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Shirisha Bellala,1,* Karthika Viswanathan,2,* Ujwala Guntakanti,3 Anitha Kowthalam,1 Sung Soo Han,4 Madhusudana Rao Kummara,4 Sreekanth Reddy Obireddy,1,5 Wing-Fu Lai5– 7 1Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, 515003, India; 2Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, 630 003, India; 3Department of Chemistry, G. Pulla Reddy Engineering College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, 518 007, India; 4School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, Republic of Korea; 5Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Zhejiang, 310014, China; 6School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK; 7Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wing-Fu Lai, Email rori0610@graduate.hku.hk; Sreekanth Reddy Obireddy, Email sreekanthchem7@gmail.comPurpose: The purpose of this study is to address the need for efficient drug delivery with high drug encapsulation efficiency and sustained drug release. We aim to create nanoparticle-loaded microgels for potential applications in treatment development.Methods: We adopted the process of ionic gelation to generate microgels from sodium alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose. These microgels were loaded with doxorubicin-conjugated amine-functionalized zinc ferrite nanoparticles (AZnFe-NPs). The systems were characterized using various techniques. Toxicity was evaluated in MCF-7 cells. In vitro release studies were conducted at different pH levels at 37 oC, with the drug release kinetics being analyzed using various models.Results: The drug encapsulation efficiency of the created carriers was as high as 70%. The nanoparticle-loaded microgels exhibited pH-responsive behavior and sustained drug release. Drug release from them was mediated via a non-Fickian type of diffusion.Conclusion: Given their high drug encapsulation efficiency, sustained drug release and pH-responsiveness, our nanoparticle-loaded microgels show promise as smart carriers for future treatment applications. Further development and research can significantly benefit the field of drug delivery and treatment development.Keywords: sodium alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, doxorubicin, zinc ferrite nanoparticles, microgels

Boddu Adilakshmi,1 Obireddy Sreekanth Reddy,2– 4 Duddekunta Hemalatha,1 Kummari SV Krishna Rao,1 Wing-Fu Lai2,3 1Polymer Biomaterial Design and Synthesis Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516005, India; 2Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Zhejiang, 310012, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, 515003, IndiaCorrespondence: Wing-Fu Lai; Kummari SV Krishna Rao, Email rori0610@graduate.hku.hk; ksvkr@yogivemanauniversity.ac.inPurpose: Site-specific drug delivery systems can contribute to the development and execution of effective cancer treatment. Due to its favorable features (including high biocompatibility, high hydrophilicity and ease of functionalization), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been widely adopted to design drug carriers. Generating carriers for delivery of hydrophobic anticancer agents, however, is still a challenge in carrier design.Methods: In the first step, PEG is functionalized with dialdehyde to generate PEG-(CHO)2 using EDC/NHS chemistry. In the second step, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are functionalized with amino groups to generate Fe3O4-NH2. In the third step, PEG-(CHO)2, Fe3O4-NH2 and doxorubicin (DOX) react in an acidic environment to yield a drug conjugate (PEGDA-MN-DOX), which is subsequently characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, SEM, TEM, DLS, TGA, and DSC.Results: The chemical functionalities of the drug conjugate are confirmed by FTIR, H-NMRand XRD analysis.The release pattern of PEGDA-MN-DOX is investigated at 25 and 37 °C at different pH values. The results indicate that the developed drug conjugate cannot only behave as a sustained-release carrier, but can also generate a significant level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a high level of toxicity against MCF-7 cells while still showing excellent biocompatibility in 3T3 cells.Conclusion: The reported conjugate shows anticancer potential, cancer-targeting ability, and ROS-generating capacity for effective drug encapsulation and sustained release in chemotherapy.Graphical Abstarct: Keywords: PEG, doxorubicin, magnetic nanoparticles, anti-cancer, biocompatibility, drug delivery

Pu Zhang1 *, Haibao Zhang2 *, Bin Zheng1 *, Heng Wang,1 Xiaolong Qi,1 Shuai Wang,1 Zhenghong Liu,1 Li Sun,1 Yang Liu,3 Xiaowen Qin,1 Weijiao Fan,1 Minghai Ma,2 Wing-Fu Lai,1 Dahong Zhang1 1Urology & Nephrology Center, Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 3Cancer Center, Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dahong Zhang; Wing-Fu Lai, No. 138 Shang Tang Road, Hangzhou, 310014, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13705711671, Email zppurology@163.com; rori0610@graduate.hku.hkIntroduction: Bladder cancer (BCa) is among the most prevalent cancers worldwide. However, the effectiveness of intravesical therapy for BCa is limited due to the short dwell time and the presence of the permeation barrier.Methods: Nanocomplexes were self-assembled between DNA and hendeca-arginine peptide (R11). Stepwise intravesical instillation of R11 and the generated nanocomplexes significantly enhanced the targeting capacity and penetration efficiency in BCa therapy. The involved mechanism of cellular uptake and penetration of the nanocomplexes was determined. The therapeutic effect of the nanocomplexes was verified preclinically in murine orthotopic BCa models.Results: Nanocomplexes exhibited the best BCa targeting efficiency at a nitrogen-to-phosphate (NP) ratio of 5 but showed a lack of stability during cellular uptake. The method of stepwise intravesical instillation not only increased the stability and target specificity of the DNA component but also caused the delivered DNA to more effectively penetrate into the glycosaminoglycan layer and plasma membrane. The method promotes the accumulation of the delivered DNA in the clathrin-independent endocytosis pathway, directs the intracellular trafficking of the delivered DNA to nonlysosome-localized regions, and enables the intercellular transport of the delivered DNA via a direct transfer mechanism. In preclinical trials, our stepwise method was shown to remarkably enhance the targeting and penetration efficiency of DNA in murine orthotopic BCa models.Conclusion: With this method, a stepwise intravesical instillation of self-assembled nanocomplexes, which are generated from hendeca-arginine peptides, was achieved; thus, this method offers an effective strategy to deliver DNA to target and penetrate BCa cells during gene therapy and warrants further development for future intravesical gene therapy in the clinical context.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: bladder cancer, intravesical therapy, DNA delivery, direct transfer

