Pathogenetic role and clinical significance of interleukin-1β in cancer

In recent years, pro-oncogenic mechanisms of the tumour microenvironment (ТМЕ) have been actively discussed. One of the main cytokines of the TМЕ is interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), which exhibits proinflammatory properties. Some studies have shown an association between an increase in IL-1β levels and tumour progression. The purpose of this review is to analyse the pathogenic mechanisms induced by IL-1β in the TМЕ, as well as the diagnostic significance of the presence of IL-1β in patients with cancer and the efficacy of treatment with IL-1β inhibitors. According to the literature, IL-1β can induce an increase in tumour angiogenesis due to its effects on the differentiation of epithelial cells, pro-angiogenic molecule secretion and expression of adhesion molecules, thus increasing tumour growth and metastasis. IL-1β is also involved in the suppression of anti-tumour immune responses. The expression and secretion of IL-1β has been noted in various types of tumours. In some clinical studies, an elevated level of IL-1β was found to be associated with low efficacy of anti-cancer therapy and a poor prognosis. In most experimental and clinical studies, the use of IL-1β inhibitors contributed to a decrease in tumour mass and an increase in the response to anti-tumour drugs.     

Mixed Hyperbranched/Triblock Copolymer Micelle Assemblies: Physicochemical Properties and Potential for Drug Encapsulation

Mixed micelles have numerous advantages while requiring little to no effort in preparation. This study aims to produce mixed micelle nanostructures from a linear triblock copolymer and a hyperbranched random copolymer, and is able to be loaded with the weakly water-soluble drugs curcumin and indomethacin. Different preparation techniques are employed to produce mixed micelles comprised of Pluronic F127 block copolymer, and hyperbranched poly[(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-lauryl methacrylate], H-[P(OEGMA-co-LMA)], copolymer. Few studies have dabbled in these types of coassemblies, which provides insight into how structural differences of each copolymer can affect the formation of micelles. To determine the properties of the emerging nanostructures in aqueous environments, including their size, homogeneity, and surface charge, different physicochemical techniques are used, such as light scattering and spectroscopic methods. The results reveal that the copolymers combine, and spontaneously self-assemble into mixed micelle-like nanostructures in aqueous environments, whereas both systems of neat and drug-loaded nanostructures exhibit desirable properties such as small average micelle hydrodynamic radii and low size polydispersity indices. The nanostructures that result from the effective encapsulation of curcumin exhibit outstanding stability over 169 days. The fluorescent qualities of curcumin persist after encapsulation, making the novel nanostructures excellent candidates for bioimaging applications.     

Application of a macromolecular contrast agent for detection of alterations of tumor vessel permeability induced by radiation.

Permeability of tumor vasculature can be a major barrier to successful drug delivery, particularly for high molecular weight agents such as monoclonal antibodies and their diagnostic or therapeutic conjugates. In this study, changes in permeability of SCCVII tumor vessels after radiation treatment were evaluated by dynamic magnetic resonance imaging as a function of time after irradiation using a generation-8 polyamidoamine dendrimer (G8-Gd-D)-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent shown previously to be confined to tumor blood vessels. Tumor irradiation consisted of either single doses (2-15 Gy) or various daily fractionated doses (5 days). A single radiation dose of 15 Gy resulted in significant transient image enhancement of the tumor tissue with a maximum occurring between 7 and 24 hours after radiation treatment. No observable enhancement was recorded for fractionated radiation doses. Use of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging coupled with G8-Gd-D provides an exquisite methodology capable of defining the timing of enhanced permeability of macromolecules in tumors after irradiation. Such information might be applied to optimize the efficacy of subsequent or concurrent therapies including radiolabeled antibodies or other anticancer agents in combination with external beam therapies.     

The relationship between dietary fat intake and risk of colorectal cancer: evidence from the combined analysis of 13 case-control studies

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of the intakeof dietary fat upon colorectal cancer risk in a combined analysis of datafrom 13 case-control studies previously conducted in populations withdiffering colorectal cancer rates and dietary practices. Original datarecords for 5,287 cases of colorectal cancer and 10,470 controls werecombined. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (OR)for intakes of total energy, total fat and its components, and cholesterol.Positive associations with energy intake were observed for 11 of the 13studies. However, there was little, if any, evidence of anyenergy-independent effect of either total fat with ORs of 1.00, 0.95, 1.01,1.02, and 0.92 for quintiles of residuals of total fat intake (P trend =0.67) or for saturated fat with ORs of 1.00, 1.08, 1.06, 1.21, and 1.06 (Ptrend = 0.39). The analysis suggests that, among these case-control studies,there is no energy-independent association between dietary fat intake andrisk of colorectal cancer. It also suggests that simple substitution of fatby other sources of calories is unlikely to reduce meaningfully the risk ofcolorectal cancer.     

