Swarming Multifunctional Heater-Thermometer Nanorobots for Precise Feedback Hyperthermia Delivery.

Micro-/nanorobots (MNRs) are envisioned to act as "motile-targeting" platforms for biomedical tasks due to their ability to propel and navigate in challenging, hard-to-reach biological environments. However, it remains a great challenge for current swarming MNRs to accurately report and regulate therapeutic doses during disease treatment. Here we present the development of swarming multifunctional heater-thermometer nanorobots (HT-NRs) and their application in precise feedback photothermal hyperthermia delivery. The HT-NRs are designed as photothermal-responsive photonic nanochains consisting of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles arranged periodically in one dimension and encapsulated in a temperature-responsive hydrogel shell. The HT-NRs exhibit energetic and controllable swarming motions under a rotating magnetic field, while simultaneously functioning as motile nanoheaters and nanothermometers, utilizing their photothermal conversion and (photo)thermal-responsive structural color changes (photothermochromism). Consequently, the HT-NRs can be quickly deployed to a remote target area (e.g., a superficial tumor lesion) using their collective motion and selectively eliminate diseased cells in a specific targeted region by utilizing their self-reporting photothermochromism as visual feedback for precisely regulating external light irradiation. This work may inspire the development of intelligent multifunctional theranostic micro-/nanorobots and their practical applications in precise disease treatment.

Characterization of tea tree essential oil and large-ring cyclodextrins (CD9 -CD22 ) inclusion complex and evaluation of its thermal stability and volatility.

BACKGROUND: Although the structure and physicochemical properties of large ring cyclodextrins (LR-CDs) exhibit unique characteristics, and also possess very strong water solubility and high safety, little is known about the embedding performance of macrocyclodextrin. Encapsulation refers to a complex of tea tree oil (TTO) with the wall material, protecting the core material or changing its properties from adverse external factors, controlling its release rate against the evaporation and degradation of essential oils. In the present study, LR-CDs complexed with TTO were prepared by co-precipitation methods. RESULTS: The mass ratio of LR-CDs-TTO was six and the maximum complexation efficiency was 86.23%. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis presented the loss of characteristic peaks related to TTO in the complex and no other additional peaks were observed. X-ray diffraction examination demonstrated several sharp peaks and intensity peaks at the diffraction angle of the TTO-LR-CDs complex. 1 H-NMR indicated a chemical shift as a result of the interaction between the molecules in the inclusion complex. Moreover, the thermal stability and aqueous solubility of TTO were enhanced after synergy with LR-CDs; particularly, the solubility of the complex was increased by 329-fold. The volatile characteristics of the encapsulated and original TTO were identical. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study show that TTO was efficaciously complexed with LR-CDs and exhibited enhanced solubility and thermal stability. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects and mechanism of microRNA­218 against lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the most prevalent and observed type of cancer in Xuanwei County, Yunnan, South China. Lung cancer in this area is called Xuanwei lung cancer. However, its pathogenesis remains largely unknown. To date, a number of studies have shown that microRNA (miR)­218 functions as a tumor suppressor in multiple types of cancer. However, the role of miR­218 and its regulatory gene network in Xuanwei lung cancer have yet to be investigated. The current study identified that the expression levels of miR­218 in XWLC­05 cells were markedly lower compared with those in immortalized lung epithelial BEAS­2B cells. The present study also demonstrated that overexpression of miR­218 could decrease cell proliferation, invasion, viability and migration in Xuanwei lung cancer cell line XWLC­05 and NSCLC cell line NCI­H157. Additionally, the results revealed that overexpression of miR­218 could induce XWLC­05 and NCI­H157 cell apoptosis by arresting the cell cycle at G2/M phase. Finally, the present study demonstrated that overexpression of miR­218 could lead to a significant increase in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and YY1 transcription factor (YY1), and a decrease in B­cell lymphoma 2 (BCL­2) and BMI1 proto­oncogene, polycomb ring finger (BMI­1) at the mRNA and protein level in XWLC­05 and NCI­H157 cell lines. However, we did not observe any remarkable difference in the roles of miR­218 and miR­218­mediated regulation of BCL­2, BMI­1, PTEN and YY1 expression in the progression of Xuanwei lung cancer. In conclusion, miR­218 could simultaneously suppress cell proliferation and tumor invasiveness and induce cell apoptosis by increasing PTEN and YY1 expression, while decreasing BCL­2 and BMI­1 in Xuanwei lung cancer. The results demonstrated that miR­218 might serve a vital role in tumorigenesis and progression of Xuanwei lung cancer and overexpression of miR­218 may be a novel approach for the treatment of Xuanwei lung cancer.

Using Nonlinear Dynamics and Multivariate Statistics to Analyze EEG Signals of Insomniacs with the Intervention of Superficial Acupuncture.

