Objective To calculate the absorbed doses and conversion coefficients of various organs in humans after oral administration of urea-¹⁴C, and to provide a convenient method for evaluating the internal radiation dose caused by ingestion of urea-¹⁴C in Chinese population. Methods The Chinese reference human voxel model was imported into the FLUKA software to simulate the absorbed doses to organs under internal exposure to ¹⁴C, and to obtain the dose conversion coefficients for oral administration of urea-¹⁴C. Results The absorbed dose conversion coefficients for the stomach, colon, bladder, heart, and muscles were 0.029, 0.029, 0.32 (0.24), 0.028, and 0.029 mGy/MBq in negative cases, and 0.079, 0.078, 0.18 (0.15), 0.076, and 0.080 mGy/MBq in positive cases. The committed effective dose coefficients were 0.041 (0.037) mSv/MBq in negative cases and 0.082 (0.081) mSv/MBq in positive cases. Conclusion The dose conversion coefficients obtained in this study can provide important parameters for evaluating the absorbed dose to Chinese population after oral administration of urea-¹⁴C.

Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the methionine and purine salvage pathway, and is closely related to polyamine metabolism, adenine metabolism and methionine metabolism. MTAP is frequently deleted in malignant mesothelioma (MM) and plays an important role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of MM. At the same time, metabolic reprogramming caused by MTAP deletion creates new therapeutic strategies for MM. Besides, MTAP gene is also associated with the prognosis of MM, therefore MTAP is a significant biomarker for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of MM.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is the template for protein biosynthesis and is emerging as an essential active molecule to combat various diseases, including viral infection and cancer. Especially, mRNA-based vaccines, as a new type of vaccine, have played a leading role in fighting against the current global pandemic of COVID-19. However, the inherent drawbacks, including large size, negative charge, and instability, hinder its use as a therapeutic agent. Lipid carriers are distinguishable and promising vehicles for mRNA delivery, owning the capacity to encapsulate and deliver negatively charged drugs to the targeted tissues and release cargoes at the desired time. Here, we first summarized the structure and properties of different lipid carriers, such as liposomes, liposome-like nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, exosomes and lipoprotein particles, and their applications in delivering mRNA. Then, the development of lipid-based formulations as vaccine delivery systems was discussed and highlighted. Recent advancements in the mRNA vaccine of COVID-19 were emphasized. Finally, we described our future vision and perspectives in this field.

Owing to the inherent shortcomings of traditional therapeutic drugs in terms of inadequate therapeutic efficacy and toxicity in clinical treatment, nanomedicine designs have received widespread attention with significantly improved efficacy and reduced non-target side effects. Nanomedicines hold tremendous theranostic potential for treating, monitoring, diagnosing, and controlling various diseases and are attracting an unfathomable amount of input of research resources. Against the backdrop of an exponentially growing number of publications, it is imperative to help the audience get a panorama image of the research activities in the field of nanomedicines. Herein, this review elaborates on the development trends of nanomedicines, emerging nanocarriers, in vivo fate and safety of nanomedicines, and their extensive applications. Moreover, the potential challenges and the obstacles hindering the clinical translation of nanomedicines are also discussed. The elaboration on various aspects of the research trends of nanomedicines may help enlighten the readers and set the route for future endeavors.

