Control of living cells on biocompatible materials or on modified substrates is important for the development of bio-applications, including biosensors and implant biomaterials. The topography and hydrophobicity of substrates highly affect cell adhesion, growth, and cell growth kinetics, which is of great importance in bio-applications. Herein, we investigate the adhesion, growth, and morphology of cultured breast cancer cells on a silicon substrate, on which graphene oxides (GO) was partially formed. By minimizing the size and amount of the GO-containing solution and the further annealing process, GO-coated Si samples were prepared which partially covered the Si substrates. The coverage of GO on Si samples decreases upon annealing. The behaviors of cells cultured on two samples have been observed, i.e. partially GO-coated Si (P-GO) and annealed partially GO-coated Si (Annealed p-GO), with a different coverage of GO. Indeed, the spreading area covered by the cells and the number of cells for a given culture period in the incubator were highly dependent on the hydrophobicity and the presence of oxygenated groups on GO and Si substrates, suggesting hydrophobicity-driven cell growth. Thus, the presented method can be used to control the cell growth via an appropriate surface modification.

paek 1,2,3 ✉ & Young Bin choy 6,7,8 ✉ Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, and no treatment has been yet established to prevent disease progression. Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant, has been considered a promising neuroprotective agent; however, conventional oral administration provides limited efficacy due to its very low bioavailability. In this study, we hypothesised that continuous, intrastriatal administration of a low dose of Coenzyme Q10 could effectively prevent dopaminergic neuron degeneration. To this end, a Parkinson's disease rat model induced by 6-hydroxydopamine was established, and the treatment was applied a week before the full establishment of this disease model. Behavioural tests showed a dramatically decreased number of asymmetric rotations in the intrastriatal Coenzyme Q10 group compared with the no treatment group. Rats with intrastriatal Coenzyme Q10 exposure also exhibited a larger number of dopaminergic neurons, higher expression of neurogenetic and angiogenetic factors, and less inflammation, and the effects were more prominent than those of orally administered Coenzyme Q10, although the dose of intrastriatal Coenzyme Q10 was 17,000-times lower than that of orally-administered Coenzyme Q10. Therefore, continuous, intrastriatal delivery of Coenzyme Q10, especially when combined with implantable devices for convection-enhanced delivery or deep brain stimulation, can be an effective strategy to prevent neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder 1 , which affects approximately 7 million people globally. With increased life expectancy, the disease is expected to have an even greater impact in the future 2. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder caused by the death of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra and a consequent reduction of dopamine in the striatum 1. Since the progressive loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia causes the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, therapy in clinical settings is predominantly focused on the exogenous supply of dopamine with the prodrug, levodopa (L-dopa), or dopamine agonists, to offer symptomatic relief. However, such therapeutic approaches are effective mainly in the early stage of the disease 3,4. Moreover, prolonged use of L-dopa or dopamine agonists has been reported to become ineffective at improving motor symptoms and often provokes severe side effects, such as joint stiffness, dyskinesia, somnolence, oedema, and hallucinations 4. Consequently, many attempts have been made to identify potent novel drugs (i.e. motor-or non-motor symptomatic agents) or innovative drug-delivery methods for treating Parkinson's disease 5,6. Nevertheless, there is a

RNA therapeutics, including messenger RNA (mRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), are genetic materials that mediate the translation of genetic direction from genes to induce or inhibit specific protein production. Although the interest in RNA therapeutics is rising globally, the absence of an effective delivery system is an obstacle to the clinical application of RNA therapeutics. Additionally, immunogenicity, short duration of protein expression, unwanted enzymatic degradation, and insufficient cellular uptake could limit the therapeutic efficacy of RNA therapeutics. In this regard, novel platforms based on nanoparticles are crucial for delivering RNAs to the targeted site to increase efficiency without toxicity. In this review, the most recent status of nanoparticles as RNA delivery vectors, with a focus on polymeric nanoparticles, peptidederived nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, and hybrid nanoparticles, is discussed. These nanoparticular platforms can be utilized for safe and effective RNA delivery to augment therapeutic effects. Ultimately, RNA therapeutics encapsulated in nanoparticle-based carriers will be used to treat many diseases and save lives.

Abstract. ) is a proinflammatory cytokine that acts as a significant pathogenetic factor in various diseases and malignancies. However, the clinical effect of IL-32 expression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not previously been investigated. The aim of the present study was to examine the significance of IL-32 overexpression in localized clear cell RCC (CCRCC). We examined 112 patients with localized CCRCC who underwent nephrectomy. The clinicopathological data were obtained by retrospective review and the expression levels of IL-32 were studied by immunohistochemistry. Tumors were classified according to staining intensity (0, no staining intensity; 1, weak; 2, intermediate; 3, strong). The cases with staining intensities from 0 to 2 comprised the IL-32 low-expression group (LEG), whereas those with a staining intensity of 3 comprised the IL-32 high-expression group (HEG). Correlations between IL-32 expression and clinicopathological parameters were determined. Staining intensities were determined for all cases as follows: 26 cases (23.2%) (score 0), 43 cases (38.4%) (score 1), 31 cases (27.7%) (score 2) and 12 cases (10.7%) (score 3). IL-32 HEG exhibited a higher recurrence rate compared to the IL-32 LEG (50 vs. 13%, P= 0.001). For survival rates, the 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) rates were lower in the IL-32 HEG group compared with the IL-32 LEG group (RFS, P= 0.001; DSS, P<0.001; OS, P= 0.026, respectively). Univariate analyses revealed that Fuhrman nuclear grade and a high IL-32 expression were significant prognostic factors for predicting RFS, DSS and OS in CCRCC, whereas multivariate analyses indicated that Fuhrman nuclear grade and high IL-32 expression were still independent risk factors. In conclusion, IL-32 overexpression was associated with high recurrence rates and low RFS, DSS and OS, indicating that it may be a novel prognostic factor for predicting outcomes in patients with CCRCC.

PurposeKorean red ginseng (KRG) is a potent antioxidant and a free radical scavenger. This study was designed to determine whether KRG could protect against dysfunction and oxidative stress induced by torsion-detorsion injury in rat testis.Materials and MethodsSix-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: a sham-operated control group (C), a sham-operated and KRG-treated group (K), a 2 hours torsion and detorsion group (T), and a 2 hours torsion and detorsion and KRG-treated group (T+K). We measured testis weight and hormone levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the left renal vein. Superoxide generation was measured on the basis of lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence in testis tissue.ResultsTesticular weight was significantly higher in the T+K group than in the T group; however, there were no significant differences in hormone levels between the 4 groups. The mean level of ROS and superoxide production was significantly higher in the T group than in the C group, whereas administration of KRG attenuated this increase. Upon histologic evaluation, the T group was found to have cellular disarray, a lack of cellular cohesiveness, degenerative changes in the germinal cells, and less distinct changes in the seminiferous tubules, whereas the T+K group had a germinal epithelial layer that appeared nearly normal.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated that KRG recovered the testis dysfunction in the rat testis by suppressing superoxide production.