Validation of combined AFP, AFP-L3, and PIVKA II for diagnosis and monitoring of hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese patients.

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the performance of GALAD, GALAD-C, and GAAP models in Chinese population in comparison to our newly build statistical model. Methods: In this study, we built the AALP model based on age, α-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP-L3, and prothrombin induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA II) to differentiate between patients with HCC and patients with CLD. We then compared the serum levels of AFP-L3 and PIVKA II in patients with HCC who were defined as remission or progression and showed the prognostic value of combined biomarkers. Results: The AUC value of the AALP model for HCC detection was 0.939 and AALP model exhibited a sensitivity of 81 % and a high specificity of 95 %. AALP model also exhibited good performance in the subgroups of patients with CLD. Furthermore, we demonstrated the consistency between imaging results and serum levels of AFP-L3 and PIVKA II. Conclusions: The AALP model achieved a good diagnostic performance and a high sensitivity for predicting HCC patients. Our research also showed that AFP-L3 and PIVKA II are complementary to each other but irreplaceable in the clinical detection and monitoring of HCC.

Black Phosphorus-Based Conductive Hydrogels Assisted by Electrical Stimulus for Skin Tissue Engineering.

Conductive hydrogels have shown great potential in wound healing and skin tissue engineering, owing to their electroactive, mechanical, and chemical properties. However, it still remains as a challenge to incorporate other functions into conductive hydrogels, such as antibacterial ability, controllable drug release, and biodegradability. In this study, a black phosphorus-based conductive hydrogel (HA-DA@BP) is prepared by an amidation reaction coupled with a coordination of Fe3+ -catechol. The hydrogel could be changed from the sol phase to the gel phase under electrical stimulus (ES). The results show that BP could be released under slight acidity, which is cell compatible but could achieve synergistic electrical antibacterial action and promote wound healing. This study proves that BP is a strong candidate for electroactive materials and provides a new insight for the development of BP-based biomedical materials in skin tissue engineering.

A balanced charged hydrogel with anti-biofouling and antioxidant properties for treatment of irradiation-induced skin injury.

Skin injury caused by large doses of ionizing radiation is the common and severe side effect of radiotherapy. However, its therapeutic efficacy is always hindered by early reactive oxygen species generation, repetitive inflammatory microenvironment and bacterial infection risk. Herein, we report an anti-biofouling hydrogel with anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative properties for the treatment of irradiation-induced skin injury. The anti-biofouling hydrogel can be achieved by balancing oppositely charged alginate, hyaluronic acid (HA) and polylysine (PLL) at the optimal ratio, which effectively resist protein and bacterial adhesion, and evades immune response. Moreover, curcumin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can be facially encapsulated and substantially released from the hydrogel. Results showed that the resulting AHP-Cur/EGCG hydrogel can significantly weaken the development of skin injury and accelerate its healing process by alleviating inflammation, scavenging ROS and promoting angiogenesis. Therefore, the findings presented in this work provide an effective strategy for clinical management and treatment of ionizing radiation-induced skin injury.

2D Black Phosphorus-Based Cytomembrane Mimics with Stimuli-Responsive Antibacterial Action Inspired by Endotoxin-Associated Toxic Behavior.

Biomimetic membrane materials have been widely explored and developed for drug loading and tissue engineering applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and abundant reaction sites. However, novel cytomembrane mimics have been lacking for a long time. In this study, black phosphorus (BP) was used as the foundation for a new generation of promising cytomembrane mimics due to its multiple similarities to cytomembranes. Inspired by the dual function of endotoxins on membranes, we prepared a BP-based cytomembrane mimic with controllable antibacterial ability via electrostatic interaction between BP and [1-pentyl-1-quaternary ammonium-3-vinyl-imidazole]Br ([PQVI]Br). The release of PQVI could be manipulated in different conditions by adjusting the electrostatic force, thereby achieving controllable antibacterial ability. This report confirms the possibility of using BP as a new material to mimic cytomembranes and provides a new concept of controllable antibacterial action based on endotoxins.