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Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness and severe visual impairment in adults. The high levels of glucose trigger multiple intracellular oxidative stress pathways, such as POLDIP2, resulting in excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), causing microvascular dysfunction. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural flavonoid small molecule antioxidant. However, it exhibits poor solubility in physiological environments, has a short half-life in vivo, and has low oral bioavailability. In this study, we present, for the first time, the synthesis of ultra-small Fe-DMY nano-coordinated polymer particles (Fe-DMY NCPs), formed by combining DMY with low-toxicity iron ions. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm that Fe-DMY NCPs alleviate oxidative stress-induced damage to vascular endothelial cells by high glucose, scavenge excess ROS, and improve pathological features of DR, such as retinal vascular leakage and neovascularization. Mechanistic validation indicates that Fe-DMY NCPs can inhibit the activation of the Poldip2-Nox4-H2O2 signaling pathway and downregulate vital vascular function indicators such as VCAM-1, HIF-1α, and VEGF. These findings suggest that Fe-DMY NCPs could serve as a safe and effective antioxidant and microangio-protective agent, with the potential as a novel multimeric drug for DR therapy.

Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, and it is associated with poor prognosis. Its characteristics of being highly invasive and undergoing heterogeneous genetic mutation, as well as the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), have reduced the efficacy of GBM treatment. The emergence of a novel therapeutic method, namely, sonodynamic therapy (SDT), provides a promising strategy for eradicating tumors via activated sonosensitizers coupled with low-intensity ultrasound. SDT can provide tumor killing effects for deep-seated tumors, such as brain tumors. However, conventional sonosensitizers cannot effectively reach the tumor region and kill additional tumor cells, especially brain tumor cells. Efforts should be made to develop a method to help therapeutic agents pass through the BBB and accumulate in brain tumors. With the development of novel multifunctional nanosensitizers and newly emerging combination strategies, the killing ability and selectivity of SDT have greatly improved and are accompanied with fewer side effects. In this review, we systematically summarize the findings of previous studies on SDT for GBM, with a focus on recent developments and promising directions for future research.

INTRODUCTION: No study has investigated the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy compared with bismuth quadruple therapy (B-quadruple). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 10-day vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy as a first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection compared with B-quadruple and to explore the optimal dosage of amoxicillin in the dual therapy. METHODS: A total of 375 treatment-naive, H. pylori-infected subjects were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio into 3 regimen groups including VHA-dual (vonoprazan 20 mg twice/day 1 amoxicillin 750 mg 4 times/day), VA-dual (vonoprazan 20 mg 1 amoxicillin 1,000 mg twice/day), and B-quadruple (esomeprazole 20 mg 1 bismuth 200 mg 1 amoxicillin 1,000 mg 1 clarithromycin 500 mg twice/day). Eradication rates, adverse events (AEs), and compliance were compared between 3 groups. RESULTS: The eradication rates of B-quadruple, VHA-dual, and VA-dual were 90.9%, 93.4%, and 85.1%, respectively, by per-protocol analysis; 89.4%, 92.7%, and 84.4%, respectively, by modified intentionto-treat analysis; 88.0%, 91.2%, and 82.4%, respectively, by intention-to-treat analysis. The efficacy of the VHA-dual group was not inferior to the B-quadruple group (P < 0.001), but VA-dual did not reach a noninferiority margin of 210%. The AEs rates of the B-quadruple group were significantly higher than those of the VHA-dual (P 5 0.012) and VA-dual (P 5 0.001) groups. There was no significant difference in medication compliance among 3 treatment groups (P 5 0.995). CONCLUSIONS: The 10-day VHA-dual therapy provided satisfactory eradication rates of >90%, lower AEs rates, and similar adherence compared with B-quadruple therapy as a first-line therapy for H. pylori infection. However, the efficacy of VA-dual therapy was not acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple large-scale hydrothermal synthesis of flexible nanocables with silver as cores and cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as shells is demonstrated. The in situ reduction of silver ions in the presence of PVA is possibly due to the catalysis of silver ions on the cross-linking of PVA chains under hydrothermal conditions.

