What books should we like? A study of gender differences and stereotypes in the reading behaviors of Chinese middle school students.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated gender differences in the reading behaviors of Chinese middle school students, and whether gender stereotypes relating to choices of reading matter are supported. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Three thousand nine hundred and fifteen middle school (Grade 7) students completed a questionnaire designed to assess reading behaviors. Independent sample t-test and chi-square analyses were employed to examine gender differences in reading behaviors. The qualitative survey was supplemented with an open response survey (94 boys, 50 girls), which provided further insights into individuals' specific experiences and perspectives regarding reading behaviors and gender stereotypes in reading choices. RESULTS: This study revealed a number of gender-linked differences. Boys spent more time reading than girls but read the same number of books; boys were also more likely than girls to read digital texts, while girls were more likely to borrow their reading material. Choice of subject matter also differed: boys were more likely to read factual and action-based books, while girls' choices focused more on motives and emotions. Another significant difference was that boys paid more attention to the overall experience of reading, while girls paid more attention to the details of reading. Responses to the open response survey indicated that gender stereotypes in reading choices were prevalent among respondents, but some students' reading choices did not align with the stereotype associated with their gender. CONCLUSION: The mixed-methods approach proved valuable in both identifying gender differences in reading behaviors, and in highlighting the prevalence of gender stereotypes in reading choices among middle school students.

Office Workers' Views About the Uses, Concerns, and Acceptance of Hand Hygiene Data Collected From Smart Sanitizers: Exploratory Qualitative Interview Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 and the prospect of future pandemics have emphasized the need to reduce disease transmission in workplaces. Despite the well-established link between good hand hygiene (HH) and employee health, HH in nonclinical workplaces has received little attention. Smart sanitizers have been deployed in clinical settings to motivate and enforce HH. This study is part of a large project that explores the potential of smart sanitizers in office settings. OBJECTIVE: Our previous study found that for office workers to accept the deployment of smart sanitizers, they would need to find the data generated as useful and actionable. The objectives of this study were to identify (1) the potential uses and actions that could be taken from HH data collected by smart sanitizers (2) the concerns of office workers for the identified uses and actions and (3) the circumstances in which office workers accept HH monitoring. METHODS: An interview study was conducted with 18 office workers from various professions. Interview questions were developed using a framework from personal informatics. Transcripts were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: A wide range of uses of smart sanitizer data was identified including managing hygiene resources and workflows, finding operating sanitizers, communicating the (high) standard of organizational hygiene, promoting and enforcing organizational hygiene policies, improving workers' own hygiene practices, executing more effective interventions, and identifying the causes of outbreaks. However, hygiene is mostly considered as a private matter, and it is also possible that no action would be taken. Office workers were also concerned about bullying, coercion, and use of hygiene data for unintended purposes. They were also worried that the data could be inaccurate or incomplete, leading to misrepresentation of hygiene practices. Office workers suggested that they would be more likely to accept monitoring in situations where hygiene is considered important, when there are clear benefits to data collection, if their privacy is respected, if they have some control over how their data are collected, and if the ways in which the data will be used are clearly communicated. CONCLUSIONS: Smart sanitizers could have a valuable role in improving hygiene practices in offices and reducing disease transmission. Many actionable uses for data collected from smart systems were identified. However, office workers consider HH as a personal matter, and acceptance of smart systems is likely to be dynamic and will depend on the broad situation. Except when there are disease outbreaks, smart systems may need to be restricted to uses that do not require the sharing of personal data. Should organizations wish to implement smart sanitizers in offices, it would be advisable to consult widely with staff and develop systems that are customizable and personalizable.

Hand Hygiene Messaging Design in the Workplace: Views From the Workforce-Introduction.

