When covalent organic frameworks meet zeolites: Enhancing Rhodamine B removal through the synergy in the emerging organic-inorganic nanoadsorbents.

The development of new porous materials has attracted intense attention as adsorbents for removing pollutants from wastewater. However, pure inorganic and organic porous materials confront various problems in purifying the wastewater. In this work, we integrated a covalent organic framework (TpPa-1) with an inorganic zeolite (TS-1) for the first time via a solvothermal method to fabricate new-type nanoadsorbents. The covalent organic framework/zeolite (TpPa-1/TS-1) nanoadsorbents combined the merits of the zeolite and COF components and possessed efficient adsorptive removal of organic contaminants from solution. Structural morphology and chemical composition characterization by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated the successful preparation of TpPa-1/TS-1 composite nanoadsorbents. The resultant composite adsorbent TpPa-1/TS-1 removed rhodamine B at 1.7 and 2.6 times the efficiency of TpPa-1 and TS-1, respectively. Additional investigation revealed that the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model could be employed to represent the adsorption process more appropriately. Thermodynamic calculation analysis showed that the adsorption process proceeded spontaneously and exothermically. Besides, the effects of pH, absorbent mass and ionic strength on the adsorption performance were systematically investigated. The prepared composite adsorbent showed a slight decrease in removal efficiency after five cycles of repeated use, and real water environment experiments also showed the high stability of the adsorbent. The enhanced performance can be attributed to electrostatic interaction, acid-base interaction, hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions.

Anlotinib induces neuronal-like differentiation of neuroblastoma by downregulating CRMP5.

The therapeutic effect of anlotinib on neuroblastoma is still not fully understood. This study aims to explore the differentiation therapeutic effects of anlotinib on neuroblastoma and its potential association with the neural development regulatory protein collapsin response mediator protein 5 (CRMP5), both in vivo and in vitro. A patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model was established to observe the therapeutic effect of anlotinib. Neuroblastoma cell lines SK-N-SH and SK-N-AS were cultured to observe the morphological impact of anlotinib. Transwell assay was used to evaluate the cell invasion, and Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect the expressions of neuronal differentiation-related proteins. Results indicate that anlotinib effectively inhibited tumor growth in the PDX model, modulated the expressions of neuronal differentiation markers. In vitro, anlotinib treatment induced neurite outgrowth in neuroblastoma cells and inhibited their invasive ability, reflecting a change in neuronal marker expression patterns consistent with the PDX model. Similarly, in the SK-N-AS mouse xenograft model, anlotinib demonstrated comparable tumor-suppressing effects and promoted neuronal-like differentiation. Additionally, anlotinib significantly downregulated CRMP5 expression in neuroblastoma both in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of CRMP5 significantly reversed the differentiation therapy effect of anlotinib, exacerbating the aggressiveness and reducing the differentiation level of neuroblastoma. These findings highlight the potential of anlotinib as an anti-neuroblastoma agent. It may suppress tumor proliferation and invasion by promoting the differentiation of tumor cells towards a neuronal-like state, and this differentiation therapy effect involves the inhibition of CRMP5 signaling.

A Review of Type 1 and Type 2 Intraductal Papillary Neoplasms of the Bile Duct.

Intraductal papillary neoplasm of the bile duct (IPNB) is a heterogeneous disease similar to intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas. These lesions have been recognized as one of the three major precancerous lesions in the biliary tract since 2010. In 2018, Japanese and Korean pathologists reached a consensus, classifying IPNBs into type l and type 2 IPNBs. IPNBs are more prevalent in male patients in East Asia and are closely related to diseases such as cholelithiasis and schistosomiasis. From a molecular genetic perspective, IPNBs exhibit early genetic variations, and different molecular pathways may be involved in the tumorigenesis of type 1 and type 2 IPNBs. The histological subtypes of IPNBs include gastric, intestinal, pancreaticobiliary, or oncocytic subtypes, but type 1 IPNBs typically exhibit more regular and well-organized histological features than type 2 IPNBs and are more commonly found in the intrahepatic bile ducts with abundant mucin. Due to the rarity of these lesions and the absence of specific clinical and laboratory features, imaging is crucial for the preoperative diagnosis of IPNB, with local bile duct dilation and growth along the bile ducts being the main imaging features. Surgical resection remains the optimal treatment for IPNBs, but negative bile duct margins and the removal of lymph nodes in the hepatic hilum significantly improve the postoperative survival rates for patients with IPNBs.

