A self-monitoring microneedle patch for light-controlled synergistic treatment of melanoma

Melanoma is the most aggressive and malignant form of skin cancer.Current melanoma treatment methods generally suffer from frequent drug administration as well as difficulty in direct monitoring of drug release.Here,a self-monitoring microneedle(MN)-based drug delivery system,which integrates a dissolving MN patch with aggregation-induced emission(AIE)-active PATC microparticles,is designed to achieve light-controlled pulsatile chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy of melanoma.The PATC polymeric particles,termed D/I@PATC,encapsulate both of chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin(DOX)and the photothermal agent indocyanine green(ICG).Upon light illumination,PATC gradually dissociates into smaller particles,causing the release of encapsulated DOX and subsequent fluorescence intensity change of PATC particles,thereby not only enabling direct observation of the drug release process under light stimuli,but also facilitating verification of drug release by fluorescence recovery after light trigger.Moreover,encapsulation of ICG in PATC particles displays significant improvement of its photothermal stability both in vitro and in vivo.In a tumor-bearing mouse,the application of one D/I@PATC MN patch combining with two cycles of light irradiation showed excellent controllable chemo-photothermal efficacy and exhibited~97%melanoma inhibition rate without inducing any evident systemic toxicity,suggesting a great potential for skin cancer treatment in clinics.

Rapid detection of cordycepin in food by surface-enhanced Raman technique

In this paper,a method for rapid detection of cordycepin in food was established based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic analysis method.The surface-enhanced Raman substrates were screened and the Raman detection conditions and sample pretreatment methods were optimized.The optimal substrate was gold nanocolloid,and the optimal detection conditions were as follows:the addition amount of gold nanocolloid was 200μL of gold nanocolloid and the sample addition amount was 5μL.Under the optimal conditions,the detection limit of cordycepin was 1 mg/L,and the sample pretreatment was performed by methanol extraction.Based on the established surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)method,cordycepin in two Cordyceps militaris was detected,which confirmed the practical application of this method.

Overexpression of amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1) gene promotes lung adenocarcinoma aggressiveness in vitro and in vivo by upregulating C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4

Background:We previously found that overexpression of the gene known as amplified in breast cancer 1(AIB1)was associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.However,the role of AIB1 in that malignancy remains unknown.The present study aimed to investigate the function of AIB1 in the process of lung adenocarcinoma cell metastasis.Methods:A series of in vivo and in vitro assays were performed to elucidate the function of AIB1,while real-time PCR and Western blotting were utilized to identify the potential downstream targets of AIB1 in the process of lung adenocarcinoma metastasis.Rescue experiments and in vitro assays were performed to investigate whether the invasive-ness of AIB1-induced lung adenocarcinoma was mediated by C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4(CXCR4).Results:The ectopic overexpression of AIB1 in lung adenocarcinoma cells substantially enhanced cell migration and invasive abilities in vitro and tumor metastasis in vivo,whereas the depletion of AIB1 expression substantially inhibited lung adenocarcinoma cell migration and invasion.CXCR4 was identified as a potential downstream target of AIB1 in lung adenocarcinoma.The knockdown of AIB1 greatly reduced CXCR4 gene expression at both the transcription and protein levels,whereas the knockdown of CXCR4 in cells with AIB1 ectopic overexpression diminished AIB1-induced migration and invasion in vitro and tumor metastasis in vivo.Furthermore,we found a significant positive association between the expression of AIB1 and CXCR4 in lung adenocarcinoma patients(183 cases),and the co-overexpression of AIB1 and CXCR4 predicted the poorest prognosis.Conclusions:These findings suggest that AIB1 promotes the aggressiveness of lung adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo by upregulating CXCR4 and that it might be usable as a novel prognostic marker and/or therapeutic target for this disease.

Long-term Outcomes after Second-Generation Cryoballoon Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation and Analysis of Risk Factors Related to Recurrence

Objective:This study is aimed to analyze the long-term safety and effectiveness of second-generation cryoballoon(CB2)ablation in the treatment of atrial fibrillation(AF).Methods:Data from 760 consecutive patients in the Department of Cardiology,General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from August 2016 to December 2018 with drug-refractory symptomatic AF undergoing pulmonary vein isolation(PVI)using CB2 were assessed.Procedure-related safety and freedom from AF and atrial flutter/atria tachycardia through 3 years were determined.The risk factors related to atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence were analyzed.Results:Acute PVI was achieved in 100%of the 760 patients.Radiofrequency application for additional focal ablation was needed in 11(1.4%)patients and for 14 pulmonary veins(0.5%,14/(760×4))to achieve PVI.A total of 748 patients,including 539 with paroxysmal AF(PAF)and 209 with persistent AF(SAF)completed the follow-up,and only 12(1.6%)patients were lost.The mean follow-up duration was(19±8)months.The rate of major complications was 0.9%,including 0.8%of right phrenic nerve injury,which resolved before discharge.Freedom from all tachyarrhythmias was achieved in 75.0%,69.4%,and 63.2%of patients with PAF,respectively,at 12-,24-,and 36-month follow-up,and in 75.1%,67.4%,and 60.9%for SAF,with no significant differences between the PAF and SAF groups.AF course and the rate of body weight gain were independent risk factors for recurrence at 12 months after ablation(P=0.001 and P=0.009,respectively).Conclusion:PVI using CB2 has a high acute success rate and good safety in the treatment of PAF and SAF.Long course of AF and weight gain after ablation were independent risk factors for recurrence.