Directional electronic tuning of Ni nanoparticles by interfacial oxygen bridging of support for catalyzing alkaline hydrogen oxidation.

Metallic nickel (Ni) is a promising candidate to substitute Pt-based catalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), but huge challenges still exist in precise modulation of the electronic structure to boost the electrocatalytic performances. Herein, we present the use of single-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene to deliberately tailor the electronic structure of Ni nanoparticles via interfacial oxygen bridges, which affords Ni/Ti3C2Tx electrocatalyst with exceptional performances for HOR in an alkaline medium. Remarkably, it shows a high kinetic current of 16.39 mA cmdisk-2 at the overpotential of 50 mV for HOR [78 and 2.7 times higher than that of metallic Ni and Pt/C (20%), respectively], also with good durability and CO antipoisoning ability (1,000 ppm) that are not available for conventional Pt/C (20%) catalyst. The ultrahigh conductivity of single-layer Ti3C2Tx provides fast transmission of electrons for Ni nanoparticles, of which the uniform and small sizes endow them with high-density active sites. Further, the terminated -O/-OH functional groups on Ti3C2Tx directionally capture electrons from Ni nanoparticles via interfacial Ni-O bridges, leading to obvious electronic polarization. This could enhance the Nids-O2p interaction and weaken Nids-H1s interaction of Ni sites in Ni/Ti3C2Txenabling a suitable H-/OH-binding energy and thus enhancing the HOR activity.

Short- and long-term post-nephrectomy outcomes for retroperitoneal liposarcoma from a high-volume sarcoma center: a propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: Multivisceral en bloc resection with the ipsilateral kidney is commonly performed in patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLPS). We evaluated the effect of nephrectomy on short- and long-term outcomes in patients with RLPS. METHODS: Data from a prospectively maintained database of the Peking University Cancer Hospital Sarcoma Center between April 2011 and August 2022 were analyzed. We classified the RLPS patients who underwent surgery into nephrectomy group (NP) and non-nephrectomy group (non-NP). Patients were matched using a 1:1 propensity score to eliminate baseline differences between groups. Postoperative renal function outcomes, major morbidity, and mortality were analyzed to compare short-term outcomes after nephrectomy. Differences in local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis with respect to oncological benefits. RESULTS: In the matched cohort, patients in the NP group had significantly higher postoperative eGFR and CKD stages, but none required dialysis. Patients between NP and non-NP had a comparable major morbidity (p = 0.820) and 60-day mortality (p = 0.475). Patients in the NP group had a higher 5-year LRFS rates than those in the non-NP group (34.5 vs. 17.8%, p = 0.015), and similar 5-year OS rates (52.4 vs. 47.1%, p = 0.401). Nephrectomy was an independent risk factor for LRFS, but not for major morbidity or OS. CONCLUSIONS: RLPS resection with nephrectomy is related to a mild progression of renal impairment; however, dialysis is rare. En bloc nephrectomy for complete resection of RLPS is safe and improves local control.

The role of polyethylenimine-functionalized gold nanoclusters carrying plasmid CMTM5 in impeding the malignant progression of prostate cancer cells by promoting EGFR endocytosis.

In this research, polyethylenimine-functionalized gold nanoclusters (PEI-AuNCs) were synthesized for the delivery of plasmid CMTM5 (pCMTM5) to prostate cancer (PCa) cells, with the objective of elucidating the mechanism underlying its anticancer efficacy. The PEI-AuNCs loaded with pCMTM5 (PEI-AuNCs@pCMTM5) tumor-targeting drug delivery system was established. Subsequently, both the obtained PEI-AuNCs and PEI-AuNCs@pCMTM5 underwent characterization through a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Employing RT-qPCR, western blot, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assays, the consequences of CMTM5 overexpression on the expression of EGFR were investigated. Moreover, the influence of PEI-AuNCs@pCMTM5 on PC-3 cells was assessed through CCK-8, wound healing assay, and Transwell experiments. As a result, the PEI-AuNCs and PEI-AuNCs@pCMTM5 were presented as uniformly dispersed spherical with stable particle sizes and positive charges, showcasing favorable dispersion within the solution. In comparison to Lip2000, the PEI-AuNCs demonstrated superior transfection efficiency and lower cellular toxicity. Following the overexpression of CMTM5, the proliferative capacity of PC-3 cells was markedly suppressed, while both migratory and invasive abilities exhibited noteworthy reduction, with the efficacy of PEI-AuNCs@pCMTM5 consistently outperforming that of free pCMTM5. Subsequent mechanistic investigations unveiled that CMTM5 does not directly inhibit the synthesis of EGFR or facilitate its degradation, but rather influences the endocytic process of EGFR. In conclusion, the PEI-AuNCs nano-delivery system exhibits good biocompatibility and efficaciously conveys pCMTM5 to PCa cells. Crucially, pCMTM5 does not directly interact with EGFR, and CMTM5 governs the malignant progression of PC3 cells by promoting EGFR endocytosis.