OBJECTIVE: As a noninvasive and nonpharmacological therapeutic approach, superficial acupuncture (SA) is a special method of acupuncture. In this study, using nonlinear dynamics and multivariate statistics, we studied the electroencephalography (EEG) of primary insomnia under SA intervention to investigate how brain regions change. METHOD: This study included 30 adults with primary insomnia. They underwent superficial acupuncture at the Shangen acupoint. The EEG signals were collected for 10 minutes at each state, including the resting state, the intervention state, and the postintervention state. The data were conducted using nonlinear dynamics (including approximate entropy (ApEn) and correlation dimension (CD)) and multivariate statistics. RESULT: The repeated-measures ANOVA results showed that both ApEn and CD values were not significantly different at the three states (p > 0.05). The paired t-test results showed that the ApEn values of electrodes O2 (the right occipital lobe) at the postintervention state have decreased, compared with the resting state (p < 0.05), and no difference was detected in CD (p > 0.05). The cluster analysis results of ApEn showed that patients' EEG has changed from the right prefrontal lobe (electrode Fp2) to the right posterior temporal lobe (electrode T6) and finally to the right occipital lobe (electrode O2), before, during, and after the SA intervention. In addition, the factor analysis results of CD revealed that patients' EEG of all brain regions except for the occipital lobes has changed to the frontal lobes and anterior temporal and frontal lobes from pre- to postintervention. CONCLUSION: SA activated the corresponding brain regions and reduced the complexity of the brain involved. It is feasible to use nonlinear dynamics analysis and multivariate statistics to examine the effects of SA on the human brain.

A Selenium-Enriched Ziyang Green Tea Polysaccharide Induces Bax-Dependent Mitochondrial Apoptosis and Inhibits TGF-ß1-Stimulated Collagen Expression in Human Keloid Fibroblasts via NG2 Inactivation.

Keloids are fibroproliferative disorders characterized by the overabundant deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), especially collagen and overgrowth of scar tissue in response to cutaneous injury. In this study, we isolated a selenium (Se)-containing polysaccharide (Se-ZGTP-I) from Ziyang green tea and explored its potential therapeutic effects on keloid fibroblasts formation. 3-(4,5-Dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining assays demonstrated that Se-ZGTP-I or neuron-glia 2 (NG2) short hairpin RNA (shRNA) significantly inhibited proliferation of human keloid fibroblasts via induction of apoptosis. Besides, the activation of caspase-3 and the subsequent cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) were observed in keloid fibroblasts following Se-ZGTP-I (200 and 400 µg/ml) or NG2 shRNA treatment. Moreover, Western blotting analysis showed that treatment of keloid fibroblasts with Se-ZGTP-I (200 and 400 µg/ml) or NG2 shRNA resulted in an increase of pro-apoptotic protein Bax expression and a decrease in expression levels of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and NG2. In addition, type I collagen biosynthesis and protein expression in keloid fibroblasts following TGF-ß1 stimulation were decreased by Se-ZGTP-I (200 and 400 µg/ml) or NG2 shRNA management. Current findings imply that Se-ZGTP-I has a therapeutic potential to intervene and prevent keloid formation and other fibrotic diseases.

Manual acupuncture at the SJ5 (Waiguan) acupoint shows neuroprotective effects by regulating expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2.

Acupuncture at the SJ5 (Waiguan) acupoint has neuroprotective effects in cerebral infarction, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed gene expression in healthy rat cerebellum using a pathway-focused DNA microarray to screen 113 genes associated with 18 signal transduction pathways. After 20 minutes of acupuncture at SJ5, the expression of Bcl-2 and Birc1b mRNA was markedly increased. This was confirmed by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Furthermore, western blot analysis showed that Bcl-2 protein expression remained high in the cerebellum until at least 2 hours after cessation of acupuncture. These findings indicate that acupuncture at SJ5 exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating the expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2.

Research on Acute Toxicity and Pharmacodynamics of Jinyulian Oral Solution.

A research on Jinyulian Oral Solution was conducted and the objectives were to discover its possible acute toxicity and antibacterial effects when used in vitro and in vivo. Regarding the acute toxicity test, Kunming mice were fed a maximum amount of the solution as their stomachs could hold, i.e., 40 mL kg(-1). To ascertain the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the solution, two types of germs, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, were selected and tube dilution method was adopted. An antibacterial experimental model relying on animals' body was developed for the researchers to observe the solution's antibacterial effects. Test results showed that no abnormalities were discovered within 14 days after the initial date of testing and the mice grew as normal when fed with an amount of the solution 250 times of a normal clinical doze (In this case a man was assumed to weigh 60 kg.) and that the solution demonstrated obvious antibacterial effects on the two types of selected germs. The respective measured MIC50 and MIC90 values of the two germs were 3.2, 12.8, 6.4, and 25.6 mg L(-1). Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that Jinyulian Oral Solution possesses no acute toxicity but obvious antibacterial effects on the two before-mentioned germs.