Diabetic foot ulcer is a serious and destructive complication of diabetes， with the rates of disability and mortality increasing year by year， which poses a serious threat to human physical and mental health. In the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the combination of syndrome differentiation and overall concept can not only alleviate TCM syndrome but also accelerate wound healing， reduce wound recurrence， delay the further deterioration of diabetic foot ulcer， and decrease the rates of disability and mortality. Modern studies have demonstrated that the difficult healing of diabetic foot ulcer is closely associated with the abnormal distribution of cytokines such as inflammatory cytokines， growth factors， and chemokines. With the deepening of modern medical research on TCM， the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer via regulation of cytokines by Chinese medicinal monomers and prescriptions has become a research focus. This paper summarizes the current research status at home and abroad and draws the following conclusions. ① Sesamol， geniposide， Danggui Buxuetang， and Zizhu ointment can regulate tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-1， IL-6， IL-10 and other inflammatory cytokines to inhibit wound inflammation. ② Angelicae Dahuricae Radix， salvianolic acid B， Sixiao powder， Badu Shengji ointment （Zhuang medicine）， etc.， regulate vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF）， transforming growth factor （TGF）， epidermal growth factor （EGF） and other growth factors to promote collagen deposition and angiogenesis on wound surface. ③ Paeoniflorin， cryptanshinone， bee venom， and Huiyang Shengji decoction regulate CXC chemokine ligand （CXCL） 1， CXCL2， C-C chemokine ligand （CCL） 2， CCL3， stromal cell-derived factor-1α （SDF-1α）， monocyte chemoattract protein-1 （MCP-1） and other chemokines to reduce inflammatory response and promote neovascularization and wound granulation tissue formation. ④ In the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer， Chinese medicinal monomers and prescriptions have different and complicated mechanisms. The multi-target treatment manner determines that Chinese medicines can act on a variety of cytokines to participate in various stages of wound healing and thus play a therapeutic role. The conclusion above aims to provide ideas for the experimental research and clinical treatment of diabetic foot ulcer with TCM in the future.

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin malignant tumor, which is prone to early metastasis and relapse after treatment. Therapeutic tumor vaccines are new immunotherapies, which have the advantages of low toxicity and inhibiting tumor metastasis. Melanoma has a high mutation load and a large number of specific antigens. Currently, various types of tumor vaccines have been developed for melanoma, especially those based on dendritic cells (DC). Although the efficacy of therapeutic DC vaccines in melanoma has been confirmed by a number of studies, these vaccines still have problems such as insufficient immune effect and poor efficacy when used alone, and there is still a large room for improvement. In this paper, the current research status of therapeutic DC vaccines for melanoma was reviewed, and the research key points and optimization strategy of therapeutic DC tumor were prospected.

The use of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has been under investigation for the treatment of several unmet medical needs, including acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) wherein siRNA may be implemented to modify the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines at the mRNA level. The properties such as clear anatomy, accessibility, and relatively low enzyme activity make the lung a good target for local siRNA therapy. However, the translation of siRNA is restricted by the inefficient delivery of siRNA therapeutics to the target cells due to the properties of naked siRNA. Thus, this review will focus on the various delivery systems that can be used and the different barriers that need to be surmounted for the development of stable inhalable siRNA formulations for human use before siRNA therapeutics for ALI/ARDS become available in the clinic.

Proteins and peptides (PPs) have gradually become more attractive therapeutic molecules than small molecular drugs due to their high selectivity and efficacy, but fewer side effects. Owing to the poor stability and limited permeability through gastrointestinal (GI) tract and epithelia, the therapeutic PPs are usually administered by parenteral route. Given the big demand for oral administration in clinical use, a variety of researches focused on developing new technologies to overcome GI barriers of PPs, such as enteric coating, enzyme inhibitors, permeation enhancers, nanoparticles, as well as intestinal microdevices. Some new technologies have been developed under clinical trials and even on the market. This review summarizes the history, the physiological barriers and the overcoming approaches, current clinical and preclinical technologies, and future prospects of oral delivery of PPs.

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) represent a growing public concern for clinicians to manage in many medical settings, with substantial associated morbidities and mortalities. Among many current therapeutic options for the treatment of IFIs, amphotericin B (AmB) is the most frequently used drug. AmB is considered as a first-line drug in the clinic that has strong antifungal activity and less resistance. In this review, we summarized the most promising research efforts on nanocarriers for AmB delivery and highlighted their efficacy and safety for treating IFIs. We have also discussed the mechanism of actions of AmB, rationale for treating IFIs, and recent advances in formulating AmB for clinical use. Finally, this review discusses some practical considerations and provides recommendations for future studies in applying AmB for combating IFIs.

Self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDSs) have recently returned to the limelight of academia and industry due to their enormous potential in oral delivery of biomacromolecules. However, information on gastrointestinal lipolysis and trans-epithelial transport of SMEDDS is rare. Aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) fluorescent probes are utilized to visualize the