Flexible Luminescent Hydrogen-bonded Organic Framework for the Separation of Benzene and Cyclohexane.

A nonplanar phenothiazine derivative with three cyano moieties (PTTCN) is designed and synthesized to achieve functional crystals for absorptive separation of benzene and cyclohexane. PTTCN can crystallize into two kinds of crystals with different fluorescence colors in different solvent systems. The molecules in two crystals are in different stereo isomeric forms of nitrogen, quasi axial (ax), and quasi equatorial (eq). The crystals with blue fluorescence in ax form may selectively adsorb benzene by a single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation, but separated benzene from a benzene/cyclohexane equimolar mixture with a low purity of 79.6%. Interestingly, PTTCN molecules with eq form and benzene co-assembled to construct a hydrogen-bonded framework (X-HOF-4) with S-type solvent channels and yellow-green fluorescence, and can release benzene to form nonporous guest-free crystal under heating. Such nonporous crystals strongly favor aromatic benzene over cyclohexane and may selectively reabsorb benzene from benzene/cyclohexane equimolar mixture to recover original framework, and the purity of benzene can reach ≈96.5% after release from framework. Moreover, reversible transformation between the nonporous crystals and the guest-containing crystals allows the material to be reused.

Post-Modification of a Robust Covalent Organic Framework for Efficient Sequestration of 99 TcO4 - /ReO4.

Nuclear industry spent fuel reprocessing and some radioactive contamination sites often involve high acidity and salinity environments. Currently developed and reported sorbents in 99 TcO4 - sequestration from the nuclear waste are unstable and show low adsorption efficiency in harsh conditions. To address this issue, we developed a post-synthetic modification strategy by grafting imidazole-based ionic liquids (ILs) onto the backbone of covalent organic framework (COF) via vinyl polymerization. The resultant COF-polyILs sorbent exhibits fast adsorption kinetics (<5 min) and good sorption capacity (388 mg g-1 ) for ReO4 - (a nonradioactive surrogate of 99 TcO4 - ). Outstandingly, COF-polyILs composite shows superior ReO4 - removal even under highly acidic conditions and in the presence of excess competing ions of Hanford low-level radioactive waste stream, benefiting from the stable covalent bonds between the COF and polyILs, mass of imidazole rings, and hydrophobic pores in COF.

Compositional and functional diversities of core microbial communities in wild and artificial Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is an entomogenous fungus, and its wildlife resource is very insufficient, as it is widely traded as a natural health product. The artificial culture of O. sinensis is a remarkably effective progress in addressing the problem. Adding microorganisms may improve the process of artificial culture. To analyse the composition and function of the microbial community, high-throughput sequencing was used to explore the microbial community inhabiting wild and artificial O. sinensis and surrounding soil. Significant differences in the microbial communities across groups were revealed by the PCoA analysis. There were 51 fungal and 598 bacterial operational taxonomic units only being assigned to the fruiting bodies of wild O. sinensis (Wf) by the Venn diagram. From the LEfSe analysis, 39 fungal taxa and 75 bacterial taxa were enriched in Wf. Enzymes that were highly abundant in the core fungi were involved in physiological metabolic processes. Metabolic pathways were dominated in the core bacteria, followed by environmental information processing. The core microorganisms, with the marked differences between Wf and the other three groups, were essential for wild O. sinensis. Functional analysis verified their involvement in the growth, development, and infection of O. sinensis. These core microorganisms may be a valuable resource for the artificial culture of O. sinensis.

