Fluorescence imaging plays an important role in researching the biological function of lipid droplets (LDs). However, the short-wave emission, tedious synthesis process and insufficient specificity have significantly limited the applications of commercially available probes. Herein, we have prepared a novel one-step synthesized near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe, TNBD, with a very low emission in aqueous solution and the solid state, but a significantly enhanced fluorescence emission is exhibited in oleic acid. Moreover, TNBD exhibited an impressive lipid droplet (LD) specific fluorescence turn-on ability in cells, fatty liver and atherosclerosis (AS) samples with a good biocompatibility and high signal-to-noise ratio. Our study not only establishes a novel LD turn-on fluorescence probe, but also provides a novel way to prepare a NIR LD targeted fluorescence probe.

AIE fluorophores have been developed as bioimaging probes due to their strong brightness at high concentration and increase of the photostability to promote highly recognizable cellular signaling. However, conventional AIE fluorescent probes for bioimaging just solely lighten the cells or tissues, suffering from the limitation of satisfying the requirement of disease diagnosis. Herein, we report an AIE-active bioprobe (TPP-Tba) for linear fluorescence response and qualitative detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and viscosity with a wide detection range and a low detection limit. TPP-Tba displays an impressive ability of distinguishing normal cells and pathological cells. Furthermore, fatty liver tissue can also be efficiently distinguished from normal liver tissue, attributed to the great H₂O₂ and viscosity dual-response as well as the specific targeting to mitochondria by TPP-Tba. Given the high sensitivity for H₂O₂ and viscosity, great biocompatibility, high specificity to mitochondria, and impressive ability of distinguishing normal tissue and pathological tissue, we envisage that this novel TPP-Tba probe would open a new window for designing novel bioprobes for disease diagnosis.

Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of statin use on the mortality of patients with prostate cancer (PCa). Methods: An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases from inception to August 2015 was performed to find eligible studies. Articles investigating the association between statin use and mortality of PCa were identified. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects models. Results: In total, 13 studies that enrolled 100,536 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that prediagnostic statin use had a significantly lower risk of both all-cause mortality (ACM; HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.38–0.83) and PCa-specific mortality (PCSM; HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36–0.77). Similarly, postdiagnostic statin use was correlated with reductions in both ACM (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69–0.87) and PCSM (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.52–0.79). When stratified by primary treatment, postdiagnostic use of statins had a 0.4-fold lower risk of ACM in patients with PCa who were treated with local therapy; both pre- and postdiagnostic use of statins was correlated with a significantly lower risk of PCSM in patients who were treated with androgen deprivation therapy. Conclusion: Both pre- and postdiagnostic use of statins is associated with better overall survival and PCa-specific survival. This suggests a need for randomized controlled trials of statins in patients with PCa.