Framework Development for Reducing Attrition in Digital Dietary Interventions: Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Dietary behaviors significantly influence health outcomes across populations. Unhealthy diets are linked to serious diseases and substantial economic burdens, contributing to approximately 11 million deaths and significant disability-adjusted life years annually. Digital dietary interventions offer accessible solutions to improve dietary behaviors. However, attrition, defined as participant dropout before intervention completion, is a major challenge, with rates as high as 75%-99%. High attrition compromises intervention validity and reliability and exacerbates health disparities, highlighting the need to understand and address its causes. OBJECTIVE: This study systematically reviews the literature on attrition in digital dietary interventions to identify the underlying causes, propose potential solutions, and integrate these findings with behavior theory concepts to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework. This framework aims to elucidate the behavioral mechanisms behind attrition and guide the design and implementation of more effective digital dietary interventions, ultimately reducing attrition rates and mitigating health inequalities. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and thematic synthesis. A comprehensive search across 7 electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and Academic Search Complete) was performed for studies published between 2013 and 2023. Eligibility criteria included original research exploring attrition in digital dietary interventions. Data extraction focused on study characteristics, sample demographics, attrition rates, reasons for attrition, and potential solutions. We followed ENTREQ (Enhancing the Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research) and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and used RStudio (Posit) for meta-analysis and NVivo for thematic synthesis. RESULTS: Out of the 442 identified studies, 21 met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed mean attrition rates of 35% for control groups, 38% for intervention groups, and 40% for observational studies, with high heterogeneity (I²=94%-99%) indicating diverse influencing factors. Thematic synthesis identified 15 interconnected themes that align with behavior theory concepts. Based on these themes, the force-resource model was developed to explore the underlying causes of attrition and guide the design and implementation of future interventions from a behavior theory perspective. CONCLUSIONS: High attrition rates are a significant issue in digital dietary interventions. The developed framework conceptualizes attrition through the interaction between the driving force system and the supporting resource system, providing a nuanced understanding of participant attrition, summarized as insufficient motivation and inadequate or poorly matched resources. It underscores the critical necessity for digital dietary interventions to balance motivational components with available resources dynamically. Key recommendations include user-friendly design, behavior-factor activation, literacy training, force-resource matching, social support, personalized adaptation, and dynamic follow-up. Expanding these strategies to a population level can enhance digital health equity. Further empirical validation of the framework is necessary, alongside the development of behavior theory-guided guidelines for digital dietary interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42024512902; https://tinyurl.com/3rjt2df9.

Densification of Cathode/Electrolyte Interphase to Enhance Reversibility of LiCoO2 at 4.65 V.

For LiCoO2 (LCO) operated beyond 4.55 V (vs Li/Li+), it usually suffers from severe surface degradation. Constructing a robust cathode/electrolyte interphase (CEI) is effective to alleviate the above issues, however, the correlated mechanisms still remain vague. Herein, a progressively reinforced CEI is realized via constructing Zr─O deposits (ZrO2 and Li2ZrO3) on LCO surface (i.e., Z-LCO). Upon cycle, these Zr─O deposits can promote the decomposition of LiPF6, and progressively convert to the highly dispersed Zr─O─F species. In particular, the chemical reaction between LiF and Zr─O─F species further leads to the densification of CEI, which greatly reinforces its toughness and conductivity. Combining the robust CEI and thin surface rock-salt layer of Z-LCO, several benefits are achieved, including stabilizing the surface lattice oxygen, facilitating the interface Li+ transport kinetics, and enhancing the reversibility of O3/H1-3 phase transition, etc. As a result, the Z-LCO||Li cells exhibit a high capacity retention of 84.2% after 1000 cycles in 3-4.65 V, 80.9% after 1500 cycles in 3-4.6 V, and a high rate capacity of 160 mAh g-1 at 16 C (1 C = 200 mA g-1). This work provides a new insight for developing advanced LCO cathodes.

