Impact of Chemical Corrosion on Mechanical Properties of Boroaluminosilicate Pharmaceutical Glasses.

Boroaluminosilicate (BAS) glasses have excellent chemical durability and mechanical properties and are widely used in the pharmaceutical packaging industry. The corrosion behavior of boroaluminosilicate (BAS) glasses have been investigated for many years; however, the impact of chemical corrosion on mechanical properties of boroaluminosilicate glasses has not been well understood. In this work, the BAS glass samples were corroded in a 20 mM Glycine-NaOH buffer solution (pH = 10) at 80 °C for various durations. Within the corrosion durations, the corrosion of the glass is dominated by congruent dissolution. The results show that the elemental composition and structure of the glass surface are not altered significantly during the congruent dissolution, and the corrosion rate is mainly affected by the Si concentration in the solution. The structural change in the process of micro-crack decay is the main factor affecting the mechanical properties of the glass surface. Corrosion leads to the growth of micro-cracks and tip passivation, which causes the hardness and elastic modulus of the glass to first decrease and then increase. As corrosion proceeds, the microcracks are completely destroyed to form micropores, and the pore size and number increase with the corrosion process, resulting in the decrease in surface mechanical properties again. This work reveals the main influencing factors of congruent dissolution on mechanical properties and provides an important reference for the improvement of pharmaceutical glass strength.

Recent Progress in Polyion Complex Nanoparticles with Enhanced Stability for Drug Delivery.

Polyion complex (PIC) nanoparticles, including PIC micelles and PICsomes, are typically composed of poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers coupled with oppositely charged polyelectrolytes or therapeutic agents via electrostatic interaction. Due to a simple and rapid preparation process with high drug-loading efficiency, PIC nanoparticles are beneficial to maintaining the chemical integrity and high biological activity of the loaded drugs. However, the stability of PIC nanoparticles can be disrupted in high-ionic-strength solutions because electrostatic interaction is the DRIVING force; these disruptions can thus impair drug delivery. Herein, we summarize the advances in the use of PIC nanoparticles for delivery of charged drugs, focusing on the different chemical and physical strategies employed to enhance their stability, including enhancing the charge density, crosslinking, increasing hydrophobic interactions, forming hydrogen bonds, and the development of PIC-based gels. In particular, we describe the use of PIC nanoparticles to load peptide antibiotics targeting antibiotic-resistant and biofilm-related diseases and the use of nanoparticles that load chemotherapeutics and gaseous donors for cancer treatment. Furthermore, the application of PIC nanoparticles as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents is summarized for the first time. Therefore, this review is of great significance for advances in the use of polymeric nanoparticles for functional drug delivery.

What drives the vaccination intention against COVID-19? Application of EPPM, TAM, and theories of risk assessment.

Vaccines are widely used to fight against COVID-19. However, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy appears as some individuals are concerned with COVID-19 vaccines. This study investigates the vaccination intention against COVID-19 in China with the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and theories of risk information assessment. Results showed that the formation mechanism of vaccination intention could be considered a psychological process, as subjective knowledge was a primary influence on correspondents' weighting of both the potentially positive (usefulness) and negative effects (threat) of vaccination. This unequal consideration then resulted in different levels of fear arousal between subjects. Driven by usefulness/threat perception and fear, people conducted different decision strategies, so-called analytical assessment, and experiential assessment to make vaccination decision. In addition to the direct effects of experiential assessment on vaccination intention, two decision strategies and fear arousal also affected people's vaccination intention through the mediation role of vaccination attitude. For policymakers and stakeholders, this study provides a knowledge base for confidence-building, and emotional guidance concerning against COVID-19 vaccination.

Who Could Not Avoid Exposure to High Levels of Residence-Based Pollution by Daily Mobility? Evidence of Air Pollution Exposure from the Perspective of the Neighborhood Effect Averaging Problem (NEAP).

It has been widely acknowledged that air pollution has a considerable adverse impact on people's health. Disadvantaged groups such as low-income people are often found to experience greater negative effects of environmental pollution. Thus, improving the accuracy of air pollution exposure assessment might be essential to policy-making. Recently, the neighborhood effect averaging problem (NEAP) has been identified as a specific form of possible bias when assessing individual exposure to air pollution and its health impacts. In this paper, we assessed the real-time air pollution exposure and residential-based exposure of 106 participants in a high-pollution community in Beijing, China. The study found that: (1) there are significant differences between the two assessments; (2) most participants experienced the NEAP and could lower their exposure by their daily mobility; (3) three vulnerable groups with low daily mobility and could not avoid the high pollution in their residential neighborhoods were identified as exceptions to this: low-income people who have low levels of daily mobility and limited travel outside their residential neighborhoods, blue-collar workers who spend long hours at low-end workplaces, and elderly people who face many household constraints. Public policies thus need to focus on the hidden environmental injustice revealed by the NEAP in order to improve the well-being of these environmentally vulnerable groups.

PTPRU, As A Tumor Suppressor, Inhibits Cancer Stemness By Attenuating Hippo/YAP Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: PTPRU is an important signaling molecule that regulates a variety of cellular processes; however, the role of PTPRU in cancer development has remained elusive. Here, we report that PTPRU serves as a tumor suppressor that inhibits cancer stemness by attenuating Hippo/YAP signaling pathway. METHODS: Primary cancer cells and cell line cells were used in the study. The gene expression data were downloaded from R2 analysis and visualization platform and Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to study the relationship between survival and PTPRU expression. qRT-PCR and Western blot were employed to study the expression of target genes in tissues and cells. Sphere and colony formation, proliferation, migration activities and the expression of stem cell and EMT markers were employed for characterizing the stemness. Gene manipulation was achieved by lentivirus-mediated gene delivery system. Luciferase reporter gene assay was used to study the transcriptional activity of the promoter, and ChIP-qPCR was employed to study the target binding sequence of the protein. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to study the correlation between two genes. Student's t-test was used for determination of the significance between two experimental groups. RESULTS: PTPRU is downregulated in colorectal and gastric cancer tissues and cancer stem cells. High expression of PTPRU predicts poor prognosis. Overexpression of PTPRU attenuates the stemness of gastric cancer stem cells and knockdown of PTRPU improves the maintenance of the stemness of cancer stem cells. Mechanistic analysis showed that PTPRU inhibits Hippo/YAP signaling by suppressing the expression of YAP in a transcriptional level. Overexpression of YAP restored PTPRU-induced inhibited stemness of gastric cancer stem cells. CONCLUSION: PTPRU serves as a tumor suppressor that inhibits the stemness of cancer stem cell by inhibiting Hippo/YAP signaling pathway.