Nanoparticle drug delivery system for the treatment of brain tumors:Breaching the blood–brain barrier

To the Editor:Malignant brain tumors represent a substantial morbidity and mortality burden globally,with 308,102 new cases and 251,329 cancer-related deaths in 20201.Brain tumors encompass primary tumors originating in the brain and brain metastases(BM)that have been spread from cancer lesions of other organs.Besides,BM are the most prevalent intracranial malignant tumor affecting approximately 20%e40%of cancer patients2.

Rare tumors: a blue ocean of investigation

Advances in novel drugs,therapies,and genetic techniques have revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of cancers,substantially improving cancer patients’prognosis.Although rare tumors account for a non-negligible number,the practice of precision medicine and development of novel therapies are largely hampered by many obstacles.Their low incidence and drastic regional disparities result in the difficulty of informative evidence-based diagnosis and subtyping.Sample exhaustion due to difficulty in diagnosis also leads to a lack of recommended therapeutic strategies in clinical guidelines,insufficient biomarkers for prognosis/efficacy,and inability to identify potential novel therapies in clinical trials.Herein,by reviewing the epidemiological data of Chinese solid tumors and publications defining rare tumors in other areas,we proposed a definition of rare tumor in China,including 515 tumor types with incidences of less than 2.5/100000 per year.We also summarized the current diagnosis process,treatment recommendations,and global developmental progress of targeted drugs and immunotherapy agents on the status quo.Lastly,we pinpointed the current recommendation chance for patients with rare tumors to be involved in a clinical trial by NCCN.With this informative report,we aimed to raise awareness on the importance of rare tumor investigations and guarantee a bright future for rare tumor patients.

Amelioration of imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice by DSW therapy inspired hydrogel

Psoriasis is a long-lasting and recurrent autoimmune disease which is incurable so far.Dead Sea water(DSW)therapy is an effective approach to help control the symptoms of psoriasis due to the abundant mineral ions in DSW,which inspired the material formulation in this study.Rubidium–Sodium alginate/Polyacrylamide hydrogels(Rb-SA/PAAm gels)composed of sodium alginate and polyacrylamide interpenetrating network structure with different concentrations of rubidium and certain magnesium and zinc content were prepared for the treatment of psoriasis.The obtained results suggest the good mechanical properties of the Rb-SA/PAAm gels including toughness and swelling performance.In terms of in vitro tests,the Rb-SA/PAAm gels not only show nontoxicity to human keratinocyte cell line(Hacats)but also inhibits the activity against inflammatory NF-κβ signaling pathway.Meanwhile,they can release Rb+which enable the Rb-SA/PAAm gels have better antibacterial ability to Streptococcus and Escherichia coli.The results obtained from in vivo tests indicate that these hydrogels could alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis caused by Imiquimod(IMQ)in mice by reducing the inflammatory factor in STAT3 pathway and therefore reduce the immune stimulation of the spleen.In conclusion,the 100Rb-SA/PAAm gel has demonstrated great potential to be a topical wettable dressing for psoriasis treatment.