Quantitative transport mapping of multi-delay arterial spin labeling MRI detects early blood perfusion alterations in Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative transport mapping (QTM) of blood velocity, based on the transport equation has been demonstrated higher accuracy and sensitivity of perfusion quantification than the traditional Kety's method-based cerebral blood flow (CBF). This study aimed to investigate the associations between QTM velocity and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using multiple post-labeling delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI. METHODS: A total of 128 subjects (21 normal controls (NC), 80 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 AD) were recruited prospectively. All participants underwent MRI examination and neuropsychological evaluation. QTM velocity and traditional CBF maps were computed from multiple delay ASL. Regional quantitative perfusion measurements were performed and compared to study group differences. We tested the hypothesis that cognition declines with reduced cerebral blood perfusion with consideration of age and gender effects. RESULTS: In cortical gray matter (GM) and the hippocampus, QTM velocity and CBF showed decreased values in the AD group compared to NC and MCI groups; QTM velocity, but not CBF, showed a significant difference between MCI and NC groups. QTM velocity and CBF showed values decreasing with age; QTM velocity, but not CBF, showed a significant gender difference between male and female. QTM velocity and CBF in the hippocampus were positively correlated with cognition, including global cognition, memory, executive function, and language function. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an increased sensitivity of QTM velocity as compared with the traditional Kety's method-based CBF. Specifically, we observed only in QTM velocity, reduced perfusion velocity in GM and the hippocampus in MCI compared with NC. Both QTM velocity and CBF demonstrated a reduction in AD vs. controls. Decreased QTM velocity and CBF in the hippocampus were correlated with poor cognitive measures. These findings suggest QTM velocity as potential biomarker for early AD blood perfusion alterations and it could provide an avenue for early intervention of AD.

Enhancing Cancer Therapy: Boron-Rich Polyboronate Ester Micelles for Synergistic Boron Neutron Capture Therapy and PD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Blockade.

Malignant cancers, known for their pronounced heterogeneity, pose substantial challenges to monotherapeutic strategies and contribute to the risk of metastasis. Addressing this, our study explores the synergistic potential of combining boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) with immune checkpoint blockade to enhance cancer treatment efficacy. We synthesized boron-rich block copolymer micelles as a novel boron drug for BNCT. Characterization was conducted using nuclear magnetic resonance, gel-permeation chromatography, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. These micelles, with an optimal size of 91.3 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.18, are suitable for drug delivery applications. In vitro assessments on B16-F10 melanoma cells showed a 13-fold increase in boron uptake with the micelles compared to borophenyl alanine (BPA), the conventional boron drug for BNCT. This resulted in a substantial increase in BNCT efficacy, reducing cell viability to 77% post-irradiation in micelle-treated cells, in contrast to 90% in BPA-treated cells. In vivo, melanoma-bearing mice treated with these micelles exhibited an 8-fold increase in boron accumulation in tumor tissues versus those treated with BPA, leading to prolonged tumor growth delay (5.4 days with micelles versus 3.3 days with BPA). Moreover, combining BNCT with anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy further extended the tumor growth delay to 6.6 days, and enhanced T-cell infiltration and activation at tumor sites, thereby indicating a boosted immune response. This combination demonstrates a promising approach by enhancing cytotoxic T-cell priming and mitigating the immunosuppressive effects of melanoma tumors.

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Enhanced by Boronate Ester Polymer Micelles: Synthesis, Stability, and Tumor Inhibition Studies.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) targets invasive, radioresistant cancers but requires a selective and high B-10 loading boron drug. This manuscript investigates boron-rich poly(ethylene glycol)-block-(poly(4-vinylphenyl boronate ester)) polymer micelles synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization for their potential application in BNCT. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed spherical micelles with a uniform size of 43 ± 10 nm, ideal for drug delivery. Additionally, probe sonication proved effective in maintaining the micelles' size and morphology postlyophilization and reconstitution. In vitro studies with B16-F10 melanoma cells demonstrated a 38-fold increase in boron accumulation compared to the borophenylalanine drug for BNCT. In vivo studies in a B16-F10 tumor-bearing mouse model confirmed enhanced tumor selectivity and accumulation, with a tumor-to-blood (T/B) ratio of 2.5, surpassing BPA's T/B ratio of 1.8. As a result, mice treated with these micelles experienced a significant delay in tumor growth, highlighting their potential for BNCT and warranting further research.