A population study comparing tracheal and lung adenoid cystic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is rare, and the differences between tracheal and lung lesions have not been fully understood. METHODS: Patients were identified from a Chinese cancer center (FUSCC) (2005-2022) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2019). Incidence was calculated and trends were quantified. Clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Nomograms predicting OS were constructed. RESULTS: Totally, 55 tracheal adenoid cystic carcinoma (TACC) and 25 lung and bronchus adenoid cystic carcinoma (LACC) were included in a Chinese cohort, 121 TACC and 162 LACC included in the SEER cohort. There were larger tumor sizes, more lymph nodes and distant metastases for LACC than TACC patients. TACC patients are more likely to get local treatments. Patients with LACC had significantly worse median OS than patients with TACC (SEER cohort: 68.0 months vs. 109.0 months, p = 0.001, Chinese cohort: 62.9 months vs. 124.8 months, p = 0.061). Age, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and local treatment were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS of TACC. Distant metastasis and local treatment were identified for LACC. Specifically, surgery alone or in combination with radiotherapy is crucial for improving survival in both TACC and LACC. Only TACC benefits from radiotherapy alone, while chemotherapy does not improve survival for either. The nomograms constructed using these factors revealed good prognostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: LACC is more aggressive and has a worse prognosis than TACC. TACC patients have more opportunities for local treatment, which is important for the prognosis of both TACC and LACC. Nomograms were created for TACC and LACC to aid in personalized survival predictions and clinical decisions.

Multimodal fusion of liquid biopsy and CT enhances differential diagnosis of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

This research explores the potential of multimodal fusion for the differential diagnosis of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) (tumor sizes < 2 cm). It combines liquid biopsy biomarkers, specifically extracellular vesicle long RNA (evlRNA) and the computed tomography (CT) attributes. The fusion model achieves an impressive area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 91.9% for the four-classification of adenocarcinoma, along with a benign-malignant AUC of 94.8% (sensitivity: 89.1%, specificity: 94.3%). These outcomes outperform the diagnostic capabilities of the single-modal models and human experts. A comprehensive SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) is provided to offer deep insights into model predictions. Our findings reveal the complementary interplay between evlRNA and image-based characteristics, underscoring the significance of integrating diverse modalities in diagnosing early-stage LUAD.

Peptide-Functionalized Inorganic Oxide Nanomaterials for Solid Cancer Imaging and Therapy.

The diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors have undergone significant advancements marked by a trend toward increased specificity and integration of imaging and therapeutic functions. The multifaceted nature of inorganic oxide nanomaterials (IONs), which boast optical, magnetic, ultrasonic, and biochemical modulatory properties, makes them ideal building blocks for developing multifunctional nanoplatforms. A promising class of materials that have emerged in this context are peptide-functionalized inorganic oxide nanomaterials (PFIONs), which have demonstrated excellent performance in multifunctional imaging and therapy, making them potential candidates for advancing solid tumor diagnosis and treatment. Owing to the functionalities of peptides in tumor targeting, penetration, responsiveness, and therapy, well-designed PFIONs can specifically accumulate and release therapeutic or imaging agents at the solid tumor sites, enabling precise imaging and effective treatment. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in the use of PFIONs for the imaging and treatment of solid tumors, highlighting the superiority of imaging and therapeutic integration as well as synergistic treatment. Moreover, the review discusses the challenges and prospects of PFIONs in depth, aiming to promote the intersection of the interdisciplinary to facilitate their clinical translation and the development of personalized diagnostic and therapeutic systems by optimizing the material systems.

A Contrast-Enhanced Tri-Modal MRI Technique for High-Performance Hypoxia Imaging of Breast Cancer.

Personalized radiotherapy strategies enabled by the construction of hypoxia-guided biological target volumes (BTVs) can overcome hypoxia-induced radioresistance by delivering high-dose radiotherapy to targeted hypoxic areas of the tumor. However, the construction of hypoxia-guided BTVs is difficult owing to lack of precise visualization of hypoxic areas. This study synthesizes a hypoxia-responsive T1 , T2 , T2 mapping tri-modal MRI molecular nanoprobe (SPION@ND) and provides precise imaging of hypoxic tumor areas by utilizing the advantageous features of tri-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). SPION@ND exhibits hypoxia-triggered dispersion-aggregation structural transformation. Dispersed SPION@ND can be used for routine clinical BTV construction using T1 -contrast MRI. Conversely, aggregated SPION@ND can be used for tumor hypoxia imaging assessment using T2 -contrast MRI. Moreover, by introducing T2 mapping, this work designs a novel method (adjustable threshold-based hypoxia assessment) for the precise assessment of tumor hypoxia confidence area and hypoxia level. Eventually this work successfully obtains hypoxia tumor target and accurates hypoxia tumor target, and achieves a one-stop hypoxia-guided BTV construction. Compared to the positron emission tomography-based hypoxia assessment, SPION@ND provides a new method that allows safe and convenient imaging of hypoxic tumor areas in clinical settings.

