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The temperature-dependent external quantum efficiency (EQE) droops of 265 nm, 275 nm, 280 nm, and 285 nm AlGaN-based ultraviolet-c light-emitting diodes (UVC-LEDs) differed in Al contents have been comprehensively investigated. The modified ABC model (R=An+Bn2+Cn3) with the current-leakage related term, f(n)=Dn4, has been employed to analyze the recombination mechanisms in these UVC-LED samples. Experimental results reveal that, at relatively low electrical-current levels, the contribution of Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination exceeds those of the Auger recombination and carrier leakage. At relatively high electrical-current levels, the Auger recombination and carrier leakage jointly dominate the EQE droop phenomenon. Moreover, the inactivation efficiencies of 222 nm excimer lamp, 254 nm portable mercury lamp, 265 nm, 280 nm, and 285 nm UVC-LED arrays in the inactivation of E. coli have been experimentally investigated, which could provide a technical reference for fighting against the new COVID-19.

Background: The hypoxia of the tumor microenvironment (TME), low transfer efficiency of photosensitizers and limited diffusion distance of reactive oxygen species restrict the application of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Aim: To produce TME-responsive and effective nanoparticles for sensitizing PDT. Materials & methods: CD44 and mitochondria grade-targeted hyaluronic acid (HA)-triphenylphosphine (TPP)-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-catalase (CAT) nanoparticles (HTACNPs) were synthesized via a modified double-emulsion method. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to investigate the antitumor efficacy of HTACNP-mediated PDT. Results: HTACNPs specifically targeted MV3 cells and the mitochondria and produced O2 to relieve TME hypoxia. HTACNP-mediated PDT produced reactive oxygen species to induce irreversible cell apoptosis. HTACNP-PDT inhibited melanoma growth effectively in vivo. Conclusion: HTACNP-mediated PDT improved TME hypoxia and effectively enhanced PDT for cancer.

Water scarcity is a major limiting factor for crop production in North China Plain (NCP), which produces the majority of the country's winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The objective of this three-year field study was to see if and when irrigation one-time in spring improves grain yield and water use efficiency. Four sets of irrigation were established at the 3-leaf visible stage (L3) and the L4, L5, and L6 stages. The spike number, 1,000-grain weight, and water consumption increased progressively when irrigation time was delayed, whereas grain yield, grain number, dry matter, harvest, and WUE grew, then dropped, and peaked at L4. The increased grain number can be attributed to the L4's higher daily water consumption and water consumption percentage than the L3, L5, and L6 at the jointing-anthesis stages. L4 had a shorter cumulative period of soil drought stress (37 days), whereas L3, L5, and L6 had 40, 42, and 43 days, respectively. Furthermore, flag leaf senescence was postponed in L4 with a better post-anthesis leaf area index, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, stronger superoxide dismutase activity, and reduced malondialdehyde concentration. As a result, single irrigation at the 4-leaf visible stage optimized water deficit and consumption before and after anthesis, resulting in higher yield and WUE in the NCP.

Water deficit and rehydration frequently occur during wheat cultivation. Previous investigations focused on the water deficit and many drought-responsive genes have been identified in winter wheat. However, the hormone-related metabolic responses and de-peroxidative activities associated with rehydration are largely unknown. In this study, leaves of two winter wheat cultivars, “Hengguan35” (HG, drought-tolerant cultivar) and “Shinong086” (SN, drought-sensitive cultivar), were used to investigate water deficit and the post-rehydration process. Rehydration significantly promoted wheat growth and postponed spike development. Quantifications of antioxidant enzymes, osmotic stress-related substances, and phytohormones revealed that rehydration alleviated the peroxidation and osmotic stress caused by water deficit in both cultivars. The wheat cultivar HG showed a better rehydration-compensation phenotype than SN. Phytohormones, including abscisic acid, gibberellin (GA), jasmonic acid (JA), and salicylic acid (SA), were detected using high-performance liquid chromatography and shown to be responsible for the rehydration process. A transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes related to rehydration were enriched in hormone metabolism- and de-peroxidative stress-related pathways. Suppression of genes associated with abscisic acid signaling transduction were much stronger in HG than in SN upon rehydration treatment. HG also kept a more balanced expression of genes involved in reactive oxygen species pathway than SN. In conclusion, we clarified the hormonal changes and transcriptional profiles of drought-resistant and -sensitive winter wheat cultivars in response to drought and rehydration, and we provided insights into the molecular processes involved in rehydration compensation.