Unrecoverable lattice rotation governs structural degradation of single-crystalline cathodes.

Transitioning from polycrystalline to single-crystalline nickel-rich cathodes has garnered considerable attention in both academia and industry, driven by advantages of high tap density and enhanced mechanical properties. However, cathodes with high nickel content (>70%) suffer from substantial capacity degradation, which poses a challenge to their commercial viability. Leveraging multiscale spatial resolution diffraction and imaging techniques, we observe that lattice rotations occur universally in single-crystalline cathodes and play a pivotal role in the structure degradation. These lattice rotations prove unrecoverable and govern the accumulation of adverse lattice distortions over repeated cycles, contributing to structural and mechanical degradation and fast capacity fade. These findings bridge the previous knowledge gap that exists in the mechanistic link between fast performance failure and atomic-scale structure degradation.

Revealing the Nature of Binary-Phase on Structural Stability of Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes.

The emergence of layered sodium transition metal oxides featuring a multiphase structure presents a promising approach for cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries, showcasing notably improved energy storage capacity. However, the advancement of cathodes with multiphase structures faces obstacles due to the limited understanding of the integrated structural effects. Herein, the integrated structural effects by an in-depth structure-chemistry analysis in the developed layered cathode system NaxCu0.1Co0.1Ni0.25Mn0.4Ti0.15O2 with purposely designed P2/O3 phase integration, are comprehended. The results affirm that integrated phase ratio plays a pivotal role in electrochemical/structural stability, particularly at high voltage and with the incorporation of anionic redox. In contrast to previous reports advocating solely for the enhanced electrochemical performance in biphasic structures, it is demonstrated that an inappropriate composite structure is more destructive than a single-phase design. The in situ X-ray diffraction results, coupled with density functional theory computations further confirm that the biphasic structure with P2:O3 = 4:6 shows suppressed irreversible phase transition at high desodiated states and thus exhibits optimized electrochemical performance. These fundamental discoveries provide clues to the design of high-performance layered oxide cathodes for next-generation SIBs.

Mechanochemically Robust LiCoO2 with Ultrahigh Capacity and Prolonged Cyclability.

Pushing intercalation-type cathode materials to their theoretical capacity often suffers from fragile Li-deficient frameworks and severe lattice strain, leading to mechanical failure issues within the crystal structure and fast capacity fading. This is particularly pronounced in layered oxide cathodes because the intrinsic nature of their structures is susceptible to structural degradation with excessive Li extraction, which remains unsolved yet despite attempts involving elemental doping and surface coating strategies. Herein, a mechanochemical strengthening strategy is developed through a gradient disordering structure to address these challenges and push the LiCoO2 (LCO) layered cathode approaching the capacity limit (256 mAh g-1, up to 93% of Li utilization). This innovative approach also demonstrates exceptional cyclability and rate capability, as validated in practical Ah-level pouch full cells, surpassing the current performance benchmarks. Comprehensive characterizations with multiscale X-ray, electron diffraction, and imaging techniques unveil that the gradient disordering structure notably diminishes the anisotropic lattice strain and exhibits high fatigue resistance, even under extreme delithiation states and harsh operating voltages. Consequently, this designed LCO cathode impedes the growth and propagation of particle cracks, and mitigates irreversible phase transitions. This work sheds light on promising directions toward next-generation high-energy-density battery materials through structural chemistry design.

Cisplatin-activated and hemoglobin-mediated injectable hydrogel system for antitumor chemodynamic and chemotherapy.

