Avidity-Based Capture of PD-L1-Expressing Exosomes via Dendrimer-Peptide Conjugates: A Nanoengineered Platform for Enhanced Prediction of Immunotherapy Response.

A major challenge in immunotherapy is the inability to reliably predict patient responses due to the lack of robust biomarkers. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-expressing exosomes represent a promising biomarker candidate; however, existing detection platforms lack the sensitivity and specificity required for clinical translation. It is hypothesized that an avidity-based capture strategy utilizing dendrimer-mediated multivalent binding will effectively enhance molecular avidity and improve the selective capture of PD-L1-expressing exosomes.

Correction: Posttreatment pulse rate reduction and not baseline pulse rate as an indicator of blood pressure response to nebivolol: a subanalysis from the real-world BENEFIT-KOREA study.

[This corrects the article e8 in vol. 31, PMID: 40083595.].

Deciphering gut microbiome patterns from host preferences and microbial interactions in healthy Korean individuals.

Background: The gut microbiome is crucial for human health maintenance and disease development, yet limited understanding of its structure and maintenance hinders effective microbiome-based health improvement strategies. We investigated gut microbiome compositional patterns in healthy Koreans (n = 890), identifying six clusters (I-VI) with unique compositions and host preferences.

Results: Each cluster had a distinct topological structure within the microbial interaction network, underscoring its diverse roles in maintaining microbial communities.

The Role of Dendrimers in Improving Antibody and Peptide Biologics for Cancer Treatment.

Dendrimer-based platforms, including dendrimer-antibody conjugates (DACs) and dendrimer-peptide conjugates (DPCs), are emerging as promising tools in cancer therapy due to their potential to enhance tumor specificity and therapeutic efficacy. These nanoscale macromolecules leverage multivalency of their conjugated biologics to simultaneously bind to multiple target proteins that are overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells, thereby substantially enhancing their binding kinetics and in turn overall selectivity and therapeutics efficacy. Furthermore, DACs and DPCs can be further engineered through surface modifications, such as PEGylation, which improve biocompatibility and extend systemic circulation times.

Optimizing plant size for vertical farming by editing stem length regulators.

Vertical farming offers the advantage of providing a stable environment for plant cultivation, shielding them from adverse conditions such as climate change. For fruit-harvesting plants like tomato, vertical farming necessitates the optimization of plant growth and architecture. The gibberellin 3-oxidase (GA3ox) genes encode gibberellin 3-oxidases responsible for activating GA within the pathway and modulating stem length.

Dendrimer Conjugates with PD-L1-Binding Peptides Enhance In Vivo Antitumor Immune Response.

Peptides are an emerging class of biologics for cancer immunotherapy; however, their clinical translation is hindered by poor binding kinetics, bioavailability, and short plasma half-life compared to their corresponding antibodies. Nanoparticles present potential solutions but face scale-up difficulties due to complexity. Here, a translatable, modular nanoparticle scaffold is presented for peptide-based immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Combination of Aβ40, Aβ42, and Tau Plasma Levels to Distinguish Amyloid-PET Positive Alzheimer Patients from Normal Controls.

Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis is confirmed using a medley of modalities, such as the detection of amyloid-β (Aβ) neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles with positron electron tomography (PET) or the appraisal of irregularities in cognitive function with examinations. Although these methods have been efficient in confirming AD pathology, the rising demand for earlier intervention during pathogenesis has led researchers to explore the diagnostic potential of fluid biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. Since CSF sample collection is invasive and limited in quantity, biomarker detection in plasma has become more attractive and modern advancements in technology has permitted more efficient and accurate analysis of plasma biomolecules.

Posttreatment pulse rate reduction and not baseline pulse rate as an indicator of blood pressure response to nebivolol: a subanalysis from the real-world BENEFIT-KOREA study.

Background: This subanalysis of BENEFIT-KOREA cohort assessed the impact of baseline pulse rate (PR) and posttreatment PR reduction on the blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy of nebivolol in patients with hypertension.

Methods: South Korean patients with hypertension were enrolled in the BENEFIT-KOREA study; 3,011 patients received nebivolol as monotherapy/add-on therapy. Time-averaged BP, calculated by sum of the product of BPs at weeks 12 and 24 corrected for number of participants at these timepoints, was evaluated with/without adjustment for baseline BP.

Exosome-Based Theranostic for Gastrointestinal Cancer: Advances in Biomarker Discovery and Therapeutic Engineering.

Exosomes have emerged as versatile biomolecules in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer management, leveraging their inherent cargo-carrying capabilities to overcome the limitations of current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of exosome-based technologies, highlighting their dual roles as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic vehicles. On the diagnostic front, this review investigates specific exosomal biomarkers-including miRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and proteins-emphasizing their roles in tumor biology and their clinical utility, such as diagnostic accuracy, early detection potential, and prognostic significance.

Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in solid tumor responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors for personalized therapeutic strategies: a review.

Immunotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, has yielded remarkable outcomes for some patients with solid cancers, but others do not respond to these treatments. Recent research has identified the gut microbiota as a key modulator of immune responses, suggesting that its composition is closely linked to responses to ICI therapy in cancer treatment. As a result, the gut microbiome is gaining attention as a potential biomarker for predicting individual responses to ICI therapy and as a target for enhancing treatment efficacy.

More precise method of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol estimation for tobacco and electronic cigarette smokers: A cross-sectional study.