Short- and long-term surgical outcomes of pancreatic resection for retroperitoneal sarcoma: A long-term single-center experience of 90 cases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) en bloc with pancreas is challenging and controversial. This single-center retrospective study aimed to analyze the impact of pancreatic resection (PR) and its different types on short- and long-term outcomes in patients with RPS. METHODS: Data from 242 consecutive patients with RPS who underwent surgical treatment at the Peking University Cancer Hospital Sarcoma Center between January 2010 and February 2021 were analyzed. Out of these, 90 patients underwent PR, including pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in 31 and distal pancreatectomy (DP) in 59. RESULTS: Patients in the PR group had a higher major morbidity (37.8% vs. 14.5%) and mortality (8.9% vs. 1.3%) than those in the non-PR group, with a similar 5-year overall survival (OS) rate (46.9% vs. 53.6%). Patients in the PD and DP groups had a slight difference in major morbidity (48.4% vs. 32.2%), mortality (6.4% vs. 10.2%), and 5-year OS rates (43.3% vs. 49.3%). The PR type was not an independent risk factor for major morbidity or OS. CONCLUSIONS: PR in RPS resection was associated with increased morbidity and mortality with minimal influence on survival. Patients with RPS undergoing PD and DP showed slight differences in terms of safety and OS.

Quantifying the benefits of healthy lifestyle behaviors and emotional expressivity in lowering the risk of COVID-19 infection: a national survey of Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is still prevalent in most countries around the world at the low level. Residents' lifestyle behaviors and emotions are critical to prevent COVID-19 and keep healthy, but there is lacking of confirmative evidence on how residents' lifestyle behaviors and emotional expressivity affected COVID-19 infection. METHODS: Baseline study was conducted in August 2022 and follow-up study was conducted in February 2023. Baseline survey collected information on residents' basic information, as well as their lifestyle behaviors and emotions. Follow-up study was carried out to gather data on COVID-19 infection condition. Binary logistic regression was utilized to identify factors that may influence COVID-19 infection. Attributable risk (AR) was computed to determine the proportion of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and emotional factors that could be attributed to COVID-19 infection. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the results. RESULTS: A total of 5776 participants (46.57% males) were included in this study, yielding an overall COVID-19 infection rate of 54.8% (95%CI: 53.5 - 56.0%). The findings revealed that higher stress levels [aOR = 1.027 (95%CI; 1.005-1.050)] and lower frequency in wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping distance [aOR = 1.615 (95%CI; 1.087-2.401)], were positively associated with an increased likelihood of COVID-19 infection (all P < 0.05). If these associations were causal, 8.1% of COVID-19 infection would have been prevented if all participants had normal stress levels [Attributable Risk Percentage: 8.1% (95%CI: 5.9-10.3%)]. A significant interaction effect between stress and the frequency in wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping distance on COVID-19 infection was observed (ß = 0.006, P < 0.001), which also was independent factor of COVID-19 infection. CONCLUSIONS: The overall COVID-19 infection rate among residents is at a medium level. Residents' increasing stress and decreasing frequency in wearing masks and washing hands and keeping distance contribute to increasing risk of infection, residents should increase the frequency of mask-wearing, practice hand hygiene, keep safe distance from others, ensure stable emotional state, minimize psychological stress, providing evidence support for future responses to emerging infectious diseases.

Synthesis and biological assessment of indole derivatives containing penta-heterocycles scaffold as novel anticancer agents towards A549 and K562 cells.

Herein, a new series of 2-chloro-N-(5-(2-oxoindolin-3-yl)-4H-pyrazol-3-yl) acetamide derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole (10a-i) and 4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine (11a-r) moiety was designed, synthesised as novel anticancer agents. The antiproliferative activity values indicated that compound 10 b stood as the most potent derivative with IC50 values of 12.0 nM and 10 nM against A549 and K562 cells, respectively. Mechanism investigation and docking studies of 10 b indicated that it possessed good apoptosis characteristic and dose-dependent growth arrest of A549 and K562 cells, blocked cell cycle into G2/M phase. Interestingly, 10 b suppressed the growth of A549 and K562 cells via modulation of EGFR and p53-MDM2 mediated pathway.

Cytoreductive surgery offers prognostic benefits in metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors with generalized progression following imatinib therapy: a single institute retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Distant metastasis has been detected in approximately 50% of GIST patients at the first diagnosis. The surgical strategy for metastatic GIST with generalized progression (GP) after imatinib therapy remains unclear. METHODS: We recruited 15 patients with imatinib-resistant metastatic GIST. They received cytoreductive surgery (CRS) for tumor rupture, intestinal obstruction and gastrointestinal bleeding. We collected clinical, pathological and prognostic data for analyses. RESULTS: OS and PFS after R0/1 CRS were 56.88 ± 3.47 and 26.7 ± 4.12 months, respectively, when compared with 26 ± 5.35 and 5 ± 2.78 months after R2 CRS (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively). The OS of patients from the initiation of imatinib in the R0/1 group was 133.90 ± 15.40 months when compared with 59.80 ± 10.98 months in the R2 CRS group. There were two significant grade III complications after 15 operations (13.3%). No patient underwent reoperation. In addition, no perioperative death occurred. CONCLUSIONS: R0/1 CRS is highly probable to provide prognostic benefits for patients with metastatic GIST who experience GP following imatinib treatment. An aggressive surgical strategy for achieving R0/1 CRS can be deemed safe. If applicable, R0/1 CRS should be carefully considered in imatinib-treated patients with GP metastatic GIST.