Evaluation of radiation-induced oral mucositis by optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was evaluated to determine if radiation-induced mucosal damage could be noninvasively monitored in real time and correlated with histopathologic findings. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Female C3H mice, ages 7 to 9 weeks, four per group, were immobilized in a custom-made Lucite jig and received 0, 15, 22.5, and 25 Gy in a single fraction to their oral cavity. OCT images were acquired of proximal, middle, and distal aspects of the dorsum of the tongue on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 post-irradiation. Animals were sacrificed on day 7 and samples taken for histologic evaluation. OCT images were visually examined and also quantified by image analysis and compared with histologic findings. RESULTS: Tongues removed 7 days post-irradiation showed no visible damage; however, upon staining with toluidine blue, ulcers at the base of the tongue became visible (100% for 25 Gy, 75% after 22.5 Gy, and 0% after 15 Gy). Visual inspection of OCT images qualitatively compared with histologic findings and quantitative image analysis of the OCT images (effective light penetration depth) revealed significant changes 7 days post-irradiation compared with unirradiated controls for the base of the tongue. CONCLUSIONS: OCT allows for direct noninvasive real-time acquisition of digitally archivable images of oral mucosa and can detect radiation-induced changes in the mucosa before visual manifestation. OCT may be a useful technique to quantify subclinical radiation-induced mucosal injury in experimental chemoradiation clinical trials.     

Papers Please - Predictive Factors of National and International Attitudes Toward Immunity and Vaccination Passports: Online Representative Surveys

BackgroundIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are introducing digital passports that allow citizens to return to normal activities if they were previously infected with (immunity passport) or vaccinated against (vaccination passport) SARS-CoV-2. To be effective, policy decision-makers must know whether these passports will be widely accepted by the public and under what conditions. This study focuses attention on immunity passports, as these may prove useful in countries both with and without an existing COVID-19 vaccination program; however, our general findings also extend to vaccination passports.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess attitudes toward the introduction of immunity passports in six countries, and determine what social, personal, and contextual factors predicted their support.MethodsWe collected 13,678 participants through online representative sampling across six countries—Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom—during April to May of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and assessed attitudes and support for the introduction of immunity passports.ResultsImmunity passport support was moderate to low, being the highest in Germany (775/1507 participants, 51.43%) and the United Kingdom (759/1484, 51.15%); followed by Taiwan (2841/5989, 47.44%), Australia (963/2086, 46.16%), and Spain (693/1491, 46.48%); and was the lowest in Japan (241/1081, 22.94%). Bayesian generalized linear mixed effects modeling was used to assess predictive factors for immunity passport support across countries. International results showed neoliberal worldviews (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% CI 1.13-1.22), personal concern (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00-1.16), perceived virus severity (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14), the fairness of immunity passports (OR 2.51, 95% CI 2.36-2.66), liking immunity passports (OR 2.77, 95% CI 2.61-2.94), and a willingness to become infected to gain an immunity passport (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.51-1.68) were all predictive factors of immunity passport support. By contrast, gender (woman; OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.82-0.98), immunity passport concern (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.57-0.65), and risk of harm to society (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.76) predicted a decrease in support for immunity passports. Minor differences in predictive factors were found between countries and results were modeled separately to provide national accounts of these data.ConclusionsOur research suggests that support for immunity passports is predicted by the personal benefits and societal risks they confer. These findings generalized across six countries and may also prove informative for the introduction of vaccination passports, helping policymakers to introduce effective COVID-19 passport policies in these six countries and around the world.     

Methods of Preparation and Performance Evaluation of ABS/Mineral Microsphere Composites Produced through FDM and Compression Molding

The use of amorphous microspheres as filler in composites is promising due to their light weight, low cost, incombustibility, and the ability to alter relevant properties of the final composite. Contrary to glass spheres, perlite microspheres are much cheaper and can be tailor-made to facilitate purpose-oriented alteration of the final composite. We report the use of perlite microspheres for the preparation of: (1) composites, through a compression molding (hot pressing) technique; and (2) composite filaments, in a single screw extruder, as well as their use for sample printing through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Proper characterization of the produced composites allows for their evaluation in terms of physical, thermal, and mechanical properties and with regards to the manufacturing technique, the filler fraction, and size. Composite samples of acceptable quality in terms of filler survival and dispersion as well as mechanical properties were produced through compression molding using fine expanded perlite microspheres (<90 μm) up to an infill ratio of 40 vol.%. Fine fillers (<90 μm) performed well in FDM, allowing printing of composite dogbone samples with a higher Young’s modulus and elongation and similar ultimate tensile strength compared to benchmark, up to an infill ratio of 20 vol.%. Composite samples present a slightly lower burning rate compared to those produced solely by ABS. Perlite microspheres present good workability in both applications, possessing satisfactory performance as filler in the composites, and can thus be assumed a promising multifunctional filler for various thermoplastics considering their low price, environmental impact, and fire rating.