Tumor microenvironment and NIR laser dual-responsive release of berberine 9-O-pyrazole alkyl derivative loaded in graphene oxide nanosheets for chemo-photothermal synergetic cancer therapy.

A berberine 9-O-pyrazole alkyl derivative, a chemical compound (called B3) previously synthesized by our group, shows anti-cancer activity. However, B3 lacks targeting cytotoxicity to cancer cells, leading to obvious toxic side effects on normal cells. To solve this problem, here, we prepared a drug delivery system, namely, AS1411-GO/B3 for tumor targeting, in which nano-graphene oxide (GO) sheets were employed as the drug carrier, and the aptamer AS1411 was conjugated onto GO for tumor targeting. GO also had a photothermal effect, which helped the release of B3 from GO as well as the thermal cytotoxicity to cells. We found that the release of B3 could respond to acid conditions, indicating that the tumor intracellular environment could promote the release of B3, thus allowing it to perform chemotherapy effects. This system could also release B3 in response to photothermal heating, moreover, combined photothermal therapy and chemotherapy to improve the anticancer activity was achieved. This AS1411-GO/B3 platform with chemo-photothermal synergetic therapy provides a very promising treatment for tumors.

Comparative effects of dietary microalgae oil and fish oil on fatty acid composition and sensory quality of table eggs.

This study was conducted to investigate the comparative effects of dietary supplementation with microalgae oil or fish oil on fatty acid composition, sensory quality, and overall acceptability of table eggs. A total of six hundred thirty, 30-week-old, Hy-Line Brown laying hens were allocated to 7 dietary treatments. Layers were fed with a control diet or the control diet supplemented with graded levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 1.25, 2.50, and 5.00 mg/g feed) derived from microalgae oil or fish oil. The feeding trial lasted 10 wk. Enrichment of eggs with DHA by dietary supplementation with microalgae oil or fish oil enhanced yolk DHA and total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) enrichment and reduced n-6-to-n-3 ratio in a dose-response manner, whereas the efficiency decreased (P < 0.05). The overall efficiency of DHA incorporation into eggs was similar for the 2 sources (P > 0.05). In comparison with fish oil, dietary microalgae oil supplementation resulted in higher scores for egg flavor and overall acceptability, both of which declined linearly in response to DHA supplementation (P < 0.05). Among the aroma and flavor characteristics, fishy aroma and flavor scores increased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05) in response to dietary DHA supplementation, and egg aroma and flavor and milky flavor scores decreased linearly (P < 0.05). The results from partial least squares analysis showed that fishy flavor and aroma were closely associated with DHA, α-linolenic acid, and total n-3 PUFA, and oleic acid, arachidonic acid, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid were more related to egg aroma and flavor. The results suggested that microalgae oil would be more promising for egg DHA enrichment owing to better sensory quality of the resultant eggs.

Tea and coffee consumption and risk of laryngeal cancer: a systematic review meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tea and coffee are the most commonly consumed beverages in the worldwide. The relationship between tea and coffee consumption on the risk of laryngeal cancer was still unclear. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching electronic database (Medline and EMBASE) and reviewing the reference lists of relevant articles until Oct. 2013. Observational studies that reported RRs and 95% CIs for the link of tea and coffee consumption on the risk of laryngeal cancer were eligible. A meta-analysis was obtained to combine study-specific RRs with a random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of 2,803 cases and 503,234 controls in 10 independent studies were identified. The overall analysis of all 10 studies, including the case-control and cohort studies, found that tea drinking was not associated with laryngeal carcinoma (RR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.66-1.61). However, coffee consumption was significantly associated with the laryngeal carcinoma (RR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.03-2.11). A dose-response relationship between coffee intake and laryngeal carcinoma was detected; however, no evidence of dose-response link between tea consumption and laryngeal carcinoma risk was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this meta-analysis of observational studies demonstrate that coffee consumption would increase the laryngeal cancer risk, while tea intake was not associated with risk of laryngeal carcinoma.