Quantum Dots in Cell Biology

Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that have broad excitation spectra, narrow emission spectra, tunable emission peaks, long fluorescence lifetimes, negligible photobleaching, and ability to be conjugated to proteins, making them excellent probes for bioimaging applications. Here the author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of using quantum dots in bioimaging applications, such as single-particle tracking and fluorescence resonance energy transfer, to study receptor-mediated transport.     

干细胞在 1 型糖尿病治疗中的应用研究进展

1型糖尿病（T1D）是一种慢性、多因素自身免疫性疾病,在发病过程中,会不断破坏胰岛β细胞,最终导致胰岛素分泌不足, 严重威胁人类健康。目前,根治T1D的主要方法是胰岛移植,即将移植的胰岛替代体内已被疾病破坏的胰岛细胞,以恢复正常血糖。但 是,胰岛移植供体的缺乏和移植免疫排斥反应,给胰岛移植的临床应用带来巨大挑战。近年来,干细胞治疗为T1D提供了一种新疗法, 成为T1D治疗领域新的研究热点,为该病的治疗提供了新思路。综述不同来源干细胞——胚胎干细胞、诱导多能干细胞和成体干细胞用 于治疗T1D的研究进展。     

Cell Churches and Stem Cell Marketing in South Korea and the United States

The commercial provision of putative stem cell‐based medical interventions in the absence of conclusive evidence of safety and efficacy has formed the basis of an unregulated industry for more than a decade. Many clinics offering such supposed stem cell treatments include statements about the ‘ethical’ nature of somatic (often colloquially referred to as ‘adult’ stem cells) stem cells, in specific contrast to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which have been the subject of intensive political, legal, and religious controversy since their first derivation in 1998 1 . Christian groups—both Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant—in many countries have explicitly promoted the medical potential and current‐day successes in the clinical application of somatic stem cells, lending indirect support to the activities of businesses marketing stem cells ahead of evidence 2 . In this article, I make a preliminary examination of how the structures and belief systems of certain churches in South Korea and the United States, both of which are home to significant stem cell marketing industries, has complemented other factors, including national biomedical funding initiatives, international economic rivalries, permissive legal structures, which have lent impetus to a problematic and often exploitative sector of biomedical commerce 3 .     

在光动力疗法中应用的量子点

概述了现存的主要量子点的构成及其特点,阐述了量子点的性质主要由量子点的成分、结构、包覆和尺寸所决定。并重点讨论量子点在光动力疗法中,量子点直接代替传统光敏剂、量子点的荧光共振能量转移、量子点作为宽禁带半导体材料TiO2的敏化剂等三种不同应用中,对量子点的要求,通过讨论指出由于其特性,量子点将在光动力疗法中得到更广泛的应用,也对在光动力疗法中应用的量子点的毒性及其他可能产生的问题提出了展望。     

Low‐Temperature‐Processed Colloidal Quantum Dots as Building Blocks for Thermoelectrics

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are demonstrated to be promising materials to realize high‐performance thermoelectrics owing to their low thermal conductivity. The most studied CQD films, however, are using long ligands that require high processing and operation temperature (>400 °C) to achieve optimum thermoelectric performance. Here the thermoelectric properties of CQD films cross‐linked using short ligands that allow strong inter‐QD coupling are reported. Using the ligands, p‐type thermoelectric solids are demonstrated with a high Seebeck coefficient and power factor of 400 μV K^?1 and 30 µW m^?1 K^?2, respectively, leading to maximum ZT of 0.02 at a lower measurement temperature (<400 K) and lower processing temperature (<300 °C). These ligands further reduce the annealing temperature to 175 °C, significantly increasing the Seebeck coefficient of the CQD films to 580 μV K^?1. This high Seebeck coefficient with a superior ZT near room temperature compared to previously reported high temperature‐annealed CQD films is ascribed to the smaller grain size, which enables the retainment of quantum confinement and significantly increases the hole effective mass in the films. This study provides a pathway to approach quantum confinement for achieving a high Seebeck coefficient yet strong inter‐QD coupling, which offers a step toward low‐temperature‐processed high‐performance thermoelectric generators.     

