Eumelanin-like Poly(levodopa) Nanoscavengers for Inflammation Disease Therapy.

In the current years, polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) have been extensively investigated as an eumelanin mimic. However, unlike natural eumelanin, PDA NPs contain no 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA)-derived units and may be limited in certain intrinsic properties; superior eumelanin-like nanomaterials are still actively being sought. Levodopa (l-DOPA) is a natural eumelanin precursor and expected to convert into DHICA and further remain within the final product through covalent or physical interactions. Herein, poly(levodopa) nanoparticles [P(l-DOPA) NPs] were synthesized with the assistance of zinc oxide as a supplement to synthetic eumelanin. This study found that P(l-DOPA) NPs had ∼90% DHICA-derived subunits on their surface and exhibited superior antioxidant activity compared to PDA NPs due to their looser polymeric microstructure. Benefitting from a stronger ROS scavenging ability, P(l-DOPA) NPs outperformed PDA NPs in treating cellular oxidative stress and acute inflammation. This research opens up new possibilities for the development and application of novel melanin-like materials.

Polyphenolic Platform Ameliorated Sanshool for Skin Photoprotection.

Natural evolution has nurtured a series of active molecules that play vital roles in physiological systems, but their further applications have been severely limited by rapid deactivation, short cycle time, and potential toxicity after isolation. For instance, the instability of structures and properties has greatly descended when sanshool is derived from Zanthoxylum xanthoxylum. Herein, natural polyphenols are employed to boost the key properties of sanshool by fabricating a series of nanoparticles (NPs). The intracellular evaluation and in vivo animal model are conducted to demonstrate the decreased photodamage score and skin-fold thickness of prepared NPs, which can be attributed to the better biocompatibility, improved free radical scavenging, down-regulated apoptosis ratios, and reduced DNA double-strand breaks compared to naked sanshool. This work proposes a novel strategy to boost the key properties of naturally occurring active molecules with the assistance of natural polyphenol-based platforms.

Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping: Current Applications and Future Perspectives in Gynecology Malignant Tumors.

The sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) is a group of lymph nodes initially involved in the metastatic spread of cancer cells. SLN mapping refers to intraoperative localization and biopsy of SLNs with specific tracers to assess lymph node metastases. It is widely used in a variety of tumor surgeries for its high sensitivity and high negative predictive value. In the evaluation of the status of lymph node metastases in gynecological malignancies, it has received increasingly more attention due to its minor invasiveness, few complications, and high diagnosis rate. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines provide an excellent introduction to the indications and methods of SLN techniques in vulvar, cervical, and endometrial cancers, but they provide little explanation about some specific issues. In this review, we summarize different dyes and injection methods and discuss the indications of application and the clinical trials of SLN mapping in gynecological malignant tumors, aiming to provide a reference for the rational application of sentinel techniques in gynecology malignant tumors before relevant guidelines are updated.

Therapeutic Nanoparticles from Grape Seed for Modulating Oxidative Stress.

The therapeutic potential of nanomaterials toward oxidative damage relevant diseases has attracted great attentions by offering promising advantages compared with conventional antioxidants. Although different kinds of nanoantioxidants have been well developed, the facile fabrication of robust and efficient nanoscavengers is still met with challenges like the use of toxic and high-cost subunits, the involvement of multistep synthetic process, and redundant purification work. Herein, a direct fabrication strategy toward polyphenol nanoparticles with tunable size, excellent biocompatibility, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacities from grape seed via an enzymatic polymerization method is reported. The resulting nanoparticles can efficiently prevent cell damage from ROS and exert promising in vivo antioxidant therapeutic effects on several oxidative stress-related diseases, including accelerating wound healing, inhibiting ulcerative colitis, and regulating the oxidative stress in dry eye disease. This study can stimulate the development of more kinds of low-cost, safe, and efficient biomass-based antioxidative nanomaterials via similar fabrication methodologies.

Green Nanoparticle Scavengers against Oxidative Stress.

The usage of exogenous antioxidant materials to relieve oxidative stress offers an important strategy for the therapy of oxidative stress-induced injuries. However, the fabrication processes toward the antioxidant materials usually require the involvement of extra metal ions and organic agents, as well as sophisticated purification steps, which might cause tremendous environmental stress and induce unpredictable side effects in vivo. To address these issues, herein, we proposed a novel strategy to fabricate green nanoparticles for efficiently modulating oxidative stress, which was facilely prepared from tea polyphenol extracts (originated from green tea) via a green enzymatic polymerization-based chemistry method. The resulting nanoparticles possessed a uniform spherical morphology and good stability in water and biomedium and demonstrated excellent radical scavenging properties. These nanoparticle scavengers could effectively prevent intracellular oxidative damage, accelerate wound recovery, and protect the kidneys from reactive oxygen species damaging in the acute kidney injury model. We hope this work will inspire the further development of more types of green nanoparticles for antioxidant therapies via similar synthetic strategies using green biomass materials.