Discovery of Tryptanthrin and Its Derivatives and Its Activities against NSCLC In Vitro via Both Apoptosis and Autophagy Pathways.

In this study, a series of novel tryptanthrin derivatives were synthesized and their inhibitory activities against selected human cancer cell lines, namely, lung (A549), chronic myeloid leukemia (K562), prostate (PC3), and live (HepG2), were evaluated using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium colorimetric (MTT) assay. Among the tested compounds, compound C1 exhibited a promising inhibitory effect on the A549 cell line with an IC50 value of 0.55 ± 0.33 µM. The observation of the cell morphological result showed that treatment with C1 could significantly inhibit the migration of A549 cells through the cell migration assay. Moreover, after treatment with C1, the A549 cells exhibited a typical apoptotic morphology and obvious autophagy. In addition, the detection of apoptosis and the mitochondrial membrane potential indicated that C1 induced A549 cell apoptosis via modulating the levels of Bcl2 family members and disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential. Compound C1 also suppressed the expression of cyclin D1 and increased the expression of p21 in the A549 cells, inducing cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in a dose dependent manner. The further mechanism study found that C1 markedly increased the transformation from LC3-I to LC3-II. Taken together, our results suggest that C1 is capable of inhibiting the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, inducing cell apoptosis, and triggering autophagy.

Discovery and Mechanism of Novel 7-Aliphatic Amine Tryptanthrin Derivatives against Phytopathogenic Bacteria.

Rice bacterial leaf blight is a destructive bacterial disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) that seriously threatens crop yields and their associated economic benefits. In this study, a series of improved dissolubility 7-aliphatic amine tryptanthrin derivatives was designed and synthesized, and their potency in antibacterial applications was investigated. Notably, compound 6e exhibited excellent activity against Xoo, with an EC50 value of 2.55 µg/mL, compared with the positive control bismerthiazol (EC50 = 35.0 µg/mL) and thiodiazole copper (EC50 = 79.4 µg/mL). In vivo assays demonstrated that 6e exhibited a significant protective effect on rice leaves. After exposure, the morphology of the bacteria was partially atrophied by SEM. Furthermore, 6e increased the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, causing cell apoptosis and the formation of bacterial biofilms. All the results indicated that 6e could be a potential agrochemical bactericide for controlling phytopathogenic bacteria.

Novel 2-Amino-1,4-Naphthoquinone Derivatives Induce A549 Cell Death through Autophagy.

A series of 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives containing were synthesized as anti-cancer agents and the crystal structure of compound 5a was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. In addition, the inhibitory activities against four cancer cell lines (HepG2, A549, K562, and PC-3) were tested, respectively, and compound 5i showed significant cytotoxicity on the A549 cell line with the IC50 of 6.15 µM. Surprisingly, in the following preliminary biological experiments, we found that compound 5i induced autophagy by promoting the recycling of EGFR and signal transduction in the A549 cell, resulting in the activation of the EGFR signal pathway. The potential binding pattern between compound 5i and EGFR tyrosine kinase (PDB ID: 1M17) was also identified by molecular docking. Our research paves the way for further studies and the development of novel and powerful anti-cancer drugs.

The role of coeliac axis resection in resected ductal adenocarcinoma of the distal pancreas: A result of tumour topography or a prognostic factor?

