Background: Owing to high genetic diversities of tumor cells and low response rate of standard chemotherapy, patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) have short progression-free survivals and poor outcomes, which need to explore an effective approach to improve therapeutic efficacy. Methods: Novel gadolinium doped carbon dots (Gd@CDs) have been designed and prepared through hydrothermal method with 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid, 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine) and gadolinium chloride. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized. Taking advantage of good biocompatibility of Gd@CDs, a nanoplatform based on Gd@CDs has been developed to co-deliver chemotherapy drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox) and a near-infrared (NIR) photothermal agent, IR825 for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided photothermal chemotherapy for TNBC. Results: The as-synthesized Dox@IR825@Gd@CDs displayed favorable MRI ability in vivo. Upon NIR laser irradiation, Dox@IR825@Gd@CDs could convert the NIR light to heat and efficiently inhibit tumor growth through photothermal chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the impact of photothermal chemotherapy on the murine motor coordination was assessed by rotarod test. Dox@IR825@Gd@CDs presented low toxicity and high photothermal chemotherapy efficiency. Conclusion: A noble theranostic nanoplatform (Dox@IR825@Gd@CDs) was developed that could be tailored to achieve loading of Dox and IR825, intracellular delivery, favorable MRI, excellent combination therapy with photothermal therapy and chemotherapy to enhance therapeutic effect against TNBC cells. This study will provide a promising strategy for the development of Gd-based nanomaterials for MRI and combinational therapy for TNBC. Graphic

Preterm birth (PTB), a serious adverse birth outcome, is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Bisphenols induce endocrine disruption that spreads across the placenta, which may affect fetal growth and development. However, the effects of bisphenols on PTB, particularly their combined effects, remain unknown. This study investigated the association between prenatal bisphenol exposure and PTB. Study participants were 2023 mother-infant pairs that were selected from the Guangxi Zhuang Birth Cohort. Maternal serum bisphenol levels were measured using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and pregnancy outcomes were obtained from medical records. Multivariate logistic regression, restricted cubic spline, principal component analysis (PCA), quantile g-computation (Qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to examine the association between serum bisphenol levels and PTB. Ln-transformed BPA concentrations were associated with an increased risk of PTB only in female infants (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.64). Ln-transformed bisphenol F (BPF) concentrations were positively associated with the risk of PTB (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.55). Inverse U-shaped relationships were observed between bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol S (BPS), and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) levels and the risk of PTB (P-overall < 0.05, P-non-linear < 0.05). After sex stratification, the association between BPA analogs and PTB was only observed in males. In Qgcomp analysis, bisphenol mixtures were related to an increased risk of PTB (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.21), with BPF (43.7%), BPS (29.6%) and BPA (26.8%) having the greatest positive contribution. Results indicate that prenatal exposure to bisphenol mixtures might increase the risk of PTB, which might be primarily driven by BPA, BPF and BPS. There may also be sex-specific and nonmonotonic dose-dependent effects.

To assess the association between exposure to the tobacco, heavy metals and phthalate on early pregnancy and missed abortion. 42 women with missed abortion and 57 matched controls (women with normal pregnancies) were recruited between March and May 2012, from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and the People Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The questionnaire survey was carried on to learn about the basic conditions, as well as smoking history of all participants. The levels of tobacco, heavy metal, and phthalate exposure were compared between the 2 groups by measuring nicotine, cocaine, cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), plumbum (Pb) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-2-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) in the hair samples. Out results showed that significant differences in age (P = .042), premarital examination (P = .041), passive smoking (P = .021), and heavy metal exposure (P = .022) were found in the case group compared to the control. In addition, the concentration of nicotine (P = .037), cotinine (P = .018), Cd (P = .01), Pb (P = .038) and DEHP (P = .001) in the hair were significantly higher in the case group. Furthermore, logistic analysis revealed that age [Odds Ratio (OR) 1.172, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.036–1.327], Cd (OR 8.931, 95% CI 2.003–39.811), Cotinine (OR 4.376, 95% CI 1.159–16.531), DEHP (OR 1.863, 95% CI 1.103–3.146) were important factors contributing to the missed abortion (P < .05). It was demonstrated that high gestational age, passive smoking, heavy metals, and the phthalate exposure were the risk factors for missed abortion, while the premarital health examination was a protective factor. Avoiding these harmful substances before getting pregnant and during the early stages of pregnancy, might help prevent missed abortions.