Introduction. The relationship between ventricular pre-excitation and left ventricular dysfunction has been described in the absence of sustained supraventricular tachycardia in a series of case reports. However, there have been no systematic studies about the effect of ventricular pre-excitation on cardiac function in adult patients with different accessory pathway locations. Methods and Results. Patients were divided into four groups based on the type and location of their accessory pathway: septal, right free wall, left free wall, and concealed. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, electrocardiogram recordings, electrophysiological properties, and transthoracic echocardiographic data (septal-to-posterior wall motion delay (SPWMD) and interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD) indicating intraventricular and interventricular dyssynchrony) were compared before and after successful ablation. Before radiofrequency catheter ablation, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly lower in patients with septal and right free wall accessory pathways. Within three months after radiofrequency catheter ablation, NT-proBNP levels decreased, left ventricular function improved, and intraventricular left ventricular dyssynchrony disappeared. There was a negative correlation between initial LVEF with initial QRS duration and initial SPWMD. Notably, SPWMD had a stronger correlation with LVEF than initial QRS duration. Conclusions. Anterograde conduction with a septal or right free wall accessory pathway may cause left ventricular dyssynchrony and impair left ventricular function. Intraventricular left ventricular dyssynchrony seems to be responsible for the pathogenesis of left ventricular dysfunction. Radiofrequency catheter ablation results in decreased NT-proBNP levels, normalized QRS duration, mechanical resynchronization, and improved left ventricular function.

Xinxin Li,1,2,* Chunsheng Yang,3,4,* Yingkai Tao,1,2 Xiaoyang Hou,1,2 Yanqun Liu,1,2 Hong Sang,3 Guan Jiang1,2 1Department of Clinical Medicine, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221002, People’s Republic of China; 3Jinling Hospital Department of Dermatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210002, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Huai’an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, The Second People’s Hospital of Huai’an, Huai’an, 223002, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong SangJinling Hospital Department of Dermatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210002, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail sanghong@nju.edu.cnGuan JiangDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, 221004, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail dr.guanjiang@xzhmu.edu.cnPurpose: A near-infrared (NIR)-triggered trans-activating transcriptional activator (TAT)-based targeted drug delivery system for the combined chemo/photothermal therapy of melanoma, namely, TAT-TSL-TMZ (temozolomide)/IR820, was developed for the first time.Methods: TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes were synthesized via thin-film dispersion and sonication. IR820 and TMZ were encased in the inner layer and lipid bilayer of the liposomes, respectively.Results: Dynamic light scattering results showed that the liposomes had an average hydrodynamic size of 166.9 nm and a zeta potential of − 2.55 mV. The encapsulation rates of TMZ and IR820 were 35.4% and 28.6%, respectively. The heating curve obtained under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation showed that TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes had good photothermal conversion efficiency. The in vitro drug release curve revealed that NIR laser irradiation could accelerate drug release from TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes. The results of inverted fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry proved that the uptake of TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes by human melanoma cells (MV3 cells) was concentration-dependent and that the liposomes modified with membrane peptides were more likely to be ingested by cells than unmodified liposomes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy indicated that TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes entered MV3 cells via endocytosis and was stored in lysosomes. In addition, TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes exposed to NIR laser showed 89.73% reduction in cell viability.Conclusion: This study investigated the photothermal conversion, cell uptake, colocation and chemo/photothermal effect of TAT-TSL-TMZ/IR820 liposomes.Keywords: melanoma, liposome, TAT, photothermal therapy, temozolomide, IR820

Nanoparticle-based phototherapies, such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), exhibit strong efficacy, minimal invasion and negligible side effects in tumor treatment. These phototherapies have received considerable attention and been extensively studied in recent years. In addition to directly killing tumor cells through heat and reactive oxygen species, PTT and PDT can also induce various antitumor effects. In particular, the resultant massive tumor cell death after PTT and PDT triggers immune responses, including the redistribution and activation of immune effector cells, the expression and secretion of cytokines and the transformation of memory T lymphocytes. The antitumor effects can be enhanced by immune checkpoint blockage therapy. This article reviewed the recent advances of nanoparticle-based PTT and PDT, summarized the studies on nanoparticle-based photothermal and photodynamic immunotherapies in vitro and in vivo, and discussed challenges and future research directions.

