Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.

Blue light inactivation technology, particularly at the 405 nm wavelength, has demonstrated distinct and multifaceted mechanisms of action against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, offering a promising alternative to conventional antibiotic therapies. For Gram-positive pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the bactericidal effects are primarily mediated by endogenous porphyrins (e.g., protoporphyrin III, coproporphyrin III, and uroporphyrin III), which exhibit strong absorption peaks between 400-430 nm. Upon irradiation, these porphyrins are photoexcited to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), including singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide anions, which collectively induce oxidative damage to cellular components. Early studies by Endarko et al. revealed that (405±5) nm blue light at 185 J/cm² effectively inactivated L. monocytogenes without exogenous photosensitizers, supporting the hypothesis of intrinsic photosensitizer involvement. Subsequent work by Masson-Meyers et al. demonstrated that 405 nm light at 121 J/cm² suppressed MRSA growth by activating endogenous porphyrins, leading to ROS accumulation. Kim et al. further elucidated that ROS generated under 405 nm irradiation directly interact with unsaturated fatty acids in bacterial membranes, initiating lipid peroxidation. This process disrupts membrane fluidity, compromises structural integrity, and impairs membrane-bound proteins, ultimately causing cell death. In contrast, Gram-negative bacteria such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii exhibit more complex inactivation pathways. While endogenous porphyrins remain central to ROS generation, studies reveal additional photodynamic contributors, including flavins (e.g., riboflavin) and bacterial pigments. For instance, H. pylori naturally accumulates protoporphyrin and coproporphyrin mixtures, enabling efficient 405 nm light-mediated inactivation without antibiotic resistance concerns. Kim et al. demonstrated that 405 nm light at 288 J/cm² inactivates Salmonella by inducing genomic DNA oxidation (e.g., 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine formation) and disrupting membrane functions, particularly efflux pumps and glucose uptake systems. Huang et al. highlighted the enhanced efficacy of pulsed 405 nm light over continuous irradiation for E. coli, attributing this to increased membrane damage and optimized ROS generation through frequency-dependent photodynamic effects. Environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and osmotic stress further modulate susceptibility, sublethal stress conditions (e.g., high salinity or acidic environments) weaken bacterial membranes, rendering cells more vulnerable to subsequent ROS-mediated damage. The 405 nm blue light inactivates drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa through endogenous porphyrins, pyocyanin, and pyoverdine, with the inactivation efficacy influenced by bacterial growth phase and culture medium composition. Intriguingly, repeated 405 nm exposure (20 cycles) failed to induce resistance in A. baumannii, with transient tolerance linked to transient overexpression of antioxidant enzymes (e.g., superoxide dismutase) or stress-response genes (e.g., oxyR). For Gram-positive bacteria, porphyrin abundance dictates sensitivity, whereas in Gram-negative species, membrane architecture and accessory pigments modulate outcomes. Critically, ROS-mediated damage is nonspecific, targeting DNA, proteins, and lipids simultaneously, thereby minimizing resistance evolution. The 405 nm blue light technology, as a non-chemical sterilization method, shows promise in medical and food industries. It enhances infection control through photodynamic therapy and disinfection, synergizing with red light for anti-inflammatory treatments (e.g., acne). In food processing, it effectively inactivates pathogens (e.g., E. coli, S. aureus) without altering food quality. Despite efficacy against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii, challenges include device standardization, limited penetration in complex materials, and optimization of photosensitizers/light parameters. Interdisciplinary research is needed to address these limitations and scale applications in healthcare, food safety, and environmental decontamination.