AIMS: The study aimed to (1) discover workers' attitudes toward the use of novel video screens to improve hand sanitization in the workplace and (2) discover what workers' preferences are for hand hygiene (HH) messaging style and tone and reasons for their preferences. BACKGROUND: Practicing good HH in non-medical office settings is vital to curb the spread of a range of common and infectious diseases. Despite this, workers are rarely consulting in the construction of HH messages. The qualitative views of users can provide us with the "why" rather than the "what" and can highlight areas of cynicism, concern and overall attitudes to HH. METHODS: A survey was completed by 520 UK workers concerning attitudes and views toward HH messaging and the use of a video-based hand sanitizer unit. Analysis consisted of both qualitative and quantitative methods. RESULTS: Workers were skeptical toward the use of digital technologies within HH interventions, and there were misgivings about the role that video could play. Results demonstrated a strong preference for positive and supportive messages. Educational and trustworthy qualities were well rated. Messages that emphasized surveillance, previously successful in a clinical setting, or guilt, were not well received. Visual approaches that utilized serious illustration were valued. CONCLUSION: This study highlights how consulting workers before the design of HH initiatives is important in guiding the design process. The resultant user-centered criteria promotes the use of positive, motivational, thought-provoking, surprising, and visual approaches to HH messaging.

Challenges of accessing hygiene facilities when on the move: an exploratory interview study with UK mobile workers.

BACKGROUND: Access to hygiene facilities is essential for health and well-being, and in many countries, employers are legally obliged to ensure that hygiene facilities are readily available. This interview study considers how being on the move impacts the ability of mobile workers (such as community care workers, police, delivery drivers, gardeners, cleaners, utility workers) to access hygiene facilities, and the challenges they face. METHODS: Using a qualitative exploratory research design, we investigate through semi-structured interviews with 22 United Kingdom (UK) mobile workers (1) what influences their access to hygiene facilities, (2) their hygiene needs, and (3) where mobile workers are accessing hygiene facilities. The interview data was analysed qualitatively using a coding framework developed from a literature review of hand hygiene in fixed workplaces. RESULTS: Mobile workers' access to hygiene facilities is influenced by the wider cultural environment, the biological environment, the organisational environment, the physical environment, the facility owner, the worker's role, and the individual themselves, all underpinned by social norms. Our participants needed hygiene facilities so they could use the toilet, clean themselves, and do their work, and for First Aid. Access to facilities is challenging, and our participants needed to access facilities where they were working, travel to find them, or use hygiene kits. The quality of facilities is frequently poor, and mobile workers must often seek permission and may incur financial costs. Our participants often had to rely on the goodwill of people in private homes. In the absence of facilities, workers often resort to strategies that may affect their health (such as restricting drinking and eating, and ignoring urges) or their dignity (such as relieving themselves outdoors or even soiling their clothes). CONCLUSIONS: The lack of hygiene facilities available to mobile workers is a serious health and well-being concern. Given that there are many occupations where workers are mobile at least some of the time, the scale of the problem needs to be recognised. This study adds to our understanding of hygiene in workplaces and highlights the inadequacy of current legislation, which appears to serve primarily those working in fixed workplaces such as offices. Recommendations are made to policy makers and organisations.

Dissolution of Mn-bearing dolomite drives elevated Cr(VI) occurrence in a Permian redbed aquifer.

Municipalities in central Oklahoma, U.S.A. increasingly rely on water drawn from the Central Oklahoma Aquifer (COA) as surface water resources have not grown in proportion to population and current water demands. However, water drawn from certain regions of the COA frequently contains elevated levels of naturally occurring hexavalent chromium. Rock samples from the Norman Arsenic Test Hole Core (NATHC) were investigated to identify the mineralogic host(s) of Cr and mechanisms of Cr(VI) release via bulk mineralogy and chemistry measurements, selective chemical extractions, and microscale elemental analyses. Results demonstrate most COA Cr is contained in Fe oxides and clays as isomorphic substitutions for Fe(III). Analyses of regional groundwater data, including hierarchical clustering methods and GIS, demonstrate the most intense Cr(VI) occurrence is linked to cation exchange with Na-clays at depth. Cation exchange allows dissolution of Mn-bearing dolomite, which in turn produces Mn oxides in otherwise dolomite-saturated groundwaters. Mn oxides in turn are known to oxidize Cr(III) to Cr(VI). In general, co-occurrence of Mn-bearing carbonates and exchangeable clays in any aquifer, particularly those with Cr(III) present in iron oxide cements, serve as ingredients for groundwater occurrences of oxidizable trace metals.

