Nanoengineered targeting strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapy is rapidly changing the paradigm of cancer care and treatment by evoking host immunity to kill cancer cells. As clinical approval of checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., ipilimumab and pembrolizumab) has been accelerated by a dramatic improvement of long-term survival in a small subset of patients compared to conventional chemotherapy, growing interesting research has focused on immunotherapy. However, majority of patients have not benefited from checkpoint therapies that only partially remove the inhibition of T cell functions. Insufficient systemic T cell responses, low immunogenicity and the immunosuppressive environment of tumors, create great challenges on therapeutic efficiency. Nanotechnology can integrate multiple functions within controlled size and shape, and has been explored as a unique avenue for the development of cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we mainly address how nanoengineered vaccines can induce robust T cell responses against tumors, as well as how nanomedicine can remodel the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment to boost antitumor immune responses.

Can minimally invasive puncture and drainage for hypertensive spontaneous Basal Ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage improve patient outcome: a prospective non-randomized comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of hypertensive spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is still controversial. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether minimally invasive puncture and drainage (MIPD) could improve patient outcome compared with decompressive craniectomy (DC). METHODS: Consecutive patients with ICH (≧30 mL in basal ganglia within 24 hours of ictus) were non-randomly assigned to receive MIPD (group A) or DC (group B) hematoma evacuation. The primary outcome was death at 30 days after onset. Functional independence was assessed at 1 year using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. RESULTS: A total of 198 patients met the per protocol analysis (84 in group A and 114 in group B). The initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score was 8.1 ± 3.4 and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 20.8 ± 5.3. The mean hematoma volume (HV) was 56.7 ± 23.0 mL, and there was extended intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in 134 patients. There were no significant intergroup differences in the above baseline data, except group A had a higher mean age than that of group B (59.4 ± 14.5 vs. 55.3 ± 11.1 years, P = 0.025). The cumulative mortalities at 30 days and 1 year were 32.3% and 43.4%, respectively, and there were no significant differences between groups A and B. However, the mortality for patients ≦60 years, NIHSS < 15 or HV≦60 mL was significantly lower in group A than that in group B (all P < 0.05). The cumulative functional independence at 1 year was 26.8%, and the difference between group A (33/84, 39.3%) and group B (20/114, 17.5%) was significant (P = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a favorable outcome after 1 year was associated with the difference in therapies, age, GCS, HV, IVH and pulmonary infection (all P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with hypertensive spontaneous ICH (HV≧30 mL in basal ganglia), MIPD may be a more effective treatment than DC, as assessed by a higher rate of functional independence at 1 year after onset as well as reduced mortality in patients ≦60 years of age, NIHSS < 15 or HV≦60 mL.

[Experimental study of PVPP/silicone composite automatic expanded material as implants].

OBJECTIVE: To study the feasibility of Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP)/silicone composite automatic expanded material as implants. METHODS: The PVPP hydrogel was mixed with silicone through the location at the high temperature. Implants with different ratio of PVPP to silicone were placed under the back and nose skin in 24 New Zealand rabbits. The surrounding tissue reaction, material and skin expansion were observed and compared with those with pure silicone implants. RESULTS: The study lasted for 200 days. Compared with pure silicone implants, the composite material could expand automatically and stop expanding at about 2 weeks after implantation. Histological study showed similar inflectional and foreign body reaction around the composite material and the pure silicone. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with pure silicone, the PVPP/silicone composite implant has the advantage of automatic expansion, so as to expand the soft tissue.

[Anatomic analysis of Wenchuan earthquake injuries with otorhinolaryngology symptoms].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the injuries after the earthquake with otorhinolaryngology symptoms and the characteristics of with injuries and to provide some information when dealing with similar disasters in the future. METHODS: The basic information of earthquake-related injuries with otorhinolaryngology symptoms was collected in 11 large and medium-sized hospitals (including foreign medical teams) in Mianyang City and the surrounding four hard-hit counties. Their characteristics were analyzed together. RESULTS: There were 289 patients that have otorhinolaryngology symptoms in the 11 included hospitals, among them there were 217 cases have definite records that could be analyzed. The data showed that damage to ear and head and neck injuries as the main symptoms was large proportion of injuries suffer multiple fractures and soft tissue injuries such as skin abrasions . Nose injury and facial fractures were also common. Orbital fracture and eye damage could be combined occurred. Brain injury and skull fractures often occurred while trachea and throat injury was rare happened. CONCLUSIONS: Different disaster cause different damage. After the establishment of disaster-related injuries in professional spectrum more active and effective could be behaved in life rescue and the arrangement of personnel and material when dealing with similar situations.