Photochemically-driven highly efficient intracellular delivery and light/hypoxia programmable triggered cancer photo-chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Using nanotechnology to improve the efficiency of tumor treatment represents a major research interest in recent years. However, there are paradoxes and obstacles in using a single nanoparticle to fulfill all the requirements of complex tumor treatment. RESULTS: In this paper, a programmed-triggered nanoplatform (APP NPs), which is sequentially responsive to light and hypoxia, is rationally integrated for photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided synergistic cancer photo-chemotherapy. The nanoplatform is constructed by in situ hybridization of dopamine monomer in the skeleton of PCN-224 and loading prodrug banoxantrone (AQ4N). Upon first-stage irradiation with a 660 nm laser, cellular internalization was effectively promoted by a photosensitizer-mediated photochemical effect. Furthermore, under second-stage irradiation, APP NPs exhibit a notably high photothermal conversion efficiency and sufficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) production for photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), respectively, which not only triggers rapid intercellular drug release but also consequently aggravates tumor hypoxia levels, and aggravated hypoxia can further active the cytotoxicity of AQ4N for chemotherapy. Both in vitro and in vivo studies confirm that the dual-stage light guided photo-chemotherapy strategy exhibits a greatly enhanced anticancer effects and superior therapeutic safety. CONCLUSION: This work represents a versatile strategy to construct a dual-stage light induced PDT/PTT and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy nanoplatform and will be promising for the development of multistimuli-responsive nanosystems with programmable functions for precise cancer therapy.

Right hemihepatectomy combined with ligation of the common hepatic artery and gastroduodenal artery for the treatment of intrahepatic HHT: A case report.

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare disease that lacks effective treatment. Here, the authors report the case of a 30-year-old woman presenting with abdominal pain accompanied by severe malnutrition. After a definite diagnosis of HHT involvement in the liver, liver transplantation was the first-choice treatment according to the guidelines of HHT. However, the patient firmly refused liver transplantation. Finally, a new type of surgery, right hemihepatectomy combined with ligation of the common hepatic artery and gastroduodenal artery, was performed based on careful study of the case and with the maximum benefit of the patient in mind. Although the patient developed transient liver dysfunction after surgery, she eventually recovered well and continued to be followed up. As far as we know, this is the first report of this kind of surgery for the treatment of intrahepatic HHT.

Ultrasound Assessment of the Relevance of Liver, Spleen, and Kidney Dimensions with Body Parameters in Adolescents.

Objective: Ultrasound is a practical imaging modality for screening and identification of anomalies in the organs. This study used ultrasonography to examine the association between body parameters and dimensions of the normal liver, spleen, and kidney in adolescents based on ultrasound examination results. Methods: A total of 300 junior and senior high school teenagers receiving routine health check-ups in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2021 were included. Their height and weight were measured, and their body surface area (BSA) and body mass index (BMI) were calculated. Ultrasound imaging was employed to obtain information such as the length and volume of the liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidney. Besides, the correlation of body parameters such as gender, age, height, weight, BSA, and BMI with visceral dimension was investigated using the Pearson test and multiple regression analysis, respectively. Results: We observed that the abdominal organs of adolescents were enlarged with age. The span and volume of the liver and the length and volume of the right kidney were significantly larger in boys than in girls. The age, BSA, and BMI were positively correlated with the liver span and spleen length, as well as the left and right kidney lengths. Additionally, age, BSA, and BMI were identified as important predictors for dimensions of the spleen, liver, and kidney. Conclusions: Body parameters are notably associated with the dimensions of the liver, spleen, and kidney and could be utilized as predicting factors for the liver, spleen, and kidney dimensions.

Light-Responsive Core-Shell Nanoplatform for Bimodal Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy-Primed Cancer Immunotherapy.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) as a noninvasive and effective thermal therapeutic approach has attracted tremendously increasing interest because it can effectively eliminate the primary tumor and generate tumor-associated antigens, which could elicit antitumor immune responses. Herein, we report on the rational design and fabrication of copper sulfide (CuS)-based nanoplatform for cancer photothermal immunotherapy. The as-prepared core-shell CuS@mSiO2-PFP-PEG (CPPs) nanocomposites possess high biocompatibility, photoacoustic (PA)/ultrasound (US) imaging, and strong PTT effect upon 808 nm laser irradiation, indicating that the nanocomposites have a promising application in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer with molecular classification. Importantly, we also elucidated that the CPP-triggered PTT in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade therapy can not only obliterate primary tumor but also inhibit metastatic tumor in tumor-bearing mice. We believe that the CPPs have a good probability to serve as a useful nanoplatform for PTT, and this approach may provide a promising strategy for tumor-therapeutic modality with immunotherapy.

MAGE-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles for Ultrasound Imaging-Guided Phototherapy in Melanoma.

Gold nanorods exhibit a wide variety of applications such as tumor molecular imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their tunable optical properties. Several studies have demonstrated that the combination of other therapeutic strategies may improve PTT efficiency. A method called optical droplet vaporization (ODV) was considered as another noninvasive imaging and therapy strategy. Via the ODV method, superheated perfluorocarbon droplets can be vaporized to a gas phase for enhancing ultrasound imaging; meanwhile, this violent process can cause damage to cells and tissue. In addition, active targeting through the functionalization with targeting ligands can effectively increase nanoprobe accumulation in the tumor area, improving the sensitivity and specificity of imaging and therapy. Our study prepared a nanoparticle loaded with gold nanorods and perfluorinated hexane and conjugated to a monoclonal antibody (MAGE-1 antibody) to melanoma-associated antigens (MAGE) targeting melanoma, investigated the synergistic effect of PTT/ODV therapy, and monitored the therapeutic effect using ultrasound. The prepared MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs achieved complete eradication of tumors. Meanwhile, the MAGE-Au-PFH-NPs also possess significant ultrasound imaging signal enhancement, which shows the potential for imaging-guided tumor therapy in the future.

Diagnostic Accuracy of 2-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography for the Staging of Liver Fibrosis: A Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the overall accuracy of 2-dimensional shear wave elastography (SWE) for the staging of liver fibrosis. METHODS: Literature databases and conference abstracts were searched from 2000 to September 2017. Sensitivity, specificity, and other information were extracted from the included studies. Methodological quality was assessed with Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tools. Data were synthesized by a bivariate hierarchical model. RESULTS: The summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-0.89) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.72-0.85) for fibrosis stage F≥2, 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.93) and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.80-0.89) for F≥3, and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.84-0.93) and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89-0.95) for F=4, respectively. The areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve for F≥2, F≥3, and F=4 was 0.81, 0.77, and 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: Two-dimensional SWE is a good noninvasive method for the diagnosis of substantial liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Further studies are needed to assess severe fibrosis and to perform head-to-head comparisons of 2-dimensional SWE and other imaging modalities for the evaluation of liver fibrosis.