The β-sheet peptides can be self-assembled to form different supramolecular solids. The supramolecular solid can be linked to a wide range of functional domains, for example, with cell adhesion sequences, signal domains, and vaccine epitopes to form complex nanostructures, which can be widely used in biomedical fields. In this paper, we mainly reviewed the self-assembly of peptides using β-folding secondary structure to form nanostructures, and discussed the application of nanostructures in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Objective To evaluate the pathological,histochemical and clinical features of primary clear cell carcinoma of the epididymis,and to investigate its diagnosis,treatment and prognosis.Methods The clinical data of one case of primary clear cell carcinoma of the epididymis were reported and the relevant literature was reviewed.Results The patient was a 43-year-old man presenting with a painless mass in the left epididymis.On physical examination,a 1.0 cm-sized smooth solid nodule on the head of left epididymis could be palpated without tenderness.Then the patient underwent left epididymectomy.On postoperative histopathological study,the tumor was characterized by diffuse sheets of clear cells and adenoid structures.Immunohistochemical assay showed AE(++),AE3(+/-),NSE(-) and interstitialoma(-) in the tumor tissues.Postoperatively,MRI showed no space-occupying lesion in both kidneys,and B-ultrasound indicated no abnormality of the bladder.Fifteen days after operation,left orchiectomy was performed on the patient.Pathology showed no clear cell carcinoma tissue of the testis.Follow-up was 15 months.The patient was reported to be alive and tumor-free.Conclusions The histogenesis of primary clear cell carcinoma of epididymis is unclear yet.The diagnosis depends on pathologic studies,and should be differentiated from nephrogenic adenoma and metastatic carcinoma.Radical surgery is the main treatment choice.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), laparoscopy, and laparotomy in the treatment of pancreatic duct stones (PDS) by collecting related clinical data, to summarize the experience in selecting treatment regimens for PDS, and to further explore feasible treatment regimens that could maximize and optimize the benefits of PDS patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 131 PDS patients who were treated in Gongli Hospital Affiliated to Naval Medical University from June 2014 to December 2018, and according to the surgical procedure, they were divided into ERCP group with 69 patients, laparoscopy group with 32 patients, and laparotomy group with 30 patients. Related indices were monitored before and after treatment, and surgical outcome was compared between the laparoscopy group and the laparotomy group. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test or the SNK- q test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between two groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups. An repeated measures analysis of variance and the Friedman test were used for comparison of related indices before and after surgery, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results Among the 131 PDS patients, there were 40 patients with type Ⅰ PDS, 76 with type Ⅱ PDS, and 15 with type Ⅲ PDS. There was no significant difference in the distribution of main surgical methods between the laparoscopy group and the laparotomy group ( χ 2 =1.93, P > 0.05). There were significant differences between the laparoscopy group and the laparotomy group in the dynamic changes of white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance after surgery ( F =24.68, χ 2 =227.66, F =45.37, F =106.71, all P < 0.05). Compared with the laparotomy group, the laparoscopy group had significantly shorter time of operation, significantly lower intraoperative blood loss, significantly shorter time to first flatus after surgery, a significantly lower frequency of use of pain-relieving drugs, shorter time to extraction of abdominal drainage tube, lower incidence rates of short-term postoperative complications, and a significantly shorter length of postoperative hospital stay ( t =-4.80, t =-9.43, Z =-6.78, t =-11.59, Z =-6.77, χ 2 =9.24, t =-3.60, all P < 0.05). The incidence rate of short-term postoperative complications was 24.64% in the ERCP group, 28.13% in the laparoscopy group, and 66.67% in the laparotomy group, with a significant difference between groups ( χ 2 =17.12, P < 0.05), and the ERCP group and the laparoscopy group had a significantly lower incidence rate of short-term postoperative complications than the laparotomy group ( χ 2 =15.78 and 9.24, P < 0.05 and P =0.02). The treatment response rate was 91.30% in the ERCP group, 93.75% in the laparoscopy group, and 73.33% in the laparotomy group, with a significant difference between the three groups ( χ 2 =7.70, P =0.02), and the ERCP group and the laparoscopy group had a significantly better response rate than the laparotomy group ( χ 2 =5.56 and 4.77, P =0.02 and 0.03). Conclusion ERCP is the preferred method for minimally invasive treatment of some patients with type Ⅰ/Ⅱ PDS and is safe and effective with few serious complications. Surgical operation is an important method for the treatment of complex PDS, but with complicated techniques and difficult operation. Compared with laparotomy, laparoscopy has the advantages of small trauma, few serious complications, and high abdominal pain remission rate and can significantly shorten the time of operation, reduce intraoperative blood loss, and shorten the length of postoperative hospital stay. Therefore, laparoscopy should be the preferred regimen for the treatment of complex PDS.

In this paper, we prepared a dual functional system based on dextrin-coated silver nanoparticles which were further attached with iron oxide nanoparticles and cell penetrating peptide (Tat), producing Tat-modified Ag-FeO nanocomposites (Tat-FeAgNPs). To load drugs, an -SH containing linker, 3-mercaptopropanohydrazide, was designed and synthesized. It enabled the silver carriers to load and release doxorubicin (Dox) in a pH-sensitive pattern. The delivery efficiency of this system was assessed using MCF-7 cells, and using null BalB/c mice bearing MCF-7 xenograft tumors. Our results demonstrated that both Tat and externally applied magnetic field could promote cellular uptake and consequently the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles, with the IC of Tat-FeAgNP-Dox to be 0.63 µmol/L. The delivery efficiency of Tat-FeAgNP carrying Cy5 to the mouse tumor was analyzed using the optical imaging tests, in which Tat-FeAgNP-Cy5 yielded the most efficient accumulation in the tumor (6.7±2.4% ID of Tat-FeAgNPs). Anti-tumor assessment also demonstrated that Tat-FeAgNP-Dox displayed the most significant tumor-inhibiting effects and reduced the specific growth rate of tumor by 29.6% ( = 0.009), which could be attributed to its superior performance in tumor drug delivery in comparison with the control nanovehicles.