In this paper, we obtain the exact norm of the following integral operator $$P^{\alpha }_{t}$$ $$\begin{aligned} P^{\alpha }_{t}f(z)=\int _{\mathbb {B}_{n}}\frac{f(w)}{(1- \langle z,w \rangle )^{n+t+\alpha }}dv_{t}(w),\ \alpha>0,\ t>-1, \end{aligned}$$ from $$L^{\infty }(\mathbb {B}_{n})$$ onto Bloch-type spaces $$\mathcal {B}_\alpha $$ over the unit ball $$\mathbb {B}_{n}$$ , which can be regarded as an another extension of the classical Bergman projection.

Chemotherapy is an important treatment for malignant tumors; however, its efficacy and clinical application are limited by its side effects and drug resistance properties. Chemotherapy and phototherapy exhibit synergistic anti-tumor effects. In the present study, a carboxylated poly(amido-amine) (PAMAM) with low cytotoxicity was synthesized as a delivery nanocarrier for loading chemotherapeutic drugs, temozolomide (TMZ), and fluorescent dye indocyanine green (ICG). Hyaluronic acid (HA), which targets the CD44-overexpressing cancer cells, was modified on the nanocarrier surface to enhance the selective killing of melanoma cells. Temperature effect and singlet oxygen production experiments showed that the ICG-loaded nanoparticles exhibited good capability to generate heat and singlet oxygen under near-infrared (NIR) light (808 nm) irradiation. In vivo imaging measurement confirmed that the ICG-encapsulated nanoparticle was delivered successfully and effectively accumulated in the tumor site. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that the joint application of TMZ- and ICG-loaded nanoparticle can kill melanoma cells and suppress growth after NIR light irradiation. Thus, HA-modified carboxylated PAMAM loaded with TMZ and ICG serves as a promising nanoplatform for melanoma treatment.

Tumor treatment is still complicated in the field of medicine. Tumor immunotherapy has been the most interesting research field in cancer therapy. Application of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has recently achieved excellent clinical outcome in patients, especially those with CD19-positive hematologic malignancies. This phenomenon has induced intense interest to develop CAR-T cell therapy for cancer, especially for solid tumors. However, the performance of CAR-T cell treatment in solid tumor is not as satisfactory as that in hematologic disease. Clinical studies on some neoplasms, such as glioblastoma, ovarian cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma, have achieved desirable outcome. This review describes the history and evolution of CAR-T, generalizes the structure and preparation of CAR-T, and summarizes the latest advances on CAR-T cell therapy in different tumor types. The last section presents the current challenges and prospects of CAR-T application to provide guidance for subsequent research.

Melanoma is a most aggressive skin cancer with limited therapeutic options and its incidence is increasing rapidly in recent years. The discovery and application of new targeted therapy agents have shown significant benefits. However, adverse side-effects and resistance to chemotherapy remain formidable challenges in the clinical treatment of malignant melanoma. Nanotherapeutics offers an important prospect of overcoming these drawbacks. The anti-tumoral applications of nanomedicine are varied, including those in chemotherapy, RNA interference, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, nanomedicine allows delivery of the effector structures into the tumor site via passive or active targeting, thereby allowing increased therapeutic specificity and reduced side effects. In this review, we summarize the latest developments in the application of nanocarrier-mediated targeted drug delivery to melanoma and nanomedicine-related clinical trials in melanoma treatment. We also discuss existing problems and opportunities for future developments, providing direction and new thoughts for further studies.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a fatal disease with a poor prognosis and the molecular pathways underlying the pathogenesis of IPAH are not fully understood. In the present study, the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA expression profiles of lymphocytes obtained from 12 IPAH patients and 12 healthy controls were analyzed using Arraystar Human lncRNA Microarray v2.0, and their roles in the pathogenesis of IPAH were characterized using comprehensive bioinformatic tools. A total of 2,511 lncRNAs (2,004 upregulated and 507 downregulated) and 1,169 mRNAs (609 upregulated and 560 downregulated) were aberrantly expressed in IPAH patients with a fold-change of >2.0. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the coexpressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were involved in the process of translation, while pathway analysis indicated that the coexpressed RNAs were enriched during the process of oxidative phosphorylation and in the ribosome. It was concluded that dysregulated lncRNAs are potentially associated with IPAH, and aberrant lncRNA expression in blood cells may serve as a diagnostic marker of IPAH.

