Cell Membrane-Camouflaged Chitosan-Polypyrrole Nanogels Co-Deliver Drug and Gene for Targeted Chemotherapy and Bone Metastasis Inhibition of Prostate Cancer.

The development of functional nanoplatforms to improve the chemotherapy outcome and inhibit distal cancer cell metastasis remains an extreme challenge in cancer management. In this work, a human-derived PC-3 cancer cell membrane-camouflaged chitosan-polypyrrole nanogel (CH-PPy NG) platform, which can be loaded with chemotherapeutic drug docetaxel (DTX) and RANK siRNA for targeted chemotherapy and gene silencing-mediated metastasis inhibition of late-stage prostate cancer in a mouse model, is reported. The prepared NGs with a size of 155.8 nm show good biocompatibility, pH-responsive drug release profile, and homologous targeting specificity to cancer cells, allowing for efficient and precise drug/gene co-delivery. Through in-vivo antitumor treatment in a xenografted PC-3 mouse tumor model, it is shown that such a CH-PPy NG-facilitated co-delivery system allows for effective chemotherapy to slow down the tumor growth rate, and effectively inhibits the metastasis of prostate cancer to the bone via downregulation of the RANK/RANKL signaling pathway. The created CH-Ppy NGs may be utilized as a promising platform for enhanced chemotherapy and anti-metastasis treatment of prostate cancer.

A fluorescent probe based on a phenylalanine derivative is capable of sequential detection of Zn2+ and Cys/His.

A facile and dual fluorescent chemosensor (named 7-IDF) based on a phenylalanine derivative with an indole group was designed and synthesized. 7-IDF can selectively and sensitively detect Zn2+ via obvious fluorescence enhancement in an aqueous solution. Remarkably, the 7-IDF-Zn complex with blue luminescence has higher selectivity toward cysteine (Cys) and histidine (His) than for other amino acids. Intriguingly, 7-IDF can also be used as an excellent probe to detect Zn2+ in real water samples. Moreover, 7-IDF and 7-IDF-Zn possess excellent biocompatibility and cell permeability, and 7-IDF can consecutively detect Zn2+ and Cys/His in Hela cells through fluorescence imaging experiments. This study suggests that the phenylalanine-based chemosensor possesses great potential applications for the sequential detection of Zn2+ and Cys/His in biosystems.

Reduced-Dose Full-Body CT in Lymphoma Follow-up: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: How to reduce the radiation dose received from full-body CT scans during the follow-up of lymphoma patients is a concern. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the image quality and radiation dose of reduced-dose full-body computerized tomography (CT) in lymphoma patients during the follow-up. METHODS: 121 patients were included and divided into conventional CT group (group 1, 120-kVp, n = 61) or reduced-dose CT group (group 2, 100-kVp combined dual-energy CT (DECT), n = 60). 140-kVp polychromatic images and 70-keV monochromatic images were reconstructed from DECT. The abdominal virtual non-enhanced (VNE) images were reconstructed from monochromatic images. Two radiologists rated the overall image quality with a five-point scale and graded the depiction of lesions using a four-point scale. The objective image quality was evaluated using image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio. The radiation dose and image quality were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The comparable subjective image quality was observed between 70-keV and 120-kVp images in the neck, while 120-kVp images showed better objective image quality. 70-keV images showed better objective image quality in the chest. While the subjective image quality of abdominal VNE images was inferior to that of true non-enhanced images, the improved objective image quality was observed in VNE images. In the abdominal arterial phase, similar subjective image quality was observed between the groups. Abdominal 70-keV images in the arterial phase showed improved objective image quality. Similar image quality was obtained in the abdominal venous phase between the groups. The effective radiation dose in group 2 showed a significant reduction. CONCLUSION: The application of reduced-dose full-body CT can significantly reduce the radiation dose for lymphoma patients during the follow-up while maintaining or improving the image quality.

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Utility of high-resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI.

