HKUST-1 nano metal-organic frameworks combined with ZnGa2O4:Cr3+ near-infrared persistent luminescence nanoparticles for in vivo imaging and tumor chemodynamic and photothermal synergic therapy.

The multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform based on the combination of persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has both in vivo imaging and tumor therapeutic drug-loading functions, providing a new strategy for accurate and effective tumor diagnosis and treatment. Herein, the near-infrared (NIR) PLNP SiO2@Zn1.05Ga1.9O4:Cr was combined with HKUST-1 MOFs to form a core-shell structure theranostic nanoplatform which possessed the triple function of autofluorescence-free NIR PersL bioimaging, tumor chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and tumor photothermal therapy (PTT). Also, the photothermal conversion efficiency reached 58.7%, which is superior to the reported nano metal-organic framework (NMOF) photothermal reagents. We demonstrated that the nanoplatform could enter the tumors of mice within 0.5 h and could be target-activated by H2O2 and H2S in the tumor cells, resulting in effective PTT and CDT synergistic treatment. Tumor-bearing mice experiments showed that the tumor could be completely cured without harming normal tissue. This theranostic nanoplatform may provide a promising strategy showing imaging, PTT, and CDT synergistic treatment tri-mode for clinical cancer therapy.

Crystallographic Visualization of a Guest-Induced Solar-Driven Cycloaddition Reaction Based on a Recyclable Nonporous Coordination Polymer.

Stimuli-responsive solids with adjustable photophysical properties are particularly attractive because they can be used as smart materials in anticounterfeiting, information storage, holographic imaging, and other fields. Herein, we report a unique nonporous coordination polymer, {[Ag(3,3'-dpe)](2,2'-Hbpdc)}n (1; 3,3'-dpe = 1,2-dipyridin-3-ylethene and 2,2'-H2bpdc = 2,2'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid), that can convert to an extremely photoreactive compound, 1·H2O·MeCN (MeCN = acetonitrile), through guest capture. Upon irradiation of sunlight, 1·H2O·MeCN can transform to {[Ag(3,3'-tpcb)0.5](2,2'-Hbpdc)(H2O)(MeCN)}n (2·H2O·MeCN; 3,3'-tpcb = 1,2,3,4-tetrapyridin-3-ylcyclobutane). 2·H2O·MeCN can lose its solvent molecules to form 2 and further return to 1 at high temperature. Accompanied by direct visualization based on multistep single-crystal-to-single-crystal conversions, the recyclable crystalline solid exhibits remarkable fluorescence changes, which makes it a supramolecular switch for application in multiple anticounterfeiting.

Increased expression of miR-21 predicts poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. Aberrant miR-21 expression has been reported in several cancers. However, the clinical significance of miR-21 in human HCC is still unclear. METHODS: A total of 112 patients with primary HCC who underwent a curative liver resection were included in this retrospective study. The differentially expressed amount of the miR-21 was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Survival rate was analyzed by log-rank test, and survival curves were plotted according to Kaplan-Meier. Multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors was performed with Cox regression model. RESULTS: As revealed by qRT-PCR analysis, miR-21 expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues when compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (P<0.05). High miR-21 expression level was observed to be closely correlated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage and vein invasion (P<0.05). Patients who had high miR-21 expression had a shorter overall survival than patients who had low miR-21 expression (P<0.05). Moreover, multivariate analysis of the prognosis factors with a Cox proportional hazards model showed that high miR-21 expression was a significant independent predictor of poor survival in HCC (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that increased expression of miR-21 was significantly correlated with tumor progression and could be a novel potential biomarker for HCC prognosis.