Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a membrane-associated proteoglycan that is specifically up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) although rarely or not expressed in normal liver tissues, making it a perfect diagnostic and treatment target for HCC. Several GPC3-based clinical trials are ongoing and recently several innovative GPC3-targeted therapeutic methods have emerged with exciting results, including GPC3 vaccine, anti-GPC3 immunotoxin, combined therapy with immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T or NK cells. Here, we review the value of GPC3 in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC, together with its signaling pathways, with a specific focus on GPC3-targeted treatments of HCC and some prospects for the future GPC3-based therapeutic strategies in HCC.

Objective To determine whether steroids are effective in preventing laryngeal oedema after extubation and reducing the need for subsequent reintubation in critically ill adults.Design Meta-analysis.Data sources PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Web of Science, and Embase with no limitation on language, study year, or publication status.Selection criteria Randomised placebo controlled trials in which parenteral steroids were compared with placebo for preventing complications after extubation in adults.Review methods Search, application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction, and assessment of methodological quality, independently performed in duplicate. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, risk difference, and number needed to treat were calculated and pooled.Main outcome measures Primary outcome: laryngeal oedema after extubation. Secondary outcome: subsequent reintubation because of laryngeal oedema. Results Six trials (n=1923) were identified. Compared with placebo, steroids given before planned extubation decreased the odds ratio for laryngeal oedema (0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.85) and subsequent reintubation (0.29, 0.15 to 0.58), corresponding with a risk difference of −0.10 (−0.12 to −0.07; number needed to treat 10) and −0.02 (−0.04 to −0.01; 50), respectively. Subgroup analyses indicated that a multidose regimen of steroids had marked positive effects on the occurrence of laryngeal oedema (0.14; 0.08 to 0.23) and on the rate of subsequent reintubation (0.19; 0.07 to 0.50), with a risk difference of −0.19 (−0.24 to −0.15; 5) and −0.04 (−0.07 to −0.02; 25). In single doses there was only a trend towards benefit, with the confidence interval including 1. Side effects related to steroids were not found. Conclusion Prophylactic administration of steroids in multidose regimens before planned extubation reduces the incidence of laryngeal oedema after extubation and the consequent reintubation rate in adults, with few adverse events.

Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic airway disease, which may be classified into different phenotypes. YKL-40 is a chitin-binding glycoprotein with unclear functions, but its expression is associated with inflammation and tissue remodeling. However, few studies have explored whether YKL-40 is associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma. The study had two parts. Study I (n = 115) was a one-year prospective cohort designed to explore the relationship of serum YKL-40 levels with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma at baseline, and during exacerbations. Study II (n = 62) was a four-week prospective cohort designed to define whether serum YKL-40 levels could predict responses to a fixed anti-asthma regimen. YKL-40, IL-6 and CCL22 levels were detected using ELISA, and a sputum inflammatory panel (including IL-1β, IL-5, IL-8 and TNF-α) was assessed using Luminex-based MILLIPLEX assay. Study I: Serum YKL-40 levels in non-eosinophilic asthma (NEA) i.e. neutrophilic (47.77 [29.59, 74.97] ng/mL, n = 40) and paucigranulocytic (47.36 [28.81, 61.68] ng/mL, n = 31) were significantly elevated compared with eosinophilic asthma (31.05 [22.41, 51.10] ng/mL, n = 44) (P = 0.015). Serum YKL-40levels positively correlated with blood neutrophils, sputum IL-1β and plasma IL-6 but negatively correlated with serum IgE and blood eosinophils (all P ≤ 0.05). Baseline YKL-40 levels predicted moderate to severe exacerbations within a one-year period (aOR = 4.13, 95% CI = [1.08, 15.83]). Study II: Serum YKL-40 was an independent biomarker of negative responses to anti-asthma regimens (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 0.82, 95% CI = [0.71, 0.96]. These studies show that YKL-40 is a non-type 2 inflammatory signature for NEA, which could predict responsiveness or insensitivity to anti-asthma medications and more exacerbations. Further studies are needed to assess whether monitoring YKL-40 levels could provide potential implications for clinical relevance.

An antioxidant and antibacterial polydopamine-modified thermo-sensitive hydrogel dressing was developed for Staphylococcus aureus-infected wound healing.

The prevalence of childhood asthma is increasing worldwide and increased in utero exposure to environmental toxicants may play a major role. As current asthma treatments are not curative, understanding the mechanisms underlying the etiology of asthma will allow better preventative strategies to be developed. This review focuses on the current understanding of how in utero exposure to environmental factors increases the risk of developing asthma in children. Epidemiological studies show that maternal smoking and particulate matter exposure during pregnancy are prominent risk factors for the development of childhood asthma. We discuss the changes in the developing fetus due to reduced oxygen and nutrient delivery affected by intrauterine environmental change. This leads to fetal underdevelopment and abnormal lung structure. Concurrently an altered immune response and aberrant epithelial and mesenchymal cellular function occur possibly due to epigenetic reprograming. The sequelae of these early life events are airway remodeling, airway hyperresponsiveness, and inflammation, the hallmark features of asthma. In summary, exposure to inhaled oxidants such as cigarette smoking or particulate matter increases the risk of childhood asthma and involves multiple mechanisms including impaired fetal lung development (structural changes), endocrine disorders, abnormal immune responses, and epigenetic modifications. These make it challenging to reduce the risk of asthma, but knowledge of the mechanisms can still help to develop personalized medicines.

The associations between the consumption of fast foods and asthma or allergic diseases have not been clarified. The aim of this study was to determine whether fast foods consumption is associated with asthma or allergic diseases. Databases were searched up to February 2018. Studies investigating the associations between fast foods consumption and asthma or allergic diseases were considered eligible. Included studies were assessed for quality using standardized critical appraisal checklists. The quality scores were 5.33 ± 1.16 in case–control studies and 5.69 ± 1.55 in cross‐sectional studies. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled. Sixteen studies (13 cross‐sectional and 3 case–control studies) were included. The consumption of fast foods was significantly related to current asthma (aOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.17–2.13 for case–control study and aOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10–2.26 for cross‐sectional studies), severe asthma (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.23–1.46), asthma ever (aOR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.06–1.75), current wheeze (aOR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.16–1.27), wheeze ever (aOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.07–2.52), physician‐diagnosed allergic rhinitis (odds ratio: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.05–1.95), severe eczema (aOR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.16–1.96) and severe rhino‐conjunctivitis (aOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.18–2.00). The consumption of hamburgers was associated with current asthma (aOR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.13–2.25), severe asthma (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.23–1.46), asthma ever (aOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.13–1.92), severe eczema (aOR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.16–1.96), severe rhino‐conjunctivitis (aOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.18–2.00) and rhino‐conjunctivitis (aOR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.15–1.27). The consumption of fast foods, especially hamburgers, ≥3 times/week, was more likely to be associated with severe asthma and current wheeze compared with the consumption of 1–2 times/week (both P < 0.001). In conclusion, the consumption of fast foods, particularly hamburgers, correlates to asthma in a dose–response pattern, which needs to be further validated in longitudinal and interventional studies.