Nanozyme is novel nanoparticle with enzyme-like activity, which can be classified into peroxidase-like nanozyme, catalase-like nanozyme, superoxide dismutase-like nanozyme, oxidase-like nanozyme and hydrolase-like nanozyme according to the type of reaction they catalyze. Since researchers first discovered Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with peroxidase-like activity in 2007, a variety of nanoparticles have been successively found to have catalytic activity and applied in bioassays, inflammation control, antioxidant damage and tumor therapy, playing a key role in disease diagnosis and treatment. We summarize the use of nanozymes with different classes of enzymatic activity in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and describe the main factors influencing nanozyme activity. A Mn-based peroxidase-like nanozyme that induces the reduction of glutathione in tumors to produce glutathione disulfide and Mn²⁺, which induces the production of reative oxygen species (ROS) in tumor cells by breaking down H₂O₂ in physiological media through Fenton-like action, thereby inhibiting tumor cell growth. To address the limitation of tumor tissue hypoxia during photodynamic tumor therapy, the effect of photodynamic therapy is significantly enhanced by using hydrogen peroxide nanozymes to catalyze the production of oxygen from H₂O₂. In pathological states, where excess superoxide radicals are produced in the body, superoxide dismutase-like nanozymes are able to selectively regulate intracellular ROS levels, thereby protecting normal cells and slowing down the degradation of cellular function. Based on this principle, an engineered nanosponge has been designed to rapidly scavenge free radicals and deliver oxygen in time to save nerve cells before thrombolysis. Starvation therapy, in which glucose oxidase catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells with the involvement of oxygen, attenuates glycolysis and the production of intermediate metabolites such as nucleotides, lipids and amino acids, was used to synthesize an oxidase-like nanozyme that achieved effective inhibition of tumor growth. Furthermore, by fine-tuning the Lewis acidity of the metal cluster to improve the intrinsic activity of the hydrolase nanozyme and providing a shortened ligand length to increase the density of its active site, a hydrolase-like nanozyme was successfully synthesized that is capable of cleaving phosphate bonds, amide bonds, glycosidic bonds and even biofilms with high efficiency in hydrolyzing the substrate. All these effects depend on the size, morphology, composition, surface modification and environmental media of the nanozyme, which are important aspects to consider in order to improve the catalytic efficiency of the nanozyme and have important implications for the development of nanozyme. Although some progress has been made in the research of nanozymes in disease treatment and diagnosis, there are still some problems, for example, the catalytic rate of nanozymes is still difficult to reach the level of natural enzymes in vivo, and the toxic effects of some heavy metal nanozymes material itself. Therefore, the construction of nanozyme systems with multiple functions, good biocompatibility and high targeting efficiency, and their large-scale application in diagnosis and treatment is still an urgent problem to be solved. (1) To improve the selectivity and specificity of nanozymes. By using antibody coupling, the nanoparticles are able to specifically bind to antigens that are overexpressed in certain cancer cells. It also significantly improves cellular internalization through antigen-mediated endocytosis and enhances the enrichment of nanozymes in target tissues, thereby improving targeting during tumor therapy. Some exogenous stimuli such as laser and ultrasound are used as triggers to control the activation of nanozymes and achieve specific activation of nanozyme. (2) To explore more practical and safer nanozymes and their catalytic mechanisms: biocompatible, clinically proven material molecules can be used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. (3) To solve the problem of its standardization and promote the large-scale clinical application of nanozymes in biomonitoring. Thus, it can go out of the laboratory and face the market to serve human health in more fields, which is one of the future trends of nanozyme development.