A novel core-shell type thermo-nanoparticle (CSTNP) co-loaded with temozolomide (TMZ) and the fluorescein new indocyanine green dye IR820 (termed IT-CSTNPs) was designed and combined with a near-infrared (NIR) laser to realize its photothermal conversion. The IT-CSTNPs were prepared using a two-step synthesis method and comprised a thermosensitive shell and a biodegradable core. IR820 and TMZ were entrapped in the shell and the core, respectively. Dynamic light scattering results demonstrated that the average hydrodynamic size of the IT-CSTNPs was 196.4±3.1 nm with a ζ potential of −24.9±1.3 mV. The encapsulation efficiencies of TMZ and IR820 were 6.1 and 16.6%, respectively. Temperature increase curves under NIR laser irradiation indicated that the IT-CSTNPs exhibited the desired photothermal conversion efficiency. The in vitro drug release curves revealed a suitable release capability of IT-CSTNP under physiological conditions, whereas NIR laser irradiation accelerated the drug release. Inverted fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry results revealed that the uptake of IT-CSTNPs by A375 melanoma cells occurred in a concentration-dependent manner. Confocal laser scanning microscopy results indicated that IT-CSTNPs entered tumour cells via endocytosis and were located in intercellular lysosomes. In summary, the present study explored the photothermal conversion capability, cellular uptake, and intracellular localization of IT-CSTNPs.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, particularly ultraviolet A (UVA), stimulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the epidermis and dermis, which plays a major part in the photoageing of human skin. Several studies have demonstrated that cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NP) can exhibit an antioxidant effect and free radical scavenging activity. However, the protective role of CeO2 NP in skin photoageing and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of CeO2 NP on UVA-irradiated human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) and explored the potential signalling pathway. CeO2 NP had no apparent cytotoxicity, and could reduce the production of proinflammatory cytokines, intracellular ROS, senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity, and downregulate phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) after exposure to UVA radiation. Based on our findings, CeO2 NPs have great potential against UVA radiation-induced photoageing in HSFs via regulating the JNK signal-transduction pathway to inhibit oxidative stress and DNA damage.

Despite significant improvements in diagnostic methods and innovations in therapies for specific cancers, effective treatments for neoplastic diseases still represent major challenges. Nanotechnology as an emerging technology has been widely used in many fields and also provides a new opportunity for the targeted delivery of cancer drugs. Nanoscale delivery of chemotherapy drugs to the tumor site is highly desirable. Recent studies have shown that nanoscale drug delivery systems not only have the ability to destroy cancer cells but may also be carriers for chemotherapy drugs. Some studies have demonstrated that delivery of chemotherapy via nanoscale carriers has greater therapeutic benefit than either treatment modality alone. In this review, novel approaches to nanoscale delivery of chemotherapy are described and recent progress in this field is discussed.

In this paper, we study the singular integral operator induced by the reproducing kernel of the Drury–Arveson space $$\begin{aligned} Kf(z) =\int _{\mathbb {B}_n} k(z, w) f(w) dv(w), \end{aligned}$$ where \(k(z, w)=\frac{1}{1-\langle z,w\rangle }, z,w\in \mathbb {B}_n,\) which can be viewed as a higher dimensional continuation of Cheng et al. (Three measure theoretic properties for the Hardy kernel, preprint, 2015, The hyper-singular cousin of the Bergman projection, preprint, 2015), in which the authors consider the singular integral operators with the kernels as \(k(z,w)=\frac{1}{(1-z\bar{w})^{\alpha }}, z,w\in \mathbb {D}\) and \(\alpha >0.\) By using more higher dimensional techniques, we establish various and satisfactory boundedness results about Lebesgue spaces and Drury–Arveson space.