Low specificity and hypoxia-induced drug resistance are significant challenges in traditional cancer treatment. To enhance the anticancer efficacy, an injectable hydrogel system is developed through the formation of dynamic covalent bonds in hyaluronic acid, allowing for localized controlled release of drugs. This system also utilizes double-stranded DNA sequences for the intercalation delivery of the chemotherapeutic drug, enabling a multifaceted approach to therapy. Cisplatin not only serves as a chemotherapy drug but also acts as a catalyst for chemodynamic therapy (CDT) to initiate CDT cascades by creating hydrogen peroxide for the Fenton reaction. Hemoglobin, enclosed in PLGA nanoparticles, provides ferrous ions that react with hydrogen peroxide in an acidic environment, yielding hydroxyl radicals that induce cancer cell death. Additionally, oxygen released from hemoglobin mitigates hypoxia-induced chemoresistance, bolstering overall anticancer efficacy. Results demonstrate the shear-thinning properties and injectability of the hydrogel. Cisplatin elevates intracellular hydrogen peroxide levels in tumor cells, while hemoglobin efficiently releases ferrous ions and generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. In in vitro and in vivo study, the combinational use of chemo- and chemodynamic therapies achieves a synergistic anticancer effect on combating glioblastoma. In summary, our CDT-based hydrogel, activated by endogenous cues and mediated by chemo drugs, spontaneously produces ROS and ameliorates the adverse tumor microenvironment with rational and selective antitumor strategies.

Quantitative transport mapping of multi-delay arterial spin labeling MRI detects early blood perfusion alteration in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Quantitative transport mapping (QTM) of blood velocity, based on the transport equation has been demonstrated higher accuracy and sensitivity of perfusion quantification than the traditional Kety's method-based blood flow (Kety flow). This study aimed to investigate the associations between QTM velocity and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) using multiple post-labeling delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI. Methods: A total of 128 subjects (21 normal controls (NC), 80 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 27 AD) were recruited prospectively. All participants underwent MRI examination and neuropsychological evaluation. QTM velocity and traditional Kety flow maps were computed from multiple delay ASL. Regional quantitative perfusion measurements were performed and compared to study group differences. We tested the hypothesis that cognition declines with reduced cerebral blood flow with consideration of age and gender effects. Results: In cortical gray matter (GM) and the hippocampus, QTM velocity and Kety flow showed decreased values in AD group compared to NC and MCI groups; QTM velocity, but not Kety flow, showed a significant difference between MCI and NC groups. QTM velocity and Kety flow showed values decreasing with age; QTM velocity, but not Kety flow, showed a significant gender difference between male and female. QTM velocity and Kety flow in the hippocampus were positively correlated with cognition, including global cognition, memory, executive function, and language function. Conclusion: This study demonstrated an increased sensitivity of QTM velocity as compared with the traditional Kety flow. Specifically, we observed only in QTM velocity, reduced perfusion velocity in GM and the hippocampus in MCI compared with NC. Both QTM velocity and Kety flow demonstrated reduction in AD vs controls. Decreased QTM velocity and Kety flow in the hippocampus were correlated with cognitive measures. These findings suggest QTM velocity as an improved biomarker for early AD blood flow alterations.

Assembly of Interfacial Polyelectrolyte Complexation Fibers with Mineralization Gradient for Physiologically-Inspired Ligament Regeneration.

Current synthetic grafts for ligament rupture repair often fail to integrate well with the surrounding biological tissue, leading to complications such as graft wear, fatigue, and subsequent re-rupture. To address this medical challenge, this study aims at advancing the development of a biological ligament through the integration of physiologically-inspired principles and tissue engineering strategies. In this study, interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation (IPC) spinning technique, along with a custom-designed collection system, to fabricate a hierarchical scaffold mimicking native ligament structure, is utilized. To emulate the bone-ligament interface and alleviate stress concentration, a hydroxyapatite (HAp) mineral gradient is strategically introduced near both ends of the scaffold to enhance interface integration and diminish the risk of avulsion rupture. Biomimetic viscoelasticity is successfully displayed to provide similar mechanical support to native ligamentous tissue under physiological conditions. By introducing the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and conducting mesenchymal stem cells transplantation, the regenerative potential of the synthetic ligament is significantly amplified. This pioneering study offers a multifaceted solution combining biomimetic materials, regenerative therapies, and advanced techniques to potentially transform ligament rupture treatment.

Hepatic artery diameter predicts bleeding risk after gastroesophageal varices treatment: a contrast-enhanced CT study.

