NIR and magnetism dual-response multi-core magnetic vortex nanoflowers for boosting magneto-photothermal cancer therapy.

Due to the relatively low efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal conversion, it is rather challenging for magneto-photothermal nanoagents to be used as an effective treatment during tumor hyperthermal therapy. The advancement of magnetic nanoparticles exhibiting a vortex-domain structure holds great promise as a viable strategy to enhance the application performance of conventional magnetic nanoparticles while retaining their inherent biocompatibility. Here, we report the development of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoflowers with ellipsoidal magnetic cores, and show them as effective nanoagents for magneto-photothermal synergistic therapy. Comparative studies were conducted on the heating performance of anisometric Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 (MZF) nanoparticles, including nanocubes (MZF-C), hollow spheres (MZF-HS), nanoflowers consisting of ellipsoidal magnetic cores (MZF-NFE), and nanoflowers consisting of needle-like magnetic cores (MZF-NFN). MZF-NFE exhibits an intrinsic loss parameter (ILP) of up to 15.3 N h m2 kg-1, which is better than that of commercial equivalents. Micromagnetic simulations reveal the magnetization configurations and reversal characteristics of the various MZF shapes. Additionally, all nanostructures displayed a considerable photothermal conversion efficiency rate of more than 18%. Our results demonstrated that by combining the dual exposure of MHT and PTT for hyperthermia treatments induced by MZF-NFE, BT549, MCF-7, and 4T1 cell viability can be significantly decreased by ∼95.7% in vitro.

Case report: A novel case of COVID-19 triggered tumefactive demyelinating lesions in one multiple sclerosis patient.

The epidemic of COVID-19 is mainly manifested by respiratory symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recently, reports of central nervous system diseases caused or aggravated by SARS-CoV-2 infection are also increasing. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to the diagnosis and management of neurological disorders, especially to those diseases which have overlapping clinical and radiologic features with each other. In this study, a 31-year-old female patient had been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) initially and subsequently developed tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDLs) following an infection with SARS-CoV-2. After immunotherapy (glucocorticoid pulses), a significant improvement was observed in her both clinical and radiological characteristics. The patient was started on disease-modifying therapy (DMT) with teriflunomide after cessation of oral glucocorticoids. Following two months of DMT treatment, the imaging follow-up revealed that the patient's condition continued to deteriorate. This case was characterized by the transformation of a multiple sclerosis patient (MS) infected with SARS-CoV-2 into TDLs and the ineffectiveness of DMT treatment, which added complexity to its diagnosis and treatment. The case also gave us a hint that SARS-CoV-2 has a potential contributory role in inducing or exacerbating demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system that warrants further investigation.

Hollow spherical Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles with a magnetic vortex configuration for enhanced magnetic hyperthermia efficacy.

Conventional magnetic nanoagents in cancer hyperthermia therapy suffer from a low magnetic heating efficiency. To address this issue, researchers have pursued magnetic nanoparticles with topological magnetic domain structures, such as the vortex-domain structure, to enhance the magnetic heating performance of conventional nanoparticles while maintaining excellent biocompatibility. In this study, we synthesized hollow spherical Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 (MZF-HS) nanoparticles using a straightforward solvothermal method, yielding samples with an average outer diameter of approximately 350 nm and an average inner diameter of about 220 nm. The heating efficiency of the nanoparticles was experimentally verified, and the specific absorption rate (SAR) value of the hollow MZF was found to be approximately 1.5 times that of solid MZF. The enhanced heating performance is attributed to the vortex states in the hollow MZF structure as validated with micromagnetic simulation studies. In vitro studies demonstrated the lower cell viability of breast cancer cells (MCF-7, BT549, and 4T1) after MHT in the presence of MZF-HS. The synthesized MZF caused 51% cell death after MHT, while samples of MZF-HS resulted in 77% cell death. Our findings reveal that magnetic particles with a vortex state demonstrate superior heating efficiency, highlighting the potential of hollow spherical particles as effective heat generators for MHT applications.

Screening of osteoporosis and sarcopenia in individuals aged 50 years and older at different altitudes in Yunnan province: Protocol of a longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal system gradually degenerates with aging, and a hypoxia environment at a high altitude may accelerate this process. However, the comprehensive effects of high-altitude environments on bones and muscles remain unclear. This study aims to compare the differences in bones and muscles at different altitudes, and to explore the mechanism and influencing factors of the high-altitude environment on the skeletal muscle system. Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, cohort study, which will recruit a total of 4000 participants over 50 years from 12 research centers with different altitudes (50m~3500m). The study will consist of a baseline assessment and a 5-year follow-up. Participants will undergo assessments of demographic information, anthropomorphic measures, self-reported questionnaires, handgrip muscle strength assessment (HGS), short physical performance battery (SPPB), blood sample analysis, and imaging assessments (QCT and/or DXA, US) within a time frame of 3 days after inclusion. A 5-year follow-up will be conducted to evaluate the changes in muscle size, density, and fat infiltration in different muscles; the muscle function impairment; the decrease in BMD; and the osteoporotic fracture incidence. Statistical analyses will be used to compare the research results between different altitudes. Multiple linear, logistic regression and classification tree analyses will be conducted to calculate the effects of various factors (e.g., altitude, age, and physical activity) on the skeletal muscle system in a high-altitude environment. Finally, a provisional cut-off point for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in adults at different altitudes will be calculated. Ethics and dissemination: The study has been approved by the institutional research ethics committee of each study center (main center number: KHLL2021-KY056). Results will be disseminated through scientific conferences and peer-reviewed publications, as well as meetings with stakeholders. Clinical Trial registration number: http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR2100052153.