Smoking is associated with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. However, the accuracies of the Friedewald, Sampson, and Martin LDL-C-estimating equations based on smoking status are unclear. We analyzed the accuracy of LDL-C levels estimated using these three equations based on tobacco and electronic cigarette smoking status.

Normothermic liver perfusion derived extracellular vesicles have concentration-dependent immunoregulatory properties.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are major contributors to immunological responses following solid organ transplantation. Donor derived EVs are best known for their role in transplant rejection through transferring donor major histocompatibility complex proteins to recipient antigen presenting cells, a phenomenon known as ‛cross-decoration'. In contrast, donor liver-derived EVs are associated with organ tolerance in small animal models.

Dendritic nanoparticles for immune modulation: a potential next-generation nanocarrier for cancer immunotherapy.

Immune activation, whether occurring from direct immune checkpoint blockade or indirectly as a result of chemotherapy, is an approach that has drastically impacted the way we treat cancer. Utilizing patients' own immune systems for anti-tumor efficacy has been translated to robust immunotherapies; however, clinically significant successes have been achieved in only a subset of patient populations. Dendrimers and dendritic polymers have recently emerged as a potential nanocarrier platform that significantly improves the therapeutic efficacy of current and next-generation cancer immunotherapies.

Robinetin Alleviates Metabolic Failure in Liver through Suppression of p300-CD38 Axis.

Metabolic abnormalities in the liver are closely associated with diverse metabolic diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ameliorating effect of robinetin (RBN) on the significant pathogenic features of metabolic failure in the liver and to identify the underlying molecular mechanism. RBN significantly decreased triglyceride (TG) accumulation by downregulating lipogenesis-related transcription factors in AML-12 murine hepatocyte cell line.

Targeting the mA RNA methyltransferase METTL3 attenuates the development of kidney fibrosis.

Kidney fibrosis is a major mechanism underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD). N-methyladenosine (mA) RNA methylation is associated with organ fibrosis. We investigated mA profile alterations and the inhibitory effect of RNA methylation in kidney fibrosis in vitro (TGF-β-treated HK-2 cells) and in vivo (unilateral ureteral obstruction [UUO] mouse model).

Prospective Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cell Kinetics in Patients With Oligometastatic Disease Receiving Definitive Intent Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: There are currently no predictive molecular biomarkers to identify patients with oligometastatic disease (OMD) who will benefit from definitive-intent radiation therapy (RT). We prospectively characterized circulating tumor cell (CTC) kinetics in patients with OMD undergoing definitive-intent RT.

Methods: This prospective correlative biomarker study included patients with any solid malignancy ≤5 metastatic sites in ≤3 anatomic organ systems undergoing definitive-intent RT to all disease sites.

Multidimensional fragmentomic profiling of cell-free DNA released from patient-derived organoids.

Background: Fragmentomics, the investigation of fragmentation patterns of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), has emerged as a promising strategy for the early detection of multiple cancers in the field of liquid biopsy. However, the clinical application of this approach has been hindered by a limited understanding of cfDNA biology. Furthermore, the prevalence of hematopoietic cell-derived cfDNA in plasma complicates the in vivo investigation of tissue-specific cfDNA other than that of hematopoietic origin.

Healing and stent coverage with the new ultrathin sirolimus-eluting stent with abluminal biodegradable polymer.

Background: Genoss drug-eluting stent (DES) (Genoss Company Limited) is a new ultrathin sirolimus-eluting stent with an abluminal biodegradable polymer and a cobalt-chromium platform.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate vascular healing and neointimal coverage after implantation of the Genoss DES using optical coherence tomography (OCT) 6 months postimplantation.

Methods: From August 22, 2019 to June 17, 2020, this multicenter, observational, investigator-initiated study enrolled 20 patients who underwent OCT examination 6 months after Genoss DES implantation and provided informed consent.

Randomized, multicenter, parallel, open, phase 4 study to compare the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin/amlodipine polypill versus atorvastatin/amlodipine polypill in hypertension patient with dyslipidemia.

The authors performed this study to investigate the efficacy and safety of a rosuvastatin (RSV)/amlodipine (AML) polypill compared with those of atorvastatin (ATV)/AML polypill. We included 259 patients from 21 institutions in Korea. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: RSV 10 mg/AML 5 mg, RSV 20 mg/AML 5 mg, or ATV 20 mg /AML 5 mg.

Impact of Trimetazidine on the Incident Heart Failure After Coronary Artery Revascularization.

Abnormal myocardial metabolism is a common pathophysiological process underlying ischemic heart disease and heart failure (HF). Trimetazidine is an antianginal agent with a unique mechanism of action that regulates myocardial energy metabolism and might have a beneficial effect in preventing HF in patients undergoing myocardial revascularization. We aimed to evaluate the potential benefit of trimetazidine in preventing incident hospitalization for HF after myocardial revascularization.

Carprofen alleviates Alzheimer-like phenotypes of 5XFAD transgenic mice by targeting the pathological hallmarks induced by amyloid-β aggregation.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by misfolding, oligomerization, and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the brain. Aβ monomers transform into Aβ oligomers, which are toxic species, inducing tau hyperphosphorylation and the downstream effects on microglia and astrocytes, triggering synaptic and cognitive dysfunctions. The oligomers then deposit into Aβ plaques, primarily composed of β-stranded fibrils, required for definitive AD diagnosis.