Smart Hand Sanitisers in the Workplace: A Survey of Attitudes towards an Internet of Things Technology.

An online survey was circulated to employees from a wide range of organisations to gauge attitudes towards the idea of using smart hand sanitisers in the workplace. The sanitisers are capable of real-time monitoring and providing feedback that varies according to the hand hygiene behaviour of users. In certain circumstances, the sanitisers can monitor individuals, making it possible to identify workers whose hand hygiene falls below a certain standard. The survey was circulated between July and August 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data gathered from 314 respondents indicated support for some features of the technology, but also indicated concern about invasions of privacy and the possibility of coercion. Attitudes towards the possible implementation of the technology varied significantly according to certain characteristics of the sample, but particularly with age. Respondents above the median age were more likely to support the use of data in ways that could facilitate the promotion and enforcement of hand hygiene practices.

Minibeam radiation therapy enhanced tumor delivery of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin in a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Minibeam radiation therapy is an experimental radiation therapy utilizing an array of parallel submillimeter planar X-ray beams. In preclinical studies, minibeam radiation therapy has been shown to eradicate tumors and cause significantly less damage to normal tissue compared to equivalent radiation doses delivered by conventional broadbeam radiation therapy, where radiation dose is uniformly distributed. METHODS: Expanding on prior studies that suggested minibeam radiation therapy increased perfusion in tumors, we compared a single fraction of minibeam radiation therapy (peak dose:valley dose of 28 Gy:2.1 Gy and 100 Gy:7.5 Gy) and broadbeam radiation therapy (7 Gy) in their ability to enhance tumor delivery of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin and alter the tumor microenvironment in a murine tumor model. Plasma and tumor pharmacokinetic studies of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin and tumor microenvironment profiling were performed in a genetically engineered mouse model of claudin-low triple-negative breast cancer (T11). RESULTS: Minibeam radiation therapy (28 Gy) and broadbeam radiation therapy (7 Gy) increased PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin tumor delivery by 7.1-fold and 2.7-fold, respectively, compared to PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin alone, without altering the plasma disposition. The enhanced tumor delivery of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin by minibeam radiation therapy is consistent after repeated dosing, is associated with changes in tumor macrophages but not collagen or angiogenesis, and nontoxic to local tissues. Our study indicated that the minibeam radiation therapy's ability to enhance the drug delivery decreases from 28 to 100 Gy peak dose. DISCUSSION: Our studies suggest that low-dose minibeam radiation therapy is a safe and effective method to significantly enhance the tumor delivery of nanoparticle agents.

Predicting biomedical relationships using the knowledge and graph embedding cascade model.

Advances in machine learning and deep learning methods, together with the increasing availability of large-scale pharmacological, genomic, and chemical datasets, have created opportunities for identifying potentially useful relationships within biochemical networks. Knowledge embedding models have been found to have value in detecting knowledge-based correlations among entities, but little effort has been made to apply them to networks of biochemical entities. This is because such networks tend to be unbalanced and sparse, and knowledge embedding models do not work well on them. However, to some extent, the shortcomings of knowledge embedding models can be compensated for if they are used in association with graph embedding. In this paper, we combine knowledge embedding and graph embedding to represent biochemical entities and their relations as dense and low-dimensional vectors. We build a cascade learning framework which incorporates semantic features from the knowledge embedding model, and graph features from the graph embedding model, to score the probability of linking. The proposed method performs noticeably better than the models with which it is compared. It predicted links and entities with an accuracy of 93%, and its average hits@10 score has an average of 8.6% absolute improvement compared with original knowledge embedding model, 1.1% to 9.7% absolute improvement compared with other knowledge and graph embedding algorithm. In addition, we designed a meta-path algorithm to detect path relations in the biomedical network. Case studies further verify the value of the proposed model in finding potential relationships between diseases, drugs, genes, treatments, etc. Amongst the findings of the proposed model are the suggestion that VDR (vitamin D receptor) may be linked to prostate cancer. This is backed by evidence from medical databases and published research, supporting the suggestion that our proposed model could be of value to biomedical researchers.

