Case report: Post-streptococcal pustulosis after subcutaneous injection of secukinumab.

An acute diffuse pustular eruption occurred in a patient after secukinumab injection and then the clinical presentation has been related to streptococcus infection after it has been isolated from throat swabs. Pustulosisacuta generalisata was definitively diagnosed. Antibiotic treatment had a poor effect, but the response to glucocorticoids was better.

Fabrication, modification and application of lipid nanotubes.

The potential application of high aspect-ratio nanomaterials motivates the development of the fabrication and modification of lipid nanotubes(LNTs). To date, diverse fabricate processes and elaborate template procedures have produced suitable tubular architectures with definite dimensions and complex structures for expected functions and applications. Herein, we comprehensively summarize the fabrication of LNTs in vitro and discuss the progress made on the micro/nanomaterials fabrication using LNTs as a template, as well as the functions and possible application of a wide range of LNTs as fundamental or derivative material. In addition, the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of different fabrication, modification methods, and development prospects of LNTs were briefly summarized.

Drug release and magneto-calorific analysis of magnetic lipid microcapsules for potential cancer therapeutics.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with safety, stability and excellent magneto-calorific effect are the precondition for the smart magnetic drug carriers' fabrication and controllable drug release at a specific target in clinical treatment. In this study, the drug release and magneto-calorific effect of two types of magnetic lipid microcapsules (MLMs) loading lipid-coated MNPs and uncoated MNPs respectively were compared deeply in experimental analysis and theoretical simulation. The simulation results revealed that almost same magnetic heat effect and temperature increasing exist between lipid-coated and uncoated MNPs, which was consistent with the experimental drug release results. Coating lipid on MNPs didn't affect the magnetic heat and heat transfer of the MNPs. Because of the heat transfer between MNPs and water, MLMs and water around, the temperature increasing of whole sample solution is lower than that of the MNPs themselves. Our results provide a reliable theoretical basis for the development of healthy, safe, and biocompatible drug delivery systems.

Controllable Synthesis of Pt Functionalized Black Phosphorus (BP) Nanocomposite for High Performance NOx Gas Sensor.

Compared with bulk material-based sensors, functional sensors fabricated with nanomaterials have many advantages, such as high sensitivity, multifunctional integration, low power-dissipation, and low cost. Black phosphorus (BP) is a two-dimensional (2D) crystal material, which has a higher molecular adsorption energy, tunable direct band gap, high carrier mobility, ambipolar characteristics, and high current on/off ratio. In this paper, BP bulk was ground into powder, and then the powder was dispersed in dimethylformamide (DMF) to obtain two-dimensional BP nanosheets solution. Afterwards, the black phosphorus nanosheets and H2PtCl6 solution were mixed to obtain the Pt functionalized BP nanocomposite by one-step reduction method. Pt nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of BP nanosheets with highly uniform size. The Pt functionalized BP nanocomposite exhibited a high response of 2.19 to 10 ppm NOx in a short period of 1.93 s at room temperature. The detection limit was as low as 30 ppb. The Pt functionalized BP nanocomposite will be useful for precise detection of NOx.

Targeting ZEB2 By microRNA-129 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Suppresses Cell Proliferation, Invasion And Migration Via Regulating Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway And Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

INTRODUCTION: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common cause of deaths all over the world. Emerging evidence has indicated that microRNA (miR) play key roles in NSCLC progression. We aimed to determine the functions of miR-129 in NSCLC. miR-129 was dramatically downregulated in NSCLC tissue samples and cells. The decreased miR-129 was found to be associated with poorer prognosis and malefic phenotype of NSCLC patients. We demonstrated that miR-129 upregulation could inhibit NSCLC cell growth. Furthermore, we also sought the molecular mechanism by which miR-129 repressed NSCLC development. METHODS: QRT-PCR was applied to detect the expressions of miR-129 in 51 pairs of NSCLC tissue samples. We further performed the Kaplan-Meier analysis to determine the association between miR-129 expressions and the survival rate of NSCLC patients. We then measured the expression levels of miR-129 in NSCLC cell lines. After that, MTT assays were performed to determine the influence of miR-129 on A549 cell proliferation. Transwell assay was then conducted to explore the biological functions of miR-129 in invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. RESULTS: Results showed that ZEB2 was directly targeted by miR-129 in NSCLC cell lines. Moreover, miR-129 restoration could inhibit EMT and Wnt/ß-catenin in NSCLC cell lines. CONCLUSION: In short, all these results indicated that miR-129/ZEB2 axis maybe a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC treatment.

