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Objective To explore the feasibility of differentiating 4 common subtypes of renal cell carcinoma based on corrected CT value and relative enhancement rate in spiral CT multi-phase scanning. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 76 patients with pathologically confirmed renal cell carcinoma, including 28 with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), 24 with papillary renal cell carcinoma type Ⅰ (PRCCⅠ), 6 with papillary renal cell carcinoma type Ⅱ (PRCC Ⅱ) and 18 with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC). The CT values in different phases in spiral CT multi-phase scanning were measured to calculate the corrected CT values and relative enhancement rates, whose sensitivity and specificity for differentiating the subtypes of renal cell carcinoma were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results No significant difference was found in unenhanced CT values among different subtypes of renal cell carcinoma. For ccRCC, the corrected CT value was 110.68±45.62 Hu and the corrected relative enhancement rate was 3.19±1.41 in the corticomedullary phase, significantly higher than those of the other subtypes (P < 0.01). In the nephrographic and excretory phases, the corrected CT values of ccRCC were 95.36±25.02 Hu and 74.01±16.10 Hu and the corrected relative enhancement rates were 2.82±1.03 and 2.19±0.71, respectively, all significantly higher than those of PRCC Ⅰ and PRCC Ⅱ (P < 0.05) but comparable with those of ChRCC. The corrected CT value or relative enhancement rate in each phase did not differ significantly between PRCC Ⅰ and PRCC Ⅱ. The corrected CT value and relative enhancement rate of ChRCC in each phase were lower than those of ccRCC but higher than those of PRCC; these values in the corticomedullary phase were significantly higher than those of PRCC Ⅱ (P < 0.05), and the corrected CT value of ChRCC was significantly higher than that of PRCCI and PRCCII (P < 0.05). At the cutoff values of 2.56, 2.28, and 1.25, the relative enhancement rates in the corticomedullary phase had sensitivities of 78.6%, 95.8% and 100.0% for differentiating ccRCC from ChRCC, PRCC Ⅰ and PRCC Ⅱ, with specificities of 94.4%, 78.6% and 92.9%, respectively. At the cutoff value of 1.64, the corrected relative enhancement rate in the nephrographic phase could effectively distinguish ChRCC from PRCC Ⅰ and PRCC Ⅱ with a sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 83.3%. Conclusion The subtypes of renal cell carcinoma have their specific enhancement characteristics. Multi-phase spiral CT scanning has an important value for differentiating these subtypes, and the corrected CT value and relative enhancement rate can help to improve the accuracy of the differential diagnosis, but the differentiation between PRCC Ⅰ and PRCC Ⅱ remains difficult.

The accumulation of plastic wastes in landfills and the environment threatens our environment and public health, while leading to the loss of potential carbon resources. The urgent necessary lies in developing an energy‐saving and environmentally benign approach to upgrade plastic into value‐added chemicals. Artificial photosynthesis holds the ability to realize plastic upcycling by using endless solar energy under mild conditions, but remains in the initial stage for plastic upgrading. In this review, we aim to look critically at the photocatalytic conversion of plastic wastes from the perspective of resource reutilization. To begin with, we present the emerging conversion routes for plastic wastes and highlight the advantages of artificial photosynthesis for processing plastic wastes. By parsing photocatalytic plastic conversion process, we demonstrate the currently available routes for processing plastic, including plastic photodegradation, tandem decomposition of plastic and CO2 reduction, selective plastic oxidation, as well as photoreforming of plastic. This review concludes with a personal perspective for potential advances and emerging challenges in photocatalytic plastic conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to separate lumbrokinase in Pheretima praepinguis and examine its enzymatic properties. With P. praepinguis as material, lumbrokinase was separated with the salting out method. Lumbrokinase activity was measured with casein medium plate method. Effect of pH and temperature on lumbrokinase activity was studied. Results of lumbrokinase separated from P. praepinguis was relatively high. Lumbrokinase activity in neutral or slightly alkaline environment was higher. Lumbrokinase had tolerance ability to high temperature, with highly enzymatic activity under 60°C and wide range of temperature adaptation.