Shorter Treatment Intervals of East Asians with Port-Wine Stain with Pulsed Dye Laser Are Safe and Effective-A Prospective Side-by-Side Comparison.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety and efficacy of pulsed dye laser (PDL) at different intervals for the treatment of East Asians with Port-Wine Stain (PWS). BACKGROUND: The population of East Asians around the world is about 1.6 billion, and they are considered to have more melanin in their skin compared with Caucasians. Nevertheless, no studies about the optimal treatment intervals for East Asians with PWS have been carried out. METHODS: We prospectively investigated 39 East Asian patients with untreated PWS. Half of the PWS lesion was randomly allocated to be treated at 3 weeks and the other half at 6 weeks. Both halves of the PWS were treated three times in total. The efficacy outcome 2 months post final treatment was evaluated by visual and chromameter evaluation. RESULTS: The average blanching rate was 40.27% and 44.17% for PDL treatments at the 3- and 6-week interval sites, respectively (p > 0.05). No patient developed scarring or permanent pigmentation change. LIMITATIONS: There was no age criteria involved in the enrollment of patients in this study. Additionally, there is no comparison with long-term treatments at different intervals. CONCLUSIONS: PDL treatment at 3-week interval proved to be safe for East Asians with PWS. This can reduce the total duration of the course of treatments and had no increase in side effects compared with the standard interval treatments.

In Vivo Investigation of the Safety and Efficacy of Pulsed Dye Laser with Two Spot Sizes in Port-Wine Stain Treatment: A Prospective Side-by-Side Comparison.

OBJECTIVE: Pulsed dye laser (PDL) with 7 and 10 mm spot sizes is widely used on a regular basis for the treatment of port-wine stain (PWS). BACKGROUND DATA: No studies have reported on the differences in efficacy outcomes resulting from the use of different laser spot sizes in the treatment of PWS by PDL. Thus, an in vivo investigation into the differences in safety and efficacy of treatment between two spot sizes (7 vs. 10 mm) of PWS by PDL was conducted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 35 PWS patients underwent three treatment sessions by using a 595 nm wavelength PDL (Vbeam®, Candela Corp) with two laser settings: (1) 7 mm spot size, radiant exposure of 12 J/cm2 and (2) 10 mm spot size, radiant exposure of 10 J/cm2. Cryogen spray cooling and 1.5 msec pulse duration were applied. Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated by visual and chromametric evaluation 3 months after the final treatment. RESULTS: Average blanching rates were 34.03% and 36.51% at sites treated by PDL with 7 and 10 mm laser spot sizes, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the laser setting, the therapeutic outcomes of PDL with 7 and 10 mm spot sizes were similar. PDL with a 10 mm laser spot size is more efficacious with lower radiant exposure than PDL with a 7 mm spot size; it can also reduce the treatment time.

Combined common femoral artery endarterectomy with superficial femoral artery stenting plus Shuxuening Injection infusion for chronic lower extremity ischemia: 3-year results.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of combined common femoral artery (CFA) endarterectomy with superficial femoral artery (SFA) stenting plus Shuxuening Injection infusion in patients with complex multifocal arterial steno-obstructive lesions of the lower extremities. METHODS: From March 2006 to March 2011, 104 lower limbs in 96 patients with multilevel peripheral arterial steno-occlusive disease, involving SFA as well as CFA and deep femoral artery (DFA) orifice, were treated by combined surgical with endovascular therapy, such as SFA stenting as an adjunct to CFA endarterectomy and patch angioplasty with the great saphenous vein. Before the end of the operation, 20 mL of Shuxuening Injection was infused through the catheter located in the treated artery. Technical and hemodynamic success, as well as primary and primary-assisted patency, was determined according to the Society for Vascular Surgery Guidelines. During follow-up, clinical status assessment, ankle-brachial index (ABI) test, and duplex Doppler ultrasound were administered every 6 months, and computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography was performed at 12, 24, and 36 months after discharge. RESULTS: All patients underwent successful combined CFA endarterectomy with SFA stenting treatment. The average ABI after the combination treatment increased from pretreatment of 0.32±0.21 to 0.82±0.24 (P<0.01). No perioperative death and major limb amputations occurred. The mean duration of follow-up for 104 limbs from 96 patients was 1,180 days (range, 196-2,064 days). During follow-up, 5 patients died due to myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, or pneumonia, and 5 patients were lost to follow-up. There were 21 cases (21.4%) of restenosis, with 15 that occurred in-stent and 6 near the distal end of the stent. A total of 18 (18.3%) reinterventions were performed, including 6 balloon angioplasty, 8 restenting procedures, 2 bypass surgeries, and 2 major limb amputations. The primary patency rates were 92.2%, 76.8%, and 61.3% at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, while the primary-assisted patency rates were 94.4%, 83.2%, and 75.6% at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The combined CFA endarterectomy with SFA stenting plus Shuxuening Injection infusion appears to offer a safe, less invasive, and effective treatment option to patients with chronic lower extremity ischemia due to complex multifocal peripheral artery disease.