All-inorganic cesium lead-halide perovskite nanocrystals have emerged as attractive optoelectronic nanomaterials owing to their stabilities and highly efficient photoluminescence. Herein we report a new type of highly luminescent perovskite-related CsPb2Br5 nanoplatelets synthesized by a facile precipitation reaction. The layered crystal structure of CsPb2Br5 promoted an anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) crystal growth during the precipitation process, thus enabling the large-scale synthesis of CsPb2Br5 nanoplatelets. Fast anion exchange has also been demonstrated in as-synthesized CsPb2Br5 nanoplatelets to extend their photoluminescence spectra to the entire visible spectral region. The large-scale synthesis and optical tunability of CsPb2Br5 nanoplatelets will be advantageous in future applications of optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniform silica/ultrasmall silver composite microspheres have been prepared from [Ag(NH3)2]+ in the presence of silica microspheres via a hydrothermal process. The reaction temperature plays a critical role in the formation of the as-prepared SiO2/ultrasmall Ag composite microspheres. The as-prepared product was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, JEOL-6700F) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEOL 3010). The silica/ultrasmall silver composite microspheres are 200 nm in diameter and the silica microspheres decorated with ultrasmall Ag nanoparticles have an average diameter of 4 nm. As expected, the as-prepared silica/ultrasmall silver composite microspheres exhibit superior bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities and excellent photodecomposition towards Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodispersed single crystalline α-GaOOH spindles have been prepared via a simple wet-chemical route at 60 °C, in which GaCl 3was used as the gallium source and ammonia as the alkali. The α-GaOOH spindles obtained at pH values of 10.0 and 11.0 have a hierarchical layered nanostructure and are comprised of many nanoplatelets. The investigation of the products formed at early growth stages indicates that the spindles are formed by a self-assembly process via oriented attachment. During this process, the pH value and the ammonia molecule have great influence on the morphology of the final products. Smooth prism-like α-GaOOH crystals were obtained at a lower pH value of 8.0 when ammonia was used or when ammonia was replaced by ethylenediamine at pH values of 8.0 and 10.0. The single-phase α-Ga 2O 3and β-Ga 2O 3spindles can be obtained by thermal treatment of the α-GaOOH spindles at 600 and 900 °C, respectively. The morphological characteristics of the pristine α-GaOOH spindles are well maintained in the oxide products in terms of good dispersion, size uniformity and layered nanostructure. The β-Ga 2O 3spindle product exhibits a strong blue luminescence emission under the excitation wavelength of 250 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we proposed a simple, large-scale hydrothermal synthesis of flexible nanocables with silver as cores and cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as shells in which silver ions catalyzed the cross-linking of PVA chains under hydrothermal conditions and a so-called synergistic soft−hard template mechanism (SSHM) was proposed (Luo et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 2822−2823). In this paper, we extend this approach to examine whether high valent metal ions such as Te4+ also can be reduced under a similar reaction but using sodium tellurite and PVA as precursors. The results demonstrated that different tellurium/cross-linked PVA core−shell nanostructures such as a core−shell structure with nanorod bundles penetrated through a ball, branched cables, and separated cables can be synthesized. The influence of the concentration of PVA, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the formation of different nanostructures has been investigated. In addition, the detailed reaction and shape evolution process of core−shell structures have also been studied. The results suggested that the cross-linking of PVA also can occur in the presence of high valent metal ions besides noble metal ions, underlining that it is possible to access various core−shell structures with different inorganic components as cores by this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexagonal-phase core−shell-structured NaYF 4:Yb,Tm@β-NaYF 4:Yb,Er and β-NaYF 4:Yb,Tm@β-NaYF 4:Yb,Er@β-NaYF 4:Yb,Tm nanocrystals were synthesized by a seeded growth approach. β-NaYF 4:Yb,Tm nanocrystals with 20 nm diameter were used as seed crystals to induce the growth of β-NaYF 4:Yb,Er and then β-NaYF 4:Yb,Tm crystals, resulting in the formation of core−shell-structured nanocrystals with upconverting lanthanide ions Tm and Er doped in the core and shell, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin KMnF3 nanowires with several nanometers in diameter have been synthesized successfully by a high temperature organic solution method for the first time. The morphologies and size of the as-prepared products were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), respectively. Ultrathin KMnF3 nanowires and nanoparticles can be selectively synthesized by adjusting the amount of oleylamine. Moreover, the magnetic properties have been investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Magnetic hysteresis loops revealed that the as-prepared KMnF3 nanowires exhibit stronger paramagnetic performance than that of as-prepared nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]