BACKGROUND: Whether coeliac axis resection (CAR) results from tumour topography or a prognostic factor for distal pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unclear. We aimed to compare the clinicopathological data between distal pancreatectomy with en bloc CAR (DP-CAR) and distal pancreatectomy plus splenectomy (DP-S) and analyse the prognostic factors. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed clinicopathological data from 102 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy for PDAC and the factors affecting disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Of these patients, 45 and 57 underwent DP-CAR and DP-S, respectively. RESULTS: DP-CAR was associated with more operative challenges than DP-S: more portomesenteric vein resections (48.9% vs. 14.0%), longer operations (320 vs. 242 min), and greater estimated blood loss (EBL) (600 vs. 200 ml). DP-CAR had larger tumours (5 vs. 4 cm), more perineural invasion (91.1% vs. 73.7%), and more microscopically positive surgical margins (20% vs. 3.5%), compared to DP-S. The major complication was clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (20.6%). The median DFS was 15.8 months and the median OS was 20.1 months. CAR was not associated with DFS or OS. EBL>700 ml, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and adjuvant chemotherapy independently affected DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: DP-CAR was associated with larger tumours and more surgical challenges but not with poorer DFS and OS than DP-S. CAR was more likely to result from tumour topography rather than from an adverse prognostic factor for resected distal PDAC. EBL>700 ml, LVI, and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent factors affecting the survival of patients with distal PDAC who underwent surgical resection.

Antibacterial Mechanism of Chitosan-Gentamicin and Its Effect on the Intestinal Flora of Litopenaeus vannamei Infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

To explore the application of chitosan-gentamicin conjugate (CS-GT) in inhibiting Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus), which is an important pathogen in aquatic animals worldwide, the antimicrobial activity of CS-GT and the effects of a CS-GT dose on the intestine histopathology and intestinal flora of V. parahaemolyticus-infected shrimps were explored. The results showed that CS-GT possessed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 20.00 ± 0.01, 75.00 ± 0.02 and 18.72 ± 3.17 µg/mL for V. parahaemolyticus, respectively. Further scanning electron microscope and cell membrane damage analyses displayed that the electrostatic interaction of CS-GT with cell membrane strengthened after CS grafted GT, resulting in leakage of nucleic acid and electrolytes of V. parahaemolyticus. On the other hand, histopathology investigation indicated that high (100 mg/kg) and medium (50 mg/kg) doses of CS-GT could alleviate the injury of a shrimp's intestine caused by V. parahaemolyticus. Further 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis found high and medium dose of CS-GT could effectively inhabit V. parahaemolyticus invasion and reduce intestinal dysfunction. In conclusion, CS-GT possesses good antibacterial activity and could protect shrimps from pathogenic bacteria infection.

Endogenous bacteria inhabiting the Ophiocordyceps highlandensis during fruiting body development.

BACKGROUND: The genus Ophiocordyceps, which includes Ophiocordyceps sinensis, has been demonstrated to be one of the most valuable medicinal taxa. The low rate of larval infection and slow development that characterize the cultivation of this genus should be urgently addressed. To identify potential bioinoculants that stimulate the growth of Ophiocordyceps, O. highlandensis was selected as a model system, and a total of 72 samples were collected to systematically compare the microbial communities present during fruiting body development. By applying high-throughput 16S and ITS2 amplicon sequencing technology, the bacterial and fungal communities were identified in O. highlandensis and its surrounding soil, and the functional dynamics of the bacteria were explored. RESULTS: The results indicate that the most abundant bacteria across all the samples from O. highlandensis were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, while members of Ascomycota were detected among the fungi. The pathways enriched in the developmental stages were associated with carbohydrate degradation, nucleotides and pyridoxal biosynthesis, and the TCA cycle. Compared with that in the fungal community, an unexpectedly high taxonomic and functional fluctuation was discovered in the bacterial community during the maturation of O. highlandensis. Furthermore, bipartite network analysis identified four potential supercore OTUs associated with O. highlandensis growth. CONCLUSIONS: All the findings of this study suggest unexpectedly high taxonomic and functional fluctuations in the bacterial community of O. highlandensis during its maturation. O. highlandensis may recruit different endogenous bacteria across its life cycle to enhance growth and support rapid infection. These results may facilitate Ophiocordyceps cultivation and improve the development of strategies for the identification of potential bioinoculant resources.

A novel nomogram for predicting local recurrence-free survival after surgical resection for retroperitoneal liposarcoma from a Chinese tertiary cancer center.

