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Photothermal therapy (PTT), as a tumor optical treatment strategy, has the characteristics of being minimally invasive, precise and safe in the treatment of tumors. However, the efficacy of photothermal treatment is usually affected by the photothermal conversion efficiency of the material and the expression of heat shock protein in tumor cells. Ti3C2, a kind of MXene, is a novel two-dimensional material with excellent photothermal conversion efficiency and multiple unique characteristics, making it a promising candidate for multimodal tumor therapy. Therefore, inhibiting the synthesis of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) in the process of photothermal therapy can reduce the heat resistance of tumor cells, thereby improving the effect of photothermal therapy. In this study, we highlight the potential of utilizing hyaluronic acid (HA) modified Ti3C2 (Ti3C2@HA) as a carrier for delivering anti-sense oligonucleotides of HSP90 to inhibit HSP90 expression and enhance PPT efficacy. Under laser irradiation, the designed MXene-based nanocomposite (Ti3C2@ASO@HA) significantly inhibited the growth and effectively suppressed the migration of tumor cells. In addition, decreased expression of HSP90 is confirmed by western blotting. The results of this investigation provide a promising strategy for enhancing the photothermal therapy effects of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CSR) belongs to the family Cynomoriaceae. It is a perennial succulent parasitic herb with a reddish-brown coloration, predominantly submerged in sand and lacking chlorophyll. Traditionally, it has been used in ethnic medicine to treat various diseases, such as gastric ulcers, indigestion, bowel movements, and improving sexual function. To comprehensively collect CSR data, extensive literature searches were conducted using medical, ecological, and scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). This article summarizes and categorizes research on the uses, phytochemical characteristics, pharmacological activities, and toxicity of ethnic medicine, with the aim of establishing a solid foundation and proposing new avenues for exploring and developing potential applications of CSR. So far, a total of 98 compounds have been isolated and identified from CSR, including flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, and other compounds. It is worth noting that flavonoids and polysaccharides have significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, these compounds also show good application prospects in anti-tumor, antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-fatigue, anti-diabetes, and other aspects. Although extensive progress has been made in the basic research of CSR, further research is still needed to enhance the understanding of its mechanism of action and explore more unknown compounds. Our review indicates that CSR has broad prospects and deserves further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major obstacles to triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) therapy are metastasis and mortality rates, leading to the failure treatment of traditional chemotherapy. Therefore, low toxicity drugs and more effective therapeutic approaches are greatly desired. Considering the drawbacks of indocyanine green (ICG) and purpurin such as poor bioavailability and rapid blood clearance, an endogenous carrier material human serum albumin (HSA) was employed to construct the nanoplatform through hydrophobic interaction with the inspiration of successful delivery of paclitaxel. Herein, we developed and fabricated a new self‐assembled albumin‐based drug delivery system (ICG‐purpurin@HSA, HIP) with encapsulation of ICG and purpurin. Of note, compared to free ICG and purpurin, enhanced treatment efficiency was achieved by the HIP with the help of reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐heat‐induced damage and nutrient supply cutoff. Consequently, an efficient drug delivery platform based on photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) was proposed, revealing a promising strategy for TNBC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The periodic twist behaviors of amyloid fibrils initiated and formed on block copolymer films with nanoscale features are studied. The discovery of twist variations even in a single amyloid fibril is reported: the fibril can vary its twist extents in response to the underlying nanopatterned surfaces by keeping its neighboring crossover sections right above the periodic nanodomains and tuning the distance between neighboring crossover sections based on either the periodic nanodomain distance or the fibril contour direction. This nanopattern‐induced twist polymorphism arises from the fibril's two edges, exhibiting different hydrophobic interactions with the periodic nanodomains, as demonstrated by simulation studies. This work contributes to the understanding of surface effects on twist polymorphism in amyloid fibril structures that may be important to fibril polymorphism in amyloid pathologies and bioapplications of amyloid fibrils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid fibrils, implicated in health and diseases, commonly exhibit a periodic twist trait relevant to the structures and dynamics of the fibrils. However, the origins and modulations of fibril twist in complex in vivo environments are not yet fully understood. Here we highlight an important factor that causes twist variations in amyloid fibril structures—the presence of surrounding surfaces. Using cholesterol-containing lipid bilayers with varying cholesterol contents, we have demonstrated via atomic force microscopy that amyloid-β peptide fibrils initiated on membranes increase their average pitch size of twisting periodicity as the cholesterol content increases. These surface-induced twist variations arise from the enhanced hydrophobic interactions between the fibril and the surface distorting the torsional elastic energy of the fibril twisting as supported by a theory of an elastic model. These findings not only provide an important insight into fibril polymorphism phenomena resulting from the surface effects but also suggest a novel solution to modulate filament twisting on the nanoscale for biomaterials applications involving nanoscale features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this communication, the mechanism of how surface chirality affects amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrillation was firstly unravelled at the molecular level: a chiral surface serves to control the 2D-diffusion and surface residence time of Aβ molecules via the chiral recognition with Aβ to allow precursor Aβ to laterally diffuse and collide with each other for oligomerization and fibrillation. Surface chirality that shortens the surface residence time of Aβ, for example, R-cysteine modification with carboxylic, secondary amine and thiol groups surrounding the chiral center, can retard Aβ oligomerization and fibrillation. This work is essential to a deeper fundamental understanding of the effects of surface chirality on amyloidosis processes as well as the development of chiral materials to inhibit Aβ fibrillation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypoxia can threaten the metabolic functions of different systems in immature neonates, particularly the central nervous system. The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has recently been reported as a prognostic factor in neurologic diseases. Herein, we examined the correlation between RDW and regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (rcSO 2 )., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 110 preterm infants born at a gestational age (GA) of <32 weeks, or with a birth weight (BW) of <1,500   g at our institution between January and June 2,022. The rcSO 2 was monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy, and RDW was extracted from the complete blood count during the first 14 days after birth. RDW and rcSO 2 measurements were analyzed using a cross-sectional research method., Results: We divided the study population into two groups, with a mean rcSO 2 value over the first 14 days. Fifty-three preterm had rcSO 2  ≥   55% and 57%   <   55%. The 14-days-mean in the study population showing an association of lower rcSO 2 values with higher RDW values. Significantly higher RDW values were observed in the low rcSO 2 group compared with those in the high rcSO 2 group. Threshold effect analysis showed that rcSO 2 decreased with RDW values ≥18% (β, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.04 and -0.02; p   ≥   0.0001). After adjusting for potential confounders, an RDW of ≥18% was determined as the predictive cutoff value for preterm infants with low rcSO 2 (Model I: OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.36-8.06; p   =   0.009; and Model II: OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.28-8.53; p   =   0.013)., Conclusions: An RDW of ≥18% in the first 14 days is associated with rcSO 2 of <55% in preterm infants., 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., (© 2023 Mu, Wang, Tian, Hu, Feng, Lu, He, Jiang, Huang, Duan and Mu.)

Background: Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare form of diabetes. We analyzed a novel insulin gene ( INS ) mutation of a Chinese permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM) patient to explore the clinical and genetic characteristics and put forward some opinions on treatment and its long-term management., Case Description: A proband was recruited who was diagnosed with permanent neonatal diabetes on his first day after birth. His clinical and follow-up data were collected for 10 years. All of the family members were given an oral glucose tolerance test. Whole exome sequencing was performed on the proband, and the genomic DNA of family members was used for verification by first-generation Sanger sequencing technology. The pathogenic variant was screened according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics classification guidelines and the clinical phenotype of the patient., Diagnostic Assessment: The proband was diagnosed on the first day after birth, presenting with low birth weight, progressive hyperglycemia, and insulin deficiency. His parents and grandfathers were confirmed to have normal blood sugar levels. A novel homozygous mutation of c.1T>C in the INS gene was detected in the proband, located in the initiation codon. The heterozygous mutations were found in four family members, including his mother, father, and grandfathers. With regular insulin injections, long-term regular follow-up, close monitoring of blood glucose, balanced exercise and diet, and psychological and mutual family support, the blood glucose level was well controlled; there were no acute or chronic complications during this decade. The patient's growth and nervous system development are now no different to those of the same age., Conclusion: A favorable prognosis is presented for a permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (PNDM) patient with a novel mutation in the INS gene in China. The present findings indicate that the genetic diagnosis, early use of insulin, close monitoring of blood glucose, and psychological and mutual family support for patients with INS mutation are necessary for their favorable long-term prognosis., 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 © 2023 Tian, Feng, Liu and Wang.)

An amyloidosis pathway of Alzheimer's β-peptide Aβ40 on lipid membranes, the self-coiling of single-stranded protofibrils into thermodynamically stable ring structures, is uncovered. Distinct from Aβ amyloid structures reported previously, the coiled rings observed here exhibit a narrow distribution of diameters centered at ∼170 nm and their circumference thicknesses increase as a longer single-stranded protofibril wraps around the ring, indicating the coaxial loop-by-loop winding of individual protofibrils. Such self-coiling is dominated by elastic properties of the flexible protofibrils subject to thermal fluctuations and surface interactions, as supported by an entropic elasticity model from polymer physics concepts. This work not only provides insights into the fundamental physics of Alzheimer's β-peptide amyloidosis but also is useful for designing amyloid filament materials.