Sreekanth Reddy Obireddy,1,2 Wing-Fu Lai2 1Department of Chemistry, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, 515003, India; 2Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518172, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wing-Fu LaiCiechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518172, People’s Republic of China, Email rori0610@graduate.hku.hkPurpose: Magnetic nanoparticles have been used in diverse pharmaceutical applications because they can potentially be used to target specific sites. In the present work, a new type of nanocomposites is designed as a carrier of controlled bioactive agent delivery.Methods: Amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (amine-MNPs) are coupled with carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) to generate the nanocomposites, namely MNPs-CMC, which can be further loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) to produce MNPs-CMC-DOX. The generated nanocomposites are characterized by using various techniques (including FTIR, 1H-NMR, DSC, TGA, SEM, TEM and XRD). In vitro drug release studies are conducted in PBS with different pH values (1.2 and 6.8) at different temperatures (25°C and 37°C). The toxicity of the nanocomposites is tested in MCF-7 and 3T3 cells. The ROS-generating capacity of the nanocomposites is determined in treated cells using 2’,7’-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate.Results: The structures of MNPs, CMC, and nanocomposites are confirmed by FTIR, XRD, and 1H-NMR data reveals the formation of CMC from chitosan (CS). The size of MNPs is estimated by TEM to be around 25 nm. After conjugation with CMC, the size of the nanocomposites increases to 46– 57 nm. Based on the release profiles of MNPs-CMC-DOX, our nanocomposites are pH-responsive. In addition, our nanocomposites show reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating capacity and cell type-dependent toxicity.Conclusion: Our nanocomposites show high potential for use in bioactive agent delivery. Along with their ROS-generating capacity, they warrant further development as pH-responsive carriers for therapeutic applications.Keywords: nanocomposites, drug delivery, controlled release, biocompatibility

Intravesical therapy (IT) is widely used to tackle various urological diseases. However, its clinical efficacy is decreased by the impermeability of various barriers presented on the bladder luminal surface, including the urinary mucus layer and the densely packed tissue barrier. In this study, we report a mucoadhesive-to-penetrating nanomotors-in-hydrogel system for urothelium-oriented intravesical drug delivery. Upon intravesical instillation, its poloxamer 407 (PLX) hydrogel gelated and adhered to the urothelium to prolong its intravesical retention. The urea afterwards diffused into the hydrogel, thus generating a concentration gradient. Urease-powered membrane nanomotors (UMN) without asymmetric surface engineering could catalyze the urea and migrate down this concentration gradient to deeply and unidirectionally penetrate the urothelial barrier. Moreover, the intravesical hybrid system-delivered gemcitabine could effectively inhibit the bladder tumor growth without inducing any side effect. Therefore, our mucoadhesive-to-penetrating nanomotors-in-hydrogel system could serve as an alternative to IT to meet the clinical need for more efficacious therapeutics for urological diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Hepatic fibrosis (HF) runs through multiple stages of liver diseases and promotes these diseases progression. Oxysophoridine (OSR), derived from Sophora alopecuroides l., is a bioactive alkaloid that has been reported to antagonize alcoholic hepatic injury. However, whether OSR suppresses HF and the mechanisms involved in Nrf2 remain unknown., Purpose: Since the dysregulation of inflammation and oxidative stress is responsible for the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and fibrosis in the liver. We hypothesized that OSR may attenuate HF by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress through activating Nrf2 signaling., Methods: In this study, we employed LPS-stimulated HSC-T6 cells, RAW264.7 cells, and a CCl 4 -induced C57BL/6 mouse fibrotic model to evaluate its suppressing inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as fibrosis., Results: The result showed that OSR significantly reduced α-SMA and TGF-β 1 at a low dose of 10 μM in vitro and at a dose of 50 mg/kg in vivo, which is comparable to Silymarin, the only Chinese herbal active ingredient that has been marketed for anti-liver fibrosis. Moreover, OSR effectively suppressed the expression of iNOS at a dose of 10 μM and COX-2 at a dose of 40 μM, respectively. Furthermore, OSR demonstrated inhibitory effects on the IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in vitro and almost extinguished cytokine storm in vivo. OSR exhibited antioxidative effects by reducing MDA and increasing GSH, thereby protecting the cell membrane against oxidative damage and reducing LDH release. Moreover, OSR effectively upregulated the protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1, and p62, but decreased p-NF-κB p65, p-IκBα, and Keap1. Alternatively, mechanisms involved in Nrf2 were verified by siNrf2 interference, siNrf2 interference revealed that the anti-fibrotic effect of OSR was attributed to its activation of Nrf2., Conclusion: The present study provided an effective candidate for HF involved in both activation of Nrf2 and blockage of NF-κB, which has not been reported in the published work. The present study provides new insights for the identification of novel drug development for HF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We all authors declare we have no competing interests about their work (financial and non-financial). All the authors listed have approved the manuscript., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Drug local delivery system that directly supply anti-cancer drugs to the tumor microenvironment (TME) results in excellent tumor control and minimizes side effects associated with the anti-cancer drugs. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been the mainstay of cancer immunotherapy. However, the systemic administration of ICIs is accompanied by considerable immunotherapy-related toxicity. To explore whether an anti-PD-L1 antibody administered locally via a sustained-release gel-forming carrier retains its effective anticancer function while causing fewer colitis-like side effects, CT, a previously reported depot system, was used to locally deliver an anti-PD-L1 antibody together with curcumin to the TME in bladder cancer-bearing ulcerative colitis model mice. We showed that CT-mediated intratumoral coinjection of an anti-PD-L1 antibody and curcumin enabled sustained release of both the loaded anti-PD-L1 antibody and curcumin, which contributed to substantial anticancer effects with negligible side effects on the colons of the UC model mice. However, although the anti-PD-L1 antibody administered systemically synergized with the CT-mediated intratumoral delivery of curcumin in inhibiting tumour growth, colitis was significantly worsened by intraperitoneal administration of anti-PD-L1 antibody. These findings suggested that CT is a promising agent for the local delivery of anticancer drugs, as it can allow effective anticancer functions to be retained while sharply reducing the adverse side effects associated with the systemic administration of these drugs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: The purpose of this review is to explore new strategies to treat bladder cancer. This article addresses challenges and opportunities in intravesical therapy of bladder cancer., Recent Findings: The review examines the latest advances in the development of preclinical approaches for intravesical therapy of bladder cancer. It discusses strategies to improve drug delivery efficiency by using synthesized diverse carriers. Immunotherapy with protein aggregate magnesium-ammonium phospholinoleate-palmitoleate anhydride has been shown to be more effective than intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. Novel drug delivery systems such the urinary drug-disposing strategy and intravesical nanoparticle formulations improve the drug delivery efficiency while minimizing adverse reactions. Innovative imaging techniques using near-infrared fluorescence probes and multifunctional nano-transformers enable real-time detection and targeted therapy in bladder cancer treatment., Summary: Treatment of bladder cancer is clinically challenging. However, recent progress in drug delivery technologies shows promise. Optimizing these technologies helps improve patient outcomes, and facilitates clinical translation of different treatment modalities., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cancer is a severe disease that results in death in all countries of the world. A nano-based drug delivery approach is the best alternative, directly targeting cancer tumor cells with improved drug cellular uptake. Different types of nanoparticle-based drug carriers are advanced for the treatment of cancer, and to increase the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of cancer therapy, many substances have been looked into as drug carriers. Lipid-based nanoparticles (LBNPs) have significantly attracted interest recently. These natural biomolecules that alternate to other polymers are frequently recycled in medicine due to their amphipathic properties. Lipid nanoparticles typically provide a variety of benefits, including biocompatibility and biodegradability. This review covers different classes of LBNPs, including their characterization and different synthesis technologies. This review discusses the most significant advancements in lipid nanoparticle technology and their use in medicine administration. Moreover, the review also emphasized the applications of lipid nanoparticles that are used in different cancer treatment types., 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 © 2024 Waheed, Ali, Tabassum, Khatoon, Lai and Zhou.)