Delicate design of hierarchical and porous nanoarchitectures has become a highly effective strategy to develop novel bimetallic catalyst with improved stability and catalytic performance. Herein, a core-shell hierarchical 4A zeolite/Fe@Cu Fenton-like catalyst with 4A zeolite/Fe as core components and two-dimensional Cu hydroxide nanosheets assemblies as shell structure was fabricated through a simple and scalable approach and used for phenol degradation. The results indicated that 4A zeolite/Fe@Cu bimetallic catalyst had higher catalytic activity and utilization efficiency of H2O2 than that of 4A zeolite/Fe and 4A zeolite@Cu monometallic catalysts at near neutral pH. In the presence of H2O2, the 4A zeolite/Fe@Cu bimetallic catalyst could remove 95.3 % phenol after 4 h at pH 5, which was much higher than that of monometallic catalyst under the same condition. The enhanced activity of 4A zeolite/Fe@Cu was ascribed to the synergistic effect between the 4A zeolite/Fe (core) and two-dimensional Cu hydroxide nanosheets (shell). More importantly, the copper hydroxide nanosheets with open network structure on the surface of 4A zeolite/Fe@Cu improved the stability of the Fe(III) at acidic conditions, and avoided reduced catalytic efficiency of Fe(III) caused by embedding effect. This strategy provided guidance to the design of high-performance bimetallic Fenton-like catalysts.

Vascular disease can manifest as stenotic plaques or ectatic aneurysms. Human abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) comprise an inflammatory disease characterized by the predominance of T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokine expression. Leptin has been clearly demonstrated to play an important role in regulating Th0 cell to Th1. So, we hypothesize that leptin has a protective effect on aneurysm formation. In this study, we demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of leptin attenuated Ang II-induced AAA formation in ApoE−/− mice with no effect on serum lipids and systolic blood pressure. To investigate the mechanisms involved, we found that leptin pretreatment exhibited decreased protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 and increased transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). We also examined potential mechanism of leptin as a modulator of the immune response. Our results proved that pretreatment with leptin downregulated protein expression of Th2 cytokine IL-4 and mRNA levels of GATA-3, the key transcription factor for Th2 polarization, and upregulated Th1 cytokine INF-γ and T-bet, the key transcription factor for Th1 polarization. Taken together, leptin, with the effect of regulation of Th1/Th2 cytokines, may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of AAA. Leptin may constitute a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent AAA formation.

Theranostics based on nanoparticles have developed rapidly in the past decade and have been widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer, breast cancer, and other tumors. However, for skin cancers, there are limited studies. In the present study, we successfully synthesized a theranostic nanoparticle by grating IR820 onto the surface of chitosan-coated magnetic iron oxide, IR820-CS-Fe3O4, showing an excellent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capability and cytotoxic effects against melanoma under irradiation with a near-infrared (NIR) laser (808 nm) in vitro. Furthermore, good stability for up to 8 days and negligible cytotoxicity were observed. These characteristics are important for biomedical applications of nanoparticles. In conclusion, we provide a novel and potential theranostic platform for melanoma treatment and detection.

The present study was carried out to prepare and evaluate a temozolomide (TMZ)-loaded polyamide-amine dendrimer (PAMAM)‑based nanodrug delivery system, and to explore its ability to target human melanoma (A375) cells in vitro. Firstly, PAMAM-PEG and PAMAM-PEG-GE11 were synthesized by substitution and addition reactions, and their products were identified and characterized by fourier transform-infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as differential light scattering (DLS). Using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-modified PAMAM, we synthesized FITC-PAMAM, FITC-PAMAM-PEG and FITC-PAMAM-PEG-GE11. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry were used to monitor the uptake of A375 cells of these three nanomaterials. Secondly, TMZ-PAMAM‑PEG‑GE11-HA drug complexes were prepared by ultrasonic emulsification, and their particle size, zeta potential and morphology were evaluated by DLS and TEM. Drug loading (DL) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were assayed by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Thirdly, we ascertained whether TMZ-PAMAM-PEG-GE11-HA conjugates could target A375 cells in vitro. The TMZ-PAMAM‑PEG‑GE11-HA nanodrug delivery system was successfully synthesized according to FTIR and 1H-NMR. Its mean particle size was 183.2 nm and zeta potential was -0.01 mV. It was a regular sphere with good uniformity. The EE of TMZ-PAMAM-PEG-GE11-HA was ~50.63% and DL ~10.4%. TMZ-PAMAM-PEG-GE11-HA targeted A375 cells in vitro. In conclusion, the TMZ-PAMAM‑PEG-GE11-HA nanodrug delivery system was successfully prepared, and demonstrated its potential for targeting A375 cells in vitro. This system enhanced the sensitivity of A375 cells to TMZ, and provided a novel targeted strategy for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Near-infrared (NIR) dyes functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been widely applied in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), NIR fluorescence imaging, drug delivery, and magnetic hyperthermia. However, the stability of MNPs and NIR dyes in water is a key problem to be solved for long-term application. In this study, a kind of superstable iron oxide nanoparticles was synthesized by a facile way, which can be used as T1 and T2 weighted MRI contrast agent. IR820 was grafted onto the surface of nanoparticles by 6-amino hexanoic acid to form IR820-CSQ-Fe conjugates. Attached IR820 showed increased stability in water at least for three months and an enhanced ability of singlet oxygen production of almost double that of free dyes, which will improve its efficiency for photodynamic therapy. Meanwhile, the multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) and NIR imaging ability of IR820-CSQ-Fe will greatly increase the accuracy of disease detection. All of these features will broaden the application of this material as a multimodal theranostic platform.