OBJECTIVE: Portal hypertension leads to hepatic artery dilatation and a higher risk of bleeding. We tried to identify the bleeding risk after gastroesophageal varices (GOV) treatment using hepatic artery diameter of contrast-enhanced CT. METHODS: Retrospective retrieval of 258 patients with cirrhosis who underwent contrast-enhanced CT from January 2022 to May 2023 and endoscopy within one month thereafter at Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University. Cirrhotic patients before GOV treatment were used as the test cohort (n = 199), and cirrhotic patients after GOV treatment were used as the validation cohort (n = 59). The grading and bleeding risk was classified according to the endoscopic findings. Arterial-phase images of contrast-enhanced CT were used for coronal reconstruction, and the midpoint diameter of the hepatic artery was measured on coronal images. The optimal cutoff value for identifying bleeding risk was analyzed and calculated in the test cohort, and its diagnostic performance was evaluated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: In the test cohort, hepatic artery diameters were significantly higher in high-risk GOV than in low-risk GOV [4.69 (4.31, 5.56) vs. 3.10 (2.59, 3.77), P < 0.001]. With a hepatic artery diameter cutoff value of 4.06 mm, the optimal area under the operating characteristic curve was 0.940 (95% confidence interval: 0.908-0.972), with a sensitivity of 0.887, a specificity of 0.892, a positive predictive value of 0.904, and a negative predictive value of 0.874 for identifying bleeding risk in the test cohort, while in the validation cohort, the sensitivity was 0.885, specificity was 0.939, positive predictive value was 0.920, and negative predictive value was 0.912. CONCLUSION: Hepatic artery diameter has high diagnostic performance in identifying bleeding risk after GOV treatment.

Dynamic monitoring of radiation-induced white matter microstructure injury in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via high-angular resolution diffusion imaging.

PURPOSE: To investigate white matter microstructural abnormalities caused by radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients using MRI high-angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI). METHODS: We included 127 patients with pathologically confirmed NPC: 36 in the pre-radiotherapy group, 29 in the acute response period (post-RT-AP), 23 in the early delayed period (post-RT-ED) group, and 39 in the late-delayed period (post-RT-LD) group. HARDI data were acquired for each patient, and dispersion parameters were calculated to compare the differences in specific fibre bundles among the groups. The Montreal Neurocognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to evaluate neurocognitive function, and the correlations between dispersion parameters and MoCA were analysed. RESULTS: In the right cingulum frontal parietal bundles, the fractional anisotropy value decreased to the lowest level post-RT-AP and then reversed and increased post-RT-ED and post-RT-LD. The mean, axial, and radial diffusivity were significantly increased in the post-RT-AP (p < 0.05) and decreased in the post-RT-ED and post-RT-LD groups to varying degrees. MoCA scores were decreased post-radiotherapy than those before radiotherapy (p = 0.005). MoCA and mean diffusivity exhibited a mild correlation in the left cingulum frontal parahippocampal bundle. CONCLUSIONS: White matter tract changes detected by HARDI are potential biomarkers for monitoring radiotherapy-related brain damage in NPC patients.

Optimized In Situ Doping Strategy Stabling Single-Crystal Ultrahigh-Nickel Layered Cathode Materials.

Single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes offer promising prospects in mitigating intergranular microcracks and side reaction issues commonly encountered in conventional polycrystalline cathodes. However, the utilization of micrometer-sized single-crystal particles has raised concerns about sluggish Li+ diffusion kinetics and unfavorable structural degradation, particularly in high Ni content cathodes. Herein, we present an innovative in situ doping strategy to regulate the dominant growth of characteristic planes in the single-crystal precursor, leading to enhanced mechanical properties and effectively tackling the challenges posed by ultrahigh-nickel layered cathodes. Compared with the traditional dry-doping method, our in situ doping approach possesses a more homogeneous and consistent modifying effect from the inside out, ensuring the uniform distribution of doping ions with large radius (Nb, Zr, W, etc). This mitigates the generally unsatisfactory substitution effect, thereby minimizing undesirable coating layers induced by different solubilities during the calcination process. Additionally, the uniformly dispersed ions from this in situ doping are beneficial for alleviating the two-phase coexistence of H2/H3 and optimizing the Li+ concentration gradient during cycling, thus inhibiting the formation of intragranular cracks and interfacial deterioration. Consequently, the in situ doped cathodes demonstrate exceptional cycle retention and rate performance under various harsh testing conditions. Our optimized in situ doping strategy not only expands the application prospects of elemental doping but also offers a promising research direction for developing high-energy-density single-crystal cathodes with extended lifetime.