miR-650 promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion by targeting ING4 through Wnt-1/ß-catenin pathway.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent cancer worldwide with a poor 5-year survival. miR-650 acts as an oncogene and regulates tumor progress in various cancers. Molecular mechanisms of miR-650 in NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion was studied. The mRNA levels of miR-650 and special genes were calculated using RT-qPCR. MTT and transwell assays were applied to measure the proliferative and invasive ability. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the survival of NSCLC patients. miR-650 was upregulated in NSCLC and upregulation of miR-650 was associated with a poor overall survival of NSCLC, while the results of ING4 demonstrated the opposite results. miR-650 promoted proliferation and invasion through Wnt-1/ß-catenin pathway by targeting inhibitor of growth 4 (ING4) in A549 cells. ING4 was a direct target gene of miR-650 and the expression of ING4 was mediated by exogenous altering the expression of miR-650. Remarkably, alterations of ING4 expression eliminated the functions of miR-650 on the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC. miR-650 enhanced A549 cell proliferation and invasion through Wnt-1/ß-catenin pathway by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of ING4 mRNA. The newly identified miR-650/ING4 axis provides a novel insight into the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

MicroRNA-545 targets ZEB2 to inhibit the development of non-small cell lung cancer by inactivating Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

The specific function of microRNA-545 (miR-545) has been reported to regulate the development of human cancers. However, the effect of miR-545 is still unclear in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hence, this study explored the molecular mechanism of miR-545 in NSCLC. The expression levels of miR-545 and ZEB2 were measured through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. The protein expression was detected by western blotting. Dual luciferase assay was applied to evaluate the relationship between miR-545 and zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2). MTT and Transwell assays were used to investigate the function of miR-545 in NSCLC. The expression of miR-545 was decreased in NSCLC tissues. The overexpression of miR-545 suppressed the migration, invasion and proliferation of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, ZEB2 was a direct target gene of miR-545. The knockout of ZEB2 suppressed the development of NSCLC. miR-545 inhibited the progression of NSCLC through targeting ZEB2. Moreover, miR-545 repressed the development of NSCLC via blocking EMT and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. In conclusion, miR-545 inhibited the progression of NSCLC through targeting ZEB2 and blocking EMT and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Impact of Electric Fields on the Nanoscale Behavior of Lipid Monolayers at the Surface of Graphite in Solution.

The nanoscale organization and dynamics of lipid molecules in self-assembled membranes is central to the biological function of cells and in the technological development of synthetic lipid structures as well as in devices such as biosensors. Here, we explore the nanoscale molecular arrangement and dynamics of lipids assembled in monolayers at the surface of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), in different ionic solutions, and under electrical potentials. Using a combination of atomic force microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we show that HOPG is able to support fully formed and fluid lipid membranes, but mesoscale order and corrugations can be observed depending on the type of the lipid considered (1,2-dioleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1,2-dioleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine (DOPS), and 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane) and the ion present (Na+, Ca2+, Cl-). Interfacial solvation forces and ion-specific effects dominate over the electrostatic changes induced by moderate electric fields (±1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode) with particularly marked effects in the presence of calcium, and for DOPS. Our results provide insights into the interplay between the molecular, ionic, and electrostatic interactions and the formation of dynamical ordered structures in fluid lipid membranes.

Hierarchical drug release of pH-sensitive liposomes encapsulating aqueous two phase system.

As promising drug delivery vehicles, previous investigations of liposomes as carriers are primarily focused on insertion and modification of lipid membrane interfaces. The utility of the inner core seems to be overlooked. Herein, we developed pH-sensitive liposomes (PSLs) containing an aqueous two phase system (ATPS), and intriguingly discovered their hierarchical release under acidic stimuli. ATPS containing two polymers (poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and dextran) is homogeneous above phase transition temperature when producing ATPS-liposomes, and separated into PEG-rich phase and dextran-rich phase after cooling down to room temperature. The overall release time of ATPS-liposomes is divided into two stages and prolonged compared to simple aqueous liposomes. The unique release profile is due to the disproportional distribution of drugs in two phases. Doxorubicin (DOX) is loaded in the ATPS-liposomes, and their half maximum inhibition concentration on HeLa cells is 0.018 µmol L-1, which means 27.5 fold increase in inhibition efficiency over free DOX.