Nutritional awareness is described as having knowledge or understanding of nutrition. It is often related to the ability of an individual to make an accurate estimate of their food intake, which involves comparing their actual nutritional behavior with the recommended food consumption. Nutritional awareness of women during the various phases of pregnancy may vary significantly across countries due to cultural and lifestyle differences. There has been extensive research on nutritional awareness of pregnant women in selected countries or regions; however, relatively few studies have explored it during different stages of pregnancy. To fill this gap, this article reviews the existing literature and draws together insights into the following areas: changes in nutritional awareness during various phases of pregnancy, nutritional awareness of pregnant women and its underlying factors in various nations, and the research methods used to study nutritional awareness of pregnant women., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Comparative research can help identify the similarities of and differences in different contexts, enabling us to recognize more possibilities and strategies of enhancing our understanding of different aspects of education. To review and analyse the current status of using comparative research designs in chemistry education research, a Boolean keyword search in Scopus and Web of Science has been performed to retrieve articles published from January 2016 to February 2023. In total 7682 entries have been retrieved, but less than 0.01 % of them have applied comparative research in addressing issues of chemistry education. Twelve of the retrieved articles have met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. Though comparative research has been found to be used by over 65 % of the analysed articles to study teaching and learning in chemistry education, its application in curriculum development and student development has been demonstrated by some analysed studies. In addition, 75 % of the analysed articles have declared being funded by local and/or national funding sources. This suggests that the importance of comparative research in chemistry education has been recognized at the national level in various countries. It is hoped that the opportunities brought about by comparative research designs as revealed in this article can enhance the varieties and possibilities in chemistry education research in the forthcoming future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Facilely synthesized peroxidase-like nanozymes with high catalytic activity and stability may serve as effective biocatalysts. The present study synthesizes peroxidase-like nanozymes with multinuclear active sites using two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets and evaluates them for their practical applications. A simple method involving a one-pot bottom-up reflux reaction is developed for the mass synthesis of (Cu-S) n MOF 2D nanosheets, significantly increasing production quantity and reducing reaction time compared to traditional autoclave methods. The (Cu-S) n MOF 2D nanosheets with the unique coordination of Cu(I) stabilized in Cu-based MOFs demonstrate impressive activity in mimicking natural peroxidase. The active sites of the peroxidase-like activity of (Cu-S) n MOF 2D nanosheets were predominantly verified as Cu(I) rather than Cu(II) of other Cu-based MOFs. The cost-effective and long-term stability of (Cu-S) n MOF 2D nanosheets make them suitable for practical applications. Furthermore, the inhibition of the peroxidase-like activity of (Cu-S) n MOF nanosheets by glutathione (GSH) could provide a simple strategy for colorimetric detection of GSH against other amino acids. This work remarkably extends the utilization of (Cu-S) n MOF 2D nanosheets in biosensing, revealing the potential for 2D (Cu-S) n MOFs.

Sociocultural theory (SCT) is one of the most important theories to explain children's cognitive development; however, till now few discussions have been made on the feasibility of applying the concepts of SCT to course design and delivery in higher education. To fill this gap, this study used a food science-related broadening course, whose course design and delivery were guided by the concepts of SCT, provided by a university in China as a case study. Data were collected through 10 in-depth semi-structured interviews performed at the end of the course. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception and feelings of students who participated in the course so as to understand the learning experience of students who had been exposed to teaching practices, as well as the course design, informed by the SCT at the tertiary education level. Results of this study demonstrated the potential use of the SCT in facilitating teaching and learning in higher education through enhancing students' learning experience. Concepts of the SCT, therefore, warrant further studies as frameworks for future course development in higher education., Competing Interests: The author declares that he has no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (© 2023 The Author.)

Introduction: Spray-dried yogurt powder (SDYP) has shelf stability and other functional properties that improve solubility and facilitate the use, processing, packaging, and transportation of other food derivatives, such as bread and pastries on a large scale. The present research was conducted to develop SDYP and further its utilization to prepare functional cookies., Methods: Yogurt was spray-dried by employing different outlet air temperatures (OAT) (65°C, 70°C & 75°C) and inlet air temperature (IAT) (150°C, 155°C & 160°C). Spray drying shows that increasing the temperature increases nutritional loss, whereas S. thermophilus culture shows resistance to the intensive heat approaches. On the other hand L. delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus culture was found to be significantly affected. A total of 4 treatments, including one control for the functional cookies development., Results and Discussion: A directly proportional relation was investigated between the increasing concentration of SDYP and baking characteristics and cookie's mineral and protein profile. Bioactive parameters like antioxidant activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and total phenolic content (TPC) were also affected significantly. The sensory profile shows an incline towards T0 (0% SDYP) to T3 (10% SDYP) in all attributes but starts to decline when the concentration of SDYP reaches 15%. This study suggests that by employing a certain combination of temperatures (OAT: 60°C IAT: 150°C); maximum survival of inoculated culture can be achieved, and this powder can be utilized in the development of functional cookies with enhanced sensory as well as biochemical characteristics significantly ( P < 0.05)., 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. The reviewer AAK declared a shared affiliation with the author WK to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2023 Ali, Javaid, Tazeddinova, Khan, Mehany, Djabarovich, Siddique, Khalid, Tariq and Lai.)

