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In confocal microscopy, the effective optical transfer function (OTFeff) with Gaussian plane wave illumination covers very few high-frequency components, which prohibits further improvement of the resolution. We propose modulated pattern scanning microscopy (MPSM) to achieve super-resolution imaging. In MPSM, the phase of the illumination beam is modulated to reassign the OTFeff in the Fourier domain. The phase mask is designed using an optimization algorithm to obtain the fluorescence emission pattern with rich high-frequency components. Then, the postprocessing algorithms are adapted to retrieve the super-resolved images from the modulated recordings. Simulation and experiment demonstrate that MPSM increases the resolution approximately 1.3 times better than confocal microscopy. Compared with conventional deconvolution, MPSM exhibits a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

The pathological features of inflammatory bowel disease necessitate therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring intestinal mucosal barrier function in addition to controlling inflammation. Paeoniflorin, a bioactive herbal constituent isolated from the root of Paeonia albiflora Pall, has been reported to protect against acute colitis in mice. However, the direct molecular target of paeoniflorin in preventing colitis remains elusive. Here, we evaluated the therapeutical effects of Paeoniflorin using IL-10

Dry-cured Spanish mackerel (DSM; Scomberomorus niphonius) is a popularity worldwide dry-cured marine fish product due to its salty and umami flavor. Umami peptides from eight commercial DSMs were identified and compared, and their molecular mechanisms were evaluated via molecular simulation. The results showed that the sequence of peptides varied in different DSMs, wherein only ten sequences were repeated across multiple samples and the remaining 19 were detected in only one sample. The sensory characteristics of eight repeated peptides were evaluated, and four were found to exhibit umami taste and umami-enhancing effects, including Arg-Asp, Asp-Gly-Val, Asp-Arg, and Asp-Lys. They all had a strong affinity for umami receptors, and several amino acid residues of the receptors were mobilized as binding sites to form hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic bonds in ligand-receptor interactions. These results indicated that DSM was rich in umami and umami-enhancing peptides, but their sequence were different in different DSMs.

In this paper, we show that gadolinium-loaded synthetic melanin nanoparticles (Gd(III)-SMNPs) exhibit up to a 40-fold enhanced photoacoustic signal intensity relative to synthetic melanin alone and higher than other metal-chelated SMNPs. This property makes these materials useful as dual labeling agents because Gd(III)-SMNPs also behave as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. As a proof-of-concept, we used these nanoparticles to label human mesenchymal stem cells. Cellular uptake was confirmed with bright-field optical and transmission electron microscopy. The Gd(III)-SMNP-labeled stem cells continued to express the stem cell surface markers CD73, CD90, and CD105 and proliferate. The labeled stem cells were subsequently injected intramyocardially in mice, and the tissue was observed by photoacoustic and MR imaging. We found that the photoacoustic signal increased as the cell number increased (R(2) = 0.96), indicating that such an approach could be employed to discriminate between stem cell populations with a limit of detection of 2.3 × 10(4) cells in in vitro tests. This multimodal photoacoustic/MRI approach combines the excellent temporal resolution of photoacoustics with the anatomic resolution of MRI.

Glutaminase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been used to synthesize the immunomodulatory γ‐D‐glutamyl‐L‐tryptophan (γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) and the kokumi‐active γ‐D‐glutamyl peptides. The optimum yield of γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp was 55.76 mM in corresponding to a minimum yield of by‐product (γ‐D‐Glu‐γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) in the presence of 75 mM D‐Gln and 100 mM L‐Trp. The glutaminase has a low Km values for the donors (D‐Gln and L‐Gln:5.53 and 0.98 mM), but high ones for the acceptors (L‐Trp, L‐Phe, L‐Met, L‐Val and γ‐[D‐Glu]( n =1,2,3)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met, ranging from 32.51 to 193.05 mM). The highest Km value appearing when n = 2 (γ‐[D‐Glu]( n =0,1,2)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met) suggested the rising difficulty for synthesis when the number of donor increases in the reaction mixtures. The γ‐[D‐Glu]( n =1,2,3)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met at 5 mM can impart the blank chicken broth an enhancing monthfulness, thickness, and umaminess taste., Glutaminase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been used to synthesize the immunomodulatory γ‐D‐glutamyl‐L‐tryptophan (γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) and the kokumi‐active γ‐D‐glutamyl peptides. The optimum yield of γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp was 55.76 mM in corresponding to a minimum yield of byproduct (γ‐D‐Glu‐γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) in the presence of 75 mM D‐Gln and 100 mM L‐Trp. The glutaminase has a low Km values for the donors (D‐Gln and L‐Gln:5.53 and 0.98 mM), but high ones for the acceptors (L‐Trp, L‐Phe, L‐Met, L‐Val and γ‐[D‐Glu](n = 1,2,3)‐L‐Val/Phe/Met, ranging from 32.51 to 193.05 mM). The highest Km value appearing when n=2 (γ‐[D‐Glu](n = 0,1,2)‐L‐Val/Phe/Met) suggested the rising difficulty for synthesis when the number of donor increases in the reaction mixtures. The γ‐[D‐Glu](n = 1,2,3)‐L‐Val/Phe/Met at 5 mM can impart the blank chicken broth an enhancing monthfulness, thickness, and umaminess taste.

The umami-enhancing effect of typical kokumi-active γ-glutamyl peptides was verified by sensory evaluation. To investigate the umami-enhancing molecular mechanism of the peptide on monosodium glutamate (MSG) taste, a novel hypothetical receptor, taste type 1 receptor 3 (T1R3)-MSG complex, was constructed. These peptides demonstrated strong interactions with T1R3-MSG. Moreover, four amino acid residues, Glu-301, Ala-302, Thr-305, and Ser-306, were critical in ligand-receptor interactions. In detail, γ-Glu-γ-Glu-Val (γ-E-γ-EV) readily interacts with T1R3 through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. While γ-E-γ-EV did not bind to MSG, γ-Glu-Val (γ-EV) and γ-Glu-Leu (γ-EL) showed high binding affinity to MSG and interacted with T1R3 through hydrophobic bonds suggesting that the interactions between dipeptides and T1R3-MSG were weaker than tripeptides. These results demonstrated that kokumi-active γ-glutamyl peptides could enhance the umami taste of MSG, and exhibit synergistic effects in activating T1R3. This study provides a theoretical reference for interactions between the novel umami-enhancing substances and umami receptor.

Glutaminase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens has been used to synthesize the immunomodulatory γ‐D‐glutamyl‐L‐tryptophan (γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) and the kokumi‐active γ‐D‐glutamyl peptides. The optimum yield of γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp was 55.76 mM in corresponding to a minimum yield of by‐product (γ‐D‐Glu‐γ‐D‐Glu‐L‐Trp) in the presence of 75 mM D‐Gln and 100 mM L‐Trp. The glutaminase has a low Km values for the donors (D‐Gln and L‐Gln:5.53 and 0.98 mM), but high ones for the acceptors (L‐Trp, L‐Phe, L‐Met, L‐Val and γ‐[D‐Glu](n=1,2,3)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met, ranging from 32.51 to 193.05 mM). The highest Km value appearing when n = 2 (γ‐[D‐Glu](n=0,1,2)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met) suggested the rising difficulty for synthesis when the number of donor increases in the reaction mixtures. The γ‐[D‐Glu](n=1,2,3)‐L‐Val/L‐Phe/L‐Met at 5 mM can impart the blank chicken broth an enhancing monthfulness, thickness, and umaminess taste.

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising platforms to enhance the therapeutic response of cancer cells toward photodynamic therapy (PDT). When coupled with UCNPs, the photosensitizers in PDT are indirectly activated by near-infrared (NIR) excitation that allows for deeper tissue penetration and reduced attenuation. To achieve maximum performance, the upconverted emission peak of the UCNPs and absorption band of the photosensitizers need to overlap significantly. However, the spectral mismatch between the upconverted emission maximum of UCNPs (predominantly in the green) and absorption maximum of most available photosensitizers (in the red) greatly limits the therapeutic efficacy of current UCNP-PDT platforms. Here we report a UCNP-PDT platform that under biobenign 808 nm NIR excitation shows a strong spectral overlap between the UCNP emission (λem) and absorption of zinc phthalocyanine photosensitizers (λabs). The spectrally matched UCNP red emission band is 40 times stronger than the green emissi...

