A photodynamic nanohybrid system reverses hypoxia and augment anti-primary and metastatic tumor efficacy of immunotherapy.

Photodynamic immunotherapy is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the dysfunctional tumor vasculature results in tumor hypoxia and the low efficiency of drug delivery, which in turn restricts the anticancer effect of photodynamic immunotherapy. In this study, we designed photosensitive lipid nanoparticles.

Probiotic-mediated tumor microenvironment reprogramming with protease-sensitive interleukin-15 and photothermal therapy.

T cell inadequacy or exhaustion often causes the failure of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based immunotherapy. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) has been used to prime the tumor microenvironment (TME) to boost the efficiency of immunotherapy. However, its clinical application is hindered by systemic toxicity and low intratumoral concentrations.

Ginseng peptide extract alleviates nicotine-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in human aortic endothelial cells by preserving the balance of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

The oxidative damage to vascular endothelial cells induced by smoking represents a significant pathogenic factor in the development of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we isolated ginseng oligopeptide extract (GOE), which emerges as a promising candidate for protecting human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) from nicotine-induced oxidative stress. The underlying mechanisms were also explored.

Evaluating the Role of Multimodal Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Amyloidosis and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the evolving cardiac characteristics of patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by integrating multimodal imaging techniques, including conventional echocardiography, strain echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, comprising 38 patients with CA, 20 patients with HCM, and 16 healthy individuals in the control group. Statistical analyses were conducted to assess conventional and strain echocardiography parameters across these groups.

Efficient Generation of Megakaryocyte Progenitors and Platelets From HSPCs via JAK2/STAT3 Signaling.

The supply of platelets for clinical transfusion is often insufficient to meet growing demand. Platelet regeneration from stem cells offers a potential solution to reduce reliance on donor-based transfusions. However, the current differentiation efficiency is suboptimal.

Cancer stem cells and tumor-associated macrophages: Interactions and therapeutic opportunities.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) depend on the tumor microenvironment (TME) to sustain their stem-like properties by recruiting monocytes and reprogramming them into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which in turn promote tumor progression. This review explores CSC-TAM interactions, emphasizing how CSCs drive monocyte recruitment and TAM polarization. We discuss how TAMs enhance CSC stemness and niche maintenance through chemokines, cytokines, exosome-mediated miRNA transfer, direct interactions, and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling.

GOAT: a novel global-local optimized graph transformer framework for predicting student performance in collaborative learning.

Collaborative learning is a prevalent learning method, and modeling and predicting student performance in such paradigms is an important task. Most current methods analyze this complex task solely based on the frequency of student activities, overlooking the rich spatial and temporal features present in these activities, as well as the diverse textual content provided by various learning artifacts. To address these challenges, we choose a software engineering course as the study subject, where students are required to team up and complete a software project together.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients with lower limb fractures post-surgery regarding deep vein thrombosis.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a significant postoperative complication in patients with lower limb fractures, potentially leading to life-threatening outcomes such as pulmonary embolism. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of this high-risk population regarding DVT prevention. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Nanchang Hongdu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between March 2023 and May 2024.

Natural Polyphenol-Mediated Inhibition of Ferroptosis Alleviates Oxidative Damage and Inflammation in Acute Liver Injury.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose has long been recognized as the main cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), characterized by glutathione (GSH) depletion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, leading to ferroptosis and inflammatory responses. There is an urgent need for liver-protective agents to combat ferroptosis, modulate oxidative stress, and ameliorate inflammation. Catechin, a well-known polyphenol compound, has been shown to have antioxidant potential.

Turnover intentions among rural-oriented medical students in Western China: a constructivist grounded theory study.

Objective: The rural-oriented tuition-waived medical education program in China, started in 2010, provides free medical education to students committed to serving in rural areas to address medical staff shortages. Despite its success in training and deploying graduates, retaining them post-obligation remains challenging. This study explores the mechanisms behind the turnover intentions of rural-oriented medical students in Western China, offering insights for their retention.

Measurement of the operational efficiency of tertiary public hospitals in Western China: evidence from Guangxi from 2019 to 2022.

Objective: The continuous increase in health care costs and the growing demand for health services among residents make it an urgent priority to improve the operational efficiency of the health system in Chinese society. In this study, data on the operational efficiency of tertiary public hospitals in Guangxi were analyzed to identify issues in hospital management within the context of performance assessment, which thereby enhanced the social service capacity of hospitals.