Oxygen Vacancy Defect Enhanced NIR-II Photothermal Performance of BiOxCl Nanosheets for Combined Phototherapy of Cancer Guided by Multimodal Imaging.

Narrow photo-absorption range and low carrier utilization are significant barriers that restrict the antitumor efficiency of 2D bismuth oxyhalide (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, I) nanosheets (NSs). Introducing oxygen vacancy (OV) defects can expand the absorption range and improve carrier utilization, which are crucial but also challenging. In this study, a series of BiOxCl NSs with different OV defect concentrations (x = 1, 0.7, 0.5) is developed, which shows full spectrum absorption and strong absorption in the second near-infrared region (NIR-II). Density functional theory calculations are utilized to calculate the crystal structure and density states of BiOxCl, which confirm that part of the carriers is separated by OV enhanced internal electric field to improve carrier utilization. The carriers without redox reaction can be trapped in the OV, leading to great majority of photo-generated carriers promoting the photothermal performance. Triggered by single NIR-II (1064 nm), BiOxCl NSs' bidirectional efficient utilization of carriers achieves synchronously combined phototherapy, leading to enhanced tumor ablation and multimodal diagnostic in vitro and vivo. It is thus believed that this work provides an innovative strategy to design and construct nanoplatforms of indirect band gap semiconductors for clinical phototheranostics.

Janus mesoporous organosilica/platinum nanomotors for active treatment of suppurative otitis media.

We report a Janus mesoporous organosilica/platinum (MOS/Pt) nanomotor for active targeted treatment of suppurative otitis media, as a new type of multi-functional ear drop. The efficient propulsion of MOS/Pt nanomotors in hydrogen peroxide ear-cleaning drops significantly improves their binding efficiency with Staphylococcus aureus and enhances their antibacterial efficacy.

Polydopamine nanomaterials and their potential applications in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

The conventional treatment methods used for the management of autoimmune diseases (ADs) have limited efficacy and also exhibit significant side effects. Thus, identification of novel strategies to improve the efficacy and safety of ADs treatment is urgently required. Overactivated immune response and oxidative stress are common characteristics associated with ADs. Polydopamine (PDA), as a polymer material with good antioxidant and photothermal conversion properties, has displayed useful application potential against ADs. In addition, PDA possesses good biosafety, simple preparation, and easy functionalization, which is conducive for the pharmacological development of PDA nanomaterials with clinical transformation prospects. Here, we have first reviewed the preparation of PDA, the different functional integration strategies of PDA-based biomaterials, and their potential applications in ADs. Next, the mechanism of action of PDA in ADs has been elaborated in detail. Finally, the application opportunities and challenges linked with PDA nanomaterials for ADs treatment are discussed. This review is contributed to design reasonable and effective PDA nanomaterials for the diagnosis and treatment of ADs.

Perioperative outcomes of bi-pigtail catheter drainage strategy versus conventional chest tube after uniportal video-assisted thoracic lung surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Chest tube (CT) drainage is a main cause of postoperative pain in lung surgery. Here, we introduced a novel drainage strategy with bi-pigtail catheters (PCs) and conducted a randomized controlled trial to compare with conventional CT drainage after uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery lung surgery. METHODS: A single-centre, prospective, open-labelled, randomized controlled trial (ChiCTR2000035337) was conducted with a preplanned sample size of 396. The primary outcome was the numerical pain rating scale (NPRS) on the first postoperative day. Secondary outcomes included other indicators of postoperative pain, drainage volume, duration of drainage, postoperative hospital stay, incidence of postoperative complications, CT reinsertion and medical costs. RESULTS: A total number of 396 patients were randomized between August 2020 and January 2021, 387 of whom were included in the final analysis. The baseline and clinical characteristics of the patients were well balanced between 2 groups. The NPRS on the first postoperative day was significantly lower in the PC group than in the CT group (2.40 ± 1.27 vs 3.02 ± 1.39, p < 0.001), as well as the second/third-day NPRS, the incidence of sudden severe pain (9/192, 4.7% vs 34/195, 17.4%, P < 0.001) and pain requiring intervention (19/192, 9.9% vs 46/195, 23.6%, P < 0.001). In addition, the medical cost in the PC group was lower (US$7809 ± 1646 vs US$8205 ± 1815, P = 0.025). Univariable and multivariable analyses revealed that the drainage strategy was the only factor influencing the incidence of pain requiring intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The drainage strategy with bi-PCs in patients undergoing uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery lung surgery alleviates postoperative pain with adequate safety and efficacy.

