Recent Findings on Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines: An Updated Review.

Cancer remains one of the global leading causes of death and various vaccines have been developed over the years against it, including cell-based, nucleic acid-based, and viral-based cancer vaccines. Although many vaccines have been effective in in vivo and clinical studies and some have been FDA-approved, there are major limitations to overcome: (1) developing one universal vaccine for a specific cancer is difficult, as tumors with different antigens are different for different individuals, (2) the tumor antigens may be similar to the body's own antigens, and (3) there is the possibility of cancer recurrence. Therefore, developing personalized cancer vaccines with the ability to distinguish between the tumor and the body's antigens is indispensable. This paper provides a comprehensive review of different types of cancer vaccines and highlights important factors necessary for developing efficient cancer vaccines. Moreover, the application of other technologies in cancer therapy is discussed. Finally, several insights and conclusions are presented, such as the possibility of using cold plasma and cancer stem cells in developing future cancer vaccines, to tackle the major limitations in the cancer vaccine developmental process.

The Relationship Between Molecular Symmetry and Physicochemical Properties Involving Boiling and Melting of Organic Compounds.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: The reliable estimation of phase transition physicochemical properties such as boiling and melting points can be valuable when designing compounds with desired physicochemical properties. This study explores the role of external rotational symmetry in determining boiling and melting points of select organic compounds. Using experimental data from the literature, the entropies of boiling and fusion were obtained for 541 compounds. The statistical significance of external rotational symmetry number on entropies of phase change was determined by using multiple linear regression. In addition, a series of aliphatic hydrocarbons, polysubstituted benzenes, and di-substituted napthalenes are used as examples to demonstrate the role of external symmetry on transition temperature. RESULTS: The results reveal that symmetry is not well correlated with boiling point but is statistically significant in melting point. CONCLUSION: The lack of correlation between the boiling point and the symmetry number reflects the fact that molecules have a high degree of rotational freedom in both the liquid and the vapor. On the other hand, the strong relationship between symmetry and melting point reflects the fact that molecules are rotationally restricted in the crystal but not in the liquid. Since the symmetry number is equal to the number of ways that the molecule can be properly oriented for incorporation into the crystal lattice, it is a significant determinant of the melting point.

Investigating material basis and molecular mechanism of Qing Cuo formula in the treatment of acne based on animal experiments, UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS and network pharmacology.

CONTEXT: Qing Cuo Formula (QCF) is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating acne, but its active compounds and molecular mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the material basis and molecular mechanism of QCF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo experiments were conducted on 60 male golden hamsters with damp-heat acne, with a blank group, a spironolactone group and 3 QCF administration groups (given high, medium and low doses) over a 30-day period. Serum androgen and inflammatory cytokine levels were tested by ELISA. In vitro, chemical compositions of QCF were investigated by UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS. Network pharmacology approaches were used to analyse the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and QCF active compounds-intersection targets-acne network. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis was conducted subsequently. RESULTS: Low-dose QCF group (11.4 g/kg/day) showed significantly reduced levels of serum T (4.94 ± 0.36; 5.51 ± 0.36 ng/mL), DHT (6.67 ± 0.61; 8.09 ± 0.59 nmol/L), E2 (209.01 ± 20.92; 237.08 ± 13.94 pg/mL), IL-1α (36.84 ± 3.23; 44.07 ± 4.00 pg/mL) and FFA (128.32 ± 10.94; 148.00 ± 12.12 µmol/L) compared to the blank group (p < 0.05). In vitro experiments identified 75 compounds in QCF decoction, with 27 active compounds absorbed in serum. Network pharmacology identified 6 active components connecting 17 targets. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis indicated that QCF's anti-acne targets mainly regulate extracellular matrix function, inflammatory processes, immune response and endocrine function. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the molecular mechanism and material basis of QCF in treating androgen-related damp-heat acne, paving the way for further research on its potential in treating other conditions related to damp-heat constitution.

Effects of the Interface between Inorganic and Organic Components in a Bi2Te3-Polypyrrole Bulk Composite on Its Thermoelectric Performance.

We provided a method to hybridize Bi2Te3 with polypyrrole, thus forming an inorganic/organic bulk composite (Bi2Te3-polypyrrole), in which the effects of energy band junction and phonon scattering were expected to occur at the interface of the two components. Bi2Te3-polypyrrole exhibited a considerably high Seebeck coefficient compared to pristine Bi2Te3, and thus it recorded a somewhat increased power factor despite the loss in electrical conductivity caused by the organic component, polypyrrole. Bi2Te3-polypyrrole also exhibited much lower thermal conductivity than pristine Bi2Te3 because of the phonon scattering effect at the interface. We successfully brought about the decoupling phenomenon of electrical and thermal properties by devising an inorganic/organic composite and adjusting its fabrication condition, thereby optimizing its thermoelectric performance, which is considered the predominant property for n-type binary Bi2Te3 reported so far.

The relationship of CCL4, BCL2A1, and NFKBIA genes with premature aging in women of Yin deficiency constitution.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) defined constitution as a health statue or physical fitness that determines individual susceptibility to diseases. Yin deficiency constitution (YinDC) is a type of constitution closely related to aging. Previous studies found that the characteristic genes of YinDC are part of the inflammatory aging signaling pathways (e.g., NF-kappa B). Therefore, the aim of the study was to further reveal the dysregulation of genes associated with inflammatory aging in YinDC women. METHODS: This study adopted the industrial standard of constitutional judgment, and screened YinDC (n = 30) and Balanced constitution (BC) (n = 30) from women between the ages of 35 to 49, a range categorized as the degenerating period by TCM. Five genes CCL4, BCL2A1, NFKBIA, TAK1, and IL-8 were analyzed by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Logistical regression revealed the correlation between body constitution and the expression of the five genes: the expression of NFKBIA and CCL4 mRNA was significantly up-regulated, whereas the expression of BCL2A1 mRNA was significantly down-regulated in YinDC (P < 0.05). Age or weight, when included in the model, did not affected the correlations. CONCLUSION: Increased mRNA expression of CCL4 and NFKBIA and decreased mRNA expression of BCL2A1 may be the molecular basis of premature aging of YinDC women. These results provide a mechanistic basis for early conditioning of YinDC, anti-aging, and the prevention of aging-related diseases.