OBJECTIVE Oxidative stress induced by free fatty acids contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases in patients with metabolic syndrome. Reducing oxidative stress may attenuate these pathogenic processes. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been reported to reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The thioredoxin (Trx) system is a major antioxidant system. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms involved in the AMPK-mediated regulation of Trx expression and the reduction of intracellular ROS levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We observed that activation of AMPK by 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) significantly reduced ROS levels induced by palmitic acid in human aortic endothelial cells. Activation of AMPK increased expression of the antioxidant Trx, which mediated the ROS reduction. RT-PCR showed that AMPK regulated Trx at the transcriptional level. RESULTS Forkhead transcription factor 3 (FOXO3) was identified as the target transcription factor involved in the upregulation of Trx expression. FOXO3 bound to the Trx promoter, recruited the histone acetylase p300 to the Trx promoter, and formed a transcription activator complex, which was enhanced by AICAR treatment. AMPK activated FOXO3 by promoting its nuclear translocation. We further showed that AICAR injection increased the expression of Trx and decreased ROS production in the aortic wall of ApoE−/− mice fed a high-fat diet. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that activation of the AMPK-FOXO3 pathway reduces ROS levels by inducing Trx expression. Thus, the AMPK-FOXO3-Trx axis may be an important defense mechanism against excessive ROS production induced by metabolic stress and could be a therapeutic target in treating cardiovascular diseases in metabolic syndrome.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. However, the inherent limitations of traditional surgery and insensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy result in failing treatment and poor prognosis. In recent years, the development and advances of nanotechnology has brought new hope for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. This article reviews the development of nanoparticles used for cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment due to their large specific surface area and unique optical, electronic and magnetic properties. Moreover, studies have shown that after intended surface modification, nano-carriers can achieve active targeting effect, which improves the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs and decreases their side effects. In this review, we provide an overview of these studies results, patents about novel nanomaterials and conclude with a discussion about future development.

Delftia tsuruhatensis MTQ3 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) isolated from tobacco rhizosphere. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of D. tsuruhatensis MTQ3. Several functional genes related to antimicrobial activity and environment adaption have been found in the genome. This is the first genome sequence of D. tsuruhatensis related to PGPR.

Brevibacillus brevis DZQ7 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) isolated from tobacco rhizosphere. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of B. brevis DZQ7. Several functional genes related to antimicrobial activity were identified in the genome.

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) possess many advantages such as facile synthesis, controllable size and shape, good biocompatibility, and unique optical properties. Au NPs have been widely used in biomedical fields, such as hyperthermia, biocatalysis, imaging, and drug delivery. The broad application range may result in hazards to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is important to predict safety and evaluate therapeutic efficiency of Au NPs. It is necessary to establish proper approaches for the study of toxicity and biomedical effects. In this review, we first focus on the recent progress in biological effects of Au NPs at the molecular and cellular levels, and then introduce key techniques to study the interaction between Au NPs and proteins. Knowledge of the biomedical effects of Au NPs is significant for the rational design of functional nanomaterials and will help predict their safety and potential applications.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of interferon (IFN) combined with dacarbazine (DTIC) (experimental group) versus DTIC alone (control group) in cutaneous malignant melanoma. After searching all available databases, eligible articles were identified and subjected to quality assessment. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3; combined relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for survival rates, response rates, and adverse events. Eight randomized controlled trials published between 1990 and 2014 involving 795 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with DTIC alone, IFN combined with DTIC significantly increased the overall response rate (RR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.21–2.08, P = 0.0008),the complete response rate (RR = 3.30, 95% CI 1.89–5.76, P