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In this study, we synthesized an organic material with near-infrared emission capabilities: 4-(2-(4-(9-(4-(diphenylamino) phenyl) naphtho[2,3-c] [1,2,5] thiadiazol-4-yl) phenyl)-1H-phenol-1-ylidene) malononitrile (TPA). Furthermore, TPA-PEG2000 fluorescent nanoparticles were prepared viacoating the shells with PEG2000. TPA-PEG2000 exhibited strong near-infrared emission near 700 nm, with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 15.09%, indicating a high emission efficiency. Molecular biology experiments have confirmed its low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility. Increased cholesterol and phospholipid levels in liver cancer cell membranes with low sensitivity or high drug resistance lead to increased rigidity, reduced membrane fluidity, reduced endocytic efficiency, and reduced uptake. Therefore, the uptake of TPA-PEG2000 nanoparticles into cells and the near-infrared fluorescence intensity can be used to evaluate the sensitivity of systemic liver cancer treatment in a simple and efficient manner.

Photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction (PCR) into syngas is one of the sustainable approaches for recycling CO2into value-added chemical feedstocks. However, the PCR efficiency is often limited by the insufficient light-harvesting and poor charge separation. Herein, we design a spike-like double yolk–shell structured TiO2@ZnIn2S4(D-Y-TiO2@ZnIn2S4) photocatalyst with superior PCR efficiency. The unique design not only integrates advantages of increasing active sites, surface areas and light-harvesting capacity induced by the hierarchical morphology, but also facilitates photo-induced charge separation based on the heterojunction of TiO2and ZnIn2S4. Owing to the combination of structural and compositional merits, the optimized D-Y-TiO2@ZnIn2S4photocatalyst shows superior PCR performance (325.29 μmol CO per g; 227.18 μmol H2per g) under visible light. In addition, the ratio of CO/H2can be tuned from 0.03 to 1.43 by changing the sacrificial hole capture condition. This work provides a prospective way to obtain efficient PCR photocatalysts.

Background: Patients with low response rates to cancer vaccines, short duration of anti-tumor response after vaccination, and relatively weak curative effects are problems that have not been resolved effectively during the development and application of cancer vaccines. With the continuous improvement of knowledge and awareness regarding the immune system and cancer cells, many researches have helped to explain the reasons for poor vaccine efficacy. Input from researchers accompanied by some newly emerged strategies could bring hope to improve the therapeutic effects of vaccines. Methods: Data were collected from Web of Science, Medline, Pubmed, through searching of these keywords: “cancer vaccine”, “cancer stem cell”, “targeted agent”, “immune checkpoint blockade” and “neoantigen”. Results: It may be more effective in immunotherapy of human cancers, including cancer stem cell vaccines, combination vaccines with targeted agents or immune checkpoint blockade, and neoantigen-based vaccines. Conclusion: Personalized vaccines will become the mainstream solution of cancer treatment program with the continuous improvement of human understanding of the immune system and the progress of related experiments.

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease that is caused by various factors and characterized by recurrent, episodic and temporary central nervous system dysfunction which results due to excessive discharge of brain neurons. In the past decades, despite the continuous development of antiepileptic drugs, there are still many patients with epilepsy progressing to drugresistant epilepsy. Currently, surgical treatment is one of important way to cure drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods: Data were collected from Web of Science, Medline, Pubmed, through searching of these keywords: “surgery” and “drug-resistant epilepsy”. Results: An increasing number of studies have shown that surgery plays an important role in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Moreover, the comprehensive treatment mainly based on surgery can achieve the remission and even cure of drug-resistant epilepsy. Conclusion: In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of drug-resistant epilepsy and the comprehensive treatment mainly based on surgery; this review may provide a reference for the clinical treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Pyroptosis, which is a mode of programmed cell death, has proven effective for cancer therapy. However, efficient pyroptosis inducers for tumor treatment are limited. This study proposes biodegradable K3ZrF7:Yb/Er upconversion nanoparticles (ZrNPs) as pyroptosis inducers for cancer immunotherapy. ZrNPs, which are similar to ion reservoirs, can be dissolved inside cancer cells and release high amounts of K+and [ZrF7]3–ions, resulting a surge in intracellular osmolarity and homeostasis imbalance. This further induces an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), caspase-1 protein activation, gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) maturity, and results in cytolysis. In vivo tests confirm that ZrNPs-induced pyroptosis exhibits superior antitumor immunity activity confirmed by enhanced dendritic cells (DCs) maturity and frequency of effector-memory T cells, as well as observably inhibiting tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis. This work is believed to extend the biomedical applications of upconversion nanomaterials and deepen the understanding of intrinsic immunomodulatory activity of nanomaterials.