation. Meanwhile, they can replenish methionine pool from polyamine metabolism through a methionine salvage pathway. However, the current developed therapeutic tactics for methionine depletion are still facing great challenges in terms of the selectivity, safety, and efficiency. Herein, a sequential positioned metal-organic framework (MOF) nanotransformer is designed to selectively exhaust the methionine pool via inhibiting the uptake of methionine and throttling its salvage pathway for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. The MOF nanotransformer can restrain the open source and reduce the reflux of methionine to exhaust the methionine pool of cancer cells. Moreover, the intracellular traffic routes of the sequential positioned MOF nanotransformer match well with the distribution of polyamines, which is conducive to the oxidation of polyamines via its responsive deformability and nanozyme-augmented Fenton-like reaction for the final exhaustion of intracellular methionine. These results verify that the well-designed platform cannot only kill cancer cells efficiently but also promote the infiltration of CD8 and CD4 T cells for intensive cancer immunotherapy. Overall, it is believed that this work will inspire the construction of novel MOF-based antineoplastic platforms and provide new insights into the development of metabolic-related immunotherapy.

Precision Measurement of Reactor Antineutrino Oscillation at Kilometer-Scale Baselines by Daya Bay

We present a new determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle θ_{13} and the mass-squared difference Δm_{32}^{2} using a final sample of 5.55×10^{6} inverse beta-decay (IBD) candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium. This sample is selected from the complete dataset obtained by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in 3158 days of operation. Compared to the previous Daya Bay results, selection of IBD candidates has been optimized, energy calibration refined, and treatment of backgrounds further improved. The resulting oscillation parameters are sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0851±0.0024, Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.466±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the normal mass ordering or Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.571±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the inverted mass ordering.

A neutrophil mimicking metal-porphyrin-based nanodevice loaded with porcine pancreatic elastase for cancer therapy

Precise discrimination and eradication of cancer cells by immune cells independent of antigen recognition is promising for solid tumor therapeutics, yet remains a tremendous challenge. Inspired by neutrophils, here we design and construct a tumor discrimination nanodevice based on the differential histone H1 isoform expression. In this nanodevice, neutrophil membrane camouflage and glutathione (GSH)-unlocking effect on Fe-porphyrin metal-organic framework structure ensures selectivity to cancer cells. The released porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) simulates neutrophils' action to induce histone H1 release-dependent selective cancer cell killing. Meanwhile, nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide-tagged porphyrin (porphyrin-NLS) acts as in-situ singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generator to amplify histone H1 nucleo-cytoplasmic translocation by inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) under laser irradiation, further promoting elimination of cancer cells. The overexpressed histone H1 isoform in cancer cells improves selectivity of our nanodevice to cancer cells. In vivo studies demonstrate that our design can not only inhibit primary tumor growth, but also induce adaptive T-cell response-mediated abscopal effect to against distal tumors.

Bioorthogonal Activation of TLR7 Agonists Provokes Innate Immunity to Reinforce Aptamer-Based Checkpoint Blockade

Although cancer immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint blockade has shown promising clinical responses, the limited host response rate and systemic side effects still restrict immunotherapy efficacy. To address these challenges, here, we construct an aptamer-functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) catalyst for bioorthogonal activation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) 7 agonists and programmed death-ligand 1 (PDL1) blockade for enhanced antitumor immunotherapy. The catalyst contains ultrasmall Pd nanoparticles enabling the local activation of TLR7 agonists in native form, which results in the remodeling of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Meanwhile, the loaded PDL1 aptamers release in response to phosphate and block the PD1/PDL1 signaling pathway between T cells and cancer cells. Thus, synergy between TLR7 agonists and PDL1 blockade induces the infiltration and activation of immune cells to initiate a robust immune response, thereby simultaneously inhibiting primary and distant metastatic tumors. The immunotherapeutic effect of our design has been demonstrated in both single and bilateral subcutaneous colorectal cancer (CT26) models. In situ bioorthogonal activation of agonists may offer an alternative approach to improve the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy with minimized systemic toxicity. Our work will provide good inspiration for current checkpoint blockade-based immunotherapy.