Chemotherapy resistance plays a pivotal role in the prognosis and therapeutic failure of patients with colorectal cancer(CRC).Cisplatin(DDP)-resistant cells exhibit an inherent ability to evade the toxic chemotherapeutic drug effects which are characterized by the activation of slow-cycle programs and DNA repair.Among the elements that lead to DDP resistance,O6-methylguanine(O6-MG)-DNA-meth-yltransferase(MGMT),a DNA-repair enzyme,performs a quintessential role.In this study,we clarify the significant involvement of MGMT in conferring DDP resistance in CRC,elucidating the underlying mechanism of the regulatory actions of MGMT.A notable upregulation of MGMT in DDP-resistant cancer cells was found in our study,and MGMT repression amplifies the sensitivity of these cells to DDP treatment in vitro and in vivo.Conversely,in cancer cells,MGMT overexpression abolishes their sensi-tivity to DDP treatment.Mechanistically,the interaction between MGMT and cyclin dependent kinase 1(CDK1)inducing slow-cycling cells is attainted via the promotion of ubiquitination degradation of CDK1.Meanwhile,to achieve nonhomologous end joining,MGMT interacts with XRCC6 to resist chemotherapy drugs.Our transcriptome data from samples of 88 patients with CRC suggest that MGMT expression is co-related with the Wnt signaling pathway activation,and several Wnt inhibitors can repress drug-resistant cells.In summary,our results point out that MGMT is a potential therapeutic target and predictive marker of chemoresistance in CRC.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer prevails and induces high mortality around the world. This study provided real-world information on the evolution of clinicopathological profiles and survival outcomes of lung cancer, and provided survival information within stage I subtypes. METHODS: Patients pathologically confirmed with lung cancer between January 2009 and December 2018 were identified with complete clinicopathological information, molecular testing results, and follow-up data. Shifts in clinical characteristics were evaluated using χ2 tests. Overall survival (OS) was calculated through the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 26,226 eligible lung cancer patients were included, among whom 62.55% were male and 52.89% were smokers. Non-smokers and elderly patients took increasingly larger proportions in the whole patient population. The proportion of adenocarcinoma increased from 51.63% to 71.80%, while that of squamous carcinoma decreased from 28.43% to 17.60%. Gene mutations including EGFR (52.14%), KRAS (12.14%), and ALK (8.12%) were observed. Female, younger, non-smoking, adenocarcinoma patients and those with mutated EGFR had better survival prognoses. Importantly, this study validated that early detection of early-stage lung cancer patients had contributed to pronounced survival benefits during the decade. Patients with stage I lung cancer, accounted for an increasingly considerable proportion, increasing from 15.28% to 40.25%, coinciding with the surgery rate increasing from 38.14% to 54.25%. Overall, period survival analyses found that 42.69% of patients survived 5 years, and stage I patients had a 5-year OS of 84.20%. Compared with that in 2009-2013, the prognosis of stage I patients in 2014-2018 was dramatically better, with 5-year OS increasing from 73.26% to 87.68%. Regarding the specific survival benefits among stage I patients, the 5-year survival rates were 95.28%, 93.25%, 82.08%, and 74.50% for stage IA1, IA2, IA3, and IB, respectively, far more promising than previous reports. CONCLUSIONS Crucial clinical and pathological changes have been observed in the past decade. Notably, the increased incidence of stage I lung cancer coincided with an improved prognosis, indicating actual benefits of early detection and management of lung cancer.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; Mutation ; ErbB Receptors/genetics* ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies

Extramedullary plasma cell tumor (EMP) is a kind of plasma cell tumor, and its pathogenesis is not completely clear. According to whether it is independent of myeloma disease, it can be divided into primary and secondary EMP, which have different biological and clinical characteristics. Primary EMP has low invasion, fewer cytogenetic and molecular genetic abnormalities and good prognosis, and surgery and / or radiotherapy are the mainly treatments. Secondary EMP, as the extramedullary invasive progression of multiple myeloma (MM), is often accompanied by high-risk cellular and molecular genetic abnormalities and poor prognosis, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are the mainly treatment. This paper reviews the latest research progress of EMP in the pathogenesis, cytogenetics molecular genetics and treatment, so as to provide reference for clinical work.
Humans ; Plasmacytoma/surgery* ; Prognosis ; Multiple Myeloma/genetics* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT) is a novel technique of external beam radiotherapy, combining positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) with a linear accelerator (LINAC). The key innovation is to utilize PET signals from tracers in tumor tissues for real-time tracking and guiding beamlets. Compared with a traditional LINAC system, a BgRT system is more complex in hardware design, software algorithm, system integration and clinical workflow. RefleXion Medical has developed the world's first BgRT system. Nevertheless, its actively advertised function, PET-guided radiotherapy, is still in the research and development phase. In this review study, we presented a number of issues related to BgRT, including its technical advantages and potential challenges.
Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Algorithms ; Particle Accelerators ; Biology ; Radiotherapy, Image-Guided/methods* ; Radiotherapy Dosage

Objective: To explore the difference in intensive care unit (ICU) readmission rate between high dependency unit (HDU) and general ward for the patients with severe liver disease (SLD), and reflect the effect of HDU on SLD patientse. Methods: A clinical cohort of patients transferred out of ICU was established, and patients with severe liver disease who were transferred to HDU& general ward from July 2017 to December 2021 in the intensive care Unit of the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were continuously enrolled. The main liver function indexes and MELD scores between the two groups were compared. Analyze the differences in severity and ICU readmission rate of SLD patients transferred to different wards, and clarify the role of HDU in the management of SLD patient. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) was used to investigate the value of MELD score in predicting the occurrence of return to ICU. Results: The level of INR, TB, ALT and MELD scores of SLD patients transferred to HDU were significantly higher than those of patients transferred to general ward (all P < 0.05). MELD > 17 was found in 70.7% of SLD patients transferred to HDU group, while MELD ≤ 17 was found in 61.9% of SLD patients in general ward group. The ICU readmission rate of all patients in this cohort was 11.4%. By MELD quartile stratification, patients with SLD whose MELD > 23 had a significantly higher ICU readmission rate (20.0%) than those with SLD whose MELD ≤ 23 (8.6%) (P = 0.020). The ICU readmission rate was 8.2% when MELD ≤ 23 in the HDU group and 9.1% when MELD > 23, showing no significant difference (P = 1.000). The ICU readmission rate was 8.8% when MELD ≤ 23 in the general ward group. ICU reentry rate increased significantly to 36.4% when MELD > 23 (P = 0.001). MELD Score predicts that the optimal cut-off value of SLD patients in general ward readmitted to ICU was 23.5. Conclusion: The high dependency unit could better admit patients with SLD who were transferred out of ICU and required step-down treatment, and significantly reduced the ICU readmission rate of patients with SLD who were transferred out of ICU with MELD > 23. The patients with SLD and MELD score > 23 are suitable to be transferred from ICU to HDU.

