A Step Forward for the Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer Using Gold Nanoparticles Combined with Laser Irradiation.

Prostate cancer (PCA) is the second most common cancer diagnosis in men and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. The conventional treatments available are beneficial to only a few patients and, in those, some present adverse side effects that eventually affect the quality of life of most patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective, less invasive and targeted specific treatments for PCA. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a minimally invasive therapy that provides a localized effect for tumour cell ablation by activating photothermal agents (PTA) that mediate the conversion of the light beam's energy into heat at the site. As tumours are unable to easily dissipate heat, they become more susceptible to temperature increases. In the PTT field, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been attracting interest as PTA. The aim of this study was to formulate AuNPs capable of remaining retained in the tumour and subsequently generating heat at the tumour site. AuNPs were synthesized and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential (ZP), morphology and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The safety of AuNPs and their efficacy were assessed using in vitro models. A preliminary in vivo safety assessment of AuNPs with a mean size lower than 200 nm was confirmed. The morphology was spherical-like and the SPR band showed good absorbance at the laser wavelength. Without laser, AuNPs proved to be safe both in vitro (>70% viability) and in vivo. In addition, with laser irradiation, they proved to be relatively effective in PCA cells. Overall, the formulation appears to be promising for use in PTT.

Insect-based fish feed in decoupled aquaponic systems: Effect on lettuce production and resource use.

The utilisation of insect meal-based fish feed as a substitute for conventional fish meal-based fish feed is considered as a promising innovative alternative to boost circularity in aquaculture and aquaponics. Basic research on its use in aquaponics is limited. So far, no reports on the effects of fish waste water, derived from a recirculating aquaculture system using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) meal-based diets, were available on the growth performance of lettuce. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effect of reusing fish waste water from tilapia culture (as a base for the nutrient solution) fed with a fish meal-based diet (FM) and a BSF meal-based diet on resource use and lettuce growth in decoupled aquaponic systems. A conventional hydroponics nutrient solution (HP) served as control, and inorganic fertilisers were added to all nutrient solutions to reach comparable target concentrations. The experiment was conducted in a controlled climate chamber in nine separate hydroponics units, three per treatment. Lettuce fresh and dry weight, number of leaves, relative leaf chlorophyll concentration, water consumption, and the usage of inorganic fertilisers were measured. Micro- and macronutrients in the nutrient solutions were monitored in time series. Similar lettuce yield was seen in all treatments, with no significant effects on fresh and dry weight, the number of leaves, and relative chlorophyll values. Water use per plant was also similar between treatments, while the amount of total inorganic fertiliser required was 32% lower in FM and BSF compared to HP. Higher sodium concentrations were found in the FM nutrient solutions compared to BSF and HP. The results confirm that BSF-based diet is a promising alternative to FM-based diet in aquaponics with no negative effects on lettuce growth. Additionally, BSF-based diet might be beneficial in intensive, professional aquaponics applications due to the lower sodium concentration in the nutrient solution.

Structural and functional dissection of the DH and PH domains of oncogenic Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase.

The two isoforms of the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase, p210 and p190, are associated with different leukemias and have a dramatically different signaling network, despite similar kinase activity. To provide a molecular rationale for these observations, we study the Dbl-homology (DH) and Pleckstrin-homology (PH) domains of Bcr-Abl p210, which constitute the only structural differences to p190. Here we report high-resolution structures of the DH and PH domains and characterize conformations of the DH-PH unit in solution. Our structural and functional analyses show no evidence that the DH domain acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, whereas the PH domain binds to various phosphatidylinositol-phosphates. PH-domain mutants alter subcellular localization and result in decreased interactions with p210-selective interaction partners. Hence, the PH domain, but not the DH domain, plays an important role in the formation of the differential p210 and p190 Bcr-Abl signaling networks.