量子点在生物医学中的应用

半导体量子点是无机纳米结晶,构成于硒化镉核心和硫化锌外壳.这种荧光标记物的发射光强是常用有机荧光染料的20倍,稳定性是其100倍.量子点的发射波长取决于核心粒子的大小,而每一种单色量子点的发射波长窄而对称.这些光学特性使量子点在医学诊断、药物的高速筛选以及基因和蛋白质的高通量分析方面具有广泛的应用前景.基于量子点的稳定性和生物相容性,有可能通过标记不同颜色的量子点到不同的分子,观察它们在活细胞内的运动.     

Targeted Anticancer Drug Delivery Using Chitosan,Carbon Quantum Dots,and Aptamers to Deliver Ganoderic Acid and 5-Fluorouracil

Breast cancer is a malignancy that affects mostly females and is among the most lethal types of cancer. The ligand-functionalized nanoparticles used in the nano-drug delivery system offer enormous potential for cancer treatments. This work devised a promising approach to increase drug loading efficacy and produce sustained release of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and Ganoderic acid (GA) as model drugs for breast cancer. Chitosan, aptamer, and carbon quantum dot (CS/Apt/COQ) hydrogels were initially synthesized as a pH-sensitive and biocompatible delivery system. Then, CS/Apt/COQ NPs loaded with 5-FU-GA were made using the W/O/W emulsification method. FT-IR, XRD, DLS, zeta potentiometer, and SEM were used to analyze NP's chemical structure, particle size, and shape. Cell viability was measured using MTT assays in vitro using the MCF-7 cell lines. Real-time PCR measured cell apoptotic gene expression. XRD and FT-IR investigations validated nanocarrier production and revealed their crystalline structure and molecular interactions. DLS showed that nanocarriers include NPs with an average size of 250.6 nm and PDI of 0.057. SEM showed their spherical form, and zeta potential studies showed an average surface charge of +37.8 mV. pH 5.4 had a highly effective and prolonged drug release profile, releasing virtually all 5-FU and GA in 48 h. Entrapment efficiency percentages for 5-FU and GA were 84.7±5.2 and 80.2 %±2.3, respectively. The 5-FU-GA-CS-CQD-Apt group induced the highest cell death, with just 57.9 % of the MCF-7 cells surviving following treatment. 5-FU and GA in CS-CQD-Apt enhanced apoptotic induction by flow cytometry. 5-FU-GA-CS-CQD-Apt also elevated Caspase 9 and downregulated Bcl2. Accordingly, the produced NPs may serve as pH-sensitive nano vehicles for the controlled release of 5-FU and GA in treating breast cancer.     

The Role of Negative Charge in the Delivery of Quantum Dots to Neurons

Despite our extensive knowledge of the structure of negatively charged cell surface proteoglycans and sialoglycoconjugates in the brain, we have little understanding of how their negative charge contributes to brain function. We have previously shown that intensely photoluminescent 9-nm diameter quantum dots (QDs) with a CdSe core, a ZnS shell, and a negatively charged compact molecular ligand coating (CL4) selectively target neurons rather than glia. We now provide an explanation for this selective neuronal delivery. In this study, we compared three zwitterionic QD coatings differing only in their regions of positive or negative charge, as well as a positively charged (NH₂) polyethylene glycol (PEG) coat, for their ability to deliver the cell-membrane-penetrating chaperone lipopeptide JB577 (WG(Palmitoyl)VKIKKP₉G₂H₆) to individual cells in neonatal rat hippocampal slices. We confirm both that preferential uptake in neurons, and the lack of uptake in glia, is strongly associated with having a region of greater negative charge on the QD coating. In addition, the role of negatively charged chondroitin sulfate of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in restricting uptake was further suggested by digesting neonatal rat hippocampal slices with chondroitinase ABC and showing increased uptake of QDs by oligodendrocytes. Treatment still did not affect uptake in astrocytes or microglia. Finally, the future potential of using QDs as vehicles for trafficking proteins into cells continues to show promise, as we show that by administering a histidine-tagged green fluorescent protein (eGFP-His₆) to hippocampal slices, we can observe neuronal uptake of GFP.     