BACKGROUND: Local recurrence is the most difficult postoperative challenge and the leading cause of death in patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLPS). We aimed to establish a postoperative nomogram exclusively focused on RLPS for predicting local recurrence-free survival (LRFS). METHODS: A cohort of 124 patients after surgical resection with curative intent in the Peking University Cancer Hospital Sarcoma Center were included in the study. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment variables were analyzed using the Cox regression model. Significant clinically relevant variables in multivariable analysis were incorporated into the RLPS-specific nomogram. The discriminative ability and predictive accuracy of the nomogram were assessed by calculating the concordance index and drawing a calibration plot. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 26.5 (interquartile range 10.9-39.4) months, 71 patients had recurrent disease. The 3-year and 5-year LRFS rates were 35.6% (95% confidence interval, 27.0-46.9%) and 28.2% (95% CI 15.8-38.6%), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified the French Federation of Cancer Centers Sarcoma Group (FNCLCC) grade and completeness of resection as independent predictors of LRFS. Variables included in our nomogram were: presentation status, multifocality, completeness of resection, histologic subtypes, and FNCLCC grade. The concordance index of our nomogram was 0.732 (95% CI 0.667-0.797) and the calibration plot was excellent. CONCLUSIONS: Our novel nomogram for patients with resected RLPS could improve recurrence risk stratification to explore molecular analysis associated with recurrence.

Research Progress of Chitosan-Based Biomimetic Materials.

Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide produced by deacetylation of natural biopolymer chitin. Owing to its good biocompatibility and biodegradability, non-toxicity, and easy processing, it has been widely used in many fields. After billions of years of survival of the fittest, many organisms have already evolved a nearly perfect structure. This paper reviews the research status of biomimetic functional materials that use chitosan as a matrix material to mimic the biological characteristics of bivalves, biological cell matrices, desert beetles, and honeycomb structure of bees. In addition, the application of biomimetic materials in wound healing, hemostasis, drug delivery, and smart materials is briefly overviewed according to their characteristics of adhesion, hemostasis, release, and adsorption. It also discusses prospects for their application and provides a reference for further research and development.

Comprehensive comparison of patient-derived xenograft models in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and metastatic Liver Cancer.

Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are effective preclinical cancer models that reproduce the tumor microenvironment of the human body. The methods have been widely used for drug screening, biomarker development, co-clinical trials, and personalized medicine. However, the low success rate and the long tumorigenesis period have largely limited their usage. In the present studies, we compared the PDX establishment between hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and metastatic liver cancer (MLC), and identified the key factors affecting the transplantation rate of PDXs. Surgically resected tumor specimens obtained from patients were subcutaneously inoculated into immunodeficient mice to construct PDX models. The overall transplantation rate was 38.5% (20/52), with the HCC group (28.1%, 9/32) being lower than MLC group (56.2%, 9/16). In addition, HCC group took significantly longer latency period than MLC group to construct PDX models. Hematoxylin and eosin staining results showed that the histopathology of all generations in PDX models was similar to the original tumor in all three types of cancer. The transplantation rate of PDX models in HCC patients was significantly associated with blood type (P=0.001), TNM stage (P=0.023), lymph node metastasis (P=0.042) and peripheral blood CA19-9 level (P=0.049), while the transplantation rate of PDX models in MLC patients was significantly associated with tumor size (P=0.034). This study demonstrates that PDX models can effectively reproduce the histological patterns of human tumors. The transplantation rate depends on the type of original tumor. Furthermore, it shows that the invasiveness of the original liver cancer affects the possibility of its growth in immunodeficient mice.

Effects of Chitosan-Gentamicin Conjugate Supplement on Non-Specific Immunity, Aquaculture Water, Intestinal Histology and Microbiota of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

When the aquaculture water environment deteriorates or the temperature rises, shrimp are susceptible to viral or bacterial infections, causing a large number of deaths. This study comprehensively evaluated the effects of the oral administration of a chitosan-gentamicin conjugate (CS-GT) after Litopenaeus vannamei were infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, through nonspecific immunity parameter detection, intestinal morphology observation, and the assessment of microbial flora diversification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the oral administration of CS-GT significantly increased total hemocyte counts and reduced hemocyte apoptosis in shrimp (p < 0.05). The parameters (including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, lysozyme, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, and phenoloxidase) were significantly increased (p < 0.05). The integrity of the intestinal epithelial cells and basement membrane were enhanced, which correspondingly alleviated intestinal injury. In terms of the microbiome, the abundances of Vibrio (Gram-negative bacteria and food-borne pathogens) in the water and gut were significantly reduced. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the abundances of Vibrio both in the water and gut were negatively correlated with CS-GT dosage. In conclusion, the oral administration of CS-GT can improve the immunity of shrimp against pathogenic bacteria and significantly reduce the relative abundances of Vibrio in aquaculture water and the gut of Litopenaeus vannamei.