Targeting the issue of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) immunotherapy, this study was the first to confirm that melarsoprol (MEL), an arsenic-containing drug, activates the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway in tumor cells and induces an antitumor immune response . However, high-dose MEL excessively activates the pro-tumorigenic cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which impairs the immunotherapeutic efficacy. To address this, a poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based nanoparticle (NP) was prepared in this study for the co-delivery of MEL and lenalidomide (LEN), a TNF-α inhibitor. Through erythrocyte membrane camouflage and aminoethyl anisamide (AEAA)-targeted modification, the nanoparticle was precisely enriched in HCC tissues. It significantly reversed the immunosuppressive TME and achieved antitumor effects in two mouse models of HCC . This study provides a novel strategy for the chemoimmunotherapy of HCC.

A new report from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), supported by the Octava Foundation, has mapped Singapore’s programmes supporting children’s mental health.

Kyoto, Japan -- Forests have been benefitting humanity since long before the health benefits of forest bathing were discovered. They are major carbon sinks that provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including timber and non-timber forest products, recreation, and climate regulation.

Accurately assessing forest biomass is essential for understanding carbon storage and supporting sustainable forest management, but forests are vast three-dimensional structures and therefore difficult to study. Until recently, even measuring the height of a single tree was a challenging task, let alone understanding the size of its canopy. Conventional ground-based tree surveys are labor-intensive and often difficult to conduct in remote or steep terrain, limiting their use in large-scale assessments. This has also restricted researchers' ability to develop accurate biomass estimation formulae.

However, new drone-based technologies such as LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, are becoming increasingly accessible to researchers and have enabled more efficient measurement of tree structures and forest biomass. Emitting hundreds of thousands to millions of laser beams per second, LiDAR obtains three-dimensional information about the objects it scans.

Microplastics, tiny bits of plastic less than 5 millimeters in size, are now found in our air, food, water, and even inside the human body, according to new research led by scientists from China and the United States. The study, published in Carbon Research, urges scientists and policymakers to take immediate steps to understand and address potential health risks linked to widespread plastic pollution.