Liquid crystals (LCs) offer the basis of stimuli-responsive materials that can amplify targeted molecular events into macroscopic outputs. However, general and versatile design principles are needed to realize the full potential of these materials. To this end, we report the synthesis of two homopolymers with mesogenic side chains that can be cleaved upon exposure to either H2 O2 (polymer P1) or UV light (polymer P2). Optical measurements reveal that the polymers dissolve in bulk LC and spontaneously assemble at nematic LC-aqueous interfaces to impose a perpendicular orientation on the LCs. Subsequent addition of H2 O2 to the aqueous phase or exposure of the LC to UV was shown to trigger a surface-driven ordering transition to a planar orientation and an accompanying macroscopic optical output. Differences in the dynamics of the response to each stimulus are consistent with sequential processing of P1 at the LC-aqueous interface (H2 O2 ) and simultaneous transformation of P2 within the LC (UV). The versatility of the approach is demonstrated by creating stimuli-responsive LCs as films or microdroplets, and by dissolving mixtures of P1 and P2 into LCs to create LC materials that respond to two stimuli. Overall, our results validate a simple and generalizable approach to the rational design of polymers that can be used to program stimuli-responsiveness into LC materials.

Summary As a key issue in recent international climate summits, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is confronted with the problem of insufficient financing. This paper intends to explore several schemes for raising the public finance of the GCF among developed countries. Lessons from three main ongoing international financing mechanisms have been drawn, including the United Nations (UN) membership dues, Official Development Assistance (ODA), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The indexes that reflect historical emission responsibility (HR) and ability to pay (AP) are also used to share the burden. Results reveal that the ongoing international financing mechanisms vary in their burden sharing results and the shares of existing donors are driven by highly complex reasons. Weighting the HR, UN, and GEF approaches with the Preference Score Compromises (PSC) method could yield a compromise scheme in which the regional contributions are highly similar to those under the GCF initial resource mobilization from 2015 to 2018. GCF financing heavily depends on contributions from the developed countries even if the donor parties are extended to emerging economics. This paper also finds that the decision of the United States to withdraw from climate finance will significantly increase the burden for other donors, particularly for the European Union the contribution share of which is predicted to increase to nearly 14 percentage points. The schemes proposed in this study can provide a useful reference for GCF financing.

Amounts of cost-effective biological observing and detecting instruments are needed in biology and medical applications. In these demands, a low-cost, portable microscope with light-weight and tele-communication, is very attractive in the resource-limit area. In this manuscript, a portable singlet phase contrast microscope based on smart-phones are proposed. In the optics hardware, an external singlet lens is designed and closely attached before the rear cameras of a smart-phone, which constructs the imaging part of a simplified microscope. And a circular oblique illumination is adopted. In the computational imaging part, the in-focus images recorded by the smart-phone are virtually enhanced and style-transferred to phase contrast images by deep learning methods. Through pairs of experimental image data, we train the deep learning network and demonstrate the effectiveness of this virtual phase contrast imaging approach using multiple samples, e.g., unstained/transparent tumor tissue pathological slide, and H&E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) stained tumor tissue pathological slide. Our results provide a powerful example of low-cost portable phase contrast microscope with high-speed tele-communication abilities in the 5G + mobile internet era.

We report the preparation and study of Mn(III)-, Fe(III)-, Co(II)-, Ni(II)-, Cu(II)-, Zn(II)-, and Ga(III)-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA-NPs) via autoxidation polymerization of metal–dopamine complexes in the presence of free dopamine. An analysis of the doping range and parameters that influence final particle morphology is presented. In addition, magnetometry provides a probe of the general electronic structure and electronic interactions for Mn(III)-, Ni(II)-, and Co(II)-loaded PDA-NPs. PDA-NPs doped with Mn(III) are found to have high spin, low anisotropy, and weak magnetic coupling and are therefore predicted to have superior relaxivity behavior compared to previously studied Fe(III)-loaded PDA-NPs. Comparison of Mn(III)- and Fe(III)-loaded PDA-NP relaxivity confirms the predictive ability of the magnetometry measurements.