Hydrogels are one type of materials that are widely exploited for bioactive agent delivery, partly owing to their high biocompatibility and low toxicity. When hydrogels are used as carriers, their performance in agent loading and sustained agent release are predominately determined by the gel structure, which can be largely affected by variations during gel preparation. Till now, effective and easy methods to enable monitoring of such variations in real time have been lacking, making quality control of the generated gel-based carrier technically challenging. To address this technical gap, in this study we take advantage of the clusteroluminogenic properties of gelatine and chitosan to generate a crosslinked blended hydrogel which not only shows intrinsic antibacterial properties and high tunability in delivery performance but also shows a self-indicating capacity to enable quality control during hydrogel preparation. Upon fitting the curves of agent release into different kinetic models, the release profiles of the agent-loaded gels have been found to follow the Higuchi model well, with the non-Fickian mechanism being the major mechanism of the release process. Along with their high efficiency in agent loading, our gels warrant further exploitation for use in bioactive agent delivery and related biomedical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Biochanin A (BCA), an isoflavone derived from various plants such as chickpea, red clover and soybean, is attracting increasing attention and is considered to have applications in the development of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and neuroprotective properties. To design optimised and targeted BCA formulations, on one hand there is a need for more in-depth studies on the biological functions of BCA. On the other hand, further studies on the chemical conformation, metabolic composition and bioavailability of BCA need to be conducted. This review highlights the various biological functions, extraction methods, metabolism, bioavailability, and application prospects of BCA. It is hoped that this review will provide a basis for understanding the mechanism, safety and toxicity of BCA and implementing the development of BCA formulations.

Smart packaging materials enable active control of parameters that potentially influence the quality of a packaged food product. One type of these that have attracted extensive interest is self-healable films and coatings, which show the elegant, autonomous crack repairing ability upon the presence of appropriate stimuli. They exhibit increased durability and effectively lengthen the usage lifespan of the package. Over the years, extensive efforts have been paid to the design and development of polymeric materials that show self-healing properties; however, till now most of the discussions focus on the design of self-healable hydrogels. Efforts devoted to delineating related advances in the context of polymeric films and coatings are scant, not to mention works reviewing the use of self-healable polymeric materials for smart food packaging. This article fills this gap by offering a review of not only the major strategies for fabrication of self-healable polymeric films and coatings but also the mechanisms of the self-healing process. It is hoped that this article cannot only provide a snapshot of the recent development of self-healable food packaging materials, but insights into the optimization and design of new polymeric films and coatings with self-healing properties can also be gained for future research., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Gels with high drug release sustainability and intrinsic antibacterial properties are of high practical potential for cutaneous drug administration, particularly for wound care and skin disease treatment. This study reports the generation and characterization of gels formed by 1,5-pentanedial-mediated crosslinking between chitosan and lysozyme for cutaneous drug delivery. Structures of the gels are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. An increase in the mass percentage of lysozyme leads to an increase in the swelling ratio and erosion susceptibility of the resulting gels. The drug delivery performance of the gels can be changed simply by manipulating the chitosan/lysozyme mass-to-mass ratio, with an increase in the mass percentage of lysozyme leading to a decline in the encapsulation efficiency and drug release sustainability of the gels. Not only do all gels tested in this study show negligible toxicity in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts, they also demonstrate intrinsic antibacterial effects against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, with the magnitude of the effect being positively related to the mass percentage of lysozyme. All these warrant the gels to be further developed as intrinsically antibacterial carriers for cutaneous drug administration., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published by National Institute for Materials Science in partnership with Taylor & Francis Group.)

Erythrocytes are physiological entities that have been exploited in both preclinical and clinical trials for the delivery of exogenous agents. Over the years, diverse erythrocyte-derived carriers (ECs) have been developed with related patents granted for industrial and commercial purposes. However, most ECs have only been exploited for drug delivery. Serious discussions regarding their applications in imaging are scarce. This article reviews the role of ECs in enhancing imaging efficiency and subsequently delineates strategies for engineering and optimising their preclinical and clinical performance. With a snapshot of the latest developments and use of ECs in imaging, directions to streamline the clinical translation of related technologies can be attained for future research., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. The effectiveness of intravesical therapy for bladder cancer, however, is limited due to the short dwell time and the presence of permeation barriers. Considering the histopathological features of BCa, the permeation barriers for drugs to transport across consist of a mucus layer and a nether tumor physiological barrier. Mucoadhesive delivery systems or mucus-penetrating delivery systems are developed to enhance their retention in or penetration across the mucus layer, but delivery systems that are capable of mucoadhesion-to-mucopenetration transition are more efficient to deliver drugs across the mucus layer. For the tumor physiological barrier, delivery systems mainly rely on four types of penetration mechanisms to cross it. This review summarizes the classical and latest approaches to intravesical drug delivery systems to penetrate BCa., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Elderly rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) population faces multiple treatment dilemma. Here we aim to investigate if Gancao Nourishing-Yin decoction (GCNY) added to methotrexate (MTX) exhibit better effects in an ERA mice model., Methods: ERA mice model was established by adding D-galactose (Dgal) to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. The model was then assigned into control group (CIA + Dgal), MTX treatment group (MTX), GCNY treatment group (GCNY), and integrative treatment group (MTX + GCNY). Pathological scoring was performed to evaluate the severity between the groups. Proteomic analysis was applied to investigate the secretory phenotype of the ERA mouse model and the underlying mechanism of GCNY, MTX and their combination. Representative cytokines related to proteomic results were further validated by ELISAs., Results: CIA + Dgal mice showed more aggressive joints damage than the CIA mice. Besides changes in the inflammatory pathway such as Pi3k-Akt signaling pathway in both model, differential expressed proteins (DEPs) indicated metabolism-related pathways were more obvious in CIA + Dgal mice. Low-dose MTX failed to show pathological improvement in CIA + Dgal mice, while GCNY improved joints damage significantly. Besides down-regulated inflammation-related targets, GCNY-regulated DEPs (such as Apoc1 ~ 3, Grk2 and Creb3l3) were broadly enriched in metabolism-related pathways. MTX + GCNY showed the best therapeutic effect, and the DEPs enriched in a variety of inflammatory,metabolism and osteoclast differentiation signaling pathway. Notably, MTX + GCNY treatment up-regulated Dhfr, Cbr1, Shmt1 involved in folic acid biosynthesis and anti-folate resistance pathways indicated a coincidence synergic action. ELISAs confirmed CPR and Akt that elevated in CIA + Dgal mice were significantly ameliorated by treatments, and adding on GCNY elevated folic acid levels and its regulator Dhfr., Conclusion: Aging aggravated joints damage in CIA, which probably due to metabolic changes rather than more severe inflammation. GCNY showed significant effects in the ERA mice model especially when integrated with MTX to obtain a synergic action., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The current review was carried out on the industrial application of fig by-products and their role against chronic disorders. Fig is basically belonging to fruit and is botanically called Ficus carica . There are different parts of fig, including the leaves, fruits, seeds and latex. The fig parts are a rich source of bioactive compounds and phytochemicals including antioxidants, phenolic compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and vitamins. These different parts of fig are used in different food industries such as the bakery, dairy and beverage industries. Fig by-products are used in extract or powder form to value the addition of different food products for the purpose of improving the nutritional value and enhancing the stability. Fig by-products are additive-based products which contain high phytochemicals fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. Due to the high bioactive compounds, these products performed a vital role against various diseases including cancer, diabetes, constipation, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Concussively, fig-based food products may be important for human beings and produce healthy food.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most frequently occurring cancer of the urinary system, with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounting for 75-85% of all the bladder cancers. Patients with NMIBC have a good survival rate but are at high risk for tumor recurrence and disease progression. Intravesical instillation of antitumor agents is the standard treatment for NMIBC following transurethral resection of bladder tumors. Chemotherapeutic drugs are broadly employed for bladder cancer treatment, but have limited efficacy due to chemo-resistance and systemic toxicity. Additionally, the periodic voiding of bladder and low permeability of the bladder urothelium impair the retention of drugs, resulting in a weak antitumoral response. Chitosan is a non-toxic and biocompatible polymer which enables better penetration of specific drugs to the deeper cell layers of the bladder as a consequence of temporarily abolishing the barrier function of urothelium, thus offering multifaceted biomedical applications in urinary bladder epithelial. Nowadays, the rapid development of nanoparticles significantly improves the tumor therapy with enhanced drug transport. This review presents an overview on the state of chitosan-based nanoparticles in the field of intravesical bladder cancer treatment.

