Cell-Penetrating Peptidic GRP78 Ligand-Conjugated Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles for Tumor-Targeted Doxorubicin Delivery and Imaging.

Although chemotherapy is regarded as an essential option in cancer treatment, it is still far from being perfect. Inadequate tumor drug concentration and systemic toxicity along with broad biodistribution have diminished the utility of chemotherapy. Tumor-targeting peptide-conjugated multifunctional nanoplatforms have emerged as an effective strategy for site-directed tumor tissues in cancer treatment and imaging. Herein, Pep42-targeted iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (IONPs) functionalized with ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) containing doxorubicin (DOX) (Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX) were successfully developed. The physical effects of the prepared NPs were characterized by employing various techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images disclosed that the developed Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX nanoplatforms had a spherical morphology and a core-shell structure with a size of nearly 17 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy showed that ß-cyclodextrin, DOX, and Pep42 molecules were successfully loaded on the IONPs. In vitro cytotoxicity analysis revealed that the fabricated multifunctional Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42 nanoplatforms possessed excellent biosafety toward BT-474, MDA-MB468 (cancerous cells), and MCF10A normal cells, while Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX exhibited great cancer cell killing ability. The high cellular uptake along with intracellular trafficking of Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX highlights the usefulness of the Pep42-targeting peptide. In vivo results strongly supported the in vitro results, i.e., significant tumor size reduction was observed by single-dose injection of Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX into tumor-bearing mice. Interestingly, in vivo MR imaging (MRI) of Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX revealed T2 contrast improvement in the tumor cells and therapeutic ability in cancer theranostics. Taken together, these findings provided strong evidence for the potential capability of Fe3O4-ßCD-Pep42-DOX as a multifunctional nanoplatform in cancer therapy and imaging and opens up a new avenue of research in this area.

Effect of Surface Treatment of Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) on the Kinetics of Epoxy Resin Cure with Amines.

The epoxy/clay nanocomposites have been extensively considered over years because of their low cost and excellent performance. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are unique 1D natural nanofillers with a hollow tubular shape and high aspect ratio. To tackle poor dispersion of the pristine halloysite (P-HNT) in the epoxy matrix, alkali surface-treated HNT (A-HNT) and epoxy silane functionalized HNT (F-HNT) were developed and cured with epoxy resin. Nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed on epoxy nanocomposites containing 0.1 wt.% of P-HNT, A-HNT, and F-HNT. Quantitative analysis of the cure kinetics of epoxy/amine system made by isoconversional Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Friedman methods made possible calculation of the activation energy (Eα) as a function of conversion (α). The activation energy gradually increased by increasing α due to the diffusion-control mechanism. However, the average value of Eα for nanocomposites was lower comparably, suggesting autocatalytic curing mechanism. Detailed assessment revealed that autocatalytic reaction degree, m increased at low heating rate from 0.107 for neat epoxy/amine system to 0.908 and 0.24 for epoxy/P-HNT and epoxy/A-HNT nanocomposites, respectively, whereas epoxy/F-HNT system had m value of 0.072 as a signature of dominance of non-catalytic reactions. At high heating rates, a similar behavior but not that significant was observed due to the accelerated gelation in the system. In fact, by the introduction of nanotubes the mobility of curing moieties decreased resulting in some deviation of experimental cure rate values from the predicted values obtained using KAS and Friedman methods.

Uses, Limitations, and Validity of a Registry of Congenital Anomalies in Iran: A Critical Review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Preventive strategies of congenital anomalies are basically relying on the systematic ongoing collection and analysis of data and timely dissemination of information. The aim of this paper is to briefly report a critical review of a surveillance system of congenital anomalies in a developing country, by describing the challenges and experience of the registry since it began. METHODS: Tabriz Registry of Congenital Anomalies (TRoCA) was mainly set up based on the guidelines provided by the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) for data collection, coding, process, analysis, use, and evaluation of the system. FINDINGS: TRoCA has successfully achieved its main objective as a pilot model for setting up a nationwide registry of congenital anomalies in the country. The programme has too succeeded in relation to its regional objectives: epidemiological rates and data have been produced consistently for etiological investigations, methodological studies, service provision, and preventive measures for selected anomalies. CONCLUSIONS: Our successful experience, as a small registry in a developing country, might be of interest and useful to practitioners, policymakers of birth defects control programmes, and mainly those willing to set up a monitoring system of congenital anomalies in similar areas.

Stress disorder and PTSD after burn injuries: a prospective study of predictors of PTSD at Sina Burn Center, Iran.

BACKGROUND: A burn injury can be a traumatic experience with tremendous social, physical, and psychological consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and predictors of PTSD Checklist score initially and 3 months after injury in burns victims admitted to the Sina Burn Center in north-west Iran. METHODS: This prospective study examined adult patients aged 16-65 years with unintentional burns. The PTSD Checklist was used to screen for PTSD. RESULTS: Flame burns constituted 49.4% of all burns. Mean PTSD score was 23.8 ± 14.7 early in the hospitalization period and increased to 24.2 ± 14.3, 3 months after the burn injury. Twenty percent of victims 2 weeks into treatment had a positive PTSD screening test, and this figure increased to 31.5% after 3 months. The likelihood of developing a positive PTSD screening test increased significantly after 3 months (P < 0.01). Using multivariate regression analysis, factors independently predicting PTSD score were found to be age, gender, and percentage of total body surface area burned. CONCLUSION: PTSD was a problem in the population studied and should be managed appropriately after hospital admission due to burn injury. Male gender, younger age, and higher total body surface area burned may predict a higher PTSD score after burn injury.