Human microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, play key roles in several physiological and pathological processes. Some studies discovered that tumour tissues once considered sterile actually host a variety of microorganisms, which have been confirmed to be closely related to oncogenesis. The concept of intratumoural microbiota was subsequently proposed. Microbiota could colonise tumour tissues through mucosal destruction, adjacent tissue migration, and hematogenic invasion and affect the biological behaviour of tumours as an important part of the tumour microenvironment. Mechanistic studies have demonstrated that intratumoural microbiota potentially promote the initiation and progression of tumours by inducing genomic instability and mutations, affecting epigenetic modifications, promoting inflammation response, avoiding immune destruction, regulating metabolism, and activating invasion and metastasis. Since more comprehensive and profound insights about intratumoral microbiota are continuously emerging, new methods for the early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of cancer patients have been under examination. In addition, interventions based on intratumoural microbiota show great potential to open a new chapter in antitumour therapy, especially immunotherapy, although there are some inevitable challenges. Here, we aim to provide an extensive review of the concept, development history, potential sources, heterogeneity, and carcinogenic mechanisms of intratumoural microorganisms, explore the potential role of microorganisms in tumour prognosis, and discuss current antitumour treatment regimens that target intratumoural microorganisms and the research prospects and limitations in this field.

With the development of nanotechnology, significant progress has been made in the design, and manufacture of nanoparticles (NPs) for use in clinical treatments. Recent increases in our understanding of the central role of macrophages in the context of inflammation and cancer have reinvigorated interest in macrophages as drug targets. Macrophages play an integral role in maintaining the steady state of the immune system and are involved in cancer and inflammation processes. Thus, NPs tailored to accurately target macrophages have the potential to transform disease treatment. Herein, we first present a brief background information of NPs as drug carriers, including but not limited to the types of nanomaterials, their biological properties and their advantages in clinical application. Then, macrophage effector mechanisms and recent NPs-based strategies aimed at targeting macrophages by eliminating or re-educating macrophages in inflammation and cancer are summarized. Additionally, the development of nanocarriers targeting macrophages for disease diagnosis is also discussed. Finally, the significance of macrophage-targeting nanomedicine is highlighted, with the goal of facilitating future clinical translation.

This study investigated the application of a therapeutic tumor cell–derived microparticle-based nanodelivery platform in malignant pleural effusion.

Objectives: In order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of SARS‐CoV‐2 on oral health and possible saliva transmission, we performed RNA‐seq profiles analysis from public databases and also a questionnaire survey on oral‐related symptoms of COVID‐19 patients.Materials and methods: To analyse ACE2 expression in salivary glands, bulk RNA‐seq profiles from four public datasets including 31 COVID‐19 patients were recruited. Saliva and oropharyngeal swabs were collected. SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acids in saliva were detected by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Additionally, a questionnaire survey on various oral symptoms such as dry mouth and amblygeustia was also carried out on COVID‐19 patients.Results: ACE2 expression was present at detectable levels in the salivary glands. In addition, of four cases with positive detection of salivary SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleic acids, three (75%) were critically ill on ventilator support. Furthermore, we observed the two major oral‐related symptoms, dry mouth (46.3%) and amblygeustia (47.2%), were manifested by a relatively high proportion of 108 COVID‐19 patients who accepted the questionnaire survey.Conclusions: This study confirms the expression of ACE2 in the salivary glands and demonstrates the possibility of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection of salivary glands. Saliva may be a new source of diagnostic specimens for critically ill patients, since it can be easily collected without any invasive procedures. In addition, dry mouth and amblygeustia can be considered as initial symptoms of COVID‐19 infection.

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases, as many patients show limited therapeutic response to treatment. Liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive method that has the advantage of providing real-time disease information with the least damage to cancer patients. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by the parental cells and protected by lipid bilayer membrane structure represent an emerging liquid biopsy modality. Apart from promoting cell growth, proliferation, and migration, EVs and their cargos (mainly miRNAs and proteins) are also biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Furthermore, their alterations pre- and post-therapy can guide therapeutic strategy determinations for better-stratified therapy. In this review, we summarize the potential clinical significance of EVs and their cargos in therapeutic response monitoring and prediction in several cancers (mainly lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, glioblastoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma) and discuss the questions that require future investigation.