Cancer has long been a hot research topic, and recent years have witnessed the incidence of cancer trending toward younger individuals with great socioeconomic burden. Even with surgery, therapeutic agents serve as the mainstay to combat cancer in the clinic. Intensive research on nanomaterials can overcome the shortcomings of conventional drug delivery approaches, such as the lack of selectivity for targeted regions, poor stability against degradation, and uncontrolled drug release behavior. Over the years, different types of drug carriers have been developed for cancer therapy. One of these is liposome-in-gel (LP-Gel), which has combined the merits of both liposomes and hydrogels, and has emerged as a versatile carrier for cancer therapy. LP-Gel hybrids have addressed the lack of stability of conventional liposomes against pH and ionic strength while displaying higher efficiency of delivery hydrophilic drugs as compared to conventional gels. They can be classified into three types according to their assembled structure, are characterized by their nontoxicity, biodegradability, and flexibility for clinical use, and can be mainly categorized based on their controlled release, transmucosal delivery, and transdermal delivery properties for anticancer therapy. This review covers the recent progress on the applications of LP-Gel hybrids for anticancer therapy.

The development of effective carriers enabling combination cancer therapy is of practical importance due to its potential to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. However, most of the reported carriers are monofunctional in nature. The carriers that can be applied to concomitantly mediate multiple treatment modalities are highly deficient. This study fills this gap by reporting the design and fabrication of ROS-generating carbohydrate-based pH-responsive beads with intrinsic anticancer therapy and multidrug co-delivery capacity for combination cancer therapy. Sodium alginate (SA) microspheres and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-embedded chitosan (CS) beads are developed via emulsion-templated ionic gelation for a combination therapy involving co-delivery of curcumin (CUR) and 5-fluororacil (5-FU). Drug-encapsulated microbeads are characterized by FTIR, DSC, TGA, XRD, and SEM. 5-FU and CUR-encapsulated microbeads are subjected to in vitro drug release studies at pH 6.8 and 1.2 at 37 °C. Various release kinetic parameters are evaluated. The results show that the Korsmeyer-Peppas model and non-Fickian release kinetics are best suited. The microspheres and microbeads are found to effectively act against MCF7 cells and show intrinsic anticancer capacity. These results indicate the promising performance of our beads in mediating combination drug therapy to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Aging can lead to changes in the cellular milieu of the brain. These changes may exacerbate, resulting in pathological phenomena (including impaired bioenergetics, aberrant neurotransmission, compromised resilience and neuroplasticity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the generation of free radicals) and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, alterations in the energy-sensing pathways can accelerate neuronal aging but the exact mechanism of neural aging is still elusive. In recent decades, the use of plant-derived compounds, including astragaloside IV, to treat neuronal aging and its associated diseases has been extensively investigated. This article presents the current understanding of the roles and mechanisms of astragaloside IV in combating neuronal aging. The ability of the agent to suppress oxidative stress, to attenuate inflammatory responses and to maintain mitochondrial integrity will be discussed. Important challenges to be tacked for further development of astragaloside IV-based pharmacophores will be highlighted for future research., (copyright: © 2022 Zaman et al.)

Intravesical chemotherapy is generally used in the clinic for treating bladder cancer (BCa), but its efficacy is limited due to the permeation barrier and side effects caused by the off-targeting of normal urothelial cells. In this study, BCa cell-derived membrane nanovesicles were used as drug carriers, and their homologous tumor-targeting capacity was utilized. A BCa-targeting hendeca-arginine peptide was functionalized onto the nanovesicles to impart a mucus-penetrating ability and thus overcome the permeation barrier. The tumor-targeting and mucus-penetrating nanovesicles were stable in urine, were highly permeable to the glycosaminoglycan layer, and specifically targeted BCa. The vesicles were internalized through caveolin-mediated endocytosis, were transported to nonlysosome-localized intracellular regions, and efficiently infiltrated bladder tumor spheroids. In in vivo intravesical chemotherapy, the nanovesicles achieved chemo-resection in murine orthotopic BCa models. This BCa-targeting and mucus-penetrating drug delivery system may be promising for the intravesical chemotherapy of BCa., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by cognitive inflexibility and social deficits. Probiotics have been demonstrated to play a promising role in managing the severity of ASD. However, there are no effective probiotics for clinical use. Identifying new probiotic strains for ameliorating ASD is therefore essential. Using the maternal immune activation (MIA)-based offspring ASD-like mouse model, a probiotic-based intervention strategy was examined in female mice. The gut commensal microbe Parabacteroides goldsteinii MTS01, which was previously demonstrated to exert multiple beneficial effects on chronic inflammation-related-diseases, was evaluated. Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure induced leaky gut-related inflammatory phenotypes in the colon, increased LPS activity in sera, and induced autistic-like behaviors in offspring mice. By contrast, P. goldsteinii MTS01 treatment significantly reduced intestinal and systemic inflammation and ameliorated disease development. Transcriptomic analyses of MIA offspring indicated that in the intestine, P. goldsteinii MTS01 enhanced neuropeptide-related signaling and suppressed aberrant cell proliferation and inflammatory responses. In the hippocampus, P. goldsteinii MTS01 increased ribosomal/mitochondrial and antioxidant activities and decreased glutamate receptor signaling. Together, significant ameliorative effects of P. goldsteinii MTS01 on ASD relevant behaviors in MIA offspring were identified. Therefore, P. goldsteinii MTS01 could be developed as a next-generation probiotic for ameliorating ASD.

