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The development of novel chemoembolization agents to improve the treatment efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) against liver cancer remains an urgent need in clinical practice. Herein, a versatile composite microsphere with upper critical solution temperature (UCST) properties was prepared to encapsulate polydopamine coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION@PDA) and doxorubicin for simultaneous chemoembolization and photothermal therapy. The microspheres were spherical with an average diameter of 100-300 μm and exhibited favorable drug loading capability as well as strong photothermal effect. Strikingly, synergistic enhancement of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy against chemoresistant liver cancer cells was achieved. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy and safety evaluations were performed using rabbit VX2 liver tumor models. It was revealed that a single treatment of the combination of TACE and photothermal procedure resulted in 87.5% complete response and 12.5% partial response for the microsphere group, whereas all tumors in the control group progressed rapidly. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) evaluation indicated that the tumor diameter decreased by 91.5% after treatment, while that in the control group increased by 86.5%. The pathology-proven tumor necrotic rate was 87.2%, which significantly surpassed that of 65.2% in the control group. Furthermore, serum liver enzyme and biochemical studies indicated a temporary liver injury which can be fully recovered. Our findings demonstrated that this microsphere may be advantageous for enhancing therapeutic efficacy of TACE against liver cancer.

The spin-orbit coupling plays an important role in the spin Hall effect and the topological insulators. In addition, the spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates show remarkable quantum many-body phase transition. In this work we tune the exciton polariton condensate by virtue of the Rashba-Dresselhaus (RD) spin-orbit coupling in a liquid-crystal filled microcavity where perovskite CsPbBr3 microplates act as the gain material at room temperature. We realize an artificial gauge field on the CsPbBr3 exciton polariton condensate, which splits the condensates with opposite spins in both momentum and real spaces. Our work paves the way to manipulate the exciton polariton condensate with a synthetic gauge field based on the RD spin-orbit coupling at room temperature.

BACKGROUND: Liver function is a key determinant for the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, establishing robust prognostic indicators for liver insufficiencies and patient survival remains an unmet demand. This retrospective study evaluated the prognostic value of splenic volume (SV) in HCC patients undergoing TACE. METHODS: A total of 67 HCC patients who underwent at least two consecutive TACE procedures were retrospectively included in this study. Comprehensive clinical information and follow-up data were collected, and the SV was measured based on dynamic contrast enhanced images. Risk factors of SV enlargement were assessed. The prognostic value of SV on survival was analyzed and compared with Child-Pugh (CP) classification and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade. RESULTS: The baseline SV was 299.74±143.63 cm(3), and showed a moderate and statistically significant correlation with CP classification (R=0.31, P

Background The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the technical feasibility and safety of sharp recanalization for central venous occlusive disease (CVOD) in patients requiring hemodialysis. Methods Patients with CVOD requiring hemodialysis who had undergone endovascular recanalization using sharp devices, including the stiff end of a guidewire, Chiba needle, or RUS-100 to cross occluded segments after conventional techniques had failed were included. The needle was guided toward a target placed at the opposite end of the occlusion. Although the guidewire was passed though the occlusion, subsequent procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty could be performed. Results A total of 27 sharp recanalization procedures in 25 patients were performed. Two attempts failed, 1 patient had undergone two separate successful procedures, and 23 procedures in 23 patients were successful. The overall technique success was 92.6%. The stiff end of a guidewire was the first choice for all the procedures, and recanalization was achieved in 18 patients (66.7%). A Chiba biopsy needle was used in six procedures (22.2%), with 100% technical success. A RUPS-100 set was used in two procedures (7.4%), with one aborted because of concern for complications. The occlusion was subsequently crossed using a Chiba needle. Four minor adverse events (two of mediastinal hematoma and two of chest pain) had occurred, and two major adverse events (pericardial tamponade and acute pleural effusion in one patient [4%], treated with the guidewire stiff-end technique, who recovered after drainage) had occurred. Conclusions Sharp recanalization is safe and feasible with high technical success for CVOD in patients requiring hemodialysis who cannot be recanalized using conventional techniques.

Background: Up-regulated expression of copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (CCS) is identified in a multitude of tumors and is closely related to more malignant tumoral biological behaviors. However, little is known about the role of CCS in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to explore the expression pattern and the significance of CCS in human HCC.Methods Fresh samples of HCC with paired adjacent tissues, as well as the clinicopathological features and prognosis data were obtained from 32 patients who underwent hepatectomy from January 2018 to December 2018. The expression levels of CCS and a series of representative malignant biomarkers in HCC and adjacent tissues were investigated by western blotting and immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. The correlation between the expression status of CCS and the activities of selected malignant biomarkers and important drive genes of HCC oncogenesis, patient’s clinicopathological features and prognosis, were analyzed. Additional bioinformatics investigation of dataset retrieved from TCGA, the GEPIA, HPA, and Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) database were performed to further explore the role of CCS in human HCC and to validate the aforementioned findings. Results A unique express pattern was found that the majority of the HCC tumor (78.1%, 25/32) presented a lower expression of CCS as compared with that in adjacent tissues, whereas in the minority of the tumor (22.9%, 7/32) the expression of CCS was determined as higher. The distinctive CCS express status in HCC was further validated by the analysis of the data from TCGA and the GEPIA database. Furthermore, it was found that the expression level of CCS was significantly correlated with the those of the selected biomarkers including Ki67, vimentin, GPC3, and E-cadherin, which were also confirmed by the bioinformatic study. On the clinicopathological features, the expression of CCS was reversely correlated with ES grade and TNM stage to some extent, whereas there were no apparent correlations were proved with the remaining parameters included. Additional explorations revealed that there is a significant correlation between the CCS gene and a series of the driving/high-frequency mutation genes of various signal pathways in the development and progression of HCC. Despite statistic significant was not achieved, patients with higher CCS expression lever were prone to have a better prognosis. And a robust prognostic value of CCS was further proven in bioinformatic study. Conclusion HCC presented a unique lower expression pattern of CCS which reversely correlated with the more malignant tumoral features and poor prognosis as demonstrated by both experimental and bioinformatic studies. These findings improved our knowledge for understanding of the unique biological behavior of human HCC.