BACKGROUND: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a kind of low-grade malignant spindle cell neoplasm, the diagnosis, and treatment, which have markedly attracted clinicians' attention for its repeated recurrence. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) has shown unique capabilities in diagnosis of various cutaneous tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 29 patients with clinically suspected DFSPs and undergoing dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) HR-MRI preoperatively were prospectively collected. The HR-MRI qualitative features were evaluated and compared. The DCE-associated quantitative parameters and the time-signal intensity curve (TIC) types were provided using DCE sequences. RESULTS: A total of 7 DFSPs, nine dermatofibromas (DF, including four cases of cellular variant [CDF]), 12 keloids, and one nodular fasciitis were enrolled. DFSP showed the largest major diameter and the deepest depth. Five DFSPs (71.4%) showed ill-defined margins as well as infiltration of peripheral adipose. All DFSPs showed irregular shape. Most DFSPs presented hyperintensity on T2 WI (71.4%) and iso-intensity on T1 WI (85.7%). Six cases (85.7%) had significant enhancement, and six cases (85.7%) had homogeneous enhancement. There were significant differences of Ktrans , Kep , Ve and iAUC values among DFSPs, DFs, and keloids, and DFSP had the highest values for these parameters. Six DFSPs (85.7%) and four CDFs (100%) showed type-III TICs, while the other lesions showed type-Ⅰor type-Ⅱ TICs. CONCLUSIONS: DCE-HR-MRI could show the growth characteristics of DFSPs, which was of great value for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of DFSPs and was helpful for the determination of treatment options, thereby to improve the prognosis of patients.

Bibliometric analysis of the 100 most-cited articles in the field of hepatology.

OBJECTIVE: Bibliometric search of citation classics can function as a tool to identify extraordinary landmark articles and advanced research studies. We aimed to examine and characterize the 100 most-cited published articles in the field of hepatology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comprehensive list of the 100 most-cited articles published from 1950 to 2017 in the field of hepatology was compiled after searching the Web of Science with relevant terms, including "liver," "hepatitis," "hepatic," "hepatocellular," "hepatology," "cirrhosis," and "steatohepatitis." The articles were ranked according to their citation counts and were evaluated for characteristics including country, institution, authorship, publication year, subspecialty and others. RESULTS: The database search returned 323,291 articles associated with liver disease published between 1950 and 2017. The 100 most-cited articles were from 21 major journals, with the highest number of articles being published in Hepatology (n=20). The average number of citations of the 100 most-cited articles was 1946.8; among these articles, the most frequently cited article received 5515 citations, and the least frequently cited article received 1155 citations. In total, 60 were original articles among the 100 most-cited articles. The most frequently represented specialties were hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which accounted for 53.3%, 23.3%, and 11.7% of these articles, respectively. DISCUSSION: Our study identified citation classics and provided a review of the most advanced studies in the field of hepatology. This can help to guide clinical treatment and future academic research resulting in advancements in hepatology.

Specific antigen-based and emerging detection technologies of mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites produced by certain types of filamentous fungi or molds, such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Alternaria spp. Mycotoxins are natural contaminants of agricultural commodities, and their prevalence may increase due to global warming. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, approximately 25% of the world's food crops are annually contaminated with mycotoxins. Mycotoxin-contaminated food and feed pose a high risk to both human and animal health. For instance, they possess carcinogenic, immunosuppressive, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, and neurotoxic effects. Hence, various approaches have been used to assess and control mycotoxin contamination. Significant challenges still exist because of the complex heterogeneous nature of food and feed composition. The potential of antigen-based approaches, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow injection immunoassay, chemiluminescence immunoassay, lateral flow immunoassay, and flow-through immunoassay, would contribute to our understanding about mycotoxins' rapid identification, their isolation, and the basic principles of the detection technologies. Additionally, we address other emerging technologies of potential application in the detection of mycotoxins. The data included in this review focus on basic principles and results of the detection technologies and would be useful as benchmark information for future research. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.