Bioorthogonal-Activated In Situ Vaccine Mediated by a COF-Based Catalytic Platform for Potent Cancer Immunotherapy

Personalized tumor vaccines have become a promising modality for cancer immunotherapy. However, in situ personalized tumor vaccines generated from immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD) and adjuvants are mired by toxic side effects and unsatisfactory efficiency. Herein, by functionalizing the reticular structure to optimize the catalytic activity of the materials, a series of biocompatible covalent organic framework (COF)-based catalysts have been designed and screened for establishing a bioorthogonal-activated in situ cancer vaccine in an efficient and safe way. Especially, pro-doxorubicin (pro-DOX) could be bioorthogonally activated in situ by the COF-based Fe(II) catalysts, which elicited ICD and released tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). This in situ prodrug activation strategy could minimize drug side effects and maximize treatment effects. More importantly, the system could also catalytically activate pro-imiquimod (pro-IMQ, a TLR7/8 immune agonist), which served as an adjuvant to amplify the antitumor immunity. Notably, this bioorthogonal-activated in situ cancer vaccine not only facilitated a strong antitumor immune response but also prevented the dose-dependent side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, including systemic inflammation caused by the random distribution of adjuvants. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time to devise an efficient catalytic platform for generating an in situ bioorthogonal-activated cancer vaccine, which would provide a paradigm for achieving secure and robust immunotherapy.

Integrating Incompatible Nanozyme-Catalyzed Reactions for Diabetic Wound Healing

Multi-nanozymes are widely applied in disease treatment, biosensing, and other fields. However, most current multi-nanozyme systems exhibit only moderate activity since reaction microenvironments of different nanozyme are often distinct or even incompatible. Conventional assemble strategies are inapplicable for designing multi-nanozymes consisting of incompatible nanozymes. Herein, a versatile fiber-based compartmentalization strategy is developed to construct multi-nanozyme system capable of simultaneously performing incompatible reactions. In this system, the incompatible nanozymes are spatially distributed in distinct compartmentalized fibers, where different microenvironments can be tailored by controlling the doping reagent, endowing each nanozymes with the preferential microenvironments to exhibit their highest activity. As a proof of concept, pH-incompatible peroxidase-like and catalase-like catalytic reactions are tested to verify the feasibility of this strategy. By doping with benzoic acid in the desired location, the two pH-incompatible nanozymes can work simultaneously without interference. Further, it is demonstrated that the oxygen supply and antimicrobial power of the integrated platform can be applied for accelerating diabetic wound healing. It is hoped that this work provides a way to integrate incompatible nanozyme and broadens the application potential of multi-nanozymes.

Liquid Metal as Bioinspired and Unusual Modulator in Bioorthogonal Catalysis for Tumor Inhibition Therapy

Bioorthogonal catalysis mediated by Pd-based transition metal catalysts has sparked increasing interest in combating diseases. However, the catalytic and therapeutic efficiency of current Pd⁰ catalysts is unsatisfactory. Herein, inspired by the concept that ligands around metal sites could enable enzymes to catalyze astonishing reactions by changing their electronic environment, a LM-Pd catalyst with liquid metal (LM) as an unusual modulator has been designed to realize efficient bioorthogonal catalysis for tumor inhibition. The LM matrix can serve as a "ligand" to afford an electron-rich environment to stabilize the active Pd⁰ and promote nucleophilic turnover of the π-allylpalladium species to accelerate the uncaging process. Besides, the photothermal properties of LM can lead to the enhanced removal of tumor cells by photo-enhanced catalysis and photothermal effect. We believe that our work will broaden the application of LM and motivate the design of bioinspired bioorthogonal catalysts.

[Different rapid maxillary expansion methods in the treatment of adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome]

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common sleep respiratory disorder characterized by upper respiratory collapse during sleep, with a high prevalence and potentially fatal complications. Currently, maxillary transverse deficiency are considered to be an important pathogenic factor of OSAHS. For patients with poor compliance with positive airway pressure therapy, rapid maxillary expansion can increase the volume and ventilation of the upper respiratory tract, which is an alternative treatment. This paper reviewed the current research on surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion, miniscrew assisted rapid palatal expansion, and distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion in the treatment of adult OSAHS. By comparing the indications, contraindications, complications, efficacy and long-term stability of the three treatment methods, it provided reference for treatment of patients with OSAHS.

COF-based artificial probiotic for modulation of gut microbiota and immune microenvironment in inflammatory bowel disease

Conventional strategies for treating inflammatory bowel disease merely relieve inflammation and excessive immune response, but fail to solve the underlying causes of IBD, such as disrupted gut microbiota and intestinal barrier. Recently, natural probiotics have shown tremendous potential for the treatment of IBD. However, probiotics are not recommended for IBD patients, as they may cause bacteremia or sepsis. Herein, for the first time, we constructed artificial probiotics (Aprobiotics) based on artificial enzyme-dispersed covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as the "organelle" and a yeast shell as the membrane of the Aprobiotics to manage IBD. The COF-based artificial probiotics, with the function of natural probiotics, could markedly relieve IBD by modulating the gut microbiota, suppressing intestinal inflammation, protecting the intestinal epithelial cells, and regulating immunity. This nature-inspired approach may aid in the design of more artificial systems for the treatment of various incurable diseases, such as multidrug-resistant bacterial infection, cancer, and others.