Objective: To investigate the factors influencing tumor-specific survival of early-onset locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods: All-age patients with primary locally advanced rectal cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2010 to 2019) were included in this study. Early- and late-onset locally advanced rectal cancer was defined according to age of 50 years at diagnosis. Early-onset locally advanced rectal cancer was divided into five age groups for subgroup analyses. Age, sex, tumor-specific survival time and survival status of patients at diagnosis, pathological grade, TNM stage, perineural invasion, tumor deposits, tumor size, pretreatment CEA , radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and number of lymph node dissections were included. Progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed and compared between patients with early- and late-onset rectal cancer. Results: A total of 5,048 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer were included in the study (aged 27-70 years): 1,290 (25.55%) patients with early-onset rectal cancer and 3,758 (74.45%) patients with late-onset rectal cancer. Patients with early-onset rectal cancer had a higher rate of perineural invasion (P<0.001), more positive lymph nodes dissected (P<0.001), higher positive lymph node ratios (P<0.001), and a higher proportion receiving preoperative radiotherapy (P=0.002). Patients with early-onset rectal cancer had slightly better short-term survival than those with late-onset rectal cancer (median (IQR ): 54 (33-83) vs 50 (31-79) months, χ²=5.192, P=0.023). Multivariate Cox regression for all patients with locally advanced rectal cancer showed that age (P=0.008), grade of tumor differentiation (P=0.002), pretreatment CEA (P=0.008), perineural invasion (P=0.021), positive number (P=0.004) and positive ratio (P=0.001) of dissected lymph nodes, and sequence of surgery and radiotherapy (P=0.005) influenced PFS. This suggests that the Cox regression results for all patients may not be applicable to patients with early-onset cancer. Cox analysis showed tumor differentiation grade (patients with low differentiation had a higher risk of death, P=0.027), TNM stage (stage III patients had a higher risk of death, P=0.025), T stage (higher risk of death in stage T4, P<0.001), pretreatment CEA (P=0.002), perineural invasion (P<0.001), tumor deposits (P=0.005), number of dissected lymph nodes (patients with removal of 12-20 lymph nodes had a lower risk of death, P<0.001), and positive number of dissected lymph nodes (P<0.001) were independent factors influencing PFS of patients with early-onset locally advanced rectal cancer. Conclusion: Patients with early-onset locally advanced rectal cancer were more likely to have adverse prognostic factors, but an adequate number of lymph node dissections (12-20) resulted in better survival outcomes.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Staging ; Extranodal Extension/pathology* ; Survival Analysis ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Lymph Nodes/pathology*

Ex vivo culture-amplified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied because of their capacity for healing tissue injury. MSC transplantation is a valid approach for promoting the repair of damaged tissues and replacement of lost cells or to safeguard surviving cells, but currently the efficiency of MSC transplantation is constrained by the extensive loss of MSCs during the short post-transplantation period. Hence, strategies to increase the efficacy of MSC treatment are urgently needed. Iron overload, reactive oxygen species deposition, and decreased antioxidant capacity suppress the proliferation and regeneration of MSCs, thereby hastening cell death. Notably, oxidative stress (OS) and deficient antioxidant defense induced by iron overload can result in ferroptosis. Ferroptosis may inhibit cell survival after MSC transplantation, thereby reducing clinical efficacy. In this review, we explore the role of ferroptosis in MSC performance. Given that little research has focused on ferroptosis in transplanted MSCs, further study is urgently needed to enhance the in vivo implantation, function, and duration of MSCs.
Humans ; Antioxidants/metabolism* ; Ferroptosis ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Iron Overload/metabolism*