Toll-Like Receptors in the Immunotherapy Era: Dual-Edged Swords of Tumor Immunity and Clinical Translation.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which are critical components of innate immunity, play a significant role in immune responses and deepen our understanding of TLRs. TLRs are a group of transmembrane proteins with similar structures distributed on the cell membrane and endosomes. They trigger downstream acute or chronic inflammatory responses by recognizing different types of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns.

Targeting Cystine Metabolism in the Lung Cancer Environment Enhances the Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition.

Immunotherapy with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) has shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of lung cancer, the overall efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is only 20%-30%. Thus, more effective combination therapies are needed. This study finds that cystine and cysteine levels in tumor tissues of lung cancer patients are significantly higher than adjacent non-tumor tissues.

Scaffolding Protein ENH Promotes Tumor Angiogenesis and Growth Through Macrophage Recruitment and Polarization.

Angiogenesis is vital for tumor growth and metastasis, with tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) being key pro-angiogenic cells recruited by tumor-secreted chemokines. High levels of TAMs contribute to tumor progression and antiangiogenic therapy resistance. Therefore, intensive study of the regulatory mechanisms of TAMs recruitment during tumor development is important for the discovery of new antitumor and antiangiogenic therapeutic strategies.

Metabolomics and integrated network pharmacology analysis revealed multi-targeted anti-cancer effect of FuZhengXiaoJi decoction against non-small cell lung cancer.

Background And Purpose: As a malignant tumor characterized by a dismal prognosis and a high mortality rate, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presents significant challenges in contemporary treatment. These challenges include drug resistance and side effects, which severely hamper the effectiveness of current therapeutic strategies. An increasing number of herbal formulas have been utilized in antitumor therapy, owing to their cost-effectiveness, beneficial efficacy, and additional advantages.

Autophagy in tumor immune escape and immunotherapy.

The immunotherapy targeting tumor immune escape mechanisms has become a critical strategy in anticancer treatment; however, the challenge of immune resistance remains significant. Autophagy, a cellular response to various stressors, involves the degradation of damaged proteins and organelles via lysosomal pathways, maintaining cellular homeostasis. This process not only supports tumor cell survival but also profoundly impacts the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.

Post-translational modifications of immune checkpoints: unlocking new potentials in cancer immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy targeting immune checkpoints has gained traction across various cancer types in clinical settings due to its notable advantages. Despite this, the overall response rates among patients remain modest, alongside issues of drug resistance and adverse effects. Hence, there is a pressing need to enhance immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies.

Activated Graphite with Richly Oxygenated Surface from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries for Microwave Absorption.

Designing spent graphite anodes from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for applications beyond regenerated batteries offers significant potential for promoting the recycling of spent LIBs. The battery-grade graphite, characterized by a highly graphitized structure, demonstrates excellent conductive loss capabilities, making it suitable for microwave absorption. During the Li-ion intercalation and deintercalation processes in battery operation, the surface layer of spent graphite (SG) becomes activated, forming oxygen-rich functional groups that enhance the polarization loss mechanism.

A cubic perovskite fluoride anode with the surface conversion reactions dominated mechanism for advanced lithium-ion batteries.

Perovskite fluorides are attractive anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their three-dimensional diffusion channels and robust structures, which are advantageous for the rapid transmission of lithium ions. Unfortunately, the wide band gap results in poor electronic conductivity, which limits their further development and application. Herein, the cubic perovskite iron fluoride (KFeF, KFF) nanocrystals (∼100 nm) are synthesized by a one-step solvothermal strategy.

Novel SERCA2 inhibitor Diphyllin displays anti-tumor effect in non-small cell lung cancer by promoting endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Abnormal calcium signaling is associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) malignant progression, poor survival and chemotherapy resistance. Targeting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca channels or pumps to block calcium uptake in the ER induces ER stress and concomitantly promotes mitochondrial calcium uptake, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and ultimately inducing cell death. Here, we identified Diphyllin was a potential specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium-importing protein sarco/endoplasmic-reticulum Ca ATPase 2 (SERCA2).

CRISPR/Cas-based CAR-T cells: production and application.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has revolutionized the treatment approach for cancer, autoimmune disease, and heart disease. The integration of CAR into T cells is typically facilitated by retroviral or lentiviral vectors. However, the random insertion of CARs can lead to issues like clonal expansion, oncogenic transformation, variegated transgene expression, and transcriptional silencing.

Integrated analysis reveals critical cisplatin-resistance regulators E2F7 contributed to tumor progression and metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Drug resistance poses a significant challenge in cancer treatment, particularly as a leading cause of therapy failure. Cisplatin, the primary drug for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) chemotherapy, shows effective treatment outcomes. However, the development of resistance against cisplatin is a major obstacle.

