Xiaoyan Zhong

Immunotherapy has shed light on clinical oncology for several decades. However, it still suffers from heterogeneous therapeutic outcomes and potential immune‐related adverse events (irAEs). Inspired by a natural phenomenon that microalgae can absorb and accumulate selenium (Se), a well‐known healthcare element, we engineered a Se‐enriched cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp (Se‐ Ssp ) for advanced immunotherapy. Simply by culturing in the presence of Na ₂ SeO ₃ , Se nanoparticles could be bio‐fabricated within Synechococcus Sp , underscoring a facile preparation process with promising translational potential. With satisfactory biocompatibility and internalization efficiency, Se‐ Ssp boosted dendritic cell maturation and antigen presentation via both the Toll‐like receptor and the cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase‐stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS‐STING) pathways, likely attributed to the Se‐enhanced influx of calcium. In vivo studies demonstrated that Se‐ Ssp elicited potent innate immunity and maintained long‐term adaptive immunity, effectively inhibiting tumor growth with sustained protection against recurrence. In addition, Se‐ Ssp was validated to sensitize the reaction of both primary and distant tumors to immune checkpoint and indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase inhibitors; it also restrained the progression of orthotopic bladder carcinoma via intravesical instillation as well. Briefly, this study developed an anti‐cancer immune application of engineered Se‐ Ssp , offering a promising alternative with significant therapeutic potential that might benefit patients with cancer.

Algae, especially microalgae, are versatile in terms of nutrition, feed, biofertilizers, biofuel, and so on. In the realm of oncotherapy, algal extracts have been extensively used as anti-cancer active ingredients; however, what has been ignored is the anti-cancer value induced by themselves. Thanks to their unparalleled advantages, for example, intrinsic tumor homing, immunogenicity, and in situ production of anti-cancer agents, algae pave a new way in anti-cancer research. Algae have been reported about selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells and could work for oxygen-dependent strategies such as photodynamic therapy, owing to their natural photosynthetic abilities. Interestingly, integrating with customized nanomaterials (NMs), algae have been demonstrated to have unprecedented potential in overcoming barriers to existing treatment methods. Thus, in this review, starting from the classification of algae, the diverse effects of algae are thoroughly introduced, followed by the current engineering strategies of algae; lastly, the emerging development of algae-based therapeutics is timely summarized with an emphasis on the intelligent creation of biohybrid systems by choosing algae and tailored NMs. This review presents a comprehensive exploration of engineered algae-involved innovative cancer therapy, with a discussion of the future challenges and outlook, which will help design creative therapy paradigms and facilitate their clinical applications.

Background and objectives: Evidence on the associations between baseline stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1 and clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients is lacking. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between plasma SDF-1 levels and clinical outcomes based on a large multicenter study of the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CATIS). Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted among 3,255 participants from the CATIS trial with a baseline measurement of plasma SDF-1 levels. We evaluated the associations between plasma SDF-1 levels and one-year recurrent stroke, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality using Cox regression models. We further investigated the prognostic effect of SDF-1 on clinical outcomes in patients with different characteristics. Results: Higher plasma SDF-1 levels were not associated with recurrent stroke, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality at one-year after ischemic stroke (all P trend ≥ 0.05). There were significant interactions between plasma SDF-1 levels and history of diabetes mellitus on recurrent stroke (P = 0.005), cardiovascular events (P = 0.007) and all-cause mortality (P = 0.04) at one year. In patients with diabetes mellitus, plasma SDF-1 was significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events after adjustment for confounders. For example, 1-SD higher log–SDF-1 was associated with a hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.65 (1.18–2.32) for recurrent stroke and 1.47 (1.08–1.99) for the cardiovascular events, but not all-cause mortality 1.36 (0.96–1.93) at one year. However, there were no associations between plasma SDF-1 and clinical outcomes in patients without diabetes mellitus (all P > 0.05). The addition of plasma SDF-1 to the conventional risk factors model significantly improved the risk prediction of all outcomes. Similarly, findings between elevated SDF-1 levels and two-year outcomes were found only in patients with diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Elevated plasma SDF-1 was significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events only in ischemic patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To compare the real-world efficacy and safety of Biapenem and Meropenem for treating severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in children.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 915 children with SCAP who were treated with Biapenem or Meropenem from August 2018 to June 2022. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to reduce the actual baseline difference between groups.Results: 416 patients participated in the analysis after PSM (Biapenem: Meropenem = 1:1). For the Biapenem group and Meropenem group, the effective rates were 90.4% and 90.9%, respectively (p = 1.0) and the incidence of adverse reactions were 7.7% and 7.2%, respectively (p = 1.0). There were no statistical differences between Biapenem and Meropenem.Conclusion: In general, the efficacy and safety of Biapenem are comparable to Meropenem in the treatment of children with SCAP.