A Fluoride-Rich Solid-Like Electrolyte Stabilizing Lithium Metal Batteries.

To address the problems associated with Li metal anodes, a fluoride-rich solid-like electrolyte (SLE) that combines the benefits of solid-state and liquid electrolytes is presented. Its unique triflate-group-enhanced frame channels facilitate the formation of a functional inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which not only improves the reversibility and interfacial charge transfer of Li anodes but also ensures uniform and compact Li deposition. Furthermore, these triflate groups contribute to the decoupling of Li+ and provide hopping sites for rapid Li+ transport, enabling a high room-temperature ionic conductivity of 1.1 mS cm-1 and a low activation energy of 0.17 eV, making it comparable to conventional liquid electrolytes. Consequently, Li symmetric cells using such SLE achieve extremely stable plating/stripping cycling over 3500 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 and support a high critical current up to 2 mA cm-2. The assembled Li||LiFePO4 solid-like batteries exhibit exceptional cyclability for over 1 year and a half, even outperforming liquid cells. Additionally, high-voltage cylindrical cells and high-capacity pouch cells are demonstrated, corroborating much simpler processibility in battery assembly compared to all-solid-state batteries.

Structural Understanding for High-Voltage Stabilization of Lithium Cobalt Oxide.

The rapid development of modern consumer electronics is placing higher demands on the lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2 ; LCO) cathode that powers them. Increasing operating voltage is exclusively effective in boosting LCO capacity and energy density but is inhibited by the innate high-voltage instability of the LCO structure that serves as the foundation and determinant of its electrochemical behavior in lithium-ion batteries. This has stimulated extensive research on LCO structural stabilization. Here, it is focused on the fundamental structural understanding of LCO cathode from long-term studies. Multi-scale structures concerning LCO bulk and surface and various structural issues along with their origins and corresponding stabilization strategies with specific mechanisms are uncovered and elucidated at length, which will certainly deepen and advance the knowledge of LCO structure and further its inherent relationship with electrochemical performance. Based on these understandings, remaining questions and opportunities for future stabilization of the LCO structure are also emphasized.

Acetylcholine muscarinic M1 receptors in the rodent prefrontal cortex modulate cognitive abilities to establish social hierarchy.

In most social species, the attainment of social dominance is strongly affected by personality traits. Dominant individuals show better cognitive abilities, however, whether an individual's cognition can determine its social status has remained inconclusive. We found that mice show better cognitive abilities tend to possess a higher social rank after cohousing. The dynamic release of acetylcholine (ACh) in the prelimbic cortex (PL) is correlated with mouse dominance behavior. ACh enhanced the excitability of the PL neurons via acetylcholine muscarinic M1 receptors (M1). Inhibition of M1 impaired mice cognitive performance and induced losing in social competition. Mice with M1 deficiency in the PL performed worse on cognitive behavioral tests, and exhibited lower status when re-grouped with others. Elevating ACh level in the PL of subordinate mice induced winning. These results provide direct evidence for the involvement of M1 in social hierarchy and suggest that social rank can be tuned by altering cognition through cholinergic system.

