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The high mortality rate of patients with diabetic foot ulcers is urging the appearance of an effective biomedical drug. Senescence is one of the major reasons of aging-induced decline in the diabetic wound. Our previous studies have demonstrated the anti-senescence effect of secretomes derived from human fetal mesenchymal stem cells (hfMSC). The present study tends to explore the potential role of hfMSC secretome (HFS) in wound healing through anti-aging. Meanwhile, we try to overcome several obstacles in the clinical application of stem cell secretome. A verticle bioreactor and microcarriers are employed to expand hfMSC and produce the HFS on a large scale. The HFS was then subjected to lyophilization (L-HFS). The PLGA (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid) particles were used to encapsulate and protect L-HFS from degradation in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model. Results showed that HFS-PLGA significantly enhanced wound healing by promoting vascularization and inhibiting inflammation in the skin wound bed. We further analyzed the contents of HFS. Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (ITRAQ) and label-free methods were used to identify peptides in the secretome. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that exosome production-related singling pathways and heat-shock protein family could be used as bio-functional markers and quality control for stem cell secretome production.

Introduction Craniosynostosis is one of the most common craniofacial abnormalities. It involves premature closure of one or more cranial sutures. Mutations in many genes have been and continue to be identified in patients. Settings and sample population Whole blood samples were collected from the patient and family members. Material and methods Whole exome sequencing was performed to identify potential mutations in the patient. The results were verified by Sanger sequencing by comparing SPECC1L gene sequence of blood samples from 100 unrelated population-matched controls. Results The patient presented with craniosynostosis with fusion of the bicoronal and sagittal sutures. A novel missense mutation (c.2612C>T, p.Pro871Leu) in the SPECC1L gene was identified. Gene analysis showed a missense mutation in exon1 of SPECC1L that led to an amino acid substitution in the region between coiled-coil domain 3 and calponin homology domain. Conclusion Our observations expand the molecular spectrum of gene mutations in craniosynostosis and emphasize the importance of gene testing in the diagnosis of craniosynostosis. The observations also reinforce the characteristics of SPECC1L-related cranial disorders.

Targeting the androgen receptor (AR) signalling pathway remains the main therapeutic option for advanced prostate cancer. However, resistance to AR‐targeting inhibitors represents a great challenge, highlighting the need for new therapies. Activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway and increased expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) are common aberrations in prostate cancer, suggesting that inhibition of such targets may be a viable therapeutic strategy for this patient population. Previous reports demonstrated that combination of PI3K inhibitors (PI3KIs) with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) resulted in synergistic antitumour activities against preclinical models of prostate cancer. In this study, we demonstrate that the novel dual PI3K and HDAC inhibitor CUDC‐907 has promising antitumour activity against prostate cancer cell lines in vitro and castration‐resistant LuCaP 35CR patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model in vivo. CUDC‐907‐induced apoptosis was partially dependent on Mcl‐1, Bcl‐xL, Bim and c‐Myc. Further, down‐regulation of Wee1, CHK1, RRM1 and RRM2 contributed to CUDC‐907‐induced DNA damage and apoptosis. In the LuCaP 35CR PDX model, treatment with CUDC‐907 resulted in significant inhibition of tumour growth. These findings support the clinical development of CUDC‐907 for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Castration‐resistant progression of prostate cancer is a major cause of prostate cancer mortality, and increased expression and activity of the full‐length and the splice variants of androgen receptor (AR) have been indicated to drive castration resistance. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop agents that can target both the full‐length and the splice variants of AR for more effective treatment of prostate cancer. In the present study, we showed that raddeanin A (RA), an oleanane‐type triterpenoid saponin, suppresses the transcriptional activities of both the full‐length and the splice variants of AR. This is attributable to their decreased expression as a result of RA induction of proteasome‐mediated degradation and inhibition of the transcription of the AR gene. We further showed the potential of using RA to enhance the growth inhibitory efficacy of docetaxel, the first‐line chemotherapy for prostate cancer. This study identifies RA as a new agent to target both the full‐length and the splice variants of AR and provides a rationale for further developing RA for prostate cancer treatment.

Mycelial pellets, as a novel biomass material, can adsorb pollutants as a biosorbent, or combine other substances and organisms to form self-immobilized biomixture (SIB) to remove pollutants from wastewater. The pellets are eco-friendly, have a good self-immobilization capacity, and are easy to filter. In addition, some mycelial fungi can remove the pollutants in water through biodegradation. This study reviewed biomixture based on mycelial pellets and the two ways, through which SIB remove pollutants in water: pure pellets and the pellets with other materials. The characteristics and functions of each part of SIB were discussed. The study also highlighted the shortcomings of the technology and provided recommendations for further development of this technology.

Versatile ZnO nanostructures have been fabricated by a two-step hydrothermal method. Controllable growth of ZnO is feasible by using different kinds of zinc sources. It is revealed by scanning electron microscopy that ZnO nanorods with average diameter 155 nm were synthesized by using Zn(CH3COO)2 as the zinc source. As for the situation when Zn(NO3)2 was used, taper-like ZnO nanostructure with large aspect ratio was formed. In particular, two-dimensional ZnO nanosheets can be fabricated when ZnCl2 was introduced and the distinctive X-ray diffraction spectrum indicates that the anisotropic growth of ZnO along its direction was hindered, which was caused by the attraction of Cl− ions onto the ZnO polar face instead of growth units. Consequently, the anisotropic growth of ZnO along this direction was hindered, while the other two samples were vertically aligned against the substrates, which can be deduced from their sharp and strong ZnO (002) diffractions. Additionally, their optical properties including the absorptions of ultraviolet light and the corresponding optical bandgaps were also measured by an ultraviolet–visible spectrometer, which changed with the structural transformations. All these properties make them feasible for applications in the fields of both solar cells and biosensors.