Purpose: Site-specific drug delivery systems can contribute to the development and execution of effective cancer treatment. Due to its favorable features (including high biocompatibility, high hydrophilicity and ease of functionalization), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been widely adopted to design drug carriers. Generating carriers for delivery of hydrophobic anticancer agents, however, is still a challenge in carrier design., Methods: In the first step, PEG is functionalized with dialdehyde to generate PEG-(CHO) 2 using EDC/NHS chemistry. In the second step, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are functionalized with amino groups to generate Fe 3 O 4 -NH 2 . In the third step, PEG-(CHO) 2 , Fe 3 O 4 -NH 2 and doxorubicin (DOX) react in an acidic environment to yield a drug conjugate (PEGDA-MN-DOX), which is subsequently characterized by FT-IR, 1 H-NMR, SEM, TEM, DLS, TGA, and DSC., Results: The chemical functionalities of the drug conjugate are confirmed by FTIR, H-NMRand XRD analysis.The release pattern of PEGDA-MN-DOX is investigated at 25 and 37 °C at different pH values. The results indicate that the developed drug conjugate cannot only behave as a sustained-release carrier, but can also generate a significant level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a high level of toxicity against MCF-7 cells while still showing excellent biocompatibility in 3T3 cells., Conclusion: The reported conjugate shows anticancer potential, cancer-targeting ability, and ROS-generating capacity for effective drug encapsulation and sustained release in chemotherapy., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2022 Adilakshmi et al.)

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine aiming at nourishing yin formed a distinctive school of thought in history to achieve anti-aging and longevity. In the formula Gancao nourishing yin (GCNY) decoction, all of the ingredients show antioxidant properties. However, in real clinical practice, extractions of herbs are rarely applied alone but are prescribed as the integrated formula. To investigate whether GCNY possesses anti-oxidation potential, we applied GCNY to treat rats to acquire medicated serum, which was then added on H 2 O 2 (200 μM)-modeled human microglial cell line HMC-3 in comparison with its control serum. The results revealed that GCNY-medicated serum decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Inflammatory cytokines such as pNF-κB p65 (ser536) and IL-6 were also decreased. Nrf2 and its pathway-related molecules, such as HO1, ABCC2, GLCM, ME1, NQO1, and TKT, were activated by H 2 O 2 modeling while declined by treating with GCNY-medicated serum, which indicated attenuated oxidative stress of GCNY. Furthermore, mRNA-seq analysis showed 58 differential expressed genes (DEGs), which were enriched in pathways including antigen processing and presentation, longevity regulation, oxidative phosphorylation, and Parkinson's disease progression. DEGs that were downregulated by H 2 O 2 modeling but upregulated by GCNY treatment include CENPF, MKI67, PRR11, and TOP2A. Those targets were reported to be associated with the cell cycle and cell proliferation and belong to the category of growth factor genes. In conclusion, this study verified anti-oxidation effects of GCNY and indicated its promising application for cognitive degeneration and aging-related disorders., 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 © 2022 Chen, Wang, Lai, Chen, Pan, Tang and Liu.)

Safe and effective use of drugs relies on proper pharmaceutical analysis. Graphene has been extensively used to construct sensors for this purpose. Over the years, a large variety of pharmaceutical sensors have been developed from graphene or its derivatives. This article reviews the current status of sensor development from graphene and its derivatives, and discusses the use of graphene-based sensors in pharmaceutical analysis. It is hoped that this article offers not only a snapshot of recent advances in the fabrication and use of graphene-based sensors, but also provides insights into future engineering and optimization of the sensors for effective pharmaceutical analysis., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The new variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2, namely Omicron, has triggered global fear recently. To date, our knowledge of Omicron, particularly of how S glycoprotein mutations affect the infectivity of the virus and the severity of the infection, is far from complete. This hinders our ability to treat the disease and to predict the future state of SARS-CoV-2 threats to well-being and economic stability. Despite this, efforts have been made to unveil the routes of transmission and the efficiency of existing vaccines in tackling Omicron. This article reviews the latest understanding of Omicron and the current status of the use of vaccines and drugs for infection control. It is hoped that this article can offer insights into the development of more effective measures to tackle the pandemic., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Metabolic surgery is a promising treatment for obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the mechanism is not completely understood. Current understanding of the underlying ameliorative mechanisms relies on alterations in parameters related to the gastrointestinal hormones, biochemistry, energy absorption, the relative composition of the gut microbiota, and sera metabolites. A total of 13 patients with obesity and T2DM undergoing metabolic surgery treatments were recruited. Systematic changes of critical parameters and the effects and markers after metabolic surgery, in a longitudinal manner (before surgery and three, twelve, and twenty-four months after surgery) were measured. The metabolomics pattern, gut microbiota composition, together with the hormonal and biochemical characterizations, were analyzed. Body weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose level, C-peptide, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, gamma-glutamyltransferase, and des-acyl ghrelin were significantly reduced two years after metabolic surgery. These were closely associated with the changes of sera metabolomics and gut microbiota. Significant negative associations were found between the Eubacterium eligens group and lacosamide glucuronide, UDP-L-arabinose, lanceotoxin A, pipercyclobutanamide B, and hordatine B. Negative associations were identified between Ruminococcaceae UCG-003 and orotidine, and glucose. A positive correlation was found between Enterococcus and glutamic acid, and vindoline. Metabolic surgery showed positive effects on the amelioration of diabetes and metabolic syndromes, which were closely associated with the change of sera metabolomics, the gut microbiota, and other disease-related parameters.