Two-dimensional layered nanomaterials for tumor diagnosis and treatment.

With the evolution of nanomedicine, the past decades witnessed diversified nanomaterials as marvelous anti-tumor tools ushering in a new era of tumor diagnosis and treatment. Among them, two-dimensional layered nanomaterial as an emerging class of nanomaterials has one dimension less than 100 nm, showing a high specific area and the thinnest sheet-like structure (Liu S, Pan X, Liu H. Twodimensional nanomaterials for photothermal therapy. Angew Chem Int Ed 2020;59:5890-900). The discovery of graphene drove the exploration of various new two-dimensional layered nanomaterials for tumor diagnosis and treatment including graphene-based nanomaterials, black phosphorus (BP), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), layered double hydroxides (LDHs), and bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X=F, Cl, Br, I) (Ma H, Xue MQ. Recent advances in the photothermal applications of two-dimensional nanomaterial: photothermal therapy and beyond. J Mater Chem 2021;9:17569). On the one hand, they exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and the capacity of optimizing corresponding properties by adjusting the crystal structure. On the other hand, they own unique strengths such as fantastic physicochemical properties (graphene-based nanomaterials), high loading capacity (BP), distinct phase-dependent optical properties (TMDs), a specific chemical response to the tumor microenvironment (LDHs), and large X-ray attenuation coefficient (BiOX). Herein, we briefly introduce three typical two-dimensional layered nanomaterials, their prospects and future research priorities in tumor diagnosis and treatment are concluded.

A novel dual-function SERS-based identification strategy for preliminary screening and accurate diagnosis of circulating tumor cells.

Non-specific adsorption of bioprobes based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology inevitably endows white blood cells (WBC) in the peripheral blood with Raman signals, which greatly interfere the identification accuracy of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). In this study, an innovative strategy was proposed to effectively identify CTCs by using SERS technology assisted by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Firstly, a magnetic Fe3O4-Au complex SERS bioprobe was developed, which could effectively capture the triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and endow the tumor cells with distinct SERS signals. Then, the ROC curve obtained based on the comparison of SERS intensity of TNBC cells and WBC was used to construct a tumor cell identification model. The merit of the model was that the detection sensitivity and specificity could be intelligently switched according to different identification purposes such as accurate diagnosis or preliminary screening of tumor cells. Finally, the difunctional recognition ability of the model for accurate diagnosis and preliminary screening of tumor cells was further validated by using the healthy human blood added with TNBC cells and blood samples of real tumor patients. This novel difunctional identification strategy provides a new perspective for identification of CTCs based on the SERS technology.

Bismuth-based two-dimensional nanomaterials for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

The intrinsic high X-ray attenuation and insignificant biological toxicity of Bi-based nanomaterials make them a category of advanced materials in oncology. Bi-based two-dimensional nanomaterials have gained rapid development in cancer diagnosis and treatment owing to their adjustable bandgap structure, high specific surface area and strong NIR absorption. In addition to the single functional cancer diagnosis and treatment modalities, Bi-based two-dimensional nanomaterials have been certified for accomplishing multi-imaging guided multifunctional synergistic cancer therapies. In this review, we summarize the recent progress including controllable synthesis, defect engineering and surface modifications of Bi-based two-dimensional nanomaterials for cancer diagnosis and treatment in the past ten years. Their medical applications in cancer imaging and therapies are also presented. Finally, we discuss the potential challenges and future research priorities of Bi-based two-dimensional nanomaterials.

Bifunctionalization of styrene through ring-opening-recombination strategy of phenylpropathiazole salt.

