The impact of renaming schizophrenia on destigmatization: The Asian experience.

The term "schizophrenia" can indeed carry stigmatizing connotations. Proposals to rename schizophrenia have emerged as a potential strategy to alleviate this stigma, but the impact of such a change is not yet fully understood. In several Asian countries that have adopted a new name for schizophrenia, there is evidence that renaming is associated with improved attitudes towards individuals with schizophrenia and an increased willingness to disclose diagnoses. However, the portrayal of schizophrenia in the media seems unaffected by these name changes. In other countries where "schizophrenia" is still the standard term, alternative names have been suggested, but research on their effectiveness in reducing stigma shows mixed results. Mental health professionals frequently support a name change, recognizing the term's negative implications. However, it is crucial to recognize that a mere semantic revision, devoid of substantial conceptual alterations, may only offer a temporary decrease in stigma. Thus, renaming schizophrenia, coupled with a re-conceptualization of the disorder, may be a constructive step toward reducing its stigmatization.

Improving Catalytic Efficiency of L-Arabinose Isomerase from Lactobacillus plantarum CY6 towards D-Galactose by Molecular Modification.

L-Arabinose isomerase (L-AI) has been commonly used as an efficient biocatalyst to produce D-tagatose via the isomerization of D-galactose. However, it remains a significant challenge to efficiently synthesize D-tagatose using the native (wild type) L-AI at an industrial scale. Hence, it is extremely urgent to redesign L-AI to improve its catalytic efficiency towards D-galactose, and herein a structure-based molecular modification of Lactobacillus plantarum CY6 L-AI (LpAI) was performed. Among the engineered LpAI, both F118M and F279I mutants showed an increased D-galactose isomerization activity. Particularly, the specific activity of double mutant F118M/F279I towards D-galactose was increased by 210.1% compared to that of the wild type LpAI (WT). Besides the catalytic activity, the substrate preference of F118M/F279I was also largely changed from L-arabinose to D-galactose. In the enzymatic production of D-tagatose, the yield and conversion ratio of F118M/F279I were increased by 81.2% and 79.6%, respectively, compared to that of WT. Furthermore, the D-tagatose production of whole cells expressing F118M/F279I displayed about 2-fold higher than that of WT cell. These results revealed that the designed site-directed mutagenesis is useful for improving the catalytic efficiency of LpAI towards D-galactose.

MOF-Based Platform for Kidney Diseases: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects.

Kidney diseases are important diseases that affect human health worldwide. According to the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) report, kidney diseases have become the top 10 causes of death. Strengthening the prevention, primary diagnosis, and action of kidney-related diseases is of great significance in maintaining human health and improving the quality of life. It is increasingly challenging to address clinical needs with the present technologies for diagnosing and treating renal illness. Fortunately, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great promise in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. This review summarizes the research progress of MOFs in the diagnosis and treatment of renal disease in recent years. Firstly, we introduce the basic structure and properties of MOFs. Secondly, we focus on the utilization of MOFs in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. In the diagnosis of kidney disease, MOFs are usually designed as biosensors to detect biomarkers related to kidney disease. In the treatment of kidney disease, MOFs can not only be used as an effective adsorbent for uremic toxins during hemodialysis but also as a precise treatment of intelligent drug delivery carriers. They can also be combined with nano-chelation technology to solve the problem of the imbalance of trace elements in kidney disease. Finally, we describe the current challenges and prospects of MOFs in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases.

Focal adhesion and actin orientation regulated by cellular geometry determine stem cell differentiation via mechanotransduction.