Central nervous system (CNS) injury, induced by ischemic/hemorrhagic or traumatic damage, is one of the most common causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) resulting in oxidative/nitrosative stress play a critical role in the pathological cascade of molecular events after CNS injury. Therefore, by targeting RONS, antioxidant therapies have been intensively explored in previous studies. However, traditional antioxidants have achieved limited success thus far, and the development of new antioxidants to achieve highly effective RONS modulation in CNS injury still remains a great challenge. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, novel nanomaterials provided promising opportunities to address this challenge. Within these, nanoceria has gained much attention due to its regenerative and excellent RONS elimination capability. To promote its practical application, it is important to know what has been done and what has yet to be done. This review aims to present the opportunities and challenges of nanoceria in treating CNS injury. The physicochemical properties of nanoceria and its interaction with RONS are described. The applications of nanoceria for stroke and neurotrauma treatment are summarized. The possible directions for future application of nanoceria in CNS injury treatment are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aging process and declining estradiol levels are two important factors that cause structural brain alterations. Many prior studies have investigated these two elements and revealed controversial results in menopausal women. Here, a cross-sectional study was designed to individually evaluate estradiol-related structural changes in the brain. Methods: A total of 45 early menopausal women and 54 age-matched premenopausal controls were enrolled and subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, blood biochemistry tests, and neuropsychological tests. MRI structural images were analyzed using FreeSurfer to detect changes in subcortical and cortical volumes as well as cortical thickness. Finally, structural brain data as well as clinical and neuropsychological data were used for Pearson's correlation analyses to individually determine estradiol-related structural and functional changes in the brains of early menopausal women. Results: Compared with the premenopausal controls, the early menopausal women showed significant subcortical volumetric loss in the left amygdala and right amygdala, higher serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, more recognizable climacteric and depressive symptoms, decreased quality of sleep, and decreased working memory and executive functions. Simultaneously, FSH levels were related to lower working memory accuracy and longer working memory reaction time. Decreased subcortical volume in the bilateral amygdala was also related to lower working memory accuracy and longer executive reaction time in early menopausal women. Conclusion: The data suggest that estradiol deficiency in early menopausal women can lead to subcortical volume and functional brain changes, which may contribute to further understanding the neurobiological role of declined estradiol levels in early menopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly efficient bimetallic heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts (Fe2O3/CuO@MCM-41, FCM and MnOx/CuO@MCM-41, MCM) have been successfully prepared via wet impregnation over a mesoporous MCM-41 silica support. FESEM images demonstrate that the metal oxides are highly dispersed on the surface of the MCM-41 matrix consisting of the ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructure. XPS results indicate that the bimetallic oxides species in FCM and MCM are Fe2O3, CuO and MnOx, CuO, respectively. The as-prepared dual-heterojunctions have a significant enhancement of catalytic activities under visible light, compared with the material containing monometal, and prevents the leaching of metal ions species. The degradation efficiencies of MB can be up to 99.65% and 98.22% within 45 min irradiation for FCM1:2 and MCM1:0.5, respectively. And the degradation efficiencies still can reach up to 92% after 10 cycles. Moreover, the synthesized bimetallic dual-heterojunctions catalysts can be employed in very mild condition, and little difference in catalytic effect was observed under different pH value (3.0–9.0). The improved photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the sufficient interfacial contact between different components for photo energy transfer and e−/h+ pairs separation, which greatly enhance cycle reaction of Fe3+/Fe2+ or Mn4+/Mn3+/Mn2+ after introducing CuO. This research provides a new approach for the development of an effective heterogeneous photo-induced Fenton (Fenton like) catalyst with vast potential for organic pollutant removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) usually display cognitive impairments, such as memory loss, attention deficits, and declining executive functions, particularly during the active stage of the disease. However, the potential neurological mechanisms of these symptoms remain unclear. Method : Forty-one patients with mildly to moderately active UC, as well as 42 matched healthy controls, were recruited for an examination using psychological scales, cognitive function tests and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Seed points were identified via analysis of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), and functional connectivity (FC) was calculated between these seed regions and other voxels in the whole brain. Correlation analyses were performed among clinical indexes, neuropsychological assessments and neuroimaging data. Result : Compared with the healthy controls, patients with UC exhibited lower ALFF values in the bilateral hippocampal/parahippocampal (HIPP/ParaHIPP) region and higher ALFF values in the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC.L) and left middle frontal gyrus (MFG.L). With HIPP/ParaHIPP as the seed point, the strengths of the FC in the bilateral middle frontal gyri (MFG), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and left caudate nucleus (CAU.L) increased; using the PCC.L as the seed point, the strengths of the FC in the middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and the left angular gyrus (AUG.L) increased. These abnormal brain regions were mainly located in the limbic system. By analyzing the correlations between these brain regions and behavioral data, we observed a close correlation between decreased HIPP/ParaHIPP activity and memory loss; increased PCC activity and strength of FC with the AUG.L were related to dysfunction of executive function and attention network in patients with UC. Conclusion : Based on these results, the limbic lobe might be the core of the brain-gut axis (BGA) and play an important role in cognitive impairments, suggesting potential mechanisms for cognitive impairment in patients with UC in the active stage of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Early postmenopausal women frequently suffer from cognitive impairments and emotional disorders, such as lack of attention, poor memory, deficits in executive function and depression. However, the underlying mechanisms of these impairments remain unclear. Method : Forty-three early postmenopausal women and forty-four age-matched premenopausal controls underwent serum sex hormone analysis, neuropsychological testing and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Degree centrality (DC) analysis was performed to confirm the peak points of the functionally abnormal brain areas as the centers of the seeds. Subsequently, the functional connectivity (FC) between these abnormal seeds and other voxels across the whole brain was calculated. Finally, the sex hormone levels, neuroimaging indices and neuropsychological data were combined to detect potential correlations. Results : Compared with the premenopausal controls, the early postmenopausal women exhibited significantly higher serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, more severe climacteric and depressive symptoms, worse sleep quality and more extensive cognitive impairments. Concurrently, the neuroimaging results showed elevated DC values in the left amygdala (AMYG.L), reduced DC values in the left middle occipital gyrus (MOG.L) and right middle occipital gyrus (MOG.R). When we used the AMYG.L as the seed point, FC with the left insula (INS.L), bilateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG.R) was increased; these regions are related to depressive states, poor sleep quality and decreased executive function. When bilateral MOG were used as the seed points, FC with left inferior parietal gyrus (IPG.L), this area closely associated with impaired memory, was decreased. Conclusion : These results illuminated the regional and network-level brain dysfunction in early postmenopausal women, which might provide information on the underlying mechanisms of the different cognitive impairments and emotional alterations observed in this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The development of Au/AgI dimeric nanoparticles (NPs) is reported for highly selective colorimetric detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The detection mechanism is designed by taking advantage of the chemical transformation of AgI to Ag2S upon reacting with sulfide, which leads to a shift in the plasmonic band of the attached Au NPs. The plasmonic shift is accompanied by a color change of the solution from purplish red to blue and finally to light green depending on the concentration of sulfide, thus enables a naked‐eye readout and UV–vis quantitation of the sulfide exposure. The Au/AgI dimeric NPs are further immobilized in agarose gels to produce test strips, which can be used for both naked‐eye readout and quantitative detection of sulfide using UV–vis spectroscopy thanks to its transparency in the visible region. Compared to commercial Pb(Ac)2 test papers, the agarose gel strip has superior performance for detecting sulfide in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and fidelity. The agarose gel is also capable of detecting gaseous H2S at important concentration thresholds, suggesting its practicability in real life applications. The potential of agarose gels is further highlighted by its ability in the enrichment and colorimetric detection of gaseous H2S released during cell cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion are commonly assessed to identify the clinicopathological outcomes in breast cancer. However, the prognostic values of them on patients' survival are still uncertain.Methods: Databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception up to 30 June 2016. The hazard ratio with its 95% confidence interval was used to determine the prognostic effects of lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion on disease-free survival and overall survival in breast cancer.Results: Nineteen studies, involving 4215 participants, were included in this study. With the combination of the results of lymphatic vessel density, the pooled hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 2.02 (1.69-2.40) for disease-free survival and 2.88 (2.07-4.01) for overall survival, respectively. For lymphovascular invasion study, the pooled hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.81 (1.57-2.08) for disease-free survival and 1.64 (1.43-1.87) for overall survival, respectively. In addition, 29.56% (827/2798) of participants presented with lymphovascular invasion in total.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion can predict poor prognosis in breast cancer. Standardized assessments of lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To detect tumor angiogenesis in tumor-bearing mice using thiol-PEG-carboxyl-stabilized Fe2O3/Au nanoparticles targeted to CD105 on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Fe2O3/Au nanoparticles (hybrids) were prepared by reducing Au3+ on the surface of Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Hybrids were stabilized with thiol-PEG-carboxyl via the Au–S covalent bond, and further conjugated with anti-CD105 antibodies through amide linkages. Characteristics of the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles were evaluated. Using these nanoparticles, the labeling specificity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was evaluated in vitro. MRI T2*-weighted images were obtained at different time points after intravenous administration of the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles in the tumor-bearing mice. After MR imaging, the breast cancer xenografts were immediately resected for immunohistochemistry staining and Prussian blue staining to measure the tumor microvessel density (MVD) and evaluate the labeling of blood microvessels by the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles in vivo. Results: The mean diameter of the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles was 56.6±8.0nm, as measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Immune activity of the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles was 53% of that of the anti-CD105 antibody, as detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The specific binding of HUVECs with the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles was proved by immunostaining and Prussian blue staining in vitro. For breast cancer xenografts, the combination of the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles with blood microvessels was detectable by MRI after 60min administration of the contrast agent. The T2* relative signal intensity (SIR) was positively correlated with the tumor MVD (R 2 =0.8972). Conclusion: Anti-CD105 antibody-coupled, thiol-PEG-carboxyl-stabilized core–shell Fe2O3/Au nanoparticles can efficiently target CD105 expressed by HUVECs. Furthermore, the hybrid-PEG-CD105 nanoparticles can be used to detect tumor angiogenesis in vivo. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bimetallic core/shell Fe 2O 3/Au nanoparticles are promising candidate dual-mode contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) imaging. However, the gold coating on the hybrid nanoparticles (hybrids) affects the MRI and CT imaging quality. A thick gold nanoshell increases the X-ray attenuation effect but decreases the magnetic saturation of the hybrids. Therefore, we studied the effect of the Fe 2O 3 and Au composition on these properties to find a suitable hybrid for MRI and CT imaging. Water-soluble, Au-coated magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by iteratively reducing Au 3+ onto the Fe 2O 3 surface via hydroxylamine seeding. The properties of the hybrids obtained after different numbers of Au seeding cycles were studied using transmission electron microscopy, UV–Vis spectrophotometry, a vibrating swatch gaussmeter, MRI, CT, and an MTT assay. The hybrids obtained after three Au seeding cycles had an Fe 2O 3:Au molar ratio of 7.2:26.8, a mean diameter of 48.3 nm, a UV–Vis absorbance peak of 550 nm, a saturation magnetization of 49.0 emu/g, and no cytotoxicity at a concentration of 500 μg/mL after incubation with RAW 264.7 cells for up to 72 h. The hybrids obtained after three Au seeding cycles are the preferred candidates for MRI and CT applications because of their relatively high R2 relaxivity (95 mM −1 s −1) and X-ray attenuation (1.87 times that of iodine) compared to those of the other hybrids investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The status of lymph node involvement is an important prognostic factor for breast cancer. However, the presence of intratumoral lymphatic vessels in primary tumor lesions and the relationship between lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) have not been firmly established. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis study to investigate these issues. According to the pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 studies, involving 1029 breast cancer patients, were included in this study. Using immunohistochemical staining, intratumoral lymphatic vessels were detected in 40.07% of breast cancer patients (240/599), and peritumoral lymphatics were detected in 77.09% (397/515). All studies demonstrated that peritumoral LVD was higher than intratumoral LVD, with a pooled standard mean difference and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.75 (1.28 to 2.21). Both intratumoral LVD and peritumoral LVD positively correlated with LNM, with correlation coefficients of 0.14 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.23) and 0.31 (95% CI 0.13 to 0.49), respectively. In summary, our study reports the overall detection rate of intratumoral lymphatics and demonstrates the associations between intratumoral LVD, peritumoral LVD, and LNM in breast cancer. Additionally, controlled studies with a larger number of subjects are needed to establish these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Satisfactory prognosis of breast cancer (BC) is limited by difficulty in early diagnosis and insufficient treatment. The combination of molecular imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) may provide a solution., Methods: Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by thermal decomposition, seeded growth and galvanic replacement and were comprehensively characterized. After conjugated to PEG, NPs were used as MRI and PTT agents in vitro and in vivo., Results: Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell NPs which had uniform Janus-like morphology were successfully synthesized. The Fe 3 O 4 had a size of 18 ± 2.2 nm, and the Au shell had an outer diameter of 25 ± 3.3 nm and an inner diameter of 20 ± 2.9 nm. The NPs showed superparamagnetism, a saturation magnetization of 36 emu/g, and an optical absorption plateau from 700 to 808 nm. The Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell NPs were determined to possess good biocompatibility. After PEG coating, the zeta potential of NPs was changed from -23.75 ± 1.37 mV to -13.93 ± 0.55 mV, and the FTIR showed the characteristic C-O stretching vibration at 1113 cm -1 . The NPs' MR imaging implied that the T 2 can be shortened by Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell NPs in a concentration-dependent manner, and the Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell NPs coated with PEG at the molar ratio of 160 (PEG: NPs) showed the highest transverse relaxivity ( r 2 ) of 216 mM -1 s -1 . After irradiation at 0.65 W/cm 2 for 5 min, all cells incubated with the Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell -PEG160 NPs (Fe: 30 ppm, Au: 70 ppm) died. After administrated intratumorally, Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell -PEG160 notably decreased the signal intensity of tumor in T 2 WI images. Under the same irradiation, the temperature of tumors injected with Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell -PEG160 quickly rose to 54.6°C, and the tumors shrank rapidly and were ablated in 6 days., Conclusion: Fe 3 O 4 -Au shell -PEG NPs show good r 2 and PTT performance and are promising synergistic theranostic agents of MRI and PTT for BC., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2021 Kang et al.)

Herein, we developed a novel strategy for the shape-controlled synthesis of iron oxide nanostructures with superior r2 values through the introduction of fluoride ions as a morphology controlling agent and dopant. The selective adsorption of fluoride ions onto the specified crystal planes of iron oxide nanocrystals leads to the formation of octapod nanoparticles (ONPs) and cubic nanocrystal clusters (CNCs). Both ONPs and CNCs present high r2 values (526.5 and 462.2 mM-1 s-1, respectively) due to the synergistic effect of a larger effective radius, clustering and fluorine doping. The in vivo MRI results show significant enhancement in T2-weighted images of the liver after the intravenous injection of ONPs and CNCs, suggesting their great potential as efficient T2-weighted MRI contrast agents. This new approach of achieving anisotropic fluorine-doped iron oxide nanostructures with high r2 relaxivity provides an alternative strategy for the development of highly sensitive T2 contrast agents for MRI.

Owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), dynamic manipulation of optical properties through the structure evolution of plasmonic nanoparticles has been intensively studied for practical applications. This paper describes a novel method for direct reversible self-assembly and dis-assembly of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) in water driven by pH stimuli. Using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as the capping ligand and pH-responsive agent, the APTES hydrolyzes rapidly in response to acid and then condenses into silicon. On the contrary, the condensed silicon can be broken down into silicate by base, which subsequently deprotonates the APTES on AuNPs. By controlling condensation and decomposition of APTES, the plasmonic coupling among adjacent AuNPs could be reversible tuned to display the plasmonic color switching. This study provides a facile and distinctive strategy to regulate the reversible self-assembly of AuNPs, and it also offers a new avenue for other plasmonic nanoparticles to adjust plasmonic properties via reversible self-assembly., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liu, Fu, Xu, Zhang, Sun, Du, Kang, Xiao, Zhou, Gong and Zhang.)

Background: Beyond magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which has been widely used clinically, molecular MRI (mMRI) can further provide qualitative and quantitative information at the cellular and molecular levels. However, the diagnostic accuracy may not be satisfactory via single-contrast mMRI due to some interferences in vivo. T 1 /T 2 dual-contrast MRI using the same contrast agent (CA) could significantly improve the detection accuracy. Therefore, in this study, we fabricated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-coated, manganese-doped iron oxide nanocomposites (Mn-IONPs@PEG) as T 1 /T 2 dual-contrast CA, and evaluated its feasibility of T 1 /T 2 dual-contrast MRI in vitro and in vivo., Methods: Mn-IONPs were prepared by the thermal decomposition of iron-eruciate and manganese-oleate complexes and were coated with 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(methoxy[polyethylene glycol]-2000) (DSPE-PEG 2000). The physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity of the Mn-IONPs were fully characterized, followed by MRI in vitro and in vivo., Results: Ultrasmall 3 nm-sized nanoparticles were successfully prepared and were identified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and X-ray diffraction. After coating with DSPE-PEG, the Mn-IONPs@PEG displayed excellent hydrophilicity and good biocompatibility. Due to the manganese-doping and PEG coating, the Mn-IONPs@PEG showed good relaxivity in vitro. Especially, the Mn-IONPs@PEG coated with DSPE-PEG following a mass ratio to Mn-IONPs of 1:20 showed harmonious longitudinal relaxivity ( r 1 = 7.1 mM -1 s -1 ) and transversal relaxivity ( r 2 = 120.9 mM -1 s -1 ), making it a better candidate for T 1 /T 2 dual-contrast mMRI. After administrated via a caudal vein, the Mn-IONPs@PEG can induce significant enhancement in both T 1 -weighted and T 2 -weighted MR images and the time at 10 mins after injection was regarded as a suitable time for imaging because both the T 1 and T 2 enhancement were optimum at that time., Conclusion: The obtained Mn-IONPs@PEG exhibited good r 1 and r 2 and was a reasonable candidate for T 1 /T 2 dual-contrast mMRI., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Xiao et al.)

Background: Lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion are commonly assessed to identify the clinicopathological outcomes in breast cancer. However, the prognostic values of them on patients' survival are still uncertain., Methods: Databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception up to 30 June 2016. The hazard ratio with its 95% confidence interval was used to determine the prognostic effects of lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion on disease-free survival and overall survival in breast cancer., Results: Nineteen studies, involving 4215 participants, were included in this study. With the combination of the results of lymphatic vessel density, the pooled hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 2.02 (1.69-2.40) for disease-free survival and 2.88 (2.07-4.01) for overall survival, respectively. For lymphovascular invasion study, the pooled hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.81 (1.57-2.08) for disease-free survival and 1.64 (1.43-1.87) for overall survival, respectively. In addition, 29.56% (827/2798) of participants presented with lymphovascular invasion in total., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion can predict poor prognosis in breast cancer. Standardized assessments of lymphatic vessel density and lymphovascular invasion are needed.

Lymph node status is one of the key parameters used for determining the stage of breast cancer progression. The relationship of lymphatic vessel density (LVD), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and lymph node metastasis (LNM) has not been clearly demonstrated yet. Databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception up to 25 May 2016. Spearman correlation coefficient (r) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to determine the relationship within each group. Based on pre-established inclusion criteria, 28 studies involving 2920 breast cancer patients were included in this study. The r values of LVD-LVI, LVD-LNM, and LVI-LNM were 0.45 (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.57), 0.32 (95% CI: 0.23 to 0.40), and 0.24 (95% CI: 0.19 to 0.28), respectively. Compared with intratumoral LVD, peritumoral LVD showed more robust correlation with LVI (r = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.72) and LNM (r = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.46). The patients in LNM positive group presented with higher LVI detection rate of 45.85%, while in LNM negative group with detection rate of 23.85%. The results describe a triangle relationship between LVD, LVI, and LNM in breast cancer. Both LVD and LVI are indicated to be valuable predictors of LNM occurrence. Compared with intratumoral lymphatic vessels, peritumoral lymphatics might be the main disseminate route for breast tumor cells.

