Evaluation of the Effect of Sprout Soybeans on the Iron Status of Anemic Adolescent Girls in Rural China.

Soybeans are a major source of nonheme iron in Chinese diet. Germination is considered to be effective in improving iron bioavailability in soybeans. The study is to evaluate the effect of sprout soybean supplementation on the iron status of anemic adolescent girls in rural area of China and to compare it with the effect of soybeans. Two hundred and eighty eight adolescent girls were assigned to receive one of three dietary supplements (100 mL) a day for 6 m: 1) rice milk as the control (C); 2) sprout soybean milk (SS); 3) soybean milk (S). In addition to anthropometric measurements, iron status was measured at baseline and at the end of the study. After six months, the concentration of hemoglobin and plasma ferritin of participants in sprout soybean group were 138.6 ± 6.3 g/L and 43.3 ± 12.6 µg/L, significantly higher than those of the control. Significant decreases in the rate of anemia, iron deficiency and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) concentration were found both in sprout soybean and soybean group. An obvious decrease in plasma transferritin receptor was found in the sprout soybean group comparing with the control, but not in the soybean group. Small but not significant differences were found in all iron indicators between the sprout soybean and soybean group. Sprout soybeans and soybeans could improve the iron status of anemic adolescent girls. Although sprout soybeans exhibited some priority to soybeans, no absolutely significant difference was found between them.

Functional biomimetic nanoparticles for drug delivery and theranostic applications in cancer treatment.

Nanotechnology has been extensively utilized in the design and development of powerful strategies for drug delivery and cancer theranostic. Nanoplatforms as a drug delivery system have many advantages such as in vivo imaging, combined drug delivery, extended circulation time, and systemic controlled release. The functional biomimetic drug delivery could be realized by incorporating stimuli-responsive (pH, temperature, redox potential, etc.) properties into the nanocarrier system, allowing them to bypass biological barriers and arrive at the targeted area. In this review, we discuss the role of internal stimuli-responsive nanocarrier system for imaging and drug delivery in cancer therapy. The development of internal stimuli-responsive nanoparticles is highlighted for precision drug delivery applications, with a particular focus on in vivo imaging, drug release performance, and therapeutic benefits.