干细胞和产前治疗

干细胞特殊的生物性质为产前治疗的研究和应用带来了新的希望。近年来,借助干细胞进行的产前治疗的基础研究进展迅速,为早日在临床广泛开展产前治疗提供了大量有益的参考和指导。本文就这方面的研究进展作一综述。 Stem Cells and Prenatal Therapy WANG Mo-lin,HUANG Shu-zhen Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics,Shanghai Children Hospital,Shanghai 200040,China Abstract:The special biological properties of stem cells bring us new hope for the research and application of prenatal therapy.The basic reseach of prenatal therapy utilizing stem cells developed quickly,providing reference and direction for clinical therapy.This review is mainly related to the progress in this field in recent years. Key words：stem cell;prenatal therapy     

Efficient Hybrid Tandem Solar Cells Based on Optical Reinforcement of Colloidal Quantum Dots with Organic Bulk Heterojunctions

While colloidal quantum dot photovoltaic devices (CQDPVs) can achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ≈12%, their insufficient optical absorption in the near‐infrared (NIR) regime impairs efficient utilization of the full spectrum of visible light. Here, high‐efficiency, solution‐processed, hybrid series, tandem photovoltaic devices are developed featuring CQDs and organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photoactive materials for front‐ and back‐cells, respectively. The organic BHJ back‐cell efficiently harvests the transmitted NIR photons from the CQD front‐cell, which reinforces the photon‐to‐current conversion at 350–1000 nm wavelengths. Optimizing the short‐circuit current density balance of each sub‐cell and creating a near ideal series connection using an intermediate layer achieve a PCE (12.82%) that is superior to that of each single‐junction device (11.17% and 11.02% for the CQD and organic BHJ device, respectively). Notably, the PCE of the hybrid tandem device is the highest among the reported CQDPVs, including single‐junction devices and tandem devices. The hybrid tandem device also exhibits almost negligible degradation after air storage for 3 months. This study suggests a potential route to improve the performance of CQDPVs by proper hybridization with NIR‐absorbing photoactive materials.     

干细胞治疗糖尿病足的实验研究进展

糖尿病足是指因糖尿病血管病变和（或）神经病变及感染等综合因素,导致I陵性进行性波及肢体大、中、微血管,引起足部疼痛、皮肤深溃疡或肢体坏疽的一种病变,是糖尿病的严重并发症之一。临床治疗非常棘手,难以取得令人满意的疗效,最终导致截肢甚至危及病患生命。因此,临床上迫切需要找到创伤小、易接受、疗效好的新的治疗方法。干细胞具有高度增殖和分化成为体内各种细胞的潜能,其可塑性强,为糖尿病足的治疗带来新前景,目前是国内外学者研究的热点之一。该文就干细胞移植治疗糖尿病足的实验研究进展作一综述。     

Autophagy Promotes Tumor-like Stem Cell Niche Occupancy

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诱导性多能干细胞向神经细胞分化的研究进展

诱导性多能干细胞(induced pluripotent stem cell,iPS cell)是通过转染外源特定的基因组合来诱导成体细胞重编程为类似于胚胎干细胞的一种多潜能干细胞,iPS细胞与胚胎干细胞不仅在形态上相似,而且在功能方面几乎相同.另外,iPS细胞的诞生克服了胚胎干细胞在临床应用时涉及的移植免疫排斥与伦理道德问题,因此具有重要的临床应用价值.目前iPS在治疗中枢神经系统性疾病方面的研究已取得很大进展,包括iPS细胞向神经细胞诱导分化方法的改进、分化机理的探索以及iPS细胞分化来源神经细胞在神经系统疾病模型中治疗作用的研究等.从iPS细胞的创建及特点、iPS细胞向神经细胞分化的诱导方法及研究新进展方面予以综述.     