In vivo investigation of boron-rich nanodrugs for treating triple-negative breast cancers via boron neutron capture therapy.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by highly proliferative cancer cells and is the only subtype of breast cancer that lacks a targeted therapy. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is an approach that combines chemotherapy with radiotherapy and can potentially offer beneficial targeted treatment for TNBC patients owing to its unique ability to eradicate cancer cells selectively while minimizing damage to the surrounding healthy cells. Since BNCT relies on specific delivery of a high loading of B10 to the tumor site, there is growing research interest to develop more potent boron-based drugs for BNCT that can overcome the limitations of small-molecule boron compounds. In this study, polyethylene-glycol-coated boron carbon oxynitride nanoparticles (PEG@BCNO) of size 134.2±23.6nm were prepared as a promising drug for BNCT owing to their high boron content and enhanced biocompatibility. The therapeutic efficiency of PEG@BCNO was compared with a state-of-the-art 10BPA boron drug in mice bearing MDA-MB-231 tumor. In the orthotopic mouse model, PEG@BCNO showed higher B10 accumulation in the tumor tissues (6 µg 10B/g tissue compared to 3 µg 10B/g tissue in mice administered B10-enriched 10BPA drug) despite using the naturally occurring 11B/10B boron precursor in the preparation of the BCNO nanoparticles. The in vivo biodistribution of PEG@BCNO in mice bearing MDA-MB-231 showed a tumor/blood ratio of ~3.5, which is comparable to that of the state-of-the-art 10BPA-fructose drug. We further demonstrated that upon neutron irradiation, the mice bearing MDA-MB-231 tumor cells treated with PEG@BCNO and 10BPA showed tumor growth delay times of 9 days and 1 day, respectively, compared to mice in the control group after BNCT. The doubling times (DTs) for mice treated with PEG@BCNO and 10BPA as well as mice in the control group were calculated to be 31.5, 19.8, and 17.7 days, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining for the p53 and caspase-3 antibodies revealed that mice treated with PEG@BCNO showed lower probability of cancer recurrence and greater level of cellular apoptosis than mice treated with 10BPA and mice in the control group. Our study thus demonstrates the potential of pegylated BCNO nanoparticles in effectively inhibiting the growth of TNBC tumors compared to the state-of-the-art boron drug 10BPA.

Comprehensive integrated analysis of MR and DCE-MR radiomics models for prognostic prediction in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Although prognostic prediction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains a pivotal research area, the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (DCE-MR) has been less explored. This study aimed to investigate the role of DCR-MR in predicting progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with NPC using magnetic resonance (MR)- and DCE-MR-based radiomic models. A total of 434 patients with two MR scanning sequences were included. The MR- and DCE-MR-based radiomics models were developed based on 289 patients with only MR scanning sequences and 145 patients with four additional pharmacokinetic parameters (volume fraction of extravascular extracellular space (ve), volume fraction of plasma space (vp), volume transfer constant (Ktrans), and reverse reflux rate constant (kep) of DCE-MR. A combined model integrating MR and DCE-MR was constructed. Utilizing methods such as correlation analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, we built the radiomics models. Finally, we calculated the net reclassification index and C-index to evaluate and compare the prognostic performance of the radiomics models. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was performed to investigate the model's ability to stratify risk in patients with NPC. The integration of MR and DCE-MR radiomic features significantly enhanced prognostic prediction performance compared to MR- and DCE-MR-based models, evidenced by a test set C-index of 0.808 vs 0.729 and 0.731, respectively. The combined radiomics model improved net reclassification by 22.9%-52.6% and could significantly stratify the risk levels of patients with NPC (p = 0.036). Furthermore, the MR-based radiomic feature maps achieved similar results to the DCE-MR pharmacokinetic parameters in terms of reflecting the underlying angiogenesis information in NPC. Compared to conventional MR-based radiomics models, the combined radiomics model integrating MR and DCE-MR showed promising results in delivering more accurate prognostic predictions and provided more clinical benefits in quantifying and monitoring phenotypic changes associated with NPC prognosis.

NY-ESO-1 antigen-antibody interaction process based on an TFBG plasmonic sensor.

Autoantibodies against New York esophageal squamous cell cancer 1 (NY-ESO-1) play a crucial role in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer. In this work, a surface plasmonic tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) biosensor is proposed for the detection of NY-ESO-1 antibody, as well as the investigation of the hook effect (which refers to the false negative result in some immunoassays when the concentration of antibodies in the sample is very high) during biomolecular binding between NY-ESO-1 antigen and antibody. The biosensor is made by an 18° TFBG coated with a 50-nm-thick gold film over the fiber surface together with NY-ESO-1 antigens attached to the metallic surface serving as bio-receptors. This biosensor can provide a limit of detection at a concentration of 2 × 10-7 µg/ml with a good linearity in the range from 2 × 10-7 to 2 × 10-5 µg/ml. For a concentration higher than 2 × 10-3 µg/ml, the performance of the sensor probe is reduced owing to the hook effect. Furthermore, experimental results have also demonstrated the repeatability of the proposed biosensor. This proposed biosensor features label-free, compactness, and fast response, which could be potentially applied in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer.