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Weiming Xue,1 Yanyan Liu,1 Na Zhang,1 Youdong Yao,2 Pei Ma,1 Huiyun Wen,1 Saipeng Huang,1 Yane Luo,3 Haiming Fan4 1School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069, China; 2Pediatrics, Egang Hospital, Ezhou, Hubei 436000, China; 3College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069, China; 4Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069, China Introduction: In vivo distribution of polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated functional nanoparticles is vital for determining their imaging function and therapeutic efficacy in nanomedicine. However, contradictory results have been reported regarding the effect of core size and PEG surface of the nanoparticles on biodistribution.Methods: To clarify this ambiguous understanding, using iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as a model system, we investigated the effect of core size and PEG molecule weights on in vivo distribution in mice. Three PEGylated IONPs, including 14 nm IONP@PEG2,000, 14 nm IONP@PEG5,000, and 22 nm IONP@PEG5,000, were prepared with a hydrodynamic size of 26, 34, and 81 nm, respectively. The blood pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution were investigated in detail.Results: The results indicated that the PEG layer, rather than core size, played a dominant role in determining the half-life time of IONPs. Specifically, increased molecular weight of the PEG layer led to a longer half-life time. These PEGylated IONPs were mainly excreted by liver clearance. While the PEG molecular layer constituted the key factor to determine the clearance ratio, core size affected the clearance rate.Conclusion: Complete blood count analysis and histopathology suggested excellent biocompatibility of PEGylated IONPs for future clinical trials. Keywords: IONPs, pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, metabolism, histocompatibility

This editorial from the Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory & Research introduces the articles in the current issue and acknowledges the contributions of previous and current editorial team members. The issue contains three research articles that address important topics in counseling. The first article explores the factors influencing the career decisions of mental health professionals in Texas, aiming to address the shortage of mental health professionals in the state. The second article focuses on interpersonal games in supervisory relationships and provides insights for clinical supervisors. The third article examines the experiences and interactions of young adults dealing with non-suicidal self-injury, aiming to develop effective strategies to eliminate these behaviors. The editorial also expresses appreciation for the former executive editor, the former editorial assistant, and the editorial board members for their contributions to the journal. [Extracted from the article]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract that significantly impacts the health of patients and lacks promising methods of diagnosis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are involved in CRC progression, and their function is regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The lncRNA NBR2 was recently reported as an oncogene, whose function in CRC remains uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function of lncRNA NBR2 in the progression of CRC and its underlying molecular mechanisms. Ten pairs of clinical CRC and para-carcinoma tissues were collected to determine the expression levels of lncRNA NBR2 and miR-19a, and the polarization state of TAMs. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression of miR-19a, and western blotting was used to determine the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, human leukocyte antigen-DR, arginase-1, CD163, CD206, interleukin-4, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), p-AMPK, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), protein kinase B (AKT), p-AKT, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p-mTOR in TAMs. The proliferative ability of HCT-116 cells was detected using the CCK8 assay, and the migratory ability of HCT-116 cells was evaluated using the Transwell assay. The interaction between lncRNA NBR2 and miR-19a was determined using the luciferase assay. The lncRNA NBR2 was downregulated and miR-19a was highly expressed in CRC cells, accompanied by a high M2 polarization. Downregulated miR-19a promoted M1 polarization, activated AMPK, suppressed HIF-1α and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, and promoted antitumor properties in NBR2-overexpressed TAMs, which were all reversed by the introduction of the miR-19a mimic. LncRNA NBR2 was verified to target miR-19a in macrophages according to the results of the luciferase assay. Collectively, lncRNA NBR2 may suppress the progression of CRC by downregulating miR-19a to regulate M2 macrophage polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid developments of data restores and big data technologies in recent years, it aims at applying new technologies in the new stage of smart hospital development and improving scientific and proper management level of hospitals. Based on the constructions of hospital data centers and applications of Internet of things with big data technologies, hospitals can achieve intelligent operations and managements in daily work. With the aids of constructions of the data centers and mass data brought by smart hospital service models, smart management decision-making supports are effectively provided for hospital managers. Through continuous progresses of smart hospital constructions, the operations and managements of hospitals are increasingly dependent based on the supports of the data from the data center in hospital, which form the key in the smart operation and management of hospital in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]