A TiO 2 strip array with a thickness of 90 nm was fabricated by photolithography and physical vapor deposition. This work utilized the chemical and physical methods to fabricate the TiO 2 strip array. A porous semiconductor layer made of TiO 2 nanoparticles was coated on the TiO 2 strip array. The TiO 2 strip array has a one-dimensional protrusive structure. The energy conversion efficiency (4.38%) of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with the TiO 2 strip array exceeded that (3.20%) of a DSSC without a TiO 2 strip array by 37%. In addition, this result was verified by the electrochemical impedance spectra of the two DSSCs. Therefore, the TiO 2 strip array can be used to increase the energy conversion efficiencies of DSSCs. The large energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC with the TiO 2 strip array arises from the large surface area of the one-dimensional protrusive structure and its specific electron transport paths. The DSSC with the TiO 2 strip array has advantages of economical production cost, easy fabrication, and boosting energy conversion efficiency.

Polymeric films for active food packaging have been playing an important role in food preservation due to favorable properties including high structural flexibility and high property tunability. Over the years, different polymeric active packaging films have been developed. Many of them have found real applications in food production. This article reviews, using a practical perspective, the principles of designing polymeric active packaging films. Different factors to be considered during materials selection and film generation are delineated. Practical considerations for the use of the generated polymeric films in active food packaging are also discussed. It is hoped that this article cannot only present a snapshot of latest advances in the design and optimization of polymeric active food packaging films, but insights into film development to achieve more effective active food packaging can be attained for future research.

HAPLN1 maintains aggregation and the binding activity of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules (such as hyaluronic acid and proteoglycan) to stabilize the macromolecular structure of the ECM. An increase in HAPLN1 expression is observed in a few types of musculoskeletal diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, its functions are obscure. This study examined the role of HAPLN1 in determining the viability, proliferation, mobility, and pro-inflammatory phenotype of RA- fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs) by using small interfering RNA (siHAPLN1), over-expression vector (HAPLN1 OE ), and a recombinant HAPLN1 (rHAPLN1) protein. HAPLN1 was found to promote proliferation but inhibit RA-FLS migration. Metformin, an AMPK activator, was previously found by us to be able to inhibit FLS activation but promote HAPLN1 secretion. In this study, we confirmed the up-regulation of HAPLN1 in RA patients, and found the positive relationship between HAPLN1 expression and the AMPK level. Treatment with either si-HAPLN1 or HAPLN1 OE down-regulated the expression of AMPK-ɑ gene, although up-regulation of the level of p-AMPK-ɑ was observed in RA-FLSs. si-HAPLN1 down-regulated the expression of proinflammatory factors like TNF-ɑ, MMPs, and IL-6, while HAPLN1 OE up-regulated their levels. qPCR assay indicated that the levels of TGF-β, ACAN, fibronectin, collagen II, and Ki-67 were down-regulated upon si-HAPLN1 treatment, while HAPLN1 OE treatment led to up-regulation of ACAN and Ki-67 and down-regulation of cyclin-D1. Proteomics of si-HAPLN1, rHAPLN1, and mRNA-Seq analysis of rHAPLN1 confirmed the functions of HAPLN1 in the activation of inflammation, proliferation, cell adhesion, and strengthening of ECM functions. Our results for the first time demonstrate the function of HAPLN1 in promoting the proliferation and pro-inflammatory phenotype of RA-FLSs, thereby contributing to RA pathogenesis. Future in-depth studies are required for better understanding the role of HAPLN1 in RA., 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 © 2022 Chen, Wang, Chen, Wu, Lai, Wei, Nandakumar and Liu.)

Starch is a naturally occurring material showing high potential for use in food packaging because of its low cost, natural abundance and high biodegradability. Over the years, different starch-based packaging films have been developed, but the impact of botanical sources on film performance has rarely been exploited. Efforts devoted to exploiting the role played by the clusteroluminescence of starch in food packaging are also lacking. This study fills these gaps by comparing the properties of edible starch films generated from different botanical sources (including water chestnuts, maize and potatoes) in food packaging. Such films are produced by solution casting. They are highly homogeneous, with a thickness of 55-65 μm. Variations in the botanical sources of starch have no significant impact on the color parameters (including L*, a* and b*) and morphological features of the films but affect the water vapor permeability, maximum tensile strength and elongation at break. Starch films from water chestnut show the highest percentage of transmittance, whereas those from potatoes are the opaquest. No observable change in the intensity of clusteroluminescence occurs when a packaging bag generated from starch is used to package fresh or frozen chicken breast meat; however, a remarkable decline in the intensity of luminescence is noted when the frozen meat is thawed inside the bag. Our results reveal the impact of starch sources on the performance of starch films in food packaging and demonstrate the possibility of using the clusteroluminescence of starch as an indicator to reveal the state of packaged frozen food.

Polymer composites have found applications in diverse areas, ranging from the manufacturing of portable electronic devices to the fabrication of bioactive agent carriers. This article reports the preparation of composite films consisting of sodium alginate (SA) and lithium silver oxide (LAO) nanoparticles. The films are generated by solution casting; whereas the nanoparticles are fabricated by using the hydrothermal method. The effects of the nanoparticles on the morphological, thermal, and dielectric properties of the films are examined by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrical measurements are also performed to determine the dielectric constant (ε'), dielectric loss (ε″), AC conductivity (σ ac ), electrical moduli (M' and M″), and impedance (Z ' and Z″). The composite films are shown to be crystalline in nature, with nanoparticles having a diameter of 30-45 nm effectively disseminated in the polymer matrix. They also display good dielectric properties. Our results suggest that the films warrant further exploration for possible use in microelectronic applications., 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 © 2022 Giriyappa Thimmaiah, Mudinepalli, Thota, Obireddy and Lai.)

Quercetin is a flavonoid present in a wide variety of plant resources. Over the years, extensive efforts have been devoted to examining the potential biological effects of quercetin and to manipulating the chemical and physical properties of the flavonoid. However, limited studies have reviewed the opportunities and challenges of using quercetin in the development of functional foods. To address this necessity, in this review; we foremost present an overview of the chemical properties and stability of quercetin in food products followed by a detailed discussion of various strategies that enhance its oral bioavailability. We further highlight the areas to be practically considered during development of quercetin-based functional foods. By revisiting the current status of applied research on quercetin, it is anticipated that useful insights enabling research on quercetin can be potentially translated into practical applications in food product development.