Tumor hypoxia and acidity are well-known features in solid tumors that cause immunosuppression and therapeutic resistance. Herein, we rationally synthesized a multifunctional fluorinated calcium carbonate (fCaCO₃) nanoregulator by coating CaCO₃ nanoparticles with dopamine-grafted perfluorosebacic acid (DA₂-PFSEA) and ferric ions by utilizing their coordination interaction. After PEGylation, the obtained fCaCO₃-PEG showed high loading efficacy to perfluoro-15-crown-5-ether (PFCE), a type of perfluorocarbon with high oxygen solubility, thereby working as both oxygen nanoshuttles and proton sponges to reverse tumor hypoxia and acidity-induced resistance to radiotherapy. The as-prepared PFCE@fCaCO₃-PEG could not only function as long-circulating oxygen nanoshuttles to attenuate tumor hypoxia but also neutralize the acidic tumor microenvironment by restricting the production of lactic acid and reacting with extracellular protons. As a result, treatment with PFCE@fCaCO₃-PEG could improve the therapeutic outcome of radiotherapy toward two murine tumors with distinct immunogenicity. The PFCE@fCaCO₃-PEG-assisted radiotherapy could also collectively inhibit the growth of unirradiated tumors and reject rechallenged tumors by synergistically eliciting protective antitumor immunity. Therefore, our work presents the preparation of fluorinated CaCO₃ nanoregulators to reverse tumor immunosuppression and potentiate radiotherapy through chemically modulating tumor hypoxic and acidic microenvironments tightly associated with tumor glucose metabolism.

Gas‐mediated sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has the potential to become an effective strategy to improve the therapeutic outcome and survival rate of cancer patients. Herein, titanium sulfide nanosheets (TiS_X NSs) are prepared as cascade bioreactors for sequential gas–sonodynamic cancer therapy. TiS_X NSs themselves as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) donors can burst release H₂S gas. Following H₂S generation, TiS_X NSs are gradually degraded to become S‐defective and partly oxidized into TiO_X on their surface, which endows TiS_X NSs with high sonodynamic properties under ultrasound (US) irradiation. In vitro and in vivo experiments show the excellent therapeutic effects of TiS_X NSs. In detail, large amounts of H₂S gas and reactive oxygen species (ROS) can simultaneously inhibit mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis, leading to cancer cell apoptosis. Of note, H₂S gas also plays important roles in modulating and activating the immune system to effectively inhibit pulmonary metastasis. Finally, the metabolizable TiS_X NSs are excreted out of the body without inducing any significant long‐term toxicity. Collectively, this work establishes a cascade bioreactor of TiS_X NSs with satisfactory H₂S release ability and excellent ROS generation properties under US irradiation for programmed gas–sonodynamic cancer therapy.

Copper‐based nanomaterials (Cu‐based NMs) with favorable biocompatibility and unique properties have attracted the attention of many biomedical researchers. Cu‐based NMs are one of the most widely studied materials in cancer treatment. In recent years, great progress has been made in the field of biomedicine, especially in the treatment and diagnosis of tumors. This review begins with the classification of Cu‐based NMs and the recent synthetic strategies of Cu‐based NMs. Then, according to the abundant and special properties of Cu‐based NMs, their application in biomedicine is summarized in detail. For biomedical imaging, such as photoacoustic imaging, positron emission tomography imaging, and multimodal imaging based on Cu‐based NMs are summarized, as well as strategies to improve the diagnostic effectiveness. Moreover, a series of unique structures and functions as well as the underlying property activity relationship of Cu‐based NMs were shown to highlight their promising therapeutic performance. Cu‐based NMs have been widely used in monotherapies, such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Moreover, the sophisticated design in composition, structure, and surface fabrication of Cu‐based NMs can endow these NMs with more modalities in cancer diagnosis and therapy. To further improve the efficiency of cancer treatment, combined therapy based on Cu‐based NMs was introduced in detail. Finally, the challenges, critical factors, and future prospects for the clinical translation of Cu‐based NMs as multifunctional theranostic agents were also considered and discussed. The aim of this review is to provide a better understanding and key consideration for the rational design of this increasingly important new paradigm of Cu‐based NMs as theranostic agents.This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging