Functionalized MoS2 nanosheet-capped periodic mesoporous organosilicas as a multifunctional platform for synergistic targeted chemo-photothermal therapy

The combination of different therapies into a single platform has attracted increasing attention as a potential synergistic tumor treatment. Herein, the fabrication of a novel folate targeted system for chemo-photothermal therapy by using thioether-bridged periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMOs) as a drug-loading vehicle is described. The novel targeted molecular bovine serum albumin-folic acid-modified MoS2 sheets (MoS2-PEI-BSA-FA) were successfully synthesized and characterized, and then utilized as a capping agent to block PMOs to control the drug release and to investigate their potential in near-infrared photothermal therapy. The resulting PMOs–DOX@MoS2–PEI-BSA-FA complexes had a uniform diameter (196 nm); high DOX loading capacity (185 mg/g PMOs-SH); excellent photothermal transformation ability; and good biocompatibility in physiological conditions. The PMOs–DOX@MoS2–PEI-BSA-FA exhibited pH-dependence and near infrared (NIR) laser irradiation-triggered DOX release. In vitro experimental results confirmed that the material exhibits excellent photothermal transfer ability, outstanding tumor killing efficiency and specificity to target tumor cells via an FA-receptor-mediated endocytosis process. The in vivo experiments further demonstrated that the platform for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy could significantly inhibit tumor growth, which is superior to any monotherapy. Meanwhile, cytotoxicity assays and histological assessments show that the engineered PMOs@MoS2–PEI-BSA-FA have good biocompatibility, further inspiring potential biomedical applications. Overall, this work describes an excellent drug delivery system for chemo-photothermal synergistic targeted therapy having good drug release properties, which have great potential in cancer therapy

catena-Poly[[bis­(3-methyl-4-nitro­pyridine N-oxide-κO)cadmium(II)]-di-μ-dicyanamido-κ4 N 1:N 5]

In the title compound, [Cd(C2N3)2(C6H6N2O3)2]n, the CdII ion (site symmetry ) adopts a distorted trans-CdO2N4 octa­hedral environment, being coordinated by two O-bonded 3-methyl-4-nitro­pyridine N-oxide ligands and four dicyanamide (dca) anions. The bridging dca anions lead to a polymeric chain propagating in [100]

1,1′-(2-Thienylmethylene)di-2-naphthol ethyl acetate solvate

In the title compound, C25H18O2S·C4H8O2, there are inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the main mol­ecule and the solvent molecule. The thio­phene ring is oriented at dihedral angles of 70.87 (7) and 75.36 (4)° with respect to the mean planes of the two naphthyl ring systems

Energy dependent chemical potentials of light hadrons and quarks based on transverse momentum spectra and yield ratios of negative to positive particles

We describe the transverse momentum (or mass) spectra of $\pi^\pm$, $K^\pm$, $p$, and $\bar{p}$ produced in central gold-gold (Au-Au), central lead-lead (Pb-Pb), and inelastic proton-proton ($pp$) collisions at different collision energies range from the AGS to LHC by using a two-component (in most cases) Erlang distribution in the framework of multi-source thermal model. The fitting results are consistent with the experimental data and the energy-dependent chemical potentials of light hadrons ($\pi$, $K$, and $p$) and quarks ($u$, $d$, and $s$) in central Au-Au, central Pb-Pb, and inelastic $pp$ collisions from the yield ratios of negative to positive particles obtained from the normalization constants are then extracted. The study shows that most types of energy-dependent chemical potentials decrease with increase of collision energy over a range from the AGS to LHC. The curves of all types of energy-dependent chemical potentials, obtained from the linear fits of yield ratios vs energy, have inflection points at the same energy of 3.526 GeV, which is regarded as the critical energy of phase transition from a hadron liquid-like state to a quark gas-like state in the collision system and indicates that the hadronic interactions play an important role in this period. At the RHIC and LHC, all types of chemical potentials become small and tend to zero at very high energy, which confirms that the collision system possibly changes completely from the hadron-dominant liquid-like state to the quark-dominant gas-like state and the partonic interactions possibly play a dominant role at the LHC

Safety and efficacy of etomidate and propofol anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy: A double-blind randomized clinical study

The aim of the present study is to compare the safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of anesthetic regimens by compound, using etomidate and propofol in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy. A total of 200 volunteers (65–79 years of age) scheduled for gastroscopy under anesthesia were randomly divided into the following groups: P, propofol (1.5–2.0 mg/kg); E, etomidate (0.15-0.2 mg/kg); P+E, propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg) followed by etomidate (0.075-0.1 mg/kg); and E+P, etomidate (0.075-0.01 mg/kg) followed by propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg). Vital signs and bispectral index were monitored at different time points. Complications, induction and examination time, anesthesia duration, and recovery and discharge time were recorded. At the end of the procedure, the satisfaction of patients, endoscopists and the anesthetist were evaluated. The recovery (6.1±1.2 h) and discharge times (24.8±2.8 h) in group E were significantly longer compared with groups P, P+E and E+P (P<0.05). The occurrence of injection pain in group P+E was significantly higher compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). In addition, the incidence of myoclonus and post-operative nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in group P+E compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference among the four groups with regards to the patients' immediate, post-procedure satisfaction (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in the satisfaction of anesthesia, as evaluated by the anesthetist and endoscopist, among the four groups (P>0.05). The present study demonstrates that anesthesia for gastroscopy in elderly patients can be safely and effectively accomplished using a drug regimen that combines propofol with etomidate. The combined use of propofol and etomidate has unique characteristics which improve hemodynamic stability, cause minimal respiratory depression and less side effects, provide rapid return to full activity and result in high levels of satisfaction

Fabrication and investigation of a biocompatible microfilament with high mechanical performance based on regenerated bacterial cellulose and bacterial cellulose

A high-strength regenerated bacterial cellulose (RBC)/bacterial cellulose (BC) microfilament of potential use as a biomaterial was successfully prepared via a wet spinning process. The BC not only consists of a 3-D network composed of nanofibers with a diameter of several hundred nanometers but also has a secondary structure consisting of highly oriented nanofibrils with a diameter ranging from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers which explains the reason for the high mechanical strength of BC. Furthermore, a strategy of partially dissolving BC was used and this greatly enhanced the mechanical performance of spun filament and a method called post-treatment was utilized to remove residual solvents from the RBC/BC filaments. A comparison of structure, properties, as well as cytocompatibility between BC nanofibers and RBC/BC microfilaments was achieved using morphology, mechanical properties, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and an enzymatic hydrolysis assay. The RBC/BC microfilament has a uniform groove structure with a diameter of 50–60 μm and XRD indicated that the crystal form was transformed from cellulose Iα to cellulose IIII and the degree of crystallinity of RBC/BC (33.22%) was much lower than the original BC (60.29%). The enzymatic hydrolysis assay proved that the RBC/BC material was more easily degraded than BC. ICP detection indicated that the residual amount of lithium was 0.07 mg/g (w/w) and GC–MS analysis showed the residual amount of DMAc to be 8.51 μg/g (w/w) demonstrating that the post-treatment process is necessary and effective for removal of residual materials from the RBC/BC microfilaments. Also, a cell viability assay demonstrated that after post-treatment the RBC/BC filaments had good cytocompatibility