Tuning cell adhesion geometry can affect cytoskeleton organization and the distribution of cytoskeleton forces, which play critical roles in controlling cell functions. To elucidate the geometrical relationship with cytoskeleton force distribution, it is necessary to control cell morphology. In this study, a series of dextral vortex micropatterns were prepared to precisely control cell morphology for investigating the influence of the curvature degree of adhesion curves on intracellular force distribution and stem cell differentiation at a sub-cellular level. Peripherial actin filaments of micropatterned cells were assembled along the adhesion curves and showed different orientations, filament thicknesses and densities. Focal adhesion and cytoskeleton force distribution were dependent on the curvature degree. Intracellular force distribution was also regulated by adhesion curves. The cytoskeleton and force distribution affected the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells through a YAP/TAZ-mediated mechanotransduction process. Thus, regulation of cell adhesion curvature, especially at cytoskeletal filament level, is critical for cell function manipulation. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, a series of dextral micro-vortexes were prepared and used for the culture of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to precisely control adhesive curvatures (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°). The single MSCs on the micropatterns had the same size and shape but showed distinct focal adhesion (FA) and cytoskeleton orientations. Cellular nanomechanics were observed to be correlated with the curvature degrees, subsequently influencing nuclear morphological features. As a consequence, the localization of the mechanotransduction sensor and activator-YAP/TAZ was affected, influencing osteogenic differentiation. The results revealed the pivotal role of adhesive curvatures in the manipulation of stem cell differentiation via the machanotransduction process, which has rarely been investigated.

Application of exosomes in tumor immunity: recent progresses.

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted by cells, ranging in size from 30 to 150 nm. They contain proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and other bioactive molecules, which play a crucial role in intercellular communication and material transfer. In tumor immunity, exosomes present various functions while the following two are of great importance: regulating the immune response and serving as delivery carriers. This review starts with the introduction of the formation, compositions, functions, isolation, characterization, and applications of exosomes, and subsequently discusses the current status of exosomes in tumor immunotherapy, and the recent applications of exosome-based tumor immunity regulation and antitumor drug delivery. Finally, current challenge and future prospects are proposed and hope to demonstrate inspiration for targeted readers in the field.

A novel variant in a Chinese boy with lysinuric protein intolerance: A case report and literature review.

We report a case of a 4-year-old boy with lysinuric protein intolerance in China. The patient presented with interstitial lung disease with obvious clubbing of the fingers and toes. During the course of diagnosis and treatment, we found he was averse to a high-protein diet, intolerant to activity, and had a history of diarrhea and fractures. Physical examination revealed hepatosplenomegaly and clubbing of the fingers and toes. Next-generation sequencing revealed compound heterozygous mutations (c.1387delG, c.958T > C) in SLC7A7, which was confirmed as a disease-causing gene for lysinuric protein intolerance. After a literature review, we found that c.958T > C had not been previously reported, and summarized the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients from different continents. His symptoms improved significantly after 3 months of being on a low-protein diet, supplementation with lysine, citrulline, carnitine, and trace elements, and oral corticosteroid treatment for 2 months. The patient is still under follow-up.

Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution and Excretion of Demethyleneberberine, a Metabolite of Berberine, in Rats and Mice.

Demethyleneberberine is an active component extracted from the Chinese herbal drug Cortex Phellodendri. It is also a metabolite of berberine in animals and humans. However, the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of demethyleneberberine have not been reported. The present study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic parameters of demethyleneberberine by applying high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). After intragastric administration of demethyleneberberine in rats and mice, the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of demethyleneberberine were comparatively studied for the first time. The plasma concentration of demethyleneberberine reached its peak within 5 min after intragastric administration in both rats and mice. Furthermore, its bioavailability was comparable, ranging from 4.47% to 5.94%, higher than that of berberine. The total excretion of demethyleneberberine in the urine, feces and bile was 7.28~9.77%. These findings provide valuable insights into the pharmacological and clinical research on demethyleneberberine.

Recent advances and prospects of metal-organic frameworks in cancer therapies.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been broadly applied in biomedical and other fields. MOFs have high porosity, a large comparative area, and good biostability and have attracted significant attention, especially in cancer therapies. This paper presents the latest applications of MOFs in chemodynamic therapy (CDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), immunotherapy (IT), and combination therapy for breast cancer. A combination therapy is the combination of two different treatment modalities, such as CDT and PDT combination therapy, and is considered more effective than separate therapies. Herein, we have also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of combination therapy in the treatment of breast cancer. This paper aims to illustrate the potential of MOFs in new cancer therapeutic approaches, discuss their potential advantages, and provide some reflections on the latest research results.

Current status and prospects of MIL-based MOF materials for biomedicine applications.

This article mainly reviews the biomedicine applications of two metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe). These MOFs have advantages such as high specific surface area, adjustable pore size, and chemical stability, which make them widely used in drug delivery systems. The article first introduces the properties of these two materials and then discusses their applications in drug transport, antibacterial therapy, and cancer treatment. In cancer treatment, drug delivery systems based on MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe) have made significant progress in chemotherapy (CT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), immunotherapy (IT), nano-enzyme therapy, and related combined therapy. Overall, these MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe) materials have tremendous potential and diverse applications in the field of biomedicine.

Current status of porous coordination networks (PCNs) derived porphyrin spacers for cancer therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Porous coordination networks (PCNs) have been widely used in large number of applications such as light harvesting, catalysis, and biomedical applications. Inserting porphyrins into PCNs scaffolds can alleviate the solubility and chemical stability problems associated with porphyrin ligands and add functionality to PCNs. The discovery that some PCNs materials have photosensitizer and acoustic sensitizer properties has attracted significant attention in the field of biomedicine, particularly in cancer therapy. This article describes the latest applications of the porphyrin ligand-based family of PCNs in cancer chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and combination therapies and offers some observations and reflections on them. AREAS COVERED: This article discusses the use of the PCN family of MOFs in cancer treatment, specifically focusing on chemodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, and combination therapy. EXPERT OPINION: Although a large number of PCNs have been developed for use in novel cancer therapeutic approaches, further improvements are needed to advance the use of PCNs in the clinic. For example, the main mechanism of action of PCNs against cancer and the metabolic processes in organisms, and how to construct PCNs that maintain good stability in the complex environment of organisms.

A Novel Platform of MOF for Sonodynamic Therapy Advanced Therapies.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) combined with sonodynamic therapy (SDT) have been introduced as a new and efficient treatment method. The critical advantage of SDT is its ability to penetrate deep tissues and concentrate energy on the tumor site to achieve a non-invasive or minimally invasive effect. Using a sonosensitizer to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound is the primary SDT-related method of killing tumor cells. In the presence of a sonosensitizer, SDT exhibits a more lethal effect on tumors. The fast development of micro/nanotechnology has effectively improved the efficiency of SDT, and MOFs have been broadly evaluated in SDT due to their easy synthesis, easy surface functionalization, high porosity, and high biocompatibility. This article reviews the main mechanism of action of sonodynamic therapy in cancer treatment, and also reviews the applications of MOFs in recent years. The application of MOFs in sonodynamic therapy can effectively improve the targeting ability of SDT and the conversion ability of reactive oxygen species, thus improving their killing ability on cancer cells. This provides new ideas for the application of micro/nano particles in SDT and cancer therapy.

Towards high photoresponse of perovskite nanowire/copper phthalocyanine heterostructured photodetector.

One-dimensional nanowire structures composed of perovskite are widely recognized for their exceptional optoelectronic performance and mechanical properties, making them a popular area of investigation in photodetection research. In this work, a perovskite nanowire/copper phthalocyanine heterojunction-based photodetector was fabricated, which exhibits high photoresponse in the visible-near-infrared region. The incorporation of a heterojunction significantly enhanced the photoelectric performance. Specifically, the photoresponsivity and external quantum efficiency of the nanowire-based device were elevated from 58.5 A W-1and 1.35 × 104% to 84.5 A W-1and 1.97 × 104% at 532 nm, respectively. The enhanced photoresponse of the heterojunction device can be attributed to the unique microstructure of nanowire arrays. The wrapping of the nanowires by copper phthalocyanine forms heterojunctions with a larger dissociation area, which facilitated exciton dissociation and enhanced device performance. This work provides a promising example for optimizing the performance of nanowire devices.

3D culture of bovine articular chondrocytes in viscous medium encapsulated in agarose hydrogels for investigation of viscosity influence on cell functions.

The mechanical properties of an extracellular microenvironment can affect cell functions. The effects of elasticity and viscoelasticity on cell functions have been extensively studied with hydrogels of tunable mechanical properties. However, investigation of the viscosity effect on cell functions is still very limited and it can be tricky to explore how viscosity affects cells in three-dimensional (3D) culture due to the lack of appropriate tools. In this study, agarose hydrogel containers were prepared and used to encapsulate viscous media for 3D cell culture to investigate the viscosity effect on the functions of bovine articular chondrocytes (BACs). Polyethylene glycol of different molecular weights was used to adjust culture medium viscosity in a large range (72.8-679.2 mPa s). The viscosity affected gene expression and secretion of cartilagenious matrices, while it did not affect BAC proliferation. The BACs cultured in the lower viscosity medium (72.8 mPa s) showed a higher level of cartilaginous gene expression and matrix secretion.

Correction: Current and promising applications of Hf(IV)-based MOFs in cancer therapy.

Correction for 'Current and promising applications of Hf(IV)-based MOFs in cancer therapy' by Xuelin Chen et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 5693-5714, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3TB00267E.

Recent Advances of Fe(III)/Fe(II)-MPNs in Biomedical Applications.

Metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) are a new type of nanomaterial self-assembled by metal ions and polyphenols that have been developed rapidly in recent decades. They have been widely investigated, in the biomedical field, for their environmental friendliness, high quality, good bio-adhesiveness, and bio-compatibility, playing a crucial role in tumor treatment. As the most common subclass of the MPNs family, Fe-based MPNs are most frequently used in chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and phototherapy (PTT), where they are often used as nanocoatings to encapsulate drugs, as well as good Fenton reagents and photosensitizers to improve tumor therapeutic efficiency substantially. In this review, strategies for preparing various types of Fe-based MPNs are first summarized. We highlight the advantages of Fe-based MPNs under the different species of polyphenol ligands for their application in tumor treatments. Finally, some current problems and challenges of Fe-based MPNs, along with a future perspective on biomedical applications, are discussed.

Ultranarrow-band filterless photodetectors based on CH3NH3PbClxBr3-xmixed-halide perovskite single crystals.

Narrow-band photodetectors based on halide perovskite have recently attracted significant attention due to their exceptional narrow-band detection performance and tunable absorption peaks covering a wide optical range. In this work, we report mixed-halide CH3NH3PbClxBr3-xsingle crystal-based photodetectors have been fabricated, where the Cl/Br ratios were varied (3:0, 10:1, 5:1, 1:1, 1:7, 1:14 and 0:3). Vertical and parallel structures devices were fabricated which exhibited ultranarrow spectral responses under bottom illumination, with a full-width at half-maximum less than 16 nm. The observed performance can be ascribed to the unique carrier generation and extraction mechanisms within the single crystal under short and long wavelength of illumination. These findings offer valuable insights into the development of narrow-band photodetectors that do not necessitate the use of filters and hold tremendous potential for a diverse array of applications.

Current and promising applications of Hf(IV)-based MOFs in clinical cancer therapy.

Cancer is one of the greatest challenges in medical science today as it poses a serious threat to human life. In view of this, myriad of therapeutic strategies are being developed for the treatment of cancer. Despite the use of various therapeutic approaches, they are still insufficient for the treatment of cancer. The rapid advancement of nanotechnology currently offers exciting possibilities for the creation of novel cancer therapy approaches. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging multifunctional nanomaterials that find prospective applications in the biomedical field owing to their porosity, large specific surface area, and diversified structures. Amongst varied categories of MOFs, Hf(IV)-based MOFs that have been developed since 2012 and currently have been finding new applications and hence this class of MOFs are gaining immense attention amongst the material and biomaterial chemists. Most importantly, Hf(IV)-MOFs comprising high Z-Hf metal content may be capable of offering new therapeutic options for cancer therapy, nonlinear optics, as fluorescent sensors, and photoresponsive devices. In this review, the progress in Hf(IV)-based MOFs for the treatment of cancer using radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, phototherapeutic techniques, or a combination of two or more of these techniques have been explored. This review also provides insight regarding the current limitations and future prospects of Hf(IV)-MOFs for cancer therapy.

Epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children with community-acquired pneumonia in Guangzhou: a 10-year study.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common virus causing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. To guide the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of RSV, we aimed to analyze the epidemiology of RSV in hospitalized children with CAP. Methods: A total of 9,837 hospitalized children (≤14 years old) with CAP from January 2010 to December 2019 were reviewed. Using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the oropharyngeal swab specimens were collected and tested for RSV, influenza virus A (INFA), influenza virus B (INFB), parainfluenza virus (PIV), enterovirus (EV), coronavirus (CoV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human bocavirus (HBoV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and adenovirus (ADV) for each patient. Results: The detection rate of RSV was 15.3% (1,507/9,837). From 2010 to 2019, the RSV detection rate showed a wavy change (χ2=166.982, P<0.001), with the highest detection rate in 2011 (158/636, 24.8%). RSV can be detected throughout the year, with the highest detection rate in February (123/482, 25.5%). Children younger than 0.5 years old had the highest detection rate (410/1,671, 24.5%). The detection rate of RSV in male children (1,024/6,226, 16.4%) was higher than that in female children (483/3,611, 13.4%) (P<0.001). A proportion of 17.7% (266/1,507) of RSV positive cases were also co-infected with other viruses, and INFA (41/266, 15.4%) was the most common coinfection virus. After adjusting for potential confounders, the RSV-positive children were associated with increased risk of severe pneumonia [odds ratio (OR) 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04 to 1.53, P=0.019]. Moreover, children with severe pneumonia had significantly lower cycle threshold (CT) values of RSV than those without severe pneumonia (28.88±3.89 vs. 30.42±3.33, P<0.01). Patients with coinfection (38/266, 14.3%) had a higher risk of severe pneumonia than those without coinfection (142/1,241, 11.4%), but the difference was not statistically significant (OR 1.39, 95% CI: 0.94 to 2.05, P=0.101). Conclusions: The detection rate of RSV in CAP hospitalized children changed by years, months, ages, and sexes. CAP hospitalized children with RSV are more likely to develop severe pneumonia than those without RSV. Policy makers and doctors should make timely adjustments to prevention measures, medical resources and treatment options based on these epidemiological characteristics.

Current status and prospects of MOFs in controlled delivery of Pt anticancer drugs.

Cancer has become the second leading reason for death in the world. Still, cancer therapy development is exceptionally challenging because the tumor microenvironment is very complex, and individual tumors are very different. In recent years, researchers have found that platinum-based drugs in the form of metal complexes can effectively solve tumor resistance. In this regard, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as suitable carriers with high porosity are also exceptional in the biomedical field. Therefore, this article reviews the application of platinum as an anticancer drug and the composite anticancer properties of platinum and MOF materials and prospects for its future development, which provides a new direction for further research in the biomedical field.

How Hydrogel Stiffness Affects Adipogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells under Controlled Morphology.

Matrix stiffness has been disclosed as an essential regulator of cell fate. However, it is barely studied how the matrix stiffness affects stem cell functions when cell morphology changes. Thus, in this study, the effect of hydrogel stiffness on adipogenic differentiation of human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with controlled morphology was investigated. Micropatterns of different size and elongation were prepared by a photolithographical micropatterning technique. The hMSCs were cultured on the micropatterns and showed a different spreading area and elongation following the geometry of the underlying micropatterns. The cells with controlled morphology were embedded in agarose hydrogels of different stiffnesses. The cells showed a different level of adipogenic differentiation that was dependent on both hydrogel stiffness and cell morphology. Adipogenic differentiation became strong when the cell spreading area decreased and hydrogel stiffness increased. Adipogenic differentiation did not change with cell elongation. Therefore, cell spreading area and hydrogel stiffness could synergistically affect adipogenic differentiation of hMSCs, while cell elongation did not affect adipogenic differentiation. A change of cell morphology and hydrogel stiffness was accompanied by actin filament alignment that was strongly related to adipogenic differentiation. The results indicated that cell morphology could affect cellular sensitivity to hydrogel stiffness. The results will provide useful information for the elucidation of the interaction of stem cells and their microenvironmental biomechanical cues.