A novel neutrophil extracellular traps-related lncRNA signature predicts prognosis in patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) could entrap tumour cells and promote their dissemination and metastasis. Further analysis of NETs-related molecules is expected to provide a new strategy for prognosis prediction and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients.

Methods: The model construction was established through co-expression analysis, Lasso Cox regression, univariate and multivariate COX regression, Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway.

PDZ and LIM Domain-Encoding Genes: Their Role in Cancer Development.

PDZ-LIM family proteins (PDLIMs) are a kind of scaffolding proteins that contain PDZ and LIM interaction domains. As protein-protein interacting molecules, PDZ and LIM domains function as scaffolds to bind to a variety of proteins. The PDLIMs are composed of evolutionarily conserved proteins found throughout different species.

Identification of m7G-Related miRNA Signatures Associated with Prognosis, Oxidative Stress, and Immune Landscape in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

The role of N7-methylguanosine(m7G)-related miRNAs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. We used LUAD data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to establish a risk model based on the m7G-related miRNAs, and divided patients into high-risk or low-risk subgroups. A nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS) was then constructed based on the independent risk factors.

Cinchonine exerts anti-tumor and immunotherapy sensitizing effects in lung cancer by impairing autophagic-lysosomal degradation.

Currently, there are several treatments approaches available for lung cancer; however, patients who develop drug resistance or have poor survival rates urgently require new therapeutic strategies for lung cancer. In autophagy, damaged proteins or organelles are enclosed within autophagic vesicles with a bilayer membrane structure and transported to the lysosomes for degradation and recirculation. Autophagy is a crucial pathway involved in the clearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and damaged mitochondria.

The Prognostic Value and Potential Mechanism of Tumor-Nutrition-Inflammation Index and Genes in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) has the highest mortality rate all over the world. It is necessary to search for novel potential biomarkers that are easily accessible and inexpensive in identifying patients with LC at early stage.

Methods: A total of 195 patients with advanced LC who have received first-line chemotherapy were involved in this study.

Circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 and risk of lung diseases: A Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) display a vital role in in the pathogenesis of lung diseases, however, the relationship between circulating IGF-1 and lung disease remains unclear.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the serum levels of IGF-1 and the outcomes data of lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) were screened from the public genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was then performed to assess the independent impact of IGF-1 exposure on these lung diseases.

Recent advances of nanomaterial-based anti-angiogenic therapy in tumor vascular normalization and immunotherapy.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy and immunotherapy are the first-line therapeutic strategies for various tumor treatments in the clinic, bringing significant advantages for tumor patients. Recent studies have shown that anti-angiogenic therapy can potentiate immunotherapy, with many clinical trials conducted based on the combination of anti-angiogenic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, currently available clinical dosing strategies and tools are limited, emphasizing the need for more improvements.

TKI resistant-based prognostic immune related gene signature in LUAD, in which FSCN1 contributes to tumor progression.

Drug resistance reflects the evolution of tumors, which is the main cause of recurrence and death. Currently, EGFR-TKI treatment is the first-line therapy for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Although EGFR-TKI achieved good effects at the beginning, most of the LUAD patients eventually acquired resistance.

Endothelial deletion of SHP2 suppresses tumor angiogenesis and promotes vascular normalization.

SHP2 mediates the activities of multiple receptor tyrosine kinase signaling and its function in endothelial processes has been explored extensively. However, genetic studies on the role of SHP2 in tumor angiogenesis have not been conducted. Here, we show that SHP2 is activated in tumor endothelia.

Gremlin2 Activates Fibroblasts to Promote Pulmonary Fibrosis Through the Bone Morphogenic Protein Pathway.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease causing unremitting extracellular matrix deposition. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily involves bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and TGF-β, and the balance between the activation of TGF-β-dependent SMADs (Smad2/3) and BMP-dependent SMADs (Smad1/5/8) is essential for fibrosis process. , initially identified as a TGF-β-inducible gene, encodes a small secreted glycoprotein belonging to a group of matricellular proteins, its role in lung fibrosis is not clear.

Enhancing the Cycling Stability by Tuning the Chemical Bonding between Phosphorus and Carbon Nanotubes for Potassium-Ion Battery Anodes.

Phosphorus/carbon (P/C) composites as promising potassium-ion storage materials have been extensively investigated for its compound superiorities of high specific capacity and favorable electronic conductivity. However, the effects of different chemical bonding states between P and the carbon matrix for potassium-ion storage and cycling performance still need to be investigated. Herein, three P/C composites with different chemical bonding states were successfully fabricated through simply ball-milling red P with carboxylic group carbon nanotubes (CGCNTs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and reduced carboxylic group carbon nanotubes (RCGCNTs), respectively.