Search

As one of the most common malignancies, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with high rates of invasiveness and metastasis threatens people's health worldwide, while traditional therapeutic approaches have not met the requirement of its cure. Phototherapies including photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have shown great potential for OSCC treatment due to their noninvasiveness or minimal invasiveness, high selectivity and little tolerance. However, PTT or PDT alone makes it difficult to eradicate OSCC and prevent its metastasis and recurrence. Here, double-layered membrane vesicles (DMVs) were extracted from attenuated Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the most common pathogens inside the oral region, and served as an immune adjuvant to develop a biomimetic phototherapeutic nanoagent named PBAE/IR780@DMV for OSCC treatment via combining dual PTT/PDT and robust antitumor immunity. To obtain PBAE/IR780@DMV, poly(β-amino) ester (PBAE) was used as a carrier material to prepare the nanoparticles for loading IR780, a widely known photosensitizer possessing both PTT and PDT capabilities, followed by surface wrapping with DMVs. Upon 808 nm laser irradiation, PBAE/IR780@DMV exerted strong antitumor effects against OSCC both in vitro and in vivo, via combining PTT/PDT and specific immune responses triggered by tumor-associated antigens and DMVs. Altogether, this study provides a promising biomimetic phototherapeutic nanoagent for comprehensive treatment of OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the main clinical therapeutic strategies against cancer. Currently, multiple radiosensitizers aimed at enhancing X-ray absorption in cancer tissues have been developed, while limitations still exist for their further applications, such as poor cellular uptake, hypoxia-induced radioresistance, and unavoidable damage to adjacent normal body tissues. In order to address these problems, a cell-penetrating TAT peptide (YGRKKRRQRRRC)-modified nanohybrid was constructed by doping high-Z element Au in hollow semiconductor Cu2−xSe nanoparticles for combined RT and photothermal therapy (PTT) against breast cancer. The obtained Cu2−xSe nanoparticles possessed excellent radiosensitizing properties based on their particular band structures, and high photothermal conversion efficiency beneficial for tumor ablation and promoting RT efficacy. Further doping high-Z element Au deposited more high-energy radiation for better radiosensitizing performance. Conjugation of TAT peptides outside the constructed Cu2−xSe/Au nanoparticles facilitated their cellular uptake, thus reducing overdosage-induced side effects. This prepared multifunctional nanohybrid showed powerful suppression effects towards breast cancer, both in vitro and in vivo via integrating enhanced cell penetration and uptake, and combined RT/PTT strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Detrusor overactivity (DO) secondary to partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) is closely associated with alteration of ion channels. The objective of this study is to investigate the expression of the TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K(+) channel (TRAAK) in the L6-S1 spinal cord of DO rats after PBOO.Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats undergoing PBOO surgery were screened for DO by cystometry. Sham-operated rats served as controls. The expression of TRAAK in the L6-S1 spinal cord was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results: DO was successfully induced after chronic PBOO in rats, with an incidence rate of 62.5 %. Compared with sham-operated rats, the expression of TRAAK in the L6-S1 spinal cord of DO rats was significantly increased at the mRNA (1.886 ± 0.710 versus 0.790 ± 0.679, P < 0.05) and protein level (0.510 ± 0.087 versus 0.255 ± 0.107, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed increased expression of TRAAK in the dorsal horn and ventral horn of the spinal cord.Conclusions: Upregulation of TRAAK was observed in the spinal cord of DO rats after chronic PBOO, which may exert a protective effect against DO by suppressing the excitability of neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To study the altered expression of TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K+ channel in the L6-S1 spinal cord of rats after complete bladder outlet obstruction, and to investigate the role of TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K+ channel in the neurogenic mechanism of bladder dysfunction. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a complete bladder outlet obstruction group and a sham-operated control group. Cystometry was carried out and tissues of L6-S1 spinal cord were obtained for detection of TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K+ channel mRNA and protein by real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Results: The bladder outlet obstruction rat model was established. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K+ channel was lower in the L6-S1 spinal cord of the bladder outlet obstruction rats, compared with the control rats. Conclusions: Downregulation of TWIK-related arachidonic acid-activated K+ channel might enhance the excitability of the neurons and increase the sensitivity of the bladder, probably providing a new study model of overactive bladder secondary to bladder outlet obstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate and compare detrusor overactivity (DO) and bladder filling sensation characteristics in female bladder outlet obstruction (FBOO) patients with or without overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty-seven FBOO patients with urodynamic testing were recruited. Pa-tients who showed urinary urgency ( ? 6 episodes/3 d), with or without urinary frequency ( ?8 voids/24 h), and urge incontinence ( ? 3 episodes/3 d) were considered to have OAB. The detrusor overactivity (DO) and bladder filling sensation measures including first sensation (FSF), first desire to void (FDV) and strong desire to void (SDV) during filling cystometry were recorded. The associations between urodynamic variables and OAB symp-toms were analysed.Result: FBOO patients had a high incidence (79%) of OAB. FBOO patients with OAB symptoms had significantly younger age, higher incidence of DO (19.4% versus 6.1%) (P = .051) and lower bladder volumes of FSF (180.32 ± 83.48 versus 226.18 ± 100.90 mL), FDV (269.00 ± 109.78 versus 330.45 ± 123.95 mL) and SDV (345.56 ± 135.43 versus 422.33 ± 148.40 mL) (P < .05) compared to patients without OAB. In multivariate analyses, both DO (OR = 4.83, 95% CI: 1.02-22.85, P = .047) and lower bladder volumes at FDV(OR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.03-5.95, P = .044) and SDV (OR = 3.07, 95% CI: 1.25-7.55, P < .014) were still independently associated with OAB, after adjustment for age and other confounding factors.Conclusion: FBOO patients had a high incidence of OAB. Not only DO but also bladder hypersensitivity were independently associated with OAB symptoms in FBOO patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore a more reasonable classification method for the evaluation and surgical planning for the management of female urethral diverticulum (UD)., Methods: This retrospective study included 45 female patients who underwent urethral diverticular excision between January 2018 and December 2023. Patient details and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected. The diverticula were classified as complex (cUD) if MRI demonstrated >75% circumferential involvement of the urethra on axial imaging. All other UD were classified as simple (sUD). We performed complete diverticulectomy for sUD and partial excision for cUD. The presenting symptoms, physical examination findings, radiologic studies, operative findings, and postoperative results were compared between the complex and simple cohorts., Results: The mean age was 45.1 years (range: 25-82 years). The cUD and sUD groups contained 25 (56%) and 20 (44%) patients, respectively. Patients with cUD were more likely to demonstrate voiding symptoms (76% vs. 40%, p=0.031) and postvoiding dribbling (52% vs. 15%, p=0.013) than patients with sUD. The largest vertical diameters in the cUD and sUD groups were 2.52±0.89 and 1.89±0.89 cm, respectively (p=0.061). The postoperative outcomes were similar between the sUD and cUD groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups., Conclusion: Classification based on the angle of the diverticulum encircling the urethra on MRI can be used for the evaluation and surgical planning of female UD. The selection of an appropriate surgical approach is safe and efficacious for treating female UD and may reduce surgery-associated difficulties and complications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)