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Conventional chemotherapeutic agents are limited by their lack of targeting and penetration and their short retention time, and chemotherapy might induce an immune suppressive environment. Peptide self‐assembly can result in a specific morphology, and the resulting morphological changes are stimuli responsive to the external environment, which is important for drug permeation and retention of encapsulated chemotherapeutic agents. In this study, a polypeptide (Pep1) containing the peptide sequences PLGLAG and RGD that is responsive to matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP‐2) was successfully developed. Pep1 underwent a morphological transformation from a spherical structure to aggregates with a high aspect ratio in response to MMP‐2 induction. This drug delivery system (DI/Pep1) can transport doxorubicin (DOX) and indomethacin (IND) simultaneously to target tumor cells for subsequent drug release while extending drug retention within tumor cells, which increases immunogenic cell death and facilitates the immunotherapeutic effect of CD4+ T cells. Ultimately, DI/Pep1 attenuated tumor‐associated inflammation, enhanced the body's immune response, and inhibited breast cancer growth by combining the actions of DOX and IND. Our research offers an approach to hopefully enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phononic crystals (PnCs) and acoustic metamaterials (AMMs) are artificially architected materials endowed with the capabilities of wave manipulation. This review specifically covers the theoretical fundamentals and recent development of PnCs and AMMs at the micro‐ and nanoscales due to their potential significance in modern electronic applications. Similarities and differences in phonon transport at these two scales are discussed. Research gaps between the macro‐ and small‐scale PnC and AMM development are identified from a theoretical point of view. A future outlook is also presented to propose possible applications of micro‐ and nano‐PnCs and AMMs, including advancing quantum information processing technologies, such as quantum computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies is a serious public health issue in China, with over 95% of human infections transmitted by dogs. As part of a routine surveillance carried out in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) between 2019 and 2021, 80 of 95 suspected rabies cases in domestic animals (dogs, livestock) and wild carnivores (foxes, badgers, a raccoon dog) were confirmed as rabies virus (RABV) positive. Phylogenetic analysis of RABVs of the 80 cases based on complete N genes showed that 97.5% (78/80) of the virus strains belonged to the Cosmopolitan (steppe‐type) clade, with one in each of Arctic‐related (AL2) and Asian (SEA1) clades. The data show that infected foxes have become a major transmission source of rabies in China, second only to dogs, and play a pivotal role in animal rabies epizootics in the north and northwest of the country. The recent spread of fox rabies to other animal species presents an increasing threat to public health and emphasizes the importance of animal rabies surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rabies is a fatal zoonotic infectious disease that poses a serious threat to public health in China. Since 2005, a National Animal Rabies Surveillance System has been operating to understand the rabies situation in animals in China with a view to control and eventually eliminate dog-mediated human rabies., Methods: From 2010, the brain tissues of dogs, livestock, and wild animals showing rabies-like clinical signs were collected and tested by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Animal Rabies to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of rabies, including animal species, geographic distribution, and transmission sources. Over the same period, clinically suspected animal rabies cases were collected by Animal Disease Control Centers through the National Animal Disease Monitoring Information Platform (NADMIP) and then reported in the Veterinary Bulletin ., Results: During 2010-2020, 170 of 212 suspected animal rabies cases were submitted to and confirmed by NRL as rabies virus-positive. Of these confirmed cases dogs, especially free-roaming and ownerless dogs in rural areas, were major transmission hosts (71/170). A total of 51 infected dogs attacked humans with 45 biting more than one person. The dog cases were reported all year round, but with significantly more in spring and summer. The majority of livestock rabies cases (70/80) being caused by rabid wild foxes in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia revealed that foxes play a pivotal role in animal rabies epizootics in the north and northwest of the country., Conclusion: Dogs were the main transmission sources of rabies in China, and along with the recent increase of rabies in foxes and other wildlife, presented an increasing threat to livestock and public health., (Copyright and License information: Editorial Office of CCDCW, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2021.)