The last decide has witnessed a growing research interest in the role of dietary phytochemicals in influencing the gut microbiota. On the other hand, recent evidence reveals that dietary phytochemicals exhibit properties of preventing and tackling symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which is a neurodegenerative disease that has also been linked with the status of the gut microbiota over the last decade. Till now, little serious discussions, however, have been made to link recent understanding of Alzheimer's disease, dietary phytochemicals and the gut microbiota together and to review the roles played by phytochemicals in gut dysbiosis induced pathologies of Alzheimer's disease. Deciphering these connections can provide insights into the development and future use of dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer drug candidates. This review aims at presenting latest evidence in the modulating role of phytochemicals in the gut microbiota and its relevance to Alzheimer's disease and summarizing the mechanisms behind the modulative activities. Limitations of current research in this field and potential directions will also be discussed for future research on dietary phytochemicals as anti-Alzheimer agents.

Background: Dextrose prolotherapy (DPT) is considered to be a type of regenerative therapy and is widely used in various musculoskeletal disorders. Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain that affects the quality of life of many people. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of DPT for plantar fasciitis., Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from their respective inception dates to June 2021. Only randomized controlled trials comparing DPT and other interventions for plantar fasciitis were included in this review. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for comparison. The outcome measurements included visual analog score, numeric rating scale, Foot Function index, Revised Foot Function index, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score, and plantar fascia thickness. Post-treatment duration was classified as short-term (1-2 months), medium-term (3 months), or long-term (6 months)., Results: Six studies with 388 adult patients diagnosed with plantar fasciitis were included for the meta-analysis. In terms of pain scores improvement, DPT was superior to placebo or exercise in the short-term (SMD: -1.163, 95%CI: -2.17 to -0.156) and the medium-term (SMD: -1.394, 95%CI: -2.702 to -0.085). DPT was inferior to corticosteroid injection in the short-term (SMD: 0.781, 95%CI: 0.41 to 1.152). For functional improvement, DPT was superior to placebo or exercise in the short-term (SMD: -1.51, 95%CI: -2.96 to -0.059), but inferior to corticosteroid injection (SMD: 0.526, 95%CI: 0.161 to 0.89) and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the short-term (SMD: 0.484, 95%CI: 0.145 to 0.822). Randomized controlled trials showed a better pain improvement in the long-term for patients treated with DPT compared to corticosteroid (P = .002) and exercise control (P < .05). No significant differences were found between patients treated with DPT and patients treated with platelet-rich plasma., Conclusion: Dextrose prolotherapy was a safe and effective treatment option for plantar fasciitis that may have long-term benefits for patients. The effects were comparable to extracorporeal shock wave therapy or platelet-rich plasma injection. Further studies with standardized protocols and long-term follow-up are needed to address potential biases., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Antioxidant active food packaging can extend the shelf life of foods by retarding the rate of oxidation reactions of food components. Although significant advances in the design and development of polymeric packaging films loaded with antioxidants have been achieved over the last several decades, few of these films have successfully been translated from the laboratory to commercial applications. This article presents a snapshot of the latest advances in the design and applications of polymeric films for antioxidant active food packaging. It is hoped that this article will offer insights into the optimisation of the performance of polymeric films for food packaging purposes and will facilitate the translation of those polymeric films from the laboratory to commercial applications in the food industry.

Nanogels have high tunability and stability while being able to sense and respond to external stimuli by showing changes in the gel volume, water content, colloidal stability, mechanical strength, and other physical/chemical properties. In this article, advances in the preparation of nanogels will be reviewed. The application potential of nanogels in drug delivery will also be highlighted. It is the objective of this article to present a snapshot of the recent knowledge of nanogel preparation and application for future research in drug delivery.

The present study reports the generation of 2-hydroxyethyl starch microparticles for co-delivery and controlled release of multiple agents. The obtained microparticles are characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. By using ofloxacin and ketoprofen as drug models, the release sustainability of the microparticles is examined at pH 1.2, 5.4, and 6.8 at 37 °C, with Fickian diffusion being found to be the major mechanism controlling the kinetics of drug release. Upon being loaded with the drug models, the microparticles show high efficiency in acting against Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus . The results suggest that our reported microparticles warrant further development for applications in which co-administration of multiple bioactive agents is required.

Food packaging can extend the shelf life of food products and enhance the safety and quality of the food. This study reports food-grade polyelectrolyte complex films generated via electrostatic interactions between two cellulose-based agents [viz., hypromellose-graft-chitosan, and carmellose sodium]. At optimal conditions, our films show good barrier properties, high transparency, and high efficiency in post-production agent loading. They also demonstrate intrinsic antibacterial effects against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. By using frozen chicken breasts as a model, the films enable real-time monitoring of the status of the frozen food due to the property of clusterisation-triggered emission. Along with their negligible toxicity, our films warrant further development as multi-functional films for effective and self-indicating food packaging., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Technical information regarding health-related advances is sometimes esoteric for the general public. News media, therefore, plays a key role in public health promotion via health information conveyance. In this study, we use China as a sample country and analyze the claims and frames in news coverage of health-related advances, with special focus on news coverage of the development and performance of newly developed or tested drugs., Methods: A keyword search was performed to retrieve news articles from four representative news agencies in China. In total, 3029 news reports were retrieved, of which 128 were selected for further analysis., Results: Four aspects of news coverage of drug development were identified: (1) the characteristics of new drugs covered, (2) the sources of information, (3) the accuracy of health information in newspapers, and (4) textual features of news coverage., Conclusions: Our findings reveal that guidelines should be established to facilitate more systematic news reporting on health-related advances. Additionally, literacy among the general public and professionalism in health information conveyance should be promoted to negate the "illusion of knowing" about health-related advances., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Graphene possesses a large specific surface area, a high Young's modulus, high fracture strength, high electrical conductivity, and excellent optical performance. It has been widely studied for biomedical use since its first appearance in the literature. This article offers an overview of the latest advances in the design of graphene-based materials for delivery of bioactive agents. To enhance the translation of these carriers into practical use, the toxicity involved is needed to be examined in future research in more detail. In addition, guidelines for standardizing experimental conditions during the evaluation of the performance of graphene-based materials are required to be established so that candidates showing higher practical potential can be more effectively identified for further development. This can streamline the optimization and use of graphene-based materials in delivery applications., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article., (© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University.)