Pharmacokinetics and efficacy of doxorubicin-loaded plant virus nanoparticles in preclinical models of cancer.

AIM: To compare the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of doxorubicin containing plant virus nanoparticles (PVNs) with PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and small molecule doxorubicin in two mouse models of cancer. MATERIALS & METHODS: Studies were performed in A375 melanoma and intraperitoneal SKOV3ip1 ovarian cancer xenografts. The PVNs were administered in lower and more frequent doses in the ovarian model. RESULTS: The PVNs were more efficacious than PLD and small molecule doxorubicin in the ovarian cancer model, but not in the melanoma cancer model. The pharmacokinetics profiles of the PVNs showed fast plasma clearance, but more efficient tumor delivery as compared with other carrier-mediated agents. CONCLUSION: PVNs administered at lower repeated doses provide both pharmacologic and efficacy advantages compared with PLD.

Pharmacokinetic and screening studies of the interaction between mononuclear phagocyte system and nanoparticle formulations and colloid forming drugs.

Studies have shown that nanoparticles (NPs) are cleared through the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). Pharmacokinetic studies of Doxil, DaunoXome, micellar doxorubicin (SP1049C) and small molecule (SM) doxorubicin were performed in SCID mice, Sprague-Dawley rats, and beagle dogs. An ex vivo MPS profiling platform was used to evaluate the interaction between the same agents, as well as colloid-forming and non-colloid forming SM drugs. In all species, the systemic clearance was highest for SP1049C and lowest for Doxil. With the exception of dog blood, the MPS screening results of mouse and rat blood showed that the greatest reduction in phagocytosis occurred after the ex vivo addition of SM-doxorubicin>SP1049C>DaunoXome>Doxil. The MPS profiling platform in rats, but not dogs, could differentiate between colloid forming and non-colloid forming drugs. The results of the MPS profiling platform were generally consistent with in vivo clearance rates of NP and SM anticancer drugs in mice and rats. This study suggests the MPS profiling platform is an effective method to screen and differentiate the important characteristics of NPs and colloid-forming drugs that affect their in vivo clearance. Implications of these findings on preclinical prediction of human clearance are discussed.

Transformation of mackinawite to greigite by trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are common ground water contaminants susceptible to reductive dechlorination by FeS (mackinawite) in anaerobic environments. The objective of this study was to characterize the mineral-associated products that form when mackinawite reacts with TCE and PCE. The dissolved products of the reaction included Cl- and Fe2+, and trace amounts of cis 1,2-dichloroethylene (for TCE) and TCE (for PCE). Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis identified greigite as a mackinawite oxidation product formed after reaction between TCE or PCE and FeS over seven weeks. Release of Fe2+ is consistent with the solid state transformation of mackinawite to greigite, resulting in depletion of the solid with Fe. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the sulfur 2p peak showed a shift to a higher binding energy after FeS reacted with TCE or PCE, also observed in other studies of mackinawite oxidation to greigite. The results may help efforts to maintain the reactivity of FeS generated to remediate chlorinated aliphatic contaminants in ground water.

Challenges in preclinical to clinical translation for anticancer carrier-mediated agents.