A primary role of melanin in skin is the prevention of UV-induced nuclear DNA damage to human skin cells, where it serves to screen out harmful UV radiation. Melanin is delivered to keratinocytes in the skin after being excreted as melanosomes from melanocytes. Defects in melanin production in humans can cause diseases, many of which currently lack effective treatments due to their genetic origins (e.g., skin cancer, vitiligo, and albinism). The widespread prevalence of melanin-related diseases and an increasing interest in the performance of various polymeric materials related to melanin necessitates novel synthetic routes for preparing melanin-like materials. In this work, we prepared melanin-like nanoparticles (MelNPs) via spontaneous oxidation of dopamine, as biocompatible, synthetic analogues of naturally occurring melanosomes, and investigated their uptake, transport, distribution, and UV-protective capabilities in human keratinocytes. Critically, we demonstrate that MelNPs are endocytosed, undergo perinuclear aggregation, and form a supranuclear cap, or so-called microparasol in human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa), mimicking the behavior of natural melananosomes in terms of cellular distribution and the fact that they serve to protect the cells from UV damage., In human skin, melanosomes form microscale umbrellas around nuclei of keratinocytes, shielding DNA from UV damage. Herein, entirely synthetic melanin nanoparticles are accepted by human keratinocytes and are used as artificial UV shields.

In this paper, we describe a method for the stabilization of low-boiling point (low-bp) perfluorocarbons (PFCs) at physiological temperatures by an amphiphilic triblock copolymer which can emulsify PFCs and be cross-linked. After UV-induced thiol-ene cross-linking, the core of the PFC emulsion remains in liquid form even at temperatures exceeding their boiling points. Critically, the formulation permits vaporization at rarefactional pressures relevant for clinical ultrasound.

Background Phlebotomine sandfly (Diptera: Psychodidae) is best known for its role as the vector of the leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a global disease, currently known to be affecting 88 countries and 12 million people worldwide. Results This study explored the impacts of climate factors and landscape on the local abundance of Phlebotomine sandfly in mainland China. A presence-only modelling method was used to evaluate this species' habitat preferences from environmental factors. Jackknife analysis revealed that several biologically meteorological variables, including the maximum temperature of the warmest quarter, the precipitation in the driest month, the daily average temperature and daily precipitation, would significantly affect the existence of this species. Moreover, the existence of Phlebotomine sandfly was significantly associated with grassland and forest. Conclusion The results will improve scientific understanding of the risks of the spread of leishmaniasis over current infected areas and can be used to design more detailed surveillance programmes and more evidence-based control planning for Phlebotomine sandfly and leishmaniasis. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Pixel reassignment image scanning microscopy (PRISM) is a useful tool to improve the resolution of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) only equipped with a detector array. However, while it can improve the lateral resolution, it has little effect on the axial resolution. Here, new microscopy has been proposed which combines three-dimension fluorescence emission difference microscopy (3D FED) with PRISM to further improve three-dimension resolution. We call this method three-dimension pixel reassignment fluorescence emission difference microscopy (3D-PRFED). Detailed theoretical analysis and simulation are presented in this paper. Additionally, the performance of lateral and axial resolution improvement of this method has been demonstrated by imaging 100 nm fluorescent beads and nuclear pore complexes samples. Experiment results show that this method in our system can improve lateral resolution by a factor of 1.85 and axial resolution by a factor of 1.48 compared with CLSM.

Singlet lenses are free from precise assembling, aligning, and testing, which are helpful for the development of portable and low-cost microscopes. However, balancing the spectrum dispersion or chromatic aberrations using a singlet lens made of one material is difficult. Here, a novel method combining singlet lens microscopy and computational imaging, which is based on deep learning image-style-transfer algorithms, is proposed to overcome this problem in clinical pathological slide microscopy. In this manuscript, a singlet aspheric lens is used, which has a high cut-off frequency and linear signal properties. Enhanced by a trained deep learning network, it is easy to transfer the monochromatic gray-scale microscopy picture to a colorful microscopy picture, with only one single-shot recording by a monochromatic CMOS image sensor. By experiments, data analysis, and discussions, it is proved that our proposed virtual colorization microscope imaging method is effective for H&E stained tumor tissue slides in singlet microscopy. It is believable that the computational virtual colorization method for singlet microscopes would promote the low-cost and portable singlet microscopy development in medical pathological label staining observing (e.g., H&E staining, Gram staining, and fluorescent labeling) biomedical research.

Amphiphilic triblock copolymers containing Fe(III) -catecholate complexes formulated as spherical- or cylindrical-shaped micellar nanoparticles (SMN and CMN, respectively) are described as new T1-weighted agents with high relaxivity, low cytotoxicity, and long-term stability in biological fluids. Relaxivities of both SMN and CMN exceed those of established gadolinium chelates across a wide range of magnetic field strengths. Interestingly, shape-dependent behavior is observed in terms of the particles' interactions with HeLa cells, with CMN exhibiting enhanced uptake and contrast via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with SMN. These results suggest that control over soft nanoparticle shape will provide an avenue for optimization of particle-based contrast agents as biodiagnostics. The polycatechol nanoparticles are proposed as suitable for preclinical investigations into their viability as gadolinium-free, safe, and effective imaging agents for MRI contrast enhancement.

Norbornenyl cyclic elastin-like peptides were polymerized via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to generate thermally responsive brush polymers. The thermally-responsive nature of the materials could be attenuated by the addition of a proteolytic enzyme that causes the cyclic peptide side chains to be linearized.

This study reports the preparation of a series of gadolinium-polydopamine nanoparticles (GdPD-NPs) with tunable metal loadings. GdPD-NPs are analyzed by nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion and with a 7-tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. A relaxivity of 75 and 10.3 mM−1 s−1 at 1.4 and 7 T is observed, respectively. Furthermore, superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry is used to study intraparticle magnetic interactions and determine the GdPD-NPs consist of isolated metal ions even at maximum metal loadings. From these data, it is concluded that the observed high relaxivities arise from a high hydration state of the Gd(III) at the particle surface, fast rate of water exchange, and negligible antiferromagnetic coupling between Gd(III) centers throughout the particles. This study highlights design parameters and a robust synthetic approach that aid in the development of this scaffold for T1-weighted, high relaxivity MRI contrast agents.

In the past decade, numerous species of nanomaterials have been developed for biomedical application, especially cancer therapy. Realizing visualized therapy is highly promising now because of the potential of accurate, localized treatment. In this work, we first synthesized metal nanorattles (MNRs), which utilized porous gold shells to carry multiple MR imaging contrast agents, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), inside. A fragile wormpore-like silica layer was manipulated to encapsulate 8 nm oleylamine SPIONs and mediate the in situ growth of porous gold shell, and it was finally etched by alkaline solution to obtain the rattle-type nanostructure. As shown in the results, this nanostructure with unique morphology could absorb near-infrared light, convert to heat to kill cells, and inhibit tumor growth. As a carrier for multiple SPIONs, it also revealed good function for T2-weighted MR imaging in tumor site. Moreover, the rest of the inner space of the gold shell could also introduce potential ability as nanocarriers for other cargos such as chemotherapeutic drugs, which is still under investigation. This metal rattle-type nanocarrier may pave the way for novel platforms for cancer therapy in the future.

Nanoformulations show many therapeutic advantages over conventional formulations. We seek to develop traceable nanoformulations in order to closely monitor delivery. Herein, we developed a new drug delivery system (DDS) using tetraphenylethene (TPE) to fabricate a self-assembly micelle with aggregation-induced emission (AIE micelle). AIE makes the nanocarriers visible for high-quality imaging, and the switching on and off of the AIE is intrinsically controlled by the assembly and disassembly of the micelles. This DDS was tested for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery and intracellular imaging. For the DOX-loaded micelles (TPED), the DOX content reached as much as 15.3% by weight, and the anticancer efficiency was higher than for free DOX. Meanwhile, high-quality imaging was obtained to trace the intracellular delivery of the TPED.

We describe a synthetic method for increasing and controlling the iron loading of synthetic melanin nanoparticles and use the resulting materials to perform a systematic quantitative investigation on their structure–property relationship. A comprehensive analysis by magnetometry, electron paramagnetic resonance, and nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion reveals the complexities of their magnetic behavior and how these intraparticle magnetic interactions manifest in useful material properties such as their performance as MRI contrast agents. This analysis allows predictions of the optimal iron loading through a quantitative modeling of antiferromagnetic coupling that arises from proximal iron ions. This study provides a detailed understanding of this complex class of synthetic biomaterials and gives insight into interactions and structures prevalent in naturally occurring melanins.