Tumor angiogenesis plays very important roles for tumorigenesis, tumor development, metastasis, and prognosis. Targeting T1/T2 dual modality magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the tumor vascular endothelial cells (TVECs) with MR molecular probes can greatly improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, as well as helping to make an early diagnosis of tumor at the preclinical stage. In this study, a new T1 and T2 dual modality nanoprobe was successfully fabricated. The prepared nanoprobe comprise peptides CL 1555, poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) amphiphilic copolymer shell, and dozens of manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) nanoparticle core. The results showed that the hydrophobic MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were of uniform spheroidal appearance and narrow size distribution. Due to the self-assembled nanomicelles structure, the prepared probes were of high relaxivity of 281.7 mM(-1) s(-1), which was much higher than that of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (67.5 mM 1 s(-1)). After being grafted with the targeted CD105 peptide CL 1555, the nanomicelles can combine TVECs specifically and make the labeled TVECs dark in T2-weighted MR imaging. With the passage on, the Mn(2+) ions were released from MnFe2O4 and the size decreased gradually, making the signal intensity of the second and third passage of labeled TVECs increased in T1-weighted MR imaging. Our results demonstrate that CL-poly(ethylene glycol)-MnFe2O4 can conjugate TVECs and induce dark and bright contrast in MR imaging, and act as a novel molecular probe for T1- and T2-enhanced MR imaging of tumor angiogenesis.

Background: GoldMag nanoparticles (GMNPs) possess the properties of colloid gold and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, which make them useful for delivery, separation and molecular imaging. However, because of the nanometer effect, GMNPs are highly toxic. Thus, the biosafety of GMNPs should be fully studied prior to their use in biomedicine. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the nanotoxicity of GMNPs on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and determine a suitable size, concentration and time for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)., Results: Transmission electron microscopy showed that GMNPs had a typical shell/core structure, and the shell was confirmed to be gold using energy dispersive spectrometer analysis. The average sizes of the 30 and 50 nm GMNPs were 30.65 ± 3.15 and 49.23 ± 5.01 nm, respectively, and the shell thickness were 6.8 ± 0.65 and 8.5 ± 1.36 nm, respectively. Dynamic light scattering showed that the hydrodynamic diameter of the 30 and 50 nm GMNPs were 33.2 ± 2.68 and 53.12 ± 4.56 nm, respectively. The r 2 relaxivity of the 50 nm GMNPs was 98.65 mM(-1) s(-1), whereas it was 80.18 mM(-1) s(-1) for the 30 nm GMNPs. The proliferation, cytoskeleton, migration, tube formation, apoptosis and ROS generation of labeled HUVECs depended on the size and concentration of GMNPs and the time of exposure. Because of the higher labeling rate, the 50 nm GMNPs exhibited a significant increase in nanotoxicity compared with the 30 nm GMNPs at the same concentration and time. At no more than 25 μg/mL and 12 hours, the 50 nm GMNPs exhibited no significant nanotoxicity in HUVECs, whereas no toxicity was observed at 50 μg/mL and 24 hours for the 30 nm GMNPs., Conclusions: These results demonstrated that the nanotoxicity of GMNPs in HUVECs depended on size, concentration and time. Exposure to larger GMNPs with a higher concentration for a longer period of time resulted in a higher labeling rate and ROS level for HUVECs. Coupled with r 2 relaxivity, it was suggested that the 50 nm GMNPs are more suitable for HUVEC labeling and MRI, and the suitable concentration and time were 25 μg/mL and 12 hours.

Hemsleya sinesis Cogn has a variety of medicinal value. Strain KLXD06 is an endophytic bacteria isolated from H. sinesis exhibited significant inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This strain was identified by methods including 16S rDNA sequence homology and phylogenetic analysis morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics analysis. Ccrude protein from KLXD06 was extracted by ammon ium sulfate salting-out. The results showed that strain KLXD06 was identified as Serratia marcescens. Antibacterial crude protein from KLXD06 was extracted by ammon ium sulfate salting-out, has a thermal stability.

Phytohemical investigation on the heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera resulted in the isolation of nine flavonoids. Their structures were elucidated as sativanone (1), (3R)-vestitone (2), (3R)-2',3',7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavanone (3), (3R)-4'-methoxy-2',3,7-trihydroxyisoflavanone (4), carthamidin (5), liquiritigenin (6), isoliquiritigenin (7), (3R)-vestitol (8), and sulfuretin (9) based on their spectral data. All compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against Ralstonia solanacearum. This is the first report about anti-R. solanacearum activity of the compounds from D. odorifera.