Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally, accounting for approximately 800,000 deaths annually. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, comprising approximately 80% of cases. Murine models of HCC, such as chemically-induced models, xenograft models, and genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models, are valuable tools to reproduce human HCC biopathology and biochemistry. These models can be used to identify potential biomarkers, evaluate potential novel therapeutic drugs in pre-clinical trials, and develop molecular target therapies. Considering molecular target therapies, a novel approach has been developed to create genetically engineered murine models for HCC, employing hydrodynamics-based transfection (HT). The HT method, coupled with the Sleeping Beauty transposon system or the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool, has been used to rapidly and cost-effectively produce a variety of HCC models containing diverse oncogenes or inactivated tumor suppressor genes. The versatility of these models is expected to broaden our knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying human hepatocarcinogenesis, allowing the study of premalignant and malignant liver lesions and the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies. Here, we review recent advances in GEM models of HCC with an emphasis on new technologies.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleations in a reduced-dimensional system undergoing a firstorder structural phase transition were examined by using low electron energy diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. The high-temperature 4 × 1 phase of a Si(111)-In surface was supercooled at temperatures below the transition temperature (T c ) and evolved slowly into a low-temperature 8 × 2 phase with time. The transition rate decreased significantly as the temperature approached T c . The kinetics of the observed homogeneous nucleation was analyzed by classical nucleation theory. The introduction of oxygen atoms reduced the hysteresis and accelerated nucleation significantly, showing that the T c -raising oxygen impurity plays the role of a nucleation seed for heterogeneous nucleation.

Recently, there has been a growing in alternative prevents and therapies of marine organisms for metabolic syndrome. Marine-derived bioactive peptides attracted extensive interest due to their numerous health beneficial effects including antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-diabetes, anti-obesity. The bioactive peptides may provide novel therapeutic applications for the prevention of metabolic syndrome. The facts summarized here may provide improvement of metabolic syndrome by peptides from marine organisms. However, further insightful researches on the prevention of metabolic syndrome by marine peptides in in vivo and clinical studies are needed to firmly establish their therapeutic potency.

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Fucoidans are sulfate-rich polysaccharides with a wide variety of beneficial biological activities. The present study aimed to highlight the anti-inflammatory activity of fucoidan from the brown seaweed Sargassum autumnale (SA) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Among the isolated fucoidan fractions, the third fraction (SAF3) showed a superior protective effect on LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. SAF3 inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production and expression of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE2) via downregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) expression in LPS-induced RAW 26.7 cells. SAF3 treatment decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression in LPS-induced cells. LPS stimulation activated NF-κB and MAPK signaling cascades in RAW 264.7 cells, while treatment with SAF3 suppressed them in a concentration-dependent manner. Existing outcomes confirm that SAF3 from S. autumnale possesses potent anti-inflammatory activity and exhibits good potential for application as a functional food ingredient or for the treatment of inflammation-related disorders.