Nanotechnology has been widely used in the development of new strategies for drug delivery and cancer therapy. Compared to traditional drug delivery systems, nano-based drug delivery system have greater potential in a variety of areas, such as multiple targeting functionalization, in vivo imaging, combined drug delivery, extended circulation time, and systemic control release. Nano-systems incorporating stimulus-responsive materials have remarkable properties which allow them to bypass biological barriers and achieve targeted intracellular drug delivery. As a result of the active metabolism of tumor cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly acidic compared to normal tissues. pH-Sensitive nano-systems have now been developed in which drug release is specifically triggered by the acidic tumor environment. Studies have demonstrated that novel pH-sensitive drug delivery systems are capable of improving the efficiency of cancer treatment. A number of these have been translated from bench to clinical application and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of various cancerous diseases. Herein, this review mainly focuses on pH-sensitive nano-systems, including advances in drug delivery, mechanisms of drug release, and possible improvements in drug absorption, with the emphasis on recent research in this field. With deeper understanding of the difference between normal and tumor tissues, it might be possible to design ever more promising pH-responsive nano-systems for drug delivery and cancer therapy in the near future.

To mimic the extracellular microenvironment of bone, a bioactive multilayered structure of gelatin/chitosan pair, containing bone morphogenetic protein 2(BMP2) and fibronectin (FN), was constructed onto Ti6Al4V surface via a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The successful fabrication of multilayered structure was confirmed by contact angle measurement, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), respectively. Bioactive BMP2 released in a sustained manner along with the degradation of multilayered structure. MSCs grown onto the multilayer coated TC4 substrates displayed significantly higher (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05) production levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), mineralization and genes expressions of runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), osterix, osteocalcin (OC), osteopontin (OPN), ALP and collagen type Ⅰ(ColⅠ) compared to the controls after culture for 7 days and 21 days, respectively. More importantly, MicroCT analysis and histological observations demonstrated that the multilayer coated Ti6Al4V implants in vivo promoted the bone density and new bone formation around them after implantation for 4 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively. The results indicated that Ti6Al4V coated with biofunctional multilayers was beneficial for osteogenesis and integration of implant/bone. The study therefore presents an alternative to fabricate bio-functionalized Ti6Al4V-based implants for potential application in orthopedics field.

The extracellular microenvironment plays a key role in the regulation of cellular behavior. To mimic the natural extracellular microenvironment, TiO(2) nanotube (TNT) arrays as drug nanoreservoirs for loading of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) were constructed on titanium substrates and then covered with multilayered coatings of gelatin/chitosan (Gel/Chi) for controlled drug release. The multilayered coatings were constructed via a spin-assisted layer-by-layer assembly technique. The successful fabrication of this system was monitored by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Multilayered coating with Gel/Chi retained the drug bioactivity and release properties, which were revealed by superoxide dismutase activity measurement. In addition, cytoskeleton observation and wound healing assay confirmed that BMP2-loaded and multilayer-coated TNT arrays were able to stimulate motogenic responses of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). More importantly, the system demonstrated that it was capable of promoting the osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs. This study may have potential impact on the development of bone implants for enhanced bone osseointegration.

To date, even though various kinds of nanomaterials have been evaluated over the years in order to develop effective cancer therapy, there is still significant challenges in the improvement of the capabilities of nano-carriers. Developing a new theranostic nanomedicine platform for imaging-guided, visualized cancer therapy is currently a promising way to enhance therapeutic efficiency and reduce side effects. Firstly, conventional imaging technologies are reviewed with their advantages and disadvantages, respectively. Then, advanced biomedical materials for multimodal imaging are illustrated in detail, including representative examples for various dual-modalities and triple-modalities. Besides conventional cancer treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy), current biomaterials are also summarized for novel cancer therapy based on hyperthermia, photothermal, photodynamic effects, and clinical imaging-guided surgery. In conclusion, biomedical materials for imaging-guided therapy are becoming one of the mainstream treatments for cancer in the future. It is hoped that this review might provide new impetus to understand nanotechnology and nanomaterials employed for imaging-guided cancer therapy.