Methods: A comprehensive evaluation index system was constructed based on the "national monitoring indicators" of operational efficiency.

Sirolimus- vs Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon for the Treatment of Coronary In-Stent Restenosis: The SIBLINT-ISR Randomized Trial.

Background: The use of drug-coated balloons is a well-established strategy for the management of coronary vessels. However, head-to-head comparisons of sirolimus-coated balloons (SCBs) and paclitaxel-coated balloons (PCBs) for treating in-stent restenosis (ISR) are currently limited.

Objectives: The aim of this randomized, controlled trial (SIBLINT-ISR [Sirolimus-Coated Balloon Versus Paclitaxel-Coated Balloon for the Treatment of Coronary In-Stent Restenosis]) was to compare a novel SCB with a PCB for the treatment of ISR.

Urolithin A attenuates Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by enhancing PINK1-regulated mitophagy via Ambra1.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a widely used antineoplastics although its clinical usage is greatly limited by its cardiotoxicity. Several studies have depicted an essential role for dampened mitophagy and mitochondrial injury in Dox cardiotoxicity. However, preventative measure to alleviate Dox-evoked cardiotoxicity via targeting mitophagy and mitochondrial integrity remains elusive.

Unidirectional and sustainable release of NGF and BDNF from a chitosan gel-mediated multilayer ordered composite membrane in promoting both spinal cord and sciatic nerve injury repair.

To develop a scaffold suitable for simultaneous repair of both spinal cord injury (SCI) and sciatic nerve injury (SNI), we designed a multilayer composite membrane capable of unidirectional and sustained release of two factors: nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The membrane's morphology, mechanical properties, cytocompatibility, drug release kinetics, swelling, and degradation behavior were thoroughly characterized. Additionally, its ability to promote the differentiation of PC-12 cells was assessed.

Charge Engineering of Star-Shaped Organic Photosensitizers Enables Efficient Type-I Radicals for Photodynamic Therapy of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infection.

Infection induced by multidrug-resistant bacteria is now the second most common cause of accidental death worldwide. However, identifying a high-performance strategy with good efficiency and low toxicity is still urgently needed. Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered a non-invasive and efficient approach with minimal drug resistance.

IRF1 transcriptionally up-regulates CXCL10 which increases CD8 T cells infiltration in colorectal cancer.

Tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cell is a robust predictor of outcome and immunotherapy response in patients with CRC. However, limited introduction of intratumoral CD8 T cells remains a barrier for treatment of CRC. One of the most effective but difficult therapy for CD8 T cells entering the tumor is activating chemokine receptors.

Preventing postsurgical colorectal cancer relapse: A hemostatic hydrogel loaded with METTL3 inhibitor for CAR-NK cell therapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) recurrence post-surgery remains a major challenge. While Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-engineered natural killer (NK) cells hold immense therapeutic potential, their intratumoral infiltration ability remains limited, hampering efficacy. Building upon prior research suggesting that chemokines like C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) recruit CAR-NK cells, we hypothesized that tumor cell m6A methylation, regulated by Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), influences chemokine secretion.

NLRX1 attenuates endoplasmic reticulum stress via STING in cardiac hypertrophy.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced cell apoptosis is a pivotal mechanism underlying the progression of cardiac hypertrophy. NLRX1, a member of the NOD-like receptor family, modulates various cellular processes, including STING, NF-κB, MAPK pathways, reactive oxygen species production, essential metabolic pathways, autophagy and cell death. Emerging evidence suggests that NLRX1 may offer protection against diverse cardiac diseases.

Induced Ferroptosis Pathway by Regulating Cellular Lipid Peroxidation With Peroxynitrite Generator for Reversing "Cold" Tumors.

Overcoming the resistance of tumor cells to apoptosis and immunosuppression is an important challenge to improve tumor immunotherapy. Non-apoptotic death mode of ferroptosis has been regarded as a new strategy to enhance tumor immunotherapy against drug-resistant cancers. The lethal accumulation of lipid peroxides (LPO) determines the progress of ferroptosis.

A Single-Cell Metabolic Profiling Characterizes Human Aging via SlipChip-SERS.

Metabolic dysregulation is a key driver of cellular senescence, contributing to the progression of systemic aging. The heterogeneity of senescent cells and their metabolic shifts are complex and unexplored. A microfluidic SlipChip integrated with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), termed SlipChip-SERS, is developed for single-cell metabolism analysis.