乳腺癌干细胞和乳腺癌

肿瘤干细胞既包含干细胞的特性也包含肿瘤细胞的特性。乳腺癌起源于乳腺癌干细胞的说法能够合理地解释乳腺癌的不均一性及其治疗后的复发,这些变异的干细胞可能作为肿瘤预防策略的靶标。而且,由于乳腺癌干细胞能够抵抗辐射治疗和化学治疗,所以要想更好地治疗乳腺癌就需要寻找针对这些干细胞的靶标。我们综述了乳腺癌干细胞的发现、富集和分离、相关的信号途径,以及在乳腺癌治疗中的应用。     

间充质干细胞治疗糖尿病的研究进展

糖尿病是目前困扰人类健康的第三大杀手。胰岛移植作为糖尿病的一种有效方法早已得到公认,但是胰岛供体的缺乏和移植排斥反应的存在限制了胰岛移植的临床应用[1]。胰岛素替代疗法是目前治疗糖尿病最有效的方法。然而这种方法也有许多缺陷。间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cell,MSC)具有多向分化潜能的均质性细胞,具有供源丰富、易于获得、有自由供体、避免免疫排斥等优点,因而是较为理想的胰岛B细胞来源[2]。近年来,众多实验研究表明了通过诱导MSC分化为胰岛B细胞治疗糖尿病的可能性。     

干细胞生物工程研究展望

 由于最近两年干细胞研究技术的突破 ,一门崭新的学科“干细胞生物工程”已经形成 .人类胚胎干细胞在体外的成功培养以及一种组织的干细胞 (成体干细胞 )向另一种组织细胞横向分化的发现 ,为利用“干细胞生物工程”技术治疗疾病奠定了基础 .本综述着重介绍干细胞研究领域的一些新概念和新技术以及干细胞分化的基因调控 .对干细胞生物工程的临床应用前景作了概括性讨论     

Therapeutic Use of Stem Cell Transplantation for Cell Replacement or Cytoprotective Effect of Microvesicle Released from Mesenchymal Stem Cell

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and severe type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP), and which is currently no method was developed to restore normal structure and function. There are several reports on therapeutic effects of adult stem cell transplantations in animal models of pulmonary fibrosis. However, little is known about how mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) can repair the IPF. In this study, we try to provide the evidence to show that transplanted mesenchymal stem cells directly replace fibrosis with normal lung cells using IPF model mice. As results, transplanted MSC successfully integrated and differentiated into type II lung cell which express surfactant protein. In the other hand, we examine the therapeutic effects of microvesicle treatment, which were released from mesenchymal stem cells. Though the therapeutic effects of MV treatment is less than that of MSC treatment, MV treat-ment meaningfully reduced the symptom of IPF, such as collagen deposition and inflammation. These data suggest that stem cell transplantation may be an effective strategy for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis via replacement and cytoprotective effect of microvesicle released from MSCs.     

干细胞在胰腺癌中的研究进展

胰腺癌是预后程度极差的恶性肿瘤,已初步证实胰腺干细胞可转化为胰腺癌细胞。成功分离和鉴定了胰腺癌干细胞并对其与转移、耐药的关系和信号通路异常的关系进行了初步研究。深入理解干细胞在胰腺癌中的作用,可能根本改变临床胰腺癌防治的方式。     

病毒载体与造血干细胞基因治疗

多种获得性和遗传性疾病累及造血细胞。造血干细胞是人类基因治疗的重要靶细胞。成功的造血干细胞基因治疗不仅需要高效基因转移,还需要治疗基因的长期、高水平表达。反转录病毒载体是造血干细胞基因治疗的常用载体,结合优化的造血干细胞转导条件,其介导的腺苷脱氨酶缺陷引起的严重联合免疫缺陷和X染色体连锁的严重联合免疫缺陷的基因治疗已经获得初步成功;其他整合型病毒载体如慢病毒和腺相关病毒载体,也在临床前造血干细胞基因治疗研究中得到广泛应用。从病毒载体、基因转移和基因表达等几个方面综述了造血干细胞基因治疗的临床前和临床研究的重要进展。     

量子点在生物学中的应用

量子点是一种无机荧光材料,它具有独特的光物理特性,如其激发光谱宽且连续分布,而发射光谱呈对称分布且宽度窄,而且可通过改变量子点内核的尺寸对其发射光波长进行精细调节等。量子点的这些特性正引起人们日益广泛的关注,并在很多领域得到了应用。本文介绍了量子点的组成以及它的光学特性,同时介绍并讨论了近年来量子点在生物学领域应用的进展以及存在的问题。