Background: Natural killer (NK) cells have potent effector functions that can be further im-proved for therapeutic purposes through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Specific killing of virus-infected cells and cancer cells is modulated through target specific antibodies that subse-quently recruit NK cells for ADCC. NK cells produce cytokines similar to activated T cells, but is less persistent as NK cells have short-lived responses. These features benefit the development of customisable and more individualised cell-based therapies. Objectives: Preclinical studies with NK cells were promising and several clinical studies are ongoing to investigate their use in antibody therapies. However, more reliable ADCC assays are required for evaluat-ing NK cell activity to optimise therapeutic antibodies. The therapeutic potential of NK cell therapy could then be improved by harnessing ADCC. Methods: This review discusses recent studies on key components of NK cell-mediated ADCC, current clinical trials involving NK cells, ADCC assay developments and various techniques to improve ADCC. Results: Improvements can be made to NK-mediated ADCC through modifications of antibodies, effector cells and target antigens. Different aspects of antibodies were studied extensively, including modifying glycosylation patterns, novel production methods, combination regiments, bispecific antibodies, and con-jugated antibodies. Modification of NK cells and tumour surface markers could improve ADCC of even treatment-resistant cancer cells. Additives such as cytokines and other immunomodulatory agents can fur-ther augment ADCC to supplement NK cell-based therapies. Conclusion: ADCC improvements could be incorporated with current biological techniques such as adoptive transfer of NK cells and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells, to improve the outcome of NK cell-based therapy and pave the way for future immunotherapies.

2020 will be marked in history for the dreadful implications of the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world globally. The pandemic has reshaped the normality of life and affected mankind in the aspects of mental and physical health, financial, economy, growth, and development. The focus shift to COVID-19 has indirectly impacted an existing air-borne disease, Tuberculosis. In addition to the decrease in TB diagnosis, the emergence of the TB/COVID-19 syndemic and its serious implications (possible reactivation of latent TB post-COVID-19, aggravation of an existing active TB condition, or escalation of the severity of a COVID-19 during TB-COVID-19 coinfection), serve as primary reasons to equally prioritize TB. On a different note, the valuable lessons learnt for the COVID-19 pandemic provide useful knowledge for enhancing TB diagnostics and therapeutics. In this review, the crucial need to focus on TB amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been discussed. Besides, a general comparison between COVID-19 and TB in the aspects of pathogenesis, diagnostics, symptoms, and treatment options with importance given to antibody therapy were presented. Lastly, the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is applicable to enhance the antibody-based immunotherapy for TB have been presented.

Pediococcus acidilactici has gained research and commercial interest due to its outstanding probiotic properties, yet its survival during storage and consumption requires improvement. This study aims to enhance P. acidilactici survival using spray drying encapsulation. Different inlet air temperatures (120 °C, 150 °C, and 170 °C) and whey protein isolate (WPI):gum arabic (GA) ratios (1:1, 3:1, 1:3) were tested. Cell viability was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the inlet temperature but not the WPI:GA ratio. Increasing the inlet temperature to 170 °C significantly decreased P. acidilactici viability by 1.36 log cycles, from 8.61 log CFU/g to 7.25 log CFU/g. The inlet temperature of 150 °C resulted in a powder yield (63.12%) higher than at 120 °C (58.97%), as well as significantly (p < 0.05) lower moisture content (5.71%) and water activity (a_w 0.21). Viable cell counts in all encapsulated P. acidilactici were maintained at 5.24–6.75 log CFU/g after gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulation, with WPI:GA of 3:1 and inlet temperature 150 °C having the smallest log reduction (0.3 log cycles). All samples containing different WPI:GA ratios maintained sufficient viability (>7 log CFU/g) during the first three weeks of storage at 25 °C. These results could provide insights for further developing P. acidilactici as commercial probiotic products.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in their many formulations have prompted an immense interest in nanomedicine and drug development. Numerous ZnO-NPs bioactive formulations demonstrate remarkable broad applications in deciphering their therapeutic effects and bioimaging. Their unique size, morphology-dependent properties and modifiable surface chemistry have made them promising candidates for translation into novel, alternative nanomedicines. ZnO-NPs demonstrate biocompatibility and are non-toxic with relatively required in-expensive production techniques. This review presents an in-depth comprehension of the synthesis, chemical and biological peculiarities of ZnO-NPs, including their varied manufacturing methods and their impactful applications in biomedicine. The physical, chemical and biological synthesis approaches that are unique for ZnO-NPs synthesis were comprehensively reviewed, followed by their applications in therapeutics (anticancer, antibacterial, drug delivery, skin treatment, antidiabetic and antioxidant), diagnostics (bioimaging and biosensor) and theranostics as well as their health hazards. ZnO-NPs exhibit antibacterial and anticancer activities, primarily through the liberation of zinc ions and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which disrupt the cell membrane. Their anticancer properties are additionally apprised with an escalation in caspase 3/7 along with the modulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. ZnO-NPs are reviewed to attenuate hepatocellular carcinoma. Further, this article comprehended various in-vitro and in-vivo therapeutic effects of novel drug formulations of ZnO-NPs. It also delved into two fascinating areas: ZnO-NPs’ performance in comparison with other NPs and the potential of ZnO-NPs heterostructures with 2D nanomaterials. The goal of this review is to inspire further research efforts to meet the growing needs of next-generation nanomedicine.

8-oxoG, a common DNA lesion resulting from reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been shown to be associated with cancer initiation. hOGG1 DNA glycosylase is the primary enzyme responsible for excision of 8-oxoG through base excision repair (BER). Integrins are members of a family of cell surface receptors that mediate the cell-cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Integrins are involved in almost every aspect of carcinogenesis, from cell differentiation, cell proliferation, metastasis to angiogenesis. Loss of ITGA2 expression was associated with enhanced tumor intravasation and metastasis of breast and colon cancer. XPD gene encodes DNA helicase enzyme that is involved in nucleotide excision repair (NER). It is shown in previous research that XPD homozygous wildtype Lys/Lys genotype was associated with higher odds of NPC. We conducted a 1 to N case-control study involving 300 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases and 533 controls matched by age, gender and ethnicity to investigate the effect of hOGG1 Ser326Cys, ITGA2 C807T and XPD Lys751Gln polymorphisms on NPC risk. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis were conducted to explore the association of allele combinations with NPC risk. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) was used for DNA genotyping. No significant association was observed between hOGG1 Ser326Cys and ITGA2 C807T polymorphisms with NPC risk after adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity, cigarette smoking, alcohol and salted fish consumption. Lys/Lys genotype of XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism was associated with increased NPC risk (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.06–2.43). Subjects with history of smoking (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.26–2.60), and salted fish consumption before age of 10 (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.30–2.42) were observed to have increased odds of NPC. The odds of developing NPC of CGC haplotype was significantly higher compared to reference AGC haplotype (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.06–4.58). The allele combination of CGC from hOGG1, ITGA2 and XPD polymorphisms was significantly associated with increased odds of NPC.