Major advances in carrier-mediated agents (CMAs), which include nanoparticles and conjugates, have revolutionized drug delivery capabilities over the past decade. While providing numerous advantages over their small-molecule counterparts, there is substantial variability in how individual CMA formulations and patient characteristics affect the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) (efficacy and toxicity) of these agents. Development or selection of animal models is used to predict the effects within a particular human disease. A breadth of studies have begun to emphasize the importance of preclinical animal models in understanding and evaluating the interaction between CMAs and the immune system and tumor matrix, which ultimately influences CMA PK (clearance and distribution) and PD (efficacy and toxicity). It is fundamental to study representative preclinical tumor models that recapitulate patients with diseases (e.g., cancer) and evaluate the interplay between CMAs and the immune system, including the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), chemokines, hormones, and other immune modulators. Furthermore, standard allometric scaling using body weight does not accurately predict drug clearance in humans. Future studies are warranted to better understand the complex pharmacology and interaction of CMA carriers within individual preclinical models and their biological systems, such as the MPS and tumor microenvironment, and their application to allometric scaling across species. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2016, 8:642-653. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1394 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Biological versus mineralogical chromium reduction: potential for reoxidation by manganese oxide.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(vi), present predominantly as CrO4(2-) in water at neutral pH) is a common ground water pollutant, and reductive immobilization is a frequent remediation alternative. The Cr(iii) that forms upon microbial or abiotic reduction often co-precipitates with naturally present or added iron (Fe), and the stability of the resulting Fe-Cr precipitate is a function of its mineral properties. In this study, Fe-Cr solids were formed by microbial Cr(vi) reduction using Desulfovibrio vulgaris strain RCH1 in the presence of the Fe-bearing minerals hematite, aluminum substituted goethite (Al-goethite), and nontronite (NAu-2, Clay Minerals Society), or by abiotic Cr(vi) reduction by dithionite reduced NAu-2 or iron sulfide (FeS). The properties of the resulting Fe-Cr solids and their behavior upon exposure to the oxidant manganese (Mn) oxide (birnessite) differed significantly. In microcosms containing strain RCH1 and hematite or Al-goethite, there was significant initial loss of Cr(vi) in a pattern consistent with adsorption, and significant Cr(vi) was found in the resulting solids. The solid formed when Cr(vi) was reduced by FeS contained a high proportion of Cr(iii) and was poorly crystalline. In microcosms with strain RCH1 and hematite, Cr precipitates appeared to be concentrated in organic biofilms. Reaction between birnessite and the abiotically formed Cr(iii) solids led to production of significant dissolved Cr(vi) compared to the no-birnessite controls. This pattern was not observed in the solids generated by microbial Cr(vi) reduction, possibly due to re-reduction of any Cr(vi) generated upon oxidation by birnessite by active bacteria or microbial enzymes. The results of this study suggest that Fe-Cr precipitates formed in groundwater remediation may remain stable only in the presence of active anaerobic microbial reduction. If exposed to environmentally common Mn oxides such as birnessite in the absence of microbial activity, there is the potential for rapid (re)formation of dissolved Cr(vi) above regulatory levels.

Formulation and physiologic factors affecting the pharmacology of carrier-mediated anticancer agents.

INTRODUCTION: Major advances in carrier-mediated agents (CMAs), which include nanoparticles and conjugates, have revolutionized drug delivery capabilities over the past decade. While providing numerous advantages such as increased exposure duration, greater solubility and delivery to tumor sites over their small molecule counterparts, there is substantial variability in how individual CMA formulations affect the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (efficacy and toxicity) of these agents. AREAS COVERED: CMA formulations are complex in nature compared to their small molecule counterparts and consist of multiple components and variables that can affect the pharmacological profile. This review provides an overview of factors that affect the pharmacologic profiles observed in CMA-formulated chemotherapy, primarily in liposomal formulations, that are currently in preclinical or early clinical development. EXPERT OPINION: Despite the numerous advantages that CMA formulations provide, their clinical use is still in its infancy. It is critical that we understand the mechanisms and effects of CMAs in navigating biological barriers and how these factors affect their biodistribution and delivery to tumors. Future studies are warranted to better understand the complex pharmacology and interaction between CMA carriers and biological systems, such as the mononuclear phagocyte system and tumor microenvironment.

The effects of nanoparticle drug loading on the pharmacokinetics of anticancer agents.

Major advances in carrier-mediated agents, which include nanoparticles, nanosomes and conjugates, have revolutionized drug delivery capabilities over the past decade. While providing numerous advantages, such as greater solubility, duration of exposure and delivery to the site of action over their small-molecule counterparts, there is substantial variability in systemic clearance and distribution, tumor delivery and pharmacologic effects (efficacy and toxicity) of these agents. This review provides an overview of factors that affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of carrier-mediated agents in preclinical models and patients.

Using chromate to investigate the impact of natural organics on the surface reactivity of nanoparticulate magnetite.

