Advances in photosensitizer-related design for photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy(PDT)is highly effective in treating tumors located near body surface,offering strong tumor suppression and low damage to normal tissue nearby.PDT is also effective for treating a number of other conditions.PDT not only provide a precise and selective method for the treatment of various diseases by itself,it can also be used in combination with other traditional therapies.Because PDT uses light as the unique targeting mechanism,it has simpler and more direct targeting capability than traditional therapies.The core material of a PDT system is the photosensitizer which converts light energy to therapeutic factors/substances.Different photosensitizers have their distinct characteristics,leading to different advantages and disadvantages.These could be enhanced or compensated by using proper PDT system.Therefore,the selected type of photosensitizer would heavily influence the overall design of a PDT system.In this article,we evaluated major types of inorganic and organic PDT photosensitizers,and discussed future research directions in the field.

Bidirectional relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease:Prospective cohort study and genetic analyses

Background:While type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)is considered a putative causal risk factor for coronary artery disease(CAD),the intrinsic link underlying T2DM and CAD is not fully understood.We aimed to highlight the importance of integrated care targeting both diseases by investigating the phenotypic and genetic relationships between T2DM and CAD.Methods:We evaluated phenotypic associations using data from the United Kingdom Biobank(N=472,050).We investigated genetic relationships by leveraging genomic data conducted in European ancestry for T2DM,with and without adjustment for body mass index(BMI)(T2DM:N_(case)/N_(control)=74,124/824,006;T2DM adjusted for BMI[T2DM_(adj)BMI]:N_(case)/N_(control)=50,409/523,897)and for CAD(N_(case)/N_(control)=181,522/984,168).We performed additional analyses using genomic data conducted in multiancestry individuals for T2DM(N_(case)/N_(control)=180,834/1,159,055).Results:Observational analysis suggested a bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD(T2DM→CAD:hazard ratio[HR]=2.12,95%confidence interval[CI]:2.01–2.24;CAD→T2DM:HR=1.72,95%CI:1.63–1.81).A positive overall genetic correlation between T2DM and CAD was observed(r_(g)=0.39,P=1.43×10^(-75)),which was largely independent of BMI(T2DM_(adj)BMI–CAD:r_(g)=0.31,P=1.20×10^(–36)).This was corroborated by six local signals,among which 9p21.3 showed the strongest genetic correlation.Cross-trait meta-analysis replicated 101 previously reported loci and discovered six novel pleiotropic loci.Mendelian randomization analysis supported a bidirectional causal relationship(T2DM→CAD:odds ratio[OR]=1.13,95%CI:1.11-1.16;CAD→T2DM:OR=1.12,95%CI:1.07-1.18),which was confirmed in multiancestry individuals(T2DM→CAD:OR=1.13,95%CI:1.10-1.16;CAD→T2DM:OR=1.08,95%CI:1.04-1.13).This bidirectional relationship was significantly mediated by systolic blood pressure and intake of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors,with mediation proportions of 54.1%(95%CI:24.9-83.4%)and 90.4%(95%CI:29.3-151.5%),respectively.Conclusion:Our observational and genetic analyses demonstrated an intrinsic bidirectional relationship between T2DM and CAD and clarified the biological mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Precision prevention of monkeypox

Dear Editor,Recently,the World Health Organization(WHO)declared monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern(PHEIC),another one after the last PHEIC of COVID-19 announced in early 2020.1 Unlike the new SARS-CoV-2 virus that has multiple variants,monkeypox virus is a DNA virus first identified in 1958 with no evidence of significant mutation of its sequence.