Search Results (4)

Background: Vascular malformations (VMs) are congenital anomalies of the vascular system—capillary, venous, lymphatic, arteriovenous, or combined—frequently associated with notable morbidity and reduced quality of life. Electrochemotherapy (ECT), a locoregional treatment that combines chemotherapeutic agents (most commonly bleomycin) with electroporation, has emerged as a promising alternative in managing therapy-resistant or anatomically challenging lesions. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to January 2025 for studies reporting on the efficacy and/or safety of ECT for vascular malformations. Data extraction encompassed study design, patient demographics, VM type, ECT protocols, outcomes, follow-up duration, and adverse events. Studies that lacked relevant outcome data or focused solely on other therapeutic approaches were excluded. Results: Twelve primary studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. These covered diverse VMs, including venous, slow-flow, high-flow malformations, aggressive hemangiomas, and composite lesions in adult and pediatric populations. ECT protocols usually combined bleomycin (or occasionally other agents such as pingyangmycin or polidocanol foam) with various electroporation parameters. Across studies, ECT resulted in meaningful lesion-size reduction (50–97% in most cohorts), symptom relief (e.g., reduced pain and bleeding), and favorable cosmetic outcomes. While side effects (local edema, hyperpigmentation, procedure-related discomfort) were occasionally reported, they were typically mild and transient. Conclusions: ECT represents a valuable minimally invasive option in the therapeutic armamentarium for vascular malformations. Despite consistent demonstrations of efficacy and acceptable toxicity profiles, future high-quality, multicenter studies are warranted to confirm outcomes, refine treatment guidelines, and potentially expand its use as a standard of care. Full article

The cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a main cash crop globally, providing oil, protein, and various beneficial phytochemicals, with high-oleic peanut offering enhanced health benefits and oxidative stability. Despite these advantages, many widely cultivated peanut varieties remain normal-oleic, and the conversion of these varieties to high-oleic types without compromising yield and adaptability is of significant interest. This study evaluated the feasibility of using Pingyangmycin, a chemical mutagen, to induce high-oleic mutations in the popular peanut variety 308 through floral organ injection. The results showed that this method effectively generated high-oleic mutants with oleic acid content exceeding 75%. The mutants yielded more pods and kernels than the parental variety. Genotypic analysis confirmed mutations in the FAD2A and FAD2B genes, associated with the high-oleic phenotype. This novel approach, which reduces seed and reagent requirements and accelerates the breeding timeline, holds promise for enhancing peanut breeding programs and the development of high-oleic cultivars with superior quality and yield. Full article

Pingyangmycin is an anticancer drug known as bleomycin A5 (A5), discovered in the Pingyang County of Zhejiang Province of China. Bleomycin (BLM) is a mixture of mainly two compounds (A2 and B2), which is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Both BLM and A5 are hydrophilic molecules that depend on transporters or endocytosis receptors to get inside of cells. Once inside, the anticancer activities rely on their abilities to produce DNA breaks, thus leading to cell death. Interestingly, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of BLMs in different cancer cell lines varies from nM to μM ranges. Different cellular uptake, DNA repair rate, and/or increased drug detoxification might be some of the reasons; however, the molecules and signaling pathways responsible for these processes are largely unknown. In the current study, we purified the A2 and B2 from the BLM and tested the cytotoxicities and the molecular mechanisms of each individual compound or in combination with six different cell lines, including a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line defective in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. Our data suggested that glycosaminoglycans might be involved in the cellular uptake of BLMs. Moreover, both BLM and A5 shared similar signaling pathways and are involved in cell cycle and apoptosis in different cancer cell lines. Full article

During the chemotherapy of cancer, drug resistance is the first issue that chemotherapeutic drugs cannot be effectively used for the treatment of cancers repeatedly for a long term, and the main reason for this is that tumor cell detoxification is mediated by GSH (glutathione) catalyzed by GST (glutathione-S-transferase). In this study, a GST inhibitor, ethacrynic acid (ECA), was designed to be coupled with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide) (MPEG–PLA) by disulfide bonds to prepare methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide)-disulphide bond-mthacrynic acid (MPEG–PLA–SS–ECA) as a carrier material of the nanoparticles. Nanoparticles of pingyangmycin (PYM) and carboplatin (CBP) were prepared, respectively, and their physicochemical properties were investigated. The ECA at the disulfide could be released in the presence of GSH, the pingyangmycin, carboplatin and ECA were all uniformly released, and the nanoparticles could release all the drugs completely within 10 days. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀₎ of the prepared MPEG–PLA–SS–ECA/CBP and MPEG–PLA–SS–ECA/PYM nanoparticles in drug-resistant oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines SCC15/CBP and SCC15/PYM cells was 12.68 μg·mL⁻¹ and 12.76 μg·mL⁻¹, respectively; the resistant factor RF of them in the drug-resistant cells were 1.51 and 1.24, respectively, indicating that MPEG–PLA–SS–ECA nanoparticles can reverse the drug resistance of these two drug-resistant cells. Full article