Owing to the progressive development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) synthetic processes and their unique characters associated with the excellent performance-selectable composition, tunable pore scale, large surface area, and good thermal stability, MOFs have captured the interest and the imagination of an increasing number of scientists working in different fields. In the area of biomedical applications, MOFs are especially involved in sensing, molecular imaging, and drug delivery, with strong contributions to the whole nanomedicine area. Recently, these materials have been scaled down to nanometer sizes with the advancement of chemical synthesis gradually reaching an adjustable level. This review mainly discusses and summarizes the general synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications of nanoscaled MOFs and their composites in biosensing, imaging, and cancer therapy within the latest three years. The remaining challenges and future opportunities in this field, in terms of processing techniques, maximizing composite properties, and prospects for clinical applications, are also indicated.

Although fossil evidence suggests that various animal groups were able to move actively through their environment in the early stages of their evolution, virtually no direct information is available on the nature of their muscle systems. The origin of jellyfish swimming, for example, is of great interest to biologists. Exceptionally preserved muscles are described here in benthic peridermal olivooid medusozoans from the basal Cambrian of China (Kuanchuanpu Formation, ca. 535 Ma) that have direct equivalent in modern medusozoans. They consist of circular fibers distributed over the bell surface (subumbrella) and most probably have a myoepithelial origin. This is the oldest record of a muscle system in cnidarians and more generally in animals. This basic system was probably co-opted by early Cambrian jellyfish to develop capacities for jet-propelled swimming within the water column. Additional lines of fossil evidence obtained from ecdysozoans (worms and panarthropods) show that the muscle systems of early animals underwent a rapid diversification through the early Cambrian and increased their capacity to colonize a wide range of habitats both within the water column and sediment at a critical time of their evolutionary radiation.

Animal models have been extensively used in cancer pathology studies and drug discovery. These models, however, fail to reflect the complex human tumor microenvironment and do not allow for high-throughput drug screening in more humanlike physiological conditions. Three-dimensional (3D) cancer models present an alternative to automated high-throughput cancer drug discovery and oncology. In this review, we highlight recent technology innovations in building 3D tumor models that simulate the complex human tumor microenvironment and responses of patients to treatment. We discussed various biofabrication technologies, including 3D bioprinting techniques developed for characterizing tumor progression, metastasis, and response to treatment.

Macroplastic debris recorded in the MarianaTrench and accumulated on some deep-sea canyons worldwide has aroused great public concerns. Large plastic debris dumps found in canyons of the Xisha Trough, South China Sea have become hot spots for deep-sea pollution, with 1 order of magnitude higher abundance than in other investigated canyons.Here we adopted an integrative specimen-based approach to examine macroplastic items from large debris dumps in the Xisha Trough and comparative items from continental shelves with rare macroplastics. On the investigated items, we found an epibenthic ecosystem with relatively high species diversity, comprised of 49 mm-sized fungi and invertebrate species dominated by scyphozoan polyps and brachiopod juveniles according to inhabiting density. These large dumps are functioning as new biodiversity hot spots hosting endemic species like soft corals or aplacophoran molluscs, providing a spawning habitat for gastropods and even specialized parasitic flatworms, and can be inferred as potential scattered regional sources releasing deep-sea coronate jellyfish. We hypothesize that macroplastics can boost population extension of sessile and some free-living (Mollusca) invertebrates and affect the deep-sea benthic-pelagic coupling process. The baseline of associated organisms needs to be set up and monitored in more canyons, where debris is transported to and accumulated at the highest density.

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Molecular phylogenetics provides objective references for zoological systematics which sometimes are inconsistent with morphological data. This applies particularly for some primitive phyla such as Cnidaria. The marine hydrozoan Symplectoscyphus turgidus (Sertularellidae) is a recent questionable case reported to occupy an unexpected phylogenetic position and suggested to belong to a new genus. However, its position, based on a single Californian specimen, seemed doubtful. Here we contributed 16S, 18S and 28S rRNA data of another morphologically related species from the Yellow Sea, forming a monophyletic clade with the Californian sample, confirming the clade stability. Further integrative analyses support describing this clade as the new genus Xingyurella, gen. nov., and lead to a taxonomic revision of species characterised by three hydrothecal marginal teeth and strong gonothecal spines. This resulted in a new species and three new combinations: Xingyurella xingyuarum, sp. nov., X. gotoi, comb. nov., X. pedrensis, comb. nov. and X. turgida, comb. nov. Future investigations are required to understand the evolution and speciation involved in the transoceanic distribution pattern of Xingyurella. The approach used herein for dealing with non-monophyletic conditions may be indicative for further studies by integrating trophosome and gonosome traits for Sertularellidae and other hydrozoans. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E99F8777-8E31-4C4B-A065-71C71371EEBC.