By opening the ring of a benzothiazole salt, we provide a sulfur source for the bifunctional reaction of styrene. The ring-opening-recombination reaction of the benzothiazole salt simultaneously constructs new C-S, C-O, and CO bonds after C-S bond breaking. The reaction proceeds in green solvents, requires no transition metal catalyst, and is compatible with many functional groups.

Millimeter-wave noise generation based on a monolithically integrated dual-mode chaotic laser.

A millimeter-wave noise generation scheme is proposed in this paper. The scheme is based on a monolithically integrated dual-mode chaotic laser, which consists of a distributed Bragg feedback (DFB) section, a phase section, and an optical amplification section. The output spectrum state of the dual-mode laser can be controlled by adjusting the injection current in the three regions. The monolithically integrated dual-mode chaotic laser has stable chaotic output and can be used as a light source for integrated millimeter-wave noise source. As a feasibility demonstration, a dual-mode chaotic laser with a mode interval of 2.05 nm was generated in the experiment, the optical mixing on a photodetector produced millimeter-wave noise with a center frequency of 259 GHz and a bandwidth of 44 GHz (237-281 GHz), achieving a typical value of excess noise ratio of 47 dB. It has the advantages of high noise source utilization, small noise source volume, and high integration.

Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy Increases Tumor Immune Lymphocytes Infiltration in Resectable Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy treatment (NCIT) has achieved great success for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the intrinsic mechanism underlying this treatment remains unclear. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with stage IIA-IIIC NSCLC who underwent surgery after NCIT were included in this retrospective study. Multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) staining and image analysis assays were performed on the samples collected before and after NCIT for each patient. RNA analyses was applied to confirm the mIF results. RESULTS: Among the enrolled patients, 14 achieved major pathological response or pathological complete response (pCR) and were defined as the 'response' group, whereas 18 patients did not respond well to NCIT and were defined as the 'nonresponse' group. The results of the mIF assays revealed an overall increase in tumor immune lymphocytes (TILs) after NCIT in the stroma area (p = 0.03) rather than the tumor area (p = 0.86). The percentage of CD8+ T cells and tertiary lymphoid structure counts in both the response and nonresponse groups increased significantly after NCIT compared with before NCIT. CD3+ T cells and FOXP3+ cells decreased significantly in the response group but remained unchanged or increased in the nonresponse group. A comparison of the response and nonresponse groups showed that CD3, FOXP3+ and CD8+/PD-1+ cells before NCIT may serve as predictors of the response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The RNA analyses confirmed the mIF results that TILs were elevated after NCIT. CONCLUSIONS: The infiltration of immune cells before NCIT was correlated with pathologic complete response, which enhanced the TILs as a promising predictor for selecting patients who were more likely to benefit from NCIT.

Development and Application of a Nanobody-Based Competitive ELISA for Detecting Antibodies against Hepatitis E Virus from Humans and Domestic Animals.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic pathogen that is widespread worldwide. At present, most enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits only detect antibodies against human HEV. In this study, a nanobody-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) fusion protein-based competitive ELISA (cELISA) with more convenience and spectral characteristics for HEV antibody detection was developed and used to detect HEV IgG in various species. First, 6 anti-swine HEV capsid protein nanobodies were screened using phage display technology from an immunized Bactrian camel. Then, HEV-Nb67-HRP fusions were expressed and used as a probe for developing a cELISA. The cutoff value of the cELISA was 17.8%, and there was no cross-reaction with other anti-swine virus antibodies, suggesting that the cELISA had good specificity. The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation (CVs) were 1.33 to 5.06% and 1.52 to 6.84%, respectively. The cELISA and Western blot showed a higher coincidence rate (97.14%, kappa value = 0.927) than cELISA and indirect ELISA (95.00%, kappa value = 0.876) in clinical swine serum samples. Finally, the seroprevalence of HEV IgG in humans, pigs, rabbits, cows, and goats was 30.67%, 19.26%, 8.75%, 27.59%, and 18.08%, respectively, suggesting that cELISA may have a broader scale for mammalian HEV antibody detection. These results suggest that the newly developed cELISA was rapid, low-cost, reliable, and useful for the serological evaluation of current HEV. IMPORTANCE HEV is thought to be a zoonotic infection and is widespread worldwide; it is beneficial to establish a more convenient and spectral method for HEV antibody detection. In this study, a convenient, time-saving, reproducible, highly sensitive, specific, and novel nanobody-based cELISA was developed and can be used to detect IgG antibodies against mammalian HEV. It provides a new technique for serological evaluation and ELISA-based diagnosis of HEV infection.