Chromate was used as a chemical probe to investigate the size-dependent influence of organics on nanoparticle surface reactivity. Magnetite-chromate sorption experiments were conducted with ∼ 90 and ∼ 6 nm magnetite nanoparticles in the presence and absence of fulvic acid (FA), natural organic matter (NOM), and isolated landfill leachate (LL). Results indicated that low concentrations (1 mg/L) of organics had no noticeable impact on chromate sorption, whereas concentrations of 50 mg/L or more resulted in decreased amounts of chromate sorption. The adsorption of organics onto the magnetite surfaces interfered equally with the ability of the 6 and 90 nm particles to sorb chromate from solution, despite the greater surface area of the smaller particles. Results indicate the presence of organics did not impact the redox chemistry of the magnetite-chromate system over the duration of the experiments (8 h), nor did the organics interact with the chromate in solution. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicate that the organics blocked the surface reactivity by occupying surface sites on the particles. The similarity of results with FA and NOM suggests that coverage of the reactive mineral surface is the main factor behind the inhibition of surface reactivity in the presence of organics.

Nanoparticles and the mononuclear phagocyte system: pharmacokinetics and applications for inflammatory diseases.

Nanoparticles (NPs) provide several advantages over the small molecule drugs including prolonged circulation time and enhanced delivery to targeted sites. Once a NP enters the body, it interacts with host's immune system and is engulfed by cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). The interaction between NPs and the immune cells can result in immunosuppression or immunostimulation, which may enhance or reduce the treatment effects of NPs. Therefore, it is critical to understand the interactions between NPs and the immune system in order to optimize the treatment benefit and minimize the undesirable toxicities of NPs. This review elaborates on the interaction between NP and the MPS and its impacts on the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of NPs and applications for inflammatory diseases. This review also encompasses an overview of NPs being developed for treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Size-dependent reactivity of magnetite nanoparticles: a field-laboratory comparison.

Logistic challenges make direct comparisons between laboratory- and field-based investigations into the size-dependent reactivity of nanomaterials difficult. This investigation sought to compare the size-dependent reactivity of nanoparticles in a field setting to a laboratory analog using the specific example of magnetite dissolution. Synthetic magnetite nanoparticles of three size intervals, ∼ 6 nm, ∼ 44 nm, and ∼ 90 nm were emplaced in the subsurface of the USGS research site at the Norman Landfill for up to 30 days using custom-made subsurface nanoparticle holders. Laboratory analog dissolution experiments were conducted using synthetic groundwater. Reaction products were analyzed via TEM and SEM and compared to initial particle characterizations. Field results indicated that an organic coating developed on the particle surfaces largely inhibiting reactivity. Limited dissolution occurred, with the amount of dissolution decreasing as particle size decreased. Conversely, the laboratory analogs without organics revealed greater dissolution of the smaller particles. These results showed that the presence of dissolved organics led to a nearly complete reversal in the size-dependent reactivity trends displayed between the field and laboratory experiments indicating that size-dependent trends observed in laboratory investigations may not be relevant in organic-rich natural systems.

2'-(2-bromohexadecanoyl)-paclitaxel conjugate nanoparticles for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model.

A nanoparticle (NP) formulation with 2'-(2-bromohexadecanoyl)-paclitaxel (Br-16-PX) conjugate was developed in these studies for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The lipophilic paclitaxel conjugate Br-C16-PX was synthesized and incorporated into lipid NPs where the 16-carbon chain enhanced drug entrapment in the drug delivery system and improved in vivo pharmacokinetics. The electron-withdrawing bromine group was used to facilitate the conversion of Br-C16-PX to paclitaxel at the tumor site. The developed system was evaluated in luciferase-expressing A549 cells in vitro and in an orthotopic NSCLC mouse model. The results demonstrated that the Br-C16-PX NPs had a higher maximum tolerated dose (75 mg/kg) than Taxol (19 mg/kg) and provided significantly longer median survival (88 days versus 70 days, P<0.05) in the orthotopic NSCLC model. An improved pharmacokinetic profile was observed for the Br-C16-PX NPs at 75 mg/kg compared to Taxol at 19 mg/kg. The area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC)0₋96 h of Br-C16-PX from the NPs was 91.7-fold and 49.6-fold greater than Taxol in plasma and tumor-bearing lungs, respectively, which provided sustained drug exposure and higher antitumor efficacy in the NP-treated group.