Electroformation of double vesicles using an amplitude modulated electric field.

Double vesicles are a promising model to mimic eukaryotic cells, yet effective preparation methods with high yields and stable double vesicles are scarce. Previously reported electroformation methods were mainly based on sinusoidal AC fields. Using a combination of sinusoidal and amplitude modulated (AM) electric fields lipid double vesicles could be produced for the first time by a simple electroformation process. First lipid domes formed in a sinusoidal AC field. The domes grew into tubes during the subsequent application of an AM field. These tubes deformed into double vesicles to minimize their free energy in accordance with the area-difference-elasticity model. Two forces are involved to explain the mechanism behind tube formation. The pulling force (F) is responsible to drag the domes into tubular vesicles, but has to overcome a critical force (Fc). The most important parameters of the electrical field were explored systematically. In our work, a maximum yield for double vesicles of 63% was achieved. These vesicles proved to be stable for one week at least. Hence our method could provide a way to fabricate novel cell models.

Magnetically triggered drug release from biocompatible microcapsules for potential cancer therapeutics.

This paper demonstrates that magnetic field triggered drug release from magnetic lipid microcapsules (MLMs) in a controlled manner. Two types of MLMs were fabricated, i.e., MLMs with negatively charged magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) inside and MLMs with positively charged MNPs on their surfaces. The release of carboxyfluorescein (CF) and the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (Dox) induced by the AC magnetic field (AMF) was investigated in detail both experimentally and theoretically. Although the drug release of these two types of MLMs synchronizes the switch of the AMF, they exhibited different mechanisms. The magnetic heating effect dominates the release of MLMs with MNPs inside, while both magnetic heating and oscillation effects play important roles in the release of MLMs with MNPs on the surfaces. The in vitro cytotoxicity experiments of Dox loaded microcapsules toward HeLa cells were further performed, which confirmed that these magnetic responsive drug carriers had obvious effects on cell death triggered by the external non-invasive AMF.

High impedance droplet-solid interface lipid bilayer membranes.

A droplet-solid interface lipid bilayer membrane (DSLM) with high impedance was developed through controlling the contact area between an aqueous droplet and electrode. The electrode size can be easily controlled from millimeter to micrometer level. The droplet-solid interface lipid bilayer membranes were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and fluorescence microscopy. The fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) was applied to determine the diffusion coefficient of egg PC DSLM to be 2.58 µm(2) s(-1). The DSLM resistance can reach up to 26.3 GΩ, which was then used to study the ion channel behavior of melittin. The resistivity of the bilayer membrane decreased linearly with the increase of melittin concentration in the membrane. The high impedance and fluidity of DSLM makes it an ideal model cell membrane system for ion channel study and high-throughput drug screening.

Lipid nanotube formation using space-regulated electric field above interdigitated electrodes.

Lipid nanotubes have great potential in biology and nanotechnology. Here we demonstrate a method to form lipid nanotubes using space-regulated AC electric fields above coplanar interdigitated electrodes. The AC electric field distribution can be regulated by solution height above the electrodes. The ratio of field component in x axis (Ex) to field component in z axis (Ez) increases dramatically at solution height below 50 µm; therefore, at lower solution height, the force from Ex predominantly drives lipids to form lipid nanotubes along with the electric field direction. The forces exerted on the lipid nanotube during its formation were analyzed in detail, and an equation was obtained to describe the relationship among nanotube length and field frequency, amplitude, and time. We believe that the presented approach opens a way to design and prepare nanoscale materials with unique structural and functional properties using space-regulated electric fields.

Amidation of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a hydrothermal process for the electrooxidation of nitric oxide.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been amidated by hydrothermal treatment with different aliphatic amines. The amido groups modified on the surface of the SWCNTs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The electrooxidation of nitric oxide (NO) at the modified electrodes of amidated SWCNTs was investigated. The modified electrodes of amidated SWCNTs exhibited different electrocatalytic activity for NO when different aliphatic amines were being used. The electrode amidated by ammonia has the highest activity, which is 1.8 times value of the SWCNT modified electrode. The electrocatalytic activity of the amidated SWCNT modified electrodes depends on the length of the alkyl groups. The results demonstrate that hydrothermal treatment is an efficient way to modify SWCNTs with amines, and